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LNWNCentral
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God's Left Hand/God's Left Hand - Volume 00/God's-Left-Hand-Volume-00-[Unknown][Unknown]/50j3iano.rdi.txt
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Chapter 1
Chapter 1
God's Left Hand - Prelude: Chapter 1
The taxi stopping in front of the resort, Ai Qing (艾情) saw a large banner with the words “WCG Asian Tournament Contestants Village” on it. She secretly let out a sigh of relief and casually pulled up her hair. She got out of the taxi, taking her the luggage from the taxi driver, and walked into the village.
There were many restaurants and shops along the road.
But it was already past midnight, except for the 24-hour supermarket and the bright McDonald's sign, there were no restaurants open at this time. She stood at the crossroad, hesitating for 3 seconds, and decided to look for her team first.
This time there were 11 players from China. They all came as a group, but she was the only one who had come late.
When she walked into the lobby of the resort, there were only two receptionists chatting with each other. They were talking about the WCG Asian Tournament and were full of amazement. Basically, they just couldn’t understand how anyone could become a professional at playing video games and that there are even Asian Tournaments and World Competitions!
Ai Qing took out her passport and briefly explained, “I’m looking for the Chinese team; and my room key, please.”
The receptionist took the passport and looked at it. After pulling out some data, she quickly made a phone call.
Ai Qing took over the phone. On the other end there was a big boy bashfully asking who it was in English. She laughed. “Slide (滑梯，Hua Ti), no need to speak English now. It’s me.”[1]
“Good grief! Say it in the first place!” Slide said happily. “You’re 4 or 5 hours late. We’re about to call it a day.”
“You’re night owls, can’t be sleeping this early.” Ai Qing held the phone between her chin and neck, taking the paperwork handed over by the front desk and signed her name smoothly.
“Which cabin are you guys in?”
“We are at the westmost side of the resort, 3B. Room 207, at the end of the second floor.”
She acknowledged it and hung up the phone. Suddenly the receptionist, smiling, put a lei over Ai Qing’s neck.[2] “Welcome to the Singapore's WCG Asian Tournament Contestants Village!”
Ai Qing just so happened to be wearing a beach styled long skirt. With the lei hanging from her neck, she transformed into a welcoming hostess…… She was quite uncomfortable for a while. Finally, following the direction Slide gave her, she slowly walked along the white stone path on the beach towards the westernmost side.
All the buildings in the resort were wooden structures, sitting on the beach on top of dark colored wood stilts. Each cabin was not far apart from each other.
It took her almost 20 minutes in the darkness to find the right place. She knocked on the door.
There was no answer.
It was 207, she made sure.
She knocked on the door again. As she was just about to call out to Slide, the door
opened from inside. A boy, with right hand on the door frame, appeared in front of her.
It’s Dt.
Three months ago, Dt was the most valuable player on the DotA championship team, at the Chinese Regional of the WCG Asian Tournament.
There were 9 teams competing at the final round. Her team was eliminated by his. She shook his hand after that game and regretfully gave him her blessings. “Don’t disgrace the Chinese in Singapore.”
She actually lost to a fifteen years old boy!
……
Alright, with those solemn words, she thought she had taken a perfect bow. She never would have thought that the first night in Singapore she would run into him.
He must have been just stepping out of the shower, wet hair fell down his face with blurry eyes. With the dim yellowish lights on the hallway, she could see water dripping from his face. When she recalled this scene many years later, it seems that it was from this point onward that his name becomes three-dimensional in her mind. He was no long just that big boy at the tournament wearing a black cap, with a calm, indifferent expression, and rapid fingers flying all over the keyboard.
For a moment, Ai Qing didn’t know how to greet him.
He suddenly grinned, seemingly to realizing who she is, but still remained silent.
“I’m Gou Gou (狗狗，Doggy).”[3] At last, she stretched out her right hand first.
His hand was wet as he quickly shook and released her hand. “Come to watch the game?”
Ai Qing grudgingly turned her head away. “I’m here for the Need for Speed finals.”
“Oh,” Dt replied while turning away from the door, signaling her to come in. “Is racing fun?”
“Quite fun. We can trade places if you want……”
If it wasn’t for him, perhaps she wouldn’t have had to settle on competing in a racing game?
As she pulled up her luggage, another boy came up behind Dt. “Man, Dt, we only just arrived and you’re already hitting on the local beauties?” While talking, he quickly pulled off the bath towel on Dt, then ran away laughing.
Ai Qing was completely dumbfounded. She stayed at the doorway with her mouth wide open.
The loud lapping of the ocean waves came from behind embellishing this embarrassing moment.
Dt and Ai Qing locked their gazes for two seconds. Suddenly, a shout burst from inside the room, “Damn! Head shot again!” Dt quickly picked up the towel on the floor and wrapped it around his waist. “I’ll go change.”
He walked back into the room without saying anything, grabbed the pair of jeans on the bed, and disappeared into the bathroom.
[1]: Hua Ti (滑梯), is his username and literally means “slide,” like the slide on a playground kind of slide.
[2]: A lei if anyone wanted to know. I put this up because I didn’t actually know what that was.
[3]: Guo (狗) means dog in Chinese. 狗狗 (Guo Guo) is Ai Qing’s username and when 狗 is used in succession is usually used as a more cute way to talk about a dog, like saying “puppy” or “doggy.”
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LNWNCentral
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God's Left Hand/God's Left Hand - Volume 00/God's-Left-Hand-Volume-00-[Unknown][Unknown]/5hzsj2ew.eqq.txt
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Chapter 7
Chapter 7
God's Left Hand - Prelude: Chapter 7
So I forgot that it was Saturday. My bad guys :<.
Solo kept smiling while she walked over. “What event?”
“Need for Speed.”
He’s amused. “Good event.”
Ai Qing chuckled. “And what brings you here?”
“I heard there are several strong teams in this tournament.” Solo drank some coke. “I saw the video of your game, do you plan to sign on with any team?”
Suddenly she realized that it wasn’t a casual talk when he had asked Slide about her current situation. Slide, who had witnessed the on-again-off-again relationship between her and Solo, was obviously leaning more on her side. She shook her head. “Not at the moment.”
As he was about to say something, some reporters interrupted. They had just discovered that here was a heavyweight gamer and all excitedly ran over to interview him. Ai Qing stepped back a few steps to give him more room.
The reporters didn’t ask those routine questions for a change. Instead, they kept asking him whether he planned to switch teams. Whether he had received any invitations. Or whether he would leave China.
Solo listened carefully to all the questions, then said, “this year, we have 3 players ranked among the top 10 individual players in Warcraft III. I believe that number will increase in the future. In 2003, China has officially declared videogame competitions as a sporting event. Although we haven’t valued videogame competitions as much as Go or soccer like in Korea, our future development is very promising.” He smiled politely and said, “and if everything goes as expected, I will not leave this team before I retire.”
“In Europe and US, Warcraft III is not as popular as shooting games.” One reporter pointed out doubtfully, “some people even said that, in the future, Warcraft III will only be a recreational game in Korea and China. As the ranking number 3 player, do you feel like this is a concern?”
Solo was silent for a while, then said, “there is always a rumor that Blizzard Entertainment will push out a new game. If it’s attractive enough, I will be happy to try it out.”
Ai Qing watched the rare serious look on his face; all of a sudden, she felt that he was very far away.
He’s no longer that 19 years old teenager of the past.
After quickly sending those reporters away, Solo sat down naturally and started chatting with Dt. The two of them idly exchanged words; most of the time it was Solo who was asking the questions and Dt answering with one or two words or just agreed tacitly. She could tell that they knew each other from before.
It looked like that young girl, Ai Qing’s roommate, was a die-hard fan of Solo. During this whole time, she was looking at him with twinkling eyes. After he was done talking with Dt, she chipped in, “Solo? You really are Solo?”
Solo nodded smiling. “Yes.”
“You came here to seek out our captain?”
“You could say that.” He drank some more coke and glanced at Ai Qing. “Also to see some old friends. Only at these kind of important tournaments do we ever meet. We don’t have much of a chance to see each other back home since everyone lives in different provinces.”
The young girl couldn’t quite understand. “Can’t you meet with them at the Chinese Regional finals?”
“I happened to be out of the country at the time.” He patiently explained, then turned to Dt. “I checked the game schedules, DotA is on the last day. Do you want to play a warm-up game tonight?”
“Warcraft III?” Dt asked.
“Yes.” Solo laughed. “Don’t forget we got to know each other because of the Warcraft III. I’ll invite some friends, tonight.”
Dt didn’t answer right away, Solo quickly dropped three names.
Ai Qing felt those names were familiar, but she wasn’t following Warcraft III too closely. It was Slide, who just walked over behind her, gasped. “Such an impressive fighting lineup! Those Koreans on the top ten list? I remember these three were last year’s number 6, 7, and 10?”
“It’s them.” Solo didn’t deny it. “WCG is organized by Koreans. They always invite some professional gamers to come as special exhibition guests. This year it’s these three; they should be here around dinner time.”
“How do you plan to play?” Slide was very interested.
Ai Qing was also curious. Five of them, how did they plan to play the game?
“2 to 3.” Solo curved up corners of his lips, chuckled. “Just for fun.”
……
This is Solo. Although he is ranked number 3, it’s still quite daring to challenge the three top gamers just by team up with one another player who’s not even a Warcraft III contestant.
“What time?” Finally Dt showed some interests.
“10 o’clock.”
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LNWNCentral
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God's Left Hand/God's Left Hand - Volume 00/God's-Left-Hand-Volume-00-[Unknown][Unknown]/a2ufklwl.ob0.txt
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Chapter 19
Chapter 19
God's Left Hand - Prelude: Chapter 19
Alright folks. We're done with the prelude. Now the real romance starts.
Thailand’s total annihilation came first, followed by Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia, the strongest team.
When Dt’s team stood from their chairs, even the opposing team stood with deferential looks to the five teenagers in black uniforms.
Whether their opponents played with an aggressive ganking strategy or a steady, conservative playstyle, Dt’s team only had one strategy.
Map control, locking down the entire map.
During the final match, the Malaysian players weren’t even able to take the high ground and were totally defeated. They basically gave the gold medal away.
Because Ai Qing was wearing his cap, it was a rare occurrence for Dt to show his entire face under the flashing lights. But no matter what question the reporters asked he only nodded or didn’t give a response at all. While watching him hold his gold medal from afar, Ai Qing wondered if he was too proud to bother answering them or if he was just terrible at expressing himself?
As the group champion, the Chinese team had unexpectedly become the focus of attention in the arena.
They had chased after the title of the group champion for so many years, but when they finally succeeded, everyone was in a daze. After the confusing interviews and award ceremony, they returned to their room, where someone had already made preparations for a party with low-alcohol beer, ice, and fresh flowers.
Slide took out the light blue envelope from under the ice bucket, took a look, and handed it to Ai Qing behind him.
It was written with very familiar handwriting:
Gou Gou, congratulations to you and the rest of the team.
Solo
Ai Qing lowered her head as she read it and with a laugh, tucked it back into Slide’s hands.
Solo was her first love, almost all memories she had related to him were about esports. In these past few years, the two of them had been in an on and off relationship but it had now become a stable pattern. She even thought about ending her professional career, laying low, with no team training, competitions, crazy fans, online posts by fans, endless reporters, commercial activities ……
Either way, she would be able to live the life that an eighteen year old should live.
She took beer from ten or so buckets and began to distribute them to the team, Dt slowly came in.
Several people moved the ice buckets to the balcony and had begun to sing a random assortment of songs towards the beach in the dark. Pressure? They had never mentioned the word. It seemed that everyone else took video games for granted, it’s just entertainment, why would there be any pressure?
But would they know that to become a better gamer, you would practice to strengthen your left hand even when eating or writing.
Fearful that the ice would melt too quickly to keep the flavor of the beer, Ai Qing took the remaining dozen or so beer into the room and began to place them in the fridge one after the other.
Behind her, someone came closer.
It was Dt.
Ai Qing smiled at him, “Thanks.”
He had a confused expression.
“I meant, thanks for letting us become the group champion.” Ai Qing took a bottle of iced beer and popped the cap with the edge of the marble counter and gave it to him. “Actually, this time I should thank you. At the end of my professional career, we were able to become the group champion.”
Dt took the bottle, but didn’t drink.
A pair of pink mp3 earbuds hung around her neck. She, like most girls at this age, preferred pink and other rosy colors. On her neck and under the straight hair, she wore a necklace with a tiny pink skull.
There was nothing special about her, when she’s off the competition stage, she was just a normal, pretty girl.
Three years earlier, when Dt saw her, that was when he had just returned to China. His cousin had dragged him to a CS competition.
At that time, she had short hair that fell to the bottom of her ears, which made her eyes appear larger.
Among the esport teams, there were very few girls. She became the focus of conversation at the stadium. After he sat down to watch the game, there were several boys behind him who kept talking about her. They kept calling her “Apple Dog.” This was the first time he had heard people praise a girl, not for her beauty, personality, nor academic ability.
But: was sharp, had a god-like sixth sense, and was a king of aiming.
She could even accurately shoot after being blinded by a flash bang, killing others with her sixth sense.
He remembered the moment when she finally won the game, she bit her lower lip and jokingly leaned on Solo’s shoulder, who sat next to her, and flirtatiously whispered something to him.
Amidst the cheering from the crowd, she had lost her keen senses and stood up with rosy cheeks besides Solo to accept the crowd’s cheers.
He remembered from a video, the words that she spoke to an Associated Press reporter:
“Please don’t call us players. We’re just normal athletes, just like any other sport contestant.” When she laughed, a tiny dimple was on her left cheek. “In online games, you need time and money to build up your character’s ability. But that’s just the ability of the character that you’re controlling. In the world of esports, each competitor's starts at zero. So the winning and losing is up to the individual’s skill. Even if you’re the son of the richest person in the world with the best keyboard and computer, but without any skill, then nobody would even bother to take a glance at you. As long as you have skill, then you’ll have the respect of the people. They’ll even use your strategies as a model of how to play. This is what esports is.”
A fifteen year old girl had spoken these grandiose words.
Grandiose words that could move people.
It was this kind of feeling that made him, a person who had no clue about esports, to become the person he was during the final round of the competition.
It only took him two years time.
Outside the room, somebody had gotten the group to sing the national anthem. At first they were just making a small racket, but then someone began to yell. It basically became a very messy but also moving moment.
Dt slightly lowered his head and gazed at the dark green bottle in his hand. “Thank you, Frigg.”
He believed that he would continue forwards until he could fight by her side, shoulder to shoulder, with all the failures and glory that would come with it.
—— Prelude End ——
Author’s Note:
Alright, I admit that what ends here is just the beginning of the story. This is a big, long story. A very long story. There is still a lot more good kids with dreams. The main plot isn’t going to be just about love ….
I’ll use the entire year of 2012 to finish it.
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LNWNCentral
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God's Left Hand/God's Left Hand - Volume 00/God's-Left-Hand-Volume-00-[Unknown][Unknown]/ao2nxzss.wd2.txt
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Chapter 14
Chapter 14
God's Left Hand - Prelude: Chapter 14
Enjoy guys!
Because of Ai Qing’s endless curiosity, Dt bought 11 ice cream sandwiches for everyone to try. Everyone was staring at her in awe, their silent praise made Ai Qing wanted to elicit more verbal responses from Dt.
The group then walked in the direction of the ferris wheel. Ai Qing, while eating the ice cream sandwich, on purposely walking next to Dt and chatted with him.
“Look at that building, the one full of spikes on the outside in a semicircle. Does it look like anything to you……”
“The shell of a durian.”[1] Dt said as he rose his head to take a look.
“When did you start competing?”
“When I was 12.”
“Are you prepared to be a professional? Keeping playing DotA? Or do you want to wait for some new game to come out?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
Ai Qing was having fun with the conversation, but once she began to talk about the esports, she unconsciously became more and more serious.
“Most pros focus on two games at the same time, like Warcraft III and Starcraft. When you attend more tournaments, you’ll learn that this kind arrangement works out very well. For example, say a game loses popularity over time, then you still have another game as backup. If you’re good enough, you can compete in both games in the World Tour[2] tournaments. And if you win a prize at each one, you’ll become a rich man before you hit 20.”
Dt didn’t respond.
Ai Qing finished her ice cream sandwich and continued to think about what else to say. She wanted to continue the conversation, but felt that perhaps she was being a bit too attentive towards him. Just as she began to slow her pace down to discuss where they were going to eat with Slide, Dt suddenly spoke again.
“What about you?”
“Me?” Ai Qing thought about it for a bit, “I don’t know still. I might continue, or I might not.”
Afterwards, he became silent again.
Because it’s so rare for them to come to Singapore, none of them had a strong desire to sit somewhere to eat. So they snacked from here and there as they waited in line for more than one hour to get onto the ferris wheel.
Ai Qing leaned against the window and watched the skyline lighted up against the backdrop of the night. Others next to her were quickly changing poses for multiple pictures, inevitably the constant chatter was almost headache inducing. When she turned around, Dt was being used as a backdrop by several people. The entire skyline was right behind him and emitted a soft glow.
Not only were they sitting on this carriage, but also many other tourists who were looking at these student-like passengers.[3] Inevitably they asked the group what their profession was, assuming that they were students traveling for the summer. Mian Bao very seriously explained to them about esport tournaments, which caused all the adult tourists to stare dumbfoundedly with their mouths agape. When speaking about games, of course many people play video games, but those willing to play to a higher degree of skill were rare.
“That,” Mian Bao proudly pointed at Ai Qing, “is this year’s Need for Speed champion in Asia.”
Everyone quickly looked at her. Ai Qing, before she could even realize what was happening, began to blush. Without knowing what was going on, the tourists began to take pictures with her. Some of them were very excited while others were just joining in on the fun. Still others joined in because Ai Qing was very beautiful, so why not …… later even Slide decided to have fun with it and handed his camera to a girl, “Take a picture for the three of us.”
After Slide finished, he snatched Dt’s cap, and placed an arm around his shoulder, “Handsome guys should show their face more.”
Dt always wore his cap, except when he came out of the shower, and used it to cover the upper half of his face. In this moment, with his cap taken off, even his own teammates were shocked at what they saw. They all began to say in agreement that the captain is very handsome…...
Dt gave an embarrassed cough, “A man doesn’t rely on his looks, but his skill.”
Though he originally said it in a very serious tone, but it caused everyone to immediately praise him even more.
Dt finally gave up and remained silent, pretending as if he had never said anything.
Slide, with a smile, casually placed the cap onto Ai Qing’s head. And with his other hand around her shoulder, the three of them, close together with the lights from the skyline at their backs, was captured in a picture.
When they finally arrived back at the resort at night, the organizer had quickly sent over the time for the drawings for their matchups.
Because it was drawn by a computer, even though the DotA competitions were scheduled for the third day, the matchups would be decided by drawing tomorrow. The organizer gave them a website which all the team captains could use to check the final result.
Ai Qing’s main interest was in DotA and so naturally she was very nervous about the matchups.
A few of them crowded around Dt’s computer and waited for some time, until the results finally came. Their opponent was Thailand.
“Thailand placed second place in last year’s Asia Tournament.” Ai Qing said while looking at Dt. “Do we have a video of last year’s competition? I remember that their strategy was abnormal. They would sacrifice four of their own team to drag their enemy down so that the fifth could go in for the kill.”
It seemed that Dt was deep in thought considering this new information. He casually clicked on his computer for the information he needed.
Ai Qing focused her attention on his folders, of which he had over a hundred. She suddenly saw a name and became stunned for a moment before quickly looking at Dt.
“Apple Dog,” that was her name.
Dt continued, apparently without noticing her, and quickly scrolled past that folder, his attention focused unwaveringly at the monitor.
[1]: A common tropical fruit found in a good portion of southeast Asia (such as Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, etc.). It has a pungent smell and, in my opinion, an acquired taste.
[2]: The Chinese used here is 巡回比赛 which translates into “World Tour,” but I’m not familiar with any esport competition called that. Though I don’t follow the esports as much as I used to when I played Starcraft three-four years ago.
[3]: Damn, that’s a HUGE carriage for a ferris wheel.
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LNWNCentral
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God's Left Hand/God's Left Hand - Volume 00/God's-Left-Hand-Volume-00-[Unknown][Unknown]/cnixpx5v.ph3.txt
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Chapter 5
Chapter 5
God's Left Hand - Prelude: Chapter 5
Sorry for being late. I pulled an all night for my art project and just slept so we're a little late today >.<. Upside, though school's over. We're hopefully going to be able to increase the number of releases we can make over summer. Enjoy!
Chapter 5
Their midnight conversation wasn’t a very pleasant memory.
Dt was usually quiet and Ai Qing couldn’t quite figure out what he was thinking like his teammates could…...therefore, she had to carry the conversation herself for a length at times. Finally, she couldn’t keep it going anymore and used thirst as an excuse to go back to her room.
She didn’t wake up till noon the next day. She was woken up by a phone call, reminding her to attend the Asian Tournament opening ceremony that afternoon.
She hung up the phone and hid her head inside the blanket to keep the glaring sunlight out. She struggled another 20 minutes before finally getting out of the bed. She truly did not want to go to any opening ceremony; speeches from the sponsors, promotions by young girls cosplaying, and routine interviews by the media from different countries…...the one thing she hated the most was that some of the foreign media would ask very discriminatory questions. Questions like: We heard that you are from China; compared to other more advanced countries, China is somewhat behind in its computer fields. What kind of efforts have you put in to compete in the world level competitions?
Everytime this happened, she felt like smashing a keyboard into their faces and say:
Behind!? Like hell we are! The world’s first returning WCG champion is Chinese!
Even Singapore couldn’t play any new tricks to alleviate the boredom.
For example, the event that just left the stage.
Ai Qing listened to the many shouting fans sitting behind her. “Lin Junjie! Lin Junjie!” This singer, Lin Junjie, was invited by the organizer as a special guest. He energetically sang three songs and finally left surrounded by security guards.
But, all the contestants were dozing off. It’s not that they were not respectful.
It’s just that video games competitions in Asia are basically a man's world, except for an occasional female’s team or two. Hardly any young man likes to hear these kind of pop songs.
A buffet was served after the ceremony.
“Gou Gou,” Slide walked over holding a plate full of BBQ chicken wings and purposely lowered his voice. “I forgot to tell you one thing.”
Ai Qing was tapping her forehead with a wet towelette trying to keep herself awake. “What?”
Slide was still hesitating, several contestants not far from them were whispering a name, “Solo”.
Ai Qing thought she had heard it wrong. But at the very next second, she realized that he was really here.
A lot of people stood up; looking for this man, who had swept through most of the world competitions and almost took down the title of grand slam[1], with respectful gaze. Even some people from the strongest team, the Korean team, looked over at him.
Usually, these type of minor Asian competitions don’t attract any world class competitors. No one expected to see Solo, ranked number 3 in the world, showing up here.
“See, I’m still too late.” Slide patted her shoulder. “He just asked me how you were doing lately. I didn’t tell him that you’re here. It’s up to you whether to see him or not.”
After saying that, Slide leaned back on the chair and bit into a chicken wing.
Ai Qing didn’t say anything. She quickly glanced over in the direction that everyone was staring at.
There were 3 or 4 tall men standing at a table.
That man, who attracted the attention of everyone, wore a simple pure white short sleeved polo shirt. With one hand inside his pants’ pocket and head stooped down, he was talking and smiling with the person next to him.
[1]: Just so anyone is unfamiliar, such as the I, the editor, the term grand slam is normally used in sports to denote a person who has won all major tournaments (like in golf). So basically Solo almost won all the major pro-gaming matches.
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LNWNCentral
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God's Left Hand/God's Left Hand - Volume 00/God's-Left-Hand-Volume-00-[Unknown][Unknown]/etknqadm.iag.txt
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Chapter 6
Chapter 6
God's Left Hand - Prelude: Chapter 6
Alright guys. I've graduated (though I'm going to be attending school, again, in the fall). So now that it's summer we'll be updating weekly! Also sorry for the late posting again (I'm pretty bad at this). We just got home and the flight was delayed. Things are heating up from what I can tell in the story. Enjoy.
She still remembered that night.
They had just finished training, sitting in the room with the lights off. He was leaning back on the chair wearing headphones. She knew the music he was listening to must have been Within Temptation’s “Jillian”. That’s his favorite band.
That year, all the forums and gaming websites liked to comment on her “sense of smell.” Solo on the other hand always said that it was her women’s sixth sense. She could foresee enemy positions or an incoming ambush.
But what she really wanted to know was that if she had a sixth sense, then she should be able to sense his feelings.
That day, the two of them sat across from each other. She hesitated for quite some time, finally she entered few words on computer: “Love, takes two people.”
Solo’s face reflected the light from the computer screen.
At first, he just smoked quietly. After a full 4 or 5 minutes, he slowly typed on the keyboard and punched the enter key: “So, Solo is not suitable for love.”
Singapore at the height of summer is truly a sun-drenched place…..
The glaring sunlight came from the direction where he was standing. Ai Qing had to squint her eyes in order to barely see his face.
Those 3 or 4 men all looked familiar, but she couldn’t recall who they were exactly. She only saw that, after a short conversation, a man behind him patted his shoulder and he raised his head looking toward another direction.
Ai Qing looked over too; it was Dt’s team who sat at a table.
“Solo said that he came here to look for fresh blood for his club.” The person that sat next to her explained unclearly while eating the chicken wings. “My guess is that he likes Dt. You know Solo’s club has gotten an investment from an American company. If Dt can take the first place in this tournament, he will be a hot item. They do have foresight.”
Ai Qing smiled. “Why don’t you go to his club?”
“Me?” Slide shrugged. “I plan to go to Germany.”
Ai Qing was quite surprised. “You already signed on with them?”
Slide looked at her smilingly. “Want to come with me?”
“No!” Ai Qing refused instinctively. “That place won’t agree with me. If I want to sign on to any team, it’ll be a Chinese club.”
“The most presentable team in China,” Slide took out a pack of tissues from his pocket and pulled out one, “is Solo’s.”
It so happened that there came the hit song of Within Temptation through the speakers. It’s unexpected that there were people here who liked this Dutch symphonic metal band too……
Ai Qing thought for a while, then finally spoke, “then I’ll just study hard in college. I’ll return to the world without video gaming competitions completely. Fall in love, work in an office after graduation, 9 to 5.”
Slide nibbled on a piece of chicken wing so thoroughly until there was only bare bones. “I almost forgot, you just finished the college entrance exam.”
Oh, yeah, entrance exam, college; it seemed that her life had just begun.
It seemed that Solo was doing exactly what Slide had guessed. After exchanging a few more words with the people around him, he walked, holding a can of coke in hand, towards where Dt was. As Ai Qing was thinking of finding an excuse to slip away, Mian Bao, right at this moment, realized that there were two people missing, searched all around and saw Ai Qing. He waved and shouted out, “Gou Gou, Slide, over here!”
Solo stopped, turned his head to look over.
Ai Qing felt her temples were tightening up. She wished she could flog that little substitute to death right now…...
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LNWNCentral
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God's Left Hand/God's Left Hand - Volume 00/God's-Left-Hand-Volume-00-[Unknown][Unknown]/jal015nz.2n3.txt
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Chapter 3
Chapter 3
God's Left Hand - Prelude: Chapter 3
Translator's note: Sorry for being late, the auto-poster didn't work for some reason. ┐(´∇｀)┌
Here you guys go.
Facing off against these ace gamers, death usually happened in an instant.
After one minute and 37 seconds, the last player took off their headphones.
Mian Bao gulped down some coke. “Gou Gou, exactly how good is your hearing? You ambushed me just when I started to move.”
Ai Qing stuck her tongue out, taking a quick look at Wu Bai.
He unexpectedly backed out of the game toward the end, without any explanation.
“It’s not hearing, it’s her sense of smell.”
“That’s why Gou Gou makes her name; her sense of smell of always knowing where the enemy is,” Slide mumbled through the unlit cigarette in his mouth.
That was how a gaming website in China summed her up when she was 15.
If she remembered correctly, that was another international competition three years ago, the ESWC Electronic Sports World Cup.
It was the Chinese Regional that year and all the top teams were gathered in Guangzhou from all over China. After two solid days of fighting, she won her first competition in her professional career.
Her specialty is in close quarters combat, particularly with a knife. She didn’t switch out her knife for the entire match.
In this kind of face-to-face, instant death confrontations, a player has to be merciless and relentless to survive.
Her fierce fighting style was taught hands-on by one person. But it was after that competition, she and that person gave up on professional CS.
All eleven people sat around making fun at each other. To be exact, it was ten people. The only one not participating in the group conversation was Dt. After he backed out of the game, he sat down near the outdoor bar, looking at a video of the qualifying games earlier that year.
Everyone was tired from the whole day long distance traveling, plus the 5 - 6 hours of intense training after settling down in the resort.
Even though they were having fun with each other, they were obviously tired.
Only he didn’t have any sign of fatigue. With a glass of ice water at hand, he put an ice cube into his mouth silently. He was fully concentrated on the video with headphones on, his eyes didn’t stray away from the screen. She felt her teeth freezing just by looking at him. She wondered why such a loner would choose to play a team game like DotA, instead of an individual game.
He was a person that had come from nowhere, who led a not so famous team, but their skills and strategies were absolutely amazing. As the captain, he was undoubtedly the final decision maker. No one would be surprised if he was a veteran player, but, he was a newcomer, just 15 years old. A newcomer with a bright future……
Without a doubt, after this Asian Tournament, many top teams would be chasing after him.
“How do you guys communicate with each other when you do your normal training?” She asked Mian Bao quietly, “ He doesn’t seem to talk too much.”
Mian Bao thought a bit. “We just need to listen……”
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God's Left Hand/God's Left Hand - Volume 00/God's-Left-Hand-Volume-00-[Unknown][Unknown]/jrmyfjsd.xbo.txt
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Chapter 8
Chapter 8
God's Left Hand - Prelude: Chapter 8
Ok so I think I might start posting these Friday night if I can't figure out why this scheduled post doesn't work. I also need to really fix my sleep schedule and wake up earlier than 11. Enjoy today's chapter!
So a game fought by heavyweights was played at the night before the official tournament started.
Solo lived in the village, too. With the courtesy of the organizer, his room was larger than the contestants’ and came with a living room. When those Korean gamers arrived at his room, they used English to greet each other warmly. When Solo introduced Dt to them, they seemed to have heard his name before. They carried conversations in low voices for quite a while.
Ai Qing was somewhat surprised.
When they were all busy preparing their computers, Ai Qing asked Slide quietly, “do you understand Korean?” Slide shook his head smilingly. “Can’t even deal with English, not to mention Korean.” Ai Qing gave it a thought, asked again, “this Dt, has he played other events before?”
“Don’t know.” Slide shook his head. “He shouldn’t have. Based on his age, he should have just started competing.”
Ai Qing didn’t ask any more. She sat on the sofa on one side of the room and watched those 5 chat away happily. Sometimes, they would use broken Chinese mixed with English to chat with Solo. Korea and China are the two strongest countries in the Warcraft III. Many top players from both countries are good friends. This is probably the so-called like-minds cherish each other.
“How is it?” Solo looked at Dt.
Dt made an ok gesture.
Mian Bao couldn’t contain himself any longer; he sighed lightly, “God, can I take a picture? These are all idols.”
She was amused by it and looked over. “Work harder. Then you’ll be the one in the pictures in the future.”
“Talent isn’t something you can force.” Mian Bao pushed up his glasses, admiringly looked over to the not so far away gamers. “I feel that our captain is very promising. When he reach his professional peak around 18, 19 years old, he’ll definitely sweep all over the 5 continents.”
“......isn’t it 7 continents?”
“......” Mian Bao thought carefully. “It seems ……”
While the two were talking, the players were all ready.
Before they started the game, Solo suddenly chuckled. He sighed, in English, in a low voice, “What’s going on today? Everyone plays Human.”
Immediately, one of the Koreans laughed and followed by, “there’s one exception. Your teammate is random.”
Random?
Ai Qing watched Dt surprisingly. In Warcraft III, there are four different races, each player usually plays their favorite.
Even though this is not Dt’s event, it takes unusual courage to choose random when facing the four top ranking gamers in the world.
“Random is quite normal.” That die-hard fan of Solo proudly murmured. “Our captain always chooses random, no matter what game……”
Ai Qing and Slide looked at each other, suddenly had the feeling that tonight’s “just for fun” would turn out to be quite spectacular.
She unconsciously looked up and down at Dt. Dt seemed to sense something, raised his head suddenly and glanced over in the direction of the sofa. With this tiny change of position, the other players felt kind of strange and, following him, turned to look toward this direction.
The people who sat on the sofa were all confused. They didn’t know what all these idols, suddenly turning towards their way, were looking at.
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Chapter 12
Chapter 12
God's Left Hand - Prelude: Chapter 12
Hey guys, here's this week's! Enjoy.
She had never played a final round this difficult. Her first match was against last year’s champion.
She knew the maps in Need for Speed 10 well enough that she could have drawn them with her eyes closed. However, every single contestant was just as familiar with the maps as she was.
Bend after bend on the road, her finger never left the shift key.
Every time, as she was about to bump into an opponent’s car, she would overtake them while barely grazing the car……
It’s a good thing that she had spent two months training to avoid crashing. Last year, many Chinese Need for Speed players were knocked out of the international competition early on, all because they weren’t familiar with competition rules.
In China, a rematch is required if a player overturns their opponent’s car.
But in WCG tournaments, there is no penalty for purposely crashing into another opponent’s car, making it a viable strategy for players.
Surprisingly, her left hand was a bit sore after she took it off the keyboard.
This was only the first match and she had just won by only a narrow margin. She glanced at the Singaporean players for the next match and gritted her teeth as she gathered her belongings and left the competition floor.
Match after match, semifinals, and finals.
There was still, however, half a day to get through……
“Look at this post,” Slide turned his laptop towards her with the most easy going posture to take her mind off the stress. “Yesterday, someone took a picture of you and posted on the CS boards.”
Ai Qing placed her bag down at her feet, sat down, and carefully looked at the computer screen.
The picture was a side-view of her yesterday, dozing on the back of the chair in front of her. The caption was very clickbaity “The Ancient Hero of Legend: Gou Gou makes a surprising appearance at the WCG Asian Championship.”
Ancient……
Ai Qing wasn’t sure if she should laugh or cry as she looked at Slide. “Since when did I become an ancient legend?”
Slide nodded with a grin: “More like a fossil at this point.”
……
Ai Qing took a look at the big screen, the next match hadn’t started yet. There was still time for her to rest. She commandeered the laptop to read the post.
In short, it was about the strongest first generation Chinese CS players.
“That year, Solo, Gou Gou, and Gun, etc. became the most iconic of the first generation CS players. This team almost swept every CS competition in China, becoming unchallenged champions…...”
Slide on purposely read the post out loud. She turned towards him with a fist raised, daring him to continue. He acquiesced with a chuckle. “I remember that back then I was still a commentator, before you guys dragged me into actually playing.”[1]
Ai Qing also remembered that time three years ago, when most players were still amateurs. It was rare to find a professional team.
She was lamenting the fact that she was already considered “ancient” at the age of 18 as she casually looked at all the replies to the post.
She didn’t expect that around the twentieth reply she would start seeing gossip. They were all using this post to gossip about the CS teams at that time such as match fixing, the promiscuity of the players in their private life …… she read for a few minutes before she couldn’t hold back her laughter. The gossip here was more interesting than the ones about the entertainment industry in the gossip section of Tianya[2].
But later on, someone began posting about Solo’s personal life.
Perhaps it was because he changed games and his skills still shone just as brightly if not brighter.[3]
There was a very brief reply that mentioned his illegitimate daughter……
Ai Qing immediately returned the laptop and didn’t want to continue with that topic.
After she chatted with Slide for a while, she discovered that Dt, who had been silent all this time, had fallen asleep. Because his hat was pulled down so low, even Slide, his neighbor, didn’t realize he had dozed off.
Ai Qing bent over to take a peek at his sleeping face with a smirk.
The outline of his face was beautiful. He definitely had the potential with his skills and looks to become one of the top gaming idols. She assumed that he probably trained too late into the night which would explain why he brazenly slept on the tournament floor. Really now ……. why did he get up so early for?
[1]: TL Note: In Chinese the term used was “拖下水” which means literally to “drag into the water,” but it’s connotation in English sounds more negative than what Slide is implying here.
[2]: From what we could research, Tianya (天涯) is a real website on the internet with a gossip/tabloid like section, but didn’t look too deeply into it.
[3]: We chose to stick to a more literal translation here. The Chinese used implies that Solo was still eye-catching or had an aura around him that shone. Essentially they mean that even though he switched games, he was still one of the top players in his new game.
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Chapter 13
Chapter 13
God's Left Hand - Prelude: Chapter 13
Ai Qing straightened her back and mouthed to Slide, “Should we let him go back to sleep?”
Slide shook his head with a smile and mouthed back, “Just let him sleep like this.”
In the end, he slept until Ai Qing had finished the final round. She was swarmed by the media on the floor with the other finalist, assaulted by the flash of cameras. She saw Dt and Slide waiting in the back for her and impulsively kissed her gold medal hanging on her neck.
Slide immediately understood her actions and replied with a thumbs up.
Dt also quickly replied with a smile.
Because of this first gold medal, the Chinese team decided to have a grand feast in celebration.
Naturally the one paying was Ai Qing, because all of today’s glory belonged to her. She followed the team down to city hall by subway, even though her account was in the red and had no idea when she could collect her prize money.
After these eleven people got off the subway, they became very excited. Each of them took out a camera from their backpacks and pockets. They even took multiple pictures with the fountain in front of the subway entrance. They were acting like a bunch of teenaged tourists.
Ai Qing forgot her camera, but since her friends were having such a good time taking pictures, she kind-heartedly became the photographer for the group. She was taking pictures nonstop for each one of them. Slide stood beside her and gave a sigh, “Take it, take it, after this tournament everyone will probably go ashore[1] and start studying seriously. Even if you have the best technique, you still can’t beat reality~”
Ai Qing clicked the shutter and glanced back at him, “Maybe we have a rising pro here.”
“Do you mean Dt?”
“It seems that you have a special spot for him?” Ai Qing looked at the picture she just took, a little blurry …… she could only grin at the four boys who had finally formed four letters, “Let’s take it again …… my hand shook a bit ……”
The four guys whined while beating their chests and tried to form the letters again.
“I like him a lot, I’d take him in a heartbeat, but I can’t beat Solo.”
“Oh,” Ai Qing acknowledged and knelt down to take a photo from below to make four big boys look even taller than they already were.
Because her skirt was long and even though the hem was curled upwards, one side still fell onto the ground. Compared to those four boys making funny postures, her pose was like a beautiful figure from a painting.
Slide squinted his eyes and said no more.
When he first saw Ai Qing, back when he was still a commentator, her hair was a short medium length.[2] After every match, she’d rest her head in the crook of her elbow on the desk next to her keyboard and quietly talk to Solo who sat next to her.
Back then she was only 15. When the game became especially tense, her cheeks would turn red. A lot of fans nicknamed her the “Apple Dog.” Perhaps she didn’t know it, but she rarely smiled in any of the pictures that was taken of her, except in the photos that had Solo in it.
“What’s that?” She returned the cameras to their respective owners and noticed two girls walking by with some sort of food that looked like bread that had something inside, in short it was strange.
“Cold drink,” Dt said abruptly who had so far been a bystander observing the fun.
Ai Qing took a careful look at the food and said, “The outside is toast isn’t it?”
Dt replied, “Un, the inside is a brick of ice cream.”[3]
“Have you eaten it before?” she turned to look at him. While doing so, she took her long skirt and tied it into a knot above her knee, turning it into a super mini skirt.
Dt was silent for a bit before nodding in response.
“Does it taste good?”
He remained silent again as Ai Qing stared at him. In truth she wasn’t very interested in the ice cream sandwich itself, but felt that if she could get him to speak more, then it’d give her a great sense of accomplishment.
Under her intense glare, Dt finally broke his silence and earnestly asked her, “Do you want to eat one?”
Huh?
……
“Then ……. we can try some.”
[1]: The Chinese used here literally means going onto the shore, but obviously he’s using it as a metaphor for most of the team focusing on their studies rather than continue playing video games professionally.
[2]: He says short medium hair… whatever that means? I guess medium length hair that’s on the shorter end of the spectrum?
[3]: ED: So basically an ice cream sandwich? Why would they use the Chinese for “cold drinks”?! Dt you are a strange guy… or the author doesn’t know what to call it... Also note that the sound “un” means yes.
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Chapter 10
Chapter 10
God's Left Hand - Prelude: Chapter 10
Ok so right now it's 8:37PM PDT, Friday 6/17/16. I have scheduled this to publish on Saturday 6/18/16, 11AM PDT. Hopefully this actually publishes, if not you'll know because I'll post a small edit under this to tell you how sad I am that either this scheduling thing doesn't work or that I'm just so incompetent I don't know how to schedule this properly.
Anyhow enjoy guys.
EDIT: So uhhh scheduling didn't work.... sowwy
The final result didn’t surprise Ai Qing.
The moment that Solo had lightheartedly said that it was just for fun, she knew that he had at least 70% certainty of winning. He had always been a qualified captain, having never made an uncertain decision.
After the game, Slide thoughtfully ordered a case of local beer.
The average age of everyone was about 18 or 19. Even though many of them carried the aura of professional players, but when they raised the 330ml beer bottles, they were still just a bunch of youngsters. Dt even smiled somewhat bashfully when the others pushed him to drink. He only symbolically touched his bottle with Solo’s and took a sip.
Solo left the next day. It was the day of the final competition of Ai Qing’s Need for Speed event.
She was the only one who had an event on the first day of the tournament. Most of her teammates stayed in the cabin room for some high intensity training.
At the outskirt of the arena, there were all kinds of cosplayers; many of them were in Warcraft costumes. Ai Qing sat inside of the arena and quite happily watched the cosplayers. A Singaporean staff member came over and gave her the grouping arrangements. They said it was based on random drawings amongst the 10 plus players to decide on the match up.
“This is random?” Slide took the chart out of her hand and looked at it.
“I don’t think so.” Ai Qing pointed at the group of the Singaporean contestants. “The opponents for the three Singaporeans are all from weaker countries. Mine is the champion from the last Asian Tournament.”
The two looked at each other.
The organizer’s tricks was quite obvious to a discerning mind.
Ai Qing wasn’t too concerned; Need for Speed didn’t have that many fans in China anyway. But if this were Dt’s event, then for sure no one would agree if the organizer still operated underhandedly.
Slide probably also thought about this. He hesitated for a few seconds. “Should we protest to the organizer?”
Ai Qing was hesitating, too.
Not far from them, teams from other countries were also quietly discussing; Korean, English, and many unknown national languages. It seemed that everyone was not satisfied with the organizer secretly making the grouping arrangement…...When she looked back, she realized that not only Slide was here, Dt also skipped training and sat outside the arena waiting to watch the competition.
He seemed to have seen the facial expressions of Ai Qing and Slide. He quickly stood up and walked towards them.
Dt’s team was the seeded team of this year’s DotA. Even the commentators on the platform were surprised to see Dt here. No one would reckon that he could have the leisure to come and watch a racing game.
He didn’t pay attention to the gazes and quickly walked to their side with question marks in his eyes.
Slide hugged his shoulder. “We found something fishy about the organizer. Strong team against strong team. All the weak teams were matched with the Singaporean team.”
Dt frowned slightly, but didn’t speak.
Ai Qing thought about it for a while and decided to use herself as the bait. “I’ll personally protest it, without dragging you guys into it as much as possible. It’s not good to the team if we protest too strongly.”
Protests usually end up hard to stop halfway.
If the organizer was unyielding, there were cases where contestants were forced out of the competition. She totally didn’t want the whole Chinese team be forced out of the tournament.
Slide raised his eyebrows and asked with a phony smile, “You’re giving up that US $1,600.00 award?”
Ai Qing waved her hand, pretended to be unconcerned and said, “that’s the award for the first place winner. How can you be sure that I’ll take the first place? Furthermore, once I start protesting, the other countries will join in for sure. Who wants to let the organizer get away with it? The opponent of the Malaysian contestant is second place from the world championship. They’re definitely not happy about that.”
Slide quieted down and seemed to consider the possibility of that happening.
Ai Qing had made up her mind. If worst came to worst, she could just pretend that she had come here for a free tour. Her real event was DotA after all.
She took down her name tag, jokingly patted Dt’s arm. “All the DotA fans back in China are all watching you guys. Don’t hurt our feelings.” After saying that, she stood up naturally.
It was unexpected when she was pushed back into her seat by Dt.
He readily took down the name tag hanging from his neck and raised up his right hand to get the attention of the people on the platform.
The whole arena quieted down instantly.
All of the contestants, who were still discussing whether it was wise to protest, at that moment, glanced over at the 3-member Chinese team.
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Chapter 11
Chapter 11
God's Left Hand - Prelude: Chapter 11
Someone ran down the platform right away and asked Dt what was the problem.
Dt simply explained the question they had about the matching. The staff member was somewhat surprised and lower the voice to make sure that Dt wasn’t a contestant of the Need for Speed event. Dt gave his name tag to the staff. “We have only one contestant in this event, it’s a girl. In China, when under this kind of situation, a man will come before her.”
Ai Qing was somewhat stunned. But Dt spoke matter-of-factly.
Slide couldn’t help smiling and took down his name tag also to hand it over to the staff. “I’m the captain of the Chinese Team. We have objections about the way grouping is arranged. We hope the organizer can hold an open drawing to show fairness.”
Ai Qing naturally handed out her name tag, too.
The staff quickly ran back to the platform with the three name tags in hand. But before he had finished reporting back to his superiors, many contestants from other countries stood up one after another. While they were protesting, they turned to greet the three smiling.
“Usually, there is not much result out of this kind of protesting.” Slide kept smiling and nodding back while talking in a quiet voice. “This is a commercially sponsored competition after all. We are in their country, too, so prepare for the worst.”
Dt, with both hands in his pants’ pockets, was quietly lost in thought.
Slide noticed that he wasn’t saying a word and, after a moment, asked what was on his mind. After thinking a bit more he replied, “I’m thinking about our strategy for the day after.”
Slide gave Ai Qing a look and silently mouthed, “Do you see why you lost to him now?”
Ai Qing looked back with a sense of helplessness and mouthed, “He’s a genius.”
After protesting, the crowd returned to their seats, some happy and others concerned.
The organizer was adamant about its position. Because the tournament for today was about to begin soon, there was no time to change the matchups. However for the next two days, the organizer agreed that the matchups would be decided randomly by machine. Ai Qing, very pleased with this result, placed her name tag back around her neck. “Relax, I’m also a seeded player.”
Dt chuckled while patting her on the back, “Don’t stress about it too much.”
Ai Qing, tilted her head and pursed her lips. “Do you know why I started played DotA originally?”
Just ten minutes before the game, she decided to suddenly talk about the past.
Dt replied with a curious look.
“I read a post on an international DotA forum one day; they said that Chinese players were terrible and not even worth mentioning. Even when Chinese players posted their best videos, they just laughed and said that it was a video for beginners to learn from.” She looked up at the stage and continued, “Two years ago, Singapore always talked about how much better they were than China. But look at today, they’re too afraid to compete in the same group against us.”
She lowered her head and began to connect her mouse and keyboard to the computer that was provided by the competition. “Dt, even though I lost at DotA to you, that doesn’t mean I’ll lose at Need for Speed to these guys.”
The sides of Dt’s lips curled into a smile, his mirth was even reflected in his eyes, a rare sight in him.
Slide gave a short laugh. “Just by looking at you, it seems like you’ll be taking the first gold medal for us?”
Ai Qing raised her head up, placed her headphones on, and replied with an “ok” gesture.
In a competition, even if you’re just a teenager, you can’t loudly complain about what you perceive as unfair and wait for someone else to fix it. But if you have the skills, then even an unfair matchup is inconsequential.
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Chapter 16
Chapter 16
God's Left Hand - Prelude: Chapter 16
In the end, Ai Qing didn’t make it to Slide’s match and instead brought the two handsome guys to meet Dt.
Perhaps it was because they trained late into the night, when Ai Qing knocked on his door, Dt was still half-asleep. His hair was dishevelled and clung to his forehead. After looking at them for a few seconds, he finally noticed the two Scandinavians and greeted them with a simple “hi.”
After a brief introduction and a few words, the three of them were already on friendly terms. Competitive gamers all have similar temperaments. Others see them as proud or withdrawn individuals, but if you got to know them, you’d find that they were basically all kids who refused to grow up. Dt took out coke from the refrigerator for the two guests and they quickly began talking about CS.
Because Dt was younger and Asian, he wasn’t nearly as tall as the two twenty-some years old men.
But when he stood with them, he didn’t appear out of place.
The only thing that Ai Qing didn’t expect was that Dt could speak English fluently as if it was his native language and just like the Swedish and the Norwegian, he spoke with a Scandinavian accent. In the past, when she watched interviews of the top players of the CS Scandinavian teams, she enjoyed listening to them speak. Their style of clothing and facial expressions always seemed cold, but when they spoke, they would always end their sentences with a rising inflection, which she thought was the cutest thing in the world.
Right now, she was watching it live.
Ai Qing sat on the couch and watched the three as they spoke under the sun on the balcony. The handsome Norwegian guy suddenly turned back to look at her for a second —— “Frigg.”
Frigg.
The term sounded very familiar, but Ai Qing couldn’t put her finger on it. Dt seemed to smile as he hesitantly nodded in agreement.
“2v2.” The handsome Norwegian suddenly became excited as he walked back into the room and began taking out his computer from his backpack. “Do you have any interest in a friendly match?”
“CS? DotA?”
“CS,” the handsome Norwegian grinned, “I’m not that great at DotA.”
Ai Qing wouldn’t have given up a chance to play with some of the best CS players, especially after she saw Solo and Dt beat those three Korean players. She very much wanted to have a taste of it herself.
Ai Qing agreed immediately on the spot and went to retrieve her laptop from her room.
They drew lots and Ai Qing found herself as Dt’s opponent once again.
The cool Swedish guy was paired with the quiet Dt and the Norwegian became her teammate.
Before they had placed their headphones one, the Swedish player suggested that since it was a competition match, there should be a punishment for the losing side. The Norwegian immediately agreed with a chuckle and pointed at a plate of fruit. The losers would have to eat the entire plate.
The Swedish player disagreed and countered: “No, push-ups, 200.”
After he spoke, he added that the losers couldn’t turn on the air conditioning for their punishment……
Push-ups?!
And no air conditioning? Ai Qing worrisomely looked at the her Norwegian teammate.
He gave a hearty chuckle and replied with a V sign. He rolled up his sleeves and put on his headphones.
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Chapter 9
Chapter 9
God's Left Hand - Prelude: Chapter 9
Here's today's update! Enjoy.
Solo was the first one to look back at Dt. “What’s the matter?”
Dt also turned his head back to stare at the computer screen. “Just remembered that someone had told me that if I chose Warcraft as my event, you would be the opponent whom I don’t want to face the most.”
It was last night when they sat on the stairs in the middle of the night and had casually carried the conversation.
Solo smiled lightly and took a look at Ai Qing. “Likewise, likewise.”
There were no live broadcast on the big screen, no on-site play by play by international commentators, but this was truly a platinum-level battle.
Thanks to Solo, those Koreans didn’t mind being watched by onlookers.
Or one could say that for these gamers, once they are into the game, how many onlookers were there was no longer their concern. To these ace players, opportunities to come across other matching opponents were rare. Naturally, they were utterly focused…...Ai Qing walked over behind Solo. His fingers on the left hand hadn’t paused even for a second; a perfect keyboard operation.
Ultimate talent on keyboard operation, that’s the praise he received most often in recent years.
“God, if there is an APM count, I swear, Solo’s has passed 400 for sure.” The young girl behind was almost breathless. “Mian Bao, you think it’s reached 400? Has it?”
Mian Bao was also quite shaken by what he saw. “It should…...have.”
Ai Qing pursed up her lips, her heart was unexpectedly racing, too.
APM. Action Per Minute.
This is the most favorite statistics of Warcraft fans[1]: the amount of keyboard operations per minute.
Of all the competitive video games, only Starcraft and Warcraft have this kind of harsh operation requirement.
All the master players basically maintain around 300 to 400 APM throughout the game. In other words, on average, they will give 300 to 400 commands per minute through the keyboard…... that was the sounds from those five players’ keyboards, sometimes loud sometimes low. On the screen, there were fierce battles already in some areas. Even for people who, like her, didn’t play Warcraft often could feel the excitement.
She had watched Solo mentioned in some interviews that he trains 15-16 hours a day without any interruption. He always drills the agility of his left hand whenever possible. He has said that he’s not a talented gamer, and made it up by practicing everyday to maintain his skill.
……
The young girl, with her hands over her heart, couldn’t control her emotions. “In a video of Solo’s WCG World Final game last year, there’s a moment when his APM surpassed 1100. That’s the statistic; 1100 commands per minute……” Ai Qing was listening to her attentively. Without any warning, on the screen, there came an encircled fighting out of nowhere.
The young girl suddenly covered her mouth. “Solo……”
Solo finally couldn’t help but laughed. “Not yet 1000.”
Ai Qing slowly exhaled and intuitively turned to look at Dt.
But before she could see clearly of his operation, she heard a slight noise abruptly. One of the Koreans across had dropped the mouse. With hands on the back of his head, he exclaimed to Dt using rather awkward Chinese, “You are great!”
Everyone looked at Dt amazed.
What kind of bizarre strategy that can kick a player out of the game without making any fuss?
[1]: ED comments: Don’t forget us Starcraft fans! We like APM too =3. Also a note to anyone who doesn't play RTS (real time strategy) games, APM isn't a perfect reflection of skill because a majority of the orders are repetition of orders already given. Though an average of at least 200-300 is usually needed to play on a professional level.
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God's Left Hand/God's Left Hand - Volume 00/God's-Left-Hand-Volume-00-[Unknown][Unknown]/qoj1jol4.kco.txt
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Chapter 17
Chapter 17
God's Left Hand - Prelude: Chapter 17
Finally, when Dt’s teammates came by with their computers for practice, they came upon this historic scene.
Dt and the Swedish player were both doing pushups on the floor.
The two of them were expressionless in their mechanical motions as sweat dripped from their jaws onto the floor. Because the air conditioner was off, as per the punishment, the two of them had taken off their shirts from the start. When they reached a little over a hundred pushups, their backs were covered in sweat, which shimmered under the light.
“123, 124, 125, …...” the handsome Norwegian counted excitedly from a chair in front of the two.
Ai Qing on the contrary was a bit worried if Dt could still compete tomorrow after 200 pushups.
Because Dt’s teammates were DotAers and young teenagers, they were unfamiliar with the two Scandinavians. So they could only stare dumbfoundedly as the two finished their 200 pushups and timidly call out to their captain. Dt picked up his t-shirt from the bed and hastily wiped himself with it. “Give me 10 minutes. Let me take a cold shower …….”
Everybody nodded, watched as he walked into the bathroom, and immediately turned towards Ai Qing.
Ai Qing nervously smiled with a guilty conscience. “These two are CS players from Scandinavia, members of Team SK.”
The Norwegian was obviously in a good mood and spoke with his just-learned Chinese “Ni Hao (Hello).”
The young girl on the team followed Solo more closely, and thus knew more than the team about the CS scene, took an exaggerated breath. “An all-star team! Is our captain going to marry into an all-star team?”[1]
……
The Norwegian lightly smiled, but looked at Ai Qing cluelessly.
Ai Qing quietly translated for him, to which he nodded and told them that his team was very interested in recruiting Dt to organize an Asia DotA team under SK. Ai Qing responsibly translated, again, back to the team. Everybody was in a state of wonderment and one after another looked back at the bathroom.
At the age of fifteen, Dt had already attracted the best team in China and now an all-star Scandinavian team …… the average person at this age wouldn’t have any idea about what they should and shouldn't do. Many of these people wouldn’t have a grasp on the concept of their “future,” but Dt’s professional career was already enviable.
The two Scandinavians exchanged contact information with Dt before leaving. Right before they left, when the Norwegian hugged Ai Qing to say his farewell, he happily said, “Goodbye Frigg.”
Ai Qing didn’t know what in the world the name meant and quietly asked Dt, “What is Frigg?”
“In Scandinavian mythology, she’s a goddess of love, Frigg.”[2]
“Then what does that have to do with me?”
Dt was slightly taller than Ai Qing. When she looked at him, she had to raise her head up somewhat and saw an uneasy expression. It seemed that he hesitated for a while before speaking, “Just now when we talked about why I liked esport competitions, I told them that I passed by a place one summer and saw a girl competing there.”
From his expression, Ai Qing understood something and then suddenly couldn’t believe it herself, “Don’t tell me? Was it me? Did you really see that match three years ago in Guangzhou?”
Dt drank from his water bottle and finally nodded his head reluctantly.
She was in a state of astonishment in the beginning, which soon ended in laughter as she placed a hand on Dt’s shoulder as support. “Good, then the person, who was chosen by China’s top team and then by an amazing team like SK, turns out to have been influenced to start by me,” she saw Dt’s face which was in obvious embarrassment. She suppressed her desire to continue teasing and happily asked, “Then why Frigg?”
Dt remained silent for some time before answering, “Maybe it’s because you were the one who made me fall in love with esports.”
When he spoke these words, his voice was completely earnest.
[1]: She’s being witty, I suppose, by literally saying that the team is “豪门” (hao men) which means roughly a “rich and famous family” or an “aristocratic family.” And uses the stereotype of how girls like to marry off into a wealthy and famous family, pretty synonymous with “gold digging” in English.
[2]: In this instance, Dt is using Frigg’s Chinese name ”弗丽嘉” (fu li jia), in all prior cases it was written in English. Also Frigg for those of you who don’t know is the wife of Odin (father of Thor, that guy with the hammer). More info if interested => https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frigg
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Chapter 18
Chapter 18
God's Left Hand - Prelude: Chapter 18
On the afternoon of the third day, the stands around the stage were packed with spectators.
Ai Qing sat in the first row and watched the five people on stage who wore black uniforms. Out of all the events after so many days, this event was the most anticipated.
A commander , skills and tactics, desire and passion, fast kills and teamwork, this was the unsurpassable charm of a team.
Do you stand at the top by yourself, or do you work side by side and challenge the boundary of skill?
Solo chose the former and for her, she had unconsciously leaned towards the latter.
Ai Qing watched as those five people sat on the stage in uniform, goofing around. The sight had an indescribable effect on her. When she had ended her CS career, she was quiet for two years because she couldn’t find any satisfaction from any event. Until DotA gradually became popular in 2006. It was then that she found her way.
Compared to being the best player in a popular event by herself, she would rather train all night with her teammates. Throughout a competition, you can continuously hear the rage, the excitement, and finally the cheer after a final victory. All of these things ensnared players.
On the left side of the stage was the Thai team and wore deep red short sleeved uniforms. On the other side was Dt’s team, with each member wearing a simple black short sleeved uniform. Even though the young girl was a substitute, she wore the uniform as well and nervously sat next to Ai Qing’s left.
“I know those two top commentators on stage.” Slide whispered into Ai Qing’s ear. “They speak like academics, not simple and straightforward. When people like myself, who don’t know much about DotA, their commentary sometimes makes me fall asleep.”
Ai Qing grunted in agreement. She opened a bag of chips and began to stuff herself. “It’s good to be an academic, they can start with the background and history and then in the end you’ll even know which team member has a girlfriend……”
“I never asked, what do you think about Dt?”
“......” Ai Qing glanced at him. How should she answer this question?
“His individual skill level?” Slide was watching the stage and didn’t notice her facial expressions.
Ai Qing breathed a sigh of relief, “Very good, a genius. Positioning, items, last hitting, map awareness, teamwork, strategy, not a single weakness……” Even though she didn’t want to praise the person who had beaten her, she couldn’t help but sigh, “The most important factor is that their team is very stable. They haven’t had any replacements in two years. For these kind of team based games like DotA, teamwork decides everything. Personal abilities, no matter how great, is still unable to beat five people, right?”
“Sounds about right.,” Slide smiled and stroked her hair, “then in a little bit, I’ll be relying on you to explain everything. I’m pretty sure that you’ll be much more reliable than those two guys who’re getting paid in American dollars.”
Ai Qing gave a toothy grin and continued to eat her chips.
The first match went as expected; an aggressive gank strategy turned a normal match into a series of exciting climaxes one after another.
Mid-game ganks, the Thai team wasn’t able to keep up. Their captain, who sat at the outermost seat, began to roar in a low voice. While Ai Qing was quietly explaining to Slide what was going on screen, the one who just got killed set aside his mouse and stood up to cool his emotions down before picking his mouse back up for a comeback attempt.
“Look,” Ai Qing said excitedly, “that guy who just got killed, couldn’t take the heat, just like when I played. Dt always seems to appear at impossible places and quickly surrounds and kills you in less than ten seconds.”
She spoke as she looked towards Dt.
He sat at the innermost seat on the second row, with only half of his face visible in the space between two monitors. His lips were slightly pressed together in concentration.
The strategy of extremely aggressive play and total map control had won the applause of the crowd when the winning team became clear.
Ai Qing heard someone behind her continuously ask in excitement for the name of the Chinese team captain. Ai Qing suddenly remembered what Dt said the day before, “It’s because you were the one who made me fall in love with esports,” and couldn’t help but curl the edge of her lips up.
Wasn’t it something to be proud of?
No matter what you’ll do after retirement, if you have a moment where you’ve captured the praise of the crowd, then you shouldn’t regret all the sacrifices made to reach that point. When she began playing at the age of 14, she had seen a lot of defeat and resignation.
There is always a black cloud hovering over this profession, because everything they come into contact with or use in competition were called “games.”
Unfair, grief, and hard training.
From an outsider’s perspective, they were just addicted to video games. But at the same time, they were athletes, the same as professional divers, weight lifters, and short-distance runners, who had won medals for China……
Ai Qing felt that she had wallowed too much in her own nostalgia; she put on her headphones and began to look for a song in her mp3 player.
She then felt someone had sat down next to her and turned to look.
“Shouldn’t you be thanking me? Letting you fall in love with video games?” she removed the headphone from one ear.
Dt looked back at her.
“Sure, how do you want me to thank you?”
Ai Qing looked past him at the five gold medals on stage. “Gold medal. If you can win gold today, then we’ll be the group champion.”
“Alright.” Dt responded as the edges of his lips curled up into a smile.
He took off his cap and casually placed it onto her head, then went back onto the stage.
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Chapter 15
Chapter 15
God's Left Hand - Prelude: Chapter 15
We're almost finished with the prelude guys. After chapter 19 we'll move onto the next act.
Ai Qing thought that something was strange, but didn’t think much of it.
After all, in this group of players, most of them were skilled at playing more than two games.
So having videos of her old matches wasn’t out of the ordinary. She was one of the best competitive players back in the day after all.
After returning to the hotel room, she was so exhausted that she immediately fell into the bed and fell asleep.
Around 3 or 4 in the morning, Ai Qing awoke to see her roommate, the younger girl, had finally returned, taken off her shoes, and was trying to quietly make her way to the shower. Ai Qing lazily clutched her blanket and asked in scratchy voice, “What strategy has Dt decided on?”
The young girl saw that Ai Qing had awoken and breathed a sigh of relief. She tiredly sat on the edge of her bed. “The most energy intensive strategy.”
“Pure gank?”[1]
The young girl nodded in reply.
Ai Qing let out a long breath. A gank was the most exciting aspect of DotA. Ganking and anti-ganking. Ambushing and countering. When multiple players appear in a coordinated attack from the fog of war[2] and after killing their opponents in a few seconds, quickly disappear back into the shadows. A well executed gank can change the rhythm of the battle, constricting the enemy with ambushes which can lead to the enemy’s defeat…...
Ai Qing personally enjoyed watching videos of tournaments where ganking was the main tactic in the match, especially the Russian team. The intensity of their aggressive playstyle was on the same level as shootouts in an American film.
Thailand's main strategy concentrated on ganking, where they sacrificed four members of the team to protect the fifth. If the Chinese team played conservatively and maintained steady control, that would have been enough…… Ai Qing pondered about it for a while until her roommate had finished her shower and lamented, “The day after tomorrow will be a very exciting day.”
She had seen many games where one side was on the offense and the other on the defense.
But when a team counters a strategy that focuses on ganks with their own ganks, it becomes an insane race as both sides take the offensive to see who gains the most kills. Just thinking about it would get anyone’s blood boiling.
The next day was FIFA and 3D table tennis, as well as Slide’s event: Starcraft.
Ai Qing woke up just early enough to make it for Slide’s event. She wore the first short sleeve shirt and short jeans she saw and made her way to the stadium. In front of the big screen, two professional commentators were just then happily chatting with Slide, asking him if he was thinking about changing events when he joins the German pro-team. Slide held a cigarette between his lips and replied with a large smirk.
Ai Qing waved from faraway. Slide just noticed her from the stands. Two very tall men by her side greeted her with a “hello.” Ai Qing smiled in reply. After they had introduced themselves, she was surprised to learn that they were members from the best Scandinavian team. Fortunately, Ai Qing graduated from a high school that was part of a university that specialized in foreign languages, so she had little difficulty communicating with them.
“Are you Chinese? Or Korean?” asked one of the handsome, blue-eyed man very slowly. “Sorry I have trouble differentiating asians from different countries.”
“No problem. I’m Chinese.” Ai Qing replied with a smile.
Scandinavia was a CS haven. Over half of all the professional CS players were from Scandinavia. So when she heard that these two were from Norway and Sweden respectively, she immediately had a good impression of them.
But, why would they come to watch the Asian tournament?
“Oh~” the handsome Norwegian nodded in understanding. “Do you know of a guy called Dt?”
Ai Qing nodded in surprised, “He’s a member of the Chinese team, part of the DotA team. Do you know him?”
“Our team was thinking of establishing an Asian team to compete in DotA. Someone highly recommended him.” The Swedish man, who had been silent so far, finally spoke and asked her, “Could you take us to meet him?”
[1]: To those who don’t know what a gank is. In MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) games like DotA, “gank” is the term used for the act when players ambush an enemy and gang up on them. Supposedly it can also mean gangbang kill, gang kill, or steal. The Chinese author makes a note that the Russian team Virtus Pro is famous for basically ganking across the entire map.
[2]: Fog of war is a term used for many strategy games, essentially your team can only see portions of the map in view of your team’s characters and structures. The rest of the map is covered in a shadow or fog that shows the map, but doesn’t show if any enemies are there until an allied character walks close enough to see it. Really you guys should just watch a DotA, DotA2, or League of Legends game on youtube to get an idea.
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Chapter 1
Chapter 1
God's Left Hand - Book 1: Chapter 1
Alright guys, here are with Book 1 of God's Left Hand! Also I've been talking with Hsi and we might start posting 2 chapters a week, one on every Saturday like usual and once on Monday. We'll make an announcement on the blog on when we plan to start.
Enjoy!
Sunshine came into the library through the glass.
Bright and clear.
Ai Qing, with her chin resting on her palms, looked at the book titled “Origin of the Color of Gemstones”. There were two other books next to her, “Gemstone Appraisal” and “Instruments for Appraising Gemstones”. The girls next to her looked at these books curiously, then looked at her and exchanged few words in a low voice.
Ai Qing sighed quietly.
She wouldn't have chosen jewelry appraisal as her major if she had known better.
Because it was such an unpopular major on campus, something considered rare and exotic. Almost no one knew that this university had a serious bachelor of arts degree in jewelry appraisal.
Those girls, after their mutters, began to talk about various activities at school. Finally, their focus turned to a certain DotA league. It seemed that there’s a corporation organizing a Chinese DotA league. In order to promote it commercially, all the tournaments were held on various college campuses. And the tournament in this city was being held on the fifth floor of the school library.
At three o’clock this afternoon.
It was said that there were going to be 26 teams from different colleges of the city.
It was said that there were many handsome guys there.
It was said that the winning team could go on to national finals.
“Small instruments for the discrimination of colors are, spectroscopes, dichroic beam splitter, color filter, UV lamp……” Ai Qing deliberately read aloud to hint to the girls that their gossiping was bothering others…… but they continued unabated. Finally, she had collected her books and quietly left her seat.
On her way downstairs, she happened to run into the contestants for the game going upstairs.
They wore different colored uniforms and backpacks, all boys except a few rare women team captains.
She held her books and finally passed through all these people. Suddenly, someone called out “Gou Gou”. Ai Qing unconsciously turned her head and saw a face with a big smile and huge surprise. “It’s really you, Gou Gou.”
Ai Qing grinned. “Call me Ai Qing.”
“Ai Qing.” That shy Mian Bao before was now more than a head taller than her, he’d totally grown up. “I’m here for the tournament. Are you here to watch the matches?”
“I’m a student here.” Ai Qing raised the books in her hands. “Jewelry Appraisal.”“Jewelry Appraisal…...is it fun?”
“It’s a niche market,” Ai Qing told him mysteriously. “There are only 800 registered jewelry appraisers in the country so far.”
She succeeded in fooling Mian Bao. After showing a stunned expression, he commented that it was no wonder she would give up video game competitions since she had found such great profession.
Ai Qing smiled and didn’t respond.
Because of the enthusiastic invitation from this old acquaintance, Ai Qing sat at the last row of the venue and watched a whole afternoon full of video game matches. More and more commercial sponsorship and more and more college level leagues. It’s just like what they said in the opening statement of this tournament: nowadays, video game competitions were no longer just a sport, but a commercial event.
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Chapter 16
Chapter 16
God's Left Hand - Book 1: Chapter 16
He wasn’t just back.
The commentator hadn’t told the whole story.
Nowadays, esports was basically dominated by a few seeded players. Yet, this person who had disappeared for three years chose the most competitive event, Warcraft, to come back into the arena.
For just this one reason, it had made this year’s WCG China preliminary full of uncertainties.
Amidst the heated discussions around her, she looked over to the competitors resting area.
Dt was very easy to pick out. He had his arms folded in front of his chest, his head quietly bowed down, and didn’t seem to pay any attention to the commentators…...just like he had fallen asleep.
Actually, he was really asleep.
A staff, holding a stack of lunch boxes and disposable chopsticks, walked near him. Seeing that there was no response from him, the staff had to bend over to call him. He woke up quickly, pushed his cap up, and took one of the white lunch boxes.
“Ai Qing, I’m hungry. How about we go get something to eat?”
Her sister was asking next to her.
“Let’s go.” She stood up and looked over at Dt again. He had already opened the box, pulled apart the chopsticks, and started eating.
It seemed this was what this profession was all about. Even though you received various awards on flashy podiums and was interviewed by various media groups, in the end you had to endure the reality of the profession. You had to participate in club sponsored activities and go everywhere for commercial promotions. Compared to what a player had to invest, the economical return was quite pitiful.
For Warcraft alone, there were over thirty thousand professional players.
Only a few of them who were truly well-off and steadily earned more than ten thousands RMB a month.
There were a lot of food stands outside of the stadium.
The two hastily ate some food, then her sister told her that she wanted to go back to the hotel.
“Are you going back for that somebody?” Ai Qing knew her sister’s reasons. “I feel that he’s not a very reliable person.”
She usually didn’t have good impressions for people who were too arrogant.
Even though Grunt did have the right to be arrogant.
Her sister smilingly put arms around her neck and rubbed against her face. “I know what’s proper or not.”
Proper…… did it really exist?
She watched her sister run to the curb and waved down a taxi. Then she suddenly realized that she had come here to watch the game with her sister in the first place. Now that her sister had left, what was she doing here still?
She sorrowfully raised her head to see the gate to the stadium. Did she want to give up watching halfway?
In the end, she bought a bottle of mineral water and walked back to the spectators’ area. Those two commentators were surrounded by a group of fans taking pictures. The one who claimed to have been defeated by her happened to see her face. There was a big look of surprise on his face. Ai Qing politely smiled and walked towards the seats.
The person ran over after she had only walked over two steps.
“Gou Gou?”
She turned her head.
The commentator excitedly reached out his right hand. “Do you remember me? 2007 the final of the WCG Asian Tournament China preliminary?” Ai Qing shook his hand. “The captain of TM team. Fourth place in the country for the 2007 WCG Asian Tournament?”
“It’s me.” The person, with irrepressible excitement, acted as if he had met an old friend. “Come to watch the game today?”
Ai Qing replied with an `en`. “To watch some friends compete.”
“Dt?”
“You could say that.”
In any case, they had fought side by side before.
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Chapter 5
Chapter 5
God's Left Hand - Book 1: Chapter 5
If yellow hair’s victory in the first round could be considered a narrow win.
Then the next two rounds were one person’s exhibition shows of Ai Qing. After a series of flashes and the smoke cleared, her opponent didn’t even have a chance to fight back. One headshot with one bullet, a clean kill.
The assault rifle and long gun rounds ended in one minute.
Pop music was playing inside the building. The air conditioning wasn’t working properly, so when Ai Qing released her mouse, her palm was somewhat sweaty.
She began to subconsciously tap the keyboard with her left fingers while she was lost in her thoughts. She closed the game and pointed to the computer in front of her. “It looks like this laptop doesn’t have any problem.”
Yellow hair didn’t make a sound, it looked like he didn’t plan to say anything.
“You are welcome to come anytime if there’s a problem later on.” Ai Qing closed the laptop, unplugged it, and handed it over to the person who had been on purposely looking for trouble. “The feel of this laptop’s keyboard is quite good. Or at the very least, I’ve never used anything better than this.”
After she finished, the onlookers there all came closer, curious to examine it themselves.
They murmured to each other in agreement. “What an awesome computer.” “What a really high end computer.”
The person took the laptop, not knowing what to say, and left.
Ai Qing finally exhaled a long breath. “That was scary. It’s true that if you don’t play it for a while, your skill degrades quite a bit.”
Slide squinted his eyes and sighed, “Did you have a sudden feeling of nostalgia back there?”
“Yeah.” Ai Qing took out water from the small refrigerator next to the counter and took a sip. “I just remembered that I was pretty lucky to have gotten an upgrade when we flew back home that year. That was the first time I flew business class. Really miss that. I haven’t had much luck in these two years.”
Actually, what she missed more was those days on the road.
She missed the excited fans who came to meet her after she walked off the airplane.
She missed the moments when she adjusted her equipments before each match.
She missed the courages they showed when they raised their name tags in protest.
She even missed some of the trashy hotels she had to stay in while competing.
What she missed the most was the wild celebration after each game whether they lost or won……
Ai Qing looked at him and said in a melancholic voice, “Sometimes, I feel like I was living in a dream before. I didn’t have any pressure from daily life. Suddenly, I walked out of it and couldn’t get use to real society.”
“You’d be at the top of your professional career at your current age.” Slide suddenly asked her, “Why didn’t you continue?”
“Let’s make a pact.” Ai Qing twisted the cap back on. “Let’s not ask each other this question.”
“I like to gossip.” Slide kept smiling until it began to make her uneasy. Then he asked in a low voice, “I remembered that year you were upgraded with that young genius.”
Ai Qing glanced at him.
As she was about to say something, her roommate happened to come back. Her roommate
threw herself in front of Ai Qing and asked her with winking eyes, “Can we go now? Should I go back to school first?”
Ai Qing stuffed the computer into her arms and said to Slide, “I just took your cell phone and dialed my own number. These two weeks I have exams, I’ll come look for you after my exams.”
On the way back, her roommate kept asking Ai Qing how she knew the handsome store owner. Was there an affair going on? Ai Qing just said that he used to be her neighbor. She leaned against the door of the subway and watched absent mindedly as billboards passed by one after another.
She clearly remembered that morning, when they arrived at the airport to check in, she and Dt were the last two to hand over their passports. They were lucky enough to be upgraded to business class. During the five hour flight, she did not talk too much with Dt. She habitually suffered from motion sickness; whenever she was on any form of transportation, she would be in a deep slumber the whole time…...it was Dt who woke her up when it was time to land.
He then handed over a cup of apple juice to her.
“Thanks.” She took it, cleared her throat, and asked him, “Where are you transferring to after landing?”
“Guangzhou.”
She answered with an “En”. “Hope there’s a chance to see you again in the future.”
What she really wanted to say was that she hoped he would continue to walk down the path of a professional gamer.
“For sure.” He answered very positively at that time.
She even remembered his dark black eyes under the shadow casted by the rim of his cap.
Unfortunately, he didn’t keep his word.
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Chapter 3
Chapter 3
God's Left Hand - Book 1: Chapter 3
Sorry guys, I accidentally set it to publish at 11pm rather than 11am. My bad...
Though it was such a hot day one of his hands was covered by a black glove.
The glove was very thin, showing off five slender fingers. For those who didn’t know him, they would think that he was just wearing it to look cool.
But for someone who was supposed to be a professional player in Germany, selling computers in a computer city downtown…...he wouldn’t be wearing the glove for such a silly reason.
Slide stroke her hair with a smile. “Do you want to be Zhen Zi (贞子, TL: Sadako, from Ring, the horror movie/book) Your hair has grown this long.” He gestured with his hand. “It’s reached down to your thighs. Isn’t it bothersome? Won’t it take half an hour to wash it?”
“40 minutes.” Seeing that he wasn’t answering her question, Ai Qing stopped poking at his sore spot. “I don’t need to train ten some hours a day now, I have more than enough time to do unimportant things.”
He couldn’t help laughing.
Three years.
It seemed to have changed a lot of things.
Her roommate didn’t come back from her shopping after the two had finished their lunches.
Ai Qing chatted with Slide idly; their conversations were all on superficial, trivial gossips of daily life, which didn’t involve anything related to video game competitions.
In between, there were customers who came by to purchase computer accessories or to fix their computers.
People who liked video game competitions are more than likely fans of computer hardware. Due to Slide’s past experiences, he understood well the needs of video gamers and most of the customers were enthusiasts of various video games.
Some were very polite and some were obnoxious.
Slide greeted everyone with smiles until there came three tall young men later.
One of them was holding the “Alien” which her roommate so envied.
“Boss, this computer is no good.” The one who’s holding the computer said with a false smile. “My younger brother came here yesterday and bought this computer. It’s totally no good. You even lied to the kid that this is a special computer for games?”
Ai Qing intuitively thought that this person had specially come looking for trouble.
Sure enough, after Slide said a few words patiently, the other two who had come with the man started to mock and ridicule Slide. Saying that this was tricking the kids, how could this computer play any games, that it was just rubbish.
In the end, there were more and more onlookers. Those three began attacking the store, questioned the quality of all the products sold in the store…...Ai Qing couldn’t stand it and finally said, “Alienware is the top notch computer for games. A lot of professional video game contestants use it. You can go online to check it; it had even sponsored World Tournaments before.”
The three men looked at her. The one who started the complaint smiled suddenly. “Little sister, this is a computer worth twenty to thirty thousand RMB. It won’t do just to go online to check. We certainly know about this computer, but it is just hard to use. Or, maybe it was good to use, but after it was `processed` by the store, it has become harder to use.”
Ai Qing carefully glanced at him. “When buying a computer, it’s very common to have some hardware problems. But what you refer to as `hard to use`, is there any definition for it? If it is just a problem with your own personal sense of touch, there’s no need to bother other people’s normal business.”
The man smiled hypocritically. “You play games, little sister? A kart racing game? Audition Online?”
Ai Qing was starting to get angry with “little sister” being said over and over.
Slide deliberately took a look at her and hinted to stop before she was in an unfavorable situation.
Ever since she knew Slide, he always had smiles on his face, friendly and happily towards anyone. But, no matter what, he was once a person highly worshiped by many esports fans. Looking at his face, Ai Qing suddenly felt very sorry for him.
Some people’s pretension are offensive, but some people…...if their pride was bent, it would only make others feel heartbroken for them.
She stood up from her chair, walked to the counter at the front of the store. “Does it matter which game you play?”
“It certainly matters.” The man, with both hands propped up on the counter, came closer and laughed. “As you just said, this computer is a high end one and used at many tournaments. My younger brother is going to use it to play in the national tournament.”
“So, you feel that this one isn’t qualified for it?”
“It’s just like you said the feel of the keys isn’t good.” The man casually hit a few keys with his index finger. “To a professional player, the feel of the keyboard is very important.”
“What if your brother’s skill level just isn’t good enough yet?” Ai Qing looked him calmly. “Maybe some other person feels that this computer is very good to use and it’s just that your brother’s skill level isn’t good enough to use a high end computer?”
“His team was number 10 nationally last year. They played hundreds of games to reach the final. What do you think about that, little sister?” The man turned his head and pointed at the man next to him who had died his hair yellow. “He and my brother are in the same team. My brother doesn’t have time today, he specially comes with me to return the computer. Ask him if you don’t believe me.”
“What do you play?” Ai Qing looked at this man.
“CS.” The yellow hair man had a very stern look in his eyes.
Very harshly……
Ai Qing took a look at Slide and took down a string from her wrist to tie back her hair.
“How about this.” She smiled politely. “We have lots of computers here. We can network and try it. If we can use this computer to play a game without any problems, then there is no need to return it.”
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Chapter 18
Chapter 18
God's Left Hand - Book 1: Chapter 18
“The following question is very basic, a give-away question --- ---” Halfway through the commentator’s words, the little boy behind Ai Qing had already stood with his hand raised high above his head.
“Eh?” The commentator started laughing. “This boy had gotten two chances to answer, but wrong both times. Do you want an autograph that badly?” The young boy was so excited that his face was flushed. “I want Solo’s!”
……
Ai Qing suddenly wanted to dig a hole to bury herself.
But she had already made a promise, she had to carry it out.
“For this award, the questions will be the toughest I can think of.” The commentator bowed his head and began to ask five consecutive questions. “Usually in a competition, what kind of keyboard do most contestants favor?”
She said in a low voice. “Mechanical keyboard.”
The boy repeated.
“What is a mechanical keyboard? Briefly explain it?”
She continued to answer for him without even thinking. “Every key in a mechanical keyboard is composed of spring, stand, and circuit switch. Every key has its own mechanical switch. It’s the most popular type of keyboard in the early days and a game enthusiast’s first choice.”
The boy continued to repeat the answer. There were already people beginning to marvel at his answers.
“But there are exceptions. There was a professional player who used just a normal membrane keyboard to beat a world ranked……”
“Solo!”
The boy didn’t wait for Ai Qing to tell him and answered the question full of confidence.
It’s a wild guess from him, made entirely from his hero worshipping…..
The commentator couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, last two questions. What year was that match? Who’s the opponent?”
This was absolutely set up as a difficult question.
They probably figured that no one except Solo himself could be sure…...because it wasn’t an official match.
She hesitated, then said, “2008, it was a private battle to settle some personal grievance. The opponent was Korea’s King of Animals, Nani.”
The boy was quite amazed, opened his mouth, but he then quickly repeated it again.
It was silent for a while inside the stadium, followed by loud applause. They were all admiring this young boy who knew so much about esports history and legends. That commentator was quite surprised, too. The person next to him, who knew Ai Qing, smiled and whispered to him, the commentator who was holding the mic finally understood. He laughingly asked the boy, “Do you know who’s that long haired Jie Jie[1] sitting in front of you?”
Everyone in the stadium looked towards her after hearing him speak.
Very quickly, some people found out what had happened. Some were surprised, others curious, there were all kinds of emotions.
Some people already raised their cell phones towards her direction trying to take pictures. Ai Qing could only bow her head low, looked at the flyer about the competition in her hand, and tried very hard not to show her face.
She regretted not listening to Ai Jing……
While she was anguishing over the situation,
The boy thought hard for a while, then said, “I don’t know.”
The audience exploded into laughter, all felt that this boy was too cute.
The commentator wouldn’t let up on the subject and continued leading the boy. “At the conclusion of this morning’s competition, we mentioned 16 of the strongest players. Were you listening carefully then?”
The boy was embarrassed and grinned. “I was so hungry at that time and went out to eat……”
The other commentator who knew Ai Qing thought that it was enough and pulled the commentator’s arm.
The commentator finally gave up making fun of Ai Qing. “The award this time isn’t just Solo’s autograph, there’s also Solo’s favorite keyboard and mouse. Congratulations.” After that, he deliberately added, “You have very good luck.”
The boy was extremely surprised and kept thanking the commentator.
After he sat back down, he couldn’t help himself but to lean on the back of the seat to ask Ai Qing in a low voice, “Jie jie, are you really that awesome?”
“......nah, he’s having fun with you.”
She continued to stare at that thin piece of paper until all the questions were answered one after another. She raised her head when the competition finally started again and concentrated on the elimination rounds on the big screen.
Just like the commentator had previously predicted, the result of competition was full of surprise but yet without any suspense.
97 was third place, Dt was the biggest black horse, winning first place at the Guangzhou stop.
When the winning three stood on the podium, Dt’s quietness almost became another focal point of everyone’s attention. The commentators also discovered the interesting situation and began to ask him all kinds of questions. Dt, with both of his hands behind his back, just nodded or shook his head.
“How do you feel about your own performance this time?”
“Not……”Dt abruptly stopped, then spoke after thinking for a while. “It’s alright.”
Ai Qing watched him from the audience. She couldn’t help but make a funny face when he raised his head. She left the stadium before the audience began to depart. It was almost dark outside when she walked out the gate.
This time of the day was rush hour. She waited for a full ten minutes at the curb and couldn’t get hail a single taxi.
“It’s not easy to get a taxi this time of the day.” Dt, who supposedly should still be doing interviews, suddenly appeared behind her. He had his black backpack on and lowered his head to look at her. “Let’s walk back together?”
[1]: Jie Jie is pinyin for 姐姐, which means literally older sister. Normally used for both blood related older sister or as a term to address a female older than you.
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Chapter 2
Chapter 2
God's Left Hand - Book 1: Chapter 2
One weekend afternoon, Ai Qing’s roommate spilled a glass of water onto her new laptop while animatedly telling a joke.
Ai Qing was forced to accompany her to the computer city for repair.
Since it was the weekend, the computer city in downtown was very crowded.
Her roommate had a poor sense of directions; they walked through the whole third floor but still couldn’t find the shop where she had bought the computer.
“I only remember that the owner was very handsome, with short black hair and his eyes were always smiling……” The roommate kept talking about the features of the owner. Ai Qing didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. “Did you buy this computer just because of his face?”
“Certainly not.” The roommate said with a guilty conscience. “I just admire him. When I was there, he and some other handsome guys were looking at a computer. That computer was super good looking and had a logo that I don’t even recognize…...it’s a strange alien head. They kept talking about computer accessories. If you’d seen it, it would have made your blood boil.” Her roommate got more excited as she spoke. “Actually, I thought about it later, it was just a laptop. But the way they talked about it, it sounded like a sports car…...I was thinking about joining in the fun, but it’s too expensive; it’s worth several tens of thousands, so I gave up.”
Ai Qing finally understood what she was talking about at this point. “Alienware.”
“Un?” The roommate didn’t get it.
“The laptop you were talking about is from `Alienware`.” Ai Qing smiling comforted her. “For your usual needs for watching movies or novels, you don’t need that kind of high end laptop. That’s specially for playing games.”
“Yeah, that handsome guy also said so.” The roommate looked like she had finally found her soul mate. “It was the first time that I found the boys were so chic when they were talking about games. Usually, I would just think that they’re just bums.”
Ai Qing responded with an “un”. “Actually, if it’s real professional game players, they’re usually even more pickier about the accessories, there are even specially designated brands for mouse pads.”
“Ai Qing.” The roommate looked at her excitedly. “He said exactly the same thing.”
Ai Qing didn’t continue and pointed at her laptop. “So, what are you going to tell him? Usually, the seller isn’t responsible for this kind of damage by accidentally spilling water.”
“I don’t know……” Her roommate looked at the laptop in her arms with a pained expression.
Ai Qing was about to say something, suddenly, she saw someone at a store looked very, very familiar.
When that person turned around, Ai Qing realized that she was correct. Both of them were stunned. He was the first to recover his senses and smiled.
“Ai Qing, that’s the guy.” The roommate exhaled a long breath. “We finally found it.”
Ai Qing acknowledged with an “un”.
She looked at the person who was five or six steps away.
He was smiling and then extinguished the cigarette. He didn’t speak to Ai Qing at first and instead asked her roommate, “something wrong with the computer?”
She hurriedly moved forwards and started to confess what she had done.
In the end, because of Ai Qing, Slide didn’t say anything and opened up the computer to carefully check it, inside and out. Fortunately, there was a keyboard film covering it, there wasn’t too much of damage. Ai Qing sat in his shop and watched him fix the laptop while chatting with her roommate, her eyes were fixed on his left hand and couldn’t move away.
Her roommate only found out Ai Qing had some unusual relationship with him after the computer was fixed. She immediately got the hint and said that she wanted to go shopping, leaving the computer and Ai Qing in the shop. It was lunch time, Slide took up his phone and asked her, “I can’t leave, how about I order some take out and you can eat with me at the shop?”
Ai Qing nodded smiling.
He quickly made the call and ordered two gan chao niu he (乾炒牛河, TL: fried rice noodles with beef).
After he hung up, Ai Qing walked over and glanced at his hand. “What happened to your hand?”
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Chapter 12
Chapter 12
God's Left Hand - Book 1: Chapter 12
Guess who's back, back again.
It’s still the old rule, two out of three rounds.
Since there were limits on the movement keys, they couldn’t jump or move back. This was a match focused solely on offense. The two could only use their ears to determine the location of the opponent. If one showed his/her face, the round would be finished.
97 pretentiously opened a can of coke, but the whole match was over just after he had taken a few sips.
Two wins out of three, she won two rounds.
It’s a pity though, due to her old habits, she subconsciously touched the back key even though the key was not there. “I had a violation, so do you want to do one more round?”
“No need. It’s not a shame I lost to you.” Grunt stood up and picked up an apple from the table, using his own pocket knife to peel it.
A thin layer of peel quickly fell down and he cut it into several pieces.
He picked one up with a toothpick and handed directly to Ai Jing.
Ai Jing was somewhat stunned and at a loss, which was rare for her.
But that was just for a short instance, she soon recovered and took the piece over. “Thanks.”
Grunt grinned and put the other pieces onto a plate and push it towards her and 97. He used his fingers to pick up one for himself.
The four of them had just met, so naturally there weren’t many topics they could talk about. Luckily, there’s still esports that they could talk about. Ai Jing had followed her career for so many years, so she could also join in the conversation with Grunt and 97. After they chatted for a while, she looked at all the computers on the bed and asked curiously, “Why are the two of you using so many computers?”
“There’s one more person.” 97 beamed and pointed to the computer that Grunt was using just then and said, “This computer is his.”
He was going to say something more, but was interrupted as the door opened from outside.
A man walked in with one hand holding the card key and the other hand carrying a huge plastic bag. When she raised her head, he happened to look over at the people inside the room. His
eyes under the cap fixed on Ai Qing without any hesitation; he could easily distinguish the twins.
He had grown at least 20 some centimeters taller. The contour of his face hadn’t changed much. It was like it had been outlined by a single light stroke, without any extra line and without any expression.
“Here, this is the other guy. Your sister should know him. He’s Dt, the captain of the DotA championship team of that year’s WCG Asian Tournament.” 97 greeted Dt with a high five. “I’ve almost died of thirst. Give me a drink first.”
Dt came over and put the whole bag of cold drinks on the bed.
97 quickly opened the plastic bag and took out what he wanted to drink, Grunt was still eating his apple.
She felt that the whole situation was so inconceivable that she just watched Dt. Slowly her lips parted into a smile.
As she was about to say something, Dt had already knelt down in front of her with slightly tightened lips serving as a smile.
“I’m back.”
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Chapter 13
Chapter 13
God's Left Hand - Book 1: Chapter 13
He looked at her with one hand resting on the edge of the bed.
Ai Qing thought he was going to say something, but after a while, he hadn’t said a word.
Suddenly it was just like that night in Singapore.
She had to rack her brain to come up with topics to chat with him and this young boy was always a person with few words.
Ai Qing also took out two bottles of green tea from the plastic bag and handed one to him. “Welcome back. Where have you been all this time? Why haven’t you continued to compete?”
He took the bottle and twisted the cap off to take a sip, but there was no answer.
She took a look at the laptop on the desk. Actually, she should have recognized it before; it was obviously the same one he used in Singapore. “You are here for the WCG China Preliminary? Which event?”
“Warcraft.” he put down the bottle.
She looked at him astonished.
This time, Starcraft was just an exhibition event since it hadn’t been officially listed as a competition event. Therefore, all Starcraft players were doing their original events. She didn’t know which event Grunt was going to participate. But on the preliminary list of Beijing, Solo had qualified for the Starcraft event.
In other words, if he wanted to be the world champion.
The first thing he had to do was to beat Solo.
Dt stood up, walked over to the desk, and began to put the keys back onto the keyboard one by one. With very clean fingers, he picked up the black keyboard and pushed the key back down with a click, and then moved onto the next one. He was treating everyone in the room like air.
“You do know each other.”
97 started laughing.
Certainly, no one was paying attention to him.
After the sisters were back in their own room, her sister then asked, “Was that guy there the esports genius you mentioned before?”
“En. Wu Bai, Dt.”
“Ah! I remember that name, Wu Bai. He’s the one that Solo kept talking to you about?”
“Solo had been very interested in recruiting him to join his club.” Ai Qing said, “but he disappeared all of a sudden afterwards. Since his appearance was very short-lived, I figured a lot of people had already forgotten about him.”
He was now just 18 years old.
In other words, he was at the prime time of his life.
“When he said he’s going to play Warcraft, how come I feel that there’s something wrong with you.” Her sister never cared about esports, but this time she kept asking questions. It seemed that she wanted to learn all about it in these few days. “What’s so special about this game? I remember Solo was always playing this event?”
“Warcraft has always been China’s strongest event.” Ai Qing came up with a more suitable way to explain to a layman like her sister. “Just like Ping Pong is China’s best sporting event. It’s very likely that a provincial athlete will be better that another country’s national athlete. Once you pick an event like that, you have to face many strong opponents domestically. He was not playing this event before…...but I watched him play Warcraft before, very strong.” She recalled the scene at that time. “Extremely strong.”
“What a true legend.” Her sister sighed lengthily. “I always feel that is what youth should be about, with all the international competitions, tours, world championships……”
She was somewhat preoccupied and turned on the computer to search again for news about this year’s competitions on Baidu. She specially searched for this year’s rules. There was going to be three slots from the China Preliminary.
Warcraft had three million players in China and over thirty thousand professional and semi professional players. It was the well-deserved number one game in China. If a black horse qualified…...it would definitely be sensational news.
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Chapter 9
Chapter 9
God's Left Hand - Book 1: Chapter 9
Luckily, Grunt did not say anything more afterwards.
He and Ai Qing were the minority in this room, so he naturally sat next to Ai Qing.
He only picked one song to sing during the whole night.
When the music began to play, the whole room suddenly quieted down. Unlike the noisy pop songs they had sang before, it was James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful”. His voice was deep and low. It was a slower song to begin with, but his singing instantly grabbed everyone’s attention when he sang with his deep voice.
When he put down the microphone, Ai Qing’s sister excitedly gripped on her hand.
“You sang very well.” Ai Qing also exclaimed sincerely. “You like James Blunt?”
“My ex-girlfriend liked Blunt very much.” Grunt put the microphone back on the table. His eyes were slightly squinted so one couldn’t tell how genuine his words were. “She liked to hear me sing this song, so I just learned it in passing.”
Ai Qing did not expect him to talk about something so personal and did not know how to respond.
Luckily, he did not seem to have any desire to continue on the topic either.
It was her sister who pulled on her arm and mouthed: he’s not just cute but also a very doting boyfriend.
Ai Qing turned around to look at her sister and also mouthed back: don’t tell me that you’ve fallen for him?
Her sister’s eyes flickered a bit then quickly nodded.
On the way back, they rode on the same taxi since only Grunt and the two sisters were staying in the same hotel. Her sister acted very lady-like all the way. Once they were back in the hotel room, her sister grabbed her arm excitedly. “I really like him, really.”
“No wonder you were restless the whole night.” She did not know whether to cry or laugh. “You don’t even know his real name. Don’t you find that a little bit untrustworthy?”
“But my heart raced when I first laid my eyes on him, just like you when you saw Solo for the first time.”
……
In a split second, Ai Qing became silent.
Many, many memories wildly bursted out; she couldn’t suppress them in time.
She remembered that the first time she saw Solo was when she was 14 years old. The internet at home was off and she and her sister went to an internet cafe to pass the time. She recalled that she was playing a matching game and suddenly heard a boy talking. His voice was very pleasant to the ear.
She couldn’t help herself to take a peek.
Solo was talking to the owner of the internet cafe with one elbow resting on the counter at the front of the cafe. His face was full of smiles, from his eyes to his expressions, just like the bright sunlight in the height of summer.
She felt as if she’d been enchanted and immediately pulled her sister’s arm. “Ai Jing, Ai Jing, look at that boy.”
Because she was wearing headphones, she forgot to control the volume of her voice. Solo looked over at her even before her sister could turned her head……
The light in the hallway wasn’t turned on.
She looked down to take off her sneakers in the dark then walked into the bathroom barefoot. She turned on the faucet and splashed water onto her face.
The cooling sensation quickly suppressed all the memories.
She pulled down the towel and said, “Men who play video game competitions are no good. The amateurs totally have no future, the professionals are like athletes whose lives only consist of trainings and nothing else. In the end, you’ll only suffer. For them, only their teammates are their families, girlfriends and such are all outsiders.”
She thought about it more and added. “Besides, in the future when you are introducing your boyfriend, someone would say that their boyfriend is in the banking business or works for the government, what are you going to say? My boyfriend plays video games?”
“I don’t mind.” her sister leaned against the doorway of the bathroom smiling while biting her lip. All of a sudden she looked at Ai Qing again. “Seriously, have you ever regretted it?”
“I’m not sure. Sometimes I regret it very much. Sometimes I feel that it was a pretty nice thing to be able to solely focus on one thing. But, it is true that esports will mess up your life.” She walked out of the bathroom and saw the laptop on the table. “Especially for those people who have reached the peak, it would be very difficult for them to adjust back to an ordinary live.”
There was a prompt for a new email on the lower right corner of the screen.
This email box was from the old days which she had subscribed to a large amount of news related to esports. She did not have the heart to close it.
She opened the mail, for sure, it was news about an international tournament.
“The WCG 2010 qualifying tournament in China has come to an end.
The WCG 2010 qualifying tournament in China has already concluded in 13 locations. The last two locations will be held in Guangzhou and Chengdu this weekend. At the closing moment of the qualifying tournament, the WCG organizers have announced that this year’s final competition in China will be held in July 23 - 25. The location will still be Shanghai.”
The following was a long list of those who had qualified.
While she was reading, her sister came over and pointed at Grunt’s name. “Let’s go see the competition? It happens to be in Guangzhou.”
Ai Qing did not respond.
She might see a lot of familiar faces at a competition like this.
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Chapter 10
Chapter 10
God's Left Hand - Book 1: Chapter 10
Ai Jing tried to talk her into going, but she refused.
After her sister went to shower in disappointment, she began reading the email very carefully. On the list of players who already qualified, Solo’s name was listed for Warcraft III from the Beijing area tournament. Starcraft II was a new competition event after all; it’s still an exhibition event at the four major international competitions. Therefore, most of those who competed for Starcraft II were still keeping their old events, so was Solo.
Since he already qualified at Beijing, if there weren’t any surprises, he would not come to Guangzhou.
Grunt did not show up for the next two days’ game show. He was probably preparing for the preliminary match in Guangzhou and had started his training in advance. The show ended on Thursday. All of a sudden, she felt sorry for her sister when she saw how disappointed her sister was. Finally, when they were packing and getting ready to leave the hotel, she said to her sister, “Considering that you have been taken care of me for so many years, I will go with you to watch the competition.”
Ai Jing looked at her in disbelief. “Really? You’re not afraid of seeing Solo there?”
Actually, Ai Jing did not mention this matter again for the past few days out of the concern that Ai Qing might be afraid to meet Solo. She did not dare push Ai Qing over the edge, even though she really wanted to go. The reason that Ai Qing gave up esports was to cut herself off from Solo completely so she would not meet him again.
“Really.” Ai Qing reopened her suitcase and put everything back. “He was at the preliminary in Beijing and will not show up in Guangzhou. In addition, there won’t be many familiar faces since a lot of them retired in the past three years.” After saying so, she pointed to Ai Jing’s face confidently. “Besides, with you by my side, it’s perfect for confusing and misleading people.”
They stayed at Guangzhou for one more day due to this decision.
That night, most people had already left and only the two sisters were staying at the hotel with nothing to do. Since everyone had warned them, almost in a sensationalized way, not to go out after dark, they ate instant noodles for dinner.
Her sister asked out of blue while she was eating her noodles, “Do you want to pay a visit to Grunt?”
She almost choked herself to death.
She wiped her tears and her mouth with the napkins passed along by her sister and said, “To visit him as a senpai? We’re not even from the same generation. He even plays with 3D graphics……”
Women are dreadful.
They are not even human when they are in love.
Her sister narrowed her eyes and made a very disappointed expression with a face that was 90% similar to hers.
She ate for two more minutes in silence. When she raised her head, she saw her sister had maintained the same expression without changing. Finally, she lost her appetite under her sister’s gaze and put down the bowl. “You will wash all the clothes for the rest of the year. You have to pay for a taxi when I’m late for my internship…...there’s one more term, I’ll tell you when I come up with it.”
Ai Jing nodded solemnly.
……
She casually put on a short sleeve and a beach shorts. “What excuse do you want me to use to go visit? My sister likes you very much? If you don’t mind and don’t have a girlfriend, please take her in?”
Her sister almost pulled down her shorts. “You certainly have to say something like you want to play a round against him. Other than this, can you think of any topic that has some association with him?”
“I don’t know how to play Starcraft II.” She was frank about her weakness. “I had played Starcraft I before, though very badly, not even at par to the amateurs…...you want me to challenge him with this skill level of mine?”
If Grunt’s fans ever found out, they could drown her if they each took a turn to spit at her.
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Chapter 4
Chapter 4
God's Left Hand - Book 1: Chapter 4
Hey guys! So we've gotten faster at this whole translation thing, so we'll be posting more God's Left Hand every Monday.
The three men didn’t expect such a challenge from the girl.
The yellow hair looked at Ai Qing with great amusement. “You mean a round of Kart Racing?”
“CS.” Ai Qing thought for a bit. “2 wins out of three rounds.”
She hadn’t touched the game for more than two years. Usually when she was bored, she would play VOS to pass time, a game where one would tap keys on keyboard as piano keys…...so, she felt much more comfortable if it was a best of three games.
“Your girlfriend is pretty funny.” The yellow haired guy looked at Slide. “Two on two?”
Slides smilingly took out another computer, the exact same model, from under the counter. “No, one on one. I am basically what you would call an armchair strategist. I never play any games.”
“Then if we win?”
“If you win, I’ll let you return the computer.”
Slide connected the two computers to the router with a cable. Ai Qing sat besides him and said in a low voice, “Don’t expect too much from me, I haven’t touched CS for two years.”
Slide didn’t even raise his head, as he tapped the keyboard to set up the attributes and properties. “I don’t expect you to win all three. That guy is also selling computers and has a store on the second floor. Mine and his customers are mostly people who like to play games. Just now, when I saw his face, I was already prepared to take the computer back. So no pressure.”
“Vicious competition?” Ai Qing, holding her chin, watched him open CS and test the controls. “Well then don’t blame me if I lose.”
Slide grinned and pushed over one of the computers. “Doesn’t matter. If you lose, I’ll give that returned computer to you.”
Ai Qing snorted with laughter and kicked him. “Such a big incentive. Watch out, I might just lose on purpose.”
Slide raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at her with a faint smile.
How could a person who loved to compete so much be so easily defeated.
While they were doing the preparations, some old customers came by. They were all excited by what they were seeing.
Especially the fact that one of the contestants was a young lady with long hair, that made it even more interesting.
Quite a few people recognized the yellow hair guy and were discussing in a low voices that he was a member of the most popular team this year. The yellow hair was icy from the beginning and acted as if he didn’t hear a thing. But, when Slide pushed a computer to him, he suddenly said to Ai Qing, “How about this, I’ll take a handicap. I will just use the sniper rifle.”
In CS, each player can only carry a big gun.
The submachine gun has a magazine capacity of 30 bullets, the sniper rifle has a short delay before being able to fire the next bullet. Therefore, except for professional snipers, no one would choose to use this gun.
Ai Qing used to be a sniper.
“Ok.” Ai Qing accepted the challenge, but not the handicap. “I will use the sniper rifle, too. How about this way, for the three rounds: knife, assault rifle[1] , and long gun. For the long gun, we will use a sniper rifle. The time for each round is one minute.”
The yellow hair was stunned after hearing what she just said. “Have you been playing this?”
Ai Qing shook her head. “Haven’t played it for a long time.”
The two sat across from each other at a small round table. Slide stood next to Ai Qing’s side, while watching her open the game, and suddenly lowered his head and touched the cigarette in his pocket…...Ai Qing turned and glanced at him like she had sensed something.
Slide smiled embarrassingly.
Her emotions that had just calmed down was stirred up completely.
But the game had to go on. Ai Qing turned her head back, took a deep breath, and nodded to the yellow hair.
She unexpectedly lost the first round.
Ai Qing regretfully glanced at Slide and her left hand was unconsciously trying to familiarize herself with the keyboard.
She hadn’t touched it for a long, long time.
She didn’t think she would lost the first round.
A knife battle was her area expertise, but just now, she was killed by the opponent’s knife the instant she met face to face with him. She reckoned that if Solo and the others had seen this, they would had laughingly scold her for being a good for nothing.
Her eyes were suddenly covered by a warm touch and turned into dark.
Slide covered her eyes and said, “Get familiar with the feeling.”
Ai Qing smiled and stroked the surface of the keyboard, trying to quiet herself down.
Solo did the same in the past. Whenever she was impetuously impatient, he would cover her eyes with his hands, to let her casually gain control over her keyboard, while he explained the map to her with a low voice. In the darkness he would always tell her where she was on the map and the areas enemies would normally come out……
Ai Qing pulled down Slide’s hands. “I’m good.”
[1]: We’re not sure if it’s actually an assault rifle, as the weapon was censored in the original text. We checked several sites, but couldn’t figure it out. Sniper rifle was also originally censored, but we could see the original wordings in other sites. Anyhow it’s probably an assault rifle or something.
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LNWNCentral
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God's Left Hand/God's Left Hand - Volume 01 Chapter 01-19/God's-Left-Hand-Volume-01-Chapter-01-19-[Unknown][Unknown]/kpp245ym.vy0.txt
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Chapter 19
Chapter 19
God's Left Hand - Book 1: Chapter 19
“You know Guangzhou well?” She knew roughly which direction to go at best. If he let her walk back on her own, she would definitely become lost.
“I used to live here for a while.”
She responded with an ‘oh’. She remembered that he had mentioned that he had watched her competition in Guangzhou six years ago.
Dt seemed to know the way very well, leading Ai Qing with a steady pace. Since he was much taller than Ai Qing, he had deliberately slowed down somewhat so that she wouldn’t become too tired trying to keep up.
Ai Qing was not dumb and certainly clear about his intentions.
That’s the difference between a boy and a girl. Three years ago in Singapore, he was only taller than Ai Qing by about 10cm. But now at the age of 18 or 19, he had already become a full grown adult.
Along the road, the audience and esport fans came out of the stadium and soon they recognized Dt and her. Many students who were riding bikes kept turning their heads to look at them and began to exchange words with each other.
He wore his cap low, easily able to ignore their prying eyes.
But she was embarrassed and tried to come up with a topic to talk about. She simply didn’t know where to begin since she really didn’t know him that well……
“What is a ‘grievance round’?” He asked suddenly.
“It’s a way among esport contestants to settle personal scores.” She said. “Be it professional or amature, there will always be some conflicts during internet battles or competitions. Some conflicts started from minor issues, but fans get too involved and escalate the situation into something unmanageable. In the end, just like in the old days one settled a feud with a duel, there will be matches to settle the conflict.”
“Then what was it about, that time for Solo?”
He looked at her.
“Uhm……” Ai Qing recalled. “That was because one time at an offline match, Nani cursed when he lost the game. Then it started from people talking on a forum and escalated into a very serious issue…...Nani didn’t apologize only saying that he had misspoke. He even said it was because the Chinese didn’t keep the place in an orderly fashion and caused him to misfire.”
“Then?”
“Then, it escalated into a melee between the two countries. Solo was worried that the situation was getting out of hand, so he decided to have a private ‘grievance round’ on Battle.net. He used a membrane keyboard against a mechanical keyboard to prove that Nani hadn’t misfired but was simply not good enough.” Ai Qing laughed. “The agreed punishment was that the one who lost had to sing a song on YY and give the title of “Battle.net’s number 1” to the other side. Because they were all professional players, it’s not nice to embarrass the loser too much, so the winner had to answer a question. He had to answer any question except financial information like bank accounts.”
People who loved esports are all childish in some way. They don’t put too much emphasis on what is good and what is evil. So even the punishment of this grievance round which was to settle a serious issue was hilarious.
“Solo won?”
Ai Qing replied with an, ‘en’. “Barely, he used a membrane keyboard after all.”
“What question did he have to answer?”
What question did he answer?
That day, it was like everyone who was watching had made a pact. They all agreed on one question without any dispute: aside from your daughter and mother, who’s the woman you love most?
There were over ten thousand people online at the time and they flooded the screen continuously.
The one who was hosting the event almost couldn’t control the scene and just started following the crowd with their teasing, was it the name of certain animal, or was it the one who turned red when laughing?
……
Ai Qing stared at the traffic lights and said, “I forgot.” Then she felt she wasn’t being polite so she turned the table to him. “You know him well when we were in Singapore. You can go ask him.”
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God's Left Hand/God's Left Hand - Volume 01 Chapter 01-19/God's-Left-Hand-Volume-01-Chapter-01-19-[Unknown][Unknown]/lfppj0sk.tho.txt
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Chapter 6
Chapter 6
God's Left Hand - Book 1: Chapter 6
After two weeks full of exams, Ai Qing’s junior year was finally done.
For her senior year, almost all of her classmates were going to intern at jewelry companies or places like the Bureau of Geology. Since she had no preference, her father had arranged for her to intern at a local jewelry appraisal studio.
In short, she would be looking at a bunch of gold, platinum, agate, and diamond every day.
As her older sister, Ai Jing, had said, she would soon live a life that was even more luxurious than that of a rich lady.
She and her older sister were twins, but they were totally different.
Her sister liked to study; she had a guaranteed admission into the doctoral program of the Chinese Language Department at the end of her junior year. The only thing that could count as a similar interest between the two was that her sister liked cos[1], going to all the manga conventions. She especially liked to cos popular male characters……
More than once she was misidentified when she accompanied her sister to manga conventions.
Fortunately, when she was at video game competitions, her sister wasn’t a public figure yet, otherwise, who knew what kind of funny thing would happen.
This summer, the manga convention was at Guangzhou.
Her sister had been saving money a long time since it was announced; she insisted on bringing Ai Qing along.
“This time I will be cos a character from the video game Warcraft.” Her sister handed over their ID cards to receive their boarding passes. “So, my Apple Dog has to come with me.”
The airline staff was surprised to hear that and glanced at her sister. “If you want to check in a dog, you will need to get a health certificate first.”
……
She embarrassingly looked at the staff. “We don’t have a dog to check in, just these two luggages.”
“The manga convention has an esports exhibition, will there be someone you know?” Her sister tilted her head and thought for a while. “Too bad that you retired. The videoes from those years are gone too. When they invited me to this convention, I especially asked them whether they knew Apple Dog and they all said no.”
Ai Qing gave her a look like she had gone through a lot. “See those diving athletes, who still remembers their names except the two diving queens who married into rich families?”
Ai Jing patted her forehead sadly. “Doesn’t matter. I remember you.”
When they arrived at the Baiyun Airport, there were even fans of her sister there to meet them.
While her sister was animatedly chatting with her fans, she was quietly followed at the side until one of the fans pointed in a direction. “That one is here for the exhibition. What a coincidence, he came in on the same flight as you.”
Her sister looked over out of curiosity and she also took a look.
There was a young man in the crowd who wore rimless glasses, a backpack, and was pulling a huge luggage.
If he took off the glasses, he would probably be mistaken for a girl.
“He’s a Starcraft II player.” Obviously, this fan of her sister was also an esports fan. “Didn’t Solo change his event a couple years ago? Now these two are the top ranking players in Starcraft II in China. We always felt that he and Solo would make such a good pair~”
…...A fujoshi’s[2] strength was truly powerful.
Her sister answered with an “oh~” and looked at Ai Qing deliberately. “Speaking of Solo, I knew his ex-girlfriend.”
The younger girls shouted “ah! ah! ah! ah!” and jumped up and down around her sister. “Really? Is she good looking? We’ve seen the picture of Solo’s daughter, she’s so beautiful. They said that he had his daughter with one of his fans when he’s 18…...is it that person?”
“No.” Her sister purposely said very, very slowly, “his ex-girlfriend looks very much like me… very similar.”
Ai Qing pretended that she did not hear it. Out of professional habit, she was interested in that person. “What’s his name?”
Esport competitions had experienced a surge of popularity in the past two years. She did not expect to see so many strange faces so quickly.
“Grunt.” Someone replied.
At the same time, the person in question seemed to sense that he was being watched and glanced over this way, then all of a sudden his eyes stopped on the two sisters. He looked back and forth between Ai Jing and Ai Qing, as if he knew one of them.
He had a very attentive look.
“Who’s Grunt looking at?” The younger girls asked her sister surprisingly.
Her sister looked at her puzzled.
“Looking at her.” She pointed at her sister and said whatever came to her mind, “he has been secretly admiring my sister.”
Whole bunch of young girls were stunned, so was her sister.
Grunt in the distance obviously did not know that a misunderstanding had just been created. He finally looked the other way and walked out of the airport.
[1]: This is written in the raws as “cos” in English, which is basically a shorthand for cosplay. If you don’t know what it is, it’s essentially people who dress up in costumes based on game, manga, and anime characters and attend game/comic/anime conventions.
[2]: So for those who don’t understand the word “fujoshi,” it basically means yaoi fangirls (though not all yaoi fans are female). If you don’t know what “yaoi” means it’s another Japanese word that means “Boy’s love” or basically male-male romance that usually gets pretty graphic, probably… More here if you are interested: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaoi_fandom
Anyhow the raw used the Chinese form: 腐女 which in pinyin is: “fǔnǚ.” We thought that fujoshi is more commonly known and would be an appropriate English translation.
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LNWNCentral
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God's Left Hand/God's Left Hand - Volume 01 Chapter 01-19/God's-Left-Hand-Volume-01-Chapter-01-19-[Unknown][Unknown]/mi1adf3b.oee.txt
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Chapter 11
Chapter 11
God's Left Hand - Book 1: Chapter 11
Guess what guys? Someone we know is coming back in Chapter 12.
Since she already agreed to go, Ai Jing certainly would not let her back out of it.
When Grunt opened the door, she really was holding a laptop. “I want to have a friendly match with you.”
“CS?” Grunt leaned against the door frame. Even though he was answering her question, he was looking at Ai Jing quite unexpectedly.
Seeing his expression, Ai Qing only took a second to understand everything.
She murmured amusingly. “You two are already interested in each other, why do you need me as an excuse?”
Grunt pretended that he didn’t hear. He stepped aside to leave the doorway open. “Come on in.”
When they walked in, they discovered that the room was extremely messy. That huge suitcase they saw at the airport was open, filled with computer accessories…...Ai Qing took a short glance, she could still recognize some of them and those were all top notch equipments.
On the bed, there were four or five laptops strewed around.
It looked like this top player was not just a top player, he was also a zealot.
In addition, there’s more than one person in the room.
A bookish boy with very short hair stood up, he took a look at Ai Qing, then took another look at Ai Jing. “Grunt, you actually know Apple Dog……” He was holding a biology book and stared at the two with great interest. “I couldn’t tell who’s who since I only saw Gou Gou in videoes. Could you self-introduced yourselves?”
“I am.” Ai Qing said.
“I have heard so much about you.” The boy finally put down the book and solemnly offered his hand. “I am a Starcraft II player, too. 97.” Ai Qing didn’t expect him to be so serious, shook his hand lightly, and asked curiously, “Your name…..is it for celebrating the return of Hong Kong?”
97 laughed, showing off the two deep dimples on his face, which were quite cute. “Yeah, I started doing esports at the tenth anniversary of the return of Hong Kong. I remember you won the racing championship at that year’s Asian Tournament.”
“It’s been so long.” Ai Qing felt that this person in front of her should be of the same age as her. But somehow she had a feeling of having gone through the vicissitudes of life.
“Why don’t you continue? I thought you’d turn into professional, but didn’t hear anything in the end.”
Ai Qing didn’t answer the question directly; after saying something irrelevant, she put her computer on the desk in the living room area.
“I don’t have CS on my computer.” Grunt took one computer from the bed. “I’ll use my friend’s to play with you.”
97 looked at Grunt amazedly. “You’ll lose for sure playing against Apple Dog.”
She felt quite uneasy when she heard that since she wasn’t seriously coming here to play a match. She turned on the computer and said, “I only played CS once in these two years. My skill has downgraded a lot.”
97 was relieved. “Then maybe he’ll have some chance……”
……
Ai Qing had never seen such a unsupportive friend and glanced at Grunt sympathetically.
He basically wasn’t paying any attention to 97 and put his laptop on the desk. With one hand besides the computer, the other hand started to pick out the space key. “Don’t need the jumping key.” He then picked out the 1, 2, 3, 4, and R keys. “We can’t switch guns half way and no smoke and flash bombs. How’s that?”
When he spoke, the corners of his mouth always curved up beautifully.
He’s showing off.
“Ok.” Ai Qing was intrigued with this way of doing matches. She also picked out those keys and even took out the S key too. “We don’t need the back key either.”
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God's Left Hand/God's Left Hand - Volume 01 Chapter 01-19/God's-Left-Hand-Volume-01-Chapter-01-19-[Unknown][Unknown]/mjukthwq.rk5.txt
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Chapter 14
Chapter 14
God's Left Hand - Book 1: Chapter 14
When Ai Qing and her sister arrived at the stadium, they were assaulted by a multitude of ad banners.
Her sister had never watched an official competition. She suddenly sighed after seeing all the men and women esports fans, holding little flags, animatedly talking with each other, “I finally understand why you fell for Solo before. They’re just like movie stars, with millions of crazy fans…...and they’re all so tech savvy.”
This was the first time she had come to watch a competition as a spectator since she retired.
She was also shocked by the size of the crowd.
It just so happened that today’s event was Warcraft, so indeed they have arrived for the most popular event.
Nowadays in all the international competitions, the seed players from China and Korea basically represented the highest level in the world. Therefore, the preliminary match in China benefitted all esports fans. Who wasn’t overjoyed to watch a world level competition right in front of one’s door? Fortunately, 97 gave them two tickets when he heard that they were planning to watch the game……
The two weaved their way through the crowd. Before they reached the gate, there were several esport players walking by. Fans enthusiastically greeted them as they came by.
She turned to size them up, they were all unfamiliar faces.
No wonder people said that the country had been very prosperous in the last two years. In the past, this kind of treatment were reserved only for the few top players.
“97! 97!”
Soon there were several young girls shouted.
Ai Qing finally heard a name she knew. She tilted her head and saw 97’s baby face with a full smile. Hum. A 178 cm tall big boy with a baby face…...he seemed to have heard his name and turn around politely, and saw the twin sisters right away. “You here? Let’s go in together.”
After he finished speaking, there were immediate outburst of envy and jealousy.
Ai Qing was amused and grabbed her sister to walk over to the gate. 97 went in first after showing his name tag. When Ai Qing also came up to him, he was like he had just remembered something. “Have you seen Dt and Grunt?”
“No, we just got here too.” she shook her head and followed him into the lobby. “Aren’t you staying in the same room with them?”
“Not the same room.” 97 made a helpless face. “I got up late and went to knock on their door, but there’s no response. I assumed they are here already.”
97 made a gesture for “gone” with two fingers after saying and walked into the backstage.
Her sister was listening attentively. After he had left, she inquired further, “Will they be late? If you run into a traffic jam for a competition like this, what do you do?”
“What can you do.” Ai Qing took up the tickets and looked for the numbers of the seats. “If a sprinter was late for the match, would you let all the others wait on the track? Certainly, he’ll be disqualified.”
They came in a little late as most people were already seated.
When they finally located their seats, the sponsor was already making a speech on stage. Introductions for all the players followed. Ai Qing glanced over the big screen, and, to her surprise, found out that Grunt, 97, and Dt were all playing Warcraft…… “What an infight.” She sighed lighted. “Even if they are qualified at Guangzhou, they will still have to fight to the end at the national final.”
“What are you saying?” Her sister was still searching for Grunt in the players section.
“What I’m saying is that your Grunt and his two good friends are all in the same event.”
Her sister responded with an ‘Oh’.
She didn’t react. She seemed to be having an internal debate and then said, “So, who do you think will win?” Ai Qing looked at the grouping chart. “It’s hard to say. I only saw Dt play a match before, and that was not in a real competition.”
“Not in a competition? What match was that?”
“It was Solo who gathered some world top ranking players to play a scrimmage with him once.”
Her sister said another ‘Oh’, and thought for a while with frowned eyebrows.
“Can I pray that Dt has a bad case of diarrhea? That sounds very mean.”
……
“Whatever.”
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God's Left Hand/God's Left Hand - Volume 01 Chapter 01-19/God's-Left-Hand-Volume-01-Chapter-01-19-[Unknown][Unknown]/nkuwi1vu.guh.txt
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Chapter 17
Chapter 17
God's Left Hand - Book 1: Chapter 17
“Do you have any plan to continue competing? Nowadays, a lot of tournaments have awards for female teams.”
“No plan.” Ai Qing shook her head. “Didn’t you retire too?”
“Yeah,” the commentator sighed. “I officially retired last year. I work at a bank now. All my free time is devoted to doing commentary for various competitions. Sometimes, for specially good competitions, I’m always sure to be there even if I have to pay for the trip out of my own pocket. My esports dream, I figure I won’t wake up from it all my life.”
“I have always felt sorry for all of you.” The commentator was becoming rather emotional. “Everyone of you looked like you had such bright futures, but then you all disappeared.”
“Luckily, Dt is back.” She looked over to the contestants area not too far from where they stood and discovered that Dt was walking towards her.
“Yeah.” The commentator also turned around to take a look. “We have too few world champions. If we can have more world champions and more gold medals, then esports will be definitely become more mainstream.”
Dt was taking his time to walk over and stopped right next to them.
The commentator delightedly patted his shoulder. “After news about today’s Guangzhou competition is out, all the predictions on major forums will absolutely have an upheaval. Without Grunt, you’ll definitely be the champion here. After you get signed up with a club, you’ll be a pro. Keep it up.”
“Thanks.”
His answer was very simple and the eyes under the rim of his cap were placid.
Ai Qing was afraid that the commentator had felt embarrassed, she cleared her throat and half jokingly said, “Dt always acts cool. After we won the championship in Singapore, a bunch of the media tried to interview him and asked many questions. They asked him what he thought about the sponsors, how he felt about the competition, how he thought about his opponents, all he answered was two words --- ---” She imitated the way he talked and lowered her voice. “Not bad.”
Even Dt curved up the sides of his mouth after hearing what she said.
“Gotcha, gotcha. I’ve met people who talk even less.” The commentator laughed. “I have to go for the raffle. You guys talk. I have to go back on stage.”
He turned around and ran up to the stage afterwards.
People were continuously coming back from lunch. When they passed by the two, they all looked at Dt with surprise. It’s hard to be as calm as he was, without giving even the tiniest reaction to the attention.
Ai Qing tilted her head, trying to look at his eyes from under rim of his cap. “How do you feel about this morning?”
“Not bad.”
He answered without thinking.
The two looked at each other for 3 seconds, Ai Qing was the one who first bursted out laughing.
Dt tilted his head, and waited with some embarrassment for her to stop laughing. Then he casually looked over at the stage and asked her a not so important question. “Have you eaten?”
“I just ate. Ate a lot of snacks outside the stadium. Guangzhou’s snacks are really good.” She sounded like she hadn’t had enough.
“Are you full?”
“I thought I was full. But for snacks, you feel you’re full at the time but later on you find out that you’re actually still hungry.” Ai Qing remembered that pitiful lunch box he just had and also asked, “Are you full? The sponsors are so stingy, they just gave you guys boxed lunches.”
He didn’t really care. “It’s alright.”
Music began to gradually quiet down signaling that it was almost time for the afternoon competition.
She pouted her lips to remind him. “It’s starting.”
It’s the final rounds for the last 16 players in the afternoon.
Two matches were going on at the same time. They were broadcasted live on two large screens.
Due to commercial sponsorship, two commentators were continuously doing quiz shows on esports facts during intervals between the game rounds. The questions were most related to computer hardware and the awards naturally were famous players’ autographed pictures.
The little boy behind Ai Qing got the chance to answer two consecutive questions, but failed to come up with the correct answers. He was punching the chair dejectedly. She felt this boy was very interesting and since he had very nicely told her about Grunt in the morning, she turned around and said, “Next one you try to get picked to answer, I will tell you the answer.”
“Really?” The little boy looked at her surprisingly.
Ai Qing winked. “Yes, believe me. These questions are all piece of cake for me.”
The little boy hurriedly took out a notebook from his backpack and passed a pen to her. “Can you give me your autograph? Though I don’t know who you are, but I’m sure you are awesome.”
……
This was the first time Ai Qing signed an autograph under this kind of circumstance……
Considering that he was only 12 or 13 years old, there was nothing to be angry about.
She awkwardly took over the pen, quickly signed and returned it to him.
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LNWNCentral
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God's Left Hand/God's Left Hand - Volume 01 Chapter 01-19/God's-Left-Hand-Volume-01-Chapter-01-19-[Unknown][Unknown]/wyi3rowu.z0e.txt
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Chapter 7
Chapter 7
God's Left Hand - Book 1: Chapter 7
The manga convention was a three-day event.
“This is a manga convention. I know you would be more excited if it was a video game convention. The video game convention two years ago had more than 700 cosplayers there, all cosplaying as video game characters.” Her sister sat and rested off the stage. “Too bad you were in the hospital at the time. Otherwise, if you were there, you would have been thrilled.”
Ai Qing wore a simple white short sleeve, faded jeans, sitting next to her sister who wore heavy costumes. While listening to her sister’s soft voice, she kept feeling that one of the exhibition guests at the other side was looking at them.
When she turned to look, Grunt happened to stand up and walk onto the stage.
The title screen of the game was on the big screens at the same time.
Starcraft I was the beginning of esports.
The older generations of video game hotshots all began with Starcraft I, then gradually turned to other games like CS and Warcraft. Unfortunately, she was too young when Starcraft I was popular; by the time she began her professional esports career, Starcraft I had completely
fallen out of favor.
After she had faded out, Starcraft II came out suddenly. In just one short year, it had become the must have event in all the major world esport competitions.
And Solo also just used one year to become the champion again.
“I still remembered that your first competition was at a shabby internet cafe, hot and crowded.” Her sister said unexpectedly, “Nowadays the condition has improved so much. So many competitions and contestants are just like movie stars. There are even exhibitions like the one here and people are walking down the runways. It's so glamorous. This Grunt should be about your age. If you had played Starcraft II, would you be able to surpass him?”
“I’m more suited for playing single events.” Ai Qing watched Grunt as he stood on the stage. “But, there’s a video game genius that should be able to. Too bad, ever since he was at that last Asian Tournament with me, he hasn’t continued.”
Her sister was very interested. “This is the first time I heard you praise someone other than Solo.”
“He’s different than Solo.” Ai Qing said seriously, “Solo makes you feel that he’s always sure, always trustworthy. That other person…... I can’t imagine what he would be like if he’s defeated.”
Including that time, that time he did 200 push-ups continuously. She felt that Dt had thrown in the towel deliberately.
While they were talking, the exhibition games had begun.
Majestic background music, splendorous 3D screens, and a great merciless battlefield. In ten short minutes, her heart beat involuntarily raced up following the rhythm of the match.
Even her sister, a total outsider, was very excited. “How is he? How is he compared to that person you just mentioned?”
“He has a biting personality. He’s a purely offensive player. If he’s the opponent, I reckon…...it would be very nasty.”
Ai Qing fixed her eyes on the stage.
This was a dangerous player, uncontrollable, very rare.
Suddenly, her sister asked her, “You haven’t played any world competition, only the Asian Tournaments. Are you content with it?”
Were you content with it?
It was like another her asking herself.
She was silent for a few seconds. “I am. Soon I’ll be looking at jewelry and precious stones every day. Don’t hold up my chances of getting rich.”
“Solo, ah, Solo.” Her sister sighed in a low voice. “He is still the top player, but you’ve already retired. Anytime an esports program pops up, you have your eyes glued onto it. Everytime I see you like that, my heart aches. If it wasn’t for two years ago -- --”
“I haven’t seen him for two years, besides, that incident had nothing to do with him.”
Ai Qing continued focusing on the stage and concluded their conversation.
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LNWNCentral
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God's Left Hand/God's Left Hand - Volume 01 Chapter 01-19/God's-Left-Hand-Volume-01-Chapter-01-19-[Unknown][Unknown]/zjtxcmet.efh.txt
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Chapter 15
Chapter 15
God's Left Hand - Book 1: Chapter 15
One could tell how famous a player was on the field of competition.
One indicator was the number of fans. The other indicator was the introductions given by the commentators. From the beginning of the competition, the two commentators on stage, in order to excite the audience, kept chattering about the participating players.
“In the past two years, Grunt has been closely gaining on Solo. Frankly these two players have quite a lot in common.” One of the commentators spoke with a more teasing tone. “For example, they’ve both doubled up on Warcraft III and Starcraft II. From talent to performance, they both are the best players in the country.”
Double up…...such a nice phrase.
“The Warcraft rankings in the past few years have been quite stable in competitions in both China and internationally. Can’t say if there will be any surprises this time.” The other commentator was obviously trying to raise another topic.
“There certainly will be, especially at this stop at Guangzhou.”
“Tell us about it?”
“Let’s not spoil the suspense just yet. I bet he’ll be the one to give Grunt quite the headache this round.”
The two looked at each other and laughed after they finished talking.
The audience, also esports fans, immediately exploded into cheers.
The elimination rounds were going on for all the players.
Nearly a hundred players were chosen from the pre-selection process. This morning was the elimination round which would determine the sixteen top players. The championship round would be in the afternoon. Naturally, there was no live broadcast of the initial pre-selection and the elimination rounds on the big screen. Everyone was just overlooking the competition area and kept their attention on the list of winners that were being constantly posted on the big screen.
After half an hour, the list was quickly refreshing.
Ai Qing stared at the new list, Dt’s name showed up quickly and after a few minutes she saw 97.
However, Grunt’s name never showed up on the list.
Clamours of comments could be heard surrounding them.
Soon the commentator received a note. He glanced over it and seemed somewhat helpless. “Grunt is missing from the competition. I never thought that we wouldn’t see him again in Guangzhou.” The other commentator smiled somewhat unnaturally. “It can’t be that he gave up the competition again?”
Ai Qing couldn’t understand the meaning of “gave up competition again”, her sister also looked at her nervously. “Why again?”
She shook her head. “Don’t know.”
As the two were wondering, the boy sat behind them kindly came closer and said, “Last year, at the ESWC Chinese final, Grunt forfeited on the spot after protesting about the lack of order in the arena.”
Ai Qing was surprised to hear that.
What an arrogant person. It really was…...rare to see someone like that.
When the list stopped refreshing, the sixteen finalists were shown on the big screen.
The organizer purposely asked the commentators to introduce the sixteen finalists, probably because they were afraid some of the audience would leave early since Grunt was absent. Because this was only the final round of one of the stops, about half of the sixteen were not very well known. The commentators only briefly mentioned many names, but they stopped when it was 97’s turn. “Among the esports players I know, 97 is the one who is doing the best in school and who has the highest ratio of female fans. Do you know why?”
“Why?”
“At one of the interviews, he was asked why he started playing esports. He surprisingly said bashfully in front of the camera that it’s because he can’t find girlfriend. He discovered that esports players are very popular among girls, so he decided to join.”
97’s fans in the audience burst out in laughter. They were, for sure, all young girls.
The commentators teased some more. Then, they finally used the laser pen to circle Dt’s name.
“We were hoping to see this person and Grunt fight against each other. Too bad Grunt was absent again.” The commentators switched the screen to show a picture from a computer folder. It turned out to be the group photo of the Chinese Team at the 2007 WCG Asian Tournament. “This is the group photo of the WCG Asian Tournament in Singapore of 07. This is the first time the Chinese team won the group championship.”
In the picture, a whole row of people, with dazzlingly smiles, held an oversized reward check.
Ai Qing was entranced for a short moment. On that picture, Slide was on her left and Dt on the right. That should be the most glorious moment for her and Slide.
The audience gradually quieted down.
The other commentator laughed. “There were many famous teams that year.” His laser pen pointed to the big screen and circled the girl in the picture. “This girl used to be very famous. I was kicked out the final by this girl at the Chinese final in the DotA event that year.”
Her sister excitedly grabbed her arm and said in a low voice, “I really want to throw you onto the stage. This commentator obviously is your fan. Ah……” Ai Qing’s face turned red quickly, her famous big red face.
“Gou Gou.” The one who had digged up the photo jokingly said, “Too bad, she was Solo’s girlfriend when she started her career. Absolutely the kind that you can only watch from distance.”
With a gossip liked this, the quiet audience was immediately turned alive.
Ai Qing felt that her arm was going to swell up in her sister’s hand……
“Ok, back to serious business.”
The commentator deliberately stopped to take a sip of water.
“Dt was the captain of the ‘07 DotA championship team. He was only 15 years old at the time. He’s been nicknamed “God’s left hand” by the whole DotA circle just because of his debilitating gank technique. After that competition, Dt disappeared for three years. In these three years, he has not participated in any competitions or any esports platforms. But it is this year, here in Guangzhou, at this stadium, he’s come back.”
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God's Left Hand/God's Left Hand - Volume 01 Chapter 01-19/God's-Left-Hand-Volume-01-Chapter-01-19-[Unknown][Unknown]/zs4e522x.rpx.txt
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Chapter 8
Chapter 8
God's Left Hand - Book 1: Chapter 8
After the exhibition game was over, several reporters circled around Grunt trying to interview him.
There wasn’t anything new about their questions, mostly comparing him to Solo.
Solo was a legend in the world of esports; he competed in many events and was superb in all of them. He had become an icon for all these years. But, the guy in front of them didn’t seem to have much respect for him.
“Solo is just like a legend, but there’s always an end to a legend. Just like so many professional Scandinavian players, many of them were signed onto clubs for huge sums of money but they were all kicked out once their physical strength and energy slowed down.” Grunt said in a clear voice with a hint of intrigue. “Usually these players who’ve played in the top clubs can’t stand second rate teams after they leave, and so they would retire in the end.”
The three reporters were somewhat stunned and couldn’t follow up.
Ai Qing was surprised to hear that. This was the first time she had heard someone with such an opinion.
“Certainly, he is indeed unsurpassable for the first ten years of esports in China. If I were him, I would retire while I’m still on top, before my fall from grace.”
Grunt put on his backpack and walked out of the stadium.
“What a sharp tongue.” Her sister sighed next to her. “But that arrogance was sort of cute.”
She speechlessly looked at her sister.
When the convention ended, no one wanted to be alone and they reserved a room in a KTV(karaoke) to continue partying.
Ai Qing did not know them well so she just sat at a corner watching a bunch of strangers fighting over the microphone. She had become so bored that she was trying to find an excuse to go back to the hotel when several more people came in through the door.
These were the latecomers. The only surprise was that Grunt was among them.
He tilted his head to listen to the girl next to him talking as he walked. He stopped when he saw her sister singing.
“What, you want to meet someone?” The girl next to Grunt asked jokingly.
He frowned and looked at Ai Qing and her sister who was holding the microphone. “I don’t know which one is the one I know.”
The girl laughed and pointed to Ai Jing. “This is the old sister, Ai Jing, the most talented girl of the Chinese Language Department.” She pointed to Ai Qing afterwards. “That is the younger sister, Ai Qing, I heard that she used to be an esports enthusiast just like you.”
Ai Qing nodded politely as an acknowledgment.
“Not just an enthusiast.” Grunt finally fixed his eyes on Ai Qing. “If I remember correctly, she was the sniper on the number one CS team in China six years ago. Three years ago, she was the top player on the second place team of the DotA Chinese Tournament. The same year, she won the first place in Need for Speed at the WCG Asian Tournament.”
“Wow~”
Even before he finished, there were exclamations of awe around the room.
High and low, all forms of admirations and jealousy.
Even though most people there did not play video games, but phrases such as “the number one team”, “sniper”, “second place in China”, and “champion of the Asian Tournament” were being used to describe one person which was shocking enough just hearing it.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 07 - Uprising of Demons/The-New-Gate-Volume-07-Uprising-of-Demons-[Shin][dotNovel]/Title.txt
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The New Gate
(THE NEW GATE)
Volume 07
Uprising of Demons
Kazanami Shinogi
(風波しのぎ)
Story Description:
“THE NEW GATE”, an online game that trapped its players and turned into a death game, was now releasing the thousands of players that had been dragged into it, thanks to the efforts of Shin, one of the most powerful players.
But after having defeated the last boss and freed everyone, he was swallowed up by a strange light and found himself inside the game world 500 years in the future and unable to leave.
Original Story can be found here: Link
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 07 - Uprising of Demons/The-New-Gate-Volume-07-Uprising-of-Demons-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_07_Chapter_01_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 1
In order to save Millie, the group rode the Elder Dragons to the Church’s headquarters.
There they met Lilishila, cardinal of the Church. She requested Shin to capture Bulk, a fanatic follower of the “Summit Faction”.
Bulk had not only kidnapped Millie, but also imprisoned Hermie, a girl bearing the name of “Holy Woman”.
Shin’s party, acting alongside Lilishila, assaulted Palmirack -the facility serving as the Church’s headquarters- and successfully rescued both Millie and Hermie…
“…what will I do now, you ask?”
“Yes. We could save Lady Hermie thanks to you all. Once this information spreads, all the others who had to endure Bulk’s arrogance will want to thank you.”
About 30 minutes had passed since Hermie and Lilishila had reunited.
It was already well into the night.
The guard knights ran off to convey the word of the Holy Woman’s rescue, while Hermie and Millie were resting in another room, guarded by Wilhelm.
Shin sent a message to Tiera, asking her to come to Palmirack.
Shibaid, guided by a knight, headed to Bulk’s room to collect any remaining submission items, like the “Submission Collars”.
Shin, Schnee, and Lilishila were discussing the rewards in the room assigned to the female cardinal.
Shin didn’t wish for any reward; instead, he wanted to be considered a “mysterious helper”, but Lilishila wouldn’t agree. She strongly argued that the others wouldn’t agree either.
Concerning the efforts spent on this operation, at that point in time the date had changed, thus it was 3 days in total. The only money spent was on lodging fees at the inn. There was no particular expense to be refunded.
What Shin’s party had done was simply infiltrate Palmirack and take down Eline and Bulk.
Shin understood that it was the most important part, but for him it had been an easy feat; that’s why there was such a difference of opinions between him and Lilishila.
Even if they were to receive a reward, something too generous would, on the contrary, make it difficult for them to accept it.
Shin’s name had already begun spreading because of the Balmel defense battle. If he was grandly awarded by the Church here, it would only invite greater trouble their way.
It was too late to say things like “I don’t want to stand out”, but his honest desire was to avoid as many problematic situations as possible.
“I would really appreciate it if you kept my name hidden.”
“Your name? But to me this seems to be a great chance to gain recognition.”
“Our reason for coming here was to save Millie, the rescue of milady Holy Woman was…pardon my bluntness, but it just happened along the way. Besides, after knowing about what Bulk was doing, I’m sure that anyone would have tried to do something, no matter what they could or couldn’t do, without concern for what could be gained or lost…don’t you agree?”
Any proper human being would have been disgusted at Bulk’s actions.
It was the same for Shin’s party, which also happened to have the power to stop Bulk. That’s all there was to it.
“At the very least, is there anything you need? I have asked for your help saying that I would give anything in return. After everything you have done for me, letting you go empty-handed would brand me as ungrateful.”
“Aaah, well, I didn’t mean to say we wouldn’t need anything, so please calm down.”
Shin moved a step back from the slightly too close Lilishila and laughed wryly.
Shin understood well enough that from the standpoint of someone who had been saved, not being able to express gratitude would be hard to bear. Shin was thus thinking about what to ask for as a reward.
“Is there something you need?”
“Yes. There are 3 things we would like to request. First, we would like to collect any remaining collars like the ones used by Bulk. I would like to do so before they pass onto others’ hands, to examine their structure and effects. We would then dispose of them ourselves, and if we can come up with an item to nullify their effects we will offer it to you too, of course.”
Leaving behind items that grant the power to control others would eventually give birth to other Bulks. History itself tells how even holy men and women can succumb to desire.
In addition, there was the necessity to research a method to nullify their effects, other than Shin’s ability. In order to build and test a collar removal item, having the collar themselves was a prerequisite.
The request to hand over items that instantly force others to obey one’s will, would likely be a difficult decision for Lilishila, thus Shin considered it a fitting reward.
“I see, even we are not immune to temptation after all. I shall entrust them to you, Shin-sama. Considering your actions until now, I am positive that you will never use them as Bulk did.”
Contrary to Shin’s expectations, Lilishila accepted his request with ease.
According to Lilishila, Bulk supposedly had other allies within the Church; candidates for the position of “next Bulk” were not scarce. Rather than risk keeping the items, letting a trusted person have them would be better.
Lilishila’s trust towards Shin was deeper than he thought.
“I would truly appreciate it if you get in touch with us, the moment you succeed in creating a collar removal item.”
“It’s quite a problem if I’m the only one able to do something about them, after all.”
Will it be possible to make them? How much time will it take? There were still too many unknowns in the equation, so the topic was closed by agreeing to communicate whenever the desired effect was created.
“What is the second request, then?”
“The second is information. We would like you to tell us everything you know about the Sacred Place. If possible, we would be grateful if you contacted us whenever you learned something new in the future.”
The Sacred Place still hadn’t been researched enough, but if anything had been discovered already, Shin wanted to know in advance. The Church had a great number of believers, so in this head church of Sigurd there was likely a great concentration of information as well.
Information about the Sacred Place was known only to the top members of the guilds; survey missions of its interior sometimes claim the lives of an entire expedition teams. It was that dangerous a location. Information about it was more than worthy to be requested as a reward.
“We have documents with collected information about the Sacred Place. I shall have someone bring them to you. As long as it is within my capabilities, if any new information comes up, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Thank you very much. Our third request concerns the “Summit Faction”. We would like to ask you to find out more about the ritual site Bulk spoke of. It would be great to know where the faction’s base is, but we are more worried about the ritual right now. Because there may be others other than Bulk bringing sacrifices there. ”
The first priority for Shin’s party was to investigate the Summit Faction, as the disappearance of Shin’s support character Filma had not been resolved yet.
It was Shin’s 3rd request, but higher than anything else in priority.
“These are the rewards I am thinking about.”
“Are these three requests really enough? For us they would barely suffice to claim we have repaid you…”
“Well, I thought they were rather large requests, honestly. You don’t need to feel so much obligation, you know?”
Lilishila was serious, yet somehow felt under pressure, so Shin tried to pacify her.
“No, that will not do.”
Lilishila, however, clearly expressed that Shin’s words had not convinced her.
“Please listen. This rescue operation, if it wasn’t for you and your party’s cooperation, would have had no chance of success. If we embarked in it by ourselves, most, if not all of us, would have been killed, Hermie and Millie would have been sacrificed, while I and the other women would have probably become their playthings.”
Lilishila spoke clearly and firmly. If Shin’s party had not joined their struggle, that future would have been almost certainly inevitable.
Wilhelm alone too, would not have been able to enter Sigurd before Bulk’s entourage left the city.
There would have been no one able to subdue Konig or Eline; in addition, with Hermie equipped with the submission collar, there was no possible way for Lilishila to emerge victorious.
There was even the possibility for the whole Church to fall under Bulk’s control.
Because of all this, Shin’s appearance was a true miracle for Lilishila; it wasn’t strange that they saw it as a message from god.
“When I said I would give you anything, I included my own self. And this is why.”
“I see…however…”
“I said those words because I was ready for anything. Please understand.”
“Oh, I see, so that’s what you meant…”
Shin fretted, expecting a phrase like “I give my own body to you” to come out, but was relieved when it didn’t.
You saved my life, thus now I am yours. A common occurrence in some fantasy fictional works.
Shin, however, was not the type of person to happily accept an offer like that.
“Allow us to ask for your help when something happens, then. We aren’t omnipotent, after all. The first request can probably be taken care of easily, so for the time being we would be grateful if you could focus on locating the Summit Faction’s base of operations and the ritual site Bulk talked about.”
“Understood, we will gather all the information we can. Whenever you may need our help, please say so without hesitation.”
Shin told the enthusiastic Lilishila to contact the Golden Company if they learned something. Lilishila was surprised at Shin’s connection to the Golden Company, but immediately nodded with a serious expression.
“I think that’s all for now.”
“If that is really all, it would be no problem if you desired me too.”
“Er, I’m not sure why we are going back to that topic…I will not, of course?”
As the phrase he thought he had dodged came out of Lilishila’s lips, Shin’s face muscles stiffened.
“The women alongside you are an Elf and a High Elf. Female Elves never join parties with men, unless they deeply trust and are comfortable around them…and it seems they are with you, Shin-sama, so I thought you had that kind of relationship. You like elves don’t you? I’m an elf too, you know.”
“You’ve got it all wrong!! Aaahhhhhhhh!!!!”
So screamed Shin in the depths of his heart.
Shin had no idea about the difficulties of female elves in joining parties with males. Knowing that someone aware of it would think he made himself an elf harem was a small shock.
“Anyway! As far as men are concerned, there’s Shibaid too! Why do you pair only me with those two?”
“Just a maiden’s intuition. Although, it is more than clear to whom Lady Yuki’s affections are directed.”
Lilishila stated with confidence and a smile.
Shin was quite troubled by her sudden change in personality. Lilishila probably thought that continuing to discuss the rewards would have inconvenienced him. In other words, the serious discussions were over.
“I-Is that so…er, Yuki, why are you sticking so close to me…?”
“I’m keeping watch.”
“You don’t say…”
Yuki – the disguised Schnee – had slipped very close to Shin, no one knew when. It wasn’t clear if her answer to Shin’s question was serious or in jest.
“Hehe, you two get along so well. I’m envious.”
Lilishila’s expression while speaking to them was of someone enjoying a heartwarming scene.
Lilishila’s warm look, so different than before, made Shin feel slightly uncomfortable.
Only one thought came across his mind: “What the heck is this situation?”
◆◆◆◆
While Shin and company were discussing “rewards”, Wilhelm was guarding Hermie, Millie and Konig, who were recently released from the submission type item, in the neighbouring room.
Bulk was detained, however, he wasn’t the only dangerous individual within the Church. There was no guarantee that individuals, who operate in a dishonest fashion, wouldn’t move and take advantage of this situation.
“You should be able to go home soon, right?”
“Since Will-nii and Shin-nii is here, everything will be alright!”
Millie was in high spirits: she was lying down, her head resting on Hermie’s lap, who was petting her softly.
Everyone was safe and there was someone she could trust among those who came to her rescue.
That someone, Wilhelm, was right next to her even now, so she had no reason to be worried.
“………..”
Wilhelm was looking intently at Millie, without speaking a word. He was observing her to find out if there was anything strange remains, while making sure she didn’t notice and was unsettled by his observations.
After all, Millie had been manipulated by Eline and stabbed Wilhelm. It wouldn’t be strange for her heart to bear a deep wound because of it.
However, asking Millie about Wilhelm and Eline’s battle revealed that her memories stopped at the beginning of the fighting. It could be said to be rather fortunate.
Eline had probably made preparations to use Millie whenever needed. This one time, that actually led to a positive result.
“Are you concerned?”
“….well, yeah.”
The question to Wilhelm came from Konig.
Once Shin removed his collar, nothing restrained his actions. He thus returned to his original duty, Hermie’s protection.
His armor had been rendered unusable by Shibaid’s attack, but his beloved blade, the Legend-grade magical sword Haufer, rested at his side.
Konig didn’t know that the manipulated Millie had stabbed Wilhelm, but knew that the collar had been equipped on her. He assumed that, like him, something had happened while she was under control.
Wilhelm then inquired back.
“By the way, do you feel like your memories have been altered? It looks like memories while being manipulated remain differently from person to person.”
“I remember very well. The collar’s power was not used too often on me, even when I was being manipulated I felt as if I was dreaming, everything was hazy.”
Bulk often used Hermie to force Konig to do his bidding, apparently.
Konig suggested that it was because when manipulating others via the collar, it was not possible to give concrete, detailed orders.
“I see. The lack of consciousness also means that only simple actions can be taken.”
“It’s just an assumption, though. However, it is rather useful during battle. An order like “strike with all your strength” will be executed even if it ends up costing your arms. During the battle with sir Shibaid, I performed a powerful blow I normally couldn’t. It’s also possible to order suicide attacks, the attacker has no regards for his own life.”
“The more I hear about that time, the more it makes me sick”
Wilhelm’s expression was distorted by disgust.
“Some of those items leaked outside. Fortunately only a few did, but I’d want them dealt with before they’re used for ill intents.”
“There’s something I was wondering, though. If the person equipped with it dies, can the item be used on someone else?”
If such a repeated use was possible, the usefulness of the item would increase even more…in the worst way possible. Wilhelm then asked Konig, as the latter was in the position to know.
“I have never heard about it being re-used. However, the number of items Bulk obtained and the number of times he used them do not match. This is just an assumption too, but repeated use after death could be possible.”
According to Konig, the number of women Bulk had submitted to his will was higher than the number of collars.
Konig had learned the number of collars from Bulk himself. Bulk could have let down his guard, as Konig was under his control.
“A sack of shit through and through, I see.”
“I must agree. If only I wasn’t controlled by that collar, I would have cut him down on the spot.”
Konig was a knight firmly believing in the Church doctrine of protecting the weak.
His strong sense of justice not only made him despise Bulk, but probably made him even unwilling to recognize his existence.
“However…I might have been manipulated, but I have slain others with my own hands.”
“…you’re feeling guilty? If you worry about that you’re going to die soon too”.
Wilhelm spoke rather bluntly to the tormented Konig.
“You say I shouldn’t care about them?”
“I’m saying that nothing changes even if you do.”
Konig’s tone had grown fiercer. Wilhelm, however, continued talking without losing his composure.
“Regret all you want, but the dead won’t come back to life. In the end, it all depends on the feelings of the ones still alive. If you worry about that and end up dying, the people you should protect will die too.”
Hermie could be targeted again because of her abilities, as it had just happened. At such a time, were his sword dulled by doubts, it would spell death not only for Konig but for others as well.
The loved ones of the people he killed might want revenge. He might be demanded to atone for his sins.
However, those are natural consequences for his actions. There was nothing to do about it.
The flow of time does not reverse; the dead do not come back.
That is this world’s rule.
In the world before the “Dusk of the Majesty”, it is rumored that a potion of resurrection existed. But that world is no more.
(Maybe he could…no, this isn’t something to think about)
In Wilhelm’s mind the silhouettes of a certain High Human and his two followers appeared.
Shin and Schnee might know of a way to create such a potion, or even have one already in their possessions.
He won’t say a word about it, though. He had no proof, and even if such a thing was possible, Wilhelm doubted that Shin and Schnee would revive the people Konig killed.
Resurrection of the dead. That was a heretical practice never to be attempted, it was burned within Wilhelm’s consciousness.
Wilhelm knew of someone who had attempted such practices, and how they brought destruction upon themselves.
That is why he stopped thinking about it. Even in the Church, research concerning resurrection of the dead was a taboo among taboos. It was a completely lost miracle.
After a long silence, Konig spoke again.
“That would be a problem.”
“You just have to find your answer fast, then. Most of the time, things like that happen whether you like it or not, after all.”
“Are you speaking from experience?”
“Who knows.”
Wilhelm dodged Konig’s question and fell into silence.
Konig, suspicious of such behavior, followed Wilhelm’s line of sight and found a peacefully sleeping Millie.
“I see, so this is the man they call the “Demonic Spear”.”
“Hmph.”
Wilhelm scoffed lightly. His silhouette was, much like a knight’s, one of a protector.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 07 - Uprising of Demons/The-New-Gate-Volume-07-Uprising-of-Demons-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_07_Chapter_01_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 2
“So this is Bulk’s residence.”
“Yes. Access was restricted, so I do not know what’s inside.”
After listening to the knight’s reply, Shibaid turned his eyes to the closed door.
Priests are assigned private rooms, which was an ideal place to act in secrecy, with no risk of being seen by others.
Infiltrating an empty room seemed possible, but this room was inside Palmirack; it was no simple feat.
The rooms were surrounded in Chimeradite, which made slipping past its walls, or unlocking its doors, extremely difficult.
For that reason, even chosen ones could not easily enter the room and discover Bulk’s secrets.
“I’m opening it.”
Shibaid laid a hand on the door.
He had received Shin’s permission to unlock all doors; for a limited time, he could enter almost every room located inside Palmirack.
Shibaid concentrated on his hand and the door opened with almost no resistance.
“!! Stand back, everybody!”
Shibaid stepped in front of the knights.
Intense miasma emanated from beyond the door.
“Th-this is…”
“Don’t come near! You may lose your sanity!”
Shibaid had the sickly-looking knights move away from the door and stepped inside the room.
Shibaid was now equipping his original weapon, the giant halberd “Placid Moon”. The light shining from its blade completely purified the miasma coming from the room.
After being upgraded by Shin, the weapons wielded by Shin’s support character gained the ability to purify miasma.
“The miasma has been purified. You can go inside now.”
After Shibaid’s words reached them, the knights entered the room with wary steps. They were knights of the church, but that did not mean that they had high resistance to miasma.
The miasma emanating from the room was so dense that simply looking at it caused a visceral sensation of impending danger. Not even upper class chosen ones would have been able to withstand such a level of miasma.
It was not something that knights, even if trained, could endure.
“Bulk was continuously immersed in that concentrated miasma? Yet.. it looks like it hadn’t caused any mental deterioration…”
Doubt arose in Shibaid’s mind.
Such a high concentration of miasma would undoubtedly lead to insanity. Despite that, Bulk had not shown the symptoms typical of those infected by miasma.
What could it possibly mean?
“I see there’s another room in the back.”
Shibaid left the current room to the knights and headed to the room in the back. There he found scattered magic tomes, items and weapons with ceremonial decorations.
Probably because of long-term exposure to miasma, they were all partially corroded or cursed; nothing was left in proper condition.
In a corner of the room was a metal box equipped with heavy locks.
Shibaid’s appraisal skill let him see through the trap protecting the box.
“【High-Poison】 and 【High-Confusion】, is it. Quite a nasty little device.”
Shibaid let out a sigh and touched the box.
The trap activated and powerful status abnormalities reached towards Shibaid, to invade his body. Shibaid’s equipment, however, made him immune to status abnormalities; he wasn’t the least bit fazed by the trap’s effects.
Shibaid then crushed the box’s lock, nothing more than a decoration compared to the trap, and opened it. Inside it he found 4 black collars.
“Not enough.”
Compared to the information Shin obtained from Bulk through torture under the name of interrogation, the number of collars were too low. Shibaid took the collars inside the box, turned them into cards and stored them in his item box.
“There should be another one somewhere…”
Having confessed under the effects of Shin’s skill, it was not possible for Bulk to have lied. The only possibility was that the last collar was hidden somewhere near by.
“It has to be inside this room.”
With the knights’ help, Shibaid searched every nook and cranny.
Much like Lilishila’s, Bulk’s residence too was equipped with a secret room. Shibaid, thinking that it was the ideal place to hide something, operated the walls.
A door opened with a dull sound, and at the same time a rotten smell was released.
It was a stench strong enough to force the knights behind Shibaid to hold their noses. Even knights such as them, used to the smell of blood and guts permeating the many battlefields they experienced, grimaced at this stench.
“Sir Shibaid, this is…”
“I can’t say I have a good feeling about this. We already know that there’s a trap inside. I can go alone, but what will the rest of you do?”
“Please take me and one of my subordinates with you. To cower before a mere stench would be utterly shameful for a knight. I shall have the others check the room again for anything we might have missed.”
The two knights with the highest level followed Shibaid. Advancing through the corridor caused the foul stench to gradually increase in intensity.
At the end of the corridor they found a door. Opening it revealed a young girl, collapsed on the floor.
As Shibaid drew closer, he noticed long, slender ears poking out from her hair. Her HP had not decreased very much, but she was affected by several status abnormalities.
The girl appeared to be unconscious as she did not move an inch.
“She’s still breathing. Let’s bring this girl outside first.”
“Roger that”
Following Shibaid’s decision, the knights ran out first, to call a healing specialist.
Meanwhile, Shibaid materialized an elixir from his item box and poured it into the girl’s mouth.
After making sure that the girl had swallowed the golden liquid, Shibaid stood up.
He contacted Shin via Mind Chat, then left the room while carrying the girl in his arms.
The two met up and moved to a room with a bed.
“First of all, let’s remove it.”
Shin touched the neck of the girl, now lying on the bed. As it happened with Millie and Hermie, the black collar shattered away.
The girl, however, did not open her eyes.
“How horrible.”
“I can’t fully diagnose her situation. Could you explain?”
Shin nodded to Shibaid’s request. The weakening of the spirit due to miasma was highly likely to be the same as during the game era.
“I suppose this is a good occasion. Listen up, everyone. This girl was exposed to dense miasma and is now in a comatose state. I think she’ll continue sleeping for at least 1 or 2 weeks…maybe even months.”
“What in the world happened to her?”
“When exposed to dense miasma, unless one has high resistance or regularly drinks potions to raise resistance, the spirit is weakened before the body. If nothing is done in time, there’s a risk of never waking up.”
Shin answered Lilishila’s question, recalling his knowledge from the game era.
Miasma possesses negative effects other than the status abnormality and MP consumption. NPC’s other than those belonging to the players become unable to act.
In case of players or support characters, they are affected by negative status and stats reduction.
In a game event Shin had experienced, where a miasma infection broke out in a city setting, the city’s NPC shops, adventurers’ guild, etcetera all stopped functioning.
The scenario had them fall in a coma because of the miasma’s mind infection.
Thanks to that, all miasma-related events were always instantly cleared by players who were already too powerful for guilds, before the situation became too dire. If that setting was still active, this girl too was probably in that situation.
Shin had heard from Shibaid about the dense miasma concentrated in Bulk’s room.
Based on his knowledge of the game and the state of the room, that was the only likely explanation.
“Will this girl be alright?”
“Yes. Luckily, it seems she wasn’t exposed to miasma for a long time. The body changes color when it’s too late, so you just need a glance to know.”
During the game era, the NPCs beyond salvation turned black and were replaced by another NPC the day after. That likely meant that they would never wake up again.
“Does anyone know this girl?”
Everyone surrounding Shin shook their heads at his question.
Schnee and Shibaid obviously didn’t know her, nor did Lilishila or the man who guided Wilhelm inside Palmirack.
“She was probably kidnapped, just like Millie. I will take care of her until she wakes up. Please leave it to me.”
Lilishila volunteered to help the girl, as she couldn’t just leave an elf that was just like her.
Freed from the shackles represented by Bulk, for the cardinal Lilishila, taking care of one young girl was an easy task.
No one could predict when the girl would wake from her slumber, so Shin’s party heartily welcomed her proposal.
“I apologize for the inconvenience, but please take care of her.”
After deciding to entrust the girl to Lilishila, the group returned to her room. There was no reason for a large group of people to stay in a sick person’s room.
“Here are the collars I’ve collected”
After leaving the room, Shibaid hands the collected collars to Shin in item card form.
Since they could not proceed or even begin to examine the collars here, Shin casually gazed at the collar’s design before putting it away in the item box.
“Was there anything else?”
“Nothing stood out to me. But this kind of research is best done by Shin or Yuki.”
“That’s right. I’ll go search the room once Tiera joins us.”
They asked Lilishila to not allow anyone near Bulk’s room, just in case. It was possible to physically separate it from the others, but as it would invite needless suspicion, they decided to leave things to her.
Only Rokuten members and their subordinates can use Palmirack’s functions. The support characters’ faces and names were known, so spreading information about their usage privileges would end up revealing Shin’s true identity.
“Oh, so it’s really over?”
As Shin was talking with Shibaid, Tiera made her entrance, escorted by the knights. In her shadow, dwelt Kagerou, while Yuzuha was attached to her arm.
“Yes, the rescue somehow ended in success. However, we don’t know the location of the ritual site. Anything happened on your end?”
“Nothing happened to me directly, but there is something that concerns me.
“Yes? What’s that?”
“I saw a shadow fly away from the Church. Just to confirm, was there anyone with wings among the people you fought?”
Tiera’s words made Shin cock his head and think. Having wings meant that the species had to be Beast, Dragnil, Lord or Pixie.
“No, I haven’t seen anyone like that. Have you, Shibaid?”
“I haven’t seen anyone like that either. To begin with, everyone we fought has been captured. I do not think anyone escaped us.”
Shibaid, who had moved separately from Shin, gave the same answer.
“Well, what I saw was a human-like shape with 4 wings. 2 bird-like and 2 insect-like. It was night so I couldn’t see their face very well, but I had Yuzuha attach a mark to track where it was headed. Yuzuha?”
“Kuu!”
Yuzuha answered Tiera’s question energetically. Shin received a “I know!” message via telepathy. A truly unexpected hint had been found.
“Well done!! The more clues we have, the better!”
“I’m relieved to know I could be of help. I haven’t been of much use at all this time.”
Tiera spoke with a slightly somber tone.
She was uneasy about the fact that since she had been targeted at the beginning, she hadn’t contributed to Millie’s rescue.
Shin and Schnee’s infiltration operation, Shibaid’s defense operation…not her ability, but her stats made her somewhat lacking for both categories.
Kagerou could have been useful in defense, but Tiera was still inexperienced as a tamer and could not use its abilities to the fullest yet. She could not have dealt with the situation as swiftly as Shibaid.
“Asking you to keep watch was the right choice.”
Elves are quite apt at scouting jobs such as hunter or shinobi. Furthermore, the tamer job covered several roles, production, battle, scouting, etcetera; this depended on the tamed monster.
Tiera’s monster, Kagerou, was of considerable high level and also proficient in detection and infiltration abilities.
As tamers are affected by the monsters they command, Tiera’s detection ability was now boosted for a limited time.
It was a preparation done as a mere precaution, but it yielded an unexpectedly great result.
Kagerou and Yuzuha’s detection abilities were also fairly high, of course, and could be expected to be very useful.
“They said a messenger would come, what shall we do about that?”
“Let’s think about how to deal with the messenger first. In the end, we can chase down the target marked by Yuzuha whenever we want. We know that it flew away from the Church, but we don’t know if it’s going to the ritual site. If it’s Bulk’s messenger, it’s certain to lead us there.”
Shin answered Schnee’s question basing himself on the information obtained from Bulk.
“The messenger was supposed to come “pick up” Bulk, so they would surely head to the ritual site later. If we can catch it we can learn the location of the ritual.”
Alongside with a lot of other information.
“(The messenger is supposed to come 2 days from now. As long as there is a possibility that they captured Filma exists, we cannot take this lightly. We’ll use mind-type skills.)”
“(Understood. What shall we do with Lilishila?)”
“(If I say that I’ll morph into Bulk with an illusion-type skill, she won’t come with us.)”
Shin communicated the plan to Schnee and Shibaid via Mind Chat.
The great sword supposed to be in Filma’s possession, Exvaine, was here.
Consequently, it was more likely that Filma was not captured, but instead being manipulated. Even now at an unknown place, she could be doing others’ bidding.
This event had been caused by Bulk’s and a few others’ lust for power. That is why Shin decided not to dispose of the other people of the Church. However, the “Summit Faction” was different.
Those who hurt innocent people and treat life as a tool do not deserve any pity.
(The world might have changed, but these kinds of people don’t learn new tricks, do they?)
What Shin had remembered was the battle against players called PK’s.
There were no benefits. It was a war. A massacre, where lives were expendable as if they were disposable items.
It was a battlefield filled with grief, hatred and insanity.
The sensation Shin felt now was familiar.
“(What should we do if the enemies equip items that make them immune to status effects?)”
“(Nothing to worry. I can bypass the “Age of Gods Earring”’s defense now.)”
Shin answered Shibaid’s question with confidence.
The effectiveness of mind-type skills depends on the user’s INT.
The mind-type skills used by Shin, who had surpassed the limit, were now capable of penetrating the defenses of even items which granted immunity to status effects.
The only situation where they could fail was if the target equipped multiple accessories of the highest rank, such as the ones Shin and Schnee had.
“Ehm, Shin…”
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
As he was speaking through Mind Chat, a faint voice reached Shin’s ears. He turned in Schnee’s direction.
His eyes found her holding the right sleeve of his clothes, a worried look on her face.
“Is everything alright?”
“Er, what….?”
“Shin, your face just now…was kind of scary.”
“Ah…was it showing on my face that much?”
“Yes.”
Shin touched his own face and felt that it was indeed pretty stiff.
Shin knew from experience that if he wasn’t careful, thinking about the PK’s would cause his emotions to become visible on his expression.
He was not thinking about things that Schnee should worry about, but Shin regretted having saddened her. Shin knew what worried Schnee the most.
“I wasn’t thinking of things you need to worry about, Yuki. It’s alright.”
“If so, I’m glad.”
Shin replied with a cheerful tone, to dispel Schnee’s worries. Shin’s smile wasn’t forced, so Schnee, relieved, let go of his sleeve.
On the other hand, Shibaid and Tiera motionlessly watched the scene that had just transpired.
“It’s pretty hard to join the conversation when you two fly in your own world all of a sudden, you know.”
“Hmm. I understand Yuki’s worries, but I would prefer you would save such gestures for when you’re alone together.”
Tiera was almost rolling her eyes at the couple, while it was not clear if Shibaid was reproaching them or giving advice.
Shin and Schnee had come back to the real world because of their words, only to be struck by another unexpected ambush.
“(Kuu! Scent of peaches! Kiss her? Kiss her?)”
“Peach-colored atmosphere” was a truly fitting description. Yuzuha had talked all of a sudden, fortunately not via words but Mind Chat.
“Hahaha, no, I’m sorry. And no Yuzuha, no kissing!”
“……..”
Shin, however, replied through his normal voice.
Hearing these words, Schnee could guess what Yuzuha had said, and her whole face was stained red.
“(Shin, what in the world is wrong with you?)”
“(Yuzuha asked me if I was going to “kiss her” via telepathy! Ah, darn, I spoke out loud…)”
Shin explained what happened to Shibaid via Mind Chat. The latter then understood the situation, but behind him stood Lilishila’s group, who was unable to use Mind Chat.
Shin’s sudden “no kisses” declaration attracted their glares towards him.
“Excuse me, Shin-sama? You said something about kissing…?”
“Hahaha, of course not. I did say “missing” though, maybe you heard wrong?” (T/N: 治癒 Chiyu: Healing, but the words are omitted thus changed to missing. And ちゅーChiyu: Kissing, they are said the same way in japanese.)
“But just now, I’m sure that…”
“Surely just your imagination, milady.”
Shin tried desperately to change the subject.
Kissing and missing, it would be pretty hard to mistake words like these, but not impossible. They did come out of the blue, though.
Shibaid whispered a word of advice to Yuzuha.
“Yuzuha. Please save such words for when there is no one else around. Timing is an important factor as well.”
“Kuu?”
Yuzuha cocked her head to one side, apparently finding it a concept difficult to grasp.
“Shibaid! Hey! What kind of advice is that!?”
“You see, such things should be allowed to proceed while they can.”
“….where’s the serious atmosphere from a few moments ago…?”
Their serious discussion had been blown away by Yuzuha’s one line.
“How can I say it, Shin’s comrades are all pretty peculiar.”
Tiera spoke with a small wry laugh, while looking at Shin and his party.
Having lived together with Schnee, Tiera knew more than the average person about Rokuten and its members. She felt that the other members she hadn’t met yet would surely be out of the ordinary.
“Not exactly, Ms. Tiera. Remember that you too are one of those comrades.”
“Eh?”
Shin pointed out that Tiera seemed to consider herself as not included in the “peculiar” group.
A remark that painted a shocked expression on Tiera’s face.
When Shin asked Tiera to act on her own, they explained to Lilishila that Kagerou was a monster that possessed abilities on the same level as an upper class chosen one. There was no way for Tiera, the mistress of such a monster, to be a normal person.
From Lilishila’s party’s standpoint, Shin and Tiera were in the same category.
“That…can’t be…”
“Why are you that shocked?”
“I can’t be expected to be on the same level as you. A normal person might think I’m incredible, but Shin, you guys are on a whole different level.”
From someone at level 1, both level 150 and 255 appear equally high-level.
Yet from Tiera’s standpoint, who had barely reached level 150 without reincarnation, a level 255 with reincarnation bonuses possessed power far beyond hers.
In addition, Tiera was a high-level user thanks to Kagerou. To be considered on the same level as Shin, who could take down Kagerou by himself, isn’t something she could simply agree with.
From Shin’s standpoint, however, Tiera was incredible enough; she had tamed the divine beast Gruefago without fighting, after all.
“You would make us lose face, if you were able to match us so easily. But you are still growing, in more ways than one. You’ll become much stronger.”
“I do think that I grew a little stronger, but I honestly can’t imagine matching you all in strength. All this time I’ve been admiring master and Shin, but I can’t even jest and say ‘I’ll be as strong as you one day’”
Tiera replied with a sigh to Shin’s comment concerning her future growth.
“Well, let’s continue this conversation another time. First, let’s do everything we can till the messenger arrives. Yuki and I will go search Bulk’s residence. Shibaid, go help Lilishila. Tiera, please keep an eye on Millie. ”
Shin stopped the conversation for the time being and gave orders to Shibaid and the others.
Lilishila was now going to arrest the people who had colluded with Bulk, so Shibaid would act as her escort. He asked Tiera to look after Millie because he felt it would not be good to have Hermie, the one venerated as Holy Woman, continue to act as caretaker.
The two nodded to Shin’s proposal.
““Understood.””
Lilishila, who had been listening too, nodded in agreement.
With Shibaid on her side, even if the opponent was an upper class chosen one there would be no trouble. Her confidence was reinforced by having witnessed his fighting prowess not long ago.
“I’ll have Millie sent to Vizzy later. Can you relay this to Wilhelm too?”
Shin whispered to Tiera as to avoid being heard by Lilishila.
He wanted to send Millie back as soon as possible, also to soothe Rashia’s worries, who was waiting in Bayreuth. However, if it was at all possible, he wanted to keep the fact that they rode Elder Dragons to Sigurd a secret.
Vizzy, support character of Rokuten member Cashmere, had tamed the Elder Dragons, and Shin could use it freely. If this information spread, trouble was very likely to arise.
That is why he whispered to Tiera the message to be relayed.
“Understood. Don’t worry about it… Anyways, you be careful too, Shin.”
“We’ll go perform our search now. If we find anything, we’ll report later.”
“Thank you very much. We shall go remove all the infection festering within the Church.”
Lilishila had already investigated before hand, in order to stand against Bulk; her eyes now burned with red-hot flames.
This was expected. Not too long ago they were not able to deliver a crushing blow to the other party. Now, they are able to pass judgement on those people.
There was no reason not to be fired up!
Shin caught himself thinking that Lilishila’s smile was almost scary.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 07 - Uprising of Demons/The-New-Gate-Volume-07-Uprising-of-Demons-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_07_Chapter_01_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 3
“Here we are.”
Shin and Schnee parted ways with Lilishila and were now in Bulk’s residence.
Shibaid had already purified all the miasma, so it looked like any other room.
Shin and Schnee’s honed detection-type abilities, however, revealed the presence of miasma-emitting items -miasma stones- scattered throughout the room.
“I see, all these miasma stones explain why Bulk was like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Bulk’s body was actually in a really nasty state. The miasma’s corruption had entered its final stage.”
During Bulk’s interrogation, Shin found out that more than half of his body had already turned black. If this was still the game era, he would have been far beyond salvation.
“In a state as advanced as that, I bet he barely felt pain anymore. Looks like he himself hadn’t realized it, though.”
That time, Bulk wasn’t paying the slightest attention to his own body. Even seeing its blackened appearance solicited no reaction in him.
It appears that another effect of miasma contamination is the loss of the ability to perceive such abnormalities.
It would be impossible for anyone to not notice the oppressing miasma leaking out every time the room’s doors opened.
“These are all the ones in this room, then.”
“Adding the other room and the hidden room, it’s become a considerable amount, hasn’t it?”
Schnee spoke while looking at the small mountain of miasma stones in the center of the room.
The stones, each half the size of a fist, were 11 in total. A large number for just one room.
According to Shin, even just one stone would have been enough to fill the room with miasma.
“With so many stones, even if Palmirack’s functions worked, purification would be pretty difficult.”
“That could have been their goal.”
Even if Palmirack was not fully functional, the miasma accumulated near its core was a very small quantity. That influenced the purification mechanisms Palmirack was equipped with.
The walls of Chimeradite composing Palmirack are a combination of several different structures.
The walls of all rooms and corridors are made in Adamantine mixed with Chimeradite. In certain locations the walls were built by also using Mithril, which can easily transmit the effects of magic. If it detects the presence of miasma, it will automatically perform a purification on the miasma.
The Orichalcum used to coat the walls also possessed the ability to purify miasma, thus Palmirack itself made it difficult for miasma to accumulate within its walls.
However, if a large quantity of miasma was created in one spot, like this time, purification would be difficult even if all functions were alive. Schnee’s prediction had fully hit the mark.
“There’s nothing else worthy of note here. Let’s go to the next room.”
After completing their investigation of the first room, Shin and Schnee moved to the next.
Roughly the same number of miasma stones had been placed in the adjacent room as well. They could imagine how the room must have looked dark and stagnant because of the miasma.
“By the way, could you gather any information from Bulk?”
“He believed himself to be completely sane, but his memories were full of holes. He remembered about the ritual and the sacrifices, but the couldn’t say anything specific about the headquarters or the other central members. He remembered that a woman with blonde hair was supposed to come for him, but couldn’t even remember her name.”
Shin had used a mind-type skill while interrogating Bulk. He could force him to confess the information he knew, but in the end what he could gather was not much.
Shin didn’t know if it was because of the miasma’s effects or some other factor, but it appeared as if he had made preparations not to leak any information in case something happened to him.
There was not, however, the possibility that he had been controlled via an item or skill.
The reason being that he was talking about his ridiculous desires fluently. Maybe it had to be expected, but he had solid foundations for his current state.
“The man who was with him…Eline, was it? It didn’t seem like he had been subjected to the miasma.”
“He was an upper-class chosen one after all, I guess he had high resistance? He had decent items too, and his weapon was 『Exvaine』 after all. I do think he was subjected to other things, though.”
It might not have been Filma’s original weapon, but 『Exvaine』 was a powerful sword. Compared to other weapons of lower level, it might have helped resist the miasma’s effects.
Thinking about how perverse Eline’s personality was, however, suggested that it might have been formed by the explosive combination of Bulk’s education and the miasma’s corruption.
“Alright, we’ve checked this room too. For a leading member of the Faction, there isn’t anything of value here.”
Bulk’s residence was impregnated with miasma, yet nothing of importance was found except the miasma stones.
Considering that things related to the Faction were not hidden, but simply not there, one could start doubting that Bulk’s assertion of being one of the Faction’s central members.
“Maybe he was simply deluded that he was a lead member, or it was an illusion induced by the miasma.”
“That’s possible. He was just a kidnapper after all.”
Bulk was a pawn, used for gathering sacrifices through his position as priest. That was Shin and Schnee’s theory. But even if it was the truth, Bulk’s acts forbade any pity.
“Next is the hidden room, then.”
“If anything is to be found, I suppose it will be there.”
Shin activated the room’s controls and opened the doorway to the room.
He then grimaced at the foul stench emanating from it, much as Shibaid had done.
“….this is far beyond being just “stinky”.”
“What an awful smell.”
Shin and Schnee proceeded through the corridor, enduring the nauseous odor. After reaching its end they opened the door without hesitation.
“Splattered blood doesn’t go away, does it.”
“So it seems.”
When they visited the assassin several days before, Lilishila told Shin about how corpses disappear. He thought that their blood would vanish as well, but one look at the horrible state of the room made him change his mind.
The floor, the walls, even the ceiling were stained with what appears to be blood.
“But even so, Schnee…does this look like a drawing to you too?”
“It’s quite disturbing that it was drawn with blood.”
Shin and Schnee were looking at the drawing of a snake coiled around a half-broken mask, which occupied an entire wall.
Maybe because it had been painted with blood, the impression it gave to the viewer was a gruesome scene.
“I feel like I have seen this before…”
“This is the emblem of a dark guild. If I remember correctly, it was quite a large organization.”
Shin, his head cocked to one side, was trying to grasp an elusive memory. Schnee answered with confidence.
The ominous drawing before their eyes was not a completely new sight.
“Do you know the name of the guild?”
“The guild is called “Ouroboros’ Hollow”. It’s famous for accepting any request if the reward is adequate. On one hand, they undertake even criminal acts such as assassination and thievery, on another, they will take down other dark guilds or catch criminals if rewarded amply enough; in a way, they can be useful to society. That’s why all countries have a difficult time dealing with them.”
“I see, a true jack of all trades. I feel I heard that name somewhere before.”
“….that’s because it stems from a PK guild from the game era. It was formed by members of guilds you crushed, Shin.”
“That explains it.”
Schnee had pronounced the last sentence with a slightly stiff expression, but Shin’s answer was short. Compared to Schnee, his tone of voice was much more casual.
The actual problem was that, looking at the picture, Shin simply thought that he had seen it somewhere before. The reason for this was he didn’t feel it was worth remembering PKs after cutting them down.
PKs simply caused damage to other players, without a reason or a cause. Shin spared the least amount possible of his resources for such people.
He hated them. He resented them. But he never thought of keeping in mind the PKs he killed or the PK guilds he destroyed.
Even if he were questioned about feeling remorse after taking people’s lives, or how he could forget about people he killed, Shin would not care in the slightest.
There were some players who felt guilty about killing PKs, but Shin could not understand that sentiment.
“Even if they were offered heaps of money, gathering sacrifices would be too much even for them, don’t you think?”
“It is said that if the reward is enough, they will undertake any mission, no matter the content. Rather, there is the possibility that they are actively involved. Those who share a connection with players can cause the spread of miasma, and there were also quests where if the player didn’t stop it in time a Demon would appear. On the contrary, it is also possible to lead things to failure. In the past, I have participated in an expedition to bring down a group who tried to do just that, so I don’t think it’s impossible.”
“That really happened? Well, the ones I crushed were all players, so there’s no doubt that are support characters such as you exist. If there is game era knowledge, it’s possible I suppose.”
Quest disruption by PKs happened during the game era too. Causing the birth of powerful Demons was possible.
There was the impression of a slight discrepancy with the Summit Faction’s goals, but considering the miasma found in Bulk’s quarters, it could be concluded that the organization had its share of internal conflict.
“I suppose Bulk must have acted on his own too, for his personal agenda. A reason to conclude as such, was that he was secretly connected with the underground guild “Immoral Sacrifice” too, after all.”
“That guild could be no more now. After all, “Ouroboros’ Hollow” does not tolerate multiple contracts with other guilds.”
Schnee had heard that in the past, someone who had a contract with Ouroboros’ Hollow had bound a contract with another dark guild, thus causing that guild’s annihilation.
For Ouroboros’ Hollow, contracting another guild means that its own strength was being doubted. Needless to say, the contractor had been targeted too.
“As expected of a major organization. That’s some grand scale planning.”
Shin spoke with a sigh. There was nothing to laugh about.
“So there aren’t any clues here either?”
“What we have now is only the shadow Tiera saw and the messenger Bulk talked about, I suppose.”
“Better than nothing, I guess. Let’s focus on the day after tomorrow first.”
Shin decided to make preparations in order to gather as many clues as possible.
◆◆◆◆
Shin and Schnee completed their investigation of Bulk’s residence and returned to Lilishila’s room.
Shin thought he would find someone inside, but maybe because their search ended rather quickly, no one was there yet.
Shin ran a search using Palmirack’s functions and found that Tiera, Wilhelm and Millie were in the same room.
Lilishila and Shibaid were on the verge of breaking into one of the rooms in the residential section. It looked like they had already captured several rooms. They were likely fighting against Bulk’s allies.
“Looks like everyone’s doing fine for now.”
“Shibaid is with Lilishila too, so I doubt anything bad could happen.”
Shin nodded in agreement to Schnee’s words and headed to where Tiera and the others were.
As Shin and Schnee entered the room, Millie noticed and ran up to them.
“Shin-nii!!”
“Hey there, good morning. How are you feeling?”
“All good!”
Shin caught Millie as she jumped to him and checked her status. Her HP and MP were completely recovered and she did not appear to have any status conditions.
The status screen can not show everything, but at the very least she had no visible aftereffects.
“Have you heard from Tiera?”
“Yes.”
Millie nodded, smiling. Tiera, walking behind Millie, nodded too after meeting Shin’s eyes.
“There’s no time to lose then. After all, Rashia and Thoria must be worried sick.”
Shin spoke while patting Millie’s head.
They had previously contacted Vizzy to let her make preparations, so they could leave right away.
They asked Vizzy to protect Millie until Shin’s party had stopped the ritual.
Wilhelm with his powered-up equipment, Vizzy and the Elder Dragons she had gained control of, even if enemy hands approached them again, they would not go down easily.
“Are you departing?”
“Yes, there are people worried about Millie. They deeply regretted not being able to protect her, you see.”
“I understand. It is best to hurry, then.”
Hermie showed a relieved smile after speaking. Hermie had been used in the past for the abilities granted by her title, so she was glad to know that Millie, who shared the same title, was cherished.
“We have already made the necessary preparations. We were thinking of leaving now, actually.”
“Understood.”
Shin nodded at Hermie’s words and faced towards Wilhelm.
Wilhelm too could use the item box, so he could leave right away without needing time to prepare. Millie had been kidnapped with only the clothes she had on, so she obviously had no luggage to speak of.
They decided to wait for Shibaid to come back and leave once they were all together.
Shin’s party left Sigurd momentarily, to see Millie and the others off.
The carriage they rode on blazed through a wasteland heading to the meeting point with Vizzy at a slightly ridiculous speed due to the power of Kagerou’s pulling.
Normally the carriage would be shaking violently, but the shock absorbing mechanism equipped on the carriage’s cabin worked perfectly, preventing the passengers -especially Millie- from feeling sick.
“Will, Will!! Look outside! It’s like we’re flying!”
“Easy now, or you’ll fall from your seat.”
Millie’s eyes were sparkling looking at the scenery breezing past them much faster than in a normal carriage, and Wilhelm cautioned her. She was not being careful about her foothold, so a stronger shock could have sent her flying out of her seat.
“Some things don’t change no matter where you go, huh.”
Shin felt as if he was looking at a kid excited to be riding a train and let that remark slip. Even when he had gotten used to the game world, he would sometimes remember the real world.
“Did you recall something about your homeland?”
“Eh?”
Tiera asked the question as Shin was gently looking at Millie.
“You looked like you were thinking about something far away. Usually people think of their homeland when they look like that, no?”
“I really looked like that?”
“Well, that doesn’t apply to everyone, but…I get the feeling I was right this time, wasn’t I?”
“Well, not too far from the truth, let’s say.”
Tiera asked for confirmation and Shin replied after some thought, his head cocked to one side.
One could say it was his homeland, but strictly speaking it really wasn’t. Since it was in another world.
“I was thinking of the past though, that’s for sure. I was thinking that kids act the same everywhere, you see. I’ve seen children act the same way as Millie, so…”
“I see, there was a time when “things like these” were normal, then.”
Tiera assumed that Shin was talking about the world before the “Dusk of the Majesty”. She imagined that there once were carriages this fast running through city streets.
“Children don’t change, no matter the times we’re in. Yes, I can see that.”
“The things we do are pretty much the same, after all. Hunt monsters, forge weapons or armor, create buildings, do research, go on adventures, or do battle. Some people play dirty, others work diligently. We’re all living beings, there aren’t many differences.”
In THE NEW GATE, the playstyles…the ways to live were too many to count. All players had a different one, and this world was no different.
“A world packed with High Humans like you, right? I don’t even want to think about it.”
“Hey now, there weren’t many at my level. Including me, there were only 6.”
“It’s insane that there were even 6! I’m really glad I wasn’t born in that era, for sure!”
Wilhelm says so light-heartedly with his legs crossed and back leaning on the carriage’s wooden partition.
The carriage was protected from outside noise via magic, making its interior quiet; everyone could hear the others talk.
Almost all members knew that Shin was a High Human, so they could talk without reserve.
The only person who wasn’t told this information was Millie. However, she said that she realized it the first time she met Shin, surprising the whole party.
“Shin is, kinda, amazing.”
“That’s a whole other level of ambiguity. Come to think of it, you told Schnee that I would be back soon. Did you see that in the future?”
“You see, I saw Schnee hugging someone, all happy. I felt all warm in my chest, so it had to be something good.”
Millie had predicted that after Schnee told her that she was waiting for her master, apparently.
Her ability at the time was still unstable, but for some reason that time she felt a strange confidence, so she told Schnee about it.
Everyone nodded at Millie’s words. Starting from Wilhelm, however, all members reacted to a different part of her recollection.
“So that’s what happened…but still, hugging, huh…?”
“I heard something similar too…so she hugged him, is that so.”
“What a mysterious ability…master, you really hugged him?”
“(Kuu! Schnee likes Shin very very much!)”
Wilhelm grinned, Shibaid nodded, Tiera inquired seriously. It was a side of Schnee they had some difficulty imagining, so their interest shifted away from Mille’s ability.
The only salvation was that Yuzuha’s telepathy had reached only Shin.
“W-what is it with you all? That’s not the part that needs to be talked about here!”
This agitated response came from Schnee, who was holding the carriage’s reins and could not participate in the conversation.
Only Yuzuha knew that when Shin and Schnee had met again, she had hugged him without thinking, but now the truth had been revealed to all.
It was quite a surprise for everyone that the usually straight-laced Schnee they knew had been so forward.
“We’re talking of a noble High Elf who never had romantic rumors about her, after all. A passionate hug, is it? Truly forward indeed.”
“I see, I wasn’t aware but you didn’t miss your chances to act. Very good, very good I’d say.”
Looking at Schnee abandon her coachman role and unusually panicked, Wilhelm and Shibaid’s expressions became sympathetic.
Even though they had just met, the two poked fun at Schnee just communicating through their eyes and facial expressions.
“She doesn’t deny it, so…it’s true?”
Tiera’s reaction was slightly different. She understood from Schnee’s reaction that what Millie said was true, and at the same time she felt a certain uneasiness in her chest.
Tiera didn’t know of the “bed sharing incident” or the “moonlight encounter”, so she couldn’t decide if Schnee’s feelings towards Shin were born from loyalty or affection…or rather, she purposefully put off such a decision, but the present situation made things very clear.
But what was the feeling of uneasiness in her heart? Tiera couldn’t understand.
She had been exiled from her village before ever experiencing such feelings and lived at the Tsuki no Hokora since then; she did not have a name for what she was feeling right now.
“You better go easy on Schnee, or she’ll make you regret it later, you know?”
“To be able to poke some fun at Tsuki no Hokora’s very own Schnee Raizar is something that will happen only this once in my lifetime. I can’t let this chance go.”
“I was certainly not poking fun at her. I simply found all this heartwarming.”
“You two are going to pay for this…!”
Behind Shin, who was sitting with his back to the coachman seat, Schnee uttered these words with a menacing tone. Her embarrassment was so strong that even her long ears were all red.
Wilhelm and Shibaid’s grins widened even more.
Shin, on the other hand, was unsure about what to do. Tiera was slightly annoyed.
Crying “kuu, kuu” and “gruu, gruu”, the two divine beasts adjusted the carriage’s course, which had lost its coachman’s control, and brought it forward to its destination. Inside the carriage, however, confusion reigned supreme.
◆◆◆◆
“Here, we’ve arrived. Come down quickly, everybody.”
The chaotic atmosphere had to be endured for a few minutes. Thanks to Yuzuha and Kagerou, they arrived at the meeting point without trouble.
In order to wipe away that awkward atmosphere, Shin urged the passengers to go down quickly.
Both Wilhelm and Shibaid knew when to stop, so they promptly obeyed.
“Fufu, fufufu. You will be repaid for this favor very soon.”
Behind Shin, the still flushed Schnee had made her decision.
Having had little to no experience of being made fun of in the past, the damage she sustained seemed to be quite high.
“Go easy on them, OK? Besides, well… even embarrassed like that, you were pretty cute, you know?”
“EH!? Ah, er, thank you…very much…”
Shin tried to console her with words he wasn’t used to saying, and the effects were greater than he expected.
Seeing Schnee go all red, he was struck by her cuteness again.
“Er, aren’t you…used to hearing things like this?”
“It depends on who says them…if it’s the person I l… I like, of course… of course I’d be happy…”
Schnee glared at Shin while her voice trailed off to a whisper. Another cute expression, and Shin couldn’t help but pat her head gently.
“!!…umm….*cute noise*…..”
That sudden gesture made Schnee let out a little cry. Shin’s hands stroked her hair gently, expressing the master’s feelings to his companion.
“Ah….I’m sorry.”
Shin realized what he was doing and pulled back his hand with a surprised expression. The warm emotion that had sprung forth in his heart had guided his hand.
A feeling that Shin had once experienced, but then lost. The feeling of deep affection towards someone else.
Shin himself was a bit surprised by his own heart’s transformation.
There were, however, other things to make sure first.
He stole a quick glance at Schnee’s expression, and found it frozen in what seemed like ecstasy.
Shin sighed with relief that, at least, she wasn’t in a bad mood.
“Ah….er, Schnee?”
“Y-yes!? What is it!?”
“Well, er, nothing. My hand kind of moved by itself…”
“No, well, I didn’t dislike it, so…”
Are you a teen again!?! Is what Shin wanted to say to himself right now. That’s how awkward their conversation was. Not that he didn’t enjoy it, though.
Shin felt clearly how his emotions were changing.
“Shin-nii, Schnee-nee, do you have the hots?”
“!?!”
Shin and Schnee were still lost in their own world when a childish voice called to them. They looked at the source of the voice and found Millie staring at them.
“The hots?”
“Eeeheh!? Ah, yeah, Millie, didn’t you go on ahead with the others?”
“They told me to come call you, since you’re so late.”
“I see. We’re coming, so go on ahead.”
“Okay….but you have the hots?”
“Enough about that!”
Shin tried to change the topic, but it didn’t work on Milie.
Millie’s face as she was running back to Wilhelm, as expected, had a big grin.
“….it looks like we should hurry ahead.”
“Indeed. But please, wait just 20 seconds.”
Schnee felt that she was still red, so she and Shin got down from the carriage after she had calmed down a little.
“My my? There’s something interesting going on here, isn’t there?”
Shin and Schnee joined the others, only to find Vizzy also looking at them with sympathetic eyes.
Among those present, only Tiera -who was carrying Yuzuha- looked at the two latecomers with different eyes.
Shin had almost reached the limits of his patience and darted a look at everyone present.
“Guys, if you don’t cut it out already you’ll make me angry, all right?”
“Alright, let’s stop the jokes for now. We’ll have to be sharp and focused for what’s coming, after all.”
“Yes, though we can say that there’s less pressure on our shoulders now.”
A state of prolonged emotional tension often invites unwanted accidents.
Shibaid and Wilhelm know that from experience; their poking fun at Schnee served to ease the whole party’s tension too.
Of course, they couldn’t deny that there were other reasons too.
“Agh, you people are just… anyway. We will deal with our mission as soon as we can, so please take care of Millie in the meanwhile.”
“You just leave it to us! We’ll do our very best!”
“We’re not going to let them have their way again.”
Vizzy stood proudly, while Wilhelm expressed his strong conviction. With the Elder Dragons’ assistance on their side too, they couldn’t be defeated easily.
Vizzy called the Elder Dragons, and as Wilhelm turned away from Shin’s party, Millie suddenly stopped.
“Hm? What’s wrong, Millie?”
Shin called to the Millie, still not moving an inch, but received no response.
Shin was looking at Millie with suspicion, when suddenly her body was covered in a faint light. Millie’s magic power was astir.
“What’s going on?”
Shibaid too, like Shin, noticed Millie’s unusual state. Schnee reacted by analyzing the young girl.
“I suppose this is the “Star Reader” title’s activation.”
“The title, you say?”
Tiera, not being able to understand the situation, did not know what to do.
“It’s all right, it’ll be over soon.”
Only Wilhelm seemed to know what was happening to Millie, thus he told Shin’s party not to worry. True to his words, Millie returned to her normal self in less than a minute.
“….Will-nii.”
“What did you see?”
“A woman with red and purple hair and the man who kidnapped me.”
“What!?”
Wilhelm’s expression turned sour at Millie’s words.
“Millie, you mean Eline?”
“Yes, but…he was strange.”
“In what way was he strange?”
“He was the same, but…different.”
The whole party contemplated Millie’s riddle-like words.
Shin further asked what she meant, but Millie couldn’t explain well and would simply repeat how “He was the same, but…different.”
“Will-nii.”
“What?”
“Will-nii, you should go with Shin-nii. I think it’s better that way.”
“You won’t be in danger?”
No one doubted Millie’s -a Star Reader’s- words.
But it would be meaningless if Millie was in danger because of that. That’s what spurred Wilhelm’s question.
“I’m all right now.”
“…Got it. I’ll do as you say then.”
Wilhelm, as if he had lost to Millie’s insistent look, agreed to her request.
There would be less protection for Millie and the church, but he decided to trust Vizzy and the Elder Dragons with that.
According to this world’s common sense, 5 Elder Dragons -albeit small- counted as a small army already, so there would be nothing to worry in most cases.
“We’ll be waiting for your message then~”
“Do your best, everyone!”
With the ones carrying Vizzy and Millie leading the rest, the 5 Elder Dragons flew off in the sky. Shin and the others waited until they couldn’t see them anymore, then returned to the city of Sigurd.
“Well, we have some time to kill, and the first thing we should make sure that the news of the fall of Bulk’s faction don’t spread.”
As they crossed the gate into Palmirack, Shin contacted Lilishila and used an illusion magic.
If word of Bulk’s defeat spread, the messenger wouldn’t appear.
Lilishila too was cooperating as not to allow any information leak, but the disappearance of the priests colluding with Bulk would certainly cause suspicion.
For that reason, Shin re-created the figures of Bulk and his allies via illusions, to show them leading their normal everyday lives.
Bulk’s clique wasn’t one to appear in public often, so Lilishila agreed too that the trick would work for a few days.
“In any case, I didn’t think it would be so difficult to gather information.”
“That’s right. Not even one of the priests allied with Bulk knew anything…”
Shin sighed after interrogating the last captured priest. Schnee, who had accompanied him, was impressed by the enemy’s information management.
They had questioned the priests about the messenger who was supposed to come meet Bulk, but most of them had never even seen her. It couldn’t have been a cognitive impairment caused by the miasma; the messenger had surely used some form of camouflage.
“With things as they are, we have no choice but to leave the matter to chance.”
“It also depends on who we have to deal with…but there seems to be no other way.”
Neither Shin nor Schnee believed that the messenger could have been an honest person. Also considering what Tiera had witnessed, there was a high probability that the messenger was not a human, but a demon.
Fooling humans using High Humans as lure…it was not beyond the scope of what a Demon would do.
“Everyone’s here, I see. Let’s decide our roles for the day.”
Shin and Schnee returned to the room assigned to them within Palmirack and begun their discussion with Shibaid, Wilhelm and Tiera, who were waiting for them.
The result was that, using illusion magic, Shin would take Bulk’s role, Schnee Hermie’s and Tiera Millie’s. Wilhelm and Shibaid would standby, ready to stop the messenger in case she tried to flee.
Kagerou, as usual, would be in Tiera’s shadow.
Yuzuha would not participate in the fighting, in order to continue tracking the target.
“All right. Then all that’s left is see what our opponent does.”
Shin’s party thus started the operation to rescue Filma.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 07 - Uprising of Demons/The-New-Gate-Volume-07-Uprising-of-Demons-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_07_Chapter_02_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 1
“Someone’s coming.”
It was two nights after they saved Millie.
Shin, muttered something under his breath, while confirming that someone was approaching Palmirack using the map function.
It was clear the individual, most likely the messenger, was airborne, based on the angle and the speed at which they were approaching. Either they were riding a monster that could fly, or they had the ability to fly on their own.
Shin hid himself on the roof of Palmirack, keeping his line of sight pointed in the direction the messenger was coming from.
Eventually, Shin could make out a dark shadow. Luckily, there were no clouds that night, and the moon and stars kept the area visible.
The shadow which was a speck gradually grew larger, and within a few minutes became clearly distinguishable.
“(I can see a shadow of a person, I think it’s the messenger. They’ve come solo on a bug-type monster. Since the messenger is wearing a mantle with a hood, I can’t confirm their appearance.)”
Shin shared this information with Schnee and Shibaid through Mind Chat. This was passed onto Wilhelm and Tiera as well.
However, a few minutes later.
Something unexpected was displayed on Shin’s map.
“It’s possible to claim that these are related…”
Over 100 red markers were approaching from the rear of the messenger’s marker. You could say that it is impossible to conclude that this had nothing to do with the current situation.
Shin relayed this information to Shibaid. He responded with “I shall intercept them.”
Truth be told they could intercept them with a wide-range magical attack, however, that would surely cause tremendous amount of noise and vibrations to occur. Considering how late in the night it was, this would potentially cause citizens in Palmirack to panic.
Shibaid could probably handle the monsters, by drawing them in the same way Shin once did at Balmel.
It could get out of hand, thus, it had been decided that Wilhelm would accompany him.
Just in case, Lilishila’s aids would also act as backup.
“This isn’t an average messenger” Shin mumbled this when he saw the figures become clearer as they approached.
After some preparations for battle were made, the messenger landed on the roof of Palmirack.
“Welcome. We were expecting you.”
Due to an disguise technique, Shin altered his voice, and spoke to the messenger. Both his voice and appearance are identical to Bulk’s. When seen by another person, they should not see anything but Bulk.
The messenger seems to have been fooled and thought Bulk had come to greet them. She flipped her hood off and revealed her face.
“Greetings, I seem to have troubled you. They are the sacrifices?”
A blonde-haired woman replied in a somewhat unnatural voice while straddling the bug-type monster, “Megrade”. A bug-type monster with 6 thin wings and a body similar to a centipede. It’s level on average is 700.
No one would object calling her a “Beauty”, she is a woman who posses such an appearance. However, her expression was blank. It was as if she was looking at Schnee and Tiera, but at the same time not at all.
“We are ready for you. Please come in.”
“It’s not necessary. We’re moving immediately.”
“At least have a drink.”
“No. Hurry up.”
She didn’t show any behavioural thoughts, the woman urged instead. She didn’t seem to want to waste her time at all.
Shin signaled to Schnee and Tiera to head towards the woman. Schnee was approaching slowly with Tiera.
Appearing to be manipulated, they were walking at a slow pace, they were good at acting.
However, when the distance between the woman and Schnee’s group was less than 20 mels, the silence was suddenly broken.
“!!”
Words could not express the shrieking of the Megrade, who jerked its neck like a snake. On Shin’s map, the marker showing the Megrade turned red representing a foe.
The Megrade stopped shrieking, and without any hesitation, turned towards the direction of Tiera and ejected a purple liquid out of its mouth.
“It’s time to take action!”
“Roger!”
The moment the Megrade had turned towards Tiera, Schnee understood it’s intentions and immediately picked her up and moved from their current location.
Within seconds, the location that the two had been was covered in the purple liquid, and this initiated Palmirack’s defense mechanism.
“I don’t know how we were exposed, however, it looks like we have no choice but to fight. Hey, you over there!! Either surrender quietly or fight, make a decision now”
“Did Bulk fall. How pitiful. You guys will be sacrificed by yours truly!!”
While the woman shouted that, she gestured at the excited Megrade. In that moment, it was hard to believe that the Megrade had become docile given it previous actions.
According to Shin’s analysis, the woman’s name was Amre Zig. She was a level 181 tamer. However, there was also information listed that would normally not be associated with a human’s status.
“Do it!!”
The Megrade moved based on Amre’s command.
The monster raised half of its 7 mels body, perpendicular to the ground. By doing so it can determine its prey.
The Megrade that Amre rode was twice as small as the one Shin was used to. It was also a lower level than the full-grown monster, at only 504.
Even then, the giant fangs attached to its head and its legs, which has a blade-like tip, holds enough power to tear through a person.
Even a seasoned warrior’s body would be paralyzed, faced with this poison- spitting beast.
However, that didn’t apply to Shin’s party.
“Oraa!!” *battle cry*
The Megrade intends to trample on anything that approaches it from the front, and Shin chose to attack the Megrade head-on.
He held the materialized『Kakura』 in both hands, and by swinging the sword towards the heavens, it skims the surface of the earth.
Shin was going to be swallowed whole. But, along with the sound of carapace bursting open, the Megrade’s head was sent flying into the sky after one blow from『Kakura』.
Half of the Megrade’s face had blown off, but bug-type monsters tend to have very good regenerating skills. It didn’t die immediately.
While it made an intermittent odd cry, it tried to stab Shin with the remaining fangs.
“As one would expect, its tenacious.”
Shin swung 『Kakura』 as he dodged the monster’s fangs.
『Kakura』 was clad in the skill 【Dust Bomb】, a combat skill from the hammer arts system. When it made contact with the torso that was on the ground, a 1 mel wide explosion occurred, centered around it.
The Megrade was split in half, and it still wouldn’t die, shriveling with a yelp.
“Tch*smacks lips*, Megrade, do what you’re told!!”
The Megrade had taken on a considerable amount of damage. It did not accept Amre’s orders and with half of its body, it swayed back and forth. The half with the face turned towards Tiera.
It stopped only for a moment, before the monster shook off Amre and headed straight towards Tiera.
“Grrrrrrrrraaaaaarrrwww!!!”
Schnee and Tiera raised their weapons in preparation, but someone else had reacted quicker. It was Kagerou, jumping out of Tiera’s shadow, in his true form, giving the Megrade a one-sided beating.
Kagerou’s ruthlessness was laid bare for everyone to see. He thrusted the claws on his right foreleg into the remaining portion of the Megrade’s head.
The claws only penetrated through the shell, and because of this the Megrade was writhing in pain. Kagerou then poured an electrical attack through the monster’s wounds, burning it from the inside.
Sparks were almost leaking out of the monster, and you could see the Megrade’s HP going down.
The Megrade struggled, but unable to escape Kagerou’s other leg holding it down, the monster was pegged. Within a minute, the HP had gone down to 0 points.
“Is it over?”
As Kagerou took down the Megrade, Schnee had cut off its other half into pieces and submerged it in ice. Tiera used her arrows to take down the escaping Amre, following that Shin restrained her.
Amre herself did not have high combative capabilities, thus, she did not put up much of a resistance.
“Let me go!!”
“That is not up for discussion. Without fail, we will get you to confess information about the faction!”
An interrogation wasn’t necessary for Shin. However, the moment he tried to invoke a skill from the mind system, miasma began to pour out of Amre’s body.
“What!?”
“HAHAHAHAHAHA this way I too, will…”
Moving faster than Shin could purify, the miasma was able to draw itself closer to Megrade’s corpse.
With a blink of an eye, the miasma made contact with the corpse and permeated its interior. This brought about a transformation.
“Gruu!?”
Kagerou had sensed danger and jumped backwards. A few seconds after jumping backwards, the Megrade’s body, that should have been a corpse, started to move.
As the head was regenerating, it made a vicious beating sound, *thump* *thump*. At the same time the dismembered body starts to piece itself together. And the ice covering the surroundings gradually starts to develop cracks.
“!!”
A strange noise echoed throughout the surroundings.
The monster molted out of its shell, as a larger, stronger looking shell emerged.
“Could that be the skill ‘Invade’?”
The monster’s fate had been altered by the miasma.
Shin had known that the skill had a similar effect on golem-type monsters such as gargoyles. However, it seems to affect even the corpses in this world.
It is a phenomenon not seen in the game era. Normally monsters’ corpses transform into drop items.
After molting, the figure of the Megrade had become somewhat ferocious. From Shin’s memory, the Megrade in front of him was still smaller than a matured one. However, looking at it gave one the impression of a rather intimidating monster.
“So this one’s a mummy. You know, I doubted it when I glanced over the status. Alas…”
Shin sighs after observing the pinned down Amre, who was a mere shadow of her former self.
Amre’s status. Her name, her level, and her occupation were listed. It didn’t look too different from ordinary humans. But the name field was slightly different.
According to 【Analyze】, the name listed was “Ghoul Invade”. With that appended to the name column, it was definite proof of a monster afflicted with miasma.
“So in this world, even people turn into monsters, huh?”
Undead monsters, such as ghouls, aren’t rare in THE NEW GATE.
There are a few strong undead monsters, but often times even newbies can take said monster down.
Apparently, according to the game’s explanatory text, the undead were originally human bodies buried after being killed by monsters. They were exposed to miasma, and started to move on their own.
Shin couldn’t grasp how Amre had ended up that way, nor how she had retained her own will after her death.
One thing was for sure. If Amre was an abomination caused by man, that meant that the Summit Faction was seriously out of line.
“Shin! How the hell is it stronger! What is that!!”
“It’s the miasma! Kagerou! Make sure Tiera stays away from it!”
At the same time Tiera shouted, the revived Megrade began to move. It was still split in two, but the half with the head, like last time, was focused in the direction of Tiera.
Following Shin’s orders Kagerou wedged himself between Tiera and the Megrade.
Being obstructed twice, the Megrade loathed Kagerou. It howled, and in response to this Kagerou growled with no intentions of backing down. Kagerou’s horn lit up as power starts to accumulate inside. Shin understood his intentions.
“I entrust Tiera to you!”
Shin didn’t feel like waiting for the opponent to make its move.
Using his movement skill 【Ground Shrink】, he headed straight towards the Megrade who was facing Kagerou and Tiera.
There’s no need to go easy on a monster afflicted with miasma.
Like an afterimage, Shin arrived at the Megrade and didn’t even give it time to ‘defend,’ as he drew『Kakura』.
He unleashed his combat composite skill, 【Shining Roar】, a combination of hammer arts and light magic.
『Kakura』 absorbed all of the light, and grew to twice its thickness.
With one stroke against the Megrade, the light surrounding 『Kakura』 invaded the Megrade’s body. A second later, 『Kakura』 itself crushed the shell.
The Megrade’s shell started to form cracks, with ripples originating from where the blade made contact. Within a minute, the whole body was soaked in light inside and out.
“!!!”
The light from the combination skill was a high-level purification light for cleansing demons.
Ordinary monsters aren’t affected and it is useless in personal battles, but they were up against a transformed monster that had afflicted with miasma. This was a fatal attack.
There is also additional damage due to using 『Kakura』. And no matter how much a monster is strengthened by miasma, it wouldn’t be able to withstand 『Kakura』’s blow.
The Megrade’s body quivered as if it was paralyzed. Any immobile giant monster is a sight to behold.
Shin lowered 『Kakura』 one last time at the Megrade’s head, and because of the purifying light, the body turned to ashes and dust.
“Is Schnee the only one left…yep, she’s finished too”
The other half of the body trapped in ice was going rampant.
That alone should have been intimidating, but Schnee was simply following Shin’s lead- keeping the monster immobile before giving it its final blow.
A lower half of the body noodling about was nothing for Schnee. Shin didn’t need to help at all.
“Is it over?”
“Yeah. We got nothing out of it though”
Shin had remembered how Amre was before the skirmish. She didn’t act like the party had gained any new information.
If anything, the Megrade should offer some hints and clues.
Recalling the memory of when Schnee and Tiera had approached the Megrade, the Megrade had acted terrified.
Perhaps just as Kagerou used to be skeptical of Shin and Schnee, the Megrade must have sensed the imminent power of Schnee.
Then, why did it go after Tiera?
(Is there a something we are not aware of?)
There are certain occupations that are more susceptible to attacks from monsters afflicted by miasma. Tiera had once admitted how she was hiding something from us. Maybe it’s relevant.
Shin didn’t want to force it out of her. Eventually, Tiera would tell them. There was no need to get her to talk.
Even if it was a naive thing to do.
“…How’s Shibaid doing”
Shin decided to check on him via Mind Chat.
◆◆◆◆
“We should start our battle soon”
Shibaid having been informed by Shin of the approaching enemy presences, Wilhelm and himself started to mobilize. In his hand, you could see his weapon 『Placid Moon』 glisten from the moonlight.
Shibaid also had a map of his own, sparkling red with enemy markers. There must have been at least 200 foes.
Shibaid decided to analyze the monsters in his periphery.
The majority of the monsters were undead, such as Ghouls or Rupt Raptors.
The monsters’ levels ranged, from high level monsters at around 500 to some as low as 50.
About 40 monsters were above level 400. There were other monsters in the 300s range. Many of the monsters were under level 100.
“First, let’s have the monster’s focus their attention on me.”
At less than 300 mels between Shibaid and the monsters, Shibaid activated 【Shura’s Madness】an aggro skill. (T/N: Aggro Skill, it is to lure monster by getting them to focus on user using the skill.)
An invisible wave overwhelmed the monsters, as their cloudy eyes were all forced to land on Shibaid and the monsters faced his direction.
“arsa…sk!! -daggd!?”
The monsters were being taken over, as they twisted and turned, grunting and groaning, all together a surge of rumbling noises rushed towards Shibaid.
Even in the gaming world, few heroes can stand in front of a group of monsters, much less in front of a hoard with several over level 100. The survival instincts in people are triggered, when they are in front of a large number of physically larger beings, all making noise so loud that you want to cover your ears.
Even in the gaming world, it’s easy to be scared. So in this world, where this was a reality, your fear should be just as real.
Even a Chosen One would stand down.
However, the one confronting these enemies is a subordinate of the Dark Blacksmith, Shibaid Etraku.
Unless they were up against this number, their auras were very oppressive. On top of that, as if responding to the challenge, Shibaid’s aura was intensifying.
“? ? ?”
At that moment, the intensifying aura heavily affected the monsters’ momentum.
The front row of Rupt Raptors and Ace Jackals, the faster monsters, all went limp, taking down other monsters behind them.
The larger monsters with the charging abilities were not able to avoid the medium sized monsters in their way. They were also trampling over the smaller monsters.
Many monsters were trying to run away, frightened of the effects and overwhelmed by Shibaid’s aura. The lower-level monsters were heavily affected, while the higher level monsters were all agitated.
“That should have thinned the crowd out”
After confirming that 30 of the low-level monsters had disappeared, Shibaid took off in a sprint.
He’s much slower than Schnee or Girard, but that was a matter of battle style. Shibaid did not have to rely on speed.
“Haaaaa….”
He breathed out, charging at the array of monsters, waving『Placid Moon』fiercely. The tip of the spear was channeling a white flame, which blew out 5 mels wide.
A combat composite skill 【White Haze】, the mixture of flame magic and spear arts.
The fire encased the axe portion of the halberd, the blade width easily exceeded 30 cemels.
Shibaid dodged all long-distance attacks against him, and encroached closer and closer to the monsters.
“Ngrrr!”
With all the momentum put into one step, the ground starts to fissure. At around the same time he let out a battle cry, the holy halberd’s blade encased in flame drew an arc in the air.
The flame’s heat and cleansing powers compounded its damaging effects, turning all of the monsters within its reach into ash.
For undead monsters, flame attacks are one of their weaknesses, with holy and light being the most effective.
On top of that, Shibaid had used a skill comparable to that of Shin’s, which cleansed the undead.
The aggro skill lures the monsters, and as they draw near they are burned to ashes. The undead monsters didn’t stand a chance against Shibaid’s physical strength, combined with a superior weapon, and effective skill.
“Ha!!”
With one swing, two, then three.
Moonlight illuminates the black canvas of the night, while a white flame draws arcs.
The smaller and medium-sized monsters were reduced to ashes with a single blow, now only the larger monsters remain.
Even the larger monsters with higher endurance had just barely survived fatal blows, with their limbs burned off after one strike. Following that their head would fly off after the next strike.
Shibaid had smartened up, knowing that the larger bodies couldn’t stand the repeated attacks from underneath. The undead were being sliced into bits with a swing from Shibaid’s 『Placid Moon』.
However, he couldn’t keep assaulting the monsters on the ground, as there was a shadow that was floating in mid-air.
A rotting pumpkin, a Jumpkin, floated above.
“Yhallhooolll!”
The hole of the monster’s mouth released a soprano voice, giving us the impression of a young boy.
Listening to the pitch of the voice gave off an off putting feeling, and yet nothing seemed to be out of place. On top of that the Jumpkin looked like a Halloween pumpkin.
“Now its flying types, eh?”
Shibaid mumbled to himself, as several other flying monsters approaching from the rear of the Jumpkin.
There were undead monsters immune to physical combat, such as a Ghosts, spectre-type monsters.
These monsters often attack using black magic skills that give status abnormalities, and by default they are always flying. This made it difficult to land a hit on these monsters, and the players hated it.
About 30 monsters were afloat.
The issue wasn’t fending them off, but rather how they were going to take up more time in comparison to monsters bound to the earth.
“Ha!!”
Dodging the magic raining from above, Shibaid jumped up. Underneath, you could see the ground he leapt from was caved in. The magical attacks against him were wide range, but Shibaid was used to acting as the party’s shield. This was a piece of cake.
A blue wall of flame is spread out in front of him, despite this, Shibaid thrusts his flame encased weapon into the crowd of monsters.
There were no other monsters left in the sky, after the white flame engulfed the surrounding.
Shibaid made use of the force from swinging 『Placid Moon』 to adjust his position in mid-air. What awaited him below was claws and fangs on land, but what awaited them too was a halberd clad in flames.
The blade’s first round of attacks burned and split a giant-type undead cyclops. The heat caught up and burned what was left of the body.
The monsters didn’t seem to care that one of their kind was burning to the side. They came after Shibaid with murder in their eyes.
“Hm?”
As Shibaid prepared for combat in the air and on the ground, in the corner of his eyes, the ghosts in the sky were being pierced by a ray of light that looked like a spear.
Shibaid instantly knew that the ray of light was caused by a composite skill using spear arts and light magic, 【Shooting Star】.
It was a highly effective skill against the undead, and had two uses. It could be either thrown like a javelin or made to radiate the light to the surroundings for use in close combat.
At the end of Shibaid’s gaze, he caught a glimpse of Wilhelm holding his weapon 『Beinot』 proudly.
But Wilhelm also knew, that time was of the essence.
◆◆◆◆
“I suppose there’s no need to waste time”
While carefully surveying his surroundings, Wilhelm watched the monsters disappear as they are pierced using the skill from earlier.
There really wasn’t a reason for concern, but it would be catastrophic if these monsters were to breach Sigurd.
Not just that, but spending too much time here was not a good idea either. In reality it was more for the peace of mind.
Shibaid could take on the larger groups of monsters, while Wilhelm concentrates on surveying the surrounding area for any remaining enemy presences.
Sigurd was once an area plagued by war. Places like those, tend to be breeding grounds for the undead.
It’s entirely possible that more undead would rise, due to such large numbers of undead concentrated in one location.
In the time it took Wilhelm to get rid of one monster, Shibaid had already taken on more than 10 ghouls and skull faces.
However, they were reviving themselves at an alarming rate, even for Wilhelm he had never experienced such a thing. On top of that the strength of the individual monsters were on a whole different level.
“This is out of the norm. The undead are rising too quickly”
At the corner of Wilhelm’s eyes, he saw the tempest like destruction that Shibaid created. As he witnessed this, he started to run.
Even for a land that was war torn for a long period of time, it was unusual for so many undead to be awakened.
By all accounts, and Wilhelm’s experience, something was very wrong. There were monsters that were tamed by riders, as well as monsters that were following suit.
Considering this kind of man power was at Bulk and company’s disposal, it was clear that the interior of Sigurd was stained with blood.
“What? What is that presence?”
Wilhelm could sense a little bit of a distance away, beyond 30 or so monsters in a cluster, something in the shrubs.
Something was lurking.
He felt it, and knew it.
He had to go there.
He couldn’t explain himself, but Wilhelm was encroaching closer and closer towards this presence within the forest, slaying one monster at a time that was in his way.
The forest was dim; there weren’t many places the moonlight could reach.
A silhouette in the shape of a man was being lit by the moonlight.
“You…”
“Long time no see. It’s been a few days right”
Wilhelm was on guard, as he saw Eline Sperizer’s face. He was supposed to be dead.
Eline smiled. There was no mistaking him.
It was the man that Wilhelm had once fought.
“What luck. Meeting again in a place like this”
“………”
He smiled, not even holding a weapon. It was as if he wasn’t even aware of the epic battle happening a few feet away from the shrubs and greenery.
It was odd, and anyone would vouch by that statement. Even now, Wilhelm could hear the echoes of battle.
“You’re awfully quiet. What is the matter?”
“Who are you?”
“Oh, have you forgotten me already? But of course, I’m――”
“No. You’re not Eline”
Wilhelm cut him off.
Even if they had only had one encounter, Wilhelm had fought with every strength of his body. A skilled warrior like Wilhelm would never forget or misinterpret a presence like that, one he had fought against for his own life.
“I’ll ask again. Who are you?”
He readjusted his weapon 『Beinot』 in his hand.
“Eline” silently looked at Wilhelm, before bursting out with laughter.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
His voice was eventually louder and louder, and within seconds he was showing signs of a maniac.
“I really shouldn’t attempt to do things I’m not used to. I was outwitted in seconds!”
“Yeah. Don’t even try”
“But honestly, I thought I did a decent job. Just to be clear though, tell me what I did wrong.”
The man that stood there was still a mystery, despite just being outed.
“He was rotten, but unlike you he could not use his body to emit miasma.”
“Ah, of course. I guess my precision was not accurate enough. I am not there yet for sure”
“………”
Wilhelm was silent in front of the laughing mad man.
This man was clearly delusional and abnormal, but Wilhelm couldn’t just let him go either. He was waiting for a chance to strike, but he couldn’t.
The miasma from this man was stinging Wilhelm’s skin.
He had a similar aura to the Skull Face Lord, which he had once seen.
“Don’t be so sullen. I came to see you specifically.”
“I have no idea who you are though.”
“That’s cold. Well, to be honest, I came to pick you up. It doesn’t matter how you feel about me.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Pick you up. It was the kind of wording you’d use to express camaraderie. Even then, Wilhelm hadn’t a clue.
The problem wasn’t even there – the problem was how there was no way that this kind of company could elicit welcome.
“We’re out of manpower. We need what we can use”
He grinned, and continued.
“You came to me because you felt like you were being called on, right?”
“………”
“Me too. I was the same, and I think you’re also considering listening to what I tell you to do, right?”
Wilhelm listened without saying anything. On any other occasion, he’d have a mouthful of words to throw back.
The man was right. Despite what his mind told him, his heart disagreed.
“Gr!!”
Wilhelm tried to fight his own will from within, when a pain surged through him.
It was painful from the hip down. It was exactly where Millie had struck him with the short sword.
“What…”
The pain was becoming worse. In proportion to the rising impulse boiling within his body, Wilhelm’s consciousness was fading.
A black powerful fog was gaining control from the waist, spreading through the rest of the body slowly with pain and terror.
“Yes. Stay as you are and WHOA!”
As Wilhelm was ready to succumb, his weapon 『Beinot』 suddenly started to beam with light.
The spear that had been improved by a High Human was no joke. The fog was almost magnetically being repelled by the holy light of the divine spear.
“What! 『Beinot』 can do this!?”
Even divine weapons didn’t possess such special abilities.
At least, as far as his knowledge goes, only 『Beinot』can do such a thing. Even if they could mildly deter darkness, it just meant that the weapon was ‘fairly strong’. Not like this.
“Ugh! Man, nothing goes my way!”
The man had encountered a technical issue, and he had to also bear in mind the weapon in Wilhelm’s right hand.
Moments later, the same mist that had shrouded Wilhelm was sprouting out of Wilhelm’s hand; the hand that held 『Beinot』.
『Beinot』’s light defused at least half of that darkness. But it was not enough for the other half to cling tightly onto Wilhelm.
As the darkness did its job, the man reached into his pockets for a single item card. He threw it at Wilhelm, but more at his weapon.
“I can’t believe I’m using an item!”
The card was thrown with enough might, that while in the air the card materialized a long thin cloth. This cloth landed on 『Beinot』, wrapping around it, absorbing the weapon and covering it completely.
The man had thrown a ‘cloth of weapon binding’. This item weakened the effects of a weapon. It targeted all weapons unconditionally, even divine weapons.
If the owner of the weapon was aware, he or she could remove the cloth from the weapon. The situation was less than ideal as Wilhelm was unconscious. 『Beinot』 lost its glow with each wrap around it.
“Jeez, that was close…”
The man grew a little tired, taking 『Beinot』 away from a helpless Wilhelm. The man smiled at the lackluster and dull 『Beinot』, about 70% of it covered in cloth.
“Wow, I mean. Aside from how it looks this is barely a 『Beinot』. No wonder the light it produced was strange. Well this is a cool find.”
For the man’s safety, he had to expended a reasonable amount of miasma, his source of power, when dealing with 『Beinot』. And yet, knowing that, he still poured an equal amount of miasma into 『Beinot』.
The inscription on 『Beinot』’s surface melted and burned the man’s hands heavily. He seemed at lost at what to do, yet he continued pouring miasma.
The silver glow of the spear turned a vivid onyx. The inscription on the surface had also turned into a bloody crimson.
It was the hell spear 『Vakira』.
Even among the darkest weapons, this one was more powerful, and one of the few that were clad in miasma.
The man spun the spear in his hands once, and the cloth around it faded away before hitting the ground.
Wilhelm remained standing silently in the background, covered in dust and dirt.
“Well they should be done kidnapping the Holy Woman by now, right? So, I should head home… wow, I almost thought that that was the Dark Blacksmith. But, it seems the rumors differ reality.”
Based on the clothing and the armament, he was inferring that Shin was a High Human. He had also thought Shin was the Dark Blacksmith based on his features.
However, his behaviours at the time differed from what he heard from his comrades.
Accordingly, NPCs outside of players were treated as mere objects. That, and there was no hesitation killing people. The Blacksmith’s eyes were ice-cold. He also had murderous intentions with every action. None of this was like Shin today.
If Shin was the person the man heard about, no one would survive in Palmirack except the Rokuten and their subordinates.
“So are you the ‘Blue Trickster’ or the ‘Golden Merchant’? Well, I doubt that you’re always wearing that but…”
The names were derived from the colors that the Rokuten’s members were clad in, but that was not necessarily a rule of thumb.
Thus, the man made the second mistake of thinking Shin is Cain or any other member of Rokuten.
Either way, all evidence pointed to how at least one of the Rokuten members had come back. It made no difference who.
Just one of the Rokuten could decide the victor of a war.
After discerning the location of the Megrade, the man and Wilhelm vanished without a trace, unbeknownst to everyone.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 07 - Uprising of Demons/The-New-Gate-Volume-07-Uprising-of-Demons-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_07_Chapter_02_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 2
Clack, clack, clack.
Someone’s heels echoed through the quiet church halls.
A smaller figure masked in a hood was walking down a path.
This figure eventually stopped in front of one of several similarly shaped doors. This was the room that Hermie rested in.
The door was open, and a man wearing armor was lying face down on the floor. He was unconscious.
“Pardon my intrusion.”
The voice of a young boy echoed. Or a young girl with a low voice. The voice’s gender couldn’t be identified just from listening to it.
There was a casualness to the hooded figure’s gait, as if one were walking into the room of a close friend. Inside of the room, several others were unconscious, with no outside wounds. They were breathing with a stable rhythm, much like being in a deep sleep.
“Are you resting? I guess you’re resting? Then off I go.”
The hooded figure confirmed that everyone in the room was asleep. They headed further in, to see another door inside. This door was opened, and a young girl was asleep next to two soldiers.
