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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 10 - Frozen in Warmth/The-New-Gate-Volume-10-Frozen-in-Warmth-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_10_Chapter_04_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 2
About one week after Shin and Milt started their plan, it began.
Even in the orphanage, a place where rumors rarely spread, the news of Shin’s PK hunt had reached the children’s ears.
“I told you already, big bro Shin is fighting so that no one will be a victim anymore. It’s a bad thing, yeah, but.”
“There’s no police in this world anyway.”
Some didn’t share such feelings, though.
“Bu-but Shin is doing dangerous things.”
Despite knowing that PK hunting meant killing people -so it was a bad thing- Teppei and Ryohei claimed it was unavoidable. Luca wasn’t convinced however.
Despite her young age, Luca knew how terrifying PKs could be. That was precisely the reason why she was worried about Shin’s safety, endangered by his proactive hunting of the PKs.
Today, she was sitting at the orphanage’s gates.
“After he defeats all the PKs, he’ll come back…I think.”
“Ryohei, don’t talk like you really know.”
“Hey, what else can I do? The grownups won’t tell us anything else!”
“Shin, won’t you come back? We can’t meet anymore…?”
After listening to Teppei and Ryohei’s conversation, Luca’s eyes filled with tears.
The two boys hurriedly tried to calm her down and went to call an adult to confirm that Shin would return.
“Uuuh…”
Luca wiped her tears with her sleeves and raised her head. In front of her stood the gate she stared at every day since the attack one month ago.
“…….”
A thought developed in Luca’s head.
She didn’t know when, if ever, Shin would come to the orphanage again. If so, she should just go meet him.
It was still a little past nine in the morning; there was plenty of time.
The adults didn’t allow children to go out of the orphanage on their own. However, there was no one around now, so she could sneak out.
Luca looked around, confirmed that there really wasn’t anyone in the surroundings, and quickly sprinted away. She hurried through the orphanage’s gate and hid on the opposite side. Now she couldn’t be seen from the inside.
“Oh? Aren’t you one of Shin’s little friends?”
“!?”
The sudden voice made Luca jolt. Timidly, she looked in the direction of the voice and saw a smiling young man. He had said Shin’s name, so maybe they knew each other.
“Oh, I apologize for surprising you. I was looking for Shin, so I was wondering if you might know where he is.”
“Me too…I’m looking for Shin now.”
“Is that so? So you’ll go look for him in town?”
“Everywhere.”
“Everywhere? You mean, in the field and in dungeons too?”
Luca answered the young man’s question by forming two tiny fists and nodding.
“Yes!”
“However, it seems dangerous for someone of your level to go in the field, don’t you think?”
“Eh?”
Luca had been dragged into the death game after her account had been created just to fill in a spot. As a result, she barely knew anything about how the game worked, having stayed in town since her first login. She couldn’t understand what the young man meant.
“Hmm…oh? Looks the like the orphanage is getting noisy. Could it be that you snuck out?”
“!?”
The young man’s guess made Luca’s body shrink. Ryohei or Teppei were probably calling for her. She could hear Emil’s voice too.
“Did you want to see Shin so much that you snuck out of the orphanage?”
“….Yes.”
Luca silently nodded to the young man’s sudden question.
Shin might disappear, like her brother and his friends did, like Marino did. Luca didn’t want to do nothing and just be separated like that.
“Hmm…hmm…oh, fine. I was looking for Shin too after all. Why don’t you come with me? The frontlines have turned quieter since he left, so lately things have been pretty boring.”
“Ehm…”
“If we stay here, someone from the orphanage will come soon, you know?”
“Ah…er…I’ll go!!”
Any average player would be wary of following someone they’d met for the first time. Luca, however, was urged on by hearing the voices from the orphanage, growing closer and closer, and her desire to see Shin, so she ended up nodding to the young man’s proposal.
The young man, with a bigger smile, took Luca’s hand and started walking away. They quickly became lost in the crowd, and impossible to find for anyone from the orphanage.
“What is your name?”
Luca remembered that she hadn’t heard the name of the young man walking with her, so she looked up at him and asked.
“Oh, I didn’t introduce myself, did I. My name is Hameln. Pleased to meet you.”
The young man—-Hameln introduced himself.
Hameln, one of the masterminds behind the recent tragedy, smiled innocently as he led Luca through the crowd at a leisurely pace.
“Well then, let me ask straight away, do you have any idea where Shin could be?”
“He talked a lot about clearing dungeons…”
Hameln, with Luca in tow, was walking through Kalkia’s main street. Being an MPK, a PK that used monsters to kill other players, his name and face were not known.
“Hmm, they say he’s hunting down PKs, so he’s probably outside the hometown.”
Hameln, holding his chin, started thinking.
Using an information broker was an option, but there was a high chance that the same broker would sell the information of Hameln’s visit to others. There was the chance for Shin to come to him because of that, but Hameln thought that it was still too early to meet him.
His visit to the orphanage was to confirm if Shin continued to hunt PKs even after crushing the largest guild.
Vlad, the man who snatched away Shin’s beloved, was still alive. Hameln thought that he would contact Shin after he was done with Vlad.
“A dangerous place?”
“For Shin, the dungeons available now are still safe enough. The only exceptions could be the bosses, I suppose. But I don’t think that Shin would fight bosses now, so there’s no danger.”
Hameln wouldn’t say anything to further Luca’s concerns; for him, Luca was in the position of someone to protect.
What Hameln wanted to observe was the will of people when facing against adversities. Most small children died before being able to show such willpower.
For this, he would protect her. To assess her willpower while fighting against the adversity that, one day, would surely visit her.
That was the only important thing. He was the one to create the adversities to show the will to fight against, but if, as a result, the child died without showing that willpower, it wouldn’t faze Hameln in the slightest.
His own desires were everything to him. That was the kind of player Hameln was.
“I guess we have no other choice. Let’s try betting on the piece of information I heard.”
Hameln’s shoulders dropped, and he walked forward again. The destination was a place with very few people, an area where several lodges stood. According to the information Hameln obtained, it was where Robin, a man who collaborated with Vlad, was supposed to live.
“You look pale, young lady, are you alright?”
“…..I’m okay.”
Despite Luca’s answer, she did not look okay at all. As it turns out, she had received messages and calls in her chat asking where she was.
In this world, much like the real one, it was very easy to contact others. Luca had followed Hameln, pushed by the situation’s momentum, but thinking calmly about it, she was now afraid to be yelled at.
Sneaking out of the orphanage to go look for Shin seemed like proof of courage, but now she was imagining the adults yelling at her, and she trembled. She had appeared resolute at first, but she had just followed her impulses. Luca was, after all, just a child.
“Let’s say you were kidnapped, then.”
“Eh?”
While Luca was still reeling from the surprise, Hameln sent a message to Emil.
The message’s contents said, “I am going to use Luca to stop Shin”. For Hameln, who was used to being hated, being treated like a kidnapper was nothing he was concerned about.
“With this, at least they won’t yell at you for sneaking out. They’ll be more worried, but that can’t be helped, I guess. Ah, you should say in chat that you’re being threatened.”
Hameln was talking of very serious things, but continued with his casual tone.
“Why do you help me?”
“Help? That’s not right, I’m afraid. I’m not here with you because I want to help you after all. I just think that, for Shin, for a person in his current state, the emotional words of a child like you would be more effective than an adult’s realism-imbued speeches.”
Young age, surprisingly, works wonders as a weapon. After adding this final comment only to himself, Hameln asked Luca a question.
“I suppose it’s too late to say this now, but I am planning to use you. But, now and only now, I can let you go free. What will you do? Will you come with me? Or will you go back to the orphanage?”
Hameln repeated the question he had first asked Luca at the orphanage. Waiting to hear what her young will would choose, Hameln grinned.
“…I, I go. I will go together. If I don’t…Shin will go somewhere far.”
Luca answered while shaking slightly.
Hearing her answer, Hameln’s smile widened.
“Is this a woman’s instinct, I wonder? Or maybe, you know even if you don’t actually understand it.”
“Eh?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Hameln voiced his thoughts out loud without realizing it. He then changed topic with an ambiguous smile.
“Shall we go, then?”
“Where do we go?”
“A place where he might be. Well, the information is old, so I can’t be sure though.”
His shoulders dropping again, Hameln summoned one of his contract beasts. A magic circle appeared on the ground and a blue tiger-type monster about two mels long, a Weyger, appeared.
Its fangs and claws were of a transparent blue hue, two large strands of white hair extended from its forehead over its back. Its level was 423. For Luca, just being pushed by its paws would reduce her HP to zero.
“Eek!?”
Luca’s body shrank in fear at the sight of the Weyger’s sudden appearance.
“Don’t be scared, this is just our means of transport.”
Following Hameln’s orders, the Weyger crouched down. The monster looked up at Luca, as if it was telling her “hop on, miss”.
“The faster we can move, the better. Please, get on.”
Encouraged by Hameln, Luca timidly mounted the Weyger. The monster made sure that Luca firmly grabbed its fur, stood back up slowly, and started walking next to Hameln.
“It’s so fluffy.”
“Gaarfn.”
Luca rode, hugging the Weyger’s back. The feeling of the monster’s soft fur was probably very pleasant, as she looked giddy now.
They Weyger snorted proudly, as if it was boasting about the quality of its fur.
“It’s pretty popular as a pet too, after all.”
“Gah!”
To Hameln, instead, the monster snarled as if clicking its tongue.
“Okay then, our destination is just ahead. I set the Weyger so as to protect you, so don’t go far from it, okay?”
Hameln checked that the monsters at the destination were of a level much lower than the Weyger.
“Okay.”
“Gaarf!”
The Weyger growled, as if saying “leave it to me!”
“I guess monsters have likes and dislikes too?”
Puzzled by the Weygar showing a very different reaction to Luca than to himself, Hameln walked on. Soon enough, several small lodges appeared.
“I suppose we arrived too late. My my…the information was old, so I guess I should have made sure he was alive first.”
Hameln whispered while rubbing his chin in front of a completely wrecked lodge.
The information he had obtained stated that Robin lived in one of the area’s lodges.
There was no guarantee that Robin was in the ruined lodge, so Hameln decided to gather information in the surroundings.
“My apologies, I would like to ask you something.”
Hameln told Luca to wait and knocked at the door of the lodge next to the ruined one. A few seconds later, a pudgy male player appeared from inside.
“What do you want?”
“I’m looking for a person, do you happen to know a player named Robin?”
“Oh, you knew the neighbor guy?”
The man’s answer suggested that the inhabitant of the collapsed lodge was indeed Robin. Hameln denied and the man continued.
“You didn’t? Well, whatever. It happened a couple days ago, a player with a katana wrecked the house all of a sudden. It made no sense to me to feel something like that in a game, but…I felt it for real. Killing intent. He looked real dangerous, so I thought I should leave him alone and hid inside right away. They talked for a while…but the guy inside, in the end, went like this.”
The man made a horizontal sliding gesture across his neck with his hand.
The meaning was probably that the head had been cut off. The two talked a little more, but there was no clue about Shin’s possible next destination.
“Is that so…thank you very much for your time.”
Hameln bowed deeply and closed the door.
“Shin isn’t here?”
“Yes, it appears to be so. The only hint left is that rumor, then…”
“Rumor?”
“They say that Shin has a new girlfriend, and that they flirt in public with no shame at all…honestly, I can’t believe that Shin would get a new girlfriend now though.”
If large PK guilds still remained, he might have trusted his instincts and waited in ambush. The only ones remaining, however, were very small ones and solo players, so that plan was unusable.
Hameln couldn’t use information brokers either, so the last resort was to rely on a rumor he found repugnant.
“He’s in a place with many people?”
“That would be natural. But even as a rumor, it concerns me that it spread so quickly.”
It felt almost as if it was being spread on purpose.
“…ooh, I see, so that’s the plan.”
After thinking about it, Hameln realized something and suddenly looked very convinced.
Even if he was going around crushing PK guilds, Shin’s main target was still Vlad. Hameln, who knew both, realized what Shin’s true aim probably was.
“Do you know where Shin is?”
“I can’t say I know yet. But I figured out what he’s trying to do. I wanted to do this without Vlad knowing, but if I say I will cooperate we can probably get information out of him.”
Hameln sent Vlad a message immediately.
“(Hello, it’s been quite a while. There’s something I would like to ask you, could you please spare some time for me?)”
When Vlad answered the chat, he appeared very irritated. Hameln, thinking that his behaviour exceeded his expectations, greeted him.
“(What do you want from me then? You of all people wouldn’t contact me without a purpose.)”
“(Well, that is true. I wanted to have a chat with Shin, do you have any idea where he could be? I caught wind of a strange rumor, so I thought that you might know more about that too.)”
“(I know. That woman is getting ahead of herself, isn’t she.)”
Hameln thought that the situation was bound to move rather quickly and smiled to himself.
Where had his peerless caution gone to? Vlad acted very differently from the last time Hameln spoke to him.
With most of the PKs exterminated, organizing large-scale operations required a great number of people and resources. The PKs with high fighting power, especially, had been carefully eliminated, so it was impossible to trick them to use them as assassins either.
“(Your cooperation during the invasion was valuable, so if you tell me his whereabouts, I can help you. I still have the items too.)”
“(What do you plan to do when you meet him?)”
Vlad probably instantly calculated that Hameln could have helped bolster his inferior fighting power; his voice sounded much more collected than before.
“(I just wish to talk with him. I doubt things will end peacefully though.)”
“(You’ll just get killed if you do.)”
“(I can probably buy some time if I use my monsters as shields. I’m just interested in what he’s actually thinking at present.)”
“(….so be it. I will contact you once I have a plan.)”
From Vlad’s tone of voice, Hameln perceived that Vlad had decided that he was going to make use of Hameln.
Hameln became an MPK because he wanted to observe the willpower and emotions of players when attacked by monsters. He was thus very skilled at reading others’ emotions.
The conversation had proceeded so smoothly it almost seemed like a trap. Despite the frail bond of trust between them, Vlad had been too reckless. His frustration had probably peaked.
“Well then, we should contact Shin now…what’s wrong?”
If he doesn’t answer to chat, just send him a message. Hameln was thinking this, when he noticed that Luca was crying.
The Weyger was licking her face, trying to console her.
“Shin…Shin is going away!!”
Hameln guessed that Luca had been talking with Shin via chat. Shin was about to step over a line that should not be crossed.
“I thought that he would come back once he had gotten his revenge, but this is a quite boring development.”
There was nothing more boring to observe than humans who had fallen into desperation. It was not uncommon for people who had embraced hope to end like that, but it was not what Hameln expected to see.
“We have the chance to see a grand stage with our own eyes…I’m sorry for dear Vlad, but I have to do something about it.”
Hameln crouched down, his eyes at the same height as Luca’s.
“Do you want Shin to come back?”
Hameln asked his question with a serious tone, his usual ambiguous smile gone from his lips. After a brief moment, Luca strongly nodded.
“Even if it means that your life will be in danger?”
Luca nodded again, with no pause this time.
“Very good. Please wait here then. If what I will say now happens, materialize it.”
Smiling again, Hameln gave a card to Luca. A spherical object and the number “10” were pictured on it.
“Shall we contact her, then?”
Timing was crucial. With this in mind, Hameln sent a message.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 10 - Frozen in Warmth/The-New-Gate-Volume-10-Frozen-in-Warmth-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_10_Chapter_04_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 3
A week had already passed since they started standing out in public on purpose.
Shin was thinking that the plan’s effects should be showing soon, when he was contacted via chat from Emil. Maybe thinking of the possibility that he wouldn’t respond, she sent a message card at the same time.
“(Luca has been kidnapped by Hameln!!)”
“(Luca!?)”
Shin could tell Emil was unnerved as he listened to her story, yet he found it a bit bizarre.
Hameln was a player that liked using monsters to attack players, an MPK. His fighting level was rather high, but he seldom fought other than for self-defense. He apparently acted following his own rules; after entering Avidya, Shin had heard scattered reports about him.
Hameln was reported to have a light and easy personality. Yet, rather than engage in all PK activity, he seemed to focus on medium to large-scale battles.
Shin had briefly met him during the last invasion event, but he couldn’t help feeling it was strange for Hameln to take a hostage.
“(I thought I had set up the orphanage barrier again?)”
“(It looks like Luca went out on her own. But her expression was strange…I’ll send you the message Hameln sent me.)”
Emil’s message arrived soon: it read “I borrowed the young lady, I’ll send her back after a while”, almost like a bad joke or a prank.
“Were you able to contact Luca?”
“I did, but she only replied that she was going with Hameln, and nothing more.”
Shin found the situation more and more difficult to comprehend.
Chat mode was a completely private mode of communication; it was impossible for others to overhear. Even if she had been taken away or threatened, it was possible to inform others without the kidnapper knowing.
Since Luca had not said anything like that, it was possible that she had followed Hameln of her own free will.
Shin asked for more details and learned that just before disappearing, Luca had bickered with Ryohei and Teppei over whether Shin would return or not.
“(Until Hameln’s message arrived, those two said that she had gone looking for you. I have no idea what’s going on either…I wasn’t sure if I should have called you or not either.)”
“(….I see.)”
Barely half a day had passed since Luca’s disappearance. After thinking for a while, Shin tried to contact Luca via chat mode.
“(….Shin?)”
After a few rings, Luca answered. Her voice sounded timid, scared.
“(Emil told me Hameln kidnapped you.)”
“(Uuh…I’m sorry…)”
“(That’s fine for now. So, are you alright?)”
“(Yes, he’s helping me look for you.)”
He’s helping you?
Shin found Luca’s words nothing but puzzling. Hameln, a famous PK, was helping a little kid find someone? It was far too bizarre.
Shin asked more questions and found out that Hameln was apparently looking for him too. That he hadn’t hurt Luca in any way and had set a monster to protect her.
(Why would he be looking for me?)
The last time we met, Hameln seemed interested in him. Maybe it was an extension of that, but there was no reason to take Luca with him. During the invasion event, he had attacked not Shin himself, but the whole hometown, so he shouldn’t be obsessed with Shin like Vlad was.
There should be no reason for Hameln to bring a dead weight like Luca with him.
“(Luca, Hameln is dangerous. Emil and the others are worried too. Go back to the orphanage)”
“(Shin, when will you come back?)”
“(Well, I…)”
I’ll be back right away. That’s what Shin wanted to reply, but the words didn’t leave his lips.
Then, he realized. That even after exacting his revenge, he had no intention of going back.
Shin looked down and saw his hands. They were perfectly clean, but all he saw were stains of blood and guts. He felt blood dripping between his fingers. The smell of iron prickled his nose.
(This is pretty horrible.)
He couldn’t touch others anymore. Maybe he had realized it already, unconsciously.
“(Luca, I have to return everybody to the real world. I made a promise with Marino.)”
“(…hn.)”
“(I have to focus on clearing the dungeons from now on.)”
“(We can’t, meet anymore?)”
“(Don’t worry, I’m not going to die.)”
The words “we will” couldn’t come out of his mouth.
“(I am going to end this world. Luca, Emil, Ryohei, Teppei, everyone will be safe. So just wait.)”
“(Shin?)”
“(I’m going to be busy, so we can’t meet until then.)”
“(Shin!!)”
“(Luca, go back to the orphanage.)”
Shin cut off the chat after this last order.
Considering Hameln’s fighting power, Shin had to go confront him himself. Their location, however, was the lodge area where Shin had cut down Robin. Even if Shin went there now, by the time he arrived they would probably be somewhere else.
Hameln would probably try and come in contact sooner or later. He probably would not put Luca in danger either, so Shin decided not to go look for her and wait for Hameln to make his move.
Shin chuckled at himself, thinking that he had turned rather cold.
“Shin, looks like Vlad is on the move.”
As if she had waited for Shin to finish his chat, Milt -who had been walking next to him- called to Shin. Milt, not Shin, had received a message.
“Tell me more.”
Shin urged Milt for details, while at the same time connecting to Calmia via chat.
◆◆◆◆
Vlad’s proposal was to offer Milt a place to die.
For a long time now, Milt possessed humorous nicknames such as “Mini Berserker” and “Poison Lolita”. After the death game started however, she was only known by the nickname “Deathwish”.
As she had told Shin, the method she had chosen to solve the contradiction of her desire to die but fear of suicide was to engage in fights to the death. It didn’t matter whether the opponents were monsters or players, Milt threw herself into battle without a speck of caution, so that nickname stuck to her quickly.
The reason why she wasn’t stopped by other players, even if she appeared while they were fighting bosses ,was that she took the highest risk of all when fighting.
“(I guess that he came to know that I told you that I wanted you to kill me. Though, it’s not like you’re acting like my boyfriend so I can die without regrets.)”
Thanks to Catnip’s help too, the rumor that Shin and Milt had become lovers had spread in the blink of an eye.
Not only Shin, but Milt was also rather famous, so the speed at which the rumor spread surprised even them. Thanks to that though, Vlad moved earlier than expected.
Shin was surprised that Vlad contacted Milt while she was with him: her expressed desire of being killed, no matter at whose hands it was, had probably worked in their favor.
Concealed through 【Hiding】, Shin and Milt waited for Vlad, keeping a chat open between them.
Vlad himself intended to be Milt’s opponent apparently. Shin and Milt were supposed to be lovers, so Vlad probably wanted to once again snatch Shin’s beloved away with his own hands.
“(Pretty sloppy.)”
“(Proof of the pinch he’s in. Well, it’s also a result of your relentless PK hunt.)”
The designed area was a place ideal for duels; few people or monsters ever visited it.
It was a perfect location to set up an ambush. The cloudy sky made it even more difficult to see Shin and Milt.
“(Come alone, without telling Shin. That’s really bad, if you ask me.)”
“(….could it that he’s actually an idiot? I thought that he would make something more impressive in the end.)”
“(Shin, let me remind you that you’re the one that made that impossible. You crushed all the places that Vlad could use, didn’t you?)”
Shin didn’t answer Milt’s slightly exasperated tone.
As they killed time with such exchanges, Shin’s map registered a marker coming closer, speeding through the nearby forest. After activating 【Clairvoyance】 and 【Through Sight 】, Shin’s eyes could see Vad riding on an Elder Red Dragon.
“You came alone?”
Vlad landed with his mount and cast the question to Milt. He looked slightly different from before.
His formerly very well kept long hair was now disheveled, the previously gleaming silver armor now emitted a dull glow. As a whole, he gave a sort of faded, stained impression.
“You requested me to, didn’t you? What are you saying now?”
“I heard you were lovers, so I thought you would bring him too.”
“If you know the reason why I was with Shin, you shouldn’t be surprised that I’m alone. I came without telling him anything, as you ordered me to. I wonder if he’s looking for me now…that’d make me a bit happy.”
Milt gave a little smile after saying this; Vlad looked at her like he had found something unspeakably filthy. His whole body expressed the utter disgust he felt.
“It’s impossible for someone like you to have moved his heart.”
“You look pretty pissed all the same though. Was I clinging to Shin so irritating?”
Every time Milt provoked Vlad, emotion seeped away from his face. Inversely, his killing intent grew and grew.
“I shall put you out of your misery.”
Still riding on the elder dragon, Vlad pointed 『Excalibur』, its blade of light extended, towards Milt.
“Too bad, that’s not going to happen.”
Before Milt could even finish her sentence, a slash flew at Vlad from his blindspot.
Maybe thanks to the instincts cultivated through his fighting job, Vlad barely managed to parry the attack with 『Excalibur』; the sword was unable to withstand the attack’s power however, and was blown away.
“Kh!! Greed!!”
Vlad touched the ground and called for his partner dragon’s name. The Elder Red Dragon, however, could not answer; aftershocks from the slash had severed its wings and front legs. One single slash had shaved about half of its HP.
“So you ca—-!?!”
Vlad looked towards the source of the slash, a smile widening on his lips, but was constrained by chains of light and thorns colored red and black.
The thorns disappeared thanks to Vlad’s struggling, but even the muscular strength of an advanced player like Vlad couldn’t make the chains budge.
It was a combination of the Light-type Magic skill 【Arc Bind】, which boasted high constrictive power, and the Dark-type Magic skill 【Thorns of Impurity】, which inflicted several status ailments.
“A little surprise attack, and you’re already helpless?”
Shin, who had destroyed the Elder Dragon’s head with a Light-type spell, spoke softly while looking, expressionless, at the collapsed Vlad. He felt no delight in having captured him.
Vlad was now affected with four negative statuses: 【Bloodred Poison】, 【Blind】, 【Hi-Paralyze】, and 【Curse】. He couldn’t move a single finger, let alone break free of the chains.
“Haha, did you come to exact your revenge?”
Vlad couldn’t move, but still flashed a twisted smile.
Despite his sight being clouded by 【Blind】, he recognized Shin from his voice.
“Yeah.”
Before his most hated enemy, Shin was perfectly calm.
He felt hate. But this hate, burning quietly within, had lost a flame hot enough to shake his emotions.
Shin didn’t know when that happened. He couldn’t tell if it was something good or bad.
“I won’t be the one to kill you though.”
The obsession wasn’t gone. Anger and hate remained.
Now, however, he would not let his emotions swing his blade.
Following Shin’s signal, six players appeared from the woods. They had not been detected because they were all equipped with gear made by Shin.
“What’s this response….?”
The blind Vlad was confused by the approach of the players’ presences; naturally enough, as Shin, the one supposed to finish him, had not moved one step.
“It can’t be…”
“Oh yes, it can.”
The Ancient-grade weapons in hand of the approaching players gave a dull glow. Even the players with less-than-superior stats, thanks to the weapons’ bonuses, could inflict significant damage.
“….stop.”
Without a moment of hesitation, the weapons rose in the air and swung down on Vlad.
“STOP!!!”
One blow couldn’t be enough to cause large damage. On the contrary, this let Vlad feel, as crudely as possible, how his HP was gradually decreasing.
“I SAID STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPP!!!!!”
He was being killed by people he didn’t know. This reality pushed Vlad to scream.
Shin had already turned his back; he wasn’t looking at Vlad anymore.
“Why!?! I am the one you hate!! Why is it these people!! These nobodies!?!”
Vlad probably couldn’t feel Shin’s expression, emotions, or even his eyes.
That was Shin’s revenge. To be ignored by someone you were so obsessed about. That reality would surely be painful above anything else to Vlad.
“Shitt!! HAMEL—-”
The last scream died behind Shin. Vlad’s presence was no more.
“Well, that was over quickly.”
“That’s what revenge really is.”
Shin was looking towards Milt.
“I’m grateful for your help. Honestly speaking, I didn’t expect things to go so well.”
“I only did it for my own goal, so don’t mention it. Rather than that, when they go away…okay?”
“Yes, I’ll keep my promise.”
The six players watched Vlad disappear, silent from start to finish. The man who appeared to be their representative gave several equipment cards to Shin, quietly bowed, and left.
Shin watched them go, then turned towards Milt.
“We can start anytime.”
“Okay, I won’t hold back then.”
A giant poleaxe appeared in Milt’s hands. Enveloped in blue flames, it was the lower Ancient-grade 『Breogand』.
“Let’s have some fun!!”
『Breogand』 slashed through the air, accompanied by Milt’s war shout. Even heavy weapons could move as swiftly as normal lances and axes thanks to Milt’s STR.
It was an attack that could even damage Shin if he was struck; he drew 『True Moon』 and blocked it.
“It’ll be over soon.”
The frontal clash caused 『Breogand』’s blade to shatter.
There was a stat difference between Shin and Milt, including the weapons’ bonuses, that 100 or 200 points could not fill. In a world where a video game’s system ruled all, it was an all-too-clear difference.
“Hey, what were Mari’s last words?”
Milt asked as their blades were still locked.
“…she said that she wanted everyone to go back together.”
“I see, Mari…she made her decision.”
Milt’s water spirit, Undine, released several bubbles, but Shin swatted them away with his left hand. The lightning spell he launched as a counterattack seared both Undine and Milt.
“I’m so envious…we had lost all hope in reality.”
Only Milt’s HP decreased, one-sidedly. The sparks shooting between their blades cast a shadow on her face. Her expression contained a mix of admiration and jealousy.
“This is the time you should say, ‘You can do it too!’!!”
“Only someone ready to carry your life on their shoulders could say that!!”
Milt shouted loud enough to not let her voice drown in the sound of the grinding metal, and Shin howled back.
In the 15th clash between their weapons, 『Breogand』’s blade shot in the air. Milt lost her balance as consequence, and Shin readied 『True Moon』 at his waist.
“I’m really—-”
Milt instinctively used 『Breogand』’s hilt to protect herself. Shin’s blow, as if guided by it, struck cleanly.
“—–envious.”
The slash was stopped for an instant by 『Breogand』’s hilt, but was then cleaved in two along with everything else in the blade’s path.
Katana-type martial skill 【Shiden – Helmet Smasher】.
The technique, that caused great damage to any weapon or defensive gear, unleashed its offensive power to the fullest.
“Thank you.”
Milt pronounced her last words with a smile.
Shin looked at Milt turning into a burst of polygons and disappear, a complicated emotion beating in his chest. He had never thought to be thanked by someone he killed.
“You are finished, yes?”
Maybe he had lowered his guard, maybe he was lost in thought.
Shin had not noticed the approaching presence until it talked to him.
“Hello there, it’s been a while.”
“….Shi, Shin…”
Shin turned around and saw Hameln with Luca.
“Why are you here?”
“I heard from Milt. I suppose she couldn’t stand to see you go down this path either.”
Both being PKs, it wasn’t strange for some connection to exist between Milt and Hameln. Shin, however, couldn’t understand why Milt would tell him about this place.
“For me too, it is truly not interesting at all for you to be like this.”
“What did you say?”
“Let’s just say that I’m a busybody. I just do what I feel like after all. The rest is up to you. Do your best.”
Hameln then used a crystal and teleported away. Only Luca was left, a card in her hands.
“Didn’t I tell you to go back?”
“But Shin, you won’t come back!!”
“That’s-”
“Shin, you’re coming home with me!”
Luca ran up to Shin and tried to take his hand. But before her hands could touch his, Shin moved away.
Luca’s hands would get stained with blood. Or so he felt.
“Shin!!”
There were less than five steps between him and the screaming Luca. That small distance separated them like the steepest cliff.
“Nh!”
Luca held high the card she was holding. What appeared was a grenade-like item, that would explode after a set time.
“Nh…eh?”
“Luca!?”
Luca seemed unaware of the nature of the item she was holding. Shin stepped closer in an instant and took it out of her hands, then launched it high towards the sky.
After a few seconds, with a bang-like sound, a small cloud of white smoke appeared above.
It was just a smoke bomb.
“….what?”
“Nh!”
Shin looked suspiciously at the unexpected happening, when Luca firmly grabbed his hands.
“Let’s go back, okay?”
Luca’s words, strangely enough, were the same as Marino’s.
If Shin used just a little too much strength to shake Luca’s hands away -her level being in the single digits- he could easily blow away her HP.
Shin looked at her hands on his. The blood on his hands seemed to be staining hers too.
“I…”
“Let’s go back!!”
The edges of Luca’s eyes brimmed with tears. Even so, she gripped Shin’s hands as strong as she could.
“Let’s go back….”
Shaking her off would be all too simple. But it wasn’t as easy as that.
That same moment, an opening broke between the clouds in the sky.
The newly shining sunlight illuminated Luca, as if clearly separating the two; Luca was in warm, bright, yellow light, Shin in misty darkness.
“…..eh?”
It was as if the difference between him and Luca was being clearly shown. Shin noticed it and was about to laugh at himself, when his eyes caught something else, something unbelievable.
On top of his and Luca’s, there was one more hand. Next to Luca, stood Marino. That moment, Shin forgot everything.
Luca pulled Shin as she walked. Completely lost, he followed her without the smallest resistance.
Shin was showered in sunlight, as if he was being pulled out of the darkness.
“…..”
Shin’s eyes were temporarily blinded by the dazzling light.
He closed them for just an instant, but that instant Marino disappeared.
“……..”
Was it a mirage? Shin asked himself, then he felt the warmth of Luca’s hand on his.
No, that was definitely not only Luca’s. He had held that hand countless times. Even after becoming a murderer, he couldn’t forget that warmth.
That was Marino, without a doubt.
“Are you telling me to go back?”
The Marino he saw in the light looked sad.
“(Let’s go back.)”
The same words that Marino said seeped inside Shin’s heart.
He looked down and saw a small hand gripping his. He felt something inside melt away and disappear.
“Shin, are you crying?”
“I don’t…I don’t know…”
Shin felt all his strength leave his body and fell to his knees.
Something warm seemed to be flowing down his cheeks.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 05 - Crimson Exterminator/The-New-Gate-Volume-05-Crimson-Exterminator-[Shin][dotNovel]/Title.txt
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The New Gate
(THE NEW GATE)
Volume 05
Crimson Exterminator
Kazanami Shinogi
(風波しのぎ)
Story Description:
“THE NEW GATE”, an online game that trapped its players and turned into a death game, was now releasing the thousands of players that had been dragged into it, thanks to the efforts of Shin, one of the most powerful players.
But after having defeated the last boss and freed everyone, he was swallowed up by a strange light and found himself inside the game world 500 years in the future and unable to leave.
Original Story can be found here: Link
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 05 - Crimson Exterminator/The-New-Gate-Volume-05-Crimson-Exterminator-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_05_Chapter_01_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 1
“I saw it!”
It was the third day since Shin and the second princess of Bayreuth Kingdom, Rionne, had been transposed to the Sacred Place Kalkia. The rampart of the stronghold city, Balmel, was visible to the two people who continued going south.
Normally it was impossible to arrive in three days, but they were upper class Chosen Ones. It could be said that their speed surpassed that of a flying dragon.
Similarly from the Sacred Place to Balmel, there was quite a distance from the large crowd of monsters. Since the Goblins and other monsters were the main constituent for their slow movements, they still had probably nearly a week to spare.
“I’ll go meet the feudal lord. Shin, please report to the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“Understood. What will you do afterwards?”
“When it comes to the intercepting the large-scale of ‘Flood’ monsters’ invasion, cooperation of the guild and the army is essential. It means that the Chosen Ones will assemble immediately.”
“I see. Roger that.”
The current time was just past noon. Since it was not early in the morning or late at night, he didn’t have to wait at the reception desk.
Rionne told the circumstances to the guard who was in the guardroom of the gate, and was guided to the feudal lord’s castle.
Shin also asked the guard about the place and headed toward the Adventurer’s Guild.
“Is it in between Bayreuth and Falnido?”
What Shin spoke about was the race of people he came across. There were a lot more beasts here than in Bayreuth, and more humans than in Falnido. He also saw some elves and dragnils.
The key point of defending was to keep the overflowing monsters in check from the Sacred Place. In addition, because the city was next to the sea and an abundance of mountains, this might have resulted in various races gathering.
“It’s lively.”
Shin briskly walked for a while, and soon saw a familiar signboard.
He opened the door, entered inside, and made his way to the counter.
“Excuse me, could you relay something to the guild master?”
“Sorry for being so for asking, but what kind of business do you have with Guild Master?”
The elf receptionist girl, who gave off the impression of a working woman with glasses on, asked him with a dubious look.
It was the first time Shin had come to Balmel, so he didn’t know any acquaintances. When an adventurer without acquaintances asked to call the guild master, you probably would think it was suspicious, too.
“There is information on the ‘Flood’. In addition to the Guild Card, I also pledge with my social position.”
“…Please wait a moment.”
The receptionist contemplated for a moment before lightly bowing and drawing back to an inside room.
It was likely that she couldn’t ignore it when she heard it was about the ‘Flood’.
“This way, please.”
The receptionist, who returned after a few minutes, prompted Shin to the back room.
It seemed that the guild interior’s design was almost the same in every town. They walked a short distance and a big door could be seen, and the reception girl knocked on it.
“It’s Eliza. I brought you the adventurer in question.”
“It’s open. Have him enter.”
The reply, which came from the other side of the door, was a male voice.
Also, this reception girl seemed to be called Eliza.
Shin passed through the door which had been opened by Eliza, and entered the room.
“Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild. I am the guild master, Baren Lakt. I’m told that you brought information on the ‘Flood’; could you tell me more about it?”
When he was invited to sit on the sofa, Shin felt that he was being observed.
Baren’s appearance was that of a man just past his 60’s. Most of his hair was white; wrinkles also stood out on his face.
However, even if he looked gentle, that glint in eyes held a sharpness that wasn’t inferior to Barlux’s.
“I am Shin. The ‘Flood’ occurred around Sacred Place Kalkia. It consists mainly of Goblins, Orcs and others humanoid monsters. Judging from the speed of their progression, I think it will take them about one week until they arrive here.”
“…Your expression looks like you’ve seen it happen; may I ask for your information sources?”
“As you said, I saw it. I can’t say in detail, but I can confirm that a mass of monsters was heading toward Balmel when I went to the vicinity of the Sacred Place. My companion has already gone to contact the feudal lord here.”
“To the feudal lord? Does the person accompanying you have a high social rank?”
Baren asked, and narrowed his eyes slightly.
If one could have an audience with the feudal lord immediately, it must be a person with a high position to some degree. As expected from the guild master of the city near the Sacred Place, he was quick to catch on.
“You will know about my companion’s status. The information should be passed on to you soon. Leaving that aside, do you believe in my information?”
“Hrm, I can not remain silent when hearing ‘Flood’. But under the present situation, there’s no proof to back up what you’re saying――”
Baren said, while putting his hand on his chin.
However, it seemed he already sent a messenger to confirm the information contrary to his words.
There were people leaving the guild hurriedly; Shin could sense it.
“If you say that you are an A rank adventurer, the story would be different.”
For Baren, he should be able to get into action quickly. However, since he was the head of the organization, he couldn’t accept Shin’s information that easily.
“Then, how about this?”
Receiving a probing-like gaze, Shin took out the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora from his Item Box.
“That is…”
Eliza expressed words when she saw the letter of introduction.
“I already have official guarantee that it’s genuine by Guild Master of Bayreuth.”
“…I see, I have no choice but to believe you since this is shown.”
The gaze containing doubt from Baren was erased.
“Don’t you have to verify it?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t have a letter of introduction. But as you said, I can contact Barlux-dono. Even if you tell a lie, I’ll know it immediately.”
“Thank you――”
“Uh huh, from here on I officially announce the declaration of a state of emergency. If the companion whom you said has brought the story to the feudal lord, the army would move immediately. As soon as the report comes, we’ll begin the preparation for the residents’ evacuation. Eliza, please contact the representatives of each guild.”
“Understood.”
Eliza who received the order left the room afterward.
Organization of the army and units, procurement of supplies, and the evacuation of the residents; there were many things that needed to be done from now on.
“What are you going to do hereafter? I guess you’re an upper class Chosen One, right? Please cooperate as I’d like to ask regardless, but…”
“You don’t have to ask. As an upper class Chosen One as you say, you can expect me to help to some extent.”
“That’s reassuring. Then, it would be nice if you have a meeting together with the other Chosen Ones in this city.”
In Baren’s talk, the Chosen Ones that became the main force, because upper class Chosen Ones were not the same as ordinary adventurers or knights, it was said that they would unite in a party between fellow Chosen Ones and fight.
Since they themselves often had weapons for their exclusive use, they didn’t take much time with preparation compared to a common adventurer.
“Now the Chosen Ones protect Balmel, but I’ve heard there is one short..”
“You had known? I’m also concerned about this, but the force increased once you joined. It became somewhat better, is what I’d like to think.”
“My companion is a Chosen One too, so you can count on us.”
“It’s a blessing.”
After inquiring about the location of the shop which the Chosen One ran, Shin left the adventurer’s guild. Even if everyone of them were a Chosen One, it didn’t mean they would be adventurers or knights.
◆◆◆◆
“That’s the place, huh? I’ve seen that signboard somewhere before.”
He said as he went ahead along the street, and found the signboard of the landmark.
At the sole of a paw and small fish which were drawn on the signboard, Shin tilted his head.
“Paw, small fish…Wait, those are, dried small sardines?”
A paw and dried small sardines. To that combination, something flashed inside Shin’s mind.
“The shop’s name is ‘Nyan Da Land’…you say? D-Don’t tell me….”
While remembering the person who shouldn’t be here, Shin opened the shop’s door.
A bell rang and he entered the shop, there, it was a bar with a calm atmosphere. Shin was familiar, no, he was at a loss for a moment how he should move in the interior which he was so familiar with.
“Hm? Customer-san, I am very sorry, but we haven’t opened yet. You can have delicious sake after the sun goes down a little more, okay?”
Shin stiffened at that very moment, a deep voice of a man from the inner part of the store was heard.
Shin was also familiar with this voice, and he turned toward the direction of the voice.
“………Hibineko-san?”
“Certainly, I was called that by a close friend, but…Nyaa Nyaa Nyaa!?”
That person, expressed his surprise with his whole body when he confirmed Shin’s face.
His race was High Beast of cat. As for the appearance, there was no way of expressing it other than a cat walking on two legs and wearing clothes.
His face was mostly white but only the ears were black. A part of the fur on his face had become gray for some reason; it looked like a crack on a split tile.
The reason why Shin called him “Hibineko” was because of the grey patch. His avatar name in-game was ‘Nekomata@Rising’. (T/N: Hibineko literally means crack cat)
If only his voice was heard, one would imagined a refined man of middle age, but due to his short stature and his cartoonish costume, he looked like a mascot character of a deformed animal in an amusement park.
Add a exclamation mark floating above the head, and he would become the gag character of a manga.
“Are you a d-double?”
“Who is! Ah, no, but why? Hibineko-san, you were in the death game…”
You should have died.
Though Shin didn’t voice it, he knew he wasn’t mistaken. However, 【Analyze】 certainly displayed ‘Nekomata@Rising’.
“Really, you’re Shin-nyaa….?”
“Ah…you’re indeed Hibineko-san…first of all should I stop calling you that name?”
Shin felt that tension dispersed, as “-nyaa” attached to the end of names which was a peculiar way of calling from Hibineko. Even if he thought back to when it was a regular game, he was a player who could change the mood of the area unintentionally.
“*Sigh*, even though I don’t understand it well, it’s been a long time, Hibineko-san. No, is it better to call you Nekomata@Rising-san?”
“Mugu! To know my sealed true name, you’re really Shin-nyaa!”
“I only saw it from 【Analyze】. Or perhaps I should say, please stop calling me as Shin-nyaa, seriously.”
While communicating like they did in the past, Shin sighed.
“Fumu, it’s truly you, Shin… Hey, Shin. I want to confirm only this, have you died?”
“No, I didn’t, supposedly.”
Shin spoke briefly about what happened to himself after he defeated ‘Origin’. He couldn’t be dead at least.
“No no, such things…”
“For me, I am concerned why Hibineko-san is here though.”
“I don’t understand it either. Having lost my life in death game, when I came to myself, I was asleep on a grassy plain. Level, stats, and items. Nothing changed from prior to dying, so I didn’t have a hard time while living.”
Balmel seemed to be the first place he arrived, it was said that he was active as an adventurer based in here.
“Then, what is this shop?”
“Besides being active as an adventurer, this is matched with my character.”
‘Nyan Da Land’ bar was the name of the shop which Hibineko opened during the game era.
Half of the menu being cat food hadn’t changed either.
“And, I became the mark when other players also came.”
“Besides you, there are others?!”
Apparently, the situation was on a larger scale than Shin thought.
The players who should have died in the death game or something; it was much more than expected.
“As far as I know it, Shadow-nyaa, Ho-nyaa, Masa-nyaa, Hira-nyaa have certainly come into this world. But…”
“But?”
“There are PK among the people that come as well.”
“PK?!”
The players have come. Hearing that, Shin thought even if they died in the original world, they could at least live in this world, but his expression changed when he heard the following words by Hibineko.
PK or abbreviated of Player Killer; it referred to the act where a player killed another player, or the player who did such an act. This time, it was the latter meaning.
Also, speaking of the PK in the death game era, the majority prefered to kill the villainous people.
“Do you know who has come?”
“I still cannot grasp everything. But it’s no doubt that Hameln has come.”
“That guy has come? It’s going to be troublesome…”
Hameln, Shin who heard that name had his expression stiffen.
The player who was known as a habitual offender of PK-MPK(Monster Player Kill) in the death game era, that’s Hameln.
As a High Pixie, he had more combat power than any upper class Chosen One in this world, though not as much as Schnee.
“Even in this world, he has already been placed on the wanted list in many countries.”
“What did he do?”
Though he was able to expect it without hearing, Shin still asked.
“He brought a large amount of monsters, and attacked a town. It doesn’t seem to be a big town, but it was said that it was a total destruction.”
“That bastard. Even here, he’s doing the same things, huh?”
As Shin, who had a connection as he put an end to Hameln during the death game, he wondered why there was such a player in this world.
“Well, it’s useless even if we think now. Anyway, why did you come to this shop, Shin?”
“Ah, though I think you will be contacted soon, the ‘Flood’ happened. So, it would be nice if you have meeting together with the other Chosen Ones, was what the guild master said.”
“So that’s the case, huh? Then, I’ll call out Shadow-nyaa and the others too.”
Hibineko paused for a short while, and fell silent.
Partly because he was a player too, Shin understood that Hibineko used Mind Chat.
“When I spoke about you, Shin, he said he would come at once.”
“Are they nearby?”
“They are my next-door neighbours. Didn’t you see the signboard?”
“That is, I was paying more attention to the paw signboard..”
“To miss the cafe ‘B&W’, you still have a long way to go, Shin.”
“‘B&W’? That’s the Shadow-san and Holly-san’s shop?”
“That’s right. By the way, they have a daughter too.”
“Seriously?!”
“They have a daughter”, Shin was surprised at that clause.
Even a former player seemed to able to make a child in this world. Just when he tried to ask for a detailed story, the shop’s door was opened forcefully.
“Is it true that Shin-chan is here?!”
“Hey Holly, calm down a bit.”
Entering by kicking the door open were two people, a High Elf and a High Lord.
Having raised a loud yell was the High Elf woman, her white hair waved loosely and her blue transparent eyes were impressive.
What reprimanded her was a High Lord man, having the same black hair and iris as Shin.
The words handsome man and beautiful woman, matched the two people really well.
“Um…Holly-san…if possible, please stop attaching -chan to my name.”
It was Holly’s habit to put up “-chan” to someone, because Shin had the same nickname to a certain kindergartener, he requested her to correct it whenever being called.
Though she attached “-kun” to his name during their last meeting, she seemed to have completely forgotten it, probably because she was being surprised.
“…Hibineko-san. They look like they’re somewhat misunderstanding though..”
“U-Umu, they should hear the story in general about you, Shin.”
They seemed to think that Shin probably died and had come to this world. From the tears accumulating in their eyes, there’s no mistake about it.
“Hey Holly, Shin has not died. You’ve heard Hibineko’s chat.”
“Eh? Is that so?”
To begin with, she had a character that was quickly jumping to wrong conclusions, and that didn’t seem to have changed even after she came here.
It was also a common thing for Shadow to rebuke her.
“It’s true. At least, I’m certain that my HP didn’t become 0 when I came here.”
“I’m glad. I certainly thought…but, then why are you here?”
“He’ve said he doesn’t know. Anyway, it’s been a long time, Shin. I’m happy to see you again, but I don’t know whether it’s nice to say..”
While answering Holly’s question, Shadow called out to Shin.
“No, I’m glad to meet you too…Meeting again, it was possible, wasn’t it?”
“I didn’t expect it after I died..”
Shin and Shadow, they had known each other for the longest inside that group. At one time, they made a party together.
Shin was glad to see Shadow and Holly together, and became jealous at the same time.
Even in the real world, Shadow and Holly were a married couple, their good relationship was famous among companions. Despite dying and ending up in a another world, they could still be here together, Shin was a little jealous.
(Well, his circumstances are slightly different than mine.)
Shin almost hoped for a reunion like those two, and shrugged his shoulders a little to restrain himself.
“First of all, I am delighted with our reunion here, but the situation at the moment is a little..”
“That’s right. When I heard the ‘Flood’ took place, I couldn’t calm down either.”
Shadow also changed his expression.
“Has the adventurer’s guild made their move?”
“Yes, my companion has also told the feudal lord, too. Each guild should be contacted soon.”
“As expected, you’re quick to respond. But Shin-kun, did Guild Master believe in your story?”
“As for that, I showed him this.”
Shin took out the letter of introduction of Tsuki no Hokora in front of Holly.
When that was seen, everyone nodded as having consented.
“I see. You already went to your ‘home’.”
“It was near the place where I woke up, so I went there first. I also have met Schnee already.”
All three of them seemed to know the situation of Tsuki no Hokora; Holly and the others wanted to hear the detailed story from Shin.
However, because it was not a time to be carefree, Shin ignored Holly’s gaze and returned to the conversation.
“I’ve already told this to the guild master, but the majority of the monsters were humanoids such as Goblins and Ogres. Anyway, you should be careful of their number. It was a number that wasn’t seen even in an event of the game.”
“That’s the feature of the ‘Flood’ which breeds a large amount of low-level monsters. Though we, the melee-type, would have a difficult time corresponding to the attack, it seems we don’t have to worry with Shin here.”
“Shouldn’t you destroyed them when you came across them?”
Shadow said in neither joking nor in a serious tone.
“No, actually, my companion in question is the second princess of Bayreuth Kingdom. To use my power in front of such person is still..”
“Will she be afraid or praise it? Either way, it will be mayhem. High Humans here seem to be treated like half Gods. Shin-kun’s support character, Schnee-chan, is very famous, you know?”
“Yeah, besides, even now she still held full interest toward me. As Shadow-san says, I intend to prevent war sacrifices too, but I don’t want to be discovered.”
It was said, no matter how much the number were, most of them were small fry which didn’t reach level 100. He could burn them down using a wide range magic skill.
As why that wasn’t done earlier, it was because Rionne was nearby.
“A man with power, is difficult in every ages. For the matter of the second princess, I heard she isn’t that corrupted to that extent though..”
Following Shadow, Hibineko began to talk.
“Well, the placement probably will be different from us when it comes to a royal family. I dare say, we ought to be together as the dispatch group.”
The group of dispatch were the Chosen Ones assigned to various places by turns. The mage and the magic swordsman which Rionne mentioned before fell under that.
“That’s good then.”
“If I say that we’re acquaintances, it’s almost settled with the princess becoming separated. A hastily made party and a party with cooperation, the battle results are greatly different. The guild master also understands that situation.”
“I wonder if we would become a hindrance instead…Didn’t Schnee-chan come?”
“She is in Bayreuth now. It’s also why I’m here, it seems like a demon was in the royal palace.”
“Demon?”
Shadow reacted to Shin’s remark.
Neither Hibineko nor Holly spoke, but they seemed to be surprised similarly.
“I heard in Schnee’s story, 500 years from the natural disaster, she didn’t come across it at all.”
“Hm, we haven’t heard of it either.”
In addition to Hibineko’s words, Shadow and Holly nodded too.
Though they didn’t understand what was happening, demons having begun to move again was not a good premonition. Just to make sure, he also informed them of what was in the royal palace.
“A Count class, huh? If that’s the case, we should able to handle it.”
“Although anything higher than that, we’ve only ever fought in dungeons or for quests.”
“The terrain has changed now, we don’t know the reason. In all the dungeons that we have visited in this world, there never been something like this.”
Three people looked at each other and frowned.
“Well, I think it’s better than not knowing, but please put it in the corner of your mind for the time being. You may have to give priority even more soon.”
Since he couldn’t find solution even if he thought, the demon matter was put on hold for the time being.
“For now, let me take charge of strengthening your weapons and armor which you’re using now.”
“Is it fine?”
“I’m here this time, but I don’t know what will happen hereafter. I think there’s no loss to reinforce them. Of course, you can expect it to be good as I will do it seriously.”
Shin was there this time. Though the preparation made by the guild and the feudal lord were wasted, he didn’t intend to increase the victims and the like from the start.
Shin’s attention was already focused on the ‘Flood’ which would eventually happen again.
“F-Fumu…Shin is serious huh? A fearful weapons will probably be completed, although it’s reliable.”
“I’m afraid to hand over my weapon.”
Hibineko and Shadow said in a slightly restless voice.
Because they didn’t know Shin’s ability completely, what kind of magic remodeling would Shin subject their favorite weapons to? Such uneasiness flashed across their head.
“Please take care of my weapon! Even if Shin-kun is not here, we will defend this place!”
Unlike the men who were sweating from their foreheads, Holly with an expression full of motivation, handed over a weapon which was still in card state to Shin immediately.
There was not any trace of anxiety towards the magic remodeling seen.
“You can count on me.”
Shin also received the cards from Shadow and Hibineko, and put them away in his Item Box at once.
He intended to make Tsuki no Hokora appear, to work in the night as he sneaked out from Balmel.
“Ah, that’s right. I’ll introduce you my partner later.”
“Partner? If it’s Schnyaa-san, I know her.”
“Isn’t it possible for monster to be tamed if you have the job Tamer? It’s that.”
Shin told Hibineko, who heard ‘partner’ and imagined Schnee, that he tamed a monster.
“Hoho, I didn’t think there is a monster could catch Shin’s eyes.”
While playing with his mustache, Hibineko smiled with great interest.
“It wasn’t a very strong monster, right?.”
“Fumu, is it the Mist Garuda around here?”
They being immensely curious also didn’t change here, Holly and Shadow voiced their ideas too.
“Please wait a moment, I’ll call it now.”
Saying so, Shin connected via telepathy between partners to Yuzuha.
“(This is Shin. Yuzuha, can you hear me?)”
“(Ku? Wha?)”
“(I’ll introduce you to my acquaintances, and I want to summon you here, is it okay?)”
“(Wait a minute…*clonk*, Schnee-oneechan, Tiera-oneechan, see you later)”
For a short while, Yuzuha seemed to get confirmation from Schnee and Tiera.
“Then, here it comes. Contract beast summon!”
When Shin chanted the incantation, a summoning formation with a complicated pattern was drawn at his feet.
Normally, Yuzuha should have appear at Shin’s feet, but――
“Kyaah!!”
“Kuu!?”
“Ha? ――Whoa!”
Just as Shin thought he heard a short scream, his face was wrapped in something soft, and his view became dark.
His posture broke and he fell onto the ground. Besides the sound of Shin falling, the sound of something dropping resounded inside the shop.
“Ouch…What…on earth…Master!! What happened?”
When Tiera looked up while her eyes moistened because of pain, there was the figure of Schnee whose breasts enveloped Shin’s head.
“…Tsui”
“Don’t “Tsui” me, ah, geez! Please release Shin, he seems to be in pain!”
He likely couldn’t breath. Shin tapped Schnee’s back repeatedly.
“Mm mmm! Mm mmm!” voice omitted from her chest, “Give up! I give up!” was also heard.
“T-This is, I only hear it from the rumor, is this heaven or hell?”
Shin who was freed from Schnee’s embrace, murmured while gasping for breath.
Because it was the timing when he just breathed out, he was about to be suffocated seriously.
The beginning was heaven, and the end was hell. As a matter of fact, if he had wanted to avoid it, he could have, but it was a secret only for Shin.
“…Um, what kind of situation is this?”
Shadow, Holly and Hibineko who had stiffened by Schnee and the other’s sudden appearance, among them, the first one to reboot was Holly.
“Oh, I don’t have a clue either.”
While fixing his disordered breathing, Shin answered.
Indeed, he didn’t expect Schnee and Tiera to appear together with Yuzuha.
“About that, I..”
Schnee started to explain as if nothing had happened.
According to her, Tiera and her seemed to have been pulled into the summoning formation around Yuzuha. Normally only the partner becomes the target for transition, and it appeared that the two people were recognized as existences similar to Yuzuha for some reason.
“It’s just a guess, but isn’t it because of them being inside the summoning formation?”
“They were swallowed by the summoning formation, huh?”
“The summoning formation had a one mel diameter, so Tiera and I were indeed inside the summoning formation.”
“…Come to think of it, Cashmere talked about such a thing.”
Shin recalled the words of the summoner and tamer of Rokuten, Cashmere.
“When calling your partner, if there are other partners in the summoning formation, they may appear together sometimes. Although it doesn’t seem to be a bug.”
The contents should be like this, and Shin confirmed that his memory was not mistaken.
Perhaps, it was meant to be in THE NEW GATE from the start.
“Oh dear! I’m not bored when Shin is around.”
“Indeed.”
Hibineko and Shadow who came to their senses, said in an amazed way.
“Everyone, I haven’t seen you for a long time.”
“Schnyaa-san too, hasn’t changed a bit.”
“Next time, tell me about when you met with Shin-kun again, okay?”
To see Schnee exchange voice casually, Shin had a sudden thought.
“Hey Schnee, did you know that Hibineko and the others had come to this place?”
“Yes. Concerning Shin’s friend, I heard a lot of stories.”
“Then I wished you said it a little earlier. Well, it can’t be helped since there was Girard’s matter, too.”
If he knew that there were players other than himself, Shin would have taken a different course of actions.
However, because he had no choice but to meet Girard whose death was approaching, he didn’t intend to scold her.
“I am very sorry. I had no intention of covering it up, but I couldn’t get an opportunity to tell you…”
“Now now, a man shouldn’t worry about a trifling thing. Leaving that aside, I want you to introduce that little fox-chan and elf-chan quickly to me.”
Was she aware of what’s inside Schnee’s mind? Holly requested for Tiera’s and Yuzuha’s introduction.
“I get it. I assume you already know Schnee, so I will omit her, this young fox is Yuzuha, and this elf is Tiera.”
“Kuu!”
“I am Tiera Lucent.”
Yuzuha barked cheerfully, and Tiera bowed politely.
“Then next is this one. The one who looks like he has a crack on his head is Nekomata-san, we call him Hibineko-san. That is the High Elf Holly-san, and next to her is the High Lord Shadow-san.”
“I am Nekomata, I’m also called Hibineko by everyone.”
“I’m Holly, I hope to get along with you, Tiera-chan.”
“Shadow. Come to my house if you’re hungry.”
Then, Tiera dropped her sight, looking at her own feet.
“I’ll introduce my partner too. Kagerou, come out.”
Answering the call, Kagerou in puppy mode appeared from Tiera’s shadow.
“This puppy is Kagerou, although he’s small now. His original form is very enormous.”
“Gruu!”
Kagerou barked, and made sure it matched Tiera’s introduction.
“His monster name is Gruefago.”
“What?”
“WHAT!?”
“Nyaan!?”
To the content which Shin told as an addition, the three former players raised a voice of astonishment.
Even the advanced players would be on their guard against the divine beast; it was a strange scene when it was being held by a beautiful elf girl like a puppy, but the three people’s 【Analyze】 displayed Kagerou’s name and level without an error.
“Oh, oh dear my my, such a cute pup is that Gruefago?”
“Yes, I think he can change his body size at will.”
“Tiera-san is a Chosen One too?”
“No, I’m just an ordinary elf unlike Shin.”
“She is not a Chosen One, so how could she tame a Gruefago?”
“Okay okay, that’s it! Please ask the questions afterwards!”
Shin forced his way through in front of Holly, Hibineko and Shadow who were pressing for answers.
He was certain that Tiera would be barraged with questions if he left them alone. It was only natural that only Holly kept shifting the contents of the questions.
“The number of people increased somehow, let’s sit down and talk at least.”
When Shin said that, Shadow and Holly nodded.
“Then come to my shop. It’s a special reunion, so I will show my skill.”
“That’s right, since the shop is closed today, we can talk a little bit. There’s still time until the monsters come, right?”
“…If you said there is still time, then I will accept your offer here.”
There was a delay of at least four or five days before the group of monsters arrived at Balmel.
Before one knew it, Rionne’s impatience seemed have moved to Shin, too.
“The summon of the adventurers, the formation of the armies, the accommodation of the supplies, all of this takes time to deal with, but it probably will be all right today at least.”
“Then, let’s go.”
Following Shadow and Holly, the party entered ‘B&W’ cafe. Different from the ‘Nyan Da Land’, it was a coffee shop with a relaxed atmosphere. The wall that faced the street was glass-sided, though the inside of the shop could be seen, the curtain was closed now.
A “Closed” sign was hung up when the door was opened and they entered the shop; it was also a scene which Shin knew very well. The shop had a clean impression with white as the base, and hadn’t changed at all since the game era.
Even if it was said that the shop was just brought as it was, there was almost no strange feeling.
“…You have reproduced it well here.”
“I think it was well-balanced even if I say so myself. But this is all in favor of Rokuten before Shin-kun arrived here.”
“Rokuten?”
Shin had no idea at all, and couldn’t help but tilt his head for Holly’s words.
“The ‘Golden Company’ exist because Reed of Rokuten built it, right? These various accommodations were thanks to Shin and his acquaintances.”
“‘Golden Company’, huh?…That reminds me, what are the other guys’ support characters doing?”
Hearing the story from Shadow and Hibineko, Shin remembered the other support characters of Rokuten now.
“Schnee, do you know something?”
He asked Schnee while sitting down on a chair.
“Reed-sama’s follower, Berett, remain with ‘Golden Company’, Cook-sama’s follower, Keritori and Zaji run a restaurant ‘Shigure Shop’. The others, Cashmere-sama’s follower, Busy and Cain-sama’s follower, Raster, were maintaining the monsters’ nurture at Rashugum. That is all I know. As for the information about Shin, I think Berett knows the whole content, since we had an arrangement to share through the ‘Golden Company’.”
“…Hey, I heard Rashugum just now, does that place remain too?”
In the middle of the talk, Shin voiced his question.
“Yes, because it was originally floating in the sky, it didn’t receive the influence of the crustal movement. It has a wide area, so Busy evacuated the monsters that lost their breeding ranch there. As a result, it is called a Dragon Nest now.”
“Oi oi… well, it’s a fitting name for the place.”
The Rashugum Schnee talked about, was one of the guild houses of Rokuten.
In the game era, there was no limit on the number of guild houses. So, having multiple guild houses to certain scale, one guild house could be expanded endlessly and was divided up into the guild which continued to be strengthened.
In Rokuten, six bases were especially arranged, it became one person would manage one base.
And, the Rashugum, the sixth guild house, was ‘Silver Summoner’ Cashmere’s responsibility, the official name was “Type 6 Sky Castle Rashugum”. It was called “Castle” among companions, as it was literally a flying castle.
“Since half of the raised monsters are from the dragon species, saying it is a nest isn’t wrong either.”
“Indeed. Then Schnee, if that’s the case, is my ‘Studio’ somewhere, too?”
About the ‘Studio’, it was “Type 1 Mysterious Studio Demi Eden” which Shin being in charge of.
“I looked for it, but it has not been found yet. We cannot transition to the guild house alone.”
Originally, the guild house was exclusive for players’ use. If the support character was together with the player, transfer was possible, but it was not possible to be used by a single support character unlike a general transition point.
Anyway, if it was a game, one could be deployed to some places, just by operating menu.
“If it’s the ‘Shrine’, it should have become the headquarter of the church now.”
“The church!?”
Shin’s expression changed from the Hibineko’s remark.
From the priest who was running from the Golems they encountered the other day or Rashia who he got to know through a request and so on, Shin was strangely connected to the church people, he was not quite convinced that one of their guild houses was being used without permission.
‘Shrine’ was an alias, the official name was “Type 4 Forest Palace Palm Luck”. It was the fourth guild house, and a shrine type. It was the facility which the “Blue Magician” Cain was in charge of.
“Hibineko-san, do you know to what extent the facilities are being used?”
“They haven’t grasped control of the central area at least. I heard most of the rooms are sealed.”
“Do you know anything, Schnee?”
“No, because I kept my distance from the church, so..”
Though it was heard that they had trouble in the past, it seemed she hadn’t gone to their headquarters yet.
“About that, I know it.”
Holly raised her small hand in place of Hibineko and Schnee.
“When I came to this world, what was the closest to me was the church headquarter city, Sigurd. Since I lived there for a while, I had the chance to go to the Shrine.”
When she helped with the distribution of food after an emergency that the church performed, she seemed to have been invited by a priest she knew.
The invitation was also due to Holly’s race as a High Elf, which was known to be a good-natured race, and also served as a variety of solicitation, she explained.
“In a story I heard, and when I think about matching what I saw from a visit, the building itself was seen as important. Looks likes only parts of the gate and hall seem to be useable for everyone.”
“That wouldn’t be entire building”, Holly added and sipped the coffee prepared by Shadow.
“I don’t know how much that building was influenced by the natural disaster, but as far as I can tell after hearing Holly’s story, I think the Shrine’s functions haven’t stopped even if it isn’t complete.”
“May I ask why?”
“It was famous among some players, so I don’t mind. The building that Cain built maintains the functions in the facilities using a core, and when the core is destroyed or breaks down, the building would start self-destructing.”
To Hibineko’s question, Shin answered without pausing in between lines.
Cain’s reason was, “Such things cannot be made in reality, so I decided to build in THE NEW GATE!” was what he said.
His real life architect’s blood seemed to tingle with excitement to a strange direction. In case of an invasion, the Shrine together with the enemy would collapse, was what he seemed to have wanted to try.
In the end, there was no opportunity for that to happen.
“That’s why, the core of the building is safe for now. Only the members of Rokuten or their support characters should be able to use the important facilities, so I think it is locked. Perhaps, as Holly says, only parts of it can be used, huh?…Were the unique items sold?”
If the whole facilities were available, it would be unimaginable according to this world’s common sense when various stuff revealed.
“Yes, I have investigated it a little, but there wasn’t anything strange was sold. Only things such as the standard potion of this world and also antidotes.”
“I think my guess is correct if that’s the case then.”
“In the first place, I don’t think the dwellers of this world able to do anything to the Rokuten’s guild houses.”
Shadow who brought foods suddenly spoke a few words, and everyone in that place gave a bitter smile.
It might be possible that the residents of this world were able to operate it by accident, but there’s no way such a thing would happen. Even that was difficult for former players, but even more for the residents of this world.
“Dishes have arrived, shall we eat?”
“Though it couldn’t be compared to Schnee-san’s, it’s my best ability.”
The dishes were arranged on a table, and Shin gulped his saliva.
During the three days leaving Kalkia, he only had simple meals like an ordinary traveler. Though dishes could be made into a card too, he couldn’t put it out because Rionne was there.
“Well then, itadaki―”
“I’m home!”
Just when he about to eat the dishes, the shop’s door was flunged open in a big way.
It was an elf girl around 15 years old that raised a cheerful voice. White hair, black pupils, and pointed ears, and not one freckle on that fair skin; she had the features of a general elf in THE NEW GATE.
“Oh? Customer-san?”
The elf girl looked puzzled at Shin who was going to clasp his hands for prayer.
Her white hair which was tied behind her head swayed like a puppy’s tail.
“Ara, you’re early.”
“Mother, is the shop closed today?”
“They are my friends. We would eat together because we haven’t met for a long time. This is Shin. And the young elven woman is Tiera.”
There was no introduction of Schnee. It seemed they already knew each other.
“This child is our daughter, Kaede”
“I am Kaede Kurosawa. Nice to meet you!”
Kaede introduced herself in a lively tone.
What could be called a positive mood seemed to overflow from her whole body.
“I’m Shin. I’m a close friend to Holly-san and the others.”
“I’m Tiera Lucent. Hope to get along with you.”
To the Kaede who was brimming with energy, Shin and Tiera naturally smiled.
She appeared to be the type that lightened the surroundings in a sense unlike Holly.
“Schnee-san too, long time no see.”
“Yes, you have grown taller again.”
“No, I haven’t grown that much taller. I envy Schnee-san.”
Said Kaede as she look at Schnee’s chest.
As expected, it probably caught her eyes even as a member of the same sex. Therefore, it shouldn’t because Kaede’s chest size was below standard.
“You are still in your growing period, it will be in the future.”
“If that’s the case, then it’s good.”
After such an exchange, Kaede also joined them for meal.
“That reminds me, her last name is Kurosawa, right?”
“Using only character names is dull, isn’t it?”
“Mitomi was also fine though.”
“Rejected.”
Holly instantly rejected Shadow’s opinion.
Kurosawa was Shadow’s and Mitomi was Holly’s last name in the real world.
Though it was possible to give one’s name as the real name, since the character name appeared by 【Analyze】 in this world, it seemed to attach Kurosawa when the name was spoken.
When the meal was over, Kaede went to her room, and Shin and the others also began to prepare for the ‘Flood’.
He planned to upgrade the weapons at night, so he decided to do something other than that.
“For now, I think I’ll go to the ‘Golden Company’. Schnee, please tell the feudal lord and the guild master that you will be participates in the war. If Schnee is here, the soldiers’ morale would be raised too and the residents should feel relieved.”
“Understood. What would you do afterwards?”
“How should an adventurer like me move? I’ll ask in the guild. If there is a past document incidentally, I’ll go check it.”
What role did an adventurer play in the ‘Flood’, Shin didn’t know it.
Was it reserve force in the case of an emergency or search and destroy missions? Because he couldn’t expect an organized movement like from the army, it shouldn’t be so far off the mark.
Chosen Ones may have a different possibility, but there’s no loss in knowing it.
“What will Hibineko-san do?”
“We will work on converting materials into cards. I wish the opportunity to use them never arises though.”
Shadow added.
“If you say materials, they’re boulders and oil to drop from the top of the rampart, right?”
“Ah, indeed.”
At the time of the attack to drop something from the top of the wall, if they were defeated in the war at the plain, and had to retreat to the castle due to an unfavorable situation.
Therefore, when there was an opportunity to use it, they would be in trouble. However, because any measures had been taken care of, the preparations seemed solid.
Also, because of they were already considerably stocked up, it didn’t take much time.
“Has it been attacked to the point of using it so far?”
“One time in the past, I heard it was a battle to the very limit. The story goes that they could not cope with the numerous groups.”
“Is is a pattern like that this time too?”
“Looks like it. Well, we won’t be cornered this time probably.”
The others were also in agreement with Hibineko who smiled wryly.
Shin, Hibineko and the others were former players. In addition to Schnee, there was Gruefago, a divine beast. They wouldn’t lose.
“By the way, should we decide the next meeting time?”
“No, there will be no problem to act respectively. When there is a special summon from the guild, the guild card will emit a magic power. At that time, you should go to the guild.”
What Hibineko was saying was that it was the call function which informed of the state of emergency.
“When there is an urgent business, I’ll use the message card. You have some of them left, right?”
“Yes, certainly.”
Shadow and the others were players after all, they seemed to notice the usefulness of the message card as well as Shin.
“What will Tiera do?”
“I would like to do something if possible. I wonder if I should tend to my weapon afterward.”
“May I ask you to pick an inn?”
“I don’t mind since I’m the most free here.”
When they confirmed what to do, their own course of action started.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 05 - Crimson Exterminator/The-New-Gate-Volume-05-Crimson-Exterminator-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_05_Chapter_01_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 2
Shin asked Hibineko the location of the Golden Company, and he went there without getting sidetracked.
When he went along the road as instructed, a really shiny signboard caught his attention.
“What a conspicuous sign.”
On the signboard, which was painted entirely black and had a golden border, the words ‘Golden Company’ were also written in gold.
Because the letters were shining excessively, it stood out the most; it was rather dazzling.
Yuzuha, who was on top of Shin’s head, was also overwhelmed by this, closing its eyes trying not to look at the signboard.
“(My eyes are starting to sting~)”
“(When I stare at it for a while, my eyes also start to itch――hm?)”
Next to the shop, he saw that a box with goods was loaded onto a wagon in a hurry.
They were probably informed by the Adventurer’s Guild, and they were getting ready to transport the supplies.
What interested Shin was the person who was issuing the instructions next to the wagon.
The merchant, who had put on a robe with golden embroidery attached, looked familiar to Shin.
“――these to the port; after it arrives at the other side, do as you were instructed. I’m counting on you.”
When Shin approached him, he seemed to just finish issuing instructions and turning toward Shin conveniently.
The information that was shown by 【Analyze】 was already displayed in Shin’s view.
Name: Berett Kilmar Level: 255
With a chubby look and a charming smile, if he were not a merchant, he would have had the impression that he was a gourmet reporter. It was impossible to tell by his appearance, but Shin knew his race was High Elf.
Though his main job was merchant, he was actually a character a little off from the usual practice, as his sub job was dark knight.
“Excuse me, I’d like to ask a little but..”
“Yes, what!!? … Well well, long time no see.”
When he tried to answer Shin’s greeting, Berett paused for a moment. However, he was the Golden Company’s assistant manager. His expression immediately changed into a smile and bowed to Shin.
“The day when we are able to meet again, I was looking forward to it. Now now, we can’t talk at ease in this place. This way, please, and take your companion with you too.”
“Ah, yes, understood.”
“Kuu!”
Shin avoided using overly familiar words partly because it was their first meeting in this world, but Berett guided Shin to the reception room personally without breaking his humble attitude.
There were no flashy things like the signboard appearance inside the room; the layout was harmonious.
When the two people entered the room, the door was knocked on almost immediately.
“Excuse me. I have brought a drink.”
“Enter.”
Hearing Berett’s voice, a lady wearing employee’s clothes entered the room.
According to 【Analyze】, her name was Pyuri. Judging from her pointy ears, she was probably an elf or a High Elf.
After Pyuri put out tea and cake, which were loaded into the wagon, she left the room quietly.
“From the viewpoint of everyone in Rokuten, this would be cheap tea.”
“No, there’s no need for such a thing.”
Saying so, Shin tilted the cup. When he took a sip of that reddish liquid, faint sweetness and bitterness spread inside his mouth.
“This is spectacular.”
“I use the best tea leaves in the area. Above all, I’m glad that you like it. Leaving that aside, Shin-sama, it’s unnecessary to be so formal. Honorifics don’t apply to other people.”
“…Well, that’s more comfortable, but..”
“Then, I ask you to be like that. If honorifics are spoken by the people of Rokuten, myself included, everyone would be ashamed.
Berett seemed to be thorough on the position where one stands, such as master and servant. Would it be different between Shin and Reed?
“So, how may I help you today?”
“Ah, I wanted you to tell me the current state of Rokuten’s support characters besides mine. I have heard the things about the ‘Shigure Shop’, Busy, and Rasta from Schnee.”
“All right, but we don’t know anything except the one just came in. Oxygen and Hydro should be in ‘Garden’, but it’s currently being treated as a danger zone. We couldn’t come close to the ‘Garden’ to confirm it, so we don’t have enough evidence to verify the information. ‘Studio’, ‘Ship’, and ‘Base’s’ whereabouts are unknown. Though I can confirm the existence of ‘Shrine and ‘Castle’ under the current state, only ‘Castle’ can be secured.”
The guild houses were as big as there was. If it wasn’t found, it was probably buried underground or had sunk to the bottom of the sea.
“I see. I will keep searching for the ‘Studio’. As for the ‘Garden’, what makes it dangerous?”
“It’s because a harmful gas is generated around the ‘Garden’. All are above VII abnormal state. The center is expected to become the maximum X. If I considered the fighting power and the resistance force, Schnee may be able to break through, but she still cannot stay long. For sure, if it’s the resistance force of High Human class like Shin-sama, it would be different…”
The gases were generated by the surroundings, and seemed to have a quite powerful effect.
If Berett’s story was true, it was indeed not possible to break through unless it was Shin.
“Since there are also food production facilities inside, they, at the very least, won’t starve to death…I’m sorry for not being able to help much.”
“Well, I’m satisfied, it’s enough just to have heard about ‘Garden’.”
‘Garden’ was originally for the guild war use, traps were prepared around it.
Perhaps, it had malfunctioned. Because the inside is air-tight, they wouldn’t be hurt by the gas.
The detailed location of ‘Garden’ was given and he kept note.
“Being able to listen to a lot of stuff saved us a lot of trouble. If something happens, please send me a message card.”
“Understood. I will prepare it for you.”
“I’ll rely on you. That reminds me, do you come here often? I didn’t expect to encounter you so abruptly.”
“I just had to come here for some business. At that time, I was informed by the merchant guild that the ‘Flood’ happened, so I was issuing instructions in order to cope.”
Because precious fish could be caught at this time, he always came over personally. If he kept scuffling through the documents in the head office, his intuition as a merchant would dull or something like that.
“It is an opportunity, but it is also because it’s something I was asked to do by Schnee.”
“Something she asked?”
“Yes, this should be reported to Shin-sama, too.”
When he said so, Berett rung the bell which was place on the edge of the table. Then, the door was knocked on in less than one minute.
“Excuse me for being rude. What can I do for you?”
The one entered was Pyuri who brought the tea.
“Bring me ‘that’.”
“Right away.”
Replying promptly to Berett’s words, Pyuri left the room.
He didn’t say anything about what he wanted her to bring specifically, but as long as there was no miscommunication between the two, there was no need to be worried.
A few minutes later, the door was knocked on again and Pyuri enter the room. She held a small envelope in her hand.
“Thank you. You may leave.”
When he made Pyuri leave, Berett opened the envelope and took out the contents inside, and he presented it to Shin.
“This is a list of players who came to this world.”
“What?”
Shin’s expression changed when he heard “players”.
He read the list he received from Berett slowly from top to the bottom.
“…Is that all?”
Shin finished reading the list, but asked Berett with a face that was perplexed.
“That’s a reasonable question. If I have to say honestly, we’re at a loss, too. The deceased in the event which players called the death game ended with 100 or 200 people. If that’s the case, the players that have come here are just a really small fraction of it. Of course, not everyone was mentioned in the list.”
Shin recognized every player on the list that he held. Though he was surprised that only former players were there, what was the list aiming for?
(Have those guys, who were involved with me in the game era, come here?)
Though Berett said it wasn’t everything, as expected, Shin, too, couldn’t hide his agitation.
“Also, please check this.”
To Shin, who had a serious look on his face, Berett held out another paper. Though there were fewer names written down than that of the first list, a horizontal line was drawn for several names.
“This is?”
“It should be clear by now; this list is for what Shin-sama and players call PK.”
“PK you say!?”
Shin looked through the list while being surprised. There was Hameln at the top of the list, and several names Shin knew were on the list.
“(Shin, what is a Pi Kay?)”
“(…Guys who murdered others and enjoyed it.)”
Shin replied to Yuzuha’s question briefly. The words were a little hard for Yuzuha to say, and its vocal tone seemed to change even in the Mind Chat.
Did it understand the atmosphere? Yuzuha barked a small “Kuu…” and become quiet.
“Have you checked this individually?”
“Yes. In fact, when the first player was found, it was Schnee who insisted that I should look for PKs first.”
“Schnee did?”
Though Schnee said that there were no opportunities, no matter how much Shin looked at it, she was not incompetent enough to not convey such an important story as players or PKs forever. If she said that she didn’t have an opportunity or something, she should have had plenty of them.
As expected, there may have been something.
“From your appearance, I guess Schnee hasn’t told Shin-sama about this, right?”
“Yes, I only knew about the dead players living by chance.”
Then, Berett erased his smile.
“…If I say as a fellow follower of Rokuten, not conveying such important information intentionally is clear evidence of disloyalty to her own master, as such a thing shouldn’t happen. Even though she is Shin-sama’s follower, it doesn’t mean she is clear from being punished.”
Berett said in a solemn tone.
Shin was troubled. He had a conjecture that Schnee was hiding something, but he didn’t know how other followers of Rokuten felt.
“What is Shin-sama thinking?”
“…Schnee wouldn’t do such a thing without any reason is what I’m thinking.”
Anyway, it would not be strange when that information came to light.
The guild usually included portraits of wanted criminals such as Hameln. Even without Schnee telling him, Shin before long would find out.
When Shin spoke about what he thought, Berett‘s expression changed completely from the moments ago when he said Schnee should be punished, and it became more gentle.
“Certainly, judging from Schnee’s nature, I also think she would not conceal information to harm Shin-sama.”
It seemed that there was no objection.
“…Hey Berett, do you know anything?”
Shin, who felt something was wrong in Berett’s manner, asked directly. Berett, who was questioned, nodded without change in his expression.
“Yes, I think I know.”
“Do I punish her after knowing the circumstances?”
“As a Rokuten’s follower, I think that’s proper.”
“Then, how about you as an individual?”
“I also understand her.”
It seemed it depended on the place where Berett stood. At least, it didn’t seem to be the reason why he couldn’t sympathize at all.
“If I was in the same situation as Schnee, I cannot assert that I would not do the same thing.”
“She is unqualified as a follower, is what you’re saying as a friend, huh?”
“Rather than being unqualified, I think it’s because she is a follower under your direct control. Shin-sama, the list in your hand, don’t you remember those people, especially the ones with names crossed?”
Shin, again, looked at the names which were crossed.
Kagemaru.
Jay Son
Telfon.
Even compared to the other names, Shin remembered them.
“Shin-sama, do you remember once being called ‘The God of Death’?”
“It was way back when I was last called like that…Yes, I see. These guys are…”
Shin recalled those days, and noticed.
“The people whom I killed?”
Though it was a vague memory, they were all PKs or otherwise members of PK guilds who fought again Shin.
“Forgive me if I say something rude, but Shin-sama’s appearance at that time was completely different from your usual self.
If Berett had an ego like he did currently, he would have wanted to run away quickly even as a support character, Shin at that time seemed to be enveloped in a dangerous atmosphere.
“Schnee knows what causes Shin-sama’s appearance to become so. Besides, even now she still regrets it that she was not able to do anything, despite being the closest to you.”
“That…”
It couldn’t be helped.
No one would argue against that, but it’s probably not at all acceptable from her point of view.
“To Schnee, the days when Shin-sama met with these people, she was afraid that you’d return to be like another person. Thus, she was likely trying to handle it herself without telling Shin-sama.”
Berett said, tasting the drink and putting it down in one beat.
“…Seeing for myself, Schnee’s feelings to Shin-sama were something that couldn’t be concluded with the single word of loyalty. As she knows of the state you had changed into, she couldn’t ignore the people who had caused such changes and tell it to Shin-sama.”
“That’s me at that time, huh? …Well, looking at it objectively, isn’t it a dangerous story?”
As for Schnee trying not to get Shin involved, it was understandable when hearing the reason.
Shin, at that time, believed that defeating PKs was more important than clearing the game ―― No, he moved for the purpose of killing.
He had not a fragment of morals, taboo, or such ideas; he had no hesitation, killing without pardon.
“There were players with Shin-sama who acted together at that time too.”
Yes, PKK(Player Killer Killer) ―― Shin alone was the player who killed PKs, but he didn’t do everything alone. Shadow, whom he met again at Balmel, was also one of the players who cooperated with Shin.
There was always a person who sought revenge but lacked the power, or a person who lacked information, even with sufficient power. The person who held grudges against PKs became frantic and cooperated in PK killings.
There was no system for the law to judge, or the police to catch the criminals in the game. Therefore, some victims went for severe retaliatory actions.
“I see.”
When there was such a reason, one wouldn’t think speaking about players and PKs proactively.
Shin wasn’t able to bring himself to punish Schnee at least.
“Even if Schnee normally should have disclosed it to you directly, I told you because a fact is a fact.”
“You, taking this opportunity or something, actually intended to say this from the beginning, weren’t you?”
“Oh?! What do you mean?”
Berett feigned ignorance with a friendly grin on his face. However, the smile that Shin should have recognized was slightly suspicious now.
“What if I listened to that sort of crazy talk? I understand that Schnee didn’t think this through.”
“Shin-sama was well-known for taking good care of your followers. Above all, Schnee is the longest-serving member.”
“Ku, that smile on your face irritates me.”
It was a smile that should have formed a sense of closeness, as it was expressed on Berett as always, but it made Shin somewhat irritated to the appearance that seemed to want to say “I understand”.
“To that extent, it’ll be the evidence that Shin-sama is loved.”
“Keep saying that!”
Shin replied Berett’s words curtly.
“By the way, is Shin-sama participating in this ‘Flood’?”
“Hm? Yes, I intend to intervene but..”
Berett, who was able to change the topic abruptly, had a contemplative look.
“Then, could you leave a part to the army without hunting everything?”
Berett kept silent for a while, and mentioned that kind of thing.
Because he knew Shin’s true nature, he understood that Shin’s remark of intervening meant annihilation.
“What is your reason?”
“It’ll become military training because only few ‘Floods’ were used to raise the levels of the soldiers.”
Though Shin thought Balmel would be in danger if one wrong move was made, there were upper class Chosen Ones keeping watch so that wouldn’t happen.
“It would be hard leveling, you know?”
“In the Melt Mountains, which is the domain of a divine beast, not a group of monsters could trespass, such as the ‘Flood’. Balmel is one of the most important borders with the Sacred Place to many countries. So, geographically, Balmel becomes an important defensive position between the Sacred Place and to each country. However, in recent years, the scale of the ‘Flood’, which can be used for training, hasn’t occurred, and it means that the skill level of soldiers showed a slight drop. The star of the battles are the Chosen Ones, but it’s the common soldiers that occupy most of the battlefield. There’s no loss to raise the strength of the whole battle force, no matter how little. It’s rare, so let’s put it to good use. Schnee will come too, right?”
“Yes, she should have gone to meet the feudal lord now.”
“Then please contact Schnee too. I’ll take care of the small necessary arrangements.”
“Do you make the arrangements with the guild and the army?”
“Yes, since I am the assistant manager of Golden Company. In addition, the feared ‘worst case scenario’ won’t happen now since Shin-sama is here.
He seemed to have connections with the top brass of the army and the guild. Shin also knew that Golden Company was of a large-scale, so he was not surprised that that was the case.
“Would it be okay for you to make such a decision on your own for a company?”
“The merchant sometimes has stronger power than a king. Because Golden Company has a different status from trading companies, which can be found here and there, my own decision too, is not treated as the decision of a common merchant. I also have experience participating in a defensive war; that will play a part in this decision. When there were too many peaceful days, it slacks off in various ways. That may become fatal to Balmel. Fortunately, I get along well with the person commanding the army, and added to the fact that Schnee will join there, the preparation won’t be so necessary too――If this city falls though, there is also the trouble regarding the circulation of goods..”
“Oi, your true intentions just leaked out a little..”
If one thought of stories with persuasive power, this was one of them.
To Berett, who leaked lines that were significant to merchants, it made Shin lose strength.
“It’s because a vast quantity of material will arrive after the ‘Flood’. It’s an opportunity to replenish stock cheaply.”
“To discover this as soon as the safety of Balmel is ensured, huh?…”
Where did the elf who lived in the forest go to? Berett was a money loving character; at the same time, Shin recalled that now.
“Hearing profit talk anywhere, that’s called a merchant. I had a novel idea in various ways with players this way. In the last decade of doing that in the shadows, sales are skyrocketing.”
“Heh, what kind is it, for instance?”
“It’s the featured product ‘Toilet Set’ of course. I had a hard time reproducing the inner shape and the flow of the water. Though the function necessary to make it a ‘wasslet’ cannot be reproduced yet, I’ll make it come true someday.”
“The name is slightly different though. Or rather, was it you who made that?”
Shin was often surprised when he came to this world, but he was most surprised by the toilet in the sense of unlikelihood. He thought that was a thing that was very close to the real world, but it appeared to have been made in the image of the real thing.
“That reminds me, it was also in Tsuki no Hokora. I have completely forgotten because it was something I used ordinarily.”
There was a toilet in his home. It was a natural thing to have in the real world.
And, even if this world looked like a game, it was real.
Therefore, in the situation where Shin did his business normally in Tsuki no Hokora, he hardly remembered any sense of discomfort.
“I mean when was that toilet placed in there? Though it is there now, Tsuki no Hokora never had such a thing.”
“I got permission from Schnee because it can be said it is a necessity when it comes to living in real life.”
“Indeed. It was also in the inn where I stayed; is it fairly widespread now?”
“Though we haven’t yet reached one in every household, it’s not strange to find one in some big inn or so. The first regular customers were the royal family and the nobles. They have to show off in a variety of trivial places after all. Because our toilet also has the practicality, we have received a considerable sum from the optional charges.”
They also seemed to sell custom-made toilets. It was clever salesmanship.
“Now that I’m aware of that, I cannot return to the same life in the past anymore.”
“Uwaa, your smile is evil, Berett.”
When only the words were heard, he seemed to be in the ‘sell some dangerous medicine’ mood. Was the situation before the ‘Toilet Set’ installation severe to that extent?
“Will the other followers become so dark too?”
To Berett’s appearance, Shin became worried a little.
◆◆◆◆
“Then, I’ll be counting on you.”
“Leave it to me. I’m looking forward to our next business.”
Turning his back on Berett, who neatly bowed, Shin went to the guild.
Schnee had been contacted and was asked to cooperate with Berett. The rest also asked for a little request.
When he arrived at the guild with the help of the map, a lot of adventurers had already gathered.
There were various people who were recruiting for impromptu parties, people who were not absorbed in information gathering, and people who withdrew money that had been deposited in the guild to maintain their weapons.
Shin, who placed the young fox on his head, appeared to attract the attention of the surrounding adventurers for a moment, but they returned to work as if having lost interest before long. Looking at the circumstances, Shin expected that the information that the ‘Flood’ was happening had been announced.
“Excuse me, I’d like to ask a few questions.”
“Yes, how may I help you?”
At the timing he aimed for when there were few people around, Shin headed toward the receptionist.
The one at the receptionist desk was Eliza, who had called the guild master last time.
At the other side of the rectangular lens, light blue eyes stared at Shin. She was a professional at her job, as she didn’t direct her gaze at Yuzuha either.
“Are there any records of the past ‘Flood’s?”
“Past ‘Flood’s?”
“Yes, since it is my first experience, I want to gather more information. Also, may I hear what kind of role of the adventurers have in the ‘Flood’?”
There seemed to be very few people examining the past records of the ‘Flood’; he was permitted immediately on the condition that he had to examine them inside the library.
Shin stood next to Eliza who guided him through the guild. Yuzuha was Shin’s contract beast, so it was fine for it to accompany him.
“You were talking about the role of adventurers a short while ago, right?”
“Yes. Personally, I was thinking that they were placed like a reserve force of the army or for search and destroy missions.”
Shin talked about his expectations to Eliza, who seemed to be going to explain along the way.
“You are not wrong with that; it’s reckless to tell adventurers to take organized actions like the army. Though it’s possible if several parties gathered and work together, it couldn’t be compared with the army. Therefore, their main job is to crush enemies who runs out of the protruding groups.”
“Well, that’s appropriate.”
A standard adventurer’s party consisted of six people. However, it didn’t mean there was an upper limit to the amount of members.
An irregular party such as a duo or a group of three was not unusual, there were many of those who increased their members only when on a large-scale like this time. There would be a significant different combination of skill levels, and they couldn’t be incorporated into the army.
The contents of which Eliza spoke, it was natural to say it was appropriate.
“But upper class Chosen Ones like Shin-sama and the others are different.”
Eliza said, as they arrived at the reference library, even though the door was closed.
No one was in the reference library. Because it was only limited to humans among the adventurers who knew about the Chosen Ones, it was probably taken into consideration.
“A little while ago, the report from Feudal Lord-sama has arrived. The person who accompanied you is from the royal family of Bayreuth Kingdom, right?”
“Indeed. As for why we came to such a place, please don’t ask me. The one who saw the ‘Flood’ and told me to hurry up was her.”
“We do not intend to inquire any further. But let’s get back to the story, the Chosen Ones are the vanguards that cut through the ‘Flood’. Although to be exact, it is the magic skills of the Chosen Ones.”
It was probably the Chosen Ones who could use wide area magic that he heard about from Rionne’s talk.
“As for the group distribution, the first group will consist of four people: Shin-sama, Hibineko-sama, Holly-sama, and Shadow-sama. The second group will be Schnee-sama, Rionne-sama, Guile-sama, and Liege-sama. The number of enemies will be reduced by the magic of Schnee-sama and Guile-sama, and at the same time the battle starts, the army will annihilate the remaining enemies. But it’s said that the number of enemies is quite large, so the first group will charge at the enemy, who are outside the range of the magic, and will have to hold this place down. After the use of the magic, Schnee-sama thins it out by killing the big boss, and Rionne-sama together with Liege-sama become the guards for Guile-sama. After the first group also has reduced the number moderately, they will retreat and have the army take the front over.”
Eliza explained the strategy plainly. It seemed a detailed plan had already been made.
Guile and Liege were probably the names of the other Chosen Ones.
“There is a fairly large battle force this time, but how has it always been done?”
“It depends on the Chosen Ones who come at that time. When there is a person who can use wide area magic, it becomes a pattern similar to this time. But, there is almost no difference because it is included in an agreement that one person is always there.”
“Is that so?”
Because reducing the number was required, a magic skill user would be useful.
In case of the Chosen One’s magic skill, the wider the range of a spell, the lower the power becomes, but it could be covered with the height of the stats. It should be enough if the opponents are low-level monsters.
“By the way Eliza-san, will it be okay for you to leave the reception desk?”
“No problem. The staff and the residents should know what to do. Besides the inexperienced person being in a hurry, we have surprisingly little work.”
As expected, the city continued standing off against the ‘Flood’.
Then, once the talk was over, Shin reached out his hand to a document.
While reading the documents of the past ‘Flood’, he asked Eliza about the strategy taken and the movement of the enemy at that time, and thought over whether there was any regularity.
“Occasionally, strong individuals seem to appear, right?”
Shin, who looked at the document, suddenly spoke out what was on his mind.
Low-level monsters spawned in large amounts during the ‘Flood’, but it seemed that individuals who reached level 300 were confirmed several times.
He understood that the appearance rate was higher in the ‘Flood’ of a larger scale.
Because the number was two or three at most, ordinary level soldiers were able to deal with it if their concentration level was raised on a long-distance attack.
“The monsters of the ‘Flood’ are too crowded, there seems to be the possibility of them killing each other by mistake. As a result, some of them have leveled up and evolved.”
There were also relationships of friend and foe, as well as allies between monsters, in THE NEW GATE.
Depending on the situation, the case of a player getting caught up in the battle between monsters had happened. Though it didn’t happen frequently, because many items and experience point were obtained with less damage if one acted skillfully, many players utilized it.
“If that’s the case, it may happen this time, can it not?”
“The possibility is high. Speaking of this time, I think it’s unnecessary to worry.”
Was this because the news of Schnee had circulated? There was no uneasiness on Eliza’s face.
“Now then, shall we return soon?”
“You have enough already?”
“I have read most of the noticeable ones, and I have plans for the evening.”
When Shin and Eliza returned to the hall of the guild, the amount of people had decreased considerably. Was it because the time was approaching evening? They were probably having a meal.
He thanked Eliza and exited the guild. He intended to help with the preparations if he had time, but reading the documents had unexpectedly taken time.
“…This message is, Tiera huh?”
Because a message had arrived, he looked around and opened it while walking slowly on the edge of the street.
The contents were about tonight’s inn. With the name of the inn, such things as whereabout, which area were written. Though it was simple, a map was also drawn, if Shin used that map, he wouldn’t get lost.
“(I’m hungry…)”
“That’s right. Shall we go to the inn and have a meal?”
After he replied like he was speaking to himself, Shin then headed to the inn.
After about 20 minutes of walking, a signboard, upon which a red tailed fox was drawn, was seen.
The name of the inn was “Red Tail”. By the way, it was also the name of an existing monster, and Yuzuha’s follower.
When he opened the door of the shop, a bell rang “clang clang”.
“Welcome! Will it be one person?”
“I think my companions will also come.”
One lady came out from the counter hearing the bell sound.
With ears above her head, and from the tail seen behind the long skirt, she was a beast without a doubt. They were vivid red as the name of the shop suggested. Though it was simple, she was probably a Type Fox beast.
“May I ask for your name?”
“I’m Shin. This is my partner, Yuzuha.”
The lady with the appearance of a beautiful woman at blooming age, seemed to remember something when hearing the word companions from Shin. She nodded as having convinced that Shin’s name was heard, and opened the register inside the counter.
“The name of your companion, please.”
“Tiera Lucent.”
“Thank you. Your companion is already rested in her room. This is customer-sama’s room key. The location of the room is go up the stair and go right side of room 205. Your companion is in room 206 right next to that. Breakfast is until 9 bell sounds in the morning, as for dinner, I’ll serve until it’s 9 o’clock on that clock there.”
Shin looked at the direction where the lady pointed out. A clock with a diameter of about 50 cemels was installed there, and was ticking away quietly.
“There are clocks, huh?”
Clocks weren’t widely used in this world. The church bell was in the area where nobles live. People acted using that as a guideline. The ones who worried about time, were merchants and government officials who had the motto “time is money”.
“Does it ring at fixed times?”
“Customer-sama is pretty knowledgeable. That clock produces a ringing sound once every hour.”
It didn’t seem to be the style where it rang one time at 1 o’clock, and two times at 2 o’clock.
The needle on the clock already pointed at nearly 6 o’clock.
“For the time being, I think I’m going to eat after I go to my room.”
“Understood.”
As Shin was seen off by the lady, he went up to the second floor.
The room 205 was a single person room. The area was about 7 tatami mats and there were a desk and a chair by the window, there was also a bathroom at the entrance sideway. A white clean sheet was laid out on the bed, and looked comfortable too.
“Tiera, you there?”
Shin who checked the room briefly went out to the corridor at once, and knocked the door of the next room where Tiera was at.
“Shin?”
After a short while, a voice was heard from the other side of the door.
“Yeah, have you had dinner?”
“No, not yet.”
“Then, shall we eat together? Yuzuha also looks hungry.”
“Kuu…”
“That’s terrible, isn’t it? Wait a minute, I’ll go out soon.”
To Yuzuha who raised a cry for feeling hungry, the voice of a bitter smile returned from Tiera.
They waited for a couple dozen seconds. Tiera joined Shin to order dinner in the dining room on the first floor.
Was the stew a standard? An exquisite dish with proper ingredients was served.
Also for some reason, Yuzuha’s was a thick steak which had been grilled carefully. Though Kagerou’s was a steak too, Shin saw that the two steaks were not the same.
Shin had learned the basic 【Cooking】 from Cook. The 【Cooking】 skill rose until VI. In this world, it was a level that couldn’t be reached easily.
Therefore, he understood the value of the steak put before Yuzuha. The food grade of the steak was obviously above the ones before Shin and Kagerou, Yuzuha repeatedly revealed its joy through telepathy since a while ago.
“Um, this is?”
“Somehow, we feel like we must serve to customer’s contract beast our finest cuisine of our shop. Naturally, the price stays as it is.”
The lady also had a look that said ‘I don’t know why I feel such a way’ on her face.
(This is because Yuzuha is an Element Tail, right?)
Element Tail was not only a fox type monster, it should be worshiped by the people of Type Fox beasts as well, Shin remembered. For them, it was possible to say it was an existence on same level as a God. Even if the true identity of Yuzuha was not understood, it may have had an effect on her somewhere.
Since there was no reason to refuse, they decided to receive it gratefully.
Did Kagerou also realize that Yuzuha had a higher rank too? He seemed to have no complaints.
“I wonder what it was.”
“Free of charge she said, isn’t it good? This stew is delicious!”
“I have no complaints since I prefer this rather than meat.”
While watching the meat juices of the steak Yuzuha had dripping, Tiera also slowly put the stew into her mouth.
“Yeah, it’s delicious!”
After they finished eating, Shin left Yuzuha to Tiera and left the inn for a moment.
He crossed over the rampart while hiding himself with a skill, and entered the woods where the trees were dense. When he neared the center, he cut down trees with wind magic, and created an open space.
“Release!”
A pendant shone, and Tsuki no Hokora appeared.
This luminous phenomenon had already been concealed with magic too.
He then entered the shop and went straight to the forge.
“Well, shall I do this?”
Fire was ignited in the furnace, and he materialized the equipment he took from Shadow and the others.
By looking at the weapons which he lined up, he contemplated for a short while in what way to strengthen them. While making a list of the materials in his brain, first, he picked up Shadow’s dagger from the weapons. The hilt was removed and he poured magic into the blade.
“The durability value has somewhat dropped, but it is well matched to its owner’s magic. It’s as I expected.”
When he confirmed the state of the dagger, Shin took out an orichalcum and a scarletite ingot each from Item Box, and threw them into the furnace.
It didn’t take much time, a metal was produced from the mix of silver and red. The metal formed was called chimeradite. Because it was a synthesis of two kinds, its performance became a low-class among chimeradite. However, the quality of the metal was higher than orichalcum and scarletite alone.
“Let’s do this.”
While Shin poured magic into the chimeradite, he thrusted the dagger’s blade into the ingot. The chimeradite like clay swallowed the blade, and when the blade was completely buried inside the ingot, Shin placed that on the anvil.
“………”
He focused his mind, and hammered the ingot with a mallet to distribute the magic power. Each time the ingot changed shape, it became smaller as it was compressed. If there were other blacksmiths in this place, the view would make their eyes widen in amazement.
After a few minutes, the black bladed knife with silver and red mixed in was completed on the anvil. The hilt and the clasp which were taken apart were reattached again. Though the length and the weight of the dagger hadn’t changed, the high-density red aura which enveloped the whole dagger proved that it was not a normal item.
Its inscription was “Night Kill’s Dagger” when appraised. As for its grade, the weapon ranked up to 《Mythology》 grade. Its performance also increased by 80%. In the event when supported by 【Enchant】, its performance would be far above the equipment available.
“Well, I guess this is alright.”
He nodded once at the result of the dagger, and then Shin picked up the next weapon.
◆◆◆◆
“This is the last one!”
Finally with a yell, Shin lowered the mallet. As for Hibineko and Holly’s weapons, 『Misty Hound』 and 『Short Stick of the Dawn』, they had been ranked up respectively. The dragon’s armor was also reinforced.
About an hour and a half had passed since he began his work. Shin, who felt thirsty, converted the last equipment into a card, put those back into his Item Box and went to the kitchen.
Thereupon, for the first time, he noticed that Schnee was in the living room. He was so focused on blacksmithing, he hadn’t noticed her coming in.
When Shin arrived in the living room, Schnee offered the drink which she prepared for Shin. Shin thanked her and accepted it, drinking it in one go.
“Phew, I feel revived.”
“Good work for today.”
“When did you come?”
“I arrived about 20 minutes ago. Because I can’t help you with smithing, I was waiting here.”
Schnee didn’t train the blacksmithing skill as Shin did. Even in the game era, her skill level was almost at IV.
“How about the feudal lord?”
“Regarding my participating in the war, Berett’s plan was adopted. We will reduce the number of monsters, and leave the rest for the training of the army.”
“It is just as I heard it.”
As he expected, Schnee participation in the war seemed effective.
“…Um, Shin”
“Hm?”
When Shin intended to return to the inn because he finished his business, Schnee called out to him with a hesitant voice.
“Did you hear about ‘that’…from Berett?”
“The story of PKs and players where you were silent?”
“……yes”
To Shin’s words, Schnee answered in a small voice.
Schnee herself probably felt a great sense of guilt for not telling him. His acquaintances who died in the game, if the person close to us is alive, normally we would like to know about that information.
That was concealed intentionally until it came to light by chance. Berett was right, Schnee’s behaviour couldn’t be praised if seen as a support character.
“I heard the circumstances. About your matter, I guess you would mention it after everything had ended, right?”
Shin said in a light tone, so it didn’t become too serious an atmosphere.
After Schnee finished subjugating the PKs, she was supposed to talk about everything to Shin, and wait for the verdict. At the very least, the Schnee whom Shin knew of, was such a character.
“…yes.”
For a support character, to the player that should be called the creator, the thoughts to disobey shouldn’t exist. That also included Schnee. Even though the binding in the game era had disappeared by the fact that it became reality, her defying him was unthinkable.
“Berett said that what you did, was for me. I think I have caused you worry.”
Schnee’s face turned down.
It was not normal. However, Schnee moved on her own. She carried it out against Shin’s intention.
“…it’s different.”
“Different?”
Schnee said it’s different. But Shin couldn’t think of a good reason other than that.
“It is true, that I don’t want Shin to change, by concerning yourself with PKs. But it…it is more of a personal reason for me.”
Though it was an action with Shin as the primary concern, it was also for her own sake at the same time.
Her voice gradually began to tremble. The words and thoughts which she had kept held in, were asking for the way out.
“I hated it! To see that kind of Shin, and being looked at with the same eyes that saw me as a tool! I was able to endure it when my ego was weak at that time. But, the me now, undoubtedly can’t stand it!”
In a calm and yet strong tone, Schnee vented her feelings.
If the companion was not Shin but someone else, she wouldn’t have done this. Otherwise, if only pure loyalty to serve Shin existed inside her heart, she certainly wouldn’t have suffered like this.
But that would not happen in reality. Once again, just the thought ‘He may become like that’, had Schnee unbearably frightened.
“I cannot replace Marino-san. If, if Shin becomes like at that time once more, I cannot stop you, Shin!”
The source of why Shin had changed, and also the reason why he had to return, everything was caused by his girlfriend. In her place, there was no room for anyone else.
Now that Marino wasn’t here, he would be beyond cure if he changed. If that was the case, Schnee had no choice but to remove the cause. Even if she understood it was hasty thinking, doing nothing and so on, Schnee was unable to do it.
“Schnee…”
“I am a cowardly woman. Even though I did something like this, I am somewhat glad that Marino isn’t here.”
Schnee stepped back as she said this.
His girlfriend ―― If Marino, who was Shin’s only lover, was there, it may be all right for Shin to change. Marino was an important person to that extent for Shin. If put into a ranking, she would finish first by a large margin.
Thus Schnee believed, if the first, Marino, was not there, she herself may be able to be the number one.
“I….I…..”
She suppressed it in front of Shin.
So far, she was able to suppress it. She stopped the thoughts in her mind, and pretended not to see it.
However, once she put it into words, she couldn’t control her feelings anymore. It couldn’t stop overflowing.
Because former players had come to this world, Marino may also have come, too.
If it was Marino, she could probably stop Shin.
However, to look for only one person in this world, how difficult was it? Schnee also understood that much. Even if Marino came here, they wouldn’t meet each other conveniently quickly. In fact, even with Berett and the others from Golden Company’s power, the searchable range and so on were limited.
But it couldn’t be asserted that there was nothing as it was.
This was because he was reunited with many comrades such as former players, Shibaid, Girard, and Schnee, who were completely drawn to Shin. It was possible that even the irregulars where he appeared near Tsuki no Hokora, or the appearance of Demons, and the reencounter with the former players were orchestrated.
It wouldn’t be too long before he met Marino. There was something that made her think so.
“………”
Seeing Schnee shed tears, Shin was troubled at what to do.
He never thought Schnee would lose her composure like this.
He came to this world and often saw new things, still Shin’s image of Schnee was always calm, graceful, and a little airheaded; she was such a woman.
Even if they had spent time together, his impression didn’t change greatly.
However, that was merely Shin’s presumption. As for Schnee, the impression of this guy from the game was repeating many times over in her heart. When the foundation was the same, he wasn’t able to perceive her heart.
Shin didn’t think there was anything wrong with what Schnee had said.
What Schnee said about Shin had changed at that time, he had no way of arguing even if he said he was not sane.
Shin himself knew well how he was in a dangerous state at that time now. It was natural for Schnee to be uneasy.
That she didn’t want him to reunite with Marino, also could be understood vaguely.
If you came to like someone, of course you would like to be that person’s number one, it was a natural feeling. And, like Schnee, being in dilemma because of her consciences, it was to be expected if she had a heart.
While noticing that Schnee had a liking toward him, it was natural to accept it as ‘what goes around, comes around’.
“…Sorry”
“Please do not apologize, Shin. I am, the bad one.”
He hated himself for only such a word to come out.
Shin was sorry, when he should have talked properly earlier.
When he met Hibineko and the others again, and heard about the players that had come to this world, Shin also thought about Marino’s being.
However, Shin didn’t think that Marino would be in this world. Hibineko and the others had their HP become 0 in the game, and died. And, though the reason was unclear, they were transferred to this world with state as is after they died.
As for Marino, her HP certainly became 0 too. However, there was no direct cause of death. Marino’s avatar, didn’t disappear.
“Schnee…Don’t blame yourself too much”
“!!? Eh, um, !….”
Schnee, who was quietly shedding tears, had no time to react, Shin embraced Schnee tightly.
To Shin’s abrupt action, Schnee’s body stiffened without a sound.
The ugly part of herself had been revealed. For Schnee, who was filled with anxiety, Shin’s action was too unexpected.
Even though she was in such a situation, she was ashamed as she was delighted for being embraced tightly, the cheek of the flustered Schnee turned rosy.
“Schnee, I don’t think your behaviour was wrong. Even me, if I knew that you would become like the me of that time, I’m likely to think of doing something and act.”
“But I, to Marino-san…”
“That, I guess there’s no helping it.”
“Such a thing is――”
“It is. When it comes to liking someone, I’d like to be the number one of that person; everyone is the same. That, even if it’s to wish for someone else’s misfortune, surely I cannot help think. Being really in love, it is likely because of that.”
Because he was experienced, he understood it.
There was no reason. Be it Shin, or Schnee, or someone else, there would be no difference.
“To be honest, I was really happy to be able to meet you, Schnee”
“!!”
To Shin’s confession, Schnee’s body trembled a little.
“Just when I thought it was over after I finally beat the boss, I was transferred here. Without any acquaintances, and on top of that, it felt like another person’s house even when I found my home. As a result, I had a strange disposition in herb collection. Therefore, when you said welcome back at that time, I was so relieved. That you still remembered me, Schnee.”
“……”
“Though Berett mentioned about you being an unworthy follower or something, I don’t have the intention of punishing you if I have nothing to blame you for.”
“But that…”
“I don’t hear anything. I’ve already decided, a high decision. Objection is unacceptable.”
Shin forcibly shut up Schnee who still tried to say something.
Nothing good would result in dragging out and prolonging such a thing.
“And no more secrets.”
“…yes”
The hug was released. Shin was inwardly relieved as there was no gloom on Schnee’s face until some time ago.
“Um, Shin. May I ask you one question?”
“What is it?”
“About Marino-san, do you…still love her?”
“…Yes, I love her. This feeling hasn’t changed even now.”
“I..see. I understand.”
Hearing Shin’s answer, Schnee has an expression like she had made up her mind.
The next moment, when Shin had a question regarding that change, Schnee jumped forward lightly without spare movement.
“!!?”
Schnee’s lips touched Shin’s lips for a moment.
Schnee took action as if it was the revenge for a little while ago, and Shin wasn’t able to react this time.
Even if he understood what happened, he didn’t know why it had become so.
“Because I’m not giving up.”
With a bright red face, Schnee said so.
“I-I love you, Shin. I understand that there is a reason for you to return to your former world, but still, these are my true feelings!!”
She was quite embarrassed. With the momentum like being somewhat desperate, Schnee spoke of what she felt.
At those direct words, Shin also felt his face flushing.
“…I-I will leave first.”
“Ah…”
Shin didn’t have the time to stop her, as Schnee rushed outside in the blink of an eye.
Speaking of Shin who was left hanging, he could only freeze while stretching out his arm.
“That…that wasn’t expected…”
What kind of face should he make when they met after this? Shin racked his brain.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 05 - Crimson Exterminator/The-New-Gate-Volume-05-Crimson-Exterminator-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_05_Chapter_01_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 3
Soon after Schnee had left, since he couldn’t just remain there forever, Shin left and stored Tsuki no Hokora.
The night wind chilled the small traces of passion that still lingered.
“…First, should I head back?”
After climbing the rampart with 【Hiding】, he went back inside the castle without being noticed by anyone.
As he went back to the inn, he bought a light snack at a street stall and sat on an empty bench.
Information regarding the ‘Flood’ seemed to have spread well already, as he noticed people that appeared to be preparing for the war here and there. There was no sense of urgency. Was it because they had experienced the ‘Flood’ several times before?
“Ara? Shin-kun?”
While he was watching the pedestrian traffic, he was suddenly called out to. When Shin turned around, Holly was walking toward him with Shadow right behind her.
“Are you heading back now?”
“Yes, and I’m going shopping while I’m at it. What are you doing in a place like this, Shin-kun?”
“I finished the weapon reinforcement, and I’m a bit hungry now.”
Shin had met them at just the right time, and since he had already finished, he gave the two back the weapons he had strengthened.
Holly was pleased with the result, while Shadow stiffened in surprise.
“Reinforcement can’t result in this kind of level.”
“Don’t worry about trivial things. Shin-kun did his best, so I’ve also decided to *whack* in the battle.”
“…Right. I’ll use them gratefully.”
Shadow nodded in agreement to Holly, who was positive wherever she went.
As there was still time to spare before the war, they also had enough time to practice with their weapons.
“I’d like to ask you something, is it okay?”
“What do you want to ask?”
“It’s about your daughter.”
When he had used 【Analyze】 on Kaede, there had been a small static interference running through the race indication.
According to what he had heard from Schnee, it was likely that the interference occurred when the child was a person of mixed parentage.
“Do-Don’t tell me Shin-kun, that you would even take a beautiful child away, even though it’s our Kaede?!”
“WHAT?!”
“Wait a- what is with that manga-like reaction? Shadow-san, please don’t take Holly’s joke seriously!”
While Holly’s joke could be called clichéd, Shadow emitted a dangerous aura.
Shin had intended to have a serious talk, but it had lost its tension almost immediately.
“Good grief, please keep the joking within bounds…”
“But you brought up Kaede so suddenly. I don’t think I should be saying something like this as a parent, but it’s popular phrase, is it not?”
“Indeed.”
Shadow agreed with Holly’s remark. They seemed to have acquired the title of “doting parents” after having a daughter.
“For now, let’s leave the joking aside. What I want to ask is, what…is Kaede-chan??”
When Shin said this, the two changed completely from their playful mood immediately.
“If possible, let’s talk about this at a place with no one around.”
“Well, it isn’t a story that I would like to tell people much.”
“I don’t mind. That was my intention from the beginning.”
Shin didn’t intend to keep talking there, so they moved to a better place like the two had suggested.
They went to the bar ‘Nyan Da Land,’ which was located next to the cafe ‘B&W’.
“For the three of you to gather at a time like this, did something happen?”
“I want to borrow the back room…it’s about our daughter.”
Shadow said a few words to Hibineko and borrowed a private room in the back. With that last remark, Hibineko had understood what Shadow wanted to talk about.
“What do you want to drink?”
“I’ll take whatever you recommend.”
When they entered the private room, Shadow and Holly sat across from Shin with a serious posture.
Naturally, Shin too corrected his posture.
“Getting straight to the point, Shin, how much do you know about Halfs?”
“Based on what I heard from Schnee, it’s a child that has either inherited the special characteristics of both parents, or inherited neither of them. There’s also the kind that has almost no changes from one parent.”
“There’s no mistake in what you know. Also, if anything, the first one is often called critical, and the second one is called fumble.”
“Aren’t those gambling terms?”
“Once, there was a group of people who tried to give birth to Halfs intentionally. The names they used back then seem to have remained. It isn’t just the names that are from gambling, the probability involving it should be called gambling too.”
The probability of a person with mixed parentage being born was extremely low. The ones that were called critical had even lower chances.
Almost all of the ones born were born as ordinary children that were “Halfs” in name only. It’s something that no one was able to predict the outcome of.
“It’s a fact that a critical is quite superior in terms of fighting power, you know?”
“What happens specifically?”
“Fumu, though there are a lot of individual variations, the child can use the two different race’s native skills and bonuses. There is a famous beast that can remain in【Beast Form】 while using the dragnil’s【Breath】, and a lord that can use both 【Devil Eyes】 and the elves’ 【Soul Technique】simultaneously.”
“What’s with that cheat?”
Shin, after hearing about the ability of the criticals, said unintentionally.
Each of the seven races that existed in this world had their own abilities which could be called unique skills and bonuses.
Things like the humans’ high magic resistance, the beasts’ bestial form, and the elves’ soul techniques were examples of the unique skills that each race had.
How was it not a cheat to have more than one of them?
Shin wasn’t in a position to say anything, but even he couldn’t use the unique skills and bonuses of other races.
In this world in which the existence of individuals became reality, there would be individuals who is Halfs.
“By the way, our Kaede-chan is a critical, you know?”
“Seriously?”
“She can use both 【Soul Technique】 and 【Devil Eyes】. I don’t know if it’s because she’s a critical, but her stats also average out at around 400.”
“I thought so. Isn’t that just a natural cheat?”
From the viewpoint of a commoner, a critical was an existence that could make fun of even the upper class Chosen Ones.
“So please don’t spread it in the public, okay?”
“I won’t. Come to think of it, if she is that strong, why wasn’t she chosen as one of the front-line members?”
“The coming of age for elves is 20 years old. I can’t send a minor off to the battlefield. Because it’s certain that she will become part of the battle force, she will be placed in the reserves in case of an emergency.”
This time, since Shin was around, Kaede didn’t have to participate in the war and could remain on standby in the castle.
The reason for this was because she was too young and inexperienced in controlling her power on the battlefield during the last ‘Flood’. But, as a result of Shadow and Holly’s continued training, there would no longer be any problem even if she was counted as part of the fighting power now.
“By the way, Shin, I have a question, is it okay with you?”
“I don’t mind. What do you want to ask?”
“What did you do after ‘that’, Shin?”
To Shin, who was thinking about what kind of question was coming, Shadow’s question was quite unexpected.
Certainly, because time had been limited earlier, he didn’t get to tell Shadow and the others.
“Right, not much changed as for what I did. I was hunting PKs every day. But, after ‘that,’ there was a small incident. I was going to return to dungeon capturing, but――”
As for that incident, it was also something that was related to Marino.
Without it, Shin wouldn’t be here today.
Shadow listened to Shin’s story without saying anything. His expression was somewhat melancholic.
“――that’s why I crushed the big PK guilds first, before setting out on a quest and dungeon assault. Because the last boss was a solo-type, I somehow managed to defeat it.”
“I see. No matter how powerful it is, if it’s a solo-type, you can defeat it.”
Shadow, who had finished hearing the story looked amazed.
The fact that Shin had defeated the last monster Origin all by himself, even if it wasn’t reckless, it was absurd.
You could say the premise of MMOs was to cooperate with other people. Though there were also active solo players, most gained the social disposition of either forming a party with somebody or entering a guild.
Above all, party cooperation was essential, as the real thrill of adventure was in killing the boss. Basically, a boss monster wasn’t an opponent that could be challenged solo.
Parties formed, cooperated, and backed each other up to win against monsters that couldn’t be defeated by a single person.
Among the high-level boss monsters in THE NEW GATE, bosses who could be defeated by a single person were called solo-type, and bosses who could only be defeated by a party were called raid-type.
Though Origin, which Shin fought at the end, was a solo-type, it had originally been a raid-type boss.
“That’s because I did every kind of reinforcement I could think of: foods, items, equipment and so forth. One might say that if the opponent was a raid-type, I would normally lose.”
Even if it was Shin, if the opponent monster was impossible to be conquered without a party, he wouldn’t think of challenging it solo. He would only challenge it if he knew that the opponent was a solo-type.
As for a solo-type, even if it was a boss, from the size and the attack method and so on, defeating it was possible depending on the luck, equipment, skills, and level of the player alone. Of course, it goes without saying that normally, even if a player was defeated, they still had the choice to return.
The winning rate wasn’t always 100% even if Shin fought against a monster of the same solo-type more than once.
On the other hand, raid-types were different from solo-types. Their bodies were enormous, and they had many places that had to be attacked at the same time.
Shin’s partner Yuzuha, also known as an ‘Element Tail’, was a raid-type boss. Though it was different for Shin now, he didn’t know whether he could have won once in 100 rounds against one as a solo player or not in the game era. Even then, it would have taken an extreme amount of luck.
If you only thought about hunting down a raid-type ‘Element Tail’ regardless of the resulting sacrifices, you could understand just how strong it was just by saying that you would have needed at least three members of Rokuten, who were of the stat-capped class.
“I wonder why was it a solo-type.”
Shin said after remembering his fight with Origin. He thought that a raid-type of the highest difficulty would be waiting as the final boss. If the monster was at least ‘Element Tail’-level, it would have been almost impossible to clear.
Shadow shook his head calmly.
“Maybe it was intended to be cleared, or was deemed sufficient? Either way, if many people were saved, that would be fine, I suppose.”
“You’re right. That reminds me, I also wanted to ask you something else. How did Shadow-san come here? From Holly-san’s story, you don’t seem to have initially arrived here together.”
Though it was unimaginable for the present Shadow, the Shadow, when he and Shin had acted together, had been an assassin through and through.
Shin remembered Shadow crying while he disappeared after he and Holly’s enemy had killed each other at the same time.
“Oh well, as for coming here, I seem to have arrived earlier. I was surprised when I met Shadow again.”
“That’s my line!”
One couldn’t imagine the ghastly figure he had been in the past after seeing the Shadow who talked with Holly while smiling.
“I found this man in a village I was dispatched to at the request of the guild. I heard him fighting the group of monsters that had attacked the village, so I chased after him in a hurry.”
“I am indebted to that village in a lot of ways. Because the monsters had no special features aside from their numbers, I was able to stop them.”
“NO! You weren’t able to stop them. The people of the village were panicking.”
“Now, now, Holly-san. Shadow-san wouldn’t go without knowing the probability of success either.”
Shin calmed down Holly, who began to get angry after remembering those times.
Shadow was an assassin of a higher job class, a ‘Shinobu’. Moreover, his average stats were more than 600. Though he didn’t remodel his equipment randomly like Shin had, if he used the equipment he possessed, which were above the 《Legend》 grade, he could wipe out some of the tougher monsters instantly.
“Sigh, so I was looking for Shadow in a hurry, and when I found him, he was turning mountains of monster corpses into cards. The other adventurers were stunned. Because they were A ranked, they were somehow convinced of the explanation that he was a Chosen One.”
“After that, I went to visit several places together with Holly. Along the way, I received a report from Gold Company, and met Hibineko again here.”
Berett’s messenger, who was searching for former players, seemed to have had contacted him.
As Shadow and Holly had been associated with Shin in the game, they seemed to have judged that there would be no danger even if they came into contact. If it was only Shadow, they may have had chosen to wait.
“After this and that, I decided to open a shop here.”
Both of them had their cooking skill at level VII, so their business seemed to be thriving.
They also seemed to partnering up with Hibineko’s shop, and both issued coupons that could be used at each other’s shops.
“Come to think of it, how much time has passed since Holly-san came here? You said a while ago that there was a difference between when the two of you arrived.”
Shin suddenly spoke what came to his mind.
There was a time lag of approximately one month between Holly and Shadow’s deaths. Shin thought about in what way it influenced the time they arrived here.
“I’ve been here for 30 years as of this year”
“As for me, I came here about 10 years after Holly.”
“If that’s the case, is it about 10 years per month?”
“But the person who had almost the same time of death as me came here more than a decade before me. This seems to be different for each individual. Some came here more than 100 years ago, and there are people who have already reached the end of their life span, too.”
Though Shin had calculated the approximate conversion from their story, his hypothesis was denied by Holly. By the way, it had been about 40 years since Hibineko had arrived here.
“Shin, do you think Marino-chan will come here?”
“Holly!”
Shin stopped Shadow, who tried to scold Holly.
“It’s okay…To be honest, it’s a fifty-fifty; I feel like I want her to be here, but I also feel like I don’t. Of course, I want to meet her again, but then I would completely lose my intention to return to the former world.”
There were many things that Shin had left behind in the real world.
His parents who had raised him, his brother and sister, his close friends; the list could go on forever.
Even though he had no relatives in this world, he wasn’t terribly unhappy.
Still, although he had come to this world that looked just like the game, the real world was not something so unimportant for Shin that he could discard it easily.
Therefore, if there was a scale between the choices of ‘Stay’ or ‘Return’, he still inclined toward ‘Return’ for now.
He must pass on the messages entrusted to him by the people who had died in the death game to their bereaved families; it was a promise he must fulfil if he returned to the real world.
But, as he spent time in this world, the scales in Shin slowly, but surely, moved. They were slowly moving away from the choice to “Return”.
There were so many charms in this world. He had overwhelming power that separated him from others, Schnee, who loved him, and former Rokuten followers who still showed him loyalty.
Even if the dangerous living conditions were extremely different from the real world, it was not a great threat to Shin.
He desired to travel freely around the world that had undergone a great change; it would be a lie if he denied that.
In addition, it was possible to reunite with the players who had died―― the more he spent time in this world, the number the bonds he had with its inhabitants increased.
If he found out that Marino was here, the scale would probably sway greatly to one side.
“Well, in the first place, there’s also the problem of whether I can return or not.”
“You’re right. But you were able to come here, so there must be a method, no?”
“As I expected, the gate of the dungeon is the matter of concern. Although it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll have to pass through it again, it’s possible that you’d be able to return if you find yourself in a similar scenario.”
The two people replied seriously to Shin’s words.
From the contents of their discussion, they seemed to agree that Shin should return to the original world.
“There are stories that the Ley Lines may be related to it, but it’s still not enough information. From now on, I’ll go around looking up more information here and there.” (T/N: changed Earth Pulse to Ley Line)
“Let us help when possible.”
“I won’t be reserved then.”
Shadow and Holly expressed a gentle smile.
Afterwards, Shin left the shop after hearing the tales about the two, the countries they had been to, and so forth.
◆◆◆◆
“Shin has left.”
“Yes, though we met again, Shin has completely returned to his former self.”
After Shin left the shop, Shadow answered Hibineko, who put away the glasses as he spoke, with a look that seemed somehow relieved.
“Was he that terrible?”
“Yes, though it’s not my place to say, all I can say is that he has changed. It’s because in the past he had no hesitation to cut down a person.”
“I also heard the stories…he didn’t seem like someone who would do something like that.”
Among the three people, only Shadow had known the desolate Shin. Hibineko and Holly, on the other hand, could not imagine that Shin wouldn’t have hesitated to murder like Shadow had said.
“Honestly speaking, I’m surprised, too. The last time I saw Shin, he would never have laughed with such an expression.”
When he didn’t show his power, Shin currently looked like an ordinary young man who could be found anywhere.
He had retorted to Hibineko’s and Holly’s way of calling him, and was surprised when he had heard that Shadow and Holly had a child.
That was a natural reaction.
However, he didn’t have such a natural reaction before. The Shin whom Shadow had seen at that time had hardly ever changed his expression. Even when he had killed PKs, even if he had eaten delicious food, even if the player who had assisted him had died in front of him.
He had searched and killed PKs just like an assembly-line operation. If one were to say that he was a machine of that kind of purpose, one might understand how dangerous he truly had been.
Had this person changed before coming here only by chance? This was merely what Shadow believed.
“Did something happen?”
“I’m not sure, but there something certainly might have. Something that pulled Shin here.”
The three people could only guess. However, it was a good thing, or at least, they understood it to be a good thing. It also concerned the woman whom Shin loved.
“…Marino-chan, will you come here?”
“I wonder. According to the story we heard from Shin, her circumstances seemed slightly different from ours.”
The two people didn’t know the main reason behind why they had arrived here, except that it had to do with their death in the game, so their question couldn’t be concluded.
“…If Mari-nyaa-san isn’t here, what would the two of you want Shin to do?”
Hibineko asked Shadow and Holly while skillfully wiping the table with his short paw.
“I guess he should return.”
“Agreed, I think so too.”
The two people answered the casual question with the same response.
To the reply without hesitation, Hibineko stopped wiping the table. Because there were only three people in the shop at the moment, they could afford to talk a little.
“Fumu, from our viewpoint, I think he should return if possible.”
“Why the hurry?”
“For now, Shin still wants to return to the other side. But, will he be able to make the same choice after he has spent a long time here?”
If Hibineko had came to this world without much company, he would probably have been able to return without hesitation.
However, Hibineko had already spent more than 40 years in this world. Even if he could return to the original world with Shin, he would no longer choose too.
“If he didn’t have much longer to live in real world like we do, then the choice to spend the rest of his time here is not bad even if it possible for him to return. But Shin is still young. I don’t think I want him to remain in this world where the end is unknown.”
“You’re right. If he had been here for a long time, he would likely not want to go home.”
“But unlike us, Shin is not dead. There should be something he left behind, right?”
“Still, you can also say that, unlike us, Shin is the strongest in this world. Besides, I wonder if he’ll be able to turn down the love of a woman as beautiful as Schnee.”
The current age was called the ‘stress society’. People wanted to be bound by no one, and do whatever they wanted. But at the same time, as people who lived in the real world, they also had to consider everyone else’s feelings. There were many people who wished to live while doing the things they liked and forgetting the unpleasant things.
“This world is indeed really convenient for Shin.”
Shadow and Holly couldn’t deny Hibineko’s words because what he had said also applied to themselves.
“In the end, it depends on Shin, huh?”
“Indeed. Personally, I want his parents to feel relieved.”
“It’s because he carried everyone’s expectations all by himself. I wonder how things will turn out if Mari-nyaa isn’t here.”
Since the beginning of the death game, the three knew that various unreasonable things had been forced upon Shin; they recalled Shin had suppressed himself because of that power at that time. His stats had been high by chance, but because of that, he had been forced to clear the game. It couldn’t be helped that Shin had laughed with a tired look on his face.
It might have ended up differently if everyone had begun from the same starting line. However, with the exception of Shin, the best stats of the advanced players had only just began to exceed 800 in those days. Shin’s stats was about 200 points above theirs.
200 ability differences in THE NEW GATE would only cause other players to become a hindrance to Shin, even if he made a party. The difference in damage dealt, movement speed, defense, and so on was obvious. Only a small number of players reached advanced levels in the first place.
The story was different when he fought against big armies of monsters and cooperated with multiple parties, but there was not enough space for many players to fight together in dungeons. This had especially been true in the last dungeon.
In addition, in the situation where it wasn’t possible to revive after death, it would take over a year to train other players to Shin’s level. The players who had wanted to log out as soon as possible had ganged up and demanded that Shin quickly cleared the game.
“I hope we can be of help to him in the case of an emergency.”
“It’s frustrating, right?”
They couldn’t do anything for the young man who had fought the death game in solitude.
The adults were worried.
◆◆◆◆
“Now then, shall I return to the inn soon?”
Shin, who had left ‘Nyan Da Land’, muttered and headed toward the inn.
Although his talk with Shadow and the others had diverted his mind to some extent, he still didn’t know what he would do when he met Schnee.
He opened the door of the ‘Red Tail’ while feeling a little depressed, received the key, went to his room without meeting anyone on the way, and arrived at his room.
A short time later, someone knocked on his room door. When he had received the key earlier, he had also asked for water. He then received a bucket of water from a woman. The bucket looked heavy, but the woman had carried it with ease.
He soaked a towel after using magic to warm the water, and wiped down his body. Toilets were becoming popular, but baths still seemed to be difficult to reproduce. Shin, who didn’t understand the technical side of things, couldn’t do anything but hope it was built quickly.
“…I should sleep.”
He had nothing else to do in particular, so he decided to go to sleep.
Did the matter with Schnee have a lasting effect on him? He wasn’t able to bring himself to do anything.
He crawled into the futon. Shin’s consciousness faded into sleep unexpectedly smoothly.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 05 - Crimson Exterminator/The-New-Gate-Volume-05-Crimson-Exterminator-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_05_Chapter_02_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 1
The next day at dawn.
After Shin had finished preparing by outfitting himself, someone knocked on the door. Schnee, who was in disguise, Tiera, Yuzuha, and Kagerou were waiting outside. It seemed like they wanted to have breakfast together.
Shin went downstairs with Yuzuha on his head. Though he casually looked in Schnee’s direction, he didn’t see anything unusual about her appearance.
“What will you do today?”
Tiera asked while eating breakfast.
It seemed that the ‘Flood’ had already been widely announced, as the residents’ evacuation had started.
Although adventurers had been recruited to help out at places where help was needed, there was not much work left to be done.
“I’ll go to the feudal lord’s castle. Because I have said that I’d bring you there, please come with me today, Shin.”
“Ah-Yeah, I understand.”
Had she forgotten to tell him yesterday? Since Shin hadn’t thought about his plans for today either, he agreed.
When he looked at Schnee, whose attitude hadn’t changed, Shin thought, ‘Am I strange for worrying about what happened?’.
What did a man often worry about at such times? He thought about trivial things.
“Then, I’ll go to the training center. I can’t go to the frontlines, but you never know what will happen.”
“Yes, that would be nice. If I have time, shall we spar again?”
“…yes, thank you in advance.”
While hearing the answer from Tiera, who paused at the delicate situation, Shin prayed for her in his mind.
Shin had seen the two training when they had been travelling together, but from what he had seen, Schnee’s training was very hard. It was at the level where, without the remodeled wagon and the bed specially made by Shin, Tiera wouldn’t have been able to move due to the fatigue accumulated from training. It seemed that she couldn’t help but answer obediently.
She could fight adequately if she wanted to go to the frontline because she would be accompanied by Kagerou, but that didn’t mean that her own fighting power had increased. Thus, the training was unexpectedly effective.
When one only stuck to gaining levels, they couldn’t get really strong.
They entrusted their key to the innkeeper after they had finished their meal and departed.
Though Schnee and Tiera always attracted people’s eyes, with the ‘Flood’ monsters approaching, no one catcalled them.
Tiera and Kagerou headed to the guild on the way back, separating from Shin, Schnee, and Yuzuha who walked toward the castle.
“What will we be doing today?”
“We’ll be discussing cooperation and meeting with the Chosen Ones who will be dispatched. Actually, it’s also to see how much we can cooperate.”
Though he had already met Hibineko and the others, Shin had not yet met the rest of the dispatch group. Perhaps Rionne would be introduced too. Even though Chosen Ones had excellent individual ability, it was absurd to cooperate without preparing.
Because the fate of the city depended on them, it could be said it was only natural to do so.
“If I remember correctly, are we meeting Guile and Liege?”
“You already knew about them?”
“I heard about them in the guild. I heard we’ll attack with Guile’s magic skills, is he a mage?”
“Yes, his full name is Guile Serget. He is a mage who excels in flame system magic skills. The other one is Liege Latreia, who is a magic swordswoman like Rionne-sama.”
It appeared that Guile was a Lord, and Liege was a Dragnil. Schnee seemed to have had the opportunity to fight together with both of them several times before, as she seemed to know their personalities well.
While Shin was listening to Schnee talk about Guile and Liege’s combat styles and abilities, they arrived at the feudal lord’s castle.
Just before they entered the castle, Schnee canceled her disguise and walked to the gate with her original appearance. Though the change had been sudden, no one noticed the magic skill.
“Schnee Raizar-sama! Thank you for coming here!”
The gatekeeper who noticed them approaching saluted perfectly.
With the gatekeeper’s eyes fixed on Schnee, Shin’s presence wasn’t even noticed.
“Um, we would like to enter inside…”
“Huh?! Pardon me! Please show your permit!”
The gatekeeper really seemed to be unaware of Shin. The gatekeeper said in a hurry when Shin called out.
Schnee handed over a permit to the too enthusiastic gatekeeper. She seemed to have had received it beforehand.
Two people and an animal passed through the door opened by the gatekeeper, who confirmed their permit, and entered the castle.
One of the gatekeepers guided them with a happy expression. However, if one looked at the despairing faces of the other remaining gatekeepers, who continued working, it was obvious that a fierce fight had unfolded over this role.
(It seems excessive.)
When they walked inside the castle, it was inevitable that they would pass by a lot of people. Most of them stopped walking; was it because they were fascinated by Schnee? They bowed politely.
The feeling that a number of people were following them increased as time passed; it was probably not just Shin’s imagination.
“(Is Schnee popular?)”
“(Yeah, she is a strong and beautiful woman of a superior race. It’s a given that she’s popular.)”
While answering Yuzuha’s telepathy, Shin felt depressed as he looked at himself.
The people who passed by mostly noticed Shin and Yuzuha after they had looked at Schnee. Also, about 90% of them had a “Who is that guy walking along with Schnee-sama?!” look on their face.
Though only a few of them had directed hostility at him, it didn’t change that it was a pain in the ass. Shin regretted underestimating Schnee’s popularity.
Had no one call out to her because everyone knew why she had come here? Shin felt relieved that as no one could openly ask who Schnee’s companion was.
After a few minutes, the gatekeeper stopped in the front of a certain room. Apparently this was the location of the meeting.
“Raizar-sama. I wish to express my gratitude for your coming here.”
“Don’t worry about it. Are we late?”
“No, there is a person who has yet to come.”
When the two entered the room, someone who was wearing the clothes of the highest quality among the people seated at the table stood up and gave Schnee words of gratitude.
Taul Yaxfell.
The figure with eyes that conveyed a strong sense of purpose and hair that was trimmed short was probably in his mid-40s. The body without flabbiness reflected his character.
“Shin-dono, your participation in defending our city together with Rionne-sama is indeed reassuring.”
“Ah, no, you don’t have to worry about it.”
When he had exchanged light greetings with Schnee, Taul also called out to Shin promptly. Though his speech was polite, his sharp eyes seemed to see through the character called Shin; perhaps this was what one would expect of the feudal lord of Balmel.
“There is still a little time before the discussion begins. I’ll ask someone to prepare drinks, so please make yourself at home.”
Taul said, and left his seat to step outside. Neither the dispatch group nor Rionne had come yet.
As they spoke to Hibineko and the others while waiting for a while, in addition to Taul and Rionne, two men and one woman entered.
“Then, now that all the members are present, I’d like to start the meeting by introducing the new members. As it’s their first meeting, let’s us all introduce ourselves briefly.”
Once he saw that everyone had been seated, Taul began to speak.
Starting from Shin and Rionne, who were participating on the spur of the moment, the self-introduction advanced in an orderly fashion.
“I’m Guile Serget. Mage. I’m in charge of first strike together with Raizar-dono this time. Nice to meet you.”
Although Guile had said he was a mage, due to his appearance, it would have been convincing if he had said he was a warrior. He had a refreshing visage of dark pupils and moderately long brown hair. His height was almost the same as Shin’s, but Guile had more muscle mass. Although he was a lord, his appearance was no different from a human’s. Perhaps it was because they would be testing their cooperation, but he had also brought a staff and a cloak.
“I’m Liege Latreia. I’m a magic swordswoman. This time I’ll be assisting this guy with Rionne-sama. Let’s get along well.”
Liege was a woman who had a red hair like a burning wave and crimson eyes. She talked like a man, possibly due to her warrior class, but she was a curvaceous, well-proportioned woman who was 170 cemels tall.
Except for the small scales on the area around her eyes, she had no other characteristics of a dragnil. Unlike Shibaid, whom Shin had met before, her appearance seemed almost like a human’s.
“So there are actually people who wear that here.”
“Hmm? Is there something wrong?”
Liege asked. She seemed to have heard Shin muttering.
“Ah, no, I was thinking, is that a magic armor that Liege-san is wearing?”
Like Guile, Liege had also put on equipment meant for actual combat. However, what she was wearing was commonly called bikini armor. It had appeared in a part of the game, and was equipment that had questionable functionality as armor.
Shin, of course, knew what kind of equipment it was. Its official name was the ‘Magic Armor of Dragon Ball,’ and was medium rank 《Legend》 grade armor that used the jewel removed from a monster of dragon lineage.
As for why the armor was red in color, was because the jewel of a Red Dragon had been used. It nullified damage received under certain value, had an effect that further reduced damage, and couldn’t be equipped with VIT less than 500. The part where skin was exposed had the damage decrease effect, so it was possible to say that she could catch a knife with her bare arm depending on her stats.
However, though its performance was high, it was not a very popular equipment in the game era. Because the game had been a VRMMO, where avatars acted as the players’ actual bodies, not many women had wanted to wear it.
“Oh my, were you that fascinated by my armor? I felt your eyes on my chest.”
Liege emphasized her chest after she said that. Although it was true that Shin had glanced at her chest, which was fully covered by her armor, he hadn’t done so with ill intentions.
“Please pardon me…”
While thinking, ‘don’t tease me’, Shin also wondered whether she was wearing that armor because of her character.
“Liege, leave the teasing behind. I’ll continue introducing myself, I’m Elgin Schlafer. I’m the leader of knights of Balmel. This time, I’ll take command of the army. I don’t have the intention to relax because Raizar-dono is here. I hope to get along with you.”
As a way of interrupting the banter between Shin and Liege, the next man introduced himself.
Perhaps it was because his work required him to shout often, but his voice resounded well. Since Shin had been troubled on how to respond to Liege, he thanked Elgin in his heart.
Elgin was a large man about 2 mels tall. His arms and legs doubled the thickness of Shin’s. His figure was encased in a custom-designed armor which dominated the surroundings just by standing up. Shin didn’t know if he was a Chosen One or not, but Elgin had a high level of 212. Was he in his late 30s or early 40s? There was a sharp glint toward Shin, also in a different sense from Taul.
Without stopping, Schnee, Hibineko, and the others also introduced themselves.
“Well then, let’s discuss the ‘Flood’ at once. Though you may have already heard, I’d like you to hear this again for confirmation.”
After the self-introductions were over, Taul began to talk.
Taul laid out a map on the table once he had everyone’s attention. It was a rough map that showed both Balmel and Kalkia.
“As a result of examining the information brought by Rionne-sama and Shin-dono, it was confirmed that large hordes of monsters are coming here. Judging from their travelling speed, they are expected to arrive at Balmel in approximately 4 days. The core of the horde is comprised of humanoid monsters, such as goblins, orcs, ogres and so forth.”
While presenting the information, Taul placed a troop marker down on the map to represent the group of monsters. In addition, he placed two markers in Balmel and four big markers behind them.
“Here are Shin-dono, Shadow-dono, Holly-dono, and Nekomata-dono of the first group. Schnee-sama, Rionne-sama, Guile-dono, and Liege-dono of the second group are here. You’ll wait 5 kemels in front of Balmel, while the knight squadron will spread out in the rear. After attracting the monsters to some extent, Schnee-sama and Guile-dono will attack with wide area magic. Meanwhile, because a lot of monsters are expected to remain near the the first group side, they will intercept them. While reducing their numbers, please also let some monsters pass to the rear in moderation.”
Taul re-explained his strategy verbally with the markers afterwards.
Defeating high-leveled individuals took first priority, defense was a primary concern and training was an additional bonus, Taul told them as he finished explaining.
“So, the first group will form a party and have cooperation training. Because the main duty of second group is to guard Guile-dono, you will train against Schnee-sama.”
“Eh!”
“Come again?!”
Guile stiffened at what Elgin had said, and Liege raised her voice almost to the point of screaming.
“Schn-nya-san is famous for her harsh training, you know?”
Hibineko whispered to Shin, who was looking dubiously at their reactions..
Apparently, hard mode was the standard even if the people Schnee trained weren’t her friends.
Only Rionne looked like she was looking forward to Schnee’s training; was it because she didn’t know how severe it would be? Or was it because she felt honored to be trained by Schnee?
“Don’t die!”
They would have time to recover even if they became exhausted. Schnee would surely work them to their very limits. Shin thought as he cheered them on.
“Then, we will go train as well.”
Following Schnee’s second group, Shin and his group also start moving.
Unlike the second group where Schnee acted as the opponent, Shin and his group went outside the ramparts of Balmel. They would train against the monsters that roamed outside during times of peace that were unrelated to the ‘Flood’.
Although the difference in abilities between Shin’s group and the monsters was too large to be a proper fight, there was no problem since they were simply practicing their cooperation.
“Shin, it’s been a long time since you and I formed a party.”
Shadow muttered a few words.
“Yeah. But in my case, perhaps I should say it’s been a long time since I joined a party.”
This was also the result of an excessive difference in ability. Shin rejected the party system because it was more efficient for him to challenge an enemy alone than it was for him to join a party and adjust to their level.
“There was no other way. It would have been too time consuming for you to train other players, right?”
“I don’t think I’d be very happy if it was that easy for others to catch up to me”
Shin just said few words in response to Shadow’s remark.
While it was a good thing for other players to become stronger, Shin could not be honestly pleased with the prospect because he had already sacrificed so much to become strong himself.
Then Hibineko interjected.
“Leave the idle talk for later. We need to deal with these monsters seriously, even if they’re low ranked. You have to be on your guard!”
“…Right. Sorry, I was a little too excited.”
“I’m sorry.”
Shadow and Shin obediently apologized for being too excited about forming a party. Frankly speaking, they would remain unhurt even if they received a critical hit from the monsters to the face.
Hibineko also understood, so he wasn’t offended.
Then, Holly smiled wryly and began to talk.
“Hibineko-san is just as high-spirited, though.”
“An adult must have self-control.”
“So why is your tail moving more than usual?”
“…It’s to keep my b-balance!”
When walking on two legs, the tail has almost no effect in keeping balance. In the end, Hibineko was just as excited as Shin and Shadow.
Holly watched Hibineko with heartwarming eyes.
“By the way, we’re at the place where the monsters will appear.”
“As for me being in high spirits…Well, you’re right about that. A lot of wolf-type monsters should have appeared around here.”
Holly was making fun of Hibineko, but she didn’t forget to search for enemies in their surroundings.
While everyone had been having a playful conversation and moving at a high speed befitting of their status as Chosen Ones, they had already set foot in the area where monsters spawned.
However, not a shadow of monsters could be seen, even if they looked around.
“That strange. Not one monster in my perception range.”
“Not even one, you say?”
Shin’s perception range had been greatly expanded through multiple skills such as 【Search】 and 【Sign Perception】. Therefore, he could perceive places where Shadow and Hibineko couldn’t reach, but he still couldn’t find a single monster.
Shadow and the others, who knew of his perception range, had puzzled expressions on their face.
“Does something like this usually occur during the ‘Flood’?”
“No. Though I have experienced the ‘Flood’ several times, even if the number of monsters may decrease a little, they didn’t disappear completely.”
“The number of monster decreased?”
“The monsters spawned in the ‘Flood’ indiscriminately attack other monsters. It is known that monsters will leave their territory when they sense danger.”
“I see. But something seems different this time.”
“Yeah, in the first place, even if I said their numbers decreased, it didn’t suddenly decrease like this. This is clearly abnormal.”
Shin and the other’s expressions sharpened at Hibineko’s remarks.
They had no problem dealing with the ‘Flood’, but now the monsters were mysteriously disappearing too. Everyone unanimously agreed that it was dangerous to be too optimistic.
“It’s not the time to train leisurely. Let’s return at once.”
“That’s right. We don’t know the cause, so it would be better to report it.”
Holly agreed with Shadow’s suggestion. Shin and Hibineko had no objections either, so they ran back to Balmel making full use of the speed of the Chosen Ones.
They searched for the presence of monsters all the the way back, but still didn’t detect anything.
“………”
“Shin? You’ve been silent for a while, do you have any ideas?”
“Yeah, a few.”
Shin replied to Shadow’s question with a bitter face. There was something that flashed in Shin’s memory.
There had been a war event in the game where hordes of monsters would attack a city. It had not been a particularly unusual event.
However, the sheer number of monsters had been a problem. The monsters in the surrounding area would temporarily stop spawning and a large swarm of monsters would close in on the city simultaneously like black waves.
Of course, the players stood up to it and succeeded in defending the city. Most of the monsters had been blown away by the magic skills of advanced level players like Shin. However, due to the monsters that invaded the city from underground, the damage caused during the event was not small either.
Monsters had disappeared before the event had begun. If this was supposedly the same indication, would the same thing happen in the ‘Flood’? If so, the new surging wave of monsters would exceed the normal scale of the ‘Flood’.
“Supposing it’s the same as a war event, we need to report it.”
“Indeed, I think I’ll ask Schnee to do that.”
Shin answered Hibineko’s words while nodding.
Schnee could explain the story as an event from the past. If she did that, Shin didn’t have to stand out.
“There’s no sign of monsters, you say?”
The four people who returned to the feudal lord’s castle got in contact with Taul immediately, and reported about the monsters. Everyone in the second group, Schnee and the others, also came to the reception room.
Taul who had listened to the report for a while, contemplated as he searched through his memory. However, he let out a small sigh, possibly because he could not think of anything.
Elgin and the others who were sitting together also shook their heads.
“As far as I know, there should be no records of this kind of battle. An investigation is needed.”
“The monsters sensed danger and ran away, then it couldn’t be explained with that.”
Judging from their attitude, they were very cautious about this matter circulating.
“Does anybody have any ideas?”
All members except Schnee shook their head at Taul’s words.
“Schnee-sama, do you have any ideas?”
“Yes, I recall something similar happened in the past.”
Schnee nodded at Taul’s question. The story had already been conveyed to Schnee by Mind Chat.
It was only a story of the game from Shin’s memory, but it wasn’t strange to think that it could have occurred in this world.
“Could you tell me? Even the smallest amount of information is necessary.”
“Of course. Though it happened quite a while before――”
Schnee explained while smudging the facts here and there.
“That…is…”
Everyone who heard the story had stiffened their expressions.
When they heard that level of monsters that would be attacking would also be high, Taul and Elgin’s expressions became heavy.
The current defense called for a specialized force composed of Chosen Ones and ordinary soldiers to kill off the enemies as they came because there were simply too many of them.
If the monsters hordes became too much for ordinary soldiers to handle, they could expect that total collateral damage would be astronomical.
“Because the situation is only similar to what I know from the past, it’s not clear whether it will turn out that way or not.”
“No, it would be better to assume that it will. Now is not the time to talk about training and such.”
Elgin replied to Schnee’s remark with a serious expression. It would be too dangerous if Schnee’s prediction was on the mark.
“I thought it would be an easy win this time.”
“Good grief. Things have never gone smoothly.”
Guile and Liege shrugged their shoulders as if they were saying “Give me a break!”.
Though they had non-serious attitudes, it was hard to say that they had bright expressions, either.
“However, there’s no need to be so pessimistic. We have Schnee Raizar and two additional Chosen Ones with us as reinforcements. We should be able to survive these critical times as long as we don’t make any mistakes.”
“Indeed, we don’t know how many monsters there will be, but we are blessed with allies this time around. The battle may end unexpectedly quickly.”
Hibineko and Shadow called out to Taul and the others who were only thinking about the enemy.
Their eager voices lightened the mood which was about to sink. They were composed because Shin and Schnee were there. In a sense, Shin and Schnee were far more dangerous than the approaching monsters.
“Of course, I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
“…That’s right, I should be thankful you’re here. Let’s change the strategy, then. Schnee-sama, do you know which direction that the monsters will be attacking from?”
“No, I don’t know to that extent…”
It was obviously dangerous to think the monsters would all attack from the same direction, so Schnee answered honestly.
Additionally, because they didn’t know when the monsters would attack, they settled the discussion by agreeing to send scouts in the directions that were most likely to be attacked.
Each station was contacted when the discussion was over. This was done so the soldiers would be prepared in case the monsters from the war event spawned at any time.
◆◆◆◆
“Hey, Schnee, I’m asking just to make sure, but have you ever used the large-scale magic for any anti-guild wars while I was gone?”
“No, I have never fought against such a large army before, since most enemies can be handled with a normal wide area magic.”
Shin and the others who had left the castle had separated briefly before meeting up again.
Currently, they were heading toward the guild to meet Tiera. Though they could not fight against monsters for cooperation practice, they had tested their cooperation with a training dummy at the training grounds in the castle.
Because they had to fight against a considerable number of monsters this time, Shin wanted to confirm the power of anti-guild war magic skills with Schnee. But Schnee had not fought against a battalion since the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’, so she didn’t know how strong they were, either.
“Then, would it be bad to use them thoughtlessly? Will you try to use one during the first strike?”
“Yes, if I was to use it, that timing would be my only chance.”
Depending on the numbers of the enemy and the scale of the magic, it was possible for everything to end with just that one hit. Because it was not a bad thing in its own right, he decided to take the opportunity to confirm the power of large-scale magic.
“Schnee-chan’s large-scale magic, huh?~. I wonder if we’ll get a turn.”
“If it doesn’t cause any additional damage, then there would be nothing better than that.”
“Yea”
Shadow gave his opinion and agreed with Holly’s words. Hibineko did the same. Shin was neither optimistic nor excited about it.
“Well, we won’t know what happens until the time comes, right? I have to be prepared just in case.”
“Did you do something?”
“There was perfect equipment to fight against numerous enemies, wasn’t there? I intend to upgrade it before it’s too late. There shouldn’t be any problem if I go on a rampage since my face will be covered.”
Shin answered Schnee’s question with a slightly wicked smile on his face.
Apparently, his blacksmith’s blood was excited.
“…I won’t have any problem even if multiple enemies come at me the same time.”
“I agree.”
Shadow and Holly watched the exchange between Shin and Schnee while smiling wryly.
Hibineko didn’t say a word, but nodded in agreement.
When they had arrived at the guild, the party went to visit the training grounds after receiving permission from the receptionist.
The training grounds had various spaces designated for different activities, such as space where one could practice with the bow or with throwing knives, or space where one could receive combat instruction.
Shin had entered an empty training ground back in Bayreuth when he had fought Barlux the Guild Master, so this was the first time he saw others inside it.
Apart from that, Shin looked for Tiera.
“Oh, there she is.”
At a corner of the plaza where a lot of adventurers did cooperation and individual training, was Tiera. She was doing one on one combat training with someone.
“Is that Kaede-chan?”
“It’s seems so.”
Holly and the others also noticed Kaede and Tiera exchanging blows after Shin had spoken.
Both of their weapons were daggers. They seemed to be using weapons rented from the training grounds. Kagerou was on standby as he sat down next to a nearby wall.
“It’s one-sided, huh?”
“It’s rather a commendable thing for Tiera to keep up with her.”
Ahead of Shin’s line of sight, Tiera was on the defensive even though it appeared as if she were exchanging blows with Kaede.
If you thought about the difference between Kaede and Tiera’s stats, it was a commendable thing for Tiera to be able to defend against Kaede, just as Schnee had said.
Though Kaede probably wasn’t being serious, Tiera shouldn’t have been able to keep up with her for so long. Schnee’s training seemed to have properly increased Tiera’s combat ability.
“Kuh!”
Tiera’s dagger was repelled before Shin could call out to her. Looking at the dagger pointed at the scruff of her neck, Tiera stopped moving.
“Having a match, huh?”
“Ah, Shin-san, Sch, no, Yuki-san is here too.”
“S-Shin…?”
Kaede, who noticed Shin and the others, raised her voice. Tiera, too, turned her face toward the direction of Kaede’s voice, but she couldn’t move immediately because she was out of breath.
By the way, Yuki was Schnee’s name when disguised. Her guild card was also registered under the name Yuki.
“Did you guys train together?”
“Yes, though we met by chance.”
At first, Kaede had restricted her stats to train Tiera, but they decided to spar with their stat differences in the end. Then, Shin and the others had arrived.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes…I’m…okay..”
Shin called out to Tiera, who was completely drenched in sweat, while handing her a towel.
He waited for a while until Tiera’s breathing settled down.
“Your training seems to have paid off.”
“Well, I’m going to cry if this was all for naught.”
“Is that so? For the time being, good work.”
Kagerou also came near and showed Tiera some appreciation. Tiera laughed as Kagerou licked her face.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 05 - Crimson Exterminator/The-New-Gate-Volume-05-Crimson-Exterminator-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_05_Chapter_02_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 2
Shin and his group left the guild, taking Tiera and Kaede with them.
Shadow and the others were apparently famous among the people living in Balmel, because they were called out to from everywhere.
“You guys get called out a lot around here, huh?”
“Even though there isn’t a lot around the castle, a lot of regular customers are in this neighborhood.”
“Hmm…by the way, is it the food or Kaede-chan that draws in more customers?”
“It’s 50% the food, 30% Kaede, and 20% Holly.”
Shin had asked it as a joke, but Shadow unexpectedly replied seriously.
The popularity of cafe ‘B&W’, seemed to be split between the food and the female duo.
“There are people aiming for Holly-san, too?”
“What? Is there a problem?”
“N-No, no! No problem at all. But since Holly-san is Shadow-san’s wife, I only thought that the customers would go for Kaede-chan.”
Shin made excuses hurriedly to Holly whose eyes did not match the smile on her face.
“(She is happy to be treated as a young wife.)”
“(I-I see.)”
Kaede whispered to his ear in a small voice as Shin had a fake laugh. Even coming to another world didn’t change that a woman wanted to appear younger than their years.
In terms of the appearance, Holly was a High Elf in her early twenties. Though the same thing could be said about Shadow, generally speaking, she looked quite young. In addition, Holly was a beautiful woman. Side by side with Kaede, they seemed more like sisters than parent and child. Even though she was a married woman, it was not strange that she had become popular.
To begin with, from the perspective of a High Elf and a High Lord, Holly and Shadow were still an age that could be called children. Though they thought of themselves as old from the perspective of the real world, that didn’t apply in this world.
“Come to think of it, does an ex-player who came here have the same life span of their character’s race? When I look at Shadow-san that seems to be the case.”
“That’s right. I’m not certain, but I believe I may have the same lifespan as my character’s race. Not enough time has passed yet in this world to know for sure.
“Then, that’s tremendous life span for the people with high race of the long-lived kind.”
In the characters lore, High Elves and High Pixies were said to live for thousands of years. If that’s the case, players would probably feel as if they had been given eternal youth, especially when compared to their prior human existence.
“You may have noticed, Shin-kun, but don’t you also have a similar – or rather, an even longer lifespan than we do?”
“Going by character lore, I’m the one with the longest lifespan, was it?”
“A spirit, or something close to it was what had been written, I believe. I wonder how much of that was carried over?”
“Indeed…Although I don’t particularly feel any different. What about you, Holly-san?”
“Hmm…It’s not something I can really explain, but I feel like I’ve become proficient at harvesting plants.”
Elves were dwellers of the forest. Their character lore described them as being able to communicate with plants on a simple level, so it might be the effect of that.
“I don’t feel any change in particular. Maybe because I don’t have the inherent abilities of the elves and pixies.”
“No, I can’t feel such changes either. I guess it also depends on the individual.”
It seemed like Hibineko and Shadow could not feel any changes. In the past, when Schnee and Tiera held plant in their hands, they could see its life force aura. However those kind of things weren’t in the game either.
“There’s no point in worrying so much. Isn’t it nice that those kinds of things also exist?”
“Well, I was only a little interested, I don’t intend to think about it so deeply.”
As Holly had said, they could not find an answer no matter how hard they thought about it, so there was no point in worrying over it.
After arriving at the inn where Shin and the others were staying, they parted ways for the day.
When he entered the inn, Shizu just came out from the kitchen.
“Welcome back! Shall I prepare a meal?”
“No thanks, we will eat later.”
She was the female beast and landlady they had met on the first day.
Shin and the others went to their own rooms for a while, and waited for Tiera.
After training, Shin and Schnee used the bath in feudal lord Taul’s residence. They had to wait for Tiera to change her clothes because they were all sweaty.
“I’m hungry~”
“You moved around a lot after all.”
Was it due to fatigue? Tiera put her face on the table exhausted.
“I’m relieved that the results from your special training have shown.”
“If I was made to do so much…”
“What is it?”
“No, nothing at all!”
Schnee reacted as soon as Tiera muttered absentmindedly.
Tiera didn’t think that Schnee had heard her because she had said it in a low voice. She straightened up quickly, and shook her head.
What would have happened if the results hadn’t shown? That was what Shin had worried about.
“Now then, should I head out?”
When he had finished his meal, Shin left the shop alone and began running towards the rampart.
Because there was a possibility that monsters would attack during the night, he intended to stand guard.
With his figure camouflaged by 【Hiding】 to match the rampart, he jumped to the top of the ramparts in one leap.
There was not a simple light outside the rampart. Visibility would fall down to zero if the clouds covered the moon.
Even in the dark, Shin’s night vision skill would normally allow him to see the shadows of any monsters. Yet, he still couldn’t see any. There were no reactions to his detection system skills either.
“It’s really weird that there’s nothing out there.”
Shin muttered alone, and then activated the earth technique wind combination skill 【Silent Whisper】.
It was a skill which would notify a player when a monster invaded a fixed area. It worked not only on the ground but also detected monsters coming from underground.
He didn’t neglect the underground because he’d heard that monsters had come from underground in the past war.
“I guess this is alright. If only the boss who leads the monsters could be found, it would be over quickly.”
Though Taul and the others had already been informed, what Shin and his group had really worried about was the opponent what should be said to be the principal offender of the war event: a monster called ‘Raid Vice’. Raid Vice itself wasn’t a strong enemy. However, because it controlled the other races and moved them like its hands and feet, it was extremely troublesome.
In addition to having a military-like chain of command, it was a commander-like existence which controlled the ‘Leaders’ of every monster race. The monsters under its control had bonuses added to their abilities as well.
If the Raid Vice was defeated, its control would be dissolved. If it could be defeated before the real fight, the resulting lack of leadership meant there would be no need to be cautious of a surprise attack. In reality, though, it wouldn’t be discovered so easily.
Though they didn’t know whether or not Raid Vice would be the principal offender this time, the defenders were told to report immediately if it was found.
Since 【Silent Whisper】didn’t require Shin to stay on the ramparts, he left the area and headed toward the forest where he had materialized Tsuki no Hokora the day before.
He then recalled the sensation of Schnee’s lips at the place where he took out Tsuki no Hokora, he almost writhed in agony but endured it somehow.
Shin shook off this feelings and reinforced the equipment, stored Tsuki no Hokora, and then went back inside the city. When he arrived at the inn, he went straight to bed.
◆◆◆◆
A few days later, the scouts reported incoming monster hordes.
Shin and his party of upper class Chosen Ones, the first and the second war groups of Balmel knight squadron, were deployed in front of the city gate.
“No surprise attack in the end, huh?”
“Shin, you needn’t worry too much about the upcoming fight. We, the party behind you, will support you in case of emergency. Fight at the front with confidence!”
Standing next to him, Rionne tried to re-assure Shin while answering his monologue. Her equipment was the same as when she had fought in Kalkia. She carried『Muspelm』 across her back. Her gear was the same as before because it was currently the best equipment she could equip.
“It’s a war of extermination, you know? Don’t cut corners. They will probably come. Although it’s just my intuition.”
“Do you think so too, Shin? I wonder why, but I get that feeling too.”
When asked, Liege and Guile said they also felt the same way. It appeared that their senses had become sharper as the large-scale war got closer. It was probably a feeling shared by those experienced in fighting wars.
“Don’t let your guard down!”
“You don’t have to tell me.”
Rionne did not look excited even though she had previous experience in warfare.
“Then I’ll leave my back to you.”
“Yeah, go!”
In response to Rionne’s parting words, Shin joined Hibineko and the others. When he passed Schnee, they nodded to each other.
“(The alarm system has been set up. Please be cautious just in case.)”
“(Certainly.)”
Because Berett and his subordinates were keeping a close watch inside the city, he didn’t have to worry too much.
However, there was a possibility that monsters could pass through the barrier like the previous Skull Faces had on the Wraith Plains. He didn’t think that there was a monster that could infiltrate without being detected by 【Silent Whisper】, but no one know what would happen so he couldn’t be too careful.
When Shin arrived at the place where Hibineko and the rest were, they had already gathered and prepared for battle.
“You came? How’s the situation over there?”
“No problem in particular. However, everyone seems to feel a little uneasy.”
“As expected, huh? When it comes to it, you can leave it to us. In case the previous war event should happen, you should move to the rear, Shin. All the more so if you use the equipment in question.”
Hibineko who knew about the equipment, said while smiling. Hibineko carried the weapon which Shin had reinforced in his hand.
Hibineko was able to maintain his composure because, no matter the number of monsters, even if Shin was required to pull back from the front lines, Shin’s weapons reinforcements would be more than enough to counter them.
In addition the combination of, Hibineko, Shadow and Holly, in a party would represent a powerful fighting force on the front lines.
“I’ll be counting on you at that time. That equipment is hard to use when there are people around.”
“It’s nice to be powerful, but there is a big disadvantage. Although against opponents like this time, it will be terribly effective when Shin uses it.”
“The disadvantage was reduced a little with my smithing ability, so it became better than before. Well, even if it became easy to use, the risks of using it, however, may have increased.”
The equipment Shin was talking about was the kind of equipment that wouldn’t be equipped by a normal player during the game era.
Though it was different if one person fought against weak opponents, at least the equipment couldn’t be used in the situation where one joined a party.
Shin wouldn’t use it if the opponent was a divine beast and a strong boss. It was effective simply because the enemies were small fry for Shin.
“For the time being, I’ll go wild with this guy.”
“『Kakura』, huh? It seems you had used it when you escaped from Kalkia with the princess, but will everything be alright?”
Hibineko asked, after Shin materialized 『Kakura』 from a card.
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
Shin was puzzled. He didn’t understand the point of the question.
“That kind of equipment is very rare now. I think the princess may have her eyes on it.”
“Yeah, it’s already too late though. I’ve already told her that I had found my weapon in some ruins, but I think that she was interested in me, too.”
“I thought of it by chance when I heard that both of you had worked together, but as I’d expected, she had her eyes on you, huh? It’s probably a good idea to have many connections that can collect information for you for the sake of returning to the original world. But you have to use it depending on the other party. That’s something you need to be careful of.”
“I know. I don’t intend to seek assistance from the royal family, not yet anyway. I don’t know what kind of collateral they will demand in return.”
Setting Rionne’s interest aside, he was already marked as an individual with powerful war potential, so he didn’t want to incur any debts.
Shadow checked his watch as he walked up to them.
“Sorry to be in the way of your talk, but it’s about time.”
He informed the two that the fight was about to begin. Right at that moment, monster hordes began invading Shin’s perception range.
“I’m sorry. Well then, shall we go?”
“That’s right. Let them clear up the very front first.”
The preparations were already complete. Schnee and Guile’s magic attacks were the signal for the planned assault.
“Here it comes!”
When the incoming monsters were close enough to see without even using 【Far Sight】, Shin felt two magic power sources rise behind the military unit. Schnee’s power had noticeably larger presence, so the smaller one was probably Guile’s. Schnee’s presence was so large that it overshadowed Guile’s.
In a short amount of time, their magic power ascended and ran through the air. Guile’s magic impacted the front of the monster hordes, while Schnee’s magic kept rising high in the sky.
The first one to show effect was Guile’s magic. From the height about 20 mels in mid-air, fireballs of approximately 5 mels in diameter poured down like rain. Each fireball crushed several of the goblins. Furthermore, nearby monsters were blown away due to the resulting explosion. The many fireballs and their explosive aftermaths, poured down constantly. The ones exposed to the attacks were helpless to escape.
What Guile used was the flame technique system magic skill【Meteor Fall】. It was a highly useful magic that was relatively popular in the flame technique system magic because it caused area damage. There were also many countermeasures for it because it was famous. But, it wasn’t a concern when used against low-level monsters.
“So, here comes the real deal.”
As if answering Shin’s muttering, a jet black cloud appeared in the clear sky. It had strange motion like a recorded video being fast-forwarded.
Then, bolts of blue lightning struck the ground as the cloud began to expand.
“――――!? ――――!――――――!!”
The deafening roar, loud enough to drown out the explosive sounds of 【Meteor Fall】, reverberated through the surroundings. The monsters, who seemed somewhat able to react to the fireballs, were dumbfounded by this and couldn’t grasp what was happening. The attacked hordes quickly fell into a state of chaos.
However, their nightmare had just begun. That was only the initial salvo from Schnee’s large-scale magic skill.
As the afterglow of the initial blue lightning bolts had faded, dozens of additional lightning strikes pierced the monster hordes. The lightning itself started 10 mels above the ground. When it struck the ground, it spread and became snake-like chains of lightning that devoured everything within a radius of 3 mels.
Unlike the explosion of the fireballs which could be defended against with a shield, the lightning was impossible to block with simple protective gear. The monsters couldn’t evade properly because it was too crowded. They didn’t have any choice but to wait for their bodies to be burnt alive.
“【Blue Judge】huh? In any case, this is again…”
Schnee seemed to have chosen the magic skill that she was familiar with to deal with the monsters.
Lightning technique system magic skill 【Blue Judge】 was a skill which was difficult to fend off, just like light technique system magic skills. In addition, when the enemy wore metal-based protective gear, it had an increased damage effect. This damage included the monsters that had simple equipment, like most goblins and orcs.
Shin and his group, who knew the power and the attack range of the magic skill, were unfazed by this display of Schnee’s power. However, the soldiers who watching this scene at the rear grew pale.
The soldiers gazed in awe as the blue snakes devoured the black waves of monsters. The sight had shocked them beyond their expectations. Even Elgin, the leader of the knight squadron, was shocked by this display.
“………”
No one made a sound as they waited for the magic to end. Because the skill itself didn’t continue for a long time, it wouldn’t take long before the attack stopped.
As the last bolt of lightning struck the ground, the cloud which covered the sky cleared up and the afterglow disappeared.
As the sun came back out, countless craters and the charred remains of what once were monsters became visible.
There were no survivors within the range of effect, too.
Total devastation.
Those were the only words that could describe the result.
“………”
There was a different kind of silence coming from the soldiers than during the time the magic skill had been invoked.
Was it awe or fear?
It was unknown how much magic power Schnee used. But judging from the soldiers’ reaction, it was clear that using large-scale magic for anti-guild wars should be avoided unless it was against a large army. That power was tremendous, Shin thought.
“Wow! It’s hard to believe I’m the same kind of High Elf.”
“She’s powerful, but that magic really makes an impact, too.”
Shin replied to Holly, who was amazed.
However, it was still a tense situation.
Because――
“After having killed so many, there are still this many left?”
Outside of the area of the magic skill’s effect, the number of monsters still exceeded the number that had been incinerated. They were still heading toward Balmel.
There had been a gap after the first wave, could this possibly be the second wave?
Schnee had killed well over 5000 monsters with her magic. To have reduced their number that much and still leave an equal or more amount of monsters than that, there was only one documented event that matched this.
“Hibineko-san, isn’t this the ‘Large Flood’?”
“It looks like it. I heard the probability of it happening was only about once in every 100 years. I guess this is it.”
The ‘Large Flood’ was a higher version of the ‘Flood’ which was said to have happened no more than 3 times in Balmel’s history.
Though the quality of the monster didn’t change, it was not unusual for their numbers to reach 10 times more than normal. The conditions for the outbreak were unclear, but when it had happened before, Balmel had been forced to keep fighting for several days, and only were able to pull through because their neighboring countries had provided them with reinforcements.
“(Schnee, can you make another shot?)”
“(No, it appears that I can’t use that magic again. Even if I try to invoke it, there’s no response.)”
As expected, it was not the situation to hold back; Shin had wanted her to attack again, but it didn’t seem that it was possible.
Then, when Shin tried to invoke large-scale magic, his magic power kept flowing out but there’s no change in his surroundings.
(What is this? My mana is flowing out, but the magic skill isn’t activating.)
He didn’t know why, but it had taken time to reuse a large-scale magic during the game as well.
As they charged forward, the surviving monsters trampled over the incinerated remains of their fellow monsters. They were undaunted by the destructive magic that had been unleashed. Unlike normal monsters, the monsters that spawned from the ‘Flood’ had almost no rationality or emotions. It was as if they were only programmed to attack.
For this reason, they didn’t react to the magic exploding in front of them.
“It appears that they will keep fighting to the last monster.”
“It’s because they won’t withdraw even if they can’t win. A ‘Flood’ is basically a war of extermination.”
The monsters would kill until the last one of them was defeated. According to Shadow, that seemed to be how the monsters fought in the ‘Flood’. As Rionne had said as she wielded her sword earnestly, Shin was able to understand that, too.
“If it doesn’t remain one-sided, we’ll get our turn soon.”
“So a power like that wasn’t able to make the battle one-sided, right?”
As Shadow had said, the monsters were spread out evenly as far as they could see. To begin with, the magic that Schnee had shot had almost annihilated the first wave of the monsters, unlike the moments earlier, the present state didn’t stay one-sided against the monsters. Even if you were to assess the calculation error, given that only the number that did not remain was from the Second Wave, it was not possible to say that it was very noticeable even if they were to be collectively joined.
“It’s slightly different from the plan, but I’ll lead the monsters towards the front of the first layer of heavy knights. Both of you, please be careful not to lead too many to them, so they don’t get overwhelmed.”
Shin and Shadow nodded at Holly’s warning. Hibineko acknowledged her wordlessly by raising his chin while tossing small dried sardines into his mouth. Though it was an item with stats strengthening effect just in case, his had the impression that seemed to say he was probably acting playfully if he was not an upper class Chosen One.
“Let’s go then!”
As soon as Shin finished commenting, four people kick the earth and began to mobilize. Though they had to match Holly’s slower speed, with the aid of their equipment, they were still much faster than riding a horse.
At that speed, they approached the hordes of monsters in a flash. While moving, Holly buffed each party member.
From the start, their offensive, defensive, and even their magic defensive power were thoroughly reinforced. On top of that, their powers were further increased by the additional effect of the reinforcement of their weapons.
“I’ll attack first!”
“Of course.”
“Fumu, your blood rages, huh?”
Shin, Shadow, and Hibineko as the three vanguards, plunged into the hordes of monsters while smirking.
It was a battle formation with Shin at the center, Hibineko on the left, Shadow on the right, and Holly in the back.
Of course, the first one to make a move was Shin. With『Kakura』 ready on his shoulder, he stepped on and crushed the ground. By invoking the skill of instantaneous acceleration he moved instantly to the front head of the pack.
“Here’s a greeting from me!!”
While riding the force of the acceleration, Shin swung down 『Kakura』. His first victims were a group of orcs.
Shin had invoked a weapon skill which included a mallet technique and wind technique combination skill called 【Amber Wave Strike】. This caused a high-density wind to coil around 『Kakura』. He swung it down while aiming at the orcs at the very front. A thick “DOOM!” sounded, and aided by the compressed wind, a single blow of 『Kakura』 crushed the orcs in front and the approaching group behind them. A radial crater appeared in the ground where 『Kakura』 struck. Small monsters like goblins vanished from just the shock wave of the blow.
【Amber Wave Strike】 had the effect of strengthening the range and power of the strike of the wind technique; it was an effective skill to suppress the front of a pack.
More fissures in the ground that were about 10 mels wide and 50 mels long formed from the radial crater Shin had created. All of the monsters within range had been reduced to nothing more than smears on the ground.
Shin lifted 『Kakura』from the crater, and took a stance. The wind technique from 【Amber Wave Strike】 no longer covered 『Kakura』. The next skill he activated was a mallet technique and flame technique combination skill 【Scarlet Phoenix Wizard】. A crimson light enveloped the surface of 『Kakura』with the flow of mana. When he waved it horizontally, the flame of the Crimson Lotus projected toward the monsters.
It was a skill with an orthodox effect that was said to increase attack range and bestow flame attribute. The only limitation was that the effect would disappear after the first long distance attack was performed.
Though a lot of people used the long-range attack after the skill’s timer had run out, but Shin used it immediately because the attack was more effective when there was a lot of time left to the skill
Following the trajectory of 『Kakura』, a crescent-shaped flame was formed. The flame, which rapidly increased in volume as it shot away from Shin, charged forward and turned all the monsters in its way to ashes. In front of Shin was a 30 mel wide corridor of flames, in which most of the monsters were roasted. Even if the crowd of monsters tried to close the gap, the remaining flames swelled up quickly and exploded. The individual monsters who were near that heat and shock burst open, turning their swords and armor into shrapnel which, pierced the monsters gathered near the explosion.
“Here I am!!”
Shin activated the taunt skill 【Shura Rush】to attract the monster’s attention. Among the provocation skills that attract the monster’s attack target to the user, 【Shura Rush】 was known for its wide area of effect.
Shin prepared 『Kakura』as he cast a sharp glance toward the incoming monsters.
If he listened closely, he could hear similar explosions from not too far away. It looked like Hibineko and Shadow had commenced battle too.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 05 - Crimson Exterminator/The-New-Gate-Volume-05-Crimson-Exterminator-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_05_Chapter_02_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 3
The fist fighter, Hibineko, engaged the enemy shortly after Shin.
The usually casual Hibineko’s eyes had changed into those of a hunter’s, with the prey already determined.
Without losing momentum or speed, he took a step and accelerated even more. He glided through the air with a jump kick.
Emerald green light was emitted from the greaves equipped on his legs, which were enhanced by Shin. Hibineko used the barehanded-wind technique combination skill 【Autobahn Kick】 and plowed through, crushing the monsters he collided with.
It was a convenient skill for hitting a large group of monsters, with a cannonball-like kick, and also for movement. Hibineko had used the skill on the frontlines of the monster hordes.
Although Hibineko was short for a man, the aftermath of his kick, which was clad in the wind technique and received the blessings of the enhancement skill via his equipment, destroyed even the monsters that were outside its effective range.
Hibineko challenged the hordes head-on as they were scattered around by that kick’s power.
If Shin, who had access to the map function, looked at the map, he would see a clear line cut straight through a sea of red enemy markers.
“I can’t fall behind Shin and the others!”
Hibineko who dove into the crowd using the barehanded and flame technique combination skill 【Echo Blast】, mightily flung his right leg against the ground. The crack on the ground where Hibineko stamped spread like a spiderweb, and after a few moments, bluish-white flames burst from those cracks.
The tremors that spread from Hibineko, who was at the epicenter of the skill, monsters nearby lose their balance while flames erupted from the ground and roasted them. Though it was a skill that dealt damage regardless of friend or foe, it wasn’t a problem since he was only surrounded by enemies.
Due to the synergy between the reinforced weapon and the support magic cast on it, its skill and range of effect had risen tremendously and could not be compared to its previous state. When the skill ended and the flames died down, Hibineko was left in a bubble devoid of monsters with a radius of 100 mels.
More monsters then approached him in order to reoccupy the empty space.
As for Hibineko, he wore the smile of a carnivorous animal. He kept on attacking the monster hordes.
◆◆◆◆
Across from Shin on the other side of Hibineko, Shadow was silently carrying out a massacre.
A black shadowy figure ran, slicing through the monsters leaving only cut lines lingering in the air. For a short time, the monsters seemed unaffected.
Then, when the they moved a little, they fell apart along the slice lines.
“As expected, a weapon made by Shin is on another level.”
Shadow muttered unintentionally, admiring the dagger he held in his right hand.
The dagger was lighter compared to before Shin had reinforced it, and yet it drew a stronger killing blow. As if being buffed by the weapon’s newfound power, he felt even his body control had increased.
As a matter of fact, his physical strength had went up too. If one had to say, the way it had risen up was different; there were no stats that had been improved. It had been adjusted for the owner from the beginning. It was the case for Hibineko and Shadow. So, it was natural that the state of reinforcement was varied as well. It became smoother and closer to the ideal image in their minds. With his body moving as he imagined, Shadow felt happier while being on the battlefield.
“*Sigh* I don’t remember feeling this in the game.”
As Shadow ran, his excitement was charged into his weapon.
It was totally different from Shin and Hibineko’s fighting style; there was only long and silent movements.
Only the screams or roars of the monsters, and the sounds made by monsters’ equipment could be heard. There were no explosions or shock waves, but the number of the monsters decreased steadily.
“…*Swish*!”
A voice like a sigh leaked out. During that short pause, 8 to 10 slice lines were made. However, no less than 10 monsters had fallen.
Using the fencing and water technique combination skill 【Blade Stream】 the cutting lines were exerted in the air every time the dagger was wielded. The blade of water generated by the water technique shone under the light of the sun. Though there was something called waterjet cutter that could even cut through steel in the real world, the power of this skill greatly exceeded that.
Water based magic could be prolonged by making the water thin and long, like hairs. The monsters called goblin knights, which had the skin harder than iron, and ogres, which had muscles like bundled steel, didn’t stand a chance.
The blades of water that extended from the dagger were almost as sharp as the dagger itself due to the skill. In other words, be it the muscle mass or the skin, there was no other result than to be cut down in one stroke.
The radius of the Shadow’s attack was about 20 mels. While normally the dagger was considered a short-ranged weapon, Shadow’s range of attack was like a different weapon altogether.
Even if it was not as flashy, the speed with which Shadow exterminated monsters wasn’t inferior to Shin or Hibineko’s.
◆◆◆◆
Holly was observing the enemy’s movement while focusing on the fight in front of her.
Even though Shin and the others were separated from each other by some distance so that they didn’t get caught up in each other’s attacks, to the monsters, it was no different than if they were fighting together. The shocks and the sounds Shin and the others made gradually started to draw the entire crowd toward them.
“(The crowd on the front right has begun to flow to this side. The feint operation seems to be going well.)”
The three acknowledged Holly’s Mind Chat with a few words and increased their extermination speed.
If it ended early, they wouldn’t have to worry about a surprise attack.
Schnee and Guile attacked the hordes that were not heading straight for Shin and the others with long-ranged magic. Though large-scale magic for anti-guild war was not useable yet, normal magic skills could be used without a problem. Due to Schnee’s specialty, lighting and water techniques, and the flame technique from Guile, they killed more monsters than Shin and his party combined.
“Now, I need to do my work too.”
Holly said as a great number of flame bullets appeared in midair.
She targeted behind Shin and the others. Even if the three used skills that attacked on all directions and extend its ranges, they could still face unexpected defeat. As the monster hordes numbered several thousands, it was impossible to keep fighting without running out of energy under the present conditions. Therefore, Holly shut down the possibilities of unexpected defeat.
“Please go.”
Under Holly’s command, the flame bullets which remained in midair started to move. The flame bullets scattered in the ratio of 2:4:4 toward the directions of Shin, Hibineko, and Shadow. They flew to the monster hordes which were relatively large, moved to close the gap of their attack, and hit the center of the group.
With an explosion, the weapons that the monsters carried and parts of their bodies were scattered in all directions.
“I’m not done yet!”
After she finished firing the flame bullets, Holly raised her stick above her head.
“Come fall!”
The skies above the monster hordes changed as she spoke.
A portion of the sky warped as if it had been covered by a giant glass lens. Then, it fell little by little toward the monsters on the ground within the spell’s range of effect.
The monster hordes this time were mostly composed of humanoid monsters but naturally, there were many other monsters too.
What Holly had aimed at were the flying-type monsters which would become troublesome if left unattended, even though there were only a few of them. What could be seen were ‘Head Eagles’ which looked just like enlarged eagles, and small pterosaur ‘Airnodons’ which had membranous wings like the Pteranodon.
Both were about level 180, and their physical strengths were low but their hit & run strategy of swooping down and flying away was a bad match for knights who couldn’t use magic skills. Though some of the knights could shoot them down with throwing spears or kill them when they were swooping down, it would take at least half of the soldiers to achieve that.
Because Holly had knocked them down to the ground, the knights were able to deliver the decisive blows. While it’s true that high-level monsters didn’t weaken at all when they were dropped onto the ground, the knights easily dealt with the flight-type monsters that Holly had cast down because the monsters were low-level and an easy target after they had fallen.
“Still, there’s a lot as expected.”
Holly grumbled unintentionally, while she fired additional flame bullets at a speed that would shock a mage similar to Guile if seen. It was not Holly’s first time dealing with the ‘Flood’, but even Holly would get tired by the sheer number of monsters in this ‘Large Flood’. Even with the assistance of the strengthened equipment by Shin, she couldn’t cover all the three vanguards’ leftovers.
Naturally, Holly didn’t think she could deal with all the monsters which were moving independently too. The individual monsters who passed through the three vanguards and Holly’s attacks were dealt with by the first and the second war groups of Balmel’s defense knight squadrons.
Berett had said that the experience in war against the monsters was low, but that had only been based on Rokuten’s standards in the game era. Compared to other soldiers in other cities, Balmel’s knights were rather capable. The levels of the soldiers surpassed 150 on average. Their captain’s levels were in the 180 range. Elgin’s, the leader of the knights, level exceeded 200.
Since soldiers were not Chosen Ones, when they were up against mutant monsters with levels close to 300, they normally would take damage to some degree. However, with their skills and cooperation, Elgin and his corps could defeat mutated monsters without making any sacrifices. In the game era, these kinds of courageous warriors were known as ‘cheats’ in a different sense of the word from Shin and the others.
“Be careful of your surroundings so as to not obstruct others! Don’t slack off until you make sure it’s dead!”
Elgin’s voice resounded as he took command. It reached the knights without being drowned out by the explosions and roars of the monsters.
Even if their opponents were low-level monsters like goblins, they fought seriously. At the rear, there was Schnee and her party, and the third and the fourth war groups were also standing by. They didn’t overlook details in the defense arrangements.
Up to now, much of the burden had been borne by the ladies. Because this was a blot on the knight squadron’s chivalry, the first and the second war group of knights were roused to a new high. Although they were inferior in individual ability, their teamwork more than compensated for this, allowing the number of monsters to be reduced quickly and reliably.
While the number of monsters shrank at an increasing rate, a change was felt in the monster hordes which were heading toward Shin and the others.
“It’s covered with ‘Worker Ants’. The ones jumping, are ‘Little Hoppers’, huh?”
“They’re mainly insect-types?”
“Fumu, this will be a little troublesome.”
While the three were physically separated, their words were delivered as if they were right next to each other.
Shin who confirmed the name of the monsters with 【Far Sight】, Shadow who looking at the battle field as a whole and saw the monster mix change from humanoid type to insect type, and Hibineko who was concerned because the insect types were hard to kill, had said respectively.
The main group of humanoid monsters, mainly goblins and orcs, spread out and created a path 200 mels wide. Into this path came the insect type monsters. Just as their names suggested, the Worker Ants and the Little Hoppers which Shin spoke a while ago were monsters who were giant versions of ants and grasshoppers. They were about 1 mel high. They were low-level monsters who didn’t have prominent abilities. On the other hand, they had the abilities that the smaller versions of these insects had. The Worker Ants had powerful mandibles, and the little hoppers had the jump ability of the grasshoppers.
A majority of the monsters were Worker Ants. The Little Hoppers and other insect type monsters jumped up and down to close the few gaps.
“(Schnee, can you check the monster hordes from over there?)”
“(No, I still cannot see far enough into the inner groups of monsters yet. Did something happen?)”
“(The mix of the monsters has changed. Worker Ants have become the main attackers and other insect type monster are heading this way.)”
“(It’s just the way the records document, right? Got it, I’ll contact the person commanding at the rear here.)”
Shin and his party were closer to Elgin who commanded all the knight squadrons. Schnee was closer to the adjutant who was commanding the third and the fourth war groups which were waiting at the rear so, it was decided she would notify him.
“(Holly-san, can you contact Elgin-san?)”
“(I am close. Leave it to me.)”
After asking Holly to pass the message to Elgin, Shin plunged into the group of monsters again.
Shin was 300 mels in a straight line from the first group of Worker Ants. Because there were about 100 mels space between the groups, if the monsters were defeated, there would be about 200 mels distance before he contacted the third wave.
In order to keep misses to a minimum, Shin used a skill that increased the range of his weapon. Shin let the aura that had enveloped and extended from the tip of 『Kakura』 to lengthen to just under 10 mels. A single sideways blow sent masses of goblins flying. The orcs who tried to engage with swords were turned into minced meat including their armors.
Among the monsters, several ‘Ogre Commanders’ were seen. These were monsters of mutation class that were also described in the documents of the guild. However, they were only high-leveled in relation to rest of the horde of monsters. With levels of at best 300, they were no different than a regular goblin to Shin and his party.
An Ogre Commander swung down a large 3 mel long sword, which it probably acquired when evolving, with all its might. It attempted to bisect Shin along with its allies. Shin counterattacked, and struck against the sword’s side with 『Kakura』. The sound of metals clashing reverberated with a “Gin!”, Two thirds of the big sword that had approached Shin flew into the air.
The large sword was actually larger than 『Kakura』; on the other hand, for mass and quality, 『Kakura』 was overwhelmingly superior. Since Shin struck with his physical strength at the side of the sword which was also its weak point, it was inevitable for the sword to either break or bend.
“Gi…?”
The Ogre Commander who saw his sword snapped to nearly ½ size, cried out in a stupid voice. In its mind, it had been certain that Shin had been cut in half.
The Ogre Commander was slow to react and left a small opening. Shin, who couldn’t overlook that chance, hammered 『Kakura』 into its head as a gift in return.
The blade with a dark red aura formed by the effect of the skill, nearly bisected the Ogre Commander. It split him from its head to its inseam in a stroke.
A moment later a huge amount of blood spurted over the surroundings.
“Next is the bugs, huh?”
After the group of humanoid monsters were cleaned up, Shin turned his gaze toward the insect types who were approaching. There were signs of Shadow and the others in the distance too. Apparently, most of them had already finished. The monsters which didn’t come toward Shin and his party, had already been turned to ash by Schnee and Guile.
“(Everyone listen, there’s no change to the strategy. We exterminate them without stopping!)”
“(Roger!!)”
To Holly’s voice, Shin and the rest replied in unison.
Then suddenly, a thought came to Shin.
“(Shadow-san, Hibineko-san, do you have a moment?)”
“(What was it?)”
“(If everyone uses 【Scarlet Explosion Palm】, we can wipe out the majority of our opponents. Should we take the initiative and lead everyone to victory using a combined attack from the three of us?)”
“(I see, that one, huh?)”
Hibineko remembered another party situation like this where two or more players were up against a vast number of monsters and they decided to use the skill called 【Scarlet Explosion Palm】.
Shadow also seems to have remembered a similar situation, as he returned with a voice of agreement when he heard Shin’s suggestion.
“(If we do it with the three of us, wiping out a vast area of monsters will not be a problem with this skill.)”
“(Interesting. I’m in)”
“(Me too.)”
Hibineko and Shadow quickly agreed to Shin’s idea. In the meantime, the group of monsters had already approached to within 50 mels.
“Let’s go!!”
The three didn’t worry about the approaching monster hordes. They didn’t bother, because soon, the hordes would be taken care of by this attack.
The three clenched their fists, and focused their power on their right hands. Boosted by the reinforced equipment, even before they could invoke the skill, large craters formed just from the power of their fists. The three of them took a similar stance of shooting from the hip.
There was to be no signal. The three people’s senses had become sharp on the battlefield. They wouldn’t miss the timing.
“―!!”
The moment when the distance to the monster hordes closed to 30 mels, the three simultaneously thrust out their fists without any prior notice.
Their fists focused on one place around Shin; The power accumulated in each respective fist was released. After a momentary delay, the direction and the attributes were given; the power which had been focused into a single spot, was then shot into the approaching enemy.
The released mass of energy from the three people rapidly swelled up. The chosen attribute was flame. The cluster of flame blazing up transparently because of the overwhelmingly high temperature, then rushed towards the approaching monster hordes.
As it reached them, the monsters bodies were scorched, and then reduced to ashes in the next moment.
If one was to observe the strange place, in spite of the fact that their bodies were burned, there was no fire visible. The flame was so hot, it had become completely transparent. Boosted by the upgraded equipment, only the heat waves were visible as the invisible fire roasted the enemy.
The fire didn’t just stay around Shin and the others, it spread out into the monster hordes. The flames spread the same way water spread when it flowed on the ground. As for its range, it already vastly exceeded the range of wide area magic that had been shot by Guile.
The Worker Ants had become a mountain of ashes. Something that hopped like Little Hoppers fell to the ground. Though there were superior individuals like the Ogre Commanders, they too, turned to ashes without even coming in contact with the enemy.
Cooperative mode 【Complete Destruction Palm】 skill.
It was a skill that could be invoked when 2 or more players combined the barehanded and flame technique combination skill 【Scarlet Explosion Palm】. Its power and effect range increases as the number of people who use it increases. Since the stats of the player and the power of the player’s equipment governed the ultimate power level, 【Complete Destruction Palm】 that Shin and his group invoked was far above the expected power of three people.
“…Though I expected the power to increase, that was overwhelming!”
“I wasn’t expecting this either. ”
“Ah~…Flame is really effective against insect types. It was really powerful because of that, right?”
They were all surprised by the overwhelming power.
“Now’s our chance, let’s clean up as much as possible.”
“Yeah, I don’t know how many monsters are left either. But there’s no reason not to be efficient about this.”
“You’re right. There’s no need to defeat everything individually.”
When they finished the discussion, Holly warned the knight squadron. The three then quickly fired 【Complete Destruction Palm】 again, at a range that didn’t threaten their allies. 20% of the right wing of the hordes disappeared in the next shot, and the remainder were melted away by 4 additional shots.
The monster hordes had been like a black wave that covered the earth. Some soldiers were simply aghast at the spectacle where nearly half of the hordes were destroyed in such a short amount of time. However, since the monster hordes were destroyed by allies and because it reduced the danger, the soldiers didn’t think too deeply about it.
Even though people knew that Shadow and Hibineko were strong, nobody could have guessed how powerful they really were.
“Looks like it’s animal types next.”
Without being aware of the soldiers’ shock, the three intently fixed their eyes on the enemy.
Behind the third wave, Shin saw a number of animal types. There were groups of animal type monsters such as wild boars, wolves and bears. He was able to confirm both ‘Tetra Grizzly’s and ‘Flame Boar’s which he had fought before.
“Is it the fourth wave?”
“What the heck! How many waves are there?”
Shadow and Hibineko looked at the monsters while sighing. The ‘Large Flood’ was a phenomenon that generated multiple times more monsters than a normal ‘Flood’. From the change of the monster types, it was likely that it had already generated four times more monsters than normal.
The ‘Large Flood’ mentioned in the records, was described as being like an average ‘Flood’ repeated three times over. The current large flood had already surpassed the documented one. At this point, nobody knew how much longer it would continue.
“I’m gonna jump a little to see how deep it is.”
Saying this, Shin jumped with his full strength which caused the ground to collapse from the power of the jump. He gained altitude with the help of martial arts movement skill 【Flying Shadow】.
When he reached an altitude where he could look over the fourth wave, Shin used 【Far Sight】 to gaze deeper.
“Beast rider warriors huh?”
Behind the animal type groups, he saw the last group moving with a 300 mels gap between them and the fourth wave. The last group was a mixture of humanoid types and animal types. The size of this wave was almost double what they had faced so far. There were small species types like goblins and kobolds, but Shin was also able to confirm riding animal types of monsters.
Monsters such as goblins and kobolds were individually weak so they may have learned how to ride and handle animal type monsters to compensate. These were called beast rider warriors or otherwise ‘~Rider’. Not only did their mobility increase, but it was known that their combat ability was also greatly enhanced.
Unusually, the increased mobility of the beast riders allowed them to reduce the gap between the fourth and fifth wave.
“The fifth wave is closing the gap between groups. Because most of the last group are beast rider warriors. Their number also twice as many.”
Shin who had landed, conveyed the things he saw to Shadow and the rest. Though they didn’t have any problems with the enemy’s fighting power, it was the enemy’s mobility which could make things difficult if they dispersed.
Since they were on a plain, it was advantageous for a mobile enemy. It was different than when in the forest or in complicated terrain. For cavalrymen on a plain, especially with beast rider enemies like this time, the ordinary soldiers at the rear would be forced into a hard fight. It was particularly difficult because the monsters could jump over closely held lines of spears.
Though there were also cavalrymen in the knight squadrons of Balmel, it would be difficult to follow the monsters’ nimble movements even with trained warhorses. How they sealed the mobility of the enemy would become the decisive factor.
“Coping with them is possible if they don’t scatter haphazardly. Just to be sure, I’ll tell Holly to prepare to use soul technique.”
“Holly-san’s soul technique? Oh, come to think of it, Holly-san’s soul technique is ideal for a situation like this. ”
Soul technique was a skill exclusive to elves. Though each player or support character was assigned one attribute, they could use techniques that gave a different effect from their baseline attributes with magic skills.
The attribute of Holly’s soul technique was earth. It was suitable for sealing the opponent’s movements and installing obstructions rather than for attacking. It was a very effective way to reduce the mobility of the beast rider warriors.
“Then, for the rest of them agai――!!”
A loud alarm sound reached Shin’s ears when he started to say cleanup of the remaining monsters. That sound, which only Shin could hear, was from the 【Silent Whisper】 which he had set around Balmel. It was a warning that sounded when a preset number of hostile presences were detected.
“Shin, what’s wrong?”
“Apparently, they have come at last. There was a reaction in 【Silent Whisper】.”
“They have come at this time huh? Do you know their direction?”
“They are at the north gate, near the third war group.”
Shadow asked, after Shin broke off in the middle of speaking. The distance from the 【Silent Whisper】 to Balmel was approximately one kemel. There was a possibility that the third war group was already moving.
As for why hadn’t Shin and his party been notified, had nobody seen the enemy yet? Or was it because there was no one who could use Mind Chat? It seemed likely to be the former.
Soon after that thought, an indication of a message appeared on Shin’s view. The contents were about the monsters approaching Balmel and the third war group’s movements.
“It’s a message came from Tiera. The third war group has already moved to intercept. The monsters’ levels are high, and they seem to be moving in a direction which avoids contact with the frontlines.”
The monsters of the ‘Flood’ normally have levels that don’t reach 100 on average. However, the monsters approaching Balmel were a mix of creatures level 200 and greater.
Kaede seemed to be together with Tiera. She seems to have been the one who confirmed the information as it was written in the message.
“It’s more dangerous there, as we expected. We will take charge here. Shin, follow the plan and go over there. ”
“Roger that. I’ll leave this place to you.”
Shin entrusted that place to Hibineko and the others. He started running, while concealing himself with 【Hiding】, he also released his power 【Limit】.
With a bang sound, he crushed the ground as he sped up. At the same time, he put on the equipment he had prepared for a time like this.
Covering his whole body was a full plated armor of deep crimson which closely resembled samurai armor.
He held a deformed death scythe in his hand decorated with eye-like patterns on the base of the hilt and the blade.
The mood was completely different than a moment ago, as Shin ran at full speed.
As if rejoicing that its turn had come, the death scythe on Shin’s shoulder made a *Gisiri* sound.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 05 - Crimson Exterminator/The-New-Gate-Volume-05-Crimson-Exterminator-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_05_Chapter_02_Part_04.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 4
“I heard the story, but they really came huh?”
“Many people with a lot of combat experience, like my mother and father, are able to read the flow of battle with just their intuition. It’s a sense that I don’t understand yet.”
Before their eyes, they saw the monster hordes advancing while mowing down trees in the forest. The number of monsters were so great, that they dyed the earth black. By all rights, these monsters would normally be hostile to each other. Seeing that, Tiera talked about the things that Shin had spoken of and felt that they had come true.
“Kaede-chan, do you know what type of monsters they are and what their levels are?”
“Yes, but even if I disclose it, I am confused by all the various monsters mixed together, and to be frank, there’s no type. Even their lowest exceeds level 200. There are individuals whose levels are 350, which I believe are probably leaders.”
“Thank you. I’m going to contact Shin and Master, so please tell me if there are any changes.”
“Understood.”
Tiera entrusted Kaede to be the lookout and opened a message card. The third war group started to move as they spread out in front of the rampart. Tiera quickly wrote down the information regarding the monsters that she had heard from Kaede and sent it to Shin and Schnee.
In the case that Shin and the others might not be near Tiera and her group, she was told to make contact immediately when the monsters came.
“This will do. Now, I will have to create a diversion until Shin and master come here.”
“I will help you.”
“Thank you. Though even if I say that, Kaede-chan is stronger than me.”
“No, I was taught that power is not everything, and because I also believe that myself, please issue instructions without reservation.”
Was it the influence of Shadow and Holly’s education? Kaede did not have an arrogant attitude although her stats were superior. It was said that strength is justice, or something like that, but she was free from the arrogance that was occasionally seen in Chosen Ones. On the other hand, Kaede was rather impressed with Tiera’s ability to keep up with her with the stats of a normal person. Although Tiera hadn’t realized it.
Even though Tiera’s stats were low, her abilities, because she had undergone training from Schnee for over 100 years, had already reached the level of an expert. During the escort job, when she had killed a bandit with an arrow, only her elven perception ability and her skill with a bow were required for the task. She had also fought against monsters above level 100 while traveling. Though she herself wasn’t aware of it, she had enough power to fight against the captain class of Balmel’s knight squadron on equal terms if she made a serious effort. Moreover, she was accompanied by a divine beast.
She was originally an alchemist and now a tamer. Tamers did not excel in physical abilities, and their worth was decided together with their monster partner as a set. Following that logic, Tiera could have been said to be stronger than Kaede.
Kaede was not so foolish as to take such a haughty attitude toward a partner like Tiera.
“When they come a little closer, I’ll shoot the individuals who seem to be the leaders with my bow. After that, I can do nothing but to continue shooting earnestly.”
“Can you aim from here?”
“I’ll be able to, somehow, with my weapon and Kagerou’s assistance. This time Yuzuha-chan is here too. Even if I have the 【Far Sight】 skill, I don’t feel like I am really needed.”
“That’s not true, someone who is accompanied by a divine beast like you is not bad at all! Tiera-san is also better at handling the bow than the instructor at the training school.”
Another person would probably say “What are you talking about?” to Tiera who was not aware of her own ability. Normally when a person’s own ability was low, no matter how much assistance they received, the results would still be low. Since she only started real combat training since leaving Tsuki no Hokora and being around Schnee so much, Tiera had lost any common sense for measuring people’s strength. This gave her a false impression about her own strength.
Moreover, the fact that Gaien and Tsubaki, who had come together during the escort request the other day, also had abilities that didn’t match their levels and ranks, had also contributed to that impression. To make matters worse, for the past several days she had trained on the training grounds, which were only intended for low-rank adventurers who tried to distract themselves from their own anxiety. Because of these strange turns of fate, Tiera was not yet able to properly recognize her own ability.
“Anyone can do this given 100 years, you know?”
“Certainly, it must be so if you say so.”
Tiera Lucent.
A woman who was the personification of the phrase ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’.
“Now, it’s time to go!”
Seeing Tiera ready her bow, Kaede also prepared to use her soul technique.
Answering Kaede’s chant, an emerald-green sphere of light appeared. The attribute of her soul technique was wind. It was an attribute that rivaled many water and earth users among the elves that used soul technique. An emerald-green light sphere was something that visualized the wind’s spirit. A spirit in sphere of light form was the result of a low-leveled soul technique. When the skill level of the soul technique rose, it would take on various figures accordingly.
Kaede had asked for the divine protection of the wind spirit. Because it raised the hit-rate of their long-distance attacks and lowered the hit-rate of the enemy’s long-distance attacks, the divine protection was said to be necessary to employ when one is using a bow.
“Divine protection has been applied.”
“Thank you”
Tiera, who concentrated on drawing the bow, thanked in a low voice.
The bow that Tiera was using was not the purely wooden bow that she had been using up until now, and was instead an obviously superior bow with metal incorporated all throughout it. It had been made using a branch of a magical tree that had been said to be over a thousand years old and with mithril, which had a good affinity for magic. The bow itself was charged with a dense magical power. Had the arrows she was using been processed as well? To Kaede, the arrows seemed to absorb the magical power of the bow.
Kagerou and Yuzuha growled next to Tiera, who pulled the bow. At the same time, Tiera herself began to shine as she was clad in purple lighting.
“――! ――――!”
Was she concentrating? Tiera didn’t seemed to notice her own state. She held her breath while drawing the bow so her aim didn’t shift due to breathing.
And, at the same timing as the long-distance attacks by the archers and mages, Tiera released all the power charged in the bow.
“Kya!”
The moment the arrow had been released, strong winds violently circled around Tiera, causing Kaede to raise a small scream. It was the recoil from the magic power that had been focused into one point and then released.
The people who couldn’t attack from afar and could only watch Tiera and the others, lost their balance and fell down from the sudden gust. Many of the people who had fallen down hadn’t fallen simply because of the wind.
It was because they had seen the spectacle when the bow was released.
“What is that…”
Someone said, but everyone was thinking the same thing.
What had been shot from Tiera’s bow, was it really an ‘arrow’? The display caused them to doubt something even as basic as that.
The arrow shot from the bow had been enveloped in magic power, and it flew several kemels toward the monsters in an instant, leaving a band of light and a flash of purplish lighting.
If Shin had seen this, he would probably say, “it’s a beam”. The arrow was ridiculously fast, as if a light technique system magic skill had been evoked. It went in a straight line, completely disregarding arc trajectory, which was a characteristic of archery, towards the ‘Ogre Leader,’ one of the monster leaders. When it struck, it scraped the leader and its surrounding off as the purplish lighting spread for several mels around the place where the arrow pierced the ground. Though only one arrow had been shot, the damaged area contained up to a dozen of bodies including the leader.
Monsters like the Ogre Leader that had been hit directly by Tiera’s attack were annihilated, leaving behind only their forearms and lower legs as if the space containing their torsos had been erased. The monsters who were the subordinates of the leader saw this and seemed to be terribly confused by the sudden situation.
“Um…Tiera-san, is that bow…”
“Shin lent it to me since I seem able to use it now…but I didn’t hear that so much power would come forth when I shot seriously!”
Judging from Tiera’s tone, it did not seem to have released as much power while she had been practicing. While looking at the bow she held in her hand, her face stiffened.
“F-For the time being, let’s prioritize killing monsters! I think you shouldn’t think too deeply about it!”
“T-That’s right! I’ll question Shin closely about this later; now is the time to suppress the monsters in front of us, right!”
Although Tiera’s shooting had decreased the monsters’ morale with its bombardment, the number of monsters had hardly changed. When they had settled down, Tiera and Kaede decided to resume attacking.
The surrounding people also pulled themselves together as they saw the two get ready to resume. They started moving to do things they thought they could do.
“Here’s another one”
A single blow like a flash of light was again shot from the bow Tiera held. Like last time, a leader was rent asunder, and unrest ran through the subordinate monsters.
However, even with that much power, if one considered the amount of magic and time needed to concentrate and charge up for the attack, she was not able to rapidly discharge arrows. As a whole, the damage was insignificant when compared to the total number of monsters.
In addition, after several shots, the remaining monsters learned to predict Tiera’s attacks and the leaders began to withdraw outside the bow’s range. They then directed only the subordinate monsters toward Balmel.
“Ugh, I’m sorry, I need to rest for a while.”
After about 10 arrows, Tiera lowered her bow and sat down.
In terms of power, it was natural that the higher the output, the higher the magic consumption rate would be. Even though it was possible to shoot without using magic, it would be better to wait for her magic to recover when considering efficiency.
While patting Kagerou, who looked at her anxiously, Tiera took out a magic medicine ‘ether’ and put it in her mouth. Tiera swallowed the odorless and faintly sweet liquid, and shifted her eyes toward the battlefield.
Ahead of her gaze, she saw the cavalry unit of Balmel’s third war group cut off the monster hordes while receiving support from the mage unit.
The knight squadron charged into the areas where the monsters were still in turmoil from Tiera’s bombardment. The monsters were unable to resist the assault.
The ones who attacked were the elite of the third war group. During their attack, the monsters were trampled repeatedly without a single loss. If you looked closely, something like a film of light could be seen enveloping the knights and the horses.
Divine magic art 【Light of Mercy】. This was one art that Tiera had memorized. It was a personal barrier that absorbed damage from the monsters. Mages and the like often used it to compensate for their low defense. It was learned as a preparation against surprise attack. It was originally a priest’s field of expertise, but it was an art that many people learned regardless of their job. Many of the cavalrymen who returned had lost the film of light. The mage unit cast it again. After all, arts were not as powerful as skills.
“If they get here, then I’ll fight too!”
When they got closer, Kaede invoked the soul technique again. Spirits of various sizes flew in the air, and bullets of air that were approximately the size of a soccer ball scattered over the monster hordes.
When these multi-colored balls of air hit their targets, a large amount of smoke was released into the area. Then, the monsters in that area suddenly stopped moving and started to act strange as they began to attack their allies.
“I see, the effect of 【Wind of Interference】 is amplified by soul technique, right?”
“Yes, though I don’t expect it to do any damage, it’s ideal for disrupting the enemy.”
【Wind of Interference】 was a magic belonging to the middle rank wind technique magic skills. The magic skill involved firing wind bullets that randomly debuffed their targets; it had a high probability of causing an abnormal status, but the damage it dealt was almost zero.
As for why Kaede had chosen to do that, it was because Shadow and Holly, who had experienced large-scale battles in addition to the ‘Flood,’ had taught her to do so. More than direct attacks were needed to be effective when facing numerous opponents at once. Using skills such as poison, paralyze, and confuse was one of the strategies that prevented the other party from demonstrating their strength as a group.
There was a big difference in strength between organized groups who acted together in a systematic way and groups that either were never organized or became disorganized. 【Wind of Interference】 was used to prevent that from happening.
The monsters, which had been rushing closer, had been disturbed by the chaos occurring inside their group. The monsters that had been paralyzed fell over and were trampled by the monsters behind them. The monsters that had been confused were attacking their allies from the rear. The frontline, which had stood in one straight line, began to shift greatly, forming a gap between the monsters that were still advancing forward and the monsters that were falling behind.
The cavalry unit of Balmel didn’t miss this opportunity, and killed the monsters that had protruded away from the rest of the line in smaller groups.
“That’s the elite of Balmel for you. But…”
“Yes, at this rate, it would be bad.”
The knights’ movements had certainly proven their skill. However in the long run, there was an upper limit in number of enemies that the cavalry unit, the mages unit, and the long-distance attack of the archery unit could defeat. As for not sending the infantry, it was because they knew it was only a matter of time before they would get swallowed by the huge number of monsters.
“Now is the time!”
“Grue!”
Kagerou answered Tiera with a bark. Tiera and Kagerou were standing away from the direction that the monsters that had spawned from the ‘Flood’ were coming from. Tiera had been posted here to prepare for when the monsters moved into the area where no Chosen Ones had been deployed.
Kagerou was expected to support her if push came to shove.
“Kuu! Kuu!”
“Yuzuha-chan?”
Beside Kagerou, who fixed his eyes on the enemy valiantly, Yuzuha raised its foot and barked. That look seemed to say, “Yuzuha too! Yuzuha too!”
“Okay, I’m counting on Yuzuha-chan too.”
“Ku!”
“Leave it to me!” was what Yuzuha seemed to say with a cheerful bark.
Even though Yuzuha was far from its full strength, Yuzuha’s level surpassed 400, and because its tail had split into three, it was able to use flame technique and lightning technique in addition to divine magic. Its combat power was already by no means inferior to an upper class Chosen One. Yuzuha was more than enough as a battle force.
Kagerou and Yuzuha’s backup accounted for nearly half of the power of Tiera’s prior bombardment. Even if Tiera possessed many Shin-made items, she was only able to use weapons that were available to the commoner class with her stats, and it would have been a serious problem if she attacked inaccurately with a superior weapon. Her low accuracy would have been the result of her low affinity with both the weapons and the support she was given. To digress, despite her low DEX, she could aim and hit at a target with a bow of high power like the one she held; In general, Tiera’s ability didn’t depended on her stats.
“Alright! My magic power has been restored, too. I’ll reduce the number of enemies a little more.”
After her magic power had been sufficiently restored, Tiera aimed her bow at the leaders and began to shoot again.
Her bow’s shots, which were impossible to counterattack against because they came from the highest point on the rampart, had a small but steady impact on the groups she attacked.
Meanwhile, an individual clearly different from the other monsters appeared before Tiera’s eyes.
Its body was two times bigger than a normal ogre. It had blue skin that was almost black, two crystal-like horns that grew from its head, and grasped a huge ax that was enveloped in dark red aura in its hand.
“That one’s kinda big.”
“It’s not a leader individual. Its name appears to be ‘Berserks’. Its level is…I can’t see it?!”
Kaede spoke out loud as 『???』 was displayed at the column of its level.
If Kaede, who was a critical who could fight against a Chosen One, couldn’t see its level, then its level probably exceeded 500.
Away from Kaede, who was shocked, a large amount of magic arts and arrows poured down on Berserks. Even from a distance, the knight squadrons were not as incompetent as to miss the strange atmosphere that Berserks emitted.
The attacks had been strong enough to crush ordinary ogres and Ogre Commanders, but before they could hit, Berserks swung its ax with a tremendous force.
The ax created a windstorm in its wake as it was swung. The wind it generated blew away not only the magic and the arrows, but the monsters nearby as well. Though the attacks, which had been aimed at it had dealt damage to the monsters around it, not even one arrow had reached Berserks’ vitals.
While the magic and the arrows had killed many other monsters, Berserks, who had been at the center of the attacks, remained completely unharmed. It walked forward towards Balmel without anything slowing it down.
“What is that!”
“That weapon, I believe it may have the performance close to a magic sword. That Berserks didn’t even flinch from the attack and was able to use the weapon like that.”
“This isn’t the time to be surprised. Kagerou, Yuzuha-chan, lend me your power!”
They had likely sensed that it was not an average opponent. Kagerou and Yuzuha answered by granting their power to Tiera’s bow.
(How about this!!)
The blow, which was charged with more power than previously seen, was then shot towards Berserks.
However, the single arrow that had been heading straight toward the enemy and leaving a trail of light and sundering the air in its wake was, of all the things, intercepted by Berserks’ ax.
While letting the aura rise from the axe, Berserks drew a red arc in the air. The swing of the axe, which couldn’t be compared with physical strength of the surrounding ogres and the like, flung aside the arrow which flew toward Berserks.
“Jal!!!”
Berserks raised its voice to psych itself up.
After a moment of resistance, the arrow was deflected from its original trajectory and pierced the ground. Because its trajectory had been diverted almost 90 degrees from its original path, there was no damage due to impact when the shock and the purplish lighting landed.
“No way…”
Tiera was speechless from shock, because the blow that was so fast it hadn’t permitted the monsters to react up until now, had been completely repelled. She hadn’t expected to defeat it, but she had expected to at least wound it.
There were no other individuals like it within the whole crowd of monsters. It was possibly the strongest individual among the approaching monster hordes. Judging from the fact that it had appeared only moments ago, it probably had been either kept away from the frontline or had missed the chance to make a surprise attack.
“Kaede-chan, can you do a stronger attack than the one just now?”
“No, I can’t do anything stronger than what you just did Tiera-san…”
Tiera had asked Kaede a slight hope, but the latter’s answer was not favorable. Even if she combined her magic with Kaede’s soul technique, that seemed problematic.
Now that it had come to this, there was nothing that the knight squadron could do any more.
“!! Tiera-san!! Look!!”
“Wha, that!!”
Tiera, who had thought she had no choice but to depend on Kagerou, returned her gaze toward the battlefield at Kaede’s prompting. She could see the figures of the cavalry unit as they charged toward Berserks.
The monsters around Berserks had been driven back by the rain of magic and arrows. This had temporarily created an open area around Berserks. A small number of the cavalry unit had advanced straight into that area.
“Maybe, they intend to try something with their highest-level people?”
“Isn’t that just suicide? Kagerou!! Get ready now!! …Kagerou?”
In order to support them immediately, Tiera called out Kagerou. But there was no response.
When Tiera shifted her gaze from the battlefield and looked at Kagerou, he had turned toward a different battlefield. If one looked closely, Yuzuha also looking in the same direction.
“What’s over――!!”
Tiera was going to say “there?”, but before she finished her sentence, she felt a strange sensation that prevented her from speaking.
Something was coming.
Tiera, who had not learned the perception system either as a skill or art, still clearly felt some presence approaching.
“Tiera-san, that…”
Ahead where Kaede was pointing, there was a silhouette charging forward through the crowd of monsters.
It was fast.
At a speed far faster than a horse or a riding beast monster type, that silhouette drew near to the battlefield.
In no time, the silhouette reached the edge of the group, then jumped without pausing. The cloud of dust billowing up, indicated the power of its leap.
“Is that…a knight?”
It was Kaede who muttered, but a lack of confidence could be perceived in those words. It was no wonder. A person jumping over 100 mels while wearing full body armor, was not normal.
However, that was not the only things that surprised her.
Considering the direction of the jump, that person probably intended to face Berserks. Even if one had a marvelous jumping power, they could never reach Berserks who was close to the center of the battlefield. However, that figure of a person jumped even further while in midair.
As expected, the monsters were also astonished by this. Their faces seemed to express bewilderment while the silhouette passed over them as they watched.
Seeing that insane movement, a person’s face flashed in Tiera’s mind.
A person who was able to do the things that had happened before her eyes.
In fact, there were three people as far as Tiera knew.
Among them, there was only one person who seemed to do these kinds of things, so she tried to call out Yuzuha for confirmation.
“Hey, Yuzuha-chan. Is that by any chance…Shin?”
“Kuu”
A bark seemed to say, “that’s right” was returned.
“Ahh…I see. That’s why Kagerou didn’t move.”
If she looked at Kagerou’s reaction, Kagerou would probably have noticed Shin approaching earlier than Tiera.
It seemed silly that she had become flustered. Though this was not the time to relax, Tiera somehow felt exhausted. It was too bad for the soldiers on top of the rampart, but they would probably have nothing to do anymore.
“Wow, he landed between Berserks and the knights.”
While hearing what seemed like a little excitement from Kaede’s voice, Tiera thought,
(I hope you don’t overdo it…)
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 05 - Crimson Exterminator/The-New-Gate-Volume-05-Crimson-Exterminator-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_05_Chapter_02_Part_05.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 5
While moving into a crowd of monsters, a young soldier had a thought.
He would die here.
Chosen Ones, like Schnee Raizar, could exterminate a crowd of monsters all by themselves.
However, if the mutation class ogre was left unattended, it would reach Balmel before the reinforcements could arrive. Even the tremendously powerful shoots, which had originated from the top of the rampart, had been repelled. Because the defenses inside the castle were weaker than the defenses outside, he didn’t know how much damage it would cause if the gate broke.
Therefore, a suicide squad consisting of especially high-levelled troops from the cavalry unit were going in to buy some time.
He was afraid of dying. No matter how long he trained, that was one fear he couldn’t overcome. And yet, the young man and the knights riding around him had chosen to fight. Even if they could only delay the monster a little, they believed that it would protect Balmel.
“50 mels until contact with the enemy――!!”
Thanks to their training, they also knew the approximate distance to the target. It was the distance between the young man and death.
Due to the attacks that were released just earlier, there were hardly any monsters between them and the mutation class. Were they afraid of the cavalry’s charge? Or were they afraid that the mutation class would attack them? The young man thought it might be the latter.
“20 mels distance!!”
“The monsters around it seem to be looking at something!! Just pay attention to the mutation class!!”
The captain of the suicide squad raised his voice. Because the mutation class looked different from a distance, the moment their eyes drew nearer the knights became intimidated.
Huge.
It was described in just one word.
That body seemed like a giant type monster, such as a Gigantes or a Cyclops, which were only heard of in fairy tales. It was unthinkable that anything could lift it up, but the mutation class lifted the ax high while it was still a distance from them.
“Shit!! Stay clear!! Everyone spread out!!”
The knights responded in unison without anyone falling behind as the captain, who had predicted the danger, shouted.
The young man who was riding a horse also evaded the trajectory of the ax that the mutation class had swung down.
He thought he had dodged it.
“Gu!!”
He had avoided a direct hit. However, the young man fell from his horse because of the aftereffects. He was thrown hard to the ground, and he was about to lose his consciousness from the impact in an instant. But his life would be over if he fainted now, so he desperately held on to his consciousness.
“Kua…”
What entered his dazed sight was the figure of another knight who fell from a horse the same way he had. When he put strength into his body in an effort to stand up, he noticed that his left leg wouldn’t move.
“Oh shit…”
He’d probably been blown over together with his favorite horse. When he looked, he saw his leg was caught between the horse and the ground. Though he twisted his leg to pull it out, it didn’t come out.
Then, a shadow fell onto the knight.
“ah…”
When he looked up, there was the mutation class.
There was no sign of intelligence behind its corrupted red eyes. Only the thirst that emitted from its body felt real. It raised its ax using its bulging muscles. There was no time to pull his leg free.
“――――――!!”
He would die in another few seconds.
Even though he understood this, the trembling young man still drew his sword from his waist, and prepared to fight the mutation class.
From the beginning, he was already a dead man. As he endured without raising a scream, he swallowed the dread that filled his heart and glared at the mutation class
The movement of the mutation class was slow.
Actually, there were no changes in the mutation class’ movement. Facing death, the young man’s sense of time had accelerated somehow in order to evade the attack.
But, no matter how much his sense of time had hastened, there was nothing he could do anymore. He could only stare at the ax as it slowly approached.
In a few blinks, his favorite horse would be bisected by the mutation class’ ax.
Or so the young man had thought,
Then, he would be next.
――――He was bound to be.
“Owa!!”
It had been too sudden.
Something had descended between the mutation class and the young man.
No, it had fallen.
The impact of the fall caused the ground to shake.
As the cloud of dust cleared, what appeared before the eyes of the stunned young man was a person standing there with full body armor and carrying a distorted-shaped large scythe.
The full-body armor’s design was different from the designs he knew. The color it reflected in the sunlight was red –deep, thick cardinal, vivid scarlet, and bright coral. Colored using these different shades of red coupled with a brilliant reflection, the armor looked like a furiously burning flame that had taken the form of a human.
It was ornate with decorations that were placed in various places. By that alone, he understood at a glance that it was made by a skilled craftsman. The more he looked at it, the more he felt the difference of status.
He could perceive unevenness in the scythe which rested on the figure’s shoulder from the lack of uniformity of its blade and shaft. An eye-like pattern had been drawn where the blade met the shaft; it seemed more like a ceremonial weapon rather than one meant for the battlefield. Even so, it looked strangely nice when paired together with the armor.
“………”
As he was entranced by that figure, the young man didn’t say anything. Exposed to the overwhelming power emitted from the figure’s whole body, his body wouldn’t listen to what he desired it to do. Although he also did so when that figure had appeared.
Even though that person’s back was turned, the young man felt the pressure of the overpowering intimidation he received from the mutation class fading.
When the young man looked at the mutation class as they stood directly opposite and facing each other, its movement had stopped while the ax was raised.
Its eyes spread wide open, and even though they were corrupted, they clearly showed the color of fear.
(For such a monster to be overwhelmed!!)
How much power was needed to be able to do that?
Among the Chosen Ones, there were none with a presence like that of the person in armor before his eyes.
Because he was on the brink of death, the intuition of the young man had sharpened to the utmost limit and made him realize something.
The person before him had power equal to Schnee Raizar. And, that person was on his side.
“Are you alright?”
“….Eh?”
He hadn’t gone senile, but momentarily the young man couldn’t comprehend the words directed at him. Judging from the voice, it was likely the man inside the armor.
As he watched, the person who had been facing away from him until just now, moved the fainted and immobile horse, and pulled out the young man’s leg.
“I-I’m saved…hey, b-behind you!!”
Flustered, he got up in a hurry, and when he looked up, the mutation class continued raising the ax.
Now wasn’t the time to help others. The young man cried while pointing to the back. His tone was coarse probably because he was in hurry.
“Hm? Ah, that’s right.”
It was a casual reply.
In the next moment, the man in armor, who should have been in front of him, vanished. Sounds of violence reached the young man’s ear at approximately the same time.
If he were to express it in words, it would probably be something like “BAM!”. Because of the excessive sound, the young man stiffened his body.
It was by luck that he didn’t shut his eyes. Because of that, he saw the source of the sounds.
“……….”
He was silent for a different reason from awhile ago.
In front of him, where the mutation class ogre had been moments before, was the man in armor with his fist extended.
The mutation class monster was nowhere to be seen. But not because it went away.
In front of the swung fist, only the elbow and the ax which the mutation class had earlier raised over its head remained, as the arm dropped.
“Ha, haha…”
The spectacular scene which occurred in front of the young man’s eyes made him lose it.
One blow.
No weapons were used, only pure physical strength.
The body of the mutation class that received the blow burst open and into pieces, some monsters which were bathed in the splattered blood screamed.
Even more than that mass of power the man in armor revealed his thrusted arm, which was covered by a gauntlet, did not even have a scratch.
Now, he couldn’t help but laugh.
“You, what are you….”
“Me? Let see…because of the color of my armor, call me Red.”
――Red, the man who defeated the mutation class and came back without a single drop of blood on him, gave an obviously fake name.
“Well, my name doesn’t matter. More than that, you can leave this place to me, and you all must join the main force.”
“Ah, yes, I thank you for your help. But we are the rag-tag remains of the knights, fighting together with you――”
“No, that won’t do. Rather, I’d be more worried if you stayed close.”
“Worried?”
“When someone is around me, I can’t fully utilize my ability. If possible, withdraw your whole team including the group that used magic back to the rampart.”
“But that is”
“I’m sorry but this is not a suggestion. Besides, anyone of you that draws near untactfully will be killed, you know? This is that kind of weapon.
Do you understand?” Red lifted the scythe on his shoulder to demonstrate.
Close up, it was easy to see the scythe’s size. Just half of its length alone was more than 3 mels, and the blade itself was more than 2 mels. The blade was wide, and something like a zigzag line ran down the center.
The young man felt that the line seemed to be a ‘mouth’. He had a premonition that at any moment, the ‘mouth’ could open and that it would nibble at him.
The young man now understood why Red wanted the entire army to fall back.
That thing was dangerous. It was impossible to fight alongside it. He would be killed by the blade before he could approach Red.
That powerful weapon was built for killing allies as well as enemies.
“That is a cursed weapon…”
“Indeed”
Red replied in a casual voice. Considering the situation, that made him stand out as being a bit odd.
For the residents in this world, there were different kinds of cursed weapons, they were all the same in that they invited destruction. There was a price for using the power of these devilish arms; they led their owners towards death.
Even though this was common knowledge, there was no sign of it seen on Red. Though he had a cursed weapon, which was said to gnaw at sanity and life, both his tone and gestures were very natural.
“Why――――”
“Sorry, but no more questions. There’s no time to waste. Someone is coming to pick you up, too.”
Behind the young man, the knights who escaped falling from their horses came to retrieve their friends.
“You are?”
“I’m Red. I’ve already told this knight, but I’m taking charge here. You all have to withdraw.”
“………”
The one who called out to Red was the knight entrusted as the captain of the suicide squad. Unlike the young man, the knight didn’t ask any questions, and only sent a sharp glance toward Red.
“…Understood. We’ll leave it to you. Everyone withdraw at once!! We will join the rear guard unit!!”
After contemplating for several seconds, the knight decided to withdraw. As the only captain in charge, he also quickly to made a decision.
“Captain!?”
“You too, get on the horse quickly! We are withdrawing!”
“Well, but”
“We’ll entrust this place to that person….We’ll only get in his way.”
The knight bowed to Red.
“You helped my comrade, we wish to express our gratitude.”
“I’m not doing this to be thanked. More than that..”
“Yea, we’ll withdraw immediately…I just want to ask one question. Are you, by any chance, Schnee-dono’s..”
“I’m the letter of introduction holder.”
“…I see. I’m convinced.”
The young man who heard the conversation between the two was surprised by this as well. But he understood it at the same time. It was well known that common sense didn’t apply to many letter of introduction holders.
The young man mounted the horse that his knight’s comrade rode. They left the place together with the captain. Strangely, there were no attacks from the surrounding monsters, either. Their gazes were all directed toward Red, as if the monsters didn’t see the young man and his group at all.
After they got about 50 mels away, something like an explosion was heard from the rear.
“!!”
When the young man looked back toward the sound, he saw a spectacular scene where monsters came apart and pieces were blown off into the sky.
Neither sparks nor explosion flames were seen, so it probably wasn’t caused by fire magic. Yet, he could understand that the center of the explosion-like sounds would be dreadful.
50 mels. Yes, they were 50 mels away. Still, the distance from the young man to the combat wasn’t far enough. The aftereffects of the attack were still approaching.
The horse was already running as fast as it could. His knight comrades probably also felt the danger. He didn’t even look back.
“How beautiful…”
The young man could not take his eyes off the scene.
Because his line of sight was higher as he was mounted on a horse, he managed to keep an eye on the center of the attack.
That ghastliness was fully visible.
“Ku!!”
In an instant, a wall of monsters was demolished. It was Red’s attack.
Though they should have been moving farther away, the pressure from the attack felt closer.
The explosions didn’t stop and the area where the monsters’ remains and blood flew to the sky kept getting bigger.
Red, who was barely visible, hadn’t moved at all from the place where he parted from the young man. The armor’s radiance which was bathed in monsters’ blood hadn’t lost its shine. In fact, it seemed to get more fired up in order to flaunt its existence.
Just how many monsters were facing against Red, who was only one person? The young man didn’t know. Numbers were power. No matter how strong one was, he or she would get crushed by the endless surge of monsters sooner or later.
That fact still held true for the Chosen Ones. However, as if the young man’s thoughts had been nonsense, Red demonstrated a fierce attack.
Each time the scythe was wielded, it generated a red blade. When the blade passed through the monsters, the monster corpses were torn asunder and blown into pieces. Before the power of that single blow, the monsters’ level, race and physique were insignificant.
The mountain of corpses that should have piled up and become a hindrance were instead blown away by the storm that blew in addition to the generated red blades.
In the young man’s eyes there was little doubt that Red was a calamity.
He didn’t seem to care about the approaching monsters; everything was swallowed by a raging tempest.
Thing like numbers was not a problem.
“That…”
The young man noticed that inside the tempest that pummeled the battlefield was an especially crooked shadow.
His eyes were barely able to distinguish the shape of the scythe that Red held.
The first time the young man saw it, he was certain there was only one blade. But now, the number of blades had increased to two.
No, it had always been two blades. The young man remembered the ‘mouth’, the line that ran through the blade. It seemed that the blade had split in two along the line, from top to bottom, and had taken on the appearance of a huge mandible.
“Did it… eat them?”
The separated blades ate the monsters’ flesh and blood. The mysterious way it appeared to seek blood added to the strangeness and haunted the young man’s mind.
Earlier the young man had observed the eye like drawing at the base of the blade. Now, the eye was shining brilliantly while emitting a dark purple color. It seemed to give off the impression that it was alive with a will of its own. He was certain that there was nothing holy or pure about that will.
A person observing the occasionally blinking shine, would feel that the scythe was rejoicing in the slaughter.
It was immediately obvious that this was a cursed weapon.
Though normally bizarre equipment tended to attract the most attention, the most abnormal thing wasn’t the equipment but the one who used it.
The fact that Red himself could continue fighting calmly while utilizing that equipment was the most abnormal part.
While the destruction spread in what could only be described as a massacre, no aspect of the attacks were wasteful or inefficient.
He wasn’t just using the power of the weapon. His swings perfectly matched its performance. His technique allowed a single powerful blow to fall on the monsters and then without delay, lead into the next blow. The recoil from the first blow wasn’t wasted but was instead used to connect with and initiate the next blow.
Though great martial arts sometimes felt like a dance, Red’s movements also had something close to that. As for the monster hordes, they looked like prearranged harmony as they were seen being knocked down.
It was a performance by the blazing red armor and the distorted scythe.
It was like Red was inside and outside of the storm area, a fixed space extended around him.
“………”
A distance from the monster hordes, the knights who had watched from the beginning were dumbstruck and simply stared in amazement as they forgot to guard. Unlike the young man who saw it up close, they simply didn’t know how to react to the absurd and unbelievable display.
The change that happened as Red swung the scythe was dramatic.
Some of the monsters who should have been heading for Balmel suddenly turned around and began to return. In addition, the monsters in the surrounding areas also turned around one after another.
It was the captain of the third war group who noticed how the monsters had changed directions and were heading toward the red dyed storm that was blowing violently in the same direction.
The range of effect had surpassed 100 mels and gradually continued to expand.
Won’t we also get swallowed by that at this rate? He was anxious about its vast range.
The number of monsters were decreasing at a frightening rate. The storm of destruction kept widening.
It was as if the monsters were voluntarily jumping into the burning flames.
Consuming the monsters’ lives, the scythe’s ferocious power kept increasing.
◆◆◆◆
Standing at the top of the rampart, Tiera and Kaede realized that almost all of the monsters in the battlefield were gathering around Shin.
Was it the effect of the armor, or the scythe? When seen from above, the monsters facing Shin seemed to be following something that was lit dimly red. It seemed to draw the monsters.
The effective range of the effect was wide. There was no way to describe it otherwise.
The number of monsters could still be called a black wave. The range of the effect was so large that even monsters far enough away that mel units would be too small to measure the distance, were all affected by it.
“…What is that?”
“It’s not the enemy, so it’s all right. Well, even if I say that I feel relieved to see that, though it may not sound convincing.”
“Well, um, is that an ally?”
“Yes, that’s correct. It’s no surprise that he’s coming here.”
Having Tiera reassure her, Kaede too relaxed her hands which were tightly clenched to her staff.
Though Tiera knew its true identity, judging from Kaede’s reaction to that mystery person, she would probably be frightened of it. Though that person still fought against the monsters, there was no guarantee that their blade wouldn’t be pointed at them.
The power that was displayed before Kaede’s eyes far surpassed the limits of the upper class Chosen Ones in this world.
It was certain that it fell within the domain of the ‘Special Beings’ like Schnee and Girard.
“Not even half of the monsters remain.”
Though Kaede hadn’t noticed because she was only focused on Shin’s existence, only about one-third of the original number of monsters remained. It was visible from the top of the rampart, the view that was only covered by monsters was no longer there.
“Ah!”
In the Kaede’s field of vision, as she able to see the whole view, something strange was displayed.
In a few words, it was a floating sphere.
By comparing it to the surrounding monsters, the size could be calculated to be two mels in diameter.
Brown and purple were mixed on its surface, and various eyes were attached.
There were eyes just like a human’s eye, pupils like a cat’s eye with vertical slits, compound eyes like an insect and full black eyeballs under an eyelid.
Those various eye sizes ranged from one cemel to dozens of cemels, and it observed the surroundings.
And then, suddenly some of that eyes directed their gaze towards Kaede.
“Uhh!”
Surprised, Kaede tried to look away. A sharp and throbbing pain struck her head. It was a pain like she had never experienced before. She couldn’t endure it and was forced to her knees.
Her view turned dark in an instant, nevertheless, her consciousness didn’t fade away.
Despite having almost no feeling in her body, she had a horrify sense that something was trying to enter inside her. Only pain could be felt clearly though.
“a…Ug….”
“Eh! what’s wrong!?”
Tiera was surprised by the change. It was looking like it was only a matter of time before the monsters were defeated but, Kaede had suddenly began to groan in pain.
“Kaede-chan! Kaede-chan!”
Kaede looked like she was about to collapse at any moment, Tiera immediately hugged her closely and supported her
Thereupon, the groaning Kaede entrusted her body to Tiera as she lost her strength. Visibly large drops of sweats appeared on her forehead.
“Eh…?”
“Kaede-chan? Can you hear me?”
She was likely to have lost consciousness momentarily. Tiera muttered while wondering what happened and looking after Kaede. Without knowing why, Tiera felt weak as if her strength slipped out from her body.
(This feeling, what it is I wonder…)
Kaede’s mind was free in the midst of the present war. There was a big fight until here. While her physical condition may be unusual, she regained consciousness.
After Kaede wiped her sweat, she thanked Tiera and stood up.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m already fine. There is a strange monster in the battlefield, come to think of it, it had some eyes and I suddenly got headache.”
“I wonder if it’s an attack using the mind system? Anyway, I’m glad you didn’t acquire an abnormal state.”
Though Tiera couldn’t read most of the information on Kaede’s stats due to the differences in their levels, she could see any indications of a bad status.
After confirming that there were no such indications, Tiera let Kaede rest and directed her eyes toward the battlefield.
What Tiera’s saw was a scene where the monster which exactly imitated a sphere, was cut in two by the red scythe.
During that time, Tiera was being observed by Yuzuha.
Yuzuha witnessed Tiera’s body radiate a faint light while holding Kaede which completely dispelled the black haze that had coiled around her.
“Kuu”
Yuzuha barked in a volume where no one heard except itself.
Afterward, Yuzuha stared at Tiera until the war ended, trying to see through the existence named Tiera.
◆◆◆◆
While attracting many people, Shin, also known as Red, swung the scythe he held in his hand.
After his speech, he waited for the knights to withdraw. Afterwards, he simply ran wild.
Once he beat Berserks, the strongest monster so far, to death the job became a simple routine as he expected.
“But…”
A small complaint leaked out.
Because things that he didn’t expect were taking place.
“Good grief, a real cursed weapon can’t help but to be noisy can it?”
It wasn’t that noisy when he started to fight, but as he utilized the ability of the scythe and killed monsters, voices began to echoing in Shin’s head.
The explanation note for the scythe hinted that it affected the mind. This was likely because it kept repeating the word “KILL, KILL”.
The scythe that Shin was using was called 『Scythe of Soul Eating』.
One of its abilities was to concentrate the hatred of the monsters solely towards the user. The more monsters it killed, the more damage it caused and the larger the effective range became. Furthermore, a portion of the damage generated was returned to the user. However, while cursed equipment did enhance ability, this was always in exchange for more risk.
And as cursed weapons go, the 『Scythe of Soul Eating』 surpassed the risk of other cursed equipment
The area within the range to collect the hate, the attack range rose together with the high increased rate of damage. A reason a portion of the damage was converted into HP was that it made it possible for a solo player to battle against groups. In city defense events against monsters, nearly half of the monsters would be attracted to and attacked by the player who was equipped with this weapon.
The downside was that the user’s stats were constantly decreasing by 65%, magic couldn’t be used, and it was impossible to recover HP excluding the scythe’s ability. In addition, it seemed to attract magical attacks by allies. It had more disadvantages than advantages. Furthermore, cursed equipment always include bad status effects for the mind system.
Needless to say within range of the weapon, there was no distinction between friend or foe. It was the kind of equipment that would consume 100% of any allies who fought near it.
Because the rate of decline was only reduced to 50% even if the equipment was strengthened, death was still inevitable. All the players using it died in the event.
Since coming to this world, Shin had strengthened it using his technique and made it usable by reducing the stat reduction rate to 30%.
Moreover, since Shin’s entire body was covered in an armor called the 『Holy Flame Series』, this weakened the effect of the cursed equipment. He could even use magic and recover HP to some extent.
When it comes down to it, he didn’t have to worry about the disadvantages. He should be able to fight without a problem.
However, when the number of monsters killed reached around 500, the aforementioned voice began to affect Shin’s mind.
Even an upper class Chosen One hearing that voice, would have had to battle to maintain sanity. The voice that assaulted the mind was making progress on Shin.
“Ahh, this is bothersome”
Though he said that, Shin was far from falling insane. The effect was only enough to hinder his mood.
“I didn’t notice when I tried it out, but there is endless flowing voice in this subtly audible volume. It’s ANNOYING!!”
Was it because he raised his voice? The monsters were blown away by an extra 20 percent.
At this point the cursed equipment could do no more than annoy Shin.
The people observing, could never have dreamed that Shin would be saying things like that from within the center of the storm.
“It’s time for you to come out…”
After deciding to ignore the cursed voice, Shin directed his gaze to the surroundings again.
Because he was now encountering strengthened monsters, he determined that a commander type monster like the Raid Vice was nearby. Knowing that, soon it would be caught in his net.
Using the 『Scythe of Soul Eating』 was an efficient way to reduce the number of enemies, other than the inherent problems with using cursed weapons.
Unlike with normal attacks, because the enemy hatred was focused on the user, it was literally impossible to miss the enemy.
It was even possible to make the monsters that had already headed toward Balmel return.
As the range of the scythe expanded, it was even possible to draw the monster commander towards him.
The commander was lurking in the shadows of another monster. Because it took awhile to see the opponent clearly, Shin didn’t know where it was. Therefore, he used a strategy that would draw it out forcibly.
“…Found you!”
In an area where monsters were crowded together and the individuals couldn’t be distinguished, there was a reaction that was different from the others in Shin’s perception range. Due to the monsters being pulled toward Shin, that area seemed to be less crowded.
Before the eyes of the murmuring Shin, there appeared a monster with globe-like appearance which had a large number of eyes.
It was a monster which Shin was familiar with. A Viscount class demon which were often seen at events where monsters attacked cities. Apparently, demons had resumed full-scale activities.
However, they were unlucky this time. It was classified as low-class demon, so it couldn’t stand a single blow from Shin.
Was there a last-ditch effort? Its eyes, which faced towards Shin, flashed all at once. This was normally used to induce an abnormal mental state, but had no effect on Shin.
“That will never work on me!!”
With a single blow that contained all the piled up stress, Shin cut the demon in two. The demon disappeared leaving something like a gem and jewel.
Was it because the demon had been the leader? Though the monsters came at Shin until their last, when they were finally exterminated not a single additional blow had landed on Shin.
When he contacted Schnee, she said there were a few more on the other side.
While disappearing with Hiding, Shin returned to his original position to be with Hibineko and the rest.
Without any incidents from there on, the ‘Large Flood’ came to the end.
Severely wounded people appeared among the knights who fought against the monsters. It was a bit far in the future, but the residents were excited over the fact that it was the first time in Balmel history of the ‘Flood’ that no one had died.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 05 - Crimson Exterminator/The-New-Gate-Volume-05-Crimson-Exterminator-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_05_Chapter_03_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 1
“Ahh, I want to return…”
In the carriage that was heading toward Lord Taul’s castle, Shin sighed.
It has been several days since the ‘Large Flood’. The investigation of the periphery, the monsters’ raw material extraction and their corpses removal and so on, were mostly over. Shin and the others received an invitation.
Apparently after each ‘Flood’, A party was held and the person who had the most distinguished achievements would be awarded. It was said that they wanted all the Chosen Ones to come too.
After the war ended, Shin was asked to stay for awhile. He agreed because he intended to help with the removal work. Their idea of “stay” though seemed to be different from what Shin envisioned.
“That’s my line.”
Next to Shin was a gloomy looking Tiera. She was not a Chosen One, but many soldiers had witnessed her figure shooting the monsters from the top of the rampart. So it was natural that she was asked to attend as well.
Though they tried to refuse because they claimed to be too busy with work, the people who they were working with shot down the excuses by saying “We’re good here, so go”
For the residents of Balmel, it was unthinkable that someone who had achieved so much for them and who deserved a medal of honor for their service would go without receiving proper thanks, or so they said.
“Because everyone who told me to go ahead had great smiles, I couldn’t decline.”
“You too?”
Since they all said it with such good will, she found it impossible to refuse. Shin was in the same boat so he understood what she meant.
“Shin’s achievements were reported by the knight squadron, right? The people living here, do that without fail.”
“That doesn’t mean that this is going to be a formal ceremony. If you worry about it too much, you’ll just tire yourself out.”
“Think about being able to eat food for free. Just like a noble’s party, no suspicious envious guys should approach you.”
Schnee, Shadow and Holly, who had experienced this kind of party before, tried to reassure them. Hibineko didn’t express it in words but he also wanted to say the same thing.
“I’ve just never been to a ceremony like this before, you know?”
“Well, there’s no time like the present to get used to this then. We have been through this a few times. It’s better if you get used to this now while you’re still young. It might prove useful in the future.”
Though Hibineko said that, there would hardly be a ceremony like this in real life, Shin thought. On the other hand, he was already committed and could no longer back out since he’d come this far already. He decided to just accept his fate. Just in case, he lightly re-checked his attire to make sure he wasn’t looking scruffy.
As for what Shin wore, it was a Kalkia’s formal suit, the same clothes he wore when he went to Bayreuth’s royal castle. After removing the dirt, it was in mint condition.
As for Tiera sitting next to him, she wore a bright green dress. Her black hair was gathered together at the back of her head and she had put on light make-up. The combination made her beauty look even more polished. For her one-piece dress, a section from her shoulder to her upper arms was cut out and the skirt was longer on the right side than on the left. It was an asymmetrical type dress. It fit tightly around her waist, which accentuated the thinness of Tiera’s waist. The only thing wrong with the outfit was the person wearing it, because she had drooping shoulders and a depressed expression.
Even though she seemed distressed, she still looked amazing. If someone had announced that she was the princess of a country, nobody would doubt it.
Holly and Shadow who were sitting in front of them, wore a white dress and a black suit. It was indeed the proper attire for a ceremony. Holly’s dress was a long type skirt that was called a mermaid type dress. A strap on her left shoulder held a gem that emitted a blue glow which emphasize its presence. With a dress that is showing more body lines than Tiera’s, Holly’s good sense of style stood out. Shadow who was perfectly dressed in his suit, didn’t stand a chance.
Though Hibineko also wore a suit, he gave off a slightly comical impression due to the nature of his physique. However, it was clear, that he was used to wearing a suit. Like Shin, he typically didn’t feel the need to dress up in clothes like this, but in such a place, at such a time, his experience meant that he was comfortable dressed up.
That said, the most radiant one there was Schnee. Since it was widely known that Schnee Raizar rarely participated in events like this, she was attending as Yuki, Shin’s fiancée.
As part of her disguise, her hair had been changed from silver to gold and her eyes had been changed from blue to red. Because the skill she used prevented her from being noticed when she used it on herself, that level of disguise was sufficient.
Her hair which was lightly tied behind her head was held in place by an ornamental hairpin. The hairpin included a red jewel to match her new eye color. The white dress she wore boldly exposed her back from her shoulders to her waist.
Since the dress was designed to tighten the cloth under her arms, her chest was strongly emphasized. Because Schnee’s breasts were already naturally large this attracted the gaze of groups of males even though it was not a low-cut dress.
However, the color of the dress combined with Schnee’s natural demeanor didn’t reflect a feeling of excessive sex appeal. The neat look in combination with her allure, instead made her an enchanting figure who exuded charm.
Schnee was already a beautiful woman to begin with, but her beauty rose by one more rank when she dressed-up. Seeing her like this for the first time, Shin was charmed by her.
“Both Tiera-san and Schnee-san are wearing dresses. The dresses that you two are wearing, are they traditional dress for elves or something?”
“Eh? Oh, I just borrowed this dress. Is the design unusual?”
“They’re pretty rare. I’ve studied clothing a lot on my own because I think I’d like to do clothes-related work. Most of them are very similar designs for some reason.”
Kaede was an elf brought up in Balmel. She didn’t know what clothing styles might be normal at the elves’ garden well.
Though Holly was a High Elf too, she might not have such knowledges due to her being a former player.
What Holly owned was made by players, but Kaede seeing the dresses of various designs seemed to be fascinated by them. Kaede herself was wearing a simple yellow one-piece dress. It matched Kaede’s character and created a good atmosphere as well.
While they were talking, the carriage passed through the gate. They were near the destination. Inside the carriage, was Shin, Schnee, Tiera, the Kurosawa family and the two animals, Yuzuha and Kagerou. Kagerou was as usual inside Tiera’s shadow. Yuzuha was also at its usual position, on top of Shin’s head.
Because there would be many adventurers attending the party too, the dress code seemed fairly flexible, with many different kinds of attire as evidence. There were also many who seemed to recognize that Shin was an upper class Chosen One too.
Before long, the carriage stopped.
If one looked at the front near Holly and Shadow, Hibineko could be seen taking Kaede’s hand. Mimicking Hibineko, Shin also held out his hand to help Schnee get off the carriage. Though he’d often seen things like this in movies, no one was aware of how very embarrassed Shin was to do it for real.
“Young lady, please give me your hand. Or something like that..”
“Fufu, thank you very much.”
Did Schnee want to play along? She took Shin’s hand while smiling wryly.
Was it because similar scenes were unfolded around them? Shin seemed to be able to speak the lines smoothly now.
“Now the next young lady as well.”
“How should I say this, it doesn’t seem to suit you.”
“Don’t say that!”
Unlike Schnee, Tiera’s held her mouth to keep herself from laughing.
When everyone had descended, they went to the assembly hall.
“Will you escort me too?”
“If you are fine with me.”
Schnee causally linked her arm with Shin. Then the other arm was also being pulled.
Of course, it was Tiera.
“Are you really going to make me go alone? Since your other arm is available too, let me use it as well, okay?”
“Is it alright?”
“Because Tiera and I are both pretending to be your fiancée today, isn’t it fine?”
“You are blessed by two beautiful women, you know? Might as well enjoy it.”
Because both Schnee and Tiera were in unusually good moods, Shin stopped talking about it. There was no need to be a downer.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 05 - Crimson Exterminator/The-New-Gate-Volume-05-Crimson-Exterminator-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_05_Chapter_03_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 2
“Amazing!”
“As expected, it’s different when actually seeing it.”
Many participants had already arrived at the party hall. Though everyone had dressed up, it was interesting to be able to know who was an adventurer and who was not.
“There are various impressions at the party held by nobles.”
“That’s how it is, huh?”
Though he only knew about noble’s parties and such from movies and anime, Schnee seemed to be used to it, perhaps that’s to be expected.
There were many people who paid attention to new arrivals as they appeared one after the other. When Shadow and Holly appeared, the watchers focused their attention on the two. Hibineko and Kaede got similar treatment when they appeared following them.
“…Uu, they’re watching us!!”
“Well, I guess so.”
“Shin is the center of attention, right?”
“While you say that, I feel that most of the attention went to Schnee and Tiera though..”
The ratio of attention was 50% on Schnee, 30% on Tiera, 10% on Shin and 10% on Yuzuha. Furthermore, the eyes glaring at Shin were mostly the envious eyes of the men.
(The mood was darker than the time in the guild.)
Shin had experienced what was called the “I ENVY this bastard!” stare in the guild, in some respects it was a neat feeling. He was feeling a large amount of the same kind of feeling again coiling around him.
Besides the eyes of jealousy, though it was not much, he was able to feel the eyes of respect and observation. His achievements in the battlefield would be helpful proof for the time being.
It was only natural that most of the attention was directed towards Schnee. If Shin had been in their shoes, it was certain that he would have reacted the same way.
While leaving her left arm entwined with Shin’s right arm, she swayed in a way that matched her walking; It seemed to be like a mother leading a child or something to that effect. Compared to the somewhat awkward Shin, she didn’t mind the gazes at all and behaved gracefully.
Unlike Schnee, it seemed that all the attention was difficult for Tiera. Tiera clung to Shin’s arm, as she shrank away from the crowd’s gaze. The situation wasn’t comfortable for her because she was still not very good with crowds of people. At first, her eyes sparkled as she showed great interest in the new surroundings when they were initially entering the hall, but now her eyes had become dull with discomfort.
While trying to ignore the happy sensation touching his arm, Shin walked in a way that shielded Tiera from the eyes of male group observers. Schnee too cooperated with Shadow and Holly by making a wall, as they walked toward to the hall.
Then, they noticed a commotion which seemed to be happening at the entrance of the hall.
From the discussions they heard around them, they learned that Rionne had entered the party hall.
Even though the party had a large attendance and many invited guests, due to the hall being wide enough, from where they were standing they could just about identify Rionne’s presence through the gap in the crowd. Rionne was dressed in a crimson dress with her hair tied up in a knot at the back of her head leaving a free length of her hair hanging down. She advanced through the hall with the dignified pace of royalty.
“Hmm?”
Shin watching Rionne, had a feeling that she had glanced over at him for a moment. Having an unpleasant premonition, he pulled Schnee and Tiera’s arm and began to move away.
“Shin?”
“Eh, what’s the matter, Shin?”
“It’s the second princess of Bayreuth. You know, the one who was transferred with me..”
“So? You don’t need to run away.”
“…Shin, did something happen between you and her?”
Tiera wasn’t feeling any need to move replied to Shin’s words, and Schnee paused for a moment before asking Shin a question.
“Ahh…well, she was very interested in things like 『Kakura』 and my magic and other things. The talk of engagement in order to make me attached to the country seeming very…possible. Because of that, the ‘approach’ which I wasn’t sure was serious or joking…happened.”
Schnee still seemed to be smiling but, Shin felt a slightly overpowering feeling from her. Eye’s swimming, without any hesitation, he confessed all things that happened during their journey. His arm was then pulled as if she wouldn’t ever let it go, and a very happy sensation surged on his right arm.
He was absolutely baffled about what kind of expression he should be making right then.
“She had ‘approached’ you, right?”
“No, of course I refuse her, for real!?”
And then, Rionne’s presence approached while they having such an exchange. Shin’s vain struggle seemed only up to here.
“It’s been a long time, Shin. Why did you run away after making eye contact?”
When Shin turned around to look at the source of the voice, he saw Rionne standing there with a nice smile on her face.
Rionne talked to Shin casually. In the same manner as during their journey from Kalkia. Since she had put aside her royal behavior, her friendliness had increased as well.
Shin hadn’t seen her clearly from the glimpse through the crowd. A close up view though, revealed that Rionne’s dress exposed more bare skin than Schnee and Tiera. Her back and shoulders were completely exposed, while in the front she showed a deep cleavage, there was also a deep slit in her skirt. Was she aware of the change? The gallant and somewhat manly appearance she wore while on the battlefield was completely gone. Instead she was now displaying the feminine appeal of a woman.
“My companion isn’t very good with crowds. Being around Rionne-sama would simply attract too much attention.”
“Muu! Why are you talking to me like a stranger, Shin?”
“Because we’re being watched from all sides after all.”
While having a hard time not to stare at her cleavage and the slit in her skirt, Shin looked at Rionne’s eyes when he spoke.
‘Can a princess be over-familiar in a public place?’ He also included the meaning when he said so.
“I don’t mind it.”
“Play along.”
‘Forgive me’ should be written on Shin’s face.
Did she read that? Rionne shrugged her shoulders as if to say it couldn’t be helped.
“Well, it’s fine. We can only have empty conversations out here anyway. Putting that aside, shouldn’t you introduce the two flowers on both of your arms? Oh, as you’ve probably heard from Shin, I’m Rionne Strail Bayreuth. I’m the second princess of Bayreuth Kingdom.”
Rionne seemed to be interested in Schnee and Tiera who were on Shin’s right and left side, because her gaze kept shifting left to right.
“Pardon my rudeness. These are my fiancée’s, on my right is Yuki and on my left is Tiera.”
To forestall any awkward questions, because it would have seemed odd if only Schnee was called fiancée but both women were hanging off his arms, they decided earlier that both of them would be identified as fiancées.
“It’s my first time meeting you. I am called Yuki.”
“Um, a-and I’m Tiera Lucent”
Schnee introduce herself gracefully, but Tiera’s tone was strained due to her nervousness. When the word fiancée was spoken, Rionne narrowed her eyes a little.
“I’d heard that you had a fiancée, but I didn’t expect that she’s an elf. Well, if it’s a man like Shin, it’s natural isn’t it?”
“Well, a lot of things happened.”
While Rionne had been surprised that they were elves, she quickly returned to normal. She nodded as if she understood immediately.
(In this world, is polygamy considered normal for an upper class Chosen One?)
Even if Rionne had been surprised that his fiancées were elves, she didn’t seem surprised at the fact he had two fiancées. As far as Shin knew, none of his acquaintances had multiple wives. Still, his knowledge of the world was still too small to be of much use as a reference.
“They made it here pretty quickly. They had originally been in Bayreuth, weren’t they?”
“I can’t go into details but there are methods to travel quickly.”
“Ho, Shin surely surrounds himself with interesting people. I want Shin to become my country’s exclusive asset after all. Of course, I’ll be willing to pay.”
Rionne change her posture in order to make Shin more conscious of her own assets.
“Well, that――――”
“That won’t be possible. Rionne-sama.”
Shin who saw in Rionne, the eyes of the hunter aimed for their prey, looked for some way to decline without being rude or impolite. However, Shin was interrupted by Schnee who stepped forward.
“What do you mean by that?”
“If Rionne-sama saw a portion of Shin’s power, I think you can understand why it’s impossible without me having to express it in words, right?”
Though Schnee and Rionne were smiling at each other, Shin thought he saw sparks flying between them.
As the abrupt situation unfolded, Shin was barely able to keep his poker face.
“Well er, Yuki..san?”
“If you’ve seen his power, I think you would want it more, right?”
“But, that is for Shin to decide. Besides, did you hear the strange story that happened between us?”
Shin’s comment was ignored.
Apparently, neither one was willing to give up when the topic was related to engagement.
Shin could only watch the exchange between Schnee and Rionne. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do in this situation.
“Yuki-san and Rionne-sama, how about we shelve this for now? Because this is a party to celebrate victory, it’s not really a suitable place for this kind of discussion.”
While glaring at each other with smiling faces, the one who skillfully separated the two was Tiera.
Where did the cowering Tiera go? With her back straight and a faint smile, she seemed completely unlike the normal Tiera.
“Yes. Tiera is right. I am sorry, Rionne-sama.”
“No, I was also being impolite in front of the fiancées. Please forgive me.”
At Tiera’s words, which carried a sense of authority, the two pulled back the dangerous air they were emitting.
“Well then, there are people here I still need to greet. I have to do it before it’s too late. Let’s meet again later”
Though the party hadn’t really started yet, there seemed to be lots of people she still had to say hello to as her royal duty. In addition to the adventurers who had achieved victory in the war, many of Balmel’s nobility and wealthy merchants like Berett were also attending. There were many other people running around trying to make connections like Rionne.
“Um, Tiera?”
“What?”
“No well… because your moods were somewhat different from usual. Well that’s good. I’m at fault, but you save me the trouble.”
“Not really, it’s not a big deal. Now, let’s go eat a lot of delicious food!”
“You are..right. Enjoy yourself huh?”
Tiera who had a vague lonely expression on her face, gave out a small sigh in order to get over something. However, that was immediately dismissed with cheerfulness as she turned her attention to the lined up foods.
Though Shin was worried about her state, he hesitated to mention it here. He replied to her as natural as possible.
“Oh, it’s the appearance of the organizer, huh?”
In a timely manner, Taul appeared.
After the speech where he mentioned how glad he was that there were few casualties and that the war ended safely, voices for a toast echoed.
After that, the party hall became filled with sound and tumult. Everyone seemed to enjoy the party in their own way.
Elgin and other captains who participated in the war came over to where Shin and his party were gathered to greet them. Though they had invited them over to the knight squadron, they seemed to think it was natural that the invitation was declined. The invitation was simply a formality they had to make as a matter of course.
When the busy Elgin left for a round of courtesy calls, Guile came over next.
“Yo! You also co…Shin, come here for a bit”
Contrary to the Shin’s expectation that this should have been a casual greeting, Guile beckoned with his hand and took him aside. Since the two adventurers had both trained together, they were already on quite friendly terms.
“Oioi! Who are those two beauties? They are clearly on another level from the other women around here.”
“Ah, how should I say this, they’re my wife candidates?”
“What…do…you…say? Uh, Shin, how on earth did you get two elven beauties?! Teach me! No, please teach me!!”
Guile asked for a guidance after having stiffened with “I couldn’t believe it” expression. His expression changed completely. The last part was a little strange for his tone.
“Well… First you make a party together. After you’ve proven that you’re a reliable partner, you can then give her nice presents. It’s also effective if you devote yourself wholeheartedly to protect her in a pinch.”
While worrying that Guile was about to have a nervous breakdown, Shin enumerated the methods to raised favorability from the support characters in the game. Because he wasn’t particularly confident that the methods he used in the game would be effective here, he didn’t emphasize it too strongly.
“I understand about helping her in a pinch but that would be a problem if there’s no pinch at the very beginning. Then, it will be the presents, huh? Do they have to be expensive?”
“You’ve got it. I think it’s alright if the present is something plant related for now. Then, she would probably be pleased with a precious stone which sometimes falls near the big tree. Wait, do you like elves that much?”
Shin asked Guile. Since he was so curious about elf-related information, Shin thought that perhaps there was already a woman he was aiming for.
“Yea, to tell you the truth, there is an elf woman I’ve wanted to get closer to for some time. The problem is that elves coming out from the garden are very wary. Even though I’m a Chosen One, I’ve only been able to watch her from afar.”
“Is that so? Well, good luck.”
“Yea. I’ll introduce you sometime.”
“I look forward it….Hey, where are you going?”
Guile had a look of determination on his face as he moved to leave the party hall. Was he going to search for a present right away?
Shin thought this might be a bad idea, so he stopped him. Leaving less than 30 minutes after the special victory celebration started, wouldn’t be good, even for a Chosen One.
“Geez, this guy is always the same, when he finds something he’s interested in, his character completely changes.”
Careless of his hairstyle, Liege gripped Guile’s head and pulled it towards her. Though Guile resisted, he was just a mage and wasn’t a match for a magic swordswoman like Liege.
“Really? I guess I’ve changed too. Did you make the round of courtesy calls over there as well?”
“More or less, you know I don’t like all this formal stuff.”
What Liege displayed was a splendid iron claw, such an action was unbefitting of the figure that dressed in a deep red dress that attracted the neighboring eyes. More than Rionne, Liege’s strength was her voluptuousness.
“Even so, Shin is accompanied by some wonderful beauties too isn’t he? It made me lose some self-confidence as a woman”
“Well, anyone who see’s them say the same things, because it’s the truth!”
After they were called beautiful, Shin agreed without a hint of modesty.
“It’s a pretty refreshing feeling, when you put it that way.”
“I agree with that. But let me go!”
Guile escaped from Liege’s grasp and stood up. Because his head had been tightly gripped, his hairstyle was ruined.
“If I hadn’t grabbed you, you’d have tried to go home. There are still more places we have to go and people we need to greet. Let’s go!”
“Damn this animal strength! Let me go!”
While having an exchange like that between siblings, Liege waved her hand lightly and disappeared together with Guile in the crowd.
After that, many people continued to meet Shin. When the time was right, he moved to the terrace together with Schnee and Tiera. Though there were still many who wanted to meet them, they excused themselves and took a break.
“*Sigh* I’m tired. And this is only for being a Chosen One.”
“If it becomes known that you’re also a letter of introduction holder, there will be many more as well.”
“If it comes to that, I’ll escape.”
“Though as a Chosen One, you exposed the letter of introduction by yourself. Things will still be fine even if you don’t reveal the letter of introduction, right?”
“Argh, I-It is certainly better to just be a Chosen One…but I didn’t think that the guild would notify everyone so quickly.”
Besides the problems on how to prove himself, his knowledge about the term Chosen One were limited. After a long time, Shin thought whether or not revealing himself as a letter of introduction holder was hasty, but the damage has been done.
“Well it’s fine I guess. Since they’re Barlux-san’s acquaintances, it’s unlikely that they’ll leak the information easily. For the time being everything is good, because the city is safe once more.”
Even Shin wasn’t perfect.
They put aside the difficult discussion and decided to enjoy the rest of the party.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 05 - Crimson Exterminator/The-New-Gate-Volume-05-Crimson-Exterminator-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_05_Side_Story_Part_01.txt
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Side Story: Part 1
It was the time when THE NEW GATE was still a peaceful VRMMO.
One of the bases called Alloride was crowded with players and NPCs.
On the main street where stores that were placed side by side, made of wood, stone, metal and other raw materials that didn’t exist in the real world, a couple; in this case a man and woman were walking.
The man, who had black hair and black pupils wore a black long coat with matching black trousers. Except for the red armguards and the red leg guards, his appearance was almost entirely black. Though it was downtown, he was armed with a katana at his waist.
In contrast to the man in black, the woman was dressed in a colorful manner.
Her light brown hair was fashioned into twin tails which reached her back. Her blue eyes, which gave the impression of a blue sky, were looking at the man. Her skirt had a yellow checkered pattern and she also wore a white blouse with navy blue cloth accents. A short red mantle cover from her back to her shoulders. She let it float in the wind.
The man’s name was Shin, and the woman’s name was Marino.
“Hey, Marino. Though I said I’d follow you, how about telling me where you want to go?”
Shin hadn’t been informed of their destination. Therefore, he asked Marino, who was cheerfully walking in front, where they were going.
“It’s just a little farther, be patient.”
Where the two were heading was a shop that had been recommended to Marino.
“Let’s look for a secret famous shop”――It was brought up into their conversation about one week earlier.
Marino, who had a vast network of friends immediately found one of the shops. Ever since she had become a regular customer, she now talked about it incessantly.
“The bar manager is a nice person, every time I go to his bar, I end up talking to him for hours. How should I say this? He really fits the part of a bar manager who works in a coffee shop. Isn’t that what you want? Just like what you might find in a manga or a novel, he’s someone who gives off the impression of a dandy uncle who can be relied on. Although his appearance is a bit comical..”
Apparently, their destination was the coffee shop.
Many MMORPG’s had transitioned to VR. THE NEW GATE which Shin and Marino played was no exception. The conversion to VR allowed the players to move their avatars around like real bodies. Previously, avatars were viewed in third-person with the player viewpoint being from the back of the avatar, so the realism and reality from VR was overwhelmingly more popular with players.
One of the biggest changes was that the sense of taste had been reproduced. In the past, they could only enjoy the atmosphere, but now there were various food products that were sold with the collaboration of a food company.
In addition, there were many customers who come by for food just like in a real coffee shop. Because one couldn’t gain weight no matter how many sweets they ate, there was a rumor that many people had their meal portions increased in the game.
While not true of Marino, Shin wasn’t the sort who would have conversations in a real coffee shop, so he wasn’t really inclined to do it in a net game either.
So, why did he go this time? Only because the person who asked him to was Marino.
In the game, the two people were lovers.
“Ah look! You’ll see it when we turn at that corner there.”
Shin shifted his gaze ahead to where the spirited Marino had pointed.
Shin, who had memorized almost all Alloride’s maps, noticed that a road with little pedestrian traffic branched off from the main street. Certainly, he agreed that this road had all the atmosphere require for a famous hidden shop.
However, Shin started to have doubts before turning at the corner, when he noticed the signboard that he saw earlier.
“Hey, I can see the signboard from here, but only paws and small fishes were drawn on it. Is it a coffee shop where you get to play with cats or dogs?”
‘It actually exists’, Shin imagined a shop where healing is the main theme.
“No it’s not. The bar manager is a beast of the cat race. That’s why the signboard is like that. Ah, by the way, it’s not a small fish drawn with the paw, it’s a small dried sardine.”
Marino gave off a “What are you talking about?” vibe, leaving Shin with mixed feelings.
The name of the shop was ‘Nyan Da Land’. As for that naming, Shin certainly felt it fit a more cat-like vibe rather than animal-like. However, it was not without thinking ‘It should have been easy to understand’. Especially the small dried sardines.
“It’s because he’s a cat, huh? Y~eah, like I would have known that.”
Couldn’t they have used an image of a cat? While puzzling over this, Shin followed Marino through the door of the coffee shop.
“Welcome! Oh, if isn’t it Mari-nyaa?”
“Hello Hibineko-san. I’ve brought the lover whom I had mentioned before”
“Oh, then you must be Shin-kun?”
Hibineko looked at Shin. Their conversation showed that the relationship between the owner and the Marino was something more than what you’d normally find between a shopkeeper and customer.
Hibineko’s low pitched voice echoed through Shin’s ears. Shin wasn’t worried about what was said. On the other hand the possibility of writhing to the sombre baritone voice was high.
However, Shin focused on the nickname “Mari-nyaa” used by Hibineko for Marino.
“Mari…nyaa?”
“Hmm, that was one of the informal word endings that were established by my guild the ‘Cat Type Tribe Word Ending Research Society’. When you want to indicate respect and affection, ‘-nyaa’ is attached to the partner’s name. Don’t worry, ‘-nyaa’ isn’t something intended to be used casually like at a first meeting.”
“Sounds like you’re part of an amazing guild, huh? Um, may I call you Hibineko-san?”
Though Marino was calling the catman, “Hibineko”, what Shin saw displayed using 【Analyze】 was ‘Nekomata@Rising’.
“‘Hibineko’ has been attached to this avatar, huh? I’m delighted when you call me so.”
The cat type avatar lowered his head, there was coloring of black ears at the white fur. However, a portion of his face was gray for some reason, the white and gray boundary line looked like a crack on a concrete.
Hibineko, a cracked cat? It was an amazingly well made avatar, Shin felt it was amusing and a little amazing at the same time. Because it was rare in the game, it was possible that he liked to do things that amazed others.
“Then let’s decide what to order first.”
The two sat on the chairs after the self-introduction ended. It was a famous hidden shop so there were few customers inside, each of them having fun chatting.
“There’s a large menu here. The recommended items are the shakes. The choices are strawberry, white peach, and black sesame in yogurt. By the way, I recommend the black grape shake.”
“Is there coffee or tea behind the counter?”
Shin who thought one of those was definitely her favorite, asked Marino while glancing behind the counter.
“Everything over there is quite good. There are no bad choices.”
Marino commented that everything there were first-class goods. It wasn’t just that it tasted good, the food acted as a power up in a way that was more effective than the half-assed products sold over the counter in a normal shop.
“Then without further ado, I’ll take what Marino recommended, the black grape shake.”
“I’ve decided too. Master, two black grapes shakes.”
Not even five minutes passed after Marino ordered before Hibineko brought the shakes, which had been poured into glasses.
Because a chef could shorten the food preparation time for a certain number of dishes, it didn’t even take a minute of time for the actual food preparation.
To make things seem more realistic, a certain amount of time was waited.
“Thank you for waiting. Here are the black grape shakes you ordered.”
“It’s here!”
“Then without delay――”
Shin tasted the shakes that had arrived. With an icy cold feeling, the sourness and the sweet taste of the grapes spread inside his mouth. Even though it was in game, it was a taste he could honestly say was delicious.
The admiring Shin saw that the icons which indicate DEX and INT on his stats bar had risen. Though the rate of increase was lower than from a buff from a mage, it was an increase that surpassed that which was typical given by food.
“This is amazing! Do you have a version for take out?”
“I’d rather keep this between a few close friends. It’s a business, but I’m not doing this for profits.”
When Shin asked with a voice that wasn’t strange coming from a major guild, Hibineko answered with a troubled face.
Among the gamers, there were people who want to seriously take in what they do.
For such people, they might not be interested to fight for the no. 1 either.
“I see. Well, I have a chef acquaintance I know, so I thought I wanted to see her reaction when she drinks this.”
Shin who tried to guess at what was going on inside Hibineko’s head, explained why.
“If that’s the case, I’ll prepare one for you to take with you. I wonder what her impression will be?”
“Really! Thank you very much”
Hibineko seemed to be interested in the other’s chef’s reaction. He converted the shake into a card and handed it to Shin.
“That’s Cook-san isn’t it? I don’t appreciate it when you talk about other girls in front of your lover.”
Although Shin was happy for a moment because he had obtained something rare, Marino who had been watching the exchange between the two, glared at Shin.
“M-My bad, Marino. It’s only because the shake you recommended was so wonderful. It was unintentional, okay?”
Shin, clasping both hands together to apologize. Marino nodded with a pose that suggested “It couldn’t be helped.”.
“Oh well, I also thought to take some to Cook-san, so it’s fine. It’s not like you can do this in the real world after all.”
Marino was used to the change that came over Shin when he was exposed to unusual items and equipment. It was like his eye color changed.
“So Shin, you need to find a good shop for me next time.”
“I’ll look for it, but don’t expect too much.”
Shin frowned at her reply. Armour and weapons shops were one thing, he didn’t have a clue about finding a shop with a playful name like ‘Nyan Da Land’.
Shin was relieved though because he knew it meant she wasn’t in a bad mood.
“Then, what kind of tale will you tell us today? I never get tired of hearing Shin’s stories.”
“I’m not sure what you mean, I’ve talked plenty about my black history in the past. I want to hear some stories about Marino’s failures in the past too.”
“To want to hear a girl’s shameful story…Shin is pervert.”
“Wa!? You, stop retorting like that, alright?!”
It was an exchange that seemed more like the bickering of two bad friends than between two lovers. In reality, they knew that they were just joking with each other. It just showed that they were happy together.
Even though they didn’t speak of anything consequential that day, Shin and Marino still enjoyed their conversation.
“Ah, sorry, I have to go soon.”
While she was speaking with Shin and Hibiniko, Marino was keeping track of the time displayed in the digital display on the edge of her view. When her time was up, she mentioned she had to leave.
“Hm? It’s that time already, huh? It’s always hard to believe that the time passes so quickly.”
Marino had told him that she had a time limit to her net gaming and had no choice but to leave the conversation.
“See you later! Please find me a good shop by the day after tomorrow.”
After getting up and telling him that, she left the shop and then logged out. She’d mentioned that she wouldn’t be able to log in tomorrow due to circumstance with her family.
“Now, what should I do? I don’t really know of any good coffee shops.”
After Marino left, Shin was feeling some despair. In fact, he didn’t have a clue regarding where to look for an appealing shop.
“…maybe I should ask her for some help?”
Shin muttered, while thinking about his guildmate chef.
◆◆◆◆
“Have you found a good shop?”
“More or less. Since I don’t know as much about this topic as you do, you might already know about it.”
Two days later. Shin and Marino visited a player hub named Ametora.
Shin was passionate about the things he liked and his favorite activities. Marino on the other hand was quick to gather information about things that were cute, fashionable and stylish instead.
Shin mentioned that he’d asked someone for help, because he expected that Marino probably already knew about this shop.
“Look. It’s that shop. What was written on the signboard seems to be the abbreviation of ‘Black & White’.”
Shin pointed at the signboard, which had ‘B&W’ drawn on it.
“Hmmm I see. I think you’ve made a pretty good choice.”
With a tone that seemed joking, Marino nodded in agreement. Seeing that response, Shin had a “She had known after all” bitter look on his face.
“I wonder if Hibineko-san was the source of your information?”
“Wrong. Though it is someone you know too.”
“When Shin says it’s the person I know too…Cook-san?”
“You discovered that rather quickly…”
“Well, there aren’t many chefs that we’re both acquainted with, right?”
Shin knew plenty of people involved with the production of weapons and armor, he had many blacksmiths acquaintances, in addition to alchemists and leather-smiths. However, that wasn’t the reason that he only knew a few chef acquaintances.
For Marino who knew Shin’s friends to some extent, it was easy for her to make a guess like that.
“I feel like I’m being seen through more than ever.”
“You should increase your friends.”
“Are you saying I don’t have many friends??”
Shin exclaimed. Marino put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. They seemed to say many terrible things, but neither face showed any malice.
Though a friend might say they were having a comedy couples dialogue, it was their usual mode of communication.
“Welcome!”
As the two entered the shop, they were greeted by a woman who had a white hair and transparent blue eyes. Her hair was loose and wavy and gently shook in a wind.
“Holly-san, hello.”
Marino called out the name of the shop assistant who had welcomed them with a smile as she said hello.
“Ara, if it isn’t Marino-chan? Long time no see. Oh? What, are you going with a man today?”
“Tee-hee, he’s actually my boyfriend.”
With a slight grin, Holly spoke to Marino in a teasing way. However, Marino declared it clearly without being perturbed. Her expression revealed her happiness.
“Oh oh dear my, that’s good, that’s very good. I’ll give you a discount today. Dear! Can you come here for a moment?”
“…What? You are being a bit loud, you know?”
Seeming to have heard two voices making a racket, a frowning man came out from the depths of the shop.
Before the two women replied, Shin who saw that man’s face, spoke his name.
“Eh? Shadow-san?”
“Hm? If it isn’t Shin? It’s rare for you to come to a cafe. And together with a woman too.”
“Ahh, yeah, that’s right. Well um, she’s Marino, my girlfriend.”
“Long time no see”
“Fumu, both of you, it’s been a long time.”
Shadow said with a smile.
“You know Shadow-san too?”
Shin asked Marino.
“I know him because I had known this shop, but what about you, Shin?”
“I joined together with Shadow-san in a PvP event. It was an impromptu party we made where he fought with me side by side. He is happy when I call him a real ninja.”
When an avatar’s movement was unusual, it became famous among some players. There was a rumor among players that the operating abilities of a player who didn’t depend on the system were high.
“What Happy?! Being eager to perform, you increased my Status Troll-kun” (T/N: Status in this case was Shadow’s standing as an individual, mostly likely he didn’t want to stand out.)
“Guwaa”
Shin being Shin, he was famous for a different reason than Shadow.
“Oh boy, it’s because you have a strange way of speaking.”
“Ku, I can’t deny that….”
Shin hung his head down at Marino’s comment.
Holly watched the exchange between Shin and Shadow, though she didn’t say anything, she seemed to be withholding her laughter.
“Then, how about we end this talk for the moment and order something? Coming to a coffee-house, I don’t admire people staying without ordering anything, you know?”
Because they would only block the entrance standing there, Shadow urged them on as Shin was getting hit by the verbal attacks. Shin and Marino ordered a set of drinks and snacks and took a seat.
“What do you say? It’s also good to be like that, don’t you think?”
“What is it?”
“Mou! you’re dense. I mean Shadow-san and Holly-san’s matter. The two of them manage a shop together, isn’t it pretty wonderful?”
Her voice seemed to contain a lot of admiration for them. Holly accepted orders from the customers while Shadow prepared the dishes and drinks like in a real store. Marino watched their movements as they worked with each other in perfect harmony.
“Well, those two in real life are also…wait, do you know, Marino? The things about these two people.”
“Of course. Shin also knew that, right?”
It was a taboo to speak about another player’s real life except oneself in a net. Shin who confirmed it just to make sure, and Marino returned “Of course”.
What the two confirmed each other without expressing it in words, it was about Shadow and Holly being a married couple in the real world. It was not the fictitious net-only relationship. They were a genuine one, two people that could reach out to each other even in reality, Marino has been longing for it.
