Hallo. I decided to start writing up the story of a character that's already gone a lot of development since 2009. It's mostly his adventure after such events. You can also find it at https://astrealine.wordpress.com/ I mainly want to post it here because I mostly write for my own amusement and leisure. But I do want constructive feedback although I am a bit fearful already for this story. Mainly because I used honorifics because it just felt natural to do so. Also, sometimes when I imagine or write up scenarios, things go all over the place. So yeah. ._. Synopsis: He started from a failure of perfection and has gone through countless lifetimes to become what he is today. Now a powerful and immortal homunculus who has a hobby of reading, he got hooked to the rising popularity of light novels of the reincarnated/transported genre. Looking back and realizing how his adventures were a bit to grim compared to the more lighthearted and fun stuff he read, he set off to start his own transported adventure. Pity that things never go as how the stories depict them though! Will he get that lighthearted adventure or will he be unable to escape the serious pace of his immortal life? Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Harem, Transported Warning: Has graphic content at times with relation to violence and the like. Table of Contents Prologue Volume 1 Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Volume 2 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29
Prologue Spoiler Part I How do I say this? Well, simply put, I’m what they call a cheat. Reading has always been a hobby of mine. Most recently, I came across literature describing legends born out of reincarnation to another world and retaining their memories of the former. Being summoned into another world was a variety as well. Looking back, I suppose that my past adventures could be considered, although that was a bit troubling since I didn’t exactly jump to one world only, I jumped to many. By such definition, people with such circumstances were referred to as “cheats”. They would have powerful unique skills or grow tremendously faster than normal residents of the world. It all sounded a lot more fun reading it than when I experienced such a thing. I figure that I’d want to experience the fun side of being a cheat. Ah, and by the way, I’m probably the biggest cheat of all. Part II My name is Reiku and I’m an immortal. My most defining ability is my overpowered regeneration. I say regeneration but it’s kind of like the ability to continue to exist. I can’t die permanently nor be removed by anything thus far. Even cheat abilities that have complicated explanations like affecting the concept or something like that didn’t work. I mean, I was hopeful at first since it’s pretty tiring and lonely to live as I. Anyway, I’m a homunculus by origin. I was created and let’s leave it at that. There were a bunch of things that occurred and I don’t really want to remember that far back. I have a high affinity with magic so I’ve come to master it fully. The other defining trait is probably The Archive that I own. It’s a library of infinite knowledge but obtaining knowledge comes at a price. It doesn’t limit to paying with your life either. Even though I’ve abused my regeneration to an extent, I doubt I’ve scratched the knowledge within this library. Since I’ve been wanting to experience a more lighthearted adventure as a cheat, I researched a bit on how to do so. It’s actually simple, in concept. When a world has a representative or a summoner, be they human or god, they call out for a hero. It’s like dialing a phone number or sending an e-mail. The cheat is the one that could answer. Normally, it’s random but some qualities can help pinpoint certain people. All I have to do is intercept that call and I’ll be summoned. Speaking of which… Part III 「It worked!」 「Huh, it actually worked, huh?」 I hear strange noises. It’s apparently a new language that I have not heard of. Of course, since I was a cheat, I could understand it perfectly well. My vision started to become clear and— “What the hell is this development?” I unintentionally cried out loud. There are people around me wearing similar outfits. It seemed to be like uniforms that were tight fitting but protective. Military grade, it seems. They were surprised at my reaction so I heaved a sigh and drooped my shoulders. Apparently, I had been summoned into the bridge of a space ship. Ugh, I forgot that there were certain factors involved in this. I should have stuck to the fantasy genre. 「You there, tell me what’s the nature of this—oh…」 I spoke in their language. I’m a cheat, I eventually learn how to do that but I’m in a rush. This is the wrong era. As I was requesting what they had summoned me for, my eyes gazed upon a massive cloud that seemed eerily like several infants’ heads clumped together. It’s disturbing but I figured out that this was the problem. They might not know it so I’ll give them a brief explanation. 「I see. It seems that you’d discovered the primordial epicenter. If you don’t know what that is, it’s the center of the universe. From the looks of it, yours is just right about to restart.」 I give them a brief explanation and scratch the back of my head. 「It’s a natural phenomenon. If you summoned me to stop it, unfortunately, I find no reason to do so.」 「Oi, that sounds absurd.」 「The universe is restarting?」 「How legit is that information even?」 People were slightly in a panic. Many refused to believe me since I dropped a bomb on them just like that. 「Enough!」 Woah! I was initially going to ignore her but she’s quite the looker. Oh yeah, these people are humanoid even if their race is called differently. She’s probably the captain of this ship. Wavy long hair, nice measurements, she’s just within my strike zone. 「You there! Do you have any proof with this claim?」 Eh, figures. But right now, I don’t have time to deal with this, really. 「Eh, why do I need proof? You can all just wait for about six hours before the reset starts. That thing will consume everything before creating a Big Bang and recreating the universe. There’s a massive black hole somewhere under it probably.」 Someone went and started pressing fingers on their console. It seemed they tried to at least confirm what I just said. 「Captain. Confirming the existence of a black hole. It’s diameter is about half of this… thing’s radius.」 I turned to the captain with a victorious smirk. She seemed to have slowly slumped into her chair, looking dejected and all that. Maybe she didn’t want to believe it first but somehow, my words were slowly settling in. Everyone is silent. 「Seriously, don’t put on a face like that. It’s just a natural cycle. Tell you what, how about we make a deal?」 I had walked up to the captain for a bit but several people seemed to have been alerted and were about to draw out what I assume would be weapons. 「I’m listening.」 Ah, what a reasonable woman. Let’s make her my motivation, I guess. Even if I accidentally went into the wrong era or genre and all. 「I can’t stop it but I can postpone it.」 「You mean—」 「I’m going to extend your universe’s life by about a couple of thousand years. After that, it’s your problem.」 「As expected of the Deus Ex!」 That person chirped in. It seemed to be one of the voices earlier that was excited that the summon was successful. She looks nice and all but what’s with that name? 「Ugh, please. Just call me Reiku. I reject that name.」 Although it’s technically what’s going on, geez, I’d rather not be affiliated with gods at this point. I still feel bitter towards deities. It was almost to the point of being racist but I’m trying not to lump them all together. 「In exchange, I want to spend an hour or two with you, captain.」 A bit of an emphasis on her title. It seemed that my sly grin conveyed my intentions for a bit. I need to not get carried away. She turned slightly red but seemed disgusted that I would take advantage of the situation. However, since I was going to be doing something utterly hard to comprehend anyway, I was their only hope. 「So be it.」 She couldn’t look at me in the eye but eventually surrendered. Well, that’s the motivation bit done so it’s time to save their universe. Although, it’s just delaying it for a while but I’m certain their lifespans won’t be that long anyway. Part IV I’m outside right now. I’m on the ship’s hull and am slowly walking towards the primordial epicenter. It’s not exactly easy but it’s fairly doable for me. As for how I got it, I simply phased through the ship’s bridge and started walking. It probably caught them off guard but I am a cheat so this much, I expected. The distance between me and the epicenter is about 50 AU. An astronomical unit is around 150 million kilometers. The epicenter itself is huge and its diameter is more than double that. I lazily opened my left hand in front of me and conjured a book. It’s the condensed form of the archive and is the catalyst for my spells. I normally don’t need one but I’m going to need it if I’m going to do something this big. I tear off one page randomly and tossed it towards the epicenter. Such a lazy throw but the paper immediately stuck to the epicenter. Despite the radiation and the energy of it, the paper was unharmed. It’s barely visible though since it’s just one page so several pages started to fly out towards the epicenter. It took thirty seconds to cover the thing completely. The book didn’t even look like it had pages torn from it so this was really a cheat skill. The pages basically nullified the travel time too and it’s hard to determine just how much was needed to cover the epicenter. Not only that, there was a constant stream of pages that was being sucked into the black hole below. Still, the epicenter remained covered. I stepped forward and within a blink of an eye, I stood atop the epicenter, just hovering a foot or so above it. I raised my right hand over my head and chant a spell. No need to delve into it much. It was simply forcing the epicenter to delay its development. In order to do so, I had to reverse the current progress by a couple of thousand years back. I placed my right hand on the epicenter and a huge energy blast started to engulf it. Visually, it looks like I did a one handed haxxxken or a kaxxxxxxha. In reality, I was reversing the flow of time of the affected area within the papers. That energy beam slowly started to thin out until the epicenter was no more and the papers were being absorbed into the black hole. When the last of the pages went into the event horizon, the black hole reverse birthed a star. In a few thousand years, that star will collapse, create a black hole and summon forth the primordial epicenter. But that’s not my problem anymore. Part V Oops. I rushed towards the ship quickly and although the travel was almost instantaneously, my landing on the ship’s hull made it rock a bit. It seemed minor on the outside but it might be a bit more troublesome for the people inside it. Regardless, I phased through the bridge and asked the captain for her end of the bargain. She led me to her private quarters but it was obvious that she was really against the idea. I decided to explain everything about the primordial epicenter and she recorded everything on some sort of metal screen on the table. After she was done recording, I decided to steal a kiss from the captain herself. She told me to just get it over with but we ended up spending a couple of hours more than intended. Suffice to say, at least I got her to enjoy herself fully. I bid her goodbye after that and I instantly removed myself from that universe when no one was watching. Let’s give this one more shot. Please be the right genre this time! Part VI: Captain’s Perspective Finally, we reached our destination. It was a strange and disturbing spectacle we witnessed. We didn’t know what it was but few of the ships that had gotten too close were drawn in by the anomaly’s gravity and were obliterated upon contact. Weapons were no use. We’ve done so much, lost so much, to get this far. And you’re telling me that it was all for nothing? One of my senior officers told me to use the prototype that we had gotten. It was a mysterious and ancient device that was only managed to be rebuilt and fixed but the entire purpose of it was a mysterious. It was called the God Machine. … We had no more options so we decided to give it a try. I was expecting some sort of weapon that would destroy the anomaly but we were instead faced with the confirmation that everything we did was futile. A young man that they called Deus Ex appeared. He spoke a strange language but was quick to speak in ours. He didn’t like that name it seems but he wasted no time in telling us what the anomaly was and that he was not going to simply stop it. I refused to believe it myself but some people were starting to voice out their concerns and worries. Six hours. That man said that in six hours, that anomaly he called the primordial epicenter would absorb the entire universe and then create a Big Bang to complete the restart. I thought of getting away as much as possible from the epicenter but there was no point unless we somehow were able to get away from the universe itself. If what this man says is true then we have nothing more to do than wait for our demise. … Are you… serious? I didn’t voice it out but it seemed that this man wanted something in exchange for providing some aid. He wanted some of my time, my private time, to be spent with him in exchange for delaying the reset of the universe. He was speaking big words casually like how he would delay it for several thousand years. He can’t eliminate it because it’s a natural phenomenon but would delay it enough that we won’t worry for a long while. I doubt most of us can live up to a hundred, anyway. 