“Found you.”
The figure made sure that the girl sleeping near the bed was Hermie. As a hand reached out from the cloak towards Hermie, the sound of a gust of wind could be heard.
“Whoops.”
The cloaked figure grabbed the flying dagger between their fingers, without even glancing at it.
“Now now, color me surprised. You are still awake?”
“Who… are you?”
The knight who stood up while uttering these words was Konig.
He had forced his unstable body to stand, just barely. Blood was dripping from his mouth because he had bitten his lips to maintain his consciousness.
“Oh yes, I didn’t introduce myself, did I. Good evening, sir. My name is Milt, I’m a member of “Ouroboros’ Hollow”. I have come here to borrow Milady Hermie. Any resistance is futile, so it will be easier for you to stay quiet, you know?”
“Enough mockery!!”
Milt’s introduction barely finished when Konig unsheathed his blade and attacked. The upper-class chosen one stepped in forcefully, with speed unimaginable for the heavy armor he equipped.
Milt’s speed however, exceeded his. The intruder’s body appeared to lean just slightly, yet Konig’s strike was avoided with ease.
Konig’s sword slashed repeatedly through the small room, yet he didn’t even manage to lay a finger on Milt, almost as if the unwanted visitor was but an illusion.
“Impressive attacks, as expected from an upper-class chosen one.”
Milt commented with nonchalance while avoiding Konig’s attacks. Even against an upper-class chosen one such as Konig, his opponent did not show the slightest agitation.
“Kh…”
Konig was swinging his sword despite drowsiness and powerlessness -of unknown origins- that were attempting to take over his body, while Milt seemed completely unaffected.
Who would emerge victorious was painfully clear.
“Yet, it’s a shame. This isn’t quite enough to stimulate my appetite. I don’t have much time to waste either, so I’ll be taking my leave soon.”
After speaking, Milt suddenly vanished from Konig’s sight; the invader had sneaked closer to Konig’s chest, to deliver a blow that the drowsy Konig had no hope of parrying.
Milt’s palm strike struck squarely against Konig’s armor, and the resulting shock burst throughout the knight’s body.
“Gwah…gh…”
Konig’s breathing was momentarily stopped by the impact that propagated through his armor. The knight then collapsed to the ground and would not stand up again soon.
It was not a blow that would have normally defeated him, but the abnormal statuses that crippled Konig prevented him from defending against it.
“Okay then, now that there’s no one in my way, I can get back to work.”
Milt made sure that Konig was out of commission and lifted the sleeping Hermie.
After setting up a certain mechanism, Milt left the room and headed towards Palmirack’s entrance.
While walking through the empty corridors, Milt talked out loud.
“This was even too easy…since this place was reactivated it means one of the Rokuten came back, so why was it so easy?”
For an infiltrator, nothing is more welcome than a lax security. Milt, however, seemed to be nothing but dissatisfied.
“The only member of the Rokuten involved in the Death Game should have been Shin, but I can’t imagine he’d let normal people inside Palmirack without doing anything…but there’s no way one of the other 5 came. And if Shin had come here, it’d mean that he died…but I just can’t accept that someone killed him…”
Milt kept walking on, while voicing complaint after complaint.
The present Palmirack had lowered security, in order to prevent danger for the people of the Church. Thanks to that, nothing would happen even if Milt simply walked out like this.
Milt had not actually “infiltrated” Palmirack either. The Ouroboros’ Hollow member had just walked through the front door, undisturbed.
“Aah, I want to meet Shin…if only he was here, I would be fulfilled even without having to do stuff like this…”
Milt’s words sounded like those of a maiden in love, or a boy dreaming about his hero, but hid something close to obsession within them.
Milt kept walking on towards the main entrance.
Listening to the sound of explosions in the distance, the intruder disappeared in the darkness once again.
◆◆◆◆
Shibaid was the first to notice the anomaly.
After exterminating the undead monsters headed towards Sigurd, he searched the nearby presences and realized that Wilhelm’s was nowhere to be found.
Shibaid’s perception radius was smaller than Shin’s or Schnee’s, but still much wider than an average chosen one. Despite that, he couldn’t find any trace of Wilhelm’s presence, no matter how much he searched.
He went to the location where Wilhelm was supposed to be, but could not find any clue.
Something must have happened to him…it was just a matter of time before Shibaid reached this conclusion.
“(Things are taken care of on our end. How’s the situation there?)”
“(The monsters have been exterminated. But something strange is going on.)”
Through the well-timed Mind Chat, Shibaid informed Shin about Wilhelm’s disappearance.
Thanks in part to the improvement of his weapons, Wilhelm’s power had increased further after meeting Shin. He was a warrior who had survived many deadly battles, he couldn’t have been defeated by monsters of this level.
After taking care of the consequences of their battle in the surroundings, Shin and Schnee joined Shibaid and investigated the surroundings.
Yet no matter how much they sharpened their focus, there was no trace of Wilhelm in their field of perception. They too headed to the place where Wilhelm was supposed to be, which Shibaid had already inspected, but could not find any traces of their comrade either.
“No sign of major fighting…can we then exclude the possibility that he fought someone and was taken away?”
“If the opponent was from the Summit Faction, it is possible that Wilhelm was prevented from resisting by means of a hostage. Alternatively, a Mind-type spell could have been used on him.”
With information as scarce as it was, speculating had its limits. The group was then joined by Tiera and Kagerou, who did not possess perception abilities as strong as Shin and Schnee and had gone looking for clues by foot.
“Have you found anything?”
“Nothing, there’s no presence in the surroundings after all. What about you?”
“….I couldn’t find anything decisive, but there is one intriguing place.”
“An intriguing place?”
Tiera responded to Shin’s question with a brief silence. After letting out a small sigh, she answered.
“Follow my lead, I’ll take you there.”
Tiera said just that and proceeded to give orders to Kagerou. The place they headed to, at a speed matched to Shibaid, the slowest member of the party, was an apparently ordinary grove.
From Shin’s standpoint, he couldn’t sense anything unusual within the surroundings. It was the same with Schnee and Shibaid, in fact, their eyes gave off an expression of being utterly confused.
“It’s here.”
Tiera descended from Kagerou and walked towards the center of the woods. Kagerou grew smaller and walked near Tiera’s feet.
A few steps behind Tiera and Kagerou, Shin’s party too entered the woods.
After walking for several minutes, they reached a clearing. Tiera stopped just one step before entering it.
“Is this the place?”
“Yes. You might find it hard to believe, there was an extremely powerful Demon here until moments ago.”
“A Demon?”
Shin’s expression turned sour after hearing Tiera’s words. Schnee and Shibaid reacted the same way, especially the latter; his battlefield had been the closest, after all.
However, no matter how high Shibaid’s level and stats were, his enemy detection radius was not as wide as Shin or Schnee’s. If the enemy had used skills such as 【Hiding】, it wouldn’t have been strange for Shibaid not to notice anything.
“Could this Demon, have done something to Wilhelm?”
“If so, it must have been a considerably high-ranked individual. Possibly even a Named One.”
“Yes, in that case it could have infiltrated here unnoticed.”
Among the Demons with high rank, there were some that could match Schnee and Shibaid.
That considered, it wasn’t improbable that Wilhelm had been taken away with little or no resistance.
“Er, do you really believe me?”
Looking at Shin’s party trusting her words without question, Tiera voiced her surprise.
“Huh? Why should we doubt you? You’re not the type to spout lies or jokes in a situation like this, are you?”
“But it was just a feeling…I have no proof or anything.”
“That may be so, but we at least trust you. That’s why we believe you, even without proof.”
Shin answered firmly to Tiera’s whispered doubts.
In this world, after all, unexplainable phenomena such as magic and skills existed in large number. It wouldn’t be incredible to be able to perceive miasma or Demons somehow. In addition, elves and pixies possessed a sixth sense, or intuition, known for its sharpness.
The target of such sharpness differed from person to person, but it was likely that Tiera’s upbringing had made her sensitive to malice and ill intentions.
“It’s faint, but I feel something close to lingering miasma here. What about you all?”
“I cannot feel anything.”
“I feel something different from miasma. But I don’t think it is something malicious.”
Having come closer, Shin and Schnee perceived a lingering presence.
Shibaid looked puzzled.
“It seems that you are perceiving different things.”
“What I’m feeling is probably something similar to what Tiera felt. I wonder what Schnee is feeling, though.”
Shin had experience with miasma, so he was sure of what he had felt. He had no idea, however, of what the “something different from miasma” Schnee felt could be.
“At the very least, it is not miasma. A peculiar item, maybe…by the way, Shin, you had powered up Wilhelm’s weapon, didn’t you? Couldn’t it be that?”
“It’s true that I changed Wilhelm’s weapon to 『Beinot』, but did it have an effect like that?”
Shin tried to recall 『Beinot』’s characteristics.
True to its “Holy Spear” moniker, 『Beinot』 was highly effective against the undead. It could affect Demons too, but just enough to be considered an added bonus.
It definitely did not have anything that could leave miasma behind this way.
“If anything, its grade changed.”
“The grade?”
“Yes, it went one grade up, from Mythology to Ancient. That could be the reason, I don’t know the details though.”
Even so, there were no other clues leading them further as of now.
The party split to inspect the surroundings once more, but could not find anything; only time passed.
“…I’ve looked all over, but there really isn’t anything here, huh.”
“I haven’t found anything either.”
“Nor have I.”
“Nor I. There’s no trace of fighting, so either he was captured or they used hostages. Those are my guesses.”
Shin, Tiera, Schnee and Shibaid reported their findings after regrouping.
What they discovered was just the absolute lack of any clues.
“Nothing to do here, let’s go back for now. It would be pointless to stay here longer, and I have a bad feeling…”
Ever since Millie’s abduction, they were always reacting to the enemy’s initiatives.
That was probably why Shin felt that this ordeal was far from over.
◆◆◆◆
“What the…!”
“W-what!?”
Shin’s sudden shout startled Tiera.
He had noticed Palmirack’s abnormal situation as soon as they returned.
“Sleeping drug. It has been vaporized to affect the whole structure.”
Schnee identified the anomaly quickly, though it was already too late.
“Shit, they really were here too!”
As Shin used Pamirack’s functions to run a search, as expected, he found no trace of Hermie.
“Our information was leaked?”
“I have no idea. As far as we know, no one was under control, but…”
What Shin’s party imagined first was the black collar used to control Hermie.
While waiting for the messenger, however, they had made sure that there was no one equipped with it. No one was afflicted with abnormal statuses, so it was improbable for someone inside to be under enemy control.
If the leak had been on purpose, however, the collars had nothing to do with it. They couldn’t rule out the possibility of the presence of other “Summit Faction” members within Palmirack.
“Well, I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky that it wasn’t poison. Let’s blow away the drug first of all.”
Using a wind-type skill, Shin drove away the sleeping vapors hanging in the surroundings. It wasn’t something that caused any physical burden, so the affected people were simply sleeping. It was night, a time when people normally spent sleeping, so there hadn’t been any particular commotion. Maybe only the risk that the people who fell asleep in the corridors or on the floor would catch a cold.
“Lowering the security came back to bite us, I see.”
“But unless you did that, it would not have been possible for so many people to live in the Church.”
Shin scratched his head at the situation, but Schnee replied that there was nothing he could do about it.
The actual problem was that it was impossible to host such large numbers of people of the Church, even just in Palmirack’s surface floors, while keeping its security systems 100% active.
To leave the systems active he would need to either register all inhabitants as guests, thus not targeted by the security system, or send them all out.
In the Church there were more than 1000 people, from the Pope to the apprentices. It was impossible to register all of them as guests.
Shin’s party then headed to Hermie’s quarters, in search of clues.
“Even Konig was affected…but wait, his sword is drawn.”
Shin realized that among all those who fell asleep, only Konig managed to resist.
“I’m going to search this place. Schnee, please go check on Lilishila.”
“Understood. I will bring her here once she wakes up.”
Schnee left for Lilishila’s quarters.
Shin then entrusted Shibaid and Tiera with removing the status ailments and headed to Konig.
“Hey!! Wake up!! What happened here!?”
Shin removed the sleep status from Konig and tried to shake him awake. Thanks to the resistance owed to his status as upper-class chosen one, Konig woke up as soon as the status ailment was removed from him.
“Sir…Shin? W-where is Lady Hermie!?”
As soon as he regained his senses, Konig jumped up and checked the surroundings. As he saw Shin in front of him, he asked about Hermie’s whereabouts.
“I’m sorry, but we just got here. The messenger was a monster too, so we couldn’t obtain any real information.”
“The messenger was a decoy, then…gah,how could I have let this happen..!”
Konig’s fist clenched at the thought of his failure.
“This mark is Ouroboros’ Hollow, isn’t it.”
Shin examined the mark left in Hermie’s room and identified the culprit. It was the same mark as the one they found underground.
“That’s beyond doubt. Hermie’s kidnapper stated so as well.”
“Did you see the culprit?”
Konig’s words captured Shin’s full attention.
“A while after I started feeling strange, a hooded figure appeared in the room. The mantle and hood prevented me from seeing their face, but he called himself Milt.”
Konig gave Shin all the information he could remember. The intruder was of short stature, with a voice that could have been both a man or a woman’s. Konig, -though he had been in poor condition- also noted that the cloaked figure had avoided all his blows with ease.
“That’s all I can remember.”
“That’s more than enough. I feel like I know this person.”
“What!?”
It was Konig’s turn to latch on Shin’s words. Ouroboros’ Hollow was a famous organization, but its members were shrouded in mystery.
“I remembered. Small, voice of unclear gender, fighting prowess superior to upper-class chosen ones, the sleeping medicine used here and the name Milt…I’m positive I know who it was.”
It was a coincidence that Shin remembered.
Most of the PKs that Shin had cut down either had eyes filled by hate and resentment or distorted smiles, expressions averted from reality.
Among them, the woman called Milt always had a strangely amused smile on her lips.
She was famous ever since the time when THE NEW GATE was just a game.
She was the type that found endless pleasure in duels to the death, who felt truly alive only at death’s doorstep.
She publicly stated how she would fight anyone strong enough, no matter if they were people or monsters.
That did not change even after the start of the Death Game; even if her way of thinking and playstyle were more and more shunned, she was a deviant who would often barge in the front lines during boss hunt quests.
She would never actively hunt weaker players, and while fighting she would always honestly cooperate with the main party. She was famous in certain circles as she would escape as soon as the fighting ended.
Milt’s style was to use anything and everything that could be used. She was especially talented in the use of poisons, both for battle and for escape.
She became involved with Shin in the time he was called “God of Death”; it was at his hands that she had fallen.
That was everything Shin knew about Milt.
(…Was she the kind of person to assist a kidnapping, I wonder?)
What Shin felt after remembering about Milt was doubt.
Her abnormal conduct was something that made her position slightly complex too.
She did not assault, rob, or slaughter players for fun, as most PKs did. Maybe she had participated in such activities unbeknownst to Shin, but he had at least never heard such rumors.
A PK unlike any other PK, that Milt was assisting in kidnapping…there was something off about it.
“Please tell me, what in the world is she?”
“…simply put, a fiend for battle. She wouldn’t hesitate before cutting someone down, but as far as I know she wouldn’t engage in something so bothersome as kidnapping. ”
Shin explained about Milt to Konig taking care to avoid any game-related jargon.
Shin remembered that her STR stat was at least above 700, while -possibly as a trade-off for this- her VIT was barely above 300. Her stats distribution was not focused on a single stat, but certainly highly skewed.
“If what you say is true, sir Shin, then it’s understandable how she could be part of Ouroboros’ Hollow. That guild often receives requests from kingdoms all over to exterminate powerful monsters or dangerous criminals. Cooperating with the Summit Faction is probably to fight against stronger enemies, I’d wager.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
Konig’s words were perfectly logical. If there was the possibility to fight against powerful opponents, regardless of “good” and “evil”, it wouldn’t be strange for Milt to participate.
“Let’s forget her train of thought for now. We’ll have to face her when we go rescue Hermie anyway, let us focus on finding out where Milt went first.”
Shin set aside his doubts and changed the topic.
If what happened that night was all connected, Wilhelm was likely to be in the same location.
“I think it’s safe to assume she headed to the Summit Faction’s base.”
Shin heard Lilishila’s words and turned towards her, then noticing how she was still unsteady on her legs.
“That was quick…are you alright?”
“I was forced into slumber, so I am still a little unstable, but that’s not a problem. Concerning the destination, we have more or less pinpointed the location.”
While investigating Bulk, they had found miasma-filled places which were likely to be used for the ritual.
“Could you tell us?”
“Of course I will. Let us go to the table.”
As the current room only had a small table, they moved to the adjacent one.
There Lilishila pulled out an item card and materialized it on the table.
What appeared was a map depicting a region with Sigurd at its center. While the area it showed was not very large, its level of detail was on a whole another level than the map Shin had bought in Bayreuth.
“We think that there are 3 locations likely to be used as ritual sites.”
After saying so, Lilishila placed two black stones on the map. One was on a mountain north-west from Sigurd, the other on a forest area in the south-west.
“The last remaining place is beyond this map, on the coast south-east from Sigurd. We have confirmed that in all of these locations there is a cave leading underground.”
“What makes you think that miasma is accumulating there?”
Shin, thinking that there were many caves other than those three, expressed his doubts aloud.
“These three locations were all theatre of large-scale conflicts in the past, which saw a great number of casualties. They are also reported to be locations where Ley Lines gather. We speculate that they might be plotting something by using these two elements.”
“I see. Yuki, Shibaid, do these locations tell you anything?”
Shin requested their opinion as they had traveled through many lands for years.
“As Lady Lilishila said, these three locations have indeed had large conflicts with numerous casualties. Especially the south-east coast and the south-west forest also saw large appearances of undead monsters. I have never heard anything in particular about the north-east mountain, however.”
“Hmm. I share her opinion on the coast, but have never heard much about the forest. As for the mountain, I have visited in the past to exterminate the ”Dragon Alado” that had appeared there. If I remember correctly, part of its body had undergone metamorphosis…possibly due to the effects of miasma.”
Adding the two opinions together, it was concluded that all three locations could be places where miasma gathered easily.
The Dragon Alado Shibaid spoke of was, after all, a type of Undead dragon.
At the same time, Shin also asked Yuzuha via Mind Chat if she knew anything about the three locations.
“(Kuu, Yuzuha doesn’t know…)”
Yuzuha, who had barely ever left her shrine, did not have any information about the three locations.
However, in addition to Yuzuha’s tracking, and the clues on hand, they are able to decide on a plan of action.
“(Well, that’s not really unexpected. Rather than that, what does the tracking technique you used on the figure who flew off from the church say?)”
“(Over there.)”
As she spoke via Mind Chat, Yuzuha pointed her front right paw forward.
“(Schnee, do you know what direction Yuzuha is pointing at?)”
“(….It appears to be south-east.)”
It was vague, but in the same direction lied one of the locations Lilishila had suggested. As they had a few other clues at the moment, this was their greatest one.
“Good, let’s head to the coast then. Our foes can teleport and tame flying monsters, so the distance shouldn’t be a problem for them.”
Also taking Yuzuha’s opinion into consideration, Shin decided to make the southeast coast their destination.
He thought about splitting the group for the search, but among the Demons there were also some Schnee and Shibaid could not handle alone.
Including the presence of “Ouroboros’ Hollow”, which also counted the former player Milt among its ranks, Shin decided it would have been unwise to split their forces.
“I’d like to leave right away, but let’s wait for everyone to wake up first.”
“I agree. This sleeping drug affected all present despite the large size of the area. It could have caused other ailments on some.”
The drugs used by former players are more powerful than what is in circulation now. Even if no one was in risk of dying, there could have been affected subjects who continued sleeping.
However, it was already midnight; as they couldn’t simply go wake everybody up, the group decided to wait until morning.
They also had to prepare supplies for what would be a long journey, as well as find the detailed route to the coastal cave.
“(Kuu…Sleepy…)”
“Even Yuzuha is at her limits, huh.”
“It is really late, after all. Let’s leave preparations for tomorrow morning and go rest ourselves.”
Schnee made her proposal while looking at the drowsy Yuzuha.
No matter how high one’s abilities might be, fatigue is inevitable. There was not enough time for a full rest, but there was no need to stay awake either.
“That’s right. Lady Lilishila, you and your men should rest too. Even if we stay up thinking now, we would only grow more tired.”
“You’re…right. To be perfectly honest, I don’t feel too well.”
Checking the route wouldn’t have taken much time. Considering Lilishila’s poor condition and the damage Konig sustained, they decided to rest too.
Shin’s party too headed for some usable empty rooms. After laying Yuzuha on a bed, Shin lied down himself.
“Milt, huh…”
After whispering the name of the woman he had fought to the death before, Shin closed his eyes. What he pictured were her strangely warm smile and the other ferocious smile, which pulled the edges of her mouth so high that she looked like a different person.
If she had been sent from “Ouroboros’ Hollow” to the Summit Faction’s aid as a combatant, it would almost definitely turn into a fight to the death.
In that case, Shin could end up having to kill the same person twice.
“That’s a twist of fate I don’t need at all…”
After this whisper, Shin fell into slumber.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 07 - Uprising of Demons/The-New-Gate-Volume-07-Uprising-of-Demons-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_07_Chapter_02_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 3
The next morning.
Shin’s party verified that all those affected by the sleeping drug had woken up, they then promptly began preparations for departure.
After buying the necessary supplies and checking the route, the group climbed onto a carriage.
The party heading to the coastal cave included 5 people and 2 animals: Shin, Schnee, Shibaid, Tiera, Konig, Kagerou and Yuzuha.
Lilishila also wished to go, but as she did not possess enough fighting power to protect herself, unlike Tiera, with her contracted partner Kagerou, and the upper-class chosen one Konig, she remained in Palmirack.
From a fighting power standpoint Konig couldn’t compare to Shin’s party, but as he would have followed them to the cave anyway, they decided to move together from the start.
“In any case…”
Noticing Konig’s fascinated expression, Shin talked to him.
“Hm? Is something wrong?”
“No, well, it’s about this carriage…how does it work? It’s running so fast yet I cannot feel a single vibration. I was prepared for the fatigue traveling for long hours would have caused, and yet…”
“Ah, I see.”
In this world, the technology to stop horse carriages from vibrating was still underdeveloped; the faster the carriage went, the stronger the vibrations became.
Being forced to withstand such vibrations for long hours would cause more fatigue than Shin imagined.
Before, when they had accepted an escort mission for merchant carriages to Beirun, the merchant dwarf Nack had modified the carriage in order to minimize the vibrations and also adjusted the driving speed to not make the carriage shake too much.
“This carriage is somewhat special. An acquaintance of ours modified it, that’s what made this possible.”
“Is that so. Well, I must say I’m happy I predicted wrong. At this pace, we will arrive sooner than expected.”
Konig surely wished to rescue Hermie as soon as possible. His eyes were fixed on the direction the carriage was proceeding towards.
“Let’s not be hasty, friend.”
“I know. Looking at the scenery flying by so quickly helped me calm down too. If the carriage ran at normal speed, I would probably have jumped off and started running by myself.”
This carriage was being led by the divine beast Kagerou, after all; it would definitely be faster than Konig running. From Shin’s standpoint he still wasn’t completely calm, but his impatience wasn’t showing on the surface, at least.
“We will probably come to face enemies equal or superior to you, sir Konig. They might serve as nothing more than a placebo, but I prepared a piece of equipment for you. Please do use it.”
Alongside these words, Shin passed an item card to Konig.
What materialized was an amulet-type accessory, which was endowed with resistance to status ailments and the ability to nullify instant death attacks once.
“Can I really have this? Surely it must be precious to you?”
Konig did not understand the amulet’s abilities just by looking at it, but he could clearly feel the magic power emanating from it, which prompted his question to Shin.
Even Konig, who did not possess the 【Appraisal】 skill, could understand how Shin’s equipment was out of the ordinary.
It was obvious that, considering where they were headed, Shin would not pull out just an ordinary amulet.
“It’s not worth that much, really, so please don’t worry. It’s a kind of insurance, in case anything happens.”
As Shin explained the effects of the amulet, Konig was greatly surprised, but that was obvious too.
An amulet with such powers could very well be a national treasure in this world, after all.
“I knew you were out of the ordinary, but who in the world are you people, really…?”
“Just normal adventurers. As you know, magical items can be found in dungeons. We have explored many of those, so we had plenty of chances to find such items; that’s all there is to it.”
“Being able to explore such dungeons already puts you leagues above the average person, though. You must be chosen ones, am I right?”
“Well, something like that.”
Shin gave a vague answer and laughed wryly.
Items with powerful abilities couldn’t be found in low-level dungeons, naturally. If one wanted items that satisfied the needs of a chosen one, exploring dungeons of relatively high difficulty was necessary.
The adventurers thus needed to be adequately skilled.
Such skill was beyond the scope of a normal person who just accumulated level ups.
Shin casually handed around items that couldn’t be bought with money; it was not strange for Konig to start being wary of him.
“Rather than that, I’ll borrow your weapon for a little while, sir Konig.”
“By the…! When did you..?”
What Shin had casually lifted was the sword Konig had at his waist, 『Haufer』. Shin calmed Konig down, who had not realized that his weapon had been taken away, and activated a skill.
After adding limited-time stats increases and magic skills, Shin returned 『Haufer』 to its owner.
“…I noticed my sword sparkled, but what did you do?”
“I can’t power it up properly in a carriage, so I just attached a couple of bonuses. If you focus, you will be able to use physical boost skills and magic skills.”
“…..you used an item, then?”
“Having more power at your disposal will only help, won’t it?”
Shin answered the question with another question, trying to avoid answering.
Their departure had been rushed, so they didn’t have time to power up properly, that was all. It was just a temporary boost, as there was the risk of being attacked during travel.
Among Shin’s possessions there also were weapons stronger than 『Haufer』. But their stats requirements were rather high; Konig would only be able to handle a few of them.
Changing weapons without much thought would cause its handling prowess to decrease, in total opposition to the intended results; thus, this makeshift boost was all he planned to do until they could properly rest at night.
“I’ll make it a bit better tonight, so for now please make do with that.”
“Hmm, you speak as if this was something very simple, but I can feel much more magic power from the sword…”
Konig looked on in bewilderment at his faithful sword and the unusual aura it emanated.
“Our opponents are skilled professionals, after all. We have to be prepared too.”
Knowing well that he would probably be riddled with questions later, Shin used skills without reserve.
One reason was not letting Konig die, of course, but the first priority was raising the success ratio of Hermie’s rescue as much as possible. Holding back and then not being able to save her would have been a pathetic ending.
Shin’s party was strong, but its members were very few, after all.
They had skills to compensate for their numbers, but that couldn’t be said to be the best solution to perfectly carry out their mission.
Facing an enemy of unknown size while scouting them, engaging in battle, and performing a rescue operation all at the same time, would easily create openings in their defenses.
One reason to let Konig join their party was to at least partly cover for such a weakness.
“How are we going to move once we reach the destination?”
After they finished making preparations and sat down for a meal, Konig asked this question.
As the carriage was proceeding at high speeds, the coachman, Schnee, could not leave her position to join the discussion.
“First, I aim to infiltrate the location without being seen. Yes, it’s important to stop the ritual, but the first priority is to free the sacrifices. Before anything else, I’d like to avoid any conflict.”
“Indeed, without the sacrifices the ritual can’t proceed either.”
Konig agreed to Shin’s proposal.
That was the simplest and quickest way to put a stop to the enemy’s plans.
“It would help if we knew the cave’s internal structure. It’s a natural cave, so I doubt any maps exist…but most of all, we have no idea of the enemy’s numbers.”
“Should Shin and I go inspect first?”
“I think that’s better, yes. I don’t honestly want to waste even a second, but acting on impulse and messing up would be worse. It’s kind of frustrating, though.”
Shin nodded at Schnee’s words. In any case, risks remained. They could not decide which strategy had higher risks.
“Thus all we can do is wait.”
“That’s right. We would only be in Shin and Yuki’s way, after all.”
Even if accompanied by Kagerou, Tiera’s low stats and Shibaid’s vanguard-type job made them ill-suited to infiltration missions.
They were both fully aware of this, and agreed to stand by without a word.
“I suppose that’s the only way.”
Konig too, despite his frustration, agreed to wait.
They continued discussing and decided what their next general plans would be, after which Shin started reinforcing their weapons.
“Well then, time to start.”
He materialized a portable furnace from an item card and infused it with magic.
Doing so caused a violet flame to appear in the middle of the furnace.
“The color’s different. Now that I think about it, it’s been different since then.”
The flame used to be red during the game era. The first time he tempered a sword at Tsuki no Hokora after coming to this world too, the flame’s color was slightly violet.
It had been a very small change, though, so Shin just thought it was an effect of the world not being a game anymore. Even if he focused, the color was the only change he could perceive.
He tried holding a random sword over the fire, to be sure, but nothing unusual happened. The magic that reached Shin’s hands through the blade was the same one he was well familiar with. Nothing felt off.
“Shin? Is anything wrong?”
“Oh no, nothing.”
After confirming that the color was the only change, Shin thrusted Konig’s 『Haufer』 into the fire.
After a few seconds, 『Haufer』 glowed red-hot within the purplish flames.
It wasn’t normally possible to work on a Legend-grade weapon with just a portable furnace. Shin’s magic power and the specially-made furnace, while they couldn’t go as far as to let him temper it into another weapon, allowed him to power it up.
“Do you mean you can modify Legend-grade weapons too? I heard that even skilled dwarves have difficulty with it, but…”
“Chosen ones aren’t bound by common sense, after all. But all I can do is reinforcing it, mind you.”
Shin made sure to point out that he can only modify Legend-class weapons, not forge them.
Shin already knew that Rionne’s Legend-grade greatsword, 『Muspelm』, was considered a treasure of incommensurable worth in this world.
Considering Konig’s personality, it was hard to imagine that he would talk about Shin to just anyone, but Shin made the decision of limiting the information he would give the knight.
“Even just being able to reinforce an already powerful Legend-grade weapon is a precious ability, I’d say.”
“It’s also useless without anything to use it on, though.”
As Shin said, in a world where even Rare and Unique grade weapons were scarce, he had few chances to use this ability of his.
It was like a chest of treasures…without a key.
“Well, here you go. I could increase the sword’s strength and sharpness and added an effect that amplifies the effects of the user’s magic. Adding the limited usage effects I added before, it’s become quite the nice trump card, I would say. Please do check if it feels weird in any way.”
Shin then handed the reinforced 『Haufer』 to Konig. Two new emerald-green lines adorned the sword’s silver blade.
“…Truly impressive.”
Konig muttered while looking at 『Haufer』.
He then firmly held the blade’s grip and, after moving a few steps away from Shin and the others, swung the sword lightly. The magical blade drew a silver streak through the air as it cut through it with a sharp sound.
Konig nodded appreciatively, then returned to his stance and swung the sword in succession.
What school were those movements from? Following 『Haufer』’s flowing movements, silver streaks of light illuminated the darkness.
“Impressive indeed. I feel nothing unusual.”
After performing several sequences of sword techniques, Konig expressed his admiration to Shin.
“Good to know. Next up is the armor, take it off, will you?”
Konig, who had kept 『Haufer』 equipped expecting to test it in actual fighting, was still wearing his armor too.
He nodded at Shin’s invitation and a second later his armor sparkled and gradually vanished turning into an item card.
It was different than using the menu during the game era; in the game, the transformation would only take an instant.
It was very similar to the phenomenon Shin had seen during the battle against Barlux. But he was not completely positive that a card had been used at that time.
“If you don’t mind me asking, has that armor received any special treatment? It’s the first time I’ve seen an armor turn into a card in this manner.”
“Is that so? I have heard that this is a technique developed by people who are attempting to resurrect the technology to transform equipment instantly, which was common before the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’. It appears that technicians from the red and black factions collaborated and made it usable normally.”
As it was a battle gear-related technique, the factions strong in blacksmithing and alchemy likely focused all their knowledge to bring it back.
“I see. It’s not complete, so there’s a slight time loss.”
“That’s right. It removes the chore of taking off equipment every time though, so I find it really valuable. There are however few blacksmiths, alchemists, or wizards that can apply this treatment. Mine was performed by a high-rank alchemist of the Church, but it was not an easy feat at all.”
While listening to Konig, Shin materialized the armor once more. He did not place it into the furnace, however, but placed his hand on it to inject magical power within it.
Shin used 【Appraisal】 on the armor while powering it up, but maybe because the technology used in it did not exist in the game era, he could not analyze it in detail.
(Maybe this is something similar to an Art?)
Shin barely knew anything about the Arts.
He had returned to Bayreuth after the battle with Girard, but he had been teleported to the sacred place Kalkia right away. There he joined the Balmel defensive battle, followed by Millie’s kidnapping.
There was no time to ask Schnee or Shibaid to teach him about them.
“….now it’s complete.”
After increasing the armor’s sturdiness and its stats, albeit slightly, Shin turned the armor into a card and gave it back to Konig.
Konig equipped it once more and checked how it felt. The size had not changed, so he moved around a little to see how much his physical abilities would power up.
“We have an early start tomorrow too. Better go rest now.”
“Should someone stand guard?”
“I doubt most monsters could elude our divine beasts’ eyes.”
Yuzuha and Kagerou’s danger perception abilities were much higher than average security items. The possibility of being attacked by surprise was extremely low.
In addition, the carriage had been modified before departure, in order to be used as a simple base of operations.
If someone was resting inside, the carriage was protected by a 【Barrier】 and a 【Wall】 that only field bosses could break through. Plus, even when sleeping, Shin and Schnee’s danger perception abilities were almost fully active. It was safe to say that a surprise attack was impossible in that situation.
“That’s true too. It’s more likely for the monsters themselves to turn tail and flee. They would probably be scared and not get closer even if they are asleep.”
Konig agreed to Shin’s words too.
After finishing dinner, the group headed back to the carriage to sleep.
◆◆◆◆
In a dark room, a single faint light was flickering.
In the center of the 20 mels square room were a magic circle 15 mels wide and a barrier enveloping it. On the magic circle about 20 people could also be found, men and women ranging from children to adults.
“Damnit!! Let me out!! Let me out of here!!”
Someone’s scream echoed through the room.
Those inside the magic circle who could still move began to desperately hit the circle’s barrier. Most of them were men, but among them some held children or women in their arms.
None of them carried anything resembling a weapon, nor did their clothes look like what someone who battles for a living would wear.
Indeed, all those inside the magic circle were perfectly average civilians.
“Hey now, you’re at it again? It’s like you enjoy it even…”
Among the desperate shouts, a jaded voice echoed outside the circle.
Illuminated by the light emanating from inside the circle, the silhouette of the owner of the voice emerged from the darkness.
The face that appeared once belonged to the man called Eline.
“Oh my, isn’t this aura I feel Adara’s? It’s been a while.”
“Will these even be enough?”
The man who was called Adara answered. It seemed like that was his original name.
“Many drops make a shower, as the humans say. Well, this is something of a pastime for me, if I can get something from it, wonderful, but that’s about it. It is truly moving to see others act to save their loved ones, after all. ”
“Because the following despair will just taste better, right? You’re the same as always, Scoruas.”
In the upper section of the room, shaped like a gallery on the stage below, Adara spoke to the silhouette grinning before him, Scoruas.
Scoruas was a man with features much like a handsome prince’s. His white hair and red eyes, illuminated by the room’s lights, had something that attracted others’ attention. If he ever joined a party, there would be no doubt that he would garner the attention of many noble maidens.
That is as long as they were not aware of the personality of a man who found delight in the anguished screams coming from the floor below.
“Our masters might be different, but we both serve the same Miasma Lord. I thought you would share this emotion with me, don’t you?”
“I’m a parasite-type, you’re a created-type. Our births are different, so our likes and dislikes are too, I guess? If the mutant-types saw this stuff they’d gobble them all up right away, you know?”
All demons were under the command of one of the three Miasma Lords, the strongest among the Grand Duke class of demons.
All demons, from the moment of their birth, acted with the goal of resurrecting the Miasma Lords, using human despair and grief as fuel.
However, demons with especially strong personalities would distort even this imposition.
Adara and Scoruas were such demons; their strong personalities allowed them to break off the yokes that once restrained them.
“I understand that kind of thinking, though. I would like a bit more cooperation, to be honest. My subordinates haven’t awoken yet, and it appears that Magnamuc* has been erased too.”(T/N: Changed from Magunumuku)
Scoruas talked while shrugging his shoulders. He didn’t appear to feel the least bit of rage towards their comrade’s demise.
“Hm? Didn’t it infiltrate some country somewhere?”
“The same country where the man you have with you was.”
While saying so, Scoruas pointed at something behind Adara’s back. It was Wilhelm, standing expressionless.
His right hand gripped the hell spear 『Vakira』.
“Bayreuth kingdom, was it? I don’t think the rabble there could have defeated someone of that level, though.”
“It looks like the closer princess wasn’t around, but it looks like there was a skilled fighter we don’t know about. Someone good enough to slay him without creating the slightest commotion.”
Despite the fact that more obstacles appeared before them, Scoruas’ expression remained serene. After all, having no worthy opponent to face was a source of boredom for him too.
“Well then, looks like we’re almost finished here.”
Scoruas cast a glance to the floor below. Something was changing within the magic circle.
The bodies of the people who weren’t beating on the barrier, collapsed on the ground or became unconscious, started to emit light.
“Ah, aah..my…my child…!!!”
The voice of the man holding a child rose above the others.
The baby was unconscious, barely breathing. The body had turned into a globe of light and disappeared.
In the arms of the man remained only the tiny clothes the baby was wearing.
“What!?”
All witnesses to the baby’s transformation began to pound on the magic circle’s barrier with more intensity.
Some were pounding so fiercely that blood started dripping from their fists, but even so they did not let up.
“This…can’t…”
“Goddamnit!! Don’t go away, noooooo!!!”
No matter how powerful their blows were, however, the barrier did not budge.
It was a barrier that only someone on Wilhelm’s level could have broken through, after all. For average citizens without any special power, there was nothing they could do.
“Aaaah, AAAAHHHHHHH!!!”
One by one, the prisoners fell to their knees, screaming.
In their arms rested only the bones of those they had tried to protect with their lives.
“BEEEEEEAUTIFUUULLLL!!!! That expression, that moment when hope turns into despair! This is art, yes art! These howls, this anguish! Delicious!! Such delicacies!!”
Scoruas spread his arms wide and cheered loudly.
It was a one-man standing ovation, after he had seen a memorable show.
What he was ecstatically watching, though, were the last moments of people who had lost the will to live, between tears and sobs, drenched in fresh blood.
As it had happened to their loved ones, they too turned into light and disappeared.
As all its prisoners vanished, a small part of the magic circle glowed red. It was a minuscule change, small enough that it could be considered just imagination.
“Good grief.”
Adara shrugged his shoulders while looking at Scoruas, his expression still filled with twisted joy.
Adara could understand why Scoruas did what he had done, he just personally found it pointless.
Looking for more worthy sacrifices would be more effective. That was Adara’s line of thinking, and also why Hermie had been kidnapped.
“Hmm? Ooh. I see it was worth it to bring him here.”
Adara felt that the aura behind him had changed and turned around; as before Wilhelm was standing, motionless. The hand gripping 『Vakira』 was doing so much more tightly, while the mist enshrouding him would turn sometimes red and evaporate, only to return shortly and repeat the process. It appeared as if the mist itself was burning.
Wilhelm was in a manipulated and unconscious state, but he had nevertheless reacted to the gruesome scene that he had witnessed.
It was clear proof that Wilhelm was fighting against Adara’s control.
“Nice, nice, that’s how I want you to be. How many more will die before you point that spear at me?”
Despite the possibility of the manipulation breaking off, the expression on Adara’s face was of twisted joy, much like Scoruas’.
Not caring about how many would die for the sake of their pleasure was a trait the two demons had in common. Even if their likes and dislikes were different they were still both demons, the same type of creature.
Even if the yoke restraining them had been removed, their first priority had not changed. The difference was in the process towards achieving that goal.
It takes many forms. For Adara, the endless thirst for stronger opponents, so strong it almost exceeded the Miasma Lord’s resurrection as priority. For Scoruas, the “pointless” staging of shows of despair and the superiority felt towards its own comrades.
In fact, Scoruas did not even recognize the existence of his fellow demons, unless they were Duke class or Grand Duke class, like him. Magnamuc, a Count class, was treated like an expendable pawn.
“Oh my, is that him rebelling to your control? Quite an energetic boy, isn’t he.”
In the magic circle, figures covered in black cloaks were leading humans inside, roughly the same number as before.
Scoruas moved his look away from that operation and looked at Wilhelm.
“How many times have I told you? It’s all about quality. Don’t you try to steal him though, am I clear?”
“I would never do something so petty, my friend. I am interested in the taste of his despair, though…”
Scoruas licked his lips. All demons fed on humans’ negative emotions, but among them Scoruas possessed exceptional hunger.
It was difficult to define the quantity of food like “human’s negative emotion”, but still it was not something that could be consumed without limit.
The quantity of energy that could be absorbed and stocked depended on each demon’s level, rank and individual characteristics.
Scoruas was one of the Grand Duke-class demons that boasted the highest capacity for energy absorption.
“Looking at him reminds me…what happened to the ghouls headed to Sigurd? You were there too, weren’t you?”
Scoruas inquired, his expression genuinely looking like he had forgotten everything about that until now.
He hadn’t supported Hermie’s kidnapping directly, but it was Scoruas who sent the monsters to Sigurd.
“Ah, they didn’t actually do anything. They got stomped out by the guy in the ambush who had transformed into the priest.”
Adara spoke casually, with no regard to their fallen comrades. It was not even clear if there was any sense of camaraderie among them.
“I put a little trick inside the Megurade I sent with them too, how did that go?”
Powering monsters with miasma was an easy feat for a demon. They could turn monsters more obedient and resilient.
Scoruas knew that no average chosen one could have matched Megurade’s vitality and offensive ability. He had predicted that even if it couldn’t destroy Palmirack, it would have laid waste to at least half of the city.
“It’s in the powered form…I didn’t watch until the end because I could have been found, but it was dangerous. They were accompanied by a divine beast! It’s as strong as me and you, possibly more, that’s for sure.”
While talking, Adara’s smile twisted even more than when he was talking about Wilhelm. It was almost strange that he didn’t confront the monster then and there.
“….oh, another thing. There were some powerful people there too, but I knew one of them.”
“Oh, that’s interesting. Who was that?”
“Schnee Raizar. You’ve heard of her too, haven’t you? She was under a High Human once.”
“Oh, she was there? I did hear that Tsuki no Hokora disappeared, now that you mention it. I thought it had been wiped off by someone. After all, there are some nasty demons that even she couldn’t deal with by herself. And I bet plenty have a bone to pick with her.”
“Haha, like you’re one to talk.”
Adara replied, always a grin on his face.
He and Scoruas were not enemies at present; demons generally allied with other demons if they served the same Miasma Lord. They were also never in good terms with demons serving other Miasma Lords.
Scoruas had actually slayed several Marquis and Count-class demons who served a different Miasma Lord.
When monsters are subjected to miasma, they can transform into demons, albeit rarely. Ever since the game era, that type of demon is called mutant-type.
The demons Scoruas had slain were indeed followers of the mutant-type Miasma Lord.
Of course, doing so would create hate and resentment among other mutant-type demons; Scoruas had already been targeted several times.
“That’s the last thing I want to hear from you. Aren’t all other Grand Dukes the same? Demons with strong individuality, like you and me, don’t care in the slightest. What I kill are those boring things which can only follow their instincts.”
“That’s true too. Well, I just wanted to say that Schnee Raizar and her party might come here, so keep it in mind.”
“Understood. Hehe, Schnee Raizar…what will your despair taste like…?”
“You really never change, do you…I’m going back to my room, contact me if anything happens.”
Adara retreated back to the room assigned to him, leaving the drooling Scoruas behind. Wilhelm followed him, in complete silence.
After some time, screams filled the cave again.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 07 - Uprising of Demons/The-New-Gate-Volume-07-Uprising-of-Demons-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_07_Chapter_03_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 1
“I have a question, does anyone know where exactly the coastal cave is supposed to be?”
A few days had passed since they left Sigurd.
While driving the carriage and using the skill 【Clairvoyance】 to see the road ahead, Shin looked at the coastline and asked this question to the other passengers.
The map only offered vague indications about the place, so Shin asked for more precise directions from Schnee or Shibaid, who were likely to know.
“The lay of the land looks different from the last time I came. There should be a crag in the vicinity.”
“I remember it too. I cannot see any crags around here though…”
Shibaid and Schnee, who were also using 【Clairvoyance】 to inspect the surroundings, gave their answers.
Shin too was looking intently, but he could only see the coast extending further, with no trace of any place resembling a cave entrance.
“Can you remember if there was any landmark?”
“No, I can’t say I do.”
“Nor do I. Nothing stood out in particular.”
“….by the way, when did you last see it?”
Shin expressed this question after remembering the two’s longevity.
“I think it was roughly 300 years ago.”
“As for me, it was probably 400 years ago.”
“I see….”
Hearing this, Shin reflected that the cave as a whole could have very well disappeared.
On land, in the seas, in the skies; monsters were everywhere in this world. There were more than enough monsters capable of destroying caves as well.
Even without monster intervention, it wouldn’t be weird for the cave to disappear naturally and the geography to change, after 300 whole years.
“Hmm….”
“(Yuzuha, what response are you getting?)”
“(It’s close, but something’s weird.)”
Shin asked Yuzuha for help, trusting her tracking technique, but received an unclear answer.
After inquiring further via Mind Chat, Shin learned that Yuzuha could detect the presence nearby, but couldn’t tell in which direction.
It seemed Yuzuha couldn’t express herself well because of her young age; Shin arrived at the conclusion that something was interfering with her tracking ability.
“(What do you think about what Yuzuha said?)”
“(A possible cause is miasma. After all, it can disrupt people’s senses, so it could be influencing Yuzuha’s skill negatively.)”
Shibaid speculated that the cause was miasma. High-level Demons are more resistant to magic skills, so Yuzuha’s skill could have been affected too.
“(I agree. Yuzuha’s powers have not fully matured yet, and there’s a possibility of a barrier being erected around the ritual site.)”
Schnee expressed a valid point of view too.
The demons and the faction members would likely try to eliminate the smallest chance of being found. It was natural to think that they had set up concealment mechanisms to distance people and keep the location hidden.
“The demons must be close, no doubt about it.”
Tiera spoke while Shin and Schnee were completely silent, talking through Mind Chat.
“You can tell?”
“The demons’ miasma is slightly different from the one born from human emotion. It’s something I felt when I directly faced with a demon, so I am positive of it.”
“This means that there’s a high chance of this being the right place. That already is great news. Let’s try running along the coast, first. I will go to the left, you take the right, Yuki.”
After listening to Tiera, Shin voiced his thoughts.
“Understood. We can cover considerable distance even in a short time, so…let’s run for 30 minutes, and if we don’t find anything we come back here, what do you say?”
“That sounds good. We aren’t certain that the cave lies alongside the coast, after all.”
Shin nodded to Schnee’s proposal.
If Shin and Schnee ran at their full speed, they could easily outmatch even a sports car. They cannot perform detailed inspections while running, but their boosted dynamic vision would not miss something as large as the entrance to a cave.
Even if it had been concealed, Shin and Schnee both have skills to detect traps set by scouting units as well as hidden doors. It would be easier, on the contrary, to find if something had been tampered with.
“It looks like I can’t be of much help in a search like this.”
Konig’s tone was slightly frustrated.
“We’ll be back in under one hour, even if we can’t find anything. We are already close to the ritual site, so there’s the possibility of being attacked; please keep watch.”
“Understood. Be careful, then.”
The carriage was stopped just before the coast, then Shin and Schnee ran off in opposite directions.
Shin was running at a certain distance from the waves, sand rising up in his wake.
The seaside scenery continued unchanging, while on the other side trees and plants were blowing past him.
“No difference in the response?”
“Kuu, I don’t know…”
Shin talked to Yuzuha, riding on his shoulder, while trying to detect any suspicious signs. He had brought her along to check if the response would change along the way.
“It doesn’t feel like we’re getting farther either?”
“Kuu? It kind of feels like we’re getting farther…kind of feels like it’s the same…”
The disruption was still having effect, apparently.
Judging from Yuzuha’s words, Shin thought that there might be nothing in this direction, but he decided to keep going forward some more, to be sure.
“Kuu!! We’re far now!!”
After roughly 10 minutes, Yuzuha spoke up. The change in the response caused by the increased distance could not be disrupted, apparently.
“So Schnee had the right direction. Let’s go back, hold on tight!”
Shin rushed back, kicking up storms of sand behind him. Supporting Yuzuha, dragged and blown around by the wind pressure, with his left arm, Shin retraced his steps to the starting point.
“Kuu!! So fast!”
“I don’t have to inspect the surroundings now!! And I’ll go faster still!”
Shin had already confirmed that there was nothing to note on the path, so he increased the speed of his return.
As the sand made it hard to run, he proceeded where the terrain was harder. While running, he contacted Schnee via Mind Chat.
“(Shin here. It looks like the direction you took was the right one. As I ran, the enemy’s response grew farther. There’s the possibility of the enemy being on the move too, so better pay attention to the sky too.)”
“(Understood. If they have been moving, I will track them down.)”
“(I’m counting on you. I’ll tell Shibaid and the others to head your way. Contact me if anything happens.)”
Shin then closed the Mind Chat for the time being.
To track down someone without being noticed, Schnee’s job, “Kunoichi”, is the ideal one. It combines mobility, secrecy and a rich variety of tracking skills.
Even if she were to be found out, defeating Schnee and the reinforced 『Blue Moon』 she was equipped with was a feat for few. Even if she were to face an opponent stronger than her, she had the right skills and items to ensure she could escape.
“The problem is how many demons we’ll have to deal with.”
After informing Shibaid of the situation via Mind Chat, Shin thought about the enemy forces.
Demons become more and more human-like the higher their rank is, and their power grows accordingly. Judging from the silhouette Tiera saw at Palmirack, it was safe to assume that there was at least one Duke or higher class demon.
Duke class demons possessed intellect on par with humans. They would not appear by themselves without making contact with other demons, as it would happen in a game.
As there were former players too, it wouldn’t be strange if they cooperated with other demons, based on the information they had acquired.
“If they still operated per the game’s settings, we’d only have to deal with the one Tiera saw…based on what Schnee said, it seems the demons became active recently, so maybe the ones active are still few?”
At the very least, Shin was positive that the three demons called Lords had not awakened. The Miasma Lords release intense miasma around them from the very moment of their awakening, then start immediately raising their armies.
During the game era, Shin had seen several guilds pooling their forces to fight against the Miasma Lords’ armies’.
If such a thing had already happened, the continent he was in now wouldn’t have been left intact.
There was the possibility that they had awakened in other continents, but the Golden Company’s Berett wouldn’t have forgotten to mention something so important; it was a possibility they could rule out.
“In any case, we can’t do anything if we don’t find the entrance first.”
Shin saw the carriage rushing on the beach and stopped thinking for the moment.
He caught up to the carriage, avoiding the sand it was kicking up in its wake. While running alongside it, Shin waved to Tiera, the current coachman.
“Eh!? You’re back already?”
“Yeah, I’m getting on.”
Shin casually replied to the surprised Tiera and hopped on the carriage.
The carriage was running at high-speed despite the difficulty of the terrain, but inside no vibration could be felt, a quiet in deep contrast to its wild run. Its speed capabilities were so incredible that, at this point, the only thing the carriage had in common with other similar vehicles was the shape.
“OK, things will get serious now. Tiera, let me check, you are equipping your accessories, right?”
“Of course. Armor, weapons, everything is powered up as much as my stats allow, right? Well, I’m the weakest of the group, so I understand if you’re worried.”
The party didn’t know exactly how powerful their opponents would be this time, and Tiera’s level had increased, so her equipment had been renewed.
She wore a corset-like leather armor with a dark green jacket draped over it, brown hot pants and combat boots adorned with silver feathers. On her arms, arm protectors made with lustrous beast skin were equipped.
The added bonuses had boosted Tiera’s stats much higher than before.
Tiera was a bit concerned that the current equipment emphasized her chest area more than the old one, but it was the best piece of equipment she could wear at the moment, so she couldn’t really complain.
Her weapons too, obviously, were different.
Despite this equipment power-up however, she couldn’t help thinking about that her own abilities were much lower than the others.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. Among high-rank demons, there are plenty that even chosen ones have no hope of defeating. I told Schnee to not fight unless necessary because there is the possibility she might lose too.”
Shin’s voice was a whisper when he mentioned the part about Schnee.
“Master could…lose?”
Tiera was watching forward, but couldn’t help turning a surprised look towards Shin.
Schnee, after recovering 『Blue Moon』, her exclusive weapon, was much stronger than any average boss monster. She could also use the magic skills for wide-range destruction, now that their usage limitations had been partially lifted. It was hard to think of someone less fitting for the word “defeat”.
Even so, demons are not to be underestimated.
“Well, with me and Shibaid around too I doubt we’ll easily fall in that much danger. We have Kagerou too.”
Saying this, Shin looked at Kagerou, who was pulling the carriage.
In a way, Shin had something much more dangerous than Kagerou or the demons resting on his shoulder, saying “kuu kuu”…but no one seemed to worry for now.
“Sir Shin, if you have returned it means the enemy response is on Lady Yuki’s side?”
Konig waited for Shin and Tiera to finish their conversation before talking. He had already heard from Shibaid the reason for the carriage’s wild speed, so he was not concerned.
“That’s correct. We don’t know if it’s the ritual site, but we will definitely find the silhouette Tiera saw at Palmirack.”
“I see, hopefully she’s all right.”
Konig whispered the words to himself.
◆◆◆◆
“(Schnee here. I found the entrance to the cave.)”
It happened less than 5 minutes since they started running.
The awaited communication came from Schnee.
“(Great! What does the entrance’s surroundings look like?)”
“(I cannot tell clearly without going closer, but it’s bizarre. It is not concealed in any way, there aren’t any of the usual traps that signal the presence of intruders, nor anyone standing guard. I checked with 【Magic Sonar】, so I am positive it leads inside.)”
The joy of the discovery did not last long. After hearing Schnee’s words, Shin wondered if it wasn’t a totally unrelated, normal cave.
But the information he received after that placated his doubts.
【Magic Sonar】 was originally used to detect buried items and ore, but it could be adapted to search for hidden underground pathways and maps never visited before.
That was how Schnee could inspect the cave’s interior.
“We found the enemy’s hideout. It looks like the response’s target was heading back to base, then.”
After listening to Schnee’s report, Shin relayed the information to the other members in the carriage.
Konig was surprised at how easily they performed long-distance communication, but he seemed to know about Mind Chat, so he nodded in agreement.
Few adventurers are capable of using Mind Chat, but it wasn’t unusual for Shin’s party to be able to, or so concluded Konig.
“Are you sure about that!?”
“Yes, from Yuki’s observations, I think there’s no mistake. So please…stand back a little.”
Shin answered after pushing back Konig, who had unconsciously walked up a bit too close to him, a terribly stern look on his face.
Considering that there was a player among the enemies, they couldn’t completely discard the possibility of an illusory trap that could deceive even Schnee; but if such a thing happened, they’d just have to praise the user’s skill.
The work of an artisan who poured everything into trap making is something that not even those with scout as main job can see through easily.
“It doesn’t look like there are traps set around the entrance, but just in case, in a little while we’ll get off the carriage and walk. Konig, please take this.”
Shin materialized a green cloak from an item card and passed it to Konig.
“What is this?”
“A magic item specialized in concealment effects. Please be aware that in exchange, its defensive capabilities are almost non-existent.”
The item Shin had materialized was made with the thread produced by the larvae of the monster Mirage Butterfly, its name “Cloak of Hidden Threads”.
The cloak was made with the threads of a monster which couldn’t even be spotted without high level enemy detection or presence detection skills. True to such origins, simply wearing the cloak would render the user indistinguishable from their surroundings.
The equipment worn under it could be detected via sound or vibration, but if the enemy relied on visual information, it would have been difficult to find.
The carriage was stopped after a while and the party descended. Before starting to walk, Shin handed the same cloak to Tiera.
“This is yours. Kagerou…doesn’t need it, I suppose.”
“That’s right. Kagerou can hide by himself, after all.”
“Gruu.”
As they looked at Kagerou, he growled once, then slipped into the shadows. As Tiera said, there was nothing to worry about.
Shin and Shibaid could also take care of it by themselves.
“Yuki should be in the woods up ahead. Let’s go there first.”
For added security, Shin increased their stealth capabilities with the skills 【Hiding】 and 【Silent Domain】. Walking on the sand would leave clear footprints, so they walked on hardened ground, far from the sea.
At this point, one could worry about the carriage’s tracks; but maybe because the speed it moved at was not something normal for a carriage on sand, they were impossible to distinguish. It looked like the sand it kicked up in its wake had covered the tracks.
After storing the carriage and hiding the tracks left by its weight, they were done.
(I guess I should run a check.)
To be sure, Shin activated his full range of detection-type skills on the surroundings: 【Search】, 【Sign Perception】, and trap detection skills.
He couldn’t find any sign of traps or monsters, but he felt a certain chill in the air.
Something not caused by a skill, a sensation he couldn’t quite put into words.
(I can’t make it clear, either because it’s something caused by a technique different than a skill, or my ability isn’t high enough.)
Yet again, the concern that occupied his thoughts so often surfaced to mind.
No matter how high his stats might be, fighting in a game would not allow him to hide his presence or detect others’ presence like real masters can.
As for Shin, the only moment when he can do it is when engaged in a battle to the death with other humans.
For monsters’ presence, he can only rely on skills.
“Once this is over, I have to train again thoroughly…”
Shin wasn’t sure why he thought something like that at a time like this. But he felt that he couldn’t just leave things the way they were.
“Did you say something?”
“No, nothing.”
Inside 【Silent Domain】, normally all sound is canceled, but it is also possible to prevent all inside sound to leak outside. Nothing prevented normal conversation while inside the area of effect.
“Now then, the woods where Yuki is waiting should be in sight any moment…over there?”
Looking at Schnee’s response as displayed on the map, Shin changed directions and proceeded. After five minutes, trees started appearing here and there, and around ten minutes later, they arrived in an area of thick vegetation.
“There she is.”
Schnee too, had detected Shin’s presence, so she had sent them a signal from the woods. Members of the same party could still see and hear each other, even if others couldn’t.
“Did anything happen before we arrived?”
“No, no one came out or went inside. The entrance is over there.”
Everyone looked in the direction Schnee pointed at.
“I see, so this is why we couldn’t see it. Maybe it’s an entrance they aren’t aware of? It does look like they’re using the coastal cave though.”
“That would explain why no one is standing guard.”
What the party was looking at was the sea. But Shin and Shibaid could see a cave entrance, of roughly 3 mels, under the water.
As Schnee said, there was no sign of guards or traps.
“Er, all I can see is the sea…?”
“Same for me.”
“It looks like the entrance is underwater. It’s located around 20 mels from the coastline, no mistake. In that exact point, the sea becomes suddenly much deeper. Rather than entrance, I supposed it’s better to call it a 3 mels hole.”
Shin related what he had seen to Tiera and Konig, who lacked the ability to see through water.
No one would come swimming or fishing in a beach infested by monsters, so normally it would have probably never been found.
“Under the sea?”
“Yes. The regular entrance is probably somewhere else. This is clearly a hidden entrance, perfect for our infiltration plan.”
If Shin’s prediction was correct, it was a great stroke of luck for the party. Finding a route the enemy wasn’t aware of didn’t happen often.
“But could the enemy really be unaware of it? They probably thoroughly searched the area that they’re going to use as a base…”
“I agree with her.”
Tiera and Konig voiced their opinion.
“Yuki is inspecting the interior of the cave with a magic skill. It looks like the water will gradually recede as you proceed inside. We also have the means to fight underwater, so don’t worry. Rather, you’re already pretty much ready, Tiera.”
“Oh, so that’s what “it” was for.”
Tiera seemed to realize something after hearing Shin’s words. As they were going to a location near the sea, a certain enchantment was placed on her equipment.
“What is this “it”, Lady Tiera?”
“Among all armor enchantments, there’s one that changes the armor’s shape, to allow the user to act underwater. It’s attached to Tiera’s armor, and I checked that it was working.”
There are skills that boost the user’s movement underwater, but in case the user is wearing heavy full-body armor, they aren’t exactly useful.
The user would not have difficulty swimming, but simply sink.
As long as the skills are active, the user wouldn’t drown. But that’s the whole extent of what they can do.
Even if the user was wearing light gear, stat debuffs would be applied to movement, attack and defense.
That is what would happen if one acted underwater with above-ground equipment in THE NEW GATE.
In order to swim like a fish, specific preparations and training were required; first of all, applying the enchantment 【Shapeshift】 to the equipment.
“Along with the shape, do mass and defense power change as well?”
“There’s often more skin exposure, in your case, Konig, a special membrane with the same defense power and durability as your armor would envelop your body, so there’s no actual change of defensive power. As for the mass…well, it becomes absurdly lighter. I don’t really know the reason why, though.”
To put it simply, armor enchanted with 【Shapeshift】 would turn into swimwear.
A defensive membrane would then cover the exposed parts, protecting the user from enemy attacks.
In this state, attack speed with weapons would be nearly the same as on land, so it was possible to fight as well as on ground, after getting used to it.
Those who become used to fighting underwater can swim freely, like penguins or even mermaids.
However, a problem that during the game era could be explained with “that’s just how it works” can’t be taken care of so easily, now that the game has become reality. Why does armor turn into swimwear only? What happens to the mass? Shin had no explanation to offer.
Incidentally, the type of swimwear the armor changes into is decided automatically when the enchantment is placed on the armor, and randomly too.
There were myriads of possible results; most of them were orthodox types, the risqué ones were so rare they were considered jokes.
“Generally, the armor changes into swimwear as one enters the water. It’s also possible to change shape at will. I can explain more once the enchantment is placed on your armor, Konig.”
“By the way, what is this “swimwear” you mentioned? Equipment for underwater use?”
“Yes, well, something like that. It looks like plain clothes, though.”
“Clothes? Hmm…the world of skills is complex indeed…”
Konig didn’t seem to understand well what the words “clothes to use in water” meant. He rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
“You’ll understand once you wear it. This enchantment can be applied immediately, so please stay still for a moment.”
Having said this, Shin applied 【Shapeshift】 to Konig’s armor, which shone brightly and transformed into a pair of swimming trunks. Only 『Haufer』 didn’t change shape and was resting at Konig’s waist as before.
“Th, this…does this really have any defensive power!?”
“Don’t worry. I was the one to propose this, so I’ll show you in practice; please try to slash me.”
“I, I see.”
Shin changed his equipment’s shape. His swimwear was similar to what an athlete would wear, tightly fitting and with little water resistance.
As Shin put his arm forward, Konig -with some hesitation- did as he was told, and lightly swung 『Haufer』 towards Shin’s arm.
Before colliding with Shin’s arm, however, it was stopped by something; the blade could not reach the skin.
“I see, despite how it may look, there’s no reason to worry about defense.”
Konig tried on his own arms, verifying again the presence of the protective film.
“Shin and I shall go on a first inspection. We have to factor in the underwater sea currents as well, there could be unexpected dangers.”
Schnee talked when she had judged Shin and the party’s preparations to be complete.
As they had already discussed what to do beforehand, no one had objections to raise.
“I’m going first. Keep watching the surroundings and follow me.”
“Yes.”
As Schnee stepped on the beach, her equipment changed shape.
The white sunlight was now shining on her candid skin.
Schnee’s swimsuits shape was a light blue bikini and a pareo, covering her left leg up to the knee. The pareo was longer on the left leg’s side, while the right leg was almost completely bare.
They were on a mission in enemy territory, to rescue the victim of kidnapping, so no one’s eyes were overly stolen by the elf’s swaying chest.
(If only the circumstances were different, I’d have enjoyed a swim in the sea…)
You blasted demons…! With this slight feeling of resentment, Shin dove against the waves under water.
Schnee followed him immediately.
They could see several mels ahead, thanks to the water’s transparency. It was Shin’s first time swimming after the game had become reality, so he took his time to get used to the water.
(Nothing feels off, for now.)
He had fought several times in his current body, and he had become quite apt at controlling its strength too.
He didn’t feel like he was borrowing someone else’s body and could swim as easily as he could during the game era. It was not a mysterious sensation as the one born by magical power, so he assumed it was him getting used to the body.
“No problem breathing either. Schnee, can you hear me?”
After activating 【Dive X】, Shin talked to Schnee.
It was a support skill for underwater movement, which if leveled up would lessen the negative stat changes derived from underwater action. It made it possible to breathe and talk too, thus allowing normal communication.
At low levels it would only last for roughly 10 minutes, but at the highest level, X, it allowed the user to spend a full day in water, without breaks.
“Yes, it looks like we can talk normally too.”
Schnee’s words reached Shin’s ears. No noise disturbed them, it was just like speaking on ground.
“Let’s go then.”
After confirming that the skill was working properly, Shin and Schnee headed towards the entrance of the cave.
There was no sign of human or monster presence in the surroundings.
“There really isn’t anything around here…”
“This utter lack of defenses almost makes me think that they could be trying to lure us in…”
Shin acknowledged Schnee’s concern and used 【Magic Sonar】, 【Search】, and 【Sign Perception】 to inspect the interior of the cave more deeply and widely.
However, there was no sign of an ambush. The terrain itself was not suitable for ambushing.
“Let’s go a little bit further, if there really is nothing dangerous we’ll call the others and proceed together. We have no way of knowing if they are aware of our movements or not, after all. Let’s keep our eyes peeled and go on.”
“That’s the only way, I suppose.”
There was no end to their suspicions, so they decided to cast them away for the moment. Using precious time and risking putting Hermie in more danger was definitely not worth it.
The two entered the cavern and proceeded, wary of any traps.
“There’s someone.”
“It appears they haven’t noticed us yet.”
After roughly 10 minutes, Shin and Schnee had reached a small clearing in the cave, which housed a small lake. The path they had followed ended at the lake, but according to the map the body of water did not lead outside the cave.
Judging from the light shining on the water and the response from 【Sign Perception】, one person was in the lake, where the water was more shallow.
Shin, who had entered the lake without noise, activated 【Hiding】 and poked his head from the surface of the lake.
There he found several globes of light floating above the lake and, with her back to Shin, a woman submerged in water up to her hips.
The light globes were produced by the Light-type magic skill 【Instant Light】. It was a skill to create simple shining globes with no offensive or defensive capabilities, used often when exploring dark caves.
The woman was naked from her waist up. She was rather short, with white hair. Her body could not be defined easily too; it’s like a thin boy or a petite girl.
Seeing her, Shin had a hunch and used 【Analyze】.
“Milt – Level 255 – Conjurer”
“Affected by : 【Charm X】, 【Sleep VIII】, 【High Confusion IX】”
(Just as I thought…but what’s going on here…?)
Not even Shin could have predicted the status ailments.
First of all, the 【Sleep】 status would force the affected to sleep, preventing any movement.
Yet Milt was moving normally, as if nothing was affecting her.
Shin, however, was not completely unfamiliar with such a state.
Cardinal Greyl, who had warped Shin and Rionne from Bayreuth to the Sacred Place, was affected with 【Charm】 and 【Confusion】 in the same way.
The cardinal had managed to operate the console even in such a state. Apparently, even under the effect of such status conditions, one’s consciousness partly remained.
Shin thought that the same thing was likely happening to Milt now.
That considered, what was the next step to take…? Shin reflected.
Milt was Hermie’s kidnapper. There was no doubt that she was a member of “Ouroboros’ Hollow”.
Unmistakably, she was to be considered an enemy.
Additionally, she did not have anything equipped now; her defensive powers were at their lowest levels.
If Shin attacked her by surprise, he would have certainly been able to finish her.
“(It’s Hermie’s kidnapper, correct? Do you think we can subdue her now, without causing a commotion?)”
“(We could probably capture her, but she’s a former player too. Is it possible to use Mind Chat even under paralysis?)”
“(Yes, it’s possible. If we leave her asleep, we could make sure she never contacts her allies, though.)”
“(The problem is, she’s already affected by 【Sleep】. Since she can move in that state, it’s probably impossible to keep her asleep. It would be difficult to keep her unconscious too. If she can use Mind Chat, restraining her would be meaningless. Which means…)”
….the only way is to kill her.
Without voicing this thought, Shin looked again at Milt.
Schnee looked at Shin, but with an uneasy look in her eyes.
(This is a situation impossible in the game, and I have no solution…then, why do I feel that there’s still time…?)
Such an inexplicable sensation left Shin uncertain on how to move for several seconds.
Killing her was only in case she was an enemy. However, Milt was clearly not lucid, so Shin couldn’t decide to regard her as an enemy.
“…..who goes there?”
Just a few seconds had passed. As if she was waiting for that moment, a soprano-like voice resounded in the space previously dominated only by the sound of water.
Milt’s red eyes were unmistakably looking at Shin and Schnee. Yet even if they were looking in their direction, her gaze seemed to be lost in space.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 07 - Uprising of Demons/The-New-Gate-Volume-07-Uprising-of-Demons-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_07_Chapter_03_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 2
“….eh? You’re…Shin?”
“!?”
Shin was surprised to hear his name from Milt’s lips.
His face was visible only from the eyes and above. 【Analyze】 couldn’t be used when the target’s face wasn’t completely visible.
Milt was one of the top players among those caught in the death game. It wouldn’t be strange for her to identify Shin via 【Analyze】, but it was a mystery how she had found out it was him before even trying that skill.
“(I will deal with her. I don’t know if Milt noticed your presence too, but it’s best if you stay hidden.)”
“(Understood…her spirit’s condition is abnormal too, please be careful.)”
Shin nodded without turning back and emerged from the water as naturally as he could, in order to keep Milt’s focus on him.
His eyes never left Milt.
“How did you know it was me?”
“I have practiced spirit techniques focusing on the water element, after all. My Undine is a dear friend, and you were underwater. I don’t think I need to explain further.”
“Ah, a technique that wasn’t in the game…no, I should stop thinking in these terms.”
Shin didn’t know what spirits were. He discarded that opinion, reminding himself to stop thinking with a game-like frame of mind.
“I’m glad you understood so quickly. I too have something to ask you, can I? I didn’t contact the others, so rest easy.”
“Well isn’t that grand. What do you want to know?”
Milt’s expression became stern after Shin’s question. After staring at Shin for several seconds, she spoke.
“Are you really Shin?”
“At the very least, I think I am. I don’t know if it’ll be enough proof, but I remember the battle when I cut you down.”
Shin talked about his final battle with Milt. Some of the information he mentioned was only known to them.
“I see, you really are Shin…but if you are in this world, then it means you died? Did someone kill you? Or was it a monster?”
“No one killed me. I was pretty surprised myself when I got here.”
“I bet. I was completely lost too, at the beginning.”
Shin continued the conversation while studying Milt’s reactions. Time passed, but no other presence was entering his field of perception.
Rather, Shin noticed that Milt’s way of talking had changed. Her polite speech was gradually turning into a somewhat childish one.
“You came here to destroy the ritual, I guess?”
“Who knows.”
“You don’t need to hide it. I’m sure you did. The Shin I know would never ignore something so cruel. Because Shin is scary….and….kin…d….”
“…..Milt?”
Shin called to Milt when her words started to sound feverish. She had been talking happily until a moment ago, but her expression had gradually turned into a grimace of pain.
“Ah, aaah…Shi…n…? It can’t…be….I’m, dea…..d…? Aaah…Shin…Shinshinshinshinnn!!”
Milt started moving while repeating Shin’s name.
Creating ripples in the water, she moved next to Shin in an instant. Even if her mental state was abnormal, her physical body remembered her movements and reproduced them perfectly.
A deranged smile was on her face.
“I felt something was off…so I was right.”
After muttering a curse, Shin prepared to fight back. He caught her right hand, which was aiming for a palm strike, with his left hand, then stopped her left knee strike with his right hand.
Milt, thus unable to move one arm and leg, tried to kick Shin with her right leg. Shin let go of her limbs and dodged the kick aimed at his chin.
He had cast 【Cure】 to heal her status ailments, but black mist had covered the attacking Milt’s body; the magic skill had not affected her.
However, Shin’s 【Cure】 had dispelled most of the black mist. Using it one more time would have likely generated the desired effects.
Possibly because of the mist’s disappearance, Milt’s expression started to seem confused. She had put distance between them, as if scared by something, and started to attack randomly, like a complete beginner.
Shin drew closer to Milt, while nullifying the continuous magic attacks with his innate resistance.
“I wan…ted..wanted…to see yo….where….fight…sleepy…scary…”
The words coming out of Milt’s mouth were scattered, broken. Shin thought she was reliving memories of the death game.
His assumption came from the knowledge of her reason for being so obsessed with fighting.
“….am I, alive? I will, wake up? No….if so…then…”
Milt’s next words cleared all of his remaining doubts.
“Someone, please……………kill, me.”
“I refuse.”
Milt’s words left her lips as tears streamed down her cheeks, but Shin refused her.
He stopped both of her arms with his right hand, then grabbed her head with his left hand.
“Come back to normal already!”
The skill he used blew away all the mist haunting Milt’s body.
He had infused more magic power in this second 【Cure】, which easily blew past the mist’s resistance and healed Milt’s status ailments.
Milt’s status was now normal. However, possibly because of the mental burden, she had lost consciousness.
Shin couldn’t leave her lying naked like that, so he materialized a mantle and laid it on her.
“If even someone her level ended up manipulated, there are demons on a whole other level than the one in Bayreuth.”
“A Duke class, maybe? Or even…”
“Could be a Grand Duke.”
Milt’s stats were high enough that, with the right equipment, she could fight toe to toe with Kagerou. Being a poison user, she had trained her resistances to status ailments too.
Despite that, she had been affected by powerful status ailments.
Whoever had put Milt under their control was someone with abilities equal or superior to hers.
“Hn…”
While Shin and Schnee were talking, Milt mumbled softly.
As she slowly opened her eyes, maybe because she noticed the presence of people in the vicinity, she looked towards Shin.
“Eh…Shin…?”
“Hey there, you’re awake?”
“Ah, yes….eh? Shin!? Why!? Aaah! Why am I naked?!?”
Milt fully regained consciousness, slightly panicking after noticing her state. She apparently had no recollection of recent events and was rightfully confused, voicing questions such as “Where am I!?” or “Why is my body all sticky!?”
“Er….anyway, let’s calm down, OK?”
“Shin, why are you naked too…? C-could it be that you have taken advan–?!”
“I haven’t!! And look better, I’m wearing a swimsuit! I’m not naked!”
Shin couldn’t help but interrupt Milt’s words, whacking the girl looking up at him, wrapped in the mantle, over the head.
“Hitting her on the head in her current state would be too much, I think…?”
“Nah, no problem if it’s her.”
“Uuh…you’re merciless…”
Shin looked over at Schnee, showing her that there was nothing to worry about, then turned to Milt again.
Milt had somewhat calmed down, thanks to Shin’s chop, and focused on understanding her current situation and whereabouts.
“So have we calmed down now?”
“My head hurts, though. But this lack of mercy is just like you, Shin. First of all, could you tell me what I was doing here, and naked?”
“Before that, tell me how much you remember. You just jumped at me, you know. Well, I guess you could wear something first.”
Shin demanded an explanation from Milt, arguing that he had the right to ask first.
Milt put some clothes on, finally looking presentable, and started talking while massaging her head.
“…..and that’s all I can remember. It’s all blurry after that…I felt my consciousness return fully when I saw your face in front of me.”
Milt explained how she had joined ‘Ouroboros’ Hollow’ in her search of strong opponents; she had visited this cave in an escort mission for the Summit Faction, but then her memories became muddled.
She had surely met someone, but couldn’t remember who it was.
“I see, they basically did what they wanted with you.”
“Aah…I have no excuses.”
Milt’s head hung in shame for letting something like that happen to her.
Having fallen to someone’s manipulation had hit her deep.
“Shin, you’re going to rescue the person I kidnapped, right?”
“Yes, along with someone else though.”
“Could you take me with you? I have to put an end to what I caused, with my own hands.”
Her tone of voice was calm, but Shin felt that Milt was angry.
She had a peculiar code even in her PK days; she would only start a fight to the death if the opponent agreed to it. Even if she had been manipulated, she probably didn’t want to blame others for something she had done.
“More fighting power is always welcome, but there are people close to the girl you kidnapped on our side, you know?”
“That’s fine. Or rather, that means I should do it even more. I only kill when I am attacked with killing intent, or the opponent agrees to a duel to the death. I dislike and have no intention of assisting kidnapping or blackmailing. I had no control over what I did this time, but it doesn’t change that it was me. I have to make amends.”
Milt’s expression stiffened.
Shin saw it and thought that she wasn’t trying to deceive them.
“(Schnee, what do you think?)”
“(At the very least, I don’t think she’s acting. Because her contract spirit seems to have placated too. It was probably concerned about its master’s abnormal state.)”
After hearing Schnee’s opinion via Mind Chat, Shin thought that it could be a good idea to bring Milt along.
It would mean to add a former enemy among their ranks, but Shin knew Milt’s personality; he was sure that even if they didn’t bring her along, she would act on her own.
“Got it. You can come with us, and it’ll be a great help if you cooperated with us. But only if you don’t act on your own accord. If you stand in the way of our objectives, then I really won’t have any mercy.”
“I know that well. Fighting against you is an extremely charming prospect, but I couldn’t enjoy it in this situation.”
Milt seemed to understand that she wasn’t actually trusted and nodded with conviction.
“No need to be charmed. We’ve wasted enough time, let’s go back for now. You have 【Shapeshift】 attached, yes?”
“No problem, look.”
Milt answered Shin’s question and transformed her equipment.
Her battle wear, oriental styled with a great amount of skin exposure, changed shape adhering to Milt’s body.
“A school swimsuit…but why…”
Milt’s transformed swimwear left Shin at a loss for words. Like a good student, she even had “Milt” printed on the swimsuit’s chest area.
Re-attaching the enchantment 【Shapeshift】 as many times as needed would allow the user to pick their favourite type of swimsuit.
For that reason, during the game era very few wore swimwear considered “for fetishists”, like school swimsuits or string-type swimwear.
“Hehehe, I will let you know that this shape grants a 10% speed boost to underwater movement!”
“Who even programmed this…”
Shocked and defeated to learn of this surprising bonus, Shin swam back at high speed, his party in tow.
“I might as well introduce you, she’s more or less my former support character, Schnee. She’s strong, but don’t get any weird ideas.”
Thinking it weird to not do their introductions, Shin decided to do it first.
“And this is Milt. She’s an advanced player they used to call “Milt the Poison Lolita” during the game era.”
“Po, poison Lolita…?”
“Hey!! What kind of introduction is that!? I didn’t choose to be this short anyway!”
Shin had exposed Milt’s nickname in a completely casual manner.
Milt’s height was the same as her real body, 145 cemel.
She had apparently used her real self’s face in the game, with her still innocent-looking features, more on the cute than the beautiful side.
However, her body was a junior high school student’s at most. It would be a bit of a stretch even to think of her as a high schooler.
One of VR’s characteristics was the inability to change significantly not only one’s facial features, but also one’s physique.
“She got that nickname because she looks like a lolita and is a poison user. They also called her stuff like “Mini Berserker”.”
“There’s always something saying how short I am ! My main job is conjurer after all, and I might be small but I’m not flat!”
Saying so, Milt pushed up her chest with her hands.
The swimsuit, which was already considerably stretched, changed shape under Milt’s hands.
Her chest had been “touched up” to the point that one could imagine she had went a little overboard when creating her avatar. Such symbols of maternity was already quite prominent in their natural state, but now they looked slightly lewd.
Added to Milt’s looks, this Lolita + Big breasts + School swimsuit combination created a very “dangerous” view.
“If you have time to act silly, then speed up. And once we get on land, stop messing around.”
“First you reveal my nicknames, but then you ignore me, huh…reminds me of how cold the old Shin was.”
“It’s just your imagination. Do you feel any change in your condition, by the way?”
“Ah, no. I’m alright. Even if I was under control, I was practically sleeping. My head doesn’t hurt or spin. No problem even I’m poked fun at, like you just did.”
Milt had noticed that Shin had tried to annoy her on purpose and stopped complaining.
She didn’t look like she was forcing herself. Her HP and MP had not changed either and her status showed a complete recovery.
“Anyway, I have to applaud your lack of any reaction after seeing this physique of mine. And I thought that this kind of body would be more popular with boys than my real life one.”
What a shame…so muttered Milt, in a manner that made it hard to tell how serious she was.
Shin didn’t find Milt unappealing either. But he wasn’t the kind of person to react to nudity or sexiness in a situation like that.
“You’re a mystery as usual.”
“A woman of mystery, that’s who I am.”
“Don’t puff up your chest dressed like that. We’re almost there.”
Shin spoke while looking at the light filtering from above the water. The three had reached the shore in a few minutes.
“Sir Shin, who is this person?”
Their return had been slightly late, but the party had come back safely. Noticing the added presence of Milt, though, spurred the question from Konig.
“Ah…I’ll explain, so please listen until the end.”
As Milt would join their entourage, her true identity had to be revealed.
Milt, above all, was Hermie’s kidnapper. If they hid the truth now, and it was revealed by a turn of events later, things would likely take an unfortunate turn, so it was decided to reveal the truth now.
“………”
After the explanation, Konig remained in deep silence.
He had grabbed his blade’s hilt as he heard the newcomer’s name, but somehow Shin managed to explain to the end.
“You really don’t remember anything?”
After a long silence, Konig asked a question with a calm tone.
From Konig’s viewpoint, as one of the victims and Hermie’s personal guard, simply hearing “she was manipulated, there was no other way” was obviously not enough to convince him.
“I can’t make any excuses about that. But I too resent having been used that way. Shin saved me after all, so I want to show my gratitude. I know my words are less than convincing, but at least I am confident I could match a divine beast in battle.”
Milt spoke while looking directly at Konig. Her eyes expressed that she had no intention of backing out.
“I knew it would turn out like this…”
Shin had expected this development, so he carried Konig away, without missing a beat.
“Sir Shin, I do not mean to doubt you, but will this really be all right?”
“I know what you mean. But it would not be wise to act separately. You also know how strong she is, right?”
Konig was not in prime condition at the time, but Milt had easily bested him. Her stats were also higher than his.
Even using Shin’s map and detection abilities to the fullest, it would have been difficult to find Hermie, who was not a member of their party or a support character.
The cave interior, which was mostly artificial, was quite large, even considering only the extent they were aware of. They had to look for Hermie while avoiding traps and enemy eyes, definitely not an easy feat.
Even if they let Milt go, if she was found Shin’s party’s freedom of movement would be limited as well; and if a Grand Duke-class demon was among the enemy ranks, they would have to go confront it.
Considering that there were also chosen ones among the enemies, there was nothing to lose in having as much fighting power as possible.
“Well, if we used one of these we wouldn’t have to worry about betrayal.”
With these words, Shin pulled out one of the Submission Collars retrieved from Bulk’s room.
“Guh.”
Konig let out a frustrated grunt.
He too knew that Milt’s eyes were not lying.
Besides, he probably would not want to use the Submission Collar on someone who wasn’t some despicable villain, but had just been manipulated.
“….I suppose there is no other way.”
Konig cast away his personal feelings and agreed.
“My name’s Milt. My race is High Pixie and I’m a Conjurer. This is my dear Undine friend, her name is Nel. Anyway, everyone is so strong here! Why don’t we fight later?”
Milt introduced herself to the party while Shin was away. Although the last part was unnecessary.
After that, they heard from Milt all the information she remembered about the cave’s layout, to speculate where Hermie was held and the ritual would take place.
After all party members reviewed their roles, the party started moving.
◆◆◆◆
“To think that it’s possible to speak underwater.”
Tiera muttered this comment while swimming next to Shin on their way towards the cave.
Her swimsuit was a brilliant green bikini, and a necklace imbued with the skill 【Dive V】 floated above her chest.
“Even though I’m using the same skill too, I have no idea how it’s possible to talk underwater though.”
“There’s no air forming around our mouths either, so it’s a mystery how we can breathe too. Well, thanks to this we can move through the water, so I suppose I’ll just accept not understanding how it works.”
The whole party was heading towards the underwater cave’s entrance.
Yuzuha and Kagerou were in tow, dog paddling behind them.
They passed the lake where Shin and Milt met and proceeded forward, wary of any traps or guards.
As long as Shin and Schnee made full use of their detection skills, only an exceptionally intricate trap could slip through their vigilance.
“There are a lot of dwellings and storage rooms in the shallow areas. I guess the more important parts are deeper?”
“Probably, yes. I remember I went down a fair distance. Even though this isn’t their headquarters, the Summit Faction is a large organization. They even reinforced the cave’s walls to prevent them from crumbling easily.”
“I should have guessed. When there are many holes, all it would take is just one earthquake to wipe it off the map.”
The walls were bumpy and uneven, but the path was wide enough for 4 adults to walk side by side.
There also were many large hall-like clearings, personal rooms, and storage rooms; if they had built so many without reinforcing the walls, they would have definitely crumbled sooner or later.
Shin’s party proceeded deeper and deeper while checking the map for the room they were looking for. Since they searched each floor they visited, their progress couldn’t be very fast.
“What’s this?”
Roughly 1 hour since they started their descent, Shin’s 【Magic Sonar】 picked up a larger clearing in the map.
It was far larger than the rooms used as storage rooms. It appeared that there was something in the back of it, but 【Magic Sonar】 couldn’t scan the room completely, so it was only partly displayed on the map.
“Could it be the ritual site?”
Schnee whispered softly.
“It could be. What do you say, Milt?”
“I think you guessed right. I do remember it was a large room.”
It was possible for Hermie to be imprisoned near the ritual site; Shin and the others proceeded downwards, while searching the surroundings even more carefully than before.
“…..Shin.”
As they were descending, Shibaid called to Shin, who was walking next to him.
“What’s wrong?”
“It certainly looks like there are Grand Duke-class demons here.”
“I can’t pick up anything in my detection range, though…?”
“I can feel their fighting spirit. This stale, foul feeling…it’s a “War God”-type, no doubt about it.”
Shibaid’s eyes were fixed in one direction as they walked, his words filled with conviction.
Shin asked Schnee with his eyes, but she shook her head.
As Schnee had previously felt something other than miasma, Shibaid had probably felt something the other party members couldn’t.
There was no proof for his words, but no one doubted Shibaid. Konig and Milt knew that it was not odd for those who dedicate themselves to battle to be able to feel the presence of other powerful warriors.
Tiera also did not say anything, probably because she too possessed a similar unique sense.
“A solo type, maybe. Hopefully there aren’t raid types then.”
The humanlike demons called “War God”-type, compared to raid-types, had fixed conditions to defeating them, so it was not impossible to take them down even when fought for the first time.
They were still powerful enemies, but considering the expected spent time and sustained damage to defeat them, they were still easier targets than others.
“We’re almost at what could be the ritual site. Let’s continue talking later.”
The whole party shut their mouths at Schnee’s warning.
The detection fields did not pick up anything in particular.
With Shin and Schnee leading, the party headed towards the place thought to be the ritual site.
“Kuu! This place is yucky!”
“Gruu!!”
Yuzuha and Kagerou suddenly became agitated. Their whole bodies’ fur stood up, as if they were trying to intimidate something.
“What’s wrong now?”
Yuzuha answered Shin’s question, expressing her thoughts while stumbling on her words.
According to her, this location was a node of Ley lines, but because of the miasma their original function was inhibited.
“You can feel it?”
“It’s the same as the place I was before, it feels sick here, kuu…”
The clearing seemed absolutely normal, but they soon realized that there was a very large magic circle drawn on the ground. The material reinforcing the walls and ground was clearly different from the other rooms too.
Apparently, this magic circle was part of what was negatively influencing the flow of the Ley lines that Yuzuha had talked about.
“The stench of blood is strong here, after all. Who knows what gruesome things they have been up to in here…after all they did to us, let’s show them what our craft can do.”
In case they couldn’t find Hermie, the party retraced part of the magic circle, in order to prevent it from activating.
Shin was not familiar with magic circles so large as to encompass a whole floor, so Schnee directed the operation.
“Okay then, time to see what’s ahead.”
After the modification of the magic circle was completed, the party assembled before the door leading beyond the ritual site.
It was a heavy door 4 mels high and 3 mels wide. It was locked as well, but before Shin’s party the lock was no different than a toy.
Shin and Shibaid pushed open the door, which clearly had to be guarding something important.
Maybe because it had been used with care, the door opened without so much as a sound. The scenery behind it, however, was something no one could have expected.
“Are you kidding me..”
Shin unconsciously muttered under his breath.
Before their eyes lied a gigantic crystal, roughly 10 mels tall. Its transparency was so high that it looked like artificially polished glass.
Because of that, the thing…rather, the living being inside the crystal could be clearly seen.
“Is that…Filma?”
Schnee whispered the name of the person in front of her eyes.
It was, without a shred of a doubt, Shin’s 2nd support character, Filma Tolmeya.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 07 - Uprising of Demons/The-New-Gate-Volume-07-Uprising-of-Demons-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_07_Chapter_03_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 3
Filma Tolmeya.
Shoulder-length hair with a color between red and violet, the same color as the eyes of this High Lord.
However, that color could not be seen now as her eyes were closed.
Maybe because of her race’s longevity, or the special effect of the crystal might have possessed, she did not look at all different than how Shin remembered her, despite the fact that 500 years had passed.
Her chest, on par with Schnee’s, and the magical armor adorned in black and violet around her waist were shining as they did in the past.
“This is a crystal of…Drop of Erathem?”
Shin gazed at the crystal entrapping Filma, an expression of utter surprise.
In the game, he thought it was a simple magic crystal, but after using 【Analyze】 he had realized it was actually an ancient-class material named Drop of Erathem.
“Does this mean that she was hit by a burst of magical power of insane proportions?”
Depending on the size, this material would be polished and used as a weapon. If one ended up trapped in it, not even Filma could have broken out by herself.
Considering the fact that her appearance hadn’t changed and that『Exvaine』 no longer recognized Filma, the original owner, Shin speculated that the Drop of Erathem’s magical power had cast a strong seal on Filma.
“Do you know her?”
“Yes, she’s the comrade we weren’t able to contact.”
Shin answered with a nod to Konig’s question.
In this state, it was obviously impossible to communicate.
“Hey, Shin. The demons started being active recently, right?”
“So it seems. We don’t know if it was because they couldn’t act, or they simply didn’t.”
Shin answered Milt’s question based on the information he had gotten from Schnee.
“Do you think that this could be related somehow?”
Milt spoke while pointing at the crystal which imprisoned Filma. It appeared that Milt too felt something coming from it.
“….it’s possible. Same for the miasma too, but a crystal as large as this found on top of the Ley line…it wouldn’t be weird for a connection to be there, right?”
“That’s right, I don’t think there were any quests where you could find Drop of Erathem near Ley lines either.”
Drop of Erathem would form in locations where magical power accumulated. Places like Ley lines, where energy would always flow, were not suitable.
“Regarding miasma and Ley lines, though, something similar happened in another place.”
Shin remembered what happened at the shrine where he met Yuzuha. What Shin now knew is that the demons had a certain reason to meddle with the Ley lines.
“(Kuu, I feel something powerful from under that rock. But that rock is yucky too.)”
Thanks to her deep connection with the Ley lines, Yuzuha could apparently clearly feel the power sealed under the crystal. She did not seem to know what a crystal was. Even such a precious item was a rock in Yuzuha’s eyes.
The usually curious Yuzuha wouldn’t move from Shin’s shoulder this time.
“Hey Shin, just what is this…?”
Tiera drew closer to Shin, who was lost in thought.
“It’s a peculiar item called Drop of Erathem. I’ve never seen one this large, though…”
Shin gave a simple explanation to Tiera, who looked at the crystal as if she saw an incredible thing. Even after hearing Shin’s words however, her expression remained clouded.
“What’s wrong?”
“The magic power trapped here…it’s tainted. Uugh…why…is this…”
Shin was concerned as Tiera’s behavior was rather unusual.
As if answering his doubts, Tiera put her right hand over her mouth and sat down. She held her own body with her left arm and, while it was shaking violently, tears started falling from her eyes.
“Wh-hey Tiera! What happened to you?”
Thinking that Tiera’s sudden change had been caused by a Mind-type skill, Shin quickly checked her status. There was no change, however, nothing to explain why Tiera had suddenly burst into tears.
“Tiera, please be strong. You must not lend them your ears.”
Schnee had noticed Tiera’s abnormal state, ran close to her and spoke to her in a calm, clear tone. She took Tiera’s head and turned it towards her, looking at her straight in the eyes.
“Master…this is, this is…”
“What have you felt?”
“I heard…screams. “Stop it, please save me…”. And another voice who heard them, and laughed…”
Tiera stringed words together, her body stiff, immobile.
Noticing the unusual situation, Shibaid and Konig too stopped searching the surroundings and listened to Tiera’s words.
“Sch…Yuki, what’s going on?”
“I suppose she heard the voices of the people that were killed here.”
Schnee spoke as she was calming Tiera, focusing on listening to their surroundings.
Elves had sharp senses, which apparently included their sixth sense as well.
“I cannot speak in detail, but Tiera’s sixth sense is more sensitive than other elves. I am not particularly sensitive to such influences, but still I can hear whispers. I suppose that a great number of people have been killed here.”
Schnee, her brow furrowed, caressed Tiera’s back.
“The presence that permeated the other room seems to be focused in this crystal. The magic circle that we changed before contained this mechanism too.”
“I see…even I feel there’s something wrong with this crystal. It could be the central point that’s casting an influence on the Ley lines.”
Listening to Yuzuha and Schnee, Shin started viewing the crystal’s brilliance as something ominous.
“I suppose it is best not to touch it without the necessary preparations?”
“That’s right. You can feel why if you go closer, the miasma stench is overwhelming.”
Shin entrusted Tiera to Schnee and walked closer to the crystal, then nodded at Shibaid’s words.
The crystal wouldn’t originally be affected by the miasma, but if the latter’s density was high, things would be different.
“If the Ley lines are tainted the miasma must be connected to it, I suppose it’s better to purify it?”
Shin recalled the black mist that enveloped Milt’s body during their battle. He now understood that the mist too was a kind of miasma.
“Kuu!”
“Please….! This is too cruel…”
Yuzuha howled, her fur straight, and Tiera pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Konig, I give you my apologies. We came here to save Lady Hermie, so giving priority to a comrade of mine could be truly disrespectful…but please, allow me to solve this situation first.”
“…no, you do not need to apologize. Please do as you wish. If I overlooked something like this for her own sake, my Lady would not forgive herself, even if we could save her.”
Shin mentioned his proposal to Konig, thinking that the latter would probably be opposed.
Contrary to Shin’s expectations, Konig agreed to Shin’s proposal after just a brief silence.
“Are you sure? The demons could notice our presence.”
“If it happens, it happens. I am Lady Hermie’s personal guard, but I also am a knight. I have a duty to protect the people. I do not possess any special sense, but I too feel something abnormal emanating from this crystal. They can’t be possibly plotting anything good with something like this. To save many, sacrificing the few is sometimes…necessary.”
He could not ignore such a source of misfortune for the sake of Hermie herself.
Konig spoke frankly, but Shin felt that he was forcing himself.
“Understood. I shall begin, then.”
Shin gave a small nod towards Konig and cast the Divine-type skill 【High Cure】 towards the crystal. It was the superior version of the 【Cure】 skill he had used on Milt, and it could heal multiple status ailments at once.
As it had happened to Milt, the miasma was overwhelmed by the light that Shin released and grew thinner.
“I guess it’s thicker here…then how about this!”
Shin decided that using only one hand would have taken too much time, so as he kept casting High Cure with his right hand, he raised his left hand towards the crystal and cast the Divine-type skill 【Purification】.
The lights emitted by the two divine skills shone bright, as if filling the whole underground space.
In response, the miasma was pulsating in an eerie manner as if to resist the light.
Shin felt the rising of resistance, also increase the magical power in his both hands; the light emitted grew stronger.
Roughly 5 minutes later, the miasma had apparently finally reached its limits, and melted away in midair.
The crystal, free of the miasma’s clutches, regained its original brilliance, and the whole party sighed in relief.
“The miasma vanished, right…?”
“Yes, it’s okay. No one is suffering anymore.”
“Kuu”
Tiera and Yuzuha replied to the words muttered by Shin.
The miasma that had tainted the crystal seemed to be completely gone.
“Hm?”
Shin, while looking at the crystal, raised his voice.
The crystal’s surface was being gradually enveloped in red light.
“…did I do something wrong?”
“It’s alright. The light covering the crystal is the light coming from the magical power of the person trapped inside.”
Shin was concerned, but Tiera, who had come next to him, spoke with conviction.
Tiera continued by explaining how highly dense magical power appeared as if shining.
“I believe that as Filma was inside the crystal for a long time, the affinity between her magical power and the crystal grew. As the miasma disappeared, it became easier to see.”
Schnee completed Tiera’s explanation. Elves have high magic perception abilities, so they quickly realized what was happening.
After calming down, Shin could also faintly feel the presence of Filma’s magic power.
“Shin, you sure have moments of panic sometimes. You didn’t understand right away because deep down you are really angry that your support character was used like this, right?”
“Well, yeah.”
“In this world, NPCs are people too after all. To be angry because the support characters, or should I say people, that you care so much about have been used is perfectly normal, I think.”
Being a former player herself, Milt understood what he felt. She nodded and whispered “That’s the Shin I know…” with a smile.
“You never change, do you…”
His head now cooled off, Shin sighed. He knew full well that he was mentally under pressure.
“No one would feel nothing after seeing others lay hands on one’s companions.”
Schnee spoke as if to defend him, but Shin silently shook his head.
“No, that was completely unexpected, but I should have at least inspected a little more. I’m sorry.”
Shin regretted the false step he took. No matter what happened, he had to keep his cool.
“(Kuu? It’s coming!!)”
“Whoa! What? What’s happening?”
Just when he regained some calm, Yuzuha suddenly shouted from Shin’s shoulder.
Paying no mind to Shin’s surprise, Yuzuha headed straight to the crystal.
“Kuu~~, Kuuh!”
Yuzuha flew to the point where the crystal made contact with the ground and growled. Just then, a light glowing in golden and silver hues sprang forth, to be absorbed by Yuzuha’s body.
The light wrapped around Yuzuha, and after several seconds it disappeared, completely absorbed by her.
“Yuzuha? What just happened..?”
“(Kuu! Yuzuha, Power UP!)”
Yuzuha sat straight and howled. Shin looked at her closer and noticed that she had grown larger, her tails increasing from 3 to 6.
Apparently, she had regained part of her strength.
“(Did your power come back because what was tainting the Ley lines disappeared?)”
“(Yep, I guess!)”
…her intelligence hadn’t changed much, it seems.
“Well then, this isn’t like Yuzuha’s power up, but let’s free Filma.”
Standing next to the cheerful Yuzuha, Shin activated 【Crafting】, a skill common to all production-related jobs.
All production-related jobs require learning this skill, which is exclusively used to craft Drop of Erathem.
“Please wait a moment.”
After saying this, Shin touched the crystal. As he activated the skill, a rainbow-colored light spread from Shin’s hands, gradually covering the crystal.
After the crystal had been sufficiently covered, Shin grabbed it. His fingers penetrated the hard crystal quickly, as if it was made of clay.
Shin focused more strength on his fingers and pulled. With a sharp, clear sound, the crystal cracked.
“Looking at Shin work, you’d think the Drop of Erathem was soft.”
“But it’s actually a material that not even Ancient-class weapons can chip…wait, what’s happening now?”
Shin voiced his surprise while he was trying to turn the crystal into an item card.
The crystal in his hands suddenly floated in midair, as if responding to it, the giant crystal imprisoning Filma also floated upwards.
“Kuu?”
Yuzuha was looking at the scene, puzzled but without feeling any particular sense of danger or trying to run away.
The crystal shone more brightly, then broke up as if it was liquid, turning into 5 globes of light.
Filma, maybe due to the effects of such a phenomenon, floated in midair, enveloped in silver and red light.
Shin was increasingly wary of this phenomenon he had never seen before.
“What’s this!?”
One of the five globes of light was absorbed in Filma’s body. Among the remaining four, three moved respectively towards, Schnee, Shibaid, and Tiera.
“!?”
The globes showed no sign of stopping, so the 3 readied their weapons. Additionally, Kagerou stood before Tiera as to protect her.
“What the!?”
“Hnngh!”
“Gruu!”
“Aah!”
The globes would not stop, so the three swung their weapons. Yet the globes simply passed through them, to be absorbed within their bodies. Tiera’s globe even passed through Kagerou.
As the globes penetrated them, Schnee’s, Shibaid’s, and Tiera’s bodies started glowing.
Schnee emitted a silver and blue glow, Shibaid a silver and black one, Tiera a mixture of silver, green, and yellow. After several seconds, all the lights disappeared together.
“Are you alright….w-whoa!”
Shin was rushing to the three’s side as the globes of light were vanishing, but as the light holding Filma in midair vanished too, he rapidly changed directions to catch her as she was falling. He caught her in his arms, then looked back at Schnee and the others.
“…this is…”
“Hmm.”
“Ehm…”
Their expressions showed surprise, but not pain or discomfort.
“What happened? Are you alright?”
“Yes, I cannot feel anything wrong with my body. How should I say it…my stats increased.”
“The same goes for me. My stats have increased as a whole.”
“Ehm, yes, I think the same happened to me too.”
“What?”
Shin too was surprised to know about their stats increase.
In THE NEW GATE, the only way to increase stats was to level up, perform reincarnation, or use stat-up items.
Stats would also increase thanks to titles, but there were few ways to permanently increase stats.
The Drop of Erathem were also supposed to be items unrelated to stat increases.
“I suppose this means that it happened to Filma too, as she was in the same state as you.”
“It’s very possible. I can’t detect any other change in particular. How is Filma’s condition?”
Schnee inquired about Filma’s condition, whom Shin was still carrying in his arms. As if to answer her, Filma moved slightly and opened her eyes.
What her deep red and violet eyes -the same color as her hair- saw was Shin’s face.
“….Master? Eh? What? Why?”
Still drowsy, Filma saw Shin’s face in a blur.
It took a little for her to recognize him, but when she did she instantly recovered from her half asleep state and looked around frantically, while still in Shin’s arms.
“Ah! Schnee! Please tell me what’s going on!!”
Filma shouted after seeing Schnee.
The fact that she was still holding onto Shin was proof that she was still confused.
“First of all, can you stand?”
“Er, yes, I think.”
Seeing Filma this meek was unusual in Shin’s eyes. In the game, he had set her personality as frank and open.
“But more than that!! Someone explain!!”
Filma apparently came back to her senses and raised her voice again.
Shin thought that it was pretty unusual for Filma to act like that.
◆◆◆◆
“I see, now I’ve grasped the situation.”
As the party explained their mission to rescue Hermie, Filma nodded in understanding.
Together with the oral explanation, they explained to her what they didn’t want Konig to know via Mind Chat.
They only gave her a very basic explanation for the moment, planning to go in more detail later.
“I will help too, then. I’ve awakened and there’s nothing wrong with my body, so I’m returning to the battlefield right away.”
Filma announced her return as if it was a completely natural development. She had checked her condition, but didn’t find anything unusual. Her stats, however, had increased as expected.
The one globe not absorbed by anyone had returned to the crystal, so Shin turned it into an item card and collected it.
“And now that we’re all set, pull that out Shin, come on.”
“Alright.”
Shin, acting as if he was pulling it out from his chest pocket, took a card out of the item box and gave it to Filma.
As Filma materialized it, a deep red greatsword with a 2 mels blade appeared.
It was a double-edged sword; the deep red at its center would gradually grow fainter towards the edges, turning silver on the blade itself. Bright gemstones shaped like square pyramids were embedded on the base of the blade, from which originated geometrical patterns which decorated the whole body of the weapon.
The blade was roughly 15 cemels wide, so compared to a wide greatsword like Rionne’s 『Muspelm』, it seemed very thin.
It was Filma’s main weapon, the superior ancient-class greatsword 『Red Moon』.
“This is the sword I’m most comfortable with after all…but wait, it’s more powerful than before?”
“Well, lots of things happened while you weren’t around. I’ll tell you more later.”
“Alright then! Let’s go and save that poor Hermie, shall we?”
As should have been expected, Filma didn’t appreciate at all the enemy’s ways, so she was more than eager to act right after joining the party.
“….in the end, we basically have more fighting power now?”
Too many unexpected developments had left Konig unable to keep up; all he managed to mutter was this one comment.
He didn’t react to Filma shouting Schnee’s name, so he had probably not heard it or not recognized it.
“I think it’s better not to think too hard about it. We ended up using a lot of time for this unexpected event, so let us leave other explanations for later.”
”Yes, that’s…right. We should think about rescuing Lady Hermie right now.”
Shin started walking away, and Konig followed while shaking his head.
“Hey Milt! Get a move on or we’ll leave you behind!!”
“Yeees, coming!”
Milt was crouching where the crystal was, but she stood up and joined the party after Shin’s call.
“What were you up to?”
“I was wondering if there was no way to know why the Drop of Erathem was on top of the Ley line…well, I’m bad at Analyze-type skills, so I didn’t understand much though.”
Milt’s job was a pure fighting one. She barely learned any Analyze-type skills.
“It is unnatural for it to be here, yes.”
“Could they have brought it here from somewhere else?”
“That’s the most acceptable explanation, I think.”
Drop of Erathem like the one that had trapped Filma only formed as a product of natural magic power.
Not even demons or High Humans like Shin, could create Drop of Erathem artificially.
The demons had only tainted the crystal with miasma, through the magic circle in the other room, and used the magic power within it.
Shin possessed a creation machine that allowed him to create materials, but he couldn’t create a large crystal like the one that had imprisoned Filma.
“They might have used it after they found it by chance. In the end, all they could do with it was place it here though.”
Drop of Erathem were so hard that only blacksmiths or alchemists of the highest level were able to craft with it. The fact that they left Filma inside it instead of controlling her through the Collar of Submission was proof that even the demons couldn’t do anything to it.
The number of the support characters expressed the order they had been created during the game. Filma was number 2.
As she had been created roughly at the same time as Schnee, her stats were slightly superior to Girard’s.
If she had been under enemy control, they would have had to deal with her as soon as possible.
“Well, we should ask that to the person directly involved. We will have to meet them one way or the other, after all.”
It was no more than a hunch, but Shin felt that it would definitely become reality.
◆◆◆◆
At the same time as Shin’s party departed from Sigurd, in the room within the cave where Hermie was held.
Standing guard were Wilhelm, brought there by Adara, and 2 of the Summit Faction’s most capable soldiers.
Wilhelm stood with an expression void of all emotion, it was unclear if he was conscious at all. Even if he was aware of his surroundings, it was not possible for him to think of something by himself.
What he was now was just a doll that would attack anyone who came too close without permission.
“….why is this happening…?”
“Because you’re a Holy Woman.”
Looking at Wilhelm, Hermie let out a weak whisper. The answer came from Scoruas, who was standing near Wilhelm.
“You are…”
“Oh, my apologies for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Scoruas, it is an honor to meet you.”
Scoruas introduced himself with affected politeness. Hermie, feeling an endless indescribable something hidden behind his smile, felt a chill down her spine.
“Where is this place..?”
She was supposed to be sleeping in her quarters in Palmirack, but when she woke up she found herself in a completely different room. The room was adequately furnished and allowed her to rest without problems. Yet at the same time, it made her feel severely cold chills.
Knowing that Eline, the head of Bulk’s followers, had been defeated, and all other collaborators had been caught one after the other, Hermie thought all danger was over. She would have never imagined something like the current situation could happen.
“It would be meaningless to tell you. There is something I wish to show you, so I will have you come with me.”
Saying this, Scoruas pulled out a black collar.
The collar, which looked an even darker black than before, was burned into Hermie’s memories.
“That’s…!!”
“You know this well, don’t you? I don’t know how you removed the previous one, but this new collar is a bit special. I think it will fit you wonderfully.”
Scoruas equipped the collar on Hermie without even giving her the chance to resist.
“Uuh…aaah…”
The very instant the collar was attached to her neck, all strength abandoned Hermie’s body. Her body, which was attempting to resists, suddenly became immobile; it didn’t obey her will anymore.
“This way, then.”
“Kh…”
She could not refuse the satisfied-looking Scoruas’ gesture of invitation. Untied to her will, her body followed Scoruas. Somehow, it seemed that only her mouth was still under her control.
Probably because they had been ordered to guard her, Wilhelm and the 2 other guards followed as well, in total silence.
After they walked for roughly 10 minutes they arrived in a larger area and Scoruas stopped.
“Come, in front of me.”
As Hermie stepped forward, she noticed something shining in the corner of her eye. She was standing in what seemed to be a gallery for spectators, above a large magic circle with several people standing in it.
What she had noticed shining was the magic circle drawn on the floor of the room below.
The people inside the magic circle were trying to leave, but the barrier erected at the circle’s edges prevented them to.
“What are…you…”
“This is all in preparation for your turn.”
Hermie couldn’t understand the situation, but Scoruas forced her to keep looking below.
Then, after less than one minute, something changed. The people inside the magic circle started glowing, one by one, and disappeared.
Their screams echoed through the room, striking Hermie’s ears.
“What!?”
“Wasn’t it beautiful? The light that flickers when human life expires…the screams that adorn it too, they are so comforting.”
Scoruas spoke with nothing but glee on his face, with a tone of voice that showed he truly enjoyed what they had seen.
“I cannot believe it…! Don’t you have any regard for life!?”
“Hehe, It’s nothing more than manure that increases by itself. Or good soil to grow miasma. Did you know? Humans are the living beings that create the most miasma in this world.”
Scoruas, who found even Hermie’s angered voice pleasant, answered her in a somewhat bored tone.
He then grabbed Hermie’s face and pointed it to the people gathered below.
“Guuh!”
“Look very well. Everyone here has been gathered for you, you know?”
“Eh…?”
His face still in a smile, Scoruas kept Hermie’s face pointed downwards with his right hand and, with his left, pointed at the sources of the continuous screams.
“As we have the honor of her highness the Holy Woman’s presence among us, we had to prepare a fitting welcome, right?”
Behind his smile clearly lied malice.
“All the people suffering before you here…they suffer because of you.”
“What are you…saying…”
“That they wouldn’t have suffered if it wasn’t for you.”
Scoruas whispered in Hermie’s ears. As if in response, Hermie’s collar gave a dull glow.
“Because of you.”
“Because of…me…”
Scoruas’ words were impressed in Hermie’s consciousness.
“They are suffering.”
“Those people…are suffering…”
Emotions, like thick mud, flowed into Hermie’s defenseless heart.
“It’s your fault.”
“It’s…my…fault…”
The whispers of demons lead human hearts astray. That effect was boosted by the collar, its influence stronger than normal.
“Did you think that you could have saved someone by becoming a Holy Woman? You, who can only watch these people suffer before you, without doing anything? Did you seriously think you could do something?”
“I, I did…I wanted…to be useful to…some…one…”
“Yet you can’t do anything, can you. Manipulated, kidnapped, just waiting to be helped. I wonder how many sacrificed themselves to rescue you.”
“Ah…”
After each of Scoruas’ words, Hermie’s heart cried in despair.
There are people who were hurt, who suffered, to save her.
Hermie knew well that it was the truth, so she couldn’t deny Scoruas’ words.
“Look, they are angry at you.”
The screams were caused by the despair born from their unescapable situation, but Hermie, under the influence of the collar and Scoruas’ whispers, heard them as voices of resentment and insults towards herself.
“I didn’t… I didn’t, mean to…”
“You did not realize it yourself? Oh milady Holy Woman, I must bow before you.”
Acting like he could not believe what he just heard, Scoruas put his hand on his forehead in an exaggerated gesture.
Hermie felt that even those movements were blaming her.
“St…stop.”
“What are you saying. They are dying for you, you know? Seeing them off is your duty, is it not?”
“No, that’s not true, I did not wish for any of this!”
“Regardless of what you wish or don’t wish, all people involved with you end up suffering…or am I wrong?”
“Gh…”
Hermie could not say anything to Scoruas’ words.
She tried with all her might to string the words together, but they dissolved into mist before taking shape.
“To bring temporary solace in order to cause suffering around you. That’s the kind of existence you are.”
“Ah…aaah…”
Hermie’s sight trembled.
Because of the collar and the miasma’s effects, her thoughts broke and scattered into thousands of pieces, while her guilt towards the people before her and the disgust towards her own self grew larger and larger.
The feelings lying deep within Hermie’s heart grew stronger, along with her despair.
“Oh my, looks like it was more effective than I thought. What a splendid result.”
Hermie fell to her knees, whimpering. She didn’t see Scoruas anymore, looking down at her. Crushed by self loathing and despair, her heart sank into darkness.
“………”
Hermie had been corrupted by Scoruas’ malice, to the point that she was incapable of any reaction, but Wilhelm simply stood there, without moving an inch.
As before, no clear consciousness inhabited his eyes. His utter lack of any sign of life could have made him pass for an extremely intricate doll.
Gradually, the human sacrifices’ screams vanished; even if he had been ordered to guard Hermie, Wilhelm was just standing in place, motionless.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 07 - Uprising of Demons/The-New-Gate-Volume-07-Uprising-of-Demons-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_07_Chapter_04_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 1
“OK, now that we’ve decided on a course of action, let’s get moving. There’s no time to waste.”
Saying so, Shin looked towards the entrance.
They used the only entrance into the room where Filma was held. As their first objective was to rescue Hermie, they no longer needed to stay there.
“Hey, Shin. I wonder if there are any secret passages in this room? Like an emergency escape route…maybe it’s better to destroy them if we find any.”
“I tried searching too, but couldn’t find anything. What about you, Yuki?”
“I didn’t find anything either. The sacrifice room is next anyway, maybe they limited the number of entrances to prevent unexpected visits?”
Shin and Schnee inspected the surroundings again before answering Milt’s question. As they confirmed there wasn’t anything worth noting in the room, they decided to leave.
Upon leaving, Shin closed the door and attached one of his specially made locks. Now it could only be opened either by injecting a specific amount of magic power or by forcing it open.
“OK then, for our route…above us, there’s a passageway other than the one we took.”
Shin spoke while pointing at the upper part of the room, which looked like a space reserved for spectator seats.
“The passageway leads to a seating area to watch the area below. There’s also a rather large room on the other side too.”
“That makes it sound like a boss room.”
“Yes. I can also feel Wilhelm’s presence from that room.”
Shin nodded to Filma’s words and shared what he had detected.
The map showed 5 dots in the large room past the passageway. Alongside one of them Wilhelm’s name was displayed.
“If Wilhelm is there, it’s possible that Hermie is close too.”
“But if they’re gathered in the same place, there must be something behind it.”
Everyone seemed to share Schnee’s and Filma’s predictions, so there was no objection to start moving again right away.
The spectator seats were at a height far beyond the abilities of a normal person, but Shin, the rest of the Tsuki no Hokora team and Milt reached them easily with 1 jump.
The problem was only Konig’s lack in jumping power, but it was solved quickly.
“Ehm, I’m sorry.”
“….no, he’s a divine beast after all. There is no other way.”
Tiera spoke to Konig in an apologetic tone, but he replied seriously and nodded.
Just as he thought that he would climb the rope that Shin hung down from above, Kagerou jumped upstairs…with Konig in his mouth.
Tiera or Shin wouldn’t have been a problem, but for the moment it seemed that letting Konig ride on his back was not a possibility.
The image of Konig talking seriously while in Kagerou’s mouth and Tiera riding Kagerou would have been very surreal if one didn’t consider the context.
The slightly bizarre atmosphere that formed was then broken by a serious question from Milt.
“….I feel something evil from the next room.”
Her eyes were fixed towards the passageway leading deeper into the cave.
“Yes, it’s more than clear.”
Shin understood the meaning of Milt’s words.
Probably because of the lack of any lighting, the farthest part of the passageway was pitch black. The evil presence Milt talked about emanated from the deepest reaches of the corridor.
There was nothing visible to their eyes, but they could still feel an unpleasant sensation crawling on their skin.
“I feel sick…the miasma is too thick.”
Tiera was holding herself up, barely managing to stand straight. Her sharper senses were not working in her favor this time.
“There are demons ahead.”
“A presence this strong could mean that they’re of Grand Duke class too.”
“Yes. If we don’t take back Hermie before they get serious…the situation could turn really ugly.”
Using presence detection, Shin had the most accurate detection range of the group.
The map displayed to Shin’s eyes showed Wilhelm’s name among the marks present in the room beyond the doorway. Wilhelm’s mark was colored green, which meant “neutral”.
There was another green mark besides Wilhelm’s, then 2 red ones.
The last remaining mark was colored red and black.
“I detect the presence of one demon. There are 3 human presences, Wilhelm included. One of those is probably Hermie, I think.”
If it was Hermie, her name should have been displayed too, but it wasn’t. So Shin related it as a simple hypothesis.
“Could they be manipulated as I was?”
“I couldn’t say. It previously happened that the markers stayed green until we were attacked.”
As Shin replied to Milt, Konig interjected.
“Should we wait?”
“Considering Hermie’s rescue, that’s probably a good idea, but I think it would be bad to just wait like this.”
What Konig said was not wrong. Waiting until the demons created an opening and using it to steal back Hermie would have been the best course of action to prioritize her rescue.
However, in the same way as he felt there was still time when he faced Milt, Shin felt confident that letting the demons go here would have put them at a fatal disadvantage.
Shibaid turned towards him and asked.
“Is there something on your mind?”
“Actually, it also happened when I met Milt before…I have a strangely sharp hunch. Something makes me feel that waiting here is definitely not a good idea.”
“I see, that’s probably the effect of 【Intuition】. I have had similar experiences in the past. We must go then.”
“I agree. The 【Intuition】 of those with high abilities is often correct.”
“Yes, I agree too.”
Shibaid and Schnee, who had fought in this world, as well as the former player Milt all agreed with Shin. They all possessed the skill 【Intuition】, so they knew where he was coming from. While she kept silent, Yuzuha also expressed her agreement.
“I wanted to prioritize Lady Hermie’s safety, but if it means for more danger I shall be prepared.”
“Exactly, it’s also better not to stay long in a place filled with thick miasma like this.”
“Gruu.”
Konig, Tiera and Kagerou did not pose any objections either and looked at Shin, their weapons in hand.
“First, Yuki and I will try to grab Hermie before the enemy notices us, then it all depends on what happens next. The demons are probably of Named class. Myself, Yuki, Shibaid, and Filma will deal with them. Sir Konig, I want you to take Lady Hermie to safety. Tiera, you will take care of the remaining forces with Yuzuha and Kagerou.
“Hey? What about me?”
“Milt, I’d like you to take care of Wilhelm. He’s probably in the same state you were before. One-on-one is what you’re best at, right?”
“That’s fine, but I don’t know what this Wilhelm guy looks like.”
“That’s not a problem…this is him.”
After giving each member their orders, Shin pulled out a photo from the item box.
“Oh, a screenshot. OK, got it.”
The photo was a materialized screenshot. In the game it would be saved in data, but in this world one just needed to think “take a screenshot” and, with a small MP expense, a photo would be created.
Shin had found out about this as he tested all sorts of things when he taught 【Purification】to Rashia.
“Is everyone ready? ….let’s go.”
Shin made sure everyone was prepared and led the party forward.
At his waist hung one of the katanas he tempered while creating 『True Moon』.
Both the sheath and the blade were pure white. It also lacked any decoration, and while resting inside the sheath it looked like a wooden sword like those used for practice. It was a superior ancient-class katana, 『Moonless Sky』.
Shin cast the magic version of 【Hiding】on the whole party; they walked through the darkness, invisible.
To Tiera and Konig, who did not possess【Night Vision】, Shin had used an item that temporarily granted similar effects.
They walked onwards slowly, checking for any traps, then Shin noticed a small light peeking through the darkness. He focused and found that the light source was set next to the door.
“Looks like we reached our destination.”
A heavy door stood before them, dimly lit within the darkness. They drew closer to examine it, but apparently it wasn’t armed with any traps.
According to Shin’s map, in this room were Wilhelm, Hermie, a demon, and two other humans. Maybe because of the now reduced distance, Hermie’s name was now displayed.
Shin saw through the door with 【Through Sight】 and found Hermie sitting down in the center of the room, with a white haired man-looking demon standing before her.
Wilhelm and the two other humans, possibly guards, stood like statues at the edges of the room.
“The demon and Lady Hermie are too close…..hm?”
Shin was reflecting on a situation that made it hard to act, when the white-haired demon moved.
His right hand, enveloped in miasma, was drawing closer to Hermie’s head.
The thickness of the miasma was easily visible even inside the dimly lit room. Seeing the sludge-like substance, Shin unsheathed『Moonless Sky』before even thinking.
“Sssh!”
A slash hissed through the air, following the arc drawn by the blade.
The long-distance powered slash emitted by the Katana martial skill【Void Cutter】cut through the door that separated the corridor and the room without resistance. Slicing through the air instantaneously, it slashed off the demon’s right arm.
“What!? M-my arm!?”
As the demon’s shocked voice reached his ears, Shin kicked the door down and barged into the room.
“You’re finis—”
“Not so fast!!”
The demon squarely blocked Shin’s next slash, aimed at his left arm.
It was not visible on his clothing, but he seemed to have something equipped there. With a sharp sound and sparks flying about, the blade sank into the left arm.
What was surprising though, was that the blade stopped before severing the arm.
“Hngh!”
Before Shin could ready the next strike, the demon expelled miasma from his whole body.
It was the same as the miasma that was wrapped around his right arm, clearly a different color from normal miasma.
Before touching the miasma, Shin withdrew 『Moonless Sky』and put some distance between himself and the demon.
“Damn, I couldn’t reach her.”
Shin planned to step back while carrying Hermie with him, but the demon was in the way and he couldn’t reach her.
The miasma hadn’t touched her directly, but maybe because of its influence Hermie’s expression was distorted, in pain.
One step behind Shin’s exchange with the demon, Schnee and the others also made their move.
Shin’s sudden attack had left his allies surprised too. Their reactions were mainly two: Schnee, Shibaid, Filma, and Milt immediately analyzed the situation and followed suit, while Tiera and Konig stopped in their tracks.
“Let’s go!”
“Yes!”
Filma and Shibaid entered the room right after Shin. Schnee used 【Hiding】and, without a word, erased her presence.
“Kuu!”
“Gruah!”
“!! Sir Konig, let’s go!!”
“Kh, we’re one step behind…?”
Tiera followed after Yuzuha and Kagerou’s instigation. Konig, who had regained his senses after Tiera’s call, moved in last.
“Well now, talk about unexpected. I knew you would come sooner or later, but this is some incredible speed.”
“I couldn’t care less about your predictions.”
Probably because he had overcome the shock of losing an arm, the demon spoke in a petulant tone, a jaded expression on his face.
Behind such a behavior, however, he paid close attention to Shibaid and Filma, who had come in after Shin.
“Wow, stronger than I thought!”
“Are they chosen ones too!?”
Wilhelm and the other humans near the walls had moved, probably. Shin heard the voices of Milt and Tiera, who had begun fighting behind him.
“My my, what a large company. It’s a shame that we aren’t ready to welcome you yet.”
“We’re going back as soon as we do what we have to. No need to bother.”
Wielding 『Moonless Sky』and not lowering his guard one second, Shin faced off against the demon.
To his right stood Filma, 『Red Moon』in hand, to his left Shibaid with 『Placid Moon』; both of them pointed their blades at the demon.
“Oh dear, what impatience. Well, since you came all the way here and all, allow me to introduce myself. ”
Saying so, the demon placed his left arm on his chest in a showy gesture and struck a pose.
“I am named Scoruas, one of the Grand Dukes and a follower of Miasma Lord Meahelga.”
After his introduction, Scoruas glared at Shin’s party, as a predator eyeing his prey.
“Unfortunately, I have no intention of doing the same.”
“That is fine. I am not interested in you after all, but in the lady next to you.”
Scoruas looked towards Filma.
“It is a honor to meet you, Lady Filma Tolmeya. For you, who I could not touch inside the Drop of Erathem, to come meet me on your own, is truly convenient for me. I heard Schnee Raizar would be present as well, but I suppose I will keep that enjoyment for later.”
Filma’s eyebrows moved at Scoruas’ words. They could be interpreted as if she was nothing more than an appetizer before Schnee, and she couldn’t help being affected by them.
“So you think that if I just came out you could do anything you please with me? I’m afraid you’re looking down on me a bit too much, you know?”
“I apologize if I offended you. But yes, as you say, watching you sleep within the crystal was enjoyable in itself, but humans shine the most through their emotions, after all. I just can’t wait to see how delectable the taste of your despair is.”
Maybe because he felt he had nothing to hide, Scoruas answered Filma’s question in a completely casual tone.
His lustful eyes did not leave Filma one second.
“(It looks like we don’t even exist in his eyes.)”
“(That’s just perfect. If he creates an opening for us it’ll be easier to rescue Hermie.)”
While talking with Shibaid via Mind Chat, Shin was thinking of a way to draw Scoruas’ attention away from Hermie.
As the invisible Schnee was drawing closer to Hermie, Shin gradually shifted his position too.
“….what?”
“Oh, he’s here.”
As if answering Filma’s whispered words, a vibration shook the entire room.
“The room’s shaking?”
“An earthquake, now!?”
Milt and Tiera both focused on the possible danger, the first while parrying 『Vakira』 with her twin swords, the second while shooting the two humans’ legs with her arrows.
“(This is bad, Schnee!! Hurry!!)”
While charging at Scoruas, who was still focused on Filma, Shin called to Schnee via Mind Chat.
Schnee heard Shin’s words and moved towards rescuing Hermie. Before she could do it, however, a shadow broke through the ceiling and landed right between Hermie and Schnee.
Without losing her pace because of the unexpected situation, Schnee swung her 『Blue Moon』.
“That won’t work!!”
As if Schnee’s movements were visible, two longswords swung towards her. The deep green double-edged long swords clashed with 『Blue Moon』, sending sparks flying all around.
“Gah! This isn’t an elf’s muscle power!!”
His swords in a cross, the shadow–Adara shouted while laughing.
Maybe because he wasn’t in his original form, he was being slightly pushed back. 『Blue Moon』 was also eating into the longswords he wielded.
Even though his appearance was not his true one, he was still a demon.
Maybe because of a special ability of his, suddenly two swords just like the ones he was wielding floated in midair. Their blades then pointed at Hermie.
“You know what I’m about to say, right? Don’t you move either, big guy. She can die right now for all we care, you hear?”
The arrival of the second demon had made it more difficult for Shin’s party to move.
Using 【Analyze】 to examine their new opponent only confirmed how powerful he was.
“How underhanded.”
“That’s praise for demons like us. But instead of saying that withdraw your weapon already, you didn’t even drop an ounce of strength!”
While speaking, Adara infused more strength in his arms. Adara’s longswords and 『Blue Moon』 were still in a clash of sparks, but Adara was being pushed back.
As she had moved on the offensive, Schnee’s 【Hiding】 had already disappeared.
“If you cast a single wound on her, I will cut you down here and now.”
“Oh wow, so scary. Who’s threatening who now?”
Adara jeered with unchanged composure.
“Well, that could be fun too.”
It happened just as the blades floating in midair received Adara’s orders and moved to pierce Hermie.
“Waah!! Shin, dodge!!”
“!?!”
One second after Milt’s call, a jet black flash flew through the room.
“GWAAAAHHH!?!”
And one more second later, Adara’s scream filled it.
The flash had squeezed through the space between the members of Shin’s party and hit Adara. As he was still parrying Schnee’s 『Blue Moon』, he had no way of defending himself.
“What the hell!? My strength is leaving me!”
Adara had been blown away; his stomach was pierced by a jet black spear adorned with designs resembling running blood. The spear, which pulsated as if alive, was 『Vakira』, the weapon Wilhelm was supposed to be equipped with.
◆◆◆◆
Wilhelm’s consciousness was confined to the deepest reaches of his heart.
In a drowsy state, as if it could fall into slumber any moment, it responded lazily to a voice coming from somewhere.
(So sleepy…)
His consciousness was about to fall completely. It would be a sleep he would never awaken from.
The surroundings were enveloped in deep darkness, a blackness that seemed as if it could devour everything.
—–!! !?!
(Shit…what now?)
Just ignore it. That’s what he thought to do, but every time he heard that voice, Wilhelm’s spirit was shaken.
It was desperately trying to stop Wilhelm’s consciousness from sinking.
Like a single thread hanging within the darkness, it kept Wilhelm tied, keeping him from crossing the last line. As if it was telling him to listen to the voice.
(Aaah…I’m…I am…? Who am I…?)
The first thing he thought about was his name. The symbol expressing his identity. His title.
But it wouldn’t come out.
As if something was preventing him to, something was trying to remove his consciousness.
(What am…what am, I…?)
In that utter darkness, Wilhelm stirred. But his arms and legs wouldn’t answer his commands.
Moving even just one arm felt as if he was sinking in mud, with weights attached all over his body.
——!?!
(Damn, can’t hear…)
He couldn’t help but feel that he was failing to hear something very important.
(Why is it so hard to move…what is this…?)
Wilhelm grew more and more irritated towards his unresponding body.
He felt a certain disgust, as if some unknown force was doing what it pleased with him. That emotion, rising from his chest, fueled his rebellious spirit.
At the same time, his hazy consciousness became clearer and clearer.
———me.
(Not yet…it’s not enough…)
As if crawling in the darkness, Wilhelm tried to rouse more strength in his body, which he still couldn’t feel clearly.
It wouldn’t normally be possible to visualize one’s body when in a state of mere consciousness, but for some reason Wilhelm was in the darkness, stark naked.
He opened his eyes only to find utter darkness before him. He could barely see 1 mel in front of him.
Yet Wilhelm understood clearly that he himself was now existing there.
He felt as if he was holding something. Looking down towards his right hand, he found his partner, morphed into something ominous.
“What the hell is this?”
Wilhelm couldn’t help but speak those words aloud.
His beloved spear, which Shin had forged anew, was supposed to be Holy Spear 『Beinot』with its platinum-like sparkle. What his right hand was holding, however, was a jet black spear enveloped in a dark purple aura.
Geometrical symbols of unknown meaning decorated its surface, dyed in a blood-red hue.
“Hell Spear… Vakira?”
For some reason, the name of the spear surfaced in his mind. It was a name Wilhelm didn’t remember ever hearing before.
——-ll me.
“….I can still hear it.”
He could understand that the sound whispered near his ears was someone’s voice. But he couldn’t understand what it was saying.
“Tch, I can’t make it out!”
Wilhelm voiced his frustration.
No matter how much he tried, the voice would always vanish just before he could understand it.
And every time the voice vanished, the feeling of missing something important grew more and more within him.
The direction the voice came from was not fixed and seemed irregular. He didn’t know where to move, his frustration only increasing.
“I’m feeling sick…where the hell am I, anyway.”
Wilhelm suppressed the growing feelings in his chest and tried to regain his cool.
Nothing positive would happen if he acted out of frustration in a situation he didn’t fully understand.
His consciousness had returned enough to be able to think in this manner.
“I have a weapon, I don’t know where I am. What was I doing before coming here, anyway?”
Wilhelm searched his memories while analyzing his current situation.
But no matter how much he tried to recover his past memories, nothing would come out.
What he could barely visualize was himself fighting against a monster. He was defeating undead monsters, when he felt something and entered some woods, where he met something.
His memories from then were hazy. He felt like he had seen some sort of light.
“It’s too fragmented. And I can’t even remember my own name yet…what the hell’s going on.”
Even if but a fragment, his memory of fighting against monsters was clear. However, he couldn’t remember anything about the most important thing, himself.
“….hm?”
Just then, Wilhelm felt his right hand vibrate.
He tried raising his right arm slightly, and noticed that 『Vakira』was slightly trembling. Part of the weapon’s deep purple aura was burning red, occasionally emitting sparks.
“What’s going on now…?”
Wilhelm let out a hoarse grunt. Because the right arm grasping 『Vakira』was not the one he recognized as his.
The arm was covered in scales, his nails were sharper too…just like a Dragnil’s.
“No, wait, this can’t…I’m supposed to be a Lord.”
“(That is both right and wrong.)”
“!?! Who is this?”
Wilhelm didn’t expect his mumbling to receive a reply, and instantaneously pointed Vakira at the direction the voice came from.
“(Hey there, me.)”
“…..?”
That casual greeting had come from a Dragnil-like man.
“(Hey now, don’t tell me you don’t recognize me? Well, normally we wouldn’t ever speak face-to-face like this. It’s really amazing though…weapons made by a High Human can even pick up people’s emotions, huh.)”
The man kept talking to Wilhelm, who furrowed his brows.
When he heard the words High Human, the silhouette of a man appeared in his mind.
“Answer me.”
“(I told you, didn’t I? I am “me”. In other words, I guess I could say I’m another you? But no, not a split personality or something. I am power itself, one of the powers you possess. I gained this form because of the High Human’s techniques and the feelings poured by the brats in your spear.)”
“What the hell are you going on about?”
“(Its form is different now, but 『Beinot』 can only be created by infusing people’s hopes and prayers. There were ridiculously pure prayers imbued in the Venom spear you used before. Incredible how so many could be gathered in it, really.)”
“Prayers…?”
The man continued talking nonchalantly.
Brats, prayers, Beinot. Every time one of those words reached his ears, Wilhelm was reminded of people connected to him.
“(I’m surprised how the brats don’t get scared of a face like this, really.)”
“What? What’s that, all of a sudden?”
“(Acting all rough like that is just a way to attract attention. Well, maybe half of it is the honest you though. You make others dislike you on purpose to not let them see the more important sides of you. That’s also the reason why you rarely go to the orphanage.)”
“Orpha…nage…? Gah!!”
“(Remember. You haven’t forgotten, have you? That’s the place where you first became a “person”.)”
In reaction to the word “orphanage”, a storm of memories and flashbacks burst inside Wilhelm.
“Gh…aah, shit……..I remembered.”
Wilhelm, who had been holding his head, looked again at the man. As if those words were the key to open the last lock, all his memories had come back.
“(That’s good. We can’t stay here long, after all.)”
“What do you mean by that?”
“(Just look behind me.)”
With some suspicion, Wilhelm looked beyond the man’s shoulders. There he saw an even deeper patch of darkness, shaped like a hole.
Wilhelm had been looking towards the man all this time, but only now realized its presence.
“(You don’t need me explaining, right? If you fall here, you’re not going back anymore.)”
“Yeah, I figured as much.”
“(I’m telling you because you almost fell in. You have your spear to thank for that. The prayers inside it kept you out.)”
“They kept me, huh…and? Your role was also to wake me up?”
“(No, what I have to do is to teach you how to use the power. Because even though you’re a ‘Critical’ and all, you don’t even use half of it. That’s why you were done in by some untransformed demon.)”
The man shrugged, almost disappointed.
“There’s power in me that I’m not using yet?”
“(You can use maybe one-third of it now. Usually one has 2 species bonuses, but a ‘Critical’ has 3, even 4. Yours are especially powerful too. But that’s one reason why you’re not using your powers to the fullest. Your evil eye’s ability of gathering magical power to increase your physical abilities too, you aren’t using it efficiently at all)”
You’re too sloppy, the man said.
The man spoke normally of things Wilhelm was completely unaware of.
“I’d like to know why you know all that, but maybe later. If you’re another me, then tell me. How can I use that power?”
“(It’s simple, you just need to accept me. The body knows how to use that power. You just need to realize it later.)”
“You…? I don’t think I ever denied my Dragnil powers.”
“(That’s not what I mean. I told you, right? You can probably use one-third at best. If you fully manifest your Dragnil powers, you won’t get away with just your eye changing a little.)”
The man meant that Wilhelm would become closer to a Dragnil.
“(You still fear your power. They call you a ‘Critical’, but you’re afraid you might be a ‘Miscelal’*, something that could lose control any moment.)” (T/N: a hybrid species)
“Tch, looks like you really are me…can’t hide anything, huh.”
“(Well, yeah. I know what happened to make you think like that too. But I can tell you for sure, that you’re not. You’re not a fake like that.)”
The man’s words brimmed with confidence.
“….really now.”
“(Really. And so. Use everything you can. This world is jam-packed with strong people. If you keep fearing you’ll just lose it all.)”
The man didn’t specify what exactly.
It was something he didn’t need to express in words.
“(Come on, make your decision already. Keeping you here isn’t hard, but the flow of time here is different. They don’t have much time left.)”
“What does that mean.”
“(Can’t you hear a voice?)”
“A voice?”
Wilhelm could think of one thing only.
“(Listen well. You should be able to hear it. It should be more than enough to light yourself on fire, I’m sure.)”
“What are you…”
—–Save me…or, rather…kill me.
What are you saying?
Wilhelm was about to ask this question, but his words died halfway.
He heard it. All too clearly.
It was a faint voice, an extremely weak tone, as if it was going to disappear any moment.
“Tch! So this is what it was! Do it already!!”
He knew that voice.
They only spoke a few times. But Wilhelm knew her.
The girl with the same power as Millie. The power that caused her to be targeted by Bulk, and now she was begging him to kill her…it was that girl’s voice.
“(That’s what I was waiting for!!)”
As if he was waiting for nothing else than those words, the man standing before Wilhelm started glowing bright red, gradually losing shape. As if trembling in the wind, it entered Wilhelm’s body.
“GH….WOOOOOHHHHH!!!!”
At the same time, power burst forth from deep within him.
Was this the feeling of having molten iron poured into your veins? That’s how powerful the scorching heat rushing through Wilhelm was.
Feeling this burst of power, the geometrical patterns running on Vakira’s surface started flashing.
“Give me…a…break..”
His clenched teeth produced a grinding sound.
That woman is saying the same thing as before…anger was building inside him.
“Saying I’m going to die, kill me, so easily…”
The words that escaped his mouth expressed bitterness towards his other self, who had offered no explanations, and anger towards the resignation to despair in the voice that had reached his ears.
“GIVE ME A DAMN BREAAAAKKKKK!!!!”
The red-hot blood coursing through his body made Wilhelm roar.
As if in answer, Vakira’s flashing turned into a glow, dispelling the surrounding darkness.
As if pushed by the light, Wilhelm’s consciousness suddenly returned.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 07 - Uprising of Demons/The-New-Gate-Volume-07-Uprising-of-Demons-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_07_Chapter_04_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 2
Wilhelm’s change was first noticed by Milt, who was crossing blades with him.
“Hey, that weapon is 『Vakira』, right? Since when did it have effects like those?”
She did not expect a reply. But she couldn’t help trying to speak with him.
The dark purple aura enveloping 『Vakira』 had already turned mostly red.
Milt didn’t know what it could mean, but her intuition told her that it wasn’t something to fear.
While twisting her body to avoid the incoming thrusts, she parried with a sweep.
Her hands gripped her subweapons, fit to fight in such a narrow environment: the Mythology-grade twin blades 『Mirbal』.
In the dim darkness of the room, 『Vakira』and 『Mirbal』 clashed and generated sparks.
“It’s been a long time since I last felt such a burning hot blade. I see, you’re resisting, aren’t you.”
His burning willpower was transmitted through the blade. His spear technique grew sharper with every blow.
That was not something a controlled puppet could accomplish; it was the expression of a powerful self-consciousness.
Fighting, nothing more, nothing less…Milt, who fought to the death for no other goal than the fight itself, could feel it.
“Hey, tell me your name.”
“………”
『Vakira』, once again aimed to pierce Milt…stopped in mid thrust.
The violet aura enveloping 『Vakira』was now no more; a red aura had burned to cinders not only the weapon’s aura, but also the one surrounding Wilhelm.
“…Wilhelm…Avis.”
In stark contrast with the searing hot aura, the answer came from a rather calm voice.
Wilhelm’s eyes, hollow and staring into nothingness just moments ago, now hosted a clear willpower.
“Shht”
With a faint whisper, Wilhelm swung 『Vakira』 so as not to hit Milt.
This strike dispelled the remaining aura, which dissipated in midair.
“Maybe I didn’t even need to face you?”
“No, I have to thank you. Sorry to end this halfway, but there’s something I have to do first. If you want to continue, let’s do it another time.”
While answering Milt’s question, Wilhelm readied 『Vakira』 into a stance.
“I’ll be glad to, if we have the chance…..what?”
Milt had but an instant to savor the anticipation for another battle. It felt as if a question mark appeared above her head.
The reason was that Wilhelm’s stance was not in preparation for thrusting, but for throwing his spear.
“You will pay…”
The instant his stance was completed, a sharp glint sparked in Wilhelm’s eyes.
The placid atmosphere of moments ago vanished into thin air, substituted by an eruption of rage.
It was intense enough for Milt to feel goosebumps.
Wilhelm’s eyes were directed beyond Milt, towards Shin and the others.
“…for screwing with me!!!”
“Waah!! Shin, dodge!!”
Milt caught on what Wilhelm was trying to do and immediately shouted.
At the same time as Milt’s warning, Wilhelm’s hand blurred and Vakira flew through the air, leaving afterimages trailing in its wake.
As if answering its wielder’s will, 『Vakira』charged forward towards its target, without the slightest bend in its course.
“Gwoooohhh!!!”
『Vakira』had turned into a black flash, piercing Adara, who had been locking swords with Schnee; he was blown away.
『Vakira』 stood straight through his stomach, its red glow burning brighter and brighter.
“What the hell!? My strength’s leaving me!”
Possibly because he had been taken by surprise, Adara’s face was a mask of pain, as he tried to pull 『Vakira』out.
“Ggh, damnit!!”
The pain coming from the hand grabbing 『Vakira』contorted Adara’s expression even more.
Milt’s eyes and ears felt the sound of the red aura eroding Adara’s hand, a sound as if something was burning.
“Transforming my spear was a big mistake.”
After throwing 『Vakira』, Wilhelm walked closer to Shin and the others.
At the same time 『Vakira』 glowed even brighter, enveloping Wilhelm’s body with a crimson aura.
“Ggh, gwaaahhhh!!”
Adara understood that wasting more time would be dangerous and forcefully extracted 『Vakira』from his body, attempting to destroy it with his blades still floating in midair.
But before he could, Wilhelm said just one word.
“Return.”
“What!?”
That very instant, 『Vakira』vanished from midair, as if made of mist. The next instant, it was safely in Wilhelm’s hands.
Thanks to Adara being blown away, Schnee could rescue Hermie.
Holding his hands over Hermie’s collar, Shin inquired to Wilhelm.
“Wait a second now, I don’t remember ever adding a function like that?”
“That blonde guy there had the brilliant idea of messing with it. Now he knows how brilliant of an idea that was though.”
Wilhelm answered Shin while readying 『Vakira』in a stance again.
Shin had already seen through that the weapon that stabbed Adara was 『Vakira』. His surprise was due to the fact that instantly returning to the wielder’s hands via vocal command was an ability that 『Beinot』gained only through an event.
“So that’s why it became 『Vakira』…anyway, being able to use both abilities is pretty close to cheating, I say.”
Other than its own basic abilities,『Beinot』also had increased damage against demons and undead. But it wasn’t a significant increase.
On the other hand, 『Vakira』could absorb miasma to raise the user’s stats. It was a weapon effective specifically towards miasma, so the increase was much higher than 『Beinot』.
『Vakira』was wrapped in miasma, but did not generate it. It only looked like it did, as it kept gathering nearby miasma.
Its ominous appearance and the fact that it requires miasma when forging it made its abilities not known; even some players would have the wrong idea about it.
It was clear to anybody that its abilities were best used with demons as opponents.
Demons, essentially a mass of miasma, were nothing more than easy prey for 『Vakira』.
“Oh my, you look quite pathetic now.”
Scoruas spoke to the collapsed Adara. While he himself was unharmed, he had just witnessed an attack that blew his comrade away. Nevertheless, he had not lost his composure.
“What else could I have done? It was all timing. But hey, they’re taking off your collar too, see?”
The tone of Adara’s answer did not show signs of pain either, despite the wound he had just suffered.
“You’re still pretty damn confident, huh?”
“Oh, rest assured that I’m surprised. I went and turned it to the negative side, but I see it’s totally on “this” side, huh? The weapons humans make are always so interesting!”
Adara’s stomach already lacked any trace of damage. Being a high-class demon, his recovery speed was also off the charts.
“And now they got our hostage…sacrifice too. They know of this place too. Guess it’s time to end this, huh?”
“That’s true. With all the people present here, we can make some very good soil.”
Adara proposed abandoning the cave in a casual tone, and Scoruas approved just as nonchalantly, apparently without giving it serious thought.
“Hey, Shin. “All the people present here”, he said.”
“Well, if they enter their complete form, we’ll end up buried alive deep underground. They’ll grow to considerable size so they won’t die, but normally we’d be either crushed to death or suffocate, I guess.”
Shin answered Filma’s words and entrusted Hermie to Konig, who had come after defeating the guard.
Tiera, who had defeated the other guard, and Milt too were in a battle-ready stance.
They did not know the actual depth of their position, but it was surely deep enough that the 10-20 mels within the scope of a upper-class chosen one’s abilities wouldn’t be enough.
Shin never had the chance to try nor did he ever think to, but if they were buried under great quantities of soil, he was not sure he could survive.
There were skills to dive underground, but they were earth-type skills that only allowed digging 1 or 2 mels; it would have been nothing more than a gamble.
“Oh my, you saw through us already. We are roughly 100 mels underground, after all. Not even a chosen one could…gh!! I do not mind you resisting, but you should listen when someone speaks!”
Wilhelm’s strike interrupted Scoruas’ speech.
“I couldn’t care less. Just looking at your faces makes me want to throw up.”
Scoruas had parried 『Vakira』’s thrust with his left arm, but Wilhelm continued to attack without giving him pause.
“Shin!! You can cut them down like nothing, can’t you!?”
“I’d prefer to give priority to healing Lady Hermie, though. This collar is much more dangerous than the one I saw before. I couldn’t destroy it right away, so I have no idea how it’s affecting her spiritually.”
Shin did not mean to waste time talking either. The eerie miasma coming from Hermie’s collar emanated much higher danger than the one he removed at the church.
At the church it only took him an instant to remove it, but now it was taking considerable time.
Even if temporarily, he had turned his back on the enemy. But between Shin and the demons stood Filma and Shibaid, ready to battle and not leaving a single opening.
“What? All the more reason to finish off these bastards and focus on the healing!”
After hearing Shin’s words Wilhelm spat out words seething with rage. As if agreeing with him, 『Vakira』burned brighter.
“Yeah, I just needed time to destroy Lady Hermie’s collar. We don’t need to listen to them anymore.”
“That is a problem. We need you all to die here, after all. Oh, I will be taking Lady Schnee and Lady Filma with me, so please do not worry. —–Oh?”
As he was talking, Scoruas’ sight left Shin’s party and focused behind them.
“….this presence…”
The smile finally left Scoruas’ expression. His confidence was no more.
“…..Adara, the situation has changed. We must kill her. Cooperate.”
“What? It’s weird for you to be this tense.”
“Just look at her and you’ll understand.”
Saying this, Scoruas motioned towards Tiera.
“….ah, now I get it. Yeah, can’t leave this one alive.”
Apparently understanding without the need for further explanations, Adara muttered these words and raised his speed.
In the same way as Scoruas, he rushed towards Tiera with enough power as to crush the ground beneath his feet, paying no attention to Shin or anyone else.
Their acceleration was enough to leave behind afterimages. But Shin and the others wouldn’t be overcome so easily.
“Hey now, what’s the rush? Don’t you dare ignore me now.”
“You can’t do this after all that bragging, you know.”
Wilhelm stopped Adara, while Shin blocked Scoruas.
Then, as if creating multiple walls, Schnee, Filma and Shibaid stood beside them, ready to assist at any time.
“….eh? Ah…”
On the other hand Tiera, who had been targeted all of a sudden, let out a raucous whisper. She had been swept by a killing intent and crushing pressure the likes of which she had never felt before.
“Grururu…”
“Kufuuuh!”
Tiera’s body couldn’t move, but Kagerou and Yuzuha, their fur standing up, stood in front of her as to protect her. Looking at their backs, Tiera collapsed to her knees due to the overwhelming pressure.
“Are you okay? Do you recognize me?”
“Aah…ye..s..”
Milt helped Tiera stand, as she couldn’t support herself.
She seemed to have trouble breathing, but had not lost consciousness.
Having enough mental strength not to faint under the effect of the killing intent of Grand Duke-class demons was a feat in itself.
“Move.”
“You’re in the way”
Shin and Wilhelm answered the demons’ words with taunting smiles.
“Let’s just crush them.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
Deciding that trying to break through would take too much time, Adara and Scoruas decided to return to their true forms.
“As if we’d let you!”
Close to the demons now attempting their transformations, Shin materialized an item from the item box. It was the crystal stone he once used in front of Tiera.
“Facing demons underground, you think I didn’t make my preparations!?”
Shin poured magic power in the crystal, without hesitation.
As the magic skill engraved on the crystal activated, the surrounding scenery warped; the next instant, everyone present in the room was now outside, on a wide open plain.
They were now on the plains connecting the sacred place Kalkia and castle town Balmel, near the woods where Shin and Rionne once lit a bonfire.
Shin, having heard about the demons from Schnee after being blown to Kalkia, had marked the location, in case they would have to fight demons above a certain rank.
He had already verified that these plains were scarcely visited by humans, as they were often traversed by monsters because of the 『Flood』.
“Where is this…?”
“I’ll explain later. Sir Konig, please take Lady Hermie away from here. And take this.”
Even if her collar had been removed, Shin did not want Hermie to stay in the battlefield.
For added safety, he handed Konig a substitute-type item that would absorb damage inflicted to them, a monster repellent item and a barrier-creating item. After going a certain distance, they planned to use the “Cloak of Hiding” to conceal themselves.
“You’re always pulling surprising stunts, aren’t you.”
“I had heard about the demons from Schnee, you see. It was like an insurance, but now we can fight to our hearts’ content, right?”
Wilhelm looked very surprised by the development, but Shin answered him casually.
In fact, Grand Duke-class demons were not considered exterminated even if their human forms were defeated. There were exceptions, but very few.
Most Grand Duke class demons achieved their true form by cutting off the head of their human form.
That was one reason why Shin had targeted Scoruas’ arm.
Before the party now stood the two demons in their true forms.
“Hey hey, I wasn’t expecting this. Where are we anyway?”
“That’s not a problem. Our target is still here with us.”
Without paying the slightest attention to Hermie’s entourage leaving the scene, Adara and Scoruas looked down at Tiera.
Adara’s transformation was a giant human-like figure. It was a type also called “War God”: its appearance was human-like but it had 4 arms and 2 faces. It was roughly 25 mels tall and wore armor resembling a Chinese general of old. It wielded two long swords, a battleaxe and a mallet.
As it resembled a human in appearance, it was also relatively easier to think of a way to fight it.
On the other hand, Scoruas was more difficult. It was a Chimera-type, which made it difficult to imagine what it was originally.
Its face was sharp and angular, as if crustacean shells formed an eel-like head. On both sides of the head there also were horn-like objects pointing forward.
Its upper body was human-like and covered in scales, just like Magnamuc; from where his right arm would be sprouted three octopus-like tentacles, while in place of the left arm he was equipped with two crab-like pincers.
The lower body seemed like a mixture between a horse and a tiger’s. It would take some effort, but by imagining the front part as the horse’s and the back part as the tiger’s, it could almost look like a nightmarish centaur. Counting the horse and tiger limbs, it had 6 legs in all.
“Yuzuha, I leave Tiera to you. Tiera, stay close to Yuzuha and assist us. They will probably target you, so put enough distance between you and them. And equip this!”
“Kuu!”
“U-understood!”
While giving directions, Shin threw a defensive item at Tiera. Among all present, Tiera was the only one at danger of instant death.
“This is getting pretty fun!! Shin, who will deal with who?”
Excited at the appearance of such strong opponents, Milt had already put away the twin swords 『Mirbal』 and drawn her main weapon, a low rank Ancient-grade poleaxe 『Breogand』, with its blade wrapped in pale blue flames.
Just its handle was as long as Milt was tall; at first glance, no one would think that it was a weapon she could wield.
Shin knew, however, that all players who underestimated her that way had been split in two.
“Let’s see…Scoruas is probably a raid type. Schnee, Kagerou and I will deal with him. Filma, Shibaid, Wilhelm, Milt, go get Adara. Tiera, Yuzuha, prioritize evasion and give us assistance. The enemy’s strong, never let your guard down!”
As if in unison with Shin’s commands, the sounds of Scoruas and Adara’s approaching footsteps grew louder. The teleportation had put some distance between them, but for the two giants it was a trivial problem. Shin and Schnee used stat boost skills on the whole party, which then split into two teams.
“First of all, we’ll separate them! Kagerou, stand in front!”
“Gruu!”
If they were close, the two enemies could have helped each other. Shin tried to stop that as first priority.
Standing behind Kagerou, who had returned to his original form, Shin hid from Scoruas’ sight and released all 【Limit】.
At the same time as he ran behind Kagerou, Shin cast 【Hiding】 to conceal himself and charged towards Scoruas at maximum speed.
“Time to fly!”
“!?”
Shin’s unforeseen full-power kick struck Scoruas’ human-like part, in what would correspond to the pit of the stomach.
Barehanded and wind combination skill 【Raging Arrow】.
The mercilessly delivered kick was something beyond this world’s nature.
Along with the sound of the thunder, the 25 mels tall giant was blasted high in the air.
After a few seconds Scoruas crashed back down into the ground, creating a small crater and raising a large cloud of dust.
The total distance the demon flew before crashing down was easily over 800 mels.
The part kicked by Shin showed an abnormal wound; it wasn’t clear if it had been struck or gouged.
The attack’s power was so impressive that even Adara, who had not been affected, stopped in his tracks. At the same time, the collapsed Scoruas was still under attack.
“……fall.”
A clear voice resounded through the battlefield. Following it, blue lightning bolts poured down from the sky.
Lightning magic skill 【Blue Judgement】.
The storm of lightning strikes which had burned to ashes the swarm of monsters that attacked Balmel, without a shred of pity, doused Scoruas’ entire body in flames.
In the game this magic skill couldn’t be used in boss battles, but probably because his appearance seemed to be formed mostly by water-element monsters, Shin saw Scoruas’ HP gauge decrease significantly.
They had already caused damage for 10% of the total, in just 2 blows.
Scoruas was a Raid-type monster. Originally he would be fought by several parties at once, each one shaving his HP little by little. Considering that, this damage was almost unreal.
“Let’s crush him right away and go assist the others.”
“Yes!”
“Gruaah!”
The High Human Shin, High Elf Schnee, and divine beast Kagerou headed towards Scoruas.
The difference in fighting power was crystal clear. Thus started the hunt for the Grand Duke.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 07 - Uprising of Demons/The-New-Gate-Volume-07-Uprising-of-Demons-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_07_Chapter_04_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 3
“Phew! Shin sure showed him who’s boss! But we won’t lose either!”
Milt spoke while looking at Shin’s entourage running off in the distance. She couldn’t help laughing after witnessing the brutal feat of a Raid boss being kicked in the air.
“That was one hell of a first move. Let’s take this guy down before they finish the other off. No holding back!”
Holding 『Vakira』 with one hand, Wilhelm released his inner power. As his other self had said, he understood how to control or release his power, without the need to be taught how.
“WOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!!!”
Wilhelm’s heartbeat grew stronger and louder. An aura started flowing out of his body, dragon-like scales surfaced on his chest. His left pupil split vertically, while blade-like translucent horns grew on his head.
The aura, the scales, and the horns were all colored deep red.
“Fwooooh….”
“Wow, you’re really interesting, aren’t you.”
In this world, Wilhelm’s new appearance was nothing but abnormal, but Milt simply smiled, enjoying the show.
Looking at Milt and Wilhelm, who had not lost their will to fight after seeing Adara’s true form, but instead become more enthusiastic, Shibaid and Filma smiled too.
“Hmm, the morale’s pretty high.”
“Of course, after seeing something like that…it’s been awhile since I faced something this big, I’m going to get serious too, I guess?”
“Don’t let your guard down, you hear?”
“I won’t. There’s a clear difference in ability between us and the monster, after all.”
Their tone was casual, but their expressions were as serious as they could be.
A Grand Duke-class demon would normally be faced by several players together; the frontline with STR and VIT over 700, the rear guard with INT over 700.
No matter how well-equipped the party may be, it was not an opponent 4 frontline combatants, 1 assist unit and a beast could normally handle.
“I will attract the enemy’s attention! Attack at will!!”
“Now this brings back memories!”
“The shield role is yours!”
“You’re going down!!”
In response to Shibaid’s call, Filma, Wilhelm and Milt rushed towards Adara. A hastily formed party wouldn’t make cooperated play possible. For that very reason, Shibaid decided to leave the decision to each member’s prior battle experiences.
“Impressive that you think you can match me with so few numbers. I could rout you here and now, but unfortunately I have no time to waste with the likes of you.”
While deftly parrying Milt’s 『Breogand』, Wilhelm’s 『Vakira』, and Filma’s 『Red Moon』 with his long sword, Adara kept his eyes on Tiera.
Their opponent was a giant over 20 mels tall. If he proceeded ignoring them, Shibaid’s party, which was less than 10% his size, couldn’t stop him easily.
“What you want to do matters not at all. Your center of attention will be me..”
Holding 『Placid Moon』in his right hand and 『Great Shield of Collision』in his left, and also equipped with his original Dragon gear set, Shibaid stood between Adara and Tiera and used the Taunt skill 【Mind Attract】.
“What are you looking at!!”
“Hngh, I’m being dragged…! So you chose to face me from the front? Interesting!!”
Adara was forced to change the target of his sights from Tiera to Shibaid.
Different from 【Shura Rush】and its wide area of effect, 【Mind Attract】targeted only one monster, making the user the target of all of its actions.
It affected physical and magical attacks, sight, and “hate*”, making it a necessary skill to have for shield-role players when fighting bosses such as Adara. (T/N: I think this refers to “aggro”)
“I’ll have to praise you if you can withstand this!!”
The battle axe and mallet swung down towards Shibaid. The weapons themselves were larger than Shibaid himself, their mass more than double his.
Facing a blow that would definitely rend the earth, Shibaid simply readied his great shield in a stance, without moving an inch.
“May the duel begin!!”
An instant before receiving the attack, Shibaid activated the Shield-type Martial skill 【Buster Fortress】. An emerald-green light completely enveloped Shibaid’s body, which was then struck squarely by Adara’s attack.
A shock reverberated in the surroundings, shaking the ground around them and even creating a depression; shockwaves from the attack were released in all directions.
However, Shibaid stood unharmed and the ground crushed under his feet.
“What!?”
The surprise came from Adara. The battle axe meant to sweep off his enemy’s torso, the mallet meant to crush his enemy to a pulp simply touched Shibaid and would not budge.
The mallet appeared to be stopped by the shield, the battle axe by the armor; but looking closer, it became clear that they had both been stopped by the emerald light, and did not even brush against Shibaid’s equipment.
“NGWAAAHHH!!!”
With a chilling war shout, Shibaid moved one step forward and swung his shield. That simple motion was enough to knock away both Adara’s battle axe and mallet.
【Buster Fortress】too was an indispensable skill for a shield role.
It allowed the user to nullify all damage from any attack and inflict knockback that forced the attacker to retreat temporarily.
It was effective for 10 seconds the first time it was used in a battle; after that, its duration and cooldown time depended on the damage that the blocked attack would have inflicted.
It was more effective the stronger the opponent was, and conversely less effective against weaker opponents. It was a perfect skill for boss battles.
“He’s open! Charge!”
Milt and Wilhelm attacked Adara, who had lost his balance because of 【Buster Fortress】.
Filma, thanks to her long-standing relationship with Shibaid, went closer to Adara, avoiding the range of his attack, as soon as she saw Shibaid hold up his shield.
“We might be small, but you’ll pay for underestimating us so much!”
An arc-like swing from below by 『Red Moon』. The deep crimson slash left a clear slice wound on the left leg of the demon Adara, who was still reeling backwards.
From the slash wound on the demon’s leg spilled out thick, mud-like blood. From the wound, crack-like effects spread all over the leg.
The Sword-type martial skill 【Bloody Torment】.
Not only is its attack power high, it also slows the target’s movements and actions.
Adara, with one leg nearly paralyzed, saw his stance collapse even more.
Milt and Wilhelm wouldn’t let such a chance pass by.
“Slaaasssh Nooovaaaaa!!!”
Milt swung 『Breogand』 down on Adara’s leg, aiming at the wound Filma had just created.
The skill she used was the Axe-type martial skill 【Slash Nova】.
It was a skill which made use of centrifugal force to focus on dealing damage only, without additional effects.
Also thanks to the cut that Filma had opened on Adara’s leg, 『Breogand』’s giant blade destroyed the part of the leg guard it hit; the wound couldn’t be ignored anymore.
“EAT THIIIISSS!!”
And then, with perfect timing, Wilhelm jumped in.
『Vakira』, wrapped in the Spear and Lightning combination skill 【Thunderhowl】, went to stab the base of Adara’s arm, the one wielding the long sword.
This attack, aiming at a spot not covered by Adara’s armor, easily pierced his defenses, allowing 『Vakira』to unleash its abilities to the fullest.
“Kh, again!?”
A blow from 『Vakira』, a weapon demons have terrible affinity against, damaged Adara and at the same time greatly lowered his attack and defense stats.
It also exponentially increased Wilhelm’s stats.
Of course, normally『Vakira』 doesn’t have impressive attack power. It might be a weapon specialized towards demons, but its wielder was still just one person. If a boss that had to be defeated by several parties together could be crushed by less than one full party, the game would lose meaning.
“WOOOOOOHHHH!!!”
Deep crimson lightning bolts swirl around 『Vakira』. It looked like a giant beast’s jaw.
The crackling sound of thunder sounded like a bestial roar, bent on ripping off the demon’s arm.
“Gwoooooohhh!!! Don’t….get….cockyyyyy!!!!!”
Adara had been completely on the defensive until now, but he was still a Grand Duke.
His primal roar, loud enough to silence 【Thunderhowl】’s crackling, spread through the surroundings together with a physical shock.
The beast’s howl caused its 3 attackers’ danger detection abilities to sound the highest alert.
A pitch black aura emerged from Adara’s body, turning him straight back on his feet against all laws of gravity.
“I’LL CRUSH YOUUUUUUUU!!!!”
What followed was a crushing attack by the demon’s 4 weapons simultaneously. The attack’s power was clearly much higher than before; Adara aimed to strike its 4 opponents at the same time.
However, all attacks focused on Shibaid because of the effects of 【Mind Attract】.
4 attacks that would each rend the earth and create fissures lunged at Shibaid.
“I will not let you!”
Tiera, who had been looking for an opening in the demon’s defenses, judged it the best time to shoot her bow.
She was holding the 『Spirit Tree Resonance』bow, a weapon that manifested its full powers when wielded by specified Jobs.
The flying arrows sparkled with the lightning strikes they carried. Shot after a brief pause, Tiera’s arrows pierced the battlefield. They were faster and stronger than the one she had shot at Balmel.
Tiera had shot three arrows. Adara had employed all of his weapons to attack; also because of the arrows’ speed, he could not defend himself against Tiera’s attack.
“Gwaaaahhh!!”
The arrows turned into streaks of light and struck Adara’s head, exactly as targeted. One of the three pierced Adara’s right eye, causing a burning silver-colored flash to pour out from the wound.
“Ghaah! As I thought, you are…!!!”
Because of Tiera’s attack, one of the long swords Adara was holding stopped its assault towards Shibaid, as if it had lost all its power.
Then, as if his arm had been paralyzed, the sword fell from Adara’s hand and planted itself into the ground.
“Hmm? What is this power?”
Shibaid knew well how strong a Grand Duke-class demon was, making what was happening before his eyes all the more unnatural.
Even if Tiera’s attack caused status abnormalities, it was too early for its effect to appear, and its power was too high.
Shibaid’s calm assessment of the whole situation made him notice this abnormality right away.
“I’m going too!”
“I won’t lose either!”
Thanks to Tiera’s attack and Adara’s slower reaction, Filma and Milt caught up. Milt stopped the long sword while Filma blocked the battle axe.
Both their weapons were heavy types. Taking advantage of the centrifugal force, they drew arcs in the air.
“Superior Dunk!!”
“Impact Slash!!”
Among sword and axe skills, these two martial skills prioritized concussion over slashing power. The skills ripped through Adara’s arm and knocked his attack out of trajectory.
The remaining mallet strike landed, but Shibaid’s shield withstood the impact without a flinch.
“What…? It’s too light.”
The power was definitely there; Shibaid could also clearly feel the vibrations coming from his shield, and the pressure he felt was definitely a high-ranked demon’s. However, thanks to his rich experience in battling monsters, he could feel that there was a large gap between the crushing sense of intimidation Adara emitted and his actual fighting power.
Monsters dubbed “Solo-type” were indeed monsters one could defeat individually. Such a name, when applied to bosses, sometimes gave the false impression that they weren’t really strong.
But that was just a misunderstanding caused by this title.
In “THE NEW GATE” raid bosses were loosely ranked by difficulty level.
The ranks were 5 in total: bosses that low-level and mid-level players could handle were rank 1.
Bosses that a party of high-level players had a 70% chance of defeating were rank 2.
Bosses that even several parties of well-equipped high-level players had but a 30% chance of defeating were rank 3.
Bosses that parties of high-level players with exceptionally high stats could face, but would never be sure of defeating were rank 4.
Lastly, monsters of nearly invincible strength, or rather set by the creators as “Fight me if you dare” bosses were rank 5.
“Grand Duke class demons should be at least rank 3.”
Shibaid whispered to himself.
Rank 3 monsters were the greatest quarry a single player could defeat. Because of this status, rank 3 monsters were also called “Solo-type”.
Not even Shin, in the game era, could say with confidence that he could defeat a rank 4 on his own. In the case of rank 5, luck was heavily involved too.
Most Grand Duke class creatures were rampaging monsters of terrible strength in the game era as well. It was not rare for them to be rank 4, with some rare examples going as far as rank 5.
Even if they were rank 3, it absolutely did not mean that they would be weak opponents.
“I’m going to suck up that miasma!”
Ignoring Shibaid’s doubts, the battle’s situation changed.
Wilhelm, who had not participated in the defense against Adara’s latest assault, took advantage of the opening after Adara’s attack and jumped in close to the demon.
His 『Vakira』struck without hesitation, almost as if he was aware of Adara’s poor condition.
The greatest reason for Adara’s weakness was indeed 『Vakira』’s presence.
『Beinot』had changed into 『Vakira』because of Adara’s miasma. Because of this, it had especially good affinity with the demon’s miasma.
Its miasma capacity, conversion rate, and absorption rate were much higher than normal when facing Adara.
These values were more than double or triple the original stats.
“Show me all your poweeerrrr!!!!”
『Vakira』 was enveloped in a burning red color, brought forth by Wilhelm’s willpower.
The fiery iron-melting flames turned 『Vakira』’s tip red hot.
Spear and Flame combination skill【Crimson Lotus Fang】.
Armor had no meaning before this blow. 『Vakira』’s blade easily melted the demon’s defensive gear, delivering its burning heat through it.
The demon’s weakening, induced by the miasma absorption, proceeded alongside Wilhelm’s power-up.
The power-up Wilhelm was receiving was far higher than he expected, but he did not falter.
He knew. He understood what 『Vakira』was causing and why the others’ power was overflowing as well.
The words of someone not present at the moment reached Wilhelm’s ears.
“RRAAAHHHHH!!!”
Wilhelm grabbed 『Vakira』as it stabbed the demon’s body and forcefully performed a sweep.
Wilhelm’s reinforced muscular strength allowed him to force 『Vakira』, while wedged in the demon’s arm, to execute an arc-like motion, thus driving its heat further and slashing half of the arm.
The heat caused the blood to evaporate, as 『Vakira』continued to devour Adara’s miasma.
Every time the spear pierced Adara’s armor and body his abilities decreased, while Wilhelm’s increased further.
“Even if it’s a weapon made to fight demons, is it normal for it to be this effective? Do you know anything?”
“The『Vakira』I know doesn’t have this kind of insane ability.”
Filma and Milt too, who had directly crossed blades with the demon, noticed how Adara was clearly becoming weaker.
Judging from how the battle was going, they realized that the cause was Wilhelm’s weapon, but they couldn’t help wondering why the weakening and power-up it was causing were much more impressive than what they remembered.
“Well, we can always ask after we’ve taken him down.”
“If we don’t hurry up Shin and the others will come back too. They left this to us, we better do a good job!”
Even if they had doubts about the situation, there was no time to slow down their attacks.
Even weakened, the giant demon’s mass and muscular strength were a menace just by themselves.
They couldn’t let down their guard until they had completely defeated him.
They could see Adara’s HP gauge through【Analyze】. Around 50% remained.
One arm had become powerless because of Tiera’s attack, while another had been deeply cut by Wilhelm.
They were both right arms, thus leaving the demon’s 2 left arms as the only ones usable.
If Adara tried to change location, Tiera’s arrows and Shibaid’s shield would stop his progress.
With no way to go, and his attacks forcefully directed towards Shibaid, it was obvious that he couldn’t defend himself at the same time.
Taking advantage of these openings, Wilhelm’s 『Vakira』, Filma’s 『Red Moon』, and Milt’s 『Breogand』mercilessly beat Adara’s whole body.
Filma, who had improved her abilities and stats by fighting alongside Shin. Milt, who had made her name famous as battle maniac. Wilhelm, who had gained his true power as a ‘Critical’.
Their attacks caused Adara’s HP to decrease faster and faster.
In addition to their attacks, Tiera’s arrows (boosted by Yuzuha’s support) continued to pierce the demon.
Every time the arrows hit, Adara’s body was bathed in silver light.
In the same way as Wilhelm’s 『Vakira』, every time a silver flash burst the demon would lose his power.
“Gah…kuuh…agh…”
Adara, overwhelmed by the damage sustained, fell down to one knee. Wilhelm, his body completely enveloped with aura, jumped the highest he could and brought down his weapon.
“HURRY UP AND DIE ALREADY!!!!”
Adara was already covered in wounds. There was not enough strength in him to block Wilhelm’s full-power attack.
Wilhelm threw 『Vakira』, now morphed into a crimson flash, towards the demon.
The spear shattered his forehead guard, tore his flesh, and crushed his bones, pulverizing Adara’s head from the mouth upwards.
Filma and the others could see that the demon’s HP gauge had reached zero.
Yet Adara did not fall. Even with his head lost, the remaining mouth still moved.
“So…It…ends…heeeeeere…for meeeeeh…”
“Eh?”
“What?”
A second after Milt and Wilhelm expressed their disbelief, Adara’s body collapsed.
Not only his body, but his gear too gradually turned into a thick goo-like liquid. Milt and Wilhelm stopped in their tracks.
“Buuut…juuuust disaaaappeeeearing liiiike thiiiissss…iiiiisn’t likeeeee meeeeeeh…”
Shibaid and Filma reacted instantly.
“It’s noooot ffffuuunnnnn!!!!”
At the same time of Adara’s scream, his now liquid body lunged towards Tiera.
It was the demon’s last resort; while moving, his body was slowly disappearing from the edges.
But before completely disappearing, it wanted to swallow Tiera and take her with him.
“No, Yuzuha! Leave me and run!”
“Kuu!”
Tiera realized that she was the target and urged Yuzuha to flee.
In response, as if refusing Tiera’s request, Yuzuha focused more power in her four limbs and cried.
“It’s still a bit too early to give up!”
As Tiera and Yuzuha were talking, Filma and Shibaid reached them.
Shibaid stood between what had become of Adara and Tiera, while Filma took a stance behind him, thrusting 『Red Moon』towards the sky.
“You shall not pass!”
With a bold shout, Shibaid firmly planted his 『Great Shell Shield of Collision』into the ground.
At the same time, the air before Shibaid trembled. A transparent, hexagonal barrier formed as to separate the space between Adara and Shibaid.
It was one of the 『Great Shell Shield of Collision』’s abilities, the creation of attack-repelling barriers.
It was originally an ability intended as anti-air, but it was sufficiently useful against Adara’s straight rush.
“It won’t last long!”
“I just need 5 seconds!”
Judging from the liquid nature of the monster, it was only a matter of time before it crossed over the barrier.
Filma answered Shibaid while focusing her magic power in her blade.
『Red Moon』’s blade, held up high towards the heavens, started shining with a deep red light, which seemed to rise higher and higher.
“Orrahhh!!”
Trying to stop the advance of the thing which Adara had become, Wilhelm performed a long-range skill. A lightning flare and raging flames struck the demon and managed to slow his progress for a few moments.
“Milt, Wilhelm, get away from there!! You’ll burn up too!!”
“Whoa, that’s a huge one! You get away too!”
“Tch!”
Milt caught on what Filma was about to do from Shibaid’s shout and urged Wilhelm to move too.
Perceiving the magic power accumulating within 『Red Moon』, Wilhelm clicked his tongue but made use of his boosted physical abilities to the fullest and distanced himself.
“Now!!”
“Yes!!”
After Filma’s signal, Shibaid dispelled his attack-repelling barrier. Like a flood no longer blocked by a dam, the turbid stream Adara had turned into grew closer.
“This is the end!!”
As if exchanging places with Shibaid, Filma stepped forward and swung down her『Red Moon』.
Deep red streaks of light seared the earth, as if tracing the slashing motion.
Sword and Fire combination skill 【Shiden* – Kagutsuchi】. (T/N: Shiden means Ultimate, remember when Girard used Zekka in his final duel against Shin? That’s a Shiden-ranked skill)
This skill, christened with the name of the mythological god of fire, unleashed heat worthy of its godly origins.
The ground under the turbid stream rose up in flames.
From the spot『Red Moon』 had been swung, the light disappeared for an instant, but in the next instant roaring flames scorched the earth, with speed higher than the pitch black stream’s advance. The moment the light soaring in the sky had wrapped the black goo within itself, it had turned into hellfire.
“Aaah!!”
Even if she was at a fair distance from the attack and Shibaid was shielding her, Tiera couldn’t help but yell.
Her skin had not been burnt by the heat. Nor had she been blinded by the light.
But she couldn’t restrain her voice after feeling the sheer intimidation contained in that attack.
“So this is the strength of a High Human’s follower…damn near unbelievable power…”
“It’s a skill that combines sword and flame techniques. You can’t use it without a specific combination of user and weapon…both of them must be of the highest grade.”
Watching the torpid stream engulfed by the flames, Milt answered Wilhelm’s comment.
The game’s exclusive special effects were a sight to behold too, but the scenery before Milt’s eyes now was something more divine and much more powerful.
A holy flame purifying corruption. That was what it suggested to the imagination.
After the light grew dim, only the torn ground and a mineral emitting a red brilliance remained.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 07 - Uprising of Demons/The-New-Gate-Volume-07-Uprising-of-Demons-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_07_Chapter_04_Part_04.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 4
“Just what…power is that…?”
Scoruas, still reeling from the kick he had received, whispered his astonishment while pulling up his body, scorched by lightning and flames.
“I’m wondering too. Do you know anything?”
While perceiving the energy from the other battle, Shin answered to Scoruas’ mumbled words.
As the lightning stopped, Shin kicked the ground and closed in on the demon.
His right hand wielded 『Moonless』, the left one the newly unsheathed 『Oboro Muramasa』. Its grade was superior ancient, similar to 『Moonless』. In this world, it was a masterpiece among katanas, regarded as a “sword of the gods”.
“ThiSs poWeErr…are yOu rEeAlly hUmaN?”
“Who knows? In any case, you’re going to die here, so you’re fine not knowing, right?”
Shin answered Scoruas while cutting through the octopus tentacles that stretched towards him.
The tentacles were hard enough that Legend-grade weapons would simply bounce off them, but, before Ancient-grade weapons, they were as helpless as regular octopus tentacles.
With 【Limit】 released, Shin’s muscular strength was unbound, which, coupled with the blades’ sharpness, sliced through the tentacles like a hot knife through butter.
“Here’s a little bonus too.”
After slashing 3 of the tentacles in half, Shin activated the Flame and Wind combination skill【Echo Bomb】.
What appeared was a ball of fire with a 1 mel diameter.
The balls of fire quickly became 10, then 20, then rained on Scoruas’ face.
“GwAAh?? nOT onLy pOweR, bUt MagIC toOo!? ”
Scoruas tried to parry the fireballs with his pincer-like arms.
The fireballs exploded as soon as they touched the pincers, thus inflicting damage to the monster’s shell. The compressed air within the fireballs was also carried by the blast, sending its vibrations to the enemy’s shell.
As the directed sound waves hit the shell, they gradually caused cracks to appear on its sturdy surface.
【Echo Bomb】was a skill that caused damage both by sound waves and explosions, useful for damaging a monsters’ hard skin and armor.
The endless flood of fireballs crushed Scoruas’ pincers and scales, which were starting to fall off.
Continuous casting of this skill was a feat that not even several magicians could perform, even when taking turns casting.
It only became possible when one managed to cast it without chanting, possessed enough magical power, and high enough stats.
“As expected of a Grand Duke, you’re pretty sturdy.”
This fierce attack would have turned a normal field boss to ashes, but Scoruas’ HP had barely decreased.
Protecting himself with his pincers helped too, although Scoruas’ defensive power was originally very high.
With his previous kick, Shin had planned to crush the demon’s organs. However, Scoruas’ stomach was now only slightly dented and had already recovered to the point that it couldn’t be said to have been sunk in.
Shin’s main priority had been to create distance between the two demons, but to withstand an overlimit kick showed that Scoruas’ defenses were quite impressive.
“The scales form a layered armor, I see.”
Shin formed his guess while looking at the scales still falling from the demon’s body. New scales were created where fallen ones used to be, hiding the demon’s skin from sight.
“Looks like I can’t just lock you down.”
The newly formed tentacles knocked down 【Echo Bomb】before Shin’s eyes.
The 3 tentacles, huge in comparison to the demon’s body, moved all around and hit all the fireballs, barely missing any.
The few fireballs left were blocked by the pincers.
The recovery ability probably extended to the whole body, as the demon’s lower body also began to move again.
“Not a chance.”
Shin, while keeping the magical skill active, rushed towards the horse legs that were trying to move.
The trunk-like legs were nothing more than a target for Shin. He closed in and swung his swords down, attempting to cut them off in one fell swoop.
The legs, however, noticed the sudden change before Shin could get close enough.
Octopus-like tentacles began sprouting from the horse legs’ surface.
Every tentacle was roughly 15 mels long and as thick as a big rope. The tips were armed with knife-like shells, but the most notable thing was their massive numbers. The octopus leg-like appendages, easily numbering over 100, chased after Shin just like tentacles hunting their prey.
“Quit sprouting bizarre stuff!”
“dO noT thINk I wIlL juSt SIT BaCK aNd do NOThINg!!”
Shin put some distance between him and the demon, all the while cutting down tentacles. After roughly 10 mels, the tentacles stopped their pursuit.
In their place, huge tentacles came crashing down on Shin’s head.
“Hah!”
Shin swung『Moonless』and 『Oboro Muramasa』in a cross, which was enough to blow away 3 tentacles sprouting from Scoruas’ right arm.
“Oops!”
The left arm’s pincer came on the offensive as well. It was not impossible to slash it, but if he remained in place he would have been thrown back.
As Shin jumped to dodge it, he felt a stronger gaze pointed towards him.
Shin faced upwards and found Scoruas, with his mouth wide open and pointed at Shin. A large amount of compressed water was already present inside the mouth.
“Kaaahhhhh….”
It was highly pressurized water breath – a wide range attack sea-dwelling monsters excelled at.
But it could not be unleashed.
“GRUAAAAAAAA!!!”
“——!?!”
Kagerou had circled around the demon, jumped on its back and sank his claws on Scoruas’ head.
Returning to his original form, Kagerou had jumped while using【Hiding】, attacking Scoruas from his blind spot.
After Shin had kicked Scoruas away, Kagerou had hid on Shin’s shadow.
Streams of water burst through the gaps of the demon’s closed mouth. By forcing Scoruas’ mouth to close just before the shot, the breath attack was unleashed within the demon’s mouth.
The leaked waterstreams cracked open whatever ground they touched, proof that the attack’s power was not to be underestimated.
“YoU FiLThy BeASt..!!!”
Scoruas was now rampaging, trying to shake Kagerou off his back. He tried to reach around his back with his tentacles, but Kagerou had enveloped his whole body in lightning, thus burning the tentacles and preventing them from wrapping around him.
Scoruas was a rank 3 boss, but close to rank 4.
In comparison, the Gruefago -the ordinary monster version- was roughly in the middle of rank 3.
Kagerou, however, was a mutated species, and his rank was more or less the same as Scoruas’.
His physical abilities were more than enough to cause damage to the demon.
“GHAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!”
Kagerou, his battle instincts now completely released, unleashed a roar that boomed throughout the surroundings. His lightning-clad blow easily crushed Scoruas’ scales and sank into the demon’s flesh.
The divine beast then attacked the pincers’ base with his fangs, causing cracks to open on the monster’s carapace with a loud creaking sound.
“Kagerou! Get away!”
Schnee’s voice resounded through the battlefield.
Scoruas was freed from Kagerou’s attacks, but his relief was short-lived; seconds later, the demon was once again under attack.
Just as his attention was drawn to his back, crescent-moon-shaped blades of ice targeted him from the front. The blades were thin and almost invisible to the naked eye.
The blades were roughly 1 mel long: if they could be caught, they looked extremely fragile.
“Kh!”
Scoruas tried to crush them with his tentacles, but felt that each blade was imbued with magical power; he then quickly jumped away while using his shell-clad left arm as a shield.
“My arM…is FReeZiNG…”
The ice blades did not cause much damage. Yet each spot they touched froze instantly, in a 2 mel radius.
The chilling air affected not only the surface, but also deep within the carapace, robbing Scoruas of his mobility.
“I apologize for being late.”
“We were all waiting for you.”
Because of his physical abilities, Shin always struck first. In this situation, separating the two demons was of the utmost priority, so it was not a real problem.
“It looks like they are struggling less than expected. They might really defeat the enemy before we join them”
“Fantastic news. That Adara demon wasn’t that strong, then?”
“It appears that Wilhelm’s spear and Tiera’s arrows had a greater effect than expected. They were much more powerful than I expect them to be.”
“That’s intriguing. We’ll have to ask them after we take care of this one.”
Shin and Schnee drew closer to Scoruas, all the while conversing in a perfectly usual manner.
“The tentacles always get in the way. It’ll be easier to use this too.”
“I’ll borrow it, then.”
Shin passed a card to Schnee, who materialized it.
What appeared in her left hand was a short sword with a transparent emerald-green blade and dainty decorations. The blade part was roughly 60 cemels long.
The name of this superior Ancient-class weapon was 『Suirentou – Kabutohana』.
“Here I come.”
Schnee’s silhouette vanished in thin air. Moving quickly and gracefully as if dancing, leaving after-images in one’s wake was a Kunoichi’s specialty. It was fruit of the combination of the movement-type martial skills 【Ground Shrink】and 【Mirage Dance】.
While the tentacles unsuccessfully tried to halt her advance, Schnee carved Scoruas’ front left leg with her blades. The weapons she wielded were both of Ancient grade; the carapace’s defense power was nothing before them.
At the same time, she had activated the Katana-type martial skill 【Pomegranate Burst】.
Scoruas’ front left leg, struck by a storm of blue and green slashes, had already lost half of its functionality.
“It won’t go like before this time!”
Shin was running towards the demon’s front right leg.
His attack was straight from the front; 『Moonless』and 『Oboro Muramasa』repeatedly unleashed cross-like slashes.
It was the Katana-type martial skill 【Brilliant Void Cross】.
The Light and Dark elemental blades felled the tentacles and carved cross-shaped scars on the demon’s body. Scoruas’ front right leg lost all of its functions roughly at the same time that the left one was crushed by Schnee.
“ThIS iS…ABsUrD…hOw coUld I…”
Because of the damage to the legs and Kagerou’s lightning attack received from behind, Scoruas was now slumped forward. Before his eyes stood Shin and Schnee, both with weapons at the ready.
“Let’s go with a combination attack.”
“Understood.”
The magical power focusing in their weapons caused even the atmosphere to emit a sharp, grinding sound.
The concentration was so dense that all that Scoruas’ pupils could register was a violet and blue flashing light.
“ThIS lIGht iIIiiSS…!!!”
Scoruas could not finish his sentence before the slash reached its target.
Cooperation-exclusive skill 【Decapitation Spark】.
It was a crushingly heavy sword slash, coming from a gigantic blade-shaped energy, extending from 『Moonless』and 『Blue Moon』.
What they had unleashed was a single flash. A single cleave that cut through the arms Scoruas had raised to defend himself, his harder-than-steel carapace and layers of scales, as if they were nothing.
The blade descended as mercilessly as a real guillotine.
The skill, possessing power unimaginable in the game era, cut Scoruas’ head off in one fell swoop.
“Better safe than sorry.”
“Yes.”
Shin and Schnee readied their blades before the skill ended.
Their opponent was a Grand Duke; even if its HP had become 0, they doubted it would just die like that.
Scoruas’ gigantic body was run through by sword slashes, which crossed in its center and divided the demon’s body in 4 parts.
It was defeated, without a shred of a doubt; after some time, the demon’s body turned into particles and started disappearing.
“How could I lose so easily…? Just who are you…?”
“You only have your head left, but you can still talk? Well, there’s no reason for me to tell you though.”
Scoruas’ sliced head had started speaking. It was a mystery where the voice came from, but its distorted tone had returned to a more human-like one.
“Someone who could subdue Schnee Raizar and a divine beast…haha, now I see, you are a hi—”
That was everything Scoruas managed to utter. It appeared he could not maintain his existence anymore; his head also turned into particles and disappeared.
Items such as jewels and metals were the only things left where Scoruas’ body had been.
“Demons drop items in this world?”
“The demon we defeated at the king’s castle did not drop anything, though.”
On closer inspection, the dropped gemstones were all Unique class. The metals too were rare kinds, such as Orichalcum and Mithril.
Shin assumed that the items the demon created within its body were expelled when the demon passed, thus appearing just as dropped items would.
They did not seem tainted by the miasma, but to be sure Shin purified them before converting them into cards and storing them in the item box.
“Well then, let’s rejoin the others.”
“It doesn’t look like they needed help after all.”
Adara was nowhere to be seen. While Scoruas was disappearing they perceived a large quantity of magical power and turned around, to find a deep red flash of light rising in the distance, signaling the conclusion of the conflict.
The effect suggested that 【Kagutsuchi】had been activated.
The group of 3 quickly started on their way back and re-joined with Shibaid’s entourage.
“You wrapped things up pretty quickly.”
“That’s my line, honestly. I thought your party would have needed more time, Shin.”
Shin’s words were answered by a disappointed-sounding Filma.
Based on the monsters’ shapes, Adara was much easier to fight than Scoruas. The latter would take longer to fight because of his many unpredictable attack patterns. Scoruas was also slightly higher than Adara in terms of level of ability.
If both groups stopped the enemy while continuously adding damage, normally Filma’s group would have finished their opponent sooner.
“We had the chance to power up a little, you see. Let’s talk more later.”
In order to regroup with Konig’s entourage, which had gone a safe distance from the battlefield, Shin materialized the carriage from a card.
A short while after the group’s carriage departed, Konig’s marker appeared on Shin’s map.
The 『Cloak of Hidden Threads』Konig was wearing was something Shin had lent him, so he would not be hidden from Shin’s sight.
Maybe because he had noticed the cloud of dust raised by the carriage headed in their direction, Konig had stopped moving.
Shin left the reins and waved in Konig’s direction, who unequipped his cloak.
“Apologies for the wait. We’re going back to Balmel, so please get on board.”
“I have a mountain of things I’d like to ask…but first I suppose I shall do so.”
Konig was carrying Hermie on his back. She had regained consciousness, but her expression was still somber.
“How do you feel?”
“I am fine, thank you. I humbly apologize for all the trouble I caused you.”
“No, we made some unexpected findings on our own, so please do not worry.”
If Hermie and Wilhelm hadn’t been kidnapped, Shin’s party would not have rushed to their location. In that case, Scoruas’ plan could have been successful.
For Hermie and the worried Lilishila it was an unfortunate turn of events, but Shin was glad they could crush the demons’ plans. Of course, he kept such an opinion to himself.
“We will depart right away.”
The group planned to head towards Balmel, then travel by sea to a town close to Sigurd, lastly reaching Sigurd with the carriage.
Reasons for this route were also that the carriage alone would have taken too much time and Vizzy’s dragons could not carry all of them.
It would have been possible if they rode separately, but they were not in a rush like before, so Shin decided not to reveal to Konig that they can ride dragons.
After they reached Balmel, Shin’s party went directly to check the ship’s timetable. They also had to stock up on food.
Konig also left to send a message to the Church.
Hermie, who was not feeling too well, stayed in the inn, with Wilhelm as her guard.
“I apologize to have you stay back for someone like me…”
“What?”
Wilhelm’s brow furrowed after hearing such self-deprecating words. Hermie had spoken unusually belittling herself on the carriage as well.
In the beginning he thought she felt down for having been kidnapped, but even so, her voice and expression were far too dark. It felt as if she was rejecting everything about herself.
Wilhelm thought about what the reason could be.
“Did those bastards say something to you?”
Scoruas, Adara, the Summit Faction members. Those were the possible answers.
“I am….no, because of me, many people were sacrificed.”
“Now that you mention it, I seem to remember them saying something like that. But it’s nothing for you to worry about, is it?”
Wilhelm spoke lightly, as if it wasn’t anything important enough to be burdened by.
“That’s not…!! All those people, they..”
“I couldn’t save them either. Even Shin and the others didn’t make it in time. Also, you can’t fight. The moment they got caught by those bastards, it was obvious that they couldn’t be saved. They were doing that stuff even before kidnapping you too.”
Hermie couldn’t possibly be the reason why they were sacrificed.
“If you’ve got enough free time to think nonsense like “it was my fault” or whatever, think about what you can do from now on instead. There might be other people captured in that cave, after all.”
“Concerning that, Konig, who can command the Church’s knights, is contacting the Church. Once he knows the reason, His Holiness the Pope will surely authorize them to act…”
Hermie answered Wilhelm’s words. The destruction of one of the Summit Faction’s bases was surely advantageous for the Church. There was no reason to hesitate.
“Is there anything I could do…?”
“Who knows. They call you Holy Woman, though. I don’t know what you can or can’t do, but if you just say something, there are plenty people who can achieve something better, isn’t it?”
“Holy…Woman….am I really worthy of such a name…?”
“Hmm, well…before we talk about who’s worthy or not, I don’t even know why they call you that.”
Wilhelm knew that those called “Holy Women” existed, but did not know why that was.
Excluding Konig, among the current members the only ones that maybe knew were Schnee, Shibaid, and possibly Milt.
In answer to Wilhelm’s admission of not knowing the reason for that title, Hermie started talking in a feeble tone of voice.
At first, people found her creepy. Someone from the Church heard rumors about her and came to pick her up, she learnt how her power can help others. With time, they started referring to her as Holy Woman.
Hermie narrated her story, sometimes finding that the words died in her throat and wouldn’t come out.
“People treated you like a creep, and still you think about helping them, that’s really something.”
“If I was asked why I did, it would be difficult to give a clear answer. Maybe…I wanted to prove that even someone like me can be useful to others.”
“And isn’t that good enough? They call you Holy Woman because there are people that were saved by you, right?”
“Is what I did, right…?”
“That’s what they call a question with no answer. Maybe even if you weren’t there they would have gotten by somehow, or maybe an even worse tragedy would have happened. In the end, we can only do what we believe in.”
Wilhelm’s words might have sounded banal, but they were the truth. To know all consequences one’s actions could bring was something not even a Star Reader could do.
“Besides, a certain High Human said that even he can’t save everyone. In other words, it’s not possible even for a living legend. Just give up.”
During their serious conversation, Wilhelm mentioned it as if there was nothing they could do.
“A certain High Human…?”
“Once I was trained by Schnee Raizar, see, and she told me so.”
“Is…that so. All the more reason to do our best, then.”
It wasn’t clear if she had believed Wilhelm’s words or not, but she showed a different smile from before.
“Yeah, that’s pretty much it. It’s going to get busy now too. You better rest up while you can.”
“I will. You really are the person I was told about…”
“Huh? You were told about? By whom?”
Hermie’s words provoked a clearly annoyed look by Wilhelm.
“Let us just say that children watch the people around them more than we think.”
“Tch.”
Wilhelm clicked his tongue, a grimace on his face. Seeing this, Hermie let out a chuckle.
The group would now cross the sea towards Sigurd.
To their ears then echoed a distant sneeze.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 03 - Falnido Beast Alliance/The-New-Gate-Volume-03-Falnido-Beast-Alliance-[Shin][Armaell]/f001.txt
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Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Part 1
“Then, let’s start getting ready now.”
Shin decided to head toward the Falnido Beast Alliance where his old friend Girard awaited, and they began making the preparations respectively. However, because Tsuki no Hokora could wholly be carried with him, most of the preparations were unnecessary.
The elf, Tiera, returned to her room to choose the clothes that were appropriate for going out. The Element Tail, Yuzuha, stood by on top of Shin’s head in the young fox mode. The High Elf, Schnee, looked back at Shin and said;
“I have to go complete the request. Could you buy some food and supplies, just in case?”
“Okay. Since I’m going to go to the adventurers’ guild after I lightly temper a sword, I’ll buy them on the way.”
“You’re going to the guild?”
“Yeah. I guess we’ll go do our separate actions for a while; Schnee, you’re still on the Skull Faces matter, right? Therefore, I’ll take a request toward the Falnido area, and improve my rank while I’m at it. It’s regrettable, but I can’t stay a rank G forever.”
To enter the guild and stay at the lowest rank forever, was not a good thing in the eyes of society either. Because he knew that staying as a rank G for a long time was a rare case, even for a person who didn’t have remarkable abilities, he thought to at least to make it to F rank.
Since the Skull Faces’ subjugation was not a request, Shin currently had zero request achievements.
“I understand. What about the meeting place?”
“I’ll decide it after seeing the status of the request. We can always use the message card to talk to each other.”
“If so, let’s form a party. We can use the voice chat in that case. It’s easier than using message cards.”
“EH, Seriously!?”
According to Schnee, only partners in the same party could use the voice chat. Now the speaking and writing via the mind was called 【Mind Chat】.
“However, only we, the old generation, are able to use it immediately. People like Tiera, a new generation; someone who was born after the Dusk of the Majesty, I heard they are unable to use it if they don’t trust each other. Even so, I don’t know how true that is.”
“What happens if the old and new generations are mixed in a party?”
“Only the old generation is able to use it.”
Because she didn’t know on what kind of principle it worked, she appeared to be unclear on the exact conditions. In the case of the new generation, they seemed to suddenly be able to use it one day. Certainly, the 【Mind Chat】 was not usable when the party was disbanded, but if the party united again, the person who experienced that communication would be able to use it right away.
“So that means, only Schnee and I can use it immediately, huh?”
“Yuzuha is also able to talk to Shin~”
A sweet voice came down from on top of his head.
“In the case of Yuzuha, I think it is because of Yuzuha’s individual talents and Shin’s tamer ability. I also think it’s better if you don’t announce that too much. Please remember the party that we are talking about and the guild’s party are two different things.”
“Different?”
“What do you mean?”
Shin and Yuzuha had a question mark floating above them.
“A party is only recognized by the guild after it has registered with the guild. However, the party formation system for the old generation, like Shin and me, was performed through the menu display so the general public is not aware of it. In other words, we can create a double party.”
To begin with, the menu screen seemed to be limited to the people who are still alive since the Dusk of the Majesty. For the new generation, they couldn’t read the precise explanation notes of the skills and arts and somehow only understood how to use it, not how it worked.
“If there is no guild card for the new generation, they only roughly know my stats, excluding my level, huh? But eventually, only a party that was formed in the guild is recognized by the guild, don’t you agree? Is there an advantage of forming a party the way the old generation did?”
“It’s being able to use the Mind Chat. In this world, when there are many partners who can do long-distance communication, only that alone is useful. Since there are almost no human beings that have the message card, I guess. Also in any country, the person who has the Mind Chat is given preferential treatment. Even if that person is not an adventurer for an old generation. Because there is no need to go to battle, if that person joined a party and it was dispatched to various locations, as they are able to quickly receive information.”
“I see, so a person who is able to use the Mind Chat is hired just because of the skill, huh?”
The communication method in this world was letter delivery by a messenger or a wagon. The speed of the information transmitted was extremely slow compare with Mind Chat.
From Schnee’s story, only a small handful of adventurers from the whole new generation were able to use Mind Chat. Now, since the old generation has decreased in number, it’s worth has become immeasurable.
“Kuu~? Is it really that amazing?”
Yuzuha asked while shaking its tails.
“Yeah, it’s amazing. As an example, I can convey my thoughts to my partner who is in a remote place immediately. If I’m hurt and can’t move, I can call for help, and I can pass along important information right away.”
“Kuu! Yuzuha will help if Shin is in trouble!”
“Please take care of me at that time. Yuzuha too, can call me if you are in trouble.”
“Okay!”
Yuzuha, who didn’t understand the advantage of fast communication, somehow understood that it was amazing from Shin’s words. It was not possible to say if it completely understood though, as it was still a child.
“Now, the old and new generation that are able to use Mind Chat have to form a party with the guild. So the Mind Chat is not usable with a commoner who has not registered to the guild. If you have time, it would be nice to help Tiera register as an adventurer.”
“That’s a good idea. Then, do you want me to bring her to the guild with me?”
“That would be really helpful. She should be able to move better than an amateur since I have trained her in basic fighting techniques for the last 50 years.”
“Eh, you trained her?”
The other day, Wilhelm, who had fought together with Shin in the Wraith Plains, said that he had received training from Schnee as well. And he was beaten up one-sidedly.
“Yes, is there something wrong with that?”
It seemed like Schnee didn’t know why Shin was surprised, as she looked slightly puzzled. That spontaneous action made Shin felt embarrassed, but he somehow kept his composure.
“Was it safe?”
“Yes, though I don’t understand what you mean by that.”
The figure of Schnee doing Spartan training just popped into Shin’s head. For some reason, that image seemed to be pretty harsh.
“I don’t know what Shin imagined, but it was only basic training that was done. Because I’m able to go outside of the barrier, I only teach her when I have time. Although her level is low, she should have superior movements compared to a newly fledged adventurer.”
Schnee, who seemed to have read what Shin had imagined, said that with a slightly displeased tone.
“Iya, that’s… well, sorry. Because I heard that training with you seemed to be a little harsh.”
Shin apologized upfront at this time. It was an inviolable rule, that his mother in the real world told him. Incidentally, in his father’s words, the situation would become worse if he did not apologize.
Somehow he recalled these kind of things from the talk with Schnee.
“Then, in exchange, you will listen to my simple request.”
“Ah yes…I understand.”
Schnee said it with a smile. The smiling face that could make the whole nation captive was a little frightening to Shin now.
He felt a little worried about whatever he was going to be made to do.
-
Before long, Schnee went out for shopping, and Shin then took Yuzuha along with him to the blacksmith’s workshop. He wanted to lightly temper a sword before going to the guild.
“Now then, let’s do this.”
He took out an unprocessed iron ingot from his Item Box. It wasn’t bad one but it wasn’t a good quality one either, it was just a normal ingot.
A longsword was also a common thing to make. Of course, it would be forged. Although metal casting is easy and fast, he couldn’t sell it like that.
“Does this become a sword?”
“Yes, but don’t approach me too much when I’m forging, because it’s dangerous.”
After telling Yuzuha to keep its distance, Shin began making the longsword. His body moved without trouble since coming into this world, probably because he had done this for more than 5 years.
The iron was heated and beat with a hammer. The sound of metal being struck, “Clang”, “Clang”, resounded in the forge, and Yuzuha’s tails synchronized with a small flutter.
When hitting the ingot in the game, it didn’t matter where it was struck as the result was still the same. But now that it was reality, that wouldn’t work. Nevertheless, Shin somehow understood where he should hit. It might be the benefit of the skill. While thinking whether a real craft man might have such a sense, he set the metal and hit it with the hammer again.
“Amazing~!”
Yuzuha raised a cheer, as it saw the ingot changing form almost instantly. It was at a speed that would leave an ordinary blacksmith stunned. One would wonder whether it was alright to be that fast, but obviously it was not alright. Only inferior goods would be produced by striking it quickly.
It was the【Blacksmith】 skill which Shin possessed that allowed this. With the creator’s intended design known, it was a cheat skill that increased the production speed to an efficiency that was impossible to reproduce in the real world.
Certainly, it didn’t mean that any weapon could be created with the blacksmith skill. A Magic skill was needed for magic bestowal, and the skills 【Mixing】 and 【Tempered Metal】 were necessary for raw materials as well.
When the person tried to master a production job, it was inevitable that the person had to learn how another production worked.
“The first one.”
He looked at the completed sword he had made for practice. Though there was only a blade, no one would think it was only made from an ordinary ingot.
The light that entered from the entrance of the blacksmith’s workshop was reflected by the sword blade, and a dim white light on the blade showed its sharpness. Even if an amateur handled it, the item seemed to raised the probability of success in battle.
“…I was fired up a little too much.”
Though it was made just as an experiment, it obviously became goods that would cause uproar when put up on the storefront. It was not possible to simply say that this was a common longsword. When the item was bestowed with magic, it would be classified as 《Rare》 or 《Unique》 grade.
A sword that was bestowed with magic was known as a Cursed Sword, or sometimes a Holy Sword in this society. Because there were few people in this world that had a weapon that was higher than 《Legend》 grade, weapons such as a 《Rare》 grade were often found up to 《Unique》 grade. However, for weapons that were above the 《Legend》 grade, they had a higher ability than a Cursed Sword without any magic bestowal.
“A failure?”
“No, it’s not a failure, but this can’t be sold. There are no weapon shops in the kingdom that put up magically bestowed weapons.”
It didn’t mean that there were no magically bestowed weapons on sale, but it was rare. Moreover, because it was Shin who tempered it, the weapon’s performance was different from the other cursed swords around there. If someone bought a Cursed Sword with an average ability from the weapon shop and put two longswords together, that would be the limit that Cursed Sword could break. However, one of Shin’s tempered Cursed Swords would be able cut 4 additional longswords. If he put in some serious effort, even one of his low-grade Cursed Sword could break it. The weapons that Shin made and could rally with the 《Legend》 grade ones were not just for show.
Nonetheless, it backfired this time. There were differences between the blacksmiths in this world and the blacksmiths in the game era, especially when it came to weapon design.
“For some reason, I have a feeling. The next one should be good.”
He was probably doing it unconsciously. So, while being aware of the boosting performance from the blacksmith skill, he made another longsword. The second longsword had a bit of a high performance, and the third one was somehow a normal one. Because those ready-made goods were aggravating, he continued to mass-produce swords with a similar ability to the second one.
He repeated this for about one hour, and decided to stop after he had made several of them. Meanwhile Yuzuha, instead of moving around and making noises, was watching Shin and the completed longswords for a long time. It appeared to be so interested that it lost track of the time, probably because of the concentration that was peculiar to a child.
“I guess Tiera should be ready soon.”
They left the blacksmith’s forge and headed back towards the living room. It was partly because he presumed that the presence that came out of the room was Tiera, that he finished up.
“Ah, Shin. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting for so long.”
“No, it’s nothing. I just tempered with swords here and there.”
“I didn’t think I would take up so much time myself. After such a long time, I don’t know what I should wear.”
Tiera’s point was understandable. For the first time after about 100 years, she would have to go to a place where there were a lot of people. It couldn’t be helped that she was hesitating over what clothes to wear.
Because she was told that she had to register with the adventurers’ guild, Tiera wore clothes similar to what a hunter would wear, emphasizing easiness of movement. What Tiera chose was close to what Els had equipped before. Especially the combination of long boots and leggings.
On top, she wore a light green colored jacket with black colors on the inner side. Because its design was made to fit the body, Tiera’s body shape could be seen clearly. This might be the standard for elves.
She appeared to be unarmed, but it was concealed in the form of a card. A lot of elves had a battle style that combined magic with daggers and bows.
“Well, shall we go?”
“Yeah, let’s hurry up a little.”
“Kuu”
Yuzuha, who was in fox mode, was put on Shin’s head, and they walked out of the store. It was a fine day. Warm sunlight shined over the two people and the animal.
“Ha~, it is nice on the outside after all.”
“Yes, it is fine weather and ――!?”
It came into Shin’s view as he casually answered Tiera and he turned to face her, an astounding sight was displayed.
It was a pair of spheres.
It was the most magnificent pair of globes he had ever seen before.
(Amazing…)
To put it in simple words, while basking in the sunlight, Tiera was also stretching her body. However, when she raised her arms and bent her back in a nice way, her chest naturally stuck out as a result. Only the owner of that body could know, from the current posture, the size of what was being emphasized. Shin’s eyes were glued to it.
“Phew, shall we go?”
“Uhm, yeah.”
She didn’t seem to realize that her chest was being stared at, and Shin tried to look calm. “I didn’t see anything, at least not on purpose” was what he tried to say with his body behaviour.
While walking next to such Shin, Tiera coughed in a whisper.
“And, what are your thoughts on my chest?”
“Iya, they are seriously perfe――――HA!?”
It was said that a man’s glancing look was similar to staring for a women. Shin didn’t know whether it was true or not, but at least he knew he was found out by Tiera.
“Shin will be in charge of the shopping fee. And, really, you did look too much earlier.”
“That was my bad. Haa, that was an expensive view…”
“It’s only natural because you so rudely stared at a maiden’s breasts.”
Shin couldn’t help but smile wryly at Tiera’s smiling face. Did she aim for it? Or was it done spontaneously? Only Tiera knew the truth.
“Kuu?”
While Yuzuha tilted its head, it watched the exchange between the two people.
-
They left Tsuki no Hokora and arrived at the gate of the Bayreuth kingdom after a short while. Was it a slow hour? There was not a lot of pedestrian traffic.
When they passed through the gate and entered inside, Tiera looked around while surveying the surroundings.
“Uwaa, there is a great number of people. Are there always so many?”
“No, it’s not crowded right now. There are twice as many people as this in the mornings and evenings.”
“There are? I can’t imagine what it’s like when it’s crowded.”
Tiera’s eyes sparkled like those of a child who went to an amusement park for the first time.
“So the things that the people, who came into the store, said is true.”
She seemed to have heard various stories from adventurers who came to buy goods. Since she couldn’t go out from the store, she couldn’t do anything but imagine. It seemed that when she actually experienced it by herself, she realized that what they had said was not a lie.
“You sure are in high spirits, aren’t you?”
“I-I’m not…that excited…”
She was probably aware of it herself. Though she denied it, the words coming out from her mouth were a little weak.
“Let’s register you first, and then do the shopping later. You can decide to do whatever you want in the remaining time.”
“T-That’s sounds good. Then, let’s go to the guild right away.”
Was she drawn to the word ‘sightseeing’? Tiera walked rapidly while grabbing Shin’s hand.
Didn’t she just say “The crowds are scary”? Now she was charging through the main street by force.
“Wait! It’s good to hurry, but do you know where the guild is?”
“…Ah!”
It seemed like she didn’t know. She suddenly stopped, and threw glances at the surroundings.
“Come on, over here.”
“…Okay.”
Because it was truly pointed out for the second time, Tiera also finally listened.
They walked down the street as Shin held Tiera’s hand to lead her.
From Tiera’s point of view, while in the crowd, she would lose sight of Shin if she took her eyes off of him for a second.
They walked along the street while being careful not to bump into any pedestrians. As they approached an intersection with a particularly lot of people, she unintentionally saw a man and a woman walking together in front of them, and Tiera now noticed what kind of situation she was in.
(Hands holding… remaining connected…)
Probably because she was carried away, due to this being her first time in the outside world in 100 years, but she didn’t notice that she was walking hand in hand with the opposite sex until now.
Because of the size difference, Tiera’s hand was wrapped in Shin’s hand.
It was different from hers, his hand was a bit bigger and more rugged. When she saw her hand in a certain way, she had a feeling that her face was somehow blushing.
(So this is a man, right?)
Since she tended the store, she had obviously talked to men. However, she had never touched any of them. Tiera moved her legs while finding herself not really understanding her own feelings.
“Hey, that’s the Adventurers’ guild.”
“I heard it was big, and it really is!”
The largest building in the area came into view when they passed through the crowd. That was their destination, the adventurers’ guild.
While it was inevitable that adventurers would make up most of the pedestrians now, Shin was aware that an awful lot of gazes were directed toward them.
“Somehow, aren’t we being watched?”
“Yeah, probably.”
The passing adventurers were mostly men, and Shin didn’t know the reason for why their glances were mixed with hostility. He verified if there was something wrong with his state and noticed.
“Ah, we’re holding hands.”
Even under normal circumstances, Tiera was a beautiful woman. Naturally, a man who walked hand in hand with such a woman was exposed to jealous looks.
“Sorry, I thought it was likely that we would get separated since there are a lot of people.”
He separated his hand from Tiera’s in a hurry.
“Ah…”
That time, when he let go, he had a feeling that he faintly heard a sound that seemed to be disappointment coming from Tiera’s mouth. He decided to think that it was just his excessive self-consciousness and forgot about it.
“All right, let’s get you registered quickly then.”
“T-That’s right. Let’s do it.”
They entered the guild with Tiera looking a little flustered. Was it because the time was in the middle between morning and noon? There were not many people in the guild either.
The figures of Celica and Els were seen at the receptionist desk, and when Shin and Tiera were half-way there, the two people who noticed them showed dissimilar reactions.
Celica had a little of a sullen expression, but Els momentarily had a very surprised look on her face, which quickly erupted into one of joy.
“Tiera!”
Els jumped over the counter at the same time as she called out her name, ran straight to Tiera, and hugged her tightly.
“Wa, E-Els!?”
Though Tiera was surprised at the sudden embrace, she relaxed when she realized that the person was Els.
“Wait Els, it’s a bit tight.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Though I’ve heard the news, I couldn’t contain myself when I saw you in person.”
While having tears in the corner of her eyes, Els started to gently hold Tiera. The abrupt situation caused the adventurers who were there to stare in wonder.
“I really wanted to go see you immediately, but I’ve been very busy with the guild for a while now. It wasn’t possible to leave.”
“Because you’re not my mother, you really worry too much.”
“What are you saying. If you’re the daughter of Eilen, then it’s as if you’re my daughter too.”
Els embraced Tiera like a true mother.
Away from the two people, Celica talked to Shin.
“Shin-sama. What kind of acquaintance is that person?”
“Due to a little twist of fate, we will be traveling together. So she will register as an adventurer for the occasion.”
“I heard you were walking hand in hand like lovers though?”
“That’s absurd! How did you hear that!?”
Shin was surprised at the speed of which the information travelled. Perhaps, there was a guy who could use Mind Chat standing guard! Certainly a cautious lookout, but really, this was only a trivial matter. The adventurer, who knew Shin’s name and face, accidentally saw the two people, and Celica, who were receiving requests at that time, grumbled when she heard about it.
“Because she is a beautiful woman, right? Not because you are a man, right?”
“Um, you’re not using some scathing words, are you?”
“No no, not at all.”
‘I guess there’s nothing’, was what Shin wanted to say.
While they continued on with the exchange, they noticed that they had attracted some attention as well.
“Why is it that other people seem to be distancing themselves?”
“Ara, I think they don’t want to break the deeply emotional reunion, huh? Besides, it was Els who suddenly jumped out.”
“Uhh”
“Now, now, both of you. I want you to register Tiera for the time being.”
Thereupon, Celica and Els returned to their professional expressions, and bowed slightly.
“Ah, my apologies. I was acting shameful.”
“Just now was because I also wanted to meet the person in question.”
She was probably very glad. Els’ eyes were still a little red. Apparently, she seemed to have been a good friend of Tiera’s mother.
“Um, what should I do?”
“I will take care of the registration. It was my turn to take care of new registrations anyway.”
Els said that and lead Tiera to the second floor. Just like Shin did before, Tiera filled out the documents and listened to the explanation.
“Now then, I should go and look at the list of requests.”
“Oh, Shin-sama. I’m sorry, but may I have a bit of your time, please?”
“Me? Well, I don’t really mind.”
Shin, who was going to go to see about requests in the Falnido area, was called out by Celica. She seemed to have to talk to Shin individually about something or another.
Because he was asked to hand over his guild card, Shin took out the guild card from Item Box and handed it over to Celica. Celica then proceed to engrave the guild card, and placed it on top of the tray-like thing..
“What are…”
While Shin thought about asking what she was doing, the transparent guild card was dyed yellow.
“There we go, the improved rank ends with this. From now on, Shin-sama is rank E.”
“Yes?”
Shin absentmindedly replied, due to the sudden rank up. At this point, Shin actually had a zero request accomplishment rate at the present time. If just by an evaluation of the guild; let alone rank improvement, he would be defeated even by a newcomer who had the same rank G.
Nevertheless, to suddenly become a rank E, it was too much to be expected. He didn’t think about rising to E and skipping F altogether.
That reminded him of the explanation he had received from Celica before, the talk about the classification of the card by rank.
SS was gold, S was silver, A was black, B was white, C was red, D was blue, E was yellow, F was green, and the lowest rank G was semi-transparent.
“Errr, there aren’t any accomplished requests yet, so why did I rank up?”
“Certainly Shin-sama’s official request achievement rate is zero percent. However, there are the results of the subjugation of a high rank Skull Face and the suppression of the Skull Faces’ outbreak in a large quantity. Because Shin-sama’s report was proved to be authentic by an investigation handled by us, the guild, the promotion of Shin-sama was decided as a partial reward. It is rank E, but if one more request is accomplished, it will rank up to D.”
“I see, but why do it to an unfinished state?”
“If you rank up too fast, it would not look good in the other adventurers’ eyes. I think rank A is enough for an individual like you, but when I think of the strife it would cause, it only became a rank improvement like this. Of course, the bonus is paid, too. I need to return the previously borrowed jewel before that though, please wait here for a while.”
Celica gave the guild card back to Shin, and entered the inner room of the receptionist desk for a moment. She came back in less than 5 minutes. There was a bag and a dull shining jewel grasped in her hand.
“This is the jewel that was borrowed, and here is 250 J gold coins of reward inside this bag.”
For convenience sake, it seemed like she brought them in gold coins. Though white gold exists, it was not used in everyday life. One piece of white gold could make one live and enjoy life for more than ten years. The gold coins in front of him were considered a large sum of money from an adventurers’ viewpoint, and Shin suddenly voiced his thoughts.
“I’m just wondering, but is it possible for you to make the guild card as quickly as possible in exchange for the reward?”
“The guild card? Let me see. I think it can be done by today at noon if it’s rushed.”
“Then that please. Though I will be going afar for a little while, I want to leave as soon as possible.”
“I understand. Then, the reward will be 200 gold coins. Is that alright with you?”
“I don’t care about that, but is it fine to accept a reward of this magnitude?”
Though only 50 gold coins were deducted, Shin had heard that the guild cards were made with the guild’s original special technique, so he felt that there might only be a few of them.
“I will have the experts do their best for a little while, and the additional charge is satisfactory enough from the received amount of money. There will be too much when all of the bonus is returned.”
“I see, by the way, how much is the subjugation reward for the Skull Faces?”
“5 silver coins per Pawn class. For the Jack class, it is 5 gold coins. Actually you can earn a lot more because the Jack class’ armor and swords are valuable if sold.”
Celica added and smiled wryly, the degree of danger of a Jack class is in a whole other league. In fact, once or twice a year some adventurers go off to fight with a Pawn class, in a spur of the moment feeling, in spite of the warning from the guild’s staff, and then get killed by a Jack class that is avenging the Pawn class.
When thinking about the amount of money that Celica spoke of, Shin’s reward was naturally almost 500 gold coins, but because a formal request was not issued, the reward became this amount of money along with the rank improvement. To begin with, that was not the combat capability that a rookie should have shown on his own, so without Barlux, the guild master, and Els and her acquaintances, the skill successors, it was certain that the reward would not have been so easily paid like this.
“Do the Skull Faces appear that frequently?”
“There is a nearby spawn spot called the Wraith Plains, but normally there will be more than a couple of them. It’s not so bad when it is a Pawn class, but several individuals, which are higher ranked than a Jack class, appeared; I heard it happened for the first time, too. Such an event has never occurred before.”
“Is that so. By the way, does the guild deal in information, besides monsters?”
“Information other than about the monsters? Well, it depends. There is a lot information about monsters and ruins that comes in, but you should inquire about that with people who specialize in information.”
“Indeed. Incidentally, may I ask what kind of information you have on Sacred Place?”
If they had detailed information on monsters and ruins, they might have gotten their hands on some information on the city that fell after the Dusk of the Majesty, which was called Sacred Place, too.
“There isn’t a lot of information about the Sacred Place. Even though the guild investigated it, because the danger zone is not normal at all, it’s impossible to let someone go towards it just like that. About the information, it was decided to not disclose it to adventurers who are below a minimum of rank B. I’m sorry, but showing it to you, Shin-sama, with your current rank is…”
“Ah, don’t worry about it so much, I was just interested. I will come back to hear about it after I’ve raised my rank.”
As one would expect, she could not easily give out information on Sacred Place. Shin thought of confirming this again with Schnee some other time.
“Which reminds me, you said you are going away, right? Are you looking for a request towards the destination?”
“Yes, I intend to complete at least one request. Is there a request that is going to the Falnido area?”
He could go and look at the bulletin board, but it was quicker to directly ask Celica for a good request.
Celica picked up a thick file from under the counter, and removed a piece of request paper from that.
“Well, how about this request here? There is no request going to Falnido for the moment, but this is a request for going to Beirun, which is on the way.”
“Is it alright for Tiera to receive the request too?”
“Yes, if you form a party with 2 people, there will be no problem, because Shin-sama’s rank matches the rank required. Here is the content.”
He took a look at the presented paper.
Request contents: Cargo guards to Beirun
Client: Nack
Number of recruitment: Up to five people
Rank: E and above(Individual, party, both are acceptable)
Reward: 10 silver coins per person
Note/Remarks: Meals included
“The departure is three bells(3:00 p.m.) this afternoon. Though two adventurers have already participated, there’s still time. Other than this, I still have available requests for several days…”
“I will confirm with Tiera just in case. Can you hold onto this until she comes back?”
“Yes, I think it’s alright if she comes back soon.”
Nobody else came to accept the request, probably because of the time period. He continued chatting with Celica while holding onto the request. Tiera and Els returned before 10 minutes had passed, and Shin explained the contents of the request.
“I don’t mind. Then, it’s possible to finish our other task ahead of time.”
Tiera didn’t seem to have any problems either. They went out of the guild at once, and went shopping.
The ingredients were bought while walking along the street crowded with other shoppers. Bread was not a food to keep for a long time like dried meat was, but the strong point of the Item Box was that they could buy common ingredients. Basically, ingredients would not spoil if they were put into the Item Box, and they could buy various kinds of fresh food. Looking at the two people choosing fruits and fresh vegetables, no one would imagine that they were about to go on a long journey after this.
By the way, the luggage was already placed into Shin’s Item Box, hidden from prying eyes. Still, he didn’t boldly use the Item Box publicly in the middle of the street.
They also bought the items necessary for the trip, like hooded cloaks, insect repellent and so on.
The shopping ended after 30 minutes because there was no limit to their luggage. They still had time until noon.
“The Item Box is too convenient. I have time until the card is done, so what should I do after this?”
Tiera didn’t think it would be over this quickly; it was a little anticlimactic.
“There is a place I want to go to, is that alright with you?”
“It’s fine, where do you want to go?”
“I’d like to go to the orphanage.”
Shin too, was worried about Thoria’s situation over the seat of successor. Sister Rashia had learned the skill 【Purification】, and although the orphanage inheriting requirement had been cleared, the pig bishop* might have interfered with something when he felt that he was losing. *(T/N: Shin’s naming)
“Orphanage? Ah, the place of the person who buys the cake.”
“More of less. I thought of going there, just in case.”
“I understand. I’m interested in the church’s building too. Let’s go there now.”
They faced toward the church, guided by Shin. Did it look forward to meeting Millie? Yuzuha’s tails moved cheerfully to express a happy spirit on top of Shin’s head.
Part 2
They walked on for several minutes, but the church was still not open and Rashia and Thoria were cleaning the surroundings. When Shin and Tiera entered the church grounds, Rashia, who noticed, ran up to the two people.
“Isn’t it Shin-san! What are you doing today?”
“I came to check up on the situation. How’d the matter in question turn out?”
“Well then, please come to the orphanage. Um, that person is?”
“Ah, My name is Tiera. Nice to meet you.”
“I apologize for not having told you this sooner. I am a sister in this church, and my name is Rashia.”
To Tiera, who introduced herself while feeling a little nervous, Rashia replied with a calm expression. Was there any progress in the talks? The composure she showed now was not imaginable a few days ago.
Though Rashia was surprised about Tiera being an employee of Tsuki no Hokora, since that was the case, it was no problem to lead her into the orphanage.
Shin thought the duties of the church might be delayed, but the church seemed to be closed today. When they arrived at the reception room in the orphanage, Millie was sitting on a sofa for some reason.
“Shin-nii!”
When she realized that it was Shin who entered after Rashia and Tiera, she jumped vigorously. Seeing the state of the girl who was clinging to him with a smile, Shin expected the transfer problem to have been settled.
“Yo, you seem to be happy.”
“The orphanage was not lost! Shin’s help. Thank you!”
She seemed to be in a very good mood as her feelings, which were coming out, were reflected on her expression. For Millie, the possibility of the orphanage possibly being lost would be a big problem.
Shin waited for Millie to settle down and then sat on the sofa, as he had decided to hear the whole story after Tiera had introduced herself again.
“Thanks to Shin-san it was settled that I would take charge of this church as the next priestess without any problems. The official announcement has not yet been publicized, but I think it will be alright unless something extreme happens.”
The priest, who lives in the upper level district where the nobles live, came to the Orphanage a little while ago; he had to confirm whether or not Rashia’s skill acquisition was authentic.
When she was asked how she acquired the skill, she answered that it was the result of training. In fact, because the priest seemed to remember that it was possible to learn skills through training, she didn’t appear to be doubted in particular.
“The children were pleased, too. Really, how can I thank you enough??”
“Since I’ve already received the promised reward, please don’t worry about it too much. Ah, this is a present.”
Because he was worried that she would worry about it too much, he changed the topic by handing over the presents to Thoria. In the middle of shopping, they bought them from a peddler due to its unquestionable quality, though the peddler was surprised because Shin purchased said present in large quantities.
“Is it alright with this many?”
“Because I’ve already bought them, I’d feel rather troubled if they didn’t get accepted. Look, Millie has already taken one.”
Thoria, who reserved herself, was won over, while Millie, who was sitting and pressing Yuzuha to her chest, opened one of the bags filled with candy. When Millie took out an orange candy from it, she put in her mouth without hesitating.
“Sweeet!”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Millie’s smile made everyone around her also smile.
When the reception room calmed down, the sound of a door opening was audible.
“Sensei, is that true that onii-chan has come?”
The one who appeared from the door was the girl who mobbed Yuzuha when Shin came to visit before.
“That’s no good, Melka. Because I’m busy right now.”
“Ehh, but I want to play with onii-chan~”
“Sorry. I’m having an important talk now. I’ll play with you next time.”
“Muuuu, then can onee-chan, play?”
“Eh, me?”
The girl called Melka promptly changed her target to Tiera when she was declined by Shin. Was this because she was together with Shin, or was it women’s intuition? For the little girl, it seemed like Tiera was judged to be a person whom she didn’t need to be cautious around. She had already caught the hem of Tiera’s clothes.
“Um, because it’s my first time coming today, I don’t know the games well…”
“Play?”
“Kuu…”
Looking at Melka staring at Tiera, Shin, while smiling wryly, thought “Can’t refuse that.” With a lisping voice, and upturned eyes, this combo from the little girl required immense willpower to decline. She might be cunning depending on the person, but Tiera, who rarely came into contact with children, shouldn’t be able to resist her.
“Millie, come play too.”
“S-Shin…”
“Sorry, it’s impossible.”