“When I watch those people who are in love, astonishment comes first more than jealousy.”
“Isn’t that nice, Shin? I was able to meet you after waiting so long. It’s only natural thinking that you’d like to have that feeling forever.”
“Well that too, even I could empathize.”
When the act of love was shown in public, the person seeing it ended up feeling tired.
While holding such impressions, Shin turned his attention to the menu again.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 05 - Crimson Exterminator/The-New-Gate-Volume-05-Crimson-Exterminator-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_05_Side_Story_Part_02.txt
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Side Story: Part 2
“Shall we form a party and go to a dungeon?”
Four days later after he went to the ‘B&W’, Shin received an invitation mail.
Though Shin was surprised by the mail which came abruptly. He had no problem with his schedule or reason to decline so he replied “Got it.”.
“(Then, there are five of us, you and me, Hibineko-san, Shadow-san and Holly-san. I’ll prepare a meal portion for Shin.)”
“(I’m thankful for that. So, should I offer to do their equipment?)”
“(Um, that would be helpful.. I think.)”
Voice chat could be used between players. Using that function, Shin confirmed the members and the location. Shin heard Marino speaking in an uncertain sounding voice.
Shin had learnt the details of the dungeon’s whereabouts from Marino’s alter ego in the game. He was aware that the dungeon was far beyond what Marino’s avatar can handle.
Marino’s current avatar had just finished her first reincarnation. With Marino’s current level, when you factored in the quality of her equipment and the low bonus for reincarnation, level 300 monsters would be the most suitable for her.
The problem was that, the field-type dungeon which was selected as their destination had monsters that averaged level 400. Marino’s current level meant she could be instantly killed by these monsters even at the dungeon entrance. It was clear that she was lacking ability.
Shin only knew Shadow’s ability. He confirmed that Holly and Hibineko didn’t have a problem with it.
In other words, Marino was simply a burden. If she made a single mistake, the possibility of dying and returning alone were high.
“(But I never thought it was such a high-level dungeon…)”
“(Because you are always with me, they probably thought you were a high rank player too. Since you often meet with Hibineko-san and Holly-san, didn’t you guys talk about it?)”
“(We hardly discussed capturing dungeon. And I usually asked for advice from Holly-san as we’re both are women.)”
“(Oh well, that’s just how you are.)”
It wasn’t unusual for them to chat meaninglessly like this avatar to avatar. Most people seemed to have fun discussing things that way in MMOs.
“(Well that’s fine I guess. Though I’d be angry if someone I didn’t know suddenly proposed this. Marino is not the kind to think that way.)”
“(Mu! I feel like I’m being made fun of somehow.)”
“(Definitely not. Isn’t there something more reasonable than power-leveling, Marino?)”
In case of Marino’s character, was she being modest? She was going to discuss changing the destination with Shadow and Holly. They wouldn’t be offended by the request.
He wasn’t sure about Hibineko, but after talking with him, Shin felt he had the same kind of good personality as Shadow and Holly. He couldn’t help to think there was some kind of meaning behind Marino’s desire to intentionally go to a high-level dungeon.
“(Actually, the reason is that you can see the amazingly beautiful scenery in this dungeon field)”
According to Marino, there was a place where elaborate graphics could be seen. Screen shot images of what players saw there had been uploaded to a bulletin board. It seemed that Marino really wants to see it for herself.
“Is that so? Well I understand. Then, I’m willing to cooperate.”
As they chatted, the face of Shin’s avatar expressed a broad smile to show Marino he agreed.
From the beginning, he didn’t think that Marino was interested in power-leveling. Shin mostly focused on reinforcing his arms and raising his abilities. Her play-style was completely different. Of course, Shin didn’t dislike the way Marino enjoyed things.
“Then, let’s choose your equipment right now. With your stats, the best equipment to use is ‘Poisonous Viper’s Skin Mantle’, ‘Dagger of Decomposition’ and ‘Black Lily Boots’.”
As they had finished chatting, Shin met Marino at Alloride and handed over the equipment he had chosen and brought from the warehouse.
“T-They have good performance, but they’re strange looking and their names are frightening! No one would wear this equipment!”
Most equipment with sinister sounding names will also give off a sinister impression. Marino who wore them while displaying a doubtful face, screamed at the design.
“Ha ha ha. I’m just kidding.”
While laughing unnaturally, Shin collected the items from Marino.
The items that Shin removed would have certainly improve Marino’s ability as a tamer. The problem was they looked like something an evil magician or a terrible monster abusing tamer would wear.
“Then, here is my favorite equipment.”
“Mou! …you’re mean.”
Marino glared at him with a sulky face. Shin looked back at her with a smirk, as he laughed with a “nyonyo”.
“Muu!”
“Hey! Sorry, Sorry!”
Marino who was pouting because of Shin’s expression, attacked Shin with the equipment that she had just received. Though there was no damage, Shin quickly admitted defeat.
“That is forbidden!”
“Well you see, it’s the truth that guys want to be mean to the girl he likes.”
“…I’m not going to be fooled.”
“Marino-san, you were swayed just now, weren’t you?”
Shin noticed that Marino’s movement had became awkward.
“Mou! It’s forbidden after all! For-bi-d-den!”
Shin teased Marino who waved her fist while being embarrassed.
The two people arguing sounded nice and warm, as warm looks were sent from their surroundings.
The day after Marino’s equipment had been decided. Shin and his party traveled through a mountain and forest area as they came to the field-type dungeon ‘Sacred Mountain of the Morning Star’.
The party consisted of 5 people; Shin, Marino, Hibineko, Shadow, and Holly. At Marino’s feet was a young Wolf-Type monster or ‘Mini-Rufu’, which was her partner. It was sitting in standby mode. His name was ‘Pochitama’. Although his appearance was that of a puppy, Marino said that he had a cat-like character.
With a prototype katana 『Gengetsu』 pulled out from his waist, Shin said.
“Well then, shall we go?”
“I-I’ll do my best!”
Marino who was anxious about her level, shouted as if she did not want to become a burden.
“I look forward to the scenery from the mountaintop.”
“Such an adventure isn’t bad either.”
“You’re just itching to put your skills to use.”
Holly and Shadow also readied their weapons. Shadow looked like a Ninja. By wearing the ‘Ninja outfit of the Twilight’ he really looked the part. He wore ‘Dagger of Twilight’ on his waist.
Holly was standing next to him wearing the fluffy seeming ‘Robe of Soul Cloth’. The ‘Short Stick of Light’ was sticking out of the robe.
Hibineko who looked like a bartender, dressed in ‘Cat of Wonder’ outfit. His arms were equipped with clawed dragon arms called ‘Misty Hound’. Though they seemed the same, they were both a weapon and a guard which were classified as medium rank of 《Mythology》 grade.
As for Shin, he was wearing 《Ancient》 grade equipment in addition to his 《Ancient》 grade weapon, 『Gengetsu』.
Marino was only equipped with 《Unique》 grade equipment so, she was little out of place.
“…Still, I think it’s better for you to spend time on raising your level a little more.”
“She should do what she wants. I am particular about this, but couldn’t refuse because Marino was looking forward this.”
“That’s right. Shin-kun and Marino-chan seemed to look forward to this. I say this just in case, but you mustn’t neglect the real world.”
“I know. If I get addicted to the game and shut myself off, I would get beaten by my parents.”
Once when his grades fell, Shin almost had his internet canceled. Recalling that, he showed a “Gimme a break” expression.
“You don’t understand. That what is called the parental love.”
“Indeed. Too much of anything is not good.”
“Ugh…That make my ears burn.”
Shin who had stepped into the territory of an addicted person, couldn’t argue against Hibineko and Shadow.
Anyway, after being scolded by his parents, Shin played with emphasizing on efficiency. It was an ironic story, as that boosted Shin’s strength in a strange way.
“Come on, lets talks about this later. The enemy is here!”
“Woops! It seems so.”
With Hibineko’s single phrase, everyone turned their attention to the surroundings.
The road Shin and the party walking on, was surrounded by dense forest. The visibility was poor because of the dim forest and they couldn’t check the other side of the trees.
Normally, this wasn’t a situation where they could talk comfortably as they watched for a surprise attack. However, with Shin who could be called an all-around type, Hibineko who was good at solo fights, and Shadow whose main job was Shinobi, on the lookout, they wouldn’t allow an enemy to approach so easily.
“Three from the right, two from the left.”
After reporting that, Shadow disappeared. A Shinobi’s main power was basically the surprise attack. Though it was a battle that played around with speed as he showed up occasionally, Shadow was better at surprise attacks.
As for the others, because only Shin and Hibineko were adequate for their levels, they served as backup in case additional monsters came.
“Roger that. Hibineko-san, I’ll go for the right.”
“Umu, then I’ll take charge of the left.”
Shin said, while noting the approaching presences. Behind where Shin and Hibineko readied their weapons, Holly also prepared to invoke a magic skill immediately.
“I’m counting on you, Pochitama”
“Woof!”
Though she understood that she wouldn’t have a turn, Marino held her whip, and prompted her partner, Pochitama to be wary. He seemed to have already sensed that an enemy was close. Pochitama let out a small roar and crouched, in order to be able to spring upon the enemy at any time.
“Here it comes!”
Several seconds after Shin shouted, monsters jumped out one after another from the gap between the trees.
The first to appear were three monsters who came out from the right side of their view.
They were ‘Red Boartaurus’. These monsters had a boar’s head combined with a human lower body. Though they only wore loincloths, their bodies were entirely covered in crimson bristles. Their arms, which were as thick as logs, grasped huge battle axes more than 2 mels high. Their eyes, which peered out between thick and sharp tusks, were staring straight at Shin and the others.
Several seconds after the Red Boartaurus appeared, two ant-type monsters called ‘Mana-Ant Searchers’ came out from the left side. With bluish-white shells, they had three pairs of shiny compound eyes that were evenly spaced on their faces.
Making a “Kacha Kacha” noise with their tusks, the Red Boartaurus turned their heads left and right as they were comparing Shin and the others by sight.
“Uh, it’s the Searcher!”
“No time to waste. Hibineko-san. I’ll support you, so please finish them quickly.”
“Understood!”
Monsters who had gained the name “Searcher”, could call in a large number of companions if they weren’t defeated quickly. Any player who had become strong within THE NEW GATE, knew that from experience.
Holly waited for Hibineko to attack the Mana-Ant Searchers to attract their attention, before she invoked her magic skill.
“【Thunder Arrow】 in three seconds!”
After hearing Holly’s voice, Hibineko attacked while calculating the time. In two seconds, Hibineko jumped, at the same time he escaped from the line of fire of the 【Thunder Arrow】, he disappeared from the Mana-Ant Searchers’ view.
By giving the two monsters equal damage, the Mana-Ant Searchers’ attention completely went to Hibineko. As the two Mana-Ant Searchers looked up at Hibineko who jumped, Holly shot lightning technique type magic skill 【Thunder Arrow】 three times.
The lightning technique type magic skill gave the abnormal effect ‘Paralyze’ that restrict the movement of the opponents. Its effect was fully demonstrated this time, as the Mana-Ant Searchers’ movement became stiff.
At this time, Hibineko who had jumped, extend both of his arms before he landed. Because he jumped before the Mana-Ant Searcher’s heads were hit by the rays, Hibineko crushed the two heads in one attack.
The swoop dive after the great jump was a barehanded technique martial arts skill 【High & Low】. It was a jump used together with other players that attack with magic or a bow, as well as being a skill used when pursuing. Among the players, this was one of the orthodox combinations of play.
The Mana-Ant Searchers’ HP, whose heads were destroyed, became 0, they turned into polygons and scattered.
Before confirming the item drops and the EXP, Hibineko turned his face toward Shin. While Hibineko and Holly were keeping the Mana-Ant Searchers occupied, Shin was facing against the Red Boartaurus. As he was also trying to put the katana prototype to the test, he dodged the enemy’s battle ax with a sidestep, and started to attack.
Shin had invested primarily on increasing 『Gengetsu’s』 range of attack, a red translucent blade extended from the tip of the katana, and its range became about 3 times its original.
One-handed weapons which had this kind range, without using a skill, were quite rare. However, every time he attacked with 『Gengetsu』, Shin’s MP had decreased a little. Because MP was being used in a normal attack, the reduction of MP decreases the number of times skills can be used, and the use of things like recovery items would increase. This would become a burden in a battle.
However, if you looked at the power and the suppression force that bisected two of the Red Boartaurus who were in line with the slash, it was a trifling compensation.
“Look here!”
Just as Shin was about to attack the last Red Boartaurus, Marino’s whip was snapped. And then, the slashing attack that Shin unleashed, cut the body in two. With the skill that was strengthened by 『Gengetsu’s』 ability, even the objects behind the Red Boartaurus were destroyed.
“Good timing! Nice assist!”
Though Marino’s attack didn’t seem to have an effect, Shin evaluated the points to her follow-up movement. Shin gave a thumbs up and praised Marino.
“Uu, it wasn’t effective at all.”
“It would be like that considering Marino’s stats. Besides, today’s opponents are hand-to-hand combat type. They are strong in physical attack.”
Shin spoke to cheer Marino who was depressed.
The level of the Red Boartaurus were higher than the average monsters that appear in the ‘Sacred Mountain of the Morning Star’, higher than 501. In addition, as a close combat type, its movement wouldn’t stop at the little damage. It was only natural that Marino’s attack lack power.
“Is it over for now?”
“It is safe now, no enemy approaching.”
Shadow who had watched the surroundings appeared and answered Shin’s question. After the items were collected, the party decided to advance ahead.
“My level rose by 5 levels!”
“There’s a huge gap for the level and stats. Because we are in a party, even if the experience points are distributed to some extent, you’ll receive experience points fairly as compensation”
To Marino who was surprised to see her status screen, Shin said it was only natural. Since she wasn’t only just looking, and attacked for real, compensation applies to the amount of experience she received. (T/L Note: Compensation here means that she receives more if she participates in a fight vs just sitting and power leveling.)
“Then, let’s head forward.”
With Shin and Hibineko in the lead, the party walked forward. When they had walked for about 30 minutes and a few more battle afterwards, the road started to be inclined.
“I think we have entered the mountains.”
“Indeed, according to the information that I collected, the type of monsters that appear will change.”
While walking on the narrowing path of the mountain, Hibineko shared information with Shin.
There were two types that they should be cautious of.
The snake type monster that was good at surprise attacks, ‘Stare Viper’, and the bird type monster that attacks in mid air using the trees as blind spots, ‘Farlop’.
After they had compared the information they had with each other, Shin muttered with a stumped face.
“But this is too much…”
“Well, the number is considerably different from the story I heard.”
As he could sense many reactions from 【Sign Perception】, Hibineko agreed while twiddling with his whiskers.
While the range 【Sign Perception】 could detect was wide, it could also detect wild animal and players in addition to monsters. But to Shin and the others, they just need to watch the markers displayed on the map, to see whether it was a monster or not.
However, that was not the case this time. In the rugged terrain of the mountain, the markers that were displayed didn’t slowdown as they were moving on the field at a fixed speed. Their movement weren’t affected by the terrain. For this to be possible, only the flight monsters could enable such movements.
As Shin was paying attention, he confirmed with 【Search】 that the markers were monsters as they came closer.
“Um, what do you mean?”
“The number of monsters is a bit higher than what I heard. They shouldn’t be the monsters that are coming out in a group.
Did she heard them talking? Shin explained the situation to Marino who seemed to be perplexed.
“Wouldn’t this make it impossible to climb?”
“No, this is all right. At worse, I will knock them down and clean everything off. And see if we could go around it.”
To Marino with a worried face, Shin returned with an indifferent attitude. This was not an exaggeration or a bluff, it was possible when making full use of Shin’s skills and stats. It was a simple fact.
“If Shin-kun is here, there will be no problem in that area. Marino-chan, aren’t you feeling relieved?”
“Ah, yes.”
Holly, who didn’t show much enthusiasm, smiled as Marino felt at ease.
“By the way, Hibineko-san. Doesn’t this feel like a hidden quest being generated?”
From the mass outbreak of the monsters, Shin brought up the possibility that came to mind.
“Well, there’s that possibility. But, I have not heard that kind of quest in this neighborhood.”
“Then, it’s an undiscovered quest, huh?”
“Maybe, but our goal is different this time. Stop that excited face.”
“Nope, *tehee*”
In THE NEW GATE, there were a lot of hidden quests that were still unknown to the players.
It was one of the pleasures of the players to discover them, Shin too without exception had a big grin on his face due to the unexpected situation.
“There’s a lot in the sky, but only a few monsters on the ground. Would you like to go the place I observed from?”
Shadow who had disappeared due to scouting out the area, showed up from inside the forest to ask Shin.
“Is that so? I think we can go if the cave we ought to enter on the way is not found. And I have a feeling that I saw them flying lower than the mountaintop. I think Shadow’s idea is good, don’t you think?”
While seeing Farlops flying through the forest, Shin suggested.
“Fumu, it seems it’s just as Shin say it. Mari-nyaa, how about you?”
“Um, I also think Shadow’s plan is good. If this is no good, there will be another day. I’ll leave the judgement to everyone.”
Marino who was asked by Hibineko, nodded while saying that.
“It’s decided. Then shall we move?”
When the plan was decided, Shadow disappeared again, he went ahead to investigate the situation.
Shin and the rest were also watching the surroundings, and moved forward through the mountain road.
In less than 20 minutes. The number of trees gradually decreased, it became impossible to hide themselves.
“I saw the entrance. It was on the other side.”
Shadow who went ahead revealed himself, and told Shin and the others that he had discovered the entrance of the cave.
While following Shadow, 30 mels before the end of the forest, the cave’s entrance was visible.
“We would be found by the enemy like this. Should we apply 【Hiding】?”
“That would be good. The flight type monsters have good sight.”
Shadow agreed to Shin’s proposal. When Shin looked behind, Hibineko and Holly also nodded.
“Eh? Pochitama isn’t here”
Marino’s voice reached Shin’s ears just as he about to activate the skill.
“Hm? Hey, look! That!”
Marino’s raised voice that pointed in front of Shin, there was the figure of Pochitama running in the opposite direction to the cave.
“I didn’t give any instructions though…”
“Oh dear! Did he pay too much attention to the sky?”
When moving to a dungeon, one must be aware of the enemy after all. Monster partners shouldn’t act without permission, and because Pochitama was an ally, he was not covered by Shin and the others’ watch.
“This is bad, we’ve been found. I’ll be the decoy, please catch him in the meantime.”
Shin saw multiple signs were aiming at Pochitama, and he jumped out from the forest. While Shin runs to the cave, he faces the Farlops that dive down.
“Eat this!!”
From the tip of the stretched-out hand, bullets of light continuously shot out. However, the light bullets heading in a straight line were avoided by the Farlops by slightly changing their descending trajectory.
“Too naive.”
The light bullets that should have lost its target, suddenly changed trajectory direction midair. The light bullets that had been heading toward the sky, attacked the back of the Farlops while drawing the character “く”.
“Light technique type magic skill 【Ray Stinger】!”
The light-balls that were bestowed with homing ability, fully demonstrate Shin’s enhanced magic power. The light bullets moved in the air freely, and penetrated several Farlops.
With polygons falling from the sky, Shin directed his gaze to Marino and the others.
The skill that could direct the enemy’s hatred toward oneself were ineffective when the monsters already started to attack. A few Farlops were already heading down towards Marino and the others.
“At this time, there’s no way to earn all the hatred.”
Shin muttered alone as he swung the 『Gengetsu』. With the sound that cut the air, he invoked 【Blade Pass】.
“Strike them all!”
Above Marino and the others who ran toward Pochitama, multiple red slashing lines flew. For attacks, outside of Shin’s perception range, the Farlops who were diving down were bisected before they could reach Marino and the others.
“I caught him!”
While rain of polygons poured down, Marino caught Pochitama. Marino held Pochitama in her arms, but that didn’t stop him from barking continuously toward the front.
“What’s the matter, Pochitama?”
“Judging from his reaction, he probably trying to inform us there’s something on the other side, don’t you think?”
Shadow said to Marino who was perplexed at Pochitama’s behavior. While watching the surroundings, Hibineko and Holly also conveyed the same opinion.
“Apparently, there is something in the shade of that rock.”
Hibineko who was looking at the direction where Pochitama barked, noticed there was a response other than the Farlops.
The interception of the Farlops was left to Shin, Marino and the other stealthily looked at the back of the rock that blocked their view.
“Is that the Stare Viper?”
Blue and green scales undulated. It was a big snake, Stare Viper, that has a span of 7 mels. And something was encircled by that gigantic body. Because its body was in the way, Marino and the others couldn’t see what was in the center.
“That seems to be the cause. At this chance, let’s kill it.”
“I’ve the same feeling. It’ll be boring to retreat here.”
“Ho-nyaa and Shado-nyaa are really fired up, huh? Then, I’ll also help. Mari-nyaa, you hide here.”
“Got it. Be careful.”
As Marino’s support from the back was received, the three jumped out from the shade of the rock. While Holly chanted, Shadow’s presence was erased and Hibineko flew straight from the front.
“It’s level 500. That’s quite a high-level.”
【Analyze】 revealed the level of Stare Viper, Hibineko waves his fist upfront while admiring it.
By movement system martial arts skill 【Shukuchi】, the Stare Viper couldn’t react to Hibineko who suddenly appeared before its eyes. It could only take on the attacks.
At the same time the damage was generated by his claws, the surface of the Stare Viper’s face started to frost due to Hibineko’s skill, barehanded and water technique combination skill 【Freezing Blow】. With its face being frozen, the Stare Viper’s movement suddenly became dull.
Just like a snake in the real world, a snake type monster has one common weakness on the thermal sensor organ called pit organ.
“*Shoom!*”
In the opening that was caused by Hibineko’s attack, Shadow attacked repeatedly. As the Stare Viper received the backstab critical combo, its HP suddenly entered the red zone.
“I’ll end it!”
Against the tottering Stare Viper, Holly unleashed her magic. A spear of soil grew from the ground, and skewered the Stare Viper.
Like Holly had declared, it became the final blow as the Stare Viper burst and scattered. When the gigantic body disappeared, the thing that the Stare Viper encircled was revealed.
“Marino-chan, it’s safe. Come out and see this.”
“Y-Yes!”
When Holly and Marino approached, Shadow and Hibineko turned over to give them way.
“It’s some kind of egg. The Stare Viper was aiming at this.”
“It seems so. But Hibineko-san and I couldn’t get close.
“We’re repelled by some kind of magic barrier.” Shadow reported.
The egg was surrounded by a transparent membrane about 2 mels radius; even if Shadow and Hibineko touched it, they couldn’t pass it through.
“I wonder if there’s any conditions?”
“It’s amazing, right? Ah, hey Pochitama!”
Next to Holly who was lost in thought, Pochitama escaped from Marino’s arms. Marino thought he would hit against the magic barrier, but Pochitama slipped into the barrier without any resistance.
“Hmm, perhaps Mari-nyaa is the key this time?”
“Eh?”
Marino who was the subject of their talk, stopped moving in front of the barrier. Her face has the look of someone asking the question “What?”.
“For now, can you look at it, Marino-chan? If Pochitama can enter, Marino-chan probably could too.”
“Um, I understand.”
Urged by Holly, Marino timidly tried to touch the magic barrier. Then, similar to Pochitama, she passed through the magic barrier as if there was nothing there.
“Marino-chan, get the egg!”
“Eh, but that is…stealing…”
“It’s okay! It’s a quest item according to the appraisal.”
Marino couldn’t keep up with the momentum of Holly’s victory pose.
However, she also understood that the egg has no parents, so she touched the egg. And then, it transformed into an item card at Marino’s hand.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 05 - Crimson Exterminator/The-New-Gate-Volume-05-Crimson-Exterminator-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_05_Side_Story_Part_03.txt
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Side Story: Part 3
“Eh? the magic barrier disappeared?”
“Hibineko-san! Shadow-san! The Farlops ignoring my taunt are heading to you! Please be careful!”
When the magic barrier disappeared, the Farlops aiming at Shin turned toward Marino. While urging them to be on alert, the look on his face plainly expressed, “I won’t let you do as you please,” as he swooped down to attack the Farlops.
“Don’t even think about passing me!”
With Shin’s shout, light bullets flew in the air. Light bullets that were impossible even for the mage Holly to cast, were launched like a barrage of heavy rain.
Seeing the fired light bullets annihilate the Farlops, his allies’ faces, Hibineko and the rest, twitched.
“Just like Holly-san said, it was true…”
When traces of the light bullets had disappeared, the creatures that were flying over the sky were gone.
“If it’s Shin, he can shoot everything down.” The words Holly had said became true, and Marino had experienced it first hand.
“It’s absurd as usual. It’s a good thing that wasn’t weakened by an ‘Update’.”
“That’s not true, Shadow-san. I went through the formal procedure to improve my stats, so that’s just an excuse.”
To Shadow who spoke in an astonished way, Shin protested while shrugging his shoulders. Because there were human players raising their stats seriously, if they were weakened badly, it would certainly incur displeasure.
As for good and bad, it exists in the race’s inherent abilities to some extent. But when raising the stats from the standpoint of the system, it was possible for anyone to become like Shin. It would be unreasonable if only the human players were weaker.
“Oops, leaving that aside. Hey Marino, what did you get?”
As if the annihilation several seconds ago, didn’t happen, Shin asked while looking at Marino’s hand. From Shin’s position, he couldn’t see what was there.
“Um, it’s this.”
“This is, an egg, huh? Then, is it the event where you collect items and make it hatch?”
“Right. I also have the same opinion. I heard that the monsters hatched from this type of event becomes your companion and often gives out items.”
Looking at the card on which an egg was drawn, Shin listed out the quest types he could think of. Not only Hibineko, but Shadow and Holly also nodded as they had a similar opinion.
“So far, I think there was a person who had fetched a monster partner, but I haven’t heard of anyone obtaining an egg like this.”
“It’s just a guess, but what if Marino’s low level is the reason. If the boss is defeated by a person who is lower than the appropriate level for the dungeon, there are times when rare equipment is obtained.”
“Certainly. But then again, it may be a condition that unless your monster partner is a wolf or dog type, this quest is not possible or something like that.”
“This is a bad place to get excited, so let’s hold the inspection later. It’s time to decide what to do next.”
To Shin and Holly who started discussing the trigger condition of the quest, Shadow chided.
They could also proceed as is, but it was the egg that was obtained with much effort. Shadow said they should decide whether to move forward on this event or continue toward their original destination.
“Um, do such things happen a lot?”
“Though uncommon, it can’t be said that such a thing hasn’t happened. Such things like hidden quests, it’s difficult to re-challenge when you miss the timing. If it’s a situation like us this time, when there’s no important quest, it’s common to give priority to the hidden quest. What will you do? You could proceed as is, or you could also complete this quest.”
Shadow advised Marino who was having trouble deciding what to do. Shin and the others who listened didn’t have any objections so they nodded and left it to Marino’s decision.
“Um, then, since it’s a special quest, can I go with that?”
“Okay, it’s decided!”
As for the undiscovered quest and restricted quest, they stimulated a gamer’s instinct. Even though Marino’s goal was the scenic view, it seemed she have been attracted to this. But it was Shin who had the highest spirits even compared to Marino.
“What should we do first?”
“Have you not done such a quest before? It isn’t that important to the say the least, but fumbling around is one way of also enjoying the game.”
“If it’s an animal type such as Pochitama, I would think of giving food or treating its wounds. But I can’t think of anything except warming the egg. But I shouldn’t be the only one to warm it though. This was found by our members with much effort, so I’d like everyone to cooperate.”
“That’s just like Marino. And then right away… It’s not just heating, we need to build the nest by wrapping items around the egg. As for the necessary items, you need to use the appraisal exclusive to tamers and summoners. Can’t you see it, Marino?”
Shin could use it too, but without enough skill level, he could not see the details of the necessary items.
“It’s no use. I can hardly see it.”
The level of special appraisal skill Marino had, was V. Shin was also similar to her, so now the members here didn’t know the necessary items.
“What would you do? If you want to continue, this will go on endlessly.”
“That’s right…Hey Marino, I’m thinking about cooperating with Cashmere, what do you think?”
What Shin suggested was the name of the summoner and tamer, Cashmere, a member of Rokuten guild.
“I think Cashmere-chan is reliable, but I heard she is doing another quest. Isn’t she busy…”
“It’s not a problem, since I know her she won’t mind if I ask. If I inform her about the quest specific for tamer like this one, I’m sure she will ask to go together persistently. Furthermore, she will not be satisfied with just clearing the quest. From this quest generation condition until the monster’s hatching, she will thoroughly examine it at the level that isn’t mentioned in Wiki. And surely Marino who first discovered it along with the rest of us will be involved. Fortunately, ‘I don’t take up other ones if I begin a quest’ is Cashmere’s motto. We just need her to appraise and quickly get out from here.”
“Um…Cashmere-chan, is that kind of person?”
Hearing things about Cashmere, Marino felt her impression of Cashmere was off the mark.
“You don’t know since you haven’t been affected yet, Marino.”
“That’s right. That is what is called pouring into the wrong passion.”
“You too Shadow-san?!…if that’s the case, then it can’t be helped.”
“Trust me on this!?”
“It’s quite different from the Cashmere I know. Besides, Shin sometimes exaggerates the story as a joke.”
“That’s also how I talk, but if it is about the High Humans, they’re exaggerated just about right.”
Shin said while having a distant expression.
There were many stats dependent skills in THE NEW GATE, so Shin and other Rokuten’s members unleashed skills that had power that were on another level compared to ordinary players. Because of that, even if he seemed to exaggerate his talk, there were some truth in it most of the time.
“Now now both of you, if you are done with your talk, let’s get moving. If we are going to go to where Cashmere-chan is, we will arrive quickly if we use the teleportation point in Tsuki no Hokora after we leave this dungeon.”
Because what Holly said was reasonable, the party left the dungeon and moved to where the teleportation point was set up in Alloride. And then from Tsuki no Hokora, they immediately teleported to Cashmere’s place.
Moon Ground(Tsuki Teki Chi), was the second monster ranch that Cashmere managed. The other guild house with Cashmere in charge, ‘Type 6 Sky Castle Palmirack’, was the first ranch but because it was full with monsters, she had built a new one.
“I was waiting for you~ So? So? Where’s the egg-chan that appeared in the hidden quest?!”
“You’re too close and noisy. Calm down!”
As soon as they arrived at the ranch, a woman who was standing in front of the teleportation point approached Shin. With her semi-long silvery hair swaying, her purple eyes were sparkling.
Though Marino was surprised, Shin kept a distance from Cashmere without waver as it was a usual thing.
“Cashmere-chan is more high-spirited than usual.”
“When it involves monsters, Cashmere is almost always like that. Cashmere, as you have been informed, we request appraisal.”
Before they had teleported, Shin already told Cashmere they were heading to her ranch. He should have informed her that it was Marino who found the egg, but it seemed to have flown away from her consciousness.
“Ah is that so? Did Marino-san find it this time? Sorry for scaring you. Well~ When it comes to animal things, I tend to forget myself. Ah, I made everyone uneasy too. I’m Cashmere of Rokuten guild. Pleased to meet you all.”
Cashmere regained herself due to Marino who had been surprised, and she introduced herself to Shadow and the others while laughing to cover the past.
Even though they were taken aback, Shadow and the others also introduce themselves.
Marino and Cashmere seemed to have interacted even in the real world, they were acquaintances before Shin was introduced to them.
How did things get this way? Shin didn’t know either.
“Now that I think of it, you did say it would be nice to raise animals here since you love them so much.”
“That’s right. So, let me appraise the egg. You can count on me.”
The hierarchical relationship seemed to have been decided among the two. Because Marino was older in the real world too, that had been adapted even in the game.
“Well then, hmmm…Shin-san, this is quite hard.”
“What?”
Cashmere frowned and said as she had finished the appraisal.
“You will need Fumble seed, Behemoth’s skin, and Phoenix’s feather and some others rare materials. If it Shin-san, I think you have some stock in your inventory. But even with a powerful guild to collect these things, they would have a hard time. It’s at this level of difficulty. I don’t want to say it, but it would be almost impossible for Marino-san to gather them alone.”
“Let me see. Uwaa, what is this?”
Seeing the list of items necessary for hatching that Cashmere listed, Shin and the other could not hide their surprise.
Though half of the items were available by extraction and subjugation, the weakest monster was at level 600 and the strongest at level 800. It was impossible for Marino to get her hands on it.
Even for a major guild, only by forming a party could they defeat an opponent at that level. In some cases, it was a level where instead of subjugating, the party was annihilated.
As for the way of extraction, some required skills were difficult to obtain in the movement system and only available in an unexplored region.
“This is…I have no choice but to say this is harsh to Mari-nyaa.”
“Without Shin-kun here, even we can’t do anything.”
Even Hibineko and Holly were helpless.
“Although the egg doesn’t look like a low-level player’s monster partner, the items required have such a high rarity. So, what will you do, Marino. Would you be willing to clear this quest? For now, if I lightly search inside my Item Box, I almost have them all.”
“How did they end up inside Shin’s Item Box…?”
This time, Marino was surprised at Shin who spoke like he could throw such expensive items around. His title as the top-class player was not just for show.
“It’s a given that he would have such items, and Shin-san would give them to his girlfriend without much consideration. I really admire that!”
“It’s not the reason I’m giving them to her!”
From Shin’s view, they weren’t such valuable articles either. Cashmere thought if this was for another stranger player, he would ask for a reasonable value, but since it was Marino, he would freely give it for clearing the quest.
“Either way, Shin-san is interested in what it will be when it hatches, right?”
“I can’t deny that, but I’ll not say it aloud.”
A conversation between the top-class players in THE NEW GATE, Marino and the others could only laugh.
They have unreserved exchanges, not only because they were fellow High Humans, but also because of mutual trust.
“Well, putting aside Cashmere’s story, I’ll take out the items in the list. Please check if something more is needed.”
Shin pulled himself together, and took out the items from his Item Box. Marino and Cashmere checked and found there were still two missing items.
“Ah, I have those things. I am also interested at what monster would come out, so I’ll take out the items.”
Saying so, Cashmere took out the missing items from her own Item Box.
“Even though I’ve not done anything, there are so many rare items”
“Rokuten’s Item Boxes are strange as ever.”
Beside the shocked Marino, Shadow retorted calmly.
A normal player would keep their belongings securely inside a warehouse, or put them up for sale, so no matter what happened, the items weren’t stored in the Item Box.
“Then, the materials are gathered, let’s begin at once.”
“Well. Though I somewhat feel like were doing something improper, that is just my imagination, right?”
It was a clearing method that was without much good feeling depending on the person, but if the said person didn’t mind it, there would be no problem in the system.
As recipient of the quest, Marino made a nest using the items. And then, she put the egg there. As the bar indicating wait time appeared above the egg and disappeared after several minutes, a chick was hatched from the egg.
With a light blue body, feathers extended from its forehead to its head and a person would think of the pattern as a red and green double helix. And the tip of the feathers were dyed a little black.
“Pii!”
“What is this, 【Analyze】 doesn’t work.”
“It really is. When it comes to this, until it matures, we will not know what kind of monster it is.”
Almost all the monsters that has a larval body have the same appearances, their types were unknown until they reach adulthood. One such characteristic was that the name of the monster couldn’t be seen with 【Analyze】. Cashmere who knew about it, immediately presumed the reason.
“Then, I should nurture this child from now on.”
Marino said as she placed the chick who energetically sang on her palm.
“That’s right. I think the unused items can be used as a food.”
Cashmere took the tip of the rice-plant from the remaining items and hand it to the young bird. Thereupon, the chick bit it without hesitating.
“Yeah, eat it well. For the items to become food, I wonder if it’s a type that needs specific items to grow?”
As Cashmere had expected, when it finished eating several items, the chick’s body shone, and grew one size larger.
“My my. I have not seen this kind of color tone of feathers before. What kind of form will it be? Damnit, I must clear another quest!”
“Shin, is Cashmere-chan okay?”
“She’s always like that. Don’t worry about her.”
The high-spirited Cashmere was left alone, and Shin pushed Marino’s back and started to move. As for the items that became food, they weren’t enough to make the chick develop fully.
“I have time, and I know the place that drops these items, so let’s go there immediately.”
“Wa, it, a, mi, n, ute!”
“Uwaa! You’re, scary…”
Was it on purpose? Or was it natural? With a low voice and standing at his back, Shin frowned at Cashmere who grabbed his shoulder.
“Give me the information later since I have cooperated with you~”
“I understand. Since Marino doesn’t dislike giving information to Cashmere.”
“Of course, I’ll tell you the things I found out.”
While smiling wryly at Cashmere’s appearance, Marino nodded. Though they were friends, she also requested help from the High Human. Therefore, she didn’t mind sharing information.
“Thank you very much!”
After parting with the excited Cashmere, Shin and the other moved to another area.
Several days later, in order to gather the items that became the young bird’s food, Shin and the others assembled again. Marino and Holly fell madly in love with the chick’s cuteness. Shin and Shadow were urged and rushed to some extent.
Hibineko had a wry smile while watching them as it became a normal routine.
Even so, the place they visited for the extraction was a high-level area where monsters, with an average level of 750, appeared. Apart from Shin, it was a dangerous place for Shadow and the rest.
“For the sake of Pyotama, let’s work hard today too!”
“Yes, let’s gather them!”
The chick that was called Pyotama, made a “Pii” sound as if to respond to the two people. Pochitama who sat on Marino’s feet, looked a little lonely.
“As usual, the motivation of Mari-nyaa and Ho-nyaa is amazing. At this current age, has the number of women full of vitality increased?”
Toward the women’s eyes that seemed fired up, Hibineko spoke in admiration. His tone was like an old man watching young people.
“Hibineko-san, I think that’s wrong…”
While being cautious of their surroundings, Shin gave his opinion in a displeased voice. The women were certainly full of vitality, but Shin and Shadow couldn’t deny the feeling of fruitless effort.
“For now, let’s go as usual.”
“Yes. Maybe if the bird grows up, the two will settle down too.”
After they shrugged their shoulders, Shin and Shadow conveyed that they would first go to Marino and the rest.
Because it was troublesome if they met a monster, they moved stealthily to conceal their figure.
“Oh, found one.”
While evading the fight against the monsters, Shin and Shadow searched for an item. Because they generally knew what kind of place they were in, there would be danger if they were not careful of the monsters.
If they had an encounter with many monsters, Shin would exterminate them while Hibineko and the others confined them. If there were few of them, Shin would attack alone and wipe them out.
“Pii!”
Pyotama grew a little again as it fed on the items. After growing more than 10 times, its figure was already past the stage of being called a young bird. And it was already bigger than Pochitama.
“I feel it could fly on its own. It gradually become more imposing.”
But that was denied by Marino and Holly.
“Not yet, it’s still cute!”
“That’s right! There’s a small possibility for it to grow more.”
“No change of the objective or something like that, huh…?”
Shin didn’t understand Marino and Holly’s goal to some extent.
“If this is the type, I’m scared about what’s going to happen afterwards.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Well, in the breeding system, isn’t there a type of monster that will disappear and leave an item? As reward for ‘Thank you for raising me’ or a similar feeling to that.”
“I see, that is certainly going to be stormy.”
Shadow had a bitter smile as he heard Shin’s story. Taking into account these several days of Marino and Holly’s enthusiasm, he couldn’t help but to laugh.
It had a 50 percent probability, in fact, one shouldn’t be too optimistic.
“I think we have exhausted everything in this area, let’s return for the moment.”
Shin and the others teleported to Alloride from one of the teleportation points that were installed in various parts of the area, and then they teleported to Tsuki no Hokora.
Marino and Holly jumped out from the room with the teleportation point in order to feed Pyotama.
“Welcome home”
Shin’s support character, Schnee, who looked after his store, greeted Shin when he approached the counter. Though her movement and gesture were somewhat mechanical because she was NPC, her appearance was no different from a player.
Shin replied “I’m home” then he went outside. At the front yard of Tsuki no Hokora, Marino and Holly were already feeding items to Pyotama.
“We are feeding Pyotama well, but Pyotama still hasn’t finished growing, huh?”
“There are items we haven’t given it yet. If it reached the point where Pyotama can eat that, isn’t that the end?”
Hibineko, who was closeby, responded to Shin who was thinking out loud.
“There’s not enough levels, it’s probably that, right? Or perhaps, like in a manga, when such a story is told, something will happ――”
“It’s glowing!”
“Shin! Come here for a moment!”
Just before Shin could end his sentence, Holly and Marino shouted. Pyotama, before the two, shone in golden color.
“Fumu, is this a flag?”
“Actually this is my first time seeing it happened in front of my eyes. Shin, is this really a flag being constructed?”
“Well, this is my first time seeing this development as well.”
With Hibineko and Shadow talking in a serious tone, Shin answered what came to mind. Just like he had said, even Shin didn’t have experience with this.
However, because he couldn’t just stand there forever, Shin approached Pyotama. As for the light emitting from Pyotama, it was a little dazzling, but not to the extent where he couldn’t open his eyes.
“I wonder if it already finished growing.”
“Maybe. Are there any leftover items? Perhaps something will happen if you feed them to it.”
By Shin’s advice, Marino took out the final item. The item looked like a fruit of a red tree.
“Pyotama, come here and eat this.”
“Kua!”
Pyotama without hesitation swallowed the item that Marino held out. Because the item had been ignored when feeding until now, Hibineko’s guess seemed to be correct.
“Ku, Kua…KuaaaaAAAAAA!!”
Pyotama’s cry echoed. At the same time, the light emitted from Pyotama strengthened, and it became so bright that Shin and the others couldn’t open their eyes.
“…It seems to be over.”
“Uwaa…”
When the light settled down and they opened their eyes, what came to their view was a huge monster that exceeded 4 mels.
“Beautiful…”
Standing alone, a single word leaked out from Marino’s mouth.
Pyotama who grew up, has a dignified appearance that one would not expect from its former adorable appearance.
Both of its wings, emitting radiance that was not inferior to gold, silver or jewellery, expanded to wrap Marino and Holly. Its feet that firmly stepped on the ground had sharp talons. They revealed that this existence had definite power.
Shin felt the light of reasoning that dwelled in those eyes almost make him forget it was a program.
“KUU…”
The grown up Pyotama cried in low voice, and pressed it beak against Marino. That scene looked like a parent and a pampered child.
“No way, is this the Mystic…”
While looking at Pyotama and Marino making contact, Shin muttered as he was shocked.
The appearance that Pyotama matured into, was the highest peak of superior monsters in THE NEW GATE. The ‘Mystic’ was the apex of bird type monster.
Even a High Human would have a hard time fighting against the level 1000 monster.
But because 【Analyze】 couldn’t be activated, Shin suspected that Pyotama probably was an event limited appearance. The Mystic that Shin knew was 2 times smaller than the imitation, this was also one of the reasons Shin came to this judgement.
If Tsuki no Hokora was not located at a hard to reach place where players hardly come, it would certainly become a big uproar.
“What the matter with Pyotama?”
Before Shin’s eyes, Pyotama separated from Marino. Then it spread its wings.
After that, light emitted from Pyotama’s body, and began to focus on one point. It stayed there for around 30 seconds. When the light disappeared, a sparkling colorful ore appeared there.
“Is that, don’t tell me, ‘Drop of Erathem’?”
That was an item essential for making 《Ancient》 grade equipment, Drop of Erathem.
Even for advanced level players, it was an item that was said to be difficult to obtain. And even for Shin, it was not something he could easily get.
“Ah…”
Marino’s eyes stopped near Pyotama’s chest. Seeing her face moving sideways a little, Shin guessed that she was reading some message.
The player who received the quest was Marino. In a quest like this time, the message that only a player like Marino could see may be displayed.
“Is that so…Even though we’re getting along really well…”
“Marino-chan?”
“I think Pyotama has to go.”
Hearing the conversation between Marino and Holly, Shin was convinced that this was the type of quest that the pet would leave behind an item and depart.
Marino was getting tearful, Holly revealed reluctance, as they were clinging to Pyotama.
Pyotama unfurled its wings again to wrap the two. Even if it was a program, Shin could feel the Pyotama was reluctant to part judging from its actions. After embracing each other for about ten seconds, Pyotama slowly separated from the two and flew away to the clear sky with a loud cry.
“Pyotama has gone”
“Uuu…Sh~in~Uu!”
“Guwaa! Are you really crying? Well I can understand that.”
Was it unbearable? Marino was clinging to Shin while crying. When Shin turned his gaze, Shadow was similarly embraced by Holly revealing his embarrassed face.
“As I get older, I’m worried that my tear glands become loose.”
Hibineko wiped his eyes with his paw. He appeared to weep in sympathy.
After waiting for the women to stop crying, Shin and the other entered Tsuki no Hokora.
“Have you calmed down?”
“…Yea”
Several minutes later, everyone was drinking tea in the living room of Tsuki no Hokora.
“So, what did Pyotama leave behind? If it’s a memento, I’d like to see it too.”
“Um, only this.”
In order to divert their attention from the parted Pyotama, Shin changed the topic to the item. What Marino took out was the ore that shone in rainbow color, the Drop of Erathem.
“Pyotama left a wonderful item. It’s an item that is used in production of 《Ancient》 grade gear, you know? Though advance skill is needed, which is a bottleneck.”
“Really? But in the item’s explanatory note, it is written that the player who has received this can use it without the necessary skill. Moreover, the equipment made using this item has no penalty even if the user stats are insufficient.”
“What is this…hidden quest’s item that is not incomplete? Nice job admin!”
While shrugging his shoulders, Shin spoke in amazement. At the same time, he felt sorry for Cashmere when he listened to Marino’s explanation. A quest like this, was basically limited to only once. Because when such an item was obtained many times, it would cause dissatisfaction from the players who raised their skill seriously.
Even for Shin, it took him considerable time to be able to use Drop of Erathem. And it would take years with Marino’s playing style. It was only this time that there was no restriction from the system.
“Marino-chan, with this you can power up in one go.”
“The performance of 《Ancient》 grade is not ordinary after all.”
Hearing Holly and Shadow speak, they were as pleased as if they received the reward. There was no jealousy towards their companion who had obtained a rare item.
“But it may be better for you to keep this from the public. If it were a sharp-eyed person, there is a possibility of this item being targeted.”
Hibineko worried about the adverse result after the equipment had been made. Like Hibineko said, because the equipment for 《Ancient》 grade has very high market value, it can also invite troublesome players.
“Since this is the precious item that Pyotama gave, I intend to use it well.”
Marino nodded at Hibineko’s words, and stared at the Drop of Erathem that had been converted into a card.
Several days later, Shin, who had been called by Marino, visited the cafe ‘Nyan da Land’.
“Hello Hibineko-san. I heard Marino is already here.”
“I have heard about it, and Mari-nyaa is in the private room at the back, in the second room.”
Heading in the direction Hibineko pointed, there were several private rooms in the back of the shop. As Hibineko said, Shin opened a door to a room where ‘2’ was drawn.
“Ah, Shin”
“Yo, have you finished the equipment?”
As for Shin being called, it was also to unveil the equipment that used Drop of Erathem which Marino had obtained.
When Marino took out the item card, a black muffler appeared on a table. There were few decorations, and the entire cloths contained red lighting lines.
“That’s pretty nice.”
The muffler was inferior to the item made by first-class craftsman, but as an 《Ancient》 grade item, its performance was superior.
“It’s nice, isn’t it? Because Shin’s equipment are mainly in black and red, I made sure that it would match as much as possible with that color scheme.”
“My equipment? Isn’t that a little out of place from Marino’s equipment?”
Shin was delighted to hear that it matched with his equipment, but he also felt it didn’t match with Marino’s equipment color scheme.
“ I don’t have to wear the equipment, so Shin, you wear it. Didn’t you say you haven’t decided on the equipment for your head? Like the manga I saw before, because the samurai had something that looked like a muffler, it was made from that design.”
“Why do you want me to equip it?”
“Shin has been helping me a lot since I started this game, and you also lent me the needed items. Since I don’t have anything I can give in return, I think this is fair. Besides, even if Shin wears the 《Ancient》 grade equipment, there’s no sense of incongruity, don’t you think?”
“Is this fine? Isn’t this very valuable?”
Hearing Marino’s story, Shin couldn’t help but be surprised. To give away an 《Ancient》 grade equipment free of charge; even the retiring players couldn’t do it easily in the game.
“I’ve talked with Holly-san and the others, and they all agreed. Will you accept it?”
“…Sigh, because you won’t listen to anything once you start suggesting… Thank you, I’ll accept it, Marino.”
Shin knew Marino’s character, and even though he felt embarrassed a little, he decided to accept it obediently. Urged by Marino who told him that she wanted to see when he equipped it, Shin put on the muffler.
“How was it?”
“Well, it’s perfect. This is the right design after all.”
As Marino laughed in satisfaction, Shin also laughed.
“And with this, I wonder if I’ll be able to return the favor a little…”
The words softly muttered by Marino didn’t reach Shin’s ears.
◆◆◆◆
“Well, those feelings still remain now. Because I have upgraded a little since that, its performance has gone up.”
Inside the private room of the shop ‘Nyan da Land’ that was reborn in Balmel, in that room, Shin finished reminiscing.
Because the members at that time had gotten together, Hibineko and the others warmly talked about the previous story of Shin’s equipment ‘Dark King’s Muffler’.
In addition to the original players, Holly and Shadow, Schnee and Tiera also sat together.
“A handmade equipment, huh? Sure enough, receiving this kind of thing will make people happy?”
“I’m happy, you know? Wearing it or not is a different story.”
To Tiera’s question, Shin answered while laughing. Although it was not the best he could equip, Shin thought feelings were more important.
“Fumu, it was fun at that time.”
“Yeah.”
Hibineko and Shadow said as their eyes stared at the distance.
“Yes, I agree. By the way Shin-kun, have you received a present from someone since you came here?”
“Why do you suddenly ask? I have not received anything.”
To Holly who changed the topic abruptly, Shin denied while turning his eyes.
“If it the current Shin-kun, I thought there might be a lot of girls to give presents.”
“Even if the world has changed, I will not suddenly become popular.”
Shin said in a surprised tone. However, Holly’s eyes caught Shin from behind, glancing at Schnee’s figure.
“Shin-kun, you are more loved than what you think of yourself.”
“Is that so…?”
At Holly’s meaningful words, Shin was full of doubt.
Fun times passed, and before long, Shin and his group returned to the inn.
Later, there was sighting of Schnee’s figure, who was selecting material items or something, with an earnest face.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 05 - Crimson Exterminator/The-New-Gate-Volume-05-Crimson-Exterminator-[Shin][Armaell]/ch1.txt
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Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Part 1
“I saw it!”
It was the third day since Shin and the second princess of Bayreuth Kingdom, Rionne, had been transposed to the Sacred Place Kalkia. The rampart of the stronghold city, Balmel, was visible to the two people who continued going south.
Normally it was impossible to arrive in three days, but they were upper class Chosen Ones. It could be said that their speed surpassed that of a flying dragon.
Similarly from the Sacred Place to Balmel, there was quite a distance from the large crowd of monsters. Since the Goblins and other monsters were the main constituent for their slow movements, they still had probably nearly a week to spare.
“I’ll go meet the feudal lord. Shin, please report to the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“Understood. What will you do afterwards?”
“When it comes to the intercepting the large-scale of ‘Flood’ monsters’ invasion, cooperation of the guild and the army is essential. It means that the Chosen Ones will assemble immediately.”
“I see. Roger that.”
The current time was just past noon. Since it was not early in the morning or late at night, he didn’t have to wait at the reception desk.
Rionne told the circumstances to the guard who was in the guardroom of the gate, and was guided to the feudal lord’s castle.
Shin also asked the guard about the place and headed toward the Adventurer’s Guild.
“Is it in between Bayreuth and Falnido?”
What Shin spoke about was the race of people he came across. There were a lot more beasts here than in Bayreuth, and more humans than in Falnido. He also saw some elves and dragnils.
The key point of defending was to keep the overflowing monsters in check from the Sacred Place. In addition, because the city was next to the sea and an abundance of mountains, this might have resulted in various races gathering.
“It’s lively.”
Shin briskly walked for a while, and soon saw a familiar signboard.
He opened the door, entered inside, and made his way to the counter.
“Excuse me, could you relay something to the guild master?”
“Sorry for being so for asking, but what kind of business do you have with Guild Master?”
The elf receptionist girl, who gave off the impression of a working woman with glasses on, asked him with a dubious look.
It was the first time Shin had come to Balmel, so he didn’t know any acquaintances. When an adventurer without acquaintances asked to call the guild master, you probably would think it was suspicious, too.
“There is information on the ‘Flood’. In addition to the Guild Card, I also pledge with my social position.”
“…Please wait a moment.”
The receptionist contemplated for a moment before lightly bowing and drawing back to an inside room.
It was likely that she couldn’t ignore it when she heard it was about the ‘Flood’.
“This way, please.”
The receptionist, who returned after a few minutes, prompted Shin to the back room.
It seemed that the guild interior’s design was almost the same in every town. They walked a short distance and a big door could be seen, and the reception girl knocked on it.
“It’s Eliza. I brought you the adventurer in question.”
“It’s open. Have him enter.”
The reply, which came from the other side of the door, was a male voice.
Also, this reception girl seemed to be called Eliza.
Shin passed through the door which had been opened by Eliza, and entered the room.
“Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild. I am the guild master, Baren Lakt. I’m told that you brought information on the ‘Flood’; could you tell me more about it?”
When he was invited to sit on the sofa, Shin felt that he was being observed.
Baren’s appearance was that of a man just past his 60’s. Most of his hair was white; wrinkles also stood out on his face.
However, even if he looked gentle, that glint in eyes held a sharpness that wasn’t inferior to Barlux’s.
“I am Shin. The ‘Flood’ occurred around Sacred Place Kalkia. It consists mainly of Goblins, Orcs and others humanoid monsters. Judging from the speed of their progression, I think it will take them about one week until they arrive here.”
“…Your expression looks like you’ve seen it happen; may I ask for your information sources?”
“As you said, I saw it. I can’t say in detail, but I can confirm that a mass of monsters was heading toward Balmel when I went to the vicinity of the Sacred Place. My companion has already gone to contact the feudal lord here.”
“To the feudal lord? Does the person accompanying you have a high social rank?”
Baren asked, and narrowed his eyes slightly.
If one could have an audience with the feudal lord immediately, it must be a person with a high position to some degree. As expected from the guild master of the city near the Sacred Place, he was quick to catch on.
“You will know about my companion’s status. The information should be passed on to you soon. Leaving that aside, do you believe in my information?”
“Hrm, I can not remain silent when hearing ‘Flood’. But under the present situation, there’s no proof to back up what you’re saying――”
Baren said, while putting his hand on his chin.
However, it seemed he already sent a messenger to confirm the information contrary to his words.
There were people leaving the guild hurriedly; Shin could sense it.
“If you say that you are an A rank adventurer, the story would be different.”
For Baren, he should be able to get into action quickly. However, since he was the head of the organization, he couldn’t accept Shin’s information that easily.
“Then, how about this?”
Receiving a probing-like gaze, Shin took out the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora from his Item Box.
“That is…”
Eliza expressed words when she saw the letter of introduction.
“I already have official guarantee that it’s genuine by Guild Master of Bayreuth.”
“…I see, I have no choice but to believe you since this is shown.”
The gaze containing doubt from Baren was erased.
“Don’t you have to verify it?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t have a letter of introduction. But as you said, I can contact Barlux-dono. Even if you tell a lie, I’ll know it immediately.”
“Thank you――”
“Uh huh, from here on I officially announce the declaration of a state of emergency. If the companion whom you said has brought the story to the feudal lord, the army would move immediately. As soon as the report comes, we’ll begin the preparation for the residents’ evacuation. Eliza, please contact the representatives of each guild.”
“Understood.”
Eliza who received the order left the room afterward.
Organization of the army and units, procurement of supplies, and the evacuation of the residents; there were many things that needed to be done from now on.
“What are you going to do hereafter? I guess you’re an upper class Chosen One, right? Please cooperate as I’d like to ask regardless, but…”
“You don’t have to ask. As an upper class Chosen One as you say, you can expect me to help to some extent.”
“That’s reassuring. Then, it would be nice if you have a meeting together with the other Chosen Ones in this city.”
In Baren’s talk, the Chosen Ones that became the main force, because upper class Chosen Ones were not the same as ordinary adventurers or knights, it was said that they would unite in a party between fellow Chosen Ones and fight.
Since they themselves often had weapons for their exclusive use, they didn’t take much time with preparation compared to a common adventurer.
“Now the Chosen Ones protect Balmel, but I’ve heard there is one short..”
“You had known? I’m also concerned about this, but the force increased once you joined. It became somewhat better, is what I’d like to think.”
“My companion is a Chosen One too, so you can count on us.”
“It’s a blessing.”
After inquiring about the location of the shop which the Chosen One ran, Shin left the adventurer’s guild. Even if everyone of them were a Chosen One, it didn’t mean they would be adventurers or knights.
◆◆◆◆
“That’s the place, huh? I’ve seen that signboard somewhere before.”
He said as he went ahead along the street, and found the signboard of the landmark.
At the sole of a paw and small fish which were drawn on the signboard, Shin tilted his head.
“Paw, small fish…Wait, those are, dried small sardines?”
A paw and dried small sardines. To that combination, something flashed inside Shin’s mind.
“The shop’s name is ‘Nyan Da Land’…you say? D-Don’t tell me….”
While remembering the person who shouldn’t be here, Shin opened the shop’s door.
A bell rang and he entered the shop, there, it was a bar with a calm atmosphere. Shin was familiar, no, he was at a loss for a moment how he should move in the interior which he was so familiar with.
“Hm? Customer-san, I am very sorry, but we haven’t opened yet. You can have delicious sake after the sun goes down a little more, okay?”
Shin stiffened at that very moment, a deep voice of a man from the inner part of the store was heard.
Shin was also familiar with this voice, and he turned toward the direction of the voice.
“………Hibineko-san?”
“Certainly, I was called that by a close friend, but…Nyaa Nyaa Nyaa!?”
That person, expressed his surprise with his whole body when he confirmed Shin’s face.
His race was High Beast of cat. As for the appearance, there was no way of expressing it other than a cat walking on two legs and wearing clothes.
His face was mostly white but only the ears were black. A part of the fur on his face had become gray for some reason; it looked like a crack on a split tile.
The reason why Shin called him “Hibineko” was because of the grey patch. His avatar name in-game was [email protected] (T/N: Hibineko literally means crack cat)
If only his voice was heard, one would imagined a refined man of middle age, but due to his short stature and his cartoonish costume, he looked like a mascot character of a deformed animal in an amusement park.
Add a exclamation mark floating above the head, and he would become the gag character of a manga.
“Are you a d-double?”
“Who is! Ah, no, but why? Hibineko-san, you were in the death game…”
You should have died.
Though Shin didn’t voice it, he knew he wasn’t mistaken. However, 【Analyze】 certainly displayed [email protected]
“Really, you’re Shin-nyaa….?”
“Ah…you’re indeed Hibineko-san…first of all should I stop calling you that name?”
Shin felt that tension dispersed, as “-nyaa” attached to the end of names which was a peculiar way of calling from Hibineko. Even if he thought back to when it was a regular game, he was a player who could change the mood of the area unintentionally.
“*Sigh*, even though I don’t understand it well, it’s been a long time, Hibineko-san. No, is it better to call you [email protected]?”
“Mugu! To know my sealed true name, you’re really Shin-nyaa!”
“I only saw it from 【Analyze】. Or perhaps I should say, please stop calling me as Shin-nyaa, seriously.”
While communicating like they did in the past, Shin sighed.
“Fumu, it’s truly you, Shin… Hey, Shin. I want to confirm only this, have you died?”
“No, I didn’t, supposedly.”
Shin spoke briefly about what happened to himself after he defeated ‘Origin’. He couldn’t be dead at least.
“No no, such things…”
“For me, I am concerned why Hibineko-san is here though.”
“I don’t understand it either. Having lost my life in death game, when I came to myself, I was asleep on a grassy plain. Level, stats, and items. Nothing changed from prior to dying, so I didn’t have a hard time while living.”
Balmel seemed to be the first place he arrived, it was said that he was active as an adventurer based in here.
“Then, what is this shop?”
“Besides being active as an adventurer, this is matched with my character.”
‘Nyan Da Land’ bar was the name of the shop which Hibineko opened during the game era.
Half of the menu being cat food hadn’t changed either.
“And, I became the mark when other players also came.”
“Besides you, there are others?!”
Apparently, the situation was on a larger scale than Shin thought.
The players who should have died in the death game or something; it was much more than expected.
“As far as I know it, Shadow-nyaa, Ho-nyaa, Masa-nyaa, Hira-nyaa have certainly come into this world. But…”
“But?”
“There are PK among the people that come as well.”
“PK?!”
The players have come. Hearing that, Shin thought even if they died in the original world, they could at least live in this world, but his expression changed when he heard the following words by Hibineko.
PK or abbreviated of Player Killer; it referred to the act where a player killed another player, or the player who did such an act. This time, it was the latter meaning.
Also, speaking of the PK in the death game era, the majority prefered to kill the villainous people.
“Do you know who has come?”
“I still cannot grasp everything. But it’s no doubt that Hameln has come.”
“That guy has come? It’s going to be troublesome…”
Hameln, Shin who heard that name had his expression stiffen.
The player who was known as a habitual offender of PK-MPK(Monster Player Kill) in the death game era, that’s Hameln.
As a High Pixie, he had more combat power than any upper class Chosen One in this world, though not as much as Schnee.
“Even in this world, he has already been placed on the wanted list in many countries.”
“What did he do?”
Though he was able to expect it without hearing, Shin still asked.
“He brought a large amount of monsters, and attacked a town. It doesn’t seem to be a big town, but it was said that it was a total destruction.”
“That bastard. Even here, he’s doing the same things, huh?”
As Shin, who had a connection as he put an end to Hameln during the death game, he wondered why there was such a player in this world.
“Well, it’s useless even if we think now. Anyway, why did you come to this shop, Shin?”
“Ah, though I think you will be contacted soon, the ‘Flood’ happened. So, it would be nice if you have meeting together with the other Chosen Ones, was what the guild master said.”
“So that’s the case, huh? Then, I’ll call out Shadow-nyaa and the others too.”
Hibineko paused for a short while, and fell silent.
Partly because he was a player too, Shin understood that Hibineko used Mind Chat.
“When I spoke about you, Shin, he said he would come at once.”
“Are they nearby?”
“They are my next-door neighbours. Didn’t you see the signboard?”
“That is, I was paying more attention to the paw signboard..”
“To miss the cafe ‘B&W’, you still have a long way to go, Shin.”
“‘B&W’? That’s the Shadow-san and Holly-san’s shop?”
“That’s right. By the way, they have a daughter too.”
“Seriously?!”
“They have a daughter”, Shin was surprised at that clause.
Even a former player seemed to able to make a child in this world. Just when he tried to ask for a detailed story, the shop’s door was opened forcefully.
“Is it true that Shin-chan is here?!”
“Hey Holly, calm down a bit.”
Entering by kicking the door open were two people, a High Elf and a High Lord.
Having raised a loud yell was the High Elf woman, her white hair waved loosely and her blue transparent eyes were impressive.
What reprimanded her was a High Lord man, having the same black hair and iris as Shin.
The words handsome man and beautiful woman, matched the two people really well.
“Um…Holly-san…if possible, please stop attaching -chan to my name.”
It was Holly’s habit to put up “-chan” to someone, because Shin had the same nickname to a certain kindergartener, he requested her to correct it whenever being called.
Though she attached “-kun” to his name during their last meeting, she seemed to have completely forgotten it, probably because she was being surprised.
“…Hibineko-san. They look like they’re somewhat misunderstanding though..”
“U-Umu, they should hear the story in general about you, Shin.”
They seemed to think that Shin probably died and had come to this world. From the tears accumulating in their eyes, there’s no mistake about it.
“Hey Holly, Shin has not died. You’ve heard Hibineko’s chat.”
“Eh? Is that so?”
To begin with, she had a character that was quickly jumping to wrong conclusions, and that didn’t seem to have changed even after she came here.
It was also a common thing for Shadow to rebuke her.
“It’s true. At least, I’m certain that my HP didn’t become 0 when I came here.”
“I’m glad. I certainly thought…but, then why are you here?”
“He’ve said he doesn’t know. Anyway, it’s been a long time, Shin. I’m happy to see you again, but I don’t know whether it’s nice to say..”
While answering Holly’s question, Shadow called out to Shin.
“No, I’m glad to meet you too…Meeting again, it was possible, wasn’t it?”
“I didn’t expect it after I died..”
Shin and Shadow, they had known each other for the longest inside that group. At one time, they made a party together.
Shin was glad to see Shadow and Holly together, and became jealous at the same time.
Even in the real world, Shadow and Holly were a married couple, their good relationship was famous among companions. Despite dying and ending up in a another world, they could still be here together, Shin was a little jealous.
(Well, his circumstances are slightly different than mine.)
Shin almost hoped for a reunion like those two, and shrugged his shoulders a little to restrain himself.
“First of all, I am delighted with our reunion here, but the situation at the moment is a little..”
“That’s right. When I heard the ‘Flood’ took place, I couldn’t calm down either.”
Shadow also changed his expression.
“Has the adventurer’s guild made their move?”
“Yes, my companion has also told the feudal lord, too. Each guild should be contacted soon.”
“As expected, you’re quick to respond. But Shin-kun, did Guild Master believe in your story?”
“As for that, I showed him this.”
Shin took out the letter of introduction of Tsuki no Hokora in front of Holly.
When that was seen, everyone nodded as having consented.
“I see. You already went to your ‘home’.”
“It was near the place where I woke up, so I went there first. I also have met Schnee already.”
All three of them seemed to know the situation of Tsuki no Hokora; Holly and the others wanted to hear the detailed story from Shin.
However, because it was not a time to be carefree, Shin ignored Holly’s gaze and returned to the conversation.
“I’ve already told this to the guild master, but the majority of the monsters were humanoids such as Goblins and Ogres. Anyway, you should be careful of their number. It was a number that wasn’t seen even in an event of the game.”
“That’s the feature of the ‘Flood’ which breeds a large amount of low-level monsters. Though we, the melee-type, would have a difficult time corresponding to the attack, it seems we don’t have to worry with Shin here.”
“Shouldn’t you destroyed them when you came across them?”
Shadow said in neither joking nor in a serious tone.
“No, actually, my companion in question is the second princess of Bayreuth Kingdom. To use my power in front of such person is still..”
“Will she be afraid or praise it? Either way, it will be mayhem. High Humans here seem to be treated like half Gods. Shin-kun’s support character, Schnee-chan, is very famous, you know?”
“Yeah, besides, even now she still held full interest toward me. As Shadow-san says, I intend to prevent war sacrifices too, but I don’t want to be discovered.”
It was said, no matter how much the number were, most of them were small fry which didn’t reach level 100. He could burn them down using a wide range magic skill.
As why that wasn’t done earlier, it was because Rionne was nearby.
“A man with power, is difficult in every ages. For the matter of the second princess, I heard she isn’t that corrupted to that extent though..”
Following Shadow, Hibineko began to talk.
“Well, the placement probably will be different from us when it comes to a royal family. I dare say, we ought to be together as the dispatch group.”
The group of dispatch were the Chosen Ones assigned to various places by turns. The mage and the magic swordsman which Rionne mentioned before fell under that.
“That’s good then.”
“If I say that we’re acquaintances, it’s almost settled with the princess becoming separated. A hastily made party and a party with cooperation, the battle results are greatly different. The guild master also understands that situation.”
“I wonder if we would become a hindrance instead…Didn’t Schnee-chan come?”
“She is in Bayreuth now. It’s also why I’m here, it seems like a demon was in the royal palace.”
“Demon?”
Shadow reacted to Shin’s remark.
Neither Hibineko nor Holly spoke, but they seemed to be surprised similarly.
“I heard in Schnee’s story, 500 years from the natural disaster, she didn’t come across it at all.”
“Hm, we haven’t heard of it either.”
In addition to Hibineko’s words, Shadow and Holly nodded too.
Though they didn’t understand what was happening, demons having begun to move again was not a good premonition. Just to make sure, he also informed them of what was in the royal palace.
“A Count class, huh? If that’s the case, we should able to handle it.”
“Although anything higher than that, we’ve only ever fought in dungeons or for quests.”
“The terrain has changed now, we don’t know the reason. In all the dungeons that we have visited in this world, there never been something like this.”
Three people looked at each other and frowned.
“Well, I think it’s better than not knowing, but please put it in the corner of your mind for the time being. You may have to give priority even more soon.”
Since he couldn’t find solution even if he thought, the demon matter was put on hold for the time being.
“For now, let me take charge of strengthening your weapons and armor which you’re using now.”
“Is it fine?”
“I’m here this time, but I don’t know what will happen hereafter. I think there’s no loss to reinforce them. Of course, you can expect it to be good as I will do it seriously.”
Shin was there this time. Though the preparation made by the guild and the feudal lord were wasted, he didn’t intend to increase the victims and the like from the start.
Shin’s attention was already focused on the ‘Flood’ which would eventually happen again.
“F-Fumu…Shin is serious huh? A fearful weapons will probably be completed, although it’s reliable.”
“I’m afraid to hand over my weapon.”
Hibineko and Shadow said in a slightly restless voice.
Because they didn’t know Shin’s ability completely, what kind of magic remodeling would Shin subject their favorite weapons to? Such uneasiness flashed across their head.
“Please take care of my weapon! Even if Shin-kun is not here, we will defend this place!”
Unlike the men who were sweating from their foreheads, Holly with an expression full of motivation, handed over a weapon which was still in card state to Shin immediately.
There was not any trace of anxiety towards the magic remodeling seen.
“You can count on me.”
Shin also received the cards from Shadow and Hibineko, and put them away in his Item Box at once.
He intended to make Tsuki no Hokora appear, to work in the night as he sneaked out from Balmel.
“Ah, that’s right. I’ll introduce you my partner later.”
“Partner? If it’s Schnyaa-san, I know her.”
“Isn’t it possible for monster to be tamed if you have the job Tamer? It’s that.”
Shin told Hibineko, who heard ‘partner’ and imagined Schnee, that he tamed a monster.
“Hoho, I didn’t think there is a monster could catch Shin’s eyes.”
While playing with his mustache, Hibineko smiled with great interest.
“It wasn’t a very strong monster, right?.”
“Fumu, is it the Mist Garuda around here?”
They being immensely curious also didn’t change here, Holly and Shadow voiced their ideas too.
“Please wait a moment, I’ll call it now.”
Saying so, Shin connected via telepathy between partners to Yuzuha.
“(This is Shin. Yuzuha, can you hear me?)”
“(Ku? Wha?)”
“(I’ll introduce you to my acquaintances, and I want to summon you here, is it okay?)”
“(Wait a minute…*clonk*, Schnee-oneechan, Tiera-oneechan, see you later)”
For a short while, Yuzuha seemed to get confirmation from Schnee and Tiera.
“Then, here it comes. Contract beast summon!”
When Shin chanted the incantation, a summoning formation with a complicated pattern was drawn at his feet.
Normally, Yuzuha should have appear at Shin’s feet, but――
“Kyaah!!”
“Kuu!?”
“Ha? ――Whoa!”
Just as Shin thought he heard a short scream, his face was wrapped in something soft, and his view became dark.
His posture broke and he fell onto the ground. Besides the sound of Shin falling, the sound of something dropping resounded inside the shop.
“Ouch…What…on earth…Master!! What happened?”
When Tiera looked up while her eyes moistened because of pain, there was the figure of Schnee whose breasts enveloped Shin’s head.
“…Tsui”
“Don’t “Tsui” me, ah, geez! Please release Shin, he seems to be in pain!”
He likely couldn’t breath. Shin tapped Schnee’s back repeatedly.
“Mm mmm! Mm mmm!” voice omitted from her chest, “Give up! I give up!” was also heard.
“T-This is, I only hear it from the rumor, is this heaven or hell?”
Shin who was freed from Schnee’s embrace, murmured while gasping for breath.
Because it was the timing when he just breathed out, he was about to be suffocated seriously.
The beginning was heaven, and the end was hell. As a matter of fact, if he had wanted to avoid it, he could have, but it was a secret only for Shin.
“…Um, what kind of situation is this?”
Shadow, Holly and Hibineko who had stiffened by Schnee and the other’s sudden appearance, among them, the first one to reboot was Holly.
“Oh, I don’t have a clue either.”
While fixing his disordered breathing, Shin answered.
Indeed, he didn’t expect Schnee and Tiera to appear together with Yuzuha.
“About that, I..”
Schnee started to explain as if nothing had happened.
According to her, Tiera and her seemed to have been pulled into the summoning formation around Yuzuha. Normally only the partner becomes the target for transition, and it appeared that the two people were recognized as existences similar to Yuzuha for some reason.
“It’s just a guess, but isn’t it because of them being inside the summoning formation?”
“They were swallowed by the summoning formation, huh?”
“The summoning formation had a one mel diameter, so Tiera and I were indeed inside the summoning formation.”
“…Come to think of it, Cashmere talked about such a thing.”
Shin recalled the words of the summoner and tamer of Rokuten, Cashmere.
“When calling your partner, if there are other partners in the summoning formation, they may appear together sometimes. Although it doesn’t seem to be a bug.”
The contents should be like this, and Shin confirmed that his memory was not mistaken.
Perhaps, it was meant to be in THE NEW GATE from the start.
“Oh dear! I’m not bored when Shin is around.”
“Indeed.”
Hibineko and Shadow who came to their senses, said in an amazed way.
“Everyone, I haven’t seen you for a long time.”
“Schnyaa-san too, hasn’t changed a bit.”
“Next time, tell me about when you met with Shin-kun again, okay?”
To see Schnee exchange voice casually, Shin had a sudden thought.
“Hey Schnee, did you know that Hibineko and the others had come to this place?”
“Yes. Concerning Shin’s friend, I heard a lot of stories.”
“Then I wished you said it a little earlier. Well, it can’t be helped since there was Girard’s matter, too.”
If he knew that there were players other than himself, Shin would have taken a different course of actions.
However, because he had no choice but to meet Girard whose death was approaching, he didn’t intend to scold her.
“I am very sorry. I had no intention of covering it up, but I couldn’t get an opportunity to tell you…”
“Now now, a man shouldn’t worry about a trifling thing. Leaving that aside, I want you to introduce that little fox-chan and elf-chan quickly to me.”
Was she aware of what’s inside Schnee’s mind? Holly requested for Tiera’s and Yuzuha’s introduction.
“I get it. I assume you already know Schnee, so I will omit her, this young fox is Yuzuha, and this elf is Tiera.”
“Kuu!”
“I am Tiera Lucent.”
Yuzuha barked cheerfully, and Tiera bowed politely.
“Then next is this one. The one who looks like he has a crack on his head is Nekomata-san, we call him Hibineko-san. That is the High Elf Holly-san, and next to her is the High Lord Shadow-san.”
“I am Nekomata, I’m also called Hibineko by everyone.”
“I’m Holly, I hope to get along with you, Tiera-chan.”
“Shadow. Come to my house if you’re hungry.”
Then, Tiera dropped her sight, looking at her own feet.
“I’ll introduce my partner too. Kagerou, come out.”
Answering the call, Kagerou in puppy mode appeared from Tiera’s shadow.
“This puppy is Kagerou, although he’s small now. His original form is very enormous.”
“Gruu!”
Kagerou barked, and made sure it matched Tiera’s introduction.
“His monster name is Gruefago.”
“What?”
“WHAT!?”
“Nyaan!?”
To the content which Shin told as an addition, the three former players raised a voice of astonishment.
Even the advanced players would be on their guard against the divine beast; it was a strange scene when it was being held by a beautiful elf girl like a puppy, but the three people’s 【Analyze】 displayed Kagerou’s name and level without an error.
“Oh, oh dear my my, such a cute pup is that Gruefago?”
“Yes, I think he can change his body size at will.”
“Tiera-san is a Chosen One too?”
“No, I’m just an ordinary elf unlike Shin.”
“She is not a Chosen One, so how could she tame a Gruefago?”
“Okay okay, that’s it! Please ask the questions afterwards!”
Shin forced his way through in front of Holly, Hibineko and Shadow who were pressing for answers.
He was certain that Tiera would be barraged with questions if he left them alone. It was only natural that only Holly kept shifting the contents of the questions.
“The number of people increased somehow, let’s sit down and talk at least.”
When Shin said that, Shadow and Holly nodded.
“Then come to my shop. It’s a special reunion, so I will show my skill.”
“That’s right, since the shop is closed today, we can talk a little bit. There’s still time until the monsters come, right?”
“…If you said there is still time, then I will accept your offer here.”
There was a delay of at least four or five days before the group of monsters arrived at Balmel.
Before one knew it, Rionne’s impatience seemed have moved to Shin, too.
“The summon of the adventurers, the formation of the armies, the accommodation of the supplies, all of this takes time to deal with, but it probably will be all right today at least.”
“Then, let’s go.”
Following Shadow and Holly, the party entered ‘B&W’ cafe. Different from the ‘Nyan Da Land’, it was a coffee shop with a relaxed atmosphere. The wall that faced the street was glass-sided, though the inside of the shop could be seen, the curtain was closed now.
A “Closed” sign was hung up when the door was opened and they entered the shop; it was also a scene which Shin knew very well. The shop had a clean impression with white as the base, and hadn’t changed at all since the game era.
Even if it was said that the shop was just brought as it was, there was almost no strange feeling.
“…You have reproduced it well here.”
“I think it was well-balanced even if I say so myself. But this is all in favor of Rokuten before Shin-kun arrived here.”
“Rokuten?”
Shin had no idea at all, and couldn’t help but tilt his head for Holly’s words.
“The ‘Golden Company’ exist because Reed of Rokuten built it, right? These various accommodations were thanks to Shin and his acquaintances.”
“‘Golden Company’, huh?…That reminds me, what are the other guys’ support characters doing?”
Hearing the story from Shadow and Hibineko, Shin remembered the other support characters of Rokuten now.
“Schnee, do you know something?”
He asked Schnee while sitting down on a chair.
“Reed-sama’s follower, Berett, remain with ‘Golden Company’, Cook-sama’s follower, Keritori and Zaji run a restaurant ‘Shigure Shop’. The others, Cashmere-sama’s follower, Vizzy and Cain-sama’s follower, Raster, were maintaining the monsters’ nurture at Rashugum. That is all I know. As for the information about Shin, I think Berett knows the whole content, since we had an arrangement to share through the ‘Golden Company’.”
“…Hey, I heard Rashugum just now, does that place remain too?”
In the middle of the talk, Shin voiced his question.
“Yes, because it was originally floating in the sky, it didn’t receive the influence of the crustal movement. It has a wide area, so Vizzy evacuated the monsters that lost their breeding ranch there. As a result, it is called a Dragon Nest now.”
“Oi oi… well, it’s a fitting name for the place.”
The Rashugum Schnee talked about, was one of the guild houses of Rokuten.
In the game era, there was no limit on the number of guild houses. So, having multiple guild houses to certain scale, one guild house could be expanded endlessly and was divided up into the guild which continued to be strengthened.
In Rokuten, six bases were especially arranged, it became one person would manage one base.
And, the Rashugum, the sixth guild house, was ‘Silver Summoner’ Cashmere’s responsibility, the official name was “Type 6 Sky Castle Rashugum”. It was called “Castle” among companions, as it was literally a flying castle.
“Since half of the raised monsters are from the dragon species, saying it is a nest isn’t wrong either.”
“Indeed. Then Schnee, if that’s the case, is my ‘Studio’ somewhere, too?”
About the ‘Studio’, it was “Type 1 Mysterious Studio Demi Eden” which Shin being in charge of.
“I looked for it, but it has not been found yet. We cannot transition to the guild house alone.”
Originally, the guild house was exclusive for players’ use. If the support character was together with the player, transfer was possible, but it was not possible to be used by a single support character unlike a general transition point.
Anyway, if it was a game, one could be deployed to some places, just by operating menu.
“If it’s the ‘Shrine’, it should have become the headquarter of the church now.”
“The church!?”
Shin’s expression changed from the Hibineko’s remark.
From the priest who was running from the Golems they encountered the other day or Rashia who he got to know through a request and so on, Shin was strangely connected to the church people, he was not quite convinced that one of their guild houses was being used without permission.
‘Shrine’ was an alias, the official name was “Type 4 Forest Palace Palm Luck”. It was the fourth guild house, and a shrine type. It was the facility which the “Blue Magician” Cain was in charge of.
“Hibineko-san, do you know to what extent the facilities are being used?”
“They haven’t grasped control of the central area at least. I heard most of the rooms are sealed.”
“Do you know anything, Schnee?”
“No, because I kept my distance from the church, so..”
Though it was heard that they had trouble in the past, it seemed she hadn’t gone to their headquarters yet.
“About that, I know it.”
Holly raised her small hand in place of Hibineko and Schnee.
“When I came to this world, what was the closest to me was the church headquarter city, Sigurd. Since I lived there for a while, I had the chance to go to the Shrine.”
When she helped with the distribution of food after an emergency that the church performed, she seemed to have been invited by a priest she knew.
The invitation was also due to Holly’s race as a High Elf, which was known to be a good-natured race, and also served as a variety of solicitation, she explained.
“In a story I heard, and when I think about matching what I saw from a visit, the building itself was seen as important. Looks likes only parts of the gate and hall seem to be useable for everyone.”
“That wouldn’t be entire building”, Holly added and sipped the coffee prepared by Shadow.
“I don’t know how much that building was influenced by the natural disaster, but as far as I can tell after hearing Holly’s story, I think the Shrine’s functions haven’t stopped even if it isn’t complete.”
“May I ask why?”
“It was famous among some players, so I don’t mind. The building that Cain built maintains the functions in the facilities using a core, and when the core is destroyed or breaks down, the building would start self-destructing.”
To Hibineko’s question, Shin answered without pausing in between lines.
Cain’s reason was, “Such things cannot be made in reality, so I decided to build in THE NEW GATE!” was what he said.
His real life architect’s blood seemed to tingle with excitement to a strange direction. In case of an invasion, the Shrine together with the enemy would collapse, was what he seemed to have wanted to try.
In the end, there was no opportunity for that to happen.
“That’s why, the core of the building is safe for now. Only the members of Rokuten or their support characters should be able to use the important facilities, so I think it is locked. Perhaps, as Holly says, only parts of it can be used, huh?…Were the unique items sold?”
If the whole facilities were available, it would be unimaginable according to this world’s common sense when various stuff revealed.
“Yes, I have investigated it a little, but there wasn’t anything strange was sold. Only things such as the standard potion of this world and also antidotes.”
“I think my guess is correct if that’s the case then.”
“In the first place, I don’t think the dwellers of this world able to do anything to the Rokuten’s guild houses.”
Shadow who brought foods suddenly spoke a few words, and everyone in that place gave a bitter smile.
It might be possible that the residents of this world were able to operate it by accident, but there’s no way such a thing would happen. Even that was difficult for former players, but even more for the residents of this world.
“Dishes have arrived, shall we eat?”
“Though it couldn’t be compared to Schnee-san’s, it’s my best ability.”
The dishes were arranged on a table, and Shin gulped his saliva.
During the three days leaving Kalkia, he only had simple meals like an ordinary traveler. Though dishes could be made into a card too, he couldn’t put it out because Rionne was there.
“Well then, itadaki―”
“I’m home!”
Just when he about to eat the dishes, the shop’s door was flunged open in a big way.
It was an elf girl around 15 years old that raised a cheerful voice. White hair, black pupils, and pointed ears, and not one freckle on that fair skin; she had the features of a general elf in THE NEW GATE.
“Oh? Customer-san?”
The elf girl looked puzzled at Shin who was going to clasp his hands for prayer.
Her white hair which was tied behind her head swayed like a puppy’s tail.
“Ara, you’re early.”
“Mother, is the shop closed today?”
“They are my friends. We would eat together because we haven’t met for a long time. This is Shin. And the young elven woman is Tiera.”
There was no introduction of Schnee. It seemed they already knew each other.
“This child is our daughter, Kaede”
“I am Kaede Kurosawa. Nice to meet you!”
Kaede introduced herself in a lively tone.
What could be called a positive mood seemed to overflow from her whole body.
“I’m Shin. I’m a close friend to Holly-san and the others.”
“I’m Tiera Lucent. Hope to get along with you.”
To the Kaede who was brimming with energy, Shin and Tiera naturally smiled.
She appeared to be the type that lightened the surroundings in a sense unlike Holly.
“Schnee-san too, long time no see.”
“Yes, you have grown taller again.”
“No, I haven’t grown that much taller. I envy Schnee-san.”
Said Kaede as she look at Schnee’s chest.
As expected, it probably caught her eyes even as a member of the same sex. Therefore, it shouldn’t because Kaede’s chest size was below standard.
“You are still in your growing period, it will be in the future.”
“If that’s the case, then it’s good.”
After such an exchange, Kaede also joined them for meal.
“That reminds me, her last name is Kurosawa, right?”
“Using only character names is dull, isn’t it?”
“Mitomi was also fine though.”
“Rejected.”
Holly instantly rejected Shadow’s opinion.
Kurosawa was Shadow’s and Mitomi was Holly’s last name in the real world.
Though it was possible to give one’s name as the real name, since the character name appeared by 【Analyze】 in this world, it seemed to attach Kurosawa when the name was spoken.
When the meal was over, Kaede went to her room, and Shin and the others also began to prepare for the ‘Flood’.
He planned to upgrade the weapons at night, so he decided to do something other than that.
“For now, I think I’ll go to the ‘Golden Company’. Schnee, please tell the feudal lord and the guild master that you will be participates in the war. If Schnee is here, the soldiers’ morale would be raised too and the residents should feel relieved.”
“Understood. What would you do afterwards?”
“How should an adventurer like me move? I’ll ask in the guild. If there is a past document incidentally, I’ll go check it.”
What role did an adventurer play in the ‘Flood’, Shin didn’t know it.
Was it reserve force in the case of an emergency or search and destroy missions? Because he couldn’t expect an organized movement like from the army, it shouldn’t be so far off the mark.
Chosen Ones may have a different possibility, but there’s no loss in knowing it.
“What will Hibineko-san do?”
“We will work on converting materials into cards. I wish the opportunity to use them never arises though.”
Shadow added.
“If you say materials, they’re boulders and oil to drop from the top of the rampart, right?”
“Ah, indeed.”
At the time of the attack to drop something from the top of the wall, if they were defeated in the war at the plain, and had to retreat to the castle due to an unfavorable situation.
Therefore, when there was an opportunity to use it, they would be in trouble. However, because any measures had been taken care of, the preparations seemed solid.
Also, because of they were already considerably stocked up, it didn’t take much time.
“Has it been attacked to the point of using it so far?”
“One time in the past, I heard it was a battle to the very limit. The story goes that they could not cope with the numerous groups.”
“Is is a pattern like that this time too?”
“Looks like it. Well, we won’t be cornered this time probably.”
The others were also in agreement with Hibineko who smiled wryly.
Shin, Hibineko and the others were former players. In addition to Schnee, there was Gruefago, a divine beast. They wouldn’t lose.
“By the way, should we decide the next meeting time?”
“No, there will be no problem to act respectively. When there is a special summon from the guild, the guild card will emit a magic power. At that time, you should go to the guild.”
What Hibineko was saying was that it was the call function which informed of the state of emergency.
“When there is an urgent business, I’ll use the message card. You have some of them left, right?”
“Yes, certainly.”
Shadow and the others were players after all, they seemed to notice the usefulness of the message card as well as Shin.
“What will Tiera do?”
“I would like to do something if possible. I wonder if I should tend to my weapon afterward.”
“May I ask you to pick an inn?”
“I don’t mind since I’m the most free here.”
When they confirmed what to do, their own course of action started.
Part 2
Shin asked Hibineko the location of the Golden Company, and he went there without getting sidetracked.
When he went along the road as instructed, a really shiny signboard caught his attention.
“What a conspicuous sign.”
On the signboard, which was painted entirely black and had a golden border, the words ‘Golden Company’ were also written in gold.
Because the letters were shining excessively, it stood out the most; it was rather dazzling.
Yuzuha, who was on top of Shin’s head, was also overwhelmed by this, closing its eyes trying not to look at the signboard.
“(My eyes are starting to sting~)”
“(When I stare at it for a while, my eyes also start to itch――hm?)”
Next to the shop, he saw that a box with goods was loaded onto a wagon in a hurry.
They were probably informed by the Adventurer’s Guild, and they were getting ready to transport the supplies.
What interested Shin was the person who was issuing the instructions next to the wagon.
The merchant, who had put on a robe with golden embroidery attached, looked familiar to Shin.
“――these to the port; after it arrives at the other side, do as you were instructed. I’m counting on you.”
When Shin approached him, he seemed to just finish issuing instructions and turning toward Shin conveniently.
The information that was shown by 【Analyze】 was already displayed in Shin’s view.
Name: Berett Kilmar Level: 255
With a chubby look and a charming smile, if he were not a merchant, he would have had the impression that he was a gourmet reporter. It was impossible to tell by his appearance, but Shin knew his race was High Elf.
Though his main job was merchant, he was actually a character a little off from the usual practice, as his sub job was dark knight.
“Excuse me, I’d like to ask a little but..”
“Yes, what!!? … Well well, long time no see.”
When he tried to answer Shin’s greeting, Berett paused for a moment. However, he was the Golden Company’s assistant manager. His expression immediately changed into a smile and bowed to Shin.
“The day when we are able to meet again, I was looking forward to it. Now now, we can’t talk at ease in this place. This way, please, and take your companion with you too.”
“Ah, yes, understood.”
“Kuu!”
Shin avoided using overly familiar words partly because it was their first meeting in this world, but Berett guided Shin to the reception room personally without breaking his humble attitude.
There were no flashy things like the signboard appearance inside the room; the layout was harmonious.
When the two people entered the room, the door was knocked on almost immediately.
“Excuse me. I have brought a drink.”
“Enter.”
Hearing Berett’s voice, a lady wearing employee’s clothes entered the room.
According to 【Analyze】, her name was Pyuri. Judging from her pointy ears, she was probably an elf or a High Elf.
After Pyuri put out tea and cake, which were loaded into the wagon, she left the room quietly.
“From the viewpoint of everyone in Rokuten, this would be cheap tea.”
“No, there’s no need for such a thing.”
Saying so, Shin tilted the cup. When he took a sip of that reddish liquid, faint sweetness and bitterness spread inside his mouth.
“This is spectacular.”
“I use the best tea leaves in the area. Above all, I’m glad that you like it. Leaving that aside, Shin-sama, it’s unnecessary to be so formal. Honorifics don’t apply to other people.”
“…Well, that’s more comfortable, but..”
“Then, I ask you to be like that. If honorifics are spoken by the people of Rokuten, myself included, everyone would be ashamed.
Berett seemed to be thorough on the position where one stands, such as master and servant. Would it be different between Shin and Reed?
“So, how may I help you today?”
“Ah, I wanted you to tell me the current state of Rokuten’s support characters besides mine. I have heard the things about the ‘Shigure Shop’, Vizzy, and Raster from Schnee.”
“All right, but we don’t know anything except the one just came in. Oxygen and Hydro should be in ‘Garden’, but it’s currently being treated as a danger zone. We couldn’t come close to the ‘Garden’ to confirm it, so we don’t have enough evidence to verify the information. ‘Studio’, ‘Ship’, and ‘Base’s’ whereabouts are unknown. Though I can confirm the existence of ‘Shrine and ‘Castle’ under the current state, only ‘Castle’ can be secured.”
The guild houses were as big as there was. If it wasn’t found, it was probably buried underground or had sunk to the bottom of the sea.
“I see. I will keep searching for the ‘Studio’. As for the ‘Garden’, what makes it dangerous?”
“It’s because a harmful gas is generated around the ‘Garden’. All are above VII abnormal state. The center is expected to become the maximum X. If I considered the fighting power and the resistance force, Schnee may be able to break through, but she still cannot stay long. For sure, if it’s the resistance force of High Human class like Shin-sama, it would be different…”
The gases were generated by the surroundings, and seemed to have a quite powerful effect.
If Berett’s story was true, it was indeed not possible to break through unless it was Shin.
“Since there are also food production facilities inside, they, at the very least, won’t starve to death…I’m sorry for not being able to help much.”
“Well, I’m satisfied, it’s enough just to have heard about ‘Garden’.”
‘Garden’ was originally for the guild war use, traps were prepared around it.
Perhaps, it had malfunctioned. Because the inside is air-tight, they wouldn’t be hurt by the gas.
The detailed location of ‘Garden’ was given and he kept note.
“Being able to listen to a lot of stuff saved us a lot of trouble. If something happens, please send me a message card.”
“Understood. I will prepare it for you.”
“I’ll rely on you. That reminds me, do you come here often? I didn’t expect to encounter you so abruptly.”
“I just had to come here for some business. At that time, I was informed by the merchant guild that the ‘Flood’ happened, so I was issuing instructions in order to cope.”
Because precious fish could be caught at this time, he always came over personally. If he kept scuffling through the documents in the head office, his intuition as a merchant would dull or something like that.
“It is an opportunity, but it is also because it’s something I was asked to do by Schnee.”
“Something she asked?”
“Yes, this should be reported to Shin-sama, too.”
When he said so, Berett rung the bell which was place on the edge of the table. Then, the door was knocked on in less than one minute.
“Excuse me for being rude. What can I do for you?”
The one entered was Pyuri who brought the tea.
“Bring me ‘that’.”
“Right away.”
Replying promptly to Berett’s words, Pyuri left the room.
He didn’t say anything about what he wanted her to bring specifically, but as long as there was no miscommunication between the two, there was no need to be worried.
A few minutes later, the door was knocked on again and Pyuri enter the room. She held a small envelope in her hand.
“Thank you. You may leave.”
When he made Pyuri leave, Berett opened the envelope and took out the contents inside, and he presented it to Shin.
“This is a list of players who came to this world.”
“What?”
Shin’s expression changed when he heard “players”.
He read the list he received from Berett slowly from top to the bottom.
“…Is that all?”
Shin finished reading the list, but asked Berett with a face that was perplexed.
“That’s a reasonable question. If I have to say honestly, we’re at a loss, too. The deceased in the event which players called the death game ended with 100 or 200 people. If that’s the case, the players that have come here are just a really small fraction of it. Of course, not everyone was mentioned in the list.”
Shin recognized every player on the list that he held. Though he was surprised that only former players were there, what was the list aiming for?
(Have those guys, who were involved with me in the game era, come here?)
Though Berett said it wasn’t everything, as expected, Shin, too, couldn’t hide his agitation.
“Also, please check this.”
To Shin, who had a serious look on his face, Berett held out another paper. Though there were fewer names written down than that of the first list, a horizontal line was drawn for several names.
“This is?”
“It should be clear by now; this list is for what Shin-sama and players call PK.”
“PK you say!?”
Shin looked through the list while being surprised. There was Hameln at the top of the list, and several names Shin knew were on the list.
“(Shin, what is a Pi Kay?)”
“(…Guys who murdered others and enjoyed it.)”
Shin replied to Yuzuha’s question briefly. The words were a little hard for Yuzuha to say, and its vocal tone seemed to change even in the Mind Chat.
Did it understand the atmosphere? Yuzuha barked a small “Kuu…” and become quiet.
“Have you checked this individually?”
“Yes. In fact, when the first player was found, it was Schnee who insisted that I should look for PKs first.”
“Schnee did?”
Though Schnee said that there were no opportunities, no matter how much Shin looked at it, she was not incompetent enough to not convey such an important story as players or PKs forever. If she said that she didn’t have an opportunity or something, she should have had plenty of them.
As expected, there may have been something.
“From your appearance, I guess Schnee hasn’t told Shin-sama about this, right?”
“Yes, I only knew about the dead players living by chance.”
Then, Berett erased his smile.
“…If I say as a fellow follower of Rokuten, not conveying such important information intentionally is clear evidence of disloyalty to her own master, as such a thing shouldn’t happen. Even though she is Shin-sama’s follower, it doesn’t mean she is clear from being punished.”
Berett said in a solemn tone.
Shin was troubled. He had a conjecture that Schnee was hiding something, but he didn’t know how other followers of Rokuten felt.
“What is Shin-sama thinking?”
“…Schnee wouldn’t do such a thing without any reason is what I’m thinking.”
Anyway, it would not be strange when that information came to light.
The guild usually included portraits of wanted criminals such as Hameln. Even without Schnee telling him, Shin before long would find out.
When Shin spoke about what he thought, Berett‘s expression changed completely from the moments ago when he said Schnee should be punished, and it became more gentle.
“Certainly, judging from Schnee’s nature, I also think she would not conceal information to harm Shin-sama.”
It seemed that there was no objection.
“…Hey Berett, do you know anything?”
Shin, who felt something was wrong in Berett’s manner, asked directly. Berett, who was questioned, nodded without change in his expression.
“Yes, I think I know.”
“Do I punish her after knowing the circumstances?”
“As a Rokuten’s follower, I think that’s proper.”
“Then, how about you as an individual?”
“I also understand her.”
It seemed it depended on the place where Berett stood. At least, it didn’t seem to be the reason why he couldn’t sympathize at all.
“If I was in the same situation as Schnee, I cannot assert that I would not do the same thing.”
“She is unqualified as a follower, is what you’re saying as a friend, huh?”
“Rather than being unqualified, I think it’s because she is a follower under your direct control. Shin-sama, the list in your hand, don’t you remember those people, especially the ones with names crossed?”
Shin, again, looked at the names which were crossed.
Kagemaru.
Jay Son
Telfon.
Even compared to the other names, Shin remembered them.
“Shin-sama, do you remember once being called ‘The God of Death’?”
“It was way back when I was last called like that…Yes, I see. These guys are…”
Shin recalled those days, and noticed.
“The people whom I killed?”
Though it was a vague memory, they were all PKs or otherwise members of PK guilds who fought again Shin.
“Forgive me if I say something rude, but Shin-sama’s appearance at that time was completely different from your usual self.
If Berett had an ego like he did currently, he would have wanted to run away quickly even as a support character, Shin at that time seemed to be enveloped in a dangerous atmosphere.
“Schnee knows what causes Shin-sama’s appearance to become so. Besides, even now she still regrets it that she was not able to do anything, despite being the closest to you.”
“That…”
It couldn’t be helped.
No one would argue against that, but it’s probably not at all acceptable from her point of view.
“To Schnee, the days when Shin-sama met with these people, she was afraid that you’d return to be like another person. Thus, she was likely trying to handle it herself without telling Shin-sama.”
Berett said, tasting the drink and putting it down in one beat.
“…Seeing for myself, Schnee’s feelings to Shin-sama were something that couldn’t be concluded with the single word of loyalty. As she knows of the state you had changed into, she couldn’t ignore the people who had caused such changes and tell it to Shin-sama.”
“That’s me at that time, huh? …Well, looking at it objectively, isn’t it a dangerous story?”
As for Schnee trying not to get Shin involved, it was understandable when hearing the reason.
Shin, at that time, believed that defeating PKs was more important than clearing the game ―― No, he moved for the purpose of killing.
He had not a fragment of morals, taboo, or such ideas; he had no hesitation, killing without pardon.
“There were players with Shin-sama who acted together at that time too.”
Yes, PKK(Player Killer Killer) ―― Shin alone was the player who killed PKs, but he didn’t do everything alone. Shadow, whom he met again at Balmel, was also one of the players who cooperated with Shin.
There was always a person who sought revenge but lacked the power, or a person who lacked information, even with sufficient power. The person who held grudges against PKs became frantic and cooperated in PK killings.
There was no system for the law to judge, or the police to catch the criminals in the game. Therefore, some victims went for severe retaliatory actions.
“I see.”
When there was such a reason, one wouldn’t think speaking about players and PKs proactively.
Shin wasn’t able to bring himself to punish Schnee at least.
“Even if Schnee normally should have disclosed it to you directly, I told you because a fact is a fact.”
“You, taking this opportunity or something, actually intended to say this from the beginning, weren’t you?”
“Oh?! What do you mean?”
Berett feigned ignorance with a friendly grin on his face. However, the smile that Shin should have recognized was slightly suspicious now.
“What if I listened to that sort of crazy talk? I understand that Schnee didn’t think this through.”
“Shin-sama was well-known for taking good care of your followers. Above all, Schnee is the longest-serving member.”
“Ku, that smile on your face irritates me.”
It was a smile that should have formed a sense of closeness, as it was expressed on Berett as always, but it made Shin somewhat irritated to the appearance that seemed to want to say “I understand”.
“To that extent, it’ll be the evidence that Shin-sama is loved.”
“Keep saying that!”
Shin replied Berett’s words curtly.
“By the way, is Shin-sama participating in this ‘Flood’?”
“Hm? Yes, I intend to intervene but..”
Berett, who was able to change the topic abruptly, had a contemplative look.
“Then, could you leave a part to the army without hunting everything?”
Berett kept silent for a while, and mentioned that kind of thing.
Because he knew Shin’s true nature, he understood that Shin’s remark of intervening meant annihilation.
“What is your reason?”
“It’ll become military training because only few ‘Floods’ were used to raise the levels of the soldiers.”
Though Shin thought Balmel would be in danger if one wrong move was made, there were upper class Chosen Ones keeping watch so that wouldn’t happen.
“It would be hard leveling, you know?”
“In the Melt Mountains, which is the domain of a divine beast, not a group of monsters could trespass, such as the ‘Flood’. Balmel is one of the most important borders with the Sacred Place to many countries. So, geographically, Balmel becomes an important defensive position between the Sacred Place and to each country. However, in recent years, the scale of the ‘Flood’, which can be used for training, hasn’t occurred, and it means that the skill level of soldiers showed a slight drop. The star of the battles are the Chosen Ones, but it’s the common soldiers that occupy most of the battlefield. There’s no loss to raise the strength of the whole battle force, no matter how little. It’s rare, so let’s put it to good use. Schnee will come too, right?”
“Yes, she should have gone to meet the feudal lord now.”
“Then please contact Schnee too. I’ll take care of the small necessary arrangements.”
“Do you make the arrangements with the guild and the army?”
“Yes, since I am the assistant manager of Golden Company. In addition, the feared ‘worst case scenario’ won’t happen now since Shin-sama is here.
He seemed to have connections with the top brass of the army and the guild. Shin also knew that Golden Company was of a large-scale, so he was not surprised that that was the case.
“Would it be okay for you to make such a decision on your own for a company?”
“The merchant sometimes has stronger power than a king. Because Golden Company has a different status from trading companies, which can be found here and there, my own decision too, is not treated as the decision of a common merchant. I also have experience participating in a defensive war; that will play a part in this decision. When there were too many peaceful days, it slacks off in various ways. That may become fatal to Balmel. Fortunately, I get along well with the person commanding the army, and added to the fact that Schnee will join there, the preparation won’t be so necessary too――If this city falls though, there is also the trouble regarding the circulation of goods..”
“Oi, your true intentions just leaked out a little..”
If one thought of stories with persuasive power, this was one of them.
To Berett, who leaked lines that were significant to merchants, it made Shin lose strength.
“It’s because a vast quantity of material will arrive after the ‘Flood’. It’s an opportunity to replenish stock cheaply.”
“To discover this as soon as the safety of Balmel is ensured, huh?…”
Where did the elf who lived in the forest go to? Berett was a money loving character; at the same time, Shin recalled that now.
“Hearing profit talk anywhere, that’s called a merchant. I had a novel idea in various ways with players this way. In the last decade of doing that in the shadows, sales are skyrocketing.”
“Heh, what kind is it, for instance?”
“It’s the featured product ‘Toilet Set’ of course. I had a hard time reproducing the inner shape and the flow of the water. Though the function necessary to make it a ‘wasslet’ cannot be reproduced yet, I’ll make it come true someday.”
“The name is slightly different though. Or rather, was it you who made that?”
Shin was often surprised when he came to this world, but he was most surprised by the toilet in the sense of unlikelihood. He thought that was a thing that was very close to the real world, but it appeared to have been made in the image of the real thing.
“That reminds me, it was also in Tsuki no Hokora. I have completely forgotten because it was something I used ordinarily.”
There was a toilet in his home. It was a natural thing to have in the real world.
And, even if this world looked like a game, it was real.
Therefore, in the situation where Shin did his business normally in Tsuki no Hokora, he hardly remembered any sense of discomfort.
“I mean when was that toilet placed in there? Though it is there now, Tsuki no Hokora never had such a thing.”
“I got permission from Schnee because it can be said it is a necessity when it comes to living in real life.”
“Indeed. It was also in the inn where I stayed; is it fairly widespread now?”
“Though we haven’t yet reached one in every household, it’s not strange to find one in some big inn or so. The first regular customers were the royal family and the nobles. They have to show off in a variety of trivial places after all. Because our toilet also has the practicality, we have received a considerable sum from the optional charges.”
They also seemed to sell custom-made toilets. It was clever salesmanship.
“Now that I’m aware of that, I cannot return to the same life in the past anymore.”
“Uwaa, your smile is evil, Berett.”
When only the words were heard, he seemed to be in the ‘sell some dangerous medicine’ mood. Was the situation before the ‘Toilet Set’ installation severe to that extent?
“Will the other followers become so dark too?”
To Berett’s appearance, Shin became worried a little.
◆◆◆◆
“Then, I’ll be counting on you.”
“Leave it to me. I’m looking forward to our next business.”
Turning his back on Berett, who neatly bowed, Shin went to the guild.
Schnee had been contacted and was asked to cooperate with Berett. The rest also asked for a little request.
When he arrived at the guild with the help of the map, a lot of adventurers had already gathered.
There were various people who were recruiting for impromptu parties, people who were not absorbed in information gathering, and people who withdrew money that had been deposited in the guild to maintain their weapons.
Shin, who placed the young fox on his head, appeared to attract the attention of the surrounding adventurers for a moment, but they returned to work as if having lost interest before long. Looking at the circumstances, Shin expected that the information that the ‘Flood’ was happening had been announced.
“Excuse me, I’d like to ask a few questions.”
“Yes, how may I help you?”
At the timing he aimed for when there were few people around, Shin headed toward the receptionist.
The one at the receptionist desk was Eliza, who had called the guild master last time.
At the other side of the rectangular lens, light blue eyes stared at Shin. She was a professional at her job, as she didn’t direct her gaze at Yuzuha either.
“Are there any records of the past ‘Flood’s?”
“Past ‘Flood’s?”
“Yes, since it is my first experience, I want to gather more information. Also, may I hear what kind of role of the adventurers have in the ‘Flood’?”
There seemed to be very few people examining the past records of the ‘Flood’; he was permitted immediately on the condition that he had to examine them inside the library.
Shin stood next to Eliza who guided him through the guild. Yuzuha was Shin’s contract beast, so it was fine for it to accompany him.
“You were talking about the role of adventurers a short while ago, right?”
“Yes. Personally, I was thinking that they were placed like a reserve force of the army or for search and destroy missions.”
Shin talked about his expectations to Eliza, who seemed to be going to explain along the way.
“You are not wrong with that; it’s reckless to tell adventurers to take organized actions like the army. Though it’s possible if several parties gathered and work together, it couldn’t be compared with the army. Therefore, their main job is to crush enemies who runs out of the protruding groups.”
“Well, that’s appropriate.”
A standard adventurer’s party consisted of six people. However, it didn’t mean there was an upper limit to the amount of members.
An irregular party such as a duo or a group of three was not unusual, there were many of those who increased their members only when on a large-scale like this time. There would be a significant different combination of skill levels, and they couldn’t be incorporated into the army.
The contents of which Eliza spoke, it was natural to say it was appropriate.
“But upper class Chosen Ones like Shin-sama and the others are different.”
Eliza said, as they arrived at the reference library, even though the door was closed.
No one was in the reference library. Because it was only limited to humans among the adventurers who knew about the Chosen Ones, it was probably taken into consideration.
“A little while ago, the report from Feudal Lord-sama has arrived. The person who accompanied you is from the royal family of Bayreuth Kingdom, right?”
“Indeed. As for why we came to such a place, please don’t ask me. The one who saw the ‘Flood’ and told me to hurry up was her.”
“We do not intend to inquire any further. But let’s get back to the story, the Chosen Ones are the vanguards that cut through the ‘Flood’. Although to be exact, it is the magic skills of the Chosen Ones.”
It was probably the Chosen Ones who could use wide area magic that he heard about from Rionne’s talk.
“As for the group distribution, the first group will consist of four people: Shin-sama, Hibineko-sama, Holly-sama, and Shadow-sama. The second group will be Schnee-sama, Rionne-sama, Guile-sama, and Liege-sama. The number of enemies will be reduced by the magic of Schnee-sama and Guile-sama, and at the same time the battle starts, the army will annihilate the remaining enemies. But it’s said that the number of enemies is quite large, so the first group will charge at the enemy, who are outside the range of the magic, and will have to hold this place down. After the use of the magic, Schnee-sama thins it out by killing the big boss, and Rionne-sama together with Liege-sama become the guards for Guile-sama. After the first group also has reduced the number moderately, they will retreat and have the army take the front over.”
Eliza explained the strategy plainly. It seemed a detailed plan had already been made.
Guile and Liege were probably the names of the other Chosen Ones.
“There is a fairly large battle force this time, but how has it always been done?”
“It depends on the Chosen Ones who come at that time. When there is a person who can use wide area magic, it becomes a pattern similar to this time. But, there is almost no difference because it is included in an agreement that one person is always there.”
“Is that so?”
Because reducing the number was required, a magic skill user would be useful.
In case of the Chosen One’s magic skill, the wider the range of a spell, the lower the power becomes, but it could be covered with the height of the stats. It should be enough if the opponents are low-level monsters.
“By the way Eliza-san, will it be okay for you to leave the reception desk?”
“No problem. The staff and the residents should know what to do. Besides the inexperienced person being in a hurry, we have surprisingly little work.”
As expected, the city continued standing off against the ‘Flood’.
Then, once the talk was over, Shin reached out his hand to a document.
While reading the documents of the past ‘Flood’, he asked Eliza about the strategy taken and the movement of the enemy at that time, and thought over whether there was any regularity.
“Occasionally, strong individuals seem to appear, right?”
Shin, who looked at the document, suddenly spoke out what was on his mind.
Low-level monsters spawned in large amounts during the ‘Flood’, but it seemed that individuals who reached level 300 were confirmed several times.
He understood that the appearance rate was higher in the ‘Flood’ of a larger scale.
Because the number was two or three at most, ordinary level soldiers were able to deal with it if their concentration level was raised on a long-distance attack.
“The monsters of the ‘Flood’ are too crowded, there seems to be the possibility of them killing each other by mistake. As a result, some of them have leveled up and evolved.”
There were also relationships of friend and foe, as well as allies between monsters, in THE NEW GATE.
Depending on the situation, the case of a player getting caught up in the battle between monsters had happened. Though it didn’t happen frequently, because many items and experience point were obtained with less damage if one acted skillfully, many players utilized it.
“If that’s the case, it may happen this time, can it not?”
“The possibility is high. Speaking of this time, I think it’s unnecessary to worry.”
Was this because the news of Schnee had circulated? There was no uneasiness on Eliza’s face.
“Now then, shall we return soon?”
“You have enough already?”
“I have read most of the noticeable ones, and I have plans for the evening.”
When Shin and Eliza returned to the hall of the guild, the amount of people had decreased considerably. Was it because the time was approaching evening? They were probably having a meal.
He thanked Eliza and exited the guild. He intended to help with the preparations if he had time, but reading the documents had unexpectedly taken time.
“…This message is, Tiera huh?”
Because a message had arrived, he looked around and opened it while walking slowly on the edge of the street.
The contents were about tonight’s inn. With the name of the inn, such things as whereabout, which area were written. Though it was simple, a map was also drawn, if Shin used that map, he wouldn’t get lost.
“(I’m hungry…)”
“That’s right. Shall we go to the inn and have a meal?”
After he replied like he was speaking to himself, Shin then headed to the inn.
After about 20 minutes of walking, a signboard, upon which a red tailed fox was drawn, was seen.
The name of the inn was “Red Tail”. By the way, it was also the name of an existing monster, and Yuzuha’s follower.
When he opened the door of the shop, a bell rang “clang clang”.
“Welcome! Will it be one person?”
“I think my companions will also come.”
One lady came out from the counter hearing the bell sound.
With ears above her head, and from the tail seen behind the long skirt, she was a beast without a doubt. They were vivid red as the name of the shop suggested. Though it was simple, she was probably a Type Fox beast.
“May I ask for your name?”
“I’m Shin. This is my partner, Yuzuha.”
The lady with the appearance of a beautiful woman at blooming age, seemed to remember something when hearing the word companions from Shin. She nodded as having convinced that Shin’s name was heard, and opened the register inside the counter.
“The name of your companion, please.”
“Tiera Lucent.”
“Thank you. Your companion is already rested in her room. This is customer-sama’s room key. The location of the room is go up the stair and go right side of room 205. Your companion is in room 206 right next to that. Breakfast is until 9 bell sounds in the morning, as for dinner, I’ll serve until it’s 9 o’clock on that clock there.”
Shin looked at the direction where the lady pointed out. A clock with a diameter of about 50 cemels was installed there, and was ticking away quietly.
“There are clocks, huh?”
Clocks weren’t widely used in this world. The church bell was in the area where nobles live. People acted using that as a guideline. The ones who worried about time, were merchants and government officials who had the motto “time is money”.
“Does it ring at fixed times?”
“Customer-sama is pretty knowledgeable. That clock produces a ringing sound once every hour.”
It didn’t seem to be the style where it rang one time at 1 o’clock, and two times at 2 o’clock.
The needle on the clock already pointed at nearly 6 o’clock.
“For the time being, I think I’m going to eat after I go to my room.”
“Understood.”
As Shin was seen off by the lady, he went up to the second floor.
The room 205 was a single person room. The area was about 7 tatami mats and there were a desk and a chair by the window, there was also a bathroom at the entrance sideway. A white clean sheet was laid out on the bed, and looked comfortable too.
“Tiera, you there?”
Shin who checked the room briefly went out to the corridor at once, and knocked the door of the next room where Tiera was at.
“Shin?”
After a short while, a voice was heard from the other side of the door.
“Yeah, have you had dinner?”
“No, not yet.”
“Then, shall we eat together? Yuzuha also looks hungry.”
“Kuu…”
“That’s terrible, isn’t it? Wait a minute, I’ll go out soon.”
To Yuzuha who raised a cry for feeling hungry, the voice of a bitter smile returned from Tiera.
They waited for a couple dozen seconds. Tiera joined Shin to order dinner in the dining room on the first floor.
Was the stew a standard? An exquisite dish with proper ingredients was served.
Also for some reason, Yuzuha’s was a thick steak which had been grilled carefully. Though Kagerou’s was a steak too, Shin saw that the two steaks were not the same.
Shin had learned the basic 【Cooking】 from Cook. The 【Cooking】 skill rose until VI. In this world, it was a level that couldn’t be reached easily.
Therefore, he understood the value of the steak put before Yuzuha. The food grade of the steak was obviously above the ones before Shin and Kagerou, Yuzuha repeatedly revealed its joy through telepathy since a while ago.
“Um, this is?”
“Somehow, we feel like we must serve to customer’s contract beast our finest cuisine of our shop. Naturally, the price stays as it is.”
The lady also had a look that said ‘I don’t know why I feel such a way’ on her face.
(This is because Yuzuha is an Element Tail, right?)
Element Tail was not only a fox type monster, it should be worshiped by the people of Type Fox beasts as well, Shin remembered. For them, it was possible to say it was an existence on same level as a God. Even if the true identity of Yuzuha was not understood, it may have had an effect on her somewhere.
Since there was no reason to refuse, they decided to receive it gratefully.
Did Kagerou also realize that Yuzuha had a higher rank too? He seemed to have no complaints.
“I wonder what it was.”
“Free of charge she said, isn’t it good? This stew is delicious!”
“I have no complaints since I prefer this rather than meat.”
While watching the meat juices of the steak Yuzuha had dripping, Tiera also slowly put the stew into her mouth.
“Yeah, it’s delicious!”
After they finished eating, Shin left Yuzuha to Tiera and left the inn for a moment.
He crossed over the rampart while hiding himself with a skill, and entered the woods where the trees were dense. When he neared the center, he cut down trees with wind magic, and created an open space.
“Release!”
A pendant shone, and Tsuki no Hokora appeared.
This luminous phenomenon had already been concealed with magic too.
He then entered the shop and went straight to the forge.
“Well, shall I do this?”
Fire was ignited in the furnace, and he materialized the equipment he took from Shadow and the others.
By looking at the weapons which he lined up, he contemplated for a short while in what way to strengthen them. While making a list of the materials in his brain, first, he picked up Shadow’s dagger from the weapons. The hilt was removed and he poured magic into the blade.
“The durability value has somewhat dropped, but it is well matched to its owner’s magic. It’s as I expected.”
When he confirmed the state of the dagger, Shin took out an orichalcum and a scarletite ingot each from Item Box, and threw them into the furnace.
It didn’t take much time, a metal was produced from the mix of silver and red. The metal formed was called chimeradite. Because it was a synthesis of two kinds, its performance became a low-class among chimeradite. However, the quality of the metal was higher than orichalcum and scarletite alone.
“Let’s do this.”
While Shin poured magic into the chimeradite, he thrusted the dagger’s blade into the ingot. The chimeradite like clay swallowed the blade, and when the blade was completely buried inside the ingot, Shin placed that on the anvil.
“………”
He focused his mind, and hammered the ingot with a mallet to distribute the magic power. Each time the ingot changed shape, it became smaller as it was compressed. If there were other blacksmiths in this place, the view would make their eyes widen in amazement.
After a few minutes, the black bladed knife with silver and red mixed in was completed on the anvil. The hilt and the clasp which were taken apart were reattached again. Though the length and the weight of the dagger hadn’t changed, the high-density red aura which enveloped the whole dagger proved that it was not a normal item.
Its inscription was “Night Kill’s Dagger” when appraised. As for its grade, the weapon ranked up to 《Mythology》 grade. Its performance also increased by 80%. In the event when supported by 【Enchant】, its performance would be far above the equipment available.
“Well, I guess this is alright.”
He nodded once at the result of the dagger, and then Shin picked up the next weapon.
◆◆◆◆
“This is the last one!”
Finally with a yell, Shin lowered the mallet. As for Hibineko and Holly’s weapons, 『Misty Hound』 and 『Short Stick of the Dawn』, they had been ranked up respectively. The dragon’s armor was also reinforced.
About an hour and a half had passed since he began his work. Shin, who felt thirsty, converted the last equipment into a card, put those back into his Item Box and went to the kitchen.
Thereupon, for the first time, he noticed that Schnee was in the living room. He was so focused on blacksmithing, he hadn’t noticed her coming in.
When Shin arrived in the living room, Schnee offered the drink which she prepared for Shin. Shin thanked her and accepted it, drinking it in one go.
“Phew, I feel revived.”
“Good work for today.”
“When did you come?”
“I arrived about 20 minutes ago. Because I can’t help you with smithing, I was waiting here.”
Schnee didn’t train the blacksmithing skill as Shin did. Even in the game era, her skill level was almost at IV.
“How about the feudal lord?”
“Regarding my participating in the war, Berett’s plan was adopted. We will reduce the number of monsters, and leave the rest for the training of the army.”
“It is just as I heard it.”
As he expected, Schnee participation in the war seemed effective.
“…Um, Shin”
“Hm?”
When Shin intended to return to the inn because he finished his business, Schnee called out to him with a hesitant voice.
“Did you hear about ‘that’…from Berett?”
“The story of PKs and players where you were silent?”
“……yes”
To Shin’s words, Schnee answered in a small voice.
Schnee herself probably felt a great sense of guilt for not telling him. His acquaintances who died in the game, if the person close to us is alive, normally we would like to know about that information.
That was concealed intentionally until it came to light by chance. Berett was right, Schnee’s behaviour couldn’t be praised if seen as a support character.
“I heard the circumstances. About your matter, I guess you would mention it after everything had ended, right?”
Shin said in a light tone, so it didn’t become too serious an atmosphere.
After Schnee finished subjugating the PKs, she was supposed to talk about everything to Shin, and wait for the verdict. At the very least, the Schnee whom Shin knew of, was such a character.
“…yes.”
For a support character, to the player that should be called the creator, the thoughts to disobey shouldn’t exist. That also included Schnee. Even though the binding in the game era had disappeared by the fact that it became reality, her defying him was unthinkable.
“Berett said that what you did, was for me. I think I have caused you worry.”
Schnee’s face turned down.
It was not normal. However, Schnee moved on her own. She carried it out against Shin’s intention.
“…it’s different.”
“Different?”
Schnee said it’s different. But Shin couldn’t think of a good reason other than that.
“It is true, that I don’t want Shin to change, by concerning yourself with PKs. But it…it is more of a personal reason for me.”
Though it was an action with Shin as the primary concern, it was also for her own sake at the same time.
Her voice gradually began to tremble. The words and thoughts which she had kept held in, were asking for the way out.
“I hated it! To see that kind of Shin, and being looked at with the same eyes that saw me as a tool! I was able to endure it when my ego was weak at that time. But, the me now, undoubtedly can’t stand it!”
In a calm and yet strong tone, Schnee vented her feelings.
If the companion was not Shin but someone else, she wouldn’t have done this. Otherwise, if only pure loyalty to serve Shin existed inside her heart, she certainly wouldn’t have suffered like this.
But that would not happen in reality. Once again, just the thought ‘He may become like that’, had Schnee unbearably frightened.
“I cannot replace Marino-san. If, if Shin becomes like at that time once more, I cannot stop you, Shin!”
The source of why Shin had changed, and also the reason why he had to return, everything was caused by his girlfriend. In her place, there was no room for anyone else.
Now that Marino wasn’t here, he would be beyond cure if he changed. If that was the case, Schnee had no choice but to remove the cause. Even if she understood it was hasty thinking, doing nothing and so on, Schnee was unable to do it.
“Schnee…”
“I am a cowardly woman. Even though I did something like this, I am somewhat glad that Marino isn’t here.”
Schnee stepped back as she said this.
His girlfriend ―― If Marino, who was Shin’s only lover, was there, it may be all right for Shin to change. Marino was an important person to that extent for Shin. If put into a ranking, she would finish first by a large margin.
Thus Schnee believed, if the first, Marino, was not there, she herself may be able to be the number one.
“I….I…..”
She suppressed it in front of Shin.
So far, she was able to suppress it. She stopped the thoughts in her mind, and pretended not to see it.
However, once she put it into words, she couldn’t control her feelings anymore. It couldn’t stop overflowing.
Because former players had come to this world, Marino may also have come, too.
If it was Marino, she could probably stop Shin.
However, to look for only one person in this world, how difficult was it? Schnee also understood that much. Even if Marino came here, they wouldn’t meet each other conveniently quickly. In fact, even with Berett and the others from Golden Company’s power, the searchable range and so on were limited.
But it couldn’t be asserted that there was nothing as it was.
This was because he was reunited with many comrades such as former players, Shibaid, Girard, and Schnee, who were completely drawn to Shin. It was possible that even the irregulars where he appeared near Tsuki no Hokora, or the appearance of Demons, and the reencounter with the former players were orchestrated.
It wouldn’t be too long before he met Marino. There was something that made her think so.
“………”
Seeing Schnee shed tears, Shin was troubled at what to do.
He never thought Schnee would lose her composure like this.
He came to this world and often saw new things, still Shin’s image of Schnee was always calm, graceful, and a little airheaded; she was such a woman.
Even if they had spent time together, his impression didn’t change greatly.
However, that was merely Shin’s presumption. As for Schnee, the impression of this guy from the game was repeating many times over in her heart. When the foundation was the same, he wasn’t able to perceive her heart.
Shin didn’t think there was anything wrong with what Schnee had said.
What Schnee said about Shin had changed at that time, he had no way of arguing even if he said he was not sane.
Shin himself knew well how he was in a dangerous state at that time now. It was natural for Schnee to be uneasy.
That she didn’t want him to reunite with Marino, also could be understood vaguely.
If you came to like someone, of course you would like to be that person’s number one, it was a natural feeling. And, like Schnee, being in dilemma because of her consciences, it was to be expected if she had a heart.
While noticing that Schnee had a liking toward him, it was natural to accept it as ‘what goes around, comes around’.
“…Sorry”
“Please do not apologize, Shin. I am, the bad one.”
He hated himself for only such a word to come out.
Shin was sorry, when he should have talked properly earlier.
When he met Hibineko and the others again, and heard about the players that had come to this world, Shin also thought about Marino’s being.
However, Shin didn’t think that Marino would be in this world. Hibineko and the others had their HP become 0 in the game, and died. And, though the reason was unclear, they were transferred to this world with state as is after they died.
As for Marino, her HP certainly became 0 too. However, there was no direct cause of death. Marino’s avatar, didn’t disappear.
“Schnee…Don’t blame yourself too much”
“!!? Eh, um, !….”
Schnee, who was quietly shedding tears, had no time to react, Shin embraced Schnee tightly.
To Shin’s abrupt action, Schnee’s body stiffened without a sound.
The ugly part of herself had been revealed. For Schnee, who was filled with anxiety, Shin’s action was too unexpected.
Even though she was in such a situation, she was ashamed as she was delighted for being embraced tightly, the cheek of the flustered Schnee turned rosy.
“Schnee, I don’t think your behaviour was wrong. Even me, if I knew that you would become like the me of that time, I’m likely to think of doing something and act.”
“But I, to Marino-san…”
“That, I guess there’s no helping it.”
“Such a thing is――”
“It is. When it comes to liking someone, I’d like to be the number one of that person; everyone is the same. That, even if it’s to wish for someone else’s misfortune, surely I cannot help think. Being really in love, it is likely because of that.”
Because he was experienced, he understood it.
There was no reason. Be it Shin, or Schnee, or someone else, there would be no difference.
“To be honest, I was really happy to be able to meet you, Schnee”
“!!”
To Shin’s confession, Schnee’s body trembled a little.
“Just when I thought it was over after I finally beat the boss, I was transferred here. Without any acquaintances, and on top of that, it felt like another person’s house even when I found my home. As a result, I had a strange disposition in herb collection. Therefore, when you said welcome back at that time, I was so relieved. That you still remembered me, Schnee.”
“……”
“Though Berett mentioned about you being an unworthy follower or something, I don’t have the intention of punishing you if I have nothing to blame you for.”
“But that…”
“I don’t hear anything. I’ve already decided, a high decision. Objection is unacceptable.”
Shin forcibly shut up Schnee who still tried to say something.
Nothing good would result in dragging out and prolonging such a thing.
“And no more secrets.”
“…yes”
The hug was released. Shin was inwardly relieved as there was no gloom on Schnee’s face until some time ago.
“Um, Shin. May I ask you one question?”
“What is it?”
“About Marino-san, do you…still love her?”
“…Yes, I love her. This feeling hasn’t changed even now.”
“I..see. I understand.”
Hearing Shin’s answer, Schnee has an expression like she had made up her mind.
The next moment, when Shin had a question regarding that change, Schnee jumped forward lightly without spare movement.
“!!?”
Schnee’s lips touched Shin’s lips for a moment.
Schnee took action as if it was the revenge for a little while ago, and Shin wasn’t able to react this time.
Even if he understood what happened, he didn’t know why it had become so.
“Because I’m not giving up.”
With a bright red face, Schnee said so.
“I-I love you, Shin. I understand that there is a reason for you to return to your former world, but still, these are my true feelings!!”
She was quite embarrassed. With the momentum like being somewhat desperate, Schnee spoke of what she felt.
At those direct words, Shin also felt his face flushing.
“…I-I will leave first.”
“Ah…”
Shin didn’t have the time to stop her, as Schnee rushed outside in the blink of an eye.
Speaking of Shin who was left hanging, he could only freeze while stretching out his arm.
“That…that wasn’t expected…”
What kind of face should he make when they met after this? Shin racked his brain.
Part 3
Soon after Schnee had left, since he couldn’t just remain there forever, Shin left and stored Tsuki no Hokora.
The night wind chilled the small traces of passion that still lingered.
“…First, should I head back?”
After climbing the rampart with 【Hiding】, he went back inside the castle without being noticed by anyone.
As he went back to the inn, he bought a light snack at a street stall and sat on an empty bench.
Information regarding the ‘Flood’ seemed to have spread well already, as he noticed people that appeared to be preparing for the war here and there. There was no sense of urgency. Was it because they had experienced the ‘Flood’ several times before?
“Ara? Shin-kun?”
While he was watching the pedestrian traffic, he was suddenly called out to. When Shin turned around, Holly was walking toward him with Shadow right behind her.
“Are you heading back now?”
“Yes, and I’m going shopping while I’m at it. What are you doing in a place like this, Shin-kun?”
“I finished the weapon reinforcement, and I’m a bit hungry now.”
Shin had met them at just the right time, and since he had already finished, he gave the two back the weapons he had strengthened.
Holly was pleased with the result, while Shadow stiffened in surprise.
“Reinforcement can’t result in this kind of level.”
“Don’t worry about trivial things. Shin-kun did his best, so I’ve also decided to *whack* in the battle.”
“…Right. I’ll use them gratefully.”
Shadow nodded in agreement to Holly, who was positive wherever she went.
As there was still time to spare before the war, they also had enough time to practice with their weapons.
“I’d like to ask you something, is it okay?”
“What do you want to ask?”
“It’s about your daughter.”
When he had used 【Analyze】 on Kaede, there had been a small static interference running through the race indication.
According to what he had heard from Schnee, it was likely that the interference occurred when the child was a person of mixed parentage.
“Do-Don’t tell me Shin-kun, that you would even take a beautiful child away, even though it’s our Kaede?!”
“WHAT?!”
“Wait a- what is with that manga-like reaction? Shadow-san, please don’t take Holly’s joke seriously!”
While Holly’s joke could be called clichéd, Shadow emitted a dangerous aura.
Shin had intended to have a serious talk, but it had lost its tension almost immediately.
“Good grief, please keep the joking within bounds…”
“But you brought up Kaede so suddenly. I don’t think I should be saying something like this as a parent, but it’s popular phrase, is it not?”
“Indeed.”
Shadow agreed with Holly’s remark. They seemed to have acquired the title of “doting parents” after having a daughter.
“For now, let’s leave the joking aside. What I want to ask is, what…is Kaede-chan??”
When Shin said this, the two changed completely from their playful mood immediately.
“If possible, let’s talk about this at a place with no one around.”
“Well, it isn’t a story that I would like to tell people much.”
“I don’t mind. That was my intention from the beginning.”
Shin didn’t intend to keep talking there, so they moved to a better place like the two had suggested.
They went to the bar ‘Nyan Da Land,’ which was located next to the cafe ‘B&W’.
“For the three of you to gather at a time like this, did something happen?”
“I want to borrow the back room…it’s about our daughter.”
Shadow said a few words to Hibineko and borrowed a private room in the back. With that last remark, Hibineko had understood what Shadow wanted to talk about.
“What do you want to drink?”
“I’ll take whatever you recommend.”
When they entered the private room, Shadow and Holly sat across from Shin with a serious posture.
Naturally, Shin too corrected his posture.
“Getting straight to the point, Shin, how much do you know about Halfs?”
“Based on what I heard from Schnee, it’s a child that has either inherited the special characteristics of both parents, or inherited neither of them. There’s also the kind that has almost no changes from one parent.”
“There’s no mistake in what you know. Also, if anything, the first one is often called critical, and the second one is called fumble.”
“Aren’t those gambling terms?”
“Once, there was a group of people who tried to give birth to Halfs intentionally. The names they used back then seem to have remained. It isn’t just the names that are from gambling, the probability involving it should be called gambling too.”
The probability of a person with mixed parentage being born was extremely low. The ones that were called critical had even lower chances.
Almost all of the ones born were born as ordinary children that were “Halfs” in name only. It’s something that no one was able to predict the outcome of.
“It’s a fact that a critical is quite superior in terms of fighting power, you know?”
“What happens specifically?”
“Fumu, though there are a lot of individual variations, the child can use the two different race’s native skills and bonuses. There is a famous beast that can remain in【Beast Form】 while using the dragnil’s【Breath】, and a lord that can use both 【Devil Eyes】 and the elves’ 【Soul Technique】simultaneously.”
“What’s with that cheat?”
Shin, after hearing about the ability of the criticals, said unintentionally.
Each of the seven races that existed in this world had their own abilities which could be called unique skills and bonuses.
Things like the humans’ high magic resistance, the beasts’ bestial form, and the elves’ soul techniques were examples of the unique skills that each race had.
How was it not a cheat to have more than one of them?
Shin wasn’t in a position to say anything, but even he couldn’t use the unique skills and bonuses of other races.
In this world in which the existence of individuals became reality, there would be individuals who is Halfs.
“By the way, our Kaede-chan is a critical, you know?”
“Seriously?”
“She can use both 【Soul Technique】 and 【Devil Eyes】. I don’t know if it’s because she’s a critical, but her stats also average out at around 400.”
“I thought so. Isn’t that just a natural cheat?”
From the viewpoint of a commoner, a critical was an existence that could make fun of even the upper class Chosen Ones.
“So please don’t spread it in the public, okay?”
“I won’t. Come to think of it, if she is that strong, why wasn’t she chosen as one of the front-line members?”
“The coming of age for elves is 20 years old. I can’t send a minor off to the battlefield. Because it’s certain that she will become part of the battle force, she will be placed in the reserves in case of an emergency.”
This time, since Shin was around, Kaede didn’t have to participate in the war and could remain on standby in the castle.
The reason for this was because she was too young and inexperienced in controlling her power on the battlefield during the last ‘Flood’. But, as a result of Shadow and Holly’s continued training, there would no longer be any problem even if she was counted as part of the fighting power now.
“By the way, Shin, I have a question, is it okay with you?”
“I don’t mind. What do you want to ask?”
“What did you do after ‘that’, Shin?”
To Shin, who was thinking about what kind of question was coming, Shadow’s question was quite unexpected.
Certainly, because time had been limited earlier, he didn’t get to tell Shadow and the others.
“Right, not much changed as for what I did. I was hunting PKs every day. But, after ‘that,’ there was a small incident. I was going to return to dungeon capturing, but――”
As for that incident, it was also something that was related to Marino.
Without it, Shin wouldn’t be here today.
Shadow listened to Shin’s story without saying anything. His expression was somewhat melancholic.
“――that’s why I crushed the big PK guilds first, before setting out on a quest and dungeon assault. Because the last boss was a solo-type, I somehow managed to defeat it.”
“I see. No matter how powerful it is, if it’s a solo-type, you can defeat it.”
Shadow, who had finished hearing the story looked amazed.
The fact that Shin had defeated the last monster Origin all by himself, even if it wasn’t reckless, it was absurd.
You could say the premise of MMOs was to cooperate with other people. Though there were also active solo players, most gained the social disposition of either forming a party with somebody or entering a guild.
Above all, party cooperation was essential, as the real thrill of adventure was in killing the boss. Basically, a boss monster wasn’t an opponent that could be challenged solo.
Parties formed, cooperated, and backed each other up to win against monsters that couldn’t be defeated by a single person.
Among the high-level boss monsters in THE NEW GATE, bosses who could be defeated by a single person were called solo-type, and bosses who could only be defeated by a party were called raid-type.
Though Origin, which Shin fought at the end, was a solo-type, it had originally been a raid-type boss.
“That’s because I did every kind of reinforcement I could think of: foods, items, equipment and so forth. One might say that if the opponent was a raid-type, I would normally lose.”
Even if it was Shin, if the opponent monster was impossible to be conquered without a party, he wouldn’t think of challenging it solo. He would only challenge it if he knew that the opponent was a solo-type.
As for a solo-type, even if it was a boss, from the size and the attack method and so on, defeating it was possible depending on the luck, equipment, skills, and level of the player alone. Of course, it goes without saying that normally, even if a player was defeated, they still had the choice to return.
The winning rate wasn’t always 100% even if Shin fought against a monster of the same solo-type more than once.
On the other hand, raid-types were different from solo-types. Their bodies were enormous, and they had many places that had to be attacked at the same time.
Shin’s partner Yuzuha, also known as an ‘Element Tail’, was a raid-type boss. Though it was different for Shin now, he didn’t know whether he could have won once in 100 rounds against one as a solo player or not in the game era. Even then, it would have taken an extreme amount of luck.
If you only thought about hunting down a raid-type ‘Element Tail’ regardless of the resulting sacrifices, you could understand just how strong it was just by saying that you would have needed at least three members of Rokuten, who were of the stat-capped class.
“I wonder why was it a solo-type.”
Shin said after remembering his fight with Origin. He thought that a raid-type of the highest difficulty would be waiting as the final boss. If the monster was at least ‘Element Tail’-level, it would have been almost impossible to clear.
Shadow shook his head calmly.
“Maybe it was intended to be cleared, or was deemed sufficient? Either way, if many people were saved, that would be fine, I suppose.”
“You’re right. That reminds me, I also wanted to ask you something else. How did Shadow-san come here? From Holly-san’s story, you don’t seem to have initially arrived here together.”
Though it was unimaginable for the present Shadow, the Shadow, when he and Shin had acted together, had been an assassin through and through.
Shin remembered Shadow crying while he disappeared after he and Holly’s enemy had killed each other at the same time.
“Oh well, as for coming here, I seem to have arrived earlier. I was surprised when I met Shadow again.”
“That’s my line!”
One couldn’t imagine the ghastly figure he had been in the past after seeing the Shadow who talked with Holly while smiling.
“I found this man in a village I was dispatched to at the request of the guild. I heard him fighting the group of monsters that had attacked the village, so I chased after him in a hurry.”
“I am indebted to that village in a lot of ways. Because the monsters had no special features aside from their numbers, I was able to stop them.”
“NO! You weren’t able to stop them. The people of the village were panicking.”
“Now, now, Holly-san. Shadow-san wouldn’t go without knowing the probability of success either.”
Shin calmed down Holly, who began to get angry after remembering those times.
Shadow was an assassin of a higher job class, a ‘Shinobi’. Moreover, his average stats were more than 600. Though he didn’t remodel his equipment randomly like Shin had, if he used the equipment he possessed, which were above the 《Legend》 grade, he could wipe out some of the tougher monsters instantly.
“Sigh, so I was looking for Shadow in a hurry, and when I found him, he was turning mountains of monster corpses into cards. The other adventurers were stunned. Because they were A ranked, they were somehow convinced of the explanation that he was a Chosen One.”
“After that, I went to visit several places together with Holly. Along the way, I received a report from Gold Company, and met Hibineko again here.”
Berett’s messenger, who was searching for former players, seemed to have had contacted him.
As Shadow and Holly had been associated with Shin in the game, they seemed to have judged that there would be no danger even if they came into contact. If it was only Shadow, they may have had chosen to wait.
“After this and that, I decided to open a shop here.”
Both of them had their cooking skill at level VII, so their business seemed to be thriving.
They also seemed to partnering up with Hibineko’s shop, and both issued coupons that could be used at each other’s shops.
“Come to think of it, how much time has passed since Holly-san came here? You said a while ago that there was a difference between when the two of you arrived.”
Shin suddenly spoke what came to his mind.
There was a time lag of approximately one month between Holly and Shadow’s deaths. Shin thought about in what way it influenced the time they arrived here.
“I’ve been here for 30 years as of this year”
“As for me, I came here about 10 years after Holly.”
“If that’s the case, is it about 10 years per month?”
“But the person who had almost the same time of death as me came here more than a decade before me. This seems to be different for each individual. Some came here more than 100 years ago, and there are people who have already reached the end of their life span, too.”
Though Shin had calculated the approximate conversion from their story, his hypothesis was denied by Holly. By the way, it had been about 40 years since Hibineko had arrived here.
“Shin, do you think Marino-chan will come here?”
“Holly!”
Shin stopped Shadow, who tried to scold Holly.
“It’s okay…To be honest, it’s a fifty-fifty; I feel like I want her to be here, but I also feel like I don’t. Of course, I want to meet her again, but then I would completely lose my intention to return to the former world.”
There were many things that Shin had left behind in the real world.
His parents who had raised him, his brother and sister, his close friends; the list could go on forever.
Even though he had no relatives in this world, he wasn’t terribly unhappy.
Still, although he had come to this world that looked just like the game, the real world was not something so unimportant for Shin that he could discard it easily.
Therefore, if there was a scale between the choices of ‘Stay’ or ‘Return’, he still inclined toward ‘Return’ for now.
He must pass on the messages entrusted to him by the people who had died in the death game to their bereaved families; it was a promise he must fulfil if he returned to the real world.
But, as he spent time in this world, the scales in Shin slowly, but surely, moved. They were slowly moving away from the choice to “Return”.
There were so many charms in this world. He had overwhelming power that separated him from others, Schnee, who loved him, and former Rokuten followers who still showed him loyalty.
Even if the dangerous living conditions were extremely different from the real world, it was not a great threat to Shin.
He desired to travel freely around the world that had undergone a great change; it would be a lie if he denied that.
In addition, it was possible to reunite with the players who had died―― the more he spent time in this world, the number the bonds he had with its inhabitants increased.
If he found out that Marino was here, the scale would probably sway greatly to one side.
“Well, in the first place, there’s also the problem of whether I can return or not.”
“You’re right. But you were able to come here, so there must be a method, no?”
“As I expected, the gate of the dungeon is the matter of concern. Although it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll have to pass through it again, it’s possible that you’d be able to return if you find yourself in a similar scenario.”
The two people replied seriously to Shin’s words.
From the contents of their discussion, they seemed to agree that Shin should return to the original world.
“There are stories that the Ley Lines may be related to it, but it’s still not enough information. From now on, I’ll go around looking up more information here and there.” (T/N: changed Earth Pulse to Ley Line)
“Let us help when possible.”
“I won’t be reserved then.”
Shadow and Holly expressed a gentle smile.
Afterwards, Shin left the shop after hearing the tales about the two, the countries they had been to, and so forth.
◆◆◆◆
“Shin has left.”
“Yes, though we met again, Shin has completely returned to his former self.”
After Shin left the shop, Shadow answered Hibineko, who put away the glasses as he spoke, with a look that seemed somehow relieved.
“Was he that terrible?”
“Yes, though it’s not my place to say, all I can say is that he has changed. It’s because in the past he had no hesitation to cut down a person.”
“I also heard the stories…he didn’t seem like someone who would do something like that.”
Among the three people, only Shadow had known the desolate Shin. Hibineko and Holly, on the other hand, could not imagine that Shin wouldn’t have hesitated to murder like Shadow had said.
“Honestly speaking, I’m surprised, too. The last time I saw Shin, he would never have laughed with such an expression.”
When he didn’t show his power, Shin currently looked like an ordinary young man who could be found anywhere.
He had retorted to Hibineko’s and Holly’s way of calling him, and was surprised when he had heard that Shadow and Holly had a child.
That was a natural reaction.
However, he didn’t have such a natural reaction before. The Shin whom Shadow had seen at that time had hardly ever changed his expression. Even when he had killed PKs, even if he had eaten delicious food, even if the player who had assisted him had died in front of him.
He had searched and killed PKs just like an assembly-line operation. If one were to say that he was a machine of that kind of purpose, one might understand how dangerous he truly had been.
Had this person changed before coming here only by chance? This was merely what Shadow believed.
“Did something happen?”
“I’m not sure, but there something certainly might have. Something that pulled Shin here.”
The three people could only guess. However, it was a good thing, or at least, they understood it to be a good thing. It also concerned the woman whom Shin loved.
“…Marino-chan, will you come here?”
“I wonder. According to the story we heard from Shin, her circumstances seemed slightly different from ours.”
The two people didn’t know the main reason behind why they had arrived here, except that it had to do with their death in the game, so their question couldn’t be concluded.
“…If Mari-nyaa-san isn’t here, what would the two of you want Shin to do?”
Hibineko asked Shadow and Holly while skillfully wiping the table with his short paw.
“I guess he should return.”
“Agreed, I think so too.”
The two people answered the casual question with the same response.
To the reply without hesitation, Hibineko stopped wiping the table. Because there were only three people in the shop at the moment, they could afford to talk a little.
“Fumu, from our viewpoint, I think he should return if possible.”
“Why the hurry?”
“For now, Shin still wants to return to the other side. But, will he be able to make the same choice after he has spent a long time here?”
If Hibineko had came to this world without much company, he would probably have been able to return without hesitation.
However, Hibineko had already spent more than 40 years in this world. Even if he could return to the original world with Shin, he would no longer choose too.
“If he didn’t have much longer to live in real world like we do, then the choice to spend the rest of his time here is not bad even if it possible for him to return. But Shin is still young. I don’t think I want him to remain in this world where the end is unknown.”
“You’re right. If he had been here for a long time, he would likely not want to go home.”
“But unlike us, Shin is not dead. There should be something he left behind, right?”
“Still, you can also say that, unlike us, Shin is the strongest in this world. Besides, I wonder if he’ll be able to turn down the love of a woman as beautiful as Schnee.”
The current age was called the ‘stress society’. People wanted to be bound by no one, and do whatever they wanted. But at the same time, as people who lived in the real world, they also had to consider everyone else’s feelings. There were many people who wished to live while doing the things they liked and forgetting the unpleasant things.
“This world is indeed really convenient for Shin.”
Shadow and Holly couldn’t deny Hibineko’s words because what he had said also applied to themselves.
“In the end, it depends on Shin, huh?”
“Indeed. Personally, I want his parents to feel relieved.”
“It’s because he carried everyone’s expectations all by himself. I wonder how things will turn out if Mari-nyaa isn’t here.”
Since the beginning of the death game, the three knew that various unreasonable things had been forced upon Shin; they recalled Shin had suppressed himself because of that power at that time. His stats had been high by chance, but because of that, he had been forced to clear the game. It couldn’t be helped that Shin had laughed with a tired look on his face.
It might have ended up differently if everyone had begun from the same starting line. However, with the exception of Shin, the best stats of the advanced players had only just began to exceed 800 in those days. Shin’s stats was about 200 points above theirs.
200 ability differences in THE NEW GATE would only cause other players to become a hindrance to Shin, even if he made a party. The difference in damage dealt, movement speed, defense, and so on was obvious. Only a small number of players reached advanced levels in the first place.
The story was different when he fought against big armies of monsters and cooperated with multiple parties, but there was not enough space for many players to fight together in dungeons. This had especially been true in the last dungeon.
In addition, in the situation where it wasn’t possible to revive after death, it would take over a year to train other players to Shin’s level. The players who had wanted to log out as soon as possible had ganged up and demanded that Shin quickly cleared the game.
“I hope we can be of help to him in the case of an emergency.”
“It’s frustrating, right?”
They couldn’t do anything for the young man who had fought the death game in solitude.
The adults were worried.
-
“Now then, shall I return to the inn soon?”
Shin, who had left ‘Nyan Da Land’, muttered and headed toward the inn.
Although his talk with Shadow and the others had diverted his mind to some extent, he still didn’t know what he would do when he met Schnee.
He opened the door of the ‘Red Tail’ while feeling a little depressed, received the key, went to his room without meeting anyone on the way, and arrived at his room.
A short time later, someone knocked on his room door. When he had received the key earlier, he had also asked for water. He then received a bucket of water from a woman. The bucket looked heavy, but the woman had carried it with ease.
He soaked a towel after using magic to warm the water, and wiped down his body. Toilets were becoming popular, but baths still seemed to be difficult to reproduce. Shin, who didn’t understand the technical side of things, couldn’t do anything but hope it was built quickly.
“…I should sleep.”
He had nothing else to do in particular, so he decided to go to sleep.
Did the matter with Schnee have a lasting effect on him? He wasn’t able to bring himself to do anything.
He crawled into the futon. Shin’s consciousness faded into sleep unexpectedly smoothly.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 05 - Crimson Exterminator/The-New-Gate-Volume-05-Crimson-Exterminator-[Shin][Armaell]/ch2.txt
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Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Part 1
The next day at dawn.
After Shin had finished preparing by outfitting himself, someone knocked on the door. Schnee, who was in disguise, Tiera, Yuzuha, and Kagerou were waiting outside. It seemed like they wanted to have breakfast together.
Shin went downstairs with Yuzuha on his head. Though he casually looked in Schnee’s direction, he didn’t see anything unusual about her appearance.
“What will you do today?”
Tiera asked while eating breakfast.
It seemed that the ‘Flood’ had already been widely announced, as the residents’ evacuation had started.
Although adventurers had been recruited to help out at places where help was needed, there was not much work left to be done.
“I’ll go to the feudal lord’s castle. Because I have said that I’d bring you there, please come with me today, Shin.”
“Ah-Yeah, I understand.”
Had she forgotten to tell him yesterday? Since Shin hadn’t thought about his plans for today either, he agreed.
When he looked at Schnee, whose attitude hadn’t changed, Shin thought, ‘Am I strange for worrying about what happened?’.
What did a man often worry about at such times? He thought about trivial things.
“Then, I’ll go to the training center. I can’t go to the frontlines, but you never know what will happen.”
“Yes, that would be nice. If I have time, shall we spar again?”
“…yes, thank you in advance.”
While hearing the answer from Tiera, who paused at the delicate situation, Shin prayed for her in his mind.
Shin had seen the two training when they had been travelling together, but from what he had seen, Schnee’s training was very hard. It was at the level where, without the remodeled wagon and the bed specially made by Shin, Tiera wouldn’t have been able to move due to the fatigue accumulated from training. It seemed that she couldn’t help but answer obediently.
She could fight adequately if she wanted to go to the frontline because she would be accompanied by Kagerou, but that didn’t mean that her own fighting power had increased. Thus, the training was unexpectedly effective.
When one only stuck to gaining levels, they couldn’t get really strong.
They entrusted their key to the innkeeper after they had finished their meal and departed.
Though Schnee and Tiera always attracted people’s eyes, with the ‘Flood’ monsters approaching, no one catcalled them.
Tiera and Kagerou headed to the guild on the way back, separating from Shin, Schnee, and Yuzuha who walked toward the castle.
“What will we be doing today?”
“We’ll be discussing cooperation and meeting with the Chosen Ones who will be dispatched. Actually, it’s also to see how much we can cooperate.”
Though he had already met Hibineko and the others, Shin had not yet met the rest of the dispatch group. Perhaps Rionne would be introduced too. Even though Chosen Ones had excellent individual ability, it was absurd to cooperate without preparing.
Because the fate of the city depended on them, it could be said it was only natural to do so.
“If I remember correctly, are we meeting Guile and Liege?”
“You already knew about them?”
“I heard about them in the guild. I heard we’ll attack with Guile’s magic skills, is he a mage?”
“Yes, his full name is Guile Serget. He is a mage who excels in flame system magic skills. The other one is Liege Latreia, who is a magic swordswoman like Rionne-sama.”
It appeared that Guile was a Lord, and Liege was a Dragnil. Schnee seemed to have had the opportunity to fight together with both of them several times before, as she seemed to know their personalities well.
While Shin was listening to Schnee talk about Guile and Liege’s combat styles and abilities, they arrived at the feudal lord’s castle.
Just before they entered the castle, Schnee canceled her disguise and walked to the gate with her original appearance. Though the change had been sudden, no one noticed the magic skill.
“Schnee Raizar-sama! Thank you for coming here!”
The gatekeeper who noticed them approaching saluted perfectly.
With the gatekeeper’s eyes fixed on Schnee, Shin’s presence wasn’t even noticed.
“Um, we would like to enter inside…”
“Huh?! Pardon me! Please show your permit!”
The gatekeeper really seemed to be unaware of Shin. The gatekeeper said in a hurry when Shin called out.
Schnee handed over a permit to the too enthusiastic gatekeeper. She seemed to have had received it beforehand.
Two people and an animal passed through the door opened by the gatekeeper, who confirmed their permit, and entered the castle.
One of the gatekeepers guided them with a happy expression. However, if one looked at the despairing faces of the other remaining gatekeepers, who continued working, it was obvious that a fierce fight had unfolded over this role.
(It seems excessive.)
When they walked inside the castle, it was inevitable that they would pass by a lot of people. Most of them stopped walking; was it because they were fascinated by Schnee? They bowed politely.
The feeling that a number of people were following them increased as time passed; it was probably not just Shin’s imagination.
“(Is Schnee popular?)”
“(Yeah, she is a strong and beautiful woman of a superior race. It’s a given that she’s popular.)”
While answering Yuzuha’s telepathy, Shin felt depressed as he looked at himself.
The people who passed by mostly noticed Shin and Yuzuha after they had looked at Schnee. Also, about 90% of them had a “Who is that guy walking along with Schnee-sama?!” look on their face.
Though only a few of them had directed hostility at him, it didn’t change that it was a pain in the ass. Shin regretted underestimating Schnee’s popularity.
Had no one call out to her because everyone knew why she had come here? Shin felt relieved that as no one could openly ask who Schnee’s companion was.
After a few minutes, the gatekeeper stopped in the front of a certain room. Apparently this was the location of the meeting.
“Raizar-sama. I wish to express my gratitude for your coming here.”
“Don’t worry about it. Are we late?”
“No, there is a person who has yet to come.”
When the two entered the room, someone who was wearing the clothes of the highest quality among the people seated at the table stood up and gave Schnee words of gratitude.
Taul Yaxfell.
The figure with eyes that conveyed a strong sense of purpose and hair that was trimmed short was probably in his mid-40s. The body without flabbiness reflected his character.
“Shin-dono, your participation in defending our city together with Rionne-sama is indeed reassuring.”
“Ah, no, you don’t have to worry about it.”
When he had exchanged light greetings with Schnee, Taul also called out to Shin promptly. Though his speech was polite, his sharp eyes seemed to see through the character called Shin; perhaps this was what one would expect of the feudal lord of Balmel.
“There is still a little time before the discussion begins. I’ll ask someone to prepare drinks, so please make yourself at home.”
Taul said, and left his seat to step outside. Neither the dispatch group nor Rionne had come yet.
As they spoke to Hibineko and the others while waiting for a while, in addition to Taul and Rionne, two men and one woman entered.
“Then, now that all the members are present, I’d like to start the meeting by introducing the new members. As it’s their first meeting, let’s us all introduce ourselves briefly.”
Once he saw that everyone had been seated, Taul began to speak.
Starting from Shin and Rionne, who were participating on the spur of the moment, the self-introduction advanced in an orderly fashion.
“I’m Guile Serget. Mage. I’m in charge of first strike together with Raizar-dono this time. Nice to meet you.”
Although Guile had said he was a mage, due to his appearance, it would have been convincing if he had said he was a warrior. He had a refreshing visage of dark pupils and moderately long brown hair. His height was almost the same as Shin’s, but Guile had more muscle mass. Although he was a lord, his appearance was no different from a human’s. Perhaps it was because they would be testing their cooperation, but he had also brought a staff and a cloak.
“I’m Liege Latreia. I’m a magic swordswoman. This time I’ll be assisting this guy with Rionne-sama. Let’s get along well.”
Liege was a woman who had a red hair like a burning wave and crimson eyes. She talked like a man, possibly due to her warrior class, but she was a curvaceous, well-proportioned woman who was 170 cemels tall.
Except for the small scales on the area around her eyes, she had no other characteristics of a dragnil. Unlike Shibaid, whom Shin had met before, her appearance seemed almost like a human’s.
“So there are actually people who wear that here.”
“Hmm? Is there something wrong?”
Liege asked. She seemed to have heard Shin muttering.
“Ah, no, I was thinking, is that a magic armor that Liege-san is wearing?”
Like Guile, Liege had also put on equipment meant for actual combat. However, what she was wearing was commonly called bikini armor. It had appeared in a part of the game, and was equipment that had questionable functionality as armor.
Shin, of course, knew what kind of equipment it was. Its official name was the ‘Magic Armor of Dragon Ball,’ and was medium rank 《Legend》 grade armor that used the jewel removed from a monster of dragon lineage.
As for why the armor was red in color, was because the jewel of a Red Dragon had been used. It nullified damage received under certain value, had an effect that further reduced damage, and couldn’t be equipped with VIT less than 500. The part where skin was exposed had the damage decrease effect, so it was possible to say that she could catch a knife with her bare arm depending on her stats.
However, though its performance was high, it was not a very popular equipment in the game era. Because the game had been a VRMMO, where avatars acted as the players’ actual bodies, not many women had wanted to wear it.
“Oh my, were you that fascinated by my armor? I felt your eyes on my chest.”
Liege emphasized her chest after she said that. Although it was true that Shin had glanced at her chest, which was fully covered by her armor, he hadn’t done so with ill intentions.
“Please pardon me…”
While thinking, ‘don’t tease me’, Shin also wondered whether she was wearing that armor because of her character.
“Liege, leave the teasing behind. I’ll continue introducing myself, I’m Elgin Schlafer. I’m the leader of knights of Balmel. This time, I’ll take command of the army. I don’t have the intention to relax because Raizar-dono is here. I hope to get along with you.”
As a way of interrupting the banter between Shin and Liege, the next man introduced himself.
Perhaps it was because his work required him to shout often, but his voice resounded well. Since Shin had been troubled on how to respond to Liege, he thanked Elgin in his heart.
Elgin was a large man about 2 mels tall. His arms and legs doubled the thickness of Shin’s. His figure was encased in a custom-designed armor which dominated the surroundings just by standing up. Shin didn’t know if he was a Chosen One or not, but Elgin had a high level of 212. Was he in his late 30s or early 40s? There was a sharp glint toward Shin, also in a different sense from Taul.
Without stopping, Schnee, Hibineko, and the others also introduced themselves.
“Well then, let’s discuss the ‘Flood’ at once. Though you may have already heard, I’d like you to hear this again for confirmation.”
After the self-introductions were over, Taul began to talk.
Taul laid out a map on the table once he had everyone’s attention. It was a rough map that showed both Balmel and Kalkia.
“As a result of examining the information brought by Rionne-sama and Shin-dono, it was confirmed that large hordes of monsters are coming here. Judging from their travelling speed, they are expected to arrive at Balmel in approximately 4 days. The core of the horde is comprised of humanoid monsters, such as goblins, orcs, ogres and so forth.”
While presenting the information, Taul placed a troop marker down on the map to represent the group of monsters. In addition, he placed two markers in Balmel and four big markers behind them.
“Here are Shin-dono, Shadow-dono, Holly-dono, and Nekomata-dono of the first group. Schnee-sama, Rionne-sama, Guile-dono, and Liege-dono of the second group are here. You’ll wait 5 kemels in front of Balmel, while the knight squadron will spread out in the rear. After attracting the monsters to some extent, Schnee-sama and Guile-dono will attack with wide area magic. Meanwhile, because a lot of monsters are expected to remain near the the first group side, they will intercept them. While reducing their numbers, please also let some monsters pass to the rear in moderation.”
Taul re-explained his strategy verbally with the markers afterwards.
Defeating high-leveled individuals took first priority, defense was a primary concern and training was an additional bonus, Taul told them as he finished explaining.
“So, the first group will form a party and have cooperation training. Because the main duty of second group is to guard Guile-dono, you will train against Schnee-sama.”
“Eh!”
“Come again?!”
Guile stiffened at what Elgin had said, and Liege raised her voice almost to the point of screaming.
“Schn-nya-san is famous for her harsh training, you know?”
Hibineko whispered to Shin, who was looking dubiously at their reactions..
Apparently, hard mode was the standard even if the people Schnee trained weren’t her friends.
Only Rionne looked like she was looking forward to Schnee’s training; was it because she didn’t know how severe it would be? Or was it because she felt honored to be trained by Schnee?
“Don’t die!”
They would have time to recover even if they became exhausted. Schnee would surely work them to their very limits. Shin thought as he cheered them on.
“Then, we will go train as well.”
Following Schnee’s second group, Shin and his group also start moving.
Unlike the second group where Schnee acted as the opponent, Shin and his group went outside the ramparts of Balmel. They would train against the monsters that roamed outside during times of peace that were unrelated to the ‘Flood’.
Although the difference in abilities between Shin’s group and the monsters was too large to be a proper fight, there was no problem since they were simply practicing their cooperation.
“Shin, it’s been a long time since you and I formed a party.”
Shadow muttered a few words.
“Yeah. But in my case, perhaps I should say it’s been a long time since I joined a party.”
This was also the result of an excessive difference in ability. Shin rejected the party system because it was more efficient for him to challenge an enemy alone than it was for him to join a party and adjust to their level.
“There was no other way. It would have been too time consuming for you to train other players, right?”
“I don’t think I’d be very happy if it was that easy for others to catch up to me”
Shin just said few words in response to Shadow’s remark.
While it was a good thing for other players to become stronger, Shin could not be honestly pleased with the prospect because he had already sacrificed so much to become strong himself.
Then Hibineko interjected.
“Leave the idle talk for later. We need to deal with these monsters seriously, even if they’re low ranked. You have to be on your guard!”
“…Right. Sorry, I was a little too excited.”
“I’m sorry.”
Shadow and Shin obediently apologized for being too excited about forming a party. Frankly speaking, they would remain unhurt even if they received a critical hit from the monsters to the face.
Hibineko also understood, so he wasn’t offended.
Then, Holly smiled wryly and began to talk.
“Hibineko-san is just as high-spirited, though.”
“An adult must have self-control.”
“So why is your tail moving more than usual?”
“…It’s to keep my b-balance!”
When walking on two legs, the tail has almost no effect in keeping balance. In the end, Hibineko was just as excited as Shin and Shadow.
Holly watched Hibineko with heartwarming eyes.
“By the way, we’re at the place where the monsters will appear.”
“As for me being in high spirits…Well, you’re right about that. A lot of wolf-type monsters should have appeared around here.”
Holly was making fun of Hibineko, but she didn’t forget to search for enemies in their surroundings.
While everyone had been having a playful conversation and moving at a high speed befitting of their status as Chosen Ones, they had already set foot in the area where monsters spawned.
However, not a shadow of monsters could be seen, even if they looked around.
“That strange. Not one monster in my perception range.”
“Not even one, you say?”
Shin’s perception range had been greatly expanded through multiple skills such as 【Search】 and 【Sign Perception】. Therefore, he could perceive places where Shadow and Hibineko couldn’t reach, but he still couldn’t find a single monster.
Shadow and the others, who knew of his perception range, had puzzled expressions on their face.
“Does something like this usually occur during the ‘Flood’?”
“No. Though I have experienced the ‘Flood’ several times, even if the number of monsters may decrease a little, they didn’t disappear completely.”
“The number of monster decreased?”
“The monsters spawned in the ‘Flood’ indiscriminately attack other monsters. It is known that monsters will leave their territory when they sense danger.”
“I see. But something seems different this time.”
“Yeah, in the first place, even if I said their numbers decreased, it didn’t suddenly decrease like this. This is clearly abnormal.”
Shin and the other’s expressions sharpened at Hibineko’s remarks.
They had no problem dealing with the ‘Flood’, but now the monsters were mysteriously disappearing too. Everyone unanimously agreed that it was dangerous to be too optimistic.
“It’s not the time to train leisurely. Let’s return at once.”
“That’s right. We don’t know the cause, so it would be better to report it.”
Holly agreed with Shadow’s suggestion. Shin and Hibineko had no objections either, so they ran back to Balmel making full use of the speed of the Chosen Ones.
They searched for the presence of monsters all the the way back, but still didn’t detect anything.
“………”
“Shin? You’ve been silent for a while, do you have any ideas?”
“Yeah, a few.”
Shin replied to Shadow’s question with a bitter face. There was something that flashed in Shin’s memory.
There had been a war event in the game where hordes of monsters would attack a city. It had not been a particularly unusual event.
However, the sheer number of monsters had been a problem. The monsters in the surrounding area would temporarily stop spawning and a large swarm of monsters would close in on the city simultaneously like black waves.
Of course, the players stood up to it and succeeded in defending the city. Most of the monsters had been blown away by the magic skills of advanced level players like Shin. However, due to the monsters that invaded the city from underground, the damage caused during the event was not small either.
Monsters had disappeared before the event had begun. If this was supposedly the same indication, would the same thing happen in the ‘Flood’? If so, the new surging wave of monsters would exceed the normal scale of the ‘Flood’.
“Supposing it’s the same as a war event, we need to report it.”
“Indeed, I think I’ll ask Schnee to do that.”
Shin answered Hibineko’s words while nodding.
Schnee could explain the story as an event from the past. If she did that, Shin didn’t have to stand out.
“There’s no sign of monsters, you say?”
The four people who returned to the feudal lord’s castle got in contact with Taul immediately, and reported about the monsters. Everyone in the second group, Schnee and the others, also came to the reception room.
Taul who had listened to the report for a while, contemplated as he searched through his memory. However, he let out a small sigh, possibly because he could not think of anything.
Elgin and the others who were sitting together also shook their heads.
“As far as I know, there should be no records of this kind of battle. An investigation is needed.”
“The monsters sensed danger and ran away, then it couldn’t be explained with that.”
Judging from their attitude, they were very cautious about this matter circulating.
“Does anybody have any ideas?”
All members except Schnee shook their head at Taul’s words.
“Schnee-sama, do you have any ideas?”
“Yes, I recall something similar happened in the past.”
Schnee nodded at Taul’s question. The story had already been conveyed to Schnee by Mind Chat.
It was only a story of the game from Shin’s memory, but it wasn’t strange to think that it could have occurred in this world.
“Could you tell me? Even the smallest amount of information is necessary.”
“Of course. Though it happened quite a while before――”
Schnee explained while smudging the facts here and there.
“That…is…”
Everyone who heard the story had stiffened their expressions.
When they heard that level of monsters that would be attacking would also be high, Taul and Elgin’s expressions became heavy.
The current defense called for a specialized force composed of Chosen Ones and ordinary soldiers to kill off the enemies as they came because there were simply too many of them.
If the monsters hordes became too much for ordinary soldiers to handle, they could expect that total collateral damage would be astronomical.
“Because the situation is only similar to what I know from the past, it’s not clear whether it will turn out that way or not.”
“No, it would be better to assume that it will. Now is not the time to talk about training and such.”
Elgin replied to Schnee’s remark with a serious expression. It would be too dangerous if Schnee’s prediction was on the mark.
“I thought it would be an easy win this time.”
“Good grief. Things have never gone smoothly.”
Guile and Liege shrugged their shoulders as if they were saying “Give me a break!”.
Though they had non-serious attitudes, it was hard to say that they had bright expressions, either.
“However, there’s no need to be so pessimistic. We have Schnee Raizar and two additional Chosen Ones with us as reinforcements. We should be able to survive these critical times as long as we don’t make any mistakes.”
“Indeed, we don’t know how many monsters there will be, but we are blessed with allies this time around. The battle may end unexpectedly quickly.”
Hibineko and Shadow called out to Taul and the others who were only thinking about the enemy.
Their eager voices lightened the mood which was about to sink. They were composed because Shin and Schnee were there. In a sense, Shin and Schnee were far more dangerous than the approaching monsters.
“Of course, I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
“…That’s right, I should be thankful you’re here. Let’s change the strategy, then. Schnee-sama, do you know which direction that the monsters will be attacking from?”
“No, I don’t know to that extent…”
It was obviously dangerous to think the monsters would all attack from the same direction, so Schnee answered honestly.
Additionally, because they didn’t know when the monsters would attack, they settled the discussion by agreeing to send scouts in the directions that were most likely to be attacked.
Each station was contacted when the discussion was over. This was done so the soldiers would be prepared in case the monsters from the war event spawned at any time.
-
“Hey, Schnee, I’m asking just to make sure, but have you ever used the large-scale magic for any anti-guild wars while I was gone?”
“No, I have never fought against such a large army before, since most enemies can be handled with a normal wide area magic.”
Shin and the others who had left the castle had separated briefly before meeting up again.
Currently, they were heading toward the guild to meet Tiera. Though they could not fight against monsters for cooperation practice, they had tested their cooperation with a training dummy at the training grounds in the castle.
Because they had to fight against a considerable number of monsters this time, Shin wanted to confirm the power of anti-guild war magic skills with Schnee. But Schnee had not fought against a battalion since the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’, so she didn’t know how strong they were, either.
“Then, would it be bad to use them thoughtlessly? Will you try to use one during the first strike?”
“Yes, if I was to use it, that timing would be my only chance.”
Depending on the numbers of the enemy and the scale of the magic, it was possible for everything to end with just that one hit. Because it was not a bad thing in its own right, he decided to take the opportunity to confirm the power of large-scale magic.
“Schnee-chan’s large-scale magic, huh?~. I wonder if we’ll get a turn.”
“If it doesn’t cause any additional damage, then there would be nothing better than that.”
“Yea”
Shadow gave his opinion and agreed with Holly’s words. Hibineko did the same. Shin was neither optimistic nor excited about it.
“Well, we won’t know what happens until the time comes, right? I have to be prepared just in case.”
“Did you do something?”
“There was perfect equipment to fight against numerous enemies, wasn’t there? I intend to upgrade it before it’s too late. There shouldn’t be any problem if I go on a rampage since my face will be covered.”
Shin answered Schnee’s question with a slightly wicked smile on his face.
Apparently, his blacksmith’s blood was excited.
“…I won’t have any problem even if multiple enemies come at me the same time.”
“I agree.”
Shadow and Holly watched the exchange between Shin and Schnee while smiling wryly.
Hibineko didn’t say a word, but nodded in agreement.
When they had arrived at the guild, the party went to visit the training grounds after receiving permission from the receptionist.
The training grounds had various spaces designated for different activities, such as space where one could practice with the bow or with throwing knives, or space where one could receive combat instruction.
Shin had entered an empty training ground back in Bayreuth when he had fought Barlux the Guild Master, so this was the first time he saw others inside it.
Apart from that, Shin looked for Tiera.
“Oh, there she is.”
At a corner of the plaza where a lot of adventurers did cooperation and individual training, was Tiera. She was doing one on one combat training with someone.
“Is that Kaede-chan?”
“It’s seems so.”
Holly and the others also noticed Kaede and Tiera exchanging blows after Shin had spoken.
Both of their weapons were daggers. They seemed to be using weapons rented from the training grounds. Kagerou was on standby as he sat down next to a nearby wall.
“It’s one-sided, huh?”
“It’s rather a commendable thing for Tiera to keep up with her.”
Ahead of Shin’s line of sight, Tiera was on the defensive even though it appeared as if she were exchanging blows with Kaede.
If you thought about the difference between Kaede and Tiera’s stats, it was a commendable thing for Tiera to be able to defend against Kaede, just as Schnee had said.
Though Kaede probably wasn’t being serious, Tiera shouldn’t have been able to keep up with her for so long. Schnee’s training seemed to have properly increased Tiera’s combat ability.
“Kuh!”
Tiera’s dagger was repelled before Shin could call out to her. Looking at the dagger pointed at the scruff of her neck, Tiera stopped moving.
“Having a match, huh?”
“Ah, Shin-san, Sch, no, Yuki-san is here too.”
“S-Shin…?”
Kaede, who noticed Shin and the others, raised her voice. Tiera, too, turned her face toward the direction of Kaede’s voice, but she couldn’t move immediately because she was out of breath.
By the way, Yuki was Schnee’s name when disguised. Her guild card was also registered under the name Yuki.
“Did you guys train together?”
“Yes, though we met by chance.”
At first, Kaede had restricted her stats to train Tiera, but they decided to spar with their stat differences in the end. Then, Shin and the others had arrived.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes…I’m…okay..”
Shin called out to Tiera, who was completely drenched in sweat, while handing her a towel.
He waited for a while until Tiera’s breathing settled down.
“Your training seems to have paid off.”
“Well, I’m going to cry if this was all for naught.”
“Is that so? For the time being, good work.”
Kagerou also came near and showed Tiera some appreciation. Tiera laughed as Kagerou licked her face.
Part 2
Shin and his group left the guild, taking Tiera and Kaede with them.
Shadow and the others were apparently famous among the people living in Balmel, because they were called out to from everywhere.
“You guys get called out a lot around here, huh?”
“Even though there isn’t a lot around the castle, a lot of regular customers are in this neighborhood.”
“Hmm…by the way, is it the food or Kaede-chan that draws in more customers?”
“It’s 50% the food, 30% Kaede, and 20% Holly.”
Shin had asked it as a joke, but Shadow unexpectedly replied seriously.
The popularity of cafe ‘B&W’, seemed to be split between the food and the female duo.
“There are people aiming for Holly-san, too?”
“What? Is there a problem?”
“N-No, no! No problem at all. But since Holly-san is Shadow-san’s wife, I only thought that the customers would go for Kaede-chan.”
Shin made excuses hurriedly to Holly whose eyes did not match the smile on her face.
“(She is happy to be treated as a young wife.)”
“(I-I see.)”
Kaede whispered to his ear in a small voice as Shin had a fake laugh. Even coming to another world didn’t change that a woman wanted to appear younger than their years.
In terms of the appearance, Holly was a High Elf in her early twenties. Though the same thing could be said about Shadow, generally speaking, she looked quite young. In addition, Holly was a beautiful woman. Side by side with Kaede, they seemed more like sisters than parent and child. Even though she was a married woman, it was not strange that she had become popular.
To begin with, from the perspective of a High Elf and a High Lord, Holly and Shadow were still an age that could be called children. Though they thought of themselves as old from the perspective of the real world, that didn’t apply in this world.
“Come to think of it, does an ex-player who came here have the same life span of their character’s race? When I look at Shadow-san that seems to be the case.”
“That’s right. I’m not certain, but I believe I may have the same lifespan as my character’s race. Not enough time has passed yet in this world to know for sure.
“Then, that’s tremendous life span for the people with high race of the long-lived kind.”
In the characters lore, High Elves and High Pixies were said to live for thousands of years. If that’s the case, players would probably feel as if they had been given eternal youth, especially when compared to their prior human existence.
“You may have noticed, Shin-kun, but don’t you also have a similar – or rather, an even longer lifespan than we do?”
“Going by character lore, I’m the one with the longest lifespan, was it?”
“A spirit, or something close to it was what had been written, I believe. I wonder how much of that was carried over?”
“Indeed…Although I don’t particularly feel any different. What about you, Holly-san?”
“Hmm…It’s not something I can really explain, but I feel like I’ve become proficient at harvesting plants.”
Elves were dwellers of the forest. Their character lore described them as being able to communicate with plants on a simple level, so it might be the effect of that.
“I don’t feel any change in particular. Maybe because I don’t have the inherent abilities of the elves and pixies.”
“No, I can’t feel such changes either. I guess it also depends on the individual.”
It seemed like Hibineko and Shadow could not feel any changes. In the past, when Schnee and Tiera held plant in their hands, they could see its life force aura. However those kind of things weren’t in the game either.
“There’s no point in worrying so much. Isn’t it nice that those kinds of things also exist?”
“Well, I was only a little interested, I don’t intend to think about it so deeply.”
As Holly had said, they could not find an answer no matter how hard they thought about it, so there was no point in worrying over it.
After arriving at the inn where Shin and the others were staying, they parted ways for the day.
When he entered the inn, Shizu just came out from the kitchen.
“Welcome back! Shall I prepare a meal?”
“No thanks, we will eat later.”
She was the female beast and landlady they had met on the first day.
Shin and the others went to their own rooms for a while, and waited for Tiera.
After training, Shin and Schnee used the bath in feudal lord Taul’s residence. They had to wait for Tiera to change her clothes because they were all sweaty.
“I’m hungry~”
“You moved around a lot after all.”
Was it due to fatigue? Tiera put her face on the table exhausted.
“I’m relieved that the results from your special training have shown.”
“If I was made to do so much…”
“What is it?”
“No, nothing at all!”
Schnee reacted as soon as Tiera muttered absentmindedly.
Tiera didn’t think that Schnee had heard her because she had said it in a low voice. She straightened up quickly, and shook her head.
What would have happened if the results hadn’t shown? That was what Shin had worried about.
“Now then, should I head out?”
When he had finished his meal, Shin left the shop alone and began running towards the rampart.
Because there was a possibility that monsters would attack during the night, he intended to stand guard.
With his figure camouflaged by 【Hiding】 to match the rampart, he jumped to the top of the ramparts in one leap.
There was not a simple light outside the rampart. Visibility would fall down to zero if the clouds covered the moon.
Even in the dark, Shin’s night vision skill would normally allow him to see the shadows of any monsters. Yet, he still couldn’t see any. There were no reactions to his detection system skills either.
“It’s really weird that there’s nothing out there.”
Shin muttered alone, and then activated the earth technique wind combination skill 【Silent Whisper】.
It was a skill which would notify a player when a monster invaded a fixed area. It worked not only on the ground but also detected monsters coming from underground.
He didn’t neglect the underground because he’d heard that monsters had come from underground in the past war.
“I guess this is alright. If only the boss who leads the monsters could be found, it would be over quickly.”
Though Taul and the others had already been informed, what Shin and his group had really worried about was the opponent what should be said to be the principal offender of the war event: a monster called ‘Raid Vice’. Raid Vice itself wasn’t a strong enemy. However, because it controlled the other races and moved them like its hands and feet, it was extremely troublesome.
In addition to having a military-like chain of command, it was a commander-like existence which controlled the ‘Leaders’ of every monster race. The monsters under its control had bonuses added to their abilities as well.
If the Raid Vice was defeated, its control would be dissolved. If it could be defeated before the real fight, the resulting lack of leadership meant there would be no need to be cautious of a surprise attack. In reality, though, it wouldn’t be discovered so easily.
Though they didn’t know whether or not Raid Vice would be the principal offender this time, the defenders were told to report immediately if it was found.
Since 【Silent Whisper】didn’t require Shin to stay on the ramparts, he left the area and headed toward the forest where he had materialized Tsuki no Hokora the day before.
He then recalled the sensation of Schnee’s lips at the place where he took out Tsuki no Hokora, he almost writhed in agony but endured it somehow.
Shin shook off this feelings and reinforced the equipment, stored Tsuki no Hokora, and then went back inside the city. When he arrived at the inn, he went straight to bed.
◆◆◆◆
A few days later, the scouts reported incoming monster hordes.
Shin and his party of upper class Chosen Ones, the first and the second war groups of Balmel knight squadron, were deployed in front of the city gate.
“No surprise attack in the end, huh?”
“Shin, you needn’t worry too much about the upcoming fight. We, the party behind you, will support you in case of emergency. Fight at the front with confidence!”
Standing next to him, Rionne tried to re-assure Shin while answering his monologue. Her equipment was the same as when she had fought in Kalkia. She carried『Muspelm』 across her back. Her gear was the same as before because it was currently the best equipment she could equip.
“It’s a war of extermination, you know? Don’t cut corners. They will probably come. Although it’s just my intuition.”
“Do you think so too, Shin? I wonder why, but I get that feeling too.”
When asked, Liege and Guile said they also felt the same way. It appeared that their senses had become sharper as the large-scale war got closer. It was probably a feeling shared by those experienced in fighting wars.
“Don’t let your guard down!”
“You don’t have to tell me.”
Rionne did not look excited even though she had previous experience in warfare.
“Then I’ll leave my back to you.”
“Yeah, go!”
In response to Rionne’s parting words, Shin joined Hibineko and the others. When he passed Schnee, they nodded to each other.
“(The alarm system has been set up. Please be cautious just in case.)”
“(Certainly.)”
Because Berett and his subordinates were keeping a close watch inside the city, he didn’t have to worry too much.
However, there was a possibility that monsters could pass through the barrier like the previous Skull Faces had on the Wraith Plains. He didn’t think that there was a monster that could infiltrate without being detected by 【Silent Whisper】, but no one know what would happen so he couldn’t be too careful.
When Shin arrived at the place where Hibineko and the rest were, they had already gathered and prepared for battle.
“You came? How’s the situation over there?”
“No problem in particular. However, everyone seems to feel a little uneasy.”
“As expected, huh? When it comes to it, you can leave it to us. In case the previous war event should happen, you should move to the rear, Shin. All the more so if you use the equipment in question.”
Hibineko who knew about the equipment, said while smiling. Hibineko carried the weapon which Shin had reinforced in his hand.
Hibineko was able to maintain his composure because, no matter the number of monsters, even if Shin was required to pull back from the front lines, Shin’s weapons reinforcements would be more than enough to counter them.
In addition the combination of, Hibineko, Shadow and Holly, in a party would represent a powerful fighting force on the front lines.
“I’ll be counting on you at that time. That equipment is hard to use when there are people around.”
“It’s nice to be powerful, but there is a big disadvantage. Although against opponents like this time, it will be terribly effective when Shin uses it.”
“The disadvantage was reduced a little with my smithing ability, so it became better than before. Well, even if it became easy to use, the risks of using it, however, may have increased.”
The equipment Shin was talking about was the kind of equipment that wouldn’t be equipped by a normal player during the game era.
Though it was different if one person fought against weak opponents, at least the equipment couldn’t be used in the situation where one joined a party.
Shin wouldn’t use it if the opponent was a divine beast and a strong boss. It was effective simply because the enemies were small fry for Shin.
“For the time being, I’ll go wild with this guy.”
“『Kakura』, huh? It seems you had used it when you escaped from Kalkia with the princess, but will everything be alright?”
Hibineko asked, after Shin materialized 『Kakura』 from a card.
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
Shin was puzzled. He didn’t understand the point of the question.
“That kind of equipment is very rare now. I think the princess may have her eyes on it.”
“Yeah, it’s already too late though. I’ve already told her that I had found my weapon in some ruins, but I think that she was interested in me, too.”
“I thought of it by chance when I heard that both of you had worked together, but as I’d expected, she had her eyes on you, huh? It’s probably a good idea to have many connections that can collect information for you for the sake of returning to the original world. But you have to use it depending on the other party. That’s something you need to be careful of.”
“I know. I don’t intend to seek assistance from the royal family, not yet anyway. I don’t know what kind of collateral they will demand in return.”
Setting Rionne’s interest aside, he was already marked as an individual with powerful war potential, so he didn’t want to incur any debts.
Shadow checked his watch as he walked up to them.
“Sorry to be in the way of your talk, but it’s about time.”
He informed the two that the fight was about to begin. Right at that moment, monster hordes began invading Shin’s perception range.
“I’m sorry. Well then, shall we go?”
“That’s right. Let them clear up the very front first.”
The preparations were already complete. Schnee and Guile’s magic attacks were the signal for the planned assault.
“Here it comes!”
When the incoming monsters were close enough to see without even using 【Far Sight】, Shin felt two magic power sources rise behind the military unit. Schnee’s power had noticeably larger presence, so the smaller one was probably Guile’s. Schnee’s presence was so large that it overshadowed Guile’s.
In a short amount of time, their magic power ascended and ran through the air. Guile’s magic impacted the front of the monster hordes, while Schnee’s magic kept rising high in the sky.
The first one to show effect was Guile’s magic. From the height about 20 mels in mid-air, fireballs of approximately 5 mels in diameter poured down like rain. Each fireball crushed several of the goblins. Furthermore, nearby monsters were blown away due to the resulting explosion. The many fireballs and their explosive aftermaths, poured down constantly. The ones exposed to the attacks were helpless to escape.
What Guile used was the flame technique system magic skill【Meteor Fall】. It was a highly useful magic that was relatively popular in the flame technique system magic because it caused area damage. There were also many countermeasures for it because it was famous. But, it wasn’t a concern when used against low-level monsters.
“So, here comes the real deal.”
As if answering Shin’s muttering, a jet black cloud appeared in the clear sky. It had strange motion like a recorded video being fast-forwarded.
Then, bolts of blue lightning struck the ground as the cloud began to expand.
“――――!? ――――!――――――!!”
The deafening roar, loud enough to drown out the explosive sounds of 【Meteor Fall】, reverberated through the surroundings. The monsters, who seemed somewhat able to react to the fireballs, were dumbfounded by this and couldn’t grasp what was happening. The attacked hordes quickly fell into a state of chaos.
However, their nightmare had just begun. That was only the initial salvo from Schnee’s large-scale magic skill.
As the afterglow of the initial blue lightning bolts had faded, dozens of additional lightning strikes pierced the monster hordes. The lightning itself started 10 mels above the ground. When it struck the ground, it spread and became snake-like chains of lightning that devoured everything within a radius of 3 mels.
Unlike the explosion of the fireballs which could be defended against with a shield, the lightning was impossible to block with simple protective gear. The monsters couldn’t evade properly because it was too crowded. They didn’t have any choice but to wait for their bodies to be burnt alive.
“【Blue Judge】huh? In any case, this is again…”
Schnee seemed to have chosen the magic skill that she was familiar with to deal with the monsters.
Lightning technique system magic skill 【Blue Judge】 was a skill which was difficult to fend off, just like light technique system magic skills. In addition, when the enemy wore metal-based protective gear, it had an increased damage effect. This damage included the monsters that had simple equipment, like most goblins and orcs.
Shin and his group, who knew the power and the attack range of the magic skill, were unfazed by this display of Schnee’s power. However, the soldiers who watching this scene at the rear grew pale.
The soldiers gazed in awe as the blue snakes devoured the black waves of monsters. The sight had shocked them beyond their expectations. Even Elgin, the leader of the knight squadron, was shocked by this display.
“………”
No one made a sound as they waited for the magic to end. Because the skill itself didn’t continue for a long time, it wouldn’t take long before the attack stopped.
As the last bolt of lightning struck the ground, the cloud which covered the sky cleared up and the afterglow disappeared.
As the sun came back out, countless craters and the charred remains of what once were monsters became visible.
There were no survivors within the range of effect, too.
Total devastation.
Those were the only words that could describe the result.
“………”
There was a different kind of silence coming from the soldiers than during the time the magic skill had been invoked.
Was it awe or fear?
It was unknown how much magic power Schnee used. But judging from the soldiers’ reaction, it was clear that using large-scale magic for anti-guild wars should be avoided unless it was against a large army. That power was tremendous, Shin thought.
“Wow! It’s hard to believe I’m the same kind of High Elf.”
“She’s powerful, but that magic really makes an impact, too.”
Shin replied to Holly, who was amazed.
However, it was still a tense situation.
Because――
“After having killed so many, there are still this many left?”
Outside of the area of the magic skill’s effect, the number of monsters still exceeded the number that had been incinerated. They were still heading toward Balmel.
There had been a gap after the first wave, could this possibly be the second wave?
Schnee had killed well over 5000 monsters with her magic. To have reduced their number that much and still leave an equal or more amount of monsters than that, there was only one documented event that matched this.
“Hibineko-san, isn’t this the ‘Large Flood’?”
“It looks like it. I heard the probability of it happening was only about once in every 100 years. I guess this is it.”
The ‘Large Flood’ was a higher version of the ‘Flood’ which was said to have happened no more than 3 times in Balmel’s history.
Though the quality of the monster didn’t change, it was not unusual for their numbers to reach 10 times more than normal. The conditions for the outbreak were unclear, but when it had happened before, Balmel had been forced to keep fighting for several days, and only were able to pull through because their neighboring countries had provided them with reinforcements.
“(Schnee, can you make another shot?)”
“(No, it appears that I can’t use that magic again. Even if I try to invoke it, there’s no response.)”
As expected, it was not the situation to hold back; Shin had wanted her to attack again, but it didn’t seem that it was possible.
Then, when Shin tried to invoke large-scale magic, his magic power kept flowing out but there’s no change in his surroundings.
(What is this? My mana is flowing out, but the magic skill isn’t activating.)
He didn’t know why, but it had taken time to reuse a large-scale magic during the game as well.
As they charged forward, the surviving monsters trampled over the incinerated remains of their fellow monsters. They were undaunted by the destructive magic that had been unleashed. Unlike normal monsters, the monsters that spawned from the ‘Flood’ had almost no rationality or emotions. It was as if they were only programmed to attack.
For this reason, they didn’t react to the magic exploding in front of them.
“It appears that they will keep fighting to the last monster.”
“It’s because they won’t withdraw even if they can’t win. A ‘Flood’ is basically a war of extermination.”
The monsters would kill until the last one of them was defeated. According to Shadow, that seemed to be how the monsters fought in the ‘Flood’. As Rionne had said as she wielded her sword earnestly, Shin was able to understand that, too.
“If it doesn’t remain one-sided, we’ll get our turn soon.”
“So a power like that wasn’t able to make the battle one-sided, right?”
As Shadow had said, the monsters were spread out evenly as far as they could see. To begin with, the magic that Schnee had shot had almost annihilated the first wave of the monsters, unlike the moments earlier, the present state didn’t stay one-sided against the monsters. Even if you were to assess the calculation error, given that only the number that did not remain was from the Second Wave, it was not possible to say that it was very noticeable even if they were to be collectively joined.
“It’s slightly different from the plan, but I’ll lead the monsters towards the front of the first layer of heavy knights. Both of you, please be careful not to lead too many to them, so they don’t get overwhelmed.”
Shin and Shadow nodded at Holly’s warning. Hibineko acknowledged her wordlessly by raising his chin while tossing small dried sardines into his mouth. Though it was an item with stats strengthening effect just in case, his had the impression that seemed to say he was probably acting playfully if he was not an upper class Chosen One.
“Let’s go then!”
As soon as Shin finished commenting, four people kick the earth and began to mobilize. Though they had to match Holly’s slower speed, with the aid of their equipment, they were still much faster than riding a horse.
At that speed, they approached the hordes of monsters in a flash. While moving, Holly buffed each party member.
From the start, their offensive, defensive, and even their magic defensive power were thoroughly reinforced. On top of that, their powers were further increased by the additional effect of the reinforcement of their weapons.
“I’ll attack first!”
“Of course.”
“Fumu, your blood rages, huh?”
Shin, Shadow, and Hibineko as the three vanguards, plunged into the hordes of monsters while smirking.
It was a battle formation with Shin at the center, Hibineko on the left, Shadow on the right, and Holly in the back.
Of course, the first one to make a move was Shin. With『Kakura』 ready on his shoulder, he stepped on and crushed the ground. By invoking the skill of instantaneous acceleration he moved instantly to the front head of the pack.
“Here’s a greeting from me!!”
While riding the force of the acceleration, Shin swung down 『Kakura』. His first victims were a group of orcs.
Shin had invoked a weapon skill which included a mallet technique and wind technique combination skill called 【Amber Wave Strike】. This caused a high-density wind to coil around 『Kakura』. He swung it down while aiming at the orcs at the very front. A thick “DOOM!” sounded, and aided by the compressed wind, a single blow of 『Kakura』 crushed the orcs in front and the approaching group behind them. A radial crater appeared in the ground where 『Kakura』 struck. Small monsters like goblins vanished from just the shock wave of the blow.
【Amber Wave Strike】 had the effect of strengthening the range and power of the strike of the wind technique; it was an effective skill to suppress the front of a pack.
More fissures in the ground that were about 10 mels wide and 50 mels long formed from the radial crater Shin had created. All of the monsters within range had been reduced to nothing more than smears on the ground.
Shin lifted 『Kakura』from the crater, and took a stance. The wind technique from 【Amber Wave Strike】 no longer covered 『Kakura』. The next skill he activated was a mallet technique and flame technique combination skill 【Scarlet Phoenix Wizard】. A crimson light enveloped the surface of 『Kakura』with the flow of mana. When he waved it horizontally, the flame of the Crimson Lotus projected toward the monsters.
It was a skill with an orthodox effect that was said to increase attack range and bestow flame attribute. The only limitation was that the effect would disappear after the first long distance attack was performed.
Though a lot of people used the long-range attack after the skill’s timer had run out, but Shin used it immediately because the attack was more effective when there was a lot of time left to the skill
Following the trajectory of 『Kakura』, a crescent-shaped flame was formed. The flame, which rapidly increased in volume as it shot away from Shin, charged forward and turned all the monsters in its way to ashes. In front of Shin was a 30 mel wide corridor of flames, in which most of the monsters were roasted. Even if the crowd of monsters tried to close the gap, the remaining flames swelled up quickly and exploded. The individual monsters who were near that heat and shock burst open, turning their swords and armor into shrapnel which, pierced the monsters gathered near the explosion.
“Here I am!!”
Shin activated the taunt skill 【Shura Rush】to attract the monster’s attention. Among the provocation skills that attract the monster’s attack target to the user, 【Shura Rush】 was known for its wide area of effect.
Shin prepared 『Kakura』as he cast a sharp glance toward the incoming monsters.
If he listened closely, he could hear similar explosions from not too far away. It looked like Hibineko and Shadow had commenced battle too.
Part 3
The fist fighter, Hibineko, engaged the enemy shortly after Shin.
The usually casual Hibineko’s eyes had changed into those of a hunter’s, with the prey already determined.
Without losing momentum or speed, he took a step and accelerated even more. He glided through the air with a jump kick.
Emerald green light was emitted from the greaves equipped on his legs, which were enhanced by Shin. Hibineko used the barehanded-wind technique combination skill 【Autobahn Kick】 and plowed through, crushing the monsters he collided with.
It was a convenient skill for hitting a large group of monsters, with a cannonball-like kick, and also for movement. Hibineko had used the skill on the frontlines of the monster hordes.
Although Hibineko was short for a man, the aftermath of his kick, which was clad in the wind technique and received the blessings of the enhancement skill via his equipment, destroyed even the monsters that were outside its effective range.
Hibineko challenged the hordes head-on as they were scattered around by that kick’s power.
If Shin, who had access to the map function, looked at the map, he would see a clear line cut straight through a sea of red enemy markers.
“I can’t fall behind Shin and the others!”
Hibineko who dove into the crowd using the barehanded and flame technique combination skill 【Echo Blast】, mightily flung his right leg against the ground. The crack on the ground where Hibineko stamped spread like a spiderweb, and after a few moments, bluish-white flames burst from those cracks.
The tremors that spread from Hibineko, who was at the epicenter of the skill, monsters nearby lose their balance while flames erupted from the ground and roasted them. Though it was a skill that dealt damage regardless of friend or foe, it wasn’t a problem since he was only surrounded by enemies.
Due to the synergy between the reinforced weapon and the support magic cast on it, its skill and range of effect had risen tremendously and could not be compared to its previous state. When the skill ended and the flames died down, Hibineko was left in a bubble devoid of monsters with a radius of 100 mels.
More monsters then approached him in order to reoccupy the empty space.
As for Hibineko, he wore the smile of a carnivorous animal. He kept on attacking the monster hordes.
-
Across from Shin on the other side of Hibineko, Shadow was silently carrying out a massacre.
A black shadowy figure ran, slicing through the monsters leaving only cut lines lingering in the air. For a short time, the monsters seemed unaffected.
Then, when the they moved a little, they fell apart along the slice lines.
“As expected, a weapon made by Shin is on another level.”
Shadow muttered unintentionally, admiring the dagger he held in his right hand.
The dagger was lighter compared to before Shin had reinforced it, and yet it drew a stronger killing blow. As if being buffed by the weapon’s newfound power, he felt even his body control had increased.
As a matter of fact, his physical strength had went up too. If one had to say, the way it had risen up was different; there were no stats that had been improved. It had been adjusted for the owner from the beginning. It was the case for Hibineko and Shadow. So, it was natural that the state of reinforcement was varied as well. It became smoother and closer to the ideal image in their minds. With his body moving as he imagined, Shadow felt happier while being on the battlefield.
“*Sigh* I don’t remember feeling this in the game.”
As Shadow ran, his excitement was charged into his weapon.
It was totally different from Shin and Hibineko’s fighting style; there was only long and silent movements.
Only the screams or roars of the monsters, and the sounds made by monsters’ equipment could be heard. There were no explosions or shock waves, but the number of the monsters decreased steadily.
“…*Swish*!”
A voice like a sigh leaked out. During that short pause, 8 to 10 slice lines were made. However, no less than 10 monsters had fallen.
Using the fencing and water technique combination skill 【Blade Stream】 the cutting lines were exerted in the air every time the dagger was wielded. The blade of water generated by the water technique shone under the light of the sun. Though there was something called waterjet cutter that could even cut through steel in the real world, the power of this skill greatly exceeded that.
Water based magic could be prolonged by making the water thin and long, like hairs. The monsters called goblin knights, which had the skin harder than iron, and ogres, which had muscles like bundled steel, didn’t stand a chance.
The blades of water that extended from the dagger were almost as sharp as the dagger itself due to the skill. In other words, be it the muscle mass or the skin, there was no other result than to be cut down in one stroke.
The radius of the Shadow’s attack was about 20 mels. While normally the dagger was considered a short-ranged weapon, Shadow’s range of attack was like a different weapon altogether.
Even if it was not as flashy, the speed with which Shadow exterminated monsters wasn’t inferior to Shin or Hibineko’s.
-
Holly was observing the enemy’s movement while focusing on the fight in front of her.
Even though Shin and the others were separated from each other by some distance so that they didn’t get caught up in each other’s attacks, to the monsters, it was no different than if they were fighting together. The shocks and the sounds Shin and the others made gradually started to draw the entire crowd toward them.
“(The crowd on the front right has begun to flow to this side. The feint operation seems to be going well.)”
The three acknowledged Holly’s Mind Chat with a few words and increased their extermination speed.
If it ended early, they wouldn’t have to worry about a surprise attack.
Schnee and Guile attacked the hordes that were not heading straight for Shin and the others with long-ranged magic. Though large-scale magic for anti-guild war was not useable yet, normal magic skills could be used without a problem. Due to Schnee’s specialty, lighting and water techniques, and the flame technique from Guile, they killed more monsters than Shin and his party combined.
“Now, I need to do my work too.”
Holly said as a great number of flame bullets appeared in midair.
She targeted behind Shin and the others. Even if the three used skills that attacked on all directions and extend its ranges, they could still face unexpected defeat. As the monster hordes numbered several thousands, it was impossible to keep fighting without running out of energy under the present conditions. Therefore, Holly shut down the possibilities of unexpected defeat.
“Please go.”
Under Holly’s command, the flame bullets which remained in midair started to move. The flame bullets scattered in the ratio of 2:4:4 toward the directions of Shin, Hibineko, and Shadow. They flew to the monster hordes which were relatively large, moved to close the gap of their attack, and hit the center of the group.
With an explosion, the weapons that the monsters carried and parts of their bodies were scattered in all directions.
“I’m not done yet!”
After she finished firing the flame bullets, Holly raised her stick above her head.
“Come fall!”
The skies above the monster hordes changed as she spoke.
A portion of the sky warped as if it had been covered by a giant glass lens. Then, it fell little by little toward the monsters on the ground within the spell’s range of effect.
The monster hordes this time were mostly composed of humanoid monsters but naturally, there were many other monsters too.
What Holly had aimed at were the flying-type monsters which would become troublesome if left unattended, even though there were only a few of them. What could be seen were ‘Head Eagles’ which looked just like enlarged eagles, and small pterosaur ‘Airnodons’ which had membranous wings like the Pteranodon.
Both were about level 180, and their physical strengths were low but their hit & run strategy of swooping down and flying away was a bad match for knights who couldn’t use magic skills. Though some of the knights could shoot them down with throwing spears or kill them when they were swooping down, it would take at least half of the soldiers to achieve that.
Because Holly had knocked them down to the ground, the knights were able to deliver the decisive blows. While it’s true that high-level monsters didn’t weaken at all when they were dropped onto the ground, the knights easily dealt with the flight-type monsters that Holly had cast down because the monsters were low-level and an easy target after they had fallen.
“Still, there’s a lot as expected.”
Holly grumbled unintentionally, while she fired additional flame bullets at a speed that would shock a mage similar to Guile if seen. It was not Holly’s first time dealing with the ‘Flood’, but even Holly would get tired by the sheer number of monsters in this ‘Large Flood’. Even with the assistance of the strengthened equipment by Shin, she couldn’t cover all the three vanguards’ leftovers.
Naturally, Holly didn’t think she could deal with all the monsters which were moving independently too. The individual monsters who passed through the three vanguards and Holly’s attacks were dealt with by the first and the second war groups of Balmel’s defense knight squadrons.
Berett had said that the experience in war against the monsters was low, but that had only been based on Rokuten’s standards in the game era. Compared to other soldiers in other cities, Balmel’s knights were rather capable. The levels of the soldiers surpassed 150 on average. Their captain’s levels were in the 180 range. Elgin’s, the leader of the knights, level exceeded 200.
Since soldiers were not Chosen Ones, when they were up against mutant monsters with levels close to 300, they normally would take damage to some degree. However, with their skills and cooperation, Elgin and his corps could defeat mutated monsters without making any sacrifices. In the game era, these kinds of courageous warriors were known as ‘cheats’ in a different sense of the word from Shin and the others.
“Be careful of your surroundings so as to not obstruct others! Don’t slack off until you make sure it’s dead!”
Elgin’s voice resounded as he took command. It reached the knights without being drowned out by the explosions and roars of the monsters.
Even if their opponents were low-level monsters like goblins, they fought seriously. At the rear, there was Schnee and her party, and the third and the fourth war groups were also standing by. They didn’t overlook details in the defense arrangements.
Up to now, much of the burden had been borne by the ladies. Because this was a blot on the knight squadron’s chivalry, the first and the second war group of knights were roused to a new high. Although they were inferior in individual ability, their teamwork more than compensated for this, allowing the number of monsters to be reduced quickly and reliably.
While the number of monsters shrank at an increasing rate, a change was felt in the monster hordes which were heading toward Shin and the others.
“It’s covered with ‘Worker Ants’. The ones jumping, are ‘Little Hoppers’, huh?”
“They’re mainly insect-types?”
“Fumu, this will be a little troublesome.”
While the three were physically separated, their words were delivered as if they were right next to each other.
Shin who confirmed the name of the monsters with 【Far Sight】, Shadow who looking at the battle field as a whole and saw the monster mix change from humanoid type to insect type, and Hibineko who was concerned because the insect types were hard to kill, had said respectively.
The main group of humanoid monsters, mainly goblins and orcs, spread out and created a path 200 mels wide. Into this path came the insect type monsters. Just as their names suggested, the Worker Ants and the Little Hoppers which Shin spoke a while ago were monsters who were giant versions of ants and grasshoppers. They were about 1 mel high. They were low-level monsters who didn’t have prominent abilities. On the other hand, they had the abilities that the smaller versions of these insects had. The Worker Ants had powerful mandibles, and the little hoppers had the jump ability of the grasshoppers.
A majority of the monsters were Worker Ants. The Little Hoppers and other insect type monsters jumped up and down to close the few gaps.
“(Schnee, can you check the monster hordes from over there?)”
“(No, I still cannot see far enough into the inner groups of monsters yet. Did something happen?)”
“(The mix of the monsters has changed. Worker Ants have become the main attackers and other insect type monster are heading this way.)”
“(It’s just the way the records document, right? Got it, I’ll contact the person commanding at the rear here.)”
Shin and his party were closer to Elgin who commanded all the knight squadrons. Schnee was closer to the adjutant who was commanding the third and the fourth war groups which were waiting at the rear so, it was decided she would notify him.
“(Holly-san, can you contact Elgin-san?)”
“(I am close. Leave it to me.)”
After asking Holly to pass the message to Elgin, Shin plunged into the group of monsters again.
Shin was 300 mels in a straight line from the first group of Worker Ants. Because there were about 100 mels space between the groups, if the monsters were defeated, there would be about 200 mels distance before he contacted the third wave.
In order to keep misses to a minimum, Shin used a skill that increased the range of his weapon. Shin let the aura that had enveloped and extended from the tip of 『Kakura』 to lengthen to just under 10 mels. A single sideways blow sent masses of goblins flying. The orcs who tried to engage with swords were turned into minced meat including their armors.
Among the monsters, several ‘Ogre Commanders’ were seen. These were monsters of mutation class that were also described in the documents of the guild. However, they were only high-leveled in relation to rest of the horde of monsters. With levels of at best 300, they were no different than a regular goblin to Shin and his party.
An Ogre Commander swung down a large 3 mel long sword, which it probably acquired when evolving, with all its might. It attempted to bisect Shin along with its allies. Shin counterattacked, and struck against the sword’s side with 『Kakura』. The sound of metals clashing reverberated with a “Gin!”, Two thirds of the big sword that had approached Shin flew into the air.
The large sword was actually larger than 『Kakura』; on the other hand, for mass and quality, 『Kakura』 was overwhelmingly superior. Since Shin struck with his physical strength at the side of the sword which was also its weak point, it was inevitable for the sword to either break or bend.
“Gi…?”
The Ogre Commander who saw his sword snapped to nearly ½ size, cried out in a stupid voice. In its mind, it had been certain that Shin had been cut in half.
The Ogre Commander was slow to react and left a small opening. Shin, who couldn’t overlook that chance, hammered 『Kakura』 into its head as a gift in return.
The blade with a dark red aura formed by the effect of the skill, nearly bisected the Ogre Commander. It split him from its head to its inseam in a stroke.
A moment later a huge amount of blood spurted over the surroundings.
“Next is the bugs, huh?”
After the group of humanoid monsters were cleaned up, Shin turned his gaze toward the insect types who were approaching. There were signs of Shadow and the others in the distance too. Apparently, most of them had already finished. The monsters which didn’t come toward Shin and his party, had already been turned to ash by Schnee and Guile.
“(Everyone listen, there’s no change to the strategy. We exterminate them without stopping!)”
“(Roger!!)”
To Holly’s voice, Shin and the rest replied in unison.
Then suddenly, a thought came to Shin.
“(Shadow-san, Hibineko-san, do you have a moment?)”
“(What was it?)”
“(If everyone uses 【Scarlet Explosion Palm】, we can wipe out the majority of our opponents. Should we take the initiative and lead everyone to victory using a combined attack from the three of us?)”
“(I see, that one, huh?)”
Hibineko remembered another party situation like this where two or more players were up against a vast number of monsters and they decided to use the skill called 【Scarlet Explosion Palm】.
Shadow also seems to have remembered a similar situation, as he returned with a voice of agreement when he heard Shin’s suggestion.
“(If we do it with the three of us, wiping out a vast area of monsters will not be a problem with this skill.)”
“(Interesting. I’m in)”
“(Me too.)”
Hibineko and Shadow quickly agreed to Shin’s idea. In the meantime, the group of monsters had already approached to within 50 mels.
“Let’s go!!”
The three didn’t worry about the approaching monster hordes. They didn’t bother, because soon, the hordes would be taken care of by this attack.
The three clenched their fists, and focused their power on their right hands. Boosted by the reinforced equipment, even before they could invoke the skill, large craters formed just from the power of their fists. The three of them took a similar stance of shooting from the hip.
There was to be no signal. The three people’s senses had become sharp on the battlefield. They wouldn’t miss the timing.
“―!!”
The moment when the distance to the monster hordes closed to 30 mels, the three simultaneously thrust out their fists without any prior notice.
Their fists focused on one place around Shin; The power accumulated in each respective fist was released. After a momentary delay, the direction and the attributes were given; the power which had been focused into a single spot, was then shot into the approaching enemy.
The released mass of energy from the three people rapidly swelled up. The chosen attribute was flame. The cluster of flame blazing up transparently because of the overwhelmingly high temperature, then rushed towards the approaching monster hordes.
As it reached them, the monsters bodies were scorched, and then reduced to ashes in the next moment.
If one was to observe the strange place, in spite of the fact that their bodies were burned, there was no fire visible. The flame was so hot, it had become completely transparent. Boosted by the upgraded equipment, only the heat waves were visible as the invisible fire roasted the enemy.
The fire didn’t just stay around Shin and the others, it spread out into the monster hordes. The flames spread the same way water spread when it flowed on the ground. As for its range, it already vastly exceeded the range of wide area magic that had been shot by Guile.
The Worker Ants had become a mountain of ashes. Something that hopped like Little Hoppers fell to the ground. Though there were superior individuals like the Ogre Commanders, they too, turned to ashes without even coming in contact with the enemy.
Cooperative mode 【Complete Destruction Palm】 skill.
It was a skill that could be invoked when 2 or more players combined the barehanded and flame technique combination skill 【Scarlet Explosion Palm】. Its power and effect range increases as the number of people who use it increases. Since the stats of the player and the power of the player’s equipment governed the ultimate power level, 【Complete Destruction Palm】 that Shin and his group invoked was far above the expected power of three people.
“…Though I expected the power to increase, that was overwhelming!”
“I wasn’t expecting this either. ”
“Ah~…Flame is really effective against insect types. It was really powerful because of that, right?”
They were all surprised by the overwhelming power.
“Now’s our chance, let’s clean up as much as possible.”
“Yeah, I don’t know how many monsters are left either. But there’s no reason not to be efficient about this.”
“You’re right. There’s no need to defeat everything individually.”
When they finished the discussion, Holly warned the knight squadron. The three then quickly fired 【Complete Destruction Palm】 again, at a range that didn’t threaten their allies. 20% of the right wing of the hordes disappeared in the next shot, and the remainder were melted away by 4 additional shots.
The monster hordes had been like a black wave that covered the earth. Some soldiers were simply aghast at the spectacle where nearly half of the hordes were destroyed in such a short amount of time. However, since the monster hordes were destroyed by allies and because it reduced the danger, the soldiers didn’t think too deeply about it.
Even though people knew that Shadow and Hibineko were strong, nobody could have guessed how powerful they really were.
“Looks like it’s animal types next.”
Without being aware of the soldiers’ shock, the three intently fixed their eyes on the enemy.
Behind the third wave, Shin saw a number of animal types. There were groups of animal type monsters such as wild boars, wolves and bears. He was able to confirm both ‘Tetra Grizzly’s and ‘Flame Boar’s which he had fought before.
“Is it the fourth wave?”
“What the heck! How many waves are there?”
Shadow and Hibineko looked at the monsters while sighing. The ‘Large Flood’ was a phenomenon that generated multiple times more monsters than a normal ‘Flood’. From the change of the monster types, it was likely that it had already generated four times more monsters than normal.
The ‘Large Flood’ mentioned in the records, was described as being like an average ‘Flood’ repeated three times over. The current large flood had already surpassed the documented one. At this point, nobody knew how much longer it would continue.
“I’m gonna jump a little to see how deep it is.”
Saying this, Shin jumped with his full strength which caused the ground to collapse from the power of the jump. He gained altitude with the help of martial arts movement skill 【Flying Shadow】.
When he reached an altitude where he could look over the fourth wave, Shin used 【Far Sight】 to gaze deeper.
“Beast rider warriors huh?”
Behind the animal type groups, he saw the last group moving with a 300 mels gap between them and the fourth wave. The last group was a mixture of humanoid types and animal types. The size of this wave was almost double what they had faced so far. There were small species types like goblins and kobolds, but Shin was also able to confirm riding animal types of monsters.
Monsters such as goblins and kobolds were individually weak so they may have learned how to ride and handle animal type monsters to compensate. These were called beast rider warriors or otherwise ‘~Rider’. Not only did their mobility increase, but it was known that their combat ability was also greatly enhanced.
Unusually, the increased mobility of the beast riders allowed them to reduce the gap between the fourth and fifth wave.
“The fifth wave is closing the gap between groups. Because most of the last group are beast rider warriors. Their number also twice as many.”
Shin who had landed, conveyed the things he saw to Shadow and the rest. Though they didn’t have any problems with the enemy’s fighting power, it was the enemy’s mobility which could make things difficult if they dispersed.
Since they were on a plain, it was advantageous for a mobile enemy. It was different than when in the forest or in complicated terrain. For cavalrymen on a plain, especially with beast rider enemies like this time, the ordinary soldiers at the rear would be forced into a hard fight. It was particularly difficult because the monsters could jump over closely held lines of spears.
Though there were also cavalrymen in the knight squadrons of Balmel, it would be difficult to follow the monsters’ nimble movements even with trained warhorses. How they sealed the mobility of the enemy would become the decisive factor.
“Coping with them is possible if they don’t scatter haphazardly. Just to be sure, I’ll tell Holly to prepare to use soul technique.”
“Holly-san’s soul technique? Oh, come to think of it, Holly-san’s soul technique is ideal for a situation like this. ”
Soul technique was a skill exclusive to elves. Though each player or support character was assigned one attribute, they could use techniques that gave a different effect from their baseline attributes with magic skills.
The attribute of Holly’s soul technique was earth. It was suitable for sealing the opponent’s movements and installing obstructions rather than for attacking. It was a very effective way to reduce the mobility of the beast rider warriors.
“Then, for the rest of them agai――!!”
A loud alarm sound reached Shin’s ears when he started to say cleanup of the remaining monsters. That sound, which only Shin could hear, was from the 【Silent Whisper】 which he had set around Balmel. It was a warning that sounded when a preset number of hostile presences were detected.
“Shin, what’s wrong?”
“Apparently, they have come at last. There was a reaction in 【Silent Whisper】.”
“They have come at this time huh? Do you know their direction?”
“They are at the north gate, near the third war group.”
Shadow asked, after Shin broke off in the middle of speaking. The distance from the 【Silent Whisper】 to Balmel was approximately one kemel. There was a possibility that the third war group was already moving.
As for why hadn’t Shin and his party been notified, had nobody seen the enemy yet? Or was it because there was no one who could use Mind Chat? It seemed likely to be the former.
Soon after that thought, an indication of a message appeared on Shin’s view. The contents were about the monsters approaching Balmel and the third war group’s movements.
“It’s a message came from Tiera. The third war group has already moved to intercept. The monsters’ levels are high, and they seem to be moving in a direction which avoids contact with the frontlines.”
The monsters of the ‘Flood’ normally have levels that don’t reach 100 on average. However, the monsters approaching Balmel were a mix of creatures level 200 and greater.
Kaede seemed to be together with Tiera. She seems to have been the one who confirmed the information as it was written in the message.
“It’s more dangerous there, as we expected. We will take charge here. Shin, follow the plan and go over there. ”
“Roger that. I’ll leave this place to you.”
Shin entrusted that place to Hibineko and the others. He started running, while concealing himself with 【Hiding】, he also released his power 【Limit】.
With a bang sound, he crushed the ground as he sped up. At the same time, he put on the equipment he had prepared for a time like this.
Covering his whole body was a full plated armor of deep crimson which closely resembled samurai armor.
He held a deformed death scythe in his hand decorated with eye-like patterns on the base of the hilt and the blade.
The mood was completely different than a moment ago, as Shin ran at full speed.
As if rejoicing that its turn had come, the death scythe on Shin’s shoulder made a *Gisiri* sound.
Part 4
“I heard the story, but they really came huh?”
“Many people with a lot of combat experience, like my mother and father, are able to read the flow of battle with just their intuition. It’s a sense that I don’t understand yet.”
Before their eyes, they saw the monster hordes advancing while mowing down trees in the forest. The number of monsters were so great, that they dyed the earth black. By all rights, these monsters would normally be hostile to each other. Seeing that, Tiera talked about the things that Shin had spoken of and felt that they had come true.
“Kaede-chan, do you know what type of monsters they are and what their levels are?”
“Yes, but even if I disclose it, I am confused by all the various monsters mixed together, and to be frank, there’s no type. Even their lowest exceeds level 200. There are individuals whose levels are 350, which I believe are probably leaders.”
“Thank you. I’m going to contact Shin and Master, so please tell me if there are any changes.”
“Understood.”
Tiera entrusted Kaede to be the lookout and opened a message card. The third war group started to move as they spread out in front of the rampart. Tiera quickly wrote down the information regarding the monsters that she had heard from Kaede and sent it to Shin and Schnee.
In the case that Shin and the others might not be near Tiera and her group, she was told to make contact immediately when the monsters came.
“This will do. Now, I will have to create a diversion until Shin and master come here.”
“I will help you.”
“Thank you. Though even if I say that, Kaede-chan is stronger than me.”
“No, I was taught that power is not everything, and because I also believe that myself, please issue instructions without reservation.”
Was it the influence of Shadow and Holly’s education? Kaede did not have an arrogant attitude although her stats were superior. It was said that strength is justice, or something like that, but she was free from the arrogance that was occasionally seen in Chosen Ones. On the other hand, Kaede was rather impressed with Tiera’s ability to keep up with her with the stats of a normal person. Although Tiera hadn’t realized it.
Even though Tiera’s stats were low, her abilities, because she had undergone training from Schnee for over 100 years, had already reached the level of an expert. During the escort job, when she had killed a bandit with an arrow, only her elven perception ability and her skill with a bow were required for the task. She had also fought against monsters above level 100 while traveling. Though she herself wasn’t aware of it, she had enough power to fight against the captain class of Balmel’s knight squadron on equal terms if she made a serious effort. Moreover, she was accompanied by a divine beast.
She was originally an alchemist and now a tamer. Tamers did not excel in physical abilities, and their worth was decided together with their monster partner as a set. Following that logic, Tiera could have been said to be stronger than Kaede.
Kaede was not so foolish as to take such a haughty attitude toward a partner like Tiera.
“When they come a little closer, I’ll shoot the individuals who seem to be the leaders with my bow. After that, I can do nothing but to continue shooting earnestly.”
“Can you aim from here?”
“I’ll be able to, somehow, with my weapon and Kagerou’s assistance. This time Yuzuha-chan is here too. Even if I have the 【Far Sight】 skill, I don’t feel like I am really needed.”
“That’s not true, someone who is accompanied by a divine beast like you is not bad at all! Tiera-san is also better at handling the bow than the instructor at the training school.”
Another person would probably say “What are you talking about?” to Tiera who was not aware of her own ability. Normally when a person’s own ability was low, no matter how much assistance they received, the results would still be low. Since she only started real combat training since leaving Tsuki no Hokora and being around Schnee so much, Tiera had lost any common sense for measuring people’s strength. This gave her a false impression about her own strength.
Moreover, the fact that Gaien and Tsubaki, who had come together during the escort request the other day, also had abilities that didn’t match their levels and ranks, had also contributed to that impression. To make matters worse, for the past several days she had trained on the training grounds, which were only intended for low-rank adventurers who tried to distract themselves from their own anxiety. Because of these strange turns of fate, Tiera was not yet able to properly recognize her own ability.
“Anyone can do this given 100 years, you know?”
“Certainly, it must be so if you say so.”
Tiera Lucent.
A woman who was the personification of the phrase ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’.
“Now, it’s time to go!”
Seeing Tiera ready her bow, Kaede also prepared to use her soul technique.
Answering Kaede’s chant, an emerald-green sphere of light appeared. The attribute of her soul technique was wind. It was an attribute that rivaled many water and earth users among the elves that used soul technique. An emerald-green light sphere was something that visualized the wind’s spirit. A spirit in sphere of light form was the result of a low-leveled soul technique. When the skill level of the soul technique rose, it would take on various figures accordingly.
Kaede had asked for the divine protection of the wind spirit. Because it raised the hit-rate of their long-distance attacks and lowered the hit-rate of the enemy’s long-distance attacks, the divine protection was said to be necessary to employ when one is using a bow.
“Divine protection has been applied.”
“Thank you”
Tiera, who concentrated on drawing the bow, thanked in a low voice.
The bow that Tiera was using was not the purely wooden bow that she had been using up until now, and was instead an obviously superior bow with metal incorporated all throughout it. It had been made using a branch of a magical tree that had been said to be over a thousand years old and with mithril, which had a good affinity for magic. The bow itself was charged with a dense magical power. Had the arrows she was using been processed as well? To Kaede, the arrows seemed to absorb the magical power of the bow.
Kagerou and Yuzuha growled next to Tiera, who pulled the bow. At the same time, Tiera herself began to shine as she was clad in purple lighting.
“――! ――――!”
Was she concentrating? Tiera didn’t seemed to notice her own state. She held her breath while drawing the bow so her aim didn’t shift due to breathing.
And, at the same timing as the long-distance attacks by the archers and mages, Tiera released all the power charged in the bow.
“Kya!”
The moment the arrow had been released, strong winds violently circled around Tiera, causing Kaede to raise a small scream. It was the recoil from the magic power that had been focused into one point and then released.
The people who couldn’t attack from afar and could only watch Tiera and the others, lost their balance and fell down from the sudden gust. Many of the people who had fallen down hadn’t fallen simply because of the wind.
It was because they had seen the spectacle when the bow was released.
“What is that…”
Someone said, but everyone was thinking the same thing.
What had been shot from Tiera’s bow, was it really an ‘arrow’? The display caused them to doubt something even as basic as that.
The arrow shot from the bow had been enveloped in magic power, and it flew several kemels toward the monsters in an instant, leaving a band of light and a flash of purplish lighting.
If Shin had seen this, he would probably say, “it’s a beam”. The arrow was ridiculously fast, as if a light technique system magic skill had been evoked. It went in a straight line, completely disregarding arc trajectory, which was a characteristic of archery, towards the ‘Ogre Leader,’ one of the monster leaders. When it struck, it scraped the leader and its surrounding off as the purplish lighting spread for several mels around the place where the arrow pierced the ground. Though only one arrow had been shot, the damaged area contained up to a dozen of bodies including the leader.
Monsters like the Ogre Leader that had been hit directly by Tiera’s attack were annihilated, leaving behind only their forearms and lower legs as if the space containing their torsos had been erased. The monsters who were the subordinates of the leader saw this and seemed to be terribly confused by the sudden situation.
“Um…Tiera-san, is that bow…”
“Shin lent it to me since I seem able to use it now…but I didn’t hear that so much power would come forth when I shot seriously!”
Judging from Tiera’s tone, it did not seem to have released as much power while she had been practicing. While looking at the bow she held in her hand, her face stiffened.
“F-For the time being, let’s prioritize killing monsters! I think you shouldn’t think too deeply about it!”
“T-That’s right! I’ll question Shin closely about this later; now is the time to suppress the monsters in front of us, right!”
Although Tiera’s shooting had decreased the monsters’ morale with its bombardment, the number of monsters had hardly changed. When they had settled down, Tiera and Kaede decided to resume attacking.
The surrounding people also pulled themselves together as they saw the two get ready to resume. They started moving to do things they thought they could do.
“Here’s another one”
A single blow like a flash of light was again shot from the bow Tiera held. Like last time, a leader was rent asunder, and unrest ran through the subordinate monsters.
However, even with that much power, if one considered the amount of magic and time needed to concentrate and charge up for the attack, she was not able to rapidly discharge arrows. As a whole, the damage was insignificant when compared to the total number of monsters.
In addition, after several shots, the remaining monsters learned to predict Tiera’s attacks and the leaders began to withdraw outside the bow’s range. They then directed only the subordinate monsters toward Balmel.
“Ugh, I’m sorry, I need to rest for a while.”
After about 10 arrows, Tiera lowered her bow and sat down.
In terms of power, it was natural that the higher the output, the higher the magic consumption rate would be. Even though it was possible to shoot without using magic, it would be better to wait for her magic to recover when considering efficiency.
While patting Kagerou, who looked at her anxiously, Tiera took out a magic medicine ‘ether’ and put it in her mouth. Tiera swallowed the odorless and faintly sweet liquid, and shifted her eyes toward the battlefield.
Ahead of her gaze, she saw the cavalry unit of Balmel’s third war group cut off the monster hordes while receiving support from the mage unit.
The knight squadron charged into the areas where the monsters were still in turmoil from Tiera’s bombardment. The monsters were unable to resist the assault.
The ones who attacked were the elite of the third war group. During their attack, the monsters were trampled repeatedly without a single loss. If you looked closely, something like a film of light could be seen enveloping the knights and the horses.
Divine magic art 【Light of Mercy】. This was one art that Tiera had memorized. It was a personal barrier that absorbed damage from the monsters. Mages and the like often used it to compensate for their low defense. It was learned as a preparation against surprise attack. It was originally a priest’s field of expertise, but it was an art that many people learned regardless of their job. Many of the cavalrymen who returned had lost the film of light. The mage unit cast it again. After all, arts were not as powerful as skills.
“If they get here, then I’ll fight too!”
When they got closer, Kaede invoked the soul technique again. Spirits of various sizes flew in the air, and bullets of air that were approximately the size of a soccer ball scattered over the monster hordes.
When these multi-colored balls of air hit their targets, a large amount of smoke was released into the area. Then, the monsters in that area suddenly stopped moving and started to act strange as they began to attack their allies.
“I see, the effect of 【Wind of Interference】 is amplified by soul technique, right?”
“Yes, though I don’t expect it to do any damage, it’s ideal for disrupting the enemy.”
【Wind of Interference】 was a magic belonging to the middle rank wind technique magic skills. The magic skill involved firing wind bullets that randomly debuffed their targets; it had a high probability of causing an abnormal status, but the damage it dealt was almost zero.
As for why Kaede had chosen to do that, it was because Shadow and Holly, who had experienced large-scale battles in addition to the ‘Flood,’ had taught her to do so. More than direct attacks were needed to be effective when facing numerous opponents at once. Using skills such as poison, paralyze, and confuse was one of the strategies that prevented the other party from demonstrating their strength as a group.
There was a big difference in strength between organized groups who acted together in a systematic way and groups that either were never organized or became disorganized. 【Wind of Interference】 was used to prevent that from happening.
The monsters, which had been rushing closer, had been disturbed by the chaos occurring inside their group. The monsters that had been paralyzed fell over and were trampled by the monsters behind them. The monsters that had been confused were attacking their allies from the rear. The frontline, which had stood in one straight line, began to shift greatly, forming a gap between the monsters that were still advancing forward and the monsters that were falling behind.
The cavalry unit of Balmel didn’t miss this opportunity, and killed the monsters that had protruded away from the rest of the line in smaller groups.
“That’s the elite of Balmel for you. But…”
“Yes, at this rate, it would be bad.”
The knights’ movements had certainly proven their skill. However in the long run, there was an upper limit in number of enemies that the cavalry unit, the mages unit, and the long-distance attack of the archery unit could defeat. As for not sending the infantry, it was because they knew it was only a matter of time before they would get swallowed by the huge number of monsters.
“Now is the time!”
“Grue!”
Kagerou answered Tiera with a bark. Tiera and Kagerou were standing away from the direction that the monsters that had spawned from the ‘Flood’ were coming from. Tiera had been posted here to prepare for when the monsters moved into the area where no Chosen Ones had been deployed.
Kagerou was expected to support her if push came to shove.
“Kuu! Kuu!”
“Yuzuha-chan?”
Beside Kagerou, who fixed his eyes on the enemy valiantly, Yuzuha raised its foot and barked. That look seemed to say, “Yuzuha too! Yuzuha too!”
“Okay, I’m counting on Yuzuha-chan too.”
“Ku!”
“Leave it to me!” was what Yuzuha seemed to say with a cheerful bark.
Even though Yuzuha was far from its full strength, Yuzuha’s level surpassed 400, and because its tail had split into three, it was able to use flame technique and lightning technique in addition to divine magic. Its combat power was already by no means inferior to an upper class Chosen One. Yuzuha was more than enough as a battle force.
Kagerou and Yuzuha’s backup accounted for nearly half of the power of Tiera’s prior bombardment. Even if Tiera possessed many Shin-made items, she was only able to use weapons that were available to the commoner class with her stats, and it would have been a serious problem if she attacked inaccurately with a superior weapon. Her low accuracy would have been the result of her low affinity with both the weapons and the support she was given. To digress, despite her low DEX, she could aim and hit at a target with a bow of high power like the one she held; In general, Tiera’s ability didn’t depended on her stats.
“Alright! My magic power has been restored, too. I’ll reduce the number of enemies a little more.”
After her magic power had been sufficiently restored, Tiera aimed her bow at the leaders and began to shoot again.
Her bow’s shots, which were impossible to counterattack against because they came from the highest point on the rampart, had a small but steady impact on the groups she attacked.
Meanwhile, an individual clearly different from the other monsters appeared before Tiera’s eyes.
Its body was two times bigger than a normal ogre. It had blue skin that was almost black, two crystal-like horns that grew from its head, and grasped a huge ax that was enveloped in dark red aura in its hand.
“That one’s kinda big.”
“It’s not a leader individual. Its name appears to be ‘Berserks’. Its level is…I can’t see it?!”
Kaede spoke out loud as 『???』 was displayed at the column of its level.
If Kaede, who was a critical who could fight against a Chosen One, couldn’t see its level, then its level probably exceeded 500.
Away from Kaede, who was shocked, a large amount of magic arts and arrows poured down on Berserks. Even from a distance, the knight squadrons were not as incompetent as to miss the strange atmosphere that Berserks emitted.
The attacks had been strong enough to crush ordinary ogres and Ogre Commanders, but before they could hit, Berserks swung its ax with a tremendous force.
The ax created a windstorm in its wake as it was swung. The wind it generated blew away not only the magic and the arrows, but the monsters nearby as well. Though the attacks, which had been aimed at it had dealt damage to the monsters around it, not even one arrow had reached Berserks’ vitals.
While the magic and the arrows had killed many other monsters, Berserks, who had been at the center of the attacks, remained completely unharmed. It walked forward towards Balmel without anything slowing it down.
“What is that!”
“That weapon, I believe it may have the performance close to a magic sword. That Berserks didn’t even flinch from the attack and was able to use the weapon like that.”
“This isn’t the time to be surprised. Kagerou, Yuzuha-chan, lend me your power!”
They had likely sensed that it was not an average opponent. Kagerou and Yuzuha answered by granting their power to Tiera’s bow.
(How about this!!)
The blow, which was charged with more power than previously seen, was then shot towards Berserks.
However, the single arrow that had been heading straight toward the enemy and leaving a trail of light and sundering the air in its wake was, of all the things, intercepted by Berserks’ ax.
While letting the aura rise from the axe, Berserks drew a red arc in the air. The swing of the axe, which couldn’t be compared with physical strength of the surrounding ogres and the like, flung aside the arrow which flew toward Berserks.
“Jal!!!”
Berserks raised its voice to psych itself up.
After a moment of resistance, the arrow was deflected from its original trajectory and pierced the ground. Because its trajectory had been diverted almost 90 degrees from its original path, there was no damage due to impact when the shock and the purplish lighting landed.
“No way…”
Tiera was speechless from shock, because the blow that was so fast it hadn’t permitted the monsters to react up until now, had been completely repelled. She hadn’t expected to defeat it, but she had expected to at least wound it.
There were no other individuals like it within the whole crowd of monsters. It was possibly the strongest individual among the approaching monster hordes. Judging from the fact that it had appeared only moments ago, it probably had been either kept away from the frontline or had missed the chance to make a surprise attack.
“Kaede-chan, can you do a stronger attack than the one just now?”
“No, I can’t do anything stronger than what you just did Tiera-san…”
Tiera had asked Kaede a slight hope, but the latter’s answer was not favorable. Even if she combined her magic with Kaede’s soul technique, that seemed problematic.
Now that it had come to this, there was nothing that the knight squadron could do any more.
“!! Tiera-san!! Look!!”
“Wha, that!!”
Tiera, who had thought she had no choice but to depend on Kagerou, returned her gaze toward the battlefield at Kaede’s prompting. She could see the figures of the cavalry unit as they charged toward Berserks.
The monsters around Berserks had been driven back by the rain of magic and arrows. This had temporarily created an open area around Berserks. A small number of the cavalry unit had advanced straight into that area.
“Maybe, they intend to try something with their highest-level people?”
“Isn’t that just suicide? Kagerou!! Get ready now!! …Kagerou?”
In order to support them immediately, Tiera called out Kagerou. But there was no response.
When Tiera shifted her gaze from the battlefield and looked at Kagerou, he had turned toward a different battlefield. If one looked closely, Yuzuha also looking in the same direction.
“What’s over――!!”
Tiera was going to say “there?”, but before she finished her sentence, she felt a strange sensation that prevented her from speaking.
Something was coming.
Tiera, who had not learned the perception system either as a skill or art, still clearly felt some presence approaching.
“Tiera-san, that…”
Ahead where Kaede was pointing, there was a silhouette charging forward through the crowd of monsters.
It was fast.
At a speed far faster than a horse or a riding beast monster type, that silhouette drew near to the battlefield.
In no time, the silhouette reached the edge of the group, then jumped without pausing. The cloud of dust billowing up, indicated the power of its leap.
“Is that…a knight?”
It was Kaede who muttered, but a lack of confidence could be perceived in those words. It was no wonder. A person jumping over 100 mels while wearing full body armor, was not normal.
However, that was not the only things that surprised her.
Considering the direction of the jump, that person probably intended to face Berserks. Even if one had a marvelous jumping power, they could never reach Berserks who was close to the center of the battlefield. However, that figure of a person jumped even further while in midair.
As expected, the monsters were also astonished by this. Their faces seemed to express bewilderment while the silhouette passed over them as they watched.
Seeing that insane movement, a person’s face flashed in Tiera’s mind.
A person who was able to do the things that had happened before her eyes.
In fact, there were three people as far as Tiera knew.
Among them, there was only one person who seemed to do these kinds of things, so she tried to call out Yuzuha for confirmation.
“Hey, Yuzuha-chan. Is that by any chance…Shin?”
“Kuu”
A bark seemed to say, “that’s right” was returned.
“Ahh…I see. That’s why Kagerou didn’t move.”
If she looked at Kagerou’s reaction, Kagerou would probably have noticed Shin approaching earlier than Tiera.
It seemed silly that she had become flustered. Though this was not the time to relax, Tiera somehow felt exhausted. It was too bad for the soldiers on top of the rampart, but they would probably have nothing to do anymore.
“Wow, he landed between Berserks and the knights.”
While hearing what seemed like a little excitement from Kaede’s voice, Tiera thought,
(I hope you don’t overdo it…)
Part 5
While moving into a crowd of monsters, a young soldier had a thought.
He would die here.
Chosen Ones, like Schnee Raizar, could exterminate a crowd of monsters all by themselves.
However, if the mutation class ogre was left unattended, it would reach Balmel before the reinforcements could arrive. Even the tremendously powerful shoots, which had originated from the top of the rampart, had been repelled. Because the defenses inside the castle were weaker than the defenses outside, he didn’t know how much damage it would cause if the gate broke.
Therefore, a suicide squad consisting of especially high-levelled troops from the cavalry unit were going in to buy some time.
He was afraid of dying. No matter how long he trained, that was one fear he couldn’t overcome. And yet, the young man and the knights riding around him had chosen to fight. Even if they could only delay the monster a little, they believed that it would protect Balmel.
“50 mels until contact with the enemy――!!”
Thanks to their training, they also knew the approximate distance to the target. It was the distance between the young man and death.
Due to the attacks that were released just earlier, there were hardly any monsters between them and the mutation class. Were they afraid of the cavalry’s charge? Or were they afraid that the mutation class would attack them? The young man thought it might be the latter.
“20 mels distance!!”
“The monsters around it seem to be looking at something!! Just pay attention to the mutation class!!”
The captain of the suicide squad raised his voice. Because the mutation class looked different from a distance, the moment their eyes drew nearer the knights became intimidated.
Huge.
It was described in just one word.
That body seemed like a giant type monster, such as a Gigantes or a Cyclops, which were only heard of in fairy tales. It was unthinkable that anything could lift it up, but the mutation class lifted the ax high while it was still a distance from them.
“Shit!! Stay clear!! Everyone spread out!!”
The knights responded in unison without anyone falling behind as the captain, who had predicted the danger, shouted.
The young man who was riding a horse also evaded the trajectory of the ax that the mutation class had swung down.
He thought he had dodged it.
“Gu!!”
He had avoided a direct hit. However, the young man fell from his horse because of the aftereffects. He was thrown hard to the ground, and he was about to lose his consciousness from the impact in an instant. But his life would be over if he fainted now, so he desperately held on to his consciousness.
“Kua…”
What entered his dazed sight was the figure of another knight who fell from a horse the same way he had. When he put strength into his body in an effort to stand up, he noticed that his left leg wouldn’t move.
“Oh shit…”
He’d probably been blown over together with his favorite horse. When he looked, he saw his leg was caught between the horse and the ground. Though he twisted his leg to pull it out, it didn’t come out.
Then, a shadow fell onto the knight.
“ah…”
When he looked up, there was the mutation class.
There was no sign of intelligence behind its corrupted red eyes. Only the thirst that emitted from its body felt real. It raised its ax using its bulging muscles. There was no time to pull his leg free.
“――――――!!”
He would die in another few seconds.
Even though he understood this, the trembling young man still drew his sword from his waist, and prepared to fight the mutation class.
From the beginning, he was already a dead man. As he endured without raising a scream, he swallowed the dread that filled his heart and glared at the mutation class
The movement of the mutation class was slow.
Actually, there were no changes in the mutation class’ movement. Facing death, the young man’s sense of time had accelerated somehow in order to evade the attack.
But, no matter how much his sense of time had hastened, there was nothing he could do anymore. He could only stare at the ax as it slowly approached.
In a few blinks, his favorite horse would be bisected by the mutation class’ ax.
Or so the young man had thought,
Then, he would be next.
――――He was bound to be.
“Owa!!”
It had been too sudden.
Something had descended between the mutation class and the young man.
No, it had fallen.
The impact of the fall caused the ground to shake.
As the cloud of dust cleared, what appeared before the eyes of the stunned young man was a person standing there with full body armor and carrying a distorted-shaped large scythe.
The full-body armor’s design was different from the designs he knew. The color it reflected in the sunlight was red –deep, thick cardinal, vivid scarlet, and bright coral. Colored using these different shades of red coupled with a brilliant reflection, the armor looked like a furiously burning flame that had taken the form of a human.
It was ornate with decorations that were placed in various places. By that alone, he understood at a glance that it was made by a skilled craftsman. The more he looked at it, the more he felt the difference of status.
He could perceive unevenness in the scythe which rested on the figure’s shoulder from the lack of uniformity of its blade and shaft. An eye-like pattern had been drawn where the blade met the shaft; it seemed more like a ceremonial weapon rather than one meant for the battlefield. Even so, it looked strangely nice when paired together with the armor.
“………”
As he was entranced by that figure, the young man didn’t say anything. Exposed to the overwhelming power emitted from the figure’s whole body, his body wouldn’t listen to what he desired it to do. Although he also did so when that figure had appeared.
Even though that person’s back was turned, the young man felt the pressure of the overpowering intimidation he received from the mutation class fading.
When the young man looked at the mutation class as they stood directly opposite and facing each other, its movement had stopped while the ax was raised.
Its eyes spread wide open, and even though they were corrupted, they clearly showed the color of fear.
(For such a monster to be overwhelmed!!)
How much power was needed to be able to do that?
Among the Chosen Ones, there were none with a presence like that of the person in armor before his eyes.
Because he was on the brink of death, the intuition of the young man had sharpened to the utmost limit and made him realize something.
The person before him had power equal to Schnee Raizar. And, that person was on his side.
“Are you alright?”
“….Eh?”
He hadn’t gone senile, but momentarily the young man couldn’t comprehend the words directed at him. Judging from the voice, it was likely the man inside the armor.
As he watched, the person who had been facing away from him until just now, moved the fainted and immobile horse, and pulled out the young man’s leg.
“I-I’m saved…hey, b-behind you!!”
Flustered, he got up in a hurry, and when he looked up, the mutation class continued raising the ax.
Now wasn’t the time to help others. The young man cried while pointing to the back. His tone was coarse probably because he was in hurry.
“Hm? Ah, that’s right.”
It was a casual reply.
In the next moment, the man in armor, who should have been in front of him, vanished. Sounds of violence reached the young man’s ear at approximately the same time.
If he were to express it in words, it would probably be something like “BAM!”. Because of the excessive sound, the young man stiffened his body.
It was by luck that he didn’t shut his eyes. Because of that, he saw the source of the sounds.
“……….”
He was silent for a different reason from awhile ago.
In front of him, where the mutation class ogre had been moments before, was the man in armor with his fist extended.
The mutation class monster was nowhere to be seen. But not because it went away.
In front of the swung fist, only the elbow and the ax which the mutation class had earlier raised over its head remained, as the arm dropped.
“Ha, haha…”
The spectacular scene which occurred in front of the young man’s eyes made him lose it.
One blow.
No weapons were used, only pure physical strength.
The body of the mutation class that received the blow burst open and into pieces, some monsters which were bathed in the splattered blood screamed.
Even more than that mass of power the man in armor revealed his thrusted arm, which was covered by a gauntlet, did not even have a scratch.
Now, he couldn’t help but laugh.
“You, what are you….”
“Me? Let see…because of the color of my armor, call me Red.”
――Red, the man who defeated the mutation class and came back without a single drop of blood on him, gave an obviously fake name.
“Well, my name doesn’t matter. More than that, you can leave this place to me, and you all must join the main force.”
“Ah, yes, I thank you for your help. But we are the rag-tag remains of the knights, fighting together with you――”
“No, that won’t do. Rather, I’d be more worried if you stayed close.”
“Worried?”
“When someone is around me, I can’t fully utilize my ability. If possible, withdraw your whole team including the group that used magic back to the rampart.”
“But that is”
“I’m sorry but this is not a suggestion. Besides, anyone of you that draws near untactfully will be killed, you know? This is that kind of weapon.
Do you understand?” Red lifted the scythe on his shoulder to demonstrate.
Close up, it was easy to see the scythe’s size. Just half of its length alone was more than 3 mels, and the blade itself was more than 2 mels. The blade was wide, and something like a zigzag line ran down the center.
The young man felt that the line seemed to be a ‘mouth’. He had a premonition that at any moment, the ‘mouth’ could open and that it would nibble at him.
The young man now understood why Red wanted the entire army to fall back.
That thing was dangerous. It was impossible to fight alongside it. He would be killed by the blade before he could approach Red.
That powerful weapon was built for killing allies as well as enemies.
“That is a cursed weapon…”
“Indeed”
Red replied in a casual voice. Considering the situation, that made him stand out as being a bit odd.
For the residents in this world, there were different kinds of cursed weapons, they were all the same in that they invited destruction. There was a price for using the power of these devilish arms; they led their owners towards death.
Even though this was common knowledge, there was no sign of it seen on Red. Though he had a cursed weapon, which was said to gnaw at sanity and life, both his tone and gestures were very natural.
“Why――――”
“Sorry, but no more questions. There’s no time to waste. Someone is coming to pick you up, too.”
Behind the young man, the knights who escaped falling from their horses came to retrieve their friends.
“You are?”
“I’m Red. I’ve already told this knight, but I’m taking charge here. You all have to withdraw.”
“………”
The one who called out to Red was the knight entrusted as the captain of the suicide squad. Unlike the young man, the knight didn’t ask any questions, and only sent a sharp glance toward Red.
“…Understood. We’ll leave it to you. Everyone withdraw at once!! We will join the rear guard unit!!”
After contemplating for several seconds, the knight decided to withdraw. As the only captain in charge, he also quickly to made a decision.
“Captain!?”
“You too, get on the horse quickly! We are withdrawing!”
“Well, but”
“We’ll entrust this place to that person….We’ll only get in his way.”
The knight bowed to Red.
“You helped my comrade, we wish to express our gratitude.”
“I’m not doing this to be thanked. More than that..”
“Yea, we’ll withdraw immediately…I just want to ask one question. Are you, by any chance, Schnee-dono’s..”
“I’m the letter of introduction holder.”
“…I see. I’m convinced.”
The young man who heard the conversation between the two was surprised by this as well. But he understood it at the same time. It was well known that common sense didn’t apply to many letter of introduction holders.
The young man mounted the horse that his knight’s comrade rode. They left the place together with the captain. Strangely, there were no attacks from the surrounding monsters, either. Their gazes were all directed toward Red, as if the monsters didn’t see the young man and his group at all.
After they got about 50 mels away, something like an explosion was heard from the rear.
“!!”
When the young man looked back toward the sound, he saw a spectacular scene where monsters came apart and pieces were blown off into the sky.
Neither sparks nor explosion flames were seen, so it probably wasn’t caused by fire magic. Yet, he could understand that the center of the explosion-like sounds would be dreadful.
50 mels. Yes, they were 50 mels away. Still, the distance from the young man to the combat wasn’t far enough. The aftereffects of the attack were still approaching.
The horse was already running as fast as it could. His knight comrades probably also felt the danger. He didn’t even look back.
“How beautiful…”
The young man could not take his eyes off the scene.
Because his line of sight was higher as he was mounted on a horse, he managed to keep an eye on the center of the attack.
That ghastliness was fully visible.
“Ku!!”
In an instant, a wall of monsters was demolished. It was Red’s attack.
Though they should have been moving farther away, the pressure from the attack felt closer.
The explosions didn’t stop and the area where the monsters’ remains and blood flew to the sky kept getting bigger.
Red, who was barely visible, hadn’t moved at all from the place where he parted from the young man. The armor’s radiance which was bathed in monsters’ blood hadn’t lost its shine. In fact, it seemed to get more fired up in order to flaunt its existence.
Just how many monsters were facing against Red, who was only one person? The young man didn’t know. Numbers were power. No matter how strong one was, he or she would get crushed by the endless surge of monsters sooner or later.
That fact still held true for the Chosen Ones. However, as if the young man’s thoughts had been nonsense, Red demonstrated a fierce attack.
Each time the scythe was wielded, it generated a red blade. When the blade passed through the monsters, the monster corpses were torn asunder and blown into pieces. Before the power of that single blow, the monsters’ level, race and physique were insignificant.
The mountain of corpses that should have piled up and become a hindrance were instead blown away by the storm that blew in addition to the generated red blades.
In the young man’s eyes there was little doubt that Red was a calamity.
He didn’t seem to care about the approaching monsters; everything was swallowed by a raging tempest.
Thing like numbers was not a problem.
“That…”
The young man noticed that inside the tempest that pummeled the battlefield was an especially crooked shadow.
His eyes were barely able to distinguish the shape of the scythe that Red held.
The first time the young man saw it, he was certain there was only one blade. But now, the number of blades had increased to two.
No, it had always been two blades. The young man remembered the ‘mouth’, the line that ran through the blade. It seemed that the blade had split in two along the line, from top to bottom, and had taken on the appearance of a huge mandible.
“Did it… eat them?”
The separated blades ate the monsters’ flesh and blood. The mysterious way it appeared to seek blood added to the strangeness and haunted the young man’s mind.
Earlier the young man had observed the eye like drawing at the base of the blade. Now, the eye was shining brilliantly while emitting a dark purple color. It seemed to give off the impression that it was alive with a will of its own. He was certain that there was nothing holy or pure about that will.
A person observing the occasionally blinking shine, would feel that the scythe was rejoicing in the slaughter.
It was immediately obvious that this was a cursed weapon.
Though normally bizarre equipment tended to attract the most attention, the most abnormal thing wasn’t the equipment but the one who used it.
The fact that Red himself could continue fighting calmly while utilizing that equipment was the most abnormal part.
While the destruction spread in what could only be described as a massacre, no aspect of the attacks were wasteful or inefficient.
He wasn’t just using the power of the weapon. His swings perfectly matched its performance. His technique allowed a single powerful blow to fall on the monsters and then without delay, lead into the next blow. The recoil from the first blow wasn’t wasted but was instead used to connect with and initiate the next blow.
Though great martial arts sometimes felt like a dance, Red’s movements also had something close to that. As for the monster hordes, they looked like prearranged harmony as they were seen being knocked down.
It was a performance by the blazing red armor and the distorted scythe.
It was like Red was inside and outside of the storm area, a fixed space extended around him.
“………”
A distance from the monster hordes, the knights who had watched from the beginning were dumbstruck and simply stared in amazement as they forgot to guard. Unlike the young man who saw it up close, they simply didn’t know how to react to the absurd and unbelievable display.
The change that happened as Red swung the scythe was dramatic.
Some of the monsters who should have been heading for Balmel suddenly turned around and began to return. In addition, the monsters in the surrounding areas also turned around one after another.
It was the captain of the third war group who noticed how the monsters had changed directions and were heading toward the red dyed storm that was blowing violently in the same direction.
The range of effect had surpassed 100 mels and gradually continued to expand.
Won’t we also get swallowed by that at this rate? He was anxious about its vast range.
The number of monsters were decreasing at a frightening rate. The storm of destruction kept widening.
It was as if the monsters were voluntarily jumping into the burning flames.
Consuming the monsters’ lives, the scythe’s ferocious power kept increasing.
-
Standing at the top of the rampart, Tiera and Kaede realized that almost all of the monsters in the battlefield were gathering around Shin.
Was it the effect of the armor, or the scythe? When seen from above, the monsters facing Shin seemed to be following something that was lit dimly red. It seemed to draw the monsters.
The effective range of the effect was wide. There was no way to describe it otherwise.
The number of monsters could still be called a black wave. The range of the effect was so large that even monsters far enough away that mel units would be too small to measure the distance, were all affected by it.
“…What is that?”
“It’s not the enemy, so it’s all right. Well, even if I say that I feel relieved to see that, though it may not sound convincing.”
“Well, um, is that an ally?”
“Yes, that’s correct. It’s no surprise that he’s coming here.”
Having Tiera reassure her, Kaede too relaxed her hands which were tightly clenched to her staff.
Though Tiera knew its true identity, judging from Kaede’s reaction to that mystery person, she would probably be frightened of it. Though that person still fought against the monsters, there was no guarantee that their blade wouldn’t be pointed at them.
The power that was displayed before Kaede’s eyes far surpassed the limits of the upper class Chosen Ones in this world.
It was certain that it fell within the domain of the ‘Special Beings’ like Schnee and Girard.
“Not even half of the monsters remain.”
Though Kaede hadn’t noticed because she was only focused on Shin’s existence, only about one-third of the original number of monsters remained. It was visible from the top of the rampart, the view that was only covered by monsters was no longer there.
“Ah!”
In the Kaede’s field of vision, as she able to see the whole view, something strange was displayed.
In a few words, it was a floating sphere.
By comparing it to the surrounding monsters, the size could be calculated to be two mels in diameter.
Brown and purple were mixed on its surface, and various eyes were attached.
There were eyes just like a human’s eye, pupils like a cat’s eye with vertical slits, compound eyes like an insect and full black eyeballs under an eyelid.
Those various eye sizes ranged from one cemel to dozens of cemels, and it observed the surroundings.
And then, suddenly some of that eyes directed their gaze towards Kaede.
“Uhh!”
Surprised, Kaede tried to look away. A sharp and throbbing pain struck her head. It was a pain like she had never experienced before. She couldn’t endure it and was forced to her knees.
Her view turned dark in an instant, nevertheless, her consciousness didn’t fade away.
Despite having almost no feeling in her body, she had a horrify sense that something was trying to enter inside her. Only pain could be felt clearly though.
“a…Ug….”
“Eh! what’s wrong!?”
Tiera was surprised by the change. It was looking like it was only a matter of time before the monsters were defeated but, Kaede had suddenly began to groan in pain.
“Kaede-chan! Kaede-chan!”
Kaede looked like she was about to collapse at any moment, Tiera immediately hugged her closely and supported her
Thereupon, the groaning Kaede entrusted her body to Tiera as she lost her strength. Visibly large drops of sweats appeared on her forehead.
“Eh…?”
“Kaede-chan? Can you hear me?”
She was likely to have lost consciousness momentarily. Tiera muttered while wondering what happened and looking after Kaede. Without knowing why, Tiera felt weak as if her strength slipped out from her body.
(This feeling, what it is I wonder…)
Kaede’s mind was free in the midst of the present war. There was a big fight until here. While her physical condition may be unusual, she regained consciousness.
After Kaede wiped her sweat, she thanked Tiera and stood up.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m already fine. There is a strange monster in the battlefield, come to think of it, it had some eyes and I suddenly got headache.”
“I wonder if it’s an attack using the mind system? Anyway, I’m glad you didn’t acquire an abnormal state.”
Though Tiera couldn’t read most of the information on Kaede’s stats due to the differences in their levels, she could see any indications of a bad status.
After confirming that there were no such indications, Tiera let Kaede rest and directed her eyes toward the battlefield.
What Tiera’s saw was a scene where the monster which exactly imitated a sphere, was cut in two by the red scythe.
During that time, Tiera was being observed by Yuzuha.
Yuzuha witnessed Tiera’s body radiate a faint light while holding Kaede which completely dispelled the black haze that had coiled around her.
“Kuu”
Yuzuha barked in a volume where no one heard except itself.
Afterward, Yuzuha stared at Tiera until the war ended, trying to see through the existence named Tiera.
-
While attracting many people, Shin, also known as Red, swung the scythe he held in his hand.
After his speech, he waited for the knights to withdraw. Afterwards, he simply ran wild.
Once he beat Berserks, the strongest monster so far, to death the job became a simple routine as he expected.
“But…”
A small complaint leaked out.
Because things that he didn’t expect were taking place.
“Good grief, a real cursed weapon can’t help but to be noisy can it?”
It wasn’t that noisy when he started to fight, but as he utilized the ability of the scythe and killed monsters, voices began to echoing in Shin’s head.
The explanation note for the scythe hinted that it affected the mind. This was likely because it kept repeating the word “KILL, KILL”.
The scythe that Shin was using was called 『Scythe of Soul Eating』.
One of its abilities was to concentrate the hatred of the monsters solely towards the user. The more monsters it killed, the more damage it caused and the larger the effective range became. Furthermore, a portion of the damage generated was returned to the user. However, while cursed equipment did enhance ability, this was always in exchange for more risk.
And as cursed weapons go, the 『Scythe of Soul Eating』 surpassed the risk of other cursed equipment
The area within the range to collect the hate, the attack range rose together with the high increased rate of damage. A reason a portion of the damage was converted into HP was that it made it possible for a solo player to battle against groups. In city defense events against monsters, nearly half of the monsters would be attracted to and attacked by the player who was equipped with this weapon.
The downside was that the user’s stats were constantly decreasing by 65%, magic couldn’t be used, and it was impossible to recover HP excluding the scythe’s ability. In addition, it seemed to attract magical attacks by allies. It had more disadvantages than advantages. Furthermore, cursed equipment always include bad status effects for the mind system.
Needless to say within range of the weapon, there was no distinction between friend or foe. It was the kind of equipment that would consume 100% of any allies who fought near it.
Because the rate of decline was only reduced to 50% even if the equipment was strengthened, death was still inevitable. All the players using it died in the event.
Since coming to this world, Shin had strengthened it using his technique and made it usable by reducing the stat reduction rate to 30%.
Moreover, since Shin’s entire body was covered in an armor called the 『Holy Flame Series』, this weakened the effect of the cursed equipment. He could even use magic and recover HP to some extent.
When it comes down to it, he didn’t have to worry about the disadvantages. He should be able to fight without a problem.
However, when the number of monsters killed reached around 500, the aforementioned voice began to affect Shin’s mind.
Even an upper class Chosen One hearing that voice, would have had to battle to maintain sanity. The voice that assaulted the mind was making progress on Shin.
“Ahh, this is bothersome”
Though he said that, Shin was far from falling insane. The effect was only enough to hinder his mood.
“I didn’t notice when I tried it out, but there is endless flowing voice in this subtly audible volume. It’s ANNOYING!!”
Was it because he raised his voice? The monsters were blown away by an extra 20 percent.
At this point the cursed equipment could do no more than annoy Shin.
The people observing, could never have dreamed that Shin would be saying things like that from within the center of the storm.
“It’s time for you to come out…”
After deciding to ignore the cursed voice, Shin directed his gaze to the surroundings again.
Because he was now encountering strengthened monsters, he determined that a commander type monster like the Raid Vice was nearby. Knowing that, soon it would be caught in his net.
Using the 『Scythe of Soul Eating』 was an efficient way to reduce the number of enemies, other than the inherent problems with using cursed weapons.
Unlike with normal attacks, because the enemy hatred was focused on the user, it was literally impossible to miss the enemy.
It was even possible to make the monsters that had already headed toward Balmel return.
As the range of the scythe expanded, it was even possible to draw the monster commander towards him.
The commander was lurking in the shadows of another monster. Because it took awhile to see the opponent clearly, Shin didn’t know where it was. Therefore, he used a strategy that would draw it out forcibly.
“…Found you!”
In an area where monsters were crowded together and the individuals couldn’t be distinguished, there was a reaction that was different from the others in Shin’s perception range. Due to the monsters being pulled toward Shin, that area seemed to be less crowded.
Before the eyes of the murmuring Shin, there appeared a monster with globe-like appearance which had a large number of eyes.
It was a monster which Shin was familiar with. A Viscount class demon which were often seen at events where monsters attacked cities. Apparently, demons had resumed full-scale activities.
However, they were unlucky this time. It was classified as low-class demon, so it couldn’t stand a single blow from Shin.
Was there a last-ditch effort? Its eyes, which faced towards Shin, flashed all at once. This was normally used to induce an abnormal mental state, but had no effect on Shin.
“That will never work on me!!”
With a single blow that contained all the piled up stress, Shin cut the demon in two. The demon disappeared leaving something like a gem and jewel.
Was it because the demon had been the leader? Though the monsters came at Shin until their last, when they were finally exterminated not a single additional blow had landed on Shin.
When he contacted Schnee, she said there were a few more on the other side.
While disappearing with Hiding, Shin returned to his original position to be with Hibineko and the rest.
Without any incidents from there on, the ‘Large Flood’ came to the end.
Severely wounded people appeared among the knights who fought against the monsters. It was a bit far in the future, but the residents were excited over the fact that it was the first time in Balmel history of the ‘Flood’ that no one had died.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 05 - Crimson Exterminator/The-New-Gate-Volume-05-Crimson-Exterminator-[Shin][Armaell]/ch3.txt
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Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Part 1
“Ahh, I want to return…”
In the carriage that was heading toward Lord Taul’s castle, Shin sighed.
It has been several days since the ‘Large Flood’. The investigation of the periphery, the monsters’ raw material extraction and their corpses removal and so on, were mostly over. Shin and the others received an invitation.
Apparently after each ‘Flood’, A party was held and the person who had the most distinguished achievements would be awarded. It was said that they wanted all the Chosen Ones to come too.
After the war ended, Shin was asked to stay for awhile. He agreed because he intended to help with the removal work. Their idea of “stay” though seemed to be different from what Shin envisioned.
“That’s my line.”
Next to Shin was a gloomy looking Tiera. She was not a Chosen One, but many soldiers had witnessed her figure shooting the monsters from the top of the rampart. So it was natural that she was asked to attend as well.
Though they tried to refuse because they claimed to be too busy with work, the people who they were working with shot down the excuses by saying “We’re good here, so go”
For the residents of Balmel, it was unthinkable that someone who had achieved so much for them and who deserved a medal of honor for their service would go without receiving proper thanks, or so they said.
“Because everyone who told me to go ahead had great smiles, I couldn’t decline.”
“You too?”
Since they all said it with such good will, she found it impossible to refuse. Shin was in the same boat so he understood what she meant.
“Shin’s achievements were reported by the knight squadron, right? The people living here, do that without fail.”
“That doesn’t mean that this is going to be a formal ceremony. If you worry about it too much, you’ll just tire yourself out.”
“Think about being able to eat food for free. Just like a noble’s party, no suspicious envious guys should approach you.”
Schnee, Shadow and Holly, who had experienced this kind of party before, tried to reassure them. Hibineko didn’t express it in words but he also wanted to say the same thing.
“I’ve just never been to a ceremony like this before, you know?”
“Well, there’s no time like the present to get used to this then. We have been through this a few times. It’s better if you get used to this now while you’re still young. It might prove useful in the future.”
Though Hibineko said that, there would hardly be a ceremony like this in real life, Shin thought. On the other hand, he was already committed and could no longer back out since he’d come this far already. He decided to just accept his fate. Just in case, he lightly re-checked his attire to make sure he wasn’t looking scruffy.
As for what Shin wore, it was a Kalkia’s formal suit, the same clothes he wore when he went to Bayreuth’s royal castle. After removing the dirt, it was in mint condition.
As for Tiera sitting next to him, she wore a bright green dress. Her black hair was gathered together at the back of her head and she had put on light make-up. The combination made her beauty look even more polished. For her one-piece dress, a section from her shoulder to her upper arms was cut out and the skirt was longer on the right side than on the left. It was an asymmetrical type dress. It fit tightly around her waist, which accentuated the thinness of Tiera’s waist. The only thing wrong with the outfit was the person wearing it, because she had drooping shoulders and a depressed expression.
Even though she seemed distressed, she still looked amazing. If someone had announced that she was the princess of a country, nobody would doubt it.
Holly and Shadow who were sitting in front of them, wore a white dress and a black suit. It was indeed the proper attire for a ceremony. Holly’s dress was a long type skirt that was called a mermaid type dress. A strap on her left shoulder held a gem that emitted a blue glow which emphasize its presence. With a dress that is showing more body lines than Tiera’s, Holly’s good sense of style stood out. Shadow who was perfectly dressed in his suit, didn’t stand a chance.
Though Hibineko also wore a suit, he gave off a slightly comical impression due to the nature of his physique. However, it was clear, that he was used to wearing a suit. Like Shin, he typically didn’t feel the need to dress up in clothes like this, but in such a place, at such a time, his experience meant that he was comfortable dressed up.
That said, the most radiant one there was Schnee. Since it was widely known that Schnee Raizar rarely participated in events like this, she was attending as Yuki, Shin’s fiancée.
As part of her disguise, her hair had been changed from silver to gold and her eyes had been changed from blue to red. Because the skill she used prevented her from being noticed when she used it on herself, that level of disguise was sufficient.
Her hair which was lightly tied behind her head was held in place by an ornamental hairpin. The hairpin included a red jewel to match her new eye color. The white dress she wore boldly exposed her back from her shoulders to her waist.
Since the dress was designed to tighten the cloth under her arms, her chest was strongly emphasized. Because Schnee’s breasts were already naturally large this attracted the gaze of groups of males even though it was not a low-cut dress.
However, the color of the dress combined with Schnee’s natural demeanor didn’t reflect a feeling of excessive sex appeal. The neat look in combination with her allure, instead made her an enchanting figure who exuded charm.
Schnee was already a beautiful woman to begin with, but her beauty rose by one more rank when she dressed-up. Seeing her like this for the first time, Shin was charmed by her.
“Both Tiera-san and Schnee-san are wearing dresses. The dresses that you two are wearing, are they traditional dress for elves or something?”
“Eh? Oh, I just borrowed this dress. Is the design unusual?”
“They’re pretty rare. I’ve studied clothing a lot on my own because I think I’d like to do clothes-related work. Most of them are very similar designs for some reason.”
Kaede was an elf brought up in Balmel. She didn’t know what clothing styles might be normal at the elves’ garden well.
Though Holly was a High Elf too, she might not have such knowledges due to her being a former player.
What Holly owned was made by players, but Kaede seeing the dresses of various designs seemed to be fascinated by them. Kaede herself was wearing a simple yellow one-piece dress. It matched Kaede’s character and created a good atmosphere as well.
While they were talking, the carriage passed through the gate. They were near the destination. Inside the carriage, was Shin, Schnee, Tiera, the Kurosawa family and the two animals, Yuzuha and Kagerou. Kagerou was as usual inside Tiera’s shadow. Yuzuha was also at its usual position, on top of Shin’s head.
Because there would be many adventurers attending the party too, the dress code seemed fairly flexible, with many different kinds of attire as evidence. There were also many who seemed to recognize that Shin was an upper class Chosen One too.
Before long, the carriage stopped.
If one looked at the front near Holly and Shadow, Hibineko could be seen taking Kaede’s hand. Mimicking Hibineko, Shin also held out his hand to help Schnee get off the carriage. Though he’d often seen things like this in movies, no one was aware of how very embarrassed Shin was to do it for real.
“Young lady, please give me your hand. Or something like that..”
“Fufu, thank you very much.”
Did Schnee want to play along? She took Shin’s hand while smiling wryly.
Was it because similar scenes were unfolded around them? Shin seemed to be able to speak the lines smoothly now.
“Now the next young lady as well.”
“How should I say this, it doesn’t seem to suit you.”
“Don’t say that!”
Unlike Schnee, Tiera’s held her mouth to keep herself from laughing.
When everyone had descended, they went to the assembly hall.
“Will you escort me too?”
“If you are fine with me.”
Schnee causally linked her arm with Shin. Then the other arm was also being pulled.
Of course, it was Tiera.
“Are you really going to make me go alone? Since your other arm is available too, let me use it as well, okay?”
“Is it alright?”
“Because Tiera and I are both pretending to be your fiancée today, isn’t it fine?”
“You are blessed by two beautiful women, you know? Might as well enjoy it.”
Because both Schnee and Tiera were in unusually good moods, Shin stopped talking about it. There was no need to be a downer.
Part 2
“Amazing!”
“As expected, it’s different when actually seeing it.”
Many participants had already arrived at the party hall. Though everyone had dressed up, it was interesting to be able to know who was an adventurer and who was not.
“There are various impressions at the party held by nobles.”
“That’s how it is, huh?”
Though he only knew about noble’s parties and such from movies and anime, Schnee seemed to be used to it, perhaps that’s to be expected.
There were many people who paid attention to new arrivals as they appeared one after the other. When Shadow and Holly appeared, the watchers focused their attention on the two. Hibineko and Kaede got similar treatment when they appeared following them.
“…Uu, they’re watching us!!”
“Well, I guess so.”
“Shin is the center of attention, right?”
“While you say that, I feel that most of the attention went to Schnee and Tiera though..”
The ratio of attention was 50% on Schnee, 30% on Tiera, 10% on Shin and 10% on Yuzuha. Furthermore, the eyes glaring at Shin were mostly the envious eyes of the men.
(The mood was darker than the time in the guild.)
Shin had experienced what was called the “I ENVY this bastard!” stare in the guild, in some respects it was a neat feeling. He was feeling a large amount of the same kind of feeling again coiling around him.
Besides the eyes of jealousy, though it was not much, he was able to feel the eyes of respect and observation. His achievements in the battlefield would be helpful proof for the time being.
It was only natural that most of the attention was directed towards Schnee. If Shin had been in their shoes, it was certain that he would have reacted the same way.
While leaving her left arm entwined with Shin’s right arm, she swayed in a way that matched her walking; It seemed to be like a mother leading a child or something to that effect. Compared to the somewhat awkward Shin, she didn’t mind the gazes at all and behaved gracefully.
Unlike Schnee, it seemed that all the attention was difficult for Tiera. Tiera clung to Shin’s arm, as she shrank away from the crowd’s gaze. The situation wasn’t comfortable for her because she was still not very good with crowds of people. At first, her eyes sparkled as she showed great interest in the new surroundings when they were initially entering the hall, but now her eyes had become dull with discomfort.
While trying to ignore the happy sensation touching his arm, Shin walked in a way that shielded Tiera from the eyes of male group observers. Schnee too cooperated with Shadow and Holly by making a wall, as they walked toward to the hall.
Then, they noticed a commotion which seemed to be happening at the entrance of the hall.
From the discussions they heard around them, they learned that Rionne had entered the party hall.
Even though the party had a large attendance and many invited guests, due to the hall being wide enough, from where they were standing they could just about identify Rionne’s presence through the gap in the crowd. Rionne was dressed in a crimson dress with her hair tied up in a knot at the back of her head leaving a free length of her hair hanging down. She advanced through the hall with the dignified pace of royalty.
“Hmm?”
Shin watching Rionne, had a feeling that she had glanced over at him for a moment. Having an unpleasant premonition, he pulled Schnee and Tiera’s arm and began to move away.
“Shin?”
“Eh, what’s the matter, Shin?”
“It’s the second princess of Bayreuth. You know, the one who was transferred with me..”
“So? You don’t need to run away.”
“…Shin, did something happen between you and her?”
Tiera wasn’t feeling any need to move replied to Shin’s words, and Schnee paused for a moment before asking Shin a question.
“Ahh…well, she was very interested in things like 『Kakura』 and my magic and other things. The talk of engagement in order to make me attached to the country seeming very…possible. Because of that, the ‘approach’ which I wasn’t sure was serious or joking…happened.”
Schnee still seemed to be smiling but, Shin felt a slightly overpowering feeling from her. Eye’s swimming, without any hesitation, he confessed all things that happened during their journey. His arm was then pulled as if she wouldn’t ever let it go, and a very happy sensation surged on his right arm.
He was absolutely baffled about what kind of expression he should be making right then.
“She had ‘approached’ you, right?”
“No, of course I refuse her, for real!?”
And then, Rionne’s presence approached while they having such an exchange. Shin’s vain struggle seemed only up to here.
“It’s been a long time, Shin. Why did you run away after making eye contact?”
When Shin turned around to look at the source of the voice, he saw Rionne standing there with a nice smile on her face.
Rionne talked to Shin casually. In the same manner as during their journey from Kalkia. Since she had put aside her royal behavior, her friendliness had increased as well.
Shin hadn’t seen her clearly from the glimpse through the crowd. A close up view though, revealed that Rionne’s dress exposed more bare skin than Schnee and Tiera. Her back and shoulders were completely exposed, while in the front she showed a deep cleavage, there was also a deep slit in her skirt. Was she aware of the change? The gallant and somewhat manly appearance she wore while on the battlefield was completely gone. Instead she was now displaying the feminine appeal of a woman.
“My companion isn’t very good with crowds. Being around Rionne-sama would simply attract too much attention.”
“Muu! Why are you talking to me like a stranger, Shin?”
“Because we’re being watched from all sides after all.”
While having a hard time not to stare at her cleavage and the slit in her skirt, Shin looked at Rionne’s eyes when he spoke.
‘Can a princess be over-familiar in a public place?’ He also included the meaning when he said so.
“I don’t mind it.”
“Play along.”
‘Forgive me’ should be written on Shin’s face.
Did she read that? Rionne shrugged her shoulders as if to say it couldn’t be helped.
“Well, it’s fine. We can only have empty conversations out here anyway. Putting that aside, shouldn’t you introduce the two flowers on both of your arms? Oh, as you’ve probably heard from Shin, I’m Rionne Strail Bayreuth. I’m the second princess of Bayreuth Kingdom.”
Rionne seemed to be interested in Schnee and Tiera who were on Shin’s right and left side, because her gaze kept shifting left to right.
“Pardon my rudeness. These are my fiancée’s, on my right is Yuki and on my left is Tiera.”
To forestall any awkward questions, because it would have seemed odd if only Schnee was called fiancée but both women were hanging off his arms, they decided earlier that both of them would be identified as fiancées.
“It’s my first time meeting you. I am called Yuki.”
“Um, a-and I’m Tiera Lucent”
Schnee introduce herself gracefully, but Tiera’s tone was strained due to her nervousness. When the word fiancée was spoken, Rionne narrowed her eyes a little.
“I’d heard that you had a fiancée, but I didn’t expect that she’s an elf. Well, if it’s a man like Shin, it’s natural isn’t it?”
“Well, a lot of things happened.”
While Rionne had been surprised that they were elves, she quickly returned to normal. She nodded as if she understood immediately.
(In this world, is polygamy considered normal for an upper class Chosen One?)
Even if Rionne had been surprised that his fiancées were elves, she didn’t seem surprised at the fact he had two fiancées. As far as Shin knew, none of his acquaintances had multiple wives. Still, his knowledge of the world was still too small to be of much use as a reference.
“They made it here pretty quickly. They had originally been in Bayreuth, weren’t they?”
“I can’t go into details but there are methods to travel quickly.”
“Ho, Shin surely surrounds himself with interesting people. I want Shin to become my country’s exclusive asset after all. Of course, I’ll be willing to pay.”
Rionne change her posture in order to make Shin more conscious of her own assets.
“Well, that――――”
“That won’t be possible. Rionne-sama.”
Shin who saw in Rionne, the eyes of the hunter aimed for their prey, looked for some way to decline without being rude or impolite. However, Shin was interrupted by Schnee who stepped forward.
“What do you mean by that?”
“If Rionne-sama saw a portion of Shin’s power, I think you can understand why it’s impossible without me having to express it in words, right?”
Though Schnee and Rionne were smiling at each other, Shin thought he saw sparks flying between them.
As the abrupt situation unfolded, Shin was barely able to keep his poker face.
“Well er, Yuki..san?”
“If you’ve seen his power, I think you would want it more, right?”
“But, that is for Shin to decide. Besides, did you hear the strange story that happened between us?”
Shin’s comment was ignored.
Apparently, neither one was willing to give up when the topic was related to engagement.
Shin could only watch the exchange between Schnee and Rionne. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do in this situation.
“Yuki-san and Rionne-sama, how about we shelve this for now? Because this is a party to celebrate victory, it’s not really a suitable place for this kind of discussion.”
While glaring at each other with smiling faces, the one who skillfully separated the two was Tiera.
Where did the cowering Tiera go? With her back straight and a faint smile, she seemed completely unlike the normal Tiera.
“Yes. Tiera is right. I am sorry, Rionne-sama.”
“No, I was also being impolite in front of the fiancées. Please forgive me.”
At Tiera’s words, which carried a sense of authority, the two pulled back the dangerous air they were emitting.
“Well then, there are people here I still need to greet. I have to do it before it’s too late. Let’s meet again later”
Though the party hadn’t really started yet, there seemed to be lots of people she still had to say hello to as her royal duty. In addition to the adventurers who had achieved victory in the war, many of Balmel’s nobility and wealthy merchants like Berett were also attending. There were many other people running around trying to make connections like Rionne.
“Um, Tiera?”
“What?”
“No well… because your moods were somewhat different from usual. Well that’s good. I’m at fault, but you save me the trouble.”
“Not really, it’s not a big deal. Now, let’s go eat a lot of delicious food!”
“You are..right. Enjoy yourself huh?”
Tiera who had a vague lonely expression on her face, gave out a small sigh in order to get over something. However, that was immediately dismissed with cheerfulness as she turned her attention to the lined up foods.
Though Shin was worried about her state, he hesitated to mention it here. He replied to her as natural as possible.
“Oh, it’s the appearance of the organizer, huh?”
In a timely manner, Taul appeared.
After the speech where he mentioned how glad he was that there were few casualties and that the war ended safely, voices for a toast echoed.
After that, the party hall became filled with sound and tumult. Everyone seemed to enjoy the party in their own way.
Elgin and other captains who participated in the war came over to where Shin and his party were gathered to greet them. Though they had invited them over to the knight squadron, they seemed to think it was natural that the invitation was declined. The invitation was simply a formality they had to make as a matter of course.
When the busy Elgin left for a round of courtesy calls, Guile came over next.
“Yo! You also co…Shin, come here for a bit”
Contrary to the Shin’s expectation that this should have been a casual greeting, Guile beckoned with his hand and took him aside. Since the two adventurers had both trained together, they were already on quite friendly terms.
“Oioi! Who are those two beauties? They are clearly on another level from the other women around here.”
“Ah, how should I say this, they’re my wife candidates?”
“What…do…you…say? Uh, Shin, how on earth did you get two elven beauties?! Teach me! No, please teach me!!”
Guile asked for a guidance after having stiffened with “I couldn’t believe it” expression. His expression changed completely. The last part was a little strange for his tone.
“Well… First you make a party together. After you’ve proven that you’re a reliable partner, you can then give her nice presents. It’s also effective if you devote yourself wholeheartedly to protect her in a pinch.”
While worrying that Guile was about to have a nervous breakdown, Shin enumerated the methods to raised favorability from the support characters in the game. Because he wasn’t particularly confident that the methods he used in the game would be effective here, he didn’t emphasize it too strongly.
“I understand about helping her in a pinch but that would be a problem if there’s no pinch at the very beginning. Then, it will be the presents, huh? Do they have to be expensive?”
“You’ve got it. I think it’s alright if the present is something plant related for now. Then, she would probably be pleased with a precious stone which sometimes falls near the big tree. Wait, do you like elves that much?”
Shin asked Guile. Since he was so curious about elf-related information, Shin thought that perhaps there was already a woman he was aiming for.
“Yea, to tell you the truth, there is an elf woman I’ve wanted to get closer to for some time. The problem is that elves coming out from the garden are very wary. Even though I’m a Chosen One, I’ve only been able to watch her from afar.”
“Is that so? Well, good luck.”
“Yea. I’ll introduce you sometime.”
“I look forward it….Hey, where are you going?”
Guile had a look of determination on his face as he moved to leave the party hall. Was he going to search for a present right away?
Shin thought this might be a bad idea, so he stopped him. Leaving less than 30 minutes after the special victory celebration started, wouldn’t be good, even for a Chosen One.
“Geez, this guy is always the same, when he finds something he’s interested in, his character completely changes.”
Careless of his hairstyle, Liege gripped Guile’s head and pulled it towards her. Though Guile resisted, he was just a mage and wasn’t a match for a magic swordswoman like Liege.
“Really? I guess I’ve changed too. Did you make the round of courtesy calls over there as well?”
“More or less, you know I don’t like all this formal stuff.”
What Liege displayed was a splendid iron claw, such an action was unbefitting of the figure that dressed in a deep red dress that attracted the neighboring eyes. More than Rionne, Liege’s strength was her voluptuousness.
