《In A Parallel World With Random Skills, I Reluctantly Become A Mafia Boss?》 Chapter 0: Prologue Scorched earth.. Before I realized it, everything around me was turned into ash. I could see the ominous color of black mixed with the bright blue embers that were fading into the atmosphere. What was once a large area of green full of demon-like beings, was now as barren and as silent as a graveyard. The sounds of blades sharpening, and the clanging of weapons when struck upon one another was all but empty voices carried off by the wind. If you looked at this disaster objectively, it could be concluded that even though the cause was unknown, it was logical to think that no being could have survived it. Though, there were always exceptions.. *Drip* *Cough* "To think....a mere human brat could wield the wrath of the heavens so simply...*Cough*" The one who said this was the large being clad in shadows in front of me. Although he was bleeding in many areas, and looked so different from the haughty, overbearing presence he exuded before, his blood lust still made me shiver in fear. Different from his earlier form, which could make you say that defeating him would be impossible when you laid eyes on him, heck, even the idea of fighting such a monster could normally make you faint. Now, he was quite the opposite. In contrast with his confident words from before, he was now lamenting and regretting the fact that he should have killed me earlier. But now, he was coughing up large amounts of blood, and had one knee on the ground. How he wished he could turn back time, when he could have easily snapped his finger and turned me into dust. But he can''t. Even if he was a god, that wasn''t his domain. This just goes to show you, that letting your guard down can be fatal, even if the other party looked weaker than you. Though, I''m not one to boast, since I just got lucky. In fact, I am very weak. But maybe that was a good thing? I was glad that my gamble paid off. But to be honest, I really want to run as far away as I can right now. I do, I really do. Except for the fact that my legs were stuck in place, with me quaking in fear when looking at the entity before me that could kill me in a heartbeat. So I took the next best thing. Instead of running away, knowing that if he recovered, he could strike my defenseless back, I used my only trait that I had perfected back on Earth. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Bluffing. That''s right, putting on a facade, faking a smile, keeping that poker face on, even in the face of impeding danger. A good bluff could save you from a lot of trouble. And so, I was currently staring down the god at death''s door with a confident and accomplished look that said ''Everything has gone according to plan''. Though I was mostly sure that this would fail, and I would die soon after getting caught up inside this world. Scary thoughts were swirling in my head as I looked down on the dying entity. His ashen face dyed with rage and pain stared into my eyes and quickly turned into a look of surrender and acceptance. Like he was acknowledging a defeat. "Ha...I guess I underestimated my opponent this time...so humans could be this strong now.." It worked! Ah, I couldn''t let my happiness show on my face. I almost blew my cover there. I quickly hold down the urge to smile widely and continued to show an overbearing stature. "I-is th- *cough* Is that so? You still want to continue?" I almost messed up there, but I think I successfully spoke like those evil bosses in games I used to play. I wanted to seem like a powerful being that could eat gods like him for breakfast. I just hope it came across properly. After I said that, the dark god, Erebus, the embodiment of darkness itself, threw his hands in surrender and said.. "Ah, I would love to....but it seems my time is up....I''m glad I met a human like you before I left this world....farewell...." With those parting words, the being that made me fear for my life vanished into thin air. Soon after I confirmed that the tense feeling was gone, I dropped lifelessly to the ground..
Notification
You have gained 433,333,333,300 Experience Points
You have leveled up!
Current Level: 1 >>> 271
A window screen appeared before my eyes, followed my many more after I laid my tired body on the scorched ground, but I didn''t have time to look at them one by one since my eyelids unconsciously shut and I drifted off to sleep.. Chapter 1: Average Ever since I was a child, I was considered average. Nothing happened especially at the time I was brought into the world. There weren''t any planets or stars that aligned at that exact moment, nor was there a disaster signaling the end of an era. It was a perfectly normal and uneventful birth. Growing up, I lived with normal working parents inside an average neighborhood. I went to a school near my home, just like most children my age. I made friends like a normal kid, and played with them sometimes right after school was over for the day. That''s right, I, Sairenji Kyouya, had been living an average lifestyle. Although I had no talent for sports, nor moving my body, I was fairly proficient in playing games. Like most kids out there, gaming was something you could try your hand at, no matter who you are. In middle school, I started getting into games too much since it was a hobby of mine to play everyday. Before I even noticed it, it became an essential part of my everyday life. I don''t know if it was a good thing though.. During my 2nd year in middle school, I accidentally got into an argument with a group of delinquents. Long story short, I rambled on and on about how wrong they were about a certain game that I don''t even remember now, nor did I remember why I did that in the first place, which led me to get beat up. I could not do a thing about it except regret. Naturally, I could not fight since I didn''t have any fighting skills like they do in games. Adding to the fact, that even if I did know one, I would still lose due to being outnumbered, and that I had no physical strength to boast about. Not a one. After that incident, I got singled out by the delinquents that was, by the devil''s luck, in fact, my classmates. Days passed by, and I was made a gofer, and got kicked around all day. As a result, I was ostracized from the class, because they wanted to avoid trouble. Even the few friends I made kept their distance from me. It was understandable that they didn''t want to end up like the weak me, but it still hurt having no one on your side. But it was those days that made me struggle to find a solution. In the end, after graduating from middle school, I moved into Tokyo, a city where no one knew who I was, or would treat me differently. There, I got into a high school that could recommend me into a good university. Mainly majoring in game development. My lifelong dream, for as long as I can remember, was to make my own game. For people to play my game, and enjoy it every day. Just like I was, when I first discovered it. But I knew that I couldn''t stay the way that I was, or nothing would change. Just like in middle school, I would get bullied because I was branded a game otaku, and I didn''t have the strength to fight back. Making all the preparation I made into a futile endeavor. The only thing that would change was where I would get ostracized. Because I didn''t want it to happen again, I tried training my body. The result was outstanding. By that I mean, the only thing I got from training without any physical prowess to speak of, was a trip to the hospital. While getting depressed after being released from the hospital, I went to the game store to purchase a new mystery game that came out. After I went home and played it to the end, I was enlightened. The main character inside the game, solved all of his problems by letting the enemies think that he was stronger than himself, when it was as a matter of fact, the opposite. Thereby, avoiding difficult fights until he got stronger. I was surprised at how this one game could have related to my current problems, so I researched more about it on the net. It turns out, the skill was called ''bluffing'' or ''misleading the other party''. It was a godly skill in the ways of communication. I was reluctant to try it in real life, but I had no choice. If I wanted to have a good school life, I had to make an effort. I was rusty at first, getting nervous for no reason. But over time, I got used to saying what I didn''t really think, almost like I was unattached to my new facade. I built an image of a normal high school boy once I debuted on the first day of class. It was pleasantly surprising to see how making other people think that you were not a closet gaming addict, worked wonders for my daily life. Well, I wouldn''t go far, but at least I was treated like a normal student again. Like this, hiding my true, weak, average, game-loving self, I got into the university I wanted to study in. Now I was 19 years of age, and in my first year of college. I got enamored at the concept of coding and was excited for the future. To celebrate my success in entering the college I wanted, I took a detour from my normal route home, to pass through the street where I usually bought games, to see if they had new releases and such. Though, it wasn''t any different from every other day. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. But to my despair, the game store I frequented closed its doors for good. With no warning whatsoever. I stood there, in front of the closed down store, for a good ten minutes before I walked away with a heavy heart. When I went home, I found out that I left my computer on, though I don''t remember even turning it on this morning. Just when I was about to turn it off, I noticed that the page was open on a shipping site. The famous website that you could buy almost everything from. This particular page interested me since it showed a game that made my eyes sparkle. It was a brand new type of role-playing game that was based in a fantasy world. With dragons and elves, angels and demons, even god-like bosses were shown. It was chock full of varieties of races. The character selection was tempting as well. The game was called in a chuunibyou-like way that made my heart shudder. ''Aragnor, Conqueror of Worlds''. Needless to say, it was on sale. I clicked the ''Buy'' button as fast as the wind, and confirmed it immediately. The next day, after running home in a hurry, I was more than happy to find out that a package was left outside my apartment door. I quickly picked it up, and rushed inside the room, not minding where I threw my bag. After running the game, I was awed by the graphics. It was so realistic, you wouldn''t even believe that it was a game made for a console. Though I had some problems with the character creation, mainly stuff like the starting class. Which by the way, was unchangeable, except for the already inputted one, being ''Ruler''. There was also some problems with creating my appearance but it didn''t hinder me starting the game regardless. My stats were horribly low. Though I picked a cool username, taking the character ''Sai'' from my last name, and ''Kyou'' from my first name. A play on words, resulting in my new username, ''Saikyou''. I always liked these kinds of game-like names for some reason. When I had started playing, some bugs came up. It didn''t hinder my progress that much, so I just inwardly thought that it was no wonder that it went on sale. With idle thoughts such as that, I enjoyed grinding levels into the late of night. After noticing that it was way past my normal curfew, I paused the game, saved my file, and shut it off, albeit reluctantly. But it couldn''t be helped. Since I still had class tomorrow morning. Dragging myself to the bed, I fell asleep almost immediately. I had a good dream about how I was going to clear the current boss dungeon I was in right now tomorrow. With excitement in my heart, I drifted off.. When I awoke, I did not find myself looking at my ever-familiar apartment ceiling. No, I was staring at a dark, metallic, rectangular roof. Since I thought that something happened, naturally, I panicked and got up so quick that I hit my head on the black object above my body. "Oh, he''s finally awake. Quick, go tell the chief." "*Grunt*" I heard unfamiliar voices, gruff and deep voices that could have belonged to muscular men. When I turned my head, I could only find a nightmare staring right at me. Two bright, blood-red eyes, black, ashen skin, long, dark horns, sharp teeth protruding from their mouths. They looked as if they were harbingers of death, to come drag me to the fiery tips of the underworld. I never believed in the presence of a god until that moment. I was praying to every one of them, in different religions, to come save me. Alas, it never came. So, with my adrenaline levels through the roof, I thought of running away. It sounded like a good idea until I noticed a blaring obstacle surrounding me. Dark, metal bars, seemingly made out of iron. The gaps in between were so small that I doubt even a mouse could successfully pass through it. Yep, it seems that I was stuck inside a cage. A cage large enough to fit a human such as me. To this, I could only let out a stupid voice.. "Eh?"
Hey guys, SlashCrit here. This is my third fiction that I wrote myself. I kind of got the idea while I was procrastinating, *cough* I mean, doing some stuff during the holidays. Mainly inspired from Death March and Nurarihyon no Mago, and a bunch of other novels, this is a fiction that I would update if I felt like it. I hope that this would be interesting enough to catch people''s attention but it doesn''t really matter that much, since it''s just a thing to get my mind off the main story for a while. Anyway, till next time~ Chapter 2: Bet "So...you have finally awoken after two days..human.." An arrogant and condescending voice was heard from the lips of the man who just entered. He looked tall, about a head higher than the guards with horns that I am arbitrarily calling ''Devils'' for now. At least until I get more information. But seeing that I was in a cage, I doubt that will happen anytime soon. The man also had elegant, silver hair, pale skin, and deep golden eyes. His countenance was more than arrogant, almost overbearing. Those eyes that looked at me like I was an insect sent shivers down my spine. What he wore was a large dark cloak that had golden marks on it. If you asked me if this guy was royalty, based on appearances, I would say a resounding yes. I would like to run as far away from him as possible right at this moment. But for now, let''s inquire about what he said just now after introducing myself. Who knows, maybe I''ll get lucky. "A-ah, My name is-" "Silence." I instantly found my mouth shut by force, with teeth chattering sounds that was audible to only myself. Ah, I didn''t get lucky. Not in the least. "I have no interest in knowing the name of an insignificant existence. You might have succeeded in infiltrating my hidden temple of darkness, but there is no escape now that you have been sealed in that magic-sealing cage. Even if you did manage to somehow escape, this temple is also a large labyrinth. No hope is left for you who is at the very center of it." I can see my light of hope dimming by the second. This was way too cruel. How did I even end up in a giant labyrinth? "Execute him tomorrow and offer his soul to the titan summoning. A human soul will make the summoning even faster than before. Soon, one of the seven ''Seraphim Shrines'' shall fall into ruin." Eh!? Execute!? You have got to be kidding me, here... Where are my human rights? I demand an audience with the legal system right at this moment! Of course, I could only scream inwardly since I had a feeling that if I suddenly acted up, I would only make my date of execution earlier. By that I mean, my head will roll right after I utter a complaint. There were some dangerous things such as summoning, and ruining shrines but I decided to leave that part for later. The most important thing now was to gain information. Even a little bit is fine. So, I resolved myself once again.. "Stop right there, I''ll have you tell me who you are, and where the heck is this right at this second." I bluffed. With an overpowering tone, I command the scary man that was about to walk away after giving out orders. Ah, he got enraged. I can already see the veins on his forehead about to pop. But still, I had to press on. There was no other way. If he left, I could only wallow in regret over not doing anything. So this might be the better option. "Hou, a mere insect can actually talk back to myself? How amusing.." Or maybe not. I could feel the sweat on my back, flowing like a waterfall as the tall man glared at me like I killed his parents. I''m the victim you know? Why are you getting all mad at me for? A moment of excruciatingly painful silence followed soon after. Mainly because his glare made my stomach churn, though I still kept quiet and stared right back. Which took most of my mental strength to do. *Exhale* After what seemed to be an eternity, the tall man finally released a breath of air and.. "Well, it''s not like you can do anything now. Rejoice human, since you have been given the honor of knowing this one''s name, Erebus, the god of total darkness. You are in the middle of my hidden labyrinth, deep within the depths of an underground dungeon!" With exaggerated movements that would remind you of a middle school student''s rare disease, the tall man, no, Erebus, the self-proclaimed god of darkness, released a haughty air once again and introduced himself. "Is that so? Well, you can either release me now, or I shall burn this place into cinders. Make your choice." I was even surprised