“T-Traitor~”
Tiera called for help from Shin, but she was taken away by Melka along with Millie after all. Was she unable to just watch anymore? Thoria too followed them to save her.
“Umm, will it be fine?”
“Well, maybe.”
Rashia answered as if it was not necessary to stop it. Though it was another matter if it was something good or bad for Tiera, Shin thought it would be a good experience for her to play with children.
“By the way, Wilhelm is…?”
“As usual, he went to investigate the bishop in question. It’s unlikely that he’s going to leave it as it is.”
“As expected, he understands it well.”
As an adventurer coming from the orphanage, Wilhelm seemed to gather information in cooperation with fellow adventurers. This way, Shin thought it was improbable for this fellow to be obediently lead by the hand.
“Shin-san also thought the same as Wilhelm?”
“Of course. Though I don’t know why the bishop thought of taking over this church, as far as I know after having heard the story, I don’t think that guy is willing to give up so easily.”
“But it’d good if nothing happens.”
“ Indeed, that’s right. Please hand this to Thoria and Millie just in case though.”
Shin took out 2 small accessories from the Item Box and handed them over to Rashia. One of them was similar to the bracelet he gave to Rashia before, and the other one was attached to a light green colored string and was a simple wooden necklace in the shape of a diamond. If one was to say it in a nice way, it had a handmade feeling, and if one was to say it in a rude way, then it looked crappy.
“This is?”
“It grants various magic skills. Just in case.”
He then explained what kind of magics were bestowed upon it to answer Rashia’s question. Because he had already told her about the damage reduction effect of her own bracelet earlier, it was omitted. The necklace got the main explanation. Although it had a plain appearance, when Rashia heard what kind of material the string and wood were made from, her mind went completely blank for a short while. One of the reasons he chose this material was because it wouldn’t stand out among the children in the orphanage compared to if it was a metal necklace.
“What can I say. Just amazing!”
“About Millie’s necklace, it has the ability to block her ability. How’s it going with the bracelet I gave you before?”
“I’m still wearing it. I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to continue borrowing it, but Will asked me to wear it. Though I’m intending to return it in the near future.”
“No, I’m fine with it as it is. Since the safety of the church isn’t settled yet, there is still the possibility of Rashia becoming a target, too. The danger will be minimized if you keep wearing it.”
Rather than the problem of the continuation of the orphanage, the possibility of Rashia being aimed at was high. Therefore, besides the accessory for Millie, the bracelets for Rashia and Thoria had considerable abilities, too. They could even stand against a chosen one for a certain period of time.
“Thank you very much for everything.”
“You don’t have to prostrate yourself that much.”
Though she was only half satisfied with the way she had shown her appreciation, the words were stored in her heart.
“Please have lunch with us at the very least. You still have time, right?”
“That’s right. Shall we feast?”
She probably wanted to pay back her feelings of gratitude, even if just a little. He nodded to Rashia about lunch, and they proceeded to the square where the children were.
Tiera was surrounded by several young girls, maybe playing with dolls, since some beautiful handmade dolls were placed around her. Yuzuha, who was being mobbed earlier, was seeking refuge on top of Tiera’s head. Yuzuha seemed to have learned that no one could touch it when at that location.
In contrast to the young girls, who were happy and joyful, for some reason, the boys were looking at Tiera’s group from afar. Although the boys seemed to be kicking around a round ball that looked like a soccer ball, they glanced at the girls too much, especially toward Tiera.
“The boys are kind of quiet, huh?”
“No no, that’s a normal reaction.”
Shin said while holding his laughter, to Rashia who looked puzzled. She apparently didn’t know why the boys didn’t approach the girls.
“What do you mean?”
“They are probably too embarrassed to approach because of how beautiful Tiera is.”
Though there was a boy who was mixed in with the girls, when Shin looked at him, the boy appeared to be at the age of a child who had just started kindergarten. The boys, who were watching from a distance, were equal to children approaching puberty. When one reached that age, it became difficult to freely talk to an older, beautiful onee-san. That didn’t mean that everyone displayed the same behavior, but Shin, who had similar experiences, understood the feeling of wanting to talk but being too embarrassed to do so.
“Tiera-san is indeed beautiful, even from my point of view as a woman, but I don’t think it’s that hard to call out to her.”
“Well, I can understand, because I also experienced similar things as a boy, but it’s not strange if you don’t understand it, Rashia.”
Speaking of similar patterns, there were children in kindergarten who were in love with their teacher, and primary school children who were interested in the onee-san type.
He had a wry smile when he recalled the good old memories as an adult. The world was different, but similar things seemed to happen everywhere. He told the frowning Rashia not to worry about it, and called out to Tiera who was beckoning him.
Tiera, who noticed it, kept evading the eyes from the girls that seemed to be reluctant at parting, and came over to Shin.
“Shi～n～, how could you abandon me?”
“No, hold on, I just thought that it would be impossible to reject them.”
“That’s… certainly, it was impossible to refuse that. *Sigh* I guess it can’t be helped, huh.”
“Leaving that aside, because I’m treating you to lunch, I want to take out some ingredients. How about it?”
“That’s good. Well, since I promised to make Yuzuha-chan some inarisushi, how about I make it for the children of the orphanage as well? May I borrow the kitchen?”
Even though the sun was already high in the sky, there was still enough time. There was no problem if they overstayed a little.
Tiera also had the 【Cooking】 skill since it was taught to her by Schnee. The eyes of the children were nailed to the inarisushi which was soon displayed on a plate.
“I’m sorry. You’re the one who ended up making it, even though it was me who suggested it.”
“Don’t worry about it, since I’m the one who wanted to do it. Although I said one thing or another, it was fun playing with the children.”
The church seemed to be a place for a tranquil heart, as there were children who could approach without being timid. Even from Shin’s point of view, he had a feeling that Tiera’s expression had become softer than before.
Lunch ended and Shin and Tiera wanted to help put things in order, but Rashia’s words of, “I can’t have you do that” caused them to excuse themselves.
They left the church and returned to the guild. Because it was already past noon at that time, Tiera’s guild card should have been made.
The bar inside of the guild was crowded with adventurers having a meal. They went towards the receptionist area to avoid the crowd, and called out to Celica. Were there few adventurers receiving requests at this time? They were able to talk without even waiting.
“This is Tiera-sama’s guild card. Please check it.”
“There seems to be no problem. Thank you very much.”
Tiera confirmed the card functions without any problems. Shin also took out his own guild card at this point.
“While you’re at it, can you please register us as a party.”
“Understood. In regards to the members, there are only two people, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
In the case of a fixed party, it seemed that the guild required a party name, but they decided to not do it this time.
They were seen off by Celica and Els and left the guild. Their destination was the shopping street again.
This time, they bought preserved foods due to the acquaintances they’d be traveling with on their trip. Because they would be in the presence of others during this trip, the Item Box couldn’t be used lightly. However, since the rations were made into cards and taken along, it didn’t change the quantity compared to the normal preparation for a trip.
Besides that, it might not even be necessary since there was the remarks column in the request that stated that meals were included, but it was for emergencies. ‘Save for a rainy day, save for a time of need’ was thought, and they kept shopping.
“It’s time to go now.”
As they arranged the necessary items they bought, Shin called out to Tiera.
“Eh, but it’s not time yet.”
“No, I’m taking Tsuki no Hokora with us.”
He couldn’t leave Tsuki no Hokora as it was, before the departure.
“I completely forgot about it.”
“That’s not good, forgetting about it, at least.”
“I normally wouldn’t think about forgetting a 『House』, you know!”
That was quite natural. It was crazy to think that a 『House』could be considered a personal property item.
“S-Sorry. Look, am I not the owner of Tsuki no Hokora? So it’s only natural to think that it could be carried.”
“The old generation is weird after all. Or is Shin particularly strange?”
“That’s cruel!?”
Tiera voiced the question without hesitation with a teasing smile. While receiving the mental damage, Shin took out a light blue crystal from the Item Box.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a 『Crystal Stone』. You’ve never seen one before?”
“That is a Crystal Stone? That one is big and clearly processed, something which I am seeing for the first time right now.”
“This item is bestowed with 『Metastasis』 magic. I can move to a registered point in an instant if I use it. It a disposable one, but with this we can move to Tsuki no Hokora without any effort.”
“…That’s right. The things that Shin pulls out are all unique.”
“That’s rude.”
Did Tiera go beyond being amazed, and arrive at the acceptance state? ‘Shin clearly said that we could move in an instant with the metastasize-crystal.’ .
There were a lot of mages who have tried to reproduce the magic up till now, but they weren’t able to get even a little foothold on it.
This mystery, among the secrets of the old generation, was assumed to have already been lost.
No one would be able to expect things would came out from said item with a pop.
“Shin, I want to check one thing.”
“Ah, ok, what is it?”
“Maybe, just maybe…is it possible to manufacture this?”
Tiera had glossy eyes. It was completely different from the mood from a while ago, and Shin couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
Still, he understood that the item he took out appeared to be the stuff that defied common sense, again.
“Please tell me, before I answer your question, but what would others think about a Crystal Stone with the metastasis ability?”
“…Metastasis, itself, is considered a lost magic.”
“I see.”
Shin understood with those words. If that was the case, he could see why Tiera would be surprised. Even from Shin’s experience so far, the Crystal Stone was thought to be quite valuable.
But he frankly found the ‘lost’ part in Tiera’s sentence hard to believe. He was certain that it could have been spread out to the general public, but it seemed like such a thing was likely to have been concealed. It would not be surprising, if even the country and the organization were secretly covering it up.
“Then I will also answer, yes, it’s possible to manufacture it. If, and only if, you have sufficient materials.”
“…Sigh, I guess so. For one of Rokuten, a Crystal Stone with metastasis is easy to make, huh?”
As she settled with a sigh, Tiera too, seemed to begin to understand what sort of people belonged to the Rokuten guild.
“Ahh, though it seems bad when you are dispirited, may I transfer us now?”
“Yes, do it.”
He took the defiant Tiera to an open place with no signs of life. Together with Schnee, he had confirmed that it was usable without problems. It was possible to use it soon after having woken up in this world, but he would rather not take the risk. Unlike other tools, it was unknown what would happen if it failed, so he couldn’t bring himself to use that item.
When Shin let magic power flow into the Crystal Stone to act as a detonator, the magic stored inside the stone activated itself. Their vision distorted, and shelves that lined up with goods came into view in the next moment.
The two people were certainly in Tsuki no Hokora.
“T-That’s a strange feeling. And, how are you going to carry this place?”
“Let’s go outside for a moment. Then we can start on that conversation.”
Shin went toward the door as he mumbled a bit. Because Shin turned his back, Tiera didn’t see that Shin’s mouth continued moving.
It was the familiar woods outside of the store as they exited it. Shin glanced around as he surveyed the surrounding area.
There was a green marker which was not there when he came to Tsuki no Hokora before, glowing on the map screen.
“What’s the matter?”
“There’s a rat. I think it’s time to tease that guy a little.”
Shin said that while looking at the trees or at the rat? Tiera had a question mark floating above her head. Though she wanted to retort that he might be looking for a rat in the wrong place, the opponent was Shin. Common sense wouldn’t work anyway, so Tiera stopped questioning it.
Shin finished the preparation, stopped talking to himself, and held up his hand toward Tsuki no Hokora.
“『Storage』!”
Simultaneously with those words, Tsuki no Hokora began to glow faintly. The light extended out to cover the whole store, and in the next moment, the lights were converging into a single point.
It stayed in the air for only a few seconds and then slowly flew and settled in Shin’s hand afterward. When the light disappeared, a necklace with a crescent moon shape was grasped in his hand. It shined silver and seemed to be more valuable than its poor artwork showed. The transparent glow was proof that it was not ordinary silverwork.
“This is?”
“Yes, this is Tsuki no Hokora, carry mode.”
“You really can carry it! As expected.”
Tiera’s doubt was answered while he put the necklace away into the Item Box.
Did she tire of getting surprised? Or did she grow accustomed to it? Tiera’s words contained pure admiration.
There was no reason to stay forever in a place that had gone, although Tiera looked at the place where the former Tsuki no Hokora was for a while, so they decided to head toward the departure place on the request. It was just the right time. Shin knew this because of the time displayed in the menu screen. Furthermore, it was because he was wearing a wristwatch-like item.
The other two possible applicants had already arrived. Because of that, he planned to have a conversation for a little while. They would participate in the same request for some period of time, so there was no loss in deepening their friendship.
When they entered the country in the direction of the east gate from the Tsuki no Hokora site, in a corner of the plaza before the east gate was where the departure point was located, the wagon upon which the luggage was already loaded had arrived. A group of two people who appeared to be a Dragnil and Lord race were standing on the side.
“Excuse me, this is Nack-san’s wagon, correct?”
“Hmm? That’s right…Oh, both of you adventurers are joining us, right?”
It was the Dragnil who responded. Probably because he had thought words similar prior to joining, they served as confirmation and he therefore called out to him. The blue scales that were covering its whole body gave out a really strong impression. Judging from the deep voice, it was probably a male. The longsword on his waist and the chest protector were made with some kind of skin that stood out. If he didn’t put on that much protective gear, he was probably the type who played around with speed. Or maybe, he probably didn’t need much protective gear because the scales were hard enough?
“Yes, we will be going together, although it’s sudden. By the way, I’m Shin. This here is Tiera who is made a party with me.”
“I am Tiera. I hope to get along with you.”
“Yea, my name is Gaien. It is my pleasure to get along with you along the journey. And this one here is――”
“Tsubaki, best regards”
The one who had introduced herself with a few words was a girl with crimson hair that reached her back along with red eyes. The red eyes, which were transparent in contrast to the hair which was darker in color, were observing Shin and Tiera.
Her height was considered short. At least one fist lower than Tiera. Probably about 150 cemels. Though the features were in order, it would not be strange if someone said that she was a high school student only by appearance. However, he had a painful experience because of judging from appearances in the THE NEW GATE.
Since she could work as an adventurer, he judged that they wouldn’t have any problems. He was positive that she should at least have an E rank ability.
Gaien’s level was 187, and Tsubaki’s level was 133. If one judged it only by the level, Gaien might be an A-rank adventurer. The sword on his waist didn’t seem to be for decoration.
As for Tsubaki, her level already exceeded rank E.
“Oh! Did additional faces appear? I am Nack the merchant. I hope we get along until Beirun!”
When they introduced themselves to each other, a dwarf showed up from the shadow of the wagon and started talking. Apparently, this person seemed to be the client of the request. The muscular body which differed from the usual Dwarf, was wrapped in well-tailored clothes, which gave off the feeling that something was wrong. They properly exchanged greetings, and boarded the wagon in order.
“Everyone has gotten aboard. It’s a little early, but let’s depart!”
Nack’s voice was cheerful while the whip slash was heard from the driver seat, and the wagon started to move slowly.
As the wagon with 5 people passed through the east gate, it began to advance straight north, to Beirun.
Afterwards, the news of the disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora made the higher-ups of Bayreuth Kingdom arrive at the pinnacle of the confusion. It would be a story for the future before Shin and the others knew it.
-
The disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora.
That information was not only known to the upper echelon of the Bayreuth Kingdom, but it was spread out even to the other countries, which were monitoring Tsuki no Hokora, in a flash.
Initially, everyone had to confirm whether it was a mistake. For more than 500 years, preceding the Dusk of the Majesty, the immovable building existed without change. People couldn’t invade it no matter how powerful they were, it didn’t permit any high-level monsters to invade, not even a single step. It was the secret shop that was made with lost technology, that was Tsuki no Hokora. When it was said to have disappeared, it was impossible to believe it so easily.
However, after verifying it many times, the only answer was: “No doubt about it”. The side that received the report was still good. At the actual scene, the shock of the people seeing Tsuki no Hokora vanish before their eyes, was also indirectly affecting the superior who heard the news from far away. At this point, a strange situation occurred, where the spies who monitored Tsuki no Hokora revealed themselves in broad daylight, and ascertained each other whether the scene they just saw was true.
“What the heck just happened!?”
It was their superior who was shouting.
It was noisy in a corner inside a castle.
They had gathered in a meeting room, talking about the important matter at hand. Although they were roused up from bed before the first sunshine appeared on the horizon, no lack of sleep appeared on their faces. To begin with, there was no such margin for that, except one part.
“Well then, there is no mistake in that report after all?”
“Yes, there’s no doubt about it.”
The one who asked from that place, where the head of the table sat, was the King of Bayreuth Kingdom, Jeon Courtade Bayreuth. With blond hair, blue eyes, and 2 mels of height covered with muscles; this person had the body of a warrior.
By all means, it was a splendid king who clad himself with dignity as the ruler of his body, but it wasn’t going so well today. The agony-clad expression on Jeon face made even the prime minister worry about whether they should continue answering his questions or not. This time, it was not just a problem for Bayreuth Kingdom. Let alone the neighboring countries, an inquiry would surely come from the Empire and Imperial if they did a bad job.
“Tsuki no Hokora…Disappeared…huh?”
Everyone who gathered had a dark complexion.
The one who was, more or less, better off was the first princess, the royal magician. Jeon saw the report while knowing that it would not change no matter how many times he read it. Here was the summary.
–Report About the Disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora–
Fourth month, second day.
At the sound of the 12th bell, that indicated it was noon, all of sudden the Tsuki no Hokora begin to emit light.
After a few seconds, when the light settled, Tsuki no Hokora was already gone.
The spies for each nation were confused about the sudden occurrence, too.
This caused the situation where we mutually contacted each other.
There was no reaction from the skill detection system, though we did investigate the hollowed-out mark left in the ground.
Again, there was no sign of anything happening in the surroundings either.
The whole occurrence was a complete mystery.
The people who were assigned to the monitoring job jotted down the details of what they saw in the report. It was written as detailed as possible, even though the amount of sentences were few. It was not possible to report it any further, as they didn’t have much information.
The spies of the other countries in the vicinity whom they exchanged information with and of whom they should be wary of, understood the disordered state of the site well. It was that crazy.
However, they didn’t want to go back without understanding anything. Even though Tsuki no Hokora did not belong to Bayreuth Kingdom, it was almost next to them. They took pride in having a more intimate relation with the shop than any other country.
“Do you know what happened to Raizar-dono?”
“No, however the second princess, Rionne-sama has reported that she came into contact with her in the Wraith Plains. Because of the considerable distance, it is the only place to think of when Tsuki no Hokora disappeared.”
“I see. There’s no mistake if Rionne said so, but…as long as Raizar-dono does not have some problem, she will at least show up for the distribution of the spoils of war several days later, because if Raizar-dono is healthy, it should spread to the many countries.”
Even if Tsuki no Hokora disappeared, if Schnee Raizar was alive and well, it should not become a lethal problem. The important one was not the building, but the person who lived there.
“Tell Rionne that when Raizar-dono appears, she is to report it with Mind Chat immediately. That’s an order!”
“Roger!”
He passed on an order to one of the soldiers who was standing guard, and left. There were a few of the old generation who served the king, and every one of them was currently in the midst of gathering information by Mind Chat. Jeon had to change his plan, as there was no other way, even though it put a strain on his information network.
And then, because the disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora had never happened before, he ordered an investigation.
-
Let’s rewind back the time a little to the previous day.
While Shin and the others who left the kingdom were jolted about in a wagon, they confirmed each other’s hands. They confirmed what they were able to do and what they couldn’t do, because it might cause a delay in judgement in the case of an emergency. It was mainly confirming each others job and rank, also whether having the ability to use magic or not. The level and way of fighting could be understood roughly with this. Since there was the danger of revealing level and trump cards during the first meeting, it might be concealed somehow or another.
“As you can see, I am a samurai. Adventurer rank is A. I can use charms to some extent, but I don’t not want to rely on it very much.” (T/N: Gaien uses “sessha” to refer to himself)
It was Gaien who gave information about himself first. It seemed he was an A-rank adventurer after all. His equipment itself was unrelated to his job. So when he said “As you can see” with his current state of not wearing a kimono, no one could have guessed it without 【Analyze】. Samurai was a vanguard job, it was natural that they didn’t use much magic as they didn’t get an occupation bonus for that. As for expecting a proper magic attack, the rear guard jobs that get an occupation bonus (in INT/WIS) commonly used those.
“I am a fist fighter. Rank is E. I can use a little support magic to raise agility.”
The next one who opened her mouth was Tsubaki. Her level seemed to be befitting of a rank D, but it appeared that she had only newly joined the guild. Incidentally, he was told that she was going to be rank D very soon.
“I am more or less an alchemist, but I can use a bow and dagger…if I have to… I just registered to become an adventurer, so my rank is G. I can use water and wind magic arts and create simple recovery medicines, if necessary, please call out to me…”
Tiera, who almost spoke in formal lines, did so partly because it was their first meeting. Though it was a great difference from when she met Shin in Tsuki no Hokora for the first time.
It was Gaien who suggested first to speak casually, so they didn’t have to pay attention to their wording. Since they had to entrust their lives to each other, and there was no objections, which lead to the present.
Even though she was worried about having a low-level and rank, her recovery medicine was reassuring, Gaien and Tsubaki encouraged Tiera who was feeling a little small.
In reality, it was very difficult to consume a potion during a battle. Though the story was different when there are a lot of people, there were many situations where there was only a little bit of time when hunting a dangerous monster. For the few adventurers who fight regularly, having an ally who could cast recovery magic could make a big difference in the survival rate.
“I am similar to Gaien, a samurai. Rank E. I can use a little fire and lightning magic. And this is Yuzuha. Even though it might appear this way, this is an excellent monster.”
Shin told them about himself and Yuzuha. Including Tiera, he didn’t forget to inform them that they did a guarding-type job for the first time, too. This was because experience could be the factor which makes the difference between life or death. He was not asked for his level this time, but if he was, he ought to pretend that it was low. Because he didn’t know what surprise it would cause, if he carelessly said that his level exceeded 200. When one thinks of Shin’s age, it was indeed too abnormal.
Just in case, he had already arranged beforehand to tell the same story as Tiera. Of course, he had already forbidden Celica, who knew the circumstances, from speaking about it, too.
For Yuzuha, he talked about it being contracted by the tamer contract, and informed them that there was no danger.
“Oh, you can use magic while being a samurai, huh? I didn’t hear about it in detail, but it seemed that doing so requires extraordinary training. It is also unusual to have tamed a monster.”
“Well, that’s that. I’d be troubled if you expect me to be at the magician level. I only use it for diversions and surprise attacks to a certain degree. Yuzuha, by the way, is unexpectedly strong, right?”
“Kuu!”
Although these diversions were a far cry from the instant kills he could produce if he was serious, it seemed to be moderate for a rank E.
Since for a vanguard to use magic was enough, Gaien and Tsubaki should not have high expectations, like magician level, either.
“Are you people coming from Hinomoto?”
“We’re not, but why do you think so?”
“Almost all people from Hinomoto are samurais. This is the first time that I’ve met a samurai other than Gaien.”
Shin looked puzzled at Tsubaki’s question, but understood it after hearing the reason. Even though Shin had also collected information via the 【Analyze】 and【Listen】skills, finding a person who had the samurai job was nearly impossible. That was probably why Tsubaki said that it was unusual. But, it didn’t mean that Shin had never seen one. When he was walking toward the guild for the first time, the Dragnil he saw wearing a long sword at his waist was actually Gaien.
“Usually it is a warrior or knight one sees in this country. And then there is the job specialization. A lot of the people who are aiming to be a samurai are oddballs.”
“Oddballs!? That’s absurd… because it is a job that is excellent for raids…”
In a basic strategy, it is a hit and run job that deals out a heavy blow while playing around with speed, but the samurai could also tank if equipped with warrior armor.
The job that was popular in the game era regardless of generation seems to be different in this world.
“That is probably because the prerequisite is the necessity to master both the knight and berserker jobs.”
“Ah… I see.”
Shin consented to Gaien after hearing the reason.
In the game specification, one needed to have two jobs, knight and berserker, to become a samurai. The requirements seemed to be identical in this world.
On one hand, a knight put emphasis on defence, and on the other hand, a berserker put emphasis on attack. Mastering two contradicting jobs was the reason that samurai were known to be able fight versatile. That was the reason a samurai was easy to use. Although there was high compensation, Tsubaki seemingly found it difficult to understand somehow or other.
“I understand it, but to put it bluntly, it’s strong?”
“I agree on that point, but it’s strange after all.”
Then Gaien interrupted the conversing Tsubaki and Shin.
“Either way, it’s the difference in cultures. Hinomoto is an island country that was formed by a natural disaster. There are some bases of the guild where people with jobs like samurai and shinobi gathered at that time. Those people played a key role and made it possible for the country to be established. For that reason, the people who now use their body to fight for Hinomoto have a strong admiration for samurai. The country is regarded as a curiosity, even though it is quite small compared to the countries on the continent, so only a few people come near it. I, personally, was often puzzled in various ways after I left the island.”
The guild that Gaien talked about appeared to be different from the current adventurers’ guild. Hearing the story, it seemed to be the one from the game age.
Shin felt like it was too good to be true when he heard about an island country filled with samurai.
“By the way, what are the names of the guilds that founded the country?”
“Hmm, what is generally known as their pursuit of natural beauty, the ‘Dark Child Shrine’.”
“H-Heh, it that so?”
Shin showed understanding with an ‘I see’, without putting it into words.
The guild that Gaien mentioned, with a Japanese style name, represented by samurai and shinobi, was formed by people who liked the Japanese clothes, such as the shrine maiden clothing. In that guild, the samurai, shinobi, and miko(shrine maiden), ordered sequentially by the highest number, were competing for power. The guild house was a castle, needless to say a Shinto shrine, and consisted of many eccentric players. Because the armed forces that protected the guild house consisted of only support characters, they might have been able to repel monsters even if the players disappeared. Shin thought that if they cooperated, they should have the ability to govern a small country.
“In addition, there seemed to be some small guilds, too, but I don’t remember it well.”
“I understand it well, thank you.”
He didn’t know that the country had originally been a guild in the game era. Possibly, there might be a lot of surprises there.
-
They exchanged various information while being jolted around in the wagon for a few days. The party advanced smoothly without being attacked by monsters, and because it was a Grimm horse, a demon beast, that pulled the wagon, their speed was twice as fast as normal. By the way, this Grimm horse was the one that Shin saw at the gate, when he had visited Bayreuth for the first time. The Tamer, who he caught a glimpse of when entering the gate at that time, was Nack who was doing this request. A merchant with the sub-job Tamer could pull a wagon in the same way as players did in the game era.
Shin and the others decided to take turns watching the surrounding, and those who could take the position of coachman took over for Nack alternately as they continued traveling.
It was when Nack had just taken his turn to be the coachman that the sign for enemies was displayed in Shin’s perception range.
“Something is coming. And it’s fast.”
“What? Tell me in detail.”
“There are 12 bodies ahead. Judging from the number and speed, it might be a wolf pack, but…”
Though Shin knew the full details, he simply told them some speculation, because it would be troublesome if he told them too much.
“That alone is plenty of notice. You guys! It’s time to work!”
When Nack heard about the situation from Shin, he immediately raised his loud voice, before Shin had finished talking. As expected from a former adventurer, his courage resounded through the air. It was so loud that if a person was asleep, they would jump up to their feet. However, his words sounded more like that of a bandit than a merchant.
When his voice rose, Gaien and Tsubaki were already finished preparing. Tiera too was holding her bow, and confirming the quiver position. Apparently Gaien had also perceived the signs.
“It’s a wolf group as Shin said. I’m worried about there being no movement from the 2 animals at the rear, but first, let’s take care of the 10 animals in the lead.”
“I’m thinking the same thing. If they are willing to approach a Grimm horse pulling a wagon, then I know that they are not ordinary beasts.”
Shin, who heard Gaien and Nack exchange opinions, looked at the monsters’ details that were coming up.
The monsters’ name was Jag Wolf. It was twice as big as a normal wolf, an extremely aggressive monster. Their movement speed was in a different league compared to ordinary wolves. Ten of them were coming toward Shin and the others. Their average level was around 100, with one of them at level 120. This one was probably the leader of the pack. As for the two that were staying behind, their level didn’t even reach level 10. They might have been left behind because of the danger.
3 out of 10 Jag Wolves went ahead of the pack. The rest of them divided into two to go to the right and left, scattering between the trees successively, while the leading three, including the leader, were getting closer approaching.
The road where the wagon was on right now was caught within in the forest. They seemed to intend to perform a surprise attack using the forest as cover. Gaien appeared to grasp the position of the approaching enemy, immediately deciding the arrangement without Shin having to suggest it.
“Split into the left and right. I will hold the front. Shin to the right, Tsubaki to the left. Tiera, give support from the top of the wagon. Nack-dono, stay near the horse. I think it won’t go wild if a tamer is nearby.”
“There’s no turning back in this situation. Come on!!”
Nack stopped the wagon at a relatively wide section, and each of them was given a position to hold. Yuzuha stayed beside the Grimm horse, just in case.
“Here we go!!”
Gaien’s shout was the signal as the three leading wolves showed movement. The center one sprang forward from the front and the remaining two went to his left and right.
Gaien, with a longsword in his right hand and the sheath in his left, charged to the front.
“Nuun!!”
Something like a light blue aura covered Gaien’s body as the Jag Wolf approached, flicking away the large beast.
Delayed with a short pause, the other two Jag Wolves approached. Without Gaien panicking, he sliced at the jaw of the beast on the right by brandishing a large swing and jumped to his left, where the one on that side received a hit on its mouth and thereby silenced.
The remaining Jag Wolf, which had been pushed off, saw its companions get defeated in an instant, and was disheartened.
“Mu, it’s somewhat easy.”
He scowled at the lightness of the resistance, but he didn’t need to go all out if the opponent was weak, so Gaien concentrated his attention on the approaching leader.
“As expected. By the way, there are some coming here, too.”
“The left side is quick. Do you see it from above?”
To Shin’s warning, which perceived the Jag Wolf approaching from the forest, Tsubaki answered and asked Tiera.
“I caught it!”
Tiera was already aiming at the fastest one and shot the arrow into the forest.
A howl of pain was heard from the point that the arrow landed at, and one of the markers displayed on Shin’s map disappeared.
“Did you actually kill it?”
As Tiera was relieved, Tsubaki voiced some admiration.
“I did.”
Shin thought she couldn’t kill it in one shot when he thought about the level differences, but the Jag Wolf seemed to have run out of energy unexpectedly. It might have hit a vital point.
Was it because they received an unexpected counterattack on the left side? The Jag Wolves turned back to where the leader was.
“It went back, huh? Tsubaki, please go support Gaien. Tiera and I are enough to hold this position.”
“I understand.”
As Tsubaki moved according to Shin’s instruction, a Jag Wolf jumped out from the forest on the right. The claw attack of the Jag Wolf passed through next to Shin, and moved toward where Nack was. The attack towards Shin appeared to have been a feint.
But, it was too careless to have thought that it was able to outwit Shin to that degree.
Shin twisted his body to dodge the Jag wolf’s claw and at the same time, pulled out a katana to parry. The one he pulled out from the scabbard hanging at his waist was the longsword katana which he had forged in Tsuki no Hokora before. A single attack from a sword that was at a similar level to an average Magic Sword; it traced a white line in the air and the Jag Wolf’s neck was cut into two.
As the body fell over, Shin thought that his physical ability rose proportional to his kinetic vision, but he only had time to observe the Jag Wolf. And then he felt that something was wrong.
While thinking about the source of that uncomfortable feeling, Shin perceived another Jag Wolf approaching. The Jag Wolf probably didn’t want to waste an ally’s sacrifice, as its fangs were already out when Shin turned his eyes. It was at a close enough of a distance for Shin to quickly counterattack with his sword.
But an arrow pierced the forehead of the Jag Wolf before he could swing the katana. Seeing the wolf receive a mortal wound, Shin dodged with a sway as the Jag Wolf fell past him due to the momentum from its leap, and then he turned toward Tiera.
“Nice follow-up!”
“It’s not nice, geez.”
Tiera, who shot the arrow, breathed out as she was relieved, and nocked the next arrow.
Instant sniping was quite a sight to behold. No matter how one looked at it, that was not a move a newly fledged adventurer should know. Schnee training her was really not just for show.
“If you can do that kind of movement, you would have no problem at rank E. Go cover the other side quickly!”
“Tsubaki also said something similar. Well, I got it.”
They shifted their attention forward as Gaien and Tsubaki fought against five of the wolves, including the leader. Did Tsubaki use magic to raise her agility, as she mentioned earlier? Her body was enveloped with a thin white aura while she was trifling with the Jag Wolves.
“Haa!!”
One of the wolves was unable to keep up with her pace and received a direct hit from her fist and vanished.
Tsubaki’s radiant blunt gauntlet sunk into its body, and it was thrown off at the tree while bending back and forth, without moving. It was a scene that would make one question where that power came from, with such a thin arm.
Tsubaki’s level was 133. There was nearly a 30 level difference compared to the Jag Wolf; even so, she gave off a feeling of power.
“This is strange. These fellows’ movements are rather slow.”
“Agreed. Their reactions are pretty mild.”
While Gaien muttered that while throwing an enemy down into the ground, Tsubaki also agreed. Apparently everyone seemed to have felt that something was wrong.
Shin joined in and it became 3 against the remaining 3 members of the pack, including the leader. They didn’t show any behavior of turning their backs at all. Normally, they should have already tried to run away.
“Hey, don’t these fellows look a bit thin?”
Shin said as he noticed it when the other two people spoke of a sense of incongruity. The Jag Wolf appeared to show its ribs if one looked closely, even the leader as well.
“It’s like the demon essence affected these monsters somehow or another. They probably aimed for the Grimm horse because of its meat and demon essence. That certainly explains the lack of resistance I felt a while ago.”
Gaien nodded when he understood it, without dropping his guard against the Jag Wolf.
There were monsters that were born from the demon essence’s influence, and wild beasts that became monsters due to the demon essence. The former could live on demon essence alone, but the latter was different. They had to eat meat and could not just absorb demon essence to maintain their bodies. The majority of these latter types often attacked people and domestic animals, but it didn’t get much public attention, because the former have such a strong demon essence. Gaien explained the situation on the way. As for Shin, since he didn’t remember in detail how the monsters spawned during the game, he memorized it for future reference.
“It is prepared for death as there’s nowhere for it to go.”
Tsubaki said it plainly. Even for the monsters in this world, they had to be strong to exist. Before the rule of the survival of the fittest, all living things were equal. There was no line dividing the humans and monsters here.
It must be remembered that Shin’s and the others’ request was to guard the wagon. If it ran away, they would not chase after the wolf, but they could not help but kill it if it continued to attack.
The choices left for the Jag Wolves was either to die starving or to die fighting.
“We are also risking our life for this. Shin, it’s useless to hold back.”
“I understand.”
Shin answered him briefly, as this was not the first time he fought a monster to live.
However, he had never met such a desperate opponent prior to this time.
(The resolution is different from the previous guys. Though that’s the only difference, it couldn’t have done that so easily.)
It was not about challenging a strong opponent, nor the hunt or fight.
It fought to live.
To the extent that the pressure they received was remarkably different.
(Moreover, the two of them that are behind it are still pups.)
The two that were approaching little by little were still children with the shapes of puppies.
Was it because he was a Japanese person, that his blade was getting blunt?
“I will kill the leader. Tsubaki on the right, Shin on the left.”
“Understood.”
“Roger that.”
“Then…let’s go!!”
The timing was matched to each other.
Tsubaki and Shin were the first to begin.
Tsubaki stepped into the fight with her aura continuing as it was. Judging from the Jag Wolf’s point of view, it felt like there was a chance of being cut down if it blinked. To the opponent, which froze by reflex, Tsubaki swung down her fist without mercy.
The Jag Wolf slammed into the ground with a cracking sound, and then twitched a few times before it stopped moving.
Shin also took a stance and raising his sword above his head, stepped in with a speed superior to Tsubaki’s. The katana swung down as he stepped forward. The Jag Wolf didn’t move. No, it was not possible for it to move.
At the same time as the arc in the air disappeared, its body slipped diagonally. The eyes of the Jag Wolf blinked a few times as it turned toward Shin. It might not even have noticed the cut.
“Then after you.”
“Umu, agreed.”
Gaien stepped forward between Shin and Tsubaki. The reason why the leader didn’t attack Shin and Tsubaki was because Gaien had overpowered it.
There was no longer a chance of winning. Still, the Jag Wolf leader didn’t back down. It raised a short howl and put its strength into its limb. Its intention to live was straightforward. Even if he thought it was hopeless, Shin felt a sense of respect for that figure.
The leader exerted its power for a few seconds. In its last dash, it squeezed out all of its strength, aiming at Gaien. The speed was as expected from the alpha of a pack; powerful.
“Magnificent.”
It was Gaien who spoke words of praise. He prepared his longsword while facing the oncoming leader.
For the leader, which was approaching straight, Gaien moved calmly. The figure of Gaien wavering, with his feet side-stepping.
The moment of their clash. In the next moment, along with Gaien’s swung down sword, there was the figure of the leader split in two.
While waving the blood off of his blade, Gaien turned his eyes toward the last, small Jag Wolves ahead.
“What should we do?”
How would a person of this world make such a decision at this time. To find out the answer to that question, Shin called out to Gaien.
“I will kill them if they attack, but I won’t give chase if they decide to leave. Our work is to guard, not to hunt monsters. In any case, I don’t know whether it’s possible for those two children to survive on their own.”
In case they survived, they might get attacked by someone else. However, that was for another story. If they appeared outside a village in this world, it was a common sense to employ a bodyguard or to learn some self-defense. They might get attacked by other monsters or even by bandits in either case. Even if they killed the Jag Wolf children here, the possibility of someone else attacking the wagon, as well as themselves, didn’t decrease.
The children might have understood that their parents had died. They disappeared into the forest to escape.
“Somehow, it leaves a bad aftertaste in the mouth.”
“It was different from a fight against common monsters, huh.”
Shin nodded to Tiera’s words.
“I share your sympathy. I’ve never experienced such a fight before.”
Gaien consented.
“But it’s not good to mind it too much either.”
What Tsubaki said was right; if they worried about it too much and thereby let it dull their blades, a companion might be sacrificed next. They had to be practical.
“Is it over? Then let’s hurry up and leave.”
Nack, who was near the Grimm horse, called out to the four people. As expected from an elderly former adventurer, he changed gears quickly. He was not shaken to see the scene from a little while ago either.
“Still, for them not to eat to get thinner, there must be something in the forest, right?”
Gaien then answered Shin’s question.
“Well, there’s nothing I can add. Jag Wolves are smart monsters. It’s hard to think that they failed at hunting until they reached such a condition.”
“Even if the food supply diminished?”
“These guys also eat goblins. It unreasonable to think that the goblins were swept away, right?”
“I agree. If one of them was found, 30 of them would come out.”
Tsubaki said it in a way that was like saying a G* was lurking in the house. After all, the goblins’ reproductive power didn’t seem to have changed, just like in the game era. (E/N: G = cockroaches, ‘cause Goblins are like cockroaches)
“I heard a story that said Skull Faces were appearing in large numbers in the Wraith Plains. Wouldn’t that have an influence?”
When Tsubaki said that, Shin opened his mouth as he suddenly remembered.
“Ah, that reminds me, I overheard that all high-rank adventurers are away the guild, wasn’t there something like a large-scale request?”
“That matter, huh? At that time, I was going to go home for a few days before, at Bayreuth’s southern town with Tsubaki. So I didn’t participate there.”
Then Tiera secretly whispered into Shin’s ear.
“(Hey Shin)”
“(What’s the matter?)”
“(The Skull Faces, was that the request that came to master?”
“(Yes, those fellows were quite strong. That might be the cause.)”
There was the possibility that their territory was overflowing with Skull Faces.
“Either way, we don’t know the reason. It’s useless even if we think about it. So I’m going to go to sleep.”
Doing things at her own pace, Tsubaki said that and put on her overcoat. It was typical for adventurers to be able to sleep in a shaking wagon. Because there were shifts between being coachman and standing guard, it was an important duty to rest while one can.
“It’s as Tsubaki said. There’s not enough information even if we think about it. Since that took a significant amount of time.”
“That’s right. For the time being, should I do maintenance on our weapons? What are you going to do, Tiera?”
“Because it’s my turn soon, I will be at the coachman box.”
When Tiera said so, she exited the canopy, and moved next to Nack.
According to Schnee, Tiera learned most of the necessary skills for an adventurer, so she could take the role of coachman without any problems. Rather, it was Shin who didn’t have the experience. That was because a horse could advance without him having to guide it when he set the direction in the game, so he was not used to doing such things.
“What adventurer can’t drive a wagon? Even a young woman can do it.”
“Ugh…”
Even though they were just simple words, what Nack said made him feel a little down.
Part 3
Afterwards, they advanced without another incident and went toward Beirun while camping. They had to take a detour around the forest surrounding the Wraith Plains, not only merchants such as Nack, but large scale caravans did the same, too. Thus, not a lot of monsters came near them from the start. The reason was that, there was already plenty of prey inside of that forest. And one day before they were due to arrive in Beirun, Shin and the others encountered what they were asked to defend the caravan against.
“Poor merchant-san. If you don’t want to die, hand over the money and baggage.”
They were bandits.
Though according to the information Shin and Tiera exchanged with Gaien and Tsubaki, bandits seldom came out; they did not seem to have any luck. It goes without saying whose ‘luck’ it was.
They were not a numerous group, but they were properly armed in leather armor and were holding longswords as well, which was likely to earn them money. Though one might not want to know how.
“Then, how? I don’t know if I’m confident enough to ambush and take on 6 people head-on all alone, what should I do?”
Shin looked back at Gaien and Tsubaki.
“That won’t change anything. If we attack, they might turn the table.”
“One person should leave the right to slay someone with impunity to me.”
Ignoring Tsubaki’s remark, which they didn’t know whether she was joking or not, the three people moved out.
The strategy had already been decided. They formed a basic formation with three people, where Shin, Gaien, and Tsubaki stepped forward, while Tiera was to cover them. Yuzuha was left in the wagon in case there was an opponent they couldn’t perceive.
The enemies level were about 150 on average, although the man who started to talk was unexpectedly higher-leveled at 163. Shin was a little surprised by that. They could make a living as normal adventurers, but he thought that they might have had various things happen to them to make them stay like that. No matter how much he thought about it, it wouldn’t change anything.
Nack as well this time, held an axe for self-defense.
It was only a matter of time before the battle began. While the tension increased, Tiera was holding her breath inside the canopy, and recalled what Gaien asked earlier.
‘Shin, Tiera. Have you ever killed someone?’
When the trip first began, it was the first question that Gaien had asked of the two people. Even though this was the first barrier that adventurers aimed to strike at, it was because the request for the guard was an E rank request. Therefore the possibility that an enemy related to this request would appear existed. The mortality rate was divided by each rank for adventurers; high rank requests at rank B and above had a much higher mortality rate. Aside from monsters, many of them were killed by people. It was a rank E.
(It’s alright. I will defeat them.)
Only Tiera hadn’t killed anyone yet among the members. Shin’s worrying about this was reflected on his expression, but she said it would be alright. She ought to do it. If she couldn’t do it, the danger toward the three people stepping forward increased.
“Oioi, do you intend to fight with only three people? There’s still time now?”
“Shall you leave the young lady too? I can entertain her in a bunch of various ways!”
The stinging lines from the bandits was heard by the three people. Of course, it was only natural.
“Shin…”
While looking at such three people, it was Shin’s name that came out from Tiera’s mouth. Tiera’s sensitivity was particularly strong even among the elves. That’s why she understood it. Just after the bandit said to leave Tsubaki behind, the feeling from Shin changed a little.
It didn’t change to bloodlust. But it became sharp and dark. The calm presence that Tiera knew vanished, as she felt some kind of sinister feeling coming from Shin. From Tiera’s perspective, it was already another person’s presence. Was Tiera not keen enough? Neither Gaien nor Tsubaki seemed to have noticed it. Be it fortunate or not, it was only Tiera who felt the change to the present Shin.
(I can’t leave Shin like that any further. That Shin is no good!)
The hand holding the bow filled with power.
Before she knew it, Tiera’s thoughts of killing without hesitation, disappeared from her head. The opponent was a bandit, and in addition to that, he was obviously a habitual criminal. To be a bandit repeatedly in this world was equal to having a worthless life. There were no other destinations except the execution stand if caught. For such opponents, to compare them with Tiera’s worry for Shin, their existence itself was already too light.
The arrow was nocked in the bowstring, which in turn was drawn to the limit. She aimed at the bandit lurking in the bushes nearby. That person might have had the intention to hide, but it was no different than casually going for a walk for the elf Tiera. While aiming, she waited for the signal from Gaien.
“I don’t like useless killing. I will stop if you pull back, but I will kill if you don’t.”
“Oioi, can you see the situation? I know that one is merely a rank E.”
“No matter how much of a rank A you are, don’t you have to fight while protecting other members? You better turn a blind eye to us without causing trouble rather than showing off that strange spirit, don’t you agree?”
Where did they learn that information from? The bandits knew that they were all low-rank with the exception of Gaien. Even though the number of bandits hidden and visible aiming at Nack were unknown, it was clear that this was not an accidental encounter.
“There’s no need to listen any.”
“Leave the number of people to two.”
Shin and Tsubaki made eye contact. The negotiations broke down. No one here thought it would end any other way. They only wanted time to prepare so as to lessen the damage while observing the other side.
Gaien shook his head a little, reacting to Shin’s and Tsubaki’s remark. That was the starting signal for the attack.
In the next moment, an arrow shot by Tiera flew out from inside the canopy, and was sucked up into the thicket where the bandit hid in.
“――!!?”
There was no scream. However, a dull sound of something hitting the ground was audible.
One red marker that existed on Shin’s map disappeared. Was it the head or the heart? It might have hit one of the two. The HP vanished in a single blow. It was an instant death.
“Tsk, what a failure. You guys, do something!!”
The leader appeared to curse, far from mourn over the death of their comrade. The bandits rushed to attack after they received their instructions.
“Then, two bandits per person. Leave the person alone if you can’t do it. You heard the story.”
“With no injuries?”
“You should listen to the directions, do as you like to the others, I don’t care.”
Gaien and Tsubaki calmly exchanged disturbing words. It was as if they were used to it. Even though there was sure to be a level difference between Tsubaki and the enemies, she didn’t seem to be eager at all.
Gaien stayed as he was, and Shin and Tsubaki scattered to the right and left, distracting the bandits.
Three bandits were going for Gaien, one for Tsubaki, and two for Shin. Was there any 【Analyze】 skill holder among them? The low-level was after Tsubaki rather than Gaien.
“Are you making fun of me?”
Anger was mixed in with Tsubaki’s words. The bandit whom she faced was certainly stronger than Tsubaki when one only looked at levels. Still, just because the bandit was stronger didn’t mean that they would be able to knock her down easily.
A chill ran through the back of Tsubaki’s neck, to place where the she thought the bandit hid his hand. She immediately close the distance, caught and pulled the bandit’s sword with her gauntlet.
“Heh, you have some nice intuition, don’t you?”
The man looked at her, like he was making light of Tsubaki’s body. Red aura was being released from the sword grasped in her right hand.
She shifted her gaze and saw the surrounding state. All of the bandits, though the colors were different, had weapons that gave off an aura like the man in front of Tsubaki. Did all the members have a Magic Sword, they appeared to have weapons with similar characteristics.
Apparently, besides from the level, there also seemed to be a reliable chance of success due to the equipment.
“Don’t put up much resistance. I can’t enjoy it if I kill you, kukuku”
The bandit noticed that Tsubaki’s gauntlet was just a common mass-produced item. It was not possible to defend with this. Therefore, he had no doubt about his superiority.
“If you see me as being only small, you’ll experience pain for looking down on me.”
“Haa, say that after you defeat me!!”
The bandit lunged at her while speaking. Was the attack aided by the sword? Obviously the speed level was faster than before. However, Tsubaki didn’t lose. She was enveloped in a white aura and ran before the bandit arrived at her position. The real nature of the aura was 【Spirit Manipulation • Katsusen】.
As the name implied, it is a martial art skill that strengthens the body, although an inferior version. As for the ‘Katsusen’ that was attached there, aside from body strengthening, it indicated that it specialized in speed increase.
Tsubaki left a white afterimage and jumped toward the bandit’s chest, and drew back her fist. Though the bandit was surprised that Tsubaki’s speed was faster than his own, he judged that it was not possible to clash with it, and instead tried to guard with his hand that wasn’t holding the sword.
But Tsubaki’s aim was not to deal damage. She aimed at the hand that was holding the sword. The bandit’s reaction was good, but he didn’t read Tsubaki’s aim until after it happened. The fist wrapped in her gauntlet directly hit the bandit’s right hand, breaking all five of his fingers. Bones poked out from the bandit’s fingers, as they bent in the wrong direction.
“Even if you have a good weapon, you are untrained.”
No matter if his weapon was a Magic Sword or not, the user’s ability didn’t change. The bandit, who was screaming intensely, couldn’t defend because of the excessive pain. In front of that virtually defenseless enemy, Tsubaki accumulated power in an instant.
“――Fly!”
Her fist was released along with that word. At the same time, a dull sound that wasn’t supposed to come from the body was heard. The bandit was sent flying off into the sky while continuously vomiting blood.
Beyond that point, there were figures of bandits surrounding Gaien.
“Gahaa!!”
Without any time to react, the bandit who was sent flying crashed into one of them, and disappeared into the thicket. Because the sound of heads-butting together was heard, the person who was thrown would probably not move for a while.
The bandit who was hit again had the pit of his chest cave in, so that rather than his intestines, it was certain that his heart had exploded. It was an instant death similar to the person who had received the arrow from Tiera.
“W-What it is now…”
One of the bandits, whose comrade was suddenly sent flying, looked at the thicket in in a daze.
When in front of an enemy, that was a fatal opening.
“Idiot! Don’t turn your eyes away from this fellow!!”
It was already too late when the bandit’s leader yelled out.
“Swish!”
Gaien approached the bandit who showed the opening and swung his long katana down.
The bandit barely reacted to the voice of the leader and broke his posture, thereby he became unable to defend against the single blow from Gaien that was filled with power. The long katana raised a buzz as it clashed against the Magic Sword. The Magic Sword was repelled, and from the single blow of the long katana, it was blown away together with the body. By a miracle, the Magic Sword seemed to act as a substitute for armor, defending the bandit from the long katana. But unfortunately, although the Magic Sword gave off the impression of protecting the bandit’s life by reducing most the momentum from the long katana, it was disappointingly not enough and broke in the next moment. Naturally, the bandit’s body, which the Magic Sword protected, was still in one piece.
“Wh…What…”
Looking at his subordinate from the side, the squeaky voice of the leader came out. It was unthinkable to beat a Magic Sword and cut it in two, even for a rank A. His eyes were wide open as he looked at Gaien like he saw something unbelievable.
“Though you guys are Magic Sword holders, unfortunately, they are no match for my Magic Katana.”
The battle situation that they thought to be to in their favor was overturned in an instant.
The incident that happened in front of him was unbelievable for the bandits’ leader. The information he had received claimed that they all were rank E, with Gaien as the sole exception. They were supposed to only lost half of their men at worst. For the one who went up against Tsubaki, despite being a Magic Sword holder at C rank, he was a subordinate that was worthy enough of being her opponent.
The confused leader clung to the tiny bit of hope that a subordinate would save him, but he even turned toward his aide. And then, what came into his view next, was yet another impossible scene.
-
Immediately after the battle started, two bandits went to face Shin. One of them had brown hair and the other man had blond hair. The one with brown hair was level 151, the blond hair was 153. If one were to say it in adventurer terms, they would be C rank. Looking at the deployment, Tsubaki had taken down her sole opponent quickly, Gaien was holding four people, and the two people here, probably going after Nack, were already expected by Shin. The man who lurked in the bushes was the lowest level among the bandits while the blond man had the highest level next to the leader. At that level, he might even be able to deal with the flying arrow. The air he gave off was clearly different.
“Well, what has been done can not be undone.”
He muttered, and blocked the route of the two people.
To force Shin out of the way, the guy with brown hair went ahead and unsheathed his sword. The aura attached to this Magic Sword was yellow. However, the katana Shin was holding was different in a big way. For the Magic Swords of the current world, the definition was different compared to the Magic Swords from the game era.
Though the place where the aura leaked out from on the blade was identical, the sword itself was originally classified as a 《Legend》 grade, not a Magic Sword. The swords that the bandits had were not Magic Swords in the true meaning of the word.
The bandit’s sword gave off an aura like steam, but the white aura which Shin’s katana emitted was converging in the form of a sword in order to fit around the katana’s blade. The air pressure of the aura, released from the Magic Sword showed the quality. An aura that did not scatter, and instead surrounded the sword’s blade was said to be the top in ability.
Therefore, the natural outcome of the two people clashing their swords was displayed.
After the blades clashed with a little rivalry, it ended when a clear sound rang out and the sword of the bandit was broken. Both items could be called Magic Swords but one was a Magic Sword imitation. However, the katana that Shin held displayed its ability multiple times, and could exchange blows like the real deal. The sword that uselessly discharged its aura was so different from Shin’s standard that he would call it a fake.
The brown hair looked at his sword that could even inflict a wound on a Horn Dragon but yet was broken in a single blow. And then, continuing with that gap, with the same stroke, Shin cut down the brown haired man.
“Waa!? broke――n !?”
The voice raised was filled with surprise because he was cut, and the bandit with brown hair collapsed.
Like a flash. There was no hesitation in that movement.
For Shin to kill a person, it didn’t mean that he was used to it. But he was already beyond the stage of hesitation, worry, and other such things since a long time ago. During the death game, nobody wanted to get tangled up with a person who fought on the front line.
Besides, the opponent was a bandit who wielded a sword with evil intentions. When he saw the blood remains from a previous victim on the armor, it was impossible for his sword to be dull.
He never looked at life lightly. However, he shouldn’t be too serious either.
“Now then, what are you going to do?”
Shin didn’t look at the brown haired man that collapsed, instead he stepped in front of the blond hair.
Shin had a light tone. Speaking as if he was asking for the description of a meal, giving the blond hair more pressure.
The blond hair, who was shocked, was making an ugly face. He looked at the place where the brown hair’s Magic Sword broke, perhaps, for the first time. Then his line of sight changed to compare Shin’s katana with his sword.
“Anyways, that sword is a nuisance.”
Shin casually stepped forward, and waved his katana. With that alone, the blond hair’s Magic Sword was smashed apart.
“Wha!? T-That’s ridiculous…My Magic Sword is…”
The blonde hair muttered dumbfoundedly after seeing his Magic Sword that had already become only a hilt. He was not able to see the single blow from Shin from a distance where he should have been able to. Shin didn’t use any skill. With only stats and ability, he closed the distance of several mels in an instant.
“Next, to immobilize.”
With those words, Shin’s figure vanished. Thereupon, an acute pain ran through the blond’s limbs.
The body, without the support of its hands and feet, collapsed onto the ground. At the rear, Shin put his katana back into the sheath. He had shattered the bones just by striking with the back of the sword.
“Did it end there too?”
“Yeah, Shin was tormenting him.”
“He just going easy on him!”
While they were exchanging jokes, the leader, who was the opponent of Gaien, looked at Shin. The blond hair was equally confused about the situation. No matter how much he thought about it, that was not the fighting power of an E rank.
“Now then, let’s have a talk about the person who handed over the information to you.”
The situation was explained to Nack, so there would be time for them to interrogate the leader. When Nack understood that he might have been deliberately targeted, he consented.
The interrogation was performed by Gaien and Nack, as they entered the thicket and Shin and Tsubaki returned to the wagon.
Tiera had a worried face toward the two people, especially as she approached Shin――――
“Good job, for the time bei――muguu!?”
―――― And she suddenly held Shin’s head, embraced to her chest.
Tsubaki stared in amazement at the sudden action, and Shin, whose speech was interrupted, was confused. Tiera’s jacket was open, exposing the chest, and Shin’s face was in held in there. Though there was the inner cloth, the fabric was not thick enough. Therefore, a fairly vivid sensation enveloped Shin’s face.
Though there was no space to completely enjoy the sensation, as the person in question, Tiera’s action, was too abrupt.
“Um, what are you doing?”
“Don’t move…just a little…bit…okay…”
It appeared that Tiera had some sort of purpose for the time being. Tsubaki, who was forcibly convincing herself to watch their progress attentively so as to understand. This situation was too incomprehensible to get involved with. Above all, Tiera’s expression was awfully serious.
When he heard Tiera’s oddly charming voice, Shin became docile too. That state was maintained for a while and when Shin was about to start being able to enjoy the soft sensation that surrounded his face, Tiera let Shin’s head loose.
However, both of her hands firmly held onto Shin’s head.
“Umm…Tiera? What…”
Tiera, who said nothing, stared into Shin’s eyes with a serious face. Shin felt it was awfully long, although it was only a few seconds.
“…Yosh.”
Finally, after nodding a little, Tiera released Shin’s head, and went outside the wagon to be on lookout.
“What is it…now…”
“Who knows?”
Though he asked Tsubaki, she similarly didn’t understand it either. Shin had a question mark over his head as well.
-
While taking distance from Shin and Tsubaki, Tiera searched for Shin’s presence. Even though it was only a fairly small range from Shin and others, it was still out of normal for G rank adventurers.
Relief spread through her chest as she secretly moved to behind the wagon. Until a few minutes ago, Shin, who returned with Tsubaki, still slightly wore that presence as usual on the surface. That dark, sharp, and unpleasant feeling that she wanted to run away from by reflex.
Although it was a momentary thing, when looking back at the action she took, it was an action which she really thought of seriously, but at the same time her face became almost as red as a beet.
In the beginning, when Tiera hadn’t come to Tsuki no Hokora yet, Tiera, who was totally frightened, was gently embraced by Schnee. Her anxiety was softened by that act alone.
Thus, she thought that the presence might disappear if she did the same thing. For Tiera, who had limited contact with others, she thought that it was the most effective way.
Anyways, the result was a success. If anything, she was a little panicky when she returned to her sanity, but because the goal had been reached, she considered it a good thing.
(Am I the only one who noticed? Or am I strange?)
She felt the familiar thirst for blood at the time when she was driven out of her village. She was still mentally young back in those days, but she only felt fear. On the other hand, when Shin confronted the bandits, she noticed the change in the nature for the thirst for blood. No, it might be good that she noticed.
Tiera personally didn’t understand her sense well, but it was because of the sense of impending crisis that it became stronger. The impulse that she couldn’t understand. Though it was not regarded as manipulation of the heart and mind, there was strangely no discomfort. She seemed to understand that there was no danger at all; there was a strange trust.
When she composed herself before long, in a sense, it was obvious what Tiera would think of next.
(After this, what kind of face should I make when I talk with Shin…?)
Where had the seriousness, when embracing Shin tightly, gone? The bewildered appearance of saying “Au Au”, when seen by a person who knew the usual Tiera, would think of it as really cute.
Though she intended to hide and move, Shin and Tsubaki having perfectly witnessed her appearance, was a fact not known by Tiera.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 03 - Falnido Beast Alliance/The-New-Gate-Volume-03-Falnido-Beast-Alliance-[Shin][Armaell]/f002.txt
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Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Part 1
Shin and the others waited for ten minutes while guarding the wagon. Then Gaien and Nack returned. The bandit leader’s figure was not seen. He was likely taken care of since there was no need to bring him back alive.
Everyone climbed back into the carriage and tried to recover from the delay caused by the bandits, so the speed started to increase a little. Nack was responsible for being the driver, so Gaien explained the information obtained to Shin and the others.
“In other words, they wanted the baggage Nack-san carried?”
“That’s right. It seems to be related to a church matter. But they weren’t informed of what the baggage was.”
“They didn’t know what to take?”
Tsubaki asked.
“Well. Consequently, after the guards were slaughtered, together with the coachman, they would steal the wagon.”
Shin, who listened to the story, instantly thought that Rashia might be related to this case. The priest appointment of Rashia was only valid when recognized officially by the church. Therefore, the mark of proof, necessary documents, and so on might have to be transported.
The client who requested it, without telling their goal to the bandits, was at the same time trying to avoid being detected. Though it was simply a guess, when he looked at the place, where no one had disclosed what Nack was transporting, it was no doubt that it was something important. There were plenty of those possibilities.
When Shin thought about it, for Nack to have a Grimm horse by chance, which traveled faster than a common merchant, and to also have guards, it seemed to be the right interpretation.
Afterwards, without encountering any more bandits or being attacked by monsters, the group arrived at Beirun.
The wagon pulled by the Grimm horse passed the gate.
A lot of wagons entered the gate in similar ways. It was congested, but it was reasonably crowded with people.
Beirun was a small country, and similar to the surrounding countries. Eltnia continent had a shape of two continents linked, and Beirun was located in the middle of the two. Because of its strategic location, they might be invaded by the big countries, so they cooperated by forming an alliance to prevent an invasion by another country. Since each of the countries had a chosen one, the total force of the alliance was said to exceed even a big country’s.
“Thank you for your efforts, if there’s a another opportunity, I will request you again.”
They passed through the gate and advanced for a while along the road, and the wagon stopped in front of a second-hand shop.
Unlike a usual merchant, Nack said his gratitude with words, and handed over the proof of request completion to Gaien. This was how to receive the reward, once it was submitted to the guild.
“Well then, I will go to Kilmont after this, what will everyone else do?”
Gaien started on a topic after this matter along the road. Kilmont was ruled by the dragon king, a Dragnil’s country.
The formal name was the dragon empire, Kilmont.
From Schnee’s story, it was Shin’s support character no. 4, High Dragnil Shibaid’s country.
“I also have business in Kilmont.”
“Tiera and I have business in Falnido.”
Gaien and Tsubaki seemed to have a different destinations from Shin and Tiera.
“Fumu, this is divided splendidly again.”
“I knew it’s like a combination.”
Meeting and parting were part of the adventurer ways. Gaien and Tsubaki seemed to go to Kilmont for another guard request this time. By the way, before they met Shin and Tiera, they already received the same request several times.
After receiving the reward, they each left the messages, “Let’s meet again” and “Call out to me if you see me”, and started their journey to Kilmont. Though it was very simple, because it was often the case for adventurers to meet again during different requests, they might have to be practical if that was the case.
“So, how do we advance after this? Use a wagon too?”
“If I’m not mistaken, using an ordinary horse will take one and a half months, and a wagon will take 2 months, which we should not do.”
“It’s too far now that I think about it again.”
After separating from Gaien and Tsubaki, Shin and Tiera talked about the means of transportation. There was the way of moving on foot, but they were not so poor that they couldn’t ride on a wagon together. Though Shin was the fastest if he ran, he couldn’t hold Tiera all the time. After thinking it through, Shin decided to purchase a wagon. Either way, Shin and Tiera could continue traveling even after Schnee joined them. There was no loss in owning one. That’s why Shin and Tiera visited the shop that sold wagons for trips, as introduced by the guild.
“How should I say, all of the performances seem similar, even the high performance ones.”
“No no, customer, there is a reason for this.”
Towards Shin, who had muttered while looking at the shop, the storekeeper, who was coming nearby, answered.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, a large quantity of wagons were bought by the country a while ago. The ones here were made with the leftover materials, because we had to prepare the number required, it pretty much became the same thing in the long run. Depending on the material, it will become a little better.”
“I see, materials huh?”
From Shin’s assessment, the quality wasn’t that good, but it couldn’t be helped. Shin recalled the wagon used by Nack. Though the appearance was not good because it stressed the importance of transporting cargo, as for the material, the good ones were certainly used. Something needs to be done about the shaking, so they didn’t have to suffer there. Of course, that didn’t mean that he was dissatisfied with everything else.
“This one…only need to restructure it just a bit.”
“Wait a minute, did I hear something bad just now?
Tiera put her hand on Shin’s shoulder who was muttering. And as she now knows from experience, she would expect that didn’t mean a good thing. Though she had a laughing face, her eyes weren’t laughing.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s shameless. I know you’re lying. Now spit it out. What are you going to do this time?”
“Why are you being so cautious? I just want to improve the wheel’s movement, and suppress the shaking a little.”
The shaking countermeasures could reduce the burden on the horse pulling the wagon. Naturally, he didn’t want the trick to be found out, so the outward appearance wouldn’t change much. One must get in the wagon to actually feel the change.
“Really? It won’t fly in the sky and travel without a horse?”
“Of course not!!”
Shin didn’t say, “It was not possible to do.” But because the wagon’s design was out of his specialty, it wouldn’t be easy.
However, because the springs and wheel bearings were within the blacksmith’s domain, it would be easy to start working on it.
“Well, it’s fine if you only go that far.”
“It’s better to keep a low profile. Aren’t I learning, even a little?”
“If it wasn’t you who said it, I’d believe it.”
“That’s kind of cruel.”
Not being able to object was painful.
“Then, the wagon can be remodeled further?”
“Only a little because it’s not my main job, but it’s better than nothing.”
“If it’s better than Nack-san’s, it’ll be welcomed.”
Apparently, Tiera was also annoyed by the shaking of the wagon. The carriages that nobles rode in hardly shook, that was something that Tiera learned from an idle chat with an adventurer who came into the store. So, she thought that she should rather welcome him if he could make such a carriage.
Though the shaking was minimized in Nack’s wagon too, it was hard on Tiera who was not accustomed to it.
“Enough about remodeling, which carriage will do? Honestly, I don’t know which one is good.”
“First of all, I want space big enough to be able to sleep inside. Something like that.”
Shin thought about the number of people and the baggage they would have, and pointed at the biggest carriage in the shop.
“That’s right. Master will come too, so we also need to think about if it will hold a large amount of baggage.”
Tiera also agreed, about it not posing any problems with the number of people.
Also the horse must be powerful in order to be able to pull the wagon’s weight, in the worst case, he would have to get Yuzuha’s help to pull the wagon. That transformation ability was indeed useful.
“Thank you for your patronage! By the way, customer, have you obtained a horse for pulling the wagon?”
“No, I’ll go buy one after this.”
“Is this your first time buying a horse?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“If that’s the case, this is a piece of advice for the customer who just did an expensive purchase. The horse’s legs should be as strong as possible. Though it’s different when using several of them; to pull it with only one, the wagon is a little heavy.”
“Thank you, I will use it as a reference.”
Perhaps, a draft horse type would be good. Given the number of people that will ride on the wagon, Shin thought that type was better.
“On that subject, how about using a monster to pull it? Because there is person I know who does it in such a way.”
“Well, the horsepower is definitely in a whole different league. Though it would have to be tamed, haven’t you heard that it’s difficult?”
“Indeed. Thank you for the information.”
He thanked the storekeeper who gave them advice and left the shop. Their following destination; a shop that dealt with horses.
“Next is…hmm? This sound is”
When Shin took a step forward to go purchase a horse, a ‘Ding’ sound reach his ears. It was the ringtone when notified of a voice chat, which he had set before. Because the operation hadn’t changed since the game era, he accepted the call by thinking about it.
“(Hello, This is Shin. Loud and clear.)”
“(This is Schnee. The request here is over. Where are you now?)”
“(We are in Beirun. I intend to go to Falnido by carriage once a horse is obtained.)”
Because it was just the right time, he conveyed his present location and the wagon he just bought.
“(Is that so. Then, I will capture a monster. I think I will arrive in Beirun in about 1 day, would you wait for me there?)”
“(I understand. Now that you mention it, you are also a Tamer.)”
At the time when Shin was encouraged to obtain the job from Rokuten’s Tamer and Summoner, Cashmere, he was also accompanied by Schnee. She acquired it when he did. Though she hadn’t tamed anything up till now, it was useful in an unexpected place.
“(Yes, please look forward to it, because I will bring the strongest one possible.)”
An image of Schnee stating so in high spirits came into his mind.
“(And, may I ask you one thing?)”
Schnee asked.
“(What is it?)”
“(When storing the Tsuki no Hokora, did anything happen? Because Tsuki no Hokora disappeared, I’m worried they would do something.)”
“(Ah, somehow it was monitored, but because being followed is troublesome, I used a little magic skill.)”
“(I see, it’s an illusion, huh? That’s quite peaceful. I thought the surrounding land would be cleared, because it is you.)”
“(Hold on, what do you think I am!?)”
“(Haven’t you done it before?)”
Apparently, she seemed to be talking about the death game era.
“(No, that’s because I’m not the kind of guy who just goes all out in order to wipe such opponents, and to begin with, I wouldn’t do such a violent thing to the monitoring people of a country.)”
Certainly, he would not go easy on an opponent who had come to take his life, but he didn’t have the intention to needlessly kill an opponent who only observed. In the first place, it was Tsuki no Hokora and Schnee that were monitored, not Shin.
“(If Shin decides so, then it’s fine. The upper echelon might be serious about it this time, because I acted like I didn’t know about it.)”
“(Right. Of course, our appearance was not seen, since I used a concealment skill. To the guys who were watching, Tsuki no Hokora would have seemed to have suddenly disappeared. I’m sure it caused a great deal of confusion.)”
The multiplex use of concealment and illusion. It was a popular way of showing an illusion to others while hiding oneself. Because the user was Shin, the other person couldn’t help but to become a target of the spells. As for the ‘concealment’, the skill name was similar for both martial arts and magic skills. It was the magic skill ‘concealment’ that Shin used this time. The effect was lower than the martial arts skills, but it was effective for himself, and he could hide Tiera too. In fact, the spies couldn’t see them at all.
“(Get a taste of their own medicine. To be honest, while I get praised unanimously, I got mad at the way they monitored and solicited repeatedly behind my back. Even if it causes a bit of an uproar, it will be their own fault.)”
Schnee said that irritably. Of course, not all countries were like that. There were many countries that contacted her with a moderate attitude. However, there were also a lot of countries that gathered war potential over the hegemony after the chaos due to the crustal movement. It was known that Schnee was the subordinate of a High Human, and an endless amount of countries desperately tried to include her in their own area.
This was how things got this way, that Tsuki no Hokora continued to be monitored even after the turmoil had settled down. Even though there were few people or countries that monitored her knowing those days, it was not so very long ago for the high elf Schnee. Even now that she became calmer compared to those days, she still felt a strong discomfort from the monitoring and solicitation.
“(Somehow, it’s even worse than I heard.)”
“(There are even countries that claimed to have the property rights for Tsuki no Hokora without permission, too. I thought of erasing each of those countries at the time.)”
“(When you say it like that, it must be serious.)”
While telling him that she was disgusted, Shin understood why Schnee got angry. Their precious place and things, it was natural to be angry when others claimed it was their own without permission.
With Schnee’s temperament, her anger was probably greater than that.
“(Well, there’s no need to be worry about it anymore now. That was my property originally, it’s up to me to take it anywhere.)”
He couldn’t concede Tsuki no Hokora, even if it was important to the people.
For Shin, Tsuki no Hokora was a precious place where he spent a long time with friends. Even if the opponent might be the king, he didn’t have any intentions to submit even a fragment.
“(Perhaps if Tsuki no Hokora was obtained, they thought that Schnee would follow?)”
“(Right, such people exist, too. There were even a lot of people who proposed marriage though.)”
“(…Right)”
It was Shin who set her appearance, but the beauty of Schnee could be said to be on the level of a beautiful courtesan. It was easy to imagine that she would be popular before long. Since Schnee and Tsuki no Hokora were known as a set, there might be a lot of people who tried to obtain Tsuki no Hokora, just to get that pretty face unexpectedly.
“(Well, it’s only natural, huh?)”
“(Are you jealous?)”
“(That…)”
He would’ve been proud of it in the game era, but the feeling changed now that it was reality. Shin also felt considerable feelings from Schnee. Was it because he was the master? Or as a man? It was difficult for him to make a judgment, but if possible, he thought it would be nice if it was the latter.
“(Fufu, is that so? Would you be jealous for me?)”
“(Why are you in a good mood like this?)”
“(Please guess~)”
“(I feel like I’m being led around by the nose.)”
The problem before guessing the reason for a good mood and so on; For a light novel’s main character who was thickheaded, there were possibilities of saying “I seriously didn’t know”.
Though Shin was also dense, still, it usually didn’t go to that extent.
“(Then contact me when the inn is decided upon. Because I don’t know when I will arrive yet. I will go directly to the inn according to the time.)”
“(Understood. See you later.)”
The Mind Chat was cut off. Since the goal of obtaining a horse were more or less met, he didn’t have to purchase a horse anymore.
“Hey Tiera, once the wagon is obtained, why don’t we look for an inn for tonight? I think securing the beds is important too.”
“What’s with this abruptness? Don’t we have to go buy a horse?”
“Schnee just contacted me. We will wait because she’ll catch a monster to replace the horse.”
“As expected from master. It’s perfect timing.”
Even though the admiration felt different, because he felt like he lost when he thought about it, Shin didn’t say anything. That timing was too perfect in his opinion.
“For the time being, would you like to go sightseeing while looking for an inn?”
“Okay, but it’s boring if we only walk around.”
Because they had time on hand, the two people decided to walk slowly. When they looked around at the stalls, various glassworks attracted their attention.
By the way, although Shin was also attracting attention because of the young fox on top of his head, he didn’t mind it since he had already gotten used to it in Bayreuth.
“Is the specialty here glass?”
“It’s beautiful. But I don’t know what it represents.”
The glassworks seemed to be popular, except the shops that sold glass, the products were displayed in almost every shop entrance.
They went to several shops in succession before finally stopping by a female store-keeper who was talkative, so they were introduced to a famous inn in this town. Since it was a lot of effort, they decided to stay at the inn there tonight.
They walked for about 15 minutes after they were instructed about the route, and saw a quite elegant building.
Judging from its appearance, it seemed to be made from wood, the outer walls were painted in white and its presence was clearly different from the neighboring inns. The windows in all of the rooms were fitted with glass. If seen properly, those window-glasses were enchanted to be completely strengthened.
Because the entrance door was big and had glass attached on the left and right, they could have a look inside. Rather than a common inn from fantasy, it had the same appearance as one would see in a modern hotel. The name of the inn was ‘The Reflected Flowers Palace’.
“Amazing! I didn’t see any inns that used glass in this way in Bayreuth.”
“It’s seems to be one of the selling points of this inn. It was said that its glass windows were firmly strengthened.”
“Indeed. I think it would be okay even if I hit them with a hammer.”
“But it seems a bit expensive.”
While Shin looked at the details of the exterior with his architectural skill, Tiera worried about the price.
Since they couldn’t stand in front of the inn forever, Shin went ahead and entered. Still, there was no automatic door or something like that, so they had to open it by themselves.
Once he was inside, the employees, who were dressed in stylish uniforms, immediately greeted them. When he conveyed that they had a female store-keeper refer them, they received a slight discount to some extent.
Apparently the main building was separate, this seemed to be the annexes for the trial services. Trial service? The two people look puzzled.
“For one night, it 4 silver coins per person.”
Though the discount should have reduced the price, it was two silver coins more expensive than the Bear Point Pavilion of Bayreuth where he stayed before. It was as expected from a high-quality hotel.
Because there was the reward from Nack, they paid respectively for a night. He also thought about whether it would be okay for Yuzuha to accompany them, but it didn’t seem to have any problems if they had a contract. Naturally, Shin would have take responsibility if it caused a disturbance or something like that.
“Um oba-chan(aunty), did you see through us and know if we could pay the price?”
“You’re an adventurer. Aren’t you all considered to have money?”
“Well we do have some, but the request’s reward just diminished in one go.”
Because half of their reward vanished in an instant, Shin unconsciously thought of such things. As a matter of fact, though there was some additional income, as a reward from defeating the bandits, he still felt it was too expensive. Actually, he did have a certain amount of white gold coins, but his money sense was still fuzzy.
“Since this is similar to the famous inn in Beirun, there are stories saying that you should stay at least once. Also, the main building costs one gold coin per night, that’s still fair.”
“Who could stay there?”
“Perhaps, it’s people like Shin. Don’t you have money from the raw materials you sold to me last time? To be frank, the current Shin is quite rich, you know?”
“T-That’s right. I only thought about the request’s reward.”
Tiera pointed it out, and Shin finally remembered that he himself was quite rich. Judging from the total sum of money he had in hand, 4 silver coins was just a trivial expense.
Even though the inn was where the reward from the guard duty would disappear within 3 days, because the tempered glass was very expensive, 4 silver coins might be a cheap price when he thought about the details of the facilities.
For this sort of famous inn, he understood why it became the topic of the story. It was a special trip, s0 Shin decided not to worry about it and enjoy himself a little.
“As expected from a high-quality inn. This is already an ordinary hotel. The soundproofing is secure, too.”
That was the level of quality that Shin first felt when he entered the assigned guest room. It was a place that could be called a budget hotel if seen in his former(real) world. Though it would be excessive for comparison, the only other inn that Shin knew of in this world, Bear Point Pavilion, from the bed, desk and the chair provided, they were of a higher grade. Still, it was inferior to the furniture inside Tsuki no Hokora.
“Kuu, can I talk already?”
“Yes, it’s all right here.”
Yuzuha seemed to endure it for a long time in the town. The walls of the inn were thick, so it was judged to be safe to talk as it spoke to Shin.
“There’s still time until dinner, shall I do some equipment maintenance?”
Shin put the luggage on the floor and took off his sword from his waist and began the inspection.
It was hardly necessary in the game, but he thought that he should try to keep doing it wherever it was practicable here. A small chip in the blade and rust due to blood remains and so on were factors that hastened the deterioration of the arms. Naturally, frequent inspections were required, especially for low-grade arms.
“Pretty!”
“It took a lot of hardships to reach this level.”
The aura that wrapped the blade was visible, and Yuzuha voiced its impression. Actually, the blade, which retained its mysterious shine, was indeed beautiful. He could understand if it was called a work of art and not arms. While looking at the radiance that could not be emitted by superficial gear, Shin remembered the days of his former training.
He confirmed the blade state, loosening the hilt and the guard of the katana in order. As he was about to return the katana into the scabbard, the door was knocked upon.
Tiera’s voice was heard from the room.
“Shin, do you have a moment?”
“Yeah, I’ll open the door now.”
Before Shin stood up, Yuzuha took a human form and opened the door. Of course, it wore the shrine maiden’s clothes.
“Ara, Yuzuha-chan. You are in that form now, huh?”
“Kuu, do you have business with Shin?”
“I want to ask about a little something.”
Yuzuha showed her in, and Tiera entered the room.
“And, what do you want to ask me?”
“Didn’t I receive 【Analyze】from Shin before? It’s about that.”
“Was there something wrong?”
“It may be trivial, but when I looked at Tsubaki’s stats, there was a thing that worried me a little.”
“Something that worried you?”
Suddenly, a certain conjecture flashed into Shin’s mind.
“By any chance, when you used【Analyze】, sometimes it became hard to see the race of Tsubaki…right?”
“Eh? Shin too?”
Tiera was surprised. Shin’s prediction appeared to be correct somehow or another. To say it accurately, rather than hard to see, there was some static or something such that moved around. Though it was only the race column, it was a phenomenon that had never existed in the game. It was the first time for Tiera to have seen one. For Shin, it was his second time.
“I am a bit interested too. But I don’t understand this well either.”
In case of Shin, he wondered whether it was a malfunction appearing or not, since the way he came into this world was also a malfunction. Anyway, he only knew that the static noise didn’t start until he encountered Tsubaki.
“I wonder if master knows something?”
“Right. Either way, she’ll join us tomorrow, and we’ll ask her then.”
Since Schnee could use the same 【Analyze】as Shin, she might know something. However, it was not an urgent business, so he decided to not use the Mind Chat.
“Kuu, a serious problem?”
“It’s probably not a serious matter. I have a guess, but there is no conclusive evidence.”
Shin shrugged his shoulders while smiling wryly toward Yuzuha.
“Which reminds me, when will master come?”
Tiera asked.
“I don’t know the exact time. She told me that if I tell her the inn, she will come there.”
“If that’s the case, you can already take a rest for today. I guess master won’t come at night.”
“Well, I guess so. Let’s have dinner soon.”
The current time was past 6.00 P.M. Though it was a little early to have a meal, it seemed to be unquestionable in the inn. Because Yuzuha wanted to eat together, but its human appearance couldn’t be shown so they brought their dinner inside the room to eat.
Though it could be said that the food was grand, the bread was still brown. Apparently, the white bread seemed to be quite high class for some reason or another. By the way, if this was the main building, white bread would appear commonly.
Afterwards, he asked for a hot bath and fell asleep after changing his clothes. About the hot spring, in Bear Point Pavilion it was charged per use, but was free here. There didn’t seem to be a bathhouse. Since the one in Bear Point Pavilion was basic bathing, he felt like there wasn’t much of a difference.
Part 2
Dawn of the next day.
The half-asleep Yuzuha had crawled into Shin’s futon, but it was really peaceful and not making any fuss, because it was in young fox mode. Shin unconsciously rubbed Yuzuha’s head and moved it away, and then washed his face. Just like a hotel, the room had a washbasin. After feeling refreshed, Tiera visited them, and they ate a breakfast similar to yesterday’s.
“Just now, before breakfast, I heard that Schnee will arrive in Beirun by the end of the morning. I’ll remodel the wagon, what will Tiera do?”
Shin talked to Tiera while chewing his bread. Because he thought it was not a good idea to keep waiting without doing anything, he intended to remodel the wagon.
“I’ll look at how you remodel the wagon.”
“Yuzuha too!”
Tiera, who had demanded that Shin restrain himself, seemed to be interested in the remodeling process, too. It goes without saying for Yuzuha.
Apparently, they appeared to be excited about seeing an unknown technique.
After checking out from the inn, they headed straight to the shop from which the wagon was bought. The wagon was still in the shop as there was no horse to draw it yet.
“Welcome. Oh, it’s the customer from yesterday. Have you bought a horse?”
“It was decided that my acquaintance would supply it. So I intended to fiddle with the wagon a little.”
“Heh, is Customer-san a craftsman or something? I thought you were an adventurer.”
The surprised shopkeeper returned, and they moved to the place where the carriage was. First of all, he laid a magic skill that lifted the target temporarily to prevent the frame from falling down, and then installed the spring as a countermeasure for the shaking. Of course, it was not just attached, he tinkered around with the wheels’ axis, too. The appearance of lumps of wood and metal, wriggling and changing shape, might be quite weird, depending on the point of view. However, the speed of the operation in that state was fast. Since he went underneath the frame; he worked quickly, because he didn’t want the shopkeeper to see it. The shopkeeper didn’t notice that the wagon’s performance had already become incomparable to that of the surrounding wagons.
And seeing the work scene up close, Yuzuha had glittering eyes, and Tiera’s eyes were in a focused state. Tiera was somehow able to understand the details of the operation, too. But seeing lumps of metal become flexible and changing shape in Shin’s hand caused them to be speechless. She wanted to say: “Haven’t you learned about not attracting attention already?”, but managed to endure, as the shopkeeper might hear her.
“Phew, I only need to attach the bearings next.”
“(Kuu! Shin, what was that a while ago? The iron was flexible!)”
Was it that interesting? Yuzuha began to talk through the Tamer version of Mind Chat. Did it love craftsmanship? The enthusiasm was seen before, during the time when Shin was tempering the longsword.
“(This is the production group skill which processes iron. Somehow, I found a use for it.)”
It was the production group skill, 【Molding】, to be exact. Originally, it was only possible to transform objects into fixed patterns, but once he knew how to use it, the shape could be changed into interesting ways. Because the technique of remodeling a wagon had not changed since the game era, he could finish it without any problem.
“Shin, where did your self-restraint go?”
“A-Ah? I hid myself in a way that I couldn’t be seen, and the external appearance didn’t change either. Why are you so mad?”
“Certainly I saw it in a flash, and I don’t even know what the difference is.”
“Right? Then――――”
“But! It’s obviously unnatural.”
“Um, why is that?”
Before he knew it, Shin was spinning his mind around to think if he was guilty of doing something wrong, as Tiera was in preaching mode. Unfortunately, the reason why Tiera was angry didn’t come to mind.
“It’s the time.”
“Time?”
“Yes, time. You know, no matter how easy the work was that modified the wagon, it shouldn’t take less than 1 hour! It’s too fast!!”
“Ah, I see.”
“Don’t ‘Ah’ me, you have to take it a little more serious…”
She said it with a strong tone, but in low voice. While Shin was using the impressive lost technology, Tiera warned him. Though Tiera said one hour, only about 15 minutes had actually passed since he started his work. Come to think of it, it was definitely too fast, so it might become a story of, “How on earth did you do that?”. Because he only cared about the appearance and the result, he seemed to have forgotten about the working speed. Shin didn’t realize it, since there was never a complaint about being too quick in the game.
“It couldn’t be helped, so I’ll go slow with the bearings.”
“Please, do so.”
He accepted Tiera’s demand and proceeded to work slowly this time. Since he only had to remodel the axial junction and the wheels to some extent, it didn’t take that much time even when he did it slowly. He could concentrate on the work, because only a small part of the body was still floating.
Afterwards, the bearings were attached to all four wheels, and the modifications were completed. The total time for the job took about one and a half hours, including the installation of the springs. The current time was half past 10 now.
He told the shopkeeper at the wagon dealer that they would bring a horse, and exited the shop. And then, they waited for contact from Schnee. Since they had time, they went for another walk in a different direction from yesterday. They spent about one hour of window-shopping at the street stalls, and then the call from Schnee came.
“It’s the call from Schnee. She seems to be in the forest ahead of the north gate.”
Because he conveyed that they had already checked out from the inn and were wandering around, it was decided that she would wait outside. And so, they headed toward the north gate immediately. While extending his perception area, they passed through the gate and walked further. The response from Schnee showed what she had already captured a suitable beast. But――
“…………”
Both of his feet that were supposed to be walking in high spirits became heavy.
“Kuu, what is it?”
“What’s the matter?”
“Sigh, how should I say this…, I think you will understand when we arrive there.”
Tiera raised her question after Yuzuha’s words, but Shin said that she would find out once they reached there. The reason was that even if he didn’t expressly speak of it, as Shin walked forward, he had an expression of bewilderment, because he understood what had caused Yuzuha to be cautious.
What was displayed on the map, moved into Shin’s field of vision. The monster that stood next to Schnee was why there was such a reaction from Shin.
When they got closer to the forest, the appearance gradually came into view.
“Shin, that one, is strong.”
“Hey Shin, really, what is that? My 【Analyze】 doesn’t show its name, let alone its level.”
Yuzuha and Tiera seemed to be uneasy.
“Well, that’s natural.”
Even if it was Schnee, it couldn’t be helped as the monster alone emitted huge pressure. Tiera stood behind Shin to hide herself, Yuzuha re-hardened its posture that had weakened.
“I’m here now. As I told you with Mind Chat, the monster I brought will pull the wagon. In the case of this fellow, it won’t have any problems pulling the wagon that Shin gets on.”
With a very nice smile, Schnee said so full of confidence. That smile with overflowing charm would make everyone a captive.
However, Shin’s heart was about to say “Seriously?! This will pull the wagon?”, as his line of sight went to what was behind Schnee.
“Just to check, but where did you get it?”
“Because I was near the sacred mountain, it’s from there.”
“…Clever. As expected from Schnee.”
“I’m honored to receive your praise.”
As expected from Schnee, she seemed to interpret the meaning of crazy in a good way, even with Shin’s state of mind.
“I forgot. Master sometimes gets reckless when it comes to Shin.”
“That information, if possible, I wish you would have said that earlier.”
Tiera looked up at the sky with a shocked expression, while Shin held his brow with one hand as if to say, “Oh great!…”. Watching the two people, Schnee looked puzzled.
“Well, nothing can be done since you already brought it here. For the time being, may I ask about this fellow?”
“Yes. Because it will pull the wagon that Shin is riding on, I thought it should be something like this, a divine beast class monster.”
“No no, that way of thinking is weird. It’s strange no matter how I think about it! What kind of wagon do you think it’ll pull!?”
Shin exclaimed, while pointing at the monster which was obedient behind Schnee.
That shout was reasonable too. Anyhow, its physique was much bigger than a carriage. In the case of it pulling, the wagon would need to be the size of a single house.
“Of course, I assumed that Shin would say that.”
“What?”
Schnee calmly replied to Shin’s retort. Apparently, she seemed to have a plan.
Shin looked at the monster Schnee brought again.
A four-legged walking type monster, its name was Gruefago.
It had a forward-leaning posture when it walked, and its height was about 3 mels from the ground. Even if it was pulling to the wagon he purchased, they might not able to see the front.
Ash-silver hair covered its whole body to the forearm, which was developed like a horse’s body. Moreover, it had thick and strong muscle masses on its tail, and it rivaled the power of the Lord Skull Face which Shin and Schnee fought before.
In addition, if it began a surprise attack during the game era, it would be a fiendish monster even for advanced level players. Its head resembled that of a wolf, but there were scales that dully shined visible here and there, making it possible to tell that it was a different animal.
Above all, it was eye-catching as Gruefagos’ have a horn protruding from their foreheads. Though its horn was crooked to some extent, an amount of light and shade was emitted from the emerald horn, just like a crystal.
There was one fact to understand from there. This meant that this Gruefago was a unique monster.
Even though it was unclear, it should be a monster that attacked without hesitation when it found a player, and yet it behaved itself without showing such signs at all.
When he checked with 【Analyze】, it appeared as Gruefago Jade, Lv. 751. Originally, the upper limit level of a Gruefago should be 650, but it was a common occurrence for a unique monster to exceed the limit. It would certainly be a recipe for disaster if it descended on a human dwelling.
“Go on, do it.”
When Schnee said that, green phosphorescence enveloped the body of the Gruefago. Crackling sounds were occasionally heard, a small sense of incongruity was added to that magical scene.
The phosphorescence dimmed in less than a minute, and a single monster made an appearance.
Though 【Analyze】 confirmed it as the Gruefago, the appearance was different from before. The forelegs were about the same length as the rear legs and the tail also shrunk. Though it was somewhat irregular, it could be said that it was a slightly big wolf. The featured horn shrunk as well, so that only a small part of it could be seen from the forehead.
“It became small?”
“Yes. Since there’s this ability, there’s no problem if it pulls the wagon.”
“That’s certainly true.”
Surely, the wagon could be pulled without any problems. But, there was a thing Shin was interested in before that.
“Did it have such an ability?”
Gruefago were originally monsters that put emphasis on flinging themselves onto the enemy. Like Yuzuha, it should not specialize in transformations.
“Because it has a habit of ambushing and a preference for surprise attacks, it became a unique monster, and I think it obtained a more useful ability. In fact, it can use illusion and lightning attribute skills.”
Though he didn’t feel at ease because of that, a monster that couldn’t adapt didn’t make sense. Because it was born from demon essence, he was convinced that it would transform into a skeletal monster.
“I guess this appearance is probably fine for the time being. The wagon has already been modified, let’s return and depart from there.”
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
Since it was a waste of time even if he talked here, he decided to return and leave at once.
“Haa, it is strangely tiring.”
In contrast to the happy Schnee, Tiera appeared to be slightly tired. It was natural too, no matter how light the exchange of Shin and Schnee appeared to have been, that was certainly a monster that was called a divine beast standing before her eyes. Even if it seemed docile, the intimidating air dispersed around it was not normal. Now that it became small, the feeling of intimidation was on the same level as that of a common monster. It wouldn’t be strange if a commoner fainted because of the strong pressure from its original figure though. For Shin and Schnee to talk like it was nothing, the two people were strange.
If Tiera hadn’t received training from Schnee, she would have joined the fainting group.
“Kuu, Kukuu?”
“Guru, guruaa!”
Looking at both of them barking to talk, all one could do was to have a strained smile.
“I agree with Tiera. I didn’t expect that you would bring something of this level, either.”
For Shin, if anything, his surprise was stronger than fatigue. Because when he said horse, he expected something like the higher kind of Grimm Horse, a Wonder Horse, or even higher than that, a Tri-Horse. For a monster that was said to be the standard for every merchant player, the level didn’t exceed 200, because it was easy to handle. It was unexpectedly popular because of its horsepower.
However, a divine beast was obviously overqualified if he looked at the outcome.
“Was it something strange?”
“Master, usually one doesn’t bring a divine beast simply to pull a wagon.”
“I will only settle for this.”
““Eh…””
What was her intention to bring it along? It couldn’t be helped for Shin’s and Tiera’s voices to be in harmony.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit excessive?”
“No way, you don’t like it…?”
Schnee’s face became gloomy.
“Wait, wait, why are you depressed?”
“Well, Shin has a contract with an Element Tail, so if it’s not a stronger monster maybe you wouldn’t be pleased with it?”
“Kuu? Guu-chan, don’t want?”
“Guruu!?”
Though what Shin meant was: ‘You don’t have to strain yourself’; Schnee seemed to have interpreted it as ‘You are not satisfied with this level?’. She was overly enthusiastic, too.
And, hearing the two people’s conversation, toward Yuzuha’s remark, the Gruefago expressed its surprise. Judging from its facial expression, it probably said, “Really?!”. As expected from a divine beast, it didn’t need to say out loud what it was thinking.
“No, a Gruefago is strong enough. Besides, it is a unique monster and I see almost no other flaws.”
“I am relieved when you say that. I thought it would be useful if the monster was as smart as a person.”
“So that means, it understood the things we talked about just now?”
“Yes. Though it can’t talk with words, most of our words are understood.”
“Guruu!”
“Leave it to me, it said.”
Yuzuha promptly followed up. It seemed that fellow monsters understanding each other was possible. After all, a divine beast class had high intelligence.
“This is my master. Be sure not to be rude.”
Schnee said while presenting Shin.
“Guru!!”
“Nice to meet you.”
Shin said as he patted the head of the Gruefago. Without a sign that it disliked it in particular, the Gruefajio closed its eyes partly, indicating that it felt good.
“By the way, what is this fellow’s name?”
“It’s Kagerou.”
“Is it because it can use illusions?” (T/N: The ‘影’ kanji, from ‘幻影’[genei] which means illusion, is pronounced as ‘kage’.)
“Yes. Is it too simple?”
“Well, that might be good. I think it’s a cool name.”
It was certainly simple, but Shin thought it was not bad. It was a name that is occasionally seen in games and manga.
“Guruu”
“I like it.”
This beast seemed to like it, too. Yuzuha, who moved to Kagerou’s back from Shin head, interpreted it properly. Since it might be hard to understand with only barking and gestures, it was very helpful.
“Then, Kagerou. I will give your first mission!”
“Guruu!!”
“That is, pull the wagon!”
“Guruaa!!”
To Shin, who exaggeratedly informed the beast, Kagerou answered full of motivation. Though Shin worried that it might complain, it didn’t seem to mind pulling the wagon.
With Schnee and Kagerou added to Shin’s party, they returned to Beirun from the forest, and came back to the shop where they left the wagon. At the time when they passed through the gate, Kagerou was registered as a monster partner of Schnee, similar to what Shin did in Bayreuth. For Kagerou, because its build was quite large unlike Yuzuha and its appearance seemed to be a little ferocious as well, it was necessary to hang a plate that indicated “Tame” on the monster’s neck.
Schnee was strongly warned that if Kagerou barked, acted violently and so on, there would be penalties for that, but that was inevitable. Unlike the monsters of the horse group, it was considered very likely that it would act violently.
Did bringing Kagerou along have some effect? Although Schnee and Tiera were beautiful women, no suspicious men tried to pick a quarrel with them. People like punks generally had a low sense of danger and lacked the ability to read the mood. But when they saw Kagerou, there were no daredevils who tried to pick quarrels with the group.
With Yuzuha riding on Shin’s head, they might have thought that Shin was Kagerou’s tamer, too. It was natural for a strong man to be with 2 beautiful elf women; it was from the air he gave off, everyone who looked at Shin’s party thought.
“Customer… this is also another great one you brought.”
The storekeeper was surprised when looking at Kagerou that appeared alongside Shin.
“There’s a little connection with someone I trust.”
“You don’t say, is it that beautiful woman whom I didn’t see yesterday?”
“Yeah, sort of.”
“I envy you brother, with how your young ladies look.”
What did the storekeeper imagine when looking at Tiera and Schnee; Shin’s shoulders were clapped down on hard. Though the storekeeper was acting a little overly familiar, there was almost no feeling of discomfort, which was expected from a merchant.
“It’s not such a relationship…”
Before he knew it, the way he was called changed from “customer” to “brother”. Incidentally, even with such a poor excuse, the smirking storekeeper didn’t seem to be listening.
Currently, Schnee had changed her appearance with a skill. With blond hair, red eyes, and a ponytail hairstyle, her impression appeared to be more energetic than usual.
Therefore, the collection of gazes she received from passerbies, was even more than Tiera and Kagerou got combined.
Shin received the wagon while sighing, and then mounted the necessary pulling device on Kagerou. It took some time for the fitting, because it was originally meant to be mounted on a horse, but he adjusted it using a skill in secret and kept up the appearance.
“Is it tight?”
“Guru”
Kagerou nodded, telling Shin that it didn’t have any problems. It felt no constraints, even when Shin took it for a light run. Though the wagon’s weight should be more than normal, it didn’t seem to be a burden judging from Kagerou.
“Then, shall we depart?”
“Kuu!”
“Guruu!”
While hearing enthusiastic voices from the monsters, the carriage began to move slowly. Was it the result of his remodeling? The shaking had been considerably lessened.
“Amazing, it doesn’t shake at all.”
Tiera widened her eyes in amazement.
“Fuh, this is the result of my remodeling. Aren’t you glad I did it?”
“Now that I know this to be this comfortable, I won’t be able to ride a normal carriage anymore.”
There were personalized cushions laid out for each of them, so the vibration wouldn’t make their buttocks sore. From a person who knew the shaking of an ordinary wagon, the difference in comfort was like heaven and earth. What Tiera said was also understandable.
“I see, it’s been modified, huh?”
Schnee also felt admiration as she looked around the wagon.
“Yes, originally I thought of excluding the extra bearing, but I knew I could improve it more if I tried. I thought why not do it on this opportunity, as it really is harsh to be inside a shaking wagon for a long period of time.”
“It is indeed. Isn’t the performance better than the carriage of the royal family?”
“I’m not that rash to go all out there though…”
“In present times, there are no wagons’ that don’t shake like this one.”
Schnee smiled as if she was troubled. Judging from the talk, she was likely to have ridden on the royal family’s wagon.
“Long distance travel in this world is really hard.”
“There are problems of public peace too, one wrong step could cost you your life.”
Monsters and bandits were dangerous too, but even wild animals were plenty of a threat for any ordinary person. For this reason, there existed the work called, bodyguard. For a person who couldn’t hire a guard, a trip was really risking their life.
“I think I’ll hardly feel danger with these members.”
The words that Tiera muttered alone were the truth, too.
To begin with, with a divine beast class monster, Kagerou, pulling the wagon, monsters wouldn’t approach directly. Even if a bandit who couldn’t measure its power showed up, they would either settle in Kagerou’s stomach, or become minced meat by Shin.
There was no problem even if there was somewhat of a travel mood.
“When Shin and I are present, we can generally even do something about a national disaster class problem.”
“Master is too almighty.”
The speech that came off as arrogance was incorrigible, simply because it was reality. Even with only Schnee, she was already a national class in regards of war potential.
“Kuu! Yuzuha also here, so it will be all right!”
“Guruu!”
The two of them agreed with Schnee’s words. That scene was exactly like a pet seeking approval from its master.
“As long as it’s trustworthy.”
The words Shin muttered while smiling wryly were not heard as they dissolved in the hustle and bustle.
“But well, to modify it to not attract attention, it stands out in a different way.”
“Mou, this couldn’t be helped.”
In addition to the combination of Schnee and Tiera that would attract public eyes, there was Kagerou, too. There was no way that this group wouldn’t stand out.
After all, they were continuously exposed to public eyes from the surroundings until they left the gate.
-
Shin’s party departed from Beirun. Kagerou’s movement speed was not comparable with a normal wagon; when it ran for a while, all presences of people disappeared.
“It’s alright if it’s here. Schnee, can you come over here for a moment? I want to ask you something.”
“Yes, what is it?”
He searched for any surrounding presences, and called out to Schnee after confirming that there was no one around. He had something to discuss with her that couldn’t be heard in the neighborhood, though he only now remembered it.
“I completely forgot about it. What was Kagerou’s position on the sacred mountain?”
So, he had forgotten to ask this because he was surprised at the appearance of the divine beast, since Kagerou had been found by chance and was brought along, he felt uneasy with its presence.
Basically, for divine beasts, most of them had their own territory, and rarely came out from there. In addition, each of them were followed by their underlings. It was different in the game, but in reality, he couldn’t just bring it along like that.
“Let’s see. If I am to say it nicely, it would be symbiosis, but if I must say it in a negative way, it would be freeloader.”
“Hah?”
Due to the anticipation ahead of the unusual answer, Shin couldn’t be helped to have a stupid expression on his face.
A freeloader.
It was not a word he imagined would describe a divine beast.
That symbiosis she mentioned earlier, there might be a another divine beast in this case.
“Is it that? Kagerou was allowed to live in another divine beast’s territory?”
“Yes. There is a monster called Mist Garuda that leads on the sacred mountain, near the summit. Because of that, there are not many ways for Kagerou to be helpful. And Kagerou didn’t appear to have either followers or its own territory.”
The story seemed to have taken a quite special turn. Normally, in the territory of a divine beast, other divine beasts didn’t emerge. Since it was not a game any more, it was possible, but if that was the case, Shin felt a strong sense that something was very wrong.
“I understand this much as we came to a mutual understanding over the Mind Chat. I don’t understand Kagerou as clearly as Yuzuha, but we can compare the information I know.”
“I see. Yuzuha, can you ask?”
“Kuu, leave it to me.”
Yuzuha, who was able to communicate clearly, asked about its circumstances. The conversation that sounded like “Guruguru”, “Kuukuu” continued for a few minutes.
Was she interested in that conversation? Tiera also sat near the coachman’s seat. Before long, Yuzuha returned to Shin.
“I got it.”
“Yosh, let’s hear it right away.”
“Let me see. Was it the Mist Garuda, now? Though it rules the sacred mountain, originally half of it belonged to Kagerou’s mother. However, its mother was killed by adventurers, and only Kagerou survived.”
“Adventurers, huh?”
Shin had done similar things in the game era, so he felt ashamed.
Of course, he didn’t intend to hunt divine beasts thoughtlessly in this world.
“It desperately ran for its life, and then, it was helped by an elf girl. After that, it tried its best and became strong, though when it returned to the sacred mountain, it could only help in battles, because its mother’s territory was already lost.”
“Elf, huh? Indeed, when I met it, there was a little hostility against me.”
Did she recall the time she met Kagerou for the first time? Schnee nodded as she understood.
“Did it surrender without fighting?”
“Though we did have a contest, if anything, it was a slight degree of testing each other’s ability.”
Apparently, without showing their whole power, they seemed to understand each other’s strength.
“Schnee is very strong and had a nostalgic scent attached to her, that’s the reason it accompanied her.”
“Nostalgic scent?”
“It said that it was the same scent as Tiera.”
“Eh?”
An unexpected answer returned. Shin, who heard it, had an idea pop up by chance.
“The elf girl who helped… was probably Tiera?”
“Kuu, looks like it.”
It was totally like a development from a manga, but such a thing was really unexpected in reality. If Shin hadn’t arrived, it seemed like their destinies wouldn’t intertwine.
“Errr, I wonder when such a thing happened…”
Tiera said as she closed her eyes to search for the memory where she helped Kagerou. She didn’t seem to be able to remember it right away.
“Guru”
“It said it was more than 100 years ago.”
“That was when I was still a child… Now that I think about it, I did save an injured puppy.”
The information of Tiera’s age could be guessed, but because circumstances were circumstances, Shin didn’t dig deeper.
Though it was difficult to associate the puppy from back then with Kagerou’s current real figure, it probably didn’t have a brutal appearance when it was a baby. She could understand because it reduced its size to pull the wagon furthermore.
“If I’m not mistaken, there was a severe injury. It was hopeless for me alone, so I asked for mother’s help.”
“Guru”
“Benefactor, it said.”
“And you chose to be tamed? Even if you might not end up meeting Tiera?”
Shin pointed out that doing so was hasty; even if it followed the scent, it might not have met Tiera again.
According to Yuzuha, it seemed to understand that it couldn’t win, even if it fought against Schnee. That being the case, it decided to believe in its own intuition.
By the way, the reason it let Shin pet it quietly too, was because it felt a portion of the strength that he hid. Even if he limited it using a skill so that his true ability wouldn’t come to light, it seemed that he wasn’t able to completely cover it when it came to a monster of Kagerou’s class. It felt an overpowering sense of intimidation that couldn’t be compared, even with Schnee, or so Yuzuha informed them of what Kagerou said.
“So that’s why it was so docile.”
Indeed, it wouldn’t let an unfamiliar human touch it just like that. Although it seemed to be no problem for the members here now.
“Then, shall I transfer the master’s qualifications to Tiera?”
“Will that be alright? For her level and such.”
“If the person in question is accepting, there won’t be any problem. It has been verified.”
Though Shin raised his doubts, it seemed to be alright.
“Um, master. I don’t have the Tamer job, so continuing with this conversation is pointless.”
Of course, a special skill was necessary to form a contract. And only a tamer was able to do it.
“In this case, I was thinking of an irregular contract, rather than the said transfer. The contract is canceled temporarily and then made again, right?”
Shin asked.
“Yes. Because a monster that was freed from the contract would return to the wild, it can make a contract with another tamer.”
Though it was obvious, this world was a reality. If it was a game, there was no such thing. It was similar in the sense that a monster would return to the wild after the contract cancellation, but something like a re-contract was impossible. After the message of it having returned to the wild, 2 characters disappeared.
As Shin had mentioned, it wouldn’t disappear in the way they did in the game.
“No, like I said, I don’t have the job.”
Tiera didn’t get the point.
“It’s fine. With this method, Tiera doesn’t necessarily need the job.”
“Errr, what do you mean?”
Tiera was at a loss for Schnee’s words. The reason for her perplexity was because she didn’t know the acquisition conditions for the job.
In THE NEW GATE, there were 3 main methods to get the Tamer’s job.
1. Accept the contract application from the monster’s side, generated at a very low probability. (E/N: Monster proposes contract, player accepts)
2. Inherit the skill, 【Master and Servant Contract】 from another player, and at the same time, acquiring the job.
3. Clear a job acquisition quest.
In Tiera’s case, it was falling under no. 1 this time. Though they were supposed to fight until it was driven into a corner, Kagerou was uninterested in fighting, so it became a contract as it was. He understood it since the characters for “Very Low Probability” were included. There were only a few players who obtained the job through method no. 1 in the game age. Even Cashmere of the Rokuten guild hadn’t experienced this, more or less making him realize the low probability to some extent. Though it looked a little like a cheat, there was no benefit in particular.
Therefore, most players received the skill from acquaintances, or obtained it directly through a quest.
“Indeed, then I can do it, too.”
Tiera consented after receiving the explanation from Schnee.
“So, let’s finish this quickly. Kagerou, stop.”
The wagon stopped moving, and everyone hopped off for the time being. The pulling device was detached from Kagerou, and it changed back to its former appearance.
“First, I will cancel the contract.”
When Schnee said so, she stretched out her arm, and Kagerou bowed its head and touched her hand.
“The light in thy future”
“Guru…”
Schnee recited the words of contract cancellation. Then a faint light enveloped Schnee and Kagerou, and vanished after a few seconds. With this, the engraved contract marks on both of them disappeared.
“Now it’s Tiera’s turn.”
“Y-Yes!”
Though she was tense, Tiera stood before Kagerou.
The current Kagerou was in a state without any restrictions. The intimidating feeling released by that body was enough to make a commoner scared, even if Kagerou suppressed it. Combined with that gigantic appearance, Tiera felt the illusion of a force that pushed her into the ground.
“Guruu…”
“I-It’s alright. I can do this.”
With a smile to Kagerou who barked worriedly, Tiera composed herself. There was no hostility from Kagerou. Those eyes too, when looked at properly, were worried about the shaking Tiera.
She took a deep breath, and looked straight at Kagerou. The next moment, a stream of information flowed into her head. A golden light enveloped Tiera’s body, and disappeared after several seconds.
With the guide from the skill she acquired, Tiera recited the words of the contract.
“I, wish to walk with thee.”
“Guru…”
Kagerou barked to answer Tiera’s words. At the same time, Tiera and Kagerou, on each of their left arms, a tattoo with the shape of some kind of flower, emerged.
“That is…oops”
The pattern of the tattoo created ripples in Shin’s memory for an instant.
But since Tiera staggered after that, his thoughts were interrupted, and he caught her as she was about to fall. Because of that, the sense of incongruity he had, was gone along with the waves.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m sorry, somehow I’m losing strength.”
【Master and Servant Contract】 was originally a skill used on a partner who was already weakened substantially. Since there was a huge level difference too, Shin judged that there might be an unexpected burden on the body.
Shin let the tired Tiera rest on the canopy top, and installed the pulling device on Kagerou again. Though Kagerou worried about Tiera, when he said she’d be alright once she took a rest, since the person in question was merely tired, Kagerou began to pull the wagon obediently.
“Hey, Schnee. When you transferred Kagerou to Tiera, was it to protect her after all?”
The carriage has moving forward, and approximately 20 minutes had passed. Shin confirmed that Tiera was still asleep, and opened his mouth.
“Yes. It is as you say.”
She probably knew that she would be asked that question. Without being surprised in particular, Schnee answered.
“After this, we won’t always be nearby.”
Schnee said it in a flat voice. This was likely one of the reasons she tamed Kagerou in the first place.
Schnee would follow Shin, but for Tiera, it was not necessary to follow him. Though she brought Tiera a little forcibly this time, she intended to let her go free after the affairs were over. It was up to Tiera on how she lived.
However, in the case of her joining Shin with his action, there was the insecure factor of fighting power in the long run. Currently, Tiera’s level was 59. Although it went up a little in the battle with monsters and bandits to some extent, it was still low. It goes without saying that the same goes for her stats. Even Rashia, who did power leveling with Shin and Wilhelm, had a much higher level. The equipment necessary to compensate for it was also limited.
That was the reason for the【Master and Servant Contract】. The person who became the master was able to summon their monster partner near oneself in an instant. The danger might decrease if Kagerou was there.
Above all, if Tiera was exposed as staff of Tsuki no Hokora, some insurance for that time was needed. No matter how much she raised her level, if a chosen one appeared, it was impossible for Tiera to deal with them alone. If Kagerou made some serious effort, it would likely end up as overkill, even against a chosen one. But one could expect that the opponent would use any cruel means, so there was no need to show mercy.
Also, if it was Tiera, Kagerou would not to be used for committing crimes.
For Schnee, what kind of life Tiera would choose, though she thought to decide on the coping method, it was unexpectedly easily settled. Of course, since it was possible for her to do something for Tiera indirectly, a different coping action was needed again.
“I didn’t expect that it would turn out like this, though.”
“That is…for an ordinary elf to tame a divine beast, usually one wouldn’t think of doing it. Though, I didn’t think you would bring a divine beast to pull the wagon either.”
“I was aiming for the Mist Garuda actually.”
“Isn’t that the top position in the sacred mountain? That would endanger the ecosystem or the territory in various ways, you should stop that.”
Certainly, bringing the master of a territory would be too much of a problem.
“If Tiera chooses a different path from us, I will look for another monster again.”
“You don’t have to be fixated on another divine beast, you know? You seem ready to pull something like this time again.”
Something like this time, it certainly was Kagerou.
She wasn’t aiming for it, and completely discovered it by chance. However, contrarily it was human nature to be suspicious when it went smoothly up until there. To the chain of events, he felt some kind of artificial destiny.
Shin asked Schnee for a horse substitution, and Schnee came across a divine beast that has a connection with Tiera. The divine beast was reminded of Tiera by the attached scent of Schnee, who was a High Elf, and followed her obediently. And then, it made a contract with Tiera.
The occurrence was too much for it to happen by mere chance.
“Really, for it to somehow move like it was arranged, it makes me uneasy.”
“It’s not a bad sign though.”
If he took it in a good way, it could be said that he was guided to it. Depending on the viewpoint, even if he was dancing in the palm of someone, he couldn’t make a conclusion based on the present situation.
“There! That’s what I mean. How do I put it…basically if it’s malicious, it seems even stranger because I couldn’t see the intentions.”
“In terms of war potential, there is no disadvantage to us, right?”
At present, they didn’t have a big disadvantage. Only at the present, however.
“Well, I won’t understand even if I think about it.”
“If something happens out of my expectation, I cannot do anything but deal with it right away.”
“It couldn’t be helped, huh? As I said earlier, it hasn’t been a long time since I came to this world. In some cases, there might be situations where I can’t make a decision.”
“You’re right. Since a lot of things are different from before, adjusting might be difficult.”
“And to be frank, I will rely on Schnee when it gets really dangerous. So please take care of me at that time.”
“!!…Leave it to me!”
I will rely on Schnee.
As Schnee heard those words, she stopped moving as if struck by thunder. And after a short period of silence, she answered in a firm voice. The expression that overflowed with determination only brightened her pretty face even more.
Because she was relied on, Shin thought it was good to show some motivation. But Shin’s words appeared to be more effective than he thought.
When he looked between her hair, her long ears, which were peculiar to an elf, sometimes twitched and quivered, and her cheeks were also tinged a little reddish. Her lips were twitching like she was enduring something, and when he looked closely, he found out that the corner of her mouth almost rose up.
“Schnee? Are you alright?”
Shin was surprised at the unexpected reaction from Schnee. Though he intended to understand Schnee’s feelings for him, he didn’t expect that this much of a reaction would come out. Having said that he would rely on Schnee, he was including Tsuki no Hokora that he carried, Tiera, and the monsters’ company, because he thought it would make a big difference in dealing with an emergency.
Of course, no one could rival Shin’s dependability of Schnee, but did he flip a switch? Shin was anxious.
“I’m alright. No problem at all…….that surprise attack, it’s unfair.”
While she answered Shin, Schnee vented out her emotions in a faint voice. The voice was covered by the sound of the moving carriage, so it didn’t reach Shin’s ears.
Schnee was a young lady, too. To the companion whom she longed for, it was impossible for her not to be happy when told she would be relied on and so forth.
She was counted on. How long did she wait for that moment. The joy that erupted next, no one in that place could understand it. Contrary to motivation, the face that almost broke out into a smile was tightened by force. In some way or another, she maintained a front as hard as possible.
“Well, that. Please do.”
With moistened eyes and a reddened face, coupled with the strange romance that appeared, as he glanced at Schnee, Shin issued instructions to Kagerou. The speed was about 1.5 times that of a normal carriage when it was doubled, and the scenery of the surroundings flowed by faster. The wind that blew against their faces became stronger, too.
While thinking that it was nice if his face didn’t redden, Shin stared ahead.
Part 3
It was an easy route, comparatively, for one week. Without being attacked by any monsters or bandits, the trip advanced smoothly. From Beirun, there was a large forested area, which was called Larua Grand Woods, and the wagon traveled along its borders.
The wear and tear of the wagon was intense due to Kagerou’s speed, but it still didn’t break because of the good craftsmanship. However, maintenance would be necessary when they arrived at Falnido.
“It’s normally impossible to come all the way up here in one week.”
Tiera muttered alone while looking at the map. If it was a normal carriage, even when it advanced quickly, at this time they would only have covered around one-fifth of the way, and yet they had already covered four-fifths of the whole distance. There was hardly any shaking, thanks to the modifications before the trip, so he didn’t have to worry about Tiera and the others, even if he sped up.
If he had done the same thing with a normal wagon, it probably wouldn’t have held up for even an hour. Especially the passengers inside.
“Even with this speed, I have gotten completely used to it.”
“It can be faster than this. But the wagon wouldn’t last.”
“Don’t raise it any further, it’s scary…”
Currently, their speed was about 60km per hour(T/N: About 38 mph). Because of the terrain, that speed was not always maintained. However, after Tiera became accustomed to it, they moved at a speed about 3-4 times faster than a normal wagon. For Kagerou, it was somehow fast, since its stamina to maintain the speed was off the charts.
Most of the inhabitants of this world have never experienced that kind of speed.
Although Tiera’s face showed no reaction at the moment, her face had been blue while yelling “Too fast! Too fast!” repeatedly when Shin raised the speed in the beginning. She didn’t seem to be able to feel relief even when she saw how calm Shin and Schnee were.
“With this pace, we should arrive in another 2 or 3 days, huh?”
“That’s right. I think around then.”
Contrary to the calm conversation, the wagon traveled on the grassy plains at a blistering speed. Not only animals, but monsters also ran away immediately when they saw the carriage.
“For monsters to clear the road for me, I’m seeing it for the first time.”
“Because the one pulling us is Kagerou. It’s far from being reckless.”
Shin said that while giving instructions to Kagerou. The direction of Kagerou’s running changed depending on those instructions. Avoiding big cavities in the ground while running in a zigzag line, the wagon easily sped across the grassy plains.
They got through the grassy plains in one day. A forest came into view in the direction of their movement, and there were some reactions within Shin’s range of perception.
“Schnee, Tiera. There is something up ahead. Be cautious, just in case.”
While giving instructions to drop the speed to Kagerou, he called out to the two people in the wagon.
Yuzuha, as usual, was on top of Shin’s head. It’s attitude was alert even without having been told.
“This is…are they being chased by something?”
Shin muttered while looking at the map displayed in his view. Judging from the speed, it might be riding a horse. It was faster than a running human, and the multiple responses were heading toward Shin and the others.
Behind them, a response came from a monster.
“They are being chased.”
“Um, naturally I don’t understand even if you guys say something like that.”
“Mmm~, I can’t see them…”
They seemed to already have entered Schnee’s range of perception, and she gave the same judgment as Shin.
Neither Tiera nor Yuzuha could grasp the situation. It was only natural, as they were still several kemels away.
“At this rate, we are going to clash. Should we change our lane?”
“Eh, we aren’t going to help?”
“Whether they were attacked or not, it’s hard to judge by the composition.”
While having a difficult face, Shin told Tiera about the other party that was coming straight toward them.
The number of people who were on horseback numbered five. There were people of level 40 and exceeding 200 in the center, and three people around level 150 surrounding them.
Three Guardian Golems at Lv. 430 were chasing them from behind. If Shin’s memories were correct, the Guardian Golem acted as a gatekeeper for a dungeon; it was a monster that was supposed to serve as protectors of treasure. At least, it didn’t attack a person indiscriminately.
If that characteristic was still in effect, it meant that the 5 people who were escaping were being chased because they were guilty of something.
“Indeed. It will bring us harm if we thoughtlessly help.”
“That’s what she said. You might say it’s because the monsters from the golem group sometimes run wildly without any meaning, but I cannot affirm that.”
Like this time, it was very likely the model that persistently ran after the opponent. At the same time, there might be something nearby that was unknown to Shin, something that the golems were protecting.
“If I might add another possibility, the golems were protecting a secret, for example, an item, and they stole it and ran away.”
“That’s the most troublesome one.”
The golems that guard a treasure chest would chase the stolen item until the ends of the earth. It could be said that it was the last form they wanted to be associated with.
“I’d understand if that is the reason they went wild when I see it, but…”
The golems, when in a state of running wildly, were clear at a glance, because mana was emanated from the core to its whole body. The problem was that it was not understandable just by looking.
“I can’t tell the difference with 【Analyze】.”
In【Analyze】, except for the official record of the wild golems, it was usually indistinguishable from a normal golem.
“…There’s no point in continuing the matter by prediction alone. I will help if they are really being attacked, otherwise I will kill them if they started the problem. Let’s adapt to the circumstances for the moment.”
“Okay.”
“Roger.”
“Kuu”
He assumed it would be the worst type and got prepared just in case. The driver was Shin. Schnee and Tiera hid themselves inside the wagon’s canopy.
“For the time being, all members put on cloaks. One of those escaping is a noble. Even though I don’t know what they are doing, I don’t want our faces to be remembered.”
Because the illusion skill would be removed if they took off the cloaks, it was still better than nothing.
“They will reach us anytime now. Kagerou, please slowly reduce the speed.”
“Guru”
They advanced for a little while along the road when he saw the cloud of dust that was whirled up by the golems, and he dropped the speed of the wagon. Shin confirmed the armored men who rode the horses with an eyesight strengthened by a skill.
“…It’s the troublesome type.”
He sighed while saying a few words. That was Shin’s guess from the scene that was reflected in his view.
In front of Shin and the others’ line of sight, a man in armor riding on a horse, who seemed to be leading the group, made an appearance. And then, there was a low-level man and a man who seemed to be his guard, appeared successively. And lastly, two horsemen with a little delay appeared.
The men with armor seemed to be really experienced in combat. On the other hand, the low-level man wore clothes that gave off a luxurious feeling of material. A word that explained his body: obesity. He held a cup that shined like silver in one hand.
【Analyze】 displayed the name of the cup. Shin, who saw it, grimaced in a big way.
“They don’t seem to have been attacked without reason.”
“Schnee’s prediction is a strike. That guy who is yelling has a Holy Grail of Rotten Malice.”
Treasure chests existed in dungeons of regular rank and above. One of the items could be obtained at random from there.
Considering the situation, Schnee was right; it was likely that they only collected the item and ran away.
“I’m going for a moment. I’ll leave the defense to you.”
While taking out a card from the Item Box, Shin got off of the wagon. In the next moment, he disappeared with a Hiding skill.
In the coachman’s seat, Schnee now sat instead of Shin. Because there was a distance between the two groups, the movement of the two people couldn’t be seen by the side that was running away.
While hidden, Shin approached the men who escaped. Then, he heard the low-level man who was ranting louder than the sound of the horses’ hooves.
“What have you done!? They are catching up! Can’t you go faster!?”
“I’m afraid this is the limit!! If you just throw that thing away, the golems might stop chasing us!!”
Looking ahead, a guardsman answered. That face clearly showed that this situation was not the man’s real intention. As for the other men, they were making similarly ugly faces.
“Damnnit, this pig guy is misusing his power. If I was holding it, I would have already thrown it away.”
Shin strengthened his hearing, and caught the murmur of the man who lead the group.
(There seem to be some circumstances. Given this situation, all of them will be killed immediately in the end.)
Though he didn’t know the reason, the guards didn’t seem to be cooperating willingly.
The distance between them and the wagon which Schnee rode on was getting smaller.
“Hey! That wagon! Make that a decoy and let’s escape! It might earn us a bit of time!!”
“Wha!? Don’t joke around!! Do you know what you’re saying!?”
“It’s you guys who are joking around! Do you understand what happens if I don’t return!”
At the words which the low-level man said, when he looked at the wagon, a guard shouted back. As one might expect, the guard couldn’t hold his anger.
(He might be using the guards’ weaknesses. Even if he did something to that low-level, it wouldn’t solve the problem)
While watching the exchange of the two people, Shin decided to act.
He could kill only that low-level man, but then the situation of the guardsmen would worsen.
Judging from 【Analyze】, the job of the low-level man was priest. It was no doubt that he was a church official. And from his attitude and appearance, he was probably a priest with a high-rank.
When Shin thought up to there, everyone in the orphanage came to mind.
(…Don’t tell me, this guy is that pig bishop in question.)
Partly because of the ‘pig guy’ remark he had heard a little while ago, Shin was convinced that he identified the low-leveled man correctly. Though there was no conclusive evidence, he wouldn’t let him steal the item just like that.
(I will switch the item with a counterfeit.)
The cup, which that low-level man held, was quickly exchanged with an imitation. It looked exactly the same, but only in appearance; it was now a joke material item.
The holy grail was turned into a card, and stored away in his Item Box. With Shin having snatched the item, the target of the Guardian Golems moved to Shin. Because he didn’t want them to notice that, he traveled side by side with them for a while.
“(Schnee, can you make a scene where you run away when the golems attack the wagon with the illusion skill?)”
“(I can do it, though do you want to let them escape?)”
“(There seem to be some circumstances here. It’s just one person who is the root of all of these problems.)”
“(I see. I understand. Should I refrain from counterattacking even if they do something?)”
“(Do so.)”
He made an arrangement with Schnee via Mind Chat. If one looked properly at the carriage, Kagerou had also been clad with the illusion of a common horse. To the men’s eyes, it would only look like a horse. Since Kagerou stood out, Schnee seemed to have made a smart move.
“The wheels! They can’t run away immediately if you break the wheels! Break them when we pass each other!!”
“For a guy like you to say something like that!!”
While Shin acted separately, the low-leveled man’s instructions went in a cruel direction. Of course, the guard tried to refuse. However, he finally pulled out the sword from the sheath at his waist and lowered it due to the words of the low-level man.
That face was filled with bitterness. The thing which the guardsman tried to protect, him or them, he wanted to protect even if he got his hands dirty.
The man’s sword destroyed the wheels on one side when they passed each other, making it impossible for the wagon to advance.
“…Sorry.”
A faint mumble leaked out as anguish appeared on the guard’s crooked facial expression; it clearly expressed the man’s feelings.
“It’s difficult…”
Shin muttered while seeing those men gallop away. In the eyes of the man who looked back, the destroyed wagon and Shin’s group trying to escape was reflected.
“Now then, shall we finish it up?”
He turned around, and prepared for the Guardian Golems that were approaching from behind.
Although he also could just return the item to the Guardian Golems, the Holy Grail of Rotten Malice was very dangerous when misused. Therefore, it was too bad for the Guardian Golems, but he decided to retrieve it here.
“Those golems are a precious raw material. It’s useful for remodeling the wagon.”
He asked Schnee to be cautious and hide in the surroundings, then faced the Guardian Golems.
Even if the Guardian Golems were in front of Shin, he charged without faltering. Since they were not living beings, they were not affected by Shin’s overpowering presence. Their gigantic build reached about 3 mels in total height, and they were closing in on Shin while raising a cloud of dust.
“Swish!!”
Without changing the momentum of his charge, he dodged a fist, and they passed each other as he swung his katana. The slash that hit the Guardian Golem broke through the high defense that was a characteristic of the Golem group monsters without difficulty, and its left leg was sliced off.
Shin changed his running direction and aimed for the golem’s core after it lost its balance and fell down. The core was located in the center of the body from behind, which Shin pierced through with his katana. Though the Guardian Golem moved its body as it suffered, it slowly stopped moving after Shin twisted his katana to tear and crush the core.
The two Guardian Golems that were left attacked Shin when his movements stopped after he dealt the finishing blow. With Shin’s katana sticking out of the core, the two bodies swung their fists downward like hammers.
“Boom!!”
Shin parted with his katana, turned around and held out his right fist. With the barehanded system martial arts skill 【Steel Repel】 activated, his fist clashed with the fist of the Guardian Golem. Following that, the thick sound of metal being hit resounded. Shin’s fist didn’t seem to be much of a rival, but the golem’s fist, which was almost 1 mel wide, was repelled. That recoil caused the Guardian Golem to lose its posture and stumble backward. Various big and small cracks traveled across the fist that collided with Shin’s own.
Shin didn’t pay attention to the stunned Guardian Golem, and twisted his body with the momentum of the swung right hand. And then, toward the other Guardian Golem that was closing in a little bit more slowly, he unleashed a skill from his left palm.
Barehanded system martial art skill 【Transparent Wave】―― a vibration wave that destroyed the internal parts of the body was transmitted through the Guardian Golem’s fist from Shin’s palm. Was the power too strong? It was over in an instant, as the Guardian Golem’s body shook a little, before half of it got blown away. Among the shattered pieces, the core seemed to be mixed in, too. The remaining half of the body fell down to the ground like a broken doll.
“This…can’t be used on a living being.”
Shin muttered while seeing the Guardian Golem shattered. If the opponent was a living thing, it would be a painful scene to look at.
He made a mental note in his mind, and faced the last golem. The Guardian Golem that fell on it’s back didn’t seem to flinch at all, even though the other two were already knocked down. At the same time as it was getting up, it naively turned its fists toward Shin.
Before the punch arrived, Shin fired magic toward the final Guardian Golem.
It was the earth system magic skill, 【Earth Spear】. The magic that was released immediately showed its effect; the earth right underneath the Guardian Golem shot upward and simultaneously became a spear that attacked its target. The earth spear was reinforced with Shin’s magic, and ran straight through the core of the Guardian Golem, as it ceased to function.
“An elementary level magic skill of the Earth system can take down a golem exceeding level 400, huh?”
Shin tested two skills as an experiment, since there were a few golems. 【Transparent Wave】 seemed to be effective against monsters which have a high defense, such as golems. However, a very grotesque spectacle might occur if he used it on a living being. By the way, after he had used it, he had a feeling that adjustment of the skill’s power was possible.
As for 【Earth Spear】, was it because of Shin’s magic power? It’s power had increased considerably. Though the increase in power itself was obvious, he hadn’t thought that the defense of golems surpassing level 400 would break so easily. Anyways, earth system magic skills were the first skills one obtained in the game. Though it was useful for traps and surprise attacks, there was no power behind it until now. Soon after coming to this world, he was only able to test the operations of a few skills, but Shin once again thought that it was necessary to train.
“Now then, time to collect the raw materials”
When he concluded the matter in his mind, he moved on to retrieving the raw materials. However, the only thing he collected was the golems’ fragments, which he then changed into Item Cards. From the Guardian Golems, one could harvest magic steel, while even small amounts of orichalcum could be retrieved, so he didn’t forget to collect even the smaller pieces.
When he collected everything, Shin returned to Schnee’s location.
“Good job for today.”
“That one too, so what’s your impression on the damage?”
“The right wheels were completely destroyed. The axles were broken too, as it slumped against the ground afterward.”
Schnee and the others got off the carriage and waited. Schnee, who heard the report about the broken wheels, got off from the wagon earlier and cast an illusion.
As for the wagon, the wheels were destroyed and one side of the carrier had sunk into the ground. When it lost its balance and touched the ground, it didn’t seem to be able to endure the weight of the carrier, so the axles broke completely. It was also probably influenced by the violent speeding earlier. When he looked more closely, they were pretty much worn out.
“It’s totally broken. Should I make it more sturdy on this occasion?”
He made the carrier float with a skill, and removed the broken axles. Taking advantage of this situation, he took out parts for the wagon that were long stored in his Item Box. Even if it wasn’t his specialty, it was still a production job. While raising a skill, parts he made couldn’t help but pile up to an excessive amount.
He removed the wheels to change out the broken axlex, while at the same time, he remodeled it to reduce vibrations. The newly installed parts gave off the appearance of wood. However, for a human specialized in that field, if they were not an expert craftsman, they wouldn’t be able to grasp the unnatural gloss on its surface.
That shine was the adamantine coating, which only Shin and Schnee had in this world.
“It’s finished.”
“…Something, feels strange.”
“It’s just your imagination.”
Tiera was going to ascertain the strange feeling with the power of observation, but because of her lack of knowledge, she gave up on it. Nonchalantly, Schnee also diverted her attention.
When the repairs were over, they began to depart. The wagon’s performance rose significantly compared to before the repair, and pushed onward in spite of the bad road.
After moving for an additional 2 days, the party finally reached the end of the Larua Grand Woods, and arrived at Falnido.
Shin and the others were in the southeastern part of Falnido. Probably because the grand wooded region was adjacent to Larua Grand Woods, it wasn’t dense, but the scenery of the forest across the border was extended. Was it different vegetation? While Larua Grand Woods was a densely packed area close to a jungle, Falnido’s forest gave off the impression of small animals living peacefully.
Although the forest was spread out, naturally there was a border. According to Schnee, there were guard troops, too.
The road that lead to the country was maintained; there was no need to charge through a trackless path. On the main road that continued to Falnido from the plains, Shin’s troupe advanced slowly. They might be taken as suspicious fellows and be restrained if they increased their speed here.
Schnee sent out a message card, to inform Girard of their arrival.
“Hmm? Someone’s coming. Their levels are quite high.”
About 10 minutes had passed since they entered inside the forest through the road. Shin sensed someone heading toward the carriage in a straight line. There were two of them. Their levels were 210 and 179 respectively.
“Since I already sent a message to Girard some time ago, I think it’s the people who are coming to welcome us.”
Because they couldn’t afford to just call him a High Human, she seemed to have requested a reliable person to guide them. Schnee, who appeared to remember the two people, casually sat next to Shin.
The wagon stopped for a few minutes, and a pair of Beast-men appeared from the forest.
“As expected, you guys came.”
“Yes. I received a decree from the Founder whom you are visiting.”
The one who responded to Schnee’s words had gray hair and deep green eyes was a man with masculine looks. There was no opening in that standing posture, so it was clear that he could cope on the spot if something happened. He looked to be in his late 20s; for this world’s standard, considering his level, Shin felt he was pretty young.
“That person is, the one who was mentioned?”
“That’s right, this is him. Because it’s somewhat difficult to introduce him here, I asked for a guide from Girard.”
“I understand. We will be the guide to our city, Elden. Follow me.”
The man moved to the front of the wagon with that reply. Shin made the wagon advance to match the speed of the man running.
“Cuore seems healthy, too.”
“Yes! Schnee-sama also seems healthy above all.”
Having answered in a brisk tone, was the woman called Cuore. Identical to the man who was described just now, she was a beautiful girl with gray hair and deep green eyes. The length of her hair was shoulder length. Shin saw that the only part that was lengthened was the part at the back of her neck. She talked like a warrior, and gave off the impression that she was popular with the same-sex.
Judging from the friendly conversation, Schnee and the two people appeared to be acquainted since olden days.
“Have you been acquaintances for long time?”
“I was there when she was born. I also trained her.”
“Heh…a Chosen One?”
“The implication might be different, but she has enough power that it could be said she is a chosen one. After all, it’s because she is Girard’s direct descendant.”
“What!? …Is that so? If that beast has great-grandchildren, let alone great-great-grandchildren…, no…, anymore would not be strange.”
When he thought of Girard’s original life, Girard was married to his wife, and it wouldn’t be strange for him to have a child. Since he couldn’t live for several hundreds of years like elves and pixies.
“Hmm? Have we arrived?”
After the man had run for a while, he signaled for them to stop in front of the ramparts that came into view. When Shin looked at the ramparts, he discovered that some parts of the wall were camouflaged to make it look ordinary.
Apparently, there was a concealed door somewhere or another. The width was enough to let about one carriage pass, and there was not much height either. This might be a gate to let the forthcoming company go through incognito, like at this time. The soldiers who were on guard were likely chosen ones, too.
“How about the wagon?”
“In this case, I should change it into a card.”
Because the parts he used for remodeling might be suspicious in this world, he put it away in the Item Box, just in case. It could be said that the moment he started remodeling it, the option of selling it was already gone.
Kagerou was released from wagon pulling duty, obviously changing into a small body, so that Tiera could hold it.
They moved from the open space where they stopped the wagon to go through the tunnel, so they could meet Girard who was ahead. They then entered a building, and advanced toward the underground from there.
“Somehow, I feel out of place.”
“What are you saying, an employee of Tsuki no Hokora is a legitimate person concerning the people.”
As they were guided along the way, Shin encouraged the nervous Tiera. Since she was in the shop for more than 100 years, she was pretty much family as far as Shin saw it.
According to Shin’s memory, Girard was not the type that worried about trivial things, so it shouldn’t be an issue.
“You don’t have to be so nervous, because I already told him about you, Tiera.”
“Even if that is so, it’s impossible for me to relax…”
From a commoner’s viewpoint, the person whom she was about to face after this, was a person who was on such a whole different level, that it was only possible to encounter them once in a lifetime. It was normal to feel small. Just because she was close to the existence named Schnee, didn’t mean she was able to get close to other similar members.
“Prepare yourself. We have arrived.”
While they were talking, it seemed like they had reached the end of the tunnel. Beyond what appeared to be above ground, there was a building like a Japanese samurai residence.
There was no gate, but everything from the roof tiles, to the paper sliding doors, it was like a full-scale replica that seemed to be able to be used for a historical drama.
“This way.”
The man invited them in with a few words. They took off their shoes at the entrance, and proceeded to the depth of the residence through the veranda.
In front of a room in the house, the man who guided them stopped his pace.
“I have brought Schnee and her companions.”
“Ou, come in.”
The answer was received, and the man opened the paper sliding door. There were three people in the room.
Before long, Shin recognized one of them. Sitting in front of him was a Wolf Type High Beast, his support character no. 3. It was Girard Estaria.
From Shin’s point of view, there was an Elephant Type on his left, and a Turtle Type to his right side, but Shin had no memory of them. Both were level 255. They might be Girard’s trusted confidants.
Following the man, Shin, Schnee and Tiera entered the room. Of course, Yuzuha and Kagerou followed along too.
Shin was in the center, Schnee and Tiera were on his left and right respectively, and Girard opened his mouth to talk.
“Ou, Master-dono. I never thought I’d live until the day I saw you again.”
Girard’s voice, which he now heard for the first time after coming to this world, and one that Shin used to hear all the time, was a low and deep voice.
-
“Same here, I never thought that you would still be alive.”
Similar to Girard’s first opinion, Shin too, answered back.
Unlike the beasts that were sitting down on his right and left, Girard was a Human Type now. Wrinkles had increased on his face, and his hair had whitened.
However, even if his appearance looked old, the presence that emanated from that body, Shin thought that not even a particle of it had become weak. At least, he didn’t look like he would die any time soon. That arrogant tone seemed to be the same as before, too.
“Kukuku, that is right. I don’t know why I’m still alive either. Because I might die suddenly, everyone around me is worried.”
“Well that, you shouldn’t be laughing at that.”
While saying things that he shouldn’t joke about, Girard laughed heartily. As for the beasts who sat on his right and left, they were in a shocked state and also sighed while nodding in agreement at Shin’s remark.
“Now then, there is great deal to talk about too and the story has been accumulating, but I have to introduce these guys before that.”
Saying so, Girard introduced the man and woman who guided Shin and his party, while sitting down between the beasts.
“This guy is the current Beast King, Wolfgang. And this here is Wolfgang’s daughter, Cuore.”
“I am Wolfgang Estaria. Please to make your acquaintance hereafter.”
“I’m Cuore Estaria! It’s an honor to meet you!”
Introduced by Girard, the two beasts lowered their heads respectively.
Wolfgang looked composed, but Cuore seemed to have gotten a little bit excited.
“And, these two people are my trusted friends. Van and Rajim.”
“King’s right arm, Van Kuu.”
“King’s left arm, Rajim Dolku.”
The two beasts said no more than that and calmly bowed. Their shocked states from a while ago disappeared, and they now wore serious expressions.
The one who introduced himself as Van was an elephant, and Rajim as a turtle beast, were known. The position where they were seated seemed to be corresponding to each arm. The right was Van, the left was Rajim.
“I’m Shin. You might have already heard it, but I’m a High Human. I hope to get along with you.”
Shin too introduced himself and bowed. That humble attitude was not the same dignity as those who transcend and were talked about among the people.
From the beginning, he didn’t have the intention of doing it with an air of superiority.
“Kuku, master said it like usual. There’s no profit even if you are being modest here.”
“Well, because I shouldn’t talk so casually to a king I just met. It’s common to call them by name. You originally wouldn’t call them by such a name.”
“A reunion after such a long time. I want you to forgive me for making a joke like this. Besides, Shin, we know how much High Humans are an irresponsible existence. Then, I should understand such a reaction coming back.”
“Good grief, this guy. Well, if you know about the things we have done, you should understand.”
For a resident of this world, a High Human was a legendary existence, and also an object of fear at the same time.
They sank a city into a sea of flames and hunted divine beasts. It was an existence that really accomplished what people usually thought to be a joke.
And now, amongst the long-lived races such as elves and pixies, which have seen such spectacles, many were still alive, spreading stories about the mighty power of High Humans.
Moreover, if Schnee and Girard, who were merely subordinates, have shown such a phenomenal power, one could only imagine how mighty of an existence the one they followed was.
For a person who governs a country, bowing their head to one with such power was trivial, just done to flatter them. It was a might so great that any king voluntarily does such a welcome.
“For the time being, let’s talk normally, whether or not I can erase a country on a whim doesn’t matter. This way, I feel I can talk to a friend.”
In a defiant attitude, Shin asked Wolfgang to talk in his normal tone.
“Is that alright?”
“It’s better to ask here.”
Shin answered immediately.
Though he had made a mess of various things in the game, he was aware that he was known as a legend. However, from Shin’s point of view, even if he didn’t remember that he had done anything, other than the game era, for him to be worshiped made him uncomfortable.
The reason was different from respect as a high player during the time of the game.
“Cuore-san, Van-san, Rajim-san too, please do the same.”
“IS IT FINE!?”
“Princess, please calm yourself a little.”
“But Van, he himself said it’s fine!”
The high-spirited Cuore gave Shin the impression of a fan who met their idol. Though when they met for the first time she had a dignified appearance, there was not even a shadow of that left. It was an absurd ‘change’.
“Shin-dono is our Patriarch beast king, Girard-sama’s master. Don’t use the honorific title for us either, we don’t mind if you call us by our first names.”
“That was an unintentional mistake created by the dignified presence just now.”
In the place of Van who calmed down Cuore, Rajim talked with Shin. For the person whom Girard pledged his allegiance to, using the honorific titles, the style might go mad.
“Then, it will be easy to talk if Rajim and the others speak comfortably, too. Since it’s more comfortable for me and I feel more at ease that way.”
“If Shin-dono says so, I will have the privilege of doing so. Because this is my most comfortable way of speaking. Please understand.”
Because of the warrior personage which Shin had gotten an impression of, he thought Rajim was going to decline, but he seemed to be surprisingly adaptable. Since Girard was not holding back, that might be the influencing effect.
“By the way, Shin. Now I want to hear about the young lady and the divine beasts over there.”
In a somewhat friendly way, Girard shifted his attention to Tiera and the monsters. About Yuzuha and Kagerou being divine beasts, he seemed to have already found out.
“I’m sorry for the late introduction. She is Tiera. She was the one who looked after Tsuki no Hokora.”
“Nice to meet you. I am Tiera Lucent. For Tsuki no Hokora, I am very grateful.”
Her behaviour from before entering the room had completely changed, Tiera perfectly managed her behaviour, and even performed good etiquette. The strained appearance was nowhere to be seen. Not even stiffening up, she faced everyone in Falnido in a natural manner.
Shin may have seen it in a different way, as a defiant attitude, because she was too tense.
“And the fox here is Yuzuha, that wolf pup is Kagerou. I’ll tell you just in case, but their races are Element Tail and Gruefago.”
“Hoh.”
“It can’t be…the legendary…?”
“C-Cute…”
While Yuzuha, who had become small next to Shin, and Kagerou, who was held by Tiera, were looked at alternately, Girard had a smiling face, like a mischievous boy grinning.
In contrast to him, Wolfgang and Cuore opened their eyes wide in surprise. To a certain extent, Shin had a feeling that Cuore’s shock was pointed in a different direction.
Though neither Van nor Rajim reacted in a big way, they gave a small nod, as if they thought it was as expected from a High Human.
“Same as ever, you never lack on subjects.”
“It’s not like I aim for that in particular.”
“Kuku, it’s a good thing not to be bored. Then, the story has piled up, but you all must be tired from the long journey. The young lady looks like a commoner. Lead them to their rooms for the moment. After having cleansed your bodies in the baths, let’s have a meal together.”
The current time was 4:30 P.M. Apart from Shin and Schnee, because Tiera showed fatigue as expected, he seemed to be worried.
Wolfgang and Cuore returned to work temporarily, and would join them for a meal later on.
“Ah, that’s right. Shin, come here for a minute.”
When he was about to move, Girard called out to Shin.
“What is it?”
“Let’s make a party. There will be some talks later on.”
“I understand.”
Apparently, there was something secret he wanted to talk about. For a party created in the old generation version, Mind Chat was available anytime.
Van and Rajim lead them to their rooms.
With a private room each, the interior of all rooms were decorated with a chest of drawers on tatami mats next to a hanging scroll, just like a samurai residence.
“(Shin. I’m sorry about being so sudden, but can you keep me company for just a little?)”
“(Okay, I will go there right away, so wait for me.)”
While Shin was looking at the interior of the room, a message came through Mind Chat from Girard. For some reason, he didn’t have a good premonition. However, there was nothing he could do but comply with him, and therefore headed toward Girard with the help of a map.
Though this was a digression; the simple map projected in Shin’s view before he knew it, the map drawing function was restored like it was during the time of the game. Because of that, he could completely understand the structure inside the samurai residence.
“Oh, here you are.”
As Shin preceded while checking with the map, he discovered Girard who was looking at the garden while sitting on the veranda. Was it to match the style of the house? He was wearing a kimono.
“You came. Please sit down. The tea will come soon.”
“Well then, I won’t hesitate.”
He sat on a prepared cushion, and Shin paid attention to the garden Girard was looking at. As for the vast garden, there were both a pond and a stone garden where the greenery was well arranged. Even Shin, who didn’t know much about such things, was somehow able to recognize that it was an excellent garden.
Before long, Schnee arrived with a tea set. The tea seemed to have been prepared by Schnee.
“Now then, where should I start talking from?”
“If it’s about the heroic story of Girard founding a country, I have already heard it from Schnee.”
“Oioi, did you tell him about it earlier? I was gonna brag about it.”
“If you were the one telling it, I thought you were going to exaggerate the contents, so I conveyed the truth of what I saw objectively.”
Schnee answered with a smile, to Girard who was disappointed. Knowing the temper of her fellow companion, she replied without hesitating.
“It can’t be helped. Leaving my heroic tale aside. In exchange, please tell me about Shin’s circumstances instead. I received the message, but not the minor details that weren’t written.”
“Is that so, though I already told Schnee, to tell you the truth――――”
Just like at the time with Schnee, he explained to Girard how he ended up here.
“I see. That explains why no matter how much I looked for you, not even a single clue was found.”
Girard, who had now heard his circumstances, nodded. Girard had searched countless times for Shin. Since he shared information with Schnee, he knew that difficulty well.
“Even so, Shin too, don’t let this mysterious thing bother you.”
“Indeed. Well, though not everything, helping out isn’t all bad.”
Girard wore an expression seemingly wanting to say “Yareyare”. Because Girard was relieved as he felt sorry for the person concerned, Shin was slightly touched.
“Is that so? That’s right. At least it’s a good thing to me.”
“Girard?”
Girard’s mood changed. The sensation that Shin felt, pricking his skin, it was the aura that Girard wore.
“Now let’s get down to the main point. Shin, I must tell you something.”
“…..What is it?”
Anticipation appeared in Shin’s mind. However, he calmly asked again, without showing it on his face.
“I am going to die soon. It’s not long now. Perhaps, I won’t last for even one more month.”
“What do you mean?”
At the least, the Girard who was before his eyes didn’t seem like he was going to die in about a month’s time. Rather, his body, with which it wouldn’t be strange if he stayed alive for several more decades, unleashed a suitable presence.
“I’ve felt an uncomfortable feeling for several weeks now, and I was convinced when I read Schnee’s message. Inside me, the stopped time has started moving again.”
“As if it was waiting for Shin to return.”
Schnee also added.
“If God exists in this world, it might have granted my wish.”
“Wish?”
It might be the content of the main point. Girard looked straight at Shin, and opened his mouth.
“It’s a match, Shin. You…me, I want to fight against you.”
“Girard…You…”
In the situation where his life span has shortened considerably, he asked for a match.
Even if Girard didn’t say everything, Shin understood well what Girard wanted to say.
(You want to die in a battle?)
Girard was a warrior. Not as a job, but as a way of life.
For this reason, he couldn’t help but think about it. More importantly, it was a fight against Shin who was the strongest warrior at the same time.
He never had a duel in the game era, a one on one duel with Shin, that is.
How far could he reach with his fists and skills against a transcended person? Not as a Beast King, and not as a support character either. Just as a warrior, he wanted to challenge the summit.
“It’s my last wish. Can you accept it?”
Girard’s eyes conveyed that there was no way more suited to burn the last of his lifeforce. Unaffected by old age, his fighting spirit was still burning brightly; there was no option for Shin to decline.
For example, if comrades who walked together before wished it, even if it lead down a path that would continue until death, it was Shin’s duty to accept his challenge.
For the role of the opponent who gives glory to the end of the first Beast King, there was no person that fit the role better than Shin.
“…I understand. I accept your challenge.”
He looked back into Girard’s eyes and agreed.
There were no grim emotions in the eyes of these two people.
As if it was expected to happen in the near future, such a sensation was shared.
“…………”
As the two resolved themselves to face each other, Schnee was quietly watching them.
To Girard, who had revealed all his feelings, she felt it was enviable.
“By the way, have you talked about your decision to Wolfgang, Van, and Rajim?”
Girard’s existence as the first Beast King was huge. If he died, then the influence his death would have on the surroundings was immeasurable.
“I have told them about my shortening life span, but not yet about the duel. Nonetheless, I have no intentions of concealing it. I will talk to them after this. Well, Van and Rajim seem to be aware of my wish though.”
Saying his confidants’ names, Girard laughed.
They probably pretended not to see through and so on; it seemed like they had really followed Girard for a long time.
“Are they your fellow comrades-in-arms?”
“Yes, after Shin disappeared, it was a relationship built on continuously fighting together.”
Girard probably felt nostalgic for the old days, as he talked while at the same time being boastful in some respects.
“Elephant and turtle. There are one or two kinds amongst the Beasts with long lives, huh? I guess it’s possible to live for more than 500 years.”
“You might say that I’m the one who is an old geezer. They were originally in a guild somewhere, but it collapsed during the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’.”
When Girard first met them, both of them were still boys. They became his subordinates with whom he shared his life; it could be said they were comrades.
“Those guys have years of experience. I am also similar. Soon, the people of this country have to get out from our influence.”
Different from when Girard boasted about his subordinates, he closed his eyes like he was worried about something.
“We beasts quickly go through our generations. Though it’s not what I should say myself, our existence has grown too big due to that. I got off as a retired person until about the second or third generation, but I became the shadow who was being relied upon after that. Other than the current Beast King, we were being counted on by the guys before that.”
“That is certainly bad.”
It was a problem if the strongest king was still active during each successive generation. The stories would be slightly different though if his ability declined. However, whether it was for better or for worse, Girard’s physical strength hardly changed as time passed. When his bad influence showed traces on the current reign because of it, Girard was probably in a bind. Looking at his character, one wouldn’t expect him to be involved in politics. However, his influence would remain, simply because he was part of the first generation.
“I’m not saying that I want to die just to pass over my lifespan. But the country is still not good. Though I cannot strongly say that because there are the chosen ones, if I only depend on a few strong warriors, I don’t know what would happen if those guys died. If Shin hadn’t come, I thought of going away to a far-off land.”
It was not necessarily a bad thing to be gathered up and lead by a strong person. But, Girard’s strength, compared to the other chosen ones, was too different in order of magnitude, so it was not possible to treat them as if they were of the same rank.
“I heard that Wolfgang is excellent as a ruler, what about that?”
“Indeed, that guy is especially excellent among the successor generations. Even in battle he is the strongest, next to me, within Falnido. He also listens to the voice of the people.”
The present Beast King seemed to be stronger than Van and Rajim.
“So you can leave it to him, right?”
“That’s so.”
This was a someone with whom he was able to entrust the country. It was a very joyous thing for the people who supported Wolfgang to shoulder the country. Moreover, Girard was also able to die without worry for the only country he created.
“Come to think of it, I heard that Wolfgang and Cuore are not Chosen Ones, why was that?”
“Those fellows are certainly not chosen ones. However, that’s what people say. If I am to judge from their stats, they are more than 600 on average.”
The value that Girard conveyed greatly exceeded the ability level of a chosen one by many times over, even more than Shin expected. Apparently, powerful people in this world didn’t seem to be limited to only the chosen ones.
“Even if I say that, they are more like the exception. Within my direct descendants, a child who can succeed my ability would occasionally be born. Wolfgang and Cuore are two of them. There are individual differences regarding how much those children inherit, but generally, their attribute values are high.”
“In the case of a chosen one, such a thing never happens?”
“I’ve never heard of such a story. But such cases, where one has stats above the standard, I have heard rumors about them. At least, they never went out of the stage from being rumors to facts.”
Girard highlighted a portion of the rumor. Though he didn’t confirm it, since it happened to a child’s body, he couldn’t be so sure.
“Actually, though it is a rarity among the chosen ones, a person with abilities greater than Wolfgang might have been born.”
Once again, a very powerful chosen one seemed to have appeared.
According to Girard, he was informed that each of the stats had an average of 700. It was a value than could even fight with Kagerou. It was said that there was no information relating to their descendants.
By the way, as Shin expected for an ordinary chosen one, if one of their stats, STR or INT or so on, reached 500, they seemed to be classified in the upper advanced level. It seemed to be quite rare for two of the stats to be that high.
The two princesses of Bayreuth seemed to fall under that category, but there were hardly any others. Furthermore, their stats were around 200-300 higher than the standard. This numerical value could be gauged from intuition when fighting. As for the majority of the chosen ones, they had an average of 350 at most.
“Still, it’s plenty menacing for a commoner, huh?”
“It seems so. Well, the story has digressed. Let’s return to the talk about our duel.”
Girard lightly shook his head.
“Okay, on that subject, do you know of a good place with plenty of room for the duel? If we fight seriously, it won’t end up as just a joke.”
As Shin said, the surroundings would definitely be turned into empty plot of land with a destroyed surface. According to the circumstances, it was necessary to take the terrain changes into consideration.
Of course, no buildings, including the arena and training grounds, either. When Shin and Girard’s attacks clashed, it would be too dangerous to even just watch.
“There is a place I have in mind. If you came from Beirun, do you remember Larua Grand Forest? Let’s do it there.”
“Is there a place to fight there? It’s looked like a jungle to me though.”
“That forest is a little special. Within a certain range in the extended forest, no matter how many trees are cut down, they will all be restored overnight. Because there were times when I tried to rampage before, even after I turned the roots upside down, it was completely restored the next day.”
“What’s with that…”
“It’s a jungle-type dungeon that mutated. Though the cause is unknown, because the forest didn’t extend from its fixed range, it was left alone. It was also used as a place for a fellow chosen one to fight, so it’s not the first time.”
“I see.”
Shin, who at first might have been worried about the destruction inflicted upon nature, understood when hearing Girard’s words. If it was restored no matter how much damage it took, it was perfect as a battleground. Moreover, if it’s constantly being used as a ring, he didn’t need to hesitate.
If the two people got serious, even if there were monsters that wandered around the area, they wouldn’t become a threat either. It was just perfect.
“Then there’s no problem about the location. Next is the time. I guess you don’t have much time left?”
“It would the best for me to have it one week from now.”
“Shouldn’t it be better to have it earlier?”
“No, most of my power is likely to come forth on that day. The embers that are fading will burst into flames during my final moments; there is timing, you know?”
What he said was probably that his physical condition was also having its ups and downs. Was it because he sensed death? He seemed to understand about these types of things to an extent.
“Is that so? Then in the meantime, I will polish off your personal weapon. If we do this, you should have the best equipment.”
“That is unnecessary. Still, I want to use that in my fight till the end.”
Girard’s personal weapon was an arm guard, covering everything from the hand to the elbow, 『Crushing Moon』. Its rank was of course, 《Ancient》 grade. It was firmly kept in Shin’s Item Box.
Because 『Blue Moon』 was already returned to Schnee, the equipments he had remaining for his support characters numbered only three.
“How about your armor? I think you kept it with you before though.”
“It’s securely stored. Though its appearance is a bit rough, it was never in poor shape. Even after 500 years of using it, somehow I don’t feel like its performance has dropped.”
“Can I see it just in case, I have a feeling that no one could repair it?”
“Yes, none of them have the sufficient skill level. If it wasn’t an 《Ancient》 grade with an outstanding durability level, it would’ve probably become useless by now.”
For Girard, since the armor was not close to a keikogi*, it could be said that he had no way of maintaining it. He couldn’t improve it by only using magic power. As Girard said, if this was a 《Mythology》 grade, it was likely that the armor would be useless. Its performance too, was the highest class in respect of the durability level in 《Ancient》 grade gear. *(T/N: Martial art uniform)
“I will hand over the armor first―― here it is.”
“Okay, I’ll keep it…this is horrible.”
When Girard took out the armor, which was in Item Card form, from his Item Box, Shin lightly checked on the armor’s condition and raised his voice as he was astounded. The reason was that the durability level of Girard’s personal armor was left with only 30%.
To exhaust the durability of an《Ancient》 grade armor until it’s this low, it was difficult even in the game. Exactly as Girard stated though, there was hardly any change in its defensive power, regardless of the degree of damage its durability suffered; it was as one expected from an 《Ancient》 grade item.
When he materialized it in an attempt to take a look, no other words came into his mind, except for ‘worn-out’. There were torn spots, burns, and even discolored places, to which he couldn’t help but want to say; ‘What have you done to this thing all this time?’
However――.
“When it comes to fight after fight for more than 500 years, I must say, you have cared for it well.”
When Shin thought about the times when the armor was repeatedly worn, he understood.
“The performance state hasn’t changed much either. It’s still usable.”
“Though it’s not something I should say myself, I have made an incredible thing.”
“Oioi, is that what the maker should say?”
Though what Girard said was reasonable, having touched the real thing and not data, Shin was made to wonder, ‘Was there such a thing?’. As for the one who was familiar with modern science, he believed that just this one could cause a technological revolution.
“…Well, that’s fine.”
Shin stopped thinking about these matters. If he returned to his former world, magic, skills, and so forth didn’t exist, even if it was possible, he didn’t intend to take something with him from this world.
“For the time being, leave the equipment to me. Is there anything else to decide upon?”
Returning back to the point of the discussion, Shin asked Girard. Assuming the battleground and equipment didn’t have any problems, the arrangement and succession were needed. Whether Shin could help it or not, he intended to lend his hand if there was anything he could do.
“Another thing huh?…I have nothing in particular. Because I’m not in some official position, there is no troublesome succession either. The preparations have already ended, too. Ah, that’s right. I want Wolfgang, Cuore, Van and Rajim, the four of them to watch the fight, do you mind?”
“Oh, that’s no problem. They already know that I’m a High Human, so I guess they want to watch from the side, too.”
“As for me, what kind of level of power a High Human has, I want to know that. The residents of this world, they don’t know of the existence that is stronger than me and the others. Of course I know there are monsters that are stronger than us, but if you find yourself representing a country, you will have a better understanding from the highest standpoint.”
Girard probably wanted to personally experience what it was like to go up against an opponent that one must not fight. The stories of Shin and the others’ strength were exaggerated like a fairy tale. He couldn’t comprehend that, unless he experienced it with his own body.
“Indeed. Certainly, the things before the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’ would be unknown if there were no long-lived species.”
“It’s not often that we fight seriously either, so they will be using 【Far Sight】 to watch us fight. I guess that is enough to feel the atmosphere of the battle.”
Though Shin intended to push the issue if Girard said they would be watching from within the vicinity, but as expected, Girard didn’t say it.
All jokes aside, the distance should be a kemel(km) at the minimum, or there would be casualties in the aftermath of the battle. Such a thing would result from the fight between Shin and Girard.
Whether or not they could defend themselves, they couldn’t watch safely unless they were in a remote place, away from the battle.
“Such a place must be decided upon soon. And the rest will be decided after I tell Wolfgang and the others.”
“Roger that. Then, is that all for today?”
“Uh huh. Ah, Schnee. Sorry, but can you take the teacups to the kitchen?”
“Yes, no problem.”
Schnee put the teacups for 3 people on the tray, and left without making a sound.
“…So? What is it that you don’t want Schnee to hear?”
After Schnee’s figure disappeared for a few moments, Shin asked Girard. Because it was somewhat quite forced, Schnee probably also noticed it.
“Well, sorry for this.”
He seemed to be sorry for what he did, Girard scratched his cheek.
“Only one, I want to confirm one thing.”
Those eyes, they were more serious than when Girard talked about dueling with Shin. The opposite side, Shin, also naturally got nervous.
“Schnee might have already asked you this, but if Shin finds a way to return, will you?”
Will you leave Schnee behind?
Though that wasn’t expressed in words, it was clearly conveyed by Girard’s eyes.
“…….Yeah, I will return. That is the reason I continue fighting.”
He has family waiting. Has friends. Has companions.
There was no end, even though he cleared the game. It was the promise he had exchanged with his special someone to continue living in future, it was an oath that Shin himself decided upon.
Just because he was transported to another world, it would not make him quietly abandon hope and give up so easily.
“…Is that so?”
Shin’s answer was heard, and though Girard was about to say something for a moment, he didn’t turn it into words.
“Sorry.”
“No, it should be me apologizing. I’m sure the person concerned would understand. This old man tends to say unnecessary things.”
Girard shook his head, as it wasn’t his intention to say it expressly. Even Shin understood the things Girard wanted to say. No matter how large an effort Girard was making for the country, his fellow support character had been exchanging information with him, and they would notice each other’s intentions.
Schnee’s situation from Tiera’s story, and guessing from Girard’s way of speaking, Schnee must have searched for Shin for a long time.
Would he return and leave her? Girard wanted to ask him, no, he was going to ask him. Girard, as a companion who had seen Schnee’s actions, couldn’t help but do so.
“We have our own, and Shin has his circumstances. They’re difficult ones, too.”
Girard sighed after he said so. He didn’t express his words clearly, because he saw various colors in Shin’s eyes. Doubt, confusion, and sadness were all reflected in there. There were also positive colors such as joy and love. And then, the color of determination enveloping them.
Girard knew those well, it was the color of a warrior who advanced while struggling. When he saw it, he understood that Shin was thinking about Schnee. In fact, he could assert about that.
However, a clear answer had not come out yet. In the answer that Girard heard, there was still some hesitation. His former world or the current world. Even though Shin still strongly thought about his former world right now, one never knew what would happen in the future.
“My matter and Schnee’s matter too, I will think about them when I have gathered all the possible solutions, isn’t that the smartest way of doing it?”
“Well, I too just thought about it a little while ago. It’s as they say, the principle of convenience.”
“Indeed, everything goes well and you get a good ending. Everyone is happy and they all lived happily ever after.”
The ending where everyone laughs, no one is missing, and an overflow of happiness comes to him. For the misfortune that befell him, he would have no choice but to play a minor role that emphasized happiness.
“Really, I can’t relate to it at all.”
“That was just said unintentionally. But I also have the same opinion.”
He couldn’t help but think that to believe in both at the same time wasn’t possible. The two people, who experienced a lot of unjust separations, smiled wryly together.
“I’m sorry to take so much of your time, Shin. There’s still a little time before the meal. Get some rest.”
“I’ll do that.”
They bid farewell to each other and returned to their respective rooms. Shin killed time in the room while playing with Yuzuha. He wanted to begin the restoration of Girard’s weapon and armor, but the currently available time was insufficient.
Then he ate with relish over the luxurious dishes at dinner, and took a bath to wash off his sweat. There was no big event afterward either, the night of the first day in Falnido grew silent.
-
After dinner, when Shin and his group were heading to their bedrooms, Van, Rajim, Wolfgang, and Cuore; the four of them were called to Girard’s private room.
“Ou, sorry to call you when all of you are tired.”
“What is it that you want to discuss together?”
Wolfgang, who might have felt there was something abnormal from Girard’s appearance, asked on behalf of the four people.
“Well, you see, I have found a place to die. And I wanted to tell you all.”
Out of nowhere, Girard said so with a light tone. Of course, the contents were far from being light-hearted.
“……Hah?”
To the sudden remark, Wolfgang’s response escaped from his mind. It was natural. Being suddenly told that a place to die was found, there was no way he could return with “Yes, I see”.
“What do you mean by that?”
“It is how it sounds. Didn’t I tell you all that my life-span was about to end? Before that, I will duel with Shin. That is the place I’m going to die at.”
“Why, now?”
“It is one week from now that I can display my maximum power. If I go beyond that, there is nothing left but to become decrepit and ugly with age afterwards. My warrior’s pride wouldn’t allow it if I didn’t bring it to an end before then.”
He dies as a warrior in the end. Wolfgang could say nothing to Girard who announced it so. After having done everything, protecting his family, leaving behind a child, he was ending his life in a fight without leaving any regrets.
For the wolfman clan warrior’s family, which was also called Wolf Type, it was the best way to die. Much more so, if the opponent was of the legendary race, High Human. It would be envied by everyone.
“I’m going to say that the time has come.”
In place of the silenced Wolfgang, Rajim muttered as he consented.
“Umu, when I heard the story of the longevity of the king, I never thought that it would end this way. What a way to go, huh?”
Followed by Rajim’s words, Van also agreed while expressing his feelings. Wolfgang had no grim feelings here, which made him feel a little relieved.
“Why are you all so calm?”
The one who raised such a question to the 2 people was Cuore. She was losing her composure as she couldn’t maintain her usual, formal tone.
“Princess, to die in a final fight against a High Human, there is nothing more honorable than this. As the king’s direct descendant, shouldn’t you already understand this?”
“I GET IT! I get it, but I can’t calm down like Van at all.”
To Van, who explained it to her in an admonishing way, Cuore, who was confused, rebutted. Even if she understood, it was not possible for her to consent.
Cuore could not imagine for that familiar power she felt, for Girard to die so easily.
“Cuore”
“…Yes.”
“You glorify me a little too much.”
“Such a thing is――”
“Aren’t you going to say no?”
Girard, who talked to Cuore with dignity, erased the light mood from a while ago. Still, somewhere in that figure, it was like a grandfather loving his grandchild, as it was reflected in the eyes of the three people who were watching.
“I have lived for a long time. My brothers have fallen, my son has died, and I have even nursed the grandchild he left. Why me, why didn’t I die? It’s reached the point where I often think of that. And the answer will come in one week.”
“…………”
“ Cuore, the time when I decided to see off Shin, who is my master, that is the only regret I have.”
“I see….”
“And, there is no match like one against Shin, even if I wish for it.”
“…Yes.”
Without even a trace of tragic feelings in Girard’s words, his determination to fight calmly fired up. Everyone in the room could feel that heat. No one could make it stop. As a first class warrior, everyone understood it. Stopping him would be an insult instead.
Cuore, who revealed her feelings too, now couldn’t do anything but agree.
“The place will be Larua Grand Woods. I will make it my last and greatest fight. Watch closely!”
“Yes!!”
The last order of the first Beast King.
The confidants and the direct descendants, all in a unified voice, accepted it.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 03 - Falnido Beast Alliance/The-New-Gate-Volume-03-Falnido-Beast-Alliance-[Shin][Armaell]/f003.txt
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Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Part 1
“Shin-dono! I’ve come to pick you up!”
“Hmm?”
The next morning. When Shin and Yuzuha were getting ready to dress themselves, a voice came from outside the room.
Shin opened the door while thinking, “Where have I heard that voice before?”. It was Cuore, kneeling in a proper seiza posture.
“Breakfast is ready. Come this way, please!”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
Since she didn’t talk much at the dinner table, he didn’t know it was her, with only her voice. Also, because it was not a maid, but Cuore, what kind of thing was that?
“Um, why is Cuore the one who is summoning me? Yesterday, I was told by the maid about dinner.”
Supposedly, Shin was a guest of Wolfgang, so the maid came to pick him up at dinner time.
“I asked to take over.”
Why would she do that? Shin thought, while thinking back that he had the same feeling at yesterday’s dinner. Within Cuore, the existence of High Humans was quite glorified, especially Shin’s, for some reason. Though she didn’t talk much, her manner and gaze showed eloquence toward Shin, too.
It was also probably because Shin was Girard’s master. Apparently there were too many anecdotes that were told when she was a child, so she seemed to feel strong admiration.
From Shin’s point of view, his embarrassing past being dramatized was nothing but a punishment game(batsu game) to him.
(I somewhat feel like her image of me is too far away from reality.)
Furthermore, the Cuore of today, her tension felt higher than yesterday. Shin became a little worried about that.
Did Girard tell her about the duel? It seemed to have slightly forced her tension to raise a little.
When he checked the route they were walking, while thinking about what was up with her, he noticed that they were going to a different place from the dinner.
“Isn’t the destination different from yesterday’s hall?”
“Yes, I was told to guide you to Girard-sama’s private room.”
Since the dinner was a banquet feast, he wondered if he could eat peacefully in the morning. On the account of the work, Cuore seemed to finish it earlier.
“It’s here. I think your companions will come soon. Then, I will be on my way.”
“Thank you.”
Shin thanked Cuore who was leaving with a bow, and entered the room. Inside were Girard, Van and Rajim.
Schnee and Tiera entered after a few minutes.
“Then, let’s eat.”
They finished greeting each other and began to eat breakfast. There was rice, miso soup, grilled fish and pickled vegetables when he looked at the contents of the menu.
When breakfast was over, they talked about things from then onward.
“Though I asked you to take care of the equipment, I don’t want you to only do that. You have to take it easy and go sightseeing.”
“Then, will you tell me a place with a library? A place with past documents is good, too.”
“Hmm, understood. There will be a need for a permission, but I will arrange it all.”
“I’m relieved of the trouble.”
He might identify some of the things he didn’t understand in Bayreuth. If there was the permission of the first Beast King, he might even be able to see something like a prohibited book which was his goal earlier. There were no issues somehow or other.
“What will Schnee and Tiera do?”
“I will stay with Shin.”
Schnee answered immediately as if it was natural. To take it easy? It seemed there was no option for her to go sightseeing.
“Well um, I wonder if I can follow you to the library too? I am curious but…”
“Do you want to go together after I repair Girard’s equipment?”
“I don’t mind. When you repair the equipment, will you deal with an 《Ancient》 grade weapon? I’m interested in that too.”
Tiera has been researching the message card he handed over from before, but apart from that, she appeared to be interested in the work that Shin did.
Her study couldn’t crack a part of the mechanism yet, but because she was not in a hurry, it seemed to be postponed.
“Then it’s settled. Girard and company, what will you do?”
“I am, well as they say, putting my affairs in order. While I’m at it, I intend to teach a skill that I failed before to Wolfgang.”
“From yesterday’s talk, did you reach the Hiden rank?”
“I almost mastered it up until the Okuden. Because the Secret Book is almost certainty a loss. What will happen next will depend on that.”
Because Shin had heard the story about their stats, he expected that a rank of martial art skills has been acquired.
The ranks in martial art skills were divided into 5 ranks in THE NEW GATE.
First, the foundation skill was Shoden. There were many techniques to learn by leveling up. Okuden could be attained by training Shoden and Chuden. When a special quest was completed, Hiden was usually acquired by taking a different action. And then, when everything from Shoden to Hiden skills were forged until they were at their greatest, Shiden could be learned.
(T/N: Shoden[Beginner] < Chuden[Intermediate] < Okuden[Hidden] < Hiden[Secret] < Shiden)
Because there were stat value requirements too, any players who attained Shiden were all advanced level players. Wolfgang’s stats were barely enough for a Hiden rank.
Though Shin understood all of that, Girard’s next words made him raise his eyebrows.
“Is there such a thing as the Secret Book failing?”
Shin was surprised at that information, as it shouldn’t have failed if the condition was met. Was there another factor that has emerged or something? He thought it over.
“Martial arts and magic. Both depend on the mental condition of the user. Long story short, it can’t be learned if he is mentally inexperienced even if his stats are high.”
“…I see. It requires both mental and physical strength, huh?”
It was natural for martial arts, Shin who was thinking of various things, felt silly. As he himself belonged to an archery club in high school, he didn’t remember any sense of discomfort either. Martial arts were such things.
Mind and body were strengthened, to polish the techniques. It was a natural duty for a person to learn combat techniques.
“It’s that kind of thing. Well, if it’s Wolfgang, I don’t have to worry.”
“Certainly, he seemed to be diligent. And he has a warrior vibe as well.”
Shin had never met a person who was a genuine master or a person who was called a warrior in his former world, but he still felt integrity from Wolfgang. That sign would not be worn, if he had an untrained mind or inexperienced heart.
“He is pretty much my valued descendant. I’m so happy to have heard you say so.”
“You have become a grandpa who is proud of his grandchild, don’t you? Well, the meal is finished, so I will start preparing. I want to take out Tsuki no Hokora, is there an open place somewhere?”
“There is a plaza for training. If it’s there, it will be fine. Van, guide them, Rajim, go ask for the permit. I will go to Wolfgang’s place.”
““Roger!!””
Van would guide the three of them, Shin, Schnee, and Tiera, towards the plaza behind the residence. By the way, Yuzuha was on top of Shin’s head, and Kagerou was walking with small steps by Tiera’s feet.
“Step back just a little.”
Van stepped back, and Shin took off the necklace with the crescent moon shape. And then, at the same time he threw it out to the plaza, he said the keyword.
“『Release』!!”
The necklace emitted light instantly. The light with the shape of the necklace was greatly expanded in the next moment, and took the form of a house. And when the light disappeared, Tsuki no Hokora appeared there.
“Hmm, this is the technique that only the store owner can use, huh? There’s a big difference from hearing it and seeing it.”
Van, who saw it for the first time, seemed to feel some admiration as he looked at the state of Tsuki no Hokora. Tiera, who had surely seen Tsuki no Hokora put away before, had her face stiffen at that absurdity again. As usual, only Schnee didn’t show any reaction at all.
“Let’s enter now. What will Van do?”
“If it is possible, I would like to see the process of repairing the armor. Such an opportunity, there will be no next time.”
“Okay. I don’t usually show it, but if it’s Girard’s aide, I guess it’s fine. Come on, follow me.”
Shin spoke and entered the Tsuki no Hokora. They passed through the counter, and went straight to the blacksmith’s workshop. Other members also followed for some reason.
“Somehow, it feels like a tour.”
“I agree. Being able to see the person’s technique who mastered blacksmithing, that possibly nobody will ever see again? Anyone would want to see it.”
“Kuu, it’s interesting to watch.”
“Guru”
Following Tiera’s remark, Yuzuha and Kagerou raised their voices too. When Yuzuha spoke, Van had the look that seemed to want to say “Eh…?”, but never did. Incidentally, Shin recalled when Yuzuha couldn’t speak.
It was possible for Yuzuha to talk, unlike an ordinary monster, because it was an Element Tail; Van was forcibly convinced, and Shin started working.
The divine beast was also there but without Van who consented pursuing it in particular, he looked closely at Shin’s work.
“First, from how I understand its current condition”
By materializing the card, he held the armor in both of his hands. When Shin’s mana ran through it, the armor itself began to shine in seven colors. From that, Shin listed the missing things in his brain.
“…this can only be done with Orichalcum.”
After confirming his list, Shin separated one hand from the armor and manipulated the Item Box. Though the armor was held with only his left hand, with it still shining, it was maintained in the air like the time he held it with both hands.
Shin took out the missing material, and materialized it. A transparent lump of metal like a crystal appeared, it was the Orichalcum. When Shin held his right hand out toward it and performed some movement, the Orichalcum came apart at the edges, and changed into a fine thread.
“That skill…indeed, no one could learn that.”
Van muttered, unable to describe the mysterious phenomenon before him. Van was a character originally made to have the role of a blacksmith during the game era. Therefore, he has the capability of a common blacksmith. That was why he was able to understood, more than everyone who was there, the abnormality that happened right in front of him.
The spectacle where the Orichalcum transformed its shape voluntarily, he couldn’t do anything but keep looking at in utter amazement.
“The torn part is repaired. The Orichalcum is diffusing thoroughly and the strength is recovered. Mana is mixing evenly――――”
Was what Shin said, as he was concentrating on his work so much that he didn’t notice the state of Van and the others. It was only natural. What Shin had in his hand now, so to speak, was Girard’s burial clothes. He couldn’t afford to pay attention to the surroundings, because he had to keep working with the utmost respect. As for the reason he allowed their observation, other than the reason that they would not interfere, it was because he had a hunch that there was no room for him to mind.
All of the nerves in his body concentrated to restore the armor to the best possible condition. That was the thing that Shin must do.
At about 30 minutes. When the seven colors of lights disappeared, the dougi type armor reached the point where one would hesitate to touch it. It was unimaginable that its appearance was once battered.
“Phew, it’s done.”
Shin wiped the sweat that slightly drifted away, and change the armor back into a card. The work that ended after several minutes in the game, it was actually felt very time consuming for the one who did it.
Generally, it took more time to finish since his magic manipulation wasn’t perfect yet, although it was understood that he could do it by intuition. Even so, the area around precision rose up greatly when he used mana the same way of using magic skills; it was as one would expect from a person who mastered blacksmithing.
To restore such a flexible equipment like the dougi of 《Ancient》 grade, this method was the most efficient. There were other methods too, but they were inferior in terms of performance.
“Hey Shin. Earlier, was that blacksmithing? It seemed to be a magic skill to me.”
“Indeed, it certainly looks like that when seen by others. However, if there is no smithing skill covering it, let alone to change the metal’s shape, it would become a quality that is lower than scrap iron in an instant.”
Shin didn’t know the requirements before too, so he himself, experienced Orichalcum and Mithril changing into scrap iron. The rare metal which he had gathered through much hardship, when it crumbled right in front of his eyes, it was heart breaking, even to Shin.
“…What?”
“I understand that the mana seems to change the quality.”
Such a thing should have been written on the explanation column of the skill, so Shin then opened the explanation column of the skill he used a moment ago to confirm. <When manipulating the mana, if there is a power fluctuation outside of the material’s quality, it will result in the lowest quality for metal.>
“By the way, the skill level must be sufficient too, or the same thing will happen while repairing.”
“Don’t tell me, you did an experiment on the substance?”
“…There were times when I would repair armor made of Orichalcum and made a mistake, it become an armor of scrap iron.”
Recalling those days, Shin’s mood became deeply emotive as he brooded over that time. Tiera who heard the story, had complicated feelings.
“Blacksmithing is surprisingly a job with a big risk.”
Tiera calculated the monetary damage of when Orichalcum became scrap iron. Since she was dealing with goods in Tsuki no Hokora, she knew the market price to some extent, but for the amount of Orichalcum needed to make an armor and so on, she couldn’t imagine how much it cost to only collect it. Tiera didn’t want to think that there was a job that turned it into worthless scrap metal in an instant.
“Usually it returns to an ingot even if I make a mistake, and other items can be processed to be reuseable. Just this, let alone reusing it, I’m worried because it can, completely become garbage.”
If Shin failed normally with blacksmithing, there were several methods to reuse a material. Of course the item would not just return to its original form without any changes, but it’s still better than nothing. However, the method Shin took couldn’t be reused now, no matter what. The purchase price was zero if sold to a NPC in the game.
To rise a skill level, just how many rare metals did he convert into garbage? If it was not a game, it was something he wouldn’t have been able to do by any means.
“The reason for the loss is not only because of the craftsman’s ability. To use Orichalcum for practice, would be an unbelievable act for the present blacksmiths.”
“That’s right. How much does Orichalcum cost now?”
“In Falnido, it will be a white gold for a fist-sized ingot. Though only a few people can deal in it, it is obvious that everyone would be in a frenzy if the price was knocked down. It’s difficult to ascertain how many times its value has increased.”
“It’s amazing after all.”
How much would it cost if Shin seriously made a sword from it? There were various rare metals in his Item Box, it seemed like he couldn’t show it to the other blacksmith.
“I will stop selling metals then. Well, the story has gone this far, should I move on to the next one?”
Shin then took out Girard’s personal weapon, 『Crushing Moon』. (T/N: Changed from 『Moon Destroyer』)
Since this weapon was at an even higher ranking than the armor, there was only a little damage on the surface of the arm guard. The durability level also had more than 90% remaining.
He needed to restore this to be completely perfect. This time he put the 『Crushing Moon』 on top of the table, in addition, a small ingot was put on top of it.
“What is that…”
“By chance, is that the…”
Tiera and Van saw the ingot, but only hoarse voices leaked out. The ingot, which was put on top of the 『Crushing Moon』, except Schnee, no one in that place had ever seen it before.
The metal had a dull shine for a black color. However, on the main colored surface, big and small glitters were able to be perceived. It was like the night sky where the stars sparkled for as far as you can see, or like the space contained numerous galaxies.
Tiera, who was sensitive to magic, understood that the metal contained extraordinary magic power, and was astonished. She consistently saw metal that had magic power contained in them many times before, but the metal in front of her was far more superior. She thought it was possible for it to be a magic catalyst as it was.
Van, who knew a lot about metals, had its identity flash in his head. It was different from any of Orichalcum, Adamantine, Mythril, or Crimson Ores, but it felt higher ranked compared to the above metals. Suddenly one thing came to his mind. It was called an illusion among the blacksmiths, because no one could say they have seen the real thing.
“Bang!!”
Despite the two people being shocked, before they knew it, Shin took out a hammer and struck the ingot on top of 『Crushing Moon』. With a high-pitched sound “Kin”, the two people were fascinated to see the phenomenon that happened earlier, following again.
When Shin beat the ingot with the hammer, the ingot melted and faded away. And the scratch under the 『Crushing Moon』 disappeared, it began to shine brightly as if to say it was completed.
The hammer was swung downward a few times to completely fuse the ingot, 『Crushing Moon』 looked like a brand new gauntlet on the table.
“Yosh, this one is complete too. It is perfect if I say so myself.”
While looking at 『Crushing Moon』 which had returned to its perfect state, Shin nodded and agreed. If it was this, there was a confidence of satisfying any kind of demand of the user.
Because he couldn’t look at it forever, he formed it into a card and put it away in his Item Box. “Sorry to have kept you waiting” Shin said and turned around, he saw that Tiera and Van had an indescribable expression on their faces.
Schnee had no change in particular, Yuzuha and Kagerou seemed to be excited for the time being. They were having some kind of conversation with “Kuu Kuu”, “Guru Guru” sounds.
“Shin-dono. May I ask you one thing, only one?”
Among the two people who had frozen in shock, it was Van began to move first. By bringing his face close, he urged Shin to consent with force. As one might expect from a beast of the elephant type, that power was considerable. Shin moved back a little.
“For the time being, please settle down, you will hear the story. You are close, too close!”
“Oof, I am sorry. But the metal that Shin-dono took out some time ago, that is, perhaps a Chimeradite, the one thing that is of the highest grade?”
“Hmm? That’s right. But you seem to know it well. Because there are different types of Chimeradite, there are not many people who see it and recognize it instantly.”
“It’s not because I understand it’s type. It is something like a legend, circulated among the blacksmiths. The dark-colored metal where it retains the twinkling of the stars. Chimeradite, The weapon made using it, could easily kill even a higher kind of dragon. Depending on the person, such a thing was deemed as a mere fantasy.”
“Indeed. This thing is certainly quite limited. It’s hardly circulated in the market.”
Even during the game era, for a high-level blacksmith, it was an item that they would almost never see. Even the ingot. Once, a retired player had put a weapon made of Chimeradite into the market on a whim, a fierce competition arose because of it.
It was virtually impossible to be fully equipped even for an advanced player. With only one of those, it was possible to become famous. Of course, it goes without saying that all of the Rokuten members were the irregularity that had all of their metal-based weapons made of Chimeradite.
“By the way, Shin. You were doing it differently a little while ago, is there any significance to it?”
After Shin made Van settle down, Tiera asked a question. If he had used the same method earlier to repair the armor, he should have been able to repair it without using the hammer.
“That 『Crushing Moon』 is a weapon which has the highest rank, that’s why. And both grades are 《Ancient》 grade. But, there is a rating higher than that. The armor is ranked as average 《Ancient》 grade. Because the metal is knitted together with thread using mana, that method was effective and fast. In regards to 『Crushing Moon』, it is a higher-rank of 《Ancient》 grade. When it comes to that, I need to directly hammer it while giving mana. Though it’s possible to mend it using the same method as the armor, this is more efficient and above all, there is no possibility of making a mistake.”
Tiera knew there were differences between the same grade. However, she never thought that the grading was also applied; 《Ancient》 grade was even referred to as a fragment of the world, it was indeed the highest grade.
According to Shin’s explanation, based on the grade and the nature of the armor, there seemed to be a maintenance method that was the most suitable.. Though there were other methods, in that case, the possibility of changing the quality sharply rose. If it was done in a timely manner, with a sufficient ability, it was almost impossible to make a mistake.
“I have to redo my thinking about a blacksmith that is out of their area of expertise. For such precise mana power manipulation, it won’t be possible without mage knowledge.”
“Magic manipulation is necessary anywhere, someway or another. In case of a production job, skill in magic manipulation is required as it gets closer to the advanced levels.”
“Alchemy however, is a difficult study thoroughly too. Even though I learned a few skills, I can’t even call myself a full-fledged practitioner.”
Tiera had the skills which could be said to be the mark of a full-fledged alchemist, but from today, she realized that that was only one part of it, and she was aware that she wasn’t as good in that regard either. She couldn’t help but think that she might not even reach the middle of the pack in the era where Shin came from.
The field was totally different, but to see the person who reached the very pinnacle, doing his work, Tiera felt something towards that person.
“You seem to be improving slowly. It’s not easy to gain skills either.”
Tiera’s shoulder was lightly tapped, and Shin faced the entrance of the forge. The things that needed to be done were over, so everyone decided to go towards the living room now.
When Shin and the others moved, he heard the sound of the store’s entrance being opened. It should be Rajim, when guessing from the timing.
“Shin-dono. This is the reading permit for the restriction area in the library. Please accept it.”
“Thank you. I’m saved.”
As he anticipated, the permit was received from Rajim who entered the store. Because there was also no reason to remain, after everyone left, Tsuki no Hokora was stored again. They headed toward the library with Schnee as a guide. Van and Rajim returned to their residence as they couldn’t be together all the time.
When they appeared from the back door of the residence to Elden’s city district, Tiera was surprised at the diversity of the people walking.
There were many people in Bayreuth too, but almost all of them were humans. There were not many races with different characteristics, such as beasts or pixies.
However, this was the beast’s country. Beasts with various animal characteristics, were walking and overflowing. There were types that walked on two feet with almost an appearance of animals in clothes, a type that had a tail and ears on a person’s body and so forth; there was no uniformity.
Even if it was the same as the great number of people in Bayreuth, she was even more surprised to see this many beasts here.
“I thought I got used to seeing beasts, but there are just so much different impressions as there are numbers of them.”
“That’s because the beast race is the one whose outward appearance is the most diverse.”
In the game era, there were people whose bodies resembled a human, there were some who only had their face as animal combinations and the like. The degree of freedom in combinations was high, so the word of beast was attached to it.
“Even for the people other than the beasts, there are items so you can feel what’s it’s like to be a beast too.”
What Schnee was saying, is that there were items such as animal’s ears or tails which could be mounted and removed. A so-called cosplay item. The item was surprisingly popular among the female players. It was also the item for which the male players made a petition for the female players to wear.
“Speaking of which, I also have several of them.”
“By chance, it’s that!?”
Schnee pretend to reach into the pouch on her waist, and a card was taken out of her Item Box.
It was the cosplay item that Shin gave to Schnee before. When she materialized the item, it was adjusted to match Schnee’s hair, silver colored dog’s ears and bushy tail, grasped in her hand.
It was an item created on a whim by the members of Rokuten before. Anyway, it was high quality with various options. It was not just an ordinary cosplay item.
“Amazing. doesn’t this feel like a real one?”
“It was Shin, Reed-sama, Cashmere-sama, and Hecate-sama collaboration. To bring it as close to the real thing, there is a function that automatically conceals the characteristics of other races when attached… how’s it look?”
Schnee stated, and equipped the cosplay set. The long ears peculiar to elfs disappeared in a moment, instead there were dog ears on top of her head, and a tail of a similar color to her hair emerged from around the area of her tailbone. The beautiful High Elf woman, transformed into a beautiful woman of High Beast.
By the way, what Schnee was wearing now was hotpants with boots under, and a light-blue shirt with nothing but a long jacket on top. Because the uniform of Tsuki no Hokora somehow stood out, her clothes were changed into an easy to move adventure-like style.
A belt was worn near the lap on top of the jacket, and the pouch was attached there. In one of the equipments in the game age, the jacket was split into right and left from the belly area, so it wouldn’t obstruct the movement of the legs. Schnee left only one button in front of her belly, and others remained open. There were two reasons. One, it wasn’t so cold to close everything. Two, she couldn’t completely close it because of her chest measurement.
In the game’s specifications, even if it’s armor or a dress, it would automatically adjust to the physique of the person who equipped it; one would not deliberately wear something without that feature. What Schnee was wearing, was the equipment previously created under supervision of one of the female members of Rokuten, Hecate. Not to mention its good performance, it was set-up to emphasize Schnee’s style. According to Hecate, it was erotic for a beautiful woman and young lady, like a cute outfit where a man would want to help her put it on too, was what she said.
Clothes that focused on seduction, when worn by a woman whose style was the embodiment of a man’s desire, such as Schnee, the effect level rose by at least one more step. In comparison to a thin waist tightened with a belt, the bulging of a chest pushed up due to the shirt in the jacket, but it would be emphasized too much.
Schnee, in such a state, blushed a little as she felt embarrassed, but still asked for an impression.
“…It suits you very well.”
Anyways, in the game era, the NPC’s only reacted like a doll. So when asked “How’s it look?” by Schnee just now, Shin couldn’t think of anything good to say except, she matched well. He wasn’t used to seeing lively garments either, but the dog’s ears suited her very well.
The moment Schnee heard those words, her face’s rosy complexion flashed even pinker. At this point, one would have noticed her abrupt behavior.
“…E-Elfs stand out, so disguising as a beast makes it easier to fit into the surroundings. Besides it’s better like this now I will lead us to the library let’s go.”
While talking quickly, she stuttered to some extent and Schnee began to move at a quick pace. There was no breathing in the latter half of her speech.
Supposingly, the long ears, peculiar to elfs, would have turned bright red. As for the dog’s ears that were shaking on top of Schnee’s head too, they somewhat look red when seen by Shin and the others.
“I saw, for the first time, Master, act like this.”
“To be honest, me too.”
He agreed with Tiera’s remark while running after Schnee. As for the two people, it was better not to attract attention. So he took out some items, and Shin and Tiera changed their appearance to beasts, too. What Shin lent to Tiera were, cat ears.
Could it be, Schnee wanted him to see so she changed herself? Shin guessed while chasing the back of Schnee. Though it might just be him over thinking it, but if it proved to be right…it was already too late to think about it in various ways.
The Schnee that Shin knew was a woman like a secretary, a calm, cool and collected woman. Because she always communicated in a businesslike manner during the game, he never saw this side of her like at this time. It seemed he needed to change his way of thinking.
(I think that’s not so bad, mostly.)
While he was aware of his favorable impressions of Schnee rising, Shin quickened his pace in pursuit of her.
-
It was several hours later, after seeing the unknown side of Schnee. Shin was alone in the library of Elden.
When he arrived at the library with Schnee’s guidance, after he showed the permit and entered the restricted reading area, he proceeded to examine what happened after the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’. Unlike Bayreuth, because the materials were not open to public, the content was different in quality. Some information that Shin wanted to know was recorded too.
“The natural disasters that occurred after the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’…there’s no difference in damage by the regions after all. Isn’t the range of the last dungeon connected to the…Earth Pulse?”
Shin arranged the information he obtained, while voicing out in a small volume. According to the material, what was called Earth Pulse seemed to have been related with the natural disasters. Shin has heard it well in manga and light novels, it was something like a circle that ran through the earth. Though it was the guess of the person who compiled the document, the biggest place where the continents divided had numerous flows of Earth Pulse. The dungeon that Shin faced at the end of the death game, 【Gate of the Otherworld】, that place was the convergence point, which could be read from the document.
“Come to think of it, Yuzuha interfered with the Earth Pulse and suppressed the damage, huh?”
Even if he said they had a contract, a monster was still prohibited from entering the area. So now, there was no figure of Yuzuha on top of Shin’s head. Under the watch of the young lady at the reception desk, while apologizing to Yuzuha, who was waiting at the entrance in his heart, he remembered the things Yuzuha said before.
“Is the Earth Pulse also related with me coming here? But at the time of the game, it was not a major thing.”
There was an event related to the Earth Pulse, but there were a lot of limited-time events that he couldn’t remember up until a trivial setting. The one he understood the most was, the place where the Earth Pulse runs, monsters were likely to appear. Even if he knew this, there was no conclusive evidence in this world.
However――――
(As shown in the document, if the place where the Earth Pulse gathered(Power Spot) is related to the dungeon, it is possible for me to return if a similar place is found…right?)
Though it was only a plain hypothesis, it was simple and persuasive too.
It would save a lot of trouble if it was simple as this. While thinking about these kind of things, Shin picked up the next document.
“(Shin~…Shin~?)”
“Hmm?”
One hour later.
Shin was concentrating on reading the documents, when he noticed the Mind Talk from Yuzuha.
“(What’s the matter?)”
“(I’m hungry…no lunch yet~?)”
When he confirmed the time due to Yuzuha’s meal remark, it was already past 12:00 in the afternoon. He seemed to have forgotten the time passing as he got absorbed in reading the documents.
“(My bad, I will go out immediately. Schnee, can you hear me?)”
“(Yes, is there something wrong?)”
“(Let’s have lunch soon. Yuzuha seems to be feeling hungry.)”
“(Understood. I will go toward the entrance.)”
Schnee was contacted with Mind Talk, and Shin left the restriction area a little early. He caught Tiera who was conducting research in the general area, and went toward the waiting Yuzuha and Kagerou. After thanking the receptionist who looked after them, Shin left the library after all the member joined.
“Did you find something?”
“No, not much of the important things. Still, it is regretful that the dungeon disappeared. If I could investigate it directly, I think I might able to get a little clue from there…
“Well, there’s nothing we can do since it’s already gone. It’s thanks to Schnee that I understood something, and it’s going steadily.”
While pretending not to worry about it, Shin thanked the discouraged Schnee. For the information that vanished afterward, it was not possible to know without Schnee.
Instead, Shin was more worried if they couldn’t collaborate in information gathering together.
“(Kuu, smells good from there.)”
“(Hmm? It indeed smells nice. Let’s go there.)”
Shin changed his feeling from Yuzuha’s urging voice. Even if he was anxious, he decided not to say it yet.
After the meal, he looked around the residence a little, and then shut himself in the library again.
He took a rest in the residence at night, and it was the repetition of the library in the daytime.
As a change of pace, he had a match with Cuore, and watched the skill succession of Wolfgang so he was never bored.
When he went to Larua Grand Woods for a preliminary inspection, Tiera’s leveling up also took place. With her level still low, she became completely dependent on Kagerou conditions. Even if her upper limit was pretty much decided, Shin respected Tiera’s intention to want to become strong even if by only a little.
In the meantime, the remaining days passed in no time.
-
One week later, Shin met Girard again. They moved toward Larua Grand Woods in the early morning.
Because they were in the wagon which Shin remodeled, it was Kagerou who pulled it. There was Shin, Girard, Schnee, Tiera, Wolfgang, Cuore, Van, Rajim and Yuzuha who rode in the wagon.
“It’s fine weather.”
“It’s the perfect weather for a duel.”
Shin and Girard were sitting on the driver’s box. Contrary to everyone who seemed a little tense, the two people had a conversation like they were going fishing. Since there was nothing that could be done about it, there were no things that needed to be discussed left. Everything has come to an agreement, including the things after the duel.
“How is your condition?”
“I can do it anytime. My mind and body are joined together.”
The broad grin and laugh from Girard, an irrepressible presence was leaking out. Shin felt it was refined even more from the time when they met again.
Girard certainly seemed to be at full power today.
“Though I want to begin immediately, let’s send the other people to the spectator seats.”
“I guess from that hill should be fine, right?”
“Indeed, if there I guess it will be fine. Last time when the chosen ones dueled, I watched it from there.”
For a fight between the chosen ones of another country, Girard seemed to be called as a referee role. Though there were guards with low fighting power watching from the top of the hill, it seemed to have no problem if they saw Girard was nearby, Shin thought.
It was the human’s and beast’s chosen one that fought. Their stats were around 400, but the beast appeared to have won by a hair’s breadth.
“The usage of skill and power were rough, but the fight was not so bad.”
While they were talking, the place where the ground was several floors higher than its surrounding, appeared in Shin’s field of vision. Only short grass grew there, and it seemed to be quite vast when they surveyed it on the top of the hill. Because Shin and Girard were to fight, it was impossible to know what would happen. It was certainly perfect for a spectating place, when he thought about the spectator’s safety.
“Then, we will wait here.”
“Ah, I will count on you if there are any stray shots.”
The wagon was returned to a card, and he asked Schnee for precautions just to make sure. He thought it would be fine, but it wouldn’t end as a joke if it did happen.
“I understand. And as for Girard’s matter, thank you in advance.”
“Well, see you soon.”
“Shin, go for it~”
“Guru”
“I’m going.”
Schnee, Tiera, Yuzuha and Kagerou saw Shin off, and faced toward Girard’s people. Shin glanced ahead, and saw every one of Falnido were exchanging their last words.
“I will leave it to you two afterward.”
““I wish you good luck in battle!””
The things that should be told might have already been conveyed. So Girard only said a few words. Van and Rajim striked their left palm to their right fist, and said their farewell words.
“I will not forget the founder’s teaching throughout my life. As for the country and the people, leave it to me.”
Wolfgang declared that he would take responsibility of Falnido when Girard was no more, he announced it with confidence, sticking out his chest with pride. That expression has a close resemblance to Girard in the past. Powerful words, and oozing with presence, it was worthy of a Beast King.
“…I will become a warrior that won’t shame the founder’s name.”
Cuore, who stood nearby, had little watery eyes, but still looked ahead and stated her oath firmly. She couldn’t expose her unsightly side at Girard’s final goodbye, so she didn’t cast her eyes down.
Girard who saw her state nodded in satisfaction, and began to walk toward Shin’s party.
The parting was finished. There was only one thing left to be done.
“Shall we go?”
“Ou.”
Starting with those words, Shin and Girard began to run. With that sudden acceleration, the figure of the two people became blurry. They ran down the hill’s slope in a flash without anything obstructing them, and entered the forest.
“The king hadn’t laughed like that in a long time.”
“When was the last time I saw him like that?”
As they saw the two people disappear into the forest, Van and Rajim exchanged a few words. That face, that was laughing innocently like a child, was similar to Girard’s expression.
-
Part 2
Shin and Girard ran between the trees, they were headed straight towards the center of the forest. By the way, Larua Grand Woods was quite spacious. One could imagine the vastness, when it was said to be wider than Hokkaido in the real world.
They went towards the center to keep the damage to the surroundings to a minimum. To really ensure safety, they should be at least 20 kemels away from the spectators.
Wouldn’t it make so that they couldn’t be seen by the【Far Sight】 skill if they were that far away? It was probably a concern, but it would never happen. Because, on the route where Shin and Girard ran through, clouds of dust looking like explosions and thousands of sliced trees flying off could be seen. Even though their figures couldn’t be seen, that track of destruction informed the others of their existence.
The two people ran side by side for a while, and divided into two groups on the way. While heading toward the center, they gradually separated from each other. It was about 10 minutes later, that the earth and sand that was flying up due to their tracks disappeared, and so they knew that the two people stopped moving.
About 5 kemels apart, both of them faced each other. Among a few of the dueling methods of the beasts, it was the oldest dueling principle that was chosen this time.
With that settled, the duel that took place in Larua Grand Woods was where they set a distance according to the ability of the people who were fighting. This was intended to get rid of the handicap of each other’s weapon specialty.
Though it might seem to be disadvantageous for the short distance type, the dense trees that obstructed the view made it easy to dish out a surprise attack.
As for the long distance type, though the distance was reduced, that meant it was harder to make a line of fire with the trees in the way.
Now that it came to this, whoever found the opponent first, was the most important point. Normally the distance would be roughly 50 mels, but because it was these two’s ability that were having showdown this time, what was said to be the best distance was not decided. Both of them spontaneously decided the distance.
There was also no referee for this match. Though it wasn’t just because it would put the referee’s body into danger; to begin with, victory or defeat was not significant between Shin and Girard. The fight itself was the goal. A referee, and the likes, would only be a hindrance instead.
Their fighting spirits were mutually raised at their locations, and they gazed at the opponent they couldn’t see.
Shin had to control his 【Limit】, to match his stats with the time in the game. It wasn’t because he was ‘going easy on someone’. The titles, such as Limit Breaker and Accomplished One, were turned off in the fight, so it became the original values from when he had spent time with Girard.
Shin wore the titles that had increased his power from around the time of the Death Game. The titles that he acquired after he defeated the boss, Origin, in the final dungeon, would never have been obtained via normal play. Because the dungeon that was also called 【Gate of the Otherworld】, and Origin too, both appeared after the Death Game began. To fight against an opponent who called himself Master, it was extremely rude to depend on those cheat skills. Though there would certainly be a time when he must use it, at least now was not that time.
This was a kind of ceremony to see off Girard. It was meaningful, when fighting with only his own power.
Girard strengthened his own ability with the aid of martial arts skills. Shin’s stats were better than his, this was something he had known a long time ago. To fill the differences, even if only by a little, he wouldn’t spare the effort.
Though Shin talked about the titles with Girard, he also conveyed that he didn’t have any intentions of using them. About that, Girard was thankful, but regretful too. He would do the same thing if he was in Shin’s position; it was easy to imagine. The feeling of them getting in the way was understood, and he felt genuine happiness by thinking that it would be settled with only their own original powers. However at the same time, he really wanted to have a fight with Shin at his best, in the true sense. Girard also knew, that Shin also thought of the same thing. When that time happened though, it would be over in an instant.
Girard was lost in thought for a brief amount of time; To receive the death that he could be satisfied with the most.
Now at this moment, Shin and Girard were pouring every nerve into each other’s presence.
Thus, it was the moment that both of them were well prepared for. The presence of the opponent was felt, and it was understood that they were ready.
And then――――.
““Suuuuu――――――.””
The two people inhaled in a deep way. And like they had arranged it beforehand, skills were invoked.
““Oooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!””
What seemed to be like the firing of a signal gun for starting a war, was actually the barehanded system martial art skill, 【Cannon Wave】.
<Attract enemy’s attention, and cancel incantations of magic skills at a low probability.> As if sneering at such a skill’s explanation, both of them fired a【Cannon Wave】 that ran through Larua Grand Woods. Power that could rival even the upper class of wind-system magic skills mowed down a big tree exceeding 1 mel of diameter, blasted away a large monster on its course, and finally collided at the midpoint of the two people.
The charged energies did not offset each other, instead it condensed where it gathered, and that energy was released in all directions in the next moment. The scattering energy was transformed into a shock wave, and spread the destruction out to the surroundings.
That shock, together with the earth shaking, cleared the ground from a radial center that should be called ground zero. Big trees that were said to be several hundred years old, and the gigantic stones that were buried under them, flew over several mels up into the sky and disappeared into the thin air. Though it would cause a second disaster when they fell, the two people didn’t worry at all. After firing 【Cannon Wave】 , they had already started moving.
If Shin used a magic skill for long distance, than Girard, who specialized in close-range was at a disadvantage. However, Shin abandoned the advantage of a one-sided attack from the distance, as he went toward Girard.
With the speed of the two people, it wouldn’t take too long for them to arrive at the place where the 【Cannon Wave】 collided. The trees vanished and the ground was exposed, it was almost like an impromptu ring had appeared. Shin with his 『True Moon』 and Girard with his 『Crushing Moon』, took a stance and filled the distance furthermore.
“Shiiiiiiin!!”
“Giraaaaad!!”
Against the blow coming from over Shin’s head, Girard answered by thrusting his right hand straightforward. Sparks and a buzz sound were produced when the weapons clashed.
With a high-pitched metallic sound, cracks ran through the ground around the position where the two people stood. The earth was split, due to the energy from the clash.
“Kuku, still as good as usual.”
“Hah, this is nothing for me to stop the blow.”
With a grinding sound, while praising each other as their weapons met, the grins that appeared on their faces could be called fierce.
The duel had become a state where they couldn’t go easy on each other, because the higher the ability of both of them; just a trivial blow might prove fatal.
However, at this time now, Shin and Girard were both convinced that the other would not die from a lucky shot.
There was no reasoning there. They just knew.
――――This guy(Girard) won’t fall by such an attack!!
――――I can’t defeat this guy(Shin) with just this level!!
The weapons were repelled and they took some distance again.
Shin took a stance with his katana, and waited for Girard. Those fangs, if only he could pierce through them.
Girard, who prepared his stance with one leg bent in front and the other extending behind him, calmly overflowed with fighting spirit. As long as he used his own technique, he could receive it with his own body.
““……………………””
Silence, time flowed slightly.
And, the moment when the big tree fell from the sky between the two people, their figures vanished.
Subsequently, consecutive metallic and crushing sounds were heard. Sparks were scattered about midair and the ground on top of the ring was crushed.
As for speed, Shin was faster. The slashing attack that could be mistaken for a flash of light, he faced towards Girard without any hesitation.
And as for reflexes, Girard was superior as he faced Shin. He didn’t specialize in close-range combat just for show. The reaction to the strike, instant judgment, and above all, the attack predictions that came from 500 years long experience. Girard had experienced fighting against numerous people and monsters, and watched Shin fight side by side with him. His intuition showed that he could cope with Shin’s attacks, even if Shin had better stats than he had.
He bent his body and dodged the slashing attack from the upper right, approaching while flicking it with his 『Crushing Moon』, and then turned his body back to go under the roundhouse kick from Shin. The wind pressure, from when it missed, created a storm of destruction 10 mels in a straight line. Without minding Shin’s attack, Girard jumped up from the ground, after bending down, and drew back his fist.
That fist was then continuously fired out, with the support system magic skill【Enchant • High Blow】 to reinforce it further. It was an additional reinforcement magic, to the fist that could already crush a solid castle wall easily. For a fist that the naked eyes couldn’t follow, it was said to be inevitable that the opponent would be definitely crushed.
But Shin, who was a master of swordsmanship, was not so normal that he could not receive it either. The current stats were at the value that Shin was the most experienced with. When he fought against divine beast monsters, when there were confrontations among the Rokuten, and when he defeated Origin too; it was always with these stats.
Therefore, now Shin could completely grasp his own physical abilities. The arms that wielded the katana swung, and the foot that crushed the earth, they moved as Shin imagined them to. Was it because he dueled against this pinnacle opponent, the one known as Girard? His mana manipulation that was imperfect before the duel, it too was sharpened unconsciously. If he strengthened his stats by using the titles, his control might be weakened again. However, when he was in the present state, he was able to use mana naturally, like breathing; Shin was able to grasp it again.
For this reason, he didn’t skimp. In contrary to the fist coming toward him, Shin was pouring mana into his beloved katana.
Similarly to Girard’s fist, the blade that now received the support system magic skill 【Enchant • High Edge】 effect was shining, and its edge was sharpened, along with its speed.
The blade raised a buzz sound whenever it cut a fist. Whenever Shin’s blade resisted the fists of Girard, each weapon’s charged mana counterbalanced each other before discharging into the surroundings. Small explosions sounded around the two people as they exchanged blows, and the terrain was transformed.
For a lengthy long rally, remarkably large shocks resounded, then Girard and Shin separated again. Without missing a beat, they began to move. While it was going nowhere, even with the exchange of blows there, the way of fighting changed.
Contrary to before, it had completely changed to a high-speed chase inside the forest, now they dashed without leaving a trail of destruction. Though the figure of the opponent disappeared from sight, the two people wouldn’t make such a blunder as to lose sight at that level.
Let alone the five senses, their intuitions also sharpened. Multiple support system martial arts skills, ranging from【Mind’s Eye】 to 【Insight】 were activated there, and they sensed each other’s blood-lust, repeatedly clashing into each other.
The blade that was aimed towards Girard’s blind spot was repelled by his fist, while Shin had to fend off a tempest of fists that came from above with his katana. The attack was coming from all directions, whether from above, front, left, right, rear, and sometimes from the ground when they jumped.
Still, not a single blow was hitting each other’s bodies. Since there were stat differences, it was natural for Girard’s attacks to not hit.
But even Shin’s attacks couldn’t graze Girard. A person who knew the ability of these two people would feel a sense of incongruity. No matter how much they kept strengthening, currently there was a wall that couldn’t be overturned between Shin and Girard.
“Ah, I can’t get through. Is this the limit of the current technique?”
“Did you finish warming up? It’s time to show it. I felt something was off only a little while ago.”
“Kuku, you found out, huh? I was trying to conceal it.”
“Did you think I wasn’t gonna find out after we exchanged blows? It would be noticed eventually.”
“Don’t say that. It’s a technique I devised specifically to fight against you. Let me put on some airs a little.”
Sparks were scattered with the blade and fist, but the two people were joking around while running in the forest. Shin who was expressing slightly messy words, and Girard who was returning them with a smile.
For both attacks, though they were certainly powerful, it seemed to have turned into a state where friends talked about obtaining a rare item by chance.
They understood each other. There was still much to this fight; they hadn’t gotten serious and gone all out yet.
It had been about 10 minutes since the duel had started.
The greatest battle was about to begin.
-
Whenever Shin and Girard clashed, a portion of the forest vanished as craters and trees were blown away, exposing the devastation. The animals, which had sensed the abnormalities and moved to the edge of the forest, where there was little danger, were perhaps the only things saving grace. The two people were getting absorbed in the fight, but seemed to have considered the area as the damage tended to be concentrated at the center of the forest.
Somehow, that spectacle, which was watched with the 【Far Sight】 skill, was divided into two groups based on their reaction.
“…………”
“It couldn’t be…this is when the founder is serious.”
“Wow…”
“Ku~”
“Gu-Guru…”
Tiera was speechless at the scene that unfolded before her eyes. Wolfgang, who saw Girard being serious for the first time, growled. Cuore and Yuzuha couldn’t cover their excitement. Whereas Kagerou was watching their state.
“It’s about time they finished warming up.”
“Umu, flashy warm-up as usual.”
“Well, expect no less from our king.”
Schnee, Van, and Rajim watched it all with a calm composure, as if saying “You haven’t seen anything yet, there’s still more after this”.
Their reactions were split in two splendidly, into whether or not they had seen that Shin and Girard were not being serious yet.
“Master, they haven’t gotten serious yet, despite all that!?”
“Yes. Shin appears to have hardly used his magic skills at all, and Girard hasn’t shown his new move in that state either.”
“Master is strong like that too, right?”
“Depending on the fight, I still have a hard time against Girard.”
To Schnee who indirectly implied “I am stronger”, Tiera became speechless again. Though Tiera knew that Schnee was strong, after watching the fight between Shin and Girard, she understood how poor her imagination had been. Furthermore, it was said that the two people who were battling now weren’t even completely serious yet. How far away was the existence that spoke to her like it was natural? Tiera finally understood the true meaning.
“Honorable father, this is the fight of a High Human and Girard-sama, right?”
“It seems like there’s still more to it from Schnee-dono’s story. Though I also succeeded in the secret and became strong myself, I can’t help but think I have so much more to learn when I see this.”
“I have had a match with Shin-san before, and I thought he was as much the same as Girard-sama. But it was not so.”
“It’s the person whom founder-sama lowered his head to. We are likely not able to see through that power or something.”
While hearing the explosions echo far away from the hill, the parent and child were having a talk. Meanwhile, their pupils were moving rapidly, as they were going to sear the fight between Shin and Girard into their memory.
“It’s time for him to move.”
“Umu, I guess it will be an exchange of existing skills from now on.”
“That will reach the High Human, huh?”
“Now, it’s up to our king.”
Van and Rajim knew Girard’s trump card. They were not excited nor did they adopt a philosophic view on it; they just calmly watched the progress of the battle.
Part 3
The intense sounds stopped.
The vibration of the earth and the atmosphere fell silent.
In the forest, in the space that was born from the last clash, the main sources were facing each other.
“Let me declare this. From here, I will become one fang.”
It was time to go all out from here.
Girard announced with the implied meaning, and released all of his power.
There were two changes.
First, the aura that covered Girard’s body slightly shook.
Second, his body trembled a little, and transformed into the appearance of a wolf.
On top of that, there was the beast’s race bonus due to the changed outward.
Though the differences between the outward appearances were small, he was neither discouraged nor unprepared. Had Girard reached that fang? That couldn’t be just a mere transformation appearance.
In contrast to Girard, Shin started to invoke magic skills as well.
“Come then. I will fight with my whole soul.”
Matching that remark, there were 7 attributes of advanced level magic skills developing around Shin.
Starting with a white flame, a water that rotates at a high velocity, then red thunder, to the earth rising from the ground like a snake, if a person who practiced magic in this world saw that, they would faint. As those magics shouldn’t be able to manifest without chanting them one by one.
However, even facing the magic skills that surrounded Shin, Girard’s expression didn’t change a bit. It was natural. If he was shaken at this point, reaching that fang would only be an empty dream.
“――――Here I come!”
Just a word. Speaking no more than that, Girard disappeared.
No, it was…
“!!!”
It was high-speed movement without any prior motion. Even for the advanced level chosen ones, the reaction speed was unbelievable.
However, it was not possible to shake off Shin, even with that. Even if Shin was astonished, his perceptual skill continued on grasping Girard’s movement.
Shin unleashed one of his magic skills. A crimson thunder approached Girard――――
“It won’t hit!”
Not even a graze on Girard, but the forest was burnt.
“I see!! You have reached this point, huh?!!”
Shin shouted at Girard, who avoided being struck by lightning, while having a smile on his face.
Thunder and light techniques. In magic skills, these two boasted of being the fastest; They were thought to be unavoidable. It was possible only for a small handful of people, who reached an AGI value exceeding 900, with the support skill enabled.
Girard’s AGI value had reached 800. No matter how much he tried to enhance his physical ability, 900 couldn’t be exceeded. However, Girard showed that he could dodge the thunder technique. The action that was impossible in the game, he had shown it to be possible.
“I’ve been waiting, for this time.”
Girard spoke while in a fired-up mood, and closed the distance while feeling the heat on his skin from the lightning before.
He had gone through battlefields, polished his techniques, and searched for the technique that exceeded the limit by himself.
How far had he come? To what extent could he go? Girard himself didn’t know it either.
Still, he knew one thing . He was confident.
“Now, only now――――”
Yes, he was sure at this moment.
“My fangs will reach you!!”
He accelerated.
He was faster than when he avoided being struck by lightning.
It passed even the light technique.
Girard was the at the breaking point for a man who was at the summit, as he set foot there.
His whole body screamed with the intention to fight against Shin, as he charged towards the target(Shin) before his eyes.
“Ooooooooooooooooo!!!”
He drew back his fist, while maintaining top speed, with a power that was not even comparable to just several minutes ago. Girard’s blow that was approaching had one long straight beam of light behind it, while Shin held his 『True Moon』, prepared to receive the blow.
“You don’t think this attack will defeat me, do you?”
Shin told Girard, who then reacted like it was obvious.
“Of course not.”
As for Girard too, it was only natural that Shin wasn’t surprised.
Girard, who was at the boundary of men, continued stepping onto the road to the summit, and finally he achieved a view of the top. However, Shin was already there. He was not so naive, as to think that this amount of attack would surprise him.
“This is the first time I’ve seen that. How did you do that enhancement?”
“You can ask Schnee. After this battle!!!”
Girard pushed Shin aside together with a roar as he invoked the barehanded system martial arts skill 【Burst Strike】. No matter how different the stats were, mass didn’t change. If it was the current Girard, if he used 【Burst Strike】 which had a powerful knock back effect, it might be able to repel Shin forcibly.
Shin retreated while shaving the ground, and Girard attempted a second assault. There was no chance of winning if the distance increased, and he didn’t have a lot of time either. Therefore, whether or not Girard could finish his attacks in this match? It would depend on that.
The firmly stepped-on ground burst and scattered as Girard’s figure vanished.
“Gaaarr!!”
“Swish!!”
Against the fist that was approaching from his left, Shin put up his blade. The attacks didn’t always come from behind. As Girard couldn’t do such monotonous attacks.
Before the spark went out, Girard’s figure vanished again. He was running around Shin while maintaining maximum speed, and not only from the blind spots, he struck from the front sometimes, too.
Shin was thinking. For Girard’s phenomenal ability to rise, Shin knew Girard’s limit was being exceeded. Furthermore, there was something that he was hiding.
Did he want to use magic, or bring it to close combat? Or maybe do a surprise attack? While observing Girard’s movement, Shin considered his next move.
While striking at Shin who didn’t move, Girard also thought about how to deal a single blow with all of his might.
In Girard’s judgment, Shin, who was using magic skills to move from place to place, was troublesome. Supposedly, if Shin kept freely running around, with that alone, the chances of Girard winning went down to zero.
The skills for Girard, he was not only strengthened by becoming a beast, he was enhanced through the arts, too. And strengthening his body by 3 fold, it was done by consuming his life force. The movements that exceeded Girard’s limit, were possible because he staked everything on this fight. Until he could finally fight with Shin head-on.
If he moved poorly and the distance increased, it wouldn’t just end with time running out. Nonetheless, he couldn’t continue in his present state for a long time. He had to keep up with Shin with all of his efforts. He couldn’t behave as he did earlier.
“…Now, I’ll go from here!”
With a few words, Shin kicked the ground. A flash, like he was no longer ‘going easy on someone’ was unleashed at Girard in the form of a thrust.
“Chiii!!”
Girard glanced off the approaching katana with his 『Crushing Moon』, while at the same time bending his body. Although the place right beside him was blown away, Girard barely succeed in turning that brandish strike to the ground. He landed on his limbs at the same time lifting his upper body, thrusting out his fist high towards the sky.
““Enchantment!!!””
The voices of the two people and the sound of the arms clashing overlapped in succession, and the surrounding trees were blown away from the shock.
With Shin’s activated movement system, martial arts skill 【Flying Shadow】, due to the sudden change of course, together with attacking while pursuing, Girard reacted without even seeing it.
When Shin entered Girard’s range of attack, Girard’s body moved unconsciously. Because he knew the nature of the fight from one another, Girard’s reaction was precise. Shin especially, didn’t know this world’s unique strategy, which Girard had mastered. Therefore, Girard was able to predict the skills that Shin would unleash accurately.
“I guess we don’t have much time. Shall we exchange blows!!”
Shin shouted, with his sword not one step away. He didn’t understand what kind of enhancement Girard used, but he knew this duel, it was not the right way. When the duel had become drawn-out, only Shin would have the advantage. Such a thing, was not the fight Girard hoped for.
(Girard, you don’t wish for this kind of fight, do you!!)
With that thought, Shin put his strength into the hand holding his katana.
“Answer me!! Girarrrdd!!”
Girard withdrew back, avoiding the powerful blow, and corrected his posture.
“Kuku, haha, haha, that’s right. Good grief, I got greedy since the enhancement worked smoothly, huh?”
A strained laugh unintentionally leaked out from Girard, answering Shin’s remark. What exactly was he thinking? He reserved his power for the biggest game, Shin, he shouldn’t keep thinking as if he was the same as before. Such thoughts were discarded together while he exhaled.
Does the chance of winning disappear when Shin moves? Does he have the stamina?
Such thoughts were for a person who had the time.
“No, not now. With my remaining strength, my fangs will reach yoouuu!!”
He began to run with those words. As an answer to Shin’s shout, he returned a blow right to the front.
Shin didn’t avoid it. The swung down blade was pushed up, Girard’s shout was answered.
It was a simple blow that had neither had skills nor arts. Thus, there was no need to put much thought as their weapons resounded mutually.
“Hahahahaa”
“Kuahahaha”
It was said that fellow masters didn’t need words, they spoke by the exchanging of techniques.
““Hahahahahahahahahaa!!!””
Thus from thereon, the two people stopped talking.
They understood, even if they didn’t speak. They communicated when their weapons crossed.
Only laughter came from their mouths.
“ZeeaaAAA!!”
Shin invoked the katana and water technique combined skill, 【Setsugekka*】, a single blow formed an ice blade, from outside the distance between them. (T/N: Snow, Moon and Flowers)
“GuuraaAAA!!”
Girard’s fist was clad with fire, and broke the icy blade. Furthermore, he thrust out his fist in front before the flames went out.
The range shouldn’t have reached Shin. However, a mass of energy was projected out from his fist, and that fist, made up of flames, rushed towards Shin.
Barehanded flame technique combined skill【Blazing Sky】 and barehanded system martial arts skill 【Far Strike】 were put together for a counterattack.
“This sort of thing, *Burst*!!”
It was several times the normal 【Far Strike】. The bullet of fire with a width of almost 1 mel, Shin cut right in half with his katana. One of the effects bestowed upon 『True Moon』, was the nullification of magic skills that came in contact with the katana blade. Naturally, not all of the magic was erased, pure energy such as martial arts skills couldn’t be nullified. Having cut the blow that became the form of a flame technique from Girard just now, it was Shin’s height of capability.
Still, being able to cut magic, it became very handy in combat. Though it was a slightly different situation this time, he originally used it to cut barrier skills. With that alone, he could turn the tables.
Yet, it became a trap this time. Simply because Girard knew that Shin was able to cut 【Far Strike】, so he used a skill that let him wear flames.
Under the guise of a huge bullet of fire, Girard unleashed a skill while pursuing, in a situation where Shin would shake off his katana.
It was the barehanded system martial arts skill【Binding Snake】.
To obstruct the movement of the opponent, the energy with the shape of a snake hung around Shin’s arms.
“This won’t hold me!”
The restraints in front of Shin vanished, but that moment became the chance for winning the fight between the two.
“Shiden――” (T/N: This is also known as Itariden, which was mentioned in the previous part. I have changed it to Shiden.)
That moment when Shin’s movement was stopped. Girard dealt a blow with all of his might.
This was the secret that only the person who learned all of the martial arts system skills could unleash.
The pinnacle in martial arts skills.
“――Zekka*!!”(T/N: Superb)
Barehanded system martial arts skill 【Shiden • Zekka】. This skill needed only a moment before it was invoked, its movement was only a pushed out fist, right in front. It had a short reach and an even bigger opening, too.
However, for this reason, its power was top class among the many martial arts skills. If it was in PvP, it was said to be able to overturn the situation with just a single blow.
When the current Girard released it, supposedly, its power should be beyond Shin’s imaginations.
“Ku, GuoooooOO!!!”
In front of the approaching fist, Shin barely slid his 『True Moon』, at the last moment between the attack and his body. But even Shin too, was just barely able to properly parry it, as it was difficult to turn aside. Holding out was not possible, as he was blown away into the forest.
“Aaargh*cough*, as expected, it’s strong.”
Shin was blown away for dozens of mels, while some of the large trees vanished. Though it wasn’t a direct hit, it was clear that damage penetrated into his body. No matter how much of a stat differences remained to some extent, the power of the Shiden class of martial arts skills were in a different league. The forest, except for the place where Shin was, had a folding fan shape scattered for kemels away, testifying to the ferocity of that power.
Shin got up, and returned to Girard’s location. Although there was no pause time when using the skill, 【Zekka】 was a skill that had a big backlash. In the game, it became temporarily impossible to move after using it, and unnecessary damage was often received. It was not thought to be able to attack immediately after using such a skill.
Therefore, it was too late to react to an attack while being pursued from the rear.
Girard was soundless, without revealing his presence too, closing in on Shin as he glided on the ground.
He seemed to be able to totally read Shin’s thoughts perfectly, and assaulted the moment he had the chance. He suppressed his skill’s backlash forcibly, and his pupils were fiery and shined like a beast’s in a hunting game
“――!!”
Due to the wind technique skill, the noise of the approaching fist was gone, and the handle of Shin’s 『True Moon』 struck up. He judged the blade was good enough, rotated his body with minimal movement, and raising his opposite fist clashed against the armguard on Shin’s left arm.
The armguards clashing with each other resounded. It was a blow that could have taken off each others arms, if it was not Shin. The distance between them was only a few dozen cemels. Girard had invaded Shin’s domain.
Barehanded system martial arts 【Reverse Wave】―――― that skill was the derivation of 【Transparent Wave】 which Shin had used on the golem before. It was not a power that burst from the inside, it was a skill that broke through at a point and exploded on the outside. Though Girard was also slightly damaged from the point-blank range, he didn’t worry about such a thing anymore.
But because it was Shin, he wouldn’t remain silent when feeling the pressure gathered on his left arm. Shin immediately used 【Steel Repel】, and though the majority of the power from 【Reverse Wave】 was warded off, he couldn’t prevent his left arm from being flipped by the shock remaining.
With Shin’s damage reduced by his defense, Girard received a portion of the aftermath. As for damage, Girard who had a lot of it shouldn’t be able to move right away. Yet, Girard moved. As if there was no damage at all, he invoked the next skill.
Girard forcibly adjust his disordered stance, and what he invoked next was the barehanded system martial arts skill 【Eight Petals Palm】.
As the name might imply, it was an 8-hit combo attack. But the flowing combinations had already all been seen by Shin. Even in this world, there were certain motions to engage a combo attack.
