《A Meaningless Hero》


 Paralogue: A story that never was

    A dream. Gray realized that he was dreaming. The vision that he saw before him was one that did not exist in any reality. That was his realization. A transient scene that would fade from memory on his awakening.


    Meaningless.


    Even so, he found himself unable to look away.


    A world of infinite potential. It was a land where numerous fantasies came to life, springing forth from the wellsprings of desire. Magic was a dominant force in the world, allowing anybody to achieve their dreams given enough time, effort, and sacrifice.


    The world he saw was one that seemed utterly brilliant, filled with infinite potential... but it was one wreathed in tragedy.


    A dream. Gray realized that he was dreaming, and that a dream was what he saw. But in seeing that dream, he quickly realized that it was no dream, but rather a nightmare.


    -A seemingly clich¨¦ scene.


    In a darkened throne room within an obsidian castle, there was an almighty figure wreathed in dark magic. Before him were a group of four brave warriors, sent by the world to retrieve the light of tomorrow.


    -Battered. After the initial exchange, one where the figure launched a barrage of every magic possible, the four chosen by the world were laid low, ragged and wounded.


    A proper script would have it be that, in this fateful moment, the warriors gained the blessing of the heavens and triumphed over evil.


    -But such a scene was not to be.


    The figure spoke. A deep and resonant male voice. "Fools. Did you believe that coming here would change anything?"


    They were arrogant words, but ones that did not come without merit.


    The almighty figure was standing tall and unscathed. Though his form and appearance was obscured by dark energy, it was clear that he had yet to suffer any sort of wound.


    The same could not be said of the four that had set off to defeat him.


    The group of warriors were a typical RPG party. In the lead, garbed in shining silver platemail and a golden crown blessed by the Heavens, was a young man. It would have been more accurate to call him a youth, one barely in his teens.


    His blond hair was matted in blood and dust, but his blue eyes were narrowed in determination. He knelt on the ground, clutching at a tattered sword that looked to have once been splendid.


    At the youth''s side was a young girl with crimson hair. She was donned in the attire of a witch, wearing a pointed black hat and a flowing, violet robe. Like the youth, she too was kneeling. But unlike the youth''s determined gaze, hers was that of abject fear. Her trembling hands clutched a wand of white wood, carved with intricate runes.


    As for the other two... they had been blown away by the initial attack from the figure.


    One had been an older man that looked to be a cross between a man and a silver wolf. Like the youth, he wore silver platemail. However, his had been shattered and exposed a bare torso caked in blood and burns. He lay slumped against a stone wall, unmoving and blood pooling beneath him.


    The final member of the party had been a woman with long silver hair and pointed ears. Beautiful, and someone that would have drawn the eyes of any who looked upon her. At the moment, however, her appearance would have drawn eyes for different reasons. Impaled upon stone spikes and her torso torn apart from concussive forces... the terrific beauty had turned into a horrific display.


    The almighty figure raised his right hand, palm facing upwards, and clenched it into a fist. "The Goddesses of this land are no more, and now their power is my own. With that power... well, the likes of you need not know more than ''Resistance is futile''. Still... for the ''hero'' and his lover to survive my magic... it appears that the world does not allow for any absolutes..."Stolen novel; please report.


    Hearing the figure''s word, the youth''s eyes widened. Coming to a sudden realization, he turned his head back to look at his companions. When he saw what had become of them, a strangled cry emerged from his throat and he called their names. "Sylvana! Rorin!"


    "Heh." The almighty figure let out a short laugh and waved his hand.


    "Rein! Look out!" The crimson haired witch pushed the youth to the ground and swung her wand.


    A thunderous explosion resounded as crackling black lightning met a crimson barrier.


    "Tch. Unexpectedly, it seems the world has empowered you beyond my predictions." The almighty figure said those words and let out a wry laugh. "Truly, I seem to be Fated to fall at the hands of a new ''Hero'' today."


    Was it the figure''s words or his calm way of speaking? Either way, it enraged the youth enough for him to stand up and charge at the figure. The tattered sword was empowered by divine light and swung to cleave the figure in two.


    However, whether because of the youth''s weakened state or the sword itself, the most that was done was stop a foot before the figure''s body. That didn''t deter the youth. Instead, he grit his teeth and pushed forward. "Of course! Someone like you...! A monster like you deserves to die! If you died, the world... everyone would be saved!"


    "A monster, am I?" The figure laughed again, an empty and hollow sound. However, his following words were sharp and clear. "You are wrong, ''Hero''. I am as far from a monster as there can be. And the world knows it. After all... if I was truly a monster, why is it that only you four were sent to fight me and not the combined forces of the three kingdoms?"


    "T-that''s..."


    The youth''s determination wavered.


    -Of course. If the figure was truly a threat to the world, then even if it was hopeless the world should be united behind the four. Yet, giving empty praises and words that they were ''the world''s last hope'', the four had been sent off with barely any equipment, forced to obtain the Divine Artifacts on their own.


    The figure laughed and gestured behind the youth. "It seems that your companion has realized it. Why not ask her?"


    The youth turned around.


    The crimson-haired witch was sweating and looked worse for the wear. It was the result of blocking an attack from the almighty figure. Yet, that was not completely why she looked like that. She stared at the figure in shock. "It cannot be... you are not a demon."


    "What are you talking about, Annie?!" The youth grit his teeth and turned back to the figure. "Of course he''s a demon! If he''s not, why would he kill the Goddesses?!"


    The crimson-haired witch shook her head. "Impossible," she muttered. "Impossible. That''s impossible. Why...?" The shock in her eyes changed, twisting into despair. She got to her feet and clutched her hands to her chest. "Why? Why are you doing this?! Why has humanity''s hero decided to turn against it?!"


    A pained declaration.


    It was enough to cause the youth to freeze. "Wha-? He''s the hero that was supposed to help us defeat the demon lord? But why is he-?"


    A moment''s hesitation. In that brief gap where both the youth and the witch sough an answer-


    Schick.


    -the confrontation was over.


    A sword more splendid than beautiful, more valiant than splendid, pierced the hero''s heart.


    The youth''s eyes were wide open in shock. He stared at the sword in his chest and said, "Valor...? But-"


    His final thoughts would never be heard.


    In a single, fluid motion, the sword was wrenched upwards, dying the throne room crimson.


    The witch that remained could only stare in shock as she was covered in her lover''s blood. When she realized what had happened, she screamed and ran towards the figure. "WHY?"


    The figure didn''t say anything, nor did he move. His aura was enough to keep the witch... no, it was simply a girl now. A distraught young girl shocked at the loss of her love.


    "You saved us! You swore to be humanity''s hero! You united everyone under your name! So why-?!" The girl swallowed, shaking her head. Tears flew from her eyes like falling stars. "Why are you doing this, Father?!"


    For a moment, the figure''s aura dimmed, letting the girl see the man standing within.


    Her eyes lit up with hope-


    "I am not your father."


    -only to vanish forevermore as a bolt of black lightning struck her out from existence.


    And like that, the almighty figure was alone. He looked upwards, seemingly seeing through his castle''s roof to the sky above and muttered, "...Not enough, even with this. How many more lives will it take to sate your thirst, Goddess? How much longer will you foist this role of both hero and villain upon me?"


    Silence.


    "...Still no answer? Hmph." The figure lowered his gaze and sat back down in his throne. "Very well. But the time draws near for when I can reach your level. And when that time arrives..." The figure lifted his right hand, watching as black lightning crackled. But unlike the black lightning from before, this lightning held flashes of other colors as well. Blue, violet, gold... they twirled together with the black lightning in a menacing cycle. "...I will have my reckoning."

 Chapter 1: Unknown calling, empty message

    Gray woke with a start, blue eyes wide and frantic. His forehead glistened with cold sweat. "What... was that...?"


    He grabbed his cell phone and glanced at the time.


    3:00 AM.


    He sat up and ran a hand through his dirty blond hair as he tried to gather his bearings.


    Dark. Moonlight filtering in through the window by his bedside. He was in his bedroom, part of the studio apartment he rented overlooking the city street.


    "A dream?" he muttered.


    It had to be. He was still in his rented apartment, still in his bed, and still as he was when he went to sleep, dressed in a plain black t-shirt and boxers.


    But that dream... it had been too vivid. Too real. Something like that... it was almost as if he was standing there and watching it happen. The magic, the swords, the blood-


    Gray''s stomach lurched. He swallowed and shook his head.


    Vivid. It was way too vivid to be just a dream. But...


    "...Alright. Next time, no playing horror and RPG games before bed."


    ...He rationalized it away like that. What else could it be, after all? Visions of another world? Things like that only happened in Anime and light novels. It must have just been a result of his mind mixing up what he had been doing just before sleeping.


    Gray glanced at the time on his phone again and sighed. He had to head to class in four hours. It started at seven, so that meant that he really only had three and a half hours of sleep if he tried to go back to bed. It was far from enough for a good rest.


    Stifling a yawn, Gray grabbed his phone, stumbled out of his bed, and staggered towards the kitchen.


    A flick of a light switch illuminated the darkness.


    -Ordinary. Everything was ordinary. Along the way to the kitchen, everything was the way he placed it. His backpack, a black polyester bag with multiple zippers and pockets, was still leaning against the dining table. A spiral notebook laid near it, slightly disheveled from when Gray had tossed his bag aside when he returned.


    On the dining table was his laptop and scattered sheets of paper, littered with programming class diagrams and various coding documentation. The result of trying to program a device driver for his phone from scratch. The final project in his Operating Systems course.


    Gray set his phone on the table and glared at the mess. More specifically, he glared at what it represented: a project still incomplete and refusing to make any headway despite the deadline fast approaching. But after a while, he let out a sigh and muttered, "Might as well work at it now."


    After making himself a cup of coffee, Gray took a seat at the table and turned on his laptop-


    *BZZZZT*


    His phone was vibrating.


    Gray frowned and picked up his phone. "It''s three AM. Just who''s- huh?"


    He thought that it was someone calling. In fact, it turned out to be his morning alarm. 6:30 AM. Time had passed in a blur without him realizing it.


    Gray rubbed his eyes and then glanced at his laptop. He rubbed them again when he saw that his code stubs had been filled out, and that all his unit tests had passed. Still not daring to believe his eyes, but also not willing to take the chance that he would wake up again and realize it was a dream, Gray quickly pulled out his phone''s adapter and plugged it into his laptop. The result...?


    "No way. It''s actually working?"


    Seeing the successful interactions between his computer and cell phone, Gray laughed. "A freaking miracle." He shook his head and then headed off to take a shower. With his project finished, he might as well finish up his morning rituals before class started.


    He left his phone on the table, still connected to his laptop. Because of that, he didn''t see the strange phenomenon happening to his phone.


    Letters. A countless stream of them flashed across his cell phone''s screen. Not just letters... words. An infinitely scrolling text filled the display of both his laptop and his phone...


    6:50 AM.


    Gray was walking to class. Thankfully, he wasn''t sleepy enough to forget to change his clothes. At the moment, he was dressed in a simple black t-shirt and jeans.


    ...Alright, so maybe he was too tired to be bothered to change his shirt and really just threw on a pair of jeans. Either way, he had changed into appropriate attire to meet the day.


    Gray''s apartment was only a few blocks away from the campus of his university. After seeing that it was good weather out, a clear blue sky and bright sun, he decided to take a morning stroll instead of his car.


    At the moment, he was walking along a sidewalk parallel to a small road. To his left, there were some of the more obscure campus facilities, like public safety and the printing center. Brown brick buildings that no student actually visited unless they needed to. That was in direct contrast to what lay across the street.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    To Gray''s right was the university''s sports field. Green grass stretched on for a while in that direction, a perfect place for exercise and athletic practice. It wasn''t uncommon to see people running laps inside the field, though it looked like no one was there on this morning.


    Of course, you wouldn''t see Gray anywhere but on the outside of that sports field. For someone like him, a shut-in, Dean''s list honor student in the Computer Science program, exercise was the bane of his existence. Not because he was overweight or anything, but after hundreds upon hundreds of hours either sitting in front of a computer screen or in the school library these past few years... Yes, exercise was most definitely not his forte.


    Gray reached the crosswalk leading towards the main campus buildings. Stifling a yawn, he staggered across the street, not bothering to look left or right.


    -Dangerous.


    A horn blared, and wheels let out a screeching sound as they rapidly accelerated...


    But this wasn''t Japan, and so Gray was perfectly fine.


    The source for the noise had been the train that ran nearby his university. It had just been making its morning rounds, a commonplace occurrence in those parts.


    In that way, Gray successfully made it across the street and onto the sidewalk heading to the main campus.


    -Sleepy. With only a few hours of sleep that day, Gray''s mind was a blur. He barely looked at his surroundings, only trusting his body to autopilot his way to class.


    When his phone rang suddenly, that fact didn''t change. He mechanically pulled out his phone and glanced at the caller ID. Seeing that it was unknown, he swiped left on the dismissal icon and continued walking.


    After a little more walking, his phone vibrated.


    Again, he mechanically pulled his phone out from his pocket and glanced at the display.


    One new message.


    A few swipes later brought up the content. Like the phone call, it was from an unknown caller ID. As for the message itself...


    Blank. An empty text message. All that was there was a space. Maybe someone had accidently called him and then texted him? That thought went through Gray''s mind, but then he decided that it was probably some prank caller or scam artist. Accordingly, he deleted the text message and went on his way.


    On autopilot, he kept walking for a while before he realized that something was off. The hard pavement beneath his feet had changed, replaced with soft dirt. As for the familiar sight of the university buildings, they were nowhere to be found. Instead, there was a hilly field of grass that was waist high.


    "...That''s weird."


    It didn''t look familiar. Did his brain shut off again like this morning? It was possible. Come to think of it, he had been spending quite a few all-nighters trying to get his project working... maybe this was a result of that?


    He pulled out his phone and did a quick location check. Thankfully, there was still signal. From the looks of the map app on his phone, it seemed like he wasn''t far off from the university... though this place didn''t look familiar at all.


    Then again, he hadn''t explored the entire campus. Maybe this was just the area behind some campus buildings?


    Gray took another look around and saw that there was an old brick building not too far away. It was vaguely familiar, about the same style as the buildings around campus, so he decided to see if there was someone there to ask directions.


    ...The closer Gray got to the building, the more he was beginning to rethink his decision. While he had thought the building old from a distance, on drawing closer, he saw that it was less of an old building and more of an old ruin.


    When Gray reached the front door, he saw that it was made up of olden wooden planks twisted with age and mildew. The door handle was gone, leaving only an empty hole where it should be. All in all, it looked like a weak breeze could blow the door down.


    It was highly unlikely that anyone was inside. In fact, it probably would have been in his best interests to turn around then and there, relying on his phone to guide him back to the university. No, not probably. It definitely was in his best interests to turn around.


    If he were in a rational state of mind, i.e. wide awake, he would have realized that and turned around. Unfortunately, lack of sleep had weakened the higher sections of his cognition, leaving his base instincts to guide him.


    At that time, curiosity won out and Gray pushed the door open. It opened easily, and thankfully did not fall out of its hinges.


    A blast of wet air surged to meet him. Damp and cloyingly sweet. The scent of mildew, one that clung to the breath despite best efforts to avoid it.


    Gray coughed and immediately covered his mouth and nose with his shirt. He grimaced and took a few steps forward, fanning the air to try and clear it. However, all that served to do was stir dust around.


    Coughs resounded again as Gray took in the dusty air. He stood and waited for the dust to settle before taking a look around.


    When the dust settled, Gray finally got a good look at the interior of the building. First impression: it was dark. The only sources of light were from behind Gray, where he had left the door open, and from the few places in the building where portions of either the roof or wall had caved in.


    Second impression: there was nobody there, and it was probably a bad idea to stick around.


    The place was as abandoned as it could be, and looked like it could fall apart any minute. In fact, the floor Gray was standing on was cracked vinyl tiles that seemed like they would break if he so much as looked at them funny.


    The door had opened up into a hallway, and it seemed like there might be a few rooms further down judging from how there were doors on either side, but his fatigued rational mind had finally kicked in at that point.


    I need to get out of here.


    Gray spun around, pretending he hadn''t seen anything, and took a single step-


    CRACK.


    An ominous sound.


    Gray froze, not daring to move another inch. With his eyes, he glanced down at the floor and said, "You have got to be kidding me."


    Rapidly widening cracks, spreading across the floor. He was at the center of them, and if he didn''t do anything, it looked like he would fall down into the unknown depths below.


    Fortunately, he was only a few feet from the entrance. To be exact, three. The number of steps he had taken inside.


    It was so close, and yet so far.


    Do I risk it?


    Two options were available for him.


    One: jump and hope that he goes far enough to clear the gap. Since he was only a few feet away, he should be able to make it. Even if he didn''t clear the gap, he would be able to go far enough to hang onto the ledge. But the problem came at that point... he wasn''t strong enough to pull himself up.


    Two: inch forward slowly, spreading out his weight as best as he could. While the cracks were spreading fast, they seemed like it was at a rate where he could still make it if he moved lightly enough to prevent a sudden collapse. But that was practically leaving his life up in the air. If the floor collapsed on him at that point, it would be too late to jump.


    The first option was do or die... and the second option was do or die. It was just that he knew the floor would collapse in the first option and he prayed it wouldn''t in the second.


    Either way, his options weren''t looking too good.


    Gray glanced at the floor again and let out a sigh. ...If I''m going to fall either way, then-


    CRACK.


    "FFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUU-!"


    ...Unfortunately, despite having come to a decision, it was a moment too late.


    The floor shattered with a loud crack.


    Gray tried to jump, but he had nothing to leap off of, the floor having completely collapsed beneath him.


    All Gray could do was watch the open doorway grow ever distant as he fell into the inner depths of the old ruins.

 Chapter 2: Instinct and Rationale

    Blinding dust and falling rubble. Stone, wood, metal and other debris filled the air, crashing downwards according to the laws of gravity.


    Gray was no exception.


    The sensation of freefall, of being cast through the air... and then impact.


    Was it to make up for his misfortune up until that point? The length of Gray''s fall wasn''t very long, and he managed to land on something soft. A bed- no, an old cot. That had managed to break his fall.


    Gray''s body still ached, especially his back. He had landed on the cot back first. More specifically, he had landed on his bag, which had been on his back while falling. He only had a notebook and some pencils in there, but the impact still caused it to dig into his back a bit.


    Gray groaned and rolled off of the cot. "This day, I swear..."


    It had started out well enough. After all, he managed to get his final assignment done and he didn''t need to deal with any small talk on his way to class. But he was starting to wonder if someone had it out for him. Getting lost was one thing, and something that happened to him often enough to not worry about. But getting lost and falling through the floor of a building? Just after he decided to make a leap of faith?


    Ridiculous.


    Gray glanced back up at where he had fallen. From where he was, he could still see the light from the entrance. It wasn''t that high up, only a dozen or so feet. About the height of a short ladder.


    That would explain why he was only winded rather than knocked out from the landing. He actually hadn''t fallen very far. It looked like even if he had landed on cement, he might have only broken a few ribs.


    Still, it was high enough that Gray couldn''t climb back up easily. Especially since the hole wasn''t that big and the path down was riddled with jagged rusty metal pipes and stone.


    ...It was almost a miracle actually that he hadn''t been stabbed to death by one of those.


    Either way, that was all that was interesting about where he had fallen from. That done, Gray looked around the place he had landed in.


    First impression of it? Small. The cot he landed on took up a fourth of the room. Though, considering it was the only other piece of furniture in the room, and since it was in a corner of the room pushed up against two walls, that didn''t cause much issue in terms of space. There was also a lot of rubble nearby the cot that had fallen from above. Old, rusted metal pipes and misshapen stone chunks.


    In terms of composition, the room looked like an old cellar, with gray stone blocks making up the wall and concrete the floor.


    There was a door on the side of the room opposite the side of the cot, to Gray''s left. An old wooden one like that of the entrance, though with a broken glass window. Important, but not what drew Gray''s eyes. That privilege belonged to the woman tied up next to the door.


    More specifically, the woman who was bound, gagged, and blindfolded next to the door.


    What. The. Hell?


    She was clothed in a black blouse and skirt. Tattered, all they really did was just barely cover the important parts. It did nothing to hide the pristine pale skin of the woman or her figure. And, while her eyes and mouth were covered by a black cloth blindfold and gag, it was clear that she was beautiful. Combined with her odd white hair, she gave off the impression of a captive princess trapped in a dungeon.


    The scene was strange enough that Gray stood there for a good five minutes, staring at the woman and wondering if he was actually awake or if he had been hit harder than he thought and was hallucinating.


    When the woman didn''t disappear no matter how much he blinked or pinched himself, Gray was forced to acknowledge that, yes, he had fallen into what looked to be a dungeon where... things... happened.


    A rundown building, and now a beautiful young woman bound, gagged, and blindfolded in an underground room... while Gray was surprised there weren''t ''other'' things there, he wouldn''t be surprised if a few guys were nearby, ready with guns to lay into any curious onlookers.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Like him.


    Considering how loud his fall had been, it wouldn''t be long before the kidnappers or captors of the woman here walked in to investigate.


    Gray brushed his clothes off and let out a sigh. He took another look at the woman.


    Was she asleep, or knocked out? Either way, she hadn''t reacted at all since he had arrived. One would think that such a loud noise would at least draw her attention, but she was slumped against the wall as if completely unaware.


    Or maybe, the reason why she didn''t react is because-


    Gray cut off that train of thought and focused.


    He didn''t recognize her. While that didn''t mean that she wasn''t a student on campus, he didn''t think that she was. Gray doubted that he would have missed someone as beautiful as her, especially with that color of hair.


    Someone from the surrounding area then, maybe? Or somewhere else entirely? Either way, it was likely that she was kidnapped for nefarious purposes. And considering how this place was so close to campus, which had public safety and cops constantly patrolling the area, the kidnappers were either extremely stupid or extremely competent. Professionals, even.


    Gray was more inclined to believe the latter.


    Leave.


    Gray took another look at the woman and then walked towards the door, passing her by.


    -Too risky. Even if he freed her, what could he do? Gray was well aware of his strengths and weaknesses. While he might be relatively intelligent and studious, he was far from being able to out think professional kidnappers. He was weak too, so fighting them head on was out of the question.


    Gray opened the door.


    -The world was cutthroat. Good deeds did not go unpunished, and bad deeds were left to fall through the cracks, unnoticed by anyone at all. This instance would just be another of those cases.


    Gray took a step.


    -Women were exploited all the time around the world. He knew this. He also knew that there was no point in trying to save someone in trouble. All that it would do was bring that trouble on your own head. And his shoulders weren''t strong enough to hold his own, let alone those of someone else.


    Another step.


    -He would be late to class soon. If he missed it, he might fail the final. If he failed the final, he might fail the class. If he failed the class, then what was the point in going to university in the first place? What was the point of all those hours studying?


    Gray turned around and went to shut the door behind him.


    -Another incident in his life. Like all the others he had ignored since deciding on his path. Like everything he had given up to make sure he succeeded. This too would fade in time, nothing more than a weird memory.


    The door closed without a sound. With a nod to himself to affirm his action, Gray walked over to the woman. He knelt down before her and started untying the blindfold and gag around the woman''s head. "...Dammit," he muttered. "I''m too nice for my own good."


    He tossed aside the two pieces of cloth. That done, he went to untie the binds around the woman''s arms and legs... and then he froze.


    The woman was awake. Her eyes were wide open and staring straight at his own. An enchanting shade of crimson, not quite the color of blood yet just as striking.


    But it wasn''t the color that made Gray pause, but rather the listless gaze meeting his own.


    Familiar. That expression... while not quite the same, it was one he recognized. As for where he recognized it from and why he did, Gray didn''t quite remember, but it was enough for him to be at a loss.


    The woman''s lips, a color the same shade as her eyes, trembled and a single word was spoken. "...Why?" Soft, barely audible. A melodious voice, but one that seemed to have been worn with disuse.


    It was enough to bring Gray to his senses.


    "Argh... don''t ask me why." Gray shook his head and reached over to the woman''s bonds. "Just hold still and let me untie you before I regret it."


    The woman nodded and obediently stood still.


    He didn''t ask why she was there, and she didn''t supply a reason why. That was good. If she did, he would have cared. If he cared, he would think about why he was doing something so dumb. If he realized that he was doing something so dumb, than he would have walked out without looking back.


    So this much was fine.


    Gray tossed aside the ropes he had untied and said, "There. With this much, you should be fine. You can still move, right?"


    The woman didn''t respond, only looking at him with those blank, crimson eyes.


    He wondered if she had heard him... or if she was actually conscious in the first place? That gaze... while it showed that the person was conscious, were they really ''there''?


    Eventually, however, the woman nodded.


    "Good." Gray said. "Then I''ll-"


    A sudden roaring male voice. "The hell?! Jerm! Someone broke the floor!"


    Gray''s stomach dropped. Crap.


    The kidnappers. He had forgotten about them.


    His body was moving on its own, autopilot taking over his rational mind. Fight or flight. An instinctive reaction suppressing his thoughts.


    "...And just who would be able of breaking the floor, Rozz?" A different voice. Masculine, sly, and smooth. "I reinforced it thrice over with this divine artifact-" The voice suddenly cut off and then said,"...The floor is broken."


    "That''s what I said, Jerm! Someone broke the floor!"


    A rusted metal pipe was in Gray''s hand before he knew it and he ran towards the door, kicking it open. Splinters flew and dust scattered in every direction.


    -Loud.


    In stark contrast to that, the voices were eerily quiet for a moment before continuing.


    "...Rozz," the smooth voice said. "If I remember correctly, we''re keeping her directly below this floor. Am I wrong?"


    "You''re right, Jerm. Do you think that..."


    Whatever else they said, Gray didn''t hear it. At that point, he had already run out of the room, rusted pipe in his right hand... and the woman''s right hand in his left.

 Chapter 3: Disposable

    A frantic dash through an underground hallway. Cracked cement floors and decrepit rooms. Ruined walls and crumbling ceilings. Gray barely glanced at his surroundings, barely thought about what he was doing at all, barely considered what he would do next.


    Running. He was running through the hallway underground, his body moving on instinct and autopilot.


    Voices were echoing in the distance behind him. Male, and far from friendly.


    Get away from them. That was what Gray had to do.


    But his body was ragged from years spent in front of computer screens and books. Barely a minute of running and his breath was coming out in shuddering gasps.


    A room coming up on his right.


    Gray ran inside without a second thought and turned around to shut the door behind him.


    Then he realized that he had instinctively grabbed the woman''s hand before he left, and that she had followed him this entire time.


    For a moment, he forgot what he was doing, entranced by the woman''s beauty.


    Then he remembered that he was being chased.


    Gray still had yet to catch his breath, so he didn''t bother saying anything to the woman. He pulled her into the room and let go of her hand. That done, he pulled the door shut and then bent over, taking slow breaths to try and calm his breathing.


    Footsteps echoed from outside, not far from the room Gray and the woman were hiding in.


    His eyes grew wide and he straightened. His breath was still irregular, but he forced himself to hold it. At the same time, he looked at the woman and placed a finger on his lips, gesturing for her to remain quiet.


    She returned his gesture with a blank gaze. Whether she understood him was uncertain, but she stood without making a sound.


    A tense moment. Seconds, maybe, but seemingly stretching to minutes.


    Gray''s heart throbbed and his chest painfully contracted from his breath being forcefully held.


    But then the moment was over. The footsteps passed by the door and faded off in the distance.


    Gray let out a gasp and took in deep breaths. "That... was close..."


    Now that the immediate danger was gone, Gray took a proper look at his surroundings.


    It was a room that could best be described as a decrepit library. About a dozen bookshelves were scattered throughout the room in various forms. Some were knocked over, others still stood tall and proud. In every case, however, they were filled with moth-eaten books.


    There was a table and some chairs in a corner of the room. Perhaps used as a reading spot in days long past.


    Gray made his way to the table and sat down on a chair to rest his body. He set the rusted metal pipe on the floor next to him. While doing so, he found his gaze drawn towards the woman who he had instinctively taken with him.


    She was still standing where he had left her. Those crimson eyes were as listless as ever, but they were focused on him.


    Gray averted his gaze and ran his left hand through his hair. What have I gotten myself into this time?


    This whole chain of events was like something out of an action film or light novel. Running across a beautiful captured woman by chance, freeing her and making a mad dash away from her kidnappers... it was something that Gray would have loved watching or reading about, but was something he absolutely loathed now that it was happening to him.


    Something that could have been avoided if he had just left the room early without bothering to free the woman. Something that he would have done, and should have done.


    But instead, his impulsive behavior had kicked in and he did the exact opposite of that.


    Gray sighed. Now he had to think about what exactly he had gotten into and how to get out of it.


    Alright. There are two guys running through this building looking for the woman. They are probably armed and highly trained considering they evaded the police for this long while operating so close to campus.


    Gray was armed with a rusty pipe, but now that he reflected on the situation, he realized it would be far from enough. Maybe it would incapacitate one of the kidnappers in a sneak attack, but that was it.


    He frowned. The woman is the one they''re after. I could use her as a distraction and run away.


    It was a valid choice. He had only stumbled across the situation by chance. The kidnappers should place a higher value on the woman, so he could escape after they found her... No, that won''t work.


    It was an optimistic thought, but three reasons made it fail.


    First, it assumed that the kidnappers didn''t know he was there. However, with him falling through the floor, that was out. They knew that someone else was here, and they would probably assume that he was here to free the woman.


    Second, it assumed that the woman would let him leave her behind. But while she might seem listless with that blank gaze of hers, her attention had been focused on him since he untied her. And even if he left her behind, there was no guarantee she wouldn''t tell the kidnappers about him and what he looked like. In that case, the professionals who managed to kidnap a beautiful woman and hide her so close to campus would be after him. And with his involvement on campus, information about him was way too easy to find out...


    Third, he didn''t know the layout of the underground area they were in. The fact that he had managed to evade the kidnappers in that chase was luck or a stroke of stupidity on the kidnapper''s end, but he doubted that would hold up for much longer.


    All in all, it seemed like he was forced now to see his decision through.


    While ruing his poor decision making, Gray heard a screech. He looked up to see the woman pull a chair out from the table and take a seat in front of him. Like before, her crimson eyes were staring at him. But unlike before, they held some unreadable emotion.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    "What is it?" Gray asked.


    The woman didn''t answer. Of course. She had yet to respond to anything he said since he found her.


    Gray shook his head and closed his eyes to think.


    A soft, melodic voice called out. "...Are you not scared?"


    Gray opened his eyes. A response? He looked back at the woman.


    The woman had her head tilted slightly, as if she could find his answer by looking into his face.


    Questions popped into Gray''s mind about why and how she was there, as well as why it took her this long to respond to him, but he decided to respond to her own question first. An answer for an answer, he decided.


    "Of course I''m scared. Who in their right mind wouldn''t be in this situation?"


    Falling through the floor of the building, randomly finding a woman tied up and blindfolded, being suddenly chased through the underground area of the same building by unknown assailants, potentially armed... yes, being scared would be an understatement of Gray''s current status.


    The woman nodded at Gray''s answer and then said, "...But if you are scared, why are you helping me?"


    Gray let out a long sigh and ran his hand through his hair. "Don''t remind me. It''s stupid, I know. I should''ve just left you there and walked out. Maybe then I wouldn''t be stuck in this mess... guess I''ve just been playing too many games recently."


    The woman continued staring at him with that indecipherable expression. Was it because she didn''t believe Gray or was it because she was unsatisfied by his answer?


    Gray shook his head and got to his feet. He picked up the rusted metal pipe and said, "Well... let''s get going. Since I''m stuck in this thing, might as well follow through. Do you know the way out?"


    The woman stared at him for a moment and said, "...You untied me without knowing the layout of the building or being armed with a proper weapon?"


    The longest response he had gotten from the woman yet.


    Gray ran his hand through his hair again and let out an exasperated sigh. "I told you already, I was being dumb. Now just hurry up and answer. I don''t think we have much time left before those guys get back."


    He could hear the footsteps back in the distance. It seemed that the kidnappers were doubling back. Gray must have waited too long.


    The woman laughed. It was a beautiful sound, and completely at odds with her previously blank expression. An act that fully displayed the woman''s attractiveness and one Gray probably would have enjoyed any other time. An act that would have made his heart race, entranced by the woman''s beauty and serenity.


    Of course, they were currently hiding from a pair of kidnappers, so the act made his heart race for different reasons.


    "You-! Don''t tell me you want to get caught again!? No, are you working with them?"


    A mistake. A huge blunder. He hadn''t even considered that scenario.


    Of course. It was too obvious, too extraordinary. There was no way that a woman as beautiful as her would just be kept tied up without anyone knowing.


    A trap. For him or someone else? Either way, it looked like this time the blame lay solely on him.


    The footsteps rapidly approached.


    Just as Gray was deciding on what to do, the woman shook her head and said, "I am sorry. It is just... considering who I am, you would still help me?"


    An odd question. One Gray didn''t have the time or patience to contemplate and answer. Instead, on realizing that the woman (probably) wasn''t a threat to him at that moment, he turned around to face the door, armed with his rusty pipe.


    Not a moment too soon. The door was wrenched out of its frame and tossed aside. In its place, standing just outside, were two men.


    The one responsible for removing the door was a hulking man with massive muscles. His body was littered by scars, and his shaved head was marked by ominous runic tattoos. He took a glance at Gray and the woman before turning to the man beside him and said, "Looks like we found them, Jerm."


    "Indeed we have, Rozz."


    It was the owner of that smooth, sly voice. The man''s appearance didn''t betray that impression. Clean-shaven and dressed in an impeccable tuxedo and matching pants, he gave off the aura of a man in complete control of his surroundings.


    While the first man was an obvious physical threat, Gray focused on the second man. The reason for that was the fact that the sly man''s hand had been kept inside his suit, as if holding something concealed against his chest.


    Gray tightened his grip on the metal pipe, honing his attention to a maximum. Wait for an opportunity.


    Don''t think and act as soon as you can. Forgetting everything but the task at hand. It was something he was familiar with. While his life was on the line at this point... or perhaps because his life was on the line, his mind had somehow become extremely clear.


    Jerm, the man with the smooth voice, cast his gaze upon Gray. It was just for a moment, but it was enough to make Gray feel dread. An instinctive reaction, as if the man could kill him with a thought. Was it the aura of a true villain, or something else?


    But the gaze didn''t linger long enough on Gray for him to find out. Instead, Jerm turned his attention to the woman behind Gray and said, "...It looks like you have no intention of obediently going back to being a toy, do you?"


    A toy?


    The woman was silent, but made her intentions clear by moving to Gray''s side.


    The act made cold sweat appear on Gray''s back.


    In any other situation, having a beautiful woman so close by would have been great. At the current time, however, all he could do was curse her in his mind. Dammit, woman! Read the mood!


    Jerm obviously had a gun beneath his shirt, and the guy beside him, Rozz, was more muscle-bound than Arnold Schwarzenegger in the superstar''s heyday.


    Provoking the bad guys when Gray was the only one standing between them and the woman... should he be flattered that the woman thought so much of him or irritated that common sense seemed to have completely gone out of the woman''s head?


    Jerm slowly shook his head and muttered, "That slave trader, selling me a defective product..."


    Hearing that caused Gray to freeze. These guys... Gray had the impression he had been caught up in a dangerous situation, but hearing the man actually say that made everything tangible. A sort of weight that hadn''t been present when Gray was only suspecting it.