at myself for instantly replying. I might have added a threat in there somewhere too. This is bad.. "*Fu-fuhahahaha! You are an amusing human, to think you could threaten one such as I, surely you are at the end of your rope. It is a shame that you will die tomorrow but it is inevitable, since you might be a spy sent here by one of the ''Seven Seraphim''. Well, you had best think about what your last words while you have time. Until tomorrow then.." I couldn''t retort to the fact that he had seen through my lie. Or was it because he was just naturally condescending. In any case, I couldn''t stop him from leaving behind those words when he went out of the building. As the sense of tension left the room, replaced with just the murderous gazes of the devil guards, all the stress went to my head in the next moment. My thoughts were filled with so many questions.. Such as, why was I here, what should I do now, and how should I escape. How did I even end up here? The last thing I remembered was sleeping after playing the new game I bought. Was this perhaps one of those? A dream? To make sure, I pinch my skin, hard.. "Ah, it hurts..." It didn''t work. This was without a doubt, not a dream. Though I can''t be completely sure since the only way I knew how to confirm it was inflicting a self-injury. After establishing the fact, my head started to hurt. The pressure of my impending death that I suppressed a few moments ago, all came back crashing down like a hammer crushing a nail. There was nothing that I could do. I didn''t even have my smartphone that I could''ve used to contact someone. It was hopeless. All I could do was wait for my execution tomorrow.. Maybe being a sacrifice wasn''t too bad? No, no, I''m starting to run away from reality. I mean, what else could I do? There was nothing here except me, the clothes on my back, and this giant cage that trapped me inside it.. While holding my head with both hands, writhing and wriggling to think of a way out of my predicament, I noticed something in the corner of my vision. I didn''t notice it before, but maybe that was because I was in a panic. "Eh?" When I picked it up from the cold, metallic ground, what was in front of my eyes, that I could barely make out in the darkness, was a piece of paper with words written on it.. From what I could see, it wasn''t written in Japanese, but it wasn''t in a foreign language either. I had a bit of knowledge of this since game development had a language studies course after all. The letters used were completely alien to me. But for some reason, the words suddenly changed in front of my eyes, a moment after I glanced at it. The next thing I knew, all the words had become Japanese characters. It was strange no matter how you looked at it.. Still, this was no time to nitpick on the details. This piece of paper might be a clue. As I resolved myself to read its contents, a voice interrupted my concentration. "Hey human, what are you doing there? Staring at the ground like that.." I was considerably surprised from the voice but I knew I couldn''t let my true feelings out, or else it would be troublesome. They might rat me out to their boss or something. "Are you blind? Can''t you see that I''m reading this piece of paper?" So I continued to appear calm and collected while admonishing the devil guard. "Why you little!? I could ask you the same question. Are you going crazy already? All that''s there is the metal ground. This is why humans are.." Eh, can he really not see the paper? I tried holding it in my hand, then proceeded to wave it around like a flag of surrender in front of the devil''s eyes, but he had shown no reaction except tilting his head with a confused expression. Though I don''t know why I could tell devil''s expressions, it was really true that he couldn''t see it. I slightly entertained the thought that I might have gone crazy due to stress but this wasn''t the time, so I ignored the guard, and started reading the words on the piece of paper. To the one who could read this, the chosen one born to rule over everything Welcome to the world of ''Aragnor'' Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.You have been summoned here for you have your destiny to fulfill I do not know where you will end up, but this letter will always be present right after you regain consciousness If you want to know who I am, do not fret For we shall meet without fail in the future It is preordained by fate You might have a lot of questions, but for now I shall let you know the basics In this world, various races roam the land and seas The overseers are called the ''Seven Seraphim'' These beings keep the balance of this domain, and everything that resides within it Compared to the world where thou has come from, this one has a large density of ''Mana'' Which means that the use of magic is commonplace no matter where you go Although the average level of the populace are small.... I got bored right there, so I stopped reading with great fervor, and began to skim through the letter. I was interested in the setting of this world, but I had no time to read history and common knowledge. I was going to be executed tomorrow, so naturally I wanted to find a way out of this, fast. I could always read this stuff later. With irresponsible thoughts like that, I dismissed the problem and started finding a solution. Specifically on what kind of powers I had or had been given, to which I prayed that there was even one that was remotely useful for the current situation. I found it! It says that to find out my current status and the skills I need to get out of a sticky situation, I had to say the word ''Show Status'' inside my own thoughts. It was worth a try, so I did exactly that.
Name: Sairenji KyouyaRace: HumanLevel: 1
Equipped Title: The StrongestClass: RulerJob: None
Health: 30/30Mana: 5/5Currency: 0G 0S 0C
Strength: 3Agility: 7Intellect: 5
Endurance: 5Experience Needed: 0/10Luck: 13
Active SkillsUnique SkillsPassive Skills
NoneRandomAutomatic Language Translation
It was exactly like a game. The one being shown to me right now was the nostalgic ''Status Screen'' that was present in every role-playing game. It showed the various strengths, growth, and skills of a player. Though I was worried about my despairingly low stats, I was intrigued by the strange title, class and skills.. I had no way of knowing how or why I gained the title ''The Strongest'' but isn''t that just teasing me? The class ''Ruler'' was strangely familiar with the game character bug from before. I tried pressing it, but I guess it was impossible to change it, even here. The ''Automatic Language Translation'' explained the strange phenomenon of letters changing into Japanese from earlier so I''m glad that got solved. It seemed that it was a passive skill that would activate whenever I speak, write, or read a different language from my own. Finally, there was one unique skill that made me excited. Though when I read its description, my head suddenly hurt..
Random
Unique Skill
Level 1
Every 50 Levels, a random permanent skill is gained in accordance to the user.
A strange skill that was given to one being every millenia. Created as a joke at first, this skill can either be terrifyingly strong, or horribly weak. The range of choices depend on every skill that was ever created. Upon activation, a skill will be chosen completely at random and invoked in the next moment. Mana Cost: 0 Current Number of Skills Worldwide: 9,173,452,133 Can only be used once per day
Why? Are you telling me that my only chance of getting out of this mess is a joke skill!? Don''t mess with me! I might not be that smart when it came to probability, but I could tell that this skill was really useless in this situation. If by chance, I invoked it now, and a light ball would just float around me as a result, wouldn''t that be too sad? The current number of choices is an astronomical number of over nine billion, and this skill could only be used once per day. Tomorrow I get executed, and I don''t even know if it''s going to be late in the afternoon, or the moment the clock strikes midnight. Which probably meant that I only had one chance to get a skill like teleport, out of all the other useless bunch. There was literally a number ''13'' to my luck stat you know? I know it was higher than all of my other stats but still, it sounds so ominous! If the skill was somehow based on luck, I might as well kill myself now. I thought about all of the negative things that could happen, which were too many to count for what might have been hours on end. It was then I decided that I didn''t care anymore. There was no other way except to do it. So, after psyching myself up, I stood at the far end of the cage. I recited the skill in my head and waited..
Notification
''Random'' has been invoked
Beginning to randomize skills
Current Number of Choices: 9,173,452,133 Skills
Wating for result..
