《Otherworld University (異世界大学)》 Chapter 1 : The Beginning [Oi! Wake up] I faintly hear as my face was being forcefully slapped. [Get up!] The slapping intensified as I groggily opened my eyes. With the gleam of the faint light shining down on face, I see the silhouette of a fairly brown-skinned man looking down at me menacingly. [Hurry and get up! This place is giving me shivers. Where the hell are we anyways?] His voice¡¯s familiarity was slow intensifying as I hear more and more of it. The man sat down on the floor next to me. It was cold and pebbly with small chunks of rocks stabbing my back as I laid lying. I slowly got up and got a better look at man that was sitting beside me. It was Jun ¡°Johnathan¡± Edwards, or as I better knew him as C.J. He was, or much rather, still is my roommate in university. He was a pretty tall (192 cm) 20-years-old half-Japanese half- Hawaiian man with short-curly black hair. Despite being half-Japanese, he took on more of his Hawaiian side rather, making him look a lot more intimidating to other people, not that if tall stature and toned muscular build wasn¡¯t enough. Many people, however, did find him quite attractive. We became friends in our first year of university as we had two very contrasting hobbies in common, martial arts and anime, and moved in together in our second year with another one of our colleagues after we were kicked out of our dorms due to ¡°issues¡±. There probably might have been another reason that we moved in together. I am also mixed-blooded, as some people would say, being a third-Japanese and a quarter-American. However, compared to the him, I stood at a shorter 170 centimeters, with light skin and short black hair. Despite being interested in the same martial arts, however, I was much less muscular, as I often neglected muscle training. [Izumi, you okay? It¡¯s been about an hour since I woke up and you¡¯ve been unconscious ever since] he said, looking at his watch. {Where are we?} [How am I supposed to know? I woke up here just like you!]If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I stand up and look around to see a dimly lit room that seemed to stretch indefinitely. The floor and surrounds seemed to be made of rocks and dirt and eroded stone pillars that seemed to be holding up the structure of the area. In lengthy intervals, there were lights, seemingly similar to the torch perched on the wall that we were next to, station on the pillars. The air felt humid and the cool wind that flowed through left an eerie sound behind. {Get up.} [What for? We don¡¯t even know where we are. Plus, I¡¯m still tired from yesterday¡¯s practice] Despite him being a martial arts fanatic, the practice that he was talking about wasn¡¯t sparring. He had joined a dance circle called Yosakoi at our university and usually comes home late every night tired. But just staying in this spot would not help us understand the situation that we were in. {Just get up. We¡¯re not going to get anywhere just by sitting around here. This place seems dangerous and I want out of here.} [That¡¯s my point. We don¡¯t know anything about this place so we should stay here. There could be wild animals, like a bear, around here. I am not getting involved with that.] Petty arguments were pretty common in our apartment, so this went back and forth for quite some time. *squeak * *squeak * [What was that?] {Probably just the wind. Back to the topic, where are w¡ª} [Be quiet for a second. The sounds in growing louder. It¡¯s getting closer] *squeak * *squeak * {It¡¯s just a rat. Caves have rats. What are you so afraid o¡ª What is that thing?!} It was as big as a Rottweiler with dark grey fur covering its body. Jagged teeth protruding from its frothing mouth. The claws on its seemed as sharp as a sword. It stopped in front of us and stared us down with its beady, blood-red eyes. C.J. turned to me and let out a wry smile and smirked. [Told you so.] It growled, followed by a shrill roar. It jumped towards C.J., with its mouth opened, baring its razor-sharp fangs. C.J. was able to get up from where he was sitting on, barely evading it''s monsterour bite, but I couldn¡¯t say the same for the pillar that was behind him. What was left behind was basketball-sized crater in the pillar. {I¡¯m starting to think that that¡¯s not a normal rat anymore¡­} [Oh, you think?] The rat crushed the pieces of rumble remaining in its mouth, then turned around and glared at us once again. It screeched once again, about to lunge for an attack. All of the sudden, C.J. ran up its side and kicked it in the stomach, sending it flying into the pillar. It made impact with the rock formation then fell down to the floor, stunned. [While its down!] Both of us ran towards the downed rat and continuously stomped on its head and body until it was a bloody mess. It out a horrible shriek as it died. Kind of gruesome now, since I just recently compared it to man¡¯s best friend. [Thank God I had shoes on.] {Come on! I¡¯m wearing sandals! There are blood and bits covering my toes!} I am never wearing sandals again¡­ {Despite looking so menacing and feral, it went down quite easily.} [Well we were stomping its guts out for a minute straight.] We both sat down to catch our breaths. Not every day you brutally murder a giant rat monster. However, not long after, I started hearing an even louder scurrying of feet and even louder squeaking. *squeak * *squeak * *squeak * *squeak * *squeak * *squeak * *squeak * *squeak * {You don¡¯t think that...} [It can¡¯t be...] We said to each other concerned laughs while nervously sweating. From the dark, a colony of rat 30, no, 40 giant rats rushed towards us, all with gleaming red eyes and frothing mouths. [¡°Run!!!¡±] Chapter 2 : Encounter {Why did we have to kill it in the first place? You could have just knocked it out then we could have ran. Now we have a horde of bloodthirsty rat monsters chasing after us!} [Oh, calm down, Izumi. You tired already? You shouldn¡¯t have declined to go to the gym all those times I invited you.] {Now is not the time to be joking around, C.J.} It¡¯s been roughly 10 minutes now since we¡¯ve been running from those rats. And what C.J. said was true. Compared to him, I am much less physically inclined, thus me being tired after sprinting 10 minutes was a normal thing. But I couldn¡¯t stop. Incidentally, during our escape, we ran through an entrance to a tunnel. No more pillars to worry about running into, at least. But running in this narrow passage way still has its dangers. [You know, if someone were to trip here, I don¡¯t think that even their bones would remain after they¡¯re done with them] {I know what you¡¯re thinking¡­ And I swear to God, if you trip me, I¡¯ll haunt you until your death} The rats were still running after us, with the size of the horde seemingly growing as we progressed through the dungeon. The commotion most likely caused more monsters to join in. In the distance, there was a faint ball of light glowing dimly. Soon after two more balls of light started to shine. I could hear people speaking from the direction that we were heading. ¡°Oh great. Another bunch of newbies got themselves in a predicament again.¡± ¡°How many times has ¡®it been this week¡± ¡°The third time I suppose. Rolaf, would you do the honors?