Though Shin didn’t know it, it was said that skill was used against the physical body with magic. Each skills’ form has their own kind of chants, it could be said that the unleashed blows were invoked by magic. Therefore, it was very difficult to change form in the middle of a fight for a martial arts skill, as its power would drop if interfered with forcibly.
And supposing that rule was not known, if it was a person such as Shin, who was well-informed about the skill and the motion associated with it, it would not be difficult to deal with.
While destroying the posture with a close ranged martial art skills, Shin also dodged the drawn fist, and a kick with minimal movement.
When the last round kick approached from his rear, Shin put his strength into counterattacking it, but once again he was hit by an unexpected attack.
Soon after the kick passed in front of Shin, Girard instantly changed his pivot foot, using the rotation of his body, and aimed for Shin’s head. That without a doubt, was the movement of the continuous rotation kick from the barehanded system martial arts skill 【Two Wheels】.
“Guu――!?”
The kick that was approaching his face was stopped by 『True Moon』, Shin raised his eyebrows at the lightness of the power. He didn’t know it, but he felt that something was wrong. However, that ‘something was wrong’ feeling was confirmed before long by Girard’s following action. Using Shin’s blade that stopped the kick as a foothold, Girard jumped up and invoked a skill while rotating.
He made one rotation above Shin’s head, and without breaking his momentum, an axe kick from the barehanded system martial arts skill 【Waterfall】 weaved its way towards Shin on the spot.
The ground caved-in, as Shin, who received that blow, had his feet pushed into the ground. But even with such power, it didn’t become the decisive blow.
Shin, whose main job was samurai, was not superior in defense skills like a shield job, and was not equipped with high strength shield either. However, the katana Shin was holding was an 《Ancient》 grade weapon, 『True Moon』. The average shield was no match for its strength. In addition, because its performance as a weapon was top class, it could withstand an attack that was impossible to defend against by ordinary katanas. This was also usually the combat method that was used with a large sword that values strength.
Nonetheless, if Shin was without his prized possession, the 『True Moon』, he probably wouldn’t be able to defend against even a single blow of Shiden class attacks from Girard.
“Swish!!”
With his feet buried in the ground, while facing Girard who was in mid-air, Shin counterattacked with nothing but 『True Moon』. Girard, who was a little faster than Shin’s katana that was swinging down, took some distance with 【Flying Shadow】.
Shin’s thoughts were filled with astonishment. Girard was doing movements that he didn’t think of in the game.
Apart from the 【Zekka】’s recoil, 【Eight Petals Palm】 to 【Two Wheels】, and 【Waterfall】, Shin thought that such combinations flowing together were admirable even if it was his body caught in the attack.
To work out such a strategy, he had no idea how much training Girard went through. But there was one thing that was clear, giving his complete devotion was Girard’s true strength. He was a real warrior, one who might have overtaken High Humans on earth. When he thought about that, Shin, just like Girard, had his chest filled with bitterness.
It was understood. No, he was going to. Still somewhere, he was reminded of the sense of fighting during the game. Although Shin had already experienced PvP in this world, it was not a proper fight. So, he hadn’t experienced something called a real battle.
Thus, he was falling behind.
“…Pathetic. To think that I am the culmination that an opponent is risking their life against, and it ended up like this?”
It not being the final blow, it was all thanks to his stats and his piled up combat experience. But even with that, Girard had also caught up now.
What a predicament, when he said he would accept the challenge. In the way of fighting until now, he might receive a heavy blow sooner or later.
“――――No good. This is no good.”
Shin thought. The opponent, whom the first Beast King has pursued, shouldn’t be merely at this level. Even without the unusual titles, everyone must have thought that with an opponent like this, it would be a worthy death.
Is this the limit?
“――No”
Is this how the Master of Girard fights?
“――No”
It should be overwhelming. Being led around shouldn’t be allowed.
He was a High Human. The person who stood on the summit.
“…I’m sorry, Girard. It still wasn’t my everything.”
The way of fighting in the game was over, from here on out, it would be Shin’s best.
“Shiden――”
He returned to his senses, and the small skills were meaningless. Similarly with Girard, he would show his feelings with the his highest skill.
With his posture set with him holding the katana above his head. His movements, from up to down, were as if he were about to cut some Chinese bamboo in half.
Just, he only put it all into a single stroke.
“――Amagiri*!!” (T/N: Heaven Slash)
The single blow that designate itself as cutting the heaven, he ran toward Girard in an instant.
“――!!!”
Though Girard understood that he should never lose sight of Shin, still, he couldn’t help but stare in wonderment. The blade that was swinging down, it became blurry when Girard looked at it.
His body moved before he could even think of following his instincts and intuition. Girard’s abnormal reaction speed was acting in harmony, and reinforced by his body repeatedly.
“Damn it!”
He didn’t come through unscathed. Girard’s dougi type of armor, though it didn’t have any effect in battle, had a part of the shoulder cut open and stained with blood. As it may be called the same Shiden, 【Amagiri】was a more converged power than Girard’s 【Zekka】.
Behind Girard, who defended against 【Amagiri】, the earth was cut apart, exposing its cross-section due to the attack.
Nonetheless, for the current amount of damage that had been received, neither Shin nor Girard showed much of a difference.
Still, the presence that Shin gave off, Girard felt it had changed a little. From the blow just now, Shin deciding on something was transmitted.
“…Ku, kukuku, now you’re talking! That’s what I wanted to see!”
Girard muttered with a smile so ferocious, that even a grown man would run away. Though he was facing death at this moment, he was unbearably happy.
Faster and stronger. Until he could pierce his fangs into that body.
“RoaaaaAAR!!”
The ground was smashed and he ran.
Also with 【Amagiri】, there was big recoil similar with 【Zekka】. Naturally, it produced a big chance too. Girard was aiming for that. If it was the current Girard, he didn’t even take two seconds to catch Shin in his attack range.
“UraaaAAA!!”
Shin’s roar resounded there.
Girard’s fist arrived a little faster, Shin’s arm that should be stiff from the recoil, suppressed his mind and jumped up. The blade flashed and sparks were scattered with Girard’s fist. That was a movement that was impossible in the game.
And then the blade flipped. It didn’t mean that he knew how to suppress the recoil. It was by using his stats, that could be said to be forcibly breaking the mechanisms.
However, that was the correct solution. If it was impossible to remove the backlash, then the only thing left, was brute force.
Shin’s invoked movement of the katana technique system martial arts skill 【Swallow Reversal】, added to the blade, which drew an arc. The blade accelerated rapidly in the air once again, as Girard’s body was wounded.
――――You have to do it. You have to do this, you know?
――――Yes, it was rather late.
Each other’s smiles were deepened. Without saying anything, those words were transmitted through their weapons.
They realized the end was near.
““――!!!””
The smiles were erased, and at the same time they prepared their weapons.
Shin raised his 『True Moon』 over his head, Girard set his fists on his waist. As if they knew what they would unleash next, their preparations were simultaneously ready.
Their eyes met, but silently they bid farewell.
““Shiden――””
This was the end. They understood that mutually.
With the unleashed Shiden. There was no more martial arts to follow this, to decorate the end.
“――Zekka!!”
“――Amagiri!!”
Together with the invoked skills, the figures of two people disappeared. Instantly the distance between them was closed, as well as the impact that shook the space, a violent sound echoed out.
It was the clash of Shidens in close range. With that alone, the ground caved in radially with Shin and Girard in the center. The power of the clash increasing endlessly, the collided energy that was repelled, destroying the surroundings without exception.
Though the power’s repulsion was very powerful, both of them continued to let out Shidens like it was natural. It was an exchange of skills of the Shiden class, which was impossible in the game. Not only the user, but it also put a tremendous burden on each other’s weapons.
A snapping and cracking sound reverberated. To achieve that, which weapon was it?
No matter how much each of these weapons were bestowed with an invalidity weapon destruction attack effect, what was called durability surely existed. Therefore, it didn’t mean that it would never break, even though they were weapons of 《Ancient》 grade.
Still, even if they heard the screams of each other’s weapons, neither of them loosened their power. Because they knew it would become their defeat in that moment, if they relaxed, even if only a little.
““OooooooooooooOOOOOO!!!””
They clashed, separated, and collided again.
Apparently, in this fight similar to a rivalry, Shin gradually began to overwhelm. It was natural, because the ability of the two people was not equal. The weight of the blow after blow, and the burden to the body, the distinct differences became visible.
Therefore, Girard tore off the last charm.
“Shiden!!――”
This was the technique for someone who had already abandoned their life.
Color faded from Girard’s whole body. And, besides the power of his right fist, that was competing against Shin’s 『True Moon』 at close range, power also gathered in his left fist at the same time.
The white light that covered that fist was Girard’s own life force. It was the last splendor of his life, as he was baring his fangs at this moment.
“――Kassenkou*!!” (T/N: Constrict Pierce Armor)
That skill would inflict huge damage to both the armor and shield. A blow, like a flash exploded on Shin’s 『True Moon』.
The sound of something breaking gradually grew bigger.
Girard continued to receive the burden, of the multiple invoked Shidens on himself, yet he still continued to put forth his power.
“Using Shiden simultaneously, huh? That’s cheating.”
Shin cursed while taking the blow from Girard. Still, he didn’t back down. While his Shiden was activated, Shin stacked 【Enchant • High Edge】 on his 『True Moon』.
The power to rampage was arranged beforehand, so they could mutually unleash their best single blow soon. Having realized it was the end, it came down to which one had the first move.
Did they compete for a moment, or only several seconds? Or was it for several minutes?
““――!!!””
What reached the limit first was their weapons. The blade of 『True Moon』 broke, and the armor part of 『Crushing Moon』 also broke into pieces.
However, even if the weapons crumbled, it didn’t stop the users.
Shin, who was holding the remains of the hilt, took one step toward Girard with both of his hands lowered.
In regards to Girard, with nothing but both fists thrusted out, he single-mindedly charged toward Shin.
Shin too, promptly jumped upward with both hands holding the hilt. However, with both skills, 【Zekka】 and 【Kassenkou】, worn on Girard’s fists, and with 『True Moon』 becoming just a handle, without any skills, even Shin couldn’t defend against it.
“I got yoouuuuu!!”
The hilt that was used as a shield was repelled by Girard’s left fist, as his right fist smashed into Shin’s defenseless body.
With a raised roar, his fist ripped through Shin’s coat, coming into contact with the solar plexus―――― and made a ‘Tap’ sound, and there, he stopped moving.
“Damnit!!――――――Huh?”
I’m done for, was what Shin thought, and he took a step backwards from the unexpected lightness in Girard’s fist. He shouldn’t die an instant death, due to his high stats, but he was prepared for some damage. However, the fist that hit his body had no strength at all.
Shin raised his line of sight towards the thrust out fist, and saw Girard again――――He understood.
“…Girard”
“…………”
Girard didn’t respond. Only, he had become rigid in the state where his fist was thrust out.
“Gira――
“Listen, I got…*hack* *cough*…”
Girard interrupted Shin, who tried to call him once more. With blood vomiting at the same time, he fell down to his knees at the spot.
“Hey Girard!”
“…you… Apparently…This is as far as I can go.”
Shin was about to rush over, but Girard stopped it by raising one hand. He knew that recovery and so forth were useless.
“…I received the last blow. As expected from Girard.”
“Kuku, I have lived for 500 years,… not just for show. Surely… these fangs,… have reached you.”
Though his face was pale, Girard was laughing, baring his fangs. It was a ‘proud of myself’ smile, as this body had finally reached his master.
“Urgh…. Now then, my long-held…wish was fulfilled. Shin. Can I request..from you, one last time, a single blow as the reward?”
“…Understood.”
Girard, who had stood up while tottering, spoke of his last wish. After a bit of hesitation, Shin who heard it, accepted it.
From Girard who was barely standing, he took a distance of about 10 mels. And, quietly released his 【Limit】. Simultaneously a torrent of power gushed out. The time when he was exchanging blows with Girard seemed halfhearted, and strange pressure surges were in the surroundings.
“So this is a…”
Receiving the pressure that emitted from Shin, Girard kept standing there. His last wish would depend on Shin’s all out power as the finishing blow.
Power that Girard couldn’t fight against. Thus, to get over the last ordeal, he wanted to witness Shin’s power.
Shin took a stance. The shattered 『True Moon』 was stored into the Item Box, with nothing in his hands. No, to begin with, weapons and so on were unnecessary.
Shin’s stance that he took, was the movement for 【Zekka】. It is quite ironic if that is the case, Girard thought.
“…See you”
“Farewell”
They exchanged a few words, and Shin took a step forward. With that speed, which was godlike. Girard had already lost sight of Shin.
But he knew. Before the blow that was approaching his body, Girard perceived Shin in the world for a moment.
With overwhelming power, and mana gushing out. The speed that would leave everything behind.
That figure, the appearance of the Master whom Girard surely yearned for. The present Shin was more powerful than even the figure that existed in his memory.
He wanted to reach those fangs someday. He, wished to be the best existence. That conflicting wish was now, becoming a shape in front of Girard.
(Indeed, that’s what I expected of my――――)
His last thought dissolved, when the roaring sound echoed.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 03 - Falnido Beast Alliance/The-New-Gate-Volume-03-Falnido-Beast-Alliance-[Shin][Armaell]/f004.txt
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Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Part 1
“It seems to have ended.”
It was a little silent, after that remarkably big explosion. The powerful shock wave that crossed the forest and mowed down the trees had stopped.
Not just Schnee, but everyone on top of the hill realized that it was the end of the duel.
““…………””
Wolfgang and Kagerou, who both boasted of high stats too, fell silent. No, they couldn’t say anything. They were cautious while all of their body hair was bristling.
The last blow. They were speechless at that too powerful pressure. Though they knew who fired it, still, the power surge couldn’t be seen in an optimistic view. It made them realize defeat, without even fighting, and they couldn’t help but feel the presence of a conqueror.
It hadn’t been long since they met the person called Shin, but everyone’s breath was taken away as they couldn’t imagine that violent presence had come from the figure of the ordinary Shin.
Therefore. In the midst of that silence, only Schnee remained calm.
“You can’t be befuddled forever, you know.”
““Huh!?””
With that single phrase, everyone quickly came back their senses. It was the moment of their own king’s death. This was not the time to be senile.
“Someone is coming here.”
“Perhaps, that’s….”
Having steeled themselves in the confusing surroundings, Wolfgang and Cuore noticed a person approaching. When did that person get close? There was a figure at the bottom of the hill.
There was only one figure appearing. It walked toward the top of the hill while carrying something on its back. Needless to say, it was Shin and Girard. Shin was shouldering Girard, whose eyes were closed like he was sleeping.
Everyone went down the hill without waiting for Shin to arrive.
“Shin, your clothes…”
“Ah, it’s from Girard.”
Tiera, who saw the ripped coat, spoke with concern, but understood Shin was not seriously damaged from his gesture, and nodded as she was relieved.
“I will take out the wagon. Please hold onto Girard.”
““Affirmative””
While fiddling with the Item Box, Girard’s corpse was left to Rajim and Van. After taking out the wagon, Girard was laid behind the carrier, so he wouldn’t be shaken.
“Girard-sama…”
Looking at the laid down body, Cuore leaked out a voice with moist eyes. Her shoulders were dropped feebly, the ears that always stretched upwards were now drooping along with her head. Wolfgang didn’t show any of the attitude, but he looked somewhat a little disheartened.
Nothing could be done for the grief to held in, even if it was the person’s own last wish.
“Raise your heads. All of you guys.”
Shin called out to the two people. It was different from before. It was a voice carrying some dignity.
“Shin-dono?”
“He would be ashamed of your sympathy.”
Shin knew what he said was harsh. Gratitude was not expressed. Still, he believed he had to say it himself.
“Princess, Ulu too, don’t be disheartened. Look at the king’s face.”
Van called out, and the two people looked up. Though it was a digression, Ulu seemed to be a nickname for Wolfgang, only spoken by his close friends.
“He has a satisfied look. No one will think he had a regret remaining when they see this.”
Rajim too, called out to cheer up the two people. What Rajim said was right, a faint smile had appeared on Girard’s face. To Van and Rajim, who had shared a long time with him, Girard’s final thoughts were understood, without them even having to wonder.
There was certainly a feeling of sadness. However, the feelings of relief were stronger. They knew Girard had hidden the truth about his life span. Therefore, the joy of him dying without any regrets was bigger.
He would rather die in a satisfying fight than survive shamelessly. Because that was the way of his life, for a man who lived as a warrior.
“That’s right. If I was to weep, I would be laughed at.”
“Ah, you are right.”
From the words of the two people, that were the closest to Girard, Wolfgang and Cuore seemed to have regained themselves. The two people each faced Girard’s death firmly, the resolve to step forward was able to be perceived.
-
It didn’t take much time for the wagon to arrive at Girard’s residence in Elden.
The corpse was enshrined by Van and Rajim, and various people in charge of office and executives were gathered under the instructions of Wolfgang. When Girard’s death was announced, there were grieving people, there were people showing an expression of relief, and various other reactions.
There seemed to be people who also guessed at the things that happened in Larua Grand Woods, too. Apparently the sounds of their battle had echoed throughout Falnido. When connecting the dots, together with Girard’s death, questions on who was the person who fought him surfaced.
“The founder’s last moments, were very worthy of him.”
Wolfgang didn’t report Shin’s name. However, it was clearly declared that there was no better match for Girard’s last fight.
Naturally, there were people who wondered who it was, but the majority of people guessed it was someone similar to a High Human follower. Schnee and Shibaid, both were well known to have interacted with Girard, as for the other members, there wasn’t a doubt about their abilities, too.
For the people who still weren’t convinced, when they met Girard’s corpse and looked at his face, Wolfgang’s speech was understood to be truthful. A lot of people from Falnido had the reaction of; this was the spirit of a true warrior.
Anyways, everyone was quickly convinced. Before the day was out, contact was made with each community that lived here in Elden, with the exception of the dog tribe, and they started the preparations for the funeral service in unison.
Girard was unmistakably the founding father, even if he had long since retired. It was a necessity for it to become a national grand funeral. Before the supposing one week, various people gathered in Falnido, reaching the point where the place was like a festival rather than a funeral. Envoys seemed to come from all of the countries with diplomatic relations, except the clan in Falnido.
Because Shin and his group didn’t have to prepare for the funeral in particular, they spent every day going back and forth to the library. But they hadn’t accomplished much. Still, being able to enter the restricted zone, more useful things were discovered here than from the books in the general area of Bayreuth’s library.
Part 2
And then, it was the tenth day after Girard’s death. The funeral of the first Beast King, Girard Estaria, was held in the capital of the dog tribe, Elden, of the Falnido Beast Alliance.
Shin and Schnee participated too. It was told that Schnee came after she had heard the report of Girard’s death, and it was accepted without any doubt. Shin and Schnee lined up to see off Girard, equipped with a full body armor for that occasion. Some of the attendees wore the equipment that they had worn when they had shared battlefields with Girard, and Shin, who had put on armor, was mistaken as a veteran hero; he was thought to be a famous soldier. Girard had had a lot of combat experience, so unexpectedly, there were a lot of people who had shared battlefields together, but didn’t know each other by sight.
At the funeral, everyone in the upper echelon of the country was present, each tribal head and successor, retired former generals, and so forth; a terrific lineup had been gathered. The representative from the village of elves and pixies was also among them. Wolfgang, who was the king, and Cuore the princess were in the front row. There was a person next to Schnee. It was the representative of the dragon imperial empire, Kilmont, an ally of Falnido, and Shin’s support character no. 4, Shibaid Etraku.
He was a High Dragnil with red eyes, and scales like obsidian. As a fellow companion that founded a country, apart from as a person that also served as a fellow vanguard in Shin’s party, Shin heard they had formed strong communications. Both the capitals of the two countries should have a considerable distance between them, but somehow, he made it in time. Shin, who saw that figure, felt nostalgic, and thought that as soon as he had calmed down, he would meet him directly.
The funeral advanced solemnly, and finished peacefully without any trouble. Girard’s body seemed to be buried in the earth where the successive kings laid. ‘I am born from the earth, live on the earth, and return to the earth.’ That was the outlook on life and death that most of the beastmen had.
At the end of the ceremony, Wolf Type, Dog Type, and Fox Type, all of the beasts howled together. It was the melody of burial rites, to send off warriors who fought till their last breath.
Girard’s body was buried in the tomb of the kings while being seen off by many people.
-
When the funeral was over, Shin returned to the residence. Wolfgang and the executives of the country had a pile of matters to be discussed hereafter, and it seemed that they wouldn’t return home for a while.
“Can I sit next to you?”
Having called out to Shin, who was looking out at the garden, while he was patting Yuzuha above his knee, was Van. The figure of Rajim was seen behind him, too.
“Is the discussion going well?”
“We, the old soldiers, shouldn’t come into play.”
“That’s right, the country’s matters have already been entrusted to others.”
Van sat on the veranda, and spoke those words to Shin who was asking. And Rajim agreed with the words.
The two men were clad in such a calm atmosphere, that Shin had the feeling that they would disappear at any moment.
“What will you two do from now on?”
“Go on a journey.”
“Journey?”
“Yes, because our companion is waiting, too.”
“…I see. Go join your friend.”
Their companion is waiting, too. From the words which Van said and the atmosphere around him, Shin felt something special. He knew the destination of the two people.
“…Hey, according to you two, what kind of guy did you see Girard as?”
After a few minutes of silence, such words came out from Shin’s mouth.
“He was a great person.”
“He was a warrior rivaled by nobody.”
As Van and Rajim were feeling nostalgic, they closed their eyes and spoke.
He stood before everyone else, a leader who showed the way. A great person, who possessed overwhelming fighting power.
“He was a solitary man.”
“He was someone who got lonely easily.”
A hero without equal. A lonely king.
Because of his combat power, it was often said that it couldn’t be helped that he fought alone on the battlefield. If neither Schnee nor Shibaid was there, the two people said he would really keep standing alone on the battlefield. And yet, he seemed to impulsively pick quarrels with his friends.
“He was a person who thought of his friends.”
“He was a person who could do nothing but fight.”
For this reason, people gathered in Girard’s surroundings. For the sake of his friends he picked up a weapon, and rushed on to defeat monsters, he gathered up the tribes during the confusion of the crustal movement. He was just like a hero from the fairy tales.
Just, unlike a lot of heroic tales, he had no enthusiasm to be king. Girard’s job was focused purely on combat. Other than that, it was not important.
Though people requested it from Girard, he himself knew that he didn’t have the ability to rule. If anything, he was fit as a general. Thanks to that, he needed people to support him. Van and Rajim were first on the list, and he was said to have a hard time. Nevertheless, though he never tried to stop them from leaving, he felt mutual trust within those surroundings.
While having fighting power that could be called abnormal, it wasn’t the contributing factor on why he was alone. As the gap between battlefield and daily life was tremendous, the two people spoke in unison at the end.
“I see, thank you for telling me.”
The appearance of a Girard, whom Shin didn’t know, was there.
“Shin-dono, I want to express my gratitude once again.”
“What’s that, suddenly.”
Van straightened his posture and bowed to Shin. When he moved his line of sight, Rajim too, was bowing in the same way.
“Hey now, both of you.”
“For granting the king’s wish. Our feelings of gratitude will never end.”
“Come on now, just quit it. It happened by chance, really.”
Yes, it really was a coincidence for him to return, and etiquette was not necessary, Shin thought. Moreover, if Shin didn’t return, Girard might still be alive.
“We don’t think of those kinds of things at all.”
Rajim spoke his words while raising his head, to Shin who did think about these kinds of things.
“A life that does not end, it’s painful for us beasts, who are not of the long-life kind.”
Rajim said. The average lifespan of a beast didn’t vary much compared to humans. It was about 120 years at most, even if one had a long life. Sure, there would be people who would live for several hundreds of years, that were born in this age, but judging from the whole, it was only a small handful. In comparison with the elves and pixies, who seem to live for an eternity, it could be said that life was too short.
However, that was fine. Elves are elves, pixies are pixies, and beasts have the beast’s way of life. It was very cruel, that he alone deviated from that road.
Except for himself, the other people that were born, died. People who lived in the same time as him, left him. Certainly, Girard’s soul was gradually being eaten away by time.
“We are people who live for just a short time. Living a long life is like an endless prison. Thus, to Shin-dono, who released the king from there, it’s natural for us to express our gratitude. Even if it was by chance that you returned here, you did not leave without doing anything.”
-
Van and Rajim left, and a veil of darkness descended in the area. Because he conveyed that he would have dinner by himself, no one came to call on Shin.
While the moonlight shone, Shin was still on the veranda. Yuzuha had curled its tail and was sleeping.
“…Welcome home.”
Shin called out to Schnee as he perceived her approaching. Though Shin returned to the residence soon after he had witnessed the burial, Schnee, who was in a special position, was unable to return immediately.
After the fight, outwardly, Shin appeared to have no change until now. However, looking at it from Schnee’s viewpoint, that state of no changes was unnatural. For this reason, she wanted to be at his side if possible, but Schnee had to attend a meeting.
The general greeting was finished, and when she returned to the residence and felt the presence of Shin, she discovered that he was looking at the night sky from the veranda. But the face that she saw from the side seemed to melt inside the moonlight and disappear; he looked empty.
Schnee approached quietly and embraced Shin. Because he was sitting, Shin’s face was held against Schnee’s breasts, but his expression didn’t have any big changes.
“…Schnee?”
Shin called Schnee’s name in wonder. But that voice somehow lacked feeling, too.
“The current Shin seemed to have disappeared somewhere.”
Oddly enough, it was the same feeling that Shin felt from Van and Rajim. In order to erase the anxiety welling up inside his mind, Schnee put power into her arms to hold Shin.
“Whatever it is. Please say it to me.”
She didn’t know what she was able to do. But to make him even just a little energetic, Schnee spoke the words.
Before long, an answer came back.
“Just a little while ago, Van and Rajim came.”
Saying few words, Shin conveyed the things he talked about with those two. With Schnee embracing Shin closely, she listened to his voice.
“Van and Rajim said they understand it.”
“Yes.”
“They also said they understand Girard’s own wish.”
“Yes.”
“Even me, I understood it as the opponent.”
“Yes.”
While speaking, Schnee noticed Shin’s voice was trembling a little.
After coming to this world, the time Shin spent with Girard was awfully short. However, they discussed each other’s intentions through weapons, to fill the time they had been apart. It was neither NPC, and not data either; it was the real Girard. The length of time spent and so on, was unrelated to the two people.
Therefore, in a sense, this was the proper reaction.
Even if the person himself wished it. Even if the surrounding people consented. But still.
“My friend died…it’s hard….”
It was painful. Because Shin understood it at the end.
“…Please cry. You have fulfilled your obligation. It’s okay to grieve.”
While hugging Shin, Schnee also noticed that her view was blurry.
She must be sad, and it must be difficult. To Schnee, Girard was an important companion.
Beneath the moonlight, without sobbing, and without crying voices.
Only the tears didn’t stop.
The two shadows that drew close to each other under the moonlight, slowly separated.
The person who got over his sadness, in his eyes a fire with a strong light was lit .
The moon sunk over the horizon, and the sun made its appearance.
The spectacle that filled the world with light, Shin directly watched it.
Part 3 (Side Story)
One day, while waiting for the duel with Girard, set to be held 3 days later.
“Falnido is more lively than a country of humans, huh?”
“If I were to say it in a few words, it’s because the customs and cultures are quite different from tribe to tribe.”
Shin, who said so, spoke without any particular reason, but was dutifully answered by Cuore.
Four days had already passed since Shin came to Girard’s place in Elden.
It’s not good to stay in the library all the time, said Schnee and Tiera; which was the reason they were sightseeing in the town. Cuore who heard them, immediately announced she would become his guide, which is how they reached their current state.
Only Cuore walked next to Shin, except for Yuzuha who was sleeping on top of Shin’s head. Tiera was doing a completely different action of siding herself alongside Schnee.
Tiera, who was taken away by Schnee, had a gloomy face, or it was probably just his imagination. Shin deceived himself, she’ll feel better when she comes back.
“Though I only took you to the recommended places until now, is there anywhere Shin-dono would like to go?”
The capital of Falnido was decided on as the city where the king resides. Therefore, the current capital was here at Elden. He had heard the explanation from Schnee, but naturally it was not on a scale that could be called a village. It would be difficult to finish going around it in one day.
“Places I want to go, huh?”
Since Cuore already guided him to some extent, it didn’t occur to him right away.
“So?”
While thinking about where he wanted to go, what entered Shin’s line of sight was the signboard of a certain shop. Shin who saw it, for some reason, picked Yuzuha up from on top of his head and brought it before his face.
“Kuu?”
Yuzuha, who was suddenly being held, barked like it wanted to say: “What is it?”
“That reminds me, I have a feeling that Yuzuha’s fur is going from a bad situation to a worse one.”
One of Rokuten’s members, Cashmere, had taught him a lot of things about taking care of monsters. Was this because hugging a monster that had a good coat fur let one thoroughly enjoy its fluffiness? The present Shin understood the disorder of its fur to some degree. Of course, there was no such skill in the game. But when he stared at it closely, he was certain that the coat hair was deteriorating after all.
“For the moment, may I stop at that shop?”
“That one? Ah, I see. I understand.”
Cuore, who saw the shop, somewhat knew what Shin thought, and agreed immediately.
When they passed through the door and entered, a Dog-type woman came over.
“Welcome. What are you looking for today?”
After the woman shifted her attention from Cuore, who was standing next to Shin and Yuzuha, whom he carried, she shifted her pleasant eyes toward Shin.
Shin felt like he was being somewhat misunderstood.
“I need a brush for brushing, but I also want you to show me some combs….”
“Certainly. Here please.”
In the place which that woman guided them, there were big and small brushes displayed. Ignoring the employee who was speaking slowly, Shin looked at the brushes.
Apparently, there were materials that were prefered by different races, although they looked the same, they varied from materials to prices.
Dog, Wolf, Fox, and so on seemed to have similar preferences, as they were sold together.
“Amazing. Do you have something like personalized brushes here?”
“For a particular person, they can get the material by themselves.”
It was not rare, as Cuore had one, too. As Shin felt admiration for the beasts’ obsession to brush, suddenly he remembered these kinds of things. It was by the greatest tamer; the article that had been carefully made by Cashmere. It was something that seemed comfortable when Girard was brushed in the game era.
“I don’t have much time to explore, so I should care for Yuzuha every once in a while.”
“Kuu!”
He purchased some items to improve the coat of hair, and they exited the shop.
When they returned to the residence, Shin sat on the veranda outside of the room, and took out the brush, ‘Gloomy Star’, from his Item Box. It had a dark appearance, like a common brush. But the handle was made from the World Tree’s trunk, and the bristles of the brush were made from the materials removed from a level 800 gigantic monster with a large mass of hair, called Tyrant Bristle.
By the way, here is the description: <From here on, you are the Brushing Master, may the best coat be with you>, was one sentence that appeared. With brushing alone, cat, dog, horse and so forth, the favorability of the monster for each model increased. It was certainly a super brush.
Originally, there were various kinds of brushes; this brush was for hair loss, the furballs were collected and broken down by the magic item; it was also a magic tool.
“Keep still.”
Shin said, and he put the brush on Yuzuha’s back. First, it was gentle, as the brush loosened up the hairs.
“Kuu~…”
While being careful not to put in too much power, the entwined hair was unraveled. Did this gentle repeated brushing feel good? Yuzuha let out a bark, like it was losing strength.
“………”
Cuore was staring enviously at Yuzuha. Though she should be free, since the town tour was finished, when she heard that Shin was going to brush Yuzuha, she asked him to show her by all means. Shin too had no reason to decline, though it might be boring, so her being there was approved.
With her admiration for Shin continuing to accumulate from Girard’s stories, his courteousness and skillful brushing of Yuzuha was seen, so Cuore unconsciously thought about these kinds of things.
――Is it no good if I request it of him?
――No, it’s rude to him…he’s a High Human, yeah.
――But, still…
For a beast, having the opposite sex do the brushing and grooming had a special meaning.
It was an expression of one’s intention towards their lover, or someone close like a family member. A woman requesting it from a man, although it wasn’t necessarily a confession, the fact of it being special didn’t change.
While her tail and ears were twitching, Cuore was inwardly troubled about what to do, and the figure of someone she knew approached from the other side of the veranda.
“Hmm? Shin? Didn’t you go sightseeing in the town?”
“I have to take care of my partner occasionally, hence the brushing.”
“I see. Fumu…It’s been a long time. Can I request it too?”
“Sure, it’s almost over, so please wait a little. Come to think of it, this brush was made by Cashmere for Girard’s sake.”
They exchanged such a conversation, as Girard sat next to Shin. Yuzuha’s brushing ended after a few minutes, and the brushing of Girard, who transformed into a beast, began this time.
“………”
Cuore was speechless at seeing such a scene. The current Girard who hadn’t let anyone, except his deceased wife, brush him was well known to Cuore.
However now, Girard was lying down and had his eyes closed before her; while Shin carefully moved the brush using one hand. That appearance, which looked like a large dog that entrusted its body on the knee of its master, was captured by Cuore’s eyes.
Though Wolf Types hate to be treated like a dog, it couldn’t be helped but to think so. Cuore felt the reliable bond between the two people.
(For Girard-sama to make such a face, I’m seeing it for the first time.)
The expression was hard to understand when Girard was in beast form, but Cuore, who was a similar Wolf Type, understood well that Girard was relaxing and loosening his whole body.
Unlike Yuzuha, Girard had a large physique, but eventually it ended in less than 30 minutes.
“I feel refreshed after such a long time.”
“I’m glad you feel that way!”
“Now then, on this occasion, how about you do it to Cuore as well?”
“Eh!?”
It was a dream come true for Cuore, but at the unexpected development, she shouted out unintentionally.
“I’m fine with it, but is it okay to do it? Apart from the monster Yuzuha, and the man, Girard, Cuore is a woman. To do that to the opposite sex, there tends to be a lot of strange meanings that could arise though.”
Shin turned toward Girard with a suspicious face. Even without the knowledge, he thought there was some meaning to the act.
“That will not be a problem. To let my master take care of my descendant, there’s no motive. Cuore also seems to anticipate it.”
“Wha!? G-Girard-sama!?”
Cuore’s face reddened from Girard’s remark. But no words of denial came out from her mouth.
While she tried to say something in a hurry, eventually she finally looked downward embarrassed, answering “Yes” in a faintly audible voice.
“Well then, I’ll do it as carefully as possible, it’s my first time brushing a woman. If the power is too much for you, I want you to say so without any reservations.”
“Understood. Please treat me favourably.”
Cuore transformed into a beast, and put her body weight on Shin the same way as Girard did. Immediately she felt the brush touch the back of her head. Slowly and carefully, the entwined hairs were pulled apart without causing any pain; it was a skilled hand movement.
“…!! …Umn…nn”
Was it because of the superior tool, or because of Shin’s technique? Choppy voices leaked out from Cuore’s mouth, as she felt the comfort that she didn’t experience in everyday brushing. With each stroke of the brush, she felt calmness. Before several minutes had passed, Cuore was in a dreamy state of dreaminess.
“Kukuu, she somehow looks pleased.”
“Kuu. Shin is skilled.”
Girard and Yuzuha understood. Understood in that territory, but Cuore didn’t notice. Within that comfort, just like receiving a first rate massage, her cheeks loosened.
“Alright, it’s done.”
“*Woof*…Thank you very m…What did I just say!?”
Girard laughed.
“In the presence of others, make sure to not let your mind wander.”
“Ugh…I think I let my guard down a little, anyway it’s different!”
The feeling of being embarrassed rose, when she said things that she only spoke about in her own room. However, when her head and neck were being gently stroked by Shin, she was able to regain her composure a little. If she looked at the front, Girard being patted the same way was relaxing. Before anyone noticed, Yuzuha was already sleeping on top of Girard. At that appearance, Cuore had a soft smile.
Tiera and Schnee came back after a while, Shin at that time, was like a master that was surrounded by his pet dogs; wry smiles on their faces.
That was just a few days before Girard died.
It was like the good old days they spent before, a peaceful time.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 03 - Falnido Beast Alliance/The-New-Gate-Volume-03-Falnido-Beast-Alliance-[Shin][dotNovel]/Title.txt
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The New Gate
(THE NEW GATE)
Volume 03
Falnido Beast Alliance
Kazanami Shinogi
(風波しのぎ)
Story Description:
“THE NEW GATE”, an online game that trapped its players and turned into a death game, was now releasing the thousands of players that had been dragged into it, thanks to the efforts of Shin, one of the most powerful players.
But after having defeated the last boss and freed everyone, he was swallowed up by a strange light and found himself inside the game world 500 years in the future and unable to leave.
Original Story can be found here: Link
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 03 - Falnido Beast Alliance/The-New-Gate-Volume-03-Falnido-Beast-Alliance-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_03_Chapter_01_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 1
“Then, let’s start getting ready now.”
Shin decided to head toward the Falnido Beast Alliance where his old friend Girard awaited, and they began making the preparations respectively. However, because Tsuki no Hokora could wholly be carried with him, most of the preparations were unnecessary.
The elf, Tiera, returned to her room to choose the clothes that were appropriate for going out. The Element Tail, Yuzuha, stood by on top of Shin’s head in the young fox mode. The High Elf, Schnee, looked back at Shin and said;
“I have to go complete the request. Could you buy some food and supplies, just in case?”
“Okay. Since I’m going to go to the adventurers’ guild after I lightly temper a sword, I’ll buy them on the way.”
“You’re going to the guild?”
“Yeah. I guess we’ll go do our separate actions for a while; Schnee, you’re still on the Skull Faces matter, right? Therefore, I’ll take a request toward the Falnido area, and improve my rank while I’m at it. It’s regrettable, but I can’t stay a rank G forever.”
To enter the guild and stay at the lowest rank forever, was not a good thing in the eyes of society either. Because he knew that staying as a rank G for a long time was a rare case, even for a person who didn’t have remarkable abilities, he thought to at least to make it to F rank.
Since the Skull Faces’ subjugation was not a request, Shin currently had zero request achievements.
“I understand. What about the meeting place?”
“I’ll decide it after seeing the status of the request. We can always use the message card to talk to each other.”
“If so, let’s form a party. We can use the voice chat in that case. It’s easier than using message cards.”
“EH, Seriously!?”
According to Schnee, only partners in the same party could use the voice chat. Now the speaking and writing via the mind was called [Mind Chat].
“However, only we, the old generation, are able to use it immediately. People like Tiera, a new generation; someone who was born after the Dusk of the Majesty, I heard they are unable to use it if they don’t trust each other. Even so, I don’t know how true that is.”
“What happens if the old and new generations are mixed in a party?”
“Only the old generation is able to use it.”
Because she didn’t know on what kind of principle it worked, she appeared to be unclear on the exact conditions. In the case of the new generation, they seemed to suddenly be able to use it one day. Certainly, the [Mind Chat] was not usable when the party was disbanded, but if the party united again, the person who experienced that communication would be able to use it right away.
“So that means, only Schnee and I can use it immediately, huh?”
“Yuzuha is also able to talk to Shin~”
A sweet voice came down from on top of his head.
“In the case of Yuzuha, I think it is because of Yuzuha’s individual talents and Shin’s tamer ability. I also think it’s better if you don’t announce that too much. Please remember the party that we are talking about and the guild’s party are two different things.”
“Different?”
“What do you mean?”
Shin and Yuzuha had a question mark floating above them.
“A party is only recognized by the guild after it has registered with the guild. However, the party formation system for the old generation, like Shin and me, was performed through the menu display so the general public is not aware of it. In other words, we can create a double party.”
To begin with, the menu screen seemed to be limited to the people who are still alive since the Dusk of the Majesty. For the new generation, they couldn’t read the precise explanation notes of the skills and arts and somehow only understood how to use it, not how it worked.
“If there is no guild card for the new generation, they only roughly know my stats, excluding my level, huh? But eventually, only a party that was formed in the guild is recognized by the guild, don’t you agree? Is there an advantage of forming a party the way the old generation did?”
“It’s being able to use the Mind Chat. In this world, when there are many partners who can do long-distance communication, only that alone is useful. Since there are almost no human beings that have the message card, I guess. Also in any country, the person who has the Mind Chat is given preferential treatment. Even if that person is not an adventurer for an old generation. Because there is no need to go to battle, if that person joined a party and it was dispatched to various locations, as they are able to quickly receive information.”
“I see, so a person who is able to use the Mind Chat is hired just because of the skill, huh?”
The communication method in this world was letter delivery by a messenger or a wagon. The speed of the information transmitted was extremely slow compare with Mind Chat.
From Schnee’s story, only a small handful of adventurers from the whole new generation were able to use Mind Chat. Now, since the old generation has decreased in number, it’s worth has become immeasurable.
“Kuu~? Is it really that amazing?”
Yuzuha asked while shaking its tails.
“Yeah, it’s amazing. As an example, I can convey my thoughts to my partner who is in a remote place immediately. If I’m hurt and can’t move, I can call for help, and I can pass along important information right away.”
“Kuu! Yuzuha will help if Shin is in trouble!”
“Please take care of me at that time. Yuzuha too, can call me if you are in trouble.”
“Okay!”
Yuzuha, who didn’t understand the advantage of fast communication, somehow understood that it was amazing from Shin’s words. It was not possible to say if it completely understood though, as it was still a child.
“Now, the old and new generation that are able to use Mind Chat have to form a party with the guild. So the Mind Chat is not usable with a commoner who has not registered to the guild. If you have time, it would be nice to help Tiera register as an adventurer.”
“That’s a good idea. Then, do you want me to bring her to the guild with me?”
“That would be really helpful. She should be able to move better than an amateur since I have trained her in basic fighting techniques for the last 50 years.”
“Eh, you trained her?”
The other day, Wilhelm, who had fought together with Shin in the Wraith Plains, said that he had received training from Schnee as well. And he was beaten up one-sidedly.
“Yes, is there something wrong with that?”
It seemed like Schnee didn’t know why Shin was surprised, as she looked slightly puzzled. That spontaneous action made Shin felt embarrassed, but he somehow kept his composure.
“Was it safe?”
“Yes, though I don’t understand what you mean by that.”
The figure of Schnee doing Spartan training just popped into Shin’s head. For some reason, that image seemed to be pretty harsh.
“I don’t know what Shin imagined, but it was only basic training that was done. Because I’m able to go outside of the barrier, I only teach her when I have time. Although her level is low, she should have superior movements compared to a newly fledged adventurer.”
Schnee, who seemed to have read what Shin had imagined, said that with a slightly displeased tone.
“Iya, that’s... well, sorry. Because I heard that training with you seemed to be a little harsh.”
Shin apologized upfront at this time. It was an inviolable rule, that his mother in the real world told him. Incidentally, in his father’s words, the situation would become worse if he did not apologize.
Somehow he recalled these kind of things from the talk with Schnee.
“Then, in exchange, you will listen to my simple request.”
“Ah yes...I understand.”
Schnee said it with a smile. The smiling face that could make the whole nation captive was a little frightening to Shin now.
He felt a little worried about whatever he was going to be made to do.
* * *
Before long, Schnee went out for shopping, and Shin then took Yuzuha along with him to the blacksmith’s workshop. He wanted to lightly temper a sword before going to the guild.
“Now then, let’s do this.”
He took out an unprocessed iron ingot from his Item Box. It wasn’t bad one but it wasn’t a good quality one either, it was just a normal ingot.
A longsword was also a common thing to make. Of course, it would be forged. Although metal casting is easy and fast, he couldn’t sell it like that.
“Does this become a sword?”
“Yes, but don’t approach me too much when I’m forging, because it’s dangerous.”
After telling Yuzuha to keep its distance, Shin began making the longsword. His body moved without trouble since coming into this world, probably because he had done this for more than 5 years.
The iron was heated and beat with a hammer. The sound of metal being struck, “Clang”, “Clang”, resounded in the forge, and Yuzuha’s tails synchronized with a small flutter.
When hitting the ingot in the game, it didn’t matter where it was struck as the result was still the same. But now that it was reality, that wouldn’t work. Nevertheless, Shin somehow understood where he should hit. It might be the benefit of the skill. While thinking whether a real craft man might have such a sense, he set the metal and hit it with the hammer again.
“Amazing~!”
Yuzuha raised a cheer, as it saw the ingot changing form almost instantly. It was at a speed that would leave an ordinary blacksmith stunned. One would wonder whether it was alright to be that fast, but obviously it was not alright. Only inferior goods would be produced by striking it quickly.
It was the[Blacksmith] skill which Shin possessed that allowed this. With the creator’s intended design known, it was a cheat skill that increased the production speed to an efficiency that was impossible to reproduce in the real world.
Certainly, it didn’t mean that any weapon could be created with the blacksmith skill. A Magic skill was needed for magic bestowal, and the skills [Mixing] and [Tempered Metal] were necessary for raw materials as well.
When the person tried to master a production job, it was inevitable that the person had to learn how another production worked.
“The first one.”
He looked at the completed sword he had made for practice. Though there was only a blade, no one would think it was only made from an ordinary ingot.
The light that entered from the entrance of the blacksmith’s workshop was reflected by the sword blade, and a dim white light on the blade showed its sharpness. Even if an amateur handled it, the item seemed to raised the probability of success in battle.
“...I was fired up a little too much.”
Though it was made just as an experiment, it obviously became goods that would cause uproar when put up on the storefront. It was not possible to simply say that this was a common longsword. When the item was bestowed with magic, it would be classified as 《Rare》 or 《Unique》 grade.
A sword that was bestowed with magic was known as a Cursed Sword, or sometimes a Holy Sword in this society. Because there were few people in this world that had a weapon that was higher than 《Legend》 grade, weapons such as a 《Rare》 grade were often found up to 《Unique》 grade. However, for weapons that were above the 《Legend》 grade, they had a higher ability than a Cursed Sword without any magic bestowal.
“A failure?”
“No, it’s not a failure, but this can’t be sold. There are no weapon shops in the kingdom that put up magically bestowed weapons.”
It didn’t mean that there were no magically bestowed weapons on sale, but it was rare. Moreover, because it was Shin who tempered it, the weapon’s performance was different from the other cursed swords around there. If someone bought a Cursed Sword with an average ability from the weapon shop and put two longswords together, that would be the limit that Cursed Sword could break. However, one of Shin’s tempered Cursed Swords would be able cut 4 additional longswords. If he put in some serious effort, even one of his low-grade Cursed Sword could break it. The weapons that Shin made and could rally with the 《Legend》 grade ones were not just for show.
Nonetheless, it backfired this time. There were differences between the blacksmiths in this world and the blacksmiths in the game era, especially when it came to weapon design.
“For some reason, I have a feeling. The next one should be good.”
He was probably doing it unconsciously. So, while being aware of the boosting performance from the blacksmith skill, he made another longsword. The second longsword had a bit of a high performance, and the third one was somehow a normal one. Because those ready-made goods were aggravating, he continued to mass-produce swords with a similar ability to the second one.
He repeated this for about one hour, and decided to stop after he had made several of them. Meanwhile Yuzuha, instead of moving around and making noises, was watching Shin and the completed longswords for a long time. It appeared to be so interested that it lost track of the time, probably because of the concentration that was peculiar to a child.
“I guess Tiera should be ready soon.”
They left the blacksmith’s forge and headed back towards the living room. It was partly because he presumed that the presence that came out of the room was Tiera, that he finished up.
“Ah, Shin. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting for so long.”
“No, it’s nothing. I just tempered with swords here and there.”
“I didn’t think I would take up so much time myself. After such a long time, I don’t know what I should wear.”
Tiera’s point was understandable. For the first time after about 100 years, she would have to go to a place where there were a lot of people. It couldn’t be helped that she was hesitating over what clothes to wear.
Because she was told that she had to register with the adventurers’ guild, Tiera wore clothes similar to what a hunter would wear, emphasizing easiness of movement. What Tiera chose was close to what Els had equipped before. Especially the combination of long boots and leggings.
On top, she wore a light green colored jacket with black colors on the inner side. Because its design was made to fit the body, Tiera’s body shape could be seen clearly. This might be the standard for elves.
She appeared to be unarmed, but it was concealed in the form of a card. A lot of elves had a battle style that combined magic with daggers and bows.
“Well, shall we go?”
“Yeah, let’s hurry up a little.”
“Kuu”
Yuzuha, who was in fox mode, was put on Shin’s head, and they walked out of the store. It was a fine day. Warm sunlight shined over the two people and the animal.
“Ha~, it is nice on the outside after all.”
“Yes, it is fine weather and ――!?”
It came into Shin’s view as he casually answered Tiera and he turned to face her, an astounding sight was displayed.
It was a pair of spheres.
It was the most magnificent pair of globes he had ever seen before.
(Amazing...)
To put it in simple words, while basking in the sunlight, Tiera was also stretching her body. However, when she raised her arms and bent her back in a nice way, her chest naturally stuck out as a result. Only the owner of that body could know, from the current posture, the size of what was being emphasized. Shin’s eyes were glued to it.
“Phew, shall we go?”
“Uhm, yeah.”
She didn’t seem to realize that her chest was being stared at, and Shin tried to look calm. “I didn’t see anything, at least not on purpose” was what he tried to say with his body behaviour.
While walking next to such Shin, Tiera coughed in a whisper.
“And, what are your thoughts on my chest?”
“Iya, they are seriously perfe――――HA!?”
It was said that a man’s glancing look was similar to staring for a women. Shin didn’t know whether it was true or not, but at least he knew he was found out by Tiera.
“Shin will be in charge of the shopping fee. And, really, you did look too much earlier.”
“That was my bad. Haa, that was an expensive view...”
“It’s only natural because you so rudely stared at a maiden’s breasts.”
Shin couldn’t help but smile wryly at Tiera’s smiling face. Did she aim for it? Or was it done spontaneously? Only Tiera knew the truth.
“Kuu?”
While Yuzuha tilted its head, it watched the exchange between the two people.
* * *
They left Tsuki no Hokora and arrived at the gate of the Bayreuth kingdom after a short while. Was it a slow hour? There was not a lot of pedestrian traffic.
When they passed through the gate and entered inside, Tiera looked around while surveying the surroundings.
“Uwaa, there is a great number of people. Are there always so many?”
“No, it’s not crowded right now. There are twice as many people as this in the mornings and evenings.”
“There are? I can’t imagine what it’s like when it’s crowded.”
Tiera’s eyes sparkled like those of a child who went to an amusement park for the first time.
“So the things that the people, who came into the store, said is true.”
She seemed to have heard various stories from adventurers who came to buy goods. Since she couldn’t go out from the store, she couldn’t do anything but imagine. It seemed that when she actually experienced it by herself, she realized that what they had said was not a lie.
“You sure are in high spirits, aren’t you?”
“I-I’m not...that excited...”
She was probably aware of it herself. Though she denied it, the words coming out from her mouth were a little weak.
“Let’s register you first, and then do the shopping later. You can decide to do whatever you want in the remaining time.”
“T-That’s sounds good. Then, let’s go to the guild right away.”
Was she drawn to the word ‘sightseeing’? Tiera walked rapidly while grabbing Shin’s hand.
Didn’t she just say “The crowds are scary”? Now she was charging through the main street by force.
“Wait! It’s good to hurry, but do you know where the guild is?”
“…Ah!”
It seemed like she didn’t know. She suddenly stopped, and threw glances at the surroundings.
“Come on, over here.”
“...Okay.”
Because it was truly pointed out for the second time, Tiera also finally listened.
They walked down the street as Shin held Tiera’s hand to lead her.
From Tiera’s point of view, while in the crowd, she would lose sight of Shin if she took her eyes off of him for a second.
They walked along the street while being careful not to bump into any pedestrians. As they approached an intersection with a particularly lot of people, she unintentionally saw a man and a woman walking together in front of them, and Tiera now noticed what kind of situation she was in.
(Hands holding... remaining connected...)
Probably because she was carried away, due to this being her first time in the outside world in 100 years, but she didn’t notice that she was walking hand in hand with the opposite sex until now.
Because of the size difference, Tiera’s hand was wrapped in Shin’s hand.
It was different from hers, his hand was a bit bigger and more rugged. When she saw her hand in a certain way, she had a feeling that her face was somehow blushing.
(So this is a man, right?)
Since she tended the store, she had obviously talked to men. However, she had never touched any of them. Tiera moved her legs while finding herself not really understanding her own feelings.
“Hey, that’s the Adventurers’ guild.”
“I heard it was big, and it really is!”
The largest building in the area came into view when they passed through the crowd. That was their destination, the adventurers’ guild.
While it was inevitable that adventurers would make up most of the pedestrians now, Shin was aware that an awful lot of gazes were directed toward them.
“Somehow, aren’t we being watched?”
“Yeah, probably.”
The passing adventurers were mostly men, and Shin didn’t know the reason for why their glances were mixed with hostility. He verified if there was something wrong with his state and noticed.
“Ah, we’re holding hands.”
Even under normal circumstances, Tiera was a beautiful woman. Naturally, a man who walked hand in hand with such a woman was exposed to jealous looks.
“Sorry, I thought it was likely that we would get separated since there are a lot of people.”
He separated his hand from Tiera’s in a hurry.
“Ah...”
That time, when he let go, he had a feeling that he faintly heard a sound that seemed to be disappointment coming from Tiera’s mouth. He decided to think that it was just his excessive self-consciousness and forgot about it.
“All right, let’s get you registered quickly then.”
“T-That’s right. Let’s do it.”
They entered the guild with Tiera looking a little flustered. Was it because the time was in the middle between morning and noon? There were not many people in the guild either.
The figures of Celica and Els were seen at the receptionist desk, and when Shin and Tiera were half-way there, the two people who noticed them showed dissimilar reactions.
Celica had a little of a sullen expression, but Els momentarily had a very surprised look on her face, which quickly erupted into one of joy.
“Tiera!”
Els jumped over the counter at the same time as she called out her name, ran straight to Tiera, and hugged her tightly.
“Wa, E-Els!?”
Though Tiera was surprised at the sudden embrace, she relaxed when she realized that the person was Els.
“Wait Els, it’s a bit tight.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Though I’ve heard the news, I couldn’t contain myself when I saw you in person.”
While having tears in the corner of her eyes, Els started to gently hold Tiera. The abrupt situation caused the adventurers who were there to stare in wonder.
“I really wanted to go see you immediately, but I’ve been very busy with the guild for a while now. It wasn’t possible to leave.”
“Because you’re not my mother, you really worry too much.”
“What are you saying. If you’re the daughter of Eilen, then it’s as if you’re my daughter too.”
Els embraced Tiera like a true mother.
Away from the two people, Celica talked to Shin.
“Shin-sama. What kind of acquaintance is that person?”
“Due to a little twist of fate, we will be traveling together. So she will register as an adventurer for the occasion.”
“I heard you were walking hand in hand like lovers though?”
“That’s absurd! How did you hear that!?”
Shin was surprised at the speed of which the information travelled. Perhaps, there was a guy who could use Mind Chat standing guard! Certainly a cautious lookout, but really, this was only a trivial matter. The adventurer, who knew Shin’s name and face, accidentally saw the two people, and Celica, who were receiving requests at that time, grumbled when she heard about it.
“Because she is a beautiful woman, right? Not because you are a man, right?”
“Um, you’re not using some scathing words, are you?”
“No no, not at all.”
‘I guess there’s nothing’, was what Shin wanted to say.
While they continued on with the exchange, they noticed that they had attracted some attention as well.
“Why is it that other people seem to be distancing themselves?”
“Ara, I think they don’t want to break the deeply emotional reunion, huh? Besides, it was Els who suddenly jumped out.”
“Uhh”
“Now, now, both of you. I want you to register Tiera for the time being.”
Thereupon, Celica and Els returned to their professional expressions, and bowed slightly.
“Ah, my apologies. I was acting shameful.”
“Just now was because I also wanted to meet the person in question.”
She was probably very glad. Els’ eyes were still a little red. Apparently, she seemed to have been a good friend of Tiera’s mother.
“Um, what should I do?”
“I will take care of the registration. It was my turn to take care of new registrations anyway.”
Els said that and lead Tiera to the second floor. Just like Shin did before, Tiera filled out the documents and listened to the explanation.
“Now then, I should go and look at the list of requests.”
“Oh, Shin-sama. I’m sorry, but may I have a bit of your time, please?”
“Me? Well, I don’t really mind.”
Shin, who was going to go to see about requests in the Falnido area, was called out by Celica. She seemed to have to talk to Shin individually about something or another.
Because he was asked to hand over his guild card, Shin took out the guild card from Item Box and handed it over to Celica. Celica then proceed to engrave the guild card, and placed it on top of the tray-like thing..
“What are...”
While Shin thought about asking what she was doing, the transparent guild card was dyed yellow.
“There we go, the improved rank ends with this. From now on, Shin-sama is rank E.”
“Yes?”
Shin absentmindedly replied, due to the sudden rank up. At this point, Shin actually had a zero request accomplishment rate at the present time. If just by an evaluation of the guild; let alone rank improvement, he would be defeated even by a newcomer who had the same rank G.
Nevertheless, to suddenly become a rank E, it was too much to be expected. He didn’t think about rising to E and skipping F altogether.
That reminded him of the explanation he had received from Celica before, the talk about the classification of the card by rank.
SS was gold, S was silver, A was black, B was white, C was red, D was blue, E was yellow, F was green, and the lowest rank G was semi-transparent.
“Errr, there aren’t any accomplished requests yet, so why did I rank up?”
“Certainly Shin-sama’s official request achievement rate is zero percent. However, there are the results of the subjugation of a high rank Skull Face and the suppression of the Skull Faces’ outbreak in a large quantity. Because Shin-sama’s report was proved to be authentic by an investigation handled by us, the guild, the promotion of Shin-sama was decided as a partial reward. It is rank E, but if one more request is accomplished, it will rank up to D.”
“I see, but why do it to an unfinished state?”
“If you rank up too fast, it would not look good in the other adventurers’ eyes. I think rank A is enough for an individual like you, but when I think of the strife it would cause, it only became a rank improvement like this. Of course, the bonus is paid, too. I need to return the previously borrowed jewel before that though, please wait here for a while.”
Celica gave the guild card back to Shin, and entered the inner room of the receptionist desk for a moment. She came back in less than 5 minutes. There was a bag and a dull shining jewel grasped in her hand.
“This is the jewel that was borrowed, and here is 250 J gold coins of reward inside this bag.”
For convenience sake, it seemed like she brought them in gold coins. Though white gold exists, it was not used in everyday life. One piece of white gold could make one live and enjoy life for more than ten years. The gold coins in front of him were considered a large sum of money from an adventurers’ viewpoint, and Shin suddenly voiced his thoughts.
“I’m just wondering, but is it possible for you to make the guild card as quickly as possible in exchange for the reward?”
“The guild card? Let me see. I think it can be done by today at noon if it’s rushed.”
“Then that please. Though I will be going afar for a little while, I want to leave as soon as possible.”
“I understand. Then, the reward will be 200 gold coins. Is that alright with you?”
“I don’t care about that, but is it fine to accept a reward of this magnitude?”
Though only 50 gold coins were deducted, Shin had heard that the guild cards were made with the guild’s original special technique, so he felt that there might only be a few of them.
“I will have the experts do their best for a little while, and the additional charge is satisfactory enough from the received amount of money. There will be too much when all of the bonus is returned.”
“I see, by the way, how much is the subjugation reward for the Skull Faces?”
“5 silver coins per Pawn class. For the Jack class, it is 5 gold coins. Actually you can earn a lot more because the Jack class’ armor and swords are valuable if sold.”
Celica added and smiled wryly, the degree of danger of a Jack class is in a whole other league. In fact, once or twice a year some adventurers go off to fight with a Pawn class, in a spur of the moment feeling, in spite of the warning from the guild’s staff, and then get killed by a Jack class that is avenging the Pawn class.
When thinking about the amount of money that Celica spoke of, Shin’s reward was naturally almost 500 gold coins, but because a formal request was not issued, the reward became this amount of money along with the rank improvement. To begin with, that was not the combat capability that a rookie should have shown on his own, so without Barlux, the guild master, and Els and her acquaintances, the skill successors, it was certain that the reward would not have been so easily paid like this.
“Do the Skull Faces appear that frequently?”
“There is a nearby spawn spot called the Wraith Plains, but normally there will be more than a couple of them. It’s not so bad when it is a Pawn class, but several individuals, which are higher ranked than a Jack class, appeared; I heard it happened for the first time, too. Such an event has never occurred before.”
“Is that so. By the way, does the guild deal in information, besides monsters?”
“Information other than about the monsters? Well, it depends. There is a lot information about monsters and ruins that comes in, but you should inquire about that with people who specialize in information.”
“Indeed. Incidentally, may I ask what kind of information you have on Sacred Place?”
If they had detailed information on monsters and ruins, they might have gotten their hands on some information on the city that fell after the Dusk of the Majesty, which was called Sacred Place, too.
“There isn’t a lot of information about the Sacred Place. Even though the guild investigated it, because the danger zone is not normal at all, it’s impossible to let someone go towards it just like that. About the information, it was decided to not disclose it to adventurers who are below a minimum of rank B. I’m sorry, but showing it to you, Shin-sama, with your current rank is...”
“Ah, don’t worry about it so much, I was just interested. I will come back to hear about it after I’ve raised my rank.”
As one would expect, she could not easily give out information on Sacred Place. Shin thought of confirming this again with Schnee some other time.
“Which reminds me, you said you are going away, right? Are you looking for a request towards the destination?”
“Yes, I intend to complete at least one request. Is there a request that is going to the Falnido area?”
He could go and look at the bulletin board, but it was quicker to directly ask Celica for a good request.
Celica picked up a thick file from under the counter, and removed a piece of request paper from that.
“Well, how about this request here? There is no request going to Falnido for the moment, but this is a request for going to Beirun, which is on the way.”
“Is it alright for Tiera to receive the request too?”
“Yes, if you form a party with 2 people, there will be no problem, because Shin-sama’s rank matches the rank required. Here is the content.”
He took a look at the presented paper.
――――――――――――――――――――――――――――
Request contents: Cargo guards to Beirun
Client: Nack
Number of recruitment: Up to five people
Rank: E and above(Individual, party, both are acceptable)
Reward: 10 silver coins per person
Note/Remarks: Meals included
――――――――――――――――――――――――――――
“The departure is three bells(3:00 p.m.) this afternoon. Though two adventurers have already participated, there’s still time. Other than this, I still have available requests for several days...”
“I will confirm with Tiera just in case. Can you hold onto this until she comes back?”
“Yes, I think it’s alright if she comes back soon.”
Nobody else came to accept the request, probably because of the time period. He continued chatting with Celica while holding onto the request. Tiera and Els returned before 10 minutes had passed, and Shin explained the contents of the request.
“I don’t mind. Then, it’s possible to finish our other task ahead of time.”
Tiera didn’t seem to have any problems either. They went out of the guild at once, and went shopping.
The ingredients were bought while walking along the street crowded with other shoppers. Bread was not a food to keep for a long time like dried meat was, but the strong point of the Item Box was that they could buy common ingredients. Basically, ingredients would not spoil if they were put into the Item Box, and they could buy various kinds of fresh food. Looking at the two people choosing fruits and fresh vegetables, no one would imagine that they were about to go on a long journey after this.
By the way, the luggage was already placed into Shin's Item Box, hidden from prying eyes. Still, he didn’t boldly use the Item Box publicly in the middle of the street.
They also bought the items necessary for the trip, like hooded cloaks, insect repellent and so on.
The shopping ended after 30 minutes because there was no limit to their luggage. They still had time until noon.
“The Item Box is too convenient. I have time until the card is done, so what should I do after this?”
Tiera didn’t think it would be over this quickly; it was a little anticlimactic.
“There is a place I want to go to, is that alright with you?”
“It’s fine, where do you want to go?”
“I’d like to go to the orphanage.”
Shin too, was worried about Thoria’s situation over the seat of successor. Sister Rashia had learned the skill [Purification], and although the orphanage inheriting requirement had been cleared, the pig bishop* might have interfered with something when he felt that he was losing. *(T/N: Shin’s naming)
“Orphanage? Ah, the place of the person who buys the cake.”
“More of less. I thought of going there, just in case.”
“I understand. I’m interested in the church’s building too. Let’s go there now.”
They faced toward the church, guided by Shin. Did it look forward to meeting Millie? Yuzuha’s tails moved cheerfully to express a happy spirit on top of Shin’s head.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 03 - Falnido Beast Alliance/The-New-Gate-Volume-03-Falnido-Beast-Alliance-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_03_Chapter_01_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 2
They walked on for several minutes, but the church was still not open and Rashia and Thoria were cleaning the surroundings. When Shin and Tiera entered the church grounds, Rashia, who noticed, ran up to the two people.
“Isn’t it Shin-san! What are you doing today?”
“I came to check up on the situation. How’d the matter in question turn out?”
“Well then, please come to the orphanage. Um, that person is?”
“Ah, My name is Tiera. Nice to meet you.”
“I apologize for not having told you this sooner. I am a sister in this church, and my name is Rashia.”
To Tiera, who introduced herself while feeling a little nervous, Rashia replied with a calm expression. Was there any progress in the talks? The composure she showed now was not imaginable a few days ago.
Though Rashia was surprised about Tiera being an employee of Tsuki no Hokora, since that was the case, it was no problem to lead her into the orphanage.
Shin thought the duties of the church might be delayed, but the church seemed to be closed today. When they arrived at the reception room in the orphanage, Millie was sitting on a sofa for some reason.
“Shin-nii!”
When she realized that it was Shin who entered after Rashia and Tiera, she jumped vigorously. Seeing the state of the girl who was clinging to him with a smile, Shin expected the transfer problem to have been settled.
“Yo, you seem to be happy.”
“The orphanage was not lost! Shin’s help. Thank you!”
She seemed to be in a very good mood as her feelings, which were coming out, were reflected on her expression. For Millie, the possibility of the orphanage possibly being lost would be a big problem.
Shin waited for Millie to settle down and then sat on the sofa, as he had decided to hear the whole story after Tiera had introduced herself again.
“Thanks to Shin-san it was settled that I would take charge of this church as the next priestess without any problems. The official announcement has not yet been publicized, but I think it will be alright unless something extreme happens.”
The priest, who lives in the upper level district where the nobles live, came to the Orphanage a little while ago; he had to confirm whether or not Rashia’s skill acquisition was authentic.
When she was asked how she acquired the skill, she answered that it was the result of training. In fact, because the priest seemed to remember that it was possible to learn skills through training, she didn’t appear to be doubted in particular.
“The children were pleased, too. Really, how can I thank you enough??”
“Since I’ve already received the promised reward, please don’t worry about it too much. Ah, this is a present.”
Because he was worried that she would worry about it too much, he changed the topic by handing over the presents to Thoria. In the middle of shopping, they bought them from a peddler due to its unquestionable quality, though the peddler was surprised because Shin purchased said present in large quantities.
“Is it alright with this many?”
“Because I’ve already bought them, I’d feel rather troubled if they didn’t get accepted. Look, Millie has already taken one.”
Thoria, who reserved herself, was won over, while Millie, who was sitting and pressing Yuzuha to her chest, opened one of the bags filled with candy. When Millie took out an orange candy from it, she put in her mouth without hesitating.
“Sweeet!”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Millie’s smile made everyone around her also smile.
When the reception room calmed down, the sound of a door opening was audible.
“Sensei, is that true that onii-chan has come?”
The one who appeared from the door was the girl who mobbed Yuzuha when Shin came to visit before.
“That’s no good, Melka. Because I’m busy right now.”
“Ehh, but I want to play with onii-chan~”
“Sorry. I’m having an important talk now. I’ll play with you next time.”
“Muuuu, then can onee-chan, play?”
“Eh, me?”
The girl called Melka promptly changed her target to Tiera when she was declined by Shin. Was this because she was together with Shin, or was it women’s intuition? For the little girl, it seemed like Tiera was judged to be a person whom she didn’t need to be cautious around. She had already caught the hem of Tiera’s clothes.
“Um, because it’s my first time coming today, I don’t know the games well...”
“Play?”
“Kuu...”
Looking at Melka staring at Tiera, Shin, while smiling wryly, thought “Can’t refuse that.” With a lisping voice, and upturned eyes, this combo from the little girl required immense willpower to decline. She might be cunning depending on the person, but Tiera, who rarely came into contact with children, shouldn’t be able to resist her.
“Millie, come play too.”
“S-Shin...”
“Sorry, it’s impossible.”
“T-Traitor~”
Tiera called for help from Shin, but she was taken away by Melka along with Millie after all. Was she unable to just watch anymore? Thoria too followed them to save her.
“Umm, will it be fine?”
“Well, maybe.”
Rashia answered as if it was not necessary to stop it. Though it was another matter if it was something good or bad for Tiera, Shin thought it would be a good experience for her to play with children.
“By the way, Wilhelm is...?”
“As usual, he went to investigate the bishop in question. It’s unlikely that he’s going to leave it as it is.”
“As expected, he understands it well.”
As an adventurer coming from the orphanage, Wilhelm seemed to gather information in cooperation with fellow adventurers. This way, Shin thought it was improbable for this fellow to be obediently lead by the hand.
“Shin-san also thought the same as Wilhelm?”
“Of course. Though I don’t know why the bishop thought of taking over this church, as far as I know after having heard the story, I don’t think that guy is willing to give up so easily.”
“But it’d good if nothing happens.”
“ Indeed, that’s right. Please hand this to Thoria and Millie just in case though.”
Shin took out 2 small accessories from the Item Box and handed them over to Rashia. One of them was similar to the bracelet he gave to Rashia before, and the other one was attached to a light green colored string and was a simple wooden necklace in the shape of a diamond. If one was to say it in a nice way, it had a handmade feeling, and if one was to say it in a rude way, then it looked crappy.
“This is?”
“It grants various magic skills. Just in case.”
He then explained what kind of magics were bestowed upon it to answer Rashia’s question. Because he had already told her about the damage reduction effect of her own bracelet earlier, it was omitted. The necklace got the main explanation. Although it had a plain appearance, when Rashia heard what kind of material the string and wood were made from, her mind went completely blank for a short while. One of the reasons he chose this material was because it wouldn’t stand out among the children in the orphanage compared to if it was a metal necklace.
“What can I say. Just amazing!”
“About Millie’s necklace, it has the ability to block her ability. How’s it going with the bracelet I gave you before?”
“I’m still wearing it. I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to continue borrowing it, but Will asked me to wear it. Though I’m intending to return it in the near future.”
“No, I’m fine with it as it is. Since the safety of the church isn’t settled yet, there is still the possibility of Rashia becoming a target, too. The danger will be minimized if you keep wearing it.”
Rather than the problem of the continuation of the orphanage, the possibility of Rashia being aimed at was high. Therefore, besides the accessory for Millie, the bracelets for Rashia and Thoria had considerable abilities, too. They could even stand against a chosen one for a certain period of time.
“Thank you very much for everything.”
“You don’t have to prostrate yourself that much.”
Though she was only half satisfied with the way she had shown her appreciation, the words were stored in her heart.
“Please have lunch with us at the very least. You still have time, right?”
“That’s right. Shall we feast?”
She probably wanted to pay back her feelings of gratitude, even if just a little. He nodded to Rashia about lunch, and they proceeded to the square where the children were.
Tiera was surrounded by several young girls, maybe playing with dolls, since some beautiful handmade dolls were placed around her. Yuzuha, who was being mobbed earlier, was seeking refuge on top of Tiera’s head. Yuzuha seemed to have learned that no one could touch it when at that location.
In contrast to the young girls, who were happy and joyful, for some reason, the boys were looking at Tiera’s group from afar. Although the boys seemed to be kicking around a round ball that looked like a soccer ball, they glanced at the girls too much, especially toward Tiera.
“The boys are kind of quiet, huh?”
“No no, that’s a normal reaction.”
Shin said while holding his laughter, to Rashia who looked puzzled. She apparently didn’t know why the boys didn’t approach the girls.
“What do you mean?”
“They are probably too embarrassed to approach because of how beautiful Tiera is.”
Though there was a boy who was mixed in with the girls, when Shin looked at him, the boy appeared to be at the age of a child who had just started kindergarten. The boys, who were watching from a distance, were equal to children approaching puberty. When one reached that age, it became difficult to freely talk to an older, beautiful onee-san. That didn’t mean that everyone displayed the same behavior, but Shin, who had similar experiences, understood the feeling of wanting to talk but being too embarrassed to do so.
“Tiera-san is indeed beautiful, even from my point of view as a woman, but I don’t think it’s that hard to call out to her.”
“Well, I can understand, because I also experienced similar things as a boy, but it’s not strange if you don’t understand it, Rashia.”
Speaking of similar patterns, there were children in kindergarten who were in love with their teacher, and primary school children who were interested in the onee-san type.
He had a wry smile when he recalled the good old memories as an adult. The world was different, but similar things seemed to happen everywhere. He told the frowning Rashia not to worry about it, and called out to Tiera who was beckoning him.
Tiera, who noticed it, kept evading the eyes from the girls that seemed to be reluctant at parting, and came over to Shin.
“Shi～n～, how could you abandon me?”
“No, hold on, I just thought that it would be impossible to reject them.”
“That’s… certainly, it was impossible to refuse that. *Sigh* I guess it can’t be helped, huh.”
“Leaving that aside, because I’m treating you to lunch, I want to take out some ingredients. How about it?”
“That’s good. Well, since I promised to make Yuzuha-chan some inarisushi, how about I make it for the children of the orphanage as well? May I borrow the kitchen?”
Even though the sun was already high in the sky, there was still enough time. There was no problem if they overstayed a little.
Tiera also had the [Cooking] skill since it was taught to her by Schnee. The eyes of the children were nailed to the inarisushi which was soon displayed on a plate.
“I’m sorry. You’re the one who ended up making it, even though it was me who suggested it.”
“Don’t worry about it, since I’m the one who wanted to do it. Although I said one thing or another, it was fun playing with the children.”
The church seemed to be a place for a tranquil heart, as there were children who could approach without being timid. Even from Shin’s point of view, he had a feeling that Tiera’s expression had become softer than before.
Lunch ended and Shin and Tiera wanted to help put things in order, but Rashia’s words of, “I can’t have you do that” caused them to excuse themselves.
They left the church and returned to the guild. Because it was already past noon at that time, Tiera’s guild card should have been made.
The bar inside of the guild was crowded with adventurers having a meal. They went towards the receptionist area to avoid the crowd, and called out to Celica. Were there few adventurers receiving requests at this time? They were able to talk without even waiting.
“This is Tiera-sama’s guild card. Please check it.”
“There seems to be no problem. Thank you very much.”
Tiera confirmed the card functions without any problems. Shin also took out his own guild card at this point.
“While you’re at it, can you please register us as a party.”
“Understood. In regards to the members, there are only two people, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
In the case of a fixed party, it seemed that the guild required a party name, but they decided to not do it this time.
They were seen off by Celica and Els and left the guild. Their destination was the shopping street again.
This time, they bought preserved foods due to the acquaintances they’d be traveling with on their trip. Because they would be in the presence of others during this trip, the Item Box couldn’t be used lightly. However, since the rations were made into cards and taken along, it didn’t change the quantity compared to the normal preparation for a trip.
Besides that, it might not even be necessary since there was the remarks column in the request that stated that meals were included, but it was for emergencies. ‘Save for a rainy day, save for a time of need’ was thought, and they kept shopping.
“It’s time to go now.”
As they arranged the necessary items they bought, Shin called out to Tiera.
“Eh, but it’s not time yet.”
“No, I’m taking Tsuki no Hokora with us.”
He couldn’t leave Tsuki no Hokora as it was, before the departure.
“I completely forgot about it.”
“That’s not good, forgetting about it, at least.”
“I normally wouldn’t think about forgetting a 『House』, you know!”
That was quite natural. It was crazy to think that a 『House』could be considered a personal property item.
“S-Sorry. Look, am I not the owner of Tsuki no Hokora? So it’s only natural to think that it could be carried.”
“The old generation is weird after all. Or is Shin particularly strange?”
“That’s cruel!?”
Tiera voiced the question without hesitation with a teasing smile. While receiving the mental damage, Shin took out a light blue crystal from the Item Box.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a 『Crystal Stone』. You’ve never seen one before?”
“That is a Crystal Stone? That one is big and clearly processed, something which I am seeing for the first time right now.”
“This item is bestowed with 『Metastasis』 magic. I can move to a registered point in an instant if I use it. It a disposable one, but with this we can move to Tsuki no Hokora without any effort.”
“...That’s right. The things that Shin pulls out are all unique.”
“That’s rude.”
Did Tiera go beyond being amazed, and arrive at the acceptance state? ‘Shin clearly said that we could move in an instant with the metastasize-crystal.’ .
There were a lot of mages who have tried to reproduce the magic up till now, but they weren’t able to get even a little foothold on it.
This mystery, among the secrets of the old generation, was assumed to have already been lost.
No one would be able to expect things would came out from said item with a pop.
“Shin, I want to check one thing.”
“Ah, ok, what is it?”
“Maybe, just maybe...is it possible to manufacture this?”
Tiera had glossy eyes. It was completely different from the mood from a while ago, and Shin couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
Still, he understood that the item he took out appeared to be the stuff that defied common sense, again.
“Please tell me, before I answer your question, but what would others think about a Crystal Stone with the metastasis ability?”
“...Metastasis, itself, is considered a lost magic.”
“I see.”
Shin understood with those words. If that was the case, he could see why Tiera would be surprised. Even from Shin’s experience so far, the Crystal Stone was thought to be quite valuable.
But he frankly found the ‘lost’ part in Tiera’s sentence hard to believe. He was certain that it could have been spread out to the general public, but it seemed like such a thing was likely to have been concealed. It would not be surprising, if even the country and the organization were secretly covering it up.
“Then I will also answer, yes, it’s possible to manufacture it. If, and only if, you have sufficient materials.”
“...Sigh, I guess so. For one of Rokuten, a Crystal Stone with metastasis is easy to make, huh?”
As she settled with a sigh, Tiera too, seemed to begin to understand what sort of people belonged to the Rokuten guild.
“Ahh, though it seems bad when you are dispirited, may I transfer us now?”
“Yes, do it.”
He took the defiant Tiera to an open place with no signs of life. Together with Schnee, he had confirmed that it was usable without problems. It was possible to use it soon after having woken up in this world, but he would rather not take the risk. Unlike other tools, it was unknown what would happen if it failed, so he couldn’t bring himself to use that item.
When Shin let magic power flow into the Crystal Stone to act as a detonator, the magic stored inside the stone activated itself. Their vision distorted, and shelves that lined up with goods came into view in the next moment.
The two people were certainly in Tsuki no Hokora.
“T-That’s a strange feeling. And, how are you going to carry this place?”
“Let’s go outside for a moment. Then we can start on that conversation.”
Shin went toward the door as he mumbled a bit. Because Shin turned his back, Tiera didn’t see that Shin’s mouth continued moving.
It was the familiar woods outside of the store as they exited it. Shin glanced around as he surveyed the surrounding area.
There was a green marker which was not there when he came to Tsuki no Hokora before, glowing on the map screen.
“What’s the matter?”
“There’s a rat. I think it’s time to tease that guy a little.”
Shin said that while looking at the trees or at the rat? Tiera had a question mark floating above her head. Though she wanted to retort that he might be looking for a rat in the wrong place, the opponent was Shin. Common sense wouldn’t work anyway, so Tiera stopped questioning it.
Shin finished the preparation, stopped talking to himself, and held up his hand toward Tsuki no Hokora.
“『Storage』!”
Simultaneously with those words, Tsuki no Hokora began to glow faintly. The light extended out to cover the whole store, and in the next moment, the lights were converging into a single point.
It stayed in the air for only a few seconds and then slowly flew and settled in Shin’s hand afterward. When the light disappeared, a necklace with a crescent moon shape was grasped in his hand. It shined silver and seemed to be more valuable than its poor artwork showed. The transparent glow was proof that it was not ordinary silverwork.
“This is?”
“Yes, this is Tsuki no Hokora, carry mode.”
“You really can carry it! As expected.”
Tiera’s doubt was answered while he put the necklace away into the Item Box.
Did she tire of getting surprised? Or did she grow accustomed to it? Tiera’s words contained pure admiration.
There was no reason to stay forever in a place that had gone, although Tiera looked at the place where the former Tsuki no Hokora was for a while, so they decided to head toward the departure place on the request. It was just the right time. Shin knew this because of the time displayed in the menu screen. Furthermore, it was because he was wearing a wristwatch-like item.
The other two possible applicants had already arrived. Because of that, he planned to have a conversation for a little while. They would participate in the same request for some period of time, so there was no loss in deepening their friendship.
When they entered the country in the direction of the east gate from the Tsuki no Hokora site, in a corner of the plaza before the east gate was where the departure point was located, the wagon upon which the luggage was already loaded had arrived. A group of two people who appeared to be a Dragnil and Lord race were standing on the side.
“Excuse me, this is Nack-san’s wagon, correct?”
“Hmm? That’s right...Oh, both of you adventurers are joining us, right?”
It was the Dragnil who responded. Probably because he had thought words similar prior to joining, they served as confirmation and he therefore called out to him. The blue scales that were covering its whole body gave out a really strong impression. Judging from the deep voice, it was probably a male. The longsword on his waist and the chest protector were made with some kind of skin that stood out. If he didn’t put on that much protective gear, he was probably the type who played around with speed. Or maybe, he probably didn't need much protective gear because the scales were hard enough?
“Yes, we will be going together, although it’s sudden. By the way, I’m Shin. This here is Tiera who is made a party with me.”
“I am Tiera. I hope to get along with you.”
“Yea, my name is Gaien. It is my pleasure to get along with you along the journey. And this one here is――”
“Tsubaki, best regards”
The one who had introduced herself with a few words was a girl with crimson hair that reached her back along with red eyes. The red eyes, which were transparent in contrast to the hair which was darker in color, were observing Shin and Tiera.
Her height was considered short. At least one fist lower than Tiera. Probably about 150 cemels. Though the features were in order, it would not be strange if someone said that she was a high school student only by appearance. However, he had a painful experience because of judging from appearances in the THE NEW GATE.
Since she could work as an adventurer, he judged that they wouldn’t have any problems. He was positive that she should at least have an E rank ability.
Gaien’s level was 187, and Tsubaki’s level was 133. If one judged it only by the level, Gaien might be an A-rank adventurer. The sword on his waist didn’t seem to be for decoration.
As for Tsubaki, her level already exceeded rank E.
“Oh! Did additional faces appear? I am Nack the merchant. I hope we get along until Beirun!”
When they introduced themselves to each other, a dwarf showed up from the shadow of the wagon and started talking. Apparently, this person seemed to be the client of the request. The muscular body which differed from the usual Dwarf, was wrapped in well-tailored clothes, which gave off the feeling that something was wrong. They properly exchanged greetings, and boarded the wagon in order.
“Everyone has gotten aboard. It’s a little early, but let’s depart!”
Nack’s voice was cheerful while the whip slash was heard from the driver seat, and the wagon started to move slowly.
As the wagon with 5 people passed through the east gate, it began to advance straight north, to Beirun.
Afterwards, the news of the disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora made the higher-ups of Bayreuth Kingdom arrive at the pinnacle of the confusion. It would be a story for the future before Shin and the others knew it.
~~
The disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora.
That information was not only known to the upper echelon of the Bayreuth Kingdom, but it was spread out even to the other countries, which were monitoring Tsuki no Hokora, in a flash.
Initially, everyone had to confirm whether it was a mistake. For more than 500 years, preceding the Dusk of the Majesty, the immovable building existed without change. People couldn’t invade it no matter how powerful they were, it didn’t permit any high-level monsters to invade, not even a single step. It was the secret shop that was made with lost technology, that was Tsuki no Hokora. When it was said to have disappeared, it was impossible to believe it so easily.
However, after verifying it many times, the only answer was: “No doubt about it”. The side that received the report was still good. At the actual scene, the shock of the people seeing Tsuki no Hokora vanish before their eyes, was also indirectly affecting the superior who heard the news from far away. At this point, a strange situation occurred, where the spies who monitored Tsuki no Hokora revealed themselves in broad daylight, and ascertained each other whether the scene they just saw was true.
“What the heck just happened!?”
It was their superior who was shouting.
It was noisy in a corner inside a castle.
They had gathered in a meeting room, talking about the important matter at hand. Although they were roused up from bed before the first sunshine appeared on the horizon, no lack of sleep appeared on their faces. To begin with, there was no such margin for that, except one part.
“Well then, there is no mistake in that report after all?”
“Yes, there’s no doubt about it.”
The one who asked from that place, where the head of the table sat, was the King of Bayreuth Kingdom, Jeon Courtade Bayreuth. With blond hair, blue eyes, and 2 mels of height covered with muscles; this person had the body of a warrior.
By all means, it was a splendid king who clad himself with dignity as the ruler of his body, but it wasn’t going so well today. The agony-clad expression on Jeon face made even the prime minister worry about whether they should continue answering his questions or not. This time, it was not just a problem for Bayreuth Kingdom. Let alone the neighboring countries, an inquiry would surely come from the Empire and Imperial if they did a bad job.
“Tsuki no Hokora...Disappeared…huh?”
Everyone who gathered had a dark complexion.
The one who was, more or less, better off was the first princess, the royal magician. Jeon saw the report while knowing that it would not change no matter how many times he read it. Here was the summary.
--Report About the Disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora--
Fourth month, second day.
At the sound of the 12th bell, that indicated it was noon, all of sudden the Tsuki no Hokora begin to emit light.
After a few seconds, when the light settled, Tsuki no Hokora was already gone.
The spies for each nation were confused about the sudden occurrence, too.
This caused the situation where we mutually contacted each other.
There was no reaction from the skill detection system, though we did investigate the hollowed-out mark left in the ground.
Again, there was no sign of anything happening in the surroundings either.
The whole occurrence was a complete mystery.
The people who were assigned to the monitoring job jotted down the details of what they saw in the report. It was written as detailed as possible, even though the amount of sentences were few. It was not possible to report it any further, as they didn’t have much information.
The spies of the other countries in the vicinity whom they exchanged information with and of whom they should be wary of, understood the disordered state of the site well. It was that crazy.
However, they didn’t want to go back without understanding anything. Even though Tsuki no Hokora did not belong to Bayreuth Kingdom, it was almost next to them. They took pride in having a more intimate relation with the shop than any other country.
“Do you know what happened to Raizar-dono?”
“No, however the second princess, Rionne-sama has reported that she came into contact with her in the Wraith Plains. Because of the considerable distance, it is the only place to think of when Tsuki no Hokora disappeared.”
“I see. There’s no mistake if Rionne said so, but...as long as Raizar-dono does not have some problem, she will at least show up for the distribution of the spoils of war several days later, because if Raizar-dono is healthy, it should spread to the many countries.”
Even if Tsuki no Hokora disappeared, if Schnee Raizar was alive and well, it should not become a lethal problem. The important one was not the building, but the person who lived there.
“Tell Rionne that when Raizar-dono appears, she is to report it with Mind Chat immediately. That’s an order!”
“Roger!”
He passed on an order to one of the soldiers who was standing guard, and left. There were a few of the old generation who served the king, and every one of them was currently in the midst of gathering information by Mind Chat. Jeon had to change his plan, as there was no other way, even though it put a strain on his information network.
And then, because the disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora had never happened before, he ordered an investigation.
~~
Let’s rewind back the time a little to the previous day.
While Shin and the others who left the kingdom were jolted about in a wagon, they confirmed each other’s hands. They confirmed what they were able to do and what they couldn’t do, because it might cause a delay in judgement in the case of an emergency. It was mainly confirming each others job and rank, also whether having the ability to use magic or not. The level and way of fighting could be understood roughly with this. Since there was the danger of revealing level and trump cards during the first meeting, it might be concealed somehow or another.
“As you can see, I am a samurai. Adventurer rank is A. I can use charms to some extent, but I don’t not want to rely on it very much.” (T/N: Gaien uses “sessha” to refer to himself)
It was Gaien who gave information about himself first. It seemed he was an A-rank adventurer after all. His equipment itself was unrelated to his job. So when he said “As you can see” with his current state of not wearing a kimono, no one could have guessed it without [Analyze]. Samurai was a vanguard job, it was natural that they didn’t use much magic as they didn’t get an occupation bonus for that. As for expecting a proper magic attack, the rear guard jobs that get an occupation bonus (in INT/WIS) commonly used those.
“I am a fist fighter. Rank is E. I can use a little support magic to raise agility.”
The next one who opened her mouth was Tsubaki. Her level seemed to be befitting of a rank D, but it appeared that she had only newly joined the guild. Incidentally, he was told that she was going to be rank D very soon.
“I am more or less an alchemist, but I can use a bow and dagger...if I have to... I just registered to become an adventurer, so my rank is G. I can use water and wind magic arts and create simple recovery medicines, if necessary, please call out to me...”
Tiera, who almost spoke in formal lines, did so partly because it was their first meeting. Though it was a great difference from when she met Shin in Tsuki no Hokora for the first time.
It was Gaien who suggested first to speak casually, so they didn’t have to pay attention to their wording. Since they had to entrust their lives to each other, and there was no objections, which lead to the present.
Even though she was worried about having a low-level and rank, her recovery medicine was reassuring, Gaien and Tsubaki encouraged Tiera who was feeling a little small.
In reality, it was very difficult to consume a potion during a battle. Though the story was different when there are a lot of people, there were many situations where there was only a little bit of time when hunting a dangerous monster. For the few adventurers who fight regularly, having an ally who could cast recovery magic could make a big difference in the survival rate.
“I am similar to Gaien, a samurai. Rank E. I can use a little fire and lightning magic. And this is Yuzuha. Even though it might appear this way, this is an excellent monster.”
Shin told them about himself and Yuzuha. Including Tiera, he didn’t forget to inform them that they did a guarding-type job for the first time, too. This was because experience could be the factor which makes the difference between life or death. He was not asked for his level this time, but if he was, he ought to pretend that it was low. Because he didn’t know what surprise it would cause, if he carelessly said that his level exceeded 200. When one thinks of Shin’s age, it was indeed too abnormal.
Just in case, he had already arranged beforehand to tell the same story as Tiera. Of course, he had already forbidden Celica, who knew the circumstances, from speaking about it, too.
For Yuzuha, he talked about it being contracted by the tamer contract, and informed them that there was no danger.
“Oh, you can use magic while being a samurai, huh? I didn’t hear about it in detail, but it seemed that doing so requires extraordinary training. It is also unusual to have tamed a monster.”
“Well, that’s that. I’d be troubled if you expect me to be at the magician level. I only use it for diversions and surprise attacks to a certain degree. Yuzuha, by the way, is unexpectedly strong, right?”
“Kuu!”
Although these diversions were a far cry from the instant kills he could produce if he was serious, it seemed to be moderate for a rank E.
Since for a vanguard to use magic was enough, Gaien and Tsubaki should not have high expectations, like magician level, either.
“Are you people coming from Hinomoto?”
“We’re not, but why do you think so?”
“Almost all people from Hinomoto are samurais. This is the first time that I’ve met a samurai other than Gaien.”
Shin looked puzzled at Tsubaki’s question, but understood it after hearing the reason. Even though Shin had also collected information via the [Analyze] and[Listen]skills, finding a person who had the samurai job was nearly impossible. That was probably why Tsubaki said that it was unusual. But, it didn’t mean that Shin had never seen one. When he was walking toward the guild for the first time, the Dragnil he saw wearing a long sword at his waist was actually Gaien.
“Usually it is a warrior or knight one sees in this country. And then there is the job specialization. A lot of the people who are aiming to be a samurai are oddballs.”
“Oddballs!? That’s absurd… because it is a job that is excellent for raids…”
In a basic strategy, it is a hit and run job that deals out a heavy blow while playing around with speed, but the samurai could also tank if equipped with warrior armor.
The job that was popular in the game era regardless of generation seems to be different in this world.
“That is probably because the prerequisite is the necessity to master both the knight and berserker jobs.”
“Ah… I see.”
Shin consented to Gaien after hearing the reason.
In the game specification, one needed to have two jobs, knight and berserker, to become a samurai. The requirements seemed to be identical in this world.
On one hand, a knight put emphasis on defence, and on the other hand, a berserker put emphasis on attack. Mastering two contradicting jobs was the reason that samurai were known to be able fight versatile. That was the reason a samurai was easy to use. Although there was high compensation, Tsubaki seemingly found it difficult to understand somehow or other.
“I understand it, but to put it bluntly, it’s strong?”
“I agree on that point, but it’s strange after all.”
Then Gaien interrupted the conversing Tsubaki and Shin.
“Either way, it’s the difference in cultures. Hinomoto is an island country that was formed by a natural disaster. There are some bases of the guild where people with jobs like samurai and shinobi gathered at that time. Those people played a key role and made it possible for the country to be established. For that reason, the people who now use their body to fight for Hinomoto have a strong admiration for samurai. The country is regarded as a curiosity, even though it is quite small compared to the countries on the continent, so only a few people come near it. I, personally, was often puzzled in various ways after I left the island.”
The guild that Gaien talked about appeared to be different from the current adventurers’ guild. Hearing the story, it seemed to be the one from the game age.
Shin felt like it was too good to be true when he heard about an island country filled with samurai.
“By the way, what are the names of the guilds that founded the country?”
“Hmm, what is generally known as their pursuit of natural beauty, the ‘Dark Child Shrine’.”
“H-Heh, it that so?”
Shin showed understanding with an ‘I see’, without putting it into words.
The guild that Gaien mentioned, with a Japanese style name, represented by samurai and shinobi, was formed by people who liked the Japanese clothes, such as the shrine maiden clothing. In that guild, the samurai, shinobi, and miko(shrine maiden), ordered sequentially by the highest number, were competing for power. The guild house was a castle, needless to say a Shinto shrine, and consisted of many eccentric players. Because the armed forces that protected the guild house consisted of only support characters, they might have been able to repel monsters even if the players disappeared. Shin thought that if they cooperated, they should have the ability to govern a small country.
“In addition, there seemed to be some small guilds, too, but I don’t remember it well.”
“I understand it well, thank you.”
He didn’t know that the country had originally been a guild in the game era. Possibly, there might be a lot of surprises there.
~~
They exchanged various information while being jolted around in the wagon for a few days. The party advanced smoothly without being attacked by monsters, and because it was a Grimm horse, a demon beast, that pulled the wagon, their speed was twice as fast as normal. By the way, this Grimm horse was the one that Shin saw at the gate, when he had visited Bayreuth for the first time. The Tamer, who he caught a glimpse of when entering the gate at that time, was Nack who was doing this request. A merchant with the sub-job Tamer could pull a wagon in the same way as players did in the game era.
Shin and the others decided to take turns watching the surrounding, and those who could take the position of coachman took over for Nack alternately as they continued traveling.
It was when Nack had just taken his turn to be the coachman that the sign for enemies was displayed in Shin’s perception range.
“Something is coming. And it’s fast.”
“What? Tell me in detail.”
“There are 12 bodies ahead. Judging from the number and speed, it might be a wolf pack, but...”
Though Shin knew the full details, he simply told them some speculation, because it would be troublesome if he told them too much.
“That alone is plenty of notice. You guys! It’s time to work!”
When Nack heard about the situation from Shin, he immediately raised his loud voice, before Shin had finished talking. As expected from a former adventurer, his courage resounded through the air. It was so loud that if a person was asleep, they would jump up to their feet. However, his words sounded more like that of a bandit than a merchant.
When his voice rose, Gaien and Tsubaki were already finished preparing. Tiera too was holding her bow, and confirming the quiver position. Apparently Gaien had also perceived the signs.
“It’s a wolf group as Shin said. I’m worried about there being no movement from the 2 animals at the rear, but first, let’s take care of the 10 animals in the lead.”
“I’m thinking the same thing. If they are willing to approach a Grimm horse pulling a wagon, then I know that they are not ordinary beasts.”
Shin, who heard Gaien and Nack exchange opinions, looked at the monsters’ details that were coming up.
The monsters’ name was Jag Wolf. It was twice as big as a normal wolf, an extremely aggressive monster. Their movement speed was in a different league compared to ordinary wolves. Ten of them were coming toward Shin and the others. Their average level was around 100, with one of them at level 120. This one was probably the leader of the pack. As for the two that were staying behind, their level didn’t even reach level 10. They might have been left behind because of the danger.
3 out of 10 Jag Wolves went ahead of the pack. The rest of them divided into two to go to the right and left, scattering between the trees successively, while the leading three, including the leader, were getting closer approaching.
The road where the wagon was on right now was caught within in the forest. They seemed to intend to perform a surprise attack using the forest as cover. Gaien appeared to grasp the position of the approaching enemy, immediately deciding the arrangement without Shin having to suggest it.
“Split into the left and right. I will hold the front. Shin to the right, Tsubaki to the left. Tiera, give support from the top of the wagon. Nack-dono, stay near the horse. I think it won’t go wild if a tamer is nearby.”
“There’s no turning back in this situation. Come on!!”
Nack stopped the wagon at a relatively wide section, and each of them was given a position to hold. Yuzuha stayed beside the Grimm horse, just in case.
“Here we go!!”
Gaien’s shout was the signal as the three leading wolves showed movement. The center one sprang forward from the front and the remaining two went to his left and right.
Gaien, with a longsword in his right hand and the sheath in his left, charged to the front.
“Nuun!!”
Something like a light blue aura covered Gaien’s body as the Jag Wolf approached, flicking away the large beast.
Delayed with a short pause, the other two Jag Wolves approached. Without Gaien panicking, he sliced at the jaw of the beast on the right by brandishing a large swing and jumped to his left, where the one on that side received a hit on its mouth and thereby silenced.
The remaining Jag Wolf, which had been pushed off, saw its companions get defeated in an instant, and was disheartened.
“Mu, it’s somewhat easy.”
He scowled at the lightness of the resistance, but he didn’t need to go all out if the opponent was weak, so Gaien concentrated his attention on the approaching leader.
“As expected. By the way, there are some coming here, too.”
“The left side is quick. Do you see it from above?”
To Shin’s warning, which perceived the Jag Wolf approaching from the forest, Tsubaki answered and asked Tiera.
“I caught it!”
Tiera was already aiming at the fastest one and shot the arrow into the forest.
A howl of pain was heard from the point that the arrow landed at, and one of the markers displayed on Shin’s map disappeared.
“Did you actually kill it?”
As Tiera was relieved, Tsubaki voiced some admiration.
“I did.”
Shin thought she couldn’t kill it in one shot when he thought about the level differences, but the Jag Wolf seemed to have run out of energy unexpectedly. It might have hit a vital point.
Was it because they received an unexpected counterattack on the left side? The Jag Wolves turned back to where the leader was.
“It went back, huh? Tsubaki, please go support Gaien. Tiera and I are enough to hold this position.”
“I understand.”
As Tsubaki moved according to Shin’s instruction, a Jag Wolf jumped out from the forest on the right. The claw attack of the Jag Wolf passed through next to Shin, and moved toward where Nack was. The attack towards Shin appeared to have been a feint.
But, it was too careless to have thought that it was able to outwit Shin to that degree.
Shin twisted his body to dodge the Jag wolf’s claw and at the same time, pulled out a katana to parry. The one he pulled out from the scabbard hanging at his waist was the longsword katana which he had forged in Tsuki no Hokora before. A single attack from a sword that was at a similar level to an average Magic Sword; it traced a white line in the air and the Jag Wolf’s neck was cut into two.
As the body fell over, Shin thought that his physical ability rose proportional to his kinetic vision, but he only had time to observe the Jag Wolf. And then he felt that something was wrong.
While thinking about the source of that uncomfortable feeling, Shin perceived another Jag Wolf approaching. The Jag Wolf probably didn’t want to waste an ally’s sacrifice, as its fangs were already out when Shin turned his eyes. It was at a close enough of a distance for Shin to quickly counterattack with his sword.
But an arrow pierced the forehead of the Jag Wolf before he could swing the katana. Seeing the wolf receive a mortal wound, Shin dodged with a sway as the Jag Wolf fell past him due to the momentum from its leap, and then he turned toward Tiera.
“Nice follow-up!”
“It’s not nice, geez.”
Tiera, who shot the arrow, breathed out as she was relieved, and nocked the next arrow.
Instant sniping was quite a sight to behold. No matter how one looked at it, that was not a move a newly fledged adventurer should know. Schnee training her was really not just for show.
“If you can do that kind of movement, you would have no problem at rank E. Go cover the other side quickly!”
“Tsubaki also said something similar. Well, I got it.”
They shifted their attention forward as Gaien and Tsubaki fought against five of the wolves, including the leader. Did Tsubaki use magic to raise her agility, as she mentioned earlier? Her body was enveloped with a thin white aura while she was trifling with the Jag Wolves.
“Haa!!”
One of the wolves was unable to keep up with her pace and received a direct hit from her fist and vanished.
Tsubaki’s radiant blunt gauntlet sunk into its body, and it was thrown off at the tree while bending back and forth, without moving. It was a scene that would make one question where that power came from, with such a thin arm.
Tsubaki’s level was 133. There was nearly a 30 level difference compared to the Jag Wolf; even so, she gave off a feeling of power.
“This is strange. These fellows’ movements are rather slow.”
“Agreed. Their reactions are pretty mild.”
While Gaien muttered that while throwing an enemy down into the ground, Tsubaki also agreed. Apparently everyone seemed to have felt that something was wrong.
Shin joined in and it became 3 against the remaining 3 members of the pack, including the leader. They didn’t show any behavior of turning their backs at all. Normally, they should have already tried to run away.
“Hey, don’t these fellows look a bit thin?”
Shin said as he noticed it when the other two people spoke of a sense of incongruity. The Jag Wolf appeared to show its ribs if one looked closely, even the leader as well.
“It’s like the demon essence affected these monsters somehow or another. They probably aimed for the Grimm horse because of its meat and demon essence. That certainly explains the lack of resistance I felt a while ago.”
Gaien nodded when he understood it, without dropping his guard against the Jag Wolf.
There were monsters that were born from the demon essence’s influence, and wild beasts that became monsters due to the demon essence. The former could live on demon essence alone, but the latter was different. They had to eat meat and could not just absorb demon essence to maintain their bodies. The majority of these latter types often attacked people and domestic animals, but it didn’t get much public attention, because the former have such a strong demon essence. Gaien explained the situation on the way. As for Shin, since he didn’t remember in detail how the monsters spawned during the game, he memorized it for future reference.
“It is prepared for death as there’s nowhere for it to go.”
Tsubaki said it plainly. Even for the monsters in this world, they had to be strong to exist. Before the rule of the survival of the fittest, all living things were equal. There was no line dividing the humans and monsters here.
It must be remembered that Shin’s and the others’ request was to guard the wagon. If it ran away, they would not chase after the wolf, but they could not help but kill it if it continued to attack.
The choices left for the Jag Wolves was either to die starving or to die fighting.
“We are also risking our life for this. Shin, it’s useless to hold back.”
“I understand.”
Shin answered him briefly, as this was not the first time he fought a monster to live.
However, he had never met such a desperate opponent prior to this time.
(The resolution is different from the previous guys. Though that’s the only difference, it couldn’t have done that so easily.)
It was not about challenging a strong opponent, nor the hunt or fight.
It fought to live.
To the extent that the pressure they received was remarkably different.
(Moreover, the two of them that are behind it are still pups.)
The two that were approaching little by little were still children with the shapes of puppies.
Was it because he was a Japanese person, that his blade was getting blunt?
“I will kill the leader. Tsubaki on the right, Shin on the left.”
“Understood.”
“Roger that.”
“Then...let’s go!!”
The timing was matched to each other.
Tsubaki and Shin were the first to begin.
Tsubaki stepped into the fight with her aura continuing as it was. Judging from the Jag Wolf’s point of view, it felt like there was a chance of being cut down if it blinked. To the opponent, which froze by reflex, Tsubaki swung down her fist without mercy.
The Jag Wolf slammed into the ground with a cracking sound, and then twitched a few times before it stopped moving.
Shin also took a stance and raising his sword above his head, stepped in with a speed superior to Tsubaki’s. The katana swung down as he stepped forward. The Jag Wolf didn’t move. No, it was not possible for it to move.
At the same time as the arc in the air disappeared, its body slipped diagonally. The eyes of the Jag Wolf blinked a few times as it turned toward Shin. It might not even have noticed the cut.
“Then after you.”
“Umu, agreed.”
Gaien stepped forward between Shin and Tsubaki. The reason why the leader didn’t attack Shin and Tsubaki was because Gaien had overpowered it.
There was no longer a chance of winning. Still, the Jag Wolf leader didn’t back down. It raised a short howl and put its strength into its limb. Its intention to live was straightforward. Even if he thought it was hopeless, Shin felt a sense of respect for that figure.
The leader exerted its power for a few seconds. In its last dash, it squeezed out all of its strength, aiming at Gaien. The speed was as expected from the alpha of a pack; powerful.
“Magnificent.”
It was Gaien who spoke words of praise. He prepared his longsword while facing the oncoming leader.
For the leader, which was approaching straight, Gaien moved calmly. The figure of Gaien wavering, with his feet side-stepping.
The moment of their clash. In the next moment, along with Gaien’s swung down sword, there was the figure of the leader split in two.
While waving the blood off of his blade, Gaien turned his eyes toward the last, small Jag Wolves ahead.
“What should we do?”
How would a person of this world make such a decision at this time. To find out the answer to that question, Shin called out to Gaien.
“I will kill them if they attack, but I won’t give chase if they decide to leave. Our work is to guard, not to hunt monsters. In any case, I don’t know whether it’s possible for those two children to survive on their own.”
In case they survived, they might get attacked by someone else. However, that was for another story. If they appeared outside a village in this world, it was a common sense to employ a bodyguard or to learn some self-defense. They might get attacked by other monsters or even by bandits in either case. Even if they killed the Jag Wolf children here, the possibility of someone else attacking the wagon, as well as themselves, didn’t decrease.
The children might have understood that their parents had died. They disappeared into the forest to escape.
“Somehow, it leaves a bad aftertaste in the mouth.”
“It was different from a fight against common monsters, huh.”
Shin nodded to Tiera’s words.
“I share your sympathy. I’ve never experienced such a fight before.”
Gaien consented.
“But it’s not good to mind it too much either.”
What Tsubaki said was right; if they worried about it too much and thereby let it dull their blades, a companion might be sacrificed next. They had to be practical.
“Is it over? Then let’s hurry up and leave.”
Nack, who was near the Grimm horse, called out to the four people. As expected from an elderly former adventurer, he changed gears quickly. He was not shaken to see the scene from a little while ago either.
“Still, for them not to eat to get thinner, there must be something in the forest, right?”
Gaien then answered Shin’s question.
“Well, there’s nothing I can add. Jag Wolves are smart monsters. It’s hard to think that they failed at hunting until they reached such a condition.”
“Even if the food supply diminished?”
“These guys also eat goblins. It unreasonable to think that the goblins were swept away, right?”
“I agree. If one of them was found, 30 of them would come out.”
Tsubaki said it in a way that was like saying a G* was lurking in the house. After all, the goblins’ reproductive power didn’t seem to have changed, just like in the game era. (E/N: G = cockroaches, ‘cause Goblins are like cockroaches)
“I heard a story that said Skull Faces were appearing in large numbers in the Wraith Plains. Wouldn’t that have an influence?”
When Tsubaki said that, Shin opened his mouth as he suddenly remembered.
“Ah, that reminds me, I overheard that all high-rank adventurers are away the guild, wasn’t there something like a large-scale request?”
“That matter, huh? At that time, I was going to go home for a few days before, at Bayreuth’s southern town with Tsubaki. So I didn’t participate there.”
Then Tiera secretly whispered into Shin’s ear.
“(Hey Shin)”
“(What’s the matter?)”
“(The Skull Faces, was that the request that came to master?”
“(Yes, those fellows were quite strong. That might be the cause.)”
There was the possibility that their territory was overflowing with Skull Faces.
“Either way, we don’t know the reason. It’s useless even if we think about it. So I’m going to go to sleep.”
Doing things at her own pace, Tsubaki said that and put on her overcoat. It was typical for adventurers to be able to sleep in a shaking wagon. Because there were shifts between being coachman and standing guard, it was an important duty to rest while one can.
“It’s as Tsubaki said. There’s not enough information even if we think about it. Since that took a significant amount of time.”
“That’s right. For the time being, should I do maintenance on our weapons? What are you going to do, Tiera?”
“Because it’s my turn soon, I will be at the coachman box.”
When Tiera said so, she exited the canopy, and moved next to Nack.
According to Schnee, Tiera learned most of the necessary skills for an adventurer, so she could take the role of coachman without any problems. Rather, it was Shin who didn’t have the experience. That was because a horse could advance without him having to guide it when he set the direction in the game, so he was not used to doing such things.
“What adventurer can’t drive a wagon? Even a young woman can do it.”
“Ugh...”
Even though they were just simple words, what Nack said made him feel a little down.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 03 - Falnido Beast Alliance/The-New-Gate-Volume-03-Falnido-Beast-Alliance-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_03_Chapter_01_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 3
Afterwards, they advanced without another incident and went toward Beirun while camping. They had to take a detour around the forest surrounding the Wraith Plains, not only merchants such as Nack, but large scale caravans did the same, too. Thus, not a lot of monsters came near them from the start. The reason was that, there was already plenty of prey inside of that forest. And one day before they were due to arrive in Beirun, Shin and the others encountered what they were asked to defend the caravan against.
“Poor merchant-san. If you don’t want to die, hand over the money and baggage.”
They were bandits.
Though according to the information Shin and Tiera exchanged with Gaien and Tsubaki, bandits seldom came out; they did not seem to have any luck. It goes without saying whose ‘luck’ it was.
They were not a numerous group, but they were properly armed in leather armor and were holding longswords as well, which was likely to earn them money. Though one might not want to know how.
“Then, how? I don’t know if I’m confident enough to ambush and take on 6 people head-on all alone, what should I do?”
Shin looked back at Gaien and Tsubaki.
“That won’t change anything. If we attack, they might turn the table.”
“One person should leave the right to slay someone with impunity to me.”
Ignoring Tsubaki’s remark, which they didn’t know whether she was joking or not, the three people moved out.
The strategy had already been decided. They formed a basic formation with three people, where Shin, Gaien, and Tsubaki stepped forward, while Tiera was to cover them. Yuzuha was left in the wagon in case there was an opponent they couldn’t perceive.
The enemies level were about 150 on average, although the man who started to talk was unexpectedly higher-leveled at 163. Shin was a little surprised by that. They could make a living as normal adventurers, but he thought that they might have had various things happen to them to make them stay like that. No matter how much he thought about it, it wouldn’t change anything.
Nack as well this time, held an axe for self-defense.
It was only a matter of time before the battle began. While the tension increased, Tiera was holding her breath inside the canopy, and recalled what Gaien asked earlier.
‘Shin, Tiera. Have you ever killed someone?’
When the trip first began, it was the first question that Gaien had asked of the two people. Even though this was the first barrier that adventurers aimed to strike at, it was because the request for the guard was an E rank request. Therefore the possibility that an enemy related to this request would appear existed. The mortality rate was divided by each rank for adventurers; high rank requests at rank B and above had a much higher mortality rate. Aside from monsters, many of them were killed by people. It was a rank E.
(It’s alright. I will defeat them.)
Only Tiera hadn't killed anyone yet among the members. Shin’s worrying about this was reflected on his expression, but she said it would be alright. She ought to do it. If she couldn’t do it, the danger toward the three people stepping forward increased.
“Oioi, do you intend to fight with only three people? There’s still time now?”
“Shall you leave the young lady too? I can entertain her in a bunch of various ways!”
The stinging lines from the bandits was heard by the three people. Of course, it was only natural.
“Shin...”
While looking at such three people, it was Shin’s name that came out from Tiera’s mouth. Tiera’s sensitivity was particularly strong even among the elves. That’s why she understood it. Just after the bandit said to leave Tsubaki behind, the feeling from Shin changed a little.
It didn’t change to bloodlust. But it became sharp and dark. The calm presence that Tiera knew vanished, as she felt some kind of sinister feeling coming from Shin. From Tiera’s perspective, it was already another person’s presence. Was Tiera not keen enough? Neither Gaien nor Tsubaki seemed to have noticed it. Be it fortunate or not, it was only Tiera who felt the change to the present Shin.
(I can’t leave Shin like that any further. That Shin is no good!)
The hand holding the bow filled with power.
Before she knew it, Tiera’s thoughts of killing without hesitation, disappeared from her head. The opponent was a bandit, and in addition to that, he was obviously a habitual criminal. To be a bandit repeatedly in this world was equal to having a worthless life. There were no other destinations except the execution stand if caught. For such opponents, to compare them with Tiera’s worry for Shin, their existence itself was already too light.
The arrow was nocked in the bowstring, which in turn was drawn to the limit. She aimed at the bandit lurking in the bushes nearby. That person might have had the intention to hide, but it was no different than casually going for a walk for the elf Tiera. While aiming, she waited for the signal from Gaien.
“I don’t like useless killing. I will stop if you pull back, but I will kill if you don’t.”
“Oioi, can you see the situation? I know that one is merely a rank E.”
“No matter how much of a rank A you are, don’t you have to fight while protecting other members? You better turn a blind eye to us without causing trouble rather than showing off that strange spirit, don’t you agree?”
Where did they learn that information from? The bandits knew that they were all low-rank with the exception of Gaien. Even though the number of bandits hidden and visible aiming at Nack were unknown, it was clear that this was not an accidental encounter.
“There’s no need to listen any.”
“Leave the number of people to two.”
Shin and Tsubaki made eye contact. The negotiations broke down. No one here thought it would end any other way. They only wanted time to prepare so as to lessen the damage while observing the other side.
Gaien shook his head a little, reacting to Shin’s and Tsubaki’s remark. That was the starting signal for the attack.
In the next moment, an arrow shot by Tiera flew out from inside the canopy, and was sucked up into the thicket where the bandit hid in.
“――!!?”
There was no scream. However, a dull sound of something hitting the ground was audible.
One red marker that existed on Shin’s map disappeared. Was it the head or the heart? It might have hit one of the two. The HP vanished in a single blow. It was an instant death.
“Tsk, what a failure. You guys, do something!!”
The leader appeared to curse, far from mourn over the death of their comrade. The bandits rushed to attack after they received their instructions.
“Then, two bandits per person. Leave the person alone if you can’t do it. You heard the story.”
“With no injuries?”
“You should listen to the directions, do as you like to the others, I don’t care.”
Gaien and Tsubaki calmly exchanged disturbing words. It was as if they were used to it. Even though there was sure to be a level difference between Tsubaki and the enemies, she didn’t seem to be eager at all.
Gaien stayed as he was, and Shin and Tsubaki scattered to the right and left, distracting the bandits.
Three bandits were going for Gaien, one for Tsubaki, and two for Shin. Was there any [Analyze] skill holder among them? The low-level was after Tsubaki rather than Gaien.
“Are you making fun of me?”
Anger was mixed in with Tsubaki’s words. The bandit whom she faced was certainly stronger than Tsubaki when one only looked at levels. Still, just because the bandit was stronger didn’t mean that they would be able to knock her down easily.
A chill ran through the back of Tsubaki’s neck, to place where the she thought the bandit hid his hand. She immediately close the distance, caught and pulled the bandit’s sword with her gauntlet.
“Heh, you have some nice intuition, don’t you?”
The man looked at her, like he was making light of Tsubaki’s body. Red aura was being released from the sword grasped in her right hand.
She shifted her gaze and saw the surrounding state. All of the bandits, though the colors were different, had weapons that gave off an aura like the man in front of Tsubaki. Did all the members have a Magic Sword, they appeared to have weapons with similar characteristics.
Apparently, besides from the level, there also seemed to be a reliable chance of success due to the equipment.
“Don’t put up much resistance. I can’t enjoy it if I kill you, kukuku”
The bandit noticed that Tsubaki’s gauntlet was just a common mass-produced item. It was not possible to defend with this. Therefore, he had no doubt about his superiority.
“If you see me as being only small, you’ll experience pain for looking down on me.”
“Haa, say that after you defeat me!!”
The bandit lunged at her while speaking. Was the attack aided by the sword? Obviously the speed level was faster than before. However, Tsubaki didn’t lose. She was enveloped in a white aura and ran before the bandit arrived at her position. The real nature of the aura was [Spirit Manipulation • Katsusen].
As the name implied, it is a martial art skill that strengthens the body, although an inferior version. As for the ‘Katsusen’ that was attached there, aside from body strengthening, it indicated that it specialized in speed increase.
Tsubaki left a white afterimage and jumped toward the bandit’s chest, and drew back her fist. Though the bandit was surprised that Tsubaki’s speed was faster than his own, he judged that it was not possible to clash with it, and instead tried to guard with his hand that wasn’t holding the sword.
But Tsubaki’s aim was not to deal damage. She aimed at the hand that was holding the sword. The bandit’s reaction was good, but he didn’t read Tsubaki’s aim until after it happened. The fist wrapped in her gauntlet directly hit the bandit’s right hand, breaking all five of his fingers. Bones poked out from the bandit’s fingers, as they bent in the wrong direction.
“Even if you have a good weapon, you are untrained.”
No matter if his weapon was a Magic Sword or not, the user’s ability didn’t change. The bandit, who was screaming intensely, couldn’t defend because of the excessive pain. In front of that virtually defenseless enemy, Tsubaki accumulated power in an instant.
“――Fly!”
Her fist was released along with that word. At the same time, a dull sound that wasn’t supposed to come from the body was heard. The bandit was sent flying off into the sky while continuously vomiting blood.
Beyond that point, there were figures of bandits surrounding Gaien.
“Gahaa!!”
Without any time to react, the bandit who was sent flying crashed into one of them, and disappeared into the thicket. Because the sound of heads-butting together was heard, the person who was thrown would probably not move for a while.
The bandit who was hit again had the pit of his chest cave in, so that rather than his intestines, it was certain that his heart had exploded. It was an instant death similar to the person who had received the arrow from Tiera.
“W-What it is now...”
One of the bandits, whose comrade was suddenly sent flying, looked at the thicket in in a daze.
When in front of an enemy, that was a fatal opening.
“Idiot! Don’t turn your eyes away from this fellow!!”
It was already too late when the bandit’s leader yelled out.
“Swish!”
Gaien approached the bandit who showed the opening and swung his long katana down.
The bandit barely reacted to the voice of the leader and broke his posture, thereby he became unable to defend against the single blow from Gaien that was filled with power. The long katana raised a buzz as it clashed against the Magic Sword. The Magic Sword was repelled, and from the single blow of the long katana, it was blown away together with the body. By a miracle, the Magic Sword seemed to act as a substitute for armor, defending the bandit from the long katana. But unfortunately, although the Magic Sword gave off the impression of protecting the bandit’s life by reducing most the momentum from the long katana, it was disappointingly not enough and broke in the next moment. Naturally, the bandit’s body, which the Magic Sword protected, was still in one piece.
“Wh...What...”
Looking at his subordinate from the side, the squeaky voice of the leader came out. It was unthinkable to beat a Magic Sword and cut it in two, even for a rank A. His eyes were wide open as he looked at Gaien like he saw something unbelievable.
“Though you guys are Magic Sword holders, unfortunately, they are no match for my Magic Katana.”
The battle situation that they thought to be to in their favor was overturned in an instant.
The incident that happened in front of him was unbelievable for the bandits’ leader. The information he had received claimed that they all were rank E, with Gaien as the sole exception. They were supposed to only lost half of their men at worst. For the one who went up against Tsubaki, despite being a Magic Sword holder at C rank, he was a subordinate that was worthy enough of being her opponent.
The confused leader clung to the tiny bit of hope that a subordinate would save him, but he even turned toward his aide. And then, what came into his view next, was yet another impossible scene.
* * *
Immediately after the battle started, two bandits went to face Shin. One of them had brown hair and the other man had blond hair. The one with brown hair was level 151, the blond hair was 153. If one were to say it in adventurer terms, they would be C rank. Looking at the deployment, Tsubaki had taken down her sole opponent quickly, Gaien was holding four people, and the two people here, probably going after Nack, were already expected by Shin. The man who lurked in the bushes was the lowest level among the bandits while the blond man had the highest level next to the leader. At that level, he might even be able to deal with the flying arrow. The air he gave off was clearly different.
“Well, what has been done can not be undone.”
He muttered, and blocked the route of the two people.
To force Shin out of the way, the guy with brown hair went ahead and unsheathed his sword. The aura attached to this Magic Sword was yellow. However, the katana Shin was holding was different in a big way. For the Magic Swords of the current world, the definition was different compared to the Magic Swords from the game era.
Though the place where the aura leaked out from on the blade was identical, the sword itself was originally classified as a 《Legend》 grade, not a Magic Sword. The swords that the bandits had were not Magic Swords in the true meaning of the word.
The bandit’s sword gave off an aura like steam, but the white aura which Shin’s katana emitted was converging in the form of a sword in order to fit around the katana’s blade. The air pressure of the aura, released from the Magic Sword showed the quality. An aura that did not scatter, and instead surrounded the sword's blade was said to be the top in ability.
Therefore, the natural outcome of the two people clashing their swords was displayed.
After the blades clashed with a little rivalry, it ended when a clear sound rang out and the sword of the bandit was broken. Both items could be called Magic Swords but one was a Magic Sword imitation. However, the katana that Shin held displayed its ability multiple times, and could exchange blows like the real deal. The sword that uselessly discharged its aura was so different from Shin’s standard that he would call it a fake.
The brown hair looked at his sword that could even inflict a wound on a Horn Dragon but yet was broken in a single blow. And then, continuing with that gap, with the same stroke, Shin cut down the brown haired man.
“Waa!? broke――n !?”
The voice raised was filled with surprise because he was cut, and the bandit with brown hair collapsed.
Like a flash. There was no hesitation in that movement.
For Shin to kill a person, it didn’t mean that he was used to it. But he was already beyond the stage of hesitation, worry, and other such things since a long time ago. During the death game, nobody wanted to get tangled up with a person who fought on the front line.
Besides, the opponent was a bandit who wielded a sword with evil intentions. When he saw the blood remains from a previous victim on the armor, it was impossible for his sword to be dull.
He never looked at life lightly. However, he shouldn't be too serious either.
“Now then, what are you going to do?”
Shin didn’t look at the brown haired man that collapsed, instead he stepped in front of the blond hair.
Shin had a light tone. Speaking as if he was asking for the description of a meal, giving the blond hair more pressure.
The blond hair, who was shocked, was making an ugly face. He looked at the place where the brown hair’s Magic Sword broke, perhaps, for the first time. Then his line of sight changed to compare Shin’s katana with his sword.
“Anyways, that sword is a nuisance.”
Shin casually stepped forward, and waved his katana. With that alone, the blond hair’s Magic Sword was smashed apart.
“Wha!? T-That’s ridiculous...My Magic Sword is...”
The blonde hair muttered dumbfoundedly after seeing his Magic Sword that had already become only a hilt. He was not able to see the single blow from Shin from a distance where he should have been able to. Shin didn’t use any skill. With only stats and ability, he closed the distance of several mels in an instant.
“Next, to immobilize.”
With those words, Shin’s figure vanished. Thereupon, an acute pain ran through the blond’s limbs.
The body, without the support of its hands and feet, collapsed onto the ground. At the rear, Shin put his katana back into the sheath. He had shattered the bones just by striking with the back of the sword.
“Did it end there too?”
“Yeah, Shin was tormenting him.”
“He just going easy on him!”
While they were exchanging jokes, the leader, who was the opponent of Gaien, looked at Shin. The blond hair was equally confused about the situation. No matter how much he thought about it, that was not the fighting power of an E rank.
“Now then, let’s have a talk about the person who handed over the information to you.”
The situation was explained to Nack, so there would be time for them to interrogate the leader. When Nack understood that he might have been deliberately targeted, he consented.
The interrogation was performed by Gaien and Nack, as they entered the thicket and Shin and Tsubaki returned to the wagon.
Tiera had a worried face toward the two people, especially as she approached Shin――――
“Good job, for the time bei――muguu!?”
―――― And she suddenly held Shin’s head, embraced to her chest.
Tsubaki stared in amazement at the sudden action, and Shin, whose speech was interrupted, was confused. Tiera’s jacket was open, exposing the chest, and Shin’s face was in held in there. Though there was the inner cloth, the fabric was not thick enough. Therefore, a fairly vivid sensation enveloped Shin’s face.
Though there was no space to completely enjoy the sensation, as the person in question, Tiera’s action, was too abrupt.
“Um, what are you doing?”
“Don’t move...just a little...bit...okay...”
It appeared that Tiera had some sort of purpose for the time being. Tsubaki, who was forcibly convincing herself to watch their progress attentively so as to understand. This situation was too incomprehensible to get involved with. Above all, Tiera’s expression was awfully serious.
When he heard Tiera’s oddly charming voice, Shin became docile too. That state was maintained for a while and when Shin was about to start being able to enjoy the soft sensation that surrounded his face, Tiera let Shin’s head loose.
However, both of her hands firmly held onto Shin’s head.
“Umm...Tiera? What...”
Tiera, who said nothing, stared into Shin’s eyes with a serious face. Shin felt it was awfully long, although it was only a few seconds.
“...Yosh.”
Finally, after nodding a little, Tiera released Shin’s head, and went outside the wagon to be on lookout.
“What is it...now...”
“Who knows?”
Though he asked Tsubaki, she similarly didn’t understand it either. Shin had a question mark over his head as well.
* * *
While taking distance from Shin and Tsubaki, Tiera searched for Shin’s presence. Even though it was only a fairly small range from Shin and others, it was still out of normal for G rank adventurers.
Relief spread through her chest as she secretly moved to behind the wagon. Until a few minutes ago, Shin, who returned with Tsubaki, still slightly wore that presence as usual on the surface. That dark, sharp, and unpleasant feeling that she wanted to run away from by reflex.
Although it was a momentary thing, when looking back at the action she took, it was an action which she really thought of seriously, but at the same time her face became almost as red as a beet.
In the beginning, when Tiera hadn’t come to Tsuki no Hokora yet, Tiera, who was totally frightened, was gently embraced by Schnee. Her anxiety was softened by that act alone.
Thus, she thought that the presence might disappear if she did the same thing. For Tiera, who had limited contact with others, she thought that it was the most effective way.
Anyways, the result was a success. If anything, she was a little panicky when she returned to her sanity, but because the goal had been reached, she considered it a good thing.
(Am I the only one who noticed? Or am I strange?)
She felt the familiar thirst for blood at the time when she was driven out of her village. She was still mentally young back in those days, but she only felt fear. On the other hand, when Shin confronted the bandits, she noticed the change in the nature for the thirst for blood. No, it might be good that she noticed.
Tiera personally didn’t understand her sense well, but it was because of the sense of impending crisis that it became stronger. The impulse that she couldn’t understand. Though it was not regarded as manipulation of the heart and mind, there was strangely no discomfort. She seemed to understand that there was no danger at all; there was a strange trust.
When she composed herself before long, in a sense, it was obvious what Tiera would think of next.
(After this, what kind of face should I make when I talk with Shin...?)
Where had the seriousness, when embracing Shin tightly, gone? The bewildered appearance of saying “Au Au”, when seen by a person who knew the usual Tiera, would think of it as really cute.
Though she intended to hide and move, Shin and Tsubaki having perfectly witnessed her appearance, was a fact not known by Tiera.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 03 - Falnido Beast Alliance/The-New-Gate-Volume-03-Falnido-Beast-Alliance-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_03_Chapter_02_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 1
Shin and the others waited for ten minutes while guarding the wagon. Then Gaien and Nack returned. The bandit leader’s figure was not seen. He was likely taken care of since there was no need to bring him back alive.
Everyone climbed back into the carriage and tried to recover from the delay caused by the bandits, so the speed started to increase a little. Nack was responsible for being the driver, so Gaien explained the information obtained to Shin and the others.
“In other words, they wanted the baggage Nack-san carried?”
“That’s right. It seems to be related to a church matter. But they weren't informed of what the baggage was.”
“They didn’t know what to take?”
Tsubaki asked.
“Well. Consequently, after the guards were slaughtered, together with the coachman, they would steal the wagon.”
Shin, who listened to the story, instantly thought that Rashia might be related to this case. The priest appointment of Rashia was only valid when recognized officially by the church. Therefore, the mark of proof, necessary documents, and so on might have to be transported.
The client who requested it, without telling their goal to the bandits, was at the same time trying to avoid being detected. Though it was simply a guess, when he looked at the place, where no one had disclosed what Nack was transporting, it was no doubt that it was something important. There were plenty of those possibilities.
When Shin thought about it, for Nack to have a Grimm horse by chance, which traveled faster than a common merchant, and to also have guards, it seemed to be the right interpretation.
Afterwards, without encountering any more bandits or being attacked by monsters, the group arrived at Beirun.
The wagon pulled by the Grimm horse passed the gate.
A lot of wagons entered the gate in similar ways. It was congested, but it was reasonably crowded with people.
Beirun was a small country, and similar to the surrounding countries. Eltnia continent had a shape of two continents linked, and Beirun was located in the middle of the two. Because of its strategic location, they might be invaded by the big countries, so they cooperated by forming an alliance to prevent an invasion by another country. Since each of the countries had a chosen one, the total force of the alliance was said to exceed even a big country's.
“Thank you for your efforts, if there’s a another opportunity, I will request you again.”
They passed through the gate and advanced for a while along the road, and the wagon stopped in front of a second-hand shop.
Unlike a usual merchant, Nack said his gratitude with words, and handed over the proof of request completion to Gaien. This was how to receive the reward, once it was submitted to the guild.
“Well then, I will go to Kilmont after this, what will everyone else do?”
Gaien started on a topic after this matter along the road. Kilmont was ruled by the dragon king, a Dragnil’s country.
The formal name was the dragon empire, Kilmont.
From Schnee's story, it was Shin’s support character no. 4, High Dragnil Shibaid's country.
“I also have business in Kilmont.”
“Tiera and I have business in Falnido.”
Gaien and Tsubaki seemed to have a different destinations from Shin and Tiera.
“Fumu, this is divided splendidly again.”
“I knew it’s like a combination.”
Meeting and parting were part of the adventurer ways. Gaien and Tsubaki seemed to go to Kilmont for another guard request this time. By the way, before they met Shin and Tiera, they already received the same request several times.
After receiving the reward, they each left the messages, “Let’s meet again” and “Call out to me if you see me”, and started their journey to Kilmont. Though it was very simple, because it was often the case for adventurers to meet again during different requests, they might have to be practical if that was the case.
“So, how do we advance after this? Use a wagon too?”
“If I’m not mistaken, using an ordinary horse will take one and a half months, and a wagon will take 2 months, which we should not do.”
“It’s too far now that I think about it again.”
After separating from Gaien and Tsubaki, Shin and Tiera talked about the means of transportation. There was the way of moving on foot, but they were not so poor that they couldn’t ride on a wagon together. Though Shin was the fastest if he ran, he couldn’t hold Tiera all the time. After thinking it through, Shin decided to purchase a wagon. Either way, Shin and Tiera could continue traveling even after Schnee joined them. There was no loss in owning one. That’s why Shin and Tiera visited the shop that sold wagons for trips, as introduced by the guild.
“How should I say, all of the performances seem similar, even the high performance ones.”
“No no, customer, there is a reason for this.”
Towards Shin, who had muttered while looking at the shop, the storekeeper, who was coming nearby, answered.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, a large quantity of wagons were bought by the country a while ago. The ones here were made with the leftover materials, because we had to prepare the number required, it pretty much became the same thing in the long run. Depending on the material, it will become a little better.”
“I see, materials huh?”
From Shin’s assessment, the quality wasn’t that good, but it couldn’t be helped. Shin recalled the wagon used by Nack. Though the appearance was not good because it stressed the importance of transporting cargo, as for the material, the good ones were certainly used. Something needs to be done about the shaking, so they didn’t have to suffer there. Of course, that didn’t mean that he was dissatisfied with everything else.
“This one...only need to restructure it just a bit.”
“Wait a minute, did I hear something bad just now?
Tiera put her hand on Shin’s shoulder who was muttering. And as she now knows from experience, she would expect that didn’t mean a good thing. Though she had a laughing face, her eyes weren’t laughing.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s shameless. I know you’re lying. Now spit it out. What are you going to do this time?”
“Why are you being so cautious? I just want to improve the wheel’s movement, and suppress the shaking a little.”
The shaking countermeasures could reduce the burden on the horse pulling the wagon. Naturally, he didn’t want the trick to be found out, so the outward appearance wouldn’t change much. One must get in the wagon to actually feel the change.
“Really? It won’t fly in the sky and travel without a horse?”
“Of course not!!”
Shin didn’t say, “It was not possible to do.” But because the wagon’s design was out of his specialty, it wouldn’t be easy.
However, because the springs and wheel bearings were within the blacksmith’s domain, it would be easy to start working on it.
“Well, it’s fine if you only go that far.”
“It’s better to keep a low profile. Aren’t I learning, even a little?”
“If it wasn’t you who said it, I’d believe it.”
“That’s kind of cruel.”
Not being able to object was painful.
“Then, the wagon can be remodeled further?”
“Only a little because it’s not my main job, but it’s better than nothing.”
“If it’s better than Nack-san’s, it’ll be welcomed.”
Apparently, Tiera was also annoyed by the shaking of the wagon. The carriages that nobles rode in hardly shook, that was something that Tiera learned from an idle chat with an adventurer who came into the store. So, she thought that she should rather welcome him if he could make such a carriage.
Though the shaking was minimized in Nack’s wagon too, it was hard on Tiera who was not accustomed to it.
“Enough about remodeling, which carriage will do? Honestly, I don’t know which one is good.”
“First of all, I want space big enough to be able to sleep inside. Something like that.”
Shin thought about the number of people and the baggage they would have, and pointed at the biggest carriage in the shop.
“That’s right. Master will come too, so we also need to think about if it will hold a large amount of baggage.”
Tiera also agreed, about it not posing any problems with the number of people.
Also the horse must be powerful in order to be able to pull the wagon’s weight, in the worst case, he would have to get Yuzuha’s help to pull the wagon. That transformation ability was indeed useful.
“Thank you for your patronage! By the way, customer, have you obtained a horse for pulling the wagon?”
“No, I’ll go buy one after this.”
“Is this your first time buying a horse?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“If that’s the case, this is a piece of advice for the customer who just did an expensive purchase. The horse’s legs should be as strong as possible. Though it’s different when using several of them; to pull it with only one, the wagon is a little heavy.”
“Thank you, I will use it as a reference.”
Perhaps, a draft horse type would be good. Given the number of people that will ride on the wagon, Shin thought that type was better.
“On that subject, how about using a monster to pull it? Because there is person I know who does it in such a way.”
“Well, the horsepower is definitely in a whole different league. Though it would have to be tamed, haven’t you heard that it’s difficult?”
“Indeed. Thank you for the information.”
He thanked the storekeeper who gave them advice and left the shop. Their following destination; a shop that dealt with horses.
“Next is...hmm? This sound is”
When Shin took a step forward to go purchase a horse, a ‘Ding’ sound reach his ears. It was the ringtone when notified of a voice chat, which he had set before. Because the operation hadn’t changed since the game era, he accepted the call by thinking about it.
“(Hello, This is Shin. Loud and clear.)”
“(This is Schnee. The request here is over. Where are you now?)”
“(We are in Beirun. I intend to go to Falnido by carriage once a horse is obtained.)”
Because it was just the right time, he conveyed his present location and the wagon he just bought.
“(Is that so. Then, I will capture a monster. I think I will arrive in Beirun in about 1 day, would you wait for me there?)”
“(I understand. Now that you mention it, you are also a Tamer.)”
At the time when Shin was encouraged to obtain the job from Rokuten’s Tamer and Summoner, Cashmere, he was also accompanied by Schnee. She acquired it when he did. Though she hadn’t tamed anything up till now, it was useful in an unexpected place.
“(Yes, please look forward to it, because I will bring the strongest one possible.)”
An image of Schnee stating so in high spirits came into his mind.
“(And, may I ask you one thing?)”
Schnee asked.
“(What is it?)”
“(When storing the Tsuki no Hokora, did anything happen? Because Tsuki no Hokora disappeared, I’m worried they would do something.)”
“(Ah, somehow it was monitored, but because being followed is troublesome, I used a little magic skill.)”
“(I see, it’s an illusion, huh? That’s quite peaceful. I thought the surrounding land would be cleared, because it is you.)”
“(Hold on, what do you think I am!?)”
“(Haven’t you done it before?)”
Apparently, she seemed to be talking about the death game era.
“(No, that’s because I’m not the kind of guy who just goes all out in order to wipe such opponents, and to begin with, I wouldn’t do such a violent thing to the monitoring people of a country.)”
Certainly, he would not go easy on an opponent who had come to take his life, but he didn’t have the intention to needlessly kill an opponent who only observed. In the first place, it was Tsuki no Hokora and Schnee that were monitored, not Shin.
“(If Shin decides so, then it’s fine. The upper echelon might be serious about it this time, because I acted like I didn’t know about it.)”
“(Right. Of course, our appearance was not seen, since I used a concealment skill. To the guys who were watching, Tsuki no Hokora would have seemed to have suddenly disappeared. I’m sure it caused a great deal of confusion.)”
The multiplex use of concealment and illusion. It was a popular way of showing an illusion to others while hiding oneself. Because the user was Shin, the other person couldn’t help but to become a target of the spells. As for the ‘concealment’, the skill name was similar for both martial arts and magic skills. It was the magic skill ‘concealment’ that Shin used this time. The effect was lower than the martial arts skills, but it was effective for himself, and he could hide Tiera too. In fact, the spies couldn’t see them at all.
“(Get a taste of their own medicine. To be honest, while I get praised unanimously, I got mad at the way they monitored and solicited repeatedly behind my back. Even if it causes a bit of an uproar, it will be their own fault.)”
Schnee said that irritably. Of course, not all countries were like that. There were many countries that contacted her with a moderate attitude. However, there were also a lot of countries that gathered war potential over the hegemony after the chaos due to the crustal movement. It was known that Schnee was the subordinate of a High Human, and an endless amount of countries desperately tried to include her in their own area.
This was how things got this way, that Tsuki no Hokora continued to be monitored even after the turmoil had settled down. Even though there were few people or countries that monitored her knowing those days, it was not so very long ago for the high elf Schnee. Even now that she became calmer compared to those days, she still felt a strong discomfort from the monitoring and solicitation.
“(Somehow, it’s even worse than I heard.)”
“(There are even countries that claimed to have the property rights for Tsuki no Hokora without permission, too. I thought of erasing each of those countries at the time.)”
“(When you say it like that, it must be serious.)”
While telling him that she was disgusted, Shin understood why Schnee got angry. Their precious place and things, it was natural to be angry when others claimed it was their own without permission.
With Schnee’s temperament, her anger was probably greater than that.
“(Well, there’s no need to be worry about it anymore now. That was my property originally, it’s up to me to take it anywhere.)”
He couldn’t concede Tsuki no Hokora, even if it was important to the people.
For Shin, Tsuki no Hokora was a precious place where he spent a long time with friends. Even if the opponent might be the king, he didn’t have any intentions to submit even a fragment.
“(Perhaps if Tsuki no Hokora was obtained, they thought that Schnee would follow?)”
“(Right, such people exist, too. There were even a lot of people who proposed marriage though.)”
“(...Right)”
It was Shin who set her appearance, but the beauty of Schnee could be said to be on the level of a beautiful courtesan. It was easy to imagine that she would be popular before long. Since Schnee and Tsuki no Hokora were known as a set, there might be a lot of people who tried to obtain Tsuki no Hokora, just to get that pretty face unexpectedly.
“(Well, it’s only natural, huh?)”
“(Are you jealous?)”
“(That...)”
He would’ve been proud of it in the game era, but the feeling changed now that it was reality. Shin also felt considerable feelings from Schnee. Was it because he was the master? Or as a man? It was difficult for him to make a judgment, but if possible, he thought it would be nice if it was the latter.
“(Fufu, is that so? Would you be jealous for me?)”
“(Why are you in a good mood like this?)”
“(Please guess~)”
“(I feel like I’m being led around by the nose.)”
The problem before guessing the reason for a good mood and so on; For a light novel’s main character who was thickheaded, there were possibilities of saying “I seriously didn’t know”.
Though Shin was also dense, still, it usually didn’t go to that extent.
“(Then contact me when the inn is decided upon. Because I don’t know when I will arrive yet. I will go directly to the inn according to the time.)”
“(Understood. See you later.)”
The Mind Chat was cut off. Since the goal of obtaining a horse were more or less met, he didn’t have to purchase a horse anymore.
“Hey Tiera, once the wagon is obtained, why don’t we look for an inn for tonight? I think securing the beds is important too.”
“What’s with this abruptness? Don’t we have to go buy a horse?”
“Schnee just contacted me. We will wait because she’ll catch a monster to replace the horse.”
“As expected from master. It’s perfect timing.”
Even though the admiration felt different, because he felt like he lost when he thought about it, Shin didn’t say anything. That timing was too perfect in his opinion.
“For the time being, would you like to go sightseeing while looking for an inn?”
“Okay, but it’s boring if we only walk around.”
Because they had time on hand, the two people decided to walk slowly. When they looked around at the stalls, various glassworks attracted their attention.
By the way, although Shin was also attracting attention because of the young fox on top of his head, he didn’t mind it since he had already gotten used to it in Bayreuth.
“Is the specialty here glass?”
“It’s beautiful. But I don’t know what it represents.”
The glassworks seemed to be popular, except the shops that sold glass, the products were displayed in almost every shop entrance.
They went to several shops in succession before finally stopping by a female store-keeper who was talkative, so they were introduced to a famous inn in this town. Since it was a lot of effort, they decided to stay at the inn there tonight.
They walked for about 15 minutes after they were instructed about the route, and saw a quite elegant building.
Judging from its appearance, it seemed to be made from wood, the outer walls were painted in white and its presence was clearly different from the neighboring inns. The windows in all of the rooms were fitted with glass. If seen properly, those window-glasses were enchanted to be completely strengthened.
Because the entrance door was big and had glass attached on the left and right, they could have a look inside. Rather than a common inn from fantasy, it had the same appearance as one would see in a modern hotel. The name of the inn was ‘The Reflected Flowers Palace’.
“Amazing! I didn’t see any inns that used glass in this way in Bayreuth.”
“It’s seems to be one of the selling points of this inn. It was said that its glass windows were firmly strengthened.”
“Indeed. I think it would be okay even if I hit them with a hammer.”
“But it seems a bit expensive.”
While Shin looked at the details of the exterior with his architectural skill, Tiera worried about the price.
Since they couldn’t stand in front of the inn forever, Shin went ahead and entered. Still, there was no automatic door or something like that, so they had to open it by themselves.
Once he was inside, the employees, who were dressed in stylish uniforms, immediately greeted them. When he conveyed that they had a female store-keeper refer them, they received a slight discount to some extent.
Apparently the main building was separate, this seemed to be the annexes for the trial services. Trial service? The two people look puzzled.
“For one night, it 4 silver coins per person.”
Though the discount should have reduced the price, it was two silver coins more expensive than the Bear Point Pavilion of Bayreuth where he stayed before. It was as expected from a high-quality hotel.
Because there was the reward from Nack, they paid respectively for a night. He also thought about whether it would be okay for Yuzuha to accompany them, but it didn’t seem to have any problems if they had a contract. Naturally, Shin would have take responsibility if it caused a disturbance or something like that.
“Um oba-chan(aunty), did you see through us and know if we could pay the price?”
“You’re an adventurer. Aren’t you all considered to have money?”
“Well we do have some, but the request’s reward just diminished in one go.”
Because half of their reward vanished in an instant, Shin unconsciously thought of such things. As a matter of fact, though there was some additional income, as a reward from defeating the bandits, he still felt it was too expensive. Actually, he did have a certain amount of white gold coins, but his money sense was still fuzzy.
“Since this is similar to the famous inn in Beirun, there are stories saying that you should stay at least once. Also, the main building costs one gold coin per night, that’s still fair.”
“Who could stay there?”
“Perhaps, it’s people like Shin. Don’t you have money from the raw materials you sold to me last time? To be frank, the current Shin is quite rich, you know?”
“T-That’s right. I only thought about the request’s reward.”
Tiera pointed it out, and Shin finally remembered that he himself was quite rich. Judging from the total sum of money he had in hand, 4 silver coins was just a trivial expense.
Even though the inn was where the reward from the guard duty would disappear within 3 days, because the tempered glass was very expensive, 4 silver coins might be a cheap price when he thought about the details of the facilities.
For this sort of famous inn, he understood why it became the topic of the story. It was a special trip, s0 Shin decided not to worry about it and enjoy himself a little.
“As expected from a high-quality inn. This is already an ordinary hotel. The soundproofing is secure, too.”
That was the level of quality that Shin first felt when he entered the assigned guest room. It was a place that could be called a budget hotel if seen in his former(real) world. Though it would be excessive for comparison, the only other inn that Shin knew of in this world, Bear Point Pavilion, from the bed, desk and the chair provided, they were of a higher grade. Still, it was inferior to the furniture inside Tsuki no Hokora.
“Kuu, can I talk already?”
“Yes, it’s all right here.”
Yuzuha seemed to endure it for a long time in the town. The walls of the inn were thick, so it was judged to be safe to talk as it spoke to Shin.
“There’s still time until dinner, shall I do some equipment maintenance?”
Shin put the luggage on the floor and took off his sword from his waist and began the inspection.
It was hardly necessary in the game, but he thought that he should try to keep doing it wherever it was practicable here. A small chip in the blade and rust due to blood remains and so on were factors that hastened the deterioration of the arms. Naturally, frequent inspections were required, especially for low-grade arms.
“Pretty!”
“It took a lot of hardships to reach this level.”
The aura that wrapped the blade was visible, and Yuzuha voiced its impression. Actually, the blade, which retained its mysterious shine, was indeed beautiful. He could understand if it was called a work of art and not arms. While looking at the radiance that could not be emitted by superficial gear, Shin remembered the days of his former training.
He confirmed the blade state, loosening the hilt and the guard of the katana in order. As he was about to return the katana into the scabbard, the door was knocked upon.
Tiera’s voice was heard from the room.
“Shin, do you have a moment?”
“Yeah, I’ll open the door now.”
Before Shin stood up, Yuzuha took a human form and opened the door. Of course, it wore the shrine maiden’s clothes.
“Ara, Yuzuha-chan. You are in that form now, huh?”
“Kuu, do you have business with Shin?”
“I want to ask about a little something.”
Yuzuha showed her in, and Tiera entered the room.
“And, what do you want to ask me?”
“Didn’t I receive [Analyze]from Shin before? It’s about that.”
“Was there something wrong?”
“It may be trivial, but when I looked at Tsubaki’s stats, there was a thing that worried me a little.”
“Something that worried you?”
Suddenly, a certain conjecture flashed into Shin’s mind.
“By any chance, when you used[Analyze], sometimes it became hard to see the race of Tsubaki...right?”
“Eh? Shin too?”
Tiera was surprised. Shin’s prediction appeared to be correct somehow or another. To say it accurately, rather than hard to see, there was some static or something such that moved around. Though it was only the race column, it was a phenomenon that had never existed in the game. It was the first time for Tiera to have seen one. For Shin, it was his second time.
“I am a bit interested too. But I don’t understand this well either.”
In case of Shin, he wondered whether it was a malfunction appearing or not, since the way he came into this world was also a malfunction. Anyway, he only knew that the static noise didn’t start until he encountered Tsubaki.
“I wonder if master knows something?”
“Right. Either way, she’ll join us tomorrow, and we’ll ask her then.”
Since Schnee could use the same [Analyze]as Shin, she might know something. However, it was not an urgent business, so he decided to not use the Mind Chat.
“Kuu, a serious problem?”
“It’s probably not a serious matter. I have a guess, but there is no conclusive evidence.”
Shin shrugged his shoulders while smiling wryly toward Yuzuha.
“Which reminds me, when will master come?”
Tiera asked.
“I don’t know the exact time. She told me that if I tell her the inn, she will come there.”
“If that’s the case, you can already take a rest for today. I guess master won’t come at night.”
“Well, I guess so. Let’s have dinner soon.”
The current time was past 6.00 P.M. Though it was a little early to have a meal, it seemed to be unquestionable in the inn. Because Yuzuha wanted to eat together, but its human appearance couldn’t be shown so they brought their dinner inside the room to eat.
Though it could be said that the food was grand, the bread was still brown. Apparently, the white bread seemed to be quite high class for some reason or another. By the way, if this was the main building, white bread would appear commonly.
Afterwards, he asked for a hot bath and fell asleep after changing his clothes. About the hot spring, in Bear Point Pavilion it was charged per use, but was free here. There didn’t seem to be a bathhouse. Since the one in Bear Point Pavilion was basic bathing, he felt like there wasn’t much of a difference.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 03 - Falnido Beast Alliance/The-New-Gate-Volume-03-Falnido-Beast-Alliance-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_03_Chapter_02_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 2
Dawn of the next day.
The half-asleep Yuzuha had crawled into Shin’s futon, but it was really peaceful and not making any fuss, because it was in young fox mode. Shin unconsciously rubbed Yuzuha’s head and moved it away, and then washed his face. Just like a hotel, the room had a washbasin. After feeling refreshed, Tiera visited them, and they ate a breakfast similar to yesterday’s.
“Just now, before breakfast, I heard that Schnee will arrive in Beirun by the end of the morning. I’ll remodel the wagon, what will Tiera do?”
Shin talked to Tiera while chewing his bread. Because he thought it was not a good idea to keep waiting without doing anything, he intended to remodel the wagon.
“I’ll look at how you remodel the wagon.”
“Yuzuha too!”
Tiera, who had demanded that Shin restrain himself, seemed to be interested in the remodeling process, too. It goes without saying for Yuzuha.
Apparently, they appeared to be excited about seeing an unknown technique.
After checking out from the inn, they headed straight to the shop from which the wagon was bought. The wagon was still in the shop as there was no horse to draw it yet.
“Welcome. Oh, it’s the customer from yesterday. Have you bought a horse?”
“It was decided that my acquaintance would supply it. So I intended to fiddle with the wagon a little.”
“Heh, is Customer-san a craftsman or something? I thought you were an adventurer.”
The surprised shopkeeper returned, and they moved to the place where the carriage was. First of all, he laid a magic skill that lifted the target temporarily to prevent the frame from falling down, and then installed the spring as a countermeasure for the shaking. Of course, it was not just attached, he tinkered around with the wheels’ axis, too. The appearance of lumps of wood and metal, wriggling and changing shape, might be quite weird, depending on the point of view. However, the speed of the operation in that state was fast. Since he went underneath the frame; he worked quickly, because he didn’t want the shopkeeper to see it. The shopkeeper didn’t notice that the wagon’s performance had already become incomparable to that of the surrounding wagons.
And seeing the work scene up close, Yuzuha had glittering eyes, and Tiera’s eyes were in a focused state. Tiera was somehow able to understand the details of the operation, too. But seeing lumps of metal become flexible and changing shape in Shin’s hand caused them to be speechless. She wanted to say: “Haven’t you learned about not attracting attention already?”, but managed to endure, as the shopkeeper might hear her.
“Phew, I only need to attach the bearings next.”
“(Kuu! Shin, what was that a while ago? The iron was flexible!)”
Was it that interesting? Yuzuha began to talk through the Tamer version of Mind Chat. Did it love craftsmanship? The enthusiasm was seen before, during the time when Shin was tempering the longsword.
“(This is the production group skill which processes iron. Somehow, I found a use for it.)”
It was the production group skill, [Molding], to be exact. Originally, it was only possible to transform objects into fixed patterns, but once he knew how to use it, the shape could be changed into interesting ways. Because the technique of remodeling a wagon had not changed since the game era, he could finish it without any problem.
“Shin, where did your self-restraint go?”
“A-Ah? I hid myself in a way that I couldn’t be seen, and the external appearance didn’t change either. Why are you so mad?”
“Certainly I saw it in a flash, and I don’t even know what the difference is.”
“Right? Then――――”
“But! It’s obviously unnatural.”
“Um, why is that?”
Before he knew it, Shin was spinning his mind around to think if he was guilty of doing something wrong, as Tiera was in preaching mode. Unfortunately, the reason why Tiera was angry didn’t come to mind.
“It’s the time.”
“Time?”
“Yes, time. You know, no matter how easy the work was that modified the wagon, it shouldn’t take less than 1 hour! It’s too fast!!”
“Ah, I see.”
“Don’t ‘Ah’ me, you have to take it a little more serious...”
She said it with a strong tone, but in low voice. While Shin was using the impressive lost technology, Tiera warned him. Though Tiera said one hour, only about 15 minutes had actually passed since he started his work. Come to think of it, it was definitely too fast, so it might become a story of, “How on earth did you do that?”. Because he only cared about the appearance and the result, he seemed to have forgotten about the working speed. Shin didn’t realize it, since there was never a complaint about being too quick in the game.
“It couldn’t be helped, so I’ll go slow with the bearings.”
“Please, do so.”
He accepted Tiera’s demand and proceeded to work slowly this time. Since he only had to remodel the axial junction and the wheels to some extent, it didn’t take that much time even when he did it slowly. He could concentrate on the work, because only a small part of the body was still floating.
Afterwards, the bearings were attached to all four wheels, and the modifications were completed. The total time for the job took about one and a half hours, including the installation of the springs. The current time was half past 10 now.
He told the shopkeeper at the wagon dealer that they would bring a horse, and exited the shop. And then, they waited for contact from Schnee. Since they had time, they went for another walk in a different direction from yesterday. They spent about one hour of window-shopping at the street stalls, and then the call from Schnee came.
“It’s the call from Schnee. She seems to be in the forest ahead of the north gate.”
Because he conveyed that they had already checked out from the inn and were wandering around, it was decided that she would wait outside. And so, they headed toward the north gate immediately. While extending his perception area, they passed through the gate and walked further. The response from Schnee showed what she had already captured a suitable beast. But――
“............”
Both of his feet that were supposed to be walking in high spirits became heavy.
“Kuu, what is it?”
“What’s the matter?”
“Sigh, how should I say this..., I think you will understand when we arrive there.”
Tiera raised her question after Yuzuha’s words, but Shin said that she would find out once they reached there. The reason was that even if he didn’t expressly speak of it, as Shin walked forward, he had an expression of bewilderment, because he understood what had caused Yuzuha to be cautious.
What was displayed on the map, moved into Shin’s field of vision. The monster that stood next to Schnee was why there was such a reaction from Shin.
When they got closer to the forest, the appearance gradually came into view.
“Shin, that one, is strong.”
“Hey Shin, really, what is that? My [Analyze] doesn’t show its name, let alone its level.”
Yuzuha and Tiera seemed to be uneasy.
“Well, that’s natural.”
Even if it was Schnee, it couldn’t be helped as the monster alone emitted huge pressure. Tiera stood behind Shin to hide herself, Yuzuha re-hardened its posture that had weakened.
“I’m here now. As I told you with Mind Chat, the monster I brought will pull the wagon. In the case of this fellow, it won’t have any problems pulling the wagon that Shin gets on.”
With a very nice smile, Schnee said so full of confidence. That smile with overflowing charm would make everyone a captive.
However, Shin’s heart was about to say “Seriously?! This will pull the wagon?”, as his line of sight went to what was behind Schnee.
“Just to check, but where did you get it?”
“Because I was near the sacred mountain, it’s from there.”
“...Clever. As expected from Schnee.”
“I’m honored to receive your praise.”
As expected from Schnee, she seemed to interpret the meaning of crazy in a good way, even with Shin’s state of mind.
“I forgot. Master sometimes gets reckless when it comes to Shin.”
“That information, if possible, I wish you would have said that earlier.”
Tiera looked up at the sky with a shocked expression, while Shin held his brow with one hand as if to say, “Oh great!...”. Watching the two people, Schnee looked puzzled.
“Well, nothing can be done since you already brought it here. For the time being, may I ask about this fellow?”
“Yes. Because it will pull the wagon that Shin is riding on, I thought it should be something like this, a divine beast class monster.”
“No no, that way of thinking is weird. It’s strange no matter how I think about it! What kind of wagon do you think it’ll pull!?”
Shin exclaimed, while pointing at the monster which was obedient behind Schnee.
That shout was reasonable too. Anyhow, its physique was much bigger than a carriage. In the case of it pulling, the wagon would need to be the size of a single house.
“Of course, I assumed that Shin would say that.”
“What?”
Schnee calmly replied to Shin’s retort. Apparently, she seemed to have a plan.
Shin looked at the monster Schnee brought again.
A four-legged walking type monster, its name was Gruefago.
It had a forward-leaning posture when it walked, and its height was about 3 mels from the ground. Even if it was pulling to the wagon he purchased, they might not able to see the front.
Ash-silver hair covered its whole body to the forearm, which was developed like a horse’s body. Moreover, it had thick and strong muscle masses on its tail, and it rivaled the power of the Lord Skull Face which Shin and Schnee fought before.
In addition, if it began a surprise attack during the game era, it would be a fiendish monster even for advanced level players. Its head resembled that of a wolf, but there were scales that dully shined visible here and there, making it possible to tell that it was a different animal.
Above all, it was eye-catching as Gruefagos’ have a horn protruding from their foreheads. Though its horn was crooked to some extent, an amount of light and shade was emitted from the emerald horn, just like a crystal.
There was one fact to understand from there. This meant that this Gruefago was a unique monster.
Even though it was unclear, it should be a monster that attacked without hesitation when it found a player, and yet it behaved itself without showing such signs at all.
When he checked with [Analyze], it appeared as Gruefago Jade, Lv. 751. Originally, the upper limit level of a Gruefago should be 650, but it was a common occurrence for a unique monster to exceed the limit. It would certainly be a recipe for disaster if it descended on a human dwelling.
“Go on, do it.”
When Schnee said that, green phosphorescence enveloped the body of the Gruefago. Crackling sounds were occasionally heard, a small sense of incongruity was added to that magical scene.
The phosphorescence dimmed in less than a minute, and a single monster made an appearance.
Though [Analyze] confirmed it as the Gruefago, the appearance was different from before. The forelegs were about the same length as the rear legs and the tail also shrunk. Though it was somewhat irregular, it could be said that it was a slightly big wolf. The featured horn shrunk as well, so that only a small part of it could be seen from the forehead.
“It became small?”
“Yes. Since there’s this ability, there’s no problem if it pulls the wagon.”
“That’s certainly true.”
Surely, the wagon could be pulled without any problems. But, there was a thing Shin was interested in before that.
“Did it have such an ability?”
Gruefago were originally monsters that put emphasis on flinging themselves onto the enemy. Like Yuzuha, it should not specialize in transformations.
“Because it has a habit of ambushing and a preference for surprise attacks, it became a unique monster, and I think it obtained a more useful ability. In fact, it can use illusion and lightning attribute skills.”
Though he didn’t feel at ease because of that, a monster that couldn’t adapt didn’t make sense. Because it was born from demon essence, he was convinced that it would transform into a skeletal monster.
“I guess this appearance is probably fine for the time being. The wagon has already been modified, let’s return and depart from there.”
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
Since it was a waste of time even if he talked here, he decided to return and leave at once.
“Haa, it is strangely tiring.”
In contrast to the happy Schnee, Tiera appeared to be slightly tired. It was natural too, no matter how light the exchange of Shin and Schnee appeared to have been, that was certainly a monster that was called a divine beast standing before her eyes. Even if it seemed docile, the intimidating air dispersed around it was not normal. Now that it became small, the feeling of intimidation was on the same level as that of a common monster. It wouldn’t be strange if a commoner fainted because of the strong pressure from its original figure though. For Shin and Schnee to talk like it was nothing, the two people were strange.
If Tiera hadn't received training from Schnee, she would have joined the fainting group.
“Kuu, Kukuu?”
“Guru, guruaa!”
Looking at both of them barking to talk, all one could do was to have a strained smile.
“I agree with Tiera. I didn’t expect that you would bring something of this level, either.”
For Shin, if anything, his surprise was stronger than fatigue. Because when he said horse, he expected something like the higher kind of Grimm Horse, a Wonder Horse, or even higher than that, a Tri-Horse. For a monster that was said to be the standard for every merchant player, the level didn’t exceed 200, because it was easy to handle. It was unexpectedly popular because of its horsepower.
However, a divine beast was obviously overqualified if he looked at the outcome.
“Was it something strange?”
“Master, usually one doesn’t bring a divine beast simply to pull a wagon.”
“I will only settle for this.”
““Eh...””
What was her intention to bring it along? It couldn’t be helped for Shin’s and Tiera’s voices to be in harmony.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit excessive?”
“No way, you don’t like it...?”
Schnee’s face became gloomy.
“Wait, wait, why are you depressed?”
“Well, Shin has a contract with an Element Tail, so if it’s not a stronger monster maybe you wouldn’t be pleased with it?”
“Kuu? Guu-chan, don’t want?”
“Guruu!?”
Though what Shin meant was: ‘You don’t have to strain yourself’; Schnee seemed to have interpreted it as ‘You are not satisfied with this level?’. She was overly enthusiastic, too.
And, hearing the two people’s conversation, toward Yuzuha’s remark, the Gruefago expressed its surprise. Judging from its facial expression, it probably said, “Really?!”. As expected from a divine beast, it didn’t need to say out loud what it was thinking.
“No, a Gruefago is strong enough. Besides, it is a unique monster and I see almost no other flaws.”
“I am relieved when you say that. I thought it would be useful if the monster was as smart as a person.”
“So that means, it understood the things we talked about just now?”
“Yes. Though it can’t talk with words, most of our words are understood.”
“Guruu!”
“Leave it to me, it said.”
Yuzuha promptly followed up. It seemed that fellow monsters understanding each other was possible. After all, a divine beast class had high intelligence.
“This is my master. Be sure not to be rude.”
Schnee said while presenting Shin.
“Guru!!”
“Nice to meet you.”
Shin said as he patted the head of the Gruefago. Without a sign that it disliked it in particular, the Gruefajio closed its eyes partly, indicating that it felt good.
“By the way, what is this fellow’s name?”
“It’s Kagerou.”
“Is it because it can use illusions?” (T/N: The ‘影’ kanji, from ‘幻影’(genei) which means illusion, is pronounced as ‘kage’.)
“Yes. Is it too simple?”
“Well, that might be good. I think it’s a cool name.”
It was certainly simple, but Shin thought it was not bad. It was a name that is occasionally seen in games and manga.
“Guruu”
“I like it.”
This beast seemed to like it, too. Yuzuha, who moved to Kagerou’s back from Shin head, interpreted it properly. Since it might be hard to understand with only barking and gestures, it was very helpful.
“Then, Kagerou. I will give your first mission!”
“Guruu!!”
“That is, pull the wagon!”
“Guruaa!!”
To Shin, who exaggeratedly informed the beast, Kagerou answered full of motivation. Though Shin worried that it might complain, it didn’t seem to mind pulling the wagon.
With Schnee and Kagerou added to Shin’s party, they returned to Beirun from the forest, and came back to the shop where they left the wagon. At the time when they passed through the gate, Kagerou was registered as a monster partner of Schnee, similar to what Shin did in Bayreuth. For Kagerou, because its build was quite large unlike Yuzuha and its appearance seemed to be a little ferocious as well, it was necessary to hang a plate that indicated “Tame” on the monster’s neck.
Schnee was strongly warned that if Kagerou barked, acted violently and so on, there would be penalties for that, but that was inevitable. Unlike the monsters of the horse group, it was considered very likely that it would act violently.
Did bringing Kagerou along have some effect? Although Schnee and Tiera were beautiful women, no suspicious men tried to pick a quarrel with them. People like punks generally had a low sense of danger and lacked the ability to read the mood. But when they saw Kagerou, there were no daredevils who tried to pick quarrels with the group.
With Yuzuha riding on Shin’s head, they might have thought that Shin was Kagerou’s tamer, too. It was natural for a strong man to be with 2 beautiful elf women; it was from the air he gave off, everyone who looked at Shin’s party thought.
“Customer… this is also another great one you brought.”
The storekeeper was surprised when looking at Kagerou that appeared alongside Shin.
“There’s a little connection with someone I trust.”
“You don’t say, is it that beautiful woman whom I didn’t see yesterday?”
“Yeah, sort of.”
“I envy you brother, with how your young ladies look.”
What did the storekeeper imagine when looking at Tiera and Schnee; Shin’s shoulders were clapped down on hard. Though the storekeeper was acting a little overly familiar, there was almost no feeling of discomfort, which was expected from a merchant.
“It’s not such a relationship...”
Before he knew it, the way he was called changed from “customer” to “brother”. Incidentally, even with such a poor excuse, the smirking storekeeper didn’t seem to be listening.
Currently, Schnee had changed her appearance with a skill. With blond hair, red eyes, and a ponytail hairstyle, her impression appeared to be more energetic than usual.
Therefore, the collection of gazes she received from passerbies, was even more than Tiera and Kagerou got combined.
Shin received the wagon while sighing, and then mounted the necessary pulling device on Kagerou. It took some time for the fitting, because it was originally meant to be mounted on a horse, but he adjusted it using a skill in secret and kept up the appearance.
“Is it tight?”
“Guru”
Kagerou nodded, telling Shin that it didn’t have any problems. It felt no constraints, even when Shin took it for a light run. Though the wagon’s weight should be more than normal, it didn’t seem to be a burden judging from Kagerou.
“Then, shall we depart?”
“Kuu!”
“Guruu!”
While hearing enthusiastic voices from the monsters, the carriage began to move slowly. Was it the result of his remodeling? The shaking had been considerably lessened.
“Amazing, it doesn’t shake at all.”
Tiera widened her eyes in amazement.
“Fuh, this is the result of my remodeling. Aren’t you glad I did it?”
“Now that I know this to be this comfortable, I won’t be able to ride a normal carriage anymore.”
There were personalized cushions laid out for each of them, so the vibration wouldn’t make their buttocks sore. From a person who knew the shaking of an ordinary wagon, the difference in comfort was like heaven and earth. What Tiera said was also understandable.
“I see, it’s been modified, huh?”
Schnee also felt admiration as she looked around the wagon.
“Yes, originally I thought of excluding the extra bearing, but I knew I could improve it more if I tried. I thought why not do it on this opportunity, as it really is harsh to be inside a shaking wagon for a long period of time.”
“It is indeed. Isn’t the performance better than the carriage of the royal family?”
“I’m not that rash to go all out there though...”
“In present times, there are no wagons’ that don’t shake like this one.”
Schnee smiled as if she was troubled. Judging from the talk, she was likely to have ridden on the royal family’s wagon.
“Long distance travel in this world is really hard.”
“There are problems of public peace too, one wrong step could cost you your life.”
Monsters and bandits were dangerous too, but even wild animals were plenty of a threat for any ordinary person. For this reason, there existed the work called, bodyguard. For a person who couldn’t hire a guard, a trip was really risking their life.
“I think I’ll hardly feel danger with these members.”
The words that Tiera muttered alone were the truth, too.
To begin with, with a divine beast class monster, Kagerou, pulling the wagon, monsters wouldn’t approach directly. Even if a bandit who couldn’t measure its power showed up, they would either settle in Kagerou’s stomach, or become minced meat by Shin.
There was no problem even if there was somewhat of a travel mood.
“When Shin and I are present, we can generally even do something about a national disaster class problem.”
“Master is too almighty.”
The speech that came off as arrogance was incorrigible, simply because it was reality. Even with only Schnee, she was already a national class in regards of war potential.
“Kuu! Yuzuha also here, so it will be all right!”
“Guruu!”
The two of them agreed with Schnee’s words. That scene was exactly like a pet seeking approval from its master.
“As long as it’s trustworthy.”
The words Shin muttered while smiling wryly were not heard as they dissolved in the hustle and bustle.
“But well, to modify it to not attract attention, it stands out in a different way.”
“Mou, this couldn’t be helped.”
In addition to the combination of Schnee and Tiera that would attract public eyes, there was Kagerou, too. There was no way that this group wouldn’t stand out.
After all, they were continuously exposed to public eyes from the surroundings until they left the gate.
* * *
Shin’s party departed from Beirun. Kagerou’s movement speed was not comparable with a normal wagon; when it ran for a while, all presences of people disappeared.
“It’s alright if it’s here. Schnee, can you come over here for a moment? I want to ask you something.”
“Yes, what is it?”
He searched for any surrounding presences, and called out to Schnee after confirming that there was no one around. He had something to discuss with her that couldn’t be heard in the neighborhood, though he only now remembered it.
“I completely forgot about it. What was Kagerou’s position on the sacred mountain?”
So, he had forgotten to ask this because he was surprised at the appearance of the divine beast, since Kagerou had been found by chance and was brought along, he felt uneasy with its presence.
Basically, for divine beasts, most of them had their own territory, and rarely came out from there. In addition, each of them were followed by their underlings. It was different in the game, but in reality, he couldn’t just bring it along like that.
“Let’s see. If I am to say it nicely, it would be symbiosis, but if I must say it in a negative way, it would be freeloader.”
“Hah?”
Due to the anticipation ahead of the unusual answer, Shin couldn’t be helped to have a stupid expression on his face.
A freeloader.
It was not a word he imagined would describe a divine beast.
That symbiosis she mentioned earlier, there might be a another divine beast in this case.
“Is it that? Kagerou was allowed to live in another divine beast’s territory?”
“Yes. There is a monster called Mist Garuda that leads on the sacred mountain, near the summit. Because of that, there are not many ways for Kagerou to be helpful. And Kagerou didn’t appear to have either followers or its own territory.”
The story seemed to have taken a quite special turn. Normally, in the territory of a divine beast, other divine beasts didn’t emerge. Since it was not a game any more, it was possible, but if that was the case, Shin felt a strong sense that something was very wrong.
“I understand this much as we came to a mutual understanding over the Mind Chat. I don’t understand Kagerou as clearly as Yuzuha, but we can compare the information I know.”
“I see. Yuzuha, can you ask?”
“Kuu, leave it to me.”
Yuzuha, who was able to communicate clearly, asked about its circumstances. The conversation that sounded like “Guruguru”, “Kuukuu” continued for a few minutes.
Was she interested in that conversation? Tiera also sat near the coachman's seat. Before long, Yuzuha returned to Shin.
“I got it.”
“Yosh, let's hear it right away.”
“Let me see. Was it the Mist Garuda, now? Though it rules the sacred mountain, originally half of it belonged to Kagerou’s mother. However, its mother was killed by adventurers, and only Kagerou survived.”
“Adventurers, huh?”
Shin had done similar things in the game era, so he felt ashamed.
Of course, he didn’t intend to hunt divine beasts thoughtlessly in this world.
“It desperately ran for its life, and then, it was helped by an elf girl. After that, it tried its best and became strong, though when it returned to the sacred mountain, it could only help in battles, because its mother’s territory was already lost.”
“Elf, huh? Indeed, when I met it, there was a little hostility against me.”
Did she recall the time she met Kagerou for the first time? Schnee nodded as she understood.
“Did it surrender without fighting?”
“Though we did have a contest, if anything, it was a slight degree of testing each other’s ability.”
Apparently, without showing their whole power, they seemed to understand each other’s strength.
“Schnee is very strong and had a nostalgic scent attached to her, that’s the reason it accompanied her.”
“Nostalgic scent?”
“It said that it was the same scent as Tiera.”
“Eh?”
An unexpected answer returned. Shin, who heard it, had an idea pop up by chance.
“The elf girl who helped… was probably Tiera?”
“Kuu, looks like it.”
It was totally like a development from a manga, but such a thing was really unexpected in reality. If Shin hadn’t arrived, it seemed like their destinies wouldn’t intertwine.
“Errr, I wonder when such a thing happened...”
Tiera said as she closed her eyes to search for the memory where she helped Kagerou. She didn’t seem to be able to remember it right away.
“Guru”
“It said it was more than 100 years ago.”
“That was when I was still a child… Now that I think about it, I did save an injured puppy.”
The information of Tiera’s age could be guessed, but because circumstances were circumstances, Shin didn’t dig deeper.
Though it was difficult to associate the puppy from back then with Kagerou’s current real figure, it probably didn’t have a brutal appearance when it was a baby. She could understand because it reduced its size to pull the wagon furthermore.
“If I’m not mistaken, there was a severe injury. It was hopeless for me alone, so I asked for mother’s help.”
“Guru”
“Benefactor, it said.”
“And you chose to be tamed? Even if you might not end up meeting Tiera?”
Shin pointed out that doing so was hasty; even if it followed the scent, it might not have met Tiera again.
According to Yuzuha, it seemed to understand that it couldn’t win, even if it fought against Schnee. That being the case, it decided to believe in its own intuition.
By the way, the reason it let Shin pet it quietly too, was because it felt a portion of the strength that he hid. Even if he limited it using a skill so that his true ability wouldn’t come to light, it seemed that he wasn’t able to completely cover it when it came to a monster of Kagerou’s class. It felt an overpowering sense of intimidation that couldn’t be compared, even with Schnee, or so Yuzuha informed them of what Kagerou said.
“So that’s why it was so docile.”
Indeed, it wouldn’t let an unfamiliar human touch it just like that. Although it seemed to be no problem for the members here now.
“Then, shall I transfer the master’s qualifications to Tiera?”
“Will that be alright? For her level and such.”
“If the person in question is accepting, there won’t be any problem. It has been verified.”
Though Shin raised his doubts, it seemed to be alright.
“Um, master. I don’t have the Tamer job, so continuing with this conversation is pointless.”
Of course, a special skill was necessary to form a contract. And only a tamer was able to do it.
“In this case, I was thinking of an irregular contract, rather than the said transfer. The contract is canceled temporarily and then made again, right?”
Shin asked.
“Yes. Because a monster that was freed from the contract would return to the wild, it can make a contract with another tamer.”
Though it was obvious, this world was a reality. If it was a game, there was no such thing. It was similar in the sense that a monster would return to the wild after the contract cancellation, but something like a re-contract was impossible. After the message of it having returned to the wild, 2 characters disappeared.
As Shin had mentioned, it wouldn’t disappear in the way they did in the game.
“No, like I said, I don’t have the job.”
Tiera didn’t get the point.
“It’s fine. With this method, Tiera doesn’t necessarily need the job.”
“Errr, what do you mean?”
Tiera was at a loss for Schnee’s words. The reason for her perplexity was because she didn’t know the acquisition conditions for the job.
In THE NEW GATE, there were 3 main methods to get the Tamer’s job.
1. Accept the contract application from the monster’s side, generated at a very low probability. (E/N: Monster proposes contract, player accepts)
2. Inherit the skill, [Master and Servant Contract] from another player, and at the same time, acquiring the job.
3. Clear a job acquisition quest.
In Tiera’s case, it was falling under no. 1 this time. Though they were supposed to fight until it was driven into a corner, Kagerou was uninterested in fighting, so it became a contract as it was. He understood it since the characters for “Very Low Probability” were included. There were only a few players who obtained the job through method no. 1 in the game age. Even Cashmere of the Rokuten guild hadn’t experienced this, more or less making him realize the low probability to some extent. Though it looked a little like a cheat, there was no benefit in particular.
Therefore, most players received the skill from acquaintances, or obtained it directly through a quest.
“Indeed, then I can do it, too.”
Tiera consented after receiving the explanation from Schnee.
“So, let’s finish this quickly. Kagerou, stop.”
The wagon stopped moving, and everyone hopped off for the time being. The pulling device was detached from Kagerou, and it changed back to its former appearance.
“First, I will cancel the contract.”
When Schnee said so, she stretched out her arm, and Kagerou bowed its head and touched her hand.
“The light in thy future”
“Guru...”
Schnee recited the words of contract cancellation. Then a faint light enveloped Schnee and Kagerou, and vanished after a few seconds. With this, the engraved contract marks on both of them disappeared.
“Now it’s Tiera’s turn.”
“Y-Yes!”
Though she was tense, Tiera stood before Kagerou.
The current Kagerou was in a state without any restrictions. The intimidating feeling released by that body was enough to make a commoner scared, even if Kagerou suppressed it. Combined with that gigantic appearance, Tiera felt the illusion of a force that pushed her into the ground.
“Guruu...”
“I-It’s alright. I can do this.”
With a smile to Kagerou who barked worriedly, Tiera composed herself. There was no hostility from Kagerou. Those eyes too, when looked at properly, were worried about the shaking Tiera.
She took a deep breath, and looked straight at Kagerou. The next moment, a stream of information flowed into her head. A golden light enveloped Tiera’s body, and disappeared after several seconds.
With the guide from the skill she acquired, Tiera recited the words of the contract.
“I, wish to walk with thee.”
“Guru...”
Kagerou barked to answer Tiera’s words. At the same time, Tiera and Kagerou, on each of their left arms, a tattoo with the shape of some kind of flower, emerged.
“That is...oops”
The pattern of the tattoo created ripples in Shin’s memory for an instant.
But since Tiera staggered after that, his thoughts were interrupted, and he caught her as she was about to fall. Because of that, the sense of incongruity he had, was gone along with the waves.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m sorry, somehow I’m losing strength.”
[Master and Servant Contract] was originally a skill used on a partner who was already weakened substantially. Since there was a huge level difference too, Shin judged that there might be an unexpected burden on the body.
Shin let the tired Tiera rest on the canopy top, and installed the pulling device on Kagerou again. Though Kagerou worried about Tiera, when he said she’d be alright once she took a rest, since the person in question was merely tired, Kagerou began to pull the wagon obediently.
“Hey, Schnee. When you transferred Kagerou to Tiera, was it to protect her after all?”
The carriage has moving forward, and approximately 20 minutes had passed. Shin confirmed that Tiera was still asleep, and opened his mouth.
“Yes. It is as you say.”
She probably knew that she would be asked that question. Without being surprised in particular, Schnee answered.
“After this, we won’t always be nearby.”
Schnee said it in a flat voice. This was likely one of the reasons she tamed Kagerou in the first place.
Schnee would follow Shin, but for Tiera, it was not necessary to follow him. Though she brought Tiera a little forcibly this time, she intended to let her go free after the affairs were over. It was up to Tiera on how she lived.
However, in the case of her joining Shin with his action, there was the insecure factor of fighting power in the long run. Currently, Tiera’s level was 59. Although it went up a little in the battle with monsters and bandits to some extent, it was still low. It goes without saying that the same goes for her stats. Even Rashia, who did power leveling with Shin and Wilhelm, had a much higher level. The equipment necessary to compensate for it was also limited.
That was the reason for the[Master and Servant Contract]. The person who became the master was able to summon their monster partner near oneself in an instant. The danger might decrease if Kagerou was there.
Above all, if Tiera was exposed as staff of Tsuki no Hokora, some insurance for that time was needed. No matter how much she raised her level, if a chosen one appeared, it was impossible for Tiera to deal with them alone. If Kagerou made some serious effort, it would likely end up as overkill, even against a chosen one. But one could expect that the opponent would use any cruel means, so there was no need to show mercy.
Also, if it was Tiera, Kagerou would not to be used for committing crimes.
For Schnee, what kind of life Tiera would choose, though she thought to decide on the coping method, it was unexpectedly easily settled. Of course, since it was possible for her to do something for Tiera indirectly, a different coping action was needed again.
“I didn’t expect that it would turn out like this, though.”
“That is...for an ordinary elf to tame a divine beast, usually one wouldn’t think of doing it. Though, I didn’t think you would bring a divine beast to pull the wagon either.”
“I was aiming for the Mist Garuda actually.”
“Isn’t that the top position in the sacred mountain? That would endanger the ecosystem or the territory in various ways, you should stop that.”
Certainly, bringing the master of a territory would be too much of a problem.
“If Tiera chooses a different path from us, I will look for another monster again.”
“You don’t have to be fixated on another divine beast, you know? You seem ready to pull something like this time again.”
Something like this time, it certainly was Kagerou.
She wasn’t aiming for it, and completely discovered it by chance. However, contrarily it was human nature to be suspicious when it went smoothly up until there. To the chain of events, he felt some kind of artificial destiny.
Shin asked Schnee for a horse substitution, and Schnee came across a divine beast that has a connection with Tiera. The divine beast was reminded of Tiera by the attached scent of Schnee, who was a High Elf, and followed her obediently. And then, it made a contract with Tiera.
The occurrence was too much for it to happen by mere chance.
“Really, for it to somehow move like it was arranged, it makes me uneasy.”
“It’s not a bad sign though.”
If he took it in a good way, it could be said that he was guided to it. Depending on the viewpoint, even if he was dancing in the palm of someone, he couldn’t make a conclusion based on the present situation.
“There! That’s what I mean. How do I put it...basically if it’s malicious, it seems even stranger because I couldn’t see the intentions.”
“In terms of war potential, there is no disadvantage to us, right?”
At present, they didn’t have a big disadvantage. Only at the present, however.
“Well, I won’t understand even if I think about it.”
“If something happens out of my expectation, I cannot do anything but deal with it right away.”
“It couldn’t be helped, huh? As I said earlier, it hasn’t been a long time since I came to this world. In some cases, there might be situations where I can’t make a decision.”
“You’re right. Since a lot of things are different from before, adjusting might be difficult.”
“And to be frank, I will rely on Schnee when it gets really dangerous. So please take care of me at that time.”
“!!...Leave it to me!”
I will rely on Schnee.
As Schnee heard those words, she stopped moving as if struck by thunder. And after a short period of silence, she answered in a firm voice. The expression that overflowed with determination only brightened her pretty face even more.
Because she was relied on, Shin thought it was good to show some motivation. But Shin’s words appeared to be more effective than he thought.
When he looked between her hair, her long ears, which were peculiar to an elf, sometimes twitched and quivered, and her cheeks were also tinged a little reddish. Her lips were twitching like she was enduring something, and when he looked closely, he found out that the corner of her mouth almost rose up.
“Schnee? Are you alright?”
Shin was surprised at the unexpected reaction from Schnee. Though he intended to understand Schnee’s feelings for him, he didn’t expect that this much of a reaction would come out. Having said that he would rely on Schnee, he was including Tsuki no Hokora that he carried, Tiera, and the monsters’ company, because he thought it would make a big difference in dealing with an emergency.
Of course, no one could rival Shin’s dependability of Schnee, but did he flip a switch? Shin was anxious.
“I’m alright. No problem at all.......that surprise attack, it’s unfair.”
While she answered Shin, Schnee vented out her emotions in a faint voice. The voice was covered by the sound of the moving carriage, so it didn’t reach Shin’s ears.
Schnee was a young lady, too. To the companion whom she longed for, it was impossible for her not to be happy when told she would be relied on and so forth.
She was counted on. How long did she wait for that moment. The joy that erupted next, no one in that place could understand it. Contrary to motivation, the face that almost broke out into a smile was tightened by force. In some way or another, she maintained a front as hard as possible.
“Well, that. Please do.”
With moistened eyes and a reddened face, coupled with the strange romance that appeared, as he glanced at Schnee, Shin issued instructions to Kagerou. The speed was about 1.5 times that of a normal carriage when it was doubled, and the scenery of the surroundings flowed by faster. The wind that blew against their faces became stronger, too.
While thinking that it would be nice if his face didn’t redden, Shin stared ahead.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 03 - Falnido Beast Alliance/The-New-Gate-Volume-03-Falnido-Beast-Alliance-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_03_Chapter_02_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 3
It was an easy route, comparatively, for one week. Without being attacked by any monsters or bandits, the trip advanced smoothly. From Beirun, there was a large forested area, which was called Larua Grand Woods, and the wagon traveled along its borders.
The wear and tear of the wagon was intense due to Kagerou’s speed, but it still didn’t break because of the good craftsmanship. However, maintenance would be necessary when they arrived at Falnido.
“It’s normally impossible to come all the way up here in one week.”
Tiera muttered alone while looking at the map. If it was a normal carriage, even when it advanced quickly, at this time they would only have covered around one-fifth of the way, and yet they had already covered four-fifths of the whole distance. There was hardly any shaking, thanks to the modifications before the trip, so he didn’t have to worry about Tiera and the others, even if he sped up.
If he had done the same thing with a normal wagon, it probably wouldn’t have held up for even an hour. Especially the passengers inside.
“Even with this speed, I have gotten completely used to it.”
“It can be faster than this. But the wagon wouldn’t last.”
“Don’t raise it any further, it’s scary...”
Currently, their speed was about 60km per hour(T/N: About 38 mph). Because of the terrain, that speed was not always maintained. However, after Tiera became accustomed to it, they moved at a speed about 3-4 times faster than a normal wagon. For Kagerou, it was somehow fast, since its stamina to maintain the speed was off the charts.
Most of the inhabitants of this world have never experienced that kind of speed.
Although Tiera’s face showed no reaction at the moment, her face had been blue while yelling “Too fast! Too fast!” repeatedly when Shin raised the speed in the beginning. She didn’t seem to be able to feel relief even when she saw how calm Shin and Schnee were.
“With this pace, we should arrive in another 2 or 3 days, huh?”
“That’s right. I think around then.”
Contrary to the calm conversation, the wagon traveled on the grassy plains at a blistering speed. Not only animals, but monsters also ran away immediately when they saw the carriage.
“For monsters to clear the road for me, I’m seeing it for the first time.”
“Because the one pulling us is Kagerou. It’s far from being reckless.”
Shin said that while giving instructions to Kagerou. The direction of Kagerou’s running changed depending on those instructions. Avoiding big cavities in the ground while running in a zigzag line, the wagon easily sped across the grassy plains.
They got through the grassy plains in one day. A forest came into view in the direction of their movement, and there were some reactions within Shin’s range of perception.
“Schnee, Tiera. There is something up ahead. Be cautious, just in case.”
While giving instructions to drop the speed to Kagerou, he called out to the two people in the wagon.
Yuzuha, as usual, was on top of Shin’s head. It’s attitude was alert even without having been told.
“This is...are they being chased by something?”
Shin muttered while looking at the map displayed in his view. Judging from the speed, it might be riding a horse. It was faster than a running human, and the multiple responses were heading toward Shin and the others.
Behind them, a response came from a monster.
“They are being chased.”
“Um, naturally I don’t understand even if you guys say something like that.”
“Mmm~, I can’t see them...”
They seemed to already have entered Schnee’s range of perception, and she gave the same judgment as Shin.
Neither Tiera nor Yuzuha could grasp the situation. It was only natural, as they were still several kemels away.
“At this rate, we are going to clash. Should we change our lane?”
“Eh, we aren’t going to help?”
“Whether they were attacked or not, it’s hard to judge by the composition.”
While having a difficult face, Shin told Tiera about the other party that was coming straight toward them.
The number of people who were on horseback numbered five. There were people of level 40 and exceeding 200 in the center, and three people around level 150 surrounding them.
Three Guardian Golems at Lv. 430 were chasing them from behind. If Shin’s memories were correct, the Guardian Golem acted as a gatekeeper for a dungeon; it was a monster that was supposed to serve as protectors of treasure. At least, it didn’t attack a person indiscriminately.
If that characteristic was still in effect, it meant that the 5 people who were escaping were being chased because they were guilty of something.
“Indeed. It will bring us harm if we thoughtlessly help.”
“That’s what she said. You might say it’s because the monsters from the golem group sometimes run wildly without any meaning, but I cannot affirm that.”
Like this time, it was very likely the model that persistently ran after the opponent. At the same time, there might be something nearby that was unknown to Shin, something that the golems were protecting.
“If I might add another possibility, the golems were protecting a secret, for example, an item, and they stole it and ran away.”
“That’s the most troublesome one.”
The golems that guard a treasure chest would chase the stolen item until the ends of the earth. It could be said that it was the last form they wanted to be associated with.
“I’d understand if that is the reason they went wild when I see it, but...”
The golems, when in a state of running wildly, were clear at a glance, because mana was emanated from the core to its whole body. The problem was that it was not understandable just by looking.
“I can’t tell the difference with [Analyze].”
In[Analyze], except for the official record of the wild golems, it was usually indistinguishable from a normal golem.
“...There’s no point in continuing the matter by prediction alone. I will help if they are really being attacked, otherwise I will kill them if they started the problem. Let’s adapt to the circumstances for the moment.”
“Okay.”
“Roger.”
“Kuu”
He assumed it would be the worst type and got prepared just in case. The driver was Shin. Schnee and Tiera hid themselves inside the wagon’s canopy.
“For the time being, all members put on cloaks. One of those escaping is a noble. Even though I don’t know what they are doing, I don’t want our faces to be remembered.”
Because the illusion skill would be removed if they took off the cloaks, it was still better than nothing.
“They will reach us anytime now. Kagerou, please slowly reduce the speed.”
“Guru”
They advanced for a little while along the road when he saw the cloud of dust that was whirled up by the golems, and he dropped the speed of the wagon. Shin confirmed the armored men who rode the horses with an eyesight strengthened by a skill.
“...It’s the troublesome type.”
He sighed while saying a few words. That was Shin’s guess from the scene that was reflected in his view.
In front of Shin and the others’ line of sight, a man in armor riding on a horse, who seemed to be leading the group, made an appearance. And then, there was a low-level man and a man who seemed to be his guard, appeared successively. And lastly, two horsemen with a little delay appeared.
The men with armor seemed to be really experienced in combat. On the other hand, the low-level man wore clothes that gave off a luxurious feeling of material. A word that explained his body: obesity. He held a cup that shined like silver in one hand.
[Analyze] displayed the name of the cup. Shin, who saw it, grimaced in a big way.
“They don’t seem to have been attacked without reason.”
“Schnee’s prediction is a strike. That guy who is yelling has a Holy Grail of Rotten Malice.”
Treasure chests existed in dungeons of regular rank and above. One of the items could be obtained at random from there.
Considering the situation, Schnee was right; it was likely that they only collected the item and ran away.
“I’m going for a moment. I’ll leave the defense to you.”
While taking out a card from the Item Box, Shin got off of the wagon. In the next moment, he disappeared with a Hiding skill.
In the coachman’s seat, Schnee now sat instead of Shin. Because there was a distance between the two groups, the movement of the two people couldn’t be seen by the side that was running away.
While hidden, Shin approached the men who escaped. Then, he heard the low-level man who was ranting louder than the sound of the horses’ hooves.
“What have you done!? They are catching up! Can’t you go faster!?”
“I’m afraid this is the limit!! If you just throw that thing away, the golems might stop chasing us!!”
Looking ahead, a guardsman answered. That face clearly showed that this situation was not the man’s real intention. As for the other men, they were making similarly ugly faces.
“Damnnit, this pig guy is misusing his power. If I was holding it, I would have already thrown it away.”
Shin strengthened his hearing, and caught the murmur of the man who lead the group.
(There seem to be some circumstances. Given this situation, all of them will be killed immediately in the end.)
Though he didn’t know the reason, the guards didn’t seem to be cooperating willingly.
The distance between them and the wagon which Schnee rode on was getting smaller.
“Hey! That wagon! Make that a decoy and let’s escape! It might earn us a bit of time!!”
“Wha!? Don’t joke around!! Do you know what you’re saying!?”
“It’s you guys who are joking around! Do you understand what happens if I don’t return!”
At the words which the low-level man said, when he looked at the wagon, a guard shouted back. As one might expect, the guard couldn’t hold his anger.
(He might be using the guards’ weaknesses. Even if he did something to that low-level, it wouldn’t solve the problem)
While watching the exchange of the two people, Shin decided to act.
He could kill only that low-level man, but then the situation of the guardsmen would worsen.
Judging from [Analyze], the job of the low-level man was priest. It was no doubt that he was a church official. And from his attitude and appearance, he was probably a priest with a high-rank.
When Shin thought up to there, everyone in the orphanage came to mind.
(...Don’t tell me, this guy is that pig bishop in question.)
Partly because of the ‘pig guy’ remark he had heard a little while ago, Shin was convinced that he identified the low-leveled man correctly. Though there was no conclusive evidence, he wouldn’t let him steal the item just like that.
(I will switch the item with a counterfeit.)
The cup, which that low-level man held, was quickly exchanged with an imitation. It looked exactly the same, but only in appearance; it was now a joke material item.
The holy grail was turned into a card, and stored away in his Item Box. With Shin having snatched the item, the target of the Guardian Golems moved to Shin. Because he didn’t want them to notice that, he traveled side by side with them for a while.
“(Schnee, can you make a scene where you run away when the golems attack the wagon with the illusion skill?)”
“(I can do it, though do you want to let them escape?)”
“(There seem to be some circumstances here. It’s just one person who is the root of all of these problems.)”
“(I see. I understand. Should I refrain from counterattacking even if they do something?)”
“(Do so.)”
He made an arrangement with Schnee via Mind Chat. If one looked properly at the carriage, Kagerou had also been clad with the illusion of a common horse. To the men’s eyes, it would only look like a horse. Since Kagerou stood out, Schnee seemed to have made a smart move.
“The wheels! They can’t run away immediately if you break the wheels! Break them when we pass each other!!”
“For a guy like you to say something like that!!”
While Shin acted separately, the low-leveled man’s instructions went in a cruel direction. Of course, the guard tried to refuse. However, he finally pulled out the sword from the sheath at his waist and lowered it due to the words of the low-level man.
That face was filled with bitterness. The thing which the guardsman tried to protect, him or them, he wanted to protect even if he got his hands dirty.
The man’s sword destroyed the wheels on one side when they passed each other, making it impossible for the wagon to advance.
“...Sorry.”
A faint mumble leaked out as anguish appeared on the guard’s crooked facial expression; it clearly expressed the man’s feelings.
“It’s difficult...”
Shin muttered while seeing those men gallop away. In the eyes of the man who looked back, the destroyed wagon and Shin’s group trying to escape was reflected.
“Now then, shall we finish it up?”
He turned around, and prepared for the Guardian Golems that were approaching from behind.
Although he also could just return the item to the Guardian Golems, the Holy Grail of Rotten Malice was very dangerous when misused. Therefore, it was too bad for the Guardian Golems, but he decided to retrieve it here.
“Those golems are a precious raw material. It’s useful for remodeling the wagon.”
He asked Schnee to be cautious and hide in the surroundings, then faced the Guardian Golems.
Even if the Guardian Golems were in front of Shin, he charged without faltering. Since they were not living beings, they were not affected by Shin’s overpowering presence. Their gigantic build reached about 3 mels in total height, and they were closing in on Shin while raising a cloud of dust.
“Swish!!”
Without changing the momentum of his charge, he dodged a fist, and they passed each other as he swung his katana. The slash that hit the Guardian Golem broke through the high defense that was a characteristic of the Golem group monsters without difficulty, and its left leg was sliced off.
Shin changed his running direction and aimed for the golem’s core after it lost its balance and fell down. The core was located in the center of the body from behind, which Shin pierced through with his katana. Though the Guardian Golem moved its body as it suffered, it slowly stopped moving after Shin twisted his katana to tear and crush the core.
The two Guardian Golems that were left attacked Shin when his movements stopped after he dealt the finishing blow. With Shin’s katana sticking out of the core, the two bodies swung their fists downward like hammers.
“Boom!!”
Shin parted with his katana, turned around and held out his right fist. With the barehanded system martial arts skill [Steel Repel] activated, his fist clashed with the fist of the Guardian Golem. Following that, the thick sound of metal being hit resounded. Shin’s fist didn’t seem to be much of a rival, but the golem’s fist, which was almost 1 mel wide, was repelled. That recoil caused the Guardian Golem to lose its posture and stumble backward. Various big and small cracks traveled across the fist that collided with Shin’s own.
Shin didn’t pay attention to the stunned Guardian Golem, and twisted his body with the momentum of the swung right hand. And then, toward the other Guardian Golem that was closing in a little bit more slowly, he unleashed a skill from his left palm.
Barehanded system martial art skill [Transparent Wave]―― a vibration wave that destroyed the internal parts of the body was transmitted through the Guardian Golem’s fist from Shin’s palm. Was the power too strong? It was over in an instant, as the Guardian Golem’s body shook a little, before half of it got blown away. Among the shattered pieces, the core seemed to be mixed in, too. The remaining half of the body fell down to the ground like a broken doll.
“This...can’t be used on a living being.”
Shin muttered while seeing the Guardian Golem shattered. If the opponent was a living thing, it would be a painful scene to look at.
He made a mental note in his mind, and faced the last golem. The Guardian Golem that fell on it’s back didn’t seem to flinch at all, even though the other two were already knocked down. At the same time as it was getting up, it naively turned its fists toward Shin.
Before the punch arrived, Shin fired magic toward the final Guardian Golem.
It was the earth system magic skill, [Earth Spear]. The magic that was released immediately showed its effect; the earth right underneath the Guardian Golem shot upward and simultaneously became a spear that attacked its target. The earth spear was reinforced with Shin’s magic, and ran straight through the core of the Guardian Golem, as it ceased to function.
“An elementary level magic skill of the Earth system can take down a golem exceeding level 400, huh?”
Shin tested two skills as an experiment, since there were a few golems. [Transparent Wave] seemed to be effective against monsters which have a high defense, such as golems. However, a very grotesque spectacle might occur if he used it on a living being. By the way, after he had used it, he had a feeling that adjustment of the skill’s power was possible.
As for [Earth Spear], was it because of Shin’s magic power? It’s power had increased considerably. Though the increase in power itself was obvious, he hadn’t thought that the defense of golems surpassing level 400 would break so easily. Anyways, earth system magic skills were the first skills one obtained in the game. Though it was useful for traps and surprise attacks, there was no power behind it until now. Soon after coming to this world, he was only able to test the operations of a few skills, but Shin once again thought that it was necessary to train.
“Now then, time to collect the raw materials”
When he concluded the matter in his mind, he moved on to retrieving the raw materials. However, the only thing he collected was the golems’ fragments, which he then changed into Item Cards. From the Guardian Golems, one could harvest magic steel, while even small amounts of orichalcum could be retrieved, so he didn’t forget to collect even the smaller pieces.
When he collected everything, Shin returned to Schnee’s location.
“Good job for today.”
“That one too, so what’s your impression on the damage?”
“The right wheels were completely destroyed. The axles were broken too, as they slumped against the ground afterward.”
Schnee and the others got off the carriage and waited. Schnee, who heard the report about the broken wheels, got off from the wagon earlier and cast an illusion.
As for the wagon, the wheels were destroyed and one side of the carrier had sunk into the ground. When it lost its balance and touched the ground, it didn’t seem to be able to endure the weight of the carrier, so the axles broke completely. It was also probably influenced by the violent speeding earlier. When he looked more closely, they were pretty much worn out.
“It’s totally broken. Should I make it more sturdy on this occasion?”
He made the carrier float with a skill, and removed the broken axles. Taking advantage of this situation, he took out parts for the wagon that were long stored in his Item Box. Even if it wasn’t his specialty, it was still a production job. While raising a skill, parts he made couldn’t help but pile up to an excessive amount.
He removed the wheels to change out the broken axlex, while at the same time, he remodeled it to reduce vibrations. The newly installed parts gave off the appearance of wood. However, for a human specialized in that field, if they were not an expert craftsman, they wouldn’t be able to grasp the unnatural gloss on its surface.
That shine was the adamantine coating, which only Shin and Schnee had in this world.
“It’s finished.”
“...Something, feels strange.”
“It’s just your imagination.”
Tiera was going to ascertain the strange feeling with the power of observation, but because of her lack of knowledge, she gave up on it. Nonchalantly, Schnee also diverted her attention.
When the repairs were over, they began to depart. The wagon’s performance rose significantly compared to before the repair, and pushed onward in spite of the bad road.
After moving for an additional 2 days, the party finally reached the end of the Larua Grand Woods, and arrived at Falnido.
Shin and the others were in the southeastern part of Falnido. Probably because the grand wooded region was adjacent to Larua Grand Woods, it wasn’t dense, but the scenery of the forest across the border was extended. Was it different vegetation? While Larua Grand Woods was a densely packed area close to a jungle, Falnido’s forest gave off the impression of small animals living peacefully.
Although the forest was spread out, naturally there was a border. According to Schnee, there were guard troops, too.
The road that lead to the country was maintained; there was no need to charge through a trackless path. On the main road that continued to Falnido from the plains, Shin’s troupe advanced slowly. They might be taken as suspicious fellows and be restrained if they increased their speed here.
Schnee sent out a message card, to inform Girard of their arrival.
“Hmm? Someone’s coming. Their levels are quite high.”
About 10 minutes had passed since they entered inside the forest through the road. Shin sensed someone heading toward the carriage in a straight line. There were two of them. Their levels were 210 and 179 respectively.
“Since I already sent a message to Girard some time ago, I think it’s the people who are coming to welcome us.”
Because they couldn’t afford to just call him a High Human, she seemed to have requested a reliable person to guide them. Schnee, who appeared to remember the two people, casually sat next to Shin.
The wagon stopped for a few minutes, and a pair of Beast-men appeared from the forest.
“As expected, you guys came.”
“Yes. I received a decree from the Founder whom you are visiting.”
The one who responded to Schnee’s words had gray hair and deep green eyes was a man with masculine looks. There was no opening in that standing posture, so it was clear that he could cope on the spot if something happened. He looked to be in his late 20s; for this world’s standard, considering his level, Shin felt he was pretty young.
“That person is, the one who was mentioned?”
“That’s right, this is him. Because it’s somewhat difficult to introduce him here, I asked for a guide from Girard.”
“I understand. We will be the guide to our city, Elden. Follow me.”
The man moved to the front of the wagon with that reply. Shin made the wagon advance to match the speed of the man running.
“Cuore seems healthy, too.”
“Yes! Schnee-sama also seems healthy above all.”
Having answered in a brisk tone, was the woman called Cuore. Identical to the man who was described just now, she was a beautiful girl with gray hair and deep green eyes. The length of her hair was shoulder length. Shin saw that the only part that was lengthened was the part at the back of her neck. She talked like a warrior, and gave off the impression that she was popular with the same-sex.
Judging from the friendly conversation, Schnee and the two people appeared to be acquainted since olden days.
“Have you been acquaintances for long time?”
“I was there when she was born. I also trained her.”
“Heh...a Chosen One?”
“The implication might be different, but she has enough power that it could be said she is a chosen one. After all, it’s because she is Girard’s direct descendant.”
“What!? ...Is that so? If that beast has great-grandchildren, let alone great-great-grandchildren..., no..., anymore would not be strange.”
When he thought of Girard’s original life, Girard was married to his wife, and it wouldn’t be strange for him to have a child. Since he couldn’t live for several hundreds of years like elves and pixies.
“Hmm? Have we arrived?”
After the man had run for a while, he signaled for them to stop in front of the ramparts that came into view. When Shin looked at the ramparts, he discovered that some parts of the wall were camouflaged to make it look ordinary.
Apparently, there was a concealed door somewhere or another. The width was enough to let about one carriage pass, and there was not much height either. This might be a gate to let the forthcoming company go through incognito, like at this time. The soldiers who were on guard were likely chosen ones, too.
“How about the wagon?”
“In this case, I should change it into a card.”
Because the parts he used for remodeling might be suspicious in this world, he put it away in the Item Box, just in case. It could be said that the moment he started remodeling it, the option of selling it was already gone.
Kagerou was released from wagon pulling duty, obviously changing into a small body, so that Tiera could hold it.
They moved from the open space where they stopped the wagon to go through the tunnel, so they could meet Girard who was ahead. They then entered a building, and advanced toward the underground from there.
“Somehow, I feel out of place.”
“What are you saying, an employee of Tsuki no Hokora is a legitimate person concerning the people.”
As they were guided along the way, Shin encouraged the nervous Tiera. Since she was in the shop for more than 100 years, she was pretty much family as far as Shin saw it.
According to Shin’s memory, Girard was not the type that worried about trivial things, so it shouldn’t be an issue.
“You don’t have to be so nervous, because I already told him about you, Tiera.”
“Even if that is so, it’s impossible for me to relax...”
From a commoner’s viewpoint, the person whom she was about to face after this, was a person who was on such a whole different level, that it was only possible to encounter them once in a lifetime. It was normal to feel small. Just because she was close to the existence named Schnee, didn’t mean she was able to get close to other similar members.
“Prepare yourself. We have arrived.”
While they were talking, it seemed like they had reached the end of the tunnel. Beyond what appeared to be above ground, there was a building like a Japanese samurai residence.
There was no gate, but everything from the roof tiles, to the paper sliding doors, it was like a full-scale replica that seemed to be able to be used for a historical drama.
“This way.”
The man invited them in with a few words. They took off their shoes at the entrance, and proceeded to the depth of the residence through the veranda.
In front of a room in the house, the man who guided them stopped his pace.
“I have brought Schnee and her companions.”
“Ou, come in.”
The answer was received, and the man opened the paper sliding door. There were three people in the room.
Before long, Shin recognized one of them. Sitting in front of him was a Wolf Type High Beast, his support character no. 3. It was Girard Estaria.
From Shin’s point of view, there was an Elephant Type on his left, and a Turtle Type to his right side, but Shin had no memory of them. Both were level 255. They might be Girard’s trusted confidants.
Following the man, Shin, Schnee and Tiera entered the room. Of course, Yuzuha and Kagerou followed along too.
Shin was in the center, Schnee and Tiera were on his left and right respectively, and Girard opened his mouth to talk.
“Ou, Master-dono. I never thought I’d live until the day I saw you again.”
Girard’s voice, which he now heard for the first time after coming to this world, and one that Shin used to hear all the time, was a low and deep voice.
* * *
“Same here, I never thought that you would still be alive.”
Similar to Girard’s first opinion, Shin too, answered back.
Unlike the beasts that were sitting down on his right and left, Girard was a Human Type now. Wrinkles had increased on his face, and his hair had whitened.
However, even if his appearance looked old, the presence that emanated from that body, Shin thought that not even a particle of it had become weak. At least, he didn’t look like he would die any time soon. That arrogant tone seemed to be the same as before, too.
“Kukuku, that is right. I don’t know why I’m still alive either. Because I might die suddenly, everyone around me is worried.”
“Well that, you shouldn’t be laughing at that.”
While saying things that he shouldn’t joke about, Girard laughed heartily. As for the beasts who sat on his right and left, they were in a shocked state and also sighed while nodding in agreement at Shin’s remark.
“Now then, there is great deal to talk about too and the story has been accumulating, but I have to introduce these guys before that.”
Saying so, Girard introduced the man and woman who guided Shin and his party, while sitting down between the beasts.
“This guy is the current Beast King, Wolfgang. And this here is Wolfgang’s daughter, Cuore.”
“I am Wolfgang Estaria. Please to make your acquaintance hereafter.”
“I’m Cuore Estaria! It’s an honor to meet you!”
Introduced by Girard, the two beasts lowered their heads respectively.
Wolfgang looked composed, but Cuore seemed to have gotten a little bit excited.
“And, these two people are my trusted friends. Van and Rajim.”
“King’s right arm, Van Kuu.”
“King’s left arm, Rajim Dolku.”
The two beasts said no more than that and calmly bowed. Their shocked states from a while ago disappeared, and they now wore serious expressions.
The one who introduced himself as Van was an elephant, and Rajim as a turtle beast, were known. The position where they were seated seemed to be corresponding to each arm. The right was Van, the left was Rajim.
“I’m Shin. You might have already heard it, but I’m a High Human. I hope to get along with you.”
Shin too introduced himself and bowed. That humble attitude was not the same dignity as those who transcend and were talked about among the people.
From the beginning, he didn’t have the intention of doing it with an air of superiority.
“Kuku, master said it like usual. There’s no profit even if you are being modest here.”
“Well, because I shouldn’t talk so casually to a king I just met. It’s common to call them by name. You originally wouldn’t call them by such a name.”
“A reunion after such a long time. I want you to forgive me for making a joke like this. Besides, Shin, we know how much High Humans are an irresponsible existence. Then, I should understand such a reaction coming back.”
“Good grief, this guy. Well, if you know about the things we have done, you should understand.”
For a resident of this world, a High Human was a legendary existence, and also an object of fear at the same time.
They sank a city into a sea of flames and hunted divine beasts. It was an existence that really accomplished what people usually thought to be a joke.
And now, amongst the long-lived races such as elves and pixies, which have seen such spectacles, many were still alive, spreading stories about the mighty power of High Humans.
Moreover, if Schnee and Girard, who were merely subordinates, have shown such a phenomenal power, one could only imagine how mighty of an existence the one they followed was.
For a person who governs a country, bowing their head to one with such power was trivial, just done to flatter them. It was a might so great that any king voluntarily does such a welcome.
“For the time being, let’s talk normally, whether or not I can erase a country on a whim doesn’t matter. This way, I feel I can talk to a friend.”
In a defiant attitude, Shin asked Wolfgang to talk in his normal tone.
“Is that alright?”
“It’s better to ask here.”
Shin answered immediately.
Though he had made a mess of various things in the game, he was aware that he was known as a legend. However, from Shin’s point of view, even if he didn’t remember that he had done anything, other than the game era, for him to be worshiped made him uncomfortable.
The reason was different from respect as a high player during the time of the game.
“Cuore-san, Van-san, Rajim-san too, please do the same.”
“IS IT FINE!?”
“Princess, please calm yourself a little.”
“But Van, he himself said it’s fine!”
The high-spirited Cuore gave Shin the impression of a fan who met their idol. Though when they met for the first time she had a dignified appearance, there was not even a shadow of that left. It was an absurd ‘change’.
“Shin-dono is our Patriarch beast king, Girard-sama’s master. Don’t use the honorific title for us either, we don’t mind if you call us by our first names.”
“That was an unintentional mistake created by the dignified presence just now.”
In the place of Van who calmed down Cuore, Rajim talked with Shin. For the person whom Girard pledged his allegiance to, using the honorific titles, the style might go mad.
“Then, it will be easy to talk if Rajim and the others speak comfortably, too. Since it’s more comfortable for me and I feel more at ease that way.”
“If Shin-dono says so, I will have the privilege of doing so. Because this is my most comfortable way of speaking. Please understand.”
Because of the warrior personage which Shin had gotten an impression of, he thought Rajim was going to decline, but he seemed to be surprisingly adaptable. Since Girard was not holding back, that might be the influencing effect.
“By the way, Shin. Now I want to hear about the young lady and the divine beasts over there.”
In a somewhat friendly way, Girard shifted his attention to Tiera and the monsters. About Yuzuha and Kagerou being divine beasts, he seemed to have already found out.
“I’m sorry for the late introduction. She is Tiera. She was the one who looked after Tsuki no Hokora.”
“Nice to meet you. I am Tiera Lucent. For Tsuki no Hokora, I am very grateful.”
Her behaviour from before entering the room had completely changed, Tiera perfectly managed her behaviour, and even performed good etiquette. The strained appearance was nowhere to be seen. Not even stiffening up, she faced everyone in Falnido in a natural manner.
Shin may have seen it in a different way, as a defiant attitude, because she was too tense.
“And the fox here is Yuzuha, that wolf pup is Kagerou. I’ll tell you just in case, but their races are Element Tail and Gruefago.”
“Hoh.”
“It can’t be...the legendary...?”
“C-Cute...”
While Yuzuha, who had become small next to Shin, and Kagerou, who was held by Tiera, were looked at alternately, Girard had a smiling face, like a mischievous boy grinning.
In contrast to him, Wolfgang and Cuore opened their eyes wide in surprise. To a certain extent, Shin had a feeling that Cuore’s shock was pointed in a different direction.
Though neither Van nor Rajim reacted in a big way, they gave a small nod, as if they thought it was as expected from a High Human.
“Same as ever, you never lack on subjects.”
“It’s not like I aim for that in particular.”
“Kuku, it’s a good thing not to be bored. Then, the story has piled up, but you all must be tired from the long journey. The young lady looks like a commoner. Lead them to their rooms for the moment. After having cleansed your bodies in the baths, let’s have a meal together.”
The current time was 4:30 P.M. Apart from Shin and Schnee, because Tiera showed fatigue as expected, he seemed to be worried.
Wolfgang and Cuore returned to work temporarily, and would join them for a meal later on.
“Ah, that’s right. Shin, come here for a minute.”
When he was about to move, Girard called out to Shin.
“What is it?”
“Let’s make a party. There will be some talks later on.”
“I understand.”
Apparently, there was something secret he wanted to talk about. For a party created in the old generation version, Mind Chat was available anytime.
Van and Rajim lead them to their rooms.
With a private room each, the interior of all rooms were decorated with a chest of drawers on tatami mats next to a hanging scroll, just like a samurai residence.
“(Shin. I’m sorry about being so sudden, but can you keep me company for just a little?)”
“(Okay, I will go there right away, so wait for me.)”
While Shin was looking at the interior of the room, a message came through Mind Chat from Girard. For some reason, he didn’t have a good premonition. However, there was nothing he could do but comply with him, and therefore headed toward Girard with the help of a map.
Though this was a digression; the simple map projected in Shin’s view before he knew it, the map drawing function was restored like it was during the time of the game. Because of that, he could completely understand the structure inside the samurai residence.
“Oh, here you are.”
As Shin preceded while checking with the map, he discovered Girard who was looking at the garden while sitting on the veranda. Was it to match the style of the house? He was wearing a kimono.
“You came. Please sit down. The tea will come soon.”
“Well then, I won’t hesitate.”
He sat on a prepared cushion, and Shin paid attention to the garden Girard was looking at. As for the vast garden, there were both a pond and a stone garden where the greenery was well arranged. Even Shin, who didn’t know much about such things, was somehow able to recognize that it was an excellent garden.
Before long, Schnee arrived with a tea set. The tea seemed to have been prepared by Schnee.
“Now then, where should I start talking from?”
“If it’s about the heroic story of Girard founding a country, I have already heard it from Schnee.”
“Oioi, did you tell him about it earlier? I was gonna brag about it.”
“If you were the one telling it, I thought you were going to exaggerate the contents, so I conveyed the truth of what I saw objectively.”
Schnee answered with a smile, to Girard who was disappointed. Knowing the temper of her fellow companion, she replied without hesitating.
“It can’t be helped. Leaving my heroic tale aside. In exchange, please tell me about Shin’s circumstances instead. I received the message, but not the minor details that weren’t written.”
“Is that so, though I already told Schnee, to tell you the truth――――”
Just like at the time with Schnee, he explained to Girard how he ended up here.
“I see. That explains why no matter how much I looked for you, not even a single clue was found.”
Girard, who had now heard his circumstances, nodded. Girard had searched countless times for Shin. Since he shared information with Schnee, he knew that difficulty well.
“Even so, Shin too, don’t let this mysterious thing bother you.”
“Indeed. Well, though not everything, helping out isn’t all bad.”
Girard wore an expression seemingly wanting to say “Yareyare”. Because Girard was relieved as he felt sorry for the person concerned, Shin was slightly touched.
“Is that so? That’s right. At least it’s a good thing to me.”
“Girard?”
Girard’s mood changed. The sensation that Shin felt, pricking his skin, it was the aura that Girard wore.
“Now let’s get down to the main point. Shin, I must tell you something.”
“.....What is it?”
Anticipation appeared in Shin’s mind. However, he calmly asked again, without showing it on his face.
“I am going to die soon. It’s not long now. Perhaps, I won’t last for even one more month.”
“What do you mean?”
At the least, the Girard who was before his eyes didn’t seem like he was going to die in about a month’s time. Rather, his body, with which it wouldn’t be strange if he stayed alive for several more decades, unleashed a suitable presence.
“I’ve felt an uncomfortable feeling for several weeks now, and I was convinced when I read Schnee’s message. Inside me, the stopped time has started moving again.”
“As if it was waiting for Shin to return.”
Schnee also added.
“If God exists in this world, it might have granted my wish.”
“Wish?”
It might be the content of the main point. Girard looked straight at Shin, and opened his mouth.
“It’s a match, Shin. You...me, I want to fight against you.”
“Girard...You...”
In the situation where his life span has shortened considerably, he asked for a match.
Even if Girard didn’t say everything, Shin understood well what Girard wanted to say.
(You want to die in a battle?)
Girard was a warrior. Not as a job, but as a way of life.
For this reason, he couldn’t help but think about it. More importantly, it was a fight against Shin who was the strongest warrior at the same time.
He never had a duel in the game era, a one on one duel with Shin, that is.
How far could he reach with his fists and skills against a transcended person? Not as a Beast King, and not as a support character either. Just as a warrior, he wanted to challenge the summit.
“It’s my last wish. Can you accept it?”
Girard’s eyes conveyed that there was no way more suited to burn the last of his lifeforce. Unaffected by old age, his fighting spirit was still burning brightly; there was no option for Shin to decline.
For example, if comrades who walked together before wished it, even if it lead down a path that would continue until death, it was Shin’s duty to accept his challenge.
For the role of the opponent who gives glory to the end of the first Beast King, there was no person that fit the role better than Shin.
“...I understand. I accept your challenge.”
He looked back into Girard’s eyes and agreed.
There were no grim emotions in the eyes of these two people.
As if it was expected to happen in the near future, such a sensation was shared.
“............”
As the two resolved themselves to face each other, Schnee was quietly watching them.
To Girard, who had revealed all his feelings, she felt it was enviable.
“By the way, have you talked about your decision to Wolfgang, Van, and Rajim?”
Girard’s existence as the first Beast King was huge. If he died, then the influence his death would have on the surroundings was immeasurable.
“I have told them about my shortening life span, but not yet about the duel. Nonetheless, I have no intentions of concealing it. I will talk to them after this. Well, Van and Rajim seem to be aware of my wish though.”
Saying his confidants’ names, Girard laughed.
They probably pretended not to see through and so on; it seemed like they had really followed Girard for a long time.
“Are they your fellow comrades-in-arms?”
“Yes, after Shin disappeared, it was a relationship built on continuously fighting together.”
Girard probably felt nostalgic for the old days, as he talked while at the same time being boastful in some respects.
“Elephant and turtle. There are one or two kinds amongst the Beasts with long lives, huh? I guess it’s possible to live for more than 500 years.”
“You might say that I’m the one who is an old geezer. They were originally in a guild somewhere, but it collapsed during the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’.”
When Girard first met them, both of them were still boys. They became his subordinates with whom he shared his life; it could be said they were comrades.
“Those guys have years of experience. I am also similar. Soon, the people of this country have to get out from our influence.”
Different from when Girard boasted about his subordinates, he closed his eyes like he was worried about something.
“We beasts quickly go through our generations. Though it’s not what I should say myself, our existence has grown too big due to that. I got off as a retired person until about the second or third generation, but I became the shadow who was being relied upon after that. Other than the current Beast King, we were being counted on by the guys before that.”
“That is certainly bad.”
It was a problem if the strongest king was still active during each successive generation. The stories would be slightly different though if his ability declined. However, whether it was for better or for worse, Girard’s physical strength hardly changed as time passed. When his bad influence showed traces on the current reign because of it, Girard was probably in a bind. Looking at his character, one wouldn’t expect him to be involved in politics. However, his influence would remain, simply because he was part of the first generation.
“I’m not saying that I want to die just to pass over my lifespan. But the country is still not good. Though I cannot strongly say that because there are the chosen ones, if I only depend on a few strong warriors, I don’t know what would happen if those guys died. If Shin hadn’t come, I thought of going away to a far-off land.”
It was not necessarily a bad thing to be gathered up and lead by a strong person. But, Girard’s strength, compared to the other chosen ones, was too different in order of magnitude, so it was not possible to treat them as if they were of the same rank.
“I heard that Wolfgang is excellent as a ruler, what about that?”
“Indeed, that guy is especially excellent among the successor generations. Even in battle he is the strongest, next to me, within Falnido. He also listens to the voice of the people.”
The present Beast King seemed to be stronger than Van and Rajim.
“So you can leave it to him, right?”
“That’s so.”
This was a someone with whom he was able to entrust the country. It was a very joyous thing for the people who supported Wolfgang to shoulder the country. Moreover, Girard was also able to die without worry for the only country he created.
“Come to think of it, I heard that Wolfgang and Cuore are not Chosen Ones, why was that?”
“Those fellows are certainly not chosen ones. However, that’s what people say. If I am to judge from their stats, they are more than 600 on average.”
The value that Girard conveyed greatly exceeded the ability level of a chosen one by many times over, even more than Shin expected. Apparently, powerful people in this world didn’t seem to be limited to only the chosen ones.
“Even if I say that, they are more like the exception. Within my direct descendants, a child who can succeed my ability would occasionally be born. Wolfgang and Cuore are two of them. There are individual differences regarding how much those children inherit, but generally, their attribute values are high.”
“In the case of a chosen one, such a thing never happens?”
“I’ve never heard of such a story. But such cases, where one has stats above the standard, I have heard rumors about them. At least, they never went out of the stage from being rumors to facts.”
Girard highlighted a portion of the rumor. Though he didn’t confirm it, since it happened to a child’s body, he couldn’t be so sure.
“Actually, though it is a rarity among the chosen ones, a person with abilities greater than Wolfgang might have been born.”
Once again, a very powerful chosen one seemed to have appeared.
According to Girard, he was informed that each of the stats had an average of 700. It was a value than could even fight with Kagerou. It was said that there was no information relating to their descendants.
By the way, as Shin expected for an ordinary chosen one, if one of their stats, STR or INT or so on, reached 500, they seemed to be classified in the upper advanced level. It seemed to be quite rare for two of the stats to be that high.
The two princesses of Bayreuth seemed to fall under that category, but there were hardly any others. Furthermore, their stats were around 200-300 higher than the standard. This numerical value could be gauged from intuition when fighting. As for the majority of the chosen ones, they had an average of 350 at most.
“Still, it’s plenty menacing for a commoner, huh?”
“It seems so. Well, the story has digressed. Let’s return to the talk about our duel.”
Girard lightly shook his head.
“Okay, on that subject, do you know of a good place with plenty of room for the duel? If we fight seriously, it won’t end up as just a joke.”
As Shin said, the surroundings would definitely be turned into empty plot of land with a destroyed surface. According to the circumstances, it was necessary to take the terrain changes into consideration.
Of course, no buildings, including the arena and training grounds, either. When Shin and Girard’s attacks clashed, it would be too dangerous to even just watch.
“There is a place I have in mind. If you came from Beirun, do you remember Larua Grand Forest? Let’s do it there.”
“Is there a place to fight there? It’s looked like a jungle to me though.”
“That forest is a little special. Within a certain range in the extended forest, no matter how many trees are cut down, they will all be restored overnight. Because there were times when I tried to rampage before, even after I turned the roots upside down, it was completely restored the next day.”
“What’s with that…”
“It’s a jungle-type dungeon that mutated. Though the cause is unknown, because the forest didn’t extend from its fixed range, it was left alone. It was also used as a place for a fellow chosen one to fight, so it’s not the first time.”
“I see.”
Shin, who at first might have been worried about the destruction inflicted upon nature, understood when hearing Girard’s words. If it was restored no matter how much damage it took, it was perfect as a battleground. Moreover, if it’s constantly being used as a ring, he didn’t need to hesitate.
If the two people got serious, even if there were monsters that wandered around the area, they wouldn’t become a threat either. It was just perfect.
“Then there’s no problem about the location. Next is the time. I guess you don’t have much time left?”
“It would the best for me to have it one week from now.”
“Shouldn’t it be better to have it earlier?”
“No, most of my power is likely to come forth on that day. The embers that are fading will burst into flames during my final moments; there is timing, you know?”
What he said was probably that his physical condition was also having its ups and downs. Was it because he sensed death? He seemed to understand about these types of things to an extent.
“Is that so? Then in the meantime, I will polish off your personal weapon. If we do this, you should have the best equipment.”
“That is unnecessary. Still, I want to use that in my fight till the end.”
Girard’s personal weapon was an arm guard, covering everything from the hand to the elbow, 『Crushing Moon』. Its rank was of course, 《Ancient》 grade. It was firmly kept in Shin’s Item Box.
Because 『Blue Moon』 was already returned to Schnee, the equipments he had remaining for his support characters numbered only three.
“How about your armor? I think you kept it with you before though.”
“It’s securely stored. Though its appearance is a bit rough, it was never in poor shape. Even after 500 years of using it, somehow I don’t feel like its performance has dropped.”
“Can I see it just in case, I have a feeling that no one could repair it?”
“Yes, none of them have the sufficient skill level. If it wasn’t an 《Ancient》 grade with an outstanding durability level, it would’ve probably become useless by now.”
For Girard, since the armor was not close to a keikogi*, it could be said that he had no way of maintaining it. He couldn’t improve it by only using magic power. As Girard said, if this was a 《Mythology》 grade, it was likely that the armor would be useless. Its performance too, was the highest class in respect of the durability level in 《Ancient》 grade gear. *(T/N: Martial art uniform)
“I will hand over the armor first―― here it is.”
“Okay, I’ll keep it...this is horrible.”
When Girard took out the armor, which was in Item Card form, from his Item Box, Shin lightly checked on the armor’s condition and raised his voice as he was astounded. The reason was that the durability level of Girard’s personal armor was left with only 30%.