「So be it.」 I said and looked away quickly. I’m flustered but I’m trying not to show it. I’m a woman that most would say have gone past the age of marriage but it’s not like I’ve not gotten any suitors. My duty mostly got in the way too. It’s not like I’m a maiden but somehow, this man made my heart race with such an absurd proposition. I’m preparing to stun him with my weapon if it ends up a scam and that he won’t do anything after we’ve done whatever it was that he intends us to do. … Huh? He was serious? I thought he’d asked for the reward first before doing whatever he was planning but he actually was going to do something about it. I tried to keep my calm facade but I ended up standing from my seat when the man phased through the bridge and calmly walked on the hull like it was a walk in the park. No suit, no device, he was just out there exposed. He seemed to have produced an artifact of sorts. It was something called a book. It’s an ancient and lost item but we currently replaced it with consoles and tablets that were far more effective. He tore a page and lazily tossed it out. Fool. That won’t reach the anomaly in time. I’ve been had it seems— 「!」 Thousands? Millions? Billions? Regardless of how many pages were flying, the book didn’t seem to run out. What’s more, regardless of distance, they were sticking to the epicenter without being destroyed. Impossible. We lost several ships from mere contact. The next thing I knew, the man was gone. Sensors reported that he was above the epicenter. Who… just who is this person? He said his name was Reiku but that doesn’t give me any other clue. Within moments, we all witness some sort of energy beam that was large enough to engulf the anomaly. We thought that he was destroying it so I had someone analyze the epicenter. 「Energy output of the anomaly is decreasing. It’s shrinking… no, it’s being sucked into the black hole!」 It seemed like he was forcing it into the event horizon. I see. So this epicenter came from the black hole. After that blinding display, even the black hole started to deteriorate. No, it was turning into a star. I refused to believe it even though I just saw that this man seemed to have reversed a natural phenomenon. So he was telling the truth then? I don’t know anymore. 「Shields down to thirty-one percent! Hull integrity a hundred percent!」 We couldn’t brace for impact but it seemed that the man had returned and rocked our ship suddenly. That’s crazy. We had our shields up a hundred percent and it’s barely a third of that from just one step? This man is truly a mystery. … Hah. I’m nervous. I have to hold up my end of the bargain but I wasn’t expecting for him to actually do anything to the anomaly. I decided to just lead him to my private quarters and just allow him to do what he wanted. I was being so nervous that I slightly jumped when he started to talk. It wasn’t about what I thought but he was explaining to me what that anomaly was. I noticed his eyes on the console and I hastily started to record the information he was telling me. It took some time and I felt a bit at ease. 「!」 He had taken me by surprise when he had stole my lips while I was distracted! The sly bastard! I knew he was still going through with it! Still, I’m a bit at ease now so I’ll just go with the flow for this one. After all, I still have my doubts but if what he was telling me was true, then we really are saved. At the very least, I won’t be in too much fear even if the universe ended within the next hours. … The universe didn’t end. But. Ugh. I hate to admit it. That was amazing. I’m so tired, I can barely feel my legs. My hips feel sore too. I’m going to have to take a day off after this but we don’t have anything to worry about, it seems. I was too lazy to get up but I followed him with my eyes until he left my room. I wonder what he’s up to. Wait, that door was locked. It should have only opened for me. With all the strength I could muster, I got dressed and went out the room. He was nowhere to be seen so I asked for a scan of the ship to determine his location. Nothing. A full sweep showed no results. The most I got was that the security cameras have caught sight of him leaving my room. The camera on the outside caught a glimpse of him looking at it and smiling. The moment he went out of the camera’s range and before he reached the next, he was already gone. Just like that, without a trace. We eventually made it back home, safe and sound and reported our success. Strangely enough, the God Machine could not function any longer.
Neat, though you can hide your chapters in Spoiler these to make navigating through the thread easier.
Chapter 1 Spoiler Part I Well, that certainly took a while. There were two more failed attempts. These summons are really hard to pinpoint. Maybe that’s why unless it was prepared several years in advance, it tends to be random, huh? Although that amount of time is really nothing to me, I’m really bored. And I admit that I really wanted to try this out. The second attempt had thrown me into a virtual game of sorts. They seem to be popular too. It’s either someone with a strange class or skill set that’s perceived as weak but turns out to be really strong. It didn’t take long since this has happened before. The server crashed and I was out of there in less than a minute. The third one was a bit more frustrating. They weren’t summoning a hero, they were trying to summon a demon lord. I’m flattered and all but I’m trying to go for the heroic adventure here. Geez. Although in true demon lord fashion, I decided to bring about the world’s end a few minutes after I was summoned. There weren’t any good looking heroines either so there wasn’t exactly any kind of motivation for me to prolong my stay. To think I was prolonging a universe’s life just a while ago, huh? Finally, I managed to get into a really nice setting. I wasn’t reincarnated into another body too but that’s pretty much a zero percent chance since I need to die first and my soul must be capable of transferring into another kind of existence. Suffice to say that I’m pretty much fated to be just me. Well, that’s fine too. Well, time to start up. Part II I thought that it would mess around with me terribly, like people treating me like a slave or random criminal but it was pretty tame, I guess. I wasn’t suddenly face to face with some royalty or summoner either. That’s good. I wanted to be at a bit of a low profile. Being a popular hero straight up from the start has too much responsibility. That, and the paths to take are pretty limited. With that in mind, I really can’t complain that it literally placed me just a couple of ways outside a city. 「Oi, kid. Did you walk all the way out here from the borders? You’re almost there, you know.」 I heard gruff voice as my vision cleared. Apparently, I was face down on the ground so it seemed like I fainted from exhaustion. Alright, let’s go with that. I dusted myself as I got up, trying to look haggard as I do so. I was laying down in the middle of a road. It’s not exactly as developed but it’s a little bit close to my original home so this much is fine. Better than being out in space. Ah, by the way, I was originally created during the medieval times, as described, so having knights, kings, dragons and the like would be normal for me. “Yeah, just a few more ways to go, eh?” I replied timidly with a weak smile. The man seemed to have called out since I was in the way. He was driving a cart and they can’t exactly run me over. They could go around but it was easier for the horses if the obstacle moved voluntarily. Fortunately, I wasn’t dead and there was no incident that would delay them. From the looks of it, this man is a merchant. A bit more than forty. He was bald but he sported that facial hair set well. Of course, I am able to speak their language almost immediately. I guess I need to hear it first in order to register it in my head. “Just a little break to catch my breath.” “Hah! You need a little more endurance if you want to be an adventurer.” The old man started to drive the cart on the path. While his words may appear to be insulting, it seemed to have been spoken in jest. A few more ways futher, I can see something similar to fortress walls. I guess that’s a fairly big city. “If you need supplies, come visit my shop, alright! I have lots of goods for aspiring adventurers.” “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” With a wave, he quickened the pace of his horses. I started walking in the same direction. It would make things quicker if he offered me a ride but I doubt I’d fit with all that merchandise. There were armors, weapons and potions. It looks like he runs a general goods store. I guess I’ll be acquainted later and gather information. Speaking of which, I need to check my own information in the meantime. Don’t heroes get something like a status information or something? 「Status」 Oh, there it is. I was thinking of it and I can see before me something like a status window. I think it’s not enough to just think about it, I suppose I need to conceptualize it. At least these things are handy, right? Name: Kiryuu Race: Human Age: 19 HP: ???/??? MP: ???/??? Level: 1 Strength: ??? Agility: ??? Intelligence: ??? Endurance: ??? Wisdom: ??? Luck: ??? Origin: Conversion Skill: Hidden Origin Class: Newbie It’s one of those, huh? Looking at my stats, it seems like it’s too high to be seen. That, or I might not yet have the skill to view it yet. Either that, or it’s not yet set in stone. That skill I have may be also the cause of it. I need to check what’s the difference between Origin and Skill, I guess. For now, let’s make our way towards that city! Wait, what’s with the name? There’s also another window for inventory. I mostly had “Plain Clothes” equipped and nothing else. There’s also the matter of currency. Gold Coin: x999 Silver Coin: x999 Bronze Coin: x999 Copper Coin: x999 Hehe. It looks like I won’t have money problems but I don’t know the conversion rate just yet so I won’t spend haphazardly. I’m also aiming to be able to explore on my own so it would be good not to stand out. Although, when I tried to use my abilities, it seemed that I’ve only managed to have my physical attributes intact. In particular, I’m still as strong, as quick and as dexterous during my days as a mercenary. However, I can’t use any of my spells at all. I guess I should avoid troublesome situations for now. Part III It seems that magic is fairly common here. That’s a nice thing to take note of. Although there are certain rules and regulations, someone capable of using magic to an extent is normal, it seems. Although there are also people that are normal and unable to use it. Upon reaching the gate, it seemed that I was categorized as a newbie and was told to write my name on a list. They assumed that I was here to start off my career as an adventurer. From what I gathered, people of all races gathered here to start off their adventures. Mainly because this place is where the adventurer’s guild was mainly located and is most reliable when it comes to evaluating people. If I wasn’t up to the task of being an adventurer today, I was told that I could train and return again next year. I make an excuse that I was from a foreign land and asked about the conversion of currency. The guard looked at me with a perplexed look on his face as if asking if I was serious. After that awkward moment, it seems that it had a simple metric system. I was starting to wonder if I ended up in a game but there’s nothing like seeing other people’s names over their heads. I need to be alert just to be sure. To be specific, it was divided by hundreds. A hundred copper coins to a bronze coin, a hundred bronze coins to a silver coin and a hundred silver coin to a gold coin. Afterwards, I had to pay the fee of five bronze coins so I took them out of my pockets and paid up straight. It seems my inventory can be accessed anywhere so for now, I used my pockets. Part IV I figure that I’d head off immediately towards the guild but I already had one of those encounters. It’s kind of nostalgic, actually. The main office of the guild is situated in the center plaza. It’s surrounded by many stalls and shops. It’s a pretty straight forward city. The design is symmetrical and easy to follow. Further north leads to the higher class places. The plaza itself is filled with people and the noise of the busy market is all too welcome for my ears. Ah, how nostalgic indeed. As if to add to that, there was a slight chill on my back. Before I knew it, I felt the presence of danger. Well, that was one way to put it. Rather, there was an incident of a hand slipping into my pockets. Unfortunately