In A Parallel World With Random Skills, I Reluctantly Become A Mafia Boss?

Discussion in 'Community Fictions' started by SlashCrit, Mar 26, 2016.

?

Interesting?

Poll closed Apr 2, 2016.
  1. Yeah

    81.8%
  2. Nah

    18.2%
  1. SlashCrit

    SlashCrit 『Young King of ♥』『Lawyer/Bartender』

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    Chapter 10: Information

    The bright, early morning sun shone through the opening, making the damp room just a bit warmer. It was right then..

    "Hey! Wake up, time for the daily service!"

    A man's voice reverberated throughout the surroundings. Grunting voices came from a few inmates' cells, letting people know that they've been woken up forcibly. It wasn't possible to not hear it of course, since the sound waves bounce around in the tight space allocated to us..

    I couldn't ignore it either. So, I stood from the spot I have been sitting in for hours on end. I didn't get a wink of sleep so my head was slightly hurting from the noise, and my eyes were heavy and red. I didn't get sleepy last night but it doesn't change the fact that humans need sleep.

    Stretching my limbs to keep them awake, I check my appearance, now that it was already daytime. The way I did this was by looking through a puddle of water near my space. Seemingly placed there by a recent leakage from the roof when it rained a few days ago.

    I can't put my finger on it, but somehow, something's changed about me. My hair and irises had turned back to their natural black color, but my skin had not. It wasn't as pale as the moonlight, but it was still white. My face also seemed to have more defined features. I wonder what's going on..

    But I couldn't keep looking at myself for long, since the guard especially came to my cell because I hadn't responded and come out for at least a few minutes. He seemed so angry. Isn't it unhealthy to be mad in the morning? Still, I couldn't say that to his face, or I'm up for a beating.

    "Hey, newbie! It's your first day here so I'm gonna keep it brief. Along with the other new guy, you will help in building the new training grounds by carrying materials over for the whole day. Got that?"

    So it's like manual labor, but with no pay. I really don't want to do it, considering my strength stat is below average, probably. But I can't back out of it, so let's just take it at my own pace.

    After I nodded to show my reluctant affirmation, the warden went into the other cells and left my cell. Although, I'm not gonna miss this chance, now that his back was turned. The moment after I followed him outside the cell, we went in opposite directions. I went east, where the other inmates were lining up, while he went west to wake up the others and scream at them.

    In the time frame wherein we were about to go our separate ways, I quickly used <<Instantaneous Movement>> which I applied to my arms, to snag the key to my cell which I never kept my eyes off of as soon as he placed it on the hook attached to his backside belt. Naturally, I coupled the useful <<Stealth>> so that no one would be suspicious of me.

    I was afraid he would've noticed, but instead, he just scratched his back because there was a slight itch. Just when I had exhaled a sigh of relief, a finger tapped my shoulder, jolting me awake. Though, my <<Intuition>> Skill didn't activate so I thought it was fine. But I could not let my guard down in here, or else.

    When I put on my facade once more, calmly turning around like a seasoned veteran. With a face that might have said, 'You're still wet behind the ears, brat..' I saw the man who I met yesterday. Well, not exactly met, but just exchanged names. After saying my name, he just went deeper inside his cell and didn't say anything more.

    Dazel, was his name I think? He still had that same curly red hair, with emerald eyes that looked like a playful brat, but was actually trying to size up everyone around him. At least, that's my guess on his personality.

    While I was thinking that, he suddenly got near my ear in a flash. When did he even get close? I couldn't sense any killing intent but if I can't even detect movement, I would've been done for. Just when I was panicking inwardly, but not showing any expression on my 'veteran warrior' facade, he grinned and proceeded to whisper words into my ear..

    "Just as I thought, you're not an ordinary criminal, aren't you?"

    Ah, thank god he had the wrong idea. Well, not all wrong, I didn't even do anything after all.

    "I could say the same about you, Dazel-san, what are you trying to do exactly?"

    Showing a calm expression, unperturbed by the widely grinning Dazel, but inwardly panicking on what to do next, I reply in a hushed tone, just like what the other party had done.

    "Oh, are you mad? Sorry, sorry, I just saw an interesting thing is all. But really, you have such fast hands, I could barely see them move, right, Kyouya?"

    This guy really wasn't an ordinary person. That's a level 5 movement skill coupled with a level 5 hiding skill you know?

    "Well, it seems there's no need to be polite then. So, what's it to you, Dazel?"

    "Finally, I don't like people spitting out fake words and putting on airs. It's nothing much actually, I got some interesting information that a treasure was safeguarded here, underground. So when I saw you, one I couldn't see through at first glance, doing those swift movements, I wanted your help."