To exhaust the durability of an《Ancient》 grade armor until it’s this low, it was difficult even in the game. Exactly as Girard stated though, there was hardly any change in its defensive power, regardless of the degree of damage its durability suffered; it was as one expected from an 《Ancient》 grade item.
When he materialized it in an attempt to take a look, no other words came into his mind, except for ‘worn-out’. There were torn spots, burns, and even discolored places, to which he couldn’t help but want to say; ‘What have you done to this thing all this time?’
However――.
“When it comes to fight after fight for more than 500 years, I must say, you have cared for it well.”
When Shin thought about the times when the armor was repeatedly worn, he understood.
“The performance state hasn’t changed much either. It’s still usable.”
“Though it’s not something I should say myself, I have made an incredible thing.”
“Oioi, is that what the maker should say?”
Though what Girard said was reasonable, having touched the real thing and not data, Shin was made to wonder, ‘Was there such a thing?’. As for the one who was familiar with modern science, he believed that just this one could cause a technological revolution.
“...Well, that’s fine.”
Shin stopped thinking about these matters. If he returned to his former world, magic, skills, and so forth didn’t exist, even if it was possible, he didn’t intend to take something with him from this world.
“For the time being, leave the equipment to me. Is there anything else to decide upon?”
Returning back to the point of the discussion, Shin asked Girard. Assuming the battleground and equipment didn’t have any problems, the arrangement and succession were needed. Whether Shin could help it or not, he intended to lend his hand if there was anything he could do.
“Another thing huh?...I have nothing in particular. Because I’m not in some official position, there is no troublesome succession either. The preparations have already ended, too. Ah, that’s right. I want Wolfgang, Cuore, Van and Rajim, the four of them to watch the fight, do you mind?”
“Oh, that’s no problem. They already know that I’m a High Human, so I guess they want to watch from the side, too.”
“As for me, what kind of level of power a High Human has, I want to know that. The residents of this world, they don’t know of the existence that is stronger than me and the others. Of course I know there are monsters that are stronger than us, but if you find yourself representing a country, you will have a better understanding from the highest standpoint.”
Girard probably wanted to personally experience what it was like to go up against an opponent that one must not fight. The stories of Shin and the others’ strength were exaggerated like a fairy tale. He couldn’t comprehend that, unless he experienced it with his own body.
“Indeed. Certainly, the things before the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’ would be unknown if there were no long-lived species.”
“It’s not often that we fight seriously either, so they will be using [Far Sight] to watch us fight. I guess that is enough to feel the atmosphere of the battle.”
Though Shin intended to push the issue if Girard said they would be watching from within the vicinity, but as expected, Girard didn’t say it.
All jokes aside, the distance should be a kemel(km) at the minimum, or there would be casualties in the aftermath of the battle. Such a thing would result from the fight between Shin and Girard.
Whether or not they could defend themselves, they couldn’t watch safely unless they were in a remote place, away from the battle.
“Such a place must be decided upon soon. And the rest will be decided after I tell Wolfgang and the others.”
“Roger that. Then, is that all for today?”
“Uh huh. Ah, Schnee. Sorry, but can you take the teacups to the kitchen?”
“Yes, no problem.”
Schnee put the teacups for 3 people on the tray, and left without making a sound.
“...So? What is it that you don’t want Schnee to hear?”
After Schnee’s figure disappeared for a few moments, Shin asked Girard. Because it was somewhat quite forced, Schnee probably also noticed it.
“Well, sorry for this.”
He seemed to be sorry for what he did, Girard scratched his cheek.
“Only one, I want to confirm one thing.”
Those eyes, they were more serious than when Girard talked about dueling with Shin. The opposite side, Shin, also naturally got nervous.
“Schnee might have already asked you this, but if Shin finds a way to return, will you?”
Will you leave Schnee behind?
Though that wasn’t expressed in words, it was clearly conveyed by Girard’s eyes.
“.......Yeah, I will return. That is the reason I continue fighting.”
He has family waiting. Has friends. Has companions.
There was no end, even though he cleared the game. It was the promise he had exchanged with his special someone to continue living in future, it was an oath that Shin himself decided upon.
Just because he was transported to another world, it would not make him quietly abandon hope and give up so easily.
“...Is that so?”
Shin’s answer was heard, and though Girard was about to say something for a moment, he didn’t turn it into words.
“Sorry.”
“No, it should be me apologizing. I’m sure the person concerned would understand. This old man tends to say unnecessary things.”
Girard shook his head, as it wasn’t his intention to say it expressly. Even Shin understood the things Girard wanted to say. No matter how large an effort Girard was making for the country, his fellow support character had been exchanging information with him, and they would notice each other’s intentions.
Schnee’s situation from Tiera’s story, and guessing from Girard’s way of speaking, Schnee must have searched for Shin for a long time.
Would he return and leave her? Girard wanted to ask him, no, he was going to ask him. Girard, as a companion who had seen Schnee’s actions, couldn’t help but do so.
“We have our own, and Shin has his circumstances. They’re difficult ones, too.”
Girard sighed after he said so. He didn’t express his words clearly, because he saw various colors in Shin’s eyes. Doubt, confusion, and sadness were all reflected in there. There were also positive colors such as joy and love. And then, the color of determination enveloping them.
Girard knew those well, it was the color of a warrior who advanced while struggling. When he saw it, he understood that Shin was thinking about Schnee. In fact, he could assert about that.
However, a clear answer had not come out yet. In the answer that Girard heard, there was still some hesitation. His former world or the current world. Even though Shin still strongly thought about his former world right now, one never knew what would happen in the future.
“My matter and Schnee’s matter too, I will think about them when I have gathered all the possible solutions, isn’t that the smartest way of doing it?”
“Well, I too just thought about it a little while ago. It’s as they say, the principle of convenience.”
“Indeed, everything goes well and you get a good ending. Everyone is happy and they all lived happily ever after.”
The ending where everyone laughs, no one is missing, and an overflow of happiness comes to him. For the misfortune that befell him, he would have no choice but to play a minor role that emphasized happiness.
“Really, I can’t relate to it at all.”
“That was just said unintentionally. But I also have the same opinion.”
He couldn’t help but think that to believe in both at the same time wasn’t possible. The two people, who experienced a lot of unjust separations, smiled wryly together.
“I’m sorry to take so much of your time, Shin. There’s still a little time before the meal. Get some rest.”
“I’ll do that.”
They bid farewell to each other and returned to their respective rooms. Shin killed time in the room while playing with Yuzuha. He wanted to begin the restoration of Girard’s weapon and armor, but the currently available time was insufficient.
Then he ate with relish over the luxurious dishes at dinner, and took a bath to wash off his sweat. There was no big event afterward either, the night of the first day in Falnido grew silent.
* * *
After dinner, when Shin and his group were heading to their bedrooms, Van, Rajim, Wolfgang, and Cuore; the four of them were called to Girard’s private room.
“Ou, sorry to call you when all of you are tired.”
“What is it that you want to discuss together?”
Wolfgang, who might have felt there was something abnormal from Girard’s appearance, asked on behalf of the four people.
“Well, you see, I have found a place to die. And I wanted to tell you all.”
Out of nowhere, Girard said so with a light tone. Of course, the contents were far from being light-hearted.
“......Hah?”
To the sudden remark, Wolfgang’s response escaped from his mind. It was natural. Being suddenly told that a place to die was found, there was no way he could return with “Yes, I see”.
“What do you mean by that?”
“It is how it sounds. Didn’t I tell you all that my life-span was about to end? Before that, I will duel with Shin. That is the place I’m going to die at.”
“Why, now?”
“It is one week from now that I can display my maximum power. If I go beyond that, there is nothing left but to become decrepit and ugly with age afterwards. My warrior’s pride wouldn’t allow it if I didn’t bring it to an end before then.”
He dies as a warrior in the end. Wolfgang could say nothing to Girard who announced it so. After having done everything, protecting his family, leaving behind a child, he was ending his life in a fight without leaving any regrets.
For the wolfman clan warrior’s family, which was also called Wolf Type, it was the best way to die. Much more so, if the opponent was of the legendary race, High Human. It would be envied by everyone.
“I’m going to say that the time has come.”
In place of the silenced Wolfgang, Rajim muttered as he consented.
“Umu, when I heard the story of the longevity of the king, I never thought that it would end this way. What a way to go, huh?”
Followed by Rajim’s words, Van also agreed while expressing his feelings. Wolfgang had no grim feelings here, which made him feel a little relieved.
“Why are you all so calm?”
The one who raised such a question to the 2 people was Cuore. She was losing her composure as she couldn’t maintain her usual, formal tone.
“Princess, to die in a final fight against a High Human, there is nothing more honorable than this. As the king’s direct descendant, shouldn’t you already understand this?”
“I GET IT! I get it, but I can’t calm down like Van at all.”
To Van, who explained it to her in an admonishing way, Cuore, who was confused, rebutted. Even if she understood, it was not possible for her to consent.
Cuore could not imagine for that familiar power she felt, for Girard to die so easily.
“Cuore”
“...Yes.”
“You glorify me a little too much.”
“Such a thing is――”
“Aren’t you going to say no?”
Girard, who talked to Cuore with dignity, erased the light mood from a while ago. Still, somewhere in that figure, it was like a grandfather loving his grandchild, as it was reflected in the eyes of the three people who were watching.
“I have lived for a long time. My brothers have fallen, my son has died, and I have even nursed the grandchild he left. Why me, why didn’t I die? It’s reached the point where I often think of that. And the answer will come in one week.”
“............”
“ Cuore, the time when I decided to see off Shin, who is my master, that is the only regret I have.”
“I see....”
“And, there is no match like one against Shin, even if I wish for it.”
“...Yes.”
Without even a trace of tragic feelings in Girard’s words, his determination to fight calmly fired up. Everyone in the room could feel that heat. No one could make it stop. As a first class warrior, everyone understood it. Stopping him would be an insult instead.
Cuore, who revealed her feelings too, now couldn’t do anything but agree.
“The place will be Larua Grand Woods. I will make it my last and greatest fight. Watch closely!”
“Yes!!”
The last order of the first Beast King.
The confidants and the direct descendants, all in a unified voice, accepted it.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 03 - Falnido Beast Alliance/The-New-Gate-Volume-03-Falnido-Beast-Alliance-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_03_Chapter_03_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 1
“Shin-dono! I’ve come to pick you up!”
“Hmm?”
The next morning. When Shin and Yuzuha were getting ready to dress themselves, a voice came from outside the room.
Shin opened the door while thinking, “Where have I heard that voice before?”. It was Cuore, kneeling in a proper seiza posture.
“Breakfast is ready. Come this way, please!”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
Since she didn’t talk much at the dinner table, he didn’t know it was her, with only her voice. Also, because it was not a maid, but Cuore, what kind of thing was that?
“Um, why is Cuore the one who is summoning me? Yesterday, I was told by the maid about dinner.”
Supposedly, Shin was a guest of Wolfgang, so the maid came to pick him up at dinner time.
“I asked to take over.”
Why would she do that? Shin thought, while thinking back that he had the same feeling at yesterday’s dinner. Within Cuore, the existence of High Humans was quite glorified, especially Shin’s, for some reason. Though she didn’t talk much, her manner and gaze showed eloquence toward Shin, too.
It was also probably because Shin was Girard’s master. Apparently there were too many anecdotes that were told when she was a child, so she seemed to feel strong admiration.
From Shin’s point of view, his embarrassing past being dramatized was nothing but a punishment game(batsu game) to him.
(I somewhat feel like her image of me is too far away from reality.)
Furthermore, the Cuore of today, her tension felt higher than yesterday. Shin became a little worried about that.
Did Girard tell her about the duel? It seemed to have slightly forced her tension to raise a little.
When he checked the route they were walking, while thinking about what was up with her, he noticed that they were going to a different place from the dinner.
“Isn’t the destination different from yesterday’s hall?”
“Yes, I was told to guide you to Girard-sama’s private room.”
Since the dinner was a banquet feast, he wondered if he could eat peacefully in the morning. On the account of the work, Cuore seemed to finish it earlier.
“It’s here. I think your companions will come soon. Then, I will be on my way.”
“Thank you.”
Shin thanked Cuore who was leaving with a bow, and entered the room. Inside were Girard, Van and Rajim.
Schnee and Tiera entered after a few minutes.
“Then, let’s eat.”
They finished greeting each other and began to eat breakfast. There was rice, miso soup, grilled fish and pickled vegetables when he looked at the contents of the menu.
When breakfast was over, they talked about things from then onward.
“Though I asked you to take care of the equipment, I don’t want you to only do that. You have to take it easy and go sightseeing.”
“Then, will you tell me a place with a library? A place with past documents is good, too.”
“Hmm, understood. There will be a need for a permission, but I will arrange it all.”
“I’m relieved of the trouble.”
He might identify some of the things he didn’t understand in Bayreuth. If there was the permission of the first Beast King, he might even be able to see something like a prohibited book which was his goal earlier. There were no issues somehow or other.
“What will Schnee and Tiera do?”
“I will stay with Shin.”
Schnee answered immediately as if it was natural. To take it easy? It seemed there was no option for her to go sightseeing.
“Well um, I wonder if I can follow you to the library too? I am curious but...”
“Do you want to go together after I repair Girard’s equipment?”
“I don’t mind. When you repair the equipment, will you deal with an 《Ancient》 grade weapon? I’m interested in that, too.”
Tiera had been researching the message card he handed over from before, but apart from that, she appeared to be interested in the work that Shin did.
Her study couldn't crack a part of the mechanism yet, but because she was not in a hurry, it seemed to be postponed.
“Then it’s settled. Girard and company, what will you do?”
“I am, well as they say, putting my affairs in order. While I’m at it, I intend to teach a skill that I failed before to Wolfgang.”
“From yesterday’s talk, did you reach the Hiden rank?”
“I’ve almost mastered it up until the Okuden. Because the Secret Book is almost certainly a loss. What will happen next will depend on that.”
Because Shin had heard the story about their stats, he expected that a rank of martial art skills has been acquired.
The ranks in martial art skills were divided into 5 ranks in THE NEW GATE.
First, the foundation skill was Shoden. There were many techniques to learn by leveling up. Okuden could be attained by training Shoden and Chuden. When a special quest was completed, Hiden was usually acquired by taking a different action. And then, when everything from Shoden to Hiden skills were forged until they were at their greatest, Shiden could be learned.
(T/N: Shoden[Beginner] < Chuden[Intermediate] < Okuden[Hidden] < Hiden[Secret] < Shiden)
Because there were stat value requirements too, any player who attained Shiden was an advanced level player. Wolfgang’s stats were barely enough for a Hiden rank.
Though Shin understood all of that, Girard’s next words made him raise his eyebrows.
“Is there such a thing as the Secret Book failing?”
Shin was surprised at that information, as it shouldn’t have failed if the condition was met. Was there another factor that has emerged or something? He thought it over.
“Martial arts and magic. Both depend on the mental condition of the user. Long story short, it can’t be learned if he is mentally inexperienced even if his stats are high.”
“...I see. It requires both mental and physical strength, huh?”
It was natural for martial arts, Shin who was thinking of various things, felt silly. As he himself belonged to an archery club in high school, he didn’t remember any sense of discomfort either. Martial arts were such things.
Mind and body were strengthened, to polish the techniques. It was a natural duty for a person to learn combat techniques.
“It’s that kind of thing. Well, if it’s Wolfgang, I don’t have to worry.”
“Certainly, he seemed to be diligent. And he has a warrior’s vibe as well.”
Shin had never met a person who was a genuine master or a person who was called a warrior in his former world, but he still felt integrity from Wolfgang. That sign would not be worn, if he had an untrained mind or inexperienced heart.
“He is pretty much my valued descendant. I’m so happy to have heard you say so.”
“You have become a grandpa who is proud of his grandchild, haven’t you? Well, the meal is finished, so I will start preparing. I want to take out Tsuki no Hokora, is there an open place somewhere?”
“There is a plaza for training. If it’s there, it will be fine. Van, guide them, Rajim, go ask for the permit. I will go to Wolfgang’s place.”
““Roger!!””
Van would guide the three of them, Shin, Schnee, and Tiera, towards the plaza behind the residence. By the way, Yuzuha was on top of Shin’s head, and Kagerou was walking with small steps by Tiera’s feet.
“Step back just a little.”
Van stepped back, and Shin took off the necklace with the crescent moon shape. And then, at the same time he threw it out to the plaza, he said the keyword.
“『Release』!!”
The necklace emitted light instantly. The light with the shape of the necklace was greatly expanded in the next moment, and took the form of a house. And when the light disappeared, Tsuki no Hokora appeared there.
“Hmm, this is the technique that only the store owner can use, huh? There’s a big difference from hearing and seeing it.”
Van, who saw it for the first time, seemed to feel some admiration as he looked at the state of Tsuki no Hokora. Tiera, who had surely seen Tsuki no Hokora be put away before, had her face stiffen at that absurdity again. As usual, only Schnee didn’t show any reaction at all.
“Let’s enter now. What will Van do?”
“If it is possible, I would like to see the process of repairing the armor. Such an opportunity, there will be no next time.”
“Okay. I don’t usually show it, but if it’s Girard’s aide, I guess it’s fine. Come on, follow me.”
Shin spoke and entered Tsuki no Hokora. They passed through the counter, and went straight to the blacksmith’s workshop. Other members also followed for some reason.
“Somehow, it feels like a tour.”
“I agree. Being able to see the technique of a person who has mastered blacksmithing, that possibly nobody will ever see again? Anyone would want to see it.”
“Kuu, it’s interesting to watch.”
“Guru”
Following Tiera’s remark, Yuzuha and Kagerou raised their voices too. When Yuzuha spoke, Van had the look that seemed to want to say “Eh...?”, but never did. Incidentally, Shin recalled when Yuzuha couldn’t speak.
It was possible for Yuzuha to talk, unlike an ordinary monster, because it was an Element Tail; Van was forcibly convinced, and Shin started working.
The divine beast was also there, but without Van, who consented pursuing it in particular, he looked closely at Shin’s work.
“First, from how I understand its current condition”
By materializing the card, he held the armor in both of his hands. When Shin’s mana ran through it, the armor itself began to shine in seven colors. From that, Shin listed the missing things in his brain.
“...this can only be done with Orichalcum.”
After confirming his list, Shin separated one hand from the armor and manipulated the Item Box. Though the armor was held with only his left hand, with it still shining, it was maintained in the air like the time he held it with both hands.
Shin took out the missing material, and materialized it. A transparent lump of metal like a crystal appeared, it was the Orichalcum. When Shin held his right hand out toward it and performed some movement, the Orichalcum came apart at the edges, and changed into a fine thread.
“That skill...indeed, no one could learn that.”
Van muttered, unable to describe the mysterious phenomenon before him. Van was a character originally made to have the role of a blacksmith during the game era. Therefore, he has the capability of a common blacksmith. That was why he was able to understand, more than everyone currently present, the abnormality that happened right in front of him.
The spectacle where the Orichalcum transformed its shape voluntarily, he couldn’t do anything but keep looking at in utter amazement.
“The torn part is repaired. The Orichalcum is diffusing thoroughly and the strength is recovered. Mana is mixing evenly――――”
Was what Shin said, as he was concentrating on his work so much that he didn’t notice the state of Van and the others. It was only natural. What Shin had in his hand now, so to speak, was Girard’s burial clothes. He couldn’t afford to pay attention to the surroundings, because he had to keep working with the utmost respect. As for the reason he allowed their observation, other than the reason that they would not interfere, it was because he had a hunch that there was no room for him to mind.
All of the nerves in his body concentrated to restore the armor to the best possible condition. That was the thing that Shin must do.
At about 30 minutes. When the seven colors of lights disappeared, the dougi type armor reached the point where one would hesitate to touch it. It was unimaginable that its appearance was once battered.
“Phew, it’s done.”
Shin wiped the sweat that slightly drifted away, and changed the armor back into a card. The work that ended after several minutes in the game, it actually felt very time consuming for the one who did it.
Generally, it took more time to finish since his magic manipulation wasn’t perfect yet, although it was understood that he could do it by intuition. Even so, the area around precision rose up greatly when he used mana the same way of using magic skills; it was as one would expect from a person who mastered blacksmithing.
To restore such a flexible equipment like the dougi of 《Ancient》 grade, this method was the most efficient. There were other methods too, but they were inferior in terms of performance.
“Hey Shin. Earlier, was that blacksmithing? It seemed to be a magic skill to me.”
“Indeed, it certainly looks like that when seen by others. However, if there is no smithing skill covering it, let alone to change the metal’s shape, it would become a quality that is lower than scrap iron in an instant.”
Shin didn’t know the requirements before either, so he himself experienced Orichalcum and Mithril changing into scrap iron. The rare metal which he had gathered through much hardship, when it crumbled right in front of his eyes, it was heart breaking, even to Shin.
“...What?”
“I understand that the mana seems to change the quality.”
Such a thing should have been written on the explanation column of the skill, so Shin then opened the explanation column of the skill he used a moment ago to confirm. <When manipulating the mana, if there is a power fluctuation outside of the material’s quality, it will result in the lowest quality for metal.>
“By the way, the skill level must be sufficient too, or the same thing will happen while repairing.”
“Don’t tell me, you did an experiment on the substance?”
“...There were times when I would repair armor made of Orichalcum and made a mistake, it become an armor of scrap iron.”
Recalling those days, Shin’s mood became deeply emotive as he brooded over that time. Tiera who heard the story, had complicated feelings.
“Blacksmithing is surprisingly a job with a big risk.”
Tiera calculated the monetary damage of when Orichalcum became scrap iron. Since she was dealing with goods in Tsuki no Hokora, she knew the market price to some extent, but for the amount of Orichalcum needed to make an armor and so on, she couldn’t imagine how much it cost to only collect it. Tiera didn’t want to think that there was a job that turned it into worthless scrap metal in an instant.
“Usually it returns to an ingot even if I make a mistake, and other items can be processed to be reuseable. Just this, let alone reusing it, I’m worried because it can become complete garbage.”
If Shin failed normally with blacksmithing, there were several methods to reuse a material. Of course the item would not just return to its original form without any changes, but it’s still better than nothing. However, the method Shin used before couldn’t be reused now, no matter what. The purchase price was zero if sold to an NPC in the game.
To rise a skill level, just how many rare metals did he convert into garbage? If it was not a game, it was something he wouldn’t have been able to do by any means.
“The reason for the loss is not only because of the craftsman’s ability. To use Orichalcum for practice would be an unbelievable act for the present blacksmiths.”
“That’s right. How much does Orichalcum cost now?”
“In Falnido, it will be a white gold for a fist-sized ingot. Though only a few people can deal in it, it is obvious that everyone would be in a frenzy if the price was knocked down. It’s difficult to ascertain how many times its value has increased.”
“It’s amazing after all.”
How much would it cost if Shin seriously made a sword from it? There were various rare metals in his Item Box, it seemed like he couldn’t show it to the other blacksmith.
“I will stop selling metals then. Well, the story has gone this far, should I move on to the next one?”
Shin then took out Girard’s personal weapon, 『Crushing Moon』.
Since this weapon was at an even higher ranking than the armor, there was only a little damage on the surface of the arm guard. The durability level also had more than 90% remaining.
He needed to restore this to be completely perfect. This time he put the 『Crushing Moon』 on top of the table, in addition, a small ingot was put on top of it.
“What is that...”
“By chance, is that the...”
Tiera and Van saw the ingot, but only hoarse voices leaked out. The ingot, which was put on top of the 『Crushing Moon』, with Schnee as the exception, no one in that place had ever seen it before.
The metal had a dull shine for a black color. However, on the main colored surface, big and small glitters were able to be perceived. It was like the night sky where the stars sparkled for as far as you can see, or like the space containing numerous galaxies.
Tiera, who was sensitive to magic, understood that the metal contained extraordinary magic power, and was astonished. She consistently saw metal that had magic power contained in them many times before, but the metal in front of her was far more superior. She thought it was possible for it to be a magic catalyst as it was.
Van, who knew a lot about metals, had its identity flash in his head. It was different from any of the Orichalcum, Adamantine, Mythril, or Crimson Ores, but it felt higher ranked compared to the above mentioned metals. Suddenly one thing came to his mind. It was called an illusion among the blacksmiths, because no one could say they had seen the real thing.
“Bang!!”
Despite the two people being shocked, before they knew it, Shin took out a hammer and struck the ingot on top of 『Crushing Moon』. With a high-pitched sound “Kin”, the two people were fascinated to see the phenomenon that happened earlier following up again.
When Shin beat the ingot with the hammer, the ingot melted and faded away. And the scratch under the 『Crushing Moon』 disappeared, it began to shine brightly as if to say it was completed.
The hammer was swung downward a few times to completely fuse the ingot, 『Crushing Moon』 looked like a brand new gauntlet on the table.
“Yosh, this one is complete too. It is perfect if I say so myself.”
While looking at 『Crushing Moon』 which had returned to its perfect state, Shin nodded and agreed. If it was this, there was a confidence of satisfying any kind of demand from the user.
Because he couldn’t look at it forever, he formed it into a card and put it away in his Item Box. “Sorry to have kept you waiting” Shin said and turned around, and saw that Tiera and Van had indescribable expressions on their faces.
Schnee had no change in particular, Yuzuha and Kagerou seemed to be excited for the time being. They were having some kind of conversation with “Kuu Kuu”, “Guru Guru” sounds.
“Shin-dono. May I ask you one thing, only one?”
Among the two people who had frozen in shock, it was Van who began to move first. By bringing his face close, he urged Shin to consent with force. As one might expect from a beast of the elephant type, that power was considerable. Shin moved back a little.
“For the time being, please settle down, you will hear the story. You are close, too close!”
“Oof, I am sorry. But the metal that Shin-dono took out some time ago, that is, perhaps a Chimeradite ingot, the one thing that is of the highest grade?”
“Hmm? That’s right. But you seem to know it well. Because there are different types of Chimeradite, there are not many people who see it and recognize it instantly.”
“It’s not because I understand it’s type. It is something like a legend, circulated among the blacksmiths. The dark-colored metal where it retains the twinkling of the stars. Chimeradite, A weapon made using it could easily kill even a higher kind of dragon. Depending on the person, such a thing was deemed a mere fantasy.”
“Indeed. This thing is certainly quite limited. It’s hardly circulated in the market.”
Even during the game era, for a high-level blacksmith, it was an item that they would almost never see. Even the ingot. Once, a retired player had put a weapon made of Chimeradite into the market on a whim, a fierce competition arose because of it.
It was virtually impossible to be fully equipped even for an advanced player. With only one of those, it was possible to become famous. Of course, it goes without saying that all of the Rokuten members were the irregularity that had all of their metal-based weapons made of Chimeradite.
“By the way, Shin. You were doing it differently a little while ago, is there any significance to it?”
After Shin made Van settle down, Tiera asked a question. If he had used the same method earlier to repair the armor, he should have been able to repair it without using the hammer.
“That 『Crushing Moon』 is a weapon which has the highest rank, that’s why. And both grades are 《Ancient》 grade. But, there is a rating higher than that. The armor is ranked as average 《Ancient》 grade. Because the metal is knitted together with thread using mana, that method was effective and fast. In regards to 『Crushing Moon』, it is a higher-rank of 《Ancient》 grade. When it comes to that, I need to directly hammer it while feeding it mana. Though it’s possible to mend it using the same method as the armor, this is more efficient, and above all, there is no possibility of making a mistake.”
Tiera knew there were differences between the same grade. However, she never thought that the grading was also applied; 《Ancient》 grade was even referred to as a fragment of the world, it was indeed the highest grade.
According to Shin’s explanation, based on the grade and the nature of the armor, there seemed to be a maintenance method that was the most suitable.. Though there were other methods, in that case, the possibility of changing the quality sharply rose. If it was done in a timely manner, with sufficient ability, it was almost impossible to make a mistake.
“I have to redo my thinking about a blacksmith that is out of their area of expertise. For such precise mana power manipulation, it won’t be possible without mage knowledge.”
“Magic manipulation is necessary anywhere, someway or another. In case of a production job, skill in magic manipulation is required as it gets closer to the advanced levels.”
“Alchemy however, is a thoroughly difficult study, too. Even though I learned a few skills, I can’t even call myself a full-fledged practitioner.”
Tiera had the skills which could be said to be the mark of a full-fledged alchemist, but from today, she realized that that was only one part of it, and she was aware that she wasn’t as good in that regard either. She couldn’t help but think that she might not even reach the middle of the pack in the era where Shin came from.
The field was totally different, but to see a person who reached the very pinnacle doing his work, Tiera felt something towards that person.
“You seem to be improving slowly. It’s not easy to gain skills either.”
Tiera’s shoulder was lightly tapped, and Shin faced the entrance of the forge. The things that needed to be done were over, so everyone decided to go towards the living room now.
When Shin and the others moved, he heard the sound of the store’s entrance being opened. It should be Rajim, when guessing from the timing.
“Shin-dono. This is the reading permit for the restriction area in the library. Please accept it.”
“Thank you. I’m saved.”
As he anticipated, the permit was received from Rajim, who entered the store. Because there was also no reason to remain, after everyone left, Tsuki no Hokora was stored again. They headed toward the library with Schnee as a guide. Van and Rajim returned to their residence as they couldn’t be together all the time.
When they appeared from the back door of the residence to Elden’s city district, Tiera was surprised at the diversity of the people walking.
There were many people in Bayreuth too, but almost all of them were humans. There were not many races with different characteristics, such as beasts or pixies.
However, this was the beasts’ country. Beasts with various animal characteristics were walking and overflowing. There were types that walked on two feet with almost an appearance of animals in clothes, the type that had a tail and ears on their body, and so forth; there was no uniformity.
Even if it was the same as the great number of people in Bayreuth, she was even more surprised to see this many beasts here.
“I thought I got used to seeing beasts, but there are just so many different impressions as there are numbers of them.”
“That’s because the beast race is the one whose outward appearance is the most diverse.”
In the game era, there were people whose bodies resembled a human, there were some who only had their face as animal combinations and the like. The degree of freedom in combinations was high, so the name of the beast was attached to it.
“Even for the people other than the beasts, there are items so you can feel what’s it’s like to be a beast too.”
What Schnee was saying was that there were items such as animal ears or tails which could be mounted and removed. A so-called cosplay item. The item was surprisingly popular among the female players. It was also the item for which the male players made a petition for the female players to wear.
“Speaking of which, I also have several of them.”
“By chance, it’s that!?”
Schnee pretended to reach into the pouch on her waist, and a card was taken out of her Item Box.
It was the cosplay item that Shin gave to Schnee before. When she materialized the item, it was adjusted to match Schnee’s hair; silver colored dog ears and a bushy tail were grasped in her hand.
It was an item created on a whim by the members of Rokuten before. Anyway, it was high quality with various options. It was not just an ordinary cosplay item.
“Amazing. Doesn’t this feel like a real one?”
“It was a Shin, Reed-sama, Cashmere-sama, and Hecate-sama collaboration. To bring it as close to the real thing, there is a function that automatically conceals the characteristics of other races when attached... how does it look?”
Schnee stated, and equipped the cosplay set. The long ears peculiar to elves disappeared in a moment,and instead there were dog ears on top of her head, and a tail of a similar color to her hair emerged from around the area of her tailbone. The beautiful High Elf woman, transformed into a beautiful High Beast woman.
By the way, what Schnee was wearing now was hotpants with boots under, and a light-blue shirt with nothing but a long jacket on top. Because the uniform of Tsuki no Hokora somehow stood out, her clothes were changed into an easy to move in adventure-like style.
A belt was worn near the lap on top of the jacket, and the pouch was attached there. In one of the equipments in the game age, the jacket was split into right and left from the belly area, so it wouldn’t obstruct the movement of the legs. Schnee left only one button in front of her belly, and all others remained open. There were two reasons. One, it wasn’t so cold as to close everything. Two, she couldn’t completely close it because of her chest measurement.
In the game’s specifications, be it armor or a dress, it would automatically adjust to the physique of the person who equipped it; one would not deliberately wear something without that feature. What Schnee was wearing, was the equipment previously created under supervision of one of the female members of Rokuten, Hecate. Not to mention its good performance, it was set-up to emphasize Schnee’s style. According to Hecate, it was erotic for a beautiful woman and young lady, like a cute outfit where a man would want to help her put it on too, was what she said.
Clothes that focused on seduction, when worn by a woman whose style was the embodiment of a man’s desire, such as Schnee, the effect level rose by at least one more step. In comparison to a thin waist tightened with a belt, the bulging of her chest pushed up due to the shirt in the jacket, but it would be emphasized too much.
Schnee, in such a state, blushed a little as she felt embarrassed, but still asked for an impression.
“...It suits you very well.”
Anyways, in the game era, the NPC’s only reacted like a doll. So when asked “How’s it look?” by Schnee just now, Shin couldn’t think of anything good to say except, she matched well. He wasn’t used to seeing lively garments either, but the dog’s ears suited her very well.
The moment Schnee heard those words, her face’s rosy complexion flashed even pinker. At this point, one would have noticed her abrupt behavior.
“...E-Elves stand out, so disguising as a beast makes it easier to fit into the surroundings. Besides it’s better like this now I will lead us to the library let’s go.”
While talking quickly, she stuttered to some extent and Schnee began to move at a quick pace. There was no breathing in the latter half of her speech.
Supposingly, the long ears, peculiar to elves, would have turned bright red. As for the dog’s ears that were shaking on top of Schnee’s head, they somewhat look red when seen by Shin and the others.
“I saw, for the first time, Master act like this.”
“To be honest, me too.”
He agreed with Tiera’s remark while running after Schnee. As for the two people, it was better not to attract attention. So he took out some items, and Shin and Tiera changed their appearance to beasts, too. What Shin lent to Tiera were cat ears.
Could it be that Schnee wanted him to see, so she changed herself? Shin guessed while chasing the back of Schnee. Though it might just be him over thinking it, but if it proved to be right...it was already too late to think about it in various ways.
The Schnee whom Shin knew was a woman like a secretary, a calm, cool and collected woman. Because she always communicated in a businesslike manner during the game, he never saw this side of her like at this time. It seemed he needed to change his way of thinking.
(I think that’s not so bad, mostly.)
While he was aware of his favorable impressions of Schnee rising, Shin quickened his pace in pursuit of her.
* * *
It was several hours later, after seeing the unknown side of Schnee. Shin was alone in the library of Elden.
When he arrived at the library with Schnee’s guidance, after he showed the permit and entered the restricted reading area, he proceeded to examine what happened after the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’. Unlike Bayreuth, because the materials were not open to public, the content was different in quality. Some information that Shin wanted to know was recorded too.
“The natural disasters that occurred after the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’...there’s no difference in damage by the regions after all. Isn’t the range of the last dungeon connected to the...Earth Pulse?”
Shin arranged the information he obtained, while voicing out in a small volume. According to the material, what was called Earth Pulse seemed to have been related with the natural disasters. Shin had heard it well in manga and light novels, it was something like a circle that ran through the earth. Though it was the guess of the person who compiled the document, the biggest place where the continents divided had numerous flows of the Earth Pulse. The dungeon that Shin faced at the end of the death game, [Gate of the Otherworld], that place was the convergence point, which could be read from the document.
“Come to think of it, Yuzuha interfered with the Earth Pulse and suppressed the damage, huh?”
Even if he said they had a contract, a monster was still prohibited from entering the area. So now, there was no figure of Yuzuha on top of Shin’s head. Under the watch of the young lady at the reception desk, while apologizing to Yuzuha, who was waiting at the entrance in his heart, he remembered the things Yuzuha said before.
“Is the Earth Pulse also related to me coming here? But at the time of the game, it was not a major thing.”
There was an event related to the Earth Pulse, but there were a lot of limited-time events that he couldn’t remember up until a trivial setting. The one he understood the most was that the place where the Earth Pulse ran, monsters were likely to appear. Even if he knew this, there was no conclusive evidence in this world.
However――――
(As shown in the document, if the place where the Earth Pulse gathered(Power Spot) is related to the dungeon, it is possible for me to return if a similar place is found...right?)
Though it was only a plain hypothesis, it was simple and also persuasive.
It would save a lot of trouble if it was as simple as this. While thinking about these kind of things, Shin picked up the next document.
“(Shin~...Shin~?)”
“Hmm?”
One hour later.
Shin was concentrating on reading the documents, when he noticed the Mind Talk from Yuzuha.
“(What’s the matter?)”
“(I’m hungry...no lunch yet~?)”
When he confirmed the time due to Yuzuha’s meal remark, it was already past 12:00 in the afternoon. He seemed to have forgotten the time passing as he got absorbed in reading the documents.
“(My bad, I will go out immediately. Schnee, can you hear me?)”
“(Yes, is there something wrong?)”
“(Let’s have lunch soon. Yuzuha seems to be feeling hungry.)”
“(Understood. I will go toward the entrance.)”
Schnee was contacted with Mind Talk, and Shin left the restriction area a little early. He caught Tiera who was conducting research in the general area, and went toward the waiting Yuzuha and Kagerou. After thanking the receptionist who looked after them, Shin left the library after all the member joined.
“Did you find something?”
“No, not much of the important things. Still, it is regretful that the dungeon disappeared. If I could investigate it directly, I think I might able to get a little clue from there...
Well, there’s nothing we can do since it’s already gone. It’s thanks to Schnee that I understood something, and it’s going steadily.”
While pretending not to worry about it, Shin thanked the discouraged Schnee. For the information that vanished afterward, it was not possible to know without Schnee.
Instead, Shin was more worried if they couldn’t collaborate in information gathering together.
“(Kuu, smells good from there.)”
“(Hmm? It indeed smells nice. Let’s go there.)”
Shin changed his feelings with Yuzuha’s urging voice. Even if he was anxious, he decided not to say it yet.
After the meal, he looked around the residence a little, and then shut himself up in the library again.
He took a rest in the residence at night, and it was a repetition of the library in the daytime.
As a change of pace, he had a match with Cuore, and watched the skill succession of Wolfgang, so he was never bored.
When he went to Larua Grand Woods for a preliminary inspection, Tiera’s leveling up also took place. With her level still low, she became completely dependent on Kagerou condition. Even if her upper limit was pretty much decided, Shin respected Tiera’s intention of wanting to become strong, even if only by a little.
In the meantime, the remaining days passed in no time.
* * *
One week later, Shin met Girard again. They moved toward Larua Grand Woods in the early morning.
Because they were in the wagon which Shin remodeled, it was Kagerou who pulled it. There were Shin, Girard, Schnee, Tiera, Wolfgang, Cuore, Van, Rajim and Yuzuha riding in the wagon.
“It’s fine weather.”
“It’s the perfect weather for a duel.”
Shin and Girard were sitting on the driver’s box. Contrary to everyone who seemed a little tense, the two people had a conversation like they were going fishing. Since there was nothing that could be done about it, there were no things that needed to be discussed left. Everything had come to an agreement, including the things to be done after the duel.
“How is your condition?”
“I can do it anytime. My mind and body are joined together.”
The broad grin and laugh from Girard, an irrepressible presence was leaking out. Shin felt that it was refined even more since the time they met again.
Girard certainly seemed to be at full power today.
“Though I want to begin immediately, let’s send the other people to the spectator seats.”
“I guess from that hill should be fine, right?”
“Indeed, if there I guess it will be fine. Last time when the chosen ones dueled, I watched it from up there.”
For a fight between the chosen ones of another country, Girard seemed to have been called upon as the role of referee. Though there were guards with low fighting power watching from the top of the hill, it seemed to be no problem if they saw that Girard was nearby, Shin thought.
It was the humans’ and beasts’ chosen ones that fought. Their stats were around 400, but the beast appeared to have won by a hair’s breadth.
“The usage of skill and power were rough, but the fight was not so bad.”
While they were talking, a place where the ground was several floors higher than its surroundings appeared in Shin’s field of vision. Only short grass grew there, and it seemed to be quite vast when they surveyed it on the top of the hill. Because Shin and Girard were to fight, it was impossible to know what would happen. It was certainly perfect as a spectating position, when he thought about the spectators’ safety.
“Then, we will wait here.”
“Ah, I will count on you if there are any stray shots.”
The wagon was returned to a card, and he asked Schnee for precautions just to make sure. He thought it would be fine, but it wouldn’t end as a joke if it did happen.
“I understand. And as for Girard’s matter, thank you in advance.”
“Well, see you soon.”
“Shin, go for it~”
“Guru”
“I’m going.”
Schnee, Tiera, Yuzuha and Kagerou saw Shin off, and faced toward Girard’s people. Shin glanced ahead, and saw every one of Falnido exchanging their last words.
“I will leave it to you two afterward.”
““I wish you good luck in battle!””
The things that should be told might have already been conveyed. So Girard only said a few words. Van and Rajim striked their left palm to their right fist, and said their farewell words.
“I will not forget the founder’s teaching throughout my life. As for the country and the people, leave it to me.”
Wolfgang declared that he would take responsibility for Falnido when Girard was no more. He announced it with confidence, sticking out his chest with pride. That expression had a close resemblance to Girard in the past. Powerful words, and oozing with presence, it was worthy of a Beast King.
“...I will become a warrior who won’t shame the founder’s name.”
Cuore, who stood nearby, had little watery eyes, but still looked ahead and stated her oath firmly. She couldn’t expose her unsightly side at Girard’s final goodbye, so she didn’t cast her eyes down.
Girard who saw her state nodded in satisfaction, and began to walk toward Shin’s party.
The parting was finished. There was only one thing left to be done.
“Shall we go?”
“Ou.”
Starting with those words, Shin and Girard began to run. With that sudden acceleration, the figure of the two people became blurry. They ran down the hill’s slope in a flash without anything obstructing them, and entered the forest.
“The king hasn’t laughed like that in a long time.”
“When was the last time I saw him like that?”
As they saw the two people disappear into the forest, Van and Rajim exchanged a few words. That face, that was laughing innocently like a child, was similar to Girard’s expression.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 03 - Falnido Beast Alliance/The-New-Gate-Volume-03-Falnido-Beast-Alliance-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_03_Chapter_03_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 2
Shin and Girard ran between the trees, they were headed straight towards the center of the forest. By the way, Larua Grand Woods was quite spacious. One could imagine the vastness, when it was said to be wider than Hokkaido in the real world.
They went towards the center to keep the damage to the surroundings to a minimum. To really ensure safety, they should be at least 20 kemels away from the spectators.
Wouldn’t it make so that they couldn’t be seen by the[Far Sight] skill if they were that far away? It was probably a concern, but it would never happen. Because, on the route where Shin and Girard ran through, clouds of dust looking like explosions and thousands of sliced trees flying off could be seen. Even though their figures couldn’t be seen, that track of destruction informed the others of their existence.
The two people ran side by side for a while, and divided into two groups on the way. While heading toward the center, they gradually separated from each other. It was about 10 minutes later, that the earth and sand that was flying up due to their tracks disappeared, and so they knew that the two people stopped moving.
About 5 kemels apart, both of them faced each other. Among a few of the dueling methods of the beasts, it was the oldest dueling principle that was chosen this time.
With that settled, the duel that took place in Larua Grand Woods was where they set a distance according to the ability of the people who were fighting. This was intended to get rid of the handicap of each other’s weapon specialty.
Though it might seem to be disadvantageous for the short distance type, the dense trees that obstructed the view made it easy to dish out a surprise attack.
As for the long distance type, though the distance was reduced, that meant it was harder to make a line of fire with the trees in the way.
Now that it came to this, whoever found the opponent first, was the most important point. Normally the distance would be roughly 50 mels, but because it was these two’s ability that were having showdown this time, what was said to be the best distance was not decided. Both of them spontaneously decided the distance.
There was also no referee for this match. Though it wasn’t just because it would put the referee’s body into danger; to begin with, victory or defeat was not significant between Shin and Girard. The fight itself was the goal. A referee, and the likes, would only be a hindrance instead.
Their fighting spirits were mutually raised at their locations, and they gazed at the opponent they couldn’t see.
Shin had to control his [Limit], to match his stats with the time in the game. It wasn’t because he was ‘going easy on someone’. The titles, such as Limit Breaker and Accomplished One, were turned off in the fight, so it became the original values from when he had spent time with Girard.
Shin wore the titles that had increased his power from around the time of the Death Game. The titles that he acquired after he defeated the boss, Origin, in the final dungeon, would never have been obtained via normal play. Because the dungeon that was also called [Gate of the Otherworld], and Origin too, both appeared after the Death Game began. To fight against an opponent who called himself Master, it was extremely rude to depend on those cheat skills. Though there would certainly be a time when he must use it, at least now was not that time.
This was a kind of ceremony to see off Girard. It was meaningful, when fighting with only his own power.
Girard strengthened his own ability with the aid of martial arts skills. Shin’s stats were better than his, this was something he had known a long time ago. To fill the differences, even if only by a little, he wouldn’t spare the effort.
Though Shin talked about the titles with Girard, he also conveyed that he didn’t have any intentions of using them. About that, Girard was thankful, but regretful too. He would do the same thing if he was in Shin’s position; it was easy to imagine. The feeling of them getting in the way was understood, and he felt genuine happiness by thinking that it would be settled with only their own original powers. However at the same time, he really wanted to have a fight with Shin at his best, in the true sense. Girard also knew, that Shin also thought of the same thing. When that time happened though, it would be over in an instant.
Girard was lost in thought for a brief amount of time; To receive the death that he could be satisfied with the most.
Now at this moment, Shin and Girard were pouring every nerve into each other’s presence.
Thus, it was the moment that both of them were well prepared for. The presence of the opponent was felt, and it was understood that they were ready.
And then――――.
““Suuuuu――――――.””
The two people inhaled in a deep way. And like they had arranged it beforehand, skills were invoked.
““Oooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!””
What seemed to be like the firing of a signal gun for starting a war, was actually the barehanded system martial art skill, [Cannon Wave].
<Attract enemy’s attention, and cancel incantations of magic skills at a low probability.> As if sneering at such a skill’s explanation, both of them fired a[Cannon Wave] that ran through Larua Grand Woods. Power that could rival even the upper class of wind-system magic skills mowed down a big tree exceeding 1 mel of diameter, blasted away a large monster on its course, and finally collided at the midpoint of the two people.
The charged energies did not offset each other, instead it condensed where it gathered, and that energy was released in all directions in the next moment. The scattering energy was transformed into a shock wave, and spread the destruction out to the surroundings.
That shock, together with the earth shaking, cleared the ground from a radial center that should be called ground zero. Big trees that were said to be several hundred years old, and the gigantic stones that were buried under them, flew over several mels up into the sky and disappeared into the thin air. Though it would cause a second disaster when they fell, the two people didn’t worry at all. After firing [Cannon Wave] , they had already started moving.
If Shin used a magic skill for long distance, than Girard, who specialized in close-range was at a disadvantage. However, Shin abandoned the advantage of a one-sided attack from the distance, as he went toward Girard.
With the speed of the two people, it wouldn’t take too long for them to arrive at the place where the [Cannon Wave] collided. The trees vanished and the ground was exposed, it was almost like an impromptu ring had appeared. Shin with his 『True Moon』 and Girard with his 『Crushing Moon』, took a stance and filled the distance furthermore.
“Shiiiiiiin!!”
“Giraaaaad!!”
Against the blow coming from over Shin’s head, Girard answered by thrusting his right hand straightforward. Sparks and a buzz sound were produced when the weapons clashed.
With a high-pitched metallic sound, cracks ran through the ground around the position where the two people stood. The earth was split, due to the energy from the clash.
“Kuku, still as good as usual.”
“Hah, this is nothing for me to stop the blow.”
With a grinding sound, while praising each other as their weapons met, the grins that appeared on their faces could be called fierce.
The duel had become a state where they couldn’t go easy on each other, because the higher the ability of both of them; just a trivial blow might prove fatal.
However, at this time now, Shin and Girard were both convinced that the other would not die from a lucky shot.
There was no reasoning there. They just knew.
――――This guy(Girard) won’t fall by such an attack!!
――――I can’t defeat this guy(Shin) with just this level!!
The weapons were repelled and they took some distance again.
Shin took a stance with his katana, and waited for Girard. Those fangs, if only he could pierce through them.
Girard, who prepared his stance with one leg bent in front and the other extending behind him, calmly overflowed with fighting spirit. As long as he used his own technique, he could receive it with his own body.
““……………………””
Silence, time flowed slightly.
And, the moment when the big tree fell from the sky between the two people, their figures vanished.
Subsequently, consecutive metallic and crushing sounds were heard. Sparks were scattered about midair and the ground on top of the ring was crushed.
As for speed, Shin was faster. The slashing attack that could be mistaken for a flash of light, he faced towards Girard without any hesitation.
And as for reflexes, Girard was superior as he faced Shin. He didn’t specialize in close-range combat just for show. The reaction to the strike, instant judgment, and above all, the attack predictions that came from 500 years long experience. Girard had experienced fighting against numerous people and monsters, and watched Shin fight side by side with him. His intuition showed that he could cope with Shin’s attacks, even if Shin had better stats than he had.
He bent his body and dodged the slashing attack from the upper right, approaching while flicking it with his 『Crushing Moon』, and then turned his body back to go under the roundhouse kick from Shin. The wind pressure, from when it missed, created a storm of destruction 10 mels in a straight line. Without minding Shin’s attack, Girard jumped up from the ground, after bending down, and drew back his fist.
That fist was then continuously fired out, with the support system magic skill[Enchant • High Blow] to reinforce it further. It was an additional reinforcement magic, to the fist that could already crush a solid castle wall easily. For a fist that the naked eyes couldn’t follow, it was said to be inevitable that the opponent would be definitely crushed.
But Shin, who was a master of swordsmanship, was not so normal that he could not receive it either. The current stats were at the value that Shin was the most experienced with. When he fought against divine beast monsters, when there were confrontations among the Rokuten, and when he defeated Origin too; it was always with these stats.
Therefore, now Shin could completely grasp his own physical abilities. The arms that wielded the katana swung, and the foot that crushed the earth, they moved as Shin imagined them to. Was it because he dueled against this pinnacle opponent, the one known as Girard? His mana manipulation that was imperfect before the duel, it too was sharpened unconsciously. If he strengthened his stats by using the titles, his control might be weakened again. However, when he was in the present state, he was able to use mana naturally, like breathing; Shin was able to grasp it again.
For this reason, he didn’t skimp. In contrary to the fist coming toward him, Shin was pouring mana into his beloved katana.
Similarly to Girard’s fist, the blade that now received the support system magic skill [Enchant • High Edge] effect was shining, and its edge was sharpened, along with its speed.
The blade raised a buzz sound whenever it cut a fist. Whenever Shin’s blade resisted the fists of Girard, each weapon’s charged mana counterbalanced each other before discharging into the surroundings. Small explosions sounded around the two people as they exchanged blows, and the terrain was transformed.
For a lengthy long rally, remarkably large shocks resounded, then Girard and Shin separated again. Without missing a beat, they began to move. While it was going nowhere, even with the exchange of blows there, the way of fighting changed.
Contrary to before, it had completely changed to a high-speed chase inside the forest, now they dashed without leaving a trail of destruction. Though the figure of the opponent disappeared from sight, the two people wouldn’t make such a blunder as to lose sight at that level.
Let alone the five senses, their intuitions also sharpened. Multiple support system martial arts skills, ranging from[Mind’s Eye] to [Insight] were activated there, and they sensed each other's blood-lust, repeatedly clashing into each other.
The blade that was aimed towards Girard’s blind spot was repelled by his fist, while Shin had to fend off a tempest of fists that came from above with his katana. The attack was coming from all directions, whether from above, front, left, right, rear, and sometimes from the ground when they jumped.
Still, not a single blow was hitting each other’s bodies. Since there were stat differences, it was natural for Girard’s attacks to not hit.
But even Shin’s attacks couldn’t graze Girard. A person who knew the ability of these two people would feel a sense of incongruity. No matter how much they kept strengthening, currently there was a wall that couldn’t be overturned between Shin and Girard.
“Ah, I can’t get through. Is this the limit of the current technique?”
“Did you finish warming up? It’s time to show it. I felt something was off only a little while ago.”
“Kuku, you found out, huh? I was trying to conceal it.”
“Did you think I wasn’t gonna find out after we exchanged blows? It would be noticed eventually.”
“Don’t say that. It’s a technique I devised specifically to fight against you. Let me put on some airs a little.”
Sparks were scattered with the blade and fist, but the two people were joking around while running in the forest. Shin who was expressing slightly messy words, and Girard who was returning them with a smile.
For both attacks, though they were certainly powerful, it seemed to have turned into a state where friends talked about obtaining a rare item by chance.
They understood each other. There was still much to this fight; they hadn’t gotten serious and gone all out yet.
It had been about 10 minutes since the duel had started.
The greatest battle was about to begin.
* * *
Whenever Shin and Girard clashed, a portion of the forest vanished as craters and trees were blown away, exposing the devastation. The animals, which had sensed the abnormalities and moved to the edge of the forest, where there was little danger, were perhaps the only things saving grace. The two people were getting absorbed in the fight, but seemed to have considered the area as the damage tended to be concentrated at the center of the forest.
Somehow, that spectacle, which was watched with the [Far Sight] skill, was divided into two groups based on their reaction.
“…………”
“It couldn’t be...this is when the founder is serious.”
“Wow...”
“Ku~”
“Gu-Guru...”
Tiera was speechless at the scene that unfolded before her eyes. Wolfgang, who saw Girard being serious for the first time, growled. Cuore and Yuzuha couldn’t cover their excitement. Whereas Kagerou was watching their state.
“It’s about time they finished warming up.”
“Umu, flashy warm-up as usual.”
“Well, expect no less from our king.”
Schnee, Van, and Rajim watched it all with a calm composure, as if saying “You haven’t seen anything yet, there’s still more after this”.
Their reactions were split in two splendidly, into whether or not they had seen that Shin and Girard were not being serious yet.
“Master, they haven’t gotten serious yet, despite all that!?”
“Yes. Shin appears to have hardly used his magic skills at all, and Girard hasn’t shown his new move in that state either.”
“Master is strong like that too, right?”
“Depending on the fight, I still have a hard time against Girard.”
To Schnee who indirectly implied “I am stronger”, Tiera became speechless again. Though Tiera knew that Schnee was strong, after watching the fight between Shin and Girard, she understood how poor her imagination had been. Furthermore, it was said that the two people who were battling now weren’t even completely serious yet. How far away was the existence that spoke to her like it was natural? Tiera finally understood the true meaning.
“Honorable father, this is the fight of a High Human and Girard-sama, right?”
“It seems like there’s still more to it from Schnee-dono’s story. Though I also succeeded in the secret and became strong myself, I can’t help but think I have so much more to learn when I see this.”
“I have had a match with Shin-san before, and I thought he was as much the same as Girard-sama. But it was not so.”
“It’s the person whom founder-sama lowered his head to. We are likely not able to see through that power or something.”
While hearing the explosions echo far away from the hill, the parent and child were having a talk. Meanwhile, their pupils were moving rapidly, as they were going to sear the fight between Shin and Girard into their memory.
“It’s time for him to move.”
“Umu, I guess it will be an exchange of existing skills from now on.”
“That will reach the High Human, huh?”
“Now, it’s up to our king.”
Van and Rajim knew Girard’s trump card. They were not excited nor did they adopt a philosophic view on it; they just calmly watched the progress of the battle.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 03 - Falnido Beast Alliance/The-New-Gate-Volume-03-Falnido-Beast-Alliance-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_03_Chapter_03_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 3
The intense sounds stopped.
The vibration of the earth and the atmosphere fell silent.
In the forest, in the space that was born from the last clash, the main sources were facing each other.
“Let me declare this. From here, I will become one fang.”
It was time to go all out from here.
Girard announced with the implied meaning, and released all of his power.
There were two changes.
First, the aura that covered Girard’s body slightly shook.
Second, his body trembled a little, and transformed into the appearance of a wolf.
On top of that, there was the beast’s race bonus due to the changed outward.
Though the differences between the outward appearances were small, he was neither discouraged nor unprepared. Had Girard reached that fang? That couldn’t be just a mere transformation appearance.
In contrast to Girard, Shin started to invoke magic skills as well.
“Come then. I will fight with my whole soul.”
Matching that remark, there were 7 attributes of advanced level magic skills developing around Shin.
Starting with a white flame, a water that rotates at a high velocity, then red thunder, to the earth rising from the ground like a snake, if a person who practiced magic in this world saw that, they would faint. As those magics shouldn’t be able to manifest without chanting them one by one.
However, even facing the magic skills that surrounded Shin, Girard’s expression didn’t change a bit. It was natural. If he was shaken at this point, reaching that fang would only be an empty dream.
“――――Here I come!”
Just a word. Speaking no more than that, Girard disappeared.
No, it was...
“!!!”
It was high-speed movement without any prior motion. Even for the advanced level chosen ones, the reaction speed was unbelievable.
However, it was not possible to shake off Shin, even with that. Even if Shin was astonished, his perceptual skill continued on grasping Girard’s movement.
Shin unleashed one of his magic skills. A crimson thunder approached Girard――――
“It won’t hit!”
Not even a graze on Girard, but the forest was burnt.
“I see!! You have reached this point, huh?!!”
Shin shouted at Girard, who avoided being struck by lightning, while having a smile on his face.
Thunder and light techniques. In magic skills, these two boasted of being the fastest; They were thought to be unavoidable. It was possible only for a small handful of people, who reached an AGI value exceeding 900, with the support skill enabled.
Girard’s AGI value had reached 800. No matter how much he tried to enhance his physical ability, 900 couldn’t be exceeded. However, Girard showed that he could dodge the thunder technique. The action that was impossible in the game, he had shown it to be possible.
“I’ve been waiting, for this time.”
Girard spoke while in a fired-up mood, and closed the distance while feeling the heat on his skin from the lightning before.
He had gone through battlefields, polished his techniques, and searched for the technique that exceeded the limit by himself.
How far had he come? To what extent could he go? Girard himself didn’t know it either.
Still, he knew one thing . He was confident.
“Now, only now――――”
Yes, he was sure at this moment.
“My fangs will reach you!!”
He accelerated.
He was faster than when he avoided being struck by lightning.
It passed even the light technique.
Girard was the at the breaking point for a man who was at the summit, as he set foot there.
His whole body screamed with the intention to fight against Shin, as he charged towards the target(Shin) before his eyes.
“Ooooooooooooooooo!!!”
He drew back his fist, while maintaining top speed, with a power that was not even comparable to just several minutes ago. Girard’s blow that was approaching had one long straight beam of light behind it, while Shin held his 『True Moon』, prepared to receive the blow.
“You don’t think this attack will defeat me, do you?”
Shin told Girard, who then reacted like it was obvious.
“Of course not.”
As for Girard too, it was only natural that Shin wasn’t surprised.
Girard, who was at the boundary of men, continued stepping onto the road to the summit, and finally he achieved a view of the top. However, Shin was already there. He was not so naive, as to think that this amount of attack would surprise him.
“This is the first time I’ve seen that. How did you do that enhancement?”
“You can ask Schnee. After this battle!!!”
Girard pushed Shin aside together with a roar as he invoked the barehanded system martial arts skill [Burst Strike]. No matter how different the stats were, mass didn’t change. If it was the current Girard, if he used [Burst Strike] which had a powerful knock back effect, it might be able to repel Shin forcibly.
Shin retreated while shaving the ground, and Girard attempted a second assault. There was no chance of winning if the distance increased, and he didn’t have a lot of time either. Therefore, whether or not Girard could finish his attacks in this match? It would depend on that.
The firmly stepped-on ground burst and scattered as Girard’s figure vanished.
“Gaaarr!!”
“Swish!!”
Against the fist that was approaching from his left, Shin put up his blade. The attacks didn’t always come from behind. As Girard couldn’t do such monotonous attacks.
Before the spark went out, Girard’s figure vanished again. He was running around Shin while maintaining maximum speed, and not only from the blind spots, he struck from the front sometimes, too.
Shin was thinking. For Girard’s phenomenal ability to rise, Shin knew Girard’s limit was being exceeded. Furthermore, there was something that he was hiding.
Did he want to use magic, or bring it to close combat? Or maybe do a surprise attack? While observing Girard’s movement, Shin considered his next move.
While striking at Shin who didn’t move, Girard also thought about how to deal a single blow with all of his might.
In Girard’s judgment, Shin, who was using magic skills to move from place to place, was troublesome. Supposedly, if Shin kept freely running around, with that alone, the chances of Girard winning went down to zero.
The skills for Girard, he was not only strengthened by becoming a beast, he was enhanced through the arts, too. And strengthening his body by 3 fold, it was done by consuming his life force. The movements that exceeded Girard’s limit, were possible because he staked everything on this fight. Until he could finally fight with Shin head-on.
If he moved poorly and the distance increased, it wouldn’t just end with time running out. Nonetheless, he couldn’t continue in his present state for a long time. He had to keep up with Shin with all of his efforts. He couldn’t behave as he did earlier.
“...Now, I’ll go from here!”
With a few words, Shin kicked the ground. A flash, like he was no longer ‘going easy on someone’ was unleashed at Girard in the form of a thrust.
“Chiii!!”
Girard glanced off the approaching katana with his 『Crushing Moon』, while at the same time bending his body. Although the place right beside him was blown away, Girard barely succeed in turning that brandish strike to the ground. He landed on his limbs at the same time lifting his upper body, thrusting out his fist high towards the sky.
““Enchantment!!!””
The voices of the two people and the sound of the arms clashing overlapped in succession, and the surrounding trees were blown away from the shock.
With Shin’s activated movement system, martial arts skill [Flying Shadow], due to the sudden change of course, together with attacking while pursuing, Girard reacted without even seeing it.
When Shin entered Girard’s range of attack, Girard’s body moved unconsciously. Because he knew the nature of the fight from one another, Girard’s reaction was precise. Shin especially, didn’t know this world’s unique strategy, which Girard had mastered. Therefore, Girard was able to predict the skills that Shin would unleash accurately.
“I guess we don’t have much time. Shall we exchange blows!!”
Shin shouted, with his sword not one step away. He didn’t understand what kind of enhancement Girard used, but he knew this duel, it was not right way. When the duel had become drawn-out, only Shin would have the advantage. Such a thing, was not the fight Girard hoped for.
(Girard, you don’t wish for this kind of fight, do you!!)
With that thought, Shin put his strength into the hand holding his katana.
“Answer me!! Girarrrdd!!”
Girard withdrew back, avoiding the powerful blow, and corrected his posture.
“Kuku, haha, haha, that’s right. Good grief, I got greedy since the enhancement worked smoothly, huh?”
A strained laugh unintentionally leaked out from Girard, answering Shin’s remark. What exactly was he thinking? He reserved his power for the biggest game, Shin, he shouldn’t keep thinking as if he was the same as before. Such thoughts were discarded together while he exhaled.
Does the chance of winning disappear when Shin moves? Does he have the stamina?
Such thoughts were for a person who had the time.
“No, not now. With my remaining strength, my fangs will reach yoouuu!!”
He began to run with those words. As an answer to Shin’s shout, he returned a blow right to the front.
Shin didn’t avoid it. The swung down blade was pushed up, Girard’s shout was answered.
It was a simple blow that had neither had skills nor arts. Thus, there was no need to put much thought as their weapons resounded mutually.
“Hahahahaa”
“Kuahahaha”
It was said that fellow masters didn't need words, they spoke by the exchanging of techniques.
““Hahahahahahahahahaa!!!””
Thus from thereon, the two people stopped talking.
They understood, even if they didn’t speak. They communicated when their weapons crossed.
Only laughter came from their mouths.
“ZeeaaAAA!!”
Shin invoked the katana and water technique combined skill, [Setsugekka*], a single blow formed an ice blade, from outside the distance between them. (T/N: Snow, Moon and Flowers)
“GuuraaAAA!!”
Girard’s fist was clad with fire, and broke the icy blade. Furthermore, he thrust out his fist in front before the flames went out.
The range shouldn’t have reached Shin. However, a mass of energy was projected out from his fist, and that fist, made up of flames, rushed towards Shin.
Barehanded flame technique combined skill[Blazing Sky] and barehanded system martial arts skill [Far Strike] were put together for a counterattack.
“This sort of thing, *Burst*!!”
It was several times the normal [Far Strike]. The bullet of fire with a width of almost 1 mel, Shin cut right in half with his katana. One of the effects bestowed upon 『True Moon』, was the nullification of magic skills that came in contact with the katana blade. Naturally, not all of the magic was erased, pure energy such as martial arts skills couldn’t be nullified. Having cut the blow that became the form of a flame technique from Girard just now, it was Shin’s height of capability.
Still, being able to cut magic, it became very handy in combat. Though it was a slightly different situation this time, he originally used it to cut barrier skills. With that alone, he could turn the tables.
Yet, it became a trap this time. Simply because Girard knew that Shin was able to cut [Far Strike], so he used a skill that let him wear flames.
Under the guise of a huge bullet of fire, Girard unleashed a skill while pursuing, in a situation where Shin would shake off his katana.
It was the barehanded system martial arts skill[Binding Snake].
To obstruct the movement of the opponent, the energy with the shape of a snake hung around Shin’s arms.
“This won’t hold me!”
The restraints in front of Shin vanished, but that moment became the chance for winning the fight between the two.
“Shiden――” (T/N: This is also known as Itariden, which was mentioned in the previous part. I have changed it to Shiden.)
That moment when Shin’s movement was stopped. Girard dealt a blow with all of his might.
This was the secret that only the person who learned all of the martial arts system skills could unleash.
The pinnacle in martial arts skills.
“――Zekka*!!”(T/N: Superb)
Barehanded system martial arts skill [Shiden • Zekka]. This skill needed only a moment before it was invoked, its movement was only a pushed out fist, right in front. It had a short reach and an even bigger opening, too.
However, for this reason, its power was top class among the many martial arts skills. If it was in PvP, it was said to be able to overturn the situation with just a single blow.
When the current Girard released it, supposedly, its power should be beyond Shin’s imaginations.
“Ku, GuoooooOO!!!”
In front of the approaching fist, Shin barely slid his 『True Moon』, at the last moment between the attack and his body. But even Shin too, was just barely able to properly parry it, as it was difficult to turn aside. Holding out was not possible, as he was blown away into the forest.
“Aaargh*cough*, as expected, it’s strong.”
Shin was blown away for dozens of mels, while some of the large trees vanished. Though it wasn’t a direct hit, it was clear that damage penetrated into his body. No matter how much of a stat differences remained to some extent, the power of the Shiden class of martial arts skills were in a different league. The forest, except for the place where Shin was, had a folding fan shape scattered for kemels away, testifying to the ferocity of that power.
Shin got up, and returned to Girard’s location. Although there was no pause time when using the skill, [Zekka] was a skill that had a big backlash. In the game, it became temporarily impossible to move after using it, and unnecessary damage was often received. It was not thought to be able to attack immediately after using such a skill.
Therefore, it was too late to react to an attack while being pursued from the rear.
Girard was soundless, without revealing his presence too, closing in on Shin as he glided on the ground.
He seemed to be able to totally read Shin’s thoughts perfectly, and assaulted the moment he had the chance. He suppressed his skill’s backlash forcibly, and his pupils were fiery and shined like a beast’s in a hunting game
“――!!”
Due to the wind technique skill, the noise of the approaching fist was gone, and the handle of Shin’s 『True Moon』 struck up. He judged the blade was good enough, rotated his body with minimal movement, and raising his opposite fist clashed against the armguard on Shin’s left arm.
The armguards clashing with each other resounded. It was a blow that could have taken off each others arms, if it was not Shin. The distance between them was only a few dozen cemels. Girard had invaded Shin’s domain.
Barehanded system martial arts [Reverse Wave]―――― that skill was the derivation of [Transparent Wave] which Shin had used on the golem before. It was not a power that burst from the inside, it was a skill that broke through at a point and exploded on the outside. Though Girard was also slightly damaged from the point-blank range, he didn’t worry about such a thing anymore.
But because it was Shin, he wouldn’t remain silent when feeling the pressure gathered on his left arm. Shin immediately used [Steel Repel], and though the majority of the power from [Reverse Wave] was warded off, he couldn’t prevent his left arm from being flipped by the shock remaining.
With Shin’s damage reduced by his defense, Girard received a portion of the aftermath. As for damage, Girard who had a lot of it shouldn’t be able to move right away. Yet, Girard moved. As if there was no damage at all, he invoked the next skill.
Girard forcibly adjust his disordered stance, and what he invoked next was the barehanded system martial arts skill [Eight Petals Palm].
As the name might imply, it was an 8-hit combo attack. But the flowing combinations had already all been seen by Shin. Even in this world, there were certain motions to engage a combo attack.
Though Shin didn’t know it, it was said that skill was used against the physical body with magic. Each skills’ form has their own kind of chants, it could be said that the unleashed blows were invoked by magic. Therefore, it was very difficult to change form in the middle of a fight for a martial arts skill, as its power would drop if interfered with forcibly.
And supposing that rule was not known, if it was a person such as Shin, who was well-informed about the skill and the motion associated with it, it would not be difficult to deal with.
While destroying the posture with a close ranged martial art skills, Shin also dodged the drawn fist, and a kick with minimal movement.
When the last round kick approached from his rear, Shin put his strength into counterattacking it, but once again he was hit by an unexpected attack.
Soon after the kick passed in front of Shin, Girard instantly changed his pivot foot, using the rotation of his body, and aimed for Shin’s head. That without a doubt, was the movement of the continuous rotation kick from the barehanded system martial arts skill [Two Wheels].
“Guu――!?”
The kick that was approaching his face was stopped by 『True Moon』, Shin raised his eyebrows at the lightness of the power. He didn’t know it, but he felt that something was wrong. However, that ‘something was wrong’ feeling was confirmed before long by Girard’s following action. Using Shin’s blade that stopped the kick as a foothold, Girard jumped up and invoked a skill while rotating.
He made one rotation above Shin’s head, and without breaking his momentum, an axe kick from the barehanded system martial arts skill [Waterfall] weaved its way towards Shin on the spot.
The ground caved-in, as Shin, who received that blow, had his feet pushed into the ground. But even with such power, it didn’t become the decisive blow.
Shin, whose main job was samurai, was not superior in defense skills like a shield job, and was not equipped with high strength shield either. However, the katana Shin was holding was an 《Ancient》 grade weapon, 『True Moon』. The average shield was no match for its strength. In addition, because its performance as a weapon was top class, it could withstand an attack that was impossible to defend against by ordinary katanas. This was also usually the combat method that was used with a large sword that values strength.
Nonetheless, if Shin was without his prized possession, the 『True Moon』, he probably wouldn’t be able to defend against even a single blow of Shiden class attacks from Girard.
“Swish!!”
With his feet buried in the ground, while facing Girard who was in mid-air, Shin counterattacked with nothing but 『True Moon』. Girard, who was a little faster than Shin’s katana that was swinging down, took some distance with [Flying Shadow].
Shin’s thoughts were filled with astonishment. Girard was doing movements that he didn’t think of in the game.
Apart from the [Zekka]’s recoil, [Eight Petals Palm] to [Two Wheels], and [Waterfall], Shin thought that such combinations flowing together were admirable even if it was his body caught in the attack.
To work out such a strategy, he had no idea how much training Girard went through. But there was one thing that was clear, giving his complete devotion was Girard’s true strength. He was a real warrior, one who might have overtaken High Humans on earth. When he thought about that, Shin, just like Girard, had his chest filled with bitterness.
It was understood. No, he was going to. Still somewhere, he was reminded of the sense of fighting during the game. Although Shin had already experienced PvP in this world, it was not a proper fight. So, he hadn’t experienced something called a real battle.
Thus, he was falling behind.
“...Pathetic. To think that I am the culmination that an opponent is risking their life against, and it ended up like this?”
It not being the final blow, it was all thanks to his stats and his piled up combat experience. But even with that, Girard had also caught up now.
What a predicament, when he said he would accept the challenge. In the way of fighting until now, he might receive a heavy blow sooner or later.
“――――No good. This is no good.”
Shin thought. The opponent, whom the first Beast King has pursued, shouldn’t be merely at this level. Even without the unusual titles, everyone must have thought that with an opponent like this, it would be a worthy death.
Is this the limit?
“――No”
Is this how the Master of Girard fights?
“――No”
It should be overwhelming. Being led around shouldn’t be allowed.
He was a High Human. The person who stood on the summit.
“...I’m sorry, Girard. It still wasn’t my everything.”
The way of fighting in the game was over, from here on out, it would be Shin’s best.
“Shiden――”
He returned to his senses, and the small skills were meaningless. Similarly with Girard, he would show his feelings with the his highest skill.
With his posture set with him holding the katana above his head. His movements, from up to down, were as if he were about to cut some Chinese bamboo in half.
Just, he only put it all into a single stroke.
“――Amagiri*!!” (T/N: Heaven Slash)
The single blow that designate itself as cutting the heaven, he ran toward Girard in an instant.
“――!!!”
Though Girard understood that he should never lose sight of Shin, still, he couldn’t help but stare in wonderment. The blade that was swinging down, it became blurry when Girard looked at it.
His body moved before he could even think of following his instincts and intuition. Girard’s abnormal reaction speed was acting in harmony, and reinforced by his body repeatedly.
“Damn it!”
He didn’t come through unscathed. Girard’s dougi type of armor, though it didn’t have any effect in battle, had a part of the shoulder cut open and stained with blood. As it may be called the same Shiden, [Amagiri]was a more converged power than Girard’s [Zekka].
Behind Girard, who defended against [Amagiri], the earth was cut apart, exposing its cross-section due to the attack.
Nonetheless, for the current amount of damage that had been received, neither Shin nor Girard showed much of a difference.
Still, the presence that Shin gave off, Girard felt it had changed a little. From the blow just now, Shin deciding on something was transmitted.
“...Ku, kukuku, now you're talking! That's what I wanted to see!”
Girard muttered with a smile so ferocious, that even a grown man would run away. Though he was facing death at this moment, he was unbearably happy.
Faster and stronger. Until he could pierce his fangs into that body.
“RoaaaaAAR!!”
The ground was smashed and he ran.
Also with [Amagiri], there was big recoil similar with [Zekka]. Naturally, it produced a big chance too. Girard was aiming for that. If it was the current Girard, he didn’t even take two seconds to catch Shin in his attack range.
“UraaaAAA!!”
Shin’s roar resounded there.
Girard’s fist arrived a little faster, Shin’s arm that should be stiff from the recoil, suppressed his mind and jumped up. The blade flashed and sparks were scattered with Girard’s fist. That was a movement that was impossible in the game.
And then the blade flipped. It didn’t mean that he knew how to suppress the recoil. It was by using his stats, that could be said to be forcibly breaking the mechanisms.
However, that was the correct solution. If it was impossible to remove the backlash, then the only thing left, was brute force.
Shin’s invoked movement of the katana technique system martial arts skill [Swallow Reversal], added to the blade, which drew an arc. The blade accelerated rapidly in the air once again, as Girard’s body was wounded.
――――You have to do it. You have to do this, you know?
――――Yes, it was rather late.
Each other’s smiles were deepened. Without saying anything, those words were transmitted through their weapons.
They realized the end was near.
““――!!!””
The smiles were erased, and at the same time they prepared their weapons.
Shin raised his 『True Moon』 over his head, Girard set his fists on his waist. As if they knew what they would unleash next, their preparations were simultaneously ready.
Their eyes met, but silently they bid farewell.
““Shiden――””
This was the end. They understood that mutually.
With the unleashed Shiden. There was no more martial arts to follow this, to decorate the end.
“――Zekka!!”
“――Amagiri!!”
Together with the invoked skills, the figures of two people disappeared. Instantly the distance between them was closed, as well as the impact that shook the space, a violent sound echoed out.
It was the clash of Shidens in close range. With that alone, the ground caved in radially with Shin and Girard in the center. The power of the clash increasing endlessly, the collided energy that was repelled, destroying the surroundings without exception.
Though the power’s repulsion was very powerful, both of them continued to let out Shidens like it was natural. It was an exchange of skills of the Shiden class, which was impossible in the game. Not only the user, but it also put a tremendous burden on each other’s weapons.
A snapping and cracking sound reverberated. To achieve that, which weapon was it?
No matter how much each of these weapons were bestowed with an invalidity weapon destruction attack effect, what was called durability surely existed. Therefore, it didn’t mean that it would never break, even though they were weapons of 《Ancient》 grade.
Still, even if they heard the screams of each other’s weapons, neither of them loosened their power. Because they knew it would become their defeat in that moment, if they relaxed, even if only a little.
““OooooooooooooOOOOOO!!!””
They clashed, separated, and collided again.
Apparently, in this fight similar to a rivalry, Shin gradually began to overwhelm. It was natural, because the ability of the two people was not equal. The weight of the blow after blow, and the burden to the body, the distinct differences became visible.
Therefore, Girard tore off the last charm.
“Shiden!!――”
This was the technique for someone who had already abandoned their life.
Color faded from Girard’s whole body. And, besides the power of his right fist, that was competing against Shin’s 『True Moon』 at close range, power also gathered in his left fist at the same time.
The white light that covered that fist was Girard’s own life force. It was the last splendor of his life, as he was baring his fangs at this moment.
“――Kassenkou*!!” (T/N: Constrict Pierce Armor)
That skill would inflict huge damage to both the armor and shield. A blow, like a flash exploded on Shin’s 『True Moon』.
The sound of something breaking gradually grew bigger.
Girard continued to receive the burden, of the multiple invoked Shidens on himself, yet he still continued to put forth his power.
“Using Shiden simultaneously, huh? That’s cheating.”
Shin cursed while taking the blow from Girard. Still, he didn’t back down. While his Shiden was activated, Shin stacked [Enchant • High Edge] on his 『True Moon』.
The power to rampage was arranged beforehand, so they could mutually unleash their best single blow soon. Having realized it was the end, it came down to which one had the first move.
Did they compete for a moment, or only several seconds? Or was it for several minutes?
““――!!!””
What reached the limit first was their weapons. The blade of 『True Moon』 broke, and the armor part of 『Crushing Moon』 also broke into pieces.
However, even if the weapons crumbled, it didn’t stop the users.
Shin, who was holding the remains of the hilt, took one step toward Girard with both of his hands lowered.
In regards to Girard, with nothing but both fists thrusted out, he single-mindedly charged toward Shin.
Shin too, promptly jumped upward with both hands holding the hilt. However, with both skills, [Zekka] and [Kassenkou], worn on Girard’s fists, and with 『True Moon』 becoming just a handle, without any skills, even Shin couldn’t defend against it.
“I got yoouuuuu!!”
The hilt that was used as a shield was repelled by Girard’s left fist, as his right fist smashed into Shin’s defenseless body.
With a raised roar, his fist ripped through Shin’s coat, coming into contact with the solar plexus―――― and made a ‘Tap’ sound, and there, he stopped moving.
“Damnit!!――――――Huh?”
I’m done for, was what Shin thought, and he took a step backwards from the unexpected lightness in Girard’s fist. He shouldn’t die an instant death, due to his high stats, but he was prepared for some damage. However, the fist that hit his body had no strength at all.
Shin raised his line of sight towards the thrust out fist, and saw Girard again――――He understood.
“...Girard”
“…………”
Girard didn’t respond. Only, he had become rigid in the state where his fist was thrust out.
“Gira――
“Listen, I got...*hack* *cough*...”
Girard interrupted Shin, who tried to call him once more. With blood vomiting at the same time, he fell down to his knees at the spot.
“Hey Girard!”
“...you... Apparently...This is as far as I can go.”
Shin was about to rush over, but Girard stopped it by raising one hand. He knew that recovery and so forth were useless.
“...I received the last blow. As expected from Girard.”
“Kuku, I have lived for 500 years,... not just for show. Surely... these fangs,... have reached you.”
Though his face was pale, Girard was laughing, baring his fangs. It was a ‘proud of myself’ smile, as this body had finally reached his master.
“Urgh.... Now then, my long-held...wish was fulfilled. Shin. Can I request..from you, one last time, a single blow as the reward?”
“...Understood.”
Girard, who had stood up while tottering, spoke of his last wish. After a bit of hesitation, Shin who heard it, accepted it.
From Girard who was barely standing, he took a distance of about 10 mels. And, quietly released his [Limit]. Simultaneously a torrent of power gushed out. The time when he was exchanging blows with Girard seemed halfhearted, and strange pressure surges were in the surroundings.
“So this is a...”
Receiving the pressure that emitted from Shin, Girard kept standing there. His last wish would depend on Shin’s all out power as the finishing blow.
Power that Girard couldn’t fight against. Thus, to get over the last ordeal, he wanted to witness Shin’s power.
Shin took a stance. The shattered 『True Moon』 was stored into the Item Box, with nothing in his hands. No, to begin with, weapons and so on were unnecessary.
Shin’s stance that he took, was the movement for [Zekka]. It is quite ironic if that is the case, Girard thought.
“...See you”
“Farewell”
They exchanged a few words, and Shin took a step forward. With that speed, which was godlike. Girard had already lost sight of Shin.
But he knew. Before the blow that was approaching his body, Girard perceived Shin in the world for a moment.
With overwhelming power, and mana gushing out. The speed that would leave everything behind.
That figure, the appearance of the Master whom Girard surely yearned for. The present Shin was more powerful than even the figure that existed in his memory.
He wanted to reach those fangs someday. He, wished to be the best existence. That conflicting wish was now, becoming a shape in front of Girard.
(Indeed, that’s what I expected of my――――)
His last thought dissolved, when the roaring sound echoed.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 03 - Falnido Beast Alliance/The-New-Gate-Volume-03-Falnido-Beast-Alliance-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_03_Chapter_04_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 1
“It seems to have ended.”
It was a little silent, after that remarkably big explosion. The powerful shock wave that crossed the forest and mowed down the trees had stopped.
Not just Schnee, but everyone on top of the hill realized that it was the end of the duel.
““…………””
Wolfgang and Kagerou, who both boasted of high stats too, fell silent. No, they couldn’t say anything. They were cautious while all of their body hair was bristling.
The last blow. They were speechless at that too powerful pressure. Though they knew who fired it, still, the power surge couldn’t be seen in an optimistic view. It made them realize defeat, without even fighting, and they couldn’t help but feel the presence of a conqueror.
It hadn’t been long since they met the person called Shin, but everyone’s breath was taken away as they couldn’t imagine that violent presence had come from the figure of the ordinary Shin.
Therefore. In the midst of that silence, only Schnee remained calm.
“You can’t be befuddled forever, you know.”
““Huh!?””
With that single phrase, everyone quickly came back their senses. It was the moment of their own king’s death. This was not the time to be senile.
“Someone is coming here.”
“Perhaps, that’s....”
Having steeled themselves in the confusing surroundings, Wolfgang and Cuore noticed a person approaching. When did that person get close? There was a figure at the bottom of the hill.
There was only one figure appearing. It walked toward the top of the hill while carrying something on its back. Needless to say, it was Shin and Girard. Shin was shouldering Girard, whose eyes were closed like he was sleeping.
Everyone went down the hill without waiting for Shin to arrive.
“Shin, your clothes...”
“Ah, it’s from Girard.”
Tiera, who saw the ripped coat, spoke with concern, but understood Shin was not seriously damaged from his gesture, and nodded as she was relieved.
“I will take out the wagon. Please hold onto Girard.”
““Affirmative””
While fiddling with the Item Box, Girard’s corpse was left to Rajim and Van. After taking out the wagon, Girard was laid behind the carrier, so he wouldn’t be shaken.
“Girard-sama...”
Looking at the laid down body, Cuore leaked out a voice with moist eyes. Her shoulders were dropped feebly, the ears that always stretched upwards were now drooping along with her head. Wolfgang didn’t show any of the attitude, but he looked somewhat a little disheartened.
Nothing could be done for the grief to held in, even if it was the person’s own last wish.
“Raise your heads. All of you guys.”
Shin called out to the two people. It was different from before. It was a voice carrying some dignity.
“Shin-dono?”
“He would be ashamed of your sympathy.”
Shin knew what he said was harsh. Gratitude was not expressed. Still, he believed he had to say it himself.
“Princess, Ulu too, don’t be disheartened. Look at the king’s face.”
Van called out, and the two people looked up. Though it was a digression, Ulu seemed to be a nickname for Wolfgang, only spoken by his close friends.
“He has a satisfied look. No one will think he had a regret remaining when they see this.”
Rajim too, called out to cheer up the two people. What Rajim said was right, a faint smile had appeared on Girard’s face. To Van and Rajim, who had shared a long time with him, Girard’s final thoughts were understood, without them even having to wonder.
There was certainly a feeling of sadness. However, the feelings of relief were stronger. They knew Girard had hidden the truth about his life span. Therefore, the joy of him dying without any regrets was bigger.
He would rather die in a satisfying fight than survive shamelessly. Because that was the way of his life, for a man who lived as a warrior.
“That’s right. If I was to weep, I would be laughed at.”
“Ah, you are right.”
From the words of the two people, that were the closest to Girard, Wolfgang and Cuore seemed to have regained themselves. The two people each faced Girard’s death firmly, the resolve to step forward was able to be perceived.
* * *
It didn’t take much time for the wagon to arrive at Girard’s residence in Elden.
The corpse was enshrined by Van and Rajim, and various people in charge of office and executives were gathered under the instructions of Wolfgang. When Girard’s death was announced, there were grieving people, there were people showing an expression of relief, and various other reactions.
There seemed to be people who also guessed at the things that happened in Larua Grand Woods, too. Apparently the sounds of their battle had echoed throughout Falnido. When connecting the dots, together with Girard’s death, questions on who was the person who fought him surfaced.
“The founder’s last moments, were very worthy of him.”
Wolfgang didn’t report Shin’s name. However, it was clearly declared that there was no better match for Girard’s last fight.
Naturally, there were people who wondered who it was, but the majority of people guessed it was someone similar to a High Human follower. Schnee and Shibaid, both were well known to have interacted with Girard, as for the other members, there wasn’t a doubt about their abilities, too.
For the people who still weren’t convinced, when they met Girard’s corpse and looked at his face, Wolfgang’s speech was understood to be truthful. A lot of people from Falnido had the reaction of; this was the spirit of a true warrior.
Anyways, everyone was quickly convinced. Before the day was out, contact was made with each community that lived here in Elden, with the exception of the dog tribe, and they started the preparations for the funeral service in unison.
Girard was unmistakably the founding father, even if he had long since retired. It was a necessity for it to become a national grand funeral. Before the supposing one week, various people gathered in Falnido, reaching the point where the place was like a festival rather than a funeral. Envoys seemed to come from all of the countries with diplomatic relations, except the clan in Falnido.
Because Shin and his group didn’t have to prepare for the funeral in particular, they spent every day going back and forth to the library. But they hadn’t accomplished much. Still, being able to enter the restricted zone, more useful things were discovered here than from the books in the general area of Bayreuth’s library.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 03 - Falnido Beast Alliance/The-New-Gate-Volume-03-Falnido-Beast-Alliance-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_03_Chapter_04_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 2
And then, it was the tenth day after Girard’s death. The funeral of the first Beast King, Girard Estaria, was held in the capital of the dog tribe, Elden, of the Falnido Beast Alliance.
Shin and Schnee participated too. It was told that Schnee came after she had heard the report of Girard’s death, and it was accepted without any doubt. Shin and Schnee lined up to see off Girard, equipped with a full body armor for that occasion. Some of the attendees wore the equipment that they had worn when they had shared battlefields with Girard, and Shin, who had put on armor, was mistaken as a veteran hero; he was thought to be a famous soldier. Girard had had a lot of combat experience, so unexpectedly, there were a lot of people who had shared battlefields together, but didn’t know each other by sight.
At the funeral, everyone in the upper echelon of the country was present, each tribal head and successor, retired former generals, and so forth; a terrific lineup had been gathered. The representative from the village of elves and pixies was also among them. Wolfgang, who was the king, and Cuore the princess were in the front row. There was a person next to Schnee. It was the representative of the dragon imperial empire, Kilmont, an ally of Falnido, and Shin’s support character no. 4, Shibaid Etraku.
He was a High Dragnil with red eyes, and scales like obsidian. As a fellow companion that founded a country, apart from as a person that also served as a fellow vanguard in Shin’s party, Shin heard they had formed strong communications. Both the capitals of the two countries should have a considerable distance between them, but somehow, he made it in time. Shin, who saw that figure, felt nostalgic, and thought that as soon as he had calmed down, he would meet him directly.
The funeral advanced solemnly, and finished peacefully without any trouble. Girard’s body seemed to be buried in the earth where the successive kings laid. ‘I am born from the earth, live on the earth, and return to the earth.’ That was the outlook on life and death that most of the beastmen had.
At the end of the ceremony, Wolf Type, Dog Type, and Fox Type, all of the beasts howled together. It was the melody of burial rites, to send off warriors who fought till their last breath.
Girard’s body was buried in the tomb of the kings while being seen off by many people.
* * *
When the funeral was over, Shin returned to the residence. Wolfgang and the executives of the country had a pile of matters to be discussed hereafter, and it seemed that they wouldn’t return home for a while.
“Can I sit next to you?”
Having called out to Shin, who was looking out at the garden, while he was patting Yuzuha above his knee, was Van. The figure of Rajim was seen behind him, too.
“Is the discussion going well?”
“We, the old soldiers, shouldn’t come into play.”
“That’s right, the country’s matters have already been entrusted to others.”
Van sat on the veranda, and spoke those words to Shin who was asking. And Rajim agreed with the words.
The two men were clad in such a calm atmosphere, that Shin had the feeling that they would disappear at any moment.
“What will you two do from now on?”
“Go on a journey.”
“Journey?”
“Yes, because our companion is waiting, too.”
“...I see. Go join your friend.”
Their companion is waiting, too. From the words which Van said and the atmosphere around him, Shin felt something special. He knew the destination of the two people.
“...Hey, according to you two, what kind of guy did you see Girard as?”
After a few minutes of silence, such words came out from Shin’s mouth.
“He was a great person.”
“He was a warrior rivaled by nobody.”
As Van and Rajim were feeling nostalgic, they closed their eyes and spoke.
He stood before everyone else, a leader who showed the way. A great person, who possessed overwhelming fighting power.
“He was a solitary man.”
“He was someone who got lonely easily.”
A hero without equal. A lonely king.
Because of his combat power, it was often said that it couldn’t be helped that he fought alone on the battlefield. If neither Schnee nor Shibaid was there, the two people said he would really keep standing alone on the battlefield. And yet, he seemed to impulsively pick quarrels with his friends.
“He was a person who thought of his friends.”
“He was a person who could do nothing but fight.”
For this reason, people gathered in Girard’s surroundings. For the sake of his friends he picked up a weapon, and rushed on to defeat monsters, he gathered up the tribes during the confusion of the crustal movement. He was just like a hero from the fairy tales.
Just, unlike a lot of heroic tales, he had no enthusiasm to be king. Girard’s job was focused purely on combat. Other than that, it was not important.
Though people requested it from Girard, he himself knew that he didn’t have the ability to rule. If anything, he was fit as a general. Thanks to that, he needed people to support him. Van and Rajim were first on the list, and he was said to have a hard time. Nevertheless, though he never tried to stop them from leaving, he felt mutual trust within those surroundings.
While having fighting power that could be called abnormal, it wasn’t the contributing factor on why he was alone. As the gap between battlefield and daily life was tremendous, the two people spoke in unison at the end.
“I see, thank you for telling me.”
The appearance of a Girard, whom Shin didn’t know, was there.
“Shin-dono, I want to express my gratitude once again.”
“What’s that, suddenly.”
Van straightened his posture and bowed to Shin. When he moved his line of sight, Rajim too, was bowing in the same way.
“Hey now, both of you.”
“For granting the king’s wish. Our feelings of gratitude will never end.”
“Come on now, just quit it. It happened by chance, really.”
Yes, it really was a coincidence for him to return, and etiquette was not necessary, Shin thought. Moreover, if Shin didn’t return, Girard might still be alive.
“We don’t think of those kinds of things at all.”
Rajim spoke his words while raising his head, to Shin who did think about these kinds of things.
“A life that does not end, it’s painful for us beasts, who are not of the long-life kind.”
Rajim said. The average lifespan of a beast didn’t vary much compared to humans. It was about 120 years at most, even if one had a long life. Sure, there would be people who would live for several hundreds of years, that were born in this age, but judging from the whole, it was only a small handful. In comparison with the elves and pixies, who seem to live for an eternity, it could be said that life was too short.
However, that was fine. Elves are elves, pixies are pixies, and beasts have the beast’s way of life. It was very cruel, that he alone deviated from that road.
Except for himself, the other people that were born, died. People who lived in the same time as him, left him. Certainly, Girard’s soul was gradually being eaten away by time.
“We are people who live for just a short time. Living a long life is like an endless prison. Thus, to Shin-dono, who released the king from there, it’s natural for us to express our gratitude. Even if it was by chance that you returned here, you did not leave without doing anything.”
* * *
Van and Rajim left, and a veil of darkness descended in the area. Because he conveyed that he would have dinner by himself, no one came to call on Shin.
While the moonlight shone, Shin was still on the veranda. Yuzuha had curled its tail and was sleeping.
“...Welcome home.”
Shin called out to Schnee as he perceived her approaching. Though Shin returned to the residence soon after he had witnessed the burial, Schnee, who was in a special position, was unable to return immediately.
After the fight, outwardly, Shin appeared to have no change until now. However, looking at it from Schnee’s viewpoint, that state of no changes was unnatural. For this reason, she wanted to be at his side if possible, but Schnee had to attend a meeting.
The general greeting was finished, and when she returned to the residence and felt the presence of Shin, she discovered that he was looking at the night sky from the veranda. But the face that she saw from the side seemed to melt inside the moonlight and disappear; he looked empty.
Schnee approached quietly and embraced Shin. Because he was sitting, Shin’s face was held against Schnee’s breasts, but his expression didn’t have any big changes.
“...Schnee?”
Shin called Schnee’s name in wonder. But that voice somehow lacked feeling, too.
“The current Shin seemed to have disappeared somewhere.”
Oddly enough, it was the same feeling that Shin felt from Van and Rajim. In order to erase the anxiety welling up inside his mind, Schnee put power into her arms to hold Shin.
“Whatever it is. Please say it to me.”
She didn’t know what she was able to do. But to make him even just a little energetic, Schnee spoke the words.
Before long, an answer came back.
“Just a little while ago, Van and Rajim came.”
Saying few words, Shin conveyed the things he talked about with those two. With Schnee embracing Shin closely, she listened to his voice.
“Van and Rajim said they understand it.”
“Yes.”
“They also said they understand Girard’s own wish.”
“Yes.”
“Even me, I understood it as the opponent.”
“Yes.”
While speaking, Schnee noticed Shin’s voice was trembling a little.
After coming to this world, the time Shin spent with Girard was awfully short. However, they discussed each other’s intentions through weapons, to fill the time they had been apart. It was neither NPC, and not data either; it was the real Girard. The length of time spent and so on, was unrelated to the two people.
Therefore, in a sense, this was the proper reaction.
Even if the person himself wished it. Even if the surrounding people consented. But still.
“My friend died...it’s hard....”
It was painful. Because Shin understood it at the end.
“...Please cry. You have fulfilled your obligation. It’s okay to grieve.”
While hugging Shin, Schnee also noticed that her view was blurry.
She must be sad, and it must be difficult. To Schnee, Girard was an important companion.
Beneath the moonlight, without sobbing, and without crying voices.
Only the tears didn’t stop.
The two shadows that drew close to each other under the moonlight, slowly separated.
The person who got over his sadness, in his eyes a fire with a strong light was lit .
The moon sunk over the horizon, and the sun made its appearance.
The spectacle that filled the world with light, Shin directly watched it.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 03 - Falnido Beast Alliance/The-New-Gate-Volume-03-Falnido-Beast-Alliance-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_03_Chapter_04_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 3 (Side Story)
One day, while waiting for the duel with Girard, set to be held 3 days later.
“Falnido is more lively than a country of humans, huh?”
“If I were to say it in a few words, it’s because the customs and cultures are quite different from tribe to tribe.”
Shin, who said so, spoke without any particular reason, but was dutifully answered by Cuore.
Four days had already passed since Shin came to Girard’s place in Elden.
It’s not good to stay in the library all the time, said Schnee and Tiera; which was the reason they were sightseeing in the town. Cuore who heard them, immediately announced she would become his guide, which is how they reached their current state.
Only Cuore walked next to Shin, except for Yuzuha who was sleeping on top of Shin’s head. Tiera was doing a completely different action of siding herself alongside Schnee.
Tiera, who was taken away by Schnee, had a gloomy face, or it was probably just his imagination. Shin deceived himself, she’ll feel better when she comes back.
“Though I only took you to the recommended places until now, is there anywhere Shin-dono would like to go?”
The capital of Falnido was decided on as the city where the king resides. Therefore, the current capital was here at Elden. He had heard the explanation from Schnee, but naturally it was not on a scale that could be called a village. It would be difficult to finish going around it in one day.
“Places I want to go, huh?”
Since Cuore already guided him to some extent, it didn’t occur to him right away.
“So?”
While thinking about where he wanted to go, what entered Shin’s line of sight was the signboard of a certain shop. Shin who saw it, for some reason, picked Yuzuha up from on top of his head and brought it before his face.
“Kuu?”
Yuzuha, who was suddenly being held, barked like it wanted to say: “What is it?”
“That reminds me, I have a feeling that Yuzuha’s fur is going from a bad situation to a worse one.”
One of Rokuten’s members, Cashmere, had taught him a lot of things about taking care of monsters. Was this because hugging a monster that had a good coat fur let one thoroughly enjoy its fluffiness? The present Shin understood the disorder of its fur to some degree. Of course, there was no such skill in the game. But when he stared at it closely, he was certain that the coat hair was deteriorating after all.
“For the moment, may I stop at that shop?”
“That one? Ah, I see. I understand.”
Cuore, who saw the shop, somewhat knew what Shin thought, and agreed immediately.
When they passed through the door and entered, a Dog-type woman came over.
“Welcome. What are you looking for today?”
After the woman shifted her attention from Cuore, who was standing next to Shin and Yuzuha, whom he carried, she shifted her pleasant eyes toward Shin.
Shin felt like he was being somewhat misunderstood.
“I need a brush for brushing, but I also want you to show me some combs....”
“Certainly. Here please.”
In the place which that woman guided them, there were big and small brushes displayed. Ignoring the employee who was speaking slowly, Shin looked at the brushes.
Apparently, there were materials that were prefered by different races, although they looked the same, they varied from materials to prices.
Dog, Wolf, Fox, and so on seemed to have similar preferences, as they were sold together.
“Amazing. Do you have something like personalized brushes here?”
“For a particular person, they can get the material by themselves.”
It was not rare, as Cuore had one, too. As Shin felt admiration for the beasts’ obsession to brush, suddenly he remembered these kinds of things. It was by the greatest tamer; the article that had been carefully made by Cashmere. It was something that seemed comfortable when Girard was brushed in the game era.
“I don’t have much time to explore, so I should care for Yuzuha every once in a while.”
“Kuu!”
He purchased some items to improve the coat of hair, and they exited the shop.
When they returned to the residence, Shin sat on the veranda outside of the room, and took out the brush, ‘Gloomy Star’, from his Item Box. It had a dark appearance, like a common brush. But the handle was made from the World Tree’s trunk, and the bristles of the brush were made from the materials removed from a level 800 gigantic monster with a large mass of hair, called Tyrant Bristle.
By the way, here is the description: <From here on, you are the Brushing Master, may the best coat be with you>, was one sentence that appeared. With brushing alone, cat, dog, horse and so forth, the favorability of the monster for each model increased. It was certainly a super brush.
Originally, there were various kinds of brushes; this brush was for hair loss, the furballs were collected and broken down by the magic item; it was also a magic tool.
“Keep still.”
Shin said, and he put the brush on Yuzuha’s back. First, it was gentle, as the brush loosened up the hairs.
“Kuu~...”
While being careful not to put in too much power, the entwined hair was unraveled. Did this gentle repeated brushing feel good? Yuzuha let out a bark, like it was losing strength.
“.........”
Cuore was staring enviously at Yuzuha. Though she should be free, since the town tour was finished, when she heard that Shin was going to brush Yuzuha, she asked him to show her by all means. Shin too had no reason to decline, though it might be boring, so her being there was approved.
With her admiration for Shin continuing to accumulate from Girard’s stories, his courteousness and skillful brushing of Yuzuha was seen, so Cuore unconsciously thought about these kinds of things.
――Is it no good if I request it of him?
――No, it’s rude to him...he’s a High Human, yeah.
――But, still…
For a beast, having the opposite sex do the brushing and grooming had a special meaning.
It was an expression of one’s intention towards their lover, or someone close like a family member. A woman requesting it from a man, although it wasn’t necessarily a confession, the fact of it being special didn’t change.
While her tail and ears were twitching, Cuore was inwardly troubled about what to do, and the figure of someone she knew approached from the other side of the veranda.
“Hmm? Shin? Didn’t you go sightseeing in the town?”
“I have to take care of my partner occasionally, hence the brushing.”
“I see. Fumu...It’s been a long time. Can I request it too?”
“Sure, it’s almost over, so please wait a little. Come to think of it, this brush was made by Cashmere for Girard’s sake.”
They exchanged such a conversation, as Girard sat next to Shin. Yuzuha’s brushing ended after a few minutes, and the brushing of Girard, who transformed into a beast, began this time.
“.........”
Cuore was speechless at seeing such a scene. The current Girard who hadn’t let anyone, except his deceased wife, brush him was well known to Cuore.
However now, Girard was lying down and had his eyes closed before her; while Shin carefully moved the brush using one hand. That appearance, which looked like a large dog that entrusted its body on the knee of its master, was captured by Cuore’s eyes.
Though Wolf Types hate to be treated like a dog, it couldn’t be helped but to think so. Cuore felt the reliable bond between the two people.
(For Girard-sama to make such a face, I’m seeing it for the first time.)
The expression was hard to understand when Girard was in beast form, but Cuore, who was a similar Wolf Type, understood well that Girard was relaxing and loosening his whole body.
Unlike Yuzuha, Girard had a large physique, but eventually it ended in less than 30 minutes.
“I feel refreshed after such a long time.”
“I’m glad you feel that way!”
“Now then, on this occasion, how about you do it to Cuore as well?”
“Eh!?”
It was a dream come true for Cuore, but at the unexpected development, she shouted out unintentionally.
“I’m fine with it, but is it okay to do it? Apart from the monster Yuzuha, and the man, Girard, Cuore is a woman. To do that to the opposite sex, there tends to be a lot of strange meanings that could arise though.”
Shin turned toward Girard with a suspicious face. Even without the knowledge, he thought there was some meaning to the act.
“That will not be a problem. To let my master take care of my descendant, there’s no motive. Cuore also seems to anticipate it.”
“Wha!? G-Girard-sama!?”
Cuore’s face reddened from Girard’s remark. But no words of denial came out from her mouth.
While she tried to say something in a hurry, eventually she finally looked downward embarrassed, answering “Yes” in a faintly audible voice.
“Well then, I’ll do it as carefully as possible, it’s my first time brushing a woman. If the power is too much for you, I want you to say so without any reservations.”
“Understood. Please treat me favourably.”
Cuore transformed into a beast, and put her body weight on Shin the same way as Girard did. Immediately she felt the brush touch the back of her head. Slowly and carefully, the entwined hairs were pulled apart without causing any pain; it was a skilled hand movement.
“...!! ...Umn...nn”
Was it because of the superior tool, or because of Shin’s technique? Choppy voices leaked out from Cuore’s mouth, as she felt the comfort that she didn’t experience in everyday brushing. With each stroke of the brush, she felt calmness. Before several minutes had passed, Cuore was in a dreamy state of dreaminess.
“Kukuu, she somehow looks pleased.”
“Kuu. Shin is skilled.”
Girard and Yuzuha understood. Understood in that territory, but Cuore didn’t notice. Within that comfort, just like receiving a first rate massage, her cheeks loosened.
“Alright, it’s done.”
“*Woof*...Thank you very m...What did I just say!?”
Girard laughed.
“In the presence of others, make sure to not let your mind wander.”
“Ugh...I think I let my guard down a little, anyway it’s different!”
The feeling of being embarrassed rose, when she said things that she only spoke about in her own room. However, when her head and neck were being gently stroked by Shin, she was able to regain her composure a little. If she looked at the front, Girard being patted the same way was relaxing. Before anyone noticed, Yuzuha was already sleeping on top of Girard. At that appearance, Cuore had a soft smile.
Tiera and Schnee came back after a while, Shin at that time, was like a master that was surrounded by his pet dogs; wry smiles on their faces.
That was just a few days before Girard died.
It was like the good old days they spent before, a peaceful time.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 04 - Blue Ancient of Sacred Place/The-New-Gate-Volume-04-Blue-Ancient-of-Sacred-Place-[Shin][dotNovel]/Title.txt
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The New Gate
(THE NEW GATE)
Volume 04
Blue Ancient of Sacred Place
Kazanami Shinogi
(風波しのぎ)
Story Description:
“THE NEW GATE”, an online game that trapped its players and turned into a death game, was now releasing the thousands of players that had been dragged into it, thanks to the efforts of Shin, one of the most powerful players.
But after having defeated the last boss and freed everyone, he was swallowed up by a strange light and found himself inside the game world 500 years in the future and unable to leave.
Original Story can be found here: Link
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 04 - Blue Ancient of Sacred Place/The-New-Gate-Volume-04-Blue-Ancient-of-Sacred-Place-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_04_Chapter_01_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 1
It was the first reunion in 500 years with Shin’s comrade in arms from the game era, Girard; his support character No. 3, a High Beast. In addition to the duel and the bereavement following it; a figure that was seen at Girard’s funeral was Shin’s support character No. 4, High Dragnil Shibaid.
Shin, who visited Falnido Beast Alliance, faced the reality of parting with his former companion.
At dawn, following the funeral held in Elden, the capital of Falnido. Shin, guided by his support character No. 1, Schnee, headed towards a certain place. On his head was his monster partner, the Element Tail, Yuzuha. In front of him was the current Beast King, Wolgang, and his daughter, Cuore.
The elf, Tiera was next to Schnee. The monster that became Tiera’s partner, Kagerou, had dived into Tiera’s shadow using a monster skill called 【Shadow Dive】.
After about 15 minutes of walking from their residence, a 2-story building came into view. It was the place where the envoys and representatives from the other countries stayed in to witness the funeral. The reason Shin was visiting there, needless to say, was to meet Shibaid. Shin and the others went there, because they couldn’t invite Shibaid to the residence.
“Come to think of it, it is Shibaid after all. Isn’t his rank the same as Girard’s, king?”
“No, currently he has severed connection with the royal family. However, he is famous as an adventurer with the highest rank.”
According to Schnee, similar to Girard, Shibaid became the first Dragon King of the dragon imperial empire, Kilmont, but it seemed that he roamed free after the country stabilized. As a member of Kilmont’s adventurer guild, and at the time when monsters overflowed from the Sacred Place, he fought together with other ordinary adventurers.
“…Is that fine? To be like that.”
“It’s probably fine, since the royal family also seems to agree. For Shibaid, rather than the country, he became a figure that participates as a mercenary in a guild led by Dragnil.”
Apparently his banner-like implication, for having become the first king from the start until the people gained stability, was strong.
Since he didn’t gather the scattered tribes like Girard did, the succession seemed to be carried out unexpectedly smoothly. As for severing the connection with the royal family, there might be an external implication.
“From the start, it seems that he declared to be king for temporary.”
“The people must have understood it well.”
“Because the second generation king, also in the vanguard together with Shibaid, was the one he severed ties with. Originally, that second king was supposed to have become the first king. But I heard that he was wounded in the final battle just before founding the country”
“So he was something like a substitute, huh?”
Shin wondered what kind of king they were to be replaced so easily, but there appeared to be some circumstances. Since Schnee didn’t know all of the intricate details that well either, he would have to hear from the person in question when they met afterward.
By the way, this time, because Shibaid was a friend of Girard, he was picked as the representative.
“Anyways, this is packed.”
Before long, the group arrived at their destination. Shin, who saw the building, was the first to speak, it was that crowded.
The people who had heard the news about Girard’s death were many, and that the amount was about to exceed the capacity of the mansion was clear to Shin. Seeing from Falnido’s side, this might have been unexpected. Incidentally, Shin recalled the state of the funeral, and it looked like the people who had been guiding the attendees appeared quite exhausted.
There might be no more vacancies any longer to stay at the other inns. But the thought hadn’t hit Shin’s mind yet.
“The number of people far exceeded the numbers we had expected. The founder shared the battlefield with a lot of people, and many of them are leaders or general ranks of each country now. Though I already reduced the numbers, everyone has acting power.”
The tired-looking Wolfgang spoke.
It seemed to be impossible to invite all of Girard’s acquaintances. Although there seemed to be no end to people who slipped through the loophole and came over. These acting powers were certainly due to the influence from Girard, and the top management was at their wits’ end.
“Nonetheless, Shibaid-dono is an exception. I had him stay at the further inner side of the second residence, since he is the representative of a long time ally, together with the envoy of Kilmont.”
Apparently Shibaid received special treatment. As they advanced to the depth of the site while following Wolfgang, a building on a different level was seen. The feeling of luxury was grasped by Shin, as if to tell it was only for VIP.
When the doorbell was rung, a man past middle age, thought to be the butler, showed up. When Wolfgang stated his business, a deep sound was made as the door opened. Was it to barricade themselves in an emergency? The door was coated with Adamantine when one looked closely.
“Then, I will call out to Shibaid-sama, everyone please wait here.”
The butler went to call Shibaid, after he guided them to reception room.
Though Shin had already perceived the presence of Shibaid, because of the call out, he decided to wait patiently.
“Please excuse me as I have a discussion with the envoys of Kilmont after this. In the future, if there is anything, please ask Cuore.”
When the butler left, Wolfgang also left, leaving Cuore behind. Now that Girard was gone, Wolfgang was the Beast King in both name and reality. He might also accompany Shin and the others depending on the occasion of the business.
“Though it’s kind of late, it’s unwise to speak to a King without the honorifics language, right?”
“At present, it won’t pose any problems when meeting Ulu, except in public. I too, speak in formal language outside the royal family.”
Schnee spoke about her manners when meeting the king on formal occasions. She seemed to understand the area well.
“…Well, it’s because before power, he looked for abilities that were superior than him.”
It didn’t seem that Wolfgang had the intention to let Shin and his group use polite language in his own country, it was probably because Wolfgang was a warrior type, not a staff officer. It’s also possible that one of the reasons was that he didn’t interpret it as being impolite manners from Girard’s master.
After a while, Shibaid showed up together with the butler.
He was a big man with a height surpassing more than 2 and a half mels, had scales like obsidian, and deep crimson eyes. Because the default appearance was a dragon in human form, a person might feel a little fear during the first meeting, Shin thought.
“Um, it’s been a long time?”
“Yes, I am sincerely pleased with Master’s return now. From here on, I will return under the command of Master, and become the spear who pierces through the enemies.”
“…Right, come to think of it, this guy was like this…”
As soon as they met, Shin was perplexed at Shibaid who started speaking and was for some reason kneeling. In their settings, Shibaid was a very earnest person, in a different meaning from Schnee. Was it because Shibaid’s main job was Holy Knight? Somehow he appeared to be pompous.
The butler, after guiding Shibaid, left immediately. Fortunately or not, such a thing was not seen.
“Well, um. As I have told this to Schnee. It’s a long-awaited reunion so there’s no need to be so formal.”
“Yes, but…”
“Shibaid, because Shin said so, it will be fine. It’s different from before.”
Schnee called out to Shibaid who hesitated to talk. Hearing Schnee, who was calling their master Shin, without any honorifics, Shibaid understood the meaning of her words: “It’s different from before.”.
However, he was not able to understand the dog ears and tail that was seen on Schnee’s head and rear.
By the way, at present, Schnee and Tiera had the appearance of beasts through the cosplay item set. Cuore, who was well-known by the people, was in disguise with Schnee’s illusion skill.
“…Hmm, I agree indeed. Then I will try to be easygoing as well. Is this okay?
“Yes, please do so.”
Shibaid stood up from his kneeling posture, looked at Shin’s face and agreed. Though Shin, as the master, didn’t change, Shibaid presented his right hand when he answered happily.
“Once again, please take care of me.”
“Yeah.”
Shin also grasped that hand. The sizes of their hands were too different, it was like an adult’s and a child’s.
“Well then, we can’t talk while standing forever. Let’s continue while drinking tea.”
Shibaid prompted Shin with a terrific speed of change.
“That right…Hey, those two people there. Come over here.”
“Eh!? Ah yes…”
“Yes, sir…”
Shin also called out to Tiera and Cuore who stiffened up when Shibaid knelt, and sat on a sofa.
It was a situation that seemed impossible with this world’s common sense for the two people, as their thoughts were frozen. Though they got used seeing Schnee and Girard acted like that, they might be shocked because it was the first time for them to see Shibaid thoroughly showing his allegiance. From an ordinary view, Girard and Shibaid, were without a doubt, said to be heroes.
Everyone took a breather as Schnee poured tea in a prepared teapot.
“Still, it’s been a long time. Though I heard the news from Schnee, you really have returned. I too, wanted to visit as soon as possible, but…”
“Many things have happened, right? As a person like Schnee and Girard, you have a considerable role corresponding to the current situation. It couldn’t be helped.”
Shin talked with Shibaid for the first time in this world. Was it due to the parting during the time in the game, as they talked like friends who met again after being unconscious for a long time. Though it was also like when he was with Girard, it was the first time and yet not the first time; It was a mysterious feeling.
“When I saw Girard’s face earlier, I guess he was quite satisfied with moving on. It’s that guy after all.”
“That guy was a warrior till the last moment. Nevertheless, I never thought that the fighting in this world was different than in the game. He invoked Shiden twice at the last moment, you know?”
“Kukaka! He did something like that, huh!? Even I would lose after that.”
The mood was about to become a little solemn, but it was not the first time for Shin when talk deviated this way. Just before the mood became strange, the topic was deliberately switched.
Shibaid also naturally participated in the talk, and the atmosphere of the place lightened. To give praise for that splendid last moment was a natural thing to do as a companion. From there, Girard’s heroic tale that even Schnee didn’t know about would be heard.
“By the way, Shin. What will you do after this?”
“Hmm? Right, for the time being, I have examined most of the materials in Falnido’s library. After doing a little bit more, I’m going to go to Kilmont and investigate the Sacred Place next. Shibaid has investigated it a little too, right?”
“Yeah, you might have heard it from Schnee, but what’s in the Sacred Place’s heart is unknown. There are numerous roaming monsters that can’t be underestimated so easily, even for skilled adventurers and advanced level knights. Besides, almost none ever come out alive. Since Kilmont must prevent large-scale invasions from the monster spawns around the Sacred Place, the help is never enough.”
“Looks like I need to directly ascertain it as soon as possible, huh? What will Shibaid do hereafter? I heard you are active around Kilmont though?”
“The Adventurers’ guild has no border. Adventurers are free to go anywhere with anyone. Of course, there are restrictions depending on the rank. I also will return to Kilmont for a moment, then I will join Shin after that. Master has returned after a long wait. I can’t sit and wait.”
Shin thought about whether it would be alright with the monsters invasion, but it seemed the preparations were done, so it wouldn’t be a problem when Shibaid left. From the start, if the frontline couldn’t be maintained without Shibaid, he wouldn’t be the carefree adventurer he is.
“It’s been a long time since we were together in a party.”
“I never thought, the day we stand shoulder to shoulder would come once again.”
“Me too. By the way, when are you going to depart? It will not take long to examine the rest of the materials, incidentally, I intend to receive requests from the guild, but…”
On this occasion, Shin confirmed the matter for the future.
“I am sorry, but we have to travel separately. Though I attended the funeral as the representative of Kilmont, in name, I am a guard for the king that acted as an envoy. I have to give them priority until they return to the country.”
“I see. Were you not able to come privately?”
“It was the travel problems. I received the report 3 days before the funeral. It was not possible to move from the capital of Kilmont to Falnido in such a short time. That’s why I became an escort with the condition that I can borrow a flying dragon, which is the country’s possession.”
Even though Shibaid was not a speed type, his AGI value exceeded 700. If he moved at full speed, even a horse would be left behind. However, it was truly because of a lack of time, that he used a little trick.
There were various problems for a country to help an individual, but Shibaid was in their favor for founding the country. Therefore, the role of guard for the envoy of the country was given to him, and he was able to use the flying dragon under the pretext. Shibaid was also accomplished as an adventurer at SS rank, so he was the best choice for an individual as an escort.
The king in question, which was the second generation and the current Dragon King, appeared to be still active in duty. And it was arranged because the relationship between Shibaid and Girard was known. Shin thought it was a very smart thing to do.
“Indeed. Then I will join you when I arrive over there. We can communicate via Mind Chat too.”
“I will wait for you.”
“Then, we will be going… Ah that’s right, I’ll return this to you.”
Without finishing his talk, as Shin was going toward the guild, he recalled something as he took out a card sheet from his Item Box. A halberd was drawn on its surface.
“This is…”
“Indeed, this is your personal weapon 【Calming Moon】. I have finished the maintenance while I was in this place. Please check it just in case.”
In response to Shin’s words, Shibaid materialized the card. The next moment, a Halberd about Shibaid’s height was grasped in his hand. The grip was twice as thick as normal, so it was ready for Shibaid’s physique. Even so, just the tip of the spear was 60 cemels in length. In addition, blades was placed to the handle was rather than an axe at the left and right of the base of blade, and a single-edged sword looked like an oblong axe head, was also attached. It might be seen as a Trident depending on the viewpoint.
Because it was made from Chimeradite, similar to 【Crushing Moon】, the weapon’s appearance shined as if the night sky was compressed in it. Part of the blade was decorated in deep, vivid green as if an emerald was inserted into it. There was a dignified presence that it seemed to pass for ceremonial use.
“Though I haven’t held this in a long time, it seems to perfectly fit in my hand. It is excellent workmanship. But, if my sense is correct, I have feeling that the power from the weapon has increased.”
“Oh, you realized it? In fact, it’s magic control is better than Girard’s item. It’s because of the 50% increase to the performance, you know?”
“50%…The ability has increased even further from the current state, huh? Even though you are my master, you are scary.”
The power transmitted from the current weapon to his hand was incomparable to so far, and Shibaid reflexively stopped breathing after hearing the reason. If Shibaid’s memory was correct, even in its former state, it should able to break an opponent’s weapon of 《Mythology》 medium grade 10 times. Now, it was a 50% increase. Since it was already 《Ancient》 grade, Shibaid felt it was beyond explanation.
By the way Tiera, who heard it, had a distant look and was like “Ah, again huh?…”. Cuore was “50?…50!?…”, exposing her surprise. Only Schnee didn’t change as usual.
Needless to say, Schnee’s 【Blue Moon】 and the rest of the weapons, except Shin’s 【True Moon】, were already finished being upgraded.
“Well, Shibaid and the others are special to me. I don’t have any intention to throw a weapon with this kind of ability into the market.”
“I am relieved to hear that. If it is the current Shin, you could make a 《Rare》 grade weapon have a similar performance to an average 《Legend》 grade weapon.”
Shibaid nodded with a relieved face. If Shin was serious, he could make dozens of rare grade weapon per day. It wouldn’t be a joke if he could open a warehouse with such numbers. Chaos would be inevitable, if a large amount of these kind of things appeared on the market. Besides, confusion might also spread. Indeed, it was not a thing to overlook and keep silent about.
“Right now, I don’t want to stand out yet.”
Though Shin wouldn’t hesitate if it was necessary, there were only disadvantages if he put the weapons on sale in large quantities, at least for the present Shin. Even if he was desperate for money, he didn’t want to make connections somewhere.
“Then, I’ll use this gratefully.”
“Yeah, then see you again.”
They bid farewell briefly, and then Shin and his group left the residence. After that, they were walking toward the Adventurer’s guild in Elden.
◆◆◆◆
There were no borders for the adventurers’ guild. Because the information was shared, there was no need to register again in another country, even if he registered in the Adventurer’s’ guild in Bayreuth. Since there was a branch office of the guild in most countries, it was rare for an adventurer to not find work.
It seemed unnatural, if looking at it from the outside, for one large army force that didn’t belong to the country to be inside the country. However, no matter how much an army consisted of knights keeping a close watch on the peace and order maintenance, they couldn’t do anything for all the monsters scattered around the borders. Also, there were troublesome formalities just to move a bunch of knights. Before the guild was established, the delay in initial responses caused the damage to spread.
Now, the knights’ job was to maintain the order in cities, fight in large-scale monster invasions and wars against another country and so on. As for adventurers, they have miscellaneous jobs; guarding caravans, small-scale monster subjugations in isolated areas where knights couldn’t correspond. Of course, when a situation that threatens the country occurs, like during the event in the Wraith Plains, the decision to collaborate with each other was reached.
By the way, in case of war, the adventurer’s’ guild in the countries involved wouldn’t actively participate in the battles. If an adventurer participated in the war, it was simply an individual action, as the guild wouldn’t compensate for any consequences. The position of the Adventurer’s’ guild in the world, though not all followed the current rule, was neutral to the end.
That position was ensured by the high-ranking adventurers. Because, including Shibaid, rank A and above adventurers usually had higher fighting power than the advanced level knights. If the adventurers’ guild was untactfully meddled with, the military units that controlled a city might get annihilated in the worst case.
Still, there were oddballs that changed job from knight to adventurer, when they wanted to live freely rather than keep living on the country’s payroll. Hence, total war potential of the guild was sometimes bigger than a large country.
It was mostly disadvantageous, when comparing the pros and cons of a country meddling with the guild. Rumors where the Adventurers’ guild took refuge in an emergency state indicated something had occurred in the past.
“Still, this is larger than in Bayreuth.”
“How should I say this? It seemed like it expanded, huh?”
The first things that caught Shin’s eye when they arrived at the Elden’s Adventurers’ guild, was the size of the building. As Tiera said, beside the long sideways, the ceiling on every floor was 50 cemels higher than the one in Bayreuth. Although the two-story building was still the same. Since the appearance was similar, in a sense it looked like a photo that was enlarged.
“Because many Beasts have big builds, naturally the buildings are bigger too.”
Schnee answered the question of the two people.
“We Beasts greatly vary in physique depending on the tribes, so the ceiling and entrances are large to match the Elephant type people.”
Cuore added to Schnee’s explanation. Because it was inevitable that having a large physique could cause accidents mainly due to contact; It seemed to have been built with that in consideration.
Shin and his party opened the big door and entered the building. The interior also had no great differences to the Adventurers’ guild in Bayreuth, as the placement such as bulletin boards with requests posted and so on were almost the same.
Though a lot of people noticed when they entered, their gaze stopped at Schnee and Tiera for several seconds due to their attractiveness. Somehow, Shin felt that the glances directed at him became sharper.
“Which reminds me, wasn’t there a request that I haven’t completed yet…”
Shin suddenly recalled it, as he looked at the bulletin board for non-subjugation requests. Despite the unfulfilled request, because the last piece he found was a very expensive item, the large amount of money he earned was far more than the reward of the gathering request. (T/N: This was in LN volume 2 when he found Gem Grass, something not stated in the WN. You can read it in the manga, chapter 10.)
Shin headed toward the receptionist desk to confirm the details, because it was convenient to complete the request if he found another piece.
“Excuse me, I would like to confirm a little something.”
“Yes, how can I help you?”
The reception woman, whose featured ears reminded him of a Chihuahua, was asked about the collection request for Hillock herbs.
“I am truly sorry, about the gathering request of a repeatable kind, it has to be confirmed at the branch office where you received it.”
According to the receptionist, items in demand depended on each area, and the reward was often different, too. So they couldn’t handle this request, only the branch office where the request was received could. Since it couldn’t be helped, Shin decided to accept a subjugation request corresponding with his current rank.
The content of the request was; Subjugate Goblins that infested the forest south of Falnido. At least 5 bodies. 50 copper coins per body are added if any more Goblins are killed than that. Proof part of subjugation is an ear.
“Is this expensive, or it is cheap?”
50 copper coins per Goblin. In his calculations, if he killed 4 of them, he could stay overnight in Bear Point Pavillion at Bayreuth from the income.
“It can be said that requests of rank D are in the easy income category. Goblins basically act in groups, so you can earn decent income if you defeat them altogether. Though there is a higher risk to a certain degree, too.”
Cuore explained it to Shin who looked doubtful at the reward. The rank that was said to be the recognition that an adventurer has finally become independent was the rank D. People whom leveled more than 100 began to appear when it comes to this rank. For such people, they could kill goblins relatively easy.
However, even for low-rank monsters like the goblins, there was a possibility of danger when they came in a group. The goblins of THE NEW GATE have levels which range between 10 to 50.
Also in the game, it was a monster that couldn’t be underestimated, though it was only goblin. Many have died, from warrior types to magician types, because the adventurers who had their ranks rise got carried away and challenged them carelessly.
There would not be a problem if they formed a party, but encountering a group of goblins alone, even a rank D wouldn’t necessarily be safe.
“Let’s do this, we could go and return in a day.”
Of course, Shin could kill them even if he closed his eyes, so he took the request paper to the receptionist desk without getting worked up.
“It’s the subjugation of the goblins. Please show your card so I can carry out the formalities.”
“Here.”
“…Pardon me for being rude, but the place you registered as an adventurer, less than a month ago, is Bayreuth, is that correct?”
“Eh? Ah, yes. That’s correct.”
The receptionist who received the card, confirmed whether Shin was the person in question.
Though Celica didn’t confirm it when he received a request for the first time, it was because the card was handed over immediately after it was created.
“Excellent. The content of this request is about the goblins subjugation that reside in the forest of southern Falnido, is there any mistake?”
“It’s fine.”
“Are you in a party? If so, please present the party member’s guild card.”
“Understood. Schnee, Tiera, please come over here.”
Shin called out to Schnee and Tiera who were behind him, he explained the situation and their card was pulled out. Since Cuore didn’t join the party, she waited at the original location.
“Here, I have confirmed it. The party name is not registered, do you want to keep it as it is?”
Though a party name was for adventurers who formed a party for a long time period, it was also used to raise the fame and strengthened the combination power of all party members.
Some of the parties were those who specialized in support rather than combat, such as scout, had a hard time to raise their achievements.
In any case, it was easy to earn fame by fighting in the frontline, but it became hard to get noticed for someone working behind the scenes. To avoid that, a party name was made.
If the name as well as the party rises, it came to the point where one could be acknowledged by simply saying that they were a member.
Though it was not a completely fair assessment yet, as long as it was not a one-man party, it was beneficial to decide a party name. Still, it was unnecessary for the current Shin and his group.
“Ah, yes. Please keep it as it is.”
“Understood. The procedure is finished. Take care.”
“Thank you.”
Shin thanked the receptionist who corresponded politely, and left the counter.
“A person like Shin-dono, is going for goblin subjugation?”
Cuore talked to Shin who had just returned.
When Shin held the request paper for goblin subjugation in his hand, she seemed to keep silent whether there were any special reasons. However, it appeared that she had questions about the somewhat ordinary request content.
“That’s how the merits are, because my adventurer’s rank is not high. I have no choice but to keep accumulating achievements.”
No matter how strong a person was, their guild’s rank didn’t rise easily. This was because achievements and corresponding trust were demanded from the high-ranked. Even if the person was a former knight or a noble, the treatment didn’t change.
From Celica’s explanation before, even a chosen one had their first rank go from G to F, or otherwise to E.
“I’ll end it quickly. Because I want to make it to C rank at least. What will Cuore do after this?”
“May I go together too?”
“I don’t mind, but it’s goblin subjugation, you know?”
“It’s all right. For my remaining work, because I don’t know how long it takes, I’ll do it later.”
“What work?”
“It’s the investigation of the place where the duel was fought the other day. I always go to confirm whether or not the forest has restored itself after a battle is fought in Larua Grand Woods. Because the scale of the fight was quite huge this time, the damage of the forest increases too. Even though I should increase the number of people for the investigation, the monsters that appear in the Larua Grand Woods are deadly for an ordinary adventurer. So, even if the request was given out, it won’t be easily accepted. I have to go, especially because it was after the fight of Shin-dono and Girard-sama this time. When strong people fight, a plant that doesn’t naturally grow there might appear for some reason. Besides, this investigation, it is not possible to finish it before Shin-dono finishes his request and come back, so I’m going to postpone it.”
And, though many plants with a high medicinal property seem to appear, they wither after a certain period, so it was said that they don’t grow after that.
“I see…Hey, may I go together with you for that investigation too?”
“Eh? Ah, no, but it’s possible…”
Cuore had a puzzled look at Shin who suddenly offered to go together. She might have been surprised because it was work that did nothing except for looking around.
“Sorry because it’s so sudden. For once, I wanted to see the place as the person who fought there.”
It didn’t mean anything would change if he examined it. Still, because it was beyond recognition from the scenery last time, Shin wanted to look again at the place where he fought with Girard.
“I understand. What about Schnee-dono and Tiera-dono?”
“Since I don’t have business elsewhere, I will go with you two.”
Schnee decided to accompany without any hesitation.
“Um, I’ll go too. As the forest was noisy at that time, I have no idea what happened to the state of the spirits as well.”
Tiera seemed to have been wanting to go to the forest after a long time as well.
◆◆◆◆
Shin and his group left the guild and headed toward the southern gate of Elden.
After leaving the gate and advancing for a while, there was almost no people around. Since their destination place was nearby, they went on foot whilst almost everyone else traveled by wagon. Because very few passerby also moved along the highway, it was a different direction from Shin and his party who were going to the forest.
“Over here.”
Shin changed the directions, as he perceived a monster’s sign. They were moving inside the forest at a speed similar to when moving in a plain, but there was no one falling behind.
There were the elf’s Schnee and Tiera, the beast’s Cuore, and the monster’s Yuzuha and Kagerou. It could be said that these members were specialized at moving inside a forest.
Wild animals ran away once Shin and his party approached. Since they didn’t hide their presences, they might be deemed as a dangerous beings.
“――Found it!”
Shin who activated both【Clairvoyance】and【Through Sight】, discovered a group of goblins moving in the forest.
Their height was about 140 cemels, and their skin was a green color. Compared to humans, their head was about twice as big; the structure of the face was ugly. Some of them were holding a dagger or short sword in their hand. 5 of them were around level 20, only one was level 31. The one with highest level appeared to be their leader, as it was holding a wooden shield.
Cuore also offered to cooperate, so they decided to kill one per person as they moved closer.
After confirming that all members had entered the range of attack, each of them took out their weapon. Throwing daggers for Shin and Schnee and bows for Cuore and Tiera. Needless to say, it was claws and fangs for Yuzuha and Kagerou.
While Tiera and Cuore drew their bows together, Shin and Schnee wielded the daggers in their hands. Yuzuha and Kagerou were crawling so they weren’t noticed, and approached without making a sound.
“…Now!”
At Shin’s voice, daggers and arrows ran through the forest.
The daggers that Shin and Schnee threw, penetrated the head of the two goblins who were walking in front. And then, without any time for them to make a commotion, arrows pierced the heads of the two in the back.
As for the remaining two, their necks flew away from the claws of Yuzuha and Kagerou.
Even if it was natural for them, it was an instant kill. The ears were cut as proof of subjugation, and after gathering them together in one bag, it was stored in Shin’s Item Box.
Though this was already proved when he was shopping in the town, if several things are collected and put in one place, the items could be stored in the Item Box as one item. Turning it into a card was also possible.
However, the card became impossible to separate, when the card was materialized into pieces.
“The request is completed. Then, shall we go to Larua Grand Woods too?”
Including the travel time, it was only 1 and a half hours since the time they took to complete the request, and they have enough time left to head towards Larua Grand Woods.
“Alright then, let’s go. There are two ways, crossing the forest as it is, or using the main road, which would you choose?”
“Cuore is used to the forest, and we won’t be a hindrance, so it might be nice to go with crossing, right?”
“Kuu!”
As if to say “Agreed”, Yuzuha barked. Similarly, Kagerou which was next to Tiera also barked.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 04 - Blue Ancient of Sacred Place/The-New-Gate-Volume-04-Blue-Ancient-of-Sacred-Place-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_04_Chapter_01_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 2
When they got out the forest to the south, some plains appeared for a moment. They then further advanced for 30 more minutes. From there, the wagon was taken out and they advanced on the main road.
There were no particular events except for when Cuore was surprised at the speed of the wagon that Kagerou pulled.
Shin and his party finally arrived at Larua Grands Wood.
It was at the hill where Schnee and the others previously watched the duel between Shin and Girard, that they got off of the wagon.
“Amazing. Even after all of the flashy blows, this doesn’t look the right place.”
Shin, who looked at the forest while standing on top of the hill, was surprised about not seeing any traces of destruction. At the start of the fight with Girard, the exchange of skills from the【Cannon Wave】 had mowed down a lot of trees. Though boulders and big trees were blown away due to the after-effects of the fighting, damages were magnified as they were thrown onto the other trees on the ground. Shin had also caught a glimpse of the changes before.
However, now within the range of Shin’s field of vision, he couldn’t find any evidence of it.
“After seeing it, the vegetation from before and after the fight doesn’t change, huh? Rather than restored as before, I think that the rapid growing plants covered the scars or something like that.”
“Yeah. When I look at it closely, I can see a few young trees in several places.”
When Schnee explained the state of the forest, Tiera also had the same opinion. While pointing at a portion of the forest, Tiera said “That is the place where it is growing, around the original forest.” to Shin.
“It’s just like Larua Grand Woods. Unfortunately, I don’t understand it even if you tell me.”
Shin was staring hard at the direction Tiera pointed at, but he wasn’t able to distinguish the differences in the end.
To begin with, naturally other than the size, there was no distinction between the young and old trees.
“As one would expect from Schnee-dono and Tiera-dono. It took me about 10 years until I finally understood the differences.”
“It couldn’t be helped I guess, since the sense related to forests are prominently keen for elves and pixies. But to be able to tell the difference by yourself is a great thing.”
Schnee praised Cuore, while smiling. She seemed to have directly taught Cuore how to tell them apart before. She was probably happy that Cuore could master it properly.
“Thank you very much.”
Cuore replied with a smile. As if she couldn’t bear the joy of it, her tail was wagging left and right in a big way.
“And, what should we do after this? We are doing the investigation, right?”
Shin asked Cuore, because he didn’t know what kind of method the investigation was going to use.
“For the investigation about the regeneration of the trees, we check whether or not there are unnatural plants that shouldn’t grow in these surroundings. Because it’s indeed impossible to look all around, the range is divided roughly, and I decide some points based on that.”
As Cuore said that, she took out a card from her pocket and materialized it. In the next moment, a map of Larua Grands Woods appeared. There were big trees, like landmarks, and other peculiar characteristics and so on that were drawn.
“With this tree as a mark in the a middle, the forest is divided. Because these landmarks do not change after they have regenerated, we should not lose sight of them.”
If ordinary adventurers were here, they would have to be cautious about not going too deep into the forest, but she didn’t have to worry about that if it was Shin and his party.
“…I feel guilty for me asking to accompany you, since I don’t seem to be helpful.”
To begin with, differentiating between trees that have been restored couldn’t be assigned to Shin. Because he couldn’t understand it even if Tiera taught him.
“Then, how about going together with Tiera? Tiera can harvest any plants that are found, and Shin can put them into the Item Box, so it will be efficient.”
Looking at Shin, who was sulking and feeling bad, Schnee made a suggestion.
“…That’s right. I think it will be most suitable for you two to pair, because I and Schnee-dono are able to use the Item Box.”
Cuore also agreed.
As for Shin, he could only answer yes because that was at least the only way he could be useful. It was completely reasonable that an Item Box member would be essential.
And though it was heard just now, Cuore was also able to use the Item Box. As for the card she pulled out from her pocket not too long ago, it was actually her using the Item Box.
On that subject, he remembered that Tiera talked about royal families and elders having the Item Box.
Cuore was a daughter of the Beast King, in short, a royalty. It was understandable that she could use Item Box, if she inherited the abilities as Girard’s descendant.
“Then, let’s divide into three sides. Just to confirm, have any changes taken place except the unnatural plant that appeared so far?”
Did something concern her mind on the harvesting? Schnee asked Cuore.
“As far as what has been confirmed, there’s no such things. In fact, plants that don’t grow naturally were discovered only twice in the past, when strong people fought in a duel. The first, that was found was after the duel between a Dragnil and Beast, was ‘Fairy Grass’. The second that was discovered, after the duel between a Lord and Elf, was ‘Phantom Grass’. That was the only two which were recorded. Because both were found at several places, I think someone will find something this time too.”
However, it was said that because the numbers of growing plants increased, it wouldn’t remain intact. It was only a temporary thing.
“How do you split the works? Is it good to divide it into 3 equal parts?”
Shin moved his finger to form 3 circular ranges on the map while Cuore listened.
As Cuore said, it was impossible to examine Larua Grand Woods with such a small number of people, so the scope of investigation must be narrowed to some degree.
Though the others didn’t take note of the drawing, all of the members understood the approximate ranges.
“Everyone might be unfamiliar with Larua Grand Woods, so I don’t mind if my area of responsibility increases.”
Toward Cuore who said that, Schnee disagreed.
“Because the investigation like this time was requested of me too, there is no problem as it is either. It’s better for you and me to increase our area of responsibility, and decrease the area that Tiera’s and Shin’s are in charge of instead. Even though Tiera is able to tell the difference, she hasn’t handled this kind of request before, so it might take more time than us.”
“I agree. I’d appreciate it if you could do that.”
Tiera agreed to Schnee’s proposal.
Tiera was hardly able to enter the forest for about 100 years. Even though she was an elf, the fact that she didn’t spend time going to the forest was undeniable.
In addition, Shin was going together with her. Schnee thought if there was only one beginner, the work would be delayed. At the same time, she considered this as a training in order to restore Tiera’s intuition.
Meanwhile, Shin, in front of Schnee and Tiera who were able to differentiate the plants intuitively as elves, was reminded yet again about not being useful although he was the who had one who suggested they work together. Once again, his shoulders dropped.
“I’m sorry for being a burden…”
“I’ll tell you how to spot the differences~”
Tiera patted Shin’s shoulder in order to console him.
“It’s alright, Shin-dono. I didn’t know what’s the differences were at first too.”
While Cuore was a beast, she possessed the knowledges and experiences that could sense the changes in the forest quickly. However, that was the result of years of effort. If Shin could do it from the beginning, nobody would have a hard time.
“Well then, let’s copy the map. It will be a troublesome if there is slip of memory.”
Schnee who spoke, activated a non-system skill 【Transcription】. It was literally a copying skill, as patterns and characters were drawn on the paper.
In the game era, it was also a skill that was used to share map data among the players. Shin also learnt how to use it, but he was impressed as he thought ‘It can be used like this, huh?’.
“Okay then, shall we start?”
In case a person finished quicker than assumed, they would join a person who hasn’t finished yet, and the restrictions and the meeting place in case it didn’t end was decided. Afterward, all members were scattered in the forest.
“Now quickly, which one is irregular?”
“The place is a little bit ahead, right? Since you’ll lead the way, I’ll learn it while actually seeing it.”
While moving through the forest, Shin received guidance about the names and the medicinal effect of flower plants, which were not counted as items in the game, as well as the distinction between the old and young trees from Tiera.
There was no grasses named ‘weed’; Even if there was such a word, the grass that looked identical to Shin had their own respective names. It was a different plant from other things, such as how its flower bloomed or how it dispersed seeds.
Tiera talked about the development of those flowering plants and its item utilisation in this world too. Shin was a little excited with the possibility of something new being made, if combined with his own techniques.
“Shin, is this a young or an old tree?”
“…Old tree?”
“Wrong, it’s a young tree.”
“…Really?”
“It’s the truth.”
However, it was another question whether or not Shin could tell the difference, even if he understood. Even Cuore took 10 years to accomplish such a feat. There’s no way the amateur Shin could easily do it.
“Hmmmm…”
Shin followed after Tiera’s example and along the way, the same questions were repeated, although most of them were correct only by chance. Even if Shin opened his eyes wide while looking at it, he couldn’t distinguish it at all.
“I cannot do it easily after all.”
“It’s difficult even for a High Human. huh?”
“Materials in the old days could have been distinguished with【Analyze】 and 【Appraisal】, but for such grass, it was treated as an ordinary weed.”
To Tiera who was only reassured a little, Shin picked up the grass he was taught about a moment ago and answered.
The grass that Shin held, might be usable if he intended to use it as material. But if they had additional effects, the rate of failure might rise in some cases. And there was no reason to check or to use the grass either.
“But if you can distinguish it easily, that would leave me in a fix. However, I can see the name of this medicinal herb with my【Analyze】 too. Something like this and this, shouldn’t have grown in this area around here.”
“What?”
Shin stopped moving at Tiera’s statement. As far as Shin knows, it was appraisal that identifies an item. No matter how much he analyzed it closely, only information of “Grass A” was displayed.
By the way, what Tiera picked up just now was ‘Golden Grass’ and ‘Pure White Flower’, each of them were one of the ingredients for Potion One and Ether One. It was material with a prospect of recovery that was higher than a potion of low rank, even without being changed.
“The duel between me and Girard brought some kind of effect, huh?…That’s right, is there any difference between my 【Analyze】and Tiera’s? No, but she learnt it from ‘Secret Book’ I gave…”
While storing the golden grass in the Item Box, Shin voiced his doubt.
“I don’t know. But only up to the name was displayed, when viewed with my【Analyze】. Though I heard it from master, I think detailed information will be displayed when appraisal is used, right? But there’s nothing like that.”
As Tiera said, if the conditions were met, the hints of compound and detailed effects of the item were displayed when appraisal was activated. However for Tiera, such information didn’t appear.
“Really…hmm?”
Shin attempted to learn the name of the nearby grass by staring at it closely. But as expected, he couldn’t find anything. At the same time, next to his view, he noticed something dark.
“Is this, black iron?”
What appeared on the ground, was a material that blacksmiths are familiar with.
Looking at its state, it might appear naturally from ground dug up by animals, or it came up to the surface as the soil was washed up by rains.
“…With only【Analyze】…”
Suddenly it occurred to Shin’s mind, that he viewed the ore with an appraisal skill. And then, he looked at the black iron with nothing but 【Analyze】.
“…I can see it. Hey, really, I can see it”
“What’s wrong?”
“Though I only looked at the metallic material with 【Analyze】 as an experiment, I can see its name. But it was something like ‘Iron A’ or ‘Ore A’ before though.”
Shin’s guess, where he thought the race characteristics and the occupation might be related, seemed to hit the mark. The name that was related to the metal was displayed as if it was natural.
In ability standpoint, Shin was at the pinnacle of blacksmithing, even though it was not his race characteristic. As a result, the name of things relevant for blacksmithing might be displayed.
“I wonder if there’s some kind of meaning?”
“Eh? Wait a minute, don’t you understand it on your own!”
Tiera said with a sullen expression at Shin who nodded his agreement.
“Sorry sorry. The job I do might be also similar to a dwarf I guess. So things like individual skills and race characteristics might have some sort of effect on analysis, don’t you think?”
“I am elf so I can see plant-related things, and because Shin is a blacksmith you can see metal-related things?”
“Yeah, probably. Though it’s only an inference, it’s not off the mark I think.”
Shin thought he would confirm it with Schnee and Cuore later.
“So, besides seeing Golden Grass and Pure White Flower, do you feel anything abnormal?”
“Oh, well. There’s nothing special besides that. The only thing left is whether or not it will regenerate afterwards. But we don’t need to worry about that.”
Tiera’s sense didn’t seem to become dull. From her affirmation, without a doubt, it didn’t feel as though there was any harm from her not entering the forest for a long time.
The investigation afterward was quick, partly because Shin’s understanding of golden grass and so on as the materials.
Just in case, while Shin gathered it, Tiera examined whether there were changes elsewhere, and then moved away immediately if there was nothing.
Though Schnee and Cuore joined along the way, at that time, Shin and Tiera were almost finished examining the range entrusted to them.
After the investigation, Cuore reported the results.
“We discovered Golden Grass and Pure White Flowers here. How about everyone else?”
“I also saw the same. There are a large quantity of them too.”
Schnee also seemed to have made a similar discovery.
“Here too, but the quantity was not so much.”
“Well, it must not be growing at both places in large quantities.”
Shin’s remark was confirmed, as Tiera knew the detail of the materials too.
“By the way, though it had nothing to do with the investigation, when a non-appraisal item was checked with analysis, does it show the name of the things that are related to jobs and race?”
Shin confirmed what was on his mind with Schnee and Cuore.
“For me, if it were daggers and bows, I can see the name of magic items before the appraisal. Perhaps, it’s because I have used such weapons for a long time, no?”
Cuore displayed her own dagger and bow as she materialized it. Even from Shin’s eyes, it was understood that the items were maintained properly.
“I am similar with Tiera. I can see if it’s plant-related. A few ores and metals too, if it’s of the lower ranking ones.”
About the ores group, it might because of her watching Shin’s blacksmithing for a long time, was what Schnee said.
“Things, different from the game era, seem to appear steadily, huh?”
“Because we also don’t fully understand it.”
Schnee answered, to Shin who muttered small.
There were no particular troubles afterward, and the party returned to Elden.
It could be said it was already evening time. When they arrived at the guild, they headed straight towards the reception.
“The request has been completed. Please confirm it.”
“Understood－－Yes, there’s no mistake for the the subjugation’s parts. The request is complete. Please take this paper here to the reward recipient counter over there.”
The receptionist who confirmed the goblin’s ears, wrote something on a paper and presented it to Shin. Like in Bayreuth’s guild, the rewards were not handed over at the reception desk.
“Also, I have one more thing to tell you.”
Before Shin who received the paper moved, the receptionist spoke.
“Yes, what is it?”
“To Shin-sama, we received a message from the guild master of the Bayreuth branch adventurers’ guild, Barlux-sama.”
“Message?”
“Yes. The same message was conveyed to each branch office. The contents are inside here.”
The receptionist handed a piece of envelope after saying so. The transmission was likely to have been written down via the Mind Chat.
“If it’s for Shin, there are other adventurers with similar names too, right?”
“Guild Cards can be used for identification. Because the magic reaction issued is peculiar to each card, unless it was forged, I would never mistake it with another person.”
“I see. I understand.”
Shin left the reception desk, and joined the others.
“Is it from Barlux?”
“It seems so.”
He nodded to Schnee who asked, and unsealed the envelope. There was a letter inside, and only some brief information was written. The content was “Greetings, Shin. There is a summons for you from the royal palace. I want you to return as soon as possible”.
“Why did you receive a summon from the royal palace?”
“Well, I have no idea.”
“It is something you don’t have knowledge of?”
“No…No, there’s not,… maybe?”
Though he quickly responded that he didn’t know to Tiera who was amazed, something came to his mind followed by Schnee’s remark.
(Don’t tell me, it’s about the Skull Face sword which flew into the royal castle?)
Besides that, he couldn’t think of anything else.
He thought about whether he had done anything that could relate him with the sword, then he recalled that he talked about the greatsword to Celica and Els.
The battle where he fought against a high-level Skull Face with a powerful weapon, was likely to have been circulated.
Since it was not written in the contents of the summon, he had no choice but to confirm it when he met Barlux afterward.
“Prior to rank up, shall I straighten up this one?”
No matter how much an adventurer was said to be have freedom, ignoring a summon from the royal palace was unthinkable.
Of course, even if Shin and the others ignored Bayreuth, they couldn’t be brought immediately.
However, there was no benefit even if they made trouble on their own accord. Even now, Shin still intended to act as a mere adventurer. The interference of the country would be troublesome if he, a High Human, was revealed.
To break off from the country, Shin didn’t know much about this world yet. Acting by common sense of the game and former world was a bad plan at this current stage.
“I’ll go together with you.”
“Me too.”
Schnee and Tiera declared as if it was natural to say. Cuore couldn’t afford to go together as expected, and they parted momentarily here.
“Mmmm…”
“Well, don’t make such gloomy face. For the time being, tell me when Wolfgang is available, because I have to hand over something.”
Shin calmed down Cuore, who was suppressing her desire to go with them, which was reflected on her face with of all her heart. And then, he confirmed Wolfgang’s schedule.
Since Wolfgang was busy, he thought maybe it was good after the investigation matter here was over, but it didn’t go so well.
“Though the conference may be prolonged, because it should be paperwork after that, I think it’s better for us to wait for the opportunity in the residence. So we won’t be passing each other and so have to chase after him.”
“Roger.”
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 04 - Blue Ancient of Sacred Place/The-New-Gate-Volume-04-Blue-Ancient-of-Sacred-Place-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_04_Chapter_01_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 3
When Cuore returned to the residence and asked one of the maids about Wolfgang’s whereabouts, it seemed that Wolfgang had already returned, from the reply.
“Father, do you have a minute? Shin-dono seems to have something to talk about.”
“Please come in.”
When Cuore knocked on the office door and stated the matter, a reply came in a flash.
Cuore opened the door, and Shin and the others entered the room. The office desk, chairs, bookshelves and so on, stress the simple, practicality look. Above the big desk, that was placed directly in front of the door, there were documents which Wolfgang had just finished signing. Mountains of paperworks which were not yet finished was also seen on the edge of the desk.
“I’m sorry for disturbing your work.”
“Not at all, this is also the job of the king. Leaving that aside, what can I help you with?”
“Oh, sorry for being abrupt, but I have to go to Bayreuth for a moment. Because I’m in a hurry, I have to depart immediately. So, I intend to hand over this before going.”
“Huh!? T-This is!!?”
Shin handed a card over, that he took out from the Item Box, to Wolfgang.
Wolfgang, who received it, had a shocked expression when he saw the drawing on the card, as a blurred voice leaked out.
“It’s Girard’s 『Crushing Moon』. I already finished changing its owner, and it’s transferable for Wolfgang to use.”
“But I heard it was broken in the duel…”
“Who do you think made the 『Crushing Moon』? Of course it’s possible for me to remake it. Besides, I was asked to hand it over, when the duel was over, by Girard originally. Because if it’s Ulu, he won’t misuse it, was what he said.”
“The founder…to me…”
Wolfgang stared at the card in his hand, as he was deeply moved.
『Crushing Moon』was a legendary weapon for the beasts of Falnido. He might be feeling the significance of having it in his hand.
“Next, I am giving you this one too.”
And, there was another piece.
What Shin passed to Wolfgang, was 『Swift Fang』, which was said to be a similar weapon type as the arm guard, 『Crushing Moon』. It was one of the weapons which Shin had entrusted to Girard, for 500 years, until their reunion the other day.
According to what he heard, the successive Beast Kings that were permitted to use 『Swift Fang』 by Girard, seemed to be recognized as the true King. If said in the reverse, a king who was not permitted to use 『Swift Fang』, even if they had strong power, meant that they were not recognized by neither the people nor the retainers.
Girard apparently didn’t let anyone, who he deemed not suitable, even if it the person was his relative, to touch 『Swift Fang』. All of the successive kings had been a good rulers, which was definite proof that Girard had good eyes for judging character.
“Just in case, try to equip it, see if whether there are any defects.”
“Affirmative…”
Wolfgang nodded slightly and materialized the cards, then he equipped 『Swift Fang』on both arms.
Because it also features an automatic adjustment of the size, there was no sense of discomfort either. Instead, Wolfgang was surprised that the power『Swift Fang』 transmitted was stronger than the last time he previously equipped them.
“This is…How do I say…”
“It’s been upgraded. This is possible thanks to Girard.”
“………”
After 『Swift Fang』, 『Crushing Moon』 was equipped.
Wolfgang involuntarily shivered, as he felt power that couldn’t be compared to 『Swift Fang』.
“Ulu will have to choose the following successor on your own.”
After all, Girard was no longer there to see it through.
From now on, people who inherit 『Crushing Moon』, have that responsibility. Again, this was also one of the king’s responsibilities.
“That obligation, I accept it firmly.”
Wolfgang bowed properly, with his fists clenching tight, in order to focus his mind.
Shin thought, that with that straightforward look it would be all right if this was the case. When Shin conveyed that it was a summon from the guild and he had to leave at this time, Wolfgang presented a necklace made of animal fangs, probably shaped after a wolf’s fangs, to Shin. At the center of the fang, there were drawings of a wolf in a crest style.
“This is?”
“That is the item which is treated as our family crest. Whenever you need me, if you shown this to a person in the residence, you will be able to contact me immediately.”
It goes without saying that exploitation was strictly prohibited. The necklace was accepted, thanked, and stored in the Item Box.
And then, Shin and his party appeared outside of Falnido though the underground tunnel which they used when they came in for the first time.
They advanced for about ten minutes, after being seen leaving by Cuore, then the wagon was put back into a card after making sure there was no one around.
“Well, shall we hurry up and return?”
“We are going there by Metastasis, right? Is the location the site where Tsuki no Hokora was before?”
To Schnee, who noticed it when getting off from the wagon, Shin nodded and took out a crystal stone.
“Indeed, I don’t know about other places, but there is no problem over there I think. It takes time to come back from here, too.”
“What a luxury…”
The reproachful remark from Tiera was ignored.
“Then, let’s go!”
After confirming that all members were ready, mana was transmitted to the crystal stone.
In the next moment, the surrounding landscape changed, and three people and two animals were in the site where Tsuki no Hokora was set up before.
Immediately after the transfer, Shin sensed that there were multiple responses in the neighborhood.
However, they didn’t seem to have noticed Shin and the others because of the hiding skills which were used beforehand.
(“There are lots of people here?”)
(“Yeah, they’re still monitoring after all. Moreover, it doesn’t seem to be only one force.”)
While having a Mind Chat with Yuzuha, Shin probed into the appearances of the distributed people who were monitoring.
When thinking about the deployment, there were 2 or 3 separated groups.
“Because Tsuki no Hokora disappeared suddenly, they may think that it might appear again. It’s likely that they have forgotten about the possibility that it can be carried.”
If it was the old generation, that lived before the Dusk of the Majesty, they would know about such a thing. However, because the owner of Tsuki no Hokora, Shin, a High Human was thought to have gone extinct, they haven’t thought about that possibility yet.
“How did you answer when you were asked at the commission before, Schnee?”
“I only said I don’t know. Though I understood only Shin could wipe out Tsuki no Hokora, it felt like Shin had disappeared together with the store. To be honest, I was really anxious at that time.”
However, it was only a needless anxiety. Schnee continued, while smiling, and began to walk towards the gate.
The atmosphere that almost became solemn, was erased by the smile.
“I’m gonna leave you behind~”
Tiera called out and overtook Shin who quieted down at the answer.
“Ah, sorr…wait, it’s me that was called by Barlux!?”
“What are you being absentminded for?”
“Well, if I wait for the partner to return without knowing how long, I can’t imagine it in any way.”
Not even Shin understood Schnee’s word of anxious.
It’s not easy to forget their loved ones. But, Shin’s view of life was at most just a little over 20 years, so he couldn’t imagine it for 500 years.
In response to Schnee’s words, he carelessly thought about what would he do, if he was in that situation.
“Isn’t it impossible to do?”
“What an immediate remark!?”
Shin retorted.
The answer that came back without pause from Tiera, was indeed simple.
“The sense of time is very different for elves and humans, considering how long the life span differs. Because master is a High Elf, it was more cruel than me in that situation.”
While walking next to Shin who has caught up, Tiera spoke in an admonishing way.
Elves have a long life span, next to pixies. Therefore, for a short-lived kind, such as humans and beasts who could only live for around 100 years, even the sense of ‘waiting’ was greatly different.
It was only natural, ten years for human was a long time, but ten years for elf feels like less than one year for a human when thinking of their life span. It was also the cause for why long-lived species are known as easygoing fellows.
“Isn’t it nice? I’ll wait if you want me to, you know?”
“Is that how it works?”
“It is. To lose a reason to live, is the beginning of hell for the long-lived kind like us.”
Perpetual youth and longevity; Though people continue pursuing this, it’s reflected differently in the eyes of a person who has it.
“When I think of it seriously, it is a very terrible situation, huh?”
Shin spoke in a serious tone.
“That’s how it is. When I think about it, I want to pretend a bit longer. But when Shin became serious suddenly, the mood felt a bit off.”
“Can you stop always giving out those, “Live life properly” remarks that you always do?!!?”
The serious tone from Shin changed, with a single phrase from Tiera.
A little bit ahead, Schnee stopped and was waiting. Shin and Tiera quickened their pace and caught up to Schnee.
“Shin is the same as usual, serious in unexpected places.”
“Shut it!”
Apparently the conversation was heard by Schnee. Shin sulked and replied to Schnee who said it in a teasing way.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 04 - Blue Ancient of Sacred Place/The-New-Gate-Volume-04-Blue-Ancient-of-Sacred-Place-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_04_Chapter_02_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 1
Without taking too much time, Shin and the others reached the south gate of Bayreuth.
There was a long line to the gate, as usual, but it seemed to be better than before. Shin showed his adventurer card as the identification paper to the guard, and passed through the gate.
Though it was unknown until now, Schnee surprisingly had an adventurer card, too. It seemed like a C rank, because the color of the card was red.
“Schnee, did you enter the guild?”
“It’s for identification purposes only.”
It seemed like she could ask for anything from Barlux, to have the card issued. Its function was for nothing more than identification purposes, instead of not being able to take requests, she also said she did not have any obligation to respond to any emergency requests and the likes.
It’s like a special measure because of Schnee’s position.
“And it’s because they were indebted to me for many things.”
Schnee spoke with a grin on her face, and Shin felt sympathy toward all of the members of the adventurers guild.
As they entered the ramparts, without making any side trips, they headed toward the guild.
When the door was opened and they entered inside, similar with Falnido, Schnee and Tiera became the main focus.
Schnee with the dog ears, tail equipment, and active attire, which she showed in Falnido, made the male’s eyes present be glued onto her. Somehow it felt like the passionate eyes of some women were mixed in it, too.
Because it was routine for hooligans to pick on beautiful women, Shin quickly headed to the reception before someone came near.
“Hello, I’ve received the report about the summons from the guild.”
“Shin-sama, it’s been a long time. Please wait a minute as we convey the message. Cilica, please.”
“Yes yes~”
It was the sisters, Celica and Cilica that were at the reception desk. When Cilica was called out by Celica, she disappeared out to the back at a quick pace. Though they were twins, their actions and personalities were not similar at all.
“Do you know what kind of business they have with me?”
“No, we were not told about the details. Though it’s different for Els who has a high position.”
“Ah well, I just wanted to ask, please don’t worry about it.”
“Actually, if it’s Shin-sama, I think you’ll be summoned before long though.”
“Eh, why is that?”
“Because Shin-sama is not an ordinary adventurer.”
“…I see.”
It was said because suddenly subduing a high-rank monster alone was an unthinkable thing to do, according to people in this world. So Shin being common was out of question.
“Looks like your companions are all beautiful ladies.”
“Ugh, is that so? Though I can’t deny it…Hey, but Yuzuha is a monster. It’s just my adventurer’s acquaintances that are women――”
“Ara, I never saw you talk with a man before though.”
“There is no such.. thing? Umm, yes, Wilhelm, I received a request together with Wilhelm before.”
“Eh!…”
For some reason, from Shin’s one word, the hall fell silent.
“Shin-sama, is what you spoke just now true?”
“But it wasn’t a regular request, more or less. Wait, why did everyone go silent?”
While being conscious that eyes were focusing on him, Shin questioned Celica whom had an expression of someone who had just heard an unbelievable thing.
“That man rarely joins a party with another person. Even though his fighting power is said to be S-rank, there are many rumors flying around. He seems unapproachable to everyone, too.”
But rumors are unreliable, Celica continued with a small sigh. The authenticity of the rumors might be understood, because she was a part of the guild staff.
“Well, that guy is misunderstood easily I guess.”
The biggest problem would be his character. Wilhelm was not the type that wore a friendly atmosphere. Because the person himself behaved like that, if he didn’t make any effort to solve someone’s misunderstanding, the rumors would not disappear.
Though Shin heard that Wilhelm always kept in touch with other adventurers, who graduated from the orphanage, listening to Celica’s story, it was very likely that he only accepted solo requests.
“Wilhelm-sama is very excellent person himself though.”
“Right?”
To solo, unlike a party, one could only rely on oneself, when in case of an emergency. Thus, his sense of danger and techniques to measure the opponent’s abilities became higher than an adventurer of a similar rank.
Moreover, Wilhelm was a Chosen One, there was no need to state how excellent that is.
“Shin-sama, preparations are done, please come now.”
“Understood. Then lead the way.”
When Cilica returned, they stopped talking and went to Barlux’s office.
Schnee and Tiera would be waiting in the hall. Yuzuha, who rode on Shin’s head before, was entrusted to Schnee.
When Shin entered the office, Barlux and an old man whom he didn’t recognize, sat down on a sofa.
“First of all, have a seat. It was faster than I expected.”
“It’s because I originally was going this direction.”
Shin answered Barlux while sitting on a sofa.
Of course, this was a lie. If he had heard the message near Beirun, then it fit it well timewise, so he decided to say so.
“I’m sorry for rushing it. Ah, this mage, who is in charge of jewel appraisal in our guild, is Arad. It’s him that appraised the jewel of the Skull Face which you brought in before.”
“I’m Arad Royl, pleased to meet you.”
Without doubting Shin’s words, Barlux introduced Arad. (T/N: To refresh back who is Arad, refer Vol. 1 Ch 4 – Part 1)
No matter how many branch offices there were in each country, they could not check where the adventurer received the message at one by one. Unless, the person was on the black list and under surveillance. Shin, under the present conditions, didn’t have the guilds distrust towards him when that investigation was conducted. For Shin’s high prowess in combat, this also could be explained as a Chosen One category.
“I’m Shin. I hope to get along with you as well.”
Shin also replied to the old man as politely as possible.
Since the story of the Skull Face already came out, he thought ‘It is this after all, huh?’ while putting up his guard.
“Though you already heard it from the message, Shin, you are being summoned by the royal palace.”
“For the time being, can I hear the reason?”
“For that, I will explain it to you.”
When the reason was asked from Barlux, Arad took over the talks.
“Before that, do you know the story, about where a sword flew into the king’s castle?”
“Something flew in…Only to that degree.”
“That’s fine. It was actually a greatsword with a white blade.”
“A Greatsword, huh?”
I know, was what Shin wanted to answer but endured it somehow. He happened to know too much after all.
“Moreover, the greatsword pierced and stuck into the wall of the second princess Bayreuth kingdom’s bedroom. It also caused a lot of clamour in the kingdom.”
“………”
Shin couldn’t help thinking, ‘Are you serious?’. It was only natural that it became an uproar.
“Fortunately, no one was hurt when it pierced the wall. The question is the greatsword. It’s bestowed with a good attribute and the material used is excellent, in short; It is a very good sword. It seems to even rival the country’s treasured sword when put side by side, if I have to say so as an appraiser.”
“…That’s amazing.”
It’s exposed! Who did it, that was definitely coming to light. While thinking about that, Shin inwardly arrived at the stage of resignation.
Perhaps after this, Shin might be questioned about the connection between his ability and the Skull Face.
Without hearing it to the end, Shin understood. Rather, he should know by the flow of the conversation. It was a common pattern. He didn’t read all of those fantasy novels just for mere fun.
“By the way, the jewel of the Skull Face you defeated, it was clad in a very strong magic power. It was quite a high-level one.”
“That’s right, I think.”
“According to what I heard, it’s level was 359. It’s at the level where average adventurers would be killed during an encounter. However, for someone who was still at G rank at the time they were facing it, and far from escaping, rather it was actually defeated by…you, are you a Chosen One?”
The calm air changed sharply, as Arad asked.
“… That is correct.”
There is no answer besides that, Shin thought while nodded.
When Shin answered obediently, Arad dissipated the dangerous air, and returned to his original calm mood.
“You even know the words ‘Chosen One’, huh?…Well if it’s you, the Skull Face that held the large sword would be defeated. Perhaps, when the skill was used at the end of the battle, the greatsword was blown off to the place in question.”
“How do you know it ended up to there?”
“I haven’t lived a long time just for show. I also heard your weapon was shattered at that time.”
“Indeed, it was shattered. Only the hilt remained――By the way, why is it that you think I was involved? I understand wanting to associate that greatsword to the Skull Face situation, but I don’t think you are suddenly convinced from the evidence though.”
Shin didn’t think that the people of the royal palace would make a move just by that reasoning.
“Of course, there was someone investigating the person behind it. Also, the Skull Face was examined immediately. The matter of the jewel was found out, and the investigation requests came out to examine that together with the greatsword. In the aforementioned greatsword, though there is only a little, there are the remnants of magic power left on the sword. Furthermore, it was matched with the magic power of the jewel. It didn’t reveal how you did it though.”
“I see, so there is such method, huh?”
It seemed to be a fantasy technique similar to our version of DNA analysis. The quality of magic power might be different in individuals.
“That’s why once it was understood up to there, one thing after another was revealed. When the fact that you brought in the jewel came to light, the summons appeared.”
“Even for a guild, this kind of thing can’t simply be revealed, right?”
“No, there’s no way to deceive when it’s been exposed to that extent.”
There was no reason for the guild to protect Shin. If seen from the guild, Shin was only a G rank novice adventurer at that time.
Of course the story was different when it was about a chosen one, there was a possibility that the royal family would be exposed to danger.
However, because Shin held the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora, that situation ended without turning worse. Moreover, since Barlux had reported about the time when they had met, he had judged that Shin would not be the type of person who held hostility, at least toward the kingdom.
To begin with, to have malicious intentions toward the princess, who was in the upper rank of Chosen Ones, was way too careless.
“Somehow, it was useful for the first time.”
After hearing that story, Shin felt grateful for the letter of introduction for the first time.
“And here’s the main problem. Shin, the one that summoned you was none other than the second princess.”
“The second princess?”
“She seems to be interested in you; Shin, who knocked down the Skull Face which held the greatsword. Because she is a Chosen One, too.”
“So, is that it? She wants to fight against me?”
“It would be nice if it could be settled with only that.”
From Barlux’s remark, it indicated that it wouldn’t happen.
“Then what’s beside it? Don’t tell me, she wants me to take responsibility because I almost inflicted injuries to the royal family?”
“No, it’s not that. To tell you the truth, similar Skull Faces had appeared in the vicinity of the Wraith Plains. The princess also participated in its subjugation, but from that experience, she knows that even she couldn’t afford to go easy if she’s fighting solo, so she seems to want to persuade you into being one of her people.”
“I’m saved if its going this direction, but…what’s next?”
Besides, what came to Shin’s mind was something like government service recruitment. Since there were people serving the country among the chosen ones, it might not be impossible.
“Well, for that, I don’t know it either.”
“Politicians, are only but the *evil spirits residing in the mountains and rivers.” (T/N: This idiomatic expression[魑魅魍魎], literally means evil spirits of rivers and mountains)
It was a story that was not laughable on Shin’s side.
“Okay, I understand the story for the time being. I can only keep going. Is there no specific time for the summon?”
Shin asked Barlux.
“For that, we will contact them from here. That’s right, how about 9’s bells tomorrow, good?”
“I’d like it. Ah, then what clothes should I wear? Because I didn’t expect to meet the royal family.”
Though Girard was also considered as royalty, they had the familiarity as friends, and because Shin was treated like a guest in Falnido, he didn’t mind his clothes in particular. Because everyone around dressed in clothes that emphasized ease of movement, he couldn’t use it as a reference in the opinion of a royal castle such as Bayreuth.
“Dress code is not demanded, for an adventurer who is not a noble. You should keep your appearance neat though.”
“To begin with, the armed state can be said to be the uniform of an adventurer. And there’s hardly a guy that possesses clothes similar to a noble.”
Hearing Barlux and Arad talking, there seemed to be no regulations on that subject.
“Is there anything else you want to ask? I think I can advise a little.”
Arad asked Shin.
“…I don’t have anything on my mind in particular. You might say, because it’s my first time like this.”
“It might not meet with your expectations. The next thing that we are able to say is, do not make a commitment due to such a place. Depending on the other party, because they might bring up again about your fault persistently for a moment, it might be depressing for you.”
“Haha, I’ll be careful.”
Somehow a genuine feeling could be sensed from Arad’s words. He might have experienced it himself.
“Old man Royl dislikes nobles. Though it doesn’t apply to all nobles, well because there are such people too, you should really be careful.”
“I understand.”
Shin replied to Barlux with a wry smile.
Actualy, like in novels and anime he had seen, he expected the existence of corrupt nobles that were only skillful at faultfinding.
Shin has not yet met a noble in this world. However, people raised in the privileged class who were only good at looking down at others, often existed.
Afterwards, Shin learnt about some etiquettes and left the office.
When he returned to the hall, there was a crowd in the corner of the hall.
“Yeah, indeed, it’s as I expected.”
Needless to say, at the center of the crowd was Schnee and Tiera.
Shin consented because he expected it to turn this way if the two people were left alone.
“Hiss!!”
Yuzuha was heard to be threatening.
The surrounding men that enclosed them, probably didn’t know that they would become minced meat the moment that Yuzuha got involved.
Still, because it would be unpleasant to have casualties inside the guild, Shin approached the crowd before Yuzuha exploded.
“Excuse me. Tiera, let’s go.”
“Ah, yes!”
Schnee, who perceived Shin approaching, began to walk out with Tiera.
Additionally, at the same time, a slightly intimidating air was given out by Schnee. Defeated by that pressure, the men that encircled them backed off for several steps. Schnee and the others weaved their way out through the space resulting from that, and escaped from the crowd.
Shin realized that the men who were following the two people with their eyes, were also paying attention to him. Shin felt the pressure that he had never felt in real life.
(The day I receive this kind of stare finally comes.)
If he was very thick-headed, he might of not been aware of those envious eyes. While feeling depressed, Shin had an indescribable mood.
“Did they invite you two to a party?”
“Half of it was for a party invitation, the other half was a tea break invitation.”
“So did you accept any of it?”
“There are none.”
That evaluation from Schnee, spoken while having a perfect smile, was indeed sharp.
Her eyes stated that it’s not even worth considering.
“To have such a good matching level with Master, there are virtually none.”
Tiera said in an amazed way.
From the start, Schnee never thought of joining others except Shin.
“It’s only natural. Leaving that aside, how was the talk?”
Schnee asked.
“For the time being, I’ve heard about the subject. Before I explain, let’s move to another place. Here is a bit…”
It was not the kind of conversation done in an attracting attention situation.
Their moving destination was Bear Point Pavillion. When Shin stayed there last time, he had confirmed that the soundproofing was reliable.
◆◆◆◆
“Welcome! Ara, Shin-san. Long time no see.”
“It’s been a long time. Are there 2 rooms available?”
“We do have vacant rooms, but…before that, come here for a bit.”
“Hmm? Ah, what’s the matter?”
The ‘poster girl’, Tsugumi, pulled Shin until they were near the counter.
With a suspicious face, Tsugumi started talking in a lower volume.
“Hey hey, who are those beautiful woman?! There are many beautiful people among the elves, but the beast people next to you, they belong on a different level!! What kind of magic did you use!?”
While skillfully shouting in low voice, Tsugumi kept on talking without pause.
Tsugumi, without any adverse effects, was called a beautiful girl herself. However, Schnee and Tiera, seen from Tsugumi’s point of view, were on another whole different level.
“Various things happened and I can’t say the details.”
“Eh~”
“Don’t ‘Eh’ me. You shouldn’t pry into customers’ affairs.”
“But, you just became an adventurer no more than a month ago, how did you get entangled with such two beautiful women? I’m not worried or anything, but something is wrong.”
“Hey! Hey! Though I understand your feelings, this is no good, you know?”
“Cheー”
“Don’t sulk!”
Was it because of a lack of entertainment? She seemed to have a fancy about this sort of story.
Were Shin and the others common adventurers, he could talk about story that they came across each other by chance. However, there were circumstances for Shin and Schnee, so he couldn’t reveal the detailed contents.
“Sigh, I thought I could listen to interesting stories again after such a long time.”
“Don’t joke around.”
Contrary to his way of talking, Shin was amazed at her state, which didn’t seem to be very disappointed.
Did she not have the motivation to ask about it persistently? After Tsugumi returned to the counter, she waited on customers normally.
Shin rented a single room for himself, and a twin room for Schnee and Tiera. Because he didn’t know how much time it would take due to tomorrow, he handed each one Jul gold coin for the time being. He also had Tsugumi to speak up if it started to run out.
It was just at the right time so they had a lunch, and then, they gathered in Schnee and Tiera’s room afterward.
“――and well, that’s what I was told. I probably have to fight and so on, I think.”
When he spoke about the discussion he had with Barlux and Arad, Schnee nodded as she consented.
“I see. There was such a thing happening before our reunion, huh?”
“A sword that flew into the royal castle, what have you done…”
“I’m not doing it because I like it, okay.”
“Kuu? Shin is amazing~”
Tiera was astonished and Yuzuha, who might not understand it well, tilted its head.
“According to Shin’s words, it’s possible for the country to invite you, whether or not you enter the government service. Or, it’s possible that it’s recommended that you set up a marriage with a high nobility to some extent.”
“I understand about the government service, but marriage?”
“Yes, if the second princess in question grasped the Skull Faces’ fighting power accurately, she should be convinced that Shin’s ability is among the upper class of Chosen Ones. Because the power of a country is said to be proportional to the number of Chosen Ones, I expect she will actively try to win you over.”
“After the story about the princess, may I refrain from the marriage meeting? I don’t mean for things to go like this right away.”
Shin didn’t have the intention to enter government service or being tied with marriage.
And he didn’t have the motivation to talk about how to decline such a plan and so on from the beginning.
“I think there’s no problem if you decline to enter the government service. There are not many people who become knights from adventurers.”
“Is that so?”
“There are many people who hate being bound by rules. Also, viewing from the party members, because the recruitment is a loss for them, they refrain from doing it.”
The types that entered the government service, from adventurers, were the people who were solo and people who didn’t join a party as a fixed member.
“And now, Shin is in a party with us, so if you put that as a reason, it would be difficult to reject it.”
“Then, the problem now is the marriage, huh? It’s obvious that if I decline this without a good reason, then troublesome things will come about.”
“Regarding that, should I pretend to be your fiance?”
“Ah, I can be that guy who is already engaged to his partner, huh?”
Schnee expected that a new fiance wouldn’t be pushed onto a person who was already engaged.
It was certainly not bad as an excuse. Though, it wouldn’t be assured that a noble would give up so easily.
“It’s unreasonable to force it too much, so it’s their loss if they continue to offend you. In some cases, Tiera too, if she pretended, they at least won’t even think of tempting her as your woman.”
“Uhm, me?”
Tiera asked.
“Ara, you don’t like it?”
“No, if it’s about pretending, I’m good but…”
If it is only pretending, Tiera was also okay with it.
“Kuu! Then Yuzuha and Shin can become a couple too!!”
“Wait, Yuzuha, it’s not like that! I’ll be killed by society!!”
However, when Yuzuha announced its candidacy, to an extent that it even transformed into its female human form, because of a you-know-what misunderstanding, Shin hurriedly put a stop to it.
Anyway, Yuzuha could only turn into the little girl mode after all, rather than the figure of the voluptuous beautiful woman from the game era. To dabble with a little girl could be considered to be on the path to becoming a pervert at full speed.
“This time it is just pretending, only pretending. It’s not real, okay?”
“Kuu? You are not mating with Schnee?”
“Hey! You must not say such a thing with that appearance!!”
“Mattiiinnn…!?”
To the unexpected word that came out from Yuzuha’s mouth, Shin was at his wits’ end and Schnee had stiffened.
Though Yuzuha’s original knowledge was sealed, it was not strange even if it knew. However, it was different when it was in its young fox mode, when such a word was spoken in the little girl mode, he strongly felt that there were problems in various ways.
For the ‘mating’ word, it might be due to its strong animal’s sense from its nature.
And, other than Shin, who was denying it with all his might, Schnee’s face was dyed in red.
“For the time being, let’s calm down.”
Though Tiera was the one who spoke out, she was the calmest in that situation.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 04 - Blue Ancient of Sacred Place/The-New-Gate-Volume-04-Blue-Ancient-of-Sacred-Place-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_04_Chapter_02_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 2
Dawn of the next day.
Letter from Barlux and all kinds of permits were received at the inn, and Shin finished preparing for his summons at the castle.
As a result of a discussion between Shin, Schnee and Tiera, for the time being, Shin would go to the royal castle to see the other party’s attitude. If he conveyed that he had both a party and a fiancée, the other side should not consider it unusual; However, he couldn’t be careless.
“Then, I’m going. I’ll leave Yuzuha with you.”
“See you soon. If there is anything, contact me with Mind Talk.”
“You have to hold back when you fight, because it’ll be terrible if you hurt the princess.”
“It will be fine…probably.”
“Seriously, you really have to watch out, okay?”
After such an exchange with Schnee and Tiera, Shin left the Bear Point Pavilion.
Since the other party was said to be royalty, Shin’s attire was one of the originals from the game era, ceremonial attire from Kalkia which was currently called a ‘Sacred Place’.
You might say it looked like a ceremonial military uniform that combines practicality and glamour; it was a wonderful item. The accessories’ rank was not too expensive and it was treated as a set equipment.
Partly because Kalkia was originally the first base, after starting an adventure, one could buy it in the arms shop for beginners. Naturally, its performance was also low.
What Shin put on was a formal dress that was a red associated with captains. Besides that, there was also a piece of clothing that was colored a blue specific to vice-captains and other low rank clothing which had slightly less performance than that of an ordinary soldier and so on. When these items came together, it was referred to as a set.
“Now then, what will happen now?”
While checking the map displayed at the edge of his view, Shin faced the gate in the inner wall.
The King’s castle was located in the center of the Bayreuth kingdom and it was surrounded by the houses of the rich, such as nobles, wealthy merchants and the like. Though it seemed to be a general residential area originally, a wall around it was erected as the population rose, and the living area was segregated off except for those of higher social status.
The boundary that separated the living district between nobles and ordinary people was the inner wall Shin headed towards. Because it was originally an outer wall, it was reinforced sturdily. Was there a powerful magic user? The degree of reinforcement was top class.
As for Shin, he only prayed that the day when the inner wall was invaded would never come.
“Well, I think it won’t fail here though.”
As he walked for a while, a gate smaller than the one on the outside wall came into view.
Like the outside wall, the inner wall also had south, north, east and west gates. And the comings and goings were checked.
There were a lot of people with high status who lived there and a person with a clear position, to a certain extent, could pass through without an identity check.
Although that was the case, there was a suspicious looking D rank adventurer there now, and if not for the request he received, he would have been turned away at the gate. In the letter that had arrived from Barlux this morning, there had been a permit to enter the inner wall attached to it.
“…Good, enter.”
Spoke the soldier who was guarding the gate after he compared the permit alternately with another document.
When the permit was accepted, Shin stepped inside the inner wall.
“…This is a quiet upper-class residential area, huh?”
There were almost no pedestrians, unlike the outside. The only people walking appeared to be servants from their clothes. Most people traveled on horse-drawn carriages. Of course, there were no stalls and so on. It was so quiet that it felt like he was in a completely different country.
(3, 4, 5,…8 people, huh?)
On his way to the royal castle, Shin felt the glances directed to him.
【Hiding】skills of both martial arts and magic were used, surrounding Shin as he moved while his observers maintained a certain distance. The colors displayed on his map were green, so they didn’t seem to be hostile for the moment.
“There’s no sign of them making a move, huh? From what I’ve heard of the princess, I have a feeling that she wouldn’t think of doing something like this.”
From Barlux’s story, he had the impression that the princess was likely to come over directly rather than hiding and watching.
Though it was just his assumption, there might be other forces that were moving.
“…Ah, I want to go back…”
They were certainly Shin’s true feelings.
Though he couldn’t return now since he had come this far, he disliked unpleasant things. With that state of mind, Shin stepped forward to the royal castle.
“Excuse me, I received a summons from the second princess and so, came here. Can you pass that on?”
“I’ve heard the news. Please present your permit.”
Shin talked to the palace guard, that was defending the castle gate, to obtain permission to enter.
As for the story, it seems to have been well circulated. The palace guard checked the permit Shin received from Barlux again and then put him in the guard’s office which was located beside the gate. It seemed that the palace guard didn’t intend to open the gate for Shin alone.
“I will call your escort now. Please wait for a while.”
“Okay, I got it.”
Because he had nothing to do, he looked around to kill time.
The maintained road extended to the inside of the castle. One could get off from a wagon that entered inside without getting wet even in the rain.
After waiting for a while, he saw a mounted figure coming in his direction. A person in red armor was taking the reins. The person stopped the horse in front of Shin and dismounted.
“Excuse me. You are the adventurer Shin, correct?”
“Yes, I am, and you are…”
“I am Gadras Jarre. I have been ordered by princess Rionne to greet you. I’ll be your escort, so follow me.”
“I understand.”
Shin nodded and followed after Gadras.
Shin, while walking, checked Gadras’s stats.
――――『Gadras Jarre Level 188 Dark Knight』
Level 188. Shin remembered that numerical value. He heard it when the first time he met Barlux, the ‘leader of the knights’ might be him.
As for Gadras’ main job, Dark Knight was one of the advanced level jobs that derived from a knight. Moreover, the armor he wore was a lower end 《Unique》 grade Scale Horn Armor. It was occupational equipment that required suitable stats and level, and a tiny presence of sharpened valor was emitted from it.
No matter how much Shin was regarded as an upper class Chosen One, he kept thinking about how someone who was considered a part of the kingdom’s strongest force came to pick him up expressly.
Did they want to indirectly convey that he was worthy of it?
Or, was it because an ordinary soldier couldn’t hold him down if he acted out violently?
It was impossible for Shin who was not familiar with this class of people to read into the thoughts of these royal nobles.
Shin followed Gadras obediently, but somehow they hardly passed by anyone.
“You, are you actually of a noble family lineage somewhere?”
Gadras asked out of the blue.
“No, I’m just a commoner you can find anywhere…”
If Schnee and the others were to hear that from Shin, ‘Are you in any position to say that?’, would probably be the reply he would get.
“Is that so? Ah, just call me Gadras. I became a knight from an adventurer, so to be humble myself doesn’t match with my nature.”
“Then, I’ll call you Gadras-san.”
“Well, that’s fine I guess. Let’s return to the topic at hand. When I was summoned to the castle for the first time, they were shocked by my armor. As an adventurer raised as a commoner, you should also pay attention to your attire properly. There are many ignorant people, so your clothes can be easily misinterpreted.”
It seemed like it wasn’t necessary to come dressed in formal attire.
‘Did I make a mistake?’ Shin thought, but decided to heed Barlux’s advice for the time being.
“It’s because I heard that you should maintain a neat appearance from the guild master. Actually, I was worried if this was fine.”
“Well, it’s not a bad thing to choose clothes according to the destination. And I think it’s rather nice.”
“Since it’s my first time coming to a castle, I prepared it in a hurry.”
As they walked while having such exchanges, Gadras stopped in front of a door. As Shin looked at the door, he noticed that the grade of ornaments was different from the others.
“Princess Rionne is in here. You don’t need to be so tense too, because the second princess is not the kind of person who demands formalities from an adventurer.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Gadras knocked on the door, and reported that Shin had arrived.
Before long, the door was opened from inside. When Gadras and Shin entered inside, the door was closed immediately.
Shin wondered whether there was a female maid, but it was a male knight who opened and closed the door.
――――『Feyzel Adith Level 172 Paladin』
As for his appearance, he had the look of a mild-tempered man with blond hair and blue eyes. His main job was a Paladin. This man might be a Chosen One too.
On that subject, Wilhelm also said there were more Chosen Ones than the ones publicly announced.
Since he couldn’t stare at the man too much, he turned his attention to the front right away.
There was an elegant table and a fancy chair in the center of the room. A beautiful woman was sitting on the chair. Fine golden hair was tied at the back of her head, but it still reached all the way down her back. Her deep crimson eyes, which looked like rubies, stared at Shin. Her figure was pleasant too, even a certain ‘part’ of her seemed to rival Tiera.
Only her clothes were far from the image of a princess. For the upper half of her body, a leather type armor covered from her chest to her abdomen. In addition, a white jacket was worn above it. And for her lower half, there were red hot pants and boots that went up to her knees with a similar color.
Speaking of the jacket, because it wasn’t buttoned, Shin could clearly see her cleavage pushed up by the leather armor from his location. This was totally different from the princess he imagined.
――――『Rionne Strail Bayreuth Level 230 Magic Swordswoman』(T/N: I may have stated her main job as Dark Knight before.)
Although her name and level were displayed, Shin understood that excluding him, she was the strongest in that room simply from the presence she emitted.
Shin guessed that she probably wore those clothes for combat. Apparently, a match seemed inevitable.
“Thanks for coming. I’m Rionne Strail Bayreuth, this country’s second princess. My best regards.”
“I’m the adventurer, Shin. Thank you for inviting me here today.”
He bowed his head while introducing himself.
“Oh my! This is turning into a serious talk. I don’t really care for etiquette, so you don’t need to worry about manners. Feel free to call me Rionne.”
“…Then, Rionne-sama it is…”
Though Shin thought ‘isn’t it bad?’ for the princess to not care about courtesy, but still, Shin avoided pointing it out.
As she frequently appeared in the downtown area, her activities as a princess would put adventurers to shame. ‘There’s also such a thing’, Shin convinced himself.
Her beautiful appearance was princess caliber, but she didn’t exude the dignity of someone from a royal family. Was this a positive or negative for the royal family? It seemed opinions could differ on this matter.
“Princess, I wouldn’t do that in the first meeting. It will cause a misunderstanding.” (T/N: Having a boy call a girl by her first name is typically done only by those in a relationship.)
“He is a person who we may soon fight together with as a companion. Wouldn’t this be better than creating a strange barrier between us because I’m from the royal family?”
“…Shin, it’s unfortunate, but this is how the princess is. Please don’t worry about your social status and act casually.”
“Yes…I, will do my best…I guess?”
Shin thought ‘rather than a princess, she should be called a sociable adventurer.’
Gadras’s tone too, for some reason, became less formal. Apparently, this seemed to be their usual way of exchange between lord and retainer.
When Shin fleetingly glanced at Feyzel, while feeling at a loss, he saw that the man stood upright like one of the room’s furnishings as if saying ‘it’s of no concern to me’.
“Um, for now, I want to ask you the reason why I was summoned…”
“Muu! You don’t have to use formal words, you know?”
“Well, for some reason, that’s kind of..”
Just because the person in question permits it, it didn’t mean that the surrounding people would accept it in the same way.
Even if the princess has no bad intentions, since there was an observer there as well, it would be troublesome for him if someone later said he acted too familiar.
“Well, there’s no helping it if Shin said so. Now then, the reason why I invited you today, I think you may already heard it from Barlux, but it’s the matter of the Skull Face. It was the one that was level 359 and wielded this.”
As she said that, Rionne opened a huge case that was located under her feet.
‘Wasn’t that a job for a maid?’ was what Shin thought, but unfortunately, there wasn’t a single maid in that room. Incidentally, there wasn’t even any tea prepared.
What Rionne took out was the greatsword, which had belonged to the Skull Face that Shin had previously defeated. It should be too heavy for a woman, but Rionne lifted it with one hand like it was nothing.
“…That is certainly the one the Skull Face had at that time. I remember the decoration and the aura covering the blade.”
Because it was a pretty memorable opponent, he also remembered its weapon well. Secretly, he activated his �【Appraisal】� skill, which he forgot to do so during the battle. For the first time in here, Shin found out that it was a 《Legend》 grade greatsword. There was an inscription on it too which seemed to say ‘Muspelm’.
“Yea, the Skull Face had considerable skill, I believe?”
“That’s right. If my weapon was a bit more fragile, I think I wouldn’t have been able to do anything but run away.”
“It was able to rally with this greatsword that’s equivalent to our country’s treasured sword, 『Wazamono』, huh?”
She may have heard the story about how the sword『Several Stroke』, which Shin had equipped at that time, had become only a hilt.
As for 『Muspelm』, it was a 2 mels sword with a thick blade. If the other sword was not as good as 『Wazamono』, it would be unthinkable for it to be able to exchange blows directly.
“I obtained that katana by chance in the middle of my journey. I think its performance was at least 《Rare》 grade though.”
Actually, it was only a reinforced 《Normal》 grade katana, but Shin lied because he didn’t know what the value of a maximum reinforced weapon was in this world.
As for the matter of whether or not it was possible for a 《Rare》 grade to exchange blows with 『Muspelm』, it should be believable since it ended up getting broken from the excessive force.
“So now you’re just using an ordinary weapon, Shin?”
“No, I received an escort request towards Beirun earlier and we exterminated some bandits on the way. Since one of the bandits was using a Magic Sword as a weapon, I’m using that now.”
As for the bandits’ belongings, the property rights basically moved to whoever subdued them.
Since it’s possible that his current weapon would be examined, he used that excuse to add credibility to his story.
“I see. If it’s a Magic Sword, then it may be a good fit for you.”
“It’s good if that’s the case. But I’ve almost never used it after I obtained it, so I can’t say for sure.”
“You can get used to it, right?”
“Probably.”
Right, this is the flow of events that usually precedes a fight.
Shin exchanged words with Rionne while thinking that. The weapon from the monster, in addition, the monster’s skills—though it took the flow of a natural conversation, if combat-related talk continued in this way, it was obvious that the final result would be “Let’s have a match.”
“Fumu…”
“………?”
Against his expectations, Rionne who nodded once, fell silent.
As for Shin, he had the hesitant reaction of a ‘What should I do?’ decision.
“Well, is something wrong?”
“No, well, you are different after all, Shin.”
“Different?”
Shin couldn’t figure out the flow of the conversation, so the question was reiterated.
“Adventurers that suddenly stand out like you, are usually Chosen Ones. Though Gadras was like that too, when it was judged that his ability ranked in the upper class, it was customary for him to be invited to the royal palace.”
“Well, that’s understandable.”
“However, there are groups who use Chosen Ones to attempt assassinations from the inside.”
“…That’s also dangerous, right?”
‘Then, is it fine to suddenly let me meet the princess?’ Shin wanted to ask.
But, he didn’t interject because she wasn’t finished with her story.
“Though I had my suspicions about you, I thought it would probably be fine.”
“Eh? I don’t remember having said anything that would clear myself from doubt though.”
“Of course, it’s because of my intuition.”
“Ehhー”
A monotone sound came out unintentionally.
That too, seemed like it couldn’t be helped. Shin had never heard of someone determining whether an opponent might bring harm to the country by relying solely on intuition. What would she do if it hadn’t worked out?
“Ah, a monotone sound came out!”
“That can’t be helped. Moreover, if it’s like this, people won’t be convinced by such things since there is no concrete evidence.”
“No problem. I have �the 【Intuition】� skill. I was born with it and my intuition never misses a thing. Besides, even though I may appear this way, I am one of this country’s princesses. I’ve developed my ability to judge character!”
With a smile, Rionne’s words were heard by Shin and he tried to recall the effect for 【Intuition】.
It should only be a battle support skill. If anything, he had a feeling that it was suitable to say it was just a woman’s intuition.
(…Could【Intuition】possibly enhance a woman’s intuition?)
Shin unconsciously wondered about such a thing.
“You might say the biggest deciding factor is that you hold a letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora.”
“Right…”
Under the current situation, it was the strongest piece of identification.
“That letter of introduction is impossible to replicate and Schnee-dono would never hand it over to a group plotting an assassination. As for a letter of introduction carrier, it’s almost certain that their theft countermeasures are not ordinary. Therefore, a story of someone stealing a letter of introduction is unheard of until this very day. In fact, this acted as something like a final confirmation.”
“I see, then the main question is?”
“So it’s come to this. Let me say it without beating about the bush. I want you to fight with me!”
“Not that, princess! You’re supposed to tell him about government service!”
Gadras promptly interrupted Rionne who had challenged Shin for a match.
Somehow, this turned out differently from their briefing session.
“What are you talking about, Gadras? Either way, for his true ability, how can I judge it accurately if we don’t cross swords?”
“Even if you yearn for it, you could wait a bit longer before saying it. What kind of place is it for a princess to challenge an adventurer with something like, ‘Fight with me!’?”
“A lady-like princess is the elder sister’s responsibility!”
“R-Responsibility…”
Gadras seemed to have it hard with one thing or another.
“Since it’s the wish of the princess, I don’t want to decline, but if possible I would like to ask for a weapon used for training purposes.”
Though Shin’s weapon was not lacking, still, it was unclear as to how long it would be able to keep up a rally directly with a 《Legend》 grade weapon.
“Okay, I understand. I’ll lend you a weapon used by our knights. It doesn’t matter if you destroy it.”
“Well, that’s fine. Though, I want you to forgive me if that sword breaks in the middle of the fight.”
While saying that, Shin kept secret about the even more dangerous items that lay in his Item Box.
“Then, let’s head toward the training ground immediately.”
The princess began to walk triumphantly.
Contrary to her personality, she walked elegantly without pause. If one only saw her movement, everyone would think that she had a graceful character.
Without taking the huge case, she held the『Muspelm』in one hand.
“Princess…”
“…It’s tough, isn’t it?”
“You understand?”
Shin felt sorry for Gadras who dropped his shoulders.
◆◆◆◆
Shortly after Shin and the others left the room.
Feyzel, who had remained in the room, let the tension out of his shoulders as he felt the presence of Shin and the others go away.
He seemed to be tense and before he noticed it, he felt that his muscles had become quite stiff. He took a deep breath and felt somewhat better after taking a short break.
“I’m so tired.”
Other than Feyzel, a male’s voice suddenly echoed through the room that should contain nobody else.
“Yeah, indeed.”
Feyzel, who began to talk, replied without any surprise. The owner of the voice was Feyzel’s co-worker.
“Are you feeling nervous about the other party as well?”
“Yeah, as expected from a letter of introduction carrier.”
A slightly tired smile appeared as Feyzel answered.
Feyzel’s role was to obtain the other party’s information with his own skills.
“You saw it, didn’t you?”
“I saw it. But perhaps, his stats might be falsified.”
That person was the most abnormal among all of the people who had come in so far. Feyzel continued, and waited for a response from the owner of the voice.
“To that extent?”
“I’m sure about it. That person, named Shin, has a level of 200. Job of samurai. However, if I were to really say my impressions of when we faced each other, I would have rewritten the information.”
Feyzel was a Chosen One that specialized in uncovering the ability of the other party, therefore he was sure of it.
Rionne and Gadras didn’t notice the abilities of Shin, but Feyzel felt exactly a fragment of the power leaking out from his body. In fact, the right answer was beyond the level he stated.
“Though I failed to obtain any sufficient information, I can only say this. He is strong! Even more so than we imagined.”
“Since you say it to that extent, I should report this matter to the King.”
“Please do so if possible, I’d be saved the trouble if you convey it. Also, don’t make any needless trouble, I guess? Like what you did to Wilhelm, if you make a foolish move, it will be terrible. At least, I don’t want to fight him.”
“Understood. I must not make an enemy of an upper class Chosen One.”
By the end of those words, the voice was already inaudible.
Apparently, it seemed to have gone to report.
“Good grief! I want to go home today already!”
I feel like I am dead instead of living.
Muttering so, Feyzel left the room.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 04 - Blue Ancient of Sacred Place/The-New-Gate-Volume-04-Blue-Ancient-of-Sacred-Place-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_04_Chapter_02_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 3
Shin, Rionne and Gadras visited the training grounds that the knights used.
“I want to confirm something. For the time being, we’re not going to fight next to soldiers that are training, are we?”
“No, it won’t go well if we were to fight there. Today, half of the soldiers are out for practice and the rest have other work that’s not in the training ground. Though some may sneak a peek, it can’t helped with so many people. Or, is Shin the type that does not want to be seen by people when he fights?”
“To tell you the truth, I want to refrain from exposing my abilities expressly. At the guild, we fought in an empty training center.”
“I see, you’re a cautious one, aren’t you?”
“Isn’t that how an adventurer should be?”
Unlike knights, adventurers often traveled alone. And in case of emergencies, they would have one or two trump cards prepared, Shin thought.
“Well, if I had to say it, most adventurers try to show off their power to gain fame. If their talent is recognized, then they can also enter government service like me.”
Gadras, who was a former adventurer, answered Shin’s question.
“That’s how it is, huh?”
“Of course there are also guys like you who don’t reveal their hand and hide their trump cards.”
Although it didn’t seem to be unusual, somehow people like Shin appeared to be in the minority.
“Personally, I don’t prefer the types like Shin. People who think that they can act that way, even if they’re powerful, I don’t like them for some reason. By simply having power, you must think about how to properly use it.”
“The obligations of a person with power, huh?”
“It’s the duty of the strong. When I notice a strong person with power, I often think, ‘What kind of influence does their power have on themselves and their surroundings?’ Even though what I hope to see doesn’t always happen.”
“Since I’m from the royal family, I’d say that I tend to think that way”, Rionne continued and smiled wryly.
From the beginning, for royalty, their existence would significantly affect people with their actions. In some ways it could even be said that both royalty and chosen ones were somewhat similar.
That was why Rionne was taught by the royal family to live the ideal life of a person with power. At the same time, she also noticed the existence of the unreachable status known as a princess.
She felt obligated to fight and swung her sword day and night, to control her power. She learned more about military knowledge than etiquette or her studies. Looking at her hand, which held the sword, no one would ever think that that was the hand of the country’s princess.
“It’s difficult, isn’t it?”
“Though I’m telling you about someone else’s problems, I guess even you can commiserate, huh, Shin?”
“It’s because I don’t serve the country, isn’t it? Again, I have my own way of doing things as an adventurer. Besides, it’s tiring to think about such things around the clock, so I do everything moderately. If not, then you won’t feel relaxed, right?”
Shin didn’t mean to deny Rionne’s thoughts.
In fact, it was important to act with such thinking in mind. However, different people have their own viewpoints and capabilities. If there was a person who had their own way, without noticing it existed, there would also be a person who acted their own way and yet noticed it existed.
As for what would happen as a result, only God may know. Of course, it was unreasonable for Shin to entrust everything to the heavens, so he moved and thought accordingly. Whether or not it went smoothly, it was hard to say.
“I’m a bit jealous, for you to be able to say that.”
“Well, when something bad happens, the troublesome ones usually don’t change though”
“If you enter the military, you may be able to decrease the troublesome things a little, you know? Though I can’t say it will be as a General, I can promise you a reasonably high position.”
“An additional bonus comes along in various other ways instead, huh? I’m terribly sorry, but I’ll still have to decline.”
Shin evaded the casual invitation from the second princess smoothly.
He didn’t have any intention to enter a military which would restrict his movements. For Shin, who lived in a world without a class system such as nobles and royal families, their ideas were beyond his understanding.
Although he was familiar with the meaning of a fantasy system in games and manga, he didn’t understand it in this world.
“That’s too bad. It’s not easy to encounter an upper grade Chosen One. So, it seems like we’ve arrived?”
Rionne shrugged while stating her disappointment, she probably thought that Shin would have agreed.
And then, she stopped in front of a somewhat ordinary door.
“Here?”
“This is because you requested a fight that no one will see. So we will borrow this place.”
Saying that, Rionne pushed the door open.
Inside, there was a transition point similar to what Shin saw in the adventurers’ guild. (T/N: metastasis point had been changed to transition point)
“So we are going to teleport?”
“That’s right. Didn’t you also do so in the guild?”
Their destination, after transferring right away, was a round open space about 100 mels in radius. It was different from the place where Shin fought against Barlux.
“It’s constructed differently from the guild’s training ground, huh?”
“It’s been said to be made with a battle between Chosen Ones in mind. Besides, there’s no one here so we can fight as much as we want. Actually, even if you didn’t say anything, I was planning to fight you here anyway, Shin.”
Although it was a test of strength, even if a chosen one used only a ‘tiny’ portion of their power, there was no guarantee that this ‘tiny’ amount would be the same amount as that of an ordinary soldier. But, it seemed this place would be alright, if that was the case.
“It was decided, huh?”
“I couldn’t find any other place for our purpose, except this. The transition point is a technique from before the Dusk of the Majesty, and we haven’t been able to completely solve it yet. What was it made for? To tell you the truth, it’s not known yet. But it’s pretty sturdy, so it’s thought to have been a training ground in the past.”
I see, Shin thought.
He thought it was strange because he was told that transposing magic was lost, but a transition point had been set up here like it was perfectly normal. To manufacture a transition point, the technique of transposing was needed.
(Hmm…I wonder if this place was for some guild house originally.)
If one said guild in this world, it would usually refer to an adventurers’ guild.
However, there were many players guilds and their corresponding guild houses that existed during the game era. The structures and styles varied according to the guild. Some made castle, while others used a shop. There were no similar guild houses.
And, a transition point was standard equipment for a guild house. As for the royal magic library that Shin had visited before, the unusually high level barrier skill was understandable, if it too was installed by a guild. Perhaps, that was also just equipment repurposed from a guild.
“Let’s begin now. First, you should choose a weapon of your liking. Do you need a change of clothes?”
“No, they’re fine as is.”
Just like the match with Barlux, they didn’t battle immediately.
Several mels ahead of Shin, there were swords and spears that were previously prepared. It could be said that they were used for training because they were made from iron and had edgeless blades. However, if it was swung with the strength of a chosen one, the damage inflicted may not be small.
“Then, I’ll take this.”
Shin chose a standard one-handed sword from among the weapons.
It was maintained properly, but its quality was not so good because it was for training. As for Rionne, she chose a thick-bladed greatsword. The blade was almost 2 mels in length, similar to 『Muspelm』, and she swung it around like a branch from a tree.
“When I see that in person, something feels out of place.”
Such a thing would never happen if it was in the game.
It was different if it was a monster, but the scene of a sword that was about the height of a body, being swung by a woman’s slender arm was very strange to see in reality.
Speaking of the person in question, it seemed like she intended to warm-up. Shin heard the sound of air being cut through every time the greatsword was brandished. Since it’s no use to keep watching forever, Shin too, lightly swung his sword and relaxed his body. With their preparations completed, they got ready with their weapons in the center of the training ground.
“This is a fight to check your ability, so I’ll let out some of my power to an extent!”
“Please go easy on me.”
Shin replied with a wry smile, to Rionne who was fully motivated.
Gadras played the role of referee. Points would be given to each of them, and if he judged the blow would cause a fatal injury he would end the match.
Of course, even if it was said to be a fatal injury, they would stop just before the blow landed. After all, with the ability of these two people, doing that would be a piece of cake.
“Alright, let’s begin!”
Rionne stepped forward when Gadras shouted.
With her greatsword on her right shoulder, she approached Shin using the most direct path, with Shin doing the same. Facing against the greatsword coming from a diagonal direction, Shin prepared to swing his sword from his waist. If he rallied directly, there’s no doubt that Shin’s sword, which was inferior in strength, would break. Thus, he aimed to strike at the flat part of the greatsword.
Ting! A high-pitched sound was made when Rionne’s greatsword veered away from Shin. Furthermore, in one step, Shin leaped toward Rionne’s chest. However, in the next moment, the heel of Rionne’s boot appeared in front of Shin’s eyes.
“Whoa!”
Shin bent down right away to dodge the unleashed kick.
Her released fist was also evaded as she continued the attack before taking a distance once more. Then, her hand, which had parted with the intercepted greatsword, started to counterattack with martial arts. As for the greatsword, the downward force may have been great, as it pierced the ground diagonally.
“You avoided my attacks without being flustered, huh? I thought I could somewhat surprise you with that though”
“Well, I am surprised. I didn’t expect you would suddenly throw away your weapon and start to fight hand-to-hand.”
He didn’t say that parting with one’s own weapon has never happened during battle, but it was not usually done immediately after a battle started.
If an ordinary adventurer did something like that, they would be cut down in no time. There was a limit to making unorthodox decisions.
“You can still say that even though you dodged it like it was nothing. However, the next one will not be so easy!”
The greatsword was pulled from the ground, and Rionne took her stance again.
That stance was indeed magnificent. It was the posture of someone who had been training without depending too much on their ability as a Chosen One.
“I’ll go from here!”
Saying so, Shin faced Rionne and shortened their distance.
As for the current Shin, some restrictions were put on his stats based on information from Girard. Because of the restriction ability 【Limit】, his STR and AGI were about 500. If he rallied with Rionne who was an upper class Chosen One, it should be fine.
Shin, with the momentum from hurling himself, plunged into and pushed Rionne’s greatsword with his sword’s brim.
“Going to compete with me in strength, huh, Shin?”
“I’m confident in my strength!”
As the weapons made a grinding sound, Shin and Rionne exchanged words.
And then, Rionne stopped pushing Shin’s sword. Apparently, in response to Shin’s words, Rionne decided to accept his strength challenge with a contest.
Rionne put power in her slender arm, and the locking of sword to sword started. If she took her time, she may be able to overcome the resistance, but it was obvious that Rionne would take measures before that.
(She is on par with 500 STR, huh? As expected of Girard, he guessed correctly.)
As for the stats of an upper class Chosen One, Girard had talked about it being around 500.
“I wonder if our strength is equal?”
“It seems like it.”
They made some distance between them by stepping back together.
Shin had his sword in an aiming-at-the-eyes stance, and Rionne was in an overhead sword posture.
“You may use skills too. No need to be reserved, Shin.”
“Well, if you insist.”
Rionne and Shin, both used the support system martial arts skill 【Spirit Manipulation • Katsusen】.
Shin moved his sword to the left side of his waist from his previous posture, took his stance with his left hand on the sword’s blade near the hilt and lowered his posture. It was a quick draw stance, but without the sheath.
Rionne on the other hand, stayed there without changing her posture. From Shin’s point of view, he saw the aura that covered Rionne’s body sharpen.
The strengthening effect from the support system martial arts skill was calculated based on the stats during its usage, so there was almost no difference of strengthening ability between Rionne and Shin under the current conditions. If there was, it was simply the difference between ability.
Swish!
Shin moved first.
The distance between them was shortened by his sliding feet. And then, just one step from Rionne, Shin jumped into her territory by sliding on the ground.
Though it could not be said that it was his normal form, the sword that was charging towards Rionne was at a speed difficult to see by an ordinary person.
Without turning her eyes to that attack, Rionne also swung the greatsword downward. Due to the explosion of her sharpened spirit, it accelerated instantaneously. And that speed exceeded Shin’s attack.
Shin would likely die if he received that blow directly, so as the greatsword approached from above his head, by putting his strength into his left foot, he bent himself backward and evaded it.
Rionne, who had just swung down her greatsword, couldn’t move right away because of the weight of her weapon.
From there, Shin did a horizontal kick, but Rionne crouched down and evaded it.
Shoom!
With her body twisted as she tripped, although she had just evaded Shin’s kick and stood only on one foot, she still didn’t stop attacking.
Without losing any centrifugal force from pulling out the greatsword from the ground, she turned once more. The force of her tripping was converted into power for swinging her greatsword.
With the sound of air being cut, she returned the favor and aimed at Shin who just drew a horizontal kick. Shin, who was just slightly above the ground, kicked the ground again to escape from the greatsword.
Rionne suddenly stopped the greatsword, which was gaining momentum, as soon as she thought the blow would come out of place. Even though the centrifugal force was strong, Rionne didn’t break her posture. It seemed her being a close-combat type Chosen One was not just for show.
(Somehow just now, I felt like I was gonna die if I didn’t avoid it.)
Though there was no killing intent, Shin didn’t think he would escaped unharmed if he received Rionne’s greatsword to his head. When he saw Rionne’s movement just now, he understood that she stopped the blow just before that. However, when he saw the greatsword pierce and stick into the ground, he couldn’t get rid of his anxiety.
In his current condition, Shin didn’t want to risk restricting his defence-related stats. When the world was still a game, not even a scratch would be there if he received a blow from a greatsword. However, Shin didn’t have the courage to try it now with his own flesh.
“Apparently, it seems our types are similar, Shin. Our reaction speed is about the same too.”
“That’s right. This is getting hard to settle, how about we call it an end it here?”
“Is that so? I want to fight a little longer though.”
Rionne was like a deflated balloon.
“Since it was a sword for training purposes, it’s hard to know how far I can put my strength into it. Besides, Rionne-sama’s sword has also bent.”
“Muu! This one couldn’t last either.”
The swords for training purpose couldn’t endure Shin and Rionne’s power.
As proof, about 30 cemels from the sword guard of Rionne’s greatsword was bent almost into the shape of the character ‘へ’. It was pretty admirable that it didn’t break.
Shin’s sword had also deformed, a part of it had cracked when it had rallied with the greatsword.
“At least we were able to properly understand each other’s strength, Rionne-sama.”
“Isn’t that good? His strength is even equal to yours, Princess. Moreover, that speedy reaction. It’s plenty enough for me.”
“It’s not good to force the subject too much, huh? All right. Let’s stop the match here. You have my gratitude for going along with my selfishness.”
Gadras, who saw the their battle situation unfolding, gave some timely support to help end the match.Gadras realized by intuition that it would be bad if he let them ‘heat up’ as it was. Although Gadras was also a Chosen One who was near the upper class and therefore was able to follow the two people offense and defense with his eyes, he still couldn’t be sure that he would be able to react in time if he entered their ranges.
Not much time had passed since the match began, so he urged them to stop fighting. He had already decided that Shin was not an average Chosen One when Shin could keep up with Rionne’s movement. It was not difficult to even judge him to be an upper class Chosen One.
“Well then, let’s return. You should put the sword back where it originally was.”
“Okay.”
Shin put back the one-handed sword which was already unusable.
He thought the sword was lacking before the fight began. It was already fortunate that it didn’t break on the first rally. Perhaps the angle in which they rallied was good, he guessed.
“By the way, I want to ask something.”
“What is it?”
“Why did you bring the Skull Face’s sword?”
Because she brought it to the training ground like it was natural, Shin thought it was strange since it was decided they would use a training sword.
“Though this is a completely different matter, when a man proposes to a woman in Bayreuth kingdom, it’s customary to present a sword.”
“…Again, isn’t that――――――dangerous!”
Shin muttered in a way that was not heard by Rionne.
Is that what it’s for? It’s the thing used to cut “it” off one has an affair? Shin suspected without any reason.
“The reason is, in case they are caught cheating, they will be cut by the sword. It’s only a formality for now though.”
“…Are you for real?”
It seemed his suspicion was right.
Will the cheating mistress get punished too? Trivial questions appeared in Shin’s mind.
“Because of that, to be honest, although the sword pierced and was stuck in the wall of my bedroom, I’ve considered it as a present for me.”
“T-That, isn’t that too unreasonable?!”
“Not a problem. If I did that, the sword would become mine legally.”
“I didn’t see that coming! What a scheme!?”
Rionne showed her playfulness, but as a matter of fact, since there was no weapon that could match Rionne’s strength, it seems her primary focus was on the matter of the greatsword.
A weapon that could endure the power of an upper class Chosen One was not easy to find in this world. Even if it was found, it was most likely owned by skilled adventurers or famous knights.
Only the treasured sword that symbolizes the country was able to endure all of the energy from Rionne in Bayreuth kingdom. However, Rionne couldn’t take out the treasured sword every time, so she seemed to have been racking her brain on how to remedy the situation.
Because the Skull Face’s greatsword was not lacking in durability, didn’t have curses and so on, it seemed to have been secretly prepared for her given her circumstances.
At the same time, she had been thinking of various scenarios just in case someone came forward claiming it as the owner.
“Just to confirm, by any chance, am I supposed to propose to Rionne-sama?”
“Yea, you’re supposed to because you gave me the sword.”
“About the blown off greatsword matter, it really was just accidental…”
“I know. I don’t mean to push the matter either. Although it would be reassuring if Shin serves the country, I get absolutely nothing out of offending you so badly that you moved to another country. It’s promising if an upper class Chosen One becomes an ally, but it’s extremely troublesome if they become an enemy. If possible, I would like you to refrain from entering government service at another country, but this is up to your discretion.”
“For the moment, I don’t have any such plans.”
“However, a person that’s not affiliated with any place can be scary. Because, what they will do is unpredictable. And there are many people who dislike that sort of person, you know?”
Although an upper class Chosen One was an individual, one of them was comparable to an army.
For this reason, they were terrifying when they were unaffiliated.
“For the time being, I belong to the adventurers’ guild.”
“If you’re afraid of the penalty, I can withdraw you from there immediately. Well, ever since the guild has revealed that Shin has a ‘letter of introduction’, people with impertinent thoughts have been suppressed.”
“Really? Since I showed it to the guard at the gate, I thought that was how I was exposed and that’s how it reached the guild.”
“Of course, the information was obtained from there. Only, when showing it to the guard, the possibility of it being an imitation is not zero. However, the story is different when the master of an adventurers’ guild acknowledges it. Because he has the method to distinguish the real thing. If Shin has been acknowledged, additional confirmation of his status is preferable for those people, I guess?”
“Indeed, I think so too. Or rather, what are those people who have impertinent ideas trying to do?”
Though he had some idea of what to expect, Shin asked anyway.
“They want to arrest you as a criminal because of the sword that pierced my bedroom, and make you serve the country, little by little, as restitution.”
“…Well, even though I didn’t do it on purpose, it wouldn’t be strange if someone had died when I misstepped, right?”
Having it only pierce a wall was entirely the result of good luck.
“That’s right, I guess the Skull Face which caused it may have been a unique individual? If it is, then it’s not a situation where you could ease up. I don’t know how much harm it would have caused if you had let it go as it was. At that time, most adventurers would not be able to take on a unique individual, so the damage would have kept on accumulating until the information was gathered. Therefore I’d like to thank you instead.”
“Sigh, for the time being, it’s good that I’m not considered a criminal since it would make it difficult to move around.”
“Fufufu, is this really okay? You can ask me for a favor you know?”
“I don’t have the courage to ask for a favor from the royal family. And so, how’s this story connected to the greatsword in the end?”
“Oh, that’s because this has been formally handed over to me.”
As she said that, Rionne lifted the case that contained Muspelm.
“Umm, in regards to the matter Rionne-sama mentioned just now, is it because the greatsword already belongs to you?”
“Because the owner had appeared in this way, thus I thought about a different method if I could not be engaged. In the first place, to forcibly place a present under my control, even though I also wanted to make the sword mine, the main reason is to prevent it from falling into the hands of the aforementioned impertinent guys.”
“Doing something like that is completely useless.”
“I won’t deny that.”
The higher-ups didn’t seem to be monolithic too.
When looking closely at the privileged class called the nobles, there may be a rotten part that exists.
“So in other words, having decided the greatsword was a present, without an engagement, Rionne-sama formally obtained a powerful weapon, and I can avoid any meddling from the country, huh?”
“Naturally, I’ll fully take out from my personal assets to compensate for the price of the sword. And I also understand perfectly that this one is worth more than I can afford. But, please, sell it to me!”
The last sentence was an entreaty.
She may have been depressed because she had never had a weapon that could bring out her potential. Was how Shin thought, and desperation could be felt from Rionne.
True power couldn’t be demonstrated if there was no weapon that corresponded to their ability. Rionne seemed to understand that.
“I only want to continue being an adventurer in the same manner as before, so if there is no further meddling from the country, that would be good as a condition. However, if possible, I want to enter the restricted zone in the royal magic library though.”
“Is that really all? You don’t have to hold yourself back.”
According to the common sense of this world, it could be said that it was impossible to have dealings for a weapon of 《Legend》 grade.
“For now, it’s information that I want, not money. Unlike a weapon, I can’t get information, somehow or other, even if I take out money.”
“Though I also understand that…Fumu, how should I say this, you have no greed, Shin.”
Rionne said as she was a little astounded.
Certainly, information was sometimes worth more than gold. However, information that was equal to a 《Legend》 grade weapon was not common. Even though Rionne has visited the zone that required reading permission, what kind of information does Shin seek? She had no idea at all.
“The one that defeated the Skull Face is Shin. Though it became complicated due to the place where it pierced, the property rights are originally Shin’s. With one of these, you could probably obtain a large sum of money to live the rest of your life without having to work. On the other hand, this sword is something that I don’t know if I could obtain even if I piled up money. If you hand it over without any reservations, I’ll be suspicious that you have ulterior motives.”
“That’s just how much I value information.”
Rionne conjectured that there was some kind of special meaning in Shin’s words.
However, she didn’t voice her guess, because she didn’t want to pursue it there.
“Then, Rionne-sama, it’s a deal?”
“Of course. To tell you the truth, I have used this greatsword several times already and I have grown accustomed to having it in my hand.”
“………”
The only thought in your head is of obtaining that sword after all, was what Shin didn’t say.
She didn’t know that she could have requisitioned it even without informing Shin, so he was able to maintain a good impression of her since it was properly negotiated for.
If Shin could get through this without any meddlesome discussions, then a greatsword of 《Legend》 grade was a cheap price to pay.
“I’ll have your library permit delivered later, where are you staying?”
“It’s an inn called Bear Point Pavilion, in the west district.”
“Understood. Gadras, make the arrangements.”
“Roger that”
When Rionne talked, Gadras, who had remained silent until now, answered.
“Shin-dono. For this matter, please accept my thanks. It seems like the princess will finally be able to fight without reservation now.”
“No, there’s no need for thanks. It was a mutually beneficial deal. Next, I want to confirm something, it’s about those people with overzealous ideas. In case I have any problems in the future, may I repel them?”
“In regards to that, just act without any reservations, but also please be careful. I would like to think that there aren’t any more fools who would try to threaten an upper class Chosen One, but guys like that, will usually not heed any inconveniences that their actions would cause to themselves.”
Gadras strongly agreed.
The reason being if anyone did so, they would most likely be punished.
“It’s happened before?”
“Yes. There is a powerful person that had been acknowledged as an upper class Chosen One before, like Shin, but some fools held that person’s relative as hostage and tried to make him obey them.”
“…Can I speak my thoughts freely?”
“Please speak without reservation.”
“That’s stupid.”
“You’d think so? By the way, as for the nobles, all of them were killed, from the main culprit to the perpetrators. Their mansion was completely destroyed too. No mercy for those meddling guys. However, there is no evidence that the person in question did it himself.”
“Oh my god!”
They seemed to have received a suitable retribution.
By the way, it appeared to the public that the kingdom’s army had subdued the nobles who were going to start a revolt.
“Well, well, I’m fine with acting how I normally do, so I’d like to request your help if it happens.”
“Indeed, I’m no princess, but I’ll exert my power too.”
Gadras firmly nodded again.
Next to him, Rionne too seemed to say, “Leave it to me”, as she nodded. Though some people may prefer to handle things themselves, having a royal family member as an ally was still great. Shin had decided to just report if there was a bad noble.
“That’s right. Don’t return home too soon, because those overbearing guys are noisy. Let’s have a tea break. Can you tell me about the story of the Skull Face in question?”
“If it’s that much, it’s fine I guess.”
Shin replied to Rionne with a nod.
When Shin and the rest returned to the castle using the transition point, someone was already in the room.
It was a petite man, a little over middle-aged, who approached them. If one looked at the cassock of the priest, it was mainly white and blue, and he had the air of someone who was a high-rank.
If something peculiar could be stated about that man, it was that he was fiddling with the control panel of the transition point without taking notice of Rionne.
As there were a lot of exit destinations for a transition point, the destination could be specified with the control panel. There was no such action when Shin fought against Barlux before in the adventurers’ guild, and the training ground couldn’t be entered without the guild master’s authority, because the destination had been already fixed.
By the way, in a normal situation, when the guild master’s authority wasn’t invoked, it was only a training ground open to the public, so it was not made just for a Chosen One.
“Isn’t that Cardinal Greyl? What is he doing?”
Rionne voiced her question.
Was he a mediator with the church? Shin looked at the man called cardinal. However, in the next moment, Shin’s face stiffened due to the status display from Analyze.
――――『Greyl Dulles Level 161 Priest』
―――― Endowment:【Charm • IV】 【Confusion • III】
Those troublesome abnormal statuses couldn’t be felt for real in the game era, but anyone would understand the real danger they would pose in this world that became reality.
And the person who was under two such abnormal statuses, was fiddling with the control panel of the transition point.
“He is affected by Charm and Confusion! Stop that person!”
Shin started running at the same time as he shouted.
However, Shin was late by just one step, as Greyl finished messing with the controls.
“Ugh!?”
Shin’s view effortlessly distorted.
When the discomfort that was not felt during a normal transition was over, the scene around Shin had completely changed.
◆◆◆◆
“…Is this for real?”
What extended throughout his surroundings was, in a word, ruins.
The crumbling houses and scattered remains denied the existence of dwellers. Shin tried to collect his surroundings for information through the support system skill【Clairvoyance】, but because of a thin haze that faint magic could be felt from, his vision was obstructed from seeing far away.
There were many buildings that had avoided completely collapsing, but most had big holes in their walls, or their second floor was gone, which was unlikely due to any evidence of weathering.
Within the range of his view, there was the wreckage of broken glass and wagons. And, he was able to ascertain footprints that were clearly not from humans or horses.
“uu…What is happening?”
When Shin turned around, Rionne was standing nearby.
Gadras and Greyl were nowhere to be seen. Was it only Shin and Rionne that were transferred, or were the other two transferred to a different location? It couldn’t be determined by Shin currently.
“Apparently, we have been transferred somewhere. Does Rionne-sama know anything?”
“Transferred, huh…From that transition point, transferring to a place with ruins in this condition…Perhaps, no, it’s certainly the Sacred Place, Kalkia.”
“Don’t tell me, it’s the place that is said to be rampant with dangerous monsters?”
“Yes it is. They may have thought to get rid of us with the monsters here.”
Inside the Sacred Place, Rionne heard that strong monsters with levels higher than 500 roamed around. No matter how much Rionne was an upper class Chosen One, there was no guarantee that she would survive when she was thrown in without any kind of preparations. But, that would only be the case, if Shin was not beside her.
“Shin, are we the only ones here?”
“Yes. There is no one near us at least.”
“Then, it seems that only we have been transferred here. It’s not possible for one transition to transfer to multiple places.”
“In others words, Gadras-san remains on the other side, huh?”
It was good that not all of the members who were there in that room transposed.
“First of all, let’s move out from Kalkia. Can you use Mind Chat?”
“No, unfortunately I don’t have an adventurer card. How about you, Shin?”
“I have a companion who I can use it with. Just in case, besides Gadras-san, even if I tried to explain the present situation, will anyone believe it? To begin with, I don’t know if they would be able to convey a message for us.”
Though Shin didn’t want to announce that he could use Mind Chat, it was currently an emergency, so he told Rionne the truth.
If a commoner went to the castle, they would definitely be restricted at the gate. It was different if Schnee revealed her identity, but he didn’t intend to go that far.
If it was known that Shin was able to communicate directly with Schnee, he was certain that his treatment as an ordinary upper class Chosen One would be gone. He had the luxury of worring about these kinds of things, because as long as Shin was there, Rionne’s safety was secure.
“I want to know what happened on the other side. However, it’s hopeless if they couldn’t make it to the castle, huh? I guess Gadras will arrest Cardinal Greyl, so Shin doesn’t need to be troubled by it, I think.”
“I’m surprised too. I didn’t expect that a priest would have such dangerous abnormal statuses.”
If it was still a game, it would be impossible to manipulate an avatar’s behavior with abnormal status effects, but it seems like that wasn’t the case in this world.
At least, it was impossible for those who were affected by such status effects to maintain a proper mental condition. In addition, the timing. It was likely that they planned to target Shin and Rionne when they returned from their transposing.
“What’s going on…”
Shin muttered as he sighed lightly.
“I want to tell my companion a rendezvous point, do you know of any towns nearby?”
“If that’s the case, there is the fort city Balmel. It’s necessary to pass through that place, even if they head here or we head in the direction of Bayreuth.”
“Understood. I’ll tell my companion to meet us at Balmel.”
Shin thanked Rionne and he connected to Schnee via Mind Chat.
Within a few seconds, the nostalgic ringtone stopped, and Shin was aware of the sense being connected.
“(Ah, Schn――)”
“(SHIN! Where are you now!?)”
“(Uooo!?)”
Shin’s words were interrupted by Schnee’s loud voice, making him let out a strange sound. Furthermore, his body was hit with a jolt.
Speaking of Schnee, she noticed very quickly when Shin was transposed. Her voice didn’t seem like her usual tone, and her panicked state could be felt by Shin.
“(Are you alright!? Please answer me!)”
“(Wait, Schnee, calm down a little, I’m alright. I’ll explain what happened now. Again, I repeat, I’m okay.)”
Shin began to talk as calmly as possible.
After saying he was fine several times, Schnee finally showed signs of settling down.