    After those words, the atmosphere in the room changed. Gray tensed, ready to move at a moment''s notice.


    "Well, I guess I don''t need you anymore."


    Throwaway words. Jerm spoke and then moved. It was faster than Gray could even perceive. One moment, the man''s hand was hidden beneath his suit and the next it was outstretched.


    A loud BANG followed by a flash of light.


    -Was it because they didn''t consider him a threat? Or because the woman was more of a liability? Either way, Jerm hadn''t attacked Gray, aiming only at the woman beside him.


    "What-?" Jerm looked confused. That other man, Rozz, looked just as befuddled by what happened.


    Gray didn''t know why, but he didn''t miss the opportunity presented to him. His vision was slightly blurred from the flash, but he dashed forward, wildly swinging the pipe at the Jerm''s head. After knocking him out, Gray could grab the gun and shoot down the big guy.


    That was his plan, but...


    The pipe connected with Jerm''s head. It shattered from the impact. That was to be expected since it was rusted. But the fact that it felt like Gray had hit an iron wall and Jerm didn''t stagger in the least was wasn''t.


    Gray blinked, wondering if he was seeing things. In the next moment, he felt a sudden pain in his chest and was sent flying back. He landed on his backpack, his notebook digging into him for the second time that day.


    Winded, Gray couldn''t move even if he wanted to. Thankfully, it seemed like it wasn''t the big guy that had hit him, otherwise he would have ended up as more than winded.


    "...Not quite as planned, but it''s of no consequence. Rozz."


    "Got it."


    Gray struggled to get up. It was dangerous to lie there, even if he had been winded. He fought through the pain and looked up.


    The muscle-bound man walked forward, casually lifting a bookshelf up in his right hand. The books on the shelf spilled onto the floor in a cascade.


    Gray''s stomach dropped. That''s... are these guys even human?


    The shelf wasn''t a small one, and was at least as tall as Gray. While the books had fallen off of it, it shouldn''t be so light that it could be lifted by one hand, even by a man as muscle-bound as that guy.


    But before he could think too much about it, something else caught his eye.


    The woman was standing in front of Gray.


    He couldn''t see her expression since her back was facing him. Was it guilt? Fear? Anger? Either way, she faced off against the muscle-bound man.


    It looked like the time for words had long passed.


    Rozz stepped forward and raised the shelf.


    Seeing that, Gray closed his eyes, not willing to see the woman be killed in front of him.


    There was a loud crash, and then blood and gore splashed against the floor.

 Chapter 4: Devotion and Purpose

    A scene out of common understanding. Something that couldn''t be comprehended however much it was looked upon.


    "What...?"


    Gray''s eyes were wide open in shock.


    The stringent smell of iron settled in the air, cloyingly thick. The stark sight of red blood, splashed everywhere around.


    Everywhere, that is, but near him or the woman standing in front of him.


    It was a scene that Gray couldn''t understand. No, that wasn''t true. He understood it intellectually. Somehow or another, the two men had been killed. What made the scene out of his understanding was a single factor: the woman standing in the middle of this scene from hell.


    Her back was turned to him still. Somehow, she had managed to remain completely unaffected by the blood and gore, her long white hair still pristine.


    As for the man who had been approaching them with a bookshelf and the other who had been standing back near the door...


    Scraps. That was the only way to describe what had happened to them. Absolutely nothing was left of the two but scraps of fabric where they had been standing and blood smears. Even bones and organs were missing.


    Shock. Awe. Disgust. Gray didn''t know how to react to the scene before him. Since he didn''t know how to react, his body moved on his own. Gray got to his feet and walked around to look at the woman before him.


    She was standing there, her hand raised as if she had just swung it across the air. A seemingly casual stance and action, yet the result...


    Gray shifted his gaze from the woman back to where the men had been standing.


    -Destruction. For a distance so long that it blurred into darkness, there was a giant gap. He would have thought it was caused by a monster, some being that had clawed away at the very fabric of space if not for the fact that it was impossible.


    Impossible, yet it was there.


    The woman turned to look at Gray. Like the first time they had met, she was staring into his eyes.


    -Crimson. He had thought it beautiful, when he saw those eyes for the first time. Enchanting, even. Yet, seeing the destruction that the woman had undeniably caused, the monstrous strength and ability beyond imagination, Gray thought they were eerily like the shade of blood.


    But somehow, in spite of that...


    "You need no longer be afraid."


    ...Looking into those ominous eyes, he could only find them beautiful.


    A huge tremor.


    Gray was broken out of his trance and looked around to see what caused it.


    With the woman''s action to kill the men, the foundation of the building had been destabilized. The already fragile ceiling and walls were swiftly crumbling, their deterioration vastly accelerated by the sudden lack of support from the underground area.


    -Was it because he had been enchanted by her appearance or because he instinctively realized she was his best chance at survival? Either way, Gray turned to the woman and grabbed her arm. "We have to go!"


    She looked into his eyes like she had since they met and then nodded. "Then... hold on tight."


    "Hold on tight? What are you-" Those words were all Gray had time to say before he felt himself flung into the air.


    Vertigo, freefall, the feeling of wind blasting against his face...


    He couldn''t protest, squirm, or even react to the sudden change. All he could do was try his best not to vomit from the sudden lurch to his body.


    The next thing that Gray knew, he had been placed on the ground. He staggered on his feet, fixing his vision at a firm point in the distance to get rid of his nausea.


    Somehow, he was outside. Like where he had found himself initially, the area around him was a hilly field with waist-high grass. But unlike before, that building he saw back then was a tiny dot in the distance. He could only recognize it because of the gathering dust cloud around it, no doubt an after-effect of its collapse.


    The woman was standing nearby, but Gray only idly noticed that. His mind was still trying to make sense of what he had just gone through.


    He remembered walking to school. Along the way, he got a call and dismissed it, followed by an empty text message. When he had checked that, he had found himself in this place that his phone said was close to campus, and yet was unrecognizable. Afterwards, there was the whole series of events with the woman and her kidnappers.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Surreal. Everything that had happened seemed to be too dreamlike to be reality.


    Gray shook his head. "I must be dreaming."


    Right. He woke up early that morning and he had spent a few days in a row staying up late working on his final project. So then this was probably just the consequence of that. If he closed his eyes and went back to sleep, he should wake up back at his desk.


    Forcefully reassuring himself of that fact, Gray tossed his bag aside. That done, he laid down on the ground and closed his eyes. Because of the physical and mental fatigue from recent events, he immediately fell asleep.


    <hr>


    A strange scene. In the middle of the hilly grasslands on the outskirts of the Human Realm (Newark), there was a young man and a young woman. That fact alone wouldn''t have drawn much attention, but the fact that the two were so different would have.


    The young man''s appearance wasn''t out of the ordinary. Indeed, his spiky blond hair and fairly handsome face weren''t uncommon among the populace. His clothes, however, were. It was an attire not seen anywhere in the world of Wyrd.


    A black shirt made of a cloth that was too soft to have been woven by hand and yet carried no mark of magic. Pants made of a blue material both durable and comfortable. And then, by his side, a bag meant to be worn on the back that was made of an unidentifiable material sturdier than cloth and yet weaker than metal, fastened shut by fastenings that seemed to be metallic, yet were not.


    His equipment was too strange, enough that he might have been mistaken for some eccentric mage or alchemist if not for the distinct lack of any magical prowess and the telltale energy it displayed on his body.


    As for the young woman, her appearance was out of the ordinary. While white hair at a young age was not uncommon due to the effects that using magic had on the body, when coupled with her crimson eyes they created a striking appearance. Adding on her beauty which could charm kingdoms and her tattered clothing, it was impossible to not look at her.


    Were any to catch sight of the pair by chance, they might have thought the man to be an eccentric young noble and the woman his slave. Particularly due to the position they were in.


    The young man was fast asleep, and the young woman was allowing him to use her lap as a pillow. Whether this was done after the man had fallen asleep or was discussed beforehand, only the pair would know.


    But that did not happen. Miles away from even the nearest frontier village of the Eternal Kingdom, there were none to disturb the pair.


    And so they remained, the man in quiet slumber and the woman maintaining a silent vigil.


    <hr>


    The young woman with white hair gazed at Gray''s sleeping face and brushed off some dust that had gathered on his hair. How strange. To think I would wake up once more...


    She should not have woken up. That was her expectation. Or if she had, it would have been in a state where she was only half-aware. A state just before her death.


    A horrible fate, but one that she had accepted. Being rescued from her fate was an impossibility and one that she no longer even considered.


    After all, even the most righteous of men and women would have ignored her.


    But he had decided to try. He had freed her against his better judgment.


    Why?


    There was no possible reason or purpose for doing so. If anything, she held more worth incoherent and unconscious. Whether for her body or her magic, either should have been more valuable.


    It was common knowledge. People- no, tools such as herself... there was no need to consider it.


    But he did.


    Why?


    The question kept echoing in her head, and no matter how much she turned it over, she couldn''t figure it out.


    Naivety? That was not the case. He had understood the ramifications of his actions and said as much to her.


    Pity? That was not it either. She knew pity, and what he had shown her was not it.


    Why?


    She had sought the answer in his eyes over and over but it seemed that he himself did not know.


    ...Then foolishness. Yes. It must have been that. Only a splendid fool would attempt to free a broken tool like herself.


    Foolish. The young man had freed her without knowing the layout of the building or even being able to defend himself. It was a mystery of how he had been able to break the seal placed upon her, but it was evident that he was weak.


    And oh so weak he was.


    His body did not contain a shred of magical prowess and was weaker than an average toddler. His stamina was poor, and his physique was nonexistent. But in spite of that, in spite of his self-incrimination at choosing to free her... he had never left her behind. Instead, he had armed himself and taken her by the hand in an attempt to escape.


    What could you call such a person but a fool?


    ...And yet, that foolishness was charming in its own right.


    -She did not know his name. She did not know his origin. And she did not know why he was in such a deserted area to be able to encounter her.


    But she did know that he freed her against his better judgment, and that he had done so while being so vulnerable that a glare from a lowly monster could cause his death.


    Staring at the defenseless face below her, the white-haired woman said, "A fool. But then why...?"


    A strange emotion. Was it intrigue? Happiness? Admiration?


    She did not understand, but she felt like she could if she stayed by his side. The answer to a question she had long since pondered...


    She, who had given up on life, and he who lived on the verge of death. A meeting that was by chance, and yet must have been fated.


    Even if he chose to throw her away in the end...


    "For someone like you, I do not mind devoting the rest of this life."


    ...she softly swore to give him her all.


    <hr>


    -Dreaming. Gray was dreaming. It was a pleasant sort of dream, one he hadn''t seen in a long time.


    He was back in high school. A nostalgic setting that was tinged in colors of happiness within his memories.


    Lunch time, right after band practice. A commonplace setting that he had seen countless times. Familiar faces he had long forgotten were around him, but in that dream he had eyes for only one person.


    A half-remembered image. A girl with a kind smile. Flashes of golden hair the color of honey and eyes like the sea.


    I''d forgotten.


    How long had it been since he had last seen her? His best friend who knew him better than he knew himself. The one who had been at his side since before he could remember.


    He called out her name as usual.


    -Of course. In the dream, he had yet to realize it.


    She smiled, tilting her head softly to the side and replied. A usual greeting in return. That was what he remembered happening, and what had happened.


    ...It was a long time ago. As usual, she spoke her words and gave him a radiant smile before sending him off. That was how it went. They got along extremely well back then.


    So then... why did you try to forget her?


    The one who had been by his side through thick and thin, the one who was always more concerned about him than her own self.


    What was her name again?


    If I remember right, her name was...

 Chapter 5: What lies forgotten; denial

    "Eliza." A name once forgotten, now half-remembered. Caught in the web of his dreams, the name spilled from Gray''s lips unbidden.


    It was an unintended action. Her name and her image had long ago faded from his mind. Not only that, but she had disappeared from his life long ago, just like all those he left behind in the past. Calling out her name was something he did while believing he was still in those distant days. In reality, no one should have answered.


    But-


    "Yes?"


    -Someone did.


    It was a soft female voice, light and melodic.


    Gray''s bleary eyes snapped open.


    A beautiful woman was looking down at him. Silver hair and enchanting crimson eyes that glittered like rubies... it was an appearance like an ethereal fairy that could leave a person breathless. But those weren''t her only distinctive features. There, directly in front of Gray''s eyes were two round mounds.


    "...Well, this is awkward. Not unpleasant, but really awkward."


    The woman smiled in response and said, "I am glad you are enjoying it."


    Seeing that the woman was completely unfazed, Gray decided to get up and pretend nothing had happened. The woman seemed all too happy to oblige... or rather, she remained smiling without a care in the world.


    Right. So... what''s going on here?


    Gray took a look around to get his bearings. Waist-high grass in every direction, with a hilly terrain. A tiny ruined building in the distance... and that was about it.


    It was an unfamiliar scenery. Or rather, it would have been for him earlier in the day.


    Gray let out a long sigh. Looks like it wasn''t a dream.


    To double-check, he pulled out his phone from his pocket... which, in hindsight, was surprisingly undamaged. He would have thought that it would at least have a few scratches from all the times he had been sent flying recently, but it looked like his tech-loving instincts had protected it from damage.


    In any case, the display on his phone said it was 10 AM. Monday.


    The date was the same as this morning, and it looked like only a few hours had passed since he left for class.


    After confirming that not much time had passed, he did the rational thing and made a phone call towards the local authorities... which immediately caused his phone to freeze.


    Another try. Reboot phone, open phone app, call 911... and it froze. Change of tactics then.


    Gray tried texting a few of his friends to tell him what was going on. And to take notes for him in the remaining classes, of course. Always have to prioritize school work. But, like with making a call, his phone froze.


    That''s weird. Gray frowned and tried email. Same result. Just to make sure it wasn''t just his phone acting up, he rebooted it again and tried using some other apps. Camera worked. Photo gallery worked. File manager worked. Even the browser app he had on the phone worked... except for when he tried posting things on forums or social media.


    Gray ran his left hand through his hair and said, "Just what the hell is going on here?"


    His phone worked perfectly fine except for when he tried sending out a message. Was it the kidnappers fault? Maybe they had hacked the nearby signal towers and were blocking him somehow? ...No. More likely, they had a device that intercepted broadcasting signals and instantly froze the device attempting them. But then why allow him to use the internet?


    Gray sighed and turned his phone off, placing it back in his pocket. It had already been low on battery when he ended up here, and his tests had only further drained its battery. With the remaining percentage, he might only be able to use it for a few more minutes at the lowest brightness.


    A soft voice called out to him. "You seem troubled."


    Gray jumped and quickly remembered that he wasn''t alone. He turned back to the woman.


    She was staring at him like always, but her expression seemed... softer? It was hard to put into words, but it looked like she had somehow gotten past the trauma of recent events. That, or she was momentarily suppressing it.


    Good tactic, that was. He used it quite a lot in his day to day life. It was the best way to focus, just narrowing your vision to the current task and forgetting about everything else... Ah. Right. The woman was asking him something.


    "A little. You wouldn''t happen to know where we are right now, do you?"


    The woman frowned. "Where we are?"


    Gray suddenly remembered that he had found her blindfolded and gagged. Idiot. What made you think she would know where we are? He shook his head and said, "That was stupid of me. Ignore what-"


    "...I believe that we are ten miles away from the border of Newark and Harmonia. The nearest human habitation is called... Rorin village, it seems. That is approximately five miles away from our current location."


    A thorough and informative answer. An answer that was more than anything Gray could have expected from a person he found blindfolded and tied up. Also an answer that only gave him more questions.


    Gray blinked. "...Right. I won''t really ask how you know that... but do you know how far away we are from ********?"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The woman stared at Gray. Her gaze was blank, and for a moment it seemed like her lucid behavior was just an illusion... but then she shook her head. "I... do not know. Rorin village is the nearest... the only human habitation within a ten mile radius. Beyond that, I have no idea."


    Gray frowned. That''s weird. How can she not know where ******** is- Wait.


    A sudden realization. One that caused an ominous chill to go through Gray''s body. His eyes widened, not daring to believe what he was thinking. Even so, he had to confirm it.


    My name is Gray Smith.


    He remembered his name. So far so good.


    I have a younger brother who''s studying in university, a father who is the manager of a startup company, and a mother who runs another company.


    Gray nodded. Basic biography, check.


    My current plans are to finish my studies at ********* university and then find a job working for *********.


    -And there it was. The discrepancy Gray had noticed, and the one that caused his stomach to drop.


    Maybe it''s just in my head? Right. There was that possibility. So he should make sure. After all, maybe it was just fatigue getting to him. Right. The fatigue. He had just woken up from sleeping in a strange place after all and suffered a shock waking up to a beauty staring him in the face. Maybe this was just the aftermath of that.


    Gray looked back at the white-haired woman and said, "I have another question for you, if you don''t mind answering."


    She smiled. "Feel free to ask me anything. It is the least I can do."


    Gray nodded. "Then, have you ever heard of ********?"


    -There it was again. A mental lapse where- no. It might just be in his head. To check, listen for her response and-


    "I am sorry, but what are you asking about?" The woman tilted her head slightly.


    Confused. She looked confused. Right, she was confused. But that didn''t mean much. Maybe he just didn''t say it clearly enough.


    Gray tried again. "I asked if you have ever heard of *********? You know, *********? That city famous for its university back in *******?"


    The woman''s confusion grew. Her eyes narrowed in concentration, and she turned her head slightly, as if trying to hear her own thoughts. After a while though, she shook her head. "I am sorry," she said. "But... I cannot understand what you are trying to ask me. If it is about the city famous for its academy, that would be Eternia, the capital of Newark. I have heard that their Magic Academy is quite renowned?"


    Gray froze. She didn''t understand me. And... when I spoke, I didn''t understand either. Wait. That''s not right. I do understand, but...


    -Imagine this. You know the name of a place. You know that you know the name of a place. After all, you remember the place. And since you remember it, you know that you can remember the name of that place. Of course, the name and the place are intermingled in memory, so remembering one is remembering the other.


    Now imagine this. You can see that place in your head. At the same time, you can see its name in your head. It was a place you are familiar with, so that was only a matter of course. You can also hear its name in the back of your mind while not thinking about it. Yet, the moment that you try to speak it out loud or bring it to the front of your mind... the name vanishes.


    When you speak the name, the words coming out from your mouth don''t register in your ear, in your mind, in your memory. And yet, you know that the words you are saying are exactly what you intended, that the act is no different than the countless other times you''d done so in the past.


    Except, this time it''s as if you were speaking a foreign language.


    That was what Gray experienced.


    Was he losing himself? Was he suffering from amnesia?


    -Impossible. Such a selective memory lapse only occurred in works of fiction.


    ...But he had hit his head quite a few times since arriving here. Maybe it had caused more severe damage than he expected? But he felt fine, and he could remember other things with an almost sickening clarity. For example, he could recite that source code he had miraculously written out for his custom phone driver from memory with ease. The same held true for the plot and development of over a dozen different Anime and video games.


    Then... what was happening?


    A voice called out to him. Soft and clear, a melodious sound that cut through his fog of panic and uncertainty. "Are you alright?"


    Gray focused.


    The woman was standing in front of him, close enough for him to feel her breath on his skin. It was also enough that he realized they were the same height, the perfect level to where their gazes naturally met when they stood before each other.


    "I..." Gray was at a loss for words. And not because there was a beautiful woman directly in front of him, so close to where if he leaned forward just a bit, they would kiss. No... he was at a loss for words because of the implications of what had happened to him.


    It wasn''t memory loss. What was happening to him... he could still remember, and yet he could not. Because of that, it wasn''t memory loss. But then... what was it? And why?


    Was it only constrained to information about where he was from? ...No. A brief attempt at recalling names of other places and people brought up a blank. -Wait. Then how did I use my phone?


    A contradiction... until he remembered that he hadn''t actually looked at the names of who he was sending his messages to, but rather clicking familiar icons.


    Panic. While he had remained calm through his life and death experiences and even when coming across the woman before him tied up and blindfolded, Gray was beginning to panic.


    -Of course. He prided himself on his mind and knowledge, carefully and painstakingly honed in exchange for what others normally valued, such as time spent with friends and family.


    Losing that, even if it was only the slightest chance of it at the moment...


    -Dim. He noticed that his vision was getting dim. Black around the edges. Was it a blackout? Fainting? Gray didn''t know, but at that point, he didn''t have much he could do about it.


    Then, he felt a soft hand placed on his forehead and a voice. "Be calm. Even if there is no one else, I am here for you."


    Instantly, his fading vision returned. At the same time, he saw the woman standing in front of him withdraw her hand. A hand that was still shining with soft white light.


    She smiled and said, "Is that better?"


    "You...?"


    Unnatural. Impossible. Humans didn''t have glowing white hands. And a single touch from her, even as beautiful as she was, shouldn''t have calmed him down so much.


    Confused and with a mind unable to comprehend the situation, Gray said, "What was that?"


    "Hm? Healing magic. Specifically, one to restore the mental state to its peak condition. It is quite popular among adventurers dealing with undead and spirits that can inflict fear or other mental status ailments."


    Gray shook his head. "No. Hold on." He held up a hand. "Did you say... magic?"


    That couldn''t be. While it was true that sufficiently advanced technology was indistinguishable from magic-


    Come to think of it, back in that ruined building... Gray had forgotten about it due to the other hectic events at the time, but didn''t the woman do something just as incredible back then?


    The woman nodded. "Of course. What else would I be talking about?"


    "That... but magic isn''t real." Gray frowned and then said, "It can''t be real. ...Can it?"


    An inkling in the back of his mind. That this setup, the events that had happened to him. Could it be that...? No. It''s impossible. My phone worked, and I could see things being updated in realtime on social media.


    Right. Because of that, while it was odd that he couldn''t send messages out, it was still within the realm of possibility. Within reason.


    But, as if to shatter that fragile reasoning of his-


    "Can it be that you are from a backwaters village after all? ...Well, this much should be enough to convince you."


    -The woman raised her hand and called down lightning from the skies, lacing it with fire and ice.


    A breathtaking experience. Beneath the clear blue sky, a fairy-like woman stood amidst twirling elements of nature, bent to her will.


    Watching her, a young man sunk to his knees with the realization that he was now worlds, if not dimensions away from home.

 Chapter 6: Encounter!

    His mind, starting and stopping. Realization spurring it into action, and realization sending it to a halt.


    Far from home in a flung-off world of fantasy.


    Was it shock, or acceptance? Before he knew it, Gray had returned to a standing position.


    The elements around the woman had disappeared, and she said, "Do you believe it now?"


    Gray laughed. "Whether I believe it or not... doesn''t really matter at this point, does it?"


    Denying something didn''t make it go away. At best, all it did was suppress the memory of it.


    The woman nodded. "That is true. However, it may come as a shock." She frowned, staring at Gray''s face. "Are you-"


    -Bury it. Forget it. Gray smiled. "I''m fine, fine. More importantly..." He stepped forward and held out his hand. "I haven''t introduced myself, have I? I''m Gray. Gray Smith."


    "...Gray, is it?" The woman nodded and grabbed Gray''s outstretched hand. "You may call me... Eliza."


    Gray froze. "...Eliza?"


    The woman... no, Eliza nodded. "Yes. Eliza."


    "Just Eliza? No last name?"


    She shook her head. "...No. A last name... such a thing would not be granted to one such as myself. More importantly, for Gray to have a last name... can it be that you come from a distinguished family? Smith... ah. Are you perhaps an artificer?"


    -Was it a coincidence that the woman he found shared a name with her? Or was it fate? ...No, Eliza was a common enough name. Slightly rare, but still, within the realm of belief.


    Gray realized his thoughts were derailing and shook his head. "No, I''m just an ordinary... scholar. Right. A scholar."


    "A scholar... I see. No wonder your hands are so delicate. Such a body is ill-suited for combat." Eliza nodded, as if that answered a few of her questions.


    Gray let go of Eliza''s hand and laughed. "Yeah, I''m not cut out for much outside of studying and comp- composing."


    "Composing? Are you a musician as well? Traveling to far off lands for inspiration perhaps?"


    Gray scratched his ear and averted his gaze. "...Something like that. I''m not really familiar with this area or with magic. Do you think you could answer a few of my questions?"


    -A blatant lie. Even a toddler could see through his evasive words. Obviously, Eliza could do the same. But perhaps out of gratitude or sympathy, she simply nodded and said, "What do you wish to know?"


    <hr>


    Gray sighed and looked up at the sky from his seat on a grassy clearing. A small area near the waist-high grass, but where the grass was only ankle-height.


    The sky was the same clear blue expanse, containing the same radiant sun. But despite that, it wasn''t. Transported to another world, huh?


    Eliza had gone off to look for food in the distance, leaving Gray alone with his thoughts.


    What he should do from now, as well as what he wanted to do.


    Gray shook his head and tapped the pen in his right hand against the notebook in his left.


    Note-taking. About one of the only things he could do in this situation.


    He would have preferred checking his phone again, but with no way to recharge it in the foreseeable future, he decided to conserve the remaining battery just in case he needed it for something important, like looking up first aid or some other skill.


    So note-taking it was. More specifically, he summarized what Eliza had told him.


    Wyrd. That was the name of the world Gray had found himself in. A strange world consisting of just two nameless continents, one three times as large as the other, and an endless sea.


    It was a world of fantasy and magic, with Humans, Elves, demi-humans (known in this worldas Anima), and Demons.


    The first three races controlled the larger continent, dividing it up into the countries of Newark, Harmonia, and Xian, ruled by Humans, Elves, and Anima, respectively.


    The smaller continent was home to the Demon race and known as Urs.


    Somehow, Gray had found himself near the border of Newark and Harmonia. As for Eliza, she didn''t know for certain due to being unconscious, but it seemed that the ones who had bought her were planning to explore the ruins in this area for treasure. She was most likely brought along to handle any difficult encounters and... other needs the two men might have had.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    As for magic, Eliza didn''t know much about the theory behind it. All she knew was that magic served as a way for people to manipulate the world through the ''energy'' they possessed inside them. An amount determined by one''s ''magical prowess''.


    As a side note, Gray didn''t have a single bit of magical prowess.


    "...That''s everything."


    Gray put his notebook back in his bag and took a look around.


    It was quiet. Peaceful, even. If not for the fact that he knew otherwise, Gray might have believed he was somewhere in Europe. Might have believed he was studying abroad and taking a short vacation to enjoy the scenic view instead of sitting in the open fields of an unknown world.


    Gray sat there for a while and allowed the calming breeze and fresh air to settle his mind.


    Then he heard a rustle in the waist-high grass behind him.


    Gray jumped to his feet and turned around. What was that?


    The grass was still. Unmoving. However, Gray wasn''t fooled. His blue eyes were alert, scanning the area for any oddities.


    It was quiet.


    Gray picked up his backpack in his right hand. It wasn''t much, but considering nothing else was nearby...


    A tense silence. It was eventually broken by a soft breeze passing by, causing the grass to rustle. A sound almost exactly what he had heard.


    Gray sighed and shook his head. Getting scared by some grass... could that be a new achievement of sorts? Either way, Gray relaxed and turned around, looking in the direction that Eliza had gone-


    BOING.


    A springy sound from behind Gray. Something completely at odds in this grassland.


    He turned, just in time to see a green streak fly towards his chest. Before he could register what it was, he got the wind knocked out of him. A heavy blow, like someone had kicked him.


    Gray gasped and staggered backwards.


    BOING. That sound again, the springy noise that didn''t fit.


    Fortunately, while his mind was still processing what was happening, his body was one step ahead of him. Gray threw himself to the side.


    Again, that green streak flew through the air. This time, however, it landed on the grass instead of on Gray''s chest.


    Gray spun around to take a look at what had attacked him.


    A small, basketball sized blob of green goo with small black eyes and a wide, matching smile.


    "A slime?"


    Was the monster happy at being addressed or just amused at Gray''s confusion? Either way, its smile grew and then it rippled.


    BOING.


    Gray''s eyes widened and he frantically jumped to the right. Or rather, he tried to.


    A sudden pain in Gray''s chest. Burning. It felt like his chest was being burned away.


    Caught off guard by the sudden change, instead of jumping, Gray tumbled to the side. A slow and awkward motion that made him an easy target.


    The slime lunged, turning into a green streak.


    Fortunately for Gray, it had been overly ambitious.


    The streak flew past where Gray''s head had been, missing him by only a hair''s breadth.


    HISS.


    The sound of something burning- no, of something dissolving.


    With that, Gray realized it. He quickly dropped his bag and took off his shirt, throwing it aside. The moment he did, the burning sensation stopped. Acid.


    Gray turned around to look at the slime. It had landed back on the ground again with its back turned to Gray. But unlike the previous times the slime had landed, this time the grass around it was slowly turning brown. It seemed like the slime had decided to increase its acidity and the grass was taking the toll for it.


    The slime slowly turned around to face Gray, its smile never dimming. If anything, it seemed to grow even wider, the once comical expression now distinctly sinister.


    Gray let out a breath and picked his bag up from the ground.


    Eliza was somewhere off in the distance. While she was fast to the extent of near teleportation and could use magic, he couldn''t rely on her to save him from the slime. But besides that... it was a slime. The typical beginner''s monster that is farmed en masse for experience points. Losing to it... no, dying to it...


    LIVE.


    Was it the indignation as a gamer for being looked down upon by a slime, or something else? Either way, any fear Gray might have had was thrown out the window, replaced by a clear mind. He tightened his grip on the bag in his right hand and carefully observed the slime, waiting.


    The slime rippled.


    Gray tensed.


    The slime lunged, turning into nothing more than a green streak heading towards Gray''s head-


    "Got you!"


    THWACK!


    A sound smack. Gray''s bag collided with the slime, sending it crashing back to the ground.


    It landed, and its ever-present smile changed into a small ''o''. Wobbling around, it looked like Gray''s counterattack had done substantial damage.


    But Gray wasn''t done.


    "Take that! And that!"


    Repeated blows to the slime''s gooey body. The black bag in Gray''s hand turned into a makeshift flail, smacking the slime over and over again.


    From the side, it might have seemed like one-sided bullying, but Gray didn''t have the state of mind to even consider it. Or rather, he knew just how much of a deadly killer was hidden behind that cute appearance, so he didn''t hold back.


    "Ha... ha..."


    Gray leaned over to catch his breath. How many times had he attacked the slime? He had lost track after ten. Either way, all that was left of the slime now was a patch of brown grass and a small black pebble.


    A few minutes passed while Gray observed the patch of grass to make sure the slime wasn''t just pretending. After being convinced the slime had died, Gray glanced at the bag in his right hand. It was surprisingly unscathed after being put through such abuse. He wondered about that for a moment until he remembered. That''s right... this thing is 100% polyester, isn''t it?


    Polyester resisted chemicals pretty well, and since the slime had essentially been nothing more than a blob of acid, it looked like Gray had lucked out. If the bag had dissolved while he was hitting the slime, who knew what would have happened? After all, that was his only weapon on hand.


    The thought of trying to punch or kick the slime flashed through Gray''s mind. He suppressed a grimace and then carefully made sure to take better care of his bag in the future. After all, if more slimes show up, this is all I have to defend myself.


    Rustle, rustle.


    Gray froze and slowly turned his gaze back towards the tall grass. "...You have got to be kidding me."


    It was like something from a horror movie, only with cute green blobs. One, two... six slimes slithered out from the tall grass. Each of them had on a wide smile, a smile that grew even wider upon seeing Gray.


    Faced with such absolute despair, Gray laughed and said, "Looks like Professor Oak was right after all. It''s dangerous to go into tall grass without a Pok¨¦mon."


    The slimes rippled, and then six green streaks flew towards Gray.

 Chapter 7: Arrogance

    Miles away from Gray, where the hilly grasslands transitioned into tree-filled terrain, Eliza was standing inside a forest clearing.


    Soft sunlight filtered through the trees, landing on fallen leaves and branches. It was an area of peace, a place that would be easy to take a nap in. A sort of area with an atmosphere where it wouldn''t seem odd to find a fairy wandering by. A rare and hidden setting that could only be found once in a lifetime. And indeed, with Eliza standing there, the picturesque scene of an ethereal beauty in a forest clearing was complete.


    But that peaceful scene would not last long.


    Eliza took a look around and nodded. "This place shall do."


    Ignoring the serenity of the area, the forest clearing was a place out of view from the grassy plains as well as any potential onlookers in that direction.


    Reaffirming that she was well hidden and that Gray could not see her, as well as the fact that she could not easily sense Gray from her current position, Eliza nodded and pressed her right hand against her heart.


    The scenery distorted as a symbol appeared above Eliza''s head. It was a shining white symbol of infinity... and yet it was not. The symbol was the familiar twisted loop, but laced with crimson cracks and black veins.


    Eliza ignored the symbol and glanced back where she had left Gray. "...I should finish this quickly and hurry back with provisions." A casual remark, yet one directly at odds with the events surrounding her.


    As if a direct manifestation of the corrupted infinity, space and time itself seemed to distort. The peaceful forest clearing became dyed with crimson and black shadows. Light and darkness inverted, and from within, a dozen forms emerged.


    They were fearsome figures, covered head to toe in jagged black platemail that seemed to have come from the depths of the underworld. Each were armed with a crimson blade threaded by tarry veins. Their ominous appearance, coupled with a murderous aura that chilled the bones, would strike fear into any adventurer that had not yet reached the level of a Braveheart.


    Eliza frowned. "Only so many? And so weak? I had believed at least the Demonslayers would appear... but I suppose this makes it easier."


    Were they offended by Eliza''s words? At once, each of the figures raised their sword. With the act, countless elements flooded the area, gathering into the blades. Fire, water, earth... even more obscure elements such as light and darkness coalesced. An elemental formation that could eliminate even the Hero sent against the Demon King.


    But faced with that display, Eliza simply shook her head. "Fools. Did they think me weak from my complicity in being enslaved?"


    A fraction of a second. A time so short that a normal human would miss it by refocusing their vision. Within that time span, a dozen different slashes imbued with countless elements surged towards Eliza''s body, creating a cage with no avenue of escape-


    Eliza walked out of the forest clearing, a finger placed on her lips in thought. "The Sanctuary I placed should still be in effect for another half hour. In that case... does Gray prefer boar, or hare meat, I wonder?" She frowned, thinking about it for a while longer before shaking her head. "...Though it will take a while longer, I suppose I will simply have to find both."


    Like that, the white-haired beauty vanished into thin air, scouring the forest and grassland for potential game to bring back to her savior, all the while a content smile on her face.


    And in her wake was a horrific scene of broken flesh and steel created as a message to those who believed she would return willingly to being a tool once more.


    While Eliza was blissfully hunting game for Gray''s sake, he was doing his best to survive even a second longer.


    Gray threw himself to the side, not caring whether or not his body would be harmed when he landed.


    He felt a jarring pain in his left shoulder as it collided against the ground. But whether due to adrenaline or otherwise, the pain quickly went away, allowing him to focus on the slimes. Craning his head to look back, Gray saw six green streaks fly towards where he had just been standing and collide against the ground.


    HISS.


    Gray heard a sound similar to a snake. Of course, it wasn''t a snake, but the result of slimes that had increased the acidity in their bodies to the extreme.