“Even so, Shin is accompanied by some wonderful beauties too isn’t he? It made me lose some self-confidence as a woman”
“Well, anyone who see’s them say the same things, because it’s the truth!”
After they were called beautiful, Shin agreed without a hint of modesty.
“It’s a pretty refreshing feeling, when you put it that way.”
“I agree with that. But let me go!”
Guile escaped from Liege’s grasp and stood up. Because his head had been tightly gripped, his hairstyle was ruined.
“If I hadn’t grabbed you, you’d have tried to go home. There are still more places we have to go and people we need to greet. Let’s go!”
“Damn this animal strength! Let me go!”
While having an exchange like that between siblings, Liege waved her hand lightly and disappeared together with Guile in the crowd.
After that, many people continued to meet Shin. When the time was right, he moved to the terrace together with Schnee and Tiera. Though there were still many who wanted to meet them, they excused themselves and took a break.
“*Sigh* I’m tired. And this is only for being a Chosen One.”
“If it becomes known that you’re also a letter of introduction holder, there will be many more as well.”
“If it comes to that, I’ll escape.”
“Though as a Chosen One, you exposed the letter of introduction by yourself. Things will still be fine even if you don’t reveal the letter of introduction, right?”
“Argh, I-It is certainly better to just be a Chosen One…but I didn’t think that the guild would notify everyone so quickly.”
Besides the problems on how to prove himself, his knowledge about the term Chosen One were limited. After a long time, Shin thought whether or not revealing himself as a letter of introduction holder was hasty, but the damage has been done.
“Well it’s fine I guess. Since they’re Barlux-san’s acquaintances, it’s unlikely that they’ll leak the information easily. For the time being everything is good, because the city is safe once more.”
Even Shin wasn’t perfect.
They put aside the difficult discussion and decided to enjoy the rest of the party.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 05 - Crimson Exterminator/The-New-Gate-Volume-05-Crimson-Exterminator-[Shin][Armaell]/chss.txt
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Side Story
Side Story
Part 1
It was the time when THE NEW GATE was still a peaceful VRMMO.
One of the bases called Alloride was crowded with players and NPCs.
On the main street where stores that were placed side by side, made of wood, stone, metal and other raw materials that didn’t exist in the real world, a couple; in this case a man and woman were walking.
The man, who had black hair and black pupils wore a black long coat with matching black trousers. Except for the red armguards and the red leg guards, his appearance was almost entirely black. Though it was downtown, he was armed with a katana at his waist.
In contrast to the man in black, the woman was dressed in a colorful manner.
Her light brown hair was fashioned into twin tails which reached her back. Her blue eyes, which gave the impression of a blue sky, were looking at the man. Her skirt had a yellow checkered pattern and she also wore a white blouse with navy blue cloth accents. A short red mantle cover from her back to her shoulders. She let it float in the wind.
The man’s name was Shin, and the woman’s name was Marino.
“Hey, Marino. Though I said I’d follow you, how about telling me where you want to go?”
Shin hadn’t been informed of their destination. Therefore, he asked Marino, who was cheerfully walking in front, where they were going.
“It’s just a little farther, be patient.”
Where the two were heading was a shop that had been recommended to Marino.
“Let’s look for a secret famous shop”――It was brought up into their conversation about one week earlier.
Marino, who had a vast network of friends immediately found one of the shops. Ever since she had become a regular customer, she now talked about it incessantly.
“The bar manager is a nice person, every time I go to his bar, I end up talking to him for hours. How should I say this? He really fits the part of a bar manager who works in a coffee shop. Isn’t that what you want? Just like what you might find in a manga or a novel, he’s someone who gives off the impression of a dandy uncle who can be relied on. Although his appearance is a bit comical..”
Apparently, their destination was the coffee shop.
Many MMORPG’s had transitioned to VR. THE NEW GATE which Shin and Marino played was no exception. The conversion to VR allowed the players to move their avatars around like real bodies. Previously, avatars were viewed in third-person with the player viewpoint being from the back of the avatar, so the realism and reality from VR was overwhelmingly more popular with players.
One of the biggest changes was that the sense of taste had been reproduced. In the past, they could only enjoy the atmosphere, but now there were various food products that were sold with the collaboration of a food company.
In addition, there were many customers who come by for food just like in a real coffee shop. Because one couldn’t gain weight no matter how many sweets they ate, there was a rumor that many people had their meal portions increased in the game.
While not true of Marino, Shin wasn’t the sort who would have conversations in a real coffee shop, so he wasn’t really inclined to do it in a net game either.
So, why did he go this time? Only because the person who asked him to was Marino.
In the game, the two people were lovers.
“Ah look! You’ll see it when we turn at that corner there.”
Shin shifted his gaze ahead to where the spirited Marino had pointed.
Shin, who had memorized almost all Alloride’s maps, noticed that a road with little pedestrian traffic branched off from the main street. Certainly, he agreed that this road had all the atmosphere require for a famous hidden shop.
However, Shin started to have doubts before turning at the corner, when he noticed the signboard that he saw earlier.
“Hey, I can see the signboard from here, but only paws and small fishes were drawn on it. Is it a coffee shop where you get to play with cats or dogs?”
‘It actually exists’, Shin imagined a shop where healing is the main theme.
“No it’s not. The bar manager is a beast of the cat race. That’s why the signboard is like that. Ah, by the way, it’s not a small fish drawn with the paw, it’s a small dried sardine.”
Marino gave off a “What are you talking about?” vibe, leaving Shin with mixed feelings.
The name of the shop was ‘Nyan Da Land’. As for that naming, Shin certainly felt it fit a more cat-like vibe rather than animal-like. However, it was not without thinking ‘It should have been easy to understand’. Especially the small dried sardines.
“It’s because he’s a cat, huh? Y~eah, like I would have known that.”
Couldn’t they have used an image of a cat? While puzzling over this, Shin followed Marino through the door of the coffee shop.
“Welcome! Oh, if isn’t it Mari-nyaa?”
“Hello Hibineko-san. I’ve brought the lover whom I had mentioned before”
“Oh, then you must be Shin-kun?”
Hibineko looked at Shin. Their conversation showed that the relationship between the owner and the Marino was something more than what you’d normally find between a shopkeeper and customer.
Hibineko’s low pitched voice echoed through Shin’s ears. Shin wasn’t worried about what was said. On the other hand the possibility of writhing to the sombre baritone voice was high.
However, Shin focused on the nickname “Mari-nyaa” used by Hibineko for Marino.
“Mari…nyaa?”
“Hmm, that was one of the informal word endings that were established by my guild the ‘Cat Type Tribe Word Ending Research Society’. When you want to indicate respect and affection, ‘-nyaa’ is attached to the partner’s name. Don’t worry, ‘-nyaa’ isn’t something intended to be used casually like at a first meeting.”
“Sounds like you’re part of an amazing guild, huh? Um, may I call you Hibineko-san?”
Though Marino was calling the catman, “Hibineko”, what Shin saw displayed using 【Analyze】 was [email protected]
“‘Hibineko’ has been attached to this avatar, huh? I’m delighted when you call me so.”
The cat type avatar lowered his head, there was coloring of black ears at the white fur. However, a portion of his face was gray for some reason, the white and gray boundary line looked like a crack on a concrete.
Hibineko, a cracked cat? It was an amazingly well made avatar, Shin felt it was amusing and a little amazing at the same time. Because it was rare in the game, it was possible that he liked to do things that amazed others.
“Then let’s decide what to order first.”
The two sat on the chairs after the self-introduction ended. It was a famous hidden shop so there were few customers inside, each of them having fun chatting.
“There’s a large menu here. The recommended items are the shakes. The choices are strawberry, white peach, and black sesame in yogurt. By the way, I recommend the black grape shake.”
“Is there coffee or tea behind the counter?”
Shin who thought one of those was definitely her favorite, asked Marino while glancing behind the counter.
“Everything over there is quite good. There are no bad choices.”
Marino commented that everything there were first-class goods. It wasn’t just that it tasted good, the food acted as a power up in a way that was more effective than the half-assed products sold over the counter in a normal shop.
“Then without further ado, I’ll take what Marino recommended, the black grape shake.”
“I’ve decided too. Master, two black grapes shakes.”
Not even five minutes passed after Marino ordered before Hibineko brought the shakes, which had been poured into glasses.
Because a chef could shorten the food preparation time for a certain number of dishes, it didn’t even take a minute of time for the actual food preparation.
To make things seem more realistic, a certain amount of time was waited.
“Thank you for waiting. Here are the black grape shakes you ordered.”
“It’s here!”
“Then without delay――”
Shin tasted the shakes that had arrived. With an icy cold feeling, the sourness and the sweet taste of the grapes spread inside his mouth. Even though it was in game, it was a taste he could honestly say was delicious.
The admiring Shin saw that the icons which indicate DEX and INT on his stats bar had risen. Though the rate of increase was lower than from a buff from a mage, it was an increase that surpassed that which was typical given by food.
“This is amazing! Do you have a version for take out?”
“I’d rather keep this between a few close friends. It’s a business, but I’m not doing this for profits.”
When Shin asked with a voice that wasn’t strange coming from a major guild, Hibineko answered with a troubled face.
Among the gamers, there were people who want to seriously take in what they do.
For such people, they might not be interested to fight for the no. 1 either.
“I see. Well, I have a chef acquaintance I know, so I thought I wanted to see her reaction when she drinks this.”
Shin who tried to guess at what was going on inside Hibineko’s head, explained why.
“If that’s the case, I’ll prepare one for you to take with you. I wonder what her impression will be?”
“Really! Thank you very much”
Hibineko seemed to be interested in the other’s chef’s reaction. He converted the shake into a card and handed it to Shin.
“That’s Cook-san isn’t it? I don’t appreciate it when you talk about other girls in front of your lover.”
Although Shin was happy for a moment because he had obtained something rare, Marino who had been watching the exchange between the two, glared at Shin.
“M-My bad, Marino. It’s only because the shake you recommended was so wonderful. It was unintentional, okay?”
Shin, clasping both hands together to apologize. Marino nodded with a pose that suggested “It couldn’t be helped.”.
“Oh well, I also thought to take some to Cook-san, so it’s fine. It’s not like you can do this in the real world after all.”
Marino was used to the change that came over Shin when he was exposed to unusual items and equipment. It was like his eye color changed.
“So Shin, you need to find a good shop for me next time.”
“I’ll look for it, but don’t expect too much.”
Shin frowned at her reply. Armour and weapons shops were one thing, he didn’t have a clue about finding a shop with a playful name like ‘Nyan Da Land’.
Shin was relieved though because he knew it meant she wasn’t in a bad mood.
“Then, what kind of tale will you tell us today? I never get tired of hearing Shin’s stories.”
“I’m not sure what you mean, I’ve talked plenty about my black history in the past. I want to hear some stories about Marino’s failures in the past too.”
“To want to hear a girl’s shameful story…Shin is pervert.”
“Wa!? You, stop retorting like that, alright?!”
It was an exchange that seemed more like the bickering of two bad friends than between two lovers. In reality, they knew that they were just joking with each other. It just showed that they were happy together.
Even though they didn’t speak of anything consequential that day, Shin and Marino still enjoyed their conversation.
“Ah, sorry, I have to go soon.”
While she was speaking with Shin and Hibiniko, Marino was keeping track of the time displayed in the digital display on the edge of her view. When her time was up, she mentioned she had to leave.
“Hm? It’s that time already, huh? It’s always hard to believe that the time passes so quickly.”
Marino had told him that she had a time limit to her net gaming and had no choice but to leave the conversation.
“See you later! Please find me a good shop by the day after tomorrow.”
After getting up and telling him that, she left the shop and then logged out. She’d mentioned that she wouldn’t be able to log in tomorrow due to circumstance with her family.
“Now, what should I do? I don’t really know of any good coffee shops.”
After Marino left, Shin was feeling some despair. In fact, he didn’t have a clue regarding where to look for an appealing shop.
“…maybe I should ask her for some help?”
Shin muttered, while thinking about his guildmate chef.
-
“Have you found a good shop?”
“More or less. Since I don’t know as much about this topic as you do, you might already know about it.”
Two days later. Shin and Marino visited a player hub named Ametora.
Shin was passionate about the things he liked and his favorite activities. Marino on the other hand was quick to gather information about things that were cute, fashionable and stylish instead.
Shin mentioned that he’d asked someone for help, because he expected that Marino probably already knew about this shop.
“Look. It’s that shop. What was written on the signboard seems to be the abbreviation of ‘Black & White’.”
Shin pointed at the signboard, which had ‘B&W’ drawn on it.
“Hmmm I see. I think you’ve made a pretty good choice.”
With a tone that seemed joking, Marino nodded in agreement. Seeing that response, Shin had a “She had known after all” bitter look on his face.
“I wonder if Hibineko-san was the source of your information?”
“Wrong. Though it is someone you know too.”
“When Shin says it’s the person I know too…Cook-san?”
“You discovered that rather quickly…”
“Well, there aren’t many chefs that we’re both acquainted with, right?”
Shin knew plenty of people involved with the production of weapons and armor, he had many blacksmiths acquaintances, in addition to alchemists and leather-smiths. However, that wasn’t the reason that he only knew a few chef acquaintances.
For Marino who knew Shin’s friends to some extent, it was easy for her to make a guess like that.
“I feel like I’m being seen through more than ever.”
“You should increase your friends.”
“Are you saying I don’t have many friends??”
Shin exclaimed. Marino put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. They seemed to say many terrible things, but neither face showed any malice.
Though a friend might say they were having a comedy couples dialogue, it was their usual mode of communication.
“Welcome!”
As the two entered the shop, they were greeted by a woman who had a white hair and transparent blue eyes. Her hair was loose and wavy and gently shook in a wind.
“Holly-san, hello.”
Marino called out the name of the shop assistant who had welcomed them with a smile as she said hello.
“Ara, if it isn’t Marino-chan? Long time no see. Oh? What, are you going with a man today?”
“Tee-hee, he’s actually my boyfriend.”
With a slight grin, Holly spoke to Marino in a teasing way. However, Marino declared it clearly without being perturbed. Her expression revealed her happiness.
“Oh oh dear my, that’s good, that’s very good. I’ll give you a discount today. Dear! Can you come here for a moment?”
“…What? You are being a bit loud, you know?”
Seeming to have heard two voices making a racket, a frowning man came out from the depths of the shop.
Before the two women replied, Shin who saw that man’s face, spoke his name.
“Eh? Shadow-san?”
“Hm? If it isn’t Shin? It’s rare for you to come to a cafe. And together with a woman too.”
“Ahh, yeah, that’s right. Well um, she’s Marino, my girlfriend.”
“Long time no see”
“Fumu, both of you, it’s been a long time.”
Shadow said with a smile.
“You know Shadow-san too?”
Shin asked Marino.
“I know him because I had known this shop, but what about you, Shin?”
“I joined together with Shadow-san in a PvP event. It was an impromptu party we made where he fought with me side by side. He is happy when I call him a real ninja.”
When an avatar’s movement was unusual, it became famous among some players. There was a rumor among players that the operating abilities of a player who didn’t depend on the system were high.
“What Happy?! Being eager to perform, you increased my Status Troll-kun” (T/N: Status in this case was Shadow’s standing as an individual, mostly likely he didn’t want to stand out.)
“Guwaa”
Shin being Shin, he was famous for a different reason than Shadow.
“Oh boy, it’s because you have a strange way of speaking.”
“Ku, I can’t deny that….”
Shin hung his head down at Marino’s comment.
Holly watched the exchange between Shin and Shadow, though she didn’t say anything, she seemed to be withholding her laughter.
“Then, how about we end this talk for the moment and order something? Coming to a coffee-house, I don’t admire people staying without ordering anything, you know?”
Because they would only block the entrance standing there, Shadow urged them on as Shin was getting hit by the verbal attacks. Shin and Marino ordered a set of drinks and snacks and took a seat.
“What do you say? It’s also good to be like that, don’t you think?”
“What is it?”
“Mou! you’re dense. I mean Shadow-san and Holly-san’s matter. The two of them manage a shop together, isn’t it pretty wonderful?”
Her voice seemed to contain a lot of admiration for them. Holly accepted orders from the customers while Shadow prepared the dishes and drinks like in a real store. Marino watched their movements as they worked with each other in perfect harmony.
“Well, those two in real life are also…wait, do you know, Marino? The things about these two people.”
“Of course. Shin also knew that, right?”
It was a taboo to speak about another player’s real life except oneself in a net. Shin who confirmed it just to make sure, and Marino returned “Of course”.
What the two confirmed each other without expressing it in words, it was about Shadow and Holly being a married couple in the real world. It was not the fictitious net-only relationship. They were a genuine one, two people that could reach out to each other even in reality, Marino has been longing for it.
“When I watch those people who are in love, astonishment comes first more than jealousy.”
“Isn’t that nice, Shin? I was able to meet you after waiting so long. It’s only natural thinking that you’d like to have that feeling forever.”
“Well that too, even I could empathize.”
When the act of love was shown in public, the person seeing it ended up feeling tired.
While holding such impressions, Shin turned his attention to the menu again.
Part 2
“Shall we form a party and go to a dungeon?”
Four days later after he went to the ‘B&W’, Shin received an invitation mail.
Though Shin was surprised by the mail which came abruptly. He had no problem with his schedule or reason to decline so he replied “Got it.”.
“(Then, there are five of us, you and me, Hibineko-san, Shadow-san and Holly-san. I’ll prepare a meal portion for Shin.)”
“(I’m thankful for that. So, should I offer to do their equipment?)”
“(Um, that would be helpful.. I think.)”
Voice chat could be used between players. Using that function, Shin confirmed the members and the location. Shin heard Marino speaking in an uncertain sounding voice.
Shin had learnt the details of the dungeon’s whereabouts from Marino’s alter ego in the game. He was aware that the dungeon was far beyond what Marino’s avatar can handle.
Marino’s current avatar had just finished her first reincarnation. With Marino’s current level, when you factored in the quality of her equipment and the low bonus for reincarnation, level 300 monsters would be the most suitable for her.
The problem was that, the field-type dungeon which was selected as their destination had monsters that averaged level 400. Marino’s current level meant she could be instantly killed by these monsters even at the dungeon entrance. It was clear that she was lacking ability.
Shin only knew Shadow’s ability. He confirmed that Holly and Hibineko didn’t have a problem with it.
In other words, Marino was simply a burden. If she made a single mistake, the possibility of dying and returning alone were high.
“(But I never thought it was such a high-level dungeon…)”
“(Because you are always with me, they probably thought you were a high rank player too. Since you often meet with Hibineko-san and Holly-san, didn’t you guys talk about it?)”
“(We hardly discussed capturing dungeon. And I usually asked for advice from Holly-san as we’re both are women.)”
“(Oh well, that’s just how you are.)”
It wasn’t unusual for them to chat meaninglessly like this avatar to avatar. Most people seemed to have fun discussing things that way in MMOs.
“(Well that’s fine I guess. Though I’d be angry if someone I didn’t know suddenly proposed this. Marino is not the kind to think that way.)”
“(Mu! I feel like I’m being made fun of somehow.)”
“(Definitely not. Isn’t there something more reasonable than power-leveling, Marino?)”
In case of Marino’s character, was she being modest? She was going to discuss changing the destination with Shadow and Holly. They wouldn’t be offended by the request.
He wasn’t sure about Hibineko, but after talking with him, Shin felt he had the same kind of good personality as Shadow and Holly. He couldn’t help to think there was some kind of meaning behind Marino’s desire to intentionally go to a high-level dungeon.
“(Actually, the reason is that you can see the amazingly beautiful scenery in this dungeon field)”
According to Marino, there was a place where elaborate graphics could be seen. Screen shot images of what players saw there had been uploaded to a bulletin board. It seemed that Marino really wants to see it for herself.
“Is that so? Well I understand. Then, I’m willing to cooperate.”
As they chatted, the face of Shin’s avatar expressed a broad smile to show Marino he agreed.
From the beginning, he didn’t think that Marino was interested in power-leveling. Shin mostly focused on reinforcing his arms and raising his abilities. Her play-style was completely different. Of course, Shin didn’t dislike the way Marino enjoyed things.
“Then, let’s choose your equipment right now. With your stats, the best equipment to use is ‘Poisonous Viper’s Skin Mantle’, ‘Dagger of Decomposition’ and ‘Black Lily Boots’.”
As they had finished chatting, Shin met Marino at Alloride and handed over the equipment he had chosen and brought from the warehouse.
“T-They have good performance, but they’re strange looking and their names are frightening! No one would wear this equipment!”
Most equipment with sinister sounding names will also give off a sinister impression. Marino who wore them while displaying a doubtful face, screamed at the design.
“Ha ha ha. I’m just kidding.”
While laughing unnaturally, Shin collected the items from Marino.
The items that Shin removed would have certainly improve Marino’s ability as a tamer. The problem was they looked like something an evil magician or a terrible monster abusing tamer would wear.
“Then, here is my favorite equipment.”
“Mou! …you’re mean.”
Marino glared at him with a sulky face. Shin looked back at her with a smirk, as he laughed with a “nyonyo”.
“Muu!”
“Hey! Sorry, Sorry!”
Marino who was pouting because of Shin’s expression, attacked Shin with the equipment that she had just received. Though there was no damage, Shin quickly admitted defeat.
“That is forbidden!”
“Well you see, it’s the truth that guys want to be mean to the girl he likes.”
“…I’m not going to be fooled.”
“Marino-san, you were swayed just now, weren’t you?”
Shin noticed that Marino’s movement had became awkward.
“Mou! It’s forbidden after all! For-bi-d-den!”
Shin teased Marino who waved her fist while being embarrassed.
The two people arguing sounded nice and warm, as warm looks were sent from their surroundings.
The day after Marino’s equipment had been decided. Shin and his party traveled through a mountain and forest area as they came to the field-type dungeon ‘Sacred Mountain of the Morning Star’.
The party consisted of 5 people; Shin, Marino, Hibineko, Shadow, and Holly. At Marino’s feet was a young Wolf-Type monster or ‘Mini-Rufu’, which was her partner. It was sitting in standby mode. His name was ‘Pochitama’. Although his appearance was that of a puppy, Marino said that he had a cat-like character.
With a prototype katana 『Gengetsu』 pulled out from his waist, Shin said.
“Well then, shall we go?”
“I-I’ll do my best!”
Marino who was anxious about her level, shouted as if she did not want to become a burden.
“I look forward to the scenery from the mountaintop.”
“Such an adventure isn’t bad either.”
“You’re just itching to put your skills to use.”
Holly and Shadow also readied their weapons. Shadow looked like a Ninja. By wearing the ‘Ninja outfit of the Twilight’ he really looked the part. He wore ‘Dagger of Twilight’ on his waist.
Holly was standing next to him wearing the fluffy seeming ‘Robe of Soul Cloth’. The ‘Short Stick of Light’ was sticking out of the robe.
Hibineko who looked like a bartender, dressed in ‘Cat of Wonder’ outfit. His arms were equipped with clawed dragon arms called ‘Misty Hound’. Though they seemed the same, they were both a weapon and a guard which were classified as medium rank of 《Mythology》 grade.
As for Shin, he was wearing 《Ancient》 grade equipment in addition to his 《Ancient》 grade weapon, 『Gengetsu』.
Marino was only equipped with 《Unique》 grade equipment so, she was little out of place.
“…Still, I think it’s better for you to spend time on raising your level a little more.”
“She should do what she wants. I am particular about this, but couldn’t refuse because Marino was looking forward this.”
“That’s right. Shin-kun and Marino-chan seemed to look forward to this. I say this just in case, but you mustn’t neglect the real world.”
“I know. If I get addicted to the game and shut myself off, I would get beaten by my parents.”
Once when his grades fell, Shin almost had his internet canceled. Recalling that, he showed a “Gimme a break” expression.
“You don’t understand. That what is called the parental love.”
“Indeed. Too much of anything is not good.”
“Ugh…That make my ears burn.”
Shin who had stepped into the territory of an addicted person, couldn’t argue against Hibineko and Shadow.
Anyway, after being scolded by his parents, Shin played with emphasizing on efficiency. It was an ironic story, as that boosted Shin’s strength in a strange way.
“Come on, lets talks about this later. The enemy is here!”
“Woops! It seems so.”
With Hibineko’s single phrase, everyone turned their attention to the surroundings.
The road Shin and the party walking on, was surrounded by dense forest. The visibility was poor because of the dim forest and they couldn’t check the other side of the trees.
Normally, this wasn’t a situation where they could talk comfortably as they watched for a surprise attack. However, with Shin who could be called an all-around type, Hibineko who was good at solo fights, and Shadow whose main job was Shinobi, on the lookout, they wouldn’t allow an enemy to approach so easily.
“Three from the right, two from the left.”
After reporting that, Shadow disappeared. A Shinobi’s main power was basically the surprise attack. Though it was a battle that played around with speed as he showed up occasionally, Shadow was better at surprise attacks.
As for the others, because only Shin and Hibineko were adequate for their levels, they served as backup in case additional monsters came.
“Roger that. Hibineko-san, I’ll go for the right.”
“Umu, then I’ll take charge of the left.”
Shin said, while noting the approaching presences. Behind where Shin and Hibineko readied their weapons, Holly also prepared to invoke a magic skill immediately.
“I’m counting on you, Pochitama”
“Woof!”
Though she understood that she wouldn’t have a turn, Marino held her whip, and prompted her partner, Pochitama to be wary. He seemed to have already sensed that an enemy was close. Pochitama let out a small roar and crouched, in order to be able to spring upon the enemy at any time.
“Here it comes!”
Several seconds after Shin shouted, monsters jumped out one after another from the gap between the trees.
The first to appear were three monsters who came out from the right side of their view.
They were ‘Red Boartaurus’. These monsters had a boar’s head combined with a human lower body. Though they only wore loincloths, their bodies were entirely covered in crimson bristles. Their arms, which were as thick as logs, grasped huge battle axes more than 2 mels high. Their eyes, which peered out between thick and sharp tusks, were staring straight at Shin and the others.
Several seconds after the Red Boartaurus appeared, two ant-type monsters called ‘Mana-Ant Searchers’ came out from the left side. With bluish-white shells, they had three pairs of shiny compound eyes that were evenly spaced on their faces.
Making a “Kacha Kacha” noise with their tusks, the Red Boartaurus turned their heads left and right as they were comparing Shin and the others by sight.
“Uh, it’s the Searcher!”
“No time to waste. Hibineko-san. I’ll support you, so please finish them quickly.”
“Understood!”
Monsters who had gained the name “Searcher”, could call in a large number of companions if they weren’t defeated quickly. Any player who had become strong within THE NEW GATE, knew that from experience.
Holly waited for Hibineko to attack the Mana-Ant Searchers to attract their attention, before she invoked her magic skill.
“【Thunder Arrow】 in three seconds!”
After hearing Holly’s voice, Hibineko attacked while calculating the time. In two seconds, Hibineko jumped, at the same time he escaped from the line of fire of the 【Thunder Arrow】, he disappeared from the Mana-Ant Searchers’ view.
By giving the two monsters equal damage, the Mana-Ant Searchers’ attention completely went to Hibineko. As the two Mana-Ant Searchers looked up at Hibineko who jumped, Holly shot lightning technique type magic skill 【Thunder Arrow】 three times.
The lightning technique type magic skill gave the abnormal effect ‘Paralyze’ that restrict the movement of the opponents. Its effect was fully demonstrated this time, as the Mana-Ant Searchers’ movement became stiff.
At this time, Hibineko who had jumped, extend both of his arms before he landed. Because he jumped before the Mana-Ant Searcher’s heads were hit by the rays, Hibineko crushed the two heads in one attack.
The swoop dive after the great jump was a barehanded technique martial arts skill 【High & Low】. It was a jump used together with other players that attack with magic or a bow, as well as being a skill used when pursuing. Among the players, this was one of the orthodox combinations of play.
The Mana-Ant Searchers’ HP, whose heads were destroyed, became 0, they turned into polygons and scattered.
Before confirming the item drops and the EXP, Hibineko turned his face toward Shin. While Hibineko and Holly were keeping the Mana-Ant Searchers occupied, Shin was facing against the Red Boartaurus. As he was also trying to put the katana prototype to the test, he dodged the enemy’s battle ax with a sidestep, and started to attack.
Shin had invested primarily on increasing 『Gengetsu’s』 range of attack, a red translucent blade extended from the tip of the katana, and its range became about 3 times its original.
One-handed weapons which had this kind range, without using a skill, were quite rare. However, every time he attacked with 『Gengetsu』, Shin’s MP had decreased a little. Because MP was being used in a normal attack, the reduction of MP decreases the number of times skills can be used, and the use of things like recovery items would increase. This would become a burden in a battle.
However, if you looked at the power and the suppression force that bisected two of the Red Boartaurus who were in line with the slash, it was a trifling compensation.
“Look here!”
Just as Shin was about to attack the last Red Boartaurus, Marino’s whip was snapped. And then, the slashing attack that Shin unleashed, cut the body in two. With the skill that was strengthened by 『Gengetsu’s』 ability, even the objects behind the Red Boartaurus were destroyed.
“Good timing! Nice assist!”
Though Marino’s attack didn’t seem to have an effect, Shin evaluated the points to her follow-up movement. Shin gave a thumbs up and praised Marino.
“Uu, it wasn’t effective at all.”
“It would be like that considering Marino’s stats. Besides, today’s opponents are hand-to-hand combat type. They are strong in physical attack.”
Shin spoke to cheer Marino who was depressed.
The level of the Red Boartaurus were higher than the average monsters that appear in the ‘Sacred Mountain of the Morning Star’, higher than 501. In addition, as a close combat type, its movement wouldn’t stop at the little damage. It was only natural that Marino’s attack lack power.
“Is it over for now?”
“It is safe now, no enemy approaching.”
Shadow who had watched the surroundings appeared and answered Shin’s question. After the items were collected, the party decided to advance ahead.
“My level rose by 5 levels!”
“There’s a huge gap for the level and stats. Because we are in a party, even if the experience points are distributed to some extent, you’ll receive experience points fairly as compensation”
To Marino who was surprised to see her status screen, Shin said it was only natural. Since she wasn’t only just looking, and attacked for real, compensation applies to the amount of experience she received. (T/L Note: Compensation here means that she receives more if she participates in a fight vs just sitting and power leveling.)
“Then, let’s head forward.”
With Shin and Hibineko in the lead, the party walked forward. When they had walked for about 30 minutes and a few more battle afterwards, the road started to be inclined.
“I think we have entered the mountains.”
“Indeed, according to the information that I collected, the type of monsters that appear will change.”
While walking on the narrowing path of the mountain, Hibineko shared information with Shin.
There were two types that they should be cautious of.
The snake type monster that was good at surprise attacks, ‘Stare Viper’, and the bird type monster that attacks in mid air using the trees as blind spots, ‘Farlop’.
After they had compared the information they had with each other, Shin muttered with a stumped face.
“But this is too much…”
“Well, the number is considerably different from the story I heard.”
As he could sense many reactions from 【Sign Perception】, Hibineko agreed while twiddling with his whiskers.
While the range 【Sign Perception】 could detect was wide, it could also detect wild animal and players in addition to monsters. But to Shin and the others, they just need to watch the markers displayed on the map, to see whether it was a monster or not.
However, that was not the case this time. In the rugged terrain of the mountain, the markers that were displayed didn’t slowdown as they were moving on the field at a fixed speed. Their movement weren’t affected by the terrain. For this to be possible, only the flight monsters could enable such movements.
As Shin was paying attention, he confirmed with 【Search】 that the markers were monsters as they came closer.
“Um, what do you mean?”
“The number of monsters is a bit higher than what I heard. They shouldn’t be the monsters that are coming out in a group.
Did she heard them talking? Shin explained the situation to Marino who seemed to be perplexed.
“Wouldn’t this make it impossible to climb?”
“No, this is all right. At worse, I will knock them down and clean everything off. And see if we could go around it.”
To Marino with a worried face, Shin returned with an indifferent attitude. This was not an exaggeration or a bluff, it was possible when making full use of Shin’s skills and stats. It was a simple fact.
“If Shin-kun is here, there will be no problem in that area. Marino-chan, aren’t you feeling relieved?”
“Ah, yes.”
Holly, who didn’t show much enthusiasm, smiled as Marino felt at ease.
“By the way, Hibineko-san. Doesn’t this feel like a hidden quest being generated?”
From the mass outbreak of the monsters, Shin brought up the possibility that came to mind.
“Well, there’s that possibility. But, I have not heard that kind of quest in this neighborhood.”
“Then, it’s an undiscovered quest, huh?”
“Maybe, but our goal is different this time. Stop that excited face.”
“Nope, *tehee*”
In THE NEW GATE, there were a lot of hidden quests that were still unknown to the players.
It was one of the pleasures of the players to discover them, Shin too without exception had a big grin on his face due to the unexpected situation.
“There’s a lot in the sky, but only a few monsters on the ground. Would you like to go the place I observed from?”
Shadow who had disappeared due to scouting out the area, showed up from inside the forest to ask Shin.
“Is that so? I think we can go if the cave we ought to enter on the way is not found. And I have a feeling that I saw them flying lower than the mountaintop. I think Shadow’s idea is good, don’t you think?”
While seeing Farlops flying through the forest, Shin suggested.
“Fumu, it seems it’s just as Shin say it. Mari-nyaa, how about you?”
“Um, I also think Shadow’s plan is good. If this is no good, there will be another day. I’ll leave the judgement to everyone.”
Marino who was asked by Hibineko, nodded while saying that.
“It’s decided. Then shall we move?”
When the plan was decided, Shadow disappeared again, he went ahead to investigate the situation.
Shin and the rest were also watching the surroundings, and moved forward through the mountain road.
In less than 20 minutes. The number of trees gradually decreased, it became impossible to hide themselves.
“I saw the entrance. It was on the other side.”
Shadow who went ahead revealed himself, and told Shin and the others that he had discovered the entrance of the cave.
While following Shadow, 30 mels before the end of the forest, the cave’s entrance was visible.
“We would be found by the enemy like this. Should we apply 【Hiding】?”
“That would be good. The flight type monsters have good sight.”
Shadow agreed to Shin’s proposal. When Shin looked behind, Hibineko and Holly also nodded.
“Eh? Pochitama isn’t here”
Marino’s voice reached Shin’s ears just as he about to activate the skill.
“Hm? Hey, look! That!”
Marino’s raised voice that pointed in front of Shin, there was the figure of Pochitama running in the opposite direction to the cave.
“I didn’t give any instructions though…”
“Oh dear! Did he pay too much attention to the sky?”
When moving to a dungeon, one must be aware of the enemy after all. Monster partners shouldn’t act without permission, and because Pochitama was an ally, he was not covered by Shin and the others’ watch.
“This is bad, we’ve been found. I’ll be the decoy, please catch him in the meantime.”
Shin saw multiple signs were aiming at Pochitama, and he jumped out from the forest. While Shin runs to the cave, he faces the Farlops that dive down.
“Eat this!!”
From the tip of the stretched-out hand, bullets of light continuously shot out. However, the light bullets heading in a straight line were avoided by the Farlops by slightly changing their descending trajectory.
“Too naive.”
The light bullets that should have lost its target, suddenly changed trajectory direction midair. The light bullets that had been heading toward the sky, attacked the back of the Farlops while drawing the character “く”.
“Light technique type magic skill 【Ray Stinger】!”
The light-balls that were bestowed with homing ability, fully demonstrate Shin’s enhanced magic power. The light bullets moved in the air freely, and penetrated several Farlops.
With polygons falling from the sky, Shin directed his gaze to Marino and the others.
The skill that could direct the enemy’s hatred toward oneself were ineffective when the monsters already started to attack. A few Farlops were already heading down towards Marino and the others.
“At this time, there’s no way to earn all the hatred.”
Shin muttered alone as he swung the 『Gengetsu』. With the sound that cut the air, he invoked 【Blade Pass】.
“Strike them all!”
Above Marino and the others who ran toward Pochitama, multiple red slashing lines flew. For attacks, outside of Shin’s perception range, the Farlops who were diving down were bisected before they could reach Marino and the others.
“I caught him!”
While rain of polygons poured down, Marino caught Pochitama. Marino held Pochitama in her arms, but that didn’t stop him from barking continuously toward the front.
“What’s the matter, Pochitama?”
“Judging from his reaction, he probably trying to inform us there’s something on the other side, don’t you think?”
Shadow said to Marino who was perplexed at Pochitama’s behavior. While watching the surroundings, Hibineko and Holly also conveyed the same opinion.
“Apparently, there is something in the shade of that rock.”
Hibineko who was looking at the direction where Pochitama barked, noticed there was a response other than the Farlops.
The interception of the Farlops was left to Shin, Marino and the other stealthily looked at the back of the rock that blocked their view.
“Is that the Stare Viper?”
Blue and green scales undulated. It was a big snake, Stare Viper, that has a span of 7 mels. And something was encircled by that gigantic body. Because its body was in the way, Marino and the others couldn’t see what was in the center.
“That seems to be the cause. At this chance, let’s kill it.”
“I’ve the same feeling. It’ll be boring to retreat here.”
“Ho-nyaa and Shado-nyaa are really fired up, huh? Then, I’ll also help. Mari-nyaa, you hide here.”
“Got it. Be careful.”
As Marino’s support from the back was received, the three jumped out from the shade of the rock. While Holly chanted, Shadow’s presence was erased and Hibineko flew straight from the front.
“It’s level 500. That’s quite a high-level.”
【Analyze】 revealed the level of Stare Viper, Hibineko waves his fist upfront while admiring it.
By movement system martial arts skill 【Shukuchi】, the Stare Viper couldn’t react to Hibineko who suddenly appeared before its eyes. It could only take on the attacks.
At the same time the damage was generated by his claws, the surface of the Stare Viper’s face started to frost due to Hibineko’s skill, barehanded and water technique combination skill 【Freezing Blow】. With its face being frozen, the Stare Viper’s movement suddenly became dull.
Just like a snake in the real world, a snake type monster has one common weakness on the thermal sensor organ called pit organ.
“*Shoom!*”
In the opening that was caused by Hibineko’s attack, Shadow attacked repeatedly. As the Stare Viper received the backstab critical combo, its HP suddenly entered the red zone.
“I’ll end it!”
Against the tottering Stare Viper, Holly unleashed her magic. A spear of soil grew from the ground, and skewered the Stare Viper.
Like Holly had declared, it became the final blow as the Stare Viper burst and scattered. When the gigantic body disappeared, the thing that the Stare Viper encircled was revealed.
“Marino-chan, it’s safe. Come out and see this.”
“Y-Yes!”
When Holly and Marino approached, Shadow and Hibineko turned over to give them way.
“It’s some kind of egg. The Stare Viper was aiming at this.”
“It seems so. But Hibineko-san and I couldn’t get close.
“We’re repelled by some kind of magic barrier.” Shadow reported.
The egg was surrounded by a transparent membrane about 2 mels radius; even if Shadow and Hibineko touched it, they couldn’t pass it through.
“I wonder if there’s any conditions?”
“It’s amazing, right? Ah, hey Pochitama!”
Next to Holly who was lost in thought, Pochitama escaped from Marino’s arms. Marino thought he would hit against the magic barrier, but Pochitama slipped into the barrier without any resistance.
“Hmm, perhaps Mari-nyaa is the key this time?”
“Eh?”
Marino who was the subject of their talk, stopped moving in front of the barrier. Her face has the look of someone asking the question “What?”.
“For now, can you look at it, Marino-chan? If Pochitama can enter, Marino-chan probably could too.”
“Um, I understand.”
Urged by Holly, Marino timidly tried to touch the magic barrier. Then, similar to Pochitama, she passed through the magic barrier as if there was nothing there.
“Marino-chan, get the egg!”
“Eh, but that is…stealing…”
“It’s okay! It’s a quest item according to the appraisal.”
Marino couldn’t keep up with the momentum of Holly’s victory pose.
However, she also understood that the egg has no parents, so she touched the egg. And then, it transformed into an item card at Marino’s hand.
Part 3
“Eh? the magic barrier disappeared?”
“Hibineko-san! Shadow-san! The Farlops ignoring my taunt are heading to you! Please be careful!”
When the magic barrier disappeared, the Farlops aiming at Shin turned toward Marino. While urging them to be on alert, the look on his face plainly expressed, “I won’t let you do as you please,” as he swooped down to attack the Farlops.
“Don’t even think about passing me!”
With Shin’s shout, light bullets flew in the air. Light bullets that were impossible even for the mage Holly to cast, were launched like a barrage of heavy rain.
Seeing the fired light bullets annihilate the Farlops, his allies’ faces, Hibineko and the rest, twitched.
“Just like Holly-san said, it was true…”
When traces of the light bullets had disappeared, the creatures that were flying over the sky were gone.
“If it’s Shin, he can shoot everything down.” The words Holly had said became true, and Marino had experienced it first hand.
“It’s absurd as usual. It’s a good thing that wasn’t weakened by an ‘Update’.”
“That’s not true, Shadow-san. I went through the formal procedure to improve my stats, so that’s just an excuse.”
To Shadow who spoke in an astonished way, Shin protested while shrugging his shoulders. Because there were human players raising their stats seriously, if they were weakened badly, it would certainly incur displeasure.
As for good and bad, it exists in the race’s inherent abilities to some extent. But when raising the stats from the standpoint of the system, it was possible for anyone to become like Shin. It would be unreasonable if only the human players were weaker.
“Oops, leaving that aside. Hey Marino, what did you get?”
As if the annihilation several seconds ago, didn’t happen, Shin asked while looking at Marino’s hand. From Shin’s position, he couldn’t see what was there.
“Um, it’s this.”
“This is, an egg, huh? Then, is it the event where you collect items and make it hatch?”
“Right. I also have the same opinion. I heard that the monsters hatched from this type of event becomes your companion and often gives out items.”
Looking at the card on which an egg was drawn, Shin listed out the quest types he could think of. Not only Hibineko, but Shadow and Holly also nodded as they had a similar opinion.
“So far, I think there was a person who had fetched a monster partner, but I haven’t heard of anyone obtaining an egg like this.”
“It’s just a guess, but what if Marino’s low level is the reason. If the boss is defeated by a person who is lower than the appropriate level for the dungeon, there are times when rare equipment is obtained.”
“Certainly. But then again, it may be a condition that unless your monster partner is a wolf or dog type, this quest is not possible or something like that.”
“This is a bad place to get excited, so let’s hold the inspection later. It’s time to decide what to do next.”
To Shin and Holly who started discussing the trigger condition of the quest, Shadow chided.
They could also proceed as is, but it was the egg that was obtained with much effort. Shadow said they should decide whether to move forward on this event or continue toward their original destination.
“Um, do such things happen a lot?”
“Though uncommon, it can’t be said that such a thing hasn’t happened. Such things like hidden quests, it’s difficult to re-challenge when you miss the timing. If it’s a situation like us this time, when there’s no important quest, it’s common to give priority to the hidden quest. What will you do? You could proceed as is, or you could also complete this quest.”
Shadow advised Marino who was having trouble deciding what to do. Shin and the others who listened didn’t have any objections so they nodded and left it to Marino’s decision.
“Um, then, since it’s a special quest, can I go with that?”
“Okay, it’s decided!”
As for the undiscovered quest and restricted quest, they stimulated a gamer’s instinct. Even though Marino’s goal was the scenic view, it seemed she have been attracted to this. But it was Shin who had the highest spirits even compared to Marino.
“What should we do first?”
“Have you not done such a quest before? It isn’t that important to the say the least, but fumbling around is one way of also enjoying the game.”
“If it’s an animal type such as Pochitama, I would think of giving food or treating its wounds. But I can’t think of anything except warming the egg. But I shouldn’t be the only one to warm it though. This was found by our members with much effort, so I’d like everyone to cooperate.”
“That’s just like Marino. And then right away… It’s not just heating, we need to build the nest by wrapping items around the egg. As for the necessary items, you need to use the appraisal exclusive to tamers and summoners. Can’t you see it, Marino?”
Shin could use it too, but without enough skill level, he could not see the details of the necessary items.
“It’s no use. I can hardly see it.”
The level of special appraisal skill Marino had, was V. Shin was also similar to her, so now the members here didn’t know the necessary items.
“What would you do? If you want to continue, this will go on endlessly.”
“That’s right…Hey Marino, I’m thinking about cooperating with Cashmere, what do you think?”
What Shin suggested was the name of the summoner and tamer, Cashmere, a member of Rokuten guild.
“I think Cashmere-chan is reliable, but I heard she is doing another quest. Isn’t she busy…”
“It’s not a problem, since I know her she won’t mind if I ask. If I inform her about the quest specific for tamer like this one, I’m sure she will ask to go together persistently. Furthermore, she will not be satisfied with just clearing the quest. From this quest generation condition until the monster’s hatching, she will thoroughly examine it at the level that isn’t mentioned in Wiki. And surely Marino who first discovered it along with the rest of us will be involved. Fortunately, ‘I don’t take up other ones if I begin a quest’ is Cashmere’s motto. We just need her to appraise and quickly get out from here.”
“Um…Cashmere-chan, is that kind of person?”
Hearing things about Cashmere, Marino felt her impression of Cashmere was off the mark.
“You don’t know since you haven’t been affected yet, Marino.”
“That’s right. That is what is called pouring into the wrong passion.”
“You too Shadow-san?!…if that’s the case, then it can’t be helped.”
“Trust me on this!?”
“It’s quite different from the Cashmere I know. Besides, Shin sometimes exaggerates the story as a joke.”
“That’s also how I talk, but if it is about the High Humans, they’re exaggerated just about right.”
Shin said while having a distant expression.
There were many stats dependent skills in THE NEW GATE, so Shin and other Rokuten’s members unleashed skills that had power that were on another level compared to ordinary players. Because of that, even if he seemed to exaggerate his talk, there were some truth in it most of the time.
“Now now both of you, if you are done with your talk, let’s get moving. If we are going to go to where Cashmere-chan is, we will arrive quickly if we use the teleportation point in Tsuki no Hokora after we leave this dungeon.”
Because what Holly said was reasonable, the party left the dungeon and moved to where the teleportation point was set up in Alloride. And then from Tsuki no Hokora, they immediately teleported to Cashmere’s place.
Moon Ground(Tsuki Teki Chi), was the second monster ranch that Cashmere managed. The other guild house with Cashmere in charge, ‘Type 6 Sky Castle Palmirack’, was the first ranch but because it was full with monsters, she had built a new one.
“I was waiting for you~ So? So? Where’s the egg-chan that appeared in the hidden quest?!”
“You’re too close and noisy. Calm down!”
As soon as they arrived at the ranch, a woman who was standing in front of the teleportation point approached Shin. With her semi-long silvery hair swaying, her purple eyes were sparkling.
Though Marino was surprised, Shin kept a distance from Cashmere without waver as it was a usual thing.
“Cashmere-chan is more high-spirited than usual.”
“When it involves monsters, Cashmere is almost always like that. Cashmere, as you have been informed, we request appraisal.”
Before they had teleported, Shin already told Cashmere they were heading to her ranch. He should have informed her that it was Marino who found the egg, but it seemed to have flown away from her consciousness.
“Ah is that so? Did Marino-san find it this time? Sorry for scaring you. Well~ When it comes to animal things, I tend to forget myself. Ah, I made everyone uneasy too. I’m Cashmere of Rokuten guild. Pleased to meet you all.”
Cashmere regained herself due to Marino who had been surprised, and she introduced herself to Shadow and the others while laughing to cover the past.
Even though they were taken aback, Shadow and the others also introduce themselves.
Marino and Cashmere seemed to have interacted even in the real world, they were acquaintances before Shin was introduced to them.
How did things get this way? Shin didn’t know either.
“Now that I think of it, you did say it would be nice to raise animals here since you love them so much.”
“That’s right. So, let me appraise the egg. You can count on me.”
The hierarchical relationship seemed to have been decided among the two. Because Marino was older in the real world too, that had been adapted even in the game.
“Well then, hmmm…Shin-san, this is quite hard.”
“What?”
Cashmere frowned and said as she had finished the appraisal.
“You will need Fumble seed, Behemoth’s skin, and Phoenix’s feather and some others rare materials. If it Shin-san, I think you have some stock in your inventory. But even with a powerful guild to collect these things, they would have a hard time. It’s at this level of difficulty. I don’t want to say it, but it would be almost impossible for Marino-san to gather them alone.”
“Let me see. Uwaa, what is this?”
Seeing the list of items necessary for hatching that Cashmere listed, Shin and the other could not hide their surprise.
Though half of the items were available by extraction and subjugation, the weakest monster was at level 600 and the strongest at level 800. It was impossible for Marino to get her hands on it.
Even for a major guild, only by forming a party could they defeat an opponent at that level. In some cases, it was a level where instead of subjugating, the party was annihilated.
As for the way of extraction, some required skills were difficult to obtain in the movement system and only available in an unexplored region.
“This is…I have no choice but to say this is harsh to Mari-nyaa.”
“Without Shin-kun here, even we can’t do anything.”
Even Hibineko and Holly were helpless.
“Although the egg doesn’t look like a low-level player’s monster partner, the items required have such a high rarity. So, what will you do, Marino. Would you be willing to clear this quest? For now, if I lightly search inside my Item Box, I almost have them all.”
“How did they end up inside Shin’s Item Box…?”
This time, Marino was surprised at Shin who spoke like he could throw such expensive items around. His title as the top-class player was not just for show.
“It’s a given that he would have such items, and Shin-san would give them to his girlfriend without much consideration. I really admire that!”
“It’s not the reason I’m giving them to her!”
From Shin’s view, they weren’t such valuable articles either. Cashmere thought if this was for another stranger player, he would ask for a reasonable value, but since it was Marino, he would freely give it for clearing the quest.
“Either way, Shin-san is interested in what it will be when it hatches, right?”
“I can’t deny that, but I’ll not say it aloud.”
A conversation between the top-class players in THE NEW GATE, Marino and the others could only laugh.
They have unreserved exchanges, not only because they were fellow High Humans, but also because of mutual trust.
“Well, putting aside Cashmere’s story, I’ll take out the items in the list. Please check if something more is needed.”
Shin pulled himself together, and took out the items from his Item Box. Marino and Cashmere checked and found there were still two missing items.
“Ah, I have those things. I am also interested at what monster would come out, so I’ll take out the items.”
Saying so, Cashmere took out the missing items from her own Item Box.
“Even though I’ve not done anything, there are so many rare items”
“Rokuten’s Item Boxes are strange as ever.”
Beside the shocked Marino, Shadow retorted calmly.
A normal player would keep their belongings securely inside a warehouse, or put them up for sale, so no matter what happened, the items weren’t stored in the Item Box.
“Then, the materials are gathered, let’s begin at once.”
“Well. Though I somewhat feel like were doing something improper, that is just my imagination, right?”
It was a clearing method that was without much good feeling depending on the person, but if the said person didn’t mind it, there would be no problem in the system.
As recipient of the quest, Marino made a nest using the items. And then, she put the egg there. As the bar indicating wait time appeared above the egg and disappeared after several minutes, a chick was hatched from the egg.
With a light blue body, feathers extended from its forehead to its head and a person would think of the pattern as a red and green double helix. And the tip of the feathers were dyed a little black.
“Pii!”
“What is this, 【Analyze】 doesn’t work.”
“It really is. When it comes to this, until it matures, we will not know what kind of monster it is.”
Almost all the monsters that has a larval body have the same appearances, their types were unknown until they reach adulthood. One such characteristic was that the name of the monster couldn’t be seen with 【Analyze】. Cashmere who knew about it, immediately presumed the reason.
“Then, I should nurture this child from now on.”
Marino said as she placed the chick who energetically sang on her palm.
“That’s right. I think the unused items can be used as a food.”
Cashmere took the tip of the rice-plant from the remaining items and hand it to the young bird. Thereupon, the chick bit it without hesitating.
“Yeah, eat it well. For the items to become food, I wonder if it’s a type that needs specific items to grow?”
As Cashmere had expected, when it finished eating several items, the chick’s body shone, and grew one size larger.
“My my. I have not seen this kind of color tone of feathers before. What kind of form will it be? Damnit, I must clear another quest!”
“Shin, is Cashmere-chan okay?”
“She’s always like that. Don’t worry about her.”
The high-spirited Cashmere was left alone, and Shin pushed Marino’s back and started to move. As for the items that became food, they weren’t enough to make the chick develop fully.
“I have time, and I know the place that drops these items, so let’s go there immediately.”
“Wa, it, a, mi, n, ute!”
“Uwaa! You’re, scary…”
Was it on purpose? Or was it natural? With a low voice and standing at his back, Shin frowned at Cashmere who grabbed his shoulder.
“Give me the information later since I have cooperated with you~”
“I understand. Since Marino doesn’t dislike giving information to Cashmere.”
“Of course, I’ll tell you the things I found out.”
While smiling wryly at Cashmere’s appearance, Marino nodded. Though they were friends, she also requested help from the High Human. Therefore, she didn’t mind sharing information.
“Thank you very much!”
After parting with the excited Cashmere, Shin and the other moved to another area.
Several days later, in order to gather the items that became the young bird’s food, Shin and the others assembled again. Marino and Holly fell madly in love with the chick’s cuteness. Shin and Shadow were urged and rushed to some extent.
Hibineko had a wry smile while watching them as it became a normal routine.
Even so, the place they visited for the extraction was a high-level area where monsters, with an average level of 750, appeared. Apart from Shin, it was a dangerous place for Shadow and the rest.
“For the sake of Pyotama, let’s work hard today too!”
“Yes, let’s gather them!”
The chick that was called Pyotama, made a “Pii” sound as if to respond to the two people. Pochitama who sat on Marino’s feet, looked a little lonely.
“As usual, the motivation of Mari-nyaa and Ho-nyaa is amazing. At this current age, has the number of women full of vitality increased?”
Toward the women’s eyes that seemed fired up, Hibineko spoke in admiration. His tone was like an old man watching young people.
“Hibineko-san, I think that’s wrong…”
While being cautious of their surroundings, Shin gave his opinion in a displeased voice. The women were certainly full of vitality, but Shin and Shadow couldn’t deny the feeling of fruitless effort.
“For now, let’s go as usual.”
“Yes. Maybe if the bird grows up, the two will settle down too.”
After they shrugged their shoulders, Shin and Shadow conveyed that they would first go to Marino and the rest.
Because it was troublesome if they met a monster, they moved stealthily to conceal their figure.
“Oh, found one.”
While evading the fight against the monsters, Shin and Shadow searched for an item. Because they generally knew what kind of place they were in, there would be danger if they were not careful of the monsters.
If they had an encounter with many monsters, Shin would exterminate them while Hibineko and the others confined them. If there were few of them, Shin would attack alone and wipe them out.
“Pii!”
Pyotama grew a little again as it fed on the items. After growing more than 10 times, its figure was already past the stage of being called a young bird. And it was already bigger than Pochitama.
“I feel it could fly on its own. It gradually become more imposing.”
But that was denied by Marino and Holly.
“Not yet, it’s still cute!”
“That’s right! There’s a small possibility for it to grow more.”
“No change of the objective or something like that, huh…?”
Shin didn’t understand Marino and Holly’s goal to some extent.
“If this is the type, I’m scared about what’s going to happen afterwards.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Well, in the breeding system, isn’t there a type of monster that will disappear and leave an item? As reward for ‘Thank you for raising me’ or a similar feeling to that.”
“I see, that is certainly going to be stormy.”
Shadow had a bitter smile as he heard Shin’s story. Taking into account these several days of Marino and Holly’s enthusiasm, he couldn’t help but to laugh.
It had a 50 percent probability, in fact, one shouldn’t be too optimistic.
“I think we have exhausted everything in this area, let’s return for the moment.”
Shin and the others teleported to Alloride from one of the teleportation points that were installed in various parts of the area, and then they teleported to Tsuki no Hokora.
Marino and Holly jumped out from the room with the teleportation point in order to feed Pyotama.
“Welcome home”
Shin’s support character, Schnee, who looked after his store, greeted Shin when he approached the counter. Though her movement and gesture were somewhat mechanical because she was NPC, her appearance was no different from a player.
Shin replied “I’m home” then he went outside. At the front yard of Tsuki no Hokora, Marino and Holly were already feeding items to Pyotama.
“We are feeding Pyotama well, but Pyotama still hasn’t finished growing, huh?”
“There are items we haven’t given it yet. If it reached the point where Pyotama can eat that, isn’t that the end?”
Hibineko, who was closeby, responded to Shin who was thinking out loud.
“There’s not enough levels, it’s probably that, right? Or perhaps, like in a manga, when such a story is told, something will happ――”
“It’s glowing!”
“Shin! Come here for a moment!”
Just before Shin could end his sentence, Holly and Marino shouted. Pyotama, before the two, shone in golden color.
“Fumu, is this a flag?”
“Actually this is my first time seeing it happened in front of my eyes. Shin, is this really a flag being constructed?”
“Well, this is my first time seeing this development as well.”
With Hibineko and Shadow talking in a serious tone, Shin answered what came to mind. Just like he had said, even Shin didn’t have experience with this.
However, because he couldn’t just stand there forever, Shin approached Pyotama. As for the light emitting from Pyotama, it was a little dazzling, but not to the extent where he couldn’t open his eyes.
“I wonder if it already finished growing.”
“Maybe. Are there any leftover items? Perhaps something will happen if you feed them to it.”
By Shin’s advice, Marino took out the final item. The item looked like a fruit of a red tree.
“Pyotama, come here and eat this.”
“Kua!”
Pyotama without hesitation swallowed the item that Marino held out. Because the item had been ignored when feeding until now, Hibineko’s guess seemed to be correct.
“Ku, Kua…KuaaaaAAAAAA!!”
Pyotama’s cry echoed. At the same time, the light emitted from Pyotama strengthened, and it became so bright that Shin and the others couldn’t open their eyes.
“…It seems to be over.”
“Uwaa…”
When the light settled down and they opened their eyes, what came to their view was a huge monster that exceeded 4 mels.
“Beautiful…”
Standing alone, a single word leaked out from Marino’s mouth.
Pyotama who grew up, has a dignified appearance that one would not expect from its former adorable appearance.
Both of its wings, emitting radiance that was not inferior to gold, silver or jewellery, expanded to wrap Marino and Holly. Its feet that firmly stepped on the ground had sharp talons. They revealed that this existence had definite power.
Shin felt the light of reasoning that dwelled in those eyes almost make him forget it was a program.
“KUU…”
The grown up Pyotama cried in low voice, and pressed it beak against Marino. That scene looked like a parent and a pampered child.
“No way, is this the Mystic…”
While looking at Pyotama and Marino making contact, Shin muttered as he was shocked.
The appearance that Pyotama matured into, was the highest peak of superior monsters in THE NEW GATE. The ‘Mystic’ was the apex of bird type monster.
Even a High Human would have a hard time fighting against the level 1000 monster.
But because 【Analyze】 couldn’t be activated, Shin suspected that Pyotama probably was an event limited appearance. The Mystic that Shin knew was 2 times smaller than the imitation, this was also one of the reasons Shin came to this judgement.
If Tsuki no Hokora was not located at a hard to reach place where players hardly come, it would certainly become a big uproar.
“What the matter with Pyotama?”
Before Shin’s eyes, Pyotama separated from Marino. Then it spread its wings.
After that, light emitted from Pyotama’s body, and began to focus on one point. It stayed there for around 30 seconds. When the light disappeared, a sparkling colorful ore appeared there.
“Is that, don’t tell me, ‘Drop of Erathem’?”
That was an item essential for making 《Ancient》 grade equipment, Drop of Erathem.
Even for advanced level players, it was an item that was said to be difficult to obtain. And even for Shin, it was not something he could easily get.
“Ah…”
Marino’s eyes stopped near Pyotama’s chest. Seeing her face moving sideways a little, Shin guessed that she was reading some message.
The player who received the quest was Marino. In a quest like this time, the message that only a player like Marino could see may be displayed.
“Is that so…Even though we’re getting along really well…”
“Marino-chan?”
“I think Pyotama has to go.”
Hearing the conversation between Marino and Holly, Shin was convinced that this was the type of quest that the pet would leave behind an item and depart.
Marino was getting tearful, Holly revealed reluctance, as they were clinging to Pyotama.
Pyotama unfurled its wings again to wrap the two. Even if it was a program, Shin could feel the Pyotama was reluctant to part judging from its actions. After embracing each other for about ten seconds, Pyotama slowly separated from the two and flew away to the clear sky with a loud cry.
“Pyotama has gone”
“Uuu…Sh~in~Uu!”
“Guwaa! Are you really crying? Well I can understand that.”
Was it unbearable? Marino was clinging to Shin while crying. When Shin turned his gaze, Shadow was similarly embraced by Holly revealing his embarrassed face.
“As I get older, I’m worried that my tear glands become loose.”
Hibineko wiped his eyes with his paw. He appeared to weep in sympathy.
After waiting for the women to stop crying, Shin and the other entered Tsuki no Hokora.
“Have you calmed down?”
“…Yea”
Several minutes later, everyone was drinking tea in the living room of Tsuki no Hokora.
“So, what did Pyotama leave behind? If it’s a memento, I’d like to see it too.”
“Um, only this.”
In order to divert their attention from the parted Pyotama, Shin changed the topic to the item. What Marino took out was the ore that shone in rainbow color, the Drop of Erathem.
“Pyotama left a wonderful item. It’s an item that is used in production of 《Ancient》 grade gear, you know? Though advance skill is needed, which is a bottleneck.”
“Really? But in the item’s explanatory note, it is written that the player who has received this can use it without the necessary skill. Moreover, the equipment made using this item has no penalty even if the user stats are insufficient.”
“What is this…hidden quest’s item that is not incomplete? Nice job admin!”
While shrugging his shoulders, Shin spoke in amazement. At the same time, he felt sorry for Cashmere when he listened to Marino’s explanation. A quest like this, was basically limited to only once. Because when such an item was obtained many times, it would cause dissatisfaction from the players who raised their skill seriously.
Even for Shin, it took him considerable time to be able to use Drop of Erathem. And it would take years with Marino’s playing style. It was only this time that there was no restriction from the system.
“Marino-chan, with this you can power up in one go.”
“The performance of 《Ancient》 grade is not ordinary after all.”
Hearing Holly and Shadow speak, they were as pleased as if they received the reward. There was no jealousy towards their companion who had obtained a rare item.
“But it may be better for you to keep this from the public. If it were a sharp-eyed person, there is a possibility of this item being targeted.”
Hibineko worried about the adverse result after the equipment had been made. Like Hibineko said, because the equipment for 《Ancient》 grade has very high market value, it can also invite troublesome players.
“Since this is the precious item that Pyotama gave, I intend to use it well.”
Marino nodded at Hibineko’s words, and stared at the Drop of Erathem that had been converted into a card.
Several days later, Shin, who had been called by Marino, visited the cafe ‘Nyan da Land’.
“Hello Hibineko-san. I heard Marino is already here.”
“I have heard about it, and Mari-nyaa is in the private room at the back, in the second room.”
Heading in the direction Hibineko pointed, there were several private rooms in the back of the shop. As Hibineko said, Shin opened a door to a room where ‘2’ was drawn.
“Ah, Shin”
“Yo, have you finished the equipment?”
As for Shin being called, it was also to unveil the equipment that used Drop of Erathem which Marino had obtained.
When Marino took out the item card, a black muffler appeared on a table. There were few decorations, and the entire cloths contained red lighting lines.
“That’s pretty nice.”
The muffler was inferior to the item made by first-class craftsman, but as an 《Ancient》 grade item, its performance was superior.
“It’s nice, isn’t it? Because Shin’s equipment are mainly in black and red, I made sure that it would match as much as possible with that color scheme.”
“My equipment? Isn’t that a little out of place from Marino’s equipment?”
Shin was delighted to hear that it matched with his equipment, but he also felt it didn’t match with Marino’s equipment color scheme.
“ I don’t have to wear the equipment, so Shin, you wear it. Didn’t you say you haven’t decided on the equipment for your head? Like the manga I saw before, because the samurai had something that looked like a muffler, it was made from that design.”
“Why do you want me to equip it?”
“Shin has been helping me a lot since I started this game, and you also lent me the needed items. Since I don’t have anything I can give in return, I think this is fair. Besides, even if Shin wears the 《Ancient》 grade equipment, there’s no sense of incongruity, don’t you think?”
“Is this fine? Isn’t this very valuable?”
Hearing Marino’s story, Shin couldn’t help but be surprised. To give away an 《Ancient》 grade equipment free of charge; even the retiring players couldn’t do it easily in the game.
“I’ve talked with Holly-san and the others, and they all agreed. Will you accept it?”
“…Sigh, because you won’t listen to anything once you start suggesting… Thank you, I’ll accept it, Marino.”
Shin knew Marino’s character, and even though he felt embarrassed a little, he decided to accept it obediently. Urged by Marino who told him that she wanted to see when he equipped it, Shin put on the muffler.
“How was it?”
“Well, it’s perfect. This is the right design after all.”
As Marino laughed in satisfaction, Shin also laughed.
“And with this, I wonder if I’ll be able to return the favor a little…”
The words softly muttered by Marino didn’t reach Shin’s ears.
-
“Well, those feelings still remain now. Because I have upgraded a little since that, its performance has gone up.”
Inside the private room of the shop ‘Nyan da Land’ that was reborn in Balmel, in that room, Shin finished reminiscing.
Because the members at that time had gotten together, Hibineko and the others warmly talked about the previous story of Shin’s equipment ‘Dark King’s Muffler’.
In addition to the original players, Holly and Shadow, Schnee and Tiera also sat together.
“A handmade equipment, huh? Sure enough, receiving this kind of thing will make people happy?”
“I’m happy, you know? Wearing it or not is a different story.”
To Tiera’s question, Shin answered while laughing. Although it was not the best he could equip, Shin thought feelings were more important.
“Fumu, it was fun at that time.”
“Yeah.”
Hibineko and Shadow said as their eyes stared at the distance.
“Yes, I agree. By the way Shin-kun, have you received a present from someone since you came here?”
“Why do you suddenly ask? I have not received anything.”
To Holly who changed the topic abruptly, Shin denied while turning his eyes.
“If it the current Shin-kun, I thought there might be a lot of girls to give presents.”
“Even if the world has changed, I will not suddenly become popular.”
Shin said in a surprised tone. However, Holly’s eyes caught Shin from behind, glancing at Schnee’s figure.
“Shin-kun, you are more loved than what you think of yourself.”
“Is that so…?”
At Holly’s meaningful words, Shin was full of doubt.
Fun times passed, and before long, Shin and his group returned to the inn.
Later, there was sighting of Schnee’s figure, who was selecting material items or something, with an earnest face.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 09 - The Five Supreme Blades/The-New-Gate-Volume-09-The-Five-Supreme-Blades-[Shin][dotNovel]/Title.txt
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The New Gate
(THE NEW GATE)
Volume 09
The Five Supreme Blades
Kazanami Shinogi
(風波しのぎ)
Story Description:
“THE NEW GATE”, an online game that trapped its players and turned into a death game, was now releasing the thousands of players that had been dragged into it, thanks to the efforts of Shin, one of the most powerful players.
But after having defeated the last boss and freed everyone, he was swallowed up by a strange light and found himself inside the game world 500 years in the future and unable to leave.
Original Story can be found here: Link
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 09 - The Five Supreme Blades/The-New-Gate-Volume-09-The-Five-Supreme-Blades-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_09_Chapter_01_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 1
After quelling the revolt in Hinomoto, Shin headed towards the Sacred Mountain Fuji to fulfill his promise with Mikazuki Munechika, one of the Five Supreme Blades.
Once outside Kujou territory, Shin’s party proceeded to their destination with a horse carriage. Running on foot would have been faster, but they didn’t have any particular reason to hurry.
They were traveling at a lower speed than when they had traveled to the Futaba and Shijou territories to suppress the revolt, but their carriage was still much faster than average.
“—–so why does this Supreme Blade lady, with a name that screams nothing but danger, want to talk to you?”
Filma asked Shin, who was sitting on the coachman’s seat.
In the game era, support characters could not fight the Five Supreme Blades, so not only Filma, but also Schnee and Shibaid didn’t know how powerful Munechika was.
However, hearing from Shin about her level and equipment, they could measure the level of danger she posed.
Above level 900 and equipped with Ancient-grade gear. Even for Schnee and the others, who possessed overwhelming strength by this world’s standards, she was not an opponent they could afford to face without preparation.
“I don’t know the reason why, to be honest. But she’s been around ever since before the “Dusk of the Majesty”, she could have something important to say, no?”
“Won’t there be any danger?”
“We talked and crossed swords in a match, but there was nothing particularly suspicious. Even if she was hungry for a serious battle, she was keeping herself under control.”
Shin answered Schnee’s question while remembering how Munechika had withdrawn her wooden sword before getting completely serious.
It could not be said that she did not desire to fight, but Munechika was not the type to only talk via battle.
Even if Karin and Kanade had visited her by themselves, she would have probably requested something else in exchange for the herb, or nothing at all.
“I’m asking just in case, but she isn’t going to say she fell for you like Karin did, right?”
“Come on, Filma, the arranged marriage thing was something Karin’s mother pushed by herself…”
“I heard that already. But her eyes were those of a maiden in love, you know? You aren’t going to tell me that you had no idea now, are you?”
“I kind of…noticed, yeah.”
Any normal person would have noticed if she expressed it that clearly. Shin was no exception, but at the same time he found it strange.
“Karin’s behavior changed after I refused the arranged marriage thing. I don’t really understand why that happened. Why do you act like you’re in love after you’ve been refused? Isn’t it the opposite usually?”
Shin couldn’t wrap his mind around it.
“I bet she didn’t realize her feelings until late. She had this “I live for the sword” aura and all.”
“…..I don’t get it after all.”
Shin knew how it felt to like someone, but he couldn’t understand Karin’s circumstances.
“Let’s stop talking about past things. So, what kind of person is this Munechika?”
“I don’t really know her well myself. The first time I met her was—-”
Shin talked about how he brought Karin and Kanade to the peak of Fuji and how he fought Munechika for the medicinal herb.
“She was strong.”
“Yes, as Yuzuha said, her sword arm was something else. I couldn’t win in a pure match of sword skills. If everything was allowed though, it would be different.”
Shin talked while remembering his match against Munechika. If he could use magic and skills, there was no way he could lose.
“Hmm, yes, an unshackled Shin would surely find a way to win, even if inferior in sword ability.”
“Shin never loses after all.”
In contrast to Shibaid’s rational analysis of Shin’s strength, Schnee retorted as if she found the very consideration of Shin losing preposterous. She looked so adamant that Tiera couldn’t help reacting.
“Ehm, master…?”
“…ahem. We’re almost at Fuji.”
After coughing to change the subject, Schnee noted they had reached their destination.
Fuji stood imposingly before the horse carriage..
As always, a thick fog laid heavily all around the peak.
“I heard that the fog doesn’t disappear, but the woods appear to be pretty quiet.”
Tiera whispered after looking at the mists, then the forest.
“Really?”
“We’re close to the World Tree forest. I suppose mysterious forces are at work.”
Schnee answered Shin’s question while looking at the forest extending at the foot of Fuji, just like Tiera.
“I heard there are high-level monsters around here too, but is it true?”
“On average monsters are at level 500, the same as before. But the Eight-Headed Orochi on the peak is a whole other category. Level 833.”
Shibaid grumbled after hearing Shin’s reply.
“It might be lower than Munechika, but still it’s not an opponent we can underestimate.”
“We’re not going to fight, so I think it will be all right. When I visited Fuji last time it wasn’t belligerent either.”
Some heads looked at Shin with curiosity, others were even sleeping: it looked like each head had a distinct personality. It was a powerful monster, but as Shin had only seen such behavior, to him it seemed more cute than dangerous.
“Anyway, let’s start climbing. We don’t have to worry about the monsters with the members we have here, but don’t let your guard down.”
“Well then, I’ll take the lead going up.”
Schnee was walking in the lead, with Shin and the others behind her. Looking at the party from above, Tiera was in the center, Shin on the right, Filma on the left and Shibaid took up the rear. Yuzuha was riding on Shin’s left shoulder.
With Kagerou around, there was no need to focus on protecting Tiera, but they assumed that formation naturally.
Tiera equipped a bow as main weapon. Taking a formation focused on rear support had become almost second nature for Shin’s party.
“We’re entering the mists.”
The group penetrated the area hidden by the fog, their formation unbroken.
Differently from when Shin had come with Karin and Kanade, they didn’t move stealthily this time; but thanks to Schnee’s precise guidance, they passed the fog area without encountering any monsters.
Maybe because it had sensed the approach of Shin’s party, after emerging from the mist they found Orochi’s heads awaiting them.
“H-huge…”
Tiera couldn’t hide her surprise at the monster’s towering figure. Just like last time, Eight-Headed Orochi was looking at Shin’s group with curiosity.
Maybe because they were many, or because it had felt their high levels, this time all 8 heads were fixated on them.
“It’s true, I feel no intimidation or hostility from it.”
“Hmm, I suppose we do not need to be wary.”
Schnee and Shibaid relaxed their stances after looking at Orochi.
“Rather, I’m more concerned about over there.”
Differently from Schnee and the others, Filma was looking towards the interior of the small shrine.
A few moments after her comment, something sparkled from within the shrine.
“You came earlier than expected, Shin.”
“I said I would not make you wait.”
The source of the light was the armor Munechika was clad in. She was walking towards the party, holding her helmet with her left hand.
“There is no need to act so formal, considering our relationship.”
Munechika laid a hand on Shin’s shoulder, her face coming closer to his. Surprisingly close.
“Well…I only remember we crossed swords once, that’s it.”
Shin had no idea why she would act so intimate with him, and squeezed out a response despite his confusion. He had recently assisted her in defeating the demon foxes, but he didn’t think that was enough to cause her to act so affectionately.
“Ah, now that I think about it I had not talked about it yet. “You made me fall a lot, I won’t let you say that I won by chance”…you said things like these before our last match, right? After you left, I thought about those words. It took me a few days, but I clearly remembered.”
“Could it be that you recalled the memories from the game era?”
It was something from more than 500 years before. It wasn’t something one would normally remember.
“It would probably be impossible without some trigger. I did not think I could recall them so clearly either.”
Munechika explained how she had not recalled just by looking at him during their match. Shin’s words were what acted as trigger.
“That day, I said that I wanted to talk to you again…maybe because I had unconsciously remembered.”
“How much do you know of me?”
“I didn’t know a lot about you personally from the start. But I remember how burning hot your blade was when we fought, you know?”
The hand resting on Shin’s shoulder moved towards his face.
“There are people other than you that defeated me. But no one challenged me as many times as you did. The more I remembered, the more my chest felt hot and…well, isn’t this quite uncouth of you?”
Munechika’s last words, directed at the person who had suddenly appeared before her, were spoken as her shoulders dropped.
The person cutting in the progressively decreasing distance between Shin and Munechika was Schnee.
“My apologies, but it will be a problem if you come any closer to Shin.”
“A problem, hmm. Don’t you mean to say that you’d be envious?”.
“……..”
Munechika’s taunting words were met by a sharper look from Schnee.
“Okay, okay, stop, stop I say! Schnee, you calm down too, she’s not serious anyway. Munechika, enough with the jokes!”
“Hehe, you know how it is. I had just put a hand on your shoulder, but I felt such a fearful look from over there…of course I would want to tease a little. And now your formal tone disappeared too, right?”
“Give me a break…”
Shin sighed, his hands on Schnee’s shoulders to calm her. He wholeheartedly wished for them to stop making the mood dangerous.
“Well, I have to say she’s pretty different from what I expected.”
“Indeed, this is not what Shin’s words suggested.”
Witnessing the scene, Filma and Shibaid were puzzled.
They had confirmed her level and were positive that she had to be really strong. But the feeling of intimidation often associated with powerful warriors was nowhere to be found, hence their comments.
“Ehm, Shin? I think you should have taken your hands off by now.”
“Hm? Ah, aah! I’m sorry!”
Shin looked in front of himself after hearing Tiera’s remark, only to find Schnee frozen in place, completely red.
“….that’s not, a problem.”
Maybe embarrassed to be seen blushing like that, Schnee mumbled while keeping her head down.
“Haha, you folks are never boring to look at.”
“And whose fault is it? Well, let me hear the rest of the story.”
“Apologies, it had been a while since I had so much fun. Let us get to the point, Shin. I believe I know both your original fighting power and personality. As such, there is something I wish to ask of you.”
Munechika was smiling at the start, but as she approached the heart of the topic her expression turned completely serious.
“Is that something my companions can hear too?”
“Yes, not a problem. After all, as you command an Element Tail, you are not completely unrelated to this.”
Munechika spoke while looking at Yuzuha. Hearing that it was something related to Element Tails, Shin imagined it was related to Ley lines.
“Come. There is something I wish to show you.”
Following Munechika, who had turned around, the group entered the shrine.
After about 5 minutes, a red light entered their field of sight.
“This is Fuji’s original master, Kagutsuchi.”
“That’s…”
Looking at the source of the light, everyone became speechless.
The red light came from a phoenix-shaped red crystal.
The crystallized Kagutsuchi, wings spread as if protecting something, emitted a red light that brightly illuminated the room.
“What’s going on here?”
“In the past, miasma seeped in the Ley lines. In order to restore balance to the Ley lines, it turned like this. Despite the appearance, Kagutsuchi isn’t dead. You can come out now! These people aren’t dangerous!”
Munechika shouted towards the crystal. Shin was wondering what she was doing, when something moved from the shadows behind the crystal.
A small creature the size of a fist jumped down from the crystal, flapping earnestly its small wings, and landed on Munechika’s head.
“Pii!”
“Bad! Land on my shoulder, not my head, how many times have I told you?”
Spreading its wings declaring its presence on Munechika’s head was a little bird with red plumage.
It was a bit big for a baby bird, but it was like a slightly larger chick painted red, very fluffy-looking.
“Pii!!”
““Welcome, o fellow Element Tail” is what it said. 2 times.”
To Shin’s party it only sounded like it was crying, but according to Yuzuha the two “Pii” had said the same thing.
“You understand what it says?”
“More or less.”
Yuzuha explained that maybe because they both can influence Ley lines, they can also communicate.
“It might look like this now, but this is Kagutsuchi. At least, a part of it.”
“It can do something like that?”
“It retains little strength, though. It can just communicate, that’s it.”
“Pii! Pii!”
The baby Kagutsuchi poked Munechika with its rounded beak. Munechika didn’t look like she was hurt in the least.
“I know. More than that, what happened to Tsunetsugu and Mitsuyo? We should talk to them too.”
It appeared that Munechika also understood Kagutsuchi’s speech.
The names mentioned by Munechika, Tsunetsugu and Mitsuyo, were the names of Supreme Blades like her.
“There are others from the Five Supreme Blades?”
“Only two, though.I’ll explain. —–Here they are.”
2 silhouettes appeared from the corridor next to the crystallized Kagutsuchi.
The first was an old man probably over 60 years old, judging from his appearance.
His slicked back hair was a silvery grey. He was observing Shin’s party while stroking his unkempt beard, but did not show a single opening. He wore samurai-like protective gear on his shoulders, legs and around his waist.
The other sword was a young girl in her late teens who, like Munechika, wore armor on her whole body, helmet excluded.
She was not very tall and looked rather thin as well. Her twin pigtails and pretty features made her seem very cute, but her sharp, cold stare destroyed this impression.
Despite looking young, she seemed eager to fight; her yellow-bordered black armor had a design different from Munechika’s.
“Hoho, we just came because of Kagutsuchi’s call, who knew we had guests too.”
“Munechika? You allowed people here without our permission?”
“Because it involves Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna. And suppress that killing intent a little, Mitsuyo. If they were dangerous, whether I was here or not, Kagutsuchi wouldn’t have come out, would it?”
“Pii!”
Right after her appearance, the young girl created a tense mood. Shin’s 【Analyze】 displayed her name as Oodenta Mitsuyo.
The old man who appeared with the girl was Juzumaru Tsunetsugu.
Mitsuyo’s level was 908, Tsunetsugu’s 941. Both their names came from the swords they were based on.
“Look at the Element Tail on this man——on Shin’s shoulder. No Element Tail would ever follow someone who disrupted the flow of the Ley lines. They are the people I talked about before, that we could request to help us. Further, in regards to Shin, this is not your first time meeting him. Mitsuyo, you even lost to him once. Try to remember.”
Munechika had already talked about Shin’s party to them, apparently. She looked at the Element Tail as Munechika said and, with a growl-like grumble, suppressed her killing intent.
Munechika’s last words, however, prompted her to look at Shin even more sharply.
“As they do not have impure thoughts, they might indeed be worthy of trust. Kagutsuchi said the same too, so I’ll believe that. But there is one thing that I cannot just accept. I have lost!? What exactly do you mean!?”
“Do not raise your voice, Mitsuyo. Good grief, the only one among us who did not lose is Tsunetsugu.”
“An old man like me? It is true that I can count the times I lost on the fingers of one hand…hmm. Young man, try to show me your killing intent.”
“Eh?”
Shin was dumbfounded at the sudden request to release his killing intent.
“You see, this old man here is bad at remembering names and faces.”
“I see, I understand then. Here I go.”
Shin looked at Tsunetsugu with some killing intent. Other than Tsunetsugu’s reaction, Mitsuyo too opened her eyes wide.
“Hoho, I see, I see. I felt this killing intent a very long time ago. I did not lose, but I did not win either. I don’t remember killing you.”
“That’s because I felt I couldn’t match you and ran away right away.”
In the battles against the anthropomorphized swords, if moving was possible fleeing was possible too, as the swords could not leave a specified battle range.
Losing to a weapon and dying would naturally mean to receive a penalty for dying, so many players fled rather than risk it. Few managed to flee successfully, though.
“Kahah! That was some mighty fine running!”
In the game era, Shin had managed to obtain four of the Five Supreme Blades.
He had obtained 『Mikazuki Munechika』shortly before the event ended, and time ran out on 『Juzumaru Tsunetsugu』. The 『Juzumaru Tsunetsugu』Shin now carried was something he had obtained in a revival event.
Judging from the three swords’ conversation, they did not have memories of the revival event.
“What! You say you defeated me, and you didn’t defeat Tsunetsugu!? Beat us all properly!!”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I barely managed to take Munechika down before time ran out. I could have fought a few times, but there wasn’t enough time.”
Mitsuyo, dissatisfied that the person who had defeated her didn’t defeat Tsunetsugu, a Supreme Blade like her, complained to Shin.
Shin had attempted to study his attack patterns, like when fighting a boss, but he didn’t have enough time to carry it out.
Considering his stats and equipment at the time, even if he had plenty of time it would have probably been difficult. Shin did not yet possess his current power.
“So, did you remember? Mitsuyo.”
“Hngh, well, I think we fought before…”
Mitsuyo nodded while mumbling something. She did not mention having lost, but frustration was clearly visible on her expression.
“But! Maybe that happened in the past, but it doesn’t mean he must be strong now too. It happened 500 years ago, after all.”
“I made sure to check that by crossing swords with him. His sharpness increased and I didn’t feel impurities that would lead him to be contaminated by miasma. If anything strange had happened to Shin, I doubt they would just sit by and do nothing too.”
Munechika answered Mitsuyo’s remark by looking over towards Shin’s group.
What her eyes found were a slightly blushing Schnee, silently observing Filma and Shibaid, then Tiera, who was intently trying to keep up with the conversation.
“Ehm, so in the end, what is it that you want us to do? You said I’m not unrelated?”
“Yes, I’m sorry. It’s my fault that we were not exactly of the same page on my side.”
“Well, if Munechika says there are no problems, then I believe so too. Mitsuyo, you should stop sulking.”
Next to the apologizing Munechika, Tsunetsugu nodded in acceptance. At the same time, however, he added an unnecessary comment, met by an angry shout by Mitsuyo.
“Who’s sulking!?”
“Pii!!”
“Hnngh….I get it. Go on.”
Because of baby Kagutsuchi’s reproach, Mitsuyo reluctantly urged Munechika to continue talking.
“I’ll continue, then. What I wished to request to Shin and his group was to help us look for two of our fellow Supreme Blades.”
“All 5 swords…no, 5 people…aren’t here?”
Shin had not expressed it in words, but was wondering why only 2 of them, Mitsuyo and Tsunetsugu, had come out.
The answer was, because they were not there in the first place.
“I think that your Element Tail probably knows. It happened roughly 500 years ago, when the crust shifted. In that period, miasma suddenly seeped into the Ley lines.”
Munechika explained that the demons probably did something when the Ley lines were in a state of chaos.
“Great multitudes of monsters appeared, peculiar areas formed too, maybe?”
“Exactly. We were dragged in it too.”
The contamination of Ley lines and corruption of Sacred Places via the miasma was also an event in the game era. In the game it was sufficient to defeat the monsters and demons causing the phenomenon, but in this world things would not be that simple.
The territory around Fuji repeatedly moved up and down because of the crust shifts, causing the Five Supreme Blades, normally always apart from each other, to gather in one place.
Munechika continued by recounting how, thanks to Kagutsuchi’s power, they managed to restore balance to the Ley lines, but then the incident happened.
“The Ley lines were supposed to have calmed down, when suddenly thick miasma entered them. To restore them again, Kagutsuchi took this current form, but Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna were swallowed by the miasma and disappeared.”
“That’s incredible…it’s true that Yuzuha also suffered because of the miasma, but…”
“Kuu, maybe it happened, all around the world.”
Yuzuha, who like Kagutsuchi used her powers to suppress the crust shifts, talked with some restlessness in her voice.
“In that case, however, I can’t just accept it easily. Do you have any clues?”
“We didn’t exactly do nothing all this time. We Five Supreme Blades can sense each other’s presence. It took a while because of the miasma, but we have found the general location they should be in.”
Munechika answered Shin’s doubts. That information was more than what he expected.
“Let me ask just for confirmation, but it wasn’t possible for one of you to go meet them, or rather, bring them back?”
“We wouldn’t be asking you if we could!!”
“Easy, Mitsuyo. Don’t start biting at any chance you get. I understand what the boy means, though. We cannot, however, move beyond a determined radius. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you boy?”
“….I see, that’s why you said that the Supreme Blades, which would normally never be together, have gathered.”
The Five Supreme Blades not being able to move beyond a certain radius was one of the event’s rules. Unrelated to the developers’ intentions, this had been applied to the current world too, as Shin understood from Tsunetsugu’s words.
“Fuji is also different from the game era. We are bound to the land. Because of that, we cannot go look for Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna. But because we are bound to the land, we could gather together because of the land’s movements. If we had been suddenly released from such bonds, we probably would not have come all the way to the region ruled by Kagutsuchi. In that case, no one could have protected this place: Fuji would have become a den of monsters. Whether it was fortune or misfortune, in the end, I cannot say.”
Tsunetsugu spoke while fiddling with his unkempt beard.
“Can’t say, that is true.”
“Well in any case, we can only do what we can now. Apologies for cutting in. Munechika, continue.”
“Yes, so…we have more or less traced Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna’s location. We would like to ask you to go pick them up.”
“I see. I understand that it’s something you can’t ask to the people here.”
The Five Supreme Blades were opponents that even Schnee and the others would have a rough time facing one-on-one.
Now that Shin had renewed their equipment and they had powered up they might be able to go toe to toe with them, but for Shin’s former support characters, as they were in the past, it would be a very dangerous battle.
At the same time, for the denizens of the current world it was a nearly impossible request.
Even former players that could get on par with them were limited in numbers.
“I would cooperate if we know the location, what do you think everybody?”
“I’ll follow you, Shin.”
“What Schnee said.”
“Hmm, if miasma is involved I couldn’t leave it alone.”
“I too think it’s better to accept it.”
“Kuu! Go!!”
The whole party answered positively to Shin’s question, albeit with different reasons.
Kagerou would follow Tiera, so everyone agreed naturally.
“It’s decided then. The closest one first…no, which one should be picked up the soonest?”
Shin changed his question halfway through.
If they were corrupted by miasma, it was better to prioritize whichever was tainted more.
“That I do not know. I was thinking of having you go toward the closest one.”
Munechika stated again that all they could tell was the general distance and direction.
“That can’t be helped. Where is the closer one, then?”
“Closer, well, it’s in the depths of the dungeon below this very mountain. I suppose that saying “secret dungeon” will make it easy for you to understand.”
“Fuji’s…secret dungeon?”
Munechika’s words took Shin by surprise. He had heard rumors of a hidden dungeon beneath Fuji, but no one had actually ever gone there or even seen it.
There was also the possibility that whoever found it had hidden it.
“You were a player, so you should know that much, no?”
“So the rumors were true. But then you could go save—-oh, I see. The dungeon is considered a different area.”
“Correct. It lies at our very feet, yet we could do nothing…that was truly vexating.”
Just like Munechika as she spoke these words, Mitsuyo and Tsunetsugu’s expressions became clouded too. Their pain of not being able to go save their companions was clear even if they didn’t put it in words.
“Got it. The depths of the dungeon, then?”
“Yes. As long as my and Kagutsuchi’s perceptions are not wrong, Yasutsuna is somewhere in the lower floors of the dungeon. The hidden dungeon too, however, is affected by the miasma. It could be hidden somewhere, so if you go to the deepest part but still find nothing, we will have to think about what else to do.”
The Fuji dungeon was originally under Kagutsuchi’s control, so it knew of its internal structure, albeit not completely.
However, they could not discard the possibility that it had been warped by the miasma: thus even Kagutsuchi’s usually energetic “pii!” cries now sounded like a feeble “pii…”.
“Roger. This time, we’ll have to explore as if we wanted to map the whole dungeon. If we use detection-type skills, it might take some time but it’s possible, after all.”
“I apologize for burdening you with this. If I could go personally, I would be able to detect a more precise position.”
Munechika stated that if they could get closer to the target, the precision of their detection would increase too. If only they could bring Munechika, who was bound to the present location, with them… thinking this, a question popped up in Shin’s mind.
“Say, Munechika. Your original form is the sword 『Mikazuki Munechika』, right?”
“That it is. The sword I carry is, while very similar to it, a fake. Even so, its stats and effects are the same. If I release my human form, the real sword appears. That’s my original form”
“Pretty much as I expected. Then I ask, can the one I have take human form?”
“That’s….”
Shin took an item from the item box. The item was one of the Five Supreme Blades, 『Mikazuki Munechika』.
“Why do you have something like that!?”
“Why of course, 500 years ago you won against me. There’s nothing strange in you having it.”
“Yes, I’m going to say something a bit weird, but I was thinking if this couldn’t be used as a substitute.”
If Munechika and the 『Mikazuki Munechika』 in Shin’s possession were one and the same, Shin thought that maybe the latter could enter the dungeon in place of Munechika, who couldn’t move from Fuji.
If the consciousness dwelling within this 『Mikazuki Munechika』 also wished to save her companions, that is.
“I see. It is true that if I am bound to a master, I can go where the master goes. But my master now is Kagutsuchi, so I cannot come alongside you, Shin. Further, I cannot perceive any aura from the 『Mikazuki Munechika』 you hold. Even if it is the same sword as I am, the moment it became the possession of a player, it probably completely became just a weapon.”
“I see…if you could come with us, we would be able to move with more precision, is what I thought.”
“Wait, though. That line of thinking could hold some truth.”
“It could? What do you mean?”
Shin was about to put 『Mikazuki Munechika』 back in the item box, as it didn’t look like it could be of use, but Munechika stopped him. She was looking at 『Mikazuki Munechika』, now in card form.
“Can you let me have that for a moment? There is something I wish to try.”
“Of course.”
Munechika received the item card from Shin and materialized the blade. She then closed her eyes to focus.
“…hmm, as I thought. Rejoice, Shin. It appears I can accompany you.”
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 09 - The Five Supreme Blades/The-New-Gate-Volume-09-The-Five-Supreme-Blades-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_09_Chapter_01_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 2
Roughly 3 minutes had passed.
Munechika opened her eyes and made this declaration.
“Er, what does that mean exactly?”
“This sword does not host a consciousness. But I can transfer mine into it. Leaving my original form here.”
“Is it alright to do something like that?”
Listening to Munechika’s explanation, Shin was reminded of a videogame’s VR technology.
To leave the real body behind and move with only one’s consciousness as a VR avatar was similar to Munechika’s proposal of transferring her consciousness to another sword, he thought.
“T-that’s right. Isn’t it dangerous to do something like transferring your consciousness?”
“No, it doesn’t seem like there would be any trouble. Because this too is 『Mikazuki Munechika』. I know that even before trying.”
Munechika firmly nodded to Shin and Mitsuyo’s questions.
“Let me confirm, just in case. What would happen if you were defeated after transferring your consciousness?”
“If the host disappears, my original form would simply awaken. Of course, my original form would be defenseless while my consciousness is transferred elsewhere, though.”
“What if the host was contaminated by miasma?”
“I would not be able to transfer my consciousness anymore, or I would be trapped by it, I suppose. I cannot say with certainty unless that actually happens.”
What she knew was simply that she could transfer her consciousness into Shin’s 『Mikazuki Munechika』. That even after transferring her consciousness she could detect Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna’s presences. Lastly, that if the host body was broken her consciousness would return to the original one.
Shin tried to ask her the tricky question of how she could know all that, but Munechika simply replied “somehow”.
“This is just a hypothesis, but the sword you hold is also me, in a way. I do not know if we can consider it and me as one and the same, but I don’t think it’s wrong to consider it as something born from myself.”
“In other words, there are multiple containers for you?”
“That could be a way to put it. To inhabit them, though, I would need permission from the holder. I could not inhabit just any unknown stranger’s 『Mikazuki Munechika』.”
To inhabit a weapon, first it was necessary to align one’s wavelength with it, explains Munechika. She could not just inhabit any weapon as she pleased.
“It’s turned into something huge.”
Tiera was listening silently, but in the end blurted out a comment. Filma nodded in agreement.
“To inhabit other bodies with one’s consciousness…anthropomorphized weapons sure can do amazing stuff.”
“We are aware that we are unusual beings. We can also alter our appearance to a degree.”
“Indeed, we might be weapons but we also host a soul. I don’t imagine such bizarre creatures exist anywhere else.”
Munechika spoke seriously, while Tsunetsugu commented while laughing.Their reactions were different, but they both seemed to comprehend what kind of beings they were.
“…….”
“Hm? Why the sudden silence, Shin?”
“No, I just wanted to ask something else. Could you inhabit this weapon even if it had been reinforced?”
“Reinforced?”
“Yes, being an event item it doesn’t have many capacity slots, but 『Mikazuki Munechika』can still be reinforced. I thought that since we’re going to use it, it’d be better to boost it up while we’re at it.”
Shin thought that if the weapon Munechika carries in human form has the same stats and effects as her original form, if the original weapon was powered up maybe the human form would be strengthened as well.
“Wait just a moment there. You are aware that 『Mikazuki Munechika』 is one of the Five Supreme Blades, right? Maybe Munechika recognized your ability, maybe you’re an incredible guy, but don’t just say you can “reinforce” it so casually!”
“No, I mean that it’s not a proble—-don’t glare like that, please.”
Shin could only laugh wryly before Mitsuyo’s accusing stare.
“Calm down, Mitsuyo. That’s true, something unexpected might happen, I cannot refuse to be reinforced. I do not know what would happen if you fiddle with my main body, but I have no objections. As long as I can keep my form as the weapon 『Mikazuki Munechika』, being reinforced is not a problem.”
“I see. The sun will set soon, so we will leave the exploration for tomorrow and do the reinforcing today. Do you have any requests in what way you would like to be reinforced, by the way?”
Weapon reinforcement contained many options: sturdiness boost, attack power increase, attack range extension, element attachment, etcetera.
The times a weapon could be reinforced too had different patterns: depending on the strength of the effect applied, many different ones could be added, or it was also possible to focus on a single element.
Based on how it was reinforced, a weapon could change to the point of becoming like a completely different one.
“Hmm. Personally, I would favor sharpness and sturdiness. Because the ideal katana never breaks, never bends, and slices well. Besides, adding unique effects could make me feel weird when I return to my original body.”
“I see, roger then. I’ll use the clearing in front of the shrine for a while.”
After obtaining permission, Shin materialized Tsuki no Hokora. Shin headed straight to the smithy, but for some reason, behind Shin’s group, the 3 Supreme Blades and the baby Kagutsuchi were following.
“Wait, why are you all coming?”
“What? Is that a problem or something?”
“Well now, is that not the place where weapons, what we would call a part of ourselves, are tempered? It is not something we can see every day. It is not strange for our interest to be piqued. Or are women forbidden to enter a smithy?”
Depending on the age, some locations were forbidden to women. Munechika’s question to Shin was probably because she knew this fact.
“No, I don’t particularly care about things like that. I understand Munechika, but I didn’t think that Mitsuyo and Tsunetsugu, and even Kagutsuchi would come.”
“I don’t mean to boast, but we are not weapons that average blacksmiths can handle. I cannot deny I am interested.”
Tsunetsugu spoke with an innocent smile.
In the game era, Shin had very rarely let others see him work in the smithy.
The residential area and smithy of the Tsuki no Hokora weren’t accessible to any player outside the Rokuten members; keeping one’s ideas and methods hidden was also common practice.
Furthermore, having people watching made him feel a little awkward too.
(Maybe because of the people present, it feels pretty different from the time at Falnido.)
Probably because of the presence of Munechika’s group, weapons with a consciousness, it was different from having Girard’s attendants or Tiera watching. Shin felt a kind of nervousness he couldn’t quite put into words.
Munechika especially, was completely serious. Even the baby Kagutsuchi resting on her head, which would normally brighten the mood, had a deadly serious expression now.
“Then, I’m starting.”
With these words, Shin started the fire in the furnace.
He checked the appearance of the magic power-imbued flames, impossible to generate in reality, then took out ingots of Orihalcum and Scarletite from the item box.
He placed them in the furnace and waited several minutes. A mineral sparkling with a mix of silver and red was formed.
“Is that…”
Mitsuyo commented, impressed.
“Something we call Chimeradite.”
“Hmm, it hasn’t become a weapon yet, but I already feel a peculiar intimidation from it…”
“Is it something you can use without problems?”
Tsunetsugu and Munechika both stared intently at the Chimeradite ingot, after feeling its magical power.
“No problem at all. I have already used ingots like this to reinforce weapons.”
Shin understood their feelings, now that the world had become reality. Normal minerals do not possess magical power, and even unique minerals for blacksmithing would not emit unusual magical energies like Chimeradite does.
“I will focus on tempering now. I don’t think I’ll be able to answer anything even if you ask me, so please keep it in mind.”
Everyone in the smithy felt the atmosphere changed after Shin spoke these words using a serious tone.
“—-I’m starting.”
Shin first took 『Mikazuki Munechika』 out of the item box and removed its hilt from the blade. Holding it with tongs, Shin heated the blade over the furnace, turning it gradually whiter.
The magic power-imbued flames depended on the magic power of the blacksmith that had ignited them. Because of this, they could have various effects, depending on the blacksmith’s will.
This time the weapon was gradually reaching the most suitable temperature for reinforcing it.
“………….”
After about 20 seconds, Shin silently removed the blade from the furnace and placed it on top of the Chimeradite ingot atop the anvil.
The white hot blade, with the sharp side pointing down, cut through the Chimeradite like a knife through butter. When the blade reached the center of the ingot, Shin lowered his hammer.
“….hnngh!”
The hammer swung down on the ingot.
Every time the hammer struck, a long, bright sound of struck metal echoed in the smithy. At the same time, like ripples in a lake, the magic power imbued in the hammer spread through the ingot and the blade.
“Whoa, what’s this magic power…?”
“Hmm, now this is impressive.”
Looking at Shin performing blacksmith work, feeling the echoing sounds and the magic’s ripple, Mitsuyo and Tsunetsugu couldn’t help but to voice their surprise and admiration.
Munechika simply stared at Shin, without a word.
“As usual, Shin is really amazing when he does blacksmith work.”
“Of course he is, blacksmith is his second name after all.”
“That’s true. His strength stands out more, but originally this is what Shin is best at.”
Following Tiera’s words, spoken while her body trembled because of the ripples of magic power, Filma replied jokingly, while Schnee did with pride.
“It looks like it will be complete soon.”
Shibaid, who had been nodding silently, commented too.
As Schnee and the others turned their eyes back on Shin, the Chimeradite on the tip of Shin’s hammer had become very small, as it had been gradually absorbed into the blade, and had mostly disappeared.
“Shhh!”
The metallic echoes resounded one more time, stronger than before. With this last blow, the Chimeradite was completely absorbed by the blade.
Supported by the tongs, the blade was not touching the anvil and was held in midair. The silver aura surrounding the katana was clearly denser than before the reinforcement.
“Phew, it’s complete.”
With a small sigh, Shin reattached the hilt to the blade.
The katana’s appearance had barely changed, but he understood that its attack power and resilience had grown by 20%. The name had also changed to 『Mikazuki Munechika – Shinuchi』.
“Here we are. Just in case, check if everything’s all right.”
“Yes, I will…it’s all right.”
Munechika closed her eyes holding the sheathed 『Mikazuki Munechika – Shinuchi』, then nodded with conviction. A small grin on her lips suggested her excitement.
“I will try to transfer my consciousness right away. Mitsuyo, take care of my body.”
“Leave it to me.”
“Here I go.”
Munechika’s body glowed silver, then after a few seconds turned into light itself, vanishing in the air. From inside the light, a katana just like 『Mikazuki Munechika』 before the reinforcement appeared.
As Mitsuyo grabbed the katana that appeared in midair, it fell in her hands, as if it had lost whatever was supporting it.
On the other hand 『Mikazuki Munechika – Shinuchi』 was floating, in the same position as when Munechika was holding it. At the same time as Mitsuyo had grabbed the materialized 『Mikazuki Munechika』, 『Mikazuki Munechika – Shinuchi』 started to glow.
Silver light gathered around the reinforced katana, gradually forming a human-like silhouette.
After a while, it morphed completely into a human.
“….phew, looks like there really are no problems.”
“Er, what?”
“Hmm.”
“Mitsuyo, Tsunetsugu, why are you surprised? Hmm? Shin, you all too?”
Not only Mitsuyo and Tsunetsugu were surprised to see Munechika as she appeared again in human form.
Their reactions, though, were a mixture of awkwardness and looking pointedly at Shin.
“If no one talks, I don’t know how I’m supposed to react.”
“Well, er…yes, I think it’s faster if you take a look yourself.”
Shin materialized a hand mirror from the item box and gave it to Munechika.
Even if still puzzled, Munechika took it in her hands.
“Oh? I see, so this is the reason.”
Looking at herself in the mirror, Munechika nodded in understanding.
“What!? Is that it!?! Why are you more beautiful than before anyway!?”
Mitsuyo loudly voiced what everyone other than Munechika was thinking.
Munechika was already considerably good-looking, but her beauty seemed to have been upgraded too.
Her waist-length black hair had acquired an even shinier gloss, making her pale skin stand out even more. Her well-defined eyes expressed a proud elegance blooming from her beauty.
It seemed that even her chest, pushing up her armor, had become more ample than before.
“It looks like being reinforced also influenced my appearance.”
“Hey, Munechika!! Why are you so calm and collected!! This is just weird!! Not only did you get prettier, but your curves improved too!?”
She might be a weapon, but now she was a woman. She apparently harbored the desire to be prettier, so Mitsuyo questioned Munechika.
“Wait, Mitsuyo, that’s not something I can answer. Shin, do you know what could have caused this?”
Shin was the author of the reinforcement, but even he could not explain this phenomenon.
“Of course I don’t. If you transfer your consciousness to a reinforced weapon you can become more beautiful…I had no idea this would happen!”
“Maybe you put in even more effort because Munechika is a beautiful lady?”
“He-hey now, Tiera! Stop saying things that could cause misunderstandings. I really, really don’t know why this happened!”
Shin desperately explained himself to Tiera’s suspecting gaze.
Next to her, Schnee was looking at him with eyes clearly saying “that’s not the case at all, is it?” To Shin, this was the bigger menace.
“This too must be a feat the “Dark Blacksmith” can do, I suppose?”
“It could be. The quality has improved after all, it would be difficult to say they are unrelated.”
In contrast with the commotion that broke out on Shin’s side, Filma and Shibaid nodded to each other in understanding, while Yuzuha and Tsunetsugu were simply impressed.
“Kuu, Shin, amazing!”
“Amazing indeed. Even more than expected.”
“Anyway! The reinforcement is complete! Tomorrow morning we’re exploring the dungeon. Let’s get some rest!”
Shin shouted to forcefully end the conversation.
Tiera also let it go, maybe because she didn’t feel like pressing him further. Schnee sighed in relief.
“Yes, Shin is right.”
“But I just can’t accept it.”
“Hehe, Mitsuyo is a bit lacking in that kind of growth after all.
“….what did you say?”
“Hoho, my my, so scary.”
Mitsuyo’s killing intent leaked towards Tsunetsugu’s s direction.
She still seemed dissatisfied, but had not forgotten their primary goal. She knew that today they wouldn’t push themselves into exploring the dungeon. That’s one reason behind her reactions.
“Tomorrow, then.”
“Yes, I’ll do the necessary preparations.”
After seeing Munechika’s group off, Shin called Filma and Shibaid.
He meant to let the other members rest first, but as they were interested, Tiera and Yuzuha remained too.
Only Schnee, who understood the situation, went to make preparations for dinner.
“Do you still have something to do?”
“I already had Schnee do it, but please look at this.”
Shin pulled out 『True Moon』 from the item box and showed it to the two.
“『True Moon』 was broken!? Who the heck did you fight against?”
Filma looked at 『True Moon』, her eyes wide open in surprise. She knew well how sturdy it was, so she couldn’t believe that it had been broken.
“Could that be…”
“Shibaid can probably guess the cause. This happened when I fought Girard and it clashed against 『Crushing Moon』.”
Shin explained how he tried to fix it multiple times, and how he felt that a piece was restored when Schnee poured her magic power in the katana.
“Schnee and us, meaning it’s the number of those who serve under you?”
Shibaid made his guess after hearing that 3 pieces were missing.
The pieces Shin vaguely felt to be missing and the former support characters who had not poured their magic power in 『True Moon』 were the same number.
“Probably. That’s what I felt when Schnee infused her magic power in it. If this wasn’t tied with my support characters, then I would have no idea what else it could be.”
“Pour magic power in it, right? Let’s get it done then.”
After listening to Shin, Filma received 『True Moon』 from him and closed her eyes to concentrate. As she did so, the glow emitted by 『True Moon』 changed from violet to red.
As the red light was absorbed by 『True Moon』, Filma let out a sigh.
“My part is done. This sure takes a good chunk out of you.”
“Then my turn is next.”
Shibaid took 『True Moon』 from Filma and concentrated. The katana started glowing in a black light mixed with silver.
The light shone a little longer than Filma’s, but when it disappeared Shibaid too let out a small sigh.
“I can’t do it as Filma did. But my magic power is definitely within it too now. There’s only one remaining now.”
“There’s still someone?”
Shibaid’s words provoked a question from Tiera.
Schnee, Filma and Shibaid, then Girard. With so many powerful members already present, she was surprised that there was still someone else.
“A party could contain up to 6 members, after all. Shin had 5 support characters. The last one is a girl called Sety. She was born a bit later than us, so she was like a little sister. You can’t get ahold of her now, right?”
The Sety Filma talked about was the last one of Shin’s entourage. Support character no. 5, High Pixie Sety Lumiere.
Different from the close combat-type Filma and Girard, the wall-type Shibaid and the all-rounder Schnee, she was a rear support type mainly specialized in magic.
“Yes, completely lost. I don’t have a single clue.”
Shin answered making a gesture of surrender.
Just like Filma, Sety was acting freely on her own. She had not become famous like Schnee or Shibaid, so they did not have any idea where she could be.
“Shibaid, haven’t you or Schnee ever managed to reach her?”
“We haven’t. Just like with you.”
Shibaid looked at Filma with a certain tired annoyance in his eyes.
“I couldn’t help it, could I?”
Like Filma, she might be in need of help, so Shin had already made a search request to the Golden Company through Berett.
“Either she’s stuck somewhere like Filma was, or she has no intention of answering, I guess.”
“That’s right…but isn’t there also the possibility that she’s sleeping?”
Filma added one option to the possibilities Shin thought about Sety’s lack of a response.
“Sleeping? Ah, that’s true.”
Long-living species such as Elves and Pixies sometimes slept for dozens of years at a time. It was one of the game’s features. There also was a quest about waking up a NPC Pixie, so it wasn’t impossible.
“That makes it hard to join with her, though.”
“Right. We found Filma purely by chance too. For Sety, all I know is that she could maybe be in a faerie village.”
Faerie villages, home bases for Pixies, existed in several locations. Some were open to contact with the outside world, while others weren’t; if Sety was in one of the latter type, it would have been difficult to look for her.
The barrier protecting faerie villages was something not even Shin could detect without being very close.
“If she is in one of the villages that communicate with the outside world, there would be at least some information coming in. But only those with high rank know the location of those sleeping, supposedly. We can only go directly and make sure.”
“In any case, we can just wait for information from Berett. If we don’t learn anything by the time this mission is done with, I’m planning to go to Garden first. ”
Shin replied to Shibaid. After meeting Girard again he was always involved in some trouble and had not had time, but he knew that he needed to make the time for this.
Inside it there should be Oxygen and Hydro, a High Pixie-High Lord duo serving under the Red Alchemist Hecate.
They were both research maniacs who would not take a step outside for years at a time, had completely different attitudes depending if they were interested in something or not…when Shin heard of the characteristics Hecate had created them with, he couldn’t help being perplexed as to why she would create them like that.
“Those two, if we’re lucky, are just immersed in their research. I looked at it from far away, but Garden didn’t appear to be damaged.”
“I’d like to object to that line, but I really can’t.”
“I understand that I should be worrying, really.”
Shin’s words were said in a joking manner to hide his worry, but Shibaid and Filma did not understand them like that.
They could not imagine Oxygen and Hydro, inside Garden, to be in any sort of trouble.
Shin only knew them from the game era, so he did not know how their personalities were now that the game had become reality. Looking at Filma and Shibaid’s reactions gave him an idea though.
If they didn’t change from the game era, they were likely still pursuing their research: they could probably even say that they didn’t notice the Dusk of Majesty had happened.
Abundant food and supplies, ample research material and facilities, combined with the high protection of being a Guild house. They had all they needed to shut themselves in it, so Shin wasn’t too worried either.
If they used the items within Garden, they could even deal with the powerful poisons surrounding it. Shin thought that they could have come out if they wanted.
“Well, no use talking about that here and now. Let’s settle this Supreme Blades business first.”
Their opponent was someone that, based only on strength, could rival Schnee.
As Shin’s party was superior both in numbers and ability, they had no risk of losing, but it was already a situation that was not present in the game. To be ready for any situation, he decided to review items and equipment before sleeping.
“OK, let’s recover our energy with Schnee’s dinner now. We can really look forward to her cooking.”
Everyone present knew of Schnee’s cooking skills.
As they entered the dining room, the food was already ready, while the table was being prepared.
“And…why are you here?”
“Because Kagutsuchi said it wanted to eat here. The High Elf there gave us her permission, by the way.”
Mitsuyo answered Shin’s question while pouting.
She was looking at the baby Kagutsuchi, sitting in the middle of the table.
“Pii!”
“It’s saying, I shall grant you the honor of feeding me.”
“Very high and mighty, but still a chick…”
These words would feel appropriate if said by Kagutsuchi’s original form, but the current fluffy chick had little authority to show. They had no reason to chase it out, however, so Schnee made dinner for Mitsuyo too.
“Pii!”
“Truly a delicacy. You have my praise”, it said.”
“Hehe, I’m honored.”
Kagutsuchi cried while pecking happily at the food, and Schnee answered with a smile.
Kagutsuchi was not the only one lost in the pleasure of Schnee’s food. Mitsuyo too, who had accompanied Kagutsuchi and sat at the table almost against her will, had been relentlessly and silently serving herself since the start of the meal.
Looking at the smile her lips formed, there was no need to ask for her impressions.
The dinner with such unusual guests continued: after it ended, Kagutsuchi and Mitsuyo returned to the small shrine.
After dinner all members proceeded to their respective rooms and prepared for the next day.
◆◆◆◆
“…..kuu.”
After everyone else had fallen asleep, Yuzuha cried softly on the bed.
She was remembering Filma and Shibaid pouring their magic power in 『True Moon』.
Shin said that there were 3 pieces missing: after Filma and Shibaid, just another one.
Even in its broken state, 『True Moon』 was a superior Ancient-grade weapon. If more magic power than just the last missing person’s part was poured in, it could surpass any other existing weapon.
Even if her knowledge was still limited, the Element Tail Yuzuha knew that.
What Yuzuha was concerned about was whether 『True Moon』 had capacity for her to pour magic power in or not.
Being his partner, Yuzuha also wanted to be of help to Shin. But if 『True Moon』 didn’t have room, there was nothing she could do.
“Kuu!”
I want to be stronger. So Yuzuha thought.
If she recovered all her powers and used all of her knowledge, she might be able to do something.
These were the thoughts that started to sprout in Yuzuha’s mind.
◆◆◆◆
At the same time, Tiera was still awake.
Sharing similar emotions as Yuzuha, she was thinking of Filma and Shibaid.
“…..haah.”
She could only sigh.
She had become unmistakably stronger. Yet she was still far from matching Schnee and the others. Even if she poured magic power in 『True Moon』like them, the resulting boost would surely be minimal.
“I’d….hate that…”
Her thoughts spilled into her words.
Tiera was aware she was the least powerful of the current members.
But even so, she wanted to be useful to Shin.
Tiera couldn’t yet decide if that desire came for the gratitude to him for dispelling her curse or for another feeling that was slowly taking shape within her.
She hated not being able to do anything though.
“I want to…be stronger…”
She didn’t want to be a burden.
She didn’t want them to keep looking out for her.
She knew that it was an arrogant wish, but as of now they were not on equal standing.
I want to stand…at his side.
“…haah.”
Her feelings were strong. But reality wasn’t that easy.
The difference in strength was overwhelming, she did not know what she should do.
But even so, her feelings remained.
“Sniffle…”
It would take a while before she could sleep that night.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 09 - The Five Supreme Blades/The-New-Gate-Volume-09-The-Five-Supreme-Blades-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_09_Chapter_02_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 1
“Hey, Tiera. You don’t look too well, is everything alright?”
“I’m fine, I just had some trouble sleeping.”
The next morning, Shin and Tiera bumped into each other as they left their respective rooms, and Shin inquired about Tiera, who looked less lively than usual.
Her answer also felt less energetic than normal.
Shin thought she might have been sick, but Kagerou, ever present at Tiera’s feet, did not seem to be worried.
【Analyze】 would not display small changes in one’s condition, but, if Tiera had been pushing herself, Kagerou would have reacted in some way, so Shin chose not to pursue the matter any further.
Tiera headed to the bathroom before breakfast. When she came back, she looked the same as always.
“And…you’re here in the morning too.”
“Pii!”
Shin’s eyes were pointed at the fluffy, red ball of feathers, baby Kagutsuchi, as he spoke. Roasted fish just out of the oven lay on the plate before the bird.
As Shin and the others started eating, baby Kagutsuchi started pecking away at the fish too.
The fish was much more than baby Kagutsuchi’s size seemed to allow, but baby Kagutsuchi ate until the fishbones had been picked clean.
Baby Kagutsuchi gave a small cry while patting its stomach, which had become rounder than before.
“Truly a delicacy, he says.”
Mitsuyo translated Kagutsuchi’s cry while she was eating in a slower, more polite manner.
“Kuu, ball of feathers, acting so high and mighty.”
“PYO!?”
Maybe because she didn’t appreciate Kagutsuchi’s attitude, fox-mode Yuzuha tried to push down its head with her paws.
Surprised, Kagutsuchi dodged the sudden attack at the last second and raised its small wings to intimidate the opponent.
“Pii!”
“Kuu!”
A bizarre battle had broken out in the middle of the table.
“What are those two doing?”
“Who knows? Playing with each other as entities related to the Ley lines?”
Watching the fight out of the corner of their eyes, the group continued eating their meal.
The bout between Kagutsuchi and Yuzuha was concluded with a lightning bolt from Schnee.
“By the way, Mitsuyo, are you Kagutsuchi’s caretaker?”
“I’d love to say no, but yes, I pretty much am. In theory, it’s a task that rotates between Munechika, Tsunetsugu, and me. But rather than that, that’s a rather familiar way of addressing me, without honorifics or anything. It is true that we requested for your help, but it’s quite irritating to be treated as inferior.”
“Ah…I’m sorry. A long time ago, when I was discussing battle strategies with my comrades, we called you without honorifics, so…”
Having been programmed with the movements of martial arts masters, the Five Supreme Blades were not opponents beginners or players with just some experience could hope to handle. But as they were ultimately programs, even their refined movements contained patterns.
At the time, Shin studied these movements and snatched victory by a hair. As they had met and fought many times, he ended up talking to her with familiarity.
“You look younger than the other two, so maybe he felt closer to you?”
“Hey, Filma!”
Shin reprimanded Filma because Mitsuyo seemed to be sensitive about her appearance. But Mitsuyo herself did not seem to care much.
“…..well, that’s fine. I remembered you after all, so I’ll let you call me as you like. I’ll address you the same way though. That’s fine, right?”
“Yeah. call me what you want.”
“By the way, there was something I wanted to confirm, may I?”
“Hm? What’s that?”
“What you did to Munechika yesterday, can you do it to other Supreme Blades too?”
Mitsuya probably referred to Shin’s reinforcing of the 『Mikazuki Munechika』he possessed.
“I can do the reinforcement itself. But in regards to 『Juzumaru Tsunetsugu』, I acquired it in a slightly different way, so I don’t know if the consciousness transfer can be done.”
“I see. If you can, then it’s alright.”
Mitsuyo did not add anything after that. “Lend me your reinforced 『Oodenta Mitsuyo』”, or “I will be coming with you”…Shin was expecting a development like this, so he was a little taken aback.
After breakfast, Shin and his group headed to the shrine. At the entrance, Munechika and Tsunetsugu were already waiting.
“Sorry, did we make you wait?”
“No, we just arrived as well. Then let’s enter the dungeon immediately. I shall show you to the entrance. Follow me.”
The group followed Munechika inside the shrine.
When they arrived in front of the crystallized Kagutsuchi, Munechika turned around.
“We will be transported to the dungeon from here. Are you ready?”
“No problem. Anytime you want.”
Shin nodded firmly to Munechika’s final confirmation.
As they had little information about the dungeon, they could not prepare for specific situations. Shin’s item box, however, included enough supplies to handle any kind of situation.
Concerning recovery items, each member’s item box had been provided with a sufficient quantity.
Tiera couldn’t use the item box, so she carried items in card form in a pouch at her waist.
“I’m counting on you.”
“Pii!!”
“Kagutsuchi wishes you fortune in battle too. Come back in one piece, you hear.”
Munechika replied in a clear, powerful tone to Tsunetsugu and Mitsuyo, who would stay in the shrine to protect it, and baby Kagutsuchi, who couldn’t fight for itself.
“Leave it to me.”
Her answer did not contain the slightest hint of worry.
“Kuu….”
“I’m sorry Yuzuha. You’re the only one that can help with Ley lines right now.”
Because of Shin’s group’s entrance into the dungeon, the miasma that had swallowed Dojigiri Yasutsuna could have had unfathomable effects on the Ley lines inside the dungeon.
Because of that Yuzuha, who, like Kagutsuchi was capable of influencing Ley lines, would stay outside.
Influencing Ley lines was also possible inside the dungeon, but rather than inside a warped dungeon, staying in Kagutsuchi’s shrine would allow them to influence the Ley lines from a safe location.
Shin promised the unhappy Yuzuha to brush her after coming back, then walked towards Munechika.
“I shall start the transfer then.”
As Munechika’s spoke, the scenery before Shin and his group blurred.
Compared to teleportation using the crystal stone or the one at Bayreuth, the transfer was completed after a slight feeling of intoxication.
“It’s hot.”
The instant after they transferred, a sauna-like heat attacked the party. Sweat would start trickling even without doing anything in particular.
For a dungeon located in a natural cave, its insides were extremely wide. 2 parties could be formed within it without problems.
Thanks to the wide space, it was not necessary to pay special care to the fumes of hot steam spouting from the walls, boulders, and ceiling.
Because of the white steam generated in the already humid cave, the temperature was very high. The steam could also come from the floor too, so they had to proceed with care.
Shin was protected by powerful gear, but he didn’t feel like trying to see what would happen if he was hit.
“Uuh, I feel sick…”
Different from Shin, who was disconcerted by the heat and humidity, Tiera was holding her hands over her mouth, unsteady on her feet.
Shin had just felt a slight disorientation from the transfer, but the effects appeared to have been greater on Tiera. The sweat on her forehead was not just from the heat.
Next to Tiera, Kagerou was crying out, worried.
Schnee cast 【Heal】 on the pale Tiera and gently rubbed her back.
“I too felt a kind of intoxication. Let’s take a small break, just in case. Tiera, are you alright?”
“Yes, I feel much better already.”
Her complexion seemed to look a bit better, perhaps because of Schnee’s 【Heal】.
After generating a barrier skill to guarantee their safety, all party members took a relaxed posture.
“We didn’t feel like that when we used the crystal stone. Munechika, do you know what the reason could be?”
“I don’t know for sure, but it could be the miasma. Even a weapon like me felt a little uneasy. I imagine that human types like you are more heavily affected.”
Everyone thought that the cause could be the miasma, but no one knew why Tiera was the only one to show such a strong negative response.
For 15 minutes they talked while waiting for Tiera to recover.
Tiera announced that she felt better, and Schnee also confirmed that she had recovered enough, so the group resumed the exploration of the dungeon.
Fuji’s secret dungeon was officially named “Depths of Hellfire”.
According to Munechika, as the name suggests many fire-elemental monsters dwell in it; without resistance to fire, just being inside the dungeon would gradually sap one’s energy.
“We could cut off the heat with a barrier, but moving will be troublesome.”
Dungeons where simply walking makes your HP decrease are truly harsh.
As Shin’s experience told him, item usage increased and in some cases, MP management became more difficult too. There were possible countermeasures, but if one wasn’t of high enough level struggling was inevitable.
“We don’t know what could happen, better be fully ready.”
Shin took 7 cards out of the item box. They were all the same: when materialized, a bracelet adorned with red gems appeared. It was the 『Enra Bracelet』, an accessory that nullified fire-elemental damage.
“To think that it would affect even me.”
“You’re in human form, so I suppose the item identifies you as human too?”
Shin answered to the surprised Munechika. It was possible to apply external options to weapons, so that might be the reason why this was possible.
“It’s fantastic that not only it stops damage, but blocks the heat too. If our hands slipped because of the sweat it would be a problem.”
Filma spoke while lightly wielding her sword. In the game, sweat wouldn’t weaken the weapon’s grip, but now that was a factor to think about.
“But isn’t it a bit of shame for you, Shin?”
“What is?”
Filma seemed to have come up with something and whispered it into Shin’s ear.
“If the heat continued, the sweat would have made Schnee’s clothes see-through…right?”
“That’s ridic….wait, they don’t work like that, probably.”
In the game, armor would not get ripped or broken even if drenched or attacked. But things were different now.
Schnee was now wearing Ancient-grade gear hand-made by Shin, the 『Moonlight Silver Maid Uniform』. Whether it would become see-through or not was unknown, but it wouldn’t be strange if it stuck to her skin and accentuated her curves.
“Anyway, jokes at a time like this?”
“This much wouldn’t shake you, would it Shin? Besides it helped you relax, right?”
“Even if I had been nervous, I don’t think this would have helped.”
“Filma, don’t trouble Shin too much.”
Maybe tired of the exchange, Shibaid lightly rebuked Filma.
Even while joking, neither Shin nor Filma neglected to be wary of their surroundings.
“You’re surprisingly relaxed even in this situation. No, I suppose it’s normal for Shin’s party to be like this.”
“Having a sense of tension is important, though. We just entered into the dungeon. If we were tense all the time, we wouldn’t last until the end.”
After the start of the Death Game, Shin explored dungeons alone most of the time.
Compared to that, having Schnee and the others with him made the current situation much easier to handle. At the very least, he felt relaxed enough to roll his eyes at Filma’s jokes.
“Okay then, looks like we have to welcome our first guest soon.”
Shin detected an enemy presence and announced it to Munechika and the others. The simple map displayed 5 red markers.
Parts of the cave’s walls and ceiling were red hot, so illumination was guaranteed to a degree, but they could not at all say that there was enough visibility.
Shin used a magic skill for lighting and prepared to confront the enemy.
“As expected, they’re fire-elemental.”
Appearing before Shin’s party was a group of large monsters and smaller ones.
The first type were 2 roughly 4-mel tall golems which looked like they had been made with the cave’s boulders, named Sledge Heat. The second, 3 large spiders about 1-mel large, with hair like flames, were called Molten Spider.
The Sledge Heats were walking closer, shaking the ground with their steps. Above them, the Molten Spiders were looking down at Shin’s group while crawling on the ceiling.
The Sledge Heats’ levels were 434 and 422, the Molten Spiders 369, 366 and 361.
“A small test to start with I guess. Let’s do it!”
Following Shin’s call, Shibaid, Filma, and Munechika stepped forward.
The all-rounders Shin and Schnee could have gone forward too, but the frontlines would have become too crowded, so this time they stayed with Tiera in the rear guard, which lacked numbers. Kagerou was Tiera’s exclusive protector.
“We’re going to suppress them first. Shibaid, everyone, take care of any monster that sneaks through!”
After giving his commands, Shin used the water-type magic skill 【Ice Bullet】.
The magic skill caused several ice shards the size of a fist to appear around Shin and Schnee.
Using the shards, floating thanks to their emissions of cold air, Shin aimed at the Heat Sledges, while Schnee sniped the Molten Spiders.
The shards, flying at a speed exceeding Tiera’s arrows, pelted the Heat Sledges and Molten Spiders like bullets from a machine gun.
Their offensive power was too high for the monsters: the Sledge Heats broke down in pieces, while the Molten Spiders retained little of their original form.
“….listen, you two. If you don’t hold back a little, we won’t have anything to do here.”
“No wait, they were too frail, seriously. I thought that monsters in a secret dungeon would have a bit more backbone.”
“Well, I guess this is the obvious result though.”
“Master’s and Shin’s magic power is so high that the monsters became nothing but shooting targets. Normally 【Ice Bullet】 doesn’t have this kind of power either…”
Tiera put away the arrows she had prepared and commented while looking at the frozen and shattered monsters.
Once squeezed, the fragments broke down in small crystals. They were completely frozen and became brittle too.
“Anyway, did it have the effect of freezing the opponent?”
“It should have, at least a little. High magic power can amplify added effects. Depending on the opponent, wouldn’t it be the same even if Filma or I had shot them?”
“Shin and Schnee’s stats are high all around, after all. As we just saw very clearly.”
Shibaid suggested an answer to Tiera’s doubts about the magic’s power.
In the end, that result had been caused by the difference in stats with the opponents. Golems like the Sledge Heats have low resistance to magic. The Molten Spiders were just completely inferior opponents for Shin and Schnee.
Inversely, it would have been absurd if a clean hit from Shin and Schnee didn’t kill them on the spot.
“How very reliable.”
Witnessing the group proceeding while instantly sweeping away any monster they came across, Munechika laughed wryly.
Maybe because the rule of “weaker monsters appear in the beginning of the dungeon” remained, all monsters appearing were under level 500.
Monsters of that level would fall after one hit of Shin and Schnee’s magic.
Rarely, some monsters would escape their magic attacks, albeit never unscathed: they would then fall prey to Tiera’s arrows.
“I don’t even feel like I’m fighting, but my level keeps going up…”
“They’re all low-level units for us after all. By the way, how are your stats?”
Shin inquired to the surprised Tiera.
Schnee and Filma had already reached the upper limit and their levels wouldn’t increase anymore.
But Tiera was different. Leveling up increased her stats further.
Her parameters’ values did not increase greatly, but she was undoubtedly growing stronger.
“Hmm, when I absorbed that light I told you that each parameter grew by about 200, right? Since then, I grew 11 levels, my status’…decks? (DEX) and…ants? (INT) grew by about 40, the rest by about 20. I also learned some skills. But is it normal to learn them so easily…?”
In the mysterious place where Shin’s party reunited with Filma, Schnee and everyone else received a stat increase. On the other hand, only Tiera can level up.
“Seriously? Your growth rate increased too. Your skills as well.”
Apart from the boost granted by the resurrection bonus, level up boosts were not as big as players believed. The increases Tiera reported, however, were much larger than what Shin knew.
In addition, Tiera had received the largest among the boosts granted by the light all members had absorbed.
“That’s true. I wonder if we have been influenced somehow as well.”
“Schnee and the others can’t level up anymore after all. It’s not a bad effect though, so isn’t it fine like this? To become stronger at a faster rate than normal is a good thing, I think.”
Shin did not absorb the light, but he felt that Tiera’s absorption of one of the lights, despite her not being one of his support characters, must have had some meaning.
The world was infested with powerful monsters. There was nothing to lose in becoming stronger.
“Well, becoming stronger is a good thing, of course. It’s just a little scary that we don’t know what that was. I know it sounds ungrateful since I’m enjoying the bonuses that light granted me.”
“Hmm, judging from your words, haven’t you simply received the Ley lines’ blessing?”
Munechika, who had been silent until now, suddenly voiced her opinion.
“The Ley lines’ blessing?”
“Yes. Their size may vary, but Ley lines are spread throughout most of the world. People, monsters, plants, animals, all sorts of creatures…their magic power and things like fragments of their consciousness seep into those Ley lines. Maybe because of this, the so-called heroes or saviors of each species sometimes are granted boons by the Ley lines. We call that “Blessing of the Ley lines”.”
“Who knew something like that existed…but looking at Schnee and Shibaid, I can see that.”
Shin was surprised to learn something completely new to him. But he could agree with part of the explanation.
“I can see why too, related to master and the others, who are in a High Human’s service. I don’t understand why I would be blessed, though.”
“I do not know that either. As Kagutsuchi said, blessings are not given only following people’s will. Tiera, your species is Elf, thus animals’ and plants’ will might be related as well. It is not something bad. It is a precious blessing, it will not hurt you to accept it.”
“I understand. But in that case, I’d think Shin would have been blessed too.”
“In my case, being someone from the distant past, maybe I was grouped together with the other players?”
Shin knew that High Humans were partly treated as a myth, so the thought that he hadn’t been treated as an individual, or was outside the circle eligible for blessings. The definition of blessing was ambiguous too, so he decided not to think too deeply about it.
“OK, looks like we can’t take it easy anymore.”
Shin spoke looking forward, as to signal the end of the conversation. Tiera followed him, raised her head, then, dumbfounded, whispered.
“What is…that…?”
Before Tiera’s eyes flowed a stream of lava. The cave was wider still, so a path was present, but an even fiercer heat awaited Tiera and the party.
“If Shin hadn’t given us those bracelets…I get cold sweats just thinking about it.”
“Without fire resistance, just going closer to this would kill you.”
Tiera swallowed her breath, and Shin agreed with her statement. In the game era HP would just decrease at fixed intervals, something that seemed an extremely small obstacle now.
Around Shin and the group the temperature was kept at the level that would make one sweat a bit after doing some exercise.
Though, that was all due to the 『Enra Bracelet』. The temperature reached by hot steam was nothing compared to lava.
Shin knew well that they were proceeding at a distance that, in reality, would be prohibitive without heat-resisting clothing.
Once again, Shin felt how incredible items were.
“By the way, what would happen if we fell into the lava?”
The doubt suddenly surfaced in Shin’s mind. In the game, status permitting, it was possible to dive in poisonous swamps or lava pools, something absolutely impossible in reality.
“If we equipped gear protecting the whole body, we could move freely until the endurance points last, I think.”
“Wait a second, don’t tell me that someone tried it?”
Shin had just mumbled his doubt, but Schnee heard and replied about what would happen. Hearing the answer, Shin couldn’t help but being surprised at the recklessness of whoever provided this piece of information.
“That person was wearing full-body Legend-grade armor. Maybe because of the magic power, no lava penetrated inside the armor, apparently. It started melting after 30 minutes or so though.”
“Was that person alright?”
“It was a Chosen One with high defensive power, if I recall correctly. In your case, Shin, you’ll be OK even if it touches your skin, I think. After all, you have higher defense than a dragon with its scales.”
“Even if I know that it’d be OK, I definitely don’t want to try it.”
Shin shook his head firmly: touching lava with his bare hands was something he would never want to do.
At the same time, he thought that he was well beyond human limits. It wasn’t just a matter of high defense.
“Does that mean that Chosen Ones like us wouldn’t be cut even if sliced by a blade?”
Shin asked the question to Schnee as they were crossing the lava stream.
Ever since coming into that world, Shin hadn’t received any real damage. Even when he faced Girard, an attack pierced his armor and caused damage, but he hadn’t sustained any actual wounds.
“It depends, but generally that’s correct. Even if a blade is pressed against the skin, people of our level wouldn’t be injured by a normal blade. It wouldn’t even cut a little. If we did so with the intent of cutting, we would be able to, though.”
“Oh, so that’s why the needle pierced when I made the guild card.”
Shin remembered when he bled in order to create his guild card. If his high defensive power prevented him from being injured, a powerful weapon would be needed to make him spill blood.
“Well, let’s continue this conversation later. Looks like there’s a monster inside the lava.”
Shin detected a presence while walking over the lava and directed the party’s attention to it.
“Eh, are you serious…?”
Tiera’s question was born out of her difficulty of believing Shin’s words, as nothing but molten rocks floated before her.
“It’s probably protecting its body with magic power, or something similar. Monsters don’t always fit the “animal” definition, after all.”
Creatures that would never exist in reality or defy the laws of physics often appear in games. These monsters are born from the mysterious energy called “magic”.
Shin and Schnee are used to such beings, and did not show any particular surprise. The less knowledgeable and experienced Munechika and Tiera couldn’t help being somewhat nervous.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 09 - The Five Supreme Blades/The-New-Gate-Volume-09-The-Five-Supreme-Blades-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_09_Chapter_02_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 2
“A monster dwelling in a liquid that melts even iron. I heard about such creatures from Kagutsuchi, but it is curious indeed.”
“This is nothing special, pay attention to the lava and it’s the same as any other monster out there. Besides, if it’s a fish type it’ll be really delicious.”
“Heh, I am relieved to hear that. I shall make sure to cut it ready to be served, then.”
With a small laugh, Munechika readied her blade.
Each party member proceeded forward, their weapons at the ready. After about 5 minutes, a fish fin-looking object emerged from the molten stream.
The object, which emitted a metal-like glimmer, was about 1 mel long.
“A Kiral Laava, huh. Judging from the fin, it’s probably 4 mels long. If it jumps in the air, it will shoot 【Fireball】 from its mouth, so be careful!”
Kiral Laava was an orca-type monster.
It attacked in mainly 3 patterns: tackles using its massive body, fang attacks, or fireballs. As it dwelt within lava, fire-elemental attacks had little effect and it was also resistant to physical attacks.
What made it most troublesome was the fact that it attacked in groups.
“There are 4 of them, I see. I’m going to lure them out, attack them then!”
Shibaid, the tank, swiftly attracted the Kiral Laavas’ attention with taunt skills.
2 of the 4 Kiral Laavas jumped in midair, while the other 2 charged towards Shibaid.
The 2 that jumped in midair, uncaring of the possibility of hitting their fellow monsters, shot 【Fireball】 at Shibaid.
“This much is nothing!”
Shibaid held the 『Great Shell Shield of Collision』 in front and ran forward towards the 【Fireball】 attacks and the Kiral Laavas. The very instant before clashing against the monsters, he activated the Shield-type martial skill 【Eclipse Fall】.
An emerald green, 3-mels wide transparent shield was formed with 『Great Shell Shield of Collision』 at its center and blew away the charging Kiral Laavas as well as the fireballs.
Shibaid had the lowest AGI among all the support characters, but he was still faster than the average Chosen One. As the one tasked with stopping enemies, his STR was very high.
His body’s build was good and, in addition, his main job was Holy Knight. No matter how huge the Kiral Laavas were, Shibaid would never lose in a clash against them.
The orca monsters were thus blown back, their boulder-like scales shattered to pieces.
The 2 monsters that had shot 【Fireball】 attacks were still descending and couldn’t assist their companions.
“Yes, as expected.”
Being blown in midair, the monsters were completely open except the front, from where they could shoot 【Fireball】. Not missing this opportunity to strike, Filma closed in to cut down the monsters still floating in midair.
Moments later, Munechika flashed the blade of the katana she wielded and, like Filma, cleaved the Kiral Laava in two with one slash.
The monsters sliced in two squirmed for a few seconds, but quickly stopped moving.
“The rest are fleeing, I see.”
Probably judging that they had no chances of winning against Shin’s party after seeing their companions defeated so easily, the other 2 Kiral Laava disappeared into the lava stream.
Shin looked at their markers on the map: they were moving away, as to go far from the river.
“This river doesn’t have only one course then?”
“What do you mean?”
“The two monsters that fled just now were swimming in a place that clearly wasn’t this river. There’s probably a passage leading to some other location hidden by this lava stream.”
Shin answered Tiera’s question by explaining the Kiral Laavas’ movements.
“So that’s why they don’t come out. Swimming away inside that makes them really hard to chase down…not that I want to fight them.”
“After all, the monsters are usually hard to fight. I thought we would have to battle them until the end, but I guess that even at that level they run, huh.”
The Kiral Laava’s level was 500 on average.
At that level, as far as Shin knew, most monsters fought until the bitter end. He thought they would attack again, so their escape caught him by surprise.
“The less fighting, the better. We’re almost in the middle of the dungeon, the miasma’s effect is getting stronger too. Be careful everyone.”
“Yes, the real thing is starting now.”
After Munechika’s remark, Shin and the others focused anew.
They had all noticed how their surroundings changed as they proceeded through the dungeon. Unnatural black dots had started appearing on the rocks.
When Shin tried throwing a pebble at them, the pebble turned black the instant it struck the black dot, then shattered.
“They’re clearly tainted.”
“Yes, this aura is miasma, without a doubt.”
Munechika agreed to Shin’s assertion. Part of the dungeon turning black was one of the game’s unchanged features.
As they proceeded towards the depths of the dungeon, Shin’s detection picked up monster presences yet again. The detected units were 6, but their movements were clearly erratic.
“There are monsters up ahead, but there’s something odd about them.”
“What do you mean?”
“Their presences get closer, then get farther again. I think that the monsters might be fighting among themselves.”
“Hmm, monsters fighting monsters over territory is not that unusual, though.”
Munechika casted her doubts after hearing Shin’s explanation. Monsters also had enemies among their own, and sometimes would fight each other while ignoring the players.
“That is true, but…”
“No, monsters inside dungeons never fight among themselves, do they? The monsters that dwell inside dungeons, even if their forms are different, are said to be of the same tribe.”
Schnee answered Munechika in place of Shin, who was at a loss for words.
Monsters only fought each other in the field outside. Monsters inside dungeons, different from the ones scouring the fields, were not hostile to other monsters.
Shin’s knowledge, however, was limited to the game mechanics; he could not give a definite answer.
“Even species that battle each other outside cooperate inside dungeons. Considering this, that is an unusual phenomenon indeed.”
“In any case, we will encounter them if we go on like this. Let’s go see with our own eyes.”
Shin’s party proceeded while erasing their presence and gradually came to hear clashing noises. There was a boulder ideal to use as hiding spot, so they peeked forward from behind it.
“That’s…”
What they saw was a giant scorpion-like monster, with half of its body painted black, named Schuberc, and a creature that looked like several monsters forcefully fused together.
“That’s a Chimera Invader.”
The aberration born from monsters corrupted by miasma was the Chimera Invader.
Created from the fusion of monsters tainted by miasma, its horrific appearance was disliked by female players.
“What is that…supposed to be?”
“You know that monsters transform because of miasma, right?”
“Yes, I have heard as much from Kagutsuchi. It is my first time to see one in the flesh though.”
“That’s the fusion of such monsters. Though, I have no idea why it turned into a form that makes it harder to move.”
Chimera Invaders did not have a fixed form, but changed based on the fused monsters.
The Chimera Invader fighting against the Schuberc was mainly formed of Kiral Laavas; from the right side of its abdomen sprouted a Golem-like arm, next to its dorsal fin there was the face of a dog-like monster, snake tails poked out next to its mouth, 8 spider-like legs from the left side of its abdomen.
Its fusion was so chaotic it was almost impossible to describe.
The creature’s fighting style did not possess the slightest regularity.
It deftly jumped using the golem arm and spider legs, struck the Schuberc with the snake tails, spewed fire from the dog-like face, faked a tackle then punched with the golem arm…it was completely unpredictable.
The biggest problem was that every time the Chimera Invader struck, the miasma’s corruption on the Schuberc’s carapace increased in intensity. If things continued like this, the Schuberc would also turn into an Invader and would be assimilated by the Chimera Invader.
“The more monsters it assimilates, the more the level and fighting power of the Chimera Invader increase.”
“Let’s get rid of it before it assimilates the Schuberc.”
The whole party nodded to Shin’s words and stepped forward.
First, Shibaid activated 【Eclipse Fall】 and charged towards the monsters.
The two beasts, which were locked in a clinch, were blown away together and forcefully separated.
“I’m going to suppress their movements. Munechika, the Schuberc is yours. Let’s take down the Chimera!”
As Shin gave his instructions, globes of light appeared around him. The light bullets shot at high speed crushed the Chimera Invader’s golem arm and ripped through its spider legs.
Twisting its body, the monster tried to distance itself from the group, but the light bullets that had initially missed performed sharp turns in midair and shot the beast down.
The Light-type magic skill Shin had unleashed, 【Ray Stinger】, was originally anti-air magic. Hitting the Chimera Invader, which only flailed in one direction, was not difficult.
“Ssshh!”
Munechika’s battle against the Schuberc was completely one-sided too.
There was a difference in level and stats between them, but more than anything the sharpness of the 『Mikazuki Munechika – Shinuchi』, as tempered by Shin, was something to behold.
Schuberc swung down its massive pincers, only to see them cut off by 『Mikazuki Munechika – Shinuchi』. The katana’s cuts were so sharply clean, it was even possible to see the cross-sections of the monster’s insides.
“If I get used to this, I’ll probably find my original weapon lacking.”
Cleaving through the tail that had attempted a surprise strike from above, Munechika closed in on the Schuberc.
Insect-type monsters had high lifeforce. Simply cutting away parts of their body was not enough to weaken them.
The Schuberc came charging at Munechika, trying to blow her away.
Before its sturdy carapace-clad body could clash with Munechika’s body however, her blade -unsheathed as she leaped in the air- sliced through the monster’s head.
The Schuberc, now with half of its body cleaved in two, stopped completely after twitching for a few instants.
“Shin’s group has finished too I see.”
As Munechika turned around, Filma’s 『Red Moon』slashed through the Chimera Invader, pinned to the ground by the light bullets shot by Shin and Schnee.
“Hmm?”
Even if torn apart, however, the Chimera Invader did not die. Its abdomen, now split in two, squirmed forward and attacked Shin’s group again.
“I was ready for this!”
Tiera had been warned that the Chimera wouldn’t die easily and quickly struck down the right abdomen with a thunderclad arrow, as it leapt through the air avoiding the light bullets.
Her arrows, expressing how much stronger they had become since Balmel, caused the abdomen to explode as soon as they pierced it.
The remaining left abdomen was burned to cinders by Filma’s follow-up attack.
As the Chimera Invader turned to dark dust in the air, the tension within Shin’s group slightly eased.
“Still as tough to kill as always I see. Anyway, your arrows’ power sure is something, Tiera. Its weak points should be only Light magic and Divine magic, I thought…?”
“Even if you ask me…for the record, I am barely capable of attaching skills to my shots. The lightning before was thanks to the bow you gave me, and Kagerou.”
Thanks to the boost granted by the light she absorbed, or maybe because of level-up bonuses, Tiera had learned several skills. However, her ability to attach magic power to her bow had not grown so conveniently.
The mystery of her high damage remained, but it was useful nonetheless.
“Anyway, from here onwards it will probably be infested with Invader-type monsters.”
“There are a lot of those, then…honestly speaking, they are pretty disgusting.”
Shin nodded to Tiera’s clear dislike of Invader-type monsters.
“Some change their forms even without being Chimeras. Plus, they become stronger and cause weapons to become worn more quickly…a bonus we really don’t need.”
While it was harder to notice with Ancient-grade weapons such as the ones Shin and his group had, Legend-grade weapons risked being consumed if these monsters were engaged in long battles.
“Munechika, do you know how far Yasutsuna still is?”
“There’s still some distance. Definitely in the lower area though.”
Kagutsuchi had told them how many floors the dungeon was supposed to have. Shin’s group was now in the floor acting as a border between the middle and lower area.
The miasma’s effects were apparently stronger in the lower area: as Shin’s group proceeded, all the monsters they faced were of the Invader type.
In some cases Chimera monsters appeared in groups, making their pace slower than what it was in the middle area.
“If we go on like this, it’ll be night when we arrive in the lower area. It might be dangerous to spend the night in an area where Chimeras appear frequently, so how about we return to the slightly safer middle area and rest there?”
“Agreed, our pace is extremely fast already. We don’t need to fret.”
Shin proposed to rest in the middle area, where the miasma’s influence was smaller; Munechika was the first to agree followed by everyone else.
The area that wasn’t subject to visible effects of the miasma was the upper one, but going all the way back there would consume too much time, so they decided to take a brief rest, with someone standing guard.
Even if physical abilities increase through level up, the mental side is different. Going without rest for extended periods of time would decrease concentration.
“I’ll activate 【Wall】 and 【Barrier】 just in case, so I think we will be alright. If anything happens, wake me up.”
“Understood. Take a good rest.”
“Unless something extraordinary happens, Shibaid and I can take care of anything in seconds.”
The shifts would be 2 hours long, with the first one being Shibaid and Filma. The next would be Shin and Schnee, then the last Munechika and Tiera.
Shin laid out some simple tents within the barrier skill’s area, where they would rest.
Munechika, being a weapon, did not particularly need to rest, but said she would contact Kagutsuchi during her rest time.
It happened 4 hours after the rest time started, during Munechika and Tiera’s shift.
“Lady Tiera, there is something I would like to ask you, if that is alright with you.”
“Me? Ehm, what is it?”
Munechika talked to Tiera after making sure that Shin and the others were sleeping.
Tiera had not the slightest clue about what Munechika would want to ask her, so she could only tilt her head with curiosity.
“Lady Tiera, you are not just a normal Elf, are you?”
“Eh…?”
Tiera found herself unable to answer Munechika’s question, as her body stiffened. Her reaction clearly showed that she felt those words could be true.
“From you, I feel energies different than your partner’s, the Gruefago Kagerou. One of those is something I know well, something close to the power of the Ley lines. I would assume that you are some sort of priestess? One with very high ability too.”
“……….”
Tiera remained silent to Munechika’s questions. What that silence meant was assent.
“To avoid any misunderstandings, let me say that I do not mean to interrogate you. I simply wanted to tell you that those like me, familiar with the power of the Ley lines, could detect that in you, that is all.”
“No, that’s all right. You asked when we were alone so that Shin and the others wouldn’t hear, right?”
“Correct. All I know about priestesses is what I heard from Kagutsuchi. But I understand that priestesses are worthy of admiration and respect, as I know that their existence is kept hidden.”
“…..thank you very much. Outside my family, only master knows that I am a priestess.”
Tiera answered in a feeble voice, holding Kagerou -now in wolf cub mode- in her arms. In answer to his worried cries, Tiera caressed him gently.
“Well, I suppose you have your reasons and circumstances. For a priestess to leave the place where she should be and participate in battle is unthinkable, after all.”
“I do possess the abilities of a priestess, but strictly speaking am not one anymore. Even using the 【Analyze】 Shin gave me to see my status, the Priestess job is not displayed anymore.”
Tiera spoke with a mixture of sadness and loneliness in her voice.
“Besides, someone else took my place. In the village, they probably think I’m already dead.”
“….I see. I apologize for making you recall such painful things.”
“No, I also thought I should say it. But I can’t just come out with it…”
Tiera herself thought that Shin and the others probably thought something was off with her. Her high growth at level up, skill acquisition, absorption of the Ley lines’ energy, the miasma-purifying effect attached to her arrows.
More than anything else, the fact that she controlled a Divine Beast, a creature which would collaborate with people, but never form a contract with them.
Someone legendary like Shin was an exception, but Tiera thought that she didn’t possess much power herself.
Kagerou said he wanted to repay her for the kindness received in his younger days, but Tiera felt that there was something else to it.
“I will keep what we talked about tonight within my heart. I understand it is not my place to say, but please do not torment yourself too much.”
“Yes, thank you very much.”
After Tiera’s words of gratitude, silence filled the surroundings. They exchanged small talk every now and then, until their shift ended too.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 09 - The Five Supreme Blades/The-New-Gate-Volume-09-The-Five-Supreme-Blades-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_09_Chapter_02_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 3
The next morning, when all members were awake they ate a small meal and resumed their exploration of the dungeon. As they knew the route to take already, they quickly arrived at the point they had stopped at the previous day.
Maybe because they had slain all monsters they had encountered the day before, they did not find many this time.
“Good, we’re going to finish this today.”
Everyone nodded in agreement to Shin’s words.
Shin’s 【Magic Sonar】, the same skill he had used during the exploration of the Summit Faction’s base, gradually filled the unexplored spots of the map. The skill’s range was reduced because of the miasma’s effects, but its waves of magical power did their job effectively.
The group proceeded while making sure that the map was being updated. Naturally, the Invader-type monsters roaming the dungeon would sometimes attack.
They were, however, struck down by Shin, Schnee, and Tiera’s magic and finished by Filma, Shibaid, and Munechika’s attacks: before this simple but overwhelming power, they were all crushed with barely any chance to resist.
As their opponents were often close to level 600, Tiera’s level increased in an interesting way today too.
“To think that I’d reach level 200…I’m starting to feel sorry towards the people that level up seriously…”
“Really? Yes, this looks a bit like power leveling, but you’re not leeching off us by any means, so I don’t think you should worry about it. You’re damaging the Chimeras without a doubt too, I mean you even felled one in one blow just now. This might sound weird, but this is a good hunting area for you, Tiera.”
As Shin said, Tiera’s arrows were extremely effective against miasma-tainted monsters. The damage was considerable too, but also the fact that Invader-type monsters were paralyzed after Tiera’s arrows struck them, making their movements duller.
Against Chimeras and their unpredictable movements, Tiera’s arrows were incredibly useful.
Even Shibaid, who had not talked much since they entered dungeon, mentioned how she was a true asset to their fighting capabilities.
“As Shin said, we are having an easier time thanks to lady Tiera. There is nothing you need to be concerned about.”
“Er, thank you, very much.”
As they descended further through the dungeon’s lower area, the space became gradually narrower.
“Looks like Yasutsuna will be in the lower area’s boss room, right?”
“Indeed. As we said before leaving, we also think that the possibility of Yasutsuna being in the deepest part of the dungeon is high. Even now that we are in the lower area, I feel its presence coming from below. I do think that prediction is correct.”
Munechika agreed with Shin’s thoughts as they walked on through a corridor.
The “Depths of Hellfire” were structured like a reverse pyramid: the lowest floor consisted of just the boss’ chamber.
Yasutsuna was far stronger than the dungeon’s boss, so it would not be strange for it to be in place of the boss.
“Doesn’t it feel like the miasma is growing thicker? I’m starting to feel kind of sick.”
On their way down, only Tiera seemed to perceive a change in the miasma in the atmosphere.
“I can’t feel any particular difference. But Tiera is sensitive to miasma, better use some countermeasure. Materialize this card from the ones I gave you.”
During their exploration of the Summit Faction base too, Tiera had shown to be sensitive to things difficult to determine and identify, such as miasma and the voices of the dead.
Considering this, Shin pulled out a card from the item box and showed it to Tiera.
“Schnee and everyone else as well, please materialize one of these and swallow it. I don’t know if it will affect you Munechika, but try just in case. This allows you to act even within thick miasma for one hour. We don’t know what awaits us down here, so let’s take it regularly.”
What was materialized was a round white pill less than 1 cemel in size.
Named ”Miracle Drug of Holy Skies”, it was an essential item when exploring areas infected with miasma for an extended time.
Swallowing the pill prevents miasma-caused status ailments for 1 hour. Depending on its usage, it could also serve as a means of attack.
Shin had prepared it for added safety when he heard that the miasma was powerful enough to swallow even an Ancient-grade weapon.
“It’s incredible, I feel better already. Is this what you were throwing at the Chimeras?”
“Yeah. In case of emergency, just throw one of these at the enemy. If it’s an Invader-type, this pill alone can cause serious damage.”
Shin had prioritized making a large quantity of them, so he did not have time to test their effectiveness before: that’s why he tested them directly on Invader-type monsters.
Shin had a natural high resistance to miasma, so swallowing the Miracle Drug of Holy Skies wouldn’t change his condition much. But he confirmed with Schnee that the pill was effective, so he told Tiera to swallow it right away.
“This too is effective even on me. As lady Tiera said, incredible indeed.”
Munechika was even more surprised than Tiera. Her true form was a weapon, but she was subjected to the effects of miasma like any other person.
Swallowing the pill, however, allowed her to suppress such symptoms, just like the other members of the group.
“It is truly helpful to be able to fight without worrying about miasma after all.”
Munechika thought that depending on the situation she might not have been able to assist them in fighting, so she was relieved.
“I didn’t expect for it to affect you too, Munechika. Oh, looks like we reached our destination.”
Normally, Shin’s group would find stairs leading to the lower floor at this point.
The corridor they were following though, led to a giant door decorated with a painting of a large bird-type monster, probably Kagutsuchi.
Two candle stands were erected at the sides of the door: they had surely been burning for a long time, but black flames still danced on them.
Large gates were always found before boss chambers, like a sort of landmark. In game terms, it was a way to show that a powerful enemy awaited.
In the current real world though, it intimidated and pressured any visitors. It silently warned them that they needed to be prepared to die if they wanted to go past it.
“OK, I’m opening it.”
After making sure that everyone else nodded in response, Shin pushed the doors.
The thick door had some resistance at first, but after moving it a little it naturally opened completely. The scenery inside, accompanied by the doors’ metallic creaking sounds, slowly showed itself to the eyes of Shin and his group.
“What an impressive welcome.”
Before he activated 【Analyze】, Shin noticed several shadows.
A pack of Ogres, all with bodies mostly painted black. Their appearances showed that they were not regular Ogres, but a mix of different species, such as High Ogres and Warrior Ogres.
Behind all the Ogres stood a unit completely different from the rest.
The first thing that came to Shin’s mind after seeing it was Black Oni.
It was twice the size of the other Ogres. Its torso was naked and adorned with powerful muscles which were like an armor protecting the monster.
Its body was fully tainted black with miasma: only its eyes shone bright red.
From the forehead of a face which could be described with the word Oni, the demon of Japanese folklore fame, sprouted a pair of horns.
The lower half of its body was covered by a yellow and black striped cloth.
The beast’s single piece of clothing, reaching until its ankles, was ragged and ripped, maybe because of the miasma.
“….Shin, it’s holding Yasutsuna in its right hand.”
Munechika spoke while keeping her feelings suppressed, looking at the katana the monster was wielding in its right hand, swirling with a black aura.
“!?!”
Shin’s eyes opened wide one instant, then his look became even sharper.
The katana’s blade was severely damaged, even cracked in parts. Rust could be seen in the joint between the blade and the hilt, its decorations-which surely were a work of art-discolored and indistinguishable anymore.
Its state was so horrible that one wouldn’t even wonder if it still cuts or not. Could it even be called a weapon now?
It was as good as dead as a katana. Its Ancient grade was the only thing that kept it from breaking completely.
“What is that….!? What the hell is that!?”
Deep, menacing words, very different from the usual, came out of Shin’s mouth. He felt clearly what Munechika was feeling, as one of the Supreme Blades herself.
The hand holding Munechika’s sword was slightly trembling.
Seeing her companion being treated that way would undoubtedly rouse her anger.
—— “Ogre Invader – Level 723”
【Analyze】 displayed the “Invader” word. Shin wasn’t really concerned with it until now, but this time it really grated his nerves.
Maybe it was because Shin knew that the katana had a consciousness, or maybe because of his contact with Munechika and the others. Shin himself was surprised at how much the sight of the ravaged 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』 made him furious.
In the current world, It was the first time for Shin to see a weapon corrupted by miasma at this point.
He couldn’t explain why, however, the scenery before his eyes disgusted him so much.
As Shin’s party entered the room, the doors behind them closed. But neither Shin nor Munechika, nor anyone else, cared about something like that.
“I will kill the Ogre without breaking 『Yasutsuna』. I’ve been in the rear guard until now, but I’m going forward this time.”
“Understood. I find that repugnant as well.”
“Definitely, it’s just disgusting.”
Shibaid and Filma replied to Shin’s announcement, spoken in an unusual tone of voice because of his anger.
Munechika, Tiera, and Schnee did not speak, but all shared the same sentiment.
“….I am thankful.”
“Don’t mention it. As a blacksmith, I cannot allow something like that. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so disgusted.”
As if corresponding to Shin’s thoughts, the blade of the katana he was wielding, 『Moonless』, emitted a dull glow.
“We’re going to take care of the other Ogres. Shin, lady Munechika, the boss is yours.”
Schnee told Shin and Munechika to go forward.
If it was just about defeating the boss, Schnee, Shibaid, Filma, anyone of them would have sufficed. Tiera too, with Kagerou’s support, would have been able to damage it.
But that was not the most important part.
Defeating it was just a prerequisite. More importantly, facing that boss here and now was something Shin and Munechika had to do, as a blacksmith and as a sword, or so judged Schnee.
“Help it as soon as you can.”
“Leave it to me!! Let’s go, Munechika!”
“Yes! You shall taste the blade of Mikazuki Munechika!”
Shin and Munechika kicked the ground to jump high in the air towards the boss, which was standing idly behind the monsters’ group.
They ignored the pack of Ogres in the middle of the room and attacked the boss right away.
“I don’t know the state the weapon is in. Even if the boss attacks with it, don’t clash with it too hard!”
“Understood!”
The very moment they landed, Shin attacked the monster’s upper body, Munechika the lower body.
A simultaneous strike coming from both right and left.
An average Ogre would have been sliced in three without even being able to react, but this Ogre was the secret dungeon’s boss.
The boss naturally reacted, parried Shin’s 『Moonless』with Yasutsuna while retreating, then dodged Munechika’s 『Mikazuki Munechika – Shinuchi』 by raising its legs in the air.
Parrying Shin’s blow in that state, however, was not a good idea.
『Yasutsuna』 was pushed back, knocking the monster off balance, easy prey for 『Mikazuki Munechika – Shinuchi』’s following attack.
“———!!”
The blade, aimed at the monster’s legs, changed direction in a sharp angle and cut through the Ogre’s left arm.
The boss’ left hand had been cut off, forcing it to retreat further while screaming in pain. Its right hand, though, still gripped 『Yasutsuna』 firmly.
Even if it was an Ancient-grade weapon, Shin didn’t know how much durability remained in it. Because of this, when the boss took a stance to parry with 『Yasutsuna』 Shin held back on his attack.
He had not inflicted great damage, but instead noticed something.
“This response…it still has some durability left.”
Maybe because of his blacksmith skills, Shin understood indirectly that 『Yasutsuna』 retained more durability than what its appearance suggested.
While its appearance made it seem like less than 10% remained, actually the katana still retained at least 30% of its durability.
“You can tell?”
“Yes, it’s still at around 30%. At the very least, it won’t break after just parrying an attack. If it’s necessary, we can cross swords with it without worrying.”
“It is a relief to hear that. But attacks from an enemy of this level will not hit, and I have no intention of spending time on fighting it.”
After understanding that 『Yasutsuna』’s durability, their greatest concern, was not at risk, Shin and Munechika’s movements improved.
Even if they defeated the boss, but 『Yasutsuna』 broke, they didn’t know if they could fix it. They could not be cautious enough.
But things were different if the katana’s durability was not in danger.
The Ogre Invader became much more vigilant towards the two as it distanced itself from them. Was it because it felt that Shin and Munechika’s hesitation had disappeared?
“Too slow!”
Shin and Munechika spoke at the same time.
Thanks to the Movement-type Martial skill 【Ground Shrink】, the two warriors stepped right next to the boss in a flash.
Even if powered up by miasma, for Shin and Munechika, the Ogre Invader was a clearly inferior opponent. Without any reason to hesitate to attack, they would never struggle against it.
“Shah!”
Shin’s blade struck the monster’s left arm and leg…
“Fuuh!!”
Munechika’s slash cut through the monster’s right arm; all its limbs were thus cut off and blown away.
『Yasutsuna』, finally freed, was still in midair when Munechika safely caught it.
“We have no use for you anymore. Die already!”
Its left leg cut off, the monster collapsed on the ground, but Shin’s blade struck relentlessly.
A white visual effect signaled the activation of a skill: three blade streaks were drawn in midair.
Katana-type Martial skill “Continuous Flower Wheel”.
An upward slash, a downward slash, another upward slash. The first slash originally served to knock the opponent’s weapon upwards, while the other two would strike directly. The boss was already off balance even before receiving the first blow, so it had no way of dodging any of Shin’s blows.
Shin’s slashes cut the monster’s head and torso in two.
No matter how much its Invader transformation progressed, being cut into so many pieces prevented it from recovering or resurrecting. As its HP reached 0, the monster’s body crumbled away in dust.
“The others are already finished I suppose?”
Even if they were fighting the boss, Shin and Munechika were not attacked by its Ogre minions. The reason was that Schnee and the others had already done away with all of them.
The floor of the boss’ chamber was littered with the rods and great swords previously held by the Ogre monsters.
“I see you have finished too. How is Yasutsuna’s condition?”
“Its durability is alright at least. But it’s corrupted by miasma, so I have to take a closer look before I can say if it’s safe or not.”
Shin answered Schnee and looked at 『Yasutsuna』in Munechika’s arms. It happened the next instant.
“Kh…looks like it was too early to relax”
“!? Hey, what’s going on!?”
『Yasutsuna』, now held by Munechika, emitted a turbid aura. The tainted substance wrapped around Munechika’s arm, as if it possessed a will of its own.
Munechika grimaced, as if she had received damage, and 『Yasutsuna』 fell from her hands.
“Ggh…the source of the miasma that corrupted the cave was Yasutsuna itself it seems.”
After these words, Munechika fell to her knees. Even if 『Yasutsuna』 was no longer in her hands, the miasma did not leave her arm.
“Wait just a second. I’ll dispel it right away.”
Shin took Munechika’s hand and activated the skill 【Dispel Omen】. It was a skill to purify miasma, necessary when facing Demons or visiting locations affected by miasma.
The transparent light that appeared at the same time of the skill’s activation caused the miasma enveloping Munechika’s arm to vanish. Even so, Munechika’s complexion was as sickly as before.
“How do you feel?”
“I apologize. I did not think that Yasutsuna had been so…”
Munechika was looking at 『Yasutsuna』, stabbing the ground before her. Its appearance was nothing but a katana on the verge of breaking.
As Shin touched 『Yasutsuna』’s hilt, the turbid aura that attacked Munechika appeared again. Yet as it touched upon the gauntlets equipped by Shin, it disappeared as if blown away.
It was a secondary effect of the 『Hades Gauntlets』 Shin had equipped.
Powerful Ancient-grade equipment would not be tainted easily, even if it came into contact with miasma.
Ancient-grade gear, especially if crafted by a high-level blacksmith like Shin, could dispel miasma via simple contact if it was in perfect condition.
That is the reason why Shin could hold 『Yasutsuna』 without being affected in any way.
“As I expected, this equipment prevents it from affecting me. Then, how about this?”
Shin activated 【Dispel Omen】 on the 『Yasutsuna』 he was now holding. Doing so dispelled the miasma lingering in the katana’s blade.
Yet as Shin deactivated the skill, miasma started creeping out of the blade again.
The only part of the katana that did not leak miasma was where Shin was holding it, as it was under the effect of Shin’s 『Hades Gauntlets』.
If Shin released 『Yasutsuna』, the hilt would also probably start leaking miasma.
“It won’t work even if you keep casting skills? Is destroying it the only way out?”
“I don’t know. Either I keep casting 【Dispel Omen】 and the miasma disappears or we have to destroy 『Yasutsuna』 itself. Honestly speaking, I cannot decide.”
Even under Munechika’s imploring gaze, Shin did not answer with hopeful predictions or change the subject.
Different from blade and weapon analysis, miasma was a field he knew very little about. Shin had no idea about what move he could make.
Schnee was the same: the only way she could think of was purifying the miasma.
In the case that miasma kept appearing even if 【Dispel Omen】 was cast, they always stopped it by destroying the source of the miasma.
“Ehm, could I?”
“Tiera?”
Among the silence the group had fallen into, Tiera timidly raised her hand and spoke.
“Well, first I would like to confirm something with lady Munechika…this room is directly above a Ley line, correct?”
“Hmm? Why do you…no, let us set that aside. Yes, we are above a Ley line, no mistake about it.”
“Then it might be possible. I cannot say for sure though.”
“Tiera?”
Tiera, after receiving Munechika’s confirmation, moved closer to Shin and put her hand over his and 『Yasutsuna』.
“In my village, there is a method of purifying miasma handed down through the generations. Shin, please keep casting the skill, I’ll try doing most of the work.”
“Will you be okay?”
“Leave it to me….don’t worry, this isn’t my first time.”
With a calm expression, Tiera nodded, a tinge of sadness in her eyes.
Her eyes looked straight at Shin.
“…..got it. I believe in you. Munechika, what do you say?”
“She is trying to save one of my companions. There is no other way.”
“Then it’s decided. Schnee, everyone, please stay alert of the surroundings just in case.”
“Understood.”
Schnee and the other members readied their weapons and focused on the surroundings. Miasma could sometimes give birth to demons, so they could not afford to lower their guard.
“I’ll start now.”
Tiera whispered softly.
『Yasutsuna』’s purification thus began.
“————–. ————.”
What Shin heard was a clear and serene melody, a chant not spelt with words, rising from Tiera’s lips.
Its echo had a mysterious charm to it, enough to make Shin almost forget that they were in the depths of a dungeon.
“!!”
As the melody started, Tiera’s body started glowing. Her black hair flowed as if blown by a breeze, brimming in a transparent light.
The light emanating from Tiera’s body affected Shin too, as she had put her hands over his. The transparent light started enveloping Shin’s body as well.
“What’s this…?”
Shin let out a small exclamation. Something warm and cold at the same time, an indescribable sensation, permeated him.
There was no change to his status, and excluding that curious sensation, nothing was happening to him.
“This is…”
What changed was 『Yasutsuna』. The miasma leaking from the blade started squirming and writhing.
It really looked as if it was suffering, so Shin became more alert.
Coursing through Tiera and Shin’s hands, the light came into contact with the miasma.
It was rejected once, as if their contact caused a violent reaction, but the second time it overcame the miasma and enveloped the whole blade.
“—–n——. ——–.”
As the light and the miasma clashed, the rhythm of the melody sang by Tiera was disturbed. Large sweatdrops formed on her forehead and her expression was twisted in pain.
But even so, Tiera continued to sing the melody.
“Hm….?”
Shin was thinking of a way he could help Tiera.
Then suddenly, his eyesight shook violently.
A forest.
A human-like silhouette, collapsed on the ground.
Someone kneeling down next to it.
Ple……se………..! ………An……!!!………se!! I’m…….don’……..ave….me……..one!!
Broken images appeared before Shin’s eyes, a voice of someone not present reached his ears.
The visions that appeared before his eyes were out of focus, the silhouettes that appeared in them dark and blurry.
The voice was disturbed by noises, all he could make out were broken pieces of words.
Shin was still confused by what was happening when, as abruptly as they began, the visions and sounds ended.
“Ugh….”
“Hey!”
Before he realized, the light had disappeared and Tiera collapsed.
Shin held her body from falling, instinctively.
Tiera, breathing heavily, slowly stood back up, supported by Shin’s arms.
“Now it, should be alright, I think.”
“….so it looks like.”
The purification seemed to have been successful: even if Shin released 『Yasutsuna』, its blade did not exude miasma anymore.
Shin looked at Schnee and the others, wondering if they had experienced the same thing he did, but their expressions did not show any confusion. Did only he and Tiera see those visions?
“First of all, let’s grab Yasutsuna and exit the dungeon. We can’t talk at leisure here.”
“Ah, yes, no objections here. Will Yasutsuna be alright?”
“I cannot say anything before I take a closer look. It’s not broken and it doesn’t look like its durability decreased, so I want to say that it’s OK, but…I can’t yet.”
Munechika looked at 『Yasutsuna』with concern.
Their objective was nonetheless achieved, so after making sure that there were no other sources of miasma in the boss’ chambers, Shin’s group exited the Depths of Hellfire.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 09 - The Five Supreme Blades/The-New-Gate-Volume-09-The-Five-Supreme-Blades-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_09_Chapter_02_Part_04.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 4
Shin and his party left the dungeon and returned to Fuji’s shrine. Mitsuyo, who had been sitting waiting for them, came running as soon she saw the group.
“That was pretty quick. Did something happen?”
Maybe because she had noticed Munechika’s sickly complexion, Mitsuyo seemed to think that some accident happened.
“Something happened, that’s for sure. For starters, we recovered Yasutsuna.”
Shin answered somewhat awkwardly, then showed 『Yasutsuna』, which had not been changed to a card. The miasma had vanished, but the katana’s hilt and blade were still in terrible condition.
“What’s…that…?”
The sight of 『Yasutsuna』 left Mitsuyo speechless.
“It was already in this state when we found it. The miasma has been purified, but I don’t know what happened to its consciousness. Maybe Kagutsuchi could know something?”
“This way!”
Mitsuyo grabbed Shin’s hand and ran off. Transparent teardrops flowed from her eyes.
As they moved from the dungeon portal to the crystallized Kagutsuchi’s chambers, Yuzuha, who had probably detected their arrival from the sound of their footsteps, came running to meet them, baby Kagutsuchi and Tsunetsugu in tow.
“Lord Kagutsuchi, Yasutsuna is….Yasutsuna is…”
Mitsuyo ran up to Kagutsuchi, but words wouldn’t leave her throat.
Looking at Mitsuyo’s tearful expression, Kagutsuchi and Tsunetsugu’s expressions both darkened.
“Calm down, Mitsuyo. What happened?”
“I will explain. Please look at this first.”
Shin came forward from behind Mitsuyo and showed 『Yasutsuna』.
“I see, so this is how it is.”
“Pii…..”
“Kuu, all worn out.”
They all understood right away the reason why Mitsuyo was crying.
For Mitsuyo and Tsunetsugu, Yasutsuna was one of their few brethren. Seeing it in such a state was more than enough cause to become emotional.
“I don’t know in what state Yasutsuna’s consciousness could be right now. I thought that maybe Kagutsuchi could know.”
“Pii!”
“He says he wants you to show him the katana closely. Right, please place it on that pedestal there.”
Tsunetsugu translated Kagutsuchi’s message. After Shin did as he was told, Kagutsuchi touched the blade with its small wings.
“Piyo! …..pii.”
“Is that really so!? No, but at least there is still hope…”
“…….”
Kagutsuchi was quiet for several minutes, then cried loudly. The words Tsunetsugu spoke in reaction contained both relief and discouragement. Mitsuyo, eyes looking down to the ground, was silent.
“Yuzuha, what did it say?”
“It’s very, exhausted. Like this, the consciousness will, fade away. But there is still, a way.”
“And what is this way?”
“…..another one. With a container to transfer its consciousness to, it could be saved.”
Tsunetsugu spoke in Yuzuha’s place. The consciousness hosted within the weapon should be able to transfer itself.
“Another one? Aah, so that’s wha—-”
“Please!! Give us your 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』!!”
Tsunetsugu seemed to be uncertain about making the request or not, but Mitsuyo shouted in his place.
She placed her hands on the ground and lowered her head, prostrating towards Shin.
“Wait, what are you doing!? I knew that you’d ask me to give it to you! I’d never say no in a situation like this!”
Shin spoke while urging Mitsuyo to raise her head.
“But Ancient-grade weapons are rare items that could be impossible to find anymore. A blacksmith like you surely knows how much they are worth. Even so, you would give it away?”
Mitsuyo was aware how much Ancient-grade weapons were worth. She thought that no samurai or blacksmith would ever part ways with one.
“I know that it’s precious. But honestly, right now I’m using it only as a collector’s item. Besides, I’m someone who can reinforce 『Mikazuki Masamune』, not your average blacksmith…if I need an Ancient-grade weapon, I can just forge myself a new one. I forged this one too, you know?”
Shin talked while pointing at the weapon he had at his waist. Resting in its sheath was a genuine Ancient-grade katana, 『Moonless』.
“If possible, let us do it right away. Please look and see if you can.”
Shin put his materialized 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』 on the pedestal where he had placed Yasutsuna.
The baby Kagutsuchi already started spreading its wings.
“Pii….”
Kagutsuchi carefully examined the two blades for several minutes, then cried softly and shook its head. Shin understood what it meant even without Mitsuyo’s translation.
“No!! But why!?”
“Piyo…”
“How can this be…”
Baby Kagutsuchi said something else, and both Mitsuyo and Tsunetsugu lowered their heads.
“What did Kagutsuchi say?”
Looking at Kagutsuchi’s gestures, anyone would have understood that Shin’s 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』 couldn’t be used. The reason was still unknown though.
“This katana is filled with your magic power, so it apparently can’t be used as a container. Like Munechika, its original body is separate, so the only thing possible is transferring its consciousness for a time…”
“I see. So what we would need is a 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』 without anything unnecessary mixed in it, right?”
“Yes, exactly…but where could we find something like that!?”
Mitsuyo, unable to restrain herself, struck the pedestal. Maybe because of her power, the struck pedestal crumbled.
Only part of the pedestal crumbled, so Yasutsuna was still safe. She had not lost control at the point of endangering it too.
“Shin, can’t anything be done?”
The question had come from Tiera. Shin turned towards her, to find Schnee and the others looking at Shin too.
“…there is one thing, that could be attempted.”
“Eh?”
In response to Shin’s words, Mitsuyo let out a rather dazed reaction. All present eyes focused on Shin and his serious expression.
Then, Shin spoke clearly.
“To forge another 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』.”
“You can do something like that?”
Tsunetsugu was surprised by Shin’s words, but couldn’t hide the skepticism in his eyes. Creating Ancient-grade weapons was truly difficult after all, that’s why they were so precious and rare.
“Honestly speaking, I am not completely confident. 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』 is an event-only item, so its creation recipe doesn’t exist. So I have to start from zero and do trial & error from there. But I have recipes for other Ancient-grade weapons, which I can use as reference; it should help things to a point. Moreover, excluding the fact that it’s filled with my magic power, we have the real thing here. If I analyze this, I should be able to forge something similar right away.”
During the time he was holding Yasutsuna, Shin had already analyzed its composition to a degree.
As he had perceived Yasutsuna’s remaining durability just by clashing against it, until now phenomena unexplainable only with the words “it’s thanks to the skills” had happened, time and again.
Shin wondered what the reason could be, but there was no point in worrying about that now.
“This is my first time, so I don’t know how much time it could take. First, give me a few days for analysis and trial creation.”
“We can’t be of assistance to you for that, so I suppose we will wait while thinking of any ideas.”
“Indeed, we are not weapon specialists, we wouldn’t know what could be useful after all.”
Shin proceeded to materialize Tsuki no Hokora right away and go to the smithy.
Filma and the others, while looking for anything that could prove useful, stood guard at Fuji and its surroundings alongside Mitsuyo and Tsunetsugu.
Schnee instead set out with Tiera for some special training.
“Well then, let us start from grasping your physical abilities, improved by the recent level ups. It will be better to examine your skills, yes?”
“Er…well, m-master, I am sure I could do that by myself, there is no need for you to bother…”
Tiera slowly backed from Schnee while saying this. The sweat forming on her forehead clearly showed her current state of mind.
“What are you saying now? There are many things that need to be ascertained. Let us start with a simple sparring match.”
“Eeek!! Master, wait!! Please waaaaaiiitttt…..”
Tiera’s voice trailed as she was dragged away. Shin and the others silently prayed in their hearts for her safe return.
◆◆◆◆
“Time to start, then.”
Shin was in the smithy and started with Yasutsuna’s analysis.
First he detached the blade from the hilt, separating them. Then, with a small palm-sized hammer, gently struck the blade. High-pitched metallic sounds rang through the smithy. After hearing the sound resounding through his ears, Shin proceeded to the next activity.
He extracted several ingots from the item box, putting them close to 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』 , one after the other. Some of the ingots sparkled when close to the katana.
“No durability recovery made me suspicious but as I thought, there really is a small ratio of Scarletite.”
The sparkle of the ingots allowed Shin to know what minerals were used in the blade and their approximate quantity. Finally, he placed 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』 on his hands and closed his eyes.
This series of actions, unchanged from the game era, allowed one to obtain a creation recipe.
There were several ways to acquire a weapon recipe: the main methods were buying it, obtaining it from someone, finding it in a dungeon treasure chest, or analyzing the weapon to create it by oneself.
Mysteriously enough, as Shin closed his eyes the weapon’s composition and materials gradually appeared in his mind. In the game era, the recipe would have appeared before his eyes, so it seems that things had changed somewhat.
“Hmm, it’s still full of holes. Though understanding 60% of an Ancient-grade weapon’s recipe so quickly is a success in itself I suppose.”
Analyzing a weapon can not provide a complete recipe. The recipe’s holes need to be filled through trial & error.
It’s a long, grueling task, which requires the patience of repeating the same steps many times and the financial leeway of using up many items and precious minerals while looking for the correct ingredients’ ratio.
“Orichalcum….60%…no, 62% maybe? Adamantine is….20%….no, 30…change the values and…”
Shin was throwing ingot after ingot in the furnace, mumbling to himself in the process.
The minerals used were created in Tsuki no Hokora’s generator. The ingots in the item box were permeated with Shin’s magic power, so they could not be used.
Shin kept following the recipe, filling its holes with his intuition and experience.
Two hours after starting, he finally reached the last step before completion, the final stage.
Shin materialized a 『Drop of Erathem』 from the item box. The gemstone, transparent yet shining with the seven colors of the rainbow, appeared in Shin’s hand.
“As I thought, swords and katana need a coating treatment.”
The 『Drop of Erathem』 was an indispensable item when creating Ancient-grade weapons. Depending on the treatment used on it, the weapon’s status changed.
An external coating would make the weapon physical-focused, using it as core or center would make it magic-focused, if it was melted with the other ingredients the weapon would turn out balanced between both.
Shin’s 『Moonless』 and Schnee’s 『Blue Moon』 were balanced, while Filma’s 『Red Moon』 and Shibaid’s 『Placid Moon』 were physical-focused.
Shin submerged the 『Drop of Erathem』 in a special liquid. As he did, the 『Drop of Erathem』 melted within the liquid, which assumed rainbow-like colors.
“….looks like it’s working fine.”
After saying this, Shin took the completed blade and soaked it into the liquid. The liquid’s sparkle changed, as if absorbed by the blade: soon after, it returned to its original color.
After confirming that the sparkle had vanished, Shin removed the blade from the liquid and wiped it with a cloth.
As if tempered by this action, the blade now shone with a dull sparkle.
The first test creation had been completed.
“….no good.”
Shin looked at the blade and let out a sigh. As to confirm his words, the name displayed by 【Analyze】 was 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna – Dull』.
He had followed the recipe, so it was at least recognized as a Yasutsuna. But the word “Dull” after it negated everything else.
“Well, it’s to be expected for the first test to go like this…hmm? The door’s open!”
The knock at the door came with perfect timing. The door between the smithy and the residential space wasn’t locked, so after Shin’s words the door slowly opened.
Then Mitsuyo came inside.
“….did something happen to Yasutsuna?”
“That’s not it, don’t worry. Kagutsuchi said it would last for at least a month too.”
Shin was relieved to hear those words. Thinking that it would be best to start working as soon as possible, he had not confirmed how much time he had.
“I see. So do you need something?”
“Yes, I didn’t want to bother, but…is work going well?”
“I’m at around 60% for now. I have a general idea now, so all that’s left is minor adjustments. Though, that’s what takes the most time.”
What mineral was used, and in what quantity. Adjusting this was the most complex part.
Regarding the crafting process, weapons of the same type shared many similar points. It was thus much quicker than finding the correct ratio of used minerals.
“I will definitely craft it within the allotted time. So please give me a little more time.”
Shin did not actually know if it was possible to re-create the same weapon in this world. Even so, he made his statement. It was to make Mitsuyo feel better and also a little for his own pride.
“….okay, I won’t doubt you anymore. I’m going then.”
Mitsuyo turned around and put a hand on the handle of the smithy’s door. Her expression had no trace of the mistrust she felt at the time of their first meeting.
Just before closing the door behind her, Mitsuyo turned around and whispered softly.
“Do…do your best.”
The door closed as Mitsuyo’s whisper trailed off.
Shin had already turned his eyes back to test creation #1, so maybe she thought he hadn’t noticed.
The smithy, however, was not particularly noisy. The words of encouragement whispered by Mitsuyo duly reached Shin’s ears.
“….let’s do this.”
Feeling even more eager than before, Shin first melted test creation #1 in the furnace.
The special furnace built in the Tsuki no Hokora melted the weapon, which despite being a test creation, was still an Ancient-grade one, and returned the materials used in the craft as ingots.
Only one third of the materials used could be retrieved, but it was still better than nothing. The item box and Tsuki no Hokora’s warehouse still contained a great quantity of materials, but Shin had no idea when they could re-stock them.
Crafting test creations required large quantities of materials. Repeating to himself to save as many as possible, he once again took ingots in hand, to craft the next katana.
He finally succeeded in re-creating 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』 two weeks later.
“I…I did it.”
After a never-ending succession of trial creations, Shin finally succeeded in creating a satisfying result. He hadn’t received Kagutsuchi’s confirmation yet, but Shin’s intuition told him that it was perfect.
If someone unaware of the circumstances saw this silhouette, laughing holding a katana up high, they would surely think Shin was at its mental limits though.
“Ehm, are you alright…?”
“Hahaha, I’m so sleepy I could die…”
Schnee had come to check on him, at the best time, and voiced her worry. Shin then changed from laughing eerily to wobbling, unsteady on his feet.
Bags were clearly visible under his eyes; he had been pushing himself as much as he could.
“First, show this to Kagutsuchi. It should, work out.”
“Understood. I understand very well, so please rest!”
Schnee accepted 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』, but couldn’t bear watching Shin like that and urged him to rest. Maybe because of her words, or because the tension within him had eased after completing 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』, Shin fell asleep instantly.
“Shin, you really work too hard…”
It wasn’t clear if Schnee’s whisper had reached Shin’s ears or not.
His head buried in Schnee’s chest, who had quickly moved closer to support him, Shin was already sleeping peacefully. He had kept crafting, neglecting to eat and sleep, so he was not likely to wake up soon.
“…..good night.”
With a small smile, Schnee stood there for a while, affectionately embracing Shin.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 09 - The Five Supreme Blades/The-New-Gate-Volume-09-The-Five-Supreme-Blades-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_09_Chapter_02_Part_05.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 5
“Hngh…?”
Feeling the warmth of sunlight, Shin opened his eyes. He understood right away that he was in his room, inside of Tsuki no Hokora.
As he pulled himself up, he noticed something silver next to him.
“Schnee…wait, why?”
Seeing Schnee, sleeping while lying on the bed, fully woke up Shin.
His memories before falling asleep were hazy. He remembered completing 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』, but he couldn’t remember what happened after. He only remembered the feeling of being buried in something soft.
After a few minutes of racking his brain, he managed to recall having entrusted the katana to Schnee.
“What happened then?”
He was concerned whether 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』 could be used as a container. Shin’s senses deemed it perfect, but he couldn’t be sure unless Kagutsuchi confirmed it.
As there was no other way, he decided to wake Schnee and ask her.
“Schnee, wake up, Schnee.”
“Hn….n? ——!?”
Schnee woke up as Shin called her name and shook her shoulders. She emitted a half-asleep mumble at first, but after noticing Shin was awake she sprang up to her feet.
“Ah, er….how are you feeling!?”
“Just fine, so please calm down. How long was I asleep?”
Staying in the smithy for a long time, Shin had lost track of time. Gradually, he wasn’t able to tell if it was morning, day, evening, or night anymore.
“Let’s see, you have been sleeping since yesterday morning, so one full day, I’d say. Kagutsuchi said that the katana you made can be used as a container. They should already be starting the transfer of consciousness.”
“I see….aaah, that was hard!”
With a big sigh, Shin dropped back down on the bed.
Thanks to Schnee telling him what he wanted to know, Shin felt as if a large weight had been removed from his shoulders. As he was now, he couldn’t craft a better version of that katana.
Focusing so completely on blacksmithing made him realize that there were parts of the blacksmith skill that he hadn’t completely mastered.
“It’s just time for breakfast. Will you eat too?”
“That’s fantastic. I’m actually starving.”
Shin nodded while passing a hand over his stomach.
He hadn’t noticed how empty his stomach was while crafting, but now hunger was attacking him in full force. His stomach would start growling very soon.
Shin and Schnee moved to the living room and found Mitsuyo putting plates on the table. As her eyes met Shin’s, she looked away for some reason.
“Er…good morning…right?”
“Yes, that’s right—–good morning.”
After that curt greeting, Mitsuyo disappeared into the kitchen. Shin’s head was full of question marks because of this reaction.
“Isn’t she pretty different than the usual?”
“Is she? To us, it doesn’t look like she changed much though.”
Schnee tilted her head to the side, not understanding what Shin could be referring to.
“Ah, Shin! Did you rest enough?”
As Mitsuyo left the room, Tiera came into the living room from the kitchen. The plates she was carrying contained bacon and scrambled eggs.
“Yes, I’m fine. I don’t see Shibaid and the others, though—-”
“They’re with Kagutsuchi, to see the consciousness transfer process. Mitsuyo is helping with preparing breakfast. They should finish any moment, I think.”
Shin asked while looking around the living room and Tiera replied. She then added that Yuzuha was assisting the process, so she was with them too.
“I see. I’m sorry for having you do everything here, but can I go there too?”
“It’ll be fine if Mitsuyo helps.”
“I’ll take Shin there then.”
Shin and Schnee headed to Fuji’s shrine, as Tiera saw them off with a smile.
After crossing several forks in the path inside the shrine, they arrived in a room roughly 20 square mel large.
On the pedestal in the center of the room lay two 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』; the one Shin’s party had recovered from the dungeon and the one he crafted.
Baby Kagutsuchi and Yuzuha were on the pedestal too. Around the pedestal stood Filma, Shibaid, Munechika and Tsunetsugu, silently observing the process.
“Piyo——-!!!”
The process seemed to be reaching its conclusion. As baby Kagutsuchi cried loudly, a faint light rose from the tattered 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』. As the small light left, the katana quickly deteriorated and turned into a lump of iron, as if the flow of time around it had suddenly accelerated.
The light slowly floated in midair and was gradually absorbed by the 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』 Shin had crafted.
“Piii—-yo—–”
As the light was fully absorbed by the new katana, Kagutsuchi lay down, visibly exhausted. Its ball-like fluffy body was rolling back and forth on the pedestal.
“Kuu, you worked hard.”
As to praise it for a job well done, Yuzuha supported Kagutsuchi’s body to prevent it from rolling around. They didn’t appear to be on especially good terms before, but maybe they found something in common.
“Thus, was it a success?”
“Pii….”
Just as Kagutsuchi cried in reply to Tsunetsugu’s question, something changed.
The new 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』 rose in midair and shining with light. As the light dissipated, a black-haired young man in armor appeared in its place, with 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』 hanging at his waist.
The handsome young man and his straight, proud posture exuded the atmosphere of a natural born warrior.
“Yasutsuna!!”
“…hm? Munechika and Tsunetsugu? This is…hm, who are those people? What happened to lord Kagutsuchi?”
The young man Yasutsuna opened his eyes after hearing Munechika’s call. He seemed to be perfectly conscious. After confirming Munechika and Tsunetsugu’s presence, he cast a sharp glance in the direction of Shin’s group.
His worry about Kagutsuchi signified that his memories, up until being swallowed by miasma, were intact too.
“Calm down, Yasutsuna. These people are our saviors, they put forth their utmost efforts to save you.”
While calming Yasutsuna down, Munechika explained how Shin’s group explored the dungeon to retrieve him, how Shin attempted and succeeded in crafting an Ancient-grade weapon to save him.
“Is that true!? I might have been ignorant of it all, but how could I act so disrespectfully to my saviors! My deepest apologies…!”
After hearing the explanation, Yasutsuna bowed his head energetically. Maybe a symbol of his serious personality, his body was angled in a perfect 90 degrees bow.
“Lord Shin, Lady Schnee, Lady Filma, Lord Shibaid, noble divine beasts. I offer you my most heartfelt gratitude for assisting me and my fellows in this endeavor. If you were ever in need of my strength, please do not hesitate to say the word.”
Yasutsuna spoke fervently, his head still bowed.
At that same time, Tiera and Mitsuyo entered the room.
“I see everything went well, I’m relieved.”
“…good grief, don’t make people worry like that.”
The sight of the young man she had not seen before made Tiera realize that Kagutsuchi’s process had succeeded. Next to her, a sullen-looking Mitsuyo let her sharp tongue loose.
“I am sorry, Mitsuyo. I am perfectly fine now. You are lady Tiera I suppose. You have my gratitude for everything you have done for us.”
“I am just glad you are safe and sound.”
Yasutsuna spoke to both newcomers with a smile. He had heard all the names of the members of Shin’s group, so by elimination, he had guessed that the person next to Mitsuyo was Tiera.
“By the way, Munechika, I don’t see Kunitsuna.”
“Because Kunitsuna is not here. I don’t know if you remember, but you two were swallowed by miasma. We’re going to go rescue Kunitsuna next.”
“…is that so. That time…”
Apparently, Yasutsuna still retained memories of that moment. He then spoke with a saddened expression.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Do not fret. You have just transferred to a new body, you surely are not familiar with it yet. You have to start from mastering your new body.”
Yasutsuna offered to help, but Tsunetsugu dissuaded him. Having just transferred his consciousness, he couldn’t move his body as freely as before yet. Tsunetsugu related Kagutsuchi’s message, that he needed time to familiarize himself with it.
“Hmm, it is true that it still feels unnatural. I suppose I would weigh you down if I came with you as I am now.”
“There’s nothing to worry about. I’m going with them next time.”
Mitsuyo’s announcement was followed by Yasutsuna’s dejection.
“What are you saying? The one going will be me again, obviously.”
“Munechika, you touched Yasutsuna when he was still tainted by the miasma and are not in your best condition, right? We know that my 『Odenta Mitsuyo』 can be reinforced too, so I will go.”
Mitsuyo’s question to Shin a few days before had been caused by her consideration of the possible effects of miasma.
She knew that miasma could taint weapons, so she had been waiting outside the dungeon in case something happened to Munechika and she had to be replaced.
“Kh, now you said it…”
“In that case, this old man will…”
“You stay quiet, Tsunetsugu.”
“My my, they can’t take a joke, can they.”
Tsunetsugu’s proposal was met by razor-sharp looks from the two, which gave him cold sweats. Taking a couple steps away from them, he mumbled “S-So scary!”.
“Er….Kagutsuchi seems pretty tired too, why don’t we go eat for now?”
Shin’s proposal directed the group’s eyes to Kagutsuchi, lying on the pedestal as before. They couldn’t just leave it there, so they decided to continue the conversation after breakfast.
Tiera had been a little intimidated by Munechika and Mitsuyo’s aura though.
“So, which one will it be?”
After breakfast, the two finished their discussion and went to see Shin. Though, looking at Munechika’s regretful expression and Mitsuyo’s beaming smile, already gave away the answer.
“I’m going. I’m sorry for my impudence, but I would like you to reinforce 『Odenta』.”
Mitsuyo’s expression turned serious as she made her request, her head low.
Munechika was still slightly affected by the miasma, but if she transferred her consciousness to 『Mikazuki Munechika – Shinuchi』, Munechika would be even stronger than before; in addition, Tsunetsugu – Fuji’s most powerful warrior – was still present. Now that Yasutsuna was back too, Fuji would have been safe even without Mitsuyo.
“Got it. I more or less grasped how to do it thanks to Munechika, so just wait a while.”
Shin did not have any objections about reinforcing 『Odenta』 either. He proceeded straight to the smithy to begin the reinforcement.
Mitsuyo transferred her consciousness to the 『Odenta』 now in its Shinuchi form.
Mitsuyo, enveloped by light, took human form again. She appeared to have grown a bit.
Her hair was now tied in a ponytail, her appearance resembling a young lady who still retained traces of childishness but was one step from becoming an adult. Depending on her behavior, the impression she gave could change completely.
“W, why…”
Mitsuyo, however, had not grown as much as she hoped. With a hand over her chest, she seemed to be conflicted.
Shin’s ears caught the words she was mumbling to herself: “It’s bigger, sure….it’s bigger, sure, but…!”
Maybe because of her physical growth, her armor had grown in size as well, its design changed too.
Munechika’s armor was very practical, one a general of the Japanese middle ages would wear; in contrast, Mitsuyo was something closer to the cosplay one could find at a convention.
The upper half of the body was sturdily protected, but the lower half was something akin to a skirt; her greaves guarded only her shins and knees. Her rather long socks extended just above her knees, thus charmingly showing her thighs.
“Let me say this to avoid any misunderstandings. I didn’t design your appearance or design of your armor, okay?”
“Uuh…I know that!! My abilities have definitely increased, I’m really thankful! Thank you very very much!”
Shin couldn’t help a wry laugh after Mitsuyo’s somewhat desperate words of gratitude. He then left the smithy and headed to Tsuki no Hokora, trying to calm Mitsuyo down as they went to join Schnee and the others.
“Hmm, I see everything went well.”
“I see, Mitsuyo changed just like Munechika did.”
Tsunetsugu and Yasutsuna commented on the sight of the grown Mitsuyo. The preparations seemed to be already complete.
“I suppose you expected something different, did you Mitsuyo? I have to say, your armor’s shape changed very much.”
“The childishness that bothered her seems to be gone, so I do think what you said isn’t warranted, lord Tsunetsugu. Hmm, your armor certainly became very…interesting.”
“I didn’t think that I’d become like this either, my legs exposed and all!!”
Mitsuyo noticed that her companions were looking at her legs and tried to hide them as much as possible by stretching the cloth.
Her cheeks were flushed out of embarrassment.
“But is that not a good result? Even without the adult charms Munechika possesses, with that appearance you will surely attract sir Shin’s att—whoops!”
Mitsuyo’s 『Odenta』was swung before Tsunetsugu could finish the sentence.
“Tsunetsugu, what might you be saying, all of a sudden?”
“Just a joke, dear. You look very different from before, now sir Shin surely won’t think of you as a child.”
“….I’m sorry, Yasutsuna. I leave the protection of Fuji to you and Munechika.”
“Whoa!? M-Mitsuyo, please calm down!! I apologize, lord Shin. Could you please assist me in soothing her!?”
Mitsuyo’s face had completely lost all expression after Tsunetsugu’s repeated jest. Yasutsuna, who was next to her, hurriedly pleaded for Shin’s assistance.
Mitsuyo’s eyes did not show the slightest hint that she was joking, so Shin grabbed her from behind to restrict her movements.
“Wait wait wait!! Don’t go attacking our biggest defense here!”
“Kh, let me go, Shin!! I can’t cut Tsunetsugu down like this!!”
“You can’t cut him down anyway!”
“There are things you can say and things you cannot….wait, where are you touching!?”
“Whoa!?”
Shin was focused on trying to calm Mitsuyo down, but his face was suddenly attacked by her cranium.
“E-even if I’m wearing armor, don’t just go and touch a woman’s chest!!”
Shin backed away in a hurry, as Mitsuyo shouted at him, her arms crossed on her chest.
Shin didn’t have the slightest intention of doing that. Touching her chest over the armor wouldn’t have made him feel the slightest sensation, as he almost wanted to point out.
“What exactly are you doing?”
“That’s what I want to know too…”
Shin could not find any other answer to Schnee’s weary question.
After the commotion was finally resolved, The group descended from Fuji, sent off by Kagutsuchi, Tsunetsugu, Yasutsuna, and Munechika.
◆◆◆◆
Once the group passed the forest and reached a road large enough for carriages, Shin materialized their horse carriage from the item box.
They then headed due north, relying on Mitsuyo’s detection ability.
Yasutsuna had been found very close, in Fuji’s secret dungeon. However, according to Munechika and Mitsuyo, things were different for Kunitsuna.
“It’s getting cold.”
“That’s right. The nights have been getting rather cold.”
Tiera and Shin remarked at how the temperature had dropped as they headed north. Fuji’s shrine, despite being on top of the mountain, was not too cold.
“I guess it’s similar to Tohoku or Hokkaido.”
“Tohhok? Hokado? What are you talking about?”
Mitsuyo had heard the words mumbled by Shin, so she inquired their meaning as she was looking at the scenery. Tiera also looked towards Shin.
“They’re places in the island country where I used to be. It gets colder as you go north and warmer as you go south. It’s a country similar to Hinomoto.”
He would be troubled by further questions, so Shin gave a very general description of Japan. He added that he didn’t know exactly where it was, to sway the conversation.
“I’ve heard that Hinomoto gets colder as you go north and warmer as you go south, yes. I just heard though, I’ve never seen it with my own eyes.”
Mitsuyo told how most things she knew came from Kagutsuchi’s knowledge. Being bound to a specific area meant that she couldn’t travel freely.
“I want to see that snow you talked about too. By the way, master’s false name is Yuki, a word for snow, right? Is there some connection?”
As if she had suddenly recalled something, Tiera asked her question.
“The name Schnee comes from a word that means “snow” too. I’m not sure of the exact origin though.*”
Shin had not explained to Tiera in detail about support characters, so he answered as if he had heard it from Schnee.
As he answered, Shin noticed how Schnee, who was sitting on the coachman’s seat, reacted through her ears perking up every now and then. He and Tiera were inside the carriage, so their voices would surely reach Schnee’s ears.
Noticing Schnee’s reactions sparked a flame of trickery in Shin’s heart.
“So that’s the reason why master often uses ice magic?”
“She started by training in water magic, which is connected to ice, and lightning magic, after all. Raizar also comes from a word meaning “thunder” it seems. I know it’s weird for me to say it, but isn’t it a beautiful name? I think it matches the color of her hair and eyes.”
Shin glanced towards Schnee as he answered Tiera’s question. Her ears had stopped moving, but in exchange had turned bright red all the way to the tips.
“That’s true. I think it’s wonderful to have a name with such meaning.”
Tiera was facing towards Shin, so she hadn’t noticed the change in Schnee’s condition; while slightly puzzled at the grin on his face, she agreed with him.
“Hmph”
“Heh…”
The other party members showed different reactions to the scene.
Expressing frustration after understanding what Shin was looking at was Mitsuyo, her consciousness transferred into the newly crafted 『Odenta Mitsuyo – Shinuchi』. Her expression clearly showed how she found the situation quite unpleasant.
In contrast, Filma was thoroughly enjoying it all.
She was sitting next to Schnee and fully understood Shin’s intentions; after he finished talking, she gave him a thumbs up, making sure only he could see it.
Shibaid was watching the whole scene with a somewhat jaded expression: finally Yuzuha, her ears pointed at the commotion, was curled into a ball on Shin’s lap.
(T/N: When Shin explains about the origin of Schnee’s name, in Japanese he actually says “I’m not sure how you exactly read it, originally it’s “Schnii” or “Schnee”, implying that Schnee’s actual name is a deformation of the German word, not exactly the word “Schnee” itself. It would be complicated if not impossible to explain it properly in English, especially since Schnee’s name has been translated like this, so I cut Shin’s line short.)
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 09 - The Five Supreme Blades/The-New-Gate-Volume-09-The-Five-Supreme-Blades-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_09_Chapter_03_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 1
“It’s s-so cold…”
“Put this on.”
Shin took out a fur-lined coat and gave it to the shivering Tiera. On the other side, Yuzuha cuddled closer to her to warm her up.
Thanks to Kagerou’s limitless energy, the horse carriage kept running onward, at a speed surpassing even that of a car. Because of this, they had already traveled a considerable distance.
According to Mitsuyo, they had already covered half of the distance from Fuji to Kunitsuna’s location.
As they proceeded northward, they began to see traces of snow two days after leaving Fuji. Now, a silvery white world spread all around them and the scenery around the carriage became visibly different three days after their departure.
They couldn’t even see the bare ground because of the snow, but Kagerou had no trouble proceeding.
“To think that we had to turn the carriage into a sled…”
“Looks like our destination will be covered in snow.”
Shin had moved to the coachman’s seat and exchanged words with Schnee. Both were wearing heavy, furry coats and thick trousers. They also wore gloves and anti-freezing boots, making them well-equipped for the cold from head to toe.
No matter how resistant the body was to the cold, even if it didn’t hinder movement, the feeling of being cold would remain.
Schnee claimed to be perfectly alright in her normal clothing, but the other party members protested that just looking at her made them cold, so she wore thicker clothing too.
Furthermore, to ride through snowy landscapes without any countermeasures for the cold would make them look unusual in any strangers’ eyes; especially Filma with her high ratio of exposed skin.
The inside of the carriage had been remodeled and was warmer than outside, but because of the materials used it still felt chilling. For these reasons Tiera, Filma, and the others wore warmer clothing too.
On the other hand Shibaid, who equipped a low-quality full body armor to hide his identity, simply wore a coat over it.
Mitsuyo, being a weapon, said she would not need anything, but Shin and the others forced her to change her attire and wear a coat. A kimono and winter coats would be an absolute mismatch.
“Oh, a pack of Snow Fangs…just ran off.”
A group of white wolf-type monsters appeared in Shin’s detection range, but ran off scared of Kagerou’s presence. Their course until now had been a continuous series of such events, as Shin’s party proceeded straight ahead towards their destination, without the smallest skirmish.
“Mitsuyo, is this the correct direction?”
“Yes, straight ahead. Is there something wrong?”
“Looks like we need to pass through a forest. Everyone, we’re getting off for a while.”
The carriage stopped just before the forested area and the party started walking.
Because of the heavy snow, the party proceeded at a relatively slow pace. From the depths of the forest, from inside the snow, monster eyes were fixated on them. They seemed to understand that they would be no match for the group: after a short glance, they all quickly left.
Among them, certain presences kept following them at a distance.
“We’re surrounded.”
“Yes. They’re maintaining a circle surrounding us. Their presence suppression and coordinated movements are far too good for mere robbers.”
Shin and Schnee, while continuing to walk on, verified the numbers of the group chasing after them.
Filma, Shibaid, and Mitsuyo acted naturally, but were ready to draw their weapons at any time.
“There aren’t supposed to be any villages around here, right?”
Tiera, being sensitive to other people’s gazes, also noticed that they were being observed. Speaking without letting her breathing become irregular, she tightened the grip on her bow.
“There might be something near our destination. Or maybe they’re just a band of thieves. We’ll see when we get there. If we keep going forward like this, there’ll be some reaction sooner or later.”
Reassured by the optimistic Shin, the party continued to walk through the pathless forest.
Their surrounding continued for about another 15 minutes: as they arrived close to a mountain, an arrow struck the snow next to Shin’s feet.
“Looks like they won’t let us go any further.”
“Hmph, if they’re thieves they will just taste our blades.”
“Well, let’s hear what they have to say first. One of them is getting closer.”
After trying to make the hot-blooded Mitsuyo cool down, Shin faced towards the approaching presence.
What appeared from between the trees was a young girl, dressed in black and red ceremonial garb, which Shin felt he had already seen before.
She was also wearing an overcoat on her robes.
Well-defined facial features and animal ears on her head. The young maiden’s ears, colored light brown like the hair tied behind her neck, pointed straight up because of her nervousness.
“That’s an “『Immaculate Robe』, isn’t it. It’s my first time meeting an Onmyoji here.”
“As I thought, you are not simple travellers who got lost in the forest.”
The young girl wearing black priestess clothing seemed to have heard Shin talking to himself and replied, her diffidence clearly expressed in her tone of voice.
“——Rindou Suzune Level 210 Onmyoji”
Shin’s 【Analyze】 showed the girl’s information. Based on their level, she was probably the most experienced in the group surrounding them.
“We came here to find a certain katana located somewhere ahead. We have no hostile intentions towards you all. Won’t you let us go?”
“A katana? …ah!? Do you mean that your target is that? In that case, we cannot let you pass.”
For reasons unknown to Shin and his party, Suzune took an enchanted charm from inside her robe and assumed a fighting stance.
Her reaction told Shin and the group that trouble was brewing.
“A fighting stance so suddenly? That’s quite aggressive of you.”
“I had predicted that someone would come for Onimaru. But as long as we stand, you will not do as you please!!”
Suzune’s tone became more and more belligerent. Having clearly heard her say the name Onimaru, Shin realized they wouldn’t have been able to avoid having to deal with her.
The surrounding circle gradually grew smaller and smaller. Figuring it was the only way, Shin talked again to Suzune.
“You, could you be from “Black Priestess Shrine”?”
“Do not feign ignorance. Who else would wear robes such as these!?”
“Black Priestess Shrine” was the name of a guild in the game era, hence Shin’s question.
“I just wanted to make sure. If I was wrong, it’d cause trouble. Let me ask one more thing, then: is Kuchinashi still around?”
“!? How do you know that name!?”
Suzune’s expression became even sharper because of her heightened surprise and caution.
The name Shin had mentioned, Kuchinashi, was the name of Black Priestess Shrine’s guildmaster. She was one of the players who had died during the Death Game, so Shin mentioned it thinking that it might be connected to the present situation.
Judging from Suzune’s reaction, it was clear that she at least knew the name.
“For now, we will not go any further than this. In exchange…yes, please report that the master of “Demi Eden” has come with his entourage.”
After finishing his request, Shin took his hand off the hilt of his weapon, showing his lack of hostility. He wouldn’t go as far as put the weapon away, though.
“….fair enough. Ayame, you were listening, right? Go!”
“Should I?”
“I request you to, by my authority.”
Following Suzune’s order, one of the units surrounding the group left towards the direction Shin’s party was headed in.
“Is it okay to just let her go?”
“The Kuchihashi I know wouldn’t resort to violence. Let’s just take a short rest.”
“….if you say so, then all right.”
Mitsuyo saw Shin relax his stance and sighed; she had grown tense for nothing.
“Let me make some tea, so that we don’t get too cold.”
Schnee proceeded to take a teapot and teacups from the item box.
Suzune was surprised to see that, but Schnee paid no mind to her and went on to create an oven with earth magic, then lit a fire to boil water.
Shin took out a table and chairs and the whole party sat at leisure. Only Tiera was still a little tense.
“What is wrong with you people…”
Suzune looked absolutely perplexed at the group’s nonchalance, despite the fact that weapons were still pointed at them.
“I said that we have no intention of fighting, didn’t I? Do you guys want a cup too? I bet the cold is chilling you too.”
“Nonsense! Who would ever accept that offer!?”
Suzune’s retort was almost a roar; she probably thought they were making fun of her.
After about 30 minutes of waiting, the girl called Ayame returned.
“….Really? Understood. Thank you.”
Ayame related her report without letting Shin and the others hear. Suzune thanked her and let her go back to her post.
“Lady Kuchinashi will see you. Come with me.”
Her dissatisfaction clearly visible on her face, Suzune turned her back to Shin‘s group and ran off.
“Looks like she’ll be our guide, let’s go.”
“Does this mean that lady Kuchinashi crossed “over here” too?”
“Judging from their reaction, looks like she did. Kuchinashi is a high elf like you, Schnee, so even if she arrived here 100 years ago, it wouldn’t be strange for her to still be alive.”
Shin and the others talked between themselves while following Suzune. She was clearly used to traveling through the forest, as she chose the easiest courses to proceed on.
As they emerged from the forest, the scenery changed completely.
“What is….this…?”
“Looks like the guildhouse never changed.”
Shin reacted plainly to Tiera’s utter surprise at the view before them..
What surprised Tiera so much was that, signaled by a Torii gate, there seemed to be an invisible wall, beyond which the scenery changed completely.
There was not a single trace of snow in the area beyond the Torii, which instead showed an idyllic spring-like scenery.
Production facilities could be seen such as fields and rice paddies, then buildings reminiscent of smithies too. Thanks to it being located at a slightly higher altitude, Shin and the group could see a shrine’s main building and prayer hall in the distance.
“Mitsuyo, what’s Kunitsuna’s direction?”
“Straight this way. Beyond the large building over there.”
Mitsuyo replied while pointing towards the shrine. Shin thought at first that the presence of the guildhouse in the direction they were heading could have been a coincidence, but now changed his mind.
At the very least, Suzune must have known something.
“I see the entrance is still the Torii.”
“They’re also dressed the same as before.”
Shibaid and Filma casually commented after seeing the guildhouse. All of Shin’s support characters, Schnee included, knew the Black Priestess Shrine’s guildhouse from the game era.
“Kuu, shrine, good.”
Yuzuha, whose territory once hosted a shrine, seemed happy at the sight.
As the group followed Suzune through the gate, the stinging cold instantly turned mellower. The winter wear worn by Shin and the group was excessive now, so they all took off their heavy coats and other gear, returning to lighter attires.
“Lady Kuchinashi awaits here. Be sure to show proper respect.”
Suzune had led them to the shrine’s prayer hall, as Shin thought she would.
Only its external appearance was that of a prayer hall, though: the interior was completely different. Being a guildhouse, it contained several facilities such as warehouses, and of course traps to hinder monsters and enemy attacks.
Even under many pairs of watchful eyes, Shin did not miss this opportunity to map the interior of the building.
After turning several corners, following a maze-like course, they arrived in the room farthest from the entrance, the guildmaster’s quarters.
Suzune spoke to the priestess in charge of security, and after a few seconds of silence the door opened.
The room, decorated with Japanese-style ornaments and objects, was immersed in silence. The footsteps and rustling of clothes Shin and the party caused echoed louder than normal.
The room’s owner was sitting at a small table, apparently engaged in battle against paperwork.
“Welcome. I thought it was someone pretending to be you at first, but I see we have the real Shin here. I’m glad to see that your support friends are well too. Two of them I’m not familiar with though.”
So spoke the woman as she wrapped up the paperwork: Kuchinashi, former player and guildmaster of Black Priestess Shrine.
Her waist-length red hair gently waved as she stood up. Eyes black like the night, resembling obsidian gemstones, looked straight at Shin from behind under-frame glasses.
Looking at her, Shin thought that while she was originally pale-skinned, her complexion was somewhat sickly.
——–Kuchinashi Level 255 Purification Priestess
The information displayed by 【Analyze】 was just as Shin remembered.
“It’s been a long time. I did not think I would have the chance of meeting you again. Did you lose some weight?”
“I believe that’s where you ask “Aren’t you more beautiful than before?”, instead.”
Kuchinashi raised her eyebrows and rebuked Shin. Her expression showed that she hadn’t expected Shin to notice.
“Anyway, I know it’s strange for me to say this, but was it alright to let us inside? I think that you know me from when I was in a rather dangerous state…”
“That’s right…concerning when I last saw you. But I knew that deep inside you, there was no hate.”
Kuchinashi’s judgment had been caused by her seeing Shin before and after the change.
“Even if you were an impostor, if you meant to harm me within the guildhouse, you’d need to at least be on par with Schnee, as far as fighting prowess goes. In the current world, it’s pretty impossible for many people of that level to be in the same party. They would become famous in a flash too. And well, my woman’s intuition told me so too.”
Raising her index finger in a told-you-so gesture, Kuchinashi chuckled.
Guildhouse masters’ abilities were powered up inside their guildhouses. Kuchinashi had realized that this Shin was not an impostor thanks to the name and level displayed by her reinforced 【Analyze】.
Facing a fully prepared guildmaster inside their guildhouse would be very difficult without a large difference in stats.
“So, I heard that you’re looking for a katana?”
Shin knew Kuchinashi and what kind of person she was, so he briefly explained that one of the Five Supreme Blades was supposed to be in the area.
“I see…when I saw the name of the ponytail girl I had a hunch, but in this case, I’ll tell you what I know. In short, we know where it is. But some time ago we made a series of mistakes and…were now undecided about what to do. Now that you’re here, though, we should be able to solve this.”
“Leave it to us. By the way, the girl that guided us here seemed to know about Onimaru too.”
Suzune had mentioned Onimaru’s name, showing great hostility towards Shin. Maybe she was connected somehow.
“Suzune, right. OK, I’ll explain about her too, so will you stay and listen?”
Kuchinashi motioned to Shin and the others to sit down and ordered the priestess outside to bring something to drink.
After the priestess brought tea with sweets and left, Kuchinashi started talking.
“First, we confirmed the presence of 『Onimaru Kunitsuna』, one of the Five Supreme Blades, around 5 years ago. It was in the depths of “Cadaver Realm”, a dungeon that appeared close to our guild house. It’s a dungeon with an entrant limit, only 4 people are allowed inside at the same time.”
In the game era too, dungeons that could be explored only by obeying specific conditions (limits on party members, weapons, etc) existed. The dungeon where Onimaru was located appeared to be of this type.
Kuchinashi continued by saying that when the Black Priestess Shrine members explored the dungeon, they didn’t know about Onimaru’s presence.
“Shin, do you know the word “Chosen One”?”
“Yes, it refers to whoever has a resurrection bonus, right? The stats change from person to person though.”
“Exactly. The members who explored the dungeon that time were all Chosen Ones. The War Priestess Kotone, especially, had STR and DEX over 700. It was supposed to be a party of considerable fighting power, and yet…”
Despite this, only one member returned alive.
According to the survivor, although they suffered casualties they managed to defeat the boss that wielded Onimaru, but the boss’ corpse released a black mist-like substance, which swallowed both Onimaru and Kotone.
“After that, I chose other members and had them inspect the boss room again; they reported seeing Kotone, Onimaru in hand, standing in the middle of the room. It looks like she has been made part of the dungeon and acts as its boss now. When they tried to talk to her, they were attacked.”
Kuchinashi had ordered the scouting members to come back as soon as anything happened, so they retreated right away.
Defeating her could probably bring her back to her senses, but because of the combination of Kotone’s abilities and Onimaru’s stats, no one could best her.
Kuchinashi could be considered an advanced player, but because of the large difference in equipment, she didn’t have enough confidence to step up to the challenge.
Furthermore, there was also the possibility that what happened to Kotone could affect Kuchinashi too, so many were against the idea of the guildmaster facing Kotone in person.
“Some members tell me that they would like to try to face her, but only 3 of them could be suitable, ability-wise. Suzune, the girl who guided you here, is the most able of the three. Suzune is also Kotone’s younger sister, so she trained desperately to hone her skills, in order to save her..”
“I see. When we were surrounded, she was the only one to show a kind of excessive reaction…so that was the reason.”
Freeing Onimaru meant defeating Kotone. Shin’s party, ignorant of her circumstances, could have dealt with Kotone thinking she was just a monster.
Shin thought that Suzune’s concern about this risk had been expressed through her reaction.
“This is all the information I can tell you. And so, there is something I would like to ask you to do, Shin…”
“To recover Onimaru and save Kotone, I guess?”
“Yes, exactly, but I would also like you to bring Suzune with you. She is one of the Chosen Ones with the highest abilities here and can also use 【Dispel Omen】, so I am sure she can prove herself useful for the rescue.”
Being an Onmyoji, she could prove herself useful in various ways, commanding spirits both to locate enemies and in battle. Kuchinashi reassured Shin that, at least against the monsters in the dungeon, she wouldn’t be a burden.
“If possible, I would like for all 4 members to be from my group though.”
Shin, obviously, then the all-purpose type Schnee, Mitsuyo from the Five Supreme Blades, then Tiera, who succeeded in purifying Yasutsuna. These would have been the best members.
“I thought that the Supreme Blade counted as weapon, though.”
“….I wonder. I don’t know how that works either. If Mitsuyo is not counted as one of the 4, we can take Suzune with us. After all, someone under foreign control could wake up if a family member calls to them. Thinking about our current situation, I don’t think that things like that can be disregarded.”
Shin was experiencing a real world created exactly like a video game after all.
No one can tell what might or might not happen. Thus a miracle like that was very possible.
“Let us verify if Suzune can come with you or not first then. If it’s possible, we can discuss how to work together later.”
Kuchinashi called to someone outside the room, ordering them to lead Shin’s group to the dungeon.
The priestess in charge of guiding them, Ayame, exited the guildhouse grounds via a Torii gate located opposite from the one Shin’s party used to enter.
Taking a long time just for a confirmation seemed pointless, so they started running and arrived at the dungeon in about 15 minutes.
In the middle of the forest lied a run-down fort. Possibly to contain the effects of the miasma, the trees all around the fort were tied together with votive rope and blessed charms were attached to their trunks.
“If you enter the fort and proceed straight you will find the entrance to the dungeon.”
Ayame informed the group in detail about their destination and they headed towards the entrance.
In order to check what Mitsuyo would be classified as, Shin, Schnee, Tiera, Shibaid, and Mitsuyo tried to enter the dungeon together.
“….doesn’t look like there are any problems, right?”
“Indeed, it appears lady Mitsuyo is not counted as a person.”
Shibaid looked around and answered Shin’s question.
They were 5, Mitsuyo included. Yet the dungeon supposedly identified them as 4 people and 1 weapon.
“So this means that we can take Suzune with us too. Well well, let’s see what happens next.”
Shin mumbled to himself as they traced back their steps out of the dungeon.
The entrance to “Cadaver Realm” remained fully open, as if inviting Shin and the party inside.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 09 - The Five Supreme Blades/The-New-Gate-Volume-09-The-Five-Supreme-Blades-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_09_Chapter_03_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 2
After confirming the dungeon’s situation, Shin and the party quickly returned to the Black Priestess Shrine guildhouse.
“We can bring her. I’d like to talk about how we’re going to work together then.”
Until now, Shin had been fighting with Schnee and Shibaid, companions he knew very well, and Tiera, who solely focused on rear support, so they never practiced seriously how to fight as a team.
Munechika and Mitsuyo were originally veterans of close combat, so they found it simple to fight alongside others. Shin also knew their fighting styles well, so coordinating with them was not a problem.
The new member, Suzune, was an Onmyouji, a rather tricky job.
They needed to know her fighting style, what she could do and what she couldn’t, before starting the exploration.
“I know. Please wait a moment.”
Kuchinashi gave orders to summon Suzune, and after a few minutes a knock was heard at the door. After obtaining permission, Suzune stepped inside.
“Lady Kuchinashi, if you summoned me here does it mean that I am allowed to accompany them?”
Suzune saw the members present in the room and understood the reason behind the summoning. Kuchinashi nodded and started talking.
“Correct. I will have you go with them. But you are forbidden from acting on your own.”
“I know that well, you do not need to tell me.”
“Oh my, what is the young lady who tried to sneak inside just 8 days ago saying now?”
Suzune answered with a grimace, but Kuchinashi’s retort struck her down. She had already once done what she was being warned of.
While listening to their conversation, Shin regretted a little to have decided so quickly.
He understood her tendency to run ahead on her own for her sibling’s sake. But to act on one’s accord in a dungeon would cause trouble to all other party members.
Thinking that he had to make that clear, Shin focused even more and prepared for the discussion.
After doing introductions, Shin inquired about Suzune’s fighting style.
“In general, I use one spirit each for attacking and defending. I can also use enchanted charms for support.”
“Also, she can also perform “Spirit Possession” for a short time.”
“L-lady Kuchinashi!!”
“I understand that you’d rather keep your trump card hidden, but he already knows pretty much all Onmyoji skills, dear. It’s pretty much pointless to hide.”
Kuchinashi put a hand on Suzune’s shoulder, advising her to give up, much to the young girl’s dismay.
“Eh, you aren’t a samurai?”
“Kuchinashi is the one who told me about them though. I use a katana in close combat, but I can also use magic on par with a mage. You can count on me when the need arises.”
“What!? What are you…lady Kuchinashi, they are Chosen Ones too?”
Suzune’s disbelief was very natural: what Shin had just plainly stated was something next to impossible in the current world. She, however, quickly realized what it had to mean.
“Well, something like that. Schnee over there is a jack of all trades like Shin too. Mitsuyo is a close combat type, as you can see by her appearance. Tiera, you’re a Hunter, I suppose?”
“Ehm, to be precise I’m a Tamer. This is my partner, Kagerou.”
“Growl.”
As they were indoors, Kagerou came out of Tiera’s shadow in wolf pup mode.
“That’s bizarre though, I never heard that it was possible to tame divine beasts.”
“I can’t see the stats…”
“Er, he’s a good boy, you know? He won’t get angry even if you do this.”
To Kuchinashi’s surprise and Suzune’s caution, Tiera picked up Kagerou with her left hand and, with her right, moved its front right paw up and down.
Thinking that she was going to play with him, Kagerou licked Tiera’s cheek.
Appearance-wise, Kagerou was just like any puppy dog.
“Your party members are outside the norm as usual, Shin…”
“I don’t think that’s a sufficient explanation though…”
“He’s smart and understands perfectly what we say and mean. I personally mainly support with my bow. Though, I also have some skill with short swords and hand-to-hand combat.”
Tiera described her abilities with humility, but as she had undergone Schnee’s training, she couldn’t possess just “some” skill.
“There is one last thing I need to confirm.”
“What might that be?”
Shin waited for the moment when the conversation ended to talk.
In contrast to the peaceful mood, his expression was now deadly serious as he looked at Suzune.
Suzune unconsciously took a step back and returned Shin’s stern gaze when she noticed his stare.
“I’ve heard that the current boss of the dungeon is Suzune’s elder sister, Kotone. I mean to save her and will move with the intention of doing so. But if it becomes impossible to save her, can you swear that you will not stand in our way?”
Shin did not ask Suzune if she can kill Kotone or not. He didn’t want to force her to kill a family, and there was a large difference in fighting power between Kotone and Suzune.
He thought that either he or Schnee would give her the final blow, in that case.
Hence the question. If it turns impossible to save Kotone, do you swear that you will not attack us from behind?
“….I swear. I will not stand by and watch my sister turned into a monster by the miasma.”
Suzune was completely silent for a few seconds after Shin’s question, then answered, her pupils trembling slightly.
There was still doubt in her heart. So the answer suggested, but Shin replied that he understood and closed the conversation. They would know if Suzune was truly prepared or not only when that moment came.
There was meaning, however, behind asking such a question at that time.
Shin couldn’t know what would happen if she had to face her own sister’s death. But it was important to think about it now.
If Suzune had to face such a situation unprepared and ended up not being able to move because of indecision, her life would be in danger.
“OK, let’s do a sparring match on the training grounds then.”
In order to change the mood, Shin spoke in an overly bright tone.
The group headed to the facility’s training grounds, led by Kuchinashi. The priestess posted before the guildmaster’s quarters also came with them, as an “escort”.
After several practice matches, performed in order to grasp each other’s prowess, the group called it a day.
The next day, the group gathered all information they had about the dungeon and prepared rations and equipment.
As it was possible to use the cheat-level useful ability called Item Box, the preparations were complete in a flash.
They used the remaining time to rest at leisure, to prepare for the exploration starting the next day.
“Well, we’re off. If anything happens on your end, just send a message.”
“Shin, please take care of Suzune.”
“La-lady Kuchinashi!?!”
“Understood.”
“Don’t just understand like that!”
Suzune had somehow become a teasing target, and as such reacted to Kuchinashi and Shin’s exchange.
Mitsuyo and Tiera looked at the three, silently wondering what they were doing.
“You’re feeling less nervous now, aren’t you? Kuchinashi’s worried too, you know.”
“Oh my, you found me out.”
“Kh…I understand. I will be careful.”
Suzune was aware that she was feeling nervous, so she looked the other way, her cheeks flushed.
“Kuu, standby, again…”
Yuzuha muttered a lonely sigh while looking at the three.
The guild was equipped with countermeasures against monsters and miasma, but there was no Kagutsuchi there.
Because of that, if anything happened Yuzuha and her ability to influence Ley lines was vital.
“Sorry, Yuzuha. I’m going to make it up to you when I come back.”
Shin made a promise to Yuzuha, thinking that this time brushing wouldn’t be enough.
“Take care. Come back soon, kuu.”
“Yes, I await good news.”
Sent off by Yuzuha, Kuchinashi, and the escorting priestess, Shin’s group stepped inside “Cadaver Realm”.
◆◆◆◆
“Cadaver Realm”, just like Fuji’s “Depths of Hellfire”, was a cave-like dungeon full of craggy rocks and boulders.
The greatest difference was its lack of steam and heat waves.
The cave’s walls and ceiling were studded with bright gemstones, so lighting and sight were assured too.
“There’s better visibility than I expected.”
Shin and Mitsuyo acted as the group’s front guard, while Suzune and Tiera were in the center and Schnee took the rear.
Suzune activated her spirits as soon as they entered the dungeon. A doll-like spirit around 30 cemels in height floated near her shoulders, while a spirit like a wolf made of origami was next to her feet, keeping track of the surroundings.
About 5 minutes after they entered the dungeon, Shin’s detection field reported the presence of monsters.
The cave was 6 mels wide and 5 mels tall, posing no problems for battle in a team of 4.
The first encounter was with bat-like monsters, always present in cave dungeons.
The monsters’ name was Edge Shade.
Its appearance was like darkness in a bat-like shape, with a glowing red core located on the forehead. Its large wings spread to almost 1 mel and its level was also relatively high at 422.
The monster possessed two main methods of attack: slash-like attacks with wings or spells causing abnormal statuses, launched while flying over the player’s head.
Its HP was rather low, but unless they were defeated through a spell with wide area of effect they could prove to be troublesome opponents.
“It’s not in Invader form. I heard that the whole dungeon is heavily affected by miasma though?”
“It does look like a normal dungeon for now. I suppose it was a darkness-type dungeon originally. The gemstones that sometimes drop are all of the darkness type, and Edge Shades only appear in locations with strong darkness affinity.”
Dungeons could have several affinities. “Depths of Hellfire”, through its name and interior, was a clear example of a fire-type dungeon.
“The lack of miasma influence is intriguing, but in any case we need to defeat them to proceed. There’s a lot of them too, as usual…I’ll wipe them out myself.”
There were members with low resistance to status effects in the current party, namely Suzune and Tiera, so Shin decided to eliminate the monsters with magic.
The spell he chose was one often used against darkness-type monsters, the Light-type magic skill 【Flash Bomb】.
As he activated the spell, light started gathering on Shin’s palms.
After the light formed a full globe, Shin shot the light bullet towards the monsters’ pack.
The light globe aimed straight at the center of the pack, releasing a white visual effect soon after. The transparently white light spread for about 5 mels, erasing the Edge Shades in its wake.
The light gradually grew fainter and disappeared, but its effects remained: the Edge Shades that charged in before the light disappeared were also erased.
The light would persist for 5 seconds: Shin, who had noticed another pack of Edge Shades beyond the 【Flash Bomb】, shot another light bullet, which took care of the new pack.
A decent quantity of drops and treasures piled up before Shin’s group.
“Item drops….? Wait, this didn’t happen in “Depths of Hellfire”, right?”
In dungeons, monsters disappear immediately after being defeated and drop items at a set rate.
Shin heard that this rule remained in the current world, but asked confirmation from Schnee about it not happening in Fuji’s dungeon.
“Kagutsuchi said that it was because of the miasma. I’m sorry, I heard it while you were focusing on crafting, so I forgot to tell you.”
“Aah, I see. Well, nothing changes anyway. It doesn’t really affect us now whether items drop or not.”
Shin started to not really care, as he was not expecting anything from item drops.
As their exchange ended, Suzune started talking.
“There were no drops here before either. This is just my opinion, but I think that the miasma might be concentrated where my sister is.”
“Miasma concentrated? What do you mean?”
“I heard from the survivor that this dungeon’s original boss was a menace because of its numbers. Meaning that each unit’s strength was not much. As such, I doubt it could generate miasma forever: after my sister defeated it, there was not enough miasma to taint both my sister and the dungeon at the same time.”
Shin nodded in deep thought as he listened to Suzune’s theory.
Maybe for the sake of preserving the game’s balance, in “THE NEW GATE”, in case of bosses composed of many units, each unit’s strength was not very high. There were also exceptions, but they mainly consisted in the defeated units turning into a boss, not to fight both at the same time.
“My sister is a very strong Chosen One. The stronger one’s will is, the harder is it for miasma to taint it. In order to keep her as a boss in place of the defeated one, there wasn’t miasma to be spared to affect the dungeon too.”
“I see, you might have a point. In that case, if we could get rid of the miasma somehow it wouldn’t be impossible to save Kotone too, I suppose.”
Shin had seen monsters changed by miasma, but had never known of them becoming dungeon bosses. If there was a chance to save Kotone though, he wanted to prioritize it above anything else.
Shin’s group quickly recovered some of the treasures, then proceeded onwards.
“Cadaver Realm”’s structure contained the corridor Shin’s group was located in and large hall-like clearings, about 50 mels wide. The halls were connected by a series of corridors like the one Shin and the others were exploring.
Watched from the side, it would likely resemble an anthill.
Every large hall was connected to many corridors, so choosing the wrong path would make it difficult to return to the surface.
“Hey, I’m sure that you know this already, but don’t use too much magic power so early, okay?”
Just as Shin thought they were advancing smoothly. Suzune’s reprimand came after Shin defeated a 20-strong pack of Black Hounds, wolf-like monsters, in their fifth hall after entering the dungeon.
“Er, what exactly do you mean?”
“I was watching you fight from behind you, but you’re always using skills and never arts. You use skills even in close combat, so if you keep using spells like crazy you’ll run out of magic power in no time.”
Shin was lost, unable to grasp what she meant, and Suzune continued. She was worried about his pace of magic usage.
“I see. But I get back the magic power used via natural recovery, so you don’t need to worry.”
“Whaat? You’re a Human, aren’t you? You’re not a Pixie or an Elf, so if you keep using magic like that there’s no way for natural recovery to catch up to your magic consumption. In dungeons, using skills against bosses or strong enemies only and dealing with weaker enemies with arts, to save MP, is the basic among basics. I thought you were using only skills on purpose during practice, but…this isn’t your first dungeon, right?”
The ratio of magic power recovered naturally depends on one’s max MP.
In terms of races, as Suzune stated Pixies and Elves recovered faster, while Dwarves and Dragnils were slower. Humans and Lords were around the middle, while Beasts changed widely depending on their species.
“I’m telling you it’s alright, so please rest easy. You didn’t know that when someone has high basic magic power, they also recover more? Besides, there are also skills to increase recover ratio quantity and speed.”
The people Shin had met until now also used skills in rapid succession, so he hadn’t noticed how peculiar his usage was.
In addition, another fundamental problem was that Shin couldn’t use arts. Maybe because they were techniques unique to this world, he didn’t seem to be able to learn them as he wanted.
“Just how much magical power do you have? Then, maybe your main job is actually Mage?”
“Unfortunately, my main is Samurai, sub is Blacksmith. I’m going to take care of the small fry from now on, so you keep your magic usage to a level you can take back with natural recovery, Suzune.”
“I will, thank you very much. —–just for confirmation, is everyone else in your group like you?”
With a sigh, Suzune stopped supplying magic power to her wolf-like spirit. The spirit changed back to its enchanted charm form, then Suzune put it back in her robe’s pocket.
“I’ll leave that to your imagination. At the very least, the members here now won’t do something stupid like running out of magic power, rest assured.”
“Well, if you say there are no problems, then fine.”
Suzune looked towards Schnee after Shin dodged the question, but didn’t press further.
“You two, chat time is over.”
Mitsuyo’s voice called to them. A new monster was coming towards them.
They didn’t fail to notice the enemy’s arrival, though, so they quickly prepared for the encounter.
“Skullface, huh. It’s been a long time.”
“It looks much more mellow than last time. Its equipment is different too.”
Shin mumbled something at the sight of the monster and Schnee also commented, with a somewhat nostalgic tone of voice.
The time when Shin found Yuzuha and also when he reunited with Schnee, he had encountered a large quantity of Skullfaces. That was the reason why they had left a particular impression on him.
The newly appeared monsters were Skullfaces of Jack, Queen, and King variety.
As Schnee mentioned, normally they equipped European-style armor, long swords, kite or tower shields, but these wore gear reminiscent of Oriental warriors. Their weapons were spears, katana and nagamaki-like weapons: they also had changed following the armor’s example.
The area Shin’s group had reached was directly after one of the halls and was the size of a large field. It was more than 2000 mels long, with the ceiling at about 10 mels height.
It was a wide enough area for even the Skullface Kings’ gigantic bodies to move at ease.
Seeing the Skullfaces advance towards them in formation, as if they were in wait, made Suzune’s hand unconsciously reach for the spirit charms in her pocket.
“Okay then, their equipment is a bit different than the usual; because of their current armor 【Flash Bomb】 won’t have much of an effect. Me and Mitsuyo are going to cut them down, you three give us support.”
“My turn, finally. I was starting to get rusty since you destroyed all monsters in a flash with your magic.”
Mitsuyo unsheathed 『Odenta Mitsuyo – Shinuchi』, her eyes glimmering with fighting spirit.
Until this point, they had dealt with all monsters through Shin or Schnee’s magic and Tiera’s arrows. Mitsuyo, while keeping alert, had just been spectating and was rather fed up with it.
“We have to let you move a bit after all. Don’t go overboard, okay?”
“I hope it’ll be enough to qualify for a warm-up.”
Leaving her words trailing behind her, Mitsuyo instantly sped up.
It happened the instant after she leaned forward. Only Shin and Schnee could see it; even the Chosen One Suzune could only see Mitsuyo’s silhouette blur and then simply vanish.
The Skullfaces, naturally, could not register her movements.
Before the Skullface realized anything, Mitsuyo’s sword arm blurred.
A silver arc-like flash passed through the armor-clad body of the Skullface King which happened to lead the group.
“!?!”
An instant passed, and both the King and its heavy gear turned to pieces.
Its blade, taller than Mitsuyo herself, and its intricately decorated armor too were cleaved in half. The core inside had also been cut in two.
Leaving the pieces of its armor behind, the King disappeared.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 09 - The Five Supreme Blades/The-New-Gate-Volume-09-The-Five-Supreme-Blades-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_09_Chapter_03_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 3
“Wow, so fast.”
Tiera couldn’t help but voice her thoughts about Mitsuyo’s impressive speed. She was simply amazed that there was someone else capable of attaining a speed on Shin and Schnee’s levels.
Munechika was fast too, but very few in the current world were capable of such movements.
“It’s not a speed humans can achieve.”
Suzune, who was next to Tiera, spoke her opinion too, but her voice contained more concern than awe.
Suzune’s sister, Kotone, was in possession of Onimaru. She was afraid that because of this, she would be able to move like Mitsuyo.
Mitsuyo’s current abilities were the result of Shin’s reinforcement, but as Suzune did not know this, she couldn’t help but look sour.
“As expected of a Supreme Blade. These monsters mean nothing to her.”
Unaware of Suzune’s feelings, Shin swung his 『Moonless』. He wasn’t using his full power, but nevertheless unleashed sword slices on par with Mitsuyo’s, which cut effortlessly through the Skullfaces.
When Shin had battled a Jack-grade unique monster with a rather low-grade type of katana, he had spent considerable time on a single unit. Now that his weapon was an Ancient-grade one, even Kings could be defeated with one or two sword strokes.
The monsters could have tried to parry with their weapons, or rely on their armor, but Shin’s sword could not be stopped.
“Shah!”
Shin cut down a Queen as he stepped next to her, then sliced through another as he returned his blade to the sheath.
A King unleashed a slash attack from behind the Queens, caring little about hitting its companions in the process, but Shin repelled it and even knocked away the monster’s katana.
Shin’s blade then pierced the monster’s wide-open abdomen; its core was still disappearing when the katana moved to the next foe as if dancing.
Thanks to the guidance received from Karin, Shin’s swordsmanship had improved greatly. Because of this, the speed at which he defeated the monsters was not inferior to Mitsuyo, who had spent her life pursuing the path of the blade.
Suzune rubbed her eyes while looking at Shin, as if she had seen something incredible.
“This is weird…Shin’s movements seem like a blur…”
Shin’s group had been routing the monsters until now, but with the emergence of a group of Skullfaces, Suzune thought that the rear guard’s turn had finally come and took a fighting stance.
Compared to Shin’s party, the Skullfaces were not high-level monsters. Suzune was wary of the additional power the Black Lacquer gear could have given to the monsters.
As the monsters’ grade increased, their gear’s stats would too, as would their skill with their weapons.
They were not monsters one could look down on as mere Undead anymore.
The way to fight them was radically different than the beast monsters who normally appeared in the area.
Despite all this, Mitsuyo and Shin were exterminating the Skullfaces with inhuman speed. It was a cakewalk not unlike all their previous encounters.
The monsters’ armor turned to shreds like paper. Their spears and blades snapped and blew away like twigs. Levels and grades meant nothing. Ending each battle unscathed was the norm. Shin and Mitsuyo continued to bury one Skullface after another, as if they were racing to see who defeated more.
Less than 10 minutes after the battle started, all Skullfaces had been brought down.
“Close combat battles take more time after all. I guess I’ll blow them away with magic next time.”
“I think that’s best, yes. They were so pathetic, I feel even less satisfied after fighting.”
“Ah, er, you two, that’s enough.”
Tiera couldn’t help a wry laugh as she saw Suzune looking flabbergasted at Shin and Mitsuyo’s exchange.
Tiera had witnessed Shin and Schnee’s battle styles, so she understood well how Suzune had to be feeling.
“I finally understand the reason why Lady Kuchinashi was not worried at all…”
Suzune let out an exhausted comment. As a Chosen One herself, she was baffled to see movements far exceeding what Chosen Ones could do.
“Don’t tell that you can move like that too?”
“Master probably can, but it’s impossible for me.”
Tiera firmly shook her head at the thought of being compared to them. Kagerou, the divine beast lying as always in Tiera’s shadow, would be a challenging fight for Shin. In comparison to Shin, though, Tiera was like an average person.
“Shin’s power is far beyond our reach. This is still far from him fighting seriously.”
“You mean that he’s holding back….?”
To Schnee’s answer and smile, Suzune could only react with a long sigh. At the same time, a sort of feeling of security spread in her chest.
If people as strong as Shin and Mitsuyo were available, it was highly likely that they could restrain Kotone even if she went on a rampage.
“Let’s keep going. Different types of monsters will start appearing on the next floor, so be careful.”
After Shin’s words of warning, the party advanced through the dungeon.
Their exploration of “Depths of Hellfire” required mapping the whole dungeon, so it took a long time, but this time they had the map provided by Black Priestess Shrine’s scouts. They knew that both Onimaru and Kotone were in the deepest part of the dungeon, so as soon as they found stairs or passageways leading further down the dungeon, they took them without hesitation.
“Hm? Everybody stop!”
As they were walking down a corridor, Shin suddenly told the party to stop.
Mitsuyo had apparently predicted Shin’s order, so she stopped right way. Suzune and Tiera stopped after a few moments.
“What’s wrong?”
“There are monsters right in front of the exit of this corridor.”
Shin had detected the monsters’ presence clearly. Mitsuyo simply nodded in agreement, without showing any particular reactions.
“They’re not many, maybe 3 at most.”
“Exactly. There’s a high chance to be ambushed. Schnee and I will take the lead this time while concealing our presence. Mitsuyo, everyone, please come later.”
Shin left Tiera and Suzune in Mitsuyo’s care, then alongside Schnee concealed his presence with 【Hiding】. As they carefully proceeded through the corridor and into the following hall, 2 monsters appeared before them.
“Nues, huh. The monsters are all Japanese-style because we’re in Hinomoto?”
Shin recognized the monsters even before using 【Analyze】.
Monkey head, tiger body, a snake as a tail; that was the monster Nue. It was a dangerous opponent, known for its venomous claws and tail snake, high attack power and speed.
“The ones in front are a decoy it seems.”
“Perfect for an ambush, I guess.”
Above the entrance connecting the corridor and the hall, hidden from view of whoever entered the hall, another Nue was lying in wait. It was a mystery how it had sensed their arrival, but it was apparently ready to stage a surprise attack on Shin’s party.
It probably planned to take out the rear guard or give them status effects via surprise attacks, probably to defend itself against its weakness, long-range attacks like magic spells.
“Schnee, please take out the one above. I’ll handle the ones in front.”
“Understood.”
As per Shin’s orders, Schnee ran up the hall’s wall.
Many monsters were difficult to ambush while using 【Hiding】, but Nue was not one of them.
In addition, Schnee’s main job was Kunoichi. She enjoyed added bonuses from concealment-type skills, preventing her from being noticed even by monsters with high detection abilities.
Schnee moved behind the Nue, which was waiting immobile, its claws firmly grasping the wall. Her 『Blue Moon』 struck swiftly, without hesitation.
The blade, clad in blue light, cut through the Nue’s neck without delay. The monster’s head fell shortly after.
Schnee confirmed the disappearance of the monster’s body and turned her eyes to Shin, in the exact moment when 『Moonless』 sliced through the other two Nue’s bodies, cutting them cleanly in half.
The Nues’ monkey faces showed how they had failed to understand what just happened.
As the two monsters disappeared, fur and fang-like items remained in their place.
“Anyway…did Nues always plan ambushes like this in dungeons?”
Monsters never positioned themselves near the entrance of corridors or halls. It was a fact, ever since the game era.
“They were originally monsters skilled in ambushes, so I do not think it is too strange.”
“That’s true too. I still can’t completely shake off the feeling I had in the game era.”
Suzune, who only knew the current world, remarked with a slightly pungent tone that it was normal to expect attacks from any direction in dungeons.
“I have barely explored any dungeon you know.”
While replying with what sounded like just an excuse, Shin wondered if he shouldn’t pick a random dungeon to explore at leisure.
There were many differences from the game era that he hadn’t felt yet. Even though he had Schnee to ask for confirmation, like this time in some cases the game’s experience still influenced his thoughts.
“By the way, your first dungeon was “Depths of Hellfire”, wasn’t it.”
“That was a hidden dungeon, so it didn’t have many floors and it was also completely corrupted by miasma. Instead, here the effects of the miasma might be strong in the deepest floor, but around here it’s like a normal dungeon, so this might be my actual first time.”
“Cadaver Realm”, however, did not possess many floors either. Shin predicted that the area still resembling a normal dungeon would be over soon.
As if to confirm his prediction, the monsters around floor 20 and beyond stopped producing item drops.
“So the area under the effects of the miasma starts here.”
“The appearance is the same, but the atmosphere here does feel ominous.”
Tiera looked at the surroundings, a grimace on her face. Shin also felt his skin tingling.
“I feel the same. Let’s proceed with caution.”
As they started noticing traces of miasma corruption on the walls and ceiling, suddenly Kagerou jumped out of Tiera’s shadow and started howling loudly.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know exactly what, but looks like there’s something lurking ahead.”
Kagerou went as far as showing himself to warn them. Shin and the party advanced with extreme caution, knowing that the possibility of danger was high.
After around 10 minutes, Shin’s nose picked up a smell he had never felt before then.
“….hey, could it be that Kagerou warned us about this smell?”
“Looks like it. We should still be far, but it’s a really foul stench.”
Tiera answered Shin’s question, her face again distorted in a grimace, but for different reasons than before.
Near the stairs in front of Shin’s group, which were leading to the lower floor, a terrible stench filled the air. It was different from the smell of rot, but in the same way it caused nausea and vertigo to the party.
“I didn’t hear anything about foul odors like this.”
“This is weird. I never heard anything either.”
Schnee commented on the situation, her eyes semi-closed in disgust. Suzune answered her, tears in her eyes.
Shin was barely affected because of his high resistance, but it seemed that the extent of the effects varied from person to person.
“Let’s retreat for now. There’s not only the awful smell in the air, but also poison, I think.”
Shin stopped in his tracks to talk.
Maybe because they had only breathed a little quantity, or there was just a small quantity of poison in the air, no one had been affected by status abnormalities yet.
“Poison you say!?”
Suzune covered her mouth with the sleeve of her priestess robes and stepped back.
Even among Chosen Ones, few possessed resistances as high as Shin and Schnee. If they ended up being paralyzed, they would be at the monsters’ mercy, so they were much more wary of status effects than Shin and the others.
“It’ll be okay if we are this far. I’m going to do some countermeasures now, so calm down.”
After reassuring Suzune, Shin pulled out 3 cards from the item box and gave one each to Suzune, Tiera, and Mitsuyo.
What materialized was a rhombus-shaped pendant the color of amber.
“This is 『World Tree’s Amber』 and 『Granite Ring』, I gave them to you to increase your resistance to all status effects, but not by much. But with this you can have strong resistance against poison and paralysis.”
He could have given them an item that nullified status effects, but Suzune wouldn’t be able to equip it.
Tiera was the same; if the reason was thought in game terms, it was because they lacked the stats to do so.
When Shin was in Balmel he tried the same thing with Hibineko and Shadow, but they couldn’t equip it either. Shin knew more or less the extent of their status, so Shin thought that the reason had to be insufficient stats.
Before entering “Depths of Hellfire”, Shin had given Schnee an 『Excelsior Ring』 which, like his 『Hades Ring』, prevented status ailments.
A certain “trouble” happened when he gave her the ring, but now the silver jewel, decorated in blue, hung from Schnee’s neck, dancing on her chest, tied to a thin white chain.
“For some reason, the smell doesn’t bother me as much either.”
Saying so, Suzune slowly stepped forward. Thanks to the pendant, her expression changed from crying to only slightly grimacing.
After completing the countermeasures, the party proceeded towards the depths of the corridor.
What they found next was a hall where several swamps of a forbidding poison-like liquid were formed. Purple smoke rose from the swamps, which was thought to be the source of the awful stench.
“Growl…”
Kagerou, who was next to Tiera, growled faintly and submerged again in her shadow. Even if he would not be affected by status ailments thanks to the item, the foul odor must have been too much for his sensitive nose.
He would be out again right away in case of battle, so Shin decided to proceed.
The party proceeded by making use of the small space available between the poison swamps.
At the same time, they detected the presence of something within the swamps.
“There are monsters inside the swamps. They’re scattered all over. Stay on your toes, just in case.”
Tiera reacted.
“Yes, I bet there are. But what do you mean, just in case?”
“Well, situations like these are when Schnee shines. Am I right?”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
Smiling in response to Shin’s proud statement, Schnee stepped forward.
“I will use a magic spell with a wide area of effect, so please do not move unless necessary.”
After warning Suzune and the others, who had no idea about what she was going to do, Schnee slowly raised her right hand.
“Ooh, you sure are something too.”
Mitsuyo commented, impressed, about the quantity of magic power that was being gathered. She didn’t know about Schnee’s fighting ability yet.
Behind her, Suzune whispered her honest thoughts, her face tense.
“…..we have another monster here. What’s up with this party, seriously?”
After several seconds, Schnee lowered her right hand and a crackling sound, like breaking glass, resounded at her feet.
Suzune looked at the ground and noticed a white mist arising from the terrain, which had changed color because of the poison swamps. From the cold sensation arising from the ground, she understood that it was chilled air.
The crackling sound was produced by the freezing of the ground and the swamps.
The whole hall was being enveloped in extremely cold air, with Schnee at its center.
“With this there should be no risk of being attacked from the swamps.”
The freezing reached deep within the swamps, so the presences Shin had felt seemed to have been frozen too. The map still displayed them, but their hostility markers had disappeared.
“From here, we might encounter things we have no information about.”
“I wonder if they detected our presence and are changing the dungeon’s interior because they feel in danger? We are a presence that puts their survival at risk after all, so it wouldn’t be weird for them to react, I guess?”
It couldn’t be said that miasma possessed a will of its own, but if presences that could purify it, like Shin and Tiera, were close, it was possible that it tried to resist. Because of its corruption of Kotone, it was also possible that it acquired some degree of intellect, or so continued Mitsuyo.
“Another possibility is the presence of someone else acting as the brain.”
If thick miasma was present, there was always a possibility that it had given birth to a demon.
Shin mentioned that it was worth considering that someone could stand in their way as they tried to rescue Kotone.
With renewed caution, the party proceeded through the hall to the floor below.
The following hall was also riddled with poison swamps, which Schnee froze before they passed.
“Hey, we haven’t encountered a single monster for a while, is this normal?”
After they passed the 7th hall, Mitsuyo asked her question while looking around.
As Mitsuyo had stated, the party had not encountered any monsters since the poison swamps. Shin’s detection field did not register any monster presences either.
“No, monsters always prowl in dungeons. Even if their numbers are reduced, they start appearing from the walls, from the ceiling, even from nothing. Even if they are all exterminated, after awhile they start appearing again.”
Shin answered while glancing at the walls and the ceiling.
This was something he had already verified. Even if all the monsters in a dungeon were defeated, they would either break in through the walls, the ceiling, or even the floor, or magic power would concentrate in one point and create one. It was the same in “Depths of Hellfire” too, so it had to be one of the world’s rules.
“Could they be gathered somewhere?”
“They could have formed a train, as a trap or something. Or maybe something is attracting the monsters on purpose.”
The word “train” refers to the situation when a player flees, drawing more and more monsters which eventually become a pack. The large group of monsters chasing the player is reminiscent of a train, hence the term.
Trains were usually caused by players’ actions, but in THE NEW GATE they also happened for other reasons.
Monsters that called upon reinforcements when receiving damage, because of traps or other causes, received damage and called for help. The summoned monsters would also receive damage from the trap and call for help themselves, increasing the numbers more and more.
Even outside on the field, rival groups of monsters could continually call for help while fighting, thus causing a train.
This “automatic train” phenomenon was thought to be a bug at first, but was then found out to be intentional. In a dungeon, where escape routes are limited, it wasn’t any different from a monster house.
Monster groups prowl through the dungeon, attacking players on sight. Even if it looked like there weren’t any monsters in the surroundings, lowering one’s guard would be a huge risk.
“The dungeon is changing, so both are possible. If we find a train, isn’t it better to retreat for a time?”
“No problem. Even if we find a train, all we have to do is take them all down. Considering the level of the monsters around here, our killing speed is higher than whatever momentum they might have.”
The dungeon indeed lacked in escape routes, but that also meant that the directions the monsters would attack from were limited too.
With party members like Shin and Schnee, clearly stronger than the monsters, trains were nothing more than a way to accumulate experience points.
“We’ll have to pay special attention whenever we arrive in a place with many entrances and exits.”
Halls not only had stairs leading to the lower floor, but were also connected to many big and small corridors. In halls with many corridors, there was the risk of being attacked from all directions, thus the party had to be especially careful.
Shin’s group proceeded through several more halls.
According to the information provided by Kuchinashi, they were supposed to be less than 3 floors away from the bottom, but even then monsters were still nowhere to be seen. There were only a few units acting on their own; even the monsters which usually appeared in groups were on their own, apparently separated from the herd.
“They’re all packed together one step before the last floor, huh.”
Shin stated this observation, with a tone both jaded and annoyed, on the floor above the boss’ chamber. He had picked up a large number of monster responses at the edge of his perception field.
“It’s really a pain if there are so many.”
Mitsuyo agreed, her shoulders dropping in dejection.
The floor where the monsters were lying in wait, being the last floor before the final one, was rather small and narrow. It was surely filled with monsters to the point of barely leaving any room to stand.
Shin thought that it would be great if they just fought and defeated each other like that.
“This is…pretty incredible.”
Schnee’s perception field also detected the monsters, and the High Elf’s brow furrowed at their numbers.
“They’re way too many for a skirmish before the boss, seriously. It would take forever if we knocked them down little by little in close combat…Schnee and I will blow them away with a large-scale spell, you snipe any survivors Tiera. Mitsuyo, Suzune, I want you to watch our backs and be wary of any surprise attacks.”
“I doubt I’ll have much to do, but leave it to me.”
Tiera knew that dodging Shin and Schnee’s magic barrage was no easy feat. She nodded as she pulled an arrow from the quiver.
“Not having many long-range attack methods is something this party has to work on, I guess. I’ll take the rear this time too, but rest assured that anyone ambushing us will be cut in half.”
“Going overboard like that is kind of concerning too…but I’ll make sure I fulfill my role.”
Mitsuyo and Suzune also had their weapons at the ready.
After making sure that everyone was prepared, Shin stepped into the corridor leading to the floor below.
Maybe because of the high-density monster group awaiting them, a foul stench, a mix of blood and beastly odors, leaked from the other end of the passage.
“Okay then, let’s show them.”
“Understood.”
Monsters were closing in on the group like a torrent of water breaking through a dam.
Quick four-legged monsters led the pack, insect-types crawled on the ceiling, and flying types swooped through the space between floor and ceiling.
Behind them, monsters such as Ogres and Nues could be spotted too.
Towards the phenomenon that could be aptly described with the words “monster wave”, Shin and Schnee calmly raised a hand, their palms facing the horde.
Magic power focused on their hands through their arms, and a bluish-white globe started forming in the center point between their palms.
“【White Cannon】!”
Shin and Schnee’s voices resounded at the same time. The moment they pronounced the spell’s name, the globe accelerated instantly, flying towards the monsters.
Leaving after-images as it shot forward, the white globe sped through the center of the corridor.
The flying-type monsters probably thought they could easily dodge it, and just tilted their bodies slightly as they kept flying.
After the globe’s passage, however, even apparently untouched monsters burst into flames, instantly turning into ashes.
The burning speed was so fast that rather than “going up in flames”, it looked like they were crumbling from the edges.
“Whoa…”
Suzune couldn’t help but voice her surprise and incredulousness at the extent of the spell’s power. It wasn’t only the monsters flying close to the globe that had disappeared.
The combination-only skill 【White Cannon】 was a white globe of light with an invisible damaging aura all around it. An aura of scorching, searing hellfire.
The aura normally had a small area of effect, but the two casters’ magic power had expanded it to an extremely wide range.
The invisible flames had filled the whole corridor, not leaving any room for escape, not even on the floor nor on the ceiling.
The monsters had fallen in utter confusion, as some tried to avoid the impending destruction as others kept pressing forward.
“I’m starting to feel sorry for the monsters…”
“Growl…”
Tiera and Kagerou looked at the screaming monsters with mixed feelings.
“Tiera, Suzune, close your eyes.”
“Eh?”
The light globe continued onwards, incinerating the monsters in its wake. As it reached the end of the corridor and the hall, Shin gave this order to Tiera and Suzune.
They didn’t understand what Shin meant, but both had a bad feeling about it and immediately closed their eyes.
It happened the next instant.
Upon reaching the hall, the globe unleashed all the energy compressed within itself.
A pure white flame blazed through the hall, reaching all the way to the corridors. The magic barrier Shin put up in protection turned completely white, and then not a single monster was in sight anymore.
As the flames died down, Shin released the barrier. As he did, the heat wave he had blocked blew past him, towards the rear.
“Let’s cool down a bit.”
Shin used a water spell to bring down the temperature in the burning hot corridor and hall.
After the torrid air had changed to a cool breeze, Shin and Schnee proceeded forward.
“What’s wrong? Let’s go.”
“Eh, yes, okay.”
Still affected by witnessing 【White Cannon】 and its power, Suzune replied with a shrill tone of voice.
When the flames had begun to decrease, Suzune opened her eyes a little; even after witnessing the party’s fighting style throughout the dungeon, the scenery before her eyes left her completely speechless.
“For Shin and the others, that’s just normal…”
Tiera had felt Suzune’s shock and tried to calm her down, putting a hand on her shoulder. She then added “I got used to it already”, and Suzune felt again that Tiera was a person on “her side” of the world.
“Let’s focus on our goal, together.”
Behind Shin and Schnee, the two girls felt a curious sense of community between each other.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 09 - The Five Supreme Blades/The-New-Gate-Volume-09-The-Five-Supreme-Blades-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_09_Chapter_03_Part_04.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 4
Shin briskly walked forward, unaware of what was happening between them. As they entered the hall, they noticed that, just like the corridor, part of the floor, ceiling, and walls had melted.
Shin cooled down these parts with a water skill and secured a path to walk on.
“OK, the real thing starts now. Are you ready?”
Before the heavy door signaling the entrance to the boss’ chamber, Shin stopped and asked this question to Suzune. Beyond the door awaited Kotone and Onimaru.
“I can go anytime.”
Suzune once again evoked the spirits she had returned to the charms and nodded.
She now had summoned a floating straw doll type, a wolf type, and a warrior type wielding two katana.
“I’m opening the door.”
Shin placed his hands on the door and pushed. After moving it a bit towards the interior of the room, the door opened the rest of the way by itself.
The room beyond was a very large hall. Swords, katana, spears, and other weapons were stabbed on the floor, walls, and ceiling, to the point that it was almost difficult to find somewhere to walk on.
In the back of the hall, only one place was not stabbed with weapons, a kind of stage marked with tatami mats. There stood a single silhouette: the boss.
——-【Rindou Kotone Level 255 War Priestess】
——- Affected by 【Miasma Corruption – Large】
Shin’s 【Analyze】 revealed the silhouette’s identity. As expected of the boss: even if the dungeon had changed, its location had not.
“….Sister.”
Suzune mumbled under her breath.
Sitting on the tatami, with katana in hand, her eyes staring into the void, this was how they found Suzune’s sister, Kotone.
She did not appear to have transformed, unlike the Ogre boss in “Depths of Hellfire”.
Her priestess robes were torn and tattered, revealing her still white skin; her arms and legs did not appear to have changed shape either. If it wasn’t for the aura emanating from her body, she would appear to have been just wounded in battle.
“Pull yourself together!! She’s heavily corrupted by miasma. There’s no time to space out.”
“I know. I won’t hold back.”
As Suzune renewed her focus, the color of the magic power enveloping her spirits became more accentuated. The spirits had been reinforced by the additional magic power poured into them.
“………..”
Maybe because she had detected the increased magic power, Kotone’s eyes went from staring into nothingness to looking at Suzune. At the same time, the atmosphere in the whole room felt as if it was rumbling.
“Her aura changed.”
“Yes, looks like she’s ready to throw down too.”
Shin replied to Schnee and readied his 『Moonless』. The aura emanating from Kotone clearly expressed hostility.
Probably in response to this change, the weapons stabbed into the ground, walls, and ceiling one by one floated in midair, gathering before Kotone with sounds of clashing metal.
In a few seconds, a cracked skull-like creature of steel was formed.
——-【Mad Sword Legion Level 811】
Mad Sword is a monster formed by swords possessed by hateful emotions. When many of them gather in one place, Mad Sword Legion is born.
The highest risk it represents is that its level depends on the number and quality of the weapons that form it. The higher the quality of the weapons forming it is, the higher its level is.
“Wasn’t a Skullface Bushido supposed to come out here?”
“The boss changed, so the monsters changed too, I guess. This one looks stronger.”
As Mitsuyo stated, Mad Sword Legion was far stronger than the unique samurai-like monster Skullface Bushido.
As they had not received any information about the Mad Sword Legion, Shin thought that it was probably born after the scouts’ inspection.
“It’s coming!!”
A few seconds after Schnee’s warning, Mad Sword Legion shot the floating weapons like bullets.
Shin, Schnee, and Mitsuyo repelled them with their own weapons, while Tiera dodged riding on Kagerou. Suzune had the warrior spirit counter the attack.
Both the parried weapons and the dodged weapons, after stabbing the ground, returned to Mad Sword Legion.
“There’s a fair number of Mythology-grade weapons in it. There could be even some Ancient-grade ones too.”
Shin’s assessment was based on the weapons thrown at them. As proof, the katana of Suzune’s warrior spirit, the weakest member among them, was very close to breaking.
“It’s alright! I just need to pour some more magic power and…”
It can go back the way it was. That is what Suzune meant to say, but her words died in her mouth.
She had not lowered her guard. She had not neglected to be wary.
Her focus, however, swayed for an instant. In that opening, less than one second long, Kotone -who was supposed to be standing behind Mad Sword Legion- was in front of Suzune.
She had moved instantly thanks to the Movement-type martial skill 【Ground Shrink】.
Her stats as a Chosen One, the bonuses granted by equipping 『Onimaru』, and the stat upgrades caused by the miasma, Kotone was much faster than Suzune remembered.
In the blink of an eye. There was no more fitting expression for Kotone’s movements.
When Suzune realized what was going on, 『Onimaru Kunitsuna』 had already been drawn from its sheath, its blade closing in on Suzune’s neck.
“!?”
I’m going to die—-
The moment Suzune instinctively closed her eyes, the sound of clashing metal reached her ears.
“I’m impressed that the scouts managed to flee.”
When Suzune opened her eyes, a black coat was fluttering in front of her.
“Don’t just stand there!! Call to her!!”
Shin shouted while blocking 『Onimaru』 with 『Moonless』.
Kotone’s equipment appeared to be only the close combat weapon 『Onimaru』. Thus, Shin was wary of her, thinking that she wouldn’t just stay behind Mad Sword Legion.
Shin, who had reinforced the Supreme Blades Munechika and Mitsuyo, knew that his 『Moonless』 was superior as a weapon.
However, the miasma-possessed 『Onimaru』 did not seem to be losing durability, even if locked in a clash against 『Moonless』.
——–【Rindou Kotone level 904】
Shin’s 【Analyze】 showed information different from before. A player’s maximum level was 255; barring special exceptions, only monsters could exceed it.
Apparently Kotone now possessed properties both human and monster-like.
“Shah!”
Mitsuyo attacked Kotone, who was trying to push Shin down, from behind. She had also promised to do whatever she could to save Kotone, and swung 『Oodenta Mitsuyo – Shinuchi』 after activating the skill 【Nonfatal Blade】.
The clash of blades resounded again; it was the sound of Mitsuyo’s katana being repelled.
Kotone, who had been wielding 『Onimaru』 with both hands, switched the grip to her right hand, picked up another sword with her left hand and parried Mitsuyo’s strike with it.
“Shin!”
“I’m on it!”
Having switched to a one hand grip, Kotone’s strength wielding 『Onimaru』 weakened.
Shin had continued locking swords with Kotone to give Mitsuyo the chance to attack her by surprise; but as now it was not necessary anymore, Shin activated a skill.
“Let’s get rid of your weapon first.”
A powerful shock burst between the clashing 『Moonless』 and 『Onimaru』.
Shin had activated the Katana-type Martial skill 【Empty Strike】. This skill had the effect of blowing away the opponent’s weapon, rendering it temporarily unusable.
The force of the impact generated between the two katana blew away Kotone’s 『Onimaru』. As a secondary effect, the movements of the arm Kotone used to wield 『Onimaru』became more sluggish too.
“You’re mi—what?”
Shin had rapidly closed in on Kotone, but detected a wave of hostility approaching and swung 『Moonless』 down on the spot.
The hostility had come from part of the weapons forming Mad Sword Legion. Apparently the monster could control its weapons separately too, so it had sent some weapons to assist Kotone.
“And it was so close! These things are so irritating!”
Mitsuyo too, like Shin, was sweeping away the weapons attacking her.
“It’s attacking us while dealing with Schnee and the others at the same time, huh. I wonder if having good weapons increased its intellect too?”
The monster carefully separated its weapons to avoid Schnee’s magic, deftly moving its large body.
As it was not one large unit, but something made of many small ones, its attack patterns were infinitely varied.
Schnee and the others’ attacks were destroying its weapons, so the monster was less than half the size it was in the beginning, but it would still take some time before it could be defeated.
“Sister…”
Suzune didn’t seem to know what to say to her sister, who was controlling the multitude of weapons in midair.
If Shin hadn’t come between them, she could very well be dead by now. Kotone might have been affected by miasma, but seeing her beloved sister almost murder her had shaken Suzune deeply.
“I told you there’s no time to space out!!”
“Aah!!”
While still pointing 『Moonless』 towards Kotone, Shin landed a chop on Suzune’s head. The sudden blow caught her by surprise.
“I won’t tell you not to be shaken, but focus on the battle while there’s still hope.”
“W-what are you…”
“Just look at her face.”
Shin’s blade pointed at Kotone, who was wielding 『Onimaru』 and another sword she picked up; more precisely, at her left eye. Transparent tears were flowing from it.
“She wasn’t crying or anything when we came in here. She might still be fighting against the miasma. Don’t give up.”
Shin then readied 『Moonless』 once again and charged against Kotone.
Possibly taking advantage of Shin leaving her side, the weapons in midair flew toward Suzune, but were knocked down by Mitsuyo, who had come closer to her.
“Leave this to me!”
Reassured by Mitsuyo’s words, Shin attacked Kotone.
Kotone used her right hand’s 『Onimaru』 and the katana in her left hand to block Shin’s slashes. Probably because of the difference in weapon level, however, the left hand’s katana snapped after the second clash.
“—-!!”
Kotone stepped back and flung the broken katana at Shin, then grabbed one of the other ones dancing in midair. The new weapon exuded an aura clearly different from the others around it; it was the Ancient-grade katana 『Mudou Kanemitsu』.
“As I thought, there were Ancient grades too.”
Shin swept away Kotone’s incoming slash and thrust his left arm forward.
At the same time, he activated the Barehanded-type Martial skill 【Water Mirror Impact】, aiming at Kotone’s chest.
Not even the greatest Chosen One could move quickly if they had trouble breathing. Such a thought prompted Shin’s attack, but Kotone managed to parry at the last second, using 『Onimaru』.
“What?”
Weapons with thin blades like katana couldn’t avoid suffering damage after blocking attacks with the body of the blade. Unless the katana was especially sturdy, it was a defense method to avoid at all costs.
For 『Onimaru』 it was possible, but even so it couldn’t be safe to block one of Shin’s attacks like this.
Shin was wondering the meaning of this when he saw Kotone’s expression warped in pain. The miasma surrounding 『Onimaru』 grew thicker, and despite Shin not doing anything, a fragment of the katana was broken off.
“Damn, it did it on purpose!?”
When he first saw 『Onimaru』, Shin was bothered by the fact that it looked pristine and unaffected by miasma. In “Depths of Hellfire”, the boss’ 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』 was in awful condition.
Kotone’s actions just now suggested that Shin’s theory, according to which 『Onimaru』’s good condition was an obstacle for the miasma, could very well be true.
Ancient-grade weapons are originally resistant to miasma. It would not be strange for the Five Supreme Blades gathered around Kagutsuchi to be even more resistant.
“What happens if we purify the miasma without damaging the katana?”
Shin attacked Kotone again. While swinging his 『Moonless』, he activated a Katana-type Martial skill.
“How about this!”
『Moonless』unleashes a powerful flash of silver light; the miasma wrapped around 『Onimaru』 was blown away and, at the same time, Kotone’s body visibly lost its strength.
The silver flash, caused by the Katana-type Martial skill 【Cleave Omen】, had the same effect as 【Dispel Omen】. Once it clashed with 『Moonless』 as it was shrouded in the skill, the miasma enveloping 『Onimaru』 would temporarily lose its effects.
Shin once again knocked 『Onimaru』 away from Kotone’s hands, then parried her left hand’s 『Mudou Kanemitsu』 with 『Moonless』’ hilt.
Before 『Mudou Kanemitsu』, now flying through the air, returned to Kotone, Shin struck it twice.
Katana-type Martial skill 【Fang Cry】.
The V-shaped slashes struck 『Mudou Kanemitsu』 cleanly, and the katana’s body broke in three fragments.
Shin had no time to be surprised by the katana’s unexpected frailty, because the broken 『Mudou Kanemitsu』 instantly turned into sand and disappeared. Becoming part of a monster’s body had likely consumed most of its sturdiness as a weapon.
“——-!?”
Immediately after Shin’s destruction of 『Mudou Kanemitsu』, an unnatural sound of clashing metal came from Schnee’s direction.
Shin glanced in that direction and saw that part of the weapons composing Mad Sword Legion’s body was behaving erratically, as if it had lost control.
The 『Mudou Kanemitsu』 Shin had destroyed was probably one of the weapons near Mad Sword Legion’s core.
“Sorry, but I can’t let you go.”
Kotone had attempted to flee, taking advantage of the small opening born from Shin’s destruction of 『Mudou Kanemitsu』, but Shin pinned her down to the ground. Tears were still flowing from her eyes.
“You’re going to stay still here for a while. Just a little patience is all I need.”
As Shin spoke these words, a seven-colored globe of light appeared over his head.
The red of flame skills, the blue of water skills, the brown of earth skills, the green of wind skills, the yellow of lightning skills, the white of light skills, the black of darkness skills. The globe’s colors expressed the elements of all magic spells.
“【Elemental Bind】”
Beams of all the colors of the globe extended towards Kotone and 『Onimaru』.
The beams, moving as to avoid Shin, wrapped themselves around the possessed priestess and her katana.
In this condition, they would temporarily be unaffected by outside attacks, but could not move in any way. This did not change even if the target was tainted by miasma.
Depending on the caster, the target could break free right away, but if Shin was the caster, even the over-level 900 Kotone could not move.
Divine-type magic was not included, but maybe because the skill included 7 magic elements, it managed to suppress miasma as well.
“If only it was faster, though…”
Shin stopped pinning down Kotone and stood up while mumbling to himself.
【Elemental Bind】 was an extremely useful skill, but the beams of light it released were much too slow; they would definitely miss if used by themselves.
Because of that, in the game era the quick 【Shadow Bind】 and 【Arc Bind】, which combined both speed and strength, were both used more often.
Shin made sure that Kotone couldn’t move and asked Mitsuyo to recover 『Onimaru』, which was lying on the ground at a small distance.
Thanks to 【Elemental Bind】 sealing the miasma and the effects of “Miracle Drug of Holy Skies”, nothing happened even if Mitsuyo touched 『Onimaru』.
Turning towards Kotone, Shin saw that Suzune was desperately calling to her.
“OK, the last nuisance is that guy then.”
Shin looked towards Mad Sword Legion, which had become much smaller due to Schnee and the others’ attacks.
Shin didn’t know how much of a will the main Mad Sword Legion had, but it looked like it was frantically trying to avoid Schnee, Tiera and Kagerou’s combined attacks.
If Schnee and the others used their full power, they would have defeated it long ago.
It was still alive thanks to its particular multi-unit structure and because they were fighting in a closed space, so Schnee and the others didn’t use wide-range attacks, out of concern of hitting their allies too.
Now that they had captured Kotone, though, Shin wanted to start the purification immediately, so he did not feel like shaving off the monster’s body little by little.
“Schnee! Protect everyone but me!”
Schnee nodded to Shin, and he picked the skills he wanted to use.
“【Continuous Casting】, 【Gun Fire】!!”
The skill he used first allowed to cast the skill used after it as long as MP allowed; this time, Shin chose the Flame-type Magic skill 【Gun Fire】.
A great number of fireballs formed around Shin, then shot one after the other towards Mad Sword Legion.
The size of each fireball was about 15 cemels; as they were not very fast, the weapons floating in midair could easily avoid their trajectory.
Just as it looked like they passed by without doing anything, the fireballs suddenly burst, scattering small 5-cemels fireballs all around.
The fireballs exploded all together, filling the space with smaller fireballs and turning the weapons forming Mad Sword Legion into ashes and dust.
It was an attack that targeted friend and foe indiscriminately, but the ice barrier Schnee created prevented their allies from taking damage.
The Mad Sword Legion, the number of its weapons already reduced by Schnee and the others’ attacks, now saw all its weapons destroyed; like 『Mudou Kanemitsu』 before, they turned into dust.
All that was left were the bound Kotone and 『Onimaru』.
『Onimaru』 was tended to by Mitsuyo.
“Tiera! The purification, please!”
Tiera hurried to 『Onimaru』’s side after hearing Shin’s shout.
“….you should hold her hands.”
Tiera whispered this piece of advice to Suzune as she passed next to her and Kotone, then started 『Onimaru』’s purification.
Differently from the “Depths of Hellfire” boss, this time Kotone had to be purified too: thus this time Shin would use 【Dispel Omen】 on 『Onimaru』, while Schnee did the same to Kotone.
“—————–”
The miasma shrouding 『Onimaru』 gradually disappeared. At the same time, a strained voice leaked from Kotone’s lips.
“Sister! Kotone!”
Kotone winced in pain, and Suzune kept calling her name desperately. She was trying to break free, but Shin’s 【Elemental Bind】 completely sealed her movements.
“Phew, it’s over.”
After some time, Tiera announced she had finished, while wiping sweat from her brow. She was steady on her feet this time: the purification had been less taxing than the previous one.
“The rest is up to you, Shin. Please.”
“Leave it to me.”
Tiera passed『Onimaru』to Shin, who gave it a long, careful look.
Its durability had decreased by about 20%, but compared to Dojigiri it had suffered surprisingly little damage. Shin concluded that the situation wasn’t as critical as last time.
Shin related 『Onimaru』’s state to Mitsuyo, and her expression softened with relief.
“Okay then, you’re next.”
Shin entrusted 『Onimaru』 to Mitsuyo and turned towards Kotone. He didn’t know how the miasma had affected her, so she was still bound.
Shin asked Suzune to step back just in case and checked Kotone’s condition.【Analyze】 didn’t display her as boss anymore. The miasma’s corruption seemed to be no more as well.
Possibly because she had lost consciousness, her eyes were now closed.
“At first glance, it doesn’t look like there are problems.”
“I can’t feel any miasma anymore, so I think you can release her now.”
Tiera, the most sensitive member to miasma, gave her approval too, so Shin followed her proposal.
【Elemental Bind】 caused Kotone to float in midair, so Shin prepared to support her as not to let her fall to the ground.
“Hn…”
Kotone mumbled, maybe the impact of falling into Shin’s arms had woken her up.
“Are you alright?”
“Uuh….I…am…?”
“Sister!! Koto!!”
Having heard her sister’s voice, Suzune rushed to her side, opposite to Shin’s. No one felt it was appropriate to comment about how Suzune changed the way she called her sister.
“It’s me!! Suzune!! Do you recognize me!?”
“Yes…I do.”
She appeared to have fully regained her senses as she talked with Suzune: a kind smile appeared on Kotone’s lips, to Suzune’s relief.
“Can you stand?”
“I’m sorry, my body is sti…”
“Sti?”
Kotone was hiding her face out of embarrassment, and she stopped talking mid-sentence.
Shin inquired what was wrong, and Kotone’s body started shaking.
“W-w-why am I dressed so shamefully!?”
She apparently had not yet noticed the state her clothes were in.
While she was bound the beams of light hid it, but now that they had disappeared, it was clear that her priestess robe was so torn and tattered that it could hardly be called clothes.
Her current state was thus even more seductive than being naked, prompting Kotone to try desperately to twist her body to hide it.
“Ah…”
“Eh…w-why!?!”
Maybe it happened because temporarily, she was classified as monster.
Or maybe twisting her body gave the coup the grace. Kotone’s robe turned into sand and vanished, just like Mad Sword Legion did.
What was left was just Kotone herself, in her most natural state, still held by Shin.
Shin quickly looked away, but he couldn’t avoid to see Kotone’s ample bosom and curves, which occupied his field of view before he looked elsewhere.
“Use this!”
Schnee rapidly pulled out new clothes and covered Kotone with them.
“Anyone, please, switch with me!”
Shin had turned his neck all the way away in reaction to the sudden situation, but was close to his limits, so he asked for help.
Thanks to Schnee, the front side of Kotone’s body was covered, but her back was still bare. He didn’t notice it when she was still clothed, but now that she was naked the sensation of touching her skin was transmitted vividly to his hands.
Shin let Suzune, who was in front of him, support her sister and immediately backed away.
“Shin, we have to talk later.”
“….I’d prefer to solve this peacefully.”
Schnee’s smile was scarier than the miasma right now.
Despite their mission being accomplished, Shin somehow didn’t feel relieved at all.
The group had succeeded in saving Kotone and recovering 『Onimaru』, so they headed to the exit of Cadaver Realm. Kotone still couldn’t move well, so she was transported by one of Suzune’s spirits.