¡± ¡°My pleasure, madam¡± The clanking sound of a coin being tossed echoed throughout the tunnel. ¡°Heads, madam¡± ¡°They should consider themselves lucky to be saved by the great me.¡± One of the balls of lights suddenly disappeared and was immediately replaced by fiery sphere that was roughly the size of a basketball. The red light from the orb outshined the two next to it. ¡°Mighty ancestors, hear my plea. May Ignis engulf my enemies in a torrent of flames. Chain Explosion!¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. The ball of fire flew towards us at an incredible speed, and without hitting us, went past towards the cluster of rats. Though it didn¡¯t make contact with either of us, I felt as if the entire right side of my body was being torched. The fireball made contact with one of the rats in the front of the horde, promptly incinerating it. Immediately after, the rats in close proximity to it also began going up in flames until not one was left alive. We continued running until we came close to the orbs of light that we had been seen. There stood third people. The one of the left was a pale old man in his 50s wearing glasses. He had his silver combed back and was wearing what looking to be an old-fashioned butler¡¯s uniform while holding on to a long wooden cane. He was slightly taller than me, to which I let out an inner sigh. The man was very well groomed and had great physique for someone of his age. The one on the left was a dark-skinned girl in knight¡¯s armor. Her tied-up red hair seemed to perfectly contrast with her alluring topaz colored eyes. Her ¡°assets¡± were also quite remarkable, so as C.J. and I made a quick glance at each other. He knew what I was thinking and so did I. The only thing that was slightly abnormal about the scene was that she had a jagged spear, about the same length as my body, holstered on her back. What seemed to be an insignia of a dragon embedded into the blade of the spear made it even more menacing. She was roughly 180 centimeters, to which I let out an even louder internal sigh. Yea, make fun of me all you want. It¡¯s perfectly healthy for a man to be insecure about his size¡­ In more ways than one¡­ Lastly, the one in the middle was a blonde-haired girl wearing a frilly white dress. Her demeanor was quite prideful as she stood there with her hands on her hips and her chest held high. Speaking of chests, once again causing the both of us to make a quick glance at each other. Only this time, we could see the pity in each other¡¯s eyes. She was, to my content, quite shorter than me. Around 155 centimeters tall, to which I subconsciously smirked and let out a ¡°heh¡±. ¡°What¡¯s so funny? You should be thankful that someone as great as me would spend her time to help such filthy commoners.¡± Apparently, she noticed me laughing at her height and angrily replied. The red-haired girl then spoke with curiosity. ¡°Arara, why isn¡¯t this a strange sight to see. A human with a¡­ dark elf? Wait, but he¡¯s too tall to be a dark elf. A giant? No, too small. Rolaf, what is he?!¡± [I¡¯m human, too!] I could see the embarrassment on C.J.¡¯s face, to which I tried to hold in my laughter, but ultimately failed. The girl in the middle, then, began to speak again. ¡°Where is my ¡°thank you¡±, huh? Commoners these days. No manners whatsoever.¡± [Excuse me? We never asked for your help. We could have escaped by ourselves.] {(whisper) You sure about that? I mean, I don¡¯t think that we could have outran that horde.} [(whisper) I know, but she pisses me off.] ¡°Never mind that. Who are you people anyways? People from this town aren¡¯t stupid enough to dive into Ingris Dungeon like this. Only new adventurers and fools like you would.¡± {You know, its rude to ask for someone else¡¯s name before giving your own. I would have thought that someone boasting about manners would know something as simple as this.} ¡°Why you little!!¡± {Bring it, shorty!} In the end, I was held back by C.J. and the blonde girl was being held back by the knight. I could already tell that I was not going to get along with this person. The butler soon stepped in. ¡°I am incredibly sorry for the behavior of the young miss. She means no harm. As for introductions, I am Rolaf and this young miss is Miss Sheila, daughter of the Duke of Rondor.¡± ¡°Yoo! I¡¯m Mira! Nice to meetcha¡¯!¡± Whilst giving their introductions, Sheila was still squirming around, even though she was held being held back. ¡°Now now, Miss Sheila. Such behavior is most unladylike. I would not want to have to tell your father about this, would I?¡± Immediately, the girl quieted down and Rolaf grinned and smartly readjusted his glasses. ¡°Might I know the name of you two fine gentlemen?¡± {Sure. My name is---} I immediately turned C.J. around, putting my arm around his shoulders, huddling. The three in front of us had confused looks on their faces. {(whisper) Ok. This might sound stupid but hear me out. I suggest we use fake names.} [(whisper) That¡¯s stupid. What¡¯s wrong with using our real names?] {(whisper) This sounds farfetched but I think that we¡¯re in a different world. I¡¯m pretty sure that there no place on Earth called Rondor. There¡¯s no way that a rat would be that big. And we almost got burned to a crisp by a fireball that seemed like magic!} [(whisper) Uhm...] {(whisper) Plus, I always wanted to use an alias like in games.} [(whisper) Oh god¡­ You¡¯re such an otaku¡­] We finished our short huddle and then proceeded to introduce ourselves to the three. {I¡¯m Rein Silvers.} [I¡¯m Baal Zak¡­ Ouch! What did you do that for?!] I promptly kicked him in the leg {Don¡¯t fuck around man.} [I¡¯m Abel Freikas] ¡°Well, Mr. Silvers and Mr. Freikas, shall we leave this dungeon?¡± Chapter 3 : Outside {Argh! The sun! It burns!} Suddenly, the sound of hurrying footsteps and screaming children fill the vicinity. A group of 8 guards surrounded our group with spears and swords at the ready. There was one member, in particular, that seemed a cut above the rest. While the others were wearing mainly leather armor, he donned plate armor with the insignia of a dragon, like the one carved on Mira¡¯s spear. He had short brown hair and stylishly had a well-groomed beard to add. ¡°At the ready, guards! A vampire has just exited the dungeon! Somebody go and call the head priest or a fire magic specialist! We will hold this demon back¡± ¡°Calm down, head knight. There are no vampires here. Just a couple of idiot commoners.¡± ¡°My apologies, Miss Sheila. It just that this town is right next to a demon continent. Us guards always have to be ready for an attack. Please warn your comrades to be careful with their words.¡± ¡°I would prefer it if you didn¡¯t group me with these peasants. Anyways, we would like entrance into the city.¡± ¡°Why certainly, miss. Just as a precaution, please show me your guild cards. We have run into problems with demons that used a conceal spell before.¡± Zooming towards us, the silhouette of Mira flew past us and embraced the head knight. The sight of a towering giant holding on to a man a head shorter than her and lifting him up with ease astonished us both. ¡°Papa! I didn¡¯t know that you were on guard duty today. Where¡¯s Mama?¡± ¡°Mira, I would appreciate it if you didn¡¯t crush Papa¡¯s ribs every time that you see me.