    Six holes were rapidly forming where the slimes impacted, a result of the ground being rapidly dissolved. Seeing that, Gray let out a sigh of relief. If that had hit me... He didn''t even want to think of what could have happened.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Not wanting to take any chances until Eliza returned, Gray turned away from the holes that the slimes had made, and started to run. Behind him, he heard a series of quivering sounds, like jelly being shaken in its container.


    Damn. It seemed like it was too much to expect for the slimes to have killed themselves striking the ground.


    Gray grit his teeth and pushed his body to move faster. The slimes were fast and would catch up to him if he didn''t give it his all.


    BOING. BOING. BOING.


    Bouncing sounds from behind him. Gray risked a look back and his face paled.


    A small slime army. He didn''t know where they had come from, but the six slimes chasing him had turned into a dozen. Twelve slimes with cute appearances completely at odds with their murderous intent.


    Gray turned his head back forward and looked around, scanning the terrain for anything that might help. Grass, grass... damn! There''s nothing!


    His luck seemed to have run out. There was no place Gray could hide, no additional weapons he could use, nobody around to help. Not only that, but Gray could taste copper. His weak body, already pushed in the battle with the first slime, was starting to give out on him.


    Glancing back, Gray saw that the gap between him and the slimes was getting smaller and smaller. The result of his body running out of fuel.


    At this rate...


    His body would tire out before the slimes did. Gray would like to think that Eliza was somewhere nearby and would show up to save him in the nick of time, but he doubted it.


    Except, did he even have any other choice?


    Open terrain surrounded him. Outnumbered, he would be at an immediate disadvantage if he stopped moving. So he couldn''t stop. Even if his lungs gave out on him, he had to keep running, keep buying time in the hopes that Eliza returned-


    Are you running away again?


    A sudden thought. One accompanied by a surge of anger.


    -That was right. Running away from danger and clinging to the coattails of someone else. Becoming nothing more than a parasite... what had made him think that was alright? Just because Eliza was stronger than him, he had to depend on her?


    Gray stomped his foot against the ground and spun around.


    The slimes were just behind him. The moment he stopped, they caught up. But because his stop was so sudden, they didn''t have time to react.


    Gray swung his bag at the closest slime towards him. A sloppy yet powerful blow with all his might, smashing down at the ground.


    SMACK.


    The slime splattered, squashed like a bug. A strange shimmer emerged when it did, causing the air to distort slightly.


    Gray ignored it and kept moving. Was it adrenaline, or something else? His ragged breath and worn-out body seemed lighter, his movements becoming a little more precise.


    A second slime was splattered. A third, a fourth... in no time at all, six slimes, the same number that he had run away from the first time, were killed. Each vanished in a shimmer, dissolved into thin air.


    Gray''s heart pounded. Whether from fear or excitement, he didn''t know. Either way, he turned his gaze to the remaining slimes. ...I can take them.


    One slime met Gray''s eyes and immediately retreated, launching itself back into the tall grass. Before Gray could do anything about it, the rest of the slimes had followed suit.


    After the last slime had vanished, Gray''s body grew limp and he collapsed onto the ground. Being pushed beyond his limits over and over, the accumulated fatigue finally caught up to him.


    A clear blue sky and a brilliant sun. Staring at that sight while lying on the ground, Gray said, "...I did it."


    He lived. He didn''t know how he did it, but he had lived. "Ha. Haha. Hahaha!" A heartfelt laughter, filled with relief. Relief that he wasn''t useless. Relief that he could fight. Relief that, maybe even without Eliza, he could find a way to survive in this world and grow strong enough to make his way home.


    Gray shook his head and got to his feet. "I''d better head back." In his frantic run for his life, Gray had gone pretty far from where Eliza told him to wait for her return. While he didn''t think it would be hard for her to find him even if he wandered off, Gray decided that he might as well make it easier for her.


    He put on his backpack and started walking back.


    boing.


    "Hm?"


    A soft sound.


    Gray scanned his surroundings, but he couldn''t see a single sign of what it could be. That sounded like a slime, but... After seeing nothing around and not hearing the telltale sign of rustling grass, Gray shrugged and kept walking.


    I should probably check on my shirt. It would be awkward meeting Eliza again topless like he was at the moment. While he didn''t think she would mind it much considering how she had reacted thus far, when he imagined being stared at by her intense gaze while his shirt was off... Probably a good idea to put my shirt back on.


    boing.


    That same sound.


    Gray stopped again and glanced around. "...Am I imagining things?" There weren''t any signs of the grass rustling, so there shouldn''t be any slimes nearby. But he still heard a faint bouncing sound, like a rubber ball.


    "...Whatever. If it''s just slimes, I can deal with them."


    Equipped with the perfect anti-slime weapon in the form of his 100% polyester bag, so long as his enemies were only those, Gray was confident he could take them on and win.


    Just in case it was more slimes trying to ambush him, Gray shifted his backpack to his right hand again and kept a wary eye out for signs of danger as he walked. But as he walked, there weren''t any signs of them. If anything, there was only a soft breeze in the air that caused the grass to shift in the distance.


    Time slowly passed as Gray headed back. On the way, he didn''t see any signs of slimes. Considering their usual cowardly nature in RPGs when faced with a stronger enemy, he thought nothing of it.


    -He should have.


    Gray arrived back at the grassy clearing with no problems. Picking up his shirt and finding that it no longer burned his skin, he put it back on.


    At that moment, he heard a strange noise. A sound like something quivering from above.


    Gray looked up, expecting to see a bird or something in the sky. Instead, he felt a sudden chill and his vision was shrouded by a viscous green.


    Confused, Gray raised his right hand to rub his eyes. And when he did, a strangled scream escaped his throat. The reason for that?


    In front of his eyes, what should have been a hand, healthy and whole... there was nothing but melted flesh and bone.


    Gray had become enveloped by a king slime, born as a result of the slimes he had killed.

 Chapter 8: Consequence

    Pain. Pain, PAIN, PAIN.


    An indescribable, all consuming pain throughout his entire body. A pain that was simultaneously burning hot and freezing cold. But that wasn''t all.


    He couldn''t breathe. Trapped in an endless sea of green, he was forced to endure the sensation of drowning alive, of being burned down to the bone, of being reduced to nothing more than bloody sludge.


    To escape it, he tried moving. But in order to move, he needed a working body to command. Something he had lost the moment he was enveloped.


    Trapped. Doomed. Fated to death by recklessness, a single moment of carelessness.


    Unable to even take a last breath, unable to even learn of how he would die...


    His eyes opened.


    A familiar setting. Gray was slumped in front of his laptop.


    *BZZZZT*


    His phone was vibrating.


    Gray frowned and picked it up. "It''s three AM. Just who''s- huh?"


    He had thought that it was someone calling, but it turned out to be his morning alarm. 6:30 AM. Time had passed in a blur without him realizing it.


    Gray rubbed his eyes and then glanced at his laptop. On the screen, various computer programming tools were open-


    Wait... didn''t I do this already?


    An odd sense of incongruity. D¨¦j¨¤ vu... but stronger than that. Like he was forgetting something important.


    "...I''m probably just imagining things."


    6:50 AM.


    Gray was walking to class. Thankfully, he wasn''t sleepy enough to forget to change his clothes. At the moment, he was dressed in a simple black t-shirt and jeans.


    A beautiful day outside. A clear blue sky, a brilliant rising sun... not to mention that his project had miraculously been completed while he was half-awake. All-in-all, a wonderful start to a promising day.


    "...So why does this seem wrong?" Gray muttered.


    At the moment, Gray was walking along a sidewalk parallel to a small road. A setting he was all too familiar with. Something he had done countless times before, even if he preferred driving. Still... "Haven''t I done this already?"


    An unshakeable instinct. Everything inside him was telling him that this was wrong. That there was something he was forgetting. That if he didn''t remember, nothing else would matter ever again.


    -But, considering that instinct was nothing new, he ignored it and continued on his way to class.


    A blaring train siren. An empty roadside. Crossing the street towards the path leading to campus.


    The actions were performed automatically, objectively. He had done it before, and he would do it again... that sort of sensation. Though he felt unsettled, it was nothing more than the usual.


    Then his phone rang.


    Answer it.


    He pulled it out from his pocket.


    Don''t hang up.


    Seeing an unknown caller, he moved his finger to dismiss the call... but on a whim decided to answer instead.


    "...Hello?"


    For a moment, nobody answered. All Gray heard on the other line was gurgling water and... a garbled scream?


    A chill ran down his spine and he lowered his phone to hang up. But before then, a voice called out.


    "If you really wanted to die, it would have been better to do it back then, you know? Doing it now... is too late."


    Gray froze. With shaky hands, he raised the phone back up to his ear. "Who are you?"


    The voice laughed, a hollow sound. "...Do I really need to tell you? Wake up."


    <hr>


    The familiar setting vanished in an instant, shattering like the illusion it was. Gray realized that he was still trapped in that endless green expanse. A sea of acid eating away at his body.


    A near death experience. It was what he had just gone through. On the verge of death, his body and mind chose to erase his senses and recreate a peaceful setting. A way to fool himself out of despair and inevitable demise.


    But could he allow that to just happen? To die without a trace, without knowing why?


    LIVE.


    A desperate feeling from somewhere primal. Gray lashed out with his limbs.


    -Had it been an illusion?


    His limbs that had been dissolved down to the bone were fine. Not only that, but his chest, which should have been painfully constricted due to lack of oxygen, was fine as well.


    A confusing thought, but one he didn''t bother trying to figure out. Even if he was fine at that moment, he wouldn''t stay that way if he remained trapped in that acidic sea of green.


    He flailed, kicking and swinging his arms in an attempt to escape.


    It was futile. No matter how hard he tried, it was like he was trapped in air, his limbs meeting no resistance at all.


    Realizing so, Gray stopped moving and instead quickly considered his situation. Clarity granted on the verge of death caused his thoughts to fire in overdrive.


    What attacked me? And where am I?


    Clues linking together, subtle hints revealing the whole.


    Looking around, Gray saw it. A pair of pitch black eyes and a wide black smile. Maliciously endearing.


    He was trapped in a giant slime. Most likely born because from the individual slimes teaming up due to the realization that they could not defeat him.


    Useless. How do I escape?


    It didn''t matter how he got there and what he faced. Gray needed to know how to get out and how to kill it.


    His body was starting to itch. Signs of the acid finally starting to come into effect.


    Gray scanned his surroundings, turning around to look for a weakness. He was on the inside of the slime. It couldn''t just be that slimes could only be killed by attacking them over and over. There had to be some core, some nucleus that allowed them to function.


    A vain hope, but the only thing that Gray could hope for. If that wasn''t the case, and the slime was actually held together by magic...


    Gray cut that thought off and focused. Look. There has to be a core. So find it. Focus.


    His blue eyes scanned his surroundings. But it was difficult to make anything out. The fact that he was enveloped in some liquid made everything a green blur. The only things that he could see were the giant slime''s pitch black eyes and mouth, and another dark object-


    There it is.


    A black lump, the size of a piece of coal. Directly above him. It must be what served as the giant slime''s core.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Gray jumped, trying to swim towards it. But his efforts were in vain. Somehow, even though he was in what should be liquid, he wasn''t able to get any resistance to swim and move about.


    But if he couldn''t, then he would die.


    The itch on his skin was starting to become unbearable. Not only that, but his eyes were also starting to sting. If Gray didn''t find a way to reach it soon, then...


    FOCUS.


    A forceful cut off to his thoughts.


    Focus. He had to focus. If Gray couldn''t reach the core with his hands, then something else would just have to do it for him. His bag was floating nearby... but it was too far away for him to reach. Just like the core. The only thing he had on him to use was his phone.


    Gray pulled it out without hesitation. After being submerged in acid, it was nothing but dead weight. A few tests showed that it moved through the fluid like there was nothing there. Confirming that fact, Gray faced the black core and threw his phone.


    The moment that Gray tossed his phone, he realized that it was launched in an arc that would cause it to fly over the core.


    A cold chill ran through Gray''s heart. His gamble had failed.


    But lady luck smiled upon him. At that time, the slime decided to move, lurching up in a bound. The core moved with its action, and in that way lined up perfectly with the phone''s trajectory.


    There was no dramatic change. The phone collided with the core and kept going, pushing both itself and the core out of the green expanse.


    All of a sudden, it was like a downpour. The green fluid keeping Gray suspended in midair gave out. In but a few seconds, he was standing back on the grass while green fluid splashed down all around him. By the fact that it wasn''t acidic, he could tell that the slime was dead.


    A strange calm. Either due to the near death experience or something else, Gray had nothing in his mind but tranquility.


    He saw that his phone was lying on the ground in front of him next to that black core. Gray walked over, picking up his bag along the way, and looked down.


    The core was cracked... but his phone was fine. Picking both up, he saw that his phone was undamaged. It was even dry, as if the slime''s fluids hadn''t touched it. Odd... but considering that his clothes and body were fine as well, Gray wrote it off as another strange occurrence in this world.


    As for the core, Gray could only see it as an ordinary black rock. A cool lump about the size of his palm. The type that you could find walking by the riverside.


    Except that those didn''t start dissolving the longer you hold them.


    Before Gray could react, the black rock was gone, leaving only a cool sensation on his hand as a sign that it was once there.


    Gray frowned, but couldn''t dwell on the fact too long.


    "I have returned, Gray. I trust there has not been much trouble in my absence?"


    Eliza''s voice.


    Gray turned to see the white-haired beauty walking towards him. Behind her was a makeshift sled, filled to the brim with rabbits and boars.


    "..."


    He wanted to be angry. He wanted to curse her for leaving him alone when he was so weak. He wanted to scold her for making him think she had left him to die.


    But the only thing in his mind was... a blank. A sort of calm... acceptance if anything. The reason for that was... It''s meaningless to get mad at her.


    Right. What happened had happened. All that mattered was the moment and the future.


    "...Gray?" She must have seen his expression. Eliza''s smile faltered and she froze, staring into his eyes. "You... did anything happen?"


    Gray laughed. "No, nothing happened. I''m just hungry. You kept me waiting for a long time, you know?"


    "...Yes. I apologize for that. I will immediately begin preparing our food."


    Was it because she realized her fault, or something else? Either way, Eliza quickly went to work on preparing the food.


    In the meanwhile, Gray sat down nearby, watching her act.


    Eliza was extremely gifted with magic. Even as a complete novice to the concept, Gray could tell that fact.


    She molded the ground with ease to form a pit to roast the boars. At the same time, she made earthen cookware, summoned water, conjured fire... completely replacing the need for camping supplies.


    It was a calm silence, the only sounds caused by Eliza making preparations.


    "...You''re really good at that, aren''t you, Eliza?"


    While he knew that it was magic and that she was powerful because of her display earlier, he was fascinated at how exceptional her control was.


    To put it into perspective, the pots she made were embroidered with floral patterns, and the ice knives she summoned to butcher the meat were adorned with snowflake designs.


    "It must take a lot of effort to make those designs," Gray said.


    "Ah." Eliza paused for a moment. "It is... a hobby of mine. Pay it no mind."


    "A hobby huh? I suppose everyone has their own quirk."


    It was quiet again. Gray had exhausted his thoughts and Eliza seemed intent on cooking.


    But after a while, Eliza spoke up. "Gray. Do you have any plans on what to do next?"


    "Plans?"


    Eliza nodded. "Yes. Did you intend to explore more of the ruins in this area?"


    Gray laughed. "Me? Explore the ruins here?"


    He couldn''t help it. Someone like him who almost died to slimes exploring ancient ruins that would no doubt have monsters far stronger? Laughable.


    "No. I think I''ll just try to head home."


    "...I see."


    Quiet again. Eliza placed some meat in a pot of boiling water and tended to a roast.


    "...If you do not mind me asking, where is ''home''?"


    Gray didn''t respond. He thought about Eliza''s question.


    He couldn''t say where he was from. He didn''t know how far it was either. His home planet, his home dimension. ...Just how did I get myself into this situation anyway?


    In most cases, to get home would require him killing the demon lord or something like that. But that option was immediately out of the game.


    "Hey Eliza. You wouldn''t happen to know if there''s any magic about traveling to different dimension or time and space, do you?"


    "Hm? ...Ah. Is that what you are studying?"


    Gray nodded. "You could say that. It''s one of the reasons why I''m out here."


    If not for suddenly being transported to a different world, he would still be at home, working on his schoolwork... but Gray left that part unsaid.


    Eliza placed a finger on her lips and tilted her head. "...I do not know much about the theory, but yes, there is magic of that nature. Unfortunately, using it requires vast amounts of magical prowess as well as a body strong enough to endure it. To be able to use it... I believe you would need to be on the level of at least an entry Braveheart both in your magical prowess and physique."


    "Braveheart?"


    "Ah..." Eliza frowned and said, "...Think of it on the level of being able to erase a small country with a spell and shattering a mountain with a punch."


    Gray was silent.


    Eliza looked at Gray and said, "For you... well, your physique and magical prowess have improved? From a Failure, you seemed to have at least reached the Entrant level... still, it would be at least a decade before you would be capable of wielding that magic. And that is under the ideal conditions with constant study and practice."


    A decade...


    Gray had expected that type of answer... and to be honest, it was better than he anticipated. Ten years was better than never. But even so, he couldn''t just wait around that long. When he returned at that point, over a third of his life would have been over. His plans, goals, past actions... they would have all been for nothing.


    Silence. Faced with the sudden news, Gray had nothing to say.


    Eliza turned her attention back to cooking. The food had finished being prepared by the end of their talk, and so she began serving it. Pouring a bit of some stew into a bowl, Eliza handed it to Gray, along with a spoon.


    He took the bowl with a slight nod. He ate the food with mechanical actions, his mind still on his future actions.


    A decade. Ten years of nothing but studying magic. A time where most people would have started a family by then and the rest of their lives. But for him, it would be a time of becoming a magician... one where even after he returned home, what would be the point?


    If he returned home, he would be at the level Eliza described. Being able to blow up a mountain with a punch, erasing a country with a spell... wouldn''t the entire world see him as an enemy at that point? Nothing would be able to stop him, and no one could understand him. Even if he hid his powers... could he really live out his life like that?


    But staying in this world... something like that didn''t appeal to him. For anyone else, maybe they would be fine. Being transported to a fantasy world, playing out the role of an adventurer or hero... they would have enjoyed that. A carefree life with nothing to worry about, indulging in their greatest delusions.


    But he wasn''t like that. Obligations. Commitments. Dreams left unfinished, sacrifices that would become worthless... he had come too far to simply give all that up.


    But then, what could he do?


    "...Is the food not to your liking, Gray?"


    Eliza''s voice cut through his thoughts.


    Gray looked up to see her crimson eyes staring into his own. A hint of worry and doubt? He shook his head and said, "It''s not that. The food is good."


    And it was. A simple stew, but one that brought out the flavor of the meat to its fullest extent.


    "Then... what is troubling you? And is there anything I may help with?"


    Gray frowned. "...It''s nothing. I''m just... thinking about what to do now. Ten years... is too long."


    "I see. You urgently require learning Spatial magic?"


    A decision point. Even if he learned it, he would no longer be the same. Returning home to that world with his new powers... it wouldn''t be exaggerating to say that he could be considered a ''god'' if he did.


    ...Of course, that was assuming that he was the only one with superpowers when he returned. ...There''s a thought.


    The possibility that others could have been sent here and returned. It had slipped his mind, but that could be the case. Records of others who had been summoned here and returned. The reason why he of all people was called to this world.


    That''s right. His gloomy attitude started to fade. So what if he was different? He wanted to become great, didn''t he? To pave the way with his own efforts. To achieve ''that'' dream, he even gave up his friendships. This would be no different.


    Gray nodded. "Yes. Ten years is too long for me. A year at most."


    That was the maximum amount of time he could allot. And it was under the assumption that the time difference was one to one.


    "A year... to reach the level of a Braveheart in both physique and magical prowess?" Eliza''s face looked troubled. She pursed her lips and tilted her head.


    "...It''s impossible, huh?"


    Eliza shook her head. "No, not impossible, but... must you learn it so quickly? Do you... really need to return home so soon?"


    Gray nodded. "I have obligations. Commitments I can''t give up."


    "...Are you certain? There is a way, but..." Eliza bit her lip. "Would it not be better for you to settle down somewhere instead? I am not sure what you are studying, but I believe you could do so with more ease in a peaceful village, could you not?"


    "No." Gray shook his head. "If there''s a way to learn it quicker... you don''t understand. I have to... I MUST return."


    Before all his sacrifices become meaningless. Before that dream becomes nothing more than a wish, and his commitments break to become lies.


    "...Is there no way to persuade you otherwise? That path... it will be painful. For someone like you who cannot even protect yourself... death is more likely than success. While you have improved somehow, reaching the level of a Braveheart, those who are relied upon by countries is-"


    "I don''t care."


    Eliza looked into Gray''s eyes and sighed. "...Very well. Then, we will be on the move once you are finished."


    Gray nodded.

 Chapter 9: The Hero

    After eating, the pair began traveling. The destination of the two was Rorin village, the nearest frontier village of the Eternal Kingdom.


    As for why they were traveling here, there were a number of reasons. However, it essentially boiled down to requiring supplies.


    Eliza was walking ahead of Gray, serving as the vanguard for any potential threats. With her unfathomable strength and magical prowess, Gray would be fine.


    As they traveled, a few more slimes had jumped out from hiding in the grass to attack. Sensing Gray as the weaker of the two, green streaks flew towards him. But before they could get anywhere near close, they were gone, turned into ash by a sudden wave of flames.


    Other monsters appeared, but they met the same fate as the slimes. Be it wandering wolves, giant ravens, or oversized frogs, they were all slain by the white-haired beauty standing guard before Gray.


    It was a strange sight. A sole woman standing guard for a young man, and the woman a beauty at that. Perhaps if any other person from Earth were there to see it, they would have felt the urge to scold Gray. Of course, there was no one of that sort around, and so the arrangement continued.


    The grassy and hilly plains gradually changed into new terrain. Copses of trees began appearing here and there, and the hilly ground smoothed out. In addition, a clear road could be seen. It was a dirt path. Far from the paved roads Gray was accustomed to, but still better than unmarked grounds.


    The journey up to this point had been done in silence. Gray was lost in his thoughts while Eliza seemed content to simply serve as the vanguard. However, as the pair approached one of the larger groups of trees they had encountered, Eliza came to a sudden stop.


    "Gray."


    Gray frowned and swept his eyes around their surroundings. It wasn''t like Eliza to suddenly come to a halt, even with the approach of monsters. Knowing that but seeing nothing in his surroundings, he came to a stop close to Eliza and said, "What is it?"


    Eliza didn''t move. She stared into the depths of the trees and said, "There are travelers heading this way. Stay close."


    Gray''s frown deepened. Travelers, huh? They had yet to encounter any other people on their journey. To suddenly encounter them now was indeed worthy of caution. He turned his attention the same direction as Eliza''s, peering into the depths of the forest.


    There was nothing at first. But after a second, the air distorted and a voice echoed.


    "Oho?"


    It was a masculine voice. Smooth and clear, it carried on the wind without an owner. But then, before Gray''s very eyes, the distortion in the air cleared, revealing a man.


    Tall. The man stood about a head above Gray, who was around average height, and possessed a lean build. His face was handsome and he had a carefree look about him, coupled with a charismatic smile. Coming to a sudden halt before Eliza and Gray, the man''s hair, a shade of red like vivid flames, flowed wildly in every direction, defying gravity as crimson spikes.


    This guy... Gray''s frown remained as he stared at the man. Despite his carefree appearance, the man''s gaze was sharp. His eyes were blue, the same color as Gray''s, but were a dark shade like unyielding arctic ice, eyes that seemed as if nothing in this world could shake them.


    From the man''s attire, a haphazard set of platemail and leather guards over gray clothing, and from the sword sheathed at his side, it was clear that he was an adventurer.


    Just as Gray considered how to approach the situation, the air behind the man blurred, signaling the arrival of more people.


    The first to appear was a shorter woman dressed in flowing white robes. She was a petite beauty, a few heads shorter than the man, and had long blue hair that flowed behind her like ocean waves. She didn''t bother taking a look at Gray or Eliza, immediately moving slightly to the right and behind of the man.


    Following her arrival was yet another woman, wearing silver chainmail and a rapier at her side. This woman was a stern beauty with golden hair and violet eyes. Upon her appearance, she cast a disdainful look at Gray, one that changed to caution upon seeing Eliza. The stern beauty walked over to the crimson-haired man''s right side, her gaze never shifting from Eliza.


    The last to appear was yet another beauty. She was slightly shorter than the stern beauty but taller than the petite beauty and had straight, black hair. A typical ''Yamato Nadeshiko'' would describe her best, the ideal eastern beauty. A katana hung at her waist, and she wore a dark violet kimono. And, like the petite beauty, it appeared she only had eyes for the crimson-haired man, barely giving either Gray or Eliza a look before turning her gaze to the crimson-haired man.


    It was an odd group of people. One man followed by three beauties... all of whom radiated a pressure that Gray could feel even with his pitiful magical prowess. And as for the crimson-haired man himself... Gray couldn''t feel anything. Whether it was because the man was weak or simply too strong for Gray to comprehend, he didn''t know. If anything, however, Gray was willing to believe the latter.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    As for why?


    ...Looks like I found the ''hero'' and his companions.


    Gray knew next to nothing about this world, but he knew enough from the stories he had read of similar situations to be able to pick out the clich¨¦s when he saw them.


    The crimson-haired man... no, the ''hero'' smiled at Gray and Eliza. "I''m surprised to meet other travelers so far out here. You looking for the Divine Artifact too?"


    It was a casual remark, and with that charismatic aura around the man, most people would be thrown off guard. But Gray wasn''t most people, and he remained cautious. Because of that, he caught the subtle shift in the man''s eyes. A swift examination, surveying Eliza and Gray. Probing.


    Eliza was tense and didn''t speak a word. Seeing that, Gray stepped forward and shook his head. "Nah. We''re just making our way back to town after some training."


    "Training?" The man frowned. "All the way out here?"


    "That''s right," Gray said. "Do you have a problem with that?"


    Before the man could respond, the stern blonde beauty glared at him and said, "Milord, stop wasting time! If we do not hurry, other adventurers will get to it first!"


    "You wooory too much, Angie." The voice belonged to the petite, blue-haired beauty. She yawned and casually wrapped herself around the man''s arm. "With boss here, even if someone else got there first, we can just beat them up. Right boss?" She smiled at the man with those last words and winked.


    Angie, the blonde beauty, narrowed her eyes and said, "Marie, you-!"


    Before she could start on a tirade, the last member of the man''s party, the dark-haired beauty interrupted. "I agree with Marie. Master will easily destroy those who seek to obtain what is ours. Why concern yourself?"


    Angie took a step back and said, "And you, Sefi?" She looked to crimson-haired man and said, "H-hey! Say something, milord!"


    The man shrugged his shoulders and said, "They''ve got a point, Angie. You worry too much."


    "Milord!"


    As the four became wrapped up in their own private show, Gray stared at them with a blank expression.


    Gravity-defying hair, surrounded by beautiful woman fitting the energetic young girl, loyal knight, and cool beauty archetypes, wandering around in search of a Divine Artifact... that man hit all the hallmarks of a typical hero in these types of worlds.


    As Gray was wondering on how to bypass the ''Hero'' and his groupies, the man turned his attention back to Gray and said, "You said you were training, right? Why out here and not somewhere closer to the capital?" He glanced at Gray with narrowed eyes and said, "You''re barely out of the Entrant level. Fighting the B-ranked monsters out here is a little bit much, don''t you think?"


    Gray cast a sidelong glance at Eliza. Seeing that she was still staying silent and standing close at his side, he said, "...It''s complicated."


    The man... or rather, the hero stared at Gray for a few moments before turning to look at Eliza. He surveyed her up and down and then gave Gray a knowing nod. "Ah. That''s how it is. Best of luck to you then, from a fellow sufferer."


    Gray didn''t respond. He had a feeling that if he did, with how affronted the three woman by the hero looked, he would get caught up in something unnecessary.


    It seemed that the hero had realized his slight as well as he scratched the back of his head. "Anyway, I assume you two are looking for Rorin village. It''s not too far from here, just a bit of walking down that way." He gestured along the road.


    "Milord."


    "Yeah, I got it, Angie." The hero nodded and waved at Gray. "Be seeing you around. Try not to make the woman at your side depressed if you can, alright?"


    "Er... yeah."


    The hero gave Gray another nod and then vanished. In his wake, the beauties followed, leaving Gray and Eliza alone again. Once they were gone, Gray felt Eliza relax beside him. He turned to her and said, "What was that back there, Eliza? Did you know them?"


    Eliza shook her head and urged Gray forward.


    Confused, Gray simply followed. It wasn''t until they had traveled for half an hour that Eliza finally spoke. "...Strong. Those four were very, very strong."


    "...They were?"


    Gray had assumed so because of the roles they seemed to fit, but he didn''t feel anything too strong from the group. If anything, they seemed like they were just setting off on their journey. Compared to someone like Eliza, who he knew held an overwhelming pressure, they didn''t seem like anything at all.


    "They were. It is natural that you were not able to sense it, but even I..." Eliza frowned. "...The only ones I cannot read should be those of the Almighty level, but-" Eliza shook her head. "In any case, what could the Divine Artifact that they are talking about be? Could it be that wand? But I felt nothing special from it when I faced it..."


    The two walked in silence. Eliza seemed caught in contemplation, analyzing the information they had just gained.


    Gray shrugged. "You''re worrying too much, Eliza. Come on, that guy said we''re almost at Rorin village, right? We should hurry up before it gets dark."


    Saying that, Gray started walking.


    "Ah, wait! I will take the lead Gray."


    "No, that''s fine. It''s a man''s job to protect the woman at his side, so I''ll take point for now."


    After seeing that hero, Gray felt as if his manhood had been threatened, so he decided to try and act a bit macho for Eliza, but-


    "...How do you expect to protect me if you almost got killed by a grass slime not too long ago?"


    "Kuh... that''s different! That was then and this is now! I''m sure my body has gotten stronger. I mean, we''ve walked a bunch of miles, right? Surely, my body''s gotten at least a bit stronger-"


    "No. You''re still only at Failure- hm? Well... you''re right in part. It seems that your body got a bit stronger."


    "Hah! I knew I felt a bit lighter! Right, so-"


    "...It''s still only at the Entrant level though. To be honest, a slightly strong sneeze from a rabid wolf would put you under."


    Gray froze.


    "...You''re kidding, right?"


    "Not in the slightest."


    "...Alright. You win. Protect me from the big bad wolves then."


    Eliza sighed and shook her head. "...I am starting to wonder how you even managed to survive long enough to find me... let alone untie my bonds."


    "¡­Beginner''s luck?"


    Eliza let out another sigh. "It must be the case. Very well. Stay close. And remember, should monsters appear, simply flail your bag wildly. That surprisingly sturdy bag of yours should be enough to fend off any slimes in the area. As for other monsters... well, I will be very, very sad if you were to die. Please try not to?"


    While Eliza''s words sounded serious, the playful glint in her eyes showed that they were anything but.


    "¡­I''ll do my best."


    Eliza smiled. "That is all I ask... though I should be able to save you somehow even if your head gets ripped off. Even so, try not to be too reckless. It''s very painful getting wrenched back into life, you know?"


    "...Right. I''ll... try not to."

 Chapter 10: Rankings and the Demon King

    Gray and Eliza arrived at Rorin village as the sun began to set. The grasslands had turned into hilly plains, and those few groups of trees became vast swathes of forests. As for the village itself, it was on the outskirts of a large forest.


    Gray took a look around at the entrance of the village. It was the typical sight of an RPG settlement, with straw roofs and wooden buildings. However, he had been expecting it to be filled with people. Yet, the village was empty, barren almost.


    Although it was getting late in the day, it wasn''t late enough that it should  be completely quiet and empty.


    "This place seems a bit deserted doesn''t it?"


    Eliza nodded. "It does seem a bit that way."


    The layout of the village was small. There was a central plaza, and then it was surrounded on all sides by wooden log buildings, similar to cabins, with straw roofs. The only exception was a larger wooden building directly opposite of the main entrance and next to a road leading deeper into the forest. That building seemed to be more modern, and well designed. On the building was a banner with an infinity sign over a sword.


    As Gray was looking around, Eliza continued. "The reason why it is so likely lies in what that red-haired man said. Frontier villages are a foothold for adventurers to explore the wilderness, but the appearance of a Divine Artifact would be enough to send them in search of it."


    "Huh. So a Divine Artifact is that great?"


    Gray frowned as he looked around. "Even so... this is a bit much, isn''t it?"


    Completely barren. Maybe it was because he wasn''t from that world, but it was a bit weird to go all out for something that could be a flop. After all, just because it was said to be a Divine Artifact didn''t mean that was the case.


    Before Gray could ponder on the situation any further, someone called out to them.


    "Howdy travelers!"


    It was a girl with brown hair and a kind smile. She was average in appearance. Not too pretty when compared with Eliza, but she had the sort of appearance that could charm the few adventurers passing by the town.


    She stepped out from a building not far from Gray and Eliza and waved them over. "A single room with bed and board for only a single copper! It''ll be worth your while, definitely!"


    Her voice was warm and cheerful. Her expression was also expectant, and the sort that would make you feel guilty for declining. Even so, Gray hesitated.


    "That..."


    A single copper sounded cheap, and for what seemed to be the entire package deal, was something that he would have paid for an a heartbeat. The problem was that he didn''t have any sort of currency on him and Eliza, who was formerly captive, didn''t have anything either.


    In hindsight, that was a problem that he should have considered before having Eliza take them to a town.


    Thankfully, Eliza seemed to have considered the problem ahead of hand.


    She nodded to the girl with a smile and said, "We do not have any funds at the moment, but if you would reserve one in advance, we would appreciate it."


    The girl nodded. "Ah, just returning from a hunt? That''ll be fine. I''ll have it set up for you by the time you get back from the guild hall."


    With that said, the girl went back into the building and left the two alone.


    Before Gray could ponder too much about the exchange, Eliza had already taken him by the hand and was leading him to the large wooden building.


    "I''m assuming that''s the guild hall we''re heading to?" Gray asked.


    Eliza nodded. "Yes, it is. Though not quite as large as the one in the capital, it should serve well enough to exchange supplies."


    "...Right. And what exactly are we exchanging?"


    He didn''t remember having anything useful. While his bag and phone might serve as curios for exchange, he doubted it would be enough in the long run.


    "Ah. I forgot to mention it to you. Here."


    Eliza reached into her shirt and pulled out a handful of dull, gray rocks.


    Needless to say, Gray had a few questions about that. Foremost was the question of where she was keeping all of that. But rationale won out over curiosity and he asked instead, "What are those?"


    "These are magic stones. The condensed life force of monsters that comes from the accumulated energy they have gained throughout their lifetime is crystallized on the moment of death and returns to nature. These are a bit dull due to the low rank of the monsters they originate from, but the higher tier magic stones are brilliant enough to outshine even the most precious gemstone."


    "...Right." Gray nodded, but couldn''t help but be confused. No matter how much I look at them, aren''t they just ordinary rocks?


    They looked like stuff you could find on the side of the road rather than crystallized supernatural energy.


    Eliza must have read the expression on Gray''s face and said, "Ah. I had forgotten that you were a failure in terms of magical prowess. To you, these probably seem like simple rocks."


    Gray twitched again at being called a failure, but nodded. "Yeah, I can''t see anything different about them at all from regular rocks."