“Anyway, good thing the contents of the item box were safe.”
Kotone’s clothes had crumbled to dust, but now she had changed to clothes she had in her own item box. A rare occurrence for an inhabitant of this world, Kotone possessed one too.
“I’m sorry for…showing you…something so shameful…”
Kotone’s face was fiercely red as she answered. She would sometimes peek at Shin, then hide her face out of shame.
“Ah, er….I think it’s better to just forg…whoops!”
He meant to say “forget it”, but was interrupted by the sudden attack of a flying spirit. After dodging it, Shin noticed that Suzune was glaring at him with a certain amount of killing intent in her eyes.
She was walking next to Kotone, hidden from Shin’s view, but moved between them with frightening speed.
“If you even whisper the fact that you saw my sister naked, I’ll come for your head.”
“I’m not saying a word…hey, I couldn’t even if I wanted to…”
Shin answered with a small sigh.
The reason why Suzune was so belligerent was that Kotone, after realizing she had been seen naked by a man, lamented that “I can’t marry anymore now…” and asked Shin, the cause behind it all, “won’t you take me as your bride?”.
Maybe because she had seen the exchange between Shin and Schnee, while still being embarrassed Kotone showed what appeared to be a teasing side. Suzune, however, didn’t take it as a joke and became extremely wary of them.
The two priestesses were orphans and were each other’s only blood relative. Even if she felt gratitude towards Shin, she wouldn’t accept that her sister married him just because he had seen her naked.
“I’m never letting you marry my sister!!”
“Wait!! I told you that I don’t have the least intention of doing that from the beginning, didn’t I!? I’m getting scary looks already, so don’t say that!!”
Even if Kotone had been serious, Shin wouldn’t have accepted. He was instead worried that Suzune would cause an even bigger commotion.
“You truly are very nice people.”
Kotone looked at Shin and Suzune’s exchange with a peaceful expression on her face.
“If you think so, then please do not trouble Shin too much.”
“I’m sorry. I was just happy that he reacted like that even to someone like me.”
Kotone honestly lowered her head in response to Schnee’s rebuke.
Kotone was aware that, having been corrupted by miasma, she would be shunned. Her expression was somewhat shadowed too.
“Well…in small doses, it’s okay.”
“You will forgive me?”
When Shin saw Kotone naked, Schnee was the one to exude the most frightening aura. Kotone had noticed it, so Schnee’s reaction surprised her.
“I’m going to have him spoil me too a bit in return.”
Kotone was perplexed for a moment by Schnee’s reply, said with a very serious tone, then laughed softly.
“Hehe, then I think I’ll tease him a little more.”
Afterward, Kotone faintly said “You would touch even a body as tainted as mine?”, so Shin’s position became even more difficult.
“No, well, it’s not tainted or anything, isn’t it? The miasma has been fully purified, you are totally pure, Kotone. That was something like force majeure…or so I’d like you to think.”
Shin looked distressed, as Kotone was looking at him with imploring eyes, transparent teardrops glistening from their edges.
Looking at her expression, Shin even ended up thinking that she could be serious.
“What, my sister isn’t enough for you!?”
“Wait, are you in favor or against it?!”
Shin couldn’t help pointing out the inconsistency in Suzune’s angry words.
“I see you get along well with Suzune.”
“He does!? Sister, are you sure you aren’t still sick somewhere?”
“I hadn’t seen you express your emotions so openly in a long time.”
Saying this, Kotone laughed softly.
“Kh, my back feels targeted…”
Throughout this conversation, an extremely annoyed aura emanated from Tiera and Mitsuyo, in the rear of the group.
Even if it happened coincidentally, it was a fact that Shin saw Kotone naked, so he took her teasing in stride.
Mitsuyo and Tiera’s annoyed mood was, however, clearly visible on their faces, and Schnee’s smile, completely lacking any intimidation, was the scariest one.
(Why isn’t there a teleportation point in the boss room, just like the game…?)
Shin ended up wishing that feature remained.
Shin knew it would just postpone the problem, but he wanted to escape the current situation as soon as possible.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 09 - The Five Supreme Blades/The-New-Gate-Volume-09-The-Five-Supreme-Blades-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_09_Chapter_03_Part_05.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 5
“Sounds like it’s been tough, in more ways than one.”
“Yes, well, it was tough for sure.”
Shin’s party managed to exit the dungeon with barely any monster encounters and returned to the Black Priestess Shrine guild house.
Having learned of Kotone’s return, many priestesses gathered in the guild house.
Shin’s party, on the other hand, was in the guildmaster’s room, reporting in detail what had happened in the dungeon.
“It looks like Kotone managed to maintain her consciousness thanks to Onimaru. On the physical side too, abnormal incident like mutated or missing body parts did not occur either.”
“I’m having her checked here too, just in case. I was worried because she was imprisoned for 5 years, but thankfully the doctor said that there’s nothing wrong with her.”
There were many methods of healing in the world, but Arts such as 【Heal】 or 【Cure】 or Potions were not present everywhere. Black Priestess Shrine members also possessed medical techniques not relying on such methods.
Suzune had accompanied Kotone to take her tests, so she was not in the room either.
“Well, I’d like you to tell me the reason not to dispel Onimaru’s bind.”
After the report about Kotone ended, Shin asked this question to Mitsuyo.
In the dungeon, the purification had been completed and Shin thought that Onimaru Kunitsuna would now be alright; yet for some reason Mitsuyo said to wait before releasing the bind, and the katana was still restrained.
“I guess there’s no helping it. If possible, I actually wanted to bring it back like this.”
“No, if there are any problems I’m not going to force you, you know.”
“I don’t mean to say that you or the others did anything wrong. As we are both Supreme Blades, we can communicate through our consciousness, and I’ve already verified that Kunitsuna retains it.”
“So, what’s stopping you?”
“….I’ll let Kunitsuna answer that.”
Mitsuyo didn’t want to answer herself, apparently, so she handed Onimaru, still affected by 【Elemental Bind】, back to Shin.
There was nothing dangerous behind it though, or so Mitsuyo said.
“….okay, I’m removing the bind then.”
Mitsuyo’s behavior gave Shin a bad feeling about it, but there was no reason to keep the katana bound.
Once freed, Onimaru flashed and assumed human form. It was a female type, like Munechika and Mitsuyo.
Her appearance was about 20 years old. Her eyes were still closed, so they couldn’t tell what color they were, but her shoulder-length hair had a beautiful black luster that did not lose to Munechika’s.
Onimaru was what one would call a traditional Japanese beauty. Within her black hair, two of her bangs -one on the left and one on the right of her face- were bright red. Looking at them, Shin pictured an Oni’s horns.
She was wearing a hakama, but her shoulders and torso were also protected by pieces of armor, forming a rather unusual combination. 『Onimaru Kunitsuna』 was firmly equipped at her waist.
Once she opened her eyes, red pupils -different from any other Supreme Blade- looked straight at Shin.
“Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am one of the Five Supreme Blades, Onimaru Kunitsuna. Allow me to offer you my gratitude for everything you have done for me.”
Kunitsuna then politely bowed her head.
Shin had been prepared for anything to happen, so he felt slightly disoriented.
“I would also like to inquire something. Who matched blades with lady Kotone among you? Other than Mitsuyo.”
“That would be me.”
“Aah! So it was really you, sir!!”
Shin replied, and Kunitsuna walked closer to him, a full smile on her lips. Mitsuyo had stepped in between them, but Kunitsuna dodged her instantly. Shin was surprised by the agility of her movements, but then Kunitsuna took his hands in hers, placed them on her chest and said something he couldn’t have predicted.
“I beg of you, please become my master!”
“….what?”
Shin needed a few seconds before he could grasp the meaning of Kunitsuna’s request.
“Enough!”
“Ouch!”
As Shin and the others were frozen in place by Kunitsuna’s words, Mitsuyo -who had expected them- gave her a light whack over the head. As Kunitsuna’s grip on Shin’s hands weakened, he took the opportunity to step away from her.
“Mitsuyo, please explain what’s going on.”
“Exactly what you heard. Basically she wants you to become her…Onimaru Kunitsuna’s wielder.”
Shin asked Mitsuyo, not Kunitsuna, for an explanation, and Mitsuyo obliged with a sigh.
As he heard her reply, Shin finally understood why Mitsuyo didn’t want to remove Kunitsuna’s bind.
“No one has ever been so rough with me…”
“What are you talking about now!?!”
With no regard for Mitsuyo’s rebuke, Kunitsuna looked straight at Shin. To Shin, her eyes appeared to be almost sparkling.
“Well, that’s an interesting girl if I ever saw one.”
“Indeed. If her body is a weapon, however, to seek the most able wielder is certainly not a problem.”
“You two over there, don’t talk like this doesn’t concern you. If we’re talking about wielders, you two are perfectly good candidates too.”
Shin scoffed and replied to the honestly impressed Shibaid and Filma. In regards to ability, all of Shin’s support characters, Schnee included, possessed more than enough to qualify.
Incidentally, Schnee was whispering “there’s no way Shin will accept”.
“Lady Kunitsuna, I am truly sorry, but I have decided that the weapon I wield is 『True Moon』. Thus I cannot be your wielder.”
“Is…that so. That’s a sh—-”
“Good, Kunitsuna’s nonsense is now over, so let’s get on with the discussion.”
Mitsuyo interrupted the disappointed Kunitsuna and urged the group to resume their talks. It was a fairly crude treatment, but probably as they had communicated earlier too, this result had been predicted.
“You’re cruel, Mitsuyo.”
“I told you this would have happened. So, what are we going to do next?”
“Next, hmm. Well, we did everything we had to.”
Shin continued saying that they could go straight back to Fuji, but Kuchinashi stopped him.
“If so, won’t you join our celebrations?”
“Celebrations?”
“There have been casualties among us, but Onimaru was finally recovered from the dungeon and Kotone returned safe and sound. Furthermore, our greatest concern, the miasma, has disappeared. We had to borrow your strength, but it is a great result for us. Everyone didn’t show it, but ever since Kotone’s group failed their mission, the mood had been pretty quite dark, or rather hopeless, I’d say. So, to wipe it away completely, I thought of organizing a celebration.”
If the valiant warriors who had lent a hand to this success were absent from the celebration, the festive mood would be partly tarnished. Kuchinashi thus requested the presence of Shin’s party in the celebrations.
“Personally, I’d like to avoid having my name and face became more well known.”
“I heard what happened in Balmel. To be brutally honest, I doubt there’s any meaning in hiding now. On the contrary, if they knew that “that famous” Shin had done it, everyone would just nod and accept it.”
“Did it really spread that much? Trying to avoid all possible trouble, I haven’t visited the adventurer’s guild once after leaving Balmel.”
Kuchinashi’s argument about it being too late was reasonable too.
On the other hand, going around defeating small fry and clearing miasma-infested dungeons was very different. Shin knew that it was impossible to keep people from talking, but he still wanted to make an effort to lay low.
“Half truth, half exaggerated rumors, though. But even the exaggerated rumors mention things that you could do easily Shin. After all, people of the right trade could track you down right away anyway.”
“Nothing I can do about that, I guess. A number of people saw us head north, so if they gather information they’d easily start thinking that we’re suspicious, too.”
Their movements had not been perfectly concealed by any means, so Shin decided to accept the situation, as sooner or later he’d be discovered anyway.
“I understand. Don’t hide anything and openly say that I did it then. We’ll probably be involved in all sorts of things from now on too anyway, so it’s just a matter of time.”
“Okay, you’ll be at the center then Shin.”
It will be unavoidable for the party members to receive attention too, but Kuchinashi promised to make sure the information spread with Shin at its center.
“Then, about our gratitude, I mean the reward…”
“Reward? We never talked about that, did we? We came of our own will, and you also let us enter into the normally inaccessible Black Priestess Shrine territory too.”
Shin’s group wished to recover Onimaru. Kuchinashi and her followers wished to save Kotone.
The method to accomplish their objectives was the same, so they cooperated.
Shin and Kuchinashi had a friendly relationship, so it was just a matter of form, but since their agreement had been such, Shin was puzzled.
“That won’t do, though. You saved one of our precious comrades, but we let you go without any reward…that would be dishonorable. There are those who know that we tried and failed to clear the dungeon. We need to at least a put on “performance” to show that we paid you adequately for your work. Something we both agreed upon, based on a formal contract. Of course, I will keep the fact that we know each other hidden.”
“If that piece of information spreads too, some people could come here, hoping to reach and use you through me.”
Black Priestess Shrine was not governing their territory through their strength alone; they had been entrusted with it through a pact with the Kujou house. Even so, they still had frictions with neighboring territories and could not disregard the diplomatic relations with them, sighed Kuchinashi.
The saving grace was that, as Black Priestess Shrine’s role could not be performed by anyone else, they weren’t normally bothered by their neighbors.
It was the burden due to being the host of many priestesses, as Kuchinashi hinted.
“Well, for the reward, just something formal is fine. But don’t go using us for your diplomacy now.”
“I know that. I’m not that ungrateful.”
Afterward, they talked about the formal reward and the group’s lodging, then Shin’s group left the room.
Kuchinashi was apparently sure that they wouldn’t fail the mission; a few hours before the banquet, Shin knew that she had prepared two rewards: one in case Kotone had been saved and another one in case only purification had been possible.
The hectic preparations continued; being the main event, Shin and Shibaid were forced to wear elegant kimono, to their extreme displeasure. Then, their female companions appeared.
“Oooh…as expected, priestess robes look good with black hair.”
They were wearing white and red, traditional priestess robes, different from the Black Priestess Shrine’s typical uniforms.The first to appear dressed in this outfit was Tiera.
Her golden eyes and the silver streaks in her hair were unusual elements considering the attire, but her long black hair perfectly fit the priestess robes.
Her lightly flushed cheeks, maybe out of embarrassment from being the center of attention, added even more charm to the whole, at least according to Shin.
“Don’t stare so much now.”
“I didn’t mean to. But it looks good on you, you can’t blame me for looking a bit, no?”
“Well, that’s fine…I’m just the opening act for master and the others, anyway.”
While fiddling with the silver tips of her hair, Tiera looked towards the door she had come from.
The next ones to come out were Kotone and Filma.
The black-haired, black-eyed Kotone was exactly what Shin pictured from the word priestess. Her delicate gestures, combined with the robe, gave a perfectly graceful impression.
On the other hand, Filma’s stance was almost too proud; she almost looked like a foreigner doing cosplay.
“How do I look? Not too bad, right?”
Used to Filma’s usual armor and its high skin exposure, Shin and Shibaid thought that the priestess robe and its low ratio of exposed skin made Filma look more seductive.
“Hmm, as they say, beauties are beauties no matter what they wear, but this is a prime example indeed. I get an impression pretty different than the usual.”
“Your usual colors are red and purple, so the red hakama looks really good on you. And like Shibaid said, there’s a curious gap…”
Kotone inquired as well.
“If I may ask too, what do you think of me?”
“Honestly speaking, I’d be hard pressed to find words other than “it looks good on you”…you are exactly what I picture when I imagine a priestess, you see.”
A beautiful black-haired, black-eyed priestess. The impact of her coy look was incommensurable.
“We’re here too, if you care.”
“….Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna, why are you wearing priestess clothes too? Well, no, you look good, of course…”
Shin’s attention had been occupied by Filma and Kotone, when Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna, also wearing priestess robes, called to him from behind.
They normally wore armor, but picturing different clothes in mind could let them change to a degree, they said. Because of the occasion, they decided to wear priestess robes too.
Maybe affected by the colors of their armor, the sleeves of Mitsuyo’s robe had black and golden patterns, while Kunitsuna’s were red and black.
“We thought to entice lord Shin with our charms…but I see we have many fierce rivals.”
“Shut up. And that’s not how it is anyway.”
Kunitsuna held her hand to her cheeks, looking troubled, while Mitsuyo pouted and looked away. The Five Supreme Blades were truly a trove of strong personalities.
“Hey, Shin. The main event is starting.”
Filma called for Shin’s attention. As he turned back, Schnee appeared too.
Schnee had also changed from her usual clothing to a priestess robe; she came walking calmly into the room, her silver hair flowing while following her movements.
Like Tiera and the others, she had applied some make-up after taking a bath, making her smile, a normal sight for Shin, even more bright than usual.
“….beautiful.”
A single word escaped Shin’s mouth.
He could have talked forever, just piling up words of praise. But he felt that it would be all unneeded.
That’s how much he had been charmed by her.
“I knew it…that’s how it always ends.”
“Kuu!”
Along with Tiera’s dejected words, Shin feels a jolt hitting his legs. Back from his charmed trance, Shin looked at his feet and found Yuzuha, in her usual priestess robe, puffing her cheeks. She was still kicking Shin with her thin legs.
“Yuzuha, ignored, no good!”
After coming back from the dungeon, Shin had been busy talking with Kuchinashi and preparing for the celebrations, thus he had found no time for Yuzuha; she thought he had forgotten his promise.
Her growth should have increased her mental age too, but now Yuzuha was back to being a little girl. Maybe she was only acting more mature.
“I worked hard, here! Praise!”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, so stop sticking to my face! I can’t see in front!”
Yuzuha, still in human form, jumped on Shin’s head, covering his face.
It was a surprise attack using her over level-600 physical abilities to the fullest. Being still under the effect of Schnee’s charm, Shin couldn’t have avoided it.
When Shin managed to get Yuzuha off him, his hair had become a mess.
“—then, this happens?”
“You had her stay back a lot lately, after all. You could treat her specially at least today.”
Schnee smiled at them.
The celebrations’ banquet hall was already crowded with priestesses.
Shin and the group were led to the main guests’ seats; Yuzuha, still in human form, took position on his lap.
She grinned proudly while holding his arms, laughed and talked excitedly. After growing up, her expressionless face had apparently vanished completely.
“So lovely, may I pet you?”
“Kuu, you may! Shin pet too!”
Her tone was smug, but the fox ears on her head twitched happily. Their movements clearly showed how she wanted to be petted quickly, making Yuzuha even more adorable.
In the main guest seats, Shin was sitting in the seat of honor, with Schnee, Tiera, Mitsuyo, Kunitsuna, Filma and Shibaid sitting on the left side. Kagerou was next to Tiera.
On the opposite right side sat Kotone, Suzune and Kuchinashi.
The priestesses’ eyes were concentrated on Shin’s group: the mysterious fox girl being cuddled on Shin’s lap, between two beauties such as Schnee and Kotone, attracted the most attention.
“Now, let us begin!!”
Kuchinashi’s words brought total silence into the hall. She had used a Wind spell to carry her voice throughout the venue.
The eyes of all present went from Shin to Kuchinashi.
“I am sure many of you already know about Kotone’s return. She was saved from the dungeon we have had trouble clearing, Cadaver Realm. Now I will introduce to you the adventurers who saved Kotone and cleared the dungeon.”
Kuchinashi’s hand pointed towards Shin and his companions.
As they previously discussed, the members who actually went into the dungeon -Shin, Schnee, Tiera and Mitsuyo- stood up. As they did, thunderous applause filled the hall.
Shin was surprised by the intensity of the cheering; he did not expect for the response to be so big.
“Everyone already knows about your feats in the battles in Balmel.”
“Is that so.”
It wasn’t exactly a “set-up”, but Kuchinashi had apparently already given some information to the priestesses. Shin felt that it had spread all too fast though.
In addition, the words “That’s the Slashing Hammer…” that sometimes reached his ears enhanced his bad feeling.
“Ehm, I keep hearing the words “Slashing Hammer”…what does that mean?”
“You don’t know? It’s Shin’s “new” nickname. He slashes monsters apart with dull weapons, so people started referring to him as “Shin the Slashing Hammer”.”
“Oof…”
Shin felt a dull blow in his gut, knowing how this nickname had spread without his knowledge. What kind of name is Slashing Hammer… he couldn’t help but sigh to himself.
“Tonight we celebrate Kotone’s return, the conquest of the dungeon and these brave adventurers!!”
Kuchinashi spoke again after the applause died down.
There was no toast; after another brief applause, all participants freely started to enjoy food and beverages.
“Here you are.”
“Oh, thanks.”
Noticing that Shin’s glass was empty, Kotone raised a bottle of Sake to offer him.
Schnee too was paying attention to serving him, but as Shin held his glass with his right hand, Kotone was closer.
“You even have my sister serve you…!?”
“Don’t say it like I’m forcing her to!!”
Shin didn’t know how others saw it, but Kotone had served him out of her own free will.
“Shin, feed me, feed me!”
Completely unaware of Kotone and Schnee’s small war and Suzune’s pestering, Yuzuha kept ordering what she wanted to eat.
Shin felt bad about leaving Yuzuha back often lately, so he prioritized feeding Yuzuha over eating himself.
“Can’t help it. Here, say aah!”
“Yummy~”
Shin used a pair of chopsticks and brought Yuzuha’s order to her mouth. Yuzuha took a big bite and showed a large smile.
Shin had younger siblings in the real world; he laughed wryly at Yuzuha’s spoiled attitude, but followed her orders to the letter.
“My, how cute.”
Looking at Yuzuha fed by Shin, Kotone squirmed.
“Then, I suppose I shall do it to Shin.”
“Eh?”
Shin’s chopsticks were busy with feeding Yuzuha. Seeing this, Schnee quickly used hers to pick food from a plate and carry it to Shin’s mouth.
“Here, say aah.”
“Sure, aah…”
Schnee started it herself, but couldn’t help blushing a little.
Shin noticed it and became nervous. The food she had brought him, though, was very delicious.
◆◆◆◆
“My my, there’s no space to fit in between those three, is there.”
“She might be a monster, but she looks just like a child.”
Looking at Shin and those around him, Filma and Shibaid laughed and drank merrily.
Since they didn’t participate in the dungeon mission, they wondered whether they should participate in the celebrations, but Kuchinashi overwhelmed their objections, saying that it was always a party.
“Won’t you go to lord Shin’s side?”
“Me? Well, even if I went…”
The question to Filma had been asked by Kunitsuna, who was looking at Shin too. He had refused to become her wielder, but as her savior, she addressed him with “lord”.
In reaction to her question, Filma tilted her glass in her hands, a troubled expression on her face.
“Schnee and I, we have a different stance towards Shin…we feel different things.”
“Is that so? I thought that conquering the strong and being served by the beautiful was a gentleman’s way of life. It appears that lady Schnee and lady Tiera fancy lord Shin.”
“Ahaha, anyone would see Schnee does.”
Tiera took another swig, laughing heartily.
“For Tiera, it looks too early for you to say so, though.”
“Women are more sensitive about this stuff…right?”
“Mitsuyo and Munechika are a bit dull, though. Their way of thinking is more similar to a man’s.”
“Hey, Kunitsuna, don’t just insult so casually!”
Mitsuyo, sitting beside Kunitsuna, couldn’t let those words go without reacting. I know that much too, her pouting lips expressed.
“Hmm, as they say in Hinomoto, three women together make a ruckus…I see it’s true even with weapons.”
Looking at Kunitsuna and Filma teasing Mitsuyo, Shibaid whispered this to himself and poured himself another glass.
“My, you won’t ask about my feelings, Shibaid?”
“You are a High Lord, but your heart is similar to a Type Cat’s. Even if I asked, you would not say what you really feel. We are companions under the same master, I do not need to be a woman to understand.”
“Hmph, so that’s what you say to me, huh.”
Shibaid’s words and look seemed to see through Filma; this time it was her lips’ turn to pout.
“There is no need for reservation between us, is there. Lady Kunitsuna, you do not need to hold anything back with Filma. She’s not the type to be concerned by things like that, so speak to her freely.”
“I shall do as you say, then.”
“Do let me add one thing, though. I heard you asked Shin to become your master, but I tell you that asking us will give you the same result. Because we have received our weapons from Shin.”
Shibaid had heard about it from Schnee, so he made sure Kunitsuna let go such thoughts. As Shin had said, Shibaid and the others had more than enough ability to wield Kunitsuna.
“Oh my, did you find out I was aiming at you? Lord Shin has unfathomable prowess, but the same can be said for you all. It might be a strange thing to say but, lady Schnee included, I feel that you all exceed the limits of strength an individual can hope to attain.”
“That’s all part of serving a High Human. I wouldn’t lose to any average warrior.”
“Truly. Were the master to give the order, the servant needs to be able to overthrow even a divine beast.”
Despite her playful tone, Kunitsuna’s speech was serious; Filma and Shibaid gave their answers, each with a slightly different atmosphere.
Only Mitsuyo, who had stayed with them for a certain time and was following their exchange, noticed this small change.
“Kunitsuna, enough with your jokes.”
“I know. I won’t go any further. I apologize, I am afraid I overstepped my bounds.”
“Don’t worry. It happened a lot in the past.”
In the period when the High Human’s abilities were still unknown, the number of reckless players who had faced Shin to test his strength was not small.
As Shibaid and Filma were with him during such battles too, they were sensible to the gaze of who wanted to estimate their strength.
In Kunitsuna’s case, they felt how she was also wary of them, so they released some of the pressure they were keeping suppressed.
“We’re here to celebrate. Let’s enjoy the rest of the banquet.”
They all nodded to Shibaid’s words.
Forgetting about time passing, all present enjoyed the party.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 09 - The Five Supreme Blades/The-New-Gate-Volume-09-The-Five-Supreme-Blades-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_09_Chapter_04_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 1
Once the banquet drew to a close, the main guests -Shin and his group- went to their assigned rooms inside the guildhouse. They had one room each, but as expected Yuzuha slipped into Shin’s room.
“I guess I got a little tipsy.”
Yuzuha had curled up into a ball on the bed as soon as they entered the room, and Shin left to take a walk in the guildhouse to sober up.
Shin knew Kuchinashi and her guild from before, so he was also familiar with the structure of the guildhouse to a degree. Given his familiarity combined with the map, he wouldn’t lose his way.
Even if he bumped into other guild members, his name and face were already well known, so as long as he avoided any places where only guild members were allowed, there wouldn’t be any problems.
“Hm? This presence is…”
Following the presence displayed on the map, Shin arrived in a part of the guildhouse resembling a garden.
The square-shaped garden was about 20 mels wide. The walls hid it from the rest of the building, so it was well suited to practicing with weapons and techniques.
It was already well into the night; the moon and stars were shining gently on the garden’s grass and flowers.
“So it was really you, Tiera.”
He had felt her presence already, but as the map showed, there was already someone in the garden.
The moonlight was shining on Tiera’s silhouette, alone in the darkness of the night. She was looking at the sky, still clad in the priestess clothes she wore at the banquet.
“Oh, you didn’t change yet? …..Tiera?”
Shin called to Tiera, who was still looking up to the sky, a distant look in her eyes, but received no response.
Shin felt something was off, and called her again; Tiera then finally moved.
Slowly, she raised her arms, then opened them wide. As she did this, she lightly spun on her feet.
Afterward, without stopping, she continued dancing, as if she was playing with some invisible creature.
“Is this Kagura…the dance offered to the gods?”
Priestess robes, a silhouette bathed in the moonlight that felt almost otherworldly, movements apparently lacking any regularity.
Looking at Tiera’s flowing black hair, Shin was reminded of the Kagura, a dance offered to the gods of Shinto shrines, which he had seen on TV in the past.
That Kagura dance was very slow-paced, but he felt that Tiera’s dance shared a similar atmosphere. Her expression also suggested that she had fallen into a sort of trance.
“…….”
Without realizing it, Shin had lost track of time, absorbed in Tiera’s dance.
How much time had passed? As if repeating the first movements in reverse, Tiera lowered her arms while spinning, then stopped completely.
She was looking at the sky again, just like she did when Shin had arrived. Her position and posture were also identical; if Shin had not seen her dance, he would think she had just continued looking at the sky all the while.
If something had changed, it was the moonlight, which seemed to shine on Tiera more brightly than before.
“The stars are really beautiful.”
“Hm? Oh…yeah, that’s true.”
When had she noticed him? Tiera turned towards Shin and talked to him.
Tiera’s faint smile gave her an almost mystical aura. As if the person Shin was now looking at was someone else.
“Shin, did you come to look at the stars too?”
“No, I just wanted to feel the night breeze a bit. And…I didn’t mean to peek, but I saw your dance. I’m not going to ask what it was, nor will I talk to anyone about it, so rest easy.”
He was a little undecided first, but Shin then opted to tell her the honest truth.
Shin had decided to wait until she said the word before he talked about her circumstances. Thus he told her that he had no intention of inquiring any further.
“I see. But, I think that it’s alright if it’s you, Shin. It could even be that I called for you.”
Tiera walked towards Shin, smiling to tell him that there was nothing to worry about. At the same time, she said something cryptic.
“You were calling? Can I ask what that means?”
“Wait just a little more, please. Or I can’t explain well enough.”
Tiera extended a hand towards Shin’s cheeks while speaking. She touched him gently, as if handling something broken.
“Tiera…no, you are…”
The feeling Shin had of something being off grew larger and larger. What he thought was just his imagination became reality.
With eyes that seemed lost into space, she looked straight towards Shin. He returned the look, trying to grasp what was hidden deep within her eyes.
Her eyes were golden, but also contained hues different from the color yellow. What her slightly transparent pupils reflected was the black-haired man he always saw in the mirror…? Not this time.
“!?”
Not him, someone wrapped in mist, was looking back at him. As he tried to uncover the identity of that mysterious figure, something soft and warm touched Shin’s lips.
“Hnn…..mmh…..nnh…”
What had touched Shin’s lips was Tiera’s. All his focus was concentrated on her eyes, and he hadn’t noticed her coming closer and closer.
Her hands, which had been gently caressing his cheeks, were now holding them firmly. A passionate kiss, unthinkable for the usual Tiera, united the two together.
A single teardrop escaped Tiera’s eyes as they were kissing. Her expression, differently from before, was both earnest and charming.
“!!”
The sudden event had stopped Shin’s thought process, but after a few seconds it started again.
Thinking that this could not be allowed to continue, he put his hands on Tiera’s shoulders and tried to break free.
“Hn…?”
Fortunately, his hands touched Tiera’s shoulders just as she had pulled back slightly to breathe. That moment, the light of reason returned to Tiera’s eyes.
She seemed to be completely unaware of what was happening and just stood there, frozen. Before her eyes, however, was a long thread uniting Shin and Tiera’s lips.
The thread shining in the moonlight was a product of Shin’s, or Tiera’s, or both of their saliva.
“Ah…? W-why….?”
Tiera seemed absolutely confused and would just repeat “why?” over and over.
If this was daytime, her violently blushing face would be clearly visible.
“I-I…did I really…Shin…?”
She didn’t say what she did. Or rather, she couldn’t.
Her hands, holding Shin’s face.
A distance so close they could feel each other breathing.
The thread hanging between their lips.
Adding all of these elements, it was more than clear what had just happened.
“Ni….”
“Tiera, first of all, hear me ou…”
“NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!”
Upon reaching the apex of confusion, Tiera could not hear Shin’s words and ran away as fast as she could. Just like a veteran ninja, she deftly slipped away from Shin and ran off, totally oblivious of her priestess robes.
Her screams echoing through the guildhouse, Tiera ran through the corridors at a speed that would make the average Chosen One grow pale. In just a few seconds she had turned the corner and disappeared.
“What in the…”
Considering what happened, Shin couldn’t just go after her and just stayed behind; for a while, all he could do was just stand there, dumbfounded.
◆◆◆◆
The next morning, Shin took Yuzuha to the breakfast hall, rubbing his still half-closed eyes.
Still sleepy, Yuzuha held onto Shin’s hand, almost dozing off while they walked.
In the guildhouse, breakfast was served at a specific time; Shin’s group would eat it alongside the other members.
As he was heading towards the hall, Shin met Filma and Tiera. Filma greeted him as usual, but Tiera turned violently red as soon as she saw Shin and hurried on towards the hall.
“….hey, Shin. Something happened to Tiera yesterday, right?”
Filma could not fail to notice Tiera’s crystal clear reaction. She could not let it go either, so she pressed Shin, smiling.
“Something happened, yeah you can say that. But I can’t wrap my mind around it either. I wanted to ask her about it yesterday, but she ran off before I could.”
“You did something to make her run away, right? Something so embarrassing that she turned red like that.”
“Don’t say it like I’m the bad guy! I don’t get what’s going on either!”
Filma’s face was coming closer and closer, but Shin pushed her away.
As it wasn’t possible to ask Tiera about what happened, Shin could think of only one person to ask for help. But in that case, he had to explain what happened the night before.
“I can’t just let this go, though…I’d really rather not, but I’ll go talk with someone who might know what happened. I’ll leave Yuzuha to you.”
Shin entrusted Yuzuha to Filma and headed to Schnee’s room. When he passed in front of the room assigned to Schnee, he had felt her presence inside.
When Shin knocked on the door, Schnee came out right away; she was about to go out too.
“Shin? I don’t see Yuzuha with you, did something happen?”
“There’s something I want to ask you about Tiera. There’s still some time until breakfast, will you hear me out?”
“Something happened, I suppose. Do come in.”
Shin followed Schnee inside. The room’s interior was very similar to Shin’s room, with just the furniture’s placement being a little different.
Shin sat on a cushion and told what happened the night before.
About Tiera’s dance, about her looking like a different person, about the person looking at him from within her eyes. Finally, about the kiss.
“…so that’s what happened…”
“She regained her senses halfway through, though. Looked like she didn’t remember what happened, and because of that she ran off before I could ask her anything. I thought you might know something, so…”
Shin talked while avoiding to look straight in Schnee’s eyes.
Schnee’s intimidating aura had vanished on their way back from the dungeon, but her mood didn’t seem to have improved much.
“I see, I understood the situation. I cannot talk in detail about this if Tiera isn’t here too, but I can say that at the very least it isn’t something bad. You could say it’s related to Tiera’s unique nature.”
“Well, just by looking at her you can tell that she’s not a normal Elf. I imagined she came from a special lineage, or something.”
“That’s not a wrong way to see it. Let us let Tiera talk about it herself. Of course, the decision to do so or not rests upon her.”
“That’s all right. I’m just relieved that it isn’t something dangerous.”
Shin drew a sigh of relief. It doesn’t look like Tiera was possessed by something, at least.
Together with the relief, Shin felt his stomach rumble, in perfect time for breakfast.
“Shall we go get breakfast, then?”
“Yes…but, before that…”
“Eh? Eh? What?”
Shin had turned around to exit the room, but Schnee grabbed his hand and made him turn back towards her.
Shin looked timidly at Schnee, fearing that the time for the explosion of her accumulated stress had come. But Schnee’s expression seemed to contain something completely different from his predictions.
“I can’t just let this go without saying anything…do you think that I wouldn’t feel anything after what you just told me?”
“Aah, er, well…I don’t, that’s why it was a bit difficult to tell…”
Even if he knew what he had to do, actually doing it was a different matter altogether.
Curiously enough, Shin clearly understood that Schnee was pouting, from her expressions and her gestures.
“Considering what happened with Kotone too…Shin, you have too many ‘openings’.”
“I, I’m sorry…”
Shin could not say anything back, except apologies. Schnee never came off so strongly in front of others.
“If you really feel sorry………p-please hug me.”
After a few moments of silence, Schnee opened her arms and spoke.
“Ehm…is that, enough?”
“I don’t like to be always left out.”
Schnee moved her arms up and down a little while talking. That movement was remarkably similar to Yuzuha’s ears during the banquet, urging Shin to hurry and pet her.
Feeling embarrassed after making such a clear request, Schnee closed her eyes, but her cheeks had turned bright red.
Shin finally embraced her gently.
“Hn…”
The instant he hugged her, Schnee’s body twitched. Then, with some hesitation, she wrapped her hands around Shin’s torso.
The embrace had probably taken away her nervousness, because she started hugging Shin tightly.
A faint, sweet scent reached Shin’s nostrils. At the same time, a warm, soft sensation spread on his arms and chest.
“It’s so strange…I feel so peaceful now.”
“Well, that’s…that’s good.”
Looking at Schnee’s serene expression, Shin breathed a sigh of relief.
The “incident” wasn’t over yet, however.
“Please, hold me tighter.”
Schnee looked peaceful at first, but after some time she expressed her desire for Shin to embrace her with more strength.
Shin wasn’t sure about how to control his strength, so he hugged her just a little tighter. With Shin’s current muscle strength, even a little difference should have let her feel a significant difference.
“More…more, please…”
It wasn’t nearly enough for Schnee, though. The tighter he held her, the more she pleaded him to.
Schnee wasn’t an average elf either, so using more strength wouldn’t hurt her. But it wasn’t possible for nothing to have changed.
Because of their tight embrace, the two soft mounds on Schnee’s chest changed shape, the sensation pressing even more clearly on Shin’s chest.
In addition, looking at Schnee rubbing her face on his shoulders was robbing Shin of his capacity of rational thinking at alarming speed.
“Do it….more….”
Shin couldn’t look at Schnee’s face. The words she sultrily whispered to his ears sounded almost like pillow talk.
A warning saying “It’ll be bad to go any farther than this here!” resounded in Shin’s head. But despite his thoughts, his body wouldn’t move.
“Schnee….”
Shin’s feelings overcame his reason.
Shin’s hands caressed Schnee’s back, and her body responded by trembling slightly, and then—-
“(You guys, meal time is ending!!)”
—-Filma’s voice resounded in their heads.
“!?”
The sudden call caused both Shin and Schnee to leap away from each other.
“Gwah!?”
Shin, who had his back to the door, suffered a spectacularly clean hit on the back of his head. He didn’t receive any actual damage, but was struck by a certain self-loathing, wondering what he was even doing.
“I’m sorry. I got a little, carried away…”
“No, I was the same, I couldn’t bring myself to stop…”
Their mood had gotten over both of them. Shin and Schnee apologized to each other and headed directly to the hall, after telling Filma that they would be there soon.
“Ehm, Ms. Schnee? May I ask why we are holding arms?”
“Let me linger, just a little bit. I’ll have to say it because you don’t seem to realize it…but there are too many beautiful women around you, Shin. For me, it means never being able to relax, you know?”
“It’s not like I’m gathering them or anything…”
“Keep more distance from them then.”
Probably because they were alone walking through the corridors, Schnee protested towards Shin while holding his arm.
Thinking that it was pretty daring behavior for Schnee, Shin searched the nearby presences, but found out that, miraculously, there was no one in the path ahead. Schnee had probably verified this before Shin.
Shin could, of course, forcefully break free of her hold. The soft sensation pressed on his arm, however, won over him.
“Am, I, clear?”
“G-Got it…”
Shin cowered before Schnee’s pressure. He understood what Schnee was feeling, so he had nothing to object.
Satisfied of Shin’s answer and nod, Schnee released her hold and walked on. Shin followed her as he wiped his cold sweat.
The breakfast hall was next to the previous night’s banquet hall.
When they arrived, they found that the other party members had all already started eating. More than half of their plates’ contents had already disappeared.
“Oh, that was fast—I see Schnee’s in a pretty good mood, did something happen?”
Filma talked as they took their seats. The second part was spoken in a whisper to Shin, so that Schnee, sitting on the other side of the table, wouldn’t hear.
“Well, I asked what I had to. Tiera.”
“Ah! Yes! W-what is it…?”
Shin stopped Tiera, who had stood up with food remaining on her plate, before she could slip away.
No matter if she wanted to talk or not, he wanted to tell her about what happened the night before.
“I’m going to explain clearly about what happened yesterday. Please wait in your room.”
“Ehm, er, yes, ok, I got it.”
Shin watched as Tiera awkwardly left the room, then ate his breakfast.
Filma and the others, who did not know what happened, were puzzled by this exchange, but did not say anything. Tiera’s behavior was clear proof that something must have happened.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 09 - The Five Supreme Blades/The-New-Gate-Volume-09-The-Five-Supreme-Blades-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_09_Chapter_04_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 2
After breakfast, Shin and Schnee went to Tiera’s room.
As they knocked, Tiera timidly opened the door, as bright red as she was in the hall.
“Shin and…master? You don’t mean that—-”
“Er, yes, we do.”
Tiera seemed to be thinking of something, as seeing Schnee behind Shin surprised her.
“We came to talk about what happened to you last night. Won’t you hear us out?”
“….okay. Come in.”
With a serious expression completely different to when she opened the door, Tiera let the two inside.
Shin then told Tiera about everything he saw and heard.
“I see….so that’s what happened to me…”
“I heard from Schnee that it’s probably not something bad. That’s all I came to say.”
“Wait. The chance is right, it’s time for me to talk about what I’ve been hiding.”
Shin had stood up after he finished talking, but Tiera stopped him.
“You don’t have to push yourself, all right?”
“That’s fine. It’s time I stop hiding things from you and the others after all.”
She probably felt bad about it. In a way, Tiera felt relieved that she could finally talk.
“Munechika also told me that it’s something certain people can perceive easily. Mitsuyo might have felt it too.”
“Really? Well then, I’m listening.”
“Could you please call Filma and the others too? They’re your followers after all, I want to talk about it with everyone.”
Shin agreed to Tiera’s proposal and told Filma and the others to come to Tiera’s room.
After a few minutes, in addition to Filma and Shibaid, Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna arrived too. Shin asked Tiera if it was alright for them to hear too, and Tiera replied that since she had talked about it to Munechika, it was not a problem for Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna to know too.
“I have no intention of stringing you along, so I’ll say the most important thing first.”
Tiera took a deep breath and started talking, her expression suggesting the importance of the decision she had made.
“I am a priestess of the World Tree. In a clan that has the unique ability to communicate with the Sacred Tree, which has its roots in the Ley lines and miasma purification, I am a particularly special existence…no, I was.”
“Was? You mean that you aren’t anymore?”
Tiera’s words were ultimately in the past tense.
“Yes, I can’t be called a priestess of the World Tree as I am now. Well, that title itself, “Priestess of the World Tree”, is something unique to the village I used to live in, though.”
She didn’t know how those with the same powers as hers were called elsewhere, added Tiera.
“The village that was created when elves gathered around the Sacred Tree, a pseudonym for the World Tree, is the place I was born. My clan, the Lucent clan, was originally a clan with especially sharp senses for magic. The clan members with the highest magic senses were chosen as priestess. I think that by now, the next priestess probably already assumed her duties. That’s what I meant when I said I ‘was’.”
Even among the clan, not all members could communicate with the World Tree. At the time, Tiera seemed to possess the highest potential of all the clan members.
“At the beginning, I just had very sharp senses for magic, but gradually my ability specialized in communicating with the World Tree, so now I’m a little more sensitive than the average elf. They used to say I have talent, but in the end if they’re not close to the World Tree, priestesses can’t use much power. The miasma purification I used was possible just because the depths of the dungeon were close to the Ley lines too.”
Tiera stated that her sensitivity towards the Ley lines was a remnant ability of her connection with the World Tree. She could use the miasma purification technique only because it was close to the Ley lines.
According to Tiera, she had powered up too when Filma was freed because she had fulfilled her duty as priestess, or so she thought.
“I see, that’s how it is. I did feel some sort of aura from you.”
“I suppose that the other Supreme Blades felt it too.”
Mitsuyo nodded in understanding and Kunitsuna, holding her chin, stated her conclusion.
“Munechika had asked me about this too. She also told me to be careful, as those with power to influence Ley lines could find out about me.”
Without any more reasons to hide it, Tiera also talked about her exchange with Munechika.
“Kuu? Purification?”
“Yeah, maybe you already heard about it, but Tiera purified both Dojigiri and Onimaru’s miasma.”
Shin explained briefly about Tiera’s purifications to the puzzled Yuzuha.
“Tiera, amazing! Kuu…”
Yuzuha praised Tiera, the tails poking out of her priestess robe and her ears twitching. Even for Yuzuha, what Tiera did was worthy of praise.
“I’m sorry for cutting in. Is what you said the reason behind your fast growth or the fact that Scoruas and the demons targeted you?”
“I don’t know about the growth, but that’s probably it for the demons. The World Tree purifies the impurities of the earth, which makes it a natural enemy of the demons. Those human-like demons probably felt the remains of the World Tree’s powers still lingering within me.”
“Its power is still inside you?”
“Because I used to communicate with the World Tree very frequently. In order to communicate more deeply, part of priestess’ magic becomes similar to the World Tree’s magic. Only part of my hair turning silver could have been caused by the World Tree’s magic power influencing the curse. It wasn’t caused by miasma, but the World Tree’s magic power reacts strongly to impurity and curses.”
Tiera continued talking while fiddling with her silver bangs.
However, because of the World Tree’s great powers, Tiera’s position as priestess changed drastically after she received the “Cursed Gift.”
“The priestess, a cleanser of impurity, ended up being cursed. It was an unprecedented situation.”
Tiera’s expression darkened as she was reminded of her past.
“But, it’s weird you know, even after receiving the “Cursed Gift”, I could communicate a little bit with the World Tree. It was different from before though, it was like listening in to someone else’s conversation. I can still remember it clearly.”
Tiera added that the communication was usually just a hazy exchange of thoughts, which wouldn’t express clear words or symbols. The priestess’ task was to translate such unclear thoughts for people to understand.
“I think I heard fragments of words. Though, I don’t remember what they were.”
She wasn’t in the right state of mind to focus on something like that, after all.
“Hey, Tiera. What does it actually mean to communicate with the World Tree? Is it just a translation of the World Tree’s thoughts? That’s not all it is, right?”
Shin tried to shift the topic so Tiera wouldn’t focus too much on her expulsion from the village.
“It also depends on what you are good or bad at, but it’s possible to control the weather in a limited range, create barriers, scry far away locations, and all sorts of things. It varies a lot from person to person. I heard that one of the past priestesses could even predict the future.”
“….it’s kind of similar to the ‘Star Reader’ title.”
What the words “predict the future” reminded Shin of were Millie’s words, which predicted Yuzuha’s danger. The World Tree could probably grant this ability even without a title.
“What were you good at, Tiera?”
Hearing that abilities depended on individual talent, Filma asked Tiera about her particular talent.
“My talent was spirit channeling…to temporarily bring back the spirits of the dead. I’m not sure if I could actually do it though.”
During channeling, she would be almost completely unconscious, so she could only learn the results from others.
Tiera added that one of her most important duties was to channel past priestesses to borrow their powers and to recall the spirits of those who died from accidents or disease, so they could say their last words to their loved ones.
“So you were channeling someone that time? It did feel like it wasn’t actually you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I couldn’t see clearly, but when your face came closer, I saw someone else in your eyes, looking at me. Well…I didn’t feel any hostility though.”
“She came in for the kiss, after all…she wouldn’t if she was hostile, right? But it really is weird…why kiss?”
“Don’t ask me! But she was crying too. Well, Tiera was the one actually crying, but those tears were caused by that person’s emotions, no?”
Shin took advantage of Filma’s interruption to express one of his doubts.
It was difficult to talk about the kiss itself, but he could probably get away with the current flow of the conversation.
“One possibility is that you simply mistook who you saw. Or it was someone you know. I’m sorry to say, though, but that person is probably already…”
“I know, don’t worry. That’s not something you need to concern yourself with.”
Tiera hid her face apologetically, but Shin replied in the most cheerful way he could.
Channeling a spirit meant that the target had to be already dead. Tiera had explained that it was not possible to call upon the spirit of someone still alive.
“That’s bizarre though. My ability shouldn’t work away from the World Tree. Why is this happening even though I’m not a priestess?”
“Maybe you only think it shouldn’t work, and it actually does. Could it be possible?”
“I don’t think so, but…like this time, maybe it happened already and I just don’t remember.”
It was difficult to detect when Tiera’s ability manifested.
Even if someone was channeled through Tiera, as long as that person didn’t do something unusual, it would be difficult to notice.
“You can’t use that power by yourself?”
“I could if the World Tree was close. But I can’t even feel its presence around here. I tried in Tsuki no Hokora too, but never succeeded.”
Tiera answered negatively to Mitsuyo’s totally reasonable question.
“Schnee, do you have any idea what this could be?”
“…no, nothing unfortunately. At least, I have never witnessed something like what Shin talked about.”
Even Schnee, who had lived with Tiera, answered contrary to Shin’s expectations.
“That can’t be helped. While master trained me and taught me about the store in the beginning, she normally was busy somewhere else, so even if my ability had manifested she wouldn’t have been there to see it.”
Tiera saw Shin thinking deeply and mistakenly thought he was dejected, so she hurried to defend Schnee.
“Hmm? Ah, no, don’t worry, I’m not feeling down or anything. I was just thinking that if it didn’t happen in Tsuki no Hokora, it must have been caused by you coming here.”
Even close to Bayreuth -where Tsuki no Hokora was located- there was Yuzuha’s territory, which had decently sized Ley lines.
That territory had been tainted by miasma, but the mutated monsters had been defeated by Shin before Tiera could come close. Furthermore, the miasma had already disappeared along with the monsters.
Because of that, Tiera -who couldn’t leave Tsuki no Hokora- did not have the chance to go to such an area, as it happened this time, or so Shin thought.
“Is this place that special? I know it’s weird that it’s full-blown winter outside while it’s spring in here, but being a guildhouse, it’s understandable.”
“The earth has been revitalized thanks to the Ley lines. It’s probably due to the power of this guildhouse. Nothing of this degree happened at Fuji after all.”
Tiera presented a theory in response to Filma’s question. Elven senses were even capable of perceiving the earth’s activities.
“That’s incredible…Schnee, can you feel it too?”
“My senses are not that sharp. I can feel something through plants, that’s it. I think this is also related to Tiera’s natural abilities.”
Schnee explained how elves’ senses depended on the individual too. Senses as sharp as Tiera’s were not common by any means, apparently.
“There might be something else, something that not even Tiera herself is aware of.”
“Could it be…?”
Something other than her natural abilities as priestess. Tiera tilted her head, failing to understand what Schnee’s hypothesis could mean.
“What about miasma purification? Isn’t that something you do through the World Tree’s powers?”
Shibaid, who had been silently listening finally spoke.
“That’s the correct way of doing it, originally. But when the World Tree’s power isn’t enough, I use the Ley lines’ power. I revitalize the remaining power in the Ley lines and amplify it within my body. Then I use it against miasma, to make them cancel each other, pretty much.”
“So that’s why it looked like it was taking its toll on you.”
Tiera explained that the thicker miasma is, the more there is, thus the greater the burden on the purifier. With the World Tree’s assistance, the amplification would be done by the tree itself.
“Is that something we can’t do? It would be ideal if we could split that burden, I think.”
“If it’s Shin and the others, I guess I can say it…that’s something only those belonging to a lineage of priestesses like me can do, or so I heard. It’s something different from a skill, so I’m afraid I can’t teach it.”
Tiera answered Shin’s question by explaining that it was something tied to one’s bloodline. As it was not a skill nor a title, it was probably something unique to this world.
“Hmm, wait, now that I think about it, there were skills…rather, abilities that we couldn’t use, abilities limited to NPCs in certain quests…can anyone remember?”
“Hmm, I think I have heard about that before…what was it again…?”
“It was miasma related, right? I remember it was something about defeating people that adored demons.”
Shibaid and Filma tried to recall what Shin was referring to.
“Quest” was just a single word, but its contents were not only numerous, but also diverse. It was difficult to recall a specific one right away.
“The content is a bit different, but could it be the ‘Seven Sages’ Bloodline?’ I remember that it featured a clan with a special bloodline that hunted demons. I think there was also something related to purifying miasma.”
“Ah! Yes! Yes, that’s it.”
Shin felt the haziness disappear from his memories.
The “Seven Sages’ Bloodline” quest Schnee mentioned had the players assist NPCs, set as descendants of the first 7 species that appeared in the world, in their battles against demons.
Working together with the NPCs, who possessed skills effective against miasma and demons -difficult foes for even advanced users- the players had to locate the origin of the miasma and defeat the demon that appeared with it.
Quests were categorized by level of difficulty; clearing one would allow the player to try others with higher difficulty. The rewards, naturally, would increase in level too.
“There was a quest like that, yeah…”
“Why are you getting lost in your memories like that?”
“Well, you see, there was this really annoying elf…this one time I carried her like a doll while I went charging against the demons. My stats were already maxed out when that quest appeared, and the NPCs weren’t much help in battle. The main thing was to fight while protecting them, really. Honestly, I could have crushed the enemies with sheer power at that point, even without the NPCs around.”
While Shin’s actions were possible in a videogame setting, during the death game or in the current world, he wouldn’t act in such a dangerous manner now.
Of course, at the time he was criticized by other players too, who called his behavior “totally absurd”.
“Well, that has nothing to do with this. If it’s as Schnee said, Tiera could be a descendant of the Seven Sages’ bloodline. The demons could have felt the World Tree’s power and the Seven Sages’ aura, or both. Both their natural enemies’ abilities together…it was a great threat to the demons.”
The high-ranked demons Scoruas and Adara’s atmosphere had changed completely when they saw Tiera; it wasn’t something that could be explained simply with the words “natural enemy”.
The way they changed was as drastic as a change in eye color.
“In this case, we need to power up Tiera’s equipment more, to prepare for whatever may happen. Your level increased too, so you should be able to equip weapons and armor of higher quality.”
“The equipment I’m borrowing now seems high-level enough already, though…”
The equipment Shin lent to Tiera was worth a small fortune in this world. Hearing that Shin wanted to power up such luxurious gear, Tiera’s expression stiffened.
“Oh no, please, that’s just the start. Depending on the method, I bet you could even equip Mythology-level gear. If you tell me the exact numbers, I can give you much better stuff even within the same grade.”
“I’m a bit scared to equip it…but yes, please do.”
Tiera nodded to Shin’s proposal, albeit with some hesitation.
In order for Tiera to continue traveling with Shin and the group, improving her equipment was absolutely necessary. Shin’s group was overpowered and clad in Ancient-grade gear, after all.
She didn’t know how strong she would ultimately become, but if she had a chance to improve, she wouldn’t let it go.
“We kind of trailed off in the end, but I’ve said all I wanted to.”
“World Tree Priestess…I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about this world, but I guess I have to think again.”
“Kuu, so many, mysteries”
“Mystery, hmm…well, I suppose it is a mystery.”
After his casual comment, Shin noticed that Tiera sighed while looking at him and Yuzuha.
Schnee was an Elf like her and was already aware of her circumstances, but maybe Tiera feared that we would act differently after knowing the truth, or so Shin thought.
After revealing a secret, no matter what it was, one was always worried about how others would react.
“OK, now we know about Tiera’s situation. Thanks for telling us. Even if you’re a World Tree Priestess, I have no intention of changing how I act towards you, so there’s that.”
“….o, ok. Thanks.”
Shin stated his intentions in a slightly rough manner, but everyone nodded.
Looking at them, Tiera choked a little and thanked them, tears welling in her eyes.
“OK, let’s go back to the topic of Tiera’s equipment. I’ve been choosing it until now, but I’m sure you want to start deciding by yourself, right? With higher stats, you have more options about what to equip. Come with me later.”
“OK, certainly.”
Tiera equipped bows and daggers until now, but the range of available equipment is far wider. Tiera’s main job, Tamer, allowed her to use also whips, rods and throwing weapons.
The range of available equipment is small at low levels, but at her current level Tiera should be able to have more choices.
“What are you going to do, everyone?”
“Can I come with you? I’m curious to see what equipment Tiera will choose.”
“Let’s go together then.”
Mitsuyo was apparently interested to see what weapons and gear Shin possessed. The other Supreme Blade, Kunitsuna, had something to do with Kotone.
“Okay, we’ll just kill time until Tiera decides her new equipment, then. We’ll have to stay here until the day after tomorrow to check on the progress, after all. I guess I’ll take a look around the guildhouse, maybe.”
Filma said she would look around the guildhouse while waiting; today, she planned to visit the buildings other than the main one.
“I have been asked to lead a training session. If anything happens, just contact me.”
Shibaid wielded a halberd, so he was asked to impart training to the priestesses, who used similar long weapons.
“Got it. Schnee, Yuzuha, what about you?”
“Move, body! Play, snow!”
“Then, I’ll keep an eye on Yuzuha.”
Yuzuha had returned to her expressionless face, but pointed excitedly at the silver-colored forest. Schnee then proposed to accompany her.
Via Mind Chat, she also told Shin that she’ll make sure Yuzuha doesn’t run too wild.
“OK, free time until noon then.”
Thinking that everyone needed free time once in a while, Shin and the others went their respective paths.
“If we want to choose items, we need the Tsuki no Hokora. Let’s ask Kuchinashi, just in case.”
Shin’s item box contained a large quantity of weapons and gear, but it had few choices for Tamers. He then decided to open Tsuki no Hokora’s warehouse.
“My, curious to see you three together.”
Kuchinashi was surprised to see Shin, Tiera, and Mitsuyo visit her room.
“Yes, we thought that sometimes it’s good to just act on our own like this.”
“I thought that Schnee would never leave your side though.”
Kuchinashi teased Shin.
“It’s not like we’re together all the time, you know. Today I’m having her watch over Yuzuha.”
Schnee’s feelings towards Shin were apparently crystal clear. If Yuzuha hadn’t said she wanted to go play, Schnee would have probably joined Shin and the others too.
“So, what brings you here today?”
“I wanted to pull out Tsuki no Hokora, so I thought of asking if there is a wide space without people around. I wouldn’t want to surprise anyone, pulling a building out of thin air.”
Different from the former player Kuchinashi, the Black Priestess Shrine members would never think that it was possible to carry buildings like that.
They could have asked other priestesses too, but Shin’s group knew only very few of them, namely Kotone and Suzune. Even if the priestesses knew about them, they couldn’t say the opposite.
In Kuchinashi’s case, they didn’t have to explain things in detail for her to understand.
“I know just the right place. If you’re going there though, would you mind if Kotone and I came along?”
“That’s fine by me, what do you say, Tiera?”
“No problem.”
Shin and Tiera had no objections to Kuchinashi’s request.
“Can we call Kotone first then?”
“That’s all right, but what are you planning? If you’re going to call Kotone, does it mean you want me to temper her weapons?”
“I can’t say I wouldn’t want for you to strengthen our weapons…but if you helped us more, I’m afraid we’d start to rely on you too much.”
Shin asked the question in a casual tone, but Kuchinashi’s expression as she replied looked grim.
“Some other trouble, then?”
“Something like that. Let’s continue the conversation in the Tsuki no Hokora, with Kotone too. The soundproofing here is good, but I want to keep the risk of leaks as low as possible.”
Kuchinashi’s words, which suggested that she did not want even her comrades to know, were slightly different than what Shin had expected.
What she was going to talk about must have been something only a few in Black Priestess Shrine knew.
“Looks like it’s something really serious. I see, let’s go right…wait, let’s call Kotone’s first.”
“Yes, I’ll call her right away, so please wait just a moment.”
A few minutes after Kuchinashi gave the order, Kotone joined with the group. Now she was wearing, unlike the priestess clothes she wore at the banquet, the Black Priestess Shrine’s usual black robes.
“You called for me, milady?”
“Yes, we were waiting for you. We’re leaving right away, so please act as an escort.”
Whenever the guildmaster goes anywhere, generally one or more guild members act as an escort. Kuchinashi called Kotone also for her to take this role.
Shin and the others did not know what Kuchinashi wanted to tell them, but since she called Kotone, it was likely that the latter already knew, or Kuchinashi thought it was something she could tell her.
Kunitsuna, who had some business with Kotone in the morning, was with her too, but that was not a problem so Shin didn’t say anything.
“Shall we go then. I’ll lead the way, follow me.”
Shin’s group followed Kuchinashi through the guildhouse. Strangely enough, they didn’t meet anyone else on the way to their destination.
The place Kuchinashi led the group to was a thicket located right across the barrier delimiting the guildhouse’s territory. The woods appeared to slip through the barrier, but actually the trees were simply growing on both sides of the barrier.
“No one will see us here.”
Shin and Kotone flattened the ground in a clearing without trees, then Shin materialized Tsuki no Hokora.
“We can talk later, so do what you planned on doing first, Shin.”
Judging from Kuchinashi’s words, it wasn’t something they could expect to wrap up quickly.
The equipment selection could be done later, so Shin thought of just collecting the gear first, and went to the storeroom with Tiera.
Kuchinashi and the others said they wanted to take a look around, so Shin allowed them to, albeit with limitations.
“So that’s what this place was. I never saw this door open since I came here, so I was kind of curious.”
Tiera nodded knowingly when she saw which door Shin stopped in front of. She had wondered before about that eternally locked door, which Schnee had never opened either.
“It gives off a kind of eerie feeling, but is it really safe?”
Mitsuyo commented as Shin was opening the door.
“It’s Shin’s weapon storeroom, so there could very well be things that shouldn’t be allowed out in the outside world. Shin can even use cursed weapons without problems, right?”
“L-lady Kuchinashi! Do not leave my side!”
Kotone, shocked to hear the words “cursed weapons”, swiftly stepped in front of Kuchinashi as to protect her.
“Stop talking like this is a den of monsters or something…Kuchinashi, Kotone, the contents of this room can’t be touched anyway, so don’t worry about touching them by mistake.”
Shin’s eyes shot a glare as he explained one of the limitations affecting the warehouse.
“A room chock full of Ancient-grade and Mythology-grade weapons is pretty much a den of monsters, though…”
“They’re just high-quality weapons, all right? Kotone, I’m telling you that no one’s life is in danger.”
“I have my concerns about your word choice, sir Shin…however, is it really alright for us to enter a place that might contain cursed weapons?”
Still worrying about the fact that Shin considered legendary weapons as nothing more than high-spec items, Kotone posed a reasonable question.
“It’s alright, nothing happens as long as you don’t equip them. Plus, if anything happens with one of the weapons here I will take responsibility and melt it down.”
Shin replied with a grin, but at the same time a “thud”-like sound was clearly heard from inside the storeroom.
“H-hey, Shin. I’m sure I just heard something move from inside just now…?”
“I heard it too…”
“Hahaha, don’t worry so much. Some cursed gear was probably a little scared, that’s all.”
“Can you imagine, a blacksmith that can scare weapons…?”
“As a weapon myself, I can’t really laugh at that.”
“Agreed.”
Tiera and Kotone flinched after hearing the noise from inside, but Shin reassured that there were no problems.
Kuchinashi sighed in disbelief, Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna knitted their brows.
Ignoring Kuchinashi’s, Mitsuyo’s, and Kunitsuna’s reaction, Shin finally opened the doors.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 09 - The Five Supreme Blades/The-New-Gate-Volume-09-The-Five-Supreme-Blades-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_09_Chapter_04_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 3
What the doors opened to reveal was, as Kuchinashi had said, a seemingly endless line of weapons, starting from Rare and Unique up until Mythology and Ancient grade.
“Eh…we have to go in here?”
“W-Wow….”
“Hey, what’s with your reactions?”
Shin was perplexed by Tiera and Kotone’s reactions. For him, the room where he stored his items and gear was nothing more than that, just a storeroom, thus he didn’t view it as a dangerous place at all.
Such a reaction, however, was unique to him: being used to the place, he had not noticed the heavy aura outburst that had come from inside as the doors opened.
At the same time, the magic power enveloping the weapons started to leak out too.
It wasn’t something visible to the naked eye, nor did it have any particular effects. But after feeling it, Tiera and Kotone’s expressions warped all too clearly.
“To be able to act so nonchalantly in the middle of this aura…is something to be expected from you, I should say.”
Kuchinashi had felt it too, and couldn’t help but laughing wryly at how little Shin’s behavior had changed.
“I can feel the presence of weapons just like us…”
“They’re not part of the Five Supreme Blades, but…long swords, spears, there must be several of them.”
Kunitsuna and Mitsuyo felt the presence of weapons that, like them, had turned into human form during events.
“Shin, is this place really safe!? Is it!?”
Tiera, sensitive to magic as usual, had felt the dense magic power filling the room and quickly moved behind Shin’s back. She must have felt in danger, as she grabbed his sleeve and wouldn’t let go.
“It’s alright, honestly. When we were in Bayreuth, Yuzuha came inside here too, you know. Her tails’ fur stood straight up though.”
“I-If so, I guess it’s okay…h-hey, don’t just walk away without saying a word!!”
Thinking that he couldn’t convince them just talking, Shin walked deeper into the room.
He had moved without saying anything, so Tiera -who was still grabbing his sleeve- almost fell forward.
Mitsuyo followed Shin without a word.
“Uuh…I feel chills down my spine…”
“The name den of monsters wasn’t so wrong after all.”
“You just need to not pay any mind to it, and it’ll be ok. Kuchinashi, everyone, what will you do? It won’t take a long time though.”
“I think I’ll take on your invitation. Come on, let’s go, Kotone.”
“Eh! L-lady Kuchinashi!”
Kotone seemed to be still unsure, but Kuchinashi stepped in without the least concern. Together with Kunitsuna, she ignored all defensive gear and accessories and went to look at weapons such as sacred swords and spears.
As for Shin, he picked up gear and accessories that Tiera could equip and turned them into cards. Taking advantage of the occasion, he also took some useful tools and items and chucked them into the item box.
“OK, I got what I was looking for. Anything caught your interest, Tiera?”
“Ehm, actually, this one here.”
Tiera was pointing towards a ring with a 1-cemel pale green amber embedded within.
The amber emitted a clear glow, very close to a gemstone. In its center, was a seed of some plant.
“I see, the 『Celadon Amber Ring』.”
Celadon Amber was an item obtained when refining amber via alchemy. The resin used for celadon amber was extracted from the World Tree.
It was an item perfectly fit for a World Tree priestess such as Tiera.
“Anything else? I think there are some more items related to the World Tree.”
“Anything else…no, nothing in particular. I wasn’t actually looking, but I just had a feeling about this.”
“I see. So let’s put that among the candidates too, then do the rest outside. Kuchinashi, it’s time to…wait, what are you looking at?”
When Shin turned to look at Kuchinashi, he found her staring intently in a certain direction.
She was looking at gear used for offense; swords, katana, lances, gauntlets, etc.
In the storeroom all items were separated by category, but only here different types of weapons were gathered together, so they stood out.
“Shin, let me ask one thing, these weapons are for sealing, right?”
“Yes, exactly. I don’t actually need them, it’s more of a collection than anything.”
Saying so, Shin took in hand one of the katana Kuchinashi was looking at.
Its official name was Sealing Blade 『Kusabimaru』.
Kusabimaru, a katana 60-cemels long, was completely white. Its blade, hilt, handle and sheath were all the color of snow.
One other thing made it differ from normal katana: transparent spheres were set on both edges of its hilt. It was a characteristic typical of sealing weapons, and was present in all of them.
The material used to forge these weapons was an alloy; Magic Steel mixed with a small quantity of Orichalcum and Mithril. A particular forging technique would then be used to create the pure white katana 『Kusabimaru』.
Shin called it a collection because these weapons only found their use in specific events and were normally not useful.
If they were used against normal enemies, 3 slashes against a level 100 Golem would reduce their durability to 0, thus there was no point in using them.
“Was something the matter?”
“Ahaha, well, you see? I wanted to talk to you about something concerning sealing weapons, and here I find a whole collection of them, so I was just thinking, look how things happen…”
Kuchinashi’s expression was an indescribable blend of relief and disbelief.
“Something concerning sealing weapons? These ones are for exclusive use in that event, you don’t mean to say that it appeared?”
“Yes, exactly. But, I don’t mean to say that something has to be done right now. I wanted to tell you everything after Tiera’s business was over, but will you listen to me first?”
“I prefer to hear the bad news first, so that’d be better for me. What do you say, Tiera?”
“I agree. Since I have new equipment to choose from, I don’t want to do it while worrying about what might happen next.”
Tiera also said she wanted to listen to Kuchinashi’s story first, so they all went to the living room for the moment.
On their way, Mitsuyo pulled on Shin’s sleeve.
“Wh-”
“Sssh. Shin, it looks like she’s going to say something really important, but is it OK for me and Kunitsuna to be there too? We can’t normally move from Fuji, so I doubt we can be of any help, you know?”
Shin turned around to talk, but Mitsuyo put her index finger over his mouth and whispered.
“No problem, I’m sure. Kuchinashi knows about the Five Supreme Blades, and I explained too. She would have talked at another time if she didn’t want you to hear. Besides, I already have an idea what she’s going to say, and I think it’s something you should hear too.”
“Really? Well, if you say so.”
The group arrived in the living room as this exchange ended.
Tiera served tea for all and, after a moment’s rest, Kuchinashi started talking.
“Well then…Shin probably guessed already, but what I’m going to talk about now is one of the game’s large-scale quests, ‘Seven Deadly Sins’.”
“So that was really it…this is going to be a pain in the neck.”
The “Seven Deadly Sins” quest Kuchinashi mentioned consisted in discovering and sealing, within a set time period, 7 darkness-colored orbs that appeared all over the world.
The orbs fused with monsters in the field or dungeons, forming bosses related to the seven deadly sins. The fusing was limited to animal monsters with a connection to each of the sins.
Once the bosses were defeated the orb would appear; stabbing it with a sealing weapon would count as sealing it.
The weapon used to seal the orb would then signal the general location of the other orbs, so if a player managed to find one, finding the others was only a matter of time.
Players who found many orbs would receive rare items from the game’s management, so many players participated in this regularly held quest.
“Do you mean to say that a monster fused with an orb has been found?”
“That’s right. They lost sight of it afterward though.”
The monster had been found by a former player who had participated in the quest in the past, so there should be no mistake, Kuchinashi added.
“Does the adventurers’ guild know about this?”
“Of course I told them. Adventures ranked C and above should have been notified already. The discovered monster is called Ursine Sloth, level 115, apparently.”
“Sloth, is it. When was it found, more or less?”
“About one year ago. I don’t know exactly how the situation is now, that monster’s only talent is hiding, after all. Even when it was found, it ran off somewhere and they lost it right away.”
The monsters governing the seven sins would get gradually stronger over time.
When the monster reaches the level limit, the deadly sins-compatible monsters increase by one, and all monsters’ level grows by 100.
Finally, if the monsters reach level 700, they will transform into devils*. (T/N: the word used here is 悪魔, which generally means demon/devil; I (tentatively) used devil because the word we translate as demon (瘴魔) is different, using the kanji for miasma and monster)
Devils, differently from demons, lived in all sorts of ways and did not necessarily attack players or inhabited areas. Their fighting prowess was, however, very high; if the seven devils gathered, then, they would cease acting independently and start attacking people all together.
If that happens, the only way to overcome them is for guilds to collaborate in fighting them.
“In this world there are no ranks or anything after all. Even if they knew that the seals are broken, no one would just go hunt the monsters.”
The seal on the orbs would break one by one.
If the fused monsters were found quickly, even low and mid-level players had a chance of placing in the higher ranks, so whenever this quest appeared players rushed to search for the monsters and the orbs, which led to a quick resolution.
Because of these reasons, in the game era monsters had turned into devils in very few occasions.
“I’ve only participated the first few times, so I don’t really know it well. Do you remember how often the orbs’ seals broke?”
“I don’t know that either, actually. In the game, it was one or two weeks, but I have no idea if that still applies here.”
If the frequency was the same as the one Kuchinashi recalled, all seals would be long broken, but there were no signs of devils attacking. Kuchinashi thus did not know how much time remained before the next seal broke.
“We can’t just stay still without preparing any countermeasure, so I wanted to ask you to make us some sealing weapons, to be ready whenever one of those monsters was found. We’re researching them too, but skills can’t be obtained as easily as before now and raising them takes a long time too, so results are hard to produce.”
“I see. In that case, I’ll forge some for you. I have the recipes and materials after all.”
Shin would have to give them many weapons made by himself, but sealing weapons could not be used normally anyway, so there was no risk involved even if they were to leak. Forging them was not complicated either.
“Aah…I know that I should be glad that you’re going to help us, but if things proceed so smoothly, I can’t help being afraid that something bad is going to happen…”
“The deadly sins are an unknown for me too after all. I know more or less how they fight, but I have never actually faced one. If we can do something to prepare before the actual fighting begins, we should definitely do it.”
It would be difficult to assist in the search for the orbs. But, unlike the game era, Shin could not just treat the matter as something unrelated to him and move on.
In the current world, the number of casualties would become the number of deceased. A number which could include people Shin knows. The enemy being an unknown existence in Shin’s eyes was just a small part of the reason why he would help.
“This all I wanted to ask of you. I’m sorry for taking your time.”
“No, I’m glad you told us about that. After all, there are still plenty of things I don’t know about this world. I’ll be grateful if you let me know about any such dangers emerging in the future too. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to help though.”
“For me, just having a connection with you is more than enough.”
After conversing a bit more, Kuchinashi left with Kotone.
“OK then, next we just have to choose Tiera’s equipment. Mitsuyo, Kunitsuna, will you stay with us?”
“Yes. That’s the reason why I tagged along in the first place, I’m curious to see what equipment will fit her.”
“If that is alright with you, I would like to stay too, yes.”
Kunitsuna’s business with Kotone had already finished, it seems.
Tiera, concerned about the dangers implied by what Kuchinashi told Shin, made a different proposition.
“Er, before my equipment, I think we should tell Master and the others…”
“I’ll explain later, don’t worry. Besides even if I didn’t, if Schnee and the others found a deadly sin monster they’d go and defeat it right away.”
During the game era Schnee and the others had hunted the deadly sin monsters too, so they were aware of the threat they represented. If they found one, they surely wouldn’t let it escape.
Except for Schnee and Yuzuha, everyone was inside the “Black Priestess Shrine” domain, so there were very little chances of encountering one now.
Just in case, Shin contacted Schnee via Mind Chat.
“OK then, back on topic, let’s do this equipment selection. I tried picking up the highest quality gear between what Tiera can equip with her current stats. The equipment belonging to a gear set will make your appearance change completely, remember. In some cases the resulting appearance is a bit…peculiar, but…well, try them on. ”
Saying so, Shin handed the cards to Tiera.
“OK, I’ll try them one by one then.”
As Tiera took the cards in hand and concentrated, a blue light enveloped her figure, and the next instant her attire was completely different.
It had happened with Barlux too; when the inhabitants of this world use this equipping shortcut, this phenomenon happened.
“Aaah! Hey!? W-what’s this??”
As soon as she took a look at her new clothes, Tiera blushed and tried to cover her chest with her arms to hide it from the others’ eyes.
Her current attire included a blue feathered decoration on her head and only a patterned tube top on her upper body. On her lower body, she was wearing light brown bikini pants and a pareo that barely covered her hips.
In addition, she was wearing sandals made of animal leather and a golden ring as an armband. Two daggers rested at her waist, as well as a bow and quiver on her back.
“That’s the Forest Maiden gear set. They also call it the Amazoness series. It’s got good stats and effects, but looking like that, I thought you wouldn’t wear it.”
“I-I didn’t know it looked like this!!”
Tiera was pulling on the pareo with all her might, trying to hide her exposed skin as much as possible.
The skimpy pareo, however, could barely hide her bikini pants. That attempt at hiding thus only increased the sensuality of her current looks.
“Wait a second now, the gear’s design is displayed on the item cards’ front, right?”
As Shin said, the other not-materialized cards clearly displayed how the items would look on their front sides.
This feature was present not only for equipment, but items and materials as well.
“Uuh, why is something like this here…I can’t wear it in public, can I…?”
“Well, it’s the 2nd best set among the ones I picked, and I did tell you about the appearance thing.”
“That’s true, but…”
Tiera was probably still shocked, or maybe had not picked up on Shin mentioning that some sets could have “peculiar appearances”. He hadn’t said anything about skin exposure though.
Having focused mainly on stats and effects, Shin ended up picking sets with flashy or risque appearances too.
“So…what are you people doing?”
Shin and Tiera’s exchange was continuing under Mitsuyo’s cold gaze.
“My, could it be that we are in the way?”
On the other hand, Kunitsuna was grinning, thoroughly enjoying the situation.
“Hey, wait. This was just something unexpected, I didn’t have any weird intentions.”
“Really now…that’s not how it looked to me…”
Mitsuyo spoke with a perfectly flat tone. Her eyes were not filled with anticipation as moments ago.
“Well, putting looks aside, even I can see that it’s really high-quality equipment.”
“M-Mitsuyo! Please don’t pull on my clothes!”
“Just a little bit. It feels like fabric to the touch, but even if I pull it as hard as this it doesn’t even look like it’ll rip…isn’t this too tough for Legend-grade equipment…? Kh, look how big they are anyway…I can’t believe it…!”
“Eh?”
Mitsuyo was supposed to be admiring the equipment, but Shin felt that her last comment was directed at something else. She had been pulling on Tiera’s tube top, but then her eyes seemed to lose all traces of light.
“My my, looks like a weird switch was flipped here.”
Kunitsuna chuckled apologetically, but still smiled. She had no intention of stopping Mitsuyo, it seemed.
“Y-you’re going to take it off! It’s really coming off!?”
“Er, first of all Tiera, let’s go back to your previous equipment. Mitsuyo, you calm down now.”
Shin had regained his composure while the two were bickering and told Tiera how to solve the situation.
As Tiera’s equipment turned back the way it was before, Mitsuyo’s hands now grabbed thin air.
“Eh!? What did I do!?”
“Did it concern you that much?”
“…..you wouldn’t understand, Shin. I can’t expect to grow physically and when I go back to my main body I’ll turn back into my smaller form! Let me dream a little, at least now!!”
Mitsuyo’s emotions were still fluctuating violently.
“I guess…I can’t understand that, yeah.”
Looking at what Mitsuyo was staring at, Shin understood what her concern was. But Shin, as a man, could not comprehend a woman’s feelings concerning chest size.
“Anyway, let’s see the next one.”
Feeling that delving further into the topic would just lead to danger, Shin urged Tiera to try the next equipment set.
“O-OK. I’ll take a good look at the design first this time.”
Tiera checked the design displayed on the card’s front side, then changed her equipment.
The new equipment set was a red hairpin, a deep green shirt and mantle, which concealed her whole body, black pants and boots: as far as skin exposure was concerned, it was the complete opposite as the Forest Maiden set.
This “Heat Haze” gear series, once completed, granted the added bonus of making it more difficult to be found by the enemy. Its appearance allowed the wearer to blend in with the surroundings, working a bit as optical camouflage.
As weaponry, it included a Kukri knife on the left side and a knife case with 4 throwing knives on the right.
“That’s a strange blade. I do not see a bow, though.”
“Because this set is made to sneak close to the enemy and attack by surprise. You can hide right away and run easily when needed. You can equip a bow with it too, I think.”
Shin explained in response to Kunitsuna’s comment.
Tiera moved her arms and legs a bit, to see how easy it was to move with that equipment.
“This is pretty good. I’ll keep it as a possible choice.”
After trying some more sets, Tiera decided to pick two and use them alternatively depending on the situation.
One was the first she picked as a possible choice, the Heat Haze set. She chose it because its plain appearance would make it easy to conceal herself and, against powerful enemies, she could hide and avoid being targeted.
The second was a set called “Bow Princess”, focused on sharpshooting. It contained a silver circlet, armor fully covering the chest and gauntlets protecting the arms; on the lower body, armor resembling a mixture between a skirt and leg armor and knee-high boots.
The weapon was the 『Emerald Dazzle Bow』. It was an exquisitely crafted item, which combined usability with decorations meant to represent wind and wings.
The set’s greatest characteristic, however, were the 4 long rhombus-shaped half-transparent shields that extended over the wearer’s back. They were a bonus granted when the Bow Princess set was completed and parried enemy attacks autonomously.
This defense was a countermeasure meant to cover the fact that equipping the Bow Princess set meant not being able to equip close combat weapons
“Why does this Bow Princess set change your hairdo too?”
“The Bow Princess set is said to be based on the equipment a person called Bow Princess actually used. If she had her hair like that, maybe it changes automatically?”
After equipping the Bow Princess set, Tiera’s hair had been tied in multiple braids behind her head. Her normally waist-length hair now barely reached her shoulders.
“I’ve thought this time and again after joining you, but what’s with your weapon crafting abilities, Shin? This is something beyond what humans can do…”
“Mitsuyo, I’m telling you this because I think you have memories of the world before, but I’ve been living since before the “Dusk of Majesty”. I had obtained these techniques and knowledge then. The people alive before the “Dusk of Majesty” call that period “Game Era”.”
“I suppose that if you hone your skills that long….you can reach these levels?”
Mitsuyo was recalling her memories of that era deep within her trembling pupils.
Memories of the game era were still alive within her. She hadn’t remembered about Shin until Tanetsugu pointed it out, but she had absolutely not forgotten.
“….I see, now I remember. A samurai who used magic and wielded weapons with incredibly high quality…that was you, lord Shin.”
Kunitsuna, who had been listening to Shin and Mitsuyo’s conversation, nodded in understanding.
“The former world was filled with such techniques…I’m kind of envious of Shin and the others.”
“We couldn’t act as freely as we can now though.”
What Shin used, in a way, was a hidden technique.
“A while ago, I was in pretty much the same situation too.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was afflicted by something called “Cursed Gift”, and couldn’t go outside the Tsuki no Hokora.”
Tiera explained briefly about her former circumstances.
“Something like that happened…so that’s why you travel together now.”
“Now I understand too.”
Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna seemed to think that Tiera traveled with Shin because of the gratitude she owed him.
The next moment, taking advantage of the situation, Kunitsuna whispered something to Tiera, making sure Shin couldn’t hear.
“Considering the situation, Shin would be the prince that came to rescue you? What do you say about that?”
“Eh!? Ah, well, that…I’m, not fit for him, I mean..there’s the master, and…”
Kunitsuna’s whisper had Tiera completely confused. Shin could have listened to what they were saying if he wanted, but he felt the mood wasn’t right and did not activate the 【Listen】 skill.
“How about being his number 2 from the start, then? I’m not completely ignorant about this world either. There is no rule stating that it has to be only one person, right?”
“That’s true, but…”
Kunitsuna did not state clearly what did not have to be only one.
For Tiera, though, she was being clear enough. Tiera, struggling to find words to answer, turned beet red.
“If you keep whispering in front of me, I can’t help but become curious…”
“It’s a conversation between women. Men should be quiet and wait.”
Mitsuyo had no intention of allowing Shin to join in.
Shin continued just looking at them, wondering about the situation. He wasn’t sure when they had become friends, but now they all spoke to each other with familiarity.
Maybe thinking that it would be bad to make Shin wait too long, Tiera and the others finished their conversation after a few minutes. Tiera’s face was bright red up to her ears.
Kunitsuna was smiling, warmly watching over Tiera, but Mitsuyo was looking at her with some envy.
“Mitsuyo, we did what we had to, it’s time for us to go. We have to let these two spend time alone now.”
“….yes, I know that already.”
Mitsuyo sighed and nodded to Kunitsuna’s words. Her expression, though, clearly showed her discontent.
“Even if you say so, we did what we had to do too…”
They had listened to what Kuchinashi had to say and selected Tiera’s equipment, so there was no more reason to be in Tsuki no Hokora. Saying so, Shin looked towards Tiera, who was looking at Shin too, like she had something to say.
“Look, Tiera has something to tell you. You better listen to her well!”
“H-Hey!”
Mitsuyo slapped Shin’s back and left Tsuki no Hokora, dragging Kunitsuna behind her.
“They went away for our sake…”
“Hmm, Mitsuyo did look different from the usual.”
Shin spoke while looking at the door Mitsuyo closed as she went out. He thought he heard someone shouting “I’m such an idiot!!” beyond the door.
“…so, you have something to tell me? What is it?”
“Yes…it’s something personal, so I didn’t say it when Master and the others were present too. Shin, do you remember what happened when we purified 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』?”
“Yes, of course…do you mean, if I saw anything then?”
The voice he heard. The scenery he saw. Shin thought that she had to be referring to that.
“So you saw something too. I’ll say it too, so could you tell me what you saw?”
“OK. I saw someone collapsed in a forest, and a woman shouting something next to them. I don’t know if the collapsed person was a man or a woman, but I’m pretty sure that the person shouting was a woman. I couldn’t make out what she was saying though.”
He had no reason to hide anything, so Shin stated everything he saw. It was not a lot of information, either.
“I see…so you saw something different from me.”
Tiera nodded in understanding.
“What you saw is probably what happened when I was exiled from the village. The person collapsed was…my mother.”
Mother. When Tiera pronounced this word, her eyes became tinged with sadness.
What Shin had seen was Tiera’s past.
“It’s my turn, then.”
Tiera felt that the mood was turning dark, and spoke in a bright tone to change it.
What Tiera saw was a woman lying on the ground and a man embracing her, in some sort of back alley.
The scene ended when the man embracing the woman was about to cut down another man with his katana.
Unlike Shin, she had not seen fragments of the scene; it had been displayed rather clearly to her eyes.
“His mouth was moving, so I think he said something. But I couldn’t hear the words, or any other sound, so I don’t know what he said.”
As Tiera finished to talk, she suddenly mumbled. She looked down, hesitation in her expression.
Shin guessed what Tiera was not sure if she should say or not, so he decided to say it himself.
“The man you saw was me, right?”
“….yes. But I don’t know if it was really you. Because… that Shin, looked like a completely different person.”
Tiera’s voice was trembling slightly. Even if it was just a vision, it had made her feel something.
“I see. I kind of expected it, but you saw that moment then.”
The scene was when Shin had lost his beloved.
It was also the moment when the player called God of Death was born.
“I can’t forget that. I suppose we saw each other’s most painful memory, then.”
“Yes…I think you’re right.”
The memory of losing an irreplaceable person. It was branded in his memory so vividly that just hearing some details about the situation made him recall it very clearly.
“…listen, Shin. Are you… alright?”
“Alright? What do you mean?”
Tiera spoke without changing her worried look.
Shin didn’t know what emotion had prompted Tiera’s inquiry.
“When we accepted that escort mission, we were attacked by ruffians, right? Do you remember that, er, I hugged you after we defeated them?”
“Oh, that. Well… I couldn’t forget an experience like that.”
Shin replied while scratching his cheek to the blushing Tiera.
Since it happened just after the battle ended, it had left an impression on him. He couldn’t forget the softness of Tiera’s breasts either.
“Don’t try to remember it in detail!! You just need to remember it a little!”
Tiera, getting even redder, shouted to Shin as he was relishing the memories. Her blushing was back in full force, reaching again up to her ears.
“What I want to say is the reason why I did that!”
“What reason was there?”
Shin remembered that Tsubaki too, who was with them at the time, thought it strange. Since he couldn’t talk about something like that with Gaien around, he had left the topic for another time, then forgot about it.
“…. T… That time, the aura around you was really scary. Not as much as what I saw during the purification, but I felt that it was not good for you to release that kind of aura. So I took what I thought was the best course of action at the time…I was really embarrassed, you know.”
After taking a small deep breath, Tiera explained the reason why she hugged Shin at that time.
Holding her right hand over her mouth in embarrassment, she looked up towards Shin with slight irritation. Maybe because she was still red, she looked more adorable than scary.
“I see, so that’s how it was. Thinking about it, I get the feeling that I had returned to my old self a bit that time.”
Thinking back about that moment, Shin spoke while staring at the living room’s ceiling.
“That was the first time I killed someone after coming here. Maybe that triggered it.”
“The first time… after coming here?”
Tiera showed concern and confusion because of the words Shin uttered so casually.
Something in how the words sounded told her that he didn’t mean that it was the first time he killed someone after coming to Bayreuth.
Shin had literally come from another world; that had been his first killing in this world.
“Yes, now that I think about it…of all the members now, you’re probably the only one who doesn’t know. You told me your secret too, and I think it’s the right timing to talk about myself. Yuzuha is still a child mentally, so I’ll tell her another time, though.”
“What… what are you talking about?”
“The reason why you felt something fearful from me. Imagine that Schnee, in order to crush the people related to this reason, didn’t tell me any information about my former companions, prepared to take any punishment for it.”
“M-Master did something like that!?”
Tiera couldn’t hide her shock after hearing Shin’s words.
Schnee, who never concealed her affection towards Shin, deliberately hid information important for him? Tiera couldn’t believe it.
“….hey, is that really something alright for me to know?”
“I’ll let you decide whether to listen or not. It’s something in the past anyway. In the end, what Schnee feared would happen to me after knowing that didn’t happen either.”
Shin replied with a calm tone.
His past sensations didn’t disappear completely. As Tiera had felt, the emotions of the time when he was called God of Death still remained within Shin.
There was nothing to worry about now, however, just because he reminisced a bit about the past. Something that could influence him would only be meeting with the enemy who murdered Marino, nothing else.
“……”
The decision was up to Tiera. She was silent for a few moments. Her eyes closed, she seemed to be deep in thought.
Her silence continued for a few more seconds.
Looking straight into Shin’s eyes, Tiera answered.
“…please tell me. I want to know more about you.”
“Got it. It’ll be a bit of a long story, but please listen.”
Shin nodded to Tiera’s answer and started telling the story.
—-The story of the conquest of many dungeons.
—-The story of the death of many PKs.
—-The story of he who was called both Hero and God of Death.
—-The story of one man.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 06 - A Fanatic's Ambition/The-New-Gate-Volume-06-A-Fanatic's-Ambition-[Shin][dotNovel]/Title.txt
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The New Gate
(THE NEW GATE)
Volume 06
A Fanatic’s Ambition
Kazanami Shinogi
(風波しのぎ)
Story Description:
“THE NEW GATE”, an online game that trapped its players and turned into a death game, was now releasing the thousands of players that had been dragged into it, thanks to the efforts of Shin, one of the most powerful players.
But after having defeated the last boss and freed everyone, he was swallowed up by a strange light and found himself inside the game world 500 years in the future and unable to leave.
Original Story can be found here: Link
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 06 - A Fanatic's Ambition/The-New-Gate-Volume-06-A-Fanatic's-Ambition-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_06_Chapter_01_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 1
Several days passed after the party, in which they celebrated the victory over the annihilation of the monster hordes that marched toward the fort city Balmel.
Shin and others were still in Balmel to help with matters after the ‘Great Flood’.
Besides the other remains that had been scattered around the plains, Schnee’s magic skill 【Blue Judge】 and Shin and the others’ 【Complete Destruction Palm】 caused many monsters to be turned to charcoal.
Cleaning up the bodies had started before the celebration party, but it has been taking time because of its unusual number.
“Anyway, it’s amazing. The monsters’ bodies around here were killed by a guy whose name is Red, right?”
“Yeah, I could see it very well as I was on the city wall. There are many who saw it as well. He killed the monster hordes that looked like a black wave all by himself. Whoever he was, he was really amazing.”
These conversations reached Shin’s ears.
Some people in the crowd who were heading to the gate after cleaning up bodies were talking about the mysterious person “Red”.
Even in the castle, various rumors were spreading and people were exchanging their opinion about the identity. Some opinions were reasonable but others were far from the truth.
For example, he probably served under a High Human, or he probably was one of the heroes who remained in this world, or he might be the incarnation of the god of fire Iira Suura and so on.
In fact, because Schnee or Shibaid, who were Shin’s support characters, could do it, the “Serving under a High Human” theory was the most dominant.
As for the third theory, it seems like people thought the god of fire Iira Suura who appears in myths joined the battle, as the armor’s color was red. It was one of the gods of war and people somehow believe it.
(So a God joined in huh? In the game world, Iira Suura was a boss monster…)
In the game, they could fight against the incarnation as part of a trial. Perhaps because of it, Iira Suura was known by people in this world as well.
Additionally, the boss monster ’s appearance was a human form holding a long fire sword.
It might be close to the scythe that Shin, or Red in this matter, used.
“But, why is his name Red?”
“Maybe it’s because his body is red, isn’t it?”
“That’s too simple. Don’t you think there should be a better nickname?”
Ouch!
Shin was quietly hurt. It was just made up on the spot, but was it really that weird?
“(Is the name “Red” that strange?)”
Yuzuha asked from overhead.
“(I don’t think that it’s a strange name.)”
It should not be strange, though there was no objection against the people who had said it was simple.
By the way, there was a plan to invite Red to the party but there was no way to make contact with him, of course. Schnee had been inquired regarding Red, but Shin asked her to answer that she didn’t know where Red was.
Shin was chatting with the middle age adventurer Rahl Ratt whom he got along with through working together everyday.
“Nevertheless, it’s harder to clean up than to fight.”
“Well, that’s a first world problem. There were no people killed in that tough battle. If we complain more than that, we would be punished.”
“I understand it, but I feel depressed if the number is that big. Besides, you didn’t fight that much. Some guys said they didn’t know why you were there.”
“Oh no, they found out. Hahaha!!”
Shin was talking with him using polite speech but started talking casually after he heard Rahl didn’t like to use polite speech.
Rahl was a rank B adventurer, so he didn’t know the word “Chosen One”. It seemed like he thought the adventurers who were fighting in the front line were from higher ranks.
As Shin said, there were no opportunities to join the fight for the adventurers of the raid.
Because they didn’t have coordination similar to the knights, they couldn’t charge into the monster hordes just like that.
Besides that, their position at the battlefield was right in front where monsters were rounded up by the magic of Schnee and Guile. If they had assaulted, they would just get mixed in and vanish.
It seemed like they guarded Guile and others to some extent, but it was hardly a battle.
“At any rate, Schnee Raizar is really amazing. No matter how hard we try, we would never be like her.”
“She is a monster to the general people. If she felt like it, she could erase a country. Are you scared of her?”
“Of course Shin! I don’t want to deal with her, though I think it’s okay to be killed by such a beauty!”
“…Well, I can understand your feelings.”
“See? I used to think it was just an exaggeration from those who said Schnee is a goddess or a holy woman, but once I saw her in the flesh, I couldn’t help but agree with them. Young people who saw her looked soulless. Although seeing the massive magic right after the start of battle, we lost our soul in another sense.”
Rahl laughed while talking about how epic it was. Even the knights lost themselves, so it was no wonder that younger adventurers were lost for words as well.
Also, Schnee has gained more fans without Shin’s knowledge.
If it was about a big guy with an aggressive appearance, people would fear him, but as it was about Schnee, strength was just one of her charms.
“Moreover, we can’t measure the value of the person by their strength. I have seen so many people up till now, someone can be a hero or bullshit depending on their ability and character. Understanding what kind of person they are, can’t be judged from their strengths or weaknesses. Besides I know that having power isn’t always a good thing.”
Rahl has probably had many experiences going by his age.
What he said was a cliche, but it carried weight at the same time.
“Do you know somebody like that person since you asked me about it Shin?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“I see. If so, you should not be scared too much. I failed because of it.”
Rahl said mournfully which was unusual for his cheerful character.
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Yes, you should. Well, we’ll arrive at the gate soon.”
They parked the carriage carrying the monsters’ bodies at the side of the gate, then headed toward the guild to receive the reward.
In order to make the cleaning work smoother, guilds offered the job to the adventurers.
After Shin received the reward, he parted with Rahl who was meeting up with his friends, and looked around lightly.
Schnee and Tiera oversaw another workplace, but as their shifts were about the same, they were planning on meeting up here.
Shin was drinking fruit juice to kill time at the corner of the bar in the guild when Eliza, the guild’s receptionist, talked to him.
“Excuse me, Shin-sama. Do you have a moment?”
“Yes? Well, I’m good till my friends come. Is it okay to bring Yuzuha too?”
“Yes. Because in these past few days, I know Yuzuha wouldn’t cause trouble.”
The ‘Flood’ was over and Balmel returned to its peaceful state. Shin had no idea why he was called.
“I am sorry for asking you too much. Our staff will take care of your friends once they arrive here.”
Shin followed Eliza who led the way.
They gathered attention but he decided not to mind about it now. As he was fighting in the front line as a Chosen One, Shin’s name was widely known among a group of adventurers.
The place where Eliza led him was the room of the head of this guild. When they entered the room, they found the guild master, Baren, and the princess of Bayreuth, Rionne, waiting.
“I am sorry that we asked you to come so suddenly. A request designated for you has come, but we can’t talk about it in public.”
Shin could predict the contents as Rionne was standing next to Baren.
“…Is it perhaps, to be Rionne-sama’s bodyguard?”
“Yes, that’s right. By the way, you are close to Rionne-sama, aren’t you? The content of the request is to guard Rionne-sama until Bayreuth.”
There were no opportunities to see her after the party and since the ‘Flood’ was over at that time, he thought Rionne had left Balmel already. However, his expectations fell short.
“You helped me a lot since I was transferred to Kalkia. You will also receive a reward for that.”
It sounds like she will give a reward to him for the other day as well.
At this point, there were a few things Rionne had to give to Shin, so the reward for guarding was included in it.
“Well… I am sorry but I can’t accept this offer.”
“Does that mean you refuse the request from the royal family?”
“According to the law of the guild, it depends on the adventurer’s decision whether they accept the offer or not, am I wrong?”
There was a designation system that let the chosen adventurer receive the request in guild.
But the adventurers who were called had a right whether to accept or not. Of course, there was no penalty from the guild when the adventurer refuses.
In the past, the designation request was partly compulsory. But there was an incident where somebody took advantage of it and trapped a certain adventurer. It was a malicious trap where somebody requested an adventurer and made an assassin hide at the requested destination to kill the adventurer as if they were attacked by a monster. But the incident came to light after the adventurer turned the tables on the assassin and reported to the guild.
It was found out that there were similar incidents in the past by investigation, and then it became that the adventurers could refuse the requests. However, when the adventurers were having trouble refusing the requests from the nobles and wealthy merchants, the guild was supposed to be a mediator.
“Can’t you?”
“I’ve said so, I have something to do.”
“Even though I am asking you?”
“Who taught you that upturned eyes and pose…”
“It doesn’t match with Rionne’s character,” said Shin in disgust.
Then Baren asked for confirmation.
“You can certainly refuse the offer, but is it really fine with you? Usually only the adventurers who belong to a high rank are called by the royal family.”
“I don’t mind. Actually, if I were to get too close to her carelessly, I would be scared of others’ jealousy. Besides, we are going to Kilmont for now. It’s the opposite direction and I am already prepared for it.”
“I wanted Shin to meet with my father though”
“No, I won’t. I feel he would tell me to serve for his country, so I won’t”
“Muu!”
“I won’t change my mind even if you get sulky.”
Shin was regarded as an upper class Chosen One from Bayreuth’s top brass, but it didn’t mean that everybody would welcome him.
Rionne was a royal family member and was surrounded by the nobles. Sometimes people from the privileged classes act to keep their position more than considering the national interests.
…Though it was a selfish idea of Shin, he wanted to go to Kilmont to meet Shibaid as soon as possible and start researching the sacred place Kalkia.
Besides, even if Shin refused guarding her, somebody will pick her up from Bayreuth or she could request for other adventurers. They would never let the princess go home alone. In addition, Shin honestly couldn’t think that Rionne needed a guard.
“Well, how should I say this… it looks like you two are really close.”
“Of course! It’s Shin and me!
“I am afraid of what other people might think…”
Shin repeated it while turning away from Baren’s eyes who was putting a wry smile on his face.
“What a pity, but it can’t be helped. I don’t want to force this on you. But when you come to Bayreuth next time, you should come visit me.”
“…I will try.”
Considering Rionne’s attitude, it seems like she was thinking if Shin accepted the offer, it would be lucky or something.
Shin was relieved that they didn’t persistently press him. He had no intentions to treat her badly, but he has his priority.
“That’s all. Sorry for taking your time.”
“No problem. I was free at this time too. Then, please excuse me.”
He left with Eliza who was waiting for him at the corner of the room, they then left from the guild master’s room.
When Shin arrived at the hall, there was a crowd at the corner of the bar like he had seen before.
“Again…”
The center of the crowd was of course Schnee in disguise…In other words, Yuki and Tiera. He could sense the mood.
It happened often, so Shin kept his cool. He already heard the reason from Eliza about why so many people come around. Naturally, most of the adventurers were men. There were female adventurers, but there were very few who were beautiful, good figured, and capable like Schnee.
Even if there were that kind of women, they just stay with other women mostly, or they were employed by the nobles and there wouldn’t be any opportunity to get to know them.
Because of these reasons the adventurers were trying to invite Schnee and Tiera, whom often stay together, to join their party as well as the servants of the nobles, who were trying to invite them to the noble’s houses, were swarming around them.
“Today there are a lot more people around them.”
“Their name and appearance are well-known in Balmel. It can’t be helped.”
“So as I’m their male companion, the murderous intent and jealousy are focused on me, huh?”
“…It can’t be helped.”
Eliza as she was, had no way of responding.
“By the way, wasn’t there a plan to clear those people?”
“Yes, I informed the staff to be ready for it, but…”
Eliza looked around but there weren’t any staff even at the reception desk.
“It’s strange. There is a rule to have at least one person at the reception desk.”
“…Well, it seems like they tried to do their job though.”
With a sigh, Shin went towards the crowd. Though it was crowded with men, he could find another woman besides Schnee and Tiera.
The men who noticed Shin’s approach all showed negative feelings in their eyes. But because Shin had gotten used to it, he ignored those eyes and called out both of them.
“Hey Yuki! Tiera! It’s almost time to go!”
After a little pause, the crowd split. Tiera was behind Schnee, who has blond hair and red eyes, and a woman who wore the guild’s uniform was behind Tiera.
“I am sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No, I am the one who kept you waiting. I arrived here earlier, but just a little. I will talk about the details while walking. So who is this person?”
Some people were fascinated by Schnee’s smile toward Shin, and others were showing jealousy. Shin ignored those men and asked the woman who was standing behind Schnee and Tiera.
“Um, I-I am Fran, b-b-belong to the branch of the adventurer guild Balmel!!”
She was flustered and stuttered.
She was a petite lady and her height was around 150 cemels. Her brown bobbed hair and big round eyes were charming.
She looked like a junior high school student, or maybe even looked like an elementary school student.
“Fran, where are the other staff? They shouldn’t leave a new staff member alone at the reception.”
“M-My senpai is dealing with the high ranked adventurer who came a while ago. Others are also busy, so I have been trying to do my best, but…”
“The size of the crowd was so big that she could not deal with them by herself.”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
Fran agreed with Schnee’s words with sagging shoulders.
Surely, it was tough for new staff to deal with all those men around Schnee and Tiera.
If Shin were in the same position, he honestly wouldn’t want to get closer to that crowd.
Maybe the staff who have more experience would be able to handle it better, but it was still unavoidable.
“I am sorry. We caused trouble for you. Please accept my apology and if you have any requests, please tell me. I will help as much as I can.”
“I-I am sorry!”
“…Well, I think that’s okay, right, Yuki?”
“Yes, it was just bad timing and nothing happened to us, so please don’t worry about it.”
Schnee answered Shin while nodding.
She gave up halfway as people often come around her. That’s why she couldn’t bring herself to blame Fran.
“We appreciate your understanding.”
Still, Eliza and Fran have an apologetic look on their face.
Since it was their duty, it would affect their confidence if they accepted the responsibility and could not complete it. No matter how many times Schnee said it’s okay, they seemed to be ashamed. Shin and his companions left the guild saying “Don’t worry about it” to Eliza and Fran who bowed down.
“Sorry about that. If I had come to you immediately, we could have avoided that situation.”
“You had some business, didn’t you? It looked like you were called on.”
“Right. What happened?”
Somehow the two sensed something, so Shin explained about the request.
Schnee who listened to the story had a smile on her face and Tiera seemed to understand.
“It’s natural that they want to have Shin for their country. Rionne is a member of the royal family and although she doesn’t know about your background, she knows a little bit about your power, don’t you agree Shin?”
“A little. If I were in her position, I also would have thought to secure me. But what can I say, I understand it but it’s also different from my way of thinking.”
Though he said that, Shin kept a note in his mind that Rionne might be different from other royal family members. “If it weren’t for an unusual situation like this time, she would not favor me as much”, said Shin. Then Schnee said,
“Do you really think so?”
“What do you mean, Schnee?”
“The way you think and your attitude are rare in this world Shin. The royal families are heavenly people to the commoners, but not to players. Considering Rionne-sama’s character, she would be attracted to the person who casually talks to her and has power that she can rely on. Shin meets both of them, so even though there weren’t any incidents like this time, it’s possible that Rionne-sama likes you.”
“Well, if it is not Rionne-sama, others might say you are rude!”
“Well, how should I say it… I think Rionne-sama’s thought-process is closer to that of the commoner’s, not the royal family’s.”
“I agree with that.”
According to Rionne, the education that she had was focused on being a soldier more than being a member of the royal family, so it might be natural that she was different from other royalty.
“However, I don’t intend to be engaged with Rionne, so she has no choice but to give up on me.”
“If you say you are actually a High Human, she would come to you though.”
“From her past statements, I can’t deny that.”
Shin thought that Rionne might forcefully come saying it was for the sake of friendship. If they could have a High Human on their side, the king would happily give the princess.
“At any rate, our current priority is meeting up with Shibaid and others. If I follow Rionne, I would have to meet with the king. I am sorry for Baren-san, but I have to leave the country matter to the guild.”
He was not sure how far the guild would go, but Shin who was a Chosen One was different from a commoner. So he decided to think that the guild would have to do their best to deal with such a matter.
Partly because he had talked to Rionne, he couldn’t help but to wish that others won’t ask him unreasonable demands anymore.
There was the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora…When Shin thought about it, he realized that he didn’t know much about the letter.
He had stored the letter in his Item Box and almost forgot about it until he used it in Balmel.
Because various events happened due to Shin showing the letter in Bayreuth, he hesitated to use it without thinking. Though it was a clue to meet with Schnee, he could meet with her without using it. Shin didn’t know all the items in THE NEW GATE, and he also thought whether there was this kind of item. Anyhow, depending on the player, making the item that worked effectively under a certain condition was possible. Frankly speaking, without a strong name value like “Tsuki no Hokora”, it was just a shiny piece of paper.
“Hey Schnee, it’s a bit late to ask you, but how do you make the letter of introduction?”
As far as Shin knew, the function that makes items that gave the effect like the letter of introduction didn’t exist in Tsuki no Hokora.
So that means that it was an original item from Schnee.
“The letter of introduction? I use the paper that comes out from the manufacturing machine that was used in Tsuki no Hokora. Also alchemy is applied. It was the enchantment of the luminescence.”
“Was there such a strong durability for the paper that comes out from that machine? It shouldn’t be a special paper that can be used for enchantments though.”
“I noticed it a long time after Shin left, so I don’t know the details…Surely it was just paper in the game era, but its quality is the best one as this world changed, so I think that magical power dwelled in it. Of course, I already checked it, and it wasn’t a bad one.”
Manufacturing machine in Tsuki no Hokora. It was like a home that produced various kind of materials, or one of the facility for the guild. There were some machines that could create items such as raw materials and metals, in addition to the paper in Tsuki no Hokora.
But the only one currently working is the machine that makes papers. In the death game period, when Shin left Tsuki no Hokora for the last time, he closed the door to the room for the manufacturing machines.
The reason was that the machine for the paper was placed in a different room from other machines, and he just forgot it was there.
“Let’s check it.”
It was better to quickly leave for Kilmont, and meet with Shibaid, but it was also important to check out his own home and his guild house which he oversaw.
“In that case, that forest is quiet and doesn’t stand out.”
“That’s right. Shall we go?”
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 06 - A Fanatic's Ambition/The-New-Gate-Volume-06-A-Fanatic's-Ambition-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_06_Chapter_01_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 2
At nightfall, Shin secretly left the town with Schnee, Tiera, and Yuzuha and headed for the forest he had cleared up before. Shin deployed and entered Tsuki no Hokora, where he then checked the manufacturing machines first.
Inside of the manufacturing machine room, the machines were organized into categories such as ore, ingredients, and materials that were obtained from monsters.
The manufacturing machines looked like boxes measuring 30 cemels on each side. They were worth almost as much as 《Ancient》 grade weapons in this world.
Materials that couldn’t be obtained or required great troubles to obtain could be produced without limitation, so long as time permitted. The ‘machine’ was especially amazing since this world was now reality and certain materials could no longer be farmed.
Generated items would be changed into cards that were stored in an Item Box within the machine.
“What is this…?”
Shin checked the ore and materials first.
When he opened the list inside of the Item Box, a considerable number of items were listed. It wasn’t like 100 or 200. It varied depending on the type but even the smallest stacks exceeded 1000, and most of them were more than hundreds of thousands.
The Item Box should only be able to store 999 of the same type of item, but the maximum stack number must have changed.
“There’s lots of items…Kuu”
“Indeed. There are lumps of orichalcum, mithril, adamantine and even refined Scarletite. The tusks and claws of Bahamut and even the liver of a Behemoth… Wow, the amount of ‘Drop of Erathem’ is amazing! It’s like you could make as many 《Ancient》 grade weapons as you want.”
Nodding at Yuzuha, he scrolled down the item list.
Even rare items that were likely produced only twice a year in real time, a poor management system which Shin had complained about during the gaming era, were present in incredible numbers.
Though it was understandable that the items had accumulated for the past 500 years, Shin’s pride as a gamer was hurt as he felt his efforts in mining were in vain.
“The ingredients also seem the same. Though, there is an astounding amount of the highest rank ingredients.”
Schnee who checked the list of ingredients in one of the manufacturing machines was also surprised at its contents. It was so shocking that they could easily stay indoors for at least 100 years.
“These items are something I have never seen nor heard of. What are they?”
Due to her lack of knowledge, Tiera was surprised at the number not the item itself.
Since it was a rare opportunity, Shin moved a portion of the items into his own Item Box.
Shin was planning to inspect whether there were any differences between the items in his own Item Box and the items in the manufacturing machines.
“I’m going to forge for a bit. I’ll see whether the materials are usable or not.”
“Understood. I’ll prepare dinner.”
“Maybe I could make some simple recovery potions.”
“Please do so.”
After he passed over the basic alchemy set to Tiera, Shin headed to the smithing area with Yuzuha.
He started a fire in the furnace and took out the orichalcum ore card from the manufacturing machine.
“Hmm?”
When he was about to materialize the card, Shin noticed an aura coming from it.
He stared at what looked like a heat haze, then it became clear, like an image focusing in a camera.
“That’s magical power, isn’t it?”
“It’s sparkling!”
There was a light silver color similar to the aura from a magic sword.
For the sake of comparison, Shin took out the orichalcum ore card from his own Item Box and saw that it radiated a light purple. However, the color didn’t stay the same as it changed to a dark grey then a light blue.
He hadn’t noticed this when he upgraded the equipment of Shadow and the others, or when he repaired Girard’s equipment.
“Fumu. I don’t understand it. Should I strike it for now? Yuzuha, please stay back.”
“Kuu!”
He put aside the trivial things for a moment, and materialized the two cards.
At present, there was no difference except their aura’s colors. Though the amount of ore was somewhat different, there wasn’t a problem since it wasn’t fixed to begin with.
Shin put the orichalcum into the furnace and refined it. The refined orichalcum that had its impurities removed radiated a stronger aura.
Then, he placed it on the anvil and swung the hammer down.
The two swords, made with the same procedure, were both at medium 《Legend》 grade. They looked almost the same except for the aura that enveloped the swords.
When he compared the sharpness of the edges, the difference became clear.
The sword made of orichalcum from Shin’s Item box, covered in an aura of multiple colors, was sharper than the one made of orichalcum from the manufacturing machine, covered in an aura with a single color.
“Kuu? It’s different, though they’re similar?”
“Even if the materials are the same, the power is different, huh? Is it related to the magic color? …Come to think of it, Tiera did say my magical power is strange or something like that.”
He remembered the time when he first met Tiera, she said she could feel multiple races’ magical powers.
“Is Shin’s magic power different from others’?”
“I wonder. Though I still can’t perfectly control my power, so I’m not sure.”
Shin moved to the main building where Tiera was, thinking that there might be some hint.
After Tiera had set up the alchemy equipment and materials on the table, she began making the recovery potions. Shin didn’t disturb her, as she seemed to be concentrating. After several minutes, she finished brewing the potions.
“Whew…”
“Did you finish it?”
“Hiiu!!??”
Shin chose to wait for Tiera to finish her work before speaking up.
But, since Tiera didn’t notice him, she was surprised and gave a small cry of alarm.
“Ah…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you.”
“Don’t sneak up on me like that! I was so surprised.”
Tiera glared at him while putting her hand on her chest. Perhaps she felt shy as she was seen the moment that she was surprised. Her cheeks turned red.
Shin didn’t intend to hide his presence, but it seemed like he did so unconsciously.
“I’m really sorry. I wasn’t trying to distract you since you seemed to be focused.”
“*Sigh* Be careful next time. I nearly dropped the potion.”
When Shin bowed, Tiera’s anger seemed to settle down.
“At any rate, I tried to make the recovery potion according to instructions using these materials. I don’t have the appraisal skill, so I’m not sure of the difference. Can you check them?”
After Tiera calmed down, she handed the recovery potions over to Shin.
They looked the same, but when he saw the analysis, Shin found that the potion made of materials from his Item Box were more effective.
However, the one that used the materials from the manufacturing machine was twenty percent more effective than a conventional potion.
It seemed like using materials that possess magical power raised the effectiveness of the items made from them.
“I see. I was expecting an increased effect, but it’s really amazing.”
“Were you expecting it?”
Shin asked about the reason for what Tiera said after she heard the result of the appraisal.
“Well, it seems like Shin doesn’t know this, but when an object stores magical power, it shares its owner’s spirit and characteristics. It was said that was a condition of something like power without definition. I’ve only seen these objects a few times though. Since only Elves and Pixies can see this power, you may not understand it, Shin.”
“Interesting…By the way, I wanted to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“Well, when we first met, you said various races’ magical power or something after you looked at me, right? I wanted to ask about it.”
“Eh? D-Did I say something like that?”
Tiera answered evasively. Her face that turned her eyes to the wrong direction expressed exactly someone who was trying to hide something.
“? …Well, if you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine. I won’t force you to tell me. I’ll ask Schnee if there is anything that seems strange in her ingredients. You can keep the potions.”
“Eh!? Wa, wait!!”
Everybody has something that they don’t want to share. Even though Shin was concerned about the magical power, somehow he could guess the reason.
Since he thought it was a bad idea to ask forcefully, Shin decided to go to Schnee’s place first, but surprisingly Tiera pulled him back.
“What’s the matter? You look so confused.”
“B-Because… aren’t you going to ask about it? Though I’m here with you, I’m clearly hiding something from you.”
“But you don’t want to tell me, right? Of course I can’t leave it alone if it’s about a life-threatening situation, or something similar. But I can somehow guess that it’s not like that, and I don’t want to forcefully ask you to tell me. When I look at you, I can just tell that there are some things you don’t want to tell me. So I think it’s not right to share everything just because we are together. In fact, I also have something that I haven’t shared with everybody.”
“I understand, but…”
“It’s fine with me to wait until you think you are ready to tell me. When the time comes then――”
Then Shin’s stomach rumbled “Grruuu”. It was so loud that they could hear it clearly.
“…I, I’ll also tell you what I haven’t shared with you?”
Because of the stomach rumbling, the serious mood vanished, but Shin said everything that he wanted to say.
“Shin, are you hungry?”
Right after that, Yuzuha, who was just observing, quietly said explosive words.
“Hey! I was saying something serious!”
“But you said ‘When the time comes then Gruuu.’”
“Nooo! Why did it happened in this timing?”
“…Pfff.”
Maybe that hit the spot. Tiera held her laughter in until her ears turned bright red.
Because she lowered her head, he couldn’t see her face. However, he guessed that it wasn’t as serious as before.
It was a pleasant situation for Shin as he wanted to change the atmosphere, but it couldn’t be helped if he thought there might have been a better way.
“I’m sorry. Even though we’re talking seriously, b-but, pfffahaha”
“Well, I made my point, but, it’s fine I guess. Though you have something you can’t tell me, don’t worry about it. And don’t tell anyone about my stomach rumbling! Never! Yuzuha, you too!”
After the parting remark, Shin went to the kitchen.
Tiera looked at his back with tears in her eyes. Shin didn’t know her tears weren’t only from laughing. “I am sorry.” What Tiera whispered didn’t reach anyone.
When Shin entered the kitchen, there were already several dishes. He could smell them while he was talking to Tiera, so he couldn’t help thinking what would happened if he had not smelled these dishes.
“Kuu~, smells good!”
“Yes, it does… what a great smell.”
“Shin? You look troubled. Did something happen?”
“No, nothing. Yeah, nothing happened. By the way, it smells delicious. How were the ingredients?”
“I didn’t see any problems. The freshness was satisfactory too.”
Schnee answered while wiping a knife.
It seemed like she hadn’t noticed any differences in the process of cooking.
Considering the swords and the recovery potions, the differences would probably be seen in its flavor.
“The results of Tiera and my experiments showed that the ones from my Item Box were more effective. However, the quality of the things made using materials from the manufacturing machines were better than normal.”
“I see. I have just finished cleaning up, so we should test them. How’s Tiera doing?”
“Oh, she finished making the recovery potions, so I’ll bring her here.”
“You don’t need to.”
When Shin turned around to go to call Tiera, Tiera showed up.
Since she had a little time to calm herself down, her complexion returned to normal. Her eyes seemed bloodshot, but Shin just felt awkward wondering if she had been laughing till she cried.
“What?”
“Nothing. The dishes are ready, so let’s compare the tastes.”
They put all dishes on the table and sat down. Yuzuha was also in human form at this time.
Everyone said “Itadakimasu” together and then started tasting.
What Shin ate first was the dish made using ingredients from the manufacturing machine.
He put the foods he used to eat in reality, such as stuffed cabbage, pot‐au‐feu, pilaf, and so on, in his mouth.
“This is far better than a family restaurant.”
“This is better than what Master usually makes.”
“Kuu, delicious!”
Because these foods were something they often ate, they could tell how much better it was. It didn’t mean that the foods they had been eating were low quality, but still these were delicious enough to tell the difference.
Because there were other dishes to taste, they used all their willpower to stop themselves from finishing the dish.
“Then, the next one.”
The next dishes were the made using the ingredients from Shin’s Item Box. Since it was for comparison, the menu and cooking processes were the same.
They cut the stuffed cabbage in two using chopsticks, then ate it.
“!?”
In that moment, Shin and Tiera stopped moving.
Their first thought was ‘Is this really a stuffed cabbage?’.
“What is this? To be frank, I can’t think of anything besides how delicious this is. But if I were asked the difference, I can’t explain it.”
“I agree. I don’t know what to say besides delicious.”
“Kuu, delicious, delicious~”
Yuzuha was the only one eating like normal. With dishes made of materials from either source, Yuzuha stuffed her mouth happily while smiling.
In a sense, this might be the correct reaction toward the dishes.
Shin had tried dishes using ingredients his Item Box the night he met Schnee again, but there wasn’t any magical power leaking from the cards then.
Was it because it was used with the regular ingredients? He wasn’t as shocked as with this stuffed cabbage.
“Anyway, we have to be cautious when using the items in my Item Box. I don’t think they were like this before though.”
“Yes. Even the items from the manufacturing machines are more than enough. Did you notice any differences in the items recently added to your Item Box?”
“No, I didn’t see any change among those items. But as times goes on, they might change, so I’ll check those to make sure.”
The number of the items in Shin’s Item Box was huge. It would be impossible to test everything, so he would have to choose a small number of items and check them.
After they finished their meals, Shin and the others came to the teleportation device room that was located next to the manufacturing machines’ room. They intended to check on the guild houses’ conditions.
“As far as I can tell, none of the devices are broken.”
“Yes. Just in case, I asked Raster to check it, but I heard that there were no problems.”
Raster was the support character who served under Cain, a member of Rokuten who was the architect. Because Cain helped build Tsuki no Hokora, Raster, as his follower, did the maintenance.
If Raster said so, it would work without any problems.
“Well, let’s open the option menu…Hmm?”
“Is anything wrong?”
Schnee approached Shin who voiced his doubt. Shin shifted the display sideway to show Schnee the selection screen for teleport destinations.
It displayed the names of the 1st through 6th guild houses. But if he tried to pick a destination, it made a muffled “Beep” sound.
This sound usually came out when one tried to use an item that was not available or choose a place that was impossible to transfer.
It seemed like they couldn’t transfer to any guild houses at their present state.
“What does it mean?”
“The equipment here is working, so something might have happened at the other guild houses?”
“No, what I am concerned about is that I’m unable to choose Rashugum. I don’t know about the others, but I can’t imagine any problems in Rashugum, where Raster is doing maintenance.”
“But, it’s hard to determine the cause of the problem. Please wait a moment. I will send a message to Raster.”
“Yes, please. I’ll fiddle a little too.”
Besides specifying a destination from the option menu, there were times when it was possible by using the terminal. For the time being, he decided to check which ones were working.
“There is no problem in Tsuki no Hokora. No error from the transferring devices. So, there might be some problems at the destinations or…”
While operating the terminal, Shin formed a hypothesis. If one had never been to the destination in this world, one wouldn’t be able to use the items, skills, and equipment related to teleporting.
Since he came to this world, he hadn’t been able to use message cards and lists as these were reset.
If the reason he could transfer to Tsuki no Hokora was because he had visited before, everything would make sense.
“If that’s the case, I have no choice but to go there.”
“If Shin’s hypothesis is correct, there’s no other way but to do that. Though Raster has been here, he can’t use the transferring devices.”
Schnee agreed with Shin. That was the only thing they could do now.
In the game era, the support characters including Schnee, didn’t have the crystal stones that granted teleportation ability. Therefore, Schnee hadn’t registered the teleportation points at Rashugum even though she had been there.
“Our conversation is based on the fact that it is natural to use teleportation. I’m scared as I’m getting used to it.”
“That’s how we are steeped in.”
Tiera had a distant look and Shin responded to her with a big smile and a thumb up.
“Stop it, I almost nodded.”
“Your body is honest.”
“Uu, I can’t deny it…”
Tiera felt that if she was not steeped in this situation, she would not be able to relax.
After that, they checked some more devices and items. As they got into it, they realized it was already late, so they decided to stay the night in Tsuki no Hokora.
◆◆◆◆
“…Sigh”
While the moon was up high in the sky, Shin was sitting on the verandah at the back of Tsuki no Hokora. He held 『True Moon』, that had been broken from the battle with his support character, Girard.
“Well, what should I do… hmm?”
As he watched the moon, he sensed someone he knew very well coming closer.
“You can’t sleep?”
“Oh! Yeah, I was just thinking of repairing 『True Moon』.”
Shin stopped thinking for a moment as he was fascinated by Schnee in her nightwear, but he still managed to answer her somehow.
Shin lifted up 『True Moon』 to show Schnee as she naturally sat down next to him.
“This is from the battle with Girard, isn’t it? It looks the same as it was though.”
“I’ve thought of repairing it several times.. But, how do I say it, I feel like something is lacking. I could fix it right away, but my intuition as a blacksmith tells me not to… though, I don’t know if my intuition is reliable or not.”
Shin said to Schnee while putting a bitter smile on his face.
It was about time to fix it, so he tried out during his free time today, but it didn’t work out very well.
All materials were prepared and Shin’s skills weren’t lacking, since he was a master blacksmith. Perhaps there was something else missing besides these.
“May I borrow it?”
“Hmm? Sure.”
When Shin handed over 『True Moon』, Schnee held it in front of her chest.
While Shin was wondering what she would do, he saw that 『True Moon』 gradually began glowing while held in Schnee’s hands.
“Wow!!”
『True Moon』 emitted light as if it were soaking in the moonlight. Shin was wide-eyed with surprise because of the light, but after a while, it stopped emitting a light.
It lasted for only a moment, but Shin felt that it was much more longer than that.
“Here you go.”
“Ah, y-yes. Hey Schnee, what was that?”
“I poured my magical power into 『True Moon』. I felt I should do it. I don’t know why, but I hope it’ll help you, even just a little bit, Shin.”
“No, I have to thank you instead. I am sure that something missing was filled with this.”
Shin said while looking at 『True Moon』.
Shin knew by intuition that what Schnee did wasn’t anything wrong.
At the same time, he understood three more things.
“It’s not complete yet, but I know what I should do. Thank you.”
“I am glad to hear that.”
Schnee looked very beautiful with a gentle smile on her face.
Shin gasped at her beautiful smile. Her beauty attracted people, but it made her untouchable. Her beauty was something that couldn’t be described with words.
“Well, what will you do after this, Schnee?”
“If it is fine with you, I’d like to watch the moon with you.”
“…Well, of course. “
“Then…”
“huh!”
Schnee answered to Shin, and leaned her body against him.
Shin felt a weight on his shoulder as Schnee rested her head while clinging to him.
“…Ah, Schnee-san? This is…”
“Please let me be like this for a moment.”
“…Okay.”
When Shin accepted it, the weight on his shoulder increased.
Maybe it was because Schnee leaned her whole body on Shin. The reason she didn’t do so from the beginning was perhaps she was afraid of being denied or maybe she felt shy.
“………”
They looked up moon in silence for a while.
In the moonlit night, two shadows fell on the verandah.
These two shadows cuddled together and remained together until they returned to their rooms.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 06 - A Fanatic's Ambition/The-New-Gate-Volume-06-A-Fanatic's-Ambition-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_06_Chapter_01_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 3
The following morning, Shin and the rest headed towards Kilmont. They took some time to say their farewells and give thanks to Hibineko and the others who fought in the battle of Balmel. That made them start later than the other adventurers and merchants. It also meant that their carriage ride was more spacious.
“It feels so slow now.”
Tiera muttered while looking out the window.
“It’d be inappropriate for us to go flying out of the city.”
Kagerou, as a horse, pulled the carriage just as fast as the other carriages on the road. Tiera felt like they were traveling even slower, especially after their rushed ride to Falnido.
“You know this is normal, right?”
“I feel like everything is different now after meeting Shin.”
Schnee’s words sank in, and Tiera didn’t know how to take them.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“It’s not normal.”
Tiera glanced over towards Shin, feeling a little dumbfounded. It was silly to think that a carriage going at such a ridiculous speed was normal. Shin nodded in agreement, holding tightly onto reins which was only decorative.
They were heading towards Kilmont. Shin and company’s journey to meet Shibaid had only just begun.
“I guess there isn’t much traffic. Maybe we can speed up just a little… wait? A message from Wilhelm!”
A message had arrived for Shin, amidst everyone’s convoluted thoughts.
Shin knew that Wilhelm wouldn’t send him a message over nothing. Something dire must have happened.
He immediately opened the message.
“What!?”
“Shin? What is it?”
Ignoring Schnee’s concerned voice, Shin quickly took out an item card and attached it to the message card.
He merely wrote “Use it,” and immediately sent his response to Wilhelm.
“Shin?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Hm?”
With Shin in a daze, Tiera and Yuzuha were also pressing him.
With his brows furrowed, Shin told them what Wilhelm’s message said.
―Rashia had been stabbed.
◆◆◆◆
It happened on a beautiful day.
Sister Rashia had woken up, starting the day as usual; she made her bed, prayed, and went to wake the children. There was much work to be done in the church.
“I’m off now. Please look after yourselves.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
It was not unusual for a ceremonial occasion to be held in the church. Thoria was supposed to be at the church to make funeral arrangements for the recently deceased.
Rashia had nothing to worry about. It was just an ordinary day.
“I’m going to begin the treatment. Please relax.”
“Thank you as always.”
“Please, it’s nothing. It’s part of my duty to serve the community.”
“I can’t believe how much you’ve grown Rashia. I’m happy for the church that you’re here.”
“Yes. I owe much to Thoria, but I can only hope that I can repay my debts.”
Rashia smiled towards an elderly woman from the neighborhood.
She had gained considerable experience at the Wraith Plains and her healing ability also rose greatly. She was also quite skilled in giving medical attention to those in need. Sometimes, she was even able to cure those who had given up.
The issue with who would take over the responsibilities of the church was settled now. Everything was back to quiet. Or so she thought――.
“May I come in?”
“…Father Bulk.”
The man stood at the entrance of the church. He and Rashia had argued heatedly over who would lead the church.
Father Bulk took a handkerchief to his oily face, wiping off the sweat and revealing a crooked smile.
“Hello my child. I beg your pardon, but we’ve got some matters of the church to discuss. Do you think you could excuse us?”
The words that came out of his mouth were polite, but the elderly woman was clearly left without a choice.
There was too much of a status difference between them; the father of the church and an elderly villager.
The woman left the church and closed the doors behind her. Rashia blurted out.
“What do you want?”
“Let’s start with ‘Hello,’ shall we? Of course, I’m here to continue our little chat from before.”
Father Bulk feigned shock. His entire demeanor was condescending. This made Rashia uneasy and bitter.
“I’m certain that I will be leading the church.”
“No, it’s too soon to call the shots. Besides, there hasn’t been a legitimate decree yet. Did you really think that you were in control? Well, that’s just hasty and careless.”
“…I’ve already received word from the other Fathers, that it’s not an issue. Of course, since there’s quite distance from headquarter, the official documents will be coming in any day now.”
“‘Any day now’? What is that, tomorrow? Or the next day? I don’t find it very reassuring that you don’t have these details all in order.”
His voice lingered in Rashia’s ears, giving her shivers.
What does he want? He’s far too confident.
“Father. Is that why you’re here? To tell me all of this?”
“Oh, heavens no child. This church will be mine eventually. I’ve merely come to see that things are still as they should be.”
“…I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean. Why would you say such a thing?”
Father Bulk made it seem as if he knew something she did not.
“Your sheer arrogance. This is why we really need to stop letting things slide just because of hereditary reasons. You know absolutely nothing.”
This time, Father Bulk became slightly more aggressive.
“Answer me. I’ve obtained 【Purification】 so I should be the leader of this church according to the rule.”
“Please don’t raise your voice. Why don’t you show a little modesty? The Sisters in the headquarter are gentle you know?”
“!”
The conversation was going nowhere.
Rashia was glaring at Father Bulk, when suddenly the door opened.
“Am I late?”
“Yes you are, Eline! Because of your tardiness, I’ve been through quite an ordeal. I encountered a golem during my trip, and…”
“Bulk-san, that’s your fault. You are the one who said that you wanted to visit some ancient sites. I had my own matters to attend to, so please, do not yammer on about that anymore.”
The man who stepped in wore a suit of armor.
It wasn’t unusual to see someone with blonde hair blue eyes from Bayreuth. His hair that came slightly below his shoulders was neatly tied back. He smiled, and looked like a picturesque knight in shining armor.
However, Rashia saw him as anything but that. He was an intruder, for all she knew.
“Anyways. You know what to do, don’t you?”
“Yes, the men outside filled me in. Is she the one we’re taking?”
“No. We’re taking the child of the beast. I understand the child’s name is Mily, or something like that. I’m sure she’s in the orphanage. Bring her to me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Father Bulk commanded with no hesitation.
The man named Eline was headed towards the orphanage.
“Wait! What are you going to do with Millie!!”
Rashia stood in his way, but Eline did not budge.
“Bulk-san. What should I do with her?”
“Do as you wish. The area is surrounded.”
“Then”
It was a matter of seconds. Eline tilted his left hand, unsheathed his weapon and took the short sword.
The speed was clearly not the capability of a commoner. If this had worked, Rashia would have gone down in the blink of an eye.
“Kya!”
“Hm?”
Except, it didn’t. A clear barrier generated between Rashia and the short sword. A spark could be seen where the forces met, and Rashia was thrown back.
The short sword fell to the ground with a clang.
“How interesting. You seem to have equipped a shield item of some sort. Even my sword couldn’t stand against it. It’ll be even more interesting to find out, if you made this item yourself, or if you received it as a gift.”
“!!”
Eline looked intrigued, but Rashia could only stare back with fear.
She had no idea what had happened.
Rashia was at level 151. She was quite strong as a common woman. Her kinetic vision was far from average.
Yet, she could not have dodged Eline’s attack on her own.
After fighting alongside Shin and Wilhelm, she had grown accustomed to sensing murderous intent. Everyone -no matter how strong- should be emitting some sort of will. It could be murderous or violent. Either way, it was a guide for Rashia to use when dodging and defending herself.
Yet here was this man, with neither murderous intent or animosity. To kill must be as natural as breathing for him. He showed no hesitation towards the act of killing. Here was true terror, in the form of a man.
“Won’t you answer me?”
“N….no.”
“Oh well. I guess I’ll just have to find! Out!”
Before he had finished his thought, he drew his other sword and ran towards Rashia. Yet again, Rashia’s barrier stood against his force.
However, unlike the last time with the short sword, sparks were flying more dramatically and the sword was struck deep in the air.
“It’s much tougher than I had anticipated. What would happen if I hit repeatedly?”
Eline couldn’t hide his excitement. He was thrilled to have found a worthy opponent. He drew his sword again and again.
With every strike, Rashia’s barrier shrunk.
“Eline, stop horsing around.”
“But sir, I think I’m close.”
“Just use that other thing. Hurry up.”
“You leave me no choice. I’ve already tested it on a monster. Let’s see how you fare.”
Eline turned his sword into a card. He reached in his pockets for a different one. It materialized into a 2 meter long giant knife.
A single edge had to be longer than 15 cemels. The blade shone bright red. The brim had the emblem of wings, and a giant fist sized jewel fit neatly.
The onyx jewel was a stark contrast to the blood-red blade.
“Isn’t she a beauty? I’m afraid all I know is that her name is 『Exvaine』.”
Eline looked proudly at his possession.
“It’s more than just a pretty face. Just look at this!”
He seemed satisfied that Rashia couldn’t take her eyes off of his weapon, as he grinned and thrust it upon her.
You could hear the swish of the blade cutting through the air as it left a red afterimage. It was almost a shriek as the sound of shattering glass pierced through the ears of those in the vicinity. The knife cut through the barrier like butter, slashing Rashia’s cheek. The blade stopped at her neck.
Rashia peered over at the deadly tool. Should Eline gesture his hand even the slightest bit, her head would be chopped off. Blood dripped down her face, and Rashia sat there shaking.
“So. Do you feel like answering my question now?”
“………”
She put all of her might into not screaming. She had lost all words.
Eline looked smug. It wasn’t a very pleasant expression. It was the face of a violent child. One that enjoyed picking off the legs and wings of a bug.
“No. Please. Leave us alone.”
‘I will probably die.’ Rashia was filled with sorrow at the thought.
She stared into Eline’s eyes. She knew that no matter what she had said, it was all up to his whim. That is why she felt resolute to not share any information.
“That’s a pity. It’s fine though. I’m here on a mission anyways.”
Millie and the other children were indeed in the orphanage. No matter what happens, Rashia must warn them of the dangers. She was about 10 steps away from an item that would heed them.
Rashia was about to run for it, when the worst case scenario had unfolded. Luck was on Father Bulk’s side.
“Shia-nee, I’m done cleaning.”
It was none other than Millie, who had come into the church building. She was alone. She must have finished her chores before the other children.
“Well what do we have here. She seems to be Millie-san. How convenient that the target came to us. Is this because I behave well everyday? ”
“Yes, it must be God smiling down on us. Eline, you know what to do.”
“Of course, my lord.”
Eline and Father Bulk shifted their attention to Millie. At that chance, Rashia attempted to run to the organ, to activate the item hidden between the keys.
However, Eline did not miss a beat.
“Are you going to do something? That’s no good at all.”
Eline stood between Rashia and the organ.
“Hurry up Eline.”
“Please don’t rush me, Father!” Eline blocked Rashia and inched towards Millie. It was then that a strong barrier burst between Millie and Eline.
Eline could sense that this force was much more powerful than that of Rashia. He swung down his precious 『Exvaine』.
Except it was different this time. 『Exvaine』 bounced off of the barrier with a jolt.
“What!?”
Eline’s eyes were slits of rage. He took his weapon and lashed out towards Millie. The barrier held up.
“Shit!”
“Ah!”
Eline put more might into his vicious attacks.
Millie was crouched to the ground, and only a little crack appeared in her barrier.
“…Well what do you know. My High Human weapon doesn’t seem to be doing its job.”
“!?”
“Eline!”
“Oops. Just a slip of the tongue.”
Rashia could not hide her surprise. A High Human weapon- one forged by the likes of God. It wasn’t just that though. It was the fact that the little Millie even stood a chance. The item from Shin seemed like a simple necklace. It was truly a God-given gift.
“This is a waste of time. Let’s try this.”
“Agh!?”
Eline took the 『Exvaine』 and destroyed Rashia’s barrier. She was thrown to the ground as the blade was placed right at Rashia’s neck.
“No!!”
“Millie, Millie, Millie. If you don’t want her to die, please discard your barrier item.”
“No! Millie don’t! Gah!”
Eline shut Rashia up. She could no longer produce any words.
“S-Shia-nee…”
Millie didn’t know what to do. She stood helplessly, uttering Rashia’s name.
“You don’t seem to believe me. Then, how about this?”
Eline briefly released Rashia from the holds of 『Exvaine』, and effortlessly slid the red blade into Rashia’s right rib area.
“Ah….”
Rashia didn’t know what had happened, until the blood started coming out of her mouth.
“Shia-nee!!”
Millie ran towards her.
However, her barrier stopped her, because it knew how dangerous Eline was.
“Look what you’ve done Millie. You can stop all of this right now, you know?”
“Ah…no… Don’…t…”
The pain was excruciating, but Rashia didn’t want Millie in the wrong hands. All that came out of her mouth though were shallow breaths and sounds.
“No! Release Shia-nee!!”
“All you have to do is unequip your barrier item. The more you resist, the more pain she will be in….like this.”
His tone was gentle, as Eline chanted spells into the 『Exvaine』 still inside Rashia.
The blade turned red-hot.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
The burning sensation made Rashia cry out.
Her scream was too much for Millie.
“Stop! Stop it…”
“Look. All you have to do is take off your item. Put it on the ground.”
“………”
Tears dripping down her chin, Millie placed her necklace on the floor. The moment her hand and the necklace weren’t touching, the barrier was released.
“That just took far too long. Off we go. Come.”
Father Bulk shook his head.
“Please. Please help S-Shia-nee…”
“If you come quietly, she won’t die. If you even let out a peep, who knows what will happen to your precious sister.”
“But…”
“This is why I hate children. Eline.”
“Yes, Father.”
Eline hit Millie’s gut. She fell noiselessly. They had knocked her unconscious.
“We’re done here. Let’s go.”
“Shouldn’t we clean up?”
“Leave it. But don’t leave any traces.”
“As you wish.”
Bulk carried off Millie, while Eline activated his clearing skills. He took 『Exvaine』 out of Rashia.
“!?”
She was in so much pain that all she could do was lay there quivering.
Eline looked up towards the beautiful stained glass.
“…By the way. Another question: an adventurer comes here often, carrying a magic spear. What class is this man’s weapon in?”
Eline was thinking of Wilhelm of course. He looked over at Rashia.
There was no response. This was only natural. Even if she could, she had no will to respond to him. Her wounds were deep and painful.
“Ah. My apologies. I really ought to have asked beforehand. What a pity. Until next time.”
Eline lowered his gaze.
Father Bulk had already left with his men.
――Except, another presence had filled the room.
“What a lucky day indeed.”
“Whose blood is that on your sword?”
Wilhelm’s voice was cold.
His hand squeezed 『Venom』 even tighter.
“I mean. I was having a friendly conversation with the sister. It really didn’t pan out the way I wanted it to though. By the way, how did you get here? I thought I had activated my clearing skill here.”
“What did you do to her?”
“Why do people never answer my questions?”
“You’re the one who’s got questions to answer.”
“My my. So hostile. Fine. I stabbed her. She doesn’t have very long to…!”
Wilhelm charged before Eline was finished.
『Venom』 had released a bright red light into the air.
It was a single shot with all his might. But Eline took his 『Exvaine』 and cut the blaze. The two weapons’ forces caused some large sparks.
“What did I ever do to you?”
“A whole lot!!”
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 06 - A Fanatic's Ambition/The-New-Gate-Volume-06-A-Fanatic's-Ambition-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_06_Chapter_01_Part_04.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 4
Eline dodged the repeated attacks.
Wilhelm was an upper class Chosen One. It seemed impossible, but it was as if Eline knew what his next moves were. Eline’s face remained calm and composed.
“I believe your spear is 《Legend》 grade, possibly 《Mythology》 grade. I’d love to have it in my collection.”
“Shut up!!”
Wilhelm’s attacks became more heated. He didn’t skip a beat with his repeated strikes. You’d think that one hit would be able to pulverize a king class Skull Face.
Yet it was no match against Eline’s 『Exvaine』, or Eline himself. The fighter and the weapon that Wilhelm faced were the real deal.
“You’re as good as I’d heard. I wish that I had a little more speed on me. That’s the one weakness when it comes to equipping 『Exvaine』.”
“Why, you little…!!”
It was frustrating how Eline wasn’t fully invested in the combat.
Wilhelm had to switch tactics. Rather than waste energy on the repeated blows, he had to take a single shot. He stepped back to squeeze more power into his hands that held 『Venom』. However, this caused him to stop moving momentarily.
Eline did not miss this chance.
He went from defense mode to attack mode, thrusting 『Exvaine』.
“Gah!!”
Wilhelm brought 『Venom』 in front of him to take the red blade on.
The sheer mass of it took Wilhelm by surprise. He had not anticipated its weight, having seen Eline lift it so easily. Regardless of what Eline had said about his own speed, he was faster and more agile than Wilhelm.
Wilhelm took some damage.
He was blown back and slammed against the wall. He could feel the air being forced out of his lungs, as he let out a yelp.
『Venom』 had saved Wilhelm by intercepting the thrust of his savage opponent. Still, the damage was sufficient to make Wilhelm drop 『Venom』.
『Venom』 lay there, with a crack in the center after clashing with the mighty 『Exvaine』.
“Oh dear. After looking around, I thought I’d finally found something that I liked. Now it’s damaged goods. I should have known it with a strong opponent like you.”
Eline looked down at the item and shook his head after heaving a sigh.
Maybe he was preoccupied with the weapon, but he didn’t seem to have a care in the world for Wilhelm, who was pushing the rubble off of himself.
“Grr.”
“Oh. You’re fine the way you were. This spear is no good to me.”
“Why…are you here?”
“My client was looking for someone.”
“Looking for…?”
“Yes. But we found the child. Oh, was this off record? My bad. It’s fine though, my role here is done.”
Eline answered Wilhelm cheerfully.
Wilhelm wondered if there was something wrong with the man standing there.
“I have to go now or I could get into trouble. I’d be happy if you could get your spear fixed, by the way.”
“Why don’t you tell me where you’re going too.”
“Sure. We’re headed to the church headquarter. Please come if you want. My name is Eline Sperizer. You should remember that.”
Then Eline turned and left.
No one could ever forget his grin of pure evil.
◆◆◆◆
“F-FUck!”
Eline disappeared, and Wilhelm groaned as he clutched his left abdomen in pain.
He knew that he had cracked a few ribs. On top of that, the fight had taken a tremendous toll on his body.
Wilhelm had fought quite a few battles until now, and he was in shock. He had only taken one hit, yet, he was in considerable agony.
Perhaps Eline was that skilled of a fighter, or his weapon was truly that potent. Regardless, that weapon was not normal.
“Rashia…”
He forced himself to step foot in the church.
Thoria should not be here today. Then it had to be Rashia who faced Eline.
“!?”
He could smell the damp iron of blood. It was an eerie feeling for the scent to be wafting inside a house of God.
Wilhelm looked about frantically, before his eyes rested on Rashia on the floor, her back in a pool of blood.
This was enough to make him forget his own wounds.
“Rashia!! No, Rashia!! Wake up!!”
“Wi…”
Rashia was barely conscious, as she feebly called his name.
“Please! Take this!!”
He took out a card from his Item Box.
It was a class 5 Potion – the highest-class antidote that Wilhelm had ever possessed. This should do the trick, even for wound like hers.
“No! Why?!”
He had given the potion to her. Yet, the wound was not healing itself.
Wilhelm had not known. There was a restriction depending on the potion class. A class 5 Potion was only as effective as the healing abilities of the person in need of healing. Only at a class 4 Potion or higher could an item heal a wound and enhance a person’s vitality.
That level of recovery item was not available in any of the nearby markets. It was rare to even see a class 5 Potion; the recovery item Wilhelm had.
“Damn it!!”
Wilhelm could see that it was of no use. He immediately reached for the message card in his Item Box. There wasn’t enough time to spare – not even to write to another for help.
He wrote to Shin that Rashia was stabbed.
She had very little time left in this world.
Wilhelm couldn’t help her. All he could do was pray to God that he’d get a response, and to try to stop the bleeding.
“Wil…”
“I asked Shin for help. Just hold out a little longer.”
Rashia didn’t respond. She squeezed his hand and could barely get the words out.
“I’m…sorry…”
“Why.”
“I…could…n’t…save…Mi…llie”
I’m sorry. I couldn’t save Millie.
She was losing consciousness as she repeated this over and over.
Wilhelm bit his lips.
He shouldn’t have lost his composure. He should have focused. He knew what he was up against. It didn’t help at all that he was hot in the head.
And he was even more helpless now.
“!”
A message appeared in front of Wilhelm. All that was written was “Use it.” Several item cards were also attached.
Every card had the same image. Wilhelm took one in his hand.
A long, thin glass jar appeared with a clear gold liquid inside.
Wilhelm had no idea what it was, but there was no time. He trusted Shin, and gave it to Rashia.
“Mm…ah…”
The results were astonishing.
The bleeding had stopped and the wound was closing in on itself. Her pale skin regained color. Her face had been the picture of agony. Now it was calm and soothed.
No one would have believed that she had been dying only a second ago. The only proof of the event was her torn clothes and the pool of drying blood.
“Eh? What…I..”
“Are you alright?”
Rashia was fully recovered. She seemed dazed, as she looked around.
“How did I…!? Oh Wil! Where’s Millie!? Where is she!”
She frantically questioned Wilhelm. Even if the stab wound was gone, it didn’t mean that she had recovered her stamina. She couldn’t muster any strength in her arms.
“She was gone by the time I got here.”
Rashia was losing her mind, and Wilhelm could only tell her the truth.
He was familiar with the presence of every orphan in the church. He could not feel that of Millie anywhere nearby.
“No…Millie…”
“Stop crying and tell me what happened.”
Wilhelm was losing his patience, and Rashia looked up towards him.
“She can’t be dead. We have to get her back! Tell me!”
“…I’m sorry. …she’ll be alright, right?”
“Of course, they said they’re headed back to the church headquarter. I doubt they’ll get right to the killing. I also told Shin.”
She nodded, as tears fell down her cheeks.
Millie was taken. But Wilhelm was right. Millie was still alive.
Neither Rashia nor Wilhelm knew Father Bulk’s motives. It didn’t matter anyways.
Millie was a friend. She was family.
If she needed help, they would help her.
“Wilhelm!”
A loud shout was heard from the steps of the church.
Wilhelm had managed to help Rashia sit in a chair. He turned to the source of the voice.
“About time.”
It was Shin. He had Yuzuha on his shoulders. Schnee and Tiera followed behind.
Shin also held 『Venom』 in his hand.
“I saw your message and sent you some items. Is Rashia…what is that blood?”
He was bewildered by the large, dark red spot by the alter. It had to be at least a mel in diameter.
He had only read the word ‘stabbed’. He had not anticipated that much blood loss from the message alone.
“You made it sound like she was just a little hurt. What in the world happened?”
Shin looked to see that Rashia was okay. Then he asked Wilhelm.
“You have to ask her for the details. All I know is this.”
“What?”
“Millie was taken and Rashia was stabbed by an upper class Chosen One. He had an unusual weapon too.”
“Is that why 『Venom』 is like this?”
Shin held up 『Venom』, with a chip in it. The item’s durability was reduced by a third.
“It was just one hit.”
“One hit?”
“One strike did this.”
“…I see. That means that this is no simple kidnapping.”
Shin thought about it. The weapon that was used against Wilhelm must be at least 《Mythology》 grade. It could also be 《Ancient》. Otherwise, 『Venom』 wouldn’t have become like this.
“Wil. Did you fight the blonde swordsman with the red sword?”
Rashia had been listening to the conversation.
“Yes. I know you’ve only just gotten up, but tell us what happened.”
“Yes.”
Rashia tried her hardest to tell them without getting emotional.
“I see. Then Millie shouldn’t be in immediate danger. Father Bulk didn’t care about this church at all. He was after Millie the whole time.”
“They must be after Millie’s gift.”
They agreed.
Millie was a ‘Hoshiyomi’. She could predict the future. (T/N: Hoshiyomi or Star Reader)
“I know you already talked about this. This ‘Eline’…are you sure he called his weapon 『Exvaine』, and are you sure he said it was a ‘High Human’ weapon?”
Shin was more concerned with this than Millie after hearing Rashia finish telling them what had happened.
“Yes. The bracelet that I had received from you held him off until he used the red sword against me and the bracelet shattered. I believe Millie’s item only had a crack in it towards the end, but…”
“………”
Shin repeated her words in his mind. If he was right about his hunch, then Rashia’s item couldn’t have bought them any time at all.
Even Millie’s item would have broken eventually.
“What is it?”
“No, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about Millie. Rashia, you need to rest now.”
Shin brushed off Rashia’s question, but she knew something was wrong.
It wasn’t possible for Rashia to understand, because she didn’t know he was a High Human.
Rashia looked dejected, but Wilhelm tried to reassure her.
“We’ll take over from now on. You have the other children here to protect. Tell Thoria to also be careful.”
“…Yes.”
“It really wasn’t your fault. You were up against some scary things. How could you have gone up against an opponent that even I couldn’t handle?”
Rashia had leveled up, but she was far from an upper class Chosen One. Even if she had fought normally, she couldn’t even have posed a threat against her foes.
Perhaps there was some saving grace to her leveling up though. Because of that, her blood loss was minimized. It wasn’t all hopeless.
If Rashia had died, Millie would have been devastated.
“You need to get better. For Millie.”
Shin who also joined the persuasion somehow managed to get Rashia to return to the orphanage.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 06 - A Fanatic's Ambition/The-New-Gate-Volume-06-A-Fanatic's-Ambition-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_06_Chapter_01_Part_05.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 5
“What is it? Do you know about the weapon that guy used?”
Wilhelm asked after they had cleaned up the bloody mess.
He didn’t bother to hide his anger anymore.
Perhaps something snapped after Rashia had left the room.
“Calm down Wilhelm…I thought I had an idea of what we were up against, but now it’s certain. What do you think Schnee?”
“The odds are stacked. I think we’re both on the same page.”
Schnee seemed to be thinking the same thing. While Shin didn’t spell it out, she agreed with him.
“What is it then?!”
“Yeah, it’s hard for us when you’re both in the know and we’re not.”
Wilhelm was impatient. Tiera also glared at Shin, for leaving her out.
“Sorry. 『Exvaine』 used to belong to a friend of mine. It’s actual name is 『Red Crystal Sword Exvaine』. It’s ancient grade…and it’s a sword that I forged myself.”
Shin sighed. If what Rashia heard was right, that a High Human made the weapon, then that must be the case.
What made Shin even more sure was how he had never sold it to other players.
“Wilhelm, I believe that you struggled due to one of the sword’s abilities.” Shin began to explain.
One. It increases damage against humans. Two. The blade can decrease magic damage against it.
While it doesn’t have very many abilities as far as a high-class weapon goes, originally it was meant to be a last resort weapon. Since 『Exvaine』 itself has tremendous damage potential, Shin had figured that it didn’t require any more abilities.
“Well of course I didn’t stand a chance. It was forged by the ‘Dark Blacksmith’.”
He must have remembered the battle earlier. Wilhelm furrowed his brow.
“I see. Eh? I thought the weapons Shin forged can’t be used by people who aren’t the intended user?”
Tiera blurted out after thinking about what Shin had said about Schnee’s 『Blue Moon』. While the circumstances were slightly different, she had the right idea.
“That’s true. 『Exvaine』 was handed to my friend Filma. Only she should be able to use it. Even if she were to give it away willingly, I doubt that she would be the kind of person that’d attack a church. Schnee, when was the last time you spoke to Filma?”
Filma is one of Shin’s support characters.
“We haven’t spoken since the cataclysm. That should be some 450 years or so.”
“…and you didn’t think to tell me or look for her after all that time?”
Shin was aghast at how calm Schnee was.
“Well, we live such long lives… and when we’re at the top of our respective races, time is just…our sense of time is so different and… Other than looking for Shin, I had assumed that Filma was the type that wanted to live peacefully and live alone. I’m terribly sorry, we never were heavily in touch either, and…”
It’s one thing if it’s an important character like Girard or Shibaid. For other characters though, particularly those that were isolated and not in a party, it was a different matter.
Of course, if Filma had come across a clue about Shin, she would have contacted Schnee.
Filma was an upper-class lord, aka a High Lord. Since Schnee and Filma were similar beings with long lives, not hearing from each other for centuries was not unusual.
“Shin, I know I said this before, but for High Elves like master, 500 years is nothing. There are High Elves who nap for that long.”
Tiera was the one that came to help Schnee who was under scrutiny. Tiera was quite young as an elf, so her sense of the surroundings – or the lack thereof – was not as extreme as Schnee’s.
“I’m terribly sorry…”
“No. I’m at fault too.”
When your lifetime lasts for thousands of years, there’s no point keeping track of events. While there are those who live a very purposeful and meaningful 500 years, most do not.
Either way, Shin has only been around for 20 years. He couldn’t possibly fathom that sort of mentality.
“Well, let’s leave it at that. Do you know where Filma was headed last then?”
“Yes. She was headed to the north. At least I think so. It’s been such a long time though. Again, I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be. It’s impressive that you even remember that detail.”
Shin thought to himself – ‘I bet I wouldn’t have.’
“North though, huh. We don’t have a decent map, so it’s hard to say where.”
“I have a map.”
Schnee reached into her Item Box and pulled out a map from her inventory. She placed it on the stool.
You could see how vast the ocean was in the middle of the continent. This always gave an illusion that there were two continents. According to Schnee, the north was called Est and the south was called Kern. Shin and his party were in Bayreuth. It was close to the southern end of Kern.
“I’ve never actually seen a map of our continent that’s so precise.”
“I’ve seen maps at the market, but never this good.”
Wilhelm also couldn’t hide his surprise. Shin also recalled the map he had bought in a shop.
“When you sell accurate maps, other countries can use it to their advantage. It’s difficult to make these too. This one was created by looking down from the Sky Castle.”
“I can see how looking down would allow such accuracy.”
Shin nodded. Using a guild house castle in such a way almost seemed like cheating.
“Does this mean that we have to go even further north in Est?”
“We might even end up in the north of Kern. Some truly believe that Est and Kern are two separate entities. Back when Filma had mentioned her journey, there was no such thing as Kern or Est.”
People started calling the areas by those names almost 400 years ago.
The map was made after Filma’s disappearance. It’s hard to tell how Filma understood the continental divide.
“So. Why did that bastard have your friend’s sword?”
“I don’t know. There’s no way to know unless we ask Filma or the sword’s current owner. We can’t let it be this way for long though.”
Shin’s attitude had sharply changed over the course of this discussion. His tone was more aggressive.
He clenched hard at the stool that the map was laid upon. You could hear a faint crushing noise coming from within his hand. Wilhelm was more obvious with his emotions, but Shin was boiling up inside, although he appeared calm.
According to Rashia’s story, it was unlikely that Father Bulk would kill Millie instantly.
That didn’t mean that Millie was safe though. In the worst-case scenario, Millie would be put through unbearable pain and suffering in order to make her cooperate.
What’s more, Eline was clearly abnormal. It pissed off Shin beyond anything, that someone could have the nerve to equip another person’s weapon.
Shin wasn’t sure that he could let a person breathe, if they had taken another’s weapon by virtue of murder.
“Shin…”
“Please. Please calm down.”
Tiera gently touched Shin’s left arm. Her voice quivered, and Schnee placed her hand over Shin’s right hand.
Yuzuha could also feel the tension in the air. She said nothing, and rubbed Shin’s cheek slowly.
“I’m not the only one upset then.”
“…Yeah.”
Shin tried to breathe in deeply in order to slow his nerves.
“Sorry…we have to talk about how to get Millie back. Wilhelm, when you fought Eline, did he say anything about where they were headed?”
Shin apologized and thanked the three, then asked Wilhelm.
“They’re going to the Church headquarter. He told me to bring back 『Venom』 after fixing it. That bastard.”
Wilhelm’s bad mood worsened.
“Which means, that even if we can’t catch up with them, an encounter is unavoidable at the Church.”
“It’s not possible to catch up.”
Wilhelm shut Shin down.
“What do you mean? I think it’s entirely possible at our journey speed.”
“Eline disappeared after our battle. He didn’t just disappear out of sight. I think…he ‘teleported’.”
Wilhelm had actually witnessed Eline fade away. He would have recognized a magic skill 【Hiding】. It was nothing of the sort.
“【Teleportation】…really?”
“I think so. It didn’t feel like he wanted to hide himself.”
Shin mulled it over, as Schnee interrupted.
“It must be the difference in the magical current.”
“Magical current?”
Shin glanced over at Schnee over a concept he’d never heard of.
“【Teleportation】 and 【Hiding】 rely on different magical currents. Wilhelm knows what 【Hiding】 feels like in the surrounding area. It must have been an unfamiliar feeling.”
“I had no idea. How does it feel different?”
“It depends on the person. There are those who are sensitive to magical currents and others who can’t sense it too.”
It was a different setting from the game. It must be similar to the concept of the arts – something that only really exists in this universe alone.
“Then we have to head directly to the Church headquarter. Where is it?”
“Around here.”
Schnee pointed at the map with her thin finger. It was in the center of Est.
This meant that they’d have to cross through Kern and stop somewhere in the middle of Est.
“This is going to take some time.”
“Perhaps we can reach out to Vizzy. We could borrow a dragon. That would dramatically decrease our travel time.”
“Yes. Please do that.”
Vizzy was a summoner and tamer, as well as a supporting character of Cashmere. (T/N: Changed Busy to Vizzy)
Rumor had it that there were several dragons being trained at the castle. It could be their chance to save time.
The last message sent to Raster had no reply. They could also check in on that front.
“Maybe he’s so busy that he just forgot?”
“Maybe.”
Shin knew Raster well enough. He could picture that. Raster had that personality of often forgetting his environment when focused too much on a single task.
In the real world, someone like him would be called a ‘mechanic nerd’.
“I knew this already but…he really is crazy isn’t he?”
“Just don’t think about anything too hard.”
Riding a dragon was the kind of thought that a player would have. People who lived in this universe would never consider it as a transportation means.
Aside from a few warriors in the Kilmont Sky Dragoon, it was a rare skill for anyone to possess. Riding a dragon was tremendously difficult.
Wilhelm knew that Shin was an abnormal being.
Still, as someone native, these weren’t instinctive or natural thoughts. Tiera looked over at Wilhelm, dumbfounded, as she once used to be because of her culture shock from Shin.
“Our destination is set. Who knows what’ll happen, but we have to prepare now. We have to get Millie back.”
“No need to say that twice.”
Wilhelm headed towards Rashia to update her on their next moves.
In the meantime, Schnee and Tiera went to go find food. Shin took the broken 『Venom』 and headed outside of the capital.
“Alright then.”
He was in the middle of a field, not too far from civilization, and made Tsuki no Hokora materialize. He had placed a hiding spell on it, to keep it out of people’s sight.
The furnace was already roaring. The necessary metals to enhance 『Venom』 were prepared.
“Let’s see…which one…”
Shin looked over 『Venom』.
Enhancing 『Venom』 was different from the kinds of actions to take with Schnee’s weapon, for instance. 『Venom』 required a higher status from its user. Certain conditions needed to be met for the spear to grow stronger.
While the conditions weren’t exactly clear, Shin knew that Wilhelm and 『Venom』 together satisfied any combination of terms.
『Venom』 was interesting, in that it had two possible paths – ‘holy’ or ‘demonic’. It was a surprise how it’d turn out.
Shin instructed Yuzuha to step aside and got to work.
Shin took the refined orichalcum and mithril ingot and placed it close by. He threw 『Venom』 into the fire.
Even ancient grade metal stood no chance in this fire. 『Venom』 melted within seconds, becoming a metal ingot.
Shin thrust his hammer down.
“!!!!”
With each heavy hammering, 『Venom』’s magic was being swerved left and right by Shin’s overpowering magic. The entire workshop was full of sparks.
When rebuilding a weapon from the ground up, all of the magic in a weapon needed to be exhausted.
It all depended on the blacksmith, how much magic could be drained and how much could be poured back in.
The ingot that was once 『Venom』 would make any normal person fall with a single touch. Weapons that were heavily used were even more difficult to mold.
“!”
After being struck for a few dozen times, the ingot began to change shape. Its red hue was fading as a silver gleam started to become more prominent.
Shin smiled at the sight. The silver meant that the spear would be holy.
“Well, that’s good news.”
He chuckled, and began to put more power into his arms.
A high pitched banging of metal to metal echoed throughout the shrine. The ingot was turning brighter and brighter, and Shin’s hammer was thrusting heavier and heavier.
With the last hammer in, a final blow of force rippled from the metal to the surrounding area.
Any normal blacksmith would have had his arm explode from the might.
It was but a breeze to a seasoned Shin, as he looked deeply into the ingot.
All of its original magic was gone, as it started to emit a stronger radiance.
“Good.”
Shin was satisfied with his work, and reached over for the orichalcum and mithril. He placed them over the ingot and continued to hammer down.
A different note could be heard with each bang. At first the metals made more of a grunting noise, but as they meshed into one, the tone became a clear clang and ringing clatter.
Shin was also more patient, more intentional with each thrust. The ingot was resistant at first and you could almost hear it. Eventually, it made no noise. It shook but seemed resigned and accepting its own fate.
“!”
Shin let out a sigh with the final blow.
He lifted his hammer and looked down to see a single spear.
The entire spear, up until the tip of the blade, shimmered silver.
A small cross shaved clear crystal was placed between the spearhead, embellished with a red marking here and there. This must be the remains of 『Venom』.
Shin took the spear in hand and began to appraise.
―――― “Holy spear 『Beinot』” Total score SS”
―――― “All bonus conditions met. Warrior equipped will be given the title ‘Smiling Guardian’.”
Looking at the minute details, Shin’s eyes stopped.
The weapon in his hand should have been an upper mythology grade weapon. In fact, it had upgraded to a lower ancient grade weapon.
He expected as much as far as the bonuses would go, but…
“I see. So this method also upgrades the weapon class.”
Schnee’s 『Blue Moon』 and Shibaid’s 『Placid Moon』, Wolfgang’s 『Crushing Moon』 were all at their highest classes. There was no way to upgrade beyond higher ancient.
Plus, 『Swift Fang』 was only welded for an ability upgrade. There was no way that it could also class upgrade.
“Now it’ll be a fair match with 『Exvaine』.”
Comparing weapons alone, 『Beinot』 was superior.
Who knows how the battle will unfold, but Wilhelm and 『Beinot』 should be able to meet eye to eye with Eline and 『Exvaine』.
Shin quickly turned 『Beinot』 into a card and returned to the capital.
Schnee was already done with her errands. Everyone was back at the church orphanage.
“Vizzy got back to me. The capital will draw too much attention. We have to meet somewhere a little more remote.”
“How long will we have to wait?”
“About an hour.”
“Then we can head there and wait.”
Vizzy had things to do too. Even if Shin was the same rank with Vizzy’s master, Cashmere, he couldn’t get upset.
Besides, riding a dragon would reduce their overall travel time by more than an hour.
Wilhelm was the last one to join them. Shin and the party left the capital.
They went out for some 20 minutes to the middle of a field with nothing in the way. They would wait for Vizzy there, and they had already checked that no one would bother them.
Wilhelm had already received the 『Beinot』 card.
“…There.”
Shin looked over. In the clouds, a small shadow appeared.
He counted 5. They waited a bit longer as the shadows became clearer.
“Hey. Shin. The red one in the front… that’s an elder red dragon.”
“Yes. But it doesn’t look full-grown.”
“That’s really not the point.”
Shin thought that he was remarking on how small the dragon is.
The elder red dragons that Wilhelm said were upper class monsters in the dragon family. In comparison to normal red dragons, they had considerably higher battle specs.
They grew to be about 20 mels, but the dragon in the front looked to be half of that.
There were two dragons on each side of the red dragon, all with elder titles: a blue dragon and green dragon to its left and a white dragon and black dragon to its right.
They must also see Shin and his party.
They gradually decreased in altitude, landing some 10 mels away from them.
A woman wearing a robe swooped down from the elder red dragon.
“Hi~ long time no see~. I didn’t think you’d really come back~.”
A woman walked towards Shin, speaking slowly.
She was Vizzy Laurette, a tamer under Cashmere.
Her semi-long golden hair had a slight tint of pink in them, and she looked into Shin’s face with trademark High Pixie clear blue eyes. She couldn’t be taller than 150 cemels.
She appeared to be a beautiful little girl.
“You still talk like that?”
“Nothing’s changed really.”
One of Vizzy’s settings was to talk slowly.
According to Schnee, her personality had not digressed one bit.
“I heard that you needed some dragons~, so I brought you~ there babies~. They’re small but~ very good at flying~.”
“Thanks.”
Vizzy smiled, unlike her counterpart supporting character Berett, who was shy and reserved. Shin’s memory did not fail him.
They didn’t have time to chit-chat, so each character began to maneuver a dragon.
Vizzy rode on her elder red, as Schnee took the blue, Tiera and Kagerou took the green, Shin and Yuzuha took the black and Wilhelm took the white dragon. Kagerou hid in Tiera’s shadow, while Yuzuha dug deeper into Shin’s jacket, peeking out just the face.
With Vizzy leading, Shin and Schnee took her flanks. Wilhelm and Tiera were behind Shin and Schnee, respectively.
While they were all novices at riding dragons except for Shin and Schnee, each dragon understood words clearly. It was not possible for the dragons to fly in the wrong direction.
Wilhelm and Tiera were reluctant, and placed all of their faith in their dragons.
“It’s high…and it’s cold…”
Tiera, who had never had any experience with even the idea of flying, was shocked by the height and the ambient temperature.
Magic only helped a little in terms of the wind or the cold air. She wasn’t equipping very much either, and shivered.
Kagerou didn’t seem to be bothered by the temperature, and peered anxiously at Tiera’s face.
“Now I understand why Vizzy wears a robe… Hm?”
A message card appeared in front of Tiera.
She opened it to see a fur robe card.
“USE IT!”
Shin shouted back at her. It was hard to hear with the wind in her ears, but she waved back at him.
She moved slowly in order not to lose her balance, as a warm, thick, green outer garment appeared. She managed to pull it over herself despite the wind getting in her way.
“Wow…”
It was no ordinary outer garment. All of the cold discomfort vanished, and the icy wind was transformed into softness.
Shin and Schnee didn’t seem bothered by the cold either.
Tiera glanced over at Wilhelm, who had already taken the initiative to use his own cloak.
Tiera had heard from Shin earlier, that they were meeting Shibaid at the dragon empire Kilmont. She recalled the power and aura of the High Dragnil.
“I don’t belong here.”
Every person that the party had encountered until now has been abnormally strong and powerful. Tiera understood her place in the world, and felt discouraged.
“Gruu.”
“I know, I know. We have to save Millie. I have to stop thinking about myself.”
Tiera pat Kagerou on the head, and took in a deep breath to encourage herself.
She had tamed Kagerou after all, and they had bonded in a way that they both knew exactly how the other felt. This was not an easy feat, even for extremely advanced trainers. Tiera didn’t know that though.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 06 - A Fanatic's Ambition/The-New-Gate-Volume-06-A-Fanatic's-Ambition-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_06_Chapter_02_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 1
The party cut through the wind and continued to fly.
It had been a few hours since they left Bayreuth. They took breaks and continued their journey, making it past the Melt mountains before sunset
They had to go around the mountains, which took longer than if they had flown directly over them. It was inevitable, since the dragons were not full grown and the party did not want to anger the Melt mountains’ guardian, the Mist Garuda.
The elder dragons that Vizzy brought had yet to reach adulthood.
She had intended to bring adult elder dragons, but it was breeding season. It was not possible to remove them from Rashugum.
That was why she had brought the younger ones, who weren’t ready for breeding yet.
Aside from their sizes, they weren’t that different from the adults. However, their smaller stature impacted their flying abilities.
They weren’t as fast as the adults, nor could they fly very high.
If the elder dragons were adults, it would have been possible to fly over the Melt mountains easily.
There was a variation in the pack’s colors, because there weren’t enough green elder dragons – the fastest ones. Aside from that, having a set of dragons with different specialties was better for an emergency.
“We should set camp here tonight.”
“Just in case, I’ll set up a 【Barrier】 and 【Wall】.”
“Right. I’ll pitch a tent.”
Shin took out a tent for camping from his Item Box.
It wasn’t a personal-sized tent, but for a party or a group. Since the tent comes out fully assembled, there’s no need for extra work.
Still, some players enjoy assembling tents during game play.
The tent was large enough for a party of 6, the party limit, to the extent that they could all huddle up and sleep together. However, in this case the tent was divided into two sections. Men and Women.
There was simple bedding provided inside, with adequate temperature control. Obviously magic was involved.
“…it’s from Berett.”
A message arrived from Berett, as Shin set up camp. He had asked for more information about the church from the Golden Company that Berett managed.
Shin looked over the information.
The firm had a branch in the city of Sigurd, where the church’s headquarter was based. Berett had ordered his workers to spy on the church’s movements. So far nothing was out of the ordinary.
The church had gained support from several different regions, after being involved in revival movements post – “Dusk of the Majesty”.
There were many religions across Eltnia, like those who worshipped indigenous gods and heroes. Still, church followers made up the majority of the population.
The Pope was at the top, with several cardinals and priests below him, dispatched across Eltnia and its many smaller countries. Due to the volume of followers and the expansion of the church organization, Sigurd alone felt like its own city state.
Of course, other countries did not approve of this way.
That was why the church’s knights acted like a standing army, clearing out the monsters in the area as a way of keeping balance with the surrounding countries. Rumor has it, that there was even a special military force composed of only Chosen Ones.
Some individuals also possessed their own Chosen Ones.
Perhaps Bulk and Eline’s relationship was just another form of that.
“I’m sure that they’re already there. Who knows what they’re doing.”
It was hard for Shin to decide whether Millie’s abduction was Bulk acting out rashly, or the will of the church.
He felt like it was probably the former, but when he also considered Millie’s abilities, it was entirely likely that the church’s upper echelon had their own personal agenda.
Berett had already been notified that a child with special abilities had been abducted by a father of the church. It would take some time though for the details to become clear.
They were up against the church though. It would be irresponsible to drag in those who were not involved to begin with.
Was Bulk alone? Were there others? It was necessary to make it clear.
Regardless of who was responsible – whether it was just Bulk or a few others – it had to be stopped. And it had to be stopped at all costs.
“It’s impossible to know how Millie’s doing, or how much the church really knows.”
“The inside of the church has more intense security than castles around here. Besides, on this continent, the church definitely has the most Chosen Ones. Even if we have friends in the Golden Company, it’s not going to be easy.”
If it were just a numbers game, the adventure guild had an advantage. However, the church had more Chosen Ones under its command that were free to do as they pleased.
This force was quite potent, especially since the extent of each individual’s abilities were unknown. The church could easily take over any of the countries in the vicinity.
“If all of the church is in on it, it means that we have to take everyone down… that’s annoying. Should we take them down all in one sweep?”
“There shouldn’t be too many of them. Perhaps that would be easier for us to maneuver.”
Shin was talking to himself, and Schnee responded while cooking.
This was if the church was in on it, or if the upper echelon of the church had been a part of it. If this were the case though, the church would have to go down.
“Wait, wait, wait! Shin, I mean you guys, are starting to sound a little crazy!”
Tiera had to intervene.
Of course Tiera was upset about Millie.
However, it was worrisome hearing Shin and Schnee practically declaring war on the entire church.
But of course, it wasn’t as if Shin and Schnee were going to attack the church right now, at this instant. Still, it was nothing to joke about.
“Well, I’m sure that it’d be easy for the two of you.”
Unlike Tiera, Wilhelm couldn’t hide the astonishment in the tone of his voice.
Of course he was still bitter, but time had cooled down his temper. In comparison to before they had taken off, he had controlled his emotions much more.
“You too Wilhelm-san, please refrain from saying absurd things…”
“It can’t be helped. If we’re getting Millie back, the end result will be the same for anyone who gets in the way.”
Wilhelm glared towards Sigurd.
Shin agreed.
The only two that he knew would be a handful, were Father Bulk and his loyal pet Eline. Aside from those two, Shin and company did not know; what other war potentials they had, why they were after Millie, and why they possessed Exvaine.
One thing was for certain, and that was Shin and his party’s purpose.
They had to get Millie back. That was it.
The enemy could be the whole church, or part of the church. It didn’t matter. They knew what they had to do, and they had the strength to do it.
Shin heaved a sigh like he was letting out all of the heat in his body. He loosened his shoulders.
“…It’s not like we need to make decisions right now. We should eat. Sorry Tiera.”
He hadn’t lost his cool, but he was aware that he was more aggressive than usual.
He apologized to a concerned-looking Tiera and tried to focus on something else.
“But when master and Shin say such things, it’s never to be taken lightly. Besides, dinner is served. Master, how did you do that.”
Schnee had never stopped working throughout the conversation.
Shin looked over at what Tiera was talking about. The table was set and the food was ready.
“Oh, this is nothing. Vizzy! Dinner’s ready.”
Schnee called on Vizzy who was tending to the elder dragons.
Vizzy fed the 5 different colored elder dragons, and Shin and his party couldn’t help her.
The dragons each bit into their own pile of meat, that would have come from at least one cattle.
“Sorry for the wait~. Wow~. What a feast~. It doesn’t feel like we’re camping out~.”
Vizzy walked towards Shin and the party, and smiled at the meal.
“Aw Schnee~ this is impressive. I’m glad that you’re finally able to show off after all that practice while Shin was gone~.”
She had known about Schnee leveling up at cooking.
“Vizzy, did you see Schnee often during that time?”
“Yes~. We cooked~ we’d knit too~. By the way~ did she give it to you yet~?”
“Give what?”
“What do you mea~n!”
Vizzy was cut off abruptly.
Schnee had stopped her from finishing her thought by blocking her mouth.
It was out of the blue, and Vizzy tried to get out of Schnee’s hold. after all, she works for Cashmere in the Rokuten. She’s much more adept than most upper class Chosen Ones.
Schnee however had been born and raised for combat. Vizzy’s resistance was useless, given the class difference.
“Mmmmm! Mmmmmm! Mmmm….” Vizzy was growing weaker. She was out of breath.
“Um…Schnee?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know what Vizzy was about to say, but can you let her go now? She’s starting to look a little limp.”
Vizzy didn’t look ‘a little limp’. The moment Schnee let go of her, she gasped for air.
“Ah, haaaa, Schnee that was heartless~.”
“You really should keep your mouth shut.”
“Really~? But you worked so hard— Okayyy~. I won’t say anything anymore~.”
Schnee was raising her right arm with a gritty smile on her face, and Vizzy raised both hands as a gesture of surrender. Schnee was smiling, except she wasn’t.
Not only did this exchange ease the tension, but it left Shin aghast.
Perhaps Vizzy understood what was at stake, and she was trying to lighten the mood in her own way…perhaps…
“I don’t get it, but let’s eat.”
Once they were finished eating, they prepared for the journey ahead and went to bed. No one was on guard duty. They had set up both 【Barrier】 and 【Wall】 spells, and no one stood a chance against this party.
At the rate that they traveled, it was possible for Shibaid to join them and for the party to arrive in Sigurd by the end of tomorrow.
Contact had been made with Berett already. If any new information were obtained through the Golden Company in Sigurd, it’d be relayed to Shin promptly. While he doubted that anything new would come up overnight, he still had the investigation continue.
◆◆◆◆
The dawn came and the party was heading toward Kilmont.
They had left early in the morning, so before noon, they were a field away from the royal capital of Kilmont.
“(I can see the capital. We can get off our ride soon. How about you?)”
“(I’m ready. I’ll leave the capital now. Where should we meet?)”
Shin and Shibaid were communicating via Mind Chat, and had a meeting place set. They would head back to Kilmont after getting Millie back.
The elder dragons landed a few kemels away from Kilmont.
In the direction from Kilmont, a shadow was approaching.
“Someone’s coming.”
Tiera noticed the presence, and she tried to see more closely.
“It’s Shibaid. I got in touch with him beforehand.”
Shin told his party not to worry. They waited.
Within 5 minutes, the shadow emerged.
It was Shin’s support character no. 4, Shibaid Etraku, covered in black scales and kicking up the dirt as he trekked to meet Shin.
His luggage must be in an Item Box. He wasn’t as fast as Shin or Schnee, but he sped towards them at well past the speed of an upper class Chosen One.
He wore protective gear which was different to the full body armor he originally wore. Only parts of his body such as the hands, feet and waist were protected with armor.
“Am I late?”
“No, we flew. It’s no surprise that we couldn’t meet at the same time. Sorry that we hurried you.”
“No need to apologize. I could never stay still, hearing that those with a holy occupation would bring harm to a small child.”
Shibaid let out a fiery breath. In contrast to Vizzy, he scowled and showed his disdain clearly.
Shibaid showed more enthusiasm than Shin and the party. It could be the mix of his personality and his occupation – a similar field – as a holy knight.
“Now that we’ve met~. We should leave~. Oh, Shibaid is heavy~, so Schnee should ride with Shin~. Shibaid should~ride the dragon that Schnee’s riding~.”
For some reason Vizzy gave a thumb’s up while giving out orders.
“I get it. Sorry Schnee.”
“…It’s not a problem.”
“Okay.”
There was nothing to disagree with, so Shin accepted it.
Shibaid was heavy. It made sense to switch riders.
If there was any confusion, it was the fact that Schnee should ride with Tiera, since they were the two lightest characters.
“…Excuse me.”
“I’m sure you’ll be fine, but you should grab on tight.”
Schnee wrapped her arms around Shin’s waist, and held on tightly. Shin made sure that they were secure, and ordered his elder dragon to rise.
If it weren’t for the dire situation, the ride should have been enjoyable. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
The 5 dragons leapt into the air. Shin and his party was now headed straight for Sigurd.
◆◆◆◆
Meanwhile, the church had no idea that the world’s most powerful ability holders were on their tail. Father Bulk had returned, and he was headed to one location.
Eline followed behind him carrying Millie.
The two were walking along a block that was not known to the public. Only powerful men within the church knew of its existence, such as a cardinal or an even higher status.
It was an undisclosed location within the guild house Palmirack, used as a safe house or an experiment room.
The building itself was sturdy and the walls and floors gave off heat.
Doors would open on their own just from sensing a presence.
Magic was abundant, authenticating individuals across several species.
Spells were active in these chambers that were impossible to recast from before the “Dusk of the Majesty,” and the leaders of the church held their offices and slept in these halls.
A portion of the equipment in Palmirack was functional, and in a way that people could utilize it.
Father Bulk was walking through corridors that were divided into even smaller sections, where several clearances passes were necessary. Unlike the other areas with several rooms, they stopped at one room the size of an entire area. Beautiful decorations adorned the room where Father Bulk stopped.
It was the room of the ‘Holy Woman’.
“Pardon us.”
Father Bulk opened the door without knocking.
For a personal room, it appeared very sparse. One look and you’d think that it was a prayer room.
It was about 25 mels by 40 mels. The ceiling was 10 mels high. The room was enormous.
The floor in the center was a step higher than the rest of the room, giving off an even greater impression that this was a room for prayer.
Except that there was a bed there. A thin cloth draped from above, surrounding this bed.
You could see the shadow of a petite woman.
“Sorry, did we disturb you? How are you my dearest Saint?”
“…Your sarcasm is ill taken. Stop it.”
Bulk bowed elaborately, and this was only making the Holy Woman more disgusted.
Most people would have fallen in love with such a soothing voice, but the disdain was palpable.
“Well, well. It seems that I am truly hated. I figured you were lonely, so I brought you your own kind.”
“My own? …! No!”
The Holy Woman held her breath as she processed Bulk’s words.
Of course, she knew that he didn’t mean her own species, when he had said her ‘own kind’.
As a holy man, Father Bulk has swayed far from the righteous path. But he would never bring an outsider to a Holy Woman’s room, just because they’re the ‘same species’.
Which meant one thing with regards to her special title.
“You guess it right.”
The Saint’s expression became grim as Father Bulk’s words sank in.
“Eline.”
“Yes sir.”
Eline responded promptly.
He calmly stepped forward towards the Saint and placed Millie on the floor, lifting her from his shoulders.
“Where did you take her from?”
“She was being kept at some church. They knew how special she is though, so it was a bit of a struggle.”
Father Bulk spoke as if it were a matter of fact.
However, the Saint knew that he was lying.
“You’re in the same boat. Please be kind to her. You know how it goes – unless she can control her powers, she will have horrid nightmares right? Besides, maybe if all goes well she can be your replacement.”
“You monster!”
The word replacement triggered something in the Saint.
Of course, she wanted out. But that didn’t mean that she would sacrifice a small child for her own sake.
“If you do nothing, we’d be forced to educate her. Who knows what will happen?”
“…Fine. I’ll take her.”
The Saint had to bite her tongue to stop herself from all the profanities she wanted to spit at Father Bulk.
“Thank you. I’ll be going now. Please hurry so that she’s useful soon.”
Father Bulk thanked her half heartedly and left the Saint’s room.
Eline followed Bulk, leaving behind Millie and the Saint.
“‘Useful’!?”
The Holy Woman squeezed her fist, fuming at the way Bulk had handled Millie like some sort of tool.
She stood from the edge of the bed where she was sitting, and lifted the thin cloth to inch closer towards the unconscious Millie.
She was no longer hidden by the cloth, and her physicality became more present.
She was beautiful – as beautiful as you’d imagine any saint.
Her marble skin, her silky white hair, her clear blue eyes.
The face staring down at Millie was as beautiful as a doll, while radiating the warmth that a doll could not.
This made the black collar around her neck stand out even more.
She was perhaps 16 years old. Maybe it was too soon to call her a ‘woman,’ but she was beyond the maturity of a little girl.
She held the sleeping Millie into her arm. Millie’s eyes opened, after feeling a warm body pressing against hers.
“Mmmm…?”
“Are you awake?”
Her voice was so close, she realized that she was being held.
It might have been due to her beastly instincts – Millie twisted herself out of the Holy Woman’s embrace. She looked around the room and realized that she was no longer at the church.
“Where am I?”
“You are in the church of the fortress city Sigurd. This is a room that only Saints can be in.”
“This is a church too? Saints?”
“Yes. Saints. Those that have been approved by the church to aid in the works of miracles. However, I’m a Saint only in name.”
Millie looked around everywhere, trying to find an escape route. The Holy Woman was calm.
She was so calm that it made Millie relax a bit.
“My name is Hermie Schultz. And you are?”
“…Millie.”
“Millie. Aren’t you hurt? I understand that you were brought here against your will.”
“!? Shia…Oh no! Shia’s going to die!”
Hermie’s words remind Millie of the circumstances by which she was brought here. The last thing she remembers is Rashia in a pool of her own blood.
“Calm down. You can’t do anything right now.”
“But…they were after me. Shia got hurt because I was…”
Millie had heard Bulk speak, and she had pieced it together that she was to blame for Rashia’s injuries.
Rashia had been there for her when Millie had no family. She had smiled at her.
Millie couldn’t stop thinking about Rashia’s face, contorted in pain and sinking into a pool of blood.
“Was she special to you?”
“…Yes.”
“Then think about her very strongly.”
As Hermie said that, she held Millie. Hermie’s warmth made Millie forget her fears for a second.
Millie closed her eyes tightly, and saw the image of Rashia, smiling and patting Millie’s head.
“…Yes. You don’t have to worry. Your special person is safe.”
“What?”
Hermie patted Millie’s head, trying to comfort her.
When Millie looked up, she couldn’t help but mistake Hermie for Rashia.
“I know you might not believe me, but your special someone is very safe. Yes…she’s been helped by those with strong capabilities.”
“…Wil-nii and Shin-nii…”
Upon hearing Hermie’s words, Millie immediately thought of Wilhelm and Shin.
Millie’s chest was bursting with relief.
Those two could save Rashia, Millie sincerely believed.
“Millie-chan? …My, you must trust those people very much.”
Millie had fallen asleep again. She had loosened up after being comforted. Hermie carried Millie to the bed, and stared at a point in the wall.
It may have been a coincidence. Or she knew. She was staring in the direction that Shin and his party were coming from.
She patted Millie’s headed and heaved a sigh.
Her eyes cast doubt and fear.
“If she trusts them, they must not be bad people.”
Hermie knew that Rashia was safe, because of her title of ‘Star Reader’.
While under normal circumstances, ‘Star Readers’ could only see very little of the future and randomly, Hermie had trained to target and specify what she wants to know.
As a result, Hermie had seen a woman being treated for her injuries. She had linked her senses with that of Millie, so that she knew that the woman was Rashia. There were also two men there- Wilhelm and Shin.
Hermie understood that Millie poured all of her faith into these two figures.
Unlike Millie, Hermie only harbored fear towards these two strangers.
The reason being that, both Wilhelm and Shin housed many species within themselves.
An abnormal, unique kind of strength. Hermie had been subjected to and known so many strong men, that she was not quick to trust any anymore.
She was particularly frightened of Shin.
“Is that really even a person?”
She blurted out the question that no one could answer. Her words were absorbed into the memories of the wall. That was just how much power Hermie had gauged within Shin. With one glance towards Shin, Hermie had almost lost her consciousness.
From observing Eline, who could even make light of upper class Chosen Ones’ strength, she was able to grasp an understanding of Shin’s mighty strength.
“Maybe they can…”
It was frightening. But an overwhelming sense of wind of change compelled her.
They will definitely come to take Millie back.
Then, something else will happen. Hermie knew.
She didn’t have to read the stars. It was an intuition – something even more unreliable. But she felt more sure about it.
As she scratched at the collar around her neck, Hermie prayed.
◆◆◆◆
“We’re here.”
Shin and his party landed on solid ground after hours of flying.
Their gazes were towards something far away – the fortress city of Sigurd. With their abilities, they should be inside the city compounds within an hour.
“Should I wait here~?”
“I don’t know. If we were to look into the church and also look for Millie, how much time would that take…?”
Since their ‘map’ abilities had been reduced to initial stage levels, it’s hard for Shin to get a grasp of what Palmirack is like on the inside.
It would be best to have options available, but it’d be cruel to have her wait forever.
While Vizzy works for Cashmere as a member of the Rokuten, that didn’t mean that she had to follow Shin’s orders. Unlike Schnee and Shibaid, there’s some inconsistencies with her loyalty.
“I want to finish them off here. That might mean that we’ll need you. I don’t want it to take that long, but I don’t know when I’ll be needing you. Is that alright?”
“That’s fine~. It’s not like there’s much to do in Rashugum anyways~. Besides~, I don’t think I can keep my nose out of this one~.”
She might have a different master, but Vizzy’s still good at heart. That’s why she must have disagreements with Father Bulk and the church.
The other issue was that Eline could probably 【Teleport】 outside of the church too. It was necessary to secure an exit plan just in case.
“I see. I’m sorry, but wait for us here.”
They left Vizzy behind to care for the dragons, while Shin and the party headed towards Sigurd.
Kagerou pulled on the wagon, and they zipped past the field. In the middle of the journey, the wagon slowed down a little to blend in with the other wagons lined up heading towards the city.
A giant fortress wall surrounded Sigurd. The city surrounded Palmirack and built itself around it.
Due to the geography, Palmirack was built on a slightly higher elevation than the surrounding buildings. It was considered to be an icon of the city.
“This is a lively city.”
“No one’s stupid enough to cause trouble at the foot of the church. I’m sure it’s considered one of the safest places in the continent.”
“It’s also in the center of Est. People from all sorts of background gather from various places. If it’s a busy place with little crime, of course it’ll turn out lively.”
Wilhelm and Schnee discussed the city, while Shin covered his face with his cloak and stared at Palmirack from beneath his hood.
Palmirack was within Shin’s radar, but he couldn’t see inside.
With his introductory map abilities, it was not possible to see the insides of Palmirack from the outside.
The Rokuten’s guild houses were always protected against internal scanner skills. That kind of defense mechanism could have inspired something here too.
“At the very least, we should head to the gold trade’s branch. It’s only been a day, but maybe they have some new information.”
“Right. Either way we need an info.”
They asked for directions and headed towards the Golden Company. It was expected, but the firm was quite famous within Sigurd. The familiar gold sign from Balmel could also be found here.
They called on the staff, showed them the seal and paperwork included in Berett’s message card, and were welcomed inside. They left their wagon outside, and headed into the building.
Once they were led into the branch’s head office, one young elf waited for them.
“I was expecting you.”
The youth bowed his head politely and introduced himself as Ertol Maik. Supposedly he worked directly for Berett.
“I’ve been instructed by Berett-sama. I hear that you want more information about the church.”
“Yes, it can be anything you know.”
“Let me begin then.”
It was not disclosed that Shin was a High Human.
According to Ertol, a saint called the “Soothsaying Holy Woman” was sick and being treated by the church. While it might not be a direct cause, the upper echelon of the church was quite active here.
Furthermore, within the church confines there was an area that only those appointed could walk freely. Security was quite extreme, so it was impossible to see the insides. It was a safe bet that anything hidden would be within this exclusive area.
“There’s quite a lot of misinformation floating about regarding the church. Many outsiders have attempted to infiltrate it, so the rumor mill must be generated by those who work for the church. We’ve had a branch here for quite some time now, but the church is still a great mystery…”
Anything fishy regarding the church could basically be traced back to a drunk blabbering on about it, or another, even less credible source.
“Do you know anything about who’s going to take over the Bayreuth churches?”
“No, we have no information on that. I’m terribly sorry, but I’m afraid that this is it.”
There were probably 10, maybe even 20 upper class Chosen Ones working with the church. Even if you wanted to break in, several upper class Chosen Ones guarded the church at different locations. They needed to be careful.
It was tricky to attack this fortress.
Despite the Golden Company that had been built by the “Golden Merchant” Reed, it wasn’t as if it housed only upper class Chosen Ones. It’s a matter of what’s more valuable: quantity or quality.
(We’re on our own, huh?)
There was only so much action you could take in stealth as an upper class Chosen Ones.
However, that wasn’t necessarily the case for Shin or his party. If Shin and Schnee in particular were to move stealthily, very few could catch them in this universe.
“I understand. We’ll be on our own then.”
“Again, I’m terribly sorry for my inadequacies.”
“”No. Everything you’re saying alludes to how this is a difficult task, even if we had time. With so many upper class Chosen Ones guarding, it’s not simple.”
There was no point in blaming Ertol over this matter. What little information he provided was useful. Shin continued to ask more general questions about the church.
They would require further assistance from the Golden Company. For now, they headed towards the inn.
The party looked for an inn that would also take their wagon. They walked around the city for 20 or so minutes and found a promising one.
“Welcome! Welcome to the Silver Desert!”
They were certainly enthusiastic.
Since Sigurd is a city where travelers come and go, many of the inns were restaurants on the first floor and rooms on the second.
The one that Shin and the party stepped into fit the stereotype. Waitresses wearing frilly uniforms bustled in between busy tables.
Of the many waitresses, one with semi-long hair approached Shin and the party.
“Welcome. Will you be dining or spending the night?”
“We’ll be staying. We also have a wagon in the front.”
“I’ll have someone tend to it. How many are in your party?”
“Five. We also have a few contract beasts. Is that alright?”
“Several of our guests are travelers with contract beasts. However, there’ll be a separate fee for them. Is that alright?”
They agreed, and took a room. The room was one big one for the whole party.
They held a brief meeting in the room and left the inn.
“Alright. Like we planned, we’ll be back before the sun sets. If anything happens, send a message card.”
Shin, Schnee and Yuzuha went to see the church. Tiera, Kagerou and Shibaid went around the church to get more information. Wilhelm was on his own, doing his own bid.
“Let’s go Schnee.”
“Yes.”
Shin, Schnee and Yuzuha disappeared into a crowd.
“Tiera, shall we then?”
“S…sure.”
Shibaid headed in the opposite direction from Shin. However, his unique appearance was well-known. He needed to change the color of his scales to red, and wear a fake horn.
Tiera was a bit nervous, following Shibaid. Kagerou was as usual, hidden inside Tiera’s shadows.
“I should be off then.”
Wilhelm didn’t even see the four of them off and went solo. He was cautious as to not walk too fast, and dipped into an alleyway.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 06 - A Fanatic's Ambition/The-New-Gate-Volume-06-A-Fanatic's-Ambition-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_06_Chapter_02_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 2
Shin and Schnee decided to go in head on.
Palmirack was a guild house that emulated a temple. Supposedly several travelers gathered there as a destination to train.
The facilities were still around to do that, and regardless of being old or young, male or female, people came. Travelers and merchants also came to gossip, so the training grounds were always bustling.
“I don’t think it looks that different from before.”
“I agree.”
Even though the number of people there was different, it was similar to how Shin remembered the place. The main difference was that there was someone collecting money from those who wanted to enter the training ground.
“But the map hasn’t updated itself.”
“In order to know the interior, we’d have to sneak in.”
Shin had assumed that the map would change once they were closer to Palmirack. The map didn’t budge. They were still able to ‘map out’ the area though, so it was possible to explore.
While they wanted to barge in, Palmirack was a Rokuten guild house. You couldn’t tell how functional its facilities were, and it was not prudent to try to break-in in broad daylight.
Even Shin didn’t know all that the building was capable of.
On top of that, Palmirack was Cain’s base – he had several architecture-related bonuses. Of the 6 guild houses, it was supposedly the most dangerous one. Shin had to be careful.
Shin, Schnee, and Yuzuha pretended to admire the building like tourists, as they circled and marked on the map the places that looked easy to get in through.
“Hm?”
“What is it?”
“There’s a high-level person there. She might be a high-ranking priest.”
From straight ahead where Shin and Schnee were, a priest that looked different from the others headed towards them.
It was a woman, with light green hair and brown eyes. Given her beautiful physical appearance and the thin pointy ears just barely visible through her long hair, one could assume that she was an elf. Her movements were graceful and at level 206, she was different from the average priest.
“Hello.”
“Oh. Hello.”
The elf priest approached Shin, unlike the other priests who ignored them.
“Are you sightseeing?”
“Yes. This is our first time in Sigurd. We had been talking about stopping by here.”
“That’s wonderful. My name is Lilishila. If you have any questions, please feel free to talk to me or any of the other priests.”
“I’m Shin. This is Yuki and Yuzuha. Thank you for your kind words. But, why are you talking to us? We’re surrounded by other tourists.”
“That’s because you are with a High Elf.”
Lilishila’s words surprise Shin.
There’s no way to tell the difference between an elf and a High Elf just from looking. Yet, Lilishila had correctly assumed that Schnee was a High Elf.
“I’m sorry if I alarmed you. I’m able to tell the difference between an elf and a High Elf. It’s hard to explain – it’s quite instinctive.”
“I see. I couldn’t tell you the difference between those two, so I had thought that there might be some kind of distinction.”
It’s quite an impressive skill.
He asked Schnee via Mind Chat, but even Schnee says that telling the difference just from looking is incredibly difficult. It’s not as if you could tell the difference based on status or level, or aura.
“I have yet to meet anyone else who can do this.”
Though elves were said to be quite sensitive, perhaps her sensitivities are unique.
“If there’s anywhere you haven’t seen yet, I’d love to be your guide.”
“Are you sure? Aren’t we in your way of work?”
“I’d say that it’s part of the job description to show the church to those who haven’t seen it before. Besides, I love conversing with those who visit here.”
Shin would have preferred to see around on their own, but he considered the idea of gaining new insight by talking to a priest.
He asks about the church’s history and other things, and ventures onto other topics of interest.
“Lilishila, if you don’t mind me asking, are you perhaps trained in the martial arts?”
“Yes. In case the civilians need protection. That’s also part of the job description. However, the church also has their own guards. Why do you ask?”
“I also have some training. I could tell that you don’t make any unnecessary movements.”
“I see. But of course, it’s expected of those who had fought alongside the Balmel guards.”
“…did you know about us?”
Shin was taken aback and stopped.
“Yes. I’m terribly sorry. Truth be told, I approached the two of you because you are you.”
Lilishila bowed down. She didn’t seem to be dangerous.
“News travels fast.”
“But of course, it is known that if a Chosen One can communicate through Mind Chat, distance is not an issue. Balmel is one of the important cities that protects the Sacred Land. We too, make efforts in order to gain new knowledge. Besides, as an adventurer who fought together with Princess Rionne to defend Balmel, Shin-sama is quite well-known. Regardless of being able to hear through Mind Chat, it would have reached my ears eventually.”
Schnee nodded proudly.
They had made some efforts to hide their faces when entering Sigurd, but they weren’t using【Hiding】per se. Perhaps someone had seen them?
“I see. So then. What is your purpose? I don’t want to waste your time if you’re trying to convert us.”
Of course, that wasn’t the case, but it had to be said.
“No not at all. But of course, I would welcome you into the church with all of my heart. This is a different matter. It’s really not appropriate here. I’d love to welcome you to my chambers.”
“Alright.”
Shin decided that they’d get more useful information if they followed Lilishila, rather than saying no.
This was the kind of action that could only be afforded by those with unbelievable status and skills. He knew that no matter what they’d be able to get out of a sticky situation. After all, Palmirack was just a ‘very strong building’ that could easily be destroyed, if necessary.
Schnee didn’t argue either. She trailed one step behind Shin.
Behind Lilishila, they stepped through several doors and climbed down several flights of stairs. They were eventually at a corridor full of doors.
“Living quarters.”
“It seems that the priests sleep here.”
While walking, Shin verifies lights and all of the utility functions were functioning.
Lilishila opened one of two doors that were side by side, and invited the two in.
It was a large space. The size of a 2DK apartment.
The kitchen was quite expansive, and this space was built with one bathroom and two smaller rooms.
Shin and Schnee sat down after being asked to sit.
Lilishila brought out tea.
“Here.”
He took a sip after saying “Thanks.”
It must have been harp tea. It had a soothing taste and scent.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“I wanted to discuss a certain priest belonging to the church. I believe that when the ‘Flood’ in Balmel occurred, a Chosen One of the church was separated. You must know of this by now.”
Shin was reminded of what Rionne had told him.
“That’s right, if I’m not mistaken, he left to escort someone. I also understand that the church overall frowns upon this matter.”
“Absolutely. That should never be the case to begin with. But of course, we also had not anticipated such acts of barbarity.”
It became clear that the incident at Balmel was beyond the imagination of Lilishila and the church as well.
“Do you know who’s the mastermind?”
“Yes. I understand that he’s trying to place the blame on the others, but the person behind it all is Father Bulk Elbach. He’s a member of the church here.”
Lilishila answers Schnee’s question. But it was not as though Bulk had given the orders directly. He seemed to have prepared an escape route for himself.
“Bulk…I’m sorry to interrupt you. Isn’t this Father also involved at Bayreuth’s church?”
Shin was connecting the dots.
“Yes. I understand that Father Bulk’s quite involved in a church in Bayreuth. Not just that, I believe that it’s a church for commoners, and not the elite. Why, do you know something?”
“No. I just wanted to make sure of something… I’ll explain later. Please continue.”
“Sure. Shin-sama. Yuki-sama. I have a favor to ask of you. I need your help in capturing Bulk. I can reward you with anything within my capability.”
“Is this a personal request?”
“Under normal circumstances, I would be asking as a member of the church. However, there’s a reason that I cannot do that.”
Shin had assumed at first that she was asking on behalf of the church. He was wrong. This must have also been a reason they were invited to her private quarters.
Schnee nodded.
“I’m sure that you have very good reasons. However, what will you do if we said no? There’s also a chance that we will give you away.”
“If that’s the case, then I must ask you to stay in here for some time.”
As Lilishila said that, knights in armor came around Shin. There were three of them, armed, and ready for combat.
He knew they were there, yet it was disheartening to know that this was why.
“That’s quite violent.”
“I’m terribly sorry. Ruining my name is a risk that I must take.”
It seemed that there was trouble within the church as well. Shin could sense a certain desperation in Lilishila.
“Let us tell you our side of the story. This is about Father Bulk, and the church in Bayreuth.”
“…Please continue.”
Lilishila’s expression hardened at the mention of Father Bulk.
“It’s quite simple. Father Bulk has kidnapped an orphan that the church was sheltering. One of the sisters got in his way and he had almost fatally wounded her. If she weren’t treated on time, she would not be alive.”
“!?”
Lilishila didn’t know what she was expecting, but even this exceeded her wildest imagination.
The knights in the back were also stunned.
“It seems like you didn’t know. Not much time had past between the orphan’s kidnapping and now. She should be here; I should be frank. We are here to retrieve her. If you doubt us, then go find out the truth on your own.”
“No… but wait, I have to ask.”
“What is it?”
“The orphan…does she have some sort of special title?”
“Why?”
Few knew about Millie as a ‘Star Reader’. Yet, Lilishila acted as if she knew about it.
“We want to take Father Bulk down because we are also trying to save someone. She also holds a special title.”
“Lilishila-sama! That’s too much information!”
The knights raised their voices.
Shin must not be an appropriate audience for this kind of confidential information.
“Please. Don’t worry. We have no qualms with you. We both want something from Father Bulk.”
“Yes. If you’d be so kind. Please, lower your swords everyone.”
Hearing Lilishila’s words, the knights put their swords away.
While not all of them look pleased, they seem to have relaxed at least a little after hearing Shin’s story.
“Either way, even if you need our help so desperately, isn’t this a bit extreme?”
“I know. But we’re running out of time. We need to save her, or her life is in grave danger.”
“Her life?”
Given Father Bulk’s past performances, it didn’t seem too far-fetched. She wouldn’t say anymore, but it felt like a big advantage for Shin and his party to have an insider in the church.
“Few people know this, but he is also a member of the Shiten(4 gods/4th god) cult. No. I suppose his heart is truly aligned to their cause. He uses his status as a church member and has secretly been wreaking havoc. Soon, he will participate in a ritual, in which the ones we want to protect will be sacrificed. We have no choice but to take matters into our own hands. That is why we are calling on you.”
Father Bulk seemed to be participating in far worse deeds, behind a secret dark society.
Shin wasn’t too surprised. Even in the real world, there were those who believed in satanic rituals. But the thought of a living sacrifice definitely made him furrow his brows.
“A sacrifice seems especially violent. But what is this Shiten cult exactly?’
It was an unfamiliar word, and had a certain menacing ring to it.
“The Shiten cult is a cult that worships High Humans – those that once ruled this continent.”
“High Humans, you say?”
Shiten is written out as ‘those that exist on this plain’.
“The Shiten are not bad on their own. There are six factions of High Humans. They merely train day and night, and sometimes they reveal the magic that they’ve been able to create for the public.”
According to Lilishila, the 6 factions of high humans were inspired by the actual high humans’ second names – Dark, Golden, White, Red, Blue and Silver. People trained in the arts of the faction that they were most likely to thrive in.
To be specific, there were those that worshipped the ‘Dark Blacksmith,’ who trained in forging swords and others who practiced alchemy or magic, just as the ‘Red Alchemist’ would have, and so on and so forth.
By training themselves in these ancient rituals, the Shiten would try to revitalize the lost arts and become the top of their faction on the continent.
“The problem is that in the past 100 or so years, a seventh faction has been invented. They have become indoctrinated, so that they truly and faithfully believe, that in order to become a High Human they must shed more blood. Perhaps the records of the High Humans’ battles and sagas inspired them. Therefore, all over the continent, there have been violent deeds done and horrible, vicious attacks.”
The 7th High Human faction was allegedly called the “summit faction”.
Even if the goal was to achieve something and be at the top, what they were doing was terrorism.
The fact that he was being worshipped was disconcerting enough. The idea that there were those acting violently in his name made Shin seethe.
“The other factions deny any part of the 7th faction’s activities. Yet they associate themselves as part of the Shiten, since they are a branch of it. The world views them all the same.”
It’s hard to get rid of any negative image. People seem to mix them up all the time.
“I think I understand. You had mentioned a living sacrifice earlier. How does that play in?”
“I don’t know enough about the details. However, the seventh faction takes those with special titles and abilities, then completes a sacrificial ritual. The more rare and unique the ability is, the more that these Shiten followers’ status rank increase.”
“But this is the status within a cult. Is it really worth it to give up the advantages of being a part of the church?”
The Church was quite influential on this continent. If word of this got out, Father Bulk would lose everything.
He had gone through all the trouble to become a Father of the church. What could be so important, as to give it all up?
“We really don’t know enough. However, if we wait any longer to find out, it could be too late.”
“Perhaps. Then enough chit-chat. We don’t care what happens to Bulk anyways.”
Shin didn’t care about the ritual. The takeaway point was how there were more people in need of their help.
The moment Father Bulk was involved, it was likely that Millie would also be sacrificed next to Lilishila’s companion. Shin couldn’t let that happen either.
“We need to discuss our plan to save them. I need to understand how ‘alive’ Palmirack’s functions are.”
“It’s functions? This is no secret that I’m allowed to share with outsiders. However, this is a rare occasion. Still, its functions are mostly dysfunctional as of now.”
“Really?”
“Some of its item creation functions are still in place, as well as detoxification and recovery, equivalence of class 5. There’s also a barrier to protect the building from surrounding monsters.”
If Lilishila’s information was reliable, then Shin’s concerns were included.
The important sites had some security measures in place, but it wasn’t fortified. That, and upper class Chosen Ones acted as security.
“I see. This is helpful – thank you. Just to be sure though – aren’t there functions that only higher priests would know of?”
“I’m actually a Cardinal, believe it or not. The Pope is above me. There are no others.”
He knew that she was a higher priest, but a Cardinal was unforeseen. There weren’t that many cardinals either.
“I mean. If you’re a Cardinal, can’t you easily dismiss a mere Father?”
“It’s not that easy. Bulk seems to have an item on hand that makes it difficult to refuse him. He’s placed this on our companion – the Holy Woman.”
Shin was taken aback. Such an item shouldn’t exist in the game era.
“Please, Lilishila-sama, are you sure that it’s okay to share this with these commoners?”
“I must. Otherwise they would be in grave danger. Shin-sama, please be careful. It’s a black collar, with gold writing on it. Once it’s been placed on you, even if you don’t want to, you will do as you’ve been told. It could even kill you.”
Lilishila ignored her knights and continued.
An item that ignores the will of the person wearing it. It seemed so surreal hearing of it, until he was reminded of a certain event from the game.
“Is it… the ‘Crying Marionette’?”
“Shin-sama? What is it?”
He was recalling the event from the fifth update, with the ‘Crying Marionette’.
There was a moment, when an NPC was forced to become an enemy. The NPC was wearing a black collar.
The players found this turn of events to be quite unfavorable. It seemed unfair that even support characters could turn their backs on you because of a collar.
Shin had also remembered how several of his allies became his sworn enemies.
“I get it now. I can’t believe that item’s still around. What a joke.”
To return an NPC back to its conscious state from a zombie requires a special item. Since it’s a limited item, Shin did not possess it in his Item Box.
(So this means that that title is finally going to come in handy).
He was referring, of course, to the title of “Liberator” from back when he had won against the ‘Origin’.
Everything happens for a reason after all.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 06 - A Fanatic's Ambition/The-New-Gate-Volume-06-A-Fanatic's-Ambition-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_06_Chapter_02_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 3
Meanwhile, apart from Shin, Schnee and Lilishila…
Shibaid and Tiera were touring the inside of Sigurd.
However, it wasn’t as if they were simply walking about.
“As expected, there are a few Chosen Ones stationed in the major spots of the city.”
“Is that so?”
“At first glance you might not spot them, but one or two of the guards on duty are clearly above average in terms of their movements. Look at the two coming in front of us. Can you see the guy on the right?”
“Yes…Um. Mitos Click. Level 201… you mean him?”
Tiera checked over the guards as she was told.
She could only analyze as far as the guard’s name and level.
The fact that she couldn’t see further than ‘occupation’ was a clear sign that his status was superior. But it was hard for Tiera to tell if that was because of the difference in levels, or the fact that he was Chosen One.
“…what a surprise. You can actually see that?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. I wasn’t able to see his occupation though. Was I wrong?”
Shibaid could not hide his surprise at Tiera’s observations.
“No. You’re not wrong. No offense, it’s not that I looked down on you but it’s a shocker that you, Tiera-dono, can tell a Chosen One’s strengths despite your level difference. I’m sorry if I offended you at all.”
“Eh!? No, there’s no need to. I am weak when you compare me to everyone surrounding me.”
Tiera stopped Shibaid from apologizing.
Tiera was aware that she was less capable than others. From Shibaid’s point of view Tiera and the Chosen One coming from the front were similar in capability.
As Shibaid had said, how she was able to discern the Chosen One’s name and level, even Tiera didn’t know.
“Should we continue wandering the city then?”
“Yes. I think it’d be wise to have Sigurd mapped out. Once that’s over, even if they were to escape from Palmirack to the inner city, we can easily follow them.”
Given the current situation, the only way that someone could escape Shin and Schnee were if that person teleported or flew. Just in case though, it was necessary to map out Sigurd to understand its nooks and crannies. Since a support character’s map could be shared with their master, with Shin inside Palmirack and Shibaid mapping the city, they could cover all of Sigurd.
“How far along are we?”
“I’d say about 10% of the mapping is done. It takes quite some effort when you’re up against a city this big.”
“Is ‘mapping’ considered to be a skill?”
“No, I wouldn’t call it that. It’s hard to explain though, let me see. I can see a slightly transparent map in my periphery, but I’d have to show it for you to understand.”
For Tiera, who doesn’t understand game elements, it’s difficult to even imagine the map. It’s an otherworldly experience to try to picture something you’ve never seen.
“If I could do it too, perhaps we could split into two and the task would be done quicker.”
“That’s alright. Aside from filling up the map, information gathering is also our objective.”
Even if Shin and the Golden Company were the main focus of this plot, Tiera and Shibaid still had roles as information gatherers.
Besides, with the two characters’ low stealth abilities they would easily give Shin and Schnee away. That’s why it was better for them to be in public.
“Shibaid-san. Where are we now?”
“It seems this city has a complicated layout. I’m sure it’s a defense strategy for if this city were ever under siege.”
Turning a corner was enough to bring a pedestrian into a totally new neighborhood. The stores were drastically different, and so were the people. Tiera was losing sight of herself.
Although Tiera’s directional senses is on the better side, Sigurd really tested her abilities.
She questioned how the locals from Sigurd were able to get back to their homes.
“They designed this city quite well.”
“Do you think so?”
For Tiera, it was so confusing that she assumed the architect was a mad man. Or mad woman.
“It might be hard for you to see, but there are several secret corridors here and there. I haven’t gotten to all of them yet, and I have a good hunch that they all connect to Palmirack. I know that Shin had mentioned how all churches have secret passageways. This goes above and beyond that though.”
Shibaid’s map was also accounting for the routes that you couldn’t see from outside. If they’re really all connected to the church, then there are several escape routes.
“Does that mean that it’s easier to attack and defend the city?”
“Yes. It’s also possible to wage wars and immediately safely return, before the enemy has a chance to respond. The layout of this city is so complex, it would also be difficult to plan your next move. I’m sure that’s why Sigurd is considered to be such a stronghold. Guerrilla tactics would not work against the city’s army and the Chosen Ones.”
According to Shibaid, the city that was seemingly built on top of another had multiple layers of defense strategies.
The most disconcerting for Tiera was – how many attacks did this city endure for these kinds of security measure to come into play.
“Who can blame them. Following the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’, riots got so bad they needed at least this to feel safe. Not to mention, they’re right on the border with other countries that are constantly trying to expand. I’m sure the majority of this city’s population is made up of war refugees, war veterans, and those who were forced to flee their homes.”
“I get it now. This city also tries to keep its residents safe.”
“It’s a roundabout way though.”
Shibaid’s sights focused on something far away, as he recalled the battles after the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’.
Shibaid himself was somewhat responsible for rounding up the neighboring Dragnil. He didn’t know about the specifics of the churches here, but he could imagine that it must have been a similar ordeal.
Kilmont had also thrived after taking in refugees.
“As someone a bit sheltered, I can’t really relate to the disputes between men. When it comes to the scourges between monsters of course, I have experienced that in Balmel.”
“I’m sure that today their biggest concerns are thieves. I hope that another big war doesn’t happen for a while. It’s nothing like the battles between monsters.”
Shibaid had the air of someone who had seen it all.
Tiera had once killed a thief. Based on Shibaid’s mood, she assumed that it couldn’t compare to what he had gone through.
“Well this is just depressing.”
“No. I’m glad I heard it.”
Shibaid had the weight of someone who had survived and seen war firsthand.
It certainly was depressing. But there’s nothing funny or hopeful about war to begin with.
“…were there really that many refugees?”
“No. But they weren’t a rare sight. And there were those that came here for silly reasons.”
Shibaid answered Tiera’s abrupt question indifferently.
“I’ve heard of someone moving to avoid a curse.”
“!? Errr, what curse was it…”
“This person had been cursed to attract high level monsters. There are very few of them. I’ve yet to meet anyone like that person since the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’.”
Tiera was fast learning that there was someone else out there like her, with the ‘cursed kid’ title. She recalled her own experiences, and thought about how difficult that person’s life must have also been. Shibaid didn’t seem to be taking this matter seriously enough.
“What happened to them?”
“Oh? We asked the said person to cooperate with us to level up our own soldiers. We’re very grateful.”
“…What?”
Tiera might have already heard this one.
The conversation was audibly shifting.
“Yes. It’s a difficult status to stomach. But depending on your outlook, it can be quite useful. In return for trying to find the cure, we had this person aid us in bringing monsters. Leveling up back then was a more efficient process. The soldiers were screaming with joy.”
No. They were screaming because they were screaming.
That was Tiera’s initial reaction.
He was Shin’s follower after all. She should have known that he’d think differently and go against present common sense.
Still, it was a relief to hear that the cursed person was treated humanely. It could have gone either way.
“I knew that you and my master come from the same path.”
“No. Not nearly as much as Schnee honestly.”
Shibaid was quick to deny, after his thoughts ran to Schnee’s intense training regimens.
But from Tiera’s standing point, Shibaid was just like Schnee for forcing people to beat high level monsters.
(Is everyone near Shin like this?)
When she thought about the other characters she hasn’t met yet, she started to harbor deeper concerns.
“Alright. Playtime is over. Tiera-dono I’m sorry, but on the next corner let’s make a right.”
“Is it time already?”
They lowered their voices.
Tiera instantly understood what he meant.
Tiera was quite sensitive to others looking at her. It didn’t take her long to realize that after leaving the inn, someone started following them.
“Tiera-dono, I think you’re the specific target here. Can you think of any reason why?”
“No. This is my first time in Sigurd so I can’t really think of anyone after me here. I don’t even know that many people anyways.”
Until recently, Tiera had been holed up in Tsuki no Hokora. On top of that, she was always in disguise, so she really couldn’t think of why anyone would come after her.
After she finished saying “I don’t even know what many people…”, she felt a bit lonely.
“Through listening, it seems they are in the immediate vicinity too.”
“I think there are…4 of them?”
“No, 6, Tiera-dono. There are 2 who are keeping their cover quite well. I think that the 4 are the main muscle. The 2 are more like backup if things didn’t go as planned.”
“I can’t tell. Is it a skill?”
“No. To be honest, my detection skills are not that great. I couldn’t possibly compete with Shin or Schnee on that front. However, I am able to detect a presence. They’re doing a good job maintaining cover, but it is extremely difficult to hide murderous intent.”
Shibaid is able to grasp the number of people in a party based on presence, not skill. Once you’ve gained enough experience as a soldier, this was a logical forward step.
Tiera still didn’t understand the amount of presence that one could have.
“Given the number of people and their presences, I don’t believe that they’re simple thieves.”
“Yes. Not to mention how they seem to have singled me out.”
While they couldn’t jump to conclusions that the assailants will lead to Millie, it didn’t hurt to find out directly from the culprits as to why they were targeted.
Any bit of information could help at this stage. If they were from the city’s underbelly, they could potentially obtain information from them.
The two pretended that they didn’t notice anything, and nonchalantly turned the corner.
They had come across an alleyway no wider than 2 mels.
4 figures emerged from behind, as if they were waiting for the two to stumble in. Tiera turned to realize that 2 others were coming from the front.
They seemed to have climbed the wall and circled around on the roof. They were much more agile than the average man.
“We should wait and see first.”
“Yes.”
The alley was dark despite it being the middle of the day. The wall was just the right height and placed at such an angle, that it would be hard to see what’s happening in the alley.
The truth was, the road was so bright that it’d be difficult to see into the dark alleyway.
Tiera and Shibaid were walking slowly, as they were being attacked from the front and back by two figures on each side. Yet, they could not be seen.
“? Whoa!”
Because a suspicious object was coming towards Tiera she squinted her eyes, a throwing knife was coming her way.
However, Tiera had known that there was malicious intent ahead of them, and so in response to the knife that produced a chime as it cut through the air, she wielded a short sword in her right hand.
Without hesitation, Tiera relied on her short sword and sent the throwing knife flying elsewhere.
“Tsk.”
Tiera having heard the assailant was dissatisfied, also heard another sound, similar to sand crushed underneath one’s feet. With that, beyond Tiera she could glimpse a slight fog of distorted reality.
“!!”
She did not miss a beat.
She took in a deep breath, and returning the favor she threw a knife of her own. She had it ready beneath her left hand, all while she brought the dagger in her right hand to about half way up her body.
The knife that Shin had made for her was made out of steel and quite sharp. The knife went straight into the direction where there had been a bit of a mirage. A small thump could be heard as the knife struck something.
“Ugh!”
The thump was the quietest noise in comparison to what would follow. You could hear a man groaning in pain and fall to the ground, causing dirt to fly up. What came into sharper focus was a man, lying on the ground with his hands on his leg. The thigh of his pants were a deep crimson red, where the knife had gone through. What was even more of a sight to behold was the other man lying in the background, with Shin’s knife to his back. It seemed that the knife had gone straight through the thigh!
But, that didn’t stop the oncoming attack.
A mirage appeared to be coming closer towards Tiera.
“Shh!”
“!”
A short sword appeared out of thin air.
Tiera looked closely at the blade of the sword. She had determined where the swordsman was and had also deciphered that he must be right handed.
In that split second, Tiera managed to draw her short sword and split the swordsman’s sword in half.
“!”
It was audibly clear that the only one left out of the four was taken aback.
Tiera took a step towards this man. And with that step, powerful magic was flowing through her body. Tiera’s body hastened, from the power of her magic. She understood where her opponent stood in relation to his allies, stepped into his zone, and struck him with her left hand, which had also been strengthened by magic.
She struck quicker than he could defend, penetrated his armor until his bare skin felt the thrust, and the man fell to the ground.
“Gah.”
The man drew short breaths as he lost consciousness. His hand had covered where he was wounded – which was in the middle of his gut. It was a critical hit.
“Phew.”
Tiera made sure that no one was awake, as she went around to check on the others who had fallen. Tiera tried calming herself down, as she let her arms loose.
You could look at Tiera and see that all her stats were average. Yet the damages that she inflicted didn’t seem possible from her slender arms. However, she had managed to combine her magic into improving her bodily performances – this was a technique that combined the assets of the defensive martial arts ‘operation’ and applied the foundations of ‘activity’ and ‘alchemy’.
While it wouldn’t dramatically improve one’s stats, it was enough to place emphasis on specific body parts – such as the hand. This improved close combat too – something elves were notoriously weaker at.
Schnee had been teaching Tiera, just in case.
“What is that.”
Tiera turned to see the two other attackers, their heads caught in Shibaid’s arms. She had not cared for the two in the back, because even she had known about them. So Tiera had assumed that Shibaid would handle it. Still, it was a sight to behold and certainly one that raised a lot of questions.
The attackers were struggling until Shibaid put a little more strength into his arms. They eventually ran out of air and lost consciousness. It really was a surreal scene to witness, with two grown men dangling from his arms.
Tiera tried to go towards Shibaid, but immediately jumped back instead.
“…that was a close one.”
A thin blade had zoomed past her head.
She had been able to understand that there were others in the vicinity. But had it not been for the fact that she had already warmed up with the other attackers, and how she had been informed of those in the distance, it’s possible Tiera would have been killed at that moment.
Tiera and Shibaid had both agreed that if they encountered any enemies that were beyond Tiera’s skill levels, then Shibaid would take over. Shibaid would probably have been able to do something for Tiera just a second ago, had she not been the first to take a lead.
Still, Tiera didn’t want to be the damsel in distress.
She turned towards where the blade had come from. She could not find the blade’s owner. Given how there weren’t any mirages either, their cover skills far exceeded that of the others from the pack.
(They’re coming for me. But I can’t see from where!)
She knew that she would be under attack. Yet, she was totally at a loss at how to predict their move.
She tried to snap out of it, as she began to move when suddenly, a red arm went whooshing past Tiera’s head.
“!?”
It was Shibaid’s arm. And in his arm was another person, who was struggling to breathe.
“Fumu, that’s a good reaction.”
“…Yes.”
Tiera felt calmer once she confirmed that the attacker had lost consciousness.
She turned around and realized that another man was dangling from Shibaid’s other arm.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to draw it out.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m used to it.”
“Really? I thought that this was an opponent you would have considered ‘more powerful than you’.”
“I said I’m used to it.”
She tried to smile.
Shibaid didn’t bother asking “what” she was used to and “why”. He had his soft spots. He probably figured as much, after hearing so much about Schnee from Tiera herself.
“These men can take a break and nap. It’s far too crowded here to question them.”
With that, Shibaid cast magic onto the men and put them into a deeper slumber.
It felt like they had already been damaged enough, that they wouldn’t be able to wake up for a while. Still, it was better to be safe rather than sorry so Tiera didn’t say anything.
Shibaid took out a 2 mels long wooden box from his item box. He unequipped all of the men, tied their arms and feet together and threw them into the box. When he held onto the wood box on his shoulder, Shibaid also looked like a carrier, on his way to a delivery.
In fact, many of the carriers they had passed carried luggage in a similar manner, so Shibaid would not stand out.
“…so that’s how we’ll carry them.”
Tiera had wondered how they would be able to carry 6 men. While they handled the men rather roughly, it really didn’t make sense to show them any other courtesy.
“Let’s go now. Shin seems to have found a clue. He says that he’ll be back shortly.”
“I was really hopeful that he would go on and get Millie back in one go.”
“I mean, think about where we are. This is the base for High Humans. Even he would be cautious.”
“Is it really that big of a deal?”
She only knew one base, and it didn’t give her an appreciation of the bigger picture.
Tsuki no Hokora was protected by a “wall” and “barrier”. Even Tsuki no Hokora was built out of the finest materials, had very little else going for it. There was no special defense mechanism in place.
“Palmirack is definitely a different case. They’ve built the kind of fortress that could withstand a party of upper class Chosen Ones’ adventurers, and not only that, but annihilate all of us if need be.”
“Haha… right…”
She tried her best to cough out a laugh.
It was one thing to try to lure people into the center and trap them.
He was right though – it was a one of a kind fortress.
“Why would they build a city around it then…”
“Perhaps it is not fully functional. I think that it’s built in a way that the whole area can blow up from the center out.”
“I mean. High Humans are just insane, really.”
Tiera mumbled, but she meant it in terms of Shin having no common sense.
She wanted to believe that even he was ‘out there’ amongst High Humans.
Otherwise, she would go crazy too.
(Listening to him talk, I had almost normalized the whole situation. No, I need to keep reminding myself that this is a little bit nutty. Although it may be too late for me…)
Maybe it’s both a good thing and a bad thing that Tiera didn’t know how she had stopped ‘acting and thinking’ like a normal person for a long, long time now.
Every day, people change and every person is allowed to change.
◆◆◆◆
(Still. Why were they after me?)
Tiera could not stop thinking about the attackers in the box, while they walked back towards the inn.
Tiera became well-known in Balmel. She was known at this point not only by soldiers and adventurers, but common people as well.
But she shouldn’t know anyone in Sigurd.
While she was in the storefront of Tsuki no Hokora, adventurers had told Tiera how there are some thieves who kidnap beautiful people. Perhaps that would be the case, if they also had the gall to attack a person accompanied by a powerful Dragnil.
If Tiera were a simple target, then they would have come for her when she was alone.
“We’re here.”
“Oh sorry, I’ll open the door.”
Tiera went ahead towards the door and opened it. She had assumed that it would be a tad difficult, what with carrying a 2 mels wide wooden box on your shoulders and all.
“Welcome back.”
“I’m sorry for all our commotion. We’ll head straight up.”
Shibaid had caused quite a stir walking through the front with the box. Tiera went straight up to the waitress, who was immune to being phased by Shibaid, chatted enthusiastically and led Shibaid in.
It was hard not to step aside for a beautiful girl like Tiera. All of the adventurers coming from the front would move gracefully.
“We wait for Shin now.”
Shibaid took a seat after putting the wooden box into a corner of the room.
“Are you going to leave the box like that?”
“It shouldn’t be a problem. They couldn’t even put a dent in the box.”
It looks like an ordinary box, but go figure. There’s some magic in its material.
Tiera knew as much. She could sense the magic reeking out of it. In fact, it gave her the same sensation that the tree of life that grew in the middle of the garden where she had lived before.
(No. It can’t be.)
The tree of life was vital to elves and high elves. Since the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’, these trees had become fewer and fewer in numbers. Even taking a single branch from the tree of life could be an act of war against elves.
Yet, even someone whose master was Shin, would be hard to stomach, if they had cut down a tree of life for materials.
“What…is that box made of?”
“Oh, that? It’s from some of the leftovers when Tsuki no Hokora was being built. I believe it’s from the trunk of the tree of life.”
“………”
It was the impossible.
It’s not to the level of orichalcum, but the tree of life has the same amount of strength, and can even be used as a cure against curses and alchemy.
“H-How did you come across such a box?”
Even asking the question is terrifying. She didn’t know what to do if the truth was that the materials were extracted in an unpleasant way.
“I grew it. Before the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’, I grew it at the base that Hecate-dono guarded – she was one of Shin’s allies.”
Shibaid looked nostalgic.
Hecate’s base was the ‘5th Dimension Confusion of Romenun’. It was the site that Shin had once mentioned how Berett couldn’t go near.
“Growing…a tree of life.”
In contrast to the calm Shibaid, Tiera felt as if she was being tricked, and was growing livid.
Only the head of the High Elves, or their sires, knew how to grow the tree of life. It was not common knowledge.
Hearing Shibaid spread lies like ‘growing the tree of life to build a building,’ was really upsetting. For elves in general, the tree of life was a symbol of their faith. The tree of life was also a part of the ritual for elves when their magic was mature. They were highly valued by elves, and even the leaves of the tree of life were treated with respect.
There were also moments when the tree of life would serve useful purposes when equipped, such as for medicine. Other races outside of elves also regarded the tree of life with a moderate amount of interest – although never as much as the elves.
“It’s difficult to do these days.”
“Well of course. To even consider growing it is obscene.”
Shibaid grinned. Shibaid must have found it hilarious, because it was part of his story. But for an outsider like Tiera, it was impossibly foolish.
“I think that that’s something that would improve if Shin stayed around.”
“I can’t deny that….”
As one of the Rokuten, it wouldn’t be surprising if he knew the tricks.
“Even that has to wait until the current matter is settled. Shin and Schnee are here. Wilhelm-dono hasn’t responded yet, which is disconcerting, but for now we should exchange information.”
Shibaid went towards the entrance of the room, feeling Shin and Schnee.
Eventually, Shin and Schnee arrived, with Yuzuha on Shin’s shoulder.
“…where’s Wilhelm?”
Shin looked around the room and asked.
“No. He hasn’t responded either.”
Shibaid was quick to send a message to Wilhelm after contacting Shin. It had been a few hours, and still no response.
“…could he be talking right now?”
“Perhaps. Messages aren’t immediate like telepathy.”
If he were in the middle of a conversation, he might not be able to open his messages.
It was impossible to find out or wait, so they decided to go ahead and share information.
“Lilishila says that the assailants may be involved in some way with the present situation.”
Shin added that bit after repeating everything Lilishila had told him.
He had also shared Shibaid’s message with Lilishila upon receiving. Lilishila had been the one who had made the connection.
“It’s still alarming how they were only after Tiera. It’s another thing if they’re after Shin, but they came straight for us.”
Shin nodded.
It hasn’t been long since Shibaid joined the party.
Perhaps they can’t tell that it is Shibaid, but regardless, if a new member joined the party, you would be more cautious before launching aggressive combat against them.
Even if they had known that it was him, who would just attack without a better plan?
“I don’t know what their motives are. It’s possible that Wilhelm was also attacked.”
“That’s possible. I doubt that he would lose easily, but I don’t know what would happen if say, there were a hostage situation of some sort.”
Schnee agrees with Shin.
“The elf that Shin met also knew that Shin was in Sigurd. Therefore, it’s fair to assume that they know Wilhelm-dono is here too. We’re losing time – we need to head immediately to the church, and you need to get more information out of those attackers.”
“Yes. We should head out now.”
Shibaid carried the box and followed as the rest of the party headed for Palmirack.
They were concerned about Wilhelm as well, but if they are not responding then there’s nothing more you can do.
Normally, even if they are at a place that hasn’t been fully mapped, they should be able to seek out and feel the presence of certain individuals. Even that was difficult here because of Palmirack.
◆◆◆◆
Perhaps it was because they had already attacked and failed. The route to Palmirack was quiet and peaceful. Once they arrived, a knight that was waiting invited them inside. They’re brought into the living quarters. This knight was one of the three that had accompanied Lilishila. He must be a member of her guard.
They continued to walk by other priests who would give frightened looks at the wooden box. They said nothing because of the church guard that walked alongside them. Perhaps they assumed that there was some official business.
The other 2 guards waited outside of the room.
“Lady Lilishila is waiting.”
And with that, one of the guards opened the door.
The 3 had already been briefed by Lilishila.
Perhaps they trusted Shin because of Lilishila’s faith in him. They did not look ill by the slightest, with Shibaid and Tiera also in the party.
“Thank you for your wait. These two are Shibaid and Tiera.”
Shin introduces them.
Shibaid had actually said his real name, but he looked too different from the ‘real Shibaid’. They assumed that he was one of Shibaid’s fans, or someone with the same exact name – nonetheless he was assumed to be a different person.
“And what’s that?”
“All in all there are 6 of them. There are 4 that are above average, and 2 that are Chosen Ones.”
“Sure. I have a room secured. Follow me.”
She nodded, and led the party towards the back of the room. Then, she made a secret maneuver which opened up the floor to a secret passageway.
(Cain loved stuff like this.)
Shin reminisced fondly, looking down at the stairs that emerged.
“The rest of you, please wait.”
“No, I should go too. I don’t plan on getting your hands dirty, if I’m involved.”
“This won’t be pleasant.”
“I am used to it.”
Lilishila looked closely into Shin’s eyes, after hearing him say that he was ‘used to it’.
“…Alright. The rest of you, please wait. Rick, please.”
“Yes my lady.”
She hesitated, but agreed to letting Shin accompany her. Lilishila called on one of her guards, and they went down the stairs.
“I won’t be gone long. They might have something up their sleeves – be on guard.”
There was no point in all of them going down. Schnee was told to wait.
“Shin…”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry.”
Schnee looked deeply concerned, and Shin calmed her down.
Perhaps she recalls the moment that Shin had become unrecognizable, and she didn’t want to experience that again.
“Yuki. He says it’s fine. Then it’s fine.”
“…Yes.”
Shibaid chimed in, and Schnee (Yuki) took a step back. With that, Shin turned towards Lilishila.
Shin and Shibaid continued after Lilishila down the stairs. In a few minutes, there were no more stairs to climb down, and a door about 3 mels wide was visible.
Lilishila opened the door easily.
There was nothing in the room.
However, Shin could sense the presence of several, unforgivable traps that were placed all over the room. These traps, courtesy of Cain, were meant to kill.
It seemed that Lilishila and the church had been using this room as a torture chamber. It was also meant to be a room that would deter thieves from stealing. It was a trap room at its finest.
During the game era, no one ever made it this far. Shin had never seen the traps go off.
If the functions of this room were not disabled, they would have met a terrible fate.
“Here is?”
It didn’t hurt to play coy. Shin asks Lilishila.
“We found this by accident one day when we were cleaning the room directly above it. I don’t know why it exists.”
“Didn’t the person who occupied the room before you explain?”
“Nothing. It’s useful, because this room doesn’t allow any noise to leak. We generally hold our secret meetings here.”
Shin responded to Lilishila, saying “I see.”
He looked around at the room – the traps in the room only went off once. It didn’t seem though as if the person who had come into the room before had been the unfortunate sacrifice.
“Please let them out.”
“Sure.”
They made sure that the doors were closed, and opened the wooden box. Shibaid turned the box over, as 6 grown men fell out one by one.
It didn’t seem that they were able to wake up, because of the spell cast on them.
“Restrain them.”
One by one, Rick carried the men over and assembled them into a line. He put a cloth over their eyes, and made it hard for them to resist.
Everything was ready.
“Shall we begin.”
She nodded at what Shin said, and they used their skills to wake the men up.
A few seconds passed, and one of the men woke with a groan.
“What…what’s happening!?”
He realized what kind of a situation he’d woken up in, and started to show dismay.
“Be quiet.”
Lilishila orders the man to be silent. He stopped immediately.
“What do you plan to do with us?”
The man asked.
“Answer my questions honestly. If you are able to answer truthfully, we will not take your lives away.”
Lilishila spoke and with every word, the room was filled with more weight.
The man wailed back,
“Do you know who our masters are?”
“No. So, will you answer our questions?”
“…..No. We’d be killed anyways if we do.”
The man thought about it, but chose to refuse. He was more frightened of the people he knew than Lilishila.
“That’s unfortunate. You would have saved us a lot of time.”
Lilishila’s expression had not changed much. She raised her arm, and Rick came forward.
“What?! What are you doing!”
The man could hear a footstep approaching him. He stepped back farther and farther, but Rick grabbed the man’s face and activated his magic.
“!”
The man raised a yelp, but fell back silent.
Shin analyzed the situation and saw a 【Sleep I】 display. It seemed that Rick had deployed some version of 【Sleep】. Normally it should have put one to sleep, but minor adjustments had been made, seeing how the man’s eyes were open beneath the eye mask.
Rick made sure that the man was asleep, and switched places with Lilishila.
Lilishila raised her hand in front of the man’s face.
“Ugh…gah…”
She was giving him a hallucination.
“Who am I?”
“G-Gilth, Barrot….”
“Did I order you?”
“Ye…s…”
“What was the purpose?”
“Grab the…elf….kill…the…company.”
The man continued to answer faithfully, albeit a bit stuttered.
【Sleep】 and 【Hallucination】 as a combo had made the man believe that Lilishila was his boss.
(I learned something new.)
Shin and Shibaid watched silently, as Lilishila continued her questioning.
She was able to extract plenty more information.
The 4 men who attacked Tiera were part of the guild “Corrupt Gift,” an underworld society that had managed to gain middle-class status. He had not known about the other two Chosen Ones – they were a separate thing.
They were told to bring back the black haired elf.
It was Tiera alright. There are not that many black- haired elves.
They knew that Tiera might be accompanied. They were told to kill whoever was in the way, but did not know that it would be a strong warrior.
They did not know who had requested the hit.
They didn’t know about Wilhelm either.
“I don’t think it’s possible to gain anymore.”
Lilishila broke the skill and stopped her intense lines of questioning. She stood. For questions that the man did not know the answer, he remained silent. This meant that the latter half of the interrogation had a lot of awkward silences.
They put the man back to sleep.
“I’m sure it’s a similar deal with the other two.”
“Did the name of the guild ring a bell for you?”
“No, but it did confirm some of my speculations.”
Lilishila had known that the “Corrupt Gift” were associated with the Shiten. It was a guild that thrived on human trafficking, and rumor had it that a lot of the sacrifices that the Shiten made were people procured by the guild.
“Let’s try another then.”
They wake up another man.
He did not seem confused, and things went rather smoothly.
“Please answer our questions. If you answer faithfully, then we will promise you your safety.”
“How kind of you,” the man snickered.
Rick’s brows furrowed at the sight, but Lilishila ignored it.
“Will you comply?”
“….”
The man had said nothing. Perhaps that was enough of an answer.
Rick approached the man, just as he had done earlier.
“Hehe.”
The man let out a jeering cackle.
Shin could feel his blood draining.
The number 5 appeared above the man’s head.
“!? Shibaid!!”
“Yes sir!”
Even before Shin had raised his voice, Shibaid had carried Lilishila and Rick away.
Shibaid had also felt the instinctual threat of the deranged man.
They had deployed their skills as to be able to switch places immediately. They took the lid made of the tree of life and hid behind it like a shield.
Immediately, an explosion could be heard beyond their little hideout.
“!?”
The explosion was quite powerful, and the wind caused by it blew Shin’s hair back.
There were large hunks of flesh and blood all over the room.
“What in the world.”
“He set himself off.”
Shibaid removed the lid, and saw that all 6 of their assailants had been blown into smithereens.
There were legs and feet, parts of torsos, organs, large remainders of what used to be a head… You could barely make out the two Chosen Ones. Some of the pieces that more or less carelessly remained intact were the other 4 men.
“Damn it.”
While releasing his hold on Lilishila and Rick, Shin swore at himself.
The self explosion skill was not used often in the game. Few players would even bother trying to acquire it. Shin of course was one of the few, but he had never used it to this day.
Ever since it became a death game, the skill’s very existence was erased from memory. The 5 that showed before the man, was the final countdown after he had initiated self destruction. The maximum amount of time that a person has after they’ve decided to self destruct is 60 seconds. The shortest time otherwise should be 10 seconds. At 5 seconds, the remaining time appears over a character’s head.
They had just made it, but if it had just been Lilishila handling the matter, they would have all been taken down.
“This is terrible.”
“I’m sure it’s to keep themselves safe. I can’t believe that they even had an insurance plan like this ready.”
Shin scowled at the smell.
Shibaid was right. They must have had some sort of order in place, in case any of the members got caught and were to slip. In a way it was very standard practice for those from the underworld to not care for human life, and especially not for their own.
“But this is excessive.”
“We now know that the Shiten are involved.”
Lilishila showed resentment. Rick bit down bitterly at his lower lip.
“…We can’t really do anything. Shall we go back up?”
“Is it alright to leave it like this?”
“Yes. The dead bodies tend to disappear over time.”
While playing the game, characters are usually sent back to where the player started. In this work, that function still seemed to be in place. It went without saying that nobody wondered how Lilishila knew such things.
Shin opened the doors and the party went up the stairs.
Once they returned to the room, Lilishila was the first one to enter. Schnee’s eyes stopped short.
“You’re very early. What is the matter.”
“We got duped.”
They explained the self destruction of the attacker, and everyone’s facial expression was much more grave.
“What do you mean, self destruct?”
“It stops information from leaking, and they probably wanted to take us down with them.”
Players typically use this skill for when they are trying to make a last stand as they have very little HP left. It’s also useful as a distraction against a large crowd. The death penalty on a player is a far greater toll however, and characters that self destruct will gain nothing, even after a boss or a guild battle ends.
No one dreams of some day self destructing, to put it bluntly.
“When you do it, you die right?”
“Yes. It places others surrounding you at great risk as well.”
“What use is that?”
Tiera was stunned. She couldn’t relate to her attackers one bit.
It was absurd that anyone would even consider acquiring a skill, knowing that using it would kill you.
Even back when it was just a game, very rarely did players learn this skill.
“That’s how these guilds operate. And I think that’s all the reason that I have to share.”
There were several other, sickening events that were caused by these underground guilds, like assassinations and keeping a secret society thriving. But those were ill suited answers for Tiera.
Shin didn’t have a good response.
“Self destruction. I don’t believe that it’s a difficult skill to acquire. I’m sure it’s within their means, the society that we are up against, to teach each of their followers that skill.”
“I see it happen in fiction often enough. Those that are affected have nothing to protect them.”
Shin tries to change the subject to lighten the mood.
“This is pointless. Yuki and I are going to look through the church. Lady Lilishila, please act as naturally as you possibly can.”
“Shouldn’t I help you with anything though?”
“No. If you or your guards do anything out of the ordinary Lady Lilishila, it will be obvious and cause the church to be suspicious. It’d be best for you to do as you always would. I’m painfully aware that we may be too late.”
Shin and Schnee are already recognizable. Shibaid carrying in the box was also a sight. It was obvious they were making a move.
Since they lost their source of more information, Shin had to do something to get better traction.
The guards were concerned if they were really able to get in without their help, but Shin was able to persuade them with his superior hiding skills, once he disappeared out of their sights and reappeared behind them.
He had merely moved very quickly, but they assumed that it was a skill. Had Shin really wanted to, he could have truly disappeared. Showing off however was not necessary.
Other than Shin and Schnee, Tiera would go back to the inn and Shibaid would protect Lilishila.
It seemed a bit risky to let Tiera go off on her own. However, Yuzuha and Kagerou would also be with her.
Had Shibaid not been there, Kagerou would have also been able to help Tiera earlier.
From now on, an attacker would always be knocked out, then stuffed into the wooden box, and carried discreetly by Kagerou.
In case the enemies were to make any sudden movements, Shibaid had to stay inside Palmirack. That was a given.
He’s also a holy knight by profession – this meant that he was a much better defender.
Even with no equipment, he was able to draw out rare class swords. By merely equipping the backup armor and weapons that Shin provided, Shibaid could take over all of Palmirack with relative ease.
They seemed prepared enough.
“The sun will set soon. We will act on our plan once it’s dark. Shibaid is here too, but please try not to leave your abode.”
“I’m sorry that we cannot be of more use.”
It’s precisely the fact that they are involved in the church, that prevents them from further action. They told Lilishila not to worry, as Shin and Schnee ventured into the church.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 06 - A Fanatic's Ambition/The-New-Gate-Volume-06-A-Fanatic's-Ambition-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_06_Chapter_03_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 1
This happened before Shin and the others met with Lilishila.
Wilhelm was in a certain store in Sigurd.
The store was small, barely lit, and reeked of tobacco.
Magical items of unknown usage lay forgotten on the badly arranged shelves.
“Found you at last.”
Wilhelm was slightly irritated. The informant he counted on had moved; finding the new location took longer than expected.
“Now now, don’t give me that after showing up without an appointment.”
The man who owned the store shrugged after hearing Wilhelm’s words.
In a place like Sigurd, with a high flow of traffic, it was not odd for an informant like him to frequently change locations.
“It stinks here.”
“That’s what you say before even greeting me? This incense was made in Hinomoto, you know?”
Muttering about Wilhelm’s lack of understanding for Wabi-Sabi (The beauty of transience and imperfection), the bearded owner blew smoke from his pipe.
What a pity for the incense.
“Jai. I’m sorry but I have no time to enjoy stuff like that. Save it for after our business is done.”
“That’s scary. You’re even more aggressive than usual…what happened?”
The man, Jai Tret, felt that Wilhelm was different than normal. His aloof expression changed completely when he posed the question.
He too hails from the same orphanage, and left to adventure 5 years before Wilhelm.
Now he’s an active informant based in Sigurd.
“They kidnapped Millie. Bulk from the Church is the main culprit.”
“!?…You’re sure of that?”
Wilhelm explained the situation in detail to the stunned Jai. After he heard everything, Jai was rubbing his chin, deep in thought.
“Eline, huh. If he got involved, it means they’re really playing for keeps.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Among the apprentices raised within the Church, Eline’s the strongest. Using him is testament of how big this thing is.”
Jai then added that when Eline moves the resulting damage is always massive, although it never reaches the public.
“Eline comes from some small village, but he has had extreme physical abilities ever since he was a brat, apparently. Bulk heard about it and took him in…and here we are.”
When the Church ministers personally requested to take him in, Eline’s parents happily entrusted him to them.
In exchange for a large sum of gold.
“Misguided knowledge about the Chosen Ones, that was.”
Eline, a Chosen One, possessed physical abilities far beyond his age; the village treated him as a cursed child. Being smarter than other children became a burden to him.
“I couldn’t care less about that bastard’s story. What the hell does that change? You think I’m going to shed a tear or something?”
“Yeah, here’s what I’m getting at. Bulk took Eline back with him, and poured all his enthusiasm in educating him. Thanks to that, his intelligence spiked in a weird direction…now he can’t be handled anymore.”
“Nothing I didn’t know of yet.”
They had met and crossed swords already. Wilhelm already knew that he wasn’t sane.
“Just hear me out. I heard this information from one of my personal connections…our guy seems to possess a certain title.”
“What title?”
“Yeah, you’re going to be surprised. Eline was born with the title of “Hero”, they say.”
“Whaaat?”
Wilhelm couldn’t grasp the meaning of Jai’s words right away.
“We’ve known each other for a long time, but I never thought you’d be the type to spout jokes like that.”
“Don’t be like that now. I did think it was a bad joke the first time I heard it too.”
No one aware of Eline’s true nature would ever imagine using such a word to describe him.
The only thing about him that’d fit the definition would be his appearance.
“So it’s not a joke?”
“I have information that backs it up. That title is supposed to have the effect of strengthening your body.”
“You’re sure of that?”
“Yeah. He is unbelievably strong, that’s true. That might be the reason why he tends to talk too much. Someone heard him let that slip out of his mouth. That someone has already been taken care of, though…only a few informants know of this.”
“And you’re one of those few then. Is that really true? Sounds fishy to me.”
“Shut up. It’s a fact that just knowing this stuff gets you erased!”
It seemed like Jai wanted to imply he’s too strong for that to happen to him.
“This piece of information alone is worth 100 Jul gold coins! I’m only talking about it because it’s you.”
“More like because Millie’s involved, right?”
Jai had once escaped a mortal situation thanks to Millie’s predictions.
Despite looking as suspicious as possible, he was someone who always did the right thing in such situations.
“Who cares about why. There’s more important stuff to deal with right now. What you said removed all my doubts. Since Millie has been kidnapped, the Holy Woman’s definitely involved in this.”
“The Holy Woman?…There are 3 women with that name now, aren’t there. Considering Millie’s abilities, it’s about ‘Prediction’?”
Wilhelm was aware of three of those Holy Women: the “Sooth-Saying Holy Woman”, the “Purifying Holy Woman” and the “Healing Holy Woman”.
Considering Millie’s ‘Star Reader’ ability, the “Soothsaying Holy Woman” is likely to be the connection.
“Bingo. They say that lately, the Soothsaying Holy Woman is feeling under the weather. Actually, it’s because Bulk’s manipulating her though.”
“He can control a Holy Woman!?”
“I heard this from another source, but apparently in a certain cave you can find an item that grants control over whoever’s equipped with it. It was found with other cursed gear and entrusted to the church to remove the curse, but they swapped it with a dud…and now Bulk’s been using it.”
Jai explained that a B-rank adventurers’ party found it inside a yet to be cleared dungeon.
“Stay on your toes. If you end up having that thing attached, even you might not be able to fight it. They say that even some upper class Chosen Ones fell under its influence.”
Jai’s serious expression as he spoke this last warning was one Wilhelm had never seen before.
“…I’ve heard enough. But there’s something I just don’t get.”
Wilhelm had received important information, but there was one thing he could not understand.
“What’s that now?”
“How do you know all this inside information? You just said yourself that the church erases anyone in possession of troublesome information, right?”
Jai was not a Chosen One, unlike Wilhelm. No matter how good he was at hiding, he could not stay safe forever.
“That’s because the Church isn’t a paragon of unwavering loyalty either. Even ignoring the Millie business, Bulk has his fair share of failures. There are people opposing him. Eline too, he might be an upper class Chosen One, but because of Bulk he’s a useless Church Knight. They’d be happy to be rid of Bulk. And one more thing, the adventurer who found the manipulation item is one of my best clients.”
Jai explained how he had a solid source of information for the manipulation item as well.
Wilhelm could not know at this point, but that information had come from Lilishila. She had disclosed it to the informants she could trust.
Yet not even Lilishila knew about the “Hero” title, mainly because the source of the information had been erased.
“I see. So your connections prove useful…sometimes.”
“You could have spared me that last word, damn you.”
“Who are these people opposing Bulk, anyway?”
“Fine, ignore me. They’re the Holy Woman’s personal guards, people indebted to her. Some of them are high-ranked too, so they know how Bulk’s been handling her. If killing Bulk could dispel the item’s effects, rest assured that he’d be six feet under by now.”
Not knowing how to dispel the effect of the manipulation item, they can’t make any moves. Capturing Bulk and interrogating or torturing him could be one way, but who knows what could happen to the Holy Woman.
Bulk dies and the Holy Woman goes with him…would not be a happy ending.
Jai also added that it’d be hard to subdue him, having Eline as guard.
“The Holy Woman’s being held hostage, pretty much. Some people have no choice but to obey Bulk’s orders.”
“Can they be useful to him, though?”
“If you don’t want the Holy Woman to be hurt…that’s all he needs to say.”
“Tch, disgusting bastard.”
Wilhelm clicked his tongue while making a distorted grimace. Jai was feeling the same as well.
“Wilhelm, what are you planning to do now?”
“I’m going back to the inn first. They’ve never been more supportive, you see. The ones who went to the Church might even be back, with Millie in tow.”
Thinking that it wouldn’t be impossible for Shin to pull it off made Wilhelm grin. Seeing Wilhelm like that caused a puzzled reaction in Jai.
“Who’d think I’d ever see you talking of someone with a face like that. Is it a Chosen One?”
“Nope, but a monster through and through. I’m warning you though, don’t start getting curious.”
“Must be something else for you to say that. I’d love to ask you to introduce us, but I’ll stop for now.”
Jai understood that Wilhelm wasn’t joking and nodded strongly, albeit a bit comically.
Curiosity killed the cat, as they say. Informants are sensitive to information that should be left alone. Though there are times when they get closer all the same.
“Maybe there’s nothing to worry with a guy like that on your side, but let me tell you one more thing. If you plan to mess with Bulk, other than Eline there’s one more person you have to pay attention to.”
“The upper class Chosen Ones are being manipulated, right? But you’re telling me it’s only one more guy?”
Eline is obviously dangerous, but the upper class Chosen Ones are also a threat themselves. Based on Bulk’s personality, Wilhelm struggled to imagine that he’d only had Eline and one more person at his beck and call.
“There are other upper class Chosen Ones, that’s true. But this guy, like Eline, has abilities far higher than the others. The name’s Konig Bolt, he’s one of the top swordsmen of the Church. He’s being manipulated by that item though. If you can get rid of that somehow, you can avoid having to fight him.”
Apparently he was one of Holy Woman’s personal guards. He had probably been targeted because of his skills.
Jai adds that he even owns legendary-class equipment.
“This is all I can tell you. You better make good use of it.”
“You bet I will. I will definitely rescue Millie. And while I’m at it I will settle the score with that twisted bastard.”
“Haha, good to hear that…counting on you.”
The last words Jai added were filled with his frustration for not being able to go help her himself.
◆◆◆◆
Wilhelm visited another few stores, then headed back to the inn.
It had taken him considerable time to find Jai’s store, so when he looked up at the sky the sun was already descending.
“…….”
Wilhelm walked on towards the inn, in complete silence. On the way he bought skewered meat from a street stall.
He proceeded at a relaxed pace, tasting the perfectly cooked meat in his mouth.
Yet his feet were not heading towards the inn.
“You’ve been following me for a while now. What do you want?”
Wilhelm stepped into a deserted alley and interrogated the empty space before him.
“…..”
No answer to be heard, Wilhelm’s eyes focused. He pointed the skewer he had in his hand towards the alley’s darkness and shot it.
Wilhelm’s muscular strength shot the skewer through the darkness just like a powerful bow would have, sending it piercing the air towards its target.
“!!!”
An instant before the skewer disappeared into the darkness, something emerged from it. Along with a sound of the wall being struck, the scenery of the dark alley appeared to distort slightly before Wilhelm’s eyes.
The distortion lands on the ground and turned into a person clad in a brown coat.
“You are Wilhelm Avis?”
“What if I am?”
“A certain person wants to meet you. Allow me to accompany you.”
Wilhelm couldn’t identify the person’s expression or racial characteristics because of the hood. But the voice sounded like a man’s.
“You really expect me to just follow you quietly?”
“We’ll take you by force…is something we’re not strong enough to say. My apologies for following you. But refusing me will ultimately bring disadvantage to your side.”
“What?”
Wilhelm furrowed his brow after hearing the man’s words.
“The person wanting to meet you is someone that detests people that abduct children.”
“…so not a servant of some pig-faced priest, huh.”
“If you visited Jai, you should already know. We are not so docile as to just obey without a word.”
Wilhelm remembered what Jai said about the opposing faction. Judging from his words, it was probably this man who passed the information to Jai.
“There’s someone I want to contact first though.”
“Apologies, but I can’t allow that.”
“You need as many allies as you can, don’t you? I can at least guarantee that there’s no risk of betrayal.”
“It would inconvenience us for your comrades to be near. We could contact you like this just because you moved on your own.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“This is the only way to avoid being found out. That’s all I can say for now.”
These people would be inconvenienced by Shin and the others’ presence, which may cause something to happen. At this point in time, Wilhelm did not have enough information to deduce what the reason could be.
Following the man would likely mean not making it back at the time set with Shin and the others. This caused Wilhelm to reflect in silence for a while.
(What will they do after failing to make contact with me?)
Wilhelm’s absence wouldn’t cause a serious loss in fighting power. Just Shin, Schnee and Shibaid would be more than enough.
Tiera herself possessed less fighting power than these three, but her partner Kagerou was more powerful.
If something happened to Wilhelm now, from the timing they would surely think the Church was involved.
(They would go after Bulk. If they go to the Church, there’s a high chance we’ll bump into each other.)
Considering Shin’s party’s abilities, they could very well rescue Millie without Bulk knowing.
Directing their attention to Wilhelm instead of Shin’s party would be good too.
In addition, even if he was manipulated, Wilhelm could not imagine Shin’s party would be defeated.
“…where is this person that wants to meet me?”
“The Church’s Headquarters. I will be your guide.”
“Lead the way.”
As Wilhelm consented, the man moved to a corner of the alley and searched the ground. After a few seconds, his hands stopped moving, holding what looked like a handle-shaped object.
The man tightened his grip on the object and the ground swelled up, revealing a pathway leading underground.
“This way.”
Wilhelm followed the man down the underground passage. The 3 mels wide tunnel they entered continued in both directions.
No light illuminated the dark corridor; when the man closed the entrance, utter darkness filled the surroundings. Only when the man lit the lantern he was holding could they see several mels in front.
The man proceeded without hesitation through the barely lit tunnel. He turned left at a crossroad, right at the next T-intersection.
Wilhelm could not fully understand how the complicated network of paths was connected.
The succession of similar-looking paths coupled with the obstructing darkness would disrupt the sense of direction of any intruder.
Even with Wilhelm’s sharp senses, he lost track of how much time had passed since they entered.
If he lost sight of the man, it would be very difficult to find his way out alone.
Just as Wilhelm thought so, the man stopped in his tracks.
The path that looked like it would continue forever had approached its end.
“It’s here.”
The man shone his lantern on a certain spot on the wall and pushed it. This caused the wall to slide and reveal a stairway large enough for one adult man to pass through.
As Wilhelm proceeded to follow the man up the steps, he had already pushed the ceiling open and was checking the surroundings of the exit.
What the underground tunnel led to was a tiny room. The two men exited it and found themselves in a corridor lined with gorgeous decorations.
“We’re inside the Church?”
Wilhelm had no recollection of the place, but the scenery outside the windows allowed him to estimate his current whereabouts.
It appeared they were inside one of the buildings at the edge of the Church compound.
“There are paths leading to the Church strewn throughout this city. Although very few know that this is the entrance.”
“Just memorizing your way through it is pretty impressive.”
“After 30 years of exploration, I know it like the back of my hand. But enough idle talk, let us head to the person awaiting us.”
Despite being inside the Church, there were few people in the surroundings. Wilhelm’s detection ability barely perceived any human presence around them.
As the two descended several stairs, proceeding as not to meet anyone else, they finally reached a corridor with doors on the left and right sides.
Wilhelm was wondering what the doors concealed, but as the man proceeded straight without paying the slightest attention to the doors, Wilhelm gave up on his mental investigation.
If it’s unrelated to Millie’s rescue, then there’s no point in knowing.
He had received messages from Shin’s party while moving, but chose not to open them in front of the man.
After proceeding further down the corridor the two came upon a door clearly different than the others.
The lavishly decorated door, which occupied a whole section as a room, was also where the corridor came to an end.
“Wait here.”
After saying so, the man knocked on the door with a peculiar rhythm, and the door opened by itself.
It stopped after a few seconds, leaving an opening large enough for one adult person to pass through.
The man then stepped through the opening and Wilhelm followed after him.
The room inside was quite large, its floor rising higher in the back. It looked just like an altar, and Wilhelm was baffled and impressed at the same time that anyone would live in a room like that.
“Milady Hermie. I have brought sir Wilhelm.”
“Well done.”
The man had walked up to the canopy and reported Wilhelm’s arrival, which prompted an answer from a crystalline voice beyond the heavy curtains.
After a little while, the owner of the voice emerged from behind the curtains and showed herself.
“Pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Hermie Schultz.”
“So you’re the ‘Soothsaying Holy Woman’?”
“I am often addressed thus, yes. However, such a pseudonym has barely any meaning at present.”
Hermie’s expression clouded. Wilhelm’s eyes turned to the collar around her neck.
Wilhelm assumed that the eerie-looking thing was the manipulation item that Jai had mentioned.
“What did you call me for?”
“To return Millie.”
With these words, Hermie opened the canopy’s curtains wide, revealing a king-size bed and Millie sitting on it.
“Will!!!”
Millie had known Wilhelm had arrived from his voice, and as Hermie opened the curtains she jumped up and ran to him.
Her eyes brimming with tears, Millie grabbed onto Wilhelm.
Wilhelm held her gently as not to hurt her.
“Will-nii, is Shia-nee…is Shia-nee okay!?!”
“Don’t you worry, she’s as lively as they come.”
Those words spread great relief in Millie’s heart.
She had heard from Hermie that Rashia was safe, but she could not erase all doubts until hearing the same from someone she trusted.
“What’s happening here, though? You were supposed to have been abducted by that Bulk bastard.”
Why was Millie in a place like that? Wilhelm inquired Hermie while patting the little girl’s head.
“This girl and I share the same ability. Bulk ordered me to teach her how to control it.”
Teach her how to control it. That alone wouldn’t be a problem.
However, Bulk would never give her back just like that.
“Bulk plans to offer her as sacrifice. I suppose he only thinks of her ability as a way to raise her worth as sacrifice.”
Hermie did not know what effect that could have on the ritual. She did not want to know either.
If things continued on as they were, both her and Millie would not be able to escape Bulk’s grasp.
Having realized that, Hermie took the risky decision of ordering one of her men to bring Wilhelm there, in order to save Millie.
“Sacrifice?”
Wilhelm was surprised to hear a word so foreign to him. He knew of the existence of the Summit Faction, but he thought they were terrorists that attacked without discrimination.
After Hermie explained about the Summit Faction and their activities, faint blue veins could be seen emerging on Wilhelm’s forehead.
“What insane bastards. But I still don’t understand why you called for me. You should have known that I’m not the only one coming to save Millie, right?”
Wilhelm swallowed his anger and interrogated Hermie again. Why call him specifically, when calling Shin or Schnee would have resolved everything faster?
“I am aware that there are others trying to save Millie. But my ability allowed me to see only you and the female elf. And about her, all I could see was very rough and uncertain. Once, I saw you saving a woman called Rashia, and there was a black-haired man with you…but I only saw him that time. My power has its limits, after all.”
Hermie thus confessed her inability to see Shin, Schnee or Shibaid.
Wilhelm knew how outside the norm those three were, so he did not find such a reason hard to accept. Difference in level and status, quality of weapons and armor, superiority of species…there were too many possible reasons.
“I see. Thinking about those guys, it’s not strange that I’m the only one you could see. Enough about them though.”
That was all Wilhelm could say at that point.
He too was similar to them as for being outside the norm, but compared to Shin and the others he still paled.
“Back to the topic, what do you plan to do now? Even if Millie’s safe, you’ll still be sacrificed, won’t you?”
Thinking that it wasn’t something to talk about then and there, Wilhelm returned to the topic at hand.
“I…I cannot escape.”
Hermie spoke while shifting her gaze to the ground. Resignation was palpable in her words.
Looking at the source for that feeling, Wilhelm spoke.
“The item that forces obedience upon those who equip it, huh.”
“You knew?”
“I heard from an informant. Looks like it’s that collar?”
“Exactly. I have only received orders that prevent me from doing certain actions now, so I can move freely to a point…but if I receive the order, I can do the cruelest things without hesitation.”
Hermie’s pupils trembled while she talked, her fingers brushing against the collar. Wilhelm could not know what horrible things she had been forced to do until now.
But judging from Hermie’s pained expression, it couldn’t have been anything pleasant.
“Are you conscious after you receive an order?”
“I am…vaguely conscious. I suppose I could say it feels like being in a dream.”
Hermie explained how she wasn’t fully conscious. Wilhelm thought that if she was, her emotional state now would be much worse.
“…I can’t do anything about that thing around your neck. Sorry, but I’m going back with Millie.”
“Will-nii!?”
“That is fine. That is not why I had you come here, after all.”
Wilhelm’s words made Millie raise her voice in disbelief. She was about to appeal to Wilhelm to save her, but then her eyes met Wilhelm’s expression of suppressed regret.
Hermie understood his feelings and nodded after hearing his words. The smile appearing on her lips was born from being genuinely happy that Millie would be safe.
While feeling Millie’s gaze, Wilhelm knew he was feeling irritated. There was something he didn’t like about Hermie’s expression.
“What’s up with that face?”
“Eh?”
The sudden question changed Hermie’s expression from smiling to confused.
Hermie thought that her release of the kidnapped Millie could have been considered suspicious by Wilhelm.
She had expected the possibility of being asked if she was being manipulated and was just trying to make them lower their guard.
Fortunately that didn’t happen: Wilhelm agreed to take Millie back without hesitation.
Maybe because she had found some solace in that, Hermie could not understand Wilhelm’s words immediately.
“It’s the face of someone who doesn’t care about themselves.”
“…if that’s what you think, could you please hear my request?”
As she understood Wilhelm’s words, a thought formed within Hermie.
Maybe she would be able to accomplish the other objective for calling Wilhelm there.
“What?”
“Please, kill me.”
“Lady Hermie!?”
“Hermie-nee!?”
Hermie’s words were followed by shocked exclamations from the guide and Millie.
The real purpose of the man who brought Wilhelm to take Millie back was saving Hermie.
Hearing the same Hermie ask Wilhelm to kill her would obviously cause him to raise his voice.
“Are you serious?”
“Even if I keep on living like this, I would just cause problems for many people. If I die and Millie disappears from here, Bulk’s plot will fail too. Because of this collar, I cannot do it with my own hands, so…I beg of you.”
“That cannot happen!! Do you want the earnest efforts of all those trying to save you to be in vain!?”
“It will be too late if things continue like this.”
Hermie’s eyes were resolute as she stated so.
“What have you seen?”
“I h…gwah!”
Hermie was about to start talking, when her face twisted into a grimace of pain. Through her fingers tightly holding her neck, Wilhelm noticed the words etched on the collar’s light up.
“My…apologies. The collar prevents me from saying any more. But if things go on like this…the Eltnia continent will fall in ruin.”
“….the Demon, huh?”
Wilhelm guessed what Hermie meant to say through her fragmented words.
He was gathering information on Bulk his own way too; his information sources were not limited to Jai.
Among the pieces of information Wilhelm had collected, there were connections between Bulk and the Demon, albeit not confirmed.
“It is a very powerful one as well. If you understand me, please…”
“Sorry, but I can’t do that.”
Wilhelm cut off Hermie’s words while patting Millie’s head, who was silently looking up at him.
(I’m not usually one to rely on others, but…)
Wilhelm was a seasoned warrior too. The thing that Hermie talked about, something which could destroy the whole continent…he had felt, ever so slightly, traces of it ever since he arrived in Sigurd.
It wasn’t within Sigurd itself, but not too far from it, something of unknown nature was beginning to move.
From that supposedly dangerous thing, however, Wilhelm could not feel any deathly presence.
The reason was that until hearing Hermie’s words, he did not perceive that sense of irritation as something concrete.
But now he understood the reason. He felt that something even larger than the menace Hermie spoke about was blocking it.
There was only one thing he could think of.
“Even if I don’t kill you here, that enemy or whatever isn’t going to accomplish anything, you know.”
“How can you be so sure!? That is not something mere humans can compare to!”
Instigated by Wilhelm’s lack of sense of danger, Hermie loudly let out her feelings.
She could not express it in words, but Hermie had seen it through her ‘Star Reader’ ability. The massive shadow emerging from the ritual site, and the destruction in its wake.
Hermie knew that even if she pleaded to the people trying to help her – such as the man who guided Wilhelm – to kill her, they would never consent.
She had Wilhelm come not only to entrust Millie to him, but also to ask him to kill her.
“If it was only me in Sigurd, it would have worked, maybe.”
The lack of worry in Wilhelm’s words clouded Hermie’s expression further.
There was a definite difference between Wilhelm and Hermie’s reactions to the coming danger.
The cause for this difference was one simple thing. Knowing a certain person or not.
Who could ever predict it?
That the race talked about in myths was now here in this city?
Who could ever predict it?
That he and his comrades were already on the move?
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 06 - A Fanatic's Ambition/The-New-Gate-Volume-06-A-Fanatic's-Ambition-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_06_Chapter_03_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 2
“I’d be very interested in hearing more about that.”
The direct reaction to Wilhelm’s words came from someone who wasn’t supposed to be there.
“Hey there, good job in finding out that I was here.”
Wilhelm cast a sharp glance at Eline. He had appeared with a timing that was too perfect.
The spot Eline appeared from had no entrances or exits. Wilhelm had guessed that Eline had hidden himself or there could have been a secret passage.
Wilhelm at first found it suspicious that Eline had not staged an ambush, but concluded that considering Eline’s personality and abilities, it wouldn’t be strange for him to not do something like that.
“I had Lady Holy Woman there predict it. She probably doesn’t remember though.”
Eline revealed the whole truth about his presence, with the same grin he had the last time they met in the church.
His words surprised the source of the prediction, Hermie, the most.
“That can’t be! I couldn’t have predicted him coming here, I…!”
“You did. But, you were told to forget about it. I was surprised to hear that you had seen Wilhelm in this city, though. Together with a rare creature like a black-haired elf too. Bayreuth is quite far from here though, was it her ability that let you travel such a distance in this short time?”
The manipulation item could even modify memories.
Eline’s words and Hermie’s expression convinced Wilhelm that it was the truth.
At the same time, the anger he had suppressed welled up within him.
Wilhelm could not forgive him for wounding Rashia and kidnapping Millie; on top of that, after witnessing how he toyed with Hermie, who was even ready to sacrifice herself, it would have been impossible not to be furious.
“You think I’m going to tell you?”
Wilhelm’s words implied the absurdity of such a question.
Wilhelm told Millie to stand back and materialized 『Beinot』 from his item cards. His eyes did not leave Eline for a second.
The rage burning within Wilhelm was about to rip through his body and erupt.
“Oh, I don’t really care either way. What is that spear, though? It is truly beautiful!”
“I couldn’t care less about your damn opinion.”
“It is truly regretful not being able to share this emotion. I am in a good mood right now, so I will let it go. I am really glad that you brought me such a spear. Who would think that you’d have an even greater spear than the one from last time? You should have wielded it earlier. Holding back is something really cruel to do.”
Unlike Wilhelm, Eline’s whole body expressed how good his mood was.
His eyes were fixed on 『Beinot』, which Wilhelm was wielding. His expression was that of a child who had found a brand new toy.
“I’m going to pay you back for last time, here and now.”
“Haha, rather than paying me back, you should worry about having more to pay instead.”
Eline’s hand was already gripping 『Exvaine』. His jovial expression did not hide the same contempt he had during his first bout against Wilhelm.
His stance showed that after seeing 『Beinot』, Eline had understood that things wouldn’t go like last time.
Wilhelm too, however, was different from last time. The weapon he was wielding was different, but more than that, his whole body was perfectly focused, without the slightest strain: his fighting stance showed no openings.
The distance between the two contenders was roughly 10 mels. After making sure that the guide had made Hermie step back, Wilhelm pointed the tip of his spear towards Eline.
“Shaa!” (T/N: Literally “Shii”. Something like a war cry.)
Wilhelm took the first step.
Wilhelm, whose speed was boosted by the support magic “Ki Manipulation* – Kassen (Living Lightning)”, started his offensive against Eline. (T/N: Also translated as Spirit Manipulation)
Eline’s weapon might have been a High Human creation, but the range of attack for a great sword and a spear are very different. 『Beinot』 had encroached on Eline’s attack range.
“I will not go down so easily.”
Eline held his 『Exvaine』 on the trajectory of Wilhelm’s thrust.
While a sword’s middle part could be said to be its weak point, 『Exvaine』’s abnormally high firmness managed to repel 『Beinot』’s strike.
『Venom』 would have caused him to suffer damage from this clash, but now Wilhelm was wielding 『Beinot』, the masterpiece Shin had crafted based on 『Venom』.
Being the same grade as 『Exvaine』, there was no decisive difference in performance between the two weapons.
If a difference arose, it would be because of the user’s skill and the weapon’s attributes.
After repelling Wilhelm’s strike, Eline’s 『Exvaine』 parried 『Beinot』’s tip, which had changed its target to his feet.
His body slid naturally, without opposing the force thrusting forward.
Eline then moved one step forward, faster than Wilhelm could pull back 『Beinot』.
After parrying one blow, Eline drew closer to Wilhelm, using 『Exvaine』 as a shield.
The distance between the two grew smaller and smaller.
Wilhelm, however, would not make the mistake of entering into 『Exvaine』’s attack range.
One step before Eline’s attack range. Just before stepping inside it, Wilhelm changed the pattern of his attacks.
The methods of attack with the spear are the thrust, focused on one point, and the sweep, boasting a range far superior to other conventional weapons.
The multiple thrusts that had been repeated until that point vanished in an instant, turning into a platinum circle, which attacked Eline the next second.
“Quite impressive!”
After blocking the resulting blow, far heavier than the previous thrusts, Eline found himself forced to increase the distance.
Looking at his feet would show burning tracks caused by his shoes grinding against the floor.
The damage sustained was not much, but it was proof that it wasn’t a blow that he could lightly parry on the spot.
“Very good. It appears I can get serious too.”
Eline, once again, stepped forward with the intention of closing the distance that had formed previously. His speed was clearly different compared to the movements up until a while ago.
Eline too had reinforced his physical abilities with “Ki Manipulation”, as Wilhelm had done.
Now the thrusts slicing through the air were not just parried, but knocked aside directly from the front by Eline’s blade. Because their basic stats were different, with the skill’s physical boost Eline’s STR was greater.
Letting his sword arm’s power take control, Eline was swinging the 2-mels long 『Exvaine』 as if it was a long sword.
A crimson arc is drawn in the air and 『Beinot』’s silver flash is repelled.
Few weapons in the world could manage to withstand the attacks of Wilhelm’s 『Beinot』.
If Eline’s weapon had been a legend-grade at most, it could have been possible to push through thanks to the difference in weapon type.
Eline’s weapon, however, had a surprisingly high performance.
Even under Wilhelm’s frontal thrusts, it managed to parry all blows without even the slightest grinding sound.
Eline’s skills were undoubtedly top-notch. He could perfectly defend himself against the spear’s continuous strikes with a weapon as unwieldy as the great sword.
“Tch, looks like the Hero title isn’t just for show.”
“Oh my, you knew? To challenge me despite knowing about that…you must have a death wish.”
Eline responded thus to the words muttered by Wilhelm.
“I heard it increases your status, but I’ll be damned if you aren’t the least worthy of such a title.”
The Title and character did not match.
The character might not be Eline’s fault entirely, but even so, a less fitting match would be difficult to find, or so Wilhelm thought.
“If you envy me, you should just say so. I am a Chosen One. For me to possess a special title like that could be said to be inevitable.”
“Hah, save the dream talk for when you sleep”
The two contenders’ blades collided and made sparks fly.
Even while taunting him, Eline had entered within range to attack Wilhelm. With the enemy so close, even Wilhelm could not continue his flurry of thrusts.
“What’s wrong? Did you think you were stronger simply because you have a new weapon? This duel will end just as the last one did!”
As if in response to Wilhelm’s earlier sweep, Eline suddenly changed 『Exvaine』’s trajectory, which he had been swinging vertically until then.
The swing, originally aimed at Wilhelm’s head, changed directions towards his abdomen, with a sharp angle that a weapon as a massive as a great sword shouldn’t be capable of.
The strike, performed by drawing a sideways V in the air, was the sword art “Aerial Slash”.
『Exvaine』’s deep red light bared its fangs, attempting to cleave Wilhelm apart.
Before such a blade, ordinary armor would be tantamount to nothing.
That is the reason why it should be stopped not with armor, but with another weapon.
Wilhelm, who attempted to parry the overhead blow with 『Beinot』’s handle, swiftly lowered his left arm and matched his spear’s tip with 『Exvaine』.
As 『Exvaine』 and 『Beinot』 clashed, a larger spark burst in the air.
“Gah…”
“My, I suppose it will not go just like last time, then.”
The heavy blow forced his soles to grind against the floor, but unlike their previous bout, this time Wilhelm did not suffer large damage of unknown origins.
Wilhelm was safe because of the temporary physical boost provided by a skill and 『Beinot』’s sturdiness.
Wilhelm had heard from Shin about 『Exvaine』’s abilities. The damage of unknown nature that Wilhelm had suffered during their previous fight too was due to them.
“Looks like what he said was really the truth.”
Wilhelm whispered so after confirming that there was nothing abnormal with his body.
He did not doubt Shin’s words, but he needed to see with his own eyes before finally accepting the truth.
Seeing Wilhelm withstanding his blow, Eline’s smiling expression seemed to hide his intentions.
“For some reason, it seems like you know about my weapon. Since it is a High Human creation, I am not deeply familiar with its abilities yet. It appears there is more I need to ask you.”
“No need to worry. You won’t have any use of it either way.”
After saying so, Wilhelm’s mouth formed a grin.
Maybe because he was irritated by that attitude, the smile Eline was wearing on his lips changed in nature.
“That is fine, extracting information is not one of my duties after all. I shall grant you the opportunity of witnessing my true strength. I trust you will make this enjoyable.”
His words had barely left his lips when Eline’s body was enveloped in golden light.
His shining figure was indeed reminiscing of a character from a heroic myth.
“…too bad he’s like that inside.”
Eline was wrapped in blinding light. Knowing about his character, however, prevented Wilhelm for feeling even a shred of divinity in such a view.
The waves of power emitted by Eline were definitely growing stronger. However, despite their difference in status growing even larger, Wilhelm’s attitude did not change.
“You guys!! Stay back so you don’t get involved in this!!”
After warning Hermie and the others, Wilhelm brandished 『Beinot』 in a fighting stance.
Without wasting time, 『Exvaine』 drew closer.
While not being as wide as a spear’s, a great sword’s attack range was longer than most weapons.
Due to Eline’s charging momentum and 『Exvaine』’s blade length, Wilhelm felt as if the tip of the foe’s blade suddenly appeared before his eyes.
“……….”
Wilhelm struck back that same tip, without a word. Holding 『Beinot』 near the tip, he counterattacked with the least movement possible.
The strike had been performed with surprising reaction speed, and the small arc it formed repelled 『Exvaine』’s blade.
Wilhelm followed it by stepping forward. His left hand still held the spear’s tip, while the right changed positions and lifted the end of the handle upwards.
“Oops!”
The strike, aimed square at the chest, was avoided by Eline twisting his body out of the way. With his extended arm, he then forcefully swung 『Exvaine』 wide.
Even without Eline’s full strength behind it, that slash would have been enough to cut Wilhelm apart.
Judging it not necessary to parry, Wilhelm avoided it by crouching. At the same time, he quickly rotated 『Beinot』 and thrust it at Eline.
After observing the sword cleave above his head , Wilhelm released a thrust with all his strength.
The strike, enveloped in blue and silver light, stabbed Eline’s chest with a speed that far exceeded his predictions.
“Tch!!”
The piercing strike that had left a blinding light effect on Eline was the spear and light combination art “Tetralight Firestreak”.