for them, I only had plain clothes. That, and my money was in the inventory. Given my reflexes and experience in the past as a thief, I caught the wrist of the perpetrator and jerked them forward while placing my foot right in front of theirs. People wearing hoods were common but I guess since it could conceal their face that thieves use this too. They managed not to stumble forward. Even more surprising was that they suddenly aimed a roundhouse kick to my face. Ugh, I don’t want to a prolonged conflict so I leaned back to avoid the kick. Seeing an opportune moment, I quickly dashed forward and gave them a bump with my shoulder. “Thief!” I immediately shouted and pointed towards the suspicious person. I winked at them before continuing my way towards the guild. The guards seemed to have reacted well and decided to give chase. The thief was quick to recover and flee though but I am certain we would meet again. After all, I myself stole something of theirs. I slipped it in my inventory for now. It’s marked as stolen, it seems. It’s a pretty neat dagger that’s worth twenty gold pieces. I’ll go browse the market to get a feel of the prices. Twenty gold might actually be worth a lot. Part V I managed to get a full meal with just three copper coins. It’s decent enough not to be called low quality. It’s more like a common kind of meal. Since I was there already, I inquired for some places to stay. The merchant that mainly had a stall for serving food told me that the guild can recommend me facilities. I guess I’ll probably get my evaluation soon. It’s pretty hard to miss the guild as it’s the largest building within the plaza. Upon entering, I felt like it’s similar to that game where you mostly hunt monsters. I expect we’d be doing a lot of that in the future anyway. Please don’t disappoint me, fantasy world! Anyway, I approach the counter and I was met with a charming young lady. Good job, fantasy world! She seemed young, around a year or so below me. She was also a good head and a half shorter than I, adding more to the cuteness factor. I’m six feet tall, by the way, so I’m taller than most people. She’s slim but she has some curves that are just right but there’s appeal in that too. A modest chest, cute eyes and hair up to her shoulders. Hm. She has pointed ears, is she of another race? “Newbie-san?” Ah, apparently, I’ve been staring at her for a while that I didn’t notice she was already calling out to me several times. “Sorry. I’m just a bit nervous, I guess.” “I-is that so?” “Sorry for the inconvenience. I’d like to start out as an adventurer, please.” “No problem. Please follow me.” I steered the conversation away from anything awkward or anything that would raise a flag. It’s still too early, I thought. She seemed to have regained her composure and led me towards a platform. As I stepped on it, there was a red glow that enveloped me for a bit. After it faded, the cute guild lady stuttered a bit while telling me that I can get off the platform now. Ugh, is this the part that I’d cause a commotion because of evaluation? Or am I going to be told I’m not suitable. Well, those routes are interesting too, I guess. “Sorry, Newbie-san, it seems that we’re unable to evaluate you with this.” “Is there something wrong?” “Oh no! It’s just that sometimes there are adventurers that are already quite strong when they are evaluated. Meaning, we’d be looking at a higher evaluation platform in order to gauge your stats.” “S-sorry for the trouble.” I knew it. Well, I apologized for the trouble, at least. I didn’t realize that it was far from over. Apparently the red light meant that the person standing on the platform was way too strong to be evaluated by said platform. Since some people trained before going here, that was common. I’m worried that it might be more than that though. Part VI My hunch was correct, it seems. Almost every platform that was brought in by the guild employees seem to be shining red. Eventually, the last platform was brought out and it shined a bright blue color. Meaning this could evaluate me, at least. Those that are too weak apparently won’t cause any light to appear, according to the cute guild lady. Since there was a bit of an issue with the evaluation, I was asked to fill out a form and then wait for the guild director to return. I was led into the office for a bit and was given some sort of tea like drink. Ah, I preferred tea over coffee so this felt nice. They also had sugar so I added that too. After a while, the door opened and a beautiful woman entered the room. Unlike the cute guild lady a while ago, this woman would be considered more of sexy instead of cute. She had curves in all the right places. Her red hair greatly complimented her green eyes. Her clothes seemed like leather padded armor so they could function both as casual clothes and basic armor. I couldn’t help but try and get a better look at her bosom. Forgive me for this but it seems like I’ve given my own evaluation already. “You!” Once she saw my face, she immediately got furious. Maybe it was because I wasn’t being subtle? No, that shouldn’t be the case. I was being careful. Regardless, she quickly charged towards me. Since I was just putting down the tea cup in order to hide where I was looking at, this woman had managed to mount me. I would have favored that if she had not started to pummel me with punches. I managed to block them with my arms but she was relentless. Only when some other people entered that she was grabbed by the scruff of her neck by a burly looking man. He’s the kind you’d expect a strong muscular adventurer would look like. That person was also taller than me by two heads. Given my height, that man is really tall. The redhead managed to get some punches in so I was being treated by the cute guild lady from a while back. This makes it a bit worth it, I guess.
Chapter 2 Spoiler Part I So right now, I’m face to face with the woman that assaulted me all of a sudden. Beside her was the burly man from earlier but somehow it felt like she’d attack me at any given moment. I had bruises on my face and a cut lip so Venalise, the cute guild lady from before, was treating me. “Please hold still, Kiryuu-san.” I winced a bit so I suddenly jerked away. I nodded and tried to hold still until she finished treating me. It seemed that I don’t have my regeneration yet so I wasn’t healing immediately. It’s a bit of a blessing since it would make things less suspicious. “Now that we’ve settled down, why don’t you tell me what happened?” “I was told to wait here because of the evaluation and suddenly I was attacked. That’s it.” The man that had introduced himself a while ago as Raful had to restrain the woman. It took a while since she seemed like she was really out for blood. I thought that he was the guild master but apparently, he was just the vice guild master. “Stop lying, thief.” It was this woman, Hildegarde, that was the master of the adventurer’s guild. She seems to explain why she attacked me but that in itself was a bit abnormal. Firstly, I did steal an item but that was in my inventory so it shouldn’t be detected normally. Unless of course, there are some people that can peek at inventories and what not. Secondly, why would she violently attack me if I were a thief? Shouldn’t she have gotten me arrested instead? That power was no subjugation, it was fury. I shuddered a bit but I guess that’s normal. A pretty interesting woman, I admit. “Is that true? Are you a thief?” “Uh, no, but I do own a stolen item—” “I knew it—!” She was about to charge at me again but Raful stopped her immediately. I figure that I’d report the thieving incident a while ago, if it would help me clear my name. “—let me finish. I have a stolen item but I was going to turn it in. I got it from a thief a while ago that tried to pick my pocket.” “A pickpocket?” “Yes, there was one in the plaza. I couldn’t see their face but I did call the guards so you can ask them to confirm my story.” Woah, Raful’s expression just got a bit serious. Although that didn’t seem to be directed at me but towards someone else. Someone who’s looking away and inching to the edge of their seat. “What was it that you took?” “An expensive looking dagger.” Woah. Raful is looking at Hilde like she’s some cornered rat that he’s about to exterminate. That’s a scary look right there. “Hilde.” “Y-yes?” “Apologize.” “B-but…” “Now.” She immediately got up and bowed her head towards me. I can’t believe that she’s the guild master. I also couldn’t believe that Raful was that scary. Although it seems like he’s mostly the one trying to control the mischievous activities of Hilde. From this, I can assume that this isn’t the first time this has happened. Raful’s expression is back to how it was, a bit kind and makes you feel that you’re safe. “I-I’m sorry for my actions. Please forgive me.” That was a forced apology. It seemed more like one done to appease the anger of the man beside her than one out of sincerity. I heaved a sigh and nodded and reached into my pocket. I took the dagger from the inventory and took it out, placing it on the table. “I’m really sorry about all this. Please don’t think ill of us.” “It’s mostly Hilde’s fault anyway, Vena. But yes, I hope you don’t think badly of us for experiencing this trouble.” Even the kind and gentle Vena-san was apologizing. She’s cute. Can I take her home please? I sighed again and nodded for a bit. Hilde took her seat, her eyes on the dagger. After a while, she heaved a sigh and seemed to be able to relax. “But to be able to steal from Hilde-san is certainly amazing.” “True, I haven’t heard of anyone being able to pull that one off. Was the dagger in your item box during that time?” “Y-yes.” I see. So having an inventory isn’t unnatural. But it seemed that they called it item box. Thinking back, I guess it was a bit weird that I managed to pull that dagger out of the thief’s pockets. Although an item box seems more like an enchanted pocket to hold things and unlike the inventory that shows no evidence of it anywhere at all. I’d look into this later. “To compensate, we will not charge you for your evaluation. We can’t provide you a room permanently right now but we can temporary let you stay for at least a few days.” “Raful-san, we don’t have a vacant room.” “We have someone that doesn’t have a roommate.” “Oi! Raful, you don’t mean—?” “How’s your arm?” Vena-san seems to state that there were no vacancies. Hilde was objecting violently. However, Raful immediately asked the state of my arm, which was pretty much my only defense a while ago. Vena-san had treated my left arm and prepared me a sling. I tried wiggling my fingers a bit and pain shot through my limb. “Don’t overdo it. We’ll have you treated as well so until then, you’ll be staying here for a while.” The painful expression on my face seemed to have conveyed my answer. After the pain subsided, I bowed my head for a bit in response to Raful’s offer. He’s more of a guild master than Hilde in this scenario. “Thank you. I appreciate your hospitality. I’m guessing this is an isolated incident.” “Gahaha! Of course! You’re the only person that managed to successfully steal something from Hilde. And from her item box too!” No wonder she’s pissed. And it looks like the dagger held some value so she that further added fuel. “No way! I do not agree to this! Why does he get to be my roommate?” Ah… wait what? Part II Right. That was something else. Hilde was trying to convince Raful about his decision to have me be her roommate. Actually, I eventually started to join in the protest. However, he said that it’ll be good for Hilde to try and get along someone that had bested her. Apparently, she’s an expert, no, THE expert, when it came to sneaky business. Wait, why’s the adventurer’s guild master stealing from people’s stuff? “Hilde-san has a bad habit of stealing from potential new adventurers to see how they’d handle it.” Wait, isn’t that a terrible way to test people? I figure that people would lose trust in the guild but apparently, if a reformed master thief was leading the adventurer’s guild, that would make crimes like thievery more likely to be solved or even avoided altogether. I don’t get that logic but whatever, I refuse to be her roommate. I want to recover as soon as possible and it seemed less likely around her. I haven’t gotten my regeneration so that’s a problem too. “It’ll be good for you to to get along. Don’t worry. The rooms are spacious and there are dividing screens.” “Ugh, do I really have no choice in the matter?” “The truth is, we also want to keep this incident hushed so we’d greatly appreciate your cooperation.” What a troublesome incident so early in this world. Well, that solves my lodging, at least. I wonder how long it would take before I recover. “We have a healer arriving in two days so please be patient. Normally, requesting healers is an expensive privilege but think of it as part of our apology.” “Yeah. Be grateful, Newbie!” Hilde retorted but Raful gave her a chop on the head. This is her fault anyway so I’ll just ride along, I guess. Also, without my regeneration, it’s a bit difficult, although I can manage. I did get interested when they mentioned something about a healer. I guess I’d just