    "That is to be expected. To the uninitiated, these are indeed simple stones. But to those with power..." Eliza clutched her hands and a myriad of rainbow colored lights began shimmering around them. "They are as valuable as air itself, serving as the means of strengthening their bodies, improving their skills, and even equipment." Eliza smiled and relaxed her hands, causing the lights to die down. "Of course, that will not be an issue for you while I am around. Even if you are a failure, I am sure that we can raise you to the level of a Braveheart in a few months."


    There it was again, that weird terminology. Failure, Braveheart... Gray was getting fed up at the random jargon and said, "Alright, I think it''s about time we cleared this up. Just why do you keep calling me a failure? I might be weak, but I''m not that bad. I killed that large slime by myself, didn''t I?"


    Eliza came to a halt and turned to face Gray.


    He did the same and crossed his arms, facing her with irritation.


    The two were silent for a while and then Eliza tilted her head and said, "...Can it be that you do not know of it?"


    "Know of what?"


    Eliza frowned. "You had said that you were not from around here, but to think that you do not even know the fundamental rating system..."


    Gray stilled. Right. He didn''t know even the most basic knowledge of this world. He had gotten along fine so far, but that was because Eliza had humored him. To that point, it could have been thought of as an eccentric traveler roaming the land, but it seemed like this was something as obvious as breathing to them.


    For a moment, Eliza looked at Gray as if seeing him for the first time... no, as if looking right through him.


    He couldn''t meet her eyes and opened his mouth to make an excuse, but Eliza shook her head and said, "No matter. Your secrets may remain your own. This explanation may take a while, however..." Eliza took a look around and gestured towards an open table and chair.


    "There. That place will do. Then, shall we?"


    <hr>


    Gray and Eliza were seated at a wooden table in the middle of a forest village. The sun was slowly setting, and light fixtures, reminiscent of lampposts but powered by magic, were already lit.


    While it was still important for them to go to the Guild Hall in order to gain resources they would need for traveling, something else more important had come up.


    That was, the ranking system of this world.


    Eliza stared at Gray with her crimson eyes. It was a curious gaze, and one that seemed both curious and skeptical.


    Gray felt the urge to avert his gaze, but refused to do so and met her eyes with his own.


    After a while, Eliza sighed and said, "Well, where should I begin?"


    Gray had a multitude of questions to ask, but he decided to begin with the most obvious. "...Why do you keep calling me a failure?"


    "Ah, that." Eliza nodded and then said, "It is because that is your ranking. Or rather, it was... somehow, you seem to have grown stronger?" She tilted her head and looked at his body again, her eyes shimmering with a strange light. "...Yes. Your physique is at the Entrant level now. Are you sure nothing happened while I was gone back at the plains, Gray?"


    Gray didn''t respond and instead fell into silent contemplation. Improved physique? ...Could it be that?


    He surely didn''t imagine his body dissolving apart while in that slime. The only way he could have lived from that... perhaps leveling up? In some games, it fully restored your health and mana. Maybe that had happened to him?


    "...In any case," Eliza continued. "The reason for my calling you that is the ''Rank'' that you possessed."


    "Rank?"


    Eliza nodded. "Everything in this world can be scaled from F-A, with A as the highest and F as the lowest. For aspects such as physique, skills, and ability, these ranks also have an additional name to help understand the levels they represent."


    "I see... then I guess F is short for failure?"


    Eliza nodded. "That''s right. It goes Failure, Entrant, Dabbler, Champion, Braveheart, and Almighty."


    "...Those names are a bit off, aren''t they?"


    The first three and the last three went together well, but Dabbler and Champion didn''t seem to be very matching.


    "That is because of the ''wall''. Most of the population will never surpass the Dabbler level in any aspect. Only those who climb over the threshold to the Champion level will become noteworthy. This division is essentially heaven and earth. To put it into perspective, a normal infant has a ranking of ''F'' in physique and magical prowess and an average adult human has a ranking of ''D''. Those of the Champion level, however..." Eliza paused to gather her thoughts and then said, "Would it be clear if I explained that a person of the Champion level in physique can shatter an entire castle with a punch?"


    "...You''re joking."


    "I am not. Furthermore, those of the Braveheart level are the elite from a realm''s special forces, capable of erasing entire kingdoms with a flick of their wrist. I have heard that the current Braveheart in the Human Realm was once sent quell a surge of monsters that even an army of a hundred thousand could not defeat. In less than a minute, they had all been slain, and with but a single slash from his blade."


    "...I see."Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    A power Gray could only barely comprehend. And then he had a sudden thought. "...Wait. You said that I needed to reach the Braveheart level in order to use Space magic. Does that mean I have to be someone at that level?"


    "That is correct."


    "...Just how long does it take for someone to get to that level?"


    Eliza was quiet. "...For most, an entire lifetime. Of course, once you reach that level, time becomes inconsequential. All those who reach the Braveheart level through their own efforts are able to ignore the weathering of time and decay."


    An entire lifetime.


    "And what about the Almighty level?"


    The response for this was immediate. "Never. To put it into perspective, since the beginning of time, there have only ever been three to reach the Almighty level. One is the Demon King, ruler of the Demon Realm. Another is the Eternal King, ruler of the Human Realm. And the last was the hero who established the system of magic itself."


    "Is it that hard?"


    Eliza nodded. "It is. Even in the past 100 million years, there have only been three true Almighty. While there have been some that have grown close or others that have similar strength due to Runes or Divine Artifacts, there has yet to be another since the last."


    Gray was quiet.


    "Well... that is that." Eliza got up and brushed her clothes. That done, she cast a sidelong glance at Gray. "Does it seem overwhelming?"


    "...To be honest, yeah, it does."


    The Braveheart level. Eliza had mentioned it earlier, but he only now realized just how high of a level that was.


    Braveheart... if he remembered correctly, it was what the Japanese word ''Yuusha'' essentially translated to. In order to go home, he had to reach an equivalent level.


    Him, a person sent to another world with no advantages, had to figure out a way to reach that level before he could go home. Even then...


    Gray was drawn out of his thoughts by Eliza leaning close to his face and letting out a bright smile. "Do not worry. I told you, did I not? With me here, something like that will be trivial." She leaned back and said, "Even if you might not believe it to be possible, I will make it so. Even if..." Eliza shook her head. "In any case, we should hurry to the Guild Hall before it closes." Eliza offered her hand towards Gray.


    She was smiling. A brilliant and sincere emotion.


    Gray couldn''t understand why she was doing so. To go so far for him, to trust him this extent... it couldn''t simply be due to him rescuing her.


    It was a sincere smile, warm words.


    Yet, somewhere inside of him, all Gray could think was-


    Are you going to betray her too?


    <hr>


    Eliza continued explaining things to Gray. Terminology, the common sense of people around the place. After that, they headed towards the Guild Hall.


    Eliza took the lead, and Gray followed.


    He was surprised by her actions. Unlike her usual quiet self, Eliza strode through the doors with confidence, staring straight ahead and not bothering to look around. A sort of bravado that Gray wouldn¡¯t have had a chance of imitating.


    Because he couldn¡¯t imitate it, he kept closely at her heel, taking the time instead to look around.


    Gray had prepared himself to be greeted by a bunch of unruly adventurers, brawny warriors, and exuberant fantasy characters. But when the doors swung open, there was nothing of the sort.


    Like with the rest of the village, the guild hall was mostly empty. It also was far from the boisterous image he had in mind of a Guild Hall, or rather an Adventurer¡¯s gather ground he envisioned.


    ¡°This is the guild exchange hall?¡±


    It was surprisingly modern. The outside of the building was wooden and fit seamlessly into the fantasy world that Gray had found himself in. Like the quaint forested village, the place seemed to be just another unassuming and seamless part of the backdrop. Yet, as if to challenge his perspective of the world yet again, it was completely unlike it.


    First of all, the area wasn¡¯t cramped. The room they walked in, what Gray assumed to be the lobby, was large and spacious. Even if there were adventurers visiting it at the same time in the number he imagined, it wouldn¡¯t be full.


    Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t primitive. While the furnishings were mostly leather and wooden, there were a lot of things that seemed out of place for a fantasy world. Off to the side, there was an area with lounge chairs and recliners. In the corner of that room and against the wall, there was a machine that dispensed water into styrofoam cups. The type you would see around the commercial offices.


    ¡°Gray?¡± Eliza turned around to look at him. He shook his head and followed after her.


    She smiled when he got close and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to stare. We¡¯ll have plenty of time to look around later if you want. For now, we need to make some exchanges so that we can prepare for our journey.¡±


    Eliza quickly strode forward, and Gray followed her.


    There was only a single person at the counter when they walked in. He was a distinguished looking gentleman in a blue suit, with gray hair and sunglasses. Seeing Gray and Eliza approach, he smiled and said, "Welcome to the adventurer guild''s exchange hall, young travelers. Here to exchange some monster parts? Or is it magic stones?"


    "The latter," Eliza said. After saying that, she put a bag of stones on the countertop. A bag of stones that Gray could have sworn she wasn¡¯t holding just seconds before.


    Unlike Gray, however, the gentleman didn¡¯t seem surprised. He simply nodded and took the bag from her. After that, he dumped its contents in a bin behind him.


    When the contents entered the bin, the sound of gear whirring and a distinct humming began. It was the sign of machinery, another unexpected experience. Then, a display showing a list of numbers appeared, one rapidly increasing. At the speed it was going, it looked like a while before it would stop.


    "So," the gentleman said. "What brings you two to the exchange hall at this late hour? Shouldn''t you be out with the other adventurers looking for the Divine Artifact?"


    Before Eliza could interrupt, Gray said, "What is this ''Divine Artifact'' that people keep talking about?"


    "Hm? Ah, it seems you haven''t heard. Well then. As the sole adventurer guild representative at the moment, allow me to explain."


    Eliza nodded, adding, "That would be appreciated."


    "First, allow me to introduce myself,¡± the gentleman said. ¡°I am Alain. On a usual day, I would be simply nothing more than a teller, but with even the guild leader in search of the Divine Artifact, I can be considered the acting guild leader."


    Eliza frowned at that. "Is the recent Divine Artifact so great?"


    "Of course," Alain said. He let out a distant look in his eyes. "Divine Artifacts. Remnants of the gods, possessing the power to instantly bring someone to the Almighty level... what adventurer- no, what human would think to ignore that?"


    "Hm?" Gray said. "You''re still here though, aren''t you?"


    Alain let out a long laugh and then took off his glasses. "My, it seems that you''ve chosen quite an ignorant companion, my dear kinsman."


    Eliza let out a long-suffering sigh. "Yes. Gray unfortunately is not the most studied of individuals... though he has saved my life."


    "Aaah. I see." Alain nodded before taking a look at Eliza''s hair. "Then I assume that-"


    "Yes."


    "Hm..."


    Gray looked back at forth at the exchange between Eliza and Alain before saying, "Wait, wait, wait. Kinsman? Are you two related or something?"


    Alain laughed. "Truly ignorant! To not even know that- Well, I suppose this is good in its own way. Such naivety is quite charming."


    Gray frowned and said, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Alain shook his head. "Well, young man. Since you are so curious, I might as well tell you.¡± He reached for his sunglasses and then took them off. ¡°Do you see these eyes of mine? Tell me, what is different about them?"


    Gray looked into Alain¡¯s eyes and noticed that they were the same shade of red as Eliza''s. "What? Are you two related just because you have red eyes? Lots of people have red eyes though."


    Granted, they were mostly albino or stayed up too late for studying, but that was irrelevant.


    Alain laughed again. "That may be true where you are from, young man... indeed, you are quite fortunate to have grown up in such a welcoming environment be that the case. However, possessing crimson eyes in the Newark Domain has a distinct meaning behind it."


    "And what would that be?"


    "Gray..." Eliza said. "That-"


    "Demons." Alain cut in before Eliza could finish. "Here, crimson eyes are a mark of a person belonging to the Demon race."


    "...Demons?" Gray frowned and looked back between Eliza and Alain. The only trait that stuck out among the two were their beauty, on Eliza''s part, and handsomeness, on Alain''s part. "...Really? Is that all? You two don''t look any different that regular people though. Other than being unfairly attractive for some reason..."


    Eliza let out a relieved sigh at Gray''s words.


    Alain smiled. "Yes, yes. That can be considered another trait of the Demon race. It has been quite a source of contention in the past. Though it is not quite why the Demon race is so infamous. Rather-"


    "Alain." Eliza shook her head.


    "...Ah. Well, you''ll find out in your own time young man. As for the Divine Artifact, I''ve heard that this one is a rune. A particularly powerful one at that."


    Gray frowned at the change in conversation topic, but decided to let it be seeing Eliza''s discomfort.


    "A rune?"


    Alain nodded, his smiling face becoming serious. "Yes. From what I have heard transmitted, it appears that the princess herself received word of this rune. It is said that whoever brings it successfully back to the Eternal Kingdom will be granted immediate nobility, as well as other Divine Artifacts to compensate."


    Eliza frowned. "The kingdom is willing to go that far?"


    "Of course. After all, the rune is ''Hero''."


    Eliza''s eyes widened.


    While Gray didn''t understand all of what Alain said, he understood enough to see how big a deal that was. "...Wait. Isn''t the kingdom just looking to draw in the hero then?"


    "You''ve got it in one, young man. Seems like you aren''t too dull." Alain smiled for a moment before shaking his head. "But yes. You can think of this as the kingdom drawing in the newly chosen ''Hero''. Should that be the case... it might not be long before they attempt ''that'' again."


    "That?"


    Alain nodded. "Invasion of the Demon Land."


    "Is the Demon Lord that bad¡­?" Gray muttered.


    "No," Alain said. "Our Lord is not terrible... in fact, it can be said that the reigning Demon Lord is quite amiable, albeit eccentric. The issue is our King."


    "King?"


    "Allow me, Gray." Eliza spoke up.


    Gray nodded.


    "The Demon King is the one who controls all of Demonkind, holding the life and death of Demons are in his hands. He is the one whom we demons owe our lives to, since time immemorial. Something we all know at birth."


    "...Is that a bad thing?"


    "No. In fact, because of his control, he has managed to save Demonkind many times and-" Eliza shook her head. "Suffice to say, our king is not a malevolent individual. In fact, he is the one who singlehandedly created the rainbow bridge, connecting the demon land with the rest of the world in order to allow us to widen our horizon and live a life beyond our isolated country."


    Gray''s frown deepened. He doesn''t seem like the typical demon lord... or demon king. So why...?


    Seeing Gray''s confusion, Eliza said, "The reason why the Eternal Kingdom wants to invade the Demon Land is simple."


    ¡°Simple?"


    Eliza nodded. "Yes. After all, our king is not a Demon, but a human."


    "...Wait. What?!"


    Eliza shrugged. "What''s there to be surprised about?"


    "But... you said that Demonkind owes their lives to the Demon King since time immemorial..."


    Eliza nodded. "That''s right."


    "Then doesn''t that mean-"


    "Yes. Our King is immortal. And it is precisely that the Eternal Kingdom seeks to invade. Runes may be passed down on after the death of the owner, and it is our King''s Rune that grants him both immortality and control over Demonkind. The draw of such power is too much for the kingdom to ignore... even though they have failed countless times in the past."


    "They''ve failed?"


    Eliza smiled, though that expression carried a hint of danger to it. "Of course they have. And they will this time as well. Try as they might, there is no way our King will fall. And that is not a matter of hubris."


    "Hoh?" Alain let out an exclamation. "You know quite a bit there, young miss."


    Eliza said, "I could say the same to you, old man. To live as long as you have... you''ve quite the power behind you as well, do you not?"


    Gray tilted his head in confusion.


    Alain laughed. "You''ve seen through me quite well. Though, I suppose it can''t be helped for one possessing those eyes. In any case, young man. The reason why the kingdom will fail, even with the Rune of a ''Hero'' is because of our King''s ability."


    "And what''s that?"


    "Ah, you are misunderstanding. When I say ''ability'', I do not mean a special trait. I mean ability in the sense of pure capability. Due to our King''s age and potential, he has long since surpassed the boundaries of this world. I assume you roughly know the levels of power?"


    Gray nodded.


    "Well, as you know, normally the highest level attainable for individuals is the ''Almighty'' level. It''s to the extent where they can destroy a country in a single blow. As for our king... while no one has ever seen his full power, the kingdom''s last attempt to invade the Demon Land ended¡­ poorly to say the least."


    "What happened?"


    "Well, the kingdom had gathered three of their greatest warriors, along with the past bearer of the Hero Rune. They were all equipped with Divine Artifacts that the Eternal Kingdom scoured the world to procure. Their fighting strength at that point was enough that the Elven and Anima kingdoms threatened war the moment the kingdom''s heroes tried anything other than invading the demon land. To put it into perspective... it would not be a stretch to say those four could have caused the end of the world should they have desired."


    "Hm..."


    "However," Alain continued. "The moment those four stepped onto our Land, our King appeared to meet them. What do you think happened?"


    "...The demon king won?"


    Alain laughed. "He didn''t just ''win''. He slaughtered them. The Almighty warriors gathered by the Eternal Kingdom, the Divine Artifacts procured from around the world, legendary equipment blessed by the gods and capable of destroying the continent... they were naught but sticks beneath our King''s feet. The demons who were present at the time have recorded that in but a breath''s time, our King had slain half of the heroes with his magic. The hero and his lover at the time had survived the initial blow, but fell easily beneath our king''s sword, shattering even the Goddess''s protection upon them both."


    "That''s..."


    Gray frowned. Something about that story seemed familiar to him, and not just because it fit the usual RPG tropes.


    "In any case, you can imagine how foolish attempting an invasion of the Demon Land is. After that last attempt, no one has dared even to harbor such a notion for fear of the Demon King realizing it from even beyond the great seas."


    "Wait. Then why is everyone looking for the Rune?"


    Alain laughed. "Isn''t it obvious? For the nobility and Divine Artifacts. No one would be foolish enough to actually play the role of a hero in the kingdom''s foolhardy endeavor."


    "Then-¡°


    A small chime interrupted Gray. The machinery from the bin behind Alain had come to a stop, along with the counter on its display.


    "Well,¡± Alain said. ¡°I''ve kept you two long enough with my rambling." The gentleman turned around and pulled out a bag from the bin.


    After seeing that, Gray blinked and realized that the sun outside had already set, and night had fallen.


    "Here you are. 2 silver coins and some loose change. A little extra for keeping you two longer than expected."


    Eliza took the bag with a bow. "Thank you, sir Alain."


    Alain waved her off. "It''s nothing. Thank you for showing this old man some amusement. Though..." he frowned. "You-"


    Eliza shook her head.


    "I see." With that, Alain stared at Gray and said ,"You take good care of the young miss now, you hear? If she comes running over here crying or I hear you haven''t treated her right-"


    An ominous aura. A sensation that the world was fading away. A pressure that threatened to tear everything apart, draw everything together, sever, bind, stab, burn, freeze-


    Unprepared, Gray found himself rooted to the spot. But just as quickly as it came, it vanished.


    "Sir Alain." Eliza cut him off.


    "Hoho, well, I''ve said my piece. Have a good night, Eliza, Gray."


    Still shocked by the sudden event, Gray absently followed Eliza as she pulled him out of the hall.


    It was only later that he realized neither of them had told Alain their names.

 Chapter 11: Decisiveness

    Upon leaving the exchange hall, Gray and Eliza returned to the inn where a room had been prepared for the two. Thankfully, there were two beds, so no awkward situations arose. Still, there was something that had to be addressed...


    "Eliza?"


    "Yes, Gray?"


    "Are you seriously going to sleep in those clothes?"


    ...That was the fact that Eliza hadn''t changed her clothes.


    Granted, the two hadn''t gone shopping since most of the stores had already closed for the night, but...


    Eliza nodded. "Of course. With no other change of clothes, how else will I sleep? ...Unless you would rather that I-"


    "No no, that''s fine."


    Gray interrupted Eliza before she got any strange ideas. "It''s just that... don''t you feel uncomfortable in such dirty clothes?"


    "No. I''m accustomed to much worse. In fact, these are actually a lot better than my usual attire."


    "I... see."


    There wasn¡¯t much Gray could say in response to that.


    Eliza put their equipment, meager as it was, in the corner of the room and then climbed into a bed. Seeing her do that, Gray decided to do the same, getting into the other bed.


    "Good night, Gray."


    "Good night, Eliza."


    Before he knew it, Gray was asleep.


    <hr>


    In the middle of the night, Eliza softly called out. "...Gray? Are you asleep?"


    No answer. Or rather, her answer was the sound of soft breathing.


    Hearing that, Eliza pulled out a journal from her storage space and wrote something down before heading outside. After closing the door behind her, she raised her hand over it and said, "Shield."


    A faint shimmer surrounded the room, indicating that her spell was active. Assured that Gray would be protected while he slept, Eliza made her way out of the inn and leapt into the night.


    Once outside of the village, Eliza stopped at the wide grassy plains and said, "Come out."


    The moment she did, the air shimmered, and a person dressed in black clothing appeared.


    "...Number one. You have disobeyed your orders."


    "As I thought," Eliza said. "They still aren''t willing to let me go, are they?"


    The person dressed in black didn''t respond.


    "I suppose you are here to try and eliminate me then?"


    Again, the person in black didn''t respond. Instead, a black and red sword was drawn from a hilt by their side.


    "...To even give you a demonslaying blade to fight me... Should I be flattered that they think so highly of me?"


    "You know too much."


    With just those words, the figure vanished. No, it wasn''t that the figure vanished, but that they had moved forward so fast their form couldn¡¯t be seen.


    An invisible shadow streaked through the night air, leaving behind only a brief red blur.


    There was the sound of air tearing apart, a slight breeze that would sever anything it touched.


    Yet-


    "...I''m sorry. But I won''t die so easily now that I''ve found a reason to live."


    -it was nothing before Eliza''s eyes.


    The moment that the figure moved, Eliza''s eyes changed. Crimson became a piercing blue, sparking with unbridled energy.


    A sword cut through the night air. At the same time, Eliza swept her hand.


    "!!!"


    A silent exclamation. The figure leapt back. As it did, there was the sound of something thudding to the ground.


    Black metal, broken shards of the figure''s sword.


    "...Impossible."


    Again, the figure spoke. That word was their last.


    In the next moment, more thuds echoed through the quiet night.


    Eliza stared at the lump of flesh that the figure had become before waving her hand. With that, the earth opened up and swallowed both the figure and their sword, leaving no trace behind.


    Without a word, she left, heading back to the inn.


    <hr>


    Gray woke up to the sound of clattering plates.


    "Wha?"


    Groggy and half-asleep, he sat up and rubbed his bleary eyes.


    "Good morning, Gray. I''ve brought breakfast for us both."


    A pleasant voice. The kind that could calm anyone''s heart and bewitch countless men.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    He stared blankly at the one who had spoken.


    A beautiful young woman with white hair and lovely crimson eyes. She was sitting on a chair at the side of his bed, looking at him with a soft, elegant smile. That alone would have been enough to charm anyone, but the fact that the woman wore a soft blue dress that accentuated her figure and beauty drove Gray speechless.


    Not only that, but she was offering up a tray of food to him, pancakes and bacon it looked like, that was absolutely appetizing.


    Gray blinked and then rubbed his eyes again. "Am I dreaming?"


    Waking up to a beautiful woman serving you breakfast like a doting wife... he who only had a few casual girlfriends in the past was thrown completely off balance.


    "Ah, it looks like you are still a bit sleepy. Then, here. Some coffee would do you good."


    The woman handed Gray a mug of coffee.


    The familiar item helped ground Gray, and a few sips let him regain his bearings.


    Oh. That''s right.


    He wasn''t at home. Somehow or another, he had ended up in this different fantasy world. As for the woman in front of him, she was Eliza.


    Taking another sip of coffee, Gray said, "You don''t have to do all this for me, Eliza. Going so far as serving me breakfast in bed..."


    She shook her head. "It''s fine. I woke up early anyway. And besides, who knows what will happen if I leave you to your own devices? A spider might bite you and cause you to pass in your sleep."


    "...You''re never going to let me live that down, are you? Almost getting killed by that slime?"


    "Of course not. Even a child can kill a slime if they have a stick. For you, a grown man armed with a weapon perfectly suited for slaying slimes to only do so in a panic is, quite frankly, pathetic."


    Gray sighed. Getting admonished by a beautiful woman, stranded in a place he knew nothing about, getting served breakfast in bed... he didn''t mind the first and the last thing there, but the middle one was concerning.


    Gray decided to just work on eating his breakfast.


    After a while, he noticed that Eliza wasn''t doing anything but watching him.


    "...Aren''t you going to eat as well, Eliza?"


    "No. I''ve already eaten, Gray. Don''t mind me."


    It''s hard not to mind a beautiful woman staring at you while you''re eating.


    Though he thought that, Gray ignored her and kept eating. Since she probably wouldn''t listen to him anyway, it would be best to just pretend that nothing was out of the ordinary.


    Not like he hadn''t gotten enough experience doing that already in the past. You tended to get used to stares when you programmed in the middle of a crowded cafe.


    After finishing, Gray handed Eliza the plates. Once he did, she put them away and returned to his side.


    The two were silent for a while, before Gray decided to speak up. "Judging from your new clothes and my breakfast... did you go shopping this morning, Eliza?"


    "Indeed. Since you seemed exhausted, I deemed it best to gather supplies for our coming adventures. In fact..." Eliza handed Gray a bag. "Here. I bought you some equipment for when we go adventuring. Maybe with these you won''t be threatened by a lowly slime when we go adventuring."


    "Haha. Very funny."


    Gray had gotten used to Eliza''s jabs at that point and simply took the bag.


    "In any regard... I''ll leave you to try the equipment on, Gray. The inn has a bathroom nearby, so I''ll be using that to change into my own equipment. Tell me how it fits when I return, will you?"


    "Yeah, yeah."


    Eliza smiled and waved at Gray before leaving the room.


    Alone, Gray ywaned and got out of bed before looking at the bag. "Still... I wonder what she got me?"


    The bag wasn''t that big. It was a simple cloth sack, the kind that wasn''t uncommon in RPG games. "Some clothes?"


    He couldn''t see how anything else would be in there. After pondering about it for a few more moments, Gray shrugged and opened the bag.


    When he did, his mind was blown.


    "...No way."


    The bag wasn''t just a bag. It was the bag. The bag that every adventurer wishes they had. The bag that could hold more than it looked capable of holding.


    What he had in his hands was a gneuine bag of holding.


    Looking inside the bag was a curious sight. Peering down into its depths, the items were slotted just like an inventory space would be in a game. Mini icons denoted what each item was. While the bag, sadly, wasn''t an infinite storage, it looked like it would be more than enough space to hold a lot of things.


    At the moment, it looked like there was only a suit of leather armor and a sword taking up the space, along with some sets of clothes and... his regular bag?


    It looked like Eliza had taken all of his regular belongings and tossed them in there while he was asleep.


    Gray decided to take a look at the armor and sword.


    Reaching his hand into the bag, he had the strange experience of grabbing something and pulling it out of an opening it was definitely too large to fit through.


    The leather armor was dark brown, and looked to cover his whole body. Thankfully, it wasn''t the fantasy type of armor that had dozens of straps to assemble everything, something that he''d have no idea how to put on, but more of a track suit with additional padding to cover his joints.


    Strapping on the leg guards and arm guards over the main body, Gray marveled at how sturdy it was. Or rather, how form-fitting. It wasn''t too tight and offered enough mobility for him to move. Despite that, Gray had the sense that it was sturdy enough to protect him from impact.


    Next, Gray picked up the sword. It was an ordinary looking long sword, the type that would be seen used for a generic sword icon. It was also a lot lighter than Gray expected it to be.


    Indulging himself for a moment, Gray struck a pose, pointing his sword towards the sky.


    And then the door opened and Eliza walked in. "Well, you seem to be enjoying yourself." She had changed out of her clothes into leather armor that matched the kind Gray wore. Only, that leather armor was very form-fitting and did nothing to hide Eliza¡¯s beauty.


    Seeing that distracted Gray for a moment, but then he remembered what Eliza said and nodded. "A little," Gray said. "I haven''t held a sword like this in... ever, really."


    "Well," Eliza said. "You will have to get used to it soon enough."


    Gray nodded. "Right. So, since you''re dressed like that... are we heading out?"


    Eliza shrugged and sat down in a chair nearby. "That depends on what you desire, Gray. As it stands, we have supplies for a week or two of travel. With that, we should be able to reach the capital, Eternia. If you desire to learn space magic, that would be the best place to go. However, you are still quite weak, and this area is ideal for training... though it can be argued that the life and death fights you would face in traveling to the capital would serve just as good an experience."


    Remembering just how close he had come to death against mere slimes, Gray shivered. "No thanks. I think we should stay here for a while until I get a bit stronger. You said I''m still E-Rank in my stats, right?"


    Eliza nodded. "Yes. Your body, as it stands, is only slightly above an average commoner."


    Gray closed his eyes to think a bit.


    With the relative calm, he managed to be able to reflect on what to do next.


    No matter what, heading back home was a priority. He had obligations to fulfill, promises he could not afford to break.


    Right. Then in that case...


    Space magic. It was a long shot, but that would be his best way home. Eliza didn''t know much about it other than the fact that it existed, but if he managed to use it, he could head back. Maybe even revolutionize the world with his newfound abilities.


    ...A small voice in the back of his head reminded him that if such a thing was so easy there would have been countless invasions from magicians in the past, but he ignored that voice.


    If he wanted to be able to use space magic, he needed to get stronger. B-level, according to Eliza.


    Training by himself would take a lifetime, and that was if he was lucky. That was no good. Even if he managed to get home, there was no telling if the time there carried over, or how the ratio of it even was. The sooner he got back, the less of a possibility of him ending up in a situation where everyone and everything he knew had disappeared.


    Just the thought of that...


    Never seeing his parents again, his family, his friends... never being able to keep the promise he had made to live for the ones who couldn''t even dream about his opportunities...


    Yes. That was something he couldn''t allow. Then...


    "Eliza."


    His voice was missing of any doubt or hesitation.


    "Yes, Gray?"


    "Train me. It doesn''t matter how painful it may be or how dangerous, but in the shortest time possible, I have to reach the Braveheart level."


    Eliza looked at Gray for a moment, her eyes containing a strange emotion, and then nodded. "As you wish. Then, shall we make our debut as adventurers?"

 Chapter 12: Life and Death Experience

    Leaves rustled and dry twigs crunched as Gray walked. Having decided on his future course of action, Eliza had taken him to the forest behind Rorin village for training.


    He cast a glance over at his companion. Unlike him, Eliza was walking through the forest without a sound, somehow gracefully stepping along even dried leaves without so much as a crackle.


    "...Just how are you doing that?"


    Eliza smiled and said, "With enough practice, maybe even you will be able to reach this level, Gray."


    "You really think so?"


    Eliza nodded. "Of course. You need only be embroiled in countless battles for your life while in pitch darkness. I am sure that even a novice like you will pick it up in no time at all."


    "...More like I¡¯ll die first."


    Eliza shrugged. "Either or. Though dying wouldn''t be too much of a setback so long as a skilled priest is there. Just try to avoid having your head disfigured or your body dismembered in the process of dying."


    "...You seem more experienced with that then I''d like to think."


    Eliza''s eyes dimmed.


    Gray felt a shiver run up his spine.


    "In any case,¡± Eliza said, ¡±Are you sure that you really want to get powerful quickly, Gray?"


    He nodded, in spite of the lingering dread in the back of his mind. "Yes. I have to get stronger. The longer I''m away from home..."


    He trailed off, not knowing what to say.


    "...In any case, I NEED to master space magic. Even if I have to die trying, I''ll do it."


    Eliza nodded. "Bold words. Or is it the reckless naivety speaking...? Well... I suppose I''ll find out soon enough."


    Eliza''s voice took on a strange intonation at the end of her speech.


    Concerned, Gray said, "What do you mean, Eliza?"


    She smiled and patted Gray''s shoulder. "Experience is the best teacher. I wish you luck."


    And with just those words, she vanished.


    "...Eliza?"


    It was silent. No answer.


    Gray''s eyes flitted around the surroundings. He had been relaxed and inattentive with Eliza there. After all, why be concerned when Eliza was strong enough to tear apart a whole building? But that inattention came back now to bite him.


    Their walk had led into the depths of the forest. It was deep enough to where the sun barely penetrated the dense foliage and offered little light.


    Gray twitched and he drew his sword. The feel of the weapon was awkward in his right hand and not much better in his left. Still, it was light, and it seemed that he wouldn''t be having any problems wielding it for an extended period of time.


    ...Of course, while his arm might be up for it, he doubted that his cardio was up to par. A few slashes might be all he had.


    Gray''s blue eyes scanned the area, flitting here and there.


    Shadows loomed in every direction. Rustling foliage could hide countless enemies.


    "Eliza? Don''t you think this is a bit much? I mean, I don''t even know how to use a sword!"


    Gray exclaimed, but while he wanted to vent his frustration, he didn''t dare raise his voice above speaking level.


    He was alone, in the dark forest, with only a blade and some leather armor.


    It was silent, but now that he listened, he could hear more than he had before. And what he heard only caused his nerves to fray.


    Slight rustling in the distance, sound that could be from wind or monsters hiding in the brush.


    Soft pattering that could be either forest animals or... something else.


    "...Damn it. Whatever. Focus Gray. Focus."


    He forced himself to calm down. Eliza wasn''t here, and because of it, he had to keep himself calm.


    Normally in a situation like this, if it had taken place in a game or a story, he wouldn''t need to worry. Eliza would probably be somewhere close by. Near, but out of sight, ready to swoop in when things got out of hand.


    But from Eliza¡¯s casual remarks about dying being not such a big deal, at least dying from injuries, Gray was inclined to believe that he wouldn''t be so lucky to be saved by her. If anything, he''d be meeting the reaper before his ¡®companion¡¯ showed her face again.


    SNAP.


    A loud and sudden sound.


    Gray jumped and turned his head in that direction. However, it was too dark to see anything.


    He tightened the grip on his sword, the knuckles in his right hand turning white from tension.


    A slight breeze.


    Before Gray had any time to react, he was sent sprawling on the ground.


    "B-wah."


    Somersaults, spontaneous cartwheels... no. It was more accurate to say Gray was sent rolling around like a ragdoll by a single attack.


    By fortune or fate, he had managed to keep a hold on his sword. However, being sent sprawling disoriented him.


    Green blurs, dark emerald interspersed with brown and black. His vision was a mess. However, his survival instincts were somewhat intact.


    After a while, he realized he was lying on the ground. Gray quickly rolled over and scrambled to his feet.


    Another breeze flew through the air.


    A heavy impact sounded not far from where Gray was. He didn''t know what it meant, but he quickly swung his sword at the source.


    SCREECH.


    He met resistance, one causing a high-pitched screeching noise.


    Gray gritted his teeth and stepped back, holding the sword out in front of him in a pose he vaguely recalled being used by fencers.


    His body throbbed in more places than he could count. To be honest, it hurt so much that Gray would have loved to just do nothing more than sit down and let his head shutdown like his headache was threatening to do to him.


    But he couldn''t. While the words of Eliza saying he wouldn¡¯t die so easily in this world were reassuring and considering she wasn''t one to joke around, Gray could be fairly sure he would be fine even if he was mortally wounded. The injuries would be healed and it would be like a bad nightmare.