After a strike performed with 『Beinot』, four spears of light followed by piercing Eline’s armor.
Yet Wilhelm’s hands did not feel the sensation of pierced flesh.
“That kind of speed…it’s not just an ordinary skill, is it.”
Glancing at the missing pieces of armor from his abdomen, Eline stopped smiling.
Even though he barely parried it, the damage he received would have been enough to inflict a grave wound had he been hit squarely.
“You’re not the only one who wasn’t serious yet.”
Wilhelm watched Eline with the vertically slashed pupil of his left eye. It was the sign that the Dragnil blood flowing within Wilhelm had awakened.
What had pierced through Eline’s armor was not just the weapon’s strength.
Wilhelm had unleashed his trump card, the “Evil Dragon Release”, which allowed him to use Lord and Dragnil powers at the same time, thus boosting his stats.
“That eye…I see, so you are a critical.”
A streak of blood flows from Eline’s abdomen.
Even if slightly, Wilhelm’s strike had managed to wound him.
Without bothering to answer Eline’s words, Wilhelm kicked the ground.
The thrusts of his spear, infused with his whole body’s power, moved at a speed incomparable to the strikes Eline had previously parried.
『Beinot』, transformed in a silver blur, attacked Eline while piercing through the air with sounds akin to screams
“Don’t you dare look down on me!!”
Eline attacked back at the enemy spear, which looked like a blur.
Even if Wilhelm’s physical abilities had increased, it was not enough to determine who had the advantage.
Crimson slashes danced in the air.
Silver and red. The two lights clashed repeatedly between Wilhelm and Eline, creating innumerable sparks in midair.
“……….!!!”
After a more intense clash between the blades, the two contenders created some distance between each other.
After a brief moment, they started their offensive at the same time.
Wilhelm chose the spear and lightning combination art “Thunderhowl”.
Eline chose the sword and fire combination art “Blast Cross”.
“WOOOOOOOOHHHH!!!”
Their battle cries overlap.
At this point, not only Wilhelm but also Eline could not afford to hold anything back.
He who relents will lose. As both men knew it, the strength gripping their weapons’ hilts was the maximum they could muster.
“Gh…! This, can’t…!!”
Eline voices his disbelief. 『Beinot』, which had turned into a silver flash of lightning before his eyes, was cutting down the blood-red fiery flames wrapped around 『Exvaine』.
“Your mask is falling, false hero!!!”
The sparks and flames emitted from their clash of strength were burning the floor and ceiling.
A good distance behind Wilhelm, Hermie let out a scream.
The balance slowly changed. The sound of Eline’s shoes grinding against the floor grew louder and louder.
—I can cut through you!!
With a sharp stroke, Wilhelm thrust 『Beinot』 forward.
Their clash had lasted for roughly 15 seconds. The fiery flames, crushed under the lightning’s pressure, disappeared in a thin mist.
“It’s over!!”
Eline replies quietly to Wilhelm’s shout.
“Yes…it’s over indeed.”
As Eline finished uttering these words, Wilhelm felt a shock throughout his body.
“What….the….?”
Alongside the shock, Wilhelm felt something entering his body, His experience told him it was a small blade.
What he didn’t understand was who could have done it.
“You didn’t think I would just do nothing, did you…?”
“W-what…?”
Wilhelm felt his hands losing their strength. 『Beinot』, which he was about to pierce Eline with, turned into a spark and vanished in midair.
Eline, his composure regained, motioned with his chin as if telling Wilhelm to look behind him, and the latter does.
“Da..DAMN YOUUUUUU!!!!”
Wilhelm shouts loudly, trying to move his now powerless body.
Before him stood Millie, with hollow eyes and a bloody knife in her hand.
She had come closer to Wilhelm and Eline’s clash and her arms suffered burns because of it.
The knife had probably been poisoned, as not only his arms, but Wilhelm’s whole body was gradually losing strength.
Hermie’s scream wasn’t due to the effects of Wilhelm and Eline’s battle.
“It looks like you gathered a fair share of information, but apparently it wasn’t enough. It’s possible to control more than one person at a time, you see?”
Eline makes his revelation with a smile again plastered on his face.
Hermie and Millie are in the enemy’s hands, the guide cannot be of any help in battle. Furthermore, Wilhelm was wounded by surprise. The situation was already desperate.
“Fighting you has been quite entertaining. It’s a true shame that there won’t be a next time, you know?”
Eline’s smile twists and warps. His expression didn’t show a shred of heroic valor.
His smile, an expression that normally gives positive feelings to others, had turned into a hideous mask that could only provoke disgust.
In its eyes danced only the insanity of a life spent pursuing desire.
“Time to say our farewells. We shall make good use of your corpse.”
Eline, showing no intention of capturing his prey alive, raised 『Exvaine』 high, ready to give the final blow.
….but his intentions would never be fulfilled.
Just before his sword arm swung down, the room’s door blew open with a booming sound.
The solid door swung open in a V shape and flew towards Eline.
“WhaGHAH!!”
What split the flying door in two and blocked Eline’s eyesight was a fist clad in a red gauntlet.
That one blow crushed Eline’s nose, smashed his chin and sank his face inwards.
Where Eline was standing there was a black-haired man wearing a black long coat with red streaks.
“I made it just in time…or was I too late?”
Looking at Wilhelm and Millie, Shin let out words filled with anger.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 06 - A Fanatic's Ambition/The-New-Gate-Volume-06-A-Fanatic's-Ambition-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_06_Chapter_03_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 3
Around the time Wilhelm was heading over to meet Millie.
Shin’s party was inspecting the interior of Palmirack, as they were looking for a certain room.
“This one is closed too.”
They were looking for Cain’s – Palmirack’s master – room.
Cain was extremely fond of gimmicks, a passion reflected by the great number of hidden doors, passageways, and armories throughout Palmirack that would normally go by unnoticed.
Among them was a hidden passageway that led to the room housing Palmirack’s core. It was located in Cain’s room, the room with the most dangerous gimmicks in all of Palmirack, as proof of its special status.
But as long as they found the room, Shin’s party would have broken through. Once inside the room they would fully activate Palmirack’s core and take back control of Palmirack: Millie’s location would then be crystal clear.
Thus they kept searching for Cain’s room, but the sheer number of closed partitions was making their search a difficult one.
If they could find the passageway, they would have already entered the room and activated the core.
“Being a room of top importance, it’s probably designed to not let anyone inside.”
“It could be. I’m also concerned that Wilhelm’s not answering our messages…let’s look one more time. If we don’t find anything, we’re breaking through.”
Shin nodded at Schnee’s words and decided their next course of action.
They didn’t do so from the beginning because most of Palmirack’s walls and partitions were made of chimeradite, a material with incredible properties.
It wouldn’t be too hard for Shin’s party to simply break through, but destroying a 20-cemel thick chimeradite wall without anyone noticing would be impossible.
An attack of considerable strength would be required, and the resulting sound and vibrations could alert the surroundings.
If only a few people were present in the Church, it was possible for nothing to happen, but, unfortunately, many resided within Palmirack’s walls, especially figures of high rank; like the pope and cardinals, priests in training and the senior priests instructing them. In addition, there were many knights stationed to protect the church.
The priests in training were also in charge of cooking and cleaning, thus always on the move throughout the building. If loud sounds or vibrations occurred, they would learn of it immediately.
“It’s not here either.”
Shin’s party had moved past a hallway blocked by a dead-end, returning to the previous doorway, but found their progress once again opposed by a partition.
Nothing else to do, they decided. We must break through.
At first they sensed the surrounding presence, waiting for as many people as possible to be far from their location. At the same time Schnee activated “Silent Domain”, a skill disrupting the surrounding sounds. The probability of anyone noticing sounds caused by them thus dropped significantly.
Shin confirmed the skill’s activation, pulled out a card from the item box and materialized it. From Shin’s hands then appeared one katana.
Resting within a candid sheath decorated with red petals was 『Hakuramaru』, a katana of Ancient grade.
Shin calculated the timing when the least people were in their surroundings and prepared to unsheath『Hakuramaru』.
As the skill activated 『Hakuramaru』’s hilt became a blur and three silver streaks ran across the wall’s surface.
The katana martial skill “Iai – Hiengasane” (Iai – Flock of Swallows) accelerated the slashes which drew an imperfect triangle on the wall.
Without relaxing his guard, Shin placed 『Hakuramaru』 in its sheath and pushed the wall with his right hand, causing part of the slashed partition to fall on the side opposite to Shin’s party.
The falling metal caused a large vibration upon hitting the ground.
However, thanks to “Silent Domain” the rumbling sound was not heard by anyone.
Also because of the distance, the people present near Shin’s party did notice the vibrations but did not make a ruckus about it.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Shin and Schnee passed through the opening in the wall and stepped into Palmirack’s inner quarters.
In the off-chance someone passed nearby, they put back part of the fallen partition where it originally was. After returning the wall to its former state, all light penetrating from outside was shut out, making it hard to see anything.
Shin and Schnee both activated their detection skills to their maximum capabilities and proceeded quickly along the dark corridors. What they were wary of the most were the traps set around Cain’s room.
If Shin was registered as Cain’s comrade there would be no obstacles, but if that had been revoked it would mean stepping foot in Palmirack’s most dangerous trap zone.
Shin, partly involved in the creation of the traps, absolutely did not want to fall victim to their effects.
“….no traps, apparently.”
“Yes, I do not perceive any danger either.”
Shin and Schnee proceed onwards, with the utmost care possible. No matter how much they advanced through Palmirack, no traps seem to activate.
Taking advantage of such an opportunity, they quicken their steps towards Cain’s quarters.
Even though the map function was unusable, he had visited that place many times in the past. Shin proceeded with confidence and stopped before a certain door shortly after.
Confirming the absence of any traps, Shin was preparing the keys, when a rattling sound reached his ears.
“The lock opened?”
“Probably.”
Schnee nodded to Shin’s question.
Putting strength in the hand holding the knob was enough for the door to open without any resistance. It appears that the lock had been disabled simply by Shin’s presence.
“My registration… is still active, then.”
Shin still remembered that function. If someone registered in the system simply touched the knob, the door would open automatically.
The room was as Shin remembered it: a round table and chairs, cupboards, kitchen and other furniture, in the same arrangement he was used to, lying quietly in the darkness.
One difference was the dust piled on all of them. The room’s environment control system was not active.
Not only Shin, but any visitor could have understood that the room had not been in use for a long time.
“…let’s go. The secret passageway is in the back.”
“….yes.”
After a brief pause in the silent room, Shin walked towards the back. Schnee followed after softly replying to him.
The room in the back was only about 30 square feet: dust completely covered the desk and chairs within.
Shin drew closer to the bookshelves and pushed on the 4th book from the left of the 4th shelf from below. This caused the shelves to quietly slide to the left, showing a type of door that opened left and right from the center.
That door too opened automatically as Shin went closer. It concealed a so-called elevator.
The doors closed on their own after Shin and Schnee stepped past them; the elevator then started descending.
After roughly 10 seconds of that floating sensation, the elevator stopped and its doors opened to a dimly lit hallway.
One minute later, Shin and Schnee had already reached Palmirack’s center, the room housing the core.
The room was shaped as a cube, with each side measuring 10 mels. At its center floated a black sphere of 50 cemels of diameter.
Innumerable geometric symbols were engraved on its surface, while streams of light ran periodically through the thin canals etched on the object.
Those lights, however, were extremely faint.
“What’s this?”
Shin, after checking once again for the presence of the traps, walked towards the center of the room and the core.
“Is there anything wrong?”
“The core looks different from what I remember. The lights running on its surface used to be brighter and even though my data should still be registered, it won’t respond to my presence.”
Originally, the interior control menu was supposed to be displayed in midair whenever a member of the Rokuten approached. However, this was not the case this time around.
“Shin, there are traces of miasma in this room!”
“Miasma!?”
As Shin walked forward for a closer examination, Schnee raised her voice suddenly, looking shocked.
Surprised, Shin focused on his surroundings and felt the unmistakable nauseating presence of miasma.
“Are you serious? I hadn’t noticed.”
“I suppose your resistance is too strong, thus its effects were nullified without you noticing. I do not possess a resistance as strong as yours, that’s why I could notice, I think. Nevertheless, what could this mean?”
Shin was now extremely resistant to all types of abnormal status effects. The miasma in the room was just enough to cause an ordinary person to feel sick, so it did not have any effect on Shin.
Schnee’s resistance, also because of her race’s characteristics, was greatly inferior to Shin’s, thus she could notice the miasma’s presence.
“It doesn’t look like it’s penetrating from outside.”
“A possibility is that the miasma mixed within the atmosphere accumulated over time, I suppose.”
Miasma is present wherever living beings are. In a place like the kingdom’s capital, a mass of all sorts of entangled emotions, it was possible for miasma to accumulate without anyone knowing.
Of course, even if such a thing had been done deliberately, it was not possible for it to accumulate enough to cause something serious. The quantity in that room was that small.
Palmirack operated its interior by absorbing the surrounding magical power. Thus, while gathering magical power it had also absorbed the miasma mixed within it, or so Schnee thought.
“Could be. It’s too little to be caused by a Demon.”
Shin could not deny the possibility that after 500 years, some effect would be expected. He nodded while purifying the miasma.
After the miasma disappeared, the lights streaking over the core regained their brightness. At the same time, the Palmirack control menu appeared before Shin’s eyes.
Without wasting a second, Shin searched all individuals present within Palmirack. Narrowing down targets using categories such as level, race and gender, he found only one applicable result.
“Underground, huh. There are 4 other responses nearby?”
He found a response in one of the rooms underground. It was a relatively large one.
Together with the response thought to be Millie, there were 2 others in front and 2 behind her.
“….!? This is…!!”
Shin operated the menu to display the room in question. The screen shifted to show Millie running, a black blade in her hand.
Before her, Wilhelm was clashing against a man with a red great sword. Millie was running towards Wilhelm, but her facial expression seemed to lack focus.
“Schnee, we’re jumping!”
“Yes!”
This is bad.
Shin felt it instinctively. He operated the menu at high-speed and activated the short-distance teleportation function within Palmirack.
Shin and Schnee had been transported just in front of the room where Millie and the others were. Thinking it troublesome to open it, Shin let his strength take control and punched the door open.
The doors opened in a V-shape and flew with a booming sound towards the man with the red sword
Shin had found the location of the people inside the building with the menu and his detection abilities, while seeing the red sword was enough to let him understand that the man facing against Wilhelm was Eline.
Shin flew into the room right after the door did.
There, he found Wilhelm kneeling on the floor, with the knife protruding from his back, and Millie staring blankly at her bloody hand.
To Shin’s eyes as player, Millie’s status was clearly shown as “Submission”.
The visual seen in the core room and this status window were enough to let Shin know what had happened in the short time they employed to teleport.
“Wgwah!!”
With the same skill-powered fists that had broken the door in two, Shin pounded mercilessly on Eline’s face.
Leaving the sensation of broken bones on Shin’s hands, Eline spun in midair. After flying for several mel he crashed on a wall and slumped down on the floor.
He would not die; the skill was used to prevent it.
There were things Shin needed to ask: and no matter how enraged he was, he would never kill someone on the spot.
It was a completely different question if being left alive would be pleasant for Eline, though.
“I made it just in time…or was I too late?”
Looking at Wilhelm clenching his teeth and Millie’s still vacant expression, Shin realized his voice was still imbued with anger. He grabbed 『Exvaine』 with the hand that had sent Eline flying.
“Schnee, heal Wilhelm. I’ll take care of Millie.”
“Understood. What shall we do about that?”
“Our first priority is this. I paralyzed him, so he can’t use teleportation.”
The skill Shin had used on his fists was the bare-handed martial skill “Nonfatal Fist”.
A common element of RPGs and battle-focused VR games, this technique leaves the opponent with at least 1 HP.
This technique also had the effect of paralyzing the opponent and preventing the usage of skills for a set time. Among similar skills there are “Willow Throw” and “Nonfatal Blade”, previously used against Barlux.
Shin saw clearly from Eline’s HP gauge that he barely had any left. Shin’s attack had landed cleanly. If it wasn’t for “Nonfatal Fist”, Eline would be mincemeat by now.
After confirming that he had been inflicted with paralysis, Shin decided that they could ignore him for a while.
Schnee nodded at Shin’s words and cast healing magic on Wilhelm.
Shin made sure Wilhelm’s HP gauge was increasing and turned over to Millie.
“……….”
Even with Shin standing before her, Millie didn’t show any response. She simply stared blankly into space, hollow reflections filling her eyes. As the displayed “Submission” status clearly showed, she had to be equipped with a submission item.
Shin focused on observing Millie and noticed a kind of black mist emanating from her right arm.
“Let me roll up your sleeves a little.”
Rolling up Millie’s right sleeve exposed a round item with the same golden characters present on Hermie’s collar.
Submission items were generally shaped like collars, but this allowed them to be equipped on the arms or legs of children like Millie.
Even during the game, believing in stereotypes like “collars are always equipped on necks” caused players to be caught by surprise from time to time.
Not knowing that the item would be effective even if equipped on someone’s arms, Hermie and the others did not consider the possibility that Millie could have been manipulated too.
“I’m going to release you now.”
Probably thanks to his ability as “Liberator”, Shin knew how to destroy the item.
Shin focused magic power on his left arm and grabbed the bracelet. The focused magic power scattered the black mist away and the loud noise of something cracking could be heard.
As Shin released his grip, the bracelet, now reduced to bits, vanished in a puff of smoke.
As the “Submission” status display vanished along with the bracelet, strength left Millie’s unconscious body. Shin caught her as she slumped to the floor, then faced towards Hermie.
“…..I will remove the collar. Please come closer.”
“……Please.”
Hermie was slightly wary of the man who had abruptly appeared in her quarters, but relaxed after witnessing how he punched Eline, healed Wilhelm, and freed Millie.
Hermie came closer and Shin stretched his magic-powered hand, just as he had done with Millie. The collar visibly cracked at Shin’s touch, dissolving in the exact same way as Millie’s bracelet did.
“It’s really disappearing…”
Unlike Millie, Hermie did not lose consciousness; She touched her neck where the collar used to be, as to make sure it was really gone.
“My name is Shin, the woman tending to Wilhelm’s wounds is Yuki. Lilishila requested our help. You are a Holy Woman, is that correct?”
“Yes, I am. So you are the allies Lilishila talked about…my name is Hermie Schultz. I am deeply grateful for your help.”
“We had our own reasons to do this, so please don’t worry about it. Could I ask you to take care of Millie? I’m afraid things will turn quite bloody from now on, thus, it would be truly helpful if you headed with Yuki to where Lilishila is, milady.”
Shin spoke to her because he didn’t think what would likely happen next was something for women to witness.
While saying those words, Shin emanated a completely different aura than when he asked Hermie to take care of Millie. His expression and tone of voice were calm and collected, yet Hermie felt a chill so severe that her whole body trembled.
“….Understood. I leave the rest to you.”
Shin nodded and entrusted Millie’s still unconscious body to Hermie.
When he faced towards Schnee again she had finished healing Wilhelm, who had stood up and was recovering 『Beinot』.
“You’re feeling alright?”
“Yeah, you saved me.”
“If Millie hadn’t been manipulated, victory would have been yours. I’d have appreciated being contacted though.”
Shin’s words turned Wilhelm’s expression sour.
“Yeah, I messed up there. I wasn’t focused enough on reporting the situation closely.”
Hearing Wilhelm’s words made Shin think that this world’s Chosen Ones had abilities so great that it caused them to act without thinking too deeply at times.
“Well, I’m sure you won’t repeat the same mistake twice. Be careful in the future.”
After saying this, Shin turned towards Eline, still knocked out cold on the floor.
“It’s time to have a little chat. What are you going to do, Wilhelm?”
“You’re the one who dealt the final blow. It’s all up to you.”
Wilhelm left everything up to Shin without hesitation because, from Eline’s standpoint, that would be the worst outcome.
Wilhelm and Shin had been talking casually, but as soon as the latter turned his eyes on Eline, they displayed such an intense rage that you could almost see it around him.
Hermie, who had moved close to Schnee, felt her own body tremble because of that pressure.
The guide too almost jumped to protect Hermie after feeling the fierce aura Shin projected.
“You two should come this way. With them in that state, I think it is best to not stay here much longer.”
“Y-yes. We are in your debt.”
Schnee exited the room with Hermie and the guide, judging it wiser for them to leave after noticing the change in Shin’s atmosphere. She contacted Shibaid and they headed to the room where Lilishila was waiting.
After confirming that the group of 3 left the room, Shin and Wilhelm walked closer to Eline.
“……gh…..”
Before Shin could do anything to Eline, they heard him emit a weak grunt. It appears that the upper class chosen one’s recovery ability Eline possessed had allowed him to regain consciousness.
“Hey there, are we feeling alright?”
Shin spoke to Eline in an extremely casual tone.
It would have looked like a conversation between close friends, had Eline’s face not been completely rearranged.
Despite being spoken to, Eline – dripping blood from his nose and mouth – was just trying to slowly stand back up, without saying a word.
Shin waited for Eline to close his wounds with medicine before talking again.
“There’s a lot of things I need to ask you. You’re going to answer me honestly, yeah?”
“How dare you use an underhanded trick like a surprise attack…and to someone like me…!”
Ignoring Shin’s question, Eline let out a voice filled with anger.
He seemed to think that he received an unexpected amount of damage just because he had been caught by surprise.
“Underhanded? I didn’t expect to hear that from the man who had Millie do that ambush”
“I am a chosen existence. My actions are justly performed in God’s name!”
“….I see, talking will get us nowhere. Works for me.”
Eline’s words were those of a fanatic. Words of a man who believed himself to be just, without a shred of a doubt.
For that very reason, Shin lost any scruples he might have had.
“If we can’t resolve things peacefully through conversation, the only thing to do is let our fists talk, am I right?”
Such words might suggest that Shin was thinking of finding a solution via dialogue, but of course that was not the case.
The very moment he saw Eline, he had discarded all possibilities except physical “language”.
“Here you go.”
Shin raised the 『Exvaine』 he was still holding and threw it at Eline.
Eline grabbed the weapon as it was flying towards him. Confusion was clearly present in his expression.
“You’re giving me back my weapon? Are you looking down on me!?”
“Wrong word choice! I’m not “giving it back”, just “lending” it to you for a while. It’s not even yours to begin with.”
Shin’s words started becoming rougher. He was different from the time with Girard: it was possible to sense his tone showed traces of cold cruelty.
“Come at me already. If you’re even able to handle that weapon, that is”
“Damn youuuuu!!!”
Shin’s utter arrogance pushed Eline to charge at him while raising an angry shout.
His physical damage was far from recovered, but even so his speed was enough that it would be hard to react in time for anyone not an upper class chosen one like him.
Shin simply raised his left arm against the coming blade, slicing the air in his direction.
It is not hard to imagine why Eline smiled at such a sight.
『Exvaine』’s sharpness, Eline’s own armpower, the weapon’s own mass. It was normally unthinkable for a mere arm to do something against a blow resulting from the combination of these three factors.
However, the crimson gauntlet equipped on Shin’s arm squarely blocked 『Exvaine』’s blade, which had cleaved through so many weapons.
“This…can’t be.”
Shin did not budge an inch even after receiving the full brunt of Eline’s blow. His arm did not move, nor did he show any expression of pain. He simply looked on at Eline, unfazed.
Sparks had scattered from the gauntlet, but its surface didn’t show the slightest mark. It was unscathed, much like its master.
A full power blow blocked by a single arm. A reality that made Eline emit a raucous whisper.
“…..next.”
“What?”
Eline voiced his doubts at Shin, who looked as if he was waiting for his next move.
“That wasn’t all your power, was it? I’m waiting. Show me your full strength already.”
“W-what!! You, you…!”
Eline’s fury had almost vanished, but Shin’s look – now mixed with pity – stoked its flames high again.
“DON’T LOOK DOWN ON MEEEEE!!”
After instantly increasing the distance from Shin, Eline healed his damage with a skill, which he could finally use again. Without a moment of delay, he delivered another blow reinforced by an offensive skill.
It was the sword and flame combination skill “Clear Bite”.
A diagonal downward slash by a sword wrapped in white-hot flames and a diagonal upward slash with a blade of pure fire attacked Shin from above and below.
“No, that’s my line.”
Even before a strike charged with all the strength Eline could muster, Shin did not draw. He crushed the blade of fire coming from below with a kick through his leg guards and blocked the blade coming from above with his gauntlet, once again.
“H-heh, this is noth…gwaaah!”
Even if the blade had stopped, the flames engulfing it did not.
Eline was confident Shin would have been damaged after blocking the blade the same way as he had done before, but was instead burned by the flames of his own blade, reflected back at him.
“W…what is…going on…”
“What, do you think I’m going to tell you?”
With these words, Shin pressed closer to Eline, without a sound.
Shin’s right arm shot towards Eline, as if with a roar.
“Aah!!”
Eline barely managed to shield himself with 『Exvaine』. The shock of parrying Shin’s blow however, blew the great sword out of his hands.
“As I thought, you’re not fit to handle it…I will face you from the front, fair and square. When you feel like talking, just give the signal.”
Eline’s expression was distorted because of the dull pain in his hands. Without a care for the man’s state, Shin stepped right in front of him.
An uppercut right into the solar plexus. Without a moment to react, Eline is thrown in the air.
“!?!”
Eline flies away, spitting blood, and crashed against the same wall he had been blown to before. The wall, built with special materials, sustains the impact of Eline’s body and repels it back.
Eline falls towards the ground, powerless.
Before he can reach the floor, however, he is stopped by a crimson gauntlet.
“Gwooh!?”
Another fist crashes into him.
A flurry of fists and their afterimages do not allow Eline’s body the solace of reaching the ground.
Face, stomach, right shoulder, face, left body, right chest, face again.
A series of blows which would have knocked out cold any average man, but that an upper level chosen one like Eline could sustain.
Or rather, was made to sustain.
“Oh yeah. I’ll heal before you die, so rest easy, ok?”
After indirectly informing Eline that he will not be allowed to die easily, Shin continues his attack.
The reason why Eline did not die even after such an amount of blows is simply “Nonfatal Fist”.
Thanks to the skill enveloping Shin’s fists, even heart-rending blows or head-splitting attacks see their impact vanish right before it could prove fatal.
Bones are shattered, organs are crushed, but death does not come. It is not possible to die due to shock either.
What increased Eline’s misfortune even more was that Shin had a great quantity of recovery items with him. During the continuous attacks, a small bottle was thrown at Eline, who was in such a pitiful condition that it was almost a mystery how he could be still alive. The small bottle shattered as it made contact with Eline, its liquid contents spilling all over him.
The next moment, Eline’s battered body recovered almost instantly: it looked like someone had pressed the rewind button of a video player.
That was not something to rejoice about, though.
A physical recovery also meant that the sensation of pain, paralyzed by the massive damage, returned as well.
The recovery took a mere 2 seconds. Eline, still floating in midair, was again on the receiving end of a storm of fists.
“Bwaagh!”
The words Eline was about to utter died in his throat. A cycle of destruction and recovery repeating again and again, truly an endless hell.
Shin’s face as he repeated his attacks was completely void of emotion.
He had overcome his anger, now no emotion could be perceived from his expression towards Eline.
It was only a matter of time until Eline’s heart collapsed under this machine-like cycle of actions.
“Ghaah, sdob, sdop…”
The flurry of fists stopped for a moment. Eline, slumped on floor, desperately tried to move his powerless body away from Shin.
There was no trace of the earlier arrogance or anger in him anymore. As Shin moved but one step forward, Eline’s body shook in an almost comical fashion.
“Let’s hear what you have to say then. Oh, any lies and I’m going to kick it up a notch, ok?”
Looking at his own blood dripping from Shin’s fists, Eline nodded energetically. He had received the first completely one-sided beating of his life, which had pulverized any and all thoughts of rebellion.
“Number one. What did you plan to do by kidnapping Millie?”
Eline answered Shin’s questions honestly.
Bulk’s objective was to bring Hermie and Millie to the location of a certain ritual and offer them as sacrifices. He planned to solidify his position in the organization that way.
Eline confessed to not know the location of the ritual and that 『Exvaine』 had been given to him by Bulk.
Concerning the manipulation item, it could control not only the actions but also the memories of the wearer. It cannot, however, alter existing memories, but only delete them.
“I see.”
Eline was speaking the truth.
Even if his spirit had been broken, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t lie. But when he blew Eline away with his fists, Shin had already used a mind interference-type skill.
The skill caused Eline to not feel any desire to hide the truth or any sense or danger in saying everything he knew.
“……….”
Wilhelm was standing behind Shin, silently listening to Eline answering Shin’s questions. Wilhelm expected this kind of outcome, that is why he left everything to Shin without a word.
Wilhelm knew Shin was a High Human. Thus he also thought that he would likely know a mind interference skill, perfect for interrogations.
He did not know if the skill had been used this time, but as Eline was coughing up the requested information, it did not matter if the reason was the skill or the beating he received.
Wilhelm also realized that, considering Shin’s personality, he would not have used a mind interference skill unless absolutely necessary.
The current situation made it undoubtedly necessary.
Shin’s rush of punches made Wilhelm wonder if the man was still alive. Seeing Shin use healing medicine, however, cast away all unneeded worries.
“W-what will you do with me?”
“Hmm? Well, we got the information we needed. Next…you know, don’t you?”
We did what we had to, so you know what’s coming, right? Shin’s expression towards Eline told a clear message.
“L-lord Bulk has probably already captured Lilishila by now. If anything happens to me, who knows what they will do!! Not only to Lilishila, but also the Holy Woman who left earlier!!”
Eline suddenly raised his voice towards Shin. Talking about Bulk made him remember something he had forgotten.
“He’s going to Lilishila, you say?”
Eline grinned at Shin’s question .
“They have chosen ones the same level as me with them! If you want to help them, do not lay another finger on me!!
Apparently Eline was planning to use the hostages as a shield to escape the current situation. If they could take Hermie and Millie hostage, he was sure it would be more difficult for Shin’s party to move as they wanted.
Eline’s tough act was extremely ridiculous to Shin and Wilhelm’s eyes.
“Yeah, I surely hope for you they’ve taken hostages.”
Shin cast words filled with pity to Eline.
Eline’s smile stiffened when faced with Shin’s nonchalant attitude.
“W-what are you saying. The Elf Tamer is going to the inn this very moment. The elf that was with you can’t stand a chance against Konig’s close combat prowess either. Will you act so tough even after they are captured?”
“I think there’s a big misunderstanding here…”
Shin looked at Eline coldly and delivered a verbal coup the grace.
“….when have I ever said that my comrades are not with Lilishila right now?”
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 06 - A Fanatic's Ambition/The-New-Gate-Volume-06-A-Fanatic's-Ambition-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_06_Chapter_03_Part_04.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 4
“Will Shin and the others be alright?”
After Shin’s party left, Lilishila’s group was waiting in her room.
In the current situation, even if they acted, they wouldn’t accomplish much. As it was unthinkable that only Eline was under Bulk’s command, acting carelessly would have been dangerous.
Waiting without doing anything, though, was painful not only for Lilishila, but also for the knights at her side.
“Shin and Yuki will not have any trouble even if they face Eline head on. What we should worry about is the movements of the enemy’s other troops.”
Casting Lilishila’s worries aside, Shibaid leant against the wall of the corridor leading to the entrance. His words were filled with the absolute trust he felt towards Shin.
Not knowing that Shin was a High Human, Lilishila’s group was probably worried at the thought of a head-on battle against Eline. Eline’s fighting ability was just that great.
“Well then, it appears it is time for us to move too.”
Less than an hour since Shin’s party left, Shibaid spoke while staring at one point in the room.
“What happened?”
“There’s a group of people walking in this direction. Judging from the fact that they are not hiding their hostile intentions, they must be Bulk’s lackeys.”
Shibaid’s words made Lilishila feel more anxious.
On her side there were 4 people, Shibaid included. Even if they were all competent fighters, depending on the enemy numbers, they might be at an overwhelming disadvantage.
Shibaid’s party left the room, thinking it would be dangerous to fight inside. As they got out, there was a group of people heading towards them.
Leading the group was none other than Bulk himself.
“Oh my, where are we going now?”
“Nowhere that may concern you, Father Bulk.”
“My apologies, but I do have business with Lady Lilishila. If you would kindly accompany me, I am sure Her Highness the Holy Woman would be pleased as well. ”
“Kh…!”
The sly grin formed by Bulk’s lips made Lilishila feel goosebumps.
If it was possible, she would have crushed him to the ground, then and there. Her clenched fist and teeth expressed that wish very clearly to anyone who would look at her.
Someone then put a hand on Lilishila’s shoulder.
“Lady Lilishila, it appears you do not need to accompany this charming fellow anywhere anymore.”
“But…could it be that…!!”
Lilishila, who had understood the meaning implied by Shibaid’s words, completely changed her expression.
“Yes, I just received contact from Yuki. They are heading here as we speak.”
Shibaid nodded strongly, and not only Lilishila but also the knights erupted in cheers. At the same time, their hostility flowed freely to the group blocking their way.
“W-what’s with those looks? Have you forgotten what it means to defy me!?”
“How could I forget. Or rather, it’s impossible for me to forget.”
Lilishila could not contain a chuckle, as her body was wrapped in highly dense magic power.
Bulk, feeling the danger emanating from Lilishila’s clear intentions of attacking, drew his weapon and stepped forward.
Those behind him also took out their weapons.
“Ko, Konig! Protect me!! You all too, step forward!!!”
“Konig? It can’t be, you too…?”
Looking at the knights before her, Lilishila too said that name, with surprise in her voice.
Konig was a knight that was dispatched to Balmel, and by that logic, he was not supposed to be here at Palmirack.
“Lady Lilishila…I apologize..”
“Do not apologize. I am aware of the circumstances.”
Konig, who had stepped forward as well, showed eyes clearly filled with regret.
His struggle to stop the body that was moving against his will was palpable to Lilishila, who was also well versed in the ways of fighting.
His regret was felt by the people opposing him, as if it was their own.
“Flee, I beg of you…! Or I will cut you down…!”
Konig’s arms slowly reached the blade at his waist. The brilliantly decorated weapon was the legend-class magical sword 『Haufer』.
『Haufer』, unsheathed with a brilliant sound of metal, sparkled with an almost transparent silver gleam, in utter contrast with its owner’s will.
“Is that a real magical blade?”
As he drew the magical blade, an overwhelming pressure emanated from Konig’s body, as if to crush his opponents. Despite his manipulated state, his strength did not waver an inch.
Lilishila’s party, who was prepared to fight, could not help stiffening before Konig’s presence.
“Ha-hahaha. What happened to all your confidence and boasting?”
Noticing Lilishila’s party’s hesitation, Bulk had regained his composure and was now jeering at them, standing right behind Konig.
None of them, however, had lost to Konig’s aura of pressure.
“Well then, I suppose we should start by stopping this man.”
These nonchalant words were spoken by Shibaid.
His equipment was the same as when he joined with Shin’s party, light gear covering only part of his body.
The only difference was the silver-colored gauntlet he was now wearing. Lines of black mixed with silver grain covered the whole item.
Shibaid had materialized one of his original pieces of equipment.
“Hmph. Konig is one of the most capable upper class chosen ones. If I were you, I would not boast so quickly.”
Bulk, enjoying the view of Lilishila’s party being pressured by Konig, bit back at Shibaid.
To Bulk, it looked like Shibaid was just bluffing.
“You petty scum…do not think that you have angered only Lady Lilishila.”
As Shibaid uttered those words, the pressure bearing on Lilishila’s party suddenly vanished.
Immediately after that, as if the pressure had simply changed targets, the knights standing before Bulk kneeled to the ground.
They looked as if an unseen giant was pushing on them with all its weight.
“W-what the…gah…!”
The sight of his knights groveling had shaken Bulk, who too was forced on his knees slightly later.
A pressure so strong, trained knights succumbed to it: it was impossible for Bulk to resist. He cried, lying on the ground like a flattened frog.
Originally, techniques that pressure the opponent with one’s aura or spirit did not have the effect of pushing the opponent down physically. The pressure was felt simply on an emotional level.
However, in Shibaid’s case it was slightly different.
“I have heard of all your despicable acts. You will not escape me.”
Shibaid’s deeply resonating voice shook Bulk’s eardrums. As if responding to his anger, the pressure emanating from Shibaid grew even more intense.
At the same time, the floor around Shibaid started cracking.
Shibaid’s main job is Holy Knight. Its role is to be an iron wall, a shield to repel enemy attacks.
If we were to compare skills that attracts the enemy’s attention and pressure enemies into submission. Shibaid boasts the best aptitude among all the support characters.
Against enemies with great difference in abilities, it even manages to pressure them physically.
“The church headquarters…is vibrating…?”
Konig, the only one of Bulk’s entourage still on his feet, looked at Shibaid with disbelief in his eyes.
Konig felt that Palmirack itself was resonating with Shibaid’s anger.
“I know you are being controlled, Sir Konig. As I have no way to break that collar, I will have to be somewhat rough…I trust you will understand.”
“…I would rather be killed than for my blade to slay those without sin”.
“Your spirit is truly commendable.”
Shibaid’s words provoked an explosive acceleration in Konig’s movements. The afterglow following his blade swings painted streaks of light in the air.
As a weapon worthy of its “Legendary” grade, 『Haufer』 sliced through the air with little resistance, aiming at Shibaid’s neck.
It all happened in an instant.
Being controlled allowed Konig to perform a movement he would normally find difficult, a swing at his maximum speed.
The blade, however, was stopped right before meeting its target, by a silver gauntlet.
“!?!”
A sharp metallic sound. It was 『Haufer』’s cry after grinding against the gauntlet.
The shock of the impact and the difference in quality between the two weapons resulted in only 『Haufer』 to be damaged.
A result which left Konig wide-eyed and speechless.
Immediately after that, the gauntlet, which had stopped 『Haufer』, vanished in thin air, together with Shibaid himself.
“…..Go to sleep.”
The instant those words reached Konig’s ears, he was already drawing his blade…only to be hit vertically into the air.
Where Konig was standing just before, now stood Shibaid, his fist raised in the air. The armor which saved Konig’s life so many times on the battlefield now bore a deep dent in the shape of Shibaid’s fist.
Konig, blown in midair by Shibaid, crashed against the ceiling with roughly the same speed as he had stepped in to swing his blade.
“Gwah!!”
A counter performed after blocking the opponent’s attack.
That single blow was enough for Konig’s body not to follow its master’s will anymore.
Yet the emotion filling Konig’s chest was not surprise.
Towards the existence of an overwhelmingly powerful warrior, capable of dealing with upper class chosen ones with ease, who did not accept or forgive evil.
Towards the fact that a person like that appeared before him.
“I am…thank…ful…”
After uttering these words, Konig lost consciousness.
“If you lose consciousness, you cannot move even under manipulation, is that it?”
Shibaid went closer to Konig’s body and confirmed that all strength had left it.
As he did not know how the control worked, Shibaid put restrains on him to be sure.
“I cahn’t, beliive it…”
Watching Konig be defeated so easily left Bulk flabbergasted.
The other knights too seemed to grasp just how dangerous an enemy Shibaid was, and they were desperately trying to crawl away to safety.
“Lady Lilishila, could I ask for your help in restraining them?”
“Of course.”
Shibaid captured the higher-leveled knights, while Lilishila took care of the rest. Bulk tried to flee too, but he was obviously captured as well.
“H-how dare you treat me like this!!”
“Your subordinate in the other room has been defeated already, did you know?”
Bulk was cut off as he was trying to talk. Shibaid informed him about Eline’s capture and Hermie and Millie’s rescue.
Bulk’s expression was one of utter shock. Considering that Lilishila’s party turned against him, he realized that Shibaid must have been speaking the truth.
They did not need to endure humiliation to protect the controlled ones any more.
There wasn’t a reason anymore not to oppose him directly.
“You have done as you pleased more than enough…”
Probably because of the anger within her, a heat haze was surrounding Lilishila as she walked towards Bulk.
Her beautiful features hid a strong aura projecting a “I will beat you till you’re an inch away from death!!” vibe, was abundantly clear to anyone who would look at her.
Her pressure was so fierce that even the valiant knights present stepped back.
“I-I don’t deserve to die in a place like this!! Teleport!!!”
Under the weight of Lilishila’s pressure, Bulk frantically chanted the keyword.
It was the same teleport crystal stone that Shin had used before.
“No! Wai-”
Bulk disappeared before Lilishila could prevent it. It was as if he never was there in the first place.
“Kh…! To think that he had a teleport crystal stone that was supposed to be lost…!”
Lilishila’s expression was distorted by regret. The other knights too were left stupefied by Bulk’s sudden disappearance.
Differently from Lilishila, however, Shibaid showed no sign of apprehension.
“Do not fret, Lady Lilishila. Bulk hasn’t escaped us yet.”
“But he already completely disappeared…”
“This building is the High Human’s – Cain’s – base. A crystal with such low purity can’t teleport outside its walls.”
“I-is that really true?”
“I have lived my share, you see. I have had the chance to learn about this Palmirack from High Elves and High Lords. He is likely regretting trying to escape right now.”
Shibaid nodded with confidence, which let Lilishila feel at ease.
Some time later Lilishila, who had reunited with Hermie’s party, felt as if something akin to Bulk’s screams reached her ears.
◆◆◆◆
“Your comrades?”
“Subduing Lilishila’s party while the main force is headed to the Holy Woman. That much is easy to predict. Thus we only needed to set a fitting opponent in wait for them.”
“Ridiculous…Konig will be accompanied by other upper class chosen ones! No matter how strong your comrades might be, they too surely have their limits!”
Konig, a warrior close to Eline in ability, was heading to Lilishila’s location. Shin did not know Konig very well, but he was not worried in the slightest about the possibility of Shibaid’s defeat.
“If that Konig is close to you in terms of strength, as you say, then it will be child’s play.”
Even if there was another chosen one on the same level as Eline, Shibaid would not have trouble defeating him. It was a definite fact.
Shin spared no expense to reinforce his support characters, his companions were not to be trifled with.
“Well then, now that you know that there is no way left to stop us, let us talk about what to do with you.”
“Eek!”
Shin walked closer to Eline, slowly. The latter, remembering the punishment he had just received, let out a cry and tried to flee.
No matter how much of an upper class Chosen One he was, not enough time had passed for him to recover. The type of movement available to him was on all fours at most.
Maybe because all he had in mind was to run away as fast as possible, Eline crawled away with a speed Shin and Wilhelm did not expect. He could not truly escape, obviously. Shin gradually closed in on the distance between them.
“S-shit!! Why am I…why is this happening to a chosen existence such as I..!!!”
As if he failed to grasp his current situation, Eline was muttering senseless words.
Eline had advanced for several mel when it happened.
His body started convulsing wildly, with jerky movements like a puppet with unoiled joints.
“What’s going on?”
Shin was puzzled at Eline’s sudden strange movements.
“Aaah…gah…why? N-no…NOOOOOOOO!!!”
Eline screamed out of the blue.
Perhaps he had been hiding something in card form, Eline was holding a short sword with a black blade in his hand. After that, right before Shin and Wilhelm’s eyes, Eline stabbed himself with that same blade.
“What the!?”
The sudden insane act stopped both Shin and Wilhelm in their tracks for an instant.
The moment the blade penetrated Eline’s body, his HP gauge, as it appeared in Shin’s eyes, instantly dropped to 0.
Instant death.
“Gah…i…”
Eline whispered something, spat blood and dropped to the ground. A mixture of fear and confusion remained on his face.
“Give me…a break…suicide all of a sudden? Is this a sick joke?”
Unable to understand what had happened, Shin grimaced at the blood flowing from Eline.
“We don’t know for sure. That bastard sure didn’t look like someone who was thinking of offing himself.”
It was clear that it had not happened because of Eline’s will. His movements, as if under someone’s control, led Shin to think of a certain item.
Shin drew closer to Eline and examined his neck, arms, legs. However, not a single submission item similar to Millie’s could be seen.
“So, he wasn’t controlled via an item?”
“Looks like it. Did he have any abnormal statuses?”
“No, it didn’t look like he was affected by anything…”
Shin checked Eline’s general status display, but found no trace of status abnormalities.
He wasn’t controlled by an item, nor under the effect of confusion or brainwashing. It was a very odd situation.
(Could it be something I’m not aware of? Or is there something I missed…?)
As the game turned into reality, it was highly possible that something not existing before now did. However, it could simply be that Shin had forgotten about it.
Even a long-time player like Shin could not remember all events and in such detail.
“I can’t think of anything related, but it’s probably better to check with Schnee too.”
“Why’s that?”
“Well, it could be something I forgot about.”
As Shin mentioned that Schnee and the others might know something about it, Wilhelm nodded in approval.
“It’s surprising that there are things that even you don‘t know. Anyway, he was raised by Bulk since he was a child. The Summit Faction likely did something to him, not that I pity him though.”
Rather than an item, he could have been under the effect of magic. If that was true, that could perhaps also explain his contorted personality.
Wilhelm, having heard of Eline’s feats from Jai, did not have any compassion to spare.
Memory manipulation by an item could delete memories but it could not affect the person’s personality. And Eline who actually used this type of item, said as such.
Even after such a death, it was clear that he wasn’t worthy of pity.
“We got the information, but I can’t call this a pleasant way to close the curtains.”
“I feel the same. The body…I suppose we can leave it here.”
This room too was inside Palmirack.
As with the chosen one who exploded, after some time passed the corpse would be dispersed.
The two removed all of Eline’s equipment and items, searching for what could have been manipulating him. Not even Shin knew of a way to preserve corpses, thus they left it to be dispersed.
As Shin left the room with Wilhelm, a Mind Chat from Shibaid reached him.
“(Shin, we have subdued Bulk’s subordinates who attacked us.)”
“(They came to you then, as expected. What happened to Bulk?)”
“(He ran away with a teleport crystal stone. However, the crystal seemed to be quite low in purity. He should have fallen in the maze section.)”
“(Please give me a second…yes, I found him. Leave the rest to me.)”
Shin, who had activated Palmirack, could use part of its functions even without the control console.
He used the search function he had previously used to find Wilhelm and confirmed that Bulk was moving within Palmirack.
Even a teleport crystal stone of the highest purity would not allow instant escape if used inside Palmirack.
Even Shibaid, whose fighting-oriented job did not grant especially high appraisal ability, understood that the crystal stone used by Bulk was a low purity one. Such a crystal stone would not allow the user to flee, but instead would transport him directly to the maze section, built for intruders.
As he closed the Mind Chat with Shibaid, Shin called to Wilhelm, who was walking ahead.
“Listen, Wilhelm. It looks like Bulk ran away. I’m going to go catch him, so go ahead and join the others.”
“He ran away? You don’t need any help?”
“I already know where he is, so no problem. He can’t get out, or rather, he ended up in the maze section we used for training. If we leave him there, he’s going to die. We have information to extract from him too, so I’m going to secure him.”
“Looks like his luck finally ran out, eh? I’m going ahead then. Make sure you give him a good scare.”
Wilhelm, with an evil grin, walked on through the corridor.
After seeing him off, Shin used Teleport.
◆◆◆◆
“Aaaahh!! Eeeekk!! What, what’s going ooon!”
Forcing his pudgy body to an awkward run, Bulk cursed his fate.
Bulk, church priest and central member in the Summit Faction at the same time. After gaining a pawn such as Eline, he had stained his hands in all sorts of evil deeds.
Drunken by the vision of attaining High Human status, he had slain not only monsters but also other humans.
He was responsible for the death of many humans with special abilities, offering them in ritual sacrifice.
After gaining control of the Holy Woman and the knight guarding her, thanks to an item obtained by chance, he even managed to control a girl with the “Star Reader” title. In that moment, he thought that the whole world was moving to help him become a High Human.
“Shit!! Someone of my caliber is not supposed to end in a place like this…..! Bwah!”
Bulk was running frantically, but finally his unhealthy lifestyle caught up and his feet tripped each other up. He fell to the ground and, unable to break the fall, was struck badly all over his body.
“Gaah! Where is this place supposed to be anyway! I used the teleport crystal, so why am I not outside!?”
Bulk flew in a fit of anger while squirming because of the pain.
He was supposed to have been transported outside Palmirack, but he found himself inside a dark cavern instead. The unexpected situation was already pushing Bulk’s frail mind fortitude to its limits.
“Grrrrrrrrrrrr—”
“Eeep!”
What eroded Bulk’s spirit the most was the roaring cry which would sometimes resonate in the cavern. The cry, clearly coming from a monster, was coming closer and closer to Bulk’s position.
He could not see where the corridor lead, no exit was in sight, nor were any of his guards escorting him.
The increasingly louder roar was shaking Bulk to his core.
“Da-damnitall!!!”
“Yo”
A hand touched Bulk’s shoulder as he was about to run again. As Bulk turned around, his field of vision was filled with the figure of a man emerging from the darkness.
This new surprise caused the already tense Bulk to utter an incomprehensible scream: “KWESDRFIGYYFIJIKIIII!!”
“Fijiki” is the only thing I could make out from that.”
Bulk had jumped up, crashed back down, and was now looking up at the face of the young man who talked to him.
“W-what in blazes is going on!! But no matter! You, take me out of here! Now! I am a church priest, you shall be amply rewarded.”
Bulk, in a state of confusion because of the extreme situation, barked his orders without confirming the young man’s identity.
To such a Bulk, the young man talked with a smile and a menacing tone.
“Hahaha. Your face is the only joke we need here, pig bastard.”
“W-what did you say? I’m a priest of the church, I said!!”
The young man walked closer to Bulk while cracking his knuckles. The closer he came, the farther Bulk crawled.
In that moment, Bulk finally understood that the young man had clearly hostile intentions.
But it was far too late.
“I have a bunch of things to ask you. You better answer if you want to stay in one piece.”
Eyes lit up in the dim darkness.
A completely artificial smile.
Hostility so palpable that his instinct was screaming to run away.
It was the manifestation of fear, a terror the likes of Bulk had never experienced before.
Bulk had no room to crawl backwards anymore, and part of his clothes had started to become slightly damp. A faint scent of ammonia pricked the two men’s noses.
“Let’s start talking.”
Bulk’s screams resounded through the barely lit corridors.
◆◆◆◆
Lilishila’s party had reunited with Hermie and Millie, led by Schnee, and was in a joyous mood.
Lilishila shed tears of happiness at the sight of Hermie’s neck, finally free of the black collar; seeing her in tears made Hermie cry as well.
The knight cheered loudly, confident in Bulk’s downfall.
As Wilhelm arrived, Millie, who had been eagerly awaiting him, ran up to hug him.
“Oh, nice cheery mood here folks.”
“Here you are. Hey, it’s still alive right?”
“He’s not dead yet, nope. I doubt he’ll be able to continue being a priest though.”
Wilhelm sighed while talking to Shin, who had joined them with some delay. Millie was still stuck to him and wouldn’t let go.
The reason was an unconscious Bulk, carried by Shin’s left arm.
Seeing the priest with white eyes, drooling and sometimes trembling would have provoked the same question not only from Wilhelm but from anyone who witnessed it.
“Shin-sama? What did you….”
“I just squeezed information out of him. I’ll let the church decide what to do with him next.”
Shin handed Bulk over to the guard knights and opened a Mind Chat with Schnee and Shibaid.
“(According to Bulk, there’s a high chance that Filma was captured by the Summit Faction. It looks like 『Exvaine』 was given to him by someone claiming to be from the Faction.)”
The two’s eyes narrowed after hearing Shin’s information. They could not remain indifferent after hearing that a comrade might have been captured.
“(Is there no information about the ritual site?)”
“(Someone was supposed to come pick him up. I know the date, but who knows what this messenger will do.)”
“(Any other clue?)”
“(Nothing. I had the impression that he doesn’t know anything either. Looks like they deleted the important parts of his memories.)”
Making Bulk sleep and using an item like the manipulation collar on him wouldn’t have been difficult. Lilishila’s method too would allow a similar result, if used with ill intentions.
“(Mind type skills are a real pain.)”
Right next to the rejoicing Lilishila group party, Shin’s could not feel at ease.
◆◆◆◆
After Shin and Wilhelm left, something started moving in the room where Hermie had been captured.
“Uuh..ghaah…”
The figure awkwardly standing up was none other than the man who was supposed to have died on the spot after piercing his own chest, Eline.
“Kaah, he’s finally dead!”
Eline’s smile was even more distorted than before. More than half of his face was covered with a tattoo of thorns.
“This guy’s contortion was of decent quality, but it was pretty obnoxious.”
Eline talked as if concerning someone else. To a third party’s eyes, he would look like he had become someone else.
“Aaaah, having a body is really fantastic after all. Better not waste any more time here though, let’s hightail it before that monster notices us.”
The words coming from his mouth clearly showed how the spirit inhabiting the body was no longer Eline.
Something was controlling Eline’s body. With a small chuckle, Eline’s body vanished into the darkness as if melting in it.
Nothing else was left.
◆◆◆◆
Tiera, who was heading to the inn after parting ways with Shin, was suspicious of the lack of any pursuers. She tried asking Kagerou and Yuzuha, but apparently there were no hostile presences in the surroundings.
Tiera too was worried about Millie, but she knew well that with Shin’s party heading to rescue her, there was nothing for her to do.
Tiera climbed onto the inn’s roof and stood gazing at Palmirack. She let slip a small grumble.
“They told me to stand guard from outside, but I can’t see anything. Someone that could slip away from Shin and the others…who could ever do something like that?”
She ended up wondering if she was really being of help to them.
Yuzuha and Kagerou, who were on lookout, drew closer to her as to reassure her.
“Kuu”
“Gruu”
“Thank you. Should something unexpected happen, I’ll do my best.”
Tiera answered to the two and focused her sight on Palmirack.
Her focus then paid off, as she perceived unrest among the spirits around Palmirack.
Tiera followed their trail with her eyes and saw something fly from the roof of a building on the edge of Palmirack.
“What’s that?”
Tiera’s excellent eyesight allowed her to recognize the flying figure as humanlike. However, there were two pairs of wings sprouting from its back.
As far as Tiera knew, all Bird-type had just one pair of wings. None of the ones Tiera knew had two.
In addition, those two pairs of wings were one animal-like and the other insect-like, completely different types. It was clearly something abnormal.
The fact that the figure looked almost transparent must have been due to a skill.
“What in the world is that shadow? Is there any skill we can use to track it?”
Yuzuha activated a skill after Tiera’s request. A bird-like something, melting in the moonlight, danced in the sky and flew after the shadow.
“Did something happen to Shin and the others…?”
Tiera then was informed of Millie’s rescue by a late message.
The shadow she had witnessed.
That very shadow would decide the next destination of Shin’s party.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 06 - A Fanatic's Ambition/The-New-Gate-Volume-06-A-Fanatic's-Ambition-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_06_Side_Story.txt
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Side Story
“Fumu…”
“Shibaid-dono, are you alright? You’re not acting like usual.”
He had come to Falnido’s estate for Girard’s funeral and also have a reunion with Shin. Shibaid was seated deeply in a chair, arms crossed, relaxing himself.
It was hard to tell if he was a human or beast, but as a Dragnil, it was clear to see that he was unsettled.
He was acting so strange that Shumaya Uru Kilmont, envoy and representative of the emperor of the Dragon Empire Kilmont, began to get suspicious.
“It’s just that I was a bit surprised. As an escort, it is quite pathetic of me to have worried our representative.”
Despite saying so, there was no indication that Shibaid’s mood had changed at all.
Even if he wasn’t composed, his emotions weren’t necessarily negative ones, such as impatience or anxiety. Rather, they seemed to be something positive; it seemed like he was holding himself back from bursting out in laughter.
Shumaya smiled at Shibaid’s answer.
“No no, on the contrary, I’m pleased to see this different side of you, Shibaid-dono. So even the hero of the Dragon Empire is unable to conceal his joy.”
The smile of the first imperial princess, who also served as the general of the imperial troops, was a rare occurrence that few have seen.
She had a human body with the wings, tail, and horns of a dragon. Emotions were more expressed on Shumaya’s compared to Shibaid’s, whose head was completely that of a dragon’s. When she smiled, she squinted pleasantly with her jet-black eyes and her crimson hair shook delicately.
“I still have some ways to go, thus I’m still immature. No matter what I do I can’t seem to control my emotions. The reason I’m happy is that this is what we desire most.”
In response to Shumaya’s smile, Shibaid spoke with deep emotions.
When he was with Shin he endured it, but now Shibaid relaxed his tail, covered in distinct Dragnil scales, and it hovered just above the ground.
If Shibaid had been a beast like Girard or Cuore, the tail extending from his back would have been fiercely wagging from side to side.
For the Dragnil, however, to show emotion with one’s tail was proof of being immature. So Shibaid earnestly minded his heavy tail.
“We, huh…So you mean to say it was the same for Girard-dono?”
“Ah, him. Without a doubt he knew this feeling.”
The corners of his mouth raised as he declared this.
He had been shaken when he received the news of Girard’s death. However, looking at Girard’s satisfied face in the coffin however, and comparing it with what he’d heard from Shin, he felt certain that Girard had left this world content.
Maybe if he had been killed by some stranger from a far off land, he may not be able to hold back the negative emotions. Girard had worried he might die without proving his loyalty. But during his illness, Shin had watched over him, and assured him he had already done so.
It was exactly for this reason that Shibaid could enjoy the reunion with Shin.
“May I ask what is it that you desire most?”
“Sorry, but I can’t discuss it. It’s not something I need to hide, but neither is it something I can go about freely proclaiming to all.”
“I see. I began to think something auspicious had happened so that I need send a gift, seeing Shibaid-dono so joyed.”
“Your words are sufficient. It’s about time for the conference. I need to head to the hall.”
Failing to master his emotions meant he was still immature. While thinking that, he tried to distract himself by encouraging Shumaya to join him.
“Shibaid-dono never requests my company. Maybe I’ll go and attend to business as is expected of me.”
As Shibaid stood up, Shumaya began to get ready.
The countries outside Falnido, too, had seen much change since Girard’s death.
This included Kilmont, of which Shibaid had been its founder. In Kilmont not only the imperial family and soldiers who had met him, but also the commoners were still mourning Girard’s death.
Girard and Shibaid had spent long years together on the battlefield following the High Human, both as friends and as rivals.
Girard with his technique and speed, Shibaid with his strength and defense.
They were different from one another, but it had happened often that they were an equal match as vanguards.
“It’s nothing to fret about if those who scheme get caught.”
Girard was the symbol of the beasts, and coincidently the deterrence towards troubling elements.
There are people who hold contempt towards heroes that are loved by all. Girard’s death seemed like it might unearth things long dormant. At the conference they were to discuss what to do about it.
“It will be fine. There is an official heir to be the bearer of 『Crushing Moon』. He’s still young, but he seemed skilled enough to me. Don’t you agree?”
“Fumu. If Shumaya-dono saw him and thought so, one can rest easy.”
Coming from the imperial family, Shumaya had judged many people, so Shibaid was relieved to know that she thought so.
Even Shibaid, who had encountered people of all kinds, struggled to see through people’s true nature.
If other party was a warrior, he could identify their character even without a meeting on the battlefield; but not all were warriors.
Shibaid acknowledged Wolfgang as a successor from his warrior’s intuition. But if he could just get Shumaya to agree, he would have peace of mind.
In addition, Schnee had previously mentored Wolfgang on occasions. If there was something to be concerned about, it was expected to had been addressed together with Girard.
“I’m ready. Shall we go?”
“Yeah.”
As a warrior and as a man, his skills could not be doubted. But what about as a statesman?
In order to figure it out, Shibaid headed towards the conference with Shumaya.
◆◆◆◆
It was the day after reconfirming the alliance between the two countries.
Shibaid had taken to the sky in order to return Shumaya to the empire.
He had heard that Shin and company would return to Bayreuth temporarily, so in the meantime Shibaid will prepare for his own departure while they were there.
“It’s nice to fly like this.”
“Yeah. We can’t fly with these wings of ours, after all.”
Nodding to Shumaya, who flew alongside him, Shibaid looked down upon the landscape extending below him.
Among the Dragnil there were some whose appearance were almost identical to humans and some whose appearance were close to dragons.
Whether one had wings on their back was decided by birth.
Despite that, no matter how big or small their wings, the Dragnil couldn’t fly, as stated by Shibaid.
They could flap their wings, but gliding for a short amount of time was the limit of its use. This remained unchanged even after the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’; players and NPC alike were still unable to fly.
If he were to fall from the wyvern he rode on, even if it was Shibaid, how could he come out unscathed?
However, falling from an altitude of more than 1000 mels, the extent of damage received would be light for Shibaid. With his skills, strength, and equipment thing would turn out all right.
“A giant wyvern would be nice, though.”
“Don’t start with that. Those are for transporting materials in times of emergency. And, you’re speaking strangely.”
Shibaid was wary of Shumaya, whose behavior had changed completely since they left Falnido; she was listless and spoke in a flat voice. With no one around besides Shibaid, the real Shumaya had come out.
Shumaya thought of getting on a giant wyvern so she would be able to bind herself to Shibaid during the confusion, but he had realized immediately what was going on. The first imperial princess of Kilmont was quite honest about what she desired.
Even though he renounced the seat of the Dragon Emperor, there were none in Kilmont who didn’t know of Shibaid’s character and abilities; his reputation was immeasurable.
If Shumaya could make him into her groom, the benefits would be numerous: a mightier army, increased support for the imperial family, strengthening ties with Schnee Raizar, etc. And if she could make it happen now, an extra benefit would be being affiliated with High Humans.
“Born with it or not, huh.”
Surprisingly, if you traced Shumaya’s desires, most of them were bound up with the interests of the empire. Such a behaviour of bouncing around usually turned into profits. Shibaid didn’t know if the person in question was aware of it or not.
In any case, Shibaid reciprocate to Shumaya’s feelings towards him.
Shumaya’s father was the current Dragon Emperor, and thereby Shibaid’s comrade in arms. Along with the empress, they were close friends who had experienced many battles together.
He had also helped from time to time when she had been a child, so Shumaya was like a daughter to Shibaid.
He was glad that they were close when she was younger, but to be seen as a potential mate was a problem.
“We’ll arrive at the castle soon. No more sulking about.”
“How presumptuous of you to say.”
Shumaya drew her lips into a pout. Shibaid just gave a strained smile.
“Don’t act like that. I still have things to do – still had, at least.”
Shumaya noticed a change in Shibaid’s voice. His eyes weren’t there; they were looking at something far away.
“Shiba――”
“Wyvern over there, slow down!”
Shumaya was interrupted mid sentence as they approached the castle; four wyverns approached them. They were Kilmont’s Dragon Knights, charged with protecting the skies of Kilmont.
“My name is Shibaid! I have brought Lady Shumaya Uru Kilmont, the first imperial princess! Here is my proof!”
Shibaid flew up to the knights and unfurled the banner of the imperial family.
It was imbued with magic, and would respond to magical equipment carried by the Dragon Knights.
“――Authenticity has been confirmed. We apologize for the formalities.”
“Good. You men are the guardians of my country’s skies! Continue on and return to your posts.”
“Yes, sir!”
At Shumaya’s command the men saluted and flew off. The two watched as they flew away in perfect formation. By watching them one got a sense of the training the knights underwent.
“Hm? It looks like there’s a welcome party.”
“Welcome party?”
Following Shumaya’s eyes, Shibaid looked at the castle and saw on the wyvern dock a group of people. At the front was someone Shibaid knew well.
Once they had landed safely that man approached them with a servant beside him.
“It’s good to see both of you back. You returned earlier than I expected.”
“Father, what are you doing here?”
The man Shumaya had just called father was unmistakably Zaikuin Baal Kilmont, Dragon Emperor. His body that rivals, or may even surpass, Shibaid’s was covered in deep crimson scales, and his violet horns towered majestically above him.
“I had a feeling you might be coming back today. It seems there were no issues.”
“Yes. Girard-dono’s descendants are distinguished individuals.”
Zaikuin nods in satisfaction to his daughter’s answer.
Even though they were father and daughter, presently they were conducting what seemed to be a business-like report between an emperor and his retainer.
“If Shumaya says so, then I am sure there are no problems. We can talk about the details later. Now it is time for you to rest after your journey.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
Shumaya left the dock and made for the castle, and Zaikuin told the guards who had stood vigilant behind them to withdraw. Knowing the emperor would be safe with Shibaid accompanying him, they obeyed without a second thought.
“Now, before Shumaya gives her report, I’d like to hear from you. You have time, surely?” asked Zaikuin; With his guards gone, he relaxed his tone somewhat.
“Yes, I also have something to discuss with you, your Grace. I will set aside time tonight.”
After a moment of slight surprise, the emperor nodded.
It was just the two of them; there was no one to object to Shibaid ignoring the emperor’s request.
◆◆◆◆
It was later, at night. Shibaid had been brought to Zaikuin’s private room.
“There is no need for formalities here. What did you want to discuss with me?”
“Before that. I apologize, but I’d like to request the men hiding to leave the room.”
“…it seems it’s something very important.”
Zaikuin ordered the men hidden under the floor and in the ceiling to leave. Normally the emperor would never be allowed to be alone with an adventurer, but if it was the former emperor Shibaid, that was a different story.
“Now then. What on earth has happened? Does it have to do with Girard-dono?”
Zaikuin’s voice echoed throughout the quiet room. Due to Girard being the topic of discussion, the tone of his voice seemed to show worry for Shibaid.
“No, it’s not about him. Girard passed away content and at ease. His face looked peaceful after he had gone.”
“I see. After I heard the news I thought it would be impossible, but I’m relieved to know that he went without regrets.”
Hearing what Shibaid said, Zaikuin let out a sigh of relief. He, too, had once fought side by side with Girard.
Like Shibaid, although not to the same extent, they were both rulers, warriors and comrades with a long-standing relationship. He didn’t want to imagine Girard suffering as he died.
“However, if it’s not about Girard-dono, what is it you wish to discuss?”
With the circumstances as they were Zaikuin believed it must have to do with Girard. He looked at Shibaid slightly confused.
“Let me apologize in advance for my bluntness. I will leave the empire. It doesn’t worry me, but from now on it will be difficult for me to help you.”
“…so this means you don’t plan to return?!”
Zaikun’s astonishment was so obvious it could be seen clearly on his dragon face.
Up until then Shibaid had worked in the heart of Kilmont. What he had just said, however, made it seem like he would leave and never return.
“Perhaps, a new High Human based had been discovered?”
In the continent of Eltnia there were several bases the High Humans had left behind. Among them were the famed flying castle Rashugum and Palmirack, which now served as a stronghold of the church.
However, with continental drift several bases had disappeared. The base of Shin, Shibaid’s master the ‘Dark Blacksmith’, had yet to be found.
Looking at the worried Zaikuin’s face, Shibaid says calmly.
“No, it’s not that. Nor am I staying in Tsuki no Hokora.”
“Well, then why is it you need to leave? The only other thing I can think of would be demons. But I haven’t heard any news since the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’.”
“It’s not that either.”
“So what then? You might as well just spit it out,” said Zaikuin, letting out a disgruntled sigh. He trusted Shibaid, so when there was no one else around, the emperor could let his manner slip.
“A companion who I swore allegiance to has returned. Do you understand what I am hinting at?”
“You can’t mean…!?”
Zaikun’s eyes opened wide. The pupils staring at Shibaid were filled with something beyond astonishment; there was admiration in them.
“It’s certain. And sooner or later there will be others who’ll notice. That’s why I’m informing you now,” said Shibaid, looking straight at Zaikuin.
“From now on, under no circumstances are you to confront our master. Should you do so, I will need to draw my sword against you.”
Sitting before him was not an SS-rank adventurer, nor the founding Dragon emperor of the empire. It was a single warrior who had sworn allegiance to his master. It was written in his eyes: we may have fought many battles together, but oppose me and you will find no mercy.
“…I see. He truly has come back.”
In the face of Shibaid’s resolve Zaikuin was silent. After a few moments he exhaled quietly.
It’s not as if a farewell isn’t sad.
But Shibaid could see it in Zaikuin’s expression; they had spent so many years together that the emperor understood how he felt.
“I am sorry. I can’t just stand idly by, now that we have met once again.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m on your side. I would be glad to have someone like you following me. Your master must be glad as well. When we first met, you were always staring off into the distance. I knew that you were still longing for something.”
“Ha. Really?”
“You didn’t know? I suppose the person themselves never notices.”
This bastard, chuckled Zaikuin.
To Shibaid, Zaikuin’s smile looked just as it had in the days when they had first met each other. It was his true smile, the one that lay beneath his emperor’s facade.
“Shumaya will be very upset,” said Zaikuin with a sigh, as if to sweep away the tension.
“She’ll be fine. She’s tough.”
“You’re the only one who would think that.”
Shibaid frowned as Zaikuin shrugged off what he said.
It was Zaikuin who knew that his daughter had feelings for Shibaid, but did nothing to stop it from developing.
“So, when will you leave? You’ll allow us to send you off?”
“I have some assignments to take care of first. They shouldn’t take long.”
“I see. It will be difficult to explain to the others, though. It’s not as if I can tell them the truth, after all,” said Zaikuin, scratching his chin, his face filled with concern.
A High Human had returned. Were the news to spread, many groups would begin to mobilize. The Black Faction of the Shiten cult would be overjoyed; they would certainly attempt to make contact with him.
The news wasn’t all good, however.
There were fools who, not comprehending the power of the High Humans, might seek to manipulate them. And to most people, the High Humans were the stuff of legends; they thought of them as fairy tales, not understanding what was the truth and what was not.
“I expect nothing but your best to keep the secret. However, their time spent being anonymous won’t last long. Schnee is already accompanying him, and I’ve heard there are others too. Even if I were to do nothing, their name will still come up.”
“So it is. Strong men are a magnet for trouble. You’re no exception.”
“I’m not?”
“Of course.”
Zaikuin seemed to want to say something to Shibaid who looked puzzled.
“I understand if you don’t want to stay here. But for now, for old times sake…join me for a drink. For me this may be a time to mourn, but for you it will be a drink of celebration.”
“Fumu. Let’s drink.”
As Zaikuin brought a special bottle, Shibaid pulled out a treasured item from his Item Box.
They may never meet again.
Knowing it would be so, the two Dragonewts, one jet black and the other crimson, raised their glasses to one another.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 06 - A Fanatic's Ambition/The-New-Gate-Volume-06-A-Fanatic's-Ambition-[Shin][Armaell]/ch1.txt
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Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Part 1
Several days passed after the party, in which they celebrated the victory over the annihilation of the monster hordes that marched toward the fort city Balmel.
Shin and others were still in Balmel to help with matters after the ‘Great Flood’.
Besides the other remains that had been scattered around the plains, Schnee’s magic skill 【Blue Judge】 and Shin and the others’ 【Complete Destruction Palm】 caused many monsters to be turned to charcoal.
Cleaning up the bodies had started before the celebration party, but it has been taking time because of its unusual number.
“Anyway, it’s amazing. The monsters’ bodies around here were killed by a guy whose name is Red, right?”
“Yeah, I could see it very well as I was on the city wall. There are many who saw it as well. He killed the monster hordes that looked like a black wave all by himself. Whoever he was, he was really amazing.”
These conversations reached Shin’s ears.
Some people in the crowd who were heading to the gate after cleaning up bodies were talking about the mysterious person “Red”.
Even in the castle, various rumors were spreading and people were exchanging their opinion about the identity. Some opinions were reasonable but others were far from the truth.
For example, he probably served under a High Human, or he probably was one of the heroes who remained in this world, or he might be the incarnation of the god of fire Iira Suura and so on.
In fact, because Schnee or Shibaid, who were Shin’s support characters, could do it, the “Serving under a High Human” theory was the most dominant.
As for the third theory, it seems like people thought the god of fire Iira Suura who appears in myths joined the battle, as the armor’s color was red. It was one of the gods of war and people somehow believe it.
(So a God joined in huh? In the game world, Iira Suura was a boss monster…)
In the game, they could fight against the incarnation as part of a trial. Perhaps because of it, Iira Suura was known by people in this world as well.
Additionally, the boss monster ’s appearance was a human form holding a long fire sword.
It might be close to the scythe that Shin, or Red in this matter, used.
“But, why is his name Red?”
“Maybe it’s because his body is red, isn’t it?”
“That’s too simple. Don’t you think there should be a better nickname?”
Ouch!
Shin was quietly hurt. It was just made up on the spot, but was it really that weird?
“(Is the name “Red” that strange?)”
Yuzuha asked from overhead.
“(I don’t think that it’s a strange name.)”
It should not be strange, though there was no objection against the people who had said it was simple.
By the way, there was a plan to invite Red to the party but there was no way to make contact with him, of course. Schnee had been inquired regarding Red, but Shin asked her to answer that she didn’t know where Red was.
Shin was chatting with the middle age adventurer Rahl Ratt whom he got along with through working together everyday.
“Nevertheless, it’s harder to clean up than to fight.”
“Well, that’s a first world problem. There were no people killed in that tough battle. If we complain more than that, we would be punished.”
“I understand it, but I feel depressed if the number is that big. Besides, you didn’t fight that much. Some guys said they didn’t know why you were there.”
“Oh no, they found out. Hahaha!!”
Shin was talking with him using polite speech but started talking casually after he heard Rahl didn’t like to use polite speech.
Rahl was a rank B adventurer, so he didn’t know the word “Chosen One”. It seemed like he thought the adventurers who were fighting in the front line were from higher ranks.
As Shin said, there were no opportunities to join the fight for the adventurers of the raid.
Because they didn’t have coordination similar to the knights, they couldn’t charge into the monster hordes just like that.
Besides that, their position at the battlefield was right in front where monsters were rounded up by the magic of Schnee and Guile. If they had assaulted, they would just get mixed in and vanish.
It seemed like they guarded Guile and others to some extent, but it was hardly a battle.
“At any rate, Schnee Raizar is really amazing. No matter how hard we try, we would never be like her.”
“She is a monster to the general people. If she felt like it, she could erase a country. Are you scared of her?”
“Of course Shin! I don’t want to deal with her, though I think it’s okay to be killed by such a beauty!”
“…Well, I can understand your feelings.”
“See? I used to think it was just an exaggeration from those who said Schnee is a goddess or a holy woman, but once I saw her in the flesh, I couldn’t help but agree with them. Young people who saw her looked soulless. Although seeing the massive magic right after the start of battle, we lost our soul in another sense.”
Rahl laughed while talking about how epic it was. Even the knights lost themselves, so it was no wonder that younger adventurers were lost for words as well.
Also, Schnee has gained more fans without Shin’s knowledge.
If it was about a big guy with an aggressive appearance, people would fear him, but as it was about Schnee, strength was just one of her charms.
“Moreover, we can’t measure the value of the person by their strength. I have seen so many people up till now, someone can be a hero or bullshit depending on their ability and character. Understanding what kind of person they are, can’t be judged from their strengths or weaknesses. Besides I know that having power isn’t always a good thing.”
Rahl has probably had many experiences going by his age.
What he said was a cliche, but it carried weight at the same time.
“Do you know somebody like that person since you asked me about it Shin?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“I see. If so, you should not be scared too much. I failed because of it.”
Rahl said mournfully which was unusual for his cheerful character.
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Yes, you should. Well, we’ll arrive at the gate soon.”
They parked the carriage carrying the monsters’ bodies at the side of the gate, then headed toward the guild to receive the reward.
In order to make the cleaning work smoother, guilds offered the job to the adventurers.
After Shin received the reward, he parted with Rahl who was meeting up with his friends, and looked around lightly.
Schnee and Tiera oversaw another workplace, but as their shifts were about the same, they were planning on meeting up here.
Shin was drinking fruit juice to kill time at the corner of the bar in the guild when Eliza, the guild’s receptionist, talked to him.
“Excuse me, Shin-sama. Do you have a moment?”
“Yes? Well, I’m good till my friends come. Is it okay to bring Yuzuha too?”
“Yes. Because in these past few days, I know Yuzuha wouldn’t cause trouble.”
The ‘Flood’ was over and Balmel returned to its peaceful state. Shin had no idea why he was called.
“I am sorry for asking you too much. Our staff will take care of your friends once they arrive here.”
Shin followed Eliza who led the way.
They gathered attention but he decided not to mind about it now. As he was fighting in the front line as a Chosen One, Shin’s name was widely known among a group of adventurers.
The place where Eliza led him was the room of the head of this guild. When they entered the room, they found the guild master, Baren, and the princess of Bayreuth, Rionne, waiting.
“I am sorry that we asked you to come so suddenly. A request designated for you has come, but we can’t talk about it in public.”
Shin could predict the contents as Rionne was standing next to Baren.
“…Is it perhaps, to be Rionne-sama’s bodyguard?”
“Yes, that’s right. By the way, you are close to Rionne-sama, aren’t you? The content of the request is to guard Rionne-sama until Bayreuth.”
There were no opportunities to see her after the party and since the ‘Flood’ was over at that time, he thought Rionne had left Balmel already. However, his expectations fell short.
“You helped me a lot since I was transferred to Kalkia. You will also receive a reward for that.”
It sounds like she will give a reward to him for the other day as well.
At this point, there were a few things Rionne had to give to Shin, so the reward for guarding was included in it.
“Well… I am sorry but I can’t accept this offer.”
“Does that mean you refuse the request from the royal family?”
“According to the law of the guild, it depends on the adventurer’s decision whether they accept the offer or not, am I wrong?”
There was a designation system that let the chosen adventurer receive the request in guild.
But the adventurers who were called had a right whether to accept or not. Of course, there was no penalty from the guild when the adventurer refuses.
In the past, the designation request was partly compulsory. But there was an incident where somebody took advantage of it and trapped a certain adventurer. It was a malicious trap where somebody requested an adventurer and made an assassin hide at the requested destination to kill the adventurer as if they were attacked by a monster. But the incident came to light after the adventurer turned the tables on the assassin and reported to the guild.
It was found out that there were similar incidents in the past by investigation, and then it became that the adventurers could refuse the requests. However, when the adventurers were having trouble refusing the requests from the nobles and wealthy merchants, the guild was supposed to be a mediator.
“Can’t you?”
“I’ve said so, I have something to do.”
“Even though I am asking you?”
“Who taught you that upturned eyes and pose…”
“It doesn’t match with Rionne’s character,” said Shin in disgust.
Then Baren asked for confirmation.
“You can certainly refuse the offer, but is it really fine with you? Usually only the adventurers who belong to a high rank are called by the royal family.”
“I don’t mind. Actually, if I were to get too close to her carelessly, I would be scared of others’ jealousy. Besides, we are going to Kilmont for now. It’s the opposite direction and I am already prepared for it.”
“I wanted Shin to meet with my father though”
“No, I won’t. I feel he would tell me to serve for his country, so I won’t”
“Muu!”
“I won’t change my mind even if you get sulky.”
Shin was regarded as an upper class Chosen One from Bayreuth’s top brass, but it didn’t mean that everybody would welcome him.
Rionne was a royal family member and was surrounded by the nobles. Sometimes people from the privileged classes act to keep their position more than considering the national interests.
…Though it was a selfish idea of Shin, he wanted to go to Kilmont to meet Shibaid as soon as possible and start researching the sacred place Kalkia.
Besides, even if Shin refused guarding her, somebody will pick her up from Bayreuth or she could request for other adventurers. They would never let the princess go home alone. In addition, Shin honestly couldn’t think that Rionne needed a guard.
“Well, how should I say this… it looks like you two are really close.”
“Of course! It’s Shin and me!
“I am afraid of what other people might think…”
Shin repeated it while turning away from Baren’s eyes who was putting a wry smile on his face.
“What a pity, but it can’t be helped. I don’t want to force this on you. But when you come to Bayreuth next time, you should come visit me.”
“…I will try.”
Considering Rionne’s attitude, it seems like she was thinking if Shin accepted the offer, it would be lucky or something.
Shin was relieved that they didn’t persistently press him. He had no intentions to treat her badly, but he has his priority.
“That’s all. Sorry for taking your time.”
“No problem. I was free at this time too. Then, please excuse me.”
He left with Eliza who was waiting for him at the corner of the room, they then left from the guild master’s room.
When Shin arrived at the hall, there was a crowd at the corner of the bar like he had seen before.
“Again…”
The center of the crowd was of course Schnee in disguise…In other words, Yuki and Tiera. He could sense the mood.
It happened often, so Shin kept his cool. He already heard the reason from Eliza about why so many people come around. Naturally, most of the adventurers were men. There were female adventurers, but there were very few who were beautiful, good figured, and capable like Schnee.
Even if there were that kind of women, they just stay with other women mostly, or they were employed by the nobles and there wouldn’t be any opportunity to get to know them.
Because of these reasons the adventurers were trying to invite Schnee and Tiera, whom often stay together, to join their party as well as the servants of the nobles, who were trying to invite them to the noble’s houses, were swarming around them.
“Today there are a lot more people around them.”
“Their name and appearance are well-known in Balmel. It can’t be helped.”
“So as I’m their male companion, the murderous intent and jealousy are focused on me, huh?”
“…It can’t be helped.”
Eliza as she was, had no way of responding.
“By the way, wasn’t there a plan to clear those people?”
“Yes, I informed the staff to be ready for it, but…”
Eliza looked around but there weren’t any staff even at the reception desk.
“It’s strange. There is a rule to have at least one person at the reception desk.”
“…Well, it seems like they tried to do their job though.”
With a sigh, Shin went towards the crowd. Though it was crowded with men, he could find another woman besides Schnee and Tiera.
The men who noticed Shin’s approach all showed negative feelings in their eyes. But because Shin had gotten used to it, he ignored those eyes and called out both of them.
“Hey Yuki! Tiera! It’s almost time to go!”
After a little pause, the crowd split. Tiera was behind Schnee, who has blond hair and red eyes, and a woman who wore the guild’s uniform was behind Tiera.
“I am sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No, I am the one who kept you waiting. I arrived here earlier, but just a little. I will talk about the details while walking. So who is this person?”
Some people were fascinated by Schnee’s smile toward Shin, and others were showing jealousy. Shin ignored those men and asked the woman who was standing behind Schnee and Tiera.
“Um, I-I am Fran, b-b-belong to the branch of the adventurer guild Balmel!!”
She was flustered and stuttered.
She was a petite lady and her height was around 150 cemels. Her brown bobbed hair and big round eyes were charming.
She looked like a junior high school student, or maybe even looked like an elementary school student.
“Fran, where are the other staff? They shouldn’t leave a new staff member alone at the reception.”
“M-My senpai is dealing with the high ranked adventurer who came a while ago. Others are also busy, so I have been trying to do my best, but…”
“The size of the crowd was so big that she could not deal with them by herself.”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
Fran agreed with Schnee’s words with sagging shoulders.
Surely, it was tough for new staff to deal with all those men around Schnee and Tiera.
If Shin were in the same position, he honestly wouldn’t want to get closer to that crowd.
Maybe the staff who have more experience would be able to handle it better, but it was still unavoidable.
“I am sorry. We caused trouble for you. Please accept my apology and if you have any requests, please tell me. I will help as much as I can.”
“I-I am sorry!”
“…Well, I think that’s okay, right, Yuki?”
“Yes, it was just bad timing and nothing happened to us, so please don’t worry about it.”
Schnee answered Shin while nodding.
She gave up halfway as people often come around her. That’s why she couldn’t bring herself to blame Fran.
“We appreciate your understanding.”
Still, Eliza and Fran have an apologetic look on their face.
Since it was their duty, it would affect their confidence if they accepted the responsibility and could not complete it. No matter how many times Schnee said it’s okay, they seemed to be ashamed. Shin and his companions left the guild saying “Don’t worry about it” to Eliza and Fran who bowed down.
“Sorry about that. If I had come to you immediately, we could have avoided that situation.”
“You had some business, didn’t you? It looked like you were called on.”
“Right. What happened?”
Somehow the two sensed something, so Shin explained about the request.
Schnee who listened to the story had a smile on her face and Tiera seemed to understand.
“It’s natural that they want to have Shin for their country. Rionne is a member of the royal family and although she doesn’t know about your background, she knows a little bit about your power, don’t you agree Shin?”
“A little. If I were in her position, I also would have thought to secure me. But what can I say, I understand it but it’s also different from my way of thinking.”
Though he said that, Shin kept a note in his mind that Rionne might be different from other royal family members. “If it weren’t for an unusual situation like this time, she would not favor me as much”, said Shin. Then Schnee said,
“Do you really think so?”
“What do you mean, Schnee?”
“The way you think and your attitude are rare in this world Shin. The royal families are heavenly people to the commoners, but not to players. Considering Rionne-sama’s character, she would be attracted to the person who casually talks to her and has power that she can rely on. Shin meets both of them, so even though there weren’t any incidents like this time, it’s possible that Rionne-sama likes you.”
“Well, if it is not Rionne-sama, others might say you are rude!”
“Well, how should I say it… I think Rionne-sama’s thought-process is closer to that of the commoner’s, not the royal family’s.”
“I agree with that.”
According to Rionne, the education that she had was focused on being a soldier more than being a member of the royal family, so it might be natural that she was different from other royalty.
“However, I don’t intend to be engaged with Rionne, so she has no choice but to give up on me.”
“If you say you are actually a High Human, she would come to you though.”
“From her past statements, I can’t deny that.”
Shin thought that Rionne might forcefully come saying it was for the sake of friendship. If they could have a High Human on their side, the king would happily give the princess.
“At any rate, our current priority is meeting up with Shibaid and others. If I follow Rionne, I would have to meet with the king. I am sorry for Baren-san, but I have to leave the country matter to the guild.”
He was not sure how far the guild would go, but Shin who was a Chosen One was different from a commoner. So he decided to think that the guild would have to do their best to deal with such a matter.
Partly because he had talked to Rionne, he couldn’t help but to wish that others won’t ask him unreasonable demands anymore.
There was the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora…When Shin thought about it, he realized that he didn’t know much about the letter.
He had stored the letter in his Item Box and almost forgot about it until he used it in Balmel.
Because various events happened due to Shin showing the letter in Bayreuth, he hesitated to use it without thinking. Though it was a clue to meet with Schnee, he could meet with her without using it. Shin didn’t know all the items in THE NEW GATE, and he also thought whether there was this kind of item. Anyhow, depending on the player, making the item that worked effectively under a certain condition was possible. Frankly speaking, without a strong name value like “Tsuki no Hokora”, it was just a shiny piece of paper.
“Hey Schnee, it’s a bit late to ask you, but how do you make the letter of introduction?”
As far as Shin knew, the function that makes items that gave the effect like the letter of introduction didn’t exist in Tsuki no Hokora.
So that means that it was an original item from Schnee.
“The letter of introduction? I use the paper that comes out from the manufacturing machine that was used in Tsuki no Hokora. Also alchemy is applied. It was the enchantment of the luminescence.”
“Was there such a strong durability for the paper that comes out from that machine? It shouldn’t be a special paper that can be used for enchantments though.”
“I noticed it a long time after Shin left, so I don’t know the details…Surely it was just paper in the game era, but its quality is the best one as this world changed, so I think that magical power dwelled in it. Of course, I already checked it, and it wasn’t a bad one.”
Manufacturing machine in Tsuki no Hokora. It was like a home that produced various kind of materials, or one of the facility for the guild. There were some machines that could create items such as raw materials and metals, in addition to the paper in Tsuki no Hokora.
But the only one currently working is the machine that makes papers. In the death game period, when Shin left Tsuki no Hokora for the last time, he closed the door to the room for the manufacturing machines.
The reason was that the machine for the paper was placed in a different room from other machines, and he just forgot it was there.
“Let’s check it.”
It was better to quickly leave for Kilmont, and meet with Shibaid, but it was also important to check out his own home and his guild house which he oversaw.
“In that case, that forest is quiet and doesn’t stand out.”
“That’s right. Shall we go?”
Part 2
At nightfall, Shin secretly left the town with Schnee, Tiera, and Yuzuha and headed for the forest he had cleared up before. Shin deployed and entered Tsuki no Hokora, where he then checked the manufacturing machines first.
Inside of the manufacturing machine room, the machines were organized into categories such as ore, ingredients, and materials that were obtained from monsters.
The manufacturing machines looked like boxes measuring 30 cemels on each side. They were worth almost as much as 《Ancient》 grade weapons in this world.
Materials that couldn’t be obtained or required great troubles to obtain could be produced without limitation, so long as time permitted. The ‘machine’ was especially amazing since this world was now reality and certain materials could no longer be farmed.
Generated items would be changed into cards that were stored in an Item Box within the machine.
“What is this…?”
Shin checked the ore and materials first.
When he opened the list inside of the Item Box, a considerable number of items were listed. It wasn’t like 100 or 200. It varied depending on the type but even the smallest stacks exceeded 1000, and most of them were more than hundreds of thousands.
The Item Box should only be able to store 999 of the same type of item, but the maximum stack number must have changed.
“There’s lots of items…Kuu”
“Indeed. There are lumps of orichalcum, mithril, adamantine and even refined Scarletite. The tusks and claws of Bahamut and even the liver of a Behemoth… Wow, the amount of ‘Drop of Erathem’ is amazing! It’s like you could make as many 《Ancient》 grade weapons as you want.”
Nodding at Yuzuha, he scrolled down the item list.
Even rare items that were likely produced only twice a year in real time, a poor management system which Shin had complained about during the gaming era, were present in incredible numbers.
Though it was understandable that the items had accumulated for the past 500 years, Shin’s pride as a gamer was hurt as he felt his efforts in mining were in vain.
“The ingredients also seem the same. Though, there is an astounding amount of the highest rank ingredients.”
Schnee who checked the list of ingredients in one of the manufacturing machines was also surprised at its contents. It was so shocking that they could easily stay indoors for at least 100 years.
“These items are something I have never seen nor heard of. What are they?”
Due to her lack of knowledge, Tiera was surprised at the number not the item itself.
Since it was a rare opportunity, Shin moved a portion of the items into his own Item Box.
Shin was planning to inspect whether there were any differences between the items in his own Item Box and the items in the manufacturing machines.
“I’m going to forge for a bit. I’ll see whether the materials are usable or not.”
“Understood. I’ll prepare dinner.”
“Maybe I could make some simple recovery potions.”
“Please do so.”
After he passed over the basic alchemy set to Tiera, Shin headed to the smithing area with Yuzuha.
He started a fire in the furnace and took out the orichalcum ore card from the manufacturing machine.
“Hmm?”
When he was about to materialize the card, Shin noticed an aura coming from it.
He stared at what looked like a heat haze, then it became clear, like an image focusing in a camera.
“That’s magical power, isn’t it?”
“It’s sparkling!”
There was a light silver color similar to the aura from a magic sword.
For the sake of comparison, Shin took out the orichalcum ore card from his own Item Box and saw that it radiated a light purple. However, the color didn’t stay the same as it changed to a dark grey then a light blue.
He hadn’t noticed this when he upgraded the equipment of Shadow and the others, or when he repaired Girard’s equipment.
“Fumu. I don’t understand it. Should I strike it for now? Yuzuha, please stay back.”
“Kuu!”
He put aside the trivial things for a moment, and materialized the two cards.
At present, there was no difference except their aura’s colors. Though the amount of ore was somewhat different, there wasn’t a problem since it wasn’t fixed to begin with.
Shin put the orichalcum into the furnace and refined it. The refined orichalcum that had its impurities removed radiated a stronger aura.
Then, he placed it on the anvil and swung the hammer down.
The two swords, made with the same procedure, were both at medium 《Legend》 grade. They looked almost the same except for the aura that enveloped the swords.
When he compared the sharpness of the edges, the difference became clear.
The sword made of orichalcum from Shin’s Item box, covered in an aura of multiple colors, was sharper than the one made of orichalcum from the manufacturing machine, covered in an aura with a single color.
“Kuu? It’s different, though they’re similar?”
“Even if the materials are the same, the power is different, huh? Is it related to the magic color? …Come to think of it, Tiera did say my magical power is strange or something like that.”
He remembered the time when he first met Tiera, she said she could feel multiple races’ magical powers.
“Is Shin’s magic power different from others’?”
“I wonder. Though I still can’t perfectly control my power, so I’m not sure.”
Shin moved to the main building where Tiera was, thinking that there might be some hint.
After Tiera had set up the alchemy equipment and materials on the table, she began making the recovery potions. Shin didn’t disturb her, as she seemed to be concentrating. After several minutes, she finished brewing the potions.
“Whew…”
“Did you finish it?”
“Hiiu!!??”
Shin chose to wait for Tiera to finish her work before speaking up.
But, since Tiera didn’t notice him, she was surprised and gave a small cry of alarm.
“Ah…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you.”
“Don’t sneak up on me like that! I was so surprised.”
Tiera glared at him while putting her hand on her chest. Perhaps she felt shy as she was seen the moment that she was surprised. Her cheeks turned red.
Shin didn’t intend to hide his presence, but it seemed like he did so unconsciously.
“I’m really sorry. I wasn’t trying to distract you since you seemed to be focused.”
“*Sigh* Be careful next time. I nearly dropped the potion.”
When Shin bowed, Tiera’s anger seemed to settle down.
“At any rate, I tried to make the recovery potion according to instructions using these materials. I don’t have the appraisal skill, so I’m not sure of the difference. Can you check them?”
After Tiera calmed down, she handed the recovery potions over to Shin.
They looked the same, but when he saw the analysis, Shin found that the potion made of materials from his Item Box were more effective.
However, the one that used the materials from the manufacturing machine was twenty percent more effective than a conventional potion.
It seemed like using materials that possess magical power raised the effectiveness of the items made from them.
“I see. I was expecting an increased effect, but it’s really amazing.”
“Were you expecting it?”
Shin asked about the reason for what Tiera said after she heard the result of the appraisal.
“Well, it seems like Shin doesn’t know this, but when an object stores magical power, it shares its owner’s spirit and characteristics. It was said that was a condition of something like power without definition. I’ve only seen these objects a few times though. Since only Elves and Pixies can see this power, you may not understand it, Shin.”
“Interesting…By the way, I wanted to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“Well, when we first met, you said various races’ magical power or something after you looked at me, right? I wanted to ask about it.”
“Eh? D-Did I say something like that?”
Tiera answered evasively. Her face that turned her eyes to the wrong direction expressed exactly someone who was trying to hide something.
“? …Well, if you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine. I won’t force you to tell me. I’ll ask Schnee if there is anything that seems strange in her ingredients. You can keep the potions.”
“Eh!? Wa, wait!!”
Everybody has something that they don’t want to share. Even though Shin was concerned about the magical power, somehow he could guess the reason.
Since he thought it was a bad idea to ask forcefully, Shin decided to go to Schnee’s place first, but surprisingly Tiera pulled him back.
“What’s the matter? You look so confused.”
“B-Because… aren’t you going to ask about it? Though I’m here with you, I’m clearly hiding something from you.”
“But you don’t want to tell me, right? Of course I can’t leave it alone if it’s about a life-threatening situation, or something similar. But I can somehow guess that it’s not like that, and I don’t want to forcefully ask you to tell me. When I look at you, I can just tell that there are some things you don’t want to tell me. So I think it’s not right to share everything just because we are together. In fact, I also have something that I haven’t shared with everybody.”
“I understand, but…”
“It’s fine with me to wait until you think you are ready to tell me. When the time comes then――”
Then Shin’s stomach rumbled “Grruuu”. It was so loud that they could hear it clearly.
“…I, I’ll also tell you what I haven’t shared with you?”
Because of the stomach rumbling, the serious mood vanished, but Shin said everything that he wanted to say.
“Shin, are you hungry?”
Right after that, Yuzuha, who was just observing, quietly said explosive words.
“Hey! I was saying something serious!”
“But you said ‘When the time comes then Gruuu.’”
“Nooo! Why did it happened in this timing?”
“…Pfff.”
Maybe that hit the spot. Tiera held her laughter in until her ears turned bright red.
Because she lowered her head, he couldn’t see her face. However, he guessed that it wasn’t as serious as before.
It was a pleasant situation for Shin as he wanted to change the atmosphere, but it couldn’t be helped if he thought there might have been a better way.
“I’m sorry. Even though we’re talking seriously, b-but, pfffahaha”
“Well, I made my point, but, it’s fine I guess. Though you have something you can’t tell me, don’t worry about it. And don’t tell anyone about my stomach rumbling! Never! Yuzuha, you too!”
After the parting remark, Shin went to the kitchen.
Tiera looked at his back with tears in her eyes. Shin didn’t know her tears weren’t only from laughing. “I am sorry.” What Tiera whispered didn’t reach anyone.
When Shin entered the kitchen, there were already several dishes. He could smell them while he was talking to Tiera, so he couldn’t help thinking what would happened if he had not smelled these dishes.
“Kuu~, smells good!”
“Yes, it does… what a great smell.”
“Shin? You look troubled. Did something happen?”
“No, nothing. Yeah, nothing happened. By the way, it smells delicious. How were the ingredients?”
“I didn’t see any problems. The freshness was satisfactory too.”
Schnee answered while wiping a knife.
It seemed like she hadn’t noticed any differences in the process of cooking.
Considering the swords and the recovery potions, the differences would probably be seen in its flavor.
“The results of Tiera and my experiments showed that the ones from my Item Box were more effective. However, the quality of the things made using materials from the manufacturing machines were better than normal.”
“I see. I have just finished cleaning up, so we should test them. How’s Tiera doing?”
“Oh, she finished making the recovery potions, so I’ll bring her here.”
“You don’t need to.”
When Shin turned around to go to call Tiera, Tiera showed up.
Since she had a little time to calm herself down, her complexion returned to normal. Her eyes seemed bloodshot, but Shin just felt awkward wondering if she had been laughing till she cried.
“What?”
“Nothing. The dishes are ready, so let’s compare the tastes.”
They put all dishes on the table and sat down. Yuzuha was also in human form at this time.
Everyone said “Itadakimasu” together and then started tasting.
What Shin ate first was the dish made using ingredients from the manufacturing machine.
He put the foods he used to eat in reality, such as stuffed cabbage, pot‐au‐feu, pilaf, and so on, in his mouth.
“This is far better than a family restaurant.”
“This is better than what Master usually makes.”
“Kuu, delicious!”
Because these foods were something they often ate, they could tell how much better it was. It didn’t mean that the foods they had been eating were low quality, but still these were delicious enough to tell the difference.
Because there were other dishes to taste, they used all their willpower to stop themselves from finishing the dish.
“Then, the next one.”
The next dishes were the made using the ingredients from Shin’s Item Box. Since it was for comparison, the menu and cooking processes were the same.
They cut the stuffed cabbage in two using chopsticks, then ate it.
“!?”
In that moment, Shin and Tiera stopped moving.
Their first thought was ‘Is this really a stuffed cabbage?’.
“What is this? To be frank, I can’t think of anything besides how delicious this is. But if I were asked the difference, I can’t explain it.”
“I agree. I don’t know what to say besides delicious.”
“Kuu, delicious, delicious~”
Yuzuha was the only one eating like normal. With dishes made of materials from either source, Yuzuha stuffed her mouth happily while smiling.
In a sense, this might be the correct reaction toward the dishes.
Shin had tried dishes using ingredients his Item Box the night he met Schnee again, but there wasn’t any magical power leaking from the cards then.
Was it because it was used with the regular ingredients? He wasn’t as shocked as with this stuffed cabbage.
“Anyway, we have to be cautious when using the items in my Item Box. I don’t think they were like this before though.”
“Yes. Even the items from the manufacturing machines are more than enough. Did you notice any differences in the items recently added to your Item Box?”
“No, I didn’t see any change among those items. But as times goes on, they might change, so I’ll check those to make sure.”
The number of the items in Shin’s Item Box was huge. It would be impossible to test everything, so he would have to choose a small number of items and check them.
After they finished their meals, Shin and the others came to the teleportation device room that was located next to the manufacturing machines’ room. They intended to check on the guild houses’ conditions.
“As far as I can tell, none of the devices are broken.”
“Yes. Just in case, I asked Raster to check it, but I heard that there were no problems.”
Raster was the support character who served under Cain, a member of Rokuten who was the architect. Because Cain helped build Tsuki no Hokora, Raster, as his follower, did the maintenance.
If Raster said so, it would work without any problems.
“Well, let’s open the option menu…Hmm?”
“Is anything wrong?”
Schnee approached Shin who voiced his doubt. Shin shifted the display sideway to show Schnee the selection screen for teleport destinations.
It displayed the names of the 1st through 6th guild houses. But if he tried to pick a destination, it made a muffled “Beep” sound.
This sound usually came out when one tried to use an item that was not available or choose a place that was impossible to transfer.
It seemed like they couldn’t transfer to any guild houses at their present state.
“What does it mean?”
“The equipment here is working, so something might have happened at the other guild houses?”
“No, what I am concerned about is that I’m unable to choose Rashugum. I don’t know about the others, but I can’t imagine any problems in Rashugum, where Raster is doing maintenance.”
“But, it’s hard to determine the cause of the problem. Please wait a moment. I will send a message to Raster.”
“Yes, please. I’ll fiddle a little too.”
Besides specifying a destination from the option menu, there were times when it was possible by using the terminal. For the time being, he decided to check which ones were working.
“There is no problem in Tsuki no Hokora. No error from the transferring devices. So, there might be some problems at the destinations or…”
While operating the terminal, Shin formed a hypothesis. If one had never been to the destination in this world, one wouldn’t be able to use the items, skills, and equipment related to teleporting.
Since he came to this world, he hadn’t been able to use message cards and lists as these were reset.
If the reason he could transfer to Tsuki no Hokora was because he had visited before, everything would make sense.
“If that’s the case, I have no choice but to go there.”
“If Shin’s hypothesis is correct, there’s no other way but to do that. Though Raster has been here, he can’t use the transferring devices.”
Schnee agreed with Shin. That was the only thing they could do now.
In the game era, the support characters including Schnee, didn’t have the crystal stones that granted teleportation ability. Therefore, Schnee hadn’t registered the teleportation points at Rashugum even though she had been there.
“Our conversation is based on the fact that it is natural to use teleportation. I’m scared as I’m getting used to it.”
“That’s how we are steeped in.”
Tiera had a distant look and Shin responded to her with a big smile and a thumb up.
“Stop it, I almost nodded.”
“Your body is honest.”
“Uu, I can’t deny it…”
Tiera felt that if she was not steeped in this situation, she would not be able to relax.
After that, they checked some more devices and items. As they got into it, they realized it was already late, so they decided to stay the night in Tsuki no Hokora.
◆◆◆◆
“…Sigh”
While the moon was up high in the sky, Shin was sitting on the verandah at the back of Tsuki no Hokora. He held 『True Moon』, that had been broken from the battle with his support character, Girard.
“Well, what should I do… hmm?”
As he watched the moon, he sensed someone he knew very well coming closer.
“You can’t sleep?”
“Oh! Yeah, I was just thinking of repairing 『True Moon』.”
Shin stopped thinking for a moment as he was fascinated by Schnee in her nightwear, but he still managed to answer her somehow.
Shin lifted up 『True Moon』 to show Schnee as she naturally sat down next to him.
“This is from the battle with Girard, isn’t it? It looks the same as it was though.”
“I’ve thought of repairing it several times.. But, how do I say it, I feel like something is lacking. I could fix it right away, but my intuition as a blacksmith tells me not to… though, I don’t know if my intuition is reliable or not.”
Shin said to Schnee while putting a bitter smile on his face.
It was about time to fix it, so he tried out during his free time today, but it didn’t work out very well.
All materials were prepared and Shin’s skills weren’t lacking, since he was a master blacksmith. Perhaps there was something else missing besides these.
“May I borrow it?”
“Hmm? Sure.”
When Shin handed over 『True Moon』, Schnee held it in front of her chest.
While Shin was wondering what she would do, he saw that 『True Moon』 gradually began glowing while held in Schnee’s hands.
“Wow!!”
『True Moon』 emitted light as if it were soaking in the moonlight. Shin was wide-eyed with surprise because of the light, but after a while, it stopped emitting a light.
It lasted for only a moment, but Shin felt that it was much more longer than that.
“Here you go.”
“Ah, y-yes. Hey Schnee, what was that?”
“I poured my magical power into 『True Moon』. I felt I should do it. I don’t know why, but I hope it’ll help you, even just a little bit, Shin.”
“No, I have to thank you instead. I am sure that something missing was filled with this.”
Shin said while looking at 『True Moon』.
Shin knew by intuition that what Schnee did wasn’t anything wrong.
At the same time, he understood three more things.
“It’s not complete yet, but I know what I should do. Thank you.”
“I am glad to hear that.”
Schnee looked very beautiful with a gentle smile on her face.
Shin gasped at her beautiful smile. Her beauty attracted people, but it made her untouchable. Her beauty was something that couldn’t be described with words.
“Well, what will you do after this, Schnee?”
“If it is fine with you, I’d like to watch the moon with you.”
“…Well, of course. “
“Then…”
“huh!”
Schnee answered to Shin, and leaned her body against him.
Shin felt a weight on his shoulder as Schnee rested her head while clinging to him.
“…Ah, Schnee-san? This is…”
“Please let me be like this for a moment.”
“…Okay.”
When Shin accepted it, the weight on his shoulder increased.
Maybe it was because Schnee leaned her whole body on Shin. The reason she didn’t do so from the beginning was perhaps she was afraid of being denied or maybe she felt shy.
“………”
They looked up moon in silence for a while.
In the moonlit night, two shadows fell on the verandah.
These two shadows cuddled together and remained together until they returned to their rooms.
Part 3
The following morning, Shin and the rest headed towards Kilmont. They took some time to say their farewells and give thanks to Hibineko and the others who fought in the battle of Balmel. That made them start later than the other adventurers and merchants. It also meant that their carriage ride was more spacious.
“It feels so slow now.”
Tiera muttered while looking out the window.
“It’d be inappropriate for us to go flying out of the city.”
Kagerou, as a horse, pulled the carriage just as fast as the other carriages on the road. Tiera felt like they were traveling even slower, especially after their rushed ride to Falnido.
“You know this is normal, right?”
“I feel like everything is different now after meeting Shin.”
Schnee’s words sank in, and Tiera didn’t know how to take them.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“It’s not normal.”
Tiera glanced over towards Shin, feeling a little dumbfounded. It was silly to think that a carriage going at such a ridiculous speed was normal. Shin nodded in agreement, holding tightly onto reins which was only decorative.
They were heading towards Kilmont. Shin and company’s journey to meet Shibaid had only just begun.
“I guess there isn’t much traffic. Maybe we can speed up just a little… wait? A message from Wilhelm!”
A message had arrived for Shin, amidst everyone’s convoluted thoughts.
Shin knew that Wilhelm wouldn’t send him a message over nothing. Something dire must have happened.
He immediately opened the message.
“What!?”
“Shin? What is it?”
Ignoring Schnee’s concerned voice, Shin quickly took out an item card and attached it to the message card.
He merely wrote “Use it,” and immediately sent his response to Wilhelm.
“Shin?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Hm?”
With Shin in a daze, Tiera and Yuzuha were also pressing him.
With his brows furrowed, Shin told them what Wilhelm’s message said.
―Rashia had been stabbed.
◆◆◆◆
It happened on a beautiful day.
Sister Rashia had woken up, starting the day as usual; she made her bed, prayed, and went to wake the children. There was much work to be done in the church.
“I’m off now. Please look after yourselves.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
It was not unusual for a ceremonial occasion to be held in the church. Thoria was supposed to be at the church to make funeral arrangements for the recently deceased.
Rashia had nothing to worry about. It was just an ordinary day.
“I’m going to begin the treatment. Please relax.”
“Thank you as always.”
“Please, it’s nothing. It’s part of my duty to serve the community.”
“I can’t believe how much you’ve grown Rashia. I’m happy for the church that you’re here.”
“Yes. I owe much to Thoria, but I can only hope that I can repay my debts.”
Rashia smiled towards an elderly woman from the neighborhood.
She had gained considerable experience at the Wraith Plains and her healing ability also rose greatly. She was also quite skilled in giving medical attention to those in need. Sometimes, she was even able to cure those who had given up.
The issue with who would take over the responsibilities of the church was settled now. Everything was back to quiet. Or so she thought――.
“May I come in?”
“…Father Bulk.”
The man stood at the entrance of the church. He and Rashia had argued heatedly over who would lead the church.
Father Bulk took a handkerchief to his oily face, wiping off the sweat and revealing a crooked smile.
“Hello my child. I beg your pardon, but we’ve got some matters of the church to discuss. Do you think you could excuse us?”
The words that came out of his mouth were polite, but the elderly woman was clearly left without a choice.
There was too much of a status difference between them; the father of the church and an elderly villager.
The woman left the church and closed the doors behind her. Rashia blurted out.
“What do you want?”
“Let’s start with ‘Hello,’ shall we? Of course, I’m here to continue our little chat from before.”
Father Bulk feigned shock. His entire demeanor was condescending. This made Rashia uneasy and bitter.
“I’m certain that I will be leading the church.”
“No, it’s too soon to call the shots. Besides, there hasn’t been a legitimate decree yet. Did you really think that you were in control? Well, that’s just hasty and careless.”
“…I’ve already received word from the other Fathers, that it’s not an issue. Of course, since there’s quite distance from headquarter, the official documents will be coming in any day now.”
“‘Any day now’? What is that, tomorrow? Or the next day? I don’t find it very reassuring that you don’t have these details all in order.”
His voice lingered in Rashia’s ears, giving her shivers.
What does he want? He’s far too confident.
“Father. Is that why you’re here? To tell me all of this?”
“Oh, heavens no child. This church will be mine eventually. I’ve merely come to see that things are still as they should be.”
“…I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean. Why would you say such a thing?”
Father Bulk made it seem as if he knew something she did not.
“Your sheer arrogance. This is why we really need to stop letting things slide just because of hereditary reasons. You know absolutely nothing.”
This time, Father Bulk became slightly more aggressive.
“Answer me. I’ve obtained 【Purification】 so I should be the leader of this church according to the rule.”
“Please don’t raise your voice. Why don’t you show a little modesty? The Sisters in the headquarter are gentle you know?”
“!”
The conversation was going nowhere.
Rashia was glaring at Father Bulk, when suddenly the door opened.
“Am I late?”
“Yes you are, Eline! Because of your tardiness, I’ve been through quite an ordeal. I encountered a golem during my trip, and…”
“Bulk-san, that’s your fault. You are the one who said that you wanted to visit some ancient sites. I had my own matters to attend to, so please, do not yammer on about that anymore.”
The man who stepped in wore a suit of armor.
It wasn’t unusual to see someone with blonde hair blue eyes from Bayreuth. His hair that came slightly below his shoulders was neatly tied back. He smiled, and looked like a picturesque knight in shining armor.
However, Rashia saw him as anything but that. He was an intruder, for all she knew.
“Anyways. You know what to do, don’t you?”
“Yes, the men outside filled me in. Is she the one we’re taking?”
“No. We’re taking the child of the beast. I understand the child’s name is Mily, or something like that. I’m sure she’s in the orphanage. Bring her to me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Father Bulk commanded with no hesitation.
The man named Eline was headed towards the orphanage.
“Wait! What are you going to do with Millie!!”
Rashia stood in his way, but Eline did not budge.
“Bulk-san. What should I do with her?”
“Do as you wish. The area is surrounded.”
“Then”
It was a matter of seconds. Eline tilted his left hand, unsheathed his weapon and took the short sword.
The speed was clearly not the capability of a commoner. If this had worked, Rashia would have gone down in the blink of an eye.
“Kya!”
“Hm?”
Except, it didn’t. A clear barrier generated between Rashia and the short sword. A spark could be seen where the forces met, and Rashia was thrown back.
The short sword fell to the ground with a clang.
“How interesting. You seem to have equipped a shield item of some sort. Even my sword couldn’t stand against it. It’ll be even more interesting to find out, if you made this item yourself, or if you received it as a gift.”
“!!”
Eline looked intrigued, but Rashia could only stare back with fear.
She had no idea what had happened.
Rashia was at level 151. She was quite strong as a common woman. Her kinetic vision was far from average.
Yet, she could not have dodged Eline’s attack on her own.
After fighting alongside Shin and Wilhelm, she had grown accustomed to sensing murderous intent. Everyone -no matter how strong- should be emitting some sort of will. It could be murderous or violent. Either way, it was a guide for Rashia to use when dodging and defending herself.
Yet here was this man, with neither murderous intent or animosity. To kill must be as natural as breathing for him. He showed no hesitation towards the act of killing. Here was true terror, in the form of a man.
“Won’t you answer me?”
“N….no.”
“Oh well. I guess I’ll just have to find! Out!”
Before he had finished his thought, he drew his other sword and ran towards Rashia. Yet again, Rashia’s barrier stood against his force.
However, unlike the last time with the short sword, sparks were flying more dramatically and the sword was struck deep in the air.
“It’s much tougher than I had anticipated. What would happen if I hit repeatedly?”
Eline couldn’t hide his excitement. He was thrilled to have found a worthy opponent. He drew his sword again and again.
With every strike, Rashia’s barrier shrunk.
“Eline, stop horsing around.”
“But sir, I think I’m close.”
“Just use that other thing. Hurry up.”
“You leave me no choice. I’ve already tested it on a monster. Let’s see how you fare.”
Eline turned his sword into a card. He reached in his pockets for a different one. It materialized into a 2 meter long giant knife.
A single edge had to be longer than 15 cemels. The blade shone bright red. The brim had the emblem of wings, and a giant fist sized jewel fit neatly.
The onyx jewel was a stark contrast to the blood-red blade.
“Isn’t she a beauty? I’m afraid all I know is that her name is 『Exvaine』.”
Eline looked proudly at his possession.
“It’s more than just a pretty face. Just look at this!”
He seemed satisfied that Rashia couldn’t take her eyes off of his weapon, as he grinned and thrust it upon her.
You could hear the swish of the blade cutting through the air as it left a red afterimage. It was almost a shriek as the sound of shattering glass pierced through the ears of those in the vicinity. The knife cut through the barrier like butter, slashing Rashia’s cheek. The blade stopped at her neck.
Rashia peered over at the deadly tool. Should Eline gesture his hand even the slightest bit, her head would be chopped off. Blood dripped down her face, and Rashia sat there shaking.
“So. Do you feel like answering my question now?”
“………”
She put all of her might into not screaming. She had lost all words.
Eline looked smug. It wasn’t a very pleasant expression. It was the face of a violent child. One that enjoyed picking off the legs and wings of a bug.
“No. Please. Leave us alone.”
‘I will probably die.’ Rashia was filled with sorrow at the thought.
She stared into Eline’s eyes. She knew that no matter what she had said, it was all up to his whim. That is why she felt resolute to not share any information.
“That’s a pity. It’s fine though. I’m here on a mission anyways.”
Millie and the other children were indeed in the orphanage. No matter what happens, Rashia must warn them of the dangers. She was about 10 steps away from an item that would heed them.
Rashia was about to run for it, when the worst case scenario had unfolded. Luck was on Father Bulk’s side.
“Shia-nee, I’m done cleaning.”
It was none other than Millie, who had come into the church building. She was alone. She must have finished her chores before the other children.
“Well what do we have here. She seems to be Millie-san. How convenient that the target came to us. Is this because I behave well everyday? ”
“Yes, it must be God smiling down on us. Eline, you know what to do.”
“Of course, my lord.”
Eline and Father Bulk shifted their attention to Millie. At that chance, Rashia attempted to run to the organ, to activate the item hidden between the keys.
However, Eline did not miss a beat.
“Are you going to do something? That’s no good at all.”
Eline stood between Rashia and the organ.
“Hurry up Eline.”
“Please don’t rush me, Father!” Eline blocked Rashia and inched towards Millie. It was then that a strong barrier burst between Millie and Eline.
Eline could sense that this force was much more powerful than that of Rashia. He swung down his precious 『Exvaine』.
Except it was different this time. 『Exvaine』 bounced off of the barrier with a jolt.
“What!?”
Eline’s eyes were slits of rage. He took his weapon and lashed out towards Millie. The barrier held up.
“Shit!”
“Ah!”
Eline put more might into his vicious attacks.
Millie was crouched to the ground, and only a little crack appeared in her barrier.
“…Well what do you know. My High Human weapon doesn’t seem to be doing its job.”
“!?”
“Eline!”
“Oops. Just a slip of the tongue.”
Rashia could not hide her surprise. A High Human weapon- one forged by the likes of God. It wasn’t just that though. It was the fact that the little Millie even stood a chance. The item from Shin seemed like a simple necklace. It was truly a God-given gift.
“This is a waste of time. Let’s try this.”
“Agh!?”
Eline took the 『Exvaine』 and destroyed Rashia’s barrier. She was thrown to the ground as the blade was placed right at Rashia’s neck.
“No!!”
“Millie, Millie, Millie. If you don’t want her to die, please discard your barrier item.”
“No! Millie don’t! Gah!”
Eline shut Rashia up. She could no longer produce any words.
“S-Shia-nee…”
Millie didn’t know what to do. She stood helplessly, uttering Rashia’s name.
“You don’t seem to believe me. Then, how about this?”
Eline briefly released Rashia from the holds of 『Exvaine』, and effortlessly slid the red blade into Rashia’s right rib area.
“Ah….”
Rashia didn’t know what had happened, until the blood started coming out of her mouth.
“Shia-nee!!”
Millie ran towards her.
However, her barrier stopped her, because it knew how dangerous Eline was.
“Look what you’ve done Millie. You can stop all of this right now, you know?”
“Ah…no… Don’…t…”
The pain was excruciating, but Rashia didn’t want Millie in the wrong hands. All that came out of her mouth though were shallow breaths and sounds.
“No! Release Shia-nee!!”
“All you have to do is unequip your barrier item. The more you resist, the more pain she will be in….like this.”
His tone was gentle, as Eline chanted spells into the 『Exvaine』 still inside Rashia.
The blade turned red-hot.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
The burning sensation made Rashia cry out.
Her scream was too much for Millie.
“Stop! Stop it…”
“Look. All you have to do is take off your item. Put it on the ground.”
“………”
Tears dripping down her chin, Millie placed her necklace on the floor. The moment her hand and the necklace weren’t touching, the barrier was released.
“That just took far too long. Off we go. Come.”
Father Bulk shook his head.
“Please. Please help S-Shia-nee…”
“If you come quietly, she won’t die. If you even let out a peep, who knows what will happen to your precious sister.”
“But…”
“This is why I hate children. Eline.”
“Yes, Father.”
Eline hit Millie’s gut. She fell noiselessly. They had knocked her unconscious.
“We’re done here. Let’s go.”
“Shouldn’t we clean up?”
“Leave it. But don’t leave any traces.”
“As you wish.”
Bulk carried off Millie, while Eline activated his clearing skills. He took 『Exvaine』 out of Rashia.
“!?”
She was in so much pain that all she could do was lay there quivering.
Eline looked up towards the beautiful stained glass.
“…By the way. Another question: an adventurer comes here often, carrying a magic spear. What class is this man’s weapon in?”
Eline was thinking of Wilhelm of course. He looked over at Rashia.
There was no response. This was only natural. Even if she could, she had no will to respond to him. Her wounds were deep and painful.
“Ah. My apologies. I really ought to have asked beforehand. What a pity. Until next time.”
Eline lowered his gaze.
Father Bulk had already left with his men.
――Except, another presence had filled the room.
“What a lucky day indeed.”
“Whose blood is that on your sword?”
Wilhelm’s voice was cold.
His hand squeezed 『Venom』 even tighter.
“I mean. I was having a friendly conversation with the sister. It really didn’t pan out the way I wanted it to though. By the way, how did you get here? I thought I had activated my clearing skill here.”
“What did you do to her?”
“Why do people never answer my questions?”
“You’re the one who’s got questions to answer.”
“My my. So hostile. Fine. I stabbed her. She doesn’t have very long to…!”
Wilhelm charged before Eline was finished.
『Venom』 had released a bright red light into the air.
It was a single shot with all his might. But Eline took his 『Exvaine』 and cut the blaze. The two weapons’ forces caused some large sparks.
“What did I ever do to you?”
“A whole lot!!”
Part 4
Eline dodged the repeated attacks.
Wilhelm was an upper class Chosen One. It seemed impossible, but it was as if Eline knew what his next moves were. Eline’s face remained calm and composed.
“I believe your spear is 《Legend》 grade, possibly 《Mythology》 grade. I’d love to have it in my collection.”
“Shut up!!”
Wilhelm’s attacks became more heated. He didn’t skip a beat with his repeated strikes. You’d think that one hit would be able to pulverize a king class Skull Face.
Yet it was no match against Eline’s 『Exvaine』, or Eline himself. The fighter and the weapon that Wilhelm faced were the real deal.
“You’re as good as I’d heard. I wish that I had a little more speed on me. That’s the one weakness when it comes to equipping 『Exvaine』.”
“Why, you little…!!”
It was frustrating how Eline wasn’t fully invested in the combat.
Wilhelm had to switch tactics. Rather than waste energy on the repeated blows, he had to take a single shot. He stepped back to squeeze more power into his hands that held 『Venom』. However, this caused him to stop moving momentarily.
Eline did not miss this chance.
He went from defense mode to attack mode, thrusting 『Exvaine』.
“Gah!!”
Wilhelm brought 『Venom』 in front of him to take the red blade on.
The sheer mass of it took Wilhelm by surprise. He had not anticipated its weight, having seen Eline lift it so easily. Regardless of what Eline had said about his own speed, he was faster and more agile than Wilhelm.
Wilhelm took some damage.
He was blown back and slammed against the wall. He could feel the air being forced out of his lungs, as he let out a yelp.
『Venom』 had saved Wilhelm by intercepting the thrust of his savage opponent. Still, the damage was sufficient to make Wilhelm drop 『Venom』.
『Venom』 lay there, with a crack in the center after clashing with the mighty 『Exvaine』.
“Oh dear. After looking around, I thought I’d finally found something that I liked. Now it’s damaged goods. I should have known it with a strong opponent like you.”
Eline looked down at the item and shook his head after heaving a sigh.
Maybe he was preoccupied with the weapon, but he didn’t seem to have a care in the world for Wilhelm, who was pushing the rubble off of himself.
“Grr.”
“Oh. You’re fine the way you were. This spear is no good to me.”
“Why…are you here?”
“My client was looking for someone.”
“Looking for…?”
“Yes. But we found the child. Oh, was this off record? My bad. It’s fine though, my role here is done.”
Eline answered Wilhelm cheerfully.
Wilhelm wondered if there was something wrong with the man standing there.
“I have to go now or I could get into trouble. I’d be happy if you could get your spear fixed, by the way.”
“Why don’t you tell me where you’re going too.”
“Sure. We’re headed to the church headquarter. Please come if you want. My name is Eline Sperizer. You should remember that.”
Then Eline turned and left.
No one could ever forget his grin of pure evil.
◆◆◆◆
“F-FUck!”
Eline disappeared, and Wilhelm groaned as he clutched his left abdomen in pain.
He knew that he had cracked a few ribs. On top of that, the fight had taken a tremendous toll on his body.
Wilhelm had fought quite a few battles until now, and he was in shock. He had only taken one hit, yet, he was in considerable agony.
Perhaps Eline was that skilled of a fighter, or his weapon was truly that potent. Regardless, that weapon was not normal.
“Rashia…”
He forced himself to step foot in the church.
Thoria should not be here today. Then it had to be Rashia who faced Eline.
“!?”
He could smell the damp iron of blood. It was an eerie feeling for the scent to be wafting inside a house of God.
Wilhelm looked about frantically, before his eyes rested on Rashia on the floor, her back in a pool of blood.
This was enough to make him forget his own wounds.
“Rashia!! No, Rashia!! Wake up!!”
“Wi…”
Rashia was barely conscious, as she feebly called his name.
“Please! Take this!!”
He took out a card from his Item Box.
It was a class 5 Potion – the highest-class antidote that Wilhelm had ever possessed. This should do the trick, even for wound like hers.
“No! Why?!”
He had given the potion to her. Yet, the wound was not healing itself.
Wilhelm had not known. There was a restriction depending on the potion class. A class 5 Potion was only as effective as the healing abilities of the person in need of healing. Only at a class 4 Potion or higher could an item heal a wound and enhance a person’s vitality.
That level of recovery item was not available in any of the nearby markets. It was rare to even see a class 5 Potion; the recovery item Wilhelm had.
“Damn it!!”
Wilhelm could see that it was of no use. He immediately reached for the message card in his Item Box. There wasn’t enough time to spare – not even to write to another for help.
He wrote to Shin that Rashia was stabbed.
She had very little time left in this world.
Wilhelm couldn’t help her. All he could do was pray to God that he’d get a response, and to try to stop the bleeding.
“Wil…”
“I asked Shin for help. Just hold out a little longer.”
Rashia didn’t respond. She squeezed his hand and could barely get the words out.
“I’m…sorry…”
“Why.”
“I…could…n’t…save…Mi…llie”
I’m sorry. I couldn’t save Millie.
She was losing consciousness as she repeated this over and over.
Wilhelm bit his lips.
He shouldn’t have lost his composure. He should have focused. He knew what he was up against. It didn’t help at all that he was hot in the head.
And he was even more helpless now.
“!”
A message appeared in front of Wilhelm. All that was written was “Use it.” Several item cards were also attached.
Every card had the same image. Wilhelm took one in his hand.
A long, thin glass jar appeared with a clear gold liquid inside.
Wilhelm had no idea what it was, but there was no time. He trusted Shin, and gave it to Rashia.
“Mm…ah…”
The results were astonishing.
The bleeding had stopped and the wound was closing in on itself. Her pale skin regained color. Her face had been the picture of agony. Now it was calm and soothed.
No one would have believed that she had been dying only a second ago. The only proof of the event was her torn clothes and the pool of drying blood.
“Eh? What…I..”
“Are you alright?”
Rashia was fully recovered. She seemed dazed, as she looked around.
“How did I…!? Oh Wil! Where’s Millie!? Where is she!”
She frantically questioned Wilhelm. Even if the stab wound was gone, it didn’t mean that she had recovered her stamina. She couldn’t muster any strength in her arms.
“She was gone by the time I got here.”
Rashia was losing her mind, and Wilhelm could only tell her the truth.
He was familiar with the presence of every orphan in the church. He could not feel that of Millie anywhere nearby.
“No…Millie…”
“Stop crying and tell me what happened.”
Wilhelm was losing his patience, and Rashia looked up towards him.
“She can’t be dead. We have to get her back! Tell me!”
“…I’m sorry. …she’ll be alright, right?”
“Of course, they said they’re headed back to the church headquarter. I doubt they’ll get right to the killing. I also told Shin.”
She nodded, as tears fell down her cheeks.
Millie was taken. But Wilhelm was right. Millie was still alive.
Neither Rashia nor Wilhelm knew Father Bulk’s motives. It didn’t matter anyways.
Millie was a friend. She was family.
If she needed help, they would help her.
“Wilhelm!”
A loud shout was heard from the steps of the church.
Wilhelm had managed to help Rashia sit in a chair. He turned to the source of the voice.
“About time.”
It was Shin. He had Yuzuha on his shoulders. Schnee and Tiera followed behind.
Shin also held 『Venom』 in his hand.
“I saw your message and sent you some items. Is Rashia…what is that blood?”
He was bewildered by the large, dark red spot by the alter. It had to be at least a mel in diameter.
He had only read the word ‘stabbed’. He had not anticipated that much blood loss from the message alone.
“You made it sound like she was just a little hurt. What in the world happened?”
Shin looked to see that Rashia was okay. Then he asked Wilhelm.
“You have to ask her for the details. All I know is this.”
“What?”
“Millie was taken and Rashia was stabbed by an upper class Chosen One. He had an unusual weapon too.”
“Is that why 『Venom』 is like this?”
Shin held up 『Venom』, with a chip in it. The item’s durability was reduced by a third.
“It was just one hit.”
“One hit?”
“One strike did this.”
“…I see. That means that this is no simple kidnapping.”
Shin thought about it. The weapon that was used against Wilhelm must be at least 《Mythology》 grade. It could also be 《Ancient》. Otherwise, 『Venom』 wouldn’t have become like this.
“Wil. Did you fight the blonde swordsman with the red sword?”
Rashia had been listening to the conversation.
“Yes. I know you’ve only just gotten up, but tell us what happened.”
“Yes.”
Rashia tried her hardest to tell them without getting emotional.
“I see. Then Millie shouldn’t be in immediate danger. Father Bulk didn’t care about this church at all. He was after Millie the whole time.”
“They must be after Millie’s gift.”
They agreed.
Millie was a ‘Hoshiyomi’. She could predict the future. (T/N: Hoshiyomi or Star Reader)
“I know you already talked about this. This ‘Eline’…are you sure he called his weapon 『Exvaine』, and are you sure he said it was a ‘High Human’ weapon?”
Shin was more concerned with this than Millie after hearing Rashia finish telling them what had happened.
“Yes. The bracelet that I had received from you held him off until he used the red sword against me and the bracelet shattered. I believe Millie’s item only had a crack in it towards the end, but…”
“………”
Shin repeated her words in his mind. If he was right about his hunch, then Rashia’s item couldn’t have bought them any time at all.
Even Millie’s item would have broken eventually.
“What is it?”
“No, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about Millie. Rashia, you need to rest now.”
Shin brushed off Rashia’s question, but she knew something was wrong.
It wasn’t possible for Rashia to understand, because she didn’t know he was a High Human.
Rashia looked dejected, but Wilhelm tried to reassure her.
“We’ll take over from now on. You have the other children here to protect. Tell Thoria to also be careful.”
“…Yes.”
“It really wasn’t your fault. You were up against some scary things. How could you have gone up against an opponent that even I couldn’t handle?”
Rashia had leveled up, but she was far from an upper class Chosen One. Even if she had fought normally, she couldn’t even have posed a threat against her foes.
Perhaps there was some saving grace to her leveling up though. Because of that, her blood loss was minimized. It wasn’t all hopeless.
If Rashia had died, Millie would have been devastated.
“You need to get better. For Millie.”
Shin who also joined the persuasion somehow managed to get Rashia to return to the orphanage.
Part 5
“What is it? Do you know about the weapon that guy used?”
Wilhelm asked after they had cleaned up the bloody mess.
He didn’t bother to hide his anger anymore.
Perhaps something snapped after Rashia had left the room.
“Calm down Wilhelm…I thought I had an idea of what we were up against, but now it’s certain. What do you think Schnee?”
“The odds are stacked. I think we’re both on the same page.”
Schnee seemed to be thinking the same thing. While Shin didn’t spell it out, she agreed with him.
“What is it then?!”
“Yeah, it’s hard for us when you’re both in the know and we’re not.”
Wilhelm was impatient. Tiera also glared at Shin, for leaving her out.
“Sorry. 『Exvaine』 used to belong to a friend of mine. It’s actual name is 『Red Crystal Sword Exvaine』. It’s ancient grade…and it’s a sword that I forged myself.”
Shin sighed. If what Rashia heard was right, that a High Human made the weapon, then that must be the case.
What made Shin even more sure was how he had never sold it to other players.
“Wilhelm, I believe that you struggled due to one of the sword’s abilities.” Shin began to explain.
One. It increases damage against humans. Two. The blade can decrease magic damage against it.
While it doesn’t have very many abilities as far as a high-class weapon goes, originally it was meant to be a last resort weapon. Since 『Exvaine』 itself has tremendous damage potential, Shin had figured that it didn’t require any more abilities.
“Well of course I didn’t stand a chance. It was forged by the ‘Dark Blacksmith’.”
He must have remembered the battle earlier. Wilhelm furrowed his brow.
“I see. Eh? I thought the weapons Shin forged can’t be used by people who aren’t the intended user?”
Tiera blurted out after thinking about what Shin had said about Schnee’s 『Blue Moon』. While the circumstances were slightly different, she had the right idea.
“That’s true. 『Exvaine』 was handed to my friend Filma. Only she should be able to use it. Even if she were to give it away willingly, I doubt that she would be the kind of person that’d attack a church. Schnee, when was the last time you spoke to Filma?”
Filma is one of Shin’s support characters.
“We haven’t spoken since the cataclysm. That should be some 450 years or so.”
“…and you didn’t think to tell me or look for her after all that time?”
Shin was aghast at how calm Schnee was.
“Well, we live such long lives… and when we’re at the top of our respective races, time is just…our sense of time is so different and… Other than looking for Shin, I had assumed that Filma was the type that wanted to live peacefully and live alone. I’m terribly sorry, we never were heavily in touch either, and…”
It’s one thing if it’s an important character like Girard or Shibaid. For other characters though, particularly those that were isolated and not in a party, it was a different matter.
Of course, if Filma had come across a clue about Shin, she would have contacted Schnee.
Filma was an upper-class lord, aka a High Lord. Since Schnee and Filma were similar beings with long lives, not hearing from each other for centuries was not unusual.
“Shin, I know I said this before, but for High Elves like master, 500 years is nothing. There are High Elves who nap for that long.”
Tiera was the one that came to help Schnee who was under scrutiny. Tiera was quite young as an elf, so her sense of the surroundings – or the lack thereof – was not as extreme as Schnee’s.
“I’m terribly sorry…”
“No. I’m at fault too.”
When your lifetime lasts for thousands of years, there’s no point keeping track of events. While there are those who live a very purposeful and meaningful 500 years, most do not.
Either way, Shin has only been around for 20 years. He couldn’t possibly fathom that sort of mentality.
“Well, let’s leave it at that. Do you know where Filma was headed last then?”
“Yes. She was headed to the north. At least I think so. It’s been such a long time though. Again, I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be. It’s impressive that you even remember that detail.”
Shin thought to himself – ‘I bet I wouldn’t have.’
“North though, huh. We don’t have a decent map, so it’s hard to say where.”
“I have a map.”
Schnee reached into her Item Box and pulled out a map from her inventory. She placed it on the stool.
You could see how vast the ocean was in the middle of the continent. This always gave an illusion that there were two continents. According to Schnee, the north was called Est and the south was called Kern. Shin and his party were in Bayreuth. It was close to the southern end of Kern.
“I’ve never actually seen a map of our continent that’s so precise.”
“I’ve seen maps at the market, but never this good.”
Wilhelm also couldn’t hide his surprise. Shin also recalled the map he had bought in a shop.
“When you sell accurate maps, other countries can use it to their advantage. It’s difficult to make these too. This one was created by looking down from the Sky Castle.”
“I can see how looking down would allow such accuracy.”
Shin nodded. Using a guild house castle in such a way almost seemed like cheating.
“Does this mean that we have to go even further north in Est?”
“We might even end up in the north of Kern. Some truly believe that Est and Kern are two separate entities. Back when Filma had mentioned her journey, there was no such thing as Kern or Est.”
People started calling the areas by those names almost 400 years ago.
The map was made after Filma’s disappearance. It’s hard to tell how Filma understood the continental divide.
“So. Why did that bastard have your friend’s sword?”
“I don’t know. There’s no way to know unless we ask Filma or the sword’s current owner. We can’t let it be this way for long though.”
Shin’s attitude had sharply changed over the course of this discussion. His tone was more aggressive.
He clenched hard at the stool that the map was laid upon. You could hear a faint crushing noise coming from within his hand. Wilhelm was more obvious with his emotions, but Shin was boiling up inside, although he appeared calm.
According to Rashia’s story, it was unlikely that Father Bulk would kill Millie instantly.
That didn’t mean that Millie was safe though. In the worst-case scenario, Millie would be put through unbearable pain and suffering in order to make her cooperate.
What’s more, Eline was clearly abnormal. It pissed off Shin beyond anything, that someone could have the nerve to equip another person’s weapon.
Shin wasn’t sure that he could let a person breathe, if they had taken another’s weapon by virtue of murder.
“Shin…”
“Please. Please calm down.”
Tiera gently touched Shin’s left arm. Her voice quivered, and Schnee placed her hand over Shin’s right hand.
Yuzuha could also feel the tension in the air. She said nothing, and rubbed Shin’s cheek slowly.
“I’m not the only one upset then.”
“…Yeah.”
Shin tried to breathe in deeply in order to slow his nerves.
“Sorry…we have to talk about how to get Millie back. Wilhelm, when you fought Eline, did he say anything about where they were headed?”
Shin apologized and thanked the three, then asked Wilhelm.
“They’re going to the Church headquarter. He told me to bring back 『Venom』 after fixing it. That bastard.”
Wilhelm’s bad mood worsened.
“Which means, that even if we can’t catch up with them, an encounter is unavoidable at the Church.”
“It’s not possible to catch up.”
Wilhelm shut Shin down.
“What do you mean? I think it’s entirely possible at our journey speed.”
“Eline disappeared after our battle. He didn’t just disappear out of sight. I think…he ‘teleported’.”
Wilhelm had actually witnessed Eline fade away. He would have recognized a magic skill 【Hiding】. It was nothing of the sort.
“【Teleportation】…really?”
“I think so. It didn’t feel like he wanted to hide himself.”
Shin mulled it over, as Schnee interrupted.
“It must be the difference in the magical current.”
“Magical current?”
Shin glanced over at Schnee over a concept he’d never heard of.
“【Teleportation】 and 【Hiding】 rely on different magical currents. Wilhelm knows what 【Hiding】 feels like in the surrounding area. It must have been an unfamiliar feeling.”
“I had no idea. How does it feel different?”
“It depends on the person. There are those who are sensitive to magical currents and others who can’t sense it too.”
It was a different setting from the game. It must be similar to the concept of the arts – something that only really exists in this universe alone.
“Then we have to head directly to the Church headquarter. Where is it?”
“Around here.”
Schnee pointed at the map with her thin finger. It was in the center of Est.
This meant that they’d have to cross through Kern and stop somewhere in the middle of Est.
“This is going to take some time.”
“Perhaps we can reach out to Vizzy. We could borrow a dragon. That would dramatically decrease our travel time.”
“Yes. Please do that.”
Vizzy was a summoner and tamer, as well as a supporting character of Cashmere. (T/N: Changed Busy to Vizzy)
Rumor had it that there were several dragons being trained at the castle. It could be their chance to save time.
The last message sent to Raster had no reply. They could also check in on that front.
“Maybe he’s so busy that he just forgot?”
“Maybe.”
Shin knew Raster well enough. He could picture that. Raster had that personality of often forgetting his environment when focused too much on a single task.
In the real world, someone like him would be called a ‘mechanic nerd’.
“I knew this already but…he really is crazy isn’t he?”
“Just don’t think about anything too hard.”
Riding a dragon was the kind of thought that a player would have. People who lived in this universe would never consider it as a transportation means.
Aside from a few warriors in the Kilmont Sky Dragoon, it was a rare skill for anyone to possess. Riding a dragon was tremendously difficult.
Wilhelm knew that Shin was an abnormal being.
Still, as someone native, these weren’t instinctive or natural thoughts. Tiera looked over at Wilhelm, dumbfounded, as she once used to be because of her culture shock from Shin.
“Our destination is set. Who knows what’ll happen, but we have to prepare now. We have to get Millie back.”
“No need to say that twice.”
Wilhelm headed towards Rashia to update her on their next moves.
In the meantime, Schnee and Tiera went to go find food. Shin took the broken 『Venom』 and headed outside of the capital.
“Alright then.”
He was in the middle of a field, not too far from civilization, and made Tsuki no Hokora materialize. He had placed a hiding spell on it, to keep it out of people’s sight.
The furnace was already roaring. The necessary metals to enhance 『Venom』 were prepared.
“Let’s see…which one…”
Shin looked over 『Venom』.
Enhancing 『Venom』 was different from the kinds of actions to take with Schnee’s weapon, for instance. 『Venom』 required a higher status from its user. Certain conditions needed to be met for the spear to grow stronger.
While the conditions weren’t exactly clear, Shin knew that Wilhelm and 『Venom』 together satisfied any combination of terms.
『Venom』 was interesting, in that it had two possible paths – ‘holy’ or ‘demonic’. It was a surprise how it’d turn out.
Shin instructed Yuzuha to step aside and got to work.
Shin took the refined orichalcum and mithril ingot and placed it close by. He threw 『Venom』 into the fire.
Even ancient grade metal stood no chance in this fire. 『Venom』 melted within seconds, becoming a metal ingot.
Shin thrust his hammer down.
“!!!!”
With each heavy hammering, 『Venom』’s magic was being swerved left and right by Shin’s overpowering magic. The entire workshop was full of sparks.
When rebuilding a weapon from the ground up, all of the magic in a weapon needed to be exhausted.
It all depended on the blacksmith, how much magic could be drained and how much could be poured back in.
The ingot that was once 『Venom』 would make any normal person fall with a single touch. Weapons that were heavily used were even more difficult to mold.
“!”
After being struck for a few dozen times, the ingot began to change shape. Its red hue was fading as a silver gleam started to become more prominent.
Shin smiled at the sight. The silver meant that the spear would be holy.
“Well, that’s good news.”
He chuckled, and began to put more power into his arms.
A high pitched banging of metal to metal echoed throughout the shrine. The ingot was turning brighter and brighter, and Shin’s hammer was thrusting heavier and heavier.
With the last hammer in, a final blow of force rippled from the metal to the surrounding area.
Any normal blacksmith would have had his arm explode from the might.
It was but a breeze to a seasoned Shin, as he looked deeply into the ingot.
All of its original magic was gone, as it started to emit a stronger radiance.
“Good.”
Shin was satisfied with his work, and reached over for the orichalcum and mithril. He placed them over the ingot and continued to hammer down.
A different note could be heard with each bang. At first the metals made more of a grunting noise, but as they meshed into one, the tone became a clear clang and ringing clatter.
Shin was also more patient, more intentional with each thrust. The ingot was resistant at first and you could almost hear it. Eventually, it made no noise. It shook but seemed resigned and accepting its own fate.
“!”
Shin let out a sigh with the final blow.
He lifted his hammer and looked down to see a single spear.
The entire spear, up until the tip of the blade, shimmered silver.
A small cross shaved clear crystal was placed between the spearhead, embellished with a red marking here and there. This must be the remains of 『Venom』.
Shin took the spear in hand and began to appraise.
―――― “Holy spear 『Beinot』” Total score SS”
―――― “All bonus conditions met. Warrior equipped will be given the title ‘Smiling Guardian’.”
Looking at the minute details, Shin’s eyes stopped.
The weapon in his hand should have been an upper mythology grade weapon. In fact, it had upgraded to a lower ancient grade weapon.
He expected as much as far as the bonuses would go, but…
“I see. So this method also upgrades the weapon class.”
Schnee’s 『Blue Moon』 and Shibaid’s 『Placid Moon』, Wolfgang’s 『Crushing Moon』 were all at their highest classes. There was no way to upgrade beyond higher ancient.
Plus, 『Swift Fang』 was only welded for an ability upgrade. There was no way that it could also class upgrade.
“Now it’ll be a fair match with 『Exvaine』.”
Comparing weapons alone, 『Beinot』 was superior.
Who knows how the battle will unfold, but Wilhelm and 『Beinot』 should be able to meet eye to eye with Eline and 『Exvaine』.
Shin quickly turned 『Beinot』 into a card and returned to the capital.
Schnee was already done with her errands. Everyone was back at the church orphanage.
“Vizzy got back to me. The capital will draw too much attention. We have to meet somewhere a little more remote.”
“How long will we have to wait?”
“About an hour.”
“Then we can head there and wait.”
Vizzy had things to do too. Even if Shin was the same rank with Vizzy’s master, Cashmere, he couldn’t get upset.
Besides, riding a dragon would reduce their overall travel time by more than an hour.
Wilhelm was the last one to join them. Shin and the party left the capital.
They went out for some 20 minutes to the middle of a field with nothing in the way. They would wait for Vizzy there, and they had already checked that no one would bother them.
Wilhelm had already received the 『Beinot』 card.
“…There.”
Shin looked over. In the clouds, a small shadow appeared.
He counted 5. They waited a bit longer as the shadows became clearer.
“Hey. Shin. The red one in the front… that’s an elder red dragon.”
“Yes. But it doesn’t look full-grown.”
“That’s really not the point.”
Shin thought that he was remarking on how small the dragon is.
The elder red dragons that Wilhelm said were upper class monsters in the dragon family. In comparison to normal red dragons, they had considerably higher battle specs.
They grew to be about 20 mels, but the dragon in the front looked to be half of that.
There were two dragons on each side of the red dragon, all with elder titles: a blue dragon and green dragon to its left and a white dragon and black dragon to its right.
They must also see Shin and his party.
They gradually decreased in altitude, landing some 10 mels away from them.
A woman wearing a robe swooped down from the elder red dragon.
“Hi~ long time no see~. I didn’t think you’d really come back~.”
A woman walked towards Shin, speaking slowly.
She was Vizzy Laurette, a tamer under Cashmere.
Her semi-long golden hair had a slight tint of pink in them, and she looked into Shin’s face with trademark High Pixie clear blue eyes. She couldn’t be taller than 150 cemels.
She appeared to be a beautiful little girl.
“You still talk like that?”
“Nothing’s changed really.”
One of Vizzy’s settings was to talk slowly.
According to Schnee, her personality had not digressed one bit.
“I heard that you needed some dragons~, so I brought you~ there babies~. They’re small but~ very good at flying~.”
“Thanks.”
Vizzy smiled, unlike her counterpart supporting character Berett, who was shy and reserved. Shin’s memory did not fail him.
They didn’t have time to chit-chat, so each character began to maneuver a dragon.
Vizzy rode on her elder red, as Schnee took the blue, Tiera and Kagerou took the green, Shin and Yuzuha took the black and Wilhelm took the white dragon. Kagerou hid in Tiera’s shadow, while Yuzuha dug deeper into Shin’s jacket, peeking out just the face.
With Vizzy leading, Shin and Schnee took her flanks. Wilhelm and Tiera were behind Shin and Schnee, respectively.
While they were all novices at riding dragons except for Shin and Schnee, each dragon understood words clearly. It was not possible for the dragons to fly in the wrong direction.
Wilhelm and Tiera were reluctant, and placed all of their faith in their dragons.
“It’s high…and it’s cold…”
Tiera, who had never had any experience with even the idea of flying, was shocked by the height and the ambient temperature.
Magic only helped a little in terms of the wind or the cold air. She wasn’t equipping very much either, and shivered.
Kagerou didn’t seem to be bothered by the temperature, and peered anxiously at Tiera’s face.
“Now I understand why Vizzy wears a robe… Hm?”
A message card appeared in front of Tiera.
She opened it to see a fur robe card.
“USE IT!”
Shin shouted back at her. It was hard to hear with the wind in her ears, but she waved back at him.
She moved slowly in order not to lose her balance, as a warm, thick, green outer garment appeared. She managed to pull it over herself despite the wind getting in her way.
“Wow…”
It was no ordinary outer garment. All of the cold discomfort vanished, and the icy wind was transformed into softness.
Shin and Schnee didn’t seem bothered by the cold either.
Tiera glanced over at Wilhelm, who had already taken the initiative to use his own cloak.
Tiera had heard from Shin earlier, that they were meeting Shibaid at the dragon empire Kilmont. She recalled the power and aura of the High Dragnil.
“I don’t belong here.”
Every person that the party had encountered until now has been abnormally strong and powerful. Tiera understood her place in the world, and felt discouraged.
“Gruu.”
“I know, I know. We have to save Millie. I have to stop thinking about myself.”
Tiera pat Kagerou on the head, and took in a deep breath to encourage herself.
She had tamed Kagerou after all, and they had bonded in a way that they both knew exactly how the other felt. This was not an easy feat, even for extremely advanced trainers. Tiera didn’t know that though.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 06 - A Fanatic's Ambition/The-New-Gate-Volume-06-A-Fanatic's-Ambition-[Shin][Armaell]/ch2.txt
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Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Part 1
The party cut through the wind and continued to fly.
It had been a few hours since they left Bayreuth. They took breaks and continued their journey, making it past the Melt mountains before sunset
They had to go around the mountains, which took longer than if they had flown directly over them. It was inevitable, since the dragons were not full grown and the party did not want to anger the Melt mountains’ guardian, the Mist Garuda.
The elder dragons that Vizzy brought had yet to reach adulthood.
She had intended to bring adult elder dragons, but it was breeding season. It was not possible to remove them from Rashugum.
That was why she had brought the younger ones, who weren’t ready for breeding yet.
Aside from their sizes, they weren’t that different from the adults. However, their smaller stature impacted their flying abilities.
They weren’t as fast as the adults, nor could they fly very high.
If the elder dragons were adults, it would have been possible to fly over the Melt mountains easily.
There was a variation in the pack’s colors, because there weren’t enough green elder dragons – the fastest ones. Aside from that, having a set of dragons with different specialties was better for an emergency.
“We should set camp here tonight.”
“Just in case, I’ll set up a 【Barrier】 and 【Wall】.”
“Right. I’ll pitch a tent.”
Shin took out a tent for camping from his Item Box.
It wasn’t a personal-sized tent, but for a party or a group. Since the tent comes out fully assembled, there’s no need for extra work.
Still, some players enjoy assembling tents during game play.
The tent was large enough for a party of 6, the party limit, to the extent that they could all huddle up and sleep together. However, in this case the tent was divided into two sections. Men and Women.
There was simple bedding provided inside, with adequate temperature control. Obviously magic was involved.
“…it’s from Berett.”
A message arrived from Berett, as Shin set up camp. He had asked for more information about the church from the Golden Company that Berett managed.
Shin looked over the information.
The firm had a branch in the city of Sigurd, where the church’s headquarter was based. Berett had ordered his workers to spy on the church’s movements. So far nothing was out of the ordinary.
The church had gained support from several different regions, after being involved in revival movements post – “Dusk of the Majesty”.
There were many religions across Eltnia, like those who worshipped indigenous gods and heroes. Still, church followers made up the majority of the population.
The Pope was at the top, with several cardinals and priests below him, dispatched across Eltnia and its many smaller countries. Due to the volume of followers and the expansion of the church organization, Sigurd alone felt like its own city state.
Of course, other countries did not approve of this way.
That was why the church’s knights acted like a standing army, clearing out the monsters in the area as a way of keeping balance with the surrounding countries. Rumor has it, that there was even a special military force composed of only Chosen Ones.
Some individuals also possessed their own Chosen Ones.
Perhaps Bulk and Eline’s relationship was just another form of that.
“I’m sure that they’re already there. Who knows what they’re doing.”
It was hard for Shin to decide whether Millie’s abduction was Bulk acting out rashly, or the will of the church.
He felt like it was probably the former, but when he also considered Millie’s abilities, it was entirely likely that the church’s upper echelon had their own personal agenda.
Berett had already been notified that a child with special abilities had been abducted by a father of the church. It would take some time though for the details to become clear.
They were up against the church though. It would be irresponsible to drag in those who were not involved to begin with.
Was Bulk alone? Were there others? It was necessary to make it clear.
Regardless of who was responsible – whether it was just Bulk or a few others – it had to be stopped. And it had to be stopped at all costs.
“It’s impossible to know how Millie’s doing, or how much the church really knows.”
“The inside of the church has more intense security than castles around here. Besides, on this continent, the church definitely has the most Chosen Ones. Even if we have friends in the Golden Company, it’s not going to be easy.”
If it were just a numbers game, the adventure guild had an advantage. However, the church had more Chosen Ones under its command that were free to do as they pleased.
This force was quite potent, especially since the extent of each individual’s abilities were unknown. The church could easily take over any of the countries in the vicinity.
“If all of the church is in on it, it means that we have to take everyone down… that’s annoying. Should we take them down all in one sweep?”
“There shouldn’t be too many of them. Perhaps that would be easier for us to maneuver.”
Shin was talking to himself, and Schnee responded while cooking.
This was if the church was in on it, or if the upper echelon of the church had been a part of it. If this were the case though, the church would have to go down.
“Wait, wait, wait! Shin, I mean you guys, are starting to sound a little crazy!”
Tiera had to intervene.
Of course Tiera was upset about Millie.
However, it was worrisome hearing Shin and Schnee practically declaring war on the entire church.
But of course, it wasn’t as if Shin and Schnee were going to attack the church right now, at this instant. Still, it was nothing to joke about.
“Well, I’m sure that it’d be easy for the two of you.”
Unlike Tiera, Wilhelm couldn’t hide the astonishment in the tone of his voice.
Of course he was still bitter, but time had cooled down his temper. In comparison to before they had taken off, he had controlled his emotions much more.
“You too Wilhelm-san, please refrain from saying absurd things…”
“It can’t be helped. If we’re getting Millie back, the end result will be the same for anyone who gets in the way.”
Wilhelm glared towards Sigurd.
Shin agreed.
The only two that he knew would be a handful, were Father Bulk and his loyal pet Eline. Aside from those two, Shin and company did not know; what other war potentials they had, why they were after Millie, and why they possessed Exvaine.
One thing was for certain, and that was Shin and his party’s purpose.
They had to get Millie back. That was it.
The enemy could be the whole church, or part of the church. It didn’t matter. They knew what they had to do, and they had the strength to do it.
Shin heaved a sigh like he was letting out all of the heat in his body. He loosened his shoulders.
“…It’s not like we need to make decisions right now. We should eat. Sorry Tiera.”
He hadn’t lost his cool, but he was aware that he was more aggressive than usual.
He apologized to a concerned-looking Tiera and tried to focus on something else.
“But when master and Shin say such things, it’s never to be taken lightly. Besides, dinner is served. Master, how did you do that.”
Schnee had never stopped working throughout the conversation.
Shin looked over at what Tiera was talking about. The table was set and the food was ready.
“Oh, this is nothing. Vizzy! Dinner’s ready.”
Schnee called on Vizzy who was tending to the elder dragons.
Vizzy fed the 5 different colored elder dragons, and Shin and his party couldn’t help her.
The dragons each bit into their own pile of meat, that would have come from at least one cattle.
“Sorry for the wait~. Wow~. What a feast~. It doesn’t feel like we’re camping out~.”
Vizzy walked towards Shin and the party, and smiled at the meal.
“Aw Schnee~ this is impressive. I’m glad that you’re finally able to show off after all that practice while Shin was gone~.”
She had known about Schnee leveling up at cooking.
“Vizzy, did you see Schnee often during that time?”
“Yes~. We cooked~ we’d knit too~. By the way~ did she give it to you yet~?”
“Give what?”
“What do you mea~n!”
Vizzy was cut off abruptly.
Schnee had stopped her from finishing her thought by blocking her mouth.
It was out of the blue, and Vizzy tried to get out of Schnee’s hold. after all, she works for Cashmere in the Rokuten. She’s much more adept than most upper class Chosen Ones.
Schnee however had been born and raised for combat. Vizzy’s resistance was useless, given the class difference.
“Mmmmm! Mmmmmm! Mmmm….” Vizzy was growing weaker. She was out of breath.
“Um…Schnee?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know what Vizzy was about to say, but can you let her go now? She’s starting to look a little limp.”
Vizzy didn’t look ‘a little limp’. The moment Schnee let go of her, she gasped for air.
“Ah, haaaa, Schnee that was heartless~.”
“You really should keep your mouth shut.”
“Really~? But you worked so hard— Okayyy~. I won’t say anything anymore~.”
Schnee was raising her right arm with a gritty smile on her face, and Vizzy raised both hands as a gesture of surrender. Schnee was smiling, except she wasn’t.
Not only did this exchange ease the tension, but it left Shin aghast.
Perhaps Vizzy understood what was at stake, and she was trying to lighten the mood in her own way…perhaps…
“I don’t get it, but let’s eat.”
Once they were finished eating, they prepared for the journey ahead and went to bed. No one was on guard duty. They had set up both 【Barrier】 and 【Wall】 spells, and no one stood a chance against this party.
At the rate that they traveled, it was possible for Shibaid to join them and for the party to arrive in Sigurd by the end of tomorrow.
Contact had been made with Berett already. If any new information were obtained through the Golden Company in Sigurd, it’d be relayed to Shin promptly. While he doubted that anything new would come up overnight, he still had the investigation continue.
◆◆◆◆
The dawn came and the party was heading toward Kilmont.
They had left early in the morning, so before noon, they were a field away from the royal capital of Kilmont.
“(I can see the capital. We can get off our ride soon. How about you?)”
“(I’m ready. I’ll leave the capital now. Where should we meet?)”
Shin and Shibaid were communicating via Mind Chat, and had a meeting place set. They would head back to Kilmont after getting Millie back.
The elder dragons landed a few kemels away from Kilmont.
In the direction from Kilmont, a shadow was approaching.
“Someone’s coming.”
Tiera noticed the presence, and she tried to see more closely.
“It’s Shibaid. I got in touch with him beforehand.”
Shin told his party not to worry. They waited.
Within 5 minutes, the shadow emerged.
It was Shin’s support character no. 4, Shibaid Etraku, covered in black scales and kicking up the dirt as he trekked to meet Shin.
His luggage must be in an Item Box. He wasn’t as fast as Shin or Schnee, but he sped towards them at well past the speed of an upper class Chosen One.
He wore protective gear which was different to the full body armor he originally wore. Only parts of his body such as the hands, feet and waist were protected with armor.
“Am I late?”
“No, we flew. It’s no surprise that we couldn’t meet at the same time. Sorry that we hurried you.”
“No need to apologize. I could never stay still, hearing that those with a holy occupation would bring harm to a small child.”
Shibaid let out a fiery breath. In contrast to Vizzy, he scowled and showed his disdain clearly.
Shibaid showed more enthusiasm than Shin and the party. It could be the mix of his personality and his occupation – a similar field – as a holy knight.
“Now that we’ve met~. We should leave~. Oh, Shibaid is heavy~, so Schnee should ride with Shin~. Shibaid should~ride the dragon that Schnee’s riding~.”
For some reason Vizzy gave a thumb’s up while giving out orders.
“I get it. Sorry Schnee.”
“…It’s not a problem.”
“Okay.”
There was nothing to disagree with, so Shin accepted it.
Shibaid was heavy. It made sense to switch riders.
If there was any confusion, it was the fact that Schnee should ride with Tiera, since they were the two lightest characters.
“…Excuse me.”
“I’m sure you’ll be fine, but you should grab on tight.”
Schnee wrapped her arms around Shin’s waist, and held on tightly. Shin made sure that they were secure, and ordered his elder dragon to rise.
If it weren’t for the dire situation, the ride should have been enjoyable. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
The 5 dragons leapt into the air. Shin and his party was now headed straight for Sigurd.
◆◆◆◆
Meanwhile, the church had no idea that the world’s most powerful ability holders were on their tail. Father Bulk had returned, and he was headed to one location.
Eline followed behind him carrying Millie.
The two were walking along a block that was not known to the public. Only powerful men within the church knew of its existence, such as a cardinal or an even higher status.
It was an undisclosed location within the guild house Palmirack, used as a safe house or an experiment room.
The building itself was sturdy and the walls and floors gave off heat.
Doors would open on their own just from sensing a presence.
Magic was abundant, authenticating individuals across several species.
Spells were active in these chambers that were impossible to recast from before the “Dusk of the Majesty,” and the leaders of the church held their offices and slept in these halls.
A portion of the equipment in Palmirack was functional, and in a way that people could utilize it.
Father Bulk was walking through corridors that were divided into even smaller sections, where several clearances passes were necessary. Unlike the other areas with several rooms, they stopped at one room the size of an entire area. Beautiful decorations adorned the room where Father Bulk stopped.
It was the room of the ‘Holy Woman’.
“Pardon us.”
Father Bulk opened the door without knocking.
For a personal room, it appeared very sparse. One look and you’d think that it was a prayer room.
It was about 25 mels by 40 mels. The ceiling was 10 mels high. The room was enormous.
The floor in the center was a step higher than the rest of the room, giving off an even greater impression that this was a room for prayer.
Except that there was a bed there. A thin cloth draped from above, surrounding this bed.
You could see the shadow of a petite woman.
“Sorry, did we disturb you? How are you my dearest Saint?”
“…Your sarcasm is ill taken. Stop it.”
Bulk bowed elaborately, and this was only making the Holy Woman more disgusted.
Most people would have fallen in love with such a soothing voice, but the disdain was palpable.
“Well, well. It seems that I am truly hated. I figured you were lonely, so I brought you your own kind.”
“My own? …! No!”
The Holy Woman held her breath as she processed Bulk’s words.
Of course, she knew that he didn’t mean her own species, when he had said her ‘own kind’.
As a holy man, Father Bulk has swayed far from the righteous path. But he would never bring an outsider to a Holy Woman’s room, just because they’re the ‘same species’.
Which meant one thing with regards to her special title.
“You guess it right.”
The Saint’s expression became grim as Father Bulk’s words sank in.
“Eline.”
“Yes sir.”
Eline responded promptly.
He calmly stepped forward towards the Saint and placed Millie on the floor, lifting her from his shoulders.
“Where did you take her from?”
“She was being kept at some church. They knew how special she is though, so it was a bit of a struggle.”
Father Bulk spoke as if it were a matter of fact.
However, the Saint knew that he was lying.
“You’re in the same boat. Please be kind to her. You know how it goes – unless she can control her powers, she will have horrid nightmares right? Besides, maybe if all goes well she can be your replacement.”
“You monster!”
The word replacement triggered something in the Saint.
Of course, she wanted out. But that didn’t mean that she would sacrifice a small child for her own sake.
“If you do nothing, we’d be forced to educate her. Who knows what will happen?”
“…Fine. I’ll take her.”
The Saint had to bite her tongue to stop herself from all the profanities she wanted to spit at Father Bulk.
“Thank you. I’ll be going now. Please hurry so that she’s useful soon.”
Father Bulk thanked her half heartedly and left the Saint’s room.
Eline followed Bulk, leaving behind Millie and the Saint.
“‘Useful’!?”
The Holy Woman squeezed her fist, fuming at the way Bulk had handled Millie like some sort of tool.
She stood from the edge of the bed where she was sitting, and lifted the thin cloth to inch closer towards the unconscious Millie.
She was no longer hidden by the cloth, and her physicality became more present.
She was beautiful – as beautiful as you’d imagine any saint.
Her marble skin, her silky white hair, her clear blue eyes.
The face staring down at Millie was as beautiful as a doll, while radiating the warmth that a doll could not.
This made the black collar around her neck stand out even more.
She was perhaps 16 years old. Maybe it was too soon to call her a ‘woman,’ but she was beyond the maturity of a little girl.
She held the sleeping Millie into her arm. Millie’s eyes opened, after feeling a warm body pressing against hers.
“Mmmm…?”
“Are you awake?”
Her voice was so close, she realized that she was being held.
It might have been due to her beastly instincts – Millie twisted herself out of the Holy Woman’s embrace. She looked around the room and realized that she was no longer at the church.
“Where am I?”
“You are in the church of the fortress city Sigurd. This is a room that only Saints can be in.”
“This is a church too? Saints?”
“Yes. Saints. Those that have been approved by the church to aid in the works of miracles. However, I’m a Saint only in name.”
Millie looked around everywhere, trying to find an escape route. The Holy Woman was calm.
She was so calm that it made Millie relax a bit.
“My name is Hermie Schultz. And you are?”
“…Millie.”
“Millie. Aren’t you hurt? I understand that you were brought here against your will.”
“!? Shia…Oh no! Shia’s going to die!”
Hermie’s words remind Millie of the circumstances by which she was brought here. The last thing she remembers is Rashia in a pool of her own blood.
“Calm down. You can’t do anything right now.”
“But…they were after me. Shia got hurt because I was…”
Millie had heard Bulk speak, and she had pieced it together that she was to blame for Rashia’s injuries.
Rashia had been there for her when Millie had no family. She had smiled at her.
Millie couldn’t stop thinking about Rashia’s face, contorted in pain and sinking into a pool of blood.
“Was she special to you?”
“…Yes.”
“Then think about her very strongly.”
As Hermie said that, she held Millie. Hermie’s warmth made Millie forget her fears for a second.
Millie closed her eyes tightly, and saw the image of Rashia, smiling and patting Millie’s head.
“…Yes. You don’t have to worry. Your special person is safe.”
“What?”
Hermie patted Millie’s head, trying to comfort her.
When Millie looked up, she couldn’t help but mistake Hermie for Rashia.
“I know you might not believe me, but your special someone is very safe. Yes…she’s been helped by those with strong capabilities.”
“…Wil-nii and Shin-nii…”
Upon hearing Hermie’s words, Millie immediately thought of Wilhelm and Shin.
Millie’s chest was bursting with relief.
Those two could save Rashia, Millie sincerely believed.
“Millie-chan? …My, you must trust those people very much.”
Millie had fallen asleep again. She had loosened up after being comforted. Hermie carried Millie to the bed, and stared at a point in the wall.
It may have been a coincidence. Or she knew. She was staring in the direction that Shin and his party were coming from.
She patted Millie’s headed and heaved a sigh.
Her eyes cast doubt and fear.
“If she trusts them, they must not be bad people.”
Hermie knew that Rashia was safe, because of her title of ‘Star Reader’.
While under normal circumstances, ‘Star Readers’ could only see very little of the future and randomly, Hermie had trained to target and specify what she wants to know.
As a result, Hermie had seen a woman being treated for her injuries. She had linked her senses with that of Millie, so that she knew that the woman was Rashia. There were also two men there- Wilhelm and Shin.
Hermie understood that Millie poured all of her faith into these two figures.
Unlike Millie, Hermie only harbored fear towards these two strangers.
The reason being that, both Wilhelm and Shin housed many species within themselves.
An abnormal, unique kind of strength. Hermie had been subjected to and known so many strong men, that she was not quick to trust any anymore.
She was particularly frightened of Shin.
“Is that really even a person?”
She blurted out the question that no one could answer. Her words were absorbed into the memories of the wall. That was just how much power Hermie had gauged within Shin. With one glance towards Shin, Hermie had almost lost her consciousness.
From observing Eline, who could even make light of upper class Chosen Ones’ strength, she was able to grasp an understanding of Shin’s mighty strength.
“Maybe they can…”
It was frightening. But an overwhelming sense of wind of change compelled her.
They will definitely come to take Millie back.
Then, something else will happen. Hermie knew.
She didn’t have to read the stars. It was an intuition – something even more unreliable. But she felt more sure about it.
As she scratched at the collar around her neck, Hermie prayed.
◆◆◆◆
“We’re here.”
Shin and his party landed on solid ground after hours of flying.
Their gazes were towards something far away – the fortress city of Sigurd. With their abilities, they should be inside the city compounds within an hour.
“Should I wait here~?”
“I don’t know. If we were to look into the church and also look for Millie, how much time would that take…?”
Since their ‘map’ abilities had been reduced to initial stage levels, it’s hard for Shin to get a grasp of what Palmirack is like on the inside.
It would be best to have options available, but it’d be cruel to have her wait forever.
While Vizzy works for Cashmere as a member of the Rokuten, that didn’t mean that she had to follow Shin’s orders. Unlike Schnee and Shibaid, there’s some inconsistencies with her loyalty.
“I want to finish them off here. That might mean that we’ll need you. I don’t want it to take that long, but I don’t know when I’ll be needing you. Is that alright?”
“That’s fine~. It’s not like there’s much to do in Rashugum anyways~. Besides~, I don’t think I can keep my nose out of this one~.”
She might have a different master, but Vizzy’s still good at heart. That’s why she must have disagreements with Father Bulk and the church.
The other issue was that Eline could probably 【Teleport】 outside of the church too. It was necessary to secure an exit plan just in case.
“I see. I’m sorry, but wait for us here.”
They left Vizzy behind to care for the dragons, while Shin and the party headed towards Sigurd.
Kagerou pulled on the wagon, and they zipped past the field. In the middle of the journey, the wagon slowed down a little to blend in with the other wagons lined up heading towards the city.
A giant fortress wall surrounded Sigurd. The city surrounded Palmirack and built itself around it.
Due to the geography, Palmirack was built on a slightly higher elevation than the surrounding buildings. It was considered to be an icon of the city.
“This is a lively city.”
“No one’s stupid enough to cause trouble at the foot of the church. I’m sure it’s considered one of the safest places in the continent.”
“It’s also in the center of Est. People from all sorts of background gather from various places. If it’s a busy place with little crime, of course it’ll turn out lively.”
Wilhelm and Schnee discussed the city, while Shin covered his face with his cloak and stared at Palmirack from beneath his hood.
Palmirack was within Shin’s radar, but he couldn’t see inside.
With his introductory map abilities, it was not possible to see the insides of Palmirack from the outside.
The Rokuten’s guild houses were always protected against internal scanner skills. That kind of defense mechanism could have inspired something here too.
“At the very least, we should head to the gold trade’s branch. It’s only been a day, but maybe they have some new information.”
“Right. Either way we need an info.”
They asked for directions and headed towards the Golden Company. It was expected, but the firm was quite famous within Sigurd. The familiar gold sign from Balmel could also be found here.
They called on the staff, showed them the seal and paperwork included in Berett’s message card, and were welcomed inside. They left their wagon outside, and headed into the building.
Once they were led into the branch’s head office, one young elf waited for them.
“I was expecting you.”
The youth bowed his head politely and introduced himself as Ertol Maik. Supposedly he worked directly for Berett.
“I’ve been instructed by Berett-sama. I hear that you want more information about the church.”
“Yes, it can be anything you know.”
“Let me begin then.”
It was not disclosed that Shin was a High Human.
According to Ertol, a saint called the “Soothsaying Holy Woman” was sick and being treated by the church. While it might not be a direct cause, the upper echelon of the church was quite active here.
Furthermore, within the church confines there was an area that only those appointed could walk freely. Security was quite extreme, so it was impossible to see the insides. It was a safe bet that anything hidden would be within this exclusive area.
“There’s quite a lot of misinformation floating about regarding the church. Many outsiders have attempted to infiltrate it, so the rumor mill must be generated by those who work for the church. We’ve had a branch here for quite some time now, but the church is still a great mystery…”
Anything fishy regarding the church could basically be traced back to a drunk blabbering on about it, or another, even less credible source.
“Do you know anything about who’s going to take over the Bayreuth churches?”
“No, we have no information on that. I’m terribly sorry, but I’m afraid that this is it.”
There were probably 10, maybe even 20 upper class Chosen Ones working with the church. Even if you wanted to break in, several upper class Chosen Ones guarded the church at different locations. They needed to be careful.
It was tricky to attack this fortress.
Despite the Golden Company that had been built by the “Golden Merchant” Reed, it wasn’t as if it housed only upper class Chosen Ones. It’s a matter of what’s more valuable: quantity or quality.
(We’re on our own, huh?)
There was only so much action you could take in stealth as an upper class Chosen Ones.
However, that wasn’t necessarily the case for Shin or his party. If Shin and Schnee in particular were to move stealthily, very few could catch them in this universe.
“I understand. We’ll be on our own then.”
“Again, I’m terribly sorry for my inadequacies.”
“”No. Everything you’re saying alludes to how this is a difficult task, even if we had time. With so many upper class Chosen Ones guarding, it’s not simple.”
There was no point in blaming Ertol over this matter. What little information he provided was useful. Shin continued to ask more general questions about the church.
They would require further assistance from the Golden Company. For now, they headed towards the inn.
The party looked for an inn that would also take their wagon. They walked around the city for 20 or so minutes and found a promising one.
“Welcome! Welcome to the Silver Desert!”
They were certainly enthusiastic.
Since Sigurd is a city where travelers come and go, many of the inns were restaurants on the first floor and rooms on the second.
The one that Shin and the party stepped into fit the stereotype. Waitresses wearing frilly uniforms bustled in between busy tables.
Of the many waitresses, one with semi-long hair approached Shin and the party.
“Welcome. Will you be dining or spending the night?”
“We’ll be staying. We also have a wagon in the front.”
“I’ll have someone tend to it. How many are in your party?”
“Five. We also have a few contract beasts. Is that alright?”
“Several of our guests are travelers with contract beasts. However, there’ll be a separate fee for them. Is that alright?”
They agreed, and took a room. The room was one big one for the whole party.
They held a brief meeting in the room and left the inn.
“Alright. Like we planned, we’ll be back before the sun sets. If anything happens, send a message card.”
Shin, Schnee and Yuzuha went to see the church. Tiera, Kagerou and Shibaid went around the church to get more information. Wilhelm was on his own, doing his own bid.
“Let’s go Schnee.”
“Yes.”
Shin, Schnee and Yuzuha disappeared into a crowd.
“Tiera, shall we then?”
“S…sure.”
Shibaid headed in the opposite direction from Shin. However, his unique appearance was well-known. He needed to change the color of his scales to red, and wear a fake horn.
Tiera was a bit nervous, following Shibaid. Kagerou was as usual, hidden inside Tiera’s shadows.
“I should be off then.”
Wilhelm didn’t even see the four of them off and went solo. He was cautious as to not walk too fast, and dipped into an alleyway.
Part 2
Shin and Schnee decided to go in head on.
Palmirack was a guild house that emulated a temple. Supposedly several travelers gathered there as a destination to train.
The facilities were still around to do that, and regardless of being old or young, male or female, people came. Travelers and merchants also came to gossip, so the training grounds were always bustling.
“I don’t think it looks that different from before.”
“I agree.”
Even though the number of people there was different, it was similar to how Shin remembered the place. The main difference was that there was someone collecting money from those who wanted to enter the training ground.
“But the map hasn’t updated itself.”
“In order to know the interior, we’d have to sneak in.”
Shin had assumed that the map would change once they were closer to Palmirack. The map didn’t budge. They were still able to ‘map out’ the area though, so it was possible to explore.
While they wanted to barge in, Palmirack was a Rokuten guild house. You couldn’t tell how functional its facilities were, and it was not prudent to try to break-in in broad daylight.
Even Shin didn’t know all that the building was capable of.
On top of that, Palmirack was Cain’s base – he had several architecture-related bonuses. Of the 6 guild houses, it was supposedly the most dangerous one. Shin had to be careful.
Shin, Schnee, and Yuzuha pretended to admire the building like tourists, as they circled and marked on the map the places that looked easy to get in through.
“Hm?”
“What is it?”
“There’s a high-level person there. She might be a high-ranking priest.”
From straight ahead where Shin and Schnee were, a priest that looked different from the others headed towards them.
It was a woman, with light green hair and brown eyes. Given her beautiful physical appearance and the thin pointy ears just barely visible through her long hair, one could assume that she was an elf. Her movements were graceful and at level 206, she was different from the average priest.
“Hello.”
“Oh. Hello.”
The elf priest approached Shin, unlike the other priests who ignored them.
“Are you sightseeing?”
“Yes. This is our first time in Sigurd. We had been talking about stopping by here.”
“That’s wonderful. My name is Lilishila. If you have any questions, please feel free to talk to me or any of the other priests.”
“I’m Shin. This is Yuki and Yuzuha. Thank you for your kind words. But, why are you talking to us? We’re surrounded by other tourists.”
“That’s because you are with a High Elf.”
Lilishila’s words surprise Shin.
There’s no way to tell the difference between an elf and a High Elf just from looking. Yet, Lilishila had correctly assumed that Schnee was a High Elf.
“I’m sorry if I alarmed you. I’m able to tell the difference between an elf and a High Elf. It’s hard to explain – it’s quite instinctive.”
“I see. I couldn’t tell you the difference between those two, so I had thought that there might be some kind of distinction.”
It’s quite an impressive skill.
He asked Schnee via Mind Chat, but even Schnee says that telling the difference just from looking is incredibly difficult. It’s not as if you could tell the difference based on status or level, or aura.
“I have yet to meet anyone else who can do this.”
Though elves were said to be quite sensitive, perhaps her sensitivities are unique.
“If there’s anywhere you haven’t seen yet, I’d love to be your guide.”
“Are you sure? Aren’t we in your way of work?”
“I’d say that it’s part of the job description to show the church to those who haven’t seen it before. Besides, I love conversing with those who visit here.”
Shin would have preferred to see around on their own, but he considered the idea of gaining new insight by talking to a priest.
He asks about the church’s history and other things, and ventures onto other topics of interest.
“Lilishila, if you don’t mind me asking, are you perhaps trained in the martial arts?”
“Yes. In case the civilians need protection. That’s also part of the job description. However, the church also has their own guards. Why do you ask?”
“I also have some training. I could tell that you don’t make any unnecessary movements.”
“I see. But of course, it’s expected of those who had fought alongside the Balmel guards.”
“…did you know about us?”
Shin was taken aback and stopped.
“Yes. I’m terribly sorry. Truth be told, I approached the two of you because you are you.”
Lilishila bowed down. She didn’t seem to be dangerous.
“News travels fast.”
“But of course, it is known that if a Chosen One can communicate through Mind Chat, distance is not an issue. Balmel is one of the important cities that protects the Sacred Land. We too, make efforts in order to gain new knowledge. Besides, as an adventurer who fought together with Princess Rionne to defend Balmel, Shin-sama is quite well-known. Regardless of being able to hear through Mind Chat, it would have reached my ears eventually.”
Schnee nodded proudly.
They had made some efforts to hide their faces when entering Sigurd, but they weren’t using【Hiding】per se. Perhaps someone had seen them?
“I see. So then. What is your purpose? I don’t want to waste your time if you’re trying to convert us.”
Of course, that wasn’t the case, but it had to be said.
“No not at all. But of course, I would welcome you into the church with all of my heart. This is a different matter. It’s really not appropriate here. I’d love to welcome you to my chambers.”
“Alright.”
Shin decided that they’d get more useful information if they followed Lilishila, rather than saying no.
This was the kind of action that could only be afforded by those with unbelievable status and skills. He knew that no matter what they’d be able to get out of a sticky situation. After all, Palmirack was just a ‘very strong building’ that could easily be destroyed, if necessary.
Schnee didn’t argue either. She trailed one step behind Shin.
Behind Lilishila, they stepped through several doors and climbed down several flights of stairs. They were eventually at a corridor full of doors.
“Living quarters.”
“It seems that the priests sleep here.”
While walking, Shin verifies lights and all of the utility functions were functioning.
Lilishila opened one of two doors that were side by side, and invited the two in.
It was a large space. The size of a 2DK apartment.
The kitchen was quite expansive, and this space was built with one bathroom and two smaller rooms.
Shin and Schnee sat down after being asked to sit.
Lilishila brought out tea.
“Here.”
He took a sip after saying “Thanks.”
It must have been harp tea. It had a soothing taste and scent.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“I wanted to discuss a certain priest belonging to the church. I believe that when the ‘Flood’ in Balmel occurred, a Chosen One of the church was separated. You must know of this by now.”
Shin was reminded of what Rionne had told him.
“That’s right, if I’m not mistaken, he left to escort someone. I also understand that the church overall frowns upon this matter.”
“Absolutely. That should never be the case to begin with. But of course, we also had not anticipated such acts of barbarity.”
It became clear that the incident at Balmel was beyond the imagination of Lilishila and the church as well.
“Do you know who’s the mastermind?”
“Yes. I understand that he’s trying to place the blame on the others, but the person behind it all is Father Bulk Elbach. He’s a member of the church here.”
Lilishila answers Schnee’s question. But it was not as though Bulk had given the orders directly. He seemed to have prepared an escape route for himself.
“Bulk…I’m sorry to interrupt you. Isn’t this Father also involved at Bayreuth’s church?”
Shin was connecting the dots.
“Yes. I understand that Father Bulk’s quite involved in a church in Bayreuth. Not just that, I believe that it’s a church for commoners, and not the elite. Why, do you know something?”
“No. I just wanted to make sure of something… I’ll explain later. Please continue.”
“Sure. Shin-sama. Yuki-sama. I have a favor to ask of you. I need your help in capturing Bulk. I can reward you with anything within my capability.”
“Is this a personal request?”
“Under normal circumstances, I would be asking as a member of the church. However, there’s a reason that I cannot do that.”
Shin had assumed at first that she was asking on behalf of the church. He was wrong. This must have also been a reason they were invited to her private quarters.
Schnee nodded.
“I’m sure that you have very good reasons. However, what will you do if we said no? There’s also a chance that we will give you away.”
“If that’s the case, then I must ask you to stay in here for some time.”
As Lilishila said that, knights in armor came around Shin. There were three of them, armed, and ready for combat.
He knew they were there, yet it was disheartening to know that this was why.
“That’s quite violent.”
“I’m terribly sorry. Ruining my name is a risk that I must take.”
It seemed that there was trouble within the church as well. Shin could sense a certain desperation in Lilishila.
“Let us tell you our side of the story. This is about Father Bulk, and the church in Bayreuth.”
“…Please continue.”
Lilishila’s expression hardened at the mention of Father Bulk.
“It’s quite simple. Father Bulk has kidnapped an orphan that the church was sheltering. One of the sisters got in his way and he had almost fatally wounded her. If she weren’t treated on time, she would not be alive.”
“!?”
Lilishila didn’t know what she was expecting, but even this exceeded her wildest imagination.
The knights in the back were also stunned.
“It seems like you didn’t know. Not much time had past between the orphan’s kidnapping and now. She should be here; I should be frank. We are here to retrieve her. If you doubt us, then go find out the truth on your own.”
“No… but wait, I have to ask.”
“What is it?”
“The orphan…does she have some sort of special title?”
“Why?”
Few knew about Millie as a ‘Star Reader’. Yet, Lilishila acted as if she knew about it.
“We want to take Father Bulk down because we are also trying to save someone. She also holds a special title.”
“Lilishila-sama! That’s too much information!”
The knights raised their voices.
Shin must not be an appropriate audience for this kind of confidential information.
“Please. Don’t worry. We have no qualms with you. We both want something from Father Bulk.”
“Yes. If you’d be so kind. Please, lower your swords everyone.”
Hearing Lilishila’s words, the knights put their swords away.
While not all of them look pleased, they seem to have relaxed at least a little after hearing Shin’s story.
“Either way, even if you need our help so desperately, isn’t this a bit extreme?”
“I know. But we’re running out of time. We need to save her, or her life is in grave danger.”
“Her life?”
Given Father Bulk’s past performances, it didn’t seem too far-fetched. She wouldn’t say anymore, but it felt like a big advantage for Shin and his party to have an insider in the church.
“Few people know this, but he is also a member of the Shiten(4 gods/4th god) cult. No. I suppose his heart is truly aligned to their cause. He uses his status as a church member and has secretly been wreaking havoc. Soon, he will participate in a ritual, in which the ones we want to protect will be sacrificed. We have no choice but to take matters into our own hands. That is why we are calling on you.”
Father Bulk seemed to be participating in far worse deeds, behind a secret dark society.
Shin wasn’t too surprised. Even in the real world, there were those who believed in satanic rituals. But the thought of a living sacrifice definitely made him furrow his brows.
“A sacrifice seems especially violent. But what is this Shiten cult exactly?’
It was an unfamiliar word, and had a certain menacing ring to it.
“The Shiten cult is a cult that worships High Humans – those that once ruled this continent.”
“High Humans, you say?”
Shiten is written out as ‘those that exist on this plain’.
“The Shiten are not bad on their own. There are six factions of High Humans. They merely train day and night, and sometimes they reveal the magic that they’ve been able to create for the public.”
According to Lilishila, the 6 factions of high humans were inspired by the actual high humans’ second names – Dark, Golden, White, Red, Blue and Silver. People trained in the arts of the faction that they were most likely to thrive in.
To be specific, there were those that worshipped the ‘Dark Blacksmith,’ who trained in forging swords and others who practiced alchemy or magic, just as the ‘Red Alchemist’ would have, and so on and so forth.
By training themselves in these ancient rituals, the Shiten would try to revitalize the lost arts and become the top of their faction on the continent.
“The problem is that in the past 100 or so years, a seventh faction has been invented. They have become indoctrinated, so that they truly and faithfully believe, that in order to become a High Human they must shed more blood. Perhaps the records of the High Humans’ battles and sagas inspired them. Therefore, all over the continent, there have been violent deeds done and horrible, vicious attacks.”
The 7th High Human faction was allegedly called the “summit faction”.
Even if the goal was to achieve something and be at the top, what they were doing was terrorism.
The fact that he was being worshipped was disconcerting enough. The idea that there were those acting violently in his name made Shin seethe.
“The other factions deny any part of the 7th faction’s activities. Yet they associate themselves as part of the Shiten, since they are a branch of it. The world views them all the same.”
It’s hard to get rid of any negative image. People seem to mix them up all the time.
“I think I understand. You had mentioned a living sacrifice earlier. How does that play in?”
“I don’t know enough about the details. However, the seventh faction takes those with special titles and abilities, then completes a sacrificial ritual. The more rare and unique the ability is, the more that these Shiten followers’ status rank increase.”
“But this is the status within a cult. Is it really worth it to give up the advantages of being a part of the church?”
The Church was quite influential on this continent. If word of this got out, Father Bulk would lose everything.
He had gone through all the trouble to become a Father of the church. What could be so important, as to give it all up?
“We really don’t know enough. However, if we wait any longer to find out, it could be too late.”
“Perhaps. Then enough chit-chat. We don’t care what happens to Bulk anyways.”
Shin didn’t care about the ritual. The takeaway point was how there were more people in need of their help.
The moment Father Bulk was involved, it was likely that Millie would also be sacrificed next to Lilishila’s companion. Shin couldn’t let that happen either.
“We need to discuss our plan to save them. I need to understand how ‘alive’ Palmirack’s functions are.”
“It’s functions? This is no secret that I’m allowed to share with outsiders. However, this is a rare occasion. Still, its functions are mostly dysfunctional as of now.”
“Really?”
“Some of its item creation functions are still in place, as well as detoxification and recovery, equivalence of class 5. There’s also a barrier to protect the building from surrounding monsters.”
If Lilishila’s information was reliable, then Shin’s concerns were included.
The important sites had some security measures in place, but it wasn’t fortified. That, and upper class Chosen Ones acted as security.
“I see. This is helpful – thank you. Just to be sure though – aren’t there functions that only higher priests would know of?”
“I’m actually a Cardinal, believe it or not. The Pope is above me. There are no others.”
He knew that she was a higher priest, but a Cardinal was unforeseen. There weren’t that many cardinals either.
“I mean. If you’re a Cardinal, can’t you easily dismiss a mere Father?”
“It’s not that easy. Bulk seems to have an item on hand that makes it difficult to refuse him. He’s placed this on our companion – the Holy Woman.”
Shin was taken aback. Such an item shouldn’t exist in the game era.
“Please, Lilishila-sama, are you sure that it’s okay to share this with these commoners?”
“I must. Otherwise they would be in grave danger. Shin-sama, please be careful. It’s a black collar, with gold writing on it. Once it’s been placed on you, even if you don’t want to, you will do as you’ve been told. It could even kill you.”
Lilishila ignored her knights and continued.
An item that ignores the will of the person wearing it. It seemed so surreal hearing of it, until he was reminded of a certain event from the game.
“Is it… the ‘Crying Marionette’?”
“Shin-sama? What is it?”
He was recalling the event from the fifth update, with the ‘Crying Marionette’.
There was a moment, when an NPC was forced to become an enemy. The NPC was wearing a black collar.
The players found this turn of events to be quite unfavorable. It seemed unfair that even support characters could turn their backs on you because of a collar.
Shin had also remembered how several of his allies became his sworn enemies.
“I get it now. I can’t believe that item’s still around. What a joke.”
To return an NPC back to its conscious state from a zombie requires a special item. Since it’s a limited item, Shin did not possess it in his Item Box.
(So this means that that title is finally going to come in handy).
He was referring, of course, to the title of “Liberator” from back when he had won against the ‘Origin’.
Everything happens for a reason after all.
Part 3
Meanwhile, apart from Shin, Schnee and Lilishila…
Shibaid and Tiera were touring the inside of Sigurd.
However, it wasn’t as if they were simply walking about.
“As expected, there are a few Chosen Ones stationed in the major spots of the city.”
“Is that so?”
“At first glance you might not spot them, but one or two of the guards on duty are clearly above average in terms of their movements. Look at the two coming in front of us. Can you see the guy on the right?”
“Yes…Um. Mitos Click. Level 201… you mean him?”
Tiera checked over the guards as she was told.
She could only analyze as far as the guard’s name and level.
The fact that she couldn’t see further than ‘occupation’ was a clear sign that his status was superior. But it was hard for Tiera to tell if that was because of the difference in levels, or the fact that he was Chosen One.
“…what a surprise. You can actually see that?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. I wasn’t able to see his occupation though. Was I wrong?”
Shibaid could not hide his surprise at Tiera’s observations.
“No. You’re not wrong. No offense, it’s not that I looked down on you but it’s a shocker that you, Tiera-dono, can tell a Chosen One’s strengths despite your level difference. I’m sorry if I offended you at all.”
“Eh!? No, there’s no need to. I am weak when you compare me to everyone surrounding me.”
Tiera stopped Shibaid from apologizing.
Tiera was aware that she was less capable than others. From Shibaid’s point of view Tiera and the Chosen One coming from the front were similar in capability.
As Shibaid had said, how she was able to discern the Chosen One’s name and level, even Tiera didn’t know.
“Should we continue wandering the city then?”
“Yes. I think it’d be wise to have Sigurd mapped out. Once that’s over, even if they were to escape from Palmirack to the inner city, we can easily follow them.”
Given the current situation, the only way that someone could escape Shin and Schnee were if that person teleported or flew. Just in case though, it was necessary to map out Sigurd to understand its nooks and crannies. Since a support character’s map could be shared with their master, with Shin inside Palmirack and Shibaid mapping the city, they could cover all of Sigurd.
“How far along are we?”
“I’d say about 10% of the mapping is done. It takes quite some effort when you’re up against a city this big.”
“Is ‘mapping’ considered to be a skill?”
“No, I wouldn’t call it that. It’s hard to explain though, let me see. I can see a slightly transparent map in my periphery, but I’d have to show it for you to understand.”
For Tiera, who doesn’t understand game elements, it’s difficult to even imagine the map. It’s an otherworldly experience to try to picture something you’ve never seen.
“If I could do it too, perhaps we could split into two and the task would be done quicker.”
“That’s alright. Aside from filling up the map, information gathering is also our objective.”
Even if Shin and the Golden Company were the main focus of this plot, Tiera and Shibaid still had roles as information gatherers.
Besides, with the two characters’ low stealth abilities they would easily give Shin and Schnee away. That’s why it was better for them to be in public.
“Shibaid-san. Where are we now?”
“It seems this city has a complicated layout. I’m sure it’s a defense strategy for if this city were ever under siege.”
Turning a corner was enough to bring a pedestrian into a totally new neighborhood. The stores were drastically different, and so were the people. Tiera was losing sight of herself.
Although Tiera’s directional senses is on the better side, Sigurd really tested her abilities.
She questioned how the locals from Sigurd were able to get back to their homes.
“They designed this city quite well.”
“Do you think so?”
For Tiera, it was so confusing that she assumed the architect was a mad man. Or mad woman.
“It might be hard for you to see, but there are several secret corridors here and there. I haven’t gotten to all of them yet, and I have a good hunch that they all connect to Palmirack. I know that Shin had mentioned how all churches have secret passageways. This goes above and beyond that though.”
Shibaid’s map was also accounting for the routes that you couldn’t see from outside. If they’re really all connected to the church, then there are several escape routes.
“Does that mean that it’s easier to attack and defend the city?”
“Yes. It’s also possible to wage wars and immediately safely return, before the enemy has a chance to respond. The layout of this city is so complex, it would also be difficult to plan your next move. I’m sure that’s why Sigurd is considered to be such a stronghold. Guerrilla tactics would not work against the city’s army and the Chosen Ones.”
According to Shibaid, the city that was seemingly built on top of another had multiple layers of defense strategies.
The most disconcerting for Tiera was – how many attacks did this city endure for these kinds of security measure to come into play.
“Who can blame them. Following the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’, riots got so bad they needed at least this to feel safe. Not to mention, they’re right on the border with other countries that are constantly trying to expand. I’m sure the majority of this city’s population is made up of war refugees, war veterans, and those who were forced to flee their homes.”
“I get it now. This city also tries to keep its residents safe.”
“It’s a roundabout way though.”
Shibaid’s sights focused on something far away, as he recalled the battles after the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’.
Shibaid himself was somewhat responsible for rounding up the neighboring Dragnil. He didn’t know about the specifics of the churches here, but he could imagine that it must have been a similar ordeal.
Kilmont had also thrived after taking in refugees.
“As someone a bit sheltered, I can’t really relate to the disputes between men. When it comes to the scourges between monsters of course, I have experienced that in Balmel.”
“I’m sure that today their biggest concerns are thieves. I hope that another big war doesn’t happen for a while. It’s nothing like the battles between monsters.”
Shibaid had the air of someone who had seen it all.
Tiera had once killed a thief. Based on Shibaid’s mood, she assumed that it couldn’t compare to what he had gone through.
“Well this is just depressing.”
“No. I’m glad I heard it.”
Shibaid had the weight of someone who had survived and seen war firsthand.
It certainly was depressing. But there’s nothing funny or hopeful about war to begin with.
“…were there really that many refugees?”
“No. But they weren’t a rare sight. And there were those that came here for silly reasons.”
Shibaid answered Tiera’s abrupt question indifferently.
“I’ve heard of someone moving to avoid a curse.”
“!? Errr, what curse was it…”
“This person had been cursed to attract high level monsters. There are very few of them. I’ve yet to meet anyone like that person since the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’.”
Tiera was fast learning that there was someone else out there like her, with the ‘cursed kid’ title. She recalled her own experiences, and thought about how difficult that person’s life must have also been. Shibaid didn’t seem to be taking this matter seriously enough.
“What happened to them?”
“Oh? We asked the said person to cooperate with us to level up our own soldiers. We’re very grateful.”
“…What?”
Tiera might have already heard this one.
The conversation was audibly shifting.
“Yes. It’s a difficult status to stomach. But depending on your outlook, it can be quite useful. In return for trying to find the cure, we had this person aid us in bringing monsters. Leveling up back then was a more efficient process. The soldiers were screaming with joy.”
No. They were screaming because they were screaming.
That was Tiera’s initial reaction.
He was Shin’s follower after all. She should have known that he’d think differently and go against present common sense.
Still, it was a relief to hear that the cursed person was treated humanely. It could have gone either way.
“I knew that you and my master come from the same path.”
“No. Not nearly as much as Schnee honestly.”
Shibaid was quick to deny, after his thoughts ran to Schnee’s intense training regimens.
But from Tiera’s standing point, Shibaid was just like Schnee for forcing people to beat high level monsters.
(Is everyone near Shin like this?)
When she thought about the other characters she hasn’t met yet, she started to harbor deeper concerns.
“Alright. Playtime is over. Tiera-dono I’m sorry, but on the next corner let’s make a right.”
“Is it time already?”
They lowered their voices.
Tiera instantly understood what he meant.
Tiera was quite sensitive to others looking at her. It didn’t take her long to realize that after leaving the inn, someone started following them.
“Tiera-dono, I think you’re the specific target here. Can you think of any reason why?”
“No. This is my first time in Sigurd so I can’t really think of anyone after me here. I don’t even know that many people anyways.”
Until recently, Tiera had been holed up in Tsuki no Hokora. On top of that, she was always in disguise, so she really couldn’t think of why anyone would come after her.
After she finished saying “I don’t even know what many people…”, she felt a bit lonely.
“Through listening, it seems they are in the immediate vicinity too.”
“I think there are…4 of them?”
“No, 6, Tiera-dono. There are 2 who are keeping their cover quite well. I think that the 4 are the main muscle. The 2 are more like backup if things didn’t go as planned.”
“I can’t tell. Is it a skill?”
“No. To be honest, my detection skills are not that great. I couldn’t possibly compete with Shin or Schnee on that front. However, I am able to detect a presence. They’re doing a good job maintaining cover, but it is extremely difficult to hide murderous intent.”
Shibaid is able to grasp the number of people in a party based on presence, not skill. Once you’ve gained enough experience as a soldier, this was a logical forward step.
Tiera still didn’t understand the amount of presence that one could have.
“Given the number of people and their presences, I don’t believe that they’re simple thieves.”
“Yes. Not to mention how they seem to have singled me out.”
While they couldn’t jump to conclusions that the assailants will lead to Millie, it didn’t hurt to find out directly from the culprits as to why they were targeted.
Any bit of information could help at this stage. If they were from the city’s underbelly, they could potentially obtain information from them.
The two pretended that they didn’t notice anything, and nonchalantly turned the corner.
They had come across an alleyway no wider than 2 mels.
4 figures emerged from behind, as if they were waiting for the two to stumble in. Tiera turned to realize that 2 others were coming from the front.
They seemed to have climbed the wall and circled around on the roof. They were much more agile than the average man.
“We should wait and see first.”
“Yes.”
The alley was dark despite it being the middle of the day. The wall was just the right height and placed at such an angle, that it would be hard to see what’s happening in the alley.
The truth was, the road was so bright that it’d be difficult to see into the dark alleyway.
Tiera and Shibaid were walking slowly, as they were being attacked from the front and back by two figures on each side. Yet, they could not be seen.
“? Whoa!”
Because a suspicious object was coming towards Tiera she squinted her eyes, a throwing knife was coming her way.
However, Tiera had known that there was malicious intent ahead of them, and so in response to the knife that produced a chime as it cut through the air, she wielded a short sword in her right hand.
Without hesitation, Tiera relied on her short sword and sent the throwing knife flying elsewhere.
“Tsk.”
Tiera having heard the assailant was dissatisfied, also heard another sound, similar to sand crushed underneath one’s feet. With that, beyond Tiera she could glimpse a slight fog of distorted reality.
“!!”
She did not miss a beat.
She took in a deep breath, and returning the favor she threw a knife of her own. She had it ready beneath her left hand, all while she brought the dagger in her right hand to about half way up her body.
The knife that Shin had made for her was made out of steel and quite sharp. The knife went straight into the direction where there had been a bit of a mirage. A small thump could be heard as the knife struck something.
“Ugh!”
The thump was the quietest noise in comparison to what would follow. You could hear a man groaning in pain and fall to the ground, causing dirt to fly up. What came into sharper focus was a man, lying on the ground with his hands on his leg. The thigh of his pants were a deep crimson red, where the knife had gone through. What was even more of a sight to behold was the other man lying in the background, with Shin’s knife to his back. It seemed that the knife had gone straight through the thigh!
But, that didn’t stop the oncoming attack.
A mirage appeared to be coming closer towards Tiera.
“Shh!”
“!”
A short sword appeared out of thin air.
Tiera looked closely at the blade of the sword. She had determined where the swordsman was and had also deciphered that he must be right handed.
In that split second, Tiera managed to draw her short sword and split the swordsman’s sword in half.
“!”
It was audibly clear that the only one left out of the four was taken aback.
Tiera took a step towards this man. And with that step, powerful magic was flowing through her body. Tiera’s body hastened, from the power of her magic. She understood where her opponent stood in relation to his allies, stepped into his zone, and struck him with her left hand, which had also been strengthened by magic.
She struck quicker than he could defend, penetrated his armor until his bare skin felt the thrust, and the man fell to the ground.
“Gah.”
The man drew short breaths as he lost consciousness. His hand had covered where he was wounded – which was in the middle of his gut. It was a critical hit.
“Phew.”
Tiera made sure that no one was awake, as she went around to check on the others who had fallen. Tiera tried calming herself down, as she let her arms loose.
You could look at Tiera and see that all her stats were average. Yet the damages that she inflicted didn’t seem possible from her slender arms. However, she had managed to combine her magic into improving her bodily performances – this was a technique that combined the assets of the defensive martial arts ‘operation’ and applied the foundations of ‘activity’ and ‘alchemy’.
While it wouldn’t dramatically improve one’s stats, it was enough to place emphasis on specific body parts – such as the hand. This improved close combat too – something elves were notoriously weaker at.
Schnee had been teaching Tiera, just in case.
“What is that.”
Tiera turned to see the two other attackers, their heads caught in Shibaid’s arms. She had not cared for the two in the back, because even she had known about them. So Tiera had assumed that Shibaid would handle it. Still, it was a sight to behold and certainly one that raised a lot of questions.
The attackers were struggling until Shibaid put a little more strength into his arms. They eventually ran out of air and lost consciousness. It really was a surreal scene to witness, with two grown men dangling from his arms.
Tiera tried to go towards Shibaid, but immediately jumped back instead.
“…that was a close one.”
A thin blade had zoomed past her head.
She had been able to understand that there were others in the vicinity. But had it not been for the fact that she had already warmed up with the other attackers, and how she had been informed of those in the distance, it’s possible Tiera would have been killed at that moment.
Tiera and Shibaid had both agreed that if they encountered any enemies that were beyond Tiera’s skill levels, then Shibaid would take over. Shibaid would probably have been able to do something for Tiera just a second ago, had she not been the first to take a lead.
Still, Tiera didn’t want to be the damsel in distress.
She turned towards where the blade had come from. She could not find the blade’s owner. Given how there weren’t any mirages either, their cover skills far exceeded that of the others from the pack.
(They’re coming for me. But I can’t see from where!)
She knew that she would be under attack. Yet, she was totally at a loss at how to predict their move.
She tried to snap out of it, as she began to move when suddenly, a red arm went whooshing past Tiera’s head.
“!?”
It was Shibaid’s arm. And in his arm was another person, who was struggling to breathe.
“Fumu, that’s a good reaction.”
“…Yes.”
Tiera felt calmer once she confirmed that the attacker had lost consciousness.
She turned around and realized that another man was dangling from Shibaid’s other arm.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to draw it out.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m used to it.”
“Really? I thought that this was an opponent you would have considered ‘more powerful than you’.”
“I said I’m used to it.”
She tried to smile.
Shibaid didn’t bother asking “what” she was used to and “why”. He had his soft spots. He probably figured as much, after hearing so much about Schnee from Tiera herself.
“These men can take a break and nap. It’s far too crowded here to question them.”
With that, Shibaid cast magic onto the men and put them into a deeper slumber.
It felt like they had already been damaged enough, that they wouldn’t be able to wake up for a while. Still, it was better to be safe rather than sorry so Tiera didn’t say anything.
Shibaid took out a 2 mels long wooden box from his item box. He unequipped all of the men, tied their arms and feet together and threw them into the box. When he held onto the wood box on his shoulder, Shibaid also looked like a carrier, on his way to a delivery.
In fact, many of the carriers they had passed carried luggage in a similar manner, so Shibaid would not stand out.
“…so that’s how we’ll carry them.”
Tiera had wondered how they would be able to carry 6 men. While they handled the men rather roughly, it really didn’t make sense to show them any other courtesy.
“Let’s go now. Shin seems to have found a clue. He says that he’ll be back shortly.”
“I was really hopeful that he would go on and get Millie back in one go.”
“I mean, think about where we are. This is the base for High Humans. Even he would be cautious.”
“Is it really that big of a deal?”
She only knew one base, and it didn’t give her an appreciation of the bigger picture.
Tsuki no Hokora was protected by a “wall” and “barrier”. Even Tsuki no Hokora was built out of the finest materials, had very little else going for it. There was no special defense mechanism in place.
“Palmirack is definitely a different case. They’ve built the kind of fortress that could withstand a party of upper class Chosen Ones’ adventurers, and not only that, but annihilate all of us if need be.”
“Haha… right…”
She tried her best to cough out a laugh.
It was one thing to try to lure people into the center and trap them.
He was right though – it was a one of a kind fortress.
“Why would they build a city around it then…”
“Perhaps it is not fully functional. I think that it’s built in a way that the whole area can blow up from the center out.”
“I mean. High Humans are just insane, really.”
Tiera mumbled, but she meant it in terms of Shin having no common sense.
She wanted to believe that even he was ‘out there’ amongst High Humans.
Otherwise, she would go crazy too.
(Listening to him talk, I had almost normalized the whole situation. No, I need to keep reminding myself that this is a little bit nutty. Although it may be too late for me…)
Maybe it’s both a good thing and a bad thing that Tiera didn’t know how she had stopped ‘acting and thinking’ like a normal person for a long, long time now.
Every day, people change and every person is allowed to change.
◆◆◆◆
(Still. Why were they after me?)
Tiera could not stop thinking about the attackers in the box, while they walked back towards the inn.
Tiera became well-known in Balmel. She was known at this point not only by soldiers and adventurers, but common people as well.
But she shouldn’t know anyone in Sigurd.
While she was in the storefront of Tsuki no Hokora, adventurers had told Tiera how there are some thieves who kidnap beautiful people. Perhaps that would be the case, if they also had the gall to attack a person accompanied by a powerful Dragnil.
If Tiera were a simple target, then they would have come for her when she was alone.
“We’re here.”
“Oh sorry, I’ll open the door.”
Tiera went ahead towards the door and opened it. She had assumed that it would be a tad difficult, what with carrying a 2 mels wide wooden box on your shoulders and all.
“Welcome back.”
“I’m sorry for all our commotion. We’ll head straight up.”
Shibaid had caused quite a stir walking through the front with the box. Tiera went straight up to the waitress, who was immune to being phased by Shibaid, chatted enthusiastically and led Shibaid in.
It was hard not to step aside for a beautiful girl like Tiera. All of the adventurers coming from the front would move gracefully.
“We wait for Shin now.”
Shibaid took a seat after putting the wooden box into a corner of the room.
“Are you going to leave the box like that?”
“It shouldn’t be a problem. They couldn’t even put a dent in the box.”
It looks like an ordinary box, but go figure. There’s some magic in its material.
Tiera knew as much. She could sense the magic reeking out of it. In fact, it gave her the same sensation that the tree of life that grew in the middle of the garden where she had lived before.
(No. It can’t be.)
The tree of life was vital to elves and high elves. Since the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’, these trees had become fewer and fewer in numbers. Even taking a single branch from the tree of life could be an act of war against elves.
Yet, even someone whose master was Shin, would be hard to stomach, if they had cut down a tree of life for materials.
“What…is that box made of?”
“Oh, that? It’s from some of the leftovers when Tsuki no Hokora was being built. I believe it’s from the trunk of the tree of life.”
“………”
It was the impossible.
It’s not to the level of orichalcum, but the tree of life has the same amount of strength, and can even be used as a cure against curses and alchemy.
“H-How did you come across such a box?”
Even asking the question is terrifying. She didn’t know what to do if the truth was that the materials were extracted in an unpleasant way.
“I grew it. Before the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’, I grew it at the base that Hecate-dono guarded – she was one of Shin’s allies.”
Shibaid looked nostalgic.
Hecate’s base was the ‘5th Daze Garden Romenun’. It was the site that Shin had once mentioned how Berett couldn’t go near.
“Growing…a tree of life.”
In contrast to the calm Shibaid, Tiera felt as if she was being tricked, and was growing livid.
Only the head of the High Elves, or their sires, knew how to grow the tree of life. It was not common knowledge.
Hearing Shibaid spread lies like ‘growing the tree of life to build a building,’ was really upsetting. For elves in general, the tree of life was a symbol of their faith. The tree of life was also a part of the ritual for elves when their magic was mature. They were highly valued by elves, and even the leaves of the tree of life were treated with respect.
There were also moments when the tree of life would serve useful purposes when equipped, such as for medicine. Other races outside of elves also regarded the tree of life with a moderate amount of interest – although never as much as the elves.
“It’s difficult to do these days.”
“Well of course. To even consider growing it is obscene.”
Shibaid grinned. Shibaid must have found it hilarious, because it was part of his story. But for an outsider like Tiera, it was impossibly foolish.
“I think that that’s something that would improve if Shin stayed around.”
“I can’t deny that….”
As one of the Rokuten, it wouldn’t be surprising if he knew the tricks.
“Even that has to wait until the current matter is settled. Shin and Schnee are here. Wilhelm-dono hasn’t responded yet, which is disconcerting, but for now we should exchange information.”
Shibaid went towards the entrance of the room, feeling Shin and Schnee.
Eventually, Shin and Schnee arrived, with Yuzuha on Shin’s shoulder.
“…where’s Wilhelm?”
Shin looked around the room and asked.
“No. He hasn’t responded either.”
Shibaid was quick to send a message to Wilhelm after contacting Shin. It had been a few hours, and still no response.
“…could he be talking right now?”
“Perhaps. Messages aren’t immediate like telepathy.”
If he were in the middle of a conversation, he might not be able to open his messages.
It was impossible to find out or wait, so they decided to go ahead and share information.
“Lilishila says that the assailants may be involved in some way with the present situation.”
Shin added that bit after repeating everything Lilishila had told him.
He had also shared Shibaid’s message with Lilishila upon receiving. Lilishila had been the one who had made the connection.
“It’s still alarming how they were only after Tiera. It’s another thing if they’re after Shin, but they came straight for us.”
Shin nodded.
It hasn’t been long since Shibaid joined the party.
Perhaps they can’t tell that it is Shibaid, but regardless, if a new member joined the party, you would be more cautious before launching aggressive combat against them.
Even if they had known that it was him, who would just attack without a better plan?
“I don’t know what their motives are. It’s possible that Wilhelm was also attacked.”
“That’s possible. I doubt that he would lose easily, but I don’t know what would happen if say, there were a hostage situation of some sort.”
Schnee agrees with Shin.
“The elf that Shin met also knew that Shin was in Sigurd. Therefore, it’s fair to assume that they know Wilhelm-dono is here too. We’re losing time – we need to head immediately to the church, and you need to get more information out of those attackers.”
“Yes. We should head out now.”
Shibaid carried the box and followed as the rest of the party headed for Palmirack.
They were concerned about Wilhelm as well, but if they are not responding then there’s nothing more you can do.
Normally, even if they are at a place that hasn’t been fully mapped, they should be able to seek out and feel the presence of certain individuals. Even that was difficult here because of Palmirack.
◆◆◆◆
Perhaps it was because they had already attacked and failed. The route to Palmirack was quiet and peaceful. Once they arrived, a knight that was waiting invited them inside. They’re brought into the living quarters. This knight was one of the three that had accompanied Lilishila. He must be a member of her guard.
They continued to walk by other priests who would give frightened looks at the wooden box. They said nothing because of the church guard that walked alongside them. Perhaps they assumed that there was some official business.
The other 2 guards waited outside of the room.
“Lady Lilishila is waiting.”
And with that, one of the guards opened the door.
The 3 had already been briefed by Lilishila.
Perhaps they trusted Shin because of Lilishila’s faith in him. They did not look ill by the slightest, with Shibaid and Tiera also in the party.
“Thank you for your wait. These two are Shibaid and Tiera.”
Shin introduces them.
Shibaid had actually said his real name, but he looked too different from the ‘real Shibaid’. They assumed that he was one of Shibaid’s fans, or someone with the same exact name – nonetheless he was assumed to be a different person.
“And what’s that?”
“All in all there are 6 of them. There are 4 that are above average, and 2 that are Chosen Ones.”
“Sure. I have a room secured. Follow me.”
She nodded, and led the party towards the back of the room. Then, she made a secret maneuver which opened up the floor to a secret passageway.
(Cain loved stuff like this.)
Shin reminisced fondly, looking down at the stairs that emerged.
“The rest of you, please wait.”
“No, I should go too. I don’t plan on getting your hands dirty, if I’m involved.”
“This won’t be pleasant.”
“I am used to it.”
Lilishila looked closely into Shin’s eyes, after hearing him say that he was ‘used to it’.
“…Alright. The rest of you, please wait. Rick, please.”
“Yes my lady.”
She hesitated, but agreed to letting Shin accompany her. Lilishila called on one of her guards, and they went down the stairs.
“I won’t be gone long. They might have something up their sleeves – be on guard.”
There was no point in all of them going down. Schnee was told to wait.
“Shin…”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry.”
Schnee looked deeply concerned, and Shin calmed her down.
Perhaps she recalls the moment that Shin had become unrecognizable, and she didn’t want to experience that again.
“Yuki. He says it’s fine. Then it’s fine.”
“…Yes.”
Shibaid chimed in, and Schnee (Yuki) took a step back. With that, Shin turned towards Lilishila.
Shin and Shibaid continued after Lilishila down the stairs. In a few minutes, there were no more stairs to climb down, and a door about 3 mels wide was visible.
Lilishila opened the door easily.
There was nothing in the room.
However, Shin could sense the presence of several, unforgivable traps that were placed all over the room. These traps, courtesy of Cain, were meant to kill.
It seemed that Lilishila and the church had been using this room as a torture chamber. It was also meant to be a room that would deter thieves from stealing. It was a trap room at its finest.
During the game era, no one ever made it this far. Shin had never seen the traps go off.
If the functions of this room were not disabled, they would have met a terrible fate.
“Here is?”
It didn’t hurt to play coy. Shin asks Lilishila.
“We found this by accident one day when we were cleaning the room directly above it. I don’t know why it exists.”
“Didn’t the person who occupied the room before you explain?”
“Nothing. It’s useful, because this room doesn’t allow any noise to leak. We generally hold our secret meetings here.”
Shin responded to Lilishila, saying “I see.”
He looked around at the room – the traps in the room only went off once. It didn’t seem though as if the person who had come into the room before had been the unfortunate sacrifice.
“Please let them out.”
“Sure.”
They made sure that the doors were closed, and opened the wooden box. Shibaid turned the box over, as 6 grown men fell out one by one.
It didn’t seem that they were able to wake up, because of the spell cast on them.
“Restrain them.”
One by one, Rick carried the men over and assembled them into a line. He put a cloth over their eyes, and made it hard for them to resist.
Everything was ready.
“Shall we begin.”
She nodded at what Shin said, and they used their skills to wake the men up.
A few seconds passed, and one of the men woke with a groan.
“What…what’s happening!?”
He realized what kind of a situation he’d woken up in, and started to show dismay.
“Be quiet.”
Lilishila orders the man to be silent. He stopped immediately.
“What do you plan to do with us?”
The man asked.
“Answer my questions honestly. If you are able to answer truthfully, we will not take your lives away.”
Lilishila spoke and with every word, the room was filled with more weight.
The man wailed back,
“Do you know who our masters are?”
“No. So, will you answer our questions?”
“…..No. We’d be killed anyways if we do.”
The man thought about it, but chose to refuse. He was more frightened of the people he knew than Lilishila.
“That’s unfortunate. You would have saved us a lot of time.”
Lilishila’s expression had not changed much. She raised her arm, and Rick came forward.
“What?! What are you doing!”
The man could hear a footstep approaching him. He stepped back farther and farther, but Rick grabbed the man’s face and activated his magic.
“!”
The man raised a yelp, but fell back silent.
Shin analyzed the situation and saw a 【Sleep I】 display. It seemed that Rick had deployed some version of 【Sleep】. Normally it should have put one to sleep, but minor adjustments had been made, seeing how the man’s eyes were open beneath the eye mask.
Rick made sure that the man was asleep, and switched places with Lilishila.
Lilishila raised her hand in front of the man’s face.
“Ugh…gah…”
She was giving him a hallucination.
“Who am I?”
“G-Gilth, Barrot….”
“Did I order you?”
“Ye…s…”
“What was the purpose?”
“Grab the…elf….kill…the…company.”
The man continued to answer faithfully, albeit a bit stuttered.
【Sleep】 and 【Hallucination】 as a combo had made the man believe that Lilishila was his boss.
(I learned something new.)
Shin and Shibaid watched silently, as Lilishila continued her questioning.
She was able to extract plenty more information.
The 4 men who attacked Tiera were part of the guild “Corrupt Gift,” an underworld society that had managed to gain middle-class status. He had not known about the other two Chosen Ones – they were a separate thing.
They were told to bring back the black haired elf.
It was Tiera alright. There are not that many black- haired elves.
They knew that Tiera might be accompanied. They were told to kill whoever was in the way, but did not know that it would be a strong warrior.
They did not know who had requested the hit.
They didn’t know about Wilhelm either.
“I don’t think it’s possible to gain anymore.”
Lilishila broke the skill and stopped her intense lines of questioning. She stood. For questions that the man did not know the answer, he remained silent. This meant that the latter half of the interrogation had a lot of awkward silences.
They put the man back to sleep.
“I’m sure it’s a similar deal with the other two.”
“Did the name of the guild ring a bell for you?”
“No, but it did confirm some of my speculations.”
Lilishila had known that the “Corrupt Gift” were associated with the Shiten. It was a guild that thrived on human trafficking, and rumor had it that a lot of the sacrifices that the Shiten made were people procured by the guild.
“Let’s try another then.”
They wake up another man.
He did not seem confused, and things went rather smoothly.
“Please answer our questions. If you answer faithfully, then we will promise you your safety.”
“How kind of you,” the man snickered.
Rick’s brows furrowed at the sight, but Lilishila ignored it.
“Will you comply?”
“….”
The man had said nothing. Perhaps that was enough of an answer.
Rick approached the man, just as he had done earlier.
“Hehe.”
The man let out a jeering cackle.
Shin could feel his blood draining.
The number 5 appeared above the man’s head.
“!? Shibaid!!”
“Yes sir!”
Even before Shin had raised his voice, Shibaid had carried Lilishila and Rick away.
Shibaid had also felt the instinctual threat of the deranged man.
They had deployed their skills as to be able to switch places immediately. They took the lid made of the tree of life and hid behind it like a shield.
Immediately, an explosion could be heard beyond their little hideout.
“!?”
The explosion was quite powerful, and the wind caused by it blew Shin’s hair back.
There were large hunks of flesh and blood all over the room.
“What in the world.”
“He set himself off.”
Shibaid removed the lid, and saw that all 6 of their assailants had been blown into smithereens.
There were legs and feet, parts of torsos, organs, large remainders of what used to be a head… You could barely make out the two Chosen Ones. Some of the pieces that more or less carelessly remained intact were the other 4 men.
“Damn it.”
While releasing his hold on Lilishila and Rick, Shin swore at himself.
The self explosion skill was not used often in the game. Few players would even bother trying to acquire it. Shin of course was one of the few, but he had never used it to this day.
Ever since it became a death game, the skill’s very existence was erased from memory. The 5 that showed before the man, was the final countdown after he had initiated self destruction. The maximum amount of time that a person has after they’ve decided to self destruct is 60 seconds. The shortest time otherwise should be 10 seconds. At 5 seconds, the remaining time appears over a character’s head.
They had just made it, but if it had just been Lilishila handling the matter, they would have all been taken down.
“This is terrible.”
“I’m sure it’s to keep themselves safe. I can’t believe that they even had an insurance plan like this ready.”
Shin scowled at the smell.
Shibaid was right. They must have had some sort of order in place, in case any of the members got caught and were to slip. In a way it was very standard practice for those from the underworld to not care for human life, and especially not for their own.
“But this is excessive.”
“We now know that the Shiten are involved.”
Lilishila showed resentment. Rick bit down bitterly at his lower lip.
“…We can’t really do anything. Shall we go back up?”
“Is it alright to leave it like this?”
“Yes. The dead bodies tend to disappear over time.”
While playing the game, characters are usually sent back to where the player started. In this world, however, it seems they are used as a source of energy to maintain the facility. It went without saying that nobody wondered how Lilishila knew such things.
Shin opened the doors and the party went up the stairs.
Once they returned to the room, Lilishila was the first one to enter. Schnee’s eyes stopped short.
“You’re very early. What is the matter.”
“We got duped.”
They explained the self destruction of the attacker, and everyone’s facial expression was much more grave.
“What do you mean, self destruct?”
“It stops information from leaking, and they probably wanted to take us down with them.”
Players typically use this skill for when they are trying to make a last stand as they have very little HP left. It’s also useful as a distraction against a large crowd. The death penalty on a player is a far greater toll however, and characters that self destruct will gain nothing, even after a boss or a guild battle ends.
No one dreams of some day self destructing, to put it bluntly.
“When you do it, you die right?”
“Yes. It places others surrounding you at great risk as well.”
“What use is that?”
Tiera was stunned. She couldn’t relate to her attackers one bit.
It was absurd that anyone would even consider acquiring a skill, knowing that using it would kill you.
Even back when it was just a game, very rarely did players learn this skill.
“That’s how these guilds operate. And I think that’s all the reason that I have to share.”
There were several other, sickening events that were caused by these underground guilds, like assassinations and keeping a secret society thriving. But those were ill suited answers for Tiera.
Shin didn’t have a good response.
“Self destruction. I don’t believe that it’s a difficult skill to acquire. I’m sure it’s within their means, the society that we are up against, to teach each of their followers that skill.”
“I see it happen in fiction often enough. Those that are affected have nothing to protect them.”
Shin tries to change the subject to lighten the mood.
“This is pointless. Yuki and I are going to look through the church. Lady Lilishila, please act as naturally as you possibly can.”
“Shouldn’t I help you with anything though?”
“No. If you or your guards do anything out of the ordinary Lady Lilishila, it will be obvious and cause the church to be suspicious. It’d be best for you to do as you always would. I’m painfully aware that we may be too late.”
Shin and Schnee are already recognizable. Shibaid carrying in the box was also a sight. It was obvious they were making a move.
Since they lost their source of more information, Shin had to do something to get better traction.
The guards were concerned if they were really able to get in without their help, but Shin was able to persuade them with his superior hiding skills, once he disappeared out of their sights and reappeared behind them.
He had merely moved very quickly, but they assumed that it was a skill. Had Shin really wanted to, he could have truly disappeared. Showing off however was not necessary.
Other than Shin and Schnee, Tiera would go back to the inn and Shibaid would protect Lilishila.
It seemed a bit risky to let Tiera go off on her own. However, Yuzuha and Kagerou would also be with her.
Had Shibaid not been there, Kagerou would have also been able to help Tiera earlier.
From now on, an attacker would always be knocked out, then stuffed into the wooden box, and carried discreetly by Kagerou.
In case the enemies were to make any sudden movements, Shibaid had to stay inside Palmirack. That was a given.
He’s also a holy knight by profession – this meant that he was a much better defender.
Even with no equipment, he was able to draw out rare class swords. By merely equipping the backup armor and weapons that Shin provided, Shibaid could take over all of Palmirack with relative ease.
They seemed prepared enough.
“The sun will set soon. We will act on our plan once it’s dark. Shibaid is here too, but please try not to leave your abode.”
“I’m sorry that we cannot be of more use.”
It’s precisely the fact that they are involved in the church, that prevents them from further action. They told Lilishila not to worry, as Shin and Schnee ventured into the church.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 06 - A Fanatic's Ambition/The-New-Gate-Volume-06-A-Fanatic's-Ambition-[Shin][Armaell]/ch3.txt
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Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Part 1
This happened before Shin and the others met with Lilishila.
Wilhelm was in a certain store in Sigurd.
The store was small, barely lit, and reeked of tobacco.
Magical items of unknown usage lay forgotten on the badly arranged shelves.
“Found you at last.”
Wilhelm was slightly irritated. The informant he counted on had moved; finding the new location took longer than expected.
“Now now, don’t give me that after showing up without an appointment.”
The man who owned the store shrugged after hearing Wilhelm’s words.
In a place like Sigurd, with a high flow of traffic, it was not odd for an informant like him to frequently change locations.
“It stinks here.”
“That’s what you say before even greeting me? This incense was made in Hinomoto, you know?”
Muttering about Wilhelm’s lack of understanding for Wabi-Sabi (The beauty of transience and imperfection), the bearded owner blew smoke from his pipe.
What a pity for the incense.
“Jai. I’m sorry but I have no time to enjoy stuff like that. Save it for after our business is done.”
“That’s scary. You’re even more aggressive than usual…what happened?”
The man, Jai Tret, felt that Wilhelm was different than normal. His aloof expression changed completely when he posed the question.
He too hails from the same orphanage, and left to adventure 5 years before Wilhelm.
Now he’s an active informant based in Sigurd.
“They kidnapped Millie. Bulk from the Church is the main culprit.”
“!?…You’re sure of that?”
Wilhelm explained the situation in detail to the stunned Jai. After he heard everything, Jai was rubbing his chin, deep in thought.
“Eline, huh. If he got involved, it means they’re really playing for keeps.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Among the apprentices raised within the Church, Eline’s the strongest. Using him is testament of how big this thing is.”
Jai then added that when Eline moves the resulting damage is always massive, although it never reaches the public.
“Eline comes from some small village, but he has had extreme physical abilities ever since he was a brat, apparently. Bulk heard about it and took him in…and here we are.”
When the Church ministers personally requested to take him in, Eline’s parents happily entrusted him to them.
In exchange for a large sum of gold.
“Misguided knowledge about the Chosen Ones, that was.”
Eline, a Chosen One, possessed physical abilities far beyond his age; the village treated him as a cursed child. Being smarter than other children became a burden to him.
“I couldn’t care less about that bastard’s story. What the hell does that change? You think I’m going to shed a tear or something?”
“Yeah, here’s what I’m getting at. Bulk took Eline back with him, and poured all his enthusiasm in educating him. Thanks to that, his intelligence spiked in a weird direction…now he can’t be handled anymore.”
“Nothing I didn’t know of yet.”
They had met and crossed swords already. Wilhelm already knew that he wasn’t sane.
“Just hear me out. I heard this information from one of my personal connections…our guy seems to possess a certain title.”
“What title?”
“Yeah, you’re going to be surprised. Eline was born with the title of “Hero”, they say.”
“Whaaat?”
Wilhelm couldn’t grasp the meaning of Jai’s words right away.
“We’ve known each other for a long time, but I never thought you’d be the type to spout jokes like that.”
“Don’t be like that now. I did think it was a bad joke the first time I heard it too.”
No one aware of Eline’s true nature would ever imagine using such a word to describe him.
The only thing about him that’d fit the definition would be his appearance.
“So it’s not a joke?”
“I have information that backs it up. That title is supposed to have the effect of strengthening your body.”
“You’re sure of that?”
“Yeah. He is unbelievably strong, that’s true. That might be the reason why he tends to talk too much. Someone heard him let that slip out of his mouth. That someone has already been taken care of, though…only a few informants know of this.”
“And you’re one of those few then. Is that really true? Sounds fishy to me.”
“Shut up. It’s a fact that just knowing this stuff gets you erased!”
It seemed like Jai wanted to imply he’s too strong for that to happen to him.
“This piece of information alone is worth 100 Jul gold coins! I’m only talking about it because it’s you.”
“More like because Millie’s involved, right?”
Jai had once escaped a mortal situation thanks to Millie’s predictions.
Despite looking as suspicious as possible, he was someone who always did the right thing in such situations.
“Who cares about why. There’s more important stuff to deal with right now. What you said removed all my doubts. Since Millie has been kidnapped, the Holy Woman’s definitely involved in this.”
“The Holy Woman?…There are 3 women with that name now, aren’t there. Considering Millie’s abilities, it’s about ‘Prediction’?”
Wilhelm was aware of three of those Holy Women: the “Sooth-Saying Holy Woman”, the “Purifying Holy Woman” and the “Healing Holy Woman”.
Considering Millie’s ‘Star Reader’ ability, the “Soothsaying Holy Woman” is likely to be the connection.
“Bingo. They say that lately, the Soothsaying Holy Woman is feeling under the weather. Actually, it’s because Bulk’s manipulating her though.”
“He can control a Holy Woman!?”
“I heard this from another source, but apparently in a certain cave you can find an item that grants control over whoever’s equipped with it. It was found with other cursed gear and entrusted to the church to remove the curse, but they swapped it with a dud…and now Bulk’s been using it.”
Jai explained that a B-rank adventurers’ party found it inside a yet to be cleared dungeon.
“Stay on your toes. If you end up having that thing attached, even you might not be able to fight it. They say that even some upper class Chosen Ones fell under its influence.”
Jai’s serious expression as he spoke this last warning was one Wilhelm had never seen before.
“…I’ve heard enough. But there’s something I just don’t get.”
Wilhelm had received important information, but there was one thing he could not understand.
“What’s that now?”
“How do you know all this inside information? You just said yourself that the church erases anyone in possession of troublesome information, right?”
Jai was not a Chosen One, unlike Wilhelm. No matter how good he was at hiding, he could not stay safe forever.
“That’s because the Church isn’t a paragon of unwavering loyalty either. Even ignoring the Millie business, Bulk has his fair share of failures. There are people opposing him. Eline too, he might be an upper class Chosen One, but because of Bulk he’s a useless Church Knight. They’d be happy to be rid of Bulk. And one more thing, the adventurer who found the manipulation item is one of my best clients.”
Jai explained how he had a solid source of information for the manipulation item as well.
Wilhelm could not know at this point, but that information had come from Lilishila. She had disclosed it to the informants she could trust.
Yet not even Lilishila knew about the “Hero” title, mainly because the source of the information had been erased.
“I see. So your connections prove useful…sometimes.”
“You could have spared me that last word, damn you.”
“Who are these people opposing Bulk, anyway?”
“Fine, ignore me. They’re the Holy Woman’s personal guards, people indebted to her. Some of them are high-ranked too, so they know how Bulk’s been handling her. If killing Bulk could dispel the item’s effects, rest assured that he’d be six feet under by now.”
Not knowing how to dispel the effect of the manipulation item, they can’t make any moves. Capturing Bulk and interrogating or torturing him could be one way, but who knows what could happen to the Holy Woman.
Bulk dies and the Holy Woman goes with him…would not be a happy ending.
Jai also added that it’d be hard to subdue him, having Eline as guard.
“The Holy Woman’s being held hostage, pretty much. Some people have no choice but to obey Bulk’s orders.”
“Can they be useful to him, though?”
“If you don’t want the Holy Woman to be hurt…that’s all he needs to say.”
“Tch, disgusting bastard.”
Wilhelm clicked his tongue while making a distorted grimace. Jai was feeling the same as well.
“Wilhelm, what are you planning to do now?”
“I’m going back to the inn first. They’ve never been more supportive, you see. The ones who went to the Church might even be back, with Millie in tow.”
Thinking that it wouldn’t be impossible for Shin to pull it off made Wilhelm grin. Seeing Wilhelm like that caused a puzzled reaction in Jai.
“Who’d think I’d ever see you talking of someone with a face like that. Is it a Chosen One?”
“Nope, but a monster through and through. I’m warning you though, don’t start getting curious.”
“Must be something else for you to say that. I’d love to ask you to introduce us, but I’ll stop for now.”
Jai understood that Wilhelm wasn’t joking and nodded strongly, albeit a bit comically.
Curiosity killed the cat, as they say. Informants are sensitive to information that should be left alone. Though there are times when they get closer all the same.
“Maybe there’s nothing to worry with a guy like that on your side, but let me tell you one more thing. If you plan to mess with Bulk, other than Eline there’s one more person you have to pay attention to.”
“The upper class Chosen Ones are being manipulated, right? But you’re telling me it’s only one more guy?”
Eline is obviously dangerous, but the upper class Chosen Ones are also a threat themselves. Based on Bulk’s personality, Wilhelm struggled to imagine that he’d only had Eline and one more person at his beck and call.
“There are other upper class Chosen Ones, that’s true. But this guy, like Eline, has abilities far higher than the others. The name’s Konig Bolt, he’s one of the top swordsmen of the Church. He’s being manipulated by that item though. If you can get rid of that somehow, you can avoid having to fight him.”
Apparently he was one of Holy Woman’s personal guards. He had probably been targeted because of his skills.
Jai adds that he even owns legendary-class equipment.
“This is all I can tell you. You better make good use of it.”
“You bet I will. I will definitely rescue Millie. And while I’m at it I will settle the score with that twisted bastard.”
“Haha, good to hear that…counting on you.”
The last words Jai added were filled with his frustration for not being able to go help her himself.
◆◆◆◆
Wilhelm visited another few stores, then headed back to the inn.
It had taken him considerable time to find Jai’s store, so when he looked up at the sky the sun was already descending.
“…….”
Wilhelm walked on towards the inn, in complete silence. On the way he bought skewered meat from a street stall.
He proceeded at a relaxed pace, tasting the perfectly cooked meat in his mouth.
Yet his feet were not heading towards the inn.
“You’ve been following me for a while now. What do you want?”
Wilhelm stepped into a deserted alley and interrogated the empty space before him.
“…..”
No answer to be heard, Wilhelm’s eyes focused. He pointed the skewer he had in his hand towards the alley’s darkness and shot it.
Wilhelm’s muscular strength shot the skewer through the darkness just like a powerful bow would have, sending it piercing the air towards its target.
“!!!”
An instant before the skewer disappeared into the darkness, something emerged from it. Along with a sound of the wall being struck, the scenery of the dark alley appeared to distort slightly before Wilhelm’s eyes.
The distortion lands on the ground and turned into a person clad in a brown coat.
“You are Wilhelm Avis?”
“What if I am?”
“A certain person wants to meet you. Allow me to accompany you.”
Wilhelm couldn’t identify the person’s expression or racial characteristics because of the hood. But the voice sounded like a man’s.
“You really expect me to just follow you quietly?”
“We’ll take you by force…is something we’re not strong enough to say. My apologies for following you. But refusing me will ultimately bring disadvantage to your side.”
“What?”
Wilhelm furrowed his brow after hearing the man’s words.
“The person wanting to meet you is someone that detests people that abduct children.”
“…so not a servant of some pig-faced priest, huh.”
“If you visited Jai, you should already know. We are not so docile as to just obey without a word.”
Wilhelm remembered what Jai said about the opposing faction. Judging from his words, it was probably this man who passed the information to Jai.
“There’s someone I want to contact first though.”
“Apologies, but I can’t allow that.”
“You need as many allies as you can, don’t you? I can at least guarantee that there’s no risk of betrayal.”
“It would inconvenience us for your comrades to be near. We could contact you like this just because you moved on your own.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“This is the only way to avoid being found out. That’s all I can say for now.”
These people would be inconvenienced by Shin and the others’ presence, which may cause something to happen. At this point in time, Wilhelm did not have enough information to deduce what the reason could be.
Following the man would likely mean not making it back at the time set with Shin and the others. This caused Wilhelm to reflect in silence for a while.
(What will they do after failing to make contact with me?)
Wilhelm’s absence wouldn’t cause a serious loss in fighting power. Just Shin, Schnee and Shibaid would be more than enough.
Tiera herself possessed less fighting power than these three, but her partner Kagerou was more powerful.
If something happened to Wilhelm now, from the timing they would surely think the Church was involved.
(They would go after Bulk. If they go to the Church, there’s a high chance we’ll bump into each other.)
Considering Shin’s party’s abilities, they could very well rescue Millie without Bulk knowing.
Directing their attention to Wilhelm instead of Shin’s party would be good too.
In addition, even if he was manipulated, Wilhelm could not imagine Shin’s party would be defeated.
“…where is this person that wants to meet me?”
“The Church’s Headquarters. I will be your guide.”
“Lead the way.”
As Wilhelm consented, the man moved to a corner of the alley and searched the ground. After a few seconds, his hands stopped moving, holding what looked like a handle-shaped object.
The man tightened his grip on the object and the ground swelled up, revealing a pathway leading underground.
“This way.”
Wilhelm followed the man down the underground passage. The 3 mels wide tunnel they entered continued in both directions.
No light illuminated the dark corridor; when the man closed the entrance, utter darkness filled the surroundings. Only when the man lit the lantern he was holding could they see several mels in front.
The man proceeded without hesitation through the barely lit tunnel. He turned left at a crossroad, right at the next T-intersection.
Wilhelm could not fully understand how the complicated network of paths was connected.
The succession of similar-looking paths coupled with the obstructing darkness would disrupt the sense of direction of any intruder.
Even with Wilhelm’s sharp senses, he lost track of how much time had passed since they entered.
If he lost sight of the man, it would be very difficult to find his way out alone.
Just as Wilhelm thought so, the man stopped in his tracks.
The path that looked like it would continue forever had approached its end.
“It’s here.”
The man shone his lantern on a certain spot on the wall and pushed it. This caused the wall to slide and reveal a stairway large enough for one adult man to pass through.
As Wilhelm proceeded to follow the man up the steps, he had already pushed the ceiling open and was checking the surroundings of the exit.
What the underground tunnel led to was a tiny room. The two men exited it and found themselves in a corridor lined with gorgeous decorations.
“We’re inside the Church?”
Wilhelm had no recollection of the place, but the scenery outside the windows allowed him to estimate his current whereabouts.
It appeared they were inside one of the buildings at the edge of the Church compound.
“There are paths leading to the Church strewn throughout this city. Although very few know that this is the entrance.”
“Just memorizing your way through it is pretty impressive.”
“After 30 years of exploration, I know it like the back of my hand. But enough idle talk, let us head to the person awaiting us.”
Despite being inside the Church, there were few people in the surroundings. Wilhelm’s detection ability barely perceived any human presence around them.
As the two descended several stairs, proceeding as not to meet anyone else, they finally reached a corridor with doors on the left and right sides.
Wilhelm was wondering what the doors concealed, but as the man proceeded straight without paying the slightest attention to the doors, Wilhelm gave up on his mental investigation.
If it’s unrelated to Millie’s rescue, then there’s no point in knowing.
He had received messages from Shin’s party while moving, but chose not to open them in front of the man.
After proceeding further down the corridor the two came upon a door clearly different than the others.
The lavishly decorated door, which occupied a whole section as a room, was also where the corridor came to an end.
“Wait here.”
After saying so, the man knocked on the door with a peculiar rhythm, and the door opened by itself.
It stopped after a few seconds, leaving an opening large enough for one adult person to pass through.
The man then stepped through the opening and Wilhelm followed after him.
The room inside was quite large, its floor rising higher in the back. It looked just like an altar, and Wilhelm was baffled and impressed at the same time that anyone would live in a room like that.
“Milady Hermie. I have brought sir Wilhelm.”
“Well done.”
The man had walked up to the canopy and reported Wilhelm’s arrival, which prompted an answer from a crystalline voice beyond the heavy curtains.
After a little while, the owner of the voice emerged from behind the curtains and showed herself.
“Pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Hermie Schultz.”
“So you’re the ‘Soothsaying Holy Woman’?”
“I am often addressed thus, yes. However, such a pseudonym has barely any meaning at present.”
Hermie’s expression clouded. Wilhelm’s eyes turned to the collar around her neck.
Wilhelm assumed that the eerie-looking thing was the manipulation item that Jai had mentioned.
“What did you call me for?”
“To return Millie.”
With these words, Hermie opened the canopy’s curtains wide, revealing a king-size bed and Millie sitting on it.
“Will!!!”
Millie had known Wilhelm had arrived from his voice, and as Hermie opened the curtains she jumped up and ran to him.
Her eyes brimming with tears, Millie grabbed onto Wilhelm.
Wilhelm held her gently as not to hurt her.
“Will-nii, is Shia-nee…is Shia-nee okay!?!”
“Don’t you worry, she’s as lively as they come.”
Those words spread great relief in Millie’s heart.
She had heard from Hermie that Rashia was safe, but she could not erase all doubts until hearing the same from someone she trusted.
“What’s happening here, though? You were supposed to have been abducted by that Bulk bastard.”
Why was Millie in a place like that? Wilhelm inquired Hermie while patting the little girl’s head.
“This girl and I share the same ability. Bulk ordered me to teach her how to control it.”
Teach her how to control it. That alone wouldn’t be a problem.
However, Bulk would never give her back just like that.
“Bulk plans to offer her as sacrifice. I suppose he only thinks of her ability as a way to raise her worth as sacrifice.”
Hermie did not know what effect that could have on the ritual. She did not want to know either.
If things continued on as they were, both her and Millie would not be able to escape Bulk’s grasp.
Having realized that, Hermie took the risky decision of ordering one of her men to bring Wilhelm there, in order to save Millie.
“Sacrifice?”
Wilhelm was surprised to hear a word so foreign to him. He knew of the existence of the Summit Faction, but he thought they were terrorists that attacked without discrimination.
After Hermie explained about the Summit Faction and their activities, faint blue veins could be seen emerging on Wilhelm’s forehead.
“What insane bastards. But I still don’t understand why you called for me. You should have known that I’m not the only one coming to save Millie, right?”
Wilhelm swallowed his anger and interrogated Hermie again. Why call him specifically, when calling Shin or Schnee would have resolved everything faster?
“I am aware that there are others trying to save Millie. But my ability allowed me to see only you and the female elf. And about her, all I could see was very rough and uncertain. Once, I saw you saving a woman called Rashia, and there was a black-haired man with you…but I only saw him that time. My power has its limits, after all.”
Hermie thus confessed her inability to see Shin, Schnee or Shibaid.
Wilhelm knew how outside the norm those three were, so he did not find such a reason hard to accept. Difference in level and status, quality of weapons and armor, superiority of species…there were too many possible reasons.
“I see. Thinking about those guys, it’s not strange that I’m the only one you could see. Enough about them though.”
That was all Wilhelm could say at that point.
He too was similar to them as for being outside the norm, but compared to Shin and the others he still paled.
“Back to the topic, what do you plan to do now? Even if Millie’s safe, you’ll still be sacrificed, won’t you?”
Thinking that it wasn’t something to talk about then and there, Wilhelm returned to the topic at hand.
“I…I cannot escape.”
Hermie spoke while shifting her gaze to the ground. Resignation was palpable in her words.
Looking at the source for that feeling, Wilhelm spoke.
“The item that forces obedience upon those who equip it, huh.”
“You knew?”
“I heard from an informant. Looks like it’s that collar?”
“Exactly. I have only received orders that prevent me from doing certain actions now, so I can move freely to a point…but if I receive the order, I can do the cruelest things without hesitation.”
Hermie’s pupils trembled while she talked, her fingers brushing against the collar. Wilhelm could not know what horrible things she had been forced to do until now.
But judging from Hermie’s pained expression, it couldn’t have been anything pleasant.
“Are you conscious after you receive an order?”
“I am…vaguely conscious. I suppose I could say it feels like being in a dream.”
Hermie explained how she wasn’t fully conscious. Wilhelm thought that if she was, her emotional state now would be much worse.
“…I can’t do anything about that thing around your neck. Sorry, but I’m going back with Millie.”
“Will-nii!?”
“That is fine. That is not why I had you come here, after all.”
Wilhelm’s words made Millie raise her voice in disbelief. She was about to appeal to Wilhelm to save her, but then her eyes met Wilhelm’s expression of suppressed regret.
Hermie understood his feelings and nodded after hearing his words. The smile appearing on her lips was born from being genuinely happy that Millie would be safe.
While feeling Millie’s gaze, Wilhelm knew he was feeling irritated. There was something he didn’t like about Hermie’s expression.
“What’s up with that face?”
“Eh?”
The sudden question changed Hermie’s expression from smiling to confused.
Hermie thought that her release of the kidnapped Millie could have been considered suspicious by Wilhelm.
She had expected the possibility of being asked if she was being manipulated and was just trying to make them lower their guard.
Fortunately that didn’t happen: Wilhelm agreed to take Millie back without hesitation.
Maybe because she had found some solace in that, Hermie could not understand Wilhelm’s words immediately.
“It’s the face of someone who doesn’t care about themselves.”
“…if that’s what you think, could you please hear my request?”
As she understood Wilhelm’s words, a thought formed within Hermie.
Maybe she would be able to accomplish the other objective for calling Wilhelm there.
“What?”
“Please, kill me.”
“Lady Hermie!?”
“Hermie-nee!?”
Hermie’s words were followed by shocked exclamations from the guide and Millie.
The real purpose of the man who brought Wilhelm to take Millie back was saving Hermie.
Hearing the same Hermie ask Wilhelm to kill her would obviously cause him to raise his voice.
“Are you serious?”
“Even if I keep on living like this, I would just cause problems for many people. If I die and Millie disappears from here, Bulk’s plot will fail too. Because of this collar, I cannot do it with my own hands, so…I beg of you.”
“That cannot happen!! Do you want the earnest efforts of all those trying to save you to be in vain!?”
“It will be too late if things continue like this.”
Hermie’s eyes were resolute as she stated so.
“What have you seen?”
“I h…gwah!”
Hermie was about to start talking, when her face twisted into a grimace of pain. Through her fingers tightly holding her neck, Wilhelm noticed the words etched on the collar’s light up.
“My…apologies. The collar prevents me from saying any more. But if things go on like this…the Eltnia continent will fall in ruin.”
“….the Demon, huh?”
Wilhelm guessed what Hermie meant to say through her fragmented words.
He was gathering information on Bulk his own way too; his information sources were not limited to Jai.
Among the pieces of information Wilhelm had collected, there were connections between Bulk and the Demon, albeit not confirmed.
“It is a very powerful one as well. If you understand me, please…”
“Sorry, but I can’t do that.”
Wilhelm cut off Hermie’s words while patting Millie’s head, who was silently looking up at him.
(I’m not usually one to rely on others, but…)
Wilhelm was a seasoned warrior too. The thing that Hermie talked about, something which could destroy the whole continent…he had felt, ever so slightly, traces of it ever since he arrived in Sigurd.
It wasn’t within Sigurd itself, but not too far from it, something of unknown nature was beginning to move.
From that supposedly dangerous thing, however, Wilhelm could not feel any deathly presence.
The reason was that until hearing Hermie’s words, he did not perceive that sense of irritation as something concrete.
But now he understood the reason. He felt that something even larger than the menace Hermie spoke about was blocking it.
There was only one thing he could think of.
“Even if I don’t kill you here, that enemy or whatever isn’t going to accomplish anything, you know.”
“How can you be so sure!? That is not something mere humans can compare to!”
Instigated by Wilhelm’s lack of sense of danger, Hermie loudly let out her feelings.
She could not express it in words, but Hermie had seen it through her ‘Star Reader’ ability. The massive shadow emerging from the ritual site, and the destruction in its wake.
Hermie knew that even if she pleaded to the people trying to help her – such as the man who guided Wilhelm – to kill her, they would never consent.
She had Wilhelm come not only to entrust Millie to him, but also to ask him to kill her.
“If it was only me in Sigurd, it would have worked, maybe.”
The lack of worry in Wilhelm’s words clouded Hermie’s expression further.
There was a definite difference between Wilhelm and Hermie’s reactions to the coming danger.
The cause for this difference was one simple thing. Knowing a certain person or not.
Who could ever predict it?
That the race talked about in myths was now here in this city?
Who could ever predict it?
That he and his comrades were already on the move?
Part 2
“I’d be very interested in hearing more about that.”
The direct reaction to Wilhelm’s words came from someone who wasn’t supposed to be there.
“Hey there, good job in finding out that I was here.”
Wilhelm cast a sharp glance at Eline. He had appeared with a timing that was too perfect.
The spot Eline appeared from had no entrances or exits. Wilhelm had guessed that Eline had hidden himself or there could have been a secret passage.
Wilhelm at first found it suspicious that Eline had not staged an ambush, but concluded that considering Eline’s personality and abilities, it wouldn’t be strange for him to not do something like that.
“I had Lady Holy Woman there predict it. She probably doesn’t remember though.”
Eline revealed the whole truth about his presence, with the same grin he had the last time they met in the church.
His words surprised the source of the prediction, Hermie, the most.
“That can’t be! I couldn’t have predicted him coming here, I…!”
“You did. But, you were told to forget about it. I was surprised to hear that you had seen Wilhelm in this city, though. Together with a rare creature like a black-haired elf too. Bayreuth is quite far from here though, was it her ability that let you travel such a distance in this short time?”
The manipulation item could even modify memories.
Eline’s words and Hermie’s expression convinced Wilhelm that it was the truth.
At the same time, the anger he had suppressed welled up within him.
Wilhelm could not forgive him for wounding Rashia and kidnapping Millie; on top of that, after witnessing how he toyed with Hermie, who was even ready to sacrifice herself, it would have been impossible not to be furious.
“You think I’m going to tell you?”
Wilhelm’s words implied the absurdity of such a question.
Wilhelm told Millie to stand back and materialized 『Beinot』 from his item cards. His eyes did not leave Eline for a second.
The rage burning within Wilhelm was about to rip through his body and erupt.
“Oh, I don’t really care either way. What is that spear, though? It is truly beautiful!”
“I couldn’t care less about your damn opinion.”
“It is truly regretful not being able to share this emotion. I am in a good mood right now, so I will let it go. I am really glad that you brought me such a spear. Who would think that you’d have an even greater spear than the one from last time? You should have wielded it earlier. Holding back is something really cruel to do.”
Unlike Wilhelm, Eline’s whole body expressed how good his mood was.
His eyes were fixed on 『Beinot』, which Wilhelm was wielding. His expression was that of a child who had found a brand new toy.
“I’m going to pay you back for last time, here and now.”
“Haha, rather than paying me back, you should worry about having more to pay instead.”
Eline’s hand was already gripping 『Exvaine』. His jovial expression did not hide the same contempt he had during his first bout against Wilhelm.
His stance showed that after seeing 『Beinot』, Eline had understood that things wouldn’t go like last time.
Wilhelm too, however, was different from last time. The weapon he was wielding was different, but more than that, his whole body was perfectly focused, without the slightest strain: his fighting stance showed no openings.
The distance between the two contenders was roughly 10 mels. After making sure that the guide had made Hermie step back, Wilhelm pointed the tip of his spear towards Eline.
“Shaa!” (T/N: Literally “Shii”. Something like a war cry.)
Wilhelm took the first step.
Wilhelm, whose speed was boosted by the support magic “Ki Manipulation* – Kassen (Living Lightning)”, started his offensive against Eline. (T/N: Also translated as Spirit Manipulation)
Eline’s weapon might have been a High Human creation, but the range of attack for a great sword and a spear are very different. 『Beinot』 had encroached on Eline’s attack range.
“I will not go down so easily.”
Eline held his 『Exvaine』 on the trajectory of Wilhelm’s thrust.
While a sword’s middle part could be said to be its weak point, 『Exvaine』’s abnormally high firmness managed to repel 『Beinot』’s strike.
『Venom』 would have caused him to suffer damage from this clash, but now Wilhelm was wielding 『Beinot』, the masterpiece Shin had crafted based on 『Venom』.
Being the same grade as 『Exvaine』, there was no decisive difference in performance between the two weapons.
If a difference arose, it would be because of the user’s skill and the weapon’s attributes.
After repelling Wilhelm’s strike, Eline’s 『Exvaine』 parried 『Beinot』’s tip, which had changed its target to his feet.
His body slid naturally, without opposing the force thrusting forward.
Eline then moved one step forward, faster than Wilhelm could pull back 『Beinot』.
After parrying one blow, Eline drew closer to Wilhelm, using 『Exvaine』 as a shield.
The distance between the two grew smaller and smaller.
Wilhelm, however, would not make the mistake of entering into 『Exvaine』’s attack range.
One step before Eline’s attack range. Just before stepping inside it, Wilhelm changed the pattern of his attacks.
The methods of attack with the spear are the thrust, focused on one point, and the sweep, boasting a range far superior to other conventional weapons.
The multiple thrusts that had been repeated until that point vanished in an instant, turning into a platinum circle, which attacked Eline the next second.
“Quite impressive!”
After blocking the resulting blow, far heavier than the previous thrusts, Eline found himself forced to increase the distance.
Looking at his feet would show burning tracks caused by his shoes grinding against the floor.
The damage sustained was not much, but it was proof that it wasn’t a blow that he could lightly parry on the spot.
“Very good. It appears I can get serious too.”
Eline, once again, stepped forward with the intention of closing the distance that had formed previously. His speed was clearly different compared to the movements up until a while ago.
Eline too had reinforced his physical abilities with “Ki Manipulation”, as Wilhelm had done.
Now the thrusts slicing through the air were not just parried, but knocked aside directly from the front by Eline’s blade. Because their basic stats were different, with the skill’s physical boost Eline’s STR was greater.
Letting his sword arm’s power take control, Eline was swinging the 2-mels long 『Exvaine』 as if it was a long sword.
A crimson arc is drawn in the air and 『Beinot』’s silver flash is repelled.
Few weapons in the world could manage to withstand the attacks of Wilhelm’s 『Beinot』.
If Eline’s weapon had been a legend-grade at most, it could have been possible to push through thanks to the difference in weapon type.
Eline’s weapon, however, had a surprisingly high performance.
Even under Wilhelm’s frontal thrusts, it managed to parry all blows without even the slightest grinding sound.
Eline’s skills were undoubtedly top-notch. He could perfectly defend himself against the spear’s continuous strikes with a weapon as unwieldy as the great sword.
“Tch, looks like the Hero title isn’t just for show.”
“Oh my, you knew? To challenge me despite knowing about that…you must have a death wish.”
Eline responded thus to the words muttered by Wilhelm.
“I heard it increases your status, but I’ll be damned if you aren’t the least worthy of such a title.”
The Title and character did not match.
The character might not be Eline’s fault entirely, but even so, a less fitting match would be difficult to find, or so Wilhelm thought.
“If you envy me, you should just say so. I am a Chosen One. For me to possess a special title like that could be said to be inevitable.”
“Hah, save the dream talk for when you sleep”
The two contenders’ blades collided and made sparks fly.
Even while taunting him, Eline had entered within range to attack Wilhelm. With the enemy so close, even Wilhelm could not continue his flurry of thrusts.
“What’s wrong? Did you think you were stronger simply because you have a new weapon? This duel will end just as the last one did!”
As if in response to Wilhelm’s earlier sweep, Eline suddenly changed 『Exvaine』’s trajectory, which he had been swinging vertically until then.
The swing, originally aimed at Wilhelm’s head, changed directions towards his abdomen, with a sharp angle that a weapon as a massive as a great sword shouldn’t be capable of.
The strike, performed by drawing a sideways V in the air, was the sword art “Aerial Slash”.
『Exvaine』’s deep red light bared its fangs, attempting to cleave Wilhelm apart.
Before such a blade, ordinary armor would be tantamount to nothing.
That is the reason why it should be stopped not with armor, but with another weapon.
Wilhelm, who attempted to parry the overhead blow with 『Beinot』’s handle, swiftly lowered his left arm and matched his spear’s tip with 『Exvaine』.
As 『Exvaine』 and 『Beinot』 clashed, a larger spark burst in the air.
“Gah…”
“My, I suppose it will not go just like last time, then.”
The heavy blow forced his soles to grind against the floor, but unlike their previous bout, this time Wilhelm did not suffer large damage of unknown origins.
Wilhelm was safe because of the temporary physical boost provided by a skill and 『Beinot』’s sturdiness.
Wilhelm had heard from Shin about 『Exvaine』’s abilities. The damage of unknown nature that Wilhelm had suffered during their previous fight too was due to them.
“Looks like what he said was really the truth.”
Wilhelm whispered so after confirming that there was nothing abnormal with his body.
He did not doubt Shin’s words, but he needed to see with his own eyes before finally accepting the truth.
Seeing Wilhelm withstanding his blow, Eline’s smiling expression seemed to hide his intentions.
“For some reason, it seems like you know about my weapon. Since it is a High Human creation, I am not deeply familiar with its abilities yet. It appears there is more I need to ask you.”
“No need to worry. You won’t have any use of it either way.”
After saying so, Wilhelm’s mouth formed a grin.
Maybe because he was irritated by that attitude, the smile Eline was wearing on his lips changed in nature.
“That is fine, extracting information is not one of my duties after all. I shall grant you the opportunity of witnessing my true strength. I trust you will make this enjoyable.”
His words had barely left his lips when Eline’s body was enveloped in golden light.
His shining figure was indeed reminiscing of a character from a heroic myth.
“…too bad he’s like that inside.”
Eline was wrapped in blinding light. Knowing about his character, however, prevented Wilhelm for feeling even a shred of divinity in such a view.
The waves of power emitted by Eline were definitely growing stronger. However, despite their difference in status growing even larger, Wilhelm’s attitude did not change.
“You guys!! Stay back so you don’t get involved in this!!”
After warning Hermie and the others, Wilhelm brandished 『Beinot』 in a fighting stance.
Without wasting time, 『Exvaine』 drew closer.
While not being as wide as a spear’s, a great sword’s attack range was longer than most weapons.
Due to Eline’s charging momentum and 『Exvaine』’s blade length, Wilhelm felt as if the tip of the foe’s blade suddenly appeared before his eyes.
“……….”
Wilhelm struck back that same tip, without a word. Holding 『Beinot』 near the tip, he counterattacked with the least movement possible.
The strike had been performed with surprising reaction speed, and the small arc it formed repelled 『Exvaine』’s blade.
Wilhelm followed it by stepping forward. His left hand still held the spear’s tip, while the right changed positions and lifted the end of the handle upwards.
“Oops!”
The strike, aimed square at the chest, was avoided by Eline twisting his body out of the way. With his extended arm, he then forcefully swung 『Exvaine』 wide.
Even without Eline’s full strength behind it, that slash would have been enough to cut Wilhelm apart.
Judging it not necessary to parry, Wilhelm avoided it by crouching. At the same time, he quickly rotated 『Beinot』 and thrust it at Eline.
After observing the sword cleave above his head , Wilhelm released a thrust with all his strength.
The strike, enveloped in blue and silver light, stabbed Eline’s chest with a speed that far exceeded his predictions.
“Tch!!”
The piercing strike that had left a blinding light effect on Eline was the spear and light combination art “Tetralight Firestreak”.
After a strike performed with 『Beinot』, four spears of light followed by piercing Eline’s armor.
Yet Wilhelm’s hands did not feel the sensation of pierced flesh.
“That kind of speed…it’s not just an ordinary skill, is it.”
Glancing at the missing pieces of armor from his abdomen, Eline stopped smiling.
Even though he barely parried it, the damage he received would have been enough to inflict a grave wound had he been hit squarely.
“You’re not the only one who wasn’t serious yet.”
Wilhelm watched Eline with the vertically slashed pupil of his left eye. It was the sign that the Dragnil blood flowing within Wilhelm had awakened.
What had pierced through Eline’s armor was not just the weapon’s strength.
Wilhelm had unleashed his trump card, the “Evil Dragon Release”, which allowed him to use Lord and Dragnil powers at the same time, thus boosting his stats.
“That eye…I see, so you are a critical.”
A streak of blood flows from Eline’s abdomen.
Even if slightly, Wilhelm’s strike had managed to wound him.
Without bothering to answer Eline’s words, Wilhelm kicked the ground.
The thrusts of his spear, infused with his whole body’s power, moved at a speed incomparable to the strikes Eline had previously parried.
『Beinot』, transformed in a silver blur, attacked Eline while piercing through the air with sounds akin to screams
“Don’t you dare look down on me!!”
Eline attacked back at the enemy spear, which looked like a blur.
Even if Wilhelm’s physical abilities had increased, it was not enough to determine who had the advantage.
Crimson slashes danced in the air.
Silver and red. The two lights clashed repeatedly between Wilhelm and Eline, creating innumerable sparks in midair.
“……….!!!”
After a more intense clash between the blades, the two contenders created some distance between each other.
After a brief moment, they started their offensive at the same time.
Wilhelm chose the spear and lightning combination art “Thunderhowl”.
Eline chose the sword and fire combination art “Blast Cross”.
“WOOOOOOOOHHHH!!!”
Their battle cries overlap.
At this point, not only Wilhelm but also Eline could not afford to hold anything back.
He who relents will lose. As both men knew it, the strength gripping their weapons’ hilts was the maximum they could muster.
“Gh…! This, can’t…!!”
Eline voices his disbelief. 『Beinot』, which had turned into a silver flash of lightning before his eyes, was cutting down the blood-red fiery flames wrapped around 『Exvaine』.
“Your mask is falling, false hero!!!”
The sparks and flames emitted from their clash of strength were burning the floor and ceiling.
A good distance behind Wilhelm, Hermie let out a scream.
The balance slowly changed. The sound of Eline’s shoes grinding against the floor grew louder and louder.
—I can cut through you!!
With a sharp stroke, Wilhelm thrust 『Beinot』 forward.
Their clash had lasted for roughly 15 seconds. The fiery flames, crushed under the lightning’s pressure, disappeared in a thin mist.
“It’s over!!”
Eline replies quietly to Wilhelm’s shout.
“Yes…it’s over indeed.”
As Eline finished uttering these words, Wilhelm felt a shock throughout his body.
“What….the….?”
Alongside the shock, Wilhelm felt something entering his body, His experience told him it was a small blade.
What he didn’t understand was who could have done it.
“You didn’t think I would just do nothing, did you…?”
“W-what…?”
Wilhelm felt his hands losing their strength. 『Beinot』, which he was about to pierce Eline with, turned into a spark and vanished in midair.
Eline, his composure regained, motioned with his chin as if telling Wilhelm to look behind him, and the latter does.
“Da..DAMN YOUUUUUU!!!!”
Wilhelm shouts loudly, trying to move his now powerless body.
Before him stood Millie, with hollow eyes and a bloody knife in her hand.
She had come closer to Wilhelm and Eline’s clash and her arms suffered burns because of it.
The knife had probably been poisoned, as not only his arms, but Wilhelm’s whole body was gradually losing strength.
Hermie’s scream wasn’t due to the effects of Wilhelm and Eline’s battle.
“It looks like you gathered a fair share of information, but apparently it wasn’t enough. It’s possible to control more than one person at a time, you see?”
Eline makes his revelation with a smile again plastered on his face.
Hermie and Millie are in the enemy’s hands, the guide cannot be of any help in battle. Furthermore, Wilhelm was wounded by surprise. The situation was already desperate.
“Fighting you has been quite entertaining. It’s a true shame that there won’t be a next time, you know?”
Eline’s smile twists and warps. His expression didn’t show a shred of heroic valor.
His smile, an expression that normally gives positive feelings to others, had turned into a hideous mask that could only provoke disgust.
In its eyes danced only the insanity of a life spent pursuing desire.
“Time to say our farewells. We shall make good use of your corpse.”
Eline, showing no intention of capturing his prey alive, raised 『Exvaine』 high, ready to give the final blow.
….but his intentions would never be fulfilled.
Just before his sword arm swung down, the room’s door blew open with a booming sound.
The solid door swung open in a V shape and flew towards Eline.
“WhaGHAH!!”
What split the flying door in two and blocked Eline’s eyesight was a fist clad in a red gauntlet.
That one blow crushed Eline’s nose, smashed his chin and sank his face inwards.
Where Eline was standing there was a black-haired man wearing a black long coat with red streaks.
“I made it just in time…or was I too late?”
Looking at Wilhelm and Millie, Shin let out words filled with anger.
Part 3
Around the time Wilhelm was heading over to meet Millie.
Shin’s party was inspecting the interior of Palmirack, as they were looking for a certain room.
“This one is closed too.”
They were looking for Cain’s – Palmirack’s master – room.
Cain was extremely fond of gimmicks, a passion reflected by the great number of hidden doors, passageways, and armories throughout Palmirack that would normally go by unnoticed.
Among them was a hidden passageway that led to the room housing Palmirack’s core. It was located in Cain’s room, the room with the most dangerous gimmicks in all of Palmirack, as proof of its special status.
But as long as they found the room, Shin’s party would have broken through. Once inside the room they would fully activate Palmirack’s core and take back control of Palmirack: Millie’s location would then be crystal clear.
Thus they kept searching for Cain’s room, but the sheer number of closed partitions was making their search a difficult one.
If they could find the passageway, they would have already entered the room and activated the core.
“Being a room of top importance, it’s probably designed to not let anyone inside.”
“It could be. I’m also concerned that Wilhelm’s not answering our messages…let’s look one more time. If we don’t find anything, we’re breaking through.”
Shin nodded at Schnee’s words and decided their next course of action.
They didn’t do so from the beginning because most of Palmirack’s walls and partitions were made of chimeradite, a material with incredible properties.
It wouldn’t be too hard for Shin’s party to simply break through, but destroying a 20-cemel thick chimeradite wall without anyone noticing would be impossible.
An attack of considerable strength would be required, and the resulting sound and vibrations could alert the surroundings.
If only a few people were present in the Church, it was possible for nothing to happen, but, unfortunately, many resided within Palmirack’s walls, especially figures of high rank; like the pope and cardinals, priests in training and the senior priests instructing them. In addition, there were many knights stationed to protect the church.
The priests in training were also in charge of cooking and cleaning, thus always on the move throughout the building. If loud sounds or vibrations occurred, they would learn of it immediately.
“It’s not here either.”
Shin’s party had moved past a hallway blocked by a dead-end, returning to the previous doorway, but found their progress once again opposed by a partition.
Nothing else to do, they decided. We must break through.
At first they sensed the surrounding presence, waiting for as many people as possible to be far from their location. At the same time Schnee activated “Silent Domain”, a skill disrupting the surrounding sounds. The probability of anyone noticing sounds caused by them thus dropped significantly.
Shin confirmed the skill’s activation, pulled out a card from the item box and materialized it. From Shin’s hands then appeared one katana.
Resting within a candid sheath decorated with red petals was 『Hakuramaru』, a katana of Ancient grade.
Shin calculated the timing when the least people were in their surroundings and prepared to unsheath『Hakuramaru』.
As the skill activated 『Hakuramaru』’s hilt became a blur and three silver streaks ran across the wall’s surface.
The katana martial skill “Iai – Hiengasane” (Iai – Flock of Swallows) accelerated the slashes which drew an imperfect triangle on the wall.
Without relaxing his guard, Shin placed 『Hakuramaru』 in its sheath and pushed the wall with his right hand, causing part of the slashed partition to fall on the side opposite to Shin’s party.
The falling metal caused a large vibration upon hitting the ground.
However, thanks to “Silent Domain” the rumbling sound was not heard by anyone.
Also because of the distance, the people present near Shin’s party did notice the vibrations but did not make a ruckus about it.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Shin and Schnee passed through the opening in the wall and stepped into Palmirack’s inner quarters.
In the off-chance someone passed nearby, they put back part of the fallen partition where it originally was. After returning the wall to its former state, all light penetrating from outside was shut out, making it hard to see anything.
Shin and Schnee both activated their detection skills to their maximum capabilities and proceeded quickly along the dark corridors. What they were wary of the most were the traps set around Cain’s room.
If Shin was registered as Cain’s comrade there would be no obstacles, but if that had been revoked it would mean stepping foot in Palmirack’s most dangerous trap zone.
Shin, partly involved in the creation of the traps, absolutely did not want to fall victim to their effects.
“….no traps, apparently.”
“Yes, I do not perceive any danger either.”
Shin and Schnee proceed onwards, with the utmost care possible. No matter how much they advanced through Palmirack, no traps seem to activate.
Taking advantage of such an opportunity, they quicken their steps towards Cain’s quarters.
Even though the map function was unusable, he had visited that place many times in the past. Shin proceeded with confidence and stopped before a certain door shortly after.
Confirming the absence of any traps, Shin was preparing the keys, when a rattling sound reached his ears.
“The lock opened?”
“Probably.”
Schnee nodded to Shin’s question.
Putting strength in the hand holding the knob was enough for the door to open without any resistance. It appears that the lock had been disabled simply by Shin’s presence.
“My registration… is still active, then.”
Shin still remembered that function. If someone registered in the system simply touched the knob, the door would open automatically.
The room was as Shin remembered it: a round table and chairs, cupboards, kitchen and other furniture, in the same arrangement he was used to, lying quietly in the darkness.
One difference was the dust piled on all of them. The room’s environment control system was not active.
Not only Shin, but any visitor could have understood that the room had not been in use for a long time.
“…let’s go. The secret passageway is in the back.”
“….yes.”
After a brief pause in the silent room, Shin walked towards the back. Schnee followed after softly replying to him.
The room in the back was only about 30 square feet: dust completely covered the desk and chairs within.
Shin drew closer to the bookshelves and pushed on the 4th book from the left of the 4th shelf from below. This caused the shelves to quietly slide to the left, showing a type of door that opened left and right from the center.
That door too opened automatically as Shin went closer. It concealed a so-called elevator.
The doors closed on their own after Shin and Schnee stepped past them; the elevator then started descending.
After roughly 10 seconds of that floating sensation, the elevator stopped and its doors opened to a dimly lit hallway.
One minute later, Shin and Schnee had already reached Palmirack’s center, the room housing the core.
The room was shaped as a cube, with each side measuring 10 mels. At its center floated a black sphere of 50 cemels of diameter.
Innumerable geometric symbols were engraved on its surface, while streams of light ran periodically through the thin canals etched on the object.
Those lights, however, were extremely faint.
“What’s this?”
Shin, after checking once again for the presence of the traps, walked towards the center of the room and the core.
“Is there anything wrong?”
“The core looks different from what I remember. The lights running on its surface used to be brighter and even though my data should still be registered, it won’t respond to my presence.”
Originally, the interior control menu was supposed to be displayed in midair whenever a member of the Rokuten approached. However, this was not the case this time around.
“Shin, there are traces of miasma in this room!”
“Miasma!?”
As Shin walked forward for a closer examination, Schnee raised her voice suddenly, looking shocked.
Surprised, Shin focused on his surroundings and felt the unmistakable nauseating presence of miasma.
“Are you serious? I hadn’t noticed.”
“I suppose your resistance is too strong, thus its effects were nullified without you noticing. I do not possess a resistance as strong as yours, that’s why I could notice, I think. Nevertheless, what could this mean?”
Shin was now extremely resistant to all types of abnormal status effects. The miasma in the room was just enough to cause an ordinary person to feel sick, so it did not have any effect on Shin.
Schnee’s resistance, also because of her race’s characteristics, was greatly inferior to Shin’s, thus she could notice the miasma’s presence.
“It doesn’t look like it’s penetrating from outside.”
“A possibility is that the miasma mixed within the atmosphere accumulated over time, I suppose.”
Miasma is present wherever living beings are. In a place like the kingdom’s capital, a mass of all sorts of entangled emotions, it was possible for miasma to accumulate without anyone knowing.
Of course, even if such a thing had been done deliberately, it was not possible for it to accumulate enough to cause something serious. The quantity in that room was that small.
Palmirack operated its interior by absorbing the surrounding magical power. Thus, while gathering magical power it had also absorbed the miasma mixed within it, or so Schnee thought.
“Could be. It’s too little to be caused by a Demon.”
Shin could not deny the possibility that after 500 years, some effect would be expected. He nodded while purifying the miasma.
After the miasma disappeared, the lights streaking over the core regained their brightness. At the same time, the Palmirack control menu appeared before Shin’s eyes.
Without wasting a second, Shin searched all individuals present within Palmirack. Narrowing down targets using categories such as level, race and gender, he found only one applicable result.
“Underground, huh. There are 4 other responses nearby?”
He found a response in one of the rooms underground. It was a relatively large one.
Together with the response thought to be Millie, there were 2 others in front and 2 behind her.
“….!? This is…!!”
Shin operated the menu to display the room in question. The screen shifted to show Millie running, a black blade in her hand.
Before her, Wilhelm was clashing against a man with a red great sword. Millie was running towards Wilhelm, but her facial expression seemed to lack focus.
“Schnee, we’re jumping!”
“Yes!”
This is bad.
Shin felt it instinctively. He operated the menu at high-speed and activated the short-distance teleportation function within Palmirack.
Shin and Schnee had been transported just in front of the room where Millie and the others were. Thinking it troublesome to open it, Shin let his strength take control and punched the door open.
The doors opened in a V-shape and flew with a booming sound towards the man with the red sword
Shin had found the location of the people inside the building with the menu and his detection abilities, while seeing the red sword was enough to let him understand that the man facing against Wilhelm was Eline.
Shin flew into the room right after the door did.
There, he found Wilhelm kneeling on the floor, with the knife protruding from his back, and Millie staring blankly at her bloody hand.
To Shin’s eyes as player, Millie’s status was clearly shown as “Submission”.
The visual seen in the core room and this status window were enough to let Shin know what had happened in the short time they employed to teleport.
“Wgwah!!”
With the same skill-powered fists that had broken the door in two, Shin pounded mercilessly on Eline’s face.
Leaving the sensation of broken bones on Shin’s hands, Eline spun in midair. After flying for several mel he crashed on a wall and slumped down on the floor.
He would not die; the skill was used to prevent it.
There were things Shin needed to ask: and no matter how enraged he was, he would never kill someone on the spot.
It was a completely different question if being left alive would be pleasant for Eline, though.
“I made it just in time…or was I too late?”
Looking at Wilhelm clenching his teeth and Millie’s still vacant expression, Shin realized his voice was still imbued with anger. He grabbed 『Exvaine』 with the hand that had sent Eline flying.
“Schnee, heal Wilhelm. I’ll take care of Millie.”
“Understood. What shall we do about that?”
“Our first priority is this. I paralyzed him, so he can’t use teleportation.”
The skill Shin had used on his fists was the bare-handed martial skill “Nonfatal Fist”.
A common element of RPGs and battle-focused VR games, this technique leaves the opponent with at least 1 HP.
This technique also had the effect of paralyzing the opponent and preventing the usage of skills for a set time. Among similar skills there are “Willow Throw” and “Nonfatal Blade”, previously used against Barlux.
Shin saw clearly from Eline’s HP gauge that he barely had any left. Shin’s attack had landed cleanly. If it wasn’t for “Nonfatal Fist”, Eline would be mincemeat by now.
After confirming that he had been inflicted with paralysis, Shin decided that they could ignore him for a while.
Schnee nodded at Shin’s words and cast healing magic on Wilhelm.
Shin made sure Wilhelm’s HP gauge was increasing and turned over to Millie.
“……….”
Even with Shin standing before her, Millie didn’t show any response. She simply stared blankly into space, hollow reflections filling her eyes. As the displayed “Submission” status clearly showed, she had to be equipped with a submission item.
Shin focused on observing Millie and noticed a kind of black mist emanating from her right arm.
“Let me roll up your sleeves a little.”
Rolling up Millie’s right sleeve exposed a round item with the same golden characters present on Hermie’s collar.
Submission items were generally shaped like collars, but this allowed them to be equipped on the arms or legs of children like Millie.
Even during the game, believing in stereotypes like “collars are always equipped on necks” caused players to be caught by surprise from time to time.
Not knowing that the item would be effective even if equipped on someone’s arms, Hermie and the others did not consider the possibility that Millie could have been manipulated too.
“I’m going to release you now.”
Probably thanks to his ability as “Liberator”, Shin knew how to destroy the item.
Shin focused magic power on his left arm and grabbed the bracelet. The focused magic power scattered the black mist away and the loud noise of something cracking could be heard.
As Shin released his grip, the bracelet, now reduced to bits, vanished in a puff of smoke.
As the “Submission” status display vanished along with the bracelet, strength left Millie’s unconscious body. Shin caught her as she slumped to the floor, then faced towards Hermie.
“…..I will remove the collar. Please come closer.”
“……Please.”
Hermie was slightly wary of the man who had abruptly appeared in her quarters, but relaxed after witnessing how he punched Eline, healed Wilhelm, and freed Millie.
Hermie came closer and Shin stretched his magic-powered hand, just as he had done with Millie. The collar visibly cracked at Shin’s touch, dissolving in the exact same way as Millie’s bracelet did.
“It’s really disappearing…”
Unlike Millie, Hermie did not lose consciousness; She touched her neck where the collar used to be, as to make sure it was really gone.
“My name is Shin, the woman tending to Wilhelm’s wounds is Yuki. Lilishila requested our help. You are a Holy Woman, is that correct?”
“Yes, I am. So you are the allies Lilishila talked about…my name is Hermie Schultz. I am deeply grateful for your help.”
“We had our own reasons to do this, so please don’t worry about it. Could I ask you to take care of Millie? I’m afraid things will turn quite bloody from now on, thus, it would be truly helpful if you headed with Yuki to where Lilishila is, milady.”
Shin spoke to her because he didn’t think what would likely happen next was something for women to witness.
While saying those words, Shin emanated a completely different aura than when he asked Hermie to take care of Millie. His expression and tone of voice were calm and collected, yet Hermie felt a chill so severe that her whole body trembled.
“….Understood. I leave the rest to you.”
Shin nodded and entrusted Millie’s still unconscious body to Hermie.
When he faced towards Schnee again she had finished healing Wilhelm, who had stood up and was recovering 『Beinot』.
“You’re feeling alright?”
“Yeah, you saved me.”
“If Millie hadn’t been manipulated, victory would have been yours. I’d have appreciated being contacted though.”
Shin’s words turned Wilhelm’s expression sour.
“Yeah, I messed up there. I wasn’t focused enough on reporting the situation closely.”
Hearing Wilhelm’s words made Shin think that this world’s Chosen Ones had abilities so great that it caused them to act without thinking too deeply at times.
“Well, I’m sure you won’t repeat the same mistake twice. Be careful in the future.”
After saying this, Shin turned towards Eline, still knocked out cold on the floor.
“It’s time to have a little chat. What are you going to do, Wilhelm?”
“You’re the one who dealt the final blow. It’s all up to you.”
Wilhelm left everything up to Shin without hesitation because, from Eline’s standpoint, that would be the worst outcome.
Wilhelm and Shin had been talking casually, but as soon as the latter turned his eyes on Eline, they displayed such an intense rage that you could almost see it around him.
Hermie, who had moved close to Schnee, felt her own body tremble because of that pressure.
The guide too almost jumped to protect Hermie after feeling the fierce aura Shin projected.
“You two should come this way. With them in that state, I think it is best to not stay here much longer.”
“Y-yes. We are in your debt.”