    I'm sorry, but even now, I'm just spitting out fake words, simultaneously covering for my weak self. What would he do if he found about that? Well, let's just try hard that it doesn't happen that way. Wait, he wanted to make me help him steal something? Did I hear that right?

    When I look again towards Dazel, he was putting on a happy expression. This guy, he's blackmailing me isn't he. I know how to read between the lines a bit. Basically, he was telling me to help with his scheme, or else he's going to report to that jail warden, hastening my execution date. I really didn't want to get dragged into this troublesome thing because I still had to plan my escape, but..

    "Ah, I get it, I get it. Even though it's troublesome, I'll help you with what I can do. But only if you do me a favor in return. I need information, specifically, the guard's patrol times, exchanges, and routes that were rarely taken. If you do that, I'll help you in whatever it is you're doing."

    Since I was going to be dragged in anyway, I decided to take advantage of the offer instead. There was no time to be picky. I didn't even know if I was going to live till tomorrow morning. I had to gather information fast. The reason why I asked for these things was for my stealthy escape. Although I had the map skill, I wasn't confident that I could hide from more than dozens of guards whenever we meet.

    "Hmm? Is that all? Well, it's fine. You've got yourself a deal. Although, we could just escape together after stealing the artifact. I also know a way out of the city. This is just between us, but a couple of the members of my 'Famiglia' is going to be waiting for me at the gate tomorrow night, so you could come with us. What do you say?"

    Was this guy a mind reader!? No, I guess me asking about escape routes, and seeing me take the key would be pretty obvious if anyone thinks about it. In fact, that plan was better than going alone since I haven't even thought about what to do after I escape, much less leave the city. But..

    "Let me think about it. I'll let you know after today. You let me know what I'm supposed to do later too."

    Leaving those words, I swiftly use my skill again and move out of sight. The reason I hesitated was because of that keyword Dazel had said. I think about it while being ordered to shovel gravel into mounds and moving bricks, absentmindedly staring into the bright blue sky.

    'Famiglia', huh..

    ♦♦♦♦♦♦

    When I moved my attention towards the ring attached to my right hand, perfectly embedded on my middle finger, I use <<Appraisal>> on the strange item. The result was..

    Nothing. I could not read it. Even with my <<Automatic Language Translation>> skill, it still appeared as garbled letters and numbers. I repeatedly used <<Appraisal>> again and again, but it was futile.

    The only conclusion that I could garner was that this ring that was left behind by the self-proclaimed god of darkness, was an item that couldn't be seen with <<Appraisal>>, meaning that it must have been a higher tier than what it could detect. Which in turn, means that another skill is needed to read it. But, I didn't know which one it was.

    Using my game knowledge, I searched for skills like <<Identify>>, <<Describe>>, and some others but they were all lower tier than what <<Appraisal>> was. But I couldn't level it up because it was already at its limit. I needed more knowledge about this world because my common sense did not apply here. I gave up trying to identify what the ring was for now, and started taking out the piece of paper that was never hurt nor dirtied even after all this time.

    The words after where I left off were like this..

    Although the average level of the populace are small
    Their inner strength is higher than those of your world
    Very much so. I don't think you could even match them in a fight if you tried
    Well, that's only considering your current state
    What gives most people their powers and strength are the 'Seven Seraphim'
    Their blessings spread out across the land of the humans
    But only them
    No other race is included in this
    This is because of an old story
    In the beginning, an old powerful being created 'Aragnor'
    No one knew where this being came from, so he was just called, 'The Beginning'
    This being had created many sons and daughters across the world
    Along with many different races that he made out of the abundant 'Mana' around him
    Soon enough, part of his enormous power was inherited by his descendants
    These chosen children soon grew up to be peerless existences
    No one could be their match, so they soon ascended into godhood
    Various elements and laws of existence were taken by them and made it their own
    After a million years, most of the gods grew tired of the world and the material plane
    And soon, they created their own dimensions where only they, and their creations can reside
    Some also went back into the outer dimensions to do whatever they want
    While others just started sleeping for all eternity
    Until one day, only a few remained in 'Aragnor'
    One of these few, where the most powerful beings, the 'Twin Deus'
    Composed of the older brother, Erebus, and the younger brother, Savanium
    One controlled Darkness and the Night Sky
    The other brought Light and brightened Day
    Complete opposites in what they do
    Their views never coincided, even in the past, when they were still little children
    Savanium was fond of watching humans and how they live clustered together
    While Erebus liked the fighting styles and techniques of the demi-human races
    Like this, they spent more than thousands of years passing time and watching over the races
    Until one day, Erebus went down to the human realm to kill time, literally
    Chronos was wreaking havoc again and he had to go and drag him back
    But before he did, he noticed that a certain woman was about to get attacked by armed men
    The moment he saved her, was where it all began..
     