    But the memory of that pain would be very, very real, along with the sensation of life slowly leaving his body. Something like that...


    Sheer dread forced Gray''s nerves and mind to remain focused and alert.


    A blur. The thing that had impacted the ground moved.


    Since it was in his vision this time, Gray managed to react.


    Stepping to the side Gray wildly swung his blade at the blur. A savage flurry of diagonal slashes cut through the air.


    SCREECH, SCREECH, CLANG.


    In return, a trio of sharp noises resounded.


    But that was it. Immediately after, there was a loud explosion as whatever that thing was impacted against the trees, diverted by Gray''s blows.


    It seemed to have been dazed, as the thing stopped moving after the debris settled down.


    Gray knew better than to think he had won. Holding his sword out in front of him, Gray stepped towards the fallen trees to take a look.


    Staring at the thing trapped beneath a fallen tree, he realized what was attacking him.


    A slime? The thing attacking him looked exactly like the cute blob Gray had encountered on the trek across the grasslands.


    Logically, it should have been relatively weak. After all, a hit from Gray''s bag had splattered the slime from last time. But as luck would have it, the slime he encountered this time was anything but weak.


    He thought it was odd how he heard screeching noises whenever he hit his attacker. Looking at it now, he realized why.


    Instead of a gooey, viscous body, the slime was multifaceted and reflective. Chiseled, it looked like an emerald gemstone. In short, a metal slime. That was what he was fighting. While not quite like the one usually popularized in RPGs since this one was a gemstone instead of pure metal, he had no doubt it was just as strong and just as annoying to defeat.


    Before he could curse his luck, the slime shimmered, shining a bright green.


    Instincts Gray didn''t know he had fired and he jumped behind a tree. Immediately after, a blast of wind shot towards where he had been standing. But instead of a heavy impact, the sound of trees exploding, there was a quiet snick and then the sound of countless trees being felled. Unlike before, the blast of wind contained invisible blades, easily tearing through the forest.


    The slime shined again.


    At that point, Gray realized fighting was useless and did the sensible thing: run away.


    Waiting for the moment just before the slime finished its attack, Gray dodged and ran off into the forest. Whether it was deeper or closer to the exit, Gray didn''t know. All he knew was that he was extremely out of his depths.


    Blurs of brown and dark green passed by him as he ran. Somehow or another, he was moving faster than he had ever before in his life. Though, that could just be the adrenaline in his body forcing him beyond his limits. Actually, it was probably just the adrenaline in his body, now that he thought about it. And because of that, Gray had no doubt that, any minute now, his body would suddenly give out-


    "Dammit!"


    Gray tripped on a root, sending him sprawling once more to the ground. Realizing that the metal slime would be on his heels, his body instinctively rolled into a somersault, allowing him to keep his forward momentum.


    -Unfortunately, he forgot that he was holding a sword.


    "FFFFF-"


    A slash of burning pain on his left arm that quickly turned numb. Gray didn''t need to bother looking to know that he had cut himself. And bad, if the lack of feeling was any indication. While the leather armor he wore was good for impact and should have stood up against monsters, it seemed Eliza didn''t think he would be dumb enough to try and cut himself with his own sword.


    Blood splattered behind him as Gray continued to run.


    A mad dash. He didn''t know where he was going, or where Eliza was. Reason would have it that she would be somewhere nearby to stop any threats to him, but it seemed she had taken on the ''do or die'' style of teaching from hell.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The sounds of trees falling down behind him as well the sound of air being cut apart told Gray the slime hadn''t given up on its pursuit.


    "Dammit! Metal slimes are supposed to be afraid, not chase after the players!"


    He let out his heart''s frustration at the world''s cruelty.


    Awooo!


    Of course, the world wouldn''t take being scolded to kindly.


    Howls echoed not far in front of Gray. Soon, those howls were followed by the sound of rustling branches and underbrush.


    ¡°For the love of-"


    Gray didn''t even have the time to curse his luck. The creatures in front of him were rapidly approaching, and the slime behind him wasn¡¯t far off either.


    He looked left and right, searching for a possible way out.


    Unfortunately, all he saw were trees and more trees.


    A heavy crash from behind him.


    Turning around, Gray saw that the metal slime had arrived. Itss body was already shining green, preparing another blast of wind.


    Snarls erupted from behind him. Craning his head back, Gray saw a half dozen wolves emerge from the darkness. The same types of wolves that could apparently kill him with a single sneeze from what Eliza had said.


    Moving forward, he would have to face an enemy that could cast magic and was practically immune to his weapon.


    At his back, he was outnumbered and faced a group of monsters that were far beyond his capabilities.


    A snap decision. He didn''t have time to think. Trusting his instincts, with no other options, Gray chose to face the enemies he could at least wound. He quickly spun around and lunged at a wolf, stabbing out with his sword.


    Of course, the wolf was far more experienced than him and easily avoided the blow. In return, the wolf lunged at him.


    Heart pounding and faced with a mouth filled with razor teeth, Gray frantically dove to the side. But he was too slow. While he reacted in time, the wolf was too fast for him.


    Searing pain from his left side caused his mind to blank and his vision to white out for a moment. In that state, he heard more than saw the torrent of blood splashing on the ground from his side.


    But he didn''t have time to think about that. Rationale was out the window, and all he had left was his primal instincts.


    Do or die.


    Live or don''t.


    A pair of wolves leapt towards Gray, top and bottom. It was an attack that left no room for retreat or escape.


    Time seemed to slow down.


    He was going to die. Both the wolves were too fast. He couldn''t dodge in time. As a result, the only outcome for him was death.


    ...But would he let that be it?


    To die without achieving anything. To disappear in a foreign land, without being able to see his family, his friends... to fade away without having a chance to fulfill any of his commitments.


    "No. I WON''T DIE HERE!"


    A primal instinct denied his impending doom.


    Gray''s body hurt everywhere. His left side and arm were mangled without a doubt by the first wolf''s attack, and the rest of his body was bruised from the metal slime''s ambush.


    His breath was ragged. His body was starting to ignore his commands. Even the sword in his right hand felt heavy.


    It would be enough to stop there. He simply wasn''t able to win. There was no way out for him.


    -In that case, he would just have to make one.


    He couldn''t avoid the two wolves. Without a doubt, they would connect with his body. Their attacks were too fast for him to avoid.


    So he didn''t bother.


    Twisting his body and offering up his already mangled left arm, Gray managed to avoid fatal blows from the wolves, turning an instant death into a painful and more delayed one.


    The pain sent his mind blank again, the shock almost sending him unconscious. But he held on. Tightening his grip on the sword in his right hand, Gray let out a strangled roar and slashed at the wolves gnawing on his body.


    Was it because the wolves didn''t expect resistance, or were they stunned his suicidal actions? Either way, neither moved, allowing Gray a clean strike.


    The sensation of tearing flesh passed through his arm, and the smell of iron reached Gray¡¯s nose. If he looked down, he would have seen the corpses of two wolves collapsed against the floor. But he didn¡¯t. Instead, he looked into the darkness, glaring at the countless pairs of crimson eyes staring back and roared, "COME ON!"


    One of them drew close. It was a wolf with pure silver fur. Emerging from the darkness, it stared at him briefly before turning tail and fleeing. The remaining wolves swiftly followed.


    "Yeah, that''s right. RUN AWAY!"


    He thought they had run away because of him killing two wolves. What Gray didn''t realize, however, was the fact that the metal slime was still behind him and had been charging up a spell during his fight.


    A brief flash of light was all Gray had for a warning before everything turned black.


    <hr>


    "...Reckless. Really, far too reckless."


    Eliza muttered as she passed her hand over Gray''s body and cast a healing spell.


    The surrounding trees for miles around had been blown away. The metal slime''s last attack had been an explosion, a suicidal act converting all the mana stored inside it into energy.


    Why it did so, Gray would never know. Of course, that wasn''t the same for Eliza.


    She glanced over at the crater where the slime had been and sighed. "In the end, it''s because I stayed too close by."


    Eliza was powerful, on a level far beyond any of the monsters in the forest. Even the Emerald Wind Slime, which could be considered the ruler of the forest, was far from her match. Thus, when she saw Gray''s last stand and moved closer to rescue him, the slime had changed its tactic from simple wind magic to a sudden explosion.


    -Let it be known that such an attack was no small matter.


    Emerald Wind Slimes were formed from a Grass Slime absorbing mana from the air for at least a dozen years. Either that, or it had devoured countless monsters, enough to where its energy crystallized inside its entire body.


    In any case, an Emerald Wind slime was essentially the same as a walking magic stone.


    While it usually didn¡¯t matter too much since its energy was relatively stable, enough to where even death didn¡¯t release it, pushing the slime too far could lead to such a situation.


    It was something Eliza didn''t account for.


    The white-haired woman''s clothing was wrecked. The leather armor she wore had ripped apart, revealing her pale body beneath. Only the portions covering the important parts remained, and that was only due to the fact that women''s armor were specifically reinforced in those areas.


    Eliza looked down at her clothes and sighed. "And to even force us to spend more money... that slime was spiteful indeed."


    Of course, she didn''t blame it. After all, it was Eliza who hounded the slime down and forced it towards Gray in the first place.


    Because Emerald Wind Slimes contained so much energy, killing it would cause Gray''s magical prowess to increase by a large portion. Enough to go from a Failure to a Dabbler, jumping two entire grades. It was the quickest and most surefire method to do so.


    Unfortunately, it seemed that she had overestimated Gray''s powers.


    Eliza frowned, brushing away some of the dirt in Gray''s hair.


    "...So weak. But then how did you save me?"


    A question she wanted answered.


    The bonds Eliza had on when Gray found her might have seemed fragile, but they were in fact artifacts designed to constrain and seal someone as strong as a Braveheart. In order to have released those bonds, Gray either had to have a Rune that could overpower them, possess Almighty magical prowess, or have the release sigils. Obviously, he lacked the latter two. Thus, Eliza had thought he possessed the former and devised this situation to meet his wish of gaining power.


    A Rune could grant its power to its wielder without their conscious knowledge. Since Gray didn''t know he had one, Eliza thought that she could force its powers out. After all, a Rune had a mind of its own and would never allow its Master to perish. Their existences were linked, and the disappearance of one would mean the disappearance of the other.


    ...But it seemed like Gray didn''t have one. Even after all he had gone through, no abilities emerged. There were no spontaneous spells, and there were no world changing phenomena.


    Eliza sighed and focused on healing Gray''s wounds.


    ¡°¡­You were really reckless this time.¡±


    The young blonde had suffered grievous wounds. It was to the extent where, to an onlooker, his body would have looked like nothing more than a corpse. Blood stained his body, his left arm was torn apart, his legs were mangled beyond recognition, and his torso had caved in from concussive forces. The injuries were enough to make even the most experienced surgeon shake his head in despair.


    -But that wasn''t the case for Eliza.


    "Be healed, and be restored."


    A soft mantra. With just those words, time itself seemed revert on Gray''s wounds. Before the naked eye, shattered bones reformed while torn flesh and veins were bound together, establishing a whole once more. Blood that spilled from Gray''s body returned, and his corpse-like pallor became a healthier shade of pink.


    Eliza had not been joking when she said she could save him from a near death state.


    Watching the slow healing, Eliza sighed. "Using your body as bait to kill your opponent... it seems I''ll have to chastize you when you wake up, Gray."


    Gray didn''t respond, still unconscious from the recent battle.


    "Still, I suppose I have to commend you. Being determined enough to continue fighting even with your back against the wall..."


    It was a will to live, one far stronger than anything Eliza had ever seen. A will so bright that she was almost dazzled by it.


    Just what could cause him to stand so strong even in the face of certain death? Just what could make him continue fighting even as his body was being torn apart?


    Eliza sighed. "If I had your will, maybe..."


    She shook her head. There was no use thinking about the inevitable. Even if she had his determination, his will to continue on against all odds... it wouldn''t guarantee that she could succeed.


    There was no point thinking about what ifs. All Eliza could do was prepare Gray the best that she could. For the sake of the one who gave her another reason to live, for the sake of the one so weak that she had to protect him... for the sake of keeping him safe even after she left his side.


    That was all she could do.


    <hr>


    Gray woke up.


    That was the first thing he realized. The next was that he had woken up when he shouldn''t have been able to do so. And the last was that... his body didn''t hurt.


    His eyes were still bleary, and when he moved he realized that he was laying on something soft... or at least his head was.


    Something about the situation was familiar¡­


    "Are you awake now, Gray?"


    A lovely voice.


    Gray''s weariness vanished in an instant, and he scrambled away. Before he knew it, his hand had already gone for the sword at his waist, drawing it and pointing it at the one who had spoken.


    Eliza smiled, completely unfazed by his reaction. "I see that you''ve improved. Congratulations on achieving ''Dabbler'' status in your physique and combat skills."


    "Dabbler status?" The sudden change in topic and Eliza''s lack of reaction threw Gray for a loop. He shook his head and then said, "No, more importantly... are you trying to kill me, Eliza?"


    "Hm?"


    Seeing her nonchalant expression, Gray narrowed his eyes. "Back there! When I was almost killed! Why didn''t you come help?"


    He waved his free arm at the surroundings.


    Broken trees, a huge crater, pools of blood... it looked like something from a war rather than training.


    Eliza tilted her head, staring at him with her crimson eyes, and said, "You wish to improve as fast as possible, do you not?"


    "That-" Gray''s sword lowered. With those words, he remembered why they had set out in the forest to begin with. In his frustration and anger at almost being killed, no, in actually being killed, he had forgotten about it.


    ''I want to improve as fast as possible, even if I die trying.''


    Those weren''t the exact words he had said to Eliza, but the sentiment was there. Remembering that, Gray sheathed his sword and let out a long sigh. "...You''re right. Sorry, Eliza."


    She shrugged. "I do not mind. It would take a miracle for you to be able to kill me in any regards with that pitiful strength."


    Her words caused a jolt to go down Gray''s spine.


    Right... Eliza''s on a level far beyond any of those monsters.


    He remembered how she had blown up the basement of the building with a casual wave of her hand and how she had gotten them out and miles away within a few seconds. A woman who was so strong that he doubted even a nuke could stop her.


    A woman who he had raised his sword against.


    "Haha... no hard feelings, right?"


    "Of course not. As an analogy, why would a parent be afraid of their child throwing a tantrum?"


    "¡­That hurts."


    Eliza laughed. "In any regard, now that you have achieved Dabbler status, we can set out for the capital in earnest."


    Gray blinked. "Wait. Is that all we''re doing here?"


    Eliza nodded. "Of course. As a simple frontier village, there is no more that can be done here. And with word spreading of the sudden appearance of a Divine Artifact in this area, it will become busy soon as more adventurers arrive."


    Right. That Divine Artifact... Gray had forgotten about it.


    For a moment he fantasized about obtaining it... then he remembered that the Eternal Kingdom was going all out to rope whoever got that as the ''hero'' to fight against the invincible demon king and promptly threw that thought away.


    "Alright," Gray said. "Then what are we doing next?"


    "Well," Eliza said. "We can head straight to the capital and look for space magic there, or we can take a longer route around the area and increase your abilities by challenging some dungeons. The latter is more dangerous and no doubt painful, but if you-"


    "Alright. Let¡¯s do that."


    Gray agreed without a hint of hesitaiton.


    The reason why?


    It had been a terrifying experience facing off against the monsters alone, but he could ''feel'' the progress he had made.


    His body was lighter and his sword felt natural at his side, enough to where he could draw it and be battle ready from a sleeping state. What Eliza said about life and death experiences being the best teacher was true, and also the fastest way to improve. The best way to save time.


    Time. He was running short on time, and his near-death experience had reminded him of how important it was for him to improve, quickly.


    He had to get back. He had to make sure that his parents weren''t worried about him. That his friends weren''t concerned. That his commitments were upheld.


    In that split moment before he had died, he had a flash of what could have happened.


    Never knowing why he had vanished, never knowing how he had disappeared... something like that was a fate he didn''t want to invite on anyone he knew.


    It was painful. A pain I know too well.


    So even if his body was aching, even if he felt pain that bleached his mind white, he''d rather cause his body to shatter than experience that regret of only adding more burdens to those he knew.


    Eliza nodded. "Then it''s settled. Though, I will have to buy a new set of armor before then..."


    When she mentioned that, Gray realized the state that Eliza was in. Specifically how everything but the most important parts of a woman were revealed on her.


    Normally, he would have been embarrassed and spluttered. But at that point he couldn''t be bothered to make a fuss and just said, "How did you end up like that?"


    "How else?" Eliza said. "I had to protect you from the slime''s explosion."


    "...Oh."


    "Well... look away for a moment, will you, Gray? I need to change into some spare clothes. Unless you want to look. You''ll need to take responsibility in that case though."


    He sighed realizing she was teasing him again and simply turned around. In the meanwhile, Gray decided to pull out his phone. It had been a while since he''d used it and, with his newfound abilities, he thought it might be a good idea to research some actual sword techniques on the web. Though he doubted he could use them properly, he could probably ask Eliza about them.


    With that thought, Gray reached into his bag of holding and selected his phone as the target to withdraw.


    Pulling it out, he turned the phone on. At least, he tried to.


    "Dead?"


    His phone flashed to the phone company''s logo, but immediately went dark. It seemed that the batteries had drained since he last used it.


    Gray sighed. "Of course."


    Having a useful tool in this different world? It seemed like he had been expecting too much. The only thing he had to help him survive was Eliza and, while she was nice enough to him for saving her, he doubted that it was to the extent of devoting everything she had to him. It was already a miracle that she was being nice enough to powerlevel him.


    His only recourse was to get stronger amd fast. Enough that he wouldn''t need to rely on Eliza in the eventual case she left him behind. She had a life of her own and though she joked about staying at his side as his girlfriend or lover, he doubted she was serious about it.


    Someone as strong as Eliza was no doubt connected to extremely powerful people who would need her back as soon as possible.


    "Alright. I''m finished, Gray."


    Eliza''s voice drew him out of his thoughts.


    Eliza had changed into a black blouse and pants. Form fitting, it was a bit distracting to look at, leaving nothing to the imagination.


    Gray stared for a bit and then sighed, shaking his head. ¡°Then, let''s head back to town." He started walking and then realized he didn''t know the way back. "...Er. After you, of course."


    Eliza shook her head and then smiled. "Follow me."

 Chapter 13: Leveling Up

    At first, Gray and Eliza headed back to Rorin village. However, along the way, monsters kept appearing to attack Gray. Deciding that it would be a good idea for him to test his limits before they began traveling, they spent a few days in the wood having Gray train against attacking monsters.


    The monsters must have instinctively sensed Eliza''s strength as they targeted Gray alone. Unlike last time, however, Eliza was standing close by just in case, restoring his stamina and any wounds he obtained as needed.


    Essentially, she acted like a heal-bot, letting Gray do all the fighting for himself.


    It was how things should have been... if not for the fact that he was struggling so much to stay alive.


    "Dammit, wolf! Stay still!"


    Gray let out a cry of frustration as his latest slash missed.


    He was facing a wolf at the moment. For some reason or another, this one didn''t travel in packs like the others he had fought. For that, he was both thankful and not thankful.


    He was thankful, since he only had to face a single opponent. He wasn''t thankful, however, because being a lone wolf apparently gave the damned mutt a lot of experience in fighting.


    "It would be a good idea to hit the wolf with your sword, Gray. Attacking the air won''t do you any good."


    "Gee, Eliza. You think?"


    "Yes. Ah, and take a step left."


    "Take a step left? Why would- GODDAMMIT!"


    Distracted by Eliza''s commentary, Gray didn''t pay attention to the wolf lunging at his right side. It was smart and didn''t bite him, only lashing out with its claws.


    His leather armor held up against the wolf''s claws, but Gray still felt the impact.


    He cursed and swung his sword out again, but the wolf had already opened the distance.


    Gray narrowed his eyes and held his sword up in front of him, standing as a fencer would.


    "You know, that is a really inefficient battle stance."


    Again, Eliza let out some biting commentary.


    Hearing that, Gray glanced to look at her.


    The white-haired woman was idly relaxing against tree nearby. A crimson apple, from who knew where, was in her right hand, a few bites already taken out of it.


    "...This is funny to you, isn''t it?"


    Eliza nodded. "Exceedingly so. I keep wondering how you managed to reach me alive, let alone free my bonds with how weak you are. Ah, and duck."


    Remembering what happened the last time he ignored Eliza''s warnings, he did as he was told.


    Not a moment too soon, the wolf pounced over where he had been standing.


    An opening.


    Gray didn''t hesitate and stabbed his sword towards the wolf''s exposed belly.


    The wolf was smart, however. Realizing it had missed its target, the wolf contorted in midair, causing Gray¡¯s blow to only graze it.


    Landing a few feet away from Gray, the wolf let out a snarl. It also glanced at Eliza, but a single look from her caused the wolf to turn its attention back to Gray.


    It was a bit pitiful really. The wolf''s only option was to fight Gray or die trying to escape.


    "Good job." A sincere compliment from Eliza.


    Gray felt a bit warm at hearing that.


    "Of course, even a toddler could have done that. Probably better too, considering that they would have been smart enough to slash instead of stab at a moving target."


    And the warm feeling went away.


    "You know, I can''t help but wonder if you''re sincere about helping me, Eliza."


    "Why of course I am, Gray. It is only that your talent for combat appears to be very, very low. Again, it makes me wonder how you managed to survive so long in this world... Slash to your left."


    Gray immediately did as Eliza said.


    A pained yelp sounded out. His blow had cut across the wolf''s torso as it pounced again.


    The impact caused the wolf to land on the ground in a sprawl.


    Without a moment to lose, Gray dashed over and swung his sword at the wolf''s head.


    A low howl. After that, the wolf was silent, dead from Gray''s last attack.


    Gray scowled at the blood on his sword and shook it. Thankfully, Eliza had enchanted the sword to not rust, so he didn''t have to worry about the blood staining his blade.


    It still didn''t stop him from being disgusted about it though.


    "Better,¡± Eliza said. ¡°You might be able to last a few seconds by yourself now."


    "Hey! Just because you make it so easy doesn''t mean everyone can do that!"


    Eliza took a bite out of her apple and then walked towards the wolf''s corpse. "It does. Most people can easily become an adventurer in Newark. In fact, I would say that the only people who do not have D-rank physique and combat skills are newborns and the unfortunate few born with an ailment or curse."


    Gray felt like a bucket of water was thrown on him. There he was being happy that he had improved so fast, but then he realized he had actually only gotten to average...


    "Of course, you do not need to worry about that, Gray. After all, you have me here. With my experience and my exceptional talents, you will definitely become strong in no time. It will just be... slightly painful and humiliating along the way."


    Having said that, Eliza finished her apple and tossed its core aside.


    Gray sighed. "You''d better not be lying to me to make me feel better, Eliza."


    The silver-haired woman smiled. "Now why would I do that? It is much more fun seeing your reactions to the candid truth."


    "...Right."


    "Well... it looks like you have adjusted well enough to your newfound strength. It should be time we return to the village and resupply before we set off."


    After that, the two walked through the forest in silence.


    When they arrived back at Rorin village Gray had noticed that the village was much more lively than when they had first arrived. Compared to the empty square and buildings, there were people armed for battle walking there and about.


    "...Looks like there are a lot of people interested in finding the divine artifact," Gray said.


    Eliza nodded. "Indeed there are. Though, whether they are foolish for doing so is a question for another time. In any case... you should have some money remaining in your bag, right, Gray?"


    Gray nodded. "Yeah... why?"


    "Then go find something to do for a while. There is some business I have to attend to... and I also need to exchange our recent goods."


    "...Is there something wrong?"


    Gray thought it was odd that Eliza was telling him to go away.


    "Hm?" Eliza shook her head. "Nothing in particular. I had just thought you might find it boring to wait around while I get new armor fitted."


    "...Oh. Yeah, I''ll pass on that."


    "Then, I will meet you back at the inn. Try to stay out of trouble and do not go back into the forest."


    "Do I look like someone who''d do that, Eliza?"


    Eliza shook her head. "Admittedly, no. However, it appears that you have a tendency towards finding trouble. That coupled with your strange lack of self-preservation is a dangerous mix."


    Gray frowned. "I''m not that reckless."


    "The fact that you''re denying it only makes it more so. In any regard, I will see you soon."


    Saying that, Eliza headed off towards the merchant areas.


    Alone with nothing to do, Gray decided to go take another look at the guild exchange hall.


    With his sword at his side and leather armor, he blended in well with the other adventurers milling about.


    He walked through the crowd, heading back towards the building.


    Once inside, he noticed that the place was crowded. The counter was fully staffed today, but even so there seemed to be an excess of travelers in wait. Not only that, but the lounge area was packed as well.


    Gray had been hoping to talk to Alain a bit by himself and find out more about Demons, but the older Demon was busy helping tide the wave of adventurers.


    Realizing that he wouldn''t be able to do anything. Gray shrugged and turned around to leave. As he did, he caught sight of a notice board. There were flyers pinned on it, along with various rewards and missions.


    "Is that an adventurer request board?" Gray muttered.


    He walked closer and took a look at it. Probably due to the appearance of that artifact, there weren''t many adventurers looking at the board. The only other person there was a tall man with golden hair and huge muscles.


    The man was dressed in a simple outfit. A leather muscle shirt and matching pants. In all honesty, the outfit reminded him of something out of Street Fighter, especially when taking into account the man''s obscenely huge muscles.


    "Hm... nothing new here," the man muttered. His voice was low and gravelly, carrying a strange charisma about it.


    After saying that, the man turned around, allowing Gray to get a look at his face.


    A square jawline and sharp, gray eyes. Coupled with his muscles, he was a manly man if there ever was one, like the main character from an action movie.


    "Hm? You¡¯re¡­" He stared at Gray for a moment before shaking his head. "...You¡¯re a newbie, I take it? Smart of you, looking at these instead of hounding the guild for information on that divine artifact."


    "...Thank you?"


    The man let out a booming laugh and then clapped a hand on Gray''s shoulder.


    It felt like a heavy rock hit his shoulder and Gray had to resist the urge to wince. Especially as the pain felt like a shock coursed throughout his body.


    "Good luck, kid. Don''t throw your life away like all of those fools chasing after a cursed Rune."


    With those parting words, the muscular blonde man left.


    "...Weird."


    Gray shook his head, massaging his tender shoulder, and then looked at the request board.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    It was the typical adventurer board, containing what you would expect. Herb gathering, monster subjugation... nothing out of the ordinary. Surprisingly, there weren''t any mentions about rank restrictions, but he supposed that was because all the tasks there were simple.


    As he scanned through the stereotypical beginner quests, Gray heard Eliza¡¯s voice drift towards him. "Hm? Gray?"


    He turned around to see her walking towards him.


    She frowned and said, "Did I not tell you to wait at the inn?"


    Gray shrugged. "I was bored."


    "I see." Eliza glanced over at the request board. "Are you thinking of filling out these requests?"


    "Nah. It''d be a waste of time, wouldn¡¯t it?"


    Eliza nodded. "If you plan to get stronger quickly, then yes. It would be good for consolidating your combat experience, however. I doubt you have completely adjusted to your strengthened body quite yet."


    "No... but we can do that on the road, can¡¯t we?"


    "¡­Still in a rush to improve, are you?"


    Gray nodded. "Like I said, I can''t waste time. The longer I''m away from home..."


    He trailed off, not wanting to consider the fact that he may never return.


    Eliza sighed. "I understand. Then, let''s go."


    "Hm? Are you done already?"


    Eliza nodded. "Fortunately, the tailor had a spare set of armor from the recent business that was close to my size. As for exchanging for coins, Alain had already set some aside for us earlier."


    Gray frowned. "He did? That''s... strangely nice of him."


    He supposed that it made sense. Alain seemed to have taken a liking to Gray and Eliza when they last talked, so it didn''t seem too out of the ordinary.


    "Come. The best time to train is soon approaching."


    Saying that, Eliza grabbed Gray''s hand and started dragging him out.


    "What- Hey, I can walk by myself, Eliza!"


    "True. But I don''t trust you being out of my sight at a time like this. Especially among this crowd."


    Gray frowned and wanted to protest before he took a look around. He noticed more than a few burly adventurers sending glares his way. He wondered why that was until he saw their gaze flit to his sword.


    "...Say, Eliza."


    "Yes, Gray?"


    He saw yet another burly adventurer glare at him after catching sight of his sword.


    "The sword you gave me wouldn''t happen to be special, would it?"


    "Oh, that? Not necessarily. It is only an iron sword that I enchanted to better suit you."


    "Enchanted- Doesn''t that make it a magic sword?"


    The crowd parted before them as Eliza led Gray out of the hall. Still, he noticed that more than a few were sending him looks of disdain.


    "I suppose so."


    "...Didn''t you say your magic was at the Braveheart level? Wouldn''t that mean that this sword is strong enough to be considered a treasure by the kingdom?"


    "Hm... now that you mention it, that might be the case. And here I had thought you were just unpopular and made some enemies while I was gone."


    Gray sighed. This woman... I still can''t tell if she wants to help me or hurt me...


    With venomous gazes on his back, Gray left the guild exchange hall with Eliza.


    <hr>


    Gray and Eliza had left Rorin village behind and returned to the hilly grasslands. Their next course of action was to head towards the capital of the Newark continent, Eternia, which was also the Eternal Kingdom''s capital.


    There was a slight catch, however.


    "...You''re telling me that we''re going to have to travel over a thousand miles on foot to reach Eternia?"


    Gray stared at Eliza and shook his head. "Tell me you''re joking."


    The white-haired woman shook her head as well. "I am not. There is a reason that Rorin village was called a frontier village. It is located at the furthest most reach of the human realm."


    "But... won''t that take at least a month to get there then?!"


    They didn''t have a car or any other mode of transportation. Taking a month to get there... who knew what kind of things could have happened while he was gone?


    "No. You seem to still be thinking in terms of your old body. Now that your physique has improved, it will take us at most three days."


    "...You''re kidding me."


    Gray couldn''t believe it. Three days to travel over a thousand miles on foot?


    "I am not." Eliza gave him a pitying look. "I had hoped that you could achieve a ''Champion'' physique before we set off so that we could reach there in a few hours, but it seems that the gap is too large to cross, even with my help."


    "Wait. Why does that make a difference?"


    "Hm? ...Ah. I had forgotten to explain. Give me a few moments to consider this."


    Gray and Eliza walked for a few moments before the silver-haired woman nodded.


    "Alright. Consider the failure level as a baseline of 1. All the other levels build off of this baseline."


    Gray nodded. "Alright..."


    "An entrant level would be about... one and a half times better than the failure level. Say you could lift a weight of 100 pounds. By raising your level to Entrant, you would suddenly be able to lift 150 pounds. Understand?"


    "...Alright. But I still don''t see how improving my physique a rank could reduce the travel time to a few hours."


    Eliza sent him a cross look. "I am getting there. Now, a Dabbler is roughly twice the baseline. In truth, you should be twice as strong, fast, and so on as you were at the Failure level."


    "I don''t see the big deal yet."


    "From Dabbler to Champion, the difference is an entire magnitude. A Champion level is roughly ten times that of a Failure level."


    "...What?"


    Eliza nodded. "And the difference only becomes more extreme from there. A Braveheart adventurer is said to be worth a thousand Failure-level adventurers. And as for an Almighty..."


    "Ten thousand times?"


    Eliza laughed. "Were that the case. There is a reason why the level is considered ''Almighty'', Gray. Hm¡­ beyond the level of Braveheart it gets complicated, so let us leave it at that. In any regard, people of that rank are so powerful they tend to not concern themselves with the state of the world. Those who have reached the Almighty level tend to be an eccentric sort and wander the world seeking its truth rather than involve themselves within it."


    "I see."


    Eliza nodded. "Did that answer your question?"


    "Huh?"


    "You were wondering on how we would travel such a distance in a short time period. For the you now, it should not be an obstacle. Even traveling only a few hours a day at your full speed will get us there in a few days time."


    "Right."


    Gray still found it odd to consider. Only a few days ago he was only an ordinary person, and now he was apparently twice as... strong? Fast? Smart? Regardless, he was supposed to be twice the baseline human potential as he currently was.


    "-Wait. And how strong are you, Eliza?"


    She laughed and gave Gray a sly smile. "Now that is a secret. If you want to find out-"


    "Take responsibility and all that, yeah."


    Eliza nodded. "If you were curious about how long it would take if I traveled at my full speed... it should not be more than a few minutes? I do not think you would survive the ride, however."


    A few minutes? At that speed, wouldn''t Gray turn into a meat smear if he fell off? No, more like wouldn''t just Eliza taking off cut him in half?


    "...Right. So no fast travel for us then."


    Eliza laughed. "I am afraid not. Though this is fortunate as well. We can spend time exploring along the way."


    "So, just how am I supposed to get used to this? Just... start running?"


    Eliza nodded. "That''s right. It might take some getting used to, but once you do, it will be a natural response."


    "Alright..."


    Gray was still skeptical, but he nodded. "So, how do we-"


    "I will be taking the lead then. Just follow me and try not to get left behind."


    With only those words as a warning, Eliza suddenly took off.


    "Wait!"


    Gray started running after her.


    <sub>--</sub>-A strange experience. Surreal, even.


    Gray was running after Eliza, but soon lost ground. The reason was that he was running like normal, but Eliza was taking huge bounds, leaping through the air entirely.


    Not wanting to be left behind, Gray did the same.


    -Really, a surreal experience.


    He had the sense that he was moving fast, the ground beneath him swiftly vanishing with each bound. And yet, everything was still in real-time.


    It was... hard to explain.


    It was like¡­ being in a moving car. Inside the car, everything was normal. Everything moved at the same rate as it normally did. But in reality, they were traveling at an extremely fast speed. Just looking out the window would be enough to realize that as the surroundings flew past.


    That was what Gray was experiencing... but at a more extreme level. Without paying attention, that was what he experienced. But he noticed that if he focused, time seemed to slow down- no, it wasn''t that time slowed down, but that his actions were that fast?


    It was like everything was playing on fast-forward, but if he paid attention, he could make it play in slow-motion.


    Either way, he chased after Eliza before she left him behind.


    In that strange manner, he didn''t realize how long had passed before they stopped. It was only when the grasslands had turned into rocky terrain that Gray realized how far they''d gone.


    Eliza came to a sudden halt near an outcrop of rocks. Unprepared and not knowing how to deal with such a sudden halt, Gray frantically stomped the ground, trying to slow his speed down.


    A long trail of dirt sprayed in the air, along with stones and other debris before he stopped.


    Covered in dirt, he let out a long sigh.


    The sound of laughter form behind him drew his attention, and he scowled. "You couldn''t have told me how to stop before we got going?"


    "I could have... but experience is the best teacher."


    "Sure it is..."


    Eliza smiled and took a look around. "I think this is a good place to set up camp for the night. It seems fairly safe."


    "Here?"


    Gray took a look at his surroundings.


    They were in the middle of nowhere. Well, that wasn''t entirely true. They were somewhere, but nowhere near a village or any sign of civilization.


    Like he thought, they had stopped at an outcrop of rocks. Stone pillars and plateaus rose from the grassy plains beneath, with the occasional copses of trees in the area. At the moment, they were on one of the higher outcrops, a few feet above the ground.


    At first, he thought nothing of it, but the more he looked around, the more he realized how breathtaking the view was.