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re rarely home because of work. Mama and I are worried about you.¡± ¡°I just saw Mia today. She at the inn. You should go see her when you head back.¡± Both of us did not know what do think of the situation. Surely enough, I could see the expression on Abel¡¯s face. I knew he was thinking the same thing that I was. We didn¡¯t exactly make it very subtle. ¡°I see that you may be wondering about how a human like me can have a child like Mira here.¡± {Sorry, we didn¡¯t mean any disrespect. We were just curious.} The knight proceeded to laugh then proceeded to explain. ¡°Hahaha. I see. You see, Mira¡¯s mother is a dark elf. While marriage with demon races is usually banned and heavily sentenced in other parts of the Kingdom of Kines, since Rondor is so close to the border of a demon continent, the rules sort of died out. Even the church here seems to have no quarrel with it and support it as if it were any other marriage.¡± We both let out streams of tears. Wow. A love that transcends borders and boundaries. Such a heart moving thing. However, I knew that Abel wasn¡¯t thinking the same thing I was. Knowing him for quite some time now, I could probably guess that he was thinking. [Dark Elves?! Since there are Dark Elves, then that means there are Elves. If they are anything like the idea of Elves that we had back on Earth, then¡­. Oh, their voluptuous bodies. Those smooth legs. Pure white skin. HARMONY!!!]Stolen story; please report. Thank god he didn¡¯t say any of that out loud. I would hate it if we were to be looked upon with disgusted eyes when we entered the city. ¡°Anyways. Sorry to be late with introductions. My name is Keith Hawthorne, the head knight of Rondor. And I¡¯m pretty sure that you have also met my daughter, Mira.¡± {It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, uh¡­. Mr. Hawthorne. I am Rein Silvers.} [Abel Freikas.] ¡°Well then, lads. Welcome to Rondor. While I would let you in on normal circumstances since you were with Miss Sheila and Mira, but since you caused that commotion back there and I have frankly never seen your faces before, I¡¯m going to have to ask you for your identification.¡± Knowing that we didn¡¯t have anything like a guild card, I reached into my pouch and pulled out my wallet, which will luckily there, even after all of the running. I opened it and pulled out my Japanese ID card. Soon after Abel did the same. We handed the cards to Mr. Hawthorne, to which he made a confused look. ¡°Sorry lads. What are these strange symbols? Some kind of foreign language I suppose. So, I was right about you guys not being from around here. But sorry, I don¡¯t think that I can let you in with these cards. I¡¯ll have to bring you boys into the guard¡¯s room to clear up some things. Oh, Miss Sheila, you are free to enter. I am terribly sorry for the wait.¡± Sheila, along with Rolaf, walked past the guards in front of the gate into the city. Before entering, however, she stuck out her tongue as if to mock us, then happily skipping inside. {Oh, that girl pisses me off. Next time I see her, I¡¯ll get her back} Mr. Hawthorne abruptly interrupted. ¡°Hahaha, I don¡¯t think that that is such a good idea lad. Her father is the Duke of this city, so doing anything that might bring them insult wouldn¡¯t be the best idea. And, despite her cocky attitude, Miss Sheila is a B rank mage registered with the adventurer¡¯s guild. She¡¯s not someone that normal people could take on. Now then, shall we enter?¡± The guard behind Mr. Hawthorne opened a door to which we asked to follow him into. I walked in first, followed by Abel, who almost hit his head on the top of the door frame. [By the way, you heard the sound of a coin toss in the dungeon too, right?] {Yea¡­ . . . That girl really is a bitch.} [I think that we can agree on that.] We entered the guard¡¯s room and, to our surprise, it was nothing like that of which we expected. The room was very well lit by a chandelier with orbs of light instead of the typical candles or light bulbs. It was very well furnished with wooden chairs and tables and was kept very clean. On the stone walls, there were a few paintings that were aligned, with one painting in a particular, the portrayal of an angel, caught my sight. She was drawn with a single cloth draping her body and her crimson hair flowing as she looked out into the horizon. The most striking feature Though it was a painting, I could feel a very strong aura that was being emitted. As if some higher power was being bestowed onto it. ¡°I see that the painting of Vel has caught your eye.¡± {It just so mesmerizing. Even from where we are from, we rarely have paintings as beautiful as this one.} I guess one of the only paintings that I could compare this to would be the Mona Lisa. The artistry was truly remarkable. [Who is Vel?] ¡°Vel is the goddess the governs over the demi-human and demon races. Out of the 7 main gods of the church, she reigns second in power. She is widely worshiped in cities bordering the demon continent and within the continent itself as well. Now then, why don¡¯t we have a seat.¡± We sat down at one of the tables near the painting, with Abel and I sitting on one side and Mr. Hawthorne on the other side¡­ with Mira hugging him from behind. Kind of takes the seriousness away from the whole situation. ¡°Now then, Rein Silvers and Abel Freikas, I would like to know where you came from and what you were doing in Ingris Dungeon. Normally, no matter where you are from, you would have at least known about the 7 Deities. You didn¡¯t have a guild card either, so I am starting to become suspicious whether you are related to the demon continent or not.¡± We decided to tell him the whole story, from when we woke up in the dungeon and until now. About the span of four hours actually, so it wasn¡¯t a hassle to tell it in its entirety. However, we didn¡¯t want to mention that we were from another world, as something like that may be farfetched, so we moved some facts around here and there. ¡°Ja..pang? I¡¯ve never heard of such a place before, but from your description, it sounds like a part of Teikoku.¡± So apparently there is a continent that is similar to Japan here. Obviously not the technological empire that we know Japan as today, but rather Japan from a couple hundreds of years ago. Samurai and the shogunate. Luckily, I took a History of Japan course in university, so I was able to explain the details somewhat accurately. Explaining things like electronics and Akihabara might be a bit too difficult in a world that revolves around a fantasy like setting. [We lost most of our belongings during our escape from the giant rats, and to be honest, I don¡¯t think that we can go back there in our current state. We had trouble dealing with just one, so I¡¯m not sure whether we can search for our belongings safely.] ¡°That is indeed a predicament. Well, I guess I have no choice but to let you in on a provisionary permit. It won¡¯t cost you any money, but you will be limited to the facilities that you can use. I recommend that you immediately go to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and apply for new cards there. I¡¯ll have Mira show you around. Be sure to visit the Moonlight Inn while you¡¯re at it.¡± So, we said our thanks and proceeded to enter the city of Rondor along with Mira.