have to be patient for a while. Just two days anyway. “How about my evaluation?” “Oh, that? What was the issue, anyway?” I turned to Vena-san who suddenly remembered why I was called into the office. She seemed to be a bit troubled when she reported on the matter about my evaluation. Part III “Only the tenth platform responded, huh?” “Oi! Tenth? But that’s for only those that are levels ninety and above.” Strange. My level says that it’s at level one. Was there some sort of mistake? Maybe it had something to do with my stats instead? Though, I can’t figure out my stats as well. Not even my HP and MP. “Get a registration form, Vena.” “Yes.” Vena-san went out of the office for a bit and came back with a piece of paper and a small stiletto. Erm. I get the paper but what’s the dagger for? She placed both on the table and they all turned silent. “I’m sorry but, can you please put a drop of your blood here…” “Kiryuu.” “Kiryuu-san. Got it.” “I would but…” “Ah.” Vena-san asked me to have a drop of my blood be placed on a marked box on the paper. However, since my left arm was in a sling, that was a bit difficult. Instead, she assisted in pricking a finger on my left hand and had a few drops of blood on the paper. She then pressed a cloth onto my fingers and held on tightly. Okay, I can live with this. Please hold my hand until I get better Vena-san! She seemed to have gotten startled when I moved my fingers a bit to hold her hand but that was probably because the pain shot through my arm and I twitched slightly. In the end, I had to hold the cloth on my own. So much for getting to hold her hand. The blood on the paper seemed to register my information on the form itself. Name: Kiryuu Race: Human Age: 19 HP: 1900/1900 MP: 0/0 Level: 1 Strength: 1 Agility: 1 Intelligence: 1 Endurance: 1 Wisdom: 1 Luck: 1 Skill: Enhanced Reflexes Class: Adventurer However you look at it, those stats don’t add up. All my stats were at one. I had zero magical power. Raful said my health was abnormally high. But the thing was that my level was at level one. And yet, I could only activate the platform that was only for levels ninety and above. “Strange.” “Maybe the platform was malfunctioning. There’s no way he could have activated it with stats like this.” “Moreover, his stats are a bit too low. Even lower than a normal person’s statistics.” “Oi, Newbie, what are you playing at?” A case of suspicious stats. Maybe it’s due to the skill Hidden Origin that it was the case. Also, did they say those stats make me weaker than a normal person? However, the recent incident may contradict that so I mentally activated my stat page. Name: Kiryuu Race: Human Age: 19 HP: 19000/19000 MP: 0/0 Level: 100 Strength: 99 Agility: 120 Intelligence: 99 Endurance: 99 Wisdom: 99 Luck: 1 Origin: Conversion Skill: Enhanced Reflexes Skill: Analysis Skill: Hidden Origin Class: Adventurer Title: Master Thief’s Rival I had to avoid smirking at that a bit. It seemed that it was updated, however, my stats were mostly hidden. It’s probably due to that skill indeed. My MP is still at zero despite having those stats. Although my HP was at a tremendous value. “Does my injury affect the results?” My question made Hilde twitch a little. Raful couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s not supposed to. It’s meant to take your maximum potential.” “Oi, Newbie, are you shifting the blame to me?” “Technically, you did injure me to this extent.” Hilde didn’t make any moves to attack this time but Raful seemed to be prepared, just in case. It seems that he’s amused with this strange occurrence. He muttered something saying that it’s been a while since it’s been this lively. After explaining a bit how things work, they placed a stamp on the form. The moment they did so, the skill Analysis updated on the form. It seemed I’m able to appraise some basic things like equipment and loot. Also, since I was basically an adventurer in the class section, I was told that I’d be given an ID plate for it. No charge still. Raful’s quite generous. After that, I placed the form in my inventory. It seemed that Raful asked if I also had an item box. I wasn’t sure if they were the same so I said it was something like that. I weaved the story that I was from a foreign land. Since my name was quite strange, it passed. He did say that it’s a bit of a wonder why my name was “like that of a dragon’s”. I had free food, free lodging and I could chat with the cute and kind Vena-san during her free time. The only troublesome person is my temporary roommate. Part IV “Don’t you even dare try anything funny.” “I don’t want this any more than you do.” “Oi, what’s that supposed to mean?” “Why would I want to be around the person that injured me in the first place?” “T-that’s…” “Excuse me.” Well, she has no defense for that since it was entirely her fault for suddenly jumping me anyway. Instead, I bowed my head and proceeded to lay down on the bed. We weren’t sharing one so that’s fine. Her response to my sudden dismissal was pulling up the dividing screens. It basically seemed like we were in separate rooms, except with a really thin wall between us. Moment’s later, she pulled it back down a bit. “L-look. I’m sorry. That dagger was very important to me and—” “Important enough that you would have killed someone for it?” “Kill? No! I’d never—” “The way you were bludgeoning me earlier, if I didn’t manage to put my arms up, I probably would have died from blunt force trauma.” I probably would have, then revived, then get all my skills back or something. But that basically ends my adventure so I’m glad it didn’t happen like that. Still though, if I had not been able to defend myself, those several blows to the head would have killed me. I don’t hate her for it but she needs to learn that her actions have consequences. If it weren’t me, she’d have ended up killing someone. I wiggled my fingers a bit again and winced. I closed my eyes and heaved a sigh. It’s best to put this behind us. I guess if she were to learn from this, it’d do her good. Raful has a good head on his shoulders, huh? That man certainly earned my respect. “I said I’m sorry…” I heard the dividers being set up once more after that and it was silent then. I decided to try and sleep. Unfortunately, that proved to be a bit difficult as my arm was hurting. I managed to finally sleep after a while. The pain is a bit refreshing, I admit. I never had a normal injury last this long so I felt alive at the moment. It was good that I tried out this kind of adventure. The following day, I got news that the healer would arrive early on the same day. Apparently, Raful included the bit about my strange stats so the response was quick. I hope this means that my life as an adventurer can begin soon. Oh yeah, my luck stat was the lowest at one, right? Yeah, I knew the healer arriving early was too good to be true.
Chapter 3 Spoiler Part I My hope for things being uneventful until the later stages is on the verge of being abandoned. It’s like some outside force is cramming as many eventful events when I’m yet to start on my adventure. Please at least give me back my regeneration, mysterious force! As luck would have it, today is supposed to be the day that the healer would arrive. Given that my lowest stat is my luck, which is currently at the lowest value (unless it’s possible to be at zero or negative), I’m worried. My worries were coming true first thing in the morning. “Ah…!” “Good… morning?” I was met immediately with Hilde, who had pulled back the divider. Since I heard the shuffling, I had turned to her and greeted her. I was greeted by an image that I immediately burned into my memories. It seems she had forgotten that she had a temporary roommate. The sight of her wearing only her underwear is quite nice. I tried to take in as many details as possible. She was well endowed, even with a rather constricting brassiere. Maybe it’s to avoid unnecessary movement but that only means that my evaluation from earlier, before she attacked me, was accurate. I don’t mind seeing this every morning. “Ten out of ten.” “Whu… what the hell are you rating?!” She swung her fist towards her when I gave her a thumbs up. I suppose I deserve this one so I let her hit me. That day, I sported a black eye while eating breakfast and waiting for the healer. Part II Raful was particularly amused when he saw me and came up to my table. At the same time, Vena-san had arrived with a leather pouch filled with ice. It seems that magic is used for everyday things in replacement for technological stuff. That works for me. I was never good with anything technological. “Glad to see you two getting along.” “You have a strange sense of camaraderie, Raful-san.” He just laughed as we started to eat breakfast. He told me later on that the healer took the request as high priority given my name. He did mention it before that it was like that of a dragon’s. It looks like he wasn’t the only one thinking that. Add to the fact that there was the issue with the level and the platforms, it was a very peculiar case. “Is my case really that strange?” As if to announce her arrival, Hilde had placed down her plate with a rather loud thump. She sat as far away from me as possible. “The fact that you triggered the highest level platform is big news.” “Yes, not many adventurers are able to reach that high a level before they register.” “But the form said my level and stats are low, right?” “We’d normally queue it up as a case to be processed later on but there were some things that were also peculiar.” Raful was a bit serious in that moment. He turned to Hilde and she heaved a sigh. “First of all, you were able to take something from my item box. That’s normally not possible. Secondly, you took that dagger out from something similar to an item box. The item box skill is quite advanced so not every beginner would have it. You could get an item box orb but those are expensive.” Uh-oh. Was I being careless during that time? I mostly wanted to clear things up but it seems that I made a couple of mistakes that would make me suspicious. Raful smiled a bit and patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry though. You don’t seem like a bad fellow. If anyone can sense any malicious intent, it’s our very own Vena.” Vena-san turned a bit red when her name came up. It seems that she can sense people’s auras and intent. If there was an applicant that was suspicious, it would have been already brought to the others’ attention. As I thought, Vena-san is a blessing! “So, did anything fun happen last night?” Raful leaned towards me and asked that out of the blue. It seemed that he had misunderstood why I had a black eye. Ah, there he goes. Hilde had already gotten up and punched him in the jaw. Better him than me. Although Raful didn’t seem like he’s hurt. More like it’s a rough way of playing around. I decided to chat with Vena-san in the meantime. Part III I found out later that the guild was stationed here because it’s the capital of the Nilith Kingdom. The city of Teras was also literally the central city and most of the trade happens here. However, the royal city of Riosa up in the north is where the queen resided and is the most heavily guarded city. The kingdom is led by the queen after terrible incidents during the war claimed the lives of the royal family. The only surviving heir was an adopted princess that had since then been crowned as the queen. Not many took kindly to the change in authority but they could not oppose it. It was because the princess was taken in by the royal family as she was a summoned heroine that had obtained peerage through her achievements in subjugating the demon lords. It seems that heroes from another world are a thing here as well. It is said that she was blessed by the gods herself and that her ascension to the throne further united the kingdom. I felt like taking a look around but a soldier had arrived and announced the arrival of the healer, a priestess named Rionna. A woman garbed in a white dress and a transparent veil entered immediately. She had long blonde hair that reaches down to her waist. She seemed to glow. Was that divine power at work? Following her were some soldiers that had brought in a chest. Raful and Hilde had gotten up to greet her. I found myself standing up as well as this involved me. I never realized that my wish keeping a low profile would be lined with much difficulty. Part IV We were back in the office, although it was a bit more crowded than usual. At the very least, it was enough to accommodate the four of us plus the priestess and one of her guards. This guard was a bit different than the rest. It was probably shown on my face that I was curious as Vena-san had whispered to me that said person was captain of the royal guard. “It’s been a while, Rionna.” “Indeed, Raful. How have you fared?” “Things have gotten lively recently. Hilde is still a handful.” “I’m right here!” It seemed that the three were close friends. I was told that Rionna-san used to be an adventurer and she also started out here. However, I felt that something was a bit amiss. Rionna-san doesn’t seem to exude an aura of a priestess. There was that divine aura but there’s something more. My train of thought derailed when Rionna-san