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  2. SlashCrit

    SlashCrit 『Young King of ♥』『Lawyer/Bartender』

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    Character Images

    I do not claim ownership rights towards the following. It is only for easier reading purposes. Enjoy!

    Sairenji Kyouya (Night Form)

    [​IMG]


    Sairenji Kyouya (Day Form)

    [​IMG]


    Elise von Sheilastaire

    [​IMG]


    Gerald Strauss

    [​IMG]


    Dazel

    [​IMG]


    Jaeger Misultagen

    [​IMG]


    Zetsuen (Dragon Knight)

    [​IMG]


    Creo (Bird Form)

    [​IMG]


    Creo (Human Form)

    [​IMG]


    Cleo (Bird Form)

    [​IMG]


    Cleo (Human Form)
    [​IMG]


    Freed (Head of MorteGrande Famiglia)
    [​IMG]


    Umbra Avaros Jexal (Demon God)

    [​IMG]


    Savanium Los Illuminare (God of Light)

    [​IMG]


    Rovinos, Seraph of War (Seraph Form)

    [​IMG]
     
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  3. SlashCrit

    SlashCrit 『Young King of ♥』『Lawyer/Bartender』

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    Chapter 11: Beginning

    The woman was named Grisha
    A beautiful face coupled with a personality of a saint
    It was no wonder Erebus fell in love almost immediately
    After beating down the criminals that tried to take advantage of her
    He offered her a helping hand and proceeded to kill the men
    So that they wouldn't do anything like this ever again

    But
    Instead of letting him kill the ones who wronged her
    She had the courage to stand up to a god to preserve the lives of the men
    Many would consider this a foolish choice
    But the god of darkness saw unparalleled determination in her eyes
    Therefore, he let them go

    After capturing Chronos and sending him back to his dimension
    He was strangely drawn towards Grisha
    So he started spending time with her
    But the more he did this
    The more he found it enjoyable
    Seeing her live her day to day life with happiness
    After a while, he started looking forward to each day

    Many years flew by
    At that time, Erebus felt the need to do something
    He realized that he wanted to be with Grisha for all eternity
    He could not do this while she was still mortal
    So when he went to ask
    He groveled before her

    Yes, for he knew that immortality was not that easy to accept
    It might sound like a benefit
    But it is a hard life to lead
    Hence, he pleaded her while expressing his heartfelt feelings
    A god lowering his head to a mortal was unheard of
    A myriad of emotions were evident on Grisha's face

    Fortunately, or in this case, unfortunately
    She agreed to spend her life with him
    Even if she had to give everything up and leave it all behind
    Erebus was elated at this
    He immediately went to the Divine Realm to inform his brother
    But not before promising Grisha that he will definitely come back for her
    Leaving her self-assured, he ascended into the higher plane

    No
    Was the answer of Savanium, the god of light
    Enraged, he expressed his disdain
    There was no reason to reject someone his brother chose especially
    But there was just one problem
    She was not human

    Looking at the short horns growing out of her purple hair
    It was the truth
    Her race was demon
    A race that Savanium didn't care much about
    But nor did he particularly like that much either

    To him, humans were at the top of the mortal realm's races
    So he held heavy prejudice against everyone else beneath them
    The demons were more adept at using magic than humans
    But that was just it

    There was no big difference between them
    Yet, he still looked at them differently
    Towards this brother, the god of darkness was enraged
    But instead of letting his rage control him
    He calmed himself and started to talk

    It was a long time before the god of light reluctantly agreed to the union
    Many favors and persuasions were done by Erebus
    Patiently waiting for this moment
    But just as everything was going smoothly
    Disaster struck

    When both had descended onto the earth once more
    A scene of carnage and chaos spread before their eyes
    The town where Grisha resided was ravaged to its depths
    By it

    It being a gargantuan beast
    Every time it moved
    Earthquakes were not few
    With bulging red muscles and arms too many to count
    The being with unstoppable strength leveled the landscape around it

    A titan
    A being once told in legends
    An existence that can reach the gods themselves
    Created out of residual mana mixed with malice from all over the globe
    This particular type was one of the weakest among them
    For they had little to no intelligence
    Compared to the other races
    This titan was as stupid as a rock

    But
    There was nothing any one could do to stop it
    For only his stupidity was its only weakness
    Meanwhile everything else was close to invulnerable
    It was futile to even think of fighting it
    It would've been wise to retreat and let the disaster pass

    Although Savanium was thinking this
    His brother had other plans
    For all the while
    He was thinking of something completely different

    Grisha
    His first true love in this world
    Her safety was the only thing on his mind
    Unconsciously releasing his pent up rage and frustration
    Breaking the limiters of his power levels
    He found her quickly