“(I’m sorry. I’m fine now.)”
“(Then that’s good. Somehow panicking doesn’t seem like Schnee.)”
“(That is, again…that. I thought Shin had disappeared.)”
“(…My bad. I heard too much.)”
Even though Schnee seemed calm, her insecurity remained.
Maybe it’s because she was just recently reunited with Shin again that her insecurities were plainly visible. No matter how high-level she was, even if her body was strong, Schnee was a woman, too. Even if her stats were high, it didn’t mean that her heart was strong to that extent.
“(And so, where in the world are you? You don’t seem to be within my perception range either.)”
“(Ah yes, I was in a training ground having a match with the second princess, but was forced to transpose when we returned to the castle.)”
“(Transposed? That explains why your presence disappeared suddenly.)”
“(I’m with the second princess right now. According to her, the place where we are is called Sacred Place Kalkia.)”
“(The Sacred Place can only be transitioned to from the royal castle, right?…However, if I’m not mistaken, the transition to there should be impossible without permission.)”
Schnee seemed to be aware about the transition point in the royal castle.
“(It was the old man called Cardinal Greyl that transposed us. Though the rank was low, he was suffering from the abnormal states of Charm and Confusion.)”
“(I see. If it’s Cardinal Greyl, then choosing the Sacred Place to transpose to is possible. Still, Charm and Confusion, huh?)”
According to Schnee’s story, Cardinal Greyl devoted himself to studying in the church in the Bayreuth kingdom, he seemed to be a person of deep faith so he rose to the position of cardinal.
As Shin expected, Cardinal Greyl served as the church’s mediator and had been stationed in the king’s castle for some time now. Worthy of someone who acquired 【Purification】 on his own, it could be said that his fighting power was quite good for an ordinary person.
From the short story that Shin heard, he understood well that it was unrelated to Charm and Confusion.
“(Was he asked to purify a cursed item but failed or something?)”
“(His actions were too precise for that. It’d be more logical to think that he was manipulated by someone, don’t you agree?)”
When Shin gave one of the possibilities, Schnee denied it completely.
“(Then, do you have any ideas, Schnee?)”
“(As far as I know, nothing in particular that I remember. To begin with, the Skills of the mental interference group, like Charm and Confusion, are considered to be taboo. Just for having learnt it, one will be executed when caught, even if it’s someone from the royal family.)”
“(Ah, so it’s like that, huh?)”
Shin agreed with Schnee’s words.
After all, a skill that manipulates a person’s heart would be regarded as dangerous. Even the royal family was not immune to the punishment, as thorough enforcement was carried out without exception.
It was hard to believe that the user of such a skill or item would be serving the castle.
If that was the case, then――.
“(There is a hidden one.)”
“(Yes, I think so too.)”
Similar words appeared in the minds of Shin and Schnee.
It was the given name of an antagonist who differs from the original 7 races in this world.
“(I cannot return at once. It may be bad, but I’ll leave it to you, okay?)”
He had a skill to use transposing. However, if it was known that he could use magic that was said to be lost, Rionne would not let him get away, no matter what happens.
“(No problem. It’s a good opportunity to teach Tiera too.)”
“(Thank you.)”
“(Please leave it to me. I’ll tell the matter about the princess to the King.)”
If it was Schnee, it would be easy to come into contact with the King without being noticed by anyone.
If she somehow conveyed that the princess was safe, the confusion would be settled. In that situation, the person lying hidden in the castle should find it difficult to move.
“(Then, I’ll contact you about the results later. What about the meeting place?)”
“(Balmel will do. It seems you need to go through there, so let’s meet there.)”
“(Affirmative.)”
After detailed decisions were made, the Mind Chat was cut.
Shin decided to leave the Bayreuth matter to Schnee, and turned around toward Rionne again.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 04 - Blue Ancient of Sacred Place/The-New-Gate-Volume-04-Blue-Ancient-of-Sacred-Place-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_04_Chapter_03_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 1
Schnee, who cut off the Mind Chat with Shin, went into action immediately.
She seemed to be very anxious when Shin’s presence disappeared half a day after going into the castle, but she regained her usual composure right away.
“Kuu?”
“What’s wrong?” Yuzuha asked, and the situation was briefly explained.
“Kuu! Yuzuha hates that!”
Precisely because Yuzuha’s partner got involved, and because it personally had been affected by miasma before, Yuzuha wouldn’t allow the existence of the enemy*. (T/N: This will be explained later.)
With Yuzuha perched on her shoulder, Schnee went into town from the inn. Though passersby stopped walking, being fascinated by Schnee’s pretty face, nobody recognized her because she was disguised by a magic skill.
Avoiding those who didn’t know their places gracefully, Schnee arrived at the place where Tiera was in no time. When she opened the door to the entrance, fragrances that she never smelled in daily life lingered in the air. Apparently, it was a shop that dealt with alchemy-related products. Items, which would become special catalysts, like leaves with poisonous-looking colors or some kind of dried things, were side-by-side.
Tiera was in the corner where various types of paper lined up, and she was eagerly comparing them.
“Tiera. Tiera?”
“………”
Apparently, Tiera was quite focused on it.
Even when Schnee called out to her, Tiera didn’t respond at all. Because it couldn’t be helped, Schnee lightly tapped her shoulder and called out her name close to her ear.
“…Tiera?”
“Hyaaa!!?”
Tiera was probably surprised, suddenly hearing a voice so close to her ear.
She jumped in response.
“M-Master. Please don’t startle me like that.”
“Though it’s good to concentrate, pay attention to your surroundings. You didn’t even notice when I was calling you earlier.”
“Uhh, I’m sorry.”
Tiera apologized while hanging her head.
Somehow, her long ears also seemed to face the ground.
“Never mind. Tiera, although this may be difficult for you, there has been an urgent business that has come up and you need to accompany me from now on.”
“Urgent business?”
“Yes, it’s about the King’s castle.”
The King’s castle, Tiera understood it, was not a place she could go.
If she was still at Tsuki no Hokora, she certainly would have retorted in a loud voice. However, because of Shin and his actions, she was not surprised by a thing of such degree.
“…I’m starting to get used to these situations that happen while accompanying Master.”
‘As expected from Master, you and Shin are certainly the same’, agreed Tiera as she thought to herself.
“It’s not a story to explain in here. Let’s go outside.”
“Understood.”
Tiera obediently followed Schnee who turned back towards the street.
It wasn’t a problem for Tiera, since she had no intention of buying anything in particular.
While walking on the road that lead to the King’s castle, Schnee explained the situation.
“…So in other words, I will have to defeat ‘it’ from now on?”
“That’s how it appears. Because you have reached the point where you can go outside, there’s no guarantee that you wouldn’t get involved with ‘it’. There are no documents or rumours about ‘it’, and it’s better if you understand ‘it’ by yourself.”
‘It’ was different from the monsters that attack people for food or to protect their territory. ‘It’ was different from the thief who steals items and money. ‘It’ was the antagonist who afflicts and entraps people.
“It’s a perfect chance for Tiera to learn about the existence of demons.”
――Demon.
Was a monster said to be born from miasma.
It was greatly different from other monsters, because it was not subjected to ability restriction at the place where miasma accumulated; instead it was strengthened. Again, in the demon’s area, the transmogrification of monsters were also accelerated by miasma and in the areas affected by it; the presence of demons increased the degree of difficulty.
Normally, when a monster was affected by the miasma, it was difficult for them to keep their sanity.
It may be possible for a high-level monster, but low-level monsters are hardly able to resist transmogrification. Monsters that change appearance have the word ‘Invade’ added to their names. Then, it becomes an existence that attacks surrounding living beings indiscriminately.
The change of the appearance was assumed to happen when the body of the monster, which was born from demon essence, was replaced by miasma. Thus, the monster’s appearance didn’t revert back to its original form even if the miasma was cleared away. Was it because the monsters, which couldn’t distinguish between ally and enemy, were affected by miasma? There were a lot of them that followed the demon.
Also the miasma, besides affecting monsters, inflicted effects to the seven races who existed in this world. There was no transmogrification in the game’s setting; however, inside the miasma, one would have received bad statuses such as ability restriction, abnormal states, and so on. Though it depends on the density of the miasma, level and race of the person in question, it was a troublesome hindrance to fight against the enhanced demons.
The miasma appeared in quests against a boss, and it lead to monsters attacking a town; it appeared in various places.
When it comes to a high-ranking demon which had the appearance that was close to human anatomy, high intelligence, high fighting power, and was accompanied by low-ranking demon. It was a monster that always appeared in a difficult dungeon and quest.
Ranks usually depended on strength, and were classified into Grand Duke class, Duke class, Marquis class, Count class, Viscount class, Baron class, and Knight class. By the way, this was the index that existed as a setting in the game; it roughly expressed the fighting power of the demon.
“The enemy is probably a Count class.”
“How does Master know?”
Tiera asked Schnee who conjectured the enemy’s rank.
Even if Tiera knew the existence of demons as knowledge, she couldn’t predict like Schnee did.
“It’s a simple method of elimination. In case of Marquis class and above, it’s plenty enough to destroy the country in a surprise attack, without even the need to transpose the second princess. When it comes to Baron class and below, there is no intelligence to think about that far ahead in time. Its level is high to some extent, but it’s reasonable to think it’s a Count class.”
“I see. By the way, what is the level estimation?”
“Right, I guess it’s about low 300s , to high 400s.”
‘If the Princess dies at the Sacred Place, then it’s beneficial for them. Even if she doesn’t, they achieve their purpose by taking advantage of the confusion.’ Tiera thought, while receiving such an explanation from Schnee.
“The level of that class is somewhere in the middle…I mean, um, Master? I’m still no good to fight against it, even if it’s half of the lowest level.”
Unlike chosen ones with high fighting power, it was impossible for her. Except to get killed by fighting an opponent whose level difference was more than 200. Even if Kagerou was with her, it didn’t mean her fighting power increased.
“No problem, because we’ll only observe this time.”
“Observe…”
‘Should I be pleased that there’s no need to fight? Or should I be amazed with Master who says such a thing?’
‘Something was strange either way’, Tiera thought, as her eyebrows furrowed.
Aloof from Tiera’s worries, Schnee continued walking towards the castle.
Because Tiera heard that the Princess was forced to transpose, she thought that the castle would be in confusion. However, the guards didn’t have the appearance of a panicked state.
“Master, we don’t have permits, will we be all right?”
“No problem, because we won’t use the gate to begin with.”
“Eh?”
A question mark floated from Tiera at Schnee’s words.
Schnee then advanced towards the direction where it was different from the gate.
Though Tiera didn’t understand Schnee’s intention either, she followed her for the time being. Schnee, who walked along the wall for a while, the moment there were no people in the area, she activated a magic skill.
“【Hiding】”
The figures of the two people disappeared with the effect.
Coupled with the bonus effect of Kunoichi, which was Schnee’s main job, they would only be discovered in extreme circumstances.
“My appearance is concealed…Don’t tell me…?”
“You are correct. Hold on a little, because we are going to jump.”
Saying so, Schnee held Tiera in her arms and kicked-off the ground.
“Eek!――――”
Without crushing the ground, Schnee and Tiera appeared to fly up gently.
However, Tiera’s scream was forcibly halted from the sudden wind pressure. Though no one would hear it even if she screamed due to the effect of 【Hiding】, if possible she wanted some time to be prepared.
“One step is not enough after all, huh?”
Besides Tiera who thought about these kind of things, Schnee calmly calculated the distance to the top of the wall.
Because she jumped while holding Tiera, she wouldn’t have arrived at the top if she kept going as is. Since it couldn’t be helped, she put her feet on the wall and kicked with her strength.
Movement system martial arts skill 【Wall Run】. With a fixed number of steps, it was a skill that let one run vertically on a wall temporarily when invoked and maintain the foothold.
From that one step, Schnee soundlessly ran up the wall.
“Master, didn’t you make a strange jump just now?”
“It’s a skill that can make foothold on a wall. It’s very convenient.”
“I-I see…”
From Tiera’s point of view, who often had combat training, she wondered ‘will there ever be an opportunity to use a wall as a foothold like that?’ She expected that it was related to a job.
When Tiera asked about Schnee’s job before, she received a single phrase: “It’s a secret.” instead.
“Well then, let’s go down. It’s dangerous if you don’t hang on.”
Regardless of what Tiera thought, Schnee jumped into the air without faltering.
“Ah, ye-AAAAH!”
Tiera screamed from the sudden fall, but Schnee didn’t mind for the time being. Schnee often did this type of fall together with Shin.
Though she jumped off from about the height of an average building, Schnee landed soundlessly, just like when she got on the wall. After she lowered Tiera, Schnee began to walk with silent footsteps right away.
To Tiera who was kneeling on the ground, holding her chest, and was out of breath, the next words that came out from Schnee mercilessly pierced her.
“Now, it’s time to sneak into the castle.”
“Ye-Yes…”
While recalling her past days of Spartan training, Tiera obediently followed after Schnee.
(Even if Shin returned, Master is still Master…)
Schnee was completely ignorant of Tiera who thought about such a thing.
◆◆◆◆
Now, Schnee and Tiera stepped inside the castle. However, their appearances were not to move sneakily like someone suspicious. In fact, they acted in a very bold way.
They entered the castle’s front gate after a little walking from the wall, and advanced through the passage where the knights and civil officers were going back and forth. They were moving as if they were in a totally open plain.
“Um, where are we going, Master?”
“To the prison cell. I’m going to remove the abnormal statuses on Cardinal Greyl.”
“Well, um, don’t we need to defeat the said demon before?”
“No problem. I already caught it.”
“Master is too amazing…”
While talking with Schnee who answered indifferently, Tiera thought, ‘Demon, it’s over for you.’
There were certainly soldiers who were on patrol and on guard duty. However, there was no one powerful enough that could see through Schnee’s 【Hiding】, and Schnee assumed that there was no need to patrol inside a castle in broad daylight.
‘It was too easy,’ thought Tiera who knew of Schnee’s capabilities, but she held back her question about whether if it was all right to have advanced so easily like this.
Even the demon wouldn’t expect this kind of development.
And then――.
“We have arrived…”
After a several minutes, they arrived at the front door that lead to the prison cell without any incident.
Guarding the sturdy door were two muscular knights. However, when Schnee approached, they leaned their backs against the wall and sat down, as if they lost their strength.
It was the non-chanting magic skill, Sleep. After taking the key from the guards who have completely fallen asleep, Schnee opened the door that led to the prison cell.
You couldn’t say that the prison cell was clean. Even though it was in the royal castle, it had the appearance close to a cave. Each one of the jails were spacious, it was possible to accommodate about ten humans brought together.
Schnee had detected 2 presences within her perceptive range. One of them was the demon and the other belonged to Cardinal Greyl. She headed straight towards the cell because that was where the demon’s presence was.
In the prison cell, except Schnee and company, there were only two presences. Even though the room was quite spacious, only the Cardinal was accommodated there.
After leaving Yuzuha to Tiera and put her on standby, Schnee approached the Cardinal and showed herself. Then, a loud voice from Cardinal Greyl asked for her identity.
“Who’s there?”
“It’s been a long time, Cardinal Greyl.”
“!? T-That voice, perhaps you are Raizar-dono? Why are you here?”
Perplexity was mixed in with Cardinal Greyl’s voice.
Even the Cardinal heard about the disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora.
“You are affected by Charm and Confusion, aren’t you?”
“…You know?”
“I heard you transposed the person who was regarded as an upper class Chosen One and the Second Princess to the Sacred Place.”
“As expected from Raizar-dono, you have quick ears. When did it begin? I have little memory of it. I was arrested by Gadras when I recovered my consciousness, and came to be this state. Even if I try to remember it, no matter how many times, only fragmented and vague memories appear.”
Cardinal Greyl frowned in a regretful way; Schnee felt he was a size smaller than the time when he was part of the Armed Struggle Faction. It was likely he felt responsible for the events that occurred.
“That’s the harmful effect when you get two of the mind interference, you know? I came here to remove Charm and Confusion from you completely. Please be at ease. The two people who were transposed are safe.”
The Cardinal suddenly lifted his head.
“What! Is that the truth!?”
“It’s trustworthy information.”
“I thank you for your concern. Having driven people indispensable to the country, the royal family and a Chosen One, to death, you could say I was very worried.”
“It probably won’t take long until they return. Now, since your worries have disappeared, shall I remove the abnormal states?”
“Yes. It’s frightening that I don’t know when I will lose my sanity. Please do so.”
The truth was it’s already dispelled, but Schnee told him so to make him feel relieved.
When mind interference group magic skills became a taboo, the knowledge of the recovery method was also lost.
Schnee was going to use an abnormality state recovery magic skill on the weakened Cardinal Greyl.
However, before she could activated the skill, a shadow came flying towards Schnee.
“You finally came out, huh?”
Schnee quickly took out a ninja katana,『Lazuline Flame』, and turned her gaze toward the shadow that flew in.
Before her, there was a monster which had a strange appearance.
The lower half of its body had two different legs: one leg resembled that of a cow and the other was human. An exoskeleton similar to insects covered the being from its chest to its buttocks. The left arm had a pair of crab pincers and a mantis sickle. The right arm on the other hand, had five tentacles, all of which had thorns protruding the tips. Its head was probably an anglerfish. With a fish face that extended horizontally, the demon seemed to had compound eyes.
It was like a chimera created with evil intention. That figure, which could only be called revolting, were characteristic traits of the Count class.
――――『Count class Demon Magunumuku Level 423』
With Schnee’s【Analyze】, the enemy’s information was disclosed. The rank was what she expected. The only difference was it had “Magunumuku” as an individual name.
“It has a name. I see, so that’s why it possesses such intelligence, huh?”
Some demons, apart from the rank, have their own name.
It could be said that there were the demon’s version of unique monsters. It was commonly known to be strong, similar to other unique monsters. In an indirect way, its high intelligence seemed to come from it being unique monster.
“Silver hair. Blue eyes. Elf. You are Schneee…Raizaa…huh?”
Did it have a problem with its vocal chords? It seemed to have a distorted out of pitch voice that echoed in the basement.
“It’s been about 500 years since I’ve met your kind. Though I haven’t seen a figure since the natural disaster, it’s still a weird appearance as always.”
“You all are annoying. You fellows are always a nuisance.”
“Naturally, swish!!”
The voice of Magunumuku was erased by a Ting sound that reverberated underground, and blue sparks lit up the dark prison cell momentarily.
As it weaved through the darkness, the thorn that lengthened from the tip of the tentacles were launched at Schnee, but she knocked it down in time. The iron bars of the prison cell were already in pieces by Schnee’s movement.
Whoosh
Pincers and a sickle attacked Schnee who moved to protect Cardinal Greyl.
Schnee caught the 3 lethal weapons that concentrated an attack on her 『Lazuline Flame』. With the katana blade pushed by the Count class, which featured high muscular strength, blue sparks scattered from the 『Lazuline Flame』.
Tentacles approached from Schnee’s right side, which couldn’t move. There were five of them and Schnee’s 『Lazuline Flame』 was suppressed by the pincers and sickle from Magunumuku.
‘Caught you’, Magunumuku thought, but just then a blue trace ran through the base of its tentacles.
Gaaahh!?
The screaming Magunumuku took distance from Schnee.
The compound eyes of Magunumuku caught the dagger, 『Scarlet Flame』, in its view in Schnee’s left hand, and confirmed that it had stopped the 『Lazuline Flame』 with its pincers and sickle.
Magunumuku couldn’t prevent its tentacles from being freely cut by 『Lazuline Flame』, as it was not possible to react to Schnee’s simple but quick movements. Even if the tentacles were able to withstand blows from a greatsword, it couldn’t endure the blade which carried a mysterious shine.
“Guu! Annoying! Why are you protecting a human!?”
“He is an innocent person, I cannot let him die with such a false accusation. Besides, I cannot let you guys do whatever you please. To do so would tarnish Tsuki no Hokora’s record.”
“Tsuki no Hokora. The place of the High Human, huh?”
Mugunumuku, who heard the name Tsuki no Hokora, withdrew back one step and straightened its posture.
Its cut off tentacles regenerated from the part of its base.
“High Human, these fellows also killed many of my comrades. However, that’s already over.”
“Over?”
“They have abandoned this world, and many of the warriors left. Humans that remained, degraded as they progressed.”
“Well, I never thought to be told such a story by a demon.”
Though Count class demons were not smart to that extent, when it came to those owning a name, it seemed able to understand the society of the human race.
“Human era is facing the end. Schneee Raizaa. Be our comrade.”
“Is this the lead in to said story? When I think about whatever you said―――― It’s impossible.”
Magunumuku’s invitation was declined by Schnee without any hesitation. Such a thing was not worthy to be considered.
Magunumuku, which heard Schnee’s answer, bent its without-a-neck-body skillfully, and had a posture that looked puzzled. It appeared to not understand the reason Schnee refused.
“Schneee Raizaa. You were left by your master, why did you refuse us?”
“…Wait.”
In the middle of a trifling conversation, Schnee had to estimate the timing of attack, and her pretty eyebrows twitched to the words originating from Magunumuku.
“What did you just say?”
The air had frozen. Everyone in that room felt the illusion that the temperature inside the prison cell fell below freezing.
At this time, only Tiera felt the furs of Yuzuha and Kagerou suddenly bristling up.
“Your master has left you behind. These fellows have gone long ago. They will no longer return.”
As for Magunumuku, did it not feel the severe cold given off by Schnee? It wouldn’t stop talking.
“Isn’t it hateful? I won’t abandon you. Isn’t it annoying? Just rely on that power.”
Magunumuku kept stacking up words in a crooked voice to Schnee, who was silent.
The distorted sound, which was similar to the noise from the abyss, invaded and surged toward Schnee’s ears.
That was the skillset of Charm and Confusion that had manipulated Cardinal Greyl. The double mind contamination extended its evil hand towards Schnee.
However――
“Indeed, you all are still not aware of it after all.”
Schnee’s voice had somewhat a translucent feeling in it, filling the dark wet prison cell and purifying it.
“What are you talking about?”
“If it was the former me, I would surely be angry. I may have relied on feelings and fought.”
Schnee’s expression changed completely into a calm one from some time ago.
Magunumuku couldn’t understand why it didn’t feel negative emotions.
“The timing was bad for you.”
Schnee, in the next moment after saying so, moved both of her hands that they became blurry, and her weapons『Lazuline Flame』and 『Scarlet Flame』became flashes that penetrated through Magunumuku.
Gaahhh!?
Magunumuku couldn’t even react to the overwhelming speed of Schnee.
The blades pierced through the demon’s right chest and left side belly; its power and sharpness caused Magunumuku to become sewn on the wall of the prison cell.
There, Schnee approached him in a relaxed manner. Her movement was not in the least fast.
“This degree of――”
Its words didn’t continue to the end.
With its view declining diagonally, the figure that projected there, especially the blue shining line, made a strong impression in Magunumuku’s mind.
Magunumuku had its head severed. However, it didn’t cease breathing immediately because of its tough vitality. Therefore, it was able to recognize the ninja katana that gave off a bizarre air that Schnee held in her hand.
(That weapon, don’t tell me, 『Blue Moon』? Absurd, that impossi…)
Its thought also broke off there.
Magunumuku’s view turned blue for an instant, and this time, it ceased breathing after recognizing the ninja katana.
“If now, I don’t feel like losing to an Element Tail.”
Schnee muttered, while feeling the power flow from 『Blue Moon』.
“Raizar-dono. What in the world was that monster just now…?”
Cardinal Greyl confirmed that the demon had vanished, and turned toward Schnee.
Before his eyes, an expression of astonishment appeared on his face.
“The one I defeated just now was the monster called a demon. The one that was manipulating you. Though you should be able to understand what you saw, there is not much known about it because it was a unique monster.”
“That’s a demon…I have read the Church’s documents. It’s humanity’s enemy and is born from miasma.”
The demon, which hadn’t appeared for a very long time, started making its move.
This, may be an advanced warning that something different from the current would happen.
“The abnormal state that affected you has been dispelled. Because I have to tell the King, let’s go together.”
“Ah, what should I say to express my gratitude? I will repay this kindness by all means.”
“Please, don’t get worked up too much. Now, let’s go.”
Schnee winked at Tiera and the rest who were hiding, and began to walk.
Tiera, who was under a 【Hiding】 state, was holding Yuzuha, followed the two people. By the way, Kagerou was hidden inside her shadow the whole time.
◆◆◆◆
Schnee and Cardinal Greyl headed straight to the King’s room. Because Schnee stopped hiding her appearance, people who passed her gave a surprised expression and lowered their heads, which looked impressive to Tiera.
Was the story transmitted to the top brass? A guide came from the King’s bodyguard unit in the midway and led them. It was boisterous inside the castle, probably because the information related to the series of events were not transmitted accurately. As for the guide being dispatched, it was because some of the capable leaders had no choice but to make a move.
“This is the office of the King. Please wait for a little bit.”
Saying so, the guide’s soldier knocked on the door, and conveyed Schnee’s visit.
Schnee already grasped who was inside the room, and when the door opened, she calmly entered. Cardinal Greyl was urged to go inside, too. Tiera and the rest secretly slipped into the room.
There were three people in the office.
King of the Bayreuth Kingdom, Jeon Courtade Bayreuth.
First princess of Bayreuth Kingdom, Efilia Lou Bayreuth.
Knight’s leader of Bayreuth Kingdom, Gadras Jarre.
The color of tension could be perceived on the three people’s expression.
“It’s been a long time. I need to talk with all of you.”
“Ah, Raizar-dono. I’m sorry for meeting you like this. I heard that Tsuki no Hokora had disappeared, and my mind became dismayed, you know?”
“I seemed to have caused you worry. However, Tsuki no Hokora and I are safe. Please rest assured.”
Jeon had heard the report of Schnee being alive and well. However, having met her, moreover obtained the information of Tsuki no Hokora was safe from her directly, he felt relieved.
“Raizar-sama. That is Cardinal Greyl, shouldn’t he have been put into the prison cell?”
“Yes, I would like to talk regarding that.”
To Efilia’s question, Schnee explained to them about the existence of demons and how they were behind the scenes of controlling the cardinal.
“Demons…It’s written in the history book. The enemy of mankind. For such a thing to make a move…”
“They have mind interference skills, which are considered a taboo. What a troublesome bunch.”
Listening to Schnee’s story, Jeon and Gadras groaned with a grave expression.
Because they knew Cardinal Greyl was a person who didn’t neglect self-training, they seemed to fully realize the nuisances of the mind interference system skills that manipulated him.
Efilia anxiously looked at Schnee.
“With my magic skills, can I oppose them?”
“Even without magic system skills, there are skills that weakens the mind interference. I will hand you the Secret Book, please spread it around as much as possible.”
Up until now, such a skill was hardly needed.
However, when the thought of enemies that relied heavily on mind interference skills, like demons, increased, Schnee handed over the『Secret Book』of support system magic skill to Efilia. Though it was a useless item depending on level differences, she thought it was better than doing nothing.
“Also, the two people who were transposed are also safe.”
“Oh, is that the truth?!”
“What a relief…”
“Though princess and Shin-dono are said to be upper class Chosen Ones, I thought they wouldn’t die easily, no, I’m glad, very glad.”
Jeon, Efilia and Gadras looked like they were relieved to hear the safety of Rionne and Shin.
“As for Cardinal Greyl, he has not been affected by mind interference either. Therefore, I came with him to go here.”
“This time I have troubled you all.”
“No, as Raizar-dono said, it was because you received mind interference; it would be the same if it was us. I would like Cardinal Greyl to serve as a mediator with the church as always.”
“Yes sir, I promise to give more effort.”
The cardinal bowed his head to the King.
Because he was not the cause of the event, there was no significant punishment.
“First of all, we need to manage the information. When people of the castle are confused, they become uneasy.”
“Understood. Raizar-dono, what will you do after this?”
“There is a place I must go. Excuse me.”
Schnee bowed and turned back.
Though it was extremely rude toward a King, no one said anything because it was Schnee.
Jeon, as usual, already turned his head and gave instructions to Gadras.
◆◆◆◆
“What will we do from now on, Master?”
“We are heading toward the fort city Balmel. Because when Shin and Rionne escape from the Sacred Place, they will be going there.”
After buying food in town, Schnee and Tiera appeared outside the ramparts.
Since Shin had the wagon, they were going to head on foot from here. Schnee and Yuzuha moved by themselves, but Tiera rode on Kagerou’s back, which transformed to just the right size.
Like the blowing winds, Schnee and the rest ran through the road.
With【Hiding】still in effect, and due to the running speed that was incomparable with horses, the merchants and adventurers passing by were plagued with the sudden gust―――.
“Master~! It’s fast! Too fast!”
“G-Gruu…”
Occasionally, they heard such voices too.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 04 - Blue Ancient of Sacred Place/The-New-Gate-Volume-04-Blue-Ancient-of-Sacred-Place-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_04_Chapter_03_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 2
Going back in time, immediately after Shin and Rionne were transferred to Sacred Place Kalkia.
“How was it?”
“I was able to contact and convey the message to my companions. They will meet us at Balmel and will contact me if something comes up. I asked them to inform the king that the princess is safe for now, but please don’t expect too much.”
Shin thought about what to do next, while telling Rionne; although it was quite different from his actual conversation with Schnee.
Though he wanted to explore the Sacred Place, it would certainly be bad if he took Rionne with him, so he decided to make escaping a top priority and exploration as a bonus.
Even though Rionne was said to be an upper class Chosen One, if the rumored monsters’ information were correct, she would be in danger if Shin didn’t guard her.
“Rionne-sama, do you know anything about the Sacred Place?”
“No, this is also my first time inside, but I have heard stories about the monsters that would come out, and that it would take several upper class Chosen Ones’ everything to deal with them.”
“That’s similar to the information I know. In any case, I will need a weapon, right?”
“Indeed, it’s impossible without a weapon. Is it a blessing in disguise that I have this?”
Rionne said and took out 『Muspelm』from the case she held in hand.
Was this because Rionne had a weapon that could bear all of her energy? Though she was transposed to the danger zone, there was no grim facial expression from her.
Since the case became useless baggage under the current situation, she decided to leave it behind. Because 『Muspelm』 was currently sheathed in what was thought to be a custom-designed scabbard, she didn’t need to carry it exposed.
“I am good, but what about you, Shin? There may be no handy weapons lying around…”
Rionne, who was equipped with 『Muspelm』, muttered as she looked at Shin.
However, Shin didn’t panic. If what he needed was a weapon, he had more than he could possibly use and had explanations for having them prepared.
“It’s okay, because I have this.”
Shin said and took out a piece of a card from his chest pocket and materialized it.
“That’s…?!”
“Haven’t I said it before? I have one or two trumps card concealed.”
Shin laughed a bit proudly towards the surprised Rionne.
What Shin was holding was something that could be misinterpreted as a weak, elliptic-shaped, flattened bar. The katana without-brim had a thickened portion part of the blade, which also best describes its shape.
Its length was about one and a half mel and was fully black in color. Designs like Sanskrit characters were drawn in red on its flat part. Though it had the appearance of a sword, because the weapon was of the heavyweight class like a mace or a long staff, it was mainly for smashing, not cutting, during combat.
This weapon, which seemed to have completely opposite attributes compared to 『Muspelm』, was an average 《Mythology》 grade, named 『Kakura』. The reason why it had a black appearance was because most of it was made of adamantine. There was a little amount of orichalcum in its core, and mithril was used for the Sanskrit characters; as a result, it could deal with the opponent’s magical and physical attacks.
“Even though I thought that you were no ordinary person, when you concealed such a thing…”
“I went through many hardships to obtain it, so please keep it a secret if possible.”
Shin confirmed his senses by taking a swing of 『Kakura』, which was enveloped by a red aura.
By contrast with its thin appearance, because the material was adamantine, its weight was as heavy as Rionne’s 『Muspelm』. The gust of wind conveyed the weight of a single swing.
“I just wanted to ask one thing, where do the Sacred Place investigation teams enter? I have a feeling that they exit over there.”
“Among the gates are four cardinal directions, they enter through the southern gate; of course, it won’t be so easy to pass by.”
“Is it difficult to climb the surrounding walls?”
“Ah, there was one person who tried it once. It’s fine to do it from the outside, but when you try from the inside, monsters seem to only target you. Evasion is also difficult once noticed.”
From the place where Shin and Rionne were, walls that surrounded Kalkia were seen.
Even if one climbed the wall which, by the way, was higher than Bayreuth’s, and did so without any hindrances, it would probably still take a considerable amount of time.
It would take even more time while on the lookout for monsters.
(But if I get serious, it’s possible to do it…)
Though Shin could do it, his ability may be known to Rionne, and it was a simple matter to escape for the two people.
The technique of combining martial arts and magic skills to run up the wall quickly was a relatively popular technique in a battle between players. If he forcibly used the technique little by little, he may be able to do it with just either one of the skills alone. However, according to what he heard from Rionne’s story, that technique must have been lost too.
“Well then, Shin, let’s advance cautiously.”
“Yes.”
The two people moved toward the south gate while observing their surroundings for presences.
Because Kalkia was a city from the game era, Shin thought he could restore the map; however, against his expectations, when he tried there were no significant changes. Still, the map seemed to have been drawn from scratch again.
While watching the presences of monsters, they moved along and jumped onto a roof, and Shin felt his view was distorted.
“What?”
Shin found himself standing on the ground before he knew it.
He intended to jump onto the roof above, but the sensation that transmitted to his feet certainly came through the ground.
“Shin, you felt the same thing too?”
When Shin turned around, Rionne stood there with a similar perplexed expression.
“Wait a minute. Let me try it again just to make sure.”
Saying so, Shin kicked-off the ground a little stronger.
As usual, he only put enough strength so that he could just jump over the roof of the building. However, nothing happened.
“Is this a transition point?”
It was possible to jump to a certain extent. However, when one reached above the height of a certain level, the body that should be jumping up landed on the ground.
“Rionne-sama, how did I look to you?”
For confirmation, Shin asked Rionne.
“You certainly jumped, there’s no doubt about it. However, there, when you reached the height just above the roof of the 1st floor, your figure, which should have been heading up, disappeared, and you appeared on the ground in the next moment.”
While Rionne pointed at the roof of a certain building in front of Shin, she explained how she saw him.
“I see…If we assume that that will happen every time we try to ascend above a certain height, it means that it is blocked.”
Shin concluded.
“This is the first time I’ve seen such a phenomenon. Shin, do you know anything?”
“I think that I have some idea of what’s going on. Can we move continue along the road as is to confirm my hypothesis?”
“I don’t mind, so I’ll leave it to you.”
Shin moved through the readjusted boundary of the main street.
In the middle of the street, they finally stopped in front of a narrow alley that could barely fit two people.
“Rionne-sama, I will enter the alleyway now, please wait here.”
“Okay.”
After saying a few words to Rionne, Shin walked into the alley.
In the following moment, when Shin’s whole body entered the passage, his vision became distorted, and a different scene of the alley came into view.
In Rionne’s eyes, just like what happened to Shin a while ago, Shin seemed to return from the alley unnaturally.
“What on earth is this…?”
Rionne looked at Shin with a puzzled expression.
Although it happened in front of her eyes, she seemingly couldn’t make any sense of it.
“This one too, huh?”
“Shin, can you please explain what is going on? Something is strange with today’s events.”
Rionne asked Shin, who looked like he understood what was going on.
“Sorry, I just want to confirm one last time, because I think I can be sure after this one, could you please wait a little?”
“Muu! If you have to, then it can’t be helped. Also, what is it that you want to confirm?”
Rionne asked as she pressed Shin ahead.
“When we get on this road, there should be a glowing sphere floating. Because you can’t move forward if you go off the road, please take note of it.”
Shin told Rionne the details and began to walk.
Rionne too followed him, while looking closely at her surroundings.
“Rionne-sama, I saw it. It’s there.”
“…Indeed, it’s as you say, a sphere of light.”
The way ahead, also in the center of the road, was a floating sphere with a diameter of about 30 cemels, which emitted a white light.
The brightness was not very strong; one would not be blinded even if they looked straight at it.
“I guess there’s no mistake about it. Somehow this whole city seems to have become a dungeon.”
“WAIT, WHAT?!”
Rionne heard Shin’s explanation, but raised her voice in surprise.
Though the features for the city were lost because of the roaming monsters, it was once a place known to be full of prosperity. When she heard that it become a dungeon, it couldn’t be helped that she was surprised.
“But, what should we do now? I’ve never heard of a town becoming a dungeon before.”
“Even though I say ‘dungeon’, please don’t worry, because it’s different from a general one.”
Shin talked calmly to Rionne who frowned and pondered.
Shin actually knew this whole dungeon-making thing well.
“Please explain it to me, Shin.”
“Sure. What I’m saying is, In the current situation, we can only reach the exit if we go along a specific route.”
“Specific route? Then, the reason for us not being able to move above the roof and the alley…”
“Yes, it’s because it deviates from the specific route. If you try taking shortcuts that greatly deviate from the route, you return to your original location. In order to escape, we must advance following this shining sphere as a marker.”
Shin had remembered that immediately after a massive update, a time-attack race was held using the entire city.
In the city that newly appeared in the update, there were no players’ shops, guild bases and so on. So, in the case of an event using a whole city which was thought to be impossible, was implemented at this opportunity; a time-attack race.
With the center of the city as the entrance, players competed in a time trial to escape from there. The players and parties with the shortest time got a limited edition rare item distributed from the event; therefore, Shin had seen this sphere before.
“I don’t remember registering in this race though.”
Shin continued talking in a small mutter that was not audible to Rionne.
“Because there are no traps installed on the route, if we find the sphere while killing monsters, we should be able to escape without any trouble.”
Monsters would emerge and would match the stats of the players.
【Limit】 couldn’t be released during an event, and decreased stats were applied. In addition, the course became longer if the stats were high; it was the overview of the time-attack race that Shin knew.
Instead of the race deciding on stats or learned techniques, the race was decided upon the escape routes that were randomly generated and differed in length.
(It’s possible to release 【Limit】 now, but will it be different from the event in the game? No…, to begin with, there is a possibility I cannot interfere with the stats because the game became a reality, right?)
Because this world itself was mysterious, Shin couldn’t be certain, but then, not everything should act according to the game scenarios.
“I see, is there a time limit? When exploring the ancient ruins and the dungeon, I heard that there were such things.”
“No, there should not be.”
It was an event which one could clear even if one took their time.
The goal was to compete for the quickest time to escape. According to Shin’s knowledge, there was no particular penalty in the case of being slow.
“Shin, though it may seem bad when I say it this way, I feel lucky to be teleported with you. Thanks to you, I did not have to make any effort in trying to solve this riddle.”
Rionne said while smiling wryly.
If Rionne was actually alone, it was certain that she would waste time before she understood the situation.
“Then, Shin, let’s go look for the lightsphere. Tell me if there’s a place that differs from your knowledge. This is a Sacred Place, I don’t know what can happen.”
“Understood. As for this sphere, it becomes the transition point to the next route. First, I will be transposed ahead. I will return immediately if there is nothing, so please standby.”
“Okay.”
Hearing Rionne’s answer, Shin touched the sphere.
His surrounding scenery suddenly changed in an instant, and Shin was in a different place than a moment ago. When he checked the map, the distance between him and Rionne was not that far. It was the distance of less than five minutes if walking normally.
“This is the part of the race where it gets unpleasant.”
Shin sighed, as he recalled the race that he had experienced before. He returned to Rionne right away.
“It’s safe for transposing. Now then, let’s go.”
“I’m sorry to leave you in a dangerous position.”
“I cannot afford to let you, the princess, to be in my position. Besides, there are groups of monsters ahead at the transposing point. If it were just me, I could only run away.”
Shin, on the contrary, could easily crush the enemies ahead.
If he was in a place where he wouldn’t be seen, Shin would instantly kill any monster that was there without hesitating.
“There’s no need for etiquette here. Let’s both survive and leave together.”
“Of course.”
In response to Rionne’s words, which were full of determination, Shin returned a big nod.
◆◆◆◆
With Shin as the lead, the two people walked down the street.
During the time-attack race, it was basically impossible to move forward except through the main street. There were exceptions, such as hidden passage-like alleys and shortcuts, but it depended completely on luck whether or not they were found.
Unless they were in a very desperate situation and aimed for reversal, it only cost time to look for such a thing. Rionne was also looking for such alleys at first, but with Shin’s advice, she went ahead through the main street obediently.
In a place where they approached a crossroad, Shin looked back at Rionne.
“Rionne-sama, let’s go straight from here.”
“Did you find something?”
“There are three monsters on the left, one on the right. Because there is nothing up front, we should go there first. If it’s no good, we go to the right. Even if the left is the correct path, there will be a series of battles. I think we should avoid battle as much as possible.”
In Shin’s perception range, there were already several presences of monsters.
Because he could narrow down the range to value accuracy, he was able to see their names and levels.
On the left side, there was a level 602 wolf type monster “Blue-Mist Hound”, a scorpion type monster level 544, “Spoerk”, and three level 588 slime type monsters, “Gilslay”.
He could see that it was a three-way battle from the movement of the markers. It would probably be hard for Rionne to jump in there.
In the opposite direction, there was a ghost type monster level 531, Ghillie Wize.
It was a troublesome monster that uses some advanced level magic skills, but with Shin’s 『Kakura』 and Rionne’s 『Muspelm』, they had more than enough to deal effective damage to it. Even with Rionne’s fighting ability alone, going right was the easiest fight. There was no problem even if she were to be directly hit by magic skills if Shin became her shield.
“That’s right, there are only two of us. We should avoid the fights that are likely to be disadvantageous.”
Rionne seemed to believe Shin’s story, and stepped straight forward.
However, the view for the two people became distorted after they walked for about five minutes. It was incomprehensible because it was in the middle of the main street, and the left and right shops changed similarly to a moment ago.
“It seems to be no good here.”
“It looks like it. No choice but to return.”
Since they could not proceed forward, as they agreed beforehand, they returned and instead turned left.
Shin caught the monster’s appearance in his view after moving for a while.
“It’s here. It’s still the only monster, and there’s no other presences of monsters nearby.”
Before the two people was a figure of a mummy, which wore a mist-like black robe and had a twisted, warped-shaped staff.
Only the head and arms resembled the figure of a mummy, neither the legs nor upper body were there. It was a monster that fell into heresy; its own body had turned into mist. Its name was Ghillie Wize.
In fact, by looking at it alone, the mummy that appeared had no physical substances for its head and arms either. It could be said that normal weapons couldn’t deal proper damage; it was a mage type monster which could resist physical attacks.
“What… is that?!”
“A ghost type monster, Ghillie Wize. It can use earth and wind magic. Though it seems to hold a staff, because the staff is floating, it’s movements are irregular. Please be careful.”
“Thanks for the advice!”
Shin gave important info to Rionne while running.
If a person saw this creature for the first time, they may have thought that it was holding a staff, and they would have received severe damage from the flying stick, as they would not be able to perceive any movement from the monster.
“Suuuooooooooooooonyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!”
Its voice reverberated, not knowing where it came from.
It was the magic chants of Ghillie Wize.
“It’s coming!”
Almost at the same time as the Ghillie Wize finished chanting, Shin shouted.
What it released was a wind system magic skill, 【Air Barret】 and 【Air Cutter】. Bullets of compressed wind and blades of sharp wind swooped down on Rionne and Shin. Though both magics were elementary level, the number of attacks were no match for an ordinary mage.
“This degree!!!”
Rionne closed the distance while lightly evading the barrage of winds from Ghillie Wize.
Sparing no effort to display her strengthened physical ability by the support system martial arts skill 【Spirit Manipulation • Katsusen】, she continued dodging the wind magic which should be difficult to see.
Shin too, closed the gap in the same manner as Rionne, approaching the Ghillie Wize. However, if one looked closely, the magic shots actually vanished when they neared Shin. With the magic resistance from the said High Human’s abnormality, the magic couldn’t maintain its form. Judging from mage types such as Ghillie Wize, the existence of Shin had a thoroughly bad compatibility.
“Ziiii!!?”
That surprised voice originated from the Ghillie Wize.
Apparently it had noticed that the magic around Shin had disappeared.
While moving with a speed matching Rionne’s, Shin had a grin and laugh that could only be seen by the Ghillie Wize.
“Uhh!!?”
The word that came out, did it mean, “Crap!!?” if it was said by a human?
It may have realized that its magic didn’t work. The mummy’s face, which should have had no expression, appeared to twitch.
The approaching figure of Shin, who was a little behind than Rionne, must have appeared as the devil in the Ghillie Wize’s eyes. It’s being more cautious toward Shin rather than Rionne who was holding a holy sword that should be its weakness, was the best evidence of it.
“BeeeeJaaaaaaaaaa!!”
With a cry, a large mass of magic power developed around the Ghillie Wize.
It was charging the wind system magic skill 【Storm Blast】 and earth system magic skill【Dragoon Bite】. With a tornado that exceeded the height of the Ghillie Wize, and a huge clay jaw modeled from a dragon, the skill 【Air Barret】 flew wildly, pushing the two attackers.
“Damn it! Is this the power of a monster in the Sacred Place?”
Even Rionne seemed to be alarmed by this.
Putting strength into the hand holding 『Muspelm』, she was going to activate some kind of skill. However, Shin interrupted there.
“Leave it to me here! Rionne-sama, you deal blows on that fellow!”
“Okay, you can count on me!”
Rionne canceled the skill she was going to invoke, and accumulated more power into her arm.
Though it was quite dangerous if Shin failed, Rionne didn’t think that Shin would make a mistake. Even if she only knew a little about his ability, she didn’t doubt Shin’s so called trump card, 『Kakura』.
Shin stepped forth strongly by one step while a pair of advanced level magics drew nearer. These magic skills were unleashed with the Ghillie Wize’s whole power. However, the magic already lost its power due to Shin’s magic resistance; in fact, the magic was on the verge of dispersing.
“Here I go~!!”
Shin used a side sweep towards the magic, which would disappear if blown apart.
Contradictory with its appearance, in front of 『Kakura』’s brandish, which carried a considerable amount of mass, was able to erase the magic that approached the two people so easily that it was basically disappointing. The Ghillie Wize too, never thought that it would be easily broken there.
Seeing Shin and Rionne charging through unscathed, the Ghillie Wize’s movement already stopped completely. Rionne, who never overlooked such opportunities quickly took advantage.
“Got you!!”
Rionne mightily jumped up from behind Shin and rotated once in the air.
Releasing the accumulated power, she invoked the fencing technique system martial arts【Full Moon Edge】. With centrifugal force added to the mass of 『Muspelm』, she struck the increasingly white radiant blade against the Ghillie Wize.
“Dyyyyyyyyyyyyyyーー�!!”
The slashing attack pierced the robe diagonally and blew off one-third of what the Ghillie Wize was composed of, and cut off the arm that held the staff.
The cut off arm then vanished into thin air. Even though it was said to be disembodied, it couldn’t avoid damage if so much of its body got blown off. All the more was true since the attack had a light attribute to it, which was its weak point.
The staff that should have been floating around was also lying on the ground now. The Ghillie Wize screamed at the substantial damage it received, but its suffering hadn’t ended yet. This is because, charging towards the Ghillie Wize that had received so much damage and had started to retreat; was Shin.
Shin was grinning and laughing again.
It’s needless to say that the Ghillie Wize saw Shin, who had a brutal smile, as the devil.
“Hiiiii!?”
Did it have intelligence? The Ghillie Wize started to desperately take distance, as it no longer raised the “Hiiii!?” voice.
However, it was not possible to escape from Shin’s pursuit.
“Time to put an end to this fellow!!”
Shin jumped and swung downwards, on the Ghillie Wize which fell due to damage.
It was the mallet technique system martial arts skill 【Fission】 that enveloped 『Kakura』. Because of the very few martial arts skills that could cause damage to disembodied monsters, the already strong 『Kakura』 was powered up even more.
“orz…”
Ghillie Wize uttered at its final moment as a single blow came from sky; although, what it muttered was a meaning even itself didn’t understand.
“It’s unexpectedly an easy win.”
Rionne seemed to feel satisfied, for the battle that ended after only a few minutes.
“It may be because its weak point is the light attribute bestowed on 『Muspelm』. Added with its high quality, somehow even with only us, two upper class Chosen Ones, we were able to defeat it. It’s usually not so easy.”
Because Shin was troubled that it was strange to be thinking optimistically, he gave a firm reminder.
Perhaps, if his weapon was an iron bar or sword borrowed from the ruins, it hardly would have gone in this direction. Though Ghillie Wize was brought down very easily, if its opponents were ordinary soldiers, it had the ability to destroy approximately a small country on its own. It just had a bad matchup this time.
“I get it. Anyway, my level didn’t go up even when I defeated a unique Skull Face, but this time it did. While it may be true that the battle was easy, I never thought it was weak.”
Apparently, Rionne’s level had gone up.
The opponent was close to her rank in this case. For such, she earned enough experience points to level up.
“Moreover, I also acquired some kind of title.”
“Title?”
‘Titles are obtained through battles and leveling up’, Shin thought as he recalled the things that corresponded to the current battle.
“Yes, it’s displayed as ‘Natural Enemy of Magic Users’.”
‘Natural Enemy of Magic Users’ was a title that was obtained by defeating a monster without using magic, and without receiving any magic damage when fighting against an opponent who uses advanced level magic skills. There was an effect of decreasing the damage of magic skills by 2 percent.
“Oh, I see…but is it okay to tell me that? This kind of thing should be kept a secret, right?”
“It’s thanks to you that I obtained this, Shin. Besides, you will not spread such a thing around, will you?”
“That’s true, but…”
Before he knew it, Rionne’s reliability on Shin seemed to have risen.
Was it because they both fought together?
“Still, from your appearance, you seem to know the effect of the title, Shin.”
“Well, what are you talking about?”
“A while ago, you said “I see”, didn’t you?’
He seemed to have been exposed from his answer.
Because he had a hunch that it would be bad if he knew in detail, he didn’t answer affirmatively. On that subject, Shin recalled that ‘titles are rarer than skills’.
“…I don’t remember it.”
“Are you a noble?…”
Rionne gave out a little disgusted feeling; the nobles in this world seemed to have said similar things, too.
When related to politics, these types of lines seemed to be common anywhere.
“Fufu, but I’m more interested in you suddenly. However, it’s an emergency now. I will question you later on. Then, I will go ahead.”
Did something tug on Rionne’s heartstrings? She began to run away with a small laugh.
Her eyes felt like a hunter who found their prey.
“…Roger that.”
‘I would be rather thankful if you forgot that,’ Shin thought while following Rionne.
When he escaped from the Sacred Place, Shin had a premonition that a troublesome thing like this would come back when he returned.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 04 - Blue Ancient of Sacred Place/The-New-Gate-Volume-04-Blue-Ancient-of-Sacred-Place-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_04_Chapter_03_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 3
“Shin, how many monsters are within your perception range?”
“Besides the other three that I mentioned earlier, there are more than 20 in total. From what I know, most of them supposedly don’t make big movements, but we can’t be careless because some of them tend to disregard this trend too.”
Shin answered to Rionne, while searching for the white sphere to make sure that this was the correct route.
“It would be nice if the rest of the way goes as smoothly as it has been so far.”
“That, I agree with you.”
It was his honest, true feeling.
“Hmm?”
While repeatedly being transposed for several times, Shin noticed something.
After the battle against Ghillie Wize, the route was gradually approaching the center of Kalkia.
“What’s wrong? Is something funny?”
“No, it’s just that I think we are moving away from the gate.”
The route was completely random. There was a behavioral pattern in which a person could transition near the gate in one go.
Were there any requirements that had to be fulfilled during the race to reach the gate? Or was it that the race’s goal was to reach the center? Shin didn’t know, but since it was a one-way route, they would eventually return to the gate even if they came close to the center.
“Indeed. Well, this area in the Sacred Place is uncharted territory, so it’s a good chance to unravel such a place…”
“Although life is more important than information,” Rionne continued and as she followed behind Shin.
When they passed through the street after being transposed some time ago, they used the shade of a wall and the tree that grew in the garden of a residential building to conceal themselves from the wandering monsters.
Such a small technique was possible; although the alleyway couldn’t be used.
Fortunately, they were not lacking hiding places thanks to a house that hadn’t yet collapsed.
The monsters’ blind spots were exploited, as they went behind buildings, garden fences, and occasionally went against the direction of the route.
However, there were some monsters that noticed them because some of the monsters had a perception ability that didn’t rely on sight, but instead sound or heat.
(It’s hard not being able to use skills thoughtlessly…Hiding!)
Shin activated the skill, without Rionne noticing. It was a non-system skill which fell under magic skills, 【Hiding】.
Though its effect was lower than the 【Hiding】 of support system martial arts skills, it could conceal presences, sound, etc. to a number of people like a party within a fixed range. It was useful using this skill too, as they wouldn’t be discovered by snake or bat type monsters.
‘However, it is difficult as I can’t use the skill with all of my strength,’ Shin thought once again.
Even for an upper class Chosen One, dozens of them didn’t have the skill either when he asked Schnee about it.
He didn’t worry about it at that time, but when being with a person like Rionne, it was not done easily.
Even under normal circumstances, she was interested in him because he was knowledgeable in weapons and titles. If various skills of martial arts or magic that he was able to use were discovered, what kind of questioning would await?
(Why is it when coming to a different world, I have limited play?)
‘If the members Schnee, Tiera, and Wilhelm were here, it wouldn’t be a pain in the ass like this,’ Shin thought while running.
It was a considerably high pace, but as expected from a Chosen One, Rionne didn’t have a shortness of breath and so on. Then, after transposing repeatedly several times; just when Shin thought, ‘can we reach the gate without any troubles?’ a formidable enemy appeared.
“…Is that Gilslay?”
It was a different individual that composed 3-way battles some time ago.
With a level of 684, that Gilslay was the highest level among what he saw in Kalkia. It was not a good opponent to be in conflict with as it had random movement and had no regularity.
Weren’t the small-fry enemies that came out in the beginning of the game slimes? This was a monster that could be classified as a formidable boss character.
The most troublesome thing about this Gilslay was that the monster had exceptionally high fighting power for a slime.
Was it because its gel-like shape was irregular? Almost all physical attacks were ineffective. Furthermore, its body stretched out like a tentacle and struck in the same way as a whip. It thrust like a spear, wrapping around to capture its target, and did so until the attacks broke the opponent’s battle formation.
In addition to the body fluids that secreted from Gilslay’s body, it also had an effect of reducing the durability of weapons and armor. It was known to be a typical time-consuming monster, so the battle was prolonged even longer.
Even if its appearance was about 4 mels of semi-transparent water and steamed bun-like, one should never be careless.
“Slime, huh? But if it’s only huge then there’s no problem. Let’s not stand still, but breakthrough in one go.”
“Ahh!? Hey hey, Rionne, don’t go there!!?”
However, apparently Rionne recognized that the said slime was a small-fry and didn’t stay still.
Did she not hear Shin’s panicky voice that said to restrain herself? She went for the endgame as she closed the distance in one breath by using her strength as an upper class Chosen One.
“*Hmph*!! ――Guah!? What on earth is this?!”
Rionne, who swung down 『Muspelm』 at Gilslay, stopped moving when the bizarre reaction occurred.
If Gilslay was similar to any ordinary slime, it definitely would be defeated if she could destroy its core. However, it couldn’t be easily done as Shin examined the situation. The opponent was a monster whose level exceeded 600. It was not so naive as to overlook the chance of Rionne stopping.
Gilslay immediately moved to counterattack. Did it think that she was not a strong opponent? Rionne’s limbs were restrained by the body that stretched out like tentacles.
Moreover, Rionne was not able to react to the unexpected speed.
“Good grief, I told you so!”
The sounds of Rionne’s protective gears dissolving by the Gilslay’s body fluid was heard.
Since he couldn’t just leave her as she was now, Shin approached the slime brandishing his 『Kakura』.
『Kakura』 had a clad in mallet technique system martial arts skill 【Sandstorm Burst】――A single blow of 『Kakura』 was dyed in a brown aura, and blew away the tentacles that had caught Rionne.
Shin’s current stats were quite restricted, but he somehow managed to deal damage to Gilslay.
Nevertheless, Gilslay didn’t appear to have the physical resistance of its main body as the tentacles became thinner. 【Sandstorm Burst】 was effective against opponents who had high physical defense, so it may have been a good idea to use it.
“We will fall back so don’t move for a moment!”
The liberated Rionne was held with one hand by Shin, who jumped back.
With Shin’s leg power, they were able to escape from Gilslay’s attack range in one jump. Tentacles of Gilslay pierced the place where Shin was before just one breath later.
The road they were on used a orichalchum mixture for the pavement. Only the strength of a rampaging middle class Dragon could crack it.
Even so, the tentacles of Gilslay had easily pierced the pavement.
“It penetrated through the orichalcum pavement…”
If it’s Shin’s armor strength, there was no problem receiving any number of attacks, even on his own body. However, knowing the hardness of the pavement, his face was stiff instinctively.
Even though there was no damage, Shin unleashed a single blow and blew out the tentacles. Did the Gislay judge him as a threat? Unlike when it was against Rionne, the Gilslay didn’t go easy.
“Shin, what is that? Is it really a slime?!”
“Calm down first, I’ll explain it to you. That is Gilslay, a monster that is strong at resisting physical attacks. Never confuse that with small-fry slimes from the grassy plains.”
Because it would be a problem if Gilslay charged again, Shin explained briefly what kind of opponent it was to Rionne.
It was indeed troublesome if he plunged into the enemy who didn’t match his power.
“…Sorry, it was careless of me. Even though we are in the Sacred Place.”
“Well, it’s inevitable if you only know about ordinary slimes. Gilslay has a gentle-looking appearance; however, be it slashing or striking, it’s a troublesome opponent since half-hearted attacks are reduced to nothing and have no effect.”
“Ah, it pierced through its body. For my weapon to really be repelled.”
Even though it was a slash without any skill, the attack of 『Muspelm』was repelled.
Looking at Rionne, who nodded seriously, Shin, who for now felt relieved, thought ‘Is this alright?’.
While Rionne was glaring at Gilslay and preparing 『Muspelm』, Shin thought about the plan. It wouldn’t be difficult to separate from Gilslay, as it was a high defense but low agility opponent.
If there was a problem, it lied in its tracking ability.
The monsters who didn’t rely on their five senses could perceive many things such as the opponent’s magic or presence and could pursue them.
Among them, slimes were especially good with this ability. Even if they thought they succeeded in escaping, there were many cases where it actually followed them.
In many places, leaving it alone would lead to more danger. It seemed better to defeat it, Shin concluded.
“This fellow has a considerably high sensing ability. Because we’ve already been targeted, it will chase us for a long time even if we escape. I think I’ll defeat it here, how’s that?”
“I won’t object for my future’s sake, but can you break through that defense, Shin?”
Rionne, who had experienced the firmness of the slime firsthand, had her eyes seem doubtful toward Shin.
The story would have been different if the attribute bestowed upon 『Muspelm』was flame or thunder, but it couldn’t be helped that she said that. Light attributes tended to be very effective against monsters such as undead and ghosts, but it were not very effective towards other monsters.
In other words, since Rionne’s attack was only a physical attack with light attribute, it was ineffective towards Gilslay.
“I’ve got few tricks up my sleeve. I can clear the way to the core, so please destroy the core with your strongest skill. Since the core itself is quite fragile, it should be good to go.”
Generally, monsters with cores were vulnerable to direct attacks on it. It was especially noticeable on the slime group.
It was said that it was the result of balance adjustments for having high defensive power except for the core. So, if given the chance, Shin judged that there would be no problem if it was Rionne’s skill and her weapon’s ability to break the core.
“Shin’s trump card huh? All right then. I’ll leave it to you.”
As if there was no uneasiness, Rionne faced towards the Gilslay.
『Muspelm』was carried on her shoulder and was ready to step up at any time. Rionne would’ve been knocked down by Gilslay if Shin wasn’t there――No, she would have been devoured. The binding force of the tentacles seemed to laugh at Rionne, who resisted desperately. It was frightening just remembering it.
However, with such a strong binding, Shin blew it away with only a single blow, which was why she said she would leave it to Shin.
‘It would be a disgrace as a woman if I didn’t go,’ Rionne thought and let her entire body be filled with power; at the same time, she got rid of idle thoughts from her consciousness.
This world’s mental improvement enhances precision and the power of skills. The original power increased a little, regardless of skills and arts.
Rionne, while waiting for Shin’s signal, prepared the skill that she would unleash.
“I have to meet his expectations.”
Shin took out a card. A blue flame-like pattern was drawn on the surface.
“【Flare Burst】 release!”
Simultaneously with the shout, Shin pointed the card toward Gilslay.
Then as the card tore itself apart, a sphere with a diameter of about 30 cemels appeared.
In the following moment, a heat ray around 1 mel was discharged from the sphere.
The sphere was blue on the outside and white in the center, and charged through the air aiming at Gilslay’s core.
Did it determine that it couldn’t dodge the attack? The Gilslay expand its volume size as the 【Flare Burst】 hit it directly.
There, the heat ray pierced through while scorching the air.
“――!!? ――!!!”
Though the Gilslay desperately withstood it, its body had low resistance to magic by nature from the start. Even if the strengthening by level was taken into account, it wasn’t able to endure the 【Flare Burst】.
When the bluish-white heat ray went off, the figure of Gilslay could be seen with a portion of its body vaporized in the line of fire.
The heat ray didn’t destroy the core, but it was left half exposed.
It may be because a quarter or more of its original volume vanished at once, and the Gilslay didn’t move immediately after receiving the heat ray.
“Now!”
“Leave it to me!!”
Without missing the opportunity, Rionne, who reacted to Shin’s voice, prepared to use 『Muspelm』 and dashed toward Gilslay right away.
Rionne was surprised of the 【Flare Burst】’s power, but since she had to focus on defeating the enemy, she left that thought in the corner of her mind.
With the increased concentration, Rionne’s ability was perfectly demonstrated.
As of now, she arrived at the front of Gilslay quickly, leaving her afterimage as she swung down the 『Muspelm』, and the core was cut in two with little resistance.
“!!?”
Once the weak point of Gilslay was cut right in half, its gel body shook, and its life was ended.
Afterwards, the jewels broke into two and dropped on the ground along with a gel substance.
“Let’s collect the jewels and leave quickly. Other monsters are approaching as they noticed the battle noises.”
“Understood. Please lead the way.”
The jewels, which rolled over the ground, were picked up while running. The two people ran at full speed on the supposed correct route.
“By the way Shin, your language has seemed quite friendly since a while ago.”
“Ah…”
Rionne pointed out as if she just remembered and Shin looked at her with a distorted expression.
His face had “Oops!” clearly written there. Ever since he warned Rionne, who had jumped out recklessly in the spur of the moment towards Gilslay, he had been talking like that without change.
“I wonder if the wall between us disappeared a little, Shin?”
“Ah no, I’m sorry. It’s just, when in battle, my wording becomes rough.”
“Mu! I don’t mind it as is. This is a situation where we must entrust each other’s lives. It’s difficult to cooperate if you’re strangely humbled.”
“Even if you say so, I can’t just talk like this after all…”
In Shin’s mind, in a society where a privileged class such as the royal family and nobles exist, a commoner and the like shouldn’t be talking to them over-familiarly.
“That won’t do. This is the Sacred Place, you know? Anything trivial can cause death. From being modest some time ago, the consequences of it may delay me a bit. If I am killed by my own mistake, then that’s what I deserve. However, if you are put in danger because of my mistake, I’ll not be able to live with it, so dying is not an option. At this time, let’s leave out the strange modesty from each other. You can drop the formalities and just call me Rionne.”
“Well, um…”
Though it was about the problem of wording, before he knew it, it became a serious matter between life or death.
As for the matter of Gilslay, Shin didn’t mean to be especially reserved toward Rionne, but she seemed to interpret so. Still, when it comes to the matter of life or death, he couldn’t decline it without special reason. Before he was aware, it was difficult to continue keeping a distance in that type of atmosphere.
“…Got it. However, I think we should give priority to the royal family in this case, no?”
“Though what you said is also a fair argument, even if only I was left alone, the probability of safely escaping is not high. It’s more meaningful for both of us to be alive. Again, don’t be reserved from now on.”
Words of reluctance didn’t come to Shin’s mind; he accepted Rionne’s condition unwillingly.
The frowned Shin and the joyfully smiling Rionne were indeed opposite.
“This is only temporary until we escape.”
“Mu! Well, there’s no other way.”
He also didn’t forget to make it clear, “I’ll do it since there’s no one here”.
“…Then let me say this while I have the opportunity.”
Because she was slightly annoying, Shin decided to launch a little counterattack.
“I’ve seen them. In various ways.”
“Hmm?”
Did she not understand what Shin was talking about? Rionne looked puzzled.
“Have you look at yourself after being caught by Gilslay?”
“Caught? ――KyaAH!!”
Rionne, who checked her own appearance after Shin’s words, raised a cute voice and crouched down on the spot.
In addition to the equipment that was caught by Gilslay, she finally noticed that it melted her clothes too. Frankly speaking, there were almost no safe places.
Most of her arms and legs were bared, hotpants and so on in a very dangerous state. Only a portion of her body was safe. It was probably thanks to the double equipment of armor that consisted of dragon’s leather and a jacket. It seemed to have prevented her clothes from melting completely.
Although there were holes here and there, given that Rionne was a woman, she had hardly shown it to other people.
The body fluids of Gilslay, which had durability reduction effects, seemed to accomplish its duty well to the last minute.
Was it because it was the body fluids of some fantasy creature? It may be a fortunate blessing in disguise that the skin had no injury. However, Shin was worried about the voice Rionne raised.
“Kyaah?”
“…Don’t look at me.”
“Ahh, sorry…for the time being, put this on.”
The figure of Rionne, which may have been visible and invisible, was very tempting for eyes.
This was embarrassing for Rionne too it seemed, as she was blushing and huddling herself up. Because it couldn’t be helped, Shin let Rionne put on the jacket he wore.
“For now, let’s enter the house over there. It’s bad to stay still here.”
“Okay.”
While Rionne, who was out of order and suddenly became meek, Shin pointed at a relatively decent abandoned house nearby.
Though there were no monsters around, it was better than being outside. Even though it was in the middle of a time-attack race, they were able to enter the isolated house.
Just in case, Shin activated 【Barrier】 without Rionne noticing. Then, an item card was taken out from his chest pocket. Of course, it was actually from the Item Box.
“First of all, change into this. It should be better than what you currently have on.”
The item card was materialized, and presented out to Rionne.
It was the equipment items which had been stored in the Item Box. Because he couldn’t hand over powerful things, the equipment’s rank was low, but since it was strengthened by Shin, it was several times more powerful than those of which were sold in the market, without exception.
What he handed over was a shirt made of rockworm thread, a jacket that used the skin of a black buffalo, and a pair of pants that was made of orb-weaving spider string. As for the appearance, it was a simple plain white shirt, a light brown jacket, and black pants.
“Thank you, do you always have this with you, Shin?”
“Pretty much. There’s a saying, save for a rainy day, save for a time of need, at the place where I’m from.”
Shin said. Just in case Rionne didn’t understand the saying, he made sure to say his hometown.
“It’s a good expression. Still, to possess so many item cards…”
“Acquaintances…Wait, I’m sorry, but I don’t mean to tell you any information about this. It’s sort of an agreement.”
Instead of taking all the responsibility, Shin hinted it as if he obtained it from a personal connection.
“I got it. Not all Chosen Ones are Item Box carriers. I don’t think of trying to pry into you thoughtlessly. It’s just enviable, I think.”
Every item skill were no match compared to the usefulness of an Item Box.
Its carrying capacity was very useful in many fields such as business and military affairs. Rionne was in a preferable direction, since she wasn’t persistent.
“By the way, Shin, though it’s a little rude to ask, I wonder if there are a bit more comfortable clothes that I can borrow?”
“Oh, was it torn anywhere?”
“Well, no? It’s a bit tight.”
“Tight? …Ah.”
When Shin pondered over Rionne’s words, he noticed the meaning behind those words.
The size of the equipment which Shin handed to Rionne was fitted to Shin’s physique. Because a size adjustment function was not included in low-grade equipment, he deliberately disabled the function so he wasn’t suspected.
However, a problem appeared as the result. Mainly on the chest measurement.
“………”
“Hey, what are you looking at?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Shin had glanced at Rionne’s chest, which seemed to be able to burst out of her shirt at any moment because she buttoned up forcibly.
Furthermore, the bottom half of her chest was pushed up. The top half was left open, so now there was a deep cleavage to look down into. In the case of general mass production of clothes, it may be in the right size until there. However, this time, what Rionne wore was equipment that matched with Shin’s physique.
The size adjustment function was adjusted along the line of the body, so Shin, who was classified as a thin man, had no need for room at the chest at all.
The shirt may have been no problem if it was an average sized shirt, but when a pair of hills that were bigger than the average like Rionne’s, there was not enough to hold it in various ways. Additionally, the length of the sleeves were too long; even the joints of her fingers were covered. Her appearance was sensational, in a different meaning than from a while ago. Rather than it becoming shabby equipment, it became cool to see, but only the fingers were outside the long sleeve.
“I’m sorry but the sizes of the clothes are helpless.”
“Muu! There’s no choice, huh?”
Shin didn’t have the intention to tell the truth at the moment, so he decided to say it was helpless.
The reason was by no means a delight for his eyes if she stayed as is.
“Putting that aside, what was that a while ago?”
“That?”
“When you suddenly went “KyaAH!?” before.”
“Wha!? Such a shameless appearance has been seen! I guess it’s not possible to stay dignified.
Rionne protested, but there was no intimidating feeling while her face was dyed in red.
“Is being shy is a common thing?”
“…It’s a way of speaking when I got mixed up in something.”
Rionne, who heard Shin’s remark, scowled at him lightly.
“Well, because there’s an image that a lady’s maid helps to change the clothes of royal families and nobles, I thought you were fine even if you are seen.”
Because there were such scenes in manga and novels he read before, Shin thought that Rionne would also be so.
“Having a lady’s maid to help change my clothes and having been seen by a man in an improper appearance– there’s no way that it’s the same!”
“You say so but don’t you usually notice when your clothes are in tatters that much? I thought it was certainly so, because you were so dignified to that extent.”
“I was focusing on the fight!”
From the slime’s strength to the power of Shin’s card 【Flare Burst】, she should have had enough to be surprised at; even if her clothes came off completely, it couldn’t be helped.
“Also, I am a woman. I can scream too.”
“I don’t mean that, what I want to say is that you are not feminine. Until now, you had a different image. Look, you don’t feel scared when you fought against Ghillie Wize, right? Therefore you are not really similar to my impression of you.”
Shin didn’t know Rionne that much. However, from her attitude until now, the impression of her was dignified was strong.
“…I have no need to keep up appearances. This tone is my personality. I’m aware that it’s hard to say it’s charming as a woman. I’m a woman whose job is to fight.”
“No wait! Why are you being so down for? If you said you’re not attractive, you will make all the women in the world your enemy!”
Because the story deviated towards a strange direction, in order to change the mood, Shin spoke the lines he heard somewhere.
Of course, that was reality.
Though Shin has seen a lot of beautiful girls, it didn’t feel unnatural to put Rionne along with beauties like Schnee and Tiera.
Rionne was more than beautiful enough, though she didn’t seem aware of it. From Shin’s point of view, he couldn’t understand why she became so servile.
“The ability as a warrior and being of royal lineage. There’s not much I can boast about. Not only am I useless in political marriage, I’m also powerless against enemy monsters.”
“You know, you have looked very down for a while now. What’s the matter?”
After they entered the house to take a rest, her thoughts were too negative.
Shin understood that it was not the type of atmosphere to laugh or make fun of, as he tightened his expression himself.
“It’s the fight just now. I couldn’t even put a scratch.”
Even though it could be said that she was the one that gave the final blow, it seemed to be caused by the fact that she wasn’t able to do almost anything to Gilslay.
“I would say a while ago is the question of compatibility. If you had known the physical attacks didn’t work, it would have been a different battle.”
“It’s certainly so. However, if a similar opponent appeared, there’s nothing I could do. If it was only me alone, this time is…”
Shin was worried about how to speak to Rionne, who was now discouraged.
The problem that resulted in having the power of an upper class Chosen One was that it was likely that she had never fought against such a difficult opponent. However, since they have to act together from now on, he couldn’t leave her as is.
“…Hey Rionne, can’t you use a magic skill? If you can use it, you can fight without being repelled.”
“That’s right. I’m not at my elder sister’s level, but I can use several magic skills of elementary level. However, can that affect the enemy in some way or another?”
“Only the elementary levels are usable, huh? Well then…”
It didn’t mean there was nothing she could do about it. If physical attacks didn’t work, one should go with the bestowed attribute instead of the physical attribute as the weapon.
Magic and martial arts. If Rionne could use both skills, a combination skill may be usable, and even if she couldn’t use them, there was a little loophole path too.
The problem was whether he should tell her or not.
While Shin has encountered some things in this world, the people who could use combination skills were limited. Because of that, he didn’t know how combination skills were treated in this world.
Even a mere skill was valuable. A combination skill was unleashed using two or more skills, and it didn’t appear to be common.
On this occasion, he decided to ask it from Schnee.
“(Schnee, is it alright to talk now?)”
“(No problem. Is there anything you need?)”
“(I want to confirm something; nowadays, how are combination skills treated?)”
“(Combination skill, huh? I would say it’s valuable, but it’s not strange for a Chosen One to be able to use it. However, the number of people who can use it are quite limited.)”
Shin briefly talked about the current situation, because he didn’t have much time.
Schnee, who guessed the situation, shared her knowledge about the skills. Living more than 500 years in this world, she covered all of the information to this degree.
“(If I’m a Chosen One, is it alright to teach it?)”
“(I think it’s alright. If you are an upper class Chosen One, it isn’t strange to have multiple combination skills.)”
“(I’m saved)”
Apparently, there was no problem.
He had no doubt if it was information from Schnee, and decided to give advice to Rionne about the skills.
Rionne herself was not a bad person, and she couldn’t protect the country if she was left alone in this condition.
“Hey Rionne, may I ask which magic skills you can use?”
“Magic skills? I don’t mind.”
As a person who seemed to already know, they just started to get acquainted with each other.
So to add one thing to another, Rionne gave away the skills’ names. As for Shin, he explored the combination of Rionne’s martial arts skills and the magic skills she had told him.
However, as expected, she didn’t have a clue about her skill, 【Full Moon Edge】, which was classified as a combination of elementary level magic skills and Ouden rank martial arts skills.
Not only was its balance bad, but also, combination skills that used elementary level magic were few in numbers.
“There’s no helping it. I guess we’re going with an imitation, huh?”
“Imitation?”
Shin, who was lost in thought for a while, decided to teach a method of giving an attribute to a physical attack, although it wasn’t a combination skill.
If he found out the information of other martial arts skills that Rionne could use, there might be some good combinations too. However, he’d like to stop the act of uncovering everything of the other party’s skills.
“Just checking, but Rionne, you can’t use combination skills…right?”
“Indeed, my magic skills haven’t reached the level where they can’t be used as combination skills. I tried many different ways though.”
“Then, have you tried this method?”
Shin explained the method to bestow a false attribute.
It was not a legitimate way, so its power was inevitably diminished compared to the real thing, but it was still powerful enough.
“Can I really be able to go with that?”
“You will know once you try it. I also only knew about this by chance.”
“Okay, let’s try it.”
Rionne then activated the basis of flame technique system magic skill 【Fire】.
Thereupon, near the poised 『Muspelm』, a flame about 30 cemels appeared. When she maintained the state as described by Shin, the flame was gradually absorbed by 『Muspelm』, and its blade turned red.
“Look!”
The foot of the chair which Shin suddenly threw was cut off by『Muspelm』 without any resistance; it was like cutting tofu.
The cut surface scorched; it was clearly understood that heat was added to the blade. Although the proper support magic skill 【Enchant Fire】 somewhat lacked thermal power when compared to combination skills with flame techniques, the effect of the bestowed attribute was still obvious. At least with this, it would be much better than the light attribute.
“What kind of state is this?”
For Rionne, who couldn’t use support and combination skills, she seemed unable to comprehend the current phenomenon just yet.
Since it was placed as an underhanded trick in the game era too, it was no wonder she didn’t understand it.
“Well this, if I have to say, is 【Imitation-type Fire】. I don’t know its formal name either. Please keep in mind it’ll break low-grade weapons when it’s applied there. At least 《Legend》 grade weapons are still needed, and overuse of this is strictly prohibited. Even without the application of personal skills, there are a lot of things that can be done with that.”
“…I understand it vaguely, but was it okay to teach me? This is an undiscovered technique, you know?”
“In this world, the strength of monsters exceeds humans. If such a technique spreads out, there will be fewer victims too. Are you unhappy or something?”
“Very unhappy. You’re only giving it to me, aren’t you Shin?”
Rionne wasn’t convinced at the immature soteriology.
The application and the diversity of the technique that Shin taught, she probably had understood it accurately.
“I tried and understood it, Shin. This can be applied to arts too. You may even use a low durability weapon if it’s an arts, there are many usages besides battle as well. The value of this information is higher than a Geyl gold coin, do you understand?”
“I understand it even without you making such a scary face, Rionne. Isn’t it fine? You obtained so much valuable information. Shouldn’t you be pleased as a royal family?”
While calming Rionne who approached seriously, Shin told the reason.
“But, that is…”
“It’s not convincing, huh? Then――”
Let’s give her a good reason.
“Protect. I want to protect all the countries, people, and myself.”
“That’s the equivalent price,” Shin finished it while staring at Rionne.
“Shin, you…”
Rionne thought there was a secret in Shin’s speech, but she was at a loss for words.
Rionne felt as if Shin was completely making up excuses.
――Therefore.
(Crap! I said it like that to deceive her, but in fact, it wasn’t so useful and was treated as a joke. When such a look of respect was directed at me, the sense of guilt is incredible!)
Rionne wasn’t aware of the things going on in Shin’s mind.
◆◆◆◆
“I’ve accepted your reasons, Shin. I’ll put it to good use without fail!”
Rionne, who didn’t know the truth, firmly clenched her fists and expressed her determination.
Something like eyes on fire could be felt from her.
“First of all, have you recovered?”
“You can count on me. The me a while ago is already gone!”
“Though this is a bad place to display your motivation as we will be avoiding battle, you know?”
“I will bear that in mind, whatever the circumstances may be. Please take care of me.”
Though Shin was worried whether the revived Rionne would want to rush the race or not, as expected it didn’t go to that extent.
However, should one say ‘as expected?’ Her spirit was quite high.
“When I’m together with Shin, it makes me think various stuff. I have thought that the talk about engagement is not bad either.”
“I’ve a fiancee. Give me a break!”
He had a feeling that the distance between each other was gradually diminishing, and Shin couldn’t settle down in the difficult situation.
Though Rionne was a little surprised about how he had a fiancee, she didn’t have the intention to uselessly talk further, and their travel went smoothly.
On the way, when they reached the closest point to the heart of the city, Shin saw something like haze spread out in the center of the Sacred Place.
“What is that?”
The anxious Shin informed Rionne in a few words to see if it was possible to move to a better place on the street and observe the central part using a skill.
Since the central part of the city was slightly higher than the surroundings, they could see it without even without getting on a roof.
Though there were ruins everywhere in the Sacred Place, only the building in the center remained intact. Shin also remembered it faintly because he often came there when the game had just begun.
When he looked back at the haze again, for an instant, something seemed to move inside it.
“What? There’s something there?”
In order to ascertain its identity, Shin stared at it motionlessly.
In several seconds, the moment when something began moving in the haze again, and Shin was assaulted by a sense that seemed to pull him into the haze.
“Uwah!?”
He lost his balance in the abrupt situation, but recovered quickly.
“What’s the matter? You suddenly raised your voice.”
“No, I had the feeling of being sucked in, but it’s alright now.”
At the moment he lost his balance, when he looked again in the haze, he felt nothing in particular.
If he said that it was because he was leaning forward too much and nearly fell because he was staring at one point for a long time, she would have been convinced.
“Shin, I don’t feel anything though?”
“Just what on earth was that?”
Will a similar thing happen? Although Shin watched the haze for a while, the sense he felt in the beginning didn’t come back in the end.
“I’m sorry for making you wait. Now, let’s go.”
“Is it alright? Aren’t you interested, Shin?”
“I’ll come by again even if I don’t go now. In this situation, I don’t have any intentions to say anything more selfish.”
With the princess, he couldn’t investigate the dangerous Sacred Place thoughtlessly.
Shin reaffirmed his priority, and both of them resumed their travel.
Then, in the place where they had transposed for more than three times, Shin and Rionne finally reached at the plaza that existed inside the southern gate.
While being alert of their surroundings just in case, they moved to an alley path to leave the gate and there was nothing stopping them like the teleporting fiasco from before.
“Somehow we have reached the goal. There’s no need to worry about the route anymore.”
“Indeed, with this we escaped at last.”
If Rionne’s story was true, the southern gate seemed to be the gate which was used when Sacred Place was investigated, so they decided to go toward it right away.
“That’s the place.”
Before long, in front of Shin and Rionne, the southern gate of Kalkia revealed itself.
A portion of it was hidden by buildings from the plaza space, but its appearance didn’t change since the game era. It was a solid gate which had defense magic bestowed upon it.
“Wait a minute!…”
Nevertheless, what leaked from Shin’s mouth was a voice of disappointment.
Because the side entrance was for palace guard usage, the door Rionne meant to go through was crushed and buried. The side entrance was more fragile than the main wall, so it was not strange for it to break. However, it was clear that it didn’t collapse naturally.
“I wonder if this is an accidental attack to the side entrance by a fight between monsters?”
“There are some scars in addition to the side entrance, but it’s still unknown with only this.”
Visually on the surface of the side entrance, it was in a state like a cement was poured and hardened.
Even if Shin gently tapped on it, only a feeling of a rigidness was returned. The surface was easy to blow off, but if it was firmly filled in on the inside; it would be the same for the walls. One could see it was hardened in a similar way, as the cement, which fortified the side entrance, was widely used in the surroundings.
“Now that it has come to this, we must climb up the gate; also…what is that?”
When Shin just thought about climbing the gate forcibly as the last resort, he saw a strange thing come into view from the ordinary sky and spread out on the wall which enclosed the Sacred Place.
“I don’t know about this either.”
Similarly, Rionne turned her attention to the sky muttered.
“Is it a barrier?”
When Shin looked around, a dome shape covered the town, and a semi-transparent thin coat was being developed.
Because it resembled the state when 【Wall】 and 【Barrier】were being erected, Shin predicted that it was some kind of barrier.
In the game era, except during events, flying-type monsters couldn’t enter the town. So in this world, it could be said that there was protection developed before their eyes.
“Shall I try a little experiment?”
When Shin picked up a pebble which dropped at his feet, he threw it with all his might toward the sky.
The stone, which was shot by the physical strength of an upper class Chosen One, flew to the top of the wall without losing power and hit the thin coat. The result was slightly different from Shin’s expectations when the electricity made a noise that sounded like a short-circuiting, *Crackle*, and the stone crumbled in an instant.
While the stone was falling, it lost to air resistance and disintegrated in midair; it became sand and blew with the wind.
“Leaving from the top of the wall will be difficult.”
“You’re right. It’s not possible to touch that carelessly.”
Rionne also agreed with Shin’s opinion.
Though it was uncertain how much electrical output the erected barrier had, there’s no doubt it wouldn’t end without someone getting burned.
If Shin used all of his power, he may be able to break the barrier, but he couldn’t do so in front of Rionne, so he decided to keep that as a last resort under the current situation.
“Can’t we use other gates?”
“Only this place was secured in case of an invasion. There are dangerous monsters, so I cannot afford to open the gate leisurely. Thinking about the unlikely event, this is the only place. Besides, the side entrances from the other gates have probably collapsed from the beginning due to the impact of natural disasters. It’s a different story for a small animal, but there’s no gap for a person to pass.”
The findings of Sacred Places seemed to be shared among the countries; Rionne knew in details.
“Then, do I need to break through the site gate forcibly? Is there no other choice but to open the very gate itself?”
The gate’s opening and shutting mechanism was located inside the wall and the entrance was through the side entrance; it was said that the methods to open a gate were a common everywhere.
Even if the part which leads to the outside has been destroyed, there was a possibility that the room with the opening and shutting mechanism was safe. Because they couldn’t move in the southern gate because of the current state it was in, both of them decided to leave for the eastern gate.
◆◆◆◆
“…Strange.”
“Hmm? What it is?”
Rionne asked about the words that she happened to overhear during their travel.
“Most of the monsters’ presences have disappeared. I was going to choose the route with the fewest monsters if possible, but no matter how I look at it, there are no presences at all.”
When Shin felt uncomfortable, he turned his attention to the map; there were already several monsters dwelling in the Sacred Place. That number was greatly reduced than the ones he had perceived when they were heading toward the southern gate and were being transposed.
Although Ghillie Wize was defeated by Shin and Rionne, it should be no more than a ‘pouring water on a hot stone’ level.
“It’s certainly strange, but it has become easier to travel in this way, so isn’t it fine?”
“I hope so too, but because of the difference of information in various ways, I can’t help but foretell something dangerous will happen after this.”
Even if the side entrance of the southern gate was crushed as an accident, the top of the wall had a barrier to prevent anyone from escaping.
The contact was completely cut off from the outside world; it seemed to be trying to confine those who were inside.
“Then, all the more reason to escape quickly. Hurry up!”
“An enemy may appear suddenly. Don’t let your guard down, Rionne.”
It was only an unpleasant premonition, but there was no reason to waste time either; Shin and Rionne raised their running pace.
As a better alternative to the shortcut of going on the roof, due to the dangers of being found by monsters and risks of houses collapsing, they advanced through the way along the wall obediently. In the process, Shin noticed certain things.
“…Isn’t the wall somewhat shining?”
“It’s seems so. I’ve never seen such a phenomenon before.”
At first he thought it was just his imagination, but now it was clearly shining; it was emitted from the wall which stood towering over the surroundings of their flank.
Two colors, ice blue and emerald-green, flowed to the front of Shin and Rionne as they blended together.
“Hey…at this rate, I have a bad feeling about going straight.”
“I agree. However, there’s no place for us to escape to, right? If that’s the case, it’s better to check what’s going on, and then think of a way to countermeasure from there.
“The exit has been blocked. Even if we avoid danger here, there’s no point,” Rionne said.
“It seems so, but I think most humans would want to avoid trouble, don’t you agree?”
Shin joked, as he failed to remember any information about the phenomenon that occurred in front of them.
If there was such a flashy event, it should be caught somewhere in his memory. If there wasn’t, it became a situation which was unknown during the game era.
“I don’t get it, not. Well, look Shin!”
Coming into the wryly smiling Rionne’s view and Shin who was talking jokingly, the eastern gate was visible.
Apparently, a torrent of light seemed to flow to the eastern gate from the north side.
“Did it gather in the gate? …If it gets slightly nearer, it’s better to hide ourselves and observe.”
He didn’t know whether the same thing happened in all gates and decided to stay here for safety.
In front of the gate, the road where they ran along the wall and the main road merged and became a small plaza.
Shin and Rionne entered an inn that was facing the street, and observed the gate from a window on the top floor.
“There’s something like a huge ball.”
A huge blue sphere appeared in front of the gate.
By a rough estimate of 5 mels in diameter, luminous green occasionally ran through on its surface. The mana that moved along the wall could also confirm that it was flowing into the sphere.
“Shin, is this change caused by that?”
“Maybe. I’ve never seen something like this, but it feels like the time when a monster is born, don’t you agree?”
A monster spawned from mana in this world. Shin thought Rionne may have seen it, so he asked.
“No, when a monster is born from accumulating mana power, the scene is warped and takes the monster’s form. Then, it appears by breaking out of the shell. As for a sphere like that, I’ve never seen one.”
“If so, does it mean it’s not an ordinary monster? Or is it not a monster to begin with?”
While looking at the sphere, which was stationary, Shin thought, ‘what is that sphere?’
On Shin’s map, the sphere was displayed with a green marker. This represented neutrality.
However, even if a marker was usually green, there were monsters which turned to red when a player approached, which represented an enemy, so he couldn’t relax his guard.
“For now, I should change to my original equipment. Rionne, here.”
Shin changed his equipment with a shortcut function. It was the Dark King series which he wore during the duel against Girard.
Black coat and trousers, red arm guards and leg guards, and a muffler with a red line like lightning bolt; Shin wore so much protective gear that not a scratch could be dealt if hit by a half-assed attack.
Apart from that, Shin materialized a pair of gauntlets and handed it over to Rionne.
“This is?”
“It’s called ‘Gauntlets of Moribito’, it raises the resistance to magic and abnormality statuses for the equipped person. Its best effect is when the equipped person is about to receive a fatal blow, it’ll become a sacrifice, but only once. I don’t know what will happen in the future, so please equip it just in case.”
“Is this alright? It seems quite a valuable thing to me.”
Rionne, while listening to Shin, turned her attention to the gauntlets.
As for its appearance, the material used was orichalcum, although it was mostly silver in color and close to iron gauntlets. The red pattern on its surface was drawn with paint of mithril and scarletite ingot, which was dissolved by a special method. Self-repair was also possible if not destroyed completely.
Even though the gauntlets were 《Legend》 grade, it had been reinforced by Shin, so its strength was close to 《Mythology》 grade. High defensive power combined with a sacrifice effect was demonstrated when the gauntlets were used as a shield during a critical moment.
“It’s alright because I have these arm guards. Though, even my clothes are far sturdier than armor, I tend to be a puzzle a lot this time. I said it a while ago, ‘save for a rainy day, save for a time of need’.”
Shin raised his crimson red arm guard equipment with both arms himself, and spoke to Rionne.
That so-called Dark King’s Arm Guards have the effect of preventing the skill with an effect such as trap and theft. Also, there is even the effect of reflecting back a portion of the damage; Gauntlets of Moribito’s performance was not on a par with the arm guards.
“…Understood. I’ll use it gratefully.”
When Rionne put on the gauntlets, it shone slightly and its size changed to fit her hands.
“I was worried about the size, but this is really cool!”
“This is my treasured item, so return it later.”
“Got it. However, I feel like I’m being protected by you somehow, Shin.”
“You’re joking―― and as we continue talking, there is movement within the sphere.”
“Are those cracks?”
Urged by Shin, Rionne also turned her eyes to the sphere.
The cracks on the surface of the sphere were spreading gradually, reminding the scene of an egg hatching.
“Indeed, I have a feeling that something will be born after this, Shin.”
“It looks like it. Besides, the wall that shone until a while ago is restored now. Maybe its duty has been finished.”
Shin looked up at the wall.
Was it a place for the mana to pour into the sphere? The possible cause that he could think of was that the wall or the entire city was becoming some kind of device.
Shin didn’t know of any existences that could do so such a feat. If this was in the game, it would be management and the GM, but if they still existed now, “Return me to the original world quickly,” was what he would likely say.
What was the meaning of this phenomenon in this case? When he thought about it, Shin suddenly felt the sense of being dragged into the center of the Sacred Place similarly to a while ago. Shin thought that this might be related.
“――Shin, it came out!”
“It came, huh?…”
There was movement in the sphere before his thoughts were being settled.
When Shin returned his view towards the sphere, the cracks that were spreading little by little already had its whole surface covered. Light began to emit from several places, and flickering ominous light informed them that some kind of existence was moving inside.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 04 - Blue Ancient of Sacred Place/The-New-Gate-Volume-04-Blue-Ancient-of-Sacred-Place-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_04_Chapter_04_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 1
Shin and Rionne shifted their gazes toward the sphere. About a minute later, the globe finally reached its limit.
“KyuAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
A huge cry was raised together with the sound of something similar to glass cracking, and something broke out of the sphere.
“What is that?”
Rionne appeared to have never seen the emerging monster.
“…Looks like a Gryphon.”
“Gryphon?”
“It’s a monster that usually inhabits the forest or highlands.”
While Shin explained, he activated 【Analyze】.
――――『Guardian of rbh%t& Lv$%&』
“It has garbled letters, huh?… A Guardian?”
Barely readable portions of the name were displayed, and Shin looked puzzled while tilting his head.
There was a monster with a ‘Guardian’ prefix attached to their name. However, it was a huge golem with full body armor which would appear in the city and become the base of the players. On top of that, it didn’t come out unless there was a special event.
The current Gryphon before them had crystal wings. Because the wings were made of transparent blue ice and had an angular-shape, it had a solid feeling that living things didn’t have.
“Is that ice?”
Shin judged that those wings were composed of ice crystals, as he saw the cold wave of air released by the wing of the Gryphon, who was generating white mist around it.
When observed carefully, ice also covered its talons up to its foreleg, and the horn that had grown from its forehead. Though they were the same base color as its wings, green was also blended in several places.
A portion of the ground near the Gryphon was already frozen. Was it due to the influence of the ice on its forelegs?
“………”
“Shin, is there something wrong?”
“…No, it certainly resembles a monster I know, but it’s slightly different.”
The monster was similar to ‘Glass-Blue Gryphon’. It was a monster that appeared in ice and snow zones.
However, a Glass-Blue Gryphon has its whole body made of crystal-like glass, which was different than the Gryphon that had just appeared. To begin with, Shin didn’t know of any kind of Gryphon that exceeded 5 mels in body height.
“It’s looking this way!”
The Gryphon, which raised a roar, turned its gaze to the direction where Shin and Rionne were.
Since their eyes met perfectly, it’s not possible to say it was just their imagination.
“Kyuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!”
“Mu! Is it up to something?”
“It’s bad to stay here, so I’ll break the wall!”
At the same time with a shout, Shin broke through the wall in the room and jumped outside.
Rionne followed soon after, and the breath of ice which the Gryphon had released hit the building directly. The building was frozen in an instant.
The Gryphon seemed to have seen that Shin and Rionne escaped, as it turned its neck while breathing out ice in order to put them in the line of fire.
“That’s dangerous! We’re gonna jump!”
“Kyaa, what!?”
Shin carried Rionne and kicked through the air against the looming breath of ice.
He dodged the breath mid-air by a movement system martial arts skill 【Flying Shadow】, and jumped into the shadow of another building.
“It’s a mowing down breath, huh? I’m sure there’s no such attack used by gryphons…”
“I-Is that so? Rather, Shin, I want you to lower me down now.”
Rionne said, while stuttering in Shin’s arm.
The current body pose of Rionne was commonly referred to as ‘holding the princess in one’s arms’ state.
“Ah sorry. It was emergency, so it was either this or I carry you under my arm.”
When Shin pulled Rionne’s arm and evaded the breath, he was able to hold her under his arm, but as expected that may be inappropriate for a princess, so he changed it.
“You really…so what would you do? We cannot go near it since it attacked as soon as we showed up.”
“That kind of attack is a breathing spell or magic power charge, there will be a cooldown-time when the attack is used somewhere, so we have no choice but to attack at once. I will take charge of the front, so aim for its back while hiding in the building, Rionne.”
Though it was a surprise attack, Shin knew the capture method of a Gryphon himself.
Even if he was directly hit with the breath, he shouldn’t be killed on the spot.
“Will you be alright?”
“Leave it to me. I don’t want to be hit, but I’ve a way even if I’m hit.”
The worrying Rionne nodded, and Shin stood up.
After seeing Rionne off, who was moving away from him, he jumped outside the building.
“KyuAAAA!!”
The Gryphon promptly shot its breath.
As if it knew Shin was there, its aim was accurate.
Shin bent over and evaded the breath coming straight at him, then started to run.
Though the Gryphon made a mowing down motion with its breath like it was natural, a similar attack wouldn’t become a threat to Shin.
Using both movement system martial arts skills 【Flying Shadow】 and 【Shukuchi】, Shin sometimes jumped over and dived under as he closed in upon the Gryphon without slowing down.
“Hey, hey I’m here. Where are you aiming at!?”
While exercising one of the taunt skills, 【Clown Noise】, Shin stirred up the Gryphon aloud.
Did the Gryphon determine that its breath wouldn’t hit as it saw Shin’s movements? The Gryphon aimed at Shin with its left foreleg. Shin then intercepted the talons made of ice with his『Kakura』. Taking advantage of his strength, from the lower position he hammered onto the lowered foreleg to reach a conclusion.
“Kyui!!”
“Whoa!!”
The Gryphon and Shin rallied each other, and were both surprised at the weight of the opponent’s blow.
When『Kakura』was pressured by the talons of ice, Shin jumped back at once.
“That is not the physical strength of a Gryphon…”
The Gryphon in the game era was not such a strong monster to that degree.
Though it also depended on the kind, level 600 was the highest; it was an opponent with insufficient power to be considered a formidable enemy.
Yet, the current opponent didn’t appear so.
Shin’s STR was more than 500, although it was being controlled by 【Limit】. If he added the weapon compensation of 『Kakura』, his STR would be close to 600.
With that being easily overwhelmed, Shin concluded that the Gryphon’s STR was more than 700.
“Did I underestimate it? Its power is also strong. I can’t talk to Rionne either, huh?”
Shin lowered the 【Limit】 to II, as he muttered and scolded himself for being deceived by the Gryphon’s appearance. (T/N: The lower the Limit is, the stronger Shin gets. Currently his stats was divided by 2(II) from his original stats)
Though it was not a complete release, his stats still exceeded 999 in the time of the game. Unless it was a powerful boss monster, nothing could overcome the current Shin’s attacks. As for why he didn’t release the limit completely, it was because he couldn’t estimate the power when attacking.
Unlike Schnee, right after Rionne was involved, neither evasion nor defense were possible. Similarly to the battle of the Lord Skull Face, this wasn’t a situation where they could attack without thinking about the damage to the surroundings.
“If I can’t defeat it with this, it is no joke.”
Shin, in the same way as a while ago, started to attack the Gryphon.
The Gryphon, in response to that, raised its ice talons and was about to swoop down on Shin.
“*Hyaah!*”
“KyuAA!?”
Their yell sparked.
『Kakura』 and the ice talons struck each other directly――this time, the winner was 『Kakura』.
It couldn’t endure Shin’s overwhelming physical strength; the ice that covered the Gryphon’s left foreleg burst and scattered. Still, did the ice become a cushion? The Gryphon’s leg itself was safe. However, the Gryphon couldn’t escape the impact, as it had its leg lifted and stumbled back a step or two.
“Tch!”
Nevertheless, the moment the ice covered leg was smashed, Shin was surprised to see that the scattered ice that flew transformed into spears, and Shin missed the opportunity to pursue an attack.
“The ice covering its legs is not an ordinary ice――tto!”
Shin, who witnessed the unexpected ability, dodged the extra ice spears that flew toward him.
The origin of the current ice spears were the Gryphon’s wings. From the large wings, which were unfolded, various small and large ice spears colored blue and green were scattered around to block Shin’s escape route.
Gryphon’s movement became sluggish, as there seemed to be damage to some extent.
“KyI!”
When the Gryphon made a cry sound, ice covered its left foreleg again.
The awkward movement of its left foot was restored accordingly. Apparently, its fighting power didn’t seemed to fall at the place where he smashed it.
“Next is a barrage of breaths, huh?”
While crushing the ice spears with 『Kakura』, Shin attracted the Gryphon’s attention again.
On the edge of his view, he confirmed the figure of Rionne creeping up the back of the Gryphon. As Shin changed his standing position, he examined the attack range of the Gryphon.
The range of the Gryphon’s neck movements limited the breath attack’s direction. Also, it could only shoot the ice spears forward, and when Shin went around to its side, he wasn’t attacked. Though ice talons were equipped on both front and back legs, Rionne should have seen the situation where Shin destroyed the talons.
She should be able to take the Gryphon by surprise now.
“I should have its attention just in case.”
Shin exercised a taunt skill【Shura Rush】 when he confirmed that Rionne was ready with her 『Muspelm』 behind the Gryphon.
Even though there weren’t any other monsters around, he didn’t know when they would appear. Therefore, using a taunt skill to attract the attention of wide-ranging enemy would overwrite the 【Clown Noise】, which collected only a single opponent’s hate; he decided to thwart the possibility of Rionne receiving a surprise attack reversely.
“KyuA!”
“That’s right, look here!”
While adding sporadic attacks, Shin fixed the position of the Gryphon.
Then, the moment the Gryphon spread its wings in order to release ice spears, Rionne started her move.
“――Hyaah!”
『Muspelm』, which gave off a vivid orange effect, hit directly on the joint of the right wing.
However, the wing seemed to have more strength than it appeared, for even with one or two katana used to cut it, the wing was hardly damaged.
“HyaAAAAA!!”
A yell that contained a noticeable fighting spirit accompanied by a striking blow, she somehow succeeded in giving the Gryphon’s wing a small wound.
However, it didn’t restrict the Gryphon’s movement. Rionne continued as it was, attacking the back of the raging Gryphon. Arcs were drawn continuously, as the orange-colored effect covered『Muspelm』.
The rate of Rionne swinging 『Muspelm』 was faster than usual, and the power also increased proportionally to the speed.
Its fur also seemed to have high defensive power, as the Gryphon received almost no damage. However, if its back was attacked, which was the blind spot taken by Rionne, who was a melee-type Chosen One, even the Gryphon couldn’t move properly. Though it tried to shake her off, it wasn’t very successful.
The reason why Rionne could one-sidedly attack the Gryphon was because, besides it being caught off guard, she invoked fencing technique system martial arts skill 【Tyrant Beat】.
While she couldn’t use magic skills during the invocation, she raised offensive ability and attack speed up to 1.4 times as compensation, it was a skill that dealt a stun effect for a very short time to the opponent every time the attack hit.
Even if the effect period was very short, when the condition was met, one-sidedly crushing down the opponent was possible. It was often used in the game era by players whose occupation emphasised physical attacks.
“Ugh, my skill ended! Sorry, but I’ll leave it to you now!”
“Got it!”
The Gryphon’s behind and the back of its neck, which were hacked at recklessly, were leaking a little-amounts of blue mist from its wounds.
When looked at it closely, it was like a blue spray that spewed out from the wounds. It didn’t appear to be a liquid, as it faded and disappeared in the air when it rose 30 cemels like steam.
“Is something leaking!? No, does the body fluid evaporate?”
Shin who looked at the Gryphon’s state made inferences on the phenomenon he had never seen.
“GRUUUUU!!”
With Rionne separated away, the Gryphon flapped its wings in a big way and turned toward Shin.
Its four legs had firmly stepped on the ground. Its HP was almost recovered when he looked at the Gryphon with 【Analyze】.
Because the level displayed was garbled, it was difficult to determine what level the monster was, but he expected level 800 or more from the amount of damage received. Though animal-type monsters typically didn’t have high defensive power, it seemed that this didn’t apply to the Gryphon in front of him.
“This guy is a nuisance.”
While provoking it so Rionne wasn’t targeted, Shin resumed his attacks on the Gryphon.
He aimed at the parts which weren’t covered in ice. As Shin passed through the ice spears unleashed from the Gryphon, he swung 『Kakura』 vigorously at its body. What was returned was a heavy feeling like beating a large mass of rubber.
“KyII!!?”
The Gryphon’s body recoiled sideways, and the place where 『Kakura』stroked was hollowed out greatly.
While the Gryphon was hit by 『Kakura』 which unleashed its slashing attack power as if to cut up the enemy, it wasn’t the end for the Gryphon.
“GRUUU…”
Even if a normal living thing who had received that blow would have their internal organs destroyed, the Gryphon only raised a menacing growl.
Rather than being from receiving damage, it was a cry that one could feel an annoying vexation from.
“Shin! Are you okay?!”
Rionne shouted from the rear of the Gryphon.
“No problem here! Don’t come to the front because of the heavy barrage!”
Shin shouted back.
The strength of the ice spears released by its wings was higher than what a half-baked weapon could produce. Even though the intensity had declined over time, the ice spears still pierced through the orichalcum paved road like the tentacles of Gilslay. In some cases, there was also a possibility that they could not be defended against with 『Muspelm』.
“If the main body is made of ice, then how about this?”
Shin, who was dodging the Gryphon’s attack, took out a card and tossed it to the sky while shouting,
“Release 【Flare Burst】!”
The card was torn and a bluish-white sphere was summoned in response to Shin’s shout.
What he threw to the sky was a shot from the front, because the possibility of it being dodged is high.
“KyUAA!?”
Did it feel the magic power in the sphere? The Gryphon raised a voice of caution. Ice spears which came flying toward the sphere were repelled, and the sign of breath forming could be seen in its mouth.
In the short time after it was launched, heat rays were fired from the sphere. Although Shin could also attack the Gryphon himself at the same time as he tossed the sphere, the effect of the magic may have weakened when Shin approached.
Therefore, Shin materialized 4 one-handed knives made of orichalcum, gripped them between his fingers and threw them.
If it was a synchronized attack from the top and the front, lowering the possibility of either being evaded.
“Shin?”
Rionne was watching Shin’s movements, but expressed her doubt.
It was mostly because the knives Shin threw were greatly off the mark.
“KyUIII!!”
The Gryphon probably also thought he missed the mark. It repelled only two of them which came flying by its wings, and a breath was fired toward the approaching heat ray from the sky.
The snow-white breath collided with the bluish-white heat rays, offsetting each other. The power of the attacks were almost equal, neither one of them overwhelmed the other one-sidedly.
However, that state was only for an instant. The knives which were thrown in the wrong direction changed trajectory and pierced the stomach and the wing of the Gryphon.
“GyUA!”
The power of its breath diminished along with the scream.
Then, the heat ray overcame the breath and hit the Gryphon directly.
“GIIIIIIIIIIII!?”
The Gryphon’s squeal reverberated through the sky of Kalkia.
Its left wing which it had promptly used as a shield was almost evaporated, and the left side of the Gryphon’s face was also burned hideously.
From the wing, which was mostly missing, and from the burnt skin, blue steam spouted out.
“What on earth was that just now…”
Rionne, who saw the knives whose trajectory changed at almost a right angle to pierce the Gryphon, muttered in a dumbfound state.
What Shin had done was called a throwing technique and wind combination skill 【Trick Throw】; it was a skill that made the trajectory of the thrown weapon go toward the target.
In this world where skills were extremely scarce, it may have been unusual for her.
“In that timing, there’s no way I could miss!”
In that single chance, Shin attacked the Gryphon which received damage and lost its balance.
As the breath was not usable as a result of half of its face being burnt, a barrage of ice spears came from its single wing; it was the ideal situation to come close.
“This time it won’t go like a while ago!”
Shin put up『Kakura』 against a blow by the right forefoot of the Gryphon.
The Gryphon’s ice talons burst open together with a roaring sound. The flying ice spears which changed into ice debris were easy to deal with if one knew how to handle them.
As the attack of the forefoot was flicked away, if he turned around to the right side of the collapsed Gryphon’s face, the ice spears didn’t show any effect.
There, Shin brandished his 『Kakura』.
“【Enchant Fire】”
Along with Shin’s mutter, 『Kakura』 was enveloped in flames.
Leaving a red trace in the air, 『Kakura』 struck on the Gryphon’s body directly.
With a thunderous sound that resembled an explosion, the Gryphon slid sideways for about 5 mels. The Gryphon’s talons scraped off the orichalcum pavement, and claw marks were carved on the ground. Though the talons seemed to break easily due to Shin’s attack, the strength of the ice talons were higher than a thin layer of orichalcum.
On the body where Shin hit, some kind of burnt traces remained. Blue steam also grandly leaked from there, as the wound had not burnt completely.
“Its HP condition decreased decently. That steam, is it different from bleeding and magic leakage?”
Shin thought while seeing the HP gauge of the Gryphon.
In case of the bleeding state, it should be the same as a poison; the HP should decrease intermittently. However, the Gryphon had not received any more damage than what Shin had dealt.
“Isn’t it an abnormal state?”
Some of the monsters at boss class often had special attack methods.
In case of the golem group it was hand throwing, in the spector group it was summoning followers, the ability that reflected each of their characteristics were typical. Of course, there were exceptions among them, too.
What he could imagine from the steam gushing out from the wound was an ability of the type that takes time, and changes the environment to one where the boss could fight more easily. This was like a Black Spirit*; many of the monsters which mainly composed of magic attacks had it. (T/N1: Black Spirit is as it sounds like, an RPG monster which is a Spirit)(T/N2: When it says ‘it’, it talks about the ability to change the environment)
“*Shoom*!”
The state of Shin and the Gryphon glaring at each other was probably to determine for a good opportunity.
From the blind spot of the Gryphon, Rionne again prepared with 『Muspelm』 and jumped out.
“KyUI?”
The attention of the Gryphon seemed to completely point toward Shin, it wasn’t able to cope with the surprise attack.
Rionne jumped onto the back of the Gryphon again, and exercised 【Tyrant Beat】. Leaving a trail of orange color, 『Muspelm』 was slammed against the Gryphon.
“GyII!”
The Gryphon which couldn’t bear it, screamed at Rionne who attacked mainly on the left half of its body which was badly burned.
Shin drew the attention of the Gryphon from the front without interfering with Rionne.
“Rionne! I don’t know whether there’s any effect from the steam coming out from the wound! Don’t let it touch you!”
“Got it!”
Rionne utilized the length of 『Muspelm』’s blade, wielding the sword skillfully so as to not touch the steam.
However, as time passed by, Rionne’s movement became too dull to keep up. If one looked closely, the blue steam was clinging to Rionne’s body before she was aware of it.
There was an indication of speed drop when he checked Rionne’s status.
“It’s a debuff system, huh?”
Shin, who had a bad hunch, immediately released cancellation of the weakening magic.
“【Cure All】!”
Though 【Cure】 was sufficient if it’s a single abnormal state, Shin chose the most effective skill he had just in case.
The ability of the enemy whose effect he couldn’t identify, he knew it from experience that it was good to be extra wary. The moment when Rionne had her movement back, she jumped off from the back of the Gryphon. Then the Gryphon waved its wing toward Rionne who was mid-air.
Rionne prevented a direct hit by using 『Muspelm』 as a shield. However, it was impossible for her to completely block the power in the air, and she was sent flying.
Rionne forcibly fixed her posture while mid-air and as she landed the ground was whittled down. Sparks scattered on the paved road and on 『Muspelm』.
“Such power from only being hit by a wing, huh?…”
A muffled voice leaked from Rionne’s mouth.
Even though 『Muspelm』 became a shield, she was sent flying for about 10 mels by the Gryphon. Even if there was almost no damage, the burden on her body was immeasurable.
“I’ll get its attention! Go into a building for a moment!”
Shin shouted and invoked flame system magic skill 【Smoke Bomb】.
A black globe appeared in the air and rushed toward the Gryphon.
“KyUA!”
Though the Gryphon only had a single wing, it still intercepted the black globe well.
When the widely scattered ice spears touched the globe, the black smoke was dispersed grandly with a “Puff” sound.
“GRURURU…”
Did it get cautious over the black smoke covering its surroundings? The Gryphon raised its voice and growled. Without a slight break, a strong wind swept along with a wind noise.
From Shin’s point of view, it seemed that the Gryphon had spread its wing and caused the wind. However, the black smoke generated by the smoke bomb was not affected by the wind. So no matter how much the Gryphon flapped its wing, the black smoke didn’t clear up.
“KyUIII!”
The Gryphon cried as it got irritated.
The black smoke of 【Smoke Bomb】 could obstruct both the sense of smell and sight. So it seemed both were effective. It obviously lost sight of Shin and Rionne as the ice spears were shot in the wrong directions.
Shin fended off the flying ice spears occasionally, and joined with Rionne in the shade of a building. After making sure the wall wouldn’t easily be broken thanks to its thickness, he checked on Rionne’s condition.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, my hands are a bit numb, but I’m all right. But I’m sorry, my attacks don’t seem to deal effective damage to that guy.”
During neither the first nor the second time, Rionne’s attacks couldn’t deal proper damage to the Gryphon.
Power was achieved with skill, so the Gryphon probably had greater defensive power than the combination of Rionne’s STR and 『Muspelm』’s attack power.
“Since I came here, I haven’t been anything other than a burden.”
Rionne put power in her hands gripping the hilt of 『Muspelm』, which touched the ground and made a clattering sound.
Shin then revealed one of his cards to Rionne whose face distorted in frustration.
“It’s also possible to increase the physical ability by 【Enchant】, but what will you do?”
“…Please do. When I’m aimed at by that guy, I’d like to make sure that it won’t interfere with you, Shin.”
Rionne hesitated slightly, but relaxed her shoulders and lowered her head.
“I’ll raise your physical strength and robustness. Please be careful as sensation related to muscle strength can change significantly. Here I go, 【Enchant • Double Strike】 !”
After adding a cautionary note concerning the rise in ability, Shin activated 【Enchant】.
A silver light shone over Rionne’s head, and faded out after it covered her body for a moment. This was the effect when an ability is more than doubled.
“…I feel light”
In the state resulting from【Enchant】, Rionne lifted 『Muspelm』 and said so.
The enormous metal 『Muspelm』 felt like a twig.
“I think you should have realized it, but you cannot treat a weapon the usual way when in a strengthened state. The swing speed is too fast and causes a gap in self-image and senses. Therefore, when trying to strike down a long-distance attack of an enemy, swinging to the sky happens quite often.”
【Enchant】 was very excellent in battle. However, it was a type of skill that only applied to the player, and not the weapon, such that there was an adverse effect.
In the game era, there were two things which caused numerous accidents.
First was as Shin said; because of a shift in timing, neither attack nor defense could be performed satisfactorily. Second, one couldn’t stop at the place they thought when their AGI raised, and self-destruct by crashing into a monster.
Also in the game era, if 【Enchant】 was applied in an unfamiliar state, it was said that it was better not to apply anything when it came to fighting power.
The reason why Shin hadn’t suggested this when they came to Kalkia, was because such risks were taken into account.
Though the rate of increase of the stats depended on the value of the conjurer’s INT, it was Shin who applied 【Enchant】 to Rionne. The effect wasn’t ordinary.
Nevertheless, Shin has yet to acquire the ability which let him adjust 【Enchant】’s rate of increase, Naturally he didn’t have the time to train and master it in Kalkia.
“Now you can dodge the ice spears as much as possible, probably using 『Muspelm』 as a shield. Don’t try to strike it down unskillfully.”
Shin didn’t forget to remind her a couple more times, so she wouldn’t do anything incompetent.
If she focused only on defense, there would be fewer odd mistakes, too.
“Indeed, this is great. It’s like holding 『Muspelm』 like a wooden sword. I may get intoxicated with this feeling of omnipotence.”
While swinging 『Muspelm』 up and down, Rionne said with an eager expression.
Even Shin understood that she would charge recklessly if he didn’t give her a warning.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 04 - Blue Ancient of Sacred Place/The-New-Gate-Volume-04-Blue-Ancient-of-Sacred-Place-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_04_Chapter_04_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 2
“KyUAAAAAA!”
At the same time as Rionne muttered, the Gryphon’s cry echoed.
Shin was ‘waiting and watching’ in the shadow of a building when the Gryphon released its breath in every direction, trying to cover its surroundings with ice.
“Oi oi, it’s recovering.”
Other than the buildings covered with ice, Shin also saw the left half of the Gryphon’s body.
The left half of its body, which was previously burnt by the 【Flare Burst】that Shin had thrown, was already considerably recovered. Though it was not fully healed yet, its wing had almost restored to about 70% of its former shape.
The HP that Shin had greatly reduced was mostly restored, too. The current Gryphon’s HP was about 90% of complete recovery.
“It’s too fast, even for self-recovery!”
Hearing Rionne’s words, Shin looked closely at the wing.
“That’s regeneration rather than recovery. The melted wing is sucking in the blue steam and is restoring to how it was previously!”
The steam, without leaking out of the Gryphon’s wounds, had gathered on the tip of the wing that hadn’t finish regenerating.
Was it regenerating by gathering the steam? Though it wasn’t conclusive whether it hastened the regeneration speed, it was certain that the Gryphon would restore completely over time.
“It seems that the steam will disappear soon. Rather than dealing a large amount of damage all at once, it seems better to shave it down little by little.”
Shin had no conclusive evidence, but as far as he could tell, the steam that didn’t vanish was used for the regeneration of its wing and had gushed out in large amounts from its gaping wound.
Since the wound on the front leg and the body had already recovered, there was no way to tell how those places had regenerated.
“I’ll go to the front. Rionne, you observe the Gryphon’s state; if there’s any change, tell me. Because there’s a possibility that it’s still hiding something, don’t let your guard down. Just be careful.”
“Yeah, there still may be something like the abnormal state from a little while ago. But, Shin, will you be alright alone?”
“You can count on me. It’s not my first time fighting like this.”
They confirmed their course of action and Shin jumped out from the building first.
The effect of the black smoke still remained, as the Gryphon didn’t turn towards Shin.
“Going near it seems bad. I’ll do it from a long distance.”
Shin went around to face its right side where the damage was still being restored, and shot the wind system magic skill 【Air Cutter】.
A blade of wind flew and cut through the black smoke, and slashed the body of the Gryphon. It wasn’t a deep wound. He had deliberately dropped the power, and intended to make a lot of cuts on the surface of its body.
As for the length of the wound, it was about 20 cemels long. The steam, which spouted out, vanished when it rose by approximately 30 cemels. This state wasn’t really different from the one he saw in the early stages of battle.
“The damage dealt is small. Though the wound itself appears to have steam coming out, its state doesn’t seem to have additional decreases to its HP. I need to pay attention to the changes in its body movements and its attacks, huh?”
Shin thought about the countermeasure while observing the state of the Gryphon.
For caution’s sake, he didn’t forget to prepare the cure, so that it was usable anytime.
“Next, I’ll go head on.”
The Gryphon spread its wings and released the ice spears.
Even though the wing had not fully recovered, it was not inferior even when compared with the time it was in a perfect state. Among the widely scattered ice spears, Shin accurately struck down only on those whose trajectory pointed toward himself while advancing.
“KyUAAAAAA!”
Then, a breath of ice approached.
However, as the ice breath had a small range and slower speed than the ice spears, it couldn’t catch up to Shin’s speed. The ice spears that were shot in order to not interfere with the ice breath, were no longer functioned as the primary artillery barrage, and for Shin, it wasn’t difficult to break through the barrage of ice which had become weak.
“Yo, how’s the condition of your body?”
The Gryphon, which concluded that there was no effect from the breath, answered Shin’s remark with a blow of ice talons.
If one looked closely, the ice talons which extended from the Gryphon’s foreleg became one size bigger than before.
“It is reinforced each time it regenerate, huh?”
The ice talons which crashed onto 『Kakura』, shattered like the last time.
However Shin felt that even the size of the shattered ice seemed to have increased. It was likely that its strength went up, too. Though it was natural, the ice spears which transformed from the shattered pieces were just as big as the huge pieces.
By going around to the back, Shin made the Gryphon’s huge figure a shield, causing the ice spears to fly over him.
“Kyiiiiiiiiii!!”
However, the Gryphon also kicked the ground with its hind legs and tried to maintain the line of fire by hovering with its wings.
“That’s a poor move.”
Though the Gryphon displayed a nimbleness which didn’t match its gigantic figure, it was in the line of fire of its own ice spears. Guaranteed to hit the Gryphon, it received a huge damage.
In addition, when considering their physical differences, it was like showing its belly to Shin as the Gryphon flew and floated in the air. It could be said to be a heaven-sent opportunity to drive in a single blow, although there was no guarantee that the belly was soft like an ordinary creature’s.
“Hoo――”
Without overlooking the little opening, Shin, who wielded 『Kakura』, jumped at the bosom without holding back.
From 『Kakura』 that cut up the air, a purple flame burst out.
“――raAAA!!!”
The feathers of the Gryphon were blown away and scattered at the flank of the swung down 『Kakura』, and sank into the skin and inside the meat.
Just like that, the Gryphon’s belly caved in and it slammed against the ground with its whole body.
“GIE!!?”
With a giant body more than 5 mels long falling to the ground, an earthquake traveled through the ground.
The sound of buildings, which were about to crumble, collapsed, and arrived at Shin’s ears along with the Gryphon’s groan.
“Was that about 10% just now?”
Shin confirmed the Gryphon’s remaining HP while landing.
Although his stats were restrained and although his weapon was not 《Ancient》 grade, a single blow directly from Shin had only dealt damage equal to about 10% of its total health. It was an exceptional defensive power for a monster he came across in this world.
The Gryphon didn’t continue to expose the gap while lying on the ground. A gaze of precaution was directed at Shin as it immediately kicked the ground and stood up.
“G-GIIII…”
However, there was no power in that gaze. It was because the purple flames were still spreading in the part where Shin struck the single blow.
At this moment, the Gryphon’s HP gauge was decreasing little by little. What Shin used was the mallet technique and flame technique combination skill 【Wicked Flame Fall】; it generated a flame which dealt additional damage for a certain period of time when an attack hit.
Was it because the Gryphon was clad in ice that it was weak to the fire? The Gryphon made a groan like sound. It was going to let the flame induced wound freeze, but the power of the flame was strong and continued to burn its body.
“That one blow is effective, huh?”
It didn’t seem to be able to recover the internal damage, as there was no steam gushing out that it could suck into its belly. It didn’t recover the HP which continued to decrease.
As for Shin, who judged that dealing damage by blows was more appealing, he once again thrust from the front.
Though the Gryphon came to intercept him immediately, the accuracy of its attack had declined, probably because of the flames burning in its stomach.
Shin slipped through the weakly aimed barrage, eluded the talons, and hammered 『Kakura』 on the places where it wasn’t covered in ice, such as the Gryphon’s body or its neck, etc. Along with its decreased HP, the movements of the Gryphon became duller.
Then, that moment came around. The accumulated damage had reached its feet. The Gryphon had raised its ice talons toward Shin, but its hind leg that was on the ground suddenly lost power.
The Gryphon which swung up its foreleg, couldn’t recover from its collapsing posture. Shin didn’t miss that fatal opening.
“Sorry but I can’t afford to miss here.”
The one who got attacked was the Gryphon. The one who tried to hunt was being hunted, it was the way of the world.
Shin kicked the ground and jumped up, a bluish-white sphere appearing on his right palm. This was the flame technique system magic skill which had burnt half of the Gryphon’s body;【Flare Burst】’s sphere, before the heat ray was discharged.
Shin then pushed the sphere onto the falling Gryphon’s head.
“Can you withstand this at zero distance?”
As soon as Shin finished speaking, a heat ray was discharged from the sphere.
Against the mighty amount of heat emitted from point blank, the Gryphon had no way to defend. The heat ray which charged straight, melted the Gryphon’s head as it went through the body in the line of fire, and melted the ground.
The body of the Gryphon, whose head had vanished, fell down to the ground as it lost power. The HP which was displayed was 0 without a doubt.
From its body where the heat ray penetrated its head, and other wounds as well, a mix of blue and green liquid flowed out.
“Is it over?”
As Shin landed on the ground, he was wary of the surroundings next to the Gryphon’s corpse.
He felt only Rionne’s presence.
“Shin! You did it!”
Rionne, who had been hiding, came running up. She called out to Shin, after confirming the Gryphon had ceased to breathe.
“It’s possible to go outside now with this, huh?”
“Worst case, even if we can’t go out from the side entrance, we can use the means to open the gate.”
“Will that be alright? It’s possible for the outside monsters to come in.”
“The side entrance here is somehow connected to the room with the gate opening and shutting device. Besides, it has a width to the extent where a carriage can pass through when the gate is open, and it also closes after several minutes. Even if there are monsters outside, if it’s you and I, it’s possible to escape as soon as we defeat them.”
After verifying the detailed operation and time taken, etc, when it seemed to be no problem, Shin also agreed with Rionne’s opinion.
However, at that time when the two people began to walk, a change happened.
◆◆◆◆
“What?”
It was Shin who noticed it first. When he turned around, on the periphery of the body, fluid was flowing out of the Gryphon, blue steam was generated.
“The monster’s body fluid?”
“I think it’s the steam coming out from the wounds simultaneously with the body fluids…although I have a bad feeling.”
Almost at the same time when Shin said that, the steam converged mid-air and a familiar silhouette was formed.
In just a few seconds, there was a figure of Gryphon which was exactly the same as several minutes before in front of Shin and Rionne.
“KyuAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
A roar together accompanied by ice spears assaulted the two people.
Shin and Rionne resisted it, and escaped to shelter for a moment.
“…Now then, what will you do? It has resurrected!”
“Yeah. What I think is, it has a separate main body, and the rest was created by magic.”
“Hmm, what do you mean?”
“There is another main body, it means that the Gryphon is a puppet or something, and another monster or conjurer manipulates it. As the monster is created by magic, it’s the technique to engrave on something, but it feel like the revival and the reconstruction of the monster was done automatically. It’s good if the main body is defeated. Also, in case it was engraved with magic, it’s settled when the magic formation or the catalyst is destroyed. Given the circumstances that emerged, I think it’s the latter, but…”
As far as Shin knew, there were several skills to summon a monster.
However, in this case, it was different from the monster partner of tamer and monster summon of summoner. It was also not the doll summons of exorcist’s magic and puppeteering.
The monster was created by magic ―― it appeared to be the closest method he could think of. Normally it was often used as a trap in dungeons.
“Then, there is a magic formula that became the key somewhere in this Sacred Place?”
“Maybe. Because it is usually close to the emerging monster, finding it should not be so difficult. It’s suspicious…it’s over there as I thought.”
While Shin slightly peeked out from under cover, he pointed toward the wall.
“The side entrance? Near the place where the opening and shutting device for the gate is, could there be something that would make such a monster appear, Shin?”
“That Gryphon, I think it prevents us from going outside Sacred Place. Because it holds a position in front of the gate, we cannot get close to the side entrance either. But it doesn’t mean there is no other choice, it’s the most suspicious at the moment.”
Given that the Gryphon had attacked regardless of the place, there shouldn’t be such a thing in a building where it would mistakenly bombard the surrounding area.
“I’ll become a decoy again. Rionne, you enter the side entrance in the meantime and use this item to inspect things. It reacts when there is a magic formation nearby. Here, this is for defensive use when you’re in a pinch.”
Shin said while materializing 2 items in his pocket, and handed them over to Rionne.
Both items were necklace-shaped items, so it would never get in the way of action.
“I have a feeling that these are superb items again…I’ll not ask about it now. I don’t worry because it’s you, Shin. Just don’t act too recklessly.”
Shin nodded at Rionne’s words, and jumped out ahead into the Gryphon’s line of sight.
“I’m here!”
He raised his voice on purpose to notify his presence.
The ice spears came flying instantaneously, but they were brushed off by 『Kakura』 as he approached the Gryphon.
After confirming that the Gryphon’s attention was directed at Shin, Rionne also started to run.
“It could stand a blow of Limit II. Unless I go further, it’s unlikely for me to beat it down.”
After seeing that Rionne went into the side entrance, Shin released his limit.
He couldn’t predict the impact on the surroundings due to having the biggest offensive power. However, in front of the Gryphon, he couldn’t do an instant kill, at least not with his former stats.
Then at this chance, he decided to use it as a subject for an experiment.
*Swish!*
Shin jumped off the ground and shortened the distance to the Gryphon.
To Shin, who was coming at a speed that couldn’t be compared to up until now, the Gryphon was not able to react.
Since he was faster than the ice spears that were shot, the『Kakura』 wielded by Shin reached the Gryphon’s neck. Previously, the strike was obstructed by the Gryphon’s feathers and skin, and even if 『Kakura』 only dealt the damage due to a blow, it was different this time.
The blade part of 『Kakura』 broke through the defensive power of the Gryphon and gouged out the meat while the blade creaked under the power exerted.
Right after Shin passed by next to the Gryphon, the neck of the Gryphon rolled onto the ground after a gap of several seconds.
It was so quick that less than a second had passed from the moment he closed the distance while wielding 『Kakura』 until the Gryphon’s neck was sliced. If there was an expression on the Gryphon, it would have said “I don’t understand what happened”.
However, the body which fell down and the neck which rolled onto the ground turned into blue and green steam before long, furthermore, it was revived in a perfect state in several seconds.
“Until Rionne finds something, shall we have test of who can hold out the longest?”
The distance between Shin and the Gryphon was almost 0.
He knew that it had restored. There was no way he didn’t anticipate such a presage.
Shin mercilessly beat the resurrected Gryphon with 『Kakura』. Once again, its neck dropped, its body was cut in two, and burnt down with magic.
The Gryphon was simply a target to the current Shin. Like a carp on top of a cutting board, it was merely plain food preparation.
“GhuI!!”
“Too bad”
The Gryphon’s struggle was futile, as its ice spears were dodged, smashed, and 『Kakura』 was swung down in return. The kill count exceeded 10, 20, and piled up to 30, but the Gryphon hadn’t weakened.
“What’s the deal with it?”
The result was the same either magic or physical.
Shin couldn’t think of anything but to confine it afterward.
“KYUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”
The Gryphon cried, it was conspicuously high.
Soon after that, the dragged sense Shin felt at the central part of the Sacred Place enveloped his whole body.
“What again!?”
Come to think of it, it was likely that this Gryphon was connected to the haze at the central part. It didn’t seem to be his imagination after all.
Shin unleashed a magic skill while going against the drawing force, but all too soon, he was drawn in by a white sphere which appeared on the joint part of the Gryphon’s neck. Though it was possible to shatter it with 『Kakura』, the force becomes irresistible when approached and disappears in the same way of approaching magic. (T/N: He basically can’t destroy the sphere, as it won’t let him. It disappear when one get close and there is force of attraction towards it.)
The suction force gradually became stronger, and Shin’s shoes began to scrape the ground.
Shin made up his mind to attack the sphere, whether he had choice or not. For better or for worse, that happened.
“What the heck is this…”
A golden shine began to escape from Shin’s body.
That light reminded him of the last boss in the death game, Origin’s 【Golden Wave】.
“KYUUUII!!”
In response to the golden lights appearance, the Gryphon groaned. As if it was cautious of the light.
“The drawn feeling faded away, huh?”
Before he knew it, the sense that pulled him toward the center was gone.
While Shin carefully observed the Gryphon, he also devoted some of his attention to the light leaking from his own body. When he attempted to move it using same way he handled magic power, the light surprisingly obeyed Shin’s intention without a hitch.
The golden light gathered at 『Kakura』, and it turned into a golden blade.
“…Shall I try it?”
Shin muttered while he ran.
He was at point-blank range to begin with, so the distance with the Gryphon was closed in an instant, and the swung 『Kakura』 left a golden trace.
“KyuA!?”
The Gryphon also tried to avoid with its very best effort, but its left foreleg flew without it being able to evade.
“KYIIIIIII!!?”
“This is, it went well, huh?”
From the joint of the foot which Shin blew away, the blue steam didn’t come out.
As for the left foreleg which was blown off, it had disappeared as it dissolved in mid-air.
The Gryphon fired ice spears aiming at Shin, and tried to keep distance. It was not possible to read its facial expression, but that was indeed the flustered expression of the Gryphon.
If the advantage of overwhelming regenerative ability was lost, it was a natural reaction to have, because the difference between their combat strength was obvious.
“I don’t understand it well, but I’m grateful!”
Shin corrected his posture with 『Kakura』, and took aim at the Gryphon.
“KYUU…KYUA!”
In an instant when the Gryphon was aware of Shin who had the shining 『Kakura』, it donned an armor of ice on its whole body.
As for the lost left foreleg, it was compensated with an artificial limb made of ice. Its talons were enlarged further, each one seemed to be a sharp sword. Its body also became one size bigger by having ice enveloped to its whole body, and a feeling of coercion increased too. A thin blue aura emitted from the armor of ice.
“KYUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”
“Is that your full power? Bring it on!!”
Shin also screamed back at the roar filled with thirst for blood.
It was the Gryphon that took the first move. Its flying speed, formation speed, and ice spears which was shot by its wings became remarkably fast.
In the barrage of ice which tried to bury the surroundings, Shin answered by waving 『Kakura』.
With enhanced dynamic vision, Shin firmly perceived the ice spears coming toward him. His arm which wielded 『Kakura』, responded to Shin’s consciousness without any delay.
A golden blur intercepted the blue and green barrage. More than 10 of the ice spears were shattered by one swing of 『Kakura』.
A storm of raining ice spears and hail was not allowed to advance before the impregnable defence formed by the golden blur.
“KyUA!”
However, the ice spears were only for stalling. The enemy’s favorite was the breath which came later.
The breath unleashed from the Gryphon’s mouth went directly toward Shin. Its thickness was twice the previous; it became approximately 80 cemels thick. The breath sped straight through the air like a blue laser, and Shin caught it head-on.
『Kakura』which swung downward straight from the upper position, thrust into the center of the breath. The breath then split into 2 directions with the contact portion of『Kakura』 as the base point. And then the breath ran along Shin’s left and right, and the swallowed up nearby ice spears were frozen over. In the twinkling of an eye, anything that wasn’t behind Shin was covered in ice.
“I was preoccupied by the front that I’ve become negligent of other things.”
“GHUA!?”
That Gryphon screamed almost at the same time as Shin’s remark.
Several explosions were heard; the force of the breath weakened, and the number of ice spears decreased too. Emerging from the opening 『Kakura』 made by scattering the breath, the figure of the Gryphon with the back part of its ice armor split open.
Shin, who had activated flying magic skill while facing the breath, had attacked from the Gryphon’s overhead. The explosive sounds were the result of using a skill of the flame technique system. It seemed that the damage reached not only the armor but also the inside, as the breath ceased after a few second as well.
With less ice spears, there would no longer be any obstacle for Shin. Against Shin who closed the distance instantaneously, the Gryphon answered with talons of its foreleg.
The fact that it couldn’t even react some time ago was hard to believe, as its eyes managed to track Shin’s movements. Earlier at the beginning, its left talons were swung out a beat late.
The shining talons which basked under the sun, appeared to flaunt their sharpness.
*Swish!*
To match the right talons, Shin raised 『Kakura』.
The moment they struck each other, the repelled right foreleg of the Gryphon flew into the air. With the momentum of the raised『Kakura』just now, Shin rotated sideways on the spot. The raised 『Kakura』struck against the left ice foreleg which approached too late.
In front of the Gryphon, 『Kakura』 drew a golden arc. Its left ice foot, which couldn’t withstand the power of 『Kakura』, flew into the air like its right foreleg.
“I got y――huh!?”
Just as Shin went directly to take its neck, a strike entered from the upper left sky.
He immediately repelled it with 『Kakura』, and glanced at the things that attacked him.
“That a Gryphon’s tail huh? But I suppose it should be quieter…”
What was swaying from side to side in the air was the Gryphon’s tail which didn’t have a presence until now.
It was covered in ice and had its length extended, it had become like a whip.
With an armor worn on its whole body, the number of weapons seemed to have increased too.
“But it’s futile!”
If the secret was broken, coping was possible.
It was said that the tip of a common whip could surpass the speed of sound, but the Gryphon’s tail was even faster. However, it was not a speed that Shin couldn’t react to.
He was only surprised to see an attack from an unexpected direction upon receiving it. The trajectory of the tail flying on a wall, along with the huge figure of the Gryphon, had been supplemented by his 【Mind’s Eyes】.
Shin matched its timing, and flung 『Kakura』 against the flying ice tail. As the strength of the tail was low, it was easily cut.
“…It has quick recovery, huh?”
Shin expressed his discouraged grumble.
Because in front of Shin, the tail was restored in but a moment. It was probably because the part he sliced off was not a living body.
And then both of its forelegs were reconstructed with ice too.
“As expected, I have no choice but to slice its neck.”
As soon as Shin said so, he invoked a magic skill.
The golden light which covered 『Kakura』, fused with a crimson red light. At the same time, above the sky, a flame technique system magic skill【Red Tomahawk】 was fired onto the Gryphon’s rear. An arc was drawn in the sky, as Shin began to aim the flame bullets to rain at the Gryphon.
While attacking Shin with its tail, the Gryphon back stepped with an agility that belied its gigantic figure. It spread its wings and fired ice spears at the sky, while sending forth a breath.
“What a clever guy!”
The Gryphon which dealt with simultaneous attacks from the sky and the land, was praised by Shin. That was simply because it was the composure of the strong.
In reality, the Gryphon was not able to completely prevent his attack. The flame bullets plowed through while erasing the storm of ice spears. Though several blew up on the way, the remainder were rained down on the Gryphon.
“GHUII!?”
A scream leak from the Gryphon’s mouth. Its tail strike and breath were interrupted.
“This time I won’t miss!!”
The ground was crushed as Shin stepped on it.
『Kakura』 which went into motion, cast more light.
A mallet technique and flame technique combination skill 【Flame Net Charge】.
『Kakura』was struck against the base of the Gryphon’s neck.
The armor of ice evaporated after touching 『Kakura』, and the Gryphon’s body along its trajectory was burnt off.
Along the slashing mark, a red line was carved on the Gryphon’s body.
“See you”
After leaving a parting word, Shin distanced himself immediately.
In the next moment, intense light emitted from the red line carved on the Gryphon, and exploded.
【Flame Net Charge】 was originally used for blunt weapons such as hammers and so on to crush the opponent, it was a skill to blow up the opponent as well as the ground.
Since 『Kakura』was thin this time, it resulted in an explosion along the line.
“Was it done?”
Shin confirmed that the golden light was also mixed in the explosion.
When that was considered, the effect of the golden light should have been carried on with the effect of the skill. When the explosive flame cleared up, the figure of the Gryphon was nowhere to be seen.
The remains of the Gryphon which turned into pieces, were scattered everywhere.
When he looked at the state for a while, the remains collapsed and vanished like sand. There was nothing left behind. Even the light emitted from Shin’s body disappeared after the Gryphon exploded.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 04 - Blue Ancient of Sacred Place/The-New-Gate-Volume-04-Blue-Ancient-of-Sacred-Place-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_04_Chapter_04_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 3
“What the heck was that?…”
When Shin breathed out a sigh of fatigue, he heard a *Ga-thunk* sound from the gate.
When he turned his gaze toward the sound, a heavy gate was slowly opening.
“Shin! Are you alright!?”
From the direction of the voice, Rionne was running from the side entrance.
It seemed like she managed to open the gate safely.
“I’m okay, Rionne. I defeated the Gryphon somehow. What was that?”
“Ah, I heard an explosive sound, so I thought you had used a trump card. I was thinking about trying to escape as soon as the Gryphon was temporarily incapacitated.”
The monsters in the Sacred Place didn’t go outside. She seemed to have intended to utilize that rule.
Since the Gryphon was an unknown monster, it may have chased them later on, but she judged that it was possible to push it back with 2 people. There was also a possibility that the Gryphon couldn’t pass through the slightly opened gate with its gigantic body.
“Because it’s you, Shin, although I also felt that you could defeat it…It seem I was right.”
“More than anything, I seem to be able to live up to expectations. Now, let’s hurry up before the gate closes.”
Shin urged Rionne and moved to the outside of the gate.
Thereupon, Shin and Rionne went outside and walked on the road a little, and exactly as Rionne said, the gate closed automatically. When Shin shifted his eyes toward the sky, the magic barrier which enveloped the Sacred Place also deactivated.
What had happened? Shin didn’t understand it.
However, he made up his mind to remember this event well, and looked back at Rionne. He smiled with an expression as gentle as possible. Because she may be worried if he still had a serious face.
“It was a successful escape.”
“Yeah, for the time being, rather than being inside, it should be much safer.”
◆◆◆◆
While being cautious of the surroundings, the two people were still not as tense as they were inside Kalkia.
“Let’s run from here on out. Both of us are upper class Chosen Ones. Rather than looking for a village to procure a horse, running by ourselves is better and we can arrive faster.”
“Yeah, I have no objection. Balmel is at the eastside of the Melt Mountains, so if we run while making the mountains into landmarks, we should be fine.”
Balmel was a fort city that was built in order to respond when the monsters overflowed from Kalkia. It faced both the sea and mountains, and seemed to be a convenient place to live if only there was no mass monster outbreak.
Since there was also the promise with Schnee, he decided to go toward Balmel as Rionne said. They ran at a speed that would leave horses behind.
After 15 minutes of running while ignoring the monsters which were seen occasionally, Shin perceived an abnormal number of monsters’ presences in his sensing range.
“…Hey Rionne, is Balmel further ahead?”
“Yes, is there something wrong?”
“There are large amount of monsters ahead, is that alright?”
Rionne, who heard the information which Shin perceived, made a stiffened expression all of a sudden.
“Don’t tell me, the ‘Flood’ is happening!?”
“‘Flood’?”
“Around the Sacred Place, the demon essence accumulates, which overflows from the Sacred Place. Though it doesn’t have influence on the human body, when the demon essence gathers to a certain amount, all of it manifests into monsters and is unleashed into the surroundings. We call that the ‘Flood’.”
Shin, by chance, had previously read about the description of the phenomenon in the library of Bayreuth.
In the content written in the book, it was a story of emergence of the low-level monsters. However no matter how much he looked, the number of monsters would cause numerous resources to be destroyed.
“If the end of the monster line is still here, the front may not arrive at Balmel immediately. I’ll overtake it and support Balmel.”
“Roger. As expected, in this situation, you won’t just leave them alone, Shin.”
A commoner would have simply run away, but unfortunately, these two people were far from commoners.
Balmel wouldn’t fall easily; there would be enough countermeasures as it was the only purpose of the town. However the scale of the ‘Flood’ was not fixed, ‘there’s no knowing what may happen’, was also written.
It was not a thing he could ignore when he heard about it; that’s the character of the man called Shin.
“It seems going home will take longer.”
The running Rionne, who took a detour to chase after the group of monsters, Shin also raised his pace of running.
After a little while, a huge group of monsters were confirmed by sight.
In every ‘Flood’, there seemed to be a trend in the emerging monsters. This time it was humanoid monsters, such as goblins and orcs that became the majority.
Was it a blessing of God? Compared to the high physical ability beast type and the tirelessly golem type, their pace was considerably slow. However, the large crowd of monsters was certainly headed to Balmel.
“Hmm? Hey Rionne, there’s smoke rising over there, do you know what it is?”
At the right front of the running Shin, a big cloud of smoke that appeared suddenly was visible.
When he listened carefully, explosive sounds were audible, too. Apparently, there was something going on in the vicinity of the boundary between the forest in the plain and the Melt Mountains.
“Perhaps, the Mist Garuda have descended the mountains. Melt Mountains is in the territory of the Mist Garuda after all. When the monsters that were born, in the ‘Flood’, were about to enter the mountains, I heard they were reduced to ashes. That’s why the monsters have no choice but to advance toward Balmel.”
The Mist Garuda may not have had the intention, but they seemed to have become the figure that guided the monsters toward Balmel in a good way.
On top of that, since it killed the monsters which trespassed on the mountains, it had reduced the numbers that reached Balmel. Therefore, it was said that the act of trying to hunt the Mist Garuda in Melt Mountains was prohibited in a treaty. Because it reduced the damage of the ‘Flood’, it was outrageous to fight against each other.
“That’s the Mist Garuda, huh?”
A big shadow flying in the sky was reflected in Shin’s eyes as he ran while watching the mountains.
The Mist Garuda was flying leisurely while leaving an arc like a vapour trail. The mist was shaped like a bird, as shown in its name, and its level was high, ranged between 700 – 800. It had a lot of special attacks, and was a very powerful monster.
“Oh, that is..”
From the Mist Garuda which was dancing in the sky, a red mist was sprayed.
The goblins and ogres started to roll over with their whole bodies covered in flames the moment the mist touched them.
It was one of the special attacks of the Mist Garuda, ‘Fog of Flare’.
If you didn’t have resistance to a certain level of flame attribute, you could receive an abnormal status where your HP decreased by 10% per second and die in 10 seconds. It was even said that the setting in the game may be wrong, as it was the fog of death that burnt many players to death, although it was the monsters being roasted this time.
“Anyway, why is it that the monsters still go in even though they know they are going to be burned?”
Shin thought of such things, looking at the monsters which kept on diving into their own death.
“The monsters that emerge from the ‘Flood’ tend to have significantly lower intelligence. That’s why they charge until the last one standing.”
Indeed. The monsters which were born from the ‘Flood’, seemed to be different from ordinary monsters.
While wishing that the Mist Garuda burned the monsters as much as possible, Shin and Rionne decided to leave from that place.
◆◆◆◆
Shin and Rionne ran on the plain as they overtook the group of monsters which were previously ahead of them and became a black wave.
The map which was projected onto Shin’s view when he passed the group of monsters, displayed only a bright red marker without any gap where the monsters were. It was too crowded, and the distinction of the individual was difficult, too.
“Is it always such a large crowd?”
“Maybe. I think there are various kinds of scales in the ‘Flood’, but I don’t remember it. The number of monsters were a bit more than when I participated in the battle once. It would be nice if there were fewer to be considered…”
Rionne probed into her memories while remembering the scene from that time.
What Rionne talked about for a while was the story where she merely drove a sword into the emerged monsters, and repeatedly killed them. This ‘Flood’ felt larger in scale than the one at that time, Rionne added at the end.
Even if Rionne knew strong soldiers were there to protect Balmel, her feet naturally increased the speed.
“I understand your feelings, but you’re pushing too much, Rionne.”
Seeing Rionne who had shortness of breath, Shin called for a break.
No matter how much an upper class Chosen One Rionne was, her stamina was not unlimited. Before arriving at Balmel, there’s no meaning if she got completely exhausted and couldn’t move.
“Let’s take a break for a moment on top of that hill. We already passed the leading group of the monster too. Rest for a little bit.”
“But! …Well, sorry, you’re right, Shin.”
Rionne was probably trying to say that she still can go on, but she noticed her own state as well.
If this goes on as it is, she would run out of energy in the middle of the way. Since they kept running at a high speed, the monsters’ group was already quite far behind. Even if Shin and Rionne arrived at Balmel, several days could be expected to pass before the monsters reached them.
Considering their pace, it was reasonable to rest here, because there was still a distance to cover to get to Balmel.
“It’s called a fort city so haven’t they already repelled the enemy many times over?”
While they were on break, Shin asked about Balmel.
If it’s a city built for ‘Flood’ control, a military unit with reasonable equipment should exist.
“It is indeed, but it won’t finish without a small number of sacrifices. Moreover now, among 3 upper class Chosen Ones who should protect Balmel, one is absent.”
“Is it okay to be absent as the main part of defense?”
“It seemed there was something at the church, that he had to guard a certain person. Geez, what is the church thinking about?”
Rionne frowned as she couldn’t understand it.
The fort city according to Rionne, apart from being the ‘Flood’ breakwater, had received a dispatched upper-class Chosen Ones from the church and the neighboring countries. Because the fort city was inferior in terms of numbers, it was a strategy to compensate with quality.
However this time, since the church has stimulated a talk about pulling out a Chosen One at their own discretion, objections flooded from various countries.
(The church, huh?…Is it by any chance, that guy?)
Hearing “Church” and “A certain person”, a figure of a knight who damaged his wagon during the journey to Falnido came to Shin’s mind.
In this world, it was quite common that the actual status differ from the height of a level. However, a high-leveled person was still limited. The knights at that time, especially the man who destroyed the wheels of the wagon was level 239. It was higher than the present Rionne.
It was no more than a possible story, but if it’s the truth, it would be necessary to add restraints to the priest who threatened the knights.
“What about the other two? Will they able to pull through somehow?”
“The combination is not bad. The other two are a magic swordsman like me and a mage. If they cooperate with the high-leveled adventurers who are in Balmel, they would never lose as long as there is no accident. The problem is the number of victims.”
“How far could the enemy be reduced by magic skills of the mage, was the key”, Rionne murmured, and drank water.
Even though how much the mage was called a Chosen One, a skill couldn’t be released forever.
Though it depended on ability and skill, there was also a limit in range a person could cover.
“How is the fighting force of Balmel? There are Chosen Ones from the adventurers’ guild, right?”
“Indeed apart from the dispatched people, there are powerful people who are close to an upper-class Chosen Ones. But most of them are melee type. Only few people who can attack a wide area.”
It was alright if the monsters were in small number, but when it comes to several hundreds of thousands, defeat would happen in the long run. Since the monsters appearing in the ‘Flood’ were low-level, even with a general soldier it can help to keep it occupied.
Though the course to go over there was changed, Shin decided to contact Schnee just in case.
(“This is Shin, is it alright to talk now?”)
(“Yes, did something happen?”)
After making sure there was no problem to communicate, Shin told the ‘Flood’ things to Schnee.
(“I can’t say anything about the scale unless I see them myself. It it’s the normal scale, we don’t have to worry about Balmel at least.”)
Schnee judged calmly after she listened to Shin’s story.
However, there was an irregular this time.
(“Have you taken that 1 Chosen One’s absence into account?”)
(“If the Chosen One who is not there is not a mage, it would be all right. Since the monster itself can be dealt with just Balmel’s forces.”)
“Although I have not considered the victims”, Schnee continued.
(“I got it. I’m going to rush up to Balmel from here, you should hurry as much as possible there, too.”)
(“Understood.”)
With Schnee there, it should not be a problem without the Chosen One and so forth.
Though Tiera was not able to move so quickly, she would not be late if Kagerou’s with her.
“…Now then, we’ve had enough rest. Let’s move soon, Shin.”
Thanks to having rested for a while, Rionne seemed to have recovered, as she stood up swiftly.
The talk with Schnee had just ended too, so Shin also stood up at the same time.
“Okay, but I’ll carry that.”
Saying so, Shin carried 『Muspelm』 which was placed on the ground to his back.
It wasn’t much burden to Shin due to the height of his physical strength, he determined that it would be hard for Rionne to carry it and run for a long time.
“Mu! I can carry my own weapon――”
“Rather than fussing over that now, it’s more important to move quickly. You were worn out halfway, you know?”
“Ugh, when that’s said, I cannot talk back…”
Since that was the reason they took a break, Rionne couldn’t argue.
The top priority here was to proceed ahead, and the 『Muspelm』was entrusted to Shin.
“Mumumu!”
“Why are you groaning?”
“We have to hurry up, must to but…damn, I’m ashamed to be tired out at this amount.”
“You unexpectedly hate to lose, huh”
Although they were talking, their running speed has not dropped.
Rionne’s burden of 『Muspelm』 has diminished a lot, she can afford to talk as a result.
◆◆◆◆
They kept running most of the day, and finished preparation for camping before the sun set.
As one would expect, to keep running for days without sleeping was difficult no matter how much the stamina, so they decided to get enough sleep in a simple tent they set together and stood watch by turn.
After finishing a quick meal, and Shin cleaning up, Rionne began to speak. She casually approached Shin and sent a flirtatious glance.
“You really have a lot of stuff that comes up. Even if I am prepared, isn’t this thoroughly prepared?”
“I was prepared for a journey to begin with. Because I was summoned there, these are the only things I have. Once you convert them into cards, it’s not very bulky.”
“It’s because you can use item cards, huh? I wish my country had a person with that ability.”
In the story Shin asked Wilhelm, there should be a possibility that Rionne and other countries’ Chosen Ones possessed an Item Box if they had items.
“I will not talk about cooperation.”
Shin didn’t know the detailed information, and either way he wouldn’t do it.
“No good?”
“No good.”
“No matter what?”
“Never. Hey! don’t come closer!”
He distanced himself from the leaning forward Rionne who approached him.
Around the area that emphasized her chest, ‘She’s actually aware of her own charm, isn’t she?’, Shin thought. How did the princess’s manners and so forth have fallen? He wanted to ask.
In the darkness of night, Rionne who was illuminated by the bonfire, the lively state she had during the day quieted down, and wore an atmosphere that seemed to be slightly strange.
“For you to be somewhat flustered, is this body even attractive?”
“It’s not that I understand what you have been doing. I mean I should say, is this the kind of thing you should be doing in this situation?”
“I thought you’d say ‘It’s useless to even be flustered’, Shin! If that’s the case, I’ll make good use of the time when I don’t have anything to do.”
“Where’s the effective use of time? Where?”
“It’s time effective at least for me. In this way, I can speak to you without reserve.”
While smiling somewhat lonely, Rionne corrected her sitting posture.
“Without reserve, huh? Rionne, well, there will be such a partner, like when you talked with Gadras, I think that was pretty frank though.”
“Gadras is my sword’s mentor. I’m more comfortable with him than other people. Although, there is still something like a wall to royal family. In that respect, you really have no constraint, Shin.”
“That, in other words, am I just being rude?”
“Sometimes I also want to talk with such a partner, who humbles himself all the time, but it doesn’t suit me personally; although I’m accustomed to such things.”
Rionne often went out to towns, but due to bad publicity, even the adventurers who wasn’t particular much about social status seemed to humble themselves.
“How about your family? Ah well, you don’t have to say it if you don’t want to. There seems to be a lot of discord in some places.”
“It’s not the things I conceal particularly. You’re right, our family’s interpersonal connections had…been long gone. Although we’re not on a bad terms, I don’t know whether I want a substitute family.”
“It’s that kind of royal family, huh? Well, in case you need someone to talk, I’ll be your companion. ――Hey! Why are you getting clingy!”
“Sometimes even a princess will want to depend on someone. You may hear my selfishness a little while hearing my story.”
‘Was she teasing me?’, Shin thought, but Rionne never did anything more than cling to Shin’s arm.
“I can’t show this to the people in the castle.”
“Nobody is around. It’s been a long time not being monitored everywhere other than in the battlefield.”
“Good grief, this princess…only this time.”
After a sigh, Shin tossed a branch to the bonfire with his free arm.
It was easy to pull away if he intended to. However, the unhappy speech he listened to was making his intention fade away.
A family was something very important to Shin. Though before the death game, his parents were in good health, and his relationship with his elder brother and younger sister were also good. It was noisy fun, and the place where he should have returned. As he thought to himself, he couldn’t help but to feel something in Rionne’s circumstances.
The serene expression of Rionne relieving her burden, Shin would like to see it a little longer. Speaking furthermore, there was none of the monitoring that Rionne spoke of. It’s mean that Rionne was constantly monitored.
‘You probably have time to relax now’, Shin thought.
“Shin, you’re warm.”
“Is it cold?”
“I don’t mean that.”
‘I know’, he muttered in his mind, and threw another branch on the fire.
*Pop* sounds and the noise of branches split open were heard. Shin was not that thickheaded to be mistaken on the meaning of this situation.
Was this the original Rionne? Shin couldn’t arrive to a conclusion. Where was her usual spirited mood?
“Sleep soon, we will keep on running tomorrow. Don’t reserve the fatigue.”
“Muu, it can’t be helped. Or I have to wait for the next opportunity?”
“Vacate such thinking until we pull through completely over the ‘Flood’.”
Shin who put out a mantle, wrapped up Rionne, and warned her for formality’s sake.
Rionne probably would understand that. Somehow, she took a rest well.
The transition to Sacred Place, the defeat against monsters, and the impatience due to the ‘Flood’. When such various factors were put together, the manner until now was expressed, Shin thought.
The deep darkness of the moonless night.
Groups of monsters from behind.
What can be relied upon by fellow travellers, was only a small bonfire.
Regardless of the strength of capabilities, it was no wonder that a feeling to seek one who can be relied upon was sought, Shin thought.
Speaking of why he understood it, it was because Shin had experienced similar things.
Shin and Rionne, Schnee and Tiera, Yuzuha and Kagerou were heading toward Balmel.
A great army of monsters exceeding 1000, approaching moment by moment.
In order to fight against the looming threat, everyone would meet at Balmel.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 04 - Blue Ancient of Sacred Place/The-New-Gate-Volume-04-Blue-Ancient-of-Sacred-Place-[Shin][Armaell]/ch1.txt
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Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Part 1
It was the first reunion in 500 years with Shin’s comrade in arms from the game era, Girard, his support character No. 3, a High Beast. In addition to the duel and the bereavement following it, a figure that was seen at Girard’s funeral was Shin’s support character No. 4, High Dragnil Shibaid.
Shin, who visited the Falnido Beast Alliance, faced the reality of parting with his former companion.
At dawn, following the funeral held in Elden, in the capital of Falnido, Shin, guided by his support character No. 1, Schnee, headed towards a certain place. On his head was his monster partner, the Element Tail, Yuzuha. In front of him was the current Beast King, Wolgang, and his daughter, Cuore.
The elf, Tiera, was next to Schnee. The monster that became Tiera’s partner, Kagerou, had dived into Tiera’s shadow using a monster skill called 【Shadow Dive】.
After about 15 minutes of walking from their residence, a 2-story building came into view. It was the place where the envoys and representatives from other countries stayed in to witness the funeral. The reason Shin was visiting there, needless to say, was to meet Shibaid. Shin and the others went there because they couldn’t invite Shibaid to their residence.
“Come to think of it, it is Shibaid after all. Isn’t his rank the same as Girard’s, king?”
“No; currently he has severed connection with the royal family. However, he is famous as an adventurer with the highest rank.”
According to Schnee, similar to Girard, Shibaid became the first Dragon King of the dragon imperial empire, Kilmont, but it seemed that he roamed free after the country stabilized. As a member of Kilmont’s Adventurer’s Guild, and at the time when monsters overflowed from the Sacred Place, he fought together with other ordinary adventurers.
“…Is that fine? To be like that.”
“It’s probably fine, since the royal family also seems to agree. For Shibaid, rather than the country, he became a figure that participates as a mercenary in a Guild led by Dragnil.”
Apparently his banner-like implication, for having become the first king from the start until the people gained stability, was strong.
Since he didn’t gather the scattered tribes like Girard did, the succession seemed to be carried out unexpectedly smoothly. As for severing the connection with the royal family, there might be an external implication.
“From the start, it seems that he had declared to temporarily be the king.”
“The people must have understood it well.”
“Because the second generation king, also in the vanguard together with Shibaid, was the one he severed ties with. Originally, that second king was supposed to have become the first king. But I heard that he was wounded in the final battle just before founding the country.”
“So he was something like a substitute, huh?”
Shin wondered what kind of king they were to be replaced with so easily, but there appeared to be some circumstances. Since Schnee didn’t know all of the intricate details that well either, he would have to hear from the person in question when they met afterward.
This time, by the way, because Shibaid was a friend of Girard, he was picked as the representative.
“Anyways, this is packed.”
Before long, the group arrived at their destination. Shin, who saw the building, was the first to speak; it was that crowded.
The people who had heard the news about Girard’s death were many, and that the amount was about to exceed the capacity of the mansion, was clear to Shin. Seeing from Falnido’s side, this might have been unexpected. Incidentally, Shin recalled the state of the funeral, and it looked like the people who had been guiding the attendees appeared to be quite exhausted.
There might be no more vacancies any longer to stay at the other inns, but the thought hadn’t hit Shin’s mind yet.
“The number of people that came far exceeded the numbers we had expected. The founder shared the battlefield with a lot of people, and many of them are leaders or generals of each country now. Though I already reduced the numbers, everyone has acting power.”
The tired-looking Wolfgang spoke.
It seemed to be impossible to invite all of Girard’s acquaintances. Although, there seemed to be no end to people who slipped through the loophole and came over. These acting powers were certainly due to the influence from Girard, and the top management was at their wits’ end.
“Nonetheless, Shibaid-dono is an exception. I had him stay at the further inner side of the second residence, since he is the representative of a long time ally together with the envoy of Kilmont.”
Apparently Shibaid received special treatment. As they advanced to the depths of the site while following Wolfgang, a building on a different level was seen. The feeling of luxury was grasped by Shin, as if to tell it was only for VIP‘s.
When the doorbell was rung, a man past middle age, thought to be the butler, showed up. When Wolfgang stated his business, a deep sound was made as the door opened. Was it to barricade themselves in an emergency? The door was coated with Adamantine when one looked closely.
“Then, I will call out to Shibaid-sama. Everyone, please wait here.”
The butler left to call Shibaid, after he guided them to the reception room.
Though Shin had already perceived the presence of Shibaid, because of the call out, he decided to wait patiently.
“Please excuse me as I have a discussion with the envoys of Kilmont after this. In the future, if there is anything, please ask Cuore.”
When the butler left, Wolfgang also left, leaving Cuore behind. Now that Girard was gone, Wolfgang was the Beast King in both name and reality. He might also accompany Shin and the others depending on the occasion of the business.
“Though it’s kind of late, it’s unwise to speak to a King without using honorifics, right?”
“At present, it won’t pose any problems when meeting Ulu, except in public. I, too, speak informally outside the royal family.”
Schnee spoke about her manners when meeting the king on formal occasions. She seemed to understand the area well.
“…Well, it’s because before power, he looked for abilities that were superior than him.”
It didn’t seem that Wolfgang had the intention to let Shin and his group use polite language in his own country; it was probably because Wolfgang was a warrior type, not a staff officer. It’s also possible that one of the reasons was that he didn’t interpret it as having impolite manners from Girard’s master.
After a while, Shibaid showed up together with the butler.
He was a big man with a height surpassing more than 2 and a half mels, had scales like obsidian, and had deep crimson eyes. Because the default appearance was a dragon in human form, a person might feel a little fear during their first meeting, Shin thought.
“Um, it’s been a long time?”
“Yes, I am sincerely pleased with Master’s return now. From here on, I will return under the command of Master, and become the spear who pierces through the enemies.”
“…Right, come to think of it, this guy was like this…”
As soon as they met, Shin was perplexed at Shibaid, who started speaking and was for some reason, kneeling. In their settings, Shibaid was a very earnest person, in a different meaning from Schnee. Was it because Shibaid’s main job was Holy Knight? Somehow he appeared to be pompous.
The butler, after guiding Shibaid, left immediately. Fortunately or not, such a thing was not seen.
“Well, um, as I have told this to Schnee, this is a long-awaited reunion, so there’s no need to be so formal.”
“Yes, but…”
“Shibaid, because Shin said so, it will be fine. It’s different from before.”
Schnee called out to Shibaid who hesitated to talk. Hearing Schnee, who was calling their master Shin, without any honorifics, Shibaid understood the meaning of her words: “It’s different from before.”
However, he was not able to understand the dog ears and tail that was seen on Schnee’s head and rear.
Schnee and Tiera, by the way, currently had the appearance of beasts through the cosplay item set. Cuore, who was well-known by the people, was in disguise with Schnee’s illusion skill.
“…Hmm, I agree indeed. Then I will try to be easygoing as well. Is this okay?
“Yes, please do so.”
Shibaid stood up from his kneeling posture, looked at Shin’s face and agreed. Though Shin, as the master, didn’t change, Shibaid presented his right hand when he answered happily.
“Once again, please take care of me.”
“Yeah.”
Shin also grasped that hand. The sizes of their hands were too different, it was like an adult’s and a child’s.
“Well then, we can’t talk while standing forever. Let’s continue while drinking tea.”
Shibaid prompted Shin with a terrific speed of change.
“That right…Hey, those two people there. Come over here.”
“Eh!? Ah yes…”
“Yes, sir…”
Shin also called out to Tiera and Cuore, who stiffened up when Shibaid knelt, and sat on a sofa.
It was a situation that seemed impossible with this world’s common sense for the two people, as their thoughts were frozen. Though they got used to seeing Schnee and Girard acted like that, they might be shocked because it was the first time for them to see Shibaid thoroughly showing his allegiance. From an ordinary view, Girard and Shibaid, were without a doubt, said to be heroes.
Everyone took a breather as Schnee poured tea in a prepared teapot.
“Still, it’s been a long time. Though I heard the news from Schnee, you really have returned. I too, wanted to visit as soon as possible, but…”
“Many things have happened, right? As a person like Schnee and Girard, you have a considerable role corresponding to the current situation. It couldn’t be helped.”
Shin talked with Shibaid for the first time in this world. Was it due to the parting during the time in the game that they talked like friends who met again after being unconscious for a long time? Though it was also like this when he was with Girard, it was the first and yet not the first time; It was a mysterious feeling.
“When I saw Girard’s face earlier, I guess he was quite satisfied with moving on. It’s that guy after all.”
“That guy was a warrior till the last moment. Nevertheless, I never thought that the fighting in this world was different than in the game. He invoked Shiden twice at the last moment, you know?”
“Kukaka! He did something like that, huh!? Even I would lose after that.”
The mood was about to become a little solemn, but it was not the first time for Shin when talk deviated this way. Just before the mood became strange, the topic was deliberately switched.
Shibaid also naturally participated in the talk, and the atmosphere of the place lightened. To give praise for that splendid last moment was a natural thing to do as a companion. From there, Girard’s heroic tale that even Schnee didn’t know about would be heard.
“By the way, Shin, what will you do after this?”
“Hmm? Right, for the time being, I have examined most of the materials in Falnido’s library. After doing a little bit more research, I’m going to go to Kilmont and investigate the Sacred Place next. Shibaid, you have investigated it a little bit too, right?”
“Yeah, you might have heard it from Schnee, but what’s in the Sacred Place’s heart is unknown. There are numerous roaming monsters that can’t be underestimated so easily, even for skilled adventurers and advanced level knights. Besides, almost none ever come out alive. Since Kilmont must prevent large-scale invasions from the monster spawns around the Sacred Place, the help is never enough.”
“Looks like I need to directly ascertain it as soon as possible, huh? What will Shibaid do hereafter? I heard you are active around Kilmont though.”
“The Adventurer’s Guild has no borders. Adventurers are free to go anywhere with anyone. Of course, there are restrictions depending on the rank. I also will return to Kilmont for a moment, then I will join Shin after that. Master has returned after a long wait. I can’t sit and wait.”
Shin thought about whether it would be alright with the monsters’ invasion, but it seemed like the preparations were done, so it wouldn’t be a problem when Shibaid left. From the start, if the frontline couldn’t be maintained without Shibaid, he wouldn’t be the carefree adventurer he is.
“It’s been a long time since we were together in a party.”
“I never thought the day we stand shoulder to shoulder would come once again.”
“Me too. By the way, when are you going to depart? It will not take long to examine the rest of the materials; incidentally, I intend to receive requests from the guild, but…”
On this occasion, Shin confirmed the matter for the future.
“I am sorry, but we have to travel separately. Though I attended the funeral as the representative of Kilmont in name, I am a guard for the king that acted as an envoy. I have to give them priority until they return to their country.”
“I see. Were you not able to come privately?”
“It was the travel problems. I received the report 3 days before the funeral. It was not possible to move from the capital of Kilmont to Falnido in such a short time. That’s why I became an escort with the condition that I can borrow a flying dragon, which is the country’s property.”
Even though Shibaid was not a speed type, his AGI value exceeded 700. If he had moved at full speed, even a horse would be left behind. However, it was truly because of a lack of time that he used a little trick.
There were various problems for a country to help an individual, but Shibaid was in their favor for founding the country. Therefore, the role of guard for the envoy of the country was given to him, and he was able to use the flying dragon under that pretext. Shibaid was also accomplished as an adventurer at SS rank, so he was the best choice for an individual as an escort.
The king in question, which was the second generation and the current Dragon King, appeared to be still active in duty, and it was arranged because the relationship between Shibaid and Girard was known. Shin thought it was a very smart thing to do.
“Indeed. Then I will join you when I arrive over there. We can communicate via Mind Chat too.”
“I will wait for you.”
“Then, we will be going… Ah that’s right, I’ll return this to you.”
Without finishing his talk, as Shin was moving towards the guild, he recalled something as he took out a card sheet from his Item Box. A halberd was drawn on its surface.
“This is…”
“Indeed, this is your personal weapon 【Calming Moon】. I have finished the maintenance on it while I was here. Please check it just in case.”
In response to Shin’s words, Shibaid materialized the card. The next moment, a Halberd about Shibaid’s height was grasped in his hand. The grip was twice as thick as normal, so it was ready for Shibaid’s physique. Even so, just the tip of the spear was 60 cemels in length. In addition, blades were placed throughout the handle and, rather than an axe at the left and right of the base of the blade, a single-edged sword that looked like an oblong axe head was also attached. It might be seen as a trident, depending on the viewpoint.
Because it was made from Chimeradite, similar to 【Crushing Moon】, the weapon’s appearance shined as if the night sky was compressed in it. Part of the blade was decorated in deep, vivid green as if an emerald was inserted into it. There was a dignified presence that it seemed to pass for ceremonial use.
“Though I haven’t held this in a long time, it seems to perfectly fit in my hand. It is excellent workmanship. But, if my sense is correct, I have a feeling that the power from the weapon has increased.”
“Oh, you realized it? In fact, it’s magic control is better than Girard’s item. It’s because of the 50% increase to the performance, you know?”
“50%…The ability has increased even further from the previous state, huh? Even though you are my master, you are scary.”
The power transmitted from the current weapon to his hand was incomparable to so far, and Shibaid reflexively stopped breathing after hearing the reason. If Shibaid’s memory was correct, even in its former state, it should be able to break a weapon of 《Mythology》 medium grade 10 times. Now, it was a 50% increase. Since it was already 《Ancient》 grade, Shibaid felt it was beyond explanation.
Tiera, who heard of this, had a distant look and had the expression portraying the words, “Ah, again, huh?…”. Cuore had more of a “50?…50!?…” look, exposing her surprise. Only Schnee didn’t change, as usual.
Needless to say, besides Shin’s 【True Moon】, Schnee’s 【Blue Moon】 and the rest of the weapons were already finished being upgraded.
“Well, Shibaid and the others are special to me. I don’t have any intention to throw a weapon with this kind of ability into the market.”
“I am relieved to hear that. If it is the current Shin, you could make a 《Rare》 grade weapon to have a similar performance to an average 《Legend》 grade weapon.”
Shibaid nodded with a relieved face. If Shin was serious, he could make dozens of rare grade weapons per day. It wouldn’t be a joke if he could open a warehouse with such numbers. Chaos would be inevitable if a large amount of these kind of things appeared on the market. Besides, confusion might also spread. Indeed, it was not a thing to overlook and keep silent about.
“Right now, I don’t want to stand out yet.”
Though Shin wouldn’t hesitate if it was necessary, there were only disadvantages if he put the weapons on sale in large quantities, at least for the present Shin. Even if he was desperate for money, he didn’t want to make bad connections somewhere.
“Then, I’ll use this gratefully.”
“Yeah; then, see you again.”
They bid farewell briefly, then Shin and his group left the residence. After that, they walked toward the Adventurer’s Guild in Elden.
-
There were no borders for the Adventurer’s Guild. Because information was shared, there was no need to register again in another country, even if he had registered in the Adventurer’s Guild in Bayreuth. Since there was a guild’s branch office in most countries, it was rare for an adventurer to not find work.
It seemed unnatural, if looking at it from the outside, for one large army force that didn’t belong to the country to be inside the country. However, no matter how much an army consisted of knights keeping a close watch on the peace and order maintenance, they couldn’t do anything for all the monsters scattered around the borders. Also, there were troublesome formalities just to move a bunch of knights. Before the guild was established, the delay in initial responses caused the damage to spread.
Now, the knights’ job was to maintain the order in cities, fight in large-scale monster invasions and wars against other countries, and so on. As for adventurers, they have miscellaneous jobs: guarding caravans, small-scale monster subjugations in isolated areas where knights couldn’t correspond, etc. Of course, when a situation that threatens the country occurs, like during the event in the Wraith Plains, the decision to collaborate with each other was reached.
Also, in case of war, the Adventurer’s Guild in the countries involved wouldn’t actively participate in the battles. If an adventurer participated in the war, it was simply an individual action, as the guild wouldn’t compensate for any consequences. The position of the Adventurer’s Guild in the world, though not all followed the current rule, was neutral to the end.
That position was ensured by the high-ranking adventurers. Because, including Shibaid, rank A and above adventurers usually had higher fighting power than the advanced level knights. If the Adventurer’s Guild was untactfully meddled with, the military units that controlled a city might get annihilated in the worst case.
Still, there were oddballs that changed jobs from knight to adventurer, when they wanted to live freely rather than keep living on the country’s payroll. Hence, total war potential of the guild was sometimes bigger than a large country.
It was mostly disadvantageous, when comparing the pros and cons of a country meddling with the guild. Rumors where the Adventurer’s Guild took refuge in an emergency state indicated something had occurred in the past.
“Still, this is larger than in Bayreuth.”
“How should I say this? It seemed like it expanded, huh?”
The first things that caught Shin’s eye when they arrived at the Elden’s Adventurer’s Guild was the size of the building. As Tiera had said, besides it being very wide sideways, the ceiling on every floor was 50 cemels higher than the one in Bayreuth; although the two-story building was still the same. Since the appearance was similar, in a sense it looked like a photo that was enlarged.
“Because many Beasts have big builds, naturally the buildings are bigger too.”
Schnee answered the question for the two people.
“We Beasts vary greatly in physique depending on the tribes, so the ceiling and entrances are large in order to match the Elephant type people.”
Cuore added to Schnee’s explanation. Because it was inevitable that having a large physique could cause accidents mainly due to contact, it seemed to have been built with that in consideration.
Shin and his party opened the big door and entered the building. The interior also had no great differences to the Adventurer’s Guild in Bayreuth, as the placement such as bulletin boards with requests posted and so on were almost the same.
Though a lot of people noticed when they entered, their gaze stopped at Schnee and Tiera for several seconds due to their attractiveness. Somehow, Shin felt that the glances directed at him became sharper.
“Which reminds me, wasn’t there a request that I haven’t completed yet…”
Shin suddenly recalled it, as he looked at the bulletin board for non-subjugation requests. Despite the unfulfilled request, because the last piece he found was a very expensive item, the large amount of money he earned was far more than the reward of the gathering request.1
Shin headed towards the receptionist desk to confirm the details, because it was convenient to complete the request if he found another piece.
“Excuse me, I would like to confirm a little something.”
“Yes, how can I help you?”
The reception woman, whose featured ears reminded him of a Chihuahua, was asked about the collection request for Hillock herbs.
“I am truly sorry, but a gathering request of a repeatable kind has to be confirmed at the branch office where you received it.”
According to the receptionist, items in demand depended on each area, and the reward was often different, too. So they couldn’t handle this request, only the branch office where the request was received could. Since it couldn’t be helped, Shin decided to accept a subjugation request corresponding with his current rank.
The content of the request was: Subjugate Goblins that infested the forest south of Falnido. At least 5 bodies. 50 copper coins per body are added if any more Goblins are killed than that. Proof of subjugation is an ear.
“Is this expensive, or is it cheap?”
50 copper coins per Goblin. In his calculations, if he killed 4 of them, he could stay overnight in Bear Point Pavillion at Bayreuth from the income.
“It can be said that requests of rank D are in the easy income category. Goblins basically act in groups, so you can earn decent income if you defeat them altogether. Though there is a higher risk to a certain degree, too.”
Cuore explained it to Shin, who looked doubtful at the reward. The rank that was said to recognize an adventurer as finally becoming independent was rank D. People who leveled more than 100 began to appear when it comes to this rank. For such people, they could kill goblins relatively easy.
However, even for low-rank monsters like goblins, there was a possibility of danger when they came in a group. The goblins of THE NEW GATE have levels which range between 10 and 50.
Also in the game, it was a monster that couldn’t be underestimated, though it was only goblin. Many have died, from warrior types to magician types, because the adventurers who had their ranks rise got carried away and challenged them carelessly.
There would not be a problem if they formed a party, but even a rank D wouldn’t necessarily be safe encountering a group of goblins alone.
“Let’s do this; we could go and return in a day.”
Of course, Shin could kill them even if he closed his eyes, so he took the request paper to the receptionist desk without getting worked up.
“It’s the subjugation of the goblins. Please show your card so I can carry out the formalities.”
“Here.”
“…Pardon me for being rude, but the place you registered as an adventurer, less than a month ago, is Bayreuth, correct?”
“Eh? Ah, yes. That’s correct.”
The receptionist who received the card, confirmed whether Shin was the person in question.
Celica didn’t need to confirm it when he received a request for the first time because the card was handed over immediately after it was created.
“Excellent. The content of this request is about the goblins subjugation that reside in the forest of southern Falnido; is there any mistake?”
“It’s fine.”
“Are you in a party? If so, please present the party member’s guild card.”
“Understood. Schnee, Tiera, please come over here.”
Shin called out to Schnee and Tiera who were behind him, he explained the situation and their card was pulled out. Since Cuore didn’t join the party, she waited at the original location.
“Here, I have confirmed it. The party name is not registered, do you want to keep it as it is?”
Though a party name was for adventurers who formed a party for a long period of time, it was also used to raise the fame and strengthened the combination power of all party members.
Some of the parties were those who specialized in support rather than combat. For example, a scout party, would have a hard time raising their achievements.
In any case, it was easy to earn fame by fighting in the frontline, but it became hard to get noticed for someone working behind the scenes. To avoid that, a party name was made.
If the name as well as the party rises, it came to the point where one could be acknowledged by simply saying that they were a member.
Though it was not a completely fair assessment yet, as long as it was not a one-man party, it was beneficial to decide a party name. Still, it was unnecessary currently for Shin and his group.
“Ah, yes. Please keep it as it is.”
“Understood. The procedure is finished. Take care.”
“Thank you.”
Shin thanked the receptionist who corresponded politely, and left the counter.
“A person like Shin-dono is going for goblin subjugation?”
Cuore asked Shin, who had just returned.
When Shin held the request paper for goblin subjugation in his hand, she seemed to keep silent whether there were any special reasons. However, it appeared that she had questions about the somewhat ordinary request content.
“That’s how the merits are, because my adventurer’s rank is not high. I have no choice but to keep accumulating achievements.”
No matter how strong a person was, their guild’s rank didn’t rise easily. This was because achievements and corresponding trust were demanded from the high-ranked. Even if the person was a former knight or a noble, the treatment didn’t change.
From Celica’s explanation before, even a chosen one had their first rank go from G to F, or otherwise, to E.
“I’ll end it quickly, because I want to make it to C rank at least. What will Cuore do after this?”
“May I go with you too?”
“I don’t mind, but it’s goblin subjugation, you know?”
“It’s all right. For my remaining work, because I don’t know how long it takes, I’ll do it later.”
“What work?”
“It’s the investigation of the place where the duel was fought the other day. I always go to confirm whether or not the forest has restored itself after a battle is fought in Larua Grand Woods. Because the scale of the fight was quite huge this time, the damage of the forest increases too. Even though I should increase the number of people for the investigation, the monsters that appear in the Larua Grand Woods are deadly for an ordinary adventurer. So, even if the request was given out, it won’t be easily accepted. I have to go, especially because it was after the fight of Shin-dono and Girard-sama this time. When strong people fight, a plant that doesn’t naturally grow there might appear for some reason. Besides, this investigation is not possible to finish before Shin-dono finishes his request and comes back, so I’m going to postpone it.”
And, though many plants with a high medicinal property seem to appear, they wither after a certain period, so it is said that they don’t grow after that.
“I see…Hey, may I go together with you for that investigation too?”
“Eh? Ah, no, but it’s possible…”
Cuore had a puzzled look at Shin who suddenly offered to go together. She might have been surprised because it was work that did nothing except for looking around.
“Sorry because it’s so sudden. For once, I wanted to see the place as the person who fought there.”
It didn’t mean anything would change if he examined it. Still, because it was beyond recognition from the scenery last time, Shin wanted to look again at the place where he had fought against Girard.
“I understand. What about Schnee-dono and Tiera-dono?”
“Since I don’t have business elsewhere, I will go with you two.”
Schnee decided to accompany without any hesitation.
“Um, I’ll go too. As the forest was noisy during the fight, I have no idea what happened to the state of the spirits as well.”
Tiera seemed to have been wanting to go to the forest after a long time as well.
-
Shin and his group left the guild and headed toward the southern gate of Elden.
After leaving the gate and advancing for a while, there were almost no people around. Since their destination place was nearby, they went on foot whilst almost everyone else traveled by wagon. Because very few passersby moved along the highway, they were travelling a different direction from Shin and his party, who were going to the forest.
“Over here.”
Shin changed directions, as he perceived a monster’s presence. They were moving inside the forest at a speed similar to when moving in a plain, but no one was falling behind.
There were the elves Schnee and Tiera, the beast Cuore, and the monsters Yuzuha and Kagerou. It could be said that these members were specialized at moving inside a forest.
Wild animals ran away once Shin and his party approached. Since they didn’t hide their presences, they might be deemed as dangerous beings.
“――Found it!”
Shin, who activated both【Clairvoyance】and【Through Sight】, discovered a group of goblins moving in the forest.
Their height was about 140 cemels, and their skin was greenish. Compared to humans, their head was about twice as big; the structure of their face was ugly. Some of them were holding daggers or short swords in their hands. Five of them were around level 20, and only one was level 31. The one with highest level appeared to be their leader, as it was holding a wooden shield.
Cuore also offered to cooperate, so they decided to kill one per person as they moved closer.
After confirming that all members had entered the range of attack, each of them took out their weapons. Throwing daggers for Shin and Schnee and bows for Cuore and Tiera. Needless to say,Yuzuha and Kagerou used claws and fangs.
While Tiera and Cuore drew their bows together, Shin and Schnee wielded daggers in their hands. Yuzuha and Kagerou were crawling so that they weren’t noticed, and they approached without making a sound.
“…Now!”
At Shin’s voice, daggers and arrows ran through the forest.
The daggers that Shin and Schnee threw penetrated the heads of the two goblins who were walking in front. Then, without any time for them to react, arrows pierced the heads of the two in the back.
As for the remaining two, their necks flew away from the claws of Yuzuha and Kagerou.
Even if it was natural for them, it was an instant kill. The ears were cut as proof of subjugation, and after gathering them together in one bag, they were stored in Shin’s Item Box.
Though this was already proved when he was shopping in the town, if several things are collected and put in one place, the items could be stored in the Item Box as one item. Turning it into a card was also possible.
However, the card became impossible to separate when the card was materialized into pieces.
“The request is completed. Then, shall we go to Larua Grand Woods too?”
Including the travel time, it was only one and a half hours since the time they took to complete the request, and they had enough time left to head towards Larua Grand Woods.
“Alright then, let’s go. There are two ways, crossing the forest as it is, or using the main road. Which one would you like to go?”
“Cuore is used to the forest, and since we won’t be a hindrance, it might be nice to go with crossing the forest, right?”
“Kuu!”
As if to say “Agreed”, Yuzuha barked. Similarly, Kagerou, who was next to Tiera also barked.
Part 2
When they got out the forest to the south, some plains appeared for a moment. They then further advanced for 30 more minutes. From there, the wagon was taken out and they advanced on the main road.
There were no particular events except for when Cuore was surprised at the speed of the wagon that Kagerou pulled.
Shin and his party finally arrived at Larua Grands Wood.
It was at the hill where Schnee and the others previously watched the duel between Shin and Girard, that they got off of the wagon.
“Amazing. Even after all of the flashy blows, this doesn’t look the right place.”
Shin, who looked at the forest while standing on top of the hill, was surprised about not seeing any traces of destruction. At the start of the fight with Girard, the exchange of skills from the【Cannon Wave】 had mowed down a lot of trees. Though boulders and big trees were blown away due to the after-effects of the fighting, damages were magnified as they were thrown onto the other trees on the ground. Shin had also caught a glimpse of the changes before.
However, now within the range of Shin’s field of vision, he couldn’t find any evidence of it.
“After seeing it, the vegetation from before and after the fight doesn’t change, huh? Rather than restored as before, I think that the rapid growing plants covered the scars or something like that.”
“Yeah. When I look at it closely, I can see a few young trees in several places.”
When Schnee explained the state of the forest, Tiera also had the same opinion. While pointing at a portion of the forest, Tiera said “That is the place where it is growing, around the original forest.” to Shin.
“It’s just like Larua Grand Woods. Unfortunately, I don’t understand it even if you tell me.”
Shin was staring hard at the direction Tiera pointed at, but he wasn’t able to distinguish the differences in the end.
To begin with, naturally other than the size, there was no distinction between the young and old trees.
“As one would expect from Schnee-dono and Tiera-dono. It took me about 10 years until I finally understood the differences.”
“It couldn’t be helped I guess, since the sense related to forests are prominently keen for elves and pixies. But to be able to tell the difference by yourself is a great thing.”
Schnee praised Cuore, while smiling. She seemed to have directly taught Cuore how to tell them apart before. She was probably happy that Cuore could master it properly.
“Thank you very much.”
Cuore replied with a smile. As if she couldn’t bear the joy of it, her tail was wagging left and right in a big way.
“And, what should we do after this? We are doing the investigation, right?”
Shin asked Cuore, because he didn’t know what kind of method the investigation was going to use.
“For the investigation about the regeneration of the trees, we check whether or not there are unnatural plants that shouldn’t grow in these surroundings. Because it’s indeed impossible to look all around, the range is divided roughly, and I decide some points based on that.”
As Cuore said that, she took out a card from her pocket and materialized it. In the next moment, a map of Larua Grands Woods appeared. There were big trees, like landmarks, and other peculiar characteristics and so on that were drawn.
“With this tree as a mark in the a middle, the forest is divided. Because these landmarks do not change after they have regenerated, we should not lose sight of them.”
If ordinary adventurers were here, they would have to be cautious about not going too deep into the forest, but she didn’t have to worry about that if it was Shin and his party.
“…I feel guilty for me asking to accompany you, since I don’t seem to be helpful.”
To begin with, differentiating between trees that have been restored couldn’t be assigned to Shin. Because he couldn’t understand it even if Tiera taught him.
“Then, how about going together with Tiera? Tiera can harvest any plants that are found, and Shin can put them into the Item Box, so it will be efficient.”
Looking at Shin, who was sulking and feeling bad, Schnee made a suggestion.
“…That’s right. I think it will be most suitable for you two to pair, because I and Schnee-dono are able to use the Item Box.”
Cuore also agreed.
As for Shin, he could only answer yes because that was at least the only way he could be useful. It was completely reasonable that an Item Box member would be essential.
And though it was heard just now, Cuore was also able to use the Item Box. As for the card she pulled out from her pocket not too long ago, it was actually her using the Item Box.
On that subject, he remembered that Tiera talked about royal families and elders having the Item Box.
Cuore was a daughter of the Beast King, in short, a royalty. It was understandable that she could use Item Box, if she inherited the abilities as Girard’s descendant.
“Then, let’s divide into three sides. Just to confirm, have any changes taken place except the unnatural plant that appeared so far?”
Did something concern her mind on the harvesting? Schnee asked Cuore.
“As far as what has been confirmed, there’s no such things. In fact, plants that don’t grow naturally were discovered only twice in the past, when strong people fought in a duel. The first, that was found was after the duel between a Dragnil and Beast, was ‘Fairy Grass’. The second that was discovered, after the duel between a Lord and Elf, was ‘Phantom Grass’. That was the only two which were recorded. Because both were found at several places, I think someone will find something this time too.”
However, it was said that because the numbers of growing plants increased, it wouldn’t remain intact. It was only a temporary thing.
“How do you split the works? Is it good to divide it into 3 equal parts?”
Shin moved his finger to form 3 circular ranges on the map while Cuore listened.
As Cuore said, it was impossible to examine Larua Grand Woods with such a small number of people, so the scope of investigation must be narrowed to some degree.
Though the others didn’t take note of the drawing, all of the members understood the approximate ranges.
“Everyone might be unfamiliar with Larua Grand Woods, so I don’t mind if my area of responsibility increases.”
Toward Cuore who said that, Schnee disagreed.
“Because the investigation like this time was requested of me too, there is no problem as it is either. It’s better for you and me to increase our area of responsibility, and decrease the area that Tiera’s and Shin’s are in charge of instead. Even though Tiera is able to tell the difference, she hasn’t handled this kind of request before, so it might take more time than us.”
“I agree. I’d appreciate it if you could do that.”
Tiera agreed to Schnee’s proposal.
Tiera was hardly able to enter the forest for about 100 years. Even though she was an elf, the fact that she didn’t spend time going to the forest was undeniable.
In addition, Shin was going together with her. Schnee thought if there was only one beginner, the work would be delayed. At the same time, she considered this as a training in order to restore Tiera’s intuition.
Meanwhile, Shin, in front of Schnee and Tiera who were able to differentiate the plants intuitively as elves, was reminded yet again about not being useful although he was the who had one who suggested they work together. Once again, his shoulders dropped.
“I’m sorry for being a burden…”
“I’ll tell you how to spot the differences~”
Tiera patted Shin’s shoulder in order to console him.
“It’s alright, Shin-dono. I didn’t know what’s the differences were at first too.”
While Cuore was a beast, she possessed the knowledges and experiences that could sense the changes in the forest quickly. However, that was the result of years of effort. If Shin could do it from the beginning, nobody would have a hard time.
“Well then, let’s copy the map. It will be a troublesome if there is slip of memory.”
Schnee who spoke, activated a non-system skill 【Transcription】. It was literally a copying skill, as patterns and characters were drawn on the paper.
In the game era, it was also a skill that was used to share map data among the players. Shin also learnt how to use it, but he was impressed as he thought ‘It can be used like this, huh?’.
“Okay then, shall we start?”
In case a person finished quicker than assumed, they would join a person who hasn’t finished yet, and the restrictions and the meeting place in case it didn’t end was decided. Afterward, all members were scattered in the forest.
“Now quickly, which one is irregular?”
“The place is a little bit ahead, right? Since you’ll lead the way, I’ll learn it while actually seeing it.”
While moving through the forest, Shin received guidance about the names and the medicinal effect of flower plants, which were not counted as items in the game, as well as the distinction between the old and young trees from Tiera.
There was no grasses named ‘weed’; Even if there was such a word, the grass that looked identical to Shin had their own respective names. It was a different plant from other things, such as how its flower bloomed or how it dispersed seeds.
Tiera talked about the development of those flowering plants and its item utilisation in this world too. Shin was a little excited with the possibility of something new being made, if combined with his own techniques.
“Shin, is this a young or an old tree?”
“…Old tree?”
“Wrong, it’s a young tree.”
“…Really?”
“It’s the truth.”
However, it was another question whether or not Shin could tell the difference, even if he understood. Even Cuore took 10 years to accomplish such a feat. There’s no way the amateur Shin could easily do it.
“Hmmmm…”
Shin followed after Tiera’s example and along the way, the same questions were repeated, although most of them were correct only by chance. Even if Shin opened his eyes wide while looking at it, he couldn’t distinguish it at all.
“I cannot do it easily after all.”
“It’s difficult even for a High Human. huh?”
“Materials in the old days could have been distinguished with【Analyze】 and 【Appraisal】, but for such grass, it was treated as an ordinary weed.”
To Tiera who was only reassured a little, Shin picked up the grass he was taught about a moment ago and answered.
The grass that Shin held, might be usable if he intended to use it as material. But if they had additional effects, the rate of failure might rise in some cases. And there was no reason to check or to use the grass either.
“But if you can distinguish it easily, that would leave me in a fix. However, I can see the name of this medicinal herb with my【Analyze】 too. Something like this and this, shouldn’t have grown in this area around here.”
“What?”
Shin stopped moving at Tiera’s statement. As far as Shin knows, it was appraisal that identifies an item. No matter how much he analyzed it closely, only information of “Grass A” was displayed.
By the way, what Tiera picked up just now was ‘Golden Grass’ and ‘Pure White Flower’, each of them were one of the ingredients for Potion One and Ether One. It was material with a prospect of recovery that was higher than a potion of low rank, even without being changed.
“The duel between me and Girard brought some kind of effect, huh?…That’s right, is there any difference between my 【Analyze】and Tiera’s? No, but she learnt it from ‘Secret Book’ I gave…”
While storing the golden grass in the Item Box, Shin voiced his doubt.
“I don’t know. But only up to the name was displayed, when viewed with my【Analyze】. Though I heard it from master, I think detailed information will be displayed when appraisal is used, right? But there’s nothing like that.”
As Tiera said, if the conditions were met, the hints of compound and detailed effects of the item were displayed when appraisal was activated. However for Tiera, such information didn’t appear.
“Really…hmm?”
Shin attempted to learn the name of the nearby grass by staring at it closely. But as expected, he couldn’t find anything. At the same time, next to his view, he noticed something dark.
“Is this, black iron?”
What appeared on the ground, was a material that blacksmiths are familiar with.
Looking at its state, it might appear naturally from ground dug up by animals, or it came up to the surface as the soil was washed up by rains.
“…With only【Analyze】…”
Suddenly it occurred to Shin’s mind, that he viewed the ore with an appraisal skill. And then, he looked at the black iron with nothing but 【Analyze】.
“…I can see it. Hey, really, I can see it”
“What’s wrong?”
“Though I only looked at the metallic material with 【Analyze】 as an experiment, I can see its name. But it was something like ‘Iron A’ or ‘Ore A’ before though.”
Shin’s guess, where he thought the race characteristics and the occupation might be related, seemed to hit the mark. The name that was related to the metal was displayed as if it was natural.
In ability standpoint, Shin was at the pinnacle of blacksmithing, even though it was not his race characteristic. As a result, the name of things relevant for blacksmithing might be displayed.
“I wonder if there’s some kind of meaning?”
“Eh? Wait a minute, don’t you understand it on your own!”
Tiera said with a sullen expression at Shin who nodded his agreement.
“Sorry sorry. The job I do might be also similar to a dwarf I guess. So things like individual skills and race characteristics might have some sort of effect on analysis, don’t you think?”
“I am elf so I can see plant-related things, and because Shin is a blacksmith you can see metal-related things?”
“Yeah, probably. Though it’s only an inference, it’s not off the mark I think.”
Shin thought he would confirm it with Schnee and Cuore later.
“So, besides seeing Golden Grass and Pure White Flower, do you feel anything abnormal?”
“Oh, well. There’s nothing special besides that. The only thing left is whether or not it will regenerate afterwards. But we don’t need to worry about that.”
Tiera’s sense didn’t seem to become dull. From her affirmation, without a doubt, it didn’t feel as though there was any harm from her not entering the forest for a long time.
The investigation afterward was quick, partly because Shin’s understanding of golden grass and so on as the materials.
Just in case, while Shin gathered it, Tiera examined whether there were changes elsewhere, and then moved away immediately if there was nothing.
Though Schnee and Cuore joined along the way, at that time, Shin and Tiera were almost finished examining the range entrusted to them.
After the investigation, Cuore reported the results.
“We discovered Golden Grass and Pure White Flowers here. How about everyone else?”
“I also saw the same. There are a large quantity of them too.”
Schnee also seemed to have made a similar discovery.
“Here too, but the quantity was not so much.”
“Well, it must not be growing at both places in large quantities.”
Shin’s remark was confirmed, as Tiera knew the detail of the materials too.
“By the way, though it had nothing to do with the investigation, when a non-appraisal item was checked with analysis, does it show the name of the things that are related to jobs and race?”
Shin confirmed what was on his mind with Schnee and Cuore.
“For me, if it were daggers and bows, I can see the name of magic items before the appraisal. Perhaps, it’s because I have used such weapons for a long time, no?”
Cuore displayed her own dagger and bow as she materialized it. Even from Shin’s eyes, it was understood that the items were maintained properly.
“I am similar with Tiera. I can see if it’s plant-related. A few ores and metals too, if it’s of the lower ranking ones.”
About the ores group, it might because of her watching Shin’s blacksmithing for a long time, was what Schnee said.
“Things, different from the game era, seem to appear steadily, huh?”
“Because we also don’t fully understand it.”
Schnee answered, to Shin who muttered small.
There were no particular troubles afterward, and the party returned to Elden.
It could be said it was already evening time. When they arrived at the guild, they headed straight towards the reception.
“The request has been completed. Please confirm it.”
“Understood－－Yes, there’s no mistake for the the subjugation’s parts. The request is complete. Please take this paper here to the reward recipient counter over there.”
The receptionist who confirmed the goblin’s ears, wrote something on a paper and presented it to Shin. Like in Bayreuth’s guild, the rewards were not handed over at the reception desk.
“Also, I have one more thing to tell you.”
Before Shin who received the paper moved, the receptionist spoke.
“Yes, what is it?”
“To Shin-sama, we received a message from the guild master of the Bayreuth branch adventurers’ guild, Barlux-sama.”
“Message?”
“Yes. The same message was conveyed to each branch office. The contents are inside here.”
The receptionist handed a piece of envelope after saying so. The transmission was likely to have been written down via the Mind Chat.
“If it’s for Shin, there are other adventurers with similar names too, right?”
“Guild Cards can be used for identification. Because the magic reaction issued is peculiar to each card, unless it was forged, I would never mistake it with another person.”
“I see. I understand.”
Shin left the reception desk, and joined the others.
“Is it from Barlux?”
“It seems so.”
He nodded to Schnee who asked, and unsealed the envelope. There was a letter inside, and only some brief information was written. The content was “Greetings, Shin. There is a summons for you from the royal palace. I want you to return as soon as possible”.
“Why did you receive a summon from the royal palace?”
“Well, I have no idea.”
“It is something you don’t have knowledge of?”
“No…No, there’s not,… maybe?”
Though he quickly responded that he didn’t know to Tiera who was amazed, something came to his mind followed by Schnee’s remark.
(Don’t tell me, it’s about the Skull Face sword which flew into the royal castle?)
Besides that, he couldn’t think of anything else.
He thought about whether he had done anything that could relate him with the sword, then he recalled that he talked about the greatsword to Celica and Els.
The battle where he fought against a high-level Skull Face with a powerful weapon, was likely to have been circulated.
Since it was not written in the contents of the summon, he had no choice but to confirm it when he met Barlux afterward.
“Prior to rank up, shall I straighten up this one?”
No matter how much an adventurer was said to be have freedom, ignoring a summon from the royal palace was unthinkable.
Of course, even if Shin and the others ignored Bayreuth, they couldn’t be brought immediately.
However, there was no benefit even if they made trouble on their own accord. Even now, Shin still intended to act as a mere adventurer. The interference of the country would be troublesome if he, a High Human, was revealed.
To break off from the country, Shin didn’t know much about this world yet. Acting by common sense of the game and former world was a bad plan at this current stage.
“I’ll go together with you.”
“Me too.”
Schnee and Tiera declared as if it was natural to say. Cuore couldn’t afford to go together as expected, and they parted momentarily here.
“Mmmm…”
“Well, don’t make such gloomy face. For the time being, tell me when Wolfgang is available, because I have to hand over something.”
Shin calmed down Cuore, who was suppressing her desire to go with them, which was reflected on her face with of all her heart. And then, he confirmed Wolfgang’s schedule.
Since Wolfgang was busy, he thought maybe it was good after the investigation matter here was over, but it didn’t go so well.
“Though the conference may be prolonged, because it should be paperwork after that, I think it’s better for us to wait for the opportunity in the residence. So we won’t be passing each other and so have to chase after him.”
“Roger.”
Part 3
When Cuore returned to the residence and asked one of the maids about Wolfgang’s whereabouts, it seemed that Wolfgang had already returned, from the reply.
“Father, do you have a minute? Shin-dono seems to have something to talk about.”
“Please come in.”
When Cuore knocked on the office door and stated the matter, a reply came in a flash.
Cuore opened the door, and Shin and the others entered the room. The office desk, chairs, bookshelves and so on, stress the simple, practicality look. Above the big desk, that was placed directly in front of the door, there were documents which Wolfgang had just finished signing. Mountains of paperworks which were not yet finished was also seen on the edge of the desk.
“I’m sorry for disturbing your work.”
“Not at all, this is also the job of the king. Leaving that aside, what can I help you with?”
“Oh, sorry for being abrupt, but I have to go to Bayreuth for a moment. Because I’m in a hurry, I have to depart immediately. So, I intend to hand over this before going.”
“Huh!? T-This is!!?”
Shin handed a card over, that he took out from the Item Box, to Wolfgang.
Wolfgang, who received it, had a shocked expression when he saw the drawing on the card, as a blurred voice leaked out.
“It’s Girard’s 『Crushing Moon』. I already finished changing its owner, and it’s transferable for Wolfgang to use.”
“But I heard it was broken in the duel…”
“Who do you think made the 『Crushing Moon』? Of course it’s possible for me to remake it. Besides, I was asked to hand it over, when the duel was over, by Girard originally. Because if it’s Ulu, he won’t misuse it, was what he said.”
“The founder…to me…”
Wolfgang stared at the card in his hand, as he was deeply moved.
『Crushing Moon』was a legendary weapon for the beasts of Falnido. He might be feeling the significance of having it in his hand.
“Next, I am giving you this one too.”
And, there was another piece.
What Shin passed to Wolfgang, was 『Swift Fang』, which was said to be a similar weapon type as the arm guard, 『Crushing Moon』. It was one of the weapons which Shin had entrusted to Girard, for 500 years, until their reunion the other day.
According to what he heard, the successive Beast Kings that were permitted to use 『Swift Fang』 by Girard, seemed to be recognized as the true King. If said in the reverse, a king who was not permitted to use 『Swift Fang』, even if they had strong power, meant that they were not recognized by neither the people nor the retainers.
Girard apparently didn’t let anyone, who he deemed not suitable, even if it the person was his relative, to touch 『Swift Fang』. All of the successive kings had been a good rulers, which was definite proof that Girard had good eyes for judging character.
“Just in case, try to equip it, see if whether there are any defects.”
“Affirmative…”
Wolfgang nodded slightly and materialized the cards, then he equipped 『Swift Fang』on both arms.
Because it also features an automatic adjustment of the size, there was no sense of discomfort either. Instead, Wolfgang was surprised that the power『Swift Fang』 transmitted was stronger than the last time he previously equipped them.
“This is…How do I say…”
“It’s been upgraded. This is possible thanks to Girard.”
“………”
After 『Swift Fang』, 『Crushing Moon』 was equipped.
Wolfgang involuntarily shivered, as he felt power that couldn’t be compared to 『Swift Fang』.
“Ulu will have to choose the following successor on your own.”
After all, Girard was no longer there to see it through.
From now on, people who inherit 『Crushing Moon』, have that responsibility. Again, this was also one of the king’s responsibilities.
“That obligation, I accept it firmly.”
Wolfgang bowed properly, with his fists clenching tight, in order to focus his mind.
Shin thought, that with that straightforward look it would be all right if this was the case. When Shin conveyed that it was a summon from the guild and he had to leave at this time, Wolfgang presented a necklace made of animal fangs, probably shaped after a wolf’s fangs, to Shin. At the center of the fang, there were drawings of a wolf in a crest style.
“This is?”
“That is the item which is treated as our family crest. Whenever you need me, if you shown this to a person in the residence, you will be able to contact me immediately.”
It goes without saying that exploitation was strictly prohibited. The necklace was accepted, thanked, and stored in the Item Box.
And then, Shin and his party appeared outside of Falnido though the underground tunnel which they used when they came in for the first time.
They advanced for about ten minutes, after being seen leaving by Cuore, then the wagon was put back into a card after making sure there was no one around.
“Well, shall we hurry up and return?”
“We are going there by Metastasis, right? Is the location the site where Tsuki no Hokora was before?”
To Schnee, who noticed it when getting off from the wagon, Shin nodded and took out a crystal stone.
“Indeed, I don’t know about other places, but there is no problem over there I think. It takes time to come back from here, too.”
“What a luxury…”
The reproachful remark from Tiera was ignored.
“Then, let’s go!”
After confirming that all members were ready, mana was transmitted to the crystal stone.
In the next moment, the surrounding landscape changed, and three people and two animals were in the site where Tsuki no Hokora was set up before.
Immediately after the transfer, Shin sensed that there were multiple responses in the neighborhood.
However, they didn’t seem to have noticed Shin and the others because of the hiding skills which were used beforehand.
(“There are lots of people here?”)
(“Yeah, they’re still monitoring after all. Moreover, it doesn’t seem to be only one force.”)
While having a Mind Chat with Yuzuha, Shin probed into the appearances of the distributed people who were monitoring.
When thinking about the deployment, there were 2 or 3 separated groups.
“Because Tsuki no Hokora disappeared suddenly, they may think that it might appear again. It’s likely that they have forgotten about the possibility that it can be carried.”
If it was the old generation, that lived before the Dusk of the Majesty, they would know about such a thing. However, because the owner of Tsuki no Hokora, Shin, a High Human was thought to have gone extinct, they haven’t thought about that possibility yet.
“How did you answer when you were asked at the commission before, Schnee?”
“I only said I don’t know. Though I understood only Shin could wipe out Tsuki no Hokora, it felt like Shin had disappeared together with the store. To be honest, I was really anxious at that time.”
However, it was only a needless anxiety. Schnee continued, while smiling, and began to walk towards the gate.
The atmosphere that almost became solemn, was erased by the smile.
“I’m gonna leave you behind~”
Tiera called out and overtook Shin who quieted down at the answer.
“Ah, sorr…wait, it’s me that was called by Barlux!?”
“What are you being absentminded for?”
“Well, if I wait for the partner to return without knowing how long, I can’t imagine it in any way.”
Not even Shin understood Schnee’s word of anxious.
It’s not easy to forget their loved ones. But, Shin’s view of life was at most just a little over 20 years, so he couldn’t imagine it for 500 years.
In response to Schnee’s words, he carelessly thought about what would he do, if he was in that situation.
“Isn’t it impossible to do?”
“What an immediate remark!?”
Shin retorted.
The answer that came back without pause from Tiera, was indeed simple.
“The sense of time is very different for elves and humans, considering how long the life span differs. Because master is a High Elf, it was more cruel than me in that situation.”
While walking next to Shin who has caught up, Tiera spoke in an admonishing way.
Elves have a long life span, next to pixies. Therefore, for a short-lived kind, such as humans and beasts who could only live for around 100 years, even the sense of ‘waiting’ was greatly different.
It was only natural, ten years for human was a long time, but ten years for elf feels like less than one year for a human when thinking of their life span. It was also the cause for why long-lived species are known as easygoing fellows.
“Isn’t it nice? I’ll wait if you want me to, you know?”
“Is that how it works?”
“It is. To lose a reason to live, is the beginning of hell for the long-lived kind like us.”
Perpetual youth and longevity; Though people continue pursuing this, it’s reflected differently in the eyes of a person who has it.
“When I think of it seriously, it is a very terrible situation, huh?”
Shin spoke in a serious tone.
“That’s how it is. When I think about it, I want to pretend a bit longer. But when Shin became serious suddenly, the mood felt a bit off.”
“Can you stop always giving out those, “Live life properly” remarks that you always do?!!?”
The serious tone from Shin changed, with a single phrase from Tiera.
A little bit ahead, Schnee stopped and was waiting. Shin and Tiera quickened their pace and caught up to Schnee.
“Shin is the same as usual, serious in unexpected places.”
“Shut it!”
Apparently the conversation was heard by Schnee. Shin sulked and replied to Schnee who said it in a teasing way.
This was in LN volume 2 when he found Gem Grass, something not stated in the WN. You can read it in the manga, chapter 10.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 04 - Blue Ancient of Sacred Place/The-New-Gate-Volume-04-Blue-Ancient-of-Sacred-Place-[Shin][Armaell]/ch2.txt
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Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Part 1
Without taking too much time, Shin and the others reached the south gate of Bayreuth.
There was a long line to the gate, as usual, but it seemed to be better than before. Shin showed his adventurer card as the identification paper to the guard, and passed through the gate.
Though it was unknown until now, Schnee surprisingly had an adventurer card, too. It seemed like a C rank, because the color of the card was red.
“Schnee, did you enter the guild?”
“It’s for identification purposes only.”
It seemed like she could ask for anything from Barlux, to have the card issued. Its function was for nothing more than identification purposes, instead of not being able to take requests, she also said she did not have any obligation to respond to any emergency requests and the likes.
It’s like a special measure because of Schnee’s position.
“And it’s because they were indebted to me for many things.”
Schnee spoke with a grin on her face, and Shin felt sympathy toward all of the members of the adventurers guild.
As they entered the ramparts, without making any side trips, they headed toward the guild.
When the door was opened and they entered inside, similar with Falnido, Schnee and Tiera became the main focus.
Schnee with the dog ears, tail equipment, and active attire, which she showed in Falnido, made the male’s eyes present be glued onto her. Somehow it felt like the passionate eyes of some women were mixed in it, too.
Because it was routine for hooligans to pick on beautiful women, Shin quickly headed to the reception before someone came near.
“Hello, I’ve received the report about the summons from the guild.”
“Shin-sama, it’s been a long time. Please wait a minute as we convey the message. Cilica, please.”
“Yes yes~”
It was the sisters, Celica and Cilica that were at the reception desk. When Cilica was called out by Celica, she disappeared out to the back at a quick pace. Though they were twins, their actions and personalities were not similar at all.
“Do you know what kind of business they have with me?”
“No, we were not told about the details. Though it’s different for Els who has a high position.”
“Ah well, I just wanted to ask, please don’t worry about it.”
“Actually, if it’s Shin-sama, I think you’ll be summoned before long though.”
“Eh, why is that?”
“Because Shin-sama is not an ordinary adventurer.”
“…I see.”
It was said because suddenly subduing a high-rank monster alone was an unthinkable thing to do, according to people in this world. So Shin being common was out of question.
“Looks like your companions are all beautiful ladies.”
“Ugh, is that so? Though I can’t deny it…Hey, but Yuzuha is a monster. It’s just my adventurer’s acquaintances that are women――”
“Ara, I never saw you talk with a man before though.”
“There is no such.. thing? Umm, yes, Wilhelm, I received a request together with Wilhelm before.”
“Eh!…”
For some reason, from Shin’s one word, the hall fell silent.
“Shin-sama, is what you spoke just now true?”
“But it wasn’t a regular request, more or less. Wait, why did everyone go silent?”
While being conscious that eyes were focusing on him, Shin questioned Celica whom had an expression of someone who had just heard an unbelievable thing.
“That man rarely joins a party with another person. Even though his fighting power is said to be S-rank, there are many rumors flying around. He seems unapproachable to everyone, too.”
But rumors are unreliable, Celica continued with a small sigh. The authenticity of the rumors might be understood, because she was a part of the guild staff.
“Well, that guy is misunderstood easily I guess.”
The biggest problem would be his character. Wilhelm was not the type that wore a friendly atmosphere. Because the person himself behaved like that, if he didn’t make any effort to solve someone’s misunderstanding, the rumors would not disappear.
Though Shin heard that Wilhelm always kept in touch with other adventurers, who graduated from the orphanage, listening to Celica’s story, it was very likely that he only accepted solo requests.
“Wilhelm-sama is very excellent person himself though.”
“Right?”
To solo, unlike a party, one could only rely on oneself, when in case of an emergency. Thus, his sense of danger and techniques to measure the opponent’s abilities became higher than an adventurer of a similar rank.
Moreover, Wilhelm was a Chosen One, there was no need to state how excellent that is.
“Shin-sama, preparations are done, please come now.”
“Understood. Then lead the way.”
When Cilica returned, they stopped talking and went to Barlux’s office.
Schnee and Tiera would be waiting in the hall. Yuzuha, who rode on Shin’s head before, was entrusted to Schnee.
When Shin entered the office, Barlux and an old man whom he didn’t recognize, sat down on a sofa.
“First of all, have a seat. It was faster than I expected.”
“It’s because I originally was going this direction.”
Shin answered Barlux while sitting on a sofa.
Of course, this was a lie. If he had heard the message near Beirun, then it fit it well timewise, so he decided to say so.
“I’m sorry for rushing it. Ah, this mage, who is in charge of jewel appraisal in our guild, is Arad. It’s him that appraised the jewel of the Skull Face which you brought in before.”
“I’m Arad Royl, pleased to meet you.”
Without doubting Shin’s words, Barlux introduced Arad.1
No matter how many branch offices there were in each country, they could not check where the adventurer received the message at one by one. Unless, the person was on the black list and under surveillance. Shin, under the present conditions, didn’t have the guilds distrust towards him when that investigation was conducted. For Shin’s high prowess in combat, this also could be explained as a Chosen One category.
“I’m Shin. I hope to get along with you as well.”
Shin also replied to the old man as politely as possible.
Since the story of the Skull Face already came out, he thought ‘It is this after all, huh?’ while putting up his guard.
“Though you already heard it from the message, Shin, you are being summoned by the royal palace.”
“For the time being, can I hear the reason?”
“For that, I will explain it to you.”
When the reason was asked from Barlux, Arad took over the talks.
“Before that, do you know the story, about where a sword flew into the king’s castle?”
“Something flew in…Only to that degree.”
“That’s fine. It was actually a greatsword with a white blade.”
“A Greatsword, huh?”
I know, was what Shin wanted to answer but endured it somehow. He happened to know too much after all.
“Moreover, the greatsword pierced and stuck into the wall of the second princess Bayreuth kingdom’s bedroom. It also caused a lot of clamour in the kingdom.”
“………”
Shin couldn’t help thinking, ‘Are you serious?’. It was only natural that it became an uproar.
“Fortunately, no one was hurt when it pierced the wall. The question is the greatsword. It’s bestowed with a good attribute and the material used is excellent, in short; It is a very good sword. It seems to even rival the country’s treasured sword when put side by side, if I have to say so as an appraiser.”
“…That’s amazing.”
It’s exposed! Who did it, that was definitely coming to light. While thinking about that, Shin inwardly arrived at the stage of resignation.
Perhaps after this, Shin might be questioned about the connection between his ability and the Skull Face.
Without hearing it to the end, Shin understood. Rather, he should know by the flow of the conversation. It was a common pattern. He didn’t read all of those fantasy novels just for mere fun.
“By the way, the jewel of the Skull Face you defeated, it was clad in a very strong magic power. It was quite a high-level one.”
“That’s right, I think.”
“According to what I heard, it’s level was 359. It’s at the level where average adventurers would be killed during an encounter. However, for someone who was still at G rank at the time they were facing it, and far from escaping, rather it was actually defeated by…you, are you a Chosen One?”
The calm air changed sharply, as Arad asked.
“… That is correct.”
There is no answer besides that, Shin thought while nodded.
When Shin answered obediently, Arad dissipated the dangerous air, and returned to his original calm mood.
“You even know the words ‘Chosen One’, huh?…Well if it’s you, the Skull Face that held the large sword would be defeated. Perhaps, when the skill was used at the end of the battle, the greatsword was blown off to the place in question.”
“How do you know it ended up to there?”
“I haven’t lived a long time just for show. I also heard your weapon was shattered at that time.”
“Indeed, it was shattered. Only the hilt remained――By the way, why is it that you think I was involved? I understand wanting to associate that greatsword to the Skull Face situation, but I don’t think you are suddenly convinced from the evidence though.”
Shin didn’t think that the people of the royal palace would make a move just by that reasoning.
“Of course, there was someone investigating the person behind it. Also, the Skull Face was examined immediately. The matter of the jewel was found out, and the investigation requests came out to examine that together with the greatsword. In the aforementioned greatsword, though there is only a little, there are the remnants of magic power left on the sword. Furthermore, it was matched with the magic power of the jewel. It didn’t reveal how you did it though.”
“I see, so there is such method, huh?”
It seemed to be a fantasy technique similar to our version of DNA analysis. The quality of magic power might be different in individuals.
“That’s why once it was understood up to there, one thing after another was revealed. When the fact that you brought in the jewel came to light, the summons appeared.”
“Even for a guild, this kind of thing can’t simply be revealed, right?”
“No, there’s no way to deceive when it’s been exposed to that extent.”
There was no reason for the guild to protect Shin. If seen from the guild, Shin was only a G rank novice adventurer at that time.
Of course the story was different when it was about a chosen one, there was a possibility that the royal family would be exposed to danger.
However, because Shin held the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora, that situation ended without turning worse. Moreover, since Barlux had reported about the time when they had met, he had judged that Shin would not be the type of person who held hostility, at least toward the kingdom.
To begin with, to have malicious intentions toward the princess, who was in the upper rank of Chosen Ones, was way too careless.
“Somehow, it was useful for the first time.”
After hearing that story, Shin felt grateful for the letter of introduction for the first time.
“And here’s the main problem. Shin, the one that summoned you was none other than the second princess.”
“The second princess?”
“She seems to be interested in you; Shin, who knocked down the Skull Face which held the greatsword. Because she is a Chosen One, too.”
“So, is that it? She wants to fight against me?”
“It would be nice if it could be settled with only that.”
From Barlux’s remark, it indicated that it wouldn’t happen.
“Then what’s beside it? Don’t tell me, she wants me to take responsibility because I almost inflicted injuries to the royal family?”
“No, it’s not that. To tell you the truth, similar Skull Faces had appeared in the vicinity of the Wraith Plains. The princess also participated in its subjugation, but from that experience, she knows that even she couldn’t afford to go easy if she’s fighting solo, so she seems to want to persuade you into being one of her people.”
“I’m saved if its going this direction, but…what’s next?”
Besides, what came to Shin’s mind was something like government service recruitment. Since there were people serving the country among the chosen ones, it might not be impossible.
“Well, for that, I don’t know it either.”
“Politicians, are only but the *evil spirits residing in the mountains and rivers.”2
It was a story that was not laughable on Shin’s side.
“Okay, I understand the story for the time being. I can only keep going. Is there no specific time for the summon?”
Shin asked Barlux.
“For that, we will contact them from here. That’s right, how about 9’s bells tomorrow, good?”
“I’d like it. Ah, then what clothes should I wear? Because I didn’t expect to meet the royal family.”
Though Girard was also considered as royalty, they had the familiarity as friends, and because Shin was treated like a guest in Falnido, he didn’t mind his clothes in particular. Because everyone around dressed in clothes that emphasized ease of movement, he couldn’t use it as a reference in the opinion of a royal castle such as Bayreuth.
“Dress code is not demanded, for an adventurer who is not a noble. You should keep your appearance neat though.”
“To begin with, the armed state can be said to be the uniform of an adventurer. And there’s hardly a guy that possesses clothes similar to a noble.”
Hearing Barlux and Arad talking, there seemed to be no regulations on that subject.
“Is there anything else you want to ask? I think I can advise a little.”
Arad asked Shin.
“…I don’t have anything on my mind in particular. You might say, because it’s my first time like this.”
“It might not meet with your expectations. The next thing that we are able to say is, do not make a commitment due to such a place. Depending on the other party, because they might bring up again about your fault persistently for a moment, it might be depressing for you.”
“Haha, I’ll be careful.”
Somehow a genuine feeling could be sensed from Arad’s words. He might have experienced it himself.
“Old man Royl dislikes nobles. Though it doesn’t apply to all nobles, well because there are such people too, you should really be careful.”
“I understand.”
Shin replied to Barlux with a wry smile.
Actualy, like in novels and anime he had seen, he expected the existence of corrupt nobles that were only skillful at faultfinding.
Shin has not yet met a noble in this world. However, people raised in the privileged class who were only good at looking down at others, often existed.
Afterwards, Shin learnt about some etiquettes and left the office.
When he returned to the hall, there was a crowd in the corner of the hall.
“Yeah, indeed, it’s as I expected.”
Needless to say, at the center of the crowd was Schnee and Tiera.
Shin consented because he expected it to turn this way if the two people were left alone.
“Hiss!!”
Yuzuha was heard to be threatening.
The surrounding men that enclosed them, probably didn’t know that they would become minced meat the moment that Yuzuha got involved.
Still, because it would be unpleasant to have casualties inside the guild, Shin approached the crowd before Yuzuha exploded.
“Excuse me. Tiera, let’s go.”
“Ah, yes!”
Schnee, who perceived Shin approaching, began to walk out with Tiera.
Additionally, at the same time, a slightly intimidating air was given out by Schnee. Defeated by that pressure, the men that encircled them backed off for several steps. Schnee and the others weaved their way out through the space resulting from that, and escaped from the crowd.
Shin realized that the men who were following the two people with their eyes, were also paying attention to him. Shin felt the pressure that he had never felt in real life.
(The day I receive this kind of stare finally comes.)
If he was very thick-headed, he might of not been aware of those envious eyes. While feeling depressed, Shin had an indescribable mood.
“Did they invite you two to a party?”
“Half of it was for a party invitation, the other half was a tea break invitation.”
“So did you accept any of it?”
“There are none.”
That evaluation from Schnee, spoken while having a perfect smile, was indeed sharp.
Her eyes stated that it’s not even worth considering.
“To have such a good matching level with Master, there are virtually none.”
Tiera said in an amazed way.
From the start, Schnee never thought of joining others except Shin.
“It’s only natural. Leaving that aside, how was the talk?”
Schnee asked.
“For the time being, I’ve heard about the subject. Before I explain, let’s move to another place. Here is a bit…”
It was not the kind of conversation done in an attracting attention situation.
Their moving destination was Bear Point Pavillion. When Shin stayed there last time, he had confirmed that the soundproofing was reliable.
-
“Welcome! Ara, Shin-san. Long time no see.”
“It’s been a long time. Are there 2 rooms available?”
“We do have vacant rooms, but…before that, come here for a bit.”
“Hmm? Ah, what’s the matter?”
The ‘poster girl’, Tsugumi, pulled Shin until they were near the counter.
With a suspicious face, Tsugumi started talking in a lower volume.
“Hey hey, who are those beautiful woman?! There are many beautiful people among the elves, but the beast people next to you, they belong on a different level!! What kind of magic did you use!?”
While skillfully shouting in low voice, Tsugumi kept on talking without pause.
Tsugumi, without any adverse effects, was called a beautiful girl herself. However, Schnee and Tiera, seen from Tsugumi’s point of view, were on another whole different level.
“Various things happened and I can’t say the details.”
“Eh~”
“Don’t ‘Eh’ me. You shouldn’t pry into customers’ affairs.”
“But, you just became an adventurer no more than a month ago, how did you get entangled with such two beautiful women? I’m not worried or anything, but something is wrong.”
“Hey! Hey! Though I understand your feelings, this is no good, you know?”
“Cheー”
“Don’t sulk!”
Was it because of a lack of entertainment? She seemed to have a fancy about this sort of story.
Were Shin and the others common adventurers, he could talk about story that they came across each other by chance. However, there were circumstances for Shin and Schnee, so he couldn’t reveal the detailed contents.
“Sigh, I thought I could listen to interesting stories again after such a long time.”
“Don’t joke around.”
Contrary to his way of talking, Shin was amazed at her state, which didn’t seem to be very disappointed.
Did she not have the motivation to ask about it persistently? After Tsugumi returned to the counter, she waited on customers normally.
Shin rented a single room for himself, and a twin room for Schnee and Tiera. Because he didn’t know how much time it would take due to tomorrow, he handed each one Jul gold coin for the time being. He also had Tsugumi to speak up if it started to run out.
It was just at the right time so they had a lunch, and then, they gathered in Schnee and Tiera’s room afterward.
“――and well, that’s what I was told. I probably have to fight and so on, I think.”
When he spoke about the discussion he had with Barlux and Arad, Schnee nodded as she consented.
“I see. There was such a thing happening before our reunion, huh?”
“A sword that flew into the royal castle, what have you done…”
“I’m not doing it because I like it, okay.”
“Kuu? Shin is amazing~”
Tiera was astonished and Yuzuha, who might not understand it well, tilted its head.
“According to Shin’s words, it’s possible for the country to invite you, whether or not you enter the government service. Or, it’s possible that it’s recommended that you set up a marriage with a high nobility to some extent.”
“I understand about the government service, but marriage?”
“Yes, if the second princess in question grasped the Skull Faces’ fighting power accurately, she should be convinced that Shin’s ability is among the upper class of Chosen Ones. Because the power of a country is said to be proportional to the number of Chosen Ones, I expect she will actively try to win you over.”
“After the story about the princess, may I refrain from the marriage meeting? I don’t mean for things to go like this right away.”
Shin didn’t have the intention to enter government service or being tied with marriage.
And he didn’t have the motivation to talk about how to decline such a plan and so on from the beginning.
“I think there’s no problem if you decline to enter the government service. There are not many people who become knights from adventurers.”
“Is that so?”
“There are many people who hate being bound by rules. Also, viewing from the party members, because the recruitment is a loss for them, they refrain from doing it.”
The types that entered the government service, from adventurers, were the people who were solo and people who didn’t join a party as a fixed member.
“And now, Shin is in a party with us, so if you put that as a reason, it would be difficult to reject it.”
“Then, the problem now is the marriage, huh? It’s obvious that if I decline this without a good reason, then troublesome things will come about.”
“Regarding that, should I pretend to be your fiance?”
“Ah, I can be that guy who is already engaged to his partner, huh?”
Schnee expected that a new fiance wouldn’t be pushed onto a person who was already engaged.
It was certainly not bad as an excuse. Though, it wouldn’t be assured that a noble would give up so easily.
“It’s unreasonable to force it too much, so it’s their loss if they continue to offend you. In some cases, Tiera too, if she pretended, they at least won’t even think of tempting her as your woman.”
“Uhm, me?”
Tiera asked.
“Ara, you don’t like it?”
“No, if it’s about pretending, I’m good but…”
If it is only pretending, Tiera was also okay with it.
“Kuu! Then Yuzuha and Shin can become a couple too!!”
“Wait, Yuzuha, it’s not like that! I’ll be killed by society!!”
However, when Yuzuha announced its candidacy, to an extent that it even transformed into its female human form, because of a you-know-what misunderstanding, Shin hurriedly put a stop to it.