had placed her hand on my injured arm. A bright light suddenly engulfed me. It was warm and very comforting. I felt like I’d be lulled to sleep if I continued to bask in this light. It faded after a while and all my injuries, including the black eye was healed. Afterwards, Rionna-san gestured to her royal guard and the chest that they had brought it was opened. It contained several swords and blades, ranging from normal looking ones to ornate and those of grander design. “I had been sent on the belief that Kiryuu-san may be a possible hero candidate.” Then she dropped that bomb on me suddenly. “As such, I was also instructed to allow you to choose a single weapon from the chest.” “Ai—Rionna, his level and stats were all the the lowest value, aside his HP.” “Eh? What? It’s not abnormally high? I thought you said the tenth platform triggered.” “Sorry to disappoint you but it’s true.” I showed her the registration form and she slumped back in disappointment. Raful had an apologetic look on his face. Rionna-san was sighing as she shook her head. “I thought I found a hero and went all the way out here too…” “I greatly appreciate you healing me. I’m sorry I’m not the person you think I am.” “Hey, that wasn’t there before.” Hilde had cut in and pointed out something in my form. Skill: Health Regeneration I took a sneak peek at my own status and true enough, it was there. That gave me a bit of relief at least. “The HP is abnormally high but the MP is set at zero. This means that magic swords would not be suitable for you. However…” There were several blades picked out from the chest and placed on the table. About three of them seemed expensive and grand but the other three were normal but of high quality. “These are the blades with little to no magic requirement. We cannot ignore the possibility of you being a hero so we’d like to at least impart you with a gift to help you start your adventures. Also, consider this an apology for Hilde-chi’s actions too~” She chuckled a bit from that which caused Hilde to get flustered. I’m not sure if it was because her troublesome habits were mentioned or because of that nickname. They seem like really good friends too. “Not to worry Rionna. These two are quite close already. It seems that not even an injury was an obstacle to their nightly activities.” Hilde’s fist was once more heading towards Raful. “N-nightly activities?” “Ara~ Hilde-chi finally found herself a man. I’m envious~” Vena-san turned red when Raful brought up the topic again. Please clear this misunderstanding Raful. I don’t want Vena-san to think ill of me! Hilde was trying to punch Raful several times but he was blocking every punch successfully. Our lively meeting was cut short when Lysis, the royal guard captain, whispered something to Rionna-san. “I’m sorry but we’d have to return soon. So if you please, Kiryuu-san. Pick any weapon of your choice.” I like weapons. That’s a fact. Even more so if they aren’t technological of origin. Although the matter about the low magic affinity seemed weird to me, I turned my attention to the blades. I would have gone for the ornate ones but a katana caught my eye. I decided to go with that for now. It seemed to have been done masterfully and I liked the green motif it had for the sheathe and the hilt. “You picked a mass produced sword?” “I don’t really want to stand out when I have such low stats.” Hilde questioned my choice but Rionna-san just smiled at my choice. Title: Hero Candidate Upon choosing the blade, I was given a title. It seems that people with a high level of Analysis can check people as if looking at their forms. Every one in this room has it except me as mine is just the basic level. However, the skill Hidden Origin seems to hide my actual status so there’s no problem. Hilde’s falsely overreacted to the title I obtained by stepping back and raising her hands in front of her. “A thief as a hero candidate? Absurd!” “For the last time, you were trying to pick my pocket so I took your dagger. I thought you were a petty thief. And I was going to report it anyway.” “Someone managed to steal something from Hilde-chi? Perhaps it was good that we had gone here immediately after all.” After a bit more of Raful and Rionna-san teasing Hilde, they soon bid their goodbyes. Since I was healed already, I didn’t have to stay here. At least, that’s what I had thought. Apparently, my ID plate is still being processed so my stay extended for a few more days. I asked if there was a vacant room but that doesn’t seem to be the case, much to my chagrin. Part V Though I was given a weapon, I really had nothing else to protect. So for the rest of the day, I planned to go around and purchase things necessary for adventurers. I have my regeneration but I still would like to risk as little as possible. It’s not certain if that regeneration was the same as my actual one, or a very weak version of it. Since I was fairly new, and the fact that I was suddenly a possible hero candidate, I was being accompanied by none other than the very cute and adorable Vena-san. Yes! I cheered mentally and hoped that my face would not show it. While Hilde has a nicer body in terms of being womanly, I’d rather be in the company of Vena-san. I’m certain that I’ve gotten jealous looks but that only makes me feel more blessed. “Oh ho? Looks like you made it, boy. Going to be an adventurer now?” “Oh, hey, old man. Yeah. Some stuff happened but I’m finally going to be able to start being an adventurer soon.” It seems that we eventually ended up coming to the store of the merchant with the cart that I met before. It seems that it’s known for having standard adventurer merchandise. From weapons to potions to armors and tools. The kind of merchandise seems to focus more on helping new adventurers survive longer. “Before she became queen, Her Majesty started out as an adventurer, you know. She developed a lot of things that helped a lot of people.” He showed me a set of beginner armor. They were comfortable looking clothes that were padded with leather in the more important places. They came in various colors as well. I learned that the queen contributed greatly to the development during her early heroine days. I had a hunch that it was based on the knowledge from her past world that she used as a basis for those developments. I decided to buy a set of beginner armor in blue motif. The merchant, Karlann, offered me an item box orb but I declined, saying I already had one. The item box orb enchants a person’s pockets to be linked to a hidden chest, creating an item box. As I thought, it’s different from my inventory. Once used, the item box can only be open by the first user. No wonder it was surprising to have stolen something from Hilde. After that, I also bought some change of clothes, some tools, and finally some potions. Since I ordered quite a lot, Karlann said that he’ll deliver it to my lodging. His shop is trusted and I also had Vena-san aid me in purchasing the necessities so she could testify that it’s nothing to worry about. With her help, I managed to get a bargain and spend only three silver coins instead of five. That night I had dinner with the three of them again. It seems that I can’t undertake any quests or be a full-fledged adventurer without my ID so I’d have to wait until then. Aside what happened this morning, things were not really that eventful. I wish it would be like this for a while longer.
Chapter 4 Spoiler Part I Because of recent events, I had grown accustomed to waking up early. Early meaning before Hilde would wake up. That minimized any repeats of that morning. As amazing as that view was, I'd rather not get punched for breakfast. I finally got my ID today. It was a small metal card that had my basic information on it. It mostly included my name, level, stats and the title of my choosing that I could set myself. The form that held my other information could be stored within it magically. It's like an item box, except it limited the things it can handle to information regarding the adventurer. It's the reason why it took a while to make. Apparently, the color of the card upgrades with regards to adventurer ranking. Each color also has corresponding divisions to it. There's a wooden color even though the cards are metal. The rankings are as follows, with each ranking having several divisions that are F, E, D, C, B, A, AA, AAA, S, SS, SSS, and EX. Wood Bronze Silver Gold Platinum Mithril There are special cases that are beyond Mithril that could indicate a person's specialty. Emerald, for scouts, thieves, assassins, and basically anything involving stealth and agility. Sapphire, for those affiliated with magic, like alchemists, mages, and the like. Court wizards, oracles and healers fit in this category. Ruby, for classes that are mainly focused on physical fighting like warriors. High ranking soldier officials often sport the Ruby ranking. Pearl, for those in the mercantile industry. This mostly relies on reputation of a business and the biggest and most successful businesses have this ranking. Obsidian, for artisan classes. Even blacksmiths and tailors have been given consideration. Rather, in order to keep track of reliable craftsmen, they are also recommended to register. Diamond, this category is reserved for heroes and that of royalty. In cases where there's a multi-specialist, the card would sport the main color in front and a design of the other colors are at the back. I've heard that the queen sported a diamond card with the back portion half sapphire and half ruby. Not everyone starts at Wood-F. This is the reason why there's an evaluation. My ID took longer due to the issue with the evaluation platforms. Even though my stats are at minimum according to the evaluation, they took the visit of the priestess and the incident of stealing from the item box into consideration. I am currently at Gold-C and the back of the card had a small circular diamond design. I was told it was because of the title, Hero Candidate. The details are brief. Kiryuu Himitsukami [Hero Candidate] Level 1 Human [19] Adventurer [Gold-C] Eh? My last name is Himitsukami? I wish it was a bit more subtle. Although it's a bit late to complain now. The ID's are very useful as there is currently no known magic to copy them. Meaning they are enchanted so that one can summon their ID. Stealing them is fruitless in that case. Also, they turn to stone when someone tries to use an ID that is not theirs. Part II "Are you going to start taking quests, Kiryuu-san?" "I'd like to do so but I might think of leveling up a bit first." Vena-san, who had patiently guided me in how being an adventurer works, had a worried look on her face. I am guessing she's a bit concerned about my stats. She did look a bit relieved when I said I was thinking of leveling up. I'm touched. "Perhaps you'd like to hire some guards or..." She was hesitating but eventually told me another option. Buying slaves. Apparently, slavery was not fully abolished here. The heroine, the current queen, had tried to do so but found it difficult. However, it didn't seem at all harsh. As it is, only criminals are punished and turned into slaves. There are cases of innocent people being sold as slaves but that was something underground. The kingdom is currently trying to take down syndicates involving those. They don't pry into the past of people that register as apparently, a criminal can be easily found out by the evaluation platforms. It's a bit difficult for some reformed criminals as their previous crimes will be seen through the evaluation and they need to have an approval that they are allowed to register. Those that can give approvals are the guild masters, the leaders of the city, and of course, the royal family. This means that they have completed their sentence and given a chance for a new leaf. However, no system is perfect and there are cases where a corrupt noble would give approvals to criminals so there is still the need to be cautious. Since Vena-san had assumed that I was well off, given how much I had purchased, she suggested I get a strong slave to guard me. This is because they are forced to wear cursed collars that forbid them from disobeying their designated masters to an extent. This means that they are not allowed to inflict harm to both themselves and the master. In the case of a slave running away, those collars serve as a means of detection but for slave traders, not the masters, in cases of horrible masters abusing their slaves. It's not all that bad but it still isn't perfect so I shouldn't be complacent. Part III Accompanied by Vena-san, I arrived at a slave trader's area. We ask around for a slave to serve as a fighter or guard and we were led to an area where there are a couple of slaves on display. Each had a collar on them. At the moment, their owners is designated as the trader. Ownership will be transferred upon purchase. With the help of Vena-san's analysis, it seemed that most of the slaves can be compared to a silver or gold ranked adventurer. "I'm just being hopeful but do you have someone else stronger?" "We have a slave that you could say has the highest combat ability but..." Oh no. I shouldn't have asked. From the direction this is going, I might end up meeting