Schnee exited the room with Hermie and the guide, judging it wiser for them to leave after noticing the change in Shin’s atmosphere. She contacted Shibaid and they headed to the room where Lilishila was waiting.
After confirming that the group of 3 left the room, Shin and Wilhelm walked closer to Eline.
“……gh…..”
Before Shin could do anything to Eline, they heard him emit a weak grunt. It appears that the upper class chosen one’s recovery ability Eline possessed had allowed him to regain consciousness.
“Hey there, are we feeling alright?”
Shin spoke to Eline in an extremely casual tone.
It would have looked like a conversation between close friends, had Eline’s face not been completely rearranged.
Despite being spoken to, Eline – dripping blood from his nose and mouth – was just trying to slowly stand back up, without saying a word.
Shin waited for Eline to close his wounds with medicine before talking again.
“There’s a lot of things I need to ask you. You’re going to answer me honestly, yeah?”
“How dare you use an underhanded trick like a surprise attack…and to someone like me…!”
Ignoring Shin’s question, Eline let out a voice filled with anger.
He seemed to think that he received an unexpected amount of damage just because he had been caught by surprise.
“Underhanded? I didn’t expect to hear that from the man who had Millie do that ambush”
“I am a chosen existence. My actions are justly performed in God’s name!”
“….I see, talking will get us nowhere. Works for me.”
Eline’s words were those of a fanatic. Words of a man who believed himself to be just, without a shred of a doubt.
For that very reason, Shin lost any scruples he might have had.
“If we can’t resolve things peacefully through conversation, the only thing to do is let our fists talk, am I right?”
Such words might suggest that Shin was thinking of finding a solution via dialogue, but of course that was not the case.
The very moment he saw Eline, he had discarded all possibilities except physical “language”.
“Here you go.”
Shin raised the 『Exvaine』 he was still holding and threw it at Eline.
Eline grabbed the weapon as it was flying towards him. Confusion was clearly present in his expression.
“You’re giving me back my weapon? Are you looking down on me!?”
“Wrong word choice! I’m not “giving it back”, just “lending” it to you for a while. It’s not even yours to begin with.”
Shin’s words started becoming rougher. He was different from the time with Girard: it was possible to sense his tone showed traces of cold cruelty.
“Come at me already. If you’re even able to handle that weapon, that is”
“Damn youuuuu!!!”
Shin’s utter arrogance pushed Eline to charge at him while raising an angry shout.
His physical damage was far from recovered, but even so his speed was enough that it would be hard to react in time for anyone not an upper class chosen one like him.
Shin simply raised his left arm against the coming blade, slicing the air in his direction.
It is not hard to imagine why Eline smiled at such a sight.
『Exvaine』’s sharpness, Eline’s own armpower, the weapon’s own mass. It was normally unthinkable for a mere arm to do something against a blow resulting from the combination of these three factors.
However, the crimson gauntlet equipped on Shin’s arm squarely blocked 『Exvaine』’s blade, which had cleaved through so many weapons.
“This…can’t be.”
Shin did not budge an inch even after receiving the full brunt of Eline’s blow. His arm did not move, nor did he show any expression of pain. He simply looked on at Eline, unfazed.
Sparks had scattered from the gauntlet, but its surface didn’t show the slightest mark. It was unscathed, much like its master.
A full power blow blocked by a single arm. A reality that made Eline emit a raucous whisper.
“…..next.”
“What?”
Eline voiced his doubts at Shin, who looked as if he was waiting for his next move.
“That wasn’t all your power, was it? I’m waiting. Show me your full strength already.”
“W-what!! You, you…!”
Eline’s fury had almost vanished, but Shin’s look – now mixed with pity – stoked its flames high again.
“DON’T LOOK DOWN ON MEEEEE!!”
After instantly increasing the distance from Shin, Eline healed his damage with a skill, which he could finally use again. Without a moment of delay, he delivered another blow reinforced by an offensive skill.
It was the sword and flame combination skill “Clear Bite”.
A diagonal downward slash by a sword wrapped in white-hot flames and a diagonal upward slash with a blade of pure fire attacked Shin from above and below.
“No, that’s my line.”
Even before a strike charged with all the strength Eline could muster, Shin did not draw. He crushed the blade of fire coming from below with a kick through his leg guards and blocked the blade coming from above with his gauntlet, once again.
“H-heh, this is noth…gwaaah!”
Even if the blade had stopped, the flames engulfing it did not.
Eline was confident Shin would have been damaged after blocking the blade the same way as he had done before, but was instead burned by the flames of his own blade, reflected back at him.
“W…what is…going on…”
“What, do you think I’m going to tell you?”
With these words, Shin pressed closer to Eline, without a sound.
Shin’s right arm shot towards Eline, as if with a roar.
“Aah!!”
Eline barely managed to shield himself with 『Exvaine』. The shock of parrying Shin’s blow however, blew the great sword out of his hands.
“As I thought, you’re not fit to handle it…I will face you from the front, fair and square. When you feel like talking, just give the signal.”
Eline’s expression was distorted because of the dull pain in his hands. Without a care for the man’s state, Shin stepped right in front of him.
An uppercut right into the solar plexus. Without a moment to react, Eline is thrown in the air.
“!?!”
Eline flies away, spitting blood, and crashed against the same wall he had been blown to before. The wall, built with special materials, sustains the impact of Eline’s body and repels it back.
Eline falls towards the ground, powerless.
Before he can reach the floor, however, he is stopped by a crimson gauntlet.
“Gwooh!?”
Another fist crashes into him.
A flurry of fists and their afterimages do not allow Eline’s body the solace of reaching the ground.
Face, stomach, right shoulder, face, left body, right chest, face again.
A series of blows which would have knocked out cold any average man, but that an upper level chosen one like Eline could sustain.
Or rather, was made to sustain.
“Oh yeah. I’ll heal before you die, so rest easy, ok?”
After indirectly informing Eline that he will not be allowed to die easily, Shin continues his attack.
The reason why Eline did not die even after such an amount of blows is simply “Nonfatal Fist”.
Thanks to the skill enveloping Shin’s fists, even heart-rending blows or head-splitting attacks see their impact vanish right before it could prove fatal.
Bones are shattered, organs are crushed, but death does not come. It is not possible to die due to shock either.
What increased Eline’s misfortune even more was that Shin had a great quantity of recovery items with him. During the continuous attacks, a small bottle was thrown at Eline, who was in such a pitiful condition that it was almost a mystery how he could be still alive. The small bottle shattered as it made contact with Eline, its liquid contents spilling all over him.
The next moment, Eline’s battered body recovered almost instantly: it looked like someone had pressed the rewind button of a video player.
That was not something to rejoice about, though.
A physical recovery also meant that the sensation of pain, paralyzed by the massive damage, returned as well.
The recovery took a mere 2 seconds. Eline, still floating in midair, was again on the receiving end of a storm of fists.
“Bwaagh!”
The words Eline was about to utter died in his throat. A cycle of destruction and recovery repeating again and again, truly an endless hell.
Shin’s face as he repeated his attacks was completely void of emotion.
He had overcome his anger, now no emotion could be perceived from his expression towards Eline.
It was only a matter of time until Eline’s heart collapsed under this machine-like cycle of actions.
“Ghaah, sdob, sdop…”
The flurry of fists stopped for a moment. Eline, slumped on floor, desperately tried to move his powerless body away from Shin.
There was no trace of the earlier arrogance or anger in him anymore. As Shin moved but one step forward, Eline’s body shook in an almost comical fashion.
“Let’s hear what you have to say then. Oh, any lies and I’m going to kick it up a notch, ok?”
Looking at his own blood dripping from Shin’s fists, Eline nodded energetically. He had received the first completely one-sided beating of his life, which had pulverized any and all thoughts of rebellion.
“Number one. What did you plan to do by kidnapping Millie?”
Eline answered Shin’s questions honestly.
Bulk’s objective was to bring Hermie and Millie to the location of a certain ritual and offer them as sacrifices. He planned to solidify his position in the organization that way.
Eline confessed to not know the location of the ritual and that 『Exvaine』 had been given to him by Bulk.
Concerning the manipulation item, it could control not only the actions but also the memories of the wearer. It cannot, however, alter existing memories, but only delete them.
“I see.”
Eline was speaking the truth.
Even if his spirit had been broken, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t lie. But when he blew Eline away with his fists, Shin had already used a mind interference-type skill.
The skill caused Eline to not feel any desire to hide the truth or any sense or danger in saying everything he knew.
“……….”
Wilhelm was standing behind Shin, silently listening to Eline answering Shin’s questions. Wilhelm expected this kind of outcome, that is why he left everything to Shin without a word.
Wilhelm knew Shin was a High Human. Thus he also thought that he would likely know a mind interference skill, perfect for interrogations.
He did not know if the skill had been used this time, but as Eline was coughing up the requested information, it did not matter if the reason was the skill or the beating he received.
Wilhelm also realized that, considering Shin’s personality, he would not have used a mind interference skill unless absolutely necessary.
The current situation made it undoubtedly necessary.
Shin’s rush of punches made Wilhelm wonder if the man was still alive. Seeing Shin use healing medicine, however, cast away all unneeded worries.
“W-what will you do with me?”
“Hmm? Well, we got the information we needed. Next…you know, don’t you?”
We did what we had to, so you know what’s coming, right? Shin’s expression towards Eline told a clear message.
“L-lord Bulk has probably already captured Lilishila by now. If anything happens to me, who knows what they will do!! Not only to Lilishila, but also the Holy Woman who left earlier!!”
Eline suddenly raised his voice towards Shin. Talking about Bulk made him remember something he had forgotten.
“He’s going to Lilishila, you say?”
Eline grinned at Shin’s question .
“They have chosen ones the same level as me with them! If you want to help them, do not lay another finger on me!!
Apparently Eline was planning to use the hostages as a shield to escape the current situation. If they could take Hermie and Millie hostage, he was sure it would be more difficult for Shin’s party to move as they wanted.
Eline’s tough act was extremely ridiculous to Shin and Wilhelm’s eyes.
“Yeah, I surely hope for you they’ve taken hostages.”
Shin cast words filled with pity to Eline.
Eline’s smile stiffened when faced with Shin’s nonchalant attitude.
“W-what are you saying. The Elf Tamer is going to the inn this very moment. The elf that was with you can’t stand a chance against Konig’s close combat prowess either. Will you act so tough even after they are captured?”
“I think there’s a big misunderstanding here…”
Shin looked at Eline coldly and delivered a verbal coup the grace.
“….when have I ever said that my comrades are not with Lilishila right now?”
Part 4
“Will Shin and the others be alright?”
After Shin’s party left, Lilishila’s group was waiting in her room.
In the current situation, even if they acted, they wouldn’t accomplish much. As it was unthinkable that only Eline was under Bulk’s command, acting carelessly would have been dangerous.
Waiting without doing anything, though, was painful not only for Lilishila, but also for the knights at her side.
“Shin and Yuki will not have any trouble even if they face Eline head on. What we should worry about is the movements of the enemy’s other troops.”
Casting Lilishila’s worries aside, Shibaid leant against the wall of the corridor leading to the entrance. His words were filled with the absolute trust he felt towards Shin.
Not knowing that Shin was a High Human, Lilishila’s group was probably worried at the thought of a head-on battle against Eline. Eline’s fighting ability was just that great.
“Well then, it appears it is time for us to move too.”
Less than an hour since Shin’s party left, Shibaid spoke while staring at one point in the room.
“What happened?”
“There’s a group of people walking in this direction. Judging from the fact that they are not hiding their hostile intentions, they must be Bulk’s lackeys.”
Shibaid’s words made Lilishila feel more anxious.
On her side there were 4 people, Shibaid included. Even if they were all competent fighters, depending on the enemy numbers, they might be at an overwhelming disadvantage.
Shibaid’s party left the room, thinking it would be dangerous to fight inside. As they got out, there was a group of people heading towards them.
Leading the group was none other than Bulk himself.
“Oh my, where are we going now?”
“Nowhere that may concern you, Father Bulk.”
“My apologies, but I do have business with Lady Lilishila. If you would kindly accompany me, I am sure Her Highness the Holy Woman would be pleased as well. ”
“Kh…!”
The sly grin formed by Bulk’s lips made Lilishila feel goosebumps.
If it was possible, she would have crushed him to the ground, then and there. Her clenched fist and teeth expressed that wish very clearly to anyone who would look at her.
Someone then put a hand on Lilishila’s shoulder.
“Lady Lilishila, it appears you do not need to accompany this charming fellow anywhere anymore.”
“But…could it be that…!!”
Lilishila, who had understood the meaning implied by Shibaid’s words, completely changed her expression.
“Yes, I just received contact from Yuki. They are heading here as we speak.”
Shibaid nodded strongly, and not only Lilishila but also the knights erupted in cheers. At the same time, their hostility flowed freely to the group blocking their way.
“W-what’s with those looks? Have you forgotten what it means to defy me!?”
“How could I forget. Or rather, it’s impossible for me to forget.”
Lilishila could not contain a chuckle, as her body was wrapped in highly dense magic power.
Bulk, feeling the danger emanating from Lilishila’s clear intentions of attacking, drew his weapon and stepped forward.
Those behind him also took out their weapons.
“Ko, Konig! Protect me!! You all too, step forward!!!”
“Konig? It can’t be, you too…?”
Looking at the knights before her, Lilishila too said that name, with surprise in her voice.
Konig was a knight that was dispatched to Balmel, and by that logic, he was not supposed to be here at Palmirack.
“Lady Lilishila…I apologize..”
“Do not apologize. I am aware of the circumstances.”
Konig, who had stepped forward as well, showed eyes clearly filled with regret.
His struggle to stop the body that was moving against his will was palpable to Lilishila, who was also well versed in the ways of fighting.
His regret was felt by the people opposing him, as if it was their own.
“Flee, I beg of you…! Or I will cut you down…!”
Konig’s arms slowly reached the blade at his waist. The brilliantly decorated weapon was the legend-class magical sword 『Haufer』.
『Haufer』, unsheathed with a brilliant sound of metal, sparkled with an almost transparent silver gleam, in utter contrast with its owner’s will.
“Is that a real magical blade?”
As he drew the magical blade, an overwhelming pressure emanated from Konig’s body, as if to crush his opponents. Despite his manipulated state, his strength did not waver an inch.
Lilishila’s party, who was prepared to fight, could not help stiffening before Konig’s presence.
“Ha-hahaha. What happened to all your confidence and boasting?”
Noticing Lilishila’s party’s hesitation, Bulk had regained his composure and was now jeering at them, standing right behind Konig.
None of them, however, had lost to Konig’s aura of pressure.
“Well then, I suppose we should start by stopping this man.”
These nonchalant words were spoken by Shibaid.
His equipment was the same as when he joined with Shin’s party, light gear covering only part of his body.
The only difference was the silver-colored gauntlet he was now wearing. Lines of black mixed with silver grain covered the whole item.
Shibaid had materialized one of his original pieces of equipment.
“Hmph. Konig is one of the most capable upper class chosen ones. If I were you, I would not boast so quickly.”
Bulk, enjoying the view of Lilishila’s party being pressured by Konig, bit back at Shibaid.
To Bulk, it looked like Shibaid was just bluffing.
“You petty scum…do not think that you have angered only Lady Lilishila.”
As Shibaid uttered those words, the pressure bearing on Lilishila’s party suddenly vanished.
Immediately after that, as if the pressure had simply changed targets, the knights standing before Bulk kneeled to the ground.
They looked as if an unseen giant was pushing on them with all its weight.
“W-what the…gah…!”
The sight of his knights groveling had shaken Bulk, who too was forced on his knees slightly later.
A pressure so strong, trained knights succumbed to it: it was impossible for Bulk to resist. He cried, lying on the ground like a flattened frog.
Originally, techniques that pressure the opponent with one’s aura or spirit did not have the effect of pushing the opponent down physically. The pressure was felt simply on an emotional level.
However, in Shibaid’s case it was slightly different.
“I have heard of all your despicable acts. You will not escape me.”
Shibaid’s deeply resonating voice shook Bulk’s eardrums. As if responding to his anger, the pressure emanating from Shibaid grew even more intense.
At the same time, the floor around Shibaid started cracking.
Shibaid’s main job is Holy Knight. Its role is to be an iron wall, a shield to repel enemy attacks.
If we were to compare skills that attracts the enemy’s attention and pressure enemies into submission. Shibaid boasts the best aptitude among all the support characters.
Against enemies with great difference in abilities, it even manages to pressure them physically.
“The church headquarters…is vibrating…?”
Konig, the only one of Bulk’s entourage still on his feet, looked at Shibaid with disbelief in his eyes.
Konig felt that Palmirack itself was resonating with Shibaid’s anger.
“I know you are being controlled, Sir Konig. As I have no way to break that collar, I will have to be somewhat rough…I trust you will understand.”
“…I would rather be killed than for my blade to slay those without sin”.
“Your spirit is truly commendable.”
Shibaid’s words provoked an explosive acceleration in Konig’s movements. The afterglow following his blade swings painted streaks of light in the air.
As a weapon worthy of its “Legendary” grade, 『Haufer』 sliced through the air with little resistance, aiming at Shibaid’s neck.
It all happened in an instant.
Being controlled allowed Konig to perform a movement he would normally find difficult, a swing at his maximum speed.
The blade, however, was stopped right before meeting its target, by a silver gauntlet.
“!?!”
A sharp metallic sound. It was 『Haufer』’s cry after grinding against the gauntlet.
The shock of the impact and the difference in quality between the two weapons resulted in only 『Haufer』 to be damaged.
A result which left Konig wide-eyed and speechless.
Immediately after that, the gauntlet, which had stopped 『Haufer』, vanished in thin air, together with Shibaid himself.
“…..Go to sleep.”
The instant those words reached Konig’s ears, he was already drawing his blade…only to be hit vertically into the air.
Where Konig was standing just before, now stood Shibaid, his fist raised in the air. The armor which saved Konig’s life so many times on the battlefield now bore a deep dent in the shape of Shibaid’s fist.
Konig, blown in midair by Shibaid, crashed against the ceiling with roughly the same speed as he had stepped in to swing his blade.
“Gwah!!”
A counter performed after blocking the opponent’s attack.
That single blow was enough for Konig’s body not to follow its master’s will anymore.
Yet the emotion filling Konig’s chest was not surprise.
Towards the existence of an overwhelmingly powerful warrior, capable of dealing with upper class chosen ones with ease, who did not accept or forgive evil.
Towards the fact that a person like that appeared before him.
“I am…thank…ful…”
After uttering these words, Konig lost consciousness.
“If you lose consciousness, you cannot move even under manipulation, is that it?”
Shibaid went closer to Konig’s body and confirmed that all strength had left it.
As he did not know how the control worked, Shibaid put restrains on him to be sure.
“I cahn’t, beliive it…”
Watching Konig be defeated so easily left Bulk flabbergasted.
The other knights too seemed to grasp just how dangerous an enemy Shibaid was, and they were desperately trying to crawl away to safety.
“Lady Lilishila, could I ask for your help in restraining them?”
“Of course.”
Shibaid captured the higher-leveled knights, while Lilishila took care of the rest. Bulk tried to flee too, but he was obviously captured as well.
“H-how dare you treat me like this!!”
“Your subordinate in the other room has been defeated already, did you know?”
Bulk was cut off as he was trying to talk. Shibaid informed him about Eline’s capture and Hermie and Millie’s rescue.
Bulk’s expression was one of utter shock. Considering that Lilishila’s party turned against him, he realized that Shibaid must have been speaking the truth.
They did not need to endure humiliation to protect the controlled ones any more.
There wasn’t a reason anymore not to oppose him directly.
“You have done as you pleased more than enough…”
Probably because of the anger within her, a heat haze was surrounding Lilishila as she walked towards Bulk.
Her beautiful features hid a strong aura projecting a “I will beat you till you’re an inch away from death!!” vibe, was abundantly clear to anyone who would look at her.
Her pressure was so fierce that even the valiant knights present stepped back.
“I-I don’t deserve to die in a place like this!! Teleport!!!”
Under the weight of Lilishila’s pressure, Bulk frantically chanted the keyword.
It was the same teleport crystal stone that Shin had used before.
“No! Wai-”
Bulk disappeared before Lilishila could prevent it. It was as if he never was there in the first place.
“Kh…! To think that he had a teleport crystal stone that was supposed to be lost…!”
Lilishila’s expression was distorted by regret. The other knights too were left stupefied by Bulk’s sudden disappearance.
Differently from Lilishila, however, Shibaid showed no sign of apprehension.
“Do not fret, Lady Lilishila. Bulk hasn’t escaped us yet.”
“But he already completely disappeared…”
“This building is the High Human’s – Cain’s – base. A crystal with such low purity can’t teleport outside its walls.”
“I-is that really true?”
“I have lived my share, you see. I have had the chance to learn about this Palmirack from High Elves and High Lords. He is likely regretting trying to escape right now.”
Shibaid nodded with confidence, which let Lilishila feel at ease.
Some time later Lilishila, who had reunited with Hermie’s party, felt as if something akin to Bulk’s screams reached her ears.
◆◆◆◆
“Your comrades?”
“Subduing Lilishila’s party while the main force is headed to the Holy Woman. That much is easy to predict. Thus we only needed to set a fitting opponent in wait for them.”
“Ridiculous…Konig will be accompanied by other upper class chosen ones! No matter how strong your comrades might be, they too surely have their limits!”
Konig, a warrior close to Eline in ability, was heading to Lilishila’s location. Shin did not know Konig very well, but he was not worried in the slightest about the possibility of Shibaid’s defeat.
“If that Konig is close to you in terms of strength, as you say, then it will be child’s play.”
Even if there was another chosen one on the same level as Eline, Shibaid would not have trouble defeating him. It was a definite fact.
Shin spared no expense to reinforce his support characters, his companions were not to be trifled with.
“Well then, now that you know that there is no way left to stop us, let us talk about what to do with you.”
“Eek!”
Shin walked closer to Eline, slowly. The latter, remembering the punishment he had just received, let out a cry and tried to flee.
No matter how much of an upper class Chosen One he was, not enough time had passed for him to recover. The type of movement available to him was on all fours at most.
Maybe because all he had in mind was to run away as fast as possible, Eline crawled away with a speed Shin and Wilhelm did not expect. He could not truly escape, obviously. Shin gradually closed in on the distance between them.
“S-shit!! Why am I…why is this happening to a chosen existence such as I..!!!”
As if he failed to grasp his current situation, Eline was muttering senseless words.
Eline had advanced for several mel when it happened.
His body started convulsing wildly, with jerky movements like a puppet with unoiled joints.
“What’s going on?”
Shin was puzzled at Eline’s sudden strange movements.
“Aaah…gah…why? N-no…NOOOOOOOO!!!”
Eline screamed out of the blue.
Perhaps he had been hiding something in card form, Eline was holding a short sword with a black blade in his hand. After that, right before Shin and Wilhelm’s eyes, Eline stabbed himself with that same blade.
“What the!?”
The sudden insane act stopped both Shin and Wilhelm in their tracks for an instant.
The moment the blade penetrated Eline’s body, his HP gauge, as it appeared in Shin’s eyes, instantly dropped to 0.
Instant death.
“Gah…i…”
Eline whispered something, spat blood and dropped to the ground. A mixture of fear and confusion remained on his face.
“Give me…a break…suicide all of a sudden? Is this a sick joke?”
Unable to understand what had happened, Shin grimaced at the blood flowing from Eline.
“We don’t know for sure. That bastard sure didn’t look like someone who was thinking of offing himself.”
It was clear that it had not happened because of Eline’s will. His movements, as if under someone’s control, led Shin to think of a certain item.
Shin drew closer to Eline and examined his neck, arms, legs. However, not a single submission item similar to Millie’s could be seen.
“So, he wasn’t controlled via an item?”
“Looks like it. Did he have any abnormal statuses?”
“No, it didn’t look like he was affected by anything…”
Shin checked Eline’s general status display, but found no trace of status abnormalities.
He wasn’t controlled by an item, nor under the effect of confusion or brainwashing. It was a very odd situation.
(Could it be something I’m not aware of? Or is there something I missed…?)
As the game turned into reality, it was highly possible that something not existing before now did. However, it could simply be that Shin had forgotten about it.
Even a long-time player like Shin could not remember all events and in such detail.
“I can’t think of anything related, but it’s probably better to check with Schnee too.”
“Why’s that?”
“Well, it could be something I forgot about.”
As Shin mentioned that Schnee and the others might know something about it, Wilhelm nodded in approval.
“It’s surprising that there are things that even you don‘t know. Anyway, he was raised by Bulk since he was a child. The Summit Faction likely did something to him, not that I pity him though.”
Rather than an item, he could have been under the effect of magic. If that was true, that could perhaps also explain his contorted personality.
Wilhelm, having heard of Eline’s feats from Jai, did not have any compassion to spare.
Memory manipulation by an item could delete memories but it could not affect the person’s personality. And Eline who actually used this type of item, said as such.
Even after such a death, it was clear that he wasn’t worthy of pity.
“We got the information, but I can’t call this a pleasant way to close the curtains.”
“I feel the same. The body…I suppose we can leave it here.”
This room too was inside Palmirack.
As with the chosen one who exploded, after some time passed the corpse would be dispersed.
The two removed all of Eline’s equipment and items, searching for what could have been manipulating him. Not even Shin knew of a way to preserve corpses, thus they left it to be dispersed.
As Shin left the room with Wilhelm, a Mind Chat from Shibaid reached him.
“(Shin, we have subdued Bulk’s subordinates who attacked us.)”
“(They came to you then, as expected. What happened to Bulk?)”
“(He ran away with a teleport crystal stone. However, the crystal seemed to be quite low in purity. He should have fallen in the maze section.)”
“(Please give me a second…yes, I found him. Leave the rest to me.)”
Shin, who had activated Palmirack, could use part of its functions even without the control console.
He used the search function he had previously used to find Wilhelm and confirmed that Bulk was moving within Palmirack.
Even a teleport crystal stone of the highest purity would not allow instant escape if used inside Palmirack.
Even Shibaid, whose fighting-oriented job did not grant especially high appraisal ability, understood that the crystal stone used by Bulk was a low purity one. Such a crystal stone would not allow the user to flee, but instead would transport him directly to the maze section, built for intruders.
As he closed the Mind Chat with Shibaid, Shin called to Wilhelm, who was walking ahead.
“Listen, Wilhelm. It looks like Bulk ran away. I’m going to go catch him, so go ahead and join the others.”
“He ran away? You don’t need any help?”
“I already know where he is, so no problem. He can’t get out, or rather, he ended up in the maze section we used for training. If we leave him there, he’s going to die. We have information to extract from him too, so I’m going to secure him.”
“Looks like his luck finally ran out, eh? I’m going ahead then. Make sure you give him a good scare.”
Wilhelm, with an evil grin, walked on through the corridor.
After seeing him off, Shin used Teleport.
◆◆◆◆
“Aaaahh!! Eeeekk!! What, what’s going ooon!”
Forcing his pudgy body to an awkward run, Bulk cursed his fate.
Bulk, church priest and central member in the Summit Faction at the same time. After gaining a pawn such as Eline, he had stained his hands in all sorts of evil deeds.
Drunken by the vision of attaining High Human status, he had slain not only monsters but also other humans.
He was responsible for the death of many humans with special abilities, offering them in ritual sacrifice.
After gaining control of the Holy Woman and the knight guarding her, thanks to an item obtained by chance, he even managed to control a girl with the “Star Reader” title. In that moment, he thought that the whole world was moving to help him become a High Human.
“Shit!! Someone of my caliber is not supposed to end in a place like this…..! Bwah!”
Bulk was running frantically, but finally his unhealthy lifestyle caught up and his feet tripped each other up. He fell to the ground and, unable to break the fall, was struck badly all over his body.
“Gaah! Where is this place supposed to be anyway! I used the teleport crystal, so why am I not outside!?”
Bulk flew in a fit of anger while squirming because of the pain.
He was supposed to have been transported outside Palmirack, but he found himself inside a dark cavern instead. The unexpected situation was already pushing Bulk’s frail mind fortitude to its limits.
“Grrrrrrrrrrrr—”
“Eeep!”
What eroded Bulk’s spirit the most was the roaring cry which would sometimes resonate in the cavern. The cry, clearly coming from a monster, was coming closer and closer to Bulk’s position.
He could not see where the corridor lead, no exit was in sight, nor were any of his guards escorting him.
The increasingly louder roar was shaking Bulk to his core.
“Da-damnitall!!!”
“Yo”
A hand touched Bulk’s shoulder as he was about to run again. As Bulk turned around, his field of vision was filled with the figure of a man emerging from the darkness.
This new surprise caused the already tense Bulk to utter an incomprehensible scream: “KWESDRFIGYYFIJIKIIII!!”
“Fijiki” is the only thing I could make out from that.”
Bulk had jumped up, crashed back down, and was now looking up at the face of the young man who talked to him.
“W-what in blazes is going on!! But no matter! You, take me out of here! Now! I am a church priest, you shall be amply rewarded.”
Bulk, in a state of confusion because of the extreme situation, barked his orders without confirming the young man’s identity.
To such a Bulk, the young man talked with a smile and a menacing tone.
“Hahaha. Your face is the only joke we need here, pig bastard.”
“W-what did you say? I’m a priest of the church, I said!!”
The young man walked closer to Bulk while cracking his knuckles. The closer he came, the farther Bulk crawled.
In that moment, Bulk finally understood that the young man had clearly hostile intentions.
But it was far too late.
“I have a bunch of things to ask you. You better answer if you want to stay in one piece.”
Eyes lit up in the dim darkness.
A completely artificial smile.
Hostility so palpable that his instinct was screaming to run away.
It was the manifestation of fear, a terror the likes of Bulk had never experienced before.
Bulk had no room to crawl backwards anymore, and part of his clothes had started to become slightly damp. A faint scent of ammonia pricked the two men’s noses.
“Let’s start talking.”
Bulk’s screams resounded through the barely lit corridors.
◆◆◆◆
Lilishila’s party had reunited with Hermie and Millie, led by Schnee, and was in a joyous mood.
Lilishila shed tears of happiness at the sight of Hermie’s neck, finally free of the black collar; seeing her in tears made Hermie cry as well.
The knight cheered loudly, confident in Bulk’s downfall.
As Wilhelm arrived, Millie, who had been eagerly awaiting him, ran up to hug him.
“Oh, nice cheery mood here folks.”
“Here you are. Hey, it’s still alive right?”
“He’s not dead yet, nope. I doubt he’ll be able to continue being a priest though.”
Wilhelm sighed while talking to Shin, who had joined them with some delay. Millie was still stuck to him and wouldn’t let go.
The reason was an unconscious Bulk, carried by Shin’s left arm.
Seeing the priest with white eyes, drooling and sometimes trembling would have provoked the same question not only from Wilhelm but from anyone who witnessed it.
“Shin-sama? What did you….”
“I just squeezed information out of him. I’ll let the church decide what to do with him next.”
Shin handed Bulk over to the guard knights and opened a Mind Chat with Schnee and Shibaid.
“(According to Bulk, there’s a high chance that Filma was captured by the Summit Faction. It looks like 『Exvaine』 was given to him by someone claiming to be from the Faction.)”
The two’s eyes narrowed after hearing Shin’s information. They could not remain indifferent after hearing that a comrade might have been captured.
“(Is there no information about the ritual site?)”
“(Someone was supposed to come pick him up. I know the date, but who knows what this messenger will do.)”
“(Any other clue?)”
“(Nothing. I had the impression that he doesn’t know anything either. Looks like they deleted the important parts of his memories.)”
Making Bulk sleep and using an item like the manipulation collar on him wouldn’t have been difficult. Lilishila’s method too would allow a similar result, if used with ill intentions.
“(Mind type skills are a real pain.)”
Right next to the rejoicing Lilishila group party, Shin’s could not feel at ease.
◆◆◆◆
After Shin and Wilhelm left, something started moving in the room where Hermie had been captured.
“Uuh..ghaah…”
The figure awkwardly standing up was none other than the man who was supposed to have died on the spot after piercing his own chest, Eline.
“Kaah, he’s finally dead!”
Eline’s smile was even more distorted than before. More than half of his face was covered with a tattoo of thorns.
“This guy’s contortion was of decent quality, but it was pretty obnoxious.”
Eline talked as if concerning someone else. To a third party’s eyes, he would look like he had become someone else.
“Aaaah, having a body is really fantastic after all. Better not waste any more time here though, let’s hightail it before that monster notices us.”
The words coming from his mouth clearly showed how the spirit inhabiting the body was no longer Eline.
Something was controlling Eline’s body. With a small chuckle, Eline’s body vanished into the darkness as if melting in it.
Nothing else was left.
◆◆◆◆
Tiera, who was heading to the inn after parting ways with Shin, was suspicious of the lack of any pursuers. She tried asking Kagerou and Yuzuha, but apparently there were no hostile presences in the surroundings.
Tiera too was worried about Millie, but she knew well that with Shin’s party heading to rescue her, there was nothing for her to do.
Tiera climbed onto the inn’s roof and stood gazing at Palmirack. She let slip a small grumble.
“They told me to stand guard from outside, but I can’t see anything. Someone that could slip away from Shin and the others…who could ever do something like that?”
She ended up wondering if she was really being of help to them.
Yuzuha and Kagerou, who were on lookout, drew closer to her as to reassure her.
“Kuu”
“Gruu”
“Thank you. Should something unexpected happen, I’ll do my best.”
Tiera answered to the two and focused her sight on Palmirack.
Her focus then paid off, as she perceived unrest among the spirits around Palmirack.
Tiera followed their trail with her eyes and saw something fly from the roof of a building on the edge of Palmirack.
“What’s that?”
Tiera’s excellent eyesight allowed her to recognize the flying figure as humanlike. However, there were two pairs of wings sprouting from its back.
As far as Tiera knew, all Bird-type had just one pair of wings. None of the ones Tiera knew had two.
In addition, those two pairs of wings were one bird-like and the other insect-like, completely different types. It was clearly something abnormal.
The fact that the figure looked almost transparent must have been due to a skill.
“What in the world is that shadow? Is there any skill we can use to track it?”
Yuzuha activated a skill after Tiera’s request. A bird-like something, melting in the moonlight, danced in the sky and flew after the shadow.
“Did something happen to Shin and the others…?”
Tiera then was informed of Millie’s rescue by a late message.
The shadow she had witnessed.
That very shadow would decide the next destination of Shin’s party.
|
LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 06 - A Fanatic's Ambition/The-New-Gate-Volume-06-A-Fanatic's-Ambition-[Shin][Armaell]/chss.txt
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Side Story
Side Story
“Fumu…”
“Shibaid-dono, are you alright? You’re not acting like usual.”
He had come to Falnido’s estate for Girard’s funeral and also have a reunion with Shin. Shibaid was seated deeply in a chair, arms crossed, relaxing himself.
It was hard to tell if he was a human or beast, but as a Dragnil, it was clear to see that he was unsettled.
He was acting so strange that Shumaya Uru Kilmont, envoy and representative of the emperor of the Dragon Empire Kilmont, began to get suspicious.
“It’s just that I was a bit surprised. As an escort, it is quite pathetic of me to have worried our representative.”
Despite saying so, there was no indication that Shibaid’s mood had changed at all.
Even if he wasn’t composed, his emotions weren’t necessarily negative ones, such as impatience or anxiety. Rather, they seemed to be something positive; it seemed like he was holding himself back from bursting out in laughter.
Shumaya smiled at Shibaid’s answer.
“No no, on the contrary, I’m pleased to see this different side of you, Shibaid-dono. So even the hero of the Dragon Empire is unable to conceal his joy.”
The smile of the first imperial princess, who also served as the general of the imperial troops, was a rare occurrence that few have seen.
She had a human body with the wings, tail, and horns of a dragon. Emotions were more expressed on Shumaya’s compared to Shibaid’s, whose head was completely that of a dragon’s. When she smiled, she squinted pleasantly with her jet-black eyes and her crimson hair shook delicately.
“I still have some ways to go, thus I’m still immature. No matter what I do I can’t seem to control my emotions. The reason I’m happy is that this is what we desire most.”
In response to Shumaya’s smile, Shibaid spoke with deep emotions.
When he was with Shin he endured it, but now Shibaid relaxed his tail, covered in distinct Dragnil scales, and it hovered just above the ground.
If Shibaid had been a beast like Girard or Cuore, the tail extending from his back would have been fiercely wagging from side to side.
For the Dragnil, however, to show emotion with one’s tail was proof of being immature. So Shibaid earnestly minded his heavy tail.
“We, huh…So you mean to say it was the same for Girard-dono?”
“Ah, him. Without a doubt he knew this feeling.”
The corners of his mouth raised as he declared this.
He had been shaken when he received the news of Girard’s death. However, looking at Girard’s satisfied face in the coffin however, and comparing it with what he’d heard from Shin, he felt certain that Girard had left this world content.
Maybe if he had been killed by some stranger from a far off land, he may not be able to hold back the negative emotions. Girard had worried he might die without proving his loyalty. But during his illness, Shin had watched over him, and assured him he had already done so.
It was exactly for this reason that Shibaid could enjoy the reunion with Shin.
“May I ask what is it that you desire most?”
“Sorry, but I can’t discuss it. It’s not something I need to hide, but neither is it something I can go about freely proclaiming to all.”
“I see. I began to think something auspicious had happened so that I need send a gift, seeing Shibaid-dono so joyed.”
“Your words are sufficient. It’s about time for the conference. I need to head to the hall.”
Failing to master his emotions meant he was still immature. While thinking that, he tried to distract himself by encouraging Shumaya to join him.
“Shibaid-dono never requests my company. Maybe I’ll go and attend to business as is expected of me.”
As Shibaid stood up, Shumaya began to get ready.
The countries outside Falnido, too, had seen much change since Girard’s death.
This included Kilmont, of which Shibaid had been its founder. In Kilmont not only the imperial family and soldiers who had met him, but also the commoners were still mourning Girard’s death.
Girard and Shibaid had spent long years together on the battlefield following the High Human, both as friends and as rivals.
Girard with his technique and speed, Shibaid with his strength and defense.
They were different from one another, but it had happened often that they were an equal match as vanguards.
“It’s nothing to fret about if those who scheme get caught.”
Girard was the symbol of the beasts, and coincidently the deterrence towards troubling elements.
There are people who hold contempt towards heroes that are loved by all. Girard’s death seemed like it might unearth things long dormant. At the conference they were to discuss what to do about it.
“It will be fine. There is an official heir to be the bearer of 『Crushing Moon』. He’s still young, but he seemed skilled enough to me. Don’t you agree?”
“Fumu. If Shumaya-dono saw him and thought so, one can rest easy.”
Coming from the imperial family, Shumaya had judged many people, so Shibaid was relieved to know that she thought so.
Even Shibaid, who had encountered people of all kinds, struggled to see through people’s true nature.
If other party was a warrior, he could identify their character even without a meeting on the battlefield; but not all were warriors.
Shibaid acknowledged Wolfgang as a successor from his warrior’s intuition. But if he could just get Shumaya to agree, he would have peace of mind.
In addition, Schnee had previously mentored Wolfgang on occasions. If there was something to be concerned about, it was expected to had been addressed together with Girard.
“I’m ready. Shall we go?”
“Yeah.”
As a warrior and as a man, his skills could not be doubted. But what about as a statesman?
In order to figure it out, Shibaid headed towards the conference with Shumaya.
◆◆◆◆
It was the day after reconfirming the alliance between the two countries.
Shibaid had taken to the sky in order to return Shumaya to the empire.
He had heard that Shin and company would return to Bayreuth temporarily, so in the meantime Shibaid will prepare for his own departure while they were there.
“It’s nice to fly like this.”
“Yeah. We can’t fly with these wings of ours, after all.”
Nodding to Shumaya, who flew alongside him, Shibaid looked down upon the landscape extending below him.
Among the Dragnil there were some whose appearance were almost identical to humans and some whose appearance were close to dragons.
Whether one had wings on their back was decided by birth.
Despite that, no matter how big or small their wings, the Dragnil couldn’t fly, as stated by Shibaid.
They could flap their wings, but gliding for a short amount of time was the limit of its use. This remained unchanged even after the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’; players and NPC alike were still unable to fly.
If he were to fall from the wyvern he rode on, even if it was Shibaid, how could he come out unscathed?
However, falling from an altitude of more than 1000 mels, the extent of damage received would be light for Shibaid. With his skills, strength, and equipment thing would turn out all right.
“A giant wyvern would be nice, though.”
“Don’t start with that. Those are for transporting materials in times of emergency. And, you’re speaking strangely.”
Shibaid was wary of Shumaya, whose behavior had changed completely since they left Falnido; she was listless and spoke in a flat voice. With no one around besides Shibaid, the real Shumaya had come out.
Shumaya thought of getting on a giant wyvern so she would be able to bind herself to Shibaid during the confusion, but he had realized immediately what was going on. The first imperial princess of Kilmont was quite honest about what she desired.
Even though he renounced the seat of the Dragon Emperor, there were none in Kilmont who didn’t know of Shibaid’s character and abilities; his reputation was immeasurable.
If Shumaya could make him into her groom, the benefits would be numerous: a mightier army, increased support for the imperial family, strengthening ties with Schnee Raizar, etc. And if she could make it happen now, an extra benefit would be being affiliated with High Humans.
“Born with it or not, huh.”
Surprisingly, if you traced Shumaya’s desires, most of them were bound up with the interests of the empire. Such a behaviour of bouncing around usually turned into profits. Shibaid didn’t know if the person in question was aware of it or not.
In any case, Shibaid reciprocate to Shumaya’s feelings towards him.
Shumaya’s father was the current Dragon Emperor, and thereby Shibaid’s comrade in arms. Along with the empress, they were close friends who had experienced many battles together.
He had also helped from time to time when she had been a child, so Shumaya was like a daughter to Shibaid.
He was glad that they were close when she was younger, but to be seen as a potential mate was a problem.
“We’ll arrive at the castle soon. No more sulking about.”
“How presumptuous of you to say.”
Shumaya drew her lips into a pout. Shibaid just gave a strained smile.
“Don’t act like that. I still have things to do – still had, at least.”
Shumaya noticed a change in Shibaid’s voice. His eyes weren’t there; they were looking at something far away.
“Shiba――”
“Wyvern over there, slow down!”
Shumaya was interrupted mid sentence as they approached the castle; four wyverns approached them. They were Kilmont’s Dragon Knights, charged with protecting the skies of Kilmont.
“My name is Shibaid! I have brought Lady Shumaya Uru Kilmont, the first imperial princess! Here is my proof!”
Shibaid flew up to the knights and unfurled the banner of the imperial family.
It was imbued with magic, and would respond to magical equipment carried by the Dragon Knights.
“――Authenticity has been confirmed. We apologize for the formalities.”
“Good. You men are the guardians of my country’s skies! Continue on and return to your posts.”
“Yes, sir!”
At Shumaya’s command the men saluted and flew off. The two watched as they flew away in perfect formation. By watching them one got a sense of the training the knights underwent.
“Hm? It looks like there’s a welcome party.”
“Welcome party?”
Following Shumaya’s eyes, Shibaid looked at the castle and saw on the wyvern dock a group of people. At the front was someone Shibaid knew well.
Once they had landed safely that man approached them with a servant beside him.
“It’s good to see both of you back. You returned earlier than I expected.”
“Father, what are you doing here?”
The man Shumaya had just called father was unmistakably Zaikuin Baal Kilmont, Dragon Emperor. His body that rivals, or may even surpass, Shibaid’s was covered in deep crimson scales, and his violet horns towered majestically above him.
“I had a feeling you might be coming back today. It seems there were no issues.”
“Yes. Girard-dono’s descendants are distinguished individuals.”
Zaikuin nods in satisfaction to his daughter’s answer.
Even though they were father and daughter, presently they were conducting what seemed to be a business-like report between an emperor and his retainer.
“If Shumaya says so, then I am sure there are no problems. We can talk about the details later. Now it is time for you to rest after your journey.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
Shumaya left the dock and made for the castle, and Zaikuin told the guards who had stood vigilant behind them to withdraw. Knowing the emperor would be safe with Shibaid accompanying him, they obeyed without a second thought.
“Now, before Shumaya gives her report, I’d like to hear from you. You have time, surely?” asked Zaikuin; With his guards gone, he relaxed his tone somewhat.
“Yes, I also have something to discuss with you, your Grace. I will set aside time tonight.”
After a moment of slight surprise, the emperor nodded.
It was just the two of them; there was no one to object to Shibaid ignoring the emperor’s request.
◆◆◆◆
It was later, at night. Shibaid had been brought to Zaikuin’s private room.
“There is no need for formalities here. What did you want to discuss with me?”
“Before that. I apologize, but I’d like to request the men hiding to leave the room.”
“…it seems it’s something very important.”
Zaikuin ordered the men hidden under the floor and in the ceiling to leave. Normally the emperor would never be allowed to be alone with an adventurer, but if it was the former emperor Shibaid, that was a different story.
“Now then. What on earth has happened? Does it have to do with Girard-dono?”
Zaikuin’s voice echoed throughout the quiet room. Due to Girard being the topic of discussion, the tone of his voice seemed to show worry for Shibaid.
“No, it’s not about him. Girard passed away content and at ease. His face looked peaceful after he had gone.”
“I see. After I heard the news I thought it would be impossible, but I’m relieved to know that he went without regrets.”
Hearing what Shibaid said, Zaikuin let out a sigh of relief. He, too, had once fought side by side with Girard.
Like Shibaid, although not to the same extent, they were both rulers, warriors and comrades with a long-standing relationship. He didn’t want to imagine Girard suffering as he died.
“However, if it’s not about Girard-dono, what is it you wish to discuss?”
With the circumstances as they were Zaikuin believed it must have to do with Girard. He looked at Shibaid slightly confused.
“Let me apologize in advance for my bluntness. I will leave the empire. It doesn’t worry me, but from now on it will be difficult for me to help you.”
“…so this means you don’t plan to return?!”
Zaikun’s astonishment was so obvious it could be seen clearly on his dragon face.
Up until then Shibaid had worked in the heart of Kilmont. What he had just said, however, made it seem like he would leave and never return.
“Perhaps, a new High Human based had been discovered?”
In the continent of Eltnia there were several bases the High Humans had left behind. Among them were the famed flying castle Rashugum and Palmirack, which now served as a stronghold of the church.
However, with continental drift several bases had disappeared. The base of Shin, Shibaid’s master the ‘Dark Blacksmith’, had yet to be found.
Looking at the worried Zaikuin’s face, Shibaid says calmly.
“No, it’s not that. Nor am I staying in Tsuki no Hokora.”
“Well, then why is it you need to leave? The only other thing I can think of would be demons. But I haven’t heard any news since the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’.”
“It’s not that either.”
“So what then? You might as well just spit it out,” said Zaikuin, letting out a disgruntled sigh. He trusted Shibaid, so when there was no one else around, the emperor could let his manner slip.
“A companion who I swore allegiance to has returned. Do you understand what I am hinting at?”
“You can’t mean…!?”
Zaikun’s eyes opened wide. The pupils staring at Shibaid were filled with something beyond astonishment; there was admiration in them.
“It’s certain. And sooner or later there will be others who’ll notice. That’s why I’m informing you now,” said Shibaid, looking straight at Zaikuin.
“From now on, under no circumstances are you to confront our master. Should you do so, I will need to draw my sword against you.”
Sitting before him was not an SS-rank adventurer, nor the founding Dragon emperor of the empire. It was a single warrior who had sworn allegiance to his master. It was written in his eyes: we may have fought many battles together, but oppose me and you will find no mercy.
“…I see. He truly has come back.”
In the face of Shibaid’s resolve Zaikuin was silent. After a few moments he exhaled quietly.
It’s not as if a farewell isn’t sad.
But Shibaid could see it in Zaikuin’s expression; they had spent so many years together that the emperor understood how he felt.
“I am sorry. I can’t just stand idly by, now that we have met once again.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m on your side. I would be glad to have someone like you following me. Your master must be glad as well. When we first met, you were always staring off into the distance. I knew that you were still longing for something.”
“Ha. Really?”
“You didn’t know? I suppose the person themselves never notices.”
This bastard, chuckled Zaikuin.
To Shibaid, Zaikuin’s smile looked just as it had in the days when they had first met each other. It was his true smile, the one that lay beneath his emperor’s facade.
“Shumaya will be very upset,” said Zaikuin with a sigh, as if to sweep away the tension.
“She’ll be fine. She’s tough.”
“You’re the only one who would think that.”
Shibaid frowned as Zaikuin shrugged off what he said.
It was Zaikuin who knew that his daughter had feelings for Shibaid, but did nothing to stop it from developing.
“So, when will you leave? You’ll allow us to send you off?”
“I have some assignments to take care of first. They shouldn’t take long.”
“I see. It will be difficult to explain to the others, though. It’s not as if I can tell them the truth, after all,” said Zaikuin, scratching his chin, his face filled with concern.
A High Human had returned. Were the news to spread, many groups would begin to mobilize. The Black Faction of the Shiten cult would be overjoyed; they would certainly attempt to make contact with him.
The news wasn’t all good, however.
There were fools who, not comprehending the power of the High Humans, might seek to manipulate them. And to most people, the High Humans were the stuff of legends; they thought of them as fairy tales, not understanding what was the truth and what was not.
“I expect nothing but your best to keep the secret. However, their time spent being anonymous won’t last long. Schnee is already accompanying him, and I’ve heard there are others too. Even if I were to do nothing, their name will still come up.”
“So it is. Strong men are a magnet for trouble. You’re no exception.”
“I’m not?”
“Of course.”
Zaikuin seemed to want to say something to Shibaid who looked puzzled.
“I understand if you don’t want to stay here. But for now, for old times sake…join me for a drink. For me this may be a time to mourn, but for you it will be a drink of celebration.”
“Fumu. Let’s drink.”
As Zaikuin brought a special bottle, Shibaid pulled out a treasured item from his Item Box.
They may never meet again.
Knowing it would be so, the two Dragonewts, one jet black and the other crimson, raised their glasses to one another.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 11 - Depths of the Azure Seas/The-New-Gate-Volume-11-Depths-of-the-Azure-Seas-[Shin][dotNovel]/Title.txt
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The New Gate
(THE NEW GATE)
Volume 11
Depths of the Azure Seas
Kazanami Shinogi
(風波しのぎ)
Story Description:
“THE NEW GATE”, an online game that trapped its players and turned into a death game, was now releasing the thousands of players that had been dragged into it, thanks to the efforts of Shin, one of the most powerful players.
But after having defeated the last boss and freed everyone, he was swallowed up by a strange light and found himself inside the game world 500 years in the future and unable to leave.
Original Story can be found here: Link
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 11 - Depths of the Azure Seas/The-New-Gate-Volume-11-Depths-of-the-Azure-Seas-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_11_Chapter_01_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 1
The Black Priestess Shrine guildhouse, on the island country of Hinomoto.
Inside Tsuki no Hokora, which had been materialized in a woodland area within the guildhouse’s premises, Shin narrated his past.
About the days before the Dusk of Majesty, when this world was still the death game, when — even if for the sake of protecting innocent people — he committed countless PKs — murders.
Tiera slowly inhaled a deep breath after hearing Shin’s story.
“It’s something in the past now. ‘Oh, so that’s what happened, okay’. You can just see it like that if you want.”
Shin’s smile did not hide any shadows.
Everything would be OK.
With this conviction in mind, Tiera nodded.
“Could it be that what possessed me before was your former lover, Marino?”
The night before, Tiera had performed a ritual dance similar to the Japanese Kagura. The spirit that had taken over her body at the time housed a deep affection for Shin.
There couldn’t be many people with such deep feelings for him.
“It’s possible but….I don’t know. You snapped out of it before I could tell.”
While talking to Tiera about his past, Shin also realized that it could have been Marino.
“Aah, honestly, I don’t appreciate things like that being done through my body though.”
Tiera probably remembered the kiss as she hid her mouth with her right hand, her cheeks flushing a bit.
“Er….next time, I’ll do my best to dodge.”
Even if he had been entranced by something else, Shin felt guilty about kissing Tiera against her will.
“Er, well, I too want to know who it was that possessed me, okay? So, well, if it happens again, it’s okay to prioritize finding out who they are, you know!”
Since it was possible for it to be someone connected to Shin’s past, Tiera probably said that out of concern for him. Her words and behavior were very contradictory, but Shin chose to think that was her reasoning.
“While I’m thankful to hear that, wouldn’t you hate it if it happened again?”
“You don’t have to worry! It could happen when I’m doing priestess things too!! A-and besides…”
Tiera’s words stopped.
She held her hands together and looked around, visibly fidgeting.
“Besides?”
“I-It’s nothing. Really nothing, so forget all about it.”
Tiera mumbled something, but in the end cut off the conversation without saying anything clearly.
The sun was already high in the sky, indicating that it was almost noon.
Tiera held her still blushing cheeks to cool them off and hurriedly said that it was time to eat lunch, thus forcibly changing the topic.
“That’s right, they’ll probably call us soon.”
Shin felt that it would have been better not to press the matter further, and agreed to Tiera’s proposal.
They both stood from their chairs and exited Tsuki no Hokora. Tiera, who was walking ahead of Shin, suddenly turned around.
“Thank you for telling me such a painful story, Shin.”
“No need to thank me. Pretty boring, wasn’t it?”
“Not at all. I’m glad I could know more about you.”
Tiera replied with a smile.
She did not regret learning about Shin’s past. Her expression stated that clearly.
“Actually, that scene from my past that you saw…I used to see it often in my dreams.”
“Your mother’s memory?”
“Yes. The time when I first met you too, I would dream about it sometimes. Every time, I would get awful headaches and feel depressed for the whole day.”
Tiera spoke while looking up at the sky as they walked towards Black Priestess Shrine’s guildhouse. Shin had returned Tsuki no Hokora to its compressed form.
“But ever since I received that from you, I haven’t had that dream anymore.”
“That?”
“You know, this.”
Tiera then took out the Geyl coin from her robe that Shin had given her when they first met. The coin reflected the sunlight and sparkled vividly.
“I feel at peace when I hold this. Maybe because there’s your magic power inside.”
Shin looked intently at the coin and noticed that it indeed had the same aura as the items inside his item box.
“It isn’t supposed to have an effect like that, but I’m happy if it’s useful to you…why don’t we make it into a pendant? So you don’t risk losing it.”
Tiera kept the Geyl coin in a small pocket with metal fastenings.
It was also very valuable in this world, after all. Shin thought that the more closely it could be kept, the better, so he made that suggestion.
“That would be a great help, but is it alright?”
“We can do it in a flash. After all, metal forging is my strong suit.”
“Please do so, then.”
Shin stopped, took an Orichalcum ingot from the item box and, as if molding a lump of clay, quickly shaped it into a chain. He then took the coin from Tiera, molded the Orichalcum around it, fixed it to the chain and finished the pendant.
“Oh, could you make the chain longer, please?”
“Longer than this? How much?”
Shin increased the chain’s length as Tiera requested, even though he felt that it had become too long to wear the pendant around the neck.
“Did you really want it this long?”
“Yes, that’s right. Most people would think it was a fake, but experienced people could tell that it’s real. I need the chain this long so that other people can’t see the coin. If it’s here, no one can see it as long as they don’t come close to my face and peek, right?”
Tiera then leaned forward a bit and pulled down the neck of her shirt to show Shin the coin’s position.
No matter how much he knew it was not right, Shin’s gaze was drawn to Tiera’s cleavage. The Geyl coin, attached to the long chain, was nestled right in the middle.
“I-I see. That’s why you needed it that long.”
“Yes, that’s….s-see? If someone comes this close I can react, right!?”
Finally realizing that the stance she had taken put her bosom in full view, Tiera hurriedly stepped back. Her cheeks flared red again.
She seemed shaken and quickly looked all around to make sure that no one else had seen them.
“…ehm, thanks.”
“Sure, that much is nothing.”
The two started walking again. Soon enough, they met Schnee and Yuzuha, who were also headed to the guildhouse, and joined them.
“Did you finish talking with Kuchinashi?”
“Yes, I’ll tell everyone when we are with Filma and the others. Looks like there’s new trouble brewing.”
The enemies the Black Priestess Shrine’s guildmaster, Kuchinashi, talked about, the Seven Deadly Sins, grew more powerful as the event progressed. Their location was currently unknown, but it would be better to defeat them as soon as possible.
Thinking that it was better to also have the Golden Company research their whereabouts, Shin decided to send a message card.
When Shin’s group arrived at the guildhouse they found Filma and Shibaid with Oodenta Mitsuyo and Onimaru Kunitsuna, two of the Five Supreme Blades, already sitting at the lunch table.
“You’re late.”
“Sorry for the wait, the talks went on longer than expected.”
Shin apologized to the slightly irritated Mitsuyo. She had let him and Tiera have time alone, so he was thankful for that.
“Oh really.”
“Lord Shin, as you can see she is feigning a lack of interest, but Mitsuyo has been fidgeting all this time, wondering when you would come back.”
Kunitsuna, an excited grin on her face, looked as if she were positively enjoying herself as she made her report.
“Hey, Kunitsuna!? What are you even saying now!?”
“Did I say something wrong? It’s rare to see the proud Mitsuyo all restless like that after all.”
“W-why you…!!”
Kunitsuna probably hit where it hurt. Even while glaring at her, Mitsuyo’s eyes darted towards Shin.
“….what?”
“No, nothing at all. Let’s eat, first of all.”
Mitsuyo looked like she was blushing: her glare was thus not scary at all, but Shin felt that poking her further would prove dangerous, and decided to leave it alone.
“Do any of you have any plans for the rest of the day? Kuchinashi told me something interesting, so I’d like to let you all know too.”
Shin proposed discussing the Seven Deadly Sins, to which all present agreed.
After the meal, the whole group assembled in the room assigned to Shin.
“…..the Seven Deadly Sins, hmm. Clearly they can’t be ignored, but there’s not much we can do until they are found, is it.”
“Agreed. 500 years ago, the players used human wave tactics and somehow pulled through. Our group doesn’t even have 10 members, we just don’t have enough manpower for that.”
After hearing what Shin had to say, Schnee and Filma replied: the former with a very serious expression, the latter while shrugging.
When Shin said that he already requested the Golden Company to search for the monsters, the group agreed to wait for a reply.
“So there are creatures like that in this world…”
Mitsuyo seemed impressed to learn of the existence of such monsters, to which Shin replied brightly.
“We’ve never seen their final forms, though. Though considering Fuji’s fighting power, I’m sure it’ll be alright as long as a pack of final forms doesn’t gather.”
“If the Five Supreme Blades are together, it would take a really tough enemy to take us down, yes.”
Mitsuyo and the other Blades, like Kagutsuchi of the sacred mountain Fuji, were treated as boss monsters in the game. Because of this, both their stats and HP were much higher than the players.
They surpassed the players’ max values of 9999 by far, so if they fought together, even raid bosses would be felled.
Now that Kunitsuna and Dojigiri Yasutsuna had returned, their defenses could be said to be perfect.
“Tomorrow, if nothing else comes up, we’ll go back to Fuji. The earlier you’re all back together, the better, I’m sure.”
“Ah…yeah.”
Shin was kind of concerned about Mitsuyo’s somber look, but as business was done, the group split.
Nothing of particular importance happened afterward: after dinner, Shin was swinging his 『Kakura』 in the small garden where he had found Tiera the previous night. He was wearing a bathrobe supplied by Black Priestess Shrine, as to be able to go take a bath right after training.
“You got a bit better than last time we fought.”
Shin thrust 『Kakura』 into the ground and turned towards the voice. He was focusing on training, but had noticed Mitsuyo approaching.
“Whew, if you say that, it means that it was worth the effort.”
Mitsuyo stepped out of the corridors’ shadows into the moonlight. She had removed her shoulder and breast armor: now she was only wearing an oriental-style attire with a miniskirt.
“We’re going back to Fuji tomorrow, right?”
“Yes, I doubt anything else will happen here anyway.”
The group had not stayed in the guildhouse after clearing the dungeon because they were wary of possible dangers. The miasma in Cadaver Realm had been purified thoroughly, so there was little to no chance of anything new arising.
“I see. If so…could I ask you one last request?”
“A request?”
Mitsuyo had come talk to him by herself probably because she didn’t want Schnee and the others to hear.
“I want you to use me. Even just for practicing techniques or something.”
“You mean, that I would just have to swing the katana 『Oodenta Mitsuyo』?”
“Yes, that’d be enough. …but rest assured, it doesn’t mean that I feel anything for you.”
Mitsuyo probably saw through Shin’s thoughts, because she gave a little troubled laugh.
Mitsuyo’s actual body was owned by Kagutsuchi, but the 『Oodenta Mitsuyo – Shinuchi』 she currently inhabited was Shin’s possession, so he could comply with her request if he wanted.
“Got it. That much is nothing.”
Thinking that he had said the same line earlier in the day, Shin took Oodenta Mitsuyo -now in katana form- in his hands. The unsheathed blade glistened under the moonlight.
Shin attached the sheath to his robe’s belt, gripped the hilt with both hands and took a stance.
“Shah!”
From a frontal straight stance, Shin went to upward diagonal, downward diagonal, sweep, then thrust.
He added Saegusa Karin’s teachings to the techniques he had learned from a certain person during the game. What he learned were just the basics, though. Much of Shin’s style was self-taught.
The sound of the katana cutting the air and Shin’s shouts resounded through the garden.
Thus around 10 minutes passed.
Mitsuyo’s Mind Chat—-in katana form, she couldn’t talk, so her voice directly reached Shin’s mind — gave the signal, and Shin stopped.
“It’s enough, thank you.”
Mitsuyo, back in human form, had a faint smile on her lips.
“Did this mean anything for you?”
“There’s no special meaning. I told you that I have no special feelings for you, right?”
Even so, it looked like being wielded by Shin had meant something to Mitsuyo, as she looked satisfied.
“I wanted to be wielded as one of your weapons, even just once. If there was any meaning, that was it.”
“Not that wielding one of the Five Supreme Blades was unpleasant, of course.”
“I know. You have a powerful katana you’re attached to, right? I’m a weapon too, so I’m honestly a bit jealous of a katana treasured like that.”
Mitsuyo then returned to her room, saying that she would be turning in.
Left alone in the garden, Shin looked up to the sky with mixed feelings in his heart.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 11 - Depths of the Azure Seas/The-New-Gate-Volume-11-Depths-of-the-Azure-Seas-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_11_Chapter_01_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 2
The next day, after making sure that the Cadaver Realm had not undergone any changes and that no miasma outbreaks had occurred, Shin’s group left the Black Priestess Shrine’s guildhouse to return to Fuji.
“If anything happens, just contact me via chat.”
“Yes, we’ll try to handle things by ourselves if we can, but if we’re overwhelmed, I’ll call you.”
They had already said all they wanted to, so the farewell was a short one.
Along with Kuchinashi, the Black Priestess Shrine members who had bonded with Shin’s group the most saw them off.
“Please take care during your travels. I look forward to seeing you again one day.”
“…I’m thankful to you for saving my sister, but I’ll never let you have her!!”
While Rindou Kotone spoke with words of longing, Suzune glared at Shin.
“Same till the very end, huh…”
Suzune didn’t forgive Shin and Kotone’s friendship, after all.
Kotone added that Suzune too was truly thankful, but being grateful for Shin’s assistance was apparently a separate matter from letting him have her sister.
Schnee, Tiera and the others also bid farewell to Ayame and the other priestesses.
The greatest number, however, gathered around Shibaid, who had held a training session for the priestesses.
“Wow, that’s some popularity.”
“Some girls even said that, if only he was free…”
“Seriously?”
“Dead serious. Finding a marriage partner is tough in this world too, you know.”
Kuchinashi sighed quietly, mumbling that she couldn’t let her girls marry just anyone. Shin felt a vague discomfort learning that there were connections with the real world in curious places.
“(It would be a big relief for me if you took in Kotone though, Shin. There’s plenty of ambitious men out there pestering us to make her their bride.)”
“(No more, please. I still haven’t given up on returning to our original world, actually. Besides, even if I were to spend the rest of my life here, I have Schnee.)”
“(She only has eyes for you, hasn’t she? She’s always looking in your direction, it’s really easy to figure out.)”
During the chat, it was then Shin’s turn to sigh. He told Kuchinashi that “(That’s probably on purpose)”. There surely was a reason for Schnee to act so openly in front of someone she had just met.
“Okay, this looks like it could go on forever, so let’s go!”
Feeling kind of sorry for the girls sending burning gazes towards Shibaid, Shin climbed onto the horse carriage. After making sure everyone else was on, he motioned for Kagerou to go.
The carriage started slowly but quickly picked up speed. Unlike the time when they had first arrived at the Black Priestess Shrine, they were now traveling on a road used for transporting goods, so Kuchinashi and the other priestesses disappeared from sight very quickly.
“Take care!”
The carriage proceeded towards Fuji, Kotone’s voice trailing behind it.
The travel back to Fuji was completely uneventful. Monsters wouldn’t get close to the group in fear of Kagerou. And since thieves and bandits were routinely hunted down by the Kujou clan and the samurai affiliated with it, meeting any would be rare in itself.
The group stopped on the way in a large city to refill their supplies, but made no other detours, advancing towards Fuji at an explosive speed. This would leave all travelers and merchants they happened to cross paths with speechless.
“We’ve already arrived? Happy times really go by quickly.”
Kunitsuna spoke while looking up at Fuji, when the group got off the carriage just before Aokigahara.
“With a travel speed like that, it’s pretty obvious.”
Nodding to Kunitsuna’s words, Mitsuyo looked at the carriage, a bit melancholic.
As anthropomorphized weapons, Mitsuyo and her comrades were bound to certain areas. Normally, they would never be able to go on adventures like the one they shared with Shin.
“Now that I think about it, I was attacked the last time I was here.”
Thinking they shouldn’t just walk in silence, Shin talked about when he was attacked while traveling with Karin and Kanade.
“Oh, were you really? Was the assassin that fled part of the Rokuhara?”
“Could be. The ones who stirred up trouble have quieted down, so there’s no point in dwelling on it.”
When Shin finished talking, the group had crossed Aokigahara and reached Fuji. The mist shrouded the mountain as always, but posed no problem.
There was no reason to engage in battle, so the group proceeded while avoiding the monsters they occasionally spotted and quickly arrived at Kagutsuchi’s shrine.
“Yachi, we’re back.”
Mitsuyo approached the Eight-Headed Orochi, which extended his necks to examine the group. The monster seemed to understand her words, as the “shaah” uttered in reply appeared to mean “welcome back”.
“Hmm, I see that you’re back safe and sound.”
Mikazuki Munechika emerged from inside the shrine: she had probably sensed the incoming presence of Shin’s group.
“It’s been a long time, Munechika. —-Haven’t you gotten prettier?”
Kunitsuna immediately noticed that Munechika’s appearance was now different from the usual.
“Just like Mitsuyo, now I am a Shinuchi.”
After Munechika’s explanation, Kunitsuna — who had already heard about the process from Mitsuyo — was easily convinced.
“I thought that you would look cuter, like Mitsuyo does…but I see, your beauty increased instead. That’s why Mitsuyo was kind of miffed, then.”
“I thought that only appearance would change, but the armor did too after all. But Yasutsuna and Tanetsugu praised Mitsuyo too, saying she had become prettier.”
“They laughed about it, I bet.”
Mitsuyo, pouting, joined in on Munechika and Kunitsuna’s conversation. Her ponytail shook as she quickly looked to the side.
“That’s not true. We might be weapons, but our bodies are those of women. Decorating our appearance is enjoyable for us too. I too would be interested in looking cute.”
“That hairdo, however…rather than making you purely cute like Mitsuyo, gives a stronger feminine allure. The neck area, for example.”
Munechika spoke her mind honestly, and Kunitsuna added her precise observations.
Having an appearance more childlike or adultlike could influence greatly the impression given to others.
“Kh, I can’t deny that…”
Regardless of what she said, Munechika had just lightly tied her hair, but still emanated a sensual charm that made it difficult to believe that she was wearing armor. Mitsuyo’s shoulders dropped.
“—-look at them, they’re sure having fun.”
“Hmm, their comrade came back safe. Of course they’d feel elated.”
Filma and Shibaid smiled while looking at the reunited Blades’ playful exchanges.
“Piyo!”
“Kuu!”
Nestled on top of Juzumaru Tanetsugu’s head, Kagutsuchi — now in chick mode — cried with its wings spread out. In response, Yuzuha raised her tail from her position on Shin’s head. The two descended from the respective heads they were on and initiated some sort of conversation.
Shin and Tanetsugu looked at each other and laughed wryly.
“Everyone, I wish to thank you for saving Kunitsuna.”
The only one to properly express gratitude was Yasutsuna.
“Our task is over, then.”
“Yes. However, I have been saved by you, sir Shin. If you ever require my assistance, I shall be at your side.”
He was probably serious through and through. Yasutsuna’s expression was firm.
“….hey, Yasutsuna? Don’t go hogging Shin for yourself, okay?”
“True, that wouldn’t be good at all.”
Munechika and Mitsuyo moved behind Yasutsuna in the blink of an eye. They each grabbed one shoulder, strongly enough to make a creaking sound.
“No, I had no such intention…”
Apparently, Yasutsuna was not receiving damage; however his reply was slightly confused by the developments.
“I’ll contact you if anything happens. Let me check if I can send you message cards.”
The Five Supreme Blades belonged to the monster, or weapon, category.
Shin knew that it was possible to send message cards to this world’s inhabitants, but was not sure if it was possible to do the same to humanized weapons. He thus tried to send a blank message, which was delivered without problems.
“I see, with this we can get in touch at any time.”
Munechika seemed impressed, but Mitsuyo, next to her, appeared frustrated.
“Ggh…why don’t we have any creation skills!?”
“My my, as usual you are full of surprises, young man. By the way, sir Shin, it does pain me to ask you this after everything you have done for us, but would you listen to an old man’s request?”
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to grant it, but what is it?”
Shin asked Tanetsugu for details.
“Oh it is simple enough. I thought I would like to become a Shinuchi as well. Seeing how Munechika and Mitsuyo changed, I grew interested, you see.”
“Hmm, that is true. We cannot change appearance as humans do, after all. Asking sir Shin to do even more for us would be…”
Yasutsuna seemed interested in the Shinuchi too. He had just thanked Shin for saving him, though, so he looked conflicted, standing next to Tanetsugu.
“I see, that wouldn’t take too much, so there’s no problem. There’s a Ley Line here, and increasing its defenses wouldn’t hurt for sure.”
Shin too was interested in seeing how they would change, so he accepted the two Blades’ request.
Kunitsuna too expressed the same desire, so Shin set on working on all three of them.
The time was already past 5 in the afternoon. The strong sunlight on the peak made it hard to tell, but the sun was already setting.
“I’ll make preparations for dinner, then.”
“Ah, I’ll help too.”
Entrusting Schnee and Tiera with dinner, Shin headed to the smithy.
He had already reinforced 『Mikazuki Munechika』 and 『Oodenta Mitsuyo』, so he had more or less learned the “trick” to it, more or less. Because of this, Shin was done in about one hour.
Shin left the smithy and walked through the corridor towards the living room, when about five mels from the living room, he found Schnee standing there.
“Did everything go well?”
“Yeah, I made them all into Shinuchi.”
“That’s good. I’ve made some preparations too.”
“Preparations?”
Schnee looked at Shin, somewhat fidgeting. He had no idea what she could have meant by “preparations”. He found it puzzling that she was blushing though.
Had something happened before dinner? So thought Shin, when Schnee abruptly started talking.
“W-will you have dinner first? Or have a bath? O-or, have…have m—”
Schnee couldn’t say it till the end, and covered her red hot face with her hands. She was obviously too embarrassed. Her long ears, poking from her silver hair, were blazing red too.
“Eh!? Wait a second, Schnee!!! If you say that much, you have to say it to the end!!!”
“I can’t!! I can’t do something as shameful as in-inviting Shin to….!”
After Schnee crouched down in embarrassment, Filma — who had been using a concealment skill — revealed herself.
“What are you even doing….”
Shin had noticed Filma’s presence, so he looked at her as to say, “I need an explanation”.
“I heard Cashmere and Hecate talk about it once. This is a wife’s proper greeting to her husband in your world, right Shin? A great welcome, to soothe the husband’s exhaustion while also encouraging prosperity for the family line!”
“I’m sorry for Schnee, who got all embarrassed like this…but that isn’t a proper greeting or anything…some people do say it though.”
Shin corrected Filma’s information, careful not to touch upon the wife-husband part.
He wanted to add that a phrase like that was only in manga, but he had actually seen his parents enact the situation once, so he couldn’t deny it outright.
“Really? Hecate and Cashmere really said that they would have liked to welcome their husbands like that, though.”
“Yeah, I heard that too. Hecate was looking for a partner, wasn’t she.”
Shin remembered hearing something about that during one of their offline meetings.
Rokuten members were mostly minors: Hecate was the only adult. As soon as she had found a job, she had quit being a hardcore gamer. For Shin, the impression of the real world Hecate was of a hard-working adult woman.
She was slender, beautiful, with a dimple near her eye. Her personality wasn’t bad either, so it was a mystery why she couldn’t find a boyfriend.
“Well, putting Hecate aside…Filma, don’t tease Schnee too much, okay?”
“I wasn’t teasing her. Without some stimulus, the relationship doesn’t progress.”
“Don’t talk about that here!”
Like Shibaid, Filma also wanted Shin and Schnee to become one soon. The difference was that Filma used a very direct approach.
“It can’t be helped, can it? If you disappear, then it’s all over.”
“….so you heard.”
Filma seemed to know that Shin was looking for a way to return to his home world.
“Though, I have no clue about how to do it.”
“And that’s precisely the reason why we should move now. If you find a way, it’s all over, isnt it?”
Filma was looking at Shin, but not in her usual joking way.
“Filma, that’s enou—-”
“Sorry, but in regards to this, I’m prioritizing Schnee over you, Shin. I’m sure you know why, don’t you?”
Filma interrupted Schnee’s words and pressed further. Shin knew the reason well, of course.
Filma Tolmeya was Shin’s second support character. She was without a doubt Shin’s support character, but her original position was supporting Schnee. That influenced Filma in this world too.
“I understand, once again.”
“Then—”
“Filma!”
Schnee interrupted Filma’s words this time. Her powerful shout stopped Filma in her tracks.
“I’m sorry, Shin. I’ll talk with Filma properly about this.”
“Hey, Schnee! Are you really fine with th-”
Filma was ready to double down, but Schnee put a finger over her mouth and smiled.
“I’m all right. I have no intention of giving up either.”
“…hah, okay then. I’ll keep quiet for now.”
Schnee’s clear declaration, in front of Shin too, made Filma give a small shrug and nod.
“But, you know.”
The next instant, Filma took Schnee by surprise and stepped next to Shin, whispering something in his ear.
“Now I’d join in too, you know?”
Filma then kissed Shin’s cheek.
“W-what!? Hey!!”
“Filma!?”
“Schnee, you have to do at least this much!”
Filma fled into the living room before they could say anything else.
To think she’d go so far…thought Shin while touching his cheek and watching Filma go.
“S-Schnee? That look is kind of painful, you know…”
Shin realized that she was staring at him and fretted. Schnee came closer, silent.
“……”
She finally took Shin’s head with her hands and pressed her lips on his.
The pressure felt just now completely vanished, Schnee gave Shin a gentle kiss.
“I can…do this much.”
She must have been nervous. After the kiss, she turned beet red again, as if opening a pressure valve.
“Le-let’s go eat! Everyone’s waiting!”
Not able to endure the embarrassment anymore, Schnee fled into the living room just like Filma had done.
“….what am I going to do?”
Filma’s concern for Schnee, Schnee’s feelings for himself…he could understand them. However, However, Shin had not given up on returning to his home world.
“If that wasn’t a possibility, I’d be OK with it in a heartbeat.”
Let’s go back — so Marino had said before dying. Her words were deeply engraved in Shin’s heart.
Shin himself felt a longing for his home world. It wasn’t just because he had spoken to Tiera about his past, but he strongly felt that he couldn’t just throw away the world he was born and raised in so easily.
“Well, I better go now.”
With a small sigh, Shin headed to the living room.
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Chapter 1: Part 3
“So this is the Shinuchi?”
“Well, I can see why Munechika and Mitsuyo were so smug.”
“Hmm…”
After the meal, Shin gave Yasutsuna, Kunitsuna and Tanetsugu their respective Shinuchi, but their responses were all different. Only Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna expressed their excitement and interest, while Tanetsugu showed disappointment.
“Er, what happened to Tanetsugu?”
“Hmm, it appears that I cannot transfer my consciousness into this blade.”
According to Tanetsugu, the revival version of the katana could not serve as a vessel.
“The revival version won’t do, then?”
Based on what had happened until now, only weapons forged from scratch or obtained during the event could be used to transfer consciousness.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to go through that again…”
Shin could forge 『Juzumaru』, but to do so would mean going through the same ordeal as when he repaired 『Dojigiri Yasutsuna』. All weapon recipes were different too. Even though he was able to forge one of the Five Supreme Blades, it didn’t mean that the others were any easier to make.
“No, you have already done enough for us. Enough with my selfishness.”
Tanetsugu’s whole body clearly expressed how dejected he was, but he accepted the situation.
“Ooh, so this is how I change!”
“As expected, my change was similar to Munechika’s.”
Next to the resigned Tanetsugu, Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna expressed their joy and surprise at their new Shinuchi forms.
Yasutsuna was still lean but now looked more muscular; his facial features were more solid and rugged, like a young general who had trained his technique and accumulated experience.
Kunitsuna, like Munechika, was even more beautiful than before. Instead of gaining lustrous hair or whiter skin, she gain more prominent curves, giving her an hourglass figure.
“How regretful…”
Looking at his overjoyed comrades, Tanetsugu’s shoulders dropped even more.
“Munechika and now Kunitsuna!! Just what kind of joke is this!?!”
Mitsuyo, who had already been made into a Shinuchi, shouted. It wasn’t clear whether she was angry or crying.
“Shin! One more time, you have to reinforce me one more time! If you do, I will become like them toooo!!”
Unable to accept the difference in their transformations, Mitsuyo pressed Shin.
“I…could…do it…but…in your case, Mitsuyo, it might go totally against your wishes…you changed in a way completely different from them, after all.”
Mitsuyo grabbed shin by the neck and shook him, but Shin freed himself from her grip and replied.
“Th-that can’t be…”
“Well actually, just because you’re small doesn’t mean you’re not powerful. For example, dwarves, so…”
Not all dwarves were short in stature: only some of the NPCs from the original game were smaller, compared to other species. Normally speaking, however, Shin’s explanation was not too far off the mark.
“But why…why only me…”
“I really can’t say.”
Mitsuyo’s appearance settings were different from Munechika’s and Kunitsuna’s from the beginning. Shin thought that could be the reason, but was not sure, so he avoided saying anything clearly.
“Just give up. At least you were able to become a Shinuchi, unlike me. ”
“I know, I know…I just feel like acting a little spoiled.”
Mitsuyo pouted and breathed deeply; maybe that helped her change her mood, as she didn’t look irritated anymore.
“Oh, to think that you’d act spoiled to someone other than us.”
“….and what would you mean by that?”
Tanetsugu laughed innocently to Mitsuyo’s evil smile.
“That you’ve become much more expressive. Now, don’t look so scary. It’s just an old man’s rambling.”
“Is it really okay for you to give us your Shinuchi, though? Even though you can replicate them, they must be valuable items for you Shin.”
Munechika changed the topic and asked Shin about something that concerned her, but in response he took out two stacks of item cards.
“That’s fine, the more allies we have, the better. Oh, and take these, as miasma countermeasures.”
Munechika couldn’t tell what kind of items they were by looking at the cards’ illustrations, so she looked a little lost.
“What are these?”
“These are accessories and one-time use items. They’re all easy to use; the accessories just need to be equipped, while the items just have to touch miasma to activate.”
What Shin gave Munechika were accessories that neutralized up to a degree of miasma and items that could delete accumulated miasma. The one-time use items had a more powerful effect, but naturally could only be used once. The accessories’ effect was weaker, but lasted much longer. Using them in combination granted complete protection, as long as the miasma wasn’t too dense.
“We can’t thank you enough.”
“Don’t say that. It would be a problem for me too if this place was taken over. Besides, Yuzuha found a companion….well, if I can call Kagutsuchi that. But she’d be sad if it was hurt.”
Shin then looked towards Yuzuha and Kagutsuchi, who were playing on the table.
“Did Kagutsuchi recover its powers, by the way?”
“Yes, its actual body was turned to crystal, right? A bit after you left to rescue Kunitsuna, the crystallization was dispelled. The chick form was just a copy housing Kagutsuchi’s consciousness, but now it has returned to its actual form.”
Just like Yuzuha, Kagutsuchi was apparently able to alter its form to a degree. It couldn’t take human form however.
“Looks like it took a liking to that form. It gets all quiet if you hold it.”
“Yuzuha said something similar, now that I think about it. Its original form was huge, so it probably never experienced something like that.”
Yuzuha had grown, but probably the little fox mode was the one she enjoyed the best. She often used it to sneak under the covers of Shin’s bed and sleep too.
In the game their role was to test players, so maybe they were fond of humans.
“Piyo!”
“Hmm, is that so….Shin, Kagutsuchi has something to tell you. Can you call your comrades too?”
Kagutsuchi landed on Munechika’s shoulder and cried softly.
As Shin’s party gathered, they were invited to go outside.
As they all did, Kagutsuchi flew from Munechika’s shoulder, turning into a golden flame.
“So this is Kagutsuchi’s original form.”
The golden flame gradually formed beak and wings: in a few instants, it had become a large phoenix.
Flaming sparks scattered all around, but emitted no heat.
“I thank you for your assistance.”
Kagutsuchi’s voice sounded with a deep gravity which well fitted its current appearance. The reverberating echo expressed the divine beast’s presence adequately.
“As a gesture of thanks, I shall bestow the protection of my holy flame upon you.”
Shin and party were then enveloped by golden flames. This fire wasn’t hot at all, and it disappeared after a few instants.
The Gift list in Shin’s menu then displayed the message “NEW!”. Shin mentally opened the menu and found that the Gift 『Holy Flames Protection』 had been added.
Its effect was to weaken fire elemental damage exceeding a certain level. Below that level, it would be neutralized.
In more concrete terms, only Schnee-level attacks could deal decisive damage. It was a very powerful protection, who could even be called fire damage nullifier.
“A-are you sure…sir?”
Surprised, Shin replied casually, but thought that it wouldn’t be appropriate to speak like that to Kagutsuchi in its current form, so he corrected himself.
Kagutsuchi did not seem to mind: after merely uttering “I am”, it returned to its chick form.
“Piyo piyo.”
Looking at how it flapped its small wings, it looked like Kagutsuchi was saying “it’s all good, just take it and go”.
“Understood, I’ll make good use of it.”
Kagutsuchi had nothing else to say, so the group returned inside Tsuki no Hokora.
The following day, it was time to descend the mountain.
“Once more, we are in your debt. Do come visit again.”
“You have to!! Definitely!!”
“Please do before Mitsuyo explodes from impatience.”
“Take care in your travels.”
“My my, I doubt there’s anything to worry about though.”
“Piyo!”
Shin’s group left Fuji while Munechika, Mitsuyo, Tanetsugu, Yasutsuna, Kunitsuna and Kagutsuchi saw them off.
Their next destination was a port town to find a ship heading to the Eltnia continent.
The group crossed Aokigahara, boarded the horse carriage which, led by Kagerou, started running through Hinomoto’s roads.
Unlike before, they made sure to slow down to a normal speed every time they ran into groups of merchants or travelers, in order to not stand out.
The reason was they had already heard rumors of a mysterious convoy running at an incredible speed on the roads around Fuji. Shin’s party had traveled at high speed when they went looking for Kunitsuna too, so the rumor must have spread further.
Luckily, the witnesses reported the mysterious cart to be running in the area opposite to the port town the group was directed to; if Kagerou was cloaked as a horse with illusion magic, they wouldn’t stand out much anymore.
◆◆◆◆
“As expected of a port town, there are some amazing fish dishes here.”
Once they reached their destination, the group hid in a forest to change the carriage back to an item card, then proceeded on foot. Just walking aimlessly around town, they could see many stalls selling fresh fish. There were species Shin knew from his original world and monster fish sausages unique of this world, forming a wide range of products.
“Two weeks is a pretty long time…”
Tiera sighed after learning of the passenger ship schedule. A ship had left just the day before, and it would be some time until the next one left port.
The group was not exactly in a rush, but waiting two weeks in a town without any leisure activities was pretty boring, so they started looking for trade ships heading to the Eltnia continent.
About one hour later, the party learned from a sailor that there was a ship planning to leave two days later, so they went to negotiate a way to board it right away.
At first, the crew rejected their overtures as they did not have enough space, but the captain ultimately accepted them when Shin and his party said they would also act as escorts.
Shin and Tiera’s adventurer ranks were still low, but Shibaid had an A ranked adventurer card. It was a card that Shibaid used while still being able to hide his true identity. The Adventurers’ Guild owed a lot to him, so they made an exception by issuing it.
“They probably wouldn’t have let us on if it was just us without Shibaid.”
“That’s true. Shin is rank D, and I’m still F to boot. Master is rank C on paper, so I bet they think we’re dead weight.”
Tiera had been promoted to rank F after taking care of the aftermath of Balmel’s defense battle.
Some were of the opinion that she should have been promoted to a higher rank, but the offensive power of the bow which slew so many foes was not hers only, so she was only promoted one rank.
The nature of Shin’s accomplishments had been a topic of much debate within the guild. There were apparently some disputes going on too, so he chose to head to Kilmont before finding out the results.
Just before that, the business with the Church happened, so at present, no one actually knew what rank Shin was.
“The sea’s more dangerous than land, after all. The first time I fought at sea, it was really different, and I could hardly get the hang of it.”
The same type of escort mission increased in rank if it was at sea instead of land.
“We’re a party with an A-rank adventurer and all skill inheritors, that should be more than enough for them.”
As Schnee said, now Tiera possessed skills too. Other than the 【Analyze】 skill Shin taught her, she had acquired skills for offense, support, etcetera.
Tiera could use her bow, while Schnee, Shibaid, and Shin could use their skills to fight enemies above or below the water. Thanks to these negotiations, they could split their duties with the escorts already on board without trouble.
Normally, ships protected themselves with long-range attacks. If worse came to worst, Shin’s group could act as decoys to lure the enemies far from the ship where they could be shot: it was one of the possible strategies.
Considering the crew and the ship’s safety, no one would object to having an escort-specialized party on board.
“Looks like it’ll be a peaceful trip this time.”
The group spent the time prior to their departure by going over battle strategies and sightseeing. Two days later, Shin and his party were onboard, gazing at the horizon. It did not look like they would be attacked by monsters such as the Gale Serpents; the ship proceeded without any delay.
“There aren’t many pirates or monsters in this part of the sea, but if anything happens, we’ll be counting on you guys, all right?”
Aral, an adventurer and the ship’s permanent escort, approached the group. He had red hair cut short and features that reminded the others of a wild animal.
Shin replied politely, not wanting to look like a cocky newbie adventurer.
“Please leave it to us. Our rank might be low, but we have some experience fighting at sea.”
“That’s good to hear. Though, unexpected things happen at sea. There’s a rumor among sailors that a ghost ship appears in these parts, you know?”
“A ghost ship?”
Aral’s tone suggested that he just wanted to give Shin a scare. For Shin, however, it wasn’t just a joke. One of the area bosses in the game era was a true ghost ship, that appeared in certain sea areas.
Shin replied to Aral, asking him please not to scare them, and the adventurer grinned and left.
“The ship, hmm…”
Shin remembered one of Rokuten’s guildhouses, the 2nd Assault Ship Celciutos. He heard that not even the Golden Company found it, so he thought that it might have been adrift somewhere.
Unaware of Shin’s thoughts, the ship’s crew guided the ship with sails swelled in the wind and cut on through the waves. The weather did not turn sour and the ship sailed on under a perfectly blue sky. No traces of the ghost ships of Celciutos. Finally, two days after departure, the ship reached the Eltnia continent.
“So this is Barbatos the Marine City. You would think it’s a city of pirates, with this name.”
“They say they have geothermal energy-powered hot water pools here, you know?”
Filma, who had heard this piece of information from the captain, waved at the ship as the group disembarked.
“Pools, huh. They probably bathe in seawater normally though.”
All sorts of dangerous monsters dwelt in the sea, and some were even able to move around on land.
Rather than building walls or setting nets to protect the land from the dangerous sea creatures, the buildings and leisure facilities were completely separated from the sea and were therefore safer and easier to maintain. Because of this, the “Marine City” did not have a single beach.
“Since we’re here, we might as well check it out if we have time. We don’t have to worry about monsters. The baths are unlike the sea or lakes, so it’ll definitely be fun.”
“Yeah, once in a while we might as well forget our troubles and just play around.”
Before being trapped in the 『Drop of Erathem』, Filma barely had any freedom to enjoy leisure activities. Shin had also had no chance to really stretch and play around since coming to this world, so he agreed to her proposal.
“We need to buy some swimsuits then. I guess we should eat something first?”
The time was already past 1 PM. The group had decided to eat lunch at Barbatos, since they had not eaten anything after their breakfast.
Shin and the others began looking for a place to eat, while trying to calm down the overly excited Filma.
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Chapter 1: Part 4
“—here, then?”
“Yes. Cook’s subordinates -Zazie, Lapwing, Bell and Shell- should be here. But this is….unexpected.”
While heading toward Eltnia, Shin decided to stop by Barbatos because “Shigureya,” Rokuten member Cook’s home, was located there. Apparently, it still functioned as a restaurant.
Four of Cook’s subordinates, being long-lived races, were still active: the restaurant received guests from outside Barbatos too, or so said Aral.
Just as they had heard, Shin’s party found an incredibly long queue before them. People from all ages, genders, and species were neatly queued in one line.
“It doesn’t look like it’s just a one hour wait, huh.”
“I sent a message, so there should be some action soon.”
Shin spoke while looking at the queue and Schnee replied to him.
After a while, two young girls ran out of the doors. They had very similar faces, horns on their heads, membranous wings on their backs, and scaly tails poking out from under their clothes.
These two girls were Bell and Shell. Both had eyes deep red in color, but Bell’s silver hair covered the right half of her face, while Shell’s black hair covered the left side of her face.
“They look just the same, even now.”
Shin referred to Bell’s kitchen frock and Shell’s maid uniform. Based on this, the remaining two of the four were likely wearing one a cook’s uniform, the other a kimono.
“Found Schnee!!”
“Found Filma!!”
Bell and Shell pointed in the direction of Shin’s party and shouted cheerfully. They mentioned Schnee’s name, but as she was camouflaged, no one recognized her.
“Found Shibaid!”
“Found Sh–”
“Girls? Aren’t you a bit too noisy?”
Schnee interrupted as they were about to shout Shin’s name. The girls instantly froze, just like frogs facing a snake’s glare.
Shin and the others all thought the same thing: ah, she’s angry.
“My message to Lapwing clearly stated not to create a fuss, did it not?”
“I-I’m sorry!!!”
They probably ran out without listening until the end. The two apologized and quickly returned inside the store.
“This sort of commotion feels nostalgic too…”
“Though, having our names shouted like that in public is pretty troublesome.”
Because of the exchange with Bell & Shell, Shin’s group had attracted some attention.
As they thought that it would probably be better to come back some other time, Schnee suggested entering the restaurant from the back door. Lapwing had replied to her message, apparently.
The group left the store’s front and entered a backstreet that had little traffic. When they reached Shigureya’s back door, they found a woman waiting.
She was Lapwing, who had been communicating with Schnee via message.
Black hair tied behind her head and a kimono designed with ease of movement in mind.
Her green eyes had a gentle light within them, just as Shin remembered.
“I was waiting for you. I apologize for the trouble Bell and Shell caused.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad to see that nothing seems to have changed.”
Led by Lapwing, the group entered Shigureya and was led to a special private room.
The restaurant, having exhausted their ingredient stock for the day, had just closed. Only those customers who were still eating were inside.
“Your meal will be ready soon, please wait.”
After hearing that the group planned to eat lunch at Shigureya, Lapwing said “leave it to us” and accepted the request with enthusiasm. There were still ingredients left for the staff, apparently.
“Here is your water.”
“Please use these handkerchiefs.”
As Lapwing left, Bell and Shell appeared inside. Their movements indicated that they still felt guilty in front of Schnee, but when she forgave them, they smiled while announcing today’s menu.
“By the way, Zazie’s cooking, right?”
“Zazie’s focusing on cooking!!”
“When she gets like that nothing can stop her!”
Bell and Shell replied to Shin’s question, their expressions suggesting “She’s a helpless one, that girl!”
“Should I go call her?”
“No, I just wanted to say hi. We’ll probably meet her later anyway, it’s fine.”
Shin shook his head to Bell and Shell’s simultaneous question. He didn’t feel like interrupting her cooking just for a greeting. In the past, Shigureya’s boss and thus the head chef, was naturally Cook.
Zazie and Lapwing were both vice-head chefs. Their cooking skills were on the same level. While in battle, Lapwing excelled in land combat and Zazie in sea encounters.
Bell and Shell, the waitresses, did not excel in cooking but in terms of fighting power were both above Zazie and Lapwing.
“Thanks for the meal.”
Zazie and Lapwing came after the party finished eating, as if they had been waiting for the right timing. Next to the kimono-clad Lapwing stood the slender yet muscular figure of Zazie, wearing her chef’s frock. At first glance, it would be hard to tell that they worked in the same restaurant.
In contrast with Lapwing’s mellow, gentle manner, Zazie was the “wild” type, well fitting her short red hair. She looked much more like an adventurer than a cook.
“Did you get even better at cooking?”
“If you truly think so, then my efforts have paid off.”
Lapwing nodded with a smile.
“So, what brought you here today?”
Zazie finally spoke, with a low-pitched voice well fitting her appearance. Her brown eyes gave an intense look, just an inch short of glaring.
“I thought of paying you a visit, since we were in the area and all. Sorry to have you set a private room for us.”
“No, it would not do to inconvenience a friend of lord Cook.”
Despite her words, Zazie’s expression suggested that she found it all a pain in the butt.
If one didn’t know that her sour expression was something she was born with, it would look like she was really irritated.
“…let me ask one thing. Mr. Shin, have you not come because of that rumor?”
“Zazie, please. It’s ‘lord’ Shin.”
“No, that’s fine. Rather, what’s this about a rumor?”
Shin appeased Lapwing and asked for further details about the rumor.
“In Barbatos’ seas, there’s an area called Kuwain. A sailor claims to have seen a gigantic ship there. He is an elf, who knew what Celciutos looks like too.”
“You mean to say that the ship in question was Celciutos?”
“Yes.”
Zazie looked at Shin with a sharp glare.
The light in her eyes came from the strong resolve of looking for and finding Celciutos — the Guildhouse of her master, Cook.
“Change of plans then. Tell us more about the current situation. If possible, we’ll secure it.”
The ghost ship mentioned by Aral…Shin thought that it could be what they were looking for.
Apparently, the elf who had seen the mysterious ship was not in Barbatos anymore: he had come to report to Zazie and the others that he had seen Celciutos several years before.
“Is that elf someone’s support character?”
“No, to put it in simple terms for you, he’s just an NPC. He used to work in Erculus harbor and had the chance to see Celciutos several times, so he remembered its appearance.”
“It’s true that it stopped a few times in Erculus. The probability that he had just made a mistake is pretty low then.”
Erculus was a hometown that prospered as a port in the game era. Other than ships of all sizes, ship-shaped guildhouses could anchor there too.
Even without dropping anchor at a port, all Rokuten members could teleport directly from their guildhouses or homes. There also was a support character set exclusively to refill supplies, so no one else had to do that.
However, as it was a ship, they would occasionally use ports temporarily. One reason was to show off the grand, luxurious vessel that Celciutos was.
“Where exactly is this Kuwain area?”
“According to fishermen and sailors of trade ships, it’s the area above Hinomoto when departing from Barbatos. It’s not sealed, but it’s designated as a dangerous marine zone, so the guild forbids entering it.”
Zazie answered with a grimace, which Lapwing explained to be due to the guild’s refusal to allow them entry in the Kuwain area when they requested it.
“What exactly does “Dangerous Marine Zone” mean?”
“The Kuwain area is surrounded by three powerful currents, as if forming a triangle. Each corner of this triangle has also become the home of monsters which protect their respective territories. Until a few years back, the monsters just scared away those who tried to enter their zone, but now people say that they started attacking and destroying ships: even in areas that were previously peaceful. Now there are frequent storms violent enough to overthrow even large-size ships.”
Lapwing continued Zazie’s explanation, finishing by putting a hand to her cheek and sighing.
Storms alone would be enough of a problem, but with monsters involved too, it was not wrong for the guild to seal off the area to inspect it, or so Shin thought.
There were three monsters guarding the Kuwain area, called the Three Sea Beasts.
In the northwest, a giant squid with 20-mels limbs and magic-unleashing gems, “Mascurda”.
In the southeast, a shark with razor-sharp fins and poisonous needles growing all over its body, “Eolios”.
In the southwest, a sea snake with body hair and compound eyes as tough as steel and even crab-like pincers, “Keseldran”.
These three monsters, commanding their minions, constantly fought to expand their territories, so very few returned from the Kuwain area alive, added Lapwing.
The elf who had spotted Celciutos had nearly died there himself: his ship overthrown, he was carried by the currents and ended up inside the Kuwain area. He was prepared to meet his end, or so he said.
After spotting Celciutos, he exhausted his energy and sank beneath the waves, but when he woke up again he found himself floating near the Barbatos coast, hanging onto a wooden plank like a floating tube. A passing ship then rescued him, so he had barely survived.
“There’s definitely something strange going on there.”
“Yes. Based on the sea environment, it’s probably Beasts, maybe mermen or fishmen.”
Shin also agreed with Lapwing’s hypothesis.
In THE NEW GATE, human-like sea creatures were called “Mermen”, while the ones more similar to fish were called “Fishmen”. Both categories were variations of the Beast group, specialized in underwater combat: they could dive without limits and all their stats grew by 10% while underwater. In exchange, their stats decreased by 10% when on land.
Underwater, all obstacles to their movement disappeared, so they boasted peerless strength at sea.
Some players employed strategies such as using this unlimited diving ability to drown other players and win. Having unusual names and statuses, they had a unique position within the Beast category.
“Based on what that elf said, even if entry is forbidden it’s not like there are walls or anything, right? Couldn’t we just sneak in?”
“I think it’s possible, but to inspect the area we’d need a ship of fairly large size, so it would be difficult to enter without the guild’s permission, I suppose.”
Lapwing and the others could not procure an inspection ship of sufficient size, so their request was refused.
In the game, Shin had experienced the sea during a storm. Waves large enough to knock over even large ships, unless they had magic enchantments to prevent it, were common in this world. Average ships wouldn’t stand a chance.
“I guess that means we should get permission first. Do you know what the conditions are?”
“To own a ship equal or superior to a certain size. The presence of an adventurer rank A or above. To have equipment suitable for fighting underwater. Those three should be all the conditions. Naturally, there isn’t any compensation in case of death or injury. Going to that area is seen as having a death wish, after all.”
“Yeah, I can see that.”
Shin agreed to Lapwing’s words. Even excluding the three Sea Beasts, the Kuwain zone was rife with monsters. Just by hearing what Zazie and Lapwing said, Shin could tell how troublesome the area could be.
Originally, sea monsters appeared in the ocean much more frequently than monsters did on land. Footing was not stable and attacks could come from any direction. Additionally, if the enemy is underwater attacking then options become limited.
In the game era, there were plenty of tales of players who had made a name for themselves on land, but then died as soon as they challenged the seas.
The three Sea Beasts were powerful monsters around level 800, so their minions would obviously be quite threatening as well. Zazie and her comrades had been raised focusing more on creation skills such as cooking rather than fighting, so it would have been difficult for them to return alive.
“First of all, what we need is a ship.”
“Mr. Shin, do you have anything in mind?”
Zazie looked at Shin with an expression full of anticipation.
“Well actually, I have the parts. If I can have a place to put them together, I can make a ship.”
Celciutos was extremely large and powerful even among all other magic-powered warships: in THE NEW GATE, it was one of the best super dreadnoughts existing. Its maintenance parts were in absurd quantities, most of them being made by the blacksmith, Shin. A large quantity of prototype and spare parts for ships thus rested in Shin’s item box.
Shin kept the parts in separate folders, according to the size of the ship they were for. He could exchange parts and customize ships, as long as the sizes were the same.
“As expected of Lord Shin!! Let us make preparations right away!!”
The overjoyed Lapwing was ready to burst out of the room.
“Can you really have a place ready that easily? I can’t just build it anywhere, you know?”
In the game all one had to do was to go to the port’s management office and register to build a ship, but in reality things could not surely be that easy.
“We are having a ship built in an acquaintance’s shipyard. I feel bad for the carpenters, but we will borrow that space.”
“Is that alright? I mean, in terms of your relationship with them.”
If there was a place available, they wanted to start right away, but saying that they didn’t need the requested ship anymore could be a problem.
“I think it will be alright. That carpenter wouldn’t care about small things if it meant honing their techniques. Rather, I’m sure he will look at the ship you make and try to steal your techniques.”
Zazie added that the carpenter would probably want to watch as the ship was made in place of his.
“Can you take me there right away, then? I want to make preparations and go to Kuwain as soon as possible.”
The two girls nodded at Shin’s words and stood up. Having left the dishwashing to Bell and Shell, Zazie and Lapwing guided Shin’s group towards a large avenue. They had not changed before leaving, as their clothing had magic enchantments that kept them and their equipment clean at all times. It wasn’t something useful in battle, but Cook stated that it was absolutely necessary. Shin reminisced about making them with Cashmere and Hecate’s help.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 11 - Depths of the Azure Seas/The-New-Gate-Volume-11-Depths-of-the-Azure-Seas-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_11_Chapter_01_Part_05.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 5
“It’s here.”
“As expected of a shipyard, it’s really huge.”
Shin’s group visited a shipyard located at the edge of the port. Despite its location, it didn’t lose to other shipyards in size. The group followed Zazie to the docks and found two galleons hanging in midair, suspended by fixtures. Next to them was a ship in the process of being built, probably the one requested by Zazie and her comrades.
The workers noticed Zazie’s arrival and one of them called to a large man who was a bit farther away from them.
The man then came closer; he was of short stature, but about two times wider than the average person, with a stocky and muscular physique.
“Hey there, Zazie. The ship is still in the works, ya know?”
Judging from the man’s familiar tone, he must have been on good terms with Zazie. Shin imagined him to be one of the chief carpenters.
“I came to talk about that ship. This guy is an acquaintance of ours, an adventurer named Shin. This man is the boss and chief carpenter of this Gourd Shipyard, Zigma Gourd, but everyone just calls him chief.”
Zazie did the introductions; Shin had told her that he didn’t want to attract attention where other people could see, so she had kept the introductions to a bare minimum. Lapwing fretted, looking at her.
“Calm down, Lapwing.”
“Zazie, isn’t that way of speaking a bit rude?”
“It’s okay, Shin isn’t the type of person to care about things like that.”
Even while Schnee added a helpful comment, Zazie continued talking with Zigma. She told him to suspend making the ship and Zigma looked at Shin.
“This isn’t something to talk about here I wager. Let’s go to the back, follow me.”
The group followed Zigma’s pounding steps to a small room in the back of the office. After drinks were served, Zigma started talking.
“So, why don’t you need the ship anymore? I know the reason why you needed it, why you’re so bent on this. I don’t think you can find a replacement so easily.”
To have a normal ship, one just needed to pay the right amount of money. Kuwain was an extremely dangerous marine area with powerful storms though. A ship that had its large size as its only advantage was still doomed to sink.
“I know you girls, you can’t have given up, right? The lad here is involved in it?”
“Yes, Mr. Shin is going to make the ship.”
“Say what now?”
Zigma looked at Shin again, straight and deeply, as if to scan what kind of person he was.
“Yes, I would like to borrow the space where that ship is being built.”
“Do you have the materials? In order to make a ship like the guild specified, the materials alone cost an arm and a leg, ya know that?”
“I have the parts already, yes. There was no other good place to put them together, so…”
Saying so, Shin put an item card on the table.
“An item card, huh. It’s true that it would make carrying materials easy. But just having the parts isn’t enough to build a ship, how about that?”
Building a ship required a certain amount of manpower. Even if parts and tools were turned into item cards, Shin’s group was just five people. With three of them being women, Zigma appeared skeptical that they could build a ship by themselves.
“I wouldn’t want this to be known, but…using skills, I’d make do somehow.”
“…I see, so you’re a skill inheritor.”
Zigma nodded, convinced.
Skills allowed the use of powers well beyond human understanding. The item box, which allowed children to carry items of massive weight, was similar also.
From the viewpoint of someone who did not understand skills, it was something impossible to comprehend. Shin’s way of speaking was due to him being an inheritor, and Zigma recognized that.
He was a creator, but also a businessman. The contract had been canceled unilaterally, but Zazie said that they would pay the full price, so he acknowledged their request.
“Well, business’s business, if ya pay I got nothing to say.”
“It sure doesn’t look like that, though?”
As Zazie pointed out, even if Zigma said to be content, his sour expression suggested otherwise.
“Can ya blame me? Building ships is my lifework. I haven’t spared anything, not materials nor technique, in the ship we’re making now. I can swear that it’d be my life’s masterpiece.”
He was surely confident; Zigma’s expression did not contain an inch of arrogance.
“That said, Zazie. Your expression tells me that the lad here can build something a hell of a lot better than I can. You know my skills, and here we have someone you trust that much. You bet I’m interested.”
“You never change, do you. Shin, I’m sure it’ll be alright with him.”
Zazie looked at Shin, as if to encourage him to show Zigma his skill usage.
Zigma’s attitude and the halfway built ship clearly showed that he had pride in his expertise, so Shin decided that he could let Zigma see his skills.
“…don’t tell anyone else about what you see or hear, and never mention that you saw me. If you can promise me these two things, then it’s all right.”
“Gotcha. Whatever I see or hear, I’ll bring with me into the grave. If there’s something I can steal, will ya let me?”
“Take anything you can. I won’t stop you for using it as reference for other work.”
“Now this is one cocky lad. I’m getting excited here!”
It wasn’t possible to make a skill into your own just by looking at it. Looking at the completed ship and using it as reference for other projects was no problem for Shin.
In contrast, Zigma nodded, an evil-looking grin on his face. His pride as an artisan was burning, without a doubt.
As there were no separators or barriers within the shipyard, Shin would put together the ship after the other carpenters left. The group split with Zazie and Lapwing for the moment, who would return to Shigureya, and headed to the guild.
“Hopefully they give us permission without too much of a fuss.”
Shin mumbled to himself, even if he knew that it would be difficult. Filma, who was looking around at Barbatos’ town scenery, heard him and replied:
“Judging from what Zazie said, won’t it be pretty impossible? I doubt they’d easily let anyone go in a place if they know it means having a death wish.”
“They’re the current owners of Shigureya, though. The guild or the government might not want to lose such talent like that.”
“That is probably it. Shigureya would turn into a warehouse if they were to be gone.”
Shibaid said that even with the ship their chances of being authorized were low, and Schnee agreed.
Homes could usually be accessed by others only if the owner was inside or together with the visitor. This was the same for Shin’s Tsuki no Hokora too; now that it was inhabited, only Tiera, Yuzuha, and Kagerou — other than support characters like Schnee — could enter it.
Yuzuha because she had a contract with Shin, Tiera because Schnee registered her as Tsuki no Hokora member when she took her under her wing, and Kagerou for the same reason as Yuzuha.
If Zazie and her companions were to die, in this world only Shin would be allowed to enter Shigureya, as he had a special authorization due to being a member of Rokuten.
Shin didn’t know how Zazie and the others were treated in Barbatos, but imagined that they wouldn’t want them to go into such dangerous areas.
“Well, let’s just try. We better gather info about the monsters that appear in these parts too.”
Just knowing about what they could face would be very helpful, the authorization could also come later. Is what Shin thought, when Tiera-who had not spoken a word until then-called to him.
“Hey, Shin. Fighting at sea will be something like when we fought the Gale Serpents in the storm last time right?”
“Well…yeah, but we could also have to fight underwater. I don’t think Celciutos could sink, as it has a diving function too. If, for some malfunction, it sinks underwater, we’d have to dive to recover it.”
Shin could turn any equipment into equipment usable underwater.
He had already done it to all party members…he thought, and then remembered that Tiera’s equipment had been updated.
“Oh yeah, we have to do “that” one more time.”
“Don’t do anything weird this time, okay?”
“Stop saying things that could be misunderstood…the design is random, I tell you. I was surprised myself that you got that of all things.”
A small accident happened last time Shin attached the underwater function to Tiera’s equipment. It was a very rare case, but for a woman such a design was a bit…no, extremely revealing. It was doubly rare, as it rarely appeared and Shin had never seen anyone wear it.
“I was more surprised!! What in the world was that, anyway? Even if it was to swim underwater, t-to wear that outside…would make me some perverse woman!!”
Remembering the incident, Tiera blushed fiercely and protested.
“Calm down, please! You’re too loud!”
Fortunately, there were few people around them, but they had attracted the attention of all those few, so the group hurried away.
As they walked on, Shibaid casted an inquiry.
“Shin, what happened to Tiera? It could not have been something trivial, if she showed such strong emotions in public.”
“When I attached the underwater function to her equipment, well, there was a small accident. Clothes and armor become a swimsuit, right? She had a rather risque one.”
Shin thought that it was pretty easy on the eyes, but did not dare voice his thoughts.
“Hmm, I see. There are many more variations for women than men, after all. I remember that there are also quite a few bizarre ones too.”
“Some of them are more embarrassing than being naked. I had something pretty crazy too. Are you sure it’s really random, hmm?”
“I said it is! If I could choose, I’d pick the current one from the start.”
Shin replied firmly to Filma’s teasing. If he didn’t, Schnee’s eyes would throw even sharper daggers into his back.
“I heard that nothing like that happened in Schnee’s case though?”
“Just a coincidence, I tell you.”
Tiera and Filma had very revealing designs, but Schnee had her current one the first time, so it was decided right away.
Depending on the viewpoint, however, one could say that in Schnee’s case any design would have worked.
“It can’t be helped, can it? I think that’s the one that looks best on her.”
Shin wasn’t neglecting Schnee, or so he strongly stated. There were no lies there.
“You heard that?”
Filma grinned and turned towards Schnee, who was walking behind her.
“I haven’t said anything.”
Schnee looked the other way, but judging from her twitching ears, she surely didn’t look displeased.
“Heh, just as planned.”
“Tch, that was on purpose!?”
Shin groaned towards the chuckling Filma.
“Enough about the equipment, there’s the guild.”
Shin looked forward in response to Shibaid’s announcement and saw a building very similar to the ones he had seen in Bayreuth and Falnido. The signboard also showed that there was no mistake.
“By the way, Filma, were you registered in the Adventurers’ Guild?”
“Hmm? No, why? When I was active people were still recovering from the confusion caused by the Dusk of the Majesty, so there weren’t cross-continental organizations like the guild.”
“Guess we should do that then. You’d get an ID too.”
At present, for Shin’s group that was how much a Guild card was worth. Selling the materials they had meant that they were never out of funds. For gathering information too, as Shibaid was rank A, it wasn’t necessary for Shin and the others to raise their own ranks.
“It’s the same inside too, huh.”
The interior of the guild had reception counters to the right, a tavern to the left and a board with requests in the center, the usual composition.
The only differences were the species and equipment of the adventurers inside. Probably because of Barbatos being close to the sea, they could see mermen and fishmen here and there. Shin also noticed several Rare and Unique class items, probably picked from the seafloor.
“Welcome to the Barbatos branch of the Adventurers’ Guild. How may I assist you?”
A woman with light blonde hair was at the reception.
“I’d like to register her as an adventurer.”
Shin knew the guild’s regulations, so they skipped the various explanations and proceeded with the registration.
“—-registration complete. Your card will be ready for pick up tomorrow.”
As before, it took one day to issue the card.
“Since we’re here, I’d like to ask you something. About the authorization to enter the Kuwain area, is it possible to receive it if we’re having a ship ready soon?”
“The authorization to enter…the Kuwain area…?”
Few people probably ever asked about it. The receptionist seemed to have no idea about what Shin was talking about.
“Yes, I heard that either the guild or the state’s authorization was needed in order to enter it. How does it work?”
“Please wait a moment…our staff needs to see the actual ship before granting authorization. There is a past case of people heading to sea with a ship of smaller size than the one reported in the request and disappearing, you see.”
The receptionist talked while looking at a document, probably listing the regulations. In the case she cited, some fishermen had witnessed the requester leaving port.
“Understood. I will come again once we have the ship then.”
“You can present your request first, if you wish to. The staff can fill in the ship’s information when they inspect it, so the procedures can be a bit quicker.”
“Is that so. Yes, I’ll do that.”
Thinking that saving time was always welcome, Shin filled in the required fields of the request form.
“Your name is…Shin, I see. Please present your guild card too.”
Shin handed in the filled request form and the receptionist checked it and compared it with his guild card.
“You are rank D? I’m afraid that even if you have a ship, you would not be granted the authorization.”
“There’s a rank A in my party. That means there’s no problem, right?”
“Yes, that is correct, but…if you do not mind me confirming, you are the party leader, lord Shin?”
“Yes.”
“Could you please tell me the ranks of your party members?”
Despite the presence of a rank A, the party leader was rank D. The receptionist probably found it strange.
Some adventurers deliberately set lower-ranked members as leader, in order to let them accumulate experience. There was no reason to use an inexperienced leader when going to a place like Kuwain, however.
“We have one C and one F, then two partner monsters. Depending on the circumstances, other members could join us later too.”
Zazie and the others would probably come with them too, but as Shin didn’t know if they were registered as adventurers or not, he kept things vague on purpose.
“Thank you. Do you know what the conditions for the authorization are?”
“Yes. The presence of an A-rank adventurer, a ship equal to or superior to a certain size, equipment usable underwater, or so I’ve been told.”
Shin repeated the conditions he heard from Zazie.
“Yes, that is correct. Is your equipment ready?”
“Yes, for all party members. Do you need to check that too?”
“I apologize for the inconvenience, but it is policy to do so. I do not mean to doubt your abilities, lord Shin. We simply wish to keep the risk of losing valuable adventurers to minimum levels.”
“No problem. I also wish to show you that we have no intention of going to die.”
With the ship and equipment Shin can provide, a stormy sea or two would be a piece of cake. Based on the members of his party too, unless something incredible happened, no one even risked being injured.
However, He couldn’t let the guild know everything. Shin’s techniques were far too advanced for this world; if he revealed them without thinking, he risked creating a commotion.
Shin was thus thinking of masking the ship when it was time to show it too.
“If possible, I would like to know about the monsters present in the Kuwain area though.”
Information about monsters heavily varied based on the area, but the guild recorded everything the adventurers reported. Knowing how to counter the monsters influenced the adventurers’ survival rate greatly.
The adventurer’s job always required their lives to be on the line, so it was absolutely necessary for them to pay attention to monster information.
“You may find such information in the reference room.”
The documents available varied by rank, but in general all documents except the ones concerning monsters in dangerous dungeons or sealed areas were available.
The monsters in the Kuwain area were also reported to dwell in other areas, so Shin’s group could browse the information about them, excluding the three Sea Beasts.
“Thank you very much.”
“Once your ship is ready, please come to the reception again. If I am not present, please say that Arno Toole received your request, I’ll make sure it can be processed.”
“Understood. I will come again th—”
“Oh, my apologies. There is something else I need to speak to you about, lord Shin.”
Shin was about to call on Schnee and the others to go to the reference room, when Arno stopped him.
“Something else?”
“There are about ten requests specifically for you.”
“Requests for me, huh. I’m truly sorry, but I have something urgent to do and cannot accept them.”
“Understood. As you cannot accept the requests, you will have to sign the request forms. Please wait in that booth, I will prepare the necessary documents.”
Arno pointed at a small booth next to the reception counter. Shin told Schnee and the others to wait, then sat on the sofa closest in the booth.
“I apologize for the wait. These are the request forms.”
Shin took the forms and signed the field stating that he could not accept the request.
He looked at the requesters while signing and found names and locations he remembered, such as Bayreuth kingdom or Balmel.
“Here, this should be all of them.”
“…yes, no problem.”
Arno checked the forms and nodded.
“Is this really alright with you, though? The connections you could obtain through these requests all seem very valuable.”
Arno explained that the adventurers who quit the guild to enter an exclusive contract with nobles or merchants, to ensure a stable lifestyle, were not few.
“I became an adventurer for a certain goal, so I’m not thinking of serving anyone until I have achieved that you see.”
“I see. A-rank adventurers are really different from the rest, after all.”
Arno gave a small chuckle after saying this, but Shin was a bit confused.
“Er, you’re talking about my party member?”
“No, I’m talking about you, lord Shin. I checked it before, when I processed your request. Because of your achievements in the Balmel defense battle, your promotion to rank A has been decided.”
The long discussion ended with the decision of promoting Shin to rank A.
With Shibaid present, they could check any documents, so it wasn’t really meaningful, but apparently communication had been sent throughout the continent.
“Stating you’re rank D when you’re actually rank A…that’s not nice, lord Shin. I was really surprised when I checked your guild card.”
It was very rare for adventurers to jump directly from rank D to rank A. To be sure it wasn’t a mistake, Arno had asked other staff members to confirm it too.
“I didn’t know that either until now though.”
“There are several adventurers named Shin, but who would have thought you were the one who acted in the Balmel defense battle. The name “Shin the Slashing Hammer” has reached even Barbatos, you know.”
“Ah…..that too.”
Shin would have loved for that nickname to spread as little as possible, so he wished to be able to disappear among the other Shins.
“After such great achievements, it is only right for you to be evaluated fairly. But I’m glad, now I can send you off with fewer concerns. It is always painful when someone I assisted doesn’t come back.”
“It will be alright, as you can see it turns out I’m rank A, so I’ll be back in a flash. I’m not going to Kuwain just to hunt monsters after all.”
The goal of Shin party was to secure Celciutos. In case it was within the territory of one of the Sea Beasts, they could have to fight them. There was no need to come in contact with them or fight them however.
The Sea Beasts’ forces were at odds with each other, so they were likely to prioritize maintaining their territories and would not venture outside them. Defeating one could cause the others to attack ships or ports, thus it did not hold much meaning.
“If possible, could I know what your goal is?”
“Yes, of course. It’s not something as fixed as to be called a goal, though. If I had to give it a name, I’d say it’s adventure.”
“Adventure, sir?”
It wouldn’t be good to have them look in too deep into his motives, so Shin used the response he had previously thought up.
“Unknown seas where man fears to tread…will there be something there, or maybe nothing? Wishing to know that is also what makes an adventurer, isn’t it? To seek the passion of adventure.”
“Passion, is that so.”
“Yes, well you could also say I’m a reckless idiot.”
There really were areas, called untrodden domains, which people very rarely visited. Shin found about them by coincidence, when he was looking through documents in Falnido.
Some adventurers made a living by entering such areas and finding rare items or exploring ruins. Shin decided to present his party as belonging to such a category.
“Not at all, there are many locations that have been discovered by such people. No one would call them idiots.”
“If you said that, I feel more confident.”
“As I am sure you know, fighting at sea is completely different than fighting on land. The monsters are peculiar too, but fighting in a field like the sea means that if you simply fall in, your movements will be limited. We die if we cannot breathe, and if the current sweeps us away and we lose our sense of direction, only death awaits. Please, do not let your guard down.”
“…I will not.”
Working in a guild in a port town, she surely knew well how terrifying the sea could be. Arno’s words and expression clearly showed that she was genuinely worried about Shin and his party.
“Please forgive me if I sounded patronizing.”
“No, I understand you said that out of concern for our safety. I am aware of how dangerous the sea can be, but I will be even more careful.”
Shin then went to join Schnee and the others to go to the reference room. There they looked up information about the monsters dwelling in the Kuwain area and compared them to what they knew. Being a forbidden area, there was not a lot of information, but there were not great differences with what they knew from the game era.
“The problem is the three Sea Beasts turning so violent. It’ll be easier if they don’t come to attack us, that’s for sure.”
On the way back from the guild to the shipyard, Shin sighed.
In the game, the monsters called Sea Beasts did not attack unless provoked. According to Zazie’s information, however, now they indiscriminately attacked anyone they saw.
“What shall we do if we damage them and they do not withdraw?”
Shin held his chin, thinking about how to answer Schnee’s question.
“We could escape if we stop their movements, but they’re faster than us in the water…”
It would be difficult to make the monsters lose sight of the party, even with status effects such as 【Paralyze】 or 【Confusion】.
“We either stop them with binding skills, or through brute force.”
One method would be repeatedly striking them with lightning-element attacks to forcefully disrupt the control of their bodies. Doing so would prevent them from following the party.
If binding, like status effects, turned out to be ineffective, the only way was to inflict enough damage to slow down their movements.
“Could we distract them with some lure?”
“They’re all really huge, though…”
Shin considered Filma’s decoy strategy too. The 3 Sea Beasts, however, were all much larger than Shin’s party. They had no idea about the size of lure large enough to distract them.
Turning it into an item card would mean the weight was not a problem, but procuring such a lure would be very difficult. Even if they used Tsuki no Hokora’s creation device, using precious ingredients filled with unique magic as a lure sounded like a waste.
“Wouldn’t they just swallow us whole while the lure’s materializing anyway?”
That was the greatest concern. If the monsters ate them up while the item was still appearing, it would be all for nothing.
“…you’d be okay, Shin.”
“My HP would, sure! But mentally I wouldn’t!!”
Shin wouldn’t enjoy having to cut his way out from the monster’s belly. Filma’s idea was obviously out.
“Anyway, we have to build the ship first…”
Shin emitted a tired sigh and put off the conclusion to the problem for later.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 11 - Depths of the Azure Seas/The-New-Gate-Volume-11-Depths-of-the-Azure-Seas-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_11_Chapter_02_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 1
Shin’s group arrived again at the shipyard just as the usual workday was coming to an end. Peeking inside, they saw the workers starting to clean up before leaving for the day.
“Oh, you’re back, huh.”
Zigma spotted the group right away and approached them.
“Yes. What about Zazie and the others?”
“They’re already in the back. Want me to go call them?”
“No, we’ll head over there ourselves. I guess it’ll take some more time until the workers leave anyway.”
“You got a point there.”
In the room where they had spoken with Zigma earlier that day, Shin found Shigureya’s members, as the chief carpenter had said.
They killed time chatting, then headed to the work area after they made sure the workers had all gone home.
“What did you do with the ship you were working on?”
“Zazie turned it into a card. After all, it would be a waste to just dispose of it.”
The chief had no intention of throwing away the materials.
“I’ll get to work right away, then.”
Shin nodded to Zigma’s words and started choosing the parts he needed from the item box. From Zigma’s viewpoint, it probably looked like Shin was drawing something in the air with his index finger.
“It’ll only take an instant, so please make sure you don’t blink.”
“All right.”
Shin activated the skill and the ship’s completed plans appeared in his head. In the game, they would have appeared in a separate menu window.
Where there were missing or excess parts, the plans would flash red. In the map in Shin’s head, however, there were no red spots.
“【Creation】!”
Shin activated a key command and the item cards swirled in midair, shining brightly. The lights, as if they had a will of their own, changed shape and formed a ship.
“Wh-what in blazes…!?”
Zigma’s utterly surprised voice escaped his lips. He had probably expected a skill that combined all of the ship’s parts in an instant. Seeing the lights change shape in front of his eyes would have surely been shocking had he not known about the skill.
A few moments after the lights started changing shape, a ship not unlike a large cruiser, was formed.
“Our main objective is exploration, so I focused on movement and defense.”
The ships created by players had different performance based on the parts used. Shin had chosen parts that would allow the ship to move with agility even during storms, and resist surprise attacks from monsters. It looked like a ship that would travel by floating on the sea, but it was actually a magic vessel that could also submerge if necessary.
“Well I’ll be…what is even going on here!?”
“This skill lets you instantly combine the parts you have into the finished product. Well, even I can’t explain why it looks like lights changing shape though.”
Shin couldn’t say that it was a video game’s visual effect.
“Can I touch it?”
“Yes, I’m going….to inspect it too.”
As soon as Shin had consented, Zigma rushed towards the ship with the eyes of a carnivore pouncing on newly spotted prey. It looked like he had only listened to the first word Shin said.
“Nghwaaahhh!! What’s this smooth coating!? Not a single wrinkle. The dense magic power contained in each part. But it’s all harmonised together, forming an even stronger bond!!!”
Shin’s group was rendered speechless for a while by Zigma’s sudden change.
The chief jumped on board of the docked ship and analyzed the materials and techniques used in its creation, his eyes blood-red. He hugged the ship tight, as if licking its surface, in order to analyze it: he almost looked like he had used some dangerous substance.
“Chief, you really should calm down a little.”
“Hah!? What was I doing!?”
Zigma regained lucidity thanks to a chop from Zazie. His enthusiasm had not simmered though, and he started bombarding Shin with questions about which processing techniques he had used.
“I said calm down.”
“Gwah!”
A chop slightly stronger than the one before collided with Zigma’s head. Zazie was showing less and less restraint.
“You only need to look at it to know how it was made, don’t you chief?”
“Kh, this is frustrating, frustrating I tell ya…if only I was 20 years younger, I’d plead him to make me his disciple, even if I had to throw away everything I had!”
Zigma’s passionate words convinced everyone that he was speaking from the heart.
“That’s just impossible. Mr. Shin’s techniques are just out of this world…and that’s an understatement.”
“Gah, hearing that makes it all the more frustrating.”
The chief’s artisan spirit was definitely burning. His eyes sparkled like a child with a new toy, but also burned with the flame of a warrior eager to do battle.
“Anyway, I trust you have no objections about the ship now?”
“No shipyard in Barbatos would have objections about this. If Zazie and the girls hadn’t explained to me in detail, I wouldn’t have believed this was made with spare parts, that’s for sure.”
Zigma answered while looking all over the ship.
“Okay, I’m going to check the inside of the ship, so look at the exterior as much as you want. Please don’t come inside though. The anti-intruder magic enchantments would pulverize you.”
“Ngh, that’s a darn shame.”
A function of all vehicles was that only after the creator registered other people’s names could they board said vehicle safely. In case the creation of the vehicle had been commissioned, it was possible to change ownership by registering the commissioner’s name first.
“Now we can go look for lord Cook’s guildhouse.”
“Yes…I’ll find it no matter what.”
“It took a long time.”
“Finally…”
In contrast with Zigma’s excitement, Lapwing, Zazie, Bell, and Shell were quietly rejoicing. After hearing the elf’s story, they had gathered materials for the ship, looked for able carpenters, negotiated, then finally the ship’s construction had started. The materials, however, were difficult to work without skills, so they had been told that it would take at least 10 years before completion. They were obviously overwhelmed now.
“Looks like there are no problems about the ship’s capabilities either. I already registered everyone. We’ll test it tomorrow, and if all goes well we can leave the day after tomorrow.”
Shin informed the group of his plans after checking the ship’s functionality.
“We’ll make preparations. If it’s a ship lord Shin made, I’m sure there won’t be any problems.”
“Fantastic.”
“Perfect.”
After Lapwing’s words, Bell and Shell also expressed their approval, both giving thumbs up.
It was Shin’s first time using the skill after coming to this world however, so he wanted to test the ship and check it thoroughly.
“If you’re not going to move it until tomorrow, can I look over it until then?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Hmm, feel free to take your time tomorrow too.”
Zigma definitely wanted to examine the ship as much as he could before Shin’s group arrived. It was also very clear that he had no intention of sleeping that night.
“I was thinking of doing the test tomorrow at nine, is that all right?”
“No problem. We’ll prepare everything necessary today”
“Today!”
Bell and Shell echoed Lapwing’s answer, while Zazie silently bowed her head.
After one last greeting to Zigma, who was jotting down notes while looking at the ship, Shin and the others left the shipyard.
◆◆◆◆
Shin’s group had not secured a place to stay yet, but thanks to Lapwing’s introduction they could check into one of the best luxury lodgings in Barbatos. The owner was a fan of Shigureya they had said. The party could pay the lodging fee without problems, so they decided to take two rooms and split based on gender.
“Okay then, let’s get that over with.”
After dinner, Shin’s party gathered in the room the females were assigned. As expected of a luxury class hotel, the room could easily accommodate at least five people and two animals.
“Tiera, you have two new pieces of equipment, huh. Hmm, this is pretty plain, but this is a bit too flashy to wear on the regular…”
“I picked one for close range and one for long range combat, just in case. The appearance…is kind of concerning, I have to agree.”
One was a dark-colored shirt and mantle. The other was a sparkly armor, which reminded of a “warrior maiden” style. As Filma said, their appearance swung wildly between the plain and flashy ends of the spectrum.
“Leaving the Bow Princess set aside, we could make the Heat Haze series a bit cuter. She’s a girl after all, she has to dress nicely too.”
“Is it possible to make it cuter though?”
“If Shin helps, sure.”
Filma looked at Shin and he nodded.
Tiera’s Bow Princess and Heat Haze equipment sets were in their default design, in other words their initial settings. Using them like that was not a problem, but the design could be modified too.
In the game, creation-type jobs tried all sorts of modifications and colorings in order to express their originality, creating many different designs.
“Let’s hear some ideas then. About the accessories, how would red look instead of gold, for the hairpin? So it matches her eyes’ color better…”
“An all-black mantle is a bit too simple too. We might as well—-”
Schnee joined Filma in helping to make the designs cuter. The three looked at the changed designs Shin created with his skills and debated on which was best.
“E-er…is it only me, or is the equipment getting gradually smaller? Were the pants always this short? Was there so much skin exposed?”
Tiera raised objections while looking at the changing designs, but couldn’t stop the three’s momentum.
“You can only hope that the result is something proper to wear.”
Shibaid shook his head, well aware that it wasn’t possible to stop them anymore.
“Kuh, the atmosphere is so tense!”
“Guruu.”
Yuzuha and Kagerou seemed excited to see the results of the debate.
After about 30 minutes, which felt excruciatingly longer to Tiera, Shin’s “this should be enough” signaled the end of the process.
“Try them on now.”
Shin handed Tiera the cards, a satisfied look on his face. She looked at the cards’ illustrations, wondering if it really was the same equipment as before.
The shirt’s sleeves had been largely cut off, turning it into a sleeveless one. The color had been changed to white, with a light green line drawing a flower-looking pattern on the chest area.
The pants were now around the same length as hotpants, the boots became short boots and the mantle into a hooded long coat with a faded silver crescent moon mark on its back.
The former plainness was nowhere to be found.
“Wow! Doesn’t it look good on you?”
“Not bad.”
“That’s about it.”
Looking at Tiera wearing the gear set, Shin and the other creators expressed their satisfaction.
“T-that’s nice, I guess.”
Tiera looked at herself with the help of a mirror and seemed to enjoy the result too.
“While it’s good that it became cuter, won’t white and gold stand out too much?”
Tiera had not forgotten that the attire was meant to be for combat, so she wondered if the original design wouldn’t have been better for stealth purposes. Shin then explained that as battle started, the equipment’s effect would make it look the same color as the surroundings to the enemies’ eyes.
Even if the color was faded, the hairpin was now gold, to match Tiera’s eyes, so it looked like it would stand out, but it too, would be concealed like the shirt. The hairpin was also not just a decoration, but could notify the wearer when they had been spotted by enemies.
“The Bow Princess set is fine as is?”
Filma asked, her arms crossed, while looking at Tiera wearing the Bow Princess gear set.
This set’s default design was pretty popular.
“We can change that too if we want to.”
Filma, however, shook her head.
“I’m not really familiar with armor designs, so I say it’s fine as is for now.”
The Bow Princess set not only had outstanding stats, but its design was gorgeous too, so they decided to leave it alone.
“Let’s move on to swimsuit designs, then.”
“Agh, there was that too…”
Shin had informed Tiera that since there were two new sets of equipment, they would have to make them usable underwater.
“Why can’t you enchant them without me wearing them, anyway?”
Tiera, standing before Shin in her Bow Princess attire, voiced her complaints.
“Don’t ask me.”
The underwater enchantment could be cast to other players or NPCs, as long as they were wearing the equipment in question. Sometimes the resulting costume was very risque, so even if it was just an avatar wearing it, it could be pretty embarrassing.
Because of this, in the game era most players asked an enchanting artisan of the same gender to do it.
“Don’t give me something weird again, okay?”
“It all depends on your luck.”
Shin then activated the magic enchantment. Tiera’s Bow Princess set started glowing, then changed shape. When the light faded away, it revealed a one piece with vivid blue and green gradations.
“This will do.”
“Is that okay? We can stock a design after it appears once, so you can check others too if you want?”
Tiera decided instantly, so Shin asked if she was sure, but she said that she’d rather not risk having weird costumes appear.
“Let’s get to the next, then? What will come out this time?”
Tiera changed to the Heat Haze set and Shin cast the enchantment again.
This time Tiera’s swimwear was a black pareo, same-colored bottoms and a white tube top, something very similar to when she had tried the Amazoness set previously.
“Not bad, isn’t it? It looks like the equipment became the swimwear, pretty much.”
The swimsuit’s coloring and design was similar to the Heat Haze set’s new design. This also was a result of having changed the default design.
“It’s not bad, yes, but it feels like there’s less cloth?”
Tiera too, like Shin, did not find the swimsuit’s design bad. It was also true, however, that the tube top cloth covering her breasts was a bit lacking in size.
“No need to worry yourself over it, should we try the next one?”
Tiera’s words had directed Shin’s attention to her chest; the sharp chill from the stare he then felt on his back prompted him to encourage Tiera to try another design.
“Yes, I guess that’s better.”
Tiera agreed and Shin cast the enchantment again. The next swimsuit was composed of black hotpants-like bottoms and a white bikini.
Maybe because of an unknown rule, the bikini was rather small as well.
“Shin, you aren’t doing this on purpose, are you?”
“Well, Shin’s a boy after all, it’s not weird for him to prefer the sexy type.”
“Shin…”
Shin shook his head as fiercely as he could in response to Tiera, Filma, and Schnee’s words and looks.
“Wait just a second!! You’re saying it like it’s my fault, but the size of the cloth can’t be adjusted, okay!?”
Shin cast the enchantment several other times, but each design had very limited cloth extension.
“Is this because we changed the original design?”
“Well, we did make it a lot more “open” than the default one. I never heard that it would influence the swimsuit though.”
If the same thing happened frequently, information about it would have spread.
“Will reverting the design solve the problem?”
“That’s no good Schnee, we made it cuter, it’d be a waste to discard it now. There might be a bit more exposure, but defensive power doesn’t change, so isn’t that fine?”
Filma opposed Schnee’s idea of changing the Heat Haze set’s design to the default one.
Despite its appearance, the equipment retained its stats even in underwater mode.
Using an extreme example, even the skimpiest swimsuit, covering only the important parts, would have had the same defense underwater; even if the wearer appeared completely naked.
Filma was of the opinion that as long as performance was the same, some more skin exposure shouldn’t be a problem.
“What do you think, Tiera? We can try.”
“Hmm, well…it’s a bit embarrassing, but…I’ll keep it like this.”
“That’s my Tiera, I knew you’d say that!”
Filma nodded happily, while Tiera gave a wry laugh.
“Since we’re doing this and all, why don’t we change our swimsuits’ design too?”
“Filma, we’re not going to play tomorrow, you know? Besides it takes work to do that.”
“It wouldn’t be much work for Shin though.”
“Well, yeah, this much is nothing…”
Casting enchantments didn’t require a lot of MP, so Shin’s burden was next to zero. There was no need for preparations and it was still early to go to sleep, so if they wanted to do it Shin had no reason to refuse.
“What do you say, Shibaid?”
“No, I’ll pass. I don’t see the necessity of changing it.”
“….but yours is a loincloth, right?”
“Yes.”
Filma meant to ask if Shibaid was really okay with it, but the latter nodded all too naturally.
Shibaid’s swimwear was a red and silver loincloth.
Shin had decided on it half as a joke during the game era, so he was okay with changing it now, but judging from Shibaid’s powerful nod, he must have liked it a lot.
“If he says that works, no need to force him then. It doesn’t look like Schnee would be on board either, so let’s leave the swimsuit fashion show for after we recover Celciutos.”
“What are you talking about…”
Schnee held her head with her hands, as if physically troubled by Filma’s announcement.
“I’m talking about knocking Shin out with our super sexy costumes, of course! I’ve been thinking about it ever since I heard that we’re going to the pool.”
“Filma, be a little more serious, please.”
“I am completely serious. If we want to keep Shin here, we have to use every chance we can.”
“I suppose so, but…”
“Shin was the one to set your physique, Schnee, so if we use that, we might have a chance.”
No matter how large the room was, with five people inside there couldn’t be a lot of distance between them.
Were they talking hoping that Shin heard, or did they think that no one could hear them? In any case, Shin could hear everything the two said. Tiera did too: blushing fiercely, she mumbled the words, “knock out…swimwear…”
Shibaid heard everything too, as evidenced by his tired expression.
“Let us go rest for today. Or this will never end.”
“That’s right.”
Deciding to leave the girls alone, Shin decided to turn in early.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 11 - Depths of the Azure Seas/The-New-Gate-Volume-11-Depths-of-the-Azure-Seas-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_11_Chapter_02_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 2
The next day, Shin woke up earlier than usual and went to practice behind the lodging.
Thanks to his continued practice, which he started in order to gauge his physical abilities, he had recently learned to adjust his strength even with 【Limit】 removed.
Swinging his weapon at full strength would cause a catastrophe, so he had focused on controlling and limiting his power.
“You’re working hard early this morning.”
“I woke up pretty early too, maybe because we turned in early yesterday.”
Having also awoken early, Shibaid approached Shin, who was swinging 『Kakura』.
“There’s still some time, why don’t we spar a little?”
“As long as we make sure we don’t destroy the surroundings.”
Both cast 【Limit】, equipped sponge blades and lances for training, then faced each other.
Shin moved first. Sliding along the ground without a sound, he stepped closer to Shibaid. In response, Shibaid thrust his weapon at Shin. As he used a halberd, which had the properties of both lances and axes, Shibaid’s thrusts were fast and sharp. Even a mere wooden spear could have caused considerable damage.
Sponge-series weapons were characterized by their inability to cause damage, but Shin would have gone forward anyway. If he could dodge the thrust, he would be inside Shibaid’s guard.
“….if our stats are the same, I can’t get into range, huh.”
Shin had stepped in diagonally, and Shibaid’s sponge lance passed right by him. Faster than Shin could step in, however, came the second thrust from Shibaid’s weapon.
Knowing that it would be dodged, he thrust his lance in such a way to be able to quickly pull it back.
“I haven’t continued fighting for 500 years for nothing, after all. I have never neglected my training.”
Shibaid, as the party’s shield, was a warrior with rich battle experience. Even if defense was his strongest asset, it didn’t mean that his attacks could be underestimated.
He specialized in facing multiple enemies while drawing their attacks away from his allies.
Shin too had fought in such battles, but mainly against monsters. In regards to taking the right distance and strategies against human opponents, Shibaid was still relatively ahead of him.
“My attacks do not seem to hit squarely either, though!”
With renewed vigor, Shibaid attacked again. The repeated strikes were thoroughly blocked by Shin’s blade; if he focused on defense, Shin could avoid clean hits from Shibaid.
Shin, too, had fought many battles to the death. In a one-on-one frontal bout, even if he couldn’t read Shibaid as well as he should, there would not be a large gap between them.
After a while, Shin sensed presences moving about in the lodge and made a proposal.
“…I guess we should go eat.”
“…indeed. We risk standing out too much.”
People had begun walking around in the premises. Shibaid looked a bit dissatisfied by the early conclusion, but rested his weapon. Their weapons put away, the two returned to the room, only to find Yuzuha, in human form, standing with arms crossed.
“Shin ditched Yuzuha!!”
“You were sleeping so soundly, that’s why. It felt bad to wake you up.”
“Mph—”
Yuzuha pursed her lips and pouted, but her dangling tail showed that she was aware of Shin’s kindness and that she slept like a log.
Shin didn’t know what else to do, and Yuzuha looked down sad.
“….don’t leave me.”
Yuzuha then grabbed Shin’s sleeve. Maybe she remembered her days in the shrine. Even if her powers were returning, being alone was still one of her fears.
“Got it, I’ll wake you up next time.”
Shin patted Yuzuha’s head while saying so, and she raised her head as to rub it more against his hand. In fox mode as well as human mode, Yuzuha seemed to love having her head rubbed.
Shin knew it too, so he often rubbed her head without restraint.
“Hmm, to think that a divine beast would look like a mere child like this.”
Shibaid laughed wryly.
“A lot of things must have happened to Yuzuha too. If she hadn’t been weakened at the time, she wouldn’t have bound a contract with me either, I guess.”
Element Tails in their complete forms were creatures that not even Shin could have handled by himself. Now that his stats had increased, he could surely fight them much better than before, but there still was no guarantee that he would win.
“Mph! Yuzuha stays with Shin!”
Yuzuha didn’t seem to appreciate Shin’s words, and hugged him tightly.
“Shin, I cannot say I appreciate such words either.”
“Ah…you’re right. I’m sorry, Yuzuha. You’re my partner.”
“Kuu!!”
A happy yelp and Yuzuha’s tail started swinging left and right. Shin thought that it was sometimes too easy to make her happy.
Shin and the others then had their breakfast and, after killing some time, joined Zazie and the others heading back to the shipyard.
“….is he okay?”
Shin inquired to Zazie as soon as they stepped inside.
The reason was Zigma, who was fervently writing down notes on his papers, a ghoulish look on his face.
“Chief!! You need to take a rest!!”
“Look, the clients are here!”
“Nnnngghh!! A little more, just a little more tiiiimmmeee!!!”
The other workers tried to stop him, but Zigma, eyes bloodshot, did not show any sign of stopping.
“Looks like you tickled chief’s fancy more than expected.”
Bell and Shell’s shoulders dropped to Zazie’s comment.
“Desperate.”
“Perverted.”
“Well, that’s a pure artisan all right…”
Skilled artisans with particular ideals were sometimes regarded as bizarre: the way they expressed their passion was stronger than normal people, being focused on their craft and works.
No matter how much others would say enough, they wouldn’t be satisfied, and continue until they would themselves felt it was enough. Zigma, too, was one of such artisans.
“First of all, let’s tell him that there will be more time to study the ship after the test until we leave tomorrow. Or he might end up collapsing.”
He must have focused as if life depended on it: deep black bags had formed under his eyes, a level of exhaustion difficult to imagine after only one full night.
“Thank you very much. If he keeps this up, I’m afraid that even the president would go K.O”
The workers brought Zigma to the nap room to let him rest, and the female vice-president thanked Shin’s group. Her name was Milea Torseau, a mermaid with blue hair and eyes.
She had been away on other business when Shin’s group visited the day before.
“We’re going to test sail that ship now, did Zigma tell you about it?”
“Yes, you may leave whenever you want. What time will you be back?”
“Probably around noon, but it depends on the situation. We will definitely be back before dusk, though.”
“Understood. Take care, then.”
Under Milea and the other workers’ gaze, Shin and the group boarded the ship. Shin poured in his magic and the magic-powered engine activated. The propulsion device, attached in the back of the ship, pushed away the seawater and the ship slowly moved forward.
“It’s moving forward without natural or magical wind.”
“It doesn’t even have sails…how does that work?”
“I can see why the president would get so riled up.”
The ship left towards the seas, among the whispers of the head carpenters.
“Ok then, let’s check the speed first. Everyone, make sure you’re holding onto something! We’re going to seriously accelerate soon!”
Shin made sure that there were no monsters or other ships in the immediate area and then grabbed the magic vessel’s control lever.
No old-fashioned rudders could be found on this ship. The pilot seat Shin was sitting on had a control lever, pedals, and some buttons but nothing else.
Players used to say that it looked like a fighter jet pilot seat.
Shin stepped on the pedal with his right foot and the magic-powered engine roared. If the vessel wasn’t pushed down on the water surface by Shin’s magic, the acceleration would probably have flipped it over.
Like a pebble bouncing on the waves, the ship carrying Shin’s group shot forward on the sea.
“H-hey, we’re, shaking too–”
The initial vibrations were extremely powerful, so Tiera — who wasn’t used to the magic-powered engine — desperately clutched onto the closest arm rail.
“Turn!”
Connecting his map to the ship’s sonar underwater radar, Shin maneuvered the ship while gathering information on the surroundings.
The following sharp turn, worthy of a race motorboat, was followed by an even louder shriek by Tiera.
An average ship would not only have been knocked over, but also broken into pieces beneath the water.
“Shin, Tiera will be at her limits soon.”
“Whoops, guess I overdid it a bit.”
Shin slowed down the ship and stopped it.
“………”
Tiera, still grabbing the arm rail, had turned completely pale and was holding her mouth with her hands.
Kagerou was licking her face, worried.
“Drink this, you’ll feel better.”
“I-I’m sorry…”
Schnee and the rest were already used to it; Shibaid had not even grabbed onto any support as he leisurely gazed at the seas.
“Hmm, this is indeed more refined than riding on a wyvern.”
“My head’s spinning~~”
“This so much fun~~”
Next to Shibaid, in strangely good spirits, Bell and Shell had hit peak excitement.
They probably felt like they had ridden an amusement park’s roller coaster. They were unsteady on their feet, but did not feel sick at all.
Zazie and Keritori did not create a fuss or lose their composure; nothing about their demeanor had changed.
Incidentally, Yuzuha was on top of Shin’s head, her eyes sparkling.
“We’re going underwater now.”
Shin pressed on the control lever, and the ship gradually sank underwater.
The exterior of bridge was covered by the seawater, as the light from the surface became a single column extending to the seafloor.
“Wow…..”
Still supported by Schnee, Tiera looked around and let out an exclamation of wonder. Thanks in part to the clear weather, the light shone from above and illuminated the depths of the sea, creating a magical scenery.
“Diving capabilities perfectly functional too, good.”
Shin made sure that the instruments did not report anything abnormal, then looked outside too.
The glass on the bridge and the rest of the vessel was magically reinforced, so it could withstand the pressure even if they kept diving. There was nothing to fear even if a monster rammed the ship from outside.
“We’re going to an area of stormy seas, right? Is it possible to leave the ship even in a condition like this?”
“Yeah, anything could happen after all. I added the option to exit the ship even if it’s underwater.”
“Can I try to go out a while, then? I haven’t tried the underwater mode yet, I want to see if anything’s changed.”
“Gotcha.”
Shin operated the screen tied to his menu and teleported Filma in front of the underwater propulsion hatch. Part of the menu changed and now showed Filma’s silhouette.
“(I’m flooding the room, are you ready?)”
“(Go for it.)”
Shin called to Filma, who had changed to her underwater gear, and activated the flooding.
When the process ended Shin opened the hatch and Filma swam out.
Like Shin and the rest of the party, she too had the 【Dive】 skill, so she did not need to breathe even if she was immersed in water for a while. Filma swam around the ship, checking if it felt any different from the past. After a while she waved to the ship from beyond the glass, signaling that she was finished.
Filma’s swimsuit was a red bikini, which covered relatively little of her body; skin exposure so high that Schnee and Tiera would definitely refuse to wear it. The bikini had black lines drawing flame patterns on it.
Despite being deep beneath the surface, the light from above dimly lit the sea, which made Filma’s red bikini clearly visible.
Filma swam leisurely between the brightly shining pillars of light, forming the fascinating illusion that she was freely floating, unbound from the shackles of gravity.
Looking at such scenery, which gave an almost sacred impression, Tiera sighed in awe.
“So beautiful…”
“Looking at her like this, she does look graceful, doesn’t she.”
Shibaid exhaled a hopeless sigh.
Among his support characters, Shin spent the most time and effort in shaping Schnee. This did not mean, however, that he had created the other characters carelessly.
Putting her words and behavior aside, Filma’s looks were more than beautiful enough.
“(Get back inside now. After I check the diving function a bit more, we’ll go back to port for a while.)”
“(Got it…but rather than that, how does my swimsuit look? I think it’s sexier than Schnee’s at least, pretty stimulating, no?)”
Filma then struck a pose and winked, instantly destroying the poetic beauty she had expressed until then.
“(Truly-beautiful. I-was-charmed.)”
Shin replied as emotionlessly as possible, to let her know how he felt about her antics. Not satisfied at all, Filma’s eyes narrowed.
“(Wow, that was SO heartfelt.)”
“(Stop joking around and get back in)”
“(Ye–s sir.)”
Filma had always been the joking type, so Shin rebuked her casually. She was well aware of it too, as she replied even more casually.
“OK, let’s dive a little more and wrap things up.”
After confirming that Filma was back inside the vessel, Shin headed towards the seafloor.
The light from the sea’s surface turned gradually fainter, ultimately surrounding the ship with darkness. A darkness that, different from its aboveground counterpart, instill terror into people.
Utter, pitch-black darkness which did not let one breathe without proper equipment. An unstable space where sky and ground disappeared. If one wasn’t used to it, they would be subject to a stress infinitely higher than the darkness above the sea.
“Kuh, it’s all black.”
“It’s a little scary…”
Since it was their first time deep underwater, Yuzuha and Tiera, felt shades of this fear, even if they were inside the ship.
Yuzuha was looking forward, nestled on Shin’s head, her tail wrapped around his neck.
Tiera too held Kagerou — in puppy mode — with her left arm, while her right arm touched Shin’s left. Her hand was lightly grabbing his arm. Being next to Shin and knowing that the ship was safe let her feel just this degree of nervousness.
“It’s all right, not even the Sea Beasts could easily destroy a ship like this. I agree that it’s pretty scary, though. Honestly speaking, even with underwater equipment I’d rather avoid deep sea stages.”
Deep sea stages include marine creatures other than monsters as well, which would appear suddenly from the darkness, leaving players in a state of shock.
The skill 【Night Vision】 allowed to see a little better, but even so some players would run as soon as they heard about facing deep sea stages.
Such stages, however, were treasure troves for cooks.
“I think I just saw a shark!”
“We could get some really good shark fins from something that big. I wonder about the taste, though.”
As Bell and Lapwing were talking about the shark that just passed in front of them…
“C’mon, I want to see a giant squid! Come out already!”
“Forget it! Even if we knock it out, it’s not food fit for people!”
Zazie expressed her disappointment with Shell’s comment.
Even marine creatures bizarre enough to make Tiera shriek, for the Shigureya folks, were simply separated into two categories: delicious or not.
“As expected of lord Cook’s support characters.”
“That’s right, they’re just like her in that respect.”
Shin agreed to Schnee’s comment about Zazie and the others. Even the first time they adventured in a deep sea stage, Cook was the only one not to feel any fear. Shin remembered that she even happily approached sea beasts that Shin would hesitate getting close to.
“Ok then, let’s go back to port.”
“You don’t need to test the automatic defense systems?”
“We’ll probably find some monsters on our way back, so I’ll do that then. I saw a lot of them on the way here.”
Shin answered to Schnee and changed the ship’s course to the surface. They moved at high speed not above but underwater this time, crashing into the monster groups they happened upon.
Not wanting to kill monsters without a purpose for the test, Shin only aimed at the ones that would create trouble for fishermen or kill people.
“I’m not sure what a ship really is anymore…”
“In the past, there were areas of the sea where ships would get damaged just by traveling through them. In order to successfully navigate such locations, magic-powered vessels like this were invented. For the people of this era, it probably is an unbelievable technology, though.”
Shibaid heard Tiera’s mumble and recalled the past with a certain nostalgia.
“Honestly, I didn’t really want to experience it…”
Because of the shaking caused by the ship’s high speed, Tiera had become violently seasick. She was getting better thanks to Schnee’s medicine, but at the same time probably starting to dislike sea travel.
The ship could also navigate at normal speed, but at times they would need to escape at speeds even higher than what Tiera experienced; So Shin decided to let her experience the speed and shaking while feeling sorry for her.
“It’s not good to rely on medicine to stop seasickness, isn’t it?”
“Filma is right, but we have no time to train this time, so it can’t be helped, I think.”
“I’m sorry…”
“When we’re done, we’ll do some special training.”
“We will!?”
Schnee’s style was not to let weaknesses remain as such.
“As expected of someone so diligent.”
“And all despite the fact that in this world it’s harder to raise skills, too.”
Zazie and Lapwing, who knew that Schnee had raised her cooking skill to 9, nodded in understanding to her response.
“I still don’t know well about that, does it take more time to raise skills now?”
“We haven’t gathered enough data to make statistics, but it looks like that the growth of a skill’s expertise isn’t fixed anymore. Personally, I feel that it’s slower than before.”
“I agree with Lapwing. Even if I try doing the same thing as before the Dusk of Majesty, I feel that the expertise ratio accrued to the skill is smaller than before.”
Bell and Shell too nodded in agreement to Lapwing and Zazie’s words.
Apparently, in some cases expertise raised faster than usual, but the pace was generally slower than before.
Skills couldn’t be trained all the time, so their growth speed required much more time than during the game era.
For an acquaintance of Zazie and the others, who was a Lord, it took 70 years to raise a skill from five to six, or so they said. If this was true, Schnee’s effort to raise a skill to nine was something incredible.
In the game era, at the time Shin headed to the final dungeon, Schnee’s Cooking skill was just level three. Even if 500 years had passed, it could not have been easy.
“It’s impressive that you even thought of raising it so much.”
“…I just cooked to keep myself occupied.”
Schnee replied humbly to Shin’s praise. Behind her, Filma grinned.
“She obviously did her best to let you taste her handmade food when you came back, Shin!”
“Filma! What are you saying!?”
“No blushing, no blushing. You wanted him to say “that was delish—gwah?”
“Don’t speak another word.”
Schnee covered Filma’s mouth to prevent her from saying anything more about the reason she had raised her Cooking skill. She didn’t like to show openly how she had worked hard.
“Ah…well. Thank you.”
“N-no! No, well, I didn’t want to reject your thanks, I……………..yes.”
Hearing that it was for his sake, Shin was of course happy. Hearing Shin’s thanks, Schnee panicked a little, then nodded ever so slightly.
Her slightly blushing cheeks, reminiscent of a young maiden, were lovely.
“Shin, if we don’t let ship emerge soon, it’ll stand out too much.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Warned by Shibaid, Shin changed his focus on the ship and quickly changed the route.
When the group returned to the shipyard docks, they found Zigma waiting, arms crossed. In order to start his inspection again whenever, he had prepared pen and paper and a meal that he could eat with one hand.
“We’re leaving early morning tomorrow, so you can inspect the ship only until then.”
“Got it. Can I start right away?”
“Just don’t push yourself too hard, please.”
“Don’t you worry. I can’t inspect anything if I collapse, I know that.”
Shin wondered if Zigma was really aware of that, but, as Milea was standing behind him, he didn’t say anything. She would probably stop Zigma if anything happened.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 11 - Depths of the Azure Seas/The-New-Gate-Volume-11-Depths-of-the-Azure-Seas-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_11_Chapter_02_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 3
“Mr. Zigma, my apologies, but you’ll have to stop.”
The next morning, Shin’s group made the necessary preparations and headed to the shipyard. Shin found Zigma glued to the ship and had to give him the bad news.
Knowing that his inspection had to end, Zigma looked disappointed, but when Milea put her hand on his shoulder, smiling, he shuddered and quietly backed away. Apparently, Milea overruled Zigma in their company — a relationship that was opposite to what their ranks would suggest.
“The guild representative arrived!”
The inspector in charge of checking the ship’s dimensions had arrived shortly after Shin’s team. The group had visited the guild the previous day, informing Arno that they had procured a ship.
“Oh? Ms. Arno?”
The guild representative, led by the shipyard workers, turned out to be the receptionist, Arno.
“Good morning. I have come to inspect your ship.”
“Good morning. So you are in charge of inspecting ships too? This is the ship we will use for our search.”
“I am not the only one, but…….by the way, I don’t think I see any sails?”
Arno voiced her doubts after looking at the ship’s shape. In this world, ships with sails were still the norm.
“This is a rather unique ship that we found in a certain ruin. The Kuwain area is very different from the usual seas, after all. It looks ragged, but I assure you that it sails without problems. We tested it yesterday in the bay too.”
Thanks to Shin’s illusion skills, the ship looked battered enough to make anyone believe that it had been found in some ruin.
“I can vouch for that too, miss. It does look bizarre, but let me say that it’s tough.”
Zigma, who had inspected the ship, gave his full approval.
“I see. If sir Zigma says so as well, there shouldn’t be any problems. I have verified that the ship’s dimensions are more than enough fit the guild’s regulations, so I don’t think there are problems. Here is your permit. If one of the ships patrolling Kuwain’s premises stops you, show it and they will let you through. If you do not meet any patrol ships, just go on further.”
“Thank you very much. We’re going to leave soon, so…until next time.”
“Please take care.”
Zigma and Arno looked on as the party boarded the ship. Zazie and the others were hiding inside, since things would be troublesome if they were found and stopped.
Shin activated the magic-powered engine and the ship departed.
Leaving behind Arno’s surprised expression, the ship proceeded in the direction of the Kuwain area.
◆◆◆◆
“This is…not a place you could get lost in by accident, huh. A stormy sea stage if I’ve ever seen one.”
Shin’s party accelerated after leaving Barbatos and had now arrived close to their destination, which reminded Shin of the game era. Before them were battering rain, massive waves, and violent winds.
As if separated by an invisible wall, just outside the area the breeze was gentle and the waves small. A situation completely outside the realm of natural phenomena.
“Looks like this sea trip is going to turn rough. Are you ready everybody?”
Shin made sure Tiera had drunk the anti-seasickness medicine Schnee gave her and called to the group.
After everyone nodded in agreement, he stepped on the pedal.
There were no patrol ships in the surroundings. As Arno had instructed, Shin proceeded forward. The ship, lulled by gentle waves, sped towards the storm.
“Waah!?”
The next instant, the vessel shook violently vertically, a shock big enough to make Tiera shout, despite her preparation. When the ship pointed upwards, the sky could be seen from the bridge. When it pointed down, the sea surface was directly in front.
The gap was so large that, for an instant, it felt like the ship was floating in midair.
“Shin! Look! In front!”
Tiera pointed to a large wave, taller than the ship itself.
“This is even worse than stormy sea stages, huh.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to travel underwater?”
Despite the powerful rumbling and rocking of the ship, Schnee made her suggestion without a single change in her expression .
“That would be better to go forward, for sure. But the elf saw Celciutos above water, so we’ll travel above the surface for now, at least until we reach the center of the area. I wanted to save energy, but it looks like there’s no other way. Activate the vessel balance system!”
As Shin said these words, part of the tall wave in front of the ship split, just enough to let the ship pass. At the same time, the violent waves around them became relatively calm.
“Wha, what’s going on?”
“I calmed the surrounding sea with water, wind, and ground spells, to secure us a route. It’s a function that most magic-powered vessels have. That’s why these ships can travel on routes impossible for normal ships.”
“If you have something that convenient, you could have used it since the start…”
Tiera, tightly latched onto an arm rail, let out a heavy sigh, feeling powerless. Facing such a large wave during her second time at sea was a bit too much for her. Even so, she was now standing on the ship, without losing balance or rolling around, so she must have acquired some resistance.
“Sorry, sorry. In the past, I faced a stormy sea stage similar to this. I just wanted to see how this one actually was first.”
After apologizing to the slightly glaring Tiera, Shin looked forward again.
“Let’s head northeast first. I’m checking the surroundings via the sonar and the map, but just in case let me know if you see anything weird outside everybody.”
The party sailed on, defeating monsters every now and then, when a tune started playing, making the air vibrate eerily.
“What’s this?”
“This feeling…it’s a cursed song.”
Shin couldn’t hear the tune well and looked towards the storm, then Schnee answered his question.
Unlike the barrier set up in the woods north of Bayreuth, this song did not manipulate the intruder’s mind to make them turn back, but enticed them in a certain direction.
“My head’s starting to hurt…”
“How does it feel? To me it looks like it’s trying to make us go in a certain direction.”
Shin asked Tiera, who was frowning, her hands pressing against her temples.
He thought she could be affected, but maybe thanks to her particular position as priestess, or maybe because she had powered up, she did not seem to be influenced by the cursed song.
“It makes its victims change directions without them realizing it. If we didn’t resist it, we’d probably exit the area before we knew it.”
“I see, sorry for making you do that. Put these on. If you can resist it now, they should lighten the burden.”
Shin apologized and gave Tiera a pair of faded silver earrings. They had the effect of increasing mind manipulation resistance and did not conflict with the effects of the Heat Haze gear set, even if equipped together.
Tiera put on the earrings and breathed a sigh of relief. Her expression was more peaceful too.
“Since we didn’t hear it before, it’s safe to assume that we’re getting closer to our destination. There must be mermaids in this part of the sea, and a lot of them too.”
Shin’s assumption was based on the area of effect of the cursed song.
If some species with lore related to singing sang cursed songs, they would obtain bonuses. Mermaids were one of those species.
Cursed songs did not have a very large area of effect, only around 20 mels, but that was in the case where there was only one singer.
Some skills could be powered up or have their area of effect increased if players and/or support characters used the skill together at the same time.
Cursed songs were such skills: their area of effect increased proportionally with the number of singers. Even if each caster’s skill level was low, if many sang it as in a chorus, the song could become powerful enough to affect a great number of monsters or even boss monsters.
“Where is the singing coming from?”
“That way.”
Zazie answered Shin’s question immediately. She had closed her eyes, probably to detect the direction the song came from.
“I think so too.”
Lapwing, who was next to her, agreed with Zazie, who was pointing west.
“…yeah, there’s something there.”
Shin used long-range sight skills and peered into the distance: beyond the storm’s veil, he found a light. Because of the distance, he could not see beyond it yet. Compared to the waters the ship was sailing now, where dark clouds stopped most sunlight, however, it was clearly different.
“Let’s go forward like this. Let me know if the direction of the singing changes.”
Continuing to use skills would interfere with piloting the ship, so Shin deactivated the long-range sight skills and adjusted the ship’s route to the west, where Zazie was pointing.
Eventually, Shin’s ears clearly picked up the song.
“They must be nervous because we’re not turning back.”
“That’s right, the song is disturbed too. You’ll be able to see what’s beyond the storm soon, no?”
“Right, let me give it a shot.”
Prompted by Filma, Shin put his long-range sight skills to full use, while paying attention to the ship’s controls at the same time.
He looked beyond the light and found a very nostalgic sight.
“Rejoice, ladies and gentlemen. We’ve hit the jackpot.”
A vessel many times larger than the ship Shin built, armed with cannons long enough to pierce the sky, its front ram glinting in the sunlight.
Excluding the fact that it was stranded on a massive crag, it looked exactly as Shin remembered. Colored white, following its owner’s nickname, Celciutos’ imposing silhouette was there.
“If we go forward like this, we’ll see Celciutos soon.”
Shin’s words caused a wave of excitement in the party. Bell and Shell jumped up in joy.
“If Celciutos is in this direction, does it mean that the cursed song aimed to prevent anyone from finding it?”
“If that’s the case, it’s strange for the song to come from inside Celciutos’ barrier though.”
Shibaid voiced his opinion, following a question from Zazie.
Shin very much doubted that normal mermaids could have penetrated Celciutos’ barrier. The support character in charge of Celciutos’ equipment was a dwarf, so it was very unlikely for him to still be alive. The only possibility was that the mermaids were protecting it.
“Maybe he negotiated with the mermaids?”
Knowing that his life was coming to an end, the dwarf could have thought of a plan to preserve Celciutos, or so hypothesized Lapwing.
“We’ll know all about that once we get closer.”
“That’s right. I’m sorry for them since they’re working so hard, but we’re going straight on.”
Shin nodded to Filma’s words and the ship carried on. The cursed song was gaining in volume and strength, but neither the number of casters nor their skill level was high enough to manipulate Shin’s group.
Probably growing more nervous due to the ship not changing directions or speed, on the course of Shin’s group, pillars of water clearly different from the usual waves started appearing.
Shin, wary, lowered the ship’s speed, and the responses he had registered on the map moved to surround the ship. They were 30 in all: ten on each of the ship’s sides and ten behind it.
“They came out of the barrier?”
As they were singing the cursed song, Shin could tell that they had come out of the barrier.
The reason was that, to prevent players from attacking safely from behind a barrier, if offensive skills were used from inside, aiming outside the barrier, its endurance would decrease significantly.
Celciutos’ barrier was no exception. Its endurance was very high and recovered automatically, so they had probably been singing from inside until now.
As the cursed song did not seem to have an effect, it would have been safer to not attempt to fight and take shelter inside the barrier: average intruders would simply be repelled, after all.
The responses, however, all moved outside the barrier to surround the ship. Shin thought that they did not go to the front of the ship, where the barrier was, in order to cut off all escape routes.
“I guess they think they got us surrounded, but they don’t know that it’s pretty meaningless for us.”
The front was still clear, so the ship could go forward without trouble. The speed was slower than before, so even if the barrier stopped them the ship would not suffer considerable damage.
Despite the ship continuing to proceed, the responses did not move. They were examining the situation, maybe, and did not emerge.
“Looks like it’ll be okay.”
The ship crossed the barrier of storm and winds: without particular resistance, Shin’s ship entered Celciutos’ barrier.
The responses — possibly mermaids — probably thought that the barrier would have stopped the ship’s advance: they scattered irregularly around the map, likely out of confusion.
“Looks like they’re coming after us.”
“Let’s see how they react — this is bad.”
Shin was ready to gauge their reactions, but then his face tensed.
The cause behind this sudden change was that his map registered a new response, something larger than even the ship. Its speed was very high, meaning that it would come in contact with the party in a matter of minutes.
As it was still relatively far, the mermaids seemed not to have noticed, and they appeared to be still undecided about how to react to Shin’s arrival.
“You people underwater! A huge monster’s heading here! Get back inside the barrier, now!”
Shin wasn’t sure that they could hear him, but he used the megaphone function to try to call to the mermaids.
Shin didn’t know about the extent of their abilities, but if they were attacked by surprise, there was the chance they would suffer damage. No matter what relationship they would have in the future, if they were annihilated in a situation caused by Shin’s group, it wouldn’t sit well with them.
Shin’s warning appeared to have reached the merpeople, as they all started swimming towards the barrier, managing to enter it before the large response could get closer. About one minute after the merpeople had safely taken shelter inside the barrier, the response showed itself.
“It’s huge…”
“I had the feeling it was too big…I see, it came out right away, huh.”
Looking at the source of the response, Tiera became speechless, while Shin laughed.
A body that emerged from the sea and towered high in the sky, black and red compound eyes glaring at Shin’s party: the “visitor” was none other than Keseldran, one of the Three Sea Beasts.
Even just the body, visible above water, was easily above 15 mels. Its size and the red aura the monster’s whole body emanated clearly expressed its status as a boss monster.
“■■■■■■■■■■■■■■――!![T/N: black squares, I think it’s supposed to be a roar]”
After less than one minute, Keseldran made its first move.
With a roar, better described as an explosion of sound, the monster looked towards the merpeople.
Unlike before, when it was just glaring, Keseldran now exuded a very powerful pressure in their direction.
The stormy waters, affected by the shockwave, formed radiation-like waves with the boss monster at the center.
“Shibaid, get ready to defend, just in case.”
“Understood.”
Shin examined the situation, then ordered Shibaid to activate a defensive barrier. Celciutos’ barrier was probably enough to repel the monster, but there was the possibility of it malfunctioning, like what happened in Palmirack.
As Shin’s group started moving, something changed with Keseldran.
“Er, it’s, shining?”
“Watch well. That’s Keseldran’s most powerful attack.”
Tiera perceived the danger and began to fret, but Schnee replied to her with a completely calm tone.
What Tiera had referred to was a bloating bluish-white globe of light that had formed in Keseldran’s maw. The thunderbolts running along its surface and the almost audible way the light blinked clearly suggested what element the attack was.
“It’s coming.”
Almost at the same time as Shin spoke, Keseldran fired a massive beam of lightning. Fitting the monster’s massive size, the bolt was around one mel in diameter.
Keseldran’s attack, which looked like lightning from the sky had been gathered together and given a direction, crashed against Celciutos’ barrier, then broke in four bolts running along the barrier’s surface. Part of the repelled bolts hit the water’s surface, releasing the electricity and causing an explosion.
“Aah!?”
Behind Shin and Shibaid, who had raised their shields to be safe, Tiera let out a small shriek.
The thunderbolt versus barrier bout saw the barrier emerge as the victor. Despite the continuing lightning strikes, the barrier’s surface did not show any cracks or signs of damage.
“Looks like the barrier’s still sturdy enough.”
The barrage of thunderbolts ended after about 5 seconds. Seeing that the barrier was unscathed, Keseldran growled ominously, then quickly retreated outside Shin’s detection range.
“My eyes still sting…what in the world was that?”
“Keseldran’s sure-kill breath. When its mouth starts lighting up like that, if you don’t dodge it or block it will turn you into ashes.”
Keseldran used lighting-based attacks despite being a sea monster, but its attacks were not limited to above water: its breath could also strike below the surface, its power not diminishing in the slightest. Furthermore, it even boasted the very troublesome effect of ignoring the protection granted by lightning-nullifying accessories.
During the game era, it allowed players to live the rare experience of being burned alive underwater.
The capabilities of its breath might suggest that Keseldran was superior to the other Sea Beasts, but Mascurda could avoid the breath with magic and Eolios possessed the rare skill to diffuse the breath to weaken it.
Precisely because such a lethal attack could not easily prove fatal, the Three Beasts maintained a balance.
“Okay then, let’s try talking with the merpeople first. Now that they’re surprised, they’ll probably at least listen to what we have to say.”
Shin wasn’t sure that the approach would be successful, but planned to do his part so that both parties will understand each other.
“If they attack us one-sidedly, can we knock them out?”
Probably because they had finally found Celciutos, Zazie was feeling belligerent.
“Let’s wipe the floor with them!!”
Lapwing calmed Bell and Shell’s shouting enthusiasm, but if they were attacked she would strike back too without reserve.
“Considering the place, if it turns out that they’re occupying Celciutos without permission, no need to have mercy. But if there are some special circumstances, we have to hear them out, right? They can enter the barrier after all, so there has to be a reason.”
Shin turned the ship towards the merpeople who fled from Keseldran. He then switched the controls to remote mode and exited on to the deck.
“I know you’re there! We have no intention of fighting you! If possible, I want to talk with your representative! Will you accept?”
Shin used wind magic to spread his voice underwater.
He then waited, looking at the trembling water surface. Soon enough, a mermaid with light blue hair emerged.
“…..Arno?”
Recognizing the mermaid’s face, Shin was surprised. He checked with 【Analyze】 too, but there was no mistake: the name Arno Toole was clearly displayed.
“I have come to talk with you as the merpeople’s representative. Will you allow me to board your ship?”
“I’m afraid that would instigate your comrades, so I will come down. That would make you feel safer, am I right?”
“Thank you for your concern.”
Differently from when they met in the guild, Arno’s expression was now stiff. She was clearly very nervous.
Shin told Arno the number of people that would come, then went down into the sea with Schnee, Zazie, and Lapwing. Their equipment changed to underwater mode, they swam to Arno’s position.
“As we barged in first, let us explain our circumstances first.”
As Arno belonged to the guild, Shin kept his identity as High Human hidden and explained that he was helping Zazie and the others in retrieving their master’s guild house.
Shigureya’s owner was well known throughout Barbatos. No one had more reason than them to enter the Kuwain area to find Celciutos.
“Is that so. I’m afraid this is the end, then.”
“What do you mean?”
Shin inquired to Arno, who looked defeated.
If they were using Celciutos as a safe dwelling, losing it must be painful.
In Barbatos, however, merpeople and fishpeople were not persecuted in any way. Rather, one could say they were very welcome.
Shin had no idea why Arno looked so hopeless.
“I’ll tell you everything over there.”
Arno pointed at Celciutos. Having no objections, Shin’s group returned to the ship, then, following the merpeople, sailed closer to Celciutos.
When they arrived less than 100 mels from the ship, however, trouble surfaced.
“Stop right there!!”
A large pillar of water appeared in front of the merpeople, probably meant to stop them or act as a warning. There was no damage to the ship or the merpeople.
The merpeople were surprised and some panicked, but Arno calmed them down.
Shin didn’t know what was going on, so he stopped the ship for the moment.
“Why do you let the intruders into our sanctuary? Depending on the circumstances, I will show no mercy, even if you are our mediator with the city!!”
The water pillar settled down and revealed a giant over 2 mels tall standing on the water. Behind him, all sorts of fishmen showed their faces from underwater.
The only fishman standing on the water was a Type Orca.
Strictly speaking, orcas were not fish, so calling Type Orcas fishmen would be wrong, but in THE NEW GATE they were categorized as such.
The appearance was simply an orca with legs. Like a mascot that could be found in an aquarium, it was also deformed and relatively cute. The fishman was pointing his trident to the group, probably trying to appear menacing, but other than his size there was nothing particularly frightening about him.
To Shin, it was more of a mystery how the Type Orca could hold the trident with arms that looked just like elongated fins.
——- 【Marshill Killer Level 209 Pirate】
(A rare job, huh. He’s probably a Chosen One)
Shin thought so after looking at the information displayed by 【Analyze】.
The Pirate job was a rare one that gained boosts when fighting in water. To obtain it the player needed to defeat certain bosses: despite what the name suggested, there was no need to perform evil acts such as pillaging or plundering.
Some players enjoyed acting as bad guys, but mainly defeated Pirate NPCs who appeared as enemies.
“Let us through, Marshill. These people are the legitimate successors of Celciutos’ owner. Standing in their way means to violate the agreement.”
Arno’s words seemed to strike a nerve with the fishman called Marshill. As if triggered by his emotions, the trident’s prongs started crackling with electricity.
Shin was wondering what to do, when Zazie’s group, who had come out on deck too, stepped in front of him.
“We have come to retrieve our master’s possession, nothing more. What right do you people have to be here? What happened to Celciutos’ caretaker, Jesta? Why can you enter the barrier?”
“Successors? You couldn’t even cross the seas and abandoned our sanctuary for years! What do you want to do after all this time!?”
Jesta was a High Dwarf, one of Cook’s support characters. As long as something similar to what happened to Girard had not happened to him too, he was probably not alive anymore.
“We have kept all intruders from approaching Celciutos for generations, protecting this sanctuary. I don’t know why you appeared now, but this place is ours now. Leave at once!”
“Answer our questions. “This place is ours now?” Celciutos is Lord Cook’s, and no one else’s!! Keep spouting crap and I’ll turn you into sashimi, fish bastard!!”
Zazie roared back to Marshill’s claims of owning Celciutos.
Like Todo Kankuro had told Shin in Hinomoto, Rokuten’s support members still felt a deep loyalty to their masters, even after so much time had passed.
Zazie’s group too was highly loyal to Cook, thus witnessing other people using their master’s possession without permission and even claiming it was theirs, what would happen?
To know the answer, it was enough to hear Zazie’s shout and see the sashimi knife she held with both hands.
Lapwing, Bell, and Shell did not say anything, but all of them were wielding their weapons already.
Maybe because the opponents were fishmen, Lapwing was holding a sashimi knife as well. Bell had a huge sledgehammer, Shell two large chef’s knives, one in each hand.
Except Bell, all Shigureya members looked more like they were going to start cooking instead of fighting, but all weapons were actually Mythology grade: they could easily slice in two anything from cooking ingredients to dragon scales.
While not as powerful as Schnee and the others, Zazie’s group was far superior to the average Chosen One.
Marshill probably realized it too: from his forehead, or maybe his cheeks (it wasn’t clear where) sweat had started trailing down his face.
“…if you refuse to leave, we’ll just force you—”
“Ehm, sorry to bother when you’re all heating up, but why don’t we talk before we fight?”
Just as battle was about to break out before the two parties, Shin interrupted them. His teleportation-like instantaneous movement caused Marshill to instinctively try to retreat, but Shin had grabbed his trident, thus preventing him from doing so.
“Nnnggh! L-Let go!!”
“I will, if you listen to what we have to say. We have our own reasons. We can’t just turn back and leave.”
Marshill pulled on the trident with both hands, as hard as he could, but it didn’t budge an inch, as if it was fixed in midair.
“Let go!! Or else my light…ning…?”
Lightning ran down Marshill’s trident, but disappeared after a sparkle. It couldn’t exceed Shin’s magic resistance.
“Kh, what the hell…are you…?”
Shin calmly observed Marshill’s belligerent bunch. Despite the difference in strength, it seemed to him that they ran out of energy too quickly. The fishmen behind him were panting too, like the air around them was extremely thin.
The difference in fighting power was clear. Shin had used his pressure in order to make them desist from fighting. As he did, Marshill -who had tightly gripped the trident until now- and the fishmen behind him shuddered.
“…I understand. Let us talk.”
“That’s helpful of you. Zazie, you guys calm down too. I understand your anger, but blasting your killing intent like that is a bit much, no?”
“….understood.”
Zazie’s group made sure that Marshill didn’t make strange moves even after Shin let go of the trident and put down their weapons. Their complexion seemed a bit worse than before however.
“Ehm, may I…lead you somewhere…we can talk?”
“Please do.”
Shin nodded to Arno’s proposal, spoken in a tone sort of lacking confidence, and returned to the ship. He piloted the ship forward following Arno’s lead; Marshill’s group also followed quietly.
“Anyway, that was pretty surprising.”
“Yeah, a pillar of water out of the blue like that.”
“No, what happened after that! Things were tense enough when you grabbed that guy’s spear, but then you went and put pressure on the fishmen like you wanted to kill them all…”
“Uh…that much?”
Shin meant to just intimidate them a little, thus Filma’s words surprised him. He had intimidated others in this world before, so it felt strange to him to fail in adjusting the pressure he released.
“Seeing your comrade’s guildhouse being used by others without permission might have made you add more power unconsciously, it wouldn’t be too strange.”
“Hmm, I agree with Schnee.”
Shibaid nodded too.
“Well, I admit that when I heard “this place is ours now” I got pretty ticked off.”
After about 10 minutes of following the merpeople, Shin’s group arrived at Celciutos’ side. Both merpeople and fishmen climbed on land; Arno, as their representative, acted as guide for Shin’s party.
Merpeople’s lower body was fish-like, but when they were on land it turned into human-like legs. Arno was no exception: she was now wearing just a tube top and a pareo barely reaching her knees. Other mermaids had a similar look, while most mermen wore simple pants on their lower bodies and t-shirts or nothing at all on their upper bodies. They wore such clothing as to be ready to dive anytime.
Among the merpeople and fishmen, some also wore armor. They were the ones who would cover the others’ retreat in case of necessity, apparently.
“This way, please.”
As they were talking of such topics, the group arrived at their destination. Shin and his party walked on the crag Celciutos lied on, until they reached the ship’s mast.
Arno signaled something upwards and a sort of basket, made for several people to fit in, descended from above.
“Please ride on this, it’ll take you aboard Celciutos.”
Shin’s group now was near Celciutos’ bottom part. Without skills that made walking on walls possible, such as what Shin and Schnee had, contraptions like the basket were necessary.
Together with Shin’s group there were also the merpeople and fishmen, so the basket made several laps to take all present on board. Shin’s party, Arno, and Marshill went first.
“….ehm.”
When they arrived on the deck, they spotted an elderly man and four women, all wearing what looked like traditional clothing, kneeling down.
“We humbly thank you for coming all the way here. My name is Lierno Toole, I act as the leader of the merpeople and fishpeople living in this area.”
“Er, my name’s Shin. I’m Cook’s…comrade, someone the same as her, you could say. Something like that.”
Shin wasn’t sure how to react, and opted to introduce himself first of all.
He could have said he belonged to same guild as Cook, but in this world the word “guild” referred to associations of merchants or adventurers, so in order to keep things separate he used the word “comrade”.
“Lord Shin. I beg for your forgiveness for Marshill’s disrespect towards High Humans.”
Lierno bowed his head even deeper, almost touching the floor of the deck.
“High Human!? Weren’t they all extinct!?”
“You felt that aura and still say things like that!? On your knees, fool!!”
“Gwah!”
Marshill was shocked to learn that Shin was a High Human and was promptly scolded by Lierno. The latter probably used magic to push Marshill down from above with an unseen force.
“How did you know that I am a High Human?”
“That device displayed that lord Shin had entered the premises.”
“Ah, I see.”
Shin looked at the panel set on the wall and remembered about the existence of the device.
As Lierno had said, in the login column only Shin’s name was lit up.
“First of all, would you mind explaining the current situation?”
“Naturally. It would not do to talk here, however. Please, come this way.”
Shin’s group was led to a room previously used for meetings. Lierno waited for Shin’s group to sit down, then started talking in a calm tone.
“We can enter Celciutos’ barrier because of the agreement bound between Master Jesta and our ancestors.”
“An agreement?”
“In the past, when disaster struck this area, our ancestors were in danger of being annihilated. For some unknown reason, not only monsters but also some humans were set on hunting us down. I was told that Master Jesta, Celciutos’ caretaker, saved our ancestors in such a time of peril. At that time monsters were growing violent, miasma eruptions broke out, continents moved…disasters happened one after the other. It is told that if we did not take shelter within Celciutos’ barrier, our species would have surely gone extinct.”
Even after the natural calamities, monsters continued to grow violent: in their search for a safe haven, they had found the Kuwain area, or so Lierno said. Kuwain was originally the dominion of Ishkar, dragon king of the seas, and the three sea beasts were its guardians.
“Ishkar was a highly intelligent monster. It allowed our people to live here, so we finally could find safety.”
That did not last long, however. The Seafloor Sanctuary, Ishkar’s dwelling, was tainted by miasma. In order to contain the spread of miasma, Ishkar locked itself in the sanctuary: thus returning the peace once again.
Such peace, however, was disrupted a few years ago. The guardian beasts serving Ishkar, the three sea beasts, turned violent.
“I heard that Celciutos too was affected by the miasma and some of its functions stopped working as intended. Master Jesta used the stored items and Celciutos’ barrier to seal the miasma in the sanctuary, then told our ancestors to preserve it, or so it is said. In exchange, they were allowed to live on Celciutos. Most of its functions were locked, though. Master Jesta had probably foreseen that even a small mistake in operating Celciutos could cause disasters.”
Celciutos wasn’t just a ship Shin put together in a rush, but a magic-powered battleship that all Rokuten members collaborated to build, based on precise and intricate blueprints.
The fishmen would not have been able to make it move, but it was still equipped with anti-air, anti-ground, and anti-submarine weapons and ammunition, so just taking these out could have caused a lot of trouble.
“Apparently, Master Jesta said that if just one of the Rokuten members returned, they would have been able to find a solution to this predicament. I am fully aware of how shameless such a request may sound, but please, could you grant us your invaluable assistance in purifying the Seafloor Sanctuary?”
Lierno then bowed his head, as did the women around him and Arno. Ishkar, dragon king of the seas, was a monster on par with Yuzuha’s complete form, however. Not even Shin could easily accept to face it.
As Shin was reflecting upon this and thinking about what to do, Yuzuha contacted him via Mind Chat.
“(Shin, can’t we save Ishkar?)”
“(Yuzuha?)”
“(Ishkar, like Yuzuha. Blocking miasma. Ishkar is sea guardian. If Ishkar gone, big trouble in all seas.)”
“(He’s like Yuzuha, hmm.)”
Shin was reminded of the suffering Yuzuha in the shrine.
Ishkar, like the Element Tails, was a monster close to humanity. As Yuzuha said, it was probably in the sanctuary, doing everything possible to keep the miasma in check.
Considering this, Shin thought that just retrieving Celciutos and saying goodbye would not be a good idea. According to Lierno, if Ishkar had completely sealed in the miasma the seal would then unlock automatically: the fact that this hadn’t happened meant that it was still fighting against the miasma within the sanctuary.
Even Yuzuha had weakened because of the miasma’s effect: there was no guarantee that Ishkar was safe and sound. If they wanted to save him, the sooner the better.
In the end, they couldn’t leave miasma-related trouble alone.
“…guess there’s no other way. We’ll do it.”
“Kuu!”
“I knew you would say that, Shin.”
“Yep, sure enough.”
“Indeed, we cannot ignore this.”
“Not miasma, that’s for sure.”
Yuzuha, Schnee, Filma, Shibaid, and Tiera agreed to Shin’s decision. They all knew that this would be the conclusion as they listened to Lierno’s story.
“The first thing to do then, is to check Celciutos’ current state. Zazie, you guys help me with this too. You know the ship’s internal structure, right?”
“Yes. We should check on the engines first.”
Zazie’s group could also perform maintenance on Celciutos. They wouldn’t equal Jesta, who was exclusively in charge of the ship, but they knew its structure and functions perfectly.
Shin decided to make sure that Celciutos could move when necessary and then head to the supposedly sealed Seafloor Sanctuary.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 11 - Depths of the Azure Seas/The-New-Gate-Volume-11-Depths-of-the-Azure-Seas-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_11_Chapter_02_Part_04.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 4
Shin’s group temporarily left Zazie’s and went to Celciutos’ bridge. The basic controls were not much different from a regular ship’s, it just had more equipment and functions.
According to Lierno, Jesta had sealed off the bridge, so no one had been able to enter it. Shin simply knocked on the Chimeradite door and operated the control panel.
“It was locked from the inside, so that only Rokuten members could access it, huh.”
The panel confirmed Shin’s magic power and changed the color of its light from red to blue. The door slid open, sounding like a steam vent.
“At least it doesn’t look like anything is damaged.”
The room’s self-cleaning function seemed to be still active, since there was no dust piled up. And the various panels did not look cracked or broken either.
As Shin gave a quick look around the bridge, he felt something tugging at his sleeve. Tiera had grabbed Shin’s sleeve and weakly pulled on it.
“Are those….human bones?”
“Bones?”
Shin looked in the direction Tiera pointed at and, sure enough, spotted what looked like a person’s bones sprawled on the ground. The hands were clasped on the chest, so it didn’t look like he had been killed.
“Jesta, I guess.”
Shin looked at the equipment on the skeleton and quickly noticed that some of it were his own creation. It was possible to instantly notice equipment one had forged, even if it was equipped by others. Shin also remembered seeing the equipment somewhere before. He didn’t use 【Analyze】, but there was no mistaking it.
“…before we go to the sanctuary, can we give Jesta a proper send off?”
Shin contacted Zazie and the others, who rushed to the room. Zazie then asked Shin this question while looking at Jesta’s remains.
“Yes, of course.”
Shin nodded. There was no way they would leave him like that.
“Are these letters?”
“Yes, one is addressed to us, one to any Rokuten member, one to lord Cook.”
Three letters were found next to Jesta’s remains. Based on the situation, they were probably his will. Shin took the letter addressed to Rokuten members and unsealed it. The letter contained a detailed report of what had happened after Jesta had met the merpeople.
He had chosen to spend the last moments of his life alone in the bridge, accounting for the possibility that some merpeople or fishpeople plotted to misuse Celciutos.
After reading the letter, Shin had a newfound respect for Jesta.
Other than the ship and the miasma, the letter also recounted the cause of his death. In his older years, he had caught a disease that potions could not cure. Potions mainly focused on healing wounds, so they were often ineffective against diseases.
The letter stated that the disease itself was not extremely rare, but maybe because he had become weaker due to his age, Jesta’s condition just kept worsening.
“Amazing…”
Despite knowing that his death was approaching, Jesta spent his days thinking about the people living on Celciutos and how to deal with the miasma, showing impressive mental fortitude.
“We are proud to be his comrades.”
Zazie, reading the letter addressed to them, whispered with a quavering voice. Next to her, Lapwing hugged the weeping Bell and Shell.
“….how do you bury people here?”
“Barbatos’ style is to cremate the body and scatter the ashes in the sea. The soul returns to the heavens, the body to mother sea…this is the creed in this region.”
Shin waited for Zazie the others to settle down before asking, and Zazie replied. They turned Jesta’s remains into a card, which Zazie held.
“Could you please allow us to participate in the send off? We are deeply indebted to him as well.”
Shin told Lierno that they wanted to give Jesta a proper send off before heading to the Seafloor Sanctuary, and the chief made his plea, his head bowed.
The whole tribe wished to participate in the funeral. Arno and the mermaids, who had waited for the High Human’s return, shared this sentiment too and nodded.
“….chief, I understand you want to pay your respects to the person we are indebted to, but we can’t do something like that now, can we? If we go on like this, some of us will end up starving.”
Despite the general atmosphere which indicated that everyone wanted to proceed with the funeral, only Marshill expressed a contrary opinion. Lierno’s scolding had probably cooled him off, since his tone was now perfectly calm.
“Even so, we must. That is the greatness of the debt we owe him. If we shirk this responsibility, how can we face the spirits of our ancestors?”
“But chief…!”
“What is happening, exactly? He said that your people will starve?”
Shin was thankful that they would participate in the funeral, but after hearing that people would die, he couldn’t just ignore it.
“Actually, just like the three sea beasts, all monsters in the Kuwain area started growing feral…sir. Because of this, the resources we need are getting scarce…m’lord.”
“You don’t need to force yourself to speak politely.”
According to Marshill, the monsters had turned feral and attacked without regard to their own safety, so many of the fishpeople and merpeople who had exited the barrier to procure supplies had fallen victim to their attacks.
Some of the Celciutos dwellers could deal with the monsters, but it was nevertheless becoming increasingly difficult to ensure that all of them had enough to eat. Because of this, the settlement’s food reserves were now very low. The fishpeople and merpeople working outside helped however they could, but the limit was apparently near.
“Why don’t you take refuge in Barbatos? Arno said that she can teleport there, so if the merpeople and fishpeople here can manage to leave the Kuwain area you can make do somehow, no?”
Arno, who watched Shin’s party leave for Kuwain, had somehow arrived before them. She had used a teleport crystal. It was a secret method that not even the guild knew about.
Arno had also said that she worked in the guild to know who wanted to go to the Kuwain area as early as possible. The teleport spot she used was just outside Barbatos, on the seafloor. The teleport crystals she used were not single use items, but high grade items which could teleport the user an unlimited number of times to a registered location.
“The teleport crystal I use only works with members of the Toole bloodline. Even if someone of my bloodline used it, they couldn’t bring anyone from outside the bloodline with them. We thought of moving to another location, but the Kuwain area, as of now, is too dangerous even for our warriors. Even if we moved in small, escorted groups, it would be very risky.”
While they were ready to flee, leaving their sanctuary behind, they could not reach an agreement about when and how to do it. Thus time passed and the situation continued to worsen. Transferring not only one or two people, but the whole clan, was something above Arno’s capabilities too.
Even if they moved to Barbatos in small groups, in the current situation, some warriors would surely die, so there was no way to know how many would safely reach Barbatos’ shores.
They had also made a plea to Barbatos’ lord, but the answer had not been favorable.
“Most of the people living here have never set foot in a town. It seems they are worried that a mass immigration would later create troubles.”
Barbatos, thanks to the pools built inside the city and its temperate climate, was a popular tourist destination. The famous restaurant Shigureya, too, was one of its attractions. Because of this, its governors were sensitive to situations that could create problems. Events that could damage the city’s reputation were dealt with swiftly.
For Barbatos, a mass immigration of individuals not used to living in towns was nothing but a recipe for trouble.
Fishpeople and merpeople were humanlike creatures, not wild beasts. They had the intellect to learn the rules and the rationality to respect them. Even so, most of Barbatos’ dwellers were humans. They were races with different cultures and lifestyles. Fishpeople and merpeople already lived there, so it was not likely for large conflicts to break out, but it would still be difficult to imagine that both sides could fully accept each other without any trouble, even for Shin.
“Most of all, saving us would mean entering the Kuwain area. Thinking about the casualties that such an operation would mean, they surely couldn’t send a rescue team.”
Not even a marine city’s sea warriors would be safe when traveling to Kuwain. It was a route dangerous even for veterans, with a very low survival rate. Any leader would hesitate to send their forces there.
“Many of us refuse to leave their hometown, too. They would want to stay even if the barrier were to disappear.”
The elderly especially displayed such a tendency. If they had to die, it would be where they were born, or so they said.
“Even if the barrier was gone, we could somehow manage if the monsters returned to normal. If we could get rid of the cause, we wouldn’t need to hide in Celciutos.”
Marshill, standing calmly next to Lierno, spoke again.
“I think we could do something about the need for the barrier. If we could get rid of the problem with Ishkar, then we could solve the situation somehow…or so I would like to think.”
Shin heard that Kuwain had originally been a safe area to live in. If the miasma was purified and Ishkar regained its strength, the seas would hopefully return to how they were.
Shin paused for a moment, then continued.
“Well, I understand the situation now. This is a problem to be solved after the funeral, but let’s all eat for now. You have to hold on for a little longer, until we do something about Ishkar, at least.”
“Indeed. An empty stomach robs people of their willpower.”
“It’s almost lunch time for us too.”
Shibaid and Filma, who had kept silent until then, nodded in agreement.
Shin’s item box contained great quantities of food supplies. While the funeral was important, he decided to give the priority to those who were living now.
“I’m sorry, guys.”
“No, Jesta too would say that if we had time to hold a funeral for him, we should fill up people’s bellies first.”
“That’s right, that’s exactly what he would say.”
“Grandpa Jesta wouldn’t get angry!”
“He’d get angry and say ‘leave the funeral for later!’ instead!”
Shin apologized for deciding on his own, but Zazie, Lapwing, Bell and Shell shook their heads. Being support characters for the same master, they knew very well how Jesta would have reacted in that situation.
Schnee, who had a high Cooking skill, and Tiera – who had been trained by her – offered to help. Shin told the apologetic Lierno to gather the other tribe members and, with the rest of the party, went to Celciutos’ kitchen. Shibaid and Filma, who were not especially skilled in cooking, went with Lierno to call the other tribe members.
Arno was the only mermaid with the cooking skill, so she went with Shin’s group.
“Who knew that there was a place like this…”
Arno was wide-eyed; Celciutos’ kitchen was equipped with cooking utensils of the highest quality. Basic tools like knives and pots, modern machines like stoves and ovens, bizarre tools that made it difficult to guess what they could be used for… It looked like a small exhibition.
“Let’s start cooking. Prioritize quantity and speed.”
“I’ll handle the preparations.”
Shin took ingredients out of the item box, which Zazie and Lapwing started cooking. Thanks to their boosted stats, vegetables and fish were instantly cut, cleaned, then put into large pots.
There was a great quantity of food to prepare, so they decided to make soup dishes. After skillfully preparing the ingredients, they prepared to cook a bouillabaisse.
Bell and Shell left the room for the moment and went to set the tables.
“Master, you look like you’re keeping up with them, but I couldn’t at all…”
“I couldn’t either…”
Tiera looked at Schnee working alongside Zazie and Lapwing and commented, with a slightly troubled expression on her face. Arno, who was standing next to her, agreed.
“They go above and beyond simply being good cooks, after all.”
Shin too couldn’t help but laugh wryly while looking at the cooking team’s movements.
High physical abilities and cooking skills complemented each other to form a scenery quite different from what one would expect to see in a normal kitchen. The sound of cutting vegetables was quick and sharp, but when it was heard the vegetable had already been completely cut.
Rather than cooking, it was like seeing a magic trick where vegetables were sliced instantly. Shin and Tiera could not intrude the realm of such experts.
“…we might as well go help Bell and Shell.”
“Yes, let’s. We’d just be in the way here.”
The two gave up on helping in the kitchen and decided to go help prepare the tables.
All cooking tools in the kitchen had time reduction bonuses attached, so soon after putting them in the pot to boil they already gave a delicious smell. Seconds later the ingredients looked tasty and a kuu-like sound could be heard.
“…Yuzuha didn’t say anything, you know?”
Shin too knew that the sound was different from Yuzuha’s usual voice. He looked towards the source and found Tiera and Arno.
“H-Hey! That wasn’t me!”
Tiera realized what Shin’s look meant and motioned her denial with her hands. The only other option was thus Arno.
“….uh…”
She must have been embarrassed to be asked if she was hungry. Arno’s face was growing redder and redder.
“…aah, I’m sorry, that was me just now. I’m getting pretty hungry.”
“Shin, that was way too slow.”
If he had to say something, he should have done so right after the rumbling stomach. Shin’s “helpful” comment was mercilessly struck down by Tiera. It had not been helpful at all, but there was nothing to do about it.
“Ehm, I’m sorry, about everything…”
“No, I’m ashamed to have—”
Just as Arno was apologizing, another “kuu” sound resounded in the surroundings.
It was more than clear that Arno’s stomach was the source.
“…!!”
Arno, still blushing violently, hit her stomach to try to prevent it from rumbling again.
It was painful to see how she was trying to fake a smile. Maybe her will had won, though, because the rumbling stopped.
“Ehm…you don’t need to go so far.”
“….that’s not it.”
“Er…”
“We didn’t have enough for everyone…so I just skipped breakfast….”
Arno crouched down and hid her face with her hands, while explaining herself in a quiet voice. Her still visible ears were as red as apples.
“Shin, you and Yuzuha go ahead.”
“Ah, yeah, gotcha.”
Shin followed Tiera’s advice and headed out of the room with Yuzuha. Tiera’s expression seemed to tell him, “don’t look at her”.
“With a smell like this in the air, of course your stomach starts rumbling…”
“Yuzuha’s hungry too!”
Yuzuha agreed to Shin’s mumbling, her tails swaying left and right.
The scent wafting from the kitchen was getting more and more powerful and now strongly stimulated the appetite of anyone who smelled it. If one had skipped breakfast, it was no wonder for the stomach to start craving nutrition.
“We’ve come to help, but have you already finished here?”
“All finished!”
“All done!”
Bell and Shell worked at Shigureya, after all, so their preparation was flawless.
They explained the menu, asked if anyone had allergies, and promptly completed all other necessary preparations. The merpeople and fishpeople who came inside all received a bowl and a spoon, then stared at the kitchen: the source of the smell deliciously filling the air, of course.
“(The food is ready, can you help us bring it out?)”
“(Okay, I’m coming.)”
Shin received Schnee’s Mind Chat and went back to the kitchen.
“Shin? What’s wrong?”
“They told me the food’s ready. I’m going to help serve it.”
Shin told Tiera, who was with the still slightly blushing Arno, and walked away. As he neared the kitchen, the smell grew stronger and stronger.
With Yuhuza perched on his head, both her and Shin’s stomachs gave healthy rumbles.
“These are the first 80 servings. We will bring the rest as soon as it’s ready.”
“Got it. I’ll give these to Bell and Shell, then come back.”
Shin turned the bubbling pot into a card and quickly left the kitchen.
He then materialized the pot on a table prepared by Bell and Shell, raising loud cheers from the fishpeople and merpeople. Shin’s group split their roles and served them food, prioritizing children, women and the elderly. Shibaid and Filma kept the queue in order.
“So tasty!!”
“Yes, this is really delicious…”
“I feel so warm…”
“Mgh! Gulp! So good!! Amazing!!”
Mothers smacked their lips while looking at their rejoicing children. Grandmothers let out sighs of relief after slowly bringing the bowl to their lips. Young men wolfed down on their portions as if in a trance. Everyone had content smiles on their faces.
“So this is Shigureya’s true power. It really is delicious.”
“Kuu, so tasty!”
Realizing that if they properly lined up, they could all have something to eat, no one disrupted the queue. Taking turns, Shin’s party ate their fill too. Yuzuha took the chance to change into human form and enjoyed her soup.
“Everyone’s asking for seconds. Well, it was to be expected…hmm?”
Shin finished his soup, then his eyes caught the sight of Marshill, bowl in hand, looking at the other fishpeople. There was still steam coming from his bowl: he clearly hadn’t finished his soup yet.
“You’re not going to eat?”
“What do you—oh, it’s you, sir.”
The surprised Marshill stood perfectly straight and bowed to Shin.
“What’s gotten into you, all of a sudden?”
“I am deeply sorry for my deplorable behavior until now.”
“Hey now…”
Shin was confused by the fishman’s sudden change. He told him to raise his head and explain first of all. They went to sit on a ledge and Shin told Marshill to drink his soup before it turned cold.
Marshill still tried to speak as politely as possible, so Shin requested that he speak normally.
“I am the leader of the warrior tribe protecting this sanctuary. But all I could do for everyone’s sake was to gather a meager amount of food.”
Having fighting skills, he could have become an adventurer and earned through that, but there was the chance that some among the dwellers may go on a rampage out of frustration and despair, so – thinking about such a possibility – he could not bring himself to leave the settlement.
Marshill had witnessed personally how ferocious the attacks of the three sea beasts were: he was also concerned that the barrier might break down.
“Little by little, day by day, everyone was growing thinner. But I couldn’t do anything to change the situation.”
As they were tasked with procuring food supplies, warriors received relatively complete meals: the portions to the children, the elderly and young people without anything to do, however, were unbearably small.
Some warriors shared their food with them too. If they did, however, they wouldn’t be able to muster their power when needed; many of them were killed by monsters this way.
“We couldn’t move to Barbatos now, not even if we wanted. Even if we knew we had no future, staying here is all we could do.”
Even when he stood against Shin, Marshill didn’t have enough strength to fight properly. The difficult situation is the reason why he looked so irritable.
“….Kids can laugh like that, huh.”
Marshill looked at the children running around near them, a mellower expression on his face.
His peaceful atmosphere now made him look like a completely different person compared to when Shin first met him.
“I don’t care what happens to me. But please, let my subordinates go. They just followed my orders.”
“Hey, don’t you dare do that here.”
Shin felt that Marshill was going to kneel to apologize and stopped him.
“I have no intention of doing anything anyway. We didn’t fight and no one was hurt on either side. You better apologize to Zazie and the others, though. You said that something belonging to their master was yours, after all. It’s not something they can just let go either.”
“Understood.”
Marshill nodded firmly to Shin’s words.
“Whoops, looks like the last pot is almost empty. I’ll go take it.”
“I’ll help too if I can.”
Marshill went to Bell and Shell, while Shin headed to the kitchen.
He went back and forth three times.
After about 400 servings of soup were cleared, the cooking came to an end.
“We finished cleaning up, so can you tell us where the Seafloor Sanctuary is?”
“Yes, I was told to be your guide. Please follow me.”
Shin’s group boarded their magic-powered vessel and, following Arno’s lead, went underwater.
Joining Shin in this expedition were the usual members: his support characters and Tiera. As there was the possibility of fighting in an unfamiliar underwater environment, Shin gave Tiera a ring that would absorb damage to a certain degree.
The Shigureya crew remained on Celciutos, in charge of checking whether all its functions were working properly. Shin didn’t think anything would happen so soon, but he told them to focus on the barrier first, just in case.
“The barrier extends underwater…no, up and down? So it’s less affected by outside sources, huh.”
Shin considered how Celciutos’ barrier had been erected as the ship proceeded underwater. Even inside the storm, the waves around Celciutos were calm. The underwater surroundings did not seem unusual either.
Learning that the Seafloor Sanctuary was directly below Celciutos, Shin pictured the barrier’s extension in his head.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 11 - Depths of the Azure Seas/The-New-Gate-Volume-11-Depths-of-the-Azure-Seas-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_11_Chapter_03_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 1
“Are we there yet?”
Tiera asked after about 30 minutes of continuous diving.
“Looks like it’s deeper than expected.”
Shin also felt that they had already been descending for a long time, but not knowing how deep the sea was in that area, he could not give Tiera a clear answer.
The depth of their current position was 6000 mels.
Thanks to the enchantments attached to it and the unique materials it was made with, the hybrid magic-powered vessel could dive at high speed, but nothing resembling the “Seafloor Sanctuary” could be seen yet.
Arno still lead the way without any signs of indecision however, so they kept following behind her.
Thirty more minutes passed.
Finally, something began to shine in the distance. It was the building Shin’s group was looking for. There were no light sources visible, but its surroundings were strangely bright.
“So that’s the Seafloor Sanctuary. The official name is ‘Castle of the Depths’? Wait, ‘Seafloor Sanctuary’ is there too. They’re mixed together?”
Shin thought that ‘Seafloor Sanctuary’ was the building’s official name, but when he looked at it, another name was displayed. If he moved his gaze just a little, however, the “Seafloor Sanctuary” name also appeared.
“I see, so that’s why Ishkar is here.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Ishkar I knew used to dwell in the royal chambers deep inside an underground dungeon masquerading as a castle. So when Arno said the word “Sanctuary”, I thought it had changed locations, but now I see how it is. The building probably moved when the crust did.”
Shin answered Tiera’s question with a hypothesis.
Upon closer inspection, the group noticed the broken down remains of a building scattered around the Sanctuary. It had probably been destroyed by the natural disasters. The main building was the “Castle of the Depths”, with the “Seafloor Sanctuary” around it.
When Shin mentioned this to Arno, she was very surprised. Apparently she did not know about this bizarre occurrence.
“In that case, the interior of the dungeon could have changed too. Hopefully the path isn’t blocked.”
Schnee commented while looking at the Castle of the Depths. That possibility wasn’t far-fetched at all.
In the game area, such a phenomenon was impossible. In any dungeon there was a path leading to the boss. Now, however, even such an obvious reality could have changed.
“We can only go and check.”
Shin guided the ship until it was close to the Castle of the Depths, then anchored it to the seafloor. As the whole group had left the ship, their equipment changed to its underwater mode, and Shin turned the ship into a card.
Tiera, who did not have the 【Dive】 skill, equipped an earring with the same effects.
Arno was surprised to see the massive ship instantly turn into a card, but then nodded to herself. She now knew that Shin was a High Human, which was enough of an explanation.
“The entrance is over here”
Led by Arno, the group reached the Castle of the Depths’ gate. Even though it was called a castle, the exterior looked like a cardboard cutout. The dungeon itself extended underground, so it wasn’t possible to use shortcuts to the lower floors or similar tricks.
There were treasure chests and such in the above ground part of the castle, but the group had no time to go look for them, so Shin went straight towards the gate.
“This is as far as I can guide you.”
Arno stopped about 10 mels from the gate: a semi-transparent barrier had appeared before her. It apparently stopped all intruders with stats lower than a certain amount.
In the game era, the Castle of the Depths was a high difficulty dungeon, fitting as Ishkar’s abode, a boss monster of level 1000.
All monsters that appeared within it had high levels too, so players used it to train low level players: it was a so-called power leveling area.
The game’s management did not appreciate such a usage however, and entry into dungeons with a certain number of high-level monsters became restricted.
The restriction placed that time was apparently still active, even in this world. Shin tried to get closer and was able to pass through without problems. Schnee and the rest of the party followed him, until only Tiera remained outside the barrier.
“…….”
She extended a hand towards the barrier, a nervous look on her face. Just as she was about to touch it, Tiera’s hand passed through.
“Wheew…I was so nervous…”
There seemed to be a good chance that Tiera would be repelled, so she was really relieved to have been able to pass through the barrier.
(If she’s able to enter here, it means that her average stats are over 450. Even factoring in equipment bonuses, that’s not a number you can reach without resurrection bonuses…)
So thought Shin while looking at Tiera coming towards them.
Tiera was a Priestess of the World Tree, a special existence, but it was confirmed that she was not a Chosen One.
In the game, no matter what bonuses were granted by equipment, she couldn’t have entered in the Castle of the Depths or the Seafloor Sanctuary.
Just now, before Shin’s eyes, Tiera had overcome the barrier though.
In this world, players without resurrection bonuses could raise their base stats only by leveling up or using rare items.
Just like Schnee and the others, Tiera had received a stat bonus from the Ley Lines; as a denizen of this world, however, she was starting to become an impossible existence.
“….? Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing.”
Thinking wouldn’t solve the problem. Tiera was a bit puzzled by Shin’s silence, but he waved at her not to mind and looked at Arno.
“Do be careful.”
Shin didn’t know how long it would take, so he had Arno go back first. Being a mermaid, she could go back to Celciutos even without boarding a ship.
Shin’s group watched Arno go, then looked up at the Castle of the Depths’ gate.
The gate had three depressions, the same size as item cards.
“Just like how it was set up in the game, I guess?”
“Set up?”
“Yeah, you need to offer the Three Sea Beasts’ materials to enter Ishkar’s Castle of the Depths.”
Shin answered Schnee’s question while taking items out of his Item Box.
A fragment of Mascurda’s pearls, Keseldran’s fang, and Eolios’ needle. To enter, they had to be turned into cards and placed in the gate’s depressions.
In this world they had just briefly met Keseldran, but the materials gathered in the game era were still in Shin’s item box.
Shin took the three cards and placed each in the depression where the corresponding Sea Beast was depicted.
The response was immediate as two of the three cards were rejected. Only Keseldran’s card stayed in place, glowing faintly.
“…whatever could this mean?”
“This happens when the wrong card is put in. The gate’s functions are still active I see.”
Shin answered Schnee’s confused question while touching the gate. There was no response, it didn’t look like it would open anytime soon.
Normally, the cards would stay in and the gate would open.
“The materials are the right ones, though. Why did only Keseldran’s stay in, anyway?”
In the game era too, item cards received by others would be rejected. The cards in Shin’s item box were originally from the game era, they could be seen as having been received from someone else.
“Keseldran was that snake monster with the pincers, right? Maybe we have to come in contact…or at least be seen by them?”
“Looks like that’s the only possibility.”
Shin could only agree with Tiera’s opinion.
“Kuu kuu”
Shin was thinking about the reason behind the rejection of the materials, when Yuzuha poked his forehead.
“Hm? What’s up, Yuzuha?”
“When we met Kesel, its magic power went into you, Shin. That’s it, maybe.”
“Its magic power came into me?”
According to Yuzuha, when Keseldran attacked the barrier a small part of its magic power flowed into Shin. It was such a minimal amount that Shin didn’t realize it, but the magic power emanated from the cards was similar to that, apparently.
“Meaning, as long as we get close to them, we don’t need to fight.”
Shin wasn’t sure if the same thing would happen with the other two Beasts too, but there was nothing else they could do.
“Okay, let’s start from Mascurda then.”
Since they just needed to get close to the monster, Shin decided to try from the one easier to escape from: among the Three Sea Beasts, Mascurda had the lowest movement speed.
Shin materialized the magic-powered vessel from the Item Box, deactivated underwater mode, and boarded it with the rest of the party. The direction they set for was north-west.
“Let’s hope we can find it quickly though.”
“Keseldran had come right next to Celciutos, I guess it had perceived our presence?”
Shin had also considered the possibility that Shibaid mentioned.
Despite being in the heart of Kuwain, Keseldran had attacked when the group had neared Celciutos’ barrier. They didn’t know if it came for Shin’s party or the merpeople, but the timing was too good.
Based on what they knew and what Arno had told them, Keseldran had roamed very far from its territory. It wouldn’t have made it in time if it didn’t start chasing Shin’s ship as soon as it entered the Kuwain area.
“If it will come to us, then it’s even better. First we’ll go somewhat closer, set a marker and go back. If getting closer is enough, then great. If not, we’ll think of something else.”
Among all magic skills, there was one that allowed someone to place a marker to know where a particular target was, for a limited period of time. If just getting closer wasn’t enough, Shin planned to use it to locate Mascurda.
Moving at high speed underwater was dangerous, so Shin brought the ship near the surface. If they emerged completely they would be subject to the stormy sea and tall waves, so he stopped the ship’s ascension to a depth that didn’t hinder the ship’s sailing.
After a while, a large number of jellyfish-type monsters appeared in front of Shin’s ship. Their levels ranged wildly from low to high and they floated really close to each other, leaving almost no space in between.
“Let’s take a detour.”
There was no need to force their way through the monsters. Jellyfish monsters rarely attacked first, so they would probably let the ship go as long as they weren’t attacked.
Shin had heard that the monsters had turned violent, but this type didn’t seem to be affected.
The group of jellyfish monsters floated at a depth where light just barely penetrated into the sea, so Shin decided to pass below them.
“Hm?”
The ship was proceeding slowly, when Shin noticed a half transparent red marker on the map. It symbolized the presence of a monster that was using 【Hiding】.
The jellyfish swarm also slowly moved, as to block the ship’s path.
“It came out earlier than expected, huh.”
“So it looks like.”
Schnee had also perceived the monster’s presence and looked under the ship.
Shibaid and Filma realized it too.
“What’s coming?”
Tiera understood that a monster was approaching, but she couldn’t detect concealed enemies, apparently.
“There’s a concealed monster below us. If we go a bit lower, it’ll probably attack.”
Shin’s group was trying to go through what could be called the entrance to the sea depths, a place where light couldn’t reach.
Below that, without light sources or night vision skills, it was impossible to see anything.
The jellyfish monsters were just decoys. The ship would be attacked while it tried to dodge them, or so Shin thought the monster’s plan was.
“Shouldn’t we change course, then?”
“If we do that it might not attack though. We’ll dodge and escape.”
“Escape? Wait, you mean that the monster trying to ambush us is—”
“It’s coming! Grab hold of something, everyone!”
Before Tiera could finish her sentence, Shin sharply turned the control lever and stepped on the pedal. The ship’s course changed diagonally and accelerated.
“Bingo! I knew it!”
“Waah…”
Shin turned the ship around, shining its lights on the spot it had recently vacated. There they found six squid-like tentacles with suckers, squirming around in search for the ship.
Tiera backed away at such a sight, holding her own body with her arms and shaking. It was her first time seeing a squid’s tentacles that were this large: more than being surprised, she was hit by a wave of disgust.
“Those are Mascurda’s tentacles. If they grab you, you’ll be dragged straight into its mouth.”
The monster’s main body was somewhere deeper, so the group could only see its huge tentacles sprouting from the darkness. Because of this, it looked even more creepy.
“What will you do now?”
“I’m afraid it won’t work with just the tentacles, so I’ll get closer to the main body. Sorry guys, but the ship is going to shake some more!”
Realizing that it couldn’t catch anything by trying to grasp with those tentacles, Mascurda’s body emerged from the darkness.
Its main body, larger than Shin’s magic-powered vessel, was armed with shells and gems, fitting for one of the monsters called a Sea Beast. Large, sharp claws adorned the tips of its tentacles: in spite of its similarity to normal squids, its appearance clearly indicated the creature was a monster.
Additional tentacles it had not used before stretched out towards the ship, but Shin avoided them by moving the ship horizontally. The tentacles, missing their target, crashed into the jellyfish swarm, wrapping themselves around several of them.
“Shin…I don’t think I’ll be able to eat squid anymore…”
“Yeah, if you’re not used to it this can be a pretty shocking sight.”
Tiera and Shin were watching Mascurda as it feasted on the jellyfish monsters it had caught. The monster’s round mouth on the lower part of its body ripped apart the jellyfish and swallowed them.
Rows of saw-like teeth could be seen within the monster’s mouth. The fate of the jellyfish demonstrated clearly what would happen to anything that ended up in the monster’s maw.
“So those jellyfish weren’t Mascurda’s servants, then.”
“If we’re getting closer to the main body, I’ll put up a barrier.”
“Please do.”
The ship was enchanted with protective magic, but for added safety, Shibaid took out his
『Great Shell Shield of Collision』.
Shin directed the ship towards Mascurda’s body, keeping the monster in his field of vision.
“We might be attacked, so make sure you don’t lose your balance!”
Shin shouted while stepping harder on the pedal. The magic engine roared, attracting Mascurda’s attention, its eyes glaring at the ship.
“Well, now it found us for sure.”
”Underwater, detection via sound is the basic method. Of course it would.”
During Filma and Schnee’s exchange, Mascurda’s tentacles were already shooting for the ship. The ship accelerated away faster than they could reach, however.
“Shin!! Shin!!! We’re tilting!! The ship’s tilting!!”
The ship sped through the tentacles at a speed unthinkable for underwater travel. The ship, tilted at 90 degrees, barely managed to dodge the tentacles, so the surprised Tiera called Shin’s name.
“We’re going to go straight like this and pass next to Mascurda! It’s going to shoot magic at us, brace for impact!”
Just as Shin said, the two mels wide gemstone on Mascurda’s forehead started glowing. Also due to its status as an underwater monster, the magic it used was mainly water-based.
As the gemstone’s light grew stronger, the seawater in front of Mascurda’s eyes started whirling.
The newly formed whirlpool quickly became larger and larger, big enough to swallow Shin’s ship whole.
Water-type Magic skill 【Maelstrom】.
Using it underwater gave bonuses such as a boost in offensive power and a larger area of effect. With Mascurda as its caster, the resulting whirlpool reached a size that few players could create.
“Not so fast!”
In the ship, facing the whirlpool, Shin shouted and hit the control panel. He chose an armament and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
The side of the ship opened with a psssht-like sound and two torpedoes shot towards the whirlpool, leaving a trail of bubbles behind them.
The torpedoes shot straight into the heart of the whirlpool: once they reached it, the spell inside them was activated. After an explosion, a 【Maelstrom】 spinning in the opposite direction as Mascurda’s was generated, and the two whirlpools canceled each other.
“Now!!”
One instant before the whirlpools disappeared, Shin moved the ship forward.
Maybe because the clashing whirlpools obstructed its sight, Mascurda could not react quickly to the ship that forced its way through the two half vanished 【Maelstrom】.
Shin’s magic-powered vessel passed right next to Mascurda’s body. At that moment, Shin shot a marker, which simply acted as a beacon of magical power, so Mascurda did not even notice being hit with it.
After passing, the ship accelerated and sped away from the monster.
Mascurda tried to chase after it, but right then Shin’s parting gift was activated.
——!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
What had been released from the back of the ship was a load of barrels. Their objective was to create a smokescreen underwater: rather than actual smoke, they released an ink-like liquid all around. Touching the liquid also made it impossible to detect the player and inflicted negative statuses. It was the underwater version of the item used to escape after encountering monsters too different from one’s level.
Leaving behind Mascurda, who emitted shrill screams out of anger, or pain, Shin’s group returned to the Castle of the Depths.
There they again tried to place the item card of Mascurda’s parts in the matching depression of the gate. This time, the card started glowing properly.
“Good! Now we know that we don’t need to fight.”
It would be a problem to weaken one of the Sea Beasts, for one of the other two to ultimately defeat them. If they just had to go near them, it was much easier than fighting them. Yuzuha confirmed that, just like what had happened with Keseldran, Mascurda’s magic power had flowed into Shin.
“Our next destination is the southeast, then?”
“Yes, Eolios is the only one left, let’s make sure we can get this done today.”
Shin nodded to Schnee and returned to the ship.
The current time was a little past three in the afternoon. Considering how long it would take to come back, it would probably be dusk when they did.
If they started exploring the dungeon then, it could take until late at night to clear it.
The dungeon the group was going to enter was an unknown one, where they would find sources of miasma. It surely wasn’t a place to spend the night in.
In the depths of the sea, the presence or absence of sunlight did not make a difference, but because of the lack of sunlight it was easy to lose track of time and be active for long hours, thus impacting one’s own performance.
Knowing this, Shin had decided to take sufficient rest before facing the dungeon.
“What? We’re not going to leave right away?”
“I have to stock up on items first. Eolios is a fast swimmer too, so I wanted to pick up some items to take care of that.”
Eolios was the sea monster that boasted the highest swimming speed. It could even dodge the item the group had used against Mascurda.
Shin was changing the ship’s equipment, looking at a diagram of the vessel displayed on a screen. Next to him, Tiera looked impressed.
“Pictures and text floating in midair…it’s really strange, no matter how many times I see them. Besides, just moving them around changes things in reality too…”
The screen that Shin was manipulating was a function loaded onto the ship and visible to anyone, unlike each person’s status screen.
“Once you get used to it, it’s really convenient.”
After answering Tiera, Shin chose an item to equip on the bottom of the hull: as he did the image on the screen changed, now showing a sort of nozzle.
Shin went outside the ship to make sure that it had changed as the diagram had shown. Part of the changes had been executed on the bottom of the ship, so he had to change to underwater mode and dive to check.
“It’s really changed. I wonder how this works…”
Tiera was interested and joined Shin in the inspection: when they returned, she expressed her amazement while deactivating underwater mode. She had looked very closely at the changed parts, but couldn’t understand how it had happened.
“Magically, I guess.”
Shin couldn’t say that it was a game mechanic, so he decided to rely on the always convenient answer that magic did it.
“That’s the most convincing answer, I guess. That…magic-powered engine, was it? The magic flow when it activates is really something else too.”
What Yuzuha called magic flow was visible to Tiera too; like in this case, though, it was apparently possible to see the magic flow coming from items too.
“What do you see, Tiera?”
“I see a thin, sparkling purple light coming out of the engine and spreading throughout the ship. It’s really beautiful, so it’s a bit of a shame that I’m the only one that can see it.”
After completely spreading, the flow vanishes away. Hearing Tiera talk about it, Shin thought that he wanted to see it too, but there were no skills to make magic flow visible, so he gave up.
With their preparations done, Shin’s group departed again, this time for Eolios’ territory.
The area ruled by Eolios looked extremely different from Mascurda’s.
“This is bad!”
Shin cursed under his breath while carefully handling the ship’s controls.
Soon after entering Eolios’ territory, the ship was attacked by monsters. Their quantity and species also increased minute by minute.
“Why is it so different from the other areas here?”
“Indeed, this is incomprehensible.”
Filma and Shibaid voiced their perplexion too, looking at the monsters that attacked them like an avalanche.
Shibaid erected a barrier to repel the attack of a swarm of mackerel pike-like monsters, while Shin made the ship spin to shake off a group of octopus-type monsters that had attached to it.
For a ship, the action was getting a bit too exciting.
“I might end up knocked-out even before we find the boss…”
The ship’s sudden accelerations, decelerations, and rotations were proving to be too much for Tiera, even though she had drunk the anti-seasickness medicine.
Just as Shin began to realize that they couldn’t go on like that, he noticed a response far larger than the surrounding monsters heading in their direction at extremely high speed.
The real identity of the response blasting towards the ship, bulldozing through the monsters, was, of course, Eolios.
A massive shark-like monster, with its head and part of its fins hardened as protection. Its whole body was also covered by one-mel long stake-like needles, which could diffuse magic and were also used as powerful weapons. Even if the monsters that could not dodge Eolios’ passing got stuck on them, the Sea Beast did not seem to notice or care.
During the game era, Eolios had pierced many players to death. For the surrounding monsters, being pierced meant instant death. Due to Eolios’ tremendous swimming speed, they would be cruelly ripped apart.
“Just as expected from the fastest among the Three Sea Beasts. That speed is on a whole other level.”
Shin got rid of the surrounding monsters with the ship’s anti-attacker magic and forcefully steered the vessel out of Eolios’ path.
Even if they had turned feral, the monsters could probably still realize danger to a degree. The ones surrounding the ship seemed to be shaken by Eolios’ arrival.
“It’d be easy if we could just pass by, like we did with Mascurda, huh.”
Shin said so to Schnee, but did not attempt this maneuver. Eolios’ mobility was at its apex when it attacked, but it could also change direction vertically or horizontally very easily.
Because of this, to avoid its charge they would need to gain a large distance very quickly. Just moving to the side would not suffice.
Even if, by chance, they managed to avoid the collision, Eolios could shoot its needles, thus piercing the ship just after it was thought to be safe.
With the ship’s protective plating and Shibaid’s barriers, the ship would probably be able to withstand one attack, but if it didn’t work they would be unable to recover, so Shin decided not to test it.
“Yuzuha! Is the magic here yet?”
“Not yet!”
The distance between the ship and Eolios was around 300 mels. In Mascurda’s case, they had passed less than 10 mels from the monster’s body, while with Keseldran the distance was about 100 mels: considering this, Eolios was still too far.
“How do you like this then!”
Shin moved the ship right in front of Eolios’ path and slowed down.
Maybe thinking that its prey had weakened, Eolios came closer slowly, its jaws wide open.
“My chest…hurts…”
From the bridge it wasn’t possible to see behind the ship. Tiera, however, had felt Eolios’ pressure and was holding her chest with a frown.
“I’m sorry, please bear with it a little longer!”
—Distance to Eolios, 280 mels.
Shin looked at the map and measured the distance. The monster could accelerate suddenly, so his finger was ready on the emergency acceleration switch.
—220 mels.
Yuzuha’s signal wasn’t coming yet. She was gazing intently at something, towards the back of the ship.
—180 mels.
Shin felt something creeping up his shoulders. Probably the pressure that Eolios emanated.
—130 mels.
“It’s here!”
Yuzuha’s voice echoed through the bridge.
“Alright, we’re off!!”
As soon as he heard that the magic power had arrived, Shin activated the ship’s emergency acceleration. At the same time, he released an item to facilitate their escape from the stern – a different one than what he used against Mascurda.
—–!?!?!?!?!?
A few seconds after the release, an inhuman shriek could be heard from behind them.
What Shin had thrown to Eolios was a barrel filled to the brim with crystals, each one imbued with the Wind-type magic skill 【Shock Pulse】. The skill was used to release an extremely loud noise, to disperse pursuing monsters. What would happen if 10, 20, or more were activated underwater, where sound propagated at a faster rate?
“Seems like we managed to escape, somehow.”
Shin breathed a sigh of relief while looking at the responses disappearing outside the map’s detection range.
The crystals emitted a physical shockwave as well, so Eolios had more important things to deal with than chasing Shin’s group. Looking at the marker moving left and right, Shin guessed that it was probably fairly confused now.
Being a shark-based monster, it would have been a problem if it followed them via smell, so Shin had launched a barrel producing a foul smell too.
The monsters that had attacked the ship seemed even more confused than Eolios. Some were bumping into each other or wandered off randomly. The situation was utter chaos. Others, possibly having lost consciousness, did not move at all.
“Looks like the area of effect was pretty wide.”
“We even managed to surprise a boss monster, after all. Though, it must have been because it was activated underwater.”
Shin replied to Schnee’s comment while operating the ship’s controls. Unlike before, when they had just arrived in the area, they managed to proceed without serious obstacles.
They were attacked again by monsters on their way back, but probably because of 【Shock Pulse】’s effects, the monsters were much less fierce than before, so the group could return to the Castle of the Depths relatively smoothly.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 11 - Depths of the Azure Seas/The-New-Gate-Volume-11-Depths-of-the-Azure-Seas-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_11_Chapter_03_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 2
Shin’s party spent the night in the ship. After making the necessary preparations, they stood before the dungeon’s gate.
Shin placed the last remaining card in the gate’s depression and all the cards started glowing brightly. With creaking, scratching sounds, the gate to the Castle of the Depths finally opened.
“Shin…there’s the possibility that we might be too late.”
“Yeah, even I can tell. This time it’s really bad.”
Shin could only agree with what Tiera said after the gate opened.
The Castle of the Depths had been swallowed by terribly thick miasma.
“Just to be safe, let’s all use these.”
Shin spoke while looking at the miasma oozing from beyond the gate. The situation was worse than expected, so he decided that it was too risky to just charge in without preparing proper countermeasures. He then handed some 『Miracle Drug of Holy Skies』, which they had used when exploring Fuji’s dungeon, to all the party members. To prepare for anything unexpected, he gave a stack of the item’s cards to everyone.
“Tiera, take this.”
“This is…er, goggles?”
Together with the item cards, Shin gave Tiera a pair of underwater goggles enchanted with bonus effects such as 【Night Sight】 and 【Far Sight】. The goggles were large, similar to the ones used when diving.
In dungeons where visibility was poor due to miasma, visual assistance skills -【Night Sight】 above all- were a necessity. Tiera had learned 【Far Sight】, but did not know 【Night Sight】yet.
“When I equipped them, the water inside the goggles disappeared…is this okay?”
“It’s okay…I guess?”
The goggles did not change form even if the wearer’s equipment turned to underwater mode.
If the goggles were equipped underwater, seawater would normally seep inside, but there was supposed to be no effect on the skills attached to them. For some reason, however, the water inside had disappeared. It could have been a difference between the game and reality.
“No use thinking about it, I guess. The goggles’ effects are still there, so I’ll make good use of them.”
Tiera knew that it wasn’t something they needed to talk about then and there, so she wrapped up the topic. Shin nodded and turned again towards the gate.
“First, I should make sure the miasma doesn’t spread any more than it has already…okay, let’s go.”
Shin stopped the miasma from spreading beyond the gate, then entered into the Castle of the Depths, with Schnee and the others in tow.
“I wouldn’t have expected the castle to be corrupted this much, though. Was the outer appearance just an illusion?”
“If I remember well, its appearance didn’t change even if players destroyed it. Maybe it’s to prevent seeing the interior of the dungeon from outside.”
While advancing through the water, Shin answered Schnee’s question, recalling his memories of the game era.
The Castle of the Depths’ castle part was just a facade, like a cardboard cutout placed in front of the actual dungeon. If one wanted to, it was possible to turn it into a pile of rubble.
Doing so would not have achieved anything, though, so most players did not bother to destroy it.
Shin was looking for the path leading underground, when he picked up several responses within his detection range.
“The castle is supposed to be deserted, but it turns out there’s something here.”
“With this much miasma around, that wouldn’t be strange.”
Shin replied to Shibaid’s warning while drawing his sword, 『Moonless』.
“They’re ghost types! They’re going to come from the front, left, and right, through the walls!”
Shin looked at the map and noticed hostile markers moving towards them passing through rooms and corridors, so he notified the rest of the party.
A few seconds later ethereal, eerie monsters appeared in front of Shin’s group, from the ceiling and the walls on their right and left sides.
“Shibaid, Filma, the Skullfaces in front are yours. Schnee and I will take the Phantoms on the left and right. Tiera, deal with the Baby Hollow on the ceiling!”
Shin gave orders to the party, then activated the skill 【Pure Holy】 with Schnee.
The half-invisible human-like monsters who had passed through the walls, draped in capes that concealed their features, were High Phantoms: Ghost-type monsters with levels around 400.
Being capable of using magic of every element, they were rather nasty opponents.
Knowing that it was coming, however, Shin and Schnee could prepare to attack as soon as the Phantoms phased through the walls. The light they emitted from their palms caused the High Phantoms to simply vanish before they could do anything.
“I’m done here too.”
At about the same time of Shin and Schnee’s defeat of the High Phantoms, Tiera had dealt with the infant-shaped fireball monsters called Baby Hollow.
There were only a few of them, so they didn’t stand a chance against a shot from Tiera’s bow, armed with the arrows Shin had given her, which had both anti-miasma Light element and【Purification】 bonuses attached.
As the battlefield was now underwater, Tiera had changed her equipped bow to the 『Emerald Whirltide Bow』, a lower Legend-grade bow that increased in offensive power and accuracy underwater.
Shin didn’t think that she could use it, but Tiera proved to be able to handle it without penalties.
“Looks like they’re about done too.”
Shin watched Shibaid and Filma sweeping through the Skullfaces. The corridor they were in was fairly wide, but still not enough for many Skullfaces to stand side by side. No matter how many there were, the only ones who could swing their weapons were the three, maybe four in front.
In terms of stats and equipment, there was no way they could match Shibaid and Filma. Even the King class Skullfaces were felled in a single blow. It was just a matter of time until the entire pack, composed of Skullfaces of various classes, was annihilated.
“They’ve got numbers, but their levels are nothing to worry about.”
“That’s right. Anyway, High Phantoms were a monster that appeared in the Seafloor Sanctuary, right?”
The Castle of the Depths was a den of high-level monsters. Thinking about the game’s standards, High Phantoms were too low-leveled to appear there.
“Meaning that the Seafloor Sanctuary monsters are dwelling in the castle too? That can be a bit of a pain.”
“Judging from the current situation, that appears to be the only explanation. Surely they couldn’t be the vengeful spirits of people who died at sea.”
Filma looked annoyed, her shoulders dropping, but Shibaid answered her seriously.
Defeating the monsters wouldn’t be difficult at all, but speed was of the essence this time, so having their progress slowed down wasn’t a good prospect.
Shin’s group decided to focus more on enemy detection and proceed while avoiding encounters as much as possible.
“If the structure is the same as before, the path leading to the dungeon should be in the throne room.”
The interior of the castle looked very similar to what Shin remembered. He decided to head for the throne room, as he had in the game. Located in the center of the castle, it would have taken about 15 minutes of walking to reach it.
The most ideal path would be to head straight towards it, destroying the walls blocking the way, but it would have, without a doubt, attracted monsters towards them, so they discarded the idea.
“…….”
Knowing that there were monsters around, the group proceeded in silence thanks to Shin and Schnee’s 【Silent Domain】. Unlike sound on land, at sea, even the smallest whisper could attract a monster’s attention.
“Isn’t it…really cold?”
The throne room was still a few minutes away when Tiera mumbled to herself. Even in underwater mode the effects of the original equipment were still active, so there were environmental changes that only she could notice.
“I don’t feel anything in particular, how about everyone else?”
Filma, Shibaid, and Schnee answered Shin’s question in the same way, they had not picked up anything either.
Yuzuha and Kagerou had different opinions, however.
“My tail feels chilly!”
“Guru!!”
Kagerou growled in agreement to Yuzuha’s words.
“There’s something up ahead.”
“Considering who detected this, I have a bad feeling about what awaits..”
A cold chill that could not be detected by any usual means. The cause was apparently in the throne room.
“It’s not just miasma. It’s probably also dragging the souls of the people who died at sea here. There are so many too…”
Tiera, blessed with spiritual detection abilities, spoke while trembling, her face pale.
“Are you alright? If it’s too tough, we can deal with whatever’s inside ourselves.”
“I won’t be able to join in the fighting if I do, but there is something I’d like to try. Yuzuha, could you help me?”
“Kuu?”
Tiera restrained her body from shaking and looked at Shin. Her eyes shone with the light of a very strong resolve.
“…got it. Yuzuha, take care of Tiera.”
“Kuu!”
Yuzuha cried as to say “leave it to me!” and paddled to Tiera’s shoulder. Being underwater, it felt like she did not weigh anything at all. At Tiera’s feet, Kagerou stood proud, as if saying “I’m by your side too!”.
“Good, let’s go.”
Shin proceeded forward, ever focused on detecting any threats. Walls and such were meaningless to Ghost-type monsters, so whenever they came close, Shin and Schnee blew them away with magic.
“This must be it.”
Shin’s group quickly reached the throne room, successfully avoiding as many encounters as possible.
Beyond the door Shin detected three presences, all larger than the monsters wandering the castle corridors.
“Looks like there are bosses stationed here.”
“Originally there wasn’t supposed to be anything here, so…I suppose they are monsters from Seafloor Sanctuary?”
“I wonder…that place mainly had fish-type monsters, after all. I think the situation now is different.”
The monsters appearing in Seafloor Sanctuary were mainly based on sea creatures, such as fish or crustaceans. Based on the fact that Undead-type monsters like Skullfaces and Phantoms now prowled in the castle, Shin doubted that marine monsters would appear as bosses.
“We can only be alert and proceed.”
Shin nodded to Shibaid. Passing through the throne room was the only way to go underground, so they could not avoid this boss confrontation.
Even though they resolved themselves to confront the bosses, they still wondered whether the dungeon entrance was still in the throne room. However, there was no way to clear their doubt at this moment.
“Are you ready, everyone? I’m opening the door.”
Shin had Schnee and the rest of the group take one step back, then pushed the door open. The doors did not offer much resistance and slowly opened.
The very instant the inside of the room became visible, a black spurt of miasma shot through the opening of the doors directly towards Shin’s party.
“!!”
The miasma had been shot violently, with an explosive power similar to backdraft. The level of danger was much higher than that of the miasma that had been oozing from the castle.
As soon as he saw it, Shin put up a miasma barrier and stepped back. Stopped by the barrier, the miasma’s momentum grew temporarily weaker. Tainted, the barrier vanished quickly, but it was enough to gain some distance.
Shin’s group was at peak alertness when they opened the door, so their response had been immediate.
The new miasma barrier put up by Shibaid opened a gap between Shin’s group and the miasma.
“【Purification】!!”
Shin then unleashed his skill towards the miasma that was swallowing Shibaid’s barrier.
Struck by the light emitted by Shin’s palms, the erupting miasma vanished like smoke.
“Well well. That was quite the welcome.”
“I don’t suppose we can expect courtesy from a host made of miasma.”
Exchanging banter with Shibaid, Shin enlarged the range of 【Purification】. Ignoring his decreasing MP, he got rid of all miasma in the throne room at once.
The room had originally appeared dimly lit even through 【Night Vision】, because of the miasma, but now 【Purification】’s light showed its original appearance.
If intruders entered it, the throne room became lit with flames that did not go out even underwater, ensuring visibility.
“So that’s the source of the response. The miasma wave was just the beginning, I guess.”
Shin’s group had torn apart the veil of miasma and could clearly see what the room looked like. What appeared before them were giant skeletons, made of countless small and large bones. The massive creatures were covered by a pale blue skin-like substance.
The skeletons’ insides were faintly visible, making the eye cavities of the many skulls embedded in them stand out even more: it was as if countless holes had been opened on the creatures’ bodies.
The appearance of the bosses was enough to inspire disgust to whoever laid eyes on them.
In addition, the robe that shrouded the skeletons was a problem as well. At first glance it looked like a dirty blue robe, but looking at it closely, one would realize that the robes were made of transparent human-like figures.
The “robe” had actually been made by stitching together the souls of the dead: even such a wild theory sounded plausible.
The faces of those souls, that Shin could see, were wailing and filled with desperation, or overtaken by other negative emotions.
——- Try%op&ob$a – Le#el 8?9
“【Analyze】 isn’t working right?”
“Based on its looks and the readable part, I’d say it’s Trypophobia. This size and ominous aura though…they turned way too violent, seriously.”
Schnee became alert because of the bizarre way the monster’s name and level were displayed, then Shin replied while putting a hand on her shoulder.
The Trypophobia that Shin knew was a monster about three mels tall with strong magic resistance. Its physical defense was not high, so as long the player could get within striking distance, it wasn’t a fearsome opponent. The only thing to pay attention to was its sweeping attack, performed by its four clawed arms.
The Trypophobias now standing before Shin’s party, however, had six arms and bluish flames resembling will-o’-wisps burning on the ends of each of their claws.
Fighting them while assuming that they were the same as the game era’s Trypophobia would definitely give birth to painful regret.
In their originally hollow eye cavities now burned golden flames.
—-■■■■■■■■■■■■■■――!! (T/N: Black squares, unintelligible roar)
As if synchronized with the rekindled flames, the twisted, inhuman roar rising from the Trypophobias’ mouths echoed through the throne room. It was 【Deadman’s Howl】, a skill used by many advanced Undead-type monsters.
The monsters’ screams were incomprehensible gibberish. They were supposed to inflict negative statuses to whoever heard it, but to Shin’s party it sounded like a desperate request for help.
Help us, end our suffering…the wails of the souls, shackled even beyond death, caressed the ears of Shin’s party and vanished behind them.
The 【Deadman’s Howl】 had the power of three monsters behind it, but even so it failed to affect Shin’s party with any negative status.
Tiera however, because of her spiritual detection abilities, grimaced. Thanks to the equipment Shin had given her, she avoided any negative statuses, but her mental burden grew heavier.
The party was still a fair distance from the Trypophobias.
No matter how they fought, she knew she had to bear with it a little longer, but as to dispel such concerns on Shin’s part, Tiera shook her head lightly, breathed deeply and looked straight ahead.
“Can you make it?”
“Yes, this isn’t enough to take me down. Besides, I want to free those people.”
Tiera spoke while looking at the Trypophobias. In her expression, the fear of facing a powerful monster was nowhere to be found.
“Should we just weaken them and not defeat them yet?”
“No, take them down without holding anything back. It probably doesn’t matter how many times we defeat them, if we don’t do something about the trapped souls first though.”
Tiera said that the monsters would probably revive even if they were defeated.
“Okay, then leave the normal fighting to us. Yuzuha, Kagerou, I leave Tiera with you.”
“Kuu!”
“Gurua!!”
Their cries behind him, Shin and the party wielded their weapons. Only Tiera clasped her hands on her chest, as if praying.
“Looks like they noticed that their skill had no effect.”
Shin looked at the Trypophobias, which had raised their arms high. They had some time to talk because the monsters hadn’t been moving.
The Trypophobias did not seem to have any particular intelligence, but being high-level monsters, they could probably at least realize if the skills they used were effective or not.
Seeing that Shin’s party was not affected, they probably decided to go with physical attacks next.
“I shall take the first attack.”
At the same time as the Trypophobias started moving, Shibaid leapt. Despite the water resistance, he charged in even faster than usual with his shield at the ready.
Because of how its body was structured, Trypophobia could not move by itself. Because of this, it possessed skills to force enemies to come towards itself. Shibaid was moving faster than usual because of the effects of the skill that one of the Trypophobia used to lure him closer, 【Darkness Beckons】.
The Trypophobia raised its flaming arms, ready to strike the approaching Shibaid. The monster swung down when Shibaid was within range, its arms drawing a bluish arc in midair before clashing with Shibaid’s shield. A loud sound of clashing metal resounded, then Shibaid stopped moving.
The boss had swung its three right arms. Shibaid couldn’t stop them with only his shield, so he also erected a defensive barrier, ultimately blocking 15 claws.
As a testimony to the monster’s offensive power, Shibaid’s greaves dug into the floor, cracking the stone tiles.
“I thought it would be fire, but I feel no heat. Is this cold air?”
What Shibaid felt through the barrier was not searing heat, but freezing cold air.
The flames probably looked like fire because of the way the seawater continually froze and shattered. It was likely due to an effect of the monster’s magic or an unique skill it possessed.
“If it really is cold air, then have a taste of this!”
Filma cut down another one of the Trypophobias. Flames blazed from her 『Red Moon』: the instant they touched the monster’s swinging claws, they shattered them from the wrists down, with the sound of breaking glass.
“It’s weak to fire, no doubt about it!”
Filma twisted her body while shouting, then shattered the monster’s other arm.
At the same time, Schnee stepped to the side of the last remaining Trypophobia. After moving behind the monster, she spun around, ready to counterattack. The monster, however, had just received a blow that had cut into half of its body, so its arms could not reach Schnee.
“Shibaid!”
“Understood!”
It was like they were communicating telepathically. Without the need for more precise orders, Shibaid activated the Shield-type Martial skill 【Knock Move】 and shook off Trypophobia’s right arm. This skill allowed the user to erect a barrier with the same defensive power as the shield they had equipped and use it as a decoy as they retreated, often fast enough to leave behind after-images. It was usually used by the party’s shield to gain distance from the enemies or when they needed an emergency exit.
Taking the place of the retreating Shibaid, Schnee released a magic spell.
Ten cemels long rays of light extended to each of the monster’s arms: three seconds later, fire erupted from the arms and exploded.
Fire-type Magic skill 【Materia Bomber】.
This skill, quite unusual among all Flame-type spells, instantly changed the targeted body part to a bomb. Only non-living matter could be turned into an explosive however.
“For a monster over level 800, it’s a bit too frail…”
The monster’s arms were powerful enough to force Shibaid’s greaves to carve the ground, but after finding its weak point it was going down too easily, so Schnee was growing suspicious.
Before the wary Schnee, Shin gripped his 『Moonless』 at his waist, preparing to strike.
The now armless Trypophobia roared again, probably to attempt a last resort attack. That very instant, as if triggered by the roar, tentacles made of bones extended from the bones supporting the monster’s upper body and the foundation-like base part of the monster, mixed with the souls. At the same time, the blue flames burning on the monster’s claws appeared in midair.
“Time for the trump card, is it?”
Attacks never seen in the game era were coming up one after another. Even so, Shin did not falter.
From a videogame perspective, it was completely normal for bosses to perform unexpected attacks. That was far from enough to stop Shin’s attacks though.
The tentacles, as fast and sharp as arrows, were parried by Shibaid, while the flames were swept away by Filma and Schnee.
All three then jumped out of the attack range, at the same timing.
“Shah!!”
In the space they previously occupied Shin unleashed his attack.
Tentacles and flames had appeared again, but could not offer meaningful resistance as they were torn apart. Trypophobia tried to use its arms and claws as a shield at first, to little or no effect: along with the monster’s torso, they were cleaved in two.
The following sharp slash severed the skull, formed by countless bones, in two clean halves.
Katana and Divine Combination Skill 【Scourge Divide】.
A slash that caused additional damage to Undead types and miasma, this skill could not be resisted by Trypophobia.
It was not the end of Shin’s party’s offensive, though: Schnee, Filma, and Shibaid each followed up by attacking with their own weapons.
Schnee’s 『Blue Moon』, Filma’s 『Red Moon』, and Shibaid’s 『Placid Moon』 struck the skeleton’s skull and torso, already cut in horizontal halves, and cut it vertically this time.
Several seconds after Shin’s attack, the Trypophobia — to be precise, the four parts it had been severed into — slowly collapsed.
The golden flames in its eye cavities flickered out and the masses of bones forming it came apart. It was almost like the Trypophobias had turned into sand.
“Tiera, how’s the situation?”
“The binding is coming loose. I’m going to start now, but just in case, please defend me.”
Tiera’s hands, held over her chest in prayer until then, were now released and she spread her arms wide. Her lips then moved and started intoning a melody.
It was a requiem, meant to free the trapped souls and send them to a place where light shines.
It was a song with no words, a melody formed only by sounds higher and lower, stronger and weaker.
Tiera’s chant resounded through the miasma-tainted waters.
“This is…”
Changes started manifesting seconds after Tiera had started singing. A bright, pure light started to fill the throne room. It was brighter and warmer than the automatic fires that had lit up the room until then.
Shin’s party swallowed their breath at the scenery. It was almost like Tiera herself was shining and illuminating the room.
“Kuu”
“Guru…”
The two beasts next to Tiera also cried in unison with her singing.
Yuzuha spread her tails in a fan-like shape, Kagerou’s horn lit up intermittently. Both of them also emitted a pale light from their bodies.
There was someone else, however, who could not simply stay quiet while they watched.
“—this is no time to be noisy.”
Shin turned around and saw the defeated Trypophobia start reforming, much like video footage played backwards. The bones were forming a skull, which the robe of the wailing ones covered. Only one of the three Trypophobias had started reforming.
If it was left alone like this, the monster would have completely reformed after only 10 seconds or so. Shin wouldn’t just watch and not do anything.
“【Ignition Red】!”
Shin pointed at the Trypophobia, and the gradually recovering body suddenly burst into flames.
The Trypophobia had been burned up by a magic skill of the Ignition series, which struck the area the player pointed in with the element of the player’s choosing.
Red meant flame magic, Blue water magic, etcetera. The name changed according to the element.
Underwater, fire — the element Undead types were weak to — was not as effective, but with Shin’s stats, it was possible to keep the same amount of firepower as if the skill was used above ground.
The recovering skull turned into ashes, the arms it was trying to raise scorched and fell.
The flames did not lose momentum and spread to the foundation of bones supporting Trypophobia, then the mass of souls.
The monster’s alleged source of energy was being burnt by Shin’s flames. What remained was just a small mound of ashes.
Every time it was annihilated, Trypophobia’s bones started to form again from nothingness. No matter how high its recovery power was, if it was defeated before reforming, it was all meaningless.
Shin was forced to shoot 【Ignition Red】 over and over again, but his automatic MP recovery ratio exceeded the quantity he used for the spell, so there was no risk of running out.
After several instances of burning bones down, Shin noticed that the monster’s recovery speed was slowing down.
“It’s started acting differently.”
The quantity of rising bones was decreasing and the spiritual veil covering them was getting thinner, as Schnee noticed too.
“Yes, besides, something’s leaking out of its body.”
Upon closer inspection, a small light was leaking out and disappearing like steam from Trypophobia’s body and the foundation part.
Thanks to Tiera’s power, two-thirds of the throne room were now illuminated. Maybe because of the light’s effects, the monster’s recovery had considerably slowed down.
—–■■■■■■■■■■■■■■――!!
Maybe it had understood that it was going to disappear, as Trypophobia opened its maw as much as it could, as if screaming, bending its forming body backwards.
Only the left half of the skull had formed, but the golden light in its eye cavity burned fiercely.
Tiera was purifying the miasma, while Shin was shooting 【Ignition Red】 spells. The other party members were currently free and would not just stand by and watch.
Shibaid stood in front of Tiera and reinforced his guard. Schnee and Filma rushed towards Trypophobia.
Using the Movement-type Martial skill 【Waterbolt】, the two could move underwater with extreme speed, barely feeling the water resistance, and arrived close to the monster in no time.
“It’s too late to get desperate.”
“Give up already!”
Schnee’s left hand softly held the hilt of her 『Blue Moon』, its blade now wrapped in what looked like a platinum snowstorm, while Filma held her 『Red Moon』, burning brightly in golden flames, over her shoulder.
“Take this.”
Schnee and Filma spoke at the same time.
As they did, Trypophobia’s body was cut apart by countless slashes, colored platinum and gold. A small snowstorm that could freeze even miasma and searing flames to burn it to cinders. These two opposites became one within Trypophobia.
Tetra-type composite skill, 【Divine Flame – Royal Frost Blade】.
This unique skill was activated by using Katana/Water and Flame/Sword combination skills at the same time. It was often used as finisher when battling bosses or powerful monsters.
Trypophobia, slashed again in four parts by the attack, fell to the ground, immobile. It was like time had stopped for the monster.
It was difficult to notice because of Trypophobia’s originally white color, but its whole body was now frozen. A few seconds after it touched the ground, golden flames erupted from its body. Divine flames with miasma purification properties enveloped the frozen Trypophobia.
Different from 【Ignitior Red】, which only burned its target, 【Divine Flame – Royal Frost Blade】’s flames did not leave even a speck of ash.
When the fire had vanished, leaving nothing in its wake, Tiera’s chant became louder.
In response, light started appearing from the spots where the Trypophobias were. They were larger than the ones that had leaked from the monsters’ bodies during the fighting.
The globes of light were initially very few, but quickly increased in quantity. They formed a sort of river of light in the air, which started flowing upwards, towards the surface of the water.
“Hah…now…it should be…okay…”
“Those were the freed souls?”
“Yes. There’s no one left here anymore.”
Shin waited for Tiera to recover her breath, looking at the lights floating away.
The lights passed through the ceiling of the Castle of the Depths and were not visible anymore.
“So that is…how souls shine?”
“Yes, exactly. But their true glow is much stronger.”
Tiera said that after being imprisoned for so long, they had probably grown weaker.
The brilliance of the ancestors’ souls, which Tiera had felt during her service as Priestess of the World Tree, was much warmer and brighter than what Shin’s party had just witnessed.
“Okay, we’ve taken care of the bosses and all, but is the entrance to the dungeon still there?”
While they waited for Tiera to recover, Shin inspected the location that the Trypophobias were guarding.
【Analyze】 had displayed the monsters’ names in an unusual way, so he thought that there might be something left.
“Is that a gem?”
The first thing he noticed was a gem the same size as the one of the non-standard monster he had fought in Bayreuth, the Skullface Lord.
The gem’s color, a very deep blue, showed that it belonged to the water element. Even after appraising it, he could only learn that it belonged to the highest Unique grade, and nothing else.
“Did you learn anything?”
“No, it doesn’t seem to be unusual in any way. This gem too, as material it’s something that I’ve seen before.”
Shin couldn’t find any drops besides the gem where the Trypophobias were. Different from the game era, they did not drop any weapons or materials. Just in case, he inspected the floor too, but could not find anything of note.
Shin decided to inspect the throne with Schnee. If it was still as he remembered, the entrance to the dungeon should have been there.
“There should be a switch behind the throne….here it is.”
Shin found a small gap in a part of the throne. He checked if there were any traps, then pushed the gap deeper inside.
With the sound of stones grinding against each other, the throne and a part of the floor began moving to the side, revealing stairs going downwards. The passage was so narrow that Shibaid could barely fit in it.
“We found the path leading underground. Are you ready?”
“Yes, I didn’t use that much energy anyway, I’m okay.”
Tiera’s HP and MP had both completely recovered. Her complexion wasn’t bad either, so Shin concluded that she wasn’t faking it.
“OK then, let’s go.”
The party finally set foot in the Castle of the Depths’ dungeon.
Schnee led the formation, followed by Shibaid, Filma, Tiera, and Shin. Yuzuha and Kagerou walked alongside Tiera.
After 5 minutes of descending the narrow stairs, the group arrived in what resembled a natural cave. The width of the corridor increased enough to make it possible for 3 members to fight side by side.
“Without 【Night Vision】, we wouldn’t be able to see even one mel ahead here.”
Tiera spoke while looking at the corridor. She had removed her goggles to see how much would be normally visible.
The miasma underground was thicker than above. To be safe, the group took another dose of the miracle drug.
“There are less monsters than expected, but is that normal when the miasma infection progresses?”
Filma wondered out loud after the group had repelled several monster attacks.
“Dungeon monsters can’t exactly reproduce, after all. Either new ones aren’t born, or they turned into Chimeras, I guess?”
Shin answered while searching the surroundings for any presence. It was just a theory, as there was the possibility for the monsters to be gathered in the lower floors, but Shin felt that it wasn’t too different from normal dungeons.
“In any case, let’s not lower our guards.”
Shibaid spoke as he raised his shield and halberd to repel monsters that had charged towards the group.
The path had reached a crossroads and the monsters had attempted a pincer attack on the party.
The monsters that Shibaid knocked away were mackerel pike-like monsters with heads morphed into iron lumps, called Magnum Fish. Its level ranged from 600 to 650 and its greatest characteristic was its high speed. Many players had experienced receiving large damage by their charge attacks the first time they fought this monster.
Magnum Fish had low defenses on all body parts other than their heads, so if the first strike was dodged or blocked, they became easy to neutralize. If the charge attack struck, however, rear guard Jobs with low defenses, such as Mages or Hunters, risked being knocked out in one blow.
“I-I didn’t even see them…”
“That’s what they call a trap for first timers.”
Shin had also been hit and sent spinning in mid-water his first time.
“With the skill 【Insight】, you can get a hunch that it’s coming though.”
“I barely have any skills that reinforce the senses…”
Tiera had learned several skills, but they still counted up to less than a dozen. In order to avoid Magnum Fish attacks, she would have to somehow guess their trajectory or take cover in a place with many objects to use as protection. If such methods didn’t work, she could only rely on her intuition.
“Do not fret. As long as we stand, no monster will ever touch you.”
“That’s right, you know you’re in good hands with us around.”
In a narrow corridor like the one the group was exploring, attacks could only come from determined directions. Shibaid and Filma, the front guard, would not let anything pass them in such a situation.
“I will take the lead then.”
Schnee, using her trap detection skills, examined the surroundings as she led the party forward.
They were still in the upper floors, but Castle of the Depths was still a high-level dungeon. Because it was located underwater as well, the group had to proceed with caution.
The biggest difference between dungeons above ground and underwater ones was the type of traps present.
The whole passageway was filled with water, so it was difficult to dodge if the ceiling opened, sucking the players in, or poisonous liquids were scattered all around. Sometimes it was also necessary to use the traps to go forward, so underwater dungeons had generally higher levels of difficulty than their above ground counterparts.
“No problem, it seems. Let’s go.”
Shin talked to Schnee via Mind Chat. On the way, they found a trap that would freeze the water in the passageway for a set time, and Tiera groaned “How are you supposed to dodge that…?”
Any attacking monsters were crushed by Shibaid and Filma, as they had said they would. Usually Shibaid would attract the monsters’ attention, luring them in one location, where Filma would cut them down all together.
『Red Moon』’s flames did not lose any power even underwater, thanks to 【Enchant – Mana Fire】.
What appeared to be roaring flames actually functioned just as a visual scare. They became effective only when they hit the opponent, slashing and scorching them.
Its effectiveness did not disappear after a set time, but after a certain number of uses, a condition perfect for Filma, who could K.O. any monster in a single stroke.
“Looks like it’s a dead end ahead.”
Schnee had returned from her inspection and mapping, shaking her head.
Most high level or high profile dungeons had already been considerably mapped in the game era, but here, Castle of the Depths’ map was -as expected- completely blank.
Because of that, the group was forced to re-do the mapping all over again.
The Castle of the Depths was a wide dungeon, so even 【Magic Sonar】 could only scan half of one floor.
When the path split, Shin and Schnee parted ways to explore both ways but, even then, it took time.
“Looks like it’ll be impossible to clear this in one sitting.”
“Yeah…well, normally it takes a few days to map a dungeon, so doing it as quickly as we did in Hinomoto is actually unusual.”
Shin remembered how tough things were in the game era and reassured Filma, mentioning that things had gone almost too smoothly until now.
In the last dungeons cleared by the party, Depths of Hellfire and Cadaver Realm, they had achieved their goals in one day, but those dungeons usually required several days to clear them.
“Should we set up a proper camp somewhere? In a place like this, I wouldn’t want to just sleep in a tent, honestly.”
“I understand all too well not wanting to rest in a place filled with miasma like this. If we could teleport and leave it’d be very different, but…”
Shin had attempted before, but both mid-level teleport crystals used to escape dungeons and high-level ones used to leave from special areas, such as event fields, did not work at all.
Shin had always tried in dungeons tainted by miasma, but was not sure if miasma was the reason or there was something else.
“Guess it wouldn’t hurt to try. Gather here, everybody.”
Teleport crystals transported all players and monsters in a five mels radius from the user. In order to prevent the player from fleeing via teleport when they were in a pinch, monsters were transported too.
Even if a player was registered in the party but was outside the range when the teleport crystal was used, they would be left behind.
Shin made sure that everyone was within range and activated the teleport. The destination was the entrance to the Castle of the Depths, before the gate where he had placed the Three Sea Beasts’ cards.
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Chapter 3: Part 3
“….It worked.”
“So it seems.”
An instant later after activating the teleport magic sealed within the crystals, Schnee and Shin looked around and commented, a bit dumbfounded.
They both thought that it wouldn’t work. However, contrary to their expectations, the entrance gate of the castle now stood before them. They also checked the map, but there was no mistake.
“What’s going on? Teleporting never worked before, right?”
“Maybe it’s related to the fact that the dungeons are mixed together?”
Filma and Shibaid wondered why teleporting worked in this instance. They had too little information to reach a conclusion though.
“What do we do now? Even if we reenter, I don’t think we can get much farther. It should be getting pretty late too, right?”
“Yeah, I don’t know why we were able to teleport, but just knowing that we can is an accomplishment in itself. We have the map, so we can reach our previous location with the shortest route possible. Let’s call it a day.”
Tiera had also performed the great feat of freeing the imprisoned souls, so it was preferable not to push her too much harder today.
Shin materialized the magic-powered vessel from the item box and the whole party boarded it.
They deactivated the equipment’s underwater mode and decided to eat.
The ship wasn’t originally equipped with a kitchen, so Shin changed part of the structure and added a kitchen. He also created rooms for all members and a bath.
“This dungeon feels somewhat different than the ones we faced until now.”
Schnee wondered aloud while watching the bubbling pots in the newly created kitchen.
Tiera and Filma had gone to the bath with Yuzuha and Kagerou. Shibaid had left the kitchen, saying he was going to take a look at his room.
Without anything else to do, Shin was just looking at Schnee cook. Her words intrigued him.
“Different how?”
“I feel…uneasy. I can’t express it in words…I don’t know what else I could say about it.”
Schnee put a hand on her chest, a somber look on her face.
“It feels similar to…that time.”
“That time? What do you mean?”
Schnee turned around and looked at him with a sad smile.
“Like when…I thought that you might not come back anymore. It feels similar to the time when I thought about that.”
“I…?”
Before Shin could ask anything else, Schnee came closer to him. She took his hand in hers and put it against her cheek.
“…this helps me calm down.”
With silver hair, red eyes, and pale, evanescent skin, Schnee’s appearance suggested a certain coldness, but the hand on her cheek was surely warm.
“Schnee…”
“While I was waiting for you, I thought that you might not come back anymore…so many times. The thought that time will just go on like this, that I…that my feelings too will just die one day. On such days, I sometimes couldn’t sleep until dawn.”
“……..”
Shin didn’t know how to reply. Schnee’s words, in a way, had become reality.
“Yes, I’m sure of it.”
After a brief silence, Schnee talked again.
“Now that we’ve talked like this, I feel certain. That time, I felt like I was missing something…in the Castle of the Depths, I felt something similar.”
“Is that…so.”
A feeling of loss.
A feeling of powerlessness.
Probably something like that.
Why would Schnee feel something like that in the Castle of the Depths though?
“I…did?”
Shin could be somehow connected to what Schnee felt.
“But I have no idea what it could be…?”
“I do not know either. Yet…”
Schnee was probably thinking of something: she started talking, but stopped.
“Yet…what?”
“It’s just a possibility, but…in the Castle of the Depths, there might be something………………….something that leads to you going back.”
Schnee hesitated in the middle of the sentence, and continued while looking down.
“…I see, that’s what you meant.”
Shin could now understand. There was no need to think about what could be the cause behind her feeling of loss.
“Please, don’t worry.”
“!!”
Shin stood up and grabbed Schnee’s hand. Because it was him, she did not put up any resistance.
“Ehm, Shin?”
“Even if we find something related to how I can go back, I’m not going to disappear right away. Besides…I know it might sound unfair to say it now, but I am thinking that it might be nice to stay here too.”
“!? Do you…really mean it!?”
Schnee’s expression was almost blank, but now changed completely. She grabbed Shin’s shoulders and stared at him straight in his eyes.
“Yes, I do. Anyway, people like me usually can’t go back.”
If he had been summoned on the basis of a solid theory and technology, there might be the possibility to go back.
Shin had been transported to the new world in incomprehensible circumstances, however: believing that he could somehow go back was kind of too convenient.
The last thing that Shin saw was a gate opening. It was a situation that was impossible in a game, something he couldn’t understand at all.
“By this, I don’t mean that…h-hey, Schnee!?”
Shin was scratching his cheek, meaning to say that it wasn’t just an excuse, but he couldn’t finish his sentence. Clear tears were streaming down Schnee’s cheeks.
“Sch-Schnee!? Are you okay!?”
Shin, not expecting her to cry, was a bit shaken.
“I’m sorry. Hearing you say that made me even happier than I thought…”
Schnee smiled while wiping her tears. Shin’s chest hurt at such a sight.
It was true that he thought that he could stay. It was not something he decided he would do no matter what, however.
Putting aside the fact if he could actually go back or not, his desire to go back to his former world and his feelings towards Schnee were clashing within his heart, making sparks fly.
“Please do not make such a face. Just knowing that there is a chance is good news for me. It will make such feelings even stronger.”
Schnee probably felt what Shin was thinking about and smiled at him, traces of tears on her face. It was a smile brighter than Shin had ever seen.
“Schnee…you’re tough.”
“Of course. I am the maiden that fell in love with you, after all!”
“O-oh. Of course.”
After being impressed for an instant, Shin was disoriented by Schnee’s very direct declaration.
“W-well, I think the pot has boiled enough. Could you please go call Filma and the others? I’m sure they must have come out of the bath.”
Embarrassed because of her maiden in love statement, Schnee blushed.
Shin nodded to her and headed towards the corridor. It was then that he finally noticed the two pair of eyes looking at them.
“….hey. Since when have you been there?”
The eyes belonged to Filma and Shibaid. Both were peeking inside the dining room from the corridor.
It was normal for Filma, but seeing Shibaid poke just his face in the dining room, while hiding the rest of his body in the corridor, was kind of surreal.
“Enough to catch all the good parts!”
“Indeed. More precisely, if I were to re-enact it…”Please, don’t worry.”.”
Shibaid then embraced Filma. Filma then answered with a dramatic motion.
“Ehm, Shin?”
“Even if we find somet——”
“Stop the playyyyyy!!!!!”
Shin screamed.
They had seen everything since that!
“You two were SO much in your little world that you didn’t even notice us…I’m almost jealous.”
“Just say if you’re there!!”
“In that situation? It would have been quite inconsiderate.”
“Watching is even more inconsiderate!!”
Shin turned towards Schnee, seeking help, but she was staring intently at the pot, pretending not to hear anything.
She had heard everything, though. Her glowing red ears were proof enough.
“Ehm…did something happen?”
The dining room was very chaotic until Tiera arrived, with Yuzuha and Kagerou in tow, and asked what was going on.
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Chapter 4: Part 1
The following day, Shin’s party was once again standing before the gate to the Castle of the Depths.
“I’d sure love to be done with this place today.”
“That’s right. Let’s proceed while keeping time loss to a minimum.”
Probably because of what happened the day before, Schnee looked less concerned and more eager.
All party members agreed with her; Filma and Shibaid looked in better shape than usual too.
“….hey, Shin. Are you really sure that nothing happened yesterday, before I arrived?”
“I explained already, didn’t I? That we might find something related to me.”
“But despite that, aren’t master and Filma acting kind of weird?”
“No, I don’t think so. Really.”
“….very suspicious…”
Under Tiera’s inquisitive stare, Shin was in a cold sweat, trying his best to control his facial expressions.
He had already told Tiera about what Schnee had felt. He couldn’t tell her, however, that he had also hugged Schnee and made her cry. Shin also wanted to forget about the fact that Filma and Shibaid had been watching.
“Well, I’m not going to ask anymore…but don’t hide really important things from me, okay? I told you about my biggest secret after all.”
“I know, and I told you about the most important part. There’s something that Schnee seems to feel, but the others don’t. I don’t either. Can you feel something peculiar other than the miasma, Tiera?”
“With all the miasma, I feel that my other senses are dulled, but…well, now that you mention it, other than feeling worried, I feel like…there’s something pulling me? Something like that, but just vaguely…”
Tiera spoke while looking at the miasma lightly swaying beyond the gate.
Shin trusted Tiera’s sharp senses, so he found her mention of feeling something pulling at her a bit strange.
“Schnee feels like I might disappear, but you feel something pulling at you. Hmm…”
If Shin was the one being pulled, Schnee’s sensation would become more realistic, but Tiera said that she felt like she was the one being pulled.
Shin couldn’t make anything of it yet.
“It’s pointless to simply worry about it here. We’ll know if we go.”
“Indeed, that is the only way.”
Shin was deep in thought, his head cocked to one side, but Filma and Shibaid prodded him. Thinking about it wouldn’t lead to any answers.
“Right, we’ll just go and see what happens.”
Just like the day before, the group used the『Miracle Drug of Holy Skies』and entered the castle.
Using the map, they proceeded quickly up to a certain point: then Shin and Schnee split up to explore and fill the remaining blank portions of the map, all the while maintaining communication via Mind Chat.
During the exploration of the dungeon, Schnee was the first one to notice something unusual.
“There aren’t any Chimeras.”
“Right…we’re already pretty far into the dungeon, this doesn’t feel right.”
“I can’t find any miasma-infected monsters either. With this much miasma filling the dungeon, it’s strange that the monsters are unaffected.”
The group was already past the midpoint of the dungeon, but had not yet encountered any monsters possessed or infected by miasma: Shin couldn’t rule it out as just their imagination anymore.
Except for the miasma hanging heavily throughout, the dungeon seemed absolutely normal.
“I guess this is different than all the dungeons we’ve explored before. Could that also be the reason why Schnee and Tiera feel something out of the ordinary?”
“It could be. Trypophobia’s bizarre display too could have been the product of something other than miasma.”
Even if affected by miasma, the 【Analyse】display had never looked bugged before.
Shin thought that the transformation from a game into reality might be a reason for the strange behavior.
Judging from the condition of the dungeon’s monsters however, there was a considerable chance that something other than miasma lay in wait.
“Did something like this happen before?”
“No, I cannot recall anything of the sort.”
Shibaid shook his head in response to Filma’s question.
Schnee, Tiera, and of course, Shin shook their heads as well.
“I thought something had happened while I was sleeping, but it looks like that’s not the case. Anyway, we can just go on and see, huh. It’s starting to feel like going to face a boss we’ve never fought before.”
“Yeah, now that you mention it, that’s it.”
Filma shrugged and Shin agreed with her assessment. The current situation wasn’t completely the same, but prior to facing a boss for the first time he would also think about how it would act or what type of enemy it would be. The only way to know was to fight.
Filma’s conclusion was not far from the truth.
“Let’s go, we have to find the route to the boss chamber today.”
The party advanced deeper in the dungeon. Now well past the middle point, they descended to what they supposed was the lower area of the dungeon — if Shin’s memory was correct. They could not detect any changes in the monsters they encountered though.
Just like the upper and middle areas, miasma leaked from the walls and floor.
Shin and Schnee led, followed by the rest of the party. Progress was time consuming, but they were not hindered by obstacles like the Trypophobia.
After descending the stairs to yet another floor, Shin’s group faced a large, 5 mels tall, 4 mels wide door, intricately adorned with gorgeous, pompous decorations.
“This is…ice?”
The door, probably leading to Ishkar’s throne room, was covered by transparent crystal. Shin touched it warily and felt a cool sensation.
“Should we try to melt it?”
“No, it already took plenty of time to arrive here. Let’s go inside tomorrow.”
Considering who they were going to face, Shin prioritized keeping everyone’s condition in top form.
The group teleported to the dungeon’s entrance with a crystal and rested in the magic-powered vessel. The next day, after making sure that no one was feeling unwell, they quickly navigated to the majestic door they had stopped at the day before.
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Chapter 4: Part 2
“Let’s melt the ice first. Shibaid, put up a barrier, just in case.”
“Understood.”
Shin stood in front of the frozen gate and activated a basic Flame-type Magic skill 【Fireball】. Instead of releasing it as an attack, he held it in front of the door to melt the ice.
Shattering the ice by force was also an option, but accidentally hitting the door might cause something unexpected to happen, so Shin decided to proceed with caution.
Keeping a ball of fire alive deep underwater was in itself a strange thing, nevertheless that was but a type of miracle granted by the mysterious power of magic.
Little by little, the heat emitted by the fireball melted the ice, which covered the door as if to seal it.
“I expected as much…this isn’t normal ice.”
Shin’s 【Fireball】 was easily over 1000 degrees, so ordinary ice would have completely disappeared in a flash.
The ice covering the door, however, melted extremely slowly even with the ball of fire touching it. At this rate, it would take hours to completely vanish.
“It might have something to do with the miasma…let’s try 【Purification】.”
Shin stopped 【Fireball】 and activated 【Purification】, but there was no visible change to the situation.
“The surroundings are filled with miasma, but only this door isn’t? I guess I just have to increase the firepower then.”
Shin activated one of the most powerful Flame skills he possessed, the Flame-type Magic skill 【Flare Wall】. This high-level flame skill created a wall of fire in one spot. It couldn’t be moved, but emanated enough heat that the target would suffer damage even wearing fire-resistant equipment.
Shin created 【Flare Wall】 right in front of the door, so its heat was in direct contact with the ice. Maybe because of the higher temperature, the ice started melting much faster than when it was subjected to 【Fireball】’s heat. Even so, it would still take considerable time.
“Let me do it too.”
Schnee created a 【Flare Wall】 herself. While not at Shin’s level, Schnee too had reached high proficiency in martial and magic skills.
Wall-type skills became more powerful if cast in multiples, so Schnee added hers to Shin’s.
“The melting speed isn’t changing.”
“We definitely have more firepower now, though”
Despite the clear increase in firepower, the ice wasn’t melting any faster than when only Shin was casting the skill.
“Try using some other skill.”
Following Shin’s proposal, Schnee tried casting other Flame-type skills. None of them seemed to be effective, however.
“What could this mean?”
“Since I’m apparently connected somehow to this place, only my magic works? Tiera, could you try too, just to be sure?”
Tiera said that she felt pulled by something, so Shin thought that her magic could have some effect.
All of Tiera’s Flame-type magic spells were Arts. Their power was far lower than Skills, so it was hardly likely for them to have a significant effect on the ice that not even Shin’s magic power could melt quickly. Shin asked her to try, nonetheless, to be sure.
“Here goes nothing!”
Tiera held a hand towards the ice cover and casted 【Fire Wall】, right next to the door, just like Shin had done. Being the same Flame-type magic skill, firepower should increase, if only slightly.
Tiera’s 【Fire Wall】, however, instead of merging with Shin’s 【Flare Wall】, was repelled by it and vanished.
“It should be possible to use Skills and Arts together, though…”
Schnee had successfully attempted it before, so she was puzzled by this development.
“Should I try putting out my 【Flare Wall】?”
“I don’t think we should. Even if my Art was effective then, there’s too much of a difference in firepower between us. I think that our abilities are just too different.”
Tiera’s supposition was very plausible. It would take too much time to test every little possibility, so they decided to simply wait for Shin’s skill to do its work.
“It’s taking more time than expected, huh.”
“Anyone or anything inside has already noticed us, that’s for sure. I only hope that Ishkar is still holding on.”
Filma and Shibaid exchanged words while watching Shin melt the frozen door.
There was the chance, as it had happened with Trypophobia, for miasma to suddenly burst from beyond the door, so they kept alert.
“Doesn’t look like we can be too hopeful.”
“Indeed.”
“Do you feel anything, Tiera?”
“I feel all my senses overwhelmed by the presence of miasma. But…it feels strange, somehow.”
Tiera replied that she couldn’t tell what was inside the room, because of the miasma’s thickness.
Maybe because she already had several encounters with miasma, however, she felt that the miasma tainting this dungeon was different than her other experiences.
“In what way is it different?”
“It’s hard to put into words…the miasma I sensed until now felt like it was a fusion of many kinds of malice and ill will. Not a firm conscience like a person might have, but something ambiguous and indefinite, like it was hollow inside.”
That was the reason why miasma had different effects on different people, she added.
“Hmm…thus do monsters become more feral under its influence because they are affected by its more aggressive side?”
“Probably. I don’t know how it is with Chimeras and Demons, though.”
Tiera concurred with Shibaid’s theory, though she wasn’t absolutely sure.
“Hearing you that say that makes me think that what they say is actually true…as long as there is a man, there will be miasma.”
There were creatures with high intellect even among monsters, but their numbers could not be compared with humans’. It was natural to think that man was the source of malice.
“Negative emotions are born easily, it’s true. They can be also reduced, however. Man does not possess only negative emotions.”
Shibaid voiced a somewhat grand-sounding rebuttal to Filma’s words.
Among the party members present, Shibaid was the one who had participated in the greatest number of battles to the death, so he was well acquainted with the malice and hostility that men could harbor. Maybe because of this, he wanted to believe in the goodwill that man could also possess.
“If monsters are born from ill will, it would be nice if something like a protector was born from goodwill…”
Filma complained that if there were creatures opposite to Demons, things could be very different. Next to her, Shibaid replied, completely serious:
“I agree with you, but I suppose it means that we have to do something about that ourselves.”
“I guess we got a bit off topic…anyway, Tiera, you said the miasma here feels different, but what makes you think that?”
“It’s only something I feel, so I can’t say for sure, but the miasma corrupting this dungeon feels like it has a strong will. I don’t know what exactly that is, though.”
“Could it be that a Demon is about to be born? A will born from malice could be an even stronger mass of ill will.”
Shibaid tried to guess what the cause could be, his guard always up. Filma nodded as well.
“I agree, this can’t be good…what do you think, Tiera?”
“I don’t know…it’s only something I feel, after all. But it seems different from malice. At least, I don’t think it’s a Demon.”
Tiera added that she had sensed something different in the presence of Demons.
Shin thought about Tiera’s words, while continuing to cast 【Flare Wall】.
“Something other than a Demon…”
“Could Ishkar have turned into an Invader because of the miasma?”
“The possibility is there. Ishkar was never the type of monster to go on a rampage. Like Yuzuha and the merpeople said, it was like the guardian of these parts too. It probably has a bad affinity with miasma…if it’s resisting it, the emotions it projects would not be only born from malice, I suppose.”
Shin’s prediction was born also from his wish for Ishkar to be still resisting.
“Well then, we’ve made all sorts of theories, but now it’s time to find out the truth.”
Shin’s 【Flare Wall】 had melted away most of the ice. There were no locks or traps. All that was left was to push the door open.
“Shibaid and I will open the door first. The rest depends on the situation inside.”
Shin had already formulated a basic strategy, estimating the situation inside. Everyone nodded to his words.
“Here we go!”
Shin pushed the door open.
Differently from the royal chambers where the group fought Trypophobia, there was no sudden blast of miasma this time.