In a room dimly lit by blue flames, two shadows were present, conversing. One sat upon a black-metal throne, while the other, kneeled before him, presented a report. ¡°The two have recently exited the dungeon entered the city of Rondor, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Good work, Cecilia. Keep on following them and report any significant actions to me immediately.¡± ¡°Your will is my command, Lord Kaz.¡± The kneeling shadow swiftly disappeared from the room, leaving no trace of her presence behind. The flames dissipated, making the room pitch black. ¡°I wonder what those two will be up to in the near future¡­¡± Chapter 4 : Divine Intervention Rondor City, a city in the far west reaches of the Kingdom of Kines and one of the only city civilizations bordering the demon continent. It has a rough population of 3,000 people and an area of approximately 20 kilometers. Due to the uprising of the demon continent, the population density of the city is quite low, being that most people have escaped towards the center of the kingdom. Despite that, the condition of the city seems to be very well and lively due to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, although there was still some deterioration due to old age. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild takes care of most of the order in the city. They hand out quests and jobs to adventurers and mercenaries, sell and distribute raw material to the citizens, and provide support to the guards and knights in protecting the city. Or so we were told by Mira. We walked passed many shops and stalls selling a variety of goods, from local farm-grown vegetables to a blacksmith with stands of swords displayed in front of the shop. ¡°Cabbages! Come get your cabbages here! Fresh cabbages!¡± ¡°You there, young lad! Come get yer armor! We got the finest wears that you can get for any situation. Be it dungeon crawlin¡¯ or questin¡¯! We got it all!¡± There was also a stall that was selling skewered meat marinated with some herbs. We had only realized just then, that through all the running in the dungeon, we were hungry. Problem was, we had no form of currency that would be usable here. All we had was a total of 7,000 yen in paper bills. I highly doubt that we would be able to use those here. [So, I guess that we¡¯re going to have to find some work.] {I guess so.} [You can sell your body at a brothel like you did before.] {I told you! It was a ramen restaurant! It just happened to be near the red-light district.} ¡°Before we go to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, there¡¯s a place that I think you guys might want to visit, especially you, Reiny. It¡¯s on the way there, anyways.¡± {Reiny¡­?} ¡°Yep! The church!¡± Mira pointed at a cathedral like building. The exterior was lined with white bricks and the roof was lined with black tiles. Like the rest of the city, due to old age, the white bricks were slightly tinted with a faint black and the roof seemed to be missing some tiles. There were also some vines grow up along the side of the walls. Overall, however, the place seemed to be very well kept and majestic nonetheless. We walked inside and it was as we would and expected of the interior of a church. However, there were seven statues aligned at the far end of the building. Each one depicted what I assumed to be one of the seven deities of mentioned by Mr. Hawthorne. A nun walked up to towards us. She wore a black dress with a cross hanging from her neck. Her smooth, golden hair contrasted quiet well with the dress she was wearing and her cyan-blue eyes gave off a very calming feeling. She was a very beautiful lady overall. ¡°Welcome to the Church of the Divines. My name is Ardent, the head priest. Ah, Mira. I have not seen you around for a while. I hope you are doing well. Ara, now here are two faces that I have never seen around here before. A human and a¡­. dark elf? Friends of yours, Mira?¡± ¡°Yep, I just met them today in the dungeon. Oh, and also, surprisingly, they are both humans.¡± ¡°Oh my. I have never seen a human this tall before. My apologies. Well then, what business do you have at the church today?¡± {We just arrived in town today, so we don¡¯t really know the area. Mira is taking us around, and since this place was on the way to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, we thought it was a good idea to stop by.¡± [But, now I¡¯m actually interested. We know of the goddess, Vel, but what of the other deities?] We walked up towards the statues, stopping right in front. I could feel many strong presences, a different one coming from each of the statues, almost as if they were clashing with one another. ¡°As you might already know, these seven are known as the ¡°Seven Deities¡±. Each of them governs a certain aspect of life and a corresponding element. Other than their names, they are also well known by their titles:
  1. Lento ¨C Light; The Creator
  2. Vel ¨C Darkness; The Nightmother
  3. Ignis ¨C Fire; The Godflame
  4. Terra ¨C Earth; The Gaiaforce
  5. Aqua ¨C Water; The Tidecaller
  6. Ventus ¨C Wind; The Windfury
  7. Jest ¨C Time & Space; The Jester of Dimensions
Each of these deities are worshiped by most affiliations of the Church, with the exception of the Demon Continent, strictly aligning with only Vel, and Teikoku, who have their own set of guardian deities.¡± We walked closer to the statues, as if there was something that was drawing us towards them and ended up in front of the statue of Jest. Like the other deities, he was dressed in a white robe, but had a mask covering his entire face but his eyes. {Miss Ardent, can you tell us a bit more about Jest?¡± . . . {Miss Ardent?} I turn around to see if anything was wrong, but everything seemed perfectly normal. I turned to Abel, as seemed he confused as well. Then I began to realize; she was stuck in place, frozen in time. The same was for Mira, not moving a muscle. Not even breathing. Moments later, the surroundings started to fade away until everything around me and Abel was nothing but white.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. [Oi! What¡¯s going on here?!] {Look at that¡­} In front of us, a black door started to materialize from the ground up. It looked a Victorian-era double-door, with roses and vines decorating the outer parts, also black. The doorknob slowly started turning until a click sound was hear. The right door eerily opened. I could hear the sound of each creak being made as black smoke continually flowed out. A shadowed figure walked out and came towards us. The door behind it disappeared and with each step it made, the shadow dissipated away from its body. What stood before us was a man with short red hair wearing a black ballroom suit, white gloves and holding a ruby-embedded cane. His beautifully light skin further emphasized the glaring yellow of his iris. The most notable thing about him was that he had a white smiling mask positioned on the upper right side of his head. Placing his right hand on his heart and bowing, he spoke. ¡°Good day, gentlemen. How are you enjoying this world so far? I hope that it has been welcoming to you. I am Jest, the Jester of Dimensions.¡± [Jest? Of the ¡°Seven Deities¡±?] ¡°That is correct, Jun Edwards, or should I be calling you Abel Freikas now? I believe the same goes for you, Rein Silvers?¡± {You know of us?} ¡°Of course. I am a god after all. The god of time and space, to be specific. But I am pretty sure that you already know that.¡± {What business do you have with us? I¡¯m pretty sure an almighty god like yourself wouldn¡¯t just go and greet someone without reason.} ¡°But that is exactly what I am here for, my dear sir. Welcome to Yggdrasil. Though you have probably already experienced it for yourself, this world is not like your own. This world is what I believe you on Earth would call a fantasy world.¡± [So, you brought us here? What about our lives back on Earth? What about our families? What about my hard drive?!] ¡°My apologies. I was not the one who summoned you here, but rather, a magician capable of using summoning magic, and a competent one at that. People from different worlds usually carry higher potential than those originally from Yggdrasil, so having one could greatly influence a country¡¯s warring strength or economy. Although I find it strange that you would wake up inside of a dungeon.¡± {Is there any way that we can go return to Earth?} ¡°It is possible, but it requires much more magical power in order to send you back compared to bringing you over here. Approximately 1000 times more, as a matter of fact. I could send you back, but it would cause me to go into a passive state for a few hundred years, which I would prefer not to. We might be called gods, but we are not almighty. But I won¡¯t just leave you out here to die helplessly.¡± [¡°Huh?¡±] Rows and columns of words appeared out of thin air, presenting themselves in front of us. Luckily, it was in a language that we could actually read, so that was a relief. What was unexpected was the contents. [What are these?] ¡°You did not think that I was going to leave you without some kind of advantage, did you? While I am already giving you the innate ability to use magic, would it not be better if you were to distinguish yourselves from the denizens of this world? Although you will be able to acquire new skills as you gain more experience, these skills are unique and cannot be acquired by normal means, so choose any one that might suit your interest. The list went on and on. There were some that seemed over-powered, but after thinking about it, its use was quite limited. Some were just plain ridiculous. [Mighty Libido] ¡­ I would prefer not to go down such a route. There was one, however, that I found to be very interesting: [Lesser Creation Magic]. [Lesser Creation Magic - An ancient magic form. Allows the user to create and transform material into various forms. Being of the lesser variation, the usage is limited to lesser, simple designs. Imbuing magical properties is not possible. Able to grow.] The concept of being able to create equipment and items is quite appealing to me. It, also, being able to evolve into a stronger variant also means that it wouldn¡¯t become redundant further down along the line. With that being said, I made my mind. Abel chose a skill called [Manifestation]. [Manifestation ¨C Allows the user to manifest their desires into physical form. The clearer the image, the stronger the effect. Duration and strength of manifestations will be proportionate to magical power.] When I asked him about it, he said that he thought that it was a good match for him, seeing that he was an artist, he was able to image and objects in great detail which would make his creations stronger. ¡°Lesser Creation Magic and Manifestation, huh? Interesting choices. Here is another gift from me: [Analyze]. This skill allows you to gain information from practically anything in detail and numerical value. Think of it as somewhat of a ¡°God¡¯s Eye¡± if you would, though not omnipotent. Try it on yourselves.¡± A chart of numerical values and lists filled up my field of view. I was initially taken back by the amount of information that appeared but was soon later able to look through it properly.