someone very troublesome. The trader said that there have been cases that this slave escaped several times and resulted in a lot of complains. As such, they weren't placed on display. Also, they made the price ridiculously high in order to deter any potential buyers. I eventually managed to convince the merchant by showing him my card. It wasn't the rank or the stats that did the job, it was the title. He eventually gave in but said that he will not be responsible for the actions of this slave. As such, I was led into a small room where they were confined. Sitting formally in the center was a black-haired woman with her hair tied in a ponytail. She had her eyes closed and seemed to be meditating. "Kiryuu-san, you should reconsider." Vena-san gave her opinion once she saw the woman. I asked her the reason for it since her eyes were glued to the woman before us. The merchant responded quickly. "That's a war criminal. She was the one that assassinated the king and the other members of the royal family." Upon the mention of her crimes, the woman slowly opened her eyes. She was ordered by the trader not to move from her spot as a precaution. "Shino Tsubasa." Vena-san uttered her name and bit her lip. She turned towards me with pleading eyes, as if asking me to just pick out one of the other slaves. I turned to the trader for information. "So, what's the problem?" "She tends to run away and return here despite the orders of those that purchased her. She can resist the collar to an extent but she's unable to harm her owner or herself." "I see. Has she ever said why?" "She says that no one is worthy enough to be her master or some shit like that. I think she's just stubborn." I walked up to the woman and knelt in front of her as we could see eye-to-eye. Her posture doesn't seem that of a plain murderer. From the looks of it, she seemed like someone with a duty, even if that duty meant for the elimination of royalty. "You. Acknowledge me as your master." "I have no wish to acknowledge anyone weaker than I. Leave." "Then shall we duel? I am not your master, yet. But that can be fixed." "If that man allows me, then I shall accept. However, keep in mind that I will not hesitate in taking your life." She turned to the trader who involuntarily stepped back from that. I also turned to him but he was shaking his head. "No. I refuse." "I'm willing to pay up front. If anything, you can just give her an order that allows her to fight me, correct? No one else will be harmed." "Kiryuu-san, I'd like to object to this." Of course, I was a hero candidate so that's what they were worrying about. However, I got up and walked over to Vena-san, placing a hand on her shoulder. I'm brimming with confidence but the two are looking at me like a fool with a death wish. I eventually managed to convince Vena-san who helped me convince the trader. Part IV An area was set for us to hold our duel. It was in some sort of small training area to avoid any damages in the trader's hall. The order given to Shino was to 'fulfill the conditions of the duel'. That way, the only one she can harm was me, if it came down to it. Also, it would reflect if I did manage to get her to acknowledge me as her master. "Oh yeah, hold on to this for me." I had my sword but I decided to toss it, still sheathed, towards Vena-san who managed to catch it despite being surprised. Actually, she was surprised because I did something so reckless after the duel had already started. That is, taking my eyes off my opponent. The moment the sword left my hand, I felt a chill run up my spine. Although there was a good bit of distance between me and Shino, she had already closed the gap, her fist aimed for my jaw. Promising. She may not be able to see my actual stats but I have a bit of leeway due to the skill, Enhanced Reflexes. I wasn't in the position to block, so I instead weaved to the side as I caught her wrist and used my body as a fulcrum to throw her. She recovered easily from the throw. Without wasting any time, she immediately went for another attack. This time, her fist was aimed below my chest, specifically, my solar plexus. In response, I caught her fist with both hands. It would not be enough so I used that force to fall flat on my back and use my feet to throw her once more. I should probably stop messing around now that I am certain of her capabilities but she's making sure that I was on the defensive. She recovered with a roll and aimed a kick for my head. I blocked it with my left arm and she immediately retracted her foot and turned around to perform a roundhouse coming from my right. I ducked my head to dodge that and she had threw sand at my face. Now, we were fighting on training grounds so it was fairly solid but she managed to gather enough dust and sand for the cheap trick. Though my vision was slightly impaired, instead of stepping back, I stepped forward. As I thought, she expected me to step back so she aimed her fist for my jaw once more. However, since I stepped forward, that punch whiffed as I turned my body to the side. It provided me the perfect opportunity to land an elbow strike to her gut. I then tackled her to the ground and clenched my fist. My vision cleared and I can see her eyes staring at my right hand that I had already drew back. She didn't even blink as I released that punch, although I wasn't aiming to hit her at the time. Instead, I intentionally missed and punched the ground to her left. She was still staring into the space where my fist was clenched a while ago. Slowly, she turned her head to the side where my fist landed and stuttered. "I-I concede... Master..." Given that, I got off of her and stood up, offering my left hand for her to take. She looked at me for a while before immediately shuffling and showing her deference by kneeling and bowing her head. That was how I ended up being the master of Shino Tsubasa. Part V: Shino's Perspective I have performed my duty and I shall take on the burden. I shall face the consequences of my actions. At first, I had thought they would sentence me to death but it seemed that it was called 'the easy way out'. I was then sentenced to being a slave for my entire life. Due to the laws, I was fairly confident that there would not be one that would go after me for revenge. That was why I left the heroine, the current queen, alive. Her reforms benefited slaves and criminals sentenced to slavery. Many times I had been purchased but I have always returned to the trader. I could resist the collar a bit and only master traders could give me absolute orders. However, I was still deemed as an expensive piece of merchandise so my undamaged state was preserved. Today as well, someone wanted to purchase me. A young man. He looks weak. I used my analysis skill and saw that his level and stats were all at the lowest. He was even weaker than an average person. I could care less for titles. I will only acknowledge those that are stronger than me. I spoke my mind but he seemed foolish enough to request a duel with me. Since he isn't my master or owner, if asked to duel, I can kill him quite easily. My sentence could not be worse than this anyway. Complacent. Overconfident. Foolish. What kind of person looks away at a deadly foe at the start of the match? Not only that but he disarmed himself willingly. I shall show him that I am not to be taken lightly—eh? I had closed the gap between us but somehow I got flipped and thrown. It seems this person had used my own momentum to counter my attack. No matter. It was a fluke, clearly. I immediately recovered and charged in. I aimed my punch with deadly accuracy, he would be forced to block. I would still be able to break a few ribs at least—ha? I saw the ground then the sky. It seems that I got flipped again. I landed on my back and quickly rolled to get up. Some sand and dust got on my clothes. I decided to gather a bit on my hand. I attacked once more as he was getting up, aiming to distract him first before going for the kill. A kick was blocked easily, but that's just a jab. The second kick was dodged, as intended. I immediately threw the sand at his face. It is a cheap tactic, however, this is a duel with lives on the line. I will not be made fun of. As his vision was hindered by that move, I stomped by foot forward and tightly clenched my fist. For lasting this long in a duel with me, I shall not kill you. I will leave you with a broken jaw so you will learn your... lesson? The man had not stepped backward. No, he instead moved forward. My fist grazed his shoulder but it did little to him. I already placed a lot of force in that punch and I have left myself wide open. No, it was I that looked down on him. I was the one taking him lightly. I knew that the moment his elbow connected with my gut and knocked the wind out of my lungs. Strong. That was not the power of someone with level and stats at lowest. There was strength in that attack that was not my own. That strength overpowered me and I soon lay on my back. My vision dimmed slightly and the next thing I saw was a clenched fist. I felt a chill down my spine. I felt death. I could not even blink as the punch flew. I expected my vision to black out but the man instead punched the ground next to my head. I heard a booming sound from the ground and a gust hitting my cheek. Was that the shockwave of his fist hitting the ground? Slowly I turned my head to look. I expected a crater but what I saw made me lose all the strength I had. There was sand where his fist landed. The portion of the ground near my head turned to dust from the impact alone. If that hit me, it's possible that my head would have been crushed. I conceded. It was my loss. But I was not in despair. I felt intrigued. I started to doubt that this person was really a low leveled adventurer. Deception was part of my previous occupation and I know that there are items or skills that could be used to show false information. I wanted to know more about my new master and I showed my submission by placing my head on the ground before him. I decided then to acknowledge and pledge my loyalty to Kiryuu Himitsukami.
Chapter 5 Spoiler Part I "I see, that's what it meant." "Yes, it is my shame but I regret nothing." I was looking at Shino's ID. It was given to me since I am now her master, thus, I had to rights to hold on to her ID. Shino Tsubasa [Slayer of Kings] Level 35 Human [21] Assassin [Emerald-SS] I had asked her about the back of the ID that showed sub-specialties. It was ruby but with a large diamond design in the middle. However, that design was intentionally cracked in half. Apparently it was the sign of a fallen hero. Moreover, her title could only be replaced by me, as her master. It was as if to show how grave her crime was. Also, there was no time for her punishment. She was sentenced to serve for a lifetime. "Ow..." I winced as I felt a sharp pain on my right hand. During that duel, I unintentionally put in too much strength when I had punched. I actually dislocated my fingers and sprained my wrist. Vena-san was treating me so she was snapping my fingers back into place, although without warning. "Ack..." After she was done, she slapped on a leather pouch with ice on my wrist. Since the regenerative ability I got was not my original one, it would take a while before I healed. However, my fingers needed to be in the right places. "Are you mad, Vena-san?" "No, I am definitely not mad, Newbie-san." Ah, she's mad. She didn't call me by my name either. Her brow was furrowed and she puffed her cheeks. It seems I made her worry. I actually wondered about that myself. I was trying to avoid these sort of events but it seems that I inevitably cross paths with powerful women. I guess I have a knack for that. "It's not like someone could have died having a duel with a war criminal. All the while ignoring my advice too." She took the leather pouch and tapped it several times on my wrist. I would have withdrew my hand but she had a firm grip. She's actually pretty strong despite looking like someone you'd want to protect and cuddle and snuggle up too... Ah, I got carried away with my thoughts. I should probably apologize. "I'm really sorry, Vena-san. Please take of me in the future as well." She looked away and pouted. I guess she really was worried. "Would you please stop flirting. We have more important matters at hand." Right. We were at the usual table. Vena-san sat at my right as she was treating me, although also punishing me in the process. She started to stutter and turn a shade of red with what Hilde said though. Shino sat at my left. Across us were Raful and Hilde. Raful had a serious expression on his face and Hilde is just... Hilde. "Hilde's right. While I'm impressed that you actually managed to get Shino as a slave, I'm a bit more surprised that you went and challenged her to a duel." "That's stupid. You're stupid. You could have died." Ah, the two were reprimanding me as well. Shino is silently sipping tea while listening to the conversation. She was also ignoring Hilde that was glaring at her. "I got carried away, I guess? I was relying too much on my Enhanced Reflexes. I'm lucky to have pulled through." "But..." Raful and Hilde sighed and nodded their heads. Vena-san seemed to say something but