Ah, this is it. It''s do or die. Even though I told myself just a moment ago, that I didn''t care, I was still anxious.. "Come, my hidden power! Purge everything!" Since this may be the last time that I could say anything cool, I involuntarily raised my palm in the air and put on the facade of me, using a strong spell. Naturally, this caught the attention of the devil guards.. "Magic? Impossible, the cage seals all magic. This human has finally lost it." "I don''t know Gral, I can sense that he is doing something. Quickly inform the Master!" Ah, these reactions would be priceless if the skill resulted in some kind of party trick skill. Who knows, I might even get a chuckle out of them before I die. With thoughts resigned to my impending death, since the probability of landing a helpful skill was close to nil, I released a sigh from my lips. When suddenly..
Notification
''Random'' skill has chosen!
Congratulations!
An [Origin Skill] was chosen out of over nine billion skills!
Solar Flare
Origin Skill
Harnesses the power of the Giant Star itself. Targets the area around user for one minute.
Activating Skill..
What the heck is this? Chapter 3: Skill Somewhere in the grasslands of the Zershel Kingdom, a horde of humanoid-shaped beings with horns on their heads, wings sprouting from their backs, and long tails coming out of their rear end, were dispersing into a large formation. Like disciplined soldiers, they marched and formed a compact. rectangular formation by lining up with one another. They were divided into troops and battalions, each suited for one purpose, while others had well-rounded duties. Calmly ordering these ''Devil Soldiers'' around were four ''Archdevil Generals'' appointed by their god himself. Each of these soldiers hold immense strength, equal to ten human soldiers. While the ones who led them were even more so, only one would be needed to cull entire armies. Even so, they were told to gather up and prepare by their most revered and unmatched god, Erebus-sama. A vengeful being that has been forsaken by the heavens. With unmatched will and wisdom, he will lead this unmatched army towards the shrines of the ''Seven Seraphims''. Along with the forbidden summoning of a ''Titan'', there is no possible way that they would lose. It might seem overkill, the other soldiers thought inwardly. But it just goes to show you that even one of the ''Seven Seraphim'' was a force to be reckoned with. Without this much preparation, we would surely get annihilated. Or so has the god of darkness has foretold. Literally thousands of soldiers were coming out from one of the most hardest dungeons that have ever been discovered. Inside the ''Myth Class'' dungeon, ''Losto Vae'', which never stays in one place, was the ''Dark God''s Temple''. This is where the rumored fallen god has established his rule. Though only a few have knowledge of this, while the general populace might have heard only rumors, they say that the being who resides here was so frighteningly powerful, a demon king couldn''t even be his match. With great passion and fervor, his subordinates who had great ambition in their hearts, quickly prepared for the upcoming invasion. Only thinking about how they would rule the lands, and purge the other races, thereby making their master, happy. Little did they know that their time in this world would have abruptly come to an end just a few moments later.. "Hey what''s that?" A soldier exclaimed a question, stopping his spar with another soldier who was tilting his head in confusion. When the first soldier saw this, he pointed to the sky. As he did, the other soldier looked upwards. As did the others who saw that they stopped for some reason. "What? Is the ''Solar Star'' doing something?" "Maybe its just replenishing its energy or something?" "Idiot, that star that gives off light couldn''t possibly replenish its energy since its there everyday." Making a large commotion, most of the soldiers started looking up too, some were even fighting with each other.. Upon hearing the racket, one of the four ''Archdevil Generals'', Lezer, paused his work, and started to move towards the gathered group of wide-eyed soldiers. As he did this, he was suddenly attacked by a sense of dread. It hit him out of nowhere, his danger sensors were through the roof. It was the first time in his life he experienced the threat of death. The only possible explanation would be that their most respected leader would dare purge them, as he could anytime he wanted. But there was no plausible explanation on why he would be angry, much less at them. His legs were getting weaker, and sweat was flowing like a river. He hurriedly gathered all information in his head and it all led to one simple conclusion. They were being attacked. But this was no ordinary attack, since he could not, by damn, sense any traces of mana being used even from the farthest reaches of his perception. Which could only mean that someone on par with their master, or even surpass his strength was the present enemy. If so, there was no time to lose. No matter how scared he was, this wasn''t the time to idle around. So he went towards the meeting place, and ordered his subordinates to inform the other generals and to call Erebus-sama. There was no other option left, but to defend. There was no time, and we could not detect any hostile presence around the area. This was the most troublesome opponent yet. When the meeting began, without their master who was busy preparing for the summoning ritual, the other generals also shared their thoughts that were one. In fact, all of them had the same sense of dread. Still, it didn''t help if they hadn''t found the intruder either. One of his subordinates had reported that an intruder was caught inside the temple, and was then sealed in a magic-sealing cage two days prior, but he payed it no mind. Since it was only a human, who was powerless now without magic, it was of no importance to the current situation. For some reason, their master didn''t feel the dread nor the urgency of the situation, leading them to believe that this level of attack wouldn''t faze him. Making them slightly relieved, letting their guard down. Even still, they had to deploy the defense barriers. They could tell that it was only a matter of time till the attack came, based on their experience on the countless battlefields they had faced together. So that they did, ordering all their subordinates and soldiers to get ready for the incoming attack, figuring out ways to minimize the casualties. But even as countless ''Demonic Barrier Fields'' were surrounding the army camp, they couldn''t rest easy. The creeping voice of death was still resounding strong in their ears. No, it was still getting stronger.. They took all necessary precautions, making a surrounding formation, using ancient protection artifacts, even applying body enhancement magic for defense purposes. All except disturbing their master''s work. They had full confidence that they could somehow repel, or even survive the mysterious assailant. As they waited with bated breaths, one of the generals finally noticed when he looked up at the sky. He could only regret. What they thought to be a mysterious spell of an ancient being, vigilantly watching for any suspicious movements around them, was actually in fact, a natural disaster. They could only blame themselves for limiting their narrow thoughts. Never in their wildest dreams would they think someone could command such power. This wasn''t at the level of one of the races, nor was it even a power their master could wield. It was what could be thought of as an unstoppable force. All preparations were meaningless in front of the will of the strong. These were the profound thoughts of Lezer, a being who thought of himself as strong, only to find himself as helpless as an ant. In front of overwhelming adversity, we are but dust waiting to be returned to the earth itself. As if taking this as a signal of surrender or acceptance, it came.. A bright glint in the sky was seen by countless people around the world, before a ray of various colors and flames was shot out from up above. There was no escape, no time to run, nor did they have the means to teleport. They were sitting ducks. As the laser from the heavens kissed the earth, a moment of silence reverberated. In the next, a giant cloud of fire, explosions, dust, and smoke, rose up to the sky, covering a part of the once green grass. A loud, booming sound that could have broken the eardrums of any person within its range came just after the impact, like a magnifying glass in line with the rays of the sun, all things in its lens disappeared without a trace. The last thoughts of one who was at the very center of this disaster, was a wish that their only master would be safe. ? "Hmm? What''s this?" It was the middle of the afternoon when I posed that question towards a strange object in my hand. The small, glittering object caught my attention when I woke up earlier. It looked like a small, dark ring, with golden symbols adorned on it. It had a dark purple glow on the gem embedded in the middle. Right after I woke up, I checked the surroundings for any danger and was relieved to find that there were no enemies in sight. Though at the place where the self-proclaimed god of darkness died, a cool ring was found under some black soil. Since I thought that it was like a rare drop from a boss, I had no reason not to take it. Also, it looked really cool. I might have based my judgement entirely on the latter though. But it''s fine, there was no one here except me anyway. When I put it on, I could feel that I was connected to it somehow. Suddenly I felt my head hurting. But that only lasted for a few seconds before I felt a relaxing sensation. I was really surprised at how a ray of light suddenly pierced through the roof, melting my cage in an instant. But for some reason, the light avoided me, and only me. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. It seemed as if I used my entire life''s luck on that skill. Who knew I would destroy everything around me without warning? Though it wasn''t me that did it, the skill did. So I must not get conceited. In the first place, I was only aiming for a skill that could get me out of that predicament though. Oh yeah, before I forget, I still had the paper with me. I kept it inside my shirt to avoid getting it burned during the attack. It was the only piece of information I had with me right now, so it couldn''t be helped. Now that I think about it, I was still in my sleepwear. No, I don''t wear pajamas, but I was currently wearing a lame shirt that had the Kanji of ''The Strongest'' printed at its back. Meaning it was to be read, ''Saikyou''. I bought it since it matched well with my real name, and I use that username every time I play games online. Could this shirt be the reason I had that title? Nah, I think it''s just a coincidence. Though the shirt was fine and all, I was still wearing boxer shorts. I know no one could see me but it was still embarrassing. I had to find new clothes soon, or else I''d be deemed a pervert and shipped off to an unknown land. I had a certain gist of it, but it seems that this world really wasn''t Earth. The letter in my hands only proved it even more, saying stuff about dungeons and various races. According to this, the world is named ''Aragnor'', just like the world of the game that I just bought. But there wasn''t any information about being stuck in a cage inside a labyrinth so I deemed it as a coincidence once more. I was surprisingly taking this problem of mine, being sent to another world without warning, really well. Might be because I was a fantasy game addict. Or maybe there was some other reason I still didn''t know about. In any case, it wouldn''t do to stand around here, so let''s find a way out, and look for a town or something. I decided to head north, as most people who are lost do in movies. When I got the idea of looking at those windows that appeared before I was rendered unconscious. I recite ''Show Status'' once more inside my thoughts..
Name: Sairenji KyouyaRace: HumanLevel: 271
Equipped Title: The StrongestClass: RulerJob: None
Health: 50/50Mana: 10/10Currency: 7523G 87S 12C
Strength: 10Agility: 10Intellect: 10
Endurance: 5Experience Needed: ... / ...Luck: 13
Active SkillsUnique SkillsPassive Skills
AppraisalRandomAutomatic Language Translation
Water MagicLord of the NightAutomatic Map View
Contract
Wow, I rose up to a high level very quickly. I don''t know if the number is strong or weak compared to the residents of this world, so I can''t be relieved just because it looks high for now. Even so...Why the heck are my status points still low!? Is this bullying? I demand to know the reason, even if I don''t know how strong the people here are, I''m pretty dang sure that this wasn''t normal. Nope, not at all.. I checked through the skills while walking through the warm earth, only to find myself at a loss.
Lord of the Night
Unique Skill
Level 5 (Max)
- Inactive -
Takes 99% of the user''s status points
Mana Cost: 0
Cannot be used during the day
Don''t mess with me!!!How is this a justified skill? Why did I even get this useless thing!? Okay, first let''s calm down. There is nothing I can do about it now. So, let''s look at the other new skills I gained..
Appraisal
Active Skill
Level 5 (Max)
Level 1: Enables the user to see the name of a sentient being or object
Level 2: The rarity and description of an object is seen
Level 3: The status of a sentient being is shown
Level 4: Can be activated inwardly
Level 5: Sees through deceit
Mana Cost: 100
Water Magic
Active Skill
Level 1
Level 1: Enables the user to create a small amount of water and control it
Current size: 10ml
Mana Cost: 10
Automatic Map View
Passive Skill
Enables the user to see a complete map of the surrounding area
Sentient beings are shown on the map, but are shown as colored dots
Red = Hostile
Green = Neutral
Blue = Allied
Searching for a specific person, place, or object is possible
The user can only perceive those whose levels are lower than thyself
Contract
Unique Skill
Level 5 (Max)
Level 1: Enables the user to contract beasts
Level 2: Now possible to contract with user''s own race
Level 3: All races can now be contracted
Level 4: Contracts are unbreakable until nulled by the user
Level 5: It is now possible to forcibly contract beings of lower level
Mana Cost: 1000
The only skills that sounded helpful was the map, appraisal and water magic skill. The other one was downright scary. I could not understand it that well but it seemed as if I used it, I would become an evil magistrate or something. Still, it wasn''t like I could use it right now. Since my stats were forcibly lowered, I only had enough mana to cast water magic once. I could look at where I am without using mana though. But I couldn''t tell what would happen if I depleted all my mana so, let''s endure the urge to drink water and ignore it for as long as I can. When I had come to terms with my predicament and various skills, I reached the edge of the scorched land. "He wasn''t kidding. This was in fact, an underground dungeon.." What I was looking at right at this moment was a wall. A very tall wall that you couldn''t even see the top of. I was half-hoping that he was bluffing about the whole underground thing but alas I could only laugh in despair.. How can I ever hope to scale this wall? It had a clean cut because of the sun''s rays so I could not get a foothold to climb up. Yep, this was hopeless.. I''m never getting out of this place. Chapter 4: Will "Now, how do I go about this.." I was currently staring at a bright blue flame near the side of the large crater I can''t seem to get out of. I was lucky this flame was still burning even though its already been a few hours since the ''Solar Flare'' skill hit. "Spirits of water, bring me your blessing <>" A small ball made out of cold liquid materialized in front of my eyes, above my outstretched palm. Since I just remembered that I didn''t drink anything for the past few days, my throat instantly reacted by making me feel as dry as a desert. It was a good thing I had learned this skill, or I would have died of dehydration right here. I saw some documentaries about surviving in the wild some time back, but I don''t think I want to be that desperate to drink...never mind. Since this was the case, I tried activating it inwardly by thinking ''Water Magic'' repeatedly but all I got was the cold wind almost laughing at me. But after a few moments, a string of words suddenly came to mind just before I had given up. When I recited these words, that sounded like a chant from an anime transformation sequence, I had created water that was safe to drink. Though I only found out it was safe to drink soon after gulping it all down with no thought, it doesn''t matter. The strange thing about it was, that when I checked my mana pool after using the skill, it was still full. I found this strange since I could have sworn I used all my mana for that one spell. To be sure, I chanted it again and again, kept drinking up all the cold, refreshing water to sate my thirst. But even still, my mana points didn''t have a dent in it after I checked. Did this mean that I could use this water spell for an unlimited number of times? I got slightly excited at the cheat-like skill and it brought my spirits up. Until.. *Grumble* "Ah.....so hungry....." A part of the reason why I was sitting still, gazing at the sunset, and drinking so much water was because I was trying to get my mind off the idea of food. But it seems that I cannot trick what the body needs, no matter what I do.. It was to be expected, since that self-proclaimed god of darkness mentioned something about me waking up after two days. If that was true, this meant that my body had not consumed anything for a couple of days. Which leads me to my current situation. I looked back, towards the tall, smooth, dark wall, that I had to get over. It was a fool''s dream to even think of jumping once, and landing at the top. I didn''t say I did not do it though.. In any case, this wouldn''t do. I needed a meal soon or else I will starve to death. Why are there so many death flags for a person like me? Did I do anything bad in my past life to deserve this? Alright, I''ve decided! If I get out of here, I would strive to find many different delicious dishes so I could fill my stomach every single day! I had no problem with money right now, though this might only last a year, so I had to find a job first! Okay, I''m all fired up! If you looked at this scene in a third-person''s perspective, you would see a man driven by his hunger, grinning widely and pumping his fist to the sky, which could lead you to the conclusion that ''he must be insane'' and make you stay as far away from me as possible. But I had no fear of that, since I was the only one