Anyway, Yuzuha could only turn into the little girl mode after all, rather than the figure of the voluptuous beautiful woman from the game era. To dabble with a little girl could be considered to be on the path to becoming a pervert at full speed.
“This time it is just pretending, only pretending. It’s not real, okay?”
“Kuu? You are not mating with Schnee?”
“Hey! You must not say such a thing with that appearance!!”
“Mattiiinnn…!?”
To the unexpected word that came out from Yuzuha’s mouth, Shin was at his wits’ end and Schnee had stiffened.
Though Yuzuha’s original knowledge was sealed, it was not strange even if it knew. However, it was different when it was in its young fox mode, when such a word was spoken in the little girl mode, he strongly felt that there were problems in various ways.
For the ‘mating’ word, it might be due to its strong animal’s sense from its nature.
And, other than Shin, who was denying it with all his might, Schnee’s face was dyed in red.
“For the time being, let’s calm down.”
Though Tiera was the one who spoke out, she was the calmest in that situation.
Part 2
Dawn of the next day.
Letter from Barlux and all kinds of permits were received at the inn, and Shin finished preparing for his summons at the castle.
As a result of a discussion between Shin, Schnee and Tiera, for the time being, Shin would go to the royal castle to see the other party’s attitude. If he conveyed that he had both a party and a fiancée, the other side should not consider it unusual; However, he couldn’t be careless.
“Then, I’m going. I’ll leave Yuzuha with you.”
“See you soon. If there is anything, contact me with Mind Talk.”
“You have to hold back when you fight, because it’ll be terrible if you hurt the princess.”
“It will be fine…probably.”
“Seriously, you really have to watch out, okay?”
After such an exchange with Schnee and Tiera, Shin left the Bear Point Pavilion.
Since the other party was said to be royalty, Shin’s attire was one of the originals from the game era, ceremonial attire from Kalkia which was currently called a ‘Sacred Place’.
You might say it looked like a ceremonial military uniform that combines practicality and glamour; it was a wonderful item. The accessories’ rank was not too expensive and it was treated as a set equipment.
Partly because Kalkia was originally the first base, after starting an adventure, one could buy it in the arms shop for beginners. Naturally, its performance was also low.
What Shin put on was a formal dress that was a red associated with captains. Besides that, there was also a piece of clothing that was colored a blue specific to vice-captains and other low rank clothing which had slightly less performance than that of an ordinary soldier and so on. When these items came together, it was referred to as a set.
“Now then, what will happen now?”
While checking the map displayed at the edge of his view, Shin faced the gate in the inner wall.
The King’s castle was located in the center of the Bayreuth kingdom and it was surrounded by the houses of the rich, such as nobles, wealthy merchants and the like. Though it seemed to be a general residential area originally, a wall around it was erected as the population rose, and the living area was segregated off except for those of higher social status.
The boundary that separated the living district between nobles and ordinary people was the inner wall Shin headed towards. Because it was originally an outer wall, it was reinforced sturdily. Was there a powerful magic user? The degree of reinforcement was top class.
As for Shin, he only prayed that the day when the inner wall was invaded would never come.
“Well, I think it won’t fail here though.”
As he walked for a while, a gate smaller than the one on the outside wall came into view.
Like the outside wall, the inner wall also had south, north, east and west gates. And the comings and goings were checked.
There were a lot of people with high status who lived there and a person with a clear position, to a certain extent, could pass through without an identity check.
Although that was the case, there was a suspicious looking D rank adventurer there now, and if not for the request he received, he would have been turned away at the gate. In the letter that had arrived from Barlux this morning, there had been a permit to enter the inner wall attached to it.
“…Good, enter.”
Spoke the soldier who was guarding the gate after he compared the permit alternately with another document.
When the permit was accepted, Shin stepped inside the inner wall.
“…This is a quiet upper-class residential area, huh?”
There were almost no pedestrians, unlike the outside. The only people walking appeared to be servants from their clothes. Most people traveled on horse-drawn carriages. Of course, there were no stalls and so on. It was so quiet that it felt like he was in a completely different country.
(3, 4, 5,…8 people, huh?)
On his way to the royal castle, Shin felt the glances directed to him.
【Hiding】skills of both martial arts and magic were used, surrounding Shin as he moved while his observers maintained a certain distance. The colors displayed on his map were green, so they didn’t seem to be hostile for the moment.
“There’s no sign of them making a move, huh? From what I’ve heard of the princess, I have a feeling that she wouldn’t think of doing something like this.”
From Barlux’s story, he had the impression that the princess was likely to come over directly rather than hiding and watching.
Though it was just his assumption, there might be other forces that were moving.
“…Ah, I want to go back…”
They were certainly Shin’s true feelings.
Though he couldn’t return now since he had come this far, he disliked unpleasant things. With that state of mind, Shin stepped forward to the royal castle.
“Excuse me, I received a summons from the second princess and so, came here. Can you pass that on?”
“I’ve heard the news. Please present your permit.”
Shin talked to the palace guard, that was defending the castle gate, to obtain permission to enter.
As for the story, it seems to have been well circulated. The palace guard checked the permit Shin received from Barlux again and then put him in the guard’s office which was located beside the gate. It seemed that the palace guard didn’t intend to open the gate for Shin alone.
“I will call your escort now. Please wait for a while.”
“Okay, I got it.”
Because he had nothing to do, he looked around to kill time.
The maintained road extended to the inside of the castle. One could get off from a wagon that entered inside without getting wet even in the rain.
After waiting for a while, he saw a mounted figure coming in his direction. A person in red armor was taking the reins. The person stopped the horse in front of Shin and dismounted.
“Excuse me. You are the adventurer Shin, correct?”
“Yes, I am, and you are…”
“I am Gadras Jarre. I have been ordered by princess Rionne to greet you. I’ll be your escort, so follow me.”
“I understand.”
Shin nodded and followed after Gadras.
Shin, while walking, checked Gadras’s stats.
――――『Gadras Jarre Level 188 Dark Knight』
Level 188. Shin remembered that numerical value. He heard it when the first time he met Barlux, the ‘leader of the knights’ might be him.
As for Gadras’ main job, Dark Knight was one of the advanced level jobs that derived from a knight. Moreover, the armor he wore was a lower end 《Unique》 grade Scale Horn Armor. It was occupational equipment that required suitable stats and level, and a tiny presence of sharpened valor was emitted from it.
No matter how much Shin was regarded as an upper class Chosen One, he kept thinking about how someone who was considered a part of the kingdom’s strongest force came to pick him up expressly.
Did they want to indirectly convey that he was worthy of it?
Or, was it because an ordinary soldier couldn’t hold him down if he acted out violently?
It was impossible for Shin who was not familiar with this class of people to read into the thoughts of these royal nobles.
Shin followed Gadras obediently, but somehow they hardly passed by anyone.
“You, are you actually of a noble family lineage somewhere?”
Gadras asked out of the blue.
“No, I’m just a commoner you can find anywhere…”
If Schnee and the others were to hear that from Shin, ‘Are you in any position to say that?’, would probably be the reply he would get.
“Is that so? Ah, just call me Gadras. I became a knight from an adventurer, so to be humble myself doesn’t match with my nature.”
“Then, I’ll call you Gadras-san.”
“Well, that’s fine I guess. Let’s return to the topic at hand. When I was summoned to the castle for the first time, they were shocked by my armor. As an adventurer raised as a commoner, you should also pay attention to your attire properly. There are many ignorant people, so your clothes can be easily misinterpreted.”
It seemed like it wasn’t necessary to come dressed in formal attire.
‘Did I make a mistake?’ Shin thought, but decided to heed Barlux’s advice for the time being.
“It’s because I heard that you should maintain a neat appearance from the guild master. Actually, I was worried if this was fine.”
“Well, it’s not a bad thing to choose clothes according to the destination. And I think it’s rather nice.”
“Since it’s my first time coming to a castle, I prepared it in a hurry.”
As they walked while having such exchanges, Gadras stopped in front of a door. As Shin looked at the door, he noticed that the grade of ornaments was different from the others.
“Princess Rionne is in here. You don’t need to be so tense too, because the second princess is not the kind of person who demands formalities from an adventurer.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Gadras knocked on the door, and reported that Shin had arrived.
Before long, the door was opened from inside. When Gadras and Shin entered inside, the door was closed immediately.
Shin wondered whether there was a female maid, but it was a male knight who opened and closed the door.
――――『Feyzel Adith Level 172 Paladin』
As for his appearance, he had the look of a mild-tempered man with blond hair and blue eyes. His main job was a Paladin. This man might be a Chosen One too.
On that subject, Wilhelm also said there were more Chosen Ones than the ones publicly announced.
Since he couldn’t stare at the man too much, he turned his attention to the front right away.
There was an elegant table and a fancy chair in the center of the room. A beautiful woman was sitting on the chair. Fine golden hair was tied at the back of her head, but it still reached all the way down her back. Her deep crimson eyes, which looked like rubies, stared at Shin. Her figure was pleasant too, even a certain ‘part’ of her seemed to rival Tiera.
Only her clothes were far from the image of a princess. For the upper half of her body, a leather type armor covered from her chest to her abdomen. In addition, a white jacket was worn above it. And for her lower half, there were red hot pants and boots that went up to her knees with a similar color.
Speaking of the jacket, because it wasn’t buttoned, Shin could clearly see her cleavage pushed up by the leather armor from his location. This was totally different from the princess he imagined.
――――『Rionne Strail Bayreuth Level 230 Magic Swordswoman』
Although her name and level were displayed, Shin understood that excluding him, she was the strongest in that room simply from the presence she emitted.
Shin guessed that she probably wore those clothes for combat. Apparently, a match seemed inevitable.
“Thanks for coming. I’m Rionne Strail Bayreuth, this country’s second princess. My best regards.”
“I’m the adventurer, Shin. Thank you for inviting me here today.”
He bowed his head while introducing himself.
“Oh my! This is turning into a serious talk. I don’t really care for etiquette, so you don’t need to worry about manners. Feel free to call me Rionne.”
“…Then, Rionne-sama it is…”
Though Shin thought ‘isn’t it bad?’ for the princess to not care about courtesy, but still, Shin avoided pointing it out.
As she frequently appeared in the downtown area, her activities as a princess would put adventurers to shame. ‘There’s also such a thing’, Shin convinced himself.
Her beautiful appearance was princess caliber, but she didn’t exude the dignity of someone from a royal family. Was this a positive or negative for the royal family? It seemed opinions could differ on this matter.
“Princess, I wouldn’t do that in the first meeting. It will cause a misunderstanding.”3
“He is a person who we may soon fight together with as a companion. Wouldn’t this be better than creating a strange barrier between us because I’m from the royal family?”
“…Shin, it’s unfortunate, but this is how the princess is. Please don’t worry about your social status and act casually.”
“Yes…I, will do my best…I guess?”
Shin thought ‘rather than a princess, she should be called a sociable adventurer.’
Gadras’s tone too, for some reason, became less formal. Apparently, this seemed to be their usual way of exchange between lord and retainer.
When Shin fleetingly glanced at Feyzel, while feeling at a loss, he saw that the man stood upright like one of the room’s furnishings as if saying ‘it’s of no concern to me’.
“Um, for now, I want to ask you the reason why I was summoned…”
“Muu! You don’t have to use formal words, you know?”
“Well, for some reason, that’s kind of..”
Just because the person in question permits it, it didn’t mean that the surrounding people would accept it in the same way.
Even if the princess has no bad intentions, since there was an observer there as well, it would be troublesome for him if someone later said he acted too familiar.
“Well, there’s no helping it if Shin said so. Now then, the reason why I invited you today, I think you may already heard it from Barlux, but it’s the matter of the Skull Face. It was the one that was level 359 and wielded this.”
As she said that, Rionne opened a huge case that was located under her feet.
‘Wasn’t that a job for a maid?’ was what Shin thought, but unfortunately, there wasn’t a single maid in that room. Incidentally, there wasn’t even any tea prepared.
What Rionne took out was the greatsword, which had belonged to the Skull Face that Shin had previously defeated. It should be too heavy for a woman, but Rionne lifted it with one hand like it was nothing.
“…That is certainly the one the Skull Face had at that time. I remember the decoration and the aura covering the blade.”
Because it was a pretty memorable opponent, he also remembered its weapon well. Secretly, he activated his �【Appraisal】� skill, which he forgot to do so during the battle. For the first time in here, Shin found out that it was a 《Legend》 grade greatsword. There was an inscription on it too which seemed to say ‘Muspelm’.
“Yea, the Skull Face had considerable skill, I believe?”
“That’s right. If my weapon was a bit more fragile, I think I wouldn’t have been able to do anything but run away.”
“It was able to rally with this greatsword that’s equivalent to our country’s treasured sword, 『Wazamono』, huh?”
She may have heard the story about how the sword『Several Stroke』, which Shin had equipped at that time, had become only a hilt.
As for 『Muspelm』, it was a 2 mels sword with a thick blade. If the other sword was not as good as 『Wazamono』, it would be unthinkable for it to be able to exchange blows directly.
“I obtained that katana by chance in the middle of my journey. I think its performance was at least 《Rare》 grade though.”
Actually, it was only a reinforced 《Normal》 grade katana, but Shin lied because he didn’t know what the value of a maximum reinforced weapon was in this world.
As for the matter of whether or not it was possible for a 《Rare》 grade to exchange blows with 『Muspelm』, it should be believable since it ended up getting broken from the excessive force.
“So now you’re just using an ordinary weapon, Shin?”
“No, I received an escort request towards Beirun earlier and we exterminated some bandits on the way. Since one of the bandits was using a Magic Sword as a weapon, I’m using that now.”
As for the bandits’ belongings, the property rights basically moved to whoever subdued them.
Since it’s possible that his current weapon would be examined, he used that excuse to add credibility to his story.
“I see. If it’s a Magic Sword, then it may be a good fit for you.”
“It’s good if that’s the case. But I’ve almost never used it after I obtained it, so I can’t say for sure.”
“You can get used to it, right?”
“Probably.”
Right, this is the flow of events that usually precedes a fight.
Shin exchanged words with Rionne while thinking that. The weapon from the monster, in addition, the monster’s skills —t hough it took the flow of a natural conversation, if combat-related talk continued in this way, it was obvious that the final result would be “Let’s have a match.”
“Fumu…”
“………?”
Against his expectations, Rionne who nodded once, fell silent.
As for Shin, he had the hesitant reaction of a ‘What should I do?’ decision.
“Well, is something wrong?”
“No, well, you are different after all, Shin.”
“Different?”
Shin couldn’t figure out the flow of the conversation, so the question was reiterated.
“Adventurers that suddenly stand out like you, are usually Chosen Ones. Though Gadras was like that too, when it was judged that his ability ranked in the upper class, it was customary for him to be invited to the royal palace.”
“Well, that’s understandable.”
“However, there are groups who use Chosen Ones to attempt assassinations from the inside.”
“…That’s also dangerous, right?”
‘Then, is it fine to suddenly let me meet the princess?’ Shin wanted to ask.
But, he didn’t interject because she wasn’t finished with her story.
“Though I had my suspicions about you, I thought it would probably be fine.”
“Eh? I don’t remember having said anything that would clear myself from doubt though.”
“Of course, it’s because of my intuition.”
“Ehhー”
A monotone sound came out unintentionally.
That too, seemed like it couldn’t be helped. Shin had never heard of someone determining whether an opponent might bring harm to the country by relying solely on intuition. What would she do if it hadn’t worked out?
“Ah, a monotone sound came out!”
“That can’t be helped. Moreover, if it’s like this, people won’t be convinced by such things since there is no concrete evidence.”
“No problem. I have �the 【Intuition】� skill. I was born with it and my intuition never misses a thing. Besides, even though I may appear this way, I am one of this country’s princesses. I’ve developed my ability to judge character!”
With a smile, Rionne’s words were heard by Shin and he tried to recall the effect for 【Intuition】.
It should only be a battle support skill. If anything, he had a feeling that it was suitable to say it was just a woman’s intuition.
(…Could【Intuition】possibly enhance a woman’s intuition?)
Shin unconsciously wondered about such a thing.
“You might say the biggest deciding factor is that you hold a letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora.”
“Right…”
Under the current situation, it was the strongest piece of identification.
“That letter of introduction is impossible to replicate and Schnee-dono would never hand it over to a group plotting an assassination. As for a letter of introduction carrier, it’s almost certain that their theft countermeasures are not ordinary. Therefore, a story of someone stealing a letter of introduction is unheard of until this very day. In fact, this acted as something like a final confirmation.”
“I see, then the main question is?”
“So it’s come to this. Let me say it without beating about the bush. I want you to fight with me!”
“Not that, princess! You’re supposed to tell him about government service!”
Gadras promptly interrupted Rionne who had challenged Shin for a match.
Somehow, this turned out differently from their briefing session.
“What are you talking about, Gadras? Either way, for his true ability, how can I judge it accurately if we don’t cross swords?”
“Even if you yearn for it, you could wait a bit longer before saying it. What kind of place is it for a princess to challenge an adventurer with something like, ‘Fight with me!’?”
“A lady-like princess is the elder sister’s responsibility!”
“R-Responsibility…”
Gadras seemed to have it hard with one thing or another.
“Since it’s the wish of the princess, I don’t want to decline, but if possible I would like to ask for a weapon used for training purposes.”
Though Shin’s weapon was not lacking, still, it was unclear as to how long it would be able to keep up a rally directly with a 《Legend》 grade weapon.
“Okay, I understand. I’ll lend you a weapon used by our knights. It doesn’t matter if you destroy it.”
“Well, that’s fine. Though, I want you to forgive me if that sword breaks in the middle of the fight.”
While saying that, Shin kept secret about the even more dangerous items that lay in his Item Box.
“Then, let’s head toward the training ground immediately.”
The princess began to walk triumphantly.
Contrary to her personality, she walked elegantly without pause. If one only saw her movement, everyone would think that she had a graceful character.
Without taking the huge case, she held the『Muspelm』in one hand.
“Princess…”
“…It’s tough, isn’t it?”
“You understand?”
Shin felt sorry for Gadras who dropped his shoulders.
-
Shortly after Shin and the others left the room.
Feyzel, who had remained in the room, let the tension out of his shoulders as he felt the presence of Shin and the others go away.
He seemed to be tense and before he noticed it, he felt that his muscles had become quite stiff. He took a deep breath and felt somewhat better after taking a short break.
“I’m so tired.”
Other than Feyzel, a male’s voice suddenly echoed through the room that should contain nobody else.
“Yeah, indeed.”
Feyzel, who began to talk, replied without any surprise. The owner of the voice was Feyzel’s co-worker.
“Are you feeling nervous about the other party as well?”
“Yeah, as expected from a letter of introduction carrier.”
A slightly tired smile appeared as Feyzel answered.
Feyzel’s role was to obtain the other party’s information with his own skills.
“You saw it, didn’t you?”
“I saw it. But perhaps, his stats might be falsified.”
That person was the most abnormal among all of the people who had come in so far. Feyzel continued, and waited for a response from the owner of the voice.
“To that extent?”
“I’m sure about it. That person, named Shin, has a level of 200. Job of samurai. However, if I were to really say my impressions of when we faced each other, I would have rewritten the information.”
Feyzel was a Chosen One that specialized in uncovering the ability of the other party, therefore he was sure of it.
Rionne and Gadras didn’t notice the abilities of Shin, but Feyzel felt exactly a fragment of the power leaking out from his body. In fact, the right answer was beyond the level he stated.
“Though I failed to obtain any sufficient information, I can only say this. He is strong! Even more so than we imagined.”
“Since you say it to that extent, I should report this matter to the King.”
“Please do so if possible, I’d be saved the trouble if you convey it. Also, don’t make any needless trouble, I guess? Like what you did to Wilhelm, if you make a foolish move, it will be terrible. At least, I don’t want to fight him.”
“Understood. I must not make an enemy of an upper class Chosen One.”
By the end of those words, the voice was already inaudible.
Apparently, it seemed to have gone to report.
“Good grief! I want to go home today already!”
I feel like I am dead instead of living.
Muttering so, Feyzel left the room.
Part 3
Shin, Rionne and Gadras visited the training grounds that the knights used.
“I want to confirm something. For the time being, we’re not going to fight next to soldiers that are training, are we?”
“No, it won’t go well if we were to fight there. Today, half of the soldiers are out for practice and the rest have other work that’s not in the training ground. Though some may sneak a peek, it can’t helped with so many people. Or, is Shin the type that does not want to be seen by people when he fights?”
“To tell you the truth, I want to refrain from exposing my abilities expressly. At the guild, we fought in an empty training center.”
“I see, you’re a cautious one, aren’t you?”
“Isn’t that how an adventurer should be?”
Unlike knights, adventurers often traveled alone. And in case of emergencies, they would have one or two trump cards prepared, Shin thought.
“Well, if I had to say it, most adventurers try to show off their power to gain fame. If their talent is recognized, then they can also enter government service like me.”
Gadras, who was a former adventurer, answered Shin’s question.
“That’s how it is, huh?”
“Of course there are also guys like you who don’t reveal their hand and hide their trump cards.”
Although it didn’t seem to be unusual, somehow people like Shin appeared to be in the minority.
“Personally, I don’t prefer the types like Shin. People who think that they can act that way, even if they’re powerful, I don’t like them for some reason. By simply having power, you must think about how to properly use it.”
“The obligations of a person with power, huh?”
“It’s the duty of the strong. When I notice a strong person with power, I often think, ‘What kind of influence does their power have on themselves and their surroundings?’ Even though what I hope to see doesn’t always happen.”
“Since I’m from the royal family, I’d say that I tend to think that way”, Rionne continued and smiled wryly.
From the beginning, for royalty, their existence would significantly affect people with their actions. In some ways it could even be said that both royalty and chosen ones were somewhat similar.
That was why Rionne was taught by the royal family to live the ideal life of a person with power. At the same time, she also noticed the existence of the unreachable status known as a princess.
She felt obligated to fight and swung her sword day and night, to control her power. She learned more about military knowledge than etiquette or her studies. Looking at her hand, which held the sword, no one would ever think that that was the hand of the country’s princess.
“It’s difficult, isn’t it?”
“Though I’m telling you about someone else’s problems, I guess even you can commiserate, huh, Shin?”
“It’s because I don’t serve the country, isn’t it? Again, I have my own way of doing things as an adventurer. Besides, it’s tiring to think about such things around the clock, so I do everything moderately. If not, then you won’t feel relaxed, right?”
Shin didn’t mean to deny Rionne’s thoughts.
In fact, it was important to act with such thinking in mind. However, different people have their own viewpoints and capabilities. If there was a person who had their own way, without noticing it existed, there would also be a person who acted their own way and yet noticed it existed.
As for what would happen as a result, only God may know. Of course, it was unreasonable for Shin to entrust everything to the heavens, so he moved and thought accordingly. Whether or not it went smoothly, it was hard to say.
“I’m a bit jealous, for you to be able to say that.”
“Well, when something bad happens, the troublesome ones usually don’t change though”
“If you enter the military, you may be able to decrease the troublesome things a little, you know? Though I can’t say it will be as a General, I can promise you a reasonably high position.”
“An additional bonus comes along in various other ways instead, huh? I’m terribly sorry, but I’ll still have to decline.”
Shin evaded the casual invitation from the second princess smoothly.
He didn’t have any intention to enter a military which would restrict his movements. For Shin, who lived in a world without a class system such as nobles and royal families, their ideas were beyond his understanding.
Although he was familiar with the meaning of a fantasy system in games and manga, he didn’t understand it in this world.
“That’s too bad. It’s not easy to encounter an upper grade Chosen One. So, it seems like we’ve arrived?”
Rionne shrugged while stating her disappointment, she probably thought that Shin would have agreed.
And then, she stopped in front of a somewhat ordinary door.
“Here?”
“This is because you requested a fight that no one will see. So we will borrow this place.”
Saying that, Rionne pushed the door open.
Inside, there was a transition point similar to what Shin saw in the adventurers’ guild.4
“So we are going to teleport?”
“That’s right. Didn’t you also do so in the guild?”
Their destination, after transferring right away, was a round open space about 100 mels in radius. It was different from the place where Shin fought against Barlux.
“It’s constructed differently from the guild’s training ground, huh?”
“It’s been said to be made with a battle between Chosen Ones in mind. Besides, there’s no one here so we can fight as much as we want. Actually, even if you didn’t say anything, I was planning to fight you here anyway, Shin.”
Although it was a test of strength, even if a chosen one used only a ‘tiny’ portion of their power, there was no guarantee that this ‘tiny’ amount would be the same amount as that of an ordinary soldier. But, it seemed this place would be alright, if that was the case.
“It was decided, huh?”
“I couldn’t find any other place for our purpose, except this. The transition point is a technique from before the Dusk of the Majesty, and we haven’t been able to completely solve it yet. What was it made for? To tell you the truth, it’s not known yet. But it’s pretty sturdy, so it’s thought to have been a training ground in the past.”
I see, Shin thought.
He thought it was strange because he was told that transposing magic was lost, but a transition point had been set up here like it was perfectly normal. To manufacture a transition point, the technique of transposing was needed.
(Hmm…I wonder if this place was for some guild house originally.)
If one said guild in this world, it would usually refer to an adventurers’ guild.
However, there were many players guilds and their corresponding guild houses that existed during the game era. The structures and styles varied according to the guild. Some made castle, while others used a shop. There were no similar guild houses.
And, a transition point was standard equipment for a guild house. As for the royal magic library that Shin had visited before, the unusually high level barrier skill was understandable, if it too was installed by a guild. Perhaps, that was also just equipment repurposed from a guild.
“Let’s begin now. First, you should choose a weapon of your liking. Do you need a change of clothes?”
“No, they’re fine as is.”
Just like the match with Barlux, they didn’t battle immediately.
Several mels ahead of Shin, there were swords and spears that were previously prepared. It could be said that they were used for training because they were made from iron and had edgeless blades. However, if it was swung with the strength of a chosen one, the damage inflicted may not be small.
“Then, I’ll take this.”
Shin chose a standard one-handed sword from among the weapons.
It was maintained properly, but its quality was not so good because it was for training. As for Rionne, she chose a thick-bladed greatsword. The blade was almost 2 mels in length, similar to 『Muspelm』, and she swung it around like a branch from a tree.
“When I see that in person, something feels out of place.”
Such a thing would never happen if it was in the game.
It was different if it was a monster, but the scene of a sword that was about the height of a body, being swung by a woman’s slender arm was very strange to see in reality.
Speaking of the person in question, it seemed like she intended to warm-up. Shin heard the sound of air being cut through every time the greatsword was brandished. Since it’s no use to keep watching forever, Shin too, lightly swung his sword and relaxed his body. With their preparations completed, they got ready with their weapons in the center of the training ground.
“This is a fight to check your ability, so I’ll let out some of my power to an extent!”
“Please go easy on me.”
Shin replied with a wry smile, to Rionne who was fully motivated.
Gadras played the role of referee. Points would be given to each of them, and if he judged the blow would cause a fatal injury he would end the match.
Of course, even if it was said to be a fatal injury, they would stop just before the blow landed. After all, with the ability of these two people, doing that would be a piece of cake.
“Alright, let’s begin!”
Rionne stepped forward when Gadras shouted.
With her greatsword on her right shoulder, she approached Shin using the most direct path, with Shin doing the same. Facing against the greatsword coming from a diagonal direction, Shin prepared to swing his sword from his waist. If he rallied directly, there’s no doubt that Shin’s sword, which was inferior in strength, would break. Thus, he aimed to strike at the flat part of the greatsword.
Ting! A high-pitched sound was made when Rionne’s greatsword veered away from Shin. Furthermore, in one step, Shin leaped toward Rionne’s chest. However, in the next moment, the heel of Rionne’s boot appeared in front of Shin’s eyes.
“Whoa!”
Shin bent down right away to dodge the unleashed kick.
Her released fist was also evaded as she continued the attack before taking a distance once more. Then, her hand, which had parted with the intercepted greatsword, started to counterattack with martial arts. As for the greatsword, the downward force may have been great, as it pierced the ground diagonally.
“You avoided my attacks without being flustered, huh? I thought I could somewhat surprise you with that though”
“Well, I am surprised. I didn’t expect you would suddenly throw away your weapon and start to fight hand-to-hand.”
He didn’t say that parting with one’s own weapon has never happened during battle, but it was not usually done immediately after a battle started.
If an ordinary adventurer did something like that, they would be cut down in no time. There was a limit to making unorthodox decisions.
“You can still say that even though you dodged it like it was nothing. However, the next one will not be so easy!”
The greatsword was pulled from the ground, and Rionne took her stance again.
That stance was indeed magnificent. It was the posture of someone who had been training without depending too much on their ability as a Chosen One.
“I’ll go from here!”
Saying so, Shin faced Rionne and shortened their distance.
As for the current Shin, some restrictions were put on his stats based on information from Girard. Because of the restriction ability 【Limit】, his STR and AGI were about 500. If he rallied with Rionne who was an upper class Chosen One, it should be fine.
Shin, with the momentum from hurling himself, plunged into and pushed Rionne’s greatsword with his sword’s brim.
“Going to compete with me in strength, huh, Shin?”
“I’m confident in my strength!”
As the weapons made a grinding sound, Shin and Rionne exchanged words.
And then, Rionne stopped pushing Shin’s sword. Apparently, in response to Shin’s words, Rionne decided to accept his strength challenge with a contest.
Rionne put power in her slender arm, and the locking of sword to sword started. If she took her time, she may be able to overcome the resistance, but it was obvious that Rionne would take measures before that.
(She is on par with 500 STR, huh? As expected of Girard, he guessed correctly.)
As for the stats of an upper class Chosen One, Girard had talked about it being around 500.
“I wonder if our strength is equal?”
“It seems like it.”
They made some distance between them by stepping back together.
Shin had his sword in an aiming-at-the-eyes stance, and Rionne was in an overhead sword posture.
“You may use skills too. No need to be reserved, Shin.”
“Well, if you insist.”
Rionne and Shin, both used the support system martial arts skill 【Spirit Manipulation • Katsusen】.
Shin moved his sword to the left side of his waist from his previous posture, took his stance with his left hand on the sword’s blade near the hilt and lowered his posture. It was a quick draw stance, but without the sheath.
Rionne on the other hand, stayed there without changing her posture. From Shin’s point of view, he saw the aura that covered Rionne’s body sharpen.
The strengthening effect from the support system martial arts skill was calculated based on the stats during its usage, so there was almost no difference of strengthening ability between Rionne and Shin under the current conditions. If there was, it was simply the difference between ability.
Swish!
Shin moved first.
The distance between them was shortened by his sliding feet. And then, just one step from Rionne, Shin jumped into her territory by sliding on the ground.
Though it could not be said that it was his normal form, the sword that was charging towards Rionne was at a speed difficult to see by an ordinary person.
Without turning her eyes to that attack, Rionne also swung the greatsword downward. Due to the explosion of her sharpened spirit, it accelerated instantaneously. And that speed exceeded Shin’s attack.
Shin would likely die if he received that blow directly, so as the greatsword approached from above his head, by putting his strength into his left foot, he bent himself backward and evaded it.
Rionne, who had just swung down her greatsword, couldn’t move right away because of the weight of her weapon.
From there, Shin did a horizontal kick, but Rionne crouched down and evaded it.
Shoom!
With her body twisted as she tripped, although she had just evaded Shin’s kick and stood only on one foot, she still didn’t stop attacking.
Without losing any centrifugal force from pulling out the greatsword from the ground, she turned once more. The force of her tripping was converted into power for swinging her greatsword.
With the sound of air being cut, she returned the favor and aimed at Shin who just drew a horizontal kick. Shin, who was just slightly above the ground, kicked the ground again to escape from the greatsword.
Rionne suddenly stopped the greatsword, which was gaining momentum, as soon as she thought the blow would come out of place. Even though the centrifugal force was strong, Rionne didn’t break her posture. It seemed her being a close-combat type Chosen One was not just for show.
(Somehow just now, I felt like I was gonna die if I didn’t avoid it.)
Though there was no killing intent, Shin didn’t think he would escaped unharmed if he received Rionne’s greatsword to his head. When he saw Rionne’s movement just now, he understood that she stopped the blow just before that. However, when he saw the greatsword pierce and stick into the ground, he couldn’t get rid of his anxiety.
In his current condition, Shin didn’t want to risk restricting his defence-related stats. When the world was still a game, not even a scratch would be there if he received a blow from a greatsword. However, Shin didn’t have the courage to try it now with his own flesh.
“Apparently, it seems our types are similar, Shin. Our reaction speed is about the same too.”
“That’s right. This is getting hard to settle, how about we call it an end it here?”
“Is that so? I want to fight a little longer though.”
Rionne was like a deflated balloon.
“Since it was a sword for training purposes, it’s hard to know how far I can put my strength into it. Besides, Rionne-sama’s sword has also bent.”
“Muu! This one couldn’t last either.”
The swords for training purpose couldn’t endure Shin and Rionne’s power.
As proof, about 30 cemels from the sword guard of Rionne’s greatsword was bent almost into the shape of the character ‘へ’. It was pretty admirable that it didn’t break.
Shin’s sword had also deformed, a part of it had cracked when it had rallied with the greatsword.
“At least we were able to properly understand each other’s strength, Rionne-sama.”
“Isn’t that good? His strength is even equal to yours, Princess. Moreover, that speedy reaction. It’s plenty enough for me.”
“It’s not good to force the subject too much, huh? All right. Let’s stop the match here. You have my gratitude for going along with my selfishness.”
Gadras, who saw the their battle situation unfolding, gave some timely support to help end the match.Gadras realized by intuition that it would be bad if he let them ‘heat up’ as it was. Although Gadras was also a Chosen One who was near the upper class and therefore was able to follow the two people offense and defense with his eyes, he still couldn’t be sure that he would be able to react in time if he entered their ranges.
Not much time had passed since the match began, so he urged them to stop fighting. He had already decided that Shin was not an average Chosen One when Shin could keep up with Rionne’s movement. It was not difficult to even judge him to be an upper class Chosen One.
“Well then, let’s return. You should put the sword back where it originally was.”
“Okay.”
Shin put back the one-handed sword which was already unusable.
He thought the sword was lacking before the fight began. It was already fortunate that it didn’t break on the first rally. Perhaps the angle in which they rallied was good, he guessed.
“By the way, I want to ask something.”
“What is it?”
“Why did you bring the Skull Face’s sword?”
Because she brought it to the training ground like it was natural, Shin thought it was strange since it was decided they would use a training sword.
“Though this is a completely different matter, when a man proposes to a woman in Bayreuth kingdom, it’s customary to present a sword.”
“…Again, isn’t that――――――dangerous!”
Shin muttered in a way that was not heard by Rionne.
Is that what it’s for? It’s the thing used to cut “it” off one has an affair? Shin suspected without any reason.
“The reason is, in case they are caught cheating, they will be cut by the sword. It’s only a formality for now though.”
“…Are you for real?”
It seemed his suspicion was right.
Will the cheating mistress get punished too? Trivial questions appeared in Shin’s mind.
“Because of that, to be honest, although the sword pierced and was stuck in the wall of my bedroom, I’ve considered it as a present for me.”
“T-That, isn’t that too unreasonable?!”
“Not a problem. If I did that, the sword would become mine legally.”
“I didn’t see that coming! What a scheme!?”
Rionne showed her playfulness, but as a matter of fact, since there was no weapon that could match Rionne’s strength, it seems her primary focus was on the matter of the greatsword.
A weapon that could endure the power of an upper class Chosen One was not easy to find in this world. Even if it was found, it was most likely owned by skilled adventurers or famous knights.
Only the treasured sword that symbolizes the country was able to endure all of the energy from Rionne in Bayreuth kingdom. However, Rionne couldn’t take out the treasured sword every time, so she seemed to have been racking her brain on how to remedy the situation.
Because the Skull Face’s greatsword was not lacking in durability, didn’t have curses and so on, it seemed to have been secretly prepared for her given her circumstances.
At the same time, she had been thinking of various scenarios just in case someone came forward claiming it as the owner.
“Just to confirm, by any chance, am I supposed to propose to Rionne-sama?”
“Yea, you’re supposed to because you gave me the sword.”
“About the blown off greatsword matter, it really was just accidental…”
“I know. I don’t mean to push the matter either. Although it would be reassuring if Shin serves the country, I get absolutely nothing out of offending you so badly that you moved to another country. It’s promising if an upper class Chosen One becomes an ally, but it’s extremely troublesome if they become an enemy. If possible, I would like you to refrain from entering government service at another country, but this is up to your discretion.”
“For the moment, I don’t have any such plans.”
“However, a person that’s not affiliated with any place can be scary. Because, what they will do is unpredictable. And there are many people who dislike that sort of person, you know?”
Although an upper class Chosen One was an individual, one of them was comparable to an army.
For this reason, they were terrifying when they were unaffiliated.
“For the time being, I belong to the adventurers’ guild.”
“If you’re afraid of the penalty, I can withdraw you from there immediately. Well, ever since the guild has revealed that Shin has a ‘letter of introduction’, people with impertinent thoughts have been suppressed.”
“Really? Since I showed it to the guard at the gate, I thought that was how I was exposed and that’s how it reached the guild.”
“Of course, the information was obtained from there. Only, when showing it to the guard, the possibility of it being an imitation is not zero. However, the story is different when the master of an adventurers’ guild acknowledges it. Because he has the method to distinguish the real thing. If Shin has been acknowledged, additional confirmation of his status is preferable for those people, I guess?”
“Indeed, I think so too. Or rather, what are those people who have impertinent ideas trying to do?”
Though he had some idea of what to expect, Shin asked anyway.
“They want to arrest you as a criminal because of the sword that pierced my bedroom, and make you serve the country, little by little, as restitution.”
“…Well, even though I didn’t do it on purpose, it wouldn’t be strange if someone had died when I misstepped, right?”
Having it only pierce a wall was entirely the result of good luck.
“That’s right, I guess the Skull Face which caused it may have been a unique individual? If it is, then it’s not a situation where you could ease up. I don’t know how much harm it would have caused if you had let it go as it was. At that time, most adventurers would not be able to take on a unique individual, so the damage would have kept on accumulating until the information was gathered. Therefore I’d like to thank you instead.”
“Sigh, for the time being, it’s good that I’m not considered a criminal since it would make it difficult to move around.”
“Fufufu, is this really okay? You can ask me for a favor you know?”
“I don’t have the courage to ask for a favor from the royal family. And so, how’s this story connected to the greatsword in the end?”
“Oh, that’s because this has been formally handed over to me.”
As she said that, Rionne lifted the case that contained Muspelm.
“Umm, in regards to the matter Rionne-sama mentioned just now, is it because the greatsword already belongs to you?”
“Because the owner had appeared in this way, thus I thought about a different method if I could not be engaged. In the first place, to forcibly place a present under my control, even though I also wanted to make the sword mine, the main reason is to prevent it from falling into the hands of the aforementioned impertinent guys.”
“Doing something like that is completely useless.”
“I won’t deny that.”
The higher-ups didn’t seem to be monolithic too.
When looking closely at the privileged class called the nobles, there may be a rotten part that exists.
“So in other words, having decided the greatsword was a present, without an engagement, Rionne-sama formally obtained a powerful weapon, and I can avoid any meddling from the country, huh?”
“Naturally, I’ll fully take out from my personal assets to compensate for the price of the sword. And I also understand perfectly that this one is worth more than I can afford. But, please, sell it to me!”
The last sentence was an entreaty.
She may have been depressed because she had never had a weapon that could bring out her potential. Was how Shin thought, and desperation could be felt from Rionne.
True power couldn’t be demonstrated if there was no weapon that corresponded to their ability. Rionne seemed to understand that.
“I only want to continue being an adventurer in the same manner as before, so if there is no further meddling from the country, that would be good as a condition. However, if possible, I want to enter the restricted zone in the royal magic library though.”
“Is that really all? You don’t have to hold yourself back.”
According to the common sense of this world, it could be said that it was impossible to have dealings for a weapon of 《Legend》 grade.
“For now, it’s information that I want, not money. Unlike a weapon, I can’t get information, somehow or other, even if I take out money.”
“Though I also understand that…Fumu, how should I say this, you have no greed, Shin.”
Rionne said as she was a little astounded.
Certainly, information was sometimes worth more than gold. However, information that was equal to a 《Legend》 grade weapon was not common. Even though Rionne has visited the zone that required reading permission, what kind of information does Shin seek? She had no idea at all.
“The one that defeated the Skull Face is Shin. Though it became complicated due to the place where it pierced, the property rights are originally Shin’s. With one of these, you could probably obtain a large sum of money to live the rest of your life without having to work. On the other hand, this sword is something that I don’t know if I could obtain even if I piled up money. If you hand it over without any reservations, I’ll be suspicious that you have ulterior motives.”
“That’s just how much I value information.”
Rionne conjectured that there was some kind of special meaning in Shin’s words.
However, she didn’t voice her guess, because she didn’t want to pursue it there.
“Then, Rionne-sama, it’s a deal?”
“Of course. To tell you the truth, I have used this greatsword several times already and I have grown accustomed to having it in my hand.”
“………”
The only thought in your head is of obtaining that sword after all, was what Shin didn’t say.
She didn’t know that she could have requisitioned it even without informing Shin, so he was able to maintain a good impression of her since it was properly negotiated for.
If Shin could get through this without any meddlesome discussions, then a greatsword of 《Legend》 grade was a cheap price to pay.
“I’ll have your library permit delivered later, where are you staying?”
“It’s an inn called Bear Point Pavilion, in the west district.”
“Understood. Gadras, make the arrangements.”
“Roger that”
When Rionne talked, Gadras, who had remained silent until now, answered.
“Shin-dono. For this matter, please accept my thanks. It seems like the princess will finally be able to fight without reservation now.”
“No, there’s no need for thanks. It was a mutually beneficial deal. Next, I want to confirm something, it’s about those people with overzealous ideas. In case I have any problems in the future, may I repel them?”
“In regards to that, just act without any reservations, but also please be careful. I would like to think that there aren’t any more fools who would try to threaten an upper class Chosen One, but guys like that, will usually not heed any inconveniences that their actions would cause to themselves.”
Gadras strongly agreed.
The reason being if anyone did so, they would most likely be punished.
“It’s happened before?”
“Yes. There is a powerful person that had been acknowledged as an upper class Chosen One before, like Shin, but some fools held that person’s relative as hostage and tried to make him obey them.”
“…Can I speak my thoughts freely?”
“Please speak without reservation.”
“That’s stupid.”
“You’d think so? By the way, as for the nobles, all of them were killed, from the main culprit to the perpetrators. Their mansion was completely destroyed too. No mercy for those meddling guys. However, there is no evidence that the person in question did it himself.”
“Oh my god!”
They seemed to have received a suitable retribution.
By the way, it appeared to the public that the kingdom’s army had subdued the nobles who were going to start a revolt.
“Well, well, I’m fine with acting how I normally do, so I’d like to request your help if it happens.”
“Indeed, I’m no princess, but I’ll exert my power too.”
Gadras firmly nodded again.
Next to him, Rionne too seemed to say, “Leave it to me”, as she nodded. Though some people may prefer to handle things themselves, having a royal family member as an ally was still great. Shin had decided to just report if there was a bad noble.
“That’s right. Don’t return home too soon, because those overbearing guys are noisy. Let’s have a tea break. Can you tell me about the story of the Skull Face in question?”
“If it’s that much, it’s fine I guess.”
Shin replied to Rionne with a nod.
When Shin and the rest returned to the castle using the transition point, someone was already in the room.
It was a petite man, a little over middle-aged, who approached them. If one looked at the cassock of the priest, it was mainly white and blue, and he had the air of someone who was a high-rank.
If something peculiar could be stated about that man, it was that he was fiddling with the control panel of the transition point without taking notice of Rionne.
As there were a lot of exit destinations for a transition point, the destination could be specified with the control panel. There was no such action when Shin fought against Barlux before in the adventurers’ guild, and the training ground couldn’t be entered without the guild master’s authority, because the destination had been already fixed.
By the way, in a normal situation, when the guild master’s authority wasn’t invoked, it was only a training ground open to the public, so it was not made just for a Chosen One.
“Isn’t that Cardinal Greyl? What is he doing?”
Rionne voiced her question.
Was he a mediator with the church? Shin looked at the man called cardinal. However, in the next moment, Shin’s face stiffened due to the status display from Analyze.
――――『Greyl Dulles Level 161 Priest』
―――― Endowment:【Charm • IV】 【Confusion • III】
Those troublesome abnormal statuses couldn’t be felt for real in the game era, but anyone would understand the real danger they would pose in this world that became reality.
And the person who was under two such abnormal statuses, was fiddling with the control panel of the transition point.
“He is affected by Charm and Confusion! Stop that person!”
Shin started running at the same time as he shouted.
However, Shin was late by just one step, as Greyl finished messing with the controls.
“Ugh!?”
Shin’s view effortlessly distorted.
When the discomfort that was not felt during a normal transition was over, the scene around Shin had completely changed.
-
“…Is this for real?”
What extended throughout his surroundings was, in a word, ruins.
The crumbling houses and scattered remains denied the existence of dwellers. Shin tried to collect his surroundings for information through the support system skill【Clairvoyance】, but because of a thin haze that faint magic could be felt from, his vision was obstructed from seeing far away.
There were many buildings that had avoided completely collapsing, but most had big holes in their walls, or their second floor was gone, which was unlikely due to any evidence of weathering.
Within the range of his view, there was the wreckage of broken glass and wagons. And, he was able to ascertain footprints that were clearly not from humans or horses.
“uu…What is happening?”
When Shin turned around, Rionne was standing nearby.
Gadras and Greyl were nowhere to be seen. Was it only Shin and Rionne that were transferred, or were the other two transferred to a different location? It couldn’t be determined by Shin currently.
“Apparently, we have been transferred somewhere. Does Rionne-sama know anything?”
“Transferred, huh…From that transition point, transferring to a place with ruins in this condition…Perhaps, no, it’s certainly the Sacred Place, Kalkia.”
“Don’t tell me, it’s the place that is said to be rampant with dangerous monsters?”
“Yes it is. They may have thought to get rid of us with the monsters here.”
Inside the Sacred Place, Rionne heard that strong monsters with levels higher than 500 roamed around. No matter how much Rionne was an upper class Chosen One, there was no guarantee that she would survive when she was thrown in without any kind of preparations. But, that would only be the case, if Shin was not beside her.
“Shin, are we the only ones here?”
“Yes. There is no one near us at least.”
“Then, it seems that only we have been transferred here. It’s not possible for one transition to transfer to multiple places.”
“In others words, Gadras-san remains on the other side, huh?”
It was good that not all of the members who were there in that room transposed.
“First of all, let’s move out from Kalkia. Can you use Mind Chat?”
“No, unfortunately I don’t have an adventurer card. How about you, Shin?”
“I have a companion who I can use it with. Just in case, besides Gadras-san, even if I tried to explain the present situation, will anyone believe it? To begin with, I don’t know if they would be able to convey a message for us.”
Though Shin didn’t want to announce that he could use Mind Chat, it was currently an emergency, so he told Rionne the truth.
If a commoner went to the castle, they would definitely be restricted at the gate. It was different if Schnee revealed her identity, but he didn’t intend to go that far.
If it was known that Shin was able to communicate directly with Schnee, he was certain that his treatment as an ordinary upper class Chosen One would be gone. He had the luxury of worring about these kinds of things, because as long as Shin was there, Rionne’s safety was secure.
“I want to know what happened on the other side. However, it’s hopeless if they couldn’t make it to the castle, huh? I guess Gadras will arrest Cardinal Greyl, so Shin doesn’t need to be troubled by it, I think.”
“I’m surprised too. I didn’t expect that a priest would have such dangerous abnormal statuses.”
If it was still a game, it would be impossible to manipulate an avatar’s behavior with abnormal status effects, but it seems like that wasn’t the case in this world.
At least, it was impossible for those who were affected by such status effects to maintain a proper mental condition. In addition, the timing. It was likely that they planned to target Shin and Rionne when they returned from their transposing.
“What’s going on…”
Shin muttered as he sighed lightly.
“I want to tell my companion a rendezvous point, do you know of any towns nearby?”
“If that’s the case, there is the fort city Balmel. It’s necessary to pass through that place, even if they head here or we head in the direction of Bayreuth.”
“Understood. I’ll tell my companion to meet us at Balmel.”
Shin thanked Rionne and he connected to Schnee via Mind Chat.
Within a few seconds, the nostalgic ringtone stopped, and Shin was aware of the sense being connected.
“(Ah, Schn――)”
“(SHIN! Where are you now!?)”
“(Uooo!?)”
Shin’s words were interrupted by Schnee’s loud voice, making him let out a strange sound. Furthermore, his body was hit with a jolt.
Speaking of Schnee, she noticed very quickly when Shin was transposed. Her voice didn’t seem like her usual tone, and her panicked state could be felt by Shin.
“(Are you alright!? Please answer me!)”
“(Wait, Schnee, calm down a little, I’m alright. I’ll explain what happened now. Again, I repeat, I’m okay.)”
Shin began to talk as calmly as possible.
After saying he was fine several times, Schnee finally showed signs of settling down.
“(I’m sorry. I’m fine now.)”
“(Then that’s good. Somehow panicking doesn’t seem like Schnee.)”
“(That is, again…that. I thought Shin had disappeared.)”
“(…My bad. I heard too much.)”
Even though Schnee seemed calm, her insecurity remained.
Maybe it’s because she was just recently reunited with Shin again that her insecurities were plainly visible. No matter how high-level she was, even if her body was strong, Schnee was a woman, too. Even if her stats were high, it didn’t mean that her heart was strong to that extent.
“(And so, where in the world are you? You don’t seem to be within my perception range either.)”
“(Ah yes, I was in a training ground having a match with the second princess, but was forced to transpose when we returned to the castle.)”
“(Transposed? That explains why your presence disappeared suddenly.)”
“(I’m with the second princess right now. According to her, the place where we are is called Sacred Place Kalkia.)”
“(The Sacred Place can only be transitioned to from the royal castle, right?…However, if I’m not mistaken, the transition to there should be impossible without permission.)”
Schnee seemed to be aware about the transition point in the royal castle.
“(It was the old man called Cardinal Greyl that transposed us. Though the rank was low, he was suffering from the abnormal states of Charm and Confusion.)”
“(I see. If it’s Cardinal Greyl, then choosing the Sacred Place to transpose to is possible. Still, Charm and Confusion, huh?)”
According to Schnee’s story, Cardinal Greyl devoted himself to studying in the church in the Bayreuth kingdom, he seemed to be a person of deep faith so he rose to the position of cardinal.
As Shin expected, Cardinal Greyl served as the church’s mediator and had been stationed in the king’s castle for some time now. Worthy of someone who acquired 【Purification】 on his own, it could be said that his fighting power was quite good for an ordinary person.
From the short story that Shin heard, he understood well that it was unrelated to Charm and Confusion.
“(Was he asked to purify a cursed item but failed or something?)”
“(His actions were too precise for that. It’d be more logical to think that he was manipulated by someone, don’t you agree?)”
When Shin gave one of the possibilities, Schnee denied it completely.
“(Then, do you have any ideas, Schnee?)”
“(As far as I know, nothing in particular that I remember. To begin with, the Skills of the mental interference group, like Charm and Confusion, are considered to be taboo. Just for having learnt it, one will be executed when caught, even if it’s someone from the royal family.)”
“(Ah, so it’s like that, huh?)”
Shin agreed with Schnee’s words.
After all, a skill that manipulates a person’s heart would be regarded as dangerous. Even the royal family was not immune to the punishment, as thorough enforcement was carried out without exception.
It was hard to believe that the user of such a skill or item would be serving the castle.
If that was the case, then――.
“(There is a hidden one.)”
“(Yes, I think so too.)”
Similar words appeared in the minds of Shin and Schnee.
It was the given name of an antagonist who differs from the original 7 races in this world.
“(I cannot return at once. It may be bad, but I’ll leave it to you, okay?)”
He had a skill to use transposing. However, if it was known that he could use magic that was said to be lost, Rionne would not let him get away, no matter what happens.
“(No problem. It’s a good opportunity to teach Tiera too.)”
“(Thank you.)”
“(Please leave it to me. I’ll tell the matter about the princess to the King.)”
If it was Schnee, it would be easy to come into contact with the King without being noticed by anyone.
If she somehow conveyed that the princess was safe, the confusion would be settled. In that situation, the person lying hidden in the castle should find it difficult to move.
“(Then, I’ll contact you about the results later. What about the meeting place?)”
“(Balmel will do. It seems you need to go through there, so let’s meet there.)”
“(Affirmative.)”
After detailed decisions were made, the Mind Chat was cut.
Shin decided to leave the Bayreuth matter to Schnee, and turned around toward Rionne again.
To refresh back who is Arad, refer Vol. 1 Ch 4 – Part 1
This idiomatic expression[魑魅魍魎], literally means evil spirits of rivers and mountains
Having a boy call a girl by her first name is typically done only by those in a relationship.
metastasis point had been changed to transition point
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 04 - Blue Ancient of Sacred Place/The-New-Gate-Volume-04-Blue-Ancient-of-Sacred-Place-[Shin][Armaell]/ch3.txt
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Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Part 1
Schnee, who cut off the Mind Chat with Shin, went into action immediately.
She seemed to be very anxious when Shin’s presence disappeared half a day after going into the castle, but she regained her usual composure right away.
“Kuu?”
“What’s wrong?” Yuzuha asked, and the situation was briefly explained.
“Kuu! Yuzuha hates that!”
Precisely because Yuzuha’s partner got involved, and because it personally had been affected by miasma before, Yuzuha wouldn’t allow the existence of the enemy.
With Yuzuha perched on her shoulder, Schnee went into town from the inn. Though passersby stopped walking, being fascinated by Schnee’s pretty face, nobody recognized her because she was disguised by a magic skill.
Avoiding those who didn’t know their places gracefully, Schnee arrived at the place where Tiera was in no time. When she opened the door to the entrance, fragrances that she never smelled in daily life lingered in the air. Apparently, it was a shop that dealt with alchemy-related products. Items, which would become special catalysts, like leaves with poisonous-looking colors or some kind of dried things, were side-by-side.
Tiera was in the corner where various types of paper lined up, and she was eagerly comparing them.
“Tiera. Tiera?”
“………”
Apparently, Tiera was quite focused on it.
Even when Schnee called out to her, Tiera didn’t respond at all. Because it couldn’t be helped, Schnee lightly tapped her shoulder and called out her name close to her ear.
“…Tiera?”
“Hyaaa!!?”
Tiera was probably surprised, suddenly hearing a voice so close to her ear.
She jumped in response.
“M-Master. Please don’t startle me like that.”
“Though it’s good to concentrate, pay attention to your surroundings. You didn’t even notice when I was calling you earlier.”
“Uhh, I’m sorry.”
Tiera apologized while hanging her head.
Somehow, her long ears also seemed to face the ground.
“Never mind. Tiera, although this may be difficult for you, there has been an urgent business that has come up and you need to accompany me from now on.”
“Urgent business?”
“Yes, it’s about the King’s castle.”
The King’s castle, Tiera understood it, was not a place she could go.
If she was still at Tsuki no Hokora, she certainly would have retorted in a loud voice. However, because of Shin and his actions, she was not surprised by a thing of such degree.
“…I’m starting to get used to these situations that happen while accompanying Master.”
‘As expected from Master, you and Shin are certainly the same’, agreed Tiera as she thought to herself.
“It’s not a story to explain in here. Let’s go outside.”
“Understood.”
Tiera obediently followed Schnee who turned back towards the street.
It wasn’t a problem for Tiera, since she had no intention of buying anything in particular.
While walking on the road that lead to the King’s castle, Schnee explained the situation.
“…So in other words, I will have to defeat ‘it’ from now on?”
“That’s how it appears. Because you have reached the point where you can go outside, there’s no guarantee that you wouldn’t get involved with ‘it’. There are no documents or rumours about ‘it’, and it’s better if you understand ‘it’ by yourself.”
‘It’ was different from the monsters that attack people for food or to protect their territory. ‘It’ was different from the thief who steals items and money. ‘It’ was the antagonist who afflicts and entraps people.
“It’s a perfect chance for Tiera to learn about the existence of demons.”
――Demon.
Was a monster said to be born from miasma.
It was greatly different from other monsters, because it was not subjected to ability restriction at the place where miasma accumulated; instead it was strengthened. Again, in the demon’s area, the transmogrification of monsters were also accelerated by miasma and in the areas affected by it; the presence of demons increased the degree of difficulty.
Normally, when a monster was affected by the miasma, it was difficult for them to keep their sanity.
It may be possible for a high-level monster, but low-level monsters are hardly able to resist transmogrification. Monsters that change appearance have the word ‘Invade’ added to their names. Then, it becomes an existence that attacks surrounding living beings indiscriminately.
The change of the appearance was assumed to happen when the body of the monster, which was born from demon essence, was replaced by miasma. Thus, the monster’s appearance didn’t revert back to its original form even if the miasma was cleared away. Was it because the monsters, which couldn’t distinguish between ally and enemy, were affected by miasma? There were a lot of them that followed the demon.
Also the miasma, besides affecting monsters, inflicted effects to the seven races who existed in this world. There was no transmogrification in the game’s setting; however, inside the miasma, one would have received bad statuses such as ability restriction, abnormal states, and so on. Though it depends on the density of the miasma, level and race of the person in question, it was a troublesome hindrance to fight against the enhanced demons.
The miasma appeared in quests against a boss, and it lead to monsters attacking a town; it appeared in various places.
When it comes to a high-ranking demon which had the appearance that was close to human anatomy, high intelligence, high fighting power, and was accompanied by low-ranking demon. It was a monster that always appeared in a difficult dungeon and quest.
Ranks usually depended on strength, and were classified into Grand Duke class, Duke class, Marquis class, Count class, Viscount class, Baron class, and Knight class. By the way, this was the index that existed as a setting in the game; it roughly expressed the fighting power of the demon.
“The enemy is probably a Count class.”
“How does Master know?”
Tiera asked Schnee who conjectured the enemy’s rank.
Even if Tiera knew the existence of demons as knowledge, she couldn’t predict like Schnee did.
“It’s a simple method of elimination. In case of Marquis class and above, it’s plenty enough to destroy the country in a surprise attack, without even the need to transpose the second princess. When it comes to Baron class and below, there is no intelligence to think about that far ahead in time. Its level is high to some extent, but it’s reasonable to think it’s a Count class.”
“I see. By the way, what is the level estimation?”
“Right, I guess it’s about low 300s , to high 400s.”
‘If the Princess dies at the Sacred Place, then it’s beneficial for them. Even if she doesn’t, they achieve their purpose by taking advantage of the confusion.’ Tiera thought, while receiving such an explanation from Schnee.
“The level of that class is somewhere in the middle…I mean, um, Master? I’m still no good to fight against it, even if it’s half of the lowest level.”
Unlike chosen ones with high fighting power, it was impossible for her. Except to get killed by fighting an opponent whose level difference was more than 200. Even if Kagerou was with her, it didn’t mean her fighting power increased.
“No problem, because we’ll only observe this time.”
“Observe…”
‘Should I be pleased that there’s no need to fight? Or should I be amazed with Master who says such a thing?’
‘Something was strange either way’, Tiera thought, as her eyebrows furrowed.
Aloof from Tiera’s worries, Schnee continued walking towards the castle.
Because Tiera heard that the Princess was forced to transpose, she thought that the castle would be in confusion. However, the guards didn’t have the appearance of a panicked state.
“Master, we don’t have permits, will we be all right?”
“No problem, because we won’t use the gate to begin with.”
“Eh?”
A question mark floated from Tiera at Schnee’s words.
Schnee then advanced towards the direction where it was different from the gate.
Though Tiera didn’t understand Schnee’s intention either, she followed her for the time being. Schnee, who walked along the wall for a while, the moment there were no people in the area, she activated a magic skill.
“【Hiding】”
The figures of the two people disappeared with the effect.
Coupled with the bonus effect of Kunoichi, which was Schnee’s main job, they would only be discovered in extreme circumstances.
“My appearance is concealed…Don’t tell me…?”
“You are correct. Hold on a little, because we are going to jump.”
Saying so, Schnee held Tiera in her arms and kicked-off the ground.
“Eek!――――”
Without crushing the ground, Schnee and Tiera appeared to fly up gently.
However, Tiera’s scream was forcibly halted from the sudden wind pressure. Though no one would hear it even if she screamed due to the effect of 【Hiding】, if possible she wanted some time to be prepared.
“One step is not enough after all, huh?”
Besides Tiera who thought about these kind of things, Schnee calmly calculated the distance to the top of the wall.
Because she jumped while holding Tiera, she wouldn’t have arrived at the top if she kept going as is. Since it couldn’t be helped, she put her feet on the wall and kicked with her strength.
Movement system martial arts skill 【Wall Run】. With a fixed number of steps, it was a skill that let one run vertically on a wall temporarily when invoked and maintain the foothold.
From that one step, Schnee soundlessly ran up the wall.
“Master, didn’t you make a strange jump just now?”
“It’s a skill that can make foothold on a wall. It’s very convenient.”
“I-I see…”
From Tiera’s point of view, who often had combat training, she wondered ‘will there ever be an opportunity to use a wall as a foothold like that?’ She expected that it was related to a job.
When Tiera asked about Schnee’s job before, she received a single phrase: “It’s a secret.” instead.
“Well then, let’s go down. It’s dangerous if you don’t hang on.”
Regardless of what Tiera thought, Schnee jumped into the air without faltering.
“Ah, ye-AAAAH!”
Tiera screamed from the sudden fall, but Schnee didn’t mind for the time being. Schnee often did this type of fall together with Shin.
Though she jumped off from about the height of an average building, Schnee landed soundlessly, just like when she got on the wall. After she lowered Tiera, Schnee began to walk with silent footsteps right away.
To Tiera who was kneeling on the ground, holding her chest, and was out of breath, the next words that came out from Schnee mercilessly pierced her.
“Now, it’s time to sneak into the castle.”
“Ye-Yes…”
While recalling her past days of Spartan training, Tiera obediently followed after Schnee.
(Even if Shin returned, Master is still Master…)
Schnee was completely ignorant of Tiera who thought about such a thing.
-
Now, Schnee and Tiera stepped inside the castle. However, their appearances were not to move sneakily like someone suspicious. In fact, they acted in a very bold way.
They entered the castle’s front gate after a little walking from the wall, and advanced through the passage where the knights and civil officers were going back and forth. They were moving as if they were in a totally open plain.
“Um, where are we going, Master?”
“To the prison cell. I’m going to remove the abnormal statuses on Cardinal Greyl.”
“Well, um, don’t we need to defeat the said demon before?”
“No problem. I already caught it.”
“Master is too amazing…”
While talking with Schnee who answered indifferently, Tiera thought, ‘Demon, it’s over for you.’
There were certainly soldiers who were on patrol and on guard duty. However, there was no one powerful enough that could see through Schnee’s 【Hiding】, and Schnee assumed that there was no need to patrol inside a castle in broad daylight.
‘It was too easy,’ thought Tiera who knew of Schnee’s capabilities, but she held back her question about whether if it was all right to have advanced so easily like this.
Even the demon wouldn’t expect this kind of development.
And then――.
“We have arrived…”
After a several minutes, they arrived at the front door that lead to the prison cell without any incident.
Guarding the sturdy door were two muscular knights. However, when Schnee approached, they leaned their backs against the wall and sat down, as if they lost their strength.
It was the non-chanting magic skill, Sleep. After taking the key from the guards who have completely fallen asleep, Schnee opened the door that led to the prison cell.
You couldn’t say that the prison cell was clean. Even though it was in the royal castle, it had the appearance close to a cave. Each one of the jails were spacious, it was possible to accommodate about ten humans brought together.
Schnee had detected 2 presences within her perceptive range. One of them was the demon and the other belonged to Cardinal Greyl. She headed straight towards the cell because that was where the demon’s presence was.
In the prison cell, except Schnee and company, there were only two presences. Even though the room was quite spacious, only the Cardinal was accommodated there.
After leaving Yuzuha to Tiera and put her on standby, Schnee approached the Cardinal and showed herself. Then, a loud voice from Cardinal Greyl asked for her identity.
“Who’s there?”
“It’s been a long time, Cardinal Greyl.”
“!? T-That voice, perhaps you are Raizar-dono? Why are you here?”
Perplexity was mixed in with Cardinal Greyl’s voice.
Even the Cardinal heard about the disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora.
“You are affected by Charm and Confusion, aren’t you?”
“…You know?”
“I heard you transposed the person who was regarded as an upper class Chosen One and the Second Princess to the Sacred Place.”
“As expected from Raizar-dono, you have quick ears. When did it begin? I have little memory of it. I was arrested by Gadras when I recovered my consciousness, and came to be this state. Even if I try to remember it, no matter how many times, only fragmented and vague memories appear.”
Cardinal Greyl frowned in a regretful way; Schnee felt he was a size smaller than the time when he was part of the Armed Struggle Faction. It was likely he felt responsible for the events that occurred.
“That’s the harmful effect when you get two of the mind interference, you know? I came here to remove Charm and Confusion from you completely. Please be at ease. The two people who were transposed are safe.”
The Cardinal suddenly lifted his head.
“What! Is that the truth!?”
“It’s trustworthy information.”
“I thank you for your concern. Having driven people indispensable to the country, the royal family and a Chosen One, to death, you could say I was very worried.”
“It probably won’t take long until they return. Now, since your worries have disappeared, shall I remove the abnormal states?”
“Yes. It’s frightening that I don’t know when I will lose my sanity. Please do so.”
The truth was it’s already dispelled, but Schnee told him so to make him feel relieved.
When mind interference group magic skills became a taboo, the knowledge of the recovery method was also lost.
Schnee was going to use an abnormality state recovery magic skill on the weakened Cardinal Greyl.
However, before she could activated the skill, a shadow came flying towards Schnee.
“You finally came out, huh?”
Schnee quickly took out a ninja katana,『Lazuline Flame』, and turned her gaze toward the shadow that flew in.
Before her, there was a monster which had a strange appearance.
The lower half of its body had two different legs: one leg resembled that of a cow and the other was human. An exoskeleton similar to insects covered the being from its chest to its buttocks. The left arm had a pair of crab pincers and a mantis sickle. The right arm on the other hand, had five tentacles, all of which had thorns protruding the tips. Its head was probably an anglerfish. With a fish face that extended horizontally, the demon seemed to had compound eyes.
It was like a chimera created with evil intention. That figure, which could only be called revolting, were characteristic traits of the Count class.
――――『Count class Demon Magunumuku Level 423』
With Schnee’s【Analyze】, the enemy’s information was disclosed. The rank was what she expected. The only difference was it had “Magunumuku” as an individual name.
“It has a name. I see, so that’s why it possesses such intelligence, huh?”
Some demons, apart from the rank, have their own name.
It could be said that there were the demon’s version of unique monsters. It was commonly known to be strong, similar to other unique monsters. In an indirect way, its high intelligence seemed to come from it being unique monster.
“Silver hair. Blue eyes. Elf. You are Schneee…Raizaa…huh?”
Did it have a problem with its vocal chords? It seemed to have a distorted out of pitch voice that echoed in the basement.
“It’s been about 500 years since I’ve met your kind. Though I haven’t seen a figure since the natural disaster, it’s still a weird appearance as always.”
“You all are annoying. You fellows are always a nuisance.”
“Naturally, swish!!”
The voice of Magunumuku was erased by a Ting sound that reverberated underground, and blue sparks lit up the dark prison cell momentarily.
As it weaved through the darkness, the thorn that lengthened from the tip of the tentacles were launched at Schnee, but she knocked it down in time. The iron bars of the prison cell were already in pieces by Schnee’s movement.
Whoosh
Pincers and a sickle attacked Schnee who moved to protect Cardinal Greyl.
Schnee caught the 3 lethal weapons that concentrated an attack on her 『Lazuline Flame』. With the katana blade pushed by the Count class, which featured high muscular strength, blue sparks scattered from the 『Lazuline Flame』.
Tentacles approached from Schnee’s right side, which couldn’t move. There were five of them and Schnee’s 『Lazuline Flame』 was suppressed by the pincers and sickle from Magunumuku.
‘Caught you’, Magunumuku thought, but just then a blue trace ran through the base of its tentacles.
Gaaahh!?
The screaming Magunumuku took distance from Schnee.
The compound eyes of Magunumuku caught the dagger, 『Scarlet Flame』, in its view in Schnee’s left hand, and confirmed that it had stopped the 『Lazuline Flame』 with its pincers and sickle.
Magunumuku couldn’t prevent its tentacles from being freely cut by 『Lazuline Flame』, as it was not possible to react to Schnee’s simple but quick movements. Even if the tentacles were able to withstand blows from a greatsword, it couldn’t endure the blade which carried a mysterious shine.
“Guu! Annoying! Why are you protecting a human!?”
“He is an innocent person, I cannot let him die with such a false accusation. Besides, I cannot let you guys do whatever you please. To do so would tarnish Tsuki no Hokora’s record.”
“Tsuki no Hokora. The place of the High Human, huh?”
Mugunumuku, who heard the name Tsuki no Hokora, withdrew back one step and straightened its posture.
Its cut off tentacles regenerated from the part of its base.
“High Human, these fellows also killed many of my comrades. However, that’s already over.”
“Over?”
“They have abandoned this world, and many of the warriors left. Humans that remained, degraded as they progressed.”
“Well, I never thought to be told such a story by a demon.”
Though Count class demons were not smart to that extent, when it came to those owning a name, it seemed able to understand the society of the human race.
“Human era is facing the end. Schneee Raizaa. Be our comrade.”
“Is this the lead in to said story? When I think about whatever you said―――― It’s impossible.”
Magunumuku’s invitation was declined by Schnee without any hesitation. Such a thing was not worthy to be considered.
Magunumuku, which heard Schnee’s answer, bent its without-a-neck-body skillfully, and had a posture that looked puzzled. It appeared to not understand the reason Schnee refused.
“Schneee Raizaa. You were left by your master, why did you refuse us?”
“…Wait.”
In the middle of a trifling conversation, Schnee had to estimate the timing of attack, and her pretty eyebrows twitched to the words originating from Magunumuku.
“What did you just say?”
The air had frozen. Everyone in that room felt the illusion that the temperature inside the prison cell fell below freezing.
At this time, only Tiera felt the furs of Yuzuha and Kagerou suddenly bristling up.
“Your masterhas left you behind. These fellows have gone long ago. They will no longer return.”
As for Magunumuku, did it not feel the severe cold given off by Schnee? It wouldn’t stop talking.
“Isn’t it hateful? I won’t abandon you. Isn’t it annoying? Just rely on that power.”
Magunumuku kept stacking up words in a crooked voice to Schnee, who was silent.
The distorted sound, which was similar to the noise from the abyss, invaded and surged toward Schnee’s ears.
That was the skillset of Charm and Confusion that had manipulated Cardinal Greyl. The double mind contamination extended its evil hand towards Schnee.
However――
“Indeed, you all are still not aware of it after all.”
Schnee’s voice had somewhat a translucent feeling in it, filling the dark wet prison cell and purifying it.
“What are you talking about?”
“If it was the former me, I would surely be angry. I may have relied on feelings and fought.”
Schnee’s expression changed completely into a calm one from some time ago.
Magunumuku couldn’t understand why it didn’t feel negative emotions.
“The timing was bad for you.”
Schnee, in the next moment after saying so, moved both of her hands that they became blurry, and her weapons『Lazuline Flame』and 『Scarlet Flame』became flashes that penetrated through Magunumuku.
Gaahhh!?
Magunumuku couldn’t even react to the overwhelming speed of Schnee.
The blades pierced through the demon’s right chest and left side belly; its power and sharpness caused Magunumuku to become sewn on the wall of the prison cell.
There, Schnee approached him in a relaxed manner. Her movement was not in the least fast.
“This degree of――”
Its words didn’t continue to the end.
With its view declining diagonally, the figure that projected there, especially the blue shining line, made a strong impression in Magunumuku’s mind.
Magunumuku had its head severed. However, it didn’t cease breathing immediately because of its tough vitality. Therefore, it was able to recognize the ninja katana that gave off a bizarre air that Schnee held in her hand.
(That weapon, don’t tell me, 『Blue Moon』? Absurd, that impossi…)
Its thought also broke off there.
Magunumuku’s view turned blue for an instant, and this time, it ceased breathing after recognizing the ninja katana.
“If now, I don’t feel like losing to an Element Tail.”
Schnee muttered, while feeling the power flow from 『Blue Moon』.
“Raizar-dono. What in the world was that monster just now…?”
Cardinal Greyl confirmed that the demon had vanished, and turned toward Schnee.
Before his eyes, an expression of astonishment appeared on his face.
“The one I defeated just now was the monster called a demon. The one that was manipulating you. Though you should be able to understand what you saw, there is not much known about it because it was a unique monster.”
“That’s a demon…I have read the Church’s documents. It’s humanity’s enemy and is born from miasma.”
The demon, which hadn’t appeared for a very long time, started making its move.
This, may be an advanced warning that something different from the current would happen.
“The abnormal state that affected you has been dispelled. Because I have to tell the King, let’s go together.”
“Ah, what should I say to express my gratitude? I will repay this kindness by all means.”
“Please, don’t get worked up too much. Now, let’s go.”
Schnee winked at Tiera and the rest who were hiding, and began to walk.
Tiera, who was under a 【Hiding】 state, was holding Yuzuha, followed the two people. By the way, Kagerou was hidden inside her shadow the whole time.
-
Schnee and Cardinal Greyl headed straight to the King’s room. Because Schnee stopped hiding her appearance, people who passed her gave a surprised expression and lowered their heads, which looked impressive to Tiera.
Was the story transmitted to the top brass? A guide came from the King’s bodyguard unit in the midway and led them. It was boisterous inside the castle, probably because the information related to the series of events were not transmitted accurately. As for the guide being dispatched, it was because some of the capable leaders had no choice but to make a move.
“This is the office of the King. Please wait for a little bit.”
Saying so, the guide’s soldier knocked on the door, and conveyed Schnee’s visit.
Schnee already grasped who was inside the room, and when the door opened, she calmly entered. Cardinal Greyl was urged to go inside, too. Tiera and the rest secretly slipped into the room.
There were three people in the office.
King of the Bayreuth Kingdom, Jeon Courtade Bayreuth.
First princess of Bayreuth Kingdom, Efilia Lou Bayreuth.
Knight’s leader of Bayreuth Kingdom, Gadras Jarre.
The color of tension could be perceived on the three people’s expression.
“It’s been a long time. I need to talk with all of you.”
“Ah, Raizar-dono. I’m sorry for meeting you like this. I heard that Tsuki no Hokora had disappeared, and my mind became dismayed, you know?”
“I seemed to have caused you worry. However, Tsuki no Hokora and I are safe. Please rest assured.”
Jeon had heard the report of Schnee being alive and well. However, having met her, moreover obtained the information of Tsuki no Hokora was safe from her directly, he felt relieved.
“Raizar-sama. That is Cardinal Greyl, shouldn’t he have been put into the prison cell?”
“Yes, I would like to talk regarding that.”
To Efilia’s question, Schnee explained to them about the existence of demons and how they were behind the scenes of controlling the cardinal.
“Demons…It’s written in the history book. The enemy of mankind. For such a thing to make a move…”
“They have mind interference skills, which are considered a taboo. What a troublesome bunch.”
Listening to Schnee’s story, Jeon and Gadras groaned with a grave expression.
Because they knew Cardinal Greyl was a person who didn’t neglect self-training, they seemed to fully realize the nuisances of the mind interference system skills that manipulated him.
Efilia anxiously looked at Schnee.
“With my magic skills, can I oppose them?”
“Even without magic system skills, there are skills that weakens the mind interference. I will hand you the Secret Book, please spread it around as much as possible.”
Up until now, such a skill was hardly needed.
However, when the thought of enemies that relied heavily on mind interference skills, like demons, increased, Schnee handed over the『Secret Book』of support system magic skill to Efilia. Though it was a useless item depending on level differences, she thought it was better than doing nothing.
“Also, the two people who were transposed are also safe.”
“Oh, is that the truth?!”
“What a relief…”
“Though princess and Shin-dono are said to be upper class Chosen Ones, I thought they wouldn’t die easily, no, I’m glad, very glad.”
Jeon, Efilia and Gadras looked like they were relieved to hear the safety of Rionne and Shin.
“As for Cardinal Greyl, he has not been affected by mind interference either. Therefore, I came with him to go here.”
“This time I have troubled you all.”
“No, as Raizar-dono said, it was because you received mind interference; it would be the same if it was us. I would like Cardinal Greyl to serve as a mediator with the church as always.”
“Yes sir, I promise to give more effort.”
The cardinal bowed his head to the King.
Because he was not the cause of the event, there was no significant punishment.
“First of all, we need to manage the information. When people of the castle are confused, they become uneasy.”
“Understood. Raizar-dono, what will you do after this?”
“There is a place I must go. Excuse me.”
Schnee bowed and turned back.
Though it was extremely rude toward a King, no one said anything because it was Schnee.
Jeon, as usual, already turned his head and gave instructions to Gadras.
-
“What will we do from now on, Master?”
“We are heading toward the fort city Balmel. Because when Shin and Rionne escape from the Sacred Place, they will be going there.”
After buying food in town, Schnee and Tiera appeared outside the ramparts.
Since Shin had the wagon, they were going to head on foot from here. Schnee and Yuzuha moved by themselves, but Tiera rode on Kagerou’s back, which transformed to just the right size.
Like the blowing winds, Schnee and the rest ran through the road.
With【Hiding】still in effect, and due to the running speed that was incomparable with horses, the merchants and adventurers passing by were plagued with the sudden gust―――.
“Master~! It’s fast! Too fast!”
“G-Gruu…”
Occasionally, they heard such voices too.
Part 2
Going back in time, immediately after Shin and Rionne were transferred to Sacred Place Kalkia.
“How was it?”
“I was able to contact and convey the message to my companions. They will meet us at Balmel and will contact me if something comes up. I asked them to inform the king that the princess is safe for now, but please don’t expect too much.”
Shin thought about what to do next, while telling Rionne; although it was quite different from his actual conversation with Schnee.
Though he wanted to explore the Sacred Place, it would certainly be bad if he took Rionne with him, so he decided to make escaping a top priority and exploration as a bonus.
Even though Rionne was said to be an upper class Chosen One, if the rumored monsters’ information were correct, she would be in danger if Shin didn’t guard her.
“Rionne-sama, do you know anything about the Sacred Place?”
“No, this is also my first time inside, but I have heard stories about the monsters that would come out, and that it would take several upper class Chosen Ones’ everything to deal with them.”
“That’s similar to the information I know. In any case, I will need a weapon, right?”
“Indeed, it’s impossible without a weapon. Is it a blessing in disguise that I have this?”
Rionne said and took out 『Muspelm』from the case she held in hand.
Was this because Rionne had a weapon that could bear all of her energy? Though she was transposed to the danger zone, there was no grim facial expression from her.
Since the case became useless baggage under the current situation, she decided to leave it behind. Because 『Muspelm』 was currently sheathed in what was thought to be a custom-designed scabbard, she didn’t need to carry it exposed.
“I am good, but what about you, Shin? There may be no handy weapons lying around…”
Rionne, who was equipped with 『Muspelm』, muttered as she looked at Shin.
However, Shin didn’t panic. If what he needed was a weapon, he had more than he could possibly use and had explanations for having them prepared.
“It’s okay, because I have this.”
Shin said and took out a piece of a card from his chest pocket and materialized it.
“That’s…?!”
“Haven’t I said it before? I have one or two trumps card concealed.”
Shin laughed a bit proudly towards the surprised Rionne.
What Shin was holding was something that could be misinterpreted as a weak, elliptic-shaped, flattened bar. The katana without-brim had a thickened portion part of the blade, which also best describes its shape.
Its length was about one and a half mel and was fully black in color. Designs like Sanskrit characters were drawn in red on its flat part. Though it had the appearance of a sword, because the weapon was of the heavyweight class like a mace or a long staff, it was mainly for smashing, not cutting, during combat.
This weapon, which seemed to have completely opposite attributes compared to 『Muspelm』, was an average 《Mythology》 grade, named 『Kakura』. The reason why it had a black appearance was because most of it was made of adamantine. There was a little amount of orichalcum in its core, and mithril was used for the Sanskrit characters; as a result, it could deal with the opponent’s magical and physical attacks.
“Even though I thought that you were no ordinary person, when you concealed such a thing…”
“I went through many hardships to obtain it, so please keep it a secret if possible.”
Shin confirmed his senses by taking a swing of 『Kakura』, which was enveloped by a red aura.
By contrast with its thin appearance, because the material was adamantine, its weight was as heavy as Rionne’s 『Muspelm』. The gust of wind conveyed the weight of a single swing.
“I just wanted to ask one thing, where do the Sacred Place investigation teams enter? I have a feeling that they exit over there.”
“Among the gates are four cardinal directions, they enter through the southern gate; of course, it won’t be so easy to pass by.”
“Is it difficult to climb the surrounding walls?”
“Ah, there was one person who tried it once. It’s fine to do it from the outside, but when you try from the inside, monsters seem to only target you. Evasion is also difficult once noticed.”
From the place where Shin and Rionne were, walls that surrounded Kalkia were seen.
Even if one climbed the wall which, by the way, was higher than Bayreuth’s, and did so without any hindrances, it would probably still take a considerable amount of time.
It would take even more time while on the lookout for monsters.
(But if I get serious, it’s possible to do it…)
Though Shin could do it, his ability may be known to Rionne, and it was a simple matter to escape for the two people.
The technique of combining martial arts and magic skills to run up the wall quickly was a relatively popular technique in a battle between players. If he forcibly used the technique little by little, he may be able to do it with just either one of the skills alone. However, according to what he heard from Rionne’s story, that technique must have been lost too.
“Well then, Shin, let’s advance cautiously.”
“Yes.”
The two people moved toward the south gate while observing their surroundings for presences.
Because Kalkia was a city from the game era, Shin thought he could restore the map; however, against his expectations, when he tried there were no significant changes. Still, the map seemed to have been drawn from scratch again.
While watching the presences of monsters, they moved along and jumped onto a roof, and Shin felt his view was distorted.
“What?”
Shin found himself standing on the ground before he knew it.
He intended to jump onto the roof above, but the sensation that transmitted to his feet certainly came through the ground.
“Shin, you felt the same thing too?”
When Shin turned around, Rionne stood there with a similar perplexed expression.
“Wait a minute. Let me try it again just to make sure.”
Saying so, Shin kicked-off the ground a little stronger.
As usual, he only put enough strength so that he could just jump over the roof of the building. However, nothing happened.
“Is this a transition point?”
It was possible to jump to a certain extent. However, when one reached above the height of a certain level, the body that should be jumping up landed on the ground.
“Rionne-sama, how did I look to you?”
For confirmation, Shin asked Rionne.
“You certainly jumped, there’s no doubt about it. However, there, when you reached the height just above the roof of the 1st floor, your figure, which should have been heading up, disappeared, and you appeared on the ground in the next moment.”
While Rionne pointed at the roof of a certain building in front of Shin, she explained how she saw him.
“I see…If we assume that that will happen every time we try to ascend above a certain height, it means that it is blocked.”
Shin concluded.
“This is the first time I’ve seen such a phenomenon. Shin, do you know anything?”
“I think that I have some idea of what’s going on. Can we move continue along the road as is to confirm my hypothesis?”
“I don’t mind, so I’ll leave it to you.”
Shin moved through the readjusted boundary of the main street.
In the middle of the street, they finally stopped in front of a narrow alley that could barely fit two people.
“Rionne-sama, I will enter the alleyway now, please wait here.”
“Okay.”
After saying a few words to Rionne, Shin walked into the alley.
In the following moment, when Shin’s whole body entered the passage, his vision became distorted, and a different scene of the alley came into view.
In Rionne’s eyes, just like what happened to Shin a while ago, Shin seemed to return from the alley unnaturally.
“What on earth is this…?”
Rionne looked at Shin with a puzzled expression.
Although it happened in front of her eyes, she seemingly couldn’t make any sense of it.
“This one too, huh?”
“Shin, can you please explain what is going on? Something is strange with today’s events.”
Rionne asked Shin, who looked like he understood what was going on.
“Sorry, I just want to confirm one last time, because I think I can be sure after this one, could you please wait a little?”
“Muu! If you have to, then it can’t be helped. Also, what is it that you want to confirm?”
Rionne asked as she pressed Shin ahead.
“When we get on this road, there should be a glowing sphere floating. Because you can’t move forward if you go off the road, please take note of it.”
Shin told Rionne the details and began to walk.
Rionne too followed him, while looking closely at her surroundings.
“Rionne-sama, I saw it. It’s there.”
“…Indeed, it’s as you say, a sphere of light.”
The way ahead, also in the center of the road, was a floating sphere with a diameter of about 30 cemels, which emitted a white light.
The brightness was not very strong; one would not be blinded even if they looked straight at it.
“I guess there’s no mistake about it. Somehow this whole city seems to have become a dungeon.”
“WAIT, WHAT?!”
Rionne heard Shin’s explanation, but raised her voice in surprise.
Though the features for the city were lost because of the roaming monsters, it was once a place known to be full of prosperity. When she heard that it become a dungeon, it couldn’t be helped that she was surprised.
“But, what should we do now? I’ve never heard of a town becoming a dungeon before.”
“Even though I say ‘dungeon’, please don’t worry, because it’s different from a general one.”
Shin talked calmly to Rionne who frowned and pondered.
Shin actually knew this whole dungeon-making thing well.
“Please explain it to me, Shin.”
“Sure. What I’m saying is, In the current situation, we can only reach the exit if we go along a specific route.”
“Specific route? Then, the reason for us not being able to move above the roof and the alley…”
“Yes, it’s because it deviates from the specific route. If you try taking shortcuts that greatly deviate from the route, you return to your original location. In order to escape, we must advance following this shining sphere as a marker.”
Shin had remembered that immediately after a massive update, a time-attack race was held using the entire city.
In the city that newly appeared in the update, there were no players’ shops, guild bases and so on. So, in the case of an event using a whole city which was thought to be impossible, was implemented at this opportunity; a time-attack race.
With the center of the city as the entrance, players competed in a time trial to escape from there. The players and parties with the shortest time got a limited edition rare item distributed from the event; therefore, Shin had seen this sphere before.
“I don’t remember registering in this race though.”
Shin continued talking in a small mutter that was not audible to Rionne.
“Because there are no traps installed on the route, if we find the sphere while killing monsters, we should be able to escape without any trouble.”
Monsters would emerge and would match the stats of the players.
【Limit】 couldn’t be released during an event, and decreased stats were applied. In addition, the course became longer if the stats were high; it was the overview of the time-attack race that Shin knew.
Instead of the race deciding on stats or learned techniques, the race was decided upon the escape routes that were randomly generated and differed in length.
(It’s possible to release 【Limit】 now, but will it be different from the event in the game? No…, to begin with, there is a possibility I cannot interfere with the stats because the game became a reality, right?)
Because this world itself was mysterious, Shin couldn’t be certain, but then, not everything should act according to the game scenarios.
“I see, is there a time limit? When exploring the ancient ruins and the dungeon, I heard that there were such things.”
“No, there should not be.”
It was an event which one could clear even if one took their time.
The goal was to compete for the quickest time to escape. According to Shin’s knowledge, there was no particular penalty in the case of being slow.
“Shin, though it may seem bad when I say it this way, I feel lucky to be teleported with you. Thanks to you, I did not have to make any effort in trying to solve this riddle.”
Rionne said while smiling wryly.
If Rionne was actually alone, it was certain that she would waste time before she understood the situation.
“Then, Shin, let’s go look for the lightsphere. Tell me if there’s a place that differs from your knowledge. This is a Sacred Place, I don’t know what can happen.”
“Understood. As for this sphere, it becomes the transition point to the next route. First, I will be transposed ahead. I will return immediately if there is nothing, so please standby.”
“Okay.”
Hearing Rionne’s answer, Shin touched the sphere.
His surrounding scenery suddenly changed in an instant, and Shin was in a different place than a moment ago. When he checked the map, the distance between him and Rionne was not that far. It was the distance of less than five minutes if walking normally.
“This is the part of the race where it gets unpleasant.”
Shin sighed, as he recalled the race that he had experienced before. He returned to Rionne right away.
“It’s safe for transposing. Now then, let’s go.”
“I’m sorry to leave you in a dangerous position.”
“I cannot afford to let you, the princess, to be in my position. Besides, there are groups of monsters ahead at the transposing point. If it were just me, I could only run away.”
Shin, on the contrary, could easily crush the enemies ahead.
If he was in a place where he wouldn’t be seen, Shin would instantly kill any monster that was there without hesitating.
“There’s no need for etiquette here. Let’s both survive and leave together.”
“Of course.”
In response to Rionne’s words, which were full of determination, Shin returned a big nod.
-
With Shin as the lead, the two people walked down the street.
During the time-attack race, it was basically impossible to move forward except through the main street. There were exceptions, such as hidden passage-like alleys and shortcuts, but it depended completely on luck whether or not they were found.
Unless they were in a very desperate situation and aimed for reversal, it only cost time to look for such a thing. Rionne was also looking for such alleys at first, but with Shin’s advice, she went ahead through the main street obediently.
In a place where they approached a crossroad, Shin looked back at Rionne.
“Rionne-sama, let’s go straight from here.”
“Did you find something?”
“There are three monsters on the left, one on the right. Because there is nothing up front, we should go there first. If it’s no good, we go to the right. Even if the left is the correct path, there will be a series of battles. I think we should avoid battle as much as possible.”
In Shin’s perception range, there were already several presences of monsters.
Because he could narrow down the range to value accuracy, he was able to see their names and levels.
On the left side, there was a level 602 wolf type monster “Blue-Mist Hound”, a scorpion type monster level 544, “Spoerk”, and three level 588 slime type monsters, “Gilslay”.
He could see that it was a three-way battle from the movement of the markers. It would probably be hard for Rionne to jump in there.
In the opposite direction, there was a ghost type monster level 531, Ghillie Wize.
It was a troublesome monster that uses some advanced level magic skills, but with Shin’s 『Kakura』 and Rionne’s 『Muspelm』, they had more than enough to deal effective damage to it. Even with Rionne’s fighting ability alone, going right was the easiest fight. There was no problem even if she were to be directly hit by magic skills if Shin became her shield.
“That’s right, there are only two of us. We should avoid the fights that are likely to be disadvantageous.”
Rionne seemed to believe Shin’s story, and stepped straight forward.
However, the view for the two people became distorted after they walked for about five minutes. It was incomprehensible because it was in the middle of the main street, and the left and right shops changed similarly to a moment ago.
“It seems to be no good here.”
“It looks like it. No choice but to return.”
Since they could not proceed forward, as they agreed beforehand, they returned and instead turned left.
Shin caught the monster’s appearance in his view after moving for a while.
“It’s here. It’s still the only monster, and there’s no other presences of monsters nearby.”
Before the two people was a figure of a mummy, which wore a mist-like black robe and had a twisted, warped-shaped staff.
Only the head and arms resembled the figure of a mummy, neither the legs nor upper body were there. It was a monster that fell into heresy; its own body had turned into mist. Its name was Ghillie Wize.
In fact, by looking at it alone, the mummy that appeared had no physical substances for its head and arms either. It could be said that normal weapons couldn’t deal proper damage; it was a mage type monster which could resist physical attacks.
“What… is that?!”
“A ghost type monster, Ghillie Wize. It can use earth and wind magic. Though it seems to hold a staff, because the staff is floating, it’s movements are irregular. Please be careful.”
“Thanks for the advice!”
Shin gave important info to Rionne while running.
If a person saw this creature for the first time, they may have thought that it was holding a staff, and they would have received severe damage from the flying stick, as they would not be able to perceive any movement from the monster.
“Suuuooooooooooooonyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!”
Its voice reverberated, not knowing where it came from.
It was the magic chants of Ghillie Wize.
“It’s coming!”
Almost at the same time as the Ghillie Wize finished chanting, Shin shouted.
What it released was a wind system magic skill, 【Air Barret】 and 【Air Cutter】. Bullets of compressed wind and blades of sharp wind swooped down on Rionne and Shin. Though both magics were elementary level, the number of attacks were no match for an ordinary mage.
“This degree!!!”
Rionne closed the distance while lightly evading the barrage of winds from Ghillie Wize.
Sparing no effort to display her strengthened physical ability by the support system martial arts skill 【Spirit Manipulation • Katsusen】, she continued dodging the wind magic which should be difficult to see.
Shin too, closed the gap in the same manner as Rionne, approaching the Ghillie Wize. However, if one looked closely, the magic shots actually vanished when they neared Shin. With the magic resistance from the said High Human’s abnormality, the magic couldn’t maintain its form. Judging from mage types such as Ghillie Wize, the existence of Shin had a thoroughly bad compatibility.
“Ziiii!!?”
That surprised voice originated from the Ghillie Wize.
Apparently it had noticed that the magic around Shin had disappeared.
While moving with a speed matching Rionne’s, Shin had a grin and laugh that could only be seen by the Ghillie Wize.
“Uhh!!?”
The word that came out, did it mean, “Crap!!?” if it was said by a human?
It may have realized that its magic didn’t work. The mummy’s face, which should have had no expression, appeared to twitch.
The approaching figure of Shin, who was a little behind than Rionne, must have appeared as the devil in the Ghillie Wize’s eyes. It’s being more cautious toward Shin rather than Rionne who was holding a holy sword that should be its weakness, was the best evidence of it.
“BeeeeJaaaaaaaaaa!!”
With a cry, a large mass of magic power developed around the Ghillie Wize.
It was charging the wind system magic skill 【Storm Blast】 and earth system magic skill【Dragoon Bite】. With a tornado that exceeded the height of the Ghillie Wize, and a huge clay jaw modeled from a dragon, the skill 【Air Barret】 flew wildly, pushing the two attackers.
“Damn it! Is this the power of a monster in the Sacred Place?”
Even Rionne seemed to be alarmed by this.
Putting strength into the hand holding 『Muspelm』, she was going to activate some kind of skill. However, Shin interrupted there.
“Leave it to me here! Rionne-sama, you deal blows on that fellow!”
“Okay, you can count on me!”
Rionne canceled the skill she was going to invoke, and accumulated more power into her arm.
Though it was quite dangerous if Shin failed, Rionne didn’t think that Shin would make a mistake. Even if she only knew a little about his ability, she didn’t doubt Shin’s so called trump card, 『Kakura』.
Shin stepped forth strongly by one step while a pair of advanced level magics drew nearer. These magic skills were unleashed with the Ghillie Wize’s whole power. However, the magic already lost its power due to Shin’s magic resistance; in fact, the magic was on the verge of dispersing.
“Here I go~!!”
Shin used a side sweep towards the magic, which would disappear if blown apart.
Contradictory with its appearance, in front of 『Kakura』’s brandish, which carried a considerable amount of mass, was able to erase the magic that approached the two people so easily that it was basically disappointing. The Ghillie Wize too, never thought that it would be easily broken there.
Seeing Shin and Rionne charging through unscathed, the Ghillie Wize’s movement already stopped completely. Rionne, who never overlooked such opportunities quickly took advantage.
“Got you!!”
Rionne mightily jumped up from behind Shin and rotated once in the air.
Releasing the accumulated power, she invoked the fencing technique system martial arts【Full Moon Edge】. With centrifugal force added to the mass of 『Muspelm』, she struck the increasingly white radiant blade against the Ghillie Wize.
“Dyyyyyyyyyyyyyyーー�!!”
The slashing attack pierced the robe diagonally and blew off one-third of what the Ghillie Wize was composed of, and cut off the arm that held the staff.
The cut off arm then vanished into thin air. Even though it was said to be disembodied, it couldn’t avoid damage if so much of its body got blown off. All the more was true since the attack had a light attribute to it, which was its weak point.
The staff that should have been floating around was also lying on the ground now. The Ghillie Wize screamed at the substantial damage it received, but its suffering hadn’t ended yet. This is because, charging towards the Ghillie Wize that had received so much damage and had started to retreat; was Shin.
Shin was grinning and laughing again.
It’s needless to say that the Ghillie Wize saw Shin, who had a brutal smile, as the devil.
“Hiiiii!?”
Did it have intelligence? The Ghillie Wize started to desperately take distance, as it no longer raised the “Hiiii!?” voice.
However, it was not possible to escape from Shin’s pursuit.
“Time to put an end to this fellow!!”
Shin jumped and swung downwards, on the Ghillie Wize which fell due to damage.
It was the mallet technique system martial arts skill 【Fission】 that enveloped 『Kakura』. Because of the very few martial arts skills that could cause damage to disembodied monsters, the already strong 『Kakura』 was powered up even more.
“orz…”
Ghillie Wize uttered at its final moment as a single blow came from sky; although, what it muttered was a meaning even itself didn’t understand.
“It’s unexpectedly an easy win.”
Rionne seemed to feel satisfied, for the battle that ended after only a few minutes.
“It may be because its weak point is the light attribute bestowed on 『Muspelm』. Added with its high quality, somehow even with only us, two upper class Chosen Ones, we were able to defeat it. It’s usually not so easy.”
Because Shin was troubled that it was strange to be thinking optimistically, he gave a firm reminder.
Perhaps, if his weapon was an iron bar or sword borrowed from the ruins, it hardly would have gone in this direction. Though Ghillie Wize was brought down very easily, if its opponents were ordinary soldiers, it had the ability to destroy approximately a small country on its own. It just had a bad matchup this time.
“I get it. Anyway, my level didn’t go up even when I defeated a unique Skull Face, but this time it did. While it may be true that the battle was easy, I never thought it was weak.”
Apparently, Rionne’s level had gone up.
The opponent was close to her rank in this case. For such, she earned enough experience points to level up.
“Moreover, I also acquired some kind of title.”
“Title?”
‘Titles are obtained through battles and leveling up’, Shin thought as he recalled the things that corresponded to the current battle.
“Yes, it’s displayed as ‘Natural Enemy of Magic Users’.”
‘Natural Enemy of Magic Users’ was a title that was obtained by defeating a monster without using magic, and without receiving any magic damage when fighting against an opponent who uses advanced level magic skills. There was an effect of decreasing the damage of magic skills by 2 percent.
“Oh, I see…but is it okay to tell me that? This kind of thing should be kept a secret, right?”
“It’s thanks to you that I obtained this, Shin. Besides, you will not spread such a thing around, will you?”
“That’s true, but…”
Before he knew it, Rionne’s reliability on Shin seemed to have risen.
Was it because they both fought together?
“Still, from your appearance, you seem to know the effect of the title, Shin.”
“Well, what are you talking about?”
“A while ago, you said “I see”, didn’t you?’
He seemed to have been exposed from his answer.
Because he had a hunch that it would be bad if he knew in detail, he didn’t answer affirmatively. On that subject, Shin recalled that ‘titles are rarer than skills’.
“…I don’t remember it.”
“Are you a noble?…”
Rionne gave out a little disgusted feeling; the nobles in this world seemed to have said similar things, too.
When related to politics, these types of lines seemed to be common anywhere.
“Fufu, but I’m more interested in you suddenly. However, it’s an emergency now. I will question you later on. Then, I will go ahead.”
Did something tug on Rionne’s heartstrings? She began to run away with a small laugh.
Her eyes felt like a hunter who found their prey.
“…Roger that.”
‘I would be rather thankful if you forgot that,’ Shin thought while following Rionne.
When he escaped from the Sacred Place, Shin had a premonition that a troublesome thing like this would come back when he returned.
Part 3
“Shin, how many monsters are within your perception range?”
“Besides the other three that I mentioned earlier, there are more than 20 in total. From what I know, most of them supposedly don’t make big movements, but we can’t be careless because some of them tend to disregard this trend too.”
Shin answered to Rionne, while searching for the white sphere to make sure that this was the correct route.
“It would be nice if the rest of the way goes as smoothly as it has been so far.”
“That, I agree with you.”
It was his honest, true feeling.
“Hmm?”
While repeatedly being transposed for several times, Shin noticed something.
After the battle against Ghillie Wize, the route was gradually approaching the center of Kalkia.
“What’s wrong? Is something funny?”
“No, it’s just that I think we are moving away from the gate.”
The route was completely random. There was a behavioral pattern in which a person could transition near the gate in one go.
Were there any requirements that had to be fulfilled during the race to reach the gate? Or was it that the race’s goal was to reach the center? Shin didn’t know, but since it was a one-way route, they would eventually return to the gate even if they came close to the center.
“Indeed. Well, this area in the Sacred Place is uncharted territory, so it’s a good chance to unravel such a place…”
“Although life is more important than information,” Rionne continued and as she followed behind Shin.
When they passed through the street after being transposed some time ago, they used the shade of a wall and the tree that grew in the garden of a residential building to conceal themselves from the wandering monsters.
Such a small technique was possible; although the alleyway couldn’t be used.
Fortunately, they were not lacking hiding places thanks to a house that hadn’t yet collapsed.
The monsters’ blind spots were exploited, as they went behind buildings, garden fences, and occasionally went against the direction of the route.
However, there were some monsters that noticed them because some of the monsters had a perception ability that didn’t rely on sight, but instead sound or heat.
(It’s hard not being able to use skills thoughtlessly…Hiding!)
Shin activated the skill, without Rionne noticing. It was a non-system skill which fell under magic skills, 【Hiding】.
Though its effect was lower than the 【Hiding】 of support system martial arts skills, it could conceal presences, sound, etc. to a number of people like a party within a fixed range. It was useful using this skill too, as they wouldn’t be discovered by snake or bat type monsters.
‘However, it is difficult as I can’t use the skill with all of my strength,’ Shin thought once again.
Even for an upper class Chosen One, dozens of them didn’t have the skill either when he asked Schnee about it.
He didn’t worry about it at that time, but when being with a person like Rionne, it was not done easily.
Even under normal circumstances, she was interested in him because he was knowledgeable in weapons and titles. If various skills of martial arts or magic that he was able to use were discovered, what kind of questioning would await?
(Why is it when coming to a different world, I have limited play?)
‘If the members Schnee, Tiera, and Wilhelm were here, it wouldn’t be a pain in the ass like this,’ Shin thought while running.
It was a considerably high pace, but as expected from a Chosen One, Rionne didn’t have a shortness of breath and so on. Then, after transposing repeatedly several times; just when Shin thought, ‘can we reach the gate without any troubles?’ a formidable enemy appeared.
“…Is that Gilslay?”
It was a different individual that composed 3-way battles some time ago.
With a level of 684, that Gilslay was the highest level among what he saw in Kalkia. It was not a good opponent to be in conflict with as it had random movement and had no regularity.
Weren’t the small-fry enemies that came out in the beginning of the game slimes? This was a monster that could be classified as a formidable boss character.
The most troublesome thing about this Gilslay was that the monster had exceptionally high fighting power for a slime.
Was it because its gel-like shape was irregular? Almost all physical attacks were ineffective. Furthermore, its body stretched out like a tentacle and struck in the same way as a whip. It thrust like a spear, wrapping around to capture its target, and did so until the attacks broke the opponent’s battle formation.
In addition to the body fluids that secreted from Gilslay’s body, it also had an effect of reducing the durability of weapons and armor. It was known to be a typical time-consuming monster, so the battle was prolonged even longer.
Even if its appearance was about 4 mels of semi-transparent water and steamed bun-like, one should never be careless.
“Slime, huh? But if it’s only huge then there’s no problem. Let’s not stand still, but breakthrough in one go.”
“Ahh!? Hey hey, Rionne, don’t go there!!?”
However, apparently Rionne recognized that the said slime was a small-fry and didn’t stay still.
Did she not hear Shin’s panicky voice that said to restrain herself? She went for the endgame as she closed the distance in one breath by using her strength as an upper class Chosen One.
“*Hmph*!! ――Guah!? What on earth is this?!”
Rionne, who swung down 『Muspelm』 at Gilslay, stopped moving when the bizarre reaction occurred.
If Gilslay was similar to any ordinary slime, it definitely would be defeated if she could destroy its core. However, it couldn’t be easily done as Shin examined the situation. The opponent was a monster whose level exceeded 600. It was not so naive as to overlook the chance of Rionne stopping.
Gilslay immediately moved to counterattack. Did it think that she was not a strong opponent? Rionne’s limbs were restrained by the body that stretched out like tentacles.
Moreover, Rionne was not able to react to the unexpected speed.
“Good grief, I told you so!”
The sounds of Rionne’s protective gears dissolving by the Gilslay’s body fluid was heard.
Since he couldn’t just leave her as she was now, Shin approached the slime brandishing his 『Kakura』.
『Kakura』 had a clad in mallet technique system martial arts skill 【Sandstorm Burst】――A single blow of 『Kakura』 was dyed in a brown aura, and blew away the tentacles that had caught Rionne.
Shin’s current stats were quite restricted, but he somehow managed to deal damage to Gilslay.
Nevertheless, Gilslay didn’t appear to have the physical resistance of its main body as the tentacles became thinner. 【Sandstorm Burst】 was effective against opponents who had high physical defense, so it may have been a good idea to use it.
“We will fall back so don’t move for a moment!”
The liberated Rionne was held with one hand by Shin, who jumped back.
With Shin’s leg power, they were able to escape from Gilslay’s attack range in one jump. Tentacles of Gilslay pierced the place where Shin was before just one breath later.
The road they were on used a orichalchum mixture for the pavement. Only the strength of a rampaging middle class Dragon could crack it.
Even so, the tentacles of Gilslay had easily pierced the pavement.
“It penetrated through the orichalcum pavement…”
If it’s Shin’s armor strength, there was no problem receiving any number of attacks, even on his own body. However, knowing the hardness of the pavement, his face was stiff instinctively.
Even though there was no damage, Shin unleashed a single blow and blew out the tentacles. Did the Gislay judge him as a threat? Unlike when it was against Rionne, the Gilslay didn’t go easy.
“Shin, what is that? Is it really a slime?!”
“Calm down first, I’ll explain it to you. That is Gilslay, a monster that is strong at resisting physical attacks. Never confuse that with small-fry slimes from the grassy plains.”
Because it would be a problem if Gilslay charged again, Shin explained briefly what kind of opponent it was to Rionne.
It was indeed troublesome if he plunged into the enemy who didn’t match his power.
“…Sorry, it was careless of me. Even though we are in the Sacred Place.”
“Well, it’s inevitable if you only know about ordinary slimes. Gilslay has a gentle-looking appearance; however, be it slashing or striking, it’s a troublesome opponent since half-hearted attacks are reduced to nothing and have no effect.”
“Ah, it pierced through its body. For my weapon to really be repelled.”
Even though it was a slash without any skill, the attack of 『Muspelm』was repelled.
Looking at Rionne, who nodded seriously, Shin, who for now felt relieved, thought ‘Is this alright?’.
While Rionne was glaring at Gilslay and preparing 『Muspelm』, Shin thought about the plan. It wouldn’t be difficult to separate from Gilslay, as it was a high defense but low agility opponent.
If there was a problem, it lied in its tracking ability.
The monsters who didn’t rely on their five senses could perceive many things such as the opponent’s magic or presence and could pursue them.
Among them, slimes were especially good with this ability. Even if they thought they succeeded in escaping, there were many cases where it actually followed them.
In many places, leaving it alone would lead to more danger. It seemed better to defeat it, Shin concluded.
“This fellow has a considerably high sensing ability. Because we’ve already been targeted, it will chase us for a long time even if we escape. I think I’ll defeat it here, how’s that?”
“I won’t object for my future’s sake, but can you break through that defense, Shin?”
Rionne, who had experienced the firmness of the slime firsthand, had her eyes seem doubtful toward Shin.
The story would have been different if the attribute bestowed upon 『Muspelm』was flame or thunder, but it couldn’t be helped that she said that. Light attributes tended to be very effective against monsters such as undead and ghosts, but it were not very effective towards other monsters.
In other words, since Rionne’s attack was only a physical attack with light attribute, it was ineffective towards Gilslay.
“I’ve got few tricks up my sleeve. I can clear the way to the core, so please destroy the core with your strongest skill. Since the core itself is quite fragile, it should be good to go.”
Generally, monsters with cores were vulnerable to direct attacks on it. It was especially noticeable on the slime group.
It was said that it was the result of balance adjustments for having high defensive power except for the core. So, if given the chance, Shin judged that there would be no problem if it was Rionne’s skill and her weapon’s ability to break the core.
“Shin’s trump card huh? All right then. I’ll leave it to you.”
As if there was no uneasiness, Rionne faced towards the Gilslay.
『Muspelm』was carried on her shoulder and was ready to step up at any time. Rionne would’ve been knocked down by Gilslay if Shin wasn’t there――No, she would have been devoured. The binding force of the tentacles seemed to laugh at Rionne, who resisted desperately. It was frightening just remembering it.
However, with such a strong binding, Shin blew it away with only a single blow, which was why she said she would leave it to Shin.
‘It would be a disgrace as a woman if I didn’t go,’ Rionne thought and let her entire body be filled with power; at the same time, she got rid of idle thoughts from her consciousness.
This world’s mental improvement enhances precision and the power of skills. The original power increased a little, regardless of skills and arts.
Rionne, while waiting for Shin’s signal, prepared the skill that she would unleash.
“I have to meet his expectations.”
Shin took out a card. A blue flame-like pattern was drawn on the surface.
“【Flare Burst】 release!”
Simultaneously with the shout, Shin pointed the card toward Gilslay.
Then as the card tore itself apart, a sphere with a diameter of about 30 cemels appeared.
In the following moment, a heat ray around 1 mel was discharged from the sphere.
The sphere was blue on the outside and white in the center, and charged through the air aiming at Gilslay’s core.
Did it determine that it couldn’t dodge the attack? The Gilslay expand its volume size as the 【Flare Burst】 hit it directly.
There, the heat ray pierced through while scorching the air.
“――!!? ――!!!”
Though the Gilslay desperately withstood it, its body had low resistance to magic by nature from the start. Even if the strengthening by level was taken into account, it wasn’t able to endure the 【Flare Burst】.
When the bluish-white heat ray went off, the figure of Gilslay could be seen with a portion of its body vaporized in the line of fire.
The heat ray didn’t destroy the core, but it was left half exposed.
It may be because a quarter or more of its original volume vanished at once, and the Gilslay didn’t move immediately after receiving the heat ray.
“Now!”
“Leave it to me!!”
Without missing the opportunity, Rionne, who reacted to Shin’s voice, prepared to use 『Muspelm』 and dashed toward Gilslay right away.
Rionne was surprised of the 【Flare Burst】’s power, but since she had to focus on defeating the enemy, she left that thought in the corner of her mind.
With the increased concentration, Rionne’s ability was perfectly demonstrated.
As of now, she arrived at the front of Gilslay quickly, leaving her afterimage as she swung down the 『Muspelm』, and the core was cut in two with little resistance.
“!!?”
Once the weak point of Gilslay was cut right in half, its gel body shook, and its life was ended.
Afterwards, the jewels broke into two and dropped on the ground along with a gel substance.
“Let’s collect the jewels and leave quickly. Other monsters are approaching as they noticed the battle noises.”
“Understood. Please lead the way.”
The jewels, which rolled over the ground, were picked up while running. The two people ran at full speed on the supposed correct route.
“By the way Shin, your language has seemed quite friendly since a while ago.”
“Ah…”
Rionne pointed out as if she just remembered and Shin looked at her with a distorted expression.
His face had “Oops!” clearly written there. Ever since he warned Rionne, who had jumped out recklessly in the spur of the moment towards Gilslay, he had been talking like that without change.
“I wonder if the wall between us disappeared a little, Shin?”
“Ah no, I’m sorry. It’s just, when in battle, my wording becomes rough.”
“Mu! I don’t mind it as is. This is a situation where we must entrust each other’s lives. It’s difficult to cooperate if you’re strangely humbled.”
“Even if you say so, I can’t just talk like this after all…”
In Shin’s mind, in a society where a privileged class such as the royal family and nobles exist, a commoner and the like shouldn’t be talking to them over-familiarly.
“That won’t do. This is the Sacred Place, you know? Anything trivial can cause death. From being modest some time ago, the consequences of it may delay me a bit. If I am killed by my own mistake, then that’s what I deserve. However, if you are put in danger because of my mistake, I’ll not be able to live with it, so dying is not an option. At this time, let’s leave out the strange modesty from each other. You can drop the formalities and just call me Rionne.”
“Well, um…”
Though it was about the problem of wording, before he knew it, it became a serious matter between life or death.
As for the matter of Gilslay, Shin didn’t mean to be especially reserved toward Rionne, but she seemed to interpret so. Still, when it comes to the matter of life or death, he couldn’t decline it without special reason. Before he was aware, it was difficult to continue keeping a distance in that type of atmosphere.
“…Got it. However, I think we should give priority to the royal family in this case, no?”
“Though what you said is also a fair argument, even if only I was left alone, the probability of safely escaping is not high. It’s more meaningful for both of us to be alive. Again, don’t be reserved from now on.”
Words of reluctance didn’t come to Shin’s mind; he accepted Rionne’s condition unwillingly.
The frowned Shin and the joyfully smiling Rionne were indeed opposite.
“This is only temporary until we escape.”
“Mu! Well, there’s no other way.”
He also didn’t forget to make it clear, “I’ll do it since there’s no one here”.
“…Then let me say this while I have the opportunity.”
Because she was slightly annoying, Shin decided to launch a little counterattack.
“I’ve seen them. In various ways.”
“Hmm?”
Did she not understand what Shin was talking about? Rionne looked puzzled.
“Have you look at yourself after being caught by Gilslay?”
“Caught? ――KyaAH!!”
Rionne, who checked her own appearance after Shin’s words, raised a cute voice and crouched down on the spot.
In addition to the equipment that was caught by Gilslay, she finally noticed that it melted her clothes too. Frankly speaking, there were almost no safe places.
Most of her arms and legs were bared, hotpants and so on in a very dangerous state. Only a portion of her body was safe. It was probably thanks to the double equipment of armor that consisted of dragon’s leather and a jacket. It seemed to have prevented her clothes from melting completely.
Although there were holes here and there, given that Rionne was a woman, she had hardly shown it to other people.
The body fluids of Gilslay, which had durability reduction effects, seemed to accomplish its duty well to the last minute.
Was it because it was the body fluids of some fantasy creature? It may be a fortunate blessing in disguise that the skin had no injury. However, Shin was worried about the voice Rionne raised.
“Kyaah?”
“…Don’t look at me.”
“Ahh, sorry…for the time being, put this on.”
The figure of Rionne, which may have been visible and invisible, was very tempting for eyes.
This was embarrassing for Rionne too it seemed, as she was blushing and huddling herself up. Because it couldn’t be helped, Shin let Rionne put on the jacket he wore.
“For now, let’s enter the house over there. It’s bad to stay still here.”
“Okay.”
While Rionne, who was out of order and suddenly became meek, Shin pointed at a relatively decent abandoned house nearby.
Though there were no monsters around, it was better than being outside. Even though it was in the middle of a time-attack race, they were able to enter the isolated house.
Just in case, Shin activated 【Barrier】 without Rionne noticing. Then, an item card was taken out from his chest pocket. Of course, it was actually from the Item Box.
“First of all, change into this. It should be better than what you currently have on.”
The item card was materialized, and presented out to Rionne.
It was the equipment items which had been stored in the Item Box. Because he couldn’t hand over powerful things, the equipment’s rank was low, but since it was strengthened by Shin, it was several times more powerful than those of which were sold in the market, without exception.
What he handed over was a shirt made of rockworm thread, a jacket that used the skin of a black buffalo, and a pair of pants that was made of orb-weaving spider string. As for the appearance, it was a simple plain white shirt, a light brown jacket, and black pants.
“Thank you, do you always have this with you, Shin?”
“Pretty much. There’s a saying, save for a rainy day, save for a time of need, at the place where I’m from.”
Shin said. Just in case Rionne didn’t understand the saying, he made sure to say his hometown.
“It’s a good expression. Still, to possess so many item cards…”
“Acquaintances…Wait, I’m sorry, but I don’t mean to tell you any information about this. It’s sort of an agreement.”
Instead of taking all the responsibility, Shin hinted it as if he obtained it from a personal connection.
“I got it. Not all Chosen Ones are Item Box carriers. I don’t think of trying to pry into you thoughtlessly. It’s just enviable, I think.”
Every item skill were no match compared to the usefulness of an Item Box.
Its carrying capacity was very useful in many fields such as business and military affairs. Rionne was in a preferable direction, since she wasn’t persistent.
“By the way, Shin, though it’s a little rude to ask, I wonder if there are a bit more comfortable clothes that I can borrow?”
“Oh, was it torn anywhere?”
“Well, no? It’s a bit tight.”
“Tight? …Ah.”
When Shin pondered over Rionne’s words, he noticed the meaning behind those words.
The size of the equipment which Shin handed to Rionne was fitted to Shin’s physique. Because a size adjustment function was not included in low-grade equipment, he deliberately disabled the function so he wasn’t suspected.
However, a problem appeared as the result. Mainly on the chest measurement.
“………”
“Hey, what are you looking at?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Shin had glanced at Rionne’s chest, which seemed to be able to burst out of her shirt at any moment because she buttoned up forcibly.
Furthermore, the bottom half of her chest was pushed up. The top half was left open, so now there was a deep cleavage to look down into. In the case of general mass production of clothes, it may be in the right size until there. However, this time, what Rionne wore was equipment that matched with Shin’s physique.
The size adjustment function was adjusted along the line of the body, so Shin, who was classified as a thin man, had no need for room at the chest at all.
The shirt may have been no problem if it was an average sized shirt, but when a pair of hills that were bigger than the average like Rionne’s, there was not enough to hold it in various ways. Additionally, the length of the sleeves were too long; even the joints of her fingers were covered. Her appearance was sensational, in a different meaning than from a while ago. Rather than it becoming shabby equipment, it became cool to see, but only the fingers were outside the long sleeve.
“I’m sorry but the sizes of the clothes are helpless.”
“Muu! There’s no choice, huh?”
Shin didn’t have the intention to tell the truth at the moment, so he decided to say it was helpless.
The reason was by no means a delight for his eyes if she stayed as is.
“Putting that aside, what was that a while ago?”
“That?”
“When you suddenly went “KyaAH!?” before.”
“Wha!? Such a shameless appearance has been seen! I guess it’s not possible to stay dignified.
Rionne protested, but there was no intimidating feeling while her face was dyed in red.
“Is being shy is a common thing?”
“…It’s a way of speaking when I got mixed up in something.”
Rionne, who heard Shin’s remark, scowled at him lightly.
“Well, because there’s an image that a lady’s maid helps to change the clothes of royal families and nobles, I thought you were fine even if you are seen.”
Because there were such scenes in manga and novels he read before, Shin thought that Rionne would also be so.
“Having a lady’s maid to help change my clothes and having been seen by a man in an improper appearance– there’s no way that it’s the same!”
“You say so but don’t you usually notice when your clothes are in tatters that much? I thought it was certainly so, because you were so dignified to that extent.”
“I was focusing on the fight!”
From the slime’s strength to the power of Shin’s card 【Flare Burst】, she should have had enough to be surprised at; even if her clothes came off completely, it couldn’t be helped.
“Also, I am a woman. I can scream too.”
“I don’t mean that, what I want to say is that you are not feminine. Until now, you had a different image. Look, you don’t feel scared when you fought against Ghillie Wize, right? Therefore you are not really similar to my impression of you.”
Shin didn’t know Rionne that much. However, from her attitude until now, the impression of her was dignified was strong.
“…I have no need to keep up appearances. This tone is my personality. I’m aware that it’s hard to say it’s charming as a woman. I’m a woman whose job is to fight.”
“No wait! Why are you being so down for? If you said you’re not attractive, you will make all the women in the world your enemy!”
Because the story deviated towards a strange direction, in order to change the mood, Shin spoke the lines he heard somewhere.
Of course, that was reality.
Though Shin has seen a lot of beautiful girls, it didn’t feel unnatural to put Rionne along with beauties like Schnee and Tiera.
Rionne was more than beautiful enough, though she didn’t seem aware of it. From Shin’s point of view, he couldn’t understand why she became so servile.
“The ability as a warrior and being of royal lineage. There’s not much I can boast about. Not only am I useless in political marriage, I’m also powerless against enemy monsters.”
“You know, you have looked very down for a while now. What’s the matter?”
After they entered the house to take a rest, her thoughts were too negative.
Shin understood that it was not the type of atmosphere to laugh or make fun of, as he tightened his expression himself.
“It’s the fight just now. I couldn’t even put a scratch.”
Even though it could be said that she was the one that gave the final blow, it seemed to be caused by the fact that she wasn’t able to do almost anything to Gilslay.
“I would say a while ago is the question of compatibility. If you had known the physical attacks didn’t work, it would have been a different battle.”
“It’s certainly so. However, if a similar opponent appeared, there’s nothing I could do. If it was only me alone, this time is…”
Shin was worried about how to speak to Rionne, who was now discouraged.
The problem that resulted in having the power of an upper class Chosen One was that it was likely that she had never fought against such a difficult opponent. However, since they have to act together from now on, he couldn’t leave her as is.
“…Hey Rionne, can’t you use a magic skill? If you can use it, you can fight without being repelled.”
“That’s right. I’m not at my elder sister’s level, but I can use several magic skills of elementary level. However, can that affect the enemy in some way or another?”
“Only the elementary levels are usable, huh? Well then…”
It didn’t mean there was nothing she could do about it. If physical attacks didn’t work, one should go with the bestowed attribute instead of the physical attribute as the weapon.
Magic and martial arts. If Rionne could use both skills, a combination skill may be usable, and even if she couldn’t use them, there was a little loophole path too.
The problem was whether he should tell her or not.
While Shin has encountered some things in this world, the people who could use combination skills were limited. Because of that, he didn’t know how combination skills were treated in this world.
Even a mere skill was valuable. A combination skill was unleashed using two or more skills, and it didn’t appear to be common.
On this occasion, he decided to ask it from Schnee.
“(Schnee, is it alright to talk now?)”
“(No problem. Is there anything you need?)”
“(I want to confirm something; nowadays, how are combination skills treated?)”
“(Combination skill, huh? I would say it’s valuable, but it’s not strange for a Chosen One to be able to use it. However, the number of people who can use it are quite limited.)”
Shin briefly talked about the current situation, because he didn’t have much time.
Schnee, who guessed the situation, shared her knowledge about the skills. Living more than 500 years in this world, she covered all of the information to this degree.
“(If I’m a Chosen One, is it alright to teach it?)”
“(I think it’s alright. If you are an upper class Chosen One, it isn’t strange to have multiple combination skills.)”
“(I’m saved)”
Apparently, there was no problem.
He had no doubt if it was information from Schnee, and decided to give advice to Rionne about the skills.
Rionne herself was not a bad person, and she couldn’t protect the country if she was left alone in this condition.
“Hey Rionne, may I ask which magic skills you can use?”
“Magic skills? I don’t mind.”
As a person who seemed to already know, they just started to get acquainted with each other.
So to add one thing to another, Rionne gave away the skills’ names. As for Shin, he explored the combination of Rionne’s martial arts skills and the magic skills she had told him.
However, as expected, she didn’t have a clue about her skill, 【Full Moon Edge】, which was classified as a combination of elementary level magic skills and Ouden rank martial arts skills.
Not only was its balance bad, but also, combination skills that used elementary level magic were few in numbers.
“There’s no helping it. I guess we’re going with an imitation, huh?”
“Imitation?”
Shin, who was lost in thought for a while, decided to teach a method of giving an attribute to a physical attack, although it wasn’t a combination skill.
If he found out the information of other martial arts skills that Rionne could use, there might be some good combinations too. However, he’d like to stop the act of uncovering everything of the other party’s skills.
“Just checking, but Rionne, you can’t use combination skills…right?”
“Indeed, my magic skills haven’t reached the level where they can’t be used as combination skills. I tried many different ways though.”
“Then, have you tried this method?”
Shin explained the method to bestow a false attribute.
It was not a legitimate way, so its power was inevitably diminished compared to the real thing, but it was still powerful enough.
“Can I really be able to go with that?”
“You will know once you try it. I also only knew about this by chance.”
“Okay, let’s try it.”
Rionne then activated the basis of flame technique system magic skill 【Fire】.
Thereupon, near the poised 『Muspelm』, a flame about 30 cemels appeared. When she maintained the state as described by Shin, the flame was gradually absorbed by 『Muspelm』, and its blade turned red.
“Look!”
The foot of the chair which Shin suddenly threw was cut off by『Muspelm』 without any resistance; it was like cutting tofu.
The cut surface scorched; it was clearly understood that heat was added to the blade. Although the proper support magic skill 【Enchant Fire】 somewhat lacked thermal power when compared to combination skills with flame techniques, the effect of the bestowed attribute was still obvious. At least with this, it would be much better than the light attribute.
“What kind of state is this?”
For Rionne, who couldn’t use support and combination skills, she seemed unable to comprehend the current phenomenon just yet.
Since it was placed as an underhanded trick in the game era too, it was no wonder she didn’t understand it.
“Well this, if I have to say, is 【Imitation-type Fire】. I don’t know its formal name either. Please keep in mind it’ll break low-grade weapons when it’s applied there. At least 《Legend》 grade weapons are still needed, and overuse of this is strictly prohibited. Even without the application of personal skills, there are a lot of things that can be done with that.”
“…I understand it vaguely, but was it okay to teach me? This is an undiscovered technique, you know?”
“In this world, the strength of monsters exceeds humans. If such a technique spreads out, there will be fewer victims too. Are you unhappy or something?”
“Very unhappy. You’re only giving it to me, aren’t you Shin?”
Rionne wasn’t convinced at the immature soteriology.
The application and the diversity of the technique that Shin taught, she probably had understood it accurately.
“I tried and understood it, Shin. This can be applied to arts too. You may even use a low durability weapon if it’s an arts, there are many usages besides battle as well. The value of this information is higher than a Geyl gold coin, do you understand?”
“I understand it even without you making such a scary face, Rionne. Isn’t it fine? You obtained so much valuable information. Shouldn’t you be pleased as a royal family?”
While calming Rionne who approached seriously, Shin told the reason.
“But, that is…”
“It’s not convincing, huh? Then――”
Let’s give her a good reason.
“Protect. I want to protect all the countries, people, and myself.”
“That’s the equivalent price,” Shin finished it while staring at Rionne.
“Shin, you…”
Rionne thought there was a secret in Shin’s speech, but she was at a loss for words.
Rionne felt as if Shin was completely making up excuses.
――Therefore.
(Crap! I said it like that to deceive her, but in fact, it wasn’t so useful and was treated as a joke. When such a look of respect was directed at me, the sense of guilt is incredible!)
Rionne wasn’t aware of the things going on in Shin’s mind.
-
“I’ve accepted your reasons, Shin. I’ll put it to good use without fail!”
Rionne, who didn’t know the truth, firmly clenched her fists and expressed her determination.
Something like eyes on fire could be felt from her.
“First of all, have you recovered?”
“You can count on me. The me a while ago is already gone!”
“Though this is a bad place to display your motivation as we will be avoiding battle, you know?”
“I will bear that in mind, whatever the circumstances may be. Please take care of me.”
Though Shin was worried whether the revived Rionne would want to rush the race or not, as expected it didn’t go to that extent.
However, should one say ‘as expected?’ Her spirit was quite high.
“When I’m together with Shin, it makes me think various stuff. I have thought that the talk about engagement is not bad either.”
“I’ve a fiancee. Give me a break!”
He had a feeling that the distance between each other was gradually diminishing, and Shin couldn’t settle down in the difficult situation.
Though Rionne was a little surprised about how he had a fiancee, she didn’t have the intention to uselessly talk further, and their travel went smoothly.
On the way, when they reached the closest point to the heart of the city, Shin saw something like haze spread out in the center of the Sacred Place.
“What is that?”
The anxious Shin informed Rionne in a few words to see if it was possible to move to a better place on the street and observe the central part using a skill.
Since the central part of the city was slightly higher than the surroundings, they could see it without even without getting on a roof.
Though there were ruins everywhere in the Sacred Place, only the building in the center remained intact. Shin also remembered it faintly because he often came there when the game had just begun.
When he looked back at the haze again, for an instant, something seemed to move inside it.
“What? There’s something there?”
In order to ascertain its identity, Shin stared at it motionlessly.
In several seconds, the moment when something began moving in the haze again, and Shin was assaulted by a sense that seemed to pull him into the haze.
“Uwah!?”
He lost his balance in the abrupt situation, but recovered quickly.
“What’s the matter? You suddenly raised your voice.”
“No, I had the feeling of being sucked in, but it’s alright now.”
At the moment he lost his balance, when he looked again in the haze, he felt nothing in particular.
If he said that it was because he was leaning forward too much and nearly fell because he was staring at one point for a long time, she would have been convinced.
“Shin, I don’t feel anything though?”
“Just what on earth was that?”
Will a similar thing happen? Although Shin watched the haze for a while, the sense he felt in the beginning didn’t come back in the end.
“I’m sorry for making you wait. Now, let’s go.”
“Is it alright? Aren’t you interested, Shin?”
“I’ll come by again even if I don’t go now. In this situation, I don’t have any intentions to say anything more selfish.”
With the princess, he couldn’t investigate the dangerous Sacred Place thoughtlessly.
Shin reaffirmed his priority, and both of them resumed their travel.
Then, in the place where they had transposed for more than three times, Shin and Rionne finally reached at the plaza that existed inside the southern gate.
While being alert of their surroundings just in case, they moved to an alley path to leave the gate and there was nothing stopping them like the teleporting fiasco from before.
“Somehow we have reached the goal. There’s no need to worry about the route anymore.”
“Indeed, with this we escaped at last.”
If Rionne’s story was true, the southern gate seemed to be the gate which was used when Sacred Place was investigated, so they decided to go toward it right away.
“That’s the place.”
Before long, in front of Shin and Rionne, the southern gate of Kalkia revealed itself.
A portion of it was hidden by buildings from the plaza space, but its appearance didn’t change since the game era. It was a solid gate which had defense magic bestowed upon it.
“Wait a minute!…”
Nevertheless, what leaked from Shin’s mouth was a voice of disappointment.
Because the side entrance was for palace guard usage, the door Rionne meant to go through was crushed and buried. The side entrance was more fragile than the main wall, so it was not strange for it to break. However, it was clear that it didn’t collapse naturally.
“I wonder if this is an accidental attack to the side entrance by a fight between monsters?”
“There are some scars in addition to the side entrance, but it’s still unknown with only this.”
Visually on the surface of the side entrance, it was in a state like a cement was poured and hardened.
Even if Shin gently tapped on it, only a feeling of a rigidness was returned. The surface was easy to blow off, but if it was firmly filled in on the inside; it would be the same for the walls. One could see it was hardened in a similar way, as the cement, which fortified the side entrance, was widely used in the surroundings.
“Now that it has come to this, we must climb up the gate; also…what is that?”
When Shin just thought about climbing the gate forcibly as the last resort, he saw a strange thing come into view from the ordinary sky and spread out on the wall which enclosed the Sacred Place.
“I don’t know about this either.”
Similarly, Rionne turned her attention to the sky muttered.
“Is it a barrier?”
When Shin looked around, a dome shape covered the town, and a semi-transparent thin coat was being developed.
Because it resembled the state when 【Wall】 and 【Barrier】were being erected, Shin predicted that it was some kind of barrier.
In the game era, except during events, flying-type monsters couldn’t enter the town. So in this world, it could be said that there was protection developed before their eyes.
“Shall I try a little experiment?”
When Shin picked up a pebble which dropped at his feet, he threw it with all his might toward the sky.
The stone, which was shot by the physical strength of an upper class Chosen One, flew to the top of the wall without losing power and hit the thin coat. The result was slightly different from Shin’s expectations when the electricity made a noise that sounded like a short-circuiting, *Crackle*, and the stone crumbled in an instant.
While the stone was falling, it lost to air resistance and disintegrated in midair; it became sand and blew with the wind.
“Leaving from the top of the wall will be difficult.”
“You’re right. It’s not possible to touch that carelessly.”
Rionne also agreed with Shin’s opinion.
Though it was uncertain how much electrical output the erected barrier had, there’s no doubt it wouldn’t end without someone getting burned.
If Shin used all of his power, he may be able to break the barrier, but he couldn’t do so in front of Rionne, so he decided to keep that as a last resort under the current situation.
“Can’t we use other gates?”
“Only this place was secured in case of an invasion. There are dangerous monsters, so I cannot afford to open the gate leisurely. Thinking about the unlikely event, this is the only place. Besides, the side entrances from the other gates have probably collapsed from the beginning due to the impact of natural disasters. It’s a different story for a small animal, but there’s no gap for a person to pass.”
The findings of Sacred Places seemed to be shared among the countries; Rionne knew in details.
“Then, do I need to break through the site gate forcibly? Is there no other choice but to open the very gate itself?”
The gate’s opening and shutting mechanism was located inside the wall and the entrance was through the side entrance; it was said that the methods to open a gate were a common everywhere.
Even if the part which leads to the outside has been destroyed, there was a possibility that the room with the opening and shutting mechanism was safe. Because they couldn’t move in the southern gate because of the current state it was in, both of them decided to leave for the eastern gate.
-
“…Strange.”
“Hmm? What it is?”
Rionne asked about the words that she happened to overhear during their travel.
“Most of the monsters’ presences have disappeared. I was going to choose the route with the fewest monsters if possible, but no matter how I look at it, there are no presences at all.”
When Shin felt uncomfortable, he turned his attention to the map; there were already several monsters dwelling in the Sacred Place. That number was greatly reduced than the ones he had perceived when they were heading toward the southern gate and were being transposed.
Although Ghillie Wize was defeated by Shin and Rionne, it should be no more than a ‘pouring water on a hot stone’ level.
“It’s certainly strange, but it has become easier to travel in this way, so isn’t it fine?”
“I hope so too, but because of the difference of information in various ways, I can’t help but foretell something dangerous will happen after this.”
Even if the side entrance of the southern gate was crushed as an accident, the top of the wall had a barrier to prevent anyone from escaping.
The contact was completely cut off from the outside world; it seemed to be trying to confine those who were inside.
“Then, all the more reason to escape quickly. Hurry up!”
“An enemy may appear suddenly. Don’t let your guard down, Rionne.”
It was only an unpleasant premonition, but there was no reason to waste time either; Shin and Rionne raised their running pace.
As a better alternative to the shortcut of going on the roof, due to the dangers of being found by monsters and risks of houses collapsing, they advanced through the way along the wall obediently. In the process, Shin noticed certain things.
“…Isn’t the wall somewhat shining?”
“It’s seems so. I’ve never seen such a phenomenon before.”
At first he thought it was just his imagination, but now it was clearly shining; it was emitted from the wall which stood towering over the surroundings of their flank.
Two colors, ice blue and emerald-green, flowed to the front of Shin and Rionne as they blended together.
“Hey…at this rate, I have a bad feeling about going straight.”
“I agree. However, there’s no place for us to escape to, right? If that’s the case, it’s better to check what’s going on, and then think of a way to countermeasure from there.
“The exit has been blocked. Even if we avoid danger here, there’s no point,” Rionne said.
“It seems so, but I think most humans would want to avoid trouble, don’t you agree?”
Shin joked, as he failed to remember any information about the phenomenon that occurred in front of them.
If there was such a flashy event, it should be caught somewhere in his memory. If there wasn’t, it became a situation which was unknown during the game era.
“I don’t get it, not. Well, look Shin!”
Coming into the wryly smiling Rionne’s view and Shin who was talking jokingly, the eastern gate was visible.
Apparently, a torrent of light seemed to flow to the eastern gate from the north side.
“Did it gather in the gate? …If it gets slightly nearer, it’s better to hide ourselves and observe.”
He didn’t know whether the same thing happened in all gates and decided to stay here for safety.
In front of the gate, the road where they ran along the wall and the main road merged and became a small plaza.
Shin and Rionne entered an inn that was facing the street, and observed the gate from a window on the top floor.
“There’s something like a huge ball.”
A huge blue sphere appeared in front of the gate.
By a rough estimate of 5 mels in diameter, luminous green occasionally ran through on its surface. The mana that moved along the wall could also confirm that it was flowing into the sphere.
“Shin, is this change caused by that?”
“Maybe. I’ve never seen something like this, but it feels like the time when a monster is born, don’t you agree?”
A monster spawned from mana in this world. Shin thought Rionne may have seen it, so he asked.
“No, when a monster is born from accumulating mana power, the scene is warped and takes the monster’s form. Then, it appears by breaking out of the shell. As for a sphere like that, I’ve never seen one.”
“If so, does it mean it’s not an ordinary monster? Or is it not a monster to begin with?”
While looking at the sphere, which was stationary, Shin thought, ‘what is that sphere?’
On Shin’s map, the sphere was displayed with a green marker. This represented neutrality.
However, even if a marker was usually green, there were monsters which turned to red when a player approached, which represented an enemy, so he couldn’t relax his guard.
“For now, I should change to my original equipment. Rionne, here.”
Shin changed his equipment with a shortcut function. It was the Dark King series which he wore during the duel against Girard.
Black coat and trousers, red arm guards and leg guards, and a muffler with a red line like lightning bolt; Shin wore so much protective gear that not a scratch could be dealt if hit by a half-assed attack.
Apart from that, Shin materialized a pair of gauntlets and handed it over to Rionne.
“This is?”
“It’s called ‘Gauntlets of Moribito’, it raises the resistance to magic and abnormality statuses for the equipped person. Its best effect is when the equipped person is about to receive a fatal blow, it’ll become a sacrifice, but only once. I don’t know what will happen in the future, so please equip it just in case.”
“Is this alright? It seems quite a valuable thing to me.”
Rionne, while listening to Shin, turned her attention to the gauntlets.
As for its appearance, the material used was orichalcum, although it was mostly silver in color and close to iron gauntlets. The red pattern on its surface was drawn with paint of mithril and scarletite ingot, which was dissolved by a special method. Self-repair was also possible if not destroyed completely.
Even though the gauntlets were 《Legend》 grade, it had been reinforced by Shin, so its strength was close to 《Mythology》 grade. High defensive power combined with a sacrifice effect was demonstrated when the gauntlets were used as a shield during a critical moment.
“It’s alright because I have these arm guards. Though, even my clothes are far sturdier than armor, I tend to be a puzzle a lot this time. I said it a while ago, ‘save for a rainy day, save for a time of need’.”
Shin raised his crimson red arm guard equipment with both arms himself, and spoke to Rionne.
That so-called Dark King’s Arm Guards have the effect of preventing the skill with an effect such as trap and theft. Also, there is even the effect of reflecting back a portion of the damage; Gauntlets of Moribito’s performance was not on a par with the arm guards.
“…Understood. I’ll use it gratefully.”
When Rionne put on the gauntlets, it shone slightly and its size changed to fit her hands.
“I was worried about the size, but this is really cool!”
“This is my treasured item, so return it later.”
“Got it. However, I feel like I’m being protected by you somehow, Shin.”
“You’re joking―― and as we continue talking, there is movement within the sphere.”
“Are those cracks?”
Urged by Shin, Rionne also turned her eyes to the sphere.
The cracks on the surface of the sphere were spreading gradually, reminding the scene of an egg hatching.
“Indeed, I have a feeling that something will be born after this, Shin.”
“It looks like it. Besides, the wall that shone until a while ago is restored now. Maybe its duty has been finished.”
Shin looked up at the wall.
Was it a place for the mana to pour into the sphere? The possible cause that he could think of was that the wall or the entire city was becoming some kind of device.
Shin didn’t know of any existences that could do so such a feat. If this was in the game, it would be management and the GM, but if they still existed now, “Return me to the original world quickly,” was what he would likely say.
What was the meaning of this phenomenon in this case? When he thought about it, Shin suddenly felt the sense of being dragged into the center of the Sacred Place similarly to a while ago. Shin thought that this might be related.
“――Shin, it came out!”
“It came, huh?…”
There was movement in the sphere before his thoughts were being settled.
When Shin returned his view towards the sphere, the cracks that were spreading little by little already had its whole surface covered. Light began to emit from several places, and flickering ominous light informed them that some kind of existence was moving inside.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 04 - Blue Ancient of Sacred Place/The-New-Gate-Volume-04-Blue-Ancient-of-Sacred-Place-[Shin][Armaell]/ch4.txt
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Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Part 1
Shin and Rionne shifted their gazes toward the sphere. About a minute later, the globe finally reached its limit.
“KyuAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
A huge cry was raised together with the sound of something similar to glass cracking, and something broke out of the sphere.
“What is that?”
Rionne appeared to have never seen the emerging monster.
“…Looks like a Gryphon.”
“Gryphon?”
“It’s a monster that usually inhabits the forest or highlands.”
While Shin explained, he activated 【Analyze】.
――――『Guardian of rbh%t& Lv$%&』
“It has garbled letters, huh?… A Guardian?”
Barely readable portions of the name were displayed, and Shin looked puzzled while tilting his head.
There was a monster with a ‘Guardian’ prefix attached to their name. However, it was a huge golem with full body armor that would appear in the city and become the base of the players. On top of that, it didn’t come out unless there was a special event.
The current Gryphon before them had crystal wings. Because the wings were made of transparent blue ice and had an angular-shape, it had a solid feeling that living things didn’t have.
“Is that ice?”
Shin judged that those wings were composed of ice crystals, as he saw the cold wave of air released by the wing of the Gryphon, who was generating white mist around it.
When observed carefully, ice also covered its talons up to its foreleg and the horn that had grown from its forehead. Though they were the same base color as its wings, there was also green blended into several places.
A portion of the ground near the Gryphon was already frozen. Was it due to the influence of the ice on its forelegs?
“………”
“Shin, is there something wrong?”
“…No, it certainly resembles a monster I know, but it’s slightly different.”
The monster was similar to ‘Glass-Blue Gryphon’. It was a monster that appeared in ice and snow zones.
However, a Glass-Blue Gryphon had its whole body made of crystal-like glass, which was different than the Gryphon that had just appeared. To begin with, Shin didn’t know of any kind of Gryphon that exceeded 5 mels in body height.
“It’s looking this way!”
The Gryphon, which raised a roar, turned its gaze to the direction where Shin and Rionne were.
Since their eyes met perfectly, it’s not possible to say it was just their imagination.
“Kyuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!”
“Mu! Is it up to something?”
“It’s bad to stay here, so I’ll break the wall!”
At the same time as the shout, Shin broke through the wall in the room and jumped outside.
Rionne followed soon after, and the breath of ice which the Gryphon released hit the building directly. The building was frozen in an instant.
The Gryphon seemed to have seen that Shin and Rionne escaped, as it turned its neck while breathing out ice in order to put them in the line of fire.
“That’s dangerous! We’re gonna jump!”
“Kyaa, what!?”
Shin carried Rionne and kicked through the air against the looming breath of ice.
He dodged the breath mid-air by a movement system martial arts skill 【Flying Shadow】, and jumped into the shadow of another building.
“It’s a ‘mowing down’ breath, huh? I’m sure there’s no such attack used by gryphons…”
“I-Is that so? Rather, Shin, I want you to lower me down now.”
Rionne said, while stuttering in Shin’s arm.
The current body pose of Rionne was commonly referred to as ‘holding the princess in one’s arms’ state.
“Ah sorry. It was emergency, so it was either this or I carry you under my arm.”
When Shin pulled Rionne’s arm and evaded the breath, he was able to hold her under his arm, but as expected that may be inappropriate for a princess, so he changed it.
“You really…so what would you do? We cannot go near it since it attacked as soon as we showed up.”
“That kind of attack is a breathing spell or magic power charge; there will be a cooldown-time when the attack is used somewhere, so we have no choice but to attack at once. I will take charge of the front, so aim for its back while hiding in the building, Rionne.”
Though it was a surprise attack, Shin knew the capture method of a Gryphon himself.
Even if he was directly hit with the breath, he shouldn’t be killed on the spot.
“Will you be alright?”
“Leave it to me. I don’t want to be hit, but I’ve a way even if I’m hit.”
The worrying Rionne nodded, and Shin stood up.
After seeing Rionne off, who was moving away from him, he jumped outside the building.
“KyuAAAA!!”
The Gryphon promptly shot its breath.
As if it knew Shin was there, its aim was accurate.
Shin bent over and evaded the breath coming straight at him, then started to run.
Though the Gryphon made a mowing down motion with its breath like it was natural, a similar attack wouldn’t become a threat to Shin.
Using both movement system martial arts skills 【Flying Shadow】 and 【Shukuchi】, Shin sometimes jumped over and dove under as he closed in upon the Gryphon without slowing down.
“Hey, hey I’m here. Where are you aiming at!?”
While exercising one of the taunt skills, 【Clown Noise】, Shin stirred up the Gryphon aloud.
Did the Gryphon determine that its breath wouldn’t hit as it saw Shin’s movements? The Gryphon aimed at Shin with its left foreleg. Shin then intercepted the talons made of ice with his『Kakura』. Taking advantage of his strength, from the lower position he hammered onto the lowered foreleg to reach a conclusion.
“Kyui!!”
“Whoa!!”
The Gryphon and Shin rallied each other, and were both surprised at the weight of the opponent’s blow.
When『Kakura』was pressured by the talons of ice, Shin jumped back at once.
“This is not the physical strength of a Gryphon…”
The Gryphon in the game era was not such a strong monster to that degree.
Though it also depended on the kind, level 600 was the highest; it was an opponent with insufficient power to be considered a formidable enemy.
Yet, the current opponent didn’t appear so.
Shin’s STR was more than 500, although it was being controlled by 【Limit】. If he added the weapon compensation of 『Kakura』, his STR would be close to 600.
With that being easily overwhelmed, Shin concluded that the Gryphon’s STR was more than 700.
“Did I underestimate it? Its power is also strong. I can’t talk to Rionne either, huh?”
Shin lowered the 【Limit】 to II, as he muttered and scolded himself for being deceived by the Gryphon’s appearance.1
Though it was not a complete release, his stats still exceeded 999 in the time of the game. Unless it was a powerful boss monster, nothing could overcome the current Shin’s attacks. As for why he didn’t release the limit completely, it was because he couldn’t estimate the power when attacking.
Unlike Schnee, right after Rionne was involved, neither evasion nor defense were possible. Similarly to the battle of the Lord Skull Face, this wasn’t a situation where he could attack without thinking about the damage to the surroundings.
“If I can’t defeat it with this, it is no joke.”
Shin, in the same way as a while ago, started to attack the Gryphon.
The Gryphon, in response to that, raised its ice talons and was about to swoop down on Shin.
“*Hyaah!*”
“KyuAA!?”
Their yell sparked.
『Kakura』 and the ice talons struck each other directly――this time, the winner was 『Kakura』.
It couldn’t endure Shin’s overwhelming physical strength; the ice that covered the Gryphon’s left foreleg burst and scattered. Still, did the ice become a cushion? The Gryphon’s leg itself was safe. However, the Gryphon couldn’t escape the impact, as it had its leg lifted and stumbled back a step or two.
“Tch!”
Nevertheless, the moment the ice covered leg was smashed, Shin was surprised to see that the scattered ice that flew transformed into spears, and Shin missed the opportunity to continue the attack.
“The ice covering its legs is not an ordinary ice――tto!”
Shin, who witnessed the unexpected ability, dodged the extra ice spears that flew toward him.
The origin of the current ice spears were the Gryphon’s wings. From the large wings, which were unfolded, various small and large ice spears colored blue and green were scattered around to block Shin’s escape route.
Gryphon’s movement became sluggish, as there seemed to be damage to some extent.
“KyI!”
When the Gryphon made a cry sound, ice covered its left foreleg again.
The awkward movement of its left foot was restored accordingly. Apparently, its fighting power didn’t seem to fall at the place where he smashed it.
“Next is a barrage of breaths, huh?”
While crushing the ice spears with 『Kakura』, Shin attracted the Gryphon’s attention again.
On the edge of his view, he confirmed the figure of Rionne creeping up the back of the Gryphon. As Shin changed his standing position, he examined the attack range of the Gryphon.
The range of the Gryphon’s neck movements limited the breath attack’s direction. Also, it could only shoot the ice spears forward, and when Shin went around to its side, he wasn’t attacked. Though ice talons were equipped on both front and back legs, Rionne should have seen the situation where Shin destroyed the talons.
She should be able to take the Gryphon by surprise now.
“I should have its attention just in case.”
Shin exercised a taunt skill【Shura Rush】 when he confirmed that Rionne was ready with her 『Muspelm』 behind the Gryphon.
Even though there weren’t any other monsters around, he didn’t know when they would appear. Therefore, using a taunt skill to attract the attention of a wide-ranging enemy would overwrite the 【Clown Noise】, which collected only a single opponent’s hate; he decided to thwart the possibility of Rionne receiving a surprise attack reversely.
“KyuA!”
“That’s right, look here!”
While adding sporadic attacks, Shin fixed the position of the Gryphon.
Then, the moment the Gryphon spread its wings in order to release ice spears, Rionne started her move.
“――Hyaah!”
『Muspelm』, which gave off a vivid orange effect, hit directly on the joint of the right wing.
However, the wing seemed to have more strength than it appeared, for even with one or two katanas used to cut it, the wing was hardly damaged.
“HyaAAAAA!!”
A yell that contained a noticeable fighting spirit accompanied by a striking blow, she somehow succeeded in giving the Gryphon’s wing a small wound.
However, it didn’t restrict the Gryphon’s movement. Rionne continued as it was, attacking the back of the raging Gryphon. Arcs were drawn continuously, as the orange-colored effect covered『Muspelm』.
The rate of Rionne swinging 『Muspelm』 was faster than usual, and the power also increased proportionally to the speed.
Its fur also seemed to have high defensive power, as the Gryphon received almost no damage. However, if its back was attacked, which was the blind spot taken by Rionne, who was a melee-type Chosen One, even the Gryphon couldn’t move properly. Though it tried to shake her off, it wasn’t very successful.
The reason why Rionne could one-sidedly attack the Gryphon was because, besides it being caught off guard, she invoked fencing technique system martial arts skill 【Tyrant Beat】.
While she couldn’t use magic skills during the invocation, she raised her offensive ability and attack speed up to 1.4 times as compensation; it was a skill that dealt a stun effect for a very short time to the opponent every time the attack hit.
Even if the effect period was very short, when the condition was met, one-sidedly crushing down the opponent was possible. It was often used in the game era by players whose occupation emphasised physical attacks.
“Ugh, my skill ended! Sorry, but I’ll leave it to you now!”
“Got it!”
The Gryphon’s behind and the back of its neck, which were hacked at recklessly, were leaking little-amounts of blue mist from its wounds.
When looked at closely, it was like a blue spray that spewed out from the wounds. It didn’t appear to be a liquid, as it faded and disappeared in the air when it rose 30 cemels like steam.
“Is something leaking!? No, does the body fluid evaporate?”
Shin, who looked at the Gryphon’s state made inferences on the phenomenon he had never seen.
“GRUUUUU!!”
With Rionne separated away, the Gryphon flapped its wings in a big way and turned toward Shin.
Its four legs had firmly stepped on the ground. Its HP was almost recovered when he looked at the Gryphon with 【Analyze】.
Because the level displayed was garbled, it was difficult to determine what level the monster was, but he expected level 800 or more from the amount of damage received. Though animal-type monsters typically didn’t have high defensive power, it seemed that this didn’t apply to the Gryphon in front of him.
“This guy is a nuisance.”
While provoking it so Rionne wasn’t targeted, Shin resumed his attacks on the Gryphon.
He aimed at the parts which weren’t covered in ice. As Shin passed through the ice spears unleashed from the Gryphon, he swung 『Kakura』 vigorously at its body. What was returned was a heavy feeling like beating a large mass of rubber.
“KyII!!?”
The Gryphon’s body recoiled sideways, and the place where 『Kakura』stroked was hollowed out greatly.
While the Gryphon was hit by 『Kakura』, which unleashed its slashing attack power as if to cut up the enemy, it wasn’t the end for the Gryphon.
“GRUUU…”
Even if a normal living thing who had received that blow would have their internal organs destroyed, the Gryphon only raised a menacing growl.
Rather than the sound come from receiving damage, it was a cry that one could feel an annoying vexation from.
“Shin! Are you okay?!”
Rionne shouted from the rear of the Gryphon.
“No problem here! Don’t come to the front because of the heavy barrage!”
Shin shouted back.
The strength of the ice spears released by its wings was higher than what a half-baked weapon could produce. Even though the intensity had declined over time, the ice spears still pierced through the orichalcum paved road like the tentacles of Gilslay. In some cases, there was also a possibility that they could not be defended against with 『Muspelm』.
“If the main body is made of ice, then how about this?”
Shin, who was dodging the Gryphon’s attack, took out a card and tossed it to the sky while shouting,
“Release 【Flare Burst】!”
The card was torn and a bluish-white sphere was summoned in response to Shin’s shout.
What he threw to the sky was a shot from the front, because the possibility of it being dodged was high.
“KyUAA!?”
Did it feel the magic power in the sphere? The Gryphon raised a voice of caution. Ice spears which came flying toward the sphere were repelled, and the sign of breath forming could be seen in its mouth.
In the short time after it was launched, heat rays were fired from the sphere. Although Shin could also attack the Gryphon himself at the same time as he tossed the sphere, the effect of the magic may have weakened when Shin approached.
Therefore, Shin materialized 4 one-handed knives made of orichalcum, gripped them between his fingers and threw them.
If it was a synchronized attack from the top and the front, lowering the possibility of either being evaded.
“Shin?”
Rionne was watching Shin’s movements, but expressed her doubt.
It was mostly because the knives Shin threw were greatly off the mark.
“KyUIII!!”
The Gryphon probably also thought he missed the mark. It repelled only two of them which came flying by its wings, and a breath was fired toward the approaching heat ray from the sky.
The snow-white breath collided with the bluish-white heat rays, offsetting each other. The power of the attacks were almost equal, neither one of them overwhelmed the other one-sidedly.
However, that state was only for an instant. The knives which were thrown in the wrong direction changed trajectory and pierced the stomach and the wing of the Gryphon.
“GyUA!”
The power of its breath diminished along with the scream.
Then, the heat ray overcame the breath and hit the Gryphon directly.
“GIIIIIIIIIIII!?”
The Gryphon’s squeal reverberated through the sky of Kalkia.
Its left wing which it had promptly used as a shield was almost evaporated, and the left side of the Gryphon’s face was also burned hideously.
From the wing, which was mostly missing, and from the burnt skin, blue steam spouted out.
“What on earth was that just now…”
Rionne, who saw the knives whose trajectory changed at almost a right angle to pierce the Gryphon, muttered in a dumbfound state.
What Shin had done was called a throwing technique and wind combination skill 【Trick Throw】; it was a skill that made the trajectory of the thrown weapon go toward the target.
In this world where skills were extremely scarce, it may have been unusual for her.
“In that timing, there’s no way I could miss!”
In that single chance, Shin attacked the Gryphon which received damage and lost its balance.
As the breath was not usable as a result of half of its face being burnt, a barrage of ice spears came from its single wing; it was the ideal situation to come close.
“This time it won’t go like a while ago!”
Shin put up『Kakura』 against a blow by the right forefoot of the Gryphon.
The Gryphon’s ice talons burst open together with a roaring sound. The flying ice spears which changed into ice debris were easy to deal with if one knew how to handle them.
As the attack of the forefoot was flicked away, if he turned around to the right side of the collapsed Gryphon’s face, the ice spears didn’t show any effect.
There, Shin brandished his 『Kakura』.
“【Enchant Fire】”
Along with Shin’s mutter, 『Kakura』 was enveloped in flames.
Leaving a red trace in the air, 『Kakura』 struck on the Gryphon’s body directly.
With a thunderous sound that resembled an explosion, the Gryphon slid sideways for about 5 mels. The Gryphon’s talons scraped off the orichalcum pavement, and claw marks were carved on the ground. Though the talons seemed to break easily due to Shin’s attack, the strength of the ice talons were higher than a thin layer of orichalcum.
On the body where Shin hit, some kind of burnt traces remained. Blue steam also grandly leaked from there, as the wound had not burnt completely.
“Its HP condition decreased decently. That steam, is it different from bleeding and magic leakage?”
Shin thought while seeing the HP gauge of the Gryphon.
In case of the bleeding state, it should be the same as a poison; the HP should decrease intermittently. However, the Gryphon had not received any more damage than what Shin had dealt.
“Isn’t it an abnormal state?”
Some of the monsters at boss class often had special attack methods.
In case of the golem group it was hand throwing, in the spector group it was summoning followers, the ability that reflected each of their characteristics were typical. Of course, there were exceptions among them, too.
What he could imagine from the steam gushing out from the wound was an ability of the type that takes time, and changes the environment to one where the boss could fight more easily. This was like a Black Spirit; many of the monsters which mainly composed of magic attacks had it.2 3
“*Shoom*!”
The state of Shin and the Gryphon glaring at each other was probably to determine for a good opportunity.
From the blind spot of the Gryphon, Rionne again prepared with 『Muspelm』 and jumped out.
“KyUI?”
The attention of the Gryphon seemed to completely point toward Shin, it wasn’t able to cope with the surprise attack.
Rionne jumped onto the back of the Gryphon again, and exercised 【Tyrant Beat】. Leaving a trail of orange color, 『Muspelm』 was slammed against the Gryphon.
“GyII!”
The Gryphon which couldn’t bear it, screamed at Rionne who attacked mainly on the left half of its body which was badly burned.
Shin drew the attention of the Gryphon from the front without interfering with Rionne.
“Rionne! I don’t know whether there’s any effect from the steam coming out from the wound! Don’t let it touch you!”
“Got it!”
Rionne utilized the length of 『Muspelm』’s blade, wielding the sword skillfully so as to not touch the steam.
However, as time passed by, Rionne’s movement became too dull to keep up. If one looked closely, the blue steam was clinging to Rionne’s body before she was aware of it.
There was an indication of speed drop when he checked Rionne’s status.
“It’s a debuff system, huh?”
Shin, who had a bad hunch, immediately released cancellation of the weakening magic.
“【Cure All】!”
Though 【Cure】 was sufficient if it’s a single abnormal state, Shin chose the most effective skill he had just in case.
The ability of the enemy whose effect he couldn’t identify, he knew it from experience that it was good to be extra wary. The moment when Rionne had her movement back, she jumped off from the back of the Gryphon. Then the Gryphon waved its wing toward Rionne who was mid-air.
Rionne prevented a direct hit by using 『Muspelm』 as a shield. However, it was impossible for her to completely block the power in the air, and she was sent flying.
Rionne forcibly fixed her posture while mid-air and as she landed the ground was whittled down. Sparks scattered on the paved road and on 『Muspelm』.
“Such power from only being hit by a wing, huh?…”
A muffled voice leaked from Rionne’s mouth.
Even though 『Muspelm』 became a shield, she was sent flying for about 10 mels by the Gryphon. Even if there was almost no damage, the burden on her body was immeasurable.
“I’ll get its attention! Go into a building for a moment!”
Shin shouted and invoked flame system magic skill 【Smoke Bomb】.
A black globe appeared in the air and rushed toward the Gryphon.
“KyUA!”
Though the Gryphon only had a single wing, it still intercepted the black globe well.
When the widely scattered ice spears touched the globe, the black smoke was dispersed grandly with a “Puff” sound.
“GRURURU…”
Did it get cautious over the black smoke covering its surroundings? The Gryphon raised its voice and growled. Without a slight break, a strong wind swept along with a wind noise.
From Shin’s point of view, it seemed that the Gryphon had spread its wing and caused the wind. However, the black smoke generated by the smoke bomb was not affected by the wind. So no matter how much the Gryphon flapped its wing, the black smoke didn’t clear up.
“KyUIII!”
The Gryphon cried as it got irritated.
The black smoke of 【Smoke Bomb】 could obstruct both the sense of smell and sight. So it seemed both were effective. It obviously lost sight of Shin and Rionne as the ice spears were shot in the wrong directions.
Shin fended off the flying ice spears occasionally, and joined with Rionne in the shade of a building. After making sure the wall wouldn’t easily be broken thanks to its thickness, he checked on Rionne’s condition.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, my hands are a bit numb, but I’m all right. But I’m sorry, my attacks don’t seem to deal effective damage to that guy.”
During neither the first nor the second time, Rionne’s attacks couldn’t deal proper damage to the Gryphon.
Power was achieved with skill, so the Gryphon probably had greater defensive power than the combination of Rionne’s STR and 『Muspelm』’s attack power.
“Since I came here, I haven’t been anything other than a burden.”
Rionne put power in her hands gripping the hilt of 『Muspelm』, which touched the ground and made a clattering sound.
Shin then revealed one of his cards to Rionne whose face distorted in frustration.
“It’s also possible to increase the physical ability by 【Enchant】, but what will you do?”
“…Please do. When I’m aimed at by that guy, I’d like to make sure that it won’t interfere with you, Shin.”
Rionne hesitated slightly, but relaxed her shoulders and lowered her head.
“I’ll raise your physical strength and robustness. Please be careful as sensation related to muscle strength can change significantly. Here I go, 【Enchant • Double Strike】 !”
After adding a cautionary note concerning the rise in ability, Shin activated 【Enchant】.
A silver light shone over Rionne’s head, and faded out after it covered her body for a moment. This was the effect when an ability is more than doubled.
“…I feel light”
In the state resulting from【Enchant】, Rionne lifted 『Muspelm』 and said so.
The enormous metal 『Muspelm』 felt like a twig.
“I think you should have realized it, but you cannot treat a weapon the usual way when in a strengthened state. The swing speed is too fast and causes a gap in self-image and senses. Therefore, when trying to strike down a long-distance attack of an enemy, swinging to the sky happens quite often.”
【Enchant】 was very excellent in battle. However, it was a type of skill that only applied to the player, and not the weapon, such that there was an adverse effect.
In the game era, there were two things which caused numerous accidents.
First was as Shin said; because of a shift in timing, neither attack nor defense could be performed satisfactorily. Second, one couldn’t stop at the place they thought when their AGI raised, and self-destruct by crashing into a monster.
Also in the game era, if 【Enchant】 was applied in an unfamiliar state, it was said that it was better not to apply anything when it came to fighting power.
The reason why Shin hadn’t suggested this when they came to Kalkia, was because such risks were taken into account.
Though the rate of increase of the stats depended on the value of the conjurer’s INT, it was Shin who applied 【Enchant】 to Rionne. The effect wasn’t ordinary.
Nevertheless, Shin has yet to acquire the ability which let him adjust 【Enchant】’s rate of increase, Naturally he didn’t have the time to train and master it in Kalkia.
“Now you can dodge the ice spears as much as possible, probably using 『Muspelm』 as a shield. Don’t try to strike it down unskillfully.”
Shin didn’t forget to remind her a couple more times, so she wouldn’t do anything incompetent.
If she focused only on defense, there would be fewer odd mistakes, too.
“Indeed, this is great. It’s like holding 『Muspelm』 like a wooden sword. I may get intoxicated with this feeling of omnipotence.”
While swinging 『Muspelm』 up and down, Rionne said with an eager expression.
Even Shin understood that she would charge recklessly if he didn’t give her a warning.
Part 2
“KyUAAAAAA!”
At the same time as Rionne muttered, the Gryphon’s cry echoed.
Shin was ‘waiting and watching’ in the shadow of a building when the Gryphon released its breath in every direction, trying to cover its surroundings with ice.
“Oi oi, it’s recovering.”
Other than the buildings covered with ice, Shin also saw the left half of the Gryphon’s body.
The left half of its body, which was previously burnt by the 【Flare Burst】that Shin had thrown, was already considerably recovered. Though it was not fully healed yet, its wing had almost restored to about 70% of its former shape.
The HP that Shin had greatly reduced was mostly restored, too. The current Gryphon’s HP was about 90% of complete recovery.
“It’s too fast, even for self-recovery!”
Hearing Rionne’s words, Shin looked closely at the wing.
“That’s regeneration rather than recovery. The melted wing is sucking in the blue steam and is restoring to how it was previously!”
The steam, without leaking out of the Gryphon’s wounds, had gathered on the tip of the wing that hadn’t finish regenerating.
Was it regenerating by gathering the steam? Though it wasn’t conclusive whether it hastened the regeneration speed, it was certain that the Gryphon would restore completely over time.
“It seems that the steam will disappear soon. Rather than dealing a large amount of damage all at once, it seems better to shave it down little by little.”
Shin had no conclusive evidence, but as far as he could tell, the steam that didn’t vanish was used for the regeneration of its wing and had gushed out in large amounts from its gaping wound.
Since the wound on the front leg and the body had already recovered, there was no way to tell how those places had regenerated.
“I’ll go to the front. Rionne, you observe the Gryphon’s state; if there’s any change, tell me. Because there’s a possibility that it’s still hiding something, don’t let your guard down. Just be careful.”
“Yeah, there still may be something like the abnormal state from a little while ago. But, Shin, will you be alright alone?”
“You can count on me. It’s not my first time fighting like this.”
They confirmed their course of action and Shin jumped out from the building first.
The effect of the black smoke still remained, as the Gryphon didn’t turn towards Shin.
“Going near it seems bad. I’ll do it from a long distance.”
Shin went around to face its right side where the damage was still being restored, and shot the wind system magic skill 【Air Cutter】.
A blade of wind flew and cut through the black smoke, and slashed the body of the Gryphon. It wasn’t a deep wound. He had deliberately dropped the power, and intended to make a lot of cuts on the surface of its body.
As for the length of the wound, it was about 20 cemels long. The steam, which spouted out, vanished when it rose by approximately 30 cemels. This state wasn’t really different from the one he saw in the early stages of battle.
“The damage dealt is small. Though the wound itself appears to have steam coming out, its state doesn’t seem to have additional decreases to its HP. I need to pay attention to the changes in its body movements and its attacks, huh?”
Shin thought about the countermeasure while observing the state of the Gryphon.
For caution’s sake, he didn’t forget to prepare the cure, so that it was usable anytime.
“Next, I’ll go head on.”
The Gryphon spread its wings and released the ice spears.
Even though the wing had not fully recovered, it was not inferior even when compared with the time it was in a perfect state. Among the widely scattered ice spears, Shin accurately struck down only on those whose trajectory pointed toward himself while advancing.
“KyUAAAAAA!”
Then, a breath of ice approached.
However, as the ice breath had a small range and slower speed than the ice spears, it couldn’t catch up to Shin’s speed. The ice spears that were shot in order to not interfere with the ice breath, were no longer functioned as the primary artillery barrage, and for Shin, it wasn’t difficult to break through the barrage of ice which had become weak.
“Yo, how’s the condition of your body?”
The Gryphon, which concluded that there was no effect from the breath, answered Shin’s remark with a blow of ice talons.
If one looked closely, the ice talons which extended from the Gryphon’s foreleg became one size bigger than before.
“It is reinforced each time it regenerate, huh?”
The ice talons which crashed onto 『Kakura』, shattered like the last time.
However Shin felt that even the size of the shattered ice seemed to have increased. It was likely that its strength went up, too. Though it was natural, the ice spears which transformed from the shattered pieces were just as big as the huge pieces.
By going around to the back, Shin made the Gryphon’s huge figure a shield, causing the ice spears to fly over him.
“Kyiiiiiiiiii!!”
However, the Gryphon also kicked the ground with its hind legs and tried to maintain the line of fire by hovering with its wings.
“That’s a poor move.”
Though the Gryphon displayed a nimbleness which didn’t match its gigantic figure, it was in the line of fire of its own ice spears. Guaranteed to hit the Gryphon, it received a huge damage.
In addition, when considering their physical differences, it was like showing its belly to Shin as the Gryphon flew and floated in the air. It could be said to be a heaven-sent opportunity to drive in a single blow, although there was no guarantee that the belly was soft like an ordinary creature’s.
“Hoo――”
Without overlooking the little opening, Shin, who wielded 『Kakura』, jumped at the bosom without holding back.
From 『Kakura』 that cut up the air, a purple flame burst out.
“――raAAA!!!”
The feathers of the Gryphon were blown away and scattered at the flank of the swung down 『Kakura』, and sank into the skin and inside the meat.
Just like that, the Gryphon’s belly caved in and it slammed against the ground with its whole body.
“GIE!!?”
With a giant body more than 5 mels long falling to the ground, an earthquake traveled through the ground.
The sound of buildings, which were about to crumble, collapsed, and arrived at Shin’s ears along with the Gryphon’s groan.
“Was that about 10% just now?”
Shin confirmed the Gryphon’s remaining HP while landing.
Although his stats were restrained and although his weapon was not 《Ancient》 grade, a single blow directly from Shin had only dealt damage equal to about 10% of its total health. It was an exceptional defensive power for a monster he came across in this world.
The Gryphon didn’t continue to expose the gap while lying on the ground. A gaze of precaution was directed at Shin as it immediately kicked the ground and stood up.
“G-GIIII…”
However, there was no power in that gaze. It was because the purple flames were still spreading in the part where Shin struck the single blow.
At this moment, the Gryphon’s HP gauge was decreasing little by little. What Shin used was the mallet technique and flame technique combination skill 【Wicked Flame Fall】; it generated a flame which dealt additional damage for a certain period of time when an attack hit.
Was it because the Gryphon was clad in ice that it was weak to the fire? The Gryphon made a groan like sound. It was going to let the flame induced wound freeze, but the power of the flame was strong and continued to burn its body.
“That one blow is effective, huh?”
It didn’t seem to be able to recover the internal damage, as there was no steam gushing out that it could suck into its belly. It didn’t recover the HP which continued to decrease.
As for Shin, who judged that dealing damage by blows was more appealing, he once again thrust from the front.
Though the Gryphon came to intercept him immediately, the accuracy of its attack had declined, probably because of the flames burning in its stomach.
Shin slipped through the weakly aimed barrage, eluded the talons, and hammered 『Kakura』 on the places where it wasn’t covered in ice, such as the Gryphon’s body or its neck, etc. Along with its decreased HP, the movements of the Gryphon became duller.
Then, that moment came around. The accumulated damage had reached its feet. The Gryphon had raised its ice talons toward Shin, but its hind leg that was on the ground suddenly lost power.
The Gryphon which swung up its foreleg, couldn’t recover from its collapsing posture. Shin didn’t miss that fatal opening.
“Sorry but I can’t afford to miss here.”
The one who got attacked was the Gryphon. The one who tried to hunt was being hunted, it was the way of the world.
Shin kicked the ground and jumped up, a bluish-white sphere appearing on his right palm. This was the flame technique system magic skill which had burnt half of the Gryphon’s body;【Flare Burst】’s sphere, before the heat ray was discharged.
Shin then pushed the sphere onto the falling Gryphon’s head.
“Can you withstand this at zero distance?”
As soon as Shin finished speaking, a heat ray was discharged from the sphere.
Against the mighty amount of heat emitted from point blank, the Gryphon had no way to defend. The heat ray which charged straight, melted the Gryphon’s head as it went through the body in the line of fire, and melted the ground.
The body of the Gryphon, whose head had vanished, fell down to the ground as it lost power. The HP which was displayed was 0 without a doubt.
From its body where the heat ray penetrated its head, and other wounds as well, a mix of blue and green liquid flowed out.
“Is it over?”
As Shin landed on the ground, he was wary of the surroundings next to the Gryphon’s corpse.
He felt only Rionne’s presence.
“Shin! You did it!”
Rionne, who had been hiding, came running up. She called out to Shin, after confirming the Gryphon had ceased to breathe.
“It’s possible to go outside now with this, huh?”
“Worst case, even if we can’t go out from the side entrance, we can use the means to open the gate.”
“Will that be alright? It’s possible for the outside monsters to come in.”
“The side entrance here is somehow connected to the room with the gate opening and shutting device. Besides, it has a width to the extent where a carriage can pass through when the gate is open, and it also closes after several minutes. Even if there are monsters outside, if it’s you and I, it’s possible to escape as soon as we defeat them.”
After verifying the detailed operation and time taken, etc, when it seemed to be no problem, Shin also agreed with Rionne’s opinion.
However, at that time when the two people began to walk, a change happened.
-
“What?”
It was Shin who noticed it first. When he turned around, on the periphery of the body, fluid was flowing out of the Gryphon, blue steam was generated.
“The monster’s body fluid?”
“I think it’s the steam coming out from the wounds simultaneously with the body fluids…although I have a bad feeling.”
Almost at the same time when Shin said that, the steam converged mid-air and a familiar silhouette was formed.
In just a few seconds, there was a figure of Gryphon which was exactly the same as several minutes before in front of Shin and Rionne.
“KyuAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
A roar together accompanied by ice spears assaulted the two people.
Shin and Rionne resisted it, and escaped to shelter for a moment.
“…Now then, what will you do? It has resurrected!”
“Yeah. What I think is, it has a separate main body, and the rest was created by magic.”
“Hmm, what do you mean?”
“There is another main body, it means that the Gryphon is a puppet or something, and another monster or conjurer manipulates it. As the monster is created by magic, it’s the technique to engrave on something, but it feel like the revival and the reconstruction of the monster was done automatically. It’s good if the main body is defeated. Also, in case it was engraved with magic, it’s settled when the magic formation or the catalyst is destroyed. Given the circumstances that emerged, I think it’s the latter, but…”
As far as Shin knew, there were several skills to summon a monster.
However, in this case, it was different from the monster partner of tamer and monster summon of summoner. It was also not the doll summons of exorcist’s magic and puppeteering.
The monster was created by magic ―― it appeared to be the closest method he could think of. Normally it was often used as a trap in dungeons.
“Then, there is a method that became the key somewhere in this Sacred Place?”
“Maybe. Because it is usually close to the emerging monster, finding it should not be so difficult. It’s suspicious…it’s over there as I thought.”
While Shin slightly peeked out from under cover, he pointed toward the wall.
“The side entrance? Near the place where the opening and shutting device for the gate is, could there be something that would make such a monster appear, Shin?”
“That Gryphon, I think it prevents us from going outside Sacred Place. Because it holds a position in front of the gate, we cannot get close to the side entrance either. But it doesn’t mean there is no other choice, it’s the most suspicious at the moment.”
Given that the Gryphon had attacked regardless of the place, there shouldn’t be such a thing in a building where it would mistakenly bombard the surrounding area.
“I’ll become a decoy again. Rionne, you enter the side entrance in the meantime and use this item to inspect things. It reacts when there is a magic formation nearby. Here, this is for defensive use when you’re in a pinch.”
Shin said while materializing 2 items in his pocket, and handed them over to Rionne.
Both items were necklace-shaped items, so it would never get in the way of action.
“I have a feeling that these are superb items again…I’ll not ask about it now. I don’t worry because it’s you, Shin. Just don’t act too recklessly.”
Shin nodded at Rionne’s words, and jumped out ahead into the Gryphon’s line of sight.
“I’m here!”
He raised his voice on purpose to notify his presence.
The ice spears came flying instantaneously, but they were brushed off by 『Kakura』 as he approached the Gryphon.
After confirming that the Gryphon’s attention was directed at Shin, Rionne also started to run.
“It could stand a blow of Limit II. Unless I go further, it’s unlikely for me to beat it down.”
After seeing that Rionne went into the side entrance, Shin released his limit.
He couldn’t predict the impact on the surroundings due to having the biggest offensive power. However, in front of the Gryphon, he couldn’t do an instant kill, at least not with his former stats.
Then at this chance, he decided to use it as a subject for an experiment.
*Swish!*
Shin jumped off the ground and shortened the distance to the Gryphon.
To Shin, who was coming at a speed that couldn’t be compared to up until now, the Gryphon was not able to react.
Since he was faster than the ice spears that were shot, the『Kakura』 wielded by Shin reached the Gryphon’s neck. Previously, the strike was obstructed by the Gryphon’s feathers and skin, and even if 『Kakura』 only dealt the damage due to a blow, it was different this time.
The blade part of 『Kakura』 broke through the defensive power of the Gryphon and gouged out the meat while the blade creaked under the power exerted.
Right after Shin passed by next to the Gryphon, the neck of the Gryphon rolled onto the ground after a gap of several seconds.
It was so quick that less than a second had passed from the moment he closed the distance while wielding 『Kakura』 until the Gryphon’s neck was sliced. If there was an expression on the Gryphon, it would have said “I don’t understand what happened”.
However, the body which fell down and the neck which rolled onto the ground turned into blue and green steam before long, furthermore, it was revived in a perfect state in several seconds.
“Until Rionne finds something, shall we have test of who can hold out the longest?”
The distance between Shin and the Gryphon was almost 0.
He knew that it had restored. There was no way he didn’t anticipate such a presage.
Shin mercilessly beat the resurrected Gryphon with 『Kakura』. Once again, its neck dropped, its body was cut in two, and burnt down with magic.
The Gryphon was simply a target to the current Shin. Like a carp on top of a cutting board, it was merely plain food preparation.
“GhuI!!”
“Too bad”
The Gryphon’s struggle was futile, as its ice spears were dodged, smashed, and 『Kakura』 was swung down in return. The kill count exceeded 10, 20, and piled up to 30, but the Gryphon hadn’t weakened.
“What’s the deal with it?”
The result was the same either magic or physical.
Shin couldn’t think of anything but to confine it afterward.
“KYUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”
The Gryphon cried, it was conspicuously high.
Soon after that, the dragged sense Shin felt at the central part of the Sacred Place enveloped his whole body.
“What again!?”
Come to think of it, it was likely that this Gryphon was connected to the haze at the central part. It didn’t seem to be his imagination after all.
Shin unleashed a magic skill while going against the drawing force, but all too soon, he was drawn in by a white sphere which appeared on the joint part of the Gryphon’s neck. Though it was possible to shatter it with 『Kakura』, the force becomes irresistible when approached and disappears in the same way of approaching magic.4
The suction force gradually became stronger, and Shin’s shoes began to scrape the ground.
Shin made up his mind to attack the sphere, whether he had choice or not. For better or for worse, that happened.
“What the heck is this…”
A golden shine began to escape from Shin’s body.
That light reminded him of the last boss in the death game, Origin’s 【Golden Wave】.
“KYUUUII!!”
In response to the golden lights appearance, the Gryphon groaned. As if it was cautious of the light.
“The drawn feeling faded away, huh?”
Before he knew it, the sense that pulled him toward the center was gone.
While Shin carefully observed the Gryphon, he also devoted some of his attention to the light leaking from his own body. When he attempted to move it using same way he handled magic power, the light surprisingly obeyed Shin’s intention without a hitch.
The golden light gathered at 『Kakura』, and it turned into a golden blade.
“…Shall I try it?”
Shin muttered while he ran.
He was at point-blank range to begin with, so the distance with the Gryphon was closed in an instant, and the swung 『Kakura』 left a golden trace.
“KyuA!?”
The Gryphon also tried to avoid with its very best effort, but its left foreleg flew without it being able to evade.
“KYIIIIIII!!?”
“This is, it went well, huh?”
From the joint of the foot which Shin blew away, the blue steam didn’t come out.
As for the left foreleg which was blown off, it had disappeared as it dissolved in mid-air.
The Gryphon fired ice spears aiming at Shin, and tried to keep distance. It was not possible to read its facial expression, but that was indeed the flustered expression of the Gryphon.
If the advantage of overwhelming regenerative ability was lost, it was a natural reaction to have, because the difference between their combat strength was obvious.
“I don’t understand it well, but I’m grateful!”
Shin corrected his posture with 『Kakura』, and took aim at the Gryphon.
“KYUU…KYUA!”
In an instant when the Gryphon was aware of Shin who had the shining 『Kakura』, it donned an armor of ice on its whole body.
As for the lost left foreleg, it was compensated with an artificial limb made of ice. Its talons were enlarged further, each one seemed to be a sharp sword. Its body also became one size bigger by having ice enveloped to its whole body, and a feeling of coercion increased too. A thin blue aura emitted from the armor of ice.
“KYUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”
“Is that your full power? Bring it on!!”
Shin also screamed back at the roar filled with thirst for blood.
It was the Gryphon that took the first move. Its flying speed, formation speed, and ice spears which was shot by its wings became remarkably fast.
In the barrage of ice which tried to bury the surroundings, Shin answered by waving 『Kakura』.
With enhanced dynamic vision, Shin firmly perceived the ice spears coming toward him. His arm which wielded 『Kakura』, responded to Shin’s consciousness without any delay.
A golden blur intercepted the blue and green barrage. More than 10 of the ice spears were shattered by one swing of 『Kakura』.
A storm of raining ice spears and hail was not allowed to advance before the impregnable defence formed by the golden blur.
“KyUA!”
However, the ice spears were only for stalling. The enemy’s favorite was the breath which came later.
The breath unleashed from the Gryphon’s mouth went directly toward Shin. Its thickness was twice the previous; it became approximately 80 cemels thick. The breath sped straight through the air like a blue laser, and Shin caught it head-on.
『Kakura』which swung downward straight from the upper position, thrust into the center of the breath. The breath then split into 2 directions with the contact portion of『Kakura』 as the base point. And then the breath ran along Shin’s left and right, and the swallowed up nearby ice spears were frozen over. In the twinkling of an eye, anything that wasn’t behind Shin was covered in ice.
“I was preoccupied by the front that I’ve become negligent of other things.”
“GHUA!?”
That Gryphon screamed almost at the same time as Shin’s remark.
Several explosions were heard; the force of the breath weakened, and the number of ice spears decreased too. Emerging from the opening 『Kakura』 made by scattering the breath, the figure of the Gryphon with the back part of its ice armor split open.
Shin, who had activated flying magic skill while facing the breath, had attacked from the Gryphon’s overhead. The explosive sounds were the result of using a skill of the flame technique system. It seemed that the damage reached not only the armor but also the inside, as the breath ceased after a few second as well.
With less ice spears, there would no longer be any obstacle for Shin. Against Shin who closed the distance instantaneously, the Gryphon answered with talons of its foreleg.
The fact that it couldn’t even react some time ago was hard to believe, as its eyes managed to track Shin’s movements. Earlier at the beginning, its left talons were swung out a beat late.
The shining talons which basked under the sun, appeared to flaunt their sharpness.
*Swish!*
To match the right talons, Shin raised 『Kakura』.
The moment they struck each other, the repelled right foreleg of the Gryphon flew into the air. With the momentum of the raised『Kakura』just now, Shin rotated sideways on the spot. The raised 『Kakura』struck against the left ice foreleg which approached too late.
In front of the Gryphon, 『Kakura』 drew a golden arc. Its left ice foot, which couldn’t withstand the power of 『Kakura』, flew into the air like its right foreleg.
“I got y――huh!?”
Just as Shin went directly to take its neck, a strike entered from the upper left sky.
He immediately repelled it with 『Kakura』, and glanced at the things that attacked him.
“That a Gryphon’s tail huh? But I suppose it should be quieter…”
What was swaying from side to side in the air was the Gryphon’s tail which didn’t have a presence until now.
It was covered in ice and had its length extended, it had become like a whip.
With an armor worn on its whole body, the number of weapons seemed to have increased too.
“But it’s futile!”
If the secret was broken, coping was possible.
It was said that the tip of a common whip could surpass the speed of sound, but the Gryphon’s tail was even faster. However, it was not a speed that Shin couldn’t react to.
He was only surprised to see an attack from an unexpected direction upon receiving it. The trajectory of the tail flying on a wall, along with the huge figure of the Gryphon, had been supplemented by his 【Mind’s Eyes】.
Shin matched its timing, and flung 『Kakura』 against the flying ice tail. As the strength of the tail was low, it was easily cut.
“…It has quick recovery, huh?”
Shin expressed his discouraged grumble.
Because in front of Shin, the tail was restored in but a moment. It was probably because the part he sliced off was not a living body.
And then both of its forelegs were reconstructed with ice too.
“As expected, I have no choice but to slice its neck.”
As soon as Shin said so, he invoked a magic skill.
The golden light which covered 『Kakura』, fused with a crimson red light. At the same time, above the sky, a flame technique system magic skill【Red Tomahawk】 was fired onto the Gryphon’s rear. An arc was drawn in the sky, as Shin began to aim the flame bullets to rain at the Gryphon.
While attacking Shin with its tail, the Gryphon back stepped with an agility that belied its gigantic figure. It spread its wings and fired ice spears at the sky, while sending forth a breath.
“What a clever guy!”
The Gryphon which dealt with simultaneous attacks from the sky and the land, was praised by Shin. That was simply because it was the composure of the strong.
In reality, the Gryphon was not able to completely prevent his attack. The flame bullets plowed through while erasing the storm of ice spears. Though several blew up on the way, the remainder were rained down on the Gryphon.
“GHUII!?”
A scream leak from the Gryphon’s mouth. Its tail strike and breath were interrupted.
“This time I won’t miss!!”
The ground was crushed as Shin stepped on it.
『Kakura』 which went into motion, cast more light.
A mallet technique and flame technique combination skill 【Flame Net Charge】.
『Kakura』was struck against the base of the Gryphon’s neck.
The armor of ice evaporated after touching 『Kakura』, and the Gryphon’s body along its trajectory was burnt off.
Along the slashing mark, a red line was carved on the Gryphon’s body.
“See you”
After leaving a parting word, Shin distanced himself immediately.
In the next moment, intense light emitted from the red line carved on the Gryphon, and exploded.
【Flame Net Charge】 was originally used for blunt weapons such as hammers and so on to crush the opponent, it was a skill to blow up the opponent as well as the ground.
Since 『Kakura』was thin this time, it resulted in an explosion along the line.
“Was it done?”
Shin confirmed that the golden light was also mixed in the explosion.
When that was considered, the effect of the golden light should have been carried on with the effect of the skill. When the explosive flame cleared up, the figure of the Gryphon was nowhere to be seen.
The remains of the Gryphon which turned into pieces, were scattered everywhere.
When he looked at the state for a while, the remains collapsed and vanished like sand. There was nothing left behind. Even the light emitted from Shin’s body disappeared after the Gryphon exploded.
Part 3
“What the heck was that?…”
When Shin breathed out a sigh of fatigue, he heard a *Ga-thunk* sound from the gate.
When he turned his gaze toward the sound, a heavy gate was slowly opening.
“Shin! Are you alright!?”
From the direction of the voice, Rionne was running from the side entrance.
It seemed like she managed to open the gate safely.
“I’m okay, Rionne. I defeated the Gryphon somehow. What was that?”
“Ah, I heard an explosive sound, so I thought you had used a trump card. I was thinking about trying to escape as soon as the Gryphon was temporarily incapacitated.”
The monsters in the Sacred Place didn’t go outside. She seemed to have intended to utilize that rule.
Since the Gryphon was an unknown monster, it may have chased them later on, but she judged that it was possible to push it back with 2 people. There was also a possibility that the Gryphon couldn’t pass through the slightly opened gate with its gigantic body.
“Because it’s you, Shin, although I also felt that you could defeat it…It seem I was right.”
“More than anything, I seem to be able to live up to expectations. Now, let’s hurry up before the gate closes.”
Shin urged Rionne and moved to the outside of the gate.
Thereupon, Shin and Rionne went outside and walked on the road a little, and exactly as Rionne said, the gate closed automatically. When Shin shifted his eyes toward the sky, the magic barrier which enveloped the Sacred Place also deactivated.
What had happened? Shin didn’t understand it.
However, he made up his mind to remember this event well, and looked back at Rionne. He smiled with an expression as gentle as possible. Because she may be worried if he still had a serious face.
“It was a successful escape.”
“Yeah, for the time being, rather than being inside, it should be much safer.”
-
While being cautious of the surroundings, the two people were still not as tense as they were inside Kalkia.
“Let’s run from here on out. Both of us are upper class Chosen Ones. Rather than looking for a village to procure a horse, running by ourselves is better and we can arrive faster.”
“Yeah, I have no objection. Balmel is at the eastside of the Melt Mountains, so if we run while making the mountains into landmarks, we should be fine.”
Balmel was a fort city that was built in order to respond when the monsters overflowed from Kalkia. It faced both the sea and mountains, and seemed to be a convenient place to live if only there was no mass monster outbreak.
Since there was also the promise with Schnee, he decided to go toward Balmel as Rionne said. They ran at a speed that would leave horses behind.
After 15 minutes of running while ignoring the monsters which were seen occasionally, Shin perceived an abnormal number of monsters’ presences in his sensing range.
“…Hey Rionne, is Balmel further ahead?”
“Yes, is there something wrong?”
“There is a large amount of monsters ahead, is that alright?”
Rionne, who heard the information which Shin perceived, made a stiffened expression all of a sudden.
“Don’t tell me, the ‘Flood’ is happening!?”
“‘Flood’?”
“Around the Sacred Place, the demon essence accumulates, which overflows from the Sacred Place. Though it doesn’t have influence on the human body, when the demon essence gathers to a certain amount, all of it manifests into monsters and is unleashed into the surroundings. We call that the ‘Flood’.”
Shin, by chance, had previously read about the description of the phenomenon in the library of Bayreuth.
In the content written in the book, it was a story of emergence of the low-level monsters. However no matter how much he looked, the number of monsters would cause numerous resources to be destroyed.
“If the end of the monster line is still here, the front may not arrive at Balmel immediately. I’ll overtake it and support Balmel.”
“Roger. As expected, in this situation, you won’t just leave them alone, Shin.”
A commoner would have simply run away, but unfortunately, these two people were far from commoners.
Balmel wouldn’t fall easily; there would be enough countermeasures as it was the only purpose of the town. However the scale of the ‘Flood’ was not fixed, ‘there’s no knowing what may happen’, was also written.
It was not a thing he could ignore when he heard about it; that’s the character of the man called Shin.
“It seems going home will take longer.”
The running Rionne, who took a detour to chase after the group of monsters, Shin also raised his pace of running.
After a little while, a huge group of monsters were confirmed by sight.
In every ‘Flood’, there seemed to be a trend in the emerging monsters. This time it was humanoid monsters, such as goblins and orcs that became the majority.
Was it a blessing of God? Compared to the high physical ability beast type and the tirelessly golem type, their pace was considerably slow. However, the large crowd of monsters was certainly headed to Balmel.
“Hmm? Hey Rionne, there’s smoke rising over there, do you know what it is?”
At the right front of the running Shin, a big cloud of smoke that appeared suddenly was visible.
When he listened carefully, explosive sounds were audible, too. Apparently, there was something going on in the vicinity of the boundary between the forest in the plain and the Melt Mountains.
“Perhaps, the Mist Garuda have descended the mountains. Melt Mountains is in the territory of the Mist Garuda after all. When the monsters that were born, in the ‘Flood’, were about to enter the mountains, I heard they were reduced to ashes. That’s why the monsters have no choice but to advance toward Balmel.”
The Mist Garuda may not have had the intention, but they seemed to have become the figure that guided the monsters toward Balmel in a good way.
On top of that, since it killed the monsters which trespassed on the mountains, it had reduced the numbers that reached Balmel. Therefore, it was said that the act of trying to hunt the Mist Garuda in Melt Mountains was prohibited in a treaty. Because it reduced the damage of the ‘Flood’, it was outrageous to fight against each other.
“That’s the Mist Garuda, huh?”
A big shadow flying in the sky was reflected in Shin’s eyes as he ran while watching the mountains.
The Mist Garuda was flying leisurely while leaving an arc like a vapour trail. The mist was shaped like a bird, as shown in its name, and its level was high, ranged between 700 – 800. It had a lot of special attacks, and was a very powerful monster.
“Oh, that is..”
From the Mist Garuda which was dancing in the sky, a red mist was sprayed.
The goblins and ogres started to roll over with their whole bodies covered in flames the moment the mist touched them.
It was one of the special attacks of the Mist Garuda, ‘Fog of Flare’.
If you didn’t have resistance to a certain level of flame attribute, you could receive an abnormal status where your HP decreased by 10% per second and die in 10 seconds. It was even said that the setting in the game may be wrong, as it was the fog of death that burnt many players to death, although it was the monsters being roasted this time.
“Anyway, why is it that the monsters still go in even though they know they are going to be burned?”
Shin thought of such things, looking at the monsters which kept on diving into their own death.
“The monsters that emerge from the ‘Flood’ tend to have significantly lower intelligence. That’s why they charge until the last one standing.”
Indeed. The monsters which were born from the ‘Flood’, seemed to be different from ordinary monsters.
While wishing that the Mist Garuda burned the monsters as much as possible, Shin and Rionne decided to leave from that place.
-
Shin and Rionne ran on the plain as they overtook the group of monsters which were previously ahead of them and became a black wave.
The map which was projected onto Shin’s view when he passed the group of monsters, displayed only a bright red marker without any gap where the monsters were. It was too crowded, and the distinction of the individual was difficult, too.
“Is it always such a large crowd?”
“Maybe. I think there are various kinds of scales in the ‘Flood’, but I don’t remember it. The number of monsters were a bit more than when I participated in the battle once. It would be nice if there were fewer to be considered…”
Rionne probed into her memories while remembering the scene from that time.
What Rionne talked about for a while was the story where she merely drove a sword into the emerged monsters, and repeatedly killed them. This ‘Flood’ felt larger in scale than the one at that time, Rionne added at the end.
Even if Rionne knew strong soldiers were there to protect Balmel, her feet naturally increased the speed.
“I understand your feelings, but you’re pushing too much, Rionne.”
Seeing Rionne who had shortness of breath, Shin called for a break.
No matter how much an upper class Chosen One Rionne was, her stamina was not unlimited. Before arriving at Balmel, there’s no meaning if she got completely exhausted and couldn’t move.
“Let’s take a break for a moment on top of that hill. We already passed the leading group of the monster too. Rest for a little bit.”
“But! …Well, sorry, you’re right, Shin.”
Rionne was probably trying to say that she still can go on, but she noticed her own state as well.
If this goes on as it is, she would run out of energy in the middle of the way. Since they kept running at a high speed, the monsters’ group was already quite far behind. Even if Shin and Rionne arrived at Balmel, several days could be expected to pass before the monsters reached them.
Considering their pace, it was reasonable to rest here, because there was still a distance to cover to get to Balmel.
“It’s called a fort city so haven’t they already repelled the enemy many times over?”
While they were on break, Shin asked about Balmel.
If it’s a city built for ‘Flood’ control, a military unit with reasonable equipment should exist.
“It is indeed, but it won’t finish without a small number of sacrifices. Moreover now, among 3 upper class Chosen Ones who should protect Balmel, one is absent.”
“Is it okay to be absent as the main part of defense?”
“It seemed there was something at the church, that he had to guard a certain person. Geez, what is the church thinking about?”
Rionne frowned as she couldn’t understand it.
The fort city according to Rionne, apart from being the ‘Flood’ breakwater, had received a dispatched upper-class Chosen Ones from the church and the neighboring countries. Because the fort city was inferior in terms of numbers, it was a strategy to compensate with quality.
However this time, since the church had stimulated a talk about pulling out a Chosen One at their own discretion, objections flooded from various countries.
(The church, huh?…Is it by any chance, that guy?)
Hearing “Church” and “A certain person”, a figure of a knight who damaged his wagon during the journey to Falnido came to Shin’s mind.
In this world, it was quite common that the actual status differ from the height of a level. However, a high-leveled person was still limited. The knights at that time, especially the man who destroyed the wheels of the wagon was level 239. It was higher than the present Rionne.
It was no more than a possible story, but if it’s the truth, it would be necessary to add restraints to the priest who threatened the knights.
“What about the other two? Will they be able to pull through somehow?”
“The combination is not bad. The other two are a magic swordsman like me and a mage. If they cooperate with the high-leveled adventurers who are in Balmel, they would never lose as long as there is no accident. The problem is the number of victims.”
“How far could the enemy be reduced by magic skills of the mage, was the key”, Rionne murmured, and drank water.
Even though how much the mage was called a Chosen One, a skill couldn’t be released forever.
Though it depended on ability and skill, there was also a limit in range a person could cover.
“How is the fighting force of Balmel? There are Chosen Ones from the adventurers’ guild, right?”
“Indeed apart from the dispatched people, there are powerful people who are close to upper-class Chosen Ones. But most of them are melee type. Only few people can attack a wide area.”
It was alright if the monsters were in small number, but when it came to several hundreds of thousands, defeat would happen in the long run. Since the monsters appearing in the ‘Flood’ were low-level, even a general soldier could help to keep them occupied.
Though the course to go over there was changed, Shin decided to contact Schnee just in case.
(“This is Shin, is it alright to talk now?”)
(“Yes, did something happen?”)
After making sure there was no problem to communicate, Shin told about the ‘Flood’ things to Schnee.
(“I can’t say anything about the scale unless I see them myself. It it’s the normal scale, we don’t have to worry about Balmel at least.”)
Schnee judged calmly after she listened to Shin’s story.
However, there was an irregular this time.
(“Have you taken that 1 Chosen One’s absence into account?”)
(“If the Chosen One who is not there is not a mage, it would be all right. Since the monster itself can be dealt with just Balmel’s forces.”)
“Although I have not considered the victims”, Schnee continued.
(“I got it. I’m going to rush up to Balmel from here, you should hurry as much as possible there, too.”)
(“Understood.”)
With Schnee there, it should not be a problem without the Chosen One and so forth.
Though Tiera was not able to move so quickly, she would not be late if Kagerou’s with her.
“…Now then, we’ve had enough rest. Let’s move soon, Shin.”
Thanks to having rested for a while, Rionne seemed to have recovered, as she stood up swiftly.
The talk with Schnee had just ended too, so Shin also stood up at the same time.
“Okay, but I’ll carry that.”
Saying so, Shin carried 『Muspelm』 which was placed on the ground to his back.
It wasn’t much burden to Shin due to the height of his physical strength, he determined that it would be hard for Rionne to carry it and run for a long time.
“Mu! I can carry my own weapon――”
“Rather than fussing over that now, it’s more important to move quickly. You were worn out halfway, you know?”
“Ugh, when that’s said, I cannot talk back…”
Since that was the reason they took a break, Rionne couldn’t argue.
The top priority here was to proceed ahead, and the 『Muspelm』was entrusted to Shin.
“Mumumu!”
“Why are you groaning?”
“We have to hurry up, must to but…damn, I’m ashamed to be tired out at this amount.”
“You unexpectedly hate to lose, huh”
Although they were talking, their running speed has not dropped.
Rionne’s burden of 『Muspelm』 has diminished a lot, she could afford to talk as a result.
-
They kept running most of the day, and finished preparation for camping before the sun set.
As one would expect, to keep running for days without sleeping was difficult no matter how much the stamina, so they decided to get enough sleep in a simple tent they set together and stood watch in turn.
After finishing a quick meal, and Shin cleaning up, Rionne began to speak. She casually approached Shin and sent a flirtatious glance.
“You really have a lot of stuff that comes up. Even if I am prepared, isn’t this thoroughly prepared?”
“I was prepared for a journey to begin with. Because I was summoned there, these are the only things I have. Once you convert them into cards, it’s not very bulky.”
“It’s because you can use item cards, huh? I wish my country had a person with that ability.”
In the story Shin asked Wilhelm, there should be a possibility that Rionne and other countries’ Chosen Ones possessed an Item Box if they had items.
“I will not talk about cooperation.”
Shin didn’t know the detailed information, and either way he wouldn’t do it.
“No good?”
“No good.”
“No matter what?”
“Never. Hey! don’t come closer!”
He distanced himself from the leaning forward Rionne who approached him.
Around the area that emphasized her chest, ‘She’s actually aware of her own charm, isn’t she?’, Shin thought. How have the princess’ manners and so forth fallen? He wanted to ask.
In the darkness of night, Rionne who was illuminated by the bonfire, the lively state she had during the day quieted down, and wore an atmosphere that seemed to be slightly strange.
“For you to be somewhat flustered, is this body even attractive?”
“It’s not that I understand what you have been doing. I mean I should say, is this the kind of thing you should be doing in this situation?”
“I thought you’d say ‘It’s useless to even be flustered’, Shin! If that’s the case, I’ll make good use of the time when I don’t have anything to do.”
“Where’s the effective use of time? Where?”
“It’s time effective at least for me. In this way, I can speak to you without reserve.”
While smiling somewhat lonely, Rionne corrected her sitting posture.
“Without reserve, huh? Rionne, well, there will be such a partner, like when you talked with Gadras, I think that was pretty frank though.”
“Gadras is my sword’s mentor. I’m more comfortable with him than other people. Although, there is still something like a wall to royal family. In that respect, you really have no constraint, Shin.”
“That, in other words, am I just being rude?”
“Sometimes I also want to talk with such a partner, who humbles himself all the time, but it doesn’t suit me personally; although I’m accustomed to such things.”
Rionne often went out to towns, but due to bad publicity, even the adventurers who wasn’t particular much about social status seemed to humble themselves.
“How about your family? Ah well, you don’t have to say it if you don’t want to. There seems to be a lot of discord in some places.”
“It’s not the things I conceal particularly. You’re right, our family’s interpersonal connections had…been long gone. Although we’re not on a bad terms, I don’t know whether I want a substitute family.”
“It’s that kind of royal family, huh? Well, in case you need someone to talk, I’ll be your companion. ――Hey! Why are you getting clingy!”
“Sometimes even a princess will want to depend on someone. You may hear my selfishness a little while hearing my story.”
‘Was she teasing me?’, Shin thought, but Rionne never did anything more than cling to Shin’s arm.
“I can’t show this to the people in the castle.”
“Nobody is around. It’s been a long time not being monitored everywhere other than in the battlefield.”
“Good grief, this princess…only this time.”
After a sigh, Shin tossed a branch to the bonfire with his free arm.
It was easy to pull away if he intended to. However, the unhappy speech he listened to was making his intention fade away.
A family was something very important to Shin. Though before the death game, his parents were in good health, and his relationships with his elder brother and younger sister were also good. It was noisy fun, and the place where he should have returned. As he thought to himself, he couldn’t help but to feel something in Rionne’s circumstances.
The serene expression of Rionne relieving her burden, Shin would like to see it a little longer. Speaking furthermore, there was none of the monitoring that Rionne spoke of. It meant that Rionne was constantly monitored.
‘You probably have time to relax now’, Shin thought.
“Shin, you’re warm.”
“Is it cold?”
“I don’t mean that.”
‘I know’, he muttered in his mind, and threw another branch on the fire.
*Pop* sounds and the noise of branches split open were heard. Shin was not that thickheaded to be mistaken on the meaning of this situation.
Was this the original Rionne? Shin couldn’t arrive to a conclusion. Where was her usual spirited mood?
“Sleep soon, we will keep on running tomorrow. Don’t reserve the fatigue.”
“Muu, it can’t be helped. Or I have to wait for the next opportunity?”
“Vacate such thinking until we pull completely through the ‘Flood’.”
Shin, who took out a mantle, wrapped up Rionne, and warned her for formality’s sake.
Rionne probably would understand that. Somehow, she took a rest well.
The transition to Sacred Place, the defeat against monsters, and the impatience due to the ‘Flood’. When such various factors were put together, the manner until now was expressed, Shin thought.
The deep darkness of the moonless night.
Groups of monsters from behind.
What can be relied upon by fellow travellers, was only a small bonfire.
Regardless of the strength of capabilities, it was no wonder that a feeling to seek one who can be relied upon was sought, Shin thought.
Speaking of why he understood it, it was because Shin had experienced similar things.
Shin and Rionne, Schnee and Tiera, Yuzuha and Kagerou were heading toward Balmel.
A great army of monsters exceeding 1000, approaching moment by moment.
In order to fight against the looming threat, everyone would meet at Balmel.
The lower the Limit is, the stronger Shin gets. Currently his stats was divided by 2(II) from his original stats
Black Spirit is as it sounds like, an RPG monster which is a Spirit
When it says ‘it’, it talks about the ability to change the environment)
He basically can’t destroy the sphere, as it won’t let him. It disappear when one get close and there is force of attraction towards it.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 10 - Frozen in Warmth/The-New-Gate-Volume-10-Frozen-in-Warmth-[Shin][dotNovel]/Title.txt
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The New Gate
(THE NEW GATE)
Volume 10
Frozen in Warmth
Kazanami Shinogi
(風波しのぎ)
Story Description:
“THE NEW GATE”, an online game that trapped its players and turned into a death game, was now releasing the thousands of players that had been dragged into it, thanks to the efforts of Shin, one of the most powerful players.
But after having defeated the last boss and freed everyone, he was swallowed up by a strange light and found himself inside the game world 500 years in the future and unable to leave.
Original Story can be found here: Link
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 10 - Frozen in Warmth/The-New-Gate-Volume-10-Frozen-in-Warmth-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_10_Chapter_01_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 1
After their journey to recover for the Five Supreme Blades in the island country of Hinomoto, Shin’s party returned to Black Priestess Shrine’s guildhouse.
Shin and Tiera shared part of their memories when they purified one of the Five Supreme Blades, 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』; this spurred Shin to decide to talk about his past to her.
Tiera spoke while looking straight into Shin’s eyes.
“….tell me. I want to know more about you.”
“Got it. It’s going to take a while, but please hear me out—-at the time, I still didn’t know how evil people could be. I didn’t know that you could lose something important all of a sudden.”
Shin continued talking while also looking straight into Tiera’s eyes.
“What I’m going to tell you happened before the “Dusk of the Majesty”. When we used to call this world a “game”.”
◆◆◆◆
One year passed since the MMORPG “THE NEW GATE” had been transferred to virtual reality.
What was supposed to be a game had become reality. There were two big changes that had affected the game.
Logging out was not possible and death in the game meant death in real life.
Very few could handle this absurd situation with a cool head.
It was said that the chaos and confusion caused more than 500 casualties, but no one could understand if that figure was high or low.
It all happened suddenly, but fortunately -if one could say so- the players’ stats had not been reset.
The stats and levels the players had spent long hours raising, powerful equipment and rare items, guildhouses, methods of contact with friends, all of those remained.
Hoping to put an end to the death game, one man was, today too, challenging a dungeon.
“Rrrraaahhh!!!”
A crimson flash lit up the darkness of the dungeon, following the man’s war cry. It had been created by the swing of his blade.
The blade pierced the void, severing the right leg of the giant-type monster Gigantes Moss.
Having lost everything below the right thigh, the gargantuan monster fell to the ground. Its body extended for more than 5 mels and was studded with rocks and boulders, which caused a small tremor as the monster tumbled down.
The shaking ground limited the player’s action and prevented him from continuing the attack.
“30% HP left. About time it changes attack patterns.”
The man mumbled to himself while keeping the collapsed monster within his field of view.
His name was Shin.
His opponent was the boss monster that awaited players in the deepest reaches of the dungeon.
As Shin had predicted, the monster’s HP gauge had fallen into the red zone of less than 30%, causing certain changes in Gigantes Moss’ body.
From the base of its 2 battleaxe-wielding arms, a new set of arms grew out. At the same time, the ceiling of the boss chamber crumbled, bringing a longsword and a spear to the room below.
“So that’s your game.”
After calmly concluding that the change was a physical one, Shin activated a magic skill.
“Just in case, I better check if your weak points changed.”
Magic skills of all seven elements struck the monster after Shin spoke.
Bullets of fire and water, spears of light and thunder, and claws and fangs of wind and earth.
Seven spells that were usually cast on their own struck all at once. Too much for even the now four-armed Gigantes Moss to handle.
Shin had activated the skill 【Magic Boost】, to increase the offensive power of his magic, and the 7-type combination magic skill 【Elemental Blast】.
It was a combo attack used to determine the monster’s weakness while inflicting a certain degree of damage at the same time.
Depending on the elemental properties of the monster the spell is used on, it might end up healing them, but Gigantes Moss suffered damage. Based on the differences of inflicted damage, it was clear that the monster was strong against fire and wind but weak against thunder and darkness.
The problem was that the damage itself was infinitesimal.
“No changes in weak points, I see. Magic defense shot up though.”
Gigantes Moss was originally a monster strong against magic attacks.
For Shin, continuing this one-sided attack from a distance was not impossible, but because of the monster’s increased defensive power, triggered by the HP loss, even Shin’s spells could not inflict decisive damage.
The only method left was close combat.
“Well, so be it. I wasn’t thinking of whittling you down from a distance anyway!”
While keeping the monster busy with multi-hit magic spells, Shin grasped his trusted weapon, the katana 『True Moon』. The skill activation caused the blade to emit increasingly bright red ripples, before being covered in darkness. The next moment, deep red lightning shot forward.
Triple combination skill 【Black Flower Flash】.
Using the magic barrage as cover, Shin drew closer to the monster in a flash and circled behind its back.
Thanks to the high speed movement made possible by the combination of Movement-type skills 【Ground Shrink】 and 【Mirage Dance】, the Gigantes Moss lost sight of Shin.
Another probable cause was its limited movements, caused by the loss of its right leg. The monster, ignoring the spells striking its body, looked for Shin with its eyes.
“!!!”
Shin focused without letting out a word, then swung 『True Moon』 down on Gigantes Moss’ back.
The blade, clad in scorching hot darkness, rent the monster’s rock hard skin. Immediately after the slash, thunder struck the same point.
Gigantes Moss lost its balance and fell forward from the blow.
The monster tried to counterattack, screaming in pain, but its movements were even more stiff because of the short-term paralysis caused by the thunder element from the attack. The desperate attempt to attack made the monster fall to the ground again.
Shin would not let such an opportunity go. He had instead predicted the situation, and struck the monster from behind again.
It would not take much time for Gigantes Moss to be back on its feet. But Shin moved behind the monster and activated another skill much faster.
“This is the end!”
An orange-colored aura now enveloped『True Moon』; it was the Sword-type Martial skill 【Tyrant Beat】.
Many Katana-type and Sword-type skills could be used as long as one wielded a bladed weapon. Using Sword-type skills with a katana would cause their offensive power to drop slightly, but Shin focused more on skill effects, so he had stopped using only Katana-type skills even when wielding a katana.
The strike, aimed at the monster’s weakpoint -the back of its neck- saw its damage increase thanks to a critical hit. The skill’s effects also allowed Shin to continue a one-sided offensive.
It was just a matter of time until Gigantos Moss’ HP reached zero.
“Ngh! I shouldn’t be tired, but my shoulders feel stiff!”
With a yawn, the tension left Shin’s body.
After defeating the boss and clearing the dungeon, Shin returned to the entrance. He had been fighting in the dungeon since the morning, and when he went outside, he realized that the sun was setting already.
Physical exhaustion existed as part of the system, but it was already completely recovered.
Rather than that, he felt more mentally tired.
Even if the avatar was fully recovered, the mind of the player controlling it was not.
Death in this world meant death in real life. “THE NEW GATE” was now a death game, there was no turning back after dying.
No matter if the opponent was a boss monster or some small fry from beginner-oriented areas, the player’s life was on the line in every fight. It was obvious that long engagements would cause mental distress.
“Phew. With this, about half of the dungeons are left.”
The condition for clearing the death game “THE NEW GATE” was to defeat the boss monster in the last dungeon, “Gate of the Otherworld”. It wasn’t a certainty that they would be freed from the game or not, but all players made that their objective for now.
In order to enter the final dungeon, one was first required to clear a series of other dungeons. Clearing them would unlock sealed areas, allowing the player to get gradually closer to the final dungeon.
At the start of the death game, all players had been gathered in “Kalkia”, one of the hometowns, and could only move in its surroundings.
Shin’s map had already registered most fields’ geographical data. Looking at the map revealed that around half were displayed as transparent, which meant impossible to travel to.
The unlocked fields were proof of the courage and sacrifice of those who, like Shin, had cleared dungeons. It had already taken 4 months to reach this point.
“I can still do it alone. But the second half won’t be that easy…”
Shin sighed, then checked the items dropped by the monster. In some cases, items useful to clear the next dungeon could be found.
The items dropped were rare, but Shin’s equipment had higher specs, so they were of little use to him.
“….nothing special this time.”
His hands stopped scrolling the display and closed the menu screen. The items, other than equipment, did not seem like they could be particularly useful in the next dungeon.
Proceeding from the dungeon to the teleport point, Shin handled any attacking monster with just one hand, then looked up to the sky. The clear, cloudless sky brightened his spirits, if just a little.
“Oh! He’s back! How did it go?”
Once he returned to Kelgunsk, one of the hometowns, Shin was greeted by voices impatient to see him back. He had not hidden the fact that he had gone out to clear a dungeon, so they had likely obtained the information from somewhere.
“Finished without problems. We can go to the next field now too. I’m sure you know already, but be extra careful if you proceed. The dungeon boss changed in a way I never saw before after all.”
Shin answered while looking at the emblem engraved on the gauntlet worn by the young High Beast man he had become acquainted with a long time ago now, Lao.
The emblem, depicting a lion crushing a long sword with its teeth, symbolized the guild with the most clout at the time, “Savage Lions”. Shin remembered that the guildmaster was a lion High Beast.
“Sure thing. I’m not part of the Savage Lions’ Explosive Legs corps for nothing. If worst comes to worst, I’ll just hightail it out.”
Lao chuckled heartily, his cat-like ears pointing up, as he spoke, then disappeared into the bustling crowd.
The Savage Lions guild was composed of the Explosive Legs corps, who handled scouting and information gathering, and the combat-oriented Explosive Fists corps.
As fas ar Shin knew, Lao was a warrior not inferior in any way to the captain of the Explosive Legs corps.
Shin had no idea why such a person was awaiting his return though. He thought it was a job one of his subordinates could easily do, but would not stick his nose in the affairs of other guilds.
“Guess I’ll take a walk in the city.”
Thinking that he couldn’t just stand around the teleport point like that, Shin headed towards the city. Maybe because he just returned from putting his life on the line to clear the dungeon, looking at the town scenery made him feel relieved.
“Oh, ain’t that Shin. How did things go in the dungeon?”
Shin was stopped by the voice of the man behind the counter of a skewer stall. It was a player who had purposefully created an elderly avatar and role played as a street vendor.
His tone was overly familiar partly because of his character, but also because Shin often frequented the stall.
“Hey there. A new area has been unlocked. You could get more types of ingredients soon.”
After the start of the death game, when new areas were unlocked, items and equipment thought to be still not implemented in the game were discovered. Among them there were materials of excellent quality, and Shin too had gathered some.
“Well now, ain’t that some real good news. Here, this is on the house for the hero that braved a dungeon all on his lonesome.”
“Please stop it with the hero talk, sir.”
Shin grabbed the skewer the man offered to him, with an embarrassed laugh. He knew the man would not have accepted no as an answer.
Hero was the word some players used when referring to Shin. At the start of the death game, the players noticed that their levels, stats and equipments had not changed, so they immediately went to look for advanced players. They thought that the cooperation of advanced players was vital in order to clear the dungeons.
It did not take long for them to find out that a certain advanced player surpassing all the others was still logged in.
A member of Rokuten, the guild said to be the strongest, and a blacksmith that created equipment of the highest quality.
Shin’s existence grew larger among many players, who found hope in him.
His power, incommensurable strength that no one could even get close to, did pose the problem that other players would just be in his way, but it was a small one: everyone had great expectations for Shin.
Cooperating with other advanced players, Shin had cleared beginner-level dungeons in a flash, moving on to mid-level ones. The speed at which he moved was more than enough to increase others’ expectations.
Shin managed to clear even advanced dungeons on his own, which other high-level players had trouble with.
The dungeon Shin cleared that day too had been too much for other advanced players. It would not have been so if all advanced players were logged in, at present Shin was the pillar of dungeon clearing.
Because of this, people used to honor him and call him “Hero”.
“First they get expectant, then disappointed, all on their own…now there’s jealousy and envy mixed up in it all, I don’t know what’s what anymore…”
Yes, people “used to” honor Shin and call him “Hero”.
After starting to challenge advanced dungeons, Shin’s clearing speed visibly fell. As the dungeons rose in difficulty the monsters within them grew stronger, the traps and gimmicks became more complicated, making them more dangerous.
Even for Shin, clearing advanced dungeons -transformed in unknown ways by the death game- at the same speed as low-difficulty beginner level dungeons was not possible.
There were players, however, that did not understand this. Or rather, did not “want” to understand this.
Shin’s clearing speed was falling because he was taking it easy. He didn’t actually want to clear the dungeons.
Groundless rumors such as these started circulating around 2 weeks after Shin started facing the advanced dungeons.
The “expectations” many players had towards Shin.
The players who purely thought that Shin could do it, that felt a “trust” equal to “expectation”, players who truly knew Shin, were very few.
The “expectations” of the many players other than these were just them running away from their responsibilities and pushing them onto Shin, thinking that they didn’t need to do anything, he would take care of it all somehow.
“Tch, must be easy for him since he’s the only one with good equipment”
These words reached Shin as he was walking and eating the skewers.
He could find the source at the edge of his line of sight. Without moving his eyes, Shin noticed a player clad in low level armor, leaning against a wall in a back alley. Level 40 was really low.
Shin immediately understood that he was a beginner.
“You think I can give gear to just anybody, huh? Materials don’t come free, dammit.”
Shin walked on, ignoring the man, then spat out his honest thoughts when he saw his favourite sweets shop in the distance. The words he mumbled were not heard by anyone, soon lost in the noise of the crowd.
As Shin was a blacksmith, many came to him to ask for equipment. However, he was always rather strict in whom to give weapons to.
One reason was what he had muttered, that materials were not free. But the first reason was something else.
That was the existence of PKs, players who had not stopped killing other players even after the start of the death game.
If he just gave out weapons easily and they reached PK hands, unfortunate casualties would increase.
For this reason, Shin supplied weapons only to a very limited range of players: guildmasters and party leaders. That was only temporary, however; he would lend gear, not give it away. If a PK had mingled among them, Shin would take the gear back.
From the standpoint of ordinary players, however, it only looked like he was stingy with his gear.
It would have been impossible for Shin to craft gear for everyone after all. Despite this, there were rumors that he and other powerful players wanted to monopolize equipment: Shin was rather sick of the situation.
“What’s wrong, meow? Shimeow, you look down, meow”
Exhaustion requires sweet things. Shin was looking at cakes, trying to forget the rumors, when the owner of the “Lucky Cat” sweets shop, Catnip, called to him.
Cat like-speak was an unspoken rule of the “Type Cat Language Research Association” guild, apparently. Shin remembered refusing other acquaintances to call him “Shimeow”.
Catnip was Human, but thanks to an equipment set called “Beast Transformation” cat ears the same color as her orange hair sprouted on her head, as well as a cat tail, poking out of her miniskirt. She was a catgirl maid with high skin exposure, like you would find in a maid cafe.
All other clerks in the shop wore the same attire. Catnip was 160 cemels tall. Her clothes fairly exposed her bust, so from the height of Shin’s eyes it was hard not to look.
“Ah, nothing, I just came back from defeating a dungeon boss. That’s the reason, probably.”
“You pushed yourself too hard again, meow? You’re too reckless, Shimeow.”
While Catnip’s speech style did not make her sound serious at all, her expression was very much so.
“I know that. But if I don’t do this, we can’t hope to clear any time soon.”
“There’s no point in caring so much about what others say…but you’re so serious in a weird way, Shimeow. I suppose I meown’t have a choice…Shimeow, present for you.”
Catnip took out a card from her bosom. Item boxes could be used from anywhere, as soon as one focused, but Shin had never seen any player using it from that position. To him it looked simply like the card had come out of the cleavage of Catnip’s ample bust.
“Me-meow!! Catnip’s specially made cookies, meow! Eat’em up and cheer up, meow.”
“Thank you very much. I’d be happier if you gave them out more quietly, though…also thinking a little more about where you take them out of.”
“Did I do something bad, meow?”
Catnip was puzzled to see Shin sigh. It was clear that he wasn’t joking.
“People are looking at us weird. But maybe you did it on purpose?”
Her silhouette might be just an avatar, a temporary figure, but she was still a very pretty girl and would thus attract attention.
Most avatars were made by combining given elements together. It was something typical in many games, and of course did not mean that the players’ real appearance was anywhere close the avatar’s.
In contrast with such mass-produced avatars (albeit the large quantity of sample elements made it quite rare for two avatars to be 100% the same), some players used avatars reflecting their real appearance and figure.
Catnip was one of them.
The so-called “Full-scan Avatar”, real and fake at the same time, also presented the risk of the player being identified in reality. Most of such players, however, used the game as a tool to spread their popularity.
As far as Shin knew, such famous players had been scouted by corporations and debuted as idols. Catnip openly said that she aimed to do the same.
In “THE NEW GATE” the male:female player ratio was 7:3 or even 8:2; a truly pretty girl like Catnip was highly popular among all female players.
She was as famous as a real idol among male players. She had a fan club, though unofficial, and a slew of devoted fans.
Actually, even now Shin was being targeted by several hostile players. Several dots on the map had turned to the red color of hostility.
He felt bad for Catnip, who was worrying about him, but he prayed that no unnecessary trouble came up.
“Shimeow was my first, after all. You’re special, meow.”
Catnip held her cheeks with her hands, blushing.
Moments later, Shin felt fierce killing intent coming from the people looking at him. That was still supposed to be a game, but for some reason he felt something akin to an aura.
“You’re going to create even more misunderstandings…if I get ambushed it’s your fault, Catnip.”
“But I can’t think of anyone that could beat you, Shimeow.”
“It’s a game after all, if you find a hole in the system you could probably even beat more advanced opponents, and—-”
Shin stopped halfway through his sentence. Catnip had closed his mouth with one of her slender fingers.
“Don’t say that. I wouldn’t forgive even you if you made Marino sad, Shin.”
“Beat” was a word that, depending on the situation, could also mean “kill”. It wasn’t a problem before, but now things were different.
Catnip gave a stern warning to Shin for alluding to his own death, even speaking without the usual cat-like style. She didn’t like to hear anyone talk like that, even if they were joking.
“Ah…..I’m sorry.”
“If you understood, then go home, meow. Today…hehe, something good might happen, meow.”
“I can’t say your expression doesn’t make me worry…”
Quickly shifting out of her serious expression, Catnip was now grinning. It was clear enough that she was plotting something, but she surely wouldn’t talk even if cornered.
Shin had a bad feeling about her last words, but left the store after buying some sweets to complement the Catnip cookies he had received.
Going back to the teleportation point, Shin headed to a different location: his home, Tsuki no Hokora.
“Welcome back. You have guests.”
Schnee’s usual greeting was a bit different this time. The “guests” Schnee mentioned were people allowed to enter the residential area of Tsuki no Hokora even if Shin was not present.
At present, there was only 1 person with such privileges.
“Ah, Shin…er, welcome back…”
The guest noticed Shin’s return and greeted him from the kitchen. It was Shin’s lover, the female player Marino.
As she turned towards Shin, her two waist-length ponytails drew a brown arc in the air. Her sky blue eyes looked at Shin, with some hesitation.
Shin was slightly curious about her unusual behavior, but his attention was soon captured by her attire.
“….nice.”
“Shin? What happened?”
Marino shouldn’t have heard what Shin whispered, but she was slightly blushing as she asked that question.
A white blouse and a blue skirt with a yellow checkered pattern. A short mantle covering her from the shoulders to her back was Marino’s usual look. As she was cooking, however, she had taken her usual mantle off and was wearing a red apron.
“Ah, er, I’m sorry. I’m home. You were cooking?”
Shin, entranced by the apron-clad Marino, hurriedly replied. She tilted her head at his reaction, a bit confused.
(I wonder how can a single apron make her look so cute?)
Maybe because he wasn’t used to seeing girls wearing aprons, or maybe because it was Marino. Shin concluded that it was probably the latter, and was about to talk to her again, but Marino spoke first.
“Ah, ehm….welcome back home.”
“Hm? Ah, er, I’m home?”
Shin thought that they had just had that exchanged seconds before, when Marino said something unexpected.
“A-a-a-are you going to have a bath first? Or dinner first? O-o-or!! M-m-me!?!”
“…….”
Shin needed a few seconds to grasp the situations. Despite having said the line herself, Marino was blazing red and frozen in place out of embarrassment.
She looked quite different from her usual cheerful self and extremely lovely. Then Shin remembered Catnip mentioning that “something good would happen”.
“….hey, is it OK if I choose you, Marino?”
Shin found himself giving this answer.
“…….yes.”
What came back from her was a whispered consent.
The moment he heard that, Shin put his right hand on her cheek, turned her face towards him and pressed his lips on hers.
Engaging in R-18 actions was a taboo within “THE NEW GATE”. But after the start of the death game, there was no management or GMs to stop any transgressors.
Because of the system, it was not possible to engage in “advanced” acts, intercourse included, but for players in a relationship or married, kissing was an important act to confirm their reciprocal affection.
“….hah.”
Maybe because she had been holding her breath, Marino inhaled deeply when Shin released his hold on her. Her face was bright red, beyond the possibility of making any excuse.