    But he was too late
    For she was already at death's door
    Just barely making it to hear her last words
    She left the mortal world

    Erebus was angry
    Angry at whoever orchestrated all this
    Angry at the giant beast who might have done this
    Angry at her untimely fate of being separated from him
    Just as he was about to enjoy eternity with her
    But most of all
    He was angry at himself

    Angry at how he couldn't do anything once he saw her
    Dark Magic could not heal mortals
    Light Magic could often be linked to healing magic
    But for a demon
    That was just hastening her death
    He didn't even know if it could bring someone back from near death
    But he still tried
    Again and again until he ran out of options

    The forbidden magic of necromancy
    He almost used it but stopped himself
    This magic can bring the dead back to life
    But it would not revive souls
    So he judged this useless
    He was helpless

    Even still, he had to take revenge
    To get rid of the murky feeling that would not go away
    Until he knew who or what the cause was
    He couldn't just sit there and accept it
    He turned around and decided to fight

    The titan was extremely strong
    Fighting on par with Savanium, the god of light
    Barely exchanging blows that pierced the stratosphere
    Well, that was until he, arrived

    The embodiment of darkness rushed in like a madman
    No more was the calm, collected, observant young man
    He completely entrusted his entire self to the endless power that welled up from within
    Releasing his pent up emotion
    He showered a rain of blows against the over-sized muscle-head

    Under the attack of two divine beings, the titan could only defend in earnest
    A long drawn out battle ended on the third day
    As the titan fell
    Leaving behind the two exhausted gods

    Later on
    Erebus used all the resources at his disposal to find the cause
    Completely ignoring and oblivious to the whereabouts of the other townspeople
    He couldn't care less
    Creating a new race to help him
    A race he called 'Devil' made from the demon's genes
    But stronger than ever

    After many decades, he finally found his answer
    It turns out
    That an organization of humans were the root
    This particular group's objective was to conquer the other races
    Where discrimination against every other race except human was normal
    By sacrificing countless souls
    They succeeded in summoning a lower form of 'Titan'

    But Erebus did not care about the little things such as why they did it
    He only wanted to have a target
    No thinking was necessary
    He was completely devoured by his thirst for vengeance
    Almost immediately, he assembled his army and attacked

    In the span of an entire day
    He wiped most of the cities off the map
    Spending the least bit of time on every one
    Using the most destructive methods he had in his arsenal
    Innocent or not
    None were spared
    He struck fear into millions
    This incident would later be called 'The Fall'
    But that was for another time

    The humans
    Who were unprepared as usual
    At such an unprecedented amount of power and numbers
    Quickly spiraled into despair
    Who would have thought that they have angered a god
    And in the course of one day
    Their prideful race was on the brink of extinction

    They could only cling to their god
    Praying to him like their lives depended on it
    Due to this
    Savanium immediately moved to stop his brother's actions
    He would have never once thought that his own brother
    Would take this drastic of a method
    Killing his most beloved race was inexcusable

    Meeting on the battlefield
    Savanium tried to dissuade his only sibling to stop
    Even if he wanted to destroy him
    They were still brothers after all
    But his 'brother' was no longer there

    What met him was the entity of rage in corporeal form
    There was no sign of him stopping his rampage
    Now that he had found an outlet for his vengeance
    There was no turning back
    A fight was inevitable

    Seeing as words had no meaning
    Savanium had no choice but to use his strength to get through
    Countless blows were traded
    Many devastating spells were used
    Strategies were nowhere to be found

    A battle between supreme beings had no need for them
    Countless bodies fell on both sides
    Human and Devil
    Entire landscapes were changed again and again
    Light and Dark
    Clashed for what seemed like an eternity

    Both sides exhausted beyond their limits
    There was no need for words
    Both were prepared to use their most powerful attack
    Not thinking of the consequences
    If these two spells clashed
    The end of the world was a predetermined fact

    But even so
    They still had to do it
    Even if it meant that the world had to be destroyed
    There was no end in sight if they didn't have
    At least this much resolution
    One had nothing to lose
    While the other wanted to get back everything
    When these two wills met

    A trumpet sounded
    Both powers were suppressed by two fingers pointed outwards
    In a flash, both sides were rendered unable to fight
    What appeared there was
    A mysterious man wearing a black suit of leather
    The designs were something that was alien to this world
    Yet they looked as if it was made for this man to wear


    The only ones who looked out place in the devastated lands
    Were two beings
    The silver-haired man who was putting his hands in his pockets
    As if he was as nonchalant as a mischievous little kid
    And the heavenly entity behind him