“First off, 【Purification】.”
The interior of the room was abnormally dark: even with 【Night Vision】, it was barely possible to see anything.
Behind Shibaid, who cautiously held his shield high, Shin and Schnee activated 【Purification】. The lights born from their palms vanished in the darkness.
“Eh…what…?”
An exclamation of surprise and confusion escaped Tiera’s lips.
The reason was clear enough. In the space where the miasma cleared, something she had not expected appeared.
“That must be Ishkar.”
“Yes. Judging from its appearance, it has not turned into an Invader.”
Shin and Schnee understood right away that the giant creature they saw beyond the door was Ishkar.
Ishkar’s torso was as much as 5-mels thick in the part nearest to its head. Because of this, looking at it from Tiera’s position — a few steps away from the door — it looked like there was a wall just beyond the door.
“So that’s…Ishkar…”
Shin and Schnee reacted calmly. Behind them though, Tiera audibly swallowed.
Ishkar, one of the monsters who had reached the apex, level 1000.
With an appearance similar to an eastern dragon, it moved through the water by twisting its long and narrow body.
Two pairs of blue eyes gleamed on its head, while crystal-like horns sprouted from its sides. The claws on its limbs could easily tear through steel. Its rock hard scales, colored blue, would be difficult to damage with average weapons.
Its enormous body, however, was its most dangerous characteristic. There were countless reports of it swallowing several players in one fell swoop.
Also because of the treacherous underwater field, it was the first monster that usually came to mind first when thinking about bosses difficult to defeat.
“Let’s go closer to its face. Keep your guard up.”
The part of the monster’s torso before Shin and the party seemed to be the upper one, the part closest to its head.
Beyond the previously frozen door was not a throne room, but a bizarrely vast expanse. Its depth seemed to extend even farther than 100 or 200 mels.
If such a large room, without a single pillar, was built above ground, it would surely crumble. Considering that it had to allow Ishkar to move, however, made it seem small somehow.
Making sure to be ready to cast defense skills whenever needed, Shin and his party kept rising up. Ishkar’s face was more or less 100 mels from the ceiling.
Shin could only see the side of the monster’s face, but it looked just like he remembered.
“….!!”
As the party was slowly nearing the monster’s head, Ishkar’s eyes suddenly moved. It was difficult to tell due to their lack of irises, but the deep blue orbs were definitely focused on Shin’s party.
Shin noticed that Tiera, behind him, stiffened up.
(Okay, what are you going to do now…?)
Shin whispered to himself, without speaking a word aloud.
Ishkar’s level being as high as 1000, he could tell that not only Tiera, but also Schnee and the others were tense.
They were prepared. If Shin fought with his limiters removed, it would be difficult for them to lose.
But even then, the possibility of one of the members dying was not zero. That’s how much of an opponent Ishkar could be.
『…..HIgH hUmAn.』
“!!!”
As the group carefully observed Ishkar’s movements, a voice like the sound of a gong reverberated through the room.
Yes, a voice. The echo made it difficult to understand it, but the sound that reached the ears of Shin and his party clearly showed signs of intelligence.
“You’re conscious?”
“To tHinK…tHaT oNe wOuLd aPpEaR bEFoRe mE. WHaT I feLT wHeN sEAlinG tHE MiASma…wAs YOuR poWEr.”
Ishkar did not answer Shin’s question. It continued its monologue, as if it couldn’t hear Shin’s words.
“ReMovE tHE dOLls. I sHaLl dO No HaRm to THoSe bORn In THis wOrLD. OnLy pLAyeRS cAN Be mY eNEmY.”
“What are you saying? Hey! Can’t you hear me?”
“ThE pOWeR tHAt DeVouRS eVEn mIaSMa…NoT eVEn I cAN bESt iT. ——-hIGh HuMan. If YoU oPPoSe A rETuRn aGAinSt YouR WiLl…sLAy Me.”
Ishkar did not answer Shin, until the end.
Shin found the mention of an existence other than miasma especially puzzling. The words lastly spoken by Ishkar, however, made him forget everything about that.
“Hey!! What do you mean by—”
As if in answer to Shin’s half-spoken question, the door slammed shut. At the same time, Ishkar’s body started emanating energy — enough to make the very atmosphere tremble.
“Nngh, as expected of a monster standing above all others…what pressure…!”
Shibaid, who was standing in front of the group as the shield, frowned. The energy, released in all directions, was Ishkar’s 【Wave of the Monster Lord】, the skill it unleashed at the start of each battle.
Shibaid managed to block it with an attack-mitigating barrier, but if he hadn’t used the barrier, it was likely that all members except Shin would have been unable to move for a while.
Monsters above level 950 could use attacks that blew through the defenses of status immunity accessories. In that case, whether the wearer is affected by negative statuses depends on their stats, the accessory’s rank and the rank of the skill cast.
“Even with Shibaid’s barrier, that gave me goosebumps.”
Filma’s grip tightened on her 『Red Moon』 as she looked at Ishkar.
“Are you frightened?”
“Not a chance! My blood’s burning!”
Schnee and Filma encouraged each other.
Ishkar was slowly turning towards Shin’s group, showing clear hostility. Its pressure was powerful enough than even Schnee and others would be slowed down if they didn’t focus.
“Kuu!”
“Guruu!!”
Next to Tiera, Yuzuha and Kagerou were also in a battle-ready stance. The opponent was above them in rank, but even so they had not lost the will to fight.
Tiera, standing between them, looked straight at Ishkar, her expression stiff.
“Schnee, everyone, focus on support. The rest is as we planned!”
Shin gave his directions and leapt in the middle of 【Wave of the Monster Lord】.
【Wave of the Monster Lord】 lasted 20 seconds. In the game, Ishkar would not attack during that time. It was not something they could absolutely count on, however.
With every 【Limiter】 removed, Shin exceeded in stats any other creature in that world; it was not currently possible for him to be affected by negative statuses.
He was still wary of the possibility that the enemy could attack during those 20 seconds.
“—-■■■■”
Something close to, but slightly different than a roar came out of Ishkar’s mouth. It was a type of chant, which could not be heard as intelligible words to the group’s ears.
Before the eyes of Shin and his party, the seawater filling the room started to change. It was compressed in an instant, then shot at a speed invisible to human eyes.
In one second, countless blades of water were formed and shot at the party, each one sharp enough to slice Legend-grade equipment in one slash.
“【Ice Maelstrom】! ”
“【Vortex Slash】! ”
Schnee and Filma countered the water blades targeting the party with their own skills.
A whirlpool of ice shards extended from Schnee’s palm. Then electricity drawn by 『Red Moon』’s slash ran through the water, as if chasing after the whirlpool. Filma’s thunderbolts combined with Schnee’s ice whirlpool, amplifying its power and area of effect.
Ishkar’s water blades clashed head on against the giant whirlpool formed by the combination of Filma and Schnee’s skills.
The water blades ground and cracked, as did the ice crackling with electricity. After several seconds of clashing, Filma and Schnee’s combination attack emerged victorious.
Schnee and Filma had not destroyed all water blades, but only those directed at them. The result was thus not mutual destruction, but more like a breakthrough.
“Good thing we prepared in advance.”
“Yes, now we can be more versatile strategically.”
The skill used by Schnee and Filma did not have a particular name as a combination skill.
Even so, combining two skills boosted their power and effectiveness.
In the game, even if two skills not meant to be combined were used together, there was no change in their effects.
In this world, however, it was impossible for skills not to influence each other.
Despite being created by the mysterious force called magic, skills manifested as physical phenomena. Some thought that they had to affect each other someway, and the effects of such combinations had been researched and proven.
There were few opportunities of testing it in combat, but Shin’s group had tried all sorts of combinations whenever they had the chance.
The whirlpool of ice and electricity broke through the barrage of water blades and collided with Ishkar’s torso. The ice shards shattered the monster’s scales, the electricity enveloping them seared its flesh.
The whirlpool had lost power after breaking through the water blades, but still managed to inflict damage.
The problem was that, because of Ishkar’s massive body, the wound was simply a small singed area. It would have been different if the attack was powerful enough to pierce the sea dragon’s body, but a superficial burn could not slow down its movements.
“As expected, an attack like that can only scratch its skin.”
“Well, let’s leave that to Shin.”
Their goal was to deflect Ishkar’s attack in the first place. To hope to do more against Ishkar would have been arrogant, even for Schnee and the others.
“Wooooohhh!!!”
Shin mustered his fighting spirit and swung 『Moonless』. For him, Ishkar’s large body was a huge target impossible to miss.
『Moonless』’ blade drew an arc, which extended in a 6-mels long crimson blade. It was the first step of a skill that unleashed slashes with seven blades, one for each element.
Octa-elemental composite skill, 【Seven Radiant Blades】.
The deep red blade that tore through 【Wave of the Monster Lord】 as it advanced was the incandescent Flame-elemental slash. Now that Shin had removed the upper limiter on his stats, his slashes could cut through Ishkar’s scales and flesh in one stroke, leaving a deep wound on the monster’s torso.
“One more!”
Shin readied his weapon again, to perform the next slash.The blade was now formed by a large mass of sand. The katana, now a light brown color, was swung as if tracing the burning wound on the monster’s body.
Ishkar, however, would not allow itself to be attacked without dodging or defending.
The seawater rumbled and covered the surface of Ishkar’s twisting and winding body.
A blade of sand and an armor of seawater. The clash of the two ended with the blade emerging victorious.
An attack made of sand might not sound too dangerous normally, but the sand forming Shin’s blade was anything but normal. It could vibrate and move at high speed. Thanks to the power of magic, its movements defied the laws of physics, boosting its cutting power higher than a mere saw blade, but also any Ancient-grade weapon.
The sand blade thus sliced through the seawater armor as if through butter, carving many more wounds on Ishkar’s body. With each slash, the sand also attached to the monster’s body, enlarging the wounds.
This attack’s gradually increasing damage made it even nastier than being burned by fire.
Ishkar had twisted its body to avoid the slashes, so it had only suffered flesh wounds until now. Shin’s offensive, however, was far from over.
“You won’t let me have my way, huh?”
As if the battle until now was nothing but a warm-up, Ishkar moved away from Shin at extremely high speed. The monster’s huge body did not mean that its movements were sluggish. If it moved at high speed in water, the generated currents would affect even the movements of Shin’s party.
“If I use my full abilities, I get this weird feeling of omnipotence…”
Shin focused strength on his legs and kicked the water. His body then accelerated forward, as if he had kicked a solid object.
The water currents generated by Ishkar would make it difficult to swim straight even for a Chosen One, but Shin advanced as if slicing through them with his body.
The third slash, a blade of ice covered by white mist, was ready to be swung at Shin’s side.
Ishkar blasted a burning hot beam towards the approaching Shin. It was a massive heat barrage, large enough to completely engulf Shin’s body.
Shin countered it head on, swinging the Skill-boosted 『Moonless』 right on the middle.
His explosive advance was halted, but his body remained unscathed.
The monster’s burning beam was cleanly cut in two halves by the white mist on Shin’s katana, changing directions to his left and right sides.
“Haha, that was easy!”
Shin cheered, his hands powerfully gripping the blade’s hilt.
『Moonless』 once again drew an arc, freezing the surrounding seawater. The following instant, a freezing storm started blowing towards Ishkar, like a waterfall ready to devour the monster’s burning beam.
Ishkar saw the incoming attack and stopped releasing the heat beam, twisting its body away from Shin’s attack. The monster emitted lightning attacks from its horns in retaliation, but Shin swept them away with his now lightning-clad 『Moonless』.
“—■■■■”
A low growl escaped Ishkar’s mouth. Shin had learned the dragon’s attack patterns, but it could have new strategies in this world. Shin realized this and decided to observe what the monster would do next.
The wary Shin was then attacked from all directions.
The seawater around him started moving, all at the same time. It changed into 1-mel spheres, occupying a 50 mels radius all around Shin.
It was one of Ishkar’s skills, 【Aqua Cage】.
The 【Aqua Cage】 water spheres, completely filling Shin’s field of view, were then struck by Ishkar’s lightning attack.
It was not the same yellow lightning that Shin had swept away before, but light blue bolts that came in contact with the spheres and changed directions, just like rays of light deflected by water.
The sphere-shaped seawater served not only to trap Shin, but also to conduct the lightning bolts.
The bolts, passing through several spheres, arrived very close to Shin’s position.
“Now this is something I’ve never seen before.”
The lightning split in two in front of Shin’s eyes and passed by him. Several seconds later, some of the spheres were cleaved in two as well, turning back to seawater.
The bolts had been sliced by the invisible blade extending from 『Moonless』, a blade of wind. Someone with good eyesight could probably see that, near 『Moonless』’ tip, part of the scenery appeared distorted.
【Aqua Cage】 was a skill that affected the target’s surroundings, but causing no damage itself. It was thus obviously possible to move.
After 『Moonless』 was swung, the wind blade disappeared and was replaced by a pitch black one. Shin confirmed the change with a glance and held the sword high.
“Shaah!!”
The darkness-colored katana swung down. The sixth blade’s effect was to negate all magic, causing all the water spheres in the blade’s path to vanish.
【Aqua Cage】, an attack meant to gradually shave the target’s life down to nothing, was powerless before the black blade’s negation of magic. This result affected the surroundings as well. The 【Aqua Cage】 in front of Shin too had completely disappeared.
Lastly, 『Moonless』 morphed into the skill’s final slash, a blade of light. Shin held it firmly and quickly moved through the now open space.
Ishkar too had probably noticed the opening carved into 【Aqua Cage】.
Even with Shin’s high magic resistance, however, he could not simply break through the 【Aqua Cage】 released by a level 1000 monster. He went on forward, however, despite the danger.
Shin couldn’t see past 【Aqua Cage】’s spheres, so he used the map and presence detection to proceed while avoiding them.
As soon as he finally managed to exit 【Aqua Cage】’s area of effect, Ishkar’s claws were brought down towards him.
Shin drew 『Moonless』 closer and used it to protect the left side of his body.
Ishkar’s attack sent Shin flying. Witnessing this, Schnee and the rest of the party each inhaled sharply. In the game, a direct attack like that would surely drop the target’s HP gauge to the red zone.
“Just as expected…guess I really have to thank these cheat-like Gifts I got!!”
Because of Shin’s boosted stats and the bonuses provided by his equipment, however, his HP decreased by less than 10%. One reason was the small damage received, but his total HP was also more than double the original amount. As long as he properly defended, it would be no problem even if he received several attacks.
Before Shin shouted, the light blade from his katana pierced Ishkar’s eyes.
The greatest characteristic of the blade of light was its length, extending over 100 mels. It could not affect its surroundings like the blade of darkness, so it could be said that the blade just literally grew longer.
Most players took advantage of this to perform a wide-range sweep, but its greatest power was drawn out when thrusting.
The tip of the blade was aimed straight forward. An attack a few cemels wide, very few mels high, that covered an extreme distance in an instant. Even for Shin and the party, avoiding it would be a very difficult feat.
Naturally, Ishkar could not, since its eyes were one of the monster’s very few weak points. The blade of light stabbed them, extending as far as it could, finally piercing through Ishkar’s skull.
“■■■■■■■■■■■■■■――!?!”
Even Ishkar could not help bellowing in pain after being gouged by the blade. The result was just a scream of pain because, thanks to its massive body, the blade was too small to cause instant death.
Not unleashing an attack in all directions immediately, however, was a fatal mistake for Ishkar.
In the small timeframe of its pained scream, it lost sight of Shin.
The piercing blade of light disappeared. When Ishkar’s eyes caught Shin again, he was now wielding 『Moonless』 with his left hand, while his right was clenched in a fist.
Ishkar noticed that Shin’s silhouette was enveloped in a faint purple light, different from the aura of physical boosts.
“Let’s see if you can survive even with your head blown off?”
Shin hadn’t noticed his physical change. His fist crashed into Ishkar’s lightless eyes.
Barehanded-type Martial skill,【Shiden – Zekka】.
One of the most powerful barehanded skills erupted from Shin’s right fist.
Ishkar’s eye, already pierced by the blade of light, ruptured and burst. An instant later, the monster’s cranium swelled.
The sheer power unleashed in Ishkar’s head ravaged its insides and took the dragon’s life. Ishkar’s HP gauge hit zero instantly.
The power let loose by Shin’s fist, however, was not content with simply destroying the dragon’s head.
A few seconds after Ishkar’s head started swelling, the monster’s skull could not withstand the damage anymore and exploded. The released power traveled through the seawater and reached as far as Schnee and the rest of the party.
Having lost everything above its neck, Ishkar’s massive body gradually lost its strength. From the wound supposed to be spraying blood, a blue vapor-like substance emanated instead.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 11 - Depths of the Azure Seas/The-New-Gate-Volume-11-Depths-of-the-Azure-Seas-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_11_Chapter_04_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 3
“Hey, Schnee…isn’t Shin acting kind of weird?”
“………………”
Shin swung the ice blade towards Ishkar. Unable to keep it in anymore, Filma asked for Schnee’s opinion.
Schnee did not answer. Her grip on 『Blue Moon』’s hilt tightened.
There was no need for questions, she already knew the answer.
Ishkar had started fighting with Shin, and Shin only: it was like it did not even acknowledge the existence of Schnee and the rest of the party.
While Shin had tried not to get them involved, it was more than clear that the dragon actively not attacking them.
Finding the battle a good opportunity, Shin fought with his limiters off, but his current style of fighting was kind of different from the one that Schnee was familiar with.
Regardless of how high Shin’s stats were, his party members were unable to determine precisely how strong he was. No one knew how powerful of an enemy he could fight by himself, what kind of enemy could match him, or what kind of enemy could be superior to him.
More than his offense, Schnee was worried about his defense. The only way to actually know was to be attacked, so even if they could make predictions, there was no way of knowing how much he could withstand.
Shin’s current way of fighting, however, did not suggest that he was sparing much thought to his defense.
“This is bizarre…for Shin to laugh while fighting such a battle.”
Following Filma’s question, Shibaid expressed his doubts too. His shield high, he still kept his guard up, but his gaze followed Shin, not Ishkar.
“Kuu, something, strange.”
Yuzuha watched Shin with furrowed brows. Kagerou likewise cried in agreement.
“This is strange. I can’t feel any miasma coming from Ishkar!”
Tiera, who had been focusing on trying to purify the miasma, as she had done against Trypophobia, suddenly raised her voice, slightly panicked.
Schnee’s expression turned sour.
She was also capable of detecting miasma, to a degree. Based on the density of the miasma corrupting the dungeon, it was impossible that its boss, Ishkar, was unaffected.
Watching the battle Schnee and the rest of the party thought that Ishkar had weakened or could not move anymore, due to having sealed the miasma. If not, it would have lost to the miasma and turned into an Invader.
Despite their predictions, however, Ishkar appeared before them looking just as they remembered, with all of his abilities intact. It was fighting against Shin as if miasma didn’t affect it in the slightest.
“Shin…”
Looking at Shin’s clearly offensive-oriented fighting style, Schnee felt compelled to run to him. She wanted to go to his side, to talk to him.
She could not do it though.
Shin was fighting against a monster above all monsters, a beast of level 1000.
While her stats had been boosted by the Ley Lines when they freed Filma, and she equipped Ancient-grade weapons and armor, this fight was too dangerous for her to dive into.
“….Filma, Shibaid. Let’s go to Shin’s side. Tiera, you go with Yuzuha and Kagerou close to the walls, make sure you stay out of attack range.”
“No, I’m going too.”
“It’s dangerous, you know?”
“I know. But I can feel a power that’s not caused by the miasma coming from Shin and Ishkar.”
“A cold, mighty power from Ishkar and a raging power from Shin. The latter is especially something the likes of I’ve never felt before,” said Tiera.
“A raging power…might that be the reason why Shin’s acting so strange?”
“Let’s think about that later. More importantly, even if we go, what exactly are we going to do? It’ll be tough even for us to keep up with Shin as he is now, you know that right?”
Without his limiter, Shin moved much faster than anyone else in the party and his attacks were also much more powerful than theirs.
He could face Ishkar head on, after all. His power was on a whole other level.
If Schnee and the party were to participate in the battle between Ishkar and Shin, it could only be as decoys.
“I believe that if the targets become two, it will have to look at us too. With Shin as he is, we will just act as support.”
“That’s fine as for joining the battle, but are we going to leave Shin like that?”
“I’ll go by myself. I have the highest speed among us, and even if I’m attacked I can dodge with a Kunoichi skill.”
The power-up received when they freed Filma, the usual boost attachments.
Combined with the physical boosts due to spirit summoning, available only to Elves and Pixies, Schnee’s AGI was maxed out. Being a Kunoichi skilled in dodging, she would probably be the quickest in reaching Shin’s position.
“You’re really something, you know…”
“Based on our abilities, Schnee is the most suitable one. Shin’s belligerent attitude is a concern, but even if something happens I doubt that she could be felled in one instant.”
Everyone nodded at Shibaid’s words and started moving. Shibaid led with Filma following a few steps behind. Tiera, Yuzuha, and Kagerou acted as the rear guard.
Separated from Shibaid’s group, which proceeded with every member at the same pace, Schnee approached Shin at high speed, using a different route.
She was looking at Shin, now surrounded by water spheres, Ishkar’s 【Aqua Cage】.
She knew that they weren’t just spheres made of water.
Shin would probably be okay, but in Schnee’s heart, the worry that was supposed to be dispelled appeared once again.
“That’s…”
One second before Schnee could activate a skill to get rid of 【Aqua Cage】’s spheres, Shin had slipped past the spheres’ area of effect. A blade of light extended from 『Moonless』 and pierced one of the dragon’s eyes.
Shin then moved closer to Ishkar and readied his right hand into a fist. His body was wrapped in a faint aura, different from anything hat Schnee had seen before. Cold chills ran down her spine.
No one needed to explain it to her. Schnee instinctively felt that Shin, while possessed by that aura, could not be allowed to fight any longer.
“Shin!!”
Schnee’s voice, however, did not reach him.
Shin’s fist landed heavily on Ishkar’s skull, which burst into pieces in front of Schnee’s eyes.
“Kh…”
A wave of power spread through the seawater, exhibiting the strength of the attack.
The party felt the surge of power course all over their bodies. Schnee and the other members were stopped in their tracks by it.
“I have to go…quickly…”
Schnee focused her strength on her frozen legs and kicked the water hard. Before she could get closer to Shin, however, something changed in Ishkar.
His skull exploded. Ishkar was now headless, completely still. Blue vapor flowed out from his severed neck.
At the same time, countless icicles shot out of the dragon’s torso and neck, like a flurry of lances, covering the monster’s body.
That ice then gradually changed shape.
The ice spears all fused together into one and re-created Ishkar’s head.
It was not completely made by ice, however: the eyes and horns were a deep blend of blue and purple. After forming the dragon’s head, blue ice also covered its claws and scales.
Shin attacked again before the monster regenerated completely, but Ishkar avoided his attacks with an agility unthinkable for such a large body.
“What the…..!?!”
Schnee was confused by Ishkar’s new, unknown form and was too late to notice what had appeared before her. She slowed down instantly, but could not avoid crashing into something solid.
She received no damage, but even looking at what she crashed against, she could not see anything. She stretched out her hands cautiously and felt the presence of something smooth, like a glass wall.
“This is…a wall?”
Schnee pushed against it, but the wall did not budge. She pressed with more strength, but the wall showed no sign of breaking. Shibaid and the others caught up with her, but they did not seem to be able to pass either.
Shin seemed to have the advantage in the battle, but as time passed the aura around Shin gradually grew larger. At the same time, his fighting style changed too.
“—-out of my sight!!”
Schnee swung 『Blue Moon』, forcefully, not holding back at all.
Filma and Shibaid noticed Shin’s state and struck the invisible wall with skills.
“Damn you, why…!?”
『Blue Moon』’s blade was repelled, and magic seemed to not have any effect either. The feeling spreading from the katana’s blade expressed that the wall hadn’t been damaged at all.
“…..Shiden.”
Schnee moved away from Filma and the others, to make sure not to hit them by accident, and unleashed one of her trump cards.
A long, thin blade of ice extended from 『Blue Moon』. Unlike Shin’s 【Seven Radiant Blades】, the crystal clear blade looked like a longer 『Blue Moon』.
Katana and Water Combination skill, 【Shiden – Flowing Spark Blossom】.
This skill ignored armor and all defenses and was also highly effective against barriers such as the one stopping the party’s advance. Schnee unleashed it against the glass-like wall without reserve.
“This can’t be…”
But even this slash, carrying every ounce of her power, could not destroy the barrier before them.
“Schnee…”
“The result was the same, then.”
Filma and Shibaid approached Schnee after trying their own Shiden skills, to no avail.
Behind them, Yuzuha and Kagerou struck the barrier with flame and lightning attacks.
“What in the world is up with this barrier? It’s way too tough!”
“I have no idea…I can’t remember ever seeing something this sturdy.”
In the game, Ishkar did not possess the ability to create such barriers.
A barrier that did not even crack after being struck by Schnee’s, Shibaid’s, and Filma’s Shiden skills could not be erected even by a level 1000 monster, after all.
“Nevertheless, if we do not pass this obstacle, we cannot go to Shin’s aid.”
Shibaid spoke while glaring at the transparent wall.
As the barrier did not show the slightest crack, it was clear that it couldn’t be destroyed just by hitting it with skills. Being invisible to the naked eye, it was also impossible to tell how far it extended.
“Tiera, can you tell us anything….Schnee, Filma, look!”
“Tiera? What….?”
Schnee looked at Tiera after Shibaid called her, and saw her floating in front of Yuzuha and Kagerou. The latter two were moving their paws up and down, as if scratching against something.
Indeed, Tiera had passed through the barrier that was blocking Schnee and the rest of the party.
“Why…?”
“Let’s go, Schnee!! We might have found a way to pass through!!”
Urged by Filma, Schnee and Shibaid rushed to where Tiera was. She seemed utterly confused and hurriedly spoke to the three as they approached.
“Master!! I-I don’t know why, but I got through!!”
“How?? What method did you use?”
“Well, I…I tried cutting through the barrier with my dagger, and I just kind of fell through…”
Tiera herself did not seem to know how she had gotten past the barrier. Kagerou, left behind, was scratching at the invisible wall with all his might. Yuzuha was also clawing at the barrier in the same way, but she suddenly slipped through the barrier. At the same time, Kagerou likewise passed to the other side.
“Kuu!?”
“Guruu!?”
Taken completely by surprise, the two spun once in the water because of their excess momentum. After a bit of paddling, they finally returned to their original stances.
“….we, passed too!?”
Yuzuha was baffled by the sudden development, then her body trembled. The same purple aura around Shin rose from her body too.
“This is…like Shin? Yuzuha, are you okay?”
Schnee, concerned, asked Yuzuha how she felt. However Yuzuha did not answer and howled loudly in response.
“Kuu…KUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!”
Yuzuha’s body glowed brightly and increased in size. When the light faded, Yuzuha had returned to her original form.
She was now much larger than Schnee or Tiera and sported her trademark nine tails as well. There was no mistaking it: Yuzuha had returned to her original form.
“Eh…? Yuzu…ha?”
Yuzuha’s sudden transformation left Tiera almost speechless. Kagerou too, next to Tiera, growled in confusion.
“…so this power can influence me too.”
Yuzuha looked at her own body and whispered to herself. Her voice did not bear any childish traits anymore. Her consciousness seemed to have returned to one fitting to her current body.
“Do not fret, I remember you all. I shall lend you my strength. You too, Kagerou, do not glare at me so.”
Yuzuha used one of her tails and lifted Tiera on her back. She then slowly turned her eyes towards Shin.
“I’m not sure what’s going on, but I guess we can only leave things to Tiera and Yuzuha…”
“…Tiera. Listen well. I am sure you understand after seeing that aura, but Shin is different from usual now.”
Schnee breathed in, then started talking. She couldn’t go herself, so there was no choice but to talk.
“Yes. It’s kind of…scary. I also feel that he changed.”
“He cannot control it, surely.”
Tiera and Yuzuha agreed while looking at Shin fighting against Ishkar. Tiera, thanks to her sharp senses, had felt the same thing as Schnee.
Yuzuha, her eyes narrowed, seemed to be trying to conclude something.
“Yuzuha, do you know what that is?”
“It is power, that much I can tell. I do not know what it actually is. However, it seems Shin has not been completely consumed by it either.”
“Could you use it to break down this wall?”
“With time, it appears to be possible. But not immediately. This form too is temporary, not complete.”
“….understood. We cannot go any further than this. Thus we entrust this to you.”
Schnee spoke to Yuzuha and Tiera, restraining her emotions. She had not lost her composure to the point of asking Yuzuha to destroy the barrier, without knowing how much time it could take, in a situation like the current one.
“….I shall break into their battle.”
Tiera swallowed her breath and looked towards Shin and Ishkar. Her reaction was perfectly natural, as both opponents were using attacks that meant instant death for someone with Tiera’s stats. Interfering in their conflict meant that one misstep would result in certain death.
“….understood. Yuzuha, please.”
“Leave everything to me.”
After a few moments of silence, Tiera asked Yuzuha for her assistance, with a resolute expression. Going together meant facing danger together. Yuzuha was already prepared for what was going to come.
“We’re going!”
Riding on Yuzuha, Tiera headed towards Shin.
Schnee could only gaze at her back as she did.
“Can’t I…do anything…?”
Looking at Ishkar and Shin fighting, Schnee remembered the words uttered by the dragon before the battle started.
“Dolls….those born in this world….could it be….!?”
Schnee reflected and realized that Ishkar could have been talking about support characters and all those that came in this world from the previous one, excluding former players.
Only players can be enemies. That probably meant that, among them, only Shin should be allowed to fight.
“If so, why….”
Why could Tiera pass through the barrier?
Tiera was a creature of this world, not a player. Schnee knew that she was not the child of players either.
Yuzuha was Shin’s partner monster. Her role was to fight alongside Shin, that could explain why she could pass through the barrier.
Kagerou had the same relationship as Yuzuha did with Shin. If Tiera had not passed the barrier, Kagerou probably would not have been able to either.
Yuzuha, Kagerou, Tiera…among them, Tiera was a bizarre case. She was born in different circumstances, but she should be on the same side as Schnee and the others.
Yet she had passed through the barrier and was now heading towards Shin.
“Why….”
Schnee could only watch. In her heart, many doubts rose and vanished.
Why is that not me?
Why is it not me the one going to help Shin?
Someone else was in the place she should be in. Just thinking that made Schnee feel like her whole body was grinding and cracking.
—–was Tiera someone important to Shin?
The last doubt that rose within her, no matter how much time passed, would not disappear.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 11 - Depths of the Azure Seas/The-New-Gate-Volume-11-Depths-of-the-Azure-Seas-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_11_Chapter_04_Part_04.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 4
“That’s…not blood.”
Shin mumbled to himself, still in a fighting stance, while looking at the blue vapor-like substance exuding from Ishkar’s neck.
The exploded skull vanished as if melting away.
It ended all too easily. That was the reason why Shin hadn’t lowered his guard yet.
Shiden’s offensive power was high. With Shin’s stats, it was probably possible to KO even Ishkar in one blow.
And yet,…even considering this, there was no challenge. It felt “boring”.
“!? Wait, what was I thinking just now!?”
Shin felt his fighting spirit boiling, as he was facing a powerful opponent. However, he felt that his last thought had come from a completely different source.
As if someone other than him was inside his mind.
“….as I thought, you aren’t down yet.”
Before the frowning Shin, several ice pillars sprouted from Ishkar’s neck. In the blink of an eye, the pillars fused into one and rebuilt Ishkar’s head.
It was not completely made of ice: the horns and eyes were a deep blue. Shin felt some sort of will behind the eyes gazing at him.
“If you’ve revived, all I have to do is defeat you one more time.”
Shin forgot what he was thinking about for the moment and kicked the water, moving toward Ishkar, the explosive propulsion letting him close in on the dragon instantly.
Ishkar, however, blocked his advance by freezing the seawater around Shin.
Shin immediately cast magic to destroy the ice. However…
“I can’t break it? I’ll just smash it then!”
Magic should have been able to weaken the binding’s effects, but it failed. Shin guessed it was probably because of a particular skill Ishkar possessed, so he decided to force his way out of his bonds.
Half of his body was already frozen, but he could still swing his arms and legs to break free. Maybe thanks to the effects of his resistances, only the surface of his body was frozen.
As soon as Shin broke free, Ishkar’s arms swung down towards him. Shin noticed, but before performing an evasive maneuver he swung 『Moonless』 around him.
While swinging 『Moonless』, in a sweeping motion, Shin heard cracking noises from the katana’s tip. The sources of the sound were Ishkar’s scales, which had changed color to blend in with the seawater.
It was 【Dead Fragment Drops】, one of Ishkar’s attacks which had claimed the lives of many a player in the past. The scales were very difficult to see, extremely sturdy and numerous, characteristics which made them extremely troublesome to deal with. They caused the players to separate and attacked them individually.
Shin knew how sturdy the scales were, so he activated the Katana-type Martial skill 【Blade Breaker】 to destroy the scales as they headed towards him. While Shin was busy dealing with the scales, Ishkar’s claws bore down upon him too.
“Hhngh!”
Against the sharply gleaming claws, Shin chose not to defend or dodge, but to attack.
He turned his back to Ishkar and spun once in place. His right leg kicked the water and the left leg, taking advantage of centrifugal force, countered the claws with a roundhouse kick.
Barehanded-type Martial skill 【Rolling Wave Strike】.
The kick, unleashed with a burst of white foam, released a controllable shockwave when it clashed against Ishkar’s claws. Focusing the impact on one point allowed Shin to crush Ishkar’s claws, like a raging wave.
“With this difference in size, it sure isn’t easy.”
Shin had crushed Ishkar’s claws, but also because of their difference in mass, he couldn’t maintain his position just by using the seawater as a foothold. He suffered no damage, but was pushed back and forced to withdraw.
That instant, a familiar voice reached his ears.
“Shi—n!”
“Tch, who’s getting in the way now…in…the way? No, I…wait, that’s…?”
Every time he thought, he felt something unfamiliar creeping in his mind. He shook his head to get rid of it, and then he noticed what Tiera was riding on.
While not as large as Ishkar, it was a silhouette of much greater size than Shin or his party. Eyes concealing intellect, powerful limbs, and its greatest characteristic: nine tails.
“Yuzuha, is that you?”
Thanks to the contract bound with Yuzuha, Shin quickly realized that Tiera was approaching him while riding on her.
Yuzuha arrived next to Shin in the blink of an eye, stopped as if screeching to a halt, pushing Tiera out with her back, then turned towards Ishkar.
“I shall hold him back.”
With Yuzuha’s words echoing behind her, Tiera headed towards Shin. Moving at a speed she couldn’t reach by herself, Tiera opened her arms and legs wide.
She probably meant for Shin to catch her. Slightly confused, Shin opened his arms wide too.
“—-eh?”
Just before they could touch, Tiera used her arms to change direction.
She only moved a few cemels: from a course that would have led her to embrace Shin, she changed to a head hugging course.
Shin would have never expected Tiera to change course: the surprise, added to his initial confusion, prevented him from dodging.
As a result, Shin’s head ended up firmly planted in Tiera’s chest.
“Begone, evil! Be purified!”
“!?”
Tiera shouted, still holding Shin’s head tightly.
Divine-type Skill 【Purification Verse】.
When Tiera was still a Priestess of the World Tree, she used this skill to purify the surroundings before invoking the spirits. The skill removed and prevented status ailments from the user in a set radius around them; however, she was supposed to have lost it along with her Priestess job.
The aura that enveloped Shin’s body dissipated. After making sure that it was really gone, Tiera let go of Shin.
“Ah….had I turned nasty or something?”
The aura disappeared thanks to 【Purification Verse】, and Shin felt that the unusual presence inside his mind was gone.
While fighting he would instantly forget about it: now that it was gone, Shin clearly grasped that unusual feeling and was shocked.
“You had an aura around you that master and the others said they had never seen before. Your way of fighting was violent too. Don’t…make us worry like that.”
Tiera talked with a very serious expression. Shin thanked her honestly.
“Where are Schnee and the others?”
“Some sort of invisible wall won’t let them through. I don’t know the reason, but only me, Yuzuha, and Kagerou could pass through it.”
Shin looked towards Schnee and the others and found them shooting skills towards an apparently empty space. As Tiera had said, their skills stopped and disappeared abruptly after traveling to a certain point.
“I don’t get what’s going on either, but we better wrap this up quickly. You stand back, Tiera. Yuzuha and I are going to end this now!”
Tiera nodded and withdrew, while Shin again faced Ishkar. His eyes now showed a light that was not present before.
—–Boundary Guardian level 1000
The name displayed by 【Analyze】 was not Ishkar’s.
Shin recalled Ishkar’s mention of a “power that devours even miasma”. Ishkar’s consciousness was probably not present anymore in the monster.
The boundary guardian-turned Ishkar unleashed its lethal breath, which Yuzuha neutralized with five types of magic. Shin advanced under her massive body.
The two contenders exchanged attacks that would definitely inflict great damage if not blocked, so Shin was able to prepare to strike without Ishkar noticing.
Shin was now about 10 mels under the guardian’s chin. For the monster, it was a complete blind spot.
“(I’m going to attack too. Please keep it busy a little more)”
“(Understood.)”
Shin was reminded of how adult-like Yuzuha’s original voice sounded, while he held
『Moonless』 with the opposite hand.
He aimed at the guardian’s jaws and activated a skill.
Katana and Darkness combination skill 【Hollow Shackles】.
Shin threw『Moonless』, wrapped in a dark aura, with all his might. The katana turned into a pitch black flash and stabbed the monster’s jaw, without being hindered by its scales, then released its effects.
“■■■■!! ■■■■!!!”
Forced to face upwards because of 『Moonless』’s stabbing impact, the Guardian’s head was wrapped tightly by black bands extending from the katana.
The black bands covered most of the monster’s head, then gained even more momentum and proceeded to wrap around the Guardian’s entire body.
The monster tried resisting, but Shin’s boosted stats had also reinforced the bands’ binding power.
Because of this, the Guardian couldn’t tear through the bands fast enough: new ones would be generated and tie it down again before it could gain any freedom. It was impossible to completely seal the monster’s movements, but now the Guardian couldn’t move as freely as before.
“Yuzuha! Maximum firepower!”
“Leave it to me!”
In response to Shin’s words, a globe of golden light formed in Yuzuha’s mouth.
Shin cast a magic spell alongside her.
Globes containing magic power of each of the seven elements appeared around Shin. Red, blue, brown, green, yellow, white, black: all seven spheres were around one mel wide.
Shin then extended his right arm forward and all globes gathered in one spot. The seven globes fused together and started glowing in the same golden color as Yuzuha’s.
Hepta-Elemental Composite Skill 【Elemental Order】 .
The two-mels golden sphere, capable of striking the weak point of all elements, merged with Yuzuha’s breath, a unique skill named 【Supreme Catastrophe】, and pierced the Guardian’s head.
“Off with you!”
Shin and Yuzuha kept releasing their skills, while changing their directions. The golden spheres of light moved from the monster’s head to its torso, tearing through its body.
Blue vapor was released from the monster’s severed torso, but that too was consumed by the golden light and disappeared.
“We destroyed all we could see, but…”
The opponent was capable of regenerating its head. For added safety, Shin and Yuzuha cautiously studied their surroundings.
“Shin!”
As they were doing so, Schnee and the others approached them. The barrier that had been blocking them had disappeared apparently.
“Sorry for making you worry.”
“No..if you are all right, then it’s enough.”
Relieved, Schnee put a hand on her chest.
“So, what are we going to do now? Differently from outside, there’s no miasma in here.”
“Ishkar’s transformation was bizarre as well. It wasn’t supposed to have regenerative abilities like that.”
Filma and Shibaid voiced their doubts, while looking at the space where the recently disappeared Ishkar used to be.
“It turns out there was something else inside it. The name displayed was Boundary Guardian.”
“Never heard that name before.”
All members present nodded to Schnee’s words. Yuzuha — still in her adult form — also said that she didn’t know about it.
“What could have happened here…? It looks like I changed too…it could be tied to the reason why I was brought here.”
Ishkar had mentioned a “return against your will”. It could mean that, had Shin not resisted, he could have returned to his original world.
It was just a possibility, so he had no intention of trying. More than that, Shin was intrigued by the word “Boundary”.
The real world and the game world. Maybe it was guarding the boundary between the two?
That would generate another series of questions, but being a game’s world, it was not too strange for such a creature to exist.
Supposing that the players dead in the other world lived here. That normally, the boundary could not be crossed without dying, but Shin had crossed over without dying…
(Could it have had a reason for wanting to get rid of me?)
To go all the way of taking over Ishkar’s body to attack me…could maybe mean that I can be the cause of some disaster? Or maybe it was just trying to remove an extraneous object?
“….I just don’t understand.”
Shin sighed while looking at the space Ishkar used to occupy. He pondered for a while, but in the end it was all his imagination, his delusions. He had no idea about how things could actually be.
“Shin, look.”
“….the stopgap keeping miasma in check is gone, so it’s flowing out?”
Shin looked in the direction Tiera pointed at and saw a black mist appearing in the previously empty space. In its center there was a sort of rectangular object.
Because of the mist only its silhouette was visible, but it was just as Shin remembered.
After defeating Ishkar, the certificate proving victory over a level 1000 monster, materials, gear, and other item cards appeared. Apparently, most of the miasma was housed by these items.
“Tiera, please.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
Shin and the others kept the miasma from spreading, while Tiera purified the main mass. Maybe because the Guardian was gone, the miasma vanished with an ease that surprised even Tiera.
“Eh? This is…”
“What’s wrong?”
Tiera looked at the stack of purified item cards. The illustration on the top card made her react, surprised.
Shin became curious and took a peek in Tiera’s hands. The top card of the stack had the picture of a crystal glowing in rainbow colors.
The item name was 『Divine Beast Crystal』.
“Seriously…? This is the item that lets you summon a divine beast!”
“Eh…?”
Monsters called divine beasts, like Element Tails and Gruefagos, could not be tamed normally. But with the item that Tiera was now holding, the Divine Beast Crystal, they could be called temporarily as an ally unit.
Divine Beast Crystals appeared as rare drops after defeating divine beasts and allowed the summon of a monster just like the defeated one as an ally.
It was a one-time use item, but if used against boss monsters as a trump card, it was powerful enough to change the flow of battle.
Depending on the monsters they could summon, Divine Beast Crystals could have the same value as Ancient-grade equipment.
“…hey, if I use this, won’t Ishkar be able to resurrect?”
“Summoned monsters usually disappear after a set time…I wonder, though. In this battle against Ishkar some unknown force interfered after all.”
No one knew what could happen to this area of the sea, were Ishkar to disappear. The sea dragon’s resurrection would be the most favorable outcome.
“Do try. If I can use my power on it, I shall lend you my aid.”
“Are you sure? Your power hasn’t returned completely, has it?”
“That is of no concern. The absence of this area’s master is a much more pressing matter.”
Yuzuha, who did not know how long she could keep her current form, urged Shin to use the item, so he agreed to.
“….come.”
Tiera held the Divine Beast Crystal high and pronounced the keyword. The crystal then shattered, emanating a rainbow light.
The light gradually took shape: after five seconds, it had formed Ishkar’s silhouette. When the light eventually disappeared, before the group was Ishkar, looking exactly the same as when they had entered the room.
“Hmm, I see.”
The summoned Ishkar did nothing, simply floating in place. It was waiting for orders from its summoner.
“Do you think you can do anything?”
“Be patient for a while.”
Yuzuha then extended one of her nine tails towards Ishkar. She placed the tip of the tail on the dragon’s jaw, then stopped.
A few seconds later, Ishkar and Yuzuha’s bodies started glowing. They continued to do so for about 10 seconds, then the light dimmed and disappeared.
“This shall be enough.”
Yuzuha then changed back to small fox mode. She still had nine tails though.
“I’m slightly tired. Hold me.”
“Hm? Ah, sure. Thanks.”
Yuzuha floated lightly in the water and cuddled up in Shin’s bosom. Her small fox face looked somewhat satisfied.
“It appears you have won”
Just as the group relaxed a little, Ishkar’s voice reached their ears.
“Do you remember?”
“That maiden used my soul’s crystal. Would you understand if I said ‘back-up’?”
“Well, I would have never expected a divine beast to say ‘backup’…”
“It’s just a fragment embedded in my memories. Now that the Ley Lines are free of contamination, my servants above should quiet down too. You have my gratitude.”
Ishkar had already taken care of the Three Sea Beasts apparently. The merpeople and fishpeople were not in immediate danger anymore at least.
“I wish to express my gratitude, but that fox has already taken away part of my power. I cannot do much.”
“Hey, Yuzuha! What tricks are you pulling, taking advantage of a situation like this?”
“I made it possible for him to stay here and connected him to the Ley Lines. As you know, the Ley Line was already shut where I used to be. Let me have that much.”
The power that Yuzuha took from Ishkar would return over time, so Ishkar did not want to seriously find fault with her.
“Well, we didn’t come here looking for something anyway, and it looks like Yuzuha got closer to returning to her original form, so that’d be enough for me.”
Shin looked at Schnee and the others, but they all shared the same sentiment.
“Just one thing, then. Do you know anything about whatever possessed you?”
“Hmm…I remember that you were its target. That its objective was to remove you from this world. Only these two things.”
“For what reason?”
“I could not say. But it was something that even miasma cannot affect. It wiped the miasma I was holding in check as if it was mere smoke.”
An existence superior to miasma. Shin had no idea what it could be, nor did Schnee and the others, who all shook their heads.
“It was an utterly unknown existence. Do be on your guard.”
“Yes, I got it.”
Shin finished talking with Ishkar. As Yuzuha had turned back too, they left the royal chambers.
Events other than their initial goal of helping the merpeople had happened, but Shin thought that, all in all, the result was positive. He could not be sure, but he felt that the power within him was not something negative either.
The party proceeded through the now miasma-free corridors.
Ishkar had resurrected, the merpeople and fishpeople avoided destruction.
Tiera and Yuzuha powered up, the party’s overall power increased.
Not all results were to rejoice about, though. Something had definitely been proved in the battle against the Guardian.
Those stopped by the barrier, and those allowed in by the barrier. Their hearts were clearly divided.
Schnee’s heart, especially, was riddled with thousands of small ripples.
With each member holding different thoughts in their hearts, the party left the dungeon.
At the same time as Shin concluded his battle against Ishkar, one man arrived in Barbatos.
At the moment no one knew, naturally, that he would bring a great trial to Schnee…
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 01 - A Beginning and an End/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-A-Beginning-and-an-End-[Shin+Oniichanyamete][dotNovel]/Title.txt
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The New Gate
(THE NEW GATE)
Volume 01
A Beginning And An End
Kazanami Shinogi
(風波しのぎ)
Story Description:
“THE NEW GATE”, an online game that trapped its players and turned into a death game, was now releasing the thousands of players that had been dragged into it, thanks to the efforts of Shin, one of the most powerful players.
But after having defeated the last boss and freed everyone, he was swallowed up by a strange light and found himself inside the game world 500 years in the future and unable to leave.
Original Story can be found here: Link
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 01 - A Beginning and an End/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-A-Beginning-and-an-End-[Shin+Oniichanyamete][dotNovel]/Volume_01_Chapter_01_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 1
The first thing he felt was wind. Shin's consciousness faintly grapshed the feeling of the warm wind blowing on his skin. What he felt next was a hard sensation on his back, and faintly, a sweet smell tickled his nose. Was the reason his sight was dark because his eyes were closed?
"Mmn…"
Shin opened his eyes as he sat up. What spread across his field of vision was a broad meadow, dotted with tree groves. White and pink flowers bloomed where Shin had been sleeping. It seems that what Shin smelled earlier were these flowers.
"This is…"
To solve the mystery of why he was here, Shin worked his mind.
(Today I fought Origin, the boss monster at the Depths of the Gate to Another World, and won. Right, I cleared THE NEW GATE. Because of that, we could log out, everyone was released, and in the end it was just me…)
Gradually, his mind became clear. The scene Shin had seen at the end; that was,
"The doors… opened?"
Right, after defeating the final boss mosnter [Origin], logging out became possible, and just as he was about to do so himself, the closed doors had opened, and he lost his consciousness.
"The heck was that? And this is…"
Even looking around again, what he say was a broad meadow, and groves of trees. There was nothing else he could find.
"Could it be, I'm still in the game?"
Shin wasn't sure whether or not he had managed to touch the words Log Out in the end. Wondering if only he hadn't logged out because of an event, he made sure by calling up the menu.
"…Oi, oi."
Translucent screen behind his eyes, and the menu items lined up there; it was unmistakably the menu screen of THE NEW GATE.
"What, I was still in the game?"
Man, that was shocking, thought Shin, as he brought his gaze down the menu. There, the words Log Out were――
"…Gone."
The words Log Out that should have been between 'Owned Gold' and 'Help', were nowhere to be seen. The six letters that he had made sure were there when he had defeated Origin, had disappeared.
"Oioioi, this is a lie, right!?"
He opened up every menu item from start to finish, but as expected, the words Log Out were nowhere to be found. It was like when it was a death game.
"Tch!! Right, what about everyone else!?"
Was there anyone else besides himself? Thinking about that possibility, Shin look out the Survivors List from his item box. If there was any other player left behind, the list would show it.
"What… the hell?"
The only one on the list was [Shin], but below that in the white space,
――――『Cannot display due to lack of network connection.』
was written.
The Survivors List was a way of having the avatar that used the item, access the network of THE NEW GATE, and checking which players still survived, said his alchemist friend. Considering that, it meant that at present, Shin's avatar was disconnected from THE NEW GATE's system.
"Can't connect to the network. Then why can I move my avatar?"
Even though he couldn't log out, he was connected to the system―――― was something like that possible?
In this situation, Shin shouldn't have been able to move his avatar. It wasn't as though Shin was well-versed with VR technology, but at any rate, that was how THE NEW GATE worked. Thinking about it normally, being disconnected from the network, yet being able to move your avatar was contradictory.
"I don't get it. The heck is happening."
The feeling of relief he had up until a while ago had disappeared in one go, and Shin once again lay down on the ground. He didn't feel like getting up, and he worked only his mind, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't come up with an answer.
(It's no good, huh. In these situations, I should empty my mind for a little.)
It was Shin's way of calming down when the inside of his head was a mess. When there was something he couldn't understand, he'd temporarily let go of everything, and then rebuild this thoughts.
1 He couldn't connect to the network.
2 It was possible to manipulate his avatar.
3 The two points above were not reconcilable.
1 could be confirmed through the Survivors List program, and the message that appeared on the list. 2 was also confirmed since he was certainly moving hsi avatar. As for 3, it was a reality that a network connection was essential for the act of moving ones avatar. There was no mistake that players who had lost connection to the network due to a bug found themselves unable to move their avatars.
Then, what would have to happen to reconcile these two facts―――― what Shin came up with was this.
There was the possibility that the Survivors List had malfunctioned, and there really was a network connection. It wouldn't be strange for something like this to happen. The next possibility was that he couldn't connect to the network, but it was possible to move his avatar. That kind of technology might ahve been developed.
"The last possibility would be that… Fantasy."
Shin smiled wryly at the thought that had by chance crossed his mind while he was thinking seriously.
Shin was a pure net-gamer. He was bad enough that his friends called him a net-game addict. And at the same time, he also reached out to anime, manga, light novels and web novels. Stories where the protagonist ended up in a world exactly like the game had already become a staple for such fiction, and he had also read a number of these. The reasons for this were varied, but Shin had read many stories where they came to the world of the game with their menu intact.
What had come to mind just now was exactly that. He had suddenly wondered if the place he was in now wasn't the game, but the real world of THE NEW GAME. Losing his network connection, and being able to move his avatar; both of these could be explained by it.
'As if', thought Shin. He decided to stop thinking for a while, and looked up at the sky. The wide blue sky filled his vision, and small clouds slowly moved by. He could see the groves of trees in the corner of his eyes. Turning his sight that way, he could clearly see each leaf.
"…………"
He could see them. He could see them clearly. He could see them distinctly.
He could see too much.
He could see more clearly that when it was a game. It was as though they were the real thing.
With the development of VR, certainly they could create a world that was the spitting image of the real one. Not only in sight and sounds, but it was possible in touch, and taste as well. However… However possible it was to reproduce these things, technology still hadn't reached the level of the 'real thing' yet. Technology was only at a level where if you'd seen it in reality before, you'd know for sure that these were affected fakes. In the end, they were just pretty graphics.
However, what was reflected in Shin's eyes were the movements of clouds, the colour and gloss of leaves, the figures of flowers blooming in the field; all of this looked like nothing but the real thing.
"…………"
Shin slowly held his own hand above his face. There were wrinkles and fingerprints that hadn't existed when it was a game.
"Is this… the real thing?"
After noticing this one thing, he started to understand things one after another. The scenery before his eyes, the rustle of the leaves, the feel of the wind on his skin, the smell that tickled his nose; all of these were different from how they felt in-game.
"After a death game, is a trip to another world…"
Shin experienced two VRMMO player urban legends in succession. Depending on the person, it might've been a delightful situation, but Shin was thinking that he'd have preferred some time in-between them. The only indication that he bore these thoughts that were pretty far off the norm, was his calm expression.
"Ahhhhhhhh… What the heck is going on~~?" lazily said Shin, as he rolled around on the ground.
Just where had the valiant figure from the fight with Origin gone? On top of the fatigue from the fight with Origin, just when he thought he could log out, unbelievably he ended up on a trip to another world. At any rate, his mind sought rest. If you had to describe it in one word, he was languid. He was a little bit burned out as well, so for a while the feelings of wanting to take it easy filled Shin's heart.
"Ah~~… Hahh…."
For a while he'd roll about as though he had reverted to infanthood or something, and then stop that, endlessly repeating the two. Little though it may have been, perhaps because he had abandoned the act of thinking for a while, his weariness had become somewhat better than before, and he began to think again.
The situation was filled with unknowns. There was nobody else around, so he couldn't gather even a little information. Still feeling a little heavy, whilst he sat up he considered what he'd do from now on.
(At any rate, I don't have enough information. For now, since the menu still appears, I'll check my status and items, and then shall I search for a place that would have people?)
Summoning the menu, he displayed the status menu. On the left hand side was a 3D graphic that displayed the avatar that was Shin's other self, and on the right were entries like [Ability Points], [Equipment], [Gifts], [Skills] and the like.
The displayed avatar had black hair and black irises, with no notable traits outside of some slightly sharp looking eyes; the face of a young man you could find anywhere. The face on the avatar was Shin's real one, and because the physique was made to reflect that, though it was 180cm tall, it gave somewhat of a lanky impression. Shin's friend in real life who had been in an athletics club [at school/university] had always told him to train his body more.
When he made to confirm his [Equipment], he found that they had changed a little since his fight with Origin, and his muffler, his arm guards, and his leg guards had been unequipped. What he still had equipped was the red-lined black long coat, [Overcoat of the Dark King], the pants that had become a set with it, and accessories. In the weapons column were the words [Shingetsu [True Moon]]. It seemed that his beloved and prided blade was in good shape. When he checked his inventory, the equipment he had worn to fight Origin was in there. He had verified his items and money at the same time too, and it seemed there was no problems with his belongings.
Next was [Ability Points]. Originally all stats except LUC were maxed out with 9s, and he prayed that he hadn't weakened.
Originally all stats except LUC were maxed out with 9s, and he prayed that he hadn't weakened.
"…Nonono"
He looked away from the screen, and for a while gazed far away before returning to the screen. There was no way that doing something like that would change what was being displayed before him.
"Hangon, just hangon!"
Once again, he looked away from the screen, and gazed into the distance. Furthermore, he rubbed his eyes, and then having made sure there was nothing blurry about his sight, he returned his gaze to the screen. It was like he was in a frame of a manga where the character couldn't believe their eyes, Shin thought.
"…I didn't see wrong… huh?"
In the end, having looked upon it for the third time, Shin finally accepted that he hadn't seen that wrong. The reason was simple; except for LUC, those ability points were very different from what his stats used to be.
The VVMMORPG [THE NEW GATE] was different to other MMORPGs, and if you spent a long time, you could raise every stat except LUC to the maximum.
Shin who had spent massive amount of time on it since the Closed-β days, on top of aiming for maximum hunting efficiency, and who would repeatedly use the rebirth[reincarnation] system, was the only player who had capped all stats.
There were other players who had almost maxed out, but none of them could reach Shin.
When it was a game, Shin's HP and MP were 9999, and besides LUC which was 36, all other attributes were 999.
The reason LUC was low was because on top of it having a cap of 99, it was determined and fixed from when the character was created.
But right now, all of Shin's statuses save for LUC were displayed as over double their original values.
"The game's specs have been… smashed by this…"
There was already nothing left he could do but be amazed.
The numerical values were too large, and right now he had no idea how great his own strength was.
"…As you'd think, I'm exhausted from the surprise…"
Because of all the surprises he'd had recently, he was sure that he looked hilarious, he thought mockingly about himself. Even so, staring at the menu was unproductive, so for now he'd move on to other entries.
(There are things I've never seen before, huh.)
Looking at it from start to finish, he found out that new Gifts and Skills had been added.
The Gifts [Limit Breaker], [Accomplished One] and [Liberator], and the Skills [Wave of the Dark King], [Focus Wave] and [Scattered Wave] had been added.
He should have heard it when he defeated Origin, but Shin had completely forgotten.
To find out what effects they had, he chose the three new Gifts from the menu.
[Limit Breaker] With this power, you can exceed the limit. The upper limit for all statuses has been removed. Statuses will rise according to how many ability points were discarded prior to limit removal.
[Accomplished One] Blessings to the one who has reached the ends of Samsara. The moment this Gift was received, all ability points were doubled.
[Liberator] You are the hopes of those who have been imprisoned. Acts of restriction and subordination are restricted. Forbidden magic, traps, items etc. are made invalid.
"…The heck?"
Every one of the Gifts he had gained were beyond expectations. Even Shin who knew of almost every Gift in the game didn't know of such balance-breaking Gifts.
It was fine that he had solved the mystery of his increased statuses, but these were basically cheats. They weren't even in the dimension of having a rare item, or starting on a high level.
…Having said that though, that LUC was still the same as ever (in accordance to the game's setting), it kind of felt like he was being mocked.
"Stories where they go from an MMO to another world usually have cheat characters but… this really feels like they're overdoing it, huh…"
Shin, whose original statuses could be called cheats, had been enough to demolish a group of max level Lv.255s once (a group of 12, with no rebirths). He was strong enough that when he killed them all, they screamed "You freaking cheater!" as they died. Against players who had rebirthed dozens of times and almost capped their stats, even Shin wasn't undefeatable, but even so, he could fight on par with 4 of them at once. In the first place, players who fought with Shin head on were rare though.
Those stats had now been even further increased. As long as he didn't suffer an instant death from an ambush, in fights against people he probably couldn't lose anymore. Of course, this was assuming that there were other players in this world in the first place.
Whilst thinking about needless worries, Shin prayed that these titles weren't possessed by heaps of other people.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 01 - A Beginning and an End/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-A-Beginning-and-an-End-[Shin+Oniichanyamete][dotNovel]/Volume_01_Chapter_01_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 2
After that, besides titles, Shin also checked all his skills and magic from start to finish, and even activated a few for real to test the effects. Thankfully, there was nothing in the surroundings that would've been bad to destroy, so he was able to test the skills and magic to a certain extent of his real power.
As the result of mass producing large craters, he found out that the paralysis frames and cooldowns for Martial Skills had disappeared, and that it was now possible to control the intensity of magic.
Up until now, though it was realistic, since it was a game it was natural to have such restrictions. However, it is obvious that such things wouldn't exist in reality.
And so, in exchange for these unnatural things that were characteristic of games, instead, you now couldn't move without considering trivial injuries like hurting your tendons, or spraining your joints. These sorts of things would be obvious in reality. At any rate, right now Shin wasn't in a game world. If he took an enemy's attack, it wouldn't just end with his HP gauge dropping. If he didn't think carefully about his movements, when it came to crunch, there was the risk that he wouldn't be able to take action.
Shin was once again reminded himself of the reality that this wasn't a game.
Noticing that he was bewildered at the differences between this world, and the game world that he knew, Shin thought that at some point, the virtual reality [THE NEW GATE] had become his 'second reality' before he had realised. 'In that case, should the place I'm in now be called a 'third reality?' thought Shin with a wry smile. It took him quite a long time before that second reality (the world of the game) to start feeling real, but as expected, it seemed that he was adjusting to this third reality quite quickly. As though the weariness from just a while ago was a lie, he was amazed at himself for moving about like this.
"Well then, I guess it's about time to go."
Whilst saying this, Shin took out a single bookmark. He brought this ordinary white bookmark above his head.
"Go home!"
When Shin chanted this, light gathered around the bookmark, and when the ball of light had reached the size of a baseball, it took the shape of a falcon. The falcon made of light lightly floated in the air, and turned its head to a certain direction.
What Shin had used was an item called [Guide];[1] an item that would point out the direction to a registered location. Normally it was used to mark the location of a rest spot in a hunting field, but a certain group of players, would like Shin, register their homes as the location.
Shin didn't know where he was because the map wasn't functioning, but he saw the [Guide] in the items column, and since the only location registered was his home, he decided to head there first.
Incidentally, the fact that the ball of light had turned into a falcon was due to Shin's taste. The light could turn into a form the player liked.
"Onwards, to my house!"
Shin began to run in the direction indicated by the light. At the moment he had chosen the destination for the [Guide], it indicated that the distance to the location was 67 kemels away. 1 kemel was roughly 1 kilometre, so it was 67 kilometres ahead. Normally it would be quite a long way away on foot, but Shin's reinforced leg power was very far from the norm. He could move fairly quickly just by walking lightly. The running Shin had already reached 70km/h. On top of that, because he wasn't riding a vehicle, he could continue running regardless of if it was a thick forest, or a rugged rockland.
"Yaaaaaaaaaahoooooooooooooo!!"
Because it felt nice to cut through the wind as he ran, Shin let out a large scream as though to dispel the anxiety he had felt since waking up. Though he didn't know how much endurance he had, it hardly felt draining at all; he felt like he could run forever, and so he continued running without rest.
On the way, he spotted a four armed bear (Tetra Grizzly), a two headed snake (Twinhead Snake) and a boar with a mane like fire (Flame Boar), so to test out his strength, he fought them one by one. The levels of the bear, snake and boar were 87, 68, and 79 respectively. Since he had confirmed there names and levels with [Analysis Ⅹ], there was no mistaking it. All of them fought with basic patterns, and were monsters that beginners would often hunt, so for Shin they were foes he could defeat with one hand[defeat without needing to care].
However, unlike when it was a game, Shin caught a glimpse of the spontaneity and will to live[desire to help themselves] which had given him a chill. [2]
An hour later, after cutting through meadows, jumping over rocks, and running through forests… Around the time he started to see a large rampart[castle-wall type wall], the falcon of light started to blink, indicating to him that they were close to the target destination.
He dropped his speed, and stood still. The direction that the falcon indicated was slightly off from the wall. It seemed that it was inside the forest that spread before the wall. If Shin's memory served him right, then there shouldn't have been a town enclosed by a rampart near his home.
"Just when the heck was that built?"
muttered Shin, as he looked at the wall. The size of the rampart was around the size of a six-story building. It looked like it was built from cut stone, and it brought about a dignified atmosphere.
Were the parts broken here and there because of monster attacks, or where they because of war?
In the game, there had been siege war events that large numbers of people had taken part in, Shin included. The ramparts had been enchanted with monster-repellent, fortification, and magic-resistant enchantments, so Shin felt it would be difficult to attack.
Shin suspected that it wasn't a town inside, but he couldn't tell at all what was really inside. Well, since it was surrounded by these reinforced walls, it probably wouldn't be a deserted ruin.
At any rate, right now he didn't have any business with it, so stopping his thoughts, he returned his gaze to the forest, and walked in the direction that the falcon indicated.
After walking for about 100 mels, there was a clearing that was different to the surroundings and vegetation. Unlike the trees up until now that had diameters of 30 or 40 cemels at best, in the clearing stood a tree whose diameter exceeded 1 mel.
In the midst of the atmosphere exuded by the massive tree, stood a building that was nostalgic to him.
It was a building built of stone and wood, and above the curtained[noren] shop entrance hung a sign that read in large letters, 『Yorozuya Tsuki no Hokora』[3]
"It looks pretty much the same, huh."
It was unmistakably the same as before his fight with Origin. Seeing his unchanged home, Shin's heart felt like it had found support.
In the game, 『Yorozuya Tsuki no Hokora』 was a weapons, armour, and items shop run by Shin, that also doubled as his home. Fundamentally, it sold items that were things that Shin had picked up in fields or dungeons, and when he felt like it, things that Shin crafted himself.
The places Shin visited were almost all fields and dungeons where high level monsters would saunter about, so it was easy to obtain rare items and materials, and as a shop that sold these, Tsuki no Hokora was a hidden, but well-known shop, famous primarily amongst advanced players. The cause was probably because the goods being what they were, had fairly hefty prices, and thus the ones who could buy these were limited to advanced players.
Whilst reminiscing about his shop's bustling business (though it was really rare that it was bustling), Shin passed through the noren, and opened the door. Just how was it doing, that shop with nothing but a reception desk, and shelves lined with goods?
Inside the shop stood a number of men and women, wearing a mantle over their armour. Among them, a number of them had noticed Shin's entrance, and two of them approached him.
"Sorry, but the shop is busy with us right now, see? Could you come back later?"
The one who said this was a blonde haired young man clad in a very extravagantly decorated armour. His height was around Shin's but probably because he worked out, his arms and legs were thicker than Shin's.
"Did something happen?"
"It doesn't matter, we said get out!"
The one who ordered Shin in a strong tone when he asked about what was going on was the brown haired young man who had approached Shin with the blonde man. Just like the blonde one, he was clad in an excessively decorated armour. He was a head taller than Shin, and had a firm build that balanced with his height.
"But I've also got stuff that I need done by today."
"You're noisy. Adventurers like you shouldn't fucking talk back!
"Oi, stop it, Iran!"
Iran was probably the name of the brown haired man. Having judged that he didn't need to use keigo[4], Shin used his normal speech style to object to Iran.
Perhaps because Shin's unwillingness had pissed him off, Iran had made to forcefully push Shin, and thrust his palms at Shin's solar plexus. Seeing that Shin didn't particularly react, Iran's mouth curved into a smirk.
"Whoa!"
However, Shin didn't even twitch at the hands that came at him, and in contrast, Iran lost his balance and fell butt-first to the floor. His armour hit the floor, and a sound too loud to ignore rang out through the shop. The eyes of those around them fell on Shin and Iran. There was Iran, dumbstruck and unable to process what had happened, and Shin who was wondering what was up with him.
"Ku-, you fuc-!""
Just as Iran moved his hand to his sword in a frenzy, he cowered with a start at the loud voice that resounded through the room.
"What's the racket!?"
Thinking about how things had become a bother, Shin sighed in his mind.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 01 - A Beginning and an End/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-A-Beginning-and-an-End-[Shin+Oniichanyamete][dotNovel]/Volume_01_Chapter_01_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 3
The crowd of people naturally parted, and the figure of a single man appeared. He was a handsome blonde haired, blue eyed man, who, as expected, was also wearing a needlessly glamourous set of armour, and was glaring over at Shin and Iran from a few mels away. Unlike before, Iran had suddenly become quiet. As for Shin, seeing the man part the crowd, "Moses, huh…" he said, feeling that he seriously didn't give a shit.
"I thoguht I told you not to let anybody in."
"My deepest apologies, Loost-sama!"
Iran bowed without delay. Seeing Iran's behaviour, Shin suspected that this man was fairly high ranked. Without sparing a glance at Iran, Loost approached Shin. His eyes looked Shin up and down.
(Uwah, someone more annoying than Iran appeared.)
Ignoring Shin's thoughts, Loost clunked over with heavy steps, and stopped before Shin.
"…"
"?"
Seeing Loost remain silent, Shin tilted his head in wonder, when Iran yelled out angrily,
"Oi! What do you mean by standing in front of Loost-sama, without even naming yourself!?"
It seemed that Loost was standing silently before Shin because he was waiting for Shin to name himself.
"My apologies. I am Shin, a wanderer."
Since it would be annoying if someone who was addressed with -sama had his eye on Shin, Shin named himself with a bow. According to Shin's experience, Loost was the type of person who would let a lot of things go if you humbled yourself, even if only for form's sake.
"Hmph, it seems you don't know etiquette. Well, that's fine. Since you're a wanderer, I can't expect you to be cultured."
Ignoring the words of Loost who nodded arrogantly to himself, Shin smiled wryly inside at the fact that this technique worked in other worlds as well.
"Our business here is done. We're leaving."
With that, Loost started walking straight forward. Since it seemed they would collide, Shin immediately moved to the left. Apart from the blonde young man who saw Shin's movement, a number of other people narrowed their eyes at his nimbleness.
"Tch."
Including Iran who left with a tsk, the men and women who seemed to be subordinates followed Loost out of the shop. Because of that, only three of them remained in the shop.
"Iran did something unpardonable. I'll apologise in his place."
The one who spoke to Shin was the blonde man from earlier. The other two made apologetic expressions as well.
"No, it isn't like anything really happened."
"Hearing that is a relief. I'm Ardi. Ardi Sheil. If you ever need to rely on the knight order, come visit me."
"I am Shin. If the opportunity presents itself, I shall take you up on your kind offer."
Shin replied as he shook the right hand Ardi held out, with his own. It seemed that the group from earlier were knights. Considering that, they were pretty haughty, thought Shin, but seeing Ardi and these two made him rethink that.
Ardi left the shop, and the two left behind gave Shin light nods, and followed him. They were probably Ardi's subordinates.
Now that all the knights had left, the shop felt spacious. Shin noticed the shelves and goods that he couldn't see before.
(The weapons are almost all copper or iron, and at best, silver. The armour is also just leather, copper, iron or silver, huh? As for items, they're low ranked potions[HP recovery] and ethers[MP recovery], and also a few status-fixing pills. And there are no raw materials.)
(The store doesn’t seem to be more flourished than before…)
It was true that the store was in a worrying state.
“What are you talking about?”
“Eh?”
Shin was startled with the question that he didn’t know what to answer. He seemed to have spoken his mind unconsciously. As he turned to the direction of the voice, he saw an elven girl with black hair and golden eyes from the other side of the counter. A pointed ear can be seen between the silky black hair, so he might be correct.
If ten people saw her, they would all be admiring her beauty. She had a beautiful appearance that matched perfectly with her figure. Her height was approximately 160 cemels which was one head lower than Shin’s height. Her skin was healthy white and her chest was very firm and proportionate with her overall slim body.
From her looks, she seemed to be around 17 or 18 years old, but as elves lived a long life, she might have already lived several hundred years.
“Ahh, I was seeing what kind of goods you have.”
“Is that so? I thought I heard some rude remark just now.”
“There was no such intention.”
“Well, feel free to look around, those nuisances are gone now.”
As the elf said so, he sat on a chair provided for the counter.
“Those nuisances? “
“Yes, they often come by to ask when will master come back. I have to say, they are persistent.”
They probably came frequently because Shin noticed her tone became weary just from saying that.
“It must be hard. Ah, this is a late introduction but I am Shin. As you have seen, I’m a wanderer of the street.”
“That’s a serious way of introducing yourself to an ordinary salesclerk, isn’t it? I’m Tiera Lucent. Just call me, Tiera. I am the acting storekeeper and the apprentice of the shop owner here. If you have some good items and materials to sell, I’ll buy it.”
“Yes, please take care of me during that time. Is Tiera’s master so incredible that even the knights come frequently?”
“What are you saying? Even children nowadays know that the store owner of ‘Tsuki no Hokora’[5] is Schnee[6] Raizar.”
“Haa, is your master really that famous?”
“It was said by the people themselves. Still, master’s truths are unquestionable…”
“To have such famous person behind this shop…”
Shin who had a slight misunderstanding of the store showed an impression, after all, if there was a famous person here, the shop should be doing better than he thought. However, he had a familiar feeling with the name of the store owner, like he remembered it somewhere.
“Schnee Raizar…Schnee Raizar…Schnee…Schnee Raizar…Ahh!?”
“Hey, what’s wrong!?”
Tiera was surprised when Shin suddenly shouted. The chair made a ‘Gatan’ sound after it fell when Shin abruptly stood up.
“Oh, my bad. I was a little surprised.”
Shin apologized and returned the chair back to its original position. He thought about the name which he had heard somewhere, but it was only natural, since it was one of the support characters whom Shin made to be the salesclerk of Tsuki no Hokora in the game, and the name was Schnee Raizar.
“Sorry, but is it okay if I want to confirm something about your master?”
“Eh, yes, I will answer if I can.”
Tiera was slightly drawn back by Shin’s menacing look. However, Shin who was surprised at her agreement, didn’t notice Tiera’s expression at all.
“Is the race of Schnee Raizar a High Elf with long hair that reaches her hips, blue eyes, a beautiful woman with height around 166 cemels?”
“…That is certainly right…are you my master’s fan?”
Again, Tiera was drawn back slightly but Shin was still unaware of it.
“No, I’m not. Schnee is an acquaintance of mine or something like that. (It was a store owner and a salesclerk relationship in the game)
“Master’s acquaintance? Is that true?”
“Although I don’t know if your master remember…”
Tiera looked at Shin with full of doubt and suspicion.
It was only natural since Shin suddenly visited and said he was acquainted with the store owner in which Shin didn’t have proof or that the store owner may have no recollection of Shin.
“Speaking of which, where is Schnee now?”
“I’m sorry, but I won’t say it. Why would I tell you something that I won’t tell the knights?”
“…Okay, I understand…”
Although Shin had no idea how hierarchy worked in this world, he understood that a knight was a high ranking position from the situation with Ardi a little while ago. And a wanderer itself was less trusted which made Shin discouraged.
“I’ll pass a message if you want. Half of my work is to receive message for my master after all.”
“Half…for it to be half of your job…”
“Most of it comes from upper echelon of the country and the guilds. Some requests are in verbal message with locations stated. Because they are coming from various countries with confidential information, I have to close one eye and pretend that I didn’t see them.”
“I have nothing to say except that it is amazing”
What kind of request must have come from the upper echelon of the country, thought Shin.
“Although I rarely have to receive one. So, what are you going to do? Send a message?”
“Well, can you ask for the time being?”
“A message will cost you 1000 Jul.”
“What Jul?…Is that money?”
Shin tilted his head because he had never heard of that currency before. THE NEW GATE used Geyl as currency.
“Seriously, are you listening? How can you travel without knowing the currency?”
“No, it was different from the currency I was using before.”
“Currency used before? The currency was unchanged for around 400 years and won’t change anytime soon. Can you show it to me?”
400 years…Shin stiffened from hearing the words. Shin thought the previously currency could be used normally. Suddenly, he became like Urashima Taro[7].
“It’s this coin…”
Shin took out 1 Geyl from the ‘Item Box’ and placed it on the counter. A Geyl was a circular gold coin that have a diameter of 3 cemels. The center of the coin was painted with a girl held in a dragon’s arm with 8 feathers surrounding it.
“…Hey, just now, where did you take that out from?”
Tiera’s eyes widened seeing the Geyl gold coin appearing out of nowhere.
“From the Item Box of course”
“Item…Box…”
Tiera seemed to be more shocked upon hearing those words than when the Geyl gold coin had suddenly appeared.
“Tiera?”
“Oh, um, what?”
“No, you seemed to be very surprised, is there something wrong?”
“There is nothing wrong. You are able to use Item Box. Of course I’m surprised.”
“?…Is it something to be surprised about?”
“You…”
Tiera dropped her shoulders for some reason. As for Shin, he still couldn’t understand why Tiera was very surprised.
“Nowadays, only Kings and the elders of certain races can use an Item Box. Furthermore, it is only possible for races that have long lives such as High Elves or High Pixie. I am surprised because you are unexpectedly able to use it. Are you someone from the royal family?”
“Nope. I’m not from the royal family.”
Shin was surprised by the Item Box status quo. He could not imagine that only important people could use the Item Box when all players got one.
By the way, the “High” before the race name was because the races have experienced reincarnation dozens of times before getting the title. There were many races in THE NEW GATE, but the base race were Human, Beast, Dragnil, Elves, and seven kinds of Pixie.
Humans were classified as a Hominini tribe, Beast as Therianthropy* or Beastman, Dragnil as Dragonewt tribe, Lord as Devil tribe, and Pixie as Fairy group.
“Even though I was only using it naturally.”
“Haa, that’s certainly not natural. That reminds me, what is this awful feeling of various magic races mixing in you. Elves, Lord, Dragnil and others, what’s going on?”
“I do not understand it either. Anyway, my race is High Human.”
Shin was certain of his race as it can be revealed in his status screen. As for High Human, the racial characteristic was high state abnormalities resistance with enhanced magic tolerance. While in other games, the ability of the character was the lowest from the other races and were rarely in a party or even in going solo.
(Well, it was rather a plus for me)
It was the humans which had the obscure viewpoint, but from Shin stats, which were developed even more and incomparably by the race’s special quality, he was thankful. Though, only a small number of players were able to say it.
“High…Human…?”
“Yeah? Yes, that is right.”
Shin was still reminiscing about memories when humans were still being look down. Tiera was dumbfounded and muttered something to Shin.
And Shin was startled from the words spoken by Tiera.
“High Humans…are extinct…”
“Ehh, extinct…Extinct?!”
* * *
Um, what the Japanese calls the item is 'Guide of Guiding' 導きのしるべ, but it sounds quite a bit more stupid in English.
Note: At this point, take a break and search google images and wiki for "hokora/祠" and "暖簾/noren". I'll be leaving hokora as it is, since it's uniquely Japanese, and Shin is largely Japanese themed.
Jack of All Trades Hokora of the Moon
Note: Shin's first line was using teneigo, but by second he's using plain speech.
T/N: ‘Tsuki no Hokora’ is the name of the shop, it means Moon Shrine
E/N: Schnee means snow in German
T/N: Google it
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 01 - A Beginning and an End/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-A-Beginning-and-an-End-[Shin+Oniichanyamete][dotNovel]/Volume_01_Chapter_02_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 1
Extinction. Tiera said so.
That the High Human race was extinct.
“…Then, there won’t be any of the human race around?”
“No, humans are still around. You saw the knights a little while ago.”
“Really!?”
Shin had misunderstood about the Human extinction and involuntarily retorted.
“It’s the High Humans that went extinct, not the humans.”
“What’s the difference?”
“It is different. The High Human race consisted of 6 people who formerly ruled the Redmond continent. Even 10,000 humans couldn’t win against them. Their strength was in another dimension.”
“The continent was ruled by 6 people?”
Shin remembered there was place that was ruled by 6 people. He had a feeling that he heard such an episode before.
“Can you explain more in detail?”
“Even though most people know this, all right then. I’ll tell you. In the past, around 500 years ago, there were the High Humans who once ruled the continent. Though they were only 6 people, other races couldn’t do anything to them because of their overwhelming power.”
“…………”
“However, their domination was suddenly ended.”
“Ended?”
“Yes, ended. Not only the High Humans but many other races such as High Elves, High Lords, High Beasts, and High Dwarfs have disappeared. Many influential people like Kings, Elders, Heroes, and Generals disappeared as well. It’s said that it was a sudden disappearance. According to master, numerous influential and strong men disappeared. The day of disappearance happened was called the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’”
“The Dusk of the Majesty…”
“It is said that all High Humans disappeared at that time. And there were only 6 of them.”
Sudden disappearance. Shin had a theory about that.
The phenomenon which caused many people to disappear.
(It’s that day. The day when I defeated ‘Origin’, and everyone logged out. There is no conclusive evidence, but ‘Dusk of the Majesty’ might be the result from that day.)
Kings, Heroes, and Elders would probably be guild masters. Tens of thousands of people were expected to be released from the game. Shin didn’t know the exact number, but there were at least 10 thousand people stuck in the game. It probably looked like a sudden disappearance for the people in this world.
(To think that the 6 High Humans had ruled the continent before that…)
Shin finally understood. 6 of the High Human race. Without a doubt…
(It’s…us…)
When THE NEW GATE was still a good VRMMO and before it turned into a death game, there was a guild which was said to be the strongest in THE NEW GATE.
The guild was named ‘Rokuten’ as it was formed by the 6 High Humans. The small guild defeated major guilds one by one in THE NEW GATE, until its name was known to all players in just one month. They had a reputation of ‘PK’ing players who tried to oppose them. (T/N: I used the romaji name, Rokuten『六天』 not ‘Devas’ in the manga, Rokuten means six heavens/six skies)
Shin was a former member of Rokuten at the beginning. Back then, it was stupid to choose the human race when playing for the first time. Human were despised by other races and Shin had a dark history because of that.
Needless to say, all member were composed of High Humans and had almost maxed stats. Even the weakest member had HP and MP maxed, while the rest of the players averaged around 900 for their stats.
While in competition with every other major guild, the battles that took place looked unbelievable as it was 6 people against thousands of people. At that time, each field was burnt up by an expanding wide-range fire magic. The leader who was surprised got ambushed and it was settled.
Since then, no one dared to provoke the Rokuten guild. Even the ones to hold derision against human had decreased. Not only was the combat power of High Human shown, their unusual magic resistance was also demonstrated. Most magic didn’t have effect on them. Moreover, Poisons, Paralysis, Confusion, Enchanting, Burn, Frostbite, Confusion, Petrifaction, all of them were ineffective against a High Human. Besides, it only took a few second for them to completely cure their bodies.
It was rather fortunate (or unfortunate) that only Shin among the Rokuten got stuck in the death game. At least three months or more could be reduced if another person from Rokuten was there, thought Shin.
“…………”
“What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly silent?”
“No, it’s nothing. Do you mind if we change the topic to the currency?”
Shin felt he would be digging his own grave if he continued to talk about High Humans, so he deliberately changed the topic to the currency, which they talked about before.
“No, it’s alright. Is this the currency you have been using?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, to be able to bring out such valuable item, maybe you being a High Human isn’t a lie after all.”
Apparently Tiera didn’t believe that Shin was a High Human.
While sighing, Tiera took the gold coin and looked at it. She seemed to be confirming whether it was genuine.
And Shin doubted what Tiera’s meant by ‘valuable’.
“Is is valuable? It‘s only 1 G though.”
1 Geyl was equivalent to 1 Yen in the game. If converted, it’s value would be worth 1/1000 Yen in reality. It was the lowest currency in the game. Incidentally, Shin’s Item Box contained one hundred million Geyl. It was a mystery, as why it was displayed ‘G’ as ‘Geyl’ not ‘Gold’ with the gold coin.
“The Geyl gold coin is often abbreviated to G gold coin. However, now it’s hard to obtain. You might not know this, but the Geyl gold coin is a magic item that can amplify magic. It is occasionally found in ruins. When a Geyl gold coin gets exhibited in auctions, it can reach a billion Jul or even more. The Jul is the current commonly used currency on how many J gold coin or how many J silver coin…J means to be used as a method of counting. (T/N: 1 J gold coin = 1,000,000 J and 1 J silver coin = 10,000 J. E.g. If you have 2 J gold coins and 87 J silver coins, you’ll have a total 2,870,000 J)
“So this one is worth 1 billion…”
“A magician would kill to get even one as the price is enormous and most can’t afford it. Though master had shown me one, it is my first time to seeing any other than that. After all, 1 billion is the minimum amount you can get, the price can reach 10 times more than that.”
“For this one Geyl gold coin to be worth that much…by the way, how often it can be found?”
“Rarely, but I can’t say. Even when new ruins were discovered, the chances of finding it were still very low.”
“Is that so? Look like I have to be careful when buying goods.”
Shin thought about converting it to increase his funds, but he canceled it after realizing how valuable it was.
“That’s a wise decision, but you are doing it just now.”
“That’s an awful joke. However, I will be careful next time.”
“Are you going to sell something? I told you I’d buy if you have good materials or items.”
“Well, how about this?”
Shin took out item cards, which he got whilst traveling, from the Item Box. In the game, it was possible to change an item into a card. It was the same in this world, too. The materials turned into cards automatically and could even be stored in the Item Box. Once the item became a card, a picture of the item was drawn on the card. The card could be materialized anytime.
Shin put his item cards on the counter. The item cards varied from Tetra Grizzly, Twinhead Snake, Flame Boar, and their fangs, claws, furs, meats and so forth to raw materials such as sparkling jewels.
In the game, the materials can be sold and processed in various places. The jewel would especially fetch a high price, because it was able to give attributes or additional effects to equipment and weapons, and only if it was done by blacksmiths. Jewels could be found as monsters drop them after being killed, though the drops’ probability are low. The jewels which Shin showed were Grade 7, which was the lowest grade.
“Item cards…”
“Hmm? What is it? Is there something strange?”
“No, if you have an Item Box, this is natural, isn’t it? Though I don’t know if you already know this, so I’ll say it just in case. Because an item card is also expensive to a certain degree, it’s better not to take them out recklessly.”
“It’s troublesome. Should I purposely treat them as the materials?”
“That’s the normal way! You are really weird!”
“Ah, I see… I see. I understand, so please calm down.”
“Mou~, you made me mad again.”
While saying that, Tiera still focused on doing her job. She materialized the item cards and began to appraise them. Even though she was surprised, she still knew how to use the item cards.
“From Tetra Grizzly to Twinhead Snake and Flame Boar. Not only are these materials of ferocious monsters, none of these monsters can be found unless you go deep into the woods. Just what kind of person are you?”
“I just defeated them on my way here. The fight was not so ferocious as you described though.”
“But it takes several knights to kill one monster…well whatever, as long as you defeated them. I’m not that surprise after all that occurred before.”
It seemed that the monsters were unexpectedly dangerous. Shin had thought they were beginner monsters.
“Well, don’t worry about it. Leaving that aside, how are the items?”
“That’s right. The raw materials are still in a good state due to the materialization of the card. The material’s price would be 1 J gold coin and 27 J silver coins, so the total would be 1,270,000 J. The jewel is Grade 7 with a high purity, so the price is 25 J gold coins, so the price is 25,000,000 J. All together would be 26,270,000 J.
“I don’t know whether it’s expensive or cheap due to the conversion of currency…”
“It’s a little less than the original price, but the price of jewels can go up and down depending on the market. This grade and purity is usually worth about 20,000,000 ~ 23,000,000 J.
“Oh, I’m lucky. I gained more than 2,000,000 J.”
“How is it? If you are fine with the price, I’ll buy it.”
“It is my pleasure. I’ll sell it. Thank you. And I’ll give you this as well.”
While saying that, Shin pointed to the Geyl gold coin on the counter.
“…Is this a joke?”
“Why would it be!?”
“Didn’t you hear me speak a while ago!? A Geyl gold coin is worth billions, no one in their right mind would give it freely in this world.”
“Here.”
Shin pointed at himself.
“Are you sure?…I’m not going to return it even if you ask for it.”
“Yup.”
Tiera quickly grab the Geyl gold coin and held it to her chest. Her eyes were sparkling while looking at the Geyl gold coin. At this time, Shin’s eyes were glued at Tiera’s chest, he was like a sad man’s destiny.
“Ah, it’s like dream come true… a G gold coin…”
Tiera’s expression changed completely to a delighted face with enchanting eyes. Shin suddenly felt a strange seductiveness from her, which caused his cheek to turned slightly red. He was then shaking his head to remove the dirty thought.
“Well, I’m glad you like it. Elves should find it useful since you can use ma――”
“Wait a moment!”
“――gic.”
Tiera interrupted Shin’s speech and stood up abruptly. Her expression had a look of someone who saw something unbelievable.
“…What is it?”
“Just now…did you say elf?”
“Ah, I said it…oh? Wasn’t it elf?”
Shin remembered that the facial feature of elves and High Elves were pointed ears, so he wanted to confirm it…Shin was still puzzled, because it may be a race he never seen before.
“I should look like a cat girl with red hair and black eyes.”
“Cat girl with red hair and black eyes?”
Cat people was one of the popular Beast races among female players and a certain group of male players. There were various derivations in Beast races, as for cat people, there are Persian cat, Calico cat and so forth. In addition, players were divided from their animal model, some players had the same face, arms, tail, wings and many more, while some only a portion of their body.
But in Shin’s eyes, Tiera was a beautiful black-haired and golden-eyed elven girl. There was no cat person, red hair, and black eyes.
“I can only see a beautiful elf girl with black hair and golden eyes in front of me.”
“That…”
He tried to emphasize her beauty, but it seemed she didn’t hear it.
“How? Master already cast illusion magic on me.”
“Illusion magic?”
Speaking of illusion magic, it was usually used to confuse or show hallucinations to the other party. It was a magic that had left a strong impression on Shin, because one of the magic’s users was from Rokuten.
“Uuu…to be exposed like this…”
Tiera was looking down and her face looked like the world was coming to an end. Tiera’s sudden depression caused Shin to desperately try to resolve the situation, since he didn’t know much about her and what caused her to be dejected.
“Um…Tiera?”
“Wha…what is it?”
He intended to talk gently, but Tiera was nervous that it was exaggerated.
“I noticed Tiera is an elf only because it is one of my quality features.”
“Qua…quality?”
“Yes. Illusion magic is the magic that shows hallucinations to and confuses the other party. However, it might be not effective towards the guys who have a strong resistance against magic. Therefore, that’s why I see the true form of Tiera.”
“But…even with strong resistance, for the magic that master cast to be broken…”
Even with Shin’s explanation, Tiera still wore the face that showed disbelief. According to Shin’s memory, Schnee, who was the master of Tiera, was a Lv. 255 High Elf. Furthermore, the magic used was surely strong, because High Elves were a magic specialized type. Though the status couldn’t be compared to Shin’s. Even other High Humans virtually could not match Shin’s stats, so no illusion magic could affect him.
Shin sighed after a long pause.
“Saw it”
“Hmm?”
“You, you saw my true form, right?”
“I saw a beautiful elven girl with black hair and golden eyes, did I make a mistake?”
“…………”
No response. Shin became discouraged and demoralized.
“…Aren’t you scared?”
Shin, who was regretting that he said something strange, heard Tiera’s soft voice. Her voice was like a child who was frightened by something.
“Scared of what?”
Shin immediately relaxed his thoughts and talked in a calm manner.
Still, is he frightening her?
When Tiera said in a trembling voice, Shin remembered one of the Rokuten member’s face.
Shin was proud of the login time he wasted for gamer class as he was having fun. But that member was hospitalized because of his excessive playing time.
The story was confessed during the offline meeting among members. Shin had a feeling that it was the same atmosphere at that time, as now with Tiera.
He was scared that the his true self was known.
But there was no one in Rokuten that cared about such things. Shin remembered that the member was very relieved.
Because there was such a situation, Shin was able to listen to Tiera without feeling shaken and changing expression.
“…You don’t know this either, do you?…Black-haired Elves are the symbol of bad luck.”
Tiera spoke while looking down.
“The symbol of bad luck?”
“Yes, Every elf is born with white hair. As they grow up, it turns gold, silver, green or blue-green colored. Can you believe it? My own hair was originally silver-colored.”
Tiera’s face looked like she was punishing herself.
“But now my hair is black. There is never a time when an elf’s hair turns black.”
“Never turns black?”
“Yes, elves with black hair bring misfortune. It happened to me all the time. Strong monsters suddenly attacked my village many times, and I was expelled from my village because of that.”
“…………”
“I was picked up by master after wandering aimlessly. And this store has a strong barrier to prevent the monsters from attacking. So I have not left this store for more than 100 years.”
“100 years?…That’s a long time.”
“Yes, but since I can live without inconveniencing someone, this is good for me.”
It’s impossible to be good, Shin wanted to shout. To be confined in the store for 100 years could never be good. However, he refrained from saying that, because nothing could be changed even if it was said. He clenched his fists in anger.
Although not even a day had yet passed since their meeting, Shin personally could properly comprehend why he was angry at himself.
“…Tiera, I want to confirm something.”
“…Confirm what?”
“Ah, though Tiera’s hair was originally silver-colored, why is it black-colored now?”
Shin had a feeling that it would give him a hint.
“It suddenly became black-colored on a certain day.”
“Suddenly?”
“Yes, suddenly. I woke up in the morning as usual, and it had become black-colored. I was really scared at that time, as I didn’t understand what had happened.”
As Tiera recalled that time, her body was trembling while hugging herself tight. From Tiera’s explanation, Shin was thinking at full steam for relevant information or knowledge.
“Suddenly, hair color changed…Attacked by monsters…The color of the hair…Changing color characteristic…Monsters…Attacked multiple times…Encountered many times…Possibly strong…The characteristic of color change…Vulnerable to monsters…Such a thing!?”
While Shin murmured something, a moment flashed in Shin’s mind. If his memory was correct, a possible condition was met.
“There…there is a way if the conditions are met!!”
“Eh? What is it?”
Shin was shouting while staring at Tiera. Tiera was shaken by Shin’s sudden shout.
Despite that, Shin’s eyes remained fixed on Tiera.
“I wonder why I had forgotten. However with this…hmm? This is strange, why is the status not displayed? It should be automatic.”
The reason Shin keep staring at Tiera was because he wanted to see her status. If Shin’s prediction was correct, then the status should appear.
“Uhm… ‘Skill Window Open’…Analyze…Analyze…ah, here it is. Display player and monster except when turned off. If I turn this on…”
Shin looked at Tiera again after applying the setting. Tiera felt a little uncertain as Shin was glaring into empty space while moving his finger.
“Okay, now I can see the status. Name, level, race…good…and…Ahhhhhh!!”
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 01 - A Beginning and an End/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-A-Beginning-and-an-End-[Shin+Oniichanyamete][dotNovel]/Volume_01_Chapter_02_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 2
Shin, who found what he looked for, unintentionally posed a victory pose. Tiera, who was watching Shin’s eccentricity, stayed on guard.
“Be delighted, Tiera! I just found out what causes your bad luck.”
“Eh?”
“Believe me. I’m sure because the display status appeared. The color of hair changes, the multiple attacks by monsters, they are all caused by [Cursed Gift].”
“[Cursed Gift]?”
Tiera was dumbfounded because she didn’t understand its meaning.
[Cursed Gift] was a curse that suddenly occurred in THE NEW GATE. It was literally bad luck.
Originally, players could obtain [Title] or [Gift] from regularly clearing the quests. On occasion, support abilities and items could be gained from it. Depending on the [Title], stats could be slightly strengthened as more new skills became available.
Then suddenly the [Cursed Gift] had fallen to all players. The curse had negative effect such as random status degradation, gained all kind of abnormalities, random encounters with strong, unique monsters and so on. It could only be cured with the magic skill [Purification]or by using the item [Holy Water].
Although the negative effect was random, the players with [Cursed Gift]had some part of their body turn black. Their status screens also showed an image of a laughing reaper.
Subsequently, Shin had confirmed that there was a laughing reaper shown at Tiera’s status screen.
“Alright, to make this quick, Tiera, I want you to step out from behind the counter and stand at the center of the store.”
“Eh…okay…”
As Shin said that, Tiera stood at the center of the store without much resistance as she was confused at the situation.
“Here I go. Activate [Purification]!!”
In order to eliminate the curse, Shin extended his right hand toward Tiera and activated his magic skill [Purification]. Shin acquired the skill that mainly used by a priest due to a certain circumstance.
Golden light began to gather on Shin’s right hand. At the same time, Tiera’s whole body was wrapped in golden light.
“It’s…it’s warm…”
Although Tiera was surprised when she got wrapped in the light, she didn’t feel any danger from the light emitted. Tiera felt comfort and warmth instead, while the purification process took place.
After about 5 minutes, the light gradually dimmed and disappeared.
Even after the light disappeared, the absentminded Tiera took a while to come back to her senses.
“…Was it successful?…”
Muttered Shin as he felt baffled. The laughing reaper’s icon slowly faded on Tiera’s status screen as Shin looked at it. However, the hair that should have returned to its original color, was still mostly black. A silver highlight was seen among the black hair.
The atmosphere between those two became silent for a while, because it was hard to determine whether the curse had disappeared.
“So, how is it?” Tiera asked.
“The curse is gone…it’s…it’s…but…the hair wasn’t completely restored…”
He had a hard time saying it.
“Hair?”
“Ah…I’m sorry, only part of your hair returned to its original color. But just in case, please confirm it.”
Shin said while feeling discouraged. A mirror was taken out from Item Box and passed to Tiera. Tiera snatched the mirror from Shin after she heard the word hair, and held it in front of her.
Tiera’s face was reflected in the mirror. There was a face that never changed. But one portion of her hair changed into a shining silver-color.
It was obviously the color Tiera once had.
“…Sob…sob…”
Tears started to flow down from Tiera’s eyes.
After that, tears started to burst out like a broken dam.
“Uu…sob…uu…”
While wiping her tears with her sleeve, Tiera cried quietly.
And in front of Tiera, there was a man who was totally confused.
Needless to say, it’s Shin, after all.
The girl who cried in front of him was not a little child, but an adult woman, yet due to Shin’s limited reasoning ability, he just remained still in that situation.
“Sob…just a moment…hick…need to…catch my breath…”
“Ah, I understand. Just take it slow.”
Shin passed a towel as he returned to his senses and dragged the chair from by the counter to let Tiera sit while she wept.
* * *
About 5 minutes later, Tiera raised her face from the towel. No tears remained, but her eyes were still red.
“I’m sorry, I’m alright now.”
“Is that so?”
“Why are you using honorifics?”
“No, well. Even though I removed the curse, your hair is mostly unchanged so I felt apologetic for that…”
While Tiera was crying, Shin was afraid that she might get angry again because of the hair.
However, judging from Tiera’s expression, she hadn’t shown any signs of being angry. At this time, Shin became timid. And just a while ago, the position was the exact opposite.
“I’m good about the hair…Please don’t use honorifics towards me. After more than 100 years of having black-colored hair, even if it’s only a little that has returned, I’m glad.”
Tiera smiled and looked very happy as she said that. And all the frightening feelings that Shin had, dissipated after seeing Tiera’s smile.
“Really? I am glad too.”
But, Shin thought. His mother and his younger sister always said that the hair was very important to women. That’s why Shin felt unsatisfactory for her.
“Yes, I’m really good, so don’t worry about it. But is the curse gone for real?”
“Ah, it should be, no doubt about it. I think it will be clear if you go out from the store.”
Since Tiera said it’s good, Shin convinced himself not to fuss about it.
Tiera’s curse, which was random encounters with unique monsters, couldn’t be proven to have disappeared unless she went outside the barrier. Because high level unique monsters couldn’t creep inside the barrier.
THE NEW GATE pursued reality in the game, so unbreakable objects were almost nonexistent. And the player’s stores, like Shin’s, were often aimed at by thieves player.
Therefore, many skills barrier system existed to prevent intrusion to the store. Which were applicable to monsters, too.
“Honestly, it is a little scary. What if the curse wasn’t dispelled?”
“It’s okay. Since I was cured from the curse too.”
“Eh? Eh!! You got cursed too!?”
“Ah, yes, my curse type was random encounters with high level unique monsters too, but I cured it with [Purification]skill.
When Shin was cursed, the unique monsters thoroughly tried to attack Shin repeatedly, until Shin was tired of it. And there was a time when Shin used them to raise his level.
“Is that so. Then, what was the highest level of monster that has attacked you?”
“Horn Dragon was probably the strongest. I think it was around level 200.”
“Is that the higher rank species of Lesser Dragon?”
“You know?”
“Ah, only a little.”
Horn Dragon was a higher rank species of Lesser Dragon, their size was twice as large and they had horns on their heads. Lesser Dragons were only around Lv. 100, but Horn Dragons were around Lv. 200. Tiera’s level was 57 from what Shin saw in the status screen, so there’s no chance of winning against the dragon.
In THE NEW GATE, the maximum level of a player was 255, and the maximum level of monsters was 1000. It was about four times more than the players. This was solved by reincarnation like Shin or other high level players. Especially Shin, or Rokuten similarly, could easily beat boss monsters and never get tired from it. But even Shin couldn’t let his guard down, as a boss monster was usually Lv. 1000. So Shin didn’t even feel any danger from Lv. 200 unique monsters.
“However, it is said that several elite forces of knights are needed to take on a Horn Dragon.”
“Elite forces? Why do they need the elite group for something like that?”
“Shh..They are the real elite, you know. Did you see a huge rampart next to the store before you came here?”
“Ah, I think I saw it.”
“That’s the reinforced rampart that surrounds the Kingdom of Bayreuth. Well, the captain of the elite force of the knights group in this country is only level 158. And the Horn Dragons are about level 200, so the captain needs 40 more levels to fight it head on. And only those with a screw loose in their head will take on that monster alone, so no one can brag about it.”
“158…that’s…?”
“Yes, it is absurd to even challenges the Kingdom’s no. 2 strongest alone.”
It seems that Tiera thought Shin was surprised by the captain’s high level. But actually, the level was too low. Shin thought it was absurd to have that level. And the level had barely reached the intermediate class in the player’s standards. Particularly, player’s standards like Shin’s.
If a monster that had a higher level than Horn Dragon appeared, it might annihilate two or three countries. Shin thought.
“Well then, let’s leave the store so that we can see whether the curse is gone.”
“Wait, didn’t you hear my story?”
“I heard it. It’s better to find out now if there are any more problems.”
“Not gonna happen. What if a Horn Dragon attacked us?”
“Oh.”
“…….Hey, just to make sure, what is your level?”
“I’m level 255?”
“…………”
Both of them went silent. Shin said it honestly, but it seems that Tiera doubted him.
“Tiera?”
“255…? Same as master?”
“Ah yes, my level is 255, same as Schnee.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Is it really true?”
“It is true.”
“Really hone――”
“Yes! yes! I’ve said it many times!”
“――st…”
The conversation stopped before it became a truth battle.
“Are you able to use [Analyze]? If you can, then you can see my stats too.”
“I can’t. Only the skill successor can use it.”
“What’s a skill successor?”
“…I begin to doubt your common sense.”
If he was a resident of this world, he would know that too. But Shin, who arrived in this world just a while ago, didn’t know anything about common sense. Rather, he just assumed it was the same as in the game and went with the flow.
“Even if it’s said to be common sense, I do not understand it well because I lived far from human villages for a long time.”
Since he couldn’t say that he was in a game before coming here, he decided to say that he lived as a hermit. It was the most likely excuse for his ignorance of this world, thought Shin.
“I understand. I will tell you everything you need to know, just ask if you have something you don’t understand.”
“Thank you.”
Shin bowed his head to express his gratitude while Tiera said “Somehow…”.
“First of all, the skill successor. Because the people who can read the symbols are lost along with the skills. Skills can only be inherited nowadays. A lot of skills were lost during the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’ and currently, less than 100 skills still remain.”
“Less than 100, huh?…”
Shin unable to hide his surprise for that number. THE NEW GATE was known for its numerous skills, and the number coming out of Tiera’s mouth was not even 1/10 of the total amount of skills.
“Nowadays, skills are used to gain personal benefit. The people who make a living by fighting, such as adventurers and knights, are using weakened skills which are called Arts. Though it has the same name with as the original skill, its power and effect only amounts to 1/3 of the original. The magic my master showed to me was ‘Magic Skills’, but I can only use ‘Magic Arts’. And naturally the power gap is huge.”
“I see, the skills that turned weak are called arts. Is there a separate level in arts?”
Some level in skills have their own setting. Shin activated [Analyze • Ⅹ]. He immediately understood the skill right away, because the letter of Ⅰ~Ⅹ was attached after the skill name. The lowest was Ⅰ, and the highest was Ⅹ. This setting system was almost nonexistent in combat skills, and most support skills were using this setting system.
“As far as I know, arts do not have levels like skills.”
“It will be hard to fight using arts…”
Shin couldn’t help to think that it’s difficult to fight using arts, as skills were more favorable than arts.
“You can use skills, right? What skills are you able to use? Just now you used one, didn’t you? How many skills can you use? 2? 3? No way!! Is it 4!?”
“Indeed, one digit is too few. I’m certain that I can use at least 1000 or more. Although I don’t know the exact number, because I never counted them.”
“What? 1000? Did I hear it wrong?”
Tiera tilted her head and thought whether Shin was making a joke or not. It felt like a joke, because it strayed too much from this world’s common sense, even though the joke was the truth.
“Do you have the[Analyze]skill by chance? I can lend it to you, although the skill is only level Ⅰ, so it can’t see my limit break level, but it wouldn’t hurt to have it either. Well, I’ll use the skill [Secret Books Creation].”
“?”
Tiera looked puzzled as Shin once again moved his hand in the air.
“Creation successful.”
“…”
“Wha, what is this?”
Shin handed a scroll to Tiera. Various potential derivation of skills mastery could be learned and benefited if the skill proficiency was raised to a certain level. One of the benefits of [Secret Books Creation] was that it was possible to creates items. [Secret Books Creation] was able to make scrolls. When [Secret Books Creation] was used, it was possible for other player to learn the skill from the book.
Although it’s reasonable, various restrictions were imposed to the skill, such as the number of skills that could be made was fixed, players couldn’t learn the skill if the acquisition condition were not met, and so forth.
To begin with, [Secret Books Creation] also had some skills that were impossible to make. As there were only few strong skills that could be created by [Secret Books Creation]. High class skills from [Secret Books Creation] were limited to low-level, and there was a level restriction too.
[Analyze]wasn’t technically seen a skill. Even the restrictions from [Secret Books Creation] were kept at a minimum. So Shin could share the skill with other players unlimited because of this. It was one of the reasons why he made that scroll.
“The secret book of [Analyze]. If you read this, you will be able to use this skill.”
Because [Secret Books Creation]was usable for a support character, Shin thought of making good use of it. However, he intended to apologize if it didn’t work. These kind of things wouldn’t be understood if he didn’t try it.
“Can the skill be used after this? But I don’t have anything of equivalent value to this.” “Equivalent value?”
Shin was going to give it for free, but Tiera seems didn’t get it. Apparently, skills were a substantially valuable thing in this world.
“I told you, didn’t I? Skills are valuable too. Anyhow, one would need a large sum of money for an apprentice like me to get a skill from a master. And you will give this to me for free?”
“Eh, It is, even though I was going to say it. Did I do something wrong?”
“For the time being, please refrain from raising this matter to anyone. Because it could become a serious matter. Depending on the situation, one life might be targeted.”
“To that extent!?”
Shin decided to instruct only the fellows he trusted with the skills from [Secret Books Creation], as he never thought that his life could be targeted by someone.
“Well, don’t get too scared. I think Tiera will be safe, so have you read it yet?”
“No, after I use it, will there be any compensation claims?”
“No!!”
Am I an evil swindler!? Shin wanted to retort. However, because there was the possibility of one life getting targeted, it was normal to be cautions.
“Giving away a skill for free is your modus operandi, isn’t it?”
“If that’s the case, then I should have made a high-class skill to deceive you.”
“To me, even this skill is very valuable. It must be a great feeling to have several skills.”
“But I cannot use arts. And I thought this is natural, so I have no feelings about it, because I think I possessed all the skills.”
“What a ‘luxurious agony’…well, whatever. I’ll receive it without reservation then.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it. It would be rather embarrassing if you didn’t take it.”
Tiera took the scroll and seemed convinced for the time being. Shin urged her to read it, so she opened it and took a look at the scroll.
When she began to read it, a light wrapped Tiera’s body and faded after 10 seconds. This was the effect when a skill was acquired. And apparently the skill learning process had been completed.
“How is it?”
Shin was anxious because he didn’t know if [Secret Books Creation] would work in this world. That’s why he needed to test it.
“Somehow it is a mysterious feeling. [Analyze] showed up in my head after I opened the scroll, and something like flows special effect coming out. However, there is no unpleasantness.”
“Eh, is that so?”
Shin was relieved as the skill was successfully learned. From here on, he would keep that in mind in case he used it again.
“I can see your name, but the other stats have a weird symbol on them.”
“As expected, the name is visible. Well, the weird symbol is called question mark. It will only show when the level difference is huge. So it’s common not seeing the stats.”
“Eh, originally the name is not visible. But now that I gained a skill, I can see it, although your stats are hidden because of the level difference. This skill more or less shows that you are indeed strong.”
“Will you believe me now? I will keep you safe from monsters when you go out of the store.”
“I have no choice but to consider what we have done till now, so I’ll believe in you.”
Tiera seemed more willing to believe in Shin thanks to the skill [Analyze] that she had learned. There might be some uneasiness of course, since Tiera had constantly been attacked by monsters up till now.
“I’ll go out first to check the surrounding area just in case. After that, please come out.”
“Okay, sure.”
Shin went out of Tsuki no Hokora and looked at the surrounding area to make sure there were no monsters around. [Search] also confirmed that there were no monsters in the vicinity.
“All clear, you can come out now!”
Tiera peeked outside the door as she looked at the surroundings.
At Tsuki no Hokora, there were skill barriers – [Barrier • Ⅹ] and [Wall • Ⅹ] set by Schnee. The [Barrier • Ⅹ] could prevent monsters from Lv. 900 to 1000 (Depends on the user’s levels) from attacking the store, and even if they attacked, the invisible wall could counterattack.
And [Wall • Ⅹ]could prevent player intrusion (Also depends on the user’s level) from level 230-255. Because both of them were of the highest level, the invasion was impossible even with [Cut Through].
By the way, for [Wall • Ⅹ], it’s necessary to set the setting permission so that general guests weren’t mistaken for invaders. Players were prohibited using weapons and combat skills in Tsuki no Hokora. When Shin was the store owner before, he went into details, such as preventing players from equipping weapons.
At present, the radius of the barrier skills were around 20 mels. (T/N: In case you forgot, 1 mel = 1 meter)
“Come, over here.”
“Ehh, okay…”
When Shin beckoned her, Tiera approached slowly. That was because Shin was standing about 1 mel from outside of the barrier.
“…………”
“…………”
Shin watched the surrounding area while Tiera was silent because of the nervousness.
For about 5 minutes, there was no change in the surroundings, except warm winds that stroked their hair.
“Nothing is happening.”
“Yup, nothing happens.”
Furthermore, after 5 minutes, Shin judged that there was no problem. It was because the curse would make monsters to attack once in every 10 minutes.
“There is no monster coming.”
“Indeed.”
In the first 5 minutes, Tiera was nervous and couldn’t stop checking the surroundings.
“The curse is finally gone, right?”
“It sure is.”
Tiera replied to Shin’s question while looking up at the sky.
The sky was so vast and blue, it made Tiera’s eyes open wide. It was not compressed by the store’s windows she always saw it from.
She could feel the wind, the sunlight and smell the scent of the forest. Such nostalgic feelings spread to Tiera’s mind.
Shin felt relieved as he saw Tiera looked up at the sky. While it was still necessary to be frightened by monsters, at least she no longer needed to worry about her surroundings or troubling people. It was possible to go outside the store freely from now on.
“The sky is so wide.”
“Oh.”
Tiera muttered as she just remembered.
Then Shin looked up at the sky with Tiera for a while.
The corner of Tiera’s eyes shined as she looked at the wide sky, and Shin didn’t say anything.
“Let’s go back soon.”
Said Tiera, while Shin turned his gaze from the sky to Tiera.
“Let’s go then.”
There was no objection since they only came outside the store to confirm that the curse was dispelled from Tiera. After that, the two walked back to the store.
“Still, to really dispelled the curse.”
After she returned to the counter, Tiera muttered heartily. She still hadn’t caught up with reality.
“That was more or less because of the skill [Purification]. If anything, I was having a hard time and went through a lot of trouble to learn this rare skill.”
“Any curse can be purified with [Purification], right? To think that it was hard to get this curse dispelled.”
“Why is that? Don’t priests have this skill? It would be strange if they don’t have one like it.”
“That’s not it. Because [Purification] can only be used by high-ranking priests, so I can’t really ask them to meet me. Also, due to the nature of the curse, I can’t come to meet them with all the monsters around.”
“However, that would have been different somehow if the curse effect was stats degradation.”
Tiera just said something dangerous without her realizing it. As for the stats degradation, the curse would make stats drop to 1/10 from the original. Even combating with small fry monsters would be difficult.
“Now that it is dispelled, it’s useless to think about it.”
“That’s right. After all, you are able to roam freely again.”
“Yes, although the elves dislike black hair, if the hair is not completely black-colored, it might be different story.”
“Hmm? If the hair is all black-colored, it’s no good?”
“Yes. I couldn’t even conceal my hair when I was cursed before. The dye would turn black after some time. But now that the curse is gone, I can dye my hair again.”
“Is that so.”
Because the act of dyeing hair was not possible in the game, Shin didn’t understand such things. To begin with, as soon as players got cursed, they immediately used items or found a priest to purify it. So the players never needed to dye their hair.
“Ah right, this is your reward for the materials and the jewel.”
Tiera placed a bag on the counter. It was swelled considerably, because there were more than 50 pieces of gold and silver coins.
“Can this fit into Item Box?”
When he tried to put it in Item Box, he saw Geyl gold coin slots in the display screen. And it also showed up 26 J gold coins and 27 J silver coins. Somehow, every coin was displayed, separated by type. It was indeed convenient.
“The coins disappeared? That’s convenient.”
Shin couldn’t say anything but smile wryly because Tiera already said what he wanted to. That was yet another use for Item Box for items. And there was no need for a wallet.
“For the time being, I need to find an inn to stay at for today.”
“Are you perhaps going to enter the Bayreuth Kingdom?”
“Yes, there are various places I would like to explore. Is there a good place to gather information?
“Well. Wait a minute, I will give you something good as an extra service.”
After Tiera said so, she went to a room located behind the counter. If Shin’s memory was correct, there was a private room there.
Tiera entered the room, and 3 minutes later she came out, handing a piece of paper to Shin.
“This is?”
“A letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora. With this letter, you can enter the country without having to wait in line for inspection.”
Apparently there was a waiting line to enter the country. Shin, who wanted to find an inn today, was feeling grateful.
“I appreciate it. I didn’t want to be homeless and sleep on the street when I came here. But is this okay? To give an introduction letter to someone who you just met today.”
Although Shin thought that he was not qualified, Tiera unexpectedly shook her head.
“The curse that stayed for more than 100 years was dispelled. Besides, you meet the qualifications. Moreover, I think you are a good person. There is no problem…Even with this, I still haven’t returned all your favors.”
“A good person…what did you say just now, I couldn’t hear the latter half?”
“Geez, I don’t care! I said there is no problem and please leave obediently.”
Tiera said so, while pushing the letter of introduction to Shin. Although her face looked downward to conceal her reddened face, it could be seen from her ears which turned slightly red.
“All right, all right. I will take it without reservation then.”
Again, Shin didn’t notice it. While another person would have noticed it, he himself was a dense person.
“Then I’ll go now. In addition, please take care of me the next time when purchasing the monsters I hunted.”
“I understand, please don’t force yourself too much. Because I’ll get nothing if you die.”
“See you then.”
“I’ll look forward to your next visit.”
Tiera lowered her head and Shin waved his hand lightly while exiting the Tsuki no Hokora.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 01 - A Beginning and an End/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-A-Beginning-and-an-End-[Shin+Oniichanyamete][dotNovel]/Volume_01_Chapter_02_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 3
Shin came out of Tsuki no Hokora and crossed the woods until he was in front of the ramparts and started to walk along it. Since he didn’t know which way the town entrance was, he went along with his feeling. He somehow knew that he would reach the town entrance sooner or later if he just walked while following the ramparts.
“Anyway, these ramparts look really sturdy. “
Shin thought as he saw the ramparts again. Because[Analyze] was originally a skill to see the details of players and monsters, he didn’t know much about its magic bestowal beyond skill level Ⅴ. But from Tiera’s story, all skills were valuable and he could guess that there were excellent skill successors out there.
After walking for around 15 minutes, he could see a line formed in front of the rampart. It seemed like there was a town gate nearby.
And there were various people wearing all kinds of clothes. Furthermore, there was a human boy who wore tattered clothing, a female beast equipped with an armor and a dwarf who was accompanied by a small dragon. The person who wore a robe might be a magician, and the guy with a big wagon might be a merchant. Shin looked around while seeing the line moving slowly. Since all players in the game had a neat appearance (though there were some people who dressed in strange clothes), Shin was astonished by the scenery.
A soldier who was equipped with an armor just like a townsguard, was checking something like an identification card. Besides that, they also checked the luggage in the wagon briefly. Shin walked straight to the gate since he had a letter of introduction from Tiera.
About 20 mels from the gate, a guard noticed Shin who wasn’t waiting in line, and Shin had a suspicious look on his face.
One of the guards approached Shin as he was about 10 mels from the gate.
“Hey you! If you want to get into the town, get in the line! I can’t let you enter if you don’t line up.”
Said the guard, while pointing at the end of the line. The line was so long that the end of the line couldn’t be seen.
“Well, um, I was told I could enter the town if I show this.”
He took out the letter of introduction from Item Box, while pretending to take it out from his chest pocket.
The guard took the letter from Shin, looked at the contents, and revealed a shocked look. Not to mention, his hands were trembling afterward.
“…Letter of introduction…from Tsuki no Hokora…”
“Yes, I got it from the sales clerk.”
Shin didn’t know why the guard was surprised, or what were the effects of a letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora.
He was even worried about the guard whose hands were trembling.
“I need to confirm whether this is the real thing. Come with me.”
“Okay.”
The guard gathered other guards and began to discuss something like ‘Is it genuine?’ Or ‘how do we decide whether it’s the real thing?’
At the same time, Shin saw a horse that was 1.5 times bigger than a normal horse, stopped at the front gate.
While Shin was looking at the horse, the guard returned.
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. This way.”
“Ah, I understand.”
The guard’s manners changed completely and he became very polite. It was so sudden that it felt out of place.
(Is the letter of introduction that great?)
The road was opened for them while Shin felt stares from the people in the line. Besides that, the place was filled with people and several large wagons going in and out. Along the edge of the street, there were various stalls standing in a row, selling things like food, armor, accessories, strange items, and so on.
“I will be your guide to the adventurers’ guild. Will that be all right for you?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. Thank you very much.”
Another guard talked to Shin. It seemed like he took over the task of the guard who spoke to Shin previously.
“Do you have any plans to go somewhere else beside the guild? I’ll guide you if you don’t mind.”
“No, because there is no other plan, I would like to head toward the adventurers’ guild, and please don’t use honorifics with me.”
“Still…to be rude to those with a letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora.”
“No problem, just act like usual.”
“…Well, if you said so. I underst…”
“Honorific!”
“I understand, I understand, it’s just hard to adjust.” (T/N: The guard actually said “understand” in a polite tone. Then said it again in an informal tone.)
Shin didn’t mean to act big just because he got the letter of introduction by chance. Meanwhile, the guard with the guide’s role, mixed up the formal and informal tone in his speech.
“I’m glad you understand.”
“Geez, for someone to have a letter of introduction and not wanting me to be polite?”
“Well, it just felt wrong. By the way, I’m Shin. Nice to meet you.”
Shin was formerly a student. He wasn’t accustomed by an older man using honorifics toward him.
“I’m Beid. I’ve lived in this town my whole life. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
Beid laughed after saying that. He gave an impression of a bear because of his brown hair and beard. According to [Analyze • Ⅹ], Beid was level 100. It was said that the strongest knight was level 158, so Shin couldn’t judge whether Beid was strong or not.
“Then, I want to ask you something. Why was I being led to an adventurers’ guild?”
Even though he intended to go to the adventurers’ guild, he didn’t remember saying it to the guard. But then he recalled where he had asked Tiera for any good places to gather information.
“It was written in the introduction letter. I have to do it since it is stated in the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora.”
“I see. Ah, just to confirm, is the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora such a big deal?”
“Did you show it without knowing about it!?”
For some reason he was surprised.
“No, this is my first time coming to this country and it was a coincidence that I went to Tsuki no Hokora.”
“Coincidence? And got a letter of introduction? You are something…”
“I’m just a wanderer.”
“Unbelievable! No, never mind then. I don’t know about other countries, but with the letter of introduction, it’s possible to have an audience with the King. Some people have even tried to forge the letter of introduction.”
It seemed the letter of introduction was a rather big deal around here.
“Tiera…this is more than an extra service…”
Shin murmured as he regretted not knowing this awesome stuff earlier. Actually, he thought it was just a simple border pass. If Beid’s story was true, it was only natural that the guards were surprised.
“I’d say, it would be a problem if it got lost…”
“…Just now, someone passed it to the other guard.”
Shin who just realized it, tried to get it back. But as Shin made a U-turn, he was stopped by Beid.
“It’s okay, if it is the letter of introduction, I have it. How many guards can even carry it normally. It was returned before it could be left to idiots who are up to no good.”
“Beid, good job!!”
Shin unconsciously gave Beid a thumbs-up. Shin’s original image of him as a crude person was instantly erased, giving him a better impression of Beid.
Shin then placed the letter of introduction in the 『Important Things』 zone in the Item Box. This zone had an anti-theft function attached . Skills like [Steal] or [Robbery] were not effective in this zone, so Shin didn’t have to worry about it getting stolen or robbed.
“Oh, I almost forgot, when you arrive at the adventurers’ guild, give the letter of introduction to a receptionist named Els.”
“Els?”
“The miss receptionist of the guild, and at the same time, an elf adventurer. There are some kind of ancient elven runes written on that letter. And she is the only elf in the adventurers’ guild. So it is probably addressed to her.”
“I understand. I’ll give it to her in the guild.”
Shin didn’t know that Tiera had another elf as acquaintance, yet he firmly memorized her name.
As the matter of the introduction letter was settled, Shin heard Beid’s explanation about the town.
“That reminds me, this is your first time coming to this country. I will explain to you about this town. So first, this street is the rough division of the town. The gate you entered just now is the south gate. There are gates in the south, north, east and west, but only the south gate is used most often.”
“Why is the south gate used mostly?”
“The reason is that the south gate is the connecting point of the districts. There is also a commercial district in front of the south gate. Besides that, the king’s castle is in the center of this country, and the wealthy town residents, such as nobles and rich merchants, surround it. It is surrounded by the four districts.”
“Hmm…I see…”
“The south commercial district, as said just now, generally has everything you need like foods, items, miscellaneous goods and so forth. The guilds are in the east district. Many headquarters of guilds are located there, such as adventurers’ guild, merchants guild, blacksmiths guild and so on.
The west is a residential district. Almost all of the town’s population live there. The inn is also a place for adventurers to replenish their stock from merchants, besides being the place to stay overnight. Finally, the north district…is in development for the time being.”
Beid hesitated as he talked about the north district. Shin had an idea about it, so he asked Beid daringly.
“Is the development only a name, or is it a slum area?”
“As expected, you understand indeed. Yes, it is. Although I said it’s in a development zone, eventually those with no place to go started to move in one after another. Though each of them have their own motives. Anyway, its security is at the worst, and it’s better to stay away from there.”
Beid advised Shin with a bitter expression.
However, it was not only this country, but most big countries also have such places.
Meanwhile, Shin observed the town situation as he listened to Beid. In the commercial district, various people were coming and going, Shin saw a man with an appearance of an adventurer. The man was carrying a large sword and wore a full body armor.
Shin was excited and almost called out to him , especially after he saw the man was carrying a Dragon Sword. Beid said it was a weapon from an island country called ‘Hinomoto’, which is in the east of the continent.
In the meantime, Shin arrived at the adventurers’ guild. The building was larger than the neighboring building, and had a signboard with a sword and a spear crossed were painted. Somehow, this was the representation of the adventurers’ guild.
“My duty ends here. Don’t work yourself too hard in there.”
“Oh, thank you for guiding me here, and for the information as well.”
Shin went into the adventurers’ guild building after seeing off Beid who lightly waved his hand.
He opened the guild’s door and entered.
From the entrance door, the receptionist desk could be seen on the right side, and the bar on the left side. At the center hall, there was a bulletin board which had many requests posted on it.
Since rowdy NPCs often hung around in adventurers’ guilds when he played the game, Shin had that image when entering the guild. Nevertheless, no garbage could be seen on the floor, nor adventurers shouting at each other, nor glares from other adventurers.
It was merely a group of adventurers who had just finished their tasks and were having a toast. The bar seemed to be just a normal bar.
Shin went straight toward the receptionist desk, even though he felt hungry after seeing the bar.
“Welcome to the adventurers’ guild, how can I help you today?”
The beautiful woman who was the receptionist greeted Shin as he approached. She had light brown hair that reached her shoulders. Apparently, the reception desk of guilds were always filled with beautiful women.
There was also a tall man with a height of about 2 mels and scars on his face next to the receptionist. It goes without saying, Shin casually detoured to the woman’s side at the reception.
“I would like to register as an adventurer.”
“For that, please go upstairs on your left and head over to the second room. One J silver coin is required for the initial registration, is that alright with you?”
“Yes, it’s alright. Thank you.”
He voiced his gratitude and went up the stairs. Without stopping, Shin was thinking that there was no such procedure during the game. Then he saw the second room and entered it.
Shin approached the desk on the middle, as there were only three desks.
“We provide registration for adventurers here. You want to register as an adventurer, is that correct?”
“Ah, yes, I want to register as an adventurer.”
He replied to the receptionist with a bewildered look. Shin was confused, as the receptionist’s face and that of the receptionist below, were like two peas in a pod. The only difference was that this receptionist had her hair in a ponytail.
“Is something the matter?”
“No, you just look identical to the receptionist below.”
“That is my older sister. Because we are twins, I am often mistaken as her. I will be helping you register today. My name is Cilica Lindt. Please treat me well.”
“I am Shin. Please take care of me as well.”
“First, you will need to pay the initial cost of one J silver coin.”
“Okay.”
He took out one J silver coin from Item Box. Shin thought it looked a little unnatural since he took it out from his chest, but Cilica received the coin without any suspicion.
“Then, please fill out this form.”
In the document, there were entries to be filled up such as name, race, main weapon, able to use magic or not, and so on.
“Do I have to fill out everything?”
“No, only your name and race are required. While it would be easier to receive support if you fill it all out, we won’t force you as this is not compulsory. No one will treat you differently because of it. So please rest assured.”
“Okay.”
Since there was an entry for place of birth, Shin just had to skip it, because he was not from this world. The race was filled as a human just in case.
Main weapon was sword, able to use magic, and because there was entry for age, one year of the death game was added in his true age, so he wrote down as 21 years old.
It was a bit late to bring it up now, but the document was written in Japanese. The spoken language was Japanese, so it was only natural that it was also being used in the document. Shin was thankful because of it. He was worried in the beginning, as he thought it would be written with characters like wriggling earthworms.
After that, he gave the document to Cilica, and she just skimmed it through. She was probably checking if it was incomplete.
“Your name is Shin-sama, is that right?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Then the document is complete. Next, please drip one drop of blood on this card.
Cilica handed Shin a needle and a silver card.
Shin pricked the tip of his finger and dripped the blood on the card. The card didn’t reject the blood and absorbed it like a sponge.
“With this, the procedure is complete. The card will take one day to process, so it will be ready by tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
It seemed that he would need to wait until tomorrow before receiving his card.
“Would you like hear more information about the guild?”
“Yes, please.”
“First of all, adventurers are divided by ranks, from the highest SS to S, A, B, C, D, E, F, and the lowest G rank. Because Shin-sama just registered, your rank is G. Whenever a request is completed, the point is added and your rank will rise accordingly. If a request is failed or abandoned, the point for the request is subtracted from the current point. The rank will drop if the points are below a certain standard. In addition, you must pay the cancellation fee twice of the reward offered. You can receive requests up to two ranks above you. You can only receive requests one rank above you if you become rank C and above. You can form a party with two or more members. It is also possible to participate in the request of the top three or more rank. Depending on the members, you will receive the request according to the members of the top rank.”
“What is the maximum number of members allowed in a party?”
Shin asked since he was interested. The maximum number of people in a party was six people during the game.
“One party can be formed by up to six members. It becomes a form called joint work, where you cross multiple parties when you receive a request for further numbers of people. This is usually seen on subjugation requests of strong monsters, or fairly large-scale requests.”
It seemed that the number of party members remained unchanged. However, the request (it was called Quest in the game) for further numbers of people seemed different from the game, there was no joint work or multiple parties.
“There are various kinds of requests such as miscellaneous duties, fishing, subjugation, escort, and so forth. Please be warned that the guild won’t take responsibility for taking a request without the guild’s approval. An unsuitable request for your ability is likely to receive or sustain severe injuries or even death.”
“What will happen if the request and the contents are different? If a subjugation request is received and upon getting there, the monster is stronger than the request said.”
“In such case, it’s fine to abandon the request. You need to report it, so that the penalty will not occur. Even if the guild verifies all the risky requests, please do not take it without precautions, as not all requests can be covered.”
‘The management seemed to lack of efficiency. But since the information network wasn’t developed, it couldn’t be helped’, Shin thought.
“The guild will buy the raw materials from subjugated monster. It’s a good source for extra income. Next――”
The explanation from Cilica lasted for about 20 minutes. Even if Shin heard everything, he could not memorize all of it.
“――That’s all for today. I’ll explain again about the guild card tomorrow when you receive it. Do you have any questions?”
“Can I receive requests now?”
“After the guild card is issued, you can accept requests right away. Because the guild card also acts as a border pass, I advise that you spend the night in the town.”
“I see. I don’t have any more questions.”
“Well, that’s it for today. I wish for Shin-sama’s success.”
Cilica executed a graceful bow, and Shin left the counter.
Shin went down the stairs and spoke with the receptionist who guided him before.
“Thank you for the help a little while ago.”
“The procedure was completed, I see. Well then, again, Welcome to the Adventurers’ Guild. My name is Celica Lindt, I am responsible for the request procedures. My best regards in the future.”
“I am Shin. Same here. Are you the elder sister of Cilica from the registration counter?”
“So it was Cilica in charge. Well, yes, I am the older sister of Cilica. Because we are twins, we look very alike.”
“I was surprised. I thought you could teleport instantly.”
“It is possible for a person coming here for the first time to have that curious look on their face when they return, just like that person over there.”
Shin followed Celica’s gaze after she said that. It was the figure of a new adventurer, who left the guild while tilting his head. He was the person next to Shin when he received an explanation earlier.
“And I often get mistaken for my sister, even in the guild. I hope Shin-sama won’t mix us up, too.”
Shin momentarily felt the pressure from Celica’s smile. As a matter of fact, Shin probably thought it was troublesome to pay attention to it.
“Still, I will do my best. Ah, can I ask you a question?”
Shin asked as he just recalled what Beid said to him. However, the big man next to Celica threw a glance at Shin a couple of times for some reason. Shin’s intuition was sounding alarms, but he decided to ignore it for now.
“Yes, feel free to ask.”
“I heard that adventurer named Els works here as receptionist.”
There were only two people (Celica and the big man) in the receptionist desk. Shin wanted to say ‘Miss’ before the receptionist, but was unable to, due to the big man next to Celica.
“I’m sorry, Els just received a request and is out-of-town right now. She will return today if no trouble occurs. Please ask again when you receive the guild card tomorrow. If she is not available, then I will pass her a message.”
Apparently, Shin got the wrong timing. Since she was an adventurer, she might not always here.
Shin was hoping for a better luck tomorrow.
“I see, then I will come again tomorrow.”
Celica bowed slightly and then Shin headed to the bar. He hadn’t eaten since he was transported to this world.
There were several guests in the bar besides the group of adventurers before. The average level was around 90.
Shin found a seat in a less crowded area. He then read the menu. Although the menu was written in Japanese, he didn’t understand what kind of dish would be served, so he just asked for today’s recommended set.
“Today’s recommended set, Shin-sama.”
“Oh, ah, yes…?”
Shin turned around and faced the waitress. He didn’t know why the waitress knew his name, then he saw the waitress’s face.
It was Celica with whom he just parted a while ago.
“EH!…weren’t you the receptionist just now?”
“Yes.”
“But you are wearing a different dress.”
“Yes, I wear the uniform of the guild at the reception desk.”
“Did you change your clothes?”
“Of course.”
“Isn’t that too fast? And why a waitress?”
“It’s normal to change clothes like this. Sometimes, I work here to help when the receptionist desk isn’t crowded.”
That’s not normal…Shin wanted to retort. It had only been 3 minutes since he left the receptionist desk, and then Celica appeared. He couldn’t help but think it was impossible.
After a while, a dish was served which consisted of a steak with a thickness of about 3 cemels, a salad of raw vegetables, and a soup. It was not a dish that could be cooked in a short time.
In the meantime, no one seemed to go to the receptionist desk since Celica left, so only the big man was there. Shin could sympathize with the adventurers who were taking requests at this time.
“Please help yourself to the dish.”
“Well, itadakimasu.”
Shin said so and started eating. For some reason, Celica settled herself on the seat in front of Shin.
(Wha…what is this development?…)
It couldn’t be helped, but it was uncomfortable to eat while being stared at.
Anyway, the dish was delicious, especially the steak. The salad had a pleasant texture, the stewed chicken meat was crispy and the soup was quite good.
However, the situation was quite uncomfortable. He couldn’t enjoy his meal.
“Is it okay for other customers to be left waiting, Celica-san?”
“It’s alright, another waitresses can serve them.”
It seemed that she didn’t want to leave.
“Though it’s hard to eat while being stared at…”
“Please don’t mind me.”
“That’s impossible, you know…”
She just replied with a smile. She said not to mind her, but Shin still felt uncomfortable.
“Haa, what is it, really? Is this harassment against newcomers?”
“Actually, there is something I want to confirm.”
“Then please say so from the beginning.”
“I just wanted to see what kind of person you are before that.”
Still, Shin thought he was being made fun of.
“Well? What is it that you want to confirm?”
Shin said so, and Celica answered in a lowered voice.
“Yes, I received a report that Shin-sama has a letter of introduction from a certain place.”
Shin only heard the words ‘letter of introduction’, and he could understand. Apparently, this was more important than Shin thought.
“Ah, is that so? I certainly have it.”
“Would it be okay for you if we go to another room to confirm the letter of introduction?”
“If I can finish my meal first, then it’s okay. Although I have to decline unless the guild master is there.”
“…………”
Shin said that as a joke, however Celica had become silent unexpectedly. In addition, he could felt her gaze wander around.
“…Well, it was a joke”
“…I’m sorry, I was asked by the guild master to take you there.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes”
From her firm voice, Shin could confirm that it was the truth. He felt disheartened, as he had to meet the highest authority in the guild on his first day.
“…Can’t we do it tomorrow?”
He secretly sighed, because it was an abnormal event to meet a guild master on his first day after coming to this world.
“Again, I’m sorry, but…”
Celica looked behind Shin after she said that.
The guild master was there behind Shin.
(Fuh, want me to turn around…ehhhhh!!!)
Shin knew there was someone behind him, but he didn’t think it was the guild master. He turned around reluctantly, and regretted his futile decision.
The person who stood behind Shin was an unexpected person.
“…………”
“I couldn’t wait anymore. I am sorry to disturb you while you’re eating. Hahaha”
It was the big man from the receptionist desk who just talked and laughed.
It was the big man who was throwing glances at Shin.
It was the big man who made Shin’s intuition send warning signs.
In other words, it was the big man.
“Hey, it’s you?!”
He was surprised that he used an informal tone unconsciously.
“I heard the report and I wanted to meet you immediately.”
The big man, who was said to be the guild master, talked with a smile.
“Barlux-sama. If you could just wait a little longer…”
“Not this one. After all, this is a thing to be worried about. Shin-kun, right? I’m Barlux. It may be a bit sudden, but can you come to my room?”
Apparently, Barlux was the name of the guild master. Speaking of guild master, Shin was surprised as he imagined a person of old age. The guild master’s appearance looked like a man in his late 30s to early 40s. There was a big scar on his face, if combined with his large stature, he gave of the feeling of intimidation right away. Despite that, he had this friendly smile which reduced the intimidating feeling by half.
Yet, his level was 228, the highest level he had seen in this world.
“Haa, though I don’t mind, please let me finish my meal first.”
“Of course, sorry about that. I’ll be waiting in my room.”
Barlux went back to his room after he said that.
“As a guild master, he looks pretty young. I thought some old man would be the leader in this place. Ah, so in this case, is an old man’s experiences not significant here?”
Shin talked based on the images he had in games and novels.
“I understand your thought. What Shin-sama said is not entirely wrong. In fact, most of the guild masters in other cities are elderly persons. Nevertheless, Barlux-sama is a former S rank adventurer, so his experience and connections are not inferior to the other guild masters.
“Former S rank, huh?”
Shin was still ignorant about this world’s common sense, but he could still imagine that the road to rank S wasn’t easy. If viewed from that level, that person would be considered a guild master.
He finished his meal while thinking about such things.
At the same time, he felt glances from everywhere after the appearance of the guild master. And then, he proceeded to the reception desk, guided by Celica.
There were rooms behind the reception desk, the room which Shin was guided to had complete furniture for a guest such as sofa, table, desk and bookshelf. Although Shin didn’t know its price, it gave the impression of first-class goods.
“Welcome to the adventurers’ guild. I’m sorry, I was rude earlier. I am Barlux Heim, the guild master.”
When Shin entered the room, Barlux shook Shin’s hand while he introduced himself.
“I am Shin. My best regards to you.”
Shin could feel that the hand he shook was stiff and rugged, and it was definitely powerful.
“Please take a seat.”
Shin sat on the sofa while Celica served tea on the table.
“Shin-kun. Although it’s a bit sudden, I want to see the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora.”
“Here.”
The letter of introduction was taken out from Item Box, and he gave it to Barlux. At the same time, Barlux placed another paper on the table. Then, a pattern of a crescent moon that was drawn on the center of the letter, shined in silver.
“This is…?”
“The letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora is a little special. The magic of the introduction letters will resonate if brought near each other. The crest will shine like this. In other words, this letter of introduction is genuine.”
From Barlux’s explanation, it seemed to be the method of confirmation for the letter of introduction. And it appeared to be impossible to produce an imitation, as it would be found out right away.
“So it had this feature…”
Although he was astonished at the unexpected function, Shin couldn’t help but think that he should had gotten an explanation when he received it.
“No one told you about it?”
“I received it as an extra service, as a border pass.”
“Service…? Was it Schnee who gave it to you, or Tiera?”
“It was Tiera. Schnee was away.”
“Tiera huh. I think something outstanding must have happened, that she forgot to explain this, but she has good eyes for people though. Even I too, have seen a lot of people but she is always one step ahead.”
Barlux said as he laughed.
And it was true that something outstanding happened to Tiera, like a more than 100 years old curse was dispelled.
Still, were the eyes for people acquired through the wisdom of age?
“Fuh!”
As Shin thought about age, dread chilled up his spine.
The smiling face of Tiera with a background of flames came into his mind.
(Let’s stop thinking about age, I think it will be fatal…)
Because he had a bad premonition, he stopped thinking about it.
“? What’s the matter?”
“Ah, nothing.”
“Is that so? Then let’s continue the story from where I left off before.”
Said Barlux as he corrected his posture. It looked like this would be where the main subject would start.
“Because you haven’t heard the explanation, I’ll explain the uses of the letter myself. With the letter of introduction, it is possible to enter most countries without inspection. If it has information, it will be treated as final information. Each guild will even accommodate it differently. Also, in Bayreuth, you can even have an audience with the king. It will also serve as reliable identification.”
There was no doubt that what Beid was saying before was true. Although he didn’t talk about the guild or the information.
“The letter of introduction has that many uses. So naturally, there will be someone who will intend to snatch or steal it from you.”
“That makes sense…”
It could be misused for terrorism, smuggling of dangerous material, assassination and so on. Judging from a criminal’s and a crime syndicate’s viewpoint, they would desire it very badly.
“Therefore, I want you to tell me if you have the capability to protect it. If you can’t protect it, I suggest that you destroy it now.”
“…………”
Shin was thinking. With this letter of introduction, there would be advantages and disadvantages.
As for the advantages, it would become easier for him to cross the countries. And he could obtain trust from the country easily.
However, the disadvantage would be the danger from getting targeted of certain individuals or organizations.
At least, the advantages were indispensable for Shin. At the time of explanation of the guild by Cilica, he heard that entry to every country would become relatively easy if he had a guild card.
However, he considered that there was a difference in a moment of peril, and that there should be one that could strongly guarantee his identity in the case of an emergency.
There was also a demerit, as he was already known to the guards when he came to the town, and also to the people who were lining up at the southern gate. Besides, he was already known to the guild. He didn’t know the extent of protection of confidential information here, even if it was already exposed. Rather, it would be better if he acted just like normal.
(I will put it in the 『Important Things』 zone in my Item Box just in case, and avoid taking it out generously.)
From Tiera’s story, only a few people have an Item Box. In the 『Important Things』, even members of ‘Rokuten’ could not remove items he placed inside.
Although he didn’t have any way to confirm it.
“I can protect it.”
He concluded after thinking about it for a while.
“Is that your decision?”
“Yes.”
“You won’t regret this, will you?”
“Of course I won’t. Though I know that if I make mistakes, it will be bad for me and the store. If I was entrusted with this important thing, then I’ll make sure to fulfill that trust.”
Shin said confidently.
After all, he had decided on the answer before he thought about the issue of advantages and disadvantages.
Some might think that what Shin was doing was reckless and dangerous, but unfortunately, Shin’s life was targeted a lot. Shin obtained experiences that could deal with assassination and surprise attacks from surviving one year in THE NEW GATE, which had turned into a death game.
Even though his true intention was that he didn’t want to destroy the letter.
“Whew, well said. As expected from someone who holds the letter of introduction.”
“Though it was a bit exaggerated.”
“Too much modesty is not good. Once you hesitate, you will lose in life.”
“What does that mean?”
That was the guild master’s view, it seemed. That person could not be made light of.
“Hmm, how high is your level? I had to overcome numerous battles myself, until I almost reached the limit, yet I still can’t declare what you just did. I can understand that you are considerably strong.”
Indeed, he was a former S rank. He seemed to possess the ability to see through other’s capability, even if he didn’t have the skills.
“…must I answer it?”
“I’m sorry, but the guild needs to have a grasp on the level of an adventurer. Just the range of your level is sufficient. I cannot allow low-level adventurers to do dangerous requests.”
It appeared that Barlux said that not just out of curiosity.
He might need to confirm it not only as a person, but also for the guild, as the expectation of ability correlates to some degree if the level was known.
“I understand. My level is more than 150.”
“Hmm. Shin-kun, as I said just now, modesty is prohibited.”
Barlux raised one eyebrow after hearing Shin’s level. As expected from the guild master, he seemed to know if the level was too low.
“Is it not good enough?”
“It is not good, the level you said just now is far lower than your original level.”
Even though he didn’t want to say it smoothly because he heard the No. 2 was level 158, he was unable to deceive him.
“So you can tell without using[Analyze]”
“I’ve seen many adventurers as a guild master.”
“There’s no helping it, huh. My level is more than 200.”
Still, Shin didn’t want to admit his true level. He just added 50 levels to what he declared earlier.
“Hah!”
“Amazing…”
Barlux visibly showed an impressed smile as Shin told him his level again. Celica, who stood near the wall, unintentionally voiced her amazement.
“Is it something to be surprised about?”
Shin knew that Barlux was also above level 200, so that should not have surprised him.
“Although it was written in the document, you are 21 years old, correct?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not very often you meet a person who surpasses level 200 in their youth like you. I wonder if you and this country’s no. 1 can fight evenly.”
Although level 150 seemed to be too low, 200 in contrast, seemed too high.
“What is the current no. 1 person’s level?”
“It’s 230. She is the second princess of this country.”
“Are you serious?”
A strong princess!!! Shin wanted to retort.
(The princess is stronger than the captain of the elite forces…)
Because Barlux said the No. 1 of the country, he thought it might be the king or prince, or even a royal guard, but never a second princess.
“Isn’t there too much of a level difference with the knights? I heard from Tiera that the captain of the elite forces is level 158.”
“Captain of elite forces? Ah, you mean the leader of the knights? His level rose to 188 now. Maybe Tiera hasn’t heard about it since she is in the store all the time.”
“Still, the princess is No. 1…”
“It is because the second princess is in the fighter faction. Besides, she is quite popular and often makes an appearance in the town.”
“Is it safe for a royal family member to come into town?”
“The levels of the hooligans around there can’t even be compared to her level.”
It seemed that the strongest in the kingdom wasn’t just for show. The Horn Dragon that went out with Tiera’s story would had been killed if she fought it.
“Well then, Shin-kun. Actually, there is one more thing I want to confirm, if it is okay with you?”
“…It will depend on the subject”
Shin had an unpleasant foreboding about this.
“It’s simple. I want you to have a match with me.”
“I’m sorry, may I return now?”
“Unfortunately, you can’t.”
“I can’t?”
“It’s regrettable, but you don’t have the right to deny my request.”
Barlux told him plain and simple. He probably wanted to see Shin’s capability . He knew that it wasn’t necessary to be capable, even if Shin was a high level person.
“Somehow, my foreboding feeling came true.”
“I’m so sorry. I want to confirm it for the guild personally. No, I have to see it for myself.”
Shin frowned as his premonition came true.
Because of the glances he received at receptionist desk, he only felt a combative intention from Barlux’s eyes.
But somehow, he ignored Barlux’s intention. Though Shin also wanted to see the capability of a former S rank adventurer.
“…Yes, sir. I can understand that you won’t have a peace of mind if you don’t confirm my capability.”
When it was made public that Shin possessed a letter of introduction, Shin had to show that he had the capabilities to protect it.
“Where will we fight?”
“There is a training room that only guild members can use. That’s where we’re gonna fight. Do you need time to get ready?”
“No, I’m ready anytime.”
“Well then, let’s go there immediately.”
He arrived at a room about the same size as the one earlier after following Barlux. There was no furniture in the room, only a crystal about the size of a soccer ball, floating in the center of the room.
It resembled the transition point Shin often saw during the game.
“There is a training area in the basement. We can go there from this transition point.”
Apparently, the transition point seemed intact. It could be used by touching the crystal and saying the location.
Subsequently, they arrived in a place that had a considerable area like a Colosseum. It had a resting place, a training area inside the plaza, and an audience seating, except there were currently no adventurers around.
“There is no one here, is it always like this?”
“No, this is the second training area that is used for a special case like this. Common adventurers are training in first training area. Outsider can’t enter here without permission.”
“Is that so…”
It appeared that Shin didn’t have to worry about his surroundings. It was a great help, since Shin didn’t want to stand out.
“Then, shall we begin?”
As he said that, Barlux’s whole body was wrapped with blue light. The light disappeared after one second, and Barlux was equipped with light blue armor and gauntlets. The light blue armor appeared to be much thinner the a common light armor, it seemed to emphasize the easiness of movement. On the contrary, the gauntlets were heavy blue armor, that covered the fingers to the elbows.
It seemed that the equipment items for the arm showed a glove of Japanese style, the displayed gauntlet was of Western style. It might not be a significant difference, but there were slight additional bonuses for glove to AGI and gauntlet to VIT. The purpose of Barlux in wearing gauntlets might be to compensate for the thin armor.
According to [Analyze], Barlux’s job was, not surprisingly, a fist fighter. Shin was more surprised by the sudden equip of the armor and gauntlets, like a transformation hero.
In THE NEW GATE, the armor and gauntlets were equipped in the same way, too. The light formed and materialized after that. The reason was so it could perfectly fit into the avatar’s physique. Hence, this is why Shin had been avoiding wearing armor like Barlux, because it was flashy.
“…(There was such an item, huh?)”
“What the matter?”
“No, nothing.”
He had nothing to say about Barlux’s equipment scene, as it was a common scene anyway.
Shin didn’t have anything particularly to be equipped. To some extent, he wouldn’t use weapons since he understood the power of his opponent to some degree.
“Then, here I go!!”
In an instant, Barlux’s figure became blurry. Though the distances between the two of them was about 10 mels, he closed up to 5 mels in a blink and charged towards Shin.
“Those equipment are good and fast.”
If Shin had been without the bonus speed he obtained from Human reincarnation, he would lose against the equipment’ speed.
“Whew!!”
“Whew!”
The sound of wind cutting could be heard as they unleashed their fists towards each other. Barlux’s equipment was confirmed.
Light armor [Light Blue Crystal Armor] and gauntlet[Blue Fang Gauntlet], Shin thought. It was definitely not a mistake, as Shin had sold both of them in the store before.
“Those are good equipments.”
“I had a hard time…obtaining…and put it on as it is…!”
Barlux said, while frowning, as he unleashed his fists to Shin, but Shin eluded them.
[Light Blue Crystal Armor] was a rare armor with high AGI.
And the [Blue Fang Gauntlet] was a special unique weapon with high offensive power. It was made from the raw material of a unique monster of Lv. 600 named Blue Mitt Hound. [Blue Fang Gauntlet] was often equipped by high level players that used bare hands martial arts.
“As expected, to be able to fend off my attacks easily.”
Barlux momentarily stopped his vigorous attack and distanced himself from Shin. He was talking while smiling wryly, but his eyes remained sharp to ascertain Shin’s next move.
Whereas, Shin didn’t actively attack the distanced Barlux, because he was wary about the ability of the gauntlet.
Besides high offensive power, its other ability was[When defending an attack using the gauntlet, the attacker receives 1/10 of his attack damage]. But there was a limitation in the gauntlet, it would only execute this ability if the wearer’s STR values was 100 or more, higher than the opponent’s.
Shin was watching the[Blue Fang Gauntlet] and noticed the effect wasn’t activated.
(I might know his equipment better than he does. As both of our levels are more than 200, added with some bonuses, the STR didn’t reach the 100 difference. Besides, prying about it is troublesome. I want to end it in one shot.)
Shin was not in the mood to respond to the guild master’s talks.
“What are you thinking about?”
“I’m thinking how to attack, since you are strong.”
“Fuh, just from the fighting just now, you seem to know my equipment already. Only a few people who know about it still remain.”
“Well, what to do.”
While they were exchanging banter, Shin was thinking what to do next.
What he understood from the earlier fight, was that Barlux was a bare handed type. Although his range of attack was short, Barlux’s bare handed style excelled in attack speed, and the attack speed would rise with the effect from [Light Blue Crystal Armor]. Therefore making it more difficult to defeat him.
(That gauntlet is troublesome…should I give it a try?)
He checked his skills and took a stance.
Barlux reacted to his movement, but Shin stepped forward quicker.
Shin left an afterimage after dashing towards Barlux. His steps shattered the soil as Shin jumped onto the air.
“Shuss!!”
In one breath, the distance of his right hand reached the target. Because it was an attack without a feint, Barlux reflexively defended with his gauntlet.
(He’s taking it!)
Shin began with conviction.
On the verge of his fist hitting the gauntlet, Shin changed the direction of his momentum and executed a sweep kick with his left leg.
“Guh!”
Though Barlux tried to reduce the damage by moving to the left, his reaction was delayed by Shin’s fist.
As a result, Barlux flew into the air.
[Blue Fang Gauntlet] effects didn’t activate, because Shin didn’t hit it directly, so he didn’t have to worry about his damage being reflected.
Shin gripped Barlux’s gauntlet, which was defenseless now, and used the martial art skill [Willow Throw].
[Willow Throw] was a technique of super low damage for capturing monster. So Shin didn’t have to worry about Barlux receiving fatal wounds. He used the skill without any hesitation.
The body of Barlux was thrown in the air and slammed onto the ground almost instantly. And then, Shin locked Barlux’s joint so he could not move.
“Phew. For now let us stop this, shall we?”
After confirming that Barlux couldn’t move, Shin asked. The match would not end quickly if they had the same stats.
“No way, to be easily suppressed like this. Though, I wonder about the last technique you used?”
“That’s a secret. It’s not a good idea to reveal too much of one’s ability.”
“Hahaha, that is certainly right. It’s my defeat. You have shown me your abilities. And I don’t need to be worried anymore.”
Barlux stood up and extended his right hand to Shin.
“?”
“The handshake earlier was as a guild master. And this handshake is for the people who are recognized by Tsuki no Hokora.”
“I see.”
Shin nodded and returned his handshake. Although it should be the same hand, Shin felt somewhat different.
“If there is anything you want, let me know, and the guild will try to cooperate to a certain extent.”
“Is this okay? To favor an individual?”
“No problem. It is a cooperation, so even a rank G adventurer is still a member of the guild.”
Be it one individual or a guild, Barlux didn’t seem to have any trouble lending power personally.
Returning into the room with the transition point, Celica who waited, welcomed the two of them by giving them potions.
Shin tried to refuse at first because he was unhurt, but decided to get it as Barlux insisted he take it.
“I hope for your success as an adventurer. Well then, see you again.”
After separating from Barlux, Shin walked to the passage to return to the guild hall with Celica.
“How was the match with Barlux-sama?”
“It was tough. I pray that there will be no second match.”
Because they were walking silently, Celica brought up the match with Barlux as the topic. He was a little anxious because the match ended quicker than the desired time.
“Because it’s not that often that one is able to fight with a guild master, it should be okay.”
“I have a feeling that I will be invited the next time as a practice partner…”
Shin sighed, as he promised not to repeat the situation where he would fight with a guild master in the future. While walking with Celica, a warrior with a level about 200 passed by them.
High level adventurers often wore an intimidating atmosphere, different from a commoner’s. Even for Celica, who, because of her job, had met a lot of them, she still unconsciously would get tense. However, no such presence could be felt from Shin. Rather, Celica felt something like a sense of security.
(A mysterious person…)
Celica was thinking about such things as the two of them arrived at the hall.
“Thank you for your hard work. Please take your time, since you can get the guild card anytime after tomorrow.”
“I will do that. Ah, could you recommend me to a good inn? I just arrived today, so I don’t know the area well.”
Shin asked while lowering his head a little. He felt ashamed because he couldn’t differentiate between the good or bad inns in the area. But he didn’t want to stay in the poor quality inns from day one.
“There is a good inn in the residence district named Bear Point Pavilion. I think you will like it, because the meals are delicious. With the guild on your right hand side, go straight down the street, until you see a signboard with a bear’s paw painted on it.”
“I understand. Bear Point Pavilion it is.. Thank you very much.”
Though Shin had a slight uneasiness about the word ‘Bear’, he believed that it would be all right, because Celica recommended it to him.
After expressing his gratitude to Celica, he exited the guild’s building.
Then, Shin began to walk leisurely towards the inn.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 01 - A Beginning and an End/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-A-Beginning-and-an-End-[Shin+Oniichanyamete][dotNovel]/Volume_01_Chapter_03_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 1
Shin walked for 25 minutes after leaving the guild.
Before his eyes, there was a signboard with a bear’s paw painted on it. According to Celica, this should be Bear Point Pavilion.
“There’s no doubt about it, it’s here.”
He confirmed it again and placed his hand on the door. Laughter could be heard which became louder as he slowly opened the door.
Inside the Bear Point Pavilion, there was a counter with seats and a large number of people sitting at seven tables. Five of the tables were filled with adventurers making loud noises while drinking beer.
As Shin surveyed the scene, a shadow appeared in front of him. Something seemed to block the light, and he felt a presence behind his back, so he turned around.
“Hmm?”
An arm which took pride in its thickness, around thrice that of Shin’s, and an apron with embroidered flowers came into sight.
“Welcome, please come in! Is it just one person?”
Hearing the voice from above, Shin lifted his head and saw a person with a rock-like, stern, face smiling viciously.
“Deke…”
He burst out a strange word in reply. Although Shin’s height was 180 cemels, the person in front of him was probably 230 cemels or more. It was a giant.
“What’s wrong, sonny? Are you feeling sick?”
“I’m feeling well! Um, you are?”
The words of the man made him return to his senses. Although the man didn’t answer the way he expected.
“Me? I am the popular boss and shopkeeper of Bear Point Pavilion. I’m Douma Bear.”
“…Boss…you say?”
Shin thought there would be a pretty poster girl in the inn.
“Yeah! People gathered for that popular guy, the popular boss! To some extent, popular boss――”
“That is a poster girl!”
“――nuu” (T/N: ‘看板親父’(kanbanoyaji) is a parody word to match ‘看板娘’(kanbanmusume) which means a poster girl, Shin made a pun out of it.)
Shin retorted after he noticed the pun.
“Umu. Nice rebuttal!”
And then for some reason, the self proclaimed popular boss gave him a thumbs-up.
“Did I enter the wrong shop?…”
“Don’t be shy, young man.”
“No, I’m not shy! I just happen to look like this!”
Somehow, it evolved into a comedy dialogue.
“Good!! Nii-chan!”
“Do it some more!!”
Shin sighed because of all the shouts from the drunken group. It was a conversation livened up by alcohol.
“Haa, another――”
“Hey! What are you doing?!!”
“――one?”
Just as Shin thought about searching for another inn, he heard a female voice resound from the bar.
The voice seemed to come from behind Douma. Shin couldn’t see her because of the gigantic body in front of him.
“Dad? Didn’t I always tell you not to say weird things? What if strange rumors spread?”
The voice said. Even though the voice was calm, it was clear that it was said while suppressing its anger.
“No, it’s this, a form of――”
“Shut up!”
“…Yes”
Even his excuses were rejected right away. Judging from the remarks earlier, it could be said that the voice might belong to Douma’s daughter. Somehow the position was reversed.
“I will take over from here. Dad, go to the kitchen and help Mom.”
“I…I understand.”
Douma went back into the kitchen, feeling disheartened. Somehow, Shin’s impression of him had diminished.
“I’m sorry for the sudden, weird things you saw. Are you here to eat? Or to stay overnight?”
Douma could no longer be seen, as such, Shin could finally see Douma’s daughter after she reprimanded her dad to the kitchen.
It was a girl with a short brown hair. She might have a business smile, but she was still attractive. The word cute suited her more than beautiful.
“Ah, I will be staying. Even so, just now, is it always like that?”
“Though I want you to forget that, yes, it happens sometimes. My dad is in a good mood when he is with adventurers but turns bitter when he is with merchants.
By the way, staying overnight is 2 J silver coins including breakfast and dinner. To enter the bathhouse, you have to request for it. The charges are 4 J copper coins. The breakfast will be provided until 9 bell rings. If that’s okay, you can register at the inn’s registry.”
“Okay.”
Shin was unsure if 2 J silver coin for the inn was expensive or cheap. Since he didn’t have any problem with it for now, he accepted the offer.
“I don’t know how long I will stay, will that be okay?”
“If so, do you want to pay everyday? Or you can pay for a certain number of days and extend it as needed. Just to be sure, you are an adventurer, am I right?”
“Ah, yes, I just registered today. I was recommended by Celica to go here.”
“Celica’s recommendation!? You should have said that sooner. Then, I will offer you 1 J silver coin and 90 J copper coin. For adventurers, I recommend paying in advance. It’s normal to leave the inn for a few days whenever there is a request. Be warned that all personal items inside the room will be disposed of if the bill isn’t paid.”
A long term request was not rare for an adventurer, so the room might be empty for several days. There was also the risk of dying during a dangerous request. If that happens, it would not be possible to pay everyday.
“Then do you want to pay in advance? Or is it fine for now?”
As she said so, Shin took out 1 J gold coin from his Item Box (he pretended it was from his chest pocket) and handed it to her.
“This will be enough for 50 days, what about the change?”
“Can you subtract the fee for using the bathhouse from it?”
“Understood. Then I will let you know when it becomes insufficient. For now, write your name in the inn register. It will cost another 2 J copper coins if you need to write a name on someone else’s behalf.”
“No, it’s alright…will this do?”
“…Yeah, okay. Shin-san, here’s the key, the room number is 201 and its on the second floor. Do you know where the box for valuable things are placed?”
“Box? No, never heard of it.”
When the registration was confirmed, a room key was handed to him.
However, Shin tilted his head as he never heard about the box she mentioned before.
“Then, if you don’t know, that would be a loss. Because an inn with boxes is proof of it being an excellent shop. In other words, the box is something like a safe wherein valuables are kept. The box can only be opened by the person who locked it or the innkeeper. Besides, the box is immune to magic, skills, and physical attacks. Even if the inn is completely destroyed, the contents inside the box will be safe as the box itself is a magic item. How is it? Isn’t that great! Because it’s not possible to find an inn like this in the neighborhood.”
While explaining about the box’s indestructibility, some advertising was added. At least it was certainly better than the surrounding shops. Without the parody going on earlier, it would have been perfect, thought Shin.
He went up to the second floor after he received the key. He didn’t have any luggage, but he wanted to check the room.
Room 201 was the first room on the second floor.
The room was about 10 tatami big. It was a simple room with a single bed and a chair with a desk. If the bed included drawers and so on, it would be enough to live comfortably alone. There was a box for leaving valuable things in the inner part of the room. Besides that, there was nothing inappropriate in that room. (Editor’s note: The size of a tatami is about 15 square meters or 164 square feet.)
There was a toilet in addition to the furniture. It was even had a flush toilet.
Shin was surprised by it.
It’s not really surprising that there was a toilet. In Shin’s case, the circumstances were slightly different.
To begin with, toilets didn’t even exist in THE NEW GATE. Even though the game pursued reality, nobody among the producers wanted to do the excretion act in the game.
It would spoil the mood if one got attacked by a monster in the middle of the act.
Without realizing it, Shin hadn’t seen a toilet for one year after the game turned into a death game. Especially, a flushing toilet.
It could be said that each room had a toilet and that it’s natural due to the quality of Bear Point Pavilion. But Shin got a mixed feeling of surprise and nostalgia from it.
“Believe it or not, just seeing a toilet brings memories from the past…”
Shin was surprised and had an indescribable feeling that no one knew.
* * *
After checking the room, Shin locked it with the key and proceeded to go downstairs for the purpose of eating and gathering information. He had not eaten since he had at the guild. Also, it would be a waste if he didn’t go eat the meal, as dinner was included in the room charge.
On the first floor, the adventurers were still making noises. From [Analyze • Ⅹ], the average adventurer level was 120.
Subsequently, Shin recalled the level of the knights he saw in Tsuki no Hokora. Though he didn’t see many details, the knights should be around 100 ~ 110. And he wondered about the relationship between adventurers and knights in this country.
Then he found a seat, ordered a dish, and he decided to listen to the surrounding clamors until the dish came. He used [Noise Cancellation] so only voices could be heard and [Listen] so that voices and sounds from a certain range could be clearly heard. Thanks to the skills, he could even hear the muttering of other parties on remote seats.
It was easy to listen when using it, the menu filtered both voices and sounds alike, so that he could choose what to listen to. Almost none of the conversations were meaningful to listen to.
However, the information to be obtained in this place shouldn’t be taken lightly. Even in the game, unexpected information would become available in this place since there were a lot of conversations going on. Though he didn’t know whether it would be useful in this world, Shin didn’t even have a shred of the common sense of this world in the first place, so he would have to hear it even if it was trifle. And there was no loss for him anyway.
“Have you heard? Wilhelm seemed to have quarrelled with hordes of demons.”
“I’m hungry～. It’s a meal, a meal”
“Did you hear the rumor? A Skull Face appeared in the Northern Forest.”
“Recently, Hillock Herb can be harvested nicely.”
“This beer is delicious!”
“What should I order～?”
“Popular boss you said…?”
“Tsugumi-chan, bring the alcohol～, Douma, get hold of yourself ーーーーー”
He waited for the dish while organizing the information he heard in his mind.
There was one man who flew through the air but no one reacted to it. Shin also looked at it as if it was a usual thing.
Because he heard some words to be worried about, he took note of them in his mind. The most noteworthy was Skull Face.
This was the undead-type monster, Skull Face. The word Pawn, Jack, Queen, and so on showed the class among the monsters. Because the level of the monster would be different depending on the class, an individual would encounter hardships or annihilation if they didn’t make sure to confirm it.
“Sorry for the wait, here’s the food you ordered.”
Shin came back to his senses after hearing the voice. He seemed to concentrate too much on using different skills to assess the state of the area.
Douma’s daughter was putting the dish on the table when he turned around.
“Are you, by chance, deep in thought?”
“Ah, just lost in thought. Um…”
“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Tsugumi Bear. If there is some business, because my father is often in the kitchen, let me know”
“I understand. I wonder if you already know, but my name is Shin. I’m more or less an adventurer.”
“More or less?”
“I haven’t gotten my guild card yet.”
“I see. By the way, what were you thinking about just now? How to quickly raise your rank?”
Tsugumi asked with interest as she sat facing Shin on the table after the meal was served.
Are rookie adventurers rare, Shin wondered.
“I will raise my rank leisurely. Because I came to this country from a faraway village, I’m not really familiar with the practices here. I was referred here as I looked around.”
“I see. I don’t know much, but people from other countries said there’s not much difference.”
“Is that so? Well you should be careful not to trust them, probably.”
“Well, you sure are an unusual person. A rookie adventurer should want to become stronger and raise their rank quickly. Furthermore, low rank adventurers seem to be made fun of frequently.”
“I guess that’s true. Because I am such an oddball, I will give an appropriate response if I were being made fun of.”
Shin said with self-confidence and a wide grin on his face. Although he didn’t know much of the image of adventurers, he was confident in his numerous skills. This was his idea to act a bit like an adventurer.
“Huh, are you that confident with your skills?”
“As it suits the occasion. When it is dangerous, I will run away quickly. I don’t want to die.”
To begin with, Shin had no intention to caused a commotion, so it was expected that he say that.
“Rather than sitting here casually, don’t you have other tables to attend to, miss waitress?”
“I will be called if there is an order so it is all right. Look, my mom is here, too.”
He followed Tsugumi’s line of sight and he saw a woman who had the same hair color as Tsugumi, and was receiving orders at other tables.
From there, Shin was convinced that Tsugumi took after her mother. It made Shin think that Tsugumi would become a beautiful woman when she grew up.
“Goofing around, aren’t you…”
“I’m not goofing around. I’m gathering information, I repeat, gathering information.”
“About a rookie adventurer?”
“It might not have a promising future. But I have the eyes for people based on the various adventurers I have seen.”
Tsugumi said with a confident expression while putting her hand on her chest.
“Oh, then what about me?”
“Hmm…I wonder, 85 points maybe.”
“…Should I be happy about that?”
Though it might be as high as it sounded, it would depend on the grading criteria standard.
“It’s a place where I can expect a little.”
“So strict. What caused the minus points?”
“First point, your lack of ambition. You can’t succeed if you don’t have the will, besides, you are overconfident in your abilities. Though my rules are learned on experience.
“Ambition, huh. Well, there are steps for that.”
Shin didn’t register to become an adventurer for fame originally, so he didn’t have the motivation to work hard. Somehow it didn’t meet Tsugumi’s ideals.
“You sure are an easygoing guy. Hmm, now that you mentioned it, it really suits you. Well then, I will return to work or I’m gonna get scolded soon. Good luck, but don’t overdo it.”
Tsugumi said as she winked before leaving to take orders. The number of customers seemed to have increased. Without having noticed it, all tables were already filled.
He quickly finished his meal as he was alone at one table and went back to his room. When the amount of people increased, trouble increased too. He decided to dutifully follow Tsugumi’s advice about how rookie adventurers were being made fun of.
He had nothing to do even if he went back to his room. If he was asked about it, he would just say he was organizing his luggage. After that, he went to the the bathhouse. After sweating lightly and removing a portion of his equipment, it became easier to sleep.
He erected a barrier inside his room before going to bed since it was his routine during the game. Although he didn’t receive surprise attacks very often because of the detection system, he still took precaution.
As for the bed, it was soft and fluffy, and it was really comfortable. He was thanking Celica in his mind while letting his body fall asleep.
In the middle of his sleep, he suddenly remembered something that he had forgotten.
That reminds him,
“Message…sent?…Have…”
He cursed in his mind because he had completely forgotten about the message.
He woke up and saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
He recalled yesterday’s events, from the last fight, being transported to a different world, lifting Tiera’s curse and the events at the guild.
Though he didn’t wish to have that dream, he could not help but wish to be able to log out safely and wake up in a hospital or in some other place.
“Such convenience, it won’t go as I want.”
He muttered that and looked at his surroundings.
The room was still dark, so he knew it was before dawn.
There were signs of people starting to move on the first floor. Apparently the people of this world were considerably early risers.
“No abnormality in both barrier and detection system. The former me would have woken up first and checked his surroundings.”
He smiled wryly and wondered when the last time he slept without being cautious was.
When he opened the window, fresh air from the outside entered the room. While feeling chilly from the cold air, he looked down from the window and he could see the figures of people walking on the street. The pedestrian traffic was sparse, but he felt it was gradually livening up.
Since Bear Point Pavilion was bigger than the surrounding buildings, he could see the townscape outside very well. It was different from the game or program as he was captivated by the townscape.
Because he fell asleep early, there was no sleepiness and he felt refreshed. While looking outside, the sun, which began to rise slowly and the ramparts that covered the town, could be seen.
He watched the town as it was gradually getting enveloped in warm light.
After a while, the sun was up and the number of people on the street started to increase.
Shin also took out equipment such as a jacket and trousers from the Item Box, and changed into them. He went downstairs after locking the room.
On the first floor, there were people who come to eat breakfast like Shin, people who already had breakfast, people who leave and enter the store, and so on.
Based on their appearances, almost everyone here was an adventurer. It seemed that it was not unusual to start mobilizing at sunrise.
“Good morning. Did you have a good night’s sleep yesterday?”
It was Tsugumi who greeted him. She was carrying a tray with a dish.
“Good morning. I woke up perfectly fine today.”
“Then that’s good. Breakfast right? I will prepare it soon so please have a seat.”
“Oh, thank you.”
He took a seat at the table, different from yesterday since he wasn’t eager to gather information early this morning.
The breakfast served was a stew with brown bread. The brown bread was neither too hard nor too soft, like a French bread. The stew was full of colorful vegetables and meat, it was voluminous than it looked.
He looked around and saw everyone dipping the bread into the stew.
“Delicious!”
It seemed to be cooked well. The ingredients of the stew mixed in harmoniously and the taste firmly permeated in the mouth. When combined with the bread, it’s was still delicious.
The unexpected taste made him refill his plate twice. He reflected a little after having eaten too much.
“You sure eat a lot in the morning.”
“So was yesterday, the food here is delicious.”
“You don’t have to say such wonderful words. It’s just a little service for Shin. By the way, you should wait a little more before going to the guild to pick up the guild card.”
“Is there anything going on at this time?”
“It is crowded especially in the morning. When you are a low rank, you might get interrupted and forced to enter a party so you better be careful.”
“That’s sound dangerous. Doesn’t the guild staff stop it?”
“Though they will stop it if they saw it was done in the open, the adventurers who does it has a method to prevent it from leaking out.”
“I see, it’s a situation that I need to get informed about.”
He decided to delay his time while thinking that those who were doing that were definitely petty people. It was not a big deal but he himself didn’t want to get in trouble with them.
“Just don’t rely too much on the guild staff, when in case of emergency, it may not be reliable.”
“I agree.”
“Well, as long as you take your time then it’s good.”
Tsugumi said as she went to take order for a waiting customer at another table.
He was thankful for Tsugumi’s consideration. He decided to kill time for a moment while drinking fruit juice. Because he had some spare time, he continued gathering information like yesterday, this time he observed the equipment and tools of the adventurers.
He noticed that he was casually using rare tools this morning. Nevertheless, he recalled the reason he had forgotten the message before going to sleep. While he was changing clothes and opening the Item Box, it suddenly reminded him of the weapons and tools lined up in Tsuki no Hokora.
There were equipment used by beginners to a few high-grade ones. The equipment for an intermediate person could be counted with one hand. Shin knew an advanced equipment was also included so he was a little regretful. Because of that, he directed his attention to the equipment and forgot about the message.
Although he already saw a lot of adventurers last night, it was easier now since many adventurers were going in and out.
“…………”
While drinking the fruit juice, he glanced at the other side of table.
It seemed that most of the weapons were made from iron and copper. The armors were mostly made from leather or metals like steel, only a few of them had enchantment done.
The quality of the equipment and tool might have also deteriorated since the game era. Shin couldn’t help to think that the equipment was terrible, though it was bad for the adventurers in this world.
It was also his reason choosing the low rank equipment when changing clothes. At present, Shin was wearing ‘Mud Lizard Jacket’ and ‘Demon Spider Thread of Trouser’. Both are using the material from monsters that could be hunted even at level 70. However, the performance for both equipment was 4 times higher than normal, because it was reinforced until the limit was reached.
On his waist hang a katana named ‘Several Strokes’. Several Strokes was the initial weapon that could be obtained when changing job to samurai. Naturally, its performance was low. Most players would sell it or put it in a warehouse when the players level up or even if it was strengthened. Still, the katana had better performance than any of the nearby adventurers that one could easily guessed its quality.
The equipment that Barlux had might be considerably valuable, Shin thought.
Afterwards, 30 minutes already passed after killing some time and gathering information, Shin left the Bear Point Pavillion.
* * *
While walking on the road to the guild, he observed the town’s appearance. There was not much pedestrian traffic compared to yesterday.
Various stalls started to open at the edge of the road, crowding with people having breakfast and buying lunch. Also, there were a lot of stalls that seemed useful to adventurers – selling armor, magic items, and various tools.
It was an incredible scene as the sun was only been out for two hours.
After window-shopping at the stalls, he walked to the guild. Since a lot of adventurers had weapons, Shin’s weapon didn’t attract attention.
Still, [Search] was used to search enemy as a habit and for caution. Shin probably didn’t stop using the skill because there was the matter of the letter of introduction, too.
After walking for 40 minutes, he finally saw the signboard of the adventurer guild. Time taken to reach the guild was increased from yesterday probably because he was avoiding the crowded areas.
As he entered the building, a group of adventurers came out from the door. Though a lot of time passed, he sensed that there were still many people inside.
Celica and an elf lady were at the receptionist desk. He was certain because he could see a pointed ear like Tiera’s. Shin approached the receptionist desk and talked to Celica.
“Good morning. I’m here to get my guild card.”
“Good morning, Shin-sama. Please wait a moment while I go to get your guild card. And, this is Els whom you were looking for. Els, this is Shin-sama whom we talked about just now.”
When Celica introduced him, the elf lady which sat in next to receptionist desk came toward Shin.
“Good morning, Shin-sama. My name is Els Balter. I’m told that Shin-sama has a business with me.”
Els possessed a classic example of elven beauty, and her appearance looked like she was around 24 years of age. Her vivid green hair reached her waist like the trees in the forest. Blue eyes as reminiscent of lakeside. Her height was about 170 cemels. A style and good looks which would put models to shame. Though he had no idea about the preferences of adventurers in this world.
Since he couldn’t stare for too long, Shin immediately averted his eyes.
“This, it’s probably addressed to you.”
Shin said and passed the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora to her after he took it out from Item Box. The anti-theft measure had been removed.
“Addressed…to me…?”
While cocking her head and looking puzzled, she looked over its contents.
Then, her eyes widened momentarily as she read the letter of introduction. It could be said that she had read some unbelievable things in the letter.
“It can’t be…no, but”
Celica looked a little worried over her colleague’s state. And Shin was also anxious about the content because he didn’t know what was written. Though the content must be related to Tiera’s curse, it didn’t concern Shin that much as Tiera seemed to be secretive about it.
Els was very surprised that she mumbled and whispered something, like she had forgotten Shin and Celica was there. Then she returned to her senses and turned her attention to Shin.
“Umm…what?”
Shin flinched at her gaze. His heart was getting restless as he thought of the reason why she was staring at him.
“You…Tiera…thank you. I’m truly grateful.”
As soon as she said that, Els gave a quick bow. For some reason her speech became somewhat different.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand the situation…”
It was too abrupt and incomprehensible for Shin.
“I’m sorry, I seem to be a bit shaken. Celica, please take over for me just for a while. I apologize but this conversation will be confidential from now on. Because we will continue at the back room, that I’m asking you to take over.”
“I understand. I will call another staff to handle the reception for you.”
“Thank you…”
Shin didn’t have any problem with Els’s proposal so he agreed while slightly feeling discouraged.
Shin enter the same room as yesterday. After both of them entered the room, Els closed the door and locked it with a room key and then she sat on the sofa after she had done a ritual.
“Once again let me say thank you. For lifting the Tiera’s curse, thank you very much.”
“Oh, so that was the reason.”
Apparently, Els seemed to have known about the curse of Tiera. It seemed to be written in the letter of introduction.
“Please raise your head, I never intend for it to go out of hand like this.”
“But, I was looking for a solution and still haven’t found a clue. And you did it. So it’s only natural to be grateful.”
There was an item that could remove the curse but it seemed to be that it was hard to obtain. Perhaps she was going to an adventure to find the solution for the curse.
“If possible, please do not exaggerate it too much. Do you normally talk like that?”
“I understand. I will not leak this information in the name of Spirit of the woods. To be honest, not much of subject can be discussed openly. Also I find it most comfortable talking like this. It was written here that the person would not mind it, did that offend you?”
“No, it is good as it is. Was that the only reason why I was brought to this room? Just now what ritual were you doing?”
“That was an eavesdrop prevention magic. Even the guild staff cannot hear my story that I’m going to tell you now. And I have to ask you personally as well.”
Although Shin understand Els had various question from her state, he didn’t want to abuse his advantage as well.
“I’ll say this just in case, I don’t have the answer for everything.”
“I know. However, I could not stand it when I had looked for the solution for the curse for more than 50 years and had not found a single clue.”
It seemed that it was out of curiosity. Not only that, envy and earnest desire feeling seemed to mix in Els’s eyes.
50 years. The time spent was twice more than the time Shin was alive. Even if it was solved, one would indeed want to know the method used.
Besides, there might be another person who would get the curse.
“It wasn’t written in the letter of introduction?”
“It seemed to be written in haste so it wasn’t included. Well, how about this. I will do anything for you as a reward. Will you tell me, please?”
Els leaned forward as she step closer to Shin. Although Shin didn’t feel bad about being approached by a beauty, somehow there was a bloodthirsty aura emitting from her.
Shin didn’t want to hastily open the topic about [Purification]since he at least not yet have the basic common sense of this world.
However, Els knew about Tiera’s curse, and Tiera wrote it in introduction letter to inform Els. Shin thought it would not be a problem if he told her.
“I understand so please sit down. Before I tell you properly, please calm down for a bit.”
Els sat down again on the sofa while Shin adjusted his sitting posture.
“The method to remove the curse is using the skill, [Purification]. There are other methods, but this is the most reliable method I know.”
Though he knew that there was an item that could remove the curse, he didn’t say it as he still couldn’t confirm if it existed here.
“[Purification]?…for that skill to have such an effect.”
He could understand the look of frustration on Els.
Because based from Tiera’s story, only high rank priests could acquired the [Purification] skill.
“[Purification] acquisition…no, inherited in this case, how many people have inherited it”
“I don’t know. In the church, only a person with position knows the condition to use [Purification] on a body. Moreover, not all of its effects are known. In the first place, it is unheard of a person who is not from the church that can use [Purification].”
“What…really?!”
Shin dropped his shoulder as he heard that from Els. He could imagine that it would be quite bad if the church knew he had that skill. That skill, if he were to stand out, it would attract a lot of enemy who would want to inherit that skill.
(I have a bad premonition about this…)
“Please don’t tell it to anyone.”
“Of course. Because I am a skill holder too, the guild is compelled to help me, or I will leave the guild. Therefore, I want you to feel relieved.”
Els said like it was nothing. Shin thought it would be difficult to against humans or organizations but it seemed like he didn’t have to worry.
“Well, as long as I am careful, it will be okay.”
“Even so, it’s a weight off my shoulders thanks to you. Although it was safe, living in that house for years is cruel.”
“I thought so. It was the same reason why I dispelled the curse. Which reminds me, how did you know about the curse? Tiera was even quite hesitant to talk about it.”
“Me and Tiera are from the same village. I became an adventurer and went around the world, it was when I’m on my way back home that I knew about that incident. She was an ordinary elf at that time. She was a girl with beautiful silvery hair.”
“I see.”
“When I came back to the village after hearing that Tiera was cursed, she was already banished. To be honest, I never thought she would still alive after hearing about the curse until I met Schnee.”
A curse that attracted strong monsters, it was almost impossible to survive all alone. In fact, if Schnee didn’t protect her, the survival rate would have dropped to zero.
“She got the curse, and was helped by Schnee…, wasn’t it? Is she lucky or what?”
“It is for Tiera to decide. However, the curse was removed, thanks to you, and I think she can find happiness from now on.”
“You are right. It not for us to be the judge. So the story ends here. Is there anything else you want to ask?”
“None, what I wanted to ask, you had already answered. I’m sorry if it had taken your precious time.”
“It’s okay. Els’ feelings, I can understand it a bit.”
He wasn’t too conscious of the time as 30 minutes had elapsed while he was listening quietly to Els’ story.
When they left the reception room and returned to the receptionist desk, Celica and another miss receptionist was talking. The receptionist rose when she noticed Els and went up to the second floor after making a quick bow.
“Are you done?”
“Yes, we have finished our conversation.”
“I’m sorry, Celica. And thank you for this favor.”
After saying her thanks, Els started to attend to the request brought by adventurers at the receptionist desk.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 01 - A Beginning and an End/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-A-Beginning-and-an-End-[Shin+Oniichanyamete][dotNovel]/Volume_01_Chapter_03_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 2
“Then, Shin-sama, this is your guild card. Please be careful not to lose it, because it also serves as a proof of your rank. And a fee of 10 J silver coins is needed to reissue the card in case it gets lost.”
“I understand.”
Shin accepted the guild card from Celica. The card had his name, rank, affiliation, party described on it. He recalled Cilica’s explanation that the description couldn’t be seen unless a specific tool was used.
“Do you want to take on a request now?”
A bulletin board with requests posted on it was seen. As for rank G requests, something like collecting stuff and other miscellaneous duties were often found. They were less dangerous and therefore less rewarding. Still, the average reward was 1 J silver coin, which seemed to be highly paid.
“How about this? Can I take this request?”
He tore off a request posted on the bulletin board and took it to the receptionist desk. Shin intended to raise his rank by at least one. Still, Celica didn’t say anything about how he had the lowest rank even if she had the information of his rank.
“This request please.”
“This is to collect Hillock Herbs. Because this request is always given, there is no time limit. The reward will be 1 J silver coin per 30 pieces.”
“If I gather 60 of them, will I get 2 J silver coins?”
“Yes, There is always a demand for Hillock Herb, because it’s an ingredient in a potion. Are you okay with this request?”
“Yes, please. Oh, is there a picture book that shows the Hillock Herb?”
“Yes, there is. Please wait a moment.”
Actually, he already saw it in the game, but he decided to confirm its appearance to make sure. The book that Celica brought over from the bookshelf behind the reception was as thick as a dictionary.
She placed the book on the reception desk and exhaled in a small voice.
“Phew, this is a plant encyclopedia. And Hillock Herb…here it is.”
He confirmed the Hillock Herb while thanking Celica who took the trouble of opening the book and find it for him. The plant’s appearance didn’t seem to have changed. Its height was about 10 – 15 cemels with jagged leaves. He was hoping that it wouldn’t be difficult to gather 30 grown plants.
“It grows in the eastern and the northern forest.”
According to the book, Hillock Herb grew in the eastern and the northern forest, especially in the depths of the forest.
“Please be careful as people have been lost in the depth of the forest while searching for Hillock Herbs. You might also get attacked by ferocious monsters if you advance too far.”
“I’ll be careful.”
There were some things better left unsaid. When he went to ‘Tsuki no Hokora’, he had already crossed the eastern forest. The ferocious monsters that he had slaughtered were used to pay for his stay at the inn.
“Take care.”
Said Celica as Shin departed from the guild.
Shin walked toward the east gate, while wondering whether or not he should buy a map .
* * *
――In the guild’s lounge room.
Els and Celica had just finished tidying up some documents and were talking about Shin while drinking tea.
“Celica, do you know who that person is, just now?”
“Come to think of it, I don’t know much about him yet. Although one might say I know him, I don’t have much information about him either.”
Shin had only arrived at the guild yesterday, so Celica didn’t know much about him yet. Since he held the letter of introduction, she told Els about his match with Barlux.
“Are you saying the ‘Blue Wolf’ was dealt with easily? Though, even I can understand that he is a considerably strong person.”
Because Celica was her colleague, she talked with her in a comfortable tone. She was originally like that, so it was not a problem for Els to communicate with in her this way. But she had to make sure not to talk like that in public, only when the two of them were alone.
By the way, ‘Blue Wolf’ seemed to refer to Barlux.
There was not much known about that person――Shin.
As Celica introduced Shin to her, Els said something related to her ‘Official Title’.
“Indeed, no wonder I couldn’t see it.”
Els nodded as she understood the story from Celica.
“Is it true, that it wasn’t seen?”
Celica looked at Els in disbelief.
Els was one of the executives with power next to the sub-master within the guild. Els was a skill [Analyze • Ⅶ] holder, and at the same time, she held the title ‘Observer’. Therefore, she could even see through the name and level of people whose levels were higher than hers. A fake name could be seen through immediately by her. In fact, Barlux’s level was seen through at the first glance.
When Els said she couldn’t see through Shin, one would wonder who on earth he was.
She didn’t even know if his name, Shin, was true.
“Well, there is no need to worry about it too much. I don’t think Tiera would have handed a letter of introduction to a bad person.”
“Blue Wolf also had the same opinion. Just a little different.”
Celica muttered while remembering the mysterious sense of security she felt from Shin.
“Different…is he? Certainly, his ability and the atmosphere around him don’t match, it’s actually odd…”
“Indeed. How do I say this? It felt somewhat like a sense of security.”
Both of them stopped talking, with a good mood around them.
“I don’t know (I guess)…”
The more they thought about Shin, the more his image became blurred.
In the past, even when they felt uneasy, there was never a time when both of their hearts got riled up.
After he left the guild, Shin went toward the east gate without stopping. At first, he went along the main road, then he changed his path and entered the woods. The eastern forest was a place where rookie adventurers entered routinely. It looked like a place where almost none of the ferocious monsters came forth.
When he happened to pass through the gate, Beid informed him about this. He said that several rookies went to the eastern forest today. Beid was a guard at the south gate yesterday, but apparently the guard would rotate after a certain period of time. He seemed to be guarding the east gate now for a while.
Easy quests could be done in 30 minutes in the game. He planned to finish this quickly, and then go to a library afterwards. Shin hastened his pace.
Even if the place was said to be fine for rookies to enter, the forest was dark and filled with trees. Beid said that there were only low-level demons or wild beasts, but it was still frightening for Shin as he was not yet accustomed to it.
Without putting too much trust in the information, he looked for the Hillock Herb cautiously.
If Shin’s memory was correct, it should grow in places the sunlight easily gets to.
Since he heard that the Hillock Herb could be harvested easily, he thought that he could finish quickly.
* * *
“…This isn’t it.”
He had entered the forest 3 hours ago.
“…This isn’t it either!”
Number of harvests… zero.
“…Noooo!!”
Not a single Hillock Herb was found yet.
It had been a while since he entered the forest triumphantly. Despite walking with the reliance of his memory, he wasn’t able to find even one herb.
“It’s strange…No matter how much I look for it, not even one can be found.”
It was strange because he had been slowly going deeper into the forest to find some. There were no signs of adventurers around so it was not likely that someone picked them all before him.
“Should I go a little deeper?”
The information from the encyclopedia stated that it was easier to find them deeper in the forest. Naturally, the surroundings became darker and the signs of wild animals could be felt everywhere.
He devoted himself to search for the plant without any encounters with monsters. As he advanced a little more, he went towards places monsters didn’t go to, and looked at the surroundings.
Even with a full search, he couldn’t find an open place where the sunlight hit the ground. Though he searched for likely places one after another, there were no signs of them, instead there were bushes and tree roots everywhere.
“I’m feeling hungry…”
The sun was already high in the sky, so it was about afternoon. He had walked forever and his stomach was growling because he hadn’t eaten lunch.
“Should I eat some food?”
Because his hunger was near the limit, and as a change of mood, he decided to have lunch.
He put his lunch from the ‘Item Box’ on a stump and began to eat. On the menu was hot dog and cola. The food items stored in the ‘Item Box’ do not rot as time progresses. He entered the forest without buying food beforehand, because he could store food items in his ‘Item Box’.
Though the food originally had special effects such as stats rise or HP recovery and so forth, somehow those areas were unavailable, so the effect couldn’t be felt.
In addition, there were various other luxurious food items but they seemed to be treated as normal food. Even if it had special effect, there might be no time to eat the food while fighting a monster.
“Mmm, myum, fuu… Well then, shall I search for it?”
Without wasting any time, he finished his lunch. A characteristic of junk food was being able to eat it fast. He ate it quickly because he could be in trouble if a wild animal and a monster came, tempted by the smell.
Though he went to search for the Hillock Herb again, it still could not be found.
Another 3 hours later, after he ate lunch, it was rather refreshing; he had still found nothing. The Hillock Herb might just have been picked exhaustively, thought Shin.
After one more hour, Shin decided to return to the inn because he was tired. Though it was possible to go on physically, he felt mental fatigue after not being able to find what he was looking for.
When he arrived at the gate, the guards had been changed. It seemed that the guards took turns and patrolled in a rotational fashion.
He found Beid among the soldiers who returned from patrol and exchanged a few words while he confirmed Shin’s guild card.
“Yo, you look tired. Did you find what you were looking for?”
“The thing is, I went to the eastern forest to gather Hillock Herb, but I have searched for it all day long and haven’t found one…”
“Oioi, that herb can be found easily if you look for it properly. I saw several rookies return with it today. It was harvested well.”
“WH…WHAT…?”
Other rookies were harvesting well. Shin was shocked as he was struck by the words.
“I think everyone returned in the morning…You, surely you weren’t searching for it for a full day, right?”
“…Yes…”
He covered his face with his palms and dropped his shoulders. Shin was an SS rank adventurer during the time of the game. His pride was shattered here even if he knew this was a different world.
“Well, that, what can I say. Cheer up.”
“Ku, your encouraging words sting my eyes.”
Since Beid too didn’t know Hillock Herbs couldn’t be found there, without knowing, only mundane words came out.
“Well, this is just your luck, I guess. I don’t think today is your day, but you can try again tomorrow.”
“It is so…should I go deeper into the forest tomorrow?”
“Don’t go too far into the forest. Though you won’t do such blunder, a lot of rookies die easily because they advance too far into the depths.”
“I understand. See you.”
He understood Beid’s worry, too. And there was no need to hurry as there was no time limit. Yet, there was this psychology of person who wanted to find something when it was not found before. When it came to this, Shin had begun to make a plan regarding his trip to the northern forest tomorrow.
* * *
The next day.
Shin awoke at dawn and immediately started to mobilize.
He checked his equipment, had breakfast in the Bear Point Pavilion and pushed his way through the crowded area. On the way, he stopped by at a secondhand shop and purchased a simple map that showed the area around the kingdom. Yesterday he thought he was going to return quickly, so he didn’t buy one. Even though it was a map depicting the kingdom and the surrounding area, it was only a rough sketch. Because he didn’t want to explore the kingdom yet, he decided to purchase it only if the map had a record of the northern forest.
After leaving the secondhand shop, Shin walked towards the gate. He saw a crowd there. “Is something going on over there?” Shin thought as he approached.
There was a barely identifiable vehicle which looked like a carriage. A coachman entered from the gate and several adventurers followed behind the carriage. Though the coachman seemed to be unhurt, the adventurers seemed to suffer from serious injuries. They helped each other as one of the less heavily injured adventurers lent his shoulder to one missing an arm. Anyone would agree that they had barely escaped with their lives based on their appearance.
“What happened?”
This kind of crowd loved to watch the strange group, but no one tried to be concerned. He only stared at the guards listening to the story from a distance.
(Their levels are 131, 129, 118, and 134.)
The knight leader was level 188. Assuming the ability of the knight leader was rank A, they would probably be rank C or D adventurers.
There were scratches on both the adventurers’ armor and on the carriage, one could guess it was done with sharp tools. But it would be too hasty to conclude they were attacked by thieves or robbers, because there was a huge cut on the roof of the carriage.
After a while, the curious spectators started to scatter, and the adventurers were left to be treated.
As Shin approached the gate, he talked to Beid.
“Hey Beid, what happened to that group just now?”
“Hmm? Oh Shin. They were attacked by a monster and escaped.”
It wasn’t an attack by thieves or robbers after all.
“I see. Did you ask what they were attacked by?”
“I was told not to speak carelessly. Well, I think it will be alright if it’s you. But anyway, it will be known soon.”
“Is he an important person?”
What kind of monster it was that caused the guard to be alerted, he would have to wait for Beid’s words to make sure.
“…It’s a Skull Face. You’ve heard the rumors too, right?”
“Ah, I certainly have…if I’m not mistaken, it appeared at the northern forest.”
“Yes, it has. Because there were hardly any eyewitness reports, it was thought to be a Pawn class, but, apparently, it was a Jack class. “
“Jack class…How many people were in that party?”
“Two parties with full members, 12 people in total. As you can see, only four survived.”
“I see…”
The level of a Jack • Skull Face was around 150 ~ 250. The average level of the adventurers’ party earlier was probably around 120. If 12 people couldn’t defeat it, despite the adventurers’ equipment, it was reasonable to think that the Jack • Skull Face was beyond level 200.
“All high-ranking adventurers are out now. Depending on the case, the guild master or the knight leader will come out.”
“If you think about the level, it’s an adequate move. Hmm? Will the princess go out as well? She is pretty strong.”
He recalled that the second princess exceeded level 200 and asked Beid.
“I hope not…No matter how strong she is, this is royal family you’re talking about.”
“No, when I heard about the princess, I thought of someone who is crazy about fighting. Even the Horn Dragon will be defeated by her.”
“Ah…that…”
In contrast to yesterday, it was now Beid’s turn to do a facepalm and drop his shoulders. Apparently, it was a topic that should not be touched.
“For now, just avoid approaching the northern forest, right?”
“I expect you to understand but be careful.”
He hurriedly left toward the eastern forest. A worker of the kingdom also had hard times.
He crossed the range of his search in the eastern forest yesterday, and proceeded to the depth of the forest at once. Even though he knew monsters were wandering around from [Search], he didn’t worry about it as the monsters could be easily defeated by him.
He strolled into the depths of the forest looking for Hillock Herb. According to the information from the encyclopedia, it should be easier to find in the depths of the forest. And he already discovered several pieces of them growing. The current number in possession was 13 pieces. Still, he hadn’t reached half the goal yet.
After strolling for about two hours and still couldn’t find more than 13 pieces, he decided to go to the northern forest. It could be said that the eastern forest and the northern forest were connected with one main road. So he entered the northern forest and went straight to the depth via the route to the west.
He saw a road after walking for a while. Two carriages could pass by another, as that was the width of the road.
The adventurers were probably attacked by the Skull Face around here, Shin guessed. The roof from the cutout was lying on the side of the road. And puddles of blood and pieces of armor were seen everywhere. No corpses were found as the wild animals and monsters already disposed of them.
“In this world, is a Skull Face a powerful enemy?…”
He muttered while looking at the remains of the carriage. It would no longer be a habitable place for humans if a Jack class Skull Face was that strong, Shin thought.
“It’s no use to think about it now.”
He discarded the thought he had in his mind and entered the northern forest.
As for the northern forest, the trees grow denser together here than in the eastern forest. The sunlight was decreased by more than half, so it was fairly dark despite it being daytime. Just going straight required Shin to be cautious. As Shin walked deeper, he sighed seeing how he would have a hard time looking for the Hillock Herb. Unlike the eastern forest, a lot of monsters lived in the northern forest.
The map had a function that displayed a red or yellow marker. When he combined the search operation skill with the map, Shin could know how many monsters were hiding in a certain radius around him.
He didn’t want to kill unnecessarily, but he would counter-attack if monsters attacked him. He wondered how long he would last while fighting with [Limit].
Unlike the situation when he fought against Barlux, he, without taking any consideration, dealt a single blow to a monster and sent it flying. Although he wasn’t surprised because it also happened when he went to ‘Tsuki no Hokora’, he didn’t know the extent that his maximum offensive power had risen to. He only understood his stats from before he got transported here, but not since his stats had doubled.
He had no choice but to use a support skill, [Limit] at maximum level Ⅹ.
[Limit] was a skill that was made so that a beginner and a high level player could play together. If the skill level was raised by one(from level 2 to level 3), the skill would limit the stats to 1/3 of their original value, instead of only halving it. As a result, the players could still play together despite the difference in level and stats.
Even though there was a method to check the changes of physical strength according to the stat rises, he couldn’t take action as it could destroy the surrounding area. Incidentally, the limitation was also executed as a danger-preventative measure for the accomplishment of the request.
Currently, the maximum stats value for Shin’s STR was 223, which was 1/10 of his original STR, because of [Limit]. The others stats value were still intact. This was the STR stats value of a human without any reincarnation at level 255.
By the way, [Limit • Ⅰ] didn’t restrict the stats as it was 1/1 from original stats. The lowest level of this skill provides no change, while the highest level restricts a stat to 1/10 of it’s original value.
Why only STR? It’s because he was experimenting on how much damage a monster could deal to an ordinary human. It was also to avoid suspicion from other members if he joined a party.
…To prevent himself from carelessly changing the surrounding terrain by using an all out attack, was also one of the implications.
Since there were numerous monsters, he only fought them while searching for Hillock Herb because it was useless to hunt all of the monsters. While thinking that, he wished he had the skill to search for an item.
As he went further into the depth of the forest, he was able to find more Hillock Herbs.
Currently, the number in possession was 29 pieces. Only one more was needed to complete the request. Alright, just one more! Shin was getting fired up as he walked carefully in the forest. At that time, he detected a marker which made a strange move on the map that progressed to the edge of the map view.
The color was red. And that was the color that indicated a hostile existence.
But, the red marker didn’t move much from the place, instead it was moving in zig-zag line in a range of 10 mels.
“What is this?”
He was drawn to the current movement of the marker which had awakened his curiosity. He started to advance towards the direction of the marker with the help of the map, so that he could take a look at the situation.
The movement of the marker stopped for a few minutes while Shin moved closer. Then he waited and looked from the shadow of a tree.
Shin stood still as he was at a loss for words when he saw the figure.
Before his eyes, there was a figure of Jack • Skull Face. While its big body was only bones, it was twice as big as the Pawn class, its height was about 3 mels or more. It was fully equipped from gauntlet to armor and wore a helmet on its head. In addition, it had a round shield with diameter of 1 mel equipped in its left hand, and held a 2 mels long greatsword in its right.
The equipment it was wearing was all in one color, solid black, except for the greatsword. It couldn’t be compared to the Pawn class which was equipped with a rusted sword and worn-out gauntlets.
A dim purple flame could be seen in each of its bony eye sockets, and its whole body emitted a black smoke which could be called a negative aura.
It had the presence of an undead military commander who had returned from hell. It was a Skull Face of the Jack class.
The dwellers of this world would be frozen in fear if they looked at this existence.
However, that was not the reason why Shin stood still and was at loss for words. To begin with, a Jack • Skull Face was just small fry for Shin. Then why did he look at the enemy without starting to attack?
It was because,
“Why is the Skull Face breakdancing?”
Shin’s words spoke for themselves.
Undead monsters held grudges towards all living things, they were existences that would drag any living things to the dead side. Its appearance made any person who saw it feel fear, its body didn’t feel fatigue so as to lavish death upon its surroundings. There existed a group of undead monsters in THE NEW GATE, and the Skull Face was said to be its representative.
It was never an existence that was meant to breakdance in the depth of the forest.
“It’s surreal…too surreal. Do you like to dance that much? You?”
Around the Skull Face, there were no trees, and if seen from above a big hole opened in the forest. Which was not surprising, as the Skull Face wore armor and the breakdance was done while equipped with both sword and shield. Hence, the grass was mown down by the shield, the big trees were cut down by the greatsword, and the ground was scooped out by the ruggedness of the armor.
In the first place, there was the question of whether it was possible to breakdance while wearing armor, but that question was dismissed as the Skull Face had done it.
Shin revealed a trace of pity on his face.
Somehow he even felt indescribably guilty for having looked at something that he shouldn’t have.
However, such thoughts of Shin’s dissipated instantly after the Skull Face revealed its true color.
The sound of liquid splashing reached Shin’s ears. As he shifted his attention to a big tree there, the trunk of the large tree was stained with red 《・・・》 liquid.
Shin immediately observed the appearance of the Skull Face. The greatsword that resounded while cutting through the air, the armor that covered its skeleton body, the shield that mowed down the grass, all of them were stained in the same colored liquid as the tree-trunks.
As he shifted his line of sight a bit, there were corpses of monsters that were sliced in half lying around. The Skull Face was his opponent after all, no more discussion needed.
The Skull Face that appeared in the northern forest. Attacked adventurers. Dry blood that stuck to the greatsword and blood that was still dripping. There was no need for a conviction. Even so, Shin was not so optimistic as to think that the Skull Face wasn’t attacking the adventurers, so letting it roam free wasn’t possible.
He regained control of his thought process. His blurred face tightened, and the atmosphere changed from slacked to sharp.
“I don’t want to be fooled in this situation.”
He muttered while not neglecting the task of gathering information on the opponent. It was dangerous to think that the world remained unchanged since the game ended.
In fact, 30 cemels wide big trees were slashed – that didn’t seem like a joke. There was no point in lowering his guard either.
“Should I start?”
Shin unsheathed his katana and waited for the right timing. And the moment the Skull Face’s back was facing Shin, he took his stance and decreased the distance between them in a split second.
He drew his katana as the distance between them shrank, and targeted a brandish skill at the Skull Face’s defenseless back.
Moderate damage could be dealt by surprise attacks from behind, though Skull Faces generally had a tolerance for slashing attacks.
However, his expectations failed him.
The moment Shin’s katana swung toward the back of the Skull Face, as if it sensed the danger, the Skull Face flung its left arm against the ground and accelerated its rotation with the force of the recoil. Then the Skull Face began to counter-attack with its greatsword.
“What is this!?”
Shin ran past the Skull Face without losing momentum, and escaped from the range of the counter-attack.
It was no wonder that Shin was astounded. A level 250 Skull Face wouldn’t do a strange movement like the one just now. The flowing defense and the counter-attack with its sword. Moreover, it didn’t break its pose even after that. It was a movement that was not possible during in the game.
But the Skull Face’s appearance was that of a skeleton to begin with, so it’s movements weren’t restricted by joint or muscle.
Shin couldn’t hide his surprise at the unimaginable fighting power of the Skull Face.
“What is that movement? Those are not the movements of a Skull Face.”
The breakdance in itself was weird, but now he couldn’t make any sense of it.
“Even its level is strange. Besides, that sword is not supposed to be with a Skull Face.”
He looked at the Skull Face while fixing his posture. According to [Analyze • Ⅹ] , the Skull Face’s level was 359. Let alone Jack class, it jumped over Queen straight to King class.
In addition, the sword that it held was the problem. Humans wouldn’t be able to handle the greatsword if they weren’t using both of their hands. Besides the dazzling ornaments on the hilt, the sword blade emitted a silver shine and a blue line traveled along its center. It was likely a demon steel that was harder than iron and was combined with mithril which had good compatibility with magic. A portion of the blade’s edge shined with a strong, white light.
The white light revealed the sword’s light attribute. It had the atmosphere that could be compared to a holy sword.It was not a weapon that an undead monster would hold no matter what, as it had the opposite attribute.
“I think it’s reasonable to think of it as a unique monster.”
He raised his alertness level by one stage. Unique monsters often had a different attribute and ability from the original. But even Shin hadn’t heard of a monster that had the attribute of its own weak point.
The Skull Face now stood with both feet on the ground as it recognized Shin as a powerful enemy. Pulling its weapon and shield backwards slightly, it took on a stance. That was obviously the movement of a person who had mastered fencing, but there was a clear distinction as the Skull Face could only do repeated attacks.
“That dance didn’t seem to be a joke either!!”
While muttering he again charged toward the Skull Face, this time directly to its left side which held the shield.
Again, he closed the distance instantly with the unsheathed katana and aimed at the opponent’s left ankle.
“Seissh!!”
A flash was seen on the Skull Face’s left ankle.
Even though the Skull Face also reacted to attack by defending with its shield, it couldn’t prevent the calamity because of the differences in their physique and the size of its shield.
“Kin!” The sound of metal rubbing against metal resounded in the air, metal resounded, and Shin distanced himself from the greatsword. The Skull Face would begin attacking Shin with its greatsword while ignoring its own defense when it couldn’t dodge.
The greatsword was swung down in the place toward Shin, and he dodged as he judged that it was too dangerous to take the blow head on. The ground was split about 3 mels by the slashing of the greatsword.
“I’ve never heard of that weapon before, is it rare or unique grade?”
The attack range of its weapon was increased with magic. From Shin’s view, this was an ordinary attack, but the weapon of the monster originally didn’t have this ability. Not to forget that the Skull Face could also make acrobatic moves.
As for the Skull Face, it didn’t care about the dubious Shin and started its revenge with its greatsword. Its left ankle was cut in half from the blow before, however it wouldn’t be a serious problem for it since it didn’t feel any pain. As if there was no ankle from the start, it just thrust its left foot on the ground and let out a strong side sweep.
Shin ran toward the Skull Face and invoked a sword skill, [Dazzling Blade Sink]. The katana hit the blade of the greatsword near the hilt, as he eluded the side sweep.
Then he activated a martial art skill for fencing, [Crushed Blade] in a flash.
The skill was usually used to deal damage to opponents that have slashing attack tolerance. And the attack crushed the Skull Face’s armor.
――Again, it was not as he expected.
“Seriously!?”
It was understandable that Shin was astonished.
The katana attack from Shin was successfully dodged by the Skull Face. Just as the blade was about to hit, the Skull Face did a back step and the katana missed its body. Though the attack broke the armor, it didn’t do much damage to its body.
It moved as if it knew that the katana attack was a powerful slash. Even if Shin didn’t take it seriously, it was already abnormal for it to follow his movement up until then.
“GeeEEEEaaaaAAAAAAAA――――――!!!!”
The scream that resounded from the Skull Face could be misinterpreted as the crooked groan of a beast. It was the voice of resentment that would make any person feel discomfort when they heard it.
Even Shin frowned after being screamed at from close range. There was no special effect, but the loud sound would instigate fear on all living things.
He immediately resuscitated himself and jumped backwards. The HP gauge of the Skull Face only decreased a little, since the attack only hit the armor so the damage was only minimal. If the attack didn’t reach the core of the Skull Face, heavy damage could not be dealt.
“Man, why do I meet a strange monster this early?”
He muttered a half astonished and half praising sentence following the Skull Face’s movement.
As he look at his own katana, he noticed several cracks on its blade.
A durability value was set to weapons and armor. When it dropped to zero, it would make the weapons and armor unusable.
Currently, Several Stroke’s durability was already below 30%. Since Skull Face’s weapon was strong, it probably damaged the katana’s blade when they clashed.
“I can only do one more attack at most. Then, I will try this!”
Shin and Skull Face. The lone man and his surroundings, cruelly destroyed by the Skull Face. He changed his posture into a different one from earlier.
He put his left foot in front and bent slightly forward. He pulled his katana while lowering it to his waist.
And he muttered.
“[Limit • Off]”
The suppressed ability or stat was released from the skill’s effect.
Even ordinary people could sense the transformation in Shin.
The katana he held in his hand was channeled with energy and “Gishiri” sounds were made.
“GuUUuuuUUuUuUUU――――――――”
It seemed that Shin’s transformation caused the Skull Face to be vigilant. As it groans in deep tone, it hold the shield in front, and took a posture that emphasized defense.
Shin admired the Skull Face’s movement while he was charging energy into his katana.
“Shhh!!”
While exhaling short breaths and concentrating energy in his katana, he brandished it.
He left an afterimage as he rushed into the Skull Face and struck a single blow.
Two sounds were heard, “Ki” and “Gin”. Then Shin’s figure vanished from in front of the Skull Face.
Two changes took place.
One, Shin’s katana was shattered, left only its hilt.
Two, the greatsword of the Skull Face was blasted away and disappeared into the sky.
Among the two sounds echoing in the surroundings, the “Ki” sound was the blow of Shin hitting the shield. The clear “Kin” sound was made when he cut through the core of the Skull Face together with its armor. And the following “Gin” sound was produced as Shin’s katana and the Skull Face’s greatsword clashed together.
The greatsword was not broken as it durability value was very high, but Skull Face’s hand couldn’t withstand the impact, so the sword was thrown up into the sky.
The core was cut in half and Skull Face’s HP gauge was drained entirely, and left were mere bones. It hard to associated the scattered bones with the intense combat just a few minute ago.
“I knew this weapon wouldn’t last long.”
He sighed while staring at Several Stroke’s hilt. It was a powerful single blow, but it still wasn’t his maximum power. Though the big trees behind the Skull Face fell down just now as an aftereffect of the attack, he placed the hilt inside the ‘Item Box’ like it was only natural.
“The greatsword from a little while ago seems good.”
He looked up in the direction the sword flew, but all he saw was a clear, wide and blue sky and he didn’t know where the sword flew to.
Though he didn’t expect that the sword would be blown off too far, he could only pray that it didn’t hit a person.
“…Should I return?”
Anyway, he wasn’t in the mood to search for Hillock Herbs anymore after all that.
Because there were jewels among the bones, so he collected them before he left.
After Shin got out of the forest, he began to walk toward the gate and thought that he had better to report about the Skull Face case to the guild.
Without knowing that the greatsword caused a commotion in the kingdom,
Shin left the northern forest and had returned to the east gate.
He noticed that the gate area was noisy as he walked closer.
“Is there something going on?”
No curious spectators gathered like yesterday, it was just the guards who seemed to be asking for information from the passerby. Seemingly, only the people entering the country got questioned.
Although he could enter without waiting in line as adventurers have guild cards, he wanted to listen to the story one by one. So he lined up and waited for his turn to come.
When the distance to the gate gradually decreased, he could listen to the guards’ and adventurers’ voices.
“Northern forest…eastern forest…shadow, flew…?”
Only a fragment of the conversation could be heard, but he couldn’t expel the bad feelings from his mind.
As the distance diminished, he summarized the story he heard clearly together. The residents of the town witnessed a mysterious object flying in the sky. Furthermore, it seems to have fallen into the royal castle. The eyewitnesses saw it was flying, but couldn’t determine if it came from the northern or eastern forest and no one knew what circumstances behind it as the investigation proceed.
(Mysterious flying object…it is the sword after all…)
He remembered the greatsword that was blown away. But he didn’t know which way or in which direction it flew as he concentrated on the battle.
His feet were getting heavier the closer he got to the gate.
“Yo Shin.”
“Yo Beid, has something happened?”
He replied to Beid as if nothing had happened. He wanted to believe that the mysterious flying object was not the greatsword.
People called this an escapism.
“To tell you the truth, a sword has flown toward the royal castle. From the investigation we had, it was either from the north or from the east. Didn’t you go to eastern forest? Did you saw anything?”
“…No, I didn’t see it. Were there any injuries?”
From the story, no people were hurt, as the sword fell and stuck to the castle wall. Good grief, it was absurd that a sword flew over the rampart.”
“It’s a good thing that no one got hurt.”
He breathed a sigh of relief at the words of no human injury.
“Let’s confirm the direction firmly.”
He made a promise to himself at that moment.
“Huh? What?”
“No, It’s nothing. May I go now?”
“Ah, Please tell the soldier who does the investigation if you remember anything.”
“Roger that.”
He left the gate with a quick pace while maintaining his poker face. He walked until the gate was out of sight and loosened his pace as he let out a sigh.
“Haa, why did it land at the royal castle out of all places?”
Already on the third day in this different world, he had a hunch that the country was already determined to be his opponent. It was very likely that he was gonna be charged with treason for attacking the royal family. Frankly speaking, it was very bad.
Even though there was no evidence that lead to Shin, when he reported about the Skull Face to the guild, the doubt would be shifted toward him somehow.
“Why did it happen this way…”
It wouldn’t always go the way he wanted in life.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 01 - A Beginning and an End/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-A-Beginning-and-an-End-[Shin+Oniichanyamete][dotNovel]/Volume_01_Chapter_03_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 3
Shin set aside his worry and headed toward the guild. Though the rumor about the Skull Face was true, they hadn’t heard about it. In addition, the Jack • Skull Face basically has several Pawn class subordinates, so he couldn’t assert that it became safe just because the Jack class was subjugated.
Shin had been searching for enemies in the surrounding area when he left the battle location, but there were no signs of other monsters in the surroundings. Did it act alone? Or were its subordinates swallowed up by the dance and sliced into pieces? It was very likely the latter if one looked at the Skull Face’s actions. It was not a movement that could distinguish between friend or foe.
Even a normal adventurer of this world could handle a Pawn class monster, so there was no problem if it was revealed to be Pawn class. But the story was different in case of a unique monster like the Jack class. From Beid’s way of speaking, he seemed not to worried, because a Jack class monster didn’t came forth very often.
Nevertheless, would it end with only a mere unique monster appearance this time? It was the anxiety of Shin, who was ignorant about this world.
That said, the current Shin didn’t understand it no matter how much he thought about it. He thought about whether he should ask Els or Celica again about that situation and opened the guild door.
The guild was the most crowded place Shin had ever seen. The place where adventurers assemble, was crowded with adventurers who were armed with swords and spears, and wore armor and robes.
Besides the anxious feelings, the place generally had a feeling of excitement to it. There were some unusual people who didn’t seem to be agitated.
“This is somewhat imposing.”
Although there were many people, the receptionist desk was not crowded, so he decided to report it at once. Conveniently, Celica was at the receptionist desk. Shin was saved from trouble because the contents of his report were more or less better told to a person he knew.
“Hello. I have something I need to report.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Shin-sama. The report?”
“It was about the Skull Face. However to be sure, how much is known by now?”
“Tsu!…the Skull Face is known to be Jack class, it’s been reported from surviving adventurers that the Skull Face holds a weapon that is stronger than normal. Every individual confirmed it in general. The Pawn class subordinates are not confirmed yet. Currently, subjugation requests have been issued. It became top priority, because the place in question is near the kingdom. Various A and S ranks are all out because of the situation, and are getting ready to set up a front party with B ranks and below.”
It seemed that its battle style was not known. But it was the information regarding the weapon that Shin was anxious about.
“The weapon is stronger than normal?”
“Rather than a common greatsword, the Skull Face’s sword is around twice as big.”
“…It’s a greatsword, huh? Any other information about the sword?”
“No, that’s all we know for now.”
The information about the sword had already circulated after all. As expected, the adventurers who survived the battle did not forget the weapon of the enemy. However, the greatsword which that Jack class was using should have been charged with light magic of the light attribute. Why was there no information about that?
“…In summary, it is a Jack class with a larger than usual weapon, right?”
“Yes. The level is presumed to be at least 200 or more.”
“…………”
Hmm, Shin pondered. That was not the answer Shin wanted to hear, he wanted to know whether or not the greatsword was charged with light magic. But from Celica’s story it seemed like the weapon of the Jack class was just a mere greatsword. Because he expected that a magic bestowed weapon would be rare, he was in danger of being suspected to have a connection with the sword that flew into the royal castle if he unskillfully mentioned it.
The idea of a totally different Skull Face appeared in Shin’s mind, but the idea of two Skull Faces would only make uproar if he mentioned it. Besides, was there such a thing like two Jack • Skull Face with similar greatswords appearing at the same time in the same place?
“Uhm, Shin-sama?”
“Ah, sorry. Just slightly lost in thought.”
Celica was slightly worried, because Shin had pondered while his facial expression showed a serious look. According to Celica’s judgment, Shin was one of the few people with fighting power equal to the S class. If such a person was making a serious face when hearing the information about the Skull Face, it couldn’t be helped that she became uneasy.
“What are you thinking about?…”
“Well, I was thinking about what kind of items Skull Faces drop.”
Shin thought about the greatsword, about whether or not it was charged with light magic and what kind of questions he should ask to find out, but could not say it. Instead, he decided to ask about the item drop.
“Item drops? Uhm, If I remember correctly, it drops a jewel, worn-out armor and a sword, which can be sold at moderate prices, I think…”
“Oh, is that so. Iyaa, I completely forgot about that, hahaha”
Shin behaved cheerily so that the lie he told wouldn’t be exposed, but by all odds, he behaved suspiciously.
However, Celica didn’t notice Shin’s strange behavior because a Skull Face of the Jack class was a formidable opponent, so she wasn’t worried about the item drop. In the guild, a senile looking man laughed unnaturally as he replied to a woman, which was an out of place scene.
“That reminds me, what kind of case would Shin-sama like to report?”
“Oops, sorry. It’s an important matter. I want to report that the Jack • Skull Face in the northern forest was killed by me. Ah, this is the jewel which I recovered at the time.”
“Really? Skull Face…Skull…that…?…uhm, was it Pawn class?…”
“No, it was a Jack class. It had a greatsword too.”
“…………”
Celica’s movement became awkward as she tried to take out the document like usual after hearing Shin’s words. Somehow she managed to return a question about whether she misheard Shin’s words, but said question was denied plainly. It was so surprising that no words came out.
“…………”
“…………”
“…Errr, Celica-san?”
“Eh? Ah!? So-sorry! I was surprised for a moment.”
Celica pulled herself together and apologized in a hurry. That caused her tone to return to normal.
“Is it that surprising?”
“No, not at all!? At least an A rank with considerable ability is necessary to subjugate the Skull Face of Jack class alone. Please do not say it like it was a trivial thing!”
“Uhm, sorry?”
“I knew Shin-sama was a strong person…but subjugating it alone on the day the request is issued is unheard of.”
“That encounter was a coincidence though…”
“Still, normally a person would return first and report it to the guild, then attack after they firmly prepared. I think only few people would think of attacking it on the spot.”
“I see. No, but certainly my weapon is like this.”
The sword, which was mostly just a hilt, was shown. During the fight, when he heard the crack, the katana’s blade was already in a sorry state. In other words, its state was currently worse than a bamboo sword.
“Ha!? Has it shattered!”
“I only managed to keep this little part.”
“What kind of absurdity did you do!?”
“Wha!? Celica-san, too close! Too close!”
He held Celica’s shoulders to stop her from approaching any closer and climbing over the counter while her expression changed. Because of the sudden action, their faces approached each other until they were around 20 cemels apart.
Shin was experiencing a trivial, internal conflict about whether he should praise or scorn himself for reacting to Celica’s unexpected action.
“Eh…Ahh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to do such a strange thing. I was worried that you got injured or rather I got too excited…Wait, what am I saying!?”
The shaken Celica was amusing to Shin as he watched her. Shin almost retorted as he looked at her. She appeared to be so surprised that the Jack class was defeated by him alone.
“An intellectual, cool woman who is both shy and nervous…? Somehow this is…someone is coming!”
It’s better for me to come, but don’t give off some half-baked calmness. You are kinda conspicuous.”
“Huh? Oh, Els”
Is this gap moe?…Shin nodded alone as Els called from behind him. Apparently, Shin and Celica’s conversation was attracting attention from the surrounding people without them knowing it.
“Excuse me for intruding. Besides, just now the embarrassed Celica-san was so cute.”
“Cu-cute!?”
“Though I agree there, I would like you not to bully your colleague too much.”
“Agree!?”
“I’m sorry. But it was not intentional, the explanation still remains.”
“I know. Because I also saw her.”
“If that’s the case, what about my opinion…”
Els and Shin who hastened their conversation, ignoring all of Celica’s words. If Els was there from the beginning, Shin felt that the situation would not become like this.
“Don’t say that. I have even prepared in various ways and was gathering information.”
Els’ attire was not the miss receptionist look like what Celica was wearing. Instead she was wearing hunter-equipment that was made for easiness of movement. She wore a slightly long leather jacket which seemed to be made from a durable material, together with a pouch to store small items and compression shorts that went to her knees, which were covered by long boots. The bow on her back was the fundamental equipment of a hunter, while a dagger was tied to her left thigh. Her long hair was tied up and the atmosphere around her was different from before. It was ‘the hunter who was aiming at something’ presence.
“About the Skull Face?”
“Yeah, it’s the monster that appeared in the northern forest. Quite some time has passed since the rumor started circulating. However, this time it holds a stronger weapon than a Jack class usually does, and for the first time harm has been inflicted to someone.”
“Oh, about that, I also saw it, too. Certainly, it swung a greatsword around.”
“I thought Celica was surprised about the appearance of the Skull Face and the sword together, but it seems to be different matter.”
“More precisely, it was really combined, even though I killed it.”
Shin uttered the killing part in a low voice. When he talked to Celica, he had to say it out loud, because the surrounding noise was loud.
“…If that’s true, I understand why Celica was flustered.”
“That’s right. It’s not funny.”
Els who joked around, stopped Shin’s words. The Celica who just returned her composure, barely responded with agreeing words.
“Even though it’s hard to doubt you, do you have any proof? It’s not possible to trust you completely, even if you subjugated it.”
“I only collected a jewel though. To begin with…what is the proof part of a subjugated monster? I don’t know what is it for Skull Face.”
From the remnants of the game, Shin hadn’t collected drop items that were common. He recalled the proof part for the guild and had completely forgotten that he could not prove that he subdued it if there was no proof.
“Did you collect the armor and the sword? Jack class certainly have good equipment, there are people who have sold it to increase their funds, and those who use it themselves.”
Shin racked his brains about how to overturn the not trusting response of Els. Anyway, beside the greatsword that vanished in the sky, he didn’t think that the helmet and the armor could be collected now.
“I wonder how much value such things have.”
“Those don’t seem like the words of an adventurer…”
“Exactly…”
From Shin’s expression, Celica and Els understood that the words he muttered carelessly were the truth. Shin was strange. Though Els was said to be modest, she needed a considerable amount of funds to buy the same or equal quality equipment as the Jack • Skull Faces in this world. At least A and B ranks would not easily get their hands on it. It was natural that Shin, who treats it like that, was seen as strange. Because he implied that he didn’t need it, and it was hardly said by other adventurers.
“Well, if the jewel get examined by an appraiser, it will be alright I guess. Because the jewel it dropped had the magical power of the monster charged, it should be revealed that it belonged to a Skull Face.”
“Is that so?”
Els decided not to think too deeply, and let the jewel speak for itself if it turns out to be evidence. Though it takes time and was more difficult than the finding of other proof part, if he could prove that he had really subdued it, there was no problem even if some time was lost to some extent.
“But it will take a while, so the jewel will be kept here as it’s being appraised. Though it’s possible to sell it right away.”
“Ah, this time I will pass. Because I don’t mean to sell it for the moment.”
“Alright then. I will contact the person in charge at the inn as soon as they finish appraising it. The inn is Bear Point Pavilion, correct?”
“Yes. Well then, thank you.”
Celica took over from Els’ speech and skillfully conveyed that it will take time. She was in complete working mode.
“That reminds me, why did the Skull Face appear so easily in the northern forest? I’ve heard that rumor before.”
“Originally the undead monster group was born because grudges and regrets of the living meets with magic power. Moreover, though ferocious monsters inhabit the northern forest, there was no end to the people who set foot in there, because there are precious medicinal herbs and materials to be collected. Subsequently, numerous people had lost their life because they were attacked by monsters. Therefore, the condition for the undead to be born was set. However, the appearance of a strong magical individual like the Jack class had not naturally occurred in that environment. Because normally in the northern forest, the Skull Face is a Pawn class.”
Els added that she thought Shin might have mistaken it for a Pawn class. Moreover, it seemed that no one has actually fought it for it to be confirmed its authenticity. Nobody tried to verify it expressly because it was no more than a rumor.
“By the way, what is the range level of a Jack class?”
“It is confirmed that the lowest is 150, and the highest is 250. It is classified as Queen and King class for levels beyond that.”
Apparently, the upper level limit for every monster did not seem to have changed somehow.
“Then. Will it be an exception this time?”
“What do you mean by that?” “What?”
Two people reacted to the words from Shin. As expected from staff of the guild and an adventurer, it was a split second reaction.
“The Jack class which I fought had a level exceeding 250.”
“That, is that true?”
“No doubt about it because I saw with [Analyze]. I think it is probably a unique, or special monster. There were no Pawn class followers in the surrounding area unlike the normal one, too.”
“Just to confirm, what was its exact level?”
“It was 359. I think it was already a King class if my memory is correct.”
“359!?”
Jack class certainly appeared in [Analyze], and in the first place, Queen and King class Skull Faces’ physique and equipment don’t match. When the level was excluded, the weapon and the movements were nonstandard, but there was nothing strange besides that.
“…………”
Again, two people became speechless from Shin’s words. There were various questions that popped up inside their heads, such as ‘Should I believe it?’, ‘Is he mistaken?’ and so on.
“…Is there something wrong?”
“Rather than unpleasant…no…I seem to be confused. Celica, I guess there is probably a method that can roughly examine the opponents strength in the jewel, right? Then how about we try that?”
“――tsu! Then I will hasten the appraisal of the jewel. Els, I’m sorry, but please take care of the rest.”
As she replied to Els’ words, Celica bowed to Shin and took the jewel in his hand and headed for the other side of the reception desk.
As for the easygoing Shin, he felt admiration about the convenient method.
“Good grief, what a guy you are.”
“What?”
“If it’s true what you said about the level, your strength can be compared to at least an entire A rank party. But if it’s a lie, then you’re a great braggart.”
“Well, If it’s wrong, that means I saw it wrongly. Besides, isn’t my rank G? No one will believe if I said that I subdued a Jack class.”
“Though that is certainly so, if they don’t know the circumstances.”
“Then, that’s nice, I guess. Though I don’t mean to attract attention with the words I said until now.”
Although it felt like his words were contradicting his actions, Shin chose to not stand out because he didn’t want to be troubled by the attention towards him. Shin’s only purpose was to return to his former world, and joining the guild was an effective way to gather information.
“I reported it because if one would wander aimlessly to search for it and that would be bad, I guess. If possible, I don’t want it to be known that it was my doing.”
“Although I want to comply with your will, I think there will be people who investigate it even if I hide it. Because normally it’s natural to introduce oneself as the one who did it, right?”
“You have a point…”
Though Shin understood that, he felt it was bothersome as she said it clearly. There would be a commotion only for this. The adventurer that defeated it would be considerably famous, but it was too unnatural if the person chose not to divulge his name. It would be inevitable that people wanted to know the reason that he didn’t appear.
When it was revealed, it surely would attract attention if he was a G rank adventurer. It was troublesome no matter how it turned out.
“Sorry to trouble you, but it seems that I’m not able to help you with much.”
“I don’t intend to put a burden on you there, so it’s fine. For the time being, I have to find a meal to eat.”
The problem wasn’t solved from worrying meaninglessly. He decided to have lunch as a change of mood. Inside the guild was so crowded that hardly any seats left, so he decided to go outside the guild, to eat lunch.
* * *
Since Els stayed in the guild, Shin walked on the main street alone. He headed for the restaurant which Els and Celica, who returned from the interior of the reception desk, recommended together.
After walking for a little while, the restaurant that hung out the signboard where a sword and fork were drawn, came into view. It was said that every chef were a former adventurer, and seemed to be offering exotic dishes such as dishes with rare ingredients and so on.
“Is it a fighting chef?…like Cook?”
He remembered the woman who did the cooking in the ‘Rokuten’, and a wry smile leaked out. She was particular about securing materials by herself, therefore she was an oddball whose stats were said to be on the verge of the maximum value.
To begin with, there was no oddball in the ‘Rokuten’, but the figure that handled a handiwork kitchen knife in both hands while preparing to cook a dragon left a strong impression in Shin.
“Just by remembering it makes me hungry…”
Because his stomach started to growl, he quickly opened the door. The restaurant was crowded, probably because he arrived during lunch break.
“Welcome. I’m sorry. You will have to wait a bit!!”
The voice which likened a bell resounded in the noisy restaurant. There was only one waitress who went back and forth between table and counter. Although he was hungry, he felt sorry for rushing it in this situation.
Shin stood quietly beside a door and looked at the restaurant interior. Was it because it was near the guild?, or because the restaurant manager was a former adventurer? Most of the people inside the restaurant were equipped with armor and weapons. They were probably the people who gathered because of the Skull Face, Shin guessed.
“Thank you for waiting. Let me guide you here…Isn’t it Shin-san?”
“Yep? well, errr…Celica-san? No, is it Cilica-san?”
Although Shin was surprised at the sudden words, he could see properly that the hair was in a ponytail not like Celica’s, so he noticed it was Cilica. He thought about whether Celica had changed her clothes again for an instant.
“That’s correct. Is it because of a recommendation from Onee-chan that you have chosen this restaurant?”
“Yes. I’m grateful in various way.”
“…Isn’t it too early for an ordinary person to be recommended here.”
“? Did you say something?”
Cilica muttered something with serious face for a moment. Though Shin felt inclined and asked, she just smiled and said nothing. Since pursuing it would be strange, the conversation stopped there. He didn’t want to have a long conversation beside a door, too.
He was guided there when a group seemed to leave by chance, so one table was vacant. Shin felt awkward to use the table alone, but unfortunately the table for one person was filled. He gave the consent to Cilica that he wouldn’t mind sharing the table when other visitors came, and then he ordered a dish.
“Uhm, Shin-san. Because a new visitor came, share the table, please. Thank you.”
“Ah, yes. I understand.”
Cilica turned up after Shin ordered a dish almost without pausing and requested for him to share a table. The one who came over was a man who was also an adventurer with a spear which emitted a poisonous-looking radiance.
“…Is that ‘Venom’?”
Shin muttered as the spear that could be said to be ominous was seen.
Devil spear ’Venom’―― 《Legend》 grade that had the ability that could be compared with 《Mythology》 grade, was a weapon that had a clear distinction from 《Rare》 and 《Unique》 grade.
“Sorry to bother you.”
“No, you saved me from trouble. I was hesitant to occupy the table alone”
While greeting lightly, Shin looked at the man. His height almost the same as Shin. His eyes were red and gathered his raven-black hair roughly behind his head. His skin was white like the skin of a sick person. Though he thought that the man had a good-looking face, Shin had the impression which stood contrary to his appearance. The man was like a wild beast. He had a sharp glint in his eyes, indicating that the man has made it through violent situations. In addition, he had the same composure to kill as a beast.
His level was 188. This man could probably defeat the normal Jack • Skull Face alone.
“I am Shin. This must be fate or something, too. Although it’s only for a short time, nice to meet you.”
“…There is still a guy who has not yet heard about me, huh? I’m Wilhelm Avis. Are you a new face among adventurers?”
“That’s right, it’s my third day today.”
Shin observed the man as he greeted him, and Wilhelm told him his name. Shin answered the question while looking puzzled to Wilhelm’s words.
Suddenly Shin noticed that all the visitors in the restaurant paid attention to him, although the surroundings were still noisy. But Shin was still a rookie adventurer. So it would be Wilhelm who attracted attention. Even though Shin did not understand the reason why Wilhelm attracted attention, he decided to leave it alone because there was no harm for the moment.
“Third day? That equipment is quite good for you. Are you employed as a mercenary?”
“No, well, you might say that it’s because I have traveled from a faraway country, I think. So I lack a little knowledge about the common sense here.”
“No wonder you don’t feel nervous when hearing my name. A normal adventurer and me wouldn’t share a table, I guess.”
“I don’t feel nervous? …What on earth did you do?”
Shin calmly asked about it, despite of the intimidation situation which seemed to caused some person break out in a cold sweat. The surrounding adventurers were thinking: “Why is this guy speaking with him overly familiar”, their hearts were all screaming together.
As for Shin, he didn’t feel the intimidation, not even in the slightest. It was just a somewhat over-familiar question because he thought the man he saw had more or less never committed any crimes.
“No big deal particularly. I only killed undead monsters for quite some time. So people don’t always approach the place I fought. It was said that I continue to fight to the point where I can absorb the undead’s power.”
“What is that?…I don’t understand the meaning.”
Shin didn’t believe it was only that simple. He wondered whether or not it was a joke.
“I am the same, too. Well, a guy with a low ranked who believed this is a fool. The true reason is because I have this.”
As he said so, Wilhelm grabbed the spear which leaned against the wall – the devil spear ‘Venom’.
“This guy is ‘Venom’. It is a weapon of the 《Legend》 grade, and it has the ability to absorb the vitality of the opponent it wounded, and share it with the user. Though it is a convenient thing, 《Legend》 or higher grade weapon means it possesses a power that can blow anyone away. But even if I use it, I don’t understand the ability of this guy either.”
“You use it, and you don’t understand it either?”
“I noticed that I became the guy who was being detested. Additionally, the ability of my weapon is absorption <Drain>. Even allies were nervous at one time because of the absorption.”
Because naturally there was no weapon description column in the game, he did not seem to know exactly what kind of effect the weapon had. Though it would actually be an absurd case if Shin knew the effect, it was because he wasn’t from this world. At the same time, he was satisfied with the reason as to why the surrounding visitors were paying attention to them, then the [Appraisal] skill question emerged.
“Do you know it can get appraised?”
“Well, I have attempted to get it appraised you might say, but only the name and the grade was discovered. The current ability used can’t be confirmed.”
“What is skill level of the person who did the appraisal.”
“It was Ⅶ.”
Shin was convinced he knew why it was impossible from Wilhelm’s reply. The lowest skill level necessary for confirming the ability details of weapons of 《Legend》 grade was Ⅷ, Ⅸ in 《Mythology》 grade, and maximum level Ⅹ for the 《Ancient》 grade ones. When playing the game, merchants or blacksmiths could be requested immediately by players for appraising skills, but apparently in this world, it didn’t seem to be that easy.
The dish which he ordered was served as Shin was going to give up the topic. Wilhelm seemed to have already ordered his dish, as there was a dish that Shin didn’t remember ordering.
“For the time being, shall we eat?”
“Sure, let’s eat!”
After saying “Itadakimasu”, they immediately dig in. The dish Shin ordered was the grilled thigh with bone of the Aburidori monster. Shin’s nose was tickled as an indescribably fragrant aroma was shrouded as it made a sizzling sounds.
A fragrance of the spices mixed with meat juices impacted and filled his mouth the moment he bit in it. Crispy skin and the feel of the meat coming loose softly was irresistible for the hungry Shin.
“Delicious! This is delicious!!”
“…Settle down a little and eat.”
Wilhelm was a little amazed at Shin who was vigorously wolfing it down. Though he couldn’t say that himself, because Wilhelm was greedily ate the dish with a speed matching Shin’s.
For a while, they continued to eat in silence, and then each of them sipped a cup of black tea after the meal.
“I ate Aburidori for the first time after a long absence. Even it’s name made me think that oneself is warmed.” (T/N: Aburareru means warm; grill/scorch which is almost similar to the monster’s name, Aburidori)
“It was a little charred here though.”
It was a playful name, but still, the level range of the monster was about 100. It couldn’t fly although it was a bird type monster, and it was not alert and agile, but it could breathe out flame as it was the biggest characteristic according to its name. It was the monster which was strangely popular during the time of the game.
“That reminds me, was it okay to tell me the information on your weapon thoughtlessly? Isn’t it supposed to be concealed?”
“What I said earlier, it was widely known a long time ago. It won’t change anything even if I have only told a rookie now.”
“You have a point there.”
“I’m already done eating. See you then, newcomer”
“See you~”
Just like he said it to a friend, Shin saw Wilhelm off. The surroundings were noisy, but Shin didn’t mind it now.
Shortly after Wilhelm left, Shin left his seat, too.
The first meeting of a High Human Rokuten and a white figure welding a devil spear, was in fact a plain and simple one.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 01 - A Beginning and an End/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-A-Beginning-and-an-End-[Shin+Oniichanyamete][dotNovel]/Volume_01_Chapter_04_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 1
Shin, who left the restaurant, turned around on his foot toward the library. Even though the request was not completed yet, it didn’t have a time limit. So he didn’t need to hurry. From now on, because of his conduct during the last few days, he intended to carefully study the possible sense of an impending crisis.
“Is it here?”
Shin was at the middle point of the commercial and residential districts. Loud voices from energetic merchants could be heard occasionally. It was a quiet place compared to the commercial district.
And in front of Shin, there was a library standing tall before his eyes. The library, which was managed by the Bayreuth kingdom, was named the Royal Magic Library.
It seemed to have plenty of magic category books assembled together, but he was told by Tsugumi that the information about common knowledge that he didn’t understand, could be found here. Though there were books that couldn’t be read without permission inside, there was no problem, since Shin intended to only study within a readable scope at this time.
From the information desk, the chairs, tables, and the large quantity of bookshelves in the library, there was nothing special about it, nor were there features that could distinguish it from other libraries. Just in case, he received an explanation about the usage at the information desk, he summarized the matters that required attention, such as how he could only rent 3 books at a time, how there was a limit in amount of rental days, and how he was free to read inside the library, but how it would cost money if he borrowed one.
As for the rental cost, it was based on what kind of book it was, and how many days it was rented for. Of course, if a book was lost, there would be a fine. The general rule for the books which required permission to be read, was that it was prohibited to rent them, and there were books that couldn’t be read without certain social status and/or trust such as the senior adventurers and the court service officers.
If there was a valuable book, one would think that a thief would break into the library. But there were guards and soldiers who kept watch on the surroundings in the building. In addition, they also had the skill for crime prevention, so no fellow could act violently.
(Is it level Ⅷ [Barrier] and [Wall]? So that’s why they are so full of confidence.)
Although he doubted that the skill barrier used was stronger than the rampart, he still admired that the barriers were never broken since from the very beginning.
After receiving the explanation, he was instructed where the books of which field were located at. Then, he gathered books around the library and sat down on a empty seat.
First, the history. After all, Shin thought that the first thing he had to do was to investigate about the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’, which seemed to be connected to the simultaneous logout from the death game. Because there was a chronology which listed the big events since the country was founded in the book, he opened it at once.
“First of all, from the recent events. Um, it’s the 511th years now from when the country was founded, huh? Because it’s said that the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’ occurred 500 years ago, and it was almost in the same time period as the founding of the country.”
He traced back the chronological table to the past while looking puzzled due to the strange coincidence. There were numerous things related to the national administration that were written, such as the conclusion of the alliance, the kings taking over, funerals, wars, large-scale constructions, and so on. As he looked at the end of the chronology, which was the part about the country’s founding.
“No info about the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’ is written here, not even a little.”
Only the founding of the Bayreuth kingdom was written about in the chronology, anything that happened earlier than that wasn’t written about.
“Well, it’s a chronology after all. I guess that it was written about in other books.”
He opened another history book while pulling himself together. However, most of the content in the opened books did not describe in detail the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’.
Though he read several history books afterward, the conclusion was still the same. Only one of the books seemed to have written about the event.
“The world has changed after that day…”
The king left, the country disappeared, and it was written that the world had changed, but it was not written clearly about what happened to the world afterwards. Apparently, after the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’, there was temporary chaos around the world, but the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’ was not described in detail. It seemed odd that there was so little recorded in the book about the players’ logout, where they were thought to have vanished.
He took out one of the books from the mountain of books while thinking that no book could provide him with the info he wanted.
It seemed to be a book about races, and each feature and characteristic was briefly described.
Human ―― They have the highest number in population, and there were a lot of countries, too. When a kingdom was established, the ruler was called a King.
Dragnil ―― Power and vitality were prominently high, have a long life. It can transform into the shape of a human. When an empire was established, the king was called a Dragnil King.
Beast ―― They have the highest number in population next to humans, they are keen and nimble, and have different characteristics in every tribe. When the tribe was gathered together and formed an alliance, the chief was called a Beast King.
Lord ―― There was a little bias about their ability, also no ability that seemed prominent, but as a whole, their abilities have the tendency to be high. When the empire was established, the king was called a Devil King.
Dwarf ―― They have skillful hands and are good at making armor and tools. They were scattered in every country and formed a guild which had the tendency to share their technique and craft. The best craftsman was called a Cave King.
Pixie ―― They are the longest living race, they excelled at magic handling. The pixies were divided between the ones who lived in this world, and the ones who lived in the fairy village in the other world, which exchange with each other. The king was called a Fairy King.
Elf ―― Their lifespans come 2nd after the pixies, not only magic, but also their crisis perception ability was high. They lived in the woods. Young elves often appeared outside the village. The village was called the garden, and the chief was called the Forest King.
There were no contents that differed from Shin’s knowledge. Although Shin momentarily felt a sense of incongruity for the dwarf’s best craftsman, who was called the Cave King, he remembered that there was a setting where dwarves originally lived in caves.
Because there was a chance that an Elf or Pixie might know about the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’, he made sure to memorized that part.
“Now then, what should I read next?”
He decided to investigate as long as the time permitted, and opened the next book.
* * *
While Shin was doing the investigation in the library, executives, such as Barlux and Els, were preparing for a meeting in a room of the adventurers’ guild.
Of course, the agenda was the Skull Face. Even though the situation called for waiting for the appraisal of the jewel, the members that had some free time were gathered for the time being. There was a possibility that the information was accurate, because the one who reported was said to hold a letter of introduction. Since the Skull Face had already been defeated, the sense of urgency was not high, but the Shin’s personality in the report of Barlux and Els was raised to some extent.
Though the man called Shin seemed to be easily trusted, there was never a case where a dangerous person held the letter of introduction, so it gave the report some credibility.
“Well then, let’s start the special meeting.”
All the members in the room directed their attention to Barlux in response to his voice.
“Though there are people who have already heard this, the Jack • Skull Face that appeared in the northern forest was subdued. The one who subdued it only collected a jewel, which is currently under investigation.”
“The Jack class was subdued and neither the sword nor the armor were collected?”
All the members looked puzzled due to the words from Barlux, who reported plainly. The first one to speak was Ardi, who was just dispatched as a liaison from the kingdom. The mage Arad Royl, who was in charge of the appraisal of the jewel, nodded as he had the same kind of doubt. Kylie Ein, who was the sub-master, and Els, who knew about the circumstances, had no reaction. Then Barlux continued.
“The person told me that the sword and armor were not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal?…”
Ardi had the expression of someone who didn’t understand. Arad was laughing “hohoho” while combing down his beard.
“To declare something like that, it seems that this man’s wealth is quite considerable.”
Although Arad’s hair and beard were white-colored because of his old age, due to his well-developed back muscles, which were tightly visible, he didn’t look as old as he was. The way he laughed suited the good-natured old man.
“The fellows who hold the introduction letter are generally thoughtless fellows. They don’t care about losing their life, especially the young ones.”
“Is that so?”
“Wait! Wait! Though I have no obligation to say this, we are not that thoughtless.”
“It’s not convincing when guild master says so.”
Ardi was about to believe Arad’s claim as common sense. But Barlux interfered, and was put down by Els.
“Well, let’s go back to the jewel case. I don’t know the details yet, but apparently there are no mistakes, at least about the story of its level being 359.”
“Still. It would be nice if the proof part was collected. The problem is whether or not a similar monster has appeared.”
It was likely a little joking, and the moderate tension became loose from Arad’s honest report. Because there was no one excelling Arad in jewel appraisal in the guild, it was decided that a Skull Face that had the level of at least a King class had appeared.
“The staff that’s skillful in searching has already gone out to investigate it. The information will be assembled tomorrow.”
Kylie complemented in a calm tone. Black hair held together with a barrette, light brown pupils and long-narrow eyes could be seen from the interior of her glasses. The secretary of Barlux had good looks and skill combined, and a sword could be seen at her hips.
“As usual, Kylie did her work fast. The guild master should follow her example.”
“Our sub-master is excellent, old man Royl.”
“Can Barlux-sama focus on your work a little more?”
“Urgh”
“She has no mercy.”
A few words from Kylie break the joke from Barlux. Barlux was not bad at office work particularly, but Kylie still seemed to be dissatisfied with him.
“…………”
“Hmm, were you surprised that this is different than you thought?”
“No, well you might say, because I thought that the feeling of tension should remain a little bit.”
Arad asked Ardi, who was taken aback by the dialogue of the three people. He seemed to have a serious personality. Ardi said modestly, and yet he showed a slightly perplexed expression.
“Well it’s a usual case. Besides, this is something like a petty liaison meeting, rather than a conference. If this was a state of emergency, each district chief and S rank adventurers would gather here.”
“Still, only one Skull Face has been reported, right?”
Ardi understood that it was not an emergency situation, because only five people gathered, but he thought he might be too optimistic. Arad, who read Ardi’s mind, complemented Ardi so he revealed his true feelings.
“It seems so. To be honest, there is no knowing how many such monsters are out there, and there is a reason to do an assessment.”
“Is it the barrier’s protection?”
“Yes. Do you know about it?”
“It’s the barrier against monsters. It is said that monsters from outside the barrier will not be allowed to come near.”
“That’s right, the first King erected the barrier. Therefore, even if a strong monster is born, they can’t come inside the barrier. It also has the effect of silencing strong dark magic. In addition, we are being vigilant ourselves, too.”
The technique from the time the kingdom was founded was still protecting the Bayreuth kingdom. That was the reason why the amount of strong monsters that had appeared so far, hadn’t increased.
However, neither the kingdom nor the guild considered the barrier absolute, no matter how well it defended. In response to the Skull Face report, the knights’ group was prepared, so they could sally out by the thoroughgoing condition in the kingdom. Also, the subjugation report was not confirmed at the moment, so the adventurers were still waiting for orders and were working hard to gather information.
“Skull Faces become active at night. Ardi, in preparation for the worst case, I want you to contact the knight leader and raise the alertness order by one rank.”
“Roger that.”
Barlux spoke during the gap of the conversation between Ardi and Arad. The flustered state just a while ago seemed hard to believe. Judging from Arad, Kylie and Els’ attitude, it was probably a usual thing.
“That’s all from me. Does anyone have any other opinions? If not, I assume we are done.”
Arad, Els and Kylie thought it was over regarding the main report of the Skull Face from Barlux. However, Ardi raised his hand and Barlux nodded to let him convey his opinion.
“The Skull Face this time had a different weapon from the information we obtained. I would like you to give me detailed information on the person who subdued the Skull Face, so the investigation about the weapon can become clear after this.”
“Hmm, though there is no intention to cover up information about the weapon, I can’t reveal anything about the person who subjugated it, as it was his wish. Still, if it’s alright, lets take responsibility for it. I wonder about why you are making a fuss about this, may I hear the reason?”
“Yes. Though the story changed a little, does everyone know about the sword that flew to the royal castle?”
Naturally all the members nodded back. If there was no disturbance by the Skull Face, it would have been a hot topic by now.
“The Skull Face was subdued on the day when the sword flew to the royal castle, furthermore, the Skull Face that appeared this time was equipping a greatsword that was different from the normal ones. There is only one person who can connect these together, I think.”
Everyone except Ardi imagined one person from his remark.
“May I hear what kind of sword it was?”
“There’s a condition you must adhere to, or I can’t disclosed the information.”
All members agreed on Ardi’s condition. There was no person that didn’t know the importance of the information in this place.
“The sword’s blade is about 2 mels long and the material is a demon steel mixed with an alloy of mithril. Moreover, the sword has permanent light attribute magic bestowed upon it. If it is put side by side with our country’s treasured sword, then the treasured sword seems to be poorly made.”
“!?”
Everyone couldn’t hide their surprise at his words. Speaking of the treasured sword of the Bayreuth kingdom, even at the lowest rank, it was a weapon that was classified as 《Legend》 grade. It was a national treasure grade of weapon that almost no person could forge, so there were no equal swords in existence right now. Let alone that a person thought that the Skull Face held it.
Because he was in the middle of a fight, Shin didn’t notice as he did not use the appraisal skill. He thought the greatsword of the Skull Face was of the lowest grade, but it had a self-restoration ability which was higher than 《Rare》 and 《Unique》.
“If it’s assumed that the Skull Face had the greatsword, then the person in question is indomitable, as the enemy had a weapon at the treasured sword level in addition to a high level was subjugated. But no need to worry, as it is impossible I think. Besides that, I was a little troubled by it…”
Though the worry about the strength of the person at hand was understandable, Barlux, who doubted the indescribably, indecisive of Ardi’s speech in the latter half, asked.
“Troubled by it?”
The content which Ardi recited was indeed true, although he had only guessed, and nobody came to have conclusive evidence, because there was no one who knew about the greatsword in detail. It was said that it was impossible for undead to have a weapon with the light attribute in this world.
“As for this, news may reach Barlux-dono soon, as it is likely to be announced grandly. Until then, please don’t tell anyone for the time being.”
“Hmm, understood. Should others leave this place?”
“Because the permission is given, it doesn’t matter, as I follow the same condition as a while ago. Since there is a possibility that everybody will know, too.”
Though everyone except Barlux had a question about the announcement place, they nodded for the time being, and then speech was urged to be started.
“Actually…”
Afterwards, everyone who was present was perplexed about the content that leaked out of Ardi’s mouth.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 01 - A Beginning and an End/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-A-Beginning-and-an-End-[Shin+Oniichanyamete][dotNovel]/Volume_01_Chapter_04_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 2
For several hours, he had been investigating things in the library. Somehow the library was closed when the sun was a little high in the evening. When Shin confirmed it with the menu screen, the time showed 4:50. Even though he didn’t know whether the time was accurate, Shin thought that every city hall and post office had their own way to keep track of the time. Rather, he was amazed to learn that they had about the same closing time.
He thought about returning to the south district for the time being, but his stomach was grumbling while looking around the stalls. It was early, but he bought yakitori* for dinner which he saw was barbecued nicely in a stall he found by chance. It could be said that a similar yakitori wasn’t sold in Japan, as they were 30 cemels long skewers stuck into hearty chicken meat. (T/N: *a bite-size marinated pieces of beef, seafood, or chicken on skewers)
“This yakitori tastes good even in a different world…but did I buy too much?”
He took out a freshly cooked skewer from a bag while smiling wryly. He bought four yakitori. It was a quantity that could be said was too much to eat before dinner.
He sat down on the edge of the fountain in the center of the square to relax after walking and eating. He stuffed his mouth with meat while looking at the passersby for no particular reason.
After all, there were still many appearances of adventurers since the information regarding the Skull Face was published.
Although information regarding the subjugation completion was also made public, the adventurers seemed to be still on guard.
“…Tsu…tsu”
While looking at the hustle of the town and chewing on the yakitori, after he had investigated, he organized the information he had acquired in his head. There were three noteworthy things that he understood for now.
First, the book that had written about the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’ was rare.
Besides that, there was also a possibility that the book was banned or that it was stored in a place with reading restrictions. For now, Shin couldn’t enter that place, so it was put on hold. In the future, he couldn’t help but to feel prepared to visit villages of long-lived species such as Elves or Dragnils. Either way, he still didn’t have the intention to sneakily search for it.
Second, the geography of this world.
Originally, four continents existed in the world of THE NEW GATE, the 1st three continents were for beginner, intermediate and advanced level players. And the 4th continent became the area for players who had lost interest in the common fields.
Of course, Shin had almost conquered all four areas that were displayed on the map, but now the map function was no longer recognizable. The reason was simple, it was because the continental shape itself had changed due to a natural phenomenon that took place after the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’. Through movements and ground upheavals, the 4 continents turned into 5, and a lot of small island nations were scattered. This might be one of the causes for there being no documents about the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’.
By the way, the continent where Shin was currently at, was called the Continent of Eltnia.
Third, the big city that was formerly the headquarter base of adventurers.
Each continent had two or three big cities that became the headquarter base for the players. Each city featured an enhanced defense and the city’s trades were lively, it was also crowded although there was prejudice in certain races and jobs. One of the reasons why people gathered there was only because big cities have temples that could be used for reincarnation.
Those big cities were now called the ‘Sacred Place’, and were also seen as targets to be recaptured. Though the big cities that existed were mostly the same without being affected by natural disasters, after the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’, each city turned into a demon city dominated by high-level monsters. The investigation committee was sent on countless occasions, but the lowest level of monsters exceeded 500, and it was said that anyone who entered the ‘Sacred Place’ would never return.
For some reason, the high-level monsters of the ‘Sacred Place’ never came outside the cities, and the overflowing magical power caused the surrounding land and plants to mutate. In addition, the current conditions had also caused sudden mass outbreaks of low-level monsters.
“Then, the problem is?”
He contemplated while putting his hand on his chin. If the topography itself had changed, then his memory from during the time of the game was unreliable. The locations of Elf’s garden and the Pixie’s fairy village or the other places with long-lived species, were different from his memory, too. Information collection was likely to be difficult.
“Hmmph…?”
Just when he thought about asking Tiera and Els, Shin looked up because he felt someone’s gaze. Shin turned his face to the direction of the gaze and saw a cat-eared girl, probably at elementary to primary school student age, who was staring at Shin from 2 mels away.
“…………”
“…………”
“…Drool”
“Oi…”
Correction. The cat-eared little girl was intently staring at the skewer that Shin held. Somehow, her strong desire could be seen.
“…………”
“Uum…”
“…………”
“Errr…”
“…………”
“…Do you want to eat it?”
The little girl’s intense staring was interrupted by Shin. Besides her desire which were completely revealed, her innocent eyes caused Shin to feel bad.
Since he thought that he bought too many anyway, he took out a freshly cooked skewer from the bag while holding his half-eaten skewer in his mouth, and presented it to the girl.
Shin intended to say “Do you want to eat it?”, but only gave off the incomprehensible words “Fu fu ah it” as a result of having a skewer in his mouth.
Though it was not certain, was she able to decipher Shin’s pronunciation? Or was it simply because of the act of presenting the skewer to her. The little girl lightly ran toward Shin and with quick “Shu~batsu” sound effect, she took the skewer from Shin by force. She sat next to him as she began to stuff the yakitori into her mouth. The moment when their eyes met, her cat ears went “Syu~pin!”, even Shin was a little surprised.
“Mugumugu…Hamuhamu” (T/N: munching with closed mouth sfx and bite chew sfx)
They ate the meat silently for a while. When Shin looked at the girl working hard to fill her small mouth, he was able to confirm her appearance. Somehow it made Shin feel heartwarming.
The words young vagrant and beggar appeared on Shin’s mind in addition from it. But, he denied those kind of words immediately when he saw the appearance of the girl.
Her clothes had been mended here and there, but she wore the clothes properly, and there was no emaciation either. Also, there was no sign of aiming at one’s wallet. There might be a person who raised her with at least a home to return to, Shin judged.
“Whew, thanks for the delicious meal.”
“Mm, you’re welcome.”
After she finished eating the last bit neatly, the girl bowed to Shin.
“Onii-chan, a good person.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Shin looked at the little girl with a small laugh. From the cat ears, he understood that the girl might be a beast which belonged to the feline family. Only the tips of her yellow hair were dyed light brown, and he wondered if she was a Tiger Type. Because 30% of the population of the Bayreuth kingdom were Beast as he learned from a chat with Tsugumi, it was not particularly rare.
“I, Millie. Onii-chan?”
“Name? I am Shin, just Shin.”
“Together with Millie”
“Together?”
“Millie too, just Millie.”
“Ooh, indeed together.”
‘Shin’ was not a surname because the name he used exactly his player name. Particularly, because it wasn’t pointed out and he didn’t see any problems keeping his name as it was during the registration in the guild. It seemed that the thought of a timid Millie had disappeared, and she seemed to be looking delightful.
“Now then, I have finished eating the meat and I have to go soon, but what will Millie do? Should I send you home?”
“It’s alright. Pick me up, came.”
“Huh? No way! Pick you up…?”
The direction where Millie pointed to, Shin was unable to hide his surprise about the figure that walked toward them.
When the figure noticed that Millie was with Shin, it quickened its pace to approach them.
“Oh! We meet again, Shin.”
“It’s been awhile since the lunch, Wilhelm.”
A raven-haired man who had the presence of a beast greeted Shin. So, when Millie said pick up, it was none other than Wilhelm Avis.
“Wil-nii!”
Millie ran and clung to Wilhelm. Shin was astonished at the unexpected development.
“No way, Wilhelm’s…child?”
“That’s not it! I am taking care of her at the orphanage!”
“Orphanage?”
“Ah, that reminds me, it hasn’t been that long since you came to this country.”
While patting Millie’s head, Wilhelm briefly explained. According to him, a church in the west district was doubling as an orphanage and seemed to be taking care of children who lost their parents in some kind of circumstances. Millie was one of them.
“This fellow skillfully sneaked out from the orphanage some time ago. I was searching for her like a fool.”
“Did you go out without permission? I can’t really admire that.”
“Uu, sorry, I am”
Millie, who was aware she had done a bad thing, apologized obediently. The cat ears also went “Shu~n*…” as one would expect in fantasy.
“Even so, it’s unusual for this person to not be afraid like this.”
“Afraid?”
“I don’t understand after what I have seen today, but this person is afraid of strangers. She doesn’t approach strangers at their first meeting.”
“Is that so?”
Only tempted by the meat, Shin thought, but Millie shook her head. Was she able to read Shin’s thoughts? It seemed likely he hit the bull’s-eye. And for some reason, it felt like she said “You must not say it”.
“Well, I don’t want to stay here for too long. Come on Millie, let’s go home.”
“Wait!”
Said Millie as she ran toward Shin.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ear, lend.”
“Like this?”
Shin squat down and brought his ear close to Millie’s mouth. Millie, who ran toward Shin in the same way as she did to Wilhelm, whispered words to Shin’s ear.
“Bye-bye.”
Shin saw Millie off as she was led by Wilhelm and disappeared into the crowd.
He walked toward Bear Point Pavilion while thinking about the words he was told by Millie.
After he returned to Bear Point Pavilion, Shin took a rest in his room as he had some free time before dinner.
He sat on the bed and recalled the words Millie whispered, in his head.
“Help the fox-san which is in the northern forest…huh?”
During the time of the game, he was able to determine what to expect from the area information, but unfortunately, he couldn’t make an inference now, since the topography had greatly changed.
He tilted his head in doubt about whether or not there would be a fox. At least, a fox type monster never attacked Shin. The monsters which were similar to a bear, a snake, and a dog were often found and occasionally a flight type appeared.
Other wild animals were extremely rare because there were a lot of monsters, and it was snakes and rats that he saw the most. A monster was a wild animal that mutated under the influence of magical power, so naturally there were common animals. Still, he didn’t remember seeing a fox before.
“It’s no good, I don’t know nothing about it.”
The answer didn’t appear no matter how much he thought about it. But she said “help”. That might be something imminent. Especially the area of the northern forest in the vicinity of the Bayreuth kingdom, where the risk was quite high.
She might have judged Shin as an adventurer because he was an acquaintance of Wilhelm’s, although it seemed strange that she requested Shin during their first meeting.
It was not something that he must do just because it was requested. However, if he didn’t do anything, it would leave a bitter feeling. Shin decided to plan for tomorrow as well as for Millie’s request. Incidentally, he intended to meet Tiera, and finish the message to Schnee.
“So I have decided…meal it is.”
The yakitori had already been digested. Shin went downstairs to eat dinner.
* * *
Dawn of the next day.
Shin departed from Bear Point Pavilion and passed through the main street where there were crowded stalls towards the south gate. When he exited from the gate, there were people lining up to enter the country, in contrast to Shin who was leaving.
Shin moved along the rampart, while ignoring the people. Tsuki no Hokora was located between the south gate and the east gate, in fact, it was closer to the south gate. The place where trees opened came into view after walking for a little while.
As before, there were huge trees enclosing Tsuki no Hokora with about a 1 mel thickness, it gave off the impression that it was separated from its surroundings. It was because Tsuki no Hokora was originally built at the outskirts of the Arclid continent, which was one of the 4 continents. The ground where Shin lived, which was the Eltnia continent, might originally have been part of the Arclid continent.
The Arclid continent was an even more superior area than the Houzent continent, the area of advanced level players. Moreover, there were originally many quests and monsters which had a higher degree of difficulty than in the common areas of the other three continents. Besides, there were also quests that beginner and intermediate players could receive, but players who yearned for unusual quests, wanted to fight with strange monsters, had often visited there. In a sense, the players were mostly gathered regardless of their levels and jobs.
It could be said that the visitors who came to Tsuki no Hokora, due to being built in the outskirt area, were mostly advanced level players. Seldom there were players who sought shelter after escaping from monsters. By the way, the average level of monsters in the area where Tsuki no Hokora was built was around 600. Meanwhile the lowest slightly exceeded 200, and needless to say, the highest was 1000. It was in the past, but the store was set up casually near the habitat of a boss monster. Even the players replenished their items in Tsuki no Hokora before challenging the boss.
“If I think about it… I wonder what happened to the monsters that were in the Arclid continent. They certainly should have gotten on when the continents stuck together. Did they perish along with the natural disasters?”
Certainly, if the monsters still existed, the Bayreuth kingdom would be destroyed. Anyway, there was monsters with the habit akin to ants, too. The monsters’ levels exceeded 600 and appeared in random areas altogether. It was annoying to the advanced level players, the intermediate level players ran away or went around it, and beginner level players had no choice but to acknowledge death and return. A place where most of the people gathered, such as a country and so on, was unlikely to be targeted, but because of the rate of the encounters rose, the number of party members was increased.
However, he still didn’t know, no matter how much he thought about it. Since damage was not dealt, were some measures taken? Anyway, there might be a reason as to whether the monsters that perished appeared or not. He was convinced that one would not be able to establish the country and the roads if it was not so, and he stopped thinking about it for a moment. In fact, it might be possible that there were different continent grounds outside the surroundings of Tsuki no Hokora.
He kept his questions to himself and stood in front of Tsuki no Hokora. When he visited a few days ago, he was relieved that the store still existed and did not notice it, but a wooden tally about 20 cemels across vertically and 10 cemels wide hung at the door which was the entrance of the store. It had the letters 『The storekeeper struggles hard inside』on it. This expressed that Tsuki no Hokora was doing business normally. And it had the letters 『The storekeeper has left home』 on the back. This expressed the closing time for the store from material collecting or not being logged in and so forth.
He opened the door while admiring that the wooden tally was still being used and entered the store. When Shin stepped forward in the store by one step, a light “Chiri~n” sound of the bell was made. It would ring when someone entered the store. Apparently, the knights didn’t show up today.
“Welcome! Oh, Shin.”
“Yo, I came to leave a message I had forgotten about.”
When she saw that it was Shin who entered, Tiera’s expression changed from a smile into a happy face. The silvery hair that had returned to its original hair shined because of the light from the windows.
“That reminds me, I completely forgot about that.”
When she heard Shin’s speech, she did the expression “Ah!” as if she remembered something she had forgotten. Still, there was no help for forgetting about it when he thought about the previous event.
“Then, I want you to convey to her that I want to meet and talk if she remembers this.”
Shin said and placed an object, which he took out from his Item Box, on the counter.
It was a dark blue ninja sword, there were flowers engraved on the sheath and handle, which Tiera had never seen before. It was well engraved in such detail, which turned the ninja sword weapon into a work of art.
“…………”
“…Tiera?”
“…Oh!”
Shin called out to Tiera who was staring at the ninja sword. Tiera abruptly returned due to his voice.
“What’s the matter?”
“Hey Shin, This…is this by any chance an 《Ancient》 grade weapon?”
Tiera looked at the ninja sword with an ‘impossible’ face. As if she was seeing a dazzling thing, she squinted her eyes.
“You know? This guy is certainly an 《Ancient》 grade weapon. This is Schnee’s personal weapon, named 『Blue Moon』.”
“Master’s personal weapon?”
“That’s right, if I’m not mistaken, Schnee might not be using her personal weapon now, right?”
“Well, to begin with, I don’t know what a personal weapon is…”
“You don’t know?”
Shin, who thought it was certainly known, was surprised that the words personal weapon wasn’t known.
“The personal weapon was set…uh, it’s the weapon which only an authorized person can use. In the case of 『Blue Moon』, only Schnee or the companion whom she had permitted can use it, excluding me who is the maker. Because if I leave it, then even if it’s Tiera who is trying to, you cannot touch this guy without permission.”
It was a function in the game that was granted to items, and could be accepted as a reward in the time of an event so it couldn’t be snatched. It was granted to weapons he made as a symbol of the guild.
There were few people who were able to grant the function of personal weapon, because only the first-class of blacksmiths and alchemists could produce it.
“The user’s limitation…come to think of it, I have heard that some of the weapons excavated from ruins are not usable to anyone. Perhaps it’s because of that?”
“It was probably someone’s personal weapon. If that’s that case, even if the weapon was discovered, there’s no way to use or even research it. Only weapons that are higher than 《Legend》 grade can be granted the function of personal weapon, so it was definitely a high power. Even a guy with level 1 becomes able to defeat a Tetra Grizzly easily, but only if he is able to use the weapon.”
“…What an outrageous ability.”
Tiera couldn’t help but be amazed by the performance that was far beyond expectation. One would be dubious if they only heard the explanation, but when the ninja sword, which hid an absurd power, was placed before one’s eyes, they had no choice but to believe it.
Shin casually placed the ninja sword 『Blue Moon』 on the counter. However, to Tiera it looked like the『Blue Moon』 had a distorted appearance around it. Tiera understood how powerful it was, even if she didn’t have much battle experience.
“It is certainly a sword with remarkable power. But I don’t want to use it.”
“Oh, for what reason would you not use it?”
“Because it looks like it’s going to engulf me, I wonder.”
Tiera intuitively understood, and was convinced at the same time. This certainly gave the user a great power. But if there was no ability to correspond with it, it would undermine the user.
“Engulf…huh? It’s probably because of its materials.”
When Tiera’s words were heard, the first thing that came to Shin’s mind was the penalty generated when equipping weapons that did not correspond with one’s level. A necessary stats value was set for each weapon. In addition, status would be lowered when equipping a weapon in the state where one didn’t reach said necessary stats value. One portion of 《Legend》 grade, 《Mythology》 grade and 《Ancient》 grade were impossible for him to equip at all. (Editor’s note: The reason for “one portion” part is probably because of Shin’s LUC only 36)
However, he thought that the phrase ‘to engulf’ was different, so he decided to explain what materials the weapon was made of.
“Really? What did you use?”
“The main alloy is called Chimeradite. And there is the tusk of a Black-Death Dragon, scales of a Sea-War Beast, and teardrops of an Element Tail, all which were fused together. The four materials I mentioned just now are the main ones, although there were various other essential materials. It’s a guess, but it’s probably caused by the tusk of the Black-Death Dragon or by the scales of the Sea-War Beast. Both monsters are the highest class.”
“…………”
“Tiera?”
Although Tiera heard the explanation from Shin, it could be said that she couldn’t comprehend it, as she put her hand on her forehead and wrinkles were seen in the area between her eyebrows.
“…No, I’m not surprised anymore. Yeah, for example, even if what I heard just now are the creatures of legends…I’m all right. Yes, it’s all right.”
“No, you don’t look alright at all.”
Shin instinctively retorted to Tiera who was shaking her head to the sound of the common sense in herself crumbling.
As usual, Shin still wasn’t accustomed to the norms of this world, although this time the common sense was even further out of place. Which wasn’t surprising, because the monsters Shin spoke of were currently nothing but names that held a mighty power and were remembered only in legends. One would think it was a joke when told that the material was made from monsters that had the power to induce natural disasters.
“Haa, my common sense seems to be shattered one by one whenever I talk to you.”
“Eh, because of me?”
“Of course. You casually take out an 《Ancient》 grade weapon, even impossibility has its limits, you know?”
“Even if you say so, whether or not Schnee remembers me will depend on this.”
Shin said while looking at the 『Blue Moon』. Schnee’s personal equipment was entrusted to Shin before he challenged Origin. This was done not only by Schnee, but by all support characters as well. It was considered something like a good luck charm before Shin fought against the final boss. Thus now, other support characters’ equipment were also waiting for their turn inside Shin’s Item Box.
Unless Shin met Schnee directly, there was also a possibility that the message wasn’t read by her. Since the name ‘Shin’ might be a common name, he thought about leaving an item.
“Though such things are handed over, the people who are able to meet master are rare. But with a person like you, master might…”
Similar with Shin, Tiera looked at the 『Blue Moon』 while nodding as she was convinced.
So far, expensive clothes, jewels, and various rare items were sent. Nevertheless, the figure of her master who didn’t show any interest appeared in Tiera’s mind. Because she could easily imagine, her master wasn’t interested even in items that were equivalent to 《Legend》 grade and would simply not look at the various expensive items.
Even though Schnee ignored the 《Legend》 grade items, Tiera slightly deviated a bit from her evaluation of her master’s interest for 『Blue Moon』.
“Use this if she says that she remembers. It should contact me wherever I am.”
He said and put a message card and writing paper with a simple design next to the 『Blue Moon』.
“I can contact you by using this?”
“Yes, though it’s only one-way. Write the name of the addressee on the writing paper and the message you want to send here. After that, you only need say ‘send’.”
Shin explained the usage while pointing at the writing paper and the message card. It was an item used often on birthday and Christmas in the game. There were people who made an elaborate card which induced a fancy special effect the moment it was opened.
The item was only used at certain times, because normally it was faster to email in the game, but it was certainly a convenient item, because in the first place, functions such as email and friend list were not usable in this world.
“Items as convenient like this exist too…”
“I do not use it too much and there are plenty left.”
The item was rarely used, even if he got many message cards and a lot of writing paper as quest and event rewards. Though they were not really useful in the ‘game’, the items were unexpectedly handy in ‘reality’.
“If this thing becomes popular, I think that would be amazing.”
“I guess so.”
It could reach the addressee wherever they were, if viewed from Tiera’s point of view, it was equivalent to a technology revolution.
Unfortunately, Shin didn’t have any interest in initiating a technology revolution. In the first place, the items now were the things that originally existed in THE NEW GATE. Someone might invent it sooner or later, Shin thought.
“…Hey, I think rather than requesting me to pass on the message, aren’t you able to contact master directly with this?”
Tiera said like someone who suddenly thought about it while holding the message card with one hand.
“Well, actually, I can only send this to someone I have met directly, but I was not able to send it to Schnee, whom I should have met, for some reason.”
Shin also thought it was a good idea to send it directly. However, for some reason, the message was not sent and he was not able to contact Schnee. To begin with, it was a mystery why a message card was usable but an email was not.
Was there a defect in the card? He ran outside to show it to Tiera in practice, and sent the message. Tiera was surprised at the writing paper which suddenly appeared in front of her, but at least he seemed to understand that the item was not defective.
(It looks like the list was reset.)
This would be the reason why he was not able to send it, Shin guessed.
There was one sentence, “Let’s send your feelings to people whom you’ve met in adventures”, in the explanation column of the message card. For example, he would not be able to send the message to a person he had never met before in this world, even if he had met them in the game era, Shin thought.
“Ne ne~, can I get additional ones if you have any more?”
“Though I don’t mind it in particular, I think you should not use it with someone who doesn’t know about this.”
“Rather than use it, I want to research it. Even though I may appear this way, I want to know the mechanism when I look at this unusual magic item, because I aim to be a mage.”
In fact, ever since he used the message card, Tiera had sparkling eyes like a child that had found a fun toy.
“Well, if that’s the case, it’s good then. So I will give you another five. Don’t use them all, since it includes the one for Schnee’s response, okay? And because I give you this, please make it an appropriate service for the message fee.”
Shin didn’t think it was a good idea to distribute the items just because they were in excess, he proposed that at least a trial run for the free message service was needed.
“I understand. Be relieved, because I have no intention to use it thoughtlessly. It will turn into a commotion if poorly used on someone. And I do not mean for you to give this to me for free. For the time being, the price for the message is free of charge. You can expect compensation for the rest, as well.”
The outcome seemed to gain him some privilege, in addition to the price becoming free. When he reconfirmed that it was valuable after all, Shin made a mental note to avoid using it in public places.
As for Tiera, she wondered what to test it on, and seemed to be happy. It was Shin who thought that she should aim to be an alchemist if she liked to research, but did not say it expressively, because a mage didn’t necessarily not engage in research. Actually, there were many players with job: mage, sub job: alchemist.
“Then, that’s all from me. My best regards to Schnee.”
“Leave it to me. I will have master see it first, when master returns.”
Shin exchanged goodbyes and left Tsuki no Hokora.
I could use the message card to send it right away! Tiera realized, shortly after Shin left.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 01 - A Beginning and an End/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-A-Beginning-and-an-End-[Shin+Oniichanyamete][dotNovel]/Volume_01_Chapter_04_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 4: Part 3
After leaving Tsuki no Hokora, Shin went straight to the northern forest. Since encountering the guild’s staff that came to investigate the Skull Face would be troublesome, he advanced while confirming that there was no one in the surrounding area.
He didn’t have the direction, so he depended mostly on his instinct. But he aimed at the depths of the forest first, because the depths of the forest felt somehow suspicious. Still, because he thought that the encounter with the investigators could not be avoided when he went to the place where the Skull Face appeared, he advanced toward the opposite direction of where the Skull Face was. It was the direction he did not walk when he came here before.
The position where the Skull Face existed was the southeast of the northern forest. Since Shin was aiming to advance to the depths of the forest, he took the west route near the center part of the northern forest. Trees grew thicker and shut out the daylight as he advanced farther into the forest. The darkness was like the night, and could not be compared to the eastern forest. The heights of the trees alone eclipsed those in the eastern forest, and with the dark and thick atmosphere he felt like it was refusing a person to advance to the its depths.
In fact, the deeper he advanced into the forest, the more Shin thought about not approaching in his mind. It was not perception or foresight. More precisely, there was something that was affecting his consciousness in this place.
(This, is this a barrier?)
Though he was not certain, the more Shin moved forward, the stronger he sensed the intention to obstruct him. It was some kind of protection barrier that was erected.
But the barrier or something was nothing to Shin as he moved rapidly. Even though he was going ahead like it was nothing, to begin with, if it were normal humans, it would not be possible for them to approach the barrier, as the feeling of avoidance increased as they got closer. However, the barrier was not effective against Shin, especially after he put some effort to strengthen against the mind interference system. Rather, it was notifying him ‘There is something ahead!’.
Shin walked earnestly toward the direction where the sense was getting stronger while observing his surroundings. None of the monsters appeared because of the effect of the barrier.
He continued walking for a while, and the moment he passed the side of a particularly big tree, the darkness was cleared before his eyes and a soft light gently shined upon Shin.
There was an open space with a diameter of about 30 mels as if it was cut into the ground in a circle. And a bright cinnabar red torii* and a cozy Shinto shrine were built there. (T/N: a Japanese gateway of light construction commonly built at the approach to a Shinto shrine)
“This place is the center of the barrier?”
Because of the mental interference that had been received when he first entered the forest abruptly ended when he set foot in the shrine, he guessed that it was likely he had come off from the barrier effect. Still, he did not think that there would be a Shinto shrine.
“Hmm～?…This Shinto shrine, I think I’ve seen it somewhere before.”
He felt like he remembered that he saw it somewhere before, and tilted his head. The Japanese style architecture was not rare at the time of the game, but there were not many enthusiasts who built a Shinto shrine. He thought that he could remember it instantly, but couldn’t, no matter what.
“For the time being, should I enter first?”
Because it was absurd to agree by himself, he passed through the torii at once and entered the Shinto shrine.
There was a road from the torii, straight to the main shrine. The only buildings were the torii and the main shrine, not even one of the essential parts of a Shinto shrine like guardian lion-dogs, a purifying basin and offertory box were present.
“Did the air change?”
However, the moment he passed through the torii, the air which surrounded Shin changed completely to show that this was a holy place, although the building was only a main shrine.
Shin’s cheek was brushed by a refreshing wind that could make him forget that he was in the middle of a forest. Shin noticed much stronger mixed scents of various creatures that came through the middle of the forest. It made one realize that this was a special place.
Inside the Shinto shrine, it seemed to be well managed as it was not particularly rough. The main shrine had a higher floor, and few decorations. If seen by people who only knew a general Shinto shrine, they would feel uncomfortable.
A moment before Shin arrived at the main shrine, a “pishiri” sound reached his ears.
“What is that?”
It was the sound of something like glass cracking. There was a possibility that a barrier was cracked, he thought. And it was not a nice foreboding.
Is it probably because of me? He looked around, but there was no change in particular in the vicinity. The clear atmosphere didn’t change and the sacred air had not weakened either. To begin with, Shin hadn’t done anything.
The door of the main shrine was slightly open.
It was somewhat telling him to open it quickly. Though there was no gap for him to look through inside, it was really difficult to ignore his curiosity once he was interested.
“…Should I try to open it?”
While thinking that there was nothing much to say, Shin opened the main shrine door and was exposed to a full view of a gloomy room receiving light from outside.