Rein Silvers (Aono Izumi)
Level 2 Race Human
Age 19 Class Commoner
STR 12 (+ 2) DEX 13 (+ 2)
VIT 9 (+ 2) AGI 10 (+ 2)
INT 15 (+ 2) WIS 14 (+ 2)
Skills: ¡¤ Language Comprehension (Lv. Max) ¡¤ Analyze (Lv. 1) ¡¤ Lesser Creation Magic (Lv.1)
Abel Freikas (Jun Edwards)
Level 2 Race Human
Age 20 Class Commoner
STR 15 (+ 2) DEX 8 (+ 2)
VIT 14 (+ 2) AGI 10 (+ 2)
INT 13 (+ 2) WIS 10 (+ 2)
Skills: ¡¤ Language Comprehension (Lv. Max) ¡¤ Analyze (Lv. 1) ¡¤ Manifestation (Lv.1)
¡°Your status will reflect your general abilities and attributes and will increase as your level increases. Your class and specialization will also give slight benefit and, being from another world, your stats will also have a slight increase as well.¡± {Why are you giving us all of these benefits?} ¡°To simply put it, I am bored. I am quite interested in you two, so I am willing to invest some of my power in order to see what you two may become. I may be a jester, but I also need to be entertained at times too. I am running out of time here, ironically, so I will return you to your own dimension. Feel free to do as you please. ¡°We¡± will be watching you from above.¡± The white room started to dissipate and the familiar scene of the church had returned. Simultaneously, time also began to flow. Miss Ardent and Mira continued talked like nothing had happened. ¡°So that was a brief explanation of the ¡°Seven Deities¡±. Is there anything else that you would like to know? Ara, are you two alright? Your faces are quite pale.¡± {No, everything is fine. Thank you very much. We will come by again sometimes, but we would like to go to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild before it gets dark.} [Thank you for having us.] ¡°See you later, Ardent!¡± ¡°I hope to see you again soon. Feel free to come by anytime.¡± We left the church and headed to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, somewhat anxious, yet eager to experience this world. I had a feeling that we would be meeting with Jest some time again in the future. But for now, I¡¯m excited to see what this has in store for us.
¡°They seem like an interesting couple, Aqua, are they not?¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to they will do in this world.¡± ¡°So, Jest, since you showed such favoritism to those two, you wouldn¡¯t mind if ¡°we¡± gave some ¡°assistance¡± to the others, would you?¡± ¡°Why certainly. The more the merrier.¡± Chapter 5: Rondor City Adventurers Guild [Oh god, it smells like shit in here!] {Keep your voice down!} Sometimes, Abel just speaks too carelessly, and it¡¯s gotten us into trouble quite often in the past. All eyes were glaring at us as we entered the guild. Burly men were in plenty, drinking the day away as the sun began to set. Had Mira not been with us, we probably would have four feet under before we even began our lives in this world. We walked passed the drunken adventurers, trying not to look anyone in the eye, towards the counter. Or at least that¡¯s what I thought, but Abel was staring down everyone that we walked passed. It was probably due to his size that nobody dared to stand up to him, but since everybody was drunk, that wasn¡¯t a guarantee. {Stop it. You¡¯re going to get us killed.} [Come on. You worry too much.] {Because I don¡¯t want to die.} I used [Analyze] at some of the adventurers to check the average level and stats of the people that were around us. Also, it was to seek out any potential people that we should stay away from and not anger, as a precaution. The general level was around 40 to 50, with an average status of about 130 for each attribute. We were severely outclassed at the moment. What most surprised me was the guild attendant at the counter.
Lucilius Wake
Level 135 Race Dhampir
Age 156 Class Battle Mage
STR 487 DEX 432
VIT 446 AGI 453
INT 523 WIS 476
Skills: ¡¤ Greater Dark Magic (Lv.7) ¡¤ Water Magic (Lv. 5) ¡¤ Sword Mastery (Lv. 24) ¡¤ Shadow Step (Lv. 15) ¡¤ Shadow Conjuration (Lv. 13) ¡¤ Mind Resistance (Lv. 7) ¡¤ Pain Resistance (Lv. 4) ¡¤ Magic Resistance (Lv. 7) ¡¤ Demon Eye (Lv. 11) Blessings: ¡¤ Shinso¡¯s Blessing ¡¤ Night Walker
In front of us was a man, who looked like he was in his 20s, but in reality, was actual 156 years old. He had blood-red eyes that stood out from his pale-white complexion and silver hair. The man had a very sophisticated look, wearing a long black coat and round glasses. His physical features and handsome appearance would have made him a model if this was Earth. ¡°Welcome to Rondor¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Ah, Miss Mira, I see that you are doing well. Oh? Who are these two young men behind you?¡± ¡°Just some people that I met in the dungeon today. They were almost killed by rat demons today. ~¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Mira tried to hold in her laugh, but I was able to see through it. It makes me wonder how strong those rats actually were. Abruptly, the sound of wood breaking was heard and a large bearded man with an even larger belly clumsily walked towards us. ¡°Hah! Almost killed by the rat demons? On the first floor of Ingris Dungeon? Pathetic!¡± As he rambled, saliva flew from his mouth onto our faces. A truly disgusting feeling. As I wiped the spit from my face, the man turned to face Abel. Although he was trying to look menacing, as he was shorter, I couldn¡¯t help but laugh, internally, at a fat man staring upwards at Abel. ¡°And you! You think that just because of your height you can look down on us? I¡¯ve seen and taken down larger men than you. You¡¯re just a piece of shit compared to m-.¡± ¡°Bargus, please settle down. You¡¯re disturbing the other people in here.¡± Though the man at the counter spoke with a smile, there was a discernable dark aura being emitted from his person. The intensity of his intimidation affected almost everyone in the room. Some froze up on the spot, and some of weaker adventurers lost consciousness. I could barely keep my knees from falling to the ground. I guess that it was to be expected of someone roughly four times as strong as the average adventurer. Beads of cold sweat started to form on the adventurer¡¯s face. ¡°I was only talking to them. I wasn¡¯t going to do anything to them. Really. I was going to give them some tips for future refe- ¡° ¡°I think you¡¯ve had a bit too much to drink. You should get yourself home. I hope that something like this would not happen in the future, or there might be some rather¡­ harsh consequences.¡± The man fell to his knees, with his eyes void of consciousness. Two other adventurers, who seemed to know him, picked him up by his arms and carried him out the door. The only people unfazed by the whole ordeal was the caster, himself, and Mira. ¡°Well then. I apologize for what happened there. Let me use this opportunity to introduce myself. I am Lucilius Wake, the right-hand man of the Guildmaster. Pleased to make your acquaintance.¡± Still dazed from what had just happened mere seconds ago, we introduced ourselves with the utmost politeness. He was definitely someone that we should not anger at any cost. [I am Abel Freikas¡­. Sir.] {My name is Rein Silvers. If you don¡¯t mind me asking¡­ sir... What was that back there?} ¡°Oh, that. The adventurers here often get rowdy. I just used some dark magic to startle them and stop them from doing something ¡­ unpleasant. Anyways, what business do you have here at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild today?¡± ¡°They lost their guild cards, so I brought them here.¡± ¡°I see. Thank you, Mira. Now, gentlemen, please follow me.¡± Mr. Lucilius led us to a room in the back of the guild while Mira stayed behind. Dissimilar to the atmosphere of the front room, the corridor leading to our destination was much more refined. A red carpet lined our path and beautiful painting of scenery decorated the oak walls, and before we were done admiring the design, we arrive in front of a black door. Seriously, although I find the design exceptionally eye-catching, does everything in the world really have to be black? Opening the door, there was a circular room laced with red curtains around. In the middle was a translucent orb affixed to a pedestal. Despite it seeming like a very confined room, the percussions allowed being an echo of our steps as we moved towards to center. ¡°Now then, who will go first?¡± {I guess I¡¯ll start.} ¡°Please put your dominant hand onto the orb. You might feel a slight pain but that is normal.¡± I put my right hand on to the orb, which lit up as I made contact. There was a slight pain in my right hand, followed by a light-headed feeling. [Acquired Null Magic] After a few seconds, the orb became luminescent, then to which small particles of light began to form a white card.