    Floating above his head was a beauty
    Locks as shiny as gold, bright prismatic-colored irises
    A silk outfit slightly revealing the untainted whiteness of her skin
    But what was more eye-catching was
    The gigantic sixteen rainbow-colored wings on her back


    Exuding a natural air of fear and strength
    The being called 'Seraph of the End'
    Was strangely servile to the mysterious man below her
    Acting as if she was in a casual conversation with puffed cheeks
    After looking around, the man turned once more and disappeared


    The beings once called 'Twin Deus' could only be dumbfounded
    They never believed they could even touch the angel that came out from nowhere
    Much less the man below it
    Even Erebus' reason came back due to his exhaustion
    Thus, the carnage was over in a flash
    Due to the appearance of the mysterious being that was as playful as a cat
    Both the humans and devils were forced to retreat


    Over the course of a hundred years after 'The Fall'
    To avoid the incident from repeating itself
    Savanium accumulated more power and created a new race
    He called it 'Angels'
    Out of these new beings
    Made by imitating the one who abruptly appeared before them
    Seven were chosen to guard the human race


    Thus, the 'Seven Seraphim' was born
    Each one given a fragment of power to protect
    And to oversee all the other races
    Simultaneously giving them power to bestow upon humans
    The first few were those blessed to be called 'The Ancestors'

    Soon enough, the power bestowed upon the humans
    Became commonplace
    Inherited traits, bloodlines and families
    Through these
    Each and every one of them received strength
    Stronger than the past humans

    But every once in a while
    Children who had a higher affinity towards the light element are born
    These children would soon grow into special existences
    Among the human race

    They were observed to have extraordinary growth rates
    Quickly growing stronger than the average adult
    Soon, these children were treated differently than others
    Although, the only deciding factor was their status

    The unique title of 'Chosen' was found there
    From birth, if you have been confirmed to have this title
    You will automatically succeed in life
    But only seven were confirmed to have this title at one time
    Therefore they developed a system to take advantage of it

    'Familigia'
    The name coined by the founder of the Association
    Using the faith towards Savarium and the 'Seven Seraphim'
    The Association created the 'Seven Seraphim Shrines'

    These are where the seven chosen existences will make their bases
    Each choosing their own 'Seraph' to serve
    Letting these 'Seraphs' bestow upon them power
    Gathering followers by promising them strength and ideals
    And in return, making each 'Famiglia' strong enough to protect the people

    Meanwhile, Erebus was also recreating his 'Devil Army'
    Creating his very own personal dungeon, 'Losto Vae'
    Where he made plans to eliminate the entire human race
    Including his brother, Savarium

    He was still afraid of the mysterious being coming back
    So he developed countless countermeasures in the case he did
    This time, he made his minions even stronger than before
    He also had a plan to use a titan's strength instead

    Of course, Erebus knew that nothing would change
    Even if he destroyed the human race
    There would be no benefit to him
    But logic had nothing to do with it

    He felt that if he didn't do it himself, no one ever will
    He would never regain his peace of mind
    Knowing that the discrimination against the other races
    Coming from the humans' side, would never end at this rate

    Various developments happened soon after
    The humans slowly multiplied once again and kept creating new ways on how to survive
    Spells, Skills, and Techniques were found one after another
    Though, most of these were from the various 'Famiglias' that rapidly enlarged

    Soon enough, people started imitating the 'Famiglias' that grew too large
    And created their own
    After much deliberation, The Association approved this
    Stating the condition that they would be called differently

    The original seven families would be dubbed
    'The Seven Major Famiglias'
    While the others were either
    'Minor Famiglias'
    or 'Famiglias' for short

    Naturally the former was higher-ranked than the latter
    They would take priority on quests, and many other things
    While the former received blessings and the like from their 'Seraph'
    The rest don't and have to rely on their own strength in numbers

    This is why it was better to apply for even one of the major families
    The benefits were as far as heaven and earth
    Although nobles and aristocrats governed the country
    While the king ruled over it

    The true rulers in terms of strength would be the 'Major Famiglias'
    They say that even one of them would be enough to take on a country
    Which is not an exaggeration
    Soon enough, some forgot their initial purpose

    And started to hold competitions over everything
    Numbers, money, land, strength, anything you could think of
    Growing too strong can make you careless and arrogant
    And that's exactly what they became..

    And that is why only the humans were bestowed strength by the 'Seven Seraphim'
     
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  4. SlashCrit

    SlashCrit 『Young King of ♥』『Lawyer/Bartender』

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    Chapter 12: Flag

    So that self-proclaimed god of darkness wasn't self-proclaimed after all.

    I wanted to know how a story as long as that fit onto a piece of paper but I decided not to after considering the situation.

    The one who asks loses.

    I was about to read more about the history of 'Aragnor' since I got slightly interested on what a 'Famiglia' was composed of in detail. But as soon as I did..