    Water crashed down in the distance in a waterfall, cascading down into a river valley below. Because of that, there was a light mist in the air.


    "Where are we?"


    Gray gazed around in bewilderment. How did he miss the fact that they had arrived in a place as scenic as this?


    "This is a place known as Lyre Falls. Beautiful, is it not?"


    Gray nodded.


    The sun had set a while ago, with the main illumination now being the full moon above. Perhaps because of that, the place looked even more serene, the mist in the night giving off an otherworldly atmosphere.


    "It has been said that famous mistrals and bards come here often for inspiration on their journey across the lands."


    "Why''s that?"


    Eliza shrugged. "It is a famous place for travelers due the fact that there is a dungeon nearby."


    "A dungeon?"


    "Yes," Eliza said. "One that you will be venturing into the next day in order to gain the ''Cascade'' sigil. It should allow you to jump a grade in your magical prowess... or at the least allow a novice such as yourself use magic."


    "...Is this what it feels like to be hard carried through a game?" Gray muttered.


    "What was that, Gray?" Eliza gave him a strange look.


    "It''s nothing."


    "In that case, allow me to prepare our campsite. In the meanwhile... Ah. Here."


    Eliza handed Gray a book.


    Gray took it and said, "What''s this?"


    It was a hand-bound journal. Flipping through it, Gray saw various stances and notes. The diagrams looked oddly familiar. And the person performing them¡­


    "Notes. Those are my findings and analysis of your fighting style and potential fixes to help you improve. It is currently incomplete, but it should be enough to allow you to fend off a Champion level opponent if you train enough."


    Gray closed the journal and said, "This will let me fight someone nearly fifty times stronger than me?"


    It was kind of hard to believe.


    "No. It will be enough for you to stay alive for a second or two. Just enough time for me to arrive."


    "...Hah." Gray shook his head, a wry smile on his face. "Just how much longer will I have to keep depending on you, Eliza? I''m grateful... but this much effort goes beyond repaying me saving you, doesn''t it?"


    All he had done for her was untie her back in that abandoned building. In return, she not only had prepared him for the world here, but healed him, taught him things about the world, and from the look of the detail in the journal, spent time painstakingly dissecting his every flaw to help him improve.


    "It''s nothing." Eliza smiled, a hint of red on her cheeks. "I am happy that you appreciate my efforts, however."


    "I more than appreciate them. At this point, I think I''m the one in debt to you."


    Eliza laughed. "Well, I would not thank me so soon quite yet. Tomorrow, you still have to challenge a dungeon by yourself. ...Well, I will be at your side, but you will be doing most of the fighting."


    "And there''s that too. Guiding me like that instead of doing everything for me... I really don''t know how I can repay you, Eliza."


    Eliza laughed and said, "You could always marry me if you are that grateful."


    Gray paused.


    Seeing his reaction, Eliza''s expression changed as well. "...Gray? Can it be that you have fallen for my charms?"


    "Eliza, I..." He took another look at her.


    -Beautiful. Even now, that thought didn''t vanish from Gray''s mind. He had just been ignoring it.


    There was no doubt that Eliza was an attractive woman. That, coupled with her caring and protective nature... he wouldn''t mind having someone like her for his wife. In fact, she actually met all of his standards.


    But he wasn''t someone who would be staying in this world. At some point, he would leave. At that time, even if he somehow took Eliza with him... it would be putting her into an entirely different environment and way of life.


    In his world, there was no such thing as magic or monsters and conveniences like the bag of holding were just a pipe dream.


    Even if she managed to get used to it, Eliza wouldn''t belong to his world. Not to mention that someone like her could easily get a job as a Hollywood actor or model just for her natural beauty. What would make someone as outstanding as her stay with him?


    Gray clenched his hand, his heart throbbing. "I..."


    Eliza laughed. "Enough of that, Gray. It was merely in jest."


    Her clear voice cut him out of his daze.


    -Right. She was just joking.


    Looking at her face, he saw that there was only amusement in her eyes.


    "I am touched that you would consider it," Eliza said. "But you have some obligations to attend to, do you not?"


    "Eliza-"


    She shook her head. "It''s fine. While I do not know your circumstances, I know that it is something important you cannot speak of."


    He stared at her a while longer. Her voice, expression, and smile showed that it was fine. Like a friend being amused at a joke, but nothing more.


    "...Yeah. Don''t mind me. I was just thrown off by your words."


    Eliza was strong, and from a different world. The two of them had only met by chance and at the end of it all, their paths would diverge.


    So then there was no need to think about it.


    Gray smiled, carefully locking away the budding feelings in his heart. "I''ll just be practicing then."


    Eliza nodded. "Do not wander off too far."


    Gray left her to work and then found an open space nearby and drew his sword, focusing all his efforts on the words and diagrams written in the journal.


    If someone was nearby, they would hear his sword cutting through the air with a vicious force, almost like he was trying to carve away the feelings in his muddled heart.


    <hr>


    Four days and five nights. That was how long it had been since Eliza had met Gray. That was how many days it had been since she had sworn to give him her all.


    Eliza sighed as she stared at Gray''s sleeping figure.


    The young blond man had tired himself out from the training and traveling, unwillingly turning in early for the night.


    Gray had recklessly insisted on being the first to keep watch, but it didn''t take much from Eliza to get him to fall asleep. His eyelids had already been half-shut when he argued with her.


    Eliza sat on a boulder, looking out at the vast expanse before her.


    "Lyre Falls...  is it coincidence, or fate? To think that I would have to hide the truth so soon..."


    Lyre Falls. That was what she told Gray this place was called. As smart as he was, the blond had determined that it was called ''Lyre Falls'' after she mentioned bards traveling here for inspiration.


    But the true name of the area...


    "Liar Falls. The name of the place where the first hero vanished after betraying the Eternal Kingdom for his demon lover..."


    Eliza muttered the truth of the area and fell into contemplation.


    While Eliza had made jokes before about the two of them running away together, she knew beforehand that wasn''t to be. While he didn''t speak much about his past, Eliza had seen enough to know when someone was burdened with obligations to not inquire too much into it.


    Because of that, she also knew that anything happening between them was impossible. Not just because of Gray¡¯s desire to return to his home, but also because-


    Eliza shook her head.


    There was no point thinking about that.


    She looked out upon the distant lands and muttered, "The Hero and the Demon Queen... I wonder if that short time you had together was worth it?"


    No answer was forthcoming, but Eliza hadn''t expected it.


    The question of everything, the meaning of everything... since she was born, it had eluded her. But now... she might just have caught a glimpse of what it was.

 Chapter 14: Cave of Liars

    After the sun rose, Gray and Eliza set off for the dungeon. To that end, they had climbed down from the plateau and walked along the riverside in the valley below. At the moment, Eliza walked in front, leading the way, while Gray followed behind her.


    "So just where is this dungeon?"


    "It should be beneath the waterfall."


    "Huh. Typical." After looking towards the crashing waterfall, he noticed that there did seem to be an opening nearby. It wasn¡¯t visible from up above, but it could be seen by walking along the valley. It shouldn''t have surprised Gray, all things considered. Though... he did notice something odd.


    "Hey, Eliza?"


    "Hm?" The white-haired woman turned her head back to look at him and said, "What is it?"


    "Is there a reason why we haven''t seen any monsters recently?"


    Ever since they had left Rorin village, he hadn''t been ambushed by a single monster. It was a good thing, but he couldn''t help but feel a bit anxious. Before then, monsters could be seen in every direction. But at the moment, he couldn¡¯t even see a single slime.


    "Ah, that. I considered that you might want to conserve your energy for the trials ahead, so I am actively releasing a pressure to ward them away."


    "I... see."


    Eliza seemed to be more incredible every day.


    The two of them walked in silence. With nothing to say, Gray took a look around.


    There were rocky outcrops on either side, towering above. To his left, there was a river with crystal clear water. Inside of it, there were a few silver fish swimming past. Coupled with the soft sunlight from above and the soft bubbling of the river, it made for a peaceful scene. It was almost enough for Gray to think that he was in some nature park back home rather than a different world.


    "Here we are."


    Gray was drawn out of his contemplation by Eliza''s voice. Before he realized it, they had arrived at the base of the waterfall.


    Water crashed down from a towering rock cliff above, forming the coursing river. Yet, as Gray looked towards it, he realized that the water didn¡¯t have a source. Although a large amount was falling, it seemed to come out of nowhere, materializing from thin air.


    "Wait. How is water coming from there?"


    "It is... well, you will see shortly, but there exists a vast underground lake in the area. Due to various circumstances, the water is continously transferred from there to the rocky outcrop above.¡±


    Gray watched the waterfall again and shook his head in awe.


    "Come. We should make haste. You are in a hurry, are you not?"


    "Ah, right."


    Eliza''s words reminded him of why they came here.


    Clear the dungeon, obtain the cascade sigil, and increase his magical prowess. That done, he would be able to raise strength and then head to the captial to learn space magic. With that he could return home. And at home, he could get back to his old life. With his old life, he could keep the promises he made to his friends and family.


    ...So why did he feel so reluctant to do so?


    "Gray?"


    "Ah, coming."


    Gray shook his head and followed Eliza.


    The two of them walked behind the waterfall towards the small gap hidden nearby. Eliza went first, as usual, and Gray followed. Stepping into the crevise, Gray felt a shiver run down his spine.


    "You felt it? Good. It seems that your magical prowess is not too poor."


    Gray shivered and looked around. "What is that?"


    A sort of ever-present chill, permeating into his body. Almost like ice cradling his bones.


    "That is the sign of a dungeon. An area where the energy of the world has been disturbed, disrupting the natural order. It usually indicates the presence of a Rune or some other world phenomenon."


    Gray shook his body, trying to get some warmth into it. It seemed to work, as the chill vanished.


    "Hm? You figured out how to disperse it already? ¡­Good. At this rate, it will not be long until you reach Champion level in your magical prowess."


    "...So soon?"


    "Of course," Eliza said. "I told you, did I not? With me by your side, we shall surely get your magical prowess to the Braveheart level before arriving at the capital. Once there, you need only visit any bookstore and obtain a book on space magic and that will be that."


    "You did say that... still find it hard to believe though."


    The gap between D and C was an entire magnitude. For him to so casually cross that gap was one thing. But to go from C to B as well...


    Once again, Gray had an appreciation for Eliza''s superb talent at making his life easier. Consequently, he felt much more guilt at being indebted to her kindness.


    "Anyway, where exactly are we? It''s kind of dark."


    He hadn''t noticed because he was cold, but he couldn''t really see much of what was around them after they entered the dungeon.


    "Light." Eliza''s answer was a single word. In doing so, the surroundings lit up. Not extremely, but enough for him to see. If Gray had to compare, it would be like a dimly lit room on a cloudy day.


    With that, he could actually see his surroundings.


    "...Huh. Is this place manmade?"


    They looked to be in an entrance hall. There were pillars on either side, reminding Gray somewhat of Roman architecture. Directly in front of him, there was a set of stairs leading down into the darkness.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "No one knows," Eliza said. "Dungeons have existed since time immemorial. This one was only discovered by a hero long ago, searching for a way to save his lover."


    "Oh? And what happened to him?"


    "He failed."


    "Ah."


    Footsteps echoed as the two made their way towards the stairs.


    Gray placed one hand on his sword, sheathed at his left side, ready to act at a moment''s notice. Eliza was there with him, but considering her history of non-interference during sudden monster attacks, he knew better than to count on her.


    For a long while, there was nothing more than the sound of dropping water and footsteps. While there was a surging waterfall outside, the dungeon''s effects seemed to have cut them off from it entirely, leaving only silence.


    When the stairs ended, the narrow passage opened up to a wide cavern. And inside that cavern-


    "...I see what you mean about an underground lake."


    The cavern must have been the size of an airplane hangar.


    Gray and Eliza had stepped onto the edge of a lake with a single marble bridge before them into what looked like a Roman Temple in the center of it.


    "That is strange." Unlike Gray, who was awed by the appearance of the temple and lake, Eliza was on her guard.


    "What''s strange?" Gray asked.


    "It is usually not this easy. The stairs in a dungeon should create a spatial folding phenomenon and send us to a random room with monsters. For us to directly reach the sigil chamber... stay close, Gray. Something is not right."


    Saying those words, Eliza held out her hand. A sword appeared in it, lightning crackling before condensing into a golden blade.


    While he was initially surprised, and somewhat bitter that Eliza hadn¡¯t used that in the past to help him out, caution won out and Gray carefully observed his surroundings.


    The two walked side by side across the bridge. The tension in the air was thick, enough that Gray felt he was suffocating. Though he realized it was an illusion, he couldn¡¯t ignore it. They were traveling on a marble bridge across an underground lake that could be hundreds of miles deep for all he knew. It was the perfect setup for some crazy sea dragon or monster to appear and attack them.


    But, whether it was by good fortune or Eliza''s presence, nothing happened. The two of them made it safely across the bridge and into the temple.


    Once inside, Eliza sent her sword away.


    Seeing that, Gray did the same.


    "Strange," Eliza said. "Nothing is out of the ordinary. But I could swear that- no. It must be my imagination."


    "Eliza?"


    "It is nothing. In any regard... let us enter, Gray."


    Gray nodded and followed Eliza, who had pushed open the doors to the temple.


    "This place...?"


    The door was behind them, allowing light to spill into the room, but other than that, it was pitch black.


    That was, until his first step inside.


    The darkness was dispelled by the arrival of a soft light. An ephemerally beautiful glyph was hovering in the air. Colored a deep blue, it was constantly shifting form even as Gray stared at it.


    "That is the True Water Rune."


    Gray turned to look at Eliza to see that she was gazing at the glyph.


    "True Water Rune?"


    Eliza nodded. "It was what the Hero sought to obtain, and what he failed to keep. Now, it remains here to grant a portion of its strength to those worthy enough to reach it."


    Gray couldn''t say anything and continued to watch the glyph.


    On occassion, he could make out letters from within it. W, a... the letters forming the word  ''water''.


    "So this is a rune...?"


    Gray dropped his bag on the floor, and stared at the rune. Mesmerized, Gray began walking towards it. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the rune. His hand reached out, and-


    <hr>


    Eternity. That was what the Rune represented.


    Since the dawn of time, Water existed in some form or another. Omni-present and forever a witness to the world, it alone remained while everything else vanished.


    Continually flowing, lives were born and lives reached their end. Though some lasted longer than others, few if any broke free from the shackles of death and became an eternal aspect of existence.


    Most perished, reaching the ends of their lives without accomplishing anything world-changing. And others lived lives too short.


    Eternity. That was the True Water Rune. But as such, it was something that could not be obtained by an individual. Something that could not be contained in a mortal form.


    But someone tried.


    A memory rippling through water¡¯s serenity. A black-haired hero and his star-crossed lover.


    Echoes of their plight reverberated amidst the Rune''s memories.


    A man turning his back on the world to extend ''her'' life. A woman bestowing her ''life'' to break his shackles.


    In the end, the fate of those two were-


    <hr>


    A roar snapped Gray out of his trance. Looking around, he realized that Eliza had gone missing.


    There was the sound of combat.


    He shook his head, clearing it of the fog from the trance he had been in and ran outside.


    "Eliza?! What''s happening?"


    When he made it outside, he froze.


    A dragon. That was what Eliza was fighting.


    The water around the temple churned and foamed, as if the whole lake was boiling. But it wasn''t. Instead, the turbulance was caused by a creature dashing in and out of it at blinding speeds.


    Scales shimmering a deep blue, barely visible within the dim ambience of the cavern reflected briefly in midair. A gigantic figure, with a width twice that of the marble bridge. In fact, it had wrapped around the bridge. A sea serpent with ominous eyes. And teeth. Menacing serrated daggers in a wide maw.


    Eliza stood before the dragon with a golden sword in her right hand. The same one that she had made previously from lightning. When she heard Gray''s voice, she turned around. Her eyes widened when she saw him and she said, "What are you doing?! Stay inside the temple!"


    "But-"


    "Go, now!"


    With only those words, she turned her attention back to the dragon.


    Almost immediately, a surge of water flew out from the serpent''s opened maw.


    Eliza waved her hand, causing a barrier to form and block it. At the same time, she swung her sword, causing bolts of lightning to lash out at the dragon, evaporating the torrent of water. Cutting through that, the golden bolts crashed against the sapphire scales with a thunderclap. Yet, there seemed to be little effect.


    The serpent let out a roar and its scales began glowing. Ice crystals rapidly formed around its body, and the air swiftly dropped in temperature.


    Once again, Eliza moved into action, faster than Gray could even see.


    One moment she was standing in front of him and the next there was a flash of golden light. The dragon roared and blood splashed into the water, dying it crimson. However, Eliza wasn''t better off.


    She was fighting the dragon, and occasionally Gray managed to catch glimpses of her. While she was doing significant damage, he noticed that her speed was gradually decreasing.


    Dammit. He was just standing there, unable to do anything. What was the point of him even being there? Just run away! But leaving someone else to fight for him, being indebted to someone else yet again-


    "GRAY!"


    He had been in a daze, a moment of self-incrimination. Because of it, he didn''t realize what was going on.


    The dragon must have noticed his lack of movement. Easy prey. Though a monster, it was intelligent enough to realize that Eliza was protecting him.


    By the time Gray realized that Eliza had called out to him, the dragon''s maw was already before him.


    A gaping hole filled with serrated teeth and an endless abyss coming at him from the side.


    Fast. Too fast for him to react.


    A flash of silver and a gust of wind.


    A heavy impact sent Gray flying back. And then he saw a scene he would never forget.


    Eliza''s hand outstretched before him, her crimson eyes focused on his while she stood in front of the serpent¡¯s gaping mouth.


    And then she was gone, along with the dragon, both vanishing into the depths of the dark lake.


    The turbulent waters died down, leaving nothing but eerie slience.


    And like that, Gray was alone.


    For his sake, Eliza brought him to the cave. For his sake, Eliza fought the dragon. And for his sake, for his worthless life, Eliza-


    "Ha."


    Careless. He had been too careless. No, not careless. Naive.


    "Haha."


    Relying on Eliza for everything. Believing her to be all powerful. He never once considered the consequences of what might happen if there was an enemy stronger than her. Never once thought of what he might do when such a time occured.


    "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"


    Gray bent over, his body doubled over in laughter.


    Pathetic. Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic. Self-loathing and incrimination bleached his mind white.


    It was like the last time. Just like the last time. Like when he promised her that he would see her again. That she didn¡¯t need to worry. That it would be fine.


    And then he lied and left her behind.


    Gray laughed. He laughed, and laughed, and laughed. Gasping laughter, gaping breaths. Laughing at himself over and over again, Gray didn''t notice as the space around him distorted.


    He still didn''t notice when that space shattered, sending him into a different area entirely.

 Chapter 15: Chains

    Dark and moist. Eliza felt the serpent''s throat constrict around her, trying to force her down into its body. An attempt to consume her and obtain her energy for its own use.


    She had become too complacent. Because her pursuers had yet to make a move in the past few days, she had thought they had given up. But it seemed that they had yet to do so.


    Hiring a spatial magician to suppress the dungeon''s natural dimension field and even placing a Braveheart ranked Sapphire Serpent to lie in wait... they were truly pulling out all their resources in an attempt to end her life.


    But, they underestimated her.


    Or rather, they had not expected her strength to grow even more in the time since she left the organization.


    Eliza narrowed her eyes, and the world revealed its flaws to her.


    -Mystical Eyes. A trait rare even among Demons, and the only saving grace in her life that allowed her to live to the current day. One that should have been sealed away, but was somehow reawakened by Gray, and at a level even higher than what it once was.


    Before, all she could see were weakpoints. Where resistance was the least, the lines of motion that would allow her to most effective usage of her body and attacks. Though effective, it was nothing more than what Anima tribesman did by sensing the ways of the world or how magicians could predict the future by instantly analyzing information through sigils.


    But now...


    Eliza reached out her hand, channeling energy towards the ''cracks'' visible even within the darkness. An action that took no time at all, and one seemingly meaningless.


    The dragon remained unaware, swimming deeper into the depths of the lake.


    In the darkness, Eliza lost track of time. Because of that, she knew she couldn''t dally.


    Grasping ahold of the flaws she perceived, Eliza wrenched her hand back.


    With that action, the dragon was torn apart.


    There was no roar of pain. The dragon was instantly slain by Eliza''s sudden attack, dying without even knowing why it did.


    However, there was a roar of water. The dragon had moved quickly, and both it and Eliza were already near the bottom of the lake when she acted.


    While Eliza''s action had created a gap of air due to displacing the water around her, it quickly surged back.


    Deep underwater, pitch black with an ominous wall of water closing in on you from every direction. An ordinary person would have only been able to watch, dying without a hope of despair.


    But Eliza was far from ordinary.


    Instead of bothering with the approaching water, she actually rushed up to meet it.


    Gray should be concerned right now. I have to get back.


    Such a scene playing out in front of him... Eliza knew how that might have been taken.


    So, to assure him, to not cause him to panic and run off, she had to make it back to the surface.


    The water closed in on Eliza and wrapped around her. But instead of crushing her, it seemed to part before her. The reason for that would be Eliza''s aura, rejecting all external forces.


    A feat that could only be done by those on the cusp of the Braveheart level, only a step away from reaching the Almighty.


    Although a lot had happened, barely any time had passed. At most, a few breaths worth of time. Yet, when she returned to the bridge-


    "Gray?"


    -The one she devoted everything to was nowhere to be seen.


    Instead...


    "Number one. You have been sentenced to death by Hel for escaping your bonds."


    A cool voice greeted her.


    Eliza narrowed her eyes.


    A man with silver hair. Attractive by any common standard and possessing crimson eyes. He was standing at the far end of the bridge, dressed in black form-fitting armor with crimson lines running across it. In his right hand, he held a broadsword of pure crimson that shifted with every passing moment.


    ¡°What have you done with Gray?"


    The man didn''t answer. Instead, he lowered his body into a crouch and raised his sword.


    "...Hmph. Seems like it was pointless to ask a tool like yourself. Very well."


    A billowing wind emerged in the still cavern. In the center of it was Eliza, her normally serene expression nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was a cruel smile coupled with crimson eyes glowing with murderous intent.


    "I will tear my answers out from your soul."


    With those words, space itself cracked and Eliza appeared in front of the man in an instant, her hand in a fist thrust towards the man''s heart.


    An action far faster than the human eye was capable of perceiving, and one enough to have the displaced air become lethal. By connecting, the man would have surely been blown away, with nothing left.


    A sure-kill technique, one that Eliza had honed over countless years and deaths.


    -However, the man would not die so easily.


    The crimson lines around the man''s armor flared and he stepped to the side. He wasn''t faster than Eliza, but it was enough to cause her blow to strike the edge of his torso rather than his heart.


    The force behind her blow sent the man spinning. It should have sent him flying through the air, spiralling in an uncontrolled trajectory. However, his armor only glowed brighter, and the force that should have sent him flying was diverted, sent away in a burst of light.


    Eliza''s eyes widened as the man¡¯s crimson broadsword swung across at blinding speed, seeking her neck.


    A sense of danger, one she had not felt in a long time. Eliza leapt back at full speed, not daring to be a moment slower. Even so, she could not avoid the blow entirely, the crimson sword grazing her chest.


    It should have been a light wound, but-


    "Kuh... this...?"


    In an instant, her body became heavy and it became hard for her to breathe. "Lifetaker...?"


    -Lifetaker. A Divine Artifact that could be considered the Organization¡­ Hel¡¯s secret weapon. A blade that had been found in a cavern deep underground and guarded by a bloodsucking beast, obtained at the cost of thousands of Champion-level agents. It was the Founder''s personal blade, one that made the wielder invincible on the field of battle.


    Against humans, elves, or the Anima, it allowed the wielder infinite stamina and regeneration by draining away at the life-force of the opponent. But against demons...


    Eliza clutched at the wound on her chest that wouldn''t heal with her right hand and narrowed her eyes.


    -Impossible. There was no way that the Founder would have given his personal blade out just to kill her. But there was no denying the effect of the sword that man was wielding.


    For her to have not realized it, however... Eliza turned her eyes once more to the armor the man was wearing.


    It was strange. She had never seen that type of armor before, and considering her position in Hel, for her to not know of it meant that it must be something new. And for it to obscure everything from her eyes, not allowing her to see its weaknesses, even hiding the Lifetaker from her eyes, she couldn''t help but ask.


    "That sword and that armor... to give both to a pawn like yourself in order to kill me... is it not too much? Even if the Founder himself wants me dead, there should be no need to mobilize so many resources."


    -Right. Eliza was a part of Hel and could even be considered an integral part of its combat forces. Having her free was detrimental to the Organization, but not anything that would require this much effort.


    Suppressing the space of a dungeon, capturing a Sapphire Sea serpent, sending a Braveheart level combatant armed with Lifetaker and an armor that could either disrupt abilities or conceal the user''s equipment from view... it was too much to silence someone like her.


    The man paused, contemplating Eliza''s words. "You are correct. However, it is necessary to ensure the retrieval of the Divine Artifact."


    "Divine Artifact?"


    The man shook his head. "...I have said too much. Consider this my repayment out of respect for your accolades." The man raised his sword once more, causing his armor to clank. "...Your time is at an end. Accept your retirement in peace."


    Crimson swirled from around the sword and the man''s armor. The beginnings of an attack that could threaten even the Exalted Almighty.


    "...No. I cannot fall here."


    Gray needed her. He who had recklessly saved her, who was stranged far from his home, who was still weaker than even an infant baby of the Demon race...


    I did not want to use this, but... it seems I have no choice.


    Eliza let out a sigh and then straightened. At the same time, she held out her right hand, dripping with blood from her wound.


    The man lashed out with his sword, causing a flood of crimson light to crash towards Eliza.


    Faced with the light that could devour anything below the Almighty level, Eliza said a single word.


    "Pierce."


    <hr>


    When Gray finished laughing, he realized his surroundings had changed.


    It was dark. Dark enough that he could barely see his own body, let alone the surrounding area. Despite that, he wasn''t scared.


    Being scared would require him being able to think in the first place, being able to worry about his surroundings.


    Gray was not scared.


    Perhaps it was the stress of suddenly being transported to another world finally breaking through.


    Perhaps it was his maddening inability to vocalize anything about his life before arriving here.


    Or perhaps it was the crippling realization that his overreliance on Eliza had caused her to sacrifice herself for his safety.


    Laughter echoed in the darkness, and a sword was drawn.


    He couldn''t see anything, but that was fine.


    His laughter reverberated around him, and beneath his laughter he heard other sounds. Shifting scales, clattering bones, soft slithering of viscous flesh. Monsters surrounded him, no doubt all on a level far beyond him.


    Even so, he laughed.


    Monsters? So what? The worst they could do was kill him.


    Dying? So what? All it would do was put an end to his farce of a life.


    He laughed, even as something lashed out at him from within the darkness. He continued laughing as an open maw filled with glistening white fangs flew towards his head.


    -But before it clamped around his head, Gray''s body moved on its own. The experience he had obtained from life and death battles caused his body to react instinctively, even without his thoughts.


    He felt a slight resistance in his right hand as his sword severed the attacking monster in half.


    Curious, Gray stopped laughing and gazed at his right hand.


    Moving without thinking. He didn''t care anymore, so why did his body move on its own?


    A clattering from behind him. The sound of armor clanging against bones. There was the sound of steel cutting the air, slashing towards his exposed back.


    Gray gave no thought towards it. Dodging, parrying, allowing it to connect... he couldn''t be bothered to react. Yet his body moved on its own, instincts taking over for him.


    He spun on his heel, his sword somehow lashing out in the darkness to parry an unseen blade.


    Sparks emerged from the clash, and for a brief moment Gray could see the room illuminated.


    He was in a small cavern, about the size of a master bedroom. The floor and walls were moss-covered stone, damp with moisture from some unknown source. And all around him were monsters, dozens of them from various kinds and species.


    Lizardmen armed with bone pikes and leather armor. Blue slimes with a metallic sheen. Skeletons in rusted iron armor and armed with pitted longswords. Smaller versions of the same dragon that had devoured Eliza.


    It was a monster den. One with only smooth rock in every direction, no way out.


    Realizing that, he laughed again.


    It was a typical setup in games. A sudden teleportation to a room with monsters beyond the player''s ability to beat. A gameover scenario.


    Laughable, his luck. First getting transported to a different world, then meeting someone kind enough to help him try and get back home only to cause her death in saving him from his own stupidity, and now this.


    -Give up.


    He was tired of all this. Tired of everything.


    In fact, he had been tired even before he arrived in this world.


    Mindlessly attending classes, striving for a vague goal, fulfilling obligations.


    He had told Eliza he had to return home, convinced himself that he had to return... but the truth was he didn''t care.


    Right. He was moving on sheer momentum. The real reason why he wanted to get back wasn''t because he had to fulfill his obligations or because he had a burning desire... but simply because he was uncomfortable.


    He had grown accustomed to it. A life with no meaning, moving on sheer momentum... his life matched his name: Gray.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    And in the end, it was pointless. Even if he returned, there would be no point.


    Go home, graduate, get a six-figure job, and then what? Repay his debts? Make his parents proud?


    Meaningless platitudes and accolades.


    Those had never mattered to him. In fact, nothing mattered to him anymore. Nothing had for a long time.


    So, he should just give up here.


    His life should close its final chapter then and there, a pathetic end to a pathetic man who wanted nothing, achieved nothing, and would die for nothing.


    Gray lowered his sword.


    On seeing that action, the monsters around him sprang into action at once.


    He saw a bone spear fly towards his skull.


    He felt a sword slash towards his back.


    He heard a slime launch itself towards his left side.


    He heard one of those dragons launch itself towards his other side.


    A certain death.


    -But.


    Are you going to throw it away again?


    Something inside him forced his body to move.


    He swayed to his right, causing the bone spear to fly past his body and collide with the skeleton standing behind him.


    Are you going to give up now, after all you''ve given up in the past?


    The sword in his right hand lashed out to the right, cutting apart the serpent flying towards him.


    You can''t die.


    He kicked out with his left foot, sending the slime careening in a different direction back into the horde of monsters.


    You can''t die.


    He crouched his body and then jumped into the crowd of monsters, twirling his sword like a razor top.


    You can''t die. Not after all you''ve lost. Not until you''ve found something that can make up what you threw away.


    "...That''s right."


    He can''t die. He couldn''t die.


    He wouldn''t die.


    -He had forgotten. The reason why he didn''t just give up in the past. The sole purpose behind his single-minded pursuit of a future he didn''t care about.


    ¡°If... say just if. If I were to disappear right now, do you think anyone in the world would remember me?¡±


    The answer to a question he had buried deep in his heart after her disappearance from his life. The reason he continue to live a meaningless life.


    ¡°Of course! I would!¡±


    His left hand grabbed the head of a lizardman and with a twist, snapped its neck.


    ¡°Alright¡­ But then Gray, who will remember you when you disappear? When I can¡¯t be there anymore?¡±


    His right hand lashed out once, and with it, three serpents fell to the ground dead.


    ¡°...What do you mean?¡±


    A blast of water shot towards Gray from a slime in the corner of the room. He couldn''t avoid it, so he reached down towards the lizardman he had killed and flung the corpse as a makeshift shield. Blood splattered his body as the corpse exploded from the impact, but it bought him enough time to rush forward and stab the slime in its mouth, shattering it.


    ¡°...It''s nothing. Anyway, enough serious talk! What do you plan to do after we graduate?¡±


    Gray dashed through the room, his limbs and sword moving in concert to eradicate every monster remaining. A perfectly coordinated act, one beyond his abilities.


    He didn''t know how long it was. He didn''t know how short it was.


    All he knew was that there were no more monsters in the cavern that were alive.


    "...I see. So that''s why..."


    Regret, enough to drive him crazy. Unable to find out the reason for her death, he threw himself into studies to forget about it all. Swearing to himself to become great, to make up for his sin of not realizing her pain when she had been right next to him... his life that had been meaningless up to that point found its meaning. But he had lost that in the monotony of everyday activities.


    -Chains. If he had continued the way he did in high school, he wouldn''t have been surprised if he was the one who committed suicide. Life had no meaning to his eyes. You grew up, got a job, maybe had a family, and then you died.


    She had seen through his words back then and used her life in exchange for his. To keep him chained to the world of the living, she had thrown herself into the world of the dead.


    "And it took me this long to realize it. Eliza..."


    Both her and the one he had met in this world. Both of them were too good to him. Both of them gave too much to him, willing to throw their lives away just to keep him alive another day.


    Gray closed his eyes. As he did, he saw the blurry image of a girl he could barely remember, along with that of the woman who had helped him so much in this world. Staring at both, he silently swore to never forget the lessons they taught him.


    <hr>


    Space crackled and distorted.


    When Gray opened his eyes, he found himself back in the temple with the True Water Rune.


    Staring at it, he seemed to feel a sense of serenity, and came to a realization. "I see. So that was your doing."


    The rune didn''t respond in words, but he got the sense that it acknowledged his words.


    Following that, a soft light reached out towards him, followed by a bit of knowledge.


    "...I see. So this is the ''cascade'' sigil."


    A vision in his mind''s eye. It was a fragment of the True Water Rune''s eternity, allowing the user to pull out power beyond their limits. But in order to do that, they had to bare their heart, understanding the true motive behind their actions.


    Did the True Water Rune know his thoughts when he had touched it? Either way, he intuitively knew that the rune was the one that sent him into that room while his heart was in turmoil. It was also what had kept him alive long enough to come to his realizations.


    "...Thank you. I won''t forget this."


    It was a bit odd to be talking to a floating word, but Gray said his thanks regardless and then left the temple.


    When he did-


    "Gray! Are you hurt?!"


    -he saw someone he didn''t expect to see again.


    "...Eliza?"


    She looked worse for wear. Her clothes were wet, and her hair was matted. A bit of blood stained her blouse, but there didn''t seem to be any wounds on her.


    Gray couldn''t say a word and only stared at her in shock.


    She smiled and rushed towards him, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close.


    "Thank the stars, you are alright. I thought that you had disappeared forever. That I-"


    The warmth of her body on his, the smell of her hair, a slight lavendar scent. Her concerned words spoken directly into his ears.


    His heart throbbed, hidden feelings threatening to burst.


    "Eliza, I..."


    She took a step back, looking into his face. Those crimson eyes stared enchantingly into his own and her face seemed to draw closer and closer-


    He shook his head and stepped back. "I should be saying that about you. How do you think I felt when you were eaten by that dragon?"


    Eliza laughed, her expression clear as if the moment they just shared never happened. "You know how strong I am, Gray. A small snake like that is nothing to me."


    Gray felt his heart throb at Eliza''s lack of reaction.


    Don''t think about it.


    She had already made her stance clear. Him trying to get anything else was only going to put something between the amiable relationship they already had-


    "...I guess. But you couldn''t have told me about it beforehand?"


    -So he said some idle words instead, concealing his feelings beneath worry.


    Eliza''s crimson eyes narrowed a bit and she frowned. "It was your own fault for rushing out like that and then standing like a fool. What kind of person stands there without a care while a ferocious monster is only a dozen of feet away?"


    "I was worried!"


    And he was. He had never seen or heard Eliza fight a battle lasting longer than a few seconds. When he saw that dragon, all he could think about was how he could help her, and of how she might fail.


    Eliza stepped forward and tapped him on his head. "Is there anything in there?"