Rein Silvers Level: 2 Job: Commoner Rank: F
¡°This is your adventurer card. Unlike the skill [Analyze], it will only show basic information about yourself, such as your level, your job, and rank in the guild. But that skill is long lost. You will be able to use this enter other cities throughout the Kingdom of Kines, Teikoku, and some parts of the demon continent.¡± After receiving the card, Abel went forward and did the same. He didn¡¯t seem to be phased by the process, making me wonder if I am just that much weaker than him. Most likely, if anything like me, he also received the [Null Magic] skill from the process. ¡°That concludes the making of your adventurer cards. Although I¡¯ll have to admit, even though you were almost killed by the rat demons, I never thought that you would be this weak. Most children around 10 years old are already around level 15, whilst you two are only level 2.¡± A heavy blow was dealt to my pride. I would never have thought that we were that weak. But now I know, if we want to live in this world, we would have to get stronger. At least stronger than 10-year-old children. {Thank you very much for your¡­ insight. On another note, is there any way that we can make some money? We don¡¯t have anything on money on ourselves, at the moment.} ¡°Why, of course. This is a guild, is it not? You can find quests on the guild board in the front room. But since you are F Rank, you will only be able to receive quests up to one rank above your own, which is E Rank, though you to get enough money for some decent equipment first before you decide to take on hunting requests. Your arsenal is somewhat¡­ subpar.¡± I had only released this just now. Our clothes unfit for our current situation. A set of a tattered white half-sleeved shirt and black jeans, along with a pair of cheap leather sandals stained by blood and guts was what I was wearing. Most of the design had either been rubbed off or covered by dirt and dust, making the picture of H*****e M**u barely noticeable. Not really fit for all the running that we just did, is it? Abel, on the other hand, was somewhat much better equipped. He was wearing a dark blue tracksuit and proper running shoes, all also torn. He might have gone for a run before we were transported to this world, but since we don¡¯t have a faint memory of what happened before we woke up, thinking about it won¡¯t do much. We went back to the front room, where Mira was waiting for us. Overall, the process went smoothly, but since it seemed like the sun was only going to be up for a few more hours, we wanted to get a quest done to pay for lodging or, at least, feeding ourselves. The Guild Board. A place where adventurers can accept quests commissioned by the guild. Anyone can submit a request and a rank will be assigned based on its difficulty. The higher the rank, the greater the reward, but the greater the risks. Pretty straightforward I would say myself. However, since we were only F Rank, the number of quests that were available to use were quite limited. Two F Rank quests and Three E Rank quests, to be exact. [F Rank] [E Rank] Following Mr. Lucilius¡¯ suggestion, we decided to start with F Rank quests to better equip ourselves first before we do something like fight monsters again. Abel took the [Collect Mana Grass] quest while I took the position at the Inn.
[Collect Mana Grass] I am in urgent need of Mana Grass, which can be found at the river bank to the east of town. I am willing to pay 50 bronze coins for each bunch of ten. Rank: F Rewards: 70 bronze coins/ bunch
[Help Required: Temporary staff for Moonlight Inn] Our head cook has fallen ill and we are in need of someone who is able to cook. We cannot offer much, but we can offer a room at our inn, some food, and some money. Rank: F Rewards: 6 silver coins/ day
I¡¯ve always had a great interest in cuisine, so it would be a good chance for me to learn about the culinary arts of this world. Plus, we also needed a place to stay, so a room at an inn is always welcomed. If I remember correctly, it¡¯s at the inn that Mira¡¯s family owns. Abel, on the other hand, has a knack for physical labor, considering his build, so collecting the Mana Grass would be fitting of him. Having said that, we each embarked on our first quests in this new world. Chapter 6.1: Reins story: Moonlight Inn ¡°Here we are! Moonlight Inn.¡± Located near the west entrance of the city was Moonlight Inn, owned by Mira¡¯s family. From the outside, it looked pleasingly better than the surrounding buildings. The mahogany-like walls were kept clean and looked well-polished, giving off a glimmering, vibrant red vibe. On top of the door hung a wooden sign with a picture of a crescent moon and some writing, which I assumed to say ¡°Moonlight Inn¡±, carved on it. ¡°Mama, I¡¯m back!¡± ¡°Welcome back, dear.¡± This was not what I had imagined at all. I had assumed Dark Elves to look like darker, taller humans, but I immediately retracted that statement. She was extremely beautiful, this woman known as Mira¡¯s mother. While her hair was the same crimson color as Mira¡¯s, her skin was slightly darker while her eyes shone with a deeper yellow. Her figure was also in excellent shape. I can see where Mira got her ¡°dimensions¡± from. Additionally, although I would like to leave this out, she was about as tall as Abel. ¡°Mama, this is Rein. He¡¯s here to take the request we submitted.¡± ¡°Oh? Well, welcome to the Moonlight Inn, Mr. Rein. We hope that your time here will be enjoyable.¡± {Pleased to help, Miss Mia.} ¡°I am assuming that either Mira or Keith have told you about me.¡± {Yes, but they didn¡¯t tell me that you would be this beautiful.} A hard, but playful, slap hit my back. I could feel it resonating throughout my body. ¡°Reiny! Don¡¯t try to flirt with Mama.¡± ¡°Oh, my. I am flattered. The only other person that would openly compliment me would be my husband. Now, shall we begin work?¡± Miss Mia brought me to the kitchen, which was quite small for my tastes but I didn¡¯t have room to complain. It was furnished with a stove, an oven and a place where most of the chopping and food preparations were done. The cooking stations mainly used branches and charcoal for fuel. In the cabinets, there were a variety of locally grown vegetables, such as carrots and potatoes. Normal meat that I was used to, such as chicken and pork, were not found, but there was an abundance of rat meat from the dungeon. There were some spices, similar to parsley and basil, but not too fancy. There was also salt and pepper but it wasn¡¯t in abundance. ¡°Here are some dishes on the menu that I made previously. I am not as proficient at cooking as the chef but I hope that it will suit your tastes.¡± What was presented in front of me was a leg of heavily herbed baked rat¡¯s leg accompanied by a slice of rustic bread and a creamy white soup. At first, I was taken back by the strong smell of the rat meat, in which the herbs didn¡¯t do much to rid the odor, but my pride as a self-appointed culinarian insisted that I take a bite.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. {Thank you for the food.