    A rainbow-colored light shot out of the piece of paper, immediately catching me off guard. I hurriedly let go of it, letting it drop onto the cold, damp floor. Still, it wouldn't get dirty nor wet no matter what, so it wasn't a problem.

    As soon as I had grown accustomed to the shining blindness, the darkness of night returned once again. Making it seem like the light inside the dreary cell was nothing but a lie. But, the piece of paper was nowhere to be found.

    What took its place was a book. When I took a closer look with slight caution, it seemed bigger than a normal book. But it was more slender than those thick dictionaries I might have seen once or twice.

    When I picked it up, it felt smooth and rough at the same time. The material was alien to anything that I had ever held before. A purple and black covering wrapped the pages in place. Emitting a slight prism glow was a gem embedded in the center. Obviously, I tried using <<Appraisal>> once more, but it yielded the same result as when I was trying to inspect the ring.

    In fact, I couldn't even see the words on the description, in contrast with the garbled ones on the ring's description. Did this mean that this item was of higher tier than the ring? If so, what exactly is it?

    In my curiosity, I tried opening the long, slender book that emanated power. But as soon as my right hand made contact with it..

    *Psshhh*

    ".....Not this again.."

    Like the last two times, the book was swallowed whole inside the black fog coming out from the ring, in the same way as when the egg and the crystal orb did. In the next moment, only air was caught through my fingertips.

    This was really troublesome. Everything I touch just gets swallowed up. I got the slight idea that this ring might be some kind of storage device but I was not a hundred percent sure. In the meantime, let's decide to find information about my strange items someday, so I could read the rest of the things the writer wrote on the letter.

    Well, it's a book now though.

    Like this, I observed fluctuations in my strength and prepared the details of my escape plan. By the time the sunlight shone through the window, my appearance already turned back to what it was before with slight changes, and I felt like I lost a lot of strength. Mental fatigue and sleepiness tempted me to take a nap, but not before I heard the warden.

    ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

    I stop my thoughts there, as my tiredness from lifting rocks all day from place to place took its toll. I immediately plopped down onto the haystack at the side of my cell when I arrived. Without caring if there was any hygiene issues with the clump of dirty hay, I relaxed my whole body and exhaled a sigh.

    Now that I had my thoughts in order, let's accept Dazel's offer after all. Even if it sounded too beneficial for me to escape town with his comrades, he wouldn't betray me would he? No, this was a give and take kind of trade. I help him steal whatever is kept inside this building, and in return, he helps me move to another town. Simple as that.

    Let's not think about how I was going to commit a crime nor the possibility of things going wrong. Because if I think too hard, it would backfire. Besides, if I didn't do anything, I'm sure that I would be executed without a fair chance soon enough anyway. If he was a member of the 'Seven Major Famiglias', this would get more troublesome.

    I sincerely hope that was not the case this time.

    For now, let's prepare for tomorrow's breakout.

    After getting the unnecessary worries, and picking out the minor details towards how we were going to escape, I waited for the warden to go home like he did yesterday, when it became night once more.

    For some reason, my appearance didn't change, nor did any strength come into my body. It must have been because I didn't activate the skill consciously like last time. There wasn't any need to after all. Now then..

    "Dazel"

    I called out to the red-haired man right across my cell.

    A few seconds later, I heard rustling from the inside of his.

    "Hmm, Kyouya? What is it, got something to say?"

    His tired eyelids were going up and down while he stifled a yawn when he met eyes with me.

    "Ah. I'm in, what's your plan?"

    After I had said those words, his sleepy expression instantly disappeared like it was a lie. He immediately expressed a sly grin, or at least I think it was, looking at him from here. I just hope this wasn't going to affect me in any way soon.

    "Great. Now, here's what were going to do.."

    While settling down in a squatted position, he told me about the artifact we were going to steal, and all the other things involved starting from the beginning in a hushed voice. As to not let the other inmates overhear.

    I didn't really get most of what he was saying halfway through, because I wasn't a business major, nor did I have any experience in committing a crime, I could tell the certain gist of it. After we discussed, all I could do was wait till tomorrow night.

    Of course, I had no leisure time to activate <<Random>> today, but it didn't matter that much.

    Finalizing both plans coming together in my head, I drift off to sleep..

    ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

    "It's time."

    "Ah, I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

    To the famous quote back on Earth, Dazel could only tilt his head in reply. It didn't matter that much so I refrained from wasting precious time in explaining it in detail. I would have liked to though..

    It was the dead of night, a few minutes after I confirmed no presences were near me using the map skill. The warden that was a different person today, already left the building. I discovered that I could use a 'Marker' on people and things on the map, but I refrained from doing it just yet. A trusty 'Search' skill was also available.