    "Hey!" Gray stepped back and frowned. "What was that for?"


    "For checking if you still have a brain. What made you think I would be beaten so easily?"


    Gray crossed his arms. "Excuse me. Weren''t you the one I found tied up and blindfolded in some old building?"


    Eliza''s face blushed at his words. "That was a special circumstance. In a front on fight- even in a fight within the shadows, how could I lose?"


    "And how was I supposed to know that?" Gray threw his hands up and shook his head. "You''re the one who won''t tell me how strong you are. Champion this, Failure this, Braveheart that... even after telling me all that, you won''t even tell me why you were tied up in the first place. What did you expect me to think?"


    Eliza''s face paled. "That is..."


    "How do you think I felt when you pushed me aside?" Gray grimaced, recalling that scene in his head. "The monster¡¯s mouth clamping around your body and then vanishing into the dark lake in an instant. I thought I would never see you again!"


    His words were shouted, venting more than just the frustration of remembering that scene. Pain from being worthless, anger at his own self who had been naive, and the shadows of suppressed feeling. All of those emotions spilled out into his words.


    Eliza crossed her arms and stepped forward. "Pardon me? I should throw those words back at you, Gray! Did you not think how I might have felt had the monster gotten you instead? If I had not pushed you aside, you would have been nothing more than monster feed right now!"


    "So what?! We barely know each other anyway!"


    He said it.


    -That was right. He and Eliza didn''t know each other. He knew nothing of her past before he met her, and she knew nothing of his past either.


    While the two of them had gotten used to being around each other, mainly because of Gray''s weak personality and Eliza''s natural amiability, there was no real reason behind them traveling together.


    While Eliza made the excuse of repaying Gray for saving her, she had already repaid that debt countless times over by saving his life as well. If not back when the slimes had attacked him, then without a doubt for pushing him aside from that dragon now.


    Gray looked away, staring at his reflection in the lake. "...Why do you even bother with someone like me, anyway?"


    Eliza was silent. It seemed that his words had made her speechless.


    Gray grit his teeth and spun back towards her. "Answer-!"


    He cut his words off when he saw Eliza''s form.


    She was pale. He thought that had been because of his words, but looking at her now, it didn''t appear to be the case.


    She tried to remain standing, but her legs were trembling and her breath was irregular. Not only that, but her face was in a grimace.


    "Eliza, you- what happened?"


    Eliza looked up and gave him a weak smile. "It is nothing. Just a slight wound."


    Even while she said that, her body swayed, as if she was finding it difficult to remain standing.


    Without even thinking about it, Gray ran up to her and supported her body.


    -Light. He hadn''t realized it, but the body of the woman who protected him was light. Far lighter than he expected. So light that it seemed a slight breeze would be enough to blow her away.


    Eliza stiffened at the contact and tried to push him away. "I am fine, Gray!"


    Despite that, Gray refused to let go. "No. You aren''t."


    She was trembling, and her previously warm body was starting to feel cold to the touch.


    "Let go of me!"


    "I won''t. I don''t know what happened, but you aren''t in any shape to be standing around."


    He lifted her up, holding her in a bridal carry.


    "Gray!"


    He ignored her protests. Right now, it looked like even that slime he first encountered would be able to knock Eliza down.


    He thought about taking her outside of the dungeon, but on remembering how space had distorted around him and sent him to a different area, he wasn''t inclined to do so.


    Then he remembered the rune. While it had sent him to that room and seemed to have its own agenda, the rune itself didn''t seem malevolent. And with the peaceful atmosphere in that place, he doubted any monsters would appear. Even then, if they were the same as the ones he encountered, that would be fine.


    So decided, Gray turned around and walked back into the temple.


    "What are you doing? Let me down already!"


    Eliza squirmed, trying to get out of his grasp. He kept a firm hold on her, though. He feared that if he didn''t, she might recklessly push herself and then collapse.


    "Gray-!"


    "Just be quiet and relax, Eliza. Let me protect you for a bit. At least until you get your strength back."


    Eliza immediately stilled on hearing his words.


    Struck at the sudden change in behavior, Gray looked down at Eliza.


    She was staring at him, her crimson eyes carrying an indecipherable emotion. She bit her lip, as if she wanted to say something, but then nodded and said, "Okay." After that, she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding tight and entrusting her body to him completely.


    It was a strange response, something entirely out of character from her usual witty and confident self.


    It seemed that the situation was more serious than he thought.


    Either way, he didn''t say anything and continued walking to the temple.


    Back inside, the True Water Rune was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was only an empty marble interior. However, Gray could feel the presence of the water rune in the area through the sigil he had gained from it.


    Rather than moving away, it seemed that the True Water Rune had just decided to hide from view, leaving Gray and Eliza alone.


    He mentally thanked the rune for its consideration and then looked around for his bag. It was what held his traveling supplies, and what he needed in order to prepare a place Eliza could rest.


    It was nowhere to be seen. Rather, his belonging were all there, but the bag itself was nowhere to be seen.


    It would appear that the True Water Rune''s decision to send Gray away had caused the magic in his bag of holding to vanish, making it explode from the contents he kept inside.


    Food, blankets, pillows, and spare clothing were sprawled along the tiled floor. It was unfortunate, but helpful in that moment, since he didn''t need to rummage around to prepare a place for Eliza.


    "Here." Gray set Eliza down on a bedroll that had unwound on the floor and then said, "Get some rest. I''ll prepare some dinner for us."


    Whether because she was too tired to argue or because she was humoring Gray''s protective actions, Eliza did as he asked.


    Gray walked over to the rest of the mess that had been his belongings and looked for things he could use to make a warm dinner.


    Eliza was cold. Perhaps from being drenched in water. Because of that, something warm would be good to help her warm up.


    Gray thought about making a fire inside the temple to cook with, but then realized that it might be disrespectful. Not only that, but fire in an enclosed place like the temple might be a bad idea.


    Gray grabbed a pot, threw some jerky and vegetables inside of it, and then headed back to Eliza.


    She was lying on the bedroll, eyes closed in sleep. It seemed that she was more exhausted than she had let on, already unconscious after a few seconds.


    Gray sighed and then set the pot down to grab a blanket. That done, he set it on Eliza and said, "I''ll be back soon. Get some rest. And water rune, if you can hear me... please protect her. At least until I''ve returned."


    There was no answer from either Eliza or the rune, but the fact that the temple warmed up was a good enough reply for him.


    Gray stepped outside of the temple and onto the grass nearby.


    The temple was in the middle of the lake, set on top of a small island. Because of that, while there wasn''t much greenery due to being in a cave, there was a bit of grass. Using that, Gray made a small pit and then set up the pot.


    It came with some metal rods, allowing Gray to hang the pot above a fire without directly setting it on top. A bit primitive in appearance, but modern enough in its convenience.


    Setting everything up after throwing some grass into the pit and putting the pot above it, Gray concentrated.


    He had nothing to make fire with and he was leery of using the water of the lake to cook with. Remembering how Eliza prepared things in the past, Gray looked at the pit and said, "It should just be in the mental image, right?"


    While Eliza said words sometimes when she cast her spells, for the simple things like making fire or conjuring water, a wave of her hand, or even a simple look was enough.


    That meant that it shouldn''t be too hard to do.


    "Magical prowess... that was a measure of someone''s ability to channel and handle energy. Spells and magic are just a result of shaping that energy."


    He muttered those words to himself. While it was a bit strange to consider, if he remembered the fact that total energy was conserved due to physics, it wasn''t too strange. He was just acting as a catalyst for changing the form of that energy, from particles to thermal heat, and from air molecules into water molecules.


    He focused on the bundle of grass and then held out his hand, imagining a fire emerging from it.


    Almost immediately, one sprang forth. It was so swift and sudden that Gray scarmbled backwards. For a moment, he stared at his hand in amazement, but then shook it off.


    He could be amazed at being able to manipulate things later. Now he had to make food for Eliza and himself.


    Focusing on the image of air condensing into water, of how rain fell from the sky due to condensation, he held his hand out to the pot.


    He knew that his thoughts were technically incorrect. Water didn''t just come from thin air, and he turning pure energy into matter was a fact of science fiction.


    Even so, somehow or another, water emerged, and the stew he planned to make was quickly forming.


    Nodding, he set out to perform his duties, this time conjuring a ladle out of the air to use in stirring the soup.


    <hr>


    Eliza was not asleep. While she had fallen asleep briefly, the moment when Gray whispered to her had been enough to pull her back into the world of the awake.


    She was near the entrance of the temple, lying on a bedroll that Gray had prepared. The temple doors were open, and in doing so it allowed her to see out to what Gray was doing.


    Witnessing his actions, Eliza was silently amazed. Conjuring fire and water was a sign of someone who had achieved Champion level magical prowess, but being able to create metal was the mark of one who had achieved Braveheart level magical prowess.


    While she had made fun of Gray''s abilities since they began travelling, the truth was that his improvement was frightening.


    For someone starting with a Failure physique to reach the Champion level in a week was nothing out of the ordinary. Countless adventurers did a similar task in the past. All it took was partying with higher level adventurers and then being exposed to combat. The body would naturally adapt.


    But for magical prowess to improve so rapidly...


    Originally, Eliza had planned to bestow her own magical prowess to Gray after he obtained the cascade sigil from the True Water Rune. While the blessing from the rune would have increased his capacity and affinity towards manipulating energy, and magic in general, it should have only put him on the threshold of the Champion level, bringing his magical prowess on par with his body.


    But somehow, he had surpassed that. There was no mistaking the aura of the cascade sigil on his body, a sign that he possessed the True Water Rune''s blessing. But for him to jump past the Champion threshold directly into the Braveheart level... Eliza had thought Gray to be defenseless, but now she wasn''t sure.


    An inherent talent for magic, perhaps? His body had been weak when they met, but that was easily remedied. However, magical prowess was something that depended on one''s affinity towards magic. It was something that could be trained slow or fast, depending on one''s natural affinity.


    Gray''s had been low, or so Eliza had thought. While his body had rapidly improved, she had noticed that his magical prowess had not. It was one reason why she had brought him to this dungeon, where she knew it would be possible to gain a sigil to enhance magical affinity.


    Had Gray''s magical affinity been higher, she would have taken them both directly to the capital, and then simply have him study from various spell books. While it might have taken longer, with her guidance, even a novice could be turned to master in a month.


    However, Gray had no affinity towards magic. He managed to reach the Entrant level, but after that, he had stagnated. Even the marginal gains that should have come from his body adjusting to the flow of energy in the world through combat were nowhere to be seen.


    It was almost enough to cause Eliza despair. With his low affinity towards magic, even if she bestwoed her own magical prowess onto him, it would be temporary at best, and unstable at worst, causing his progress to vanish.


    That was another reason why she chose to bring Gray here. With the cascade sigil''s calming effects, even if his affinity was low, Eliza could safely bestow her magical prowess onto him and make it permanent with the sigil acting as a stabilizer.


    But now it looked like there was no reason for her to do so.


    "Gray..." Looking at the young man''s back, Eliza lightly shook her head.


    She was happy for him. Now he had everything he needed to learn space magic, and with that he would be able to return home.


    She was happy for him. Now that he was stronger, there wasn''t a need for her to protect him. As it was, he could protect himself from most things in the world, only those abnormally powerful hidden eccentrics able to harm him.


    She was happy for him. Now that he could protect himself, she didn''t need to worry anymore about what would happen when she left him behind.


    She was happy for him... but she was also a bit sad.


    "...It is regrettable."


    She would have to leave him soon. She thought she could have another year with him, spend a little more time with the naive and kind young man who saved someone who should not have been saved. But now...


    "Eliza? Are you awake?"


    Gray''s voice drew Eliza out of her thoughts.


    The young man walked into the room with a bowl in hand. His blond hair was in disarray, and his leather armor looked ragged, no doubt from the True Water Rune''s trial. Despite that, his face was set in a slim smile. The unreliable man who had struggled in vain to save even himself had since somehow become someone reliable.


    "I brought you some soup. It''s a bit hot, so don''t eat it too fast. Ah, don''t worry about the bowl. I made sure it wasn''t too hot to hold."


    Saying those words, he set the bowl down beside her. "Just let me get a bowl for myself and I''ll be right back."


    Staring at him whose path was swiftly diverging from her own, Eliza sighed. She sat up and then held the bowl, looking into the haphazrdly prepared soup. Seeing her own reflection, marred by the darkness of the cavern, Eliza muttered. "...Perhaps this is for the best."


    She took a sip of the soup, allowing its warm broth to heat up her body.


    But despite that... it did nothing to stop the numbing sensation in her chest.

 Chapter 16: Fare well

    The slightly more compentent young man and the frailer young woman didn''t spend long in the cave. After a few hours or so of rest, the two departed and were once again on the move.


    From leaving the cave, a week had passed and now the capital city of Eternia wasn''t far off.


    Gray cast a sidelong glance at the woman beside him.


    Eliza had recovered from her weakness after fighting the dragon. From what she told him, it was just a small cold after using a lot of magic to fight the dragon underwater.


    Needless to say, Gray scolded her for that, throwing back her words of being able to handle anything at her.


    She had given him a wry smile in response and simply accepted it, but not before remarking that he wouldn''t even be able to think about doing something like that for at least a hundred years.


    Either way, whatever negative effects that were affecting Eliza from back then seemed to have faded.


    Both Gray and Eliza were leaping through the air, rapidly closing in on the capital city. It seemed that, somehow or another, Gray had already managed to achieve Braveheart status in magical prowess.


    Was it because of his ''cheat'' at being a person from a different world? What should have taken people their entire lifetime was reduced to a few days for him. It was to the extent that some people might cough up blood in embarrassment if they knew the truth behind his strength.


    Either way, his goal of obtaining space magic and using it to get back home wasn''t far off now.


    It was because of that he found his gaze lingering on the woman beside him.


    Her white hair was flowing in the wind. With the blue sky, it seemed to be dyed a soft blue. Her clothes, a black blouse and skirt showing her lithe body, rippled in the breeze. Combined together, it gave her the appearance of a fairy, gliding through the air.


    Eliza noticed his gaze and looked at him. "Is there something wrong, Gray?"


    He shook his head. "No. Nothing''s wrong."


    Eliza tilted her head, but then nodded. "If you say so. In any regard, we should be in sight of Eternia soon enough. Just a few more minutes at most."


    Gray nodded and turned his attention forward once more, though he couldn''t help but keep glancing at Eliza.


    Though they had only known each other for a short time, Gray was already finding it hard to envision life without her.


    He, who had been alone for years back in his home, had gotten used to being that way. But Eliza had made her way into his life.


    Kind, caring, and almost too concerned with him for her own good... not to mention how beautiful she was. While she had joked about marrying her in the past, the casually spoken words had taken firm root in his heart, no matter how much he tried to deny them.


    Waking up every day to her already preparing breakfast. Listening to her cutting but good-intentioned words that ensured his ego remained down to earth even with his rapid improvement. Seeing her soft and warm smile that appeared whenever he made a stupid remark.


    Living a life with that as a constant was one he wouldn''t mind living. Just by being with her, Gray had experienced feelings he hadn''t in a long time. Joy, humor, happiness... the things he had forgotten with his self-imposed chains. Feelings he had carefully locked away in his heart as the sacrifice for committing a grave sin towards his childhood friend.


    Against his will, they emerged. Perhaps due to being kept away for so long, they were so vivid and powerful it took everything he had to act calm in front of Eliza and pretend everything was the same.


    -That was right. He had to pretend that everything was the same and not even dare think of falling in love with Eliza. The reason for that...


    "When we get to Eternia, Gray, we will head straight towards the bazaar. While a bit short on funds, I can create a few enchanted swords to sell for some gold. It should be enough to obtain a space tome for you. After that, I believe it would be best to consider enrolling in the Eternal Magic school. They only take the most gifted students and, while you might be a bit older than the usual, your talent should be more than enough for them to allow you entrance."


    ...was because Eliza would leave him after they arrive.


    "Gray?"


    "Yeah, I got it, Eliza." Gray forced a smile, doing his best to keep it natural, and then looked her way. "You sure they''ll let me in though?"


    Casual conversation. Keeping the status quo. Not wanting to mar their final moments together, he didn''t say anything out of the ordinary.


    If Eliza noticed, she didn''t say anything about it. Instead, she nodded and said, "Even if they do not, you could find work as an adventurer with no problem. I believe Alain has since returned to the capital as well. He should be willing to get you settled down while you determine your next plans."


    "Alright. Got it."


    With just those words, everything was silent again.


    Having said her piece, Eliza was focused on the scenery before her, perhaps looking for the first signs of Eternia.


    As for Gray, his heart was in turmoil.


    -She would be leaving. He had known about it from the start, even if he didn''t vocalize it.


    Eliza was someone beyond his reach. Not only that, but she was someone who obviously had better things to do than be with someone as weak as him.


    She had been kind to him, enough to where he could make it on his own in this world now. But being kind did not equate to affection.


    Right. While he might have feelings for her, she had none of the same for him. Everything she did was out of gratitude for saving her life, and then the protective instincts of a woman. Almost a maternal act.


    They might appear to be around the same age, but Eliza was much more mature than he was.


    It was because of that she would be leaving him behind.


    While he didn''t know exactly what and where she would go, Eliza had made it clear they wouldn''t see each other again.


    "Sorry, Gray. But... it would be better for the both of us to go our separate ways when we reach the capital."


    "Huh? But weren''t you going to teach me space magic?"Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "I was. But that was then and this is now. You no longer need someone like me to teach you. And furthermore, you plan to return home once you learn it, do you not?"


    "-That''s..."


    "So it is better if we say our farewells there. I am grateful for you saving my life and flattered that you enjoyed traveling with me, but in the end, this is the way it must be."


    He shook his head when he recalled her words.


    While she didn''t flat out say it, her intent was clear.


    -Sorry, but I don''t return your feelings.


    A rejection disguised as a farewell.


    Due to her kind-hearted nature, she hadn''t mentioned his feelings when she spoke with him, but her intent was still clear.


    So he had to burn it. Lock away those thoughts of his, the wish of staying in this world at her side. Lock them away and throw away the key.


    He was familiar with it. That was what he had done in the past as well, burying those haunting final scenes and emotions.


    The capital came into view. While they were still far away from reaching it, Gray could clearly see it.


    -Vast. That was Gray''s first thoughts on it.


    Eternia was a castle-town spanning countless miles in every direction. While he was no expert at measurements, he could still be certain that it was larger than any major city in his memory and at least twice the size of that famous city with the statue of a woman representing liberty.


    A stone wall encircled the entire city, and in the center of it was an enormous castle, towering over everything else, one about the size of skyscrapers. Outside of the castle in the center, however, the town seemed to be divided into haphazard districts, with varying styles of architecture ranging from elaborate mansions to buildings you might find in a typical castle-town.


    "There it is. Eternia."


    Eliza''s words brought Gray out of his contemplation.


    "Will we have to pay an entry fine or anything to get in?" Remembering what he had read in novels in the past, Gray asked that question.


    Eliza shook her head. "There is no need for that. Any and all are free to enter and leave Eternia."


    "...Aren''t they scared of invaders or assassins?"


    The city was encased by a large stone wall, after all. With that as the case, how could they not have guards and tolls?


    Eliza shook her head. "Of course not. While they do not have an Almighty protector like our Demon King, the humans possess the protection of the Goddess through their princess. Any potential threat to the kingdom would be predicted well ahead of time. Not only that, but there is also the..." Eliza trailed off and shook her head. "Either way, only a suicidal fool would dare to cause trouble in Eternia."


    "I see."


    Gray noticed that Eliza had trailed off, but didn''t bring it up.


    There was no need to. Even if it pertained to her past, at this point, it would be meaningless to find out.


    A shadow passing from above. Gray glanced up and saw that dark clouds were forming. "It looks like it''s going to rain soon."


    Eliza glanced up. "It seems you are correct. It is fortunate we have arrived then. Spending a night in the rain would not have been pleasant."


    Gray nodded.


    The two of them touched down near a cobbled road leading into the capital. Unlike the first time Gray stopped, he knew now to dissipate his momentum before landing, and so didn''t cause too much of a scene.


    Up close, Gray noticed that the walls were even taller than he imagined, reaching up at a height a few stories into the air. They were made of an intimidating black stone, giving everything a Gothic feel.


    The entrance itself was guarded by two men in silver platemail, shining even amidst the swiftly dimming light. Both barely gave Gray and Eliza a glance before gesturing them inside.


    A complacent attitude. One guard even yawned while doing so.


    But Gray didn''t fault them. If what Eliza said was true, then guarding the gates was more of a formality than a necessity. Perhaps it was just a way of providing jobs to the populace.


    Eliza took the lead once they entered the capital, taking firm and quick strides. "This way, Gray. We need to hurry before the marketplace closes due to the weather."


    Gray did as she said.


    The area near the entrace was similar to a castletown. On either end of the cobbled road were stone houses with various signs. He saw an inn, a blacksmith, and even a bookstore as they passed. Between the houses and buildings, he saw the occasional alleyway leading deeper into the city.


    A typical fantasy town.


    There were people walking around as well. Gray saw the typical townsfolk, dressed in plain tunics and such. He also saw various adventurers, decked out in full armor, robes, or other equipment.


    However, it seemed like there weren''t many people walking around now. They must all have realized the weather, and a majority of those walking around were heading inside buildings.


    "Gray. Hurry."


    Eliza turned around and called out to him.


    He turned his attention back to her and followed.


    <hr>


    They arrived at the marketplace just in time to buy a space tome. Like Eliza had said, it was expensive, but a few magic swords from her were enough to trade for it.


    With that done, the two of them were standing in the central plaza of the merchant district.


    It had begun to rain, a soft drizzle covering the entire city. All of the other passerbys had since entered buildings, either returning home or warming up in the many pubs and inns inside the city.


    Because of that, only Gray and Eliza were standing in the plaza.


    Eliza was standing in front of Gray, holding out a bag to him.


    "Here. The space tome is inside, along with enough money for the entrance fee of the Magic Academy if you choose to attend."


    Gray stared at the offered book and bag, reluctant to take them.


    Doing so would be farewell. He could feel it. The moment that he agreed would be the last he saw Eliza.


    "What is the matter? This is what you wanted, right Gray? To return home? Space magic will allow you to do so."


    He didn''t say anything, only looking at Eliza.


    It was raining. Because of that, her white hair was matted against her head and clothes. It should have marred her appearance, looking disheveled and such, but if anything it only made her more attractive. With the rain, it seemed silver, almost like spun moonlight. Ephemeral, just like the time he spent with her.


    -Reluctant. He was extremely reluctant to accept.


    Perhaps initially he had been anxious to return home, but that was only due to a false rationale. The desire to return to a life he had become accustomed to living.


    Wanting to see his family again, needing to uphold his obligations... those were just empty words he had convinced himself to believe.


    Why should he return? Back home, he was an ordinary person living a meaningless life.


    He might have been an exceptional student and possessed a bright future, but he hadn''t been truly living.


    It was here, in this world, traveling by Eliza''s side that he felt once again what it meant to ''live''.


    So he was reluctant.


    Taking the bag meant a promise. A return to normality.


    Taking it meant leaving Eliza behind and making his way on his own. And even if he did, even if he chose to remain in this world where he could change the world on his own accord. Even if he chose to stay in this place where magic was as commonplace as science and swords ruled the world... it would be meaningless without Eliza there.


    Gray. Like the life before arriving in this world, his life would be just as his name once again.


    He was reluctant, but Eliza...


    "Gray." She stared at him, those enchanting crimson eyes peering into his own.


    Seeing her expression, one of anticipation, concern, worry... he smiled and accepted it. "Thank you, Eliza. For everything."


    It was the only thing he could do.


    Once again, he owed his life to a woman. Once again, his life was chained by a promise to Eliza.


    She had given him so much and helped him with so much after arriving in this world. It was all for the sake of helping him return home, helping him gain the ability to see his family again.


    She didn''t have to. She could have just taught him a bit about how to live in this world, trained him, and then left him to fend for himself. Even so, she didn''t. She had helped his pathetically weak self become accustomed to the world and improve enough to be able to stand alone.


    An obligation.


    Because of that, he had to accept, even if it meant farewell.


    Eliza gave him a brilliant smile. Was it because she wanted him to remember this moment when she was gone?


    "Then... I guess this is goodbye, Eliza."


    "Yes," Eliza said. "This is farewell."


    No more words needed to be said. The location of the magic academy and the adventurer''s guild were already imparted beforehand. If anything, he would be able to ask around to find his way there.


    There were no more words that needed to be said. The debt of gratitude Eliza had towards Gray had been repaid, and what he owed her was cleared when he accepted the bag.


    Even so.


    Even so, Gray hesitated.


    To leave then and there without another word. To say farewell to someone like Eliza for good without expressing his feelings.


    Regret. He had already experienced enough of it in his life. Would he stand there and allow it to become yet another burden on his soul? Would his feelings die unexpressed yet again?


    His hesitation faded.


    Gray closed his eyes for a brief moment, mustering up the courage to say those words, to give form to the feelings that he couldn''t hide in his heart even now.


    He took a deep breath and then opened his eyes, ready to speak-


    And then his breath was stolen.


    The scent of lavendar so close to his body. The warmth of lips against his own and a pair of arms wrapped around the back of his neck, holding him close.


    Before he could comprehend what happened, Eliza had already stepped away.


    Was it the rain? Water was running down her cheeks and she gave Gray a fragile smile.


    "Goodbye, Gray. Please, live long."


    With just those words, she ran away, leaving him alone with the falling rain.

 Chapter 17: Transient Purpose

    Footsteps echoing against wet pavement.


    Eliza''s breath came out in ragged gasps as she ran throughout the city, making her way as far from Gray as she could.


    Do not follow me. Please, Gray. Do not follow me.


    An unspoken plea. She didn''t know what she would do if he saw her like this.


    Rain was coming down in a torrent. Enough that Eliza''s clothes should have been drenched long ago.


    But they weren''t.


    Instead of being damp from the cold rain, her clothes were still dry.


    It wasn''t that the rain didn''t hit her, but rather because of what happened when it did.


    Steam hugged Eliza''s body, born from the rain colliding with her unnaturally hot skin.


    Her body felt heavy. The strength and speed she should have had was long gone. Even her eyes, which should have allowed her to see through the rain were ineffective.


    Footsteps raced behind her, and a frantic voice called out. "Eliza!"


    She bit her lip and kept running, even as her body resisted her will.


    "Curses. Curses, curses, curses."


    It wasn''t supposed to be like this.


    She was supposed to give Gray the bag and then leave with a calm farewell and a brilliant smile.


    It would have been the best way to end it. That way, she could disappear as the final memory of a good friend parting ways amiably.


    Gray still didn''t know the truth. Alain had tried to tell him back in Rorin village, but she had stopped him. And thankfully, none of the other travelers they had encountered mentioned it.


    ...The defining trait of the demon race.


    Born with inherently unnatural beauty, powerful physiques, and high magical prowess. So long as they lived, it was a matter of course for demons to attain the upper levels of Braveheart in their bodies and magic.


    Not only that, but they matured quickly. By the age of ten years old, their bodies would have already reached full maturity.


    Eliza had already held her current appearance for over twelve years.


    With such traits, the demon race should have been the envy of all others. Maturing faster than humans, who already matured fast in comparison to the elves and Anima. Possessing powerful physiques beyond those of the Anima, who possessed the greatest vigor. Even wielding magic and energy with more finesse than the elves, who were blessed by the world.


    Yes, the demons should have been the superior race and the envy of all others.


    But there was a reason why they weren''t. And that reason was why Eliza was so desperately running away from Gray, even though she wished with all her heart to be at his side.


    -Cursed by the world. That was what they called it. The demons were born into this world with superior talents in every field. But to compensate for that, their life was short, even compared to humans.


    Twenty-five years. That was the lifespan of an average demon. An optimistic estimate at that.


    Those who used their power more frequently would have even shorter lives.


    Eliza had been an exception. Possessing her eyes, she had been able to regulate her powers despite using it on a daily basis. To that end, she had managed to live to such an old age.


    -But even she had her limits.


    When Gray found her, she already didn''t have long to live. Two years if the world was generous. One if it wasn''t.


    That was why she never explained it.


    She had already accepted her fate. Born into the Organization to be used. Living as a tool all her life only to be disposed of at the end... her white hair was a mark of that.


    Demons did not possess white hair naturally. Eliza had been born with blonde hair, but with continual usage of her power, the color had faded away.


    White hair and red eyes. The tell-tale traits of a demon who did not have long to live. The signs of someone for whom it would be a mercy to kill rather than allow a natural death.


    Because natural deaths for a demon were anything but.


    Eliza grit her teeth and kept running, even as she felt her body breaking from the inside out.


    -Painful.


    The end to a demon''s life was painful. Painful to the extent that even the most hardened criminal would never wish it upon another person.


    It was said that a benevolent priest once invented a spell to transfer bodily sensations in an attempt to alleviate the pain of a dying demon by experiencing it himself.


    Within the first second, the priest was already screaming for death, and in the next, he had bashed his head against a wall, splitting it open and ending his misery.


    An agonizing end, one with pain enough to drive anyone mad.


    While her body had yet to go through that extreme level of pain, Eliza could feel that it wouldn''t be long before she would be unable to move, crippled by the ensuing agony that marked her demise.


    She didn''t want Gray to see that. For him, who was kind and naive, parting in such a way was something that she would never allow. Neither would she force him to kill her and end her agony.


    Pain.


    Eliza''s heart stopped. Breathing now was an act of sheer will rather than necessity.


    Her legs gave out beneath her, and she was sent sprawling to the ground.


    "No. No, no, no. Please, body. Just move a little while longer...!"


    She could hear Gray''s footsteps drawing closer. With her body''s extreme heat creating so much steam, it would be a matter of time for him to find her.


    She couldn''t let him see that. Either her agony or her corpse.


    -Truthfully, it would be a blessing to kill herself. Staying alive and awaiting her body''s inevitable destruction was more than foolish, it was an act that could endanger those around her as she became driven mad by the pain.


    But she couldn''t kill herself.


    The agony was unbearable, and lying there against the ground, already bleeding from her crumbling body colliding against the hard stone, the temptation to bash her head in was more than just high.


    -But the moment she had that thought, she also imagined Gray''s guilt-stricken face as he found her corpse.


    She couldn''t kill herself. The only thing she could do was wait for her body''s destruction.


    The body of a demon possessed too much energy, a fact that only grew more true as they aged. At the end of their lives, this energy would prove too much of a burden on the body, and so begin tearing it apart from the inside. Unless they were killed before it happened, this excess energy would cause a demon to be completely deconstructed, leaving behind no traces of their lives behind. Their clothes, equipment... everything on them, everything with them would be erased.


    ...There were only two exceptions to this.


    One was the birth of a Demon Lord. Those who possessed the inherent aptitude to deny the curse of power given to Demons and reformed their body out of sheer will. However, individuals such as those were rarer than an individual possessing a hundred True Runes in one body.


    Even in the millions of years since the world''s birth, there were only three potential Demon Lords, and only two had ever crossed that barrier.


    The first was the Demon King''s right hand, who wandered the world in search of Divine Artifacts and the other was a mysterious individual who was said to blend into human society.


    As for the third...


    Eliza forced herself to her feet, one hand supporting her body by placing it against the side of a building, and stumbled into an alleyway away from the main road. She kept walking, deeper into the dark areas where she could disappear without a trace.


    Where her hand trailed against the rock, it made a mark, the destructive nature of her end gradually spilling out onto the surroundings.


    But despite her efforts, she couldn''t move anymore.


    Crippled by the pain of her very being becoming undone, Eliza slumped onto the ground against the wall.


    Her breath came out in pained gasps, and she clutched at her heart that no longer beat.


    The sound of falling rain and hissing steam. Amidst that, a voice called out.


    "...So this is what became of you, Number One. Or should I say, Piercing Death?"


    A figure in a plain black shirt and pants. An average looking face that could be found anywhere in the crowd and a harmless smile. It was a stark contrast to his true identity.


    Even through the pain, Eliza still grit her teeth and managed to say his name.


    "Founder... Simon..."


    <hr>


    Gray ran through the rain.


    Her silhouette was in front of him, but with each passing moment, it grew blurrier and blurrier. A fog seemed to be rolling in, gradually obscuring his vision.


    "ELIZA!"If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    -Even so, he called out her name.


    Chase her.


    He had to chase her.


    The feelings he thought were unreturned, the words he had yet to say.


    He didn''t know why she was running away from him-


    No, he knew why, and because he knew why, he refused to allow her to get away from him.


    -Dying. He didn''t know how or why she was, but he realized it now.


    Eliza was dying.


    "Dammit."


    She was dying... no, she was probably almost dead.


    "Dammit!"


    That was why she wanted to say goodbye like that. He didn''t know how long it had been or why, but he knew that she was dying. Because she didn''t want to burden him, she acted cold and wanted a clean break. A farewell ending with a bright smile and clear feelings.


    -But in that case...


    "Dammit, Eliza! Where are you!?"


    He spun his head around in every direction.


    Her sillhouete was gone now, no trace of her to be seen. The rain poured down even harder, preventing him from seeing more than a few feet in front of him. A torrential downpour from the sky, as if the world itself were telling him to let his feelings just be washed away.


    He ran down the road, footsteps causing water to spray in every direction.


    His clothes were drenched, his leather armor would probably be harmed due to the excessive moisture, and it was practically guaranteed he would catch a cold from all of this time in the rain.


    But he didn''t care.


    Eliza. He had to find her. He had to tell him his words, even if the result was a painful farewell.


    He had experienced it once already. A parting with lingering sentiments left unsaid... the pain it wrought was enough for him to throw his past away and bury himself in the monotony of every day life.


    A second time...


    No!


    He wouldn''t allow it.


    Gray came to a halt and looked around.


    An intersection. The main road split in front of him and to his left side. That was where he lost sight of her. But where did she go?


    A wrong decision could cause him  to lose her forever. To let his words remain unspoken until the end of his life. To have countless regrets forevermore.


    "Dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit!"


    Where did she go?


    He closed his eyes to think.


    She wouldn''t have gone inside a building, that much was for certain. From her frantic footsteps and slow speed, it seemed that she was hurt. Maybe something was wrong with her body? An after effect of fighting that dragon?


    In that case, it was likely that she hadn''t gone far.


    "Then where is she?"


    The footsteps had stopped, buried beneath the roar of the rain. Looking around, there were only two ways she could have gone, left or straight-


    No, that''s not true.


    An alleyway, barely visible between a pair of buildings on his right.


    Without a second thought, Gray ran towards it and called out her name.


    "Eliza!"


    He didn''t guess wrong.


    After only a few moments of running, he saw her.


    Her appearance was awful. Her face was covered in blood and gravel. No doubt it was because she had tripped in her frantic fleeing. Not only that, but the air around her was covered in steam. Her skin seemed to be so hot that it was causing the air to distort around her.


    "...Eliza."


    Her face was twisted in agony, and her fists were tightly clenched at her side.


    "She can''t hear you."


    A voice, male.


    Gray turned towards it to see a man dressed in black walking towards him from within the alleyway.


    A face that could be seen anywhere and hide in plain sight. Brown hair that somehow remained dry in spite of the heavy rain. Sharp, intelligent eyes that seemed to miss nothing.


    -Danger. A single glance was more than enough for him to tell that about the man before him.


    Gray quickly ran in front of Eliza, sword drawn to defend her.