} The results: The meat had a strong gamey flavor which made it difficult to stomach. To the majority of you who have never had rat¡¯s meat before, the texture is surprisingly similar to chicken and pork, but slightly less fatty. What most people do, in countries like Thailand, where farmed rats are sometimes sold on the streets in the less developed regions, is marinate it with aromatic herbs and spices to get rid of the pungent smell, which is comparable to that of bear meat. However, I can assume that this rat was just covered with the spices instead. Along with that, the meat was fairly bland and tough. The bread was decent, but since it was probably left out for some time, it was almost inedible without softening it in the stew, which tasted like similar to salted flour water. There were some pieces of vegetables in it, but it seemed undercooked. [Acquired Iron Stomach] Overall, I can understand that such a dish would be accepted in a town, or a world, like this, but I could not bear to eat something like this. Despite saying that, however, I finished the meal, not only because I have not eaten anything the entire day, but as a sign of respect. {That was¡­ delicious.} ¡°Is that so? You seemed to have a hard time eating most of it though.¡± {I¡¯m¡­ just not that used to the taste, that¡¯s all. If you don¡¯t mind, I would like to try and make some adjustments to this dish, as a¡­. preparation for today¡¯s work.} ¡°By all means, please.¡± And so, began my endeavor. Primarily, there was the problem of dealing with the rat itself. I was not that familiar with the anatomy, so I asked Miss Mia to skin and gut it. After that was done, I removed the meat from the carcass and sliced them into karaage-sized pieces. I, then, put them into a bowl, generously seasoning with salt, pepper, and local herbs, adding rapeseed oil, which was surprisingly abundant, in to help with the marinade. Whilst leaving the meat to marinate for roughly an hour, I began to make the other two accompaniments. First off, bread. Since there was yeast available, I decided to make fresh bread. After mixing yeast with lukewarm water, the mixture was left for two minutes, and were then promptly added to a bowl of flour. I greatly dislike the smell of yeast. However, fresh bread, as a result, is welcomed. I added some milk to the mixture and kneaded it until it was a smooth yet firm consistency. Sugar would have been great to have in this case but, seeing that there wasn¡¯t even a speck of it here, it was probably very expensive. Leaving the dough to proof for half an hour, I moved onto making the stew. Sticking with the same theme as Miss Mia, I started making preparations for a creamy stew. After finely chopping some onions and garlic, which were surprisingly stronger in flavor than the garlic available in Japan, I gently saut¨¦ed them in a pot with rapeseed oil. After they were slightly translucent, I added in some of the marinated rat meat, cooking it until it was somewhat brown, to which I added chopped mushrooms, diced carrots, and cubed potatoes. And of course, I can¡¯t forget to season generously or else a certain chef in my consciousness will have my head. After the contents were properly saut¨¦ed, I added some stock, that was left over from Miss Mia¡¯s dish, into the pot, letting it deglaze the pot and slowly simmer. When the stock had been reduced by about ? of the original volume, I added a mixture of milk and flour, for depth and consistency respectively. This was left on a low heat until it was ready to be served. How did I put the stove on low heat you ask? You reduce the amount of wood that you¡¯re burning! In the case of the bread, since there was not an exact way to gauge the temperature of the oven, I had Miss Mia bake it how she would usually bake her bread, hoping that it would turn out fine. However, if you were to bake this with a proper oven, then 20-25 minutes at 450 degrees would be optimal. The marinated rat meat was seared in a pan with oil, basting occasionally so that the meat would not go dry. This was especially difficult because of the low-fat content of the rat meat and there was no butter present. Once the meat was thoroughly cooked, the cooking juices were mixed with some wine, which was then left to simmer into a gravy-like consistency. I present to you: Seared rat meat with creamy rat meat stew and rustic bread. {Bon app¨¦tit.} While it wasn¡¯t the best meal I¡¯ve ever eaten, it was much more palatable than the meal that I was just previously served. But for Mira and Miss Mia, on the other hand, were stunned by my makeshift creation. ¡°How is this possible? The stench of the rat is almost all gone! And it¡¯s moist!¡± ¡°I never knew that the same old ingredients could be used to make something so delicious! I must say, I am very impressed.¡± {It wasn¡¯t much. I did what I could with the ingredients lying around.} ¡°Well, we look forward to working with you for the time being.¡± {As am I.} [Acquired Cooking] That night, one after another, groups of adventurers and travelers alike came to fill their bellies and quench their thirst. Roughly 30 customers were present this evening, eating and drinking their fatigue away like there was no tomorrow. Needless to say, this was significantly more tiring than any part-time job that I had ever taken up. [Cooking Lv.1 -> Cooking Lv.3] Chapter 6.2: Abels Story: Mana Grass The far east wing of Rondor City was known as the demi-human haven. Most demi-humans, and occasionally some residents of the Demon Continent, would take refuge here. Although discrimination against race was not as harsh here as it would be in the inner parts of the kingdom, from time to time, there were disputes between humans and demi-humans. The building that I was told to go to by one of the guild attendants was an old wooden shack, about the size of a 1R apartment room. I felt sorry for the poor soul that has to live here. Having said that, I knocked, then entered. To my surprise, it was many times more spacious inside; almost the size of a university lecture room in all three dimensions. Piles of books piled high. Scattered scrolls and material on the floor. Despite being in such a wide room, I was starting to feel claustrophobic. ¡°Thank you very much for taking up my request, Mr. Freikas.¡± Before me, stirring a cauldron, stood a petite robed girl. She was roughly 60 centimeters shorter than me, but other than bits of her protruding blonde hair from her cowl, I could not get a good view of her other features. Her high-pitch voice was pretty cute though. ¡°As you probably already know, I am in urgent need of Mana grass. The more, the better. I would go gather them myself, but as you can see, I cannot stop stirring the cauldron or the contents will burn.¡± [So, what does this Mana grass look like?] ¡°Please pick up the 2nd book from the top from the pile of books to your left and turn to page 394. You¡¯ll find the information there.¡± How she was able to discern the book from the others and remember the exact page it was on was beyond me. I picked up the book and looked up the characteristics of Mana grass. In short, it was a weed that contains traces of magical power and is commonly used in potion making. It cannot be cultivated and can only be found in the wild near a fresh water source. The reason why it is rarely sold on the market is that:
  1. Its uses are limited
  2. It cannot be commercially farmed
  3. Unless you were a herbology expert, it is very difficult to discern it from regular grass as they are practically identical.