here after all! Right as I decided my future plans, while thinking that I might have just tripped another death flag, the flapping of large wings could be heard behind me. Followed by a scary roar.. *Pshhhh* "Ah! My campfire! No!!" My precious source of heat had been extinguished by the large flying bird overhead. Wait a minute, large flying bird? I looked up, and saw a majestic aviary creature. It had bright, red-orange wings that were the size of a truck on each side of its bright, flaming body. With every flap, bright embers of white flames would disperse into the atmosphere. Whilst I was struck with awe, completely forgetting about my extinguished source of heat for the coming chill of night, a large black beast, as big as the flying bird, shot out from behind, and used its sharp fangs to tear off one of the large bird''s wings. The next thing it did surprised me. Since after it ripped the right wing off from the torso, making the large bird lose balance and spiral into the scorched ground, it instantly devoured the whole decapitated wing, flames and all. It was surreal to look at since it just slurped up all of the truck-sized wing in a heartbeat. *Crash* *Crackle* Once the large bird fell down, it crashed into the smooth wall, just a few meters from my location, and imprinted a large hole behind its back. Since the wall was even harder than concrete, it just proves how heavy the large bird was. Following soon after, the large, dark beast that walked on four legs, landed on the ground right between me and the large bird. It looked as if it was a large cat, no, panther, with tall, ominous horns protruding from its head. With crackling sounds, the beast released a large amount of electricity through its horns, and now visible large teeth. It looked at the wounded large bird, who was bleeding all over, that wasn''t moving for now, and sounded a large growl towards it. After confirming that there was no reaction, it finally sensed my presence. Yes, yes, it''s me.. The one guy who was still squatting down, and absentmindedly staring at the Tokyo-movie like spectacle before me. I couldn''t help it. Large monster fights were popular in my childhood. But with this giant scary beast staring right at you, with its beady, yellow, slit eyes, you can faintly see the way you''re going to die. Yes, this is all spoken from real experience. I think I can see my life flashing before my eyes. Ah, this was no time to be running away from reality. Since the large panther just licked its tongue all over its mouth, this was a bad sign. For the record, I''m not tasty. But I don''t think I could reason with this guy using just this. I also couldn''t bluff my way out of this situation since the other party wasn''t a human being, nor could it speak. I could fight it? No, no, that''s akin to suicide. Did you see what it did to that large bird that looked very strong? There''s no way an average person such as me could possibly hope to beat this giant. Impossible. My mind rotated at rapid speeds, due to the endangerment of my own life, I hurriedly tried to find a way so that I could still keep it. Alright, I''ve decided.. "Let''s run!" Some might think this was cowardly, but a great person once said, that one must live to fight another day. Though I don''t plan on fighting anyhow. This was a win-win. I quickly convince myself and slowly move backwards.. As I did this, so did the enemy before me, but he took large steps towards me instead. I couldn''t wait any longer, so I broke into a sprint. I somehow thought that the beast anticipated this, but I tried not to think about it. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Though that thought was short-lived. Because right after I broke into a run, I could hear large thunderous roars, with the crackling of electricity right behind me. In the next moment, I found myself running into the mouth of the large panther, who was just waiting for me to enter. I quickly put on the brakes, and turned around. Or so I tried to. But alas, I was not one who had quick reflexes, so I tripped. It was embarrassing, yes, but more than that, it was a fatal mistake. Ah, so this is where I die. I thought, running away from reality once again. Reality was a cruel mistress after all. Un, let''s go with that as my final words. Just as I started to speak towards the injustice of this other world, a bright flame that felt excruciatingly hot passed through the center of my vision, directly colliding with the large panther''s mouth, entering his throat. With surprise in both of our eyes, we looked towards the source. Which was in fact, a speeding jet of flame, who was really in fact, the large bird. Since the black panther beast was still recovering from having flames shot into its throat, it didn''t have any time to react to the quick headbutt from the large bird. Did that bird just save my life? I thought while hurriedly backing away from the place I tripped. Once I got a certain distance away, I looked back, only to see the panther counter-attacking, by regaining his lightning-clad armor on both of its claws and teeth. The large bird could not defend properly since its wing was torn off, and it couldn''t fly away for the same reason. Slowly but surely, it backed away little by little. Until finally, it got cornered into the far side of the wall. With a big grin on the beast''s face, it moved closer to the large bird, blocking all means of escape. The me who saw this, was preparing to run away. Since I knew that after it was done, it would go straight after me. But somewhere inside of me, I felt that I wanted to help. It hurt seeing the large bird getting killed, but I couldn''t do anything. My mind was attacked by a large sense of guilt. Making excuses like, I couldn''t do anything anyway, or I had no skill to take this guy down, so I would only die in vain. Conflicting emotions struggled within me, seeing the bird who just saved my life in exchange for itself. I really wanted to get away from here as fast as possible, but this was one of those times that logic wouldn''t help. Because I knew that even if I managed to get away, I would only be carrying this heavy feeling of running away, all throughout my entire life. I might forget it in the future, but the regret will always be there. I didn''t want to regret. In a situation where I didn''t even try, what else is there to feel relieved about, even if I did escape. I knew I could not do anything, but at the very least, I did not want to abandon someone in front of me. Right as I found my resolution, the sun finally set. Darkness dominated the night sky. I had no time to lose, the large bird was about to get killed. I had no time to think too hard about it. I just had to do it. And so, I ran. Not in the direction away from here, but straight to the large beasts. Somehow I could feel my legs getting lighter, my strides getting longer, and my mind getting sharper. My heart was slowly cooling down, like being frozen in ice. As I sprinted faster and faster, I could notice that my hair was shining, and my eyes were narrowing. I had no way of noticing that right now, I had a confident grin on my lips. As I slowly drew closer, my soul grew calmer. It felt as if I could crush steel with my bare hands without breaking a sweat. This new feeling was exhilarating. Is this what it felt like, to finally have confidence? I did not know why I was feeling like this, nor did I care. The important thing was, stopping this insolent fool. When I reached the beast''s predicted range, it finally noticed me. With a shocked expression in its eyes, it quickly turned and tried to attack me.. "Too slow.." I said arrogantly, while watching the movements of the beast in front of me, which was like a slow-motion playback. Far from its earlier movements, this time, it seemed as if it was a turtle stretching its neck. I slowly reached out my hand, waiting for the beasts head to come in contact with me. As it did, I held its large nose, keeping it in place. So this was how weak you really were? It was struggling to get out of my hold, while bleeding from its ears and nostrils. I could sense it was trying to activate that lightning armor once more. Insolent small fry. I''ll show you who''s boss around here.. "From the void, you were born, and to the void, you shall return <>" As I spoke those words like a death sentence, I could sense no resistance from the weakling in front of me. Soon after, its eyes showed struggle, anger, but most of all, despair. Serves you right. Well, it''s about time I finish this.. "Know your place. Die." With those words as my parting gift, I raised my right leg and targeted the side of his body. With a kick, its whole body was split into pieces and blown away. It was like kicking a pillow back on Earth, no resistance at all. Though, I might have overdid it a bit, since the sonic boom from my kick traveled in a diagonal line, cutting off the whole top part of the opposite wall, making it look like a slope. But this was no time for that, I had to find out whether the large bird was still alright. After calming down, I felt myself losing all my strength from before, but it was no big deal, since the danger was already gone. I felt as if my limbs were jelly, and my hunger was reaching its limits but right now, I had something to do.. With slow but steady steps, I made my way towards the one that saved my life. Chapter 5: Start Bonus Chapter because I was bored, enjoy!