    How convenient.

    "Okay, let's move."

    It seemed that Dazel just pushed it aside for now, and started gathering mana into his hands. I could tell because last night, I learned a bunch of new skills that I had to get for the revised plan.

    I'm not gonna go over it all, but I could detect mana traces in the air gathering onto his palm using <<Mana Detection>>

    I only bought it until level one so I could use it to sense whenever someone was using magic. Quite handy I must say.

    "O friendly breeze, gather into a cutting edge, <<Air Cutter>>"

    With a chant, Dazel aimed at the lock on his cell. In the next moment, an invisible blade cut through it like butter. So his main attribute was <Wind> then? I could tell the wind was blowing more stronger here, even though almost no ventilation was on this floor. In the game character creation, you could choose your main attribute out of eight choices.

    If I remember correctly, they were <Fire>, <Water>, <Wind>, <Earth>, <Ice>, <Lightning>, <Plant>, and <Metal>. The other attributes had to be learned from difficult hidden quests somewhere in the game. I for one, chose <Water> and <Lightning> since I knew they would go well together.

    But that's only if I based it on the game. I had the slight inkling that this world might be somehow related to the game I just bought, but I could not prove it. A gut feeling if you will. In any case, useful knowledge is always welcome.

    When Dazel opened the door to his cell slowly, he signaled me to get out as well. So I put the key in the lock outside, and..

    "Wait, stop!"

    In a hurried voice, Dazel grabbed my hand that was about to turn the key inside the keyhole. What is it now..

    "You didn't notice? The key alone won't work. The only correct way to open the lock was to apply magic into the key, and that's only if you are registered as a soldier or city official. If you turn it just like that, an alarm will go off!"

    I immediately take out the key and dropped it on the floor in reflex. That was close.

    If Dazel had not told me, I would be quickly dealt with while I was in this state. I could not let another person know my true strength after all. Especially if I didn't know them that well.

    "Thanks for that, it would've been tiring if I got caught this early."

    Still keeping up my facade of a calm and collected person, I relay my gratitude.

    "Ah, you're welcome. Now that I see you don't have a way out, should I use magic on your lock?"

    I don't know if his real personality is a caring person, or a serious and cunning thief. Either way, I still had another way so I refused his offer. Can't have him waste his mana after all.

    "No need. I didn't want to have to use this, but now's not the time to be choosy."

    With a flick of my wrist, I used <<Lock Picking>> on my cell door, and the lock fell to the floor after I pushed the door open.

    "H-how did you.. Is your job, thief by any chance?"

    Job? No, I'm jobless in fact. This was only because I had a cheat skill that can let me learn most skills. Like I could say that.

    "A trade secret. Let's go."

    So, I went with the mysterious route. I was only helping Dazel so that he helps me, so this relationship is only at a business deal level. There was no obligation to answer irrelevant questions, not pertaining to the plan.

    "Well, I'm not gonna pry any further. The room where it's kept in is this way. Follow me."

    I'm glad he's considerate.

    He quickly moved down the stairway, with hurried but silent steps. Assassin? Might be not that far from the truth.

    I activate <<Stealth>> and <<Quicken>> on my legs and follow right behind him. There were no guards patrolling the stairs because it was late at night. They were probably either outside the building, and right at the place where the artifact is kept.

    <<Quicken>> was a skill that made the target move faster than normal, depending on how much mana you used. Since I only had a little bit of it, sprinting right behind Dazel was the most I could do.

    But since I had, for some reason, inexhaustible mana which doesn't run out, I decided to take advantage of it. I'm not sure why this skill was considered a 'Passive Skill' but it was useful, so doubting its origins would be ungrateful of me.

    After a few minutes of sneaking around, carefully watching movements on the map secretly, Dazel stopped near two big doors. In front of the doors, were two strong-looking guards in metal armor. One held a long sword, while the other held an axe.

    Together, they looked extremely imposing. To be honest, I was losing faith in the chance that we could get through them undetected. On the map, they were shown as a neutral dot, but once we get caught, I'm sure that will change.

    Hiding behind one of the walls at the side of the long corridor, I waited for Dazel to make his move. When I looked at him, he was taking out a vial of pink liquid from his boot. Clever. They would never think someone concealed it inside someone's shoes.

    I wish I could be like that, but I was still wearing my shirt and boxers. Have I been wearing this the whole time? It was a good thing I still had slippers. I need new clothes to wear really soon. So far, no one has commented on my weird look. That was the only saving grace for me, keeping me from embarrassing myself.

    As I was complaining about my choice of clothing, Dazel threw the vial in a quick motion towards the guards. To help him a little bit, I used <<Quicken>> once again, but not on my legs. The thrown vial of pink liquid suddenly gained twice its speed, and hit the large double doors.