  4. It tastes extremely bitter.
¡°Please take the book for reference and return here before nightfall with as much as you can collect. I¡¯m not sure how long I will be able to continue stirring for.¡±
There was a luscious green meadow, brimming with vegetation, in the eastern outskirts of the city. Dirt roads, paved with horse tracks and wheel marks, led to other cities in the inner districts, and ultimately the capital of the Kingdom of Kines. In the horizon, I could see multiple mountain ranges and forests. A river was flowing not more than 500 meters from the gate, courtesy of the guard on duty, so I decided to head there. [She was right¡­ They look almost the same as regular grass patches, save for a barely noticeable blue tint at the very tip of the blade of grass.] About an hour had passed. The Sun shifted quite a bit to the east, so visibility was soon going to be a problem. Apparently, the Sun rises from the west and sets in the east in this world. I was actively searching, but so far, I had only found four small clusters, despite all the time that had passed. [Damn it! This is impossible! How am I supposed to collect even a bunch of these weeds? There should be an easier way to tell them apart fro¡­ I¡¯m an idiot.]If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Although I was not entirely confident about its uses, something in the back of my head told me that a certain skill would make my problems disappear. [Analyze] Just as if turning the HUD on in a video game, bars of information formed in my sight. [Grass] [Grass] [Tree] [Mana Grass] [Mana Grass] [Chrysalis Flower] [Grass] [Slime] [Grass] [There it is! Why couldn¡¯t I think of this earlier¡­ Wait, is that a slime?]
Water Slime
Level 3 Species Slime
STR 5 DEX 3
VIT 5 AGI 5
INT 6 WIS 3
Skills: ¡¤ Call for Help (Lv. Max) Traits: ¡¤ Slime Body o Water Form
This was not what I had in mind. This is not what a slime should look like. What happened to the beady eyes? The smile? Instead of the round shape that I was used to, this slime¡¯s body was a blue pile of sludge. Its ¡°skin¡± was as if there was water indefinitely flowing from its form. Abruptly, the slime tucked itself inside its own body, like a spring, and thrust into my stomach. The force threw my body backward, crashing against a tree. There was a hole in my shirt where the slime had made an impact, exposing my stomach that felt like it was being digested by the slime¡¯s bodily fluids. I would never have expected to take this much damage from a monster that you would usually encounter when you first start your adventure. In my weakened state, I knew that running would be difficult, especially if could propel itself forward at that velocity. I was also pretty far away from the gate, so calling for help would probably be of no hope, thus leaving me with one option. I must fight. Coincidentally, there was a piece of wood next to me that looked like it was sturdy enough to be used as a weapon. Picking up the stick, I readied myself, then promptly swung down in a straight line. Splat! The body of the slime exploded and stained the surrounding vegetation with oozing liquids. But, as it had not taken any damage whatsoever, the scattered pieces of its body reformed around a small blue crystalline rock. Once again, the slime retracted itself into its own body and threw itself towards me. Fortunately, since I was aware of what capabilities, I was able to dodge the oncoming blow by a hair¡¯s width. The slime slammed into the tree behind me and dropped to the ground. Without hesitating, I swung down again, scattering its body and exposing the crystal once more. Before the body had time to reform itself, the crystal was shattered by a swift blow from my trusty stick. After being shattered, the broken fragments began to emit a faint blue light, to which multiple Water Slimes appeared. [Call for Help ¨C A skill often known by lesser, weaker monster species. Nearing death, the monster will signal fellow monsters in the area to come to its aid.] Shit¡­ It was already hard enough to deal with just one. Now there are seven, all with the [Call for Help] skill. I let out an agitated sigh. [No way around it, I guess. I need those Mana Grass if I want to get paid¡­ COME AT ME!] Using the same tactic that I used against the first slime, I waited for it to attack then hit it and destroy its crystal before it had the chance to recover. Except for this time, I had to fight all seven simultaneously. When one was slain, two more took its place. It felt like I was fighting against a hydra. After roughly 30 minutes of fighting, I was starting to get into the flow of combat. I noticed that there was a slight delay before the slimes spring forward and after it had completed its attack, making those moments the optimal time to strike. Hitting the slimes mid-flight risked me breaking my weapon, so I tried my best to avoid doing so. There was also the problem with dodging, but since their attacks were linear, the only thing that I had to worry about was multiple attacks at the same time. One hour, 30 slimes later and nearing exhaustion, the number of slimes were cut down to all but one. With one last combo, the slime was dead and its core, broken, along with my trusty ¡°sword¡±. You did well, partner. Not being able to keep my body upright, I collapsed to the ground from fatigue. [Why does Izumi always get the easy jobs?] After a short rest, I got up and continued my quest, to which I was able to collect five bunches of Mana Grass, despite my aching body. With that being said, I returned to the wooden shack, turned in the raw materials and picked up my reward of 3 silver and 50 bronze coins. Now I just want a long night¡¯s rest.
[Level Up: 2 -> 8] [Skill Level Up: Analyze 1 -> 2] [Acquired Blunt Weapon Mastery] [Acquired Title: Slime Killer] Character Profiles
Rein Silvers (Aono Izumi)
Level 2 Race Human
Age 19 Class Commoner
STR 12 (+ 2) DEX 13 (+ 2)
VIT 9 (+ 2) AGI 10 (+ 2)
INT 15 (+ 2) WIS 14 (+ 2)This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Skills: ¡¤ Language Comprehension (Lv. Max) ¡¤ Analyze (Lv. 1) ¡¤ Lesser Creation Magic (Lv.1) ¡¤ Cooking (Lv. 3) ¡¤ Iron Stomach (Lv. 1)
Name: Rein Silvers (Aono Izumi) Age: 19; March 15 Blood Type: B Height: 170 cm Weight: 55 kg University Major: Social Sciences, 2nd Year Likes: Cooking, Music, Martial Arts, Anime Dislikes: Hot weather, Nattou, Waking up early in the morning Born in America to a Japanese father and a half-Japanese half-American mother. From an early, he was taught martial arts, such as karate and boxing, but ultimately took up Muay Thai to try to impress a Thai girl in high school. He moved back to Japan and enrolled in XXX university because his parents thought that he would lose touch with his roots. He was transferred to Yggdrasil with no recollection of how he got there.
Abel Freikas (Jun Edwards)
Level 8 Race Human
Age 20 Class Commoner
STR 33 (+ 14) DEX 26 (+ 14)
VIT 32 (+ 14) AGI 28 (+ 14)
INT 31 (+ 14) WIS 28 (+ 14)
Skills: ¡¤ Language Comprehension (Lv. Max) ¡¤ Analyze (Lv. 2) ¡¤ Manifestation (Lv.1) ¡¤ Blunt Weapon Mastery (Lv. 3) Title: ¡¤ Slime Killer
Name: Abel Freikas (Jun Edwards) Age: 20; March 16 Blood Type: AB Height: 191 cm Weight: 76 kg University Major: Environmental Studies, 2nd Year Likes: Girls, Anime, Martial Arts, Drawing Dislikes: Bugs, Languages other than Japanese and English, Humid weather A half-Japanese half-Hawaiian university student. He was born in Hawaii and later moved to Japan to study. Though not the smartest, he makes up for it with his physical attributes. He is experienced in Kendo, Japanese Kickboxing and Dancing. Also, no matter how hard he tries, he is unable to get a girlfriend. He was transferred along with Rein to Yggdrasil.