When the large bird noticed me, it released a weak sound. This is bad. I hasten my steps to make it to its side, even just a second earlier. But when it saw me approaching, it weakly shot out a ball of flame from its mouth, hitting the ground right in front of me. I barely noticed that, considering how weak my body felt right now, but it still made me stagger for a moment. When I looked towards the large bird, it had a resigned expression, like it told me to not come any closer. A slight hesitation grew within me. But it quickly dispersed. After coming this far, no way in hell am I going to stop now. I continued on, slowly raising my right foot forward, then my left, squeezing out what''s left of my meager stamina. I could not live with myself without even saying a word of thanks towards my benefactor. Nay, I would not accept any less. A debt must be repaid, I always say. As I walked closer and closer, it spit out more and more fireballs to hinder me. Some grazed me, and scorched some of my skin slightly. I could smell the aroma of burning flesh coming from my left side, but it didn''t make me falter. After what seemed to be a few minutes of walking step by step, I made it near the far side of the wall. I let loose the strength that I was putting on my legs, and involuntarily kneeled down before the large, majestic, wounded bird. When it saw my unwavering determination when we stared into each other''s eyes, it felt as though it had given up and let me do as I pleased. With a sense of relief wafting on my mind, I smiled towards my savior. "Thank you. For saving my life." I said my piece, as sincere as I could put it in words. I was not good at showing my feelings to other people, but I could slightly sense that I could easily express my thoughts towards this creature. It was a calming notion. At first I thought that there was no way a bird could understand what I was saying, but right after that, the large bird lifted its head up, and shook it from side to side weakly. Could this being really understand my words? Is this the effect of the ''Automatic Language Translation'' skill? Still, I didn''t know whether it could apply to animals. I thought only humanoid-shape beings were the only ones I could talk to. If it was the past me, he would have never believed that I would be one day, talking to a bird. As a matter of fact, I could even slightly understand what the large bird was saying, even though it didn''t speak. It''s actions were as if it has accepted its fate, and told me not to worry about it. I could feel a deep sense of respect towards the one who sacrificed its life for me. Even though it could escape during the time the beast was eating me, it chose to fight back instead. Though I did the same thing, it was still different. No normal person would do that for a complete stranger. Even more so for non-humans. Most would probably make its own survival a priority. But not this bird for some reason, I don''t know why it did such a thing. But that doesn''t change the fact that I would have been that thing''s dinner if it didn''t. It isn''t good to doubt goodwill, even more so when it came from a large bird such as this. Before I noticed it, the bird''s head was moving towards my hand. It was trying to tell me something. So, I willed strength into my right hand, and outstretched my palm to meet with the large bird''s long beak. Naturally, I did not have any plans to crush its skull like the last one. Even if I did, I could feel no power surging within me, unlike a few moments ago. I just calmly waited for the top of its beak to reach my palm, and kept it in the air. I could feel my strength waning by the second due to fatigue but I had to know what it was doing. I kept myself conscious out of pure willpower. Though I don''t know how I did it, my hand finally felt the touch of its beak. It felt rough, but it was slightly warm. Like the perfect temperature, a comforting warmth. Like snuggling in front of the fireplace on a winter night. It just enticed the temptation of sleep even more. We stayed like this for a few moments until I couldn''t take it anymore. My body could not handle such strain, so it shut down by itself, no matter how much I didn''t want it to. There was nothing I could do.. In the time-frame between me falling to the ground unconscious, I could see a faint smile on the large bird before hearing the words in my head.. {" I have seen the kindness in your heart. A human like you is a first for me. I leave this child in your care.."} A sweet-sounding female voice resounded in my ever-dimming thoughts, and the slight warmth of a mother''s love is felt through my skin. The fragrance of calming flames dispersing into the air was the last thing I could remember. In my dreams, I could see a large, pure white bird clad in flames, take off into the wide sky.. Goodbye, Phoenix-san.. I arbitrarily name the aviary creature in my dreams. Though I will not remember anything when I wake up, I will always have a memory of my savior inside my heart. A majestic being that glides across the skies. I had learned that selflessness might not be easy, but its worth the effort. In the near future, if it''s something I could help with, I will not hesitate anymore.. ....... ............... Was the me in my dreams said, but I clearly remember everything!! Wasn''t that a dream? It was, wasn''t it? Then, why can I still remember blurting out those embarrassing lines!? Am I some kind of poetic hero!? What was I thinking.. The only silver lining was that it happened in my dreams, and no one else could have possibly heard it. If someone did, I''m sure I''d commit social suicide right here, right now. My head grew hot with embarrassment as I held my face with both palms.. Also, now that I think about it, how did I even beat that large, scary monster? I vaguely remember gaining a sudden strength boost, and kicking it, but how did it end up like this? I was now standing up, dusting my shirt and boxer shorts that were slightly singed, while looking towards the destruction before me.. From a thin crack near where I stood, the farther the crack traveled, the larger it got by branching out into many, little cracks. Thereby creating a semicircular arc from the starting point. The strange thing was, that it didn''t just stop there. When it reached the smooth wall from before, the rocks thicker than concrete broke into boulders and caused a rock slide, making a path upwards from here. I could only wryly smile at this overuse of strength, but at least now I had a way out of this crater. Let''s not look a gift horse in the mouth, shall we? Still, I could slightly feel that this wasn''t the limits of my strength for some reason. Though that might sound conceited to some, it felt like it was the truth. Oh no, I''m thinking of dangerous thoughts again. Go away, go away.. It seemed that there would be no other explanation except for my mysterious skill, ''Lord of the Night''. But since I didn''t get a chance to see it last night, let''s confirm it when the next opportunity arises. Now that that''s over, I had to take care of a very urgent problem. I was still hungry. Judging by the pain I feel when I think about food, I would say I haven''t eaten anything in about three or four days. This is kind of amazing since a normal person wouldn''t even have the strength to move. Am I really becoming abnormal? No, I''m just a normal person. Who just has a high tolerance for fasting. Let''s go with that setting..hmm? Right as I was convincing myself, I noticed something in the corner of my vision.. It was some piles of meat littered across the ground. If I had to guess, it could have been the meat from the panther beast from before. I hurriedly ran towards it like a madman. Hey, when there is food in front of you, there was no time to be picky. When I reached there, the meat was covered in scorched earth. So it can''t be helped that I used ''Water Magic'' to wash all the bacteria off. Hooray for unlimited mana! Or so I might hope. After washing all three pieces of large meat I found, I was about to munch on them right then and there.. Well, until reason got a hold of me at the last minute. No matter how hungry I was, I would only get sick from eating raw meat. I wasn''t a fan of that like a few people back on Earth. So, I had to find some way to cook it. I looked around, half-expecting an ember to still be burning, but alas, there wasn''t any fire to speak of. Though I did notice something strange on the far side of the wall. It was where Phoenix-san spent her last moments, if I remember correctly. So, I moved closer to find out what it was.. What was sitting there, wasn''t a flame, but a large, round-shaped egg with a pure white gloss. It was covered with some kind of mist-like coat. When I examined it closer, it seemed that the coat exuded a comfortable warmth. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I got the slight idea of making this egg into a scrambled egg. But even though it was tempting, I refrained myself from enticing the spirit of Phoenix-san haunting me. It was because I was about fully sure that this was her egg. When I moved closer, I could see a black spot forming on my shirt but I didn''t feel that hot. Still, I moved away. I checked it, and it was actually burned in seconds. Was there a reason my skin was immune to the scorching heat? Because I didn''t have anyone to ask, I set that aside for now. Because I had an idea, I quickly retrieved the meat and held it over the egg with the mist evaporating atop it. It turns out my hypothesis was correct, since the meat was cooked into dark-brown in a matter of seconds. How hot was this egg really? I quickly turned it over to the other side and did the same for the other two pieces. While feeling thankful in my heart, and confirming the meat being cooked, I immediately bite into the large piece, and chewed so fast, I swallowed in the next moment. My impressions were.. Disgusting. This meat was the worst meat I have ever tasted thus far. It had a rubbery texture, bitter as a gourd, or even more than that, and it stuck to your teeth and molars. It wasn''t a dish I expected at all. But this wasn''t a time to be picky. Since at the very least, it filled my stomach. This only made my dream of trying many different dishes around the world, even more enticing. I will definitely eat to my heart''s content in the future. But for now, I had to regain the strength to fuel my body. Powering through the worst meal I have ever had in my life, I finished eating. After that, I stood up and tried to take the egg with me. I wouldn''t dare leave it here by itself. I held the egg with my right hand. But as soon as I did so.. The ring on my finger suddenly released a large amount of darkness, spreading into ethereal tentacles. By the time I regained my calm, it had fully covered the mist and the egg. The next moment, the darkness disappeared, taking the egg with it into the ring. "Strange, it didn''t show that reaction before, even when I held the meat.." It had me thinking that this ring might have some kind of use, but I had no way of knowing since I didn''t have enough mana to use ''Appraisal'' on it. The egg might still be safe, since the ring didn''t break or anything like that. I just had to gather enough information about it once I find someone knowledgeable about this world. Releasing a tired sigh, I checked if I still had the piece of paper tucked into my shirt. It was still there, without a scratch. Even though the middle of my shirt was burned, it had no trace of ever being blackened. I kept it once more, and thought to myself, while moving upwards through the slope.. I was now more than sure that this was not a dream, so it''s no use trying to think like that. I almost got killed yesterday if I had made a single mistake. If this is really a game-like world, I had to know more about it to survive. If I somehow find a way home, I''ll think about what I should do then. But for now, let''s find some people to talk to. I wasn''t a shut-in after all. No matter how much I loved games, I still needed human communication. While getting my plans organized in my head, I set off north once more.. ?????? A few hours after Kyouya left, on a cliff overlooking the grasslands.. "I''m sorry, Phoenix, I couldn''t save you even now. It would affect the timeline after all. So please let me off with just this.." Standing on the edge of the steep cliff, was a tall, confident, middle-aged man with silver hair, with black tips on each strand. He looked as if he had years of life experience with scars and strange black marks on his neck, leading all the way to his back. He was wearing an overbearing black tuxedo suit, with a mantle fluttering in the wind. With a confident gaze, and a wide smile, he said.. "<>" The heavens themselves might have shook from the keyword, activating his trademark skill. But before it fully activated, he said something else.. "Let the rainfall cleanse this land" Dark, heavy rain clouds suddenly gathered out of nowhere, and filled the large crater with water in an instant. "Oh, the crack is still there.. Let''s see.." The man gathered mana from his surroundings and said another string of words.. "The laws of the world itself, bend to my transcendent will, <>" With a snap, the crack-like gorge slope reverted back to the lush, green plains it was before. "I always wondered who turned this place into a lake, turns out it was actually myself. *Chuckle*" A hearty laugh was heard from the man who just did an amazing thing in seconds without breaking a sweat. Just when he looked satisfied, and was about to turn back, a portal suddenly opened in the area. He turned around without getting fazed and looked towards the running little boy with a smile. The boy had cute features, with pale skin, black eyes, silver hair, and a cheerful expression. He ran into the man''s arms, and as if it was natural, the man held out his hands to receive him. "Dad, elder sister won''t let me ride on Cleo again! Can I use magic on her?" "Hou, you think you can beat your sister now? Remember the last time you fought?" With an embarrassed look, the child instantly puffed his cheeks out and said.. "I know! But I''m sure I can beat her this time!" To those words, the man just patted his little head, that made him slightly happy.. "Ah, sure you can. Let''s go back shall we?" A bright smile was seen on the little boy''s face. When suddenly someone came out from the open portal, just as they were about to leave.. "Young master, please don''t run off like that! Oh, you''re with Master." The one who came out of the portal was a tall, handsome man who had black and white eyes, dark hair, and was dressed in a black suit. Small, dark wings were protruding from his back but that was normal. "It''s Creo, huh, what did he do this time?" "Ah, yes Master! The young master had taken the young mistress'' sword again without permission. I beg of you Master, please tell the young master to give it back." When he heard this, the man put his fingers on the bridge between his eyes. "Ah, we''ll take care of it once we get back. Anyway, did anything happen while I was gone?" "Of course, but it was just the Underworld army wanting to have a skirmish with us again. They say they have finished building a secret weapon." "Hou, they finally finished it huh. Interesting, let''s accept their challenge." "Eh, are you feeling okay Master, why did you suddenly get excited for a match you know you''re gonna win?" "Haha, well, I just feel like I''m in the mood today. In any case, let''s return. Oh it seems the portal had closed already, mind doing the honors son?" "Un, let it be known as one of the strongest, time and space will bow down before I, <