    Along with the surprised faces of the two who were still not dozing off even in this time of night, which was commendable, a large cloud of pink smoke that turned red when it came in contact with the doors, surrounded the guards.

    Two thuds were heard, and the men were lying on the floor, unconscious. Was it some kind of sleeping drug?

    We carefully made our way towards the two fallen men to ascertain their state. I knelt down and checked their conditions and confirmed that they were still breathing. They were only asleep. But just as I had been relieved at them still being alive..

    "Tch. It didn't work.."

    The clicking of a tongue, and a self-ridiculing tone came out from Dazel, who was carefully observing the red spots on the two large doors that looked imposing to the eyes.

    "What's wrong?"

    I ask while getting up, moving to his side, keeping a close eye on the map to alert me if any reinforcements came.

    "The vial I threw, didn't melt the door. It's supposed to melt metal and wood once in contact, but is completely harmless to humans except for rendering them unconscious for a couple of hours."

    Now that I look at the men again, their metal armor and weapons were melting off bit by bit. Scary. That little item could do all that? I wouldn't want to get hit by it by all means.

    "Well, can't you open it with a key or something else?"

    I tried to help by searching the unconscious guards to see if there were any keys on them. But alas, it must have been melted by the pink fog when Dazel threw it at them.

    "No, this isn't an ordinary door. It's locked by a 'Magic Formation'. Only the mage who created it can break it, or maybe someone stronger that can decipher its lock. What am I going to do now.."

    While Dazel showed a dark expression, thinking deeply about his next move, I moved in front of him. Extending my palm towards the large set of doors, between them and Dazel, I invoked <<Lock Picking>> once more.

    Since he said something about this being a magic lock or something, it was worth a shot. It was a level 5 skill after all. It might even break a lock made out of magic. What could possibly go wrong?

    "W-what!?"

    Dazel was dumbfounded at the scene of an absurd amount of different symbols breaking into glass pieces, dispersing into the air.

    Don't look at me. I don't even know what I'm doing exactly.

    After a few seconds, the door was starting to open by itself. A bright glow of luminescent green went through the opening gaps of the doorway. I slowly lead the way inside, making the shocked Dazel follow slowly after me.

    Entering the room, I was amazed. Bright green plants that looked like moss were glowing in the dark. The room was large, but it had no windows in sight. There was no furniture in the room, save for a circular stage made out of white stone at the center of the room. A small stairway was leading up to the higher platform.

    At the top of this platform was a pedestal.

    Encased in confusing symbols was a feather. A feather of gold and silver. A small glow was emanating out of it. Placed carefully on an expensive looking pillow, it really did look like the artifact. I'm not sure what it was though.

    "It's here. It was really kept here."

    In contrast with the confused me, Dazel was gazing at it like a priceless treasure. He almost looks like he was about to cry.

    Just as we decided to move towards the artifact and get the heck out of here, my <<Intuition>> skill activated. A sense of danger was coming closer, so I took a look at the map.

    I confirmed the presence of two entities which were hostile, moving towards our direction in a rush. Then, a rumbling sound was heard through the walls. And it only kept getting louder. Not a moment after, a loud crash resounded.

    Likened to the sound of an explosion, stone bricks and debris flew in the air. When we looked towards the source, I froze in place.

    What was there, was a giant, gaping hole in the wall. But no, that was not the best part. Among the debris and moonlight seeping through the gap, a giant figure was staying in place.

    It had golden eyes, a large snout, and many sharp teeth. Fire and lightning could be seen coming out of his nostrils. It was slowly eyeing us like we were its prey. The worst part was that, it wasn't the whole thing. Out of the large gaping hole in the wall, only the head fit inside.

    This was the largest beast I had ever seen. And it was all too familiar too. Only said in legends and fairy tales..

    A dragon.

    But what made me freeze in place wasn't the large imposing dragon. But the being below it.

    A slender body, armored in gold and silver. Various shapes and accessories adorned on it signaled relations towards the legendary beings. A bright long sword that looked so sharp it could cut diamond. Red flowing hair, growing out from his dragon-shaped helmet. Finally, a long metallic tail darting around, like it was searching for a target.

    For some reason, instead of the giant dragon, I was more afraid of him.

    If I could describe him in a word, it would definitely be monster. I can't see any openings. And my <<Intuition>> is screaming at me to run as far away as I can. But I can't. For a number of reasons.

    "Hou, it seems I was beaten here. I never thought they could detect me so soon. Impressive."

    A deep, powerful voice came from the being in armor. Like I thought..

    "But I'm sorry to say this, but no one must know of who I am. Kindly surrender, and I'll make it quick."

    I am so going to die.
     
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