she stopped altogether. Shino had looked at me with a serious expression. It seems she also had something in her mind but refused to talk about it. Hilde turned back to glaring at Shino. It seems she was not done yet. "How do we know she won't turn on you though? I heard she was troublesome and could resist the curse to a degree." "She isn't able to hurt me because of the curse though?" "Directly, yes, but indirectly, it's possible. I mean, you did get a slave to help you level up, right?" She had a point. There was a possibility that Shino would pretend to help me but abandon me at the right moment. But if it was that, I wasn't worried. Although, I should probably pretend as if I was careless not to think of that. "There is no need to worry. I have pledged myself to Master. It matters not whether the curse is in effect or not." Hilde doesn't seem to be convinced but there's nothing she could do about it. She has completely no trust in Shino and I can understand why. "Shino, do you think you can beat Kiryuu in an all out fight?" Woah, what's with that, Raful? Isn't that a bit too crazy of a situation? Moreover, he said that out of the blue completely. Shino sipped her tea and gently placed her cup down. "No." Ugh. This is troublesome. I did not know if she was able to see through my stats and level. However, she did call me weak before so I assumed she saw my ridiculously low information. "Because he is my Master and I have no intention on turning my blade against him." "I mean, hypothetically speaking..." "It will not happen. My loyalty does not waver. The chances of it happening are not greater than a zero." "What a thick-headed woman." Raful seemed to try and press on the matter but Hilde just saw it as a trait of someone being too loyal. Then again, she was loyal enough to kill the royal family that had gotten her status as a fallen hero. However, I feel like I've been saved a bit from that. Raful and Hilde left the matter alone and just told me to watch myself. Vena-san held my hand the entire time so I was quite happy with that. Part II I expected that my stay would end today but since my injuries take until tomorrow to heal, I was allowed to stay for one more night. They had no room for Shino but she insisted she stay in the same room as me. Since we're also sharing that room with Hilde, there wasn't any issue, at least for Raful. Hilde complained for a bit but resigned in the end. I was going to offer the bed to Shino but she had already occupied the space beside the bed. She was kneeling formally and had her eyes closed. When I asked if she was fine with that, she said that 'this much is alright'. Apparently her attitude and subservience was genuine and sees herself to be below me. She seemed to turn to me every now and then but resumed her pose. I wanted to talk to her but since Hilde is here, I decided to save it for tomorrow. The next day we took on a quest that was about orc subjugation. There are two stray orcs that have been sighted and a request was made to take them down. Since I had Shino with me, our party was deemed more than capable of handling the request. We started by going into the area near the reported site and found some tracks. The analysis skill showed they were orc footprints. "The Analysis skill sure is handy." "Yes, however, if a deception skill higher than it is used, it's completely possible to provide false information." "Is that so, huh?" I had to steel myself in order not to react to that. I was worried about it since Raful asked her if she can take me on if she goes all out. Only now did I hear about a deception skill that could fool the analysis skill. I figure that the basic analysis of normal people is nothing compared to the ones that Vena-san and the others have. Is it possible that she saw through my stats? "Did you use deception skills before, Shino?" "While I was doing my duty, yes. We used it to hide our identities as we carried out assassinations. However, I am forbidden to use my skills unless Master wishes for it." She fidgeted a bit. It seems like she wanted to say something else but was hesitating. Maybe she thought it disrespectful? I've come across her types before. She seemed to speak her mind freely towards Hilde and Raful but has taken care of what she would say to me. Eventually, she spoke up. "If I may speak." "Go on." "I was under the impression that Master is using a very powerful deception skill." "Eh? How so?" "My Analysis skill is comparable to the queen's, as it helps us identify our targets. However, I can't help but feel that Master is not at the level he is known to be." "It's written even in the form though? My level and stats are all at lowest." "EH?!" Wow, she just broke off character just like that. She always seemed calm and aloof. But suddenly, she was like a completely normal person that got surprised. "That's... not true. The highest deception skills can mostly provide false information written on ID's. That's why forms have been forged for the sake of it." "It's true though. Here." I had taken out my form and showed it to her. There were some skills and titles obtained from our duel but every stat there was at level one. It seems the skill Hidden Origin is more powerful than I thought. [A/N: items that are in parenthesis are either the true values or hidden skills.] Name: Kiryuu Race: Human Age: 19 HP: (19000/19000) 1900/1900 MP: 0/0 Level: (100) 1 Strength: (99) 1 Agility: (120) 1 Intelligence: (99) 1 Endurance: (99) 1 Wisdom: (99) 1 Luck: 1 (Origin: Conversion) (Skill: Hidden Origin) Skill: Enhanced Reflexes Skill: Enhanced Melee Combat Skill: Force Manipulation Skill: Analysis Class: Adventurer Title: Hero Candidate Title: Nimble Fighter (Title: Master Thief’s Rival) Nimble Fighter was the title I got from dodging and countering Shino's attacks. Enhanced Melee Combat enhanced my use of melee weapons and also affects me if I fight unarmed. Force Manipulation is something similar to manipulation one's energy or chi in some cases. Also, apparently skills have levels as well. Basic skills have no prefix. What comes next is Intermediate, Advanced, Enhanced, Expert, Master, Legendary then Godly. Godly skills are rare and only few people reach that point. Shino's stealth skills only reached legendary but they are currently only at Enhanced level because of the curse. Her level was also reduced to half. "I-impossible..." "As I said, I'm we—" "To think that Master's abilities are beyond my expectations!" Wait, what? "Master's deception skill can fool even legendary heroes. Master is truly impressive!" Ah. Well. Shit. I really can't deny that. However, I tried to insist that I am weak but Shino is fairly convinced that a skill is hiding my true stats. She's correct though. However, it didn't seem too much trouble as she has no intention of revealing it. That's why she didn't talk much during that time with Raful and the others. She didn't want to bring the topic of deception skills at the time. She also couldn't talk to me last night since Hilde was also in the room. Suddenly, she knelt in front of me, as if once more pledging herself to me. "I shall follow you until my life is exhausted, Master. In hopes that one day, I am worthy enough to stand by your side. Until then, please use me as you wish." "S-Shino, I understand your enthusiasm but..." "I-if Master also wishes... y-you can use this lowly body of mine to..." "Stooop!" Dangerous! That was dangerous. Shino was already slowly sliding her clothes off. We're in the middle of a quest, damn it! The danger was not the orc subjugation. If I had allowed her to go on, I might have not been able to resist. She has a good form and a body that may rival Hilde's. However, it might be bad for my reputation if I were to relieve myself using my slave. It sounds more like something a villain would do. However! Indeed, I have seen something rare. A flustered and embarrassed Shino is good for the soul. However, I shall be satisfied with only that for now. Right now, she looks a bit dejected. She called herself lowly and probably thought that I would not be satisfied with her. "Shino, I admire your loyalty. However, don't force yourself." "..." "For now, lend me your strength and be my blade." "Yes, Master." Ah, she's back to the normal Shino. Good. It's not good for my heart if that wasn't the case. Although I unintentionally added the 'for now' to my words. Part III We resumed our hunt for the orcs and eventually found them taking refuge. They had set up camp but Shino's stealth skills were superb and the orcs were taken down by her in a flash. She was also unarmed in doing so. She allowed me to deal the finishing blow but there was really nothing I did aside that. I was thinking of getting her some equipment soon. I also figured to get weapons focused more on stealth myself as well. After all, I'm still more comfortable in that area than a head-on confrontation. I leveled up quite a bit and gained a skill for sneaking as well. We also only have to bring either their hands or heads but Shino was strong enough to drag their bodies with a rope after wrapping them with cloth. I offered to do so but she says it's more believable if she were the one doing the chore. It seems she's assisting me fully in hiding my abilities. I am truly grateful. I shall spare no effort in getting her better equipment. Although she tried to decline saying she isn't worthy, I said that people will think lowly of me if she had crappy equipment. That convinced her to agree to my decision to get her equipment. Part IV "Wow, Kiryuu-san, you managed to do it! You also brought back their bodies too!" "Well, I mostly leeched off the experience and Shino did all the work." "I suppose you're right..." Vena-san still wasn't certain of Shino but at least she's calling me by my name again. Ah, it's was nice to have the sweet Vena-san back! We got a bonus for bring the bodies back. Apparently some materials can be obtained from them and their meat was good as well. I figure that since the orcs were bulky pig-like humanoids, their meat was somewhat similar to pork. Their armors were battered so they were mostly sold as scrap to be melted and reused. We kept any jewels and money they had. The jewels were mostly used as catalysts for enhancing equipment. We were asked if we would also sell their weapons. I agreed because they had standard axes based on the analysis skill. Afterwards, I asked if they could recommend me an inn to stay, since I was just a temporary resident. Vena-san said that Raful would discuss that with me later. She recommended me a blacksmith for better armor and equipment for Shino. We did get a bit of money from that quest because the bonuses were great. It never hurt to have spare money. She also told me to regularly maintain and clean my equipment, especially when a blade gets blood soaked. I decided to visit the blacksmith for now and return later. I also took a look at my sword with Analysis but it was only [Gifted Sword ???]. I'll have it appraised later, I guess. While I'm at it, I decided to change Shino's title on her ID to the one she obtained today. It wasn't because of the quest but because of our conversation and how she once more pledged herself to me. Tomorrow, I'll also try out the skills I've gotten recently. ... Name: Kiryuu Race: Human Age: 19 HP: (25000/25000) 2500/2500 MP: 0/0 Level: (100) 10 Strength: (99) 15 Agility: (120) 25 Intelligence: (99) 10 Endurance: (99) 5 Wisdom: (99) 5 Luck: 1 (Origin: Conversion) (Skill: Hidden Origin) Skill: Enhanced Reflexes Skill: Enhanced Melee Combat Skill: Force Manipulation Skill: Stealth Skill: Analysis Skill: Finishing Strike (Skill: Status Manipulation) Class: Adventurer Title: Hero Candidate [Active] Title: Nimble Fighter (Title: Master Thief’s Rival) (Title: The Deceiver) ... Name: Shino Race: Human Age: 21 HP: 1800/1800 MP: 200/200 Level: 35 Strength: 40 Agility: 60 Intelligence: 30 Endurance: 40 Wisdom: 20 Luck: 10 Skill: Expert Reflexes Skill: Expert Melee Combat Skill: Expert Stealth Skill: Expert Analysis Skill: Enhanced Ranged Combat Skill: Enhanced Mobility Skill: Conceal Presence Skill: Reduced Earth Class: Slave Class: Assassin Title: Fallen Hero Title: Slayer of Kings Title: The Unforgiven One Title: One of True Loyalty Title: Kiryuu's Blade [Active]
u know is it must to use honerifics it seems odd being used by ppl like raful its not like they ARE JAP
Yeah, that was a bit of my concern during the time I was writing those chapters but it just seemed to be an easy way to show how one refers to a person or something like that. I'm embarrassed to say that I decided to keep it in. If anything, let's just say they got influenced by the heroes they summon and what not. I'm still piecing things together and I need to get myself an actual notebook and not just a messy notepad file. XD
hmm but then at times it is theyre first time summoning so how will they know it is jap but obv it suits the mc name (mean that he is jap) i dont mean any racial or e.t.c but as long as u dont go jack- san or james sensei then it will not have too much of a trigger effect
Nah, nothing to that extent. Ah, the MC isn't eh first hero summoned in that world. It'll be in the later chapters. I'll post as much as I can in a bit.