“Anyway, why did you say something like that? I enjoyed it very much, but were you always this forward?”
“I was really embarrassed too, you know!! Don’t look at my face!! Don’t looooook!”
Still blushing fiercely, Marino pushed Shin to make him look the other way. She pushed her face against his back, making sure that he couldn’t see it even if he turned his head.
If another person was looking, they would simply think that their flirting was continuing.
“….did you calm down?”
“Yeah…but you’re too unfazed, that’s kind of annoying.”
After around 5 minutes, Marino’s voice was back to its usual tone, even if it sounded muffled because her face was still buried in Shin’s back.
“So let me ask again, why did you do something like that? Was today a special day or something?”
“That’s not it. A little before you came back, Catnip contacted me, saying that you were tired. I also thought that I wanted to do something for you, since you looked kind of down lately. Then Catnip said that….a-any man would love that…so…”
Marino started blushing again. Because of one of the game’s effects, steam started rising from her head.
Shin thought he heard a cat-like voice chuckling in his head.
“I see…that explains Catnip’s evil smile.”
Shin did not neglect sending his gratitude to Catnip, in his heart.
“So…do you really feel better because of that?”
“Honestly speaking? I feel a whole lot better. Now if Marino hugged me, that’d be just perfect.”
“Wha!? Ah, ah….alright already! I c-came all this way, I’m not going to pull back!”
Shin had said that half as a joke, but Marino reacted more positively than he expected. She hadn’t really calmed down completely, it seems.
Marino spread her arms wide, as if saying “I’m ready when you are!!”.
(…..I could go like this, but maybe I should wait and…)
Shin, feeling mischievous, slipped behind Marino without a sound. She had closed her eyes and had not noticed his movements.
“…..?”
Feeling that she had already waited long, Marino opened her eyes: that moment, Shin hugged her tight from behind.
“Hyah!?”
Marino ended up flinching from the surprise.
“Surprised?”
“Uuh, you meanie…”
Keeping that stance, Shin sat on the chair behind him. Marino was on his lap.
“This is so embarrassing…”
“Marino is going to spoil me today, after all. I’m going to enjoy myself today, to my heart’s content.”
“Why do you talk like that!? Aaah, don’t blow in my ears!!”
“It was on purpose, of course.”
“That’s even mean—-aah, no, I’m weak there… you’ll pay for this…”
For the following 30 minutes, the distance between the two was zero.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 10 - Frozen in Warmth/The-New-Gate-Volume-10-Frozen-in-Warmth-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_10_Chapter_01_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 2
“OK then, what’s on today’s menu?”
“Ox hamburg steak, soup, and salad. There’s bread and rice too, but which do you want, huh?”
“Ah, I’ll have rice, I guess.”
Maybe because Shin had “bothered” her while she was cooking, Marino was now slightly cold towards him. He had offered to help, but was turned down sharply.
Still, she was continuing to cook for him, so she was probably not really angry.
Now they only had to wait for the steak to finish cooking, so Shin waited quietly.
Marino’s cooking skills were still low, but Tsuki no Hokora’s kitchen had cooking skill bonuses and also shortened cooking times. Because of that, even Marino could make sufficiently delicious food.
“Here you go.”
Marino came out of the kitchen, carrying a tray with the hamburg steak still sizzling on its iron plate. The rice and soup were steaming too.
After Marino had removed her apron and sat down, Shin took fork and knife in hand and set to eating.
Shin cut the steak, revealing its juicy insides and spreading its delicious aroma further in the room. It was a rather high degree of realism for a game. It could be said that the level of realism had increased even more after the start of the death game.
“It’s really great that they implemented the sense of taste too. It would be pretty sad if this just refilled the stomach bar.”
Good food gives energy needed for tomorrow. Eating tasteless food items day after day would get one’s spirits down soon.
“Hm? What’s wrong, Marino? Is there sauce on my face or something?”
Marino was contemplating Shin’s face as he happily ate his meal. Shin felt his nerves calm down thanks to the peacefulness of that atmosphere.
“No, I was just thinking that you really look happy when you eat…that’s all.”
Marino’s expression also showed how Shin eating her handmade food made her happy.
“Eating good stuff would make anyone look like that, no?”
“I wouldn’t feel this happy if it was anyone else.”
Marino directly conveyed her feelings to Shin.
For Shin, eating while she was looking so intently was a little awkward, but saying that would turn Marino’s mood sour again, so he refrained.
It wasn’t too much of an annoyance since Marino was the one looking, actually.
After a while, Marino started eating her part too. Shin asked for seconds of rice and soup, then after the meal they sat together on the sofa.
“You’re finally back to the usual Shin.”
Marino talked while leaning on Shin’s shoulder.
“….did I look that horrible?”
Shin felt the same as always, so his reply contained some surprise.
“When you think too much or hit a dead end…your face gets gradually tenser and tenser. Your eyes get so sharp too. That’s how you were until just now.”
Marino herself was concerned that mentioning this too much would have ended up burdening him.
“Don’t worry so much on your own…I end up getting down too just by looking at you.”
“You can say it anytime, you know? I can’t notice it myself, well in fact I didn’t, so…”
“Choosing the right timing is not easy…a long time ago, I messed up while trying to do that.”
Marino replied while wrapping her right arm around Shin’s left. Normally Shin’s attention would focus on the softness of her feminine parts, but this time he was more concerned about her looking down.
“In real life, you mean?”
“Yeah. I was yelled at, like “what the hell do you know about that!?”…”
“…I see.”
Marino rarely talked about real life, but evidently she felt like she could now.
“OK, I’ll take a slower pace with the dungeon crawling. That will help in the long run, and I won’t worry you either.”
Frustrated at his inability of saying something better to ease her mind, Shin tried to sound as cheerful as he could.
Even without physical fatigue, mental strain could cause failures at important times. Shin would hate to make Marino worry because of things that normally would never happen.
“This could delay our return to the real world though, sorry.”
“Your safety is a lot more important than that, Shin.”
Marino smiled faintly.
“Hey, Marino, the dungeon clearing has reached a good point now, so can I go with you tomorrow?”
Because of her relatively low stats, Marino worked in a church in the first hometown, Kalkia. The city also housed an orphanage, used to give shelter to very young players. Since Marino worked in the orphanage, Shin had helped modifying it, so now it was a structure different from the average.
“That’s fine by me, but it’ll probably be boring, you know?”
“That’s OK. After all, I just want to look at you working.”
Shin grinned and looked at Marino. His tone was a teasing one, but his expression was very serene.
“Aah, if you make a face like that I can’t even stay angry, can I?”
Marino seemed unsure whether to get angry or to calm down because of Shin’s conflicting words and expression, especially because lately Shin always seemed down.
“Hm? Did I make a weird face?”
“Aah, if you don’t know then never mind. Rather than that, if you’re coming too you’re going to help me with the kids, ok? They love games too, so it’ll be easy for you, I bet.”
“It’ll probably be OK with the boys, but the girls are all yours. Our philosophy towards playing games is totally different after all.”
Shin knew out of experience that most female players, like Marino, preferred to focus on cooking skills, communicating with tamed monsters, and knitting, all skills he had barely touched.
Because of that, he wasn’t able to keep a conversation with them at times. Not even Shin was knowledgeable about all sorts of skills and items.
“Well, you’ll have to talk to them first. OK, let’s get to bed soon to be ready for tomorrow. I’ll clean up here, so why don’t you get a bath first, Shin?”
“I will, thanks. Oh, I got some cookies and madeleines from Catnip’s shop, should we bring them to the orphanage?”
“Oh, that’s a good idea. The kids will be really happy.”
Shin left the rest to Marino and went to the bath.
Dipping in the hot water-filled bathtub filled him with an inexplicable feeling of liberation.
“The high level of realism can give a lot of trouble, but I really am thankful that they replicated this feeling too…”
It might be strange to say, but even if one’s body was dirty or smelled the game gave no penalties, nor did bathing increase the avatar’s specs. Even so players, especially female ones, wanted to bathe regularly.
In real life, only particular hot springs gave considerable effects, but in this world bathing after a battle seemed to give an even greater feeling of relief.
“Life itself feels cleaner after a bath” was a very apt way of putting it.
Shin got out of the bath, gulped down a bottle of milk from the fridge, said goodnight to Marino, and proceeded to his bedroom.
He had to be more exhausted than he thought, as his consciousness slipped away as soon as he lied on the mattress.
“Mwaht?”
Some time later, Shin woke up and felt something strange on his right arm.
He looked at it and found Marino, wearing pajamas, snugly gripping his arm, sleeping peacefully.
“Ah…..well….whatever.”
The option of carrying her back to her room did not emerge in Shin’s half-asleep brain.
They were lovers since before the death game and now, at least according to the system, they were husband and wife. Was there anything wrong with sleeping in the same bed? It was easy to accept the situation.
Shin thought that he might as well go all the way, removed the right arm that Marino was grabbing and hugged her with both of his arms.
Relishing in the happiness blooming in his chest, Shin fell again into slumber.
◆◆◆◆
The following morning, Shin woke up after feeling something tremble. Something was moving in his arms.
“….hn?”
Like the day before, he looked in the direction of the noise and found Marino, blushing fiercely. Shin had apparently woken up because of her attempts to slip out of his embrace.
“Ah, ah, er…”
“…..morning.”
Words wouldn’t come out of the embarrassed Marino’s mouth, so Shin thought he should say good morning, for the moment.
“G-Good morning…sho…so, why are you hugging me?”
Shin smiled gently because of Marino’s cute stuttering and replied.
“You slipped under the covers yesterday, so I used you as pillow.”
“I-I-I guess I was half asleep and g-got the wrong room…”
“We’re husband and wife, at least according to the system, so isn’t it fine?”
“It’s embarrassing!! Aaah, I bet you looked at my dumb sleeping face too…”
Marino must have been really embarrassed, as she covered her face with her hands and squirmed after Shin freed her from his hug. Her bellybutton was in plain sight because of her wriggling.
“Sleeping face? Haven’t we both seen each other’s a lot already?”
“Today was not OK! Not after the dream I had…I bet I looked so dumb…”
Shin only remembered seeing her smiling peacefully. Marino would probably not believe him, though.
“I see, I see, a dream…what kind of dream was it?”
Shin decided to press further.
“I…”
“I?”
“I CAN’T SAY IT!!!”
“Gwah!”
After firmly planting an uppercut on the grinning Shin’s chin, Marino rushed out of the room.
Left alone, Shin reflected that he might have gone too far, while massaging his unhurt chin.
“My deepest apologies. I teased too much.”
“You think that if you apologize like that I’ll forgive you, right.”
Shin lowered his head at the breakfast table, but Marino’s reply was just jaded. Shin knew from experience that honestly apologizing was the quickest way to obtain Marino’s forgiveness.
Marino, of course, had already seen through Shin’s attempt.
“OK, OK. In exchange, you’ll have to work plenty today.”
“Yes, I shall work my hardest, ma’am!”
“Enough already! Eat your breakfast, come on!”
Spurred by Marino, Shin rushed through his morning meal.
He would ask what to do at the orphanage on the way there. There was nothing in particular they had to bring with them.
“Have a nice day.”
“I’ll leave the rest to you.”
After greeting Schnee, Shin and Marino teleported to Kalkia.
Walking through the crowd, Shin felt several pairs of eyes on him. His equipment was different, but evidently his face was recognized by many. He did not mind anymore, but when going into town this happened often.
“Ah! It’s big sis Marino!”
They heard a boy’s voice when they arrived at the orphanage. Two boys came running towards them from the square next to the orphanage. Both wielded sponge blades, equipment that did not cause damage.
Both kids were around 150 cemels tall and looked like elementary or junior high school students.
Their faces still looked childish, probably because they hadn’t edited their avatars. Setting avatars to automatic mode would make their appearances change according to one’s age.
“Who’s this person?”
“Your boyfriend??”
“His name is Shin, he will help me today.”
Marino introduced Shin to the boys, ignoring the boyfriend suspicion.
Shin had already visited the orphanage several times, but had not met the two boys before.
“I know you can see it with 【Analyze】, but I’ll introduce you just in case. The boy with black hair is Ryohei, the one with brown hair is Teppei.”
“Nice to meet you”
“Nice to meetcha!”
Ryohei greeted Shin a bit timidly, while Teppei sounded more energetic.
According to Marino, sometimes they hunt low level monsters in the forest, accompanied by an advanced player. Because of their natural “vigor”, they are a bit infamous as the orphanage’s troublesome duo.
“Where’s Emil?”
“Inside! Luca is crying again, you know.”
Marino asked about the player that managed the orphanage and said she would go greet them as she went inside the orphanage.
“Hey, hey, mister! Have you ever been to the frontlines of conquered areas? Big sis Emil says it’s dangerous and won’t let us go!”
“If you want to go, you have to raise your levels some more. Or you’re going to die even if you get grazed by a punch, kids.”
“Teppei, you can’t go. You’d run off and get killed right away.”
After Shin’s answer, Ryohei added a snarky comment, while shrugging his shoulders.
“Whaaat!?”
“If you can’t beat me even once, you have no chance!”
Apparently Ryohei was higher than Teppei in the orphanage’s hierarchy.
As the kids forgot about him and started play fighting, Shin looked around, thinking about what he could do.
“Hm?”
He then found a small shadow at the edge of his line of sight. Looking towards it. Shin noticed the face of a very young girl subtly peeking from behind a tree.
The moment her eyes met Shin‘s, the little girl quickly retreated behind the tree. But, poor thing, she couldn’t hide her animal ears and the Type Cat-like tail. Both seemed to be monitoring Shin’s presence.
Shin held his chin with one hand, acting deep in thought. And slowly moved closer to the tree. He would stop when the girl peeked, then move again when she hid.
(She’s not afraid of me, is she.)
The girl should have noticed Shin’s approach, but did not try to run away. He thought that she was wary of him because they had never met before, but that did not seem to be the case.
Her slightly spacing out expression kept poking out and hiding again. Soon enough, Shin reached the tree behind which the girl was hiding.
“Good morning.”
“….good morning.”
Shin tried a greeting, which was returned by a whisper. It wasn’t clear if the girl really wanted to hide or not, as only her face came out of the shade when she looked at Shin.
She was leaning forward, so her shoulder-length hair hung in the air.
“Er, I think this is the first time we meet. My name is Shin, I came to help Marino. What about you?”
“….Luca.”
“Luca, I see. Well, nice to meet you.”
“Um.”
Luca nodded slightly and stepped out of the shade. Her height was about 110 cemels. Her animal ears, the same color as her hair, sometimes flicked and moved.
Because of the game’s systems, the avatar’s height was based on real life height. Shin thought that she was a bit too small, as in a bit too young, to play a game like that.
“Ah! Luca! Teach was looking for you!”
Shin looked back and found Teppei and Ryohei, along with Marino and another person, a woman wearing sister-like clothing.
After hearing Teppei’s voice, Luca flinched and hid behind Shin. Her hands, gripping her sleeves, were trembling.
“Teppei, you’re too loud. You’ll scare Luca away.”
“Ah, I’m s-sorry.”
Teppei apologized right away: he had no intention of scaring Luca.
“So you were here, Luca. I was looking for you.”
“…..I’m sorry.”
Luca replied while looking at Marino, who had caught up to them.
“Come on, let’s go back to the orphanage first. Ryohei, Teppei, you two especially!! You haven’t prepared to leave with Garozzo, right!? Quit standing around and go get ready!! Move it, brats!”
“Yes ma’am!!”
After getting yelled at, the boys sprinted back to the orphanage, as ordered by Emil, the orphanage’s supervisor. A very beautiful woman, she had waist-length light blue hair and emerald-like eyes.
Her nun-like attire made her look like a devout believer at first glance. Her personality and speech, however, were quite far apart from the common idea of a nun.
Emil’s speech was coarse and she was rather quick with her hands. On the other hand she was very reliable and caring towards the people around her.
Looking at her taking care of the orphanage kids, Shin thought she looked more like a tough mother than a nun.
He never said it to Emil herself, of course; it would only make Emil’s basic equipment, a nail bat, cry for blood. It was not a weapon feared not for the damage it caused, but for its horrifying look.
“Marino, you and Luca take care of the usual work.”
“OK, leave it to me.”
“Luca, you better do what Marino says, got it?”
“Ok, got it.”
The “work” was handling requests given by NPCs. It was a precious source of income for the orphanage, since many of its players could not go out in the field and hunt monsters.
Marino had already done them many times, so it was unlikely that she needed help.
Luca also firmly nodded to Emil’s words.
“Guess I should go over there?”
Shin looked towards the square where Teppei and Ryohei were play fighting before. A group of boys with sponge blades were waiting.
“Yeah, you’ve got our spunky brats to take care of. They have energy to spare after all. Let’em go wild enough to make them stop thinking of sneaking outside. I’ll be the coach.”
Shin visited the orphanage irregularly, so Emil decided what task to give him each time. Naturally, most of the time it was taking care of the kids.
The only rule was for Shin to not go hunting or to use skills to gather items or Geyl.
—-If you have to go hunting for the sake of the orphanage, take a rest instead.
—-Rather than that, make sure the kids can go back to the real world as soon as possible.
That was the opinion of Emil and all other orphanage collaborators.
They had accepted that Shin would sometimes give them a hand, for a change of pace.
“OK, today your opponent is me. Don’t hold anything back!”
It was not the first mock battle for Shin and the boys: they charged at him without hesitation.
Ryohei and Teppei, who were supposed to prepare to leave, mingled among the other boys at first, but Shin quickly flicked them back towards Emil, who grabbed them by the neck and took them away.
“Well, that’s about it.”
About 2 hours after the battle between Shin and the spunky army started, the little valiant warriors clearly showed signs of exhaustion, some lying down on the ground.
This exhaustion had no visible gauge, like HP or MP. Players with high HP or VIT would not get tired as easily, so it was said to be a hidden stat.
Exhaustion caused several demerits; attack power and movement speed decreased, while received damage increased. It could be healed via recovery magic, so it wasn’t a big problem, but the only user present at the moment -Emil- did not do anything, so the square looked like a battlefield of fallen soldiers.
“Crap, you’re too strong…!”
“Adults can’t fight seriously against…kids…!”
The unperturbed Shin was met with praise and complaints from the kids, but they were all too tired to complete their sentences.
“Got it, brats? Out there it’s packed with dangerous monsters that would send even battle maniacs like him flying. Don’t you ever dare go out on your own!!”
“Got it—!”
“We’d die for sure…”
The kids’ answers were really exhausted too, to the point that one would wonder how much they had really understood of what Emil said.
“OK then, Shin, your next job is….hm?”
“Is something wrong?”
Emil stopped halfway through her sentence and looked towards the door leading to the garden; Luca was peeking from behind it. Next to her, Marino was laughing, a bit awkwardly.
“She did that this morning too…is Luca always like that?”
“Nope, not really? She’s always scared shitless of people she sees for the first time, especially guys like you. She came here only a while ago though, so there’s still plenty we don’t know about her.”
Emil then added “Never seen her like that” and motioned at Marino and Luca to come closer.
“See, Luca, let’s go?”
Thanks to Emil’s gesture and Marino’s encouragement, Luca finally came out of her hiding spot behind the door. While walking, though, she skillfully hid behind Marino and stared at Shin at the same time.
“Er, we meet again.”
“Um.”
Shin spoke to Luca, a bit awkwardly, and for some reason she stopped hiding behind Marino and grabbed Shin’s trousers.
“Ah…er, what is this…?”
“Hmm, seems she took a liking to you. Pretty rare.”
Shin was even more confused because of Luca’s behavior, while Emil commented with a grin.
“What’s the matter with Shin, Luca?”
“….looks like my brother.”
“Is that so.”
Marino’s answer to Luca’s words was somewhat dry.
Shin wondered why, when he received a voice chat message from Emil.
“(Luca’s brother is already dead.)”
Luca, originally, was only logged in because her brother needed a certain number of players to create a guild.
Learning that she was only 5 years old, Shin understood the circumstances. Even elementary school students played VR games now, but he couldn’t imagine that a girl of pre-school age would want to play a game where PKs existed.
In the small time until she logged out, however, the world had changed.
Her brother and his comrades had departed, leaving Luca in a field for beginners, to never come back, as Emil explained.
(“How old was her brother, by the way?”)
(“He had just entered junior high, it seems”)
(“…I don’t know if I should be happy or not.”)
You look like my junior high school brother —-having similar height or facial features would be one thing, but if their mentalities were similar it would be pretty shocking for Shin.
“We might as well have Shin take care of Luca today.”
“That’s a nice idea. Here!”
Emil apparently came up with the idea on the spot, but Marino caught on immediately and put Shin and Luca’s hands together.
Luca’s hands were soft and very small, even more so when compared to Shin’s.
Rather than holding hands, it looked like Shin’s hands were wrapped around Luca’s. Shin realized again how young she was.
“OK! Today you can count on me!”
“….ok.”
Luca’s hands gripped Shin’s tightly.
Shin, Marino, and Emil smiled at her reaction.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 10 - Frozen in Warmth/The-New-Gate-Volume-10-Frozen-in-Warmth-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_10_Chapter_01_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 3
The scene was a lavishly decorated room. In this exaggeratedly luxurious chamber, two young men could be seen.
One sat on an ornate chair, a glass of wine in hand. His intricately decorated clothing suggested that he was a member of monarchy or nobility, and on his hand was a ring with a large ruby sparkling.
A longsword with a gemstone-studded scabbard was propped against the man’s chair. An expert would have noticed that it was the unupgraded version of the Ancient-grade weapon 『Excalibur』.
The man’s name within the game was Aldo.
“So, where’s that guy fighting now?”
“It appears that as of yesterday, part of the Houzand continent has been liberated. At present, roughly 40% of the continent has been liberated.”
The other man answered, while kneeling before the first. Based on his dark green hooded mantle and easy-to-move-in boots, his job appeared to be a hunter rather than a magician.
His name within the game was Robin Hood.
“Tch, his clearing speed really dropped this past month. What’s he wasting time for? He’s supposed to be a maniac whose only talent is playing games!!”
Aldo shouted while pounding his fists on the chair. His brownish blonde hair became slightly disheveled.
“Considering the increase in difficulty, I would not consider it to be strange that his clearing speed decreased, sir.”
“Player skill means being able to do something about that, right!? Hmph, even with all the money and time they waste, this is all they can do, I suppose.”
Aldo clearly looked down on players. The reason was that he was not a “pure” player himself.
The avatar Aldo used had been created and provided by the management. It used data from an event monster, Arthur Pendragon.
Its stats were 800 on average, and its equipment -while of basic rank- was all Ancient-grade.
It was something completely excessive for a THE NEW GATE beginner.
(The last dungeon too was usually conquered only in parties… he really has no idea how incredible it is to clear it solo.)
Robin mumbled to himself. Having played normally, he fully understood how incredible Shin’s feat of clearing the dungeon on his own was.
Unlike Aldo’s avatar, Robin’s avatar was an ordinary one. He had focused his stat points on AGI and DEX and specialized in reconnaissance. His fighting style was mainly attacking from a distance with his bow and poison.
Even so, while he could sneak into dungeons, he did not think of challenging bosses. He had no chance of winning.
“Hey, Hagiwara!! Are you listening??”
“Ah, yes, my apologies. I am. However, even if we wanted him to hurry up, it would be all for naught if he ends up dying.”
Robin gave a serious answer, keeping his annoyance at being called with his real name to himself. Aldo insisted that they should just push him harder, but anyone would understand that such a method would not increase the dungeon clearing speed.
Aldo and Robin’s relationship, simply put, was that of superior and subordinate in a company.
Aldo was the son of a patron of THE NEW GATE, who provided the game’s management with capital. Thus, Robin was once again forced to listen to Aldo boast about the avatar that the management had prepared for him.
Aldo had overheard Robin talk to other players about the game in the company and coerced him into becoming his attendant.
Robin never regretted his carelessness more than that time. How liberating would it be if it was only the death game trapping him. His stress level was high enough to make him think such ridiculous thoughts.
“Hmph. Bring him here then. If he’s a gamer, I’m sure dangling some kind of clearing reward in front of his eyes will make him work harder.”
“Would it not be easier for us to just let him proceed as he wants?”
“I’m getting sick of waiting. I want to return to the real world. Do you know how many months have passed since this situation started!? I can’t even enjoy a woman with this body. The alcohol just gets you halfway drunk, and the cigarettes are terrible too. Who could put up with this crap!!”
Aldo became irritated while talking, and pounded on his chair again.
Robin gritted his teeth, barely managing to avoid shouting, “You go and clear dungeons too then!!” to the man on the throne, and let out a small sigh without Aldo noticing.
“I will try to talk to him, but please remember that I can’t do anything if he refuses.”
“Do SOMETHING! Or you’re getting demoted! No, fired!!”
“U-understood, I will go convince him!!”
Robin left the room, cursing and lamenting his relationship with Aldo under his breath.
He wanted nothing more than to tell Aldo to go do it himself, but he could not afford to go against him now. In the real world, Aldo was a high-ranked executive whose word had great importance within HR, while Robin was nothing but a rank-and-file employee.
Surviving in this world was important, but so was keeping his career in the real one.
He had a family to sustain; for their sake, Robin had no choice but to swallow his pride.
“But there’s nothing I can do about this…”
Robin had heard much about Shin, who stood on the frontlines of dungeon clearing.
In the first month after the Death Game began, it was even possible to visit Tsuki no Hokora, but now, it had changed locations and no one knew where it was. The only options were to find him in a city and talk to him, or to ask an information broker.
“I want to see Rie and Emi…”
Whispering the names of his wife and daughter, Robin’s silhouette was lost within the town’s crowds.
On the other hand, Aldo was now alone in the room, still indignant.
He gripped his wine glass with a bit more strength, and shattered it. Thanks to the room’s self-cleaning function, the spilled wine and glass fragments sparkled and disappeared.
“Shit!! And after I managed to use my connections to play easily!! What the hell’s this death game!!”
Aldo still didn’t regard the game world as reality. Despite his high level stats and equipment, he had left dungeon clearing and boss fighting to others, so he had no idea that fighting on the frontlines meant to stake one’s life.
He had only ever fought low-level monsters, such as slimes and goblins. Because of the stats difference, even if he received an attack, the damage would be zero, while the damage he inflicted was completely overkill.
Such one-sided beatings would have never made him think that the risk of death was very real.
“Okay then, what to do until he comes back… hm?”
Out of the blue, a bell signaled the arrival of guests. The maid he had created as a support character had already gone to greet them.
Aldo’s menu displayed two individuals.
One was a savage-looking man in dark brown armor. The armor and its decorations were riddled with cuts and damage that increased his wild appearance even more. His hair and beard were unkempt. He looked just like the boss of a band of thieves or mercenaries.
The other was a handsome-looking man in silver armor. With blonde hair tied behind his head, and with features normally only seen on TV or in magazines, he has the appearance of a knight, completely contrasting with his companion.
Looking at their strangely realistic faces, Aldo thought that they might have used the full scan avatar feature, which replicated the players’ real appearances.
No matter how one looked in real life, however, they wouldn’t stand out much in the game world. Handsome or beautiful characters were a dime a dozen, to the point that some players even deliberately twisted their looks.
The menu screen displayed names, levels, and jobs of the two men.
“Gargalla and Vlad? Never heard of them before. Both level 255. Jobs are Magic Swordsman and Dragon Knight, huh? They seem to have pretty good gear, I guess they’re game maniacs too.”
Players could pay real money to obtain equipment, but such gear came with the penalty of never matching the players’ level and stats.
Aldo’s 【Analyze】, also provided by the management, showed that neither Gargalla nor Vlad’s equipment had such penalties.
(“Shall I let the guests inside?”)
“I guess they’ll suffice in killing some time. Yeah, let them in.”
Aldo chose “YES” from the “Authorize entrance? YES/NO” window that appeared on his menu. A short while later, the two guests entered the room led by the maid.
“I thank you for allowing us to visit you. My name is Vlad, pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“Gargalla.”
“No need for useless greetings. What do you want?”
Aldo replied in rude manner to Vlad’s smiling greeting and Gargalla’s cold self-introduction. It was hardly proper behavior to welcome guests, but Vlad did not seem offended in the least.
“I saw Mr. Robin leave here with a rather serious expression, you see. I was wondering if we could assist you, good sir.”
“You should have just asked Robin then.”
“I thought talking with the person giving orders would be quicker. Besides, I might be more useful in case of secret orders, you see.”
A friendly grin appeared on Vlad’s lips.
Secret orders. Aldo’s eyes narrowed at these words.
“Please, don’t be alarmed. I apologize for gathering information without permission. But my comrade and I share the same goal as you.”
“My goal?”
“Indeed. You wish to go back to the real world quickly, yes? And for that, you want that man, who’s taking his sweet time, to hurry up. Am I wrong?”
Aldo did not think it strange that another man thought the same thing as himself. On the contrary, he thought that it was absurd that other players didn’t say anything to Shin.
Hearing the words “go back to the real world”, Aldo was now convinced that he understood the reason why Vlad had shown up.
“And you people are able to do that?”
“We can. We have reached a rather high level, if I may say so, and therefore if we contact him as “dungeon clearing partners”, I doubt he will ignore us. And if he does, we have other ways to force him to listen to us. Gargalla here is an expert in such methods.”
What Vlad alluded to were unsavory methods. As Aldo glanced at Gargalla, the latter cracked a slight grin.
“I’m a specialist in that field. Plenty of experience, yeah?”
Gargalla’s expression brimmed with confidence.
Normally Aldo would not have had the guts to dirty his hands with illegal activities, however having been trapped and unable to log out for such a long time, what little patience he had quickly ran out.
Aldo thus nodded without hesitation, sparing no thought to the fact that this would pass the burden to someone else.
“Leaving this to just Robin will accomplish nothing so I’ll be counting on you two as well. And so, what do you want from me?”
Even if their goals were the same, Aldo didn’t believe the two guests wouldn’t ask for a reward.
The two guests’ smiles widened at his words.
“Please let us take care of the dungeon clearing affair. As for the reward, I would like you to procure some weapons. Of course, that is after we succeed in spurring that man to action.”
“Hm? You have yours already, don’t you?”
“It is embarrassing to admit, but there are few blacksmiths capable of forging rare weapons. And that man is the most skilled of them all. I also do not have a death wish. I apologize for such a rude request, but could you please accept it?”
Vlad gave a courteous, deep bow, which pleased Aldo very much.
“So be it. But it will only be done if you succeed, remember that.”
“I am very grateful. We will act right away, so if you will excuse us.”
Vlad bowed again, then headed towards the exit of Aldo’s home.
“Wait! I have not heard that man’s request yet. I don’t want to listen to any illegal requests later. So, what is it?”
“Hm? Ah, me.”
Gargalla turned only his head back and smiled defiantly.
“I just want to fight against Shin. Not his current half-assed and slacked self, but when he’s really serious..”
Gargalla said nothing else and followed Vlad outside.
“….tch, creepy fellow.”
Gargalla’s smile had given Aldo chills.
Outside Aldo’s home, Vlad quickly hid his face with a helmet. Gargalla then caught up to him.
“Hah, to think that he’ll let us handle the case with an explanation like that. Having a superior like that would surely be tough on the subordinates.”
“Damn right.”
Vlad knew about the relationship between Aldo and Robin. They had visited while Robin was absent precisely because he had collected this information.
His words of understanding towards Aldo’s plight concealed Vlad’s disdain for the man. Gargalla also shared similar sentiments.
“That Aldo too, if he acted himself, the dungeon clearing would surely become at least a bit faster. That avatar is such a waste on him. If only there was an avatar exchange function available, I’d make very good use of it.”
“Right, the guy inside is total shit. Nothing remotely interesting ‘bout him.”
Someone with a powerful avatar, equipped with Ancient grade equipment, that had not participated in clearing any dungeons.
For players who were earnestly striving to clear the dungeons, Aldo was an infuriating existence.
He could have at least been more helpful with clearing the dungeons that were currently being conquered.
Instead, Aldo spent his days doing nothing, entrusting even the smallest tasks to Robin.
Vlad had concealed his feelings in Aldo’s presence, but he despised him. Gargalla, on the other hand, found him utterly boring.
“Well, since we’re going to use him, the dumber he is, the better.”
“Yeah, for your actual job.”
Vlad was a scammer in real life. Because of this experience, he knew that Aldo planned to use him and Gargalla.
I would never be cheated, I could never be used by others. Vlad had seen through the fact that Aldo was rife with such groundless confidence.
“Well then, time to start then. My just duty is to set him free, after all.”
“As creepy as always, man.”
“I’m not seeking your approval.”
With those words trailing behind, Vlad disappeared into the bustle of the city.
“Haha, a High Human…! I hope this will be a lot of fun…”
Gargalla then walked away, in a different direction than Vlad.
Unbeknownst to Shin, ominous shadows were drawing closer.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 10 - Frozen in Warmth/The-New-Gate-Volume-10-Frozen-in-Warmth-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_10_Chapter_01_Part_04.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 4
Shin had been tasked with caring for Luca; they knitted and took naps together, surprising everyone around them with how well they got along.
Marino and Emil would sometimes drop in to check on them, but Luca was never unmanageable.
Although she was a bit shy at first, by the afternoon she had completely opened up to Shin.
“What can I say? It’s pretty surprising.”
Holly, a female player, expressed her surprise upon seeing Shin interact with Luca. As one of the advanced players who collaborated with the orphanage, she was also on friendly terms with Shin. Soft-spoken and serene, she was especially popular with the younger children.
“Eh? What is?”
“Well, kids like Luca are pretty hard to care for if you’re not used to it, you know? Especially for a man, like you. Or so I thought anyway.”
It was now an hour past noon, signalling nap time for the children.
Lying down together with them, Shin watched over the sleeping Luca.
“Yeah, that could be because I have a little sister too.”
“Oh really? Ah, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry into your real life circumstances.”
“That’s all right. I have two brothers, one older and one younger, and a little sister. Looking after our little sister is our duty, right? My brothers and I took turns taking care of her. Compared to Luca, however, my little sister was quite the handful as she was always wandering off.”
Perhaps due to similar ages, Shin’s little sister was most attached to their little brother. Despite that, Shin was relatively experienced in taking care of children because of her.
“You said it before, right? That your brothers never played THE NEW GATE?”
Marino, who was caring for the other children, noted that she had heard about the topic before.
“My little sister did. But luckily she wasn’t involved in this mess.”
“If she had, I bet you would have rushed to look for her.”
“Oh, I’m sure she could survive easily, so I wouldn’t really be worried.”
“Is she really strong too?”
“Frankly speaking, yes, very much so. Not only are her level and stats high, but she also has high movement speed.”
Shin’s little sister also played THE NEW GATE, and because of her ability, had become rather famous. The two siblings had kept their distance within the game, so few knew of her connection to Shin.
“She can make even you say something like that? Is she as powerful as my husband?”
“Yes, well you could say that I’m biased since she’s family, but my sister is probably superior, as far as player skill is concerned. Though, Shadow’s player skill is amazing too.”
Shadow was Holly’s husband and also famous for his skill.
Shin’s words surprised Marino.
“Better than Shadow? Your little sister is amazing too, then, in a different way from you. Are your other brothers this special too?”
“No, they don’t even play THE NEW GATE, after all.”
All of Shin’s siblings loved videogames, comics, and animation, but his oldest brother was busy with work and did not partake much in such pastimes anymore. Shin’s little brother liked comics more than videogames, so the only one to play the same games as Shin was his little sister.
She wasn’t that interested in comics or animation either. Even within the same family, likes and hobbies were all different.
“Hn…”
Shin looked back towards Luca, who shifted slightly in her sleep, and realized that her right hand had somehow started gripping his left. She was still asleep though.
“Looks like she wants to keep you close even while sleeping.”
“My, I’m afraid you won’t escape easily, big brother.”
Marino smiled and Holly lightly teased Shin.
With an embarrassed laugh, Shin’s gaze turned towards the hand Luca was holding. He could have escaped her grip all too easily, but he did not feel like moving away anytime soon.
“Holly and I will take care of the other kids, so Shin will stay with Luca. Is that ok?”
“Of course. And Shin, when Luca wakes up, be at her side, ok? This morning she threw a fit because you weren’t there.”
This was what Teppei and Ryohei had mentioned when Shin and Marino arrived at the orphanage.
Luca had lived alone for about 2 months after her brother and his party disappeared. There was no one she was familiar with among the people around her, so she was deeply afraid of losing someone she knew, as Emil had told Shin in secret.
Emil had slept with her the previous night, but had woken up early to prepare the children’s food, leaving Luca alone in the process. There was no one with her when she woke up, so Luca started loudly crying.
“OK, got it. If I have to go somewhere, I’ll let someone know first.”
There were other players in the orphanage other than Emil, Marino and Holly. Shin was acquainted with them all, so he wouldn’t have trouble calling someone if necessary.
The game world did not require using the toilet so unless there was an emergency, Shin would have no trouble staying with Luca until she woke up.
“OK, I’ll leave her to you then.”
“Take good care of her, all right?”
Shin watched them head off, then looked again at Luca’s face and her hand, still holding his. He then added a little more more strength in his grip.
As if in response to that, Luca’s expression became more serene.
Luca opened her eyes around thirty minutes later. Naptime was always half an hour, so apparently her body had memorized it.
She was still in a daze at first, but when she saw Shin next to her, she felt slightly embarrassed to have her sleeping face exposed, despite her very young age.
“Afternoon is free time, right? What do you want to do?”
Making children work too much felt wrong, so either mornings or afternoons in the orphanage were always free activity times. Today, they all did as they pleased after waking up from their afternoon nap, given that they had already worked in morning.
Incidentally, the energetic group Shin had “fought” in the morning would help with simple jobs in the afternoon.
“I want to take a walk.”
“Outside then? Well, staying cooped up inside all day would be boring after all.”
The orphanage was pretty vast, but even going slowly it would only take a minute to walk a lap around it.
In town, it was generally not possible to reduce players’ HP and kill them. But as was the case with everything else, there were exceptions due to which the orphanage made sure that when the children ventured outside, they were always accompanied by someone who could hold their own in battle.
“No good?”
“No, a change of pace would be nice, after all. Wait a moment, let’s try asking Emil.”
Shin contacted Emil via chat, and was asked to do some shopping as well. He agreed and raised a thumb in Luca’s direction.
“Yay!”
Luca raised her little thumbs, excited.
Thanks to the item box, there was no need to physically carry things. If anything happened, Shin could react immediately, so there would be no problem.
Shin heard from Emil that the other children would stay within the orphanage grounds, so he and Luca left right away.
“Oh, you’re going out?”
The two bumped into Marino as they were opening the orphanage doors. Shin explained that he was going out for a walk with Luca and to do some shopping.
“She’s always been inside lately, now that you mention it. Yes, I also think it’s a good idea.”
Marino agreed with a smile, when Luca suddenly grabbed her hand.
“Luca?”
“Marino come too?”
Marino looked at Shin, silently asking him if something had happened.
Shin shook his head.
“Hmm, okay, I’ll ask Emil. If she allows it, I’ll come with you guys.”
“Ok.”
Unlike Shin, Marino was one of the orphanage’s central members because she often helped out there. She couldn’t just leave without a word.
Marino went quiet for several seconds to use the chat, then raised her thumb just like Shin had previously done.
“Yay!”
Luca repeated the same gesture again.
“OK, let’s go. Luca, don’t let go of Marino’s hand, okay?”
Shin had Luca take Marino’s left hand, so she would not get lost in a crowd.
“The other hand is yours then, Shin.”
In response, Marino put Luca’s right hand on Shin’s.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay!!”
With both her hands being held, Luca beamed with joy. Shin and Marino smiled at each other.
After leaving the orphanage, the trio first headed to the grocery street to procure meat and vegetables. The street was crowded with players who had agricultural jobs, offering the products they grew to other players coming to buy ingredients for dinner.
“—–yes, please give me the usual. Ah, but I need one more of that meat.”
Shin had been entrusted with the shopping, but Marino carefully selected what to buy. She always shopped like this for the orphanage, so the store owners treated her with familiarity and also responded well to her bargaining.
“Big sis Mari, wow…”
“Isn’t your bargaining skill already active when you start shopping? You’re also using a real negotiation skill.”
Shin and Luca were impressed by Marino’s skill.
“—-agh, I can’t just say no to you, can I! Consider this a thank you for always buying my goods! I’ll give them to you for 70. Now get lost!”
“Thank you very much!”
“By the way, are those two with you, missy?”
“Yes, they are, why do you ask?”
The owner looked at Shin and Luca, then grinned and whispered to Marino.
“Well ya see, shopping while holding hands with a kid… doesn’t that resemble a couple of newlyweds? You’re gonna make single dudes like me green with envy, darnit!”
“N-Newlywhat!? What are you saying!?”
Marino stuttered in response, unable to say the full word.
“Anyone would think so, little lady. But yeah okay, enough jokes for today.”
“You can’t just joke about things like this!!”
“You didn’t really hate it though, didja. You were grinning, missy!”
“!?”
Marino abruptly hid her mouth with her hands. Incidentally, Shin heard everything.
He came closer, thinking it was time to lend Marino a helping hand, when the owner’s expression turned deadly serious.
“I’m not an information broker or anything, but you’re a precious customer, so I gotta tell ya. Make sure the little girl don’t hear.”
“Hm?”
Shin gently pressed his hands on Luca’s ears, who had tilted her head after hearing the man’s words.
“Please.”
“Yeah, I’ll be quick. They say that a bunch of PKs started being active again lately. Ever heard of “Ouroboros’ Hollow?” Even some advanced players have fallen victim to them. We’ve been told to keep alert.”
“I’ve heard the name, yes. Their members all have pretty high stats, or so I heard.”
“Ouroboros’ Hollow” was composed solely of PK players.
The players who were only acting out that role in the game and had no intention of truly killing had long left the guild. The ones who remained were actual murderers.
The guild that killed players for fun had now turned into a true assassins’ guild.
“I have no idea what they’re thinking, but some of em’ even target small kids. Which yer’ orphanage has a whole bunch of. Better stay on your toes, ya hear me?”
“Thank you for giving us such important information.”
Marino thanked the concerned owner.
As the man had said, the orphanage was a prime target, because of the weakness of the players inside and the grave consequences such an act would cause. It was also a fact that there were those who preyed on the weak with no particular reason.
“Don’t mention it, missy. It’d be really sad for a face I know to disappear…ah, you can let her go now.”
After the owner’s words, Shin took his hands off Luca’s ears.
“You finished talking?”
“Yeah, sorry for covering your ears all of a sudden.”
“….no, I have been defaild*…you must take responsibility!”
(T/N: defaild* Defiled was misspelled on purpose, Luca is supposed to not know what she’s saying)
To Shin’s apology, Luca put her hands on her hips and puffed up her chest in protest. The gesture itself was quite comical, in complete contrast with the very serious tone of her objection.
“Hey hey man, what are you teaching to a little girl like that…?”
“Like I would!! Really though, where did you learn that…?”
“Teppei said it’s a good thing to say to boys. It isn’t?”
“Of course it isn’t. It’s better not to use those words much.”
“? ….okay.”
Luca didn’t actually know the meaning of what she had said, so she honestly nodded.
“Well then, guess I’ll have a little “talk” with Teppei once we get back.”
“That’s true. Better inform Emil too.”
“You’re smiling, but not happy…?”
Marino and Shin’s lips were smiling, but their eyes weren’t, which confused Luca quite a bit.
“Hahaha, nothing to worry about, Luca.”
“Yes, we’re going to take care of everything. OK then, shopping’s done, so let’s go for a little walk. Have a nice day, sir.”
“Sure, you lot take care!”
They bade farewell to the shop owner, then Marino held Luca’s hand as the trio walked on.
As Kalkia was one of the hometowns, players had set up all sorts of shops.
Commodity stores with healing medicines and everyday goods, open-air stands with handmade equipment, eateries with waiters running around taking orders. The great variety of shops and people made it entertaining just to look at them.
Luca, happily walking between Shin and Marino, enjoyed the sights too.
“We’ve been out a while already, better go back.”
Fun times go by quickly. When Shin checked the time, it was already past 4 in the afternoon.
THE NEW GATE included a season system too; seasons would change roughly each month. The current season was autumn, so the sun would set early. It was already noticeably darker compared to noon hours.
“We go back, already?”
“Yes. If it gets dark everyone will worry.”
Luca seemed disappointed, so Shin promised that he would take her on a walk again.
When they returned to the orphanage, the children who had left to help with work had come back too. Some girls who noticed Luca’s return invited her to play with them.
Marino would often sleep over at the orphanage, but because she would stay at Shin’s place for a while, Marino went to report to Emil.
Waiting for Marino to come back, Shin was at the orphanage’s gates, lost in thought while looking at the sky.
There, one man approached him.
“Excuse me sir…could you tell me if you really are Mr. Shin?”
“….yes, I am, and you are?”
Shin turned towards the man. He quickly activated【Analyze】, which displayed the man’s name as Vlad, his level 255.
“My apologies. My name is Vlad. I hoped to visit Tsuki no Hokora and happened to see you here, so I took the liberty to approach you directly.”
Vlad’s polite speech and demeanor did not seem particularly suspicious.
“Is that so. What exactly brings you to me then?”
“I am actually in the middle of clearing another dungeon, and the area before the boss contains some very powerful poison. I thus wanted to ask if you possibly could share some recovery items. The parties involved in this clearing effort are composed of members from the guilds “Savage Lions” and “Yatagarasu”, led by Lao of the Explosive Legs corps. I have heard that you are acquainted with Lao, so if necessary you could contact him.”
The strength of the poison probably made it impossible for the players to cure it fully using their skills.
Shin asked about details of the area and quickly figured out what the man was referring to.
“That must be Bloodred Poison. It’s true that very few players in the whole game can recover from that, I think it can’t be helped.”
Bloodred Poison was a particular negative status with far worse effects than normal Poison. Players with INT less than 900 could only mitigate its effects through skills. This status also lasted for a considerably long time, so defeating a boss while under its effects was hardly doable.
“Understood, I will prepare some recovery items for you, but wouldn’t it have been faster if Lao just sent me a message via chat?”
“Lao is now heading to the dungeon. He did not want to burden you, but the other leaders decided that prolonging the mission would be difficult because of scarce resources and the members’ morale diminishing. As such, I have been entrusted with delivering the message.”
Lao said that he would have contacted Shin if the current dungeon clearing mission failed, at least according to Vlad.
He had approached Shin now probably because there was a high chance of failure at present.
“I shall take my leave then. I thank you for your assistance.”
Just as Vlad had turned to leave, Marino came out of the orphanage.
“Sorry for the wait, Shin.”
“No, you came just at the right time.”
Shin welcomed Marino with a smile.
“Er, did I interrupt you?”
“Please do not worry, as I was about to leave. Farewell, then.”
Vlad gave a small bow and left.
“Tch, I had heard of her, but…what’s with that woman!?”
After leaving Shin, Vlad slipped in the crowd, then quickly turned into a back alley.
He couldn’t help blurting out his annoyance and was relieved to see that no one was around to hear.
“Filthy player trash parasitizing Shin…should just go die already…”
Vlad continued cursing with a menacing tone that he had completely concealed when talking to Shin.
A member of Rokuten, the strongest guild, and the only player who had achieved max stats.
Vlad could barely imagine how much time, money, and dedication it took to achieve such a level.
“Aah, but to cleanse the trash heaping around him is my noble duty. Gahaha, it’s supposed to be a chore, so why do I feel so excited?”
Shin was a player that Vlad admired. The glorious sight of Shin sweeping through the opposing team by himself in a guild vs guild battle had moved Vlad’s heart, despite the fact that it was just a game.
When he first started playing he focused on raising his level and stats, but now that his avatar was stronger, he only spent his efforts on things related to Shin.
“The strongest shine the most when they are alone at the peak. The cursed star that shines the brightest within Rokuten…I shall bring back your true brilliance.”
An insane laugh echoed in the alley, without reaching any ears.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 10 - Frozen in Warmth/The-New-Gate-Volume-10-Frozen-in-Warmth-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_10_Chapter_01_Part_05.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 5
“Hey, who was that person?”
“Hmm? He’s from a party that’s currently clearing another location. It’s a bit of a nasty place, you see. He came to request some recovery items. I know the leader, so I’ll ask him for details.”
“I see….”
“What’s wrong? You’re making a weird face.”
Marino’s expression had drastically changed; she now looked concerned as she stared in the direction Vlad had gone.
“Something wrong with that man?”
Assessing Marino’s gaze, Shin guessed that Vlad was the reason of her worry.
“I’m not too sure, but, he was glaring at me with a really cold look.”
“He glared at you?”
Shin frowned. He could not think of a reason why anyone would resent Marino.
Despite it being widely known that she worked in the orphanage everyday, there were whispers that she received preferential treatment as Shin’s lover. Such groundless resentment was already a thing of the past.
“I guess we should be careful.”
“I don’t think they’d do anything in these parts though.”
In the city, a Player’s HP could not reach zero under normal circumstances. No matter how high another player’s stats or what skills they used, it would be impossible for them to kill a player within a city.
In the game, some burglar players targeted stores, but it was only stores set up outside of the protected city limits by players such as Shin. The town was a safe location for all players.
“Normally, yeah. There haven’t been any monster invasion events lately, so I’m a bit worried. During such events, even in the city…”
It’s possible to kill.
He didn’t say it outright, but that was what Shin feared the most. Monster invasion events were the reason why towns were not absolute safe havens for players.
During an invasion event, if the town defenses were breached and the monsters penetrated inside, the rule preventing players’ HP from being reduced below a certain threshold value was removed. In other words, during such events, it was possible to PK even in town.
It was a fact that became largely known after the invasion event that happened two weeks after the start of the death game. This event had generated several casualties.
“It’s going to be okay, don’t worry. Even if an invasion event starts, we just need to make sure the town’s defenses hold up.”
“Well, yes, that’s true…”
After the first invasion event, many players and guilds invested heavily in protecting the towns. Clearing dungeons was, of course, important, but without a place to return to, it was ultimately meaningless.
Thanks to the upgraded town defenses, monsters had successfully invaded towns only during that first event. It was not strange for Marino to say that there was nothing to worry about.
“I’m more worried about you, Shin. You’re clearing dungeons by yourself, so no one would be there to help in case it was necessary.”
“Hey, I’m always making sure it’s safe enough to go on. I didn’t max my stats for nothing, ya know?”
Not even Shin would go face bosses without scouting first. Based on the strength of the Gigantes Moss, the last boss he fought, he answered rather optimistically that there were no problems yet.
“Even if you say so, I’m still worried! Listen well now, in the next dungeon, and the one after that, and the one after that too, you absolutely must come back safe and sound, okay!? If you die I’m joining you as soon as I can, got it!?”
On the other hand, Marino was dead serious. She grabbed his lapel and looked straight into his eyes, while hers brimmed with tears.
“O-okay, I’m sorry. I don’t want to die either. I’ll always come back!”
Struck by Marino’s seriousness, Shin made his promise. Hearing her say that she would join him in death, he couldn’t ignore her plea.
After Shin confirmed the promise, Marino slowly backed away from him, albeit still pouting and angrily glaring at him.
“You mustn’t die, okay? We’re all going back together, all right?”
“Yes, I know. I keep my promises.”
“…no matter what, okay?”
“Yes, we made some good friends after all. It’ll be nice to meet in real life too.”
“…yes.”
Apparently satisfied with Shin’s answer, Marino affectionately squeezed his hands tightly.
“…let’s go home.”
“Yes.”
Relieved to see Marino smile, Shin started walking again. With fairly bad timing, though, the silhouette of a person appeared before them.
“Found you at last. I am truly sorry, but could you spare some time for me?”
“…you are?”
Protecting Marino behind his back, Shin confronted the man.
“My name is Robin. I came with a request for you, Sir Shin.”
The player who introduced himself as Robin bowed his head to Shin.
“A request? What is it?”
“I know this will be really rude of me to say, and I apologize in advance. But could it be possible for you to increase the speed of your dungeon clearing?”
“My dungeon clearing?”
Robin raised his head, showing his distressed expression. Seeing this, Shin sensed something different from this man compared to other players who had irresponsibly urged him to hurry up in clearing the dungeons.
“Wait a minute!! Shin is doing his best, you know!”
“Wait, Marino. He seems different from the others so far.”
Marino had witnessed such scenes many times in the past and was ready to fly off the handle at the man, but Shin talked her down, continuing to talk with Robin.
“Believe me, I am going as fast as I can…did something happens?”
“My…superior in real life told me to make you hurry up. I’m truly sorry, I know very well that the dungeon clearing parties are staking their lives, but if I oppose him my real life will be in jeopardy…to be honest, I can’t stop worrying when I think about how my family might be doing right now. My superior told me to urge you, and won’t listen to reason…”
“……..”
There were other players with situations like Robin. Shin was still a student and did not have a family to nurture.
Even so, thinking about his life after returning to reality worried him. While trapped in this world, there was no way of knowing how the real one was changing.
Because of this, Shin could understand Robin’s feelings, at least to an extent.
“I’m sorry. As I already said to others, there are new traps and unknown monsters in the dungeons that weren’t there before. Boss fight patterns are changing too. I’m trying to clear them as fast as I can, but it’s just not possible to proceed as quickly as I could with beginner or intermediate level dungeons.”
“….yes, of course. I’m sorry for approaching you out of the blue like this.”
Uttering these final words, Robin left. His distressed expression persisted until the end.
“Will that person be okay?”
“I don’t know. It’s been four months since we were trapped in this world… There are a plenty of people like him who are worried sick about the real world.”
There were no counselors or similar professions in this world. Some people stood back up on their feet, supported by others, while others fell into despair.
“There are many like him who want nothing more than to return to the real world and then there are people like PKs, who want to stay here forever.”
Marino commented with a difficult expression as they went back.
“That’s true…well, everyone’s different. What else can we say.”
“Yes…you’re right. Everyone has different circumstances…”
Marino’s expression was still clouded, but a bit clearer than before.
After returning to Tsuki no Hokora, Shin took a bath, as per Marino’s suggestion.
Dipping in the hot bath gave him some relief. He felt that it wasn’t an illusion and closed his eyes.
While Shin was in the bath, Marino prepared dinner. The menu was white stew and salad.
She deftly cut the ingredients and brought them to a boil, displaying the skill of someone used to cooking.
“Going back to reality…huh…”
Focused on cooking, Marino spoke her thoughts out loud. In reaction to hearing her own words, her movements came to a halt.
“Huh…? What was I…thinking about?”
What she had heard were her own words, but she felt like they had come from somewhere else.
When she realized the truth, she also fully noticed her real feelings. When she heard about the PKs, she was supposed to be angry. But at the same time, she thought “Yes, I can see that”.
“This is weird. Why do I….”
Marino knew that, like the PKs, she also harbored a certain dislike towards the idea of returning to reality. In fact, Robin’s desire of returning had not moved her heart in the slightest.
“This is just strange. I wanted to go back too, didn’t I?”
Too weird. This couldn’t be.
The emotions swelling in her own chest confused Marino.
That very moment, something disrupted her field of sight.
“Eh…?”
She thought she heard a thud-like sound, from far away.
“Ah…”
Her body wouldn’t move.
Just like a sudden scene change, she saw the floor, the racks, then her own arms dropping down.
“Aah…”
Then, she finally understood what was happening to her.
She had forgotten a long time ago and tried not to think about it since.
She thought that things would continue like this forever.
“So… Time’s almost up.”
The end was drawing near. The time limit drew closer.
“A little more. Just a little more…”
She tried to move her arms.
They moved, as if it was a dream that they didn’t just moments ago. She could now stand by herself. It was another attack, probably.
“…I have to tell him. I can’t cause any more problems for Shin.”
Words which didn’t come from her heart. The words of a good girl who always did what she was told.
Disappointing the person who loved her was terrifying.
But all she could leave him with were items and equipment; she felt that she had no right to be with him, that Shin would probably leave her. A girl with just a little time left to live…was nothing more than dead weight.
“But I don’t want to leave him…”
Even if her mind understood, she couldn’t accept it.
Marino’s reason and emotions completely opposed each other.
“I finished bathing!”
Shin’s voice reached her.
Hearing the voice of her beloved, Marino made her decision.
After bathing and eating dinner, there was not much to do.
For entertainment and ways to kill time, THE NEW GATE only offered some minigames, the chance of listening to the in-game local news, which consisted of an indistinguishable mess of lies and truth, or just checking the information exchange bulletin board.
Just as Shin finished browsing the bulletin board he always checked, Marino entered his room.
There were many other rooms and plenty of beds available. Despite that, the two would sometimes sleep together, so it was not strange for Marino to come in.
“….Marino?”
However, Shin noticed that there was something unusual about her.
Marino, now in pajamas, hesitatingly sat down on the bed. She took Shin’s big pillow and hugged it tightly.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?”
“No, I’m okay now.”
I’m okay now. Shin felt something off with those words. He imagined that what had happened on their way back from the orphanage still occupied her thoughts.
“I’m going to bed soon, what will you do?”
“I will too. We have to work hard…tomorrow too, right?”
With a slightly forced smile, Marino slipped under the covers. When Shin lay next to her, she timidly gripped his arm.
“Marino?”
It was not strange for her to cuddle like this. But this time she seemed tense, unnatural.
“Can we…talk a little?”
Marino spoke while pressing her face against Shin’s arm.
She was going to talk about something very important. Shin quietly consented.
“…Shin, do you think you want to go back to reality soon?”
“Well, yeah…I think that I want to go back. But, though I know it feels wrong to say, I also think that my current lifestyle is pretty fun. We don’t know who we are in the real world, and…I mean, I’m not asking for you to tell me. But in the real world I couldn’t sleep with you. So while deep down, I feel that I want to go back, a part of me also enjoys this life.”
Shin could feel like this because his level and stats weren’t reset, and because of the items and equipment he had retained.
“…..yeah.”
Marino trembled a little to Shin’s answer.
“Life for me feels really fulfilling now. I wake up in the morning, work, prepare dinner. You return and I welcome you back home…I sleep feeling your warmth close to me. Such a life makes my heart beat faster…gives me happiness…everyday.”
Marino’s grip tightened. It felt like she would not let go anymore.
“Hey, Mari—-”
“Listen to me, Shin.”
Marino stopped Shin mid-sentence and raised her head.
She had probably been crying as there were traces of tears. It silenced Shin.
“My real name…is Masaki Rino. I’ll turn 19 this year.”
During their whole time together, Marino had rarely talked about her real life circumstances.
She didn’t have to say that she didn’t want to talk about it for Shin to understand. He knew her well enough to.
That is why he felt he had to ask, after Marino suddenly revealed such information.
“…is it okay for me to know?”
“Yes. I want Shin to remember.”
“I see. Then I’d also like you to remember my real name. I’m Kiritani Shinya, a 21-year-old university student…”
Shin also revealed his real name. He hadn’t said it in a long time.
“I said it at the orphanage too, but when the death game ends, why don’t we all meet up and go out drinking or something? We could book Holly and Shadow’s place or something.”
“…yes, I’d love to.”
Marino was now smiling next to him, but there was something strange with her today.
Shin had made her laugh many times before, that’s why he knew.
Her words suggested that they would never meet in real life, that their relationship was limited to this world.
“Marino…no, Rino. Can you tell me what’s wrong?”
“The real me…is sick. The doctor said that it’s a disease with no known cause or treatment.”
Marino explained that the reason why her time within the game was limited and she never spoke about real life was because of this. She did not know when her condition would worsen, so she thought it would not be good to get too close to other people.
“Why did you get closer to me, then? I know this is just a virtual world, but you did tell me a lot about yourself.”
“Yeah…I wonder why?”
Her voice felt calm now. Even if her words were in question form, she seemed to know the answer already.
“I can say this now, but…at first, I had no intention of getting too involved. There was no way I could get a boyfriend in real life, so I wanted to try what it felt like being in a relationship, even if virtually. You’re the first one that approached me in this world, so I chose you. That was the only reason, really.”
There was no real reason. So said Marino, but her sighs made it also feel like she was just trying to convince herself.
“Yes, that was the only reason, and yet…”
The words expressed her feelings of surrender towards what had happened against her will.
“Talking, adventuring, winning and losing with you…before I realized it, I was always thinking about you. I didn’t realize that I was falling in love, until a nurse pointed it out. I have never even met you in the real world, and yet…”
Marino said that she really didn’t understand.
“The me in the real world could die at any moment. I sometimes wondered what would happen to the me here if the real me died. Then once, I wondered…how good would it be if time just continued on like this?”
“That’s…”
“It won’t. If I die in the real world, the me here will just disappear. I know it. Despite that…I can’t help hoping. My attachment to the real world, my desire to go back, is very weak.”
“…..”
Shin did not say anything. He had plenty of reasons to want to return to the real world.
But he could understand Marino’s feelings. Shin also found the current world pleasant to be in after all.
“I’m sorry. I just wanted to tell you that I’m sick, but I ended up blabbing about stuff I didn’t even…I guess I’ll go sleep in the next room tonight.”
Maybe she felt bad towards the now silent Shin. Marino got out of the bed and headed towards the door.
But he would not let her go.
“Aah!”
Shin firmly grabbed her thin arms and pulled her towards him. He pulled her rather abruptly, so Marino’s body fell towards him, putting her in his arms.
“Er, ehm…”
Marino was confused by the sudden development. She didn’t understand what Shin’s actions meant.
“I’ll come to you.”
“Eh?”
“Even in the real world, I’ll stay with you, Rino.”
In the original world, Shin was just a university student. He couldn’t cure Marino’s disease.
There was but one thing he could do: to be by her side.
Not out of compassion. Not out of pity.
He wanted to be with her. Even if there was little time left for her, he wanted to spend it together.
Nothing more, nothing less.
“I’ll be with you, until the end.”
“……”
Shin didn’t know how Marino would react to his words.
Logical or not, those were Shin’s real feelings.
“But I’m…a real burden of a woman, you know? I’m spoiled, Shin…Shinya, if you talk with other girls I get jealous right away. I also don’t have much time left to live. Don’t you understand that I’m going to die, leaving nothing but my selfish feelings? You’ll just waste time with me, Shinya…”
Responding to Shin’s declaration, Marino nervously listed off all of her faults.
Despite her words, however, her arms were now around Shin, her forehead pressing against his chest. Movements that expressed her intention of never letting him go. Shin responded by gently patting her head.
“Hey, should I believe your words or your actions?”
“…You know it already. Dummy.”
Marino raised her head a little and replied while glaring at Shin. The room was barely lit, but Shin did not fail to notice Marino’s flushed cheeks.
“If you don’t say it, I can’t be sure though, hmm…”
“You…tease. And I was so decided and all.”
Still glaring, Marino went silent for a few seconds, then whispered.
“I don’t want to be separated from you. Not in this virtual world, nor in the real one.”
“Yes, I promise. Even if this world ends, I will come meet you, Rino.”
The two then slept together in the same bed.
Wrapped in a peaceful sense of happiness.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 10 - Frozen in Warmth/The-New-Gate-Volume-10-Frozen-in-Warmth-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_10_Chapter_02_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 1
The monsters were restless.
On the other side of the mountain facing the hometown was an area players rarely set foot in.
In this area characterized by nothing but its vastness, all sorts of monsters had gathered without fighting one another.
Snake-type monsters. Tiger-type monsters. Bird-type monsters and humanoid-type monsters as well. There were even Chimera-types, fusions of several monsters.
Normally, such a high density of monsters would cause a reduction in numbers as they attack one other. However, a certain player’s presence prevented this.
Atop this area’s highest hill stood a lone player.
This player, Hameln, sighed while looking down on the monsters.
“So this is the maximum that low-grade items allowed me to gather. Causing an artificial invasion event is difficult indeed.”
Even while uttering such a line, his charming features showed the mischievous smile of a boy who had just performed a successful prank.
Hameln was 170 cemels tall and had typical Pixie tattoo-like marks on his face. He wore a gentleman-like attire, adorned with accessories here and there, complete with white gloves and a long stick held in one hand. The top hat on his head completed his gentleman-like appearance, but his demeanor was contradictory to that of any true gentleman.
A pack of monsters of all types. Controlling it in order to unleash it on a hometown was not something a sane person would come up with.
“Hmm?”
Just as Hameln pondered over his next course of action, he noticed that a monster icon disappeared from the map.
Two icons were breaking through the monster horde. Considering that the level of the gathered monsters was 300 at most, it was something any somewhat experienced player could have done.
“They’re probably thinking that they’ve found a nice hunting ground? Or perhaps they have come to exterminate the monsters because they consider them dangerous.”
Hameln activated 【Clairvoyance】 and 【Through Sight】.
His now expanded field of sight revealed a man wielding a glaive with a 1-mel long blade and another brandishing a broadsword with a very jagged blade, severely lacking in practicality.
The former, who was wearing silver armor, was named Vlad. Hameln’s 【Analyze】displayed his job as Dragon Knight.
The latter, wearing brown armor, apparently possessed higher stats; only his name, Gargalla, could be displayed.
“Oh my, he noticed me from such a distance?”
Hameln was genuinely surprised at feeling Gargalla’s eyes on himself.
It was well-known that some players sometimes felt mysterious sensations unexplainable by reason, such as “I felt someone watching me” or “I can feel someone’s killing intent”.
To be able to pinpoint the direction after only being in the line of sight for about 10 seconds, however, was something pretty exceptional.
Still in Hameln’s field of vision, Gargalla grinned. They adjusted their course towards the hill Hameln was on, blowing away the monsters in their way like pebbles.
“Heavens, their course changed. Maybe they’re the same type as I am?”
Hameln grimaced, lamenting the development of the situation.
The instant Hameln saw Gargalla’s smile, he felt that deep inside they were very similar.
He felt more displeasure rather than familiarity toward Gargalla, a perfect example of the inability to tolerate someone just because of how similar that person was to oneself. In short, it could be said that those who were very similar in this regard abhorred one another.
With this ambiguous sensation in his heart, Hameln observed as Gargalla drew closer to his position.
“Hey there. Gotta thank you for not hightailing it.”
“No need for thanks. I simply wished to confirm something.”
After roughly five minutes, Gargalla had reached Hameln’s hill.
Some time later, Vlad reached as well. They had arrived at different times, although neither showed signs of exhaustion.
“You’re slow, man!! Raise the pace, will ya??”
“Dragon knights are meant to be with dragons…please don’t ask for the impossible.”
Vlad darted an annoyed glance at Gargalla’s mocking tone. As he had implied, Dragon Knights could show their full capabilities only when accompanied by their dragons. In fact, when they were by themselves their stats decreased.
Naturally, it would have been very difficult to catch up to Gargalla, who had superior stats and equipment.
“Haha, ah, apologies for all the ruckus man. Let me tell you straight out, we didn’t come to fight or anything. Though it looks like doing so could be fun.”
“I will take that as a compliment. Now then, what brings you here?”
Hameln, who was just observing the two in silence, finally prompted Gargalla to speak.
“You’re the tamer who uses monsters to attack people outside of towns, right? There’s something ya gotta help us with. This guy here will tell you all the juicy details.”
“First you leave me behind and now I have to do all the explaining?”
Vlad voiced his dissatisfaction, but Gargalla, looked in the opposite direction while ignoring him.
Hameln, thinking that the newly-arrived duo was a pretty hilarious combination, was holding back his laughter.
“Gentlemen, please continue your bickering later. So, what exactly did you want from me? Though, I can feel that you probably share the same sentiments.”
“My apologies for showing you such an embarrassing scene. We wish to request for you to use monsters to attack a certain town. I am sure you have also grown bored of crushing small settlements, yes?”
I see, they sure did their homework. Hameln was honestly impressed to hear what Vlad already knew about him.
With the items Hameln could find, there was a limit to the amount and levels of monsters he could gather. He enjoyed observing how people fought against adversities and lately often thought about wanting to cause something more spectacular.
“I must admit, that is quite the enthralling proposal.”
“I am truly happy to hear such words.”
“With my current gear, however, all I can procure are monsters such as the ones you broke through just now. To attack a hometown fortified by player defenses, their fighting power is severely lacking.”
Just based on the level, as soon as advanced players joined in the fray, the assault would be quelled in no time. It was also clear by how easily Gargalla stomped through the monster horde earlier.
“The only reason for that, though, is item quality. Am I right?”
“Hmm. I’m not sure how you know that, but yes, you are correct. Just as average iron cannot create Ancient-grade weapons, high-grade items are necessary in order to produce good results. Well, quite obvious, isn’t it?”
Some low-grade items were sometimes necessary, in a “secret trick” sort of way, but generally if one wished to have rare gear and skills, equally precious materials or items were needed. Those, however, were extremely rare and difficult to obtain.
“Don’t worry. We have come to meet you precisely because there is something we would like you to take a look at.”
Vlad flashed a very confident smile to Hameln. It was meant to show friendliness and affability, but Hameln simply found it very suspicious.
“What will you do after making me cause a monster attack? It depends on the town too, but I’m sure you are aware that most of them are heavily fortified and defended.”
“We know, to an extent, what the conditions for the start of a monster invasion event are. Mr. Hameln, we wish for you take part in it and take control of the monsters.”
Hameln’s eyes narrowed. Using monsters to attack cities was something he was very interested in too.
Many players theorized about the conditions for the creation of such events, hoping to defend their bases better, but they had not been fully revealed.
“To be honest, I am more interested in these conditions than the items…but I suppose I will not ask. I would like to know your goals though. Some are interested in the invasion itself, but you two do not look like you would care for that.”
“Yes indeed, our goals are different. Well, we both have different ones, actually.”
PKs using invasion events to hunt for players rarely shared common goals. What they had were only their respective desires.
For Vlad, it was the desire of getting rid of the “player trash” around Shin.
For Gargalla, it was the desire of dueling strong players to the death.
Some just wanted to go on a rampage, while others still treated the current situation as a game, engaging in very dangerous endeavors.
“I see. I used to think of myself as someone pretty strange, but I see that I have good company.”
Hameln spoke without breaking his smile.
“It is quite normal to use whatever means possible in order to achieve one’s goal. Is it not?”
“It’s what they call being loyal to your desires for me.”
Neither one of the three cared in the slightest about the possible victims. Even while thinking that the other two were abnormal people, they could keep cooperating. Likely because they did not have any interest in each other.
“That’s good enough. Unleashing a monster attack on a town where a High Human resides sounds quite appealing. So, about the items and the day of execution?”
“It will depend on your monsters. How much time do you need to gather them?”
Vlad inquired as he handed the item he had brought to Hameln.
“With this item, I certainly should be able to gather monsters of a relatively high level. I would need about one week.”
Hameln made his decision after observing the item given to him, the 『Putrefaction Nectar』. The 『Putrefaction Nectar』 was dropped by Queen Rafflesia, a Trent-type advanced monster. Queen Rafflesias were monsters of considerably high levels in the 800-850 range and attacked in circular patterns using their roots and vines.
Huge flowers, roots and vines attacking in waves, branches lashing from the stem. It was difficult to decide whether it was a flower or a tree, but on the other hand it was undoubtedly a level 3 monster that players needed extensive skill to defeat.
The 『Putrefaction Nectar』 could be used to create the 『Tempting Beeswax』 and 『Hungry Beast Ambrosia』 items using a Tamer skill. The former allowed one to temporarily control monsters, while the latter, once materialized, allowed one to attract monsters up to level 700.
“One week, is it. Can we set it for 10 days from now then? Even if we know the conditions, we cannot just do it anytime we want.”
“Understood.”
Hameln nodded while pondering what could be involved in these conditions. There was too little known information, though, preventing him from reaching any conclusion.
“You are interested in the conditions, yes?”
“Yes, well, but I suppose it is better not to ask.”
“Not at all, we came to you to seek your cooperation, after all. Telling you won’t be a problem.”
“Oh? You would reveal it so easily?”
Hameln thought it to be very important information and was puzzled to see Vlad agreeing to talk about it so easily.
“That’s not a problem. It’s just a matter of time until they are found…no, I should say that while they are not made public, some players already found out.”
After this premise, Vlad started talking.
The monster invasion event creation condition, as far as Vlad knew, was either that the number of players in a town, or the number of players going outside from a Hometown, had to exceed a certain value.
The more players that were in a town, the greater the event manifestation probability, as well as monster numbers and levels would increase.
The progress of the dungeon clearing had spread the players wide, so the first condition had become difficult to fulfill, thus decreasing monster invasion events. When they manifested, it was always because of the latter condition.
“Hmm, I see. I can understand the first, but the second seems rather difficult to find to me. Did you find the answer on a stone inscription maybe?”
When game events ended, stone inscriptions with their creation conditions appeared as unique items. Some recurring events, like monster invasions, were exceptions to this rule, but from Vlad’s explanation Hameln supposed that it was the reason.
“Yes, it is exactly as you guessed. It seems that it is dropped rarely, in areas seldom frequented by players. ”
“Not even major guilds are aware?”
“Those, other than us, in charge of large numbers of people…like prominent members in major guilds probably know already. The stone inscriptions do not come in singles after all. With many people the probability of finding them rises as well. We too are employing spies to prevent information leaks, but there is no way of absolutely preventing information from spreading, thus I suppose it is better to consider it to be already known. Even if it was, there might be several reasons why such information is not revealed at large.”
Knowing the conditions could have made it possible to prevent the event from manifesting. But no guilds had ever shown such intentions, nor was such information ever revealed publicly. At most, there were some unreliable rumors, nothing else.
Major guilds had their own philosophy. This is what Hameln gleaned from Vlad’s words.
“Hehe, humans are truly never boring. Yes, I shall lend you my help. A large-scale monster invasion in a hometown, used by PKs to infiltrate the town. I do feel like I am going to see something unprecedented.”
Just imagining it all was beyond exciting. Noticing that Vlad and Gargalla were grinning just like he was, Hameln’s smile widened.
◆◆◆◆
A few days after their meeting with Hameln, Vlad and Gargalla went to visit Aldo.
Aldo’s home was located in Kalkia; it had not been just a coincidence for Robin to meet Shin on the latter’s way back from the orphanage.
“We’re going to see that guy again?”
“Yes, because thanks to the items Shin gave us, another dungeon has been cleared. After all, that too is one of our accomplishments.”
“Even if Shin didn’t do it himself? Will the man really accept this?”
“He will. These kind of people just love to interpret things in the way most benefiting to them.”
It’s just hilarious how ridiculously dumb they are. After adding this comment, Vlad knocked on Aldo’s door.
Aldo’s home, located in what could be called a quiet, luxurious neighborhood, was a mansion that towered above even the other high-end homes of the area.
The same maid NPC that had welcomed them last time appeared. Aldo seemed to be at home; soon after the maid went to report their arrival, they were allowed inside.
“Any developments?”
“Yes. Just a few days ago, we have obtained his cooperation and another dungeon has already been cleared. As proof, there is the public statement from the Savage Lions, one of the guilds which was already involved in the clearing.”
“Oh oh, you surely produce results quickly. Unlike that Robin.”
Aldo was alone in his home. Vlad had planned to just take his reward and leave the rest for a time when Robin was not present, but now decided to take the chance to do it all, grinning deeper.
“Thank you very much. Thus, I must ask…knowing full well that this might sound impudent, I would like to receive the promised reward. I promise, of course, to continue pouring every last effort into dungeon clearing.”
“So be it. You showed results, I suppose you deserve compensation.”
With an arrogant attitude, Aldo took a bunch of cards from his item box and flung them at Vlad.
Vlad barely managed to catch the flying cards. The cards’ holder name had been erased, so they did not bounce away when he caught them.
Looking at their names, Vlad was very surprised.
“『Excalibur』, First Rate Potions and Ethers? These would be worth a fair amount of money. Are you sure you can give them to us?”
Vlad had gathered information about Aldo, but would have never thought that he would give Ancient-grade weapons away.
“Even in heaps, this world’s currency is worthless. I have too many of those items too. Use them well.”
Aldo could not see what there was to be surprised about and Vlad thanked him with a wry chuckle. This man really did not understand anything.
“We shall strive to do our utmost. By the way, I do not see Mr. Robin anywhere. Is he at work?”
“What is your business with that useless fool?”
“Well, as he apparently hasn’t produced results yet, I was thinking of having him help us.”
“What could a man who can’t even call someone even do?”
Aldo’s lack of any expectations from Robin was evident.
“I heard that he has contacted Shin, but has been refused. As an apology, I was thinking of having him approach the man again. Not for a cooperation request from the clearing team, but because the life of someone dear is in danger. That would surely spur him to clear dungeons even faster. Things would become much easier for us too if he was mentally cornered enough to get rid of his hesitations.”
Vlad explained his plan of using Robin to further press Shin, without his smile ever leaving his lips.
“Hah, you’re some villain.”
“My deepest gratitude for such praise.”
“That works for me. His uselessness has started to become unbearable after all. Do as you please.”
Aldo mercilessly cut off Robin, as if ordering a broken tool to be disposed of.
Witnessing such a display of humans being objectified, Vlad thought that this man must be seriously mentally cornered, and put away the other lines he had prepared to convince him.
“Thank you very much. Then I shall start preparations immediately.”
After expressing their thanks to Aldo, the two returned to the hometown.
“Are we going to wait for that Hood guy now?”
Gargalla, who had not spoken a word during the meeting, finally talked to Vlad with a tone full of despise.
“Yes. He should be at his limits, so we have to make sure he acts on the designed day. I am sure he is desperate himself, so I don’t think it will be difficult.”
“Amazing how you get all these ideas though. I have it easy since all I have to do is watch, but it’s a pain for sure.”
“Despite that, you are quite helpful.”
“If your plan works out, I can fight him going all out, that’s why. If you fail, I’ll crush you, end of story.”
Gargalla clearly stated that his reason for cooperation was only their common goal.
Vlad responded by looking at Gargalla with a somewhat bored annoyance.
“You cooperate because we share the same goal, I know that already. But there is one thing I must say.”
“What’s that now?”
Gargalla snapped back and Vlad looked at him again, this time with a stone-like expressionless face.
“If he goes all out on you, you’re going to die, you know?”
Vlad expressed his, albeit twisted, absolute trust in Shin and his abilities.
If the plan succeeds Shin will likely come to kill the perpetrators, Vlad and Gargalla, without hesitation. That eliminated any chance of Gargalla winning.
“I’ll be trying to kill him. Nothing strange about getting killed.”
Gargalla smiled broadly, expressing how he would enjoy that too.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 10 - Frozen in Warmth/The-New-Gate-Volume-10-Frozen-in-Warmth-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_10_Chapter_02_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 2
The day before Vlad’s meeting with Hameln, Robin wandered aimlessly through Kalkia at dusk as Aldo’s words continuously echoed in his mind.
If you can’t produce any results, you’re fired.
It was something Aldo could do. After all, Robin had witnessed it in the past.
Despite that, Robin didn’t do anything for the man about to be fired. He could not do anything, afraid he too would meet the same fate.
When the times comes for me to be fired, no one will mourn for me, just like that time, Robin thought.
“Hello, Mr. Robin.”
“….Who are you?”
Robin had been walking with his gaze down, in desperation. A man’s sudden approach made him suspicious.
“My name is Vlad. I was actually requested by Mr. Aldo to urge a player named Shin to quicken his dungeon clearing. I learned that you were given instructions to do the same thing, so I was thinking that we could work together.”
Vlad explained the situation in a polite, courteous tone.
Maybe Vlad too was an employee of the same company? Robin briefly pondered over this, but he didn’t want to think about it any deeper.
“You too…terrible, isn’t it…?”
It was really terrible. How many times he had wondered, if only my boss wasn’t someone like that…
“You seem quite distressed, is something the matter? You do not appear to be affected by status ailments, though.”
Despite Vlad’s worried question, Robin turned and walked away.
“…Please, leave me alone.”
“That won’t do. You’ll be discarded like this, you know? Here and in reality as well.”
Robin abruptly turned around.
“Have you come to laugh at my misery!?”
His honest feelings erupted out. His voice was louder than expected.
“Absolutely not. In fact, I truly respect you for what you must have been through until now. I have a proposal, Mr. Robin, so would you hear me out? If you accept, I can erase the source of your troubles and dispel your worries, you know?”
“Huh?”
It took a moment for Robin to understand what Vlad meant.
Erase the source of his troubles.
That meant—
“You’ll kill him for me?”
Robin’s words clearly included a hint of hope.
“No, but…he’s strong. His avatar contains a cheat, coded in by management…most of his stats are over 800. His equipment is full of Ancient-grade gear too, stuff that you rarely get even if you pay. There is also barely any chance to kill him since he is always cooped up at home…”
“There is…a chance.”
“Eh?”
Vlad put a hand on Robin’s shoulder and whispered something into his ear. Robin stood still for several seconds.
“If you help me, I will erase him without fail. One of my comrades is in the same class as he is, you know. Excluding differences in stats, a greenhorn with a strong avatar is no match for someone who has actually fought in this world. You understand, don’t you? I heard that he doesn’t even remember all of his skills, right?”
“…yes, that’s right. He hasn’t even fought properly here.”
He can kill? That man?
Without Aldo around, Robin would not be forced to pester Shin. There was no need to kowtow to anyone. No need to run errands for others. No need to be mocked for playing a game. To run around everywhere looking for items. To venture into dangerous areas. To be avoided by the players working at the frontlines to clear dungeons.
If they returned to reality, Robin would surely be fired if Aldo was around. He would be fired without a just cause, so he would not receive any retirement bonus either.
“If so…”
“What do you think? Isn’t it an attractive proposal?”
Vlad’s voice easily slipped into his ears.
Attractive. Yes, it was very attractive. Even if it was a demon’s whisper.
“…what do you need from me?”
“Hehe. Just something, yes, something very simple.”
Vlad’s lips emitted a clear, bright laugh.
His smile was evil in a way Robin had never seen in his life.
“I want you to do just one thing. If you can do just that, my comrades and I will handle the rest.”
Smiling throughout, Vlad told Robin what he wanted him to do.
“That’s—-”
Robin was shaken by what Vlad told him.
“One person will be erased. What, you thought you could keep your hands clean?”
“But…that’s…”
“Don’t worry. You just have to bring them. There is no need to hurt the child. I’ll say it again, you just have to bring them. That will be enough.”
Vlad’s gentle voice continued.
“My comrades and I will do everything. You simply have to call one person. Is that a sin? The person you call will just walk into something unfortunate. We will be the ones to act. You will share none of the blame.”
“I’m…not to…blame..?”
A false pardon.
Robin did not want to look at reality. He did not express his doubts.
“Yes. You wish to return to the real world, free of concerns, right? You wish to meet your family, don’t you? Won’t you help us then, just a little?”
I want to see my family.
That thought made him decide.
For the current Robin, nothing except his family really mattered.
◆◆◆◆
The morning following the night Shin slept while embracing Marino. Shin woke up feeling someone wiggling in his arms.
“…..ah.”
As he opened his eyes, Shin found Marino’s face right before his, at breathing distance.
Noticing that Shin was awake, she tried to retreat.
Before she could, though, Shin’s arms moved. He hugged Marino tightly before she could jump out of the covers. Holding the back of her head, he pulled her towards him.
“Eeh!? Hey, wait, mmhn!?”
Without letting her resist, Shin went in for a kiss. After a moment, Marino stopped resisting.
“Hah…”
After the kiss, Marino seemed to lose all of her energy and just stared into space. Seeing her so defenseless, Shin thought to play a prank on the girl, but she returned to her senses before he had a chance to do so.
“W-Whuat are you doing, all of a sudden?”
Marino was not only stuttering but also out of breath, her cheeks flushing red.
“What? You wanted to kiss, right? So badly that you tried it while I was sleeping.”
“W-Well, that’s true, but…it couldn’t be helped! I was looking at you sleep and couldn’t hold back.”
Marino spoke while poking Shin’s chest. Shin, on the other hand, couldn’t stop grinning.
“No problem then. At least none for me. Rather, you can continue. Snuggle all you want.”
“That’s enough!!”
Shin opened his arms to encourage her, but Marino scampered out of the room. Shin lay down again, thinking that he probably teased her too much.
What Marino had said the night before about her illness was on his mind.
In reality, they were probably sleeping in a hospital bed. If anything happened, the doctors and nurses would likely come running. Marino was already sick, so she would be assisted even more.
Shin didn’t know what continuously sleeping could do to the body. It was possible that Marino’s life expectancy was constantly shortening. Thinking about it, he felt an urge to immediately look for a new area and clear it.
“….calm down. Rushing ahead without thinking is the worst choice in a dungeon.”
Shin jumped up from the bed and took a deep breath. Even during the game, he had sometimes picked the wrong skill and died just before clearing a dungeon. In this world, that would be utterly reckless to do.
Shin reprimanded himself not to lose his cool, but he couldn’t help feeling restless. The life of the first person he had ever loved was at stake. He could not manage to stay completely calm.
Then, he heard someone knock. As Shin responded, the door opened a little.
“Breakfast is ready.”
“Sorry, I’m coming.”
Shin apologized to the still blushing Marino and stood up. When he passed by her, he stroked her hair without thinking.
“Ehm, what?”
“Nothing, just felt like stroking your hair.”
“….that’s fine, then.”
Marino looked embarrassed but also a little happy.
Looking at her, Shin felt his restlessness dissipate.
(I have to make it in time.)
On the other hand, his drive was even stronger.
I will return alive with Marino. Such emotions burned brightly within Shin’s heart.
The heart could influence the body. Even though Shin’s body was supposed to be mere data, he now felt pumped and full of energy as if it had been strengthened.
“H-Haven’t you had enough? You’re patting me too much!”
“Hey, it feels really good to touch, so…”
He felt uneasy, but also stronger, thanks to her.
He could only do everything in his power now.
“Ok then, time for breakfast!”
“Hey! Don’t go off by yourself!”
Shin laughed wryly as Marino hurried after him.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 10 - Frozen in Warmth/The-New-Gate-Volume-10-Frozen-in-Warmth-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_10_Chapter_02_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 3
“OK, shall we go? …is what I want to say, but…”
“Meow? What’s wrong, meow?”
Shin’s words elicited a response from an all-too-sweet female voice.
After breakfast, Shin was all ready to go to a dungeon, but he wasn’t alone; Catnip was standing next to him. She was wearing her cat ears maid costume, just like she did at the shop.
The only difference from her normal shop attire was the Baghnakhs equipped on her hands. Because of Catnip’s appearance, these platinum gray-colored claws looked just like a cat’s. Their grade was middle Mythology, their completely not cute name being 『Stray Cat Fever』.
“So, what’s with the getup?”
“Shimeow, you’re going to a new dungeon, meow? I want to come with you, meow!”
As players unlocked new areas, they would be the first to add those locations to their maps. As some time had already elapsed since Shin had liberated this area, a good degree of additional exploration had already occurred.
Since Shin hadn’t completely explored the area he had unlocked, he had to fill in his map with information purchased from information brokers. Using information provided by those players who had fully explored the region, Shin had a completely updated map of the area.
“Er, yes I am going, but…were you waiting for me all this time?”
The daily activities of players varied depending on their mood. Shin was proactive in clearing areas, but even he would not visit them every day. Even if one waited beside the teleport point, there was no guarantee of meeting.
“Marimeow told me. She said that you’d definitely go to a dungeon, so I’ve been waiting since this morning, meow.”
Marino had completely seen through Shin’s intentions.
“You keep saying things like that, and your fanclub will start sending assassins after me…”
“Hehe, meow! No blushing, meow!”
“I’m honestly not joking, you know?”
Shin subtly tried to make Catnip aware of the presence of the fanclub members behind her, but to no avail. Was it on purpose or was this just how she was? Catnip was smiling broadly, but Shin couldn’t help feeling tense.
“….ok, setting aside whether or not we are going together for a moment, why are you the only one here? What happened to your usual party members? They wouldn’t like to know that you are coming with me by yourself, which is frankly quite scary too.”
“Ah…actually, when they went looking for ingredients the other day, they were attacked by PKs, meow.”
As far as Shin knew, Catnip’s area for collecting ingredients was close to the hometown. It would have been a big risk for the PKs too.
Shin remembered what he had heard from the grocery stand owner; PKs had started becoming more active lately.
The other people in the store did not seem to notice, but Shin switched to chat and relayed this information to Catnip.
“(Sorry, meow…I got a little scared. But like I said now, I’m going to avoid going outside as much as possible now. But if I do that, we’ll run out of ingredients, meow…so please let me come with you. Think of it as helping me out, meow.)”
“(If that’s the reason, no problem at all.)”
Exploring areas was not necessarily any less dangerous than venturing into dungeons, but considering the known monsters’ levels and the field’s conditions, there would be no problems in bringing Catnip along.
Shin, too, had not always explored alone, even after the death game started.
The only problem could be that Shin and Catnip had different goals.
“(I mainly explore unmapped areas, though. You’re going to collect ingredients, right? Wouldn’t it be prudent to go with some other players?)”
“(Not really, meow. In the unmapped area now, there is a place I used to frequent before the death game, meow. I’m not sure how it’s changed neow, but I might be able to find the items I’m looking for there, meow.)”
If the area was as she remembered, Catnip’s knowledge would surely help Shin. If the area had changed, they would simply proceed as in exploring a normal unmapped area.
“(Anyway, staying by your side is the safest route, meow. With your support characters, you could flip any boss on their backs, meow.)”
“(Why would I even flip them on their backs!? Well yes, I suppose I could protect you without a problem, but…)”
Catnip was an advanced player herself; she wouldn’t just be riding Shin’s coattails.
“(Your store is an oasis for all players after all. I’d be happy to contribute too. OK, I was thinking of leaving right now, what will you do?)”
“(I can go anytime too, meow. The party members know already, so no worries, meow)”
Shin nodded, albeit wondering if they were really convinced of Catnip’s need to accompany Shin alone.
Being seen teleporting together would surely spark a never-ending series of trouble, so Shin said that he would wait at a specific place and teleported to Tsuki no Hokora first. They also decided on a time, to avoid missing each other.
In Tsuki no Hokora, Shin added four of his five support characters to the party.
High Lord Filma and High Dragnil Shibaid in the front, High Elf Schnee as mobile unit. Lastly, the High Pixie Sety in the rear. Girard possessed a fighting style similar to Catnip, so Shin decided to let him hold the fort this time.
After checking the members’ equipment and items, Shin set the AI strategy to focus on defense. The AI could not make complicated decisions like players would, so this setting was for insurance.
“As long as I make sure our HP doesn’t go below a certain level and they support us, we should be OK. All frontline members can use taunt skills too.”
If necessary, Shin would have his support characters use their aggro-gathering skills and act as decoys while he and Catnip would flee. That was one reason to bring them along. Shin had never used this strategy before, but many players were saved because they used it
He had no intention of stepping in overly dangerous areas, but anything could happen in an unmapped zone or dungeon. One could never be too safe.
“OK, It’s about time.”
Shin went again to the hometown, then teleported to the area for the exploration.
The teleport point reminded him of a stone cathedral, it was an orthodox type. In order to avoid inconveniencing the other players, Shin waited for Catnip a short distance away.
About 5 minutes later, exactly at the specified time, Catnip teleported in.
“Sorry for the wait, meow.”
“I didn’t wait long, really. Let’s go.”
Shin and Catnip headed towards an unmapped zone. The thick woodland area outside the teleport point made it difficult to observe one’s surroundings. Shin decided to have Schnee go on ahead to scout the road as they proceeded.
“How is it? We just arrived, but is it as you remember?”
Shin asked while checking his detection skills.
“I can’t tell yet, meow. But the atmosphere of this woodland is the same, meow.”
The cathedral-like teleport point was exactly the same as she remembered, Catnip added.
“….Schnee has already found monsters. A level 388 Sneak Boar. That’s exactly the type you mentioned, Catnip. This info hasn’t been released to the public yet.”
Shin checked the information received from Schnee through the menu. Information about monsters appearing in unmapped areas was publicly available, but the Sneak Boar was not listed in it.
“Really, meow? But I knew about that, meow. It’s a rare monster that’s not found easily, meow.”
“I see we can expect great things from you, miss Catnip.”
Overconfidence was a taboo, but knowing what monsters could appear would let them prepare with suitable countermeasures.
“I hope the monster I’m looking for comes up too, meow.”
Shin ambushed the Sneak Boar, quickly felled it, and checked the item dropped.
Catnip was looking for Sugar Unicorns, monster that dropped sweet-type items.
If she could find some she could make new creations for her store, so Catnip eagerly searched for the monster.
“Now that I think about it, you did say that you would have become a pastry chef if you hadn’t become an idol, right?”
“Yup, meow. I think it’s nice to have a lot of dreams. I’m also doing my best, meow.”
Catnip flexed her muscles, a proud look on her face. She was probably trying to show her biceps, but her thin arms just made her pose look cute.
“What about you, Shimeow? Is there something you want to do, meow?”
“Hmm, well…I’m in university now, but I’m not exactly striving for this one thing I want to do…I like games, but if I was asked if I wanted to make one, I’d probably say no…”
“I see, meow. What about Marimeow? Has she ever talked of such things?”
“Ah…..well, Marino…”
“I know about her disease, meow.”
“Eh?”
Shin was not sure how to reply. Catnip surprised him and said something unexpected. Shin was so stunned that he froze for an instant.
“Only people very close to her know, meow. As far as I know, only I, Holmeow and Milmeow know about it.”
More people knew about Marino’s condition than Shin expected. Incidentally, Holmeow was Holly, but Shin didn’t know who Milmeow was.
“I just heard about it recently, though.”
“That can’t be helped, meow. Some things are difficult to say to those truly dear to you, meow. Marimeow was really worried, thinking about if and how to tell you.”
Some things were easier to say to other girls or adults. Catnip added this conclusion.
“Really.”
“Hehe, meow. Shimeow, not being the first shocked you, meow?”
“Gh, right where it hurts…”
“But not telling was the right choice, meow. If you knew right away, you would have rushed in the dungeons without thinking about your safety, meow.”
Catnip looked straight at Shin, not smiling anymore.
“….I can’t deny that.”
Players were now used to the situation and could retain a certain calm in their hearts. But that was not the case in the early stages of the death game. Obsessed about returning to reality, some players relentlessly urged Shin to clear the dungeons.
Thinking back on that period, Shin realized that Catnip’s guess would very likely have turned true.
“Things were really hectic then.”
“Yup, meow. When I opened my shop, some told me that I was being disrespectful, meow.”
Doing things unrelated to going back was “evil”. Such a mood reigned over the players at the time.
“Few say that now, though. A few days ago I had someone come up to me and say it…but he had his company’s boss here, who keeps nagging him about that. Looked like he had it pretty tough.”
“The people that rely on others without doing anything themselves either shut themselves in their homes or just wait, meow. But having company relations reflected in-game is just the worst, meow…”
Shin had no intention of answering to the summon, but felt compassion towards Robin’s situation. After hearing about the man’s circumstances, Catnip’s expression turned sour.
“Hmm? Catnip, there’s a monster pack ahead.”
Trying to return the conversation to the right track, Shin opened the menu and saw a message about the appearance of a monster pack, composed of 4 units. Maybe thanks to Catnip’s earnest wishing, it was a pack of Sugar Unicorns.
“I’m looking forward to your new creations, Catnip.”
“Meow!? Did you find them, meow?”
“They’re 4 in all. Let’s catch them all.”
Shin ordered Schnee to standby and changed equipment in order to boost item drops.
The card he pulled out changed to a black bow with thunder-like decorations. It was the Ancient-grade longbow 『Surging Thunder Bow』. Its shots consumed MP, and one could adjust the attack power by regulating how many MP were consumed.
The finely crafted arrows were imbued with lightning, the target hit had a high of probability of being subjected with the Hi-Paralyze status.
“I’ll stop their movements. You give the final blow, Catnip.”
“Leave’em to me, meow.”
Shin ordered the support characters not to interfere and prepared to fire 『Surging Thunder Bow』.
A half-transparent blue line appeared in his line of sight; it was a support function for aiming.
Then, Shin activated the Bow-type Martial skill 【Multi Arrow】. Blue lines stretched towards each of the 4 Sugar Unicorns.
As Shin released the bowstring, lightning-like arrows zig-zagged through the trees, towards their targets. Splitting in midair, they all cleanly struck the monsters.
Without wasting time, Catnip jumped towards the collapsing monsters.
The 『Stray Cat Fever』 Catnip equipped emitted an orange glow.
“【Greedy Claw】, meow!”
Orange-colored arc-like effects extended from 『Stray Cat Fever』’s four claws.
Unable to dodge, the Sugar Unicorns were crushed by Catnip’s 4-hit consecutive attack and vanished.
“Item drop increase, meow!”
Catnip’s words confirmed that 【Greedy Claw】’s effect had activated.
Most weapons had skills with Greedy in their names, which had the chance of increasing item drops from defeated enemies.
“Looking good, meow!”
“That’s right. Hopefully we can find the dungeon too.”
The duo continued to explore the area’s unmapped parts. They met monster packs several more times after the Sugar Unicorns.
“Shimeow, isn’t there something strange here?”
“You’re right. The monster encounter rate is too high.”
After the game had become VR-compatible, a too large number of monsters would be impossible for players to deal with, so the number of monsters appearing in a designated area had been reduced. Because of this, it was rare to encounter several monster units in less than 5 minutes.
“Could it be an event, meow?”
“There was no announcement, though. I would understand if they were bug-types, but…”
Bug-based monsters like ants and bees would appear in great numbers close to their nests. But the monsters Shin’s party had been fighting were mostly animal or human-like.
“I have a bad feeling about this. It’s dangerous to go on when we don’t know what could happen. Let’s go back for now.”
“Agreed, meow.”
As they turned back, carefully checking monster presence in the surroundings, Shin’s map showed a player icon.
“Catnip, stay alert. There’s a player coming this way.”
“I see it on my map too, meow. They’re alone, meow?”
A single icon was heading towards them. It proceeded straight on, ignoring the monsters around it.
It was probably using a concealment-type skill or item. Shin prepared for a confrontation and switched weapons to his 『True Moon』.
“My my, I am sorry, did I make you wait?”
After about 1 minute, a player appeared before Shin.
It was a young man with gray-silver hair and dark purple eyes. His waist-length hair was tied behind his neck. He talked to Shin with a pleasant expression and an innocent smile.
——-Hameln – Level 255 – Tamer
Shin’s 【Analyze】 saw through the concealment skill and revealed the man’s name.
“Do you have business with us?”
Shin asked the question while keeping a hand on 『True Moon』’s hilt. He also commanded Schnee and the others to be ready to battle.
Hameln was infamous for being a MPK – a PK that used monsters. He was said to possess very high stats.
During a guild’s PK extermination in the past, it was said that he had killed the whole group of players that had come to hunt him down. It would be foolish not to be cautious when such a person appeared.
“Oh, I would have never thought of seeing you in these parts, so I came to give you some advice, being the worrywart I am.”
“Advice?”
“Yes. Right now, groups of monsters are advancing towards all hometowns, to invade them. Trouble could arise if you don’t go back right now, you know?”
Shin and Catnip’s faces grew very tense due to the unexpected information. But if something like that was to happen, it would have been announced.
“….despite that, I haven’t heard anything from my acquaintances.”
Even saying so, Shin felt that it was more likely to be not a bluff, but the truth.
Hameln was a MPK, a specialist in gathering monsters. Shin knew about Tamer skills to an extent, but not completely. It was plausible enough that Hameln could orchestrate a mock invasion event with items or skills that Shin didn’t know about.
“The chaos and panic prevented them from contacting you, I suppose. A short while before the invasion started, some PKs have been rampaging within major guilds, you see. Haha, I too wish to go see if the defense lines will hold this time.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I’m interested in seeing how you will act. Whether you will defend the town, go hunt the PKs, or prioritize your loved ones’ safety. Which will you choose, sir hero?”
With the same innocent smile, Hameln asked his question to Shin.
“Shin, I’ll handle Hameln, you go back to the hometown!”
“Catnip?”
Catnip dropped her cat-like speech and urged Shin to return quickly, while glaring at Hameln.
“This guy always comes out after things have already started happening. He wouldn’t lie about the invasion, Kalkia’s already under attack!!”
“But even so—”
“This is not a normal event!! There’s Marino in Kalkia. The orphanage’s kids too. Set your priorities straight!!”
Shin couldn’t say anything back.
He can’t protect everything. If he doesn’t focus on what he really wants to protect, he risks losing everything.
That was something Shin learned during the death game.
“(—-I’ll leave Schnee and the others here. Use them as decoy if necessary.)”
Shin related this to Catnip via chat, to not let Hameln hear, and poured MP into a crystal. Thanks to its effect of transporting the player to the nearest teleport point, Shin vanished.
“Hmm, he prioritized his loved ones, as expected. Well, this is entertaining too.”
“You didn’t try to stop him? Must be feeling very confident.”
Catnip, in her fighting stance, asked the question to the pondering Hameln, his chin resting on his hand.
“Dear, I do not have the slightest intention of doing anything to you either. I like Lucky Cat’s sweets too, after all.”
“Don’t get in the way of business then!”
Catnip kicked the ground and closed in on Hameln, swinging her claws. Hameln stopped her wind-slicing strike with his stick.
“My apologies. Watching people fight against absurd situations is what entertains me the most, you see.”
“Sicko!”
Continuous blows from both hands. Surprise strikes, kicks. Catnip’s relentless attacks were stopped by Hameln spinning his stick, sometimes parrying, sometimes deflecting, composure never leaving his face.
Pixies did not have exceptional STR or AGI, but Hameln possessed high stats thanks to the resurrection bonus, enough to bridge the stat gap between Pixies and Humans, Catnip’s race.
Catnip was not weak by any means, but the game system all too evidently expressed their difference in ability.
“Oops, I see that his support characters are on a whole other level. It would be a bit too tiring to face you all, thus I suppose I will take my leave. I came to replenish on items, after all. Let us meet again, then.”
Hameln used a summoned monster as a shield against Schnee’s attack from the rear and promptly left.
Catnip tried to chase him down, but was deterred by smokescreens and other summoned monsters. Schnee and the party, following Shin’s orders of protecting Catnip, did not follow Hameln but fought against the monsters.
“Please, make it in time…”
After defeating the monsters, Catnip headed to the teleport point with Schnee and the other support characters, praying.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 10 - Frozen in Warmth/The-New-Gate-Volume-10-Frozen-in-Warmth-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_10_Chapter_02_Part_04.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 4
It happened just after Marino saw Shin off and started helping at the orphanage.
“I’m sorry for making you accompany me.”
“No, escorting is one of our duties. Nothing to worry about.”
As the person in charge had forgotten to stock up on ingredients, Marino brought Luca, who had begged to tag along, with her to town.
Being escorted by Shadow, Marino shopped around while holding hands with Luca. Though, the shopping itself did not take much time.
“Go for a walk! Walk!”
Walking outside the orphanage was thrilling for Luca. It also helped that Shadow had the good idea of taking a slightly longer route.
“(It would be nice to let the other kids go out too, other than when they help out with our jobs)”
“(That’s true. Most of the kids secretly play together outside anyway)”
Marino noted while chatting with Shadow that only the smaller children like Luca needed protection. Since there were so few of them now, it wouldn’t be too troublesome to organize supervised outings for them.
Just as Marino thought of inviting other children next time, the alarm signaling a monster invasion blared throughout Kalkia.
“Looks like monsters are coming. Let’s hurry back to the orphanage.”
“Yes! Luca, that’s all for today’s walk. Let’s go back to the orphanage before the scary monsters arrive, okay?”
“Okay…”
“Don’t worry. The guilds are protecting the town.”
Marino tried talking as brightly as she could to comfort Luca, who was frightened by the alarm. All defenses, since the first failed monster repulsion, had succeeded. Thanks to such results, the nearby players were not too shaken.
“See, the people around us are also calm, right? Let’s go back to everyone now.”
Marino tried to walk as calmly as possible, so Luca would not panic. Even then, she had to periodically slow down at times after noticing her pace had started to quicken.
“I’m sorry, I would like a word with you…”
Then, as if aiming for that timing, Robin appeared.
Afraid of the slowly approaching Robin, Luca hid behind Marino.
“We’re in an emergency situation. Save that for later. ”
Shadow stood between Marino and Robin. He glared at Robin sternly, ready to react in case of any suspicious movements.
“I have no business with you. I came to talk with the young lady. Please stay out of this.”
“I refuse. There are monsters approaching the town right now. Everyone’s returning to their homes. Come again after the threat passes.”
Shadow spoke with a firmer tone. He would not allow any exceptions.
“I have to take the girl with me. You’re in the way!!”
Robin suddenly shouted, spread his mantle and threw a ball the size of a golf ball.
“Hah!”
Without losing his cool, Shadow pierced the flying ball with a knife.
The ball was easily severed in two, emitting a large quantity of white smoke at the same time, making it impossible to see.
“Shadow!!”
“I’m alright, I can see. Please look after Luca.”
“Yes!”
Marino gripped Luca’s hand again. Being a seasoned fighter, Shadow would not be confused by a mere smokescreen. Or so Marino had assumed, when suddenly, a shadow appeared behind her.
“Eh…?”
Marino quickly turned around, only to find a pair of glowing eyes just beyond the smoke. Judging by the height and size, they couldn’t belong to a player.
“Gwah!?”
Marino was standing there in a daze when Shadow’s scream of pain reached her ears. Looking in his direction, Marino saw something cut through the fog and blow Shadow away.
“Monsters!? The defenses have been breached!? Tch, I’ll hold them back here, take Luca and run!!”
“Y-Yes!!”
Since Marino could not use 【Through Sight】, she was unable to see what was going on due to the smoke. However, hearing the sounds of clashing blades and seeing the light of the sparks through the smoke, she could guess.
Not much time had passed since the alarm was sounded, but one could hear screams and monster roars in the distance.
As the chat system was restricted during invasion events, Marino could not contact Shin for help.
“Marino…”
“Don’t worry, Shadow is strong, he won’t lose to some monsters. It’s dangerous here, so let’s go back quickly.”
Marino beamed the best smile she could muster at Luca and started walking away. Luckily she found a building’s wall, so they could proceed along it to an area unclouded by the smoke.
“OK, we’re finally in the main stre—-!?”
After desperately running through the back alleys, they arrived in the large street Marino often passed.
What she saw there however, was a scenery completely different from the one she was used to.
“What is…this…”
Most of the stores and stalls that lined the street were engulfed in flames. The screams of fleeing people could be heard everywhere.
Some buildings were partially destroyed due to the fighting, while the undamaged ones were struck by players being flung around.
“We have to get away…”
Borderline paralyzed, Marino’s body could move only because of the warmth coming from Luca’s hand.
I can’t let go of her hand. I have to protect her.
Such feelings supported her trembling knees.
“Just a little more, be patient dear.”
“Okay…”
Holding Luca’s hand, Marino continued walking along the walls, careful not to let the monsters spot her.
However, on a battlefield where monsters and players were engaged in furious battle, it was impossible to pass by unnoticed without stealth abilities.
A sudden explosion shook the building next to her; it had been caused by a 5-mels large dinosaur-like monster, which had smashed through the building to reach the main avenue.
Marino instinctively protected Luca with her body.
Fragments of the destroyed building rained all around them. These fragments were of unknown materials and could have much more offensive power than one would expect. One of them, unfortunately, ended up striking Marino’s back.
“Gwah!?”
Thanks to an item she received from Shin, Marino’s HP did not decrease. But due to the difference in mass between Marino and the fragment that hit her, they both were flung into the air spinning across the ground several times before stopping.
“Lu…ca…”
Marino stood up right away and searched for Luca.
In this world, as long as an avatar still had HP left and was not affected by status conditions, even if struck by an attack that would normally cause a large wound, it could still move.
Marino looked at her surroundings and found Luca who, like her, was trying to stand back up.
It was too soon to feel relieved though.
Luca had already been caught by Robin, who had appeared out of nowhere.
Marino thought she managed to lose him but Robin, who had a scouting-type job specialization, had easily tracked them. His expression was eerily cold and distant, ill suited considering the current situation, with monsters rampaging around town.
“You’ve made me waste enough time.”
“Why….?”
“You’re protected by Shin’s items. Because you won’t just follow me quietly, I had to resort to this, you know?”
His former polite speech was no more.
He had apparently discovered the fact that Marino had received a protective item from Shin.
“If you don’t want the girl to be hurt…you know what to do, right?”
“…yes. So let her go right now!!”
Marino removed the protective item and put it on the ground. Robin took the item and tied Marino up.
“Ma, Marino…”
The freed Luca, while afraid, stretched a hand towards Marino. But Robin had loaded Marino on his shoulders, far from Luca’s hands.
“I’m alright. Go back to the orphanage Luca!!”
“Shut up.”
“Ah…”
Robin’s paralyzing poison robbed Marino of her ability to move.
Carrying Marino on his shoulders, Robin looked at Luca.
“Give Marino back.”
“If you want her back, tell the player called Shin to come to this place.”
Robin threw a small piece of paper to Luca.
Luca desperately lunged at the piece of paper, to prevent it from flying away. When she finally managed to grab it, Robin and Marino had already disappeared.
◆◆◆◆
“What the hell is going on here?!”
In front of the chaos of roaring monsters and screaming players, Aldo stood dazed and confused. As he rarely left his home, he had no idea why there were monsters rampaging in the town, nor why the players were taking damage. Actually, few players knew the town defense corps had been attacked by PKs and that non-event monsters had infiltrated the town.
“S-Shit!! What equipment should I use!?”
Thanks to his avatar’s abilities, Aldo could tell the monsters’ names and levels. With his high stats and powerful gear, it would not be too difficult for him to protect himself.
Due to his lack of knowledge of the game, however, he didn’t know what weapons or effects would be useful. It took him around 10 minutes to realize that the basic equipment of Arthur Pendragon, the basis for his avatar, was the strongest available.
When he finally finished equipping it and started thinking about what to do next, something unexpected happened.
“Hyah!?”
His home’s ceiling suddenly collapsed. Something must have fallen on it. The booming sound and the falling debris made Aldo scream in surprise.
“Hey there. Still alive?”
“A person!? W-what? What are you doing, you bastard!?”
Realizing that the person speaking to him was one of the two visitors who had come to his home just a couple days before, Aldo forgot the terror he had just felt and furiously yelled at the man.
He had no idea what the man was thinking, but to think that he would do something so insane.
“What am I doing? What any other PK does, man.”
Paying little attention to the destruction, Gargalla walked closer to Aldo, a savage smile on his face.
“What are you saying?! What’s going on here?!”
“Hey now, are you for real? You didn’t see the monsters busting through town? You were holed up in your house in this situation? Just because you have 【Wall】 and 【Barrier】 up…man, you’re so done.”
While looking at the man with contempt, Gargalla lifted his main weapon, different from the one he had carried during his visits to Aldo’s home.
It was the lower Ancient-grade 『Giant Slayer』, a battleaxe with a black handle and flame-like patterns.
It was a weapon that increased in power the larger the difference in stats between the user and the target: a weapon designed to literally slay those greater than the user. The stronger the opponent was, the more powerful it became. However, because it did not work on those weaker than the user, it could easily lead to a disadvantage if it wasn’t used with attention.
For the current situation, however, there could be no better weapon.
Aldo, who was a total beginner with nothing but high stats going for himself, could never hope to match someone who, despite his stats being lower, had grown stronger through PvP battles.
“In order to get here, I had to deal with many persistent and hard-to-kill monsters, so I’m feeling damn stressed right now. Your avatar is better though, so I really hope you’ll let me have some fun!”
As he finished uttering these words, Gargalla attacked the armored Aldo with his battleaxe. The latter did not expect in the least to be attacked and received the blow squarely, without defending in any way.
With a metallic sound, like iron pipes striking against each other, Aldo flew across his home, bursting through the wall and landing on the adjacent block’s moat.
“Gh…what are…you…”
Thanks to his stats and equipment the blow wasn’t fatal, but the suddenness of the situation had left Aldo unable to think straight. He tried to push the rubble away and get up, only to notice a blade swinging down towards him.
“Gwah!?”
A critical hit, and Aldo’s helmet was removed from his head. Overwhelmed by confusion, Aldo didn’t even realize that his head was completely uncovered now.
“Hey, hand over all your items, now. It’d be a shame to have them all disappear, right?”
“Uh…?”
Aldo’s mouth could only utter a lame reply. Gargalla hit the man’s dazed face with a strong punch, to help him regain awareness of the situation.
“Hyeeh?!”
Grasping the situation, Aldo quickly scattered the items in his possession.
“T-This is all I have! It’s all here!! So please don’t—-”
“No more use for you then.”
Gargalla stepped on Aldo to keep him pinned to the ground, then swung down his axe.
“NO—”
Leaving no time for last words, the booming strike wiped out Aldo’s upper body. After a few moments, his lower body disappeared too.
“So pathetic it was almost depressing.”
Receiving a blow from 『Giant Slayer』 on his helmet-less head was enough to ensure that Aldo would die. In THE NEW GATE, critical parts like the neck and the heart were set as the players’ weak points. The head and heart were especially weak; hitting them could cause instant death.
Gargalla confirmed that Aldo had disappeared from under his feet and relaxed his stance, sighing.
Before the instant death strike brought Aldo’s HP to zero, the damage caused by previous strikes was not too high. The avatar’s stats should have been high enough for any mid-level player to not be killed so quickly and easily.
While he was not expecting much, Gargalla still felt his frustration mounting.
“…hmm, might as well add some more reasons here to fuel him up.”
Gargalla’s lips formed a grin, with an evil streak that would have made anyone present shiver.
After collecting the dropped items, Gargalla checked the direction and started moving towards the orphanage.
Shin reached the orphanage around the same time Luca did.
Seeing Luca teeter back on her own, Shin felt even more worried. The monster invasion event limited chat use temporarily, so he still didn’t have a grasp on the situation.
“Luca!”
“Shin…Shin!!!”
Luca’s eyes were filled with large tears. Shin grabbed her as she was about to fall, and the little girl broke out in tears.
Hearing her cry, Emil rushed out of the orphanage.
“Luca!!”
Seeing that she wouldn’t stop crying, Emil’s expression became clouded.
Shin had a bad feeling about the situation.
“First of all, let’s go inside. Thanks to your barriers the monsters haven’t come inside, Shin.”
“That’s right. Let’s go, Luca.”
Shin took Luca in his arms and was about to walk towards the orphanage, when Luca -who had regained some composure in her sadness- thrusted a piece of paper in front of Shin’s eyes.
The piece of paper she had gripped desperately, so as not to lose it, showed the coordinates of a location within Kalkia.
“This is…?”
“They took Marino away…all because I said I wanted to go on a walk…!!”
Luca kept crying, her face warped by the tears. Despite her young age, she was tormented by the guilt of having caused Marino’s kidnapping.
“It’s all right, I’ll go save her. Luca, you wait here with Emil and the others.”
Shin wiped Luca’s tears and entrusted her to Emil.
“Marino…will be okay?”
“Yeah, leave it to me.”
Shin flashed the biggest smile he could, so that Luca would not worry. After patting her head, he turned his back to her and walked away.
As soon as he exited Luca’s field of view, the mild expression peeled off Shin’s face. More than someone who was going to save somebody, he looked like a man who was going to start a massacre.
Shin started running towards the location signaled by the coordinates, the anger he felt clearly visible on his face.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 10 - Frozen in Warmth/The-New-Gate-Volume-10-Frozen-in-Warmth-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_10_Chapter_02_Part_05.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 5
About 10 minutes after Shin’s departure, Gargalla arrived at the orphanage.
Holding 『Giant Slayer』 high, he maintained his running speed as he raced along the roof-tops and jumped up.
『Giant Slayer』’s blade, boosted by the acceleration, was then swung down on the orphanage’s barrier.
The skill-boosted blow made the barrier shudder. Shin’s 【Barrier】 and 【Wall】 could withstand most blows without problems, but a strike from an advanced player wielding an Ancient-grade weapon would not leave it unscathed.
Each blow triggered a counter of magic attacks, but Gargalla swept them away with his battleaxe. As the barrier was located within the city, the magic attacks’ power was limited too.
“Damn, this is one tough barrier!! But… There we go!!”
【Barrier】 and 【Wall】 finally started showing cracks; seeing concrete effects of his attacks, Gargalla shouted in joy.
“Maybe High Humans aren’t that good at defense?”
THE NEW GATE included few defensive skills, and normally offensive skills tended to have higher proficiency levels.
The skill Gargalla used had the effect of causing additional damage to barrier skills or armor. If one kept attacking and no one reinforced the barrier, it would eventually break down.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing!?”
“Whaat?”
Gargalla turned towards the voice and saw a woman.
“Whoa, now you look pretty strong, don’t you.”
【Analyze】 could not display her stats. Gargalla, though, possessed a rare ability. By looking at the player’s stance, he could determine their fighting prowess. This unusual talent was what allowed him to survive for so long.
“You’re on the High Human’s side too?”
“You mean Shin, yes? What are you trying to do anyway?”
Saying so, the female player -Holly- took out her short wand. In an instant, she activated a defensive skill and created offensive magic on standby in mid-air.
“Damn, you’re fast. A normal player needs more time to activate so many skills…you’re VR-compatible, yeah?”
Gargalla mentioned the term used to refer to those who adapted to the relatively new VR environment faster than its creators expected. It was not a discriminatory term, but since such players could activate skills faster than others and control their avatars more efficiently than average players could, some whispered behind their backs that they were cheaters.
Gargalla did not mean to discriminate. In fact, his tone betrayed his heightened expectations. Holly responded by unleashing her magic; fire bullets, wind blades, and more flew towards Gargalla.
Gargalla dodged the ones which would explode, thus creating a larger area of effect, and knocked away the single-target ones with his battleaxe.
“A magician attacking from the front!? Now this is fun!!”
Holly unleashed several magic spells in a wave-like formation, and Gargalla gave up on dodging, instead charging straight towards Holly.
He activated a skill that enveloped his body in a red aura and gave him an explosive acceleration.
Axe-type Martial skill 【Dreadnought】.
This skill prevented all damage to the user for a few seconds while they were moving, making it one of the most dangerous among all charging-type martial skills.
It was often used in party battles to blow away the opposing front lines and attack the rear.
“Haahaa!!”
Gargalla charged close to Holly, repelling her magic attacks, and swung his axe down.
For Holly, an experienced rear fighter, Gargalla’s skill was nothing to be surprised about.
Rear line fighters who could use powerful magic were, along with healers, the first targets in party battles. Thus, they were well aware of the skills used to break through the front lines and attack them. 【Dreadnought】 was especially famous for its effect, and several countermeasures existed.
“I’ve seen that too many times already!”
The instant the battleaxe was supposed to rend Holly’s body, her figure smoothly -but very quickly- bent and moved away.
She did not move far enough to escape the battleaxe’s range, but the blow that was supposed to crush her just blew her away.
Holly spun in mid-air and landed gracefully; her HP had been reduced by about 10%. Normally, one third should have been shaved off.
“You’re good. Haven’t seen many rear fighters like you.”
“I can’t be happy even if I’m praised by the likes of you.”
The skill Holly used was the Wind-type Magic skill 【Feather Step】, which generated wind around the user’s body, to raise movement speed and lower received damage. It allowed acrobatic movements, but few managed to master it.
“Why not? Gotta accept compliments when you get’em!”
Looking genuinely excited and happy, Gargalla swung at Holly again.
In response, Holly created an elemental wall of ice and earth to stop Gargalla, increasing the distance between them in an instant. Her wand, pointed at Gargalla, emitted a thin purple bolt of lightning.
In the short time Gargalla would have needed to break down the wall, she had prepared the most powerful spell at her disposal.
“Blow him away!!”
Thunder erupted from the wand.
Gargalla was rushing towards Holly, but had jumped to the side when he saw her wand light up.
“Tch!”
The thunderbolt was supposed to blow past him, but changed directions in midair, following the man.
Gargalla barely managed to block it with his battleaxe. Despite managing to defend himself from Holly’s powerful strike, he wasn’t smiling anymore. He did not think that Holly had used a wall-type obstacle just to prepare an easily detectable attack with some homing properties from the front. His battle instinct told him not to let his guard down, and it was right.
“Gwah!?”
The second after Gargalla parried the purple lightning, thunder struck from above. That was the magic skill used by Holly.
“Kah, you really are tough!”
Not caring about his diminished HP, Gargalla charged towards Holly again. He had lost a mere 30% of his total HP.
Gargalla was a heavy fighter type, focused on STR and VIT. He was thus prepared to counter light and thunder magic, which excelled in speed.
“….!!”
Even if her enemy was drawing closer, Holly kept calmly launching magic spells. A close combat bout between a mage and a magic warrior, however, would have a clear victor.
Even if she was VR-compatible, using attacks focused on speed meant that each blow was light. Some of the most powerful spells needed time to be charged.
Gargalla had seen through this, so he gave up on using skills and simply charged forward, ready to take damage.
Despite the barrage of spells, Gargalla swung the battleaxe, destroying Holly’s wand; however, its blade didn’t stop there. Along with the wand, the axe tore through her robe and rent her body asunder.
“Darling, I’m sor—”
Holly’s last words were silenced by the booming sound of the second swing of the battleaxe.
The first swing had cleaved Holly’s torso in two, while the second had crushed her head. The second blow was a critical hit with instant death properties.
Within the smoke and dust, a small white visual effect sparkled. When the view became clear again, nothing remained.
“OK then, next up the kids and the guards…hm?”
Gargalla was planning to bring down the entrance and break in, but looking at his map made him furrowed his brow.
The internal structure of all buildings, except public ones and the ones he was affiliated to, could not be seen from outside. The interior of buildings was treated like a different area.
The only way to see inside the buildings was to actually go inside and map them.
The map did not display any players, the buildings simply stood silently. All Gargalla could hear was the occasional scream or noise of crumbling buildings.
“I see, so that woman came out alone to buy them time to flee.”
If they really meant to defeat him, it would be ridiculous not to confront him in a group.
“Sure pulled the wool over my eyes. Guess I’ll just go back to Vlad and—!?”
A shadow suddenly appeared right behind Gargalla as he was about to turn back. The blade swung by the silhouette cut through his armor, but Gargalla managed to jump out of the way before receiving damage.
Gargalla still had not regained his balance, but the silhouette continued to attack fiercely. With a sound effect like shearing through the air, the attacker’s blade rushed towards Gargalla.
“Wooohhh!!!”
Gargalla, while using hs battleaxe as a shield, released the Flame-type magic skill 【Fireball】towards the ground, using the wind caused by the blast to gain distance from his opponent.
A few seconds later the black-haired man, Shadow, appeared from the smoke and dust. His armor was in pieces, his HP less than half. Proof that he had broken through the monster hordes to get here.
“What’s this now? We’ve got a parade of interesting people today!!”
“You…”
Gargalla was overjoyed to witness the arrival of another strong fighter, while Shadow prepared his weapon, nothing but wrath on his face. The hate seething within had completely changed the usually mild-mannered man.
“YOOOOOUUUU!!!!”
Shadow’s daggers swung at the same time as he screamed. It was a continuous attack based on the ninja’s superior speed and was boosted by skills. The advanced player’s attacks targeted Gargalla’s weak points as if sucked in by them.
“What, you’re way sloppier than I expected.”
The light streak-like slashes were blocked by Gargalla’s weapon and armor. He had regained his balance and now faced Shadow head on; receiving his blows diagonally cut their offensive power by half. It was an alternative use of the skill 【Parry】, used to deflect attacks.
Gargalla’s armor was inferior to his battleaxe in grade, but it still was a high quality item, dropped by monsters in a dungeon. As long as he didn’t receive it head on, it would not be destroyed by a single blow.
“WOOOOOOHHHHH!!!”
“You didn’t hear me…? I said, YOU’RE SLOPPY!!”
Shadow attacked while howling like a furious beast, and Gargalla roared back.
Shadow’s attacks were fast, but nothing more; because of the fury clouding his judgement, they lacked all the technique they originally had.
As a PK that had fought other players to the death many times, Gargalla would not overlook such a thing. He blocked the slashes with his gauntlets, let the armor’s defensive power take the less powerful blows and drew closer to Shadow.
Gargalla kicked the ground to accelerate, then delivered not a swing with his trusted battleaxe, but a shoulder tackle making full use of his high STR and VIT. An orange-colored effect enveloped his body.
Barehanded-type Martial skill 【Shoulder Bomb】.
It was a counter-type skill often used by players who, like Gargalla, focused on defense more than speed.
“Gwah!?”
Shadow was wary of the battleaxe, but in his enraged state he had failed to consider the possibility of a full body tackle. The dagger he instinctively pulled up as a shield was blown away by Gargalla’s armor, leaving Shadow’s torso open to the vicious blow from Gargalla’s armor-clad shoulder. Shadow was blown away several mel, crashing into the orphanage’s wall.
The reinforced wall cracked and partly collapsed, as clear proof of the power of Gargalla’s tackle.
“G…wah…”
Shadow, crawling on the ground, desperately tried to stand again. Because of 【Shoulder Bomb】’s effect, however, he was now affected with paralysis and could not even stand.
His anti-status effect equipment, along with his armor, had their durability reduced to zero by Gargalla’s attack and disappeared. His HP was now less than 20%.
“The mage woman that was here before you was so much better.”
His words got a reaction from Shadow. With an expression that in the real world would have likely been shedding tears of blood, Shadow reached towards his dagger with his barely moving arms.
“You’ve got more killing intent at least. If you had fought me together, it would have been fun, I bet.”
Sighing at this lost opportunity, Gargalla raised his battleaxe while looking at the writhing Shadow. Even if lamenting in pain, the killing intent had not vanished from his eyes.
Gargalla never spared promising players, even if there was hope for a future bout. Even if fighting at full power would have proved an enjoyable experience, if they couldn’t escape their fate at the time, he delivered the coup de grace without hesitation. That was one of the rules he imposed on himself.
“So long.”
The battleaxe came down.
The dully shining blade was about to sever Shadow’s neck—when, with a clanging sound, it was knocked away.
“What the?”
He looked at Shadow closer and noticed a half-transparent film covering his body.
“Tch, it’s over then. Earlier than I expected.”
The film was a town-only automatic skill that prevented all damage to players, 【Law of Order】. The fact that it was active again meant that the monster invasion event had ended.
Gargalla only realized when he saw it that he couldn’t hear the monsters roaring anymore.
“Guess I got too much into it. Well, nothing else I can do now.”
Even Gargalla couldn’t hurt other players now that the hometown had recovered its functions. There was no point in staying there anymore, so he left.
With Shadow’s eyes full of killing intent fixated firmly on his back, Gargalla left while grinning evilly.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 10 - Frozen in Warmth/The-New-Gate-Volume-10-Frozen-in-Warmth-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_10_Chapter_02_Part_06.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 6
Upon hearing that Marino had been kidnapped, Shin rushed straight to the specified location.
He didn’t even spare a thought about the monster invasion event being a coincidence or not.
Using one of the monsters prowling the streets as a foothold, Shin jumped on the roof of a building. Any bird monsters trying to blow him away would get swept away with skills, but Shin ran forward without even glancing at the items they dropped.
What filled his heart and morphed his expression was worry.
The piece of paper Luca had showed coordinates and Marino’s condition. What worried Shin was that Marino’s life was in danger.
The paper said that Marino was affected with “Bloodred Poison”. If that was the truth, he had to reach the specified location as quickly as possible.
Unlike a normal Poison status, which would leave at least 1 HP, the Bloodred Poison would continue consuming the player’s HP until it was healed or enough time passed. The continuous damage it caused was also much higher than regular Poison; with Marino’s HP, she would not survive long.
“Please let me make it in time…”
Even though Kalkia was a medium sized hometown, it was rather wide. There were houses for tens of thousands of players, after all. With monsters in the way, not even Shin could traverse it quickly.
He had shortcut skills to speed up movement, but because of the restrictions imposed by the invasion event, they could not be used at the moment.
“Out of the way!!”
A dinosaur-like bipedal monster, Dynorex, poked its face in from the main road, but Shin blew its head away with a punch and secured a path. While the monster decomposed in a myriad of polygons, Shin had already shifted his attention elsewhere.
“HYAAAHHHH!!!”
That moment, several silhouettes appeared from behind the monsters, targeting Shin.
The assailants were not one or two. It was clearly an organized group of PK’ers aiming to kill Shin. All of them, flashing twisted grins and readying their weapons, launched magic spells.
“Tch, of all the times…!”
Shin ignored the spells that would be automatically erased and rendered the PKs powerless with non-lethal skills.
There were also advanced players among them, however; many of them could not be stopped with just one blow. Shin would have never succumbed to them as long as he was careful, but he did not have a single second to waste.
“Better enjoy the party while it lasts!!”
“Shut the hell up…I said get out of my way!!”
Shin had no time to deal with the PKs, but now even the monsters were gathering around him.
One on one, it would have been nothing to worry about, but if attacked in swarms like that, even Shin could not solve the situation quickly.
With both monsters and players attacking, the buildings crumbled because of the fighting. Magic arrows and bullets flew in from everywhere.
Each one of them seemed to exist just to be an obstacle on his path.
“OUTTA THE WAY!!”
Warmth, kindness, and hope gradually slipped away.
In their place, worry, fear, and rage gradually filled his heart.
Just as if another person began to inhabit his body, the more time passed, the more the person called Shin changed.
All obstacles between him and his destination were an eyesore. An irritation.
His emotional change influenced his body too.
Blow away the rubble with magic and create a path—just as Shin formulated this plan, a PK appeared before him.
Shin could not react because of the now narrower field of view, but his body instinctively swung 『True Moon』.
“Gah!!”
『True Moon』’s blade struck the PK’s chest, as if drawn towards it. It crushed the PK’s armor and pierced through to his back. A critical hit. The PK’s HP dropped to the red zone.
It wasn’t an instant death slash, but because of lingering damage the PK would last only a few more seconds. But despite being in mortal danger, the PK did not recover or leave and continued grappling with Shin.
“Haha, now you’re a murd—”
Unable to finish his sentence, the PK exploded in a shower of polygons.
But there was no need for him to finish his sentence. The word he had been about to pronounce was “murderer”.
“………screw off.”
Shin regained his balance in midair and landed on a building.
He had taken a life. A human life.
But after committing one of the so-called taboos for humanity, what Shin found himself saying…were not words of regret.
—Why are you in my way?
I did what I could to avoid killing you, but you came to die regardless.
—-what will you do if I am late because of you?
—-what will you do if I get there and nothing is left?
Dead players leave nothing behind.
“No…”
Fear—-the strongest emotion that Shin felt in this world was fear.
Many had high expectations of him. He was afraid of betraying them.
He fought with players other than himself. He was afraid that misusing his power could end up with him killing others.
Monster attacks decreased his HP gauge. He was afraid to see death creep closer and closer.
What was now filling Shin’s chest was the fear that Marino would die because she was involved with him. It terrified him more than betraying or killing someone, more than his own death.
“Guess I…don’t need to hold back anymore, right?”
Even if he held back, trying not to kill the PKs, they would use that against him. If he missed and hit a monster, he would have to defeat that monster completely too. Both monsters and PKs were trying to kill him without a care for his thoughts.
“You’re coming to kill me, so I can kill you too, right? There’s no reason to leave PKs alive, is there?”
These questions served the purpose of removing Shin’s self-imposed bonds and worked as an ultimatum to the PKs.
What returned to him were not words, but blades ready to kill.
“…….”
The approaching blade was met by Shin’s 『True Moon』.
After a very brief resistance, the PK’s longsword snapped. 『True Moon』 did not stop, cutting through the opponent’s armor and cleaving it in two along with the body it adorned.
“Khah….”
The PK, his body severed in half, left a guttural laugh behind as he vanished in a burst of polygons.
Shin looked at his arm, which had swung the blade to the end, and thought.
“Yeah, this way is definitely faster.”
He finally felt free from the annoyance he experienced before and hopeful about making it in time. There was no trace of guilt in him for the life he had just taken.
Humans are not shy of sacrificing others for the sake of their loved ones.
The people present there were also unworthy of any pity or pangs of conscience, even if they were sacrificed.
“(Don’t get in my way. If you do, you die.)”
A single phrase to express everything Shin felt.
Cutting down the PKs that, relentless, came to attack him, Shin checked the shortest path to his destination. He released a magic skill that traveled on a straight path and rushed behind it, as to chase it.
No matter who or what blocked his path, he would slash, crush, break, and kill. For Shin, the PKs were now equal to the monsters invading the hometown.
“I’m coming.”
Faster, faster.
Using the wind caused by the magic skill’s blasts and the enemies’ attacks, Shin accelerated towards the destination. His avatar could not exceed the current speed, but using other elements allowed him to go faster.
His feelings towards killing had changed, but his concern was not completely dispelled.
Maybe because he now knew about her illness, he couldn’t stop picturing a suffering Marino in his mind. He kept trying to ignore such thoughts as he pushed forward.
About 20 minutes after he left the orphanage, Shin arrived at the specified location. It had taken him around two times the normal time to reach it.
There he found three people. Robin, Vlad…and Marino.
“Did I…make it in time…?”
Maybe she had recovered with items or skills, or she wouldn’t have any HP left. The status ailment appeared to be still affecting her, as Marino’s status clearly showed the words 【Bloodred Poison】. She still had about 40% of her HP.
After confirming Marino’s condition, Shin stopped for a moment. He made sure that no one was hiding nearby to ambush him and activated 【Hiding】, preparing to rescue Marino.
Just then, however, Vlad pulled out his blade and pointed it at Marino’s neck.
“I know you’re there!! Come out!!”
Robin, who was next to him, shouted. They had sensed his approach, apparently.
“I-If you don’t come out, I don’t know what will happen to her!!”
As to stress Robin’s words, the tip of Vlad’s sword pressed harder on Marino’s skin. Marino’s HP, which were already lower than half, decreased a little more.
“…..”
Shin felt something black and thick, like tar, swell in his chest.
It was different from the feeling of cutting down the PKs and monsters standing in his way. It was something clearer, a vivid desire for murder.
“I’m right here!!”
After activating several magic skills, Shin appeared before Vlad.
“Yes…now I’m finally free of him!! Now I just need to go back to the real world and everything will be alright!! Hahaha!! Hahahahaha!!!”
In utter contrast with the expressionless Shin, Robin was rejoicing. Shin did not know what was the reason behind this outburst of happiness, but it was hardly the time to think about that.
Marino, immobilized by paralysis, implored Shin to forget about her through her expression. But he would never grant such a request.
“I came, just like you wanted. Now let Marino go.”
“Shut up!! Now you just need to clear the game and everything will end!! Go back to clearing dungeons!! Noooowww!!!”
Robin’s clearly abnormal reactions started to concern Shin. Responding emotionally would be meaningless in cases like this.
Shin turned his eyes towards the smiling Vlad.
As he did, Vlad put a hand on Robin’s shoulder.
“Sir Robin, please calm down, or…”
“Ah…yes, I got it…”
Vlad appeared to be superior in the relation between the two; Robin quieted down like a put out fire.
“What’s your goal?”
“My goal, you say. Let me see. I suppose it would be this very situation.”
“What?”
Shin was confused, but Vlad retained his smile.
“You are strong. Among the players present in this world, you are worthy of the title of strongest. Despite standing on such a peak, you would have me allow such trash to associate with you?”
“……”
Shin’s eyes narrowed.
He was basically saying that Marino was useless for someone like Shin.
Vlad’s gloating expression clearly showed that he fully understood how these words disgusted Shin. Shin could understand such a way of thinking.
”I couldn’t care less about your selfish nonsense! Give me back Marino!”
Shin ran forward even before finishing his sentence. He ignored the obviously inferior Robin and targeted Vlad, whom he believed to be the main culprit.
At the same time, the ground around the spot where Marino was lying swelled upwards, forming a barrier as to protect her and projecting spikes made of soil in four directions at the same time.
The branch-like protruding spikes knocked Vlad’s -who had quickly dodged- sword away and pierced Robin -who failed to react in time- in the right shoulder and left thigh.
Shin had activated the Earth-type magic skill 【Earth Branch】, which was usually created around the user, around Marino instead.
Shin had not gone closer right away after being called out because the skill required a certain time before activating when used at long distances.
After temporarily separating the two from Marino, Shin went on to attack Vlad. He could not rest easy after just knocking his sword away.
There should not be any other players in hiding, but Shin focused on the grip on 『True Moon』, thinking of getting rid of such a troublesome opponent as soon as possible.
“Oh my, you’re skipping the hostage and coming straight at me?”
In response to Shin’s charge from the front, Vlad took out another sword. That same moment, a shadow appeared above Shin.
The creature that had pulled in its wings and suddenly started descending was an Elder Green Dragon. At level 701, it was a monster only advanced players could dare to face.
Vlad’s main job was Dragon Knight. It was unusual for him to be fighting without a dragon, but it appeared that he had kept him on standby at a certain distance.
Shin glanced at the flying dragon and concluded it wouldn’t be a threat. Based on the speed of its fall, Shin would lock blades with his opponent faster.
Shin’s 『True Moon』 swung towards Vlad. But an instant before their blades clashed, a yellow effect enveloped Vlad.
The effect that struck 『True Moon』 emitted a loud, hard sound and shattered. Thanks to that Vlad could block Shin’s weakened blow without losing his balance, albeit while carving a track on the ground with his feet.
“YOU…!!”
Shin’s voice brimmed with anger. He noticed that the shattered effect came from the item that originally protected Marino. The item that Shin had given to Marino for self-defense now sparkled on Vlad’s neck.
“As expected of a High Human. I would have been in real trouble if I had used my normal weapon.”
Vlad then jumped away from the clash. Shin tried to reduce the distance again, but the flying Elder Green Dragon unleashed its wind breath to oppose him.
As monster breath was an attack that possessed both physical and magical properties, even with high magic resistance Shin could not fully negate it. The damage itself was minimal, but the breath blocked his sight and made it difficult to attack.
In addition, there was something else clearly bizarre about Vlad.
(This is weird. Why does he have two of them?)
Shin was looking at the weapon Vlad was wielding.
In THE NEW GATE, some items had limitations in the number that players could equip at the same time. The sword that Vlad equipped on each hand, 『Excalibur』, was one of them; a player could only equip 1 at any given time.
“Never mind that now.”
It was not the time to think about that. What was needed now was to cut down Vlad as soon as possible.
Ancient-grade weapons had far higher durability than others, so destroying them would prove difficult. Shin activated another magic skill.
The thunder lance and light bullets, launched with no chanting and thus little to none preparatory movements, left afterimages in the air.
It was a blow that Vlad could not avoid as long as he hadn’t focused heavily on AGI. It weakened as it closed in on Vlad, however, and ultimately took off just 10% of his HP.
“You raised your resistance with items, huh?”
“Correct. Thunder and light cannot be dodged easily, so I prepared adequate countermeasures.”
He had not been affected by the thunder skill’s paralysis either. He had prepared countermeasures against status ailments too, evidently.
“Haha! To cross swords with the strongest is not bad at all either!”
After nullifying Shin’s magic, Vlad leapt in the air and rode on the Green Elder Dragon’s back. As dragon rider, he could unleash the full potential of his job, dragon knight.
Vlad and the Green Elder Dragon’s stats rose, as the emerald-colored blade of light 【Effect Blade】 appeared around 『Excalibur』’s blade. It was an effect that extended weapon reach if the player used weapons other than long ones while riding.
“Here I go!”
He had probably used a skill. Everytime Vlad swung his blade, emerald green slashes flew towards Shin. Shin planned to blow them away with 『True Moon』 and shoot down the flying opponent with magic.
Thunder and light could not cause decisive damage, so Shin shot fire-elemental magic towards the sky. He let his MP do the talking and shot bullets of fire in all directions.
He combined fast and slow bullets in order to fill Vlad’s surroundings with a barrage of fire.
“That’s quite haphazard.”
Looking at the balls of fire gathering all around him, Vlad chuckled dryly.
Because of the dragon’s large body, he needed a wide enough space to maneuver. Expecting this, Shin placed his fire bullets at an altitude slightly higher than Vlad and his dragon’s current position.
An advanced dragon such as the Elder Green Dragon would not flinch even if hit by fire bullets. But because of Shin’s high INT, the offensive power of each bullet was ridiculously high.
Vlad did not try to force his way through the fireball hail, as he probably understood that if even just one hit the dragon’s wings, they would crash immediately. Even a powerful dragon cannot fly freely once its wings are rendered useless. In that case it would simply turn into a large target.
“Time to die.”
All fire bullets were detonated at the same time. They did not strike directly, but the swelling blast they caused ravaged Vlad and his dragon. At the same time of the explosion, Shin ran towards Marino.
While riding the dragon, Vlad’s movements were severely limited even within the blast. In this situation, he could not act quicker than Shin as the latter went to heal Marino’s status condition.
The most important thing was to rescue Marino, not defeat Vlad.
Ignoring Robin, who had been blown away by the blast of wind caused by the explosion, Shin rushed towards Marino.
The moment before he could touch Marino, held in a slightly higher position by 【Earth Branch】, Shin saw her disappear and be replaced by a scorched Elder Green Dragon.
“!?”
Shin swallowed his breath. He had an idea about the phenomenon he had just witnessed, however, and immediately checked his map. Marino’s response came from next to Vlad.
“【Position Shift】, huh…”
“Yes, exactly.”
From the smoke caused by the explosion appeared Vlad, in tatters, carrying Marino at his side.
【Position Shift】 was a skill exclusive of Tamers and Dragon Knights, which allowed the player to swap locations with their monster partner. It was also applicable to party members, but Shin had not thought that Vlad and Marino could have formed a party and gritted his teeth at his own carelessness.
“Making her join my party was child’s play. It is not time for games anymore, though. The finale is upon us.”
“What?”
“There must be a reason why we took a hostage, don’t you think?”
“You want me to hurry up with the dungeon clearing, right?”
Hearing what Robin had said, Shin thought that the reason must have been that.
“Haha, oh please. If we just meant to urge you to act quicker, there would be no point of doing this here and now. As for the hostage-taking too, luring a player outside the Hometown would allow us to attack them without restrictions too.”
“What do you want, then!?”
“I said it right at the start. To take out the trash. But just assassinating her would have risked to simply depress you, so we created a bit of a show. I know how attached you are to this woman. If she was killed in front of your eyes, what would happen to you, I wonder?”
“You bastard…”
The tone of Shin’s words was chilling.
“Yes, that’s it! That’s the real you. Not soft or dull, but a blade sharpened to perfection. Yes, that’s the face I wanted to see!!”
Vlad’s laugh almost sounded insane.
Marino opened her mouth, as if trying to say something, but could not utter anything because of the paralysis still affecting her.
“Yes, this is the finale!!”
“You won’t!!”
As Vlad raised his sword, Shin activated a magic skill. He had prepared more than one before the conflict.
Blue flames raged up from the ground and surrounded Marino.
“Gwah!!”
Burned by the flames suddenly appearing at his feet, Vlad let Marino go. Shin noticed it and immediately ran to her. Marino’s HP were already below 20%; there was no more time.
Because of the passage of time, Marino’s paralysis was almost gone; she stood up and ran towards Shin too.
The flames were now gone. Being in Vlad’s party and considered an enemy of Shin’s, Marino had been damaged too. Shin had chosen the magic considering this possibility too.
“SHIN!!”
“MARINO!!”
“Kah!!”
Vlad chased after Marino. But Shin’s acceleration, even if not boosted, would let him reach her first.
No one could get in the way now. Not monsters nor PKs.
He would protect Marino and defeat Vlad. Tell Luca that Marino was all right, so she wouldn’t worry.
That’s what Shin thought. That’s how it was supposed to go.
If only Marino still had some time left.
“Ah….”
Marino uttered a soft sigh. Like a marionette with her strings cut, she collapsed on the ground. Her hands fell too, unable to grab Shin’s.
“It appears that this was inevitable.”
Vlad had been the first to reach Marino. His burnt hands had not let go of 『Excalibur』, and its blade had pierced Marino without the slightest hesitation.
Shin’s eyes opened wide.
Marino’s avatar, even if pierced by 『Excalibur』, still existed. Strangely enough, even after being struck by an Ancient-grade weapon, she still had HP left.
“Did you do something? But as long as things are like this, it matters little.”
Shin was now closer to Marino, but not close enough to be next to her in one leap.
In front of his eyes, Vlad mercilessly thrusts『Excalibur』again.
To his surprise, however, the sword could not pierce Marino.
“!? This can’t be!”
Maybe because of the impact, Marino’s body shook every time Vlad struck it. His sword, however, was repelled each time, with a metallic-sounding effect.
Immediately after Vlad had started attacking, the words “CONNECTION ERROR” appeared over Marino’s avatar.
“Tch!!”
Apparently not seeing the newly displayed words, Vlad continued thrusting obsessively.
“STOOOOOOOOOPP!!!!”
With a scream, Shin’s sword attacked Vlad. Even if his sword wasn’t actually hitting her, in Shin’s eyes Vlad was cruelly skewering Marino’s body.
Swung with enough power to break it, 『True Moon』 clashed against 『Excalibur』 with a high-pitched sound.
“Gwah!?”
Because of its stats, 『True Moon』 could not go as far as shattering 『Excalibur』. The offensive power of this attack, however, could not be merely blocked; Vlad was thrown backwards by the impact, sent crashing into a nearby building.
“Marino!! Hey, Pull yourself together!!”
Shin chose to go to Marino instead of continuing to attack Vlad. When he held her, her eyes opened just slightly and met his.
Something was off. Shin was right in front of her, but Marino didn’t see him.
“Ah…ah…I…”
She appeared to still be conscious; while her eyes swayed left and right, she was trying to say something.
“Aah…so this…is it…”
“Marino?”
“I’m…so…sorry….sor…”
“Why!? Why are you apologizing!!”
Marino’s lips continued uttering broken apologies. Not wanting to know what they could mean, Shin held Marino more tightly. She would not answer anymore, however.
“Finally…I…decided”
A hazy expression on her face.
“Let’s go home…”
Marino continued.
“Every…one…toget…her…not…game….real…”
“….Marino?”
Marino’s words, spoken while she was looking at something not of this world, finally trailed away.
“Hey, answer me.”
“…..”
“We’re going back together, right!?”
“……”
“Luca is…yeah, Luca’s crying. She’s crying a lot, I don’t know what to do.”
“…..”
“Hey…answer me already….!”
Marino did not respond. It was as if she had frozen after uttering her last words and did not move an inch anymore.
“ERROR. Player output cannot be detected. Please verify connection.”
An emotionless system message was returned instead.
“ERROR. Player output cannot be detected——”
Shin could not understand what the system message meant.
“ERROR. Player output cannot—–”
No, he didn’t want to understand.
“ERROR. Player—–”
Because that…
“ERROR—–”
Meant nothing but….
“ERR—–”
Marino had died.
“SHUT THE HELL UUUUUUPP!!!!!”
Shin’s emotions had crossed the limit.
If he didn’t let out such overwhelming feelings, he could go crazy.
Player output not detected. That meant that there were connection troubles or the player had died in the real world. Looking at how Marino acted until a moment ago, it was too convenient to consider a broken connection as the cause.
“Haha, well, it did not go exactly as expected, but I suppose that was fate.”
The sound of falling rubble reached Shin’s ears. If Shin had looked in the direction of the sound, he would have seen Vlad standing back up. As price paid for receiving 『True Moon』’s attack, he had lost an arm.
“…….”
“Yes, I was waiting for those eyes. People with something important to protect…they are so frail. Now, this very moment, you are perf—”
Without waiting for Vlad to finish talking, Shin’s sword arm moved. Thanks to the Movement-type Martial skill 【Ground Shrink】 he moved instantly next to Vlad and slashed towards his neck.
Vlad could not even react to Shin’s movements.
“!?”
Surprised by the metallic sound ringing near his neck, Vlad stood dumbfounded, as Shin silently brandished his 『True Moon』.
Slashes like flashes of light struck sudden death points such as forehead and heart, while others were aimed at Vlad’s legs to stop him from moving.
All of them, however, were repelled by the skill protecting the hometown. Not even Shin could do something in such a situation.
“Ku…hahaha. Looks like time’s over. I’m looking forward to your future feats.”
Even after being blown away by the impact, Vlad left these words before teleporting away.
Shin looked at him leave, then sheathed 『True Moon』. After a few moments, he let out a small sigh and turned towards Marino.
“….sorry for dropping you.”
Shin hugged Marino again and apologized. His expression was no more filled with bloodlust and now looked peaceful.
Before his unnatural smile, a new message appeared.
“F-type Avatar number 193405. Will you acquire? YES/NO”
In the death game, empty avatars were apparently treated as items.
Shin read the message and slowly chose YES. Marino’s body turned into a card and was deposited in Shin’s item box.
Shin teleported to an area with a hill with a nice view. It was a small area Shin had obtained ownership of in an event.
“You liked this place, didn’t you.”
Flowers of many colors bloomed on the hill.
The sky over the hill was clear and sunny throughout the day, the weather there would never be cloudy or rainy.
Shin laid Marino’s avatar card down in a spot perfect for resting in peace. He activated a skill and the card sank into the ground, with a small gravestone being formed in its place.
The skill used by Shin was usually used by Tamers to make graves for their monster partners.
Monsters did not die if their HP reached zero, but in certain events parent monsters would give birth to progeny and die.
That was the only reason skill existed, and many players ignored it even did.
Shin could have kept the card with himself, but chose not to.
Not cremation, not burial. Carrying a body with him seemed wrong to Shin, even within a game.
“…..”
Shin stood before Marino’s gravestone. Despite the warm wind blowing around him, Shin felt cold to the core.
The cold had probably frozen even his tears, who wouldn’t flow no matter how much he waited.
“….I’ll come to see you.”
After an unspecified amount of time, Shin whispered.
We will be together even after the death game. Even if that wish could not be granted, he will make her last words come true.
“Let’s go back.”
Marino’s last words. Shin didn’t know who she had said them to. Even so, he wanted to make them become reality.
“But—”
After serenely whispering again her last words, Shin’s expression changed completely. Or rather, all emotion disappeared from it.
“There’s someone in the way.”
Obstacles to the path leading back to reality. Obstacles to those who lived their lives earnestly.
“So please give me just some time.”
Shin’s equipment changed. From anti-monster equipment to anti-player equipment. To equipment meant to kill.
“I’ll keep my promise after I erase them all.”
Shin turned his back to Marino’s grave.
Maybe it was a coincidence that the teleportation point to the Hometown, hidden by trees, was now in the shade. Or maybe it reflected the state of mind of its owner.
Shin’s silhouette as he teleported, his facial features twisted in a grimace, made it seem like he was disappearing into total darkness.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 10 - Frozen in Warmth/The-New-Gate-Volume-10-Frozen-in-Warmth-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_10_Chapter_03_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 1
This monster invasion event created more casualties than any previous such event.
Starting with PKs disguised as town defense corps, it culminated in an invasion of monsters with much greater numbers and levels than usual.
Thanks to the efforts of many players, the assault could be dealt with in a relatively short time, but many players with production-related jobs as well as those who had chosen to stay in the city had lost their lives. Many players just stood speechless before the stores and homes that were reduced to piles of rubble.
The bad news, however, continued.
A high-ranked member of the guild that was in charge of the town’s defenses had been killed by one of the PKs that went on a killing spree during the monsters’ rampage. There were also many casualties among the members closest to the guildmaster, meaning that the clearing of the dungeons would surely go slower.
Both production-type and fighting-type jobs had suffered incommensurable damage.
And the same thing happened at the orphanage too.
Because of the barrier’s destruction thanks to Gargalla, the orphanage had lost its protection and had been severely damaged due to the battles between players and monsters.
Emil’s expression after returning from the temporary shelter was dispirited. The children, too, stopped in their tracks as they arrived on the premises.
“Holly…”
Despite knowing how futile it was, Emil looked for Holly, who had remained behind to buy time for her and the children to escape, and stepped closer.
Soon, she found a man leaning against one of the orphanage walls – Shadow.
“Shadow!! You’re safe! I was worried, you know?”
“…….”
Even after the monsters had been wiped out, Emil could not make a chat connection with Shadow.
Shadow barely glanced towards Emil, but showed no other response.
“Did Holly…die…?”
“….yeah.”
His answer left no doubts. Emil could not say anything more.
Even though she had already a suspicion of Holly’s death before asking Shadow, she still had to ask to make sure. When a player in the friend list died, their names changed from white to semi-transparent.
“Shadow? Where do you think you’re going?”
Emil tried to stop Shadow, who stood up and started walking away, silently. He was clearly very different than usual.
“…..”
“Hey, listen when—-”
Emil grabbed Shadow’s shoulders as he walked away and forcefully turned him towards her. The sharpness of the light in his eyes, however, left her speechless and unable to move.
Emil herself was a competent fighter. She had fought alongside Holly and Shadow before and knew the severe expression he had when fighting.
However, she had never seen an expression like this on his face before.
The chill she felt while looking at him froze her.
“….take care of the kids.”
Saying only this to the immobile Emil, Shadow left in the opposite direction of the children.
His ragged equipment and unstable pace, coupled with the atmosphere surrounding him, made him seem like a ghost.
“—–”
Chilling whispers came out of Shadow’s mouth.
Unable to say anything or think of any other response, Emil could only watch him leave.
”(I’m going to kill him, no matter what.)”
As he walked away, Shadow left a short message, filled to the brim with fierce killing intent, which to Emil felt more like a roar.
After burying Marino, Shin teleported back to Kalkia and went to check on the orphanage. The barrier he had put up to protect it would have easily stopped the monsters that invaded Kalkia; it was supposed to be one of the few safe locations in the city.
What he was greeted with, however, were the cries of the children in front of the broken down building.
“The barrier…is gone?”
Shin had a bad premonition because of this anomaly and examined the partly destroyed building. Doing so, he then found Ryohei and Teppei sitting against a door.
“Ah, Shin…”
“What happened?”
The ever-energetic Teppei looked now completely spent. Shin looked from Teppei, looking down quietly, to Ryohei, who, in a barely audible tone, whispered: “Ms. Holly’s dead.”
“…I see. Where’s Shadow?”
“Dunno. He’s not here, at least.”
Shin simply repeated, “I see.” He then opened the orphanage’s door. There, he saw Emil along with the older children trying to calm down the endlessly crying younger ones.
“Shin!!”
Emil noticed Shin coming in and quickly approached him. Maybe because of the heavy atmosphere the orphanage was enveloped in, her expression looked tense too.
“You’re all right.”
“Yeah…kind of”
She had reached him, but seemed to not know what to say.
“I heard…Holly died.”
“…yeah. You…well, I don’t know what to say..”
“Don’t worry about choosing words, please. She didn’t have much time left anyway.”
If the kidnapping incident didn’t happen, Marino might be still alive. There was the concrete possibility that a major stress had caused the attack.
It was pointless to think about that now, though. Even if players who died in the death game would wake up in the real world, this didn’t include Marino.
This kind of small hope didn’t exist either. Her death was something definite.
“….where’s Luca?”
“Look, she’s over there.”
Emil pointed at Luca, sitting and hugging her knees. When she noticed Shin coming closer, she clearly gasped and ran up to him.
“Marino!?”
Luca’s gaze looked to Shin and then to the rest of the room, probably looking for Marino.
“…..sorry.”
“Eh?”
Luca stopped. She didn’t understand why Shin was apologizing.
Shin had no intention to hide anything, though. He knew that telling a small child like Luca about Marino’s death was cruel, but he didn’t want to lie.
“I…couldn’t protect Marino. Marino’s…..she’s not with us anymore.”
Shin spoke while looking Luca in the eyes. She was silent for a while.
As she understood Shin’s words, however, tears filled her eyes.
“Marino’s…not with us?”
“We can’t see her anymore…?”
“…yeah.”
Shin answered in a soulless voice. Every time he did, Luca’s expression twisted more.
“No…”
The moment tears filled her eyes, Luca’s rejection of being separated spilled out.
Not a moment later, she started crying loudly while calling Marino’s name. Her voice was so loud, so filled with sadness, that the other crying children were surprised and stopped crying.
“……”
Shin didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know how to console poor Luca, who was wailing while still hugging him.
He had failed in his promise of protecting Marino, but Luca didn’t blame Shin.
Luca’s tears and crying contained nothing but sheer, utter sadness.
“Sorry…”
Shin’s whisper was drowned out by Luca’s wailing.
He didn’t move until Luca, tired of crying, fell asleep.
◆◆◆◆
“Are you going?”
“Yes. Please take care of the children.”
Shin placed Luca on a bed, then told Emil that he wouldn’t be visiting the orphanage for a while.
Emil didn’t try to stop him: she just looked on at him, worried.
“I don’t know if it’s fine for me to say something like this, but don’t you go die. I’m sick of seeing people I know disappear.”
Shin smiled to reassure Emil and turned his back to the orphanage.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to die————-I’m going to kill.”
His last whisper did not reach anyone’s ears.
As he left the orphanage, Shin entered a deserted alley and concealed his figure with a long hooded robe. It was the superior Ancient-grade 『Hollow Shade Tatters』, with all bonus points spent on concealment.
Just like the name indicated, it looked just like a tattered old robe, but it had the effect of making the wearer undetectable by 【Analyze】 or other search-type skills, as long as the wearer had 100 or more DEX than the caster.
If Shin wore it, the number of current players who could detect him could be probably counted on one hand.
Hiding within 『Hollow Shade Tatters』, Shin silently proceeded through the alley.
After about five minutes, he came upon a wooden door. It looked like a restaurant’s backdoor, a perfectly normal sight for a back alley. Using an appraisal skill on it, however, revealed that it possessed a sturdiness unthinkable from its appearance.
Shin opened the door, which was actually made in a material sturdier than even Orichalcum, to enter in a dimly lit bar with soft music playing in the background.
The bartender was a man around 40 years old with ash gray hair slicked back. The atmosphere in the bar was calm and collected. The bartender was just as Shin heard and was the information broker he was looking for.
At a glance, the interior looked like a famed bar only true connoisseurs would know, but most clients were hiding their features with masks or capes. There was no board outside to signal the presence of a bar either.
This was a bar where all guests shared a common goal.
“Gimlet.”
The bartender came closer to his seat and Shin ordered a cocktail after placing a coin on the counter.
The bartender took the coin, looked at the red coin under it, then at Shin again. After staring at the new visitor for a few seconds, he took out lime and a bottle of gin to start preparing the cocktail.
While the bartender was preparing the drink, Shin received a voice chat call.
“(Are you a hunter? Or a hound?)”
The call had come from the bartender in front of him.
“(Hunter.)”
Shin answered the question in one word.
“(…your name.)”
“(Shin.)”
The bartender’s shaker stopped for a second, only to move again immediately, as if nothing had happened.
“I apologize for the wait. Here’s your gimlet.”
The bartender, who had prepared the drink in silence, offered the glass to Shin.
A piece of paper could be seen poking out from the coaster under the cocktail glass.
Shin downed the drink and took the piece of paper. Pretending not to notice the bar’s occupants eyes on him, he quickly left.
Shin exited the alley and arrived into a crowded street, then entered the first eatery he could find, ordered something, and finally opened the piece of paper. The piece of paper was wrapped a small, 1-cemel square card that contained a set of coordinates pointing to somewhere in Kalkia.
“It disappears after you open it, huh.”
Shin memorized the coordinates, but before he could discard the piece of paper, it had already vanished in a myriad of tiny polygons. The small card was still in his hand. While honestly admiring the intricacy of that method, Shin checked the presences in the surroundings, but did not find any relevant responses. No one was tailing him, apparently.
Shin wolfed down the food he had ordered and immediately headed for the location pointed out by the coordinates.
The location, near a teleportation point, looked just like any other two-story general store.
Shin knew, however, that the appearance was just camouflage. The store was lined with items, but other than the clerk no one was inside.
Shin took a random item and brought it to the register. When he paid, he handed the card to the clerk too.
“….please go inside.”
The clerk was surprised an instant after seeing the card and reading Shin’s name, but quickly returned to his former blank expression.
Shin proceeded in the back of the store, as the clerk had told him to. The corridor led to a room used for negotiating with customers. The clerk silently pushed a table aside and lifted a large floor tile, which revealed a set of stairs leading downwards.
“Please proceed by yourself.”
“Got it.”
Shin acknowledge the clerk’s statement and descended the stone stairs.
The barely lit stairs formed a spiral; following them for a while led to a sturdy-looking door just like the one at the bar’s entrance. Shin touched the handle and the door opened surprisingly easily.
All the players in the room beyond the door expressed their surprise at Shin’s arrival, either through their expressions or gestures.
“So you came too.”
Just as Shin was thinking what to do, a man wearing the same tattered cloak spoke to him.
Shin turned towards this familiar voice and found Shadow. Shin had heard from Emil that he had gone missing after the monster invasion event. Finding him here meant that the reason behind his disappearance was the same.
“I imagined you would be here.”
Holly had died to buy time for the orphanage children to escape from the PKs’ attack. It was not strange then for Shadow to be here, a base of the PKK guild “Avidya”.
When “Avidya” was first formed, it was apparently a community for players whose companions had been killed by PKs to exchange information, but now it was composed of members who exchanged information and raised funds and others who actively hunted down PKs; a guild specialized in tracking and killing PKs.
As long as one followed the two rules: no betrayal and no hesitation of getting one’s hands dirty, anyone -women and children included- was allowed to join.
Of course, there were players who, like Shin, belonged to other guilds too.
The players who had created a guild with close friends, but were now alone, were many too.
As players could not belong to more than one guild at the same time, they were not official members but assisted the guild with information gathering, fundraising as external supporters, or as field troops.
The question the bartender asked Shin meant if he was a Hound (rear support) or Hunter (field trooper).
Whether one was allowed to join the guild or not, however, depended on the guildmaster’s judgment. If a player was refused they would never receive any information from “Avidya”, no matter how much they pleaded.
“If you ever get information about a man named Gargalla, tell me.”
Shadow spoke with a hate-drenched tone Shin had never heard from him before.
“He’s the one that…?”
“Yeah, I will have my revenge.”
In the guild, players used their information, money or fighting power as currency to have others exact revenge for them or to obtain information on who they wanted to take revenge on.
Advanced players like Shin and Shadow would surely join the field troops. Even if facing against opponents they didn’t know or never met before, as long as they were PKs they would swing their blades without hesitation.
“Then if you learn anything about a man named Vlad, please let me know.”
Shin’s information network had not found anything about Vlad’s whereabouts.
PKs were originally all experts at hiding. Vlad was especially skilled; when Shin had met him in front of the orphanage Vlad had mentioned the name of the Savage Lions’ Lao, leader of the Explosive Legs corps, but the latter said that he knew no Vlad.
Apparently traitors had infiltrated the “Savage Lions” and Lao was now busy with finding the rotten apples.
“Hey there, you’re the new guys the guildmaster talked about?”
After talking with Shadow, Shin was thinking of asking around for the method to gather information, when a man with black bandages covering most of his face approached him.
Shin immediately activated 【Analyze】, but because of the building’s restrictions the skill did not display any information. The store apparently also functioned as guild house. In a guild house, all skills other than combat ones had their usage restricted.
“….yes, no mistake about that. Should we say our names?”
“Nah, we don’t use character names here. Members generally identify themselves using numbers. I’m called Six, I’m kind of in charge of the field troops. Your number will be One, the guy there gets Three. Use that from now on.”
“Do the numbers mean anything?”
“This is where field troopers gather. Numbers here obviously mean power rankings, right? …well, normally I’d have you show me how good you are, but you two are pretty famous. Especially this guy here, I bet it’s rare to find players who never heard of you.”
The man speaking to Shin and Shadow had clouded eyes, but it did not seem to be because of greed or other desires. Based on what he said, he seemed to know about Shin too, despite the 『Hollow Shade Tatters』 concealing him.
“My face is hidden, though.”
“You said your name to the bartender, didn’t you? He’s our guildmaster, Garanagal.”
The guildmaster himself was in charge of evaluating new members.Thinking about it, the bartender’s piercing gaze had that much intensity in it.
“There must be a One and Three already, no? If you keep changing names every time someone new joins, no one will know who’s who anymore.”
“No worries there. The rankings don’t change easily, and if they do we get noticed. One and Three were empty slots anyway. There are plenty of our members who went to attack a PK lair and never came back, after all.”
The two empty slots apparently belonged to two members who had left this world. Before doing so, however, they had apparently taken down a great number of high-ranked members of the PK guild “Ouroboros’ Hollow”. Six added that while they had failed in slaying the guildmaster, the guild’s scope of activities will likely decrease.
“So where can we get information about PKs?”
“Ask the woman over there. Her name’s Calmia.”
Six pointed at a woman wearing a light purple veil and Arabian-like clothing, who smiled as Shin and Shadow looked at her. Among all the players wearing equipment geared towards fighting other players, the high skin exposure of her attire stood out exceptionally.
On the table in front of Calmia was a crystal sphere the size of a bowling ball, which made her look like a fortune teller.
“I know little of the rules here. If you say we are field troopers, does it mean we’ll move following your orders?”
“Nah, that only happens when there’s a large-scale battle. Generally we move in small numbers to surround and beat down small groups, but that’s what the members with low fighting prowess do. For guys like you, others would just be in the way, I’d wager. Our Two, Four and Five are the same too.”
In simple terms, do as you like. Shin wondered if it was okay for the rules to be so loose, but it was the best situation he could have hoped for. He could leave the information gathering to them and just go around cutting down targets.
As Shin was pondering such thoughts, Six formed a fist with his hands, which seemed to shake slightly.
“All strong players went to capture dungeons and won’t cooperate with people like us. I don’t mean to say that I’m happy about your misfortunes, but I am excited that strong people like you joined us. Now I can finally…have my revenge too.”
Six’ voice was trembling too. Looking around, Shin saw other players exhibiting similar reactions.
In this world existed an absolute standard of strength, the player’s stats. This meant that strong players were untouchable by many others, a source of endless frustration for weaker ones.
Shin nodded to Six and, together with Shadow, went to Calmia’s table.
“You’re the new One, then. Six probably told you, but my name is Calmia. I organize all the information the hounds send us. If there’s anything you want to know, just ask.”
Calmia’s calm, poised tone matched her alluring avatar very well. She had apparently been allowed to join Avidya thanks to her information management abilities.
Sometimes she would also use her good looks to infiltrate enemy territory. Of course, for someone with little fighting power like her to penetrate PK-controlled areas meant that there was no guarantee she could come back alive.
“Differently from the much rarer hunters, there’re plenty of substitutes for the hounds. Plus there’s no such things as truth serums in this world, so unless I talk, there’s no way to know the information I hold. I would die before spilling anything, of course.”
Calmia’s smile vanished from her lips when she answered Shin’s question if it wasn’t dangerous for an information broker to join infiltration missions.
Others could fill in Calmia’s function. Even if she disappeared, there would be no real damage to the organization as long as she didn’t spill anything.
Depending on the situation, she wouldn’t hesitate to become expendable. It was clear that she, too, was prepared for the worst.
“Now that we’re done with the self introductions, I’d like to know about PK locations. Places where a lot of them gather are preferable. If you have a list, give me one and I’ll just start picking them off from the top.”
“…I suppose I should have expected that you’d say something like this.”
PKs usually held bases outside hometowns. Because of that they often fought against monsters and had high levels and stats. Shin plainly stated that he wanted to face and defeat multiples of such opponents at the same time, which prompted Calmia’s incredulous reply.
“After I start hunting I won’t be able to come back here for a while. How can we keep in touch?”
“Just register me as a friend and call me through private chat. I’ll attach the list to a message card and send it to you. What is your friend there going to do?”
“I’m going to go with Shin. Gargalla and Vlad were together, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. There are several witnesses…no, I suppose I should say victims. We have the information. They belong to the guild “Ouroboros”. It seems that Gargalla is one of the top members of the guild. Vlad’s an expert in sneak attacks, on the other hand. Cheating and luring others, apparently sometimes he doesn’t even get his hands dirty.”
“….I see.”
Shin would have wanted such information earlier, but it was too late to think about that now.
“That’s more than enough. Shin, will you lend me a hand?”
“Of course. He’s the one that attacked the orphanage, after all. I meant to hunt him down after I was done with Vlad.”
Vlad was a higher priority, but Shin thought that Gargalla required more caution. He had destroyed his barrier, after all: Shin expected that he would be stronger than Vlad, who he had faced in battle.
“These two are rather famous, but we don’t have much useful information about “Ouroboros” itself. I’ll tell the Hounds to gather information about them as top priority. Also, this is the list of PK guilds’ bases and members that we are aware of at present. You two will probably be all right, but not everything will be as the list says, so make sure you stay sharp all the time..”
“We know that well. We won’t let even one escape.”
“They’re all going down.”
“I was talking about your own safety….but I guess that’s too late.”
Shin and Shadow thought that Calmia meant to say not to let a single PK escape, and replied accordingly. Hearing such replies, she couldn’t help laughing bitterly.
We are valuable advanced players for Avidya. She wouldn’t want us to die easily, or so Shin thought.
After leaving the store Shin and Shadow checked the list right away. They would crush PK bases starting from the closest one and proceeding in order.
“Let’s go, then. Will you change weapons?”
“No, please just give me a boost. The only weapon I’m going to use is this…the weapon I got from her.”
Shin proposed to offer Shadow a stronger weapon, but the latter refused with a stiff expression. Even if it could lead to his death, he didn’t want to use any other weapon.
“Please take this, then. It will surely come in handy when fighting against Gargalla.”
Shin gave Shadow an armband decorated with red gemstones, which had the effect of preventing instant death by leaving the wearer with 1 HP if they were hit with a blow that would reduce their HP from more than 30% to zero.
The item would just prevent death when a large amount of damage was inflicted in one blow and would not prevent instant death caused by blows to the head or heart, which ignored remaining HP.
Shin would have preferred to give Shadow items that prevented instant death in all its forms, but he could not equip them because of lacking stats. THE NEW GATE’s system allowed players to avoid accidental death more and more as their level increased.
Shin made sure Shadow equipped the armband, then they headed to the first location reported by the list.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 10 - Frozen in Warmth/The-New-Gate-Volume-10-Frozen-in-Warmth-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_10_Chapter_03_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 2
It happened one night.
In the guildhouse of the PK guild “Liberacion”, a boy and a girl were surrounded by guild members.
The boy had a horn sprouting from his forehead and scales on his skin, while the girl had peculiar patterns on her body; judging from such visual traits, the boy was a Dragnil and the girl a Pixie.
While venturing outside looking for ingredients, they were suddenly surrounded by players and caught with no room to escape.
Now, in the area built within the guildhouse, the boy -called Masakado- was forced to fight against monsters. His opponent was a level 398 bug-type monster, a Stag Mantis, which was a cross between a stag beetle and a mantis, boasting four scythes and a pair of pincers.
Masakado’s level was over 200, but he had already resurrected a few times, so his stats were, on average, just a bit higher than 300. These were numbers rather worrying if facing against a Stag Mantis.
Even more worrying was the fact that the key to draw out his power as a Magic Swordsman, his sword 『Rune Blade』 had been snatched by the PKs. His sub job was Fist Fighter, but the most he could do now was avoid the monster’s attacks.
“Come on, come on! Run faster or you’re gonna die!”
“Serves ya right for acting all cool trying to protect the girl!”
“Looks like we’ll have a winner pretty soon!”
The PKs watching the fight from outside the arena yelled and jeered.
As long as the girl who was with him, Hilamee, was taken hostage, Masakado could not try anything. The only way out available to him now, was defeating the Stag Mantis.
“Shit!!”
Masakado swore and leapt away. Less than one second later, a scythe about the same size as he was, pierced the ground where he had been standing.
Bug-type monsters excelled at physical attacks and defense. Masakado, as he was now, would surely be killed if he received even just a few blows.
“——!? ——!!”
Hilamee was trying to say something, but the gag on her mouth prevented her from formulating actual words.
“Why did this…”
The long game of tag against the superior monster had started shaving off Masakado’s powers of concentration. When would it end? Even if he really defeated the Stag Mantis, would they be saved?
He was supposed to be thinking of a way to rescue Hilamee and escape, but his overworked mind ended up thinking of things completely unrelated.
He was almost at his limit. Masakado started thinking of a last resort attack on the Stag Beetle.
“—-eh?”
In front of Masakado’s eyes, Hilamee floated in midair. Precisely speaking, the PK that had captured her thrown the bound girl in the ring.
Hilamee’s body struck the ground, rolled a few times and stopped. The Stag Mantis was right next to her.
“You bastards!!”
“C’mon boy, go save her or she’ll be in danger!”
“Damn you…!!”
Masakado jumped at the Stag Mantis. The monster’s attention was focused on Hilamee, so Masakado’s jumping kick hit its head cleanly, causing the monster to stagger.
However, Its HP barely decreased and the monster soon regained its balance.
“Gah!?”
The back of the monster’s scythes, which it had swung wide to get rid of the annoyance that had hit it, landed squarely on Masakado’s abdomen. Due to the differences in physique and stats, Masakado was blown away. He crashed against the ground, his body grating against the floor of the arena.
The HP gauge displayed at the edge of Masakado’s line of sight had decreased by around 30%. In addition, the status display indicated he had been poisoned.
“—–! —–!!”
Hilamee tried to shout again. Uncaring, the Stag Mantis raised its four scythes in her direction.
The female pixie was a Mage with low defense. If she was struck by all four scythes, her HP gauge would surely be annihilated.
“Damn you…look at meeeeeeee!!!”
Masakado used a taunt skill to force the monster to turn towards him. However, the Stag Mantis had already started its attack motions, and did not even look at him.
A few more seconds and Hilamee would die. He wouldn’t last much longer either. Just as a feeling of hopeless surrender was about to envelop Masakado’s heart…
“—that wasn’t a bad choice.”
The voice of a man, a voice he had heard before, suddenly resounded. At the same time, the guildhouse shook violently.
“Woooohhh!?!”
“What!? What the hell’s going on!?”
The vibration, strong enough to lift the ground up, caused confusion among the PKs.
A pale blue ball suddenly appeared in the center of the arena; the next instant, thunder and lightning ran across the ring.
The booming thunderclap caused Masakado’s sight to go black. It was the rare visual status effect caused by strong flashing of light or thunder, 【Blind】.
No matter how much he squinted, Masakado could not tell what was happening around him. The PKs’ screams, however, echoed clearly in his ears.
“Shadow, please take those two.”
“Got it. Hey, stay quiet.”
“Eh?”
The confused Masakado was forcefully grabbed by someone. There were two people next to him apparently. Judging from their conversation, a man called Shadow had just lifted Masakado on his shoulders.
Masakado instinctively fought back when he was grabbed, but stopped moving after Shadow dashed away. The speed at which he moved, far higher than Masakado’s, would have caused him to fall if he struggled.
Shadow moved one step forward, paused for a second, then dashed away again.
Several seconds later, he leapt high in the air.
“Wha!?”
“!?!”
He heard a lament right next to him. He could swear it was Hilamee’s voice.
“Stay still.”
After they landed, Shadow urged them to stop struggling and jumped even higher. As with the first jump, they landed somewhere high and then jumped to a farther high place.
“I’m going to heal you. Quiet.”
Masakado nodded quietly. He was saved from certain death at the “hands” of the Stag Mantis. He did not know what Shadow and his companion had in mind, but he had no reason to oppose them.
The status effect 【Blind】 disappeared and Masakado could finally see again; he immediately looked around for Hilamee.
“You’re safe…I’m glad.”
Hilamee had just been freed from her mouth gag. The man that was now untying the ropes binding her hands was probably Shadow.
He was a young man clad in ninja-like equipment. Masakado’s 【Analyze V】 barely revealed any information about him, but judging from his earlier movements, he was surely an advanced player.
“Use this and go back to town.”
Shadow threw a crystal to the two. Masakado frantically caught it and realized it was imbued with teleportation magic.
“I-is it really alright? This looks really expensive…”
For Masakado and Hilamee, who had been robbed of their possessions, it was a very welcome gift.
Teleportation magic had ranks too; the low rank allowed teleportation from outside fields and town buildings, the middle rank able from dungeons too, and the high rank also allowed from unique locations. The ranks were signaled by colors: low rank was brown, middle rank silver, and high rank golden.
There were some areas where teleport crystals could not be used, but the place where they were now was just a field. Using a golden crystal would be nothing but wasteful.
To teleport from a field to the town, a brown crystal was more than enough. Crystals imbued with high-rank teleport magic were rare, so for Masakado it must have looked terribly valuable.
“You’ll be in our way if you stay. Shut up and go. We can’t save you again if they come after you.”
Shadow then quickly dashed back to the PK guildhouse.
“Hey, that’s…”
Hilamee, finally free, pointed at the guildhouse. The structure was still being rocked by explosions, bursts of light blazing all around it, illuminating the night sky to the point that it was as bright as noon.
Human silhouettes could be seen jumping out every once in awhile. They were holding brown or golden crystals, suggesting that they were trying to teleport away.
Not one of them, however, managed to successfully make their escape.
One was burnt to a crisp by a blue flame that blazed through the guildhouse walls, another was skewered by a black spike arising from the ground, others suddenly turned into ice statues and shattered.
Masakado, or maybe Hilamee, held their breath. They had been told to return to their town, but the scenery of the guildhouse being destroyed and the PKs vanishing before their eyes froze them where they stood.
If the guildhouse looked like that from outside, things had to be even more chaotic inside.
“Ah….”
Suddenly, darkness enveloped the two. They took a few seconds to notice that there were no more explosions or bursts of light from the guildhouse.
“!?”
Finally, light descended again.
A pillar of light, large enough to cover the whole guildhouse, and powerful enough to blow away the surrounding trees and rocks.
“Is that…a skill…?”
Masakado had difficulty believing that there existed a skill that could produce such immense power. He could barely make out the shadow of the guildhouse, but that too disappeared soon.
As the light pillar vanished, literally nothing stood in its wake.
Buildings vanished when their durability ran out. Everyone knew that much, but seeing something disappear without a trace like that filled them with something akin to horror. Needless to think how the PKs inside must have felt.
“Hey…someone’s coming.”
Hilamee pointed at two human silhouettes coming their way. One was the man that had saved them, the other was a player that Masakado and Hilamee both knew.
“That’s…Mr. Shin…right?”
“Yeah, I mean, he should be…”
Few did not know Shin’s name, his face, and reason behind his fame.
Masakado and Hilamee had been saved by Shin already in the past too. They knew that he wasn’t the kind of person to unleash utter destruction like that.
Looking at the place where the guildhouse once was, only a scorched patch remained. The scene they had just witnessed clearly showed what had happened there.
Shin had exterminated the PKs, all the players inside the guild. That was something the Shin that Masakado knew would have never done.
Masakado and Hilamee didn’t know what had happened to Shin. As such, they didn’t understand.
They neither knew the reason why he was there, nor why his equipment was different.
Or why his expression seemed void of all emotion, an expression they had never seen before.
“Ah, er, Mr. Shin…?”
Shin must have noticed their presence, but did not react to them in the least. Masakado gathered his courage and spoke to him, but there was no answer. Not even a glance in his direction.
Shadow, walking next to him, did not say anything either.
“…….”
Shin and Shadow kept walking away; Masakado could not say anything more.
“What in the world happened to him….?”
Masakado’s confused words were lost in the night, not reaching Shin’s or anyone’s ears.
That night, 24 players disappeared from THE NEW GATE’s world.
It was the start of an unprecedented cleansing that raged on with storm-like fury.
◆◆◆◆
“It’s nice to see you again. Your achievements are getting more and more talked about, you know.”
Calmia chuckled while looking at Shin.
Almost one month had passed since Shin started his PK hunt. Even if he had kept his identity and figure hidden, the news that Shin was going around killing PKs spread quickly.
The pace was too fast, the massacre too one-sided. Too subtle for a major guild, while for a smaller guild not suffering any casualties would have been impossible. On the other hand, some players whispered that a certain person had not shown themselves in the dungeon clearing frontlines recently.
As Shin’s disappearance and the start of the PK hunt happened roughly at the same time, the rumors eventually became that Shin had started performing a “PK cleansing”.
The rumors became more and more believable as witnesses, rescued by him, started reporting what they saw.
“They’re more on their guard now. It’s a pain.”
“Is that something the man who crushed dozens of PK guilds would say? Thanks to your rampage, it’s been a mess here these days, everyone crying and laughing…”
Normally, avenged players would not show their emotions openly, out of respect for others whose aggressors were still unpunished. But now, the numbers were too great, as were the expectations for the future, so Avidya’s guildhouse looked more or less like a banquet hall.
They praised and hailed Shin as a hero for destroying PK guilds with his powerful skills.
Others, like Shadow, did their part too, but the scale of destruction caused and people killed were too different for them to be mentioned.
“There are some players who disapprove of your ways though. I don’t think the major guilds will actually move, but they might attempt something, so be careful.”
Calmia looked worried. Shin nodded without any particular change in his expression.
Yes, even if he was killing PKs, murderers, his actions were judged in many ways.
Many said that revenge was meaningless, that he would just become the same as them, they lost their respect for Shin. Some of them started calling him “God of Death”.
“No problem. The only large guild remaining is “Ouroboros” anyway. I won’t let the smaller ones go though, I have no intention of stopping now that I’ve come so far.”
“Is that so? I can give you this information then.”
“At last…?”
“Yes, at last we have found Ouroboros’ hideout. Gargalla has been seen too. Vlad doesn’t seem to be around though. Based on the information we have, he hasn’t returned to the guild and is acting on his own.”
Shin remembered Vlad’s gloating expression. It was still etched clearly in his memories.
Maybe he was observing Shin from afar. That’s how deep the obsession he felt emanating from Vlad.
“I don’t know if Vlad will be there, but it seems that they will have a large gathering three days from now. You’ve been destroying PK guilds one after the other, so they might be meeting to develop countermeasures. The most skilled PKs still alive will likely be there, do be careful.”
“Got it. But having targets gather like that is pretty helpful for me. Being ambushed by high-class PKs would be pretty nasty.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard, okay? Some people try suicide attacks against PKs, but if everyone did that no one would be left…”
“I’m not as admirable as that. That’s the last large-scale PK guild; I’m going to make it leave the stage with a bang.”
Shin spoke what he truly felt.
He had no intention of losing his life while killing the PKs; he loathed the idea of dying alongside them even more than being killed by them.
He would use all means available. Only the PKs needed to disappear. That was the method Shin adopted.
“Maybe I should keep this for myself…but in a way, I feel like I have to tell him, hmm…”
After obtaining more details, Shin left Avidya’s guildhouse and went to the meeting point with Shadow.
Unlike Shin, Shadow was hell-bent on killing Gargalla, even at the cost of his own life. Shin thus was thinking of carrying out the next mission alone.
“…no, that won’t work.”
No matter how much he thought, the conclusion he reached was always to tell Shadow.
If Shin hadn’t lost Marino, he might have tried everything he could to stop Shadow.
Shin’s position, though, was the same as Shadow’s. To exact vengeance with your own hands. No one could stop that feeling.
Even if death would follow vengeance, they would not stop. The opinions of others meant nothing. It was only about what the person themselves thought, that was the only question.
“It’s snowing.”
Shin looked up at the sky and saw pure white snow starting to fall.
When Shadow heard about Gargalla’s whereabouts, a twisted smile appeared on his lips.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 10 - Frozen in Warmth/The-New-Gate-Volume-10-Frozen-in-Warmth-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_10_Chapter_03_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 3
“Things under your nose are the hardest to find, as they say.”
“That’s right. The hometown’s underground…they said it would be made into a dungeon in the next update. I didn’t even think that it actually existed.”
Shin and Shadow were walking in a large space located under Kalkia. It was not an underground waterway. Instead, it was a series of small and big rooms connected by corridors of various sizes.
Ouroboros’ hideout, as Calmia’s information network had found out, was in this underground space.
Being a section still not implemented in the game, there were no bosses or monsters roaming about, nor any treasure chests or traps.
The entrance wasn’t easy to find either, so it would be difficult to find if one wasn’t aware of its existence.
“Looks like they bothered setting up some traps though.”
Shin and Shadow passed without activating traps that would have likely meant sudden death for players with stats around 400. During their PK guild extermination missions, they had gained deeper knowledge of anti-player traps.
The two proceeded through the corridors with silent footsteps. The information they had only covered the entrance and a bit farther. It was possible for monsters and traps to be present in the depths of the underground space.
“Someone’s there.”
They spotted a humanlike silhouette in the corridor ahead. Shadow hid, just in case, while Shin moved closer to check it.
The silhouette’s name was displayed in red characters; definite proof that it was a PK. Next to the name, there also was a snake biting its tail -Ouroboros’ logo- clearly visible.
The PK was coming from underground and heading outside, unaware of Shin’s presence. When the PK passed next to him, Shin placed a tracker, usually used with monsters, without being noticed.
The guild’s executives, with the guildmaster above all, had to be eliminated first.
When guild members died, the guildmaster alone would be notified of their demise immediately. Other members could also know if they looked the dead member up, so being noticed early would increase the number of escapees.
In unusual groups, like PK guilds, the guildmaster often had particular charisma, so if they escaped there was the risk of them creating a similar organization again.
Shin and Shadow kept exploring further, putting tracking markers on PKs as they passed them.
“There are more and more people around here. Looks like we hit the jackpot, but they’re acting strangely.”
“Yeah, looks like they’re fighting.”
On Shin’s map, the markers in one specific section were moving wildly.
There was some kind of commotion going on, even in the few seconds that Shin looked at the map, several marks symbolizing players had disappeared.
At first they thought that another member of Avidya had attacked the hideout, but the other members were hunting down PKs that didn’t belong to any guild or survivors from guilds they had crushed.
Even if they did attack, Shin would have been informed beforehand.
“Could there have been a mutiny or something?”
“Could be. It happened in other guilds, after all.”
Most PKs shared common interests or ways of thinking. But because of that, in some cases they could turn their blades against their own comrades.
Among all PKs, some had lost to hopelessness after Shin and Shadow started their hunt, while others had gone on rampages in their own guilds.
“We’ve infiltrated easily enough, but a careful guildmaster might manage to flee.”
“Let’s split up. Use the commotion as a lure and look for whoever is the guildmaster. I’ll go that way, you take the opposite direction, Shin.”
Shadow proposed to go in the direction of the commotion.
“Wouldn’t it be better if I went that way?”
If the guildmaster was there, Shin could blow him away along with the fighting PKs with his magic.
“No, if the guildmaster comes to quell the commotion, I’ll ambush them. It would be a lot worse if they avoided the commotion and left here. If it’s about chasing people, you are faster and have a wider detection field too.”
There wasn’t much time for debate. Shin had no reason to stubbornly oppose Shadow’s proposal, so he nodded and ran off.
A few minutes after separating from Shin, Shadow reached the location where the PKs were fighting. He used all the concealment-type skills he could to make sure he was not found.
He had used the support items Shin had given him along with everything his Ninja job had, so the fighting PKs had not noticed his approach at all.
“Gwah!?”
“Shit…why…”
Hidden in the shadows, Shadow observed the fighting going on in front of him.
He wouldn’t interfere. Having the PKs kill each other would make his burden lighter, after all.
“Don’t go shitting your panties there, ladies.”
The speaker was the cause of the commotion. With a sigh, the man swung his giant axe. Thanks to the combination of centrifugal force and his own muscles, the sword-wielding fighter he opposed was cleaved in two along with his weapon.
“This is the last major guild. If you don’t do something, the High Human will come get you, ya know? So why do I have to hear people talk about running away?”
The man’s name was Gargalla. The despicable man who murdered Holly. An opponent to kill at all costs.
Every time Gargalla swung his battleaxe, the PKs surrounding him disappeared. Shadow did not let his emotions take over and attack. That had caused him to fail previously.
“(Shin, I found Gargalla.)”
Shadow connected a chat to Shin and surprised himself by how calm he sounded.
“…..really..”
“(Yeah, I’m sorry but let me do this. If anything happens, the rest is up to you.)”
“(………)”
Shin didn’t answer. Shadow knew, however, that he wouldn’t give up on finding the enemy to come to his location.
“I…I have to kill him.”
Shadow quietly breathed out.
Unlike the time when rage and hate had clouded his mind, he was now coolly analyzing Gargalla’s movements.
“You all sound pretty damn boring now!!”
Another one, another PK left this world. Be it saints or vicious criminals, all players disappeared the same way when they died. Nothing remained.
“……..”
Shadow kept observing Gargalla.
While fighting, Gargalla would sometimes turn his back to Shadow. Every time he did, Shadow registered a red effect blinking on Gargalla’s neck.
That was the sign meaning an attack would result in instant death. It appeared when the system judged the opponent to have shown an opening, an effect of the Ninja skill 【Blink of the Death God】. “Opening” stood for the lag time after attacking or activating a skill, when the player was defenseless and attacks could hit more easily.
The blinking light was reflected in Shadow’s eyes several more times, but he did not move.
Advanced players would sometimes show openings on purpose, and 【Blink of the Death God】 could not differentiate between voluntary and involuntary ones. A player that had just gained the skill would rely too much on it and attack, only to be counterattacked.
The possibility of Gargalla having noticed his presence was low. But Shadow, who had fought against him, knew how honed Gargalla’s battle instinct was.
Thus he waited for the best chance to strike.
“You want to go down fighting, don’t you. Why run when someone stronger is coming to get you, then!”
The number of PKs fighting against Gargalla could now be counted on one hand. With another couple swings from his battleaxe, they would all probably disappear.
Shadow attacked when Gargalla had raised his axe to cut down the last remaining PK.
“—–!!”
As if he appeared out of thin air, Shadow snuck behind Gargalla. The blade in his hands precisely aiming for the man’s neck.
“Ngh!?”
Gargalla reacted to the silently approaching blade in a surprising way. The attack had come from his blind spot, but despite that, he jumped in the other PK’s direction, barely escaping the clutches of certain death.
Shadow’s blade had slashed Gargalla’s neck, but thanks to the last-second dodge he had managed to keep his head attached to his body.
In real life such a cut would have severed an artery, but the result in the game was only a loss of around 10% of Gargalla’s HP. The 【Bloodred Poison】 status inflicted by Shadow’s dagger, however, gnawed at Gargalla from within.
Before confirming the consequences of his attack, however, Shadow had concealed himself again.
“…this wasn’t one of the people here.”
Gargalla had an idea of who could have so splendidly enacted the Ninja hit-and-hide strategy.
“Ooh, yeah, now I get it. I did hear that there was a fierce ninja with the people going around killing PKs.”
Gargalla flashed a vicious smile. He bashed the other PK, who was scampering away, with his battleaxe and examined his surroundings.
He couldn’t use recovery items. If he tried to, Shadow would strike when the opening generated.
“……”
In the now completely silent room, only the sound of something burning could be heard.
Then the sound of something suddenly falling.
“!!”
Gargalla reacted instantly. The moment he looked at the direction the sound came from, something glinted in the darkness.
“Tch!!”
The slash, coming from the opposite direction of the sound source, grazed Gargalla’s legs and vanished.
Gargalla could only see the effects of the attack. Slashes that appeared out of nowhere, as if they had come from another dimension, were Shadow’s trademark in THE NEW GATE.
“Damn, can’t really see shit..!!”
Attacks that made full use of movement skills, concealment skills, and Ninja abilities. That was the true nature of the advanced player called “Shadow the Shadowless”.
From the legs to the neck, to the arms, then to the neck again.
The never-ending storm of swords clashed against Gargalla’s armor in bursts of sparks. The speed-based attacks were light, however, and could not exceed his defense.
On the other hand, Gargalla could not find a target to attack. However, he did not just stand around and be attacked; he managed to block the slashes at the last second.
Attacking deactivated concealment skills. Even the most experienced players could not avoid a certain time lag after the attack before activating concealment skills again. Normally the opponent would detect them as target after the first attack.
This did not affect Shadow, however. His mental operations were faster and smoother than most players. He attacked and disappeared immediately, almost as if he was on autopilot.
Shadow’s continuous attacks had not caused serious damage to Gargalla, but the 【Bloodred Poison】 status he had inflicted at the start was eating away at Gargalla’s HP gauge, as the latter could not recover.
Shadow was not targeting critical spots, but also parts that would delay Gargalla’s movements, such as joints and openings in the armor. When the opponent was starting to get used to such attacks, Shadow would strike critical spots again.
The incessant attacks continued. Finally, Shadow’s blade stretched towards Gargalla’s neck again, but the latter did not defend himself.
“!?”
The blade reached the man’s neck, but was repelled without cutting anything. Because of this development, completely different to what had happened until now, Shadow’s rhythm was disrupted for a moment.
“RRAAAHHH!!!”
Not Gargalla’s axe, but his fist lunged at Shadow. Protected by a gauntlet and boasting high STR, it was a fearsome weapon by itself.
“Sssh!!”
Having been seen, Shadow could not disappear again; he readied again the repelled blade in a battle stance and parried the attack.
Sparks flew between the gauntlet and the short sword. Shadow didn’t oppose the force pushing him back and put distance between himself and his opponent.
“You’re finally out in the open, huh. Totally different from last time though.”
“…….”
Gargalla’s tone was impressed, but Shadow silently took out an item.
The item’s name was “Miracle Drug of Blinking Life”. Shaped like a round pill, it boosted the user’s stats immensely but, in exchange, would soon take their life.
The time limit changed based on the user’s HP, but not even Shin could fight for long after using it. Shadow even more so.
Now that he could only confront Gargalla head on, he would use any means available.
If he had fought alongside Shin, he probably would not have needed to go so far. He was throwing away his life. Shadow himself understood that much.
He could not have done that, though. It would have meant nothing if he didn’t defeat the opponent before him, Gargalla, with his own two hands.
In his heart, Shadow whispered an apology. Then, he swallowed the “Miracle Drug of Blinking Life”.
“…——!!!!”
The moment he felt the item started being effective, Shadow charged towards Gargalla.
Maybe it was because he didn’t think Shadow would attack from the front, or maybe because his speed was more than expected.
Taken completely by surprise, Gargalla barely managed to repel the blade aimed at his neck and swung his battleaxe in response.
The repelled shortsword struck Gargalla’s chest, making sparks against the armor; Gargalla’s breastplate was damaged but could not be pierced.
The battleaxe cut through the air, aimed at Shadow, who used his shortsword to forcefully change the attack’s trajectory.
A feat of strength only possible thanks to the item’s boost; now Shadow’s STR was not inferior to Gargalla’s.
Gargalla pulled back his battleaxe while parrying Shadow’s follow-up attacks with his gauntlet, then used the axe to push against him.
Shadow stopped attacking and attempted to increase the distance between them, but a sudden chill running down his spine made him give up on this too. He could not overcome the battleaxe’s momentum and used his shortsword to clash against it.
“You got good instincts.”
Gargalla’s smile suggested that he knew what Shadow tried to do. Based on his avatar’s stats, it was easy to imagine that many players until now had tried to best Gargalla using speed.
Shadow guessed that the chill he felt was caused by Gargalla’s countermeasure against speed-based players.
“See if ya like this, then!!”
Gargalla held his battleaxe with his right hand and spread the palm of his left hand. An instant later, a battleaxe just like the one in his right hand appeared in Gargalla’s left hand as well.
Using that opening, Shadow made use of Gargalla’s power to increase the distance between them. At the same time, he threw the shortsword he was holding at Gargalla.
Gargalla tried to knock the projectile down, but the shortsword changed directions in midair, dodging the battleaxe and aiming for his neck.
Gargalla flexed his neck, however, the flying blade passed right next to it and ended up stabbing the ground.
The Throwing and Wind combination skill 【Trick Throw】 allowed one to change the direction of the thrown weapon in midair. Gargalla had guessed how many times the direction could change during flight.
After throwing the shortsword, Shadow quickly materialized twin swords. Wielding these weapons with boosted AGI at the expense of durability, he attacked Gargalla again.
This time Shadow did not attack from the front, but unleashed attacks from many directions, using the walls and even the ceiling as foothold. Making use of the Movement-type skill 【Flying Shadow】, he increased the unpredictability of his attacks.
Shadow had little HP left; the time left for him was probably less than one minute.
But even in such a situation, he did not lose his cool. Aiming for the instant he could deliver the final blow, he used everything he could in the room as footholds for his movement and attacks.
A frenzied run that, in such a confined space, made it look like he could control space.
The light streaks drawn by the twin blades in mid-air surrounded Gargalla like a barrier.
“…ooh.”
Shadow ran. The sounds grew smaller and smaller.
“Ooohh!!!”
Shadow jumped. The flowing scenery became slower and slower.
“Oooohhh!!!!”
Shadow slashed. The cuts on Gargalla’s body gradually increased.
“OoooOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!”
Shadow roared, following the emotion bursting from within.
A roar that ultimately turned into a scream, as Gargalla’s armor saw its durability decrease exponentially.
“What the hell got into you all of a sudden!?”
Even Gargalla could not help being shaken by Shadow’s sudden acceleration.
The “Miracle Drug of Blinking Life”, in exchange of the ultimate price it required, granted the user an explosive stat boost. Added effects, such as the ones players normally used, were nothing in comparison.
Normally it would not be possible to use it to the fullest. In this moment, however, a power that players would subconsciously limit was under Shadow’s complete control.
A force of desperation, that lasted only dozens of seconds. Shadow used that fleeting time to decide the outcome of the battle.
Gargalla could not keep up with Shadow’s movements anymore. Shadow first concentrated on his opponent’s right leg, to restrict his movements. The moment Gargalla lost his balance, Shadow went for his neck.
“Nnghh!!”
Maybe it happened because Shadow had already targeted his neck many times. Gargalla had predicted such an attack and raised his battleaxe in defense.
The twin swords had low durability from the start: clashing against Gargalla’s battleaxe, the armor shattered them.
“Kh!?”
“Out of time, huh?? You’re outta luck too!!”
His weapons crushed, Shadow landed and remained immobile for a moment. Gargalla’s battleaxe rose again, towering behind his back.
Shadow wasn’t sure whether his armor could withstand such an attack. There was no time to dodge it by sidestepping either.
Gargalla was sure to have claimed victory. The small opening birthed by such confidence was exactly what Shadow was waiting for. The shortsword he had thrown previously was stabbing the ground at his feet.
“And now—-”
Shadow was kneeling, his back facing Gargalla. He quickly took the short sword and jumped backwards.
Charging backwards at your opponent was an absolutely reckless move, but Gargalla’s battleaxe managed to react. Because of the unexpected movement, however, it did not succeed in splitting Shadow apart.
Shadow’s back clashed against Gargalla’s armor. The next instant, Shadow stabbed his own chest with the shortsword.
The blade pierced Shadow’s body and continued towards Gargalla’s chest armor.
Normally, it would have been repelled. But the accumulated damage created a different result.
The shortsword’s blade pierced the sturdy armor and stabbed the flesh it protected. A little, just a little more, and it would reach the heart.
“It’s over!!!”
The blade still stabbed, Shadow activated a skill.
It was the Sword and Flame combination skill 【Purgatory Thrust】. A blade of fire formed from the shortsword, filling the distance from the blade’s tip to the heart, extending out of Gargalla’s back.
Critical hit. An absolute instant death attack, ignoring remaining HP.
“Hah, not…ba—–”
Gargalla’s body turned into polygons and scattered before he could finish his last sentence.
Shadow kneeled down, the shortsword still lodged in his chest. Because of the last skill he used, he barely had 5 seconds left.
“Aah…”
A strengthless groan escaped his lips.
His love burnt, his hate exasperated, his sadness fed him to keep him going. But the conclusion he reached was just the reality that he had killed people.
He had his revenge. His mission was complete. Nothing remained in his chest, however.
He did not think that revenge was a fruitless thing.
It was not fulfilling either, though.
“Shadow!!!”
Five seconds until the flame of Shadow’s life flickered away. The last person to call his name was the man who shouldered the same pain as he, the friend that had walked down his same path.
“Shin.”
He had reached the end first. Because of that, Shadow thought that he had to tell him.
Maybe Shin would reply that he didn’t want to hear that from him. But Shadow felt that he had to be the one to say it, because he was in the same position, because his words could maybe reach Shin’s heart.
“Don’t…end…like..th…”
Shadow saw Shin run to him as if through a cracked lens. He couldn’t feel his body anymore. The end had come.
Had his words reached him? The vanishing Shadow could not know.
◆◆◆◆
“Out of my sight.”
Shin received Shadow’s message about Gargalla as he was blitzing through the guild, still concealed by the robe. Everytime he found a PK he judged if they could be the guildmaster or not, then purged them one by one.
Since fighting had broken out within the guild, finding the guildmaster had become the top priority.
Before Shin’s 『True Moon』, average weapons and armor meant nothing.
Some PKs had formed a party and confronted him, but the frontline members’ swords, spears, armors and shields were torn apart as soon as they entered Shin’s range, together with any other equipment on them.
The rear lines’ mages, too, saw their spells nullified as they themselves were burned to a crisp by magic. Arrows and other projectiles could not overcome Shin’s Ancient-grade gear; here, too, magic annihilated everything in its wake.
“Where’s the guildmaster?”
“I d-don’t kn—”
The PK’s head flew from his neck before he could even complete his sentence.
Shin continued to search for the guildmaster, employing his detection abilities to the fullest.
Gargalla was for Shadow to take his revenge. Shadow would probably manage to kill him, even if it meant his own life. Sharing his same emotions, Shin knew that well.
“Tch.”
Shin loudly clicked his tongue. He was irritated at himself for letting Shadow go.
He understood Shadow’s feelings so much that it hurt. The hate burning the flesh, the sadness twisting the mind. Their feelings towards the target of their revenge could not be described in just a few words.
At the same time, though, he couldn’t help but think if it was really a good idea to let him go on his own.
Based on the information he had, Shadow had about a 30% chance of winning. If he used a certain item, 80%.
But in the latter case, even if Shadow won the chance of his death was 100%.
“….damn it.”
That was Shadow’s battle. If Shin got involved, even if anyone would say that it was to save Shadow’s life, for Shadow himself he would just be in the way. If their positions were reversed, Shin too would scream at him to stay out of the way.
Even so…even so. Even if he had chosen the path of revenge, even if he killed without hesitation, he could not be indifferent to a comrade’s death.
“Found you!!”
Shin had headed to the area with the highest number of responses within his detection area. Before him now stood Ouroboros’ guildmaster. Apparently trying to flee, they were advancing in the direction opposite to Shin’s position.
Shin didn’t know where the border between the underground space and the guildhouse was, but as he was not using teleport crystals, it appeared that they were still inside the guildhouse.
Normally it was possible to teleport freely from a guildhouse, but when attacked by enemies the teleport function was turned off, to make it impossible to run away immediately. The remaining options were just two: to escape or to beat back the enemy.
Always concealed, Shin activated 【Enchant – Magic Boost】 and jumped over the group’s location. Without an instant of hesitation, he fired the spell.
“Die.”
【Elemental Blast】, a spell including seven different elements.
Flames, water, earth, wind, thunder, light and darkness all bared their fangs at the running PKs.
Some were burned to ashes, others were skewered, swallowed or torn to shreds.
Utter, unbridled destruction. The group Shin attacked was not allowed the slightest chance to counterattack, struck by a completely one-sided attack that reduced it literally to nothingness.
Shin checked that there were no survivors, then started running again. He used 【Ki Manipulation】 to boost his physical abilities and traversed the guildhouse in an instant.
“Shadow!!!”
He frantically charged in the room where Shadow’s response was. Gargalla’s response was no more.
The kneeling Shadow turned his face towards him. Something bright was trickling down it.
Shin saw that his few remaining HP were decreasing and felt that Shadow had completed his revenge. He quickly understood that Shadow had used the 『Miracle Drug of Blinking Life』.
Shadow looked at Shin with eyes that looked like dying flames. His lips moved as he tried to say something.
“Don’t…end…like..th…”
He couldn’t finish the sentence.
Shadow burst into a mass of polygons before Shin’s eyes. The twinkling shapes were so bright and beautiful it was difficult to imagine that they meant someone’s death.
“……..”
Shin understood what Shadow was trying to say and fell silent.
As Shin had been thinking about Shadow, Shadow too had been probably thinking about him.
“Hyaaahh!!”
“…..tch.”
Shin clicked his tongue as his silhouette became a blur.
Even if he felt down, his blade would not become dull. The PK that had attacked him from behind turned into a mass of polygons as he touched the ground, unaware that he had been cut down.
All players were supposed to be the same when they died. The last moments of that PK, though, looked like tainted poison in Shin’s eyes.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 10 - Frozen in Warmth/The-New-Gate-Volume-10-Frozen-in-Warmth-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_10_Chapter_04_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 1
After bringing down Ouroboros, Shin returned to Avidya’s headquarters.
As he entered, the eyes of all present turned to him. While there were some individual differences, most gazes were still turbid and sullen, but much less than they were a month before.
“Welcome back. I see you’ve kept your word.”
Calmia’s tone seemed brighter than usual.
“Not exactly, our side suffered losses too.”
“….so that’s why he’s not there by your side.”
Shin’s expression didn’t change as he spoke, but Calmia stopped breathing for a second before talking. She didn’t know about Shadow’s death yet, apparently.
Probably because they had heard the conversation, the surrounding people started whispering among themselves.
“Did he get his revenge?”
“Yes, he looked really satisfied.”
“I see. That’s good, then. That’s the reason we all gathered here, after all.”
Calmia looked sad, but relieved at the same time. Avidya was a guild formed by members that swore to exact their revenge. Even if they died in the process, as long as they had achieved their goal, guild members would praise them rather than mourn their loss.
“Are you alright?”
“What do you mean?”
Calmia asked Shin after taking his hand. Her expression suggested that she was worried about him. From her hand, however, no warmth could be felt.
“When the person next to them falls, some stop going forward. There is not much I can do, but consoling such people is one of my duties.”
Shin understood well enough what Calmia meant by “consoling”. She “could not do much” because of the restrictions imposed by the game.
“No problem. Shadow carried his convictions through to the end. I’ll just do what I set out to do.”
Shin’s hand, that Calmia had placed against her ample bust, was pulled away with enough strength as to not seem unkind. Even though his beloved, Marino, was no longer with him, he didn’t feel the urge to approach other women.
Shin lightly glared at Calmia, who quickly apologized.
“I’m sorry if I bothered you. You probably don’t know, but Ouroboros was responsible for my little brother’s death too. I’m really thankful to you for what you have done. This is pretty much all I can do to express my gratitude.”
Shin now understood the reasons behind her actions. Although her hands were pushed away, Calmia looked straight at Shin, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes.
“We’re just using each other. There’s no need to express gratitude or anything.”
“Even so, I want to.”
Shin’s expression was still unchanged, but Calmia smiled at him. Shin clicked his tongue and turned away.
“Well, I suppose we went off topic a bit too much. I have something to tell you today.”
“You should have said that first.”
“I’m sorry. I was honestly shocked by what happened to Shadow, and I wanted to give my thanks to you for avenging my little brother.”
“Fine, fine. So, what do you have for me?”
Calmia’s expression turned completely serious when she answered Shin’s question.
“We are still in the middle of investigating Vlad, but we found Robin in the process. The priority’s lower than Vlad’s, but you were looking for him too, right?”
After starting the PK hunt, Shin’s hostility had focused so much on Vlad that he had almost forgotten about him. After hearing Robin’s name, the aura enveloping Shin suddenly changed.
Despite being inside a game, several members felt this abrupt transformation and flinched.
According to Avidya’s research, Robin did not belong to any PK guild, so it was clear that he had not killed any players yet.
Robin had kidnapped Marino and handed her to Vlad though. Because of this, he was one of the people Shin wanted to take revenge against.
“I’ll go right now. Where is he?”
The words coming out of Shin’s mouth sounded completely different from before. His expression didn’t change, but his tone now sounded much darker and fiercer.
“Calm down. The hounds are keeping track of him, so if something happens I’ll know right away.”
Shin learned of Robin’s whereabouts from Calmia, materialized his katana and left the guildhouse.
With his figure concealed, Shin walked through dimly lit streets and back alleys, like a wandering ghost, like a god of death.
◆◆◆◆
Guided by the information obtained from Calmia, Shin arrived at a woodland area to the north of Kalkia. The woods were quiet, the low-leveled monsters within prowling about silently.
It was a location that rarely saw strong monsters and did not have any particular events associated with it, so it only contained a few lodges and nothing more.
“Robin is apparently using the third lodge as his base. No one knows what exactly he’s doing though, as he never leaves it.”
”I see. I’ll go by myself, please stay out of this.”
“Of course. There’s no one in Avidya that would get in your way now. Just let me stand by here, in case anything happens, all right?”
Saying this, the Hound concealed himself. Shin’s detection field registered his presence, but there was no need to point that out. Shin turned his back to the man and headed towards the lodges. The area was outside any hometown, making buildings and players susceptible to attacks.
In Shin’s map, the players inside the lodges were showed clearly. They were not friends or support characters however, so their names were not displayed.
The Hound’s information was surely correct, but to be completely sure Shin started from breaking down the 【Wall】 and 【Barrier】 erected around the lodge.
“Type V, huh. I guess it’s enough for a place like this, but it’s still too frail.”
Shin’s hands did not need to reach 『True Moon』, hanging from his waist; his left hand cut through the air in a rough motion and, with the sharp sound of glass breaking, the barriers protecting the lodge were destroyed.
A player from the neighboring lodge, alarmed by the sound, came out to see what was going on.
“W-what are you doing?”
“Taking my revenge, you got a problem with that?”
“…..leave my lodge alone, all right?”
Maybe because he had sensed the aura Shin emitted, the player who had come out trembled and quickly turned back to his lodge after meekly voicing his request to Shin.
The player in the lodge on the opposite side had probably heard this exchange, because he closed the windows without the smallest protest.
Looking at the map, Shin noticed that a player was exiting the lodge on the side opposite to where Shin was.
“……”
Without saying a word, Shin moved his right hand through the air and struck. The lodge crumbled on the player who had attempted to escape.
Shin walked closer to the wrecked lodge and found Robin under a fallen log.
“Y-You are…”
Robin had likely realized that the man standing before him was Shin. His expression warped with fear.
“You know what I’m here for, don’t you?”
“I-I had no other choice!! I would have been ruined, you know!! I have a family to raise in the real world. That man was the only one I could trust to change things!!“
“First of all, where is Vlad?”
Shin’s question utterly ignored Robin’s desperate excuses. Robin had cooperated with Vlad, so he might know about his whereabouts.
“I d-don’t know anything…I haven’t met that man…Vlad, since then. He won’t answer my contacts either…we were never close anyway. He just u-used me!! I’m a victim here!!”
Seeing that Shin did not move an eyebrow while listening, Robin hurriedly changed the subject. His eyes darted everywhere, frantically looking for a way to escape.
The weapon at his waist was still in its sheath, untouched. Shin, however, could kill Robin faster than the latter could take out a crystal and teleport away.
Either Shin allowed him to go or someone else had to act as a decoy while he escaped. In all other cases, this was the end of the line for Robin.
“You have no idea where Vlad could be?”
“I, I, I didn’t know something like that would happen!! He didn’t tell me that he would kill her!! We even had recovery potions for the status ailment!! If you would have just accepted—”
Robin’s excuses stopped abruptly, followed by the acute sound of a katana resting again in its sheath.
Judging from Robin’s behavior and the current situation, it was clear that he had indeed only been used.
If so, there was no point in leaving him alive another moment. With his head detached from his torso, Robin disappeared in a burst of polygons, but Shin didn’t spare a glance and turned away from the pile of rubble that used to be Robin’s lodge.
As Shin was leaving, a bright voice, in strident contrast with the location, stopped him.
“So the rumors were true! You’ve become pretty good at cutting people down.”
“…….”
Shin turned towards the voice without a word. There he found a petite, young-looking girl with short white hair and big, round eyes.
She was wearing an oriental garb with rather high skin exposure. This stressed the mounds on her chest, which were already too pronounced for her physique. However, what stood out the most was the giant poleaxe, almost as long as the girl was tall, wielded by her tiny hands.
Shin didn’t need to cast 【Analyze】 to know who this unique combination was.
“Milt.”
“Long time no see. When was the last time we met, three months ago maybe?”
Milt approached Shin with a friendly smile.
Milt herself was a PK, but a rare case; she was not included in Avidya’s target list. The reason was that she killed only in self-defense or during duels to the death that both parties agreed to.
She was treated as a PK because, if her opponent agreed to fight to the death, she would kill without any hesitation.
“What do you want from me?”
“I heard you were looking for Vlad, so—”
Milt stopped halfway through the sentence; Shin had closed in on her in a second, grabbed her by the neck and pushed her down to the ground, 『True Moon』’s cold blade on her neck.
“If you know anything, talk.”
“Ha, haha! The Shin I see now will be OK, I guess”
“…….”
“Don’t leer at me like that. I’ll tell you everything.”
Milt let go of her poleaxe and raised both hands. When Shin withdrew 『True Moon』, she let out a sigh.
“I’m sure you’ve looked everywhere too, but he won’t be found easily. Because he probably has no intention of attacking anyone now. It’s not possible to catch him in the act again.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Well, he managed to warp his greatest prey with his own hands, after all. He’s not going to risk killing others and have their deaths overwrite that experience.”
Milt talked of something Shin could not comprehend. To burn people’s deaths into your memory was already far too depraved for him.
“Vlad was obsessed about you more than anything. He’s likely been observing you and gloating, I guess. You’re in a state close to what he called ‘the ideal’ last time we talked after all. He’d probably be glad even if he’s found and killed by you.”
“Disgusting bastard.”
“You don’t need to understand people like that, you know.”
Milt’s shoulders dropped as she talked. Shin had no intention of understanding either, so he urged her to continue.
“Vlad’s keeping track of your movements. His main job, Dragon Knight, is one that stands out easily, but his sub is Ninja. He switched main and sub job now, to hide better. Ninjas have the best concealment abilities among all scout-type jobs, after all. He’s using all sorts of items and equipment to hide, so he won’t be easy to find.”
“You mean that he’s watching now too?”
“Probably, with binoculars or something like that. Well, that would mean the plan I thought about would work though.”
Milt spoke plainly. Shin tried to extend his detection field to the max, but could not find any players other than Milt and the lodge players whose presence he had confirmed before; no trace of Vlad.
As Milt had said, if he was using items and skills specialized for seeing long distances, it could be possible to observe locations even from outside detection fields.
Milt’s theory was not too bizarre after all; it could not be discarded as improbable.
“What’s your plan, then?”
“For me to join up with you. I’m pretty strong myself, but still nothing special compared to you. If he sees someone like me getting all close and personal—.”
“He’ll come to stop it, huh.”
“Bingo. Shin stopped hunting PKs to flirt with some broad. Vlad wouldn’t stand for that, I’m positive.”
Milt’s plan was to use Vlad’s obsession against him, to lure him out in the open.
“Won’t he be more alert if you’re involved?”
Unlike Marino, Milt could fight. If that was the case, Vlad might not think that Shin had given up on fighting for flirting.
“I was good friends with Mari, actually. We never really talked about it, so it’s not strange for you not to know.”
“You…and Marino?”
Shin furrowed his brow at Milt’s words. He had never heard anything of the sort from Marino.
“Yes, it happened by chance, because our situations in real life are pretty similar. We couldn’t say anything openly…but we talked a lot just between the two of us. Mari was sick, wasn’t she? In real life, I’m actually stuck on a hospital bed too…but the only other one who knows about this is Lucky Cat’s Catnip.”
“Is that so…”
Catnip knew about Marino too. The “Milmeow” she had mentioned before was Milt, then.
“Vlad had researched Mari thoroughly. I don’t know how he found out, but he knew about the connection between us. He asked me about her himself, so there’s no mistake about that”
Milt knew so much about Vlad because she had used the PK’s information network, not the normal players’ or the revengers’. The PKs were wary of her though, so she could only obtain limited information. Shin’s PK hunt had caused serious damage to the network.
“He shouldn’t find it too weird for me to take Mari’s place then. It could provoke him even more. I don’t dislike flirting in public, so there’s that too.”
Saying this, Milt tried wrapping her arm around Shin’s, but the latter stepped back to avoid her approach and thought about what to do.
Avidya’s hounds hadn’t found any useful information about Vlad. It was originally difficult to retrieve information about PKs not belonging to any organization. He could have asked Calmia could act as his partner in this operation, but in a dangerous situation, she couldn’t protect herself.
“If it means hunting him down, I can do this.”
Shin concluded that it was worth trying even if the plan would turn unsuccessful and agreed to Milt’s proposal.
“OK, I don’t mean to ask for this in return, but I have a request too. May I?”
“What’s that?”
“After Vlad is taken care of, I want you to fight me. To the death.”
Shin peered at Milt with surprise and suspicion in his eyes.
Milt said “to the death”, but as long as she didn’t pull off a series of incredible feats, she had no hope of winning. A duel to the death would have been suicide for her.
“If you just want to die, do it somewhere else.”
“I want you to be my last, Shin. Because I don’t want to go back to reality.”
“….let’s go to Tsuki no Hokora first, then talk more. This isn’t the right place.”
“Okay.”
Shin temporarily formed a party with Milt and returned to Kalkia via teleportation, then chain teleported to Tsuki no Hokora.
“Welcome back.”
Schnee welcomed Shin home, but Shin walked passed her without a word, had Milt sit down in the living room, and started preparing tea.
“….what?”
“Ah, er, you look quite used to it, I was just thinking.”
Milt was slightly surprised to see Shin prepare tea for them both.
“Anyone can make tea. Rather than that, let’s pick up where we left off.”
Shin took a sip of tea, then urged Milt to continue.
“As I said before, I’m stuck in a bed in real life. I can’t live if I’m not hooked to machines. I can speak, but my arms and legs won’t move like I want them to. I had to come to this world to finally understand how freely a body can move. But no matter how much I move here, reality doesn’t change. No…maybe because I had a taste of freedom here, reality became even harsher for me.”
For Milt, just staying alive meant having to pay expensive medical fees.
She could live on, thanks to her parents’ hard work, but looking at her parents growing thinner and more emaciated as she grew up, her heart couldn’t stand it anymore.
“We were never rich, so paying the hospital fees to keep me alive has always been a huge burden on them. Mom and Dad are always smiling, but that made it all even more painful. I…I could feel it. Their hands caressing mine…growing thinner and weaker over time.”
Modern medicine couldn’t cure Milt’s disease. Either her parents would reach their limit first, or Milt would.
“I have a little brother too, but it looks like he’s unhappy with my parents caring about me so much. If I’m not around anymore, all their love will go to him. The financial burden will also disappear — good things all around.”
“In a documentary on TV, I saw parents say that they’re happy just to see their child alive. From the standpoint of someone being kept alive, it’s not like that?”
“I don’t mean to say that everyone sees it like I do, nor do I think so. My head’s the only thing working perfectly, so maybe I think too much…making them sad would be painful, of course, but….”
Milt was asking to be killed, but there was no sadness in her view.
“If you think so, then wouldn’t suicide be an option? It might be impossible in real life, but in this world you could end your life yourself.”
“I thought about it at first, but…but thinking of killing myself with my own hands is too scary. So I thought about having someone do it for me.”
Milt wished to die, but death was still terrifying. Milt herself admitted what a contradiction that was.
“I can forget about that fear in battle. I want to die while feeling truly alive.”
That was one reason why she had continued seeking duels to the death.
“…you won’t regret it?”
Shin released a wave of pure killing intent, which blew through Milt’s hair like a gust of wind.
“Yup. I couldn’t do anything myself…but this, only this, I’ve decided it on my own.”
The killing intent unleashed upon Milt was enough to make any average player turn pale and shake violently, but she did not even bat an eyelash.
Even PKs, used to end others’ lives, saw fear rear its ugly head when death approached. Milt had mentioned being scared of death, but to Shin, it seemed that she had completely accepted it.
The emotions he felt from Milt contained imbalance, yes, but also great tranquility. Somehow, she reminded him of Marino.
“Got it. Once we’re done with Vlad, I’ll be your opponent.”
For Marino and Milt, death has always been very close. They had had a longer, deeper relationship with it than Shin ever could.
Shin had killed a great number of PKs. One more wouldn’t be a problem at this point.
“Thank you. Let’s get the plan moving right away then! Back to town for some lovey-doveying!”
After thanking Shin, Milt’s enlightened atmosphere vanished somewhere as her mood turned to hyper excitement.
She now grabbed Shin’s arm firmly, determined not to let him go this time.
“……”
Shin, silently watching Milt holding his hand and guiding him, teleported back to Kalkia.
Eager to show their intimacy as clearly as possible, Milt had wrapped her left arm around Shin’s right arm. Leaving the choice of their destination to Milt, Shin contacted Calmia via chat.
“(I have something to tell you about.)”
“(Oh my, it must be the first time you sent me a direct chat.)”
Shin couldn’t go to Avidya’s guildhouse with Milt in tow. As they wanted to pretend that he had given up on revenge, visiting that blood-drenched place was out of the question.
“(If there are any guild members with grudges against Vlad, I want you to tell them something)”
Shin explained to Calmia about Milt’s plan and the circumstances leading to it, lastly asking her to relay this. He had talked with Milt and decided how to finish Vlad.
“(—I see. Your method will definitely be really humiliating for Vlad. I’ll tell them.)”
“(Please do. I’ll contact you if there are any movements.)”
Shin cut off the chat and asked Milt where they were going. He had been focusing on the chat, his legs moving to automatically follow Milt.
“Catnip’s place, there are always a lot of people there after all. Perfect for rumors to spread.”
“Aah, I see.”
Catnip’s store, Lucky Cat, was a favorite destination of Shin and Marino’s. Many players there knew Shin’s face, even if they weren’t aware of his strength. Being a confectionery, most of the visitors were female players. If he went there, hand in hand with a female player other than Marino, rumors and conjectures would surely spread very quickly.
Shin didn’t think that Vlad was observing him at all hours; but if he caught wind of such a rumor, whether he acted or not, he would surely become restless.
“OK, will he move then?”
Shin felt that it would be great if anything was born from this. He had listened seriously when Milt talked about her situation, but not even the Hounds had managed to pick up any hints about Vlad, so he doubted Vlad would exhibit the kind of careless behavior Milt suggested.
For the current plan to succeed, that was a necessary condition. If Vlad had already lost interest in Shin, the plan would be completely useless.
“He will.”
Shin had whispered to himself, but Milt replied with confidence. Shin didn’t know what exactly made her so sure.
“Obsession is something that doesn’t just go away, not even if you think you’ve had enough. He staged something so huge for you and saw you change, he’s not going to be able to just turn the page on it.”
Milt stated her thoughts firmly, a serious expression on her face.
At the same time they had arrived at the Lucky Cat, so before Shin could say anything Milt had opened the door to the store.
The interior of the store was mostly the same as Shin remembered from his last visit, crowded as usual by female players.
Among them, wearing cat ears and tail, Catnip was serving her customers.
“Meow meow!? Shimeow and Milmeow, now this is a rare duo! Long time no see, both of you.”
Catnip noticed Shin and Milt and approached them with her usual “cat-like” talk.
Her gaze towards Shin, despite the peppy tone of her voice, was melancholic. She knew what he had been doing for the past month, surely.
“We talked via chat, though. We haven’t met face to face like this since about one month ago, maybe?”
“Because you never stay in one place, Milmeow. Finding you would be a miracle, meow…but more than that, I’m more interested to know why you two are so friendly, meow? You look just like lovers, meow?”
“Hehehe…that’s exactly what we are!!”
Milt squeezed her body even closer to Shin and made this declaration with a louder tone of voice. Shin felt multiple eyes on him and looked around, noticing that most gazes were fixated on his arm.
Staring at his left arm were all the (few) male players present and some of the female ones.
The male players’ stares burned holes in Milt’s watermelon-like assets pressed on Shin’s left arm.
Shin considered Milt’s presence as just one part of the plan, so he decided to smile in order for the rumors to spread even more easily.
“Meowhat!? So even Shimeow fell to the charm of Milmeow’s breasts!? Open your eyes, meow!! Small girls with watermelon chests don’t exist in real life!! I know the truth, meow. That chest is a lie!”
“You’re horrible!! Let me dream in this game world at least!!”
“What are you two saying…”
Shin gave a tired look at the two and the absurd conflict they had started.
“(I’ve heard everything. I’ll do what I can to help.)”
Shin had noticed that she was acting far too strange, and his suspicions were confirmed when Catnip sent him a chat.
It was difficult to imagine from the noisily meowing silhouette before his eyes, but the voice that reached his mind was cold and dry. Her melancholic eyes also contained a somewhat cold streak.
“(Catnip, you shouldn’t make eyes like that.)”
Shin was not in a position to tell others, though. Catnip, however, was someone Marino had been friends with. Shin himself felt that he had become less liable to emotional changes after Marino’s death, but he felt that he had to say it.
After showing off for a while, they purchased a few items and left Lucky Cat.
The rumors were probably already spreading; Shin felt more and more eyes fixed on them.
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