    "Who are you? What did you do to her!?"


    The man smiled, holding his hands out to the side. A gesture of peace. "I''ve done nothing more than chat with miss... Eliza, did you call her?"


    Chat? A little chat wouldn''t be enough to put her in so much agony.


    Gray''s disbelief must have shown on his face as the man shrugged. "Believe me or not, I don''t really care. Either way, she... Eliza does not have much time left to live. Not only that, but I can assure you that her end will be very, very painful. If I were you, I''d be talking to her and not wasting your time with a suspicious man like myself."


    "You-"


    "Tah-tah. I''ll be seeing you around, Mister Gray."


    With those parting words, the man walked past Gray, vanishing into the city.


    Gray had the urge to run after the man and force answers out of him, but stopped when he remembered Eliza''s state.


    He put his sword away and knelt down in front of Eliza.


    "Eliza! I''m here. What''s wrong? How can I help?"


    "Gray...?"


    A hoarse voice, barely audible beneath the sound of the rain.


    "That''s right. It''s Gray."


    Eliza shook her head. "No... why are you...?"


    "Don''t talk! I''ll take you some place safe. There''s got to be a church or something around here that can heal, right? Or a hospital? Come on, let''s go."


    He reached over and grabbed a hold of her, planning to lift her up.


    "No, Gray. Don''t-"


    A sudden and sharp pain.


    Gray let out a hiss as he drew his hand back. Looking at it, he saw that he had been burned. Suddenly, the steam made sense.


    "Eliza, your body-"


    Eliza shook her head and gave a sad smile. "It is no use, Gray. This... is the end for me."


    "Don''t say that!"


    Gray grit his teeth and forced himself to lift Eliza''s body up.


    Pain beyond anything he had felt before erupted on his body. He felt like he was burning and being torn apart all at once.


    "No. No! Let go of me!"


    "I won''t!¡± Gray grit his teeth and pulled her close. ¡°We can fix this, I know it!"


    "Gray... No, you don''t understand. I-"


    One step.


    His body was on fire, and blood was starting to spill from where he held Eliza. His flesh was splitting apart. Even then, he refused to let go.


    "To hell I don''t understand! You''re dying, and I won''t let that happen! Now shut up and let me take you to a doctor already!"


    He could fix this.


    Right. He could fix this.


    It wouldn''t happen again. He wouldn''t let it happen again.


    The last time, he didn''t find out that she was gone until it was too late. This time would have been the same, but he had found her.


    Would he be forced to watch and do nothing as she faded from his life as well?


    No. he wouldn''t allow that.


    Because of that, he forced his body to move, in spite of the pain, in spite of the blood.


    ...Two steps.


    Eliza sobbed. Whether it was from her pain or his pitiful state, he didn''t know. All he knew was that the sound tore at his heart with every moment.


    Three steps.


    The entrance of the alleyway seemed so far away.


    Even so, he couldn''t stop. Not until he got Eliza to a doctor or healer. Not until he was SURE she wouldn''t meet the same fate as the last Eliza he had known.


    "...That is enough, Gray. I will walk on my own."


    Eliza''s sudden words caused him to almost stumble out of... relief? Concern? At that time, the only clear thing in his mind was that his body was in pain.


    "Are you sure you can, Eliza?"


    "I am sure."


    He didn''t really believe her words, but at that rate, it seemed like it would be impossible for him to carry her from there anyway.


    Reluctantly, he set her down against the wall.


    Almost immediately, the pain and heat vanished from him, along with his wounds.


    -Was it an illusion? Either way, his body seemed perfectly fine.


    He turned around to look at Eliza.


    She was standing there, looking at him with those enchanting crimson eyes of hers. Any sign of agony and pain she had earlier had gone, as if it was all an act.


    "...Eliza?"


    He was confused. Of course he was.


    Was his mind playing tricks on him? Did that man do something to change his perception?


    Thoughts like that ran through Gray''s eyes as he looked at Eliza who seemed perfectly fine.


    She let out a sigh and looked at the skies. "Did you know, Gray? That the very first time I saw the sky, it was just like this?"


    "...No. I didn''t."


    Eliza''s tone of voice was strange. But he couldn''t place it.


    "Gray. Everything was gray. From the moment I was born to the moment I was sent to be sold as a slave. Nothing had ever mattered. And I thought nothing in my life would ever matter."


    Gray didn''t say anything. Certainly that sentiment was something he understood.


    "...then I met you. A person who saved someone like me who should not have been saved. Who could not be saved."


    "...Eliza? What are you saying?"


    She shook her head, not answering his question. Instead, she said, "When I saw you, I thought it was ridiculous. A man who was so weak he could not protect his own self decided to try and save me, a Demon who did not need to be saved."


    She laughed, her gaze taking on a distant look. "Yes, it was laughable. You were so pitiful that I wondered why the world allowed such an unfortunate life to exist. A Failure at your age in both body and magical prowess... to live to your age must have been a miracle in itself."


    Cutting words, a backhanded rebuke.


    Even so, Gray couldn''t find it in himself to respond.


    "I thought you were naive. Naive and foolish. To go out of your way to save me, to face certain death for my sake when you could have let me be. Foolish... but there was something about that foolishness I adored. And the days after where you bumbled about like a child learning how to walk were some of the most enjoyable I had ever experienced."


    -A pit in his stomach. Her words... that tone of voice was one he recognized. The lifeless and hollow tone that he had once heard every day in his own voice, masking the emptiness within.


    "...Then follow me." Words spoken on impulse. "If those days were so enjoyable, then follow me! If we get you to a doctor, there will be plenty of days like that left. So-"


    Eliza shook her head and gave Gray a sad smile. "I am afraid that will not happen, Gray. You see, Demons have a short life. Far shorter than most. If we are lucky, we may live to see twenty five years. If we are not..."


    She trailed off.


    Her words froze his heart.


    "...How old are you, Eliza?"


    She smiled and said, "You should know better than to ask for a woman''s age, Gray. Did your mother not teach you any better?"


    "Stop joking around, Eliza! How old are you?!"


    "...Twenty-four. I should have had at least another year. I had hoped to have another year. Just another day at your side... another enjoyable moment..."


    Eliza staggered.


    Before she hit the ground, Gray was there to catch her.


    "Eliza! Don''t... don''t you dare die! Not now. I still need you. You haven''t taught me space magic yet. You... you haven''t repaid your debt! Until then, you-!"


    Eliza smiled. "Do not be silly, Gray. You do not need me anymore. And the debt... I am sorry. If you truly... wanted it repaid. You should have accepted my offer."


    "Offer?"


    Eliza smiled. "Yes. I asked you, did I not? If you wanted to settle down with me in a village. While... it may have been short. I think... I would have... been happy..."


    Eliza''s eyes were closing, and her voice grew weak.


    "Eliza? Eliza!"


    She didn''t respond.


    Gray panicked, pressing his hand against her neck to check for apulse.


    There was none.


    Just when his heart had practically stopped from the realization, he felt a pulse.


    Gray closed his eyes and quietly thanked whatever gods existed for that.


    Eliza was still alive. If she was still alive, there would be a way to save her.


    In this world of magic, combined with his knowledge from *****, it would be enough to find a way to save her.


    So long as she was alive, it could work.


    Right.


    In that case, he should get going right now.


    Gray opened his eyes and made to lift Eliza up again, preparing to take her away.


    He didn''t know how he would do it, but he WOULD save her.


    This time... this time he refused to allow the world to take away someone he cared for.


    But before he could take Eliza away, her eyes opened. Like when they first met, he found himself unable to move, hypnotized by those crimson orbs.


    "Gray."


    "Eliza."


    Her voice was weak.


    The rain was still falling. Because of that, he could barely hear her. Still, he strained his ears to do so.


    "...Do you love me?"


    Gray froze. Out of every question he could have expected, that was not one he did.


    "I..."


    Eliza looked into his eyes and reached out her hand.


    He took it without a doubt. "I do. Yes Eliza, I love you. I love you, so don''t die. Don''t die. Please... don''t die!"


    His voice broke.


    -A miserable sight. He was a grown man, but at that moment he was crying like a child.


    But he couldn''t help it.


    The second love of his life, who had crept in without him realizing it. Eliza, who had done everything she could to help him, to protect him.


    She was dying before his very eyes, and there was nothing he could do about it.


    "...Alright. Then I will not die. But Gray, you have to kiss me."


    "Huh?"


    Eliza''s strange request caught him off guard.


    "Hurry. If you do not do it now-"


    He didn''t hesitate. If it would save her, if it would stop her death, he would throw anything away.


    A kiss. It was a chaste one, but one that carried countless emotions within.


    He held her close, and she did the same to him, as if wanting this moment to last forever.


    -But in that world, only nothing could last forever.


    She parted from him, staring deep into his eyes. "I love you."


    A sharp pain in the back of his neck, causing his vision to black out. His consciousness was quickly fading, despite his efforts to stay awake.


    "Eliza? What-"


    In the end, all he could do was watch as Eliza got to her feet, leaving him slumped against the alleyway.


    "Please, live a happy life."


    With those words echoing in his ears, Gray knew nothing else.


    <hr>


    Eliza stared at the blond man below her, slumped unconscious against the wall.


    The pain in her body was gone, no longer burdening her. But it was not because she miraculously recovered. Rather, she had gone beyond the point of no return.


    "...I am sorry, Gray. In the end, this is the only way I can repay you."


    Her body was transparent. Standing there and watching over Gray, instead of a living person, she seemed more like a ghost- no, a guardian angel.


    "Is this how you felt, Lady Sophia, when you entrusted everything to him?"


    Sophia, the name of the third potential Demon Lord and the daughter of the first. To save the hero from a distant land, she had granted her very being to him, turning her back on the Demon Land and the Demon King.


    Because of it, the hero had gained enough strength to defeat every adversary, becoming hailed as a god upon return to his homeland.


    When she first heard that tale, Eliza hadn''t believed it.


    Love? Such a thing only existed as empty platitudes to deceive and manipulate. As for true love and devotion... that only existed in fairy tales.


    But now...


    "I am nowhere near as powerful as Lady Sophia, Gray. All I can give you are these eyes of mine and a little bit more strength. They are far from enough to repay you for all you have done. Even so... I hope they can protect you in the days to come¡­ in the days where I can no longer be by your side."


    Her body was fading, vanishing into motes of light. Even if she wished to speak, she was no longer able to do so.


    With her vision fading away, Eliza stared one last time at the foolish, naive, and reckless young man who had filled her remaining time with color.


    ¡°Farewell, Gray."

 Chapter 18: Meaningless Hope

    A voice, bidding him farewell.


    Gray''s eyes snapped open.


    "Eliza?"


    He called her name, but there was no response.


    He scrambled to his feet, frantically spinning in every direction.


    Rain.


    It was raining.


    It was raining, and the figure of the one he wanted to see the most was nowhere to be seen.


    "Eliza? Come on. This isn''t funny."


    Nobody answered.


    He was alone, with only the rain to keep him company.


    After standing there with no response, he was forced to realize it.


    Eliza was gone.


    A splitting headache. Without knowing why, Gray suddenly felt his head throbbing. No. To be exact it was his eyes.


    Gray winced and drew his sword, using it as a makeshift mirror.


    Seeing that, he dropped the sword, almost cutting off his feet.


    -Crimson. His blue eyes were now laced with crimson, the exact shade of Eliza''s own eyes.


    A nagging sensation at the back of his mind. But there wasn''t enough evidence to confirm it.


    His eyes could have changed color through various reasons. Like his increased magical prowess. Right.


    He shook his head and picked up his sword, putting it back in its sheath.


    He didn''t know where Eliza had gone, but she had mentioned something about Alain being in the capital, didn''t she? It would be a good idea to visit him. Gray didn''t know where Eliza had gone, but Alain would surely be capable of finding her.


    With that decided, he made his way towards the adventurer guild.


    ...It was packed. Was it because of the rain, or was it just usually this lively?


    Gray wasn''t sure, but he kept to himself as he entered the vast building.


    There were adventurers of all sorts around, and the building itself was much wider than the one he had seen back at Rorin village.


    The layout was similar, however, and there was also the familiar sight of that gray-haired gentleman in sunglasses standing at the counter.


    Alain noticed Gray''s arrival and waved him over.


    The act drew the gaze of adventurers nearby, but they quickly returned their attention to what they were doing.


    Gray crossed the packed room, his wet clothes and shoes splashing against the tiled floor.


    "Hey there, kid. You look like you''ve seen better days."


    Gray didn''t bother acknowledging the casual talk. "Alain. I need you to find Eliza."


    "Eliza?" Alain frowned. "She isn''t with you?"


    Gray shook his head. "No she..."


    He remembered what had happened. The feel of her lips on his own, holding her close to him to not let her go, the blinding pain... then darkness.


    "...She''s missing."


    Alain''s frown deepened. "Missing? That can''t be. Someone as strong as her-"


    "SHE''S MISSING ALRIGHT!"


    A sudden outburst.


    Again, the focus of the room was on him.


    Gray didn''t bother paying attention to them.


    Eliza was missing and he needed to find her.


    He needed to find her.


    He needed to-


    "Gah."


    A splitting headache.


    Gray clutched his head with his right hand.


    "Easy there, kid. No need to be so worked up. Here, why don''t we go somewhere else to talk about it?" That said, Alain lifted up the counter and walked over. "Follow me. We''ll chat at my place."


    Gray nodded and followed him.


    Walking through the rainy streets. Ducking into a side alley.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    A small quaint house, not too far from the guild hall. That was where Alain lived.


    A cluttered home. One filled with knickknacks of various sorts and books piled up around the house. It was a sort of chaotic mess that somehow served to be homely.


    Alain gestured for Gray to sit down at the table and then vanished into a different room. He came out shortly after with two cups of tea.


    "Here. This will help you warm up."


    "...Thank you."


    "Now, why don''t you tell me what happened? Last I saw you two, you were getting along extremely well."


    Gray took a sip from his tea and then told Alain what happened.


    The older man put his cup down and sighed. "I see. So that''s what happened."


    "Do you know how to find her?"


    Alain sighed. "Find her? I''m afraid not, Gray."


    "You-"


    Alain narrowed his eyes. "Calm yourself, kid. You know why, as well, don''t you? It''s about time you stopped fooling yourself. Those eyes of yours are already proof enough of what happened."


    "...What do you mean?"


    Alain sighed. "I mean that she loved you. Enough to give the rest of her life to keep you safe. That''s why your eyes are like that now. And I had wondered why she gave me that book the last time we met¡­¡±


    "Book?"


    Alain reached into his jacket and pulled out a small journal. "Here. She left it for me back in Rorin village and told me to give it to you if I saw you again without her. I thought she might have left you to fend for yourself because of it, but... well, you''ll probably find out if you read it."


    Gray took the journal and flipped through it.


    The handwriting was familiar. It was the same as the one he had in the other journal telling him about his flaws.


    It only took a few flips through the page for him to realize it.


    "Eliza..."


    Alain sighed. "I don''t know if you were lucky or unlucky to meet her, Gray. But you should know that she loved you a lot. Those eyes you have now are proof of that."


    He shut the book and got to his feet. "...Thank you, Alain."


    "It''s alright. The least I could do for someone who... well, you''ll find out someday. But kid... what do you plan on doing now?"


    "Now...?"


    "That''s right. You came all this way to learn space magic, right? Did you manage to get your hands on a tome?"


    "Space magic... that''s right."


    Gray reached into his bag and pulled out his tome. The reason why they had come to the capital in the first place. The reason why this entire journey began.


    Alain took a glance at that and nodded. "That''s a space tome alright. Shouldn''t take much to learn it with how much stronger you are now. Why not give it a go?"


    Gray absently nodded and opened the book.


    -Simple. The magical theory was extremely simple.


    Visualize the area you want to go to and clearly define it. Once done, anchor the image in your mind to serve as a waypoint and then will yourself towards it.


    It was a matter of the mind''s eye, but enough magical prowess could brute force the outcome.


    Gray closed his eyes, remembering his apartment. While he couldn''t put form to the name of his home, his country, he could still clearly see them in his mind''s eye.


    He focused on it, tuning out the world around him.


    -It had to work. It had to. Otherwise, everything would have been a waste.


    Eliza''s death. The journey here.


    His life had lost color with her departure. To make up for what was lost, he had to gain something at least equivalent in exchange. One life for another... that was fair, right? If Eliza died and marked the end of his life in this world, then he should at least be able to gain his old life back in the other world.


    A slight crackling. Gray felt and then heard energy crackling around his body.


    "Looks like you''ve got it, kid. Well, have a nice trip. If you ever need anything, just head to a guild hall and mention my name, alright?"


    Alain called out to him, but Gray didn''t answer.


    -Home. He wanted to go home. To the place he had been before all of this started. To the place before his life had taken this turn.


    With that thought placed firmly in his mind, as well as the image of where he had been, everything went dark.


    Gray felt a void close itself around his entire body, as if he was sliding through a tube- no. That wasn''t right. It felt more like cold air was rushing past him, a silent wind blowing through time and space.


    The wind died.


    Gray opened his eyes.


    A field of grass on his right and an old building in the distance.


    -No. That wasn''t right. It used to be an old building. It had been an old building until it collapsed.


    "No."


    Gray took a step back, dropping the space tome.


    "No, no, no!"


    It was a familiar scene, but not the one he had envisioned.


    It was the place where he had first arrived in this world.


    Gray shook his head. "This has to be a mistake. I must have done something wrong."


    He picked up the tome and tried again. Thinking it to be in the fact that his concentration was lacking, Gray spoke the suggested incantation.


    "Spatial winds billowing across dimensions. I entrust myself to your guidance... lead me to my destination!"


    Words containing power. An incantation charged with all the energy he could muster with his current level of magical prowess.


    Wind billowed around him again, but this time Gray kept his eyes open.


    He saw the space around him crack and shatter, blurring into the darkness. Moments later, he saw himself crossing an empty void. Guided by his spell through the cracks in space, he arrived at his destination.


    A field of green grass. A ruined building in the distance.


    -He hadn''t even moved a single inch from where he started.


    Gray tried again.


    He was sent flying through the cracks in space, but landed in the same area.


    Once. Twice. A dozen times.


    Over and over he recast the spell, varying it countless times.


    He thought it might be due to the location. Because of that, he tried going to other places he had seen before.


    Lyre Falls.


    Rorin village.


    Eternia.


    After a hundred times teleporting around like a madman, he was forced to admit it.


    -The spell wouldn''t allow him to go home. Or rather, what he defined as ''home'' in this world led to where he was.


    "Ha."


    A laugh escaped from his lips.


    "Haha."


    Laughable. The entire situation was laughable.


    "HAHAHA! After all of THAT! THIS, is what I end up with?"


    A spellbook that was useless for getting him home. The long journey across the land, the times he shared with Eliza... it had been cut short because of his desire to return home and half-hearted whim of learning space magic to do so.


    Crack.


    "Meaningless. All of it. This whole journey... don''t tell me it was meaningless?"


    Something broke and then there was a throbbing pain in his head. Was it an illusion? As Gray was standing there, the whole world seemed to be colorless and filled with cracks.


    "Eliza''s death. Her and her. Both of them. Died... they died for no reason...?"


    The first had done so to try and teach him the meaning of life. A way to bind him to a world he wanted no part in.


    The second had done so because of trying to fulfill his selfish and reckless wish of getting home as fast as he could.


    Meaningless. Both of them had died for a meaningless reason.


    Gray laughed and walked back towards Eternia, space automatically bending to his whim.


    -Raining. It was still raining.


    Because it was raining, the world was dyed gray, as if all the colors were washed away.


    He staggered through the streets, casting idle glances at the few passing him by.


    Manly adventurers heading towards the next bar.


    Young teenagers kissing in the rain, out for a secret rendezvous.


    Small, isolated incidents. Disconnected lives and events.


    -Meaningless. They meant nothing to him, would mean nothing to him. Just a happenstance he came across while wandering in the city.


    Meaningless.


    Their lives. Those actions.


    In the end, nothing would come of it.


    Just like his.

 Chapter 19: Return Void - End of Book 1

    Gray somehow found himself in front of a pub.


    It was a small building called ''Distant Streams''. Despite that, it seemed to be pretty popular. At least a dozen or so adventurers were inside, drinking as if there was no tomorrow. Was it to celebrate, or to forget?


    Forget?


    ...Forget.


    -Forget everything. He wanted to forget everything that had happened to him, that would happen to him. It seemed his body had read his mood and moved on its own accord, finding a suitable place.


    He entered the pub.


    The layout was straightforward. The bar was directly in front of the entrance, manned by a barista in a suit. Before the bar were some stools, places where the patrons could nurse a drink without needing to move for refills.


    His arrival drew the attention of a group of people who had been eating near the door.


    They seemed vaguely familiar to Gray, a group of three women and a red-haired man.


    Was it because they didn''t recognize him or because they saw his mood? Either way, they returned to what they were doing shortly after he took a few steps inside.


    "What will you have, Sir?"


    The barista called out to him as he walked in.


    Gray sat down at the bar and dropped a fistful of gold coins on the counter.


    "...Give me whatever this much will buy."


    The barista''s eyes widened for a brief moment, and then he nodded. "As you wish, Sir. It will be just one moment."


    His coins were swept away, and the barista walked to the room behind the countertop to prepare Gray''s drink.


    As he was sitting there, he found his eyes drawn to the surroundings.


    -Lively. Perhaps because of the dreary weather outside, the people inside were celebrating with extreme vigor.


    Music, loud voices boasting on who was superior, cat calls made to female adventurers.


    Everything was colorful. Almost too colorful.


    Annoying.


    For a brief moment, he felt his hand twitch towards his sword.


    Easy. It would be so easy to draw his blade and shut them all up.


    Nothing escaped his eyes now.


    The bald man over in the corner of the room with a pewter mug had a limp on his left side. Though hidden well, it was there. His smile was wide, and his voice boomed with confidence, but Gray knew that a single feint to the man''s right would be enough time for Gray to run him through.


    The annoying girl surrounded by a flock of men in the other corner of the room was weak as well. She was talking about how she and her allies had taken down a horde of dragons all by themselves. Whether she was lying or not, Gray didn''t know. What he did know, however, was that she was only at the beginning of the Champion level. Far too slow to react if he decided to throw a coin at her head at that moment.


    Weak and meaningless boasts. Perhaps the only ones who weren''t were the red-haired man and the three women around him.


    They were the loudest of all in the room.


    A stern blonde beauty was reprimanding the red-haired man, while a blue-haired petite beauty clung to his arm. Across from them, a classical beauty with dark hair and eyes watched with a slight smirk.


    They were annoying, but because they were strong, he resisted the urge to shut them up.


    "Here you are, Sir. A pint of ambrosia, the finest we have." The return of the barista drew Gray out of his murderous thoughts.


    It was a tall glass of golden liquid.


    Sweet. It surprisingly didn''t smell of alcohol, but rather honey interspersed with vanilla.


    The barista gave Gray an apologetic smile. "I''m afraid we don''t have world dew, but I believe this won''t be any bit inferior."


    Gray simply nodded and took the glass.


    Seeing that, the barista walked off to serve other customers.


    Gray stared at his reflection in the golden liquid for a few moments and then took a sip.


    ...Sweet. It was like he thought, though the taste was nothing like its scent. It was more chemical, the sickening sweetness of cough syrup.


    Despite its foul taste, it seemed to do the job. His irritation, thoughts, ego... all of it slipped away the moment he took a sip.


    It was almost as if he had been dropped into the river Lethe, where his memories and worries were washed away to start anew.


    ...He didn''t know how long he sat there, nursing his drink. Everything was a blur, a foggy mess where he couldn''t even remember his own name.


    But that was exactly what he wanted.


    Meaningless. Everything around him was meaningless, so what was the point of thinking at all?


    Forget. Forgetting was the only thing in his mind, and he could almost feel his entire thoughts being washed away with his drink. A normally unpleasant sensation, but one that he welcomed at that time.


    -And then he overheard a conversation.


    "Did you hear? Apparently another Divine Artifact has been found!"


    He didn''t know who had spoken, and he didn''t care. But the words of the one who answered...


    "Hah! Who cares about that? A friend of mine just came back from Xian and he found a dozen of those."


    "Really?"


    "Of course! It''s the legendary land of mysteries! I''ve even heard that a dragon is hidden somewhere there who can grant any wish!"


    Sudden clarity.


    Like that, the fog around Gray''s mind vanished. Before he knew it, he was walking over to the ones who had spoken.


    ...Surprisingly or not, it was the baldy and the annoying girl he noted earlier. The one who had boasted about the dragon though was the bald man.


    "Hey. Are you lying about the dragon?"


    "Hm?" The bald guy glanced at Gray and scoffed. "What''s it to you, kid? Go back to your fancy drink- kuh!"


    Gray crossed the distance and grabbed the man''s neck with his left hand, lifting the man up as easily as an adult does a child.


    A panicked scream. From the girl.


    Gray narrowed his eyes and lashed out with his right hand.


    She was noisy, so he would stop that. Energy bent to his magical prowess and invisible blades began to slash towards the weaknesses inherent in her body, the death written inside her very being-If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Oi, oi, oi. Let''s not be too hasty there, friend?"


    A firm hand clasped around his arm.


    It was the red-haired man. The ''Hero'' he had met while heading to Rorin village.


    "...Let go."


    Dangerous or not, powerful or not, at that moment Gray was not one to be pushed.


    Perhaps the red-haired man realized that as he shrugged. "Easy there. I''m just keeping you from doing something you might regret. We are in Eternia, after all. Even if you can use space magic, it wouldn''t keep you from being chased down by the royal knights, you know? It''d probably be a good idea to let that guy go."


    Gray narrowed his eyes at the hero''s words, but grudgingly accepted the logic behind them.


    He let the bald man drop to the floor. The instant Gray did so, the bald man scrambled to his feet and ran out of the pub.


    Gray frowned, but did nothing. The reason for that was the still firm grasp the hero had on Gray''s arm.


    The hero let go after seeing Gray''s inaction and then let out a warm smile. "There you go. Now, you wanted to know more about that dragon in Xian, right? Well, I happen to know quite a bit about that guy. Why don''t we sit down and have a civil chat about it?"


    Gray glared in response.


    "Fine, fine. We can talk about it here." The hero held his hands up and shrugged. "Anyway... what do you want to know?"


    "...Can it really grant any wish?"


    Having a wish granted. A miracle performed.


    If that was true, then couldn''t he bring Eliza back to life? Wish that she was resurrected with a normal lifespan?


    Too good to be true. It had to be too good to be true. But even if it was just a fantasy, a delusion spun by some rambling fool in a distant land, if it had even the slightest grain of truth...


    "No."


    The hero''s curt response threw a bucket over Gray''s kindling spark of hope.


    -Of course. Even if this was a fantasy world, a convenient plot device like that couldn''t exist. Bringing back the dead or turning back time... such things continued to belong in the realm beyond human reach.


    "However, he can grant most wishes. That guy... I suppose it wouldn''t be too much of a hassle to resurrect someone. That''s what you really want to ask, right?"


    A sly grin on the hero''s face. An expression Gray would have wanted nothing more than to wipe clean with the edge of his blade. But he resisted that urge. At the moment, the hero had the upperhand.


    "...Then, where is it?"


    "Hah, do you think it''s that easy to get a wish granted? Even if I told you how to get there, you still have to beat the guy in order to get your wish granted, you know? As you are now... you''re a lot stronger than last time, but far from strong enough. That guy reached the Almighty level thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years ago. To try and fight him like you are now... well, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say a single breath from him would turn you into dust."


    "...I''ll worry about myself. Just tell me where I can find it."


    The hero sighed. "Well if you''re that determined..."


    Before the hero could finish talking, that stern blonde beauty came over and said, "Yuu! Are you truly going to reveal the location of that dragon to this man?"


    Gray narrowed his eyes.


    She was strong... but not as strong as the red-haired hero.


    Not as strong as him.


    "Easy there, Angie. It''s fine, it''s fine. We''re all friends here, after all. Right, Gray?"


    Gray turned his gaze back on the man... on Yuu.


    "...I won''t ask how you know my name. But I''m at the end of my patience now. If you don''t tell me, don''t blame me for what happens next."


    A single breath. No matter how strong Yuu was, the red-haired hero wouldn''t be fast enough to stop him from killing the blonde woman beside him.


    Not only that, but the other beauties sitting at the table... yes, they weren''t as strong as Gray either.


    A single attack. Refracting space to strike three times at once. Ripping through the cracks in their being.


    He could do it. He didn''t know how or why, but he could intuitively feel that he could do it.


    One moment was all it would take.


    One moment, one breath, three deaths...


    "But Yuu-"


    Gray tensed.


    "Angie. Shut up."


    The playful voice was gone, replaced by cold steel.


    Hearing that, Angie was quiet and gave a meek nod.


    When she did, Yuu turned back to Gray and said, "Alright then. Don''t blame me for your death. You can find the dragon at Yajin Mountain in Xian. I''d recommend not going alone, since the dragon will grant the wish of all who beat him, but if you insist on dying-"


    Gray didn''t need to hear anything else.


    Without a word, he turned around and left the bar.


    -Raining. It seemed that the rain still hadn''t stopped, even after his long hours nursing his drink in the bar.


    Not only that, but it was night now, making it impossible for anybody to see anything in the city.


    But he wasn''t just ''anybody''.


    The eyes given to him by Eliza at the cost of her remaining life... the ones that showed Gray the cracks of the world along with the flaws of those he met. With those, the city was as clear as daylight.


    "A wish..."


    Gray muttered and made his way through the city.


    A wish. A way to overturn the cruel hand that this world had dealt him. A means to even cheat death and steal back Eliza from his grasp.


    ...But he was weak. He was still far too weak to even think about challenging the dragon.


    "Then... I just have to get stronger, don''t I?"


    It was simple.


    If he was weak, then he just had to get stronger.


    As he was, his body was just on the threshold of breaking the Champion realm and entering the Braveheart realm. As for his magical prowess, that had reached the Braveheart realm long ago.


    Stronger. He had to get stronger. Strong enough to overturn the Almighty. Strong enough where not even death could take away the ones he loved.


    "Strength, knowledge, ability..."


    He was lacking in every aspect.


    -But that was fine. It was to be expected of someone like him who had not been born in this world. Yet, because of that fact... he also knew methods of getting powerful, quickly.


    "Ha. Haha. Hahaha! Did you think this was enough to stop me, World? Did you think this was enough to break me?!"


    Mad laughter. Standing alone in the streets with rain coming down, even the most hardened of criminals would keep a wide berdth, let alone any normal civilians.


    Gray shook his head. His laughter stopped, but a twisted grin had taken its place. "Bringing Eliza into my life but stealing her away. Sending me here and giving me hope to return home only to reveal it was fake. Fine. Fine."


    Magical prowess was a measure of one''s ability to channel energy. Magic was simply a phenomenon born from the result of channeling that energy. And by channeling that energy, the body simultaneously grew more powerful, becoming accustomed to ever increasing burdens and acclimatizing as a result.


    For someone like him who had come from another world where countless individuals had fantasized about magic and other worlds, where there were countless people who had written up elaborate systems grounded in self-consistent realities... it was only a matter of time.


    Time, and resources.


    "Magic stones... the crystallization of the world''s energy. I''ll need a lot of those. And sigils. I''ll need more sigils like the one I got from the True Water Rune."


    A plan. He knew what to do, and he knew how to get there.


    All it would take was time.


    ...Yes. Time.


    Filled with countless ideas to gain strength, Gray left Eternia, his footsteps unheard beneath the falling rain.


    <hr>


    Yuu watched Gray leave from his seat by the window and let out a sigh. Is this enough?


    The promise he had made to her all those years ago... After crossing worlds and slaying the divine, finally, he was able to fulfill it.


    ¡°But Eliza¡­ are you sure that this was the best choice for him?¡± he muttered.


    That man¡­ he was broken. Broken in ways that even he, the one who betrayed humanity couldn¡¯t comprehend. Left alone in this world¡­


    ¡°Yuu! Are you even listening?¡±


    Angie¡¯s voice drew the old hero out of his thoughts.


    He smiled and put Gray out of his mind.


    He had done his part. Whatever happened next¡­ it no longer concerned him.


    <hr>


    As Gray walked away from Eternia under the cover of rain and darkness, a man with brown hair and a non-descript face was sitting at a desk in the Eternal Castle. All around him, various reports and papers were left half-filled.


    Those in the upper-nobility would know him as Lord Fenrir.


    As for the hidden forces of the Eternal Kingdom... they would know him as Founder Simon, leader of the organization called Hel.


    At the moment, he was holding something in his hands. A strange, rectangular device with a glass screen. By his feet, there was another strange item. It was a bag made of a material that couldn''t be identified even by the kingdom''s most famous alchemists.


    "Hm... so this is the Divine Artifact that will allow us to kill the Demon King? Seems innocent enough... hard to believe it nullifies magic when it seems so fragile."


    If Gray was there, he would recognize it. After all, it belonged to him.


    A smartphone made in the 21st century and embodying humanity''s current knowledge. Within it, the operating system reflecting a world''s different rules lay dormant.


    Simon shrugged and put the device inside the most secure place in Eternia... his desk drawer.


    "Well, I suppose I should tell the princess about the mission''s success." Simon sighed as he remembered what it entailed. "And to think it cost me ''Piercing Death'' just to reveal it... the thought of that is sickening. Don''t you think so, Bob?"


    "Sir, yes sir!"


    The one who answered was a knight standing close by the door to Simon''s office.


    His name wasn''t really Bob, but he''d long given up on correcting Simon, the man who was both fond of monologues and saying whatever he wanted.


    "Glad to hear you agree. Now let''s go get some dinner."


    "Sir? What about the princess?"


    Simon scowled. "That brat can wait. Just because of that damned ¡®Goddess¡¯ I had to get rid of the queen I had cultivated from a simple pawn. Do you know how many years that set me back? DO YOU?!"


    "No, Sir."


    Simon nodded. "Right. You don''t. Now come on. I haven''t eaten anything all day and I heard that we''ve gotten some new prisoners recently."


    "...Yes, Sir. Young and powerful Anima, just as you asked."


    "Wonderful. Let''s get to it then."


    The knight called Bob gave Simon a curt nod and then led the way to the dungeons.


    Behind him, the monster disguised in human skin licked his lip in anticipation.


    <hr>


    The office was empty. The lair of the monster garbed as a human was left unprotected upon his departure.


    Of course. They were in the center of Eternia, the capital of humanity''s kingdom and motherland. To reach it, one would have had to bypass countless guards as well as somehow obscure themselves from the view of the Goddess watching over the kingdom.


    -But the person who appeared from within that office had done just that.


    It was a powerfully built man with golden hair and silver eyes. Looking around the room, his gaze soon found the drawer that Simon had hidden the smartphone in.


    With a single wave, the drawer instantly opened, revealing not only the smartphone, but valuable documents that exposed all of the kingdom''s covert actions.


    The man swept them all up into his bag and then closed the drawer.


    In the next moment, he was gone, leaving no trace of him behind.


    <hr>


    A hero from another world and his companions.


    A monster lurking in the shadows of the kingdom.


    A demon infiltrating the monster¡¯s lair.


    Three major parties, representing forces that could change the course of the world.


    Unbeknownst to them, soon, a meaningless hero would emerge.


    Soon, the world would know of Nihil.


    <hr>


    End Book 1: Return Void