Chapter 6 Spoiler Part I I was back at Karlann's store to get my sword appraised. I also wanted to get basic gear for Shino as well. At first, he was surprised when Shino had entered. He was the kind of man to be more curious though as often rumors can be a good source of information. I told him of our circumstances and he couldn't believe it at first. I decided to show him Shino's ID and he eventually accepted it. I bought a leather set for Shino as well. Her set's color is red and there were differences between the male set and female set. The male set is not significant but the female set has some charms. She had knee-high boots and, at the suggestion of Karlann, thigh-high stockings. Good job! Instead of pants, she had a skirt for easier movement. Her sleeves were also partly detached so her shoulders were exposed. It's a very nice and charming armor set. I then asked Karlan for weaponry but he suggested a smith to visit if I wanted something beyond the standard equipment. I thanked him and then inquired about the appraisal. Analysis differs from Appraisal in a way that Appraisal is used to identify unknown objects. More specifically, Appraisal is used for rare items and treasure. It's mostly merchants and traders that have the skill, although some heroes do as well. However, most people simply rely on analysis as identified items can be analyzed but unknown items can only be identified by being appraised first. Apparently the fee was fifty coppers for a successful appraisal and twenty for a failed one. It's not possible to say it was a failure if it succeeded since identified items can be analyzed by then. I decided to go ahead and have the sword appraised. 「Ouroboros」 All Stats + 10 Durability: ∞/∞ Passive Skill/s: ??? Active Skill/s: ??? Woah. That's just amazing! After the appraisal, the sword slightly changed its form as well. It's distinguished from a normal looking katana now. It got a bit longer. I guess this classifies it as a nodachi. Despite the skills being hidden, it was a successful appraisal. Karlann told me that certain conditions are needed in order to unlock the blade's skills. Shino confirmed it as her eyes were glued to the sword. I jokingly asked her if she wanted it but she promptly refused and said that she is not worthy at all. I should try and find her a good weapon in the future. After paying Karlann the fee, plus some small jewels as a bonus to keep this information a secret, I bid him goodbye and went towards the blacksmith that he recommended. Part II Right. This meeting certainly caught me off guard. I entered the workshop, calling out for the blacksmith. I heard the roar of flames so I assumed they were working on something. I called out repeatedly towards the source of the sound until I came by a doorway. I went in and immediately got stunned. Hammering with constant strength and precision, my eyes feasted on a very stimulating sight. A rather voluptuous woman with fine curves was shaping a red-hot iron into the shape of a blade. I scrutinized the details, expecting some well-toned muscles. What I saw was a small glow around her. It seems to be a self strengthening magic. She had a bit of muscle on her but it's just a bit comparable to Shino's. What was even more alluring was the clothes that she wore. She wore a very short pair of shorts and she sported a sleeveless shirt that was pretty much just meant to cover her chest. I can actually see a bit of underboob that I almost forgot what I came here for. In the end, I ended up watching until she finished shaping the blade. "Oh? Can I help you?" "I-I, uh, I'm looking... weapons... yes?" Damn. I can vividly see how her sweat ran its course on her body. I gulped and shook my head, taking in deep breaths and closing my eyes until I've calmed down. This is bad. It's rare for me to get this flustered but I can clearly see why. After wiping her sweat, she untied her blonde hair that she had tied in a bun. Safety precautions, I guess. "What? Didn't think a girl could smith weapons?" "No, I think you're beautiful—I mean, it's beautiful the way you shaped that blade that I decided not to disturb you." "Well, aren't you sweet? I'm guessing you're looking to get weapons made?" "Yes, I'm actually looking for weapons for my, erm, companion." "Right, will you wait for me at the counter, or are you going to watch me undress as well?" "E-excuse me!" I immediately vacated that spot regardless of how tempting it was to say yes if she were really offering. Right, I guess I'm really weak to strong women. I waited for a while. Eventually, Shino, who stood guard outside, came in because it was taking long. Right then as well, the blacksmith was done changing, although it was pretty much the same kind of clothes only cleaner and not sweaty. "Right then, the name's Odessa Mu. You can call me Dessa." "Kiryuu." Shino just bowed her head. Even the blacksmith knew who she was, after all. I placed a request for twin short swords, as it was what Shino was used to wielding. I also brought up the topic of ranged weaponry. Shino says that since she is capable of closing gaps easily, she doesn't need one. Instead, I had placed a request for a dagger for her that she can conceal easily. For me, I went with throwing knives. As Dessa leaned over the counter to take down notes, I couldn't help but stare at those marvelous hills. She eventually tapped her pencil (invented by the heroine queen apparently) on my nose gently and gave me a wink. She also gestured her pencil in a sideways motion as if reprimanding me teasingly. That only does the opposite! She can work on materials from iron to mithril. If we wanted other kinds of materials, we could bring it ourselves and she would only charge the labor fee. However, she recommended steel or iron for throwing knives as they tend to be treated disposable if not retrieved easily. As for the short swords and dagger, I requested them to be mithril. Shino was about to object but I stopped her with a gesture. "I want you to be equipped optimally. We may be going for basics now, but I eventually plan to search for labyrinths and dungeons." "I-if you wish." I saw those in the quest boards. Some people are looking to hire adventurers to escort them through a dungeon or labyrinth. I guess those exist here as well. Our total was fifty silvers for Shino's blades. The throwing knives were worth a bronze coin each so I asked for fifty silvers worth. I paid the gold coin up front. Our equipment will be ready in three days. "Oh, I can also enchant if you have any jewels with you as well." I remembered that she used magic to enhanced herself a while ago. When I mentioned this, she cooed at me and winked. "Naughty, naughty~" "Please don't, Dessa-san. It's bad for my heart." "Alrighty~" By the way, this woman is just as tall as me. However, her curves are really... legendary. I took out the jewels I had in my possession. These were from the orc subjugation quest. She sifted through them and took a couple of jewels that were barely a fourth of an inch in diameter. "These are normally jewels made only for accessories. However, I can embed a few on the hilts to add to their durability. You also obtained some fine diamonds. I can add a slow self repair ability on the weapons if you wish." "Please do so. Just add it to the cost." "I'll give it to you for free for peeking on me~" "I feel like I'm supposed to be punished for that." "As I thought, Master isn't satisfied with me..." The dejected Shino looked down and cupped her own chest. It's one troublesome thing after another, isn't it? You have your own charms, Shino. You almost succeeded in seducing me! "Tell you what, Kiryuu-kun. Why don't you treat me to some fine alcohol and I will enchant those for free? You can do so after I am done with them." "I'm fine with that. Shino, please stop groping yourself." She eventually went back to her normal self after I convinced her that she had her own charms. I also accidentally admitted that if I had not stopped her from stripping, I might have lost control of myself then. That made Shino smile a little but Dessa-san only teased us because of it. She knew that were master and slave though, since Shino is a pretty infamous person. Incidents about her were certain to circulate. Part III For now, we decided to meet up with Raful since he had something to discuss with me. It feels like deja vu all over again, being with them in the office. Shino was sitting on my left and Vena-san occupied the space at my right. "Right, well, since we now have a vacancy, we decided to offer you a permanent residence in the guild." "I refuse." "What's with the immediate answer, huh?" Hilde was a bit ticked off. Well, seriously, I didn't want to be her roommate so this was a bit of a blessing, I guess. "Ah, no, don't worry, you'll have a room to yourself. It has enough space to add another mattress for Shino." "Are slaves not allowed their own beds?" "Only nobles can afford that. I am sorry Shino." "It is fine. It is already too much for me." She was sitting while sleeping but I'm worried so this is more of for me than for her, huh? "Wait, so what happened?" "Unfortunately, that's what we wanted to discuss further." "Ah, so it's one of those things." "The adventurer who had the room was killed while scouting. He was done in by orcs. There's been a lot of sightings recently." "I feel a bit terrible that you would give me a dead person's room." Or rather, it's kind of ominous. I don't expect a ghost to haunt me but it just felt a bit wrong. "It happens all the time, don't worry. At the same time, I wanted to request that you take on more orc subjugation quests. You don't need to investigate but any important details could be of great use to us." Hilde mentioned about more orcs lurking nearby. They aren't exactly nomadic and aren't found that near the city. This was starting to become troublesome and some were speculating that orcs may be gathering. Some say they are planning to attack the city so some people are a bit uneasy. "I need to wait three days for Shino's equipment." "Ah, you placed a request at a blacksmith?" Hearing that, Shino looked down a bit. "Y-yeah. I went to a blacksmith recommended by Karlann. It was a bit troublesome but we managed to make use of some jewels." "Oh ho? Are you going for Odessa as well now?" Raful, please stop making it difficult for me. Vena-san, please stop gripping my wrist. It's starting to hurt. Why are you looking at me all disgusted, Hilde?! "Dessa-san... the blacksmith that's..." "Master... peeking..." "So you're that kind of guy, huh...?" You three, please stop. The atmosphere felt a bit heavy so I took out Ouroboros and placed it on the table with a thud. They averted their gaze towards it and it certainly worked as a segue. "Also, the sword I got from the Rionna-san changed when I leveled up. I had it appraised." "Oh! That's a fine sword there! I guess you need to fulfill the conditions first but now you don't have to be so worried, right, Vena?" "Unyu..." Vena-san made a really cute sound and shrank a bit. She also turned a bit red. Ah, I guess she was really worried about me. Well, the foolish me would do that, I guess. Speaking of which, I haven't been able to fully apologize for her I'll think about that as well. For now, I decided to pat her on the head. "No need to worry, Vena-san. I'm trying not to be careless recently." That action only got her a bit more flustered. We ended our discussion after a while. Shino eventually wanted to be patted on the head as well so I guess I'll indulge her for doing a good job with the orc subjugation. Following that, Vena-san stuck closer to me while we had dinner. It was bliss. Tomorrow, we'd do some scouting so I asked to borrow a standard sword for Shino in the meantime. Part IV: Demon's Perspective A hero candidate, huh? Weak but able to tame the infamous Shino Tsubasa. Interesting. News like this spreads like wildfire, no doubt. There's not a single person, at least in the capital city of Teras, that doesn't know of the incident. There's not a single person in the kingdom of Nilith that doesn't know Shino either. Mmm... only a candidate. Stats are pitiful too. Yet he defeated the Blade of Death in an unarmed duel. I cannot see Shino Tsubasa being one that takes it easy on such a person. But the person itself is... peculiar. There is definitely something else about him. Kiryuu Himitsukami. I want to devour you. I want to know what you taste like. Part V: Intermission Ah, did you know that one time I took on the form of a book? Not just a book. A book of conquest. I was a book that people would want to get their hands on. A book about maintaining and clearing the path to a harem route. That's right. Like I said, I'm fairly experienced. Just that I also get a bit flustered every now and then. I'm attracted to fairly strong women and that has gotten me killed on several occasions. Also, during the time where the guild was active, I led an army myself. I had an elite unit of archers, scouts and mages. What about that, you ask? I had a hundred female elf archers, a hundred cat girl skirmishers and a hundred fox girl magicians. Yes, I am bragging. That was before I got the ability to jump through worlds and I am fairly certain that I met a lot more after that. Anyway, during the time that I was a book, I communicated by changing the text. Kind of like that diary in some other story. The only difference is, as a book, I don't get destroyed by basilisk venom. Moving on, I met a person that has a bit of trouble. Well, he himself had a harem of nine lovely women. The problem is that each of those lovely ladies can kill him ten times over. This person isn't an ordinary person either. Rather, he eventually ascended into a god. And yet he's whipped. That's right. I guess he shouldn't complain though since he has nine lovely ladies as lovers. Although that in itself is a very volatile situation. Although I was but a book, I felt that I would be entertained so I decided to stay a bit. I'm not out to steal his women either although they've tried to destroy me on several occasions. But this is fun in its own way too.