The letters written on the floor were the first things he saw. The Sanskrit characters-like letters were lined up to form a circle. A big circle was wrapping around several smaller ones, and the appearance of it was just like a magic formation.
And in its center. One figure lay at the middle of the various-sized circles.
“…A fox?”
It was a young fox, which had a silver coat of fur, that was lying down on the floor exhausted, while its body was exposed to light.
“Isn’t it carefree being seen like this?”
When he confirmed there was no trap, Shin rushed over to the young fox. There was no visible injury, but the HP gauge of the young fox was in the red zone. Moreover, it was suffering from abnormality states [Poison • Ⅹ] and [Curse • Ⅹ]. It was only a matter of time until it ran out of vitality if it was left unattended in this state.
“The fox that Millie mentioned, is it this fox?”
It was certainly not a common fox as it was in a place like this. He would think about it later as it was not the time for it. Shin opened the Item Box from the menu screen, selected the all purpose cure ‘Elixir’ from the list of items lined in a rows and took it out directly as an item, not the item card. Then he flicked the cap open with his thumb. The full phial of golden liquid could completely restore HP, MP, loss of body parts and remove abnormalities except one portion of it. When he tried to put it to the mouth of the young fox, a crashing sound reached Shin’s ears. The loud sound was like a large amount of glasses breaking all at once occurring multiple times in succession.
“What is it now!?”
Shin promptly activated[Sign Perception] and perceived the state of the surroundings. [Sign Perception] was not the same with the monsters only type of detection, [Search]. [Sign Perception] was capable of determining the position of monsters and players within a certain range. The disadvantage to [Search] was its narrow perception range, but it was more effective to investigate an area from the shadows of buildings or obstacles.
Shin confirmed that about roughly 50 monsters or more were approaching the main shrine. Apparently the sound a little while ago looked like the barrier was broken. He could see that red markers surrounded the main shrine and that the encirclement was gradually shrinking, like ants that gathered around sugar, when he looked at the map.
(Are they aiming for this fox?)
Shin thought while looking at the fox crying “Kuu…” weakly. He made the fox drink the elixir so its abnormals state was cured, and its vitality was smoothly recovered from the red zone to yellow and then green. Though its vitality had recovered, the fox still seemed to be in a weakened state, and a lot of time had passed since Shin restored it to its normal state.
“First, activate [Barrier • Ⅹ]!!”
Shin deployed the highest level barrier before the enemies come closer. A barrier was formed around the main shrine and blocked the march of the red markers, and the enemies crowded outside the barrier.
To be honest, Shin didn’t fully understand the situation yet, but he didn’t even consider the option of abandoning the young fox here. It raised its head while trembling as it watched Shin. The young fox was lowered on the floor where the pattern-like magic formation was drawn, and after its head was patted, Shin stood up.
“Kuu…”
“Wait here a moment. I’m about to kick those intruders.”
He said and turned his back to the young fox and opened the main shrine door to go out. After Shin exited the main shrine, he saw the figures of Skull Faces’ which crowded on the outside of the barrier. They were wearing rusted swords and armor, and the skeleton soldiers had a dim light in hollow eyes, gathering around the barrier like sleepwalkers.
Because the Skull Faces couldn’t break the barrier, Shin calmly took in a view of the whole scene.
“If their quality is bad, then their quantity is endless?”
Shin muttered while looking at the crowd of Skull Faces that extended past his field of vision. An individual with unique equipment and level like the Jack class he fought last time was not found in the crowd of the Skull Face that were surrounding Shin, it was composed of Pawn class and Jack class that similar to Shin’s knowledge.
Shin, who understood that the Skull Face’s have surrounded him from [Sign Perception]skill activation, switched to [Search] skill, which could cover a wider area. With the enlarged detection range by focusing only on the monsters as targets, he could pinpoint all of the Skull Faces.
It was the amount that became the problem this time. Thanks to [Search], he understood that the number of enemies was close to 3 digits. There was a possibility that the Bayreuth kingdom might received the collateral damage again, too, if he let them slip even a little.
It crossed Shin’s mind after he saw the pool of blood that spread on the ground and there were barely any human remains nearby. Though he had no intention to put on airs for justice now, it was about the disposition of trying to not deal unnecessary damage.
“You guys are evil. Not one of you will get away from this.”
While advancing one step toward them, Shin took out a new weapon from the Item Box. It was a spear which materialized in his hand. The handle shone in silver, the blade was vivid green as if a jade had been attached to the tip. Because magic had been bestowed, the whole spear was wrapped in a white radiance.
He rotated the spear with his right hand once and pointed the tip forward to the crowd of enemies, [Limit] was released to Ⅱ in one breath. He confirmed that his strength was released to a point where he could completely control it, furthermore, his combat abilities efficiency was risen, too. Shin kicked the ground forward and rushed at the crowd of Skull Faces.
“Here is the first blow!!”
Simultaneously, he invoked the spearmanship system martial arts skill, [Furrow Pierce] while dashing. The tip of the spear penetrated, by Shin’s physical strength, through several Skull Faces in a mass. An emerald green light was generated by the invocation of the skill, while at the same time forming a spiral along with the swords, armor, and Skull Faces spinning together. The Skull Faces were shattered to very small pieces by power rivaling a cannonball that had been fired in a horizontal path, and a furrow was formed made of bones and iron fragments in a straight line.
Shin was able to escape the encirclement of the Skull Faces without changing the momentum of his charge.
“Next one. [Star Mine]!”
Dozens of light orbs appeared around Shin while he invoked the skill, it was arranged to surround the groups of Skull Face.
Light technique system magic skill, [Star Mine]. A skill with light attribute that could set up mine-like light orbs in the sky.
The generated light orbs was located further outside of the Skull Face’s that surrounded the main shrine, it was to cut off the way of retreat so the Skull Face could not escape into the forest.
After he made sure that the installation of light orbs had been completed, Shin relaunched his attack to the Skull Faces that still gathered around the barrier.
This time it was the skill of the spearmanship system martial arts, [Spark Blossom]was used. Needless to say, the Skull Faces were shattered when receiving the direct hit from the spear that left a trail of emerald light in a horizontal line. Furthermore, pieces of crushed armor and swords were sent toward the Skull Faces that were outside the spear’s range. Those blown off by a single blow from the extraordinary power were Pawn class and Jack class, they were pierced without any regard. The Skull Faces situation were literally like buzzing in beehive.
Although the Skull Faces of Jack class raised their swords and tried to attack Shin, they were returned by Shin’s spear and the fragments of bones and irons became impromptu bullets that pierced their allies.
“Another one!!”
Shin wielded the spear freely with unimaginable speed in one hand. Nearly ten Skull Faces nearby were defeated in one blow when he used the skill. Moreover, the fragments, like a shotgun attack, further decreased the number quickly.
The place was so completely monopolized by Shin, that not even a single Skull Face could survive.
* * *
Since Shin started the battle, the group of Skull Faces was completely wiped out in less than ten minutes. The remains of the Skull Faces were scattered in the area around the barrier and the ground couldn’t be seen. Because he didn’t have any intentions to clean up the remains, he ignored them and pretended he did not see them as he returned to the main shrine.
When he opened the main shrine door and entered inside, a young fox jumped at him as it was waiting for Shin.
“Kuー!!”
“Gee! Th-that’s a dangerous thing to do, you.”
He almost lost his balance while holding the young fox in arm, he rubbed its head while stepping down from the stairs and stood on the ground. Its physical condition was completely restored, too. The exhausted appearance that had improved since a little while ago was not felt in young fox as it constantly licked Shin’s face.
“By the way, what will you do from now on?”
He looked at the surroundings that were in a pitiful state while holding the young fox. In addition, the sacred atmosphere that he sensed until a while ago was not felt. The power protecting the Shinto shrine along with the barrier that broke might have vanished.
“Kuー?”
“Come to think of it, I don’t know much about you yet.”
Although he helped the young fox with the impetus of Millie’s request, unexpectedly, this young fox had a lot of mysteries. When Shin first found the young fox, he was being distracted by its low vitality, and he just noticed that he didn’t even confirm its name yet until now. He only knew that this young fox was a kind of monster, because only players and monsters had an HP gauge in the game.
“I completely forgot to check its name. After all, is it a Little Fox?”
While citing the name of the monster that was popular as a pet, he read the information about the young fox with [Analyze] . While being held by Shin, the young fox looked puzzled, not understanding the meaning of words.
“Uhm, name, nam…e?”
Shin’s gaze stopped at the position of the monster’s name. The name that was written there had gone far above the Shin’s imagination.
“E, Element Tail…seriously…?”
“Kuー!”
As if it totally agreed! The young fox’s reaction showed that it seemed to convey it was an Element Tail. It was no wonder that Shin became stiff. The Element Tail was a monster called Nine Tailed Fox, or Kyuubi among players, and was originally part of the highest class of monsters which boast Lv. 1000 in THE NEW GATE.
It was always in the top in the THE NEW GATE strongest monster ranking chosen by players, and Shin who did not considered the possibility that the name of such monster appeared, cannot help but to be at a loss.
“What should I do?…What should I do, seriously?”
The level of the Element Tail was 211 at the present time when he examined it in detail. It was a level already dangerous enough according to the residents of this world. It might not have a parents, as it was seen alone. If say incidentally, it was the life of Shin that was in danger. An Element Tail was an opponent that could be said was absurd to be challenged alone even if one were a maxed stats player. Shin might defeat it after releasing all [Limit], but at least the northern forest would be burnt down to the ground.
“What is an Element Tail doing in a place like this? Just like Arclid…that’s it!! That was Element Tail isn’t it!!”
The sensed that he had seen it somewhere before when he looked at the Shinto shrine. He remembered the cause and unintentionally raised his voice.
The quest related to the Element Tail of the Shinto shrine composed of only the main shrine and the torii, but it was a place that one went to visit in a.k.a. the Kyuubi quest. Actually there was a detached building separately from the Shinto shrine, but it might have collapsed from a natural disaster. The Shinto shrine itself was probably protected by the barrier that Shin felt. It was not strange even if the Element Tail was here if he thought about it that way.
Anyway, half of the visitors who came to Tsuki no Hokora were players who challenged the Kyuubi quest. In a sense it could be said that Shin was receiving in cooperation with the sales of the store during the game.
Shin understood that there was an Element Tail in this place, but there was the question remain, about what it would do from now on. There was only an adult form of the Element Tail that appeared in the Shinto shrine in the Kyuubi quest originally, and there was no monster such as the young fox.
“You, what do you want to do from now on?”
Though it was not possible to talk, Shin asked because somehow he felt like it understood him. Because a barrier was erected, it was safe, but the thought of leaving a young fox alone even for an Element Tail in this place was unbearable.
“Kuー…”
Though the Element Tail that had been lowered to the ground gazed at the main shrine, after a short time, it shook its body and turned around. Then, the fox jumped skillfully and climbed up Shin’s body, and placed itself comfortably on the top of Shin’s head.
“Why on top of my head?”
“Ku～!”
“No, I don’t understand it.”
The Element Tail on the head slapped him “pechipechi”. (T/N: light slap sfx) Was this fox’s resolve to leave this place?, Shin felt, it somehow was saying that.
“…Do you want to go together?”
“Kuー!”
“Is that so?…Dangerous! Claws! Your claws are painful!”
Shin somehow felt like it was saying: “I’ll go!”, but the violent behaviour of the happy young fox almost caused him to lose his balance.
Since its claws were not fully retracted, it was difficult for Shin to walk with the young fox scratching his face.
“Calm down!”
“Kuー?”
“What are you tilting your head for? You absolutely understand the meaning of my words!”
Even though it was young, it belonged to the race of the first-class monster Element Tail, there was no way it was not smart. Perhaps it was one of the young fox’s ways to distract itself from loneliness.
(You should become a full-fledged Element Tail before I return to the original world)
While thinking about that, Shin advanced toward the kingdom, while preventing scratches from its clawed paws with both of his hands.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 01 - A Beginning and an End/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-A-Beginning-and-an-End-[Shin+Oniichanyamete][dotNovel]/Volume_01_Prologue.txt
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Prologue
The depths of the gate to another world [THE NEW GATE]
There, two figures were squaring off against each other.
One was the figure of a monster. The name of the Gatekeeper was [Origin], the very end of the VRMMORPG [THE NEW GATE], and its strongest monster. It was a humanoid dragon type, with a humanoid body, a dragon's head, wings, and a tail. It's total length was roughly 20m. It's eyes were dyed a sky blue, and its horns and the scales that covered its body glittered golden. A golden armour also concealed a figure like that of a trained warrior. The unadorned spear it held was also golden. Though its colour scheme could be very possible taken as ugly, but though you could feel a sublime divinity from its physique and overwhelming pressure, there was no hate. It was no exaggeration to call it a divine beast, and could be said to be a monster worthy of the title 'strongest'.
The other figure was a person. His name was Shin, and his real name was Kiritani Shinya. A veteran player who held top class combat ability. His height was a little over 180cm. If you had to choose between bulky or skinny, he'd be the latter. Black hair and black eyes. Despite facing off Origin, from his plain face that could neither be called beautiful nor ugly, not a shred of nervousness could be felt. Around his neck was a light muffler, black-coloured with red zigzags. What he was wearing was a long coat with pants of the same design. His arms and legs were wearing crimson tekkou[手甲, arm guards] and kyakkou [脚甲, legs guards], but besides those there wasn't anything else that resembled armour. As for weapons, there was only the black katana in his right hand. Both the handle and the tsuba were black, but the blade alone faintly sparkled red, as though it had rubies mixed in.
Shin took a step forward. In response, Origin readied its guard. In contrast to Shin who seemingly wore no armour besides his arm and leg guards, Origin was armed and guarded from head to toe. From an outsider's point of view, it was a sight that was the epitome of recklessness. You couldn't imagine anything except Origin turning Shin into a piece of meat with a single swing of its spear.
Once Shin took yet another step forward, Origin responded by thrusting its spear. With a speed unimaginable for its size, the attack with the spear was like a fast approaching wall. The spear bore into the tiled floor. Where the point pierced the floor, not only were stone tiles sent flying, but the spear gouged even the floor beneath the tiles.
However, Shin's figure wasn't there.
Shin was by Origin's feet. A moment before the attack, Shin had used the Support-Type Martial Skill [Shingan [mind's eye]] to predict the location of the attack, and furthermore relocated himself at high speeds with the Movement-Type Martial Skill [Shukuchi][※].
Aiming for Origin's right leg, having left its sight, Shin activated the Toujutsu-Type Martial Skill [Kogetsusen [Arc Moon Flash]]. [Note: Here, Toujutsu = katana swordsmanship] Together with the activation of the skill, the blade of his katana started to glow red. For just an instant, the sharpness and speed of his attack was amplified by 1.5 times, and he slashed into Origin with all his might.
"Shii!"
A single yell and strike. Leaving behind a bright red trail, the blade bisected the armour around Origin's right leg. The blade continued and cut apart the leg about halfway up, and the flowing blood dyed its golden scales red. Origin's HP gauge decreased by 1/50. Considering it was a single blow against the strongest monster, it was a shocking amount of damage.
"■■■■■■■■■■■■■■――!!"
Origin let out a cry at the pain that assailed its leg. A high pitched cry like the screeching of metal resounded through the room. Immediately reacting due to [Shingan]'s attack prediction, Shin swiftly made a big jump out of the way. The leg strength that had been strengthened to its limit made Shin fast enough that he left behind an afterimage.
Immediately after Shin moved, the butt of the spear smacked down like it was trying to crush the afterimage. Probably because it had weakened, there were fewer smashed tiles than last time. Even so, it goes without saying that even so, it was with force beyond the norm.
"How quick. As expected of the last boss."
Even seeing the fearsome strength of the spear, Shin had enough leisure to admire it. The final Gatekeeper. Filled with fighting spirit worthy of being an opponent.
Though Shin had a lot of leisure to spare, he was definitely not being careless.
If the HP gauge that floated in the corner of his vision emptied, he would die. Not only did he understand this, he had made it this far.
[THE NEW GATE] had been turned into a death game, it was for the sake of clearing it that Shin was here right now.
The comrades he had fought along with weren't here in the death game, but people who supported him were. Almost all of the gear Shin was using were his own creations, and though the items he had been given were basically all useless in boss fights. Even so, the feelings of his allies that had supported them him with all their strength were important[heavy].
There was a girl who cried from missing her family. There was a boy who was at a loss having lost his older brother. There was a man who refused to lose, and challenged himself. There was a woman who would come running to help those who were troubled. All of them had struggled, given up, challenged, fought, and a number of them had disappeared.
It had ben a year since they had been trapped here. Shin wasn't sure if that was a long time, or a shrot time.
However, what filled Shin's heart right now was but one word――――
『Win』. He'd defeat Origin, and he'd release those who had support him, and those who had pushed him forward, from this game.
It was because of this――――
"I'll take that head of yours!!"
Against Origin who glared over at him, Shin once again took a stance with his sword.
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"
With a yell, his slash cut off Origin's wing from the base.
Toujutsu-Type Martial Skill [Hazan [Mountain Crusher]].
It was a vigorous slash from above. And, as the as the name suggested, it boasted enough power to cut a mountain; a massive 2.5 damage to enemies larger than oneself.
The one-winged Origin fell to its knees from the damage it had sustained.
Shin thought 'Alright!', in his mind. The cooldown from the skill was covered by the collapse of the opponent.
The armour that Origin was wearing was now broken and cracked all over. Not only was one of its wings missing, but its left arm had been cut off, and even the tip of its golden horn was broken off. Only a little HP remained in its HP gauge.
"Hahh, hahh, hahh."
Origin was wounded all over, but Shin wasn't uninjured either. His equipment durability was still okay, but he had repeated warded off the huge Origin's blows, repelled its blows, and occasionally blocked its blows. Though his HP gauge was in the safety zone, he was mentally exhausted, so he was panting as though he really was tired.
"Hahh, hahh, suuuuuu haaaahhh…"
He breathed in, then out.
Even if it was needless because of the game system, to Shin, it was a necessary action.
As though to calm his anxious heart, he took control of his breathing.
With [Hazan], he'd need only need one more hit to finish things, but the cooldown[delay time] for this skill was long. It was long enough that if not the longest, it had at least the second longest cooldown of all skills. He probably wouldn't be able to use it again in this fight.
(It's not so easy an opponent that it'll just take huge moves one after another, after all. But that's only one of my skills. There's no reason to worry.)
He didn't only have the high damage [Hazan]. If they lacked in quality, then he'd make up for it in quantity.
"Don't get hasty, me."
Though Origin had little HP left, it wasn't zero. If he got done in at the very end because he lost focus for a moment, it'd be terribly pathetic. [there should be limits to being pathetic]
There was still fighting spirit left in those eyes that stared at Shin. Though it should've been just graphics, that was what Shin felt.
Immediately afterwards, a monotonous female voice reached Shin's ears.
――――[Survival Instinct] Activate： Attack and Speed increased ――――[Golden Wave] Activate： HP, damaged parts, and broken armour, steadily recover
Shin's Autoskill, [Analysis – Ⅹ]['analysis ten'] activated and let him know that Origin was reinforcing its abilities.
And at the same time, Origin's HP gauge began to recover just a little. At the subs of its lost arm and wing, a goldened light formed and grew just a little, slowly regenerating its arms and wing.
If he left Origin alone, at this rate it would return to its original status. Of course, Shin wouldn't.
At the same time he received the information from [Analysis Ⅹ], Shin used [Shukuchi] to move, and came down hard on the still kneeling Origin.
"■■■■■■–!!"
In response to Shin's movement, Origin roared and at the same time mowed the spear in its right hand across. GOU-!! rang the sound of the spear cutting through the air as it approached Shin.
Without a pause, Shin activated the Toujutsu-Type Martial Skill [Shirahanagashi [Drawn Sword Diversion]] and the Barehanded-Type Martial Skill [Steel Repel]. Lowering his centre of gravity, using [Shiraha Nagashi] he blocked the spear with his katana, and shifting the top of the blade, he diverted the power of the spear strike away. On top of that, his right hand propped the blade, and using [Steel Repel], he reduced the power of the spear. However, because the strike was strengthened with [Survival Instinct], Shin was unable to fully ward off the blow, and a little of his HP gauge was shaved off.
"Hu-!"
Whilst taking damage, the moment he part his blade from the spear, from his crouched position, Shin increased the power of the strike of the spear above him. Because of that, the spear struck faster than Origin had intended, and as a result, Origin's posture was destroyed.
Shin immediately activated the Toujutsu-Type Martial Skill [Gekkou Zanmai [Moonlight Beheading Dance]]. Silver light like the light of the moon wrapped the blade katana, and took the form of a silver blade. The blade length would be temporarily extended by two times. [Note: The pre-edit webnovel says it extends to 2 metres]
"Sehhhhyaaaaaah!"
The light blade struck into Origin's defenceless torso.
One!
Two!
Three!
Each time the blade swung with a speed that left afterimages, a trail of silver was drawn in the air. The three strikes had whittled away the amount of HP that [Golden Wave] had recovered.
Four!
Five!
Six!
Seven!
Eight!
Nine!
Ten!
The seven strikes that followed depleted Origin's remaining HP in one go.
The moment ten silver trails were etched into the air, the light disappeared from the blade, and let Shin know that the skill had completed.
[Gekkou Zanmai] was a skill that increased the attack speed and range for ten strikes. The speed of the attack would be increased 1.3 times, and the range by 2 times.
Though the damage given by one of the strikes wasn't that high, because of the increased range and number of strikes, the combined damage taken from the attack was greater than a simple power-increased skill.
Though it certainly didn't reach a [Hazan] that was performed with Shin's STR, weapons and attack power, it was able to deal damage close to it.
And truly, the intense attacks from the [Gekkou Zanmai] ten-strike combination left Origin's HP gauge with almost nothing left.
"This finishes it!!"
Shin ran up to Origin, who was collapsed from [Gekkou Zanmai]'s damage. Even in this time, Origin's HP had recovered a little, but Shin judged that he would make it.
Perhaps as a final struggle, Origin's right hand let go of his spear, and let loose a backfist. Shin leapt over it, and set up a joudan guard in mid-air. [Note: Joudan no Kamae. Oberhut. Vom Dach.]
His eyes met with the collapsing Origin's. Despite the fact that this blow would truly spell the end for it, for some reason Shin felt not anger in its eyes, but a quiet calm.
However, even if he could feel no animosity from those eyes, the power in shin's blade didn't let up an inch.
Having decided on victory, his heart didn't waver.
"This is the end!"
Along with those words, Shin brought down his blade blade on Origin's forehead.
* * *
――――『You have defeated Gatekeeper [Origin]. Accordingly, you will be given the boss defeating bonus.』 ――――『You have gained Gift(s) [Limit Breaker], [Accomplished One] and [Liberator].』 ――――『You have learned Skill(s) [Wave of the Dark King], [Focus Wave] and [Scattered Wave].』 ――――『You have gained Items(s) [Corpse of the Guardian], [Soul of the Guardian] and [Heart of the Guardian].』 [1]
Hearing the voice of the announcer, Shin stood still.
The place filled with light.
Origin's body turned into light and scattered, and filled the room with light. The light glittered for a few moments, and disappeared. After that, all that remained in the tattered room were an undamaged door, and Shin.
When the light faded, the announcer spoke again.
『The Gatekeeper of the Depths of the Gate to Another World, [Origin], has been defeated, and the dungeon has been cleared.』
It announced Shin's victory to his companions.
『Accordingly, all players are now able to log out.』
It let all the players that fought in THE NEW GATE know that they were released from the game.
"It's over…"
Right, it was over. The death game they had been trapped in for a year was now over. Just to be sure, Shin confirmed that at the very bottom of the menu, the [Log Out] command was certainly there. Shin opened up his friends menu to see, and even at that moment, the names of the players were changing from [Online] to [Offline]. It seemed that everyone was able to log out safely.
"I kept my promise. Right, Marino?"
His chest brimmed with a sense of accomplishment. Would the girl who had fallen in this world have praised him?
So wondered Shin.
"Now then! Shall I wait to make sure everyone else has logged off?"
Deciding to stop thinking about the depressing, Shin switched his mood and sat down on the floor. Shin had decided to make sure everyone else made it home before logging out himself.
Shin took out something like a rolled parchment from his item box; the Survivor's List, and quietly spread it. This list was an item that showed the names of the surviving players in real-time. A companion alchemist who sympathised with Shin's thoughts had spent 7 days and 7 nights coming up with the item. If the player died, or otherwise logged out, their name would disappear from the list. Whilst feeling grateful towards that alchemist friend, Shin continued to watch the list for a short while longer.
The time it took was roughly 3 minutes. Finally, the only name left on the list was [Shin].
"I'm the last one, huh?"
He unconsciously let out those words.
While he was fighting, he did nothing but focus on what was ahead, but now that now that he was about to end things, it felt somehow deeply moving.
After logging out, he probably wouldn't return here again. For a game that had been turned into a death game to continue running; no matter how you thought about it, it was impossible.
(It ended up as a death game in the end, but excluding that, I really had a lot of fun times with it.)
For Shin, the time he had spent playing THE NEW GATE actually equated to a 1/3 of his life. For better or worse, he had spent a long time in this game.
"Cya, THE NEW GATE."
Muttering words of farewell, Shin made to log out, but at that moment, the door before his eyes let out a groan.
"Mn?"
Preoccupied with the gate, the finger that made to touch the words Log Out, stopped.
The gorgeously decorated, and dignified doors were slowly opening with a groan. Light shone from the opened gap, and from where Shin was, it was impossible to tell what was happening beyond the doors.
"What's this? There shouldn't be anymore events…"
Shin was bewildered. Besides Shin, the door continued to open, and the overflowing light dyed the room white.
"Something is wrong."
Feeling a sense of abnormality, a moment faster than Shin's finger managed to touch the words 'Log Out', the light filled the room. As though swallowed by the light, Shin lost consciousness.
* * *
Note: First of all, 'gifts' are what would be called 'titles' in other games. The kanji says 'title', but in the light novel, the furigana reads 'gift'. Also, I have seen 臨界者(rinkaisha) used before in D. Gray Man as well, but the translators there couldn't find a good English equivalent either. In light of the rest of the series, will write it as 'Limit Breaker' for now. It more literally means something that has hit the critical point. Ah, also, Dark King (冥王) sort of equates to Pluto/Hades in a sense, esp. planet (冥王星)
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 01 - A Beginning and an End/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-A-Beginning-and-an-End-[Shin+Oniichanyamete][Armaell]/f000.txt
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Prologue
Prologue
The depths of the gate to another world 【THE NEW GATE】
There, two figures were squaring off against each other.
One was the figure of a monster.
The name of the Gatekeeper{monster protecting the gate} was 【Origin】, the very end of the VRMMORPG 【THE NEW GATE】, and its strongest monster.
It was a humanoid dragon type, with a humanoid body, a dragon's head, wings, and a tail.
It's total length was roughly 20m. It's eyes were dyed a sky blue, and its horns and the scales that covered its body glittered golden. A golden armour also concealed a figure like that of a trained warrior. The unadorned spear it held was also golden.
Though its colour scheme could be very possible taken as ugly, but though you could feel a sublime divinity from its physique and overwhelming pressure, there was no hate.
It was no exaggeration to call it a divine beast, and could be said to be a monster worthy of the title 'strongest'.
The other figure was a person.
His name was Shin, and his real name was Kiritani Shinya.
A veteran player who held top class combat ability.
His height was a little over 180cm. If you had to choose between bulky or skinny, he'd be the latter.
Black hair and black eyes. Despite facing off Origin, from his plain face that could neither be called beautiful nor ugly, not a shred of nervousness could be felt.
Around his neck was a light muffler, black-coloured with red zigzags. What he was wearing was a long coat with pants of the same design. His arms and legs were wearing crimson tekkou1 and kyakkou 2, but besides those there wasn't anything else that resembled armour.
As for weapons, there was only the black katana in his right hand. Both the handle and the tsuba were black, but the blade alone faintly sparkled red, as though it had rubies mixed in.
Shin took a step forward. In response, Origin readied its guard. In contrast to Shin who seemingly wore no armour besides his arm and leg guards, Origin was armed and guarded from head to toe. From an outsider's point of view, it was a sight that was the epitome of recklessness. You couldn't imagine anything except Origin turning Shin into a piece of meat with a single swing of its spear.
Once Shin took yet another step forward, Origin responded by thrusting its spear. With a speed unimaginable for its size, the attack with the spear was like a fast approaching wall.
The spear bore into the tiled floor. Where the point pierced the floor, not only were stone tiles sent flying, but the spear gouged even the floor beneath the tiles.
However, Shin's figure wasn't there.
Shin was by Origin's feet.
A moment before the attack, Shin had used the Support-Type Martial Skill 【Shingan [mind's eye]】 to predict the location of the attack, and furthermore relocated himself at high speeds with the Movement-Type Martial Skill 【Shukuchi】3.
Aiming for Origin's right leg, having left its sight, Shin activated the Toujutsu-Type Martial Skill 【Kogetsusen [Arc Moon Flash]】.4
Together with the activation of the skill, the blade of his katana started to glow red. For just an instant, the sharpness and speed of his attack was amplified by 1.5 times, and he slashed into Origin with all his might.
"Shii!"
A single yell and strike.
Leaving behind a bright red trail, the blade bisected the armour around Origin's right leg.
The blade continued and cut apart the leg about halfway up, and the flowing blood dyed its golden scales red.
Origin's HP gauge decreased by 1/50. Considering it was a single blow against the strongest monster, it was a shocking amount of damage.
"■■■■■■■■■■■■■■――!!"
Origin let out a cry at the pain that assailed its leg.
A high pitched cry like the screeching of metal resounded through the room. Immediately reacting due to 【Shingan】's attack prediction, Shin swiftly made a big jump out of the way. The leg strength that had been strengthened to its limit made Shin fast enough that he left behind an afterimage.
Immediately after Shin moved, the butt of the spear smacked down like it was trying to crush the afterimage. Probably because it had weakened, there were fewer smashed tiles than last time. Even so, it goes without saying that even so, it was with force beyond the norm.
"How quick. As expected of the last boss."
Even seeing the fearsome strength of the spear, Shin had enough leisure to admire it. The final Gatekeeper. Filled with fighting spirit worthy of being an opponent.
Though Shin had a lot of leisure to spare, he was definitely not being careless.
If the HP gauge that floated in the corner of his vision emptied, he would die. Not only did he understand this, he had made it this far.
【THE NEW GATE】 had been turned into a death game, it was for the sake of clearing it that Shin was here right now.
The comrades he had fought along with weren't here in the death game, but people who supported him were.
Almost all of the gear Shin was using were his own creations, and though the items he had been given were basically all useless in boss fights. Even so, the feelings of his allies that had supported them him with all their strength were important[heavy].
There was a girl who cried from missing her family. There was a boy who was at a loss having lost his older brother. There was a man who refused to lose, and challenged himself. There was a woman who would come running to help those who were troubled. All of them had struggled, given up, challenged, fought, and a number of them had disappeared.
It had ben a year since they had been trapped here. Shin wasn't sure if that was a long time, or a shrot time.
However, what filled Shin's heart right now was but one word――――
『Win』.
He'd defeat Origin, and he'd release those who had support him, and those who had pushed him forward, from this game.
It was because of this――――
"I'll take that head of yours!!"
Against Origin who glared over at him, Shin once again took a stance with his sword.
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"
With a yell, his slash cut off Origin's wing from the base.
Toujutsu-Type Martial Skill 【Hazan [Mountain Crusher]】.
It was a vigorous slash from above.
And, as the as the name suggested, it boasted enough power to cut a mountain; a massive 2.5 damage to enemies larger than oneself.
The one-winged Origin fell to its knees from the damage it had sustained.
Shin thought 'Alright!', in his mind. The cooldown from the skill was covered by the collapse of the opponent.
The armour that Origin was wearing was now broken and cracked all over.
Not only was one of its wings missing, but its left arm had been cut off, and even the tip of its golden horn was broken off.
Only a little HP remained in its HP gauge.
"Hahh, hahh, hahh."
Origin was wounded all over, but Shin wasn't uninjured either. His equipment durability was still okay, but he had repeated warded off the huge Origin's blows, repelled its blows, and occasionally blocked its blows. Though his HP gauge was in the safety zone, he was mentally exhausted, so he was panting as though he really was tired.
"Hahh, hahh, suuuuuu haaaahhh…"
He breathed in, then out.
Even if it was needless because of the game system, to Shin, it was a necessary action.
As though to calm his anxious heart, he took control of his breathing.
With 【Hazan】, he'd need only need one more hit to finish things, but the cooldown[delay time] for this skill was long. It was long enough that if not the longest, it had at least the second longest cooldown of all skills. He probably wouldn't be able to use it again in this fight.
(It's not so easy an opponent that it'll just take huge moves one after another, after all. But that's only one of my skills. There's no reason to worry.)
He didn't only have the high damage 【Hazan】. If they lacked in quality, then he'd make up for it in quantity.
"Don't get hasty, me."
Though Origin had little HP left, it wasn't zero. If he got done in at the very end because he lost focus for a moment, it'd be terribly pathetic. [there should be limits to being pathetic]
There was still fighting spirit left in those eyes that stared at Shin. Though it should've been just graphics, that was what Shin felt.
Immediately afterwards, a monotonous female voice reached Shin's ears.
――――【Survival Instinct】 Activate： Attack and Speed increased
――――【Golden Wave】 Activate： HP, damaged parts, and broken armour, steadily recover
Shin's Autoskill, 【Analysis – Ⅹ】5 activated and let him know that Origin was reinforcing its abilities.
And at the same time, Origin's HP gauge began to recover just a little. At the subs of its lost arm and wing, a goldened light formed and grew just a little, slowly regenerating its arms and wing.
If he left Origin alone, at this rate it would return to its original status.
Of course, Shin wouldn't.
At the same time he received the information from 【Analysis Ⅹ】, Shin used 【Shukuchi】 to move, and came down hard on the still kneeling Origin.
"■■■■■■–!!"
In response to Shin's movement, Origin roared and at the same time mowed the spear in its right hand across.
GOU-!! rang the sound of the spear cutting through the air as it approached Shin.
Without a pause, Shin activated the Toujutsu-Type Martial Skill 【Shirahanagashi [Drawn Sword Diversion]】 and the Barehanded-Type Martial Skill 【Steel Repel】.
Lowering his centre of gravity, using 【Shiraha Nagashi】 he blocked the spear with his katana, and shifting the top of the blade, he diverted the power of the spear strike away. On top of that, his right hand propped the blade, and using 【Steel Repel】, he reduced the power of the spear.
However, because the strike was strengthened with 【Survival Instinct】, Shin was unable to fully ward off the blow, and a little of his HP gauge was shaved off.
"Hu-!"
Whilst taking damage, the moment he part his blade from the spear, from his crouched position, Shin increased the power of the strike of the spear above him.
Because of that, the spear struck faster than Origin had intended, and as a result, Origin's posture was destroyed.
Shin immediately activated the Toujutsu-Type Martial Skill 【Gekkou Zanmai [Moonlight Beheading Dance]】. Silver light like the light of the moon wrapped the blade katana, and took the form of a silver blade. The blade length would be temporarily extended by two times.
"Sehhhhyaaaaaah!"
The light blade struck into Origin's defenceless torso.
One!
Two!
Three!
Each time the blade swung with a speed that left afterimages, a trail of silver was drawn in the air. The three strikes had whittled away the amount of HP that 【Golden Wave】 had recovered.
Four!
Five!
Six!
Seven!
Eight!
Nine!
Ten!
The seven strikes that followed depleted Origin's remaining HP in one go.
The moment ten silver trails were etched into the air, the light disappeared from the blade, and let Shin know that the skill had completed.
【Gekkou Zanmai】 was a skill that increased the attack speed and range for ten strikes. The speed of the attack would be increased 1.3 times, and the range by 2 times.
Though the damage given by one of the strikes wasn't that high, because of the increased range and number of strikes, the combined damage taken from the attack was greater than a simple power-increased skill.
Though it certainly didn't reach a 【Hazan】 that was performed with Shin's STR, weapons and attack power, it was able to deal damage close to it.
And truly, the intense attacks from the 【Gekkou Zanmai】 ten-strike combination left Origin's HP gauge with almost nothing left.
"This finishes it!!"
Shin ran up to Origin, who was collapsed from 【Gekkou Zanmai】's damage. Even in this time, Origin's HP had recovered a little, but Shin judged that he would make it.
Perhaps as a final struggle, Origin's right hand let go of his spear, and let loose a backfist. Shin leapt over it, and set up a joudan guard in mid-air. [Note: Joudan no Kamae. Oberhut. Vom Dach.]
His eyes met with the collapsing Origin's. Despite the fact that this blow would truly spell the end for it, for some reason Shin felt not anger in its eyes, but a quiet calm.
However, even if he could feel no animosity from those eyes, the power in shin's blade didn't let up an inch.
Having decided on victory, his heart didn't waver.
"This is the end!"
Along with those words, Shin brought down his blade blade on Origin's forehead.
-
――――『You have defeated Gatekeeper 【Origin】. Accordingly, you will be given the boss defeating bonus.』
――――『You have gained Gift(s) 【Limit Breaker】, 【Accomplished One】 and 【Liberator】.』
――――『You have learned Skill(s) 【Wave of the Dark King】, 【Focus Wave】 and 【Scattered Wave】.』
――――『You have gained Items(s) 【Corpse of the Guardian】, 【Soul of the Guardian】 and 【Heart of the Guardian】.』
6
Hearing the voice of the announcer, Shin stood still.
The place filled with light.
Origin's body turned into light and scattered, and filled the room with light.
The light glittered for a few moments, and disappeared. After that, all that remained in the tattered room were an undamaged door, and Shin.
When the light faded, the announcer spoke again.
『The Gatekeeper of the Depths of the Gate to Another World, 【Origin】, has been defeated, and the dungeon has been cleared.』
It announced Shin's victory to his companions.
『Accordingly, all players are now able to log out.』
It let all the players that fought in THE NEW GATE know that they were released from the game.
"It's over…"
Right, it was over.
The death game they had been trapped in for a year was now over.
Just to be sure, Shin confirmed that at the very bottom of the menu, the 【Log Out】 command was certainly there.
Shin opened up his friends menu to see, and even at that moment, the names of the players were changing from 【Online】 to 【Offline】.
It seemed that everyone was able to log out safely.
"I kept my promise. Right, Marino?"
His chest brimmed with a sense of accomplishment.
Would the girl who had fallen in this world have praised him?
So wondered Shin.
"Now then! Shall I wait to make sure everyone else has logged off?"
Deciding to stop thinking about the depressing, Shin switched his mood and sat down on the floor.
Shin had decided to make sure everyone else made it home before logging out himself.
Shin took out something like a rolled parchment from his item box; the Survivor's List, and quietly spread it. This list was an item that showed the names of the surviving players in real-time.
A companion alchemist who sympathised with Shin's thoughts had spent 7 days and 7 nights coming up with the item. If the player died, or otherwise logged out, their name would disappear from the list.
Whilst feeling grateful towards that alchemist friend, Shin continued to watch the list for a short while longer.
The time it took was roughly 3 minutes. Finally, the only name left on the list was 【Shin】.
"I'm the last one, huh?"
He unconsciously let out those words.
While he was fighting, he did nothing but focus on what was ahead, but now that now that he was about to end things, it felt somehow deeply moving.
After logging out, he probably wouldn't return here again. For a game that had been turned into a death game to continue running; no matter how you thought about it, it was impossible.
(It ended up as a death game in the end, but excluding that, I really had a lot of fun times with it.)
For Shin, the time he had spent playing THE NEW GATE actually equated to a 1/3 of his life. For better or worse, he had spent a long time in this game.
"Cya, THE NEW GATE."
Muttering words of farewell, Shin made to log out, but at that moment, the door before his eyes let out a groan.
"Mn?"
Preoccupied with the gate, the finger that made to touch the words Log Out, stopped.
The gorgeously decorated, and dignified doors were slowly opening with a groan. Light shone from the opened gap, and from where Shin was, it was impossible to tell what was happening beyond the doors.
"What's this? There shouldn't be anymore events…"
Shin was bewildered.
Besides Shin, the door continued to open, and the overflowing light dyed the room white.
"Something is wrong."
Feeling a sense of abnormality, a moment faster than Shin's finger managed to touch the words 'Log Out', the light filled the room.
As though swallowed by the light, Shin lost consciousness.
—————————————————
手甲, arm guards
脚甲, legs guards
Shukuchi on Wikipedia
Here, Toujutsu = katana swordsmanship
analysis ten
First of all, 'gifts' are what would be called 'titles' in other games. The kanji says 'title', but in the light novel, the furigana reads 'gift'.
Also, I have seen 臨界者(rinkaisha) used before in D. Gray Man as well, but the translators there couldn't find a good English equivalent either. In light of the rest of the series, will write it as 'Limit Breaker' for now. It more literally means something that has hit the critical point. Ah, also, Dark King (冥王) sort of equates to Pluto/Hades in a sense, esp. planet (冥王星).]
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 01 - A Beginning and an End/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-A-Beginning-and-an-End-[Shin+Oniichanyamete][Armaell]/f001.txt
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Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Part 1
The first thing he felt was wind.
Shin's consciousness faintly grapshed the feeling of the warm wind blowing on his skin.
What he felt next was a hard sensation on his back, and faintly, a sweet smell tickled his nose.
Was the reason his sight was dark because his eyes were closed?
"Mmn…"
Shin opened his eyes as he sat up.
What spread across his field of vision was a broad meadow, dotted with tree groves.
White and pink flowers bloomed where Shin had been sleeping. It seems that what Shin smelled earlier were these flowers.
"This is…"
To solve the mystery of why he was here, Shin worked his mind.
(Today I fought Origin, the boss monster at the Depths of the Gate to Another World, and won. Right, I cleared THE NEW GATE. Because of that, we could log out, everyone was released, and in the end it was just me…)
Gradually, his mind became clear.
The scene Shin had seen at the end; that was,
"The doors… opened?"
Right, after defeating the final boss mosnter 【Origin】, logging out became possible, and just as he was about to do so himself, the closed doors had opened, and he lost his consciousness.
"The heck was that? And this is…"
Even looking around again, what he say was a broad meadow, and groves of trees. There was nothing else he could find.
"Could it be, I'm still in the game?"
Shin wasn't sure whether or not he had managed to touch the words Log Out in the end. Wondering if only he hadn't logged out because of an event, he made sure by calling up the menu.
"…Oi, oi."
Translucent screen behind his eyes, and the menu items lined up there; it was unmistakably the menu screen of THE NEW GATE.
"What, I was still in the game?"
Man, that was shocking, thought Shin, as he brought his gaze down the menu.
There, the words Log Out were――
"…Gone."
The words Log Out that should have been between 'Owned Gold' and 'Help', were nowhere to be seen. The six letters that he had made sure were there when he had defeated Origin, had disappeared.
"Oioioi, this is a lie, right!?"
He opened up every menu item from start to finish, but as expected, the words Log Out were nowhere to be found.
It was like when it was a death game.
"Tch!! Right, what about everyone else!?"
Was there anyone else besides himself? Thinking about that possibility, Shin look out the Survivors List from his item box. If there was any other player left behind, the list would show it.
"What… the hell?"
The only one on the list was 【Shin】, but below that in the white space,
――――『Cannot display due to lack of network connection.』
was written.
The Survivors List was a way of having the avatar that used the item, access the network of THE NEW GATE, and checking which players still survived, said his alchemist friend.
Considering that, it meant that at present, Shin's avatar was disconnected from THE NEW GATE's system.
"Can't connect to the network. Then why can I move my avatar?"
Even though he couldn't log out, he was connected to the system―――― was something like that possible?
In this situation, Shin shouldn't have been able to move his avatar. It wasn't as though Shin was well-versed with VR technology, but at any rate, that was how THE NEW GATE worked. Thinking about it normally, being disconnected from the network, yet being able to move your avatar was contradictory.
"I don't get it. The heck is happening."
The feeling of relief he had up until a while ago had disappeared in one go, and Shin once again lay down on the ground.
He didn't feel like getting up, and he worked only his mind, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't come up with an answer.
(It's no good, huh. In these situations, I should empty my mind for a little.)
It was Shin's way of calming down when the inside of his head was a mess. When there was something he couldn't understand, he'd temporarily let go of everything, and then rebuild this thoughts.
① He couldn't connect to the network.
② It was possible to manipulate his avatar.
③ The two points above were not reconcilable.
① could be confirmed through the Survivors List program, and the message that appeared on the list.
② was also confirmed since he was certainly moving his avatar.
As for ③, it was a reality that a network connection was essential for the act of moving ones avatar. There was no mistake that players who had lost connection to the network due to a bug found themselves unable to move their avatars.
Then, what would have to happen to reconcile these two facts―――― what Shin came up with was this.
There was the possibility that the Survivors List had malfunctioned, and there really was a network connection. It wouldn't be strange for something like this to happen.
The next possibility was that he couldn't connect to the network, but it was possible to move his avatar. That kind of technology might ahve been developed.
"The last possibility would be that… Fantasy."
Shin smiled wryly at the thought that had by chance crossed his mind while he was thinking seriously.
Shin was a pure net-gamer. He was bad enough that his friends called him a net-game addict. And at the same time, he also reached out to anime, manga, light novels and web novels.
Stories where the protagonist ended up in a world exactly like the game had already become a staple for such fiction, and he had also read a number of these. The reasons for this were varied, but Shin had read many stories where they came to the world of the game with their menu intact.
What had come to mind just now was exactly that. He had suddenly wondered if the place he was in now wasn't the game, but the real world of THE NEW GAME.
Losing his network connection, and being able to move his avatar; both of these could be explained by it.
'As if', thought Shin. He decided to stop thinking for a while, and looked up at the sky. The wide blue sky filled his vision, and small clouds slowly moved by.
He could see the groves of trees in the corner of his eyes. Turning his sight that way, he could clearly see each leaf.
"…………"
He could see them. He could see them clearly. He could see them distinctly.
He could see too much.
He could see more clearly that when it was a game. It was as though they were the real thing.
With the development of VR, certainly they could create a world that was the spitting image of the real one. Not only in sight and sounds, but it was possible in touch, and taste as well.
However… However possible it was to reproduce these things, technology still hadn't reached the level of the 'real thing' yet. Technology was only at a level where if you'd seen it in reality before, you'd know for sure that these were affected fakes. In the end, they were just pretty graphics.
However, what was reflected in Shin's eyes were the movements of clouds, the colour and gloss of leaves, the figures of flowers blooming in the field; all of this looked like nothing but the real thing.
"…………"
Shin slowly held his own hand above his face. There were wrinkles and fingerprints that hadn't existed when it was a game.
"Is this… the real thing?"
After noticing this one thing, he started to understand things one after another. The scenery before his eyes, the rustle of the leaves, the feel of the wind on his skin, the smell that tickled his nose; all of these were different from how they felt in-game.
"After a death game, is a trip to another world…"
Shin experienced two VRMMO player urban legends in succession. Depending on the person, it might've been a delightful situation, but Shin was thinking that he'd have preferred some time in-between them. The only indication that he bore these thoughts that were pretty far off the norm, was his calm expression.
"Ahhhhhhhh… What the heck is going on~~?" lazily said Shin, as he rolled around on the ground.
Just where had the valiant figure from the fight with Origin gone?
On top of the fatigue from the fight with Origin, just when he thought he could log out, unbelievably he ended up on a trip to another world. At any rate, his mind sought rest.
If you had to describe it in one word, he was languid.
He was a little bit burned out as well, so for a while the feelings of wanting to take it easy filled Shin's heart.
"Ah~~~… Hahh…."
For a while he'd roll about as though he had reverted to infanthood or something, and then stop that, endlessly repeating the two. Little though it may have been, perhaps because he had abandoned the act of thinking for a while, his weariness had become somewhat better than before, and he began to think again.
The situation was filled with unknowns. There was nobody else around, so he couldn't gather even a little information. Still feeling a little heavy, whilst he sat up he considered what he'd do from now on.
(At any rate, I don't have enough information. For now, since the menu still appears, I'll check my status and items, and then shall I search for a place that would have people?)
Summoning the menu, he displayed the status menu.
On the left hand side was a 3D graphic that displayed the avatar that was Shin's other self, and on the right were entries like 【Ability Points】, 【Equipment】, 【Gifts】, 【Skills】 and the like.
The displayed avatar had black hair and black irises, with no notable traits outside of some slightly sharp looking eyes; the face of a young man you could find anywhere.
The face on the avatar was Shin's real one, and because the physique was made to reflect that, though it was 180cm tall, it gave somewhat of a lanky impression. Shin's friend in real life who had been in an athletics club [at school/university] had always told him to train his body more.
When he made to confirm his 【Equipment】, he found that they had changed a little since his fight with Origin, and his muffler, his arm guards, and his leg guards had been unequipped. What he still had equipped was the red-lined black long coat, 【Overcoat of the Dark King】, the pants that had become a set with it, and accessories.
In the weapons column were the words 【Shingetsu [True Moon]】. It seemed that his beloved and prided blade was in good shape.
When he checked his inventory, the equipment he had worn to fight Origin was in there. He had verified his items and money at the same time too, and it seemed there was no problems with his belongings.
Next was 【Ability Points】.
Originally all stats except LUC were maxed out with 9s, and he prayed that he hadn't weakened.
"…Nonono"
He looked away from the screen, and for a while gazed far away before returning to the screen.
There was no way that doing something like that would change what was being displayed before him.
"Hangon, just hangon!"
Once again, he looked away from the screen, and gazed into the distance. Furthermore, he rubbed his eyes, and then having made sure there was nothing blurry about his sight, he returned his gaze to the screen.
It was like he was in a frame of a manga where the character couldn't believe their eyes, Shin thought.
"…I didn't see wrong… huh?"
In the end, having looked upon it for the third time, Shin finally accepted that he hadn't seen that wrong.
The reason was simple; except for LUC, those ability points were very different from what his stats used to be.
The VVMMORPG 【THE NEW GATE】 was different to other MMORPGs, and if you spent a long time, you could raise every stat except LUC to the maximum.
Shin who had spent massive amount of time on it since the Closed-β days, on top of aiming for maximum hunting efficiency, and who would repeatedly use the rebirth[reincarnation] system, was the only player who had capped all stats.
There were other players who had almost maxed out, but none of them could reach Shin.
When it was a game, Shin's HP and MP were 9999, and besides LUC which was 36, all other attributes were 999.
The reason LUC was low was because on top of it having a cap of 99, it was determined and fixed from when the character was created.
But right now, all of Shin's statuses save for LUC were displayed as over double their original values.
"The game's specs have been… smashed by this…"
There was already nothing left he could do but be amazed.
The numerical values were too large, and right now he had no idea how great his own strength was.
"…As you'd think, I'm exhausted from the surprise…"
Because of all the surprises he'd had recently, he was sure that he looked hilarious, he thought mockingly about himself.
Even so, staring at the menu was unproductive, so for now he'd move on to other entries.
(There are things I've never seen before, huh.)
Looking at it from start to finish, he found out that new Gifts and Skills had been added.
The Gifts 【Limit Breaker】, 【Accomplished One】 and 【Liberator】, and the Skills 【Wave of the Dark King】, 【Focus Wave】 and 【Scattered Wave】 had been added.
He should have heard it when he defeated Origin, but Shin had completely forgotten.
To find out what effects they had, he chose the three new Gifts from the menu.
【Limit Breaker】
With this power, you can exceed the limit.
The upper limit for all statuses has been removed. Statuses will rise according to how many ability points were discarded prior to limit removal.
【Accomplished One】
Blessings to the one who has reached the ends of Samsara.
The moment this Gift was received, all ability points were doubled.
【Liberator】
You are the hopes of those who have been imprisoned.
Acts of restriction and subordination are restricted. Forbidden magic, traps, items etc. are made invalid.
"…The heck?"
Every one of the Gifts he had gained were beyond expectations. Even Shin who knew of almost every Gift in the game didn't know of such balance-breaking Gifts.
It was fine that he had solved the mystery of his increased statuses, but these were basically cheats. They weren't even in the dimension of having a rare item, or starting on a high level.
…Having said that though, that LUC was still the same as ever (in accordance to the game's setting), it kind of felt like he was being mocked.
"Stories where they go from an MMO to another world usually have cheat characters but… this really feels like they're overdoing it, huh…"
Shin, whose original statuses could be called cheats, had been enough to demolish a group of max level Lv.255s once (a group of 12, with no rebirths). He was strong enough that when he killed them all, they screamed "You freaking cheater!" as they died.
Against players who had rebirthed dozens of times and almost capped their stats, even Shin wasn't undefeatable, but even so, he could fight on par with 4 of them at once. In the first place, players who fought with Shin head on were rare though.
Those stats had now been even further increased. As long as he didn't suffer an instant death from an ambush, in fights against people he probably couldn't lose anymore. Of course, this was assuming that there were other players in this world in the first place.
Whilst thinking about needless worries, Shin prayed that these titles weren't possessed by heaps of other people.
Part 2
After that, besides titles, Shin also checked all his skills and magic from start to finish, and even activated a few for real to test the effects. Thankfully, there was nothing in the surroundings that would've been bad to destroy, so he was able to test the skills and magic to a certain extent of his real power.
As the result of mass producing large craters, he found out that the paralysis frames and cooldowns for Martial Skills had disappeared, and that it was now possible to control the intensity of magic.
Up until now, though it was realistic, since it was a game it was natural to have such restrictions. However, it is obvious that such things wouldn't exist in reality.
And so, in exchange for these unnatural things that were characteristic of games, instead, you now couldn't move without considering trivial injuries like hurting your tendons, or spraining your joints. These sorts of things would be obvious in reality. At any rate, right now Shin wasn't in a game world. If he took an enemy's attack, it wouldn't just end with his HP gauge dropping. If he didn't think carefully about his movements, when it came to crunch, there was the risk that he wouldn't be able to take action.
Shin was once again reminded himself of the reality that this wasn't a game.
Noticing that he was bewildered at the differences between this world, and the game world that he knew, Shin thought that at some point, the virtual reality 【THE NEW GATE】 had become his 'second reality' before he had realised.
'In that case, should the place I'm in now be called a 'third reality?' thought Shin with a wry smile.
It took him quite a long time before that second reality (the world of the game) to start feeling real, but as expected, it seemed that he was adjusting to this third reality quite quickly. As though the weariness from just a while ago was a lie, he was amazed at himself for moving about like this.
"Well then, I guess it's about time to go."
Whilst saying this, Shin took out a single bookmark. He brought this ordinary white bookmark above his head.
"Go home!"
When Shin chanted this, light gathered around the bookmark, and when the ball of light had reached the size of a baseball, it took the shape of a falcon.
The falcon made of light lightly floated in the air, and turned its head to a certain direction.
What Shin had used was an item called 【Guide】; an item that would point out the direction to a registered location. Normally it was used to mark the location of a rest spot in a hunting field, but a certain group of players, would like Shin, register their homes as the location.
1
Shin didn't know where he was because the map wasn't functioning, but he saw the 【Guide】 in the items column, and since the only location registered was his home, he decided to head there first.
Incidentally, the fact that the ball of light had turned into a falcon was due to Shin's taste. The light could turn into a form the player liked.
"Onwards, to my house!"
Shin began to run in the direction indicated by the light. At the moment he had chosen the destination for the 【Guide】, it indicated that the distance to the location was 67 kemels away. 1 kemel was roughly 1 kilometre, so it was 67 kilometres ahead.
Normally it would be quite a long way away on foot, but Shin's reinforced leg power was very far from the norm. He could move fairly quickly just by walking lightly.
The running Shin had already reached 70km/h. On top of that, because he wasn't riding a vehicle, he could continue running regardless of if it was a thick forest, or a rugged rockland.
"Yaaaaaaaaaahoooooooooooooo!!"
Because it felt nice to cut through the wind as he ran, Shin let out a large scream as though to dispel the anxiety he had felt since waking up.
Though he didn't know how much endurance he had, it hardly felt draining at all; he felt like he could run forever, and so he continued running without rest.
On the way, he spotted a four armed bear (Tetra Grizzly), a two headed snake (Twinhead Snake) and a boar with a mane like fire (Flame Boar), so to test out his strength, he fought them one by one. The levels of the bear, snake and boar were 87, 68, and 79 respectively.
Since he had confirmed there names and levels with 【Analysis Ⅹ】, there was no mistaking it.
All of them fought with basic patterns, and were monsters that beginners would often hunt, so for Shin they were foes he could defeat with one hand[defeat without needing to care].
However, unlike when it was a game, Shin caught a glimpse of the spontaneity and will to live[desire to help themselves] which had given him a chill.
2
An hour later, after cutting through meadows, jumping over rocks, and running through forests…
Around the time he started to see a large rampart[castle-wall type wall], the falcon of light started to blink, indicating to him that they were close to the target destination.
He dropped his speed, and stood still. The direction that the falcon indicated was slightly off from the wall. It seemed that it was inside the forest that spread before the wall. If Shin's memory served him right, then there shouldn't have been a town enclosed by a rampart near his home.
"Just when the heck was that built?"
muttered Shin, as he looked at the wall.
The size of the rampart was around the size of a six-story building. It looked like it was built from cut stone, and it brought about a dignified atmosphere.
Were the parts broken here and there because of monster attacks, or where they because of war?
In the game, there had been siege war events that large numbers of people had taken part in, Shin included. The ramparts had been enchanted with monster-repellent, fortification, and magic-resistant enchantments, so Shin felt it would be difficult to attack.
Shin suspected that it wasn't a town inside, but he couldn't tell at all what was really inside. Well, since it was surrounded by these reinforced walls, it probably wouldn't be a deserted ruin.
At any rate, right now he didn't have any business with it, so stopping his thoughts, he returned his gaze to the forest, and walked in the direction that the falcon indicated.
After walking for about 100 mels, there was a clearing that was different to the surroundings and vegetation. Unlike the trees up until now that had diameters of 30 or 40 cemels at best, in the clearing stood a tree whose diameter exceeded 1 mel.
In the midst of the atmosphere exuded by the massive tree, stood a building that was nostalgic to him.
It was a building built of stone and wood, and above the curtained[noren] shop entrance hung a sign that read in large letters, 『Yorozuya Tsuki no Hokora』.3
"It looks pretty much the same, huh."
It was unmistakably the same as before his fight with Origin. Seeing his unchanged home, Shin's heart felt like it had found support.
In the game, 『Yorozuya Tsuki no Hokora』 was a weapons, armour, and items shop run by Shin, that also doubled as his home. Fundamentally, it sold items that were things that Shin had picked up in fields or dungeons, and when he felt like it, things that Shin crafted himself.
The places Shin visited were almost all fields and dungeons where high level monsters would saunter about, so it was easy to obtain rare items and materials, and as a shop that sold these, Tsuki no Hokora was a hidden, but well-known shop, famous primarily amongst advanced players. The cause was probably because the goods being what they were, had fairly hefty prices, and thus the ones who could buy these were limited to advanced players.
Whilst reminiscing about his shop's bustling business (though it was really rare that it was bustling), Shin passed through the noren, and opened the door. Just how was it doing, that shop with nothing but a reception desk, and shelves lined with goods?
Inside the shop stood a number of men and women, wearing a mantle over their armour. Among them, a number of them had noticed Shin's entrance, and two of them approached him.
"Sorry, but the shop is busy with us right now, see? Could you come back later?"
The one who said this was a blonde haired young man clad in a very extravagantly decorated armour. His height was around Shin's but probably because he worked out, his arms and legs were thicker than Shin's.
"Did something happen?"
"It doesn't matter, we said get out!"
The one who ordered Shin in a strong tone when he asked about what was going on was the brown haired young man who had approached Shin with the blonde man. Just like the blonde one, he was clad in an excessively decorated armour. He was a head taller than Shin, and had a firm build that balanced with his height.
"But I've also got stuff that I need done by today."
"You're noisy. Adventurers like you shouldn't fucking talk back!
"Oi, stop it, Iran!"
Iran was probably the name of the brown haired man. Having judged that he didn't need to use keigo, Shin used his normal speech style to object to Iran.4
Perhaps because Shin's unwillingness had pissed him off, Iran had made to forcefully push Shin, and thrust his palms at Shin's solar plexus. Seeing that Shin didn't particularly react, Iran's mouth curved into a smirk.
"Whoa!"
However, Shin didn't even twitch at the hands that came at him, and in contrast, Iran lost his balance and fell butt-first to the floor. His armour hit the floor, and a sound too loud to ignore rang out through the shop. The eyes of those around them fell on Shin and Iran.
There was Iran, dumbstruck and unable to process what had happened, and Shin who was wondering what was up with him.
"Ku-, you fuc-!""
Just as Iran moved his hand to his sword in a frenzy, he cowered with a start at the loud voice that resounded through the room.
"What's the racket!?"
Thinking about how things had become a bother, Shin sighed in his mind.
-
The crowd of people naturally parted, and the figure of a single man appeared. He was a handsome blonde haired, blue eyed man, who, as expected, was also wearing a needlessly glamourous set of armour, and was glaring over at Shin and Iran from a few mels away.
Unlike before, Iran had suddenly become quiet.
As for Shin, seeing the man part the crowd, "Moses, huh…" he said, feeling that he seriously didn't give a shit.
"I thoguht I told you not to let anybody in."
"My deepest apologies, Loost-sama!"
Iran bowed without delay. Seeing Iran's behaviour, Shin suspected that this man was fairly high ranked.
Without sparing a glance at Iran, Loost approached Shin. His eyes looked Shin up and down.
(Uwah, someone more annoying than Iran appeared.)
Ignoring Shin's thoughts, Loost clunked over with heavy steps, and stopped before Shin.
"…"
"?"
Seeing Loost remain silent, Shin tilted his head in wonder, when Iran yelled out angrily,
"Oi! What do you mean by standing in front of Loost-sama, without even naming yourself!?"
It seemed that Loost was standing silently before Shin because he was waiting for Shin to name himself.
"My apologies. I am Shin, a wanderer."
Since it would be annoying if someone who was addressed with -sama had his eye on Shin, Shin named himself with a bow. According to Shin's experience, Loost was the type of person who would let a lot of things go if you humbled yourself, even if only for form's sake.
"Hmph, it seems you don't know etiquette. Well, that's fine. Since you're a wanderer, I can't expect you to be cultured."
Ignoring the words of Loost who nodded arrogantly to himself, Shin smiled wryly inside at the fact that this technique worked in other worlds as well.
"Our business here is done. We're leaving."
With that, Loost started walking straight forward. Since it seemed they would collide, Shin immediately moved to the left.
Apart from the blonde young man who saw Shin's movement, a number of other people narrowed their eyes at his nimbleness.
"Tch."
Including Iran who left with a tsk, the men and women who seemed to be subordinates followed Loost out of the shop. Because of that, only three of them remained in the shop.
"Iran did something unpardonable. I'll apologise in his place."
The one who spoke to Shin was the blonde man from earlier. The other two made apologetic expressions as well.
"No, it isn't like anything really happened."
"Hearing that is a relief. I'm Ardi. Ardi Sheil. If you ever need to rely on the knight order, come visit me."
"I am Shin. If the opportunity presents itself, I shall take you up on your kind offer."
Shin replied as he shook the right hand Ardi held out, with his own. It seemed that the group from earlier were knights. Considering that, they were pretty haughty, thought Shin, but seeing Ardi and these two made him rethink that.
Ardi left the shop, and the two left behind gave Shin light nods, and followed him. They were probably Ardi's subordinates.
Now that all the knights had left, the shop felt spacious. Shin noticed the shelves and goods that he couldn't see before.
(The weapons are almost all copper or iron, and at best, silver. The armour is also just leather, copper, iron or silver, huh? As for items, they're low ranked potions[HP recovery] and ethers[MP recovery], and also a few status-fixing pills. And there are no raw materials.)
(The store doesn’t seem to be more flourished than before…)
It was true that the store was in a worrying state.
“What are you talking about?”
“Eh?”
Shin was startled with the question that he didn’t know what to answer. He seemed to have spoken his mind unconsciously. As he turned to the direction of the voice, he saw an elven girl with black hair and golden eyes from the other side of the counter. A pointed ear can be seen between the silky black hair, so he might be correct.
If ten people saw her, they would all be admiring her beauty. She had a beautiful appearance that matched perfectly with her figure. Her height was approximately 160 cemels which was one head lower than Shin’s height. Her skin was healthy white and her chest was very firm and proportionate with her overall slim body.
From her looks, she seemed to be around 17 or 18 years old, but as elves lived a long life, she might have already lived several hundred years.
“Ahh, I was seeing what kind of goods you have.”
“Is that so? I thought I heard some rude remark just now.”
“There was no such intention.”
“Well, feel free to look around, those nuisances are gone now.”
As the elf said so, he sat on a chair provided for the counter.
“Those nuisances? “
“Yes, they often come by to ask when will master come back. I have to say, they are persistent.”
They probably came frequently because Shin noticed her tone became weary just from saying that.
“It must be hard. Ah, this is a late introduction but I am Shin. As you have seen, I’m a wanderer of the street.”
“That’s a serious way of introducing yourself to an ordinary salesclerk, isn’t it? I’m Tiera Lucent. Just call me, Tiera. I am the acting storekeeper and the apprentice of the shop owner here. If you have some good items and materials to sell, I’ll buy it.”
“Yes, please take care of me during that time. Is Tiera’s master so incredible that even the knights come frequently?”
“What are you saying? Even children nowadays know that the store owner of ‘Tsuki no Hokora’ is Schnee Raizar.”5
“Haa, is your master really that famous?”
“It was said by the people themselves. Still, master’s truths are unquestionable…”
“To have such famous person behind this shop…”
Shin who had a slight misunderstanding of the store showed an impression, after all, if there was a famous person here, the shop should be doing better than he thought. However, he had a familiar feeling with the name of the store owner, like he remembered it somewhere.
“Schnee Raizar…Schnee Raizar…Schnee…Schnee Raizar…Ahh!?”
“Hey, what’s wrong!?”
Tiera was surprised when Shin suddenly shouted. The chair made a ‘Gatan’ sound after it fell when Shin abruptly stood up.
“Oh, my bad. I was a little surprised.”
Shin apologized and returned the chair back to its original position. He thought about the name which he had heard somewhere, but it was only natural, since it was one of the support characters whom Shin made to be the salesclerk of Tsuki no Hokora in the game, and the name was Schnee Raizar.
“Sorry, but is it okay if I want to confirm something about your master?”
“Eh, yes, I will answer if I can.”
Tiera was slightly drawn back by Shin’s menacing look. However, Shin who was surprised at her agreement, didn’t notice Tiera’s expression at all.
“Is the race of Schnee Raizar a High Elf with long hair that reaches her hips, blue eyes, a beautiful woman with height around 166 cemels?”
“…That is certainly right…are you my master’s fan?”
Again, Tiera was drawn back slightly but Shin was still unaware of it.
“No, I’m not. Schnee is an acquaintance of mine or something like that. (It was a store owner and a salesclerk relationship in the game)
“Master’s acquaintance? Is that true?”
“Although I don’t know if your master remember…”
Tiera looked at Shin with full of doubt and suspicion.
It was only natural since Shin suddenly visited and said he was acquainted with the store owner in which Shin didn’t have proof or that the store owner may have no recollection of Shin.
“Speaking of which, where is Schnee now?”
“I’m sorry, but I won’t say it. Why would I tell you something that I won’t tell the knights?”
“…Okay, I understand…”
Although Shin had no idea how hierarchy worked in this world, he understood that a knight was a high ranking position from the situation with Ardi a little while ago. And a wanderer itself was less trusted which made Shin discouraged.
“I’ll pass a message if you want. Half of my work is to receive message for my master after all.”
“Half…for it to be half of your job…”
“Most of it comes from upper echelon of the country and the guilds. Some requests are in verbal message with locations stated. Because they are coming from various countries with confidential information, I have to close one eye and pretend that I didn’t see them.”
“I have nothing to say except that it is amazing”
What kind of request must have come from the upper echelon of the country, thought Shin.
“Although I rarely have to receive one. So, what are you going to do? Send a message?”
“Well, can you ask for the time being?”
“A message will cost you 1000 Jul.”
“What Jul?…Is that money?”
Shin tilted his head because he had never heard of that currency before. THE NEW GATE used Geyl as currency.
“Seriously, are you listening? How can you travel without knowing the currency?”
“No, it was different from the currency I was using before.”
“Currency used before? The currency was unchanged for around 400 years and won’t change anytime soon. Can you show it to me?”
400 years…Shin stiffened from hearing the words. Shin thought the previously currency could be used normally. Suddenly, he became like Urashima Taro.6
“It’s this coin…”
Shin took out 1 Geyl from the ‘Item Box’ and placed it on the counter. A Geyl was a circular gold coin that have a diameter of 3 cemels. The center of the coin was painted with a girl held in a dragon’s arm with 8 feathers surrounding it.
“…Hey, just now, where did you take that out from?”
Tiera’s eyes widened seeing the Geyl gold coin appearing out of nowhere.
“From the Item Box of course”
“Item…Box…”
Tiera seemed to be more shocked upon hearing those words than when the Geyl gold coin had suddenly appeared.
“Tiera?”
“Oh, um, what?”
“No, you seemed to be very surprised, is there something wrong?”
“There is nothing wrong. You are able to use Item Box. Of course I’m surprised.”
“?…Is it something to be surprised about?”
“You…”
Tiera dropped her shoulders for some reason. As for Shin, he still couldn’t understand why Tiera was very surprised.
“Nowadays, only Kings and the elders of certain races can use an Item Box. Furthermore, it is only possible for races that have long lives such as High Elves or High Pixie. I am surprised because you are unexpectedly able to use it. Are you someone from the royal family?”
“Nope. I’m not from the royal family.”
Shin was surprised by the Item Box status quo. He could not imagine that only important people could use the Item Box when all players got one.
By the way, the “High” before the race name was because the races have experienced reincarnation dozens of times before getting the title. There were many races in THE NEW GATE, but the base race were Human, Beast, Dragnil, Elves, and seven kinds of Pixie.
Humans were classified as a Hominini tribe, Beast as Therianthropy or Beastman, Dragnil as Dragonewt tribe, Lord as Devil tribe, and Pixie as Fairy group.
“Even though I was only using it naturally.”
“Haa, that’s certainly not natural. That reminds me, what is this awful feeling of various magic races mixing in you. Elves, Lord, Dragnil and others, what’s going on?”
“I do not understand it either. Anyway, my race is High Human.”
Shin was certain of his race as it can be revealed in his status screen. As for High Human, the racial characteristic was high state abnormalities resistance with enhanced magic tolerance. While in other games, the ability of the character was the lowest from the other races and were rarely in a party or even in going solo.
(Well, it was rather a plus for me)
It was the humans which had the obscure viewpoint, but from Shin stats, which were developed even more and incomparably by the race’s special quality, he was thankful. Though, only a small number of players were able to say it.
“High…Human…?”
“Yeah? Yes, that is right.”
Shin was still reminiscing about memories when humans were still being look down. Tiera was dumbfounded and muttered something to Shin.
And Shin was startled from the words spoken by Tiera.
“High Humans…are extinct…”
“Ehh, extinct…Extinct?!”
Um, what the Japanese calls the item is 'Guide of Guiding' 導きのしるべ, but it sounds quite a bit more stupid in English.
At this point, take a break and search google images and wiki for "hokora/祠" and "暖簾/noren". I'll be leaving hokora as it is, since it's uniquely Japanese, and Shin is largely Japanese themed.
Jack of All Trades Hokora of the Moon
Shin's first line was using teneigo, but by second he's using plain speech.
‘Tsuki no Hokora’ is the name of the shop, it means Moon Shrine)
Schnee means snow in German
On wikipedia
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 01 - A Beginning and an End/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-A-Beginning-and-an-End-[Shin+Oniichanyamete][Armaell]/f002.txt
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Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Part 1
Extinction. Tiera said so.
That the High Human race was extinct.
“…Then, there won’t be any of the human race around?”
“No, humans are still around. You saw the knights a little while ago.”
“Really!?”
Shin had misunderstood about the Human extinction and involuntarily retorted.
“It’s the High Humans that went extinct, not the humans.”
“What’s the difference?”
“It is different. The High Human race consisted of 6 people who formerly ruled the Redmond continent. Even 10,000 humans couldn’t win against them. Their strength was in another dimension.”
“The continent was ruled by 6 people?”
Shin remembered there was place that was ruled by 6 people. He had a feeling that he heard such an episode before.
“Can you explain more in detail?”
“Even though most people know this, all right then. I’ll tell you. In the past, around 500 years ago, there were the High Humans who once ruled the continent. Though they were only 6 people, other races couldn’t do anything to them because of their overwhelming power.”
“…………”
“However, their domination was suddenly ended.”
“Ended?”
“Yes, ended. Not only the High Humans but many other races such as High Elves, High Lords, High Beasts, and High Dwarfs have disappeared. Many influential people like Kings, Elders, Heroes, and Generals disappeared as well. It’s said that it was a sudden disappearance. According to master, numerous influential and strong men disappeared. The day of disappearance happened was called the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’”
“The Dusk of the Majesty…”
“It is said that all High Humans disappeared at that time. And there were only 6 of them.”
Sudden disappearance. Shin had a theory about that.
The phenomenon which caused many people to disappear.
(It’s that day. The day when I defeated ‘Origin’, and everyone logged out. There is no conclusive evidence, but ‘Dusk of the Majesty’ might be the result from that day.)
Kings, Heroes, and Elders would probably be guild masters. Tens of thousands of people were expected to be released from the game. Shin didn’t know the exact number, but there were at least 10 thousand people stuck in the game. It probably looked like a sudden disappearance for the people in this world.
(To think that the 6 High Humans had ruled the continent before that…)
Shin finally understood. 6 of the High Human race. Without a doubt…
(It’s…us…)
When THE NEW GATE was still a good VRMMO and before it turned into a death game, there was a guild which was said to be the strongest in THE NEW GATE.
The guild was named ‘Rokuten’ as it was formed by the 6 High Humans. The small guild defeated major guilds one by one in THE NEW GATE, until its name was known to all players in just one month. They had a reputation of ‘PK’ing players who tried to oppose them.1
Shin was a former member of Rokuten at the beginning. Back then, it was stupid to choose the human race when playing for the first time. Human were despised by other races and Shin had a dark history because of that.
Needless to say, all member were composed of High Humans and had almost maxed stats. Even the weakest member had HP and MP maxed, while the rest of the players averaged around 900 for their stats.
While in competition with every other major guild, the battles that took place looked unbelievable as it was 6 people against thousands of people. At that time, each field was burnt up by an expanding wide-range fire magic. The leader who was surprised got ambushed and it was settled.
Since then, no one dared to provoke the Rokuten guild. Even the ones to hold derision against human had decreased. Not only was the combat power of High Human shown, their unusual magic resistance was also demonstrated. Most magic didn’t have effect on them. Moreover, Poisons, Paralysis, Confusion, Enchanting, Burn, Frostbite, Confusion, Petrifaction, all of them were ineffective against a High Human. Besides, it only took a few second for them to completely cure their bodies.
It was rather fortunate (or unfortunate) that only Shin among the Rokuten got stuck in the death game. At least three months or more could be reduced if another person from Rokuten was there, thought Shin.
“…………”
“What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly silent?”
“No, it’s nothing. Do you mind if we change the topic to the currency?”
Shin felt he would be digging his own grave if he continued to talk about High Humans, so he deliberately changed the topic to the currency, which they talked about before.
“No, it’s alright. Is this the currency you have been using?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, to be able to bring out such valuable item, maybe you being a High Human isn’t a lie after all.”
Apparently Tiera didn’t believe that Shin was a High Human.
While sighing, Tiera took the gold coin and looked at it. She seemed to be confirming whether it was genuine.
And Shin doubted what Tiera’s meant by ‘valuable’.
“Is is valuable? It‘s only 1 G though.”
1 Geyl was equivalent to 1 Yen in the game. If converted, it’s value would be worth 1/1000 Yen in reality. It was the lowest currency in the game. Incidentally, Shin’s Item Box contained one hundred million Geyl. It was a mystery, as why it was displayed ‘G’ as ‘Geyl’ not ‘Gold’ with the gold coin.
“The Geyl gold coin is often abbreviated to G gold coin. However, now it’s hard to obtain. You might not know this, but the Geyl gold coin is a magic item that can amplify magic. It is occasionally found in ruins. When a Geyl gold coin gets exhibited in auctions, it can reach a billion Jul or even more. The Jul is the current commonly used currency on how many J gold coin or how many J silver coin…J means to be used as a method of counting.2
“So this one is worth 1 billion…”
“A magician would kill to get even one as the price is enormous and most can’t afford it. Though master had shown me one, it is my first time to seeing any other than that. After all, 1 billion is the minimum amount you can get, the price can reach 10 times more than that.”
“For this one Geyl gold coin to be worth that much…by the way, how often it can be found?”
“Rarely, but I can’t say. Even when new ruins were discovered, the chances of finding it were still very low.”
“Is that so? Look like I have to be careful when buying goods.”
Shin thought about converting it to increase his funds, but he canceled it after realizing how valuable it was.
“That’s a wise decision, but you are doing it just now.”
“That’s an awful joke. However, I will be careful next time.”
“Are you going to sell something? I told you I’d buy if you have good materials or items.”
“Well, how about this?”
Shin took out item cards, which he got whilst traveling, from the Item Box. In the game, it was possible to change an item into a card. It was the same in this world, too. The materials turned into cards automatically and could even be stored in the Item Box. Once the item became a card, a picture of the item was drawn on the card. The card could be materialized anytime.
Shin put his item cards on the counter. The item cards varied from Tetra Grizzly, Twinhead Snake, Flame Boar, and their fangs, claws, furs, meats and so forth to raw materials such as sparkling jewels.
In the game, the materials can be sold and processed in various places. The jewel would especially fetch a high price, because it was able to give attributes or additional effects to equipment and weapons, and only if it was done by blacksmiths. Jewels could be found as monsters drop them after being killed, though the drops’ probability are low. The jewels which Shin showed were Grade 7, which was the lowest grade.
“Item cards…”
“Hmm? What is it? Is there something strange?”
“No, if you have an Item Box, this is natural, isn’t it? Though I don’t know if you already know this, so I’ll say it just in case. Because an item card is also expensive to a certain degree, it’s better not to take them out recklessly.”
“It’s troublesome. Should I purposely treat them as the materials?”
“That’s the normal way! You are really weird!”
“Ah, I see… I see. I understand, so please calm down.”
“Mou~, you made me mad again.”
While saying that, Tiera still focused on doing her job. She materialized the item cards and began to appraise them. Even though she was surprised, she still knew how to use the item cards.
“From Tetra Grizzly to Twinhead Snake and Flame Boar. Not only are these materials of ferocious monsters, none of these monsters can be found unless you go deep into the woods. Just what kind of person are you?”
“I just defeated them on my way here. The fight was not so ferocious as you described though.”
“But it takes several knights to kill one monster…well whatever, as long as you defeated them. I’m not that surprise after all that occurred before.”
It seemed that the monsters were unexpectedly dangerous. Shin had thought they were beginner monsters.
“Well, don’t worry about it. Leaving that aside, how are the items?”
“That’s right. The raw materials are still in a good state due to the materialization of the card. The material’s price would be 1 J gold coin and 27 J silver coins, so the total would be 1,270,000 J. The jewel is Grade 7 with a high purity, so the price is 25 J gold coins, so the price is 25,000,000 J. All together would be 26,270,000 J.
“I don’t know whether it’s expensive or cheap due to the conversion of currency…”
“It’s a little less than the original price, but the price of jewels can go up and down depending on the market. This grade and purity is usually worth about 20,000,000 ~ 23,000,000 J.
“Oh, I’m lucky. I gained more than 2,000,000 J.”
“How is it? If you are fine with the price, I’ll buy it.”
“It is my pleasure. I’ll sell it. Thank you. And I’ll give you this as well.”
While saying that, Shin pointed to the Geyl gold coin on the counter.
“…Is this a joke?”
“Why would it be!?”
“Didn’t you hear me speak a while ago!? A Geyl gold coin is worth billions, no one in their right mind would give it freely in this world.”
“Here.”
Shin pointed at himself.
“Are you sure?…I’m not going to return it even if you ask for it.”
“Yup.”
Tiera quickly grab the Geyl gold coin and held it to her chest. Her eyes were sparkling while looking at the Geyl gold coin. At this time, Shin’s eyes were glued at Tiera’s chest, he was like a sad man’s destiny.
“Ah, it’s like dream come true… a G gold coin…”
Tiera’s expression changed completely to a delighted face with enchanting eyes. Shin suddenly felt a strange seductiveness from her, which caused his cheek to turned slightly red. He was then shaking his head to remove the dirty thought.
“Well, I’m glad you like it. Elves should find it useful since you can use ma――”
“Wait a moment!”
“――gic.”
Tiera interrupted Shin’s speech and stood up abruptly. Her expression had a look of someone who saw something unbelievable.
“…What is it?”
“Just now…did you say elf?”
“Ah, I said it…oh? Wasn’t it elf?”
Shin remembered that the facial feature of elves and High Elves were pointed ears, so he wanted to confirm it…Shin was still puzzled, because it may be a race he never seen before.
“I should look like a cat girl with red hair and black eyes.”
“Cat girl with red hair and black eyes?”
Cat people was one of the popular Beast races among female players and a certain group of male players. There were various derivations in Beast races, as for cat people, there are Persian cat, Calico cat and so forth. In addition, players were divided from their animal model, some players had the same face, arms, tail, wings and many more, while some only a portion of their body.
But in Shin’s eyes, Tiera was a beautiful black-haired and golden-eyed elven girl. There was no cat person, red hair, and black eyes.
“I can only see a beautiful elf girl with black hair and golden eyes in front of me.”
“That…”
He tried to emphasize her beauty, but it seemed she didn’t hear it.
“How? Master already cast illusion magic on me.”
“Illusion magic?”
Speaking of illusion magic, it was usually used to confuse or show hallucinations to the other party. It was a magic that had left a strong impression on Shin, because one of the magic’s users was from Rokuten.
“Uuu…to be exposed like this…”
Tiera was looking down and her face looked like the world was coming to an end. Tiera’s sudden depression caused Shin to desperately try to resolve the situation, since he didn’t know much about her and what caused her to be dejected.
“Um…Tiera?”
“Wha…what is it?”
He intended to talk gently, but Tiera was nervous that it was exaggerated.
“I noticed Tiera is an elf only because it is one of my quality features.”
“Qua…quality?”
“Yes. Illusion magic is the magic that shows hallucinations to and confuses the other party. However, it might be not effective towards the guys who have a strong resistance against magic. Therefore, that’s why I see the true form of Tiera.”
“But…even with strong resistance, for the magic that master cast to be broken…”
Even with Shin’s explanation, Tiera still wore the face that showed disbelief. According to Shin’s memory, Schnee, who was the master of Tiera, was a Lv. 255 High Elf. Furthermore, the magic used was surely strong, because High Elves were a magic specialized type. Though the status couldn’t be compared to Shin’s. Even other High Humans virtually could not match Shin’s stats, so no illusion magic could affect him.
Shin sighed after a long pause.
“Saw it”
“Hmm?”
“You, you saw my true form, right?”
“I saw a beautiful elven girl with black hair and golden eyes, did I make a mistake?”
“…………”
No response. Shin became discouraged and demoralized.
“…Aren’t you scared?”
Shin, who was regretting that he said something strange, heard Tiera’s soft voice. Her voice was like a child who was frightened by something.
“Scared of what?”
Shin immediately relaxed his thoughts and talked in a calm manner.
Still, is he frightening her?
When Tiera said in a trembling voice, Shin remembered one of the Rokuten member’s face.
Shin was proud of the login time he wasted for gamer class as he was having fun. But that member was hospitalized because of his excessive playing time.
The story was confessed during the offline meeting among members. Shin had a feeling that it was the same atmosphere at that time, as now with Tiera.
He was scared that the his true self was known.
But there was no one in Rokuten that cared about such things. Shin remembered that the member was very relieved.
Because there was such a situation, Shin was able to listen to Tiera without feeling shaken and changing expression.
“…You don’t know this either, do you?…Black-haired Elves are the symbol of bad luck.”
Tiera spoke while looking down.
“The symbol of bad luck?”
“Yes, Every elf is born with white hair. As they grow up, it turns gold, silver, green or blue-green colored. Can you believe it? My own hair was originally silver-colored.”
Tiera’s face looked like she was punishing herself.
“But now my hair is black. There is never a time when an elf’s hair turns black.”
“Never turns black?”
“Yes, elves with black hair bring misfortune. It happened to me all the time. Strong monsters suddenly attacked my village many times, and I was expelled from my village because of that.”
“…………”
“I was picked up by master after wandering aimlessly. And this store has a strong barrier to prevent the monsters from attacking. So I have not left this store for more than 100 years.”
“100 years?…That’s a long time.”
“Yes, but since I can live without inconveniencing someone, this is good for me.”
It’s impossible to be good, Shin wanted to shout. To be confined in the store for 100 years could never be good. However, he refrained from saying that, because nothing could be changed even if it was said. He clenched his fists in anger.
Although not even a day had yet passed since their meeting, Shin personally could properly comprehend why he was angry at himself.
“…Tiera, I want to confirm something.”
“…Confirm what?”
“Ah, though Tiera’s hair was originally silver-colored, why is it black-colored now?”
Shin had a feeling that it would give him a hint.
“It suddenly became black-colored on a certain day.”
“Suddenly?”
“Yes, suddenly. I woke up in the morning as usual, and it had become black-colored. I was really scared at that time, as I didn’t understand what had happened.”
As Tiera recalled that time, her body was trembling while hugging herself tight. From Tiera’s explanation, Shin was thinking at full steam for relevant information or knowledge.
“Suddenly, hair color changed…Attacked by monsters…The color of the hair…Changing color characteristic…Monsters…Attacked multiple times…Encountered many times…Possibly strong…The characteristic of color change…Vulnerable to monsters…Such a thing!?”
While Shin murmured something, a moment flashed in Shin’s mind. If his memory was correct, a possible condition was met.
“There…there is a way if the conditions are met!!”
“Eh? What is it?”
Shin was shouting while staring at Tiera. Tiera was shaken by Shin’s sudden shout.
Despite that, Shin’s eyes remained fixed on Tiera.
“I wonder why I had forgotten. However with this…hmm? This is strange, why is the status not displayed? It should be automatic.”
The reason Shin keep staring at Tiera was because he wanted to see her status. If Shin’s prediction was correct, then the status should appear.
“Uhm… ‘Skill Window Open’…Analyze…Analyze…ah, here it is. Display player and monster except when turned off. If I turn this on…”
Shin looked at Tiera again after applying the setting. Tiera felt a little uncertain as Shin was glaring into empty space while moving his finger.
“Okay, now I can see the status. Name, level, race…good…and…Ahhhhhh!!”
Part 2
Shin, who found what he looked for, unintentionally posed a victory pose. Tiera, who was watching Shin’s eccentricity, stayed on guard.
“Be delighted, Tiera! I just found out what causes your bad luck.”
“Eh?”
“Believe me. I’m sure because the display status appeared. The color of hair changes, the multiple attacks by monsters, they are all caused by 【Cursed Gift】.”
“【Cursed Gift】?”
Tiera was dumbfounded because she didn’t understand its meaning.
【Cursed Gift】 was a curse that suddenly occurred in THE NEW GATE. It was literally bad luck.
Originally, players could obtain 【Title】 or 【Gift】 from regularly clearing the quests. On occasion, support abilities and items could be gained from it. Depending on the 【Title】, stats could be slightly strengthened as more new skills became available.
Then suddenly the 【Cursed Gift】 had fallen to all players. The curse had negative effect such as random status degradation, gained all kind of abnormalities, random encounters with strong, unique monsters and so on. It could only be cured with the magic skill 【Purification】or by using the item 【Holy Water】.
Although the negative effect was random, the players with 【Cursed Gift】had some part of their body turn black. Their status screens also showed an image of a laughing reaper.
Subsequently, Shin had confirmed that there was a laughing reaper shown at Tiera’s status screen.
“Alright, to make this quick, Tiera, I want you to step out from behind the counter and stand at the center of the store.”
“Eh…okay…”
As Shin said that, Tiera stood at the center of the store without much resistance as she was confused at the situation.
“Here I go. Activate 【Purification】!!”
In order to eliminate the curse, Shin extended his right hand toward Tiera and activated his magic skill 【Purification】. Shin acquired the skill that mainly used by a priest due to a certain circumstance.
Golden light began to gather on Shin’s right hand. At the same time, Tiera’s whole body was wrapped in golden light.
“It’s…it’s warm…”
Although Tiera was surprised when she got wrapped in the light, she didn’t feel any danger from the light emitted. Tiera felt comfort and warmth instead, while the purification process took place.
After about 5 minutes, the light gradually dimmed and disappeared.
Even after the light disappeared, the absentminded Tiera took a while to come back to her senses.
“…Was it successful?…”
Muttered Shin as he felt baffled. The laughing reaper’s icon slowly faded on Tiera’s status screen as Shin looked at it. However, the hair that should have returned to its original color, was still mostly black. A silver highlight was seen among the black hair.
The atmosphere between those two became silent for a while, because it was hard to determine whether the curse had disappeared.
“So, how is it?” Tiera asked.
“The curse is gone…it’s…it’s…but…the hair wasn’t completely restored…”
He had a hard time saying it.
“Hair?”
“Ah…I’m sorry, only part of your hair returned to its original color. But just in case, please confirm it.”
Shin said while feeling discouraged. A mirror was taken out from Item Box and passed to Tiera. Tiera snatched the mirror from Shin after she heard the word hair, and held it in front of her.
Tiera’s face was reflected in the mirror. There was a face that never changed. But one portion of her hair changed into a shining silver-color.
It was obviously the color Tiera once had.
“…Sob…sob…”
Tears started to flow down from Tiera’s eyes.
After that, tears started to burst out like a broken dam.
“Uu…sob…uu…”
While wiping her tears with her sleeve, Tiera cried quietly.
And in front of Tiera, there was a man who was totally confused.
Needless to say, it’s Shin, after all.
The girl who cried in front of him was not a little child, but an adult woman, yet due to Shin’s limited reasoning ability, he just remained still in that situation.
“Sob…just a moment…hick…need to…catch my breath…”
“Ah, I understand. Just take it slow.”
Shin passed a towel as he returned to his senses and dragged the chair from by the counter to let Tiera sit while she wept.
-
About 5 minutes later, Tiera raised her face from the towel. No tears remained, but her eyes were still red.
“I’m sorry, I’m alright now.”
“Is that so?”
“Why are you using honorifics?”
“No, well. Even though I removed the curse, your hair is mostly unchanged so I felt apologetic for that…”
While Tiera was crying, Shin was afraid that she might get angry again because of the hair.
However, judging from Tiera’s expression, she hadn’t shown any signs of being angry. At this time, Shin became timid. And just a while ago, the position was the exact opposite.
“I’m good about the hair…Please don’t use honorifics towards me. After more than 100 years of having black-colored hair, even if it’s only a little that has returned, I’m glad.”
Tiera smiled and looked very happy as she said that. And all the frightening feelings that Shin had, dissipated after seeing Tiera’s smile.
“Really? I am glad too.”
But, Shin thought. His mother and his younger sister always said that the hair was very important to women. That’s why Shin felt unsatisfactory for her.
“Yes, I’m really good, so don’t worry about it. But is the curse gone for real?”
“Ah, it should be, no doubt about it. I think it will be clear if you go out from the store.”
Since Tiera said it’s good, Shin convinced himself not to fuss about it.
Tiera’s curse, which was random encounters with unique monsters, couldn’t be proven to have disappeared unless she went outside the barrier. Because high level unique monsters couldn’t creep inside the barrier.
THE NEW GATE pursued reality in the game, so unbreakable objects were almost nonexistent. And the player’s stores, like Shin’s, were often aimed at by thieves player.
Therefore, many skills barrier system existed to prevent intrusion to the store. Which were applicable to monsters, too.
“Honestly, it is a little scary. What if the curse wasn’t dispelled?”
“It’s okay. Since I was cured from the curse too.”
“Eh? Eh!! You got cursed too!?”
“Ah, yes, my curse type was random encounters with high level unique monsters too, but I cured it with 【Purification】skill.
When Shin was cursed, the unique monsters thoroughly tried to attack Shin repeatedly, until Shin was tired of it. And there was a time when Shin used them to raise his level.
“Is that so. Then, what was the highest level of monster that has attacked you?”
“Horn Dragon was probably the strongest. I think it was around level 200.”
“Is that the higher rank species of Lesser Dragon?”
“You know?”
“Ah, only a little.”
Horn Dragon was a higher rank species of Lesser Dragon, their size was twice as large and they had horns on their heads. Lesser Dragons were only around Lv. 100, but Horn Dragons were around Lv. 200. Tiera’s level was 57 from what Shin saw in the status screen, so there’s no chance of winning against the dragon.
In THE NEW GATE, the maximum level of a player was 255, and the maximum level of monsters was 1000. It was about four times more than the players. This was solved by reincarnation like Shin or other high level players. Especially Shin, or Rokuten similarly, could easily beat boss monsters and never get tired from it. But even Shin couldn’t let his guard down, as a boss monster was usually Lv. 1000. So Shin didn’t even feel any danger from Lv. 200 unique monsters.
“However, it is said that several elite forces of knights are needed to take on a Horn Dragon.”
“Elite forces? Why do they need the elite group for something like that?”
“Shh..They are the real elite, you know. Did you see a huge rampart next to the store before you came here?”
“Ah, I think I saw it.”
“That’s the reinforced rampart that surrounds the Kingdom of Bayreuth. Well, the captain of the elite force of the knights group in this country is only level 158. And the Horn Dragons are about level 200, so the captain needs 40 more levels to fight it head on. And only those with a screw loose in their head will take on that monster alone, so no one can brag about it.”
“158…that’s…?”
“Yes, it is absurd to even challenges the Kingdom’s no. 2 strongest alone.”
It seems that Tiera thought Shin was surprised by the captain’s high level. But actually, the level was too low. Shin thought it was absurd to have that level. And the level had barely reached the intermediate class in the player’s standards. Particularly, player’s standards like Shin’s.
If a monster that had a higher level than Horn Dragon appeared, it might annihilate two or three countries. Shin thought.
“Well then, let’s leave the store so that we can see whether the curse is gone.”
“Wait, didn’t you hear my story?”
“I heard it. It’s better to find out now if there are any more problems.”
“Not gonna happen. What if a Horn Dragon attacked us?”
“Oh.”
“…….Hey, just to make sure, what is your level?”
“I’m level 255?”
“…………”
Both of them went silent. Shin said it honestly, but it seems that Tiera doubted him.
“Tiera?”
“255…? Same as master?”
“Ah yes, my level is 255, same as Schnee.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Is it really true?”
“It is true.”
“Really hone――”
“Yes! yes! I’ve said it many times!”
“――st…”
The conversation stopped before it became a truth battle.
“Are you able to use 【Analyze】? If you can, then you can see my stats too.”
“I can’t. Only the skill successor can use it.”
“What’s a skill successor?”
“…I begin to doubt your common sense.”
If he was a resident of this world, he would know that too. But Shin, who arrived in this world just a while ago, didn’t know anything about common sense. Rather, he just assumed it was the same as in the game and went with the flow.
“Even if it’s said to be common sense, I do not understand it well because I lived far from human villages for a long time.”
Since he couldn’t say that he was in a game before coming here, he decided to say that he lived as a hermit. It was the most likely excuse for his ignorance of this world, thought Shin.
“I understand. I will tell you everything you need to know, just ask if you have something you don’t understand.”
“Thank you.”
Shin bowed his head to express his gratitude while Tiera said “Somehow…”.
“First of all, the skill successor. Because the people who can read the symbols are lost along with the skills. Skills can only be inherited nowadays. A lot of skills were lost during the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’ and currently, less than 100 skills still remain.”
“Less than 100, huh?…”
Shin unable to hide his surprise for that number. THE NEW GATE was known for its numerous skills, and the number coming out of Tiera’s mouth was not even 1/10 of the total amount of skills.
“Nowadays, skills are used to gain personal benefit. The people who make a living by fighting, such as adventurers and knights, are using weakened skills which are called Arts. Though it has the same name with as the original skill, its power and effect only amounts to 1/3 of the original. The magic my master showed to me was ‘Magic Skills’, but I can only use ‘Magic Arts’. And naturally the power gap is huge.”
“I see, the skills that turned weak are called arts. Is there a separate level in arts?”
Some level in skills have their own setting. Shin activated 【Analyze • Ⅹ】. He immediately understood the skill right away, because the letter of Ⅰ~Ⅹ was attached after the skill name. The lowest was Ⅰ, and the highest was Ⅹ. This setting system was almost nonexistent in combat skills, and most support skills were using this setting system.
“As far as I know, arts do not have levels like skills.”
“It will be hard to fight using arts…”
Shin couldn’t help to think that it’s difficult to fight using arts, as skills were more favorable than arts.
“You can use skills, right? What skills are you able to use? Just now you used one, didn’t you? How many skills can you use? 2? 3? No way!! Is it 4!?”
“Indeed, one digit is too few. I’m certain that I can use at least 1000 or more. Although I don’t know the exact number, because I never counted them.”
“What? 1000? Did I hear it wrong?”
Tiera tilted her head and thought whether Shin was making a joke or not. It felt like a joke, because it strayed too much from this world’s common sense, even though the joke was the truth.
“Do you have the【Analyze】skill by chance? I can lend it to you, although the skill is only level Ⅰ, so it can’t see my limit break level, but it wouldn’t hurt to have it either. Well, I’ll use the skill 【Secret Books Creation】.”
“?”
Tiera looked puzzled as Shin once again moved his hand in the air.
“Creation successful.”
“…”
“Wha, what is this?”
Shin handed a scroll to Tiera. Various potential derivation of skills mastery could be learned and benefited if the skill proficiency was raised to a certain level. One of the benefits of 【Secret Books Creation】 was that it was possible to creates items. 【Secret Books Creation】 was able to make scrolls. When 【Secret Books Creation】 was used, it was possible for other player to learn the skill from the book.
Although it’s reasonable, various restrictions were imposed to the skill, such as the number of skills that could be made was fixed, players couldn’t learn the skill if the acquisition condition were not met, and so forth.
To begin with, 【Secret Books Creation】 also had some skills that were impossible to make. As there were only few strong skills that could be created by 【Secret Books Creation】. High class skills from 【Secret Books Creation】 were limited to low-level, and there was a level restriction too.
【Analyze】wasn’t technically seen a skill. Even the restrictions from 【Secret Books Creation】 were kept at a minimum. So Shin could share the skill with other players unlimited because of this. It was one of the reasons why he made that scroll.
“The secret book of 【Analyze】. If you read this, you will be able to use this skill.”
Because 【Secret Books Creation】was usable for a support character, Shin thought of making good use of it. However, he intended to apologize if it didn’t work. These kind of things wouldn’t be understood if he didn’t try it.
“Can the skill be used after this? But I don’t have anything of equivalent value to this.” “Equivalent value?”
Shin was going to give it for free, but Tiera seems didn’t get it. Apparently, skills were a substantially valuable thing in this world.
“I told you, didn’t I? Skills are valuable too. Anyhow, one would need a large sum of money for an apprentice like me to get a skill from a master. And you will give this to me for free?”
“Eh, It is, even though I was going to say it. Did I do something wrong?”
“For the time being, please refrain from raising this matter to anyone. Because it could become a serious matter. Depending on the situation, one life might be targeted.”
“To that extent!?”
Shin decided to instruct only the fellows he trusted with the skills from 【Secret Books Creation】, as he never thought that his life could be targeted by someone.
“Well, don’t get too scared. I think Tiera will be safe, so have you read it yet?”
“No, after I use it, will there be any compensation claims?”
“No!!”
Am I an evil swindler!? Shin wanted to retort. However, because there was the possibility of one life getting targeted, it was normal to be cautions.
“Giving away a skill for free is your modus operandi, isn’t it?”
“If that’s the case, then I should have made a high-class skill to deceive you.”
“To me, even this skill is very valuable. It must be a great feeling to have several skills.”
“But I cannot use arts. And I thought this is natural, so I have no feelings about it, because I think I possessed all the skills.”
“What a ‘luxurious agony’…well, whatever. I’ll receive it without reservation then.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it. It would be rather embarrassing if you didn’t take it.”
Tiera took the scroll and seemed convinced for the time being. Shin urged her to read it, so she opened it and took a look at the scroll.
When she began to read it, a light wrapped Tiera’s body and faded after 10 seconds. This was the effect when a skill was acquired. And apparently the skill learning process had been completed.
“How is it?”
Shin was anxious because he didn’t know if 【Secret Books Creation】 would work in this world. That’s why he needed to test it.
“Somehow it is a mysterious feeling. 【Analyze】 showed up in my head after I opened the scroll, and something like flows special effect coming out. However, there is no unpleasantness.”
“Eh, is that so?”
Shin was relieved as the skill was successfully learned. From here on, he would keep that in mind in case he used it again.
“I can see your name, but the other stats have a weird symbol on them.”
“As expected, the name is visible. Well, the weird symbol is called question mark. It will only show when the level difference is huge. So it’s common not seeing the stats.”
“Eh, originally the name is not visible. But now that I gained a skill, I can see it, although your stats are hidden because of the level difference. This skill more or less shows that you are indeed strong.”
“Will you believe me now? I will keep you safe from monsters when you go out of the store.”
“I have no choice but to consider what we have done till now, so I’ll believe in you.”
Tiera seemed more willing to believe in Shin thanks to the skill 【Analyze】 that she had learned. There might be some uneasiness of course, since Tiera had constantly been attacked by monsters up till now.
“I’ll go out first to check the surrounding area just in case. After that, please come out.”
“Okay, sure.”
Shin went out of Tsuki no Hokora and looked at the surrounding area to make sure there were no monsters around. 【Search】 also confirmed that there were no monsters in the vicinity.
“All clear, you can come out now!”
Tiera peeked outside the door as she looked at the surroundings.
At Tsuki no Hokora, there were skill barriers – 【Barrier • Ⅹ】 and 【Wall • Ⅹ】 set by Schnee. The 【Barrier • Ⅹ】 could prevent monsters from Lv. 900 to 1000 (Depends on the user’s levels) from attacking the store, and even if they attacked, the invisible wall could counterattack.
And 【Wall • Ⅹ】could prevent player intrusion (Also depends on the user’s level) from level 230-255. Because both of them were of the highest level, the invasion was impossible even with 【Cut Through】.
By the way, for 【Wall • Ⅹ】, it’s necessary to set the setting permission so that general guests weren’t mistaken for invaders. Players were prohibited using weapons and combat skills in Tsuki no Hokora. When Shin was the store owner before, he went into details, such as preventing players from equipping weapons.
At present, the radius of the barrier skills were around 20 mels.3
“Come, over here.”
“Ehh, okay…”
When Shin beckoned her, Tiera approached slowly. That was because Shin was standing about 1 mel from outside of the barrier.
“…………”
“…………”
Shin watched the surrounding area while Tiera was silent because of the nervousness.
For about 5 minutes, there was no change in the surroundings, except warm winds that stroked their hair.
“Nothing is happening.”
“Yup, nothing happens.”
Furthermore, after 5 minutes, Shin judged that there was no problem. It was because the curse would make monsters to attack once in every 10 minutes.
“There is no monster coming.”
“Indeed.”
In the first 5 minutes, Tiera was nervous and couldn’t stop checking the surroundings.
“The curse is finally gone, right?”
“It sure is.”
Tiera replied to Shin’s question while looking up at the sky.
The sky was so vast and blue, it made Tiera’s eyes open wide. It was not compressed by the store’s windows she always saw it from.
She could feel the wind, the sunlight and smell the scent of the forest. Such nostalgic feelings spread to Tiera’s mind.
Shin felt relieved as he saw Tiera looked up at the sky. While it was still necessary to be frightened by monsters, at least she no longer needed to worry about her surroundings or troubling people. It was possible to go outside the store freely from now on.
“The sky is so wide.”
“Oh.”
Tiera muttered as she just remembered.
Then Shin looked up at the sky with Tiera for a while.
The corner of Tiera’s eyes shined as she looked at the wide sky, and Shin didn’t say anything.
“Let’s go back soon.”
Said Tiera, while Shin turned his gaze from the sky to Tiera.
“Let’s go then.”
There was no objection since they only came outside the store to confirm that the curse was dispelled from Tiera. After that, the two walked back to the store.
“Still, to really dispelled the curse.”
After she returned to the counter, Tiera muttered heartily. She still hadn’t caught up with reality.
“That was more or less because of the skill 【Purification】. If anything, I was having a hard time and went through a lot of trouble to learn this rare skill.”
“Any curse can be purified with 【Purification】, right? To think that it was hard to get this curse dispelled.”
“Why is that? Don’t priests have this skill? It would be strange if they don’t have one like it.”
“That’s not it. Because 【Purification】 can only be used by high-ranking priests, so I can’t really ask them to meet me. Also, due to the nature of the curse, I can’t come to meet them with all the monsters around.”
“However, that would have been different somehow if the curse effect was stats degradation.”
Tiera just said something dangerous without her realizing it. As for the stats degradation, the curse would make stats drop to 1/10 from the original. Even combating with small fry monsters would be difficult.
“Now that it is dispelled, it’s useless to think about it.”
“That’s right. After all, you are able to roam freely again.”
“Yes, although the elves dislike black hair, if the hair is not completely black-colored, it might be different story.”
“Hmm? If the hair is all black-colored, it’s no good?”
“Yes. I couldn’t even conceal my hair when I was cursed before. The dye would turn black after some time. But now that the curse is gone, I can dye my hair again.”
“Is that so.”
Because the act of dyeing hair was not possible in the game, Shin didn’t understand such things. To begin with, as soon as players got cursed, they immediately used items or found a priest to purify it. So the players never needed to dye their hair.
“Ah right, this is your reward for the materials and the jewel.”
Tiera placed a bag on the counter. It was swelled considerably, because there were more than 50 pieces of gold and silver coins.
“Can this fit into Item Box?”
When he tried to put it in Item Box, he saw Geyl gold coin slots in the display screen. And it also showed up 26 J gold coins and 27 J silver coins. Somehow, every coin was displayed, separated by type. It was indeed convenient.
“The coins disappeared? That’s convenient.”
Shin couldn’t say anything but smile wryly because Tiera already said what he wanted to. That was yet another use for Item Box for items. And there was no need for a wallet.
“For the time being, I need to find an inn to stay at for today.”
“Are you perhaps going to enter the Bayreuth Kingdom?”
“Yes, there are various places I would like to explore. Is there a good place to gather information?
“Well. Wait a minute, I will give you something good as an extra service.”
After Tiera said so, she went to a room located behind the counter. If Shin’s memory was correct, there was a private room there.
Tiera entered the room, and 3 minutes later she came out, handing a piece of paper to Shin.
“This is?”
“A letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora. With this letter, you can enter the country without having to wait in line for inspection.”
Apparently there was a waiting line to enter the country. Shin, who wanted to find an inn today, was feeling grateful.
“I appreciate it. I didn’t want to be homeless and sleep on the street when I came here. But is this okay? To give an introduction letter to someone who you just met today.”
Although Shin thought that he was not qualified, Tiera unexpectedly shook her head.
“The curse that stayed for more than 100 years was dispelled. Besides, you meet the qualifications. Moreover, I think you are a good person. There is no problem…Even with this, I still haven’t returned all your favors.”
“A good person…what did you say just now, I couldn’t hear the latter half?”
“Geez, I don’t care! I said there is no problem and please leave obediently.”
Tiera said so, while pushing the letter of introduction to Shin. Although her face looked downward to conceal her reddened face, it could be seen from her ears which turned slightly red.
“All right, all right. I will take it without reservation then.”
Again, Shin didn’t notice it. While another person would have noticed it, he himself was a dense person.
“Then I’ll go now. In addition, please take care of me the next time when purchasing the monsters I hunted.”
“I understand, please don’t force yourself too much. Because I’ll get nothing if you die.”
“See you then.”
“I’ll look forward to your next visit.”
Tiera lowered her head and Shin waved his hand lightly while exiting the Tsuki no Hokora.
Part 3
Shin came out of Tsuki no Hokora and crossed the woods until he was in front of the ramparts and started to walk along it. Since he didn’t know which way the town entrance was, he went along with his feeling. He somehow knew that he would reach the town entrance sooner or later if he just walked while following the ramparts.
“Anyway, these ramparts look really sturdy. “
Shin thought as he saw the ramparts again. Because【Analyze】 was originally a skill to see the details of players and monsters, he didn’t know much about its magic bestowal beyond skill level Ⅴ. But from Tiera’s story, all skills were valuable and he could guess that there were excellent skill successors out there.
After walking for around 15 minutes, he could see a line formed in front of the rampart. It seemed like there was a town gate nearby.
And there were various people wearing all kinds of clothes. Furthermore, there was a human boy who wore tattered clothing, a female beast equipped with an armor and a dwarf who was accompanied by a small dragon. The person who wore a robe might be a magician, and the guy with a big wagon might be a merchant. Shin looked around while seeing the line moving slowly. Since all players in the game had a neat appearance (though there were some people who dressed in strange clothes), Shin was astonished by the scenery.
A soldier who was equipped with an armor just like a townsguard, was checking something like an identification card. Besides that, they also checked the luggage in the wagon briefly. Shin walked straight to the gate since he had a letter of introduction from Tiera.
About 20 mels from the gate, a guard noticed Shin who wasn’t waiting in line, and Shin had a suspicious look on his face.
One of the guards approached Shin as he was about 10 mels from the gate.
“Hey you! If you want to get into the town, get in the line! I can’t let you enter if you don’t line up.”
Said the guard, while pointing at the end of the line. The line was so long that the end of the line couldn’t be seen.
“Well, um, I was told I could enter the town if I show this.”
He took out the letter of introduction from Item Box, while pretending to take it out from his chest pocket.
The guard took the letter from Shin, looked at the contents, and revealed a shocked look. Not to mention, his hands were trembling afterward.
“…Letter of introduction…from Tsuki no Hokora…”
“Yes, I got it from the sales clerk.”
Shin didn’t know why the guard was surprised, or what were the effects of a letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora.
He was even worried about the guard whose hands were trembling.
“I need to confirm whether this is the real thing. Come with me.”
“Okay.”
The guard gathered other guards and began to discuss something like ‘Is it genuine?’ Or ‘how do we decide whether it’s the real thing?’
At the same time, Shin saw a horse that was 1.5 times bigger than a normal horse, stopped at the front gate.
While Shin was looking at the horse, the guard returned.
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. This way.”
“Ah, I understand.”
The guard’s manners changed completely and he became very polite. It was so sudden that it felt out of place.
(Is the letter of introduction that great?)
The road was opened for them while Shin felt stares from the people in the line. Besides that, the place was filled with people and several large wagons going in and out. Along the edge of the street, there were various stalls standing in a row, selling things like food, armor, accessories, strange items, and so on.
“I will be your guide to the adventurers’ guild. Will that be all right for you?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. Thank you very much.”
Another guard talked to Shin. It seemed like he took over the task of the guard who spoke to Shin previously.
“Do you have any plans to go somewhere else beside the guild? I’ll guide you if you don’t mind.”
“No, because there is no other plan, I would like to head toward the adventurers’ guild, and please don’t use honorifics with me.”
“Still…to be rude to those with a letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora.”
“No problem, just act like usual.”
“…Well, if you said so. I underst…”
“Honorific!”
“I understand, I understand, it’s just hard to adjust.”4
Shin didn’t mean to act big just because he got the letter of introduction by chance. Meanwhile, the guard with the guide’s role, mixed up the formal and informal tone in his speech.
“I’m glad you understand.”
“Geez, for someone to have a letter of introduction and not wanting me to be polite?”
“Well, it just felt wrong. By the way, I’m Shin. Nice to meet you.”
Shin was formerly a student. He wasn’t accustomed by an older man using honorifics toward him.
“I’m Beid. I’ve lived in this town my whole life. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
Beid laughed after saying that. He gave an impression of a bear because of his brown hair and beard. According to 【Analyze • Ⅹ】, Beid was level 100. It was said that the strongest knight was level 158, so Shin couldn’t judge whether Beid was strong or not.
“Then, I want to ask you something. Why was I being led to an adventurers’ guild?”
Even though he intended to go to the adventurers’ guild, he didn’t remember saying it to the guard. But then he recalled where he had asked Tiera for any good places to gather information.
“It was written in the introduction letter. I have to do it since it is stated in the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora.”
“I see. Ah, just to confirm, is the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora such a big deal?”
“Did you show it without knowing about it!?”
For some reason he was surprised.
“No, this is my first time coming to this country and it was a coincidence that I went to Tsuki no Hokora.”
“Coincidence? And got a letter of introduction? You are something…”
“I’m just a wanderer.”
“Unbelievable! No, never mind then. I don’t know about other countries, but with the letter of introduction, it’s possible to have an audience with the King. Some people have even tried to forge the letter of introduction.”
It seemed the letter of introduction was a rather big deal around here.
“Tiera…this is more than an extra service…”
Shin murmured as he regretted not knowing this awesome stuff earlier. Actually, he thought it was just a simple border pass. If Beid’s story was true, it was only natural that the guards were surprised.
“I’d say, it would be a problem if it got lost…”
“…Just now, someone passed it to the other guard.”
Shin who just realized it, tried to get it back. But as Shin made a U-turn, he was stopped by Beid.
“It’s okay, if it is the letter of introduction, I have it. How many guards can even carry it normally. It was returned before it could be left to idiots who are up to no good.”
“Beid, good job!!”
Shin unconsciously gave Beid a thumbs-up. Shin’s original image of him as a crude person was instantly erased, giving him a better impression of Beid.
Shin then placed the letter of introduction in the 『Important Things』 zone in the Item Box. This zone had an anti-theft function attached . Skills like 【Steal】 or 【Robbery】 were not effective in this zone, so Shin didn’t have to worry about it getting stolen or robbed.
“Oh, I almost forgot, when you arrive at the adventurers’ guild, give the letter of introduction to a receptionist named Els.”
“Els?”
“The miss receptionist of the guild, and at the same time, an elf adventurer. There are some kind of ancient elven runes written on that letter. And she is the only elf in the adventurers’ guild. So it is probably addressed to her.”
“I understand. I’ll give it to her in the guild.”
Shin didn’t know that Tiera had another elf as acquaintance, yet he firmly memorized her name.
As the matter of the introduction letter was settled, Shin heard Beid’s explanation about the town.
“That reminds me, this is your first time coming to this country. I will explain to you about this town. So first, this street is the rough division of the town. The gate you entered just now is the south gate. There are gates in the south, north, east and west, but only the south gate is used most often.”
“Why is the south gate used mostly?”
“The reason is that the south gate is the connecting point of the districts. There is also a commercial district in front of the south gate. Besides that, the king’s castle is in the center of this country, and the wealthy town residents, such as nobles and rich merchants, surround it. It is surrounded by the four districts.”
“Hmm…I see…”
“The south commercial district, as said just now, generally has everything you need like foods, items, miscellaneous goods and so forth. The guilds are in the east district. Many headquarters of guilds are located there, such as adventurers’ guild, merchants guild, blacksmiths guild and so on.
The west is a residential district. Almost all of the town’s population live there. The inn is also a place for adventurers to replenish their stock from merchants, besides being the place to stay overnight. Finally, the north district…is in development for the time being.”
Beid hesitated as he talked about the north district. Shin had an idea about it, so he asked Beid daringly.
“Is the development only a name, or is it a slum area?”
“As expected, you understand indeed. Yes, it is. Although I said it’s in a development zone, eventually those with no place to go started to move in one after another. Though each of them have their own motives. Anyway, its security is at the worst, and it’s better to stay away from there.”
Beid advised Shin with a bitter expression.
However, it was not only this country, but most big countries also have such places.
Meanwhile, Shin observed the town situation as he listened to Beid. In the commercial district, various people were coming and going, Shin saw a man with an appearance of an adventurer. The man was carrying a large sword and wore a full body armor.
Shin was excited and almost called out to him , especially after he saw the man was carrying a Dragon Sword. Beid said it was a weapon from an island country called ‘Hinomoto’, which is in the east of the continent.
In the meantime, Shin arrived at the adventurers’ guild. The building was larger than the neighboring building, and had a signboard with a sword and a spear crossed were painted. Somehow, this was the representation of the adventurers’ guild.
“My duty ends here. Don’t work yourself too hard in there.”
“Oh, thank you for guiding me here, and for the information as well.”
Shin went into the adventurers’ guild building after seeing off Beid who lightly waved his hand.
He opened the guild’s door and entered.
From the entrance door, the receptionist desk could be seen on the right side, and the bar on the left side. At the center hall, there was a bulletin board which had many requests posted on it.
Since rowdy NPCs often hung around in adventurers’ guilds when he played the game, Shin had that image when entering the guild. Nevertheless, no garbage could be seen on the floor, nor adventurers shouting at each other, nor glares from other adventurers.
It was merely a group of adventurers who had just finished their tasks and were having a toast. The bar seemed to be just a normal bar.
Shin went straight toward the receptionist desk, even though he felt hungry after seeing the bar.
“Welcome to the adventurers’ guild, how can I help you today?”
The beautiful woman who was the receptionist greeted Shin as he approached. She had light brown hair that reached her shoulders. Apparently, the reception desk of guilds were always filled with beautiful women.
There was also a tall man with a height of about 2 mels and scars on his face next to the receptionist. It goes without saying, Shin casually detoured to the woman’s side at the reception.
“I would like to register as an adventurer.”
“For that, please go upstairs on your left and head over to the second room. One J silver coin is required for the initial registration, is that alright with you?”
“Yes, it’s alright. Thank you.”
He voiced his gratitude and went up the stairs. Without stopping, Shin was thinking that there was no such procedure during the game. Then he saw the second room and entered it.
Shin approached the desk on the middle, as there were only three desks.
“We provide registration for adventurers here. You want to register as an adventurer, is that correct?”
“Ah, yes, I want to register as an adventurer.”
He replied to the receptionist with a bewildered look. Shin was confused, as the receptionist’s face and that of the receptionist below, were like two peas in a pod. The only difference was that this receptionist had her hair in a ponytail.
“Is something the matter?”
“No, you just look identical to the receptionist below.”
“That is my older sister. Because we are twins, I am often mistaken as her. I will be helping you register today. My name is Cilica Lindt. Please treat me well.”
“I am Shin. Please take care of me as well.”
“First, you will need to pay the initial cost of one J silver coin.”
“Okay.”
He took out one J silver coin from Item Box. Shin thought it looked a little unnatural since he took it out from his chest, but Cilica received the coin without any suspicion.
“Then, please fill out this form.”
In the document, there were entries to be filled up such as name, race, main weapon, able to use magic or not, and so on.
“Do I have to fill out everything?”
“No, only your name and race are required. While it would be easier to receive support if you fill it all out, we won’t force you as this is not compulsory. No one will treat you differently because of it. So please rest assured.”
“Okay.”
Since there was an entry for place of birth, Shin just had to skip it, because he was not from this world. The race was filled as a human just in case.
Main weapon was sword, able to use magic, and because there was entry for age, one year of the death game was added in his true age, so he wrote down as 21 years old.
It was a bit late to bring it up now, but the document was written in Japanese. The spoken language was Japanese, so it was only natural that it was also being used in the document. Shin was thankful because of it. He was worried in the beginning, as he thought it would be written with characters like wriggling earthworms.
After that, he gave the document to Cilica, and she just skimmed it through. She was probably checking if it was incomplete.
“Your name is Shin-sama, is that right?”5
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Then the document is complete. Next, please drip one drop of blood on this card.
Cilica handed Shin a needle and a silver card.
Shin pricked the tip of his finger and dripped the blood on the card. The card didn’t reject the blood and absorbed it like a sponge.
“With this, the procedure is complete. The card will take one day to process, so it will be ready by tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
It seemed that he would need to wait until tomorrow before receiving his card.
“Would you like hear more information about the guild?”
“Yes, please.”
“First of all, adventurers are divided by ranks, from the highest SS to S, A, B, C, D, E, F, and the lowest G rank. Because Shin-sama just registered, your rank is G. Whenever a request is completed, the point is added and your rank will rise accordingly. If a request is failed or abandoned, the point for the request is subtracted from the current point. The rank will drop if the points are below a certain standard. In addition, you must pay the cancellation fee twice of the reward offered. You can receive requests up to two ranks above you. You can only receive requests one rank above you if you become rank C and above. You can form a party with two or more members. It is also possible to participate in the request of the top three or more rank. Depending on the members, you will receive the request according to the members of the top rank.”
“What is the maximum number of members allowed in a party?”
Shin asked since he was interested. The maximum number of people in a party was six people during the game.
“One party can be formed by up to six members. It becomes a form called joint work, where you cross multiple parties when you receive a request for further numbers of people. This is usually seen on subjugation requests of strong monsters, or fairly large-scale requests.”
It seemed that the number of party members remained unchanged. However, the request (it was called Quest in the game) for further numbers of people seemed different from the game, there was no joint work or multiple parties.
“There are various kinds of requests such as miscellaneous duties, fishing, subjugation, escort, and so forth. Please be warned that the guild won’t take responsibility for taking a request without the guild’s approval. An unsuitable request for your ability is likely to receive or sustain severe injuries or even death.”
“What will happen if the request and the contents are different? If a subjugation request is received and upon getting there, the monster is stronger than the request said.”
“In such case, it’s fine to abandon the request. You need to report it, so that the penalty will not occur. Even if the guild verifies all the risky requests, please do not take it without precautions, as not all requests can be covered.”
‘The management seemed to lack of efficiency. But since the information network wasn’t developed, it couldn’t be helped’, Shin thought.
“The guild will buy the raw materials from subjugated monster. It’s a good source for extra income. Next――”
The explanation from Cilica lasted for about 20 minutes. Even if Shin heard everything, he could not memorize all of it.
“――That’s all for today. I’ll explain again about the guild card tomorrow when you receive it. Do you have any questions?”
“Can I receive requests now?”
“After the guild card is issued, you can accept requests right away. Because the guild card also acts as a border pass, I advise that you spend the night in the town.”
“I see. I don’t have any more questions.”
“Well, that’s it for today. I wish for Shin-sama’s success.”
Cilica executed a graceful bow, and Shin left the counter.
Shin went down the stairs and spoke with the receptionist who guided him before.
“Thank you for the help a little while ago.”
“The procedure was completed, I see. Well then, again, Welcome to the Adventurers’ Guild. My name is Celica Lindt, I am responsible for the request procedures. My best regards in the future.”
“I am Shin. Same here. Are you the elder sister of Cilica from the registration counter?”
“So it was Cilica in charge. Well, yes, I am the older sister of Cilica. Because we are twins, we look very alike.”
“I was surprised. I thought you could teleport instantly.”
“It is possible for a person coming here for the first time to have that curious look on their face when they return, just like that person over there.”
Shin followed Celica’s gaze after she said that. It was the figure of a new adventurer, who left the guild while tilting his head. He was the person next to Shin when he received an explanation earlier.
“And I often get mistaken for my sister, even in the guild. I hope Shin-sama won’t mix us up, too.”
Shin momentarily felt the pressure from Celica’s smile. As a matter of fact, Shin probably thought it was troublesome to pay attention to it.
“Still, I will do my best. Ah, can I ask you a question?”
Shin asked as he just recalled what Beid said to him. However, the big man next to Celica threw a glance at Shin a couple of times for some reason. Shin’s intuition was sounding alarms, but he decided to ignore it for now.
“Yes, feel free to ask.”
“I heard that adventurer named Els works here as receptionist.”
There were only two people (Celica and the big man) in the receptionist desk. Shin wanted to say ‘Miss’ before the receptionist, but was unable to, due to the big man next to Celica.6
“I’m sorry, Els just received a request and is out-of-town right now. She will return today if no trouble occurs. Please ask again when you receive the guild card tomorrow. If she is not available, then I will pass her a message.”
Apparently, Shin got the wrong timing. Since she was an adventurer, she might not always here.
Shin was hoping for a better luck tomorrow.
“I see, then I will come again tomorrow.”
Celica bowed slightly and then Shin headed to the bar. He hadn’t eaten since he was transported to this world.
There were several guests in the bar besides the group of adventurers before. The average level was around 90.
Shin found a seat in a less crowded area. He then read the menu. Although the menu was written in Japanese, he didn’t understand what kind of dish would be served, so he just asked for today’s recommended set.
“Today’s recommended set, Shin-sama.”
“Oh, ah, yes…?”
Shin turned around and faced the waitress. He didn’t know why the waitress knew his name, then he saw the waitress’s face.
It was Celica with whom he just parted a while ago.
“EH!…weren’t you the receptionist just now?”
“Yes.”
“But you are wearing a different dress.”
“Yes, I wear the uniform of the guild at the reception desk.”
“Did you change your clothes?”
“Of course.”
“Isn’t that too fast? And why a waitress?”
“It’s normal to change clothes like this. Sometimes, I work here to help when the receptionist desk isn’t crowded.”
That’s not normal…Shin wanted to retort. It had only been 3 minutes since he left the receptionist desk, and then Celica appeared. He couldn’t help but think it was impossible.
After a while, a dish was served which consisted of a steak with a thickness of about 3 cemels, a salad of raw vegetables, and a soup. It was not a dish that could be cooked in a short time.
In the meantime, no one seemed to go to the receptionist desk since Celica left, so only the big man was there. Shin could sympathize with the adventurers who were taking requests at this time.
“Please help yourself to the dish.”
“Well, itadakimasu.”
Shin said so and started eating. For some reason, Celica settled herself on the seat in front of Shin.
(Wha…what is this development?…)
It couldn’t be helped, but it was uncomfortable to eat while being stared at.
Anyway, the dish was delicious, especially the steak. The salad had a pleasant texture, the stewed chicken meat was crispy and the soup was quite good.
However, the situation was quite uncomfortable. He couldn’t enjoy his meal.
“Is it okay for other customers to be left waiting, Celica-san?”
“It’s alright, another waitresses can serve them.”
It seemed that she didn’t want to leave.
“Though it’s hard to eat while being stared at…”
“Please don’t mind me.”
“That’s impossible, you know…”
She just replied with a smile. She said not to mind her, but Shin still felt uncomfortable.
“Haa, what is it, really? Is this harassment against newcomers?”
“Actually, there is something I want to confirm.”
“Then please say so from the beginning.”
“I just wanted to see what kind of person you are before that.”
Still, Shin thought he was being made fun of.
“Well? What is it that you want to confirm?”
Shin said so, and Celica answered in a lowered voice.
“Yes, I received a report that Shin-sama has a letter of introduction from a certain place.”
Shin only heard the words ‘letter of introduction’, and he could understand. Apparently, this was more important than Shin thought.
“Ah, is that so? I certainly have it.”
“Would it be okay for you if we go to another room to confirm the letter of introduction?”
“If I can finish my meal first, then it’s okay. Although I have to decline unless the guild master is there.”
“…………”
Shin said that as a joke, however Celica had become silent unexpectedly. In addition, he could felt her gaze wander around.
“…Well, it was a joke”
“…I’m sorry, I was asked by the guild master to take you there.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes”
From her firm voice, Shin could confirm that it was the truth. He felt disheartened, as he had to meet the highest authority in the guild on his first day.
“…Can’t we do it tomorrow?”
He secretly sighed, because it was an abnormal event to meet a guild master on his first day after coming to this world.
“Again, I’m sorry, but…”
Celica looked behind Shin after she said that.
The guild master was there behind Shin.
(Fuh, want me to turn around…ehhhhh!!!)
Shin knew there was someone behind him, but he didn’t think it was the guild master. He turned around reluctantly, and regretted his futile decision.
The person who stood behind Shin was an unexpected person.
“…………”
“I couldn’t wait anymore. I am sorry to disturb you while you’re eating. Hahaha”
It was the big man from the receptionist desk who just talked and laughed.
It was the big man who was throwing glances at Shin.
It was the big man who made Shin’s intuition send warning signs.
In other words, it was the big man.
“Hey, it’s you?!”
He was surprised that he used an informal tone unconsciously.
“I heard the report and I wanted to meet you immediately.”
The big man, who was said to be the guild master, talked with a smile.
“Barlux-sama. If you could just wait a little longer…”
“Not this one. After all, this is a thing to be worried about. Shin-kun, right? I’m Barlux. It may be a bit sudden, but can you come to my room?”
Apparently, Barlux was the name of the guild master. Speaking of guild master, Shin was surprised as he imagined a person of old age. The guild master’s appearance looked like a man in his late 30s to early 40s. There was a big scar on his face, if combined with his large stature, he gave of the feeling of intimidation right away. Despite that, he had this friendly smile which reduced the intimidating feeling by half.
Yet, his level was 228, the highest level he had seen in this world.
“Haa, though I don’t mind, please let me finish my meal first.”
“Of course, sorry about that. I’ll be waiting in my room.”
Barlux went back to his room after he said that.
“As a guild master, he looks pretty young. I thought some old man would be the leader in this place. Ah, so in this case, is an old man’s experiences not significant here?”
Shin talked based on the images he had in games and novels.
“I understand your thought. What Shin-sama said is not entirely wrong. In fact, most of the guild masters in other cities are elderly persons. Nevertheless, Barlux-sama is a former S rank adventurer, so his experience and connections are not inferior to the other guild masters.
“Former S rank, huh?”
Shin was still ignorant about this world’s common sense, but he could still imagine that the road to rank S wasn’t easy. If viewed from that level, that person would be considered a guild master.
He finished his meal while thinking about such things.
At the same time, he felt glances from everywhere after the appearance of the guild master. And then, he proceeded to the reception desk, guided by Celica.
There were rooms behind the reception desk, the room which Shin was guided to had complete furniture for a guest such as sofa, table, desk and bookshelf. Although Shin didn’t know its price, it gave the impression of first-class goods.
“Welcome to the adventurers’ guild. I’m sorry, I was rude earlier. I am Barlux Heim, the guild master.”
When Shin entered the room, Barlux shook Shin’s hand while he introduced himself.
“I am Shin. My best regards to you.”
Shin could feel that the hand he shook was stiff and rugged, and it was definitely powerful.
“Please take a seat.”
Shin sat on the sofa while Celica served tea on the table.
“Shin-kun. Although it’s a bit sudden, I want to see the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora.”
“Here.”
The letter of introduction was taken out from Item Box, and he gave it to Barlux. At the same time, Barlux placed another paper on the table. Then, a pattern of a crescent moon that was drawn on the center of the letter, shined in silver.
“This is…?”
“The letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora is a little special. The magic of the introduction letters will resonate if brought near each other. The crest will shine like this. In other words, this letter of introduction is genuine.”
From Barlux’s explanation, it seemed to be the method of confirmation for the letter of introduction. And it appeared to be impossible to produce an imitation, as it would be found out right away.
“So it had this feature…”
Although he was astonished at the unexpected function, Shin couldn’t help but think that he should had gotten an explanation when he received it.
“No one told you about it?”
“I received it as an extra service, as a border pass.”
“Service…? Was it Schnee who gave it to you, or Tiera?”
“It was Tiera. Schnee was away.”
“Tiera huh. I think something outstanding must have happened, that she forgot to explain this, but she has good eyes for people though. Even I too, have seen a lot of people but she is always one step ahead.”
Barlux said as he laughed.
And it was true that something outstanding happened to Tiera, like a more than 100 years old curse was dispelled.
Still, were the eyes for people acquired through the wisdom of age?
“Fuh!”
As Shin thought about age, dread chilled up his spine.
The smiling face of Tiera with a background of flames came into his mind.
(Let’s stop thinking about age, I think it will be fatal…)
Because he had a bad premonition, he stopped thinking about it.
“? What’s the matter?”
“Ah, nothing.”
“Is that so? Then let’s continue the story from where I left off before.”
Said Barlux as he corrected his posture. It looked like this would be where the main subject would start.
“Because you haven’t heard the explanation, I’ll explain the uses of the letter myself. With the letter of introduction, it is possible to enter most countries without inspection. If it has information, it will be treated as final information. Each guild will even accommodate it differently. Also, in Bayreuth, you can even have an audience with the king. It will also serve as reliable identification.”
There was no doubt that what Beid was saying before was true. Although he didn’t talk about the guild or the information.
“The letter of introduction has that many uses. So naturally, there will be someone who will intend to snatch or steal it from you.”
“That makes sense…”
It could be misused for terrorism, smuggling of dangerous material, assassination and so on. Judging from a criminal’s and a crime syndicate’s viewpoint, they would desire it very badly.
“Therefore, I want you to tell me if you have the capability to protect it. If you can’t protect it, I suggest that you destroy it now.”
“…………”
Shin was thinking. With this letter of introduction, there would be advantages and disadvantages.
As for the advantages, it would become easier for him to cross the countries. And he could obtain trust from the country easily.
However, the disadvantage would be the danger from getting targeted of certain individuals or organizations.
At least, the advantages were indispensable for Shin. At the time of explanation of the guild by Cilica, he heard that entry to every country would become relatively easy if he had a guild card.
However, he considered that there was a difference in a moment of peril, and that there should be one that could strongly guarantee his identity in the case of an emergency.
There was also a demerit, as he was already known to the guards when he came to the town, and also to the people who were lining up at the southern gate. Besides, he was already known to the guild. He didn’t know the extent of protection of confidential information here, even if it was already exposed. Rather, it would be better if he acted just like normal.
(I will put it in the 『Important Things』 zone in my Item Box just in case, and avoid taking it out generously.)
From Tiera’s story, only a few people have an Item Box. In the 『Important Things』, even members of ‘Rokuten’ could not remove items he placed inside.
Although he didn’t have any way to confirm it.
“I can protect it.”
He concluded after thinking about it for a while.
“Is that your decision?”
“Yes.”
“You won’t regret this, will you?”
“Of course I won’t. Though I know that if I make mistakes, it will be bad for me and the store. If I was entrusted with this important thing, then I’ll make sure to fulfill that trust.”
Shin said confidently.
After all, he had decided on the answer before he thought about the issue of advantages and disadvantages.
Some might think that what Shin was doing was reckless and dangerous, but unfortunately, Shin’s life was targeted a lot. Shin obtained experiences that could deal with assassination and surprise attacks from surviving one year in THE NEW GATE, which had turned into a death game.
Even though his true intention was that he didn’t want to destroy the letter.
“Whew, well said. As expected from someone who holds the letter of introduction.”
“Though it was a bit exaggerated.”
“Too much modesty is not good. Once you hesitate, you will lose in life.”
“What does that mean?”
That was the guild master’s view, it seemed. That person could not be made light of.
“Hmm, how high is your level? I had to overcome numerous battles myself, until I almost reached the limit, yet I still can’t declare what you just did. I can understand that you are considerably strong.”
Indeed, he was a former S rank. He seemed to possess the ability to see through other’s capability, even if he didn’t have the skills.
“…must I answer it?”
“I’m sorry, but the guild needs to have a grasp on the level of an adventurer. Just the range of your level is sufficient. I cannot allow low-level adventurers to do dangerous requests.”
It appeared that Barlux said that not just out of curiosity.
He might need to confirm it not only as a person, but also for the guild, as the expectation of ability correlates to some degree if the level was known.
“I understand. My level is more than 150.”
“Hmm. Shin-kun, as I said just now, modesty is prohibited.”
Barlux raised one eyebrow after hearing Shin’s level. As expected from the guild master, he seemed to know if the level was too low.
“Is it not good enough?”
“It is not good, the level you said just now is far lower than your original level.”
Even though he didn’t want to say it smoothly because he heard the No. 2 was level 158, he was unable to deceive him.
“So you can tell without using【Analyze】”
“I’ve seen many adventurers as a guild master.”
“There’s no helping it, huh. My level is more than 200.”
Still, Shin didn’t want to admit his true level. He just added 50 levels to what he declared earlier.
“Hah!”
“Amazing…”
Barlux visibly showed an impressed smile as Shin told him his level again. Celica, who stood near the wall, unintentionally voiced her amazement.
“Is it something to be surprised about?”
Shin knew that Barlux was also above level 200, so that should not have surprised him.
“Although it was written in the document, you are 21 years old, correct?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not very often you meet a person who surpasses level 200 in their youth like you. I wonder if you and this country’s no. 1 can fight evenly.”
Although level 150 seemed to be too low, 200 in contrast, seemed too high.
“What is the current no. 1 person’s level?”
“It’s 230. She is the second princess of this country.”
“Are you serious?”
A strong princess!!! Shin wanted to retort.
(The princess is stronger than the captain of the elite forces…)
Because Barlux said the No. 1 of the country, he thought it might be the king or prince, or even a royal guard, but never a second princess.
“Isn’t there too much of a level difference with the knights? I heard from Tiera that the captain of the elite forces is level 158.”
“Captain of elite forces? Ah, you mean the leader of the knights? His level rose to 188 now. Maybe Tiera hasn’t heard about it since she is in the store all the time.”
“Still, the princess is No. 1…”
“It is because the second princess is in the fighter faction. Besides, she is quite popular and often makes an appearance in the town.”
“Is it safe for a royal family member to come into town?”
“The levels of the hooligans around there can’t even be compared to her level.”
It seemed that the strongest in the kingdom wasn’t just for show. The Horn Dragon that went out with Tiera’s story would had been killed if she fought it.
“Well then, Shin-kun. Actually, there is one more thing I want to confirm, if it is okay with you?”
“…It will depend on the subject”
Shin had an unpleasant foreboding about this.
“It’s simple. I want you to have a match with me.”
“I’m sorry, may I return now?”
“Unfortunately, you can’t.”
“I can’t?”
“It’s regrettable, but you don’t have the right to deny my request.”
Barlux told him plain and simple. He probably wanted to see Shin’s capability . He knew that it wasn’t necessary to be capable, even if Shin was a high level person.
“Somehow, my foreboding feeling came true.”
“I’m so sorry. I want to confirm it for the guild personally. No, I have to see it for myself.”
Shin frowned as his premonition came true.
Because of the glances he received at receptionist desk, he only felt a combative intention from Barlux’s eyes.
But somehow, he ignored Barlux’s intention. Though Shin also wanted to see the capability of a former S rank adventurer.
“…Yes, sir. I can understand that you won’t have a peace of mind if you don’t confirm my capability.”
When it was made public that Shin possessed a letter of introduction, Shin had to show that he had the capabilities to protect it.
“Where will we fight?”
“There is a training room that only guild members can use. That’s where we’re gonna fight. Do you need time to get ready?”
“No, I’m ready anytime.”
“Well then, let’s go there immediately.”
He arrived at a room about the same size as the one earlier after following Barlux. There was no furniture in the room, only a crystal about the size of a soccer ball, floating in the center of the room.
It resembled the transition point Shin often saw during the game.
“There is a training area in the basement. We can go there from this transition point.”
Apparently, the transition point seemed intact. It could be used by touching the crystal and saying the location.
Subsequently, they arrived in a place that had a considerable area like a Colosseum. It had a resting place, a training area inside the plaza, and an audience seating, except there were currently no adventurers around.
“There is no one here, is it always like this?”
“No, this is the second training area that is used for a special case like this. Common adventurers are training in first training area. Outsider can’t enter here without permission.”
“Is that so…”
It appeared that Shin didn’t have to worry about his surroundings. It was a great help, since Shin didn’t want to stand out.
“Then, shall we begin?”
As he said that, Barlux’s whole body was wrapped with blue light. The light disappeared after one second, and Barlux was equipped with light blue armor and gauntlets. The light blue armor appeared to be much thinner the a common light armor, it seemed to emphasize the easiness of movement. On the contrary, the gauntlets were heavy blue armor, that covered the fingers to the elbows.
It seemed that the equipment items for the arm showed a glove of Japanese style, the displayed gauntlet was of Western style. It might not be a significant difference, but there were slight additional bonuses for glove to AGI and gauntlet to VIT. The purpose of Barlux in wearing gauntlets might be to compensate for the thin armor.
According to 【Analyze】, Barlux’s job was, not surprisingly, a fist fighter. Shin was more surprised by the sudden equip of the armor and gauntlets, like a transformation hero.
In THE NEW GATE, the armor and gauntlets were equipped in the same way, too. The light formed and materialized after that. The reason was so it could perfectly fit into the avatar’s physique. Hence, this is why Shin had been avoiding wearing armor like Barlux, because it was flashy.
“…(There was such an item, huh?)”
“What the matter?”
“No, nothing.”
He had nothing to say about Barlux’s equipment scene, as it was a common scene anyway.
Shin didn’t have anything particularly to be equipped. To some extent, he wouldn’t use weapons since he understood the power of his opponent to some degree.
“Then, here I go!!”
In an instant, Barlux’s figure became blurry. Though the distances between the two of them was about 10 mels, he closed up to 5 mels in a blink and charged towards Shin.
“Those equipment are good and fast.”
If Shin had been without the bonus speed he obtained from Human reincarnation, he would lose against the equipment’ speed.
“Whew!!”
“Whew!”
The sound of wind cutting could be heard as they unleashed their fists towards each other. Barlux’s equipment was confirmed.
Light armor 【Light Blue Crystal Armor】 and gauntlet【Blue Fang Gauntlet】, Shin thought. It was definitely not a mistake, as Shin had sold both of them in the store before.
“Those are good equipments.”
“I had a hard time…obtaining…and put it on as it is…!”
Barlux said, while frowning, as he unleashed his fists to Shin, but Shin eluded them.
【Light Blue Crystal Armor】 was a rare armor with high AGI.
And the 【Blue Fang Gauntlet】 was a special unique weapon with high offensive power. It was made from the raw material of a unique monster of Lv. 600 named Blue Mitt Hound. 【Blue Fang Gauntlet】 was often equipped by high level players that used bare hands martial arts.
“As expected, to be able to fend off my attacks easily.”
Barlux momentarily stopped his vigorous attack and distanced himself from Shin. He was talking while smiling wryly, but his eyes remained sharp to ascertain Shin’s next move.
Whereas, Shin didn’t actively attack the distanced Barlux, because he was wary about the ability of the gauntlet.
Besides high offensive power, its other ability was【When defending an attack using the gauntlet, the attacker receives 1/10 of his attack damage】. But there was a limitation in the gauntlet, it would only execute this ability if the wearer’s STR values was 100 or more, higher than the opponent’s.
Shin was watching the【Blue Fang Gauntlet】 and noticed the effect wasn’t activated.
(I might know his equipment better than he does. As both of our levels are more than 200, added with some bonuses, the STR didn’t reach the 100 difference. Besides, prying about it is troublesome. I want to end it in one shot.)
Shin was not in the mood to respond to the guild master’s talks.
“What are you thinking about?”
“I’m thinking how to attack, since you are strong.”
“Fuh, just from the fighting just now, you seem to know my equipment already. Only a few people who know about it still remain.”
“Well, what to do.”
While they were exchanging banter, Shin was thinking what to do next.
What he understood from the earlier fight, was that Barlux was a bare handed type. Although his range of attack was short, Barlux’s bare handed style excelled in attack speed, and the attack speed would rise with the effect from 【Light Blue Crystal Armor】. Therefore making it more difficult to defeat him.
(That gauntlet is troublesome…should I give it a try?)
He checked his skills and took a stance.
Barlux reacted to his movement, but Shin stepped forward quicker.
Shin left an afterimage after dashing towards Barlux. His steps shattered the soil as Shin jumped onto the air.
“Shuss!!”
In one breath, the distance of his right hand reached the target. Because it was an attack without a feint, Barlux reflexively defended with his gauntlet.
(He’s taking it!)
Shin began with conviction.
On the verge of his fist hitting the gauntlet, Shin changed the direction of his momentum and executed a sweep kick with his left leg.
“Guh!”
Though Barlux tried to reduce the damage by moving to the left, his reaction was delayed by Shin’s fist.
As a result, Barlux flew into the air.
【Blue Fang Gauntlet】 effects didn’t activate, because Shin didn’t hit it directly, so he didn’t have to worry about his damage being reflected.
Shin gripped Barlux’s gauntlet, which was defenseless now, and used the martial art skill 【Willow Throw】.
【Willow Throw】 was a technique of super low damage for capturing monster. So Shin didn’t have to worry about Barlux receiving fatal wounds. He used the skill without any hesitation.
The body of Barlux was thrown in the air and slammed onto the ground almost instantly. And then, Shin locked Barlux’s joint so he could not move.
“Phew. For now let us stop this, shall we?”
After confirming that Barlux couldn’t move, Shin asked. The match would not end quickly if they had the same stats.
“No way, to be easily suppressed like this. Though, I wonder about the last technique you used?”
“That’s a secret. It’s not a good idea to reveal too much of one’s ability.”
“Hahaha, that is certainly right. It’s my defeat. You have shown me your abilities. And I don’t need to be worried anymore.”
Barlux stood up and extended his right hand to Shin.
“?”
“The handshake earlier was as a guild master. And this handshake is for the people who are recognized by Tsuki no Hokora.”
“I see.”
Shin nodded and returned his handshake. Although it should be the same hand, Shin felt somewhat different.
“If there is anything you want, let me know, and the guild will try to cooperate to a certain extent.”
“Is this okay? To favor an individual?”
“No problem. It is a cooperation, so even a rank G adventurer is still a member of the guild.”
Be it one individual or a guild, Barlux didn’t seem to have any trouble lending power personally.
Returning into the room with the transition point, Celica who waited, welcomed the two of them by giving them potions.
Shin tried to refuse at first because he was unhurt, but decided to get it as Barlux insisted he take it.
“I hope for your success as an adventurer. Well then, see you again.”
After separating from Barlux, Shin walked to the passage to return to the guild hall with Celica.
“How was the match with Barlux-sama?”
“It was tough. I pray that there will be no second match.”
Because they were walking silently, Celica brought up the match with Barlux as the topic. He was a little anxious because the match ended quicker than the desired time.
“Because it’s not that often that one is able to fight with a guild master, it should be okay.”
“I have a feeling that I will be invited the next time as a practice partner…”
Shin sighed, as he promised not to repeat the situation where he would fight with a guild master in the future. While walking with Celica, a warrior with a level about 200 passed by them.
High level adventurers often wore an intimidating atmosphere, different from a commoner’s. Even for Celica, who, because of her job, had met a lot of them, she still unconsciously would get tense. However, no such presence could be felt from Shin. Rather, Celica felt something like a sense of security.
(A mysterious person…)
Celica was thinking about such things as the two of them arrived at the hall.
“Thank you for your hard work. Please take your time, since you can get the guild card anytime after tomorrow.”
“I will do that. Ah, could you recommend me to a good inn? I just arrived today, so I don’t know the area well.”
Shin asked while lowering his head a little. He felt ashamed because he couldn’t differentiate between the good or bad inns in the area. But he didn’t want to stay in the poor quality inns from day one.
“There is a good inn in the residence district named Bear Point Pavilion. I think you will like it, because the meals are delicious. With the guild on your right hand side, go straight down the street, until you see a signboard with a bear’s paw painted on it.”
“I understand. Bear Point Pavilion it is.. Thank you very much.”
Though Shin had a slight uneasiness about the word ‘Bear’, he believed that it would be all right, because Celica recommended it to him.
After expressing his gratitude to Celica, he exited the guild’s building.
Then, Shin began to walk leisurely towards the inn.
I used the romaji name, Rokuten『六天』 not ‘Devas’ in the manga, Rokuten means six heavens/six skies
1 J gold coin = 1,000,000 J and 1 J silver coin = 10,000 J. E.g. If you have 2 J gold coins and 87 J silver coins, you’ll have a total 2,870,000 J
In case you forgot, 1 mel = 1 meter
The guard actually said “understand” in a polite tone. Then said it again in an informal tone.
sama is equivalent to Mr in English, but I want to keep the Japanese sense as much as possible.
Beid referred to Els as miss receptionist, remember?
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 01 - A Beginning and an End/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-A-Beginning-and-an-End-[Shin+Oniichanyamete][Armaell]/f003.txt
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Chapter 3
Chapter 33
Part 1
Shin walked for 25 minutes after leaving the guild.
Before his eyes, there was a signboard with a bear’s paw painted on it. According to Celica, this should be Bear Point Pavilion.
“There’s no doubt about it, it’s here.”
He confirmed it again and placed his hand on the door. Laughter could be heard which became louder as he slowly opened the door.
Inside the Bear Point Pavilion, there was a counter with seats and a large number of people sitting at seven tables. Five of the tables were filled with adventurers making loud noises while drinking beer.
As Shin surveyed the scene, a shadow appeared in front of him. Something seemed to block the light, and he felt a presence behind his back, so he turned around.
“Hmm?”
An arm which took pride in its thickness, around thrice that of Shin’s, and an apron with embroidered flowers came into sight.
“Welcome, please come in! Is it just one person?”
Hearing the voice from above, Shin lifted his head and saw a person with a rock-like, stern, face smiling viciously.
“Deke…”
He burst out a strange word in reply. Although Shin’s height was 180 cemels, the person in front of him was probably 230 cemels or more. It was a giant.
“What’s wrong, sonny? Are you feeling sick?”
“I’m feeling well! Um, you are?”
The words of the man made him return to his senses. Although the man didn’t answer the way he expected.
“Me? I am the popular boss and shopkeeper of Bear Point Pavilion. I’m Douma Bear.”
“…Boss…you say?”
Shin thought there would be a pretty poster girl in the inn.
“Yeah! People gathered for that popular guy, the popular boss! To some extent, popular boss――”
“That is a poster girl!”
“――nuu”1
Shin retorted after he noticed the pun.
“Umu. Nice rebuttal!”
And then for some reason, the self proclaimed popular boss gave him a thumbs-up.
“Did I enter the wrong shop?…”
“Don’t be shy, young man.”
“No, I’m not shy! I just happen to look like this!”
Somehow, it evolved into a comedy dialogue.
“Good!! Nii-chan!”
“Do it some more!!”
Shin sighed because of all the shouts from the drunken group. It was a conversation livened up by alcohol.
“Haa, another――”
“Hey! What are you doing?!!”
“――one?”
Just as Shin thought about searching for another inn, he heard a female voice resound from the bar.
The voice seemed to come from behind Douma. Shin couldn’t see her because of the gigantic body in front of him.
“Dad? Didn’t I always tell you not to say weird things? What if strange rumors spread?”
The voice said. Even though the voice was calm, it was clear that it was said while suppressing its anger.
“No, it’s this, a form of――”
“Shut up!”
“…Yes”
Even his excuses were rejected right away. Judging from the remarks earlier, it could be said that the voice might belong to Douma’s daughter. Somehow the position was reversed.
“I will take over from here. Dad, go to the kitchen and help Mom.”
“I…I understand.”
Douma went back into the kitchen, feeling disheartened. Somehow, Shin’s impression of him had diminished.
“I’m sorry for the sudden, weird things you saw. Are you here to eat? Or to stay overnight?”
Douma could no longer be seen, as such, Shin could finally see Douma’s daughter after she reprimanded her dad to the kitchen.
It was a girl with a short brown hair. She might have a business smile, but she was still attractive. The word cute suited her more than beautiful.
“Ah, I will be staying. Even so, just now, is it always like that?”
“Though I want you to forget that, yes, it happens sometimes. My dad is in a good mood when he is with adventurers but turns bitter when he is with merchants.
By the way, staying overnight is 2 J silver coins including breakfast and dinner. To enter the bathhouse, you have to request for it. The charges are 4 J copper coins. The breakfast will be provided until 9 bell rings. If that’s okay, you can register at the inn’s registry.”
“Okay.”
Shin was unsure if 2 J silver coin for the inn was expensive or cheap. Since he didn’t have any problem with it for now, he accepted the offer.
“I don’t know how long I will stay, will that be okay?”
“If so, do you want to pay everyday? Or you can pay for a certain number of days and extend it as needed. Just to be sure, you are an adventurer, am I right?”
“Ah, yes, I just registered today. I was recommended by Celica to go here.”
“Celica’s recommendation!? You should have said that sooner. Then, I will offer you 1 J silver coin and 90 J copper coin. For adventurers, I recommend paying in advance. It’s normal to leave the inn for a few days whenever there is a request. Be warned that all personal items inside the room will be disposed of if the bill isn’t paid.”
A long term request was not rare for an adventurer, so the room might be empty for several days. There was also the risk of dying during a dangerous request. If that happens, it would not be possible to pay everyday.
“Then do you want to pay in advance? Or is it fine for now?”
As she said so, Shin took out 1 J gold coin from his Item Box (he pretended it was from his chest pocket) and handed it to her.
“This will be enough for 50 days, what about the change?”
“Can you subtract the fee for using the bathhouse from it?”
“Understood. Then I will let you know when it becomes insufficient. For now, write your name in the inn register. It will cost another 2 J copper coins if you need to write a name on someone else’s behalf.”
“No, it’s alright…will this do?”
“…Yeah, okay. Shin-san, here’s the key, the room number is 201 and its on the second floor. Do you know where the box for valuable things are placed?”
“Box? No, never heard of it.”
When the registration was confirmed, a room key was handed to him.
However, Shin tilted his head as he never heard about the box she mentioned before.
“Then, if you don’t know, that would be a loss. Because an inn with boxes is proof of it being an excellent shop. In other words, the box is something like a safe wherein valuables are kept. The box can only be opened by the person who locked it or the innkeeper. Besides, the box is immune to magic, skills, and physical attacks. Even if the inn is completely destroyed, the contents inside the box will be safe as the box itself is a magic item. How is it? Isn’t that great! Because it’s not possible to find an inn like this in the neighborhood.”
While explaining about the box’s indestructibility, some advertising was added. At least it was certainly better than the surrounding shops. Without the parody going on earlier, it would have been perfect, thought Shin.
He went up to the second floor after he received the key. He didn’t have any luggage, but he wanted to check the room.
Room 201 was the first room on the second floor.
The room was about 10 tatami big. It was a simple room with a single bed and a chair with a desk. If the bed included drawers and so on, it would be enough to live comfortably alone. There was a box for leaving valuable things in the inner part of the room. Besides that, there was nothing inappropriate in that room.2
There was a toilet in addition to the furniture. It was even had a flush toilet.
Shin was surprised by it.
It’s not really surprising that there was a toilet. In Shin’s case, the circumstances were slightly different.
To begin with, toilets didn’t even exist in THE NEW GATE. Even though the game pursued reality, nobody among the producers wanted to do the excretion act in the game.
It would spoil the mood if one got attacked by a monster in the middle of the act.
Without realizing it, Shin hadn’t seen a toilet for one year after the game turned into a death game. Especially, a flushing toilet.
It could be said that each room had a toilet and that it’s natural due to the quality of Bear Point Pavilion. But Shin got a mixed feeling of surprise and nostalgia from it.
“Believe it or not, just seeing a toilet brings memories from the past…”
Shin was surprised and had an indescribable feeling that no one knew.
-
After checking the room, Shin locked it with the key and proceeded to go downstairs for the purpose of eating and gathering information. He had not eaten since he had at the guild. Also, it would be a waste if he didn’t go eat the meal, as dinner was included in the room charge.
On the first floor, the adventurers were still making noises. From 【Analyze • Ⅹ】, the average adventurer level was 120.
Subsequently, Shin recalled the level of the knights he saw in Tsuki no Hokora. Though he didn’t see many details, the knights should be around 100 ~ 110. And he wondered about the relationship between adventurers and knights in this country.
Then he found a seat, ordered a dish, and he decided to listen to the surrounding clamors until the dish came. He used 【Noise Cancellation】 so only voices could be heard and 【Listen】 so that voices and sounds from a certain range could be clearly heard. Thanks to the skills, he could even hear the muttering of other parties on remote seats.
It was easy to listen when using it, the menu filtered both voices and sounds alike, so that he could choose what to listen to. Almost none of the conversations were meaningful to listen to.
However, the information to be obtained in this place shouldn’t be taken lightly. Even in the game, unexpected information would become available in this place since there were a lot of conversations going on. Though he didn’t know whether it would be useful in this world, Shin didn’t even have a shred of the common sense of this world in the first place, so he would have to hear it even if it was trifle. And there was no loss for him anyway.
“Have you heard? Wilhelm seemed to have quarrelled with hordes of demons.”
“I’m hungry～. It’s a meal, a meal”
“Did you hear the rumor? A Skull Face appeared in the Northern Forest.”
“Recently, Hillock Herb can be harvested nicely.”
“This beer is delicious!”
“What should I order～?”
“Popular boss you said…?”
“Tsugumi-chan, bring the alcohol～, Douma, get hold of yourself ーーーーー”
He waited for the dish while organizing the information he heard in his mind.
There was one man who flew through the air but no one reacted to it. Shin also looked at it as if it was a usual thing.
Because he heard some words to be worried about, he took note of them in his mind. The most noteworthy was Skull Face.
This was the undead-type monster, Skull Face. The word Pawn, Jack, Queen, and so on showed the class among the monsters. Because the level of the monster would be different depending on the class, an individual would encounter hardships or annihilation if they didn’t make sure to confirm it.
“Sorry for the wait, here’s the food you ordered.”
Shin came back to his senses after hearing the voice. He seemed to concentrate too much on using different skills to assess the state of the area.
Douma’s daughter was putting the dish on the table when he turned around.
“Are you, by chance, deep in thought?”
“Ah, just lost in thought. Um…”
“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Tsugumi Bear. If there is some business, because my father is often in the kitchen, let me know”
“I understand. I wonder if you already know, but my name is Shin. I’m more or less an adventurer.”
“More or less?”
“I haven’t gotten my guild card yet.”
“I see. By the way, what were you thinking about just now? How to quickly raise your rank?”
Tsugumi asked with interest as she sat facing Shin on the table after the meal was served.
Are rookie adventurers rare, Shin wondered.
“I will raise my rank leisurely. Because I came to this country from a faraway village, I’m not really familiar with the practices here. I was referred here as I looked around.”
“I see. I don’t know much, but people from other countries said there’s not much difference.”
“Is that so? Well you should be careful not to trust them, probably.”
“Well, you sure are an unusual person. A rookie adventurer should want to become stronger and raise their rank quickly. Furthermore, low rank adventurers seem to be made fun of frequently.”
“I guess that’s true. Because I am such an oddball, I will give an appropriate response if I were being made fun of.”
Shin said with self-confidence and a wide grin on his face. Although he didn’t know much of the image of adventurers, he was confident in his numerous skills. This was his idea to act a bit like an adventurer.
“Huh, are you that confident with your skills?”
“As it suits the occasion. When it is dangerous, I will run away quickly. I don’t want to die.”
To begin with, Shin had no intention to caused a commotion, so it was expected that he say that.
“Rather than sitting here casually, don’t you have other tables to attend to, miss waitress?”
“I will be called if there is an order so it is all right. Look, my mom is here, too.”
He followed Tsugumi’s line of sight and he saw a woman who had the same hair color as Tsugumi, and was receiving orders at other tables.
From there, Shin was convinced that Tsugumi took after her mother. It made Shin think that Tsugumi would become a beautiful woman when she grew up.
“Goofing around, aren’t you…”
“I’m not goofing around. I’m gathering information, I repeat, gathering information.”
“About a rookie adventurer?”
“It might not have a promising future. But I have the eyes for people based on the various adventurers I have seen.”
Tsugumi said with a confident expression while putting her hand on her chest.
“Oh, then what about me?”
“Hmm…I wonder, 85 points maybe.”
“…Should I be happy about that?”
Though it might be as high as it sounded, it would depend on the grading criteria standard.
“It’s a place where I can expect a little.”
“So strict. What caused the minus points?”
“First point, your lack of ambition. You can’t succeed if you don’t have the will, besides, you are overconfident in your abilities. Though my rules are learned on experience.
“Ambition, huh. Well, there are steps for that.”
Shin didn’t register to become an adventurer for fame originally, so he didn’t have the motivation to work hard. Somehow it didn’t meet Tsugumi’s ideals.
“You sure are an easygoing guy. Hmm, now that you mentioned it, it really suits you. Well then, I will return to work or I’m gonna get scolded soon. Good luck, but don’t overdo it.”
Tsugumi said as she winked before leaving to take orders. The number of customers seemed to have increased. Without having noticed it, all tables were already filled.
He quickly finished his meal as he was alone at one table and went back to his room. When the amount of people increased, trouble increased too. He decided to dutifully follow Tsugumi’s advice about how rookie adventurers were being made fun of.
He had nothing to do even if he went back to his room. If he was asked about it, he would just say he was organizing his luggage. After that, he went to the the bathhouse. After sweating lightly and removing a portion of his equipment, it became easier to sleep.
He erected a barrier inside his room before going to bed since it was his routine during the game. Although he didn’t receive surprise attacks very often because of the detection system, he still took precaution.
As for the bed, it was soft and fluffy, and it was really comfortable. He was thanking Celica in his mind while letting his body fall asleep.
In the middle of his sleep, he suddenly remembered something that he had forgotten.
That reminds him,
“Message…sent?…Have…”
He cursed in his mind because he had completely forgotten about the message.
He woke up and saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
He recalled yesterday’s events, from the last fight, being transported to a different world, lifting Tiera’s curse and the events at the guild.
Though he didn’t wish to have that dream, he could not help but wish to be able to log out safely and wake up in a hospital or in some other place.
“Such convenience, it won’t go as I want.”
He muttered that and looked at his surroundings.
The room was still dark, so he knew it was before dawn.
There were signs of people starting to move on the first floor. Apparently the people of this world were considerably early risers.
“No abnormality in both barrier and detection system. The former me would have woken up first and checked his surroundings.”
He smiled wryly and wondered when the last time he slept without being cautious was.
When he opened the window, fresh air from the outside entered the room. While feeling chilly from the cold air, he looked down from the window and he could see the figures of people walking on the street. The pedestrian traffic was sparse, but he felt it was gradually livening up.
Since Bear Point Pavilion was bigger than the surrounding buildings, he could see the townscape outside very well. It was different from the game or program as he was captivated by the townscape.
Because he fell asleep early, there was no sleepiness and he felt refreshed. While looking outside, the sun, which began to rise slowly and the ramparts that covered the town, could be seen.
He watched the town as it was gradually getting enveloped in warm light.
After a while, the sun was up and the number of people on the street started to increase.
Shin also took out equipment such as a jacket and trousers from the Item Box, and changed into them. He went downstairs after locking the room.
On the first floor, there were people who come to eat breakfast like Shin, people who already had breakfast, people who leave and enter the store, and so on.
Based on their appearances, almost everyone here was an adventurer. It seemed that it was not unusual to start mobilizing at sunrise.
“Good morning. Did you have a good night’s sleep yesterday?”
It was Tsugumi who greeted him. She was carrying a tray with a dish.
“Good morning. I woke up perfectly fine today.”
“Then that’s good. Breakfast right? I will prepare it soon so please have a seat.”
“Oh, thank you.”
He took a seat at the table, different from yesterday since he wasn’t eager to gather information early this morning.
The breakfast served was a stew with brown bread. The brown bread was neither too hard nor too soft, like a French bread. The stew was full of colorful vegetables and meat, it was voluminous than it looked.
He looked around and saw everyone dipping the bread into the stew.
“Delicious!”
It seemed to be cooked well. The ingredients of the stew mixed in harmoniously and the taste firmly permeated in the mouth. When combined with the bread, it’s was still delicious.
The unexpected taste made him refill his plate twice. He reflected a little after having eaten too much.
“You sure eat a lot in the morning.”
“So was yesterday, the food here is delicious.”
“You don’t have to say such wonderful words. It’s just a little service for Shin. By the way, you should wait a little more before going to the guild to pick up the guild card.”
“Is there anything going on at this time?”
“It is crowded especially in the morning. When you are a low rank, you might get interrupted and forced to enter a party so you better be careful.”
“That’s sound dangerous. Doesn’t the guild staff stop it?”
“Though they will stop it if they saw it was done in the open, the adventurers who does it has a method to prevent it from leaking out.”
“I see, it’s a situation that I need to get informed about.”
He decided to delay his time while thinking that those who were doing that were definitely petty people. It was not a big deal but he himself didn’t want to get in trouble with them.
“Just don’t rely too much on the guild staff, when in case of emergency, it may not be reliable.”
“I agree.”
“Well, as long as you take your time then it’s good.”
Tsugumi said as she went to take order for a waiting customer at another table.
He was thankful for Tsugumi’s consideration. He decided to kill time for a moment while drinking fruit juice. Because he had some spare time, he continued gathering information like yesterday, this time he observed the equipment and tools of the adventurers.
He noticed that he was casually using rare tools this morning. Nevertheless, he recalled the reason he had forgotten the message before going to sleep. While he was changing clothes and opening the Item Box, it suddenly reminded him of the weapons and tools lined up in Tsuki no Hokora.
There were equipment used by beginners to a few high-grade ones. The equipment for an intermediate person could be counted with one hand. Shin knew an advanced equipment was also included so he was a little regretful. Because of that, he directed his attention to the equipment and forgot about the message.
Although he already saw a lot of adventurers last night, it was easier now since many adventurers were going in and out.
“…………”
While drinking the fruit juice, he glanced at the other side of table.
It seemed that most of the weapons were made from iron and copper. The armors were mostly made from leather or metals like steel, only a few of them had enchantment done.
The quality of the equipment and tool might have also deteriorated since the game era. Shin couldn’t help to think that the equipment was terrible, though it was bad for the adventurers in this world.
It was also his reason choosing the low rank equipment when changing clothes. At present, Shin was wearing ‘Mud Lizard Jacket’ and ‘Demon Spider Thread of Trouser’. Both are using the material from monsters that could be hunted even at level 70. However, the performance for both equipment was 4 times higher than normal, because it was reinforced until the limit was reached.
On his waist hang a katana named ‘Several Strokes’. Several Strokes was the initial weapon that could be obtained when changing job to samurai. Naturally, its performance was low. Most players would sell it or put it in a warehouse when the players level up or even if it was strengthened. Still, the katana had better performance than any of the nearby adventurers that one could easily guessed its quality.
The equipment that Barlux had might be considerably valuable, Shin thought.
Afterwards, 30 minutes already passed after killing some time and gathering information, Shin left the Bear Point Pavillion.
-
While walking on the road to the guild, he observed the town’s appearance. There was not much pedestrian traffic compared to yesterday.
Various stalls started to open at the edge of the road, crowding with people having breakfast and buying lunch. Also, there were a lot of stalls that seemed useful to adventurers – selling armor, magic items, and various tools.
It was an incredible scene as the sun was only been out for two hours.
After window-shopping at the stalls, he walked to the guild. Since a lot of adventurers had weapons, Shin’s weapon didn’t attract attention.
Still, 【Search】 was used to search enemy as a habit and for caution. Shin probably didn’t stop using the skill because there was the matter of the letter of introduction, too.
After walking for 40 minutes, he finally saw the signboard of the adventurer guild. Time taken to reach the guild was increased from yesterday probably because he was avoiding the crowded areas.
As he entered the building, a group of adventurers came out from the door. Though a lot of time passed, he sensed that there were still many people inside.
Celica and an elf lady were at the receptionist desk. He was certain because he could see a pointed ear like Tiera’s. Shin approached the receptionist desk and talked to Celica.
“Good morning. I’m here to get my guild card.”
“Good morning, Shin-sama. Please wait a moment while I go to get your guild card. And, this is Els whom you were looking for. Els, this is Shin-sama whom we talked about just now.”
When Celica introduced him, the elf lady which sat in next to receptionist desk came toward Shin.
“Good morning, Shin-sama. My name is Els Balter. I’m told that Shin-sama has a business with me.”
Els possessed a classic example of elven beauty, and her appearance looked like she was around 24 years of age. Her vivid green hair reached her waist like the trees in the forest. Blue eyes as reminiscent of lakeside. Her height was about 170 cemels. A style and good looks which would put models to shame. Though he had no idea about the preferences of adventurers in this world.
Since he couldn’t stare for too long, Shin immediately averted his eyes.
“This, it’s probably addressed to you.”
Shin said and passed the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora to her after he took it out from Item Box. The anti-theft measure had been removed.
“Addressed…to me…?”
While cocking her head and looking puzzled, she looked over its contents.
Then, her eyes widened momentarily as she read the letter of introduction. It could be said that she had read some unbelievable things in the letter.
“It can’t be…no, but”
Celica looked a little worried over her colleague’s state. And Shin was also anxious about the content because he didn’t know what was written. Though the content must be related to Tiera’s curse, it didn’t concern Shin that much as Tiera seemed to be secretive about it.
Els was very surprised that she mumbled and whispered something, like she had forgotten Shin and Celica was there. Then she returned to her senses and turned her attention to Shin.
“Umm…what?”
Shin flinched at her gaze. His heart was getting restless as he thought of the reason why she was staring at him.
“You…Tiera…thank you. I’m truly grateful.”
As soon as she said that, Els gave a quick bow. For some reason her speech became somewhat different.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand the situation…”
It was too abrupt and incomprehensible for Shin.
“I’m sorry, I seem to be a bit shaken. Celica, please take over for me just for a while. I apologize but this conversation will be confidential from now on. Because we will continue at the back room, that I’m asking you to take over.”
“I understand. I will call another staff to handle the reception for you.”
“Thank you…”
Shin didn’t have any problem with Els’s proposal so he agreed while slightly feeling discouraged.
Shin enter the same room as yesterday. After both of them entered the room, Els closed the door and locked it with a room key and then she sat on the sofa after she had done a ritual.
“Once again let me say thank you. For lifting the Tiera’s curse, thank you very much.”
“Oh, so that was the reason.”
Apparently, Els seemed to have known about the curse of Tiera. It seemed to be written in the letter of introduction.
“Please raise your head, I never intend for it to go out of hand like this.”
“But, I was looking for a solution and still haven’t found a clue. And you did it. So it’s only natural to be grateful.”
There was an item that could remove the curse but it seemed to be that it was hard to obtain. Perhaps she was going to an adventure to find the solution for the curse.
“If possible, please do not exaggerate it too much. Do you normally talk like that?”
“I understand. I will not leak this information in the name of Spirit of the woods. To be honest, not much of subject can be discussed openly. Also I find it most comfortable talking like this. It was written here that the person would not mind it, did that offend you?”
“No, it is good as it is. Was that the only reason why I was brought to this room? Just now what ritual were you doing?”
“That was an eavesdrop prevention magic. Even the guild staff cannot hear my story that I’m going to tell you now. And I have to ask you personally as well.”
Although Shin understand Els had various question from her state, he didn’t want to abuse his advantage as well.
“I’ll say this just in case, I don’t have the answer for everything.”
“I know. However, I could not stand it when I had looked for the solution for the curse for more than 50 years and had not found a single clue.”
It seemed that it was out of curiosity. Not only that, envy and earnest desire feeling seemed to mix in Els’s eyes.
50 years. The time spent was twice more than the time Shin was alive. Even if it was solved, one would indeed want to know the method used.
Besides, there might be another person who would get the curse.
“It wasn’t written in the letter of introduction?”
“It seemed to be written in haste so it wasn’t included. Well, how about this. I will do anything for you as a reward. Will you tell me, please?”
Els leaned forward as she step closer to Shin. Although Shin didn’t feel bad about being approached by a beauty, somehow there was a bloodthirsty aura emitting from her.
Shin didn’t want to hastily open the topic about 【Purification】since he at least not yet have the basic common sense of this world.
However, Els knew about Tiera’s curse, and Tiera wrote it in introduction letter to inform Els. Shin thought it would not be a problem if he told her.
“I understand so please sit down. Before I tell you properly, please calm down for a bit.”
Els sat down again on the sofa while Shin adjusted his sitting posture.
“The method to remove the curse is using the skill, 【Purification】. There are other methods, but this is the most reliable method I know.”
Though he knew that there was an item that could remove the curse, he didn’t say it as he still couldn’t confirm if it existed here.
“【Purification】?…for that skill to have such an effect.”
He could understand the look of frustration on Els.
Because based from Tiera’s story, only high rank priests could acquired the 【Purification】 skill.
“【Purification】 acquisition…no, inherited in this case, how many people have inherited it”
“I don’t know. In the church, only a person with position knows the condition to use 【Purification】 on a body. Moreover, not all of its effects are known. In the first place, it is unheard of a person who is not from the church that can use 【Purification】.”
“What…really?!”
Shin dropped his shoulder as he heard that from Els. He could imagine that it would be quite bad if the church knew he had that skill. That skill, if he were to stand out, it would attract a lot of enemy who would want to inherit that skill.
(I have a bad premonition about this…)
“Please don’t tell it to anyone.”
“Of course. Because I am a skill holder too, the guild is compelled to help me, or I will leave the guild. Therefore, I want you to feel relieved.”
Els said like it was nothing. Shin thought it would be difficult to against humans or organizations but it seemed like he didn’t have to worry.
“Well, as long as I am careful, it will be okay.”
“Even so, it’s a weight off my shoulders thanks to you. Although it was safe, living in that house for years is cruel.”
“I thought so. It was the same reason why I dispelled the curse. Which reminds me, how did you know about the curse? Tiera was even quite hesitant to talk about it.”
“Me and Tiera are from the same village. I became an adventurer and went around the world, it was when I’m on my way back home that I knew about that incident. She was an ordinary elf at that time. She was a girl with beautiful silvery hair.”
“I see.”
“When I came back to the village after hearing that Tiera was cursed, she was already banished. To be honest, I never thought she would still alive after hearing about the curse until I met Schnee.”
A curse that attracted strong monsters, it was almost impossible to survive all alone. In fact, if Schnee didn’t protect her, the survival rate would have dropped to zero.
“She got the curse, and was helped by Schnee…, wasn’t it? Is she lucky or what?”
“It is for Tiera to decide. However, the curse was removed, thanks to you, and I think she can find happiness from now on.”
“You are right. It not for us to be the judge. So the story ends here. Is there anything else you want to ask?”
“None, what I wanted to ask, you had already answered. I’m sorry if it had taken your precious time.”
“It’s okay. Els’ feelings, I can understand it a bit.”
He wasn’t too conscious of the time as 30 minutes had elapsed while he was listening quietly to Els’ story.
When they left the reception room and returned to the receptionist desk, Celica and another miss receptionist was talking. The receptionist rose when she noticed Els and went up to the second floor after making a quick bow.
“Are you done?”
“Yes, we have finished our conversation.”
“I’m sorry, Celica. And thank you for this favor.”
After saying her thanks, Els started to attend to the request brought by adventurers at the receptionist desk.
Part 2
“Then, Shin-sama, this is your guild card. Please be careful not to lose it, because it also serves as a proof of your rank. And a fee of 10 J silver coins is needed to reissue the card in case it gets lost.”
“I understand.”
Shin accepted the guild card from Celica. The card had his name, rank, affiliation, party described on it. He recalled Cilica’s explanation that the description couldn’t be seen unless a specific tool was used.
“Do you want to take on a request now?”
A bulletin board with requests posted on it was seen. As for rank G requests, something like collecting stuff and other miscellaneous duties were often found. They were less dangerous and therefore less rewarding. Still, the average reward was 1 J silver coin, which seemed to be highly paid.
“How about this? Can I take this request?”
He tore off a request posted on the bulletin board and took it to the receptionist desk. Shin intended to raise his rank by at least one. Still, Celica didn’t say anything about how he had the lowest rank even if she had the information of his rank.
“This request please.”
“This is to collect Hillock Herbs. Because this request is always given, there is no time limit. The reward will be 1 J silver coin per 30 pieces.”
“If I gather 60 of them, will I get 2 J silver coins?”
“Yes, There is always a demand for Hillock Herb, because it’s an ingredient in a potion. Are you okay with this request?”
“Yes, please. Oh, is there a picture book that shows the Hillock Herb?”
“Yes, there is. Please wait a moment.”
Actually, he already saw it in the game, but he decided to confirm its appearance to make sure. The book that Celica brought over from the bookshelf behind the reception was as thick as a dictionary.
She placed the book on the reception desk and exhaled in a small voice.
“Phew, this is a plant encyclopedia. And Hillock Herb…here it is.”
He confirmed the Hillock Herb while thanking Celica who took the trouble of opening the book and find it for him. The plant’s appearance didn’t seem to have changed. Its height was about 10 – 15 cemels with jagged leaves. He was hoping that it wouldn’t be difficult to gather 30 grown plants.
“It grows in the eastern and the northern forest.”
According to the book, Hillock Herb grew in the eastern and the northern forest, especially in the depths of the forest.
“Please be careful as people have been lost in the depth of the forest while searching for Hillock Herbs. You might also get attacked by ferocious monsters if you advance too far.”
“I’ll be careful.”
There were some things better left unsaid. When he went to ‘Tsuki no Hokora’, he had already crossed the eastern forest. The ferocious monsters that he had slaughtered were used to pay for his stay at the inn.
“Take care.”
Said Celica as Shin departed from the guild.
Shin walked toward the east gate, while wondering whether or not he should buy a map .
-
――In the guild’s lounge room.
Els and Celica had just finished tidying up some documents and were talking about Shin while drinking tea.
“Celica, do you know who that person is, just now?”
“Come to think of it, I don’t know much about him yet. Although one might say I know him, I don’t have much information about him either.”
Shin had only arrived at the guild yesterday, so Celica didn’t know much about him yet. Since he held the letter of introduction, she told Els about his match with Barlux.
“Are you saying the ‘Blue Wolf’ was dealt with easily? Though, even I can understand that he is a considerably strong person.”
Because Celica was her colleague, she talked with her in a comfortable tone. She was originally like that, so it was not a problem for Els to communicate with in her this way. But she had to make sure not to talk like that in public, only when the two of them were alone.
By the way, ‘Blue Wolf’ seemed to refer to Barlux.
There was not much known about that person――Shin.
As Celica introduced Shin to her, Els said something related to her ‘Official Title’.
“Indeed, no wonder I couldn’t see it.”
Els nodded as she understood the story from Celica.
“Is it true, that it wasn’t seen?”
Celica looked at Els in disbelief.
Els was one of the executives with power next to the sub-master within the guild. Els was a skill 【Analyze • Ⅶ】 holder, and at the same time, she held the title ‘Observer’. Therefore, she could even see through the name and level of people whose levels were higher than hers. A fake name could be seen through immediately by her. In fact, Barlux’s level was seen through at the first glance.
When Els said she couldn’t see through Shin, one would wonder who on earth he was.
She didn’t even know if his name, Shin, was true.
“Well, there is no need to worry about it too much. I don’t think Tiera would have handed a letter of introduction to a bad person.”
“Blue Wolf also had the same opinion. Just a little different.”
Celica muttered while remembering the mysterious sense of security she felt from Shin.
“Different…is he? Certainly, his ability and the atmosphere around him don’t match, it’s actually odd…”
“Indeed. How do I say this? It felt somewhat like a sense of security.”
Both of them stopped talking, with a good mood around them.
“I don’t know (I guess)…”
The more they thought about Shin, the more his image became blurred.
In the past, even when they felt uneasy, there was never a time when both of their hearts got riled up.
After he left the guild, Shin went toward the east gate without stopping. At first, he went along the main road, then he changed his path and entered the woods. The eastern forest was a place where rookie adventurers entered routinely. It looked like a place where almost none of the ferocious monsters came forth.
When he happened to pass through the gate, Beid informed him about this. He said that several rookies went to the eastern forest today. Beid was a guard at the south gate yesterday, but apparently the guard would rotate after a certain period of time. He seemed to be guarding the east gate now for a while.
Easy quests could be done in 30 minutes in the game. He planned to finish this quickly, and then go to a library afterwards. Shin hastened his pace.
Even if the place was said to be fine for rookies to enter, the forest was dark and filled with trees. Beid said that there were only low-level demons or wild beasts, but it was still frightening for Shin as he was not yet accustomed to it.
Without putting too much trust in the information, he looked for the Hillock Herb cautiously.
If Shin’s memory was correct, it should grow in places the sunlight easily gets to.
Since he heard that the Hillock Herb could be harvested easily, he thought that he could finish quickly.
-
“…This isn’t it.”
He had entered the forest 3 hours ago.
“…This isn’t it either!”
Number of harvests… zero.
“…Noooo!!”
Not a single Hillock Herb was found yet.
It had been a while since he entered the forest triumphantly. Despite walking with the reliance of his memory, he wasn’t able to find even one herb.
“It’s strange…No matter how much I look for it, not even one can be found.”
It was strange because he had been slowly going deeper into the forest to find some. There were no signs of adventurers around so it was not likely that someone picked them all before him.
“Should I go a little deeper?”
The information from the encyclopedia stated that it was easier to find them deeper in the forest. Naturally, the surroundings became darker and the signs of wild animals could be felt everywhere.
He devoted himself to search for the plant without any encounters with monsters. As he advanced a little more, he went towards places monsters didn’t go to, and looked at the surroundings.
Even with a full search, he couldn’t find an open place where the sunlight hit the ground. Though he searched for likely places one after another, there were no signs of them, instead there were bushes and tree roots everywhere.
“I’m feeling hungry…”
The sun was already high in the sky, so it was about afternoon. He had walked forever and his stomach was growling because he hadn’t eaten lunch.
“Should I eat some food?”
Because his hunger was near the limit, and as a change of mood, he decided to have lunch.
He put his lunch from the ‘Item Box’ on a stump and began to eat. On the menu was hot dog and cola. The food items stored in the ‘Item Box’ do not rot as time progresses. He entered the forest without buying food beforehand, because he could store food items in his ‘Item Box’.
Though the food originally had special effects such as stats rise or HP recovery and so forth, somehow those areas were unavailable, so the effect couldn’t be felt.
In addition, there were various other luxurious food items but they seemed to be treated as normal food. Even if it had special effect, there might be no time to eat the food while fighting a monster.
“Mmm, myum, fuu… Well then, shall I search for it?”
Without wasting any time, he finished his lunch. A characteristic of junk food was being able to eat it fast. He ate it quickly because he could be in trouble if a wild animal and a monster came, tempted by the smell.
Though he went to search for the Hillock Herb again, it still could not be found.
Another 3 hours later, after he ate lunch, it was rather refreshing; he had still found nothing. The Hillock Herb might just have been picked exhaustively, thought Shin.
After one more hour, Shin decided to return to the inn because he was tired. Though it was possible to go on physically, he felt mental fatigue after not being able to find what he was looking for.
When he arrived at the gate, the guards had been changed. It seemed that the guards took turns and patrolled in a rotational fashion.
He found Beid among the soldiers who returned from patrol and exchanged a few words while he confirmed Shin’s guild card.
“Yo, you look tired. Did you find what you were looking for?”
“The thing is, I went to the eastern forest to gather Hillock Herb, but I have searched for it all day long and haven’t found one…”
“Oioi, that herb can be found easily if you look for it properly. I saw several rookies return with it today. It was harvested well.”
“WH…WHAT…?”
Other rookies were harvesting well. Shin was shocked as he was struck by the words.
“I think everyone returned in the morning…You, surely you weren’t searching for it for a full day, right?”
“…Yes…”
He covered his face with his palms and dropped his shoulders. Shin was an SS rank adventurer during the time of the game. His pride was shattered here even if he knew this was a different world.
“Well, that, what can I say. Cheer up.”
“Ku, your encouraging words sting my eyes.”
Since Beid too didn’t know Hillock Herbs couldn’t be found there, without knowing, only mundane words came out.
“Well, this is just your luck, I guess. I don’t think today is your day, but you can try again tomorrow.”
“It is so…should I go deeper into the forest tomorrow?”
“Don’t go too far into the forest. Though you won’t do such blunder, a lot of rookies die easily because they advance too far into the depths.”
“I understand. See you.”
He understood Beid’s worry, too. And there was no need to hurry as there was no time limit. Yet, there was this psychology of person who wanted to find something when it was not found before. When it came to this, Shin had begun to make a plan regarding his trip to the northern forest tomorrow.
-
The next day.
Shin awoke at dawn and immediately started to mobilize.
He checked his equipment, had breakfast in the Bear Point Pavilion and pushed his way through the crowded area. On the way, he stopped by at a secondhand shop and purchased a simple map that showed the area around the kingdom. Yesterday he thought he was going to return quickly, so he didn’t buy one. Even though it was a map depicting the kingdom and the surrounding area, it was only a rough sketch. Because he didn’t want to explore the kingdom yet, he decided to purchase it only if the map had a record of the northern forest.
After leaving the secondhand shop, Shin walked towards the gate. He saw a crowd there. “Is something going on over there?” Shin thought as he approached.
There was a barely identifiable vehicle which looked like a carriage. A coachman entered from the gate and several adventurers followed behind the carriage. Though the coachman seemed to be unhurt, the adventurers seemed to suffer from serious injuries. They helped each other as one of the less heavily injured adventurers lent his shoulder to one missing an arm. Anyone would agree that they had barely escaped with their lives based on their appearance.
“What happened?”
This kind of crowd loved to watch the strange group, but no one tried to be concerned. He only stared at the guards listening to the story from a distance.
(Their levels are 131, 129, 118, and 134.)
The knight leader was level 188. Assuming the ability of the knight leader was rank A, they would probably be rank C or D adventurers.
There were scratches on both the adventurers’ armor and on the carriage, one could guess it was done with sharp tools. But it would be too hasty to conclude they were attacked by thieves or robbers, because there was a huge cut on the roof of the carriage.
After a while, the curious spectators started to scatter, and the adventurers were left to be treated.
As Shin approached the gate, he talked to Beid.
“Hey Beid, what happened to that group just now?”
“Hmm? Oh Shin. They were attacked by a monster and escaped.”
It wasn’t an attack by thieves or robbers after all.
“I see. Did you ask what they were attacked by?”
“I was told not to speak carelessly. Well, I think it will be alright if it’s you. But anyway, it will be known soon.”
“Is he an important person?”
What kind of monster it was that caused the guard to be alerted, he would have to wait for Beid’s words to make sure.
“…It’s a Skull Face. You’ve heard the rumors too, right?”
“Ah, I certainly have…if I’m not mistaken, it appeared at the northern forest.”
“Yes, it has. Because there were hardly any eyewitness reports, it was thought to be a Pawn class, but, apparently, it was a Jack class. “
“Jack class…How many people were in that party?”
“Two parties with full members, 12 people in total. As you can see, only four survived.”
“I see…”
The level of a Jack • Skull Face was around 150 ~ 250. The average level of the adventurers’ party earlier was probably around 120. If 12 people couldn’t defeat it, despite the adventurers’ equipment, it was reasonable to think that the Jack • Skull Face was beyond level 200.
“All high-ranking adventurers are out now. Depending on the case, the guild master or the knight leader will come out.”
“If you think about the level, it’s an adequate move. Hmm? Will the princess go out as well? She is pretty strong.”
He recalled that the second princess exceeded level 200 and asked Beid.
“I hope not…No matter how strong she is, this is royal family you’re talking about.”
“No, when I heard about the princess, I thought of someone who is crazy about fighting. Even the Horn Dragon will be defeated by her.”
“Ah…that…”
In contrast to yesterday, it was now Beid’s turn to do a facepalm and drop his shoulders. Apparently, it was a topic that should not be touched.
“For now, just avoid approaching the northern forest, right?”
“I expect you to understand but be careful.”
He hurriedly left toward the eastern forest. A worker of the kingdom also had hard times.
He crossed the range of his search in the eastern forest yesterday, and proceeded to the depth of the forest at once. Even though he knew monsters were wandering around from 【Search】, he didn’t worry about it as the monsters could be easily defeated by him.
He strolled into the depths of the forest looking for Hillock Herb. According to the information from the encyclopedia, it should be easier to find in the depths of the forest. And he already discovered several pieces of them growing. The current number in possession was 13 pieces. Still, he hadn’t reached half the goal yet.
After strolling for about two hours and still couldn’t find more than 13 pieces, he decided to go to the northern forest. It could be said that the eastern forest and the northern forest were connected with one main road. So he entered the northern forest and went straight to the depth via the route to the west.
He saw a road after walking for a while. Two carriages could pass by another, as that was the width of the road.
The adventurers were probably attacked by the Skull Face around here, Shin guessed. The roof from the cutout was lying on the side of the road. And puddles of blood and pieces of armor were seen everywhere. No corpses were found as the wild animals and monsters already disposed of them.
“In this world, is a Skull Face a powerful enemy?…”
He muttered while looking at the remains of the carriage. It would no longer be a habitable place for humans if a Jack class Skull Face was that strong, Shin thought.
“It’s no use to think about it now.”
He discarded the thought he had in his mind and entered the northern forest.
As for the northern forest, the trees grow denser together here than in the eastern forest. The sunlight was decreased by more than half, so it was fairly dark despite it being daytime. Just going straight required Shin to be cautious. As Shin walked deeper, he sighed seeing how he would have a hard time looking for the Hillock Herb. Unlike the eastern forest, a lot of monsters lived in the northern forest.
The map had a function that displayed a red or yellow marker. When he combined the search operation skill with the map, Shin could know how many monsters were hiding in a certain radius around him.
He didn’t want to kill unnecessarily, but he would counter-attack if monsters attacked him. He wondered how long he would last while fighting with 【Limit】.
Unlike the situation when he fought against Barlux, he, without taking any consideration, dealt a single blow to a monster and sent it flying. Although he wasn’t surprised because it also happened when he went to ‘Tsuki no Hokora’, he didn’t know the extent that his maximum offensive power had risen to. He only understood his stats from before he got transported here, but not since his stats had doubled.
He had no choice but to use a support skill, 【Limit】 at maximum level Ⅹ.
【Limit】 was a skill that was made so that a beginner and a high level player could play together. If the skill level was raised by one(from level 2 to level 3), the skill would limit the stats to 1/3 of their original value, instead of only halving it. As a result, the players could still play together despite the difference in level and stats.
Even though there was a method to check the changes of physical strength according to the stat rises, he couldn’t take action as it could destroy the surrounding area. Incidentally, the limitation was also executed as a danger-preventative measure for the accomplishment of the request.
Currently, the maximum stats value for Shin’s STR was 223, which was 1/10 of his original STR, because of 【Limit】. The others stats value were still intact. This was the STR stats value of a human without any reincarnation at level 255.3
By the way, 【Limit • Ⅰ】 didn’t restrict the stats as it was 1/1 from original stats. The lowest level of this skill provides no change, while the highest level restricts a stat to 1/10 of it’s original value.
Why only STR? It’s because he was experimenting on how much damage a monster could deal to an ordinary human. It was also to avoid suspicion from other members if he joined a party.
…To prevent himself from carelessly changing the surrounding terrain by using an all out attack, was also one of the implications.
Since there were numerous monsters, he only fought them while searching for Hillock Herb because it was useless to hunt all of the monsters. While thinking that, he wished he had the skill to search for an item.
As he went further into the depth of the forest, he was able to find more Hillock Herbs.
Currently, the number in possession was 29 pieces. Only one more was needed to complete the request. Alright, just one more! Shin was getting fired up as he walked carefully in the forest. At that time, he detected a marker which made a strange move on the map that progressed to the edge of the map view.
The color was red. And that was the color that indicated a hostile existence.
But, the red marker didn’t move much from the place, instead it was moving in zig-zag line in a range of 10 mels.
“What is this?”
He was drawn to the current movement of the marker which had awakened his curiosity. He started to advance towards the direction of the marker with the help of the map, so that he could take a look at the situation.
The movement of the marker stopped for a few minutes while Shin moved closer. Then he waited and looked from the shadow of a tree.
Shin stood still as he was at a loss for words when he saw the figure.
Before his eyes, there was a figure of Jack • Skull Face. While its big body was only bones, it was twice as big as the Pawn class, its height was about 3 mels or more. It was fully equipped from gauntlet to armor and wore a helmet on its head. In addition, it had a round shield with diameter of 1 mel equipped in its left hand, and held a 2 mels long greatsword in its right.
The equipment it was wearing was all in one color, solid black, except for the greatsword. It couldn’t be compared to the Pawn class which was equipped with a rusted sword and worn-out gauntlets.
A dim purple flame could be seen in each of its bony eye sockets, and its whole body emitted a black smoke which could be called a negative aura.
It had the presence of an undead military commander who had returned from hell. It was a Skull Face of the Jack class.
The dwellers of this world would be frozen in fear if they looked at this existence.
However, that was not the reason why Shin stood still and was at loss for words. To begin with, a Jack • Skull Face was just small fry for Shin. Then why did he look at the enemy without starting to attack?
It was because,
“Why is the Skull Face breakdancing?”
Shin’s words spoke for themselves.
Undead monsters held grudges towards all living things, they were existences that would drag any living things to the dead side. Its appearance made any person who saw it feel fear, its body didn’t feel fatigue so as to lavish death upon its surroundings. There existed a group of undead monsters in THE NEW GATE, and the Skull Face was said to be its representative.
It was never an existence that was meant to breakdance in the depth of the forest.
“It’s surreal…too surreal. Do you like to dance that much? You?”
Around the Skull Face, there were no trees, and if seen from above a big hole opened in the forest. Which was not surprising, as the Skull Face wore armor and the breakdance was done while equipped with both sword and shield. Hence, the grass was mown down by the shield, the big trees were cut down by the greatsword, and the ground was scooped out by the ruggedness of the armor.
In the first place, there was the question of whether it was possible to breakdance while wearing armor, but that question was dismissed as the Skull Face had done it.
Shin revealed a trace of pity on his face.
Somehow he even felt indescribably guilty for having looked at something that he shouldn’t have.
However, such thoughts of Shin’s dissipated instantly after the Skull Face revealed its true color.
The sound of liquid splashing reached Shin’s ears. As he shifted his attention to a big tree there, the trunk of the large tree was stained with red 《・・・》 liquid.
Shin immediately observed the appearance of the Skull Face. The greatsword that resounded while cutting through the air, the armor that covered its skeleton body, the shield that mowed down the grass, all of them were stained in the same colored liquid as the tree-trunks.
As he shifted his line of sight a bit, there were corpses of monsters that were sliced in half lying around. The Skull Face was his opponent after all, no more discussion needed.
The Skull Face that appeared in the northern forest. Attacked adventurers. Dry blood that stuck to the greatsword and blood that was still dripping. There was no need for a conviction. Even so, Shin was not so optimistic as to think that the Skull Face wasn’t attacking the adventurers, so letting it roam free wasn’t possible.
He regained control of his thought process. His blurred face tightened, and the atmosphere changed from slacked to sharp.
“I don’t want to be fooled in this situation.”
He muttered while not neglecting the task of gathering information on the opponent. It was dangerous to think that the world remained unchanged since the game ended.
In fact, 30 cemels wide big trees were slashed – that didn’t seem like a joke. There was no point in lowering his guard either.
“Should I start?”
Shin unsheathed his katana and waited for the right timing. And the moment the Skull Face’s back was facing Shin, he took his stance and decreased the distance between them in a split second.
He drew his katana as the distance between them shrank, and targeted a brandish skill at the Skull Face’s defenseless back.
Moderate damage could be dealt by surprise attacks from behind, though Skull Faces generally had a tolerance for slashing attacks.
However, his expectations failed him.
The moment Shin’s katana swung toward the back of the Skull Face, as if it sensed the danger, the Skull Face flung its left arm against the ground and accelerated its rotation with the force of the recoil. Then the Skull Face began to counter-attack with its greatsword.
“What is this!?”
Shin ran past the Skull Face without losing momentum, and escaped from the range of the counter-attack.
It was no wonder that Shin was astounded. A level 250 Skull Face wouldn’t do a strange movement like the one just now. The flowing defense and the counter-attack with its sword. Moreover, it didn’t break its pose even after that. It was a movement that was not possible during in the game.
But the Skull Face’s appearance was that of a skeleton to begin with, so it’s movements weren’t restricted by joint or muscle.
Shin couldn’t hide his surprise at the unimaginable fighting power of the Skull Face.
“What is that movement? Those are not the movements of a Skull Face.”
The breakdance in itself was weird, but now he couldn’t make any sense of it.
“Even its level is strange. Besides, that sword is not supposed to be with a Skull Face.”
He looked at the Skull Face while fixing his posture. According to 【Analyze • Ⅹ】 , the Skull Face’s level was 359. Let alone Jack class, it jumped over Queen straight to King class.
In addition, the sword that it held was the problem. Humans wouldn’t be able to handle the greatsword if they weren’t using both of their hands. Besides the dazzling ornaments on the hilt, the sword blade emitted a silver shine and a blue line traveled along its center. It was likely a demon steel that was harder than iron and was combined with mithril which had good compatibility with magic. A portion of the blade’s edge shined with a strong, white light.
The white light revealed the sword’s light attribute. It had the atmosphere that could be compared to a holy sword.It was not a weapon that an undead monster would hold no matter what, as it had the opposite attribute.
“I think it’s reasonable to think of it as a unique monster.”
He raised his alertness level by one stage. Unique monsters often had a different attribute and ability from the original. But even Shin hadn’t heard of a monster that had the attribute of its own weak point.
The Skull Face now stood with both feet on the ground as it recognized Shin as a powerful enemy. Pulling its weapon and shield backwards slightly, it took on a stance. That was obviously the movement of a person who had mastered fencing, but there was a clear distinction as the Skull Face could only do repeated attacks.
“That dance didn’t seem to be a joke either!!”
While muttering he again charged toward the Skull Face, this time directly to its left side which held the shield.
Again, he closed the distance instantly with the unsheathed katana and aimed at the opponent’s left ankle.
“Seissh!!”
A flash was seen on the Skull Face’s left ankle.
Even though the Skull Face also reacted to attack by defending with its shield, it couldn’t prevent the calamity because of the differences in their physique and the size of its shield.
“Kin!” The sound of metal rubbing against metal resounded in the air, metal resounded, and Shin distanced himself from the greatsword. The Skull Face would begin attacking Shin with its greatsword while ignoring its own defense when it couldn’t dodge.
The greatsword was swung down in the place toward Shin, and he dodged as he judged that it was too dangerous to take the blow head on. The ground was split about 3 mels by the slashing of the greatsword.
“I’ve never heard of that weapon before, is it rare or unique grade?”
The attack range of its weapon was increased with magic. From Shin’s view, this was an ordinary attack, but the weapon of the monster originally didn’t have this ability. Not to forget that the Skull Face could also make acrobatic moves.
As for the Skull Face, it didn’t care about the dubious Shin and started its revenge with its greatsword. Its left ankle was cut in half from the blow before, however it wouldn’t be a serious problem for it since it didn’t feel any pain. As if there was no ankle from the start, it just thrust its left foot on the ground and let out a strong side sweep.
Shin ran toward the Skull Face and invoked a sword skill, 【Dazzling Blade Sink】. The katana hit the blade of the greatsword near the hilt, as he eluded the side sweep.
Then he activated a martial art skill for fencing, 【Crushed Blade】 in a flash.
The skill was usually used to deal damage to opponents that have slashing attack tolerance. And the attack crushed the Skull Face’s armor.
――Again, it was not as he expected.
“Seriously!?”
It was understandable that Shin was astonished.
The katana attack from Shin was successfully dodged by the Skull Face. Just as the blade was about to hit, the Skull Face did a back step and the katana missed its body. Though the attack broke the armor, it didn’t do much damage to its body.
It moved as if it knew that the katana attack was a powerful slash. Even if Shin didn’t take it seriously, it was already abnormal for it to follow his movement up until then.
“GeeEEEEaaaaAAAAAAAA――――――!!!!”
The scream that resounded from the Skull Face could be misinterpreted as the crooked groan of a beast. It was the voice of resentment that would make any person feel discomfort when they heard it.
Even Shin frowned after being screamed at from close range. There was no special effect, but the loud sound would instigate fear on all living things.
He immediately resuscitated himself and jumped backwards. The HP gauge of the Skull Face only decreased a little, since the attack only hit the armor so the damage was only minimal. If the attack didn’t reach the core of the Skull Face, heavy damage could not be dealt.
“Man, why do I meet a strange monster this early?”
He muttered a half astonished and half praising sentence following the Skull Face’s movement.
As he look at his own katana, he noticed several cracks on its blade.
A durability value was set to weapons and armor. When it dropped to zero, it would make the weapons and armor unusable.
Currently, Several Stroke’s durability was already below 30%. Since Skull Face’s weapon was strong, it probably damaged the katana’s blade when they clashed.
“I can only do one more attack at most. Then, I will try this!”
Shin and Skull Face. The lone man and his surroundings, cruelly destroyed by the Skull Face. He changed his posture into a different one from earlier.
He put his left foot in front and bent slightly forward. He pulled his katana while lowering it to his waist.
And he muttered.
“【Limit • Off】”
The suppressed ability or stat was released from the skill’s effect.
Even ordinary people could sense the transformation in Shin.
The katana he held in his hand was channeled with energy and “Gishiri” sounds were made.4
“GuUUuuuUUuUuUUU――――――――”
It seemed that Shin’s transformation caused the Skull Face to be vigilant. As it groans in deep tone, it hold the shield in front, and took a posture that emphasized defense.
Shin admired the Skull Face’s movement while he was charging energy into his katana.
“Shhh!!”
While exhaling short breaths and concentrating energy in his katana, he brandished it.
He left an afterimage as he rushed into the Skull Face and struck a single blow.
Two sounds were heard, “Ki” and “Gin”. Then Shin’s figure vanished from in front of the Skull Face.
Two changes took place.
One, Shin’s katana was shattered, left only its hilt.
Two, the greatsword of the Skull Face was blasted away and disappeared into the sky.
Among the two sounds echoing in the surroundings, the “Ki” sound was the blow of Shin hitting the shield. The clear “Kin” sound was made when he cut through the core of the Skull Face together with its armor. And the following “Gin” sound was produced as Shin’s katana and the Skull Face’s greatsword clashed together.
The greatsword was not broken as it durability value was very high, but Skull Face’s hand couldn’t withstand the impact, so the sword was thrown up into the sky.
The core was cut in half and Skull Face’s HP gauge was drained entirely, and left were mere bones. It hard to associated the scattered bones with the intense combat just a few minute ago.
“I knew this weapon wouldn’t last long.”
He sighed while staring at Several Stroke’s hilt. It was a powerful single blow, but it still wasn’t his maximum power. Though the big trees behind the Skull Face fell down just now as an aftereffect of the attack, he placed the hilt inside the ‘Item Box’ like it was only natural.
“The greatsword from a little while ago seems good.”
He looked up in the direction the sword flew, but all he saw was a clear, wide and blue sky and he didn’t know where the sword flew to.
Though he didn’t expect that the sword would be blown off too far, he could only pray that it didn’t hit a person.
“…Should I return?”
Anyway, he wasn’t in the mood to search for Hillock Herbs anymore after all that.
Because there were jewels among the bones, so he collected them before he left.
After Shin got out of the forest, he began to walk toward the gate and thought that he had better to report about the Skull Face case to the guild.
Without knowing that the greatsword caused a commotion in the kingdom,
Shin left the northern forest and had returned to the east gate.
He noticed that the gate area was noisy as he walked closer.
“Is there something going on?”
No curious spectators gathered like yesterday, it was just the guards who seemed to be asking for information from the passerby. Seemingly, only the people entering the country got questioned.
Although he could enter without waiting in line as adventurers have guild cards, he wanted to listen to the story one by one. So he lined up and waited for his turn to come.
When the distance to the gate gradually decreased, he could listen to the guards’ and adventurers’ voices.
“Northern forest…eastern forest…shadow, flew…?”
Only a fragment of the conversation could be heard, but he couldn’t expel the bad feelings from his mind.
As the distance diminished, he summarized the story he heard clearly together. The residents of the town witnessed a mysterious object flying in the sky. Furthermore, it seems to have fallen into the royal castle. The eyewitnesses saw it was flying, but couldn’t determine if it came from the northern or eastern forest and no one knew what circumstances behind it as the investigation proceed.
(Mysterious flying object…it is the sword after all…)
He remembered the greatsword that was blown away. But he didn’t know which way or in which direction it flew as he concentrated on the battle.
His feet were getting heavier the closer he got to the gate.
“Yo Shin.”
“Yo Beid, has something happened?”
He replied to Beid as if nothing had happened. He wanted to believe that the mysterious flying object was not the greatsword.
People called this an escapism.
“To tell you the truth, a sword has flown toward the royal castle. From the investigation we had, it was either from the north or from the east. Didn’t you go to eastern forest? Did you saw anything?”
“…No, I didn’t see it. Were there any injuries?”
From the story, no people were hurt, as the sword fell and stuck to the castle wall. Good grief, it was absurd that a sword flew over the rampart.”
“It’s a good thing that no one got hurt.”
He breathed a sigh of relief at the words of no human injury.
“Let’s confirm the direction firmly.”
He made a promise to himself at that moment.
“Huh? What?”
“No, It’s nothing. May I go now?”
“Ah, Please tell the soldier who does the investigation if you remember anything.”
“Roger that.”
He left the gate with a quick pace while maintaining his poker face. He walked until the gate was out of sight and loosened his pace as he let out a sigh.
“Haa, why did it land at the royal castle out of all places?”
Already on the third day in this different world, he had a hunch that the country was already determined to be his opponent. It was very likely that he was gonna be charged with treason for attacking the royal family. Frankly speaking, it was very bad.
Even though there was no evidence that lead to Shin, when he reported about the Skull Face to the guild, the doubt would be shifted toward him somehow.
“Why did it happen this way…”
It wouldn’t always go the way he wanted in life.
Part 3
Shin set aside his worry and headed toward the guild. Though the rumor about the Skull Face was true, they hadn’t heard about it. In addition, the Jack • Skull Face basically has several Pawn class subordinates, so he couldn’t assert that it became safe just because the Jack class was subjugated.
Shin had been searching for enemies in the surrounding area when he left the battle location, but there were no signs of other monsters in the surroundings. Did it act alone? Or were its subordinates swallowed up by the dance and sliced into pieces? It was very likely the latter if one looked at the Skull Face’s actions. It was not a movement that could distinguish between friend or foe.
Even a normal adventurer of this world could handle a Pawn class monster, so there was no problem if it was revealed to be Pawn class. But the story was different in case of a unique monster like the Jack class. From Beid’s way of speaking, he seemed not to worried, because a Jack class monster didn’t came forth very often.
Nevertheless, would it end with only a mere unique monster appearance this time? It was the anxiety of Shin, who was ignorant about this world.
That said, the current Shin didn’t understand it no matter how much he thought about it. He thought about whether he should ask Els or Celica again about that situation and opened the guild door.
The guild was the most crowded place Shin had ever seen. The place where adventurers assemble, was crowded with adventurers who were armed with swords and spears, and wore armor and robes.
Besides the anxious feelings, the place generally had a feeling of excitement to it. There were some unusual people who didn’t seem to be agitated.
“This is somewhat imposing.”
Although there were many people, the receptionist desk was not crowded, so he decided to report it at once. Conveniently, Celica was at the receptionist desk. Shin was saved from trouble because the contents of his report were more or less better told to a person he knew.
“Hello. I have something I need to report.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Shin-sama. The report?”
“It was about the Skull Face. However to be sure, how much is known by now?”
“Tsu!…the Skull Face is known to be Jack class, it’s been reported from surviving adventurers that the Skull Face holds a weapon that is stronger than normal. Every individual confirmed it in general. The Pawn class subordinates are not confirmed yet. Currently, subjugation requests have been issued. It became top priority, because the place in question is near the kingdom. Various A and S ranks are all out because of the situation, and are getting ready to set up a front party with B ranks and below.”
It seemed that its battle style was not known. But it was the information regarding the weapon that Shin was anxious about.
“The weapon is stronger than normal?”
“Rather than a common greatsword, the Skull Face’s sword is around twice as big.”
“…It’s a greatsword, huh? Any other information about the sword?”
“No, that’s all we know for now.”
The information about the sword had already circulated after all. As expected, the adventurers who survived the battle did not forget the weapon of the enemy. However, the greatsword which that Jack class was using should have been charged with light magic of the light attribute. Why was there no information about that?
“…In summary, it is a Jack class with a larger than usual weapon, right?”
“Yes. The level is presumed to be at least 200 or more.”
“…………”
Hmm, Shin pondered. That was not the answer Shin wanted to hear, he wanted to know whether or not the greatsword was charged with light magic. But from Celica’s story it seemed like the weapon of the Jack class was just a mere greatsword. Because he expected that a magic bestowed weapon would be rare, he was in danger of being suspected to have a connection with the sword that flew into the royal castle if he unskillfully mentioned it.
The idea of a totally different Skull Face appeared in Shin’s mind, but the idea of two Skull Faces would only make uproar if he mentioned it. Besides, was there such a thing like two Jack • Skull Face with similar greatswords appearing at the same time in the same place?
“Uhm, Shin-sama?”
“Ah, sorry. Just slightly lost in thought.”
Celica was slightly worried, because Shin had pondered while his facial expression showed a serious look. According to Celica’s judgment, Shin was one of the few people with fighting power equal to the S class. If such a person was making a serious face when hearing the information about the Skull Face, it couldn’t be helped that she became uneasy.
“What are you thinking about?…”
“Well, I was thinking about what kind of items Skull Faces drop.”
Shin thought about the greatsword, about whether or not it was charged with light magic and what kind of questions he should ask to find out, but could not say it. Instead, he decided to ask about the item drop.
“Item drops? Uhm, If I remember correctly, it drops a jewel, worn-out armor and a sword, which can be sold at moderate prices, I think…”
“Oh, is that so. Iyaa, I completely forgot about that, hahaha”
Shin behaved cheerily so that the lie he told wouldn’t be exposed, but by all odds, he behaved suspiciously.
However, Celica didn’t notice Shin’s strange behavior because a Skull Face of the Jack class was a formidable opponent, so she wasn’t worried about the item drop. In the guild, a senile looking man laughed unnaturally as he replied to a woman, which was an out of place scene.
“That reminds me, what kind of case would Shin-sama like to report?”
“Oops, sorry. It’s an important matter. I want to report that the Jack • Skull Face in the northern forest was killed by me. Ah, this is the jewel which I recovered at the time.”
“Really? Skull Face…Skull…that…?…uhm, was it Pawn class?…”
“No, it was a Jack class. It had a greatsword too.”
“…………”
Celica’s movement became awkward as she tried to take out the document like usual after hearing Shin’s words. Somehow she managed to return a question about whether she misheard Shin’s words, but said question was denied plainly. It was so surprising that no words came out.
“…………”
“…………”
“…Errr, Celica-san?”
“Eh? Ah!? So-sorry! I was surprised for a moment.”
Celica pulled herself together and apologized in a hurry. That caused her tone to return to normal.
“Is it that surprising?”
“No, not at all!? At least an A rank with considerable ability is necessary to subjugate the Skull Face of Jack class alone. Please do not say it like it was a trivial thing!”
“Uhm, sorry?”
“I knew Shin-sama was a strong person…but subjugating it alone on the day the request is issued is unheard of.”
“That encounter was a coincidence though…”
“Still, normally a person would return first and report it to the guild, then attack after they firmly prepared. I think only few people would think of attacking it on the spot.”
“I see. No, but certainly my weapon is like this.”
The sword, which was mostly just a hilt, was shown. During the fight, when he heard the crack, the katana’s blade was already in a sorry state. In other words, its state was currently worse than a bamboo sword.
“Ha!? Has it shattered!”
“I only managed to keep this little part.”
“What kind of absurdity did you do!?”
“Wha!? Celica-san, too close! Too close!”
He held Celica’s shoulders to stop her from approaching any closer and climbing over the counter while her expression changed. Because of the sudden action, their faces approached each other until they were around 20 cemels apart.
Shin was experiencing a trivial, internal conflict about whether he should praise or scorn himself for reacting to Celica’s unexpected action.
“Eh…Ahh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to do such a strange thing. I was worried that you got injured or rather I got too excited…Wait, what am I saying!?”
The shaken Celica was amusing to Shin as he watched her. Shin almost retorted as he looked at her. She appeared to be so surprised that the Jack class was defeated by him alone.
“An intellectual, cool woman who is both shy and nervous…? Somehow this is…someone is coming!”
It’s better for me to come, but don’t give off some half-baked calmness. You are kinda conspicuous.”
“Huh? Oh, Els”
Is this moe?…Shin nodded alone as Els called from behind him. Apparently, Shin and Celica’s conversation was attracting attention from the surrounding people without them knowing it.5
“Excuse me for intruding. Besides, just now the embarrassed Celica-san was so cute.”
“Cu-cute!?”
“Though I agree there, I would like you not to bully your colleague too much.”
“Agree!?”
“I’m sorry. But it was not intentional, the explanation still remains.”
“I know. Because I also saw her.”
“If that’s the case, what about my opinion…”
Els and Shin who hastened their conversation, ignoring all of Celica’s words. If Els was there from the beginning, Shin felt that the situation would not become like this.
“Don’t say that. I have even prepared in various ways and was gathering information.”
Els’ attire was not the miss receptionist look like what Celica was wearing. Instead she was wearing hunter-equipment that was made for easiness of movement. She wore a slightly long leather jacket which seemed to be made from a durable material, together with a pouch to store small items and compression shorts that went to her knees, which were covered by long boots. The bow on her back was the fundamental equipment of a hunter, while a dagger was tied to her left thigh. Her long hair was tied up and the atmosphere around her was different from before. It was ‘the hunter who was aiming at something’ presence.
“About the Skull Face?”
“Yeah, it’s the monster that appeared in the northern forest. Quite some time has passed since the rumor started circulating. However, this time it holds a stronger weapon than a Jack class usually does, and for the first time harm has been inflicted to someone.”
“Oh, about that, I also saw it, too. Certainly, it swung a greatsword around.”
“I thought Celica was surprised about the appearance of the Skull Face and the sword together, but it seems to be different matter.”
“More precisely, it was really combined, even though I killed it.”
Shin uttered the killing part in a low voice. When he talked to Celica, he had to say it out loud, because the surrounding noise was loud.
“…If that’s true, I understand why Celica was flustered.”
“That’s right. It’s not funny.”
Els who joked around, stopped Shin’s words. The Celica who just returned her composure, barely responded with agreeing words.
“Even though it’s hard to doubt you, do you have any proof? It’s not possible to trust you completely, even if you subjugated it.”
“I only collected a jewel though. To begin with…what is the proof part of a subjugated monster? I don’t know what is it for Skull Face.”
From the remnants of the game, Shin hadn’t collected drop items that were common. He recalled the proof part for the guild and had completely forgotten that he could not prove that he subdued it if there was no proof.
“Did you collect the armor and the sword? Jack class certainly have good equipment, there are people who have sold it to increase their funds, and those who use it themselves.”
Shin racked his brains about how to overturn the not trusting response of Els. Anyway, beside the greatsword that vanished in the sky, he didn’t think that the helmet and the armor could be collected now.
“I wonder how much value such things have.”
“Those don’t seem like the words of an adventurer…”
“Exactly…”
From Shin’s expression, Celica and Els understood that the words he muttered carelessly were the truth. Shin was strange. Though Els was said to be modest, she needed a considerable amount of funds to buy the same or equal quality equipment as the Jack • Skull Faces in this world. At least A and B ranks would not easily get their hands on it. It was natural that Shin, who treats it like that, was seen as strange. Because he implied that he didn’t need it, and it was hardly said by other adventurers.
“Well, if the jewel get examined by an appraiser, it will be alright I guess. Because the jewel it dropped had the magical power of the monster charged, it should be revealed that it belonged to a Skull Face.”
“Is that so?”
Els decided not to think too deeply, and let the jewel speak for itself if it turns out to be evidence. Though it takes time and was more difficult than the finding of other proof part, if he could prove that he had really subdued it, there was no problem even if some time was lost to some extent.
“But it will take a while, so the jewel will be kept here as it’s being appraised. Though it’s possible to sell it right away.”
“Ah, this time I will pass. Because I don’t mean to sell it for the moment.”
“Alright then. I will contact the person in charge at the inn as soon as they finish appraising it. The inn is Bear Point Pavilion, correct?”
“Yes. Well then, thank you.”
Celica took over from Els’ speech and skillfully conveyed that it will take time. She was in complete working mode.
“That reminds me, why did the Skull Face appear so easily in the northern forest? I’ve heard that rumor before.”
“Originally the undead monster group was born because grudges and regrets of the living meets with magic power. Moreover, though ferocious monsters inhabit the northern forest, there was no end to the people who set foot in there, because there are precious medicinal herbs and materials to be collected. Subsequently, numerous people had lost their life because they were attacked by monsters. Therefore, the condition for the undead to be born was set. However, the appearance of a strong magical individual like the Jack class had not naturally occurred in that environment. Because normally in the northern forest, the Skull Face is a Pawn class.”
Els added that she thought Shin might have mistaken it for a Pawn class. Moreover, it seemed that no one has actually fought it for it to be confirmed its authenticity. Nobody tried to verify it expressly because it was no more than a rumor.
“By the way, what is the range level of a Jack class?”
“It is confirmed that the lowest is 150, and the highest is 250. It is classified as Queen and King class for levels beyond that.”
Apparently, the upper level limit for every monster did not seem to have changed somehow.
“Then. Will it be an exception this time?”
“What do you mean by that?” “What?”
Two people reacted to the words from Shin. As expected from staff of the guild and an adventurer, it was a split second reaction.
“The Jack class which I fought had a level exceeding 250.”
“That, is that true?”
“No doubt about it because I saw with 【Analyze】. I think it is probably a unique, or special monster. There were no Pawn class followers in the surrounding area unlike the normal one, too.”
“Just to confirm, what was its exact level?”
“It was 359. I think it was already a King class if my memory is correct.”
“359!?”
Jack class certainly appeared in 【Analyze】, and in the first place, Queen and King class Skull Faces’ physique and equipment don’t match. When the level was excluded, the weapon and the movements were nonstandard, but there was nothing strange besides that.
“…………”
Again, two people became speechless from Shin’s words. There were various questions that popped up inside their heads, such as ‘Should I believe it?’, ‘Is he mistaken?’ and so on.
“…Is there something wrong?”
“Rather than unpleasant…no…I seem to be confused. Celica, I guess there is probably a method that can roughly examine the opponents strength in the jewel, right? Then how about we try that?”
“――tsu! Then I will hasten the appraisal of the jewel. Els, I’m sorry, but please take care of the rest.”
As she replied to Els’ words, Celica bowed to Shin and took the jewel in his hand and headed for the other side of the reception desk.
As for the easygoing Shin, he felt admiration about the convenient method.
“Good grief, what a guy you are.”
“What?”
“If it’s true what you said about the level, your strength can be compared to at least an entire A rank party. But if it’s a lie, then you’re a great braggart.”
“Well, If it’s wrong, that means I saw it wrongly. Besides, isn’t my rank G? No one will believe if I said that I subdued a Jack class.”
“Though that is certainly so, if they don’t know the circumstances.”
“Then, that’s nice, I guess. Though I don’t mean to attract attention with the words I said until now.”
Although it felt like his words were contradicting his actions, Shin chose to not stand out because he didn’t want to be troubled by the attention towards him. Shin’s only purpose was to return to his former world, and joining the guild was an effective way to gather information.
“I reported it because if one would wander aimlessly to search for it and that would be bad, I guess. If possible, I don’t want it to be known that it was my doing.”
“Although I want to comply with your will, I think there will be people who investigate it even if I hide it. Because normally it’s natural to introduce oneself as the one who did it, right?”
“You have a point…”
Though Shin understood that, he felt it was bothersome as she said it clearly. There would be a commotion only for this. The adventurer that defeated it would be considerably famous, but it was too unnatural if the person chose not to divulge his name. It would be inevitable that people wanted to know the reason that he didn’t appear.
When it was revealed, it surely would attract attention if he was a G rank adventurer. It was troublesome no matter how it turned out.
“Sorry to trouble you, but it seems that I’m not able to help you with much.”
“I don’t intend to put a burden on you there, so it’s fine. For the time being, I have to find a meal to eat.”
The problem wasn’t solved from worrying meaninglessly. He decided to have lunch as a change of mood. Inside the guild was so crowded that hardly any seats left, so he decided to go outside the guild, to eat lunch.
-
Since Els stayed in the guild, Shin walked on the main street alone. He headed for the restaurant which Els and Celica, who returned from the interior of the reception desk, recommended together.
After walking for a little while, the restaurant that hung out the signboard where a sword and fork were drawn, came into view. It was said that every chef were a former adventurer, and seemed to be offering exotic dishes such as dishes with rare ingredients and so on.
“Is it a fighting chef?…like Cook?”
He remembered the woman who did the cooking in the ‘Rokuten’, and a wry smile leaked out. She was particular about securing materials by herself, therefore she was an oddball whose stats were said to be on the verge of the maximum value.
To begin with, there was no oddball in the ‘Rokuten’, but the figure that handled a handiwork kitchen knife in both hands while preparing to cook a dragon left a strong impression in Shin.
“Just by remembering it makes me hungry…”
Because his stomach started to growl, he quickly opened the door. The restaurant was crowded, probably because he arrived during lunch break.
“Welcome. I’m sorry. You will have to wait a bit!!”
The voice which likened a bell resounded in the noisy restaurant. There was only one waitress who went back and forth between table and counter. Although he was hungry, he felt sorry for rushing it in this situation.
Shin stood quietly beside a door and looked at the restaurant interior. Was it because it was near the guild?, or because the restaurant manager was a former adventurer? Most of the people inside the restaurant were equipped with armor and weapons. They were probably the people who gathered because of the Skull Face, Shin guessed.
“Thank you for waiting. Let me guide you here…Isn’t it Shin-san?”
“Yep? well, errr…Celica-san? No, is it Cilica-san?”
Although Shin was surprised at the sudden words, he could see properly that the hair was in a ponytail not like Celica’s, so he noticed it was Cilica. He thought about whether Celica had changed her clothes again for an instant.
“That’s correct. Is it because of a recommendation from Onee-chan that you have chosen this restaurant?”
“Yes. I’m grateful in various way.”
“…Isn’t it too early for an ordinary person to be recommended here.”
“? Did you say something?”
Cilica muttered something with serious face for a moment. Though Shin felt inclined and asked, she just smiled and said nothing. Since pursuing it would be strange, the conversation stopped there. He didn’t want to have a long conversation beside a door, too.
He was guided there when a group seemed to leave by chance, so one table was vacant. Shin felt awkward to use the table alone, but unfortunately the table for one person was filled. He gave the consent to Cilica that he wouldn’t mind sharing the table when other visitors came, and then he ordered a dish.
“Uhm, Shin-san. Because a new visitor came, share the table, please. Thank you.”
“Ah, yes. I understand.”
Cilica turned up after Shin ordered a dish almost without pausing and requested for him to share a table. The one who came over was a man who was also an adventurer with a spear which emitted a poisonous-looking radiance.
“…Is that ‘Venom’?”
Shin muttered as the spear that could be said to be ominous was seen.
Devil spear ’Venom’―― 《Legend》 grade that had the ability that could be compared with 《Mythology》 grade, was a weapon that had a clear distinction from 《Rare》 and 《Unique》 grade.
“Sorry to bother you.”
“No, you saved me from trouble. I was hesitant to occupy the table alone”
While greeting lightly, Shin looked at the man. His height almost the same as Shin. His eyes were red and gathered his raven-black hair roughly behind his head. His skin was white like the skin of a sick person. Though he thought that the man had a good-looking face, Shin had the impression which stood contrary to his appearance. The man was like a wild beast. He had a sharp glint in his eyes, indicating that the man has made it through violent situations. In addition, he had the same composure to kill as a beast.
His level was 188. This man could probably defeat the normal Jack • Skull Face alone.
“I am Shin. This must be fate or something, too. Although it’s only for a short time, nice to meet you.”
“…There is still a guy who has not yet heard about me, huh? I’m Wilhelm Avis. Are you a new face among adventurers?”
“That’s right, it’s my third day today.”
Shin observed the man as he greeted him, and Wilhelm told him his name. Shin answered the question while looking puzzled to Wilhelm’s words.
Suddenly Shin noticed that all the visitors in the restaurant paid attention to him, although the surroundings were still noisy. But Shin was still a rookie adventurer. So it would be Wilhelm who attracted attention. Even though Shin did not understand the reason why Wilhelm attracted attention, he decided to leave it alone because there was no harm for the moment.
“Third day? That equipment is quite good for you. Are you employed as a mercenary?”
“No, well, you might say that it’s because I have traveled from a faraway country, I think. So I lack a little knowledge about the common sense here.”
“No wonder you don’t feel nervous when hearing my name. A normal adventurer and me wouldn’t share a table, I guess.”
“I don’t feel nervous? …What on earth did you do?”
Shin calmly asked about it, despite of the intimidation situation which seemed to caused some person break out in a cold sweat. The surrounding adventurers were thinking: “Why is this guy speaking with him overly familiar”, their hearts were all screaming together.
As for Shin, he didn’t feel the intimidation, not even in the slightest. It was just a somewhat over-familiar question because he thought the man he saw had more or less never committed any crimes.
“No big deal particularly. I only killed undead monsters for quite some time. So people don’t always approach the place I fought. It was said that I continue to fight to the point where I can absorb the undead’s power.”
“What is that?…I don’t understand the meaning.”
Shin didn’t believe it was only that simple. He wondered whether or not it was a joke.
“I am the same, too. Well, a guy with a low ranked who believed this is a fool. The true reason is because I have this.”
As he said so, Wilhelm grabbed the spear which leaned against the wall – the devil spear ‘Venom’.
“This guy is ‘Venom’. It is a weapon of the 《Legend》 grade, and it has the ability to absorb the vitality of the opponent it wounded, and share it with the user. Though it is a convenient thing, 《Legend》 or higher grade weapon means it possesses a power that can blow anyone away. But even if I use it, I don’t understand the ability of this guy either.”
“You use it, and you don’t understand it either?”
“I noticed that I became the guy who was being detested. Additionally, the ability of my weapon is absorption <Drain>. Even allies were nervous at one time because of the absorption.”
Because naturally there was no weapon description column in the game, he did not seem to know exactly what kind of effect the weapon had. Though it would actually be an absurd case if Shin knew the effect, it was because he wasn’t from this world. At the same time, he was satisfied with the reason as to why the surrounding visitors were paying attention to them, then the 【Appraisal】 skill question emerged.
“Do you know it can get appraised?”
“Well, I have attempted to get it appraised you might say, but only the name and the grade was discovered. The current ability used can’t be confirmed.”
“What is skill level of the person who did the appraisal.”
“It was Ⅶ.”
Shin was convinced he knew why it was impossible from Wilhelm’s reply. The lowest skill level necessary for confirming the ability details of weapons of 《Legend》 grade was Ⅷ, Ⅸ in 《Mythology》 grade, and maximum level Ⅹ for the 《Ancient》 grade ones. When playing the game, merchants or blacksmiths could be requested immediately by players for appraising skills, but apparently in this world, it didn’t seem to be that easy.
The dish which he ordered was served as Shin was going to give up the topic. Wilhelm seemed to have already ordered his dish, as there was a dish that Shin didn’t remember ordering.
“For the time being, shall we eat?”
“Sure, let’s eat!”
After saying “Itadakimasu”, they immediately dig in. The dish Shin ordered was the grilled thigh with bone of the Aburidori monster. Shin’s nose was tickled as an indescribably fragrant aroma was shrouded as it made a sizzling sounds.
A fragrance of the spices mixed with meat juices impacted and filled his mouth the moment he bit in it. Crispy skin and the feel of the meat coming loose softly was irresistible for the hungry Shin.
“Delicious! This is delicious!!”
“…Settle down a little and eat.”
Wilhelm was a little amazed at Shin who was vigorously wolfing it down. Though he couldn’t say that himself, because Wilhelm was greedily ate the dish with a speed matching Shin’s.
For a while, they continued to eat in silence, and then each of them sipped a cup of black tea after the meal.
“I ate Aburidori for the first time after a long absence. Even it’s name made me think that oneself is warmed.” 6
“It was a little charred here though.”
It was a playful name, but still, the level range of the monster was about 100. It couldn’t fly although it was a bird type monster, and it was not alert and agile, but it could breathe out flame as it was the biggest characteristic according to its name. It was the monster which was strangely popular during the time of the game.
“That reminds me, was it okay to tell me the information on your weapon thoughtlessly? Isn’t it supposed to be concealed?”
“What I said earlier, it was widely known a long time ago. It won’t change anything even if I have only told a rookie now.”
“You have a point there.”
“I’m already done eating. See you then, newcomer”
“See you~”
Just like he said it to a friend, Shin saw Wilhelm off. The surroundings were noisy, but Shin didn’t mind it now.
Shortly after Wilhelm left, Shin left his seat, too.
The first meeting of a High Human Rokuten and a white figure welding a devil spear, was in fact a plain and simple one.
‘看板親父’(kanbanoyaji) is a parody word to match ‘看板娘’(kanbanmusume) which means a poster girl, Shin made a pun out of it.
The size of a tatami is about 15 square meters or 164 square feet.
His original stats for STR is 2225
Imagine Sasuke’s Chidori on a katana.
Moe, an anime term used to describe an ‘ideal girl’
Aburareru means warm; grill/scorch which is almost similar to the monster’s name, Aburidori
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 01 - A Beginning and an End/The-New-Gate-Volume-01-A-Beginning-and-an-End-[Shin+Oniichanyamete][Armaell]/f004.txt
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Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Part 1
Shin, who left the restaurant, turned around on his foot toward the library. Even though the request was not completed yet, it didn’t have a time limit. So he didn’t need to hurry. From now on, because of his conduct during the last few days, he intended to carefully study the possible sense of an impending crisis.
“Is it here?”
Shin was at the middle point of the commercial and residential districts. Loud voices from energetic merchants could be heard occasionally. It was a quiet place compared to the commercial district.
And in front of Shin, there was a library standing tall before his eyes. The library, which was managed by the Bayreuth kingdom, was named the Royal Magic Library.
It seemed to have plenty of magic category books assembled together, but he was told by Tsugumi that the information about common knowledge that he didn’t understand, could be found here. Though there were books that couldn’t be read without permission inside, there was no problem, since Shin intended to only study within a readable scope at this time.
From the information desk, the chairs, tables, and the large quantity of bookshelves in the library, there was nothing special about it, nor were there features that could distinguish it from other libraries. Just in case, he received an explanation about the usage at the information desk, he summarized the matters that required attention, such as how he could only rent 3 books at a time, how there was a limit in amount of rental days, and how he was free to read inside the library, but how it would cost money if he borrowed one.
As for the rental cost, it was based on what kind of book it was, and how many days it was rented for. Of course, if a book was lost, there would be a fine. The general rule for the books which required permission to be read, was that it was prohibited to rent them, and there were books that couldn’t be read without certain social status and/or trust such as the senior adventurers and the court service officers.
If there was a valuable book, one would think that a thief would break into the library. But there were guards and soldiers who kept watch on the surroundings in the building. In addition, they also had the skill for crime prevention, so no fellow could act violently.
(Is it level Ⅷ 【Barrier】 and 【Wall】? So that’s why they are so full of confidence.)
Although he doubted that the skill barrier used was stronger than the rampart, he still admired that the barriers were never broken since from the very beginning.
After receiving the explanation, he was instructed where the books of which field were located at. Then, he gathered books around the library and sat down on a empty seat.
First, the history. After all, Shin thought that the first thing he had to do was to investigate about the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’, which seemed to be connected to the simultaneous logout from the death game. Because there was a chronology which listed the big events since the country was founded in the book, he opened it at once.
“First of all, from the recent events. Um, it’s the 511th years now from when the country was founded, huh? Because it’s said that the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’ occurred 500 years ago, and it was almost in the same time period as the founding of the country.”
He traced back the chronological table to the past while looking puzzled due to the strange coincidence. There were numerous things related to the national administration that were written, such as the conclusion of the alliance, the kings taking over, funerals, wars, large-scale constructions, and so on. As he looked at the end of the chronology, which was the part about the country’s founding.
“No info about the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’ is written here, not even a little.”
Only the founding of the Bayreuth kingdom was written about in the chronology, anything that happened earlier than that wasn’t written about.
“Well, it’s a chronology after all. I guess that it was written about in other books.”
He opened another history book while pulling himself together. However, most of the content in the opened books did not describe in detail the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’.
Though he read several history books afterward, the conclusion was still the same. Only one of the books seemed to have written about the event.
“The world has changed after that day…”
The king left, the country disappeared, and it was written that the world had changed, but it was not written clearly about what happened to the world afterwards. Apparently, after the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’, there was temporary chaos around the world, but the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’ was not described in detail. It seemed odd that there was so little recorded in the book about the players’ logout, where they were thought to have vanished.
He took out one of the books from the mountain of books while thinking that no book could provide him with the info he wanted.
It seemed to be a book about races, and each feature and characteristic was briefly described.
Human ―― They have the highest number in population, and there were a lot of countries, too. When a kingdom was established, the ruler was called a King.
Dragnil ―― Power and vitality were prominently high, have a long life. It can transform into the shape of a human. When an empire was established, the king was called a Dragnil King.
Beast ―― They have the highest number in population next to humans, they are keen and nimble, and have different characteristics in every tribe. When the tribe was gathered together and formed an alliance, the chief was called a Beast King.
Lord ―― There was a little bias about their ability, also no ability that seemed prominent, but as a whole, their abilities have the tendency to be high. When the empire was established, the king was called a Devil King.
Dwarf ―― They have skillful hands and are good at making armor and tools. They were scattered in every country and formed a guild which had the tendency to share their technique and craft. The best craftsman was called a Cave King.
Pixie ―― They are the longest living race, they excelled at magic handling. The pixies were divided between the ones who lived in this world, and the ones who lived in the fairy village in the other world, which exchange with each other. The king was called a Fairy King.
Elf ―― Their lifespans come 2nd after the pixies, not only magic, but also their crisis perception ability was high. They lived in the woods. Young elves often appeared outside the village. The village was called the garden, and the chief was called the Forest King.
There were no contents that differed from Shin’s knowledge. Although Shin momentarily felt a sense of incongruity for the dwarf’s best craftsman, who was called the Cave King, he remembered that there was a setting where dwarves originally lived in caves.
Because there was a chance that an Elf or Pixie might know about the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’, he made sure to memorized that part.
“Now then, what should I read next?”
He decided to investigate as long as the time permitted, and opened the next book.
-
While Shin was doing the investigation in the library, executives, such as Barlux and Els, were preparing for a meeting in a room of the adventurers’ guild.
Of course, the agenda was the Skull Face. Even though the situation called for waiting for the appraisal of the jewel, the members that had some free time were gathered for the time being. There was a possibility that the information was accurate, because the one who reported was said to hold a letter of introduction. Since the Skull Face had already been defeated, the sense of urgency was not high, but the Shin’s personality in the report of Barlux and Els was raised to some extent.
Though the man called Shin seemed to be easily trusted, there was never a case where a dangerous person held the letter of introduction, so it gave the report some credibility.
“Well then, let’s start the special meeting.”
All the members in the room directed their attention to Barlux in response to his voice.
“Though there are people who have already heard this, the Jack • Skull Face that appeared in the northern forest was subdued. The one who subdued it only collected a jewel, which is currently under investigation.”
“The Jack class was subdued and neither the sword nor the armor were collected?”
All the members looked puzzled due to the words from Barlux, who reported plainly. The first one to speak was Ardi, who was just dispatched as a liaison from the kingdom. 1 The mage Arad Royl, who was in charge of the appraisal of the jewel, nodded as he had the same kind of doubt. Kylie Ein, who was the sub-master, and Els, who knew about the circumstances, had no reaction. Then Barlux continued.
“The person told me that the sword and armor were not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal?…”
Ardi had the expression of someone who didn’t understand. Arad was laughing “hohoho” while combing down his beard.
“To declare something like that, it seems that this man’s wealth is quite considerable.”
Although Arad’s hair and beard were white-colored because of his old age, due to his well-developed back muscles, which were tightly visible, he didn’t look as old as he was. The way he laughed suited the good-natured old man.
“The fellows who hold the introduction letter are generally thoughtless fellows. They don’t care about losing their life, especially the young ones.”
“Is that so?”
“Wait! Wait! Though I have no obligation to say this, we are not that thoughtless.”
“It’s not convincing when guild master says so.”
Ardi was about to believe Arad’s claim as common sense. But Barlux interfered, and was put down by Els.
“Well, let’s go back to the jewel case. I don’t know the details yet, but apparently there are no mistakes, at least about the story of its level being 359.”
“Still. It would be nice if the proof part was collected. The problem is whether or not a similar monster has appeared.”
It was likely a little joking, and the moderate tension became loose from Arad’s honest report. Because there was no one excelling Arad in jewel appraisal in the guild, it was decided that a Skull Face that had the level of at least a King class had appeared.
“The staff that’s skillful in searching has already gone out to investigate it. The information will be assembled tomorrow.”
Kylie complemented in a calm tone. Black hair held together with a barrette, light brown pupils and long-narrow eyes could be seen from the interior of her glasses. The secretary of Barlux had good looks and skill combined, and a sword could be seen at her hips.
“As usual, Kylie did her work fast. The guild master should follow her example.”
“Our sub-master is excellent, old man Royl.”
“Can Barlux-sama focus on your work a little more?”
“Urgh”
“She has no mercy.”
A few words from Kylie break the joke from Barlux. Barlux was not bad at office work particularly, but Kylie still seemed to be dissatisfied with him.
“…………”
“Hmm, were you surprised that this is different than you thought?”
“No, well you might say, because I thought that the feeling of tension should remain a little bit.”
Arad asked Ardi, who was taken aback by the dialogue of the three people. He seemed to have a serious personality. Ardi said modestly, and yet he showed a slightly perplexed expression.
“Well it’s a usual case. Besides, this is something like a petty liaison meeting, rather than a conference. If this was a state of emergency, each district chief and S rank adventurers would gather here.”
“Still, only one Skull Face has been reported, right?”
Ardi understood that it was not an emergency situation, because only five people gathered, but he thought he might be too optimistic. Arad, who read Ardi’s mind, complemented Ardi so he revealed his true feelings.
“It seems so. To be honest, there is no knowing how many such monsters are out there, and there is a reason to do an assessment.”
“Is it the barrier’s protection?”
“Yes. Do you know about it?”
“It’s the barrier against monsters. It is said that monsters from outside the barrier will not be allowed to come near.”
“That’s right, the first King erected the barrier. Therefore, even if a strong monster is born, they can’t come inside the barrier. It also has the effect of silencing strong dark magic. In addition, we are being vigilant ourselves, too.”
The technique from the time the kingdom was founded was still protecting the Bayreuth kingdom. That was the reason why the amount of strong monsters that had appeared so far, hadn’t increased.
However, neither the kingdom nor the guild considered the barrier absolute, no matter how well it defended. In response to the Skull Face report, the knights’ group was prepared, so they could sally out by the thoroughgoing condition in the kingdom. Also, the subjugation report was not confirmed at the moment, so the adventurers were still waiting for orders and were working hard to gather information.
“Skull Faces become active at night. Ardi, in preparation for the worst case, I want you to contact the knight leader and raise the alertness order by one rank.”
“Roger that.”
Barlux spoke during the gap of the conversation between Ardi and Arad. The flustered state just a while ago seemed hard to believe. Judging from Arad, Kylie and Els’ attitude, it was probably a usual thing.
“That’s all from me. Does anyone have any other opinions? If not, I assume we are done.”
Arad, Els and Kylie thought it was over regarding the main report of the Skull Face from Barlux. However, Ardi raised his hand and Barlux nodded to let him convey his opinion.
“The Skull Face this time had a different weapon from the information we obtained. I would like you to give me detailed information on the person who subdued the Skull Face, so the investigation about the weapon can become clear after this.”
“Hmm, though there is no intention to cover up information about the weapon, I can’t reveal anything about the person who subjugated it, as it was his wish. Still, if it’s alright, lets take responsibility for it. I wonder about why you are making a fuss about this, may I hear the reason?”
“Yes. Though the story changed a little, does everyone know about the sword that flew to the royal castle?”
Naturally all the members nodded back. If there was no disturbance by the Skull Face, it would have been a hot topic by now.
“The Skull Face was subdued on the day when the sword flew to the royal castle, furthermore, the Skull Face that appeared this time was equipping a greatsword that was different from the normal ones. There is only one person who can connect these together, I think.”
Everyone except Ardi imagined one person from his remark.
“May I hear what kind of sword it was?”
“There’s a condition you must adhere to, or I can’t disclosed the information.”
All members agreed on Ardi’s condition. There was no person that didn’t know the importance of the information in this place.
“The sword’s blade is about 2 mels long and the material is a demon steel mixed with an alloy of mithril. Moreover, the sword has permanent light attribute magic bestowed upon it. If it is put side by side with our country’s treasured sword, then the treasured sword seems to be poorly made.”
“!?”
Everyone couldn’t hide their surprise at his words. Speaking of the treasured sword of the Bayreuth kingdom, even at the lowest rank, it was a weapon that was classified as 《Legend》 grade. It was a national treasure grade of weapon that almost no person could forge, so there were no equal swords in existence right now. Let alone that a person thought that the Skull Face held it.
Because he was in the middle of a fight, Shin didn’t notice as he did not use the appraisal skill. He thought the greatsword of the Skull Face was of the lowest grade, but it had a self-restoration ability which was higher than 《Rare》 and 《Unique》.2
“If it’s assumed that the Skull Face had the greatsword, then the person in question is indomitable, as the enemy had a weapon at the treasured sword level in addition to a high level was subjugated. But no need to worry, as it is impossible I think. Besides that, I was a little troubled by it…”
Though the worry about the strength of the person at hand was understandable, Barlux, who doubted the indescribably, indecisive of Ardi’s speech in the latter half, asked.
“Troubled by it?”
The content which Ardi recited was indeed true, although he had only guessed, and nobody came to have conclusive evidence, because there was no one who knew about the greatsword in detail. It was said that it was impossible for undead to have a weapon with the light attribute in this world.
“As for this, news may reach Barlux-dono soon, as it is likely to be announced grandly. Until then, please don’t tell anyone for the time being.”
“Hmm, understood. Should others leave this place?”
“Because the permission is given, it doesn’t matter, as I follow the same condition as a while ago. Since there is a possibility that everybody will know, too.”
Though everyone except Barlux had a question about the announcement place, they nodded for the time being, and then speech was urged to be started.
“Actually…”
Afterwards, everyone who was present was perplexed about the content that leaked out of Ardi’s mouth.
Part 2
For several hours, he had been investigating things in the library. Somehow the library was closed when the sun was a little high in the evening. When Shin confirmed it with the menu screen, the time showed 4:50. Even though he didn’t know whether the time was accurate, Shin thought that every city hall and post office had their own way to keep track of the time. Rather, he was amazed to learn that they had about the same closing time.
He thought about returning to the south district for the time being, but his stomach was grumbling while looking around the stalls. It was early, but he bought yakitori3 for dinner which he saw was barbecued nicely in a stall he found by chance. It could be said that a similar yakitori wasn’t sold in Japan, as they were 30 cemels long skewers stuck into hearty chicken meat.
“This yakitori tastes good even in a different world…but did I buy too much?”
He took out a freshly cooked skewer from a bag while smiling wryly. He bought four yakitori. It was a quantity that could be said was too much to eat before dinner.
He sat down on the edge of the fountain in the center of the square to relax after walking and eating. He stuffed his mouth with meat while looking at the passersby for no particular reason.
After all, there were still many appearances of adventurers since the information regarding the Skull Face was published.
Although information regarding the subjugation completion was also made public, the adventurers seemed to be still on guard.
“…Tsu…tsu”
While looking at the hustle of the town and chewing on the yakitori, after he had investigated, he organized the information he had acquired in his head. There were three noteworthy things that he understood for now.
First, the book that had written about the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’ was rare.
Besides that, there was also a possibility that the book was banned or that it was stored in a place with reading restrictions. For now, Shin couldn’t enter that place, so it was put on hold. In the future, he couldn’t help but to feel prepared to visit villages of long-lived species such as Elves or Dragnils. Either way, he still didn’t have the intention to sneakily search for it.
Second, the geography of this world.
Originally, four continents existed in the world of THE NEW GATE, the 1st three continents were for beginner, intermediate and advanced level players. And the 4th continent became the area for players who had lost interest in the common fields.
Of course, Shin had almost conquered all four areas that were displayed on the map, but now the map function was no longer recognizable. The reason was simple, it was because the continental shape itself had changed due to a natural phenomenon that took place after the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’. Through movements and ground upheavals, the 4 continents turned into 5, and a lot of small island nations were scattered. This might be one of the causes for there being no documents about the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’.
By the way, the continent where Shin was currently at, was called the Continent of Eltnia.
Third, the big city that was formerly the headquarter base of adventurers.
Each continent had two or three big cities that became the headquarter base for the players. Each city featured an enhanced defense and the city’s trades were lively, it was also crowded although there was prejudice in certain races and jobs. One of the reasons why people gathered there was only because big cities have temples that could be used for reincarnation.
Those big cities were now called the ‘Sacred Place’, and were also seen as targets to be recaptured. Though the big cities that existed were mostly the same without being affected by natural disasters, after the ‘Dusk of the Majesty’, each city turned into a demon city dominated by high-level monsters. The investigation committee was sent on countless occasions, but the lowest level of monsters exceeded 500, and it was said that anyone who entered the ‘Sacred Place’ would never return.
For some reason, the high-level monsters of the ‘Sacred Place’ never came outside the cities, and the overflowing magical power caused the surrounding land and plants to mutate. In addition, the current conditions had also caused sudden mass outbreaks of low-level monsters.
“Then, the problem is?”
He contemplated while putting his hand on his chin. If the topography itself had changed, then his memory from during the time of the game was unreliable. The locations of Elf’s garden and the Pixie’s fairy village or the other places with long-lived species, were different from his memory, too. Information collection was likely to be difficult.
“Hmmph…?”
Just when he thought about asking Tiera and Els, Shin looked up because he felt someone’s gaze. Shin turned his face to the direction of the gaze and saw a cat-eared girl, probably at elementary to primary school student age, who was staring at Shin from 2 mels away.
“…………”
“…………”
“…Drool”
“Oi…”
Correction. The cat-eared little girl was intently staring at the skewer that Shin held. Somehow, her strong desire could be seen.
“…………”
“Uum…”
“…………”
“Errr…”
“…………”
“…Do you want to eat it?”
The little girl’s intense staring was interrupted by Shin. Besides her desire which were completely revealed, her innocent eyes caused Shin to feel bad.
Since he thought that he bought too many anyway, he took out a freshly cooked skewer from the bag while holding his half-eaten skewer in his mouth, and presented it to the girl.
Shin intended to say “Do you want to eat it?”, but only gave off the incomprehensible words “Fu fu ah it” as a result of having a skewer in his mouth.
Though it was not certain, was she able to decipher Shin’s pronunciation? Or was it simply because of the act of presenting the skewer to her. The little girl lightly ran toward Shin and with quick “Shu~batsu” sound effect, she took the skewer from Shin by force. She sat next to him as she began to stuff the yakitori into her mouth. The moment when their eyes met, her cat ears went “Syu~pin!”, even Shin was a little surprised.
“Mugumugu…Hamuhamu”4
They ate the meat silently for a while. When Shin looked at the girl working hard to fill her small mouth, he was able to confirm her appearance. Somehow it made Shin feel heartwarming.
The words young vagrant and beggar appeared on Shin’s mind in addition from it. But, he denied those kind of words immediately when he saw the appearance of the girl.
Her clothes had been mended here and there, but she wore the clothes properly, and there was no emaciation either. Also, there was no sign of aiming at one’s wallet. There might be a person who raised her with at least a home to return to, Shin judged.
“Whew, thanks for the delicious meal.”
“Mm, you’re welcome.”
After she finished eating the last bit neatly, the girl bowed to Shin.
“Onii-chan, a good person.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Shin looked at the little girl with a small laugh. From the cat ears, he understood that the girl might be a beast which belonged to the feline family. Only the tips of her yellow hair were dyed light brown, and he wondered if she was a Tiger Type. Because 30% of the population of the Bayreuth kingdom were Beast as he learned from a chat with Tsugumi, it was not particularly rare.
“I, Millie. Onii-chan?”
“Name? I am Shin, just Shin.”
“Together with Millie”
“Together?”
“Millie too, just Millie.”
“Ooh, indeed together.”
‘Shin’ was not a surname because the name he used exactly his player name. Particularly, because it wasn’t pointed out and he didn’t see any problems keeping his name as it was during the registration in the guild. It seemed that the thought of a timid Millie had disappeared, and she seemed to be looking delightful.
“Now then, I have finished eating the meat and I have to go soon, but what will Millie do? Should I send you home?”
“It’s alright. Pick me up, came.”
“Huh? No way! Pick you up…?”
The direction where Millie pointed to, Shin was unable to hide his surprise about the figure that walked toward them.
When the figure noticed that Millie was with Shin, it quickened its pace to approach them.
“Oh! We meet again, Shin.”
“It’s been awhile since the lunch, Wilhelm.”
A raven-haired man who had the presence of a beast greeted Shin. So, when Millie said pick up, it was none other than Wilhelm Avis.
“Wil-nii!”
Millie ran and clung to Wilhelm. Shin was astonished at the unexpected development.
“No way, Wilhelm’s…child?”
“That’s not it! I am taking care of her at the orphanage!”
“Orphanage?”
“Ah, that reminds me, it hasn’t been that long since you came to this country.”
While patting Millie’s head, Wilhelm briefly explained. According to him, a church in the west district was doubling as an orphanage and seemed to be taking care of children who lost their parents in some kind of circumstances. Millie was one of them.
“This fellow skillfully sneaked out from the orphanage some time ago. I was searching for her like a fool.”
“Did you go out without permission? I can’t really admire that.”
“Uu, sorry, I am”
Millie, who was aware she had done a bad thing, apologized obediently. The cat ears also went “Shu~n5…” as one would expect in fantasy.
“Even so, it’s unusual for this person to not be afraid like this.”
“Afraid?”
“I don’t understand after what I have seen today, but this person is afraid of strangers. She doesn’t approach strangers at their first meeting.”
“Is that so?”
Only tempted by the meat, Shin thought, but Millie shook her head. Was she able to read Shin’s thoughts? It seemed likely he hit the bull’s-eye. And for some reason, it felt like she said “You must not say it”.
“Well, I don’t want to stay here for too long. Come on Millie, let’s go home.”
“Wait!”
Said Millie as she ran toward Shin.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ear, lend.”
“Like this?”
Shin squat down and brought his ear close to Millie’s mouth. Millie, who ran toward Shin in the same way as she did to Wilhelm, whispered words to Shin’s ear.
“Bye-bye.”
Shin saw Millie off as she was led by Wilhelm and disappeared into the crowd.
He walked toward Bear Point Pavilion while thinking about the words he was told by Millie.
After he returned to Bear Point Pavilion, Shin took a rest in his room as he had some free time before dinner.
He sat on the bed and recalled the words Millie whispered, in his head.
“Help the fox-san which is in the northern forest…huh?”
During the time of the game, he was able to determine what to expect from the area information, but unfortunately, he couldn’t make an inference now, since the topography had greatly changed.
He tilted his head in doubt about whether or not there would be a fox. At least, a fox type monster never attacked Shin. The monsters which were similar to a bear, a snake, and a dog were often found and occasionally a flight type appeared.
Other wild animals were extremely rare because there were a lot of monsters, and it was snakes and rats that he saw the most. A monster was a wild animal that mutated under the influence of magical power, so naturally there were common animals. Still, he didn’t remember seeing a fox before.
“It’s no good, I don’t know nothing about it.”
The answer didn’t appear no matter how much he thought about it. But she said “help”. That might be something imminent. Especially the area of the northern forest in the vicinity of the Bayreuth kingdom, where the risk was quite high.
She might have judged Shin as an adventurer because he was an acquaintance of Wilhelm’s, although it seemed strange that she requested Shin during their first meeting.
It was not something that he must do just because it was requested. However, if he didn’t do anything, it would leave a bitter feeling. Shin decided to plan for tomorrow as well as for Millie’s request. Incidentally, he intended to meet Tiera, and finish the message to Schnee.
“So I have decided…meal it is.”
The yakitori had already been digested. Shin went downstairs to eat dinner.
-
Dawn of the next day.
Shin departed from Bear Point Pavilion and passed through the main street where there were crowded stalls towards the south gate. When he exited from the gate, there were people lining up to enter the country, in contrast to Shin who was leaving.
Shin moved along the rampart, while ignoring the people. Tsuki no Hokora was located between the south gate and the east gate, in fact, it was closer to the south gate. The place where trees opened came into view after walking for a little while.
As before, there were huge trees enclosing Tsuki no Hokora with about a 1 mel thickness, it gave off the impression that it was separated from its surroundings. It was because Tsuki no Hokora was originally built at the outskirts of the Arclid continent, which was one of the 4 continents. The ground where Shin lived, which was the Eltnia continent, might originally have been part of the Arclid continent.
The Arclid continent was an even more superior area than the Houzent continent, the area of advanced level players. Moreover, there were originally many quests and monsters which had a higher degree of difficulty than in the common areas of the other three continents. Besides, there were also quests that beginner and intermediate players could receive, but players who yearned for unusual quests, wanted to fight with strange monsters, had often visited there. In a sense, the players were mostly gathered regardless of their levels and jobs.
It could be said that the visitors who came to Tsuki no Hokora, due to being built in the outskirt area, were mostly advanced level players. Seldom there were players who sought shelter after escaping from monsters. By the way, the average level of monsters in the area where Tsuki no Hokora was built was around 600. Meanwhile the lowest slightly exceeded 200, and needless to say, the highest was 1000. It was in the past, but the store was set up casually near the habitat of a boss monster. Even the players replenished their items in Tsuki no Hokora before challenging the boss.
“If I think about it… I wonder what happened to the monsters that were in the Arclid continent. They certainly should have gotten on when the continents stuck together. Did they perish along with the natural disasters?”
Certainly, if the monsters still existed, the Bayreuth kingdom would be destroyed. Anyway, there was monsters with the habit akin to ants, too. The monsters’ levels exceeded 600 and appeared in random areas altogether. It was annoying to the advanced level players, the intermediate level players ran away or went around it, and beginner level players had no choice but to acknowledge death and return. A place where most of the people gathered, such as a country and so on, was unlikely to be targeted, but because of the rate of the encounters rose, the number of party members was increased.
However, he still didn’t know, no matter how much he thought about it. Since damage was not dealt, were some measures taken? Anyway, there might be a reason as to whether the monsters that perished appeared or not. He was convinced that one would not be able to establish the country and the roads if it was not so, and he stopped thinking about it for a moment. In fact, it might be possible that there were different continent grounds outside the surroundings of Tsuki no Hokora.
He kept his questions to himself and stood in front of Tsuki no Hokora. When he visited a few days ago, he was relieved that the store still existed and did not notice it, but a wooden tally about 20 cemels across vertically and 10 cemels wide hung at the door which was the entrance of the store. It had the letters 『The storekeeper struggles hard inside』on it. This expressed that Tsuki no Hokora was doing business normally. And it had the letters 『The storekeeper has left home』 on the back. This expressed the closing time for the store from material collecting or not being logged in and so forth.
He opened the door while admiring that the wooden tally was still being used and entered the store. When Shin stepped forward in the store by one step, a light “Chiri~n” sound of the bell was made. It would ring when someone entered the store. Apparently, the knights didn’t show up today.
“Welcome! Oh, Shin.”
“Yo, I came to leave a message I had forgotten about.”
When she saw that it was Shin who entered, Tiera’s expression changed from a smile into a happy face. The silvery hair that had returned to its original hair shined because of the light from the windows.
“That reminds me, I completely forgot about that.”
When she heard Shin’s speech, she did the expression “Ah!” as if she remembered something she had forgotten. Still, there was no help for forgetting about it when he thought about the previous event.6
“Then, I want you to convey to her that I want to meet and talk if she remembers this.”
Shin said and placed an object, which he took out from his Item Box, on the counter.
It was a dark blue ninja sword, there were flowers engraved on the sheath and handle, which Tiera had never seen before. It was well engraved in such detail, which turned the ninja sword weapon into a work of art.
“…………”
“…Tiera?”
“…Oh!”
Shin called out to Tiera who was staring at the ninja sword. Tiera abruptly returned due to his voice.
“What’s the matter?”
“Hey Shin, This…is this by any chance an 《Ancient》 grade weapon?”
Tiera looked at the ninja sword with an ‘impossible’ face. As if she was seeing a dazzling thing, she squinted her eyes.
“You know? This guy is certainly an 《Ancient》 grade weapon. This is Schnee’s personal weapon, named 『Blue Moon』.”
“Master’s personal weapon?”
“That’s right, if I’m not mistaken, Schnee might not be using her personal weapon now, right?”
“Well, to begin with, I don’t know what a personal weapon is…”
“You don’t know?”
Shin, who thought it was certainly known, was surprised that the words personal weapon wasn’t known.
“The personal weapon was set…uh, it’s the weapon which only an authorized person can use. In the case of 『Blue Moon』, only Schnee or the companion whom she had permitted can use it, excluding me who is the maker. Because if I leave it, then even if it’s Tiera who is trying to, you cannot touch this guy without permission.”
It was a function in the game that was granted to items, and could be accepted as a reward in the time of an event so it couldn’t be snatched. It was granted to weapons he made as a symbol of the guild.
There were few people who were able to grant the function of personal weapon, because only the first-class of blacksmiths and alchemists could produce it.
“The user’s limitation…come to think of it, I have heard that some of the weapons excavated from ruins are not usable to anyone. Perhaps it’s because of that?”
“It was probably someone’s personal weapon. If that’s that case, even if the weapon was discovered, there’s no way to use or even research it. Only weapons that are higher than 《Legend》 grade can be granted the function of personal weapon, so it was definitely a high power. Even a guy with level 1 becomes able to defeat a Tetra Grizzly easily, but only if he is able to use the weapon.”
“…What an outrageous ability.”
Tiera couldn’t help but be amazed by the performance that was far beyond expectation. One would be dubious if they only heard the explanation, but when the ninja sword, which hid an absurd power, was placed before one’s eyes, they had no choice but to believe it.
Shin casually placed the ninja sword 『Blue Moon』 on the counter. However, to Tiera it looked like the『Blue Moon』 had a distorted appearance around it. Tiera understood how powerful it was, even if she didn’t have much battle experience.
“It is certainly a sword with remarkable power. But I don’t want to use it.”
“Oh, for what reason would you not use it?”
“Because it looks like it’s going to engulf me, I wonder.”
Tiera intuitively understood, and was convinced at the same time. This certainly gave the user a great power. But if there was no ability to correspond with it, it would undermine the user.
“Engulf…huh? It’s probably because of its materials.”
When Tiera’s words were heard, the first thing that came to Shin’s mind was the penalty generated when equipping weapons that did not correspond with one’s level. A necessary stats value was set for each weapon. In addition, status would be lowered when equipping a weapon in the state where one didn’t reach said necessary stats value. One portion of 《Legend》 grade, 《Mythology》 grade and 《Ancient》 grade were impossible for him to equip at all.7
However, he thought that the phrase ‘to engulf’ was different, so he decided to explain what materials the weapon was made of.
“Really? What did you use?”
“The main alloy is called Chimeradite. And there is the tusk of a Black-Death Dragon, scales of a Sea-War Beast, and teardrops of an Element Tail, all which were fused together. The four materials I mentioned just now are the main ones, although there were various other essential materials. It’s a guess, but it’s probably caused by the tusk of the Black-Death Dragon or by the scales of the Sea-War Beast. Both monsters are the highest class.”
“…………”
“Tiera?”
Although Tiera heard the explanation from Shin, it could be said that she couldn’t comprehend it, as she put her hand on her forehead and wrinkles were seen in the area between her eyebrows.
“…No, I’m not surprised anymore. Yeah, for example, even if what I heard just now are the creatures of legends…I’m all right. Yes, it’s all right.”
“No, you don’t look alright at all.”
Shin instinctively retorted to Tiera who was shaking her head to the sound of the common sense in herself crumbling.
As usual, Shin still wasn’t accustomed to the norms of this world, although this time the common sense was even further out of place. Which wasn’t surprising, because the monsters Shin spoke of were currently nothing but names that held a mighty power and were remembered only in legends. One would think it was a joke when told that the material was made from monsters that had the power to induce natural disasters.
“Haa, my common sense seems to be shattered one by one whenever I talk to you.”
“Eh, because of me?”
“Of course. You casually take out an 《Ancient》 grade weapon, even impossibility has its limits, you know?”
“Even if you say so, whether or not Schnee remembers me will depend on this.”
Shin said while looking at the 『Blue Moon』. Schnee’s personal equipment was entrusted to Shin before he challenged Origin. This was done not only by Schnee, but by all support characters as well. It was considered something like a good luck charm before Shin fought against the final boss. Thus now, other support characters’ equipment were also waiting for their turn inside Shin’s Item Box.
Unless Shin met Schnee directly, there was also a possibility that the message wasn’t read by her. Since the name ‘Shin’ might be a common name, he thought about leaving an item.
“Though such things are handed over, the people who are able to meet master are rare. But with a person like you, master might…”
Similar with Shin, Tiera looked at the 『Blue Moon』 while nodding as she was convinced.
So far, expensive clothes, jewels, and various rare items were sent. Nevertheless, the figure of her master who didn’t show any interest appeared in Tiera’s mind. Because she could easily imagine, her master wasn’t interested even in items that were equivalent to 《Legend》 grade and would simply not look at the various expensive items.
Even though Schnee ignored the 《Legend》 grade items, Tiera slightly deviated a bit from her evaluation of her master’s interest for 『Blue Moon』.
“Use this if she says that she remembers. It should contact me wherever I am.”
He said and put a message card and writing paper with a simple design next to the 『Blue Moon』.
“I can contact you by using this?”
“Yes, though it’s only one-way. Write the name of the addressee on the writing paper and the message you want to send here. After that, you only need say ‘send’.”
Shin explained the usage while pointing at the writing paper and the message card. It was an item used often on birthday and Christmas in the game. There were people who made an elaborate card which induced a fancy special effect the moment it was opened.
The item was only used at certain times, because normally it was faster to email in the game, but it was certainly a convenient item, because in the first place, functions such as email and friend list were not usable in this world.
“Items as convenient like this exist too…”
“I do not use it too much and there are plenty left.”
The item was rarely used, even if he got many message cards and a lot of writing paper as quest and event rewards. Though they were not really useful in the ‘game’, the items were unexpectedly handy in ‘reality’.
“If this thing becomes popular, I think that would be amazing.”
“I guess so.”
It could reach the addressee wherever they were, if viewed from Tiera’s point of view, it was equivalent to a technology revolution.
Unfortunately, Shin didn’t have any interest in initiating a technology revolution. In the first place, the items now were the things that originally existed in THE NEW GATE. Someone might invent it sooner or later, Shin thought.
“…Hey, I think rather than requesting me to pass on the message, aren’t you able to contact master directly with this?”
Tiera said like someone who suddenly thought about it while holding the message card with one hand.
“Well, actually, I can only send this to someone I have met directly, but I was not able to send it to Schnee, whom I should have met, for some reason.”
Shin also thought it was a good idea to send it directly. However, for some reason, the message was not sent and he was not able to contact Schnee. To begin with, it was a mystery why a message card was usable but an email was not.
Was there a defect in the card? He ran outside to show it to Tiera in practice, and sent the message. Tiera was surprised at the writing paper which suddenly appeared in front of her, but at least he seemed to understand that the item was not defective.
(It looks like the list was reset.)
This would be the reason why he was not able to send it, Shin guessed.
There was one sentence, “Let’s send your feelings to people whom you’ve met in adventures”, in the explanation column of the message card. For example, he would not be able to send the message to a person he had never met before in this world, even if he had met them in the game era, Shin thought.
“Ne ne~, can I get additional ones if you have any more?”
“Though I don’t mind it in particular, I think you should not use it with someone who doesn’t know about this.”
“Rather than use it, I want to research it. Even though I may appear this way, I want to know the mechanism when I look at this unusual magic item, because I aim to be a mage.”
In fact, ever since he used the message card, Tiera had sparkling eyes like a child that had found a fun toy.
“Well, if that’s the case, it’s good then. So I will give you another five. Don’t use them all, since it includes the one for Schnee’s response, okay? And because I give you this, please make it an appropriate service for the message fee.”
Shin didn’t think it was a good idea to distribute the items just because they were in excess, he proposed that at least a trial run for the free message service was needed.
“I understand. Be relieved, because I have no intention to use it thoughtlessly. It will turn into a commotion if poorly used on someone. And I do not mean for you to give this to me for free. For the time being, the price for the message is free of charge. You can expect compensation for the rest, as well.”
The outcome seemed to gain him some privilege, in addition to the price becoming free. When he reconfirmed that it was valuable after all, Shin made a mental note to avoid using it in public places.
As for Tiera, she wondered what to test it on, and seemed to be happy. It was Shin who thought that she should aim to be an alchemist if she liked to research, but did not say it expressively, because a mage didn’t necessarily not engage in research. Actually, there were many players with job: mage, sub job: alchemist.
“Then, that’s all from me. My best regards to Schnee.”
“Leave it to me. I will have master see it first, when master returns.”
Shin exchanged goodbyes and left Tsuki no Hokora.
I could use the message card to send it right away! Tiera realized, shortly after Shin left.
Part 3
After leaving Tsuki no Hokora, Shin went straight to the northern forest. Since encountering the guild’s staff that came to investigate the Skull Face would be troublesome, he advanced while confirming that there was no one in the surrounding area.
He didn’t have the direction, so he depended mostly on his instinct. But he aimed at the depths of the forest first, because the depths of the forest felt somehow suspicious. Still, because he thought that the encounter with the investigators could not be avoided when he went to the place where the Skull Face appeared, he advanced toward the opposite direction of where the Skull Face was. It was the direction he did not walk when he came here before.
The position where the Skull Face existed was the southeast of the northern forest. Since Shin was aiming to advance to the depths of the forest, he took the west route near the center part of the northern forest. Trees grew thicker and shut out the daylight as he advanced farther into the forest. The darkness was like the night, and could not be compared to the eastern forest. The heights of the trees alone eclipsed those in the eastern forest, and with the dark and thick atmosphere he felt like it was refusing a person to advance to the its depths.
In fact, the deeper he advanced into the forest, the more Shin thought about not approaching in his mind. It was not perception or foresight. More precisely, there was something that was affecting his consciousness in this place.
(This, is this a barrier?)
Though he was not certain, the more Shin moved forward, the stronger he sensed the intention to obstruct him. It was some kind of protection barrier that was erected.
But the barrier or something was nothing to Shin as he moved rapidly. Even though he was going ahead like it was nothing, to begin with, if it were normal humans, it would not be possible for them to approach the barrier, as the feeling of avoidance increased as they got closer. However, the barrier was not effective against Shin, especially after he put some effort to strengthen against the mind interference system. Rather, it was notifying him ‘There is something ahead!’.
Shin walked earnestly toward the direction where the sense was getting stronger while observing his surroundings. None of the monsters appeared because of the effect of the barrier.
He continued walking for a while, and the moment he passed the side of a particularly big tree, the darkness was cleared before his eyes and a soft light gently shined upon Shin.
There was an open space with a diameter of about 30 mels as if it was cut into the ground in a circle. And a bright cinnabar red torii8 and a cozy Shinto shrine were built there.
“This place is the center of the barrier?”
Because of the mental interference that had been received when he first entered the forest abruptly ended when he set foot in the shrine, he guessed that it was likely he had come off from the barrier effect. Still, he did not think that there would be a Shinto shrine.
“Hmm～?…This Shinto shrine, I think I’ve seen it somewhere before.”
He felt like he remembered that he saw it somewhere before, and tilted his head. The Japanese style architecture was not rare at the time of the game, but there were not many enthusiasts who built a Shinto shrine. He thought that he could remember it instantly, but couldn’t, no matter what.
“For the time being, should I enter first?”
Because it was absurd to agree by himself, he passed through the torii at once and entered the Shinto shrine.
There was a road from the torii, straight to the main shrine. The only buildings were the torii and the main shrine, not even one of the essential parts of a Shinto shrine like guardian lion-dogs, a purifying basin and offertory box were present.
“Did the air change?”
However, the moment he passed through the torii, the air which surrounded Shin changed completely to show that this was a holy place, although the building was only a main shrine.
Shin’s cheek was brushed by a refreshing wind that could make him forget that he was in the middle of a forest. Shin noticed much stronger mixed scents of various creatures that came through the middle of the forest. It made one realize that this was a special place.
Inside the Shinto shrine, it seemed to be well managed as it was not particularly rough. The main shrine had a higher floor, and few decorations. If seen by people who only knew a general Shinto shrine, they would feel uncomfortable.
A moment before Shin arrived at the main shrine, a “pishiri” sound reached his ears.
“What is that?”
It was the sound of something like glass cracking. There was a possibility that a barrier was cracked, he thought. And it was not a nice foreboding.
Is it probably because of me? He looked around, but there was no change in particular in the vicinity. The clear atmosphere didn’t change and the sacred air had not weakened either. To begin with, Shin hadn’t done anything.
The door of the main shrine was slightly open.
It was somewhat telling him to open it quickly. Though there was no gap for him to look through inside, it was really difficult to ignore his curiosity once he was interested.
“…Should I try to open it?”
While thinking that there was nothing much to say, Shin opened the main shrine door and was exposed to a full view of a gloomy room receiving light from outside.
The letters written on the floor were the first things he saw. The Sanskrit characters-like letters were lined up to form a circle. A big circle was wrapping around several smaller ones, and the appearance of it was just like a magic formation.
And in its center. One figure lay at the middle of the various-sized circles.
“…A fox?”
It was a young fox, which had a silver coat of fur, that was lying down on the floor exhausted, while its body was exposed to light.
“Isn’t it carefree being seen like this?”
When he confirmed there was no trap, Shin rushed over to the young fox. There was no visible injury, but the HP gauge of the young fox was in the red zone. Moreover, it was suffering from abnormality states 【Poison • Ⅹ】 and 【Curse • Ⅹ】. It was only a matter of time until it ran out of vitality if it was left unattended in this state.
“The fox that Millie mentioned, is it this fox?”
It was certainly not a common fox as it was in a place like this. He would think about it later as it was not the time for it. Shin opened the Item Box from the menu screen, selected the all purpose cure ‘Elixir’ from the list of items lined in a rows and took it out directly as an item, not the item card. Then he flicked the cap open with his thumb. The full phial of golden liquid could completely restore HP, MP, loss of body parts and remove abnormalities except one portion of it. When he tried to put it to the mouth of the young fox, a crashing sound reached Shin’s ears. The loud sound was like a large amount of glasses breaking all at once occurring multiple times in succession.
“What is it now!?”
Shin promptly activated【Sign Perception】 and perceived the state of the surroundings. 【Sign Perception】 was not the same with the monsters only type of detection, 【Search】. 【Sign Perception】 was capable of determining the position of monsters and players within a certain range. The disadvantage to 【Search】 was its narrow perception range, but it was more effective to investigate an area from the shadows of buildings or obstacles.
Shin confirmed that about roughly 50 monsters or more were approaching the main shrine. Apparently the sound a little while ago looked like the barrier was broken. He could see that red markers surrounded the main shrine and that the encirclement was gradually shrinking, like ants that gathered around sugar, when he looked at the map.
(Are they aiming for this fox?)
Shin thought while looking at the fox crying “Kuu…” weakly. He made the fox drink the elixir so its abnormals state was cured, and its vitality was smoothly recovered from the red zone to yellow and then green. Though its vitality had recovered, the fox still seemed to be in a weakened state, and a lot of time had passed since Shin restored it to its normal state.
“First, activate 【Barrier • Ⅹ】!!”
Shin deployed the highest level barrier before the enemies come closer. A barrier was formed around the main shrine and blocked the march of the red markers, and the enemies crowded outside the barrier.
To be honest, Shin didn’t fully understand the situation yet, but he didn’t even consider the option of abandoning the young fox here. It raised its head while trembling as it watched Shin. The young fox was lowered on the floor where the pattern-like magic formation was drawn, and after its head was patted, Shin stood up.
“Kuu…”
“Wait here a moment. I’m about to kick those intruders.”
He said and turned his back to the young fox and opened the main shrine door to go out. After Shin exited the main shrine, he saw the figures of Skull Faces’ which crowded on the outside of the barrier. They were wearing rusted swords and armor, and the skeleton soldiers had a dim light in hollow eyes, gathering around the barrier like sleepwalkers.
Because the Skull Faces couldn’t break the barrier, Shin calmly took in a view of the whole scene.
“If their quality is bad, then their quantity is endless?”
Shin muttered while looking at the crowd of Skull Faces that extended past his field of vision. An individual with unique equipment and level like the Jack class he fought last time was not found in the crowd of the Skull Face that were surrounding Shin, it was composed of Pawn class and Jack class that similar to Shin’s knowledge.
Shin, who understood that the Skull Face’s have surrounded him from 【Sign Perception】skill activation, switched to 【Search】 skill, which could cover a wider area. With the enlarged detection range by focusing only on the monsters as targets, he could pinpoint all of the Skull Faces.
It was the amount that became the problem this time. Thanks to 【Search】, he understood that the number of enemies was close to 3 digits. There was a possibility that the Bayreuth kingdom might received the collateral damage again, too, if he let them slip even a little.
It crossed Shin’s mind after he saw the pool of blood that spread on the ground and there were barely any human remains nearby. Though he had no intention to put on airs for justice now, it was about the disposition of trying to not deal unnecessary damage.
“You guys are evil. Not one of you will get away from this.”
While advancing one step toward them, Shin took out a new weapon from the Item Box. It was a spear which materialized in his hand. The handle shone in silver, the blade was vivid green as if a jade had been attached to the tip. Because magic had been bestowed, the whole spear was wrapped in a white radiance.
He rotated the spear with his right hand once and pointed the tip forward to the crowd of enemies, 【Limit】 was released to Ⅱ in one breath.9 He confirmed that his strength was released to a point where he could completely control it, furthermore, his combat abilities efficiency was risen, too. Shin kicked the ground forward and rushed at the crowd of Skull Faces.
“Here is the first blow!!”
Simultaneously, he invoked the spearmanship system martial arts skill, 【Furrow Pierce】 while dashing. The tip of the spear penetrated, by Shin’s physical strength, through several Skull Faces in a mass. An emerald green light was generated by the invocation of the skill, while at the same time forming a spiral along with the swords, armor, and Skull Faces spinning together. The Skull Faces were shattered to very small pieces by power rivaling a cannonball that had been fired in a horizontal path, and a furrow was formed made of bones and iron fragments in a straight line.
Shin was able to escape the encirclement of the Skull Faces without changing the momentum of his charge.
“Next one. 【Star Mine】!”
Dozens of light orbs appeared around Shin while he invoked the skill, it was arranged to surround the groups of Skull Face.
Light technique system magic skill, 【Star Mine】. A skill with light attribute that could set up mine-like light orbs in the sky.
The generated light orbs was located further outside of the Skull Face’s that surrounded the main shrine, it was to cut off the way of retreat so the Skull Face could not escape into the forest.
After he made sure that the installation of light orbs had been completed, Shin relaunched his attack to the Skull Faces that still gathered around the barrier.
This time it was the skill of the spearmanship system martial arts, 【Spark Blossom】was used. Needless to say, the Skull Faces were shattered when receiving the direct hit from the spear that left a trail of emerald light in a horizontal line. Furthermore, pieces of crushed armor and swords were sent toward the Skull Faces that were outside the spear’s range. Those blown off by a single blow from the extraordinary power were Pawn class and Jack class, they were pierced without any regard. The Skull Faces situation were literally like buzzing in beehive.
Although the Skull Faces of Jack class raised their swords and tried to attack Shin, they were returned by Shin’s spear and the fragments of bones and irons became impromptu bullets that pierced their allies.
“Another one!!”
Shin wielded the spear freely with unimaginable speed in one hand. Nearly ten Skull Faces nearby were defeated in one blow when he used the skill. Moreover, the fragments, like a shotgun attack, further decreased the number quickly.
The place was so completely monopolized by Shin, that not even a single Skull Face could survive.
-
Since Shin started the battle, the group of Skull Faces was completely wiped out in less than ten minutes. The remains of the Skull Faces were scattered in the area around the barrier and the ground couldn’t be seen. Because he didn’t have any intentions to clean up the remains, he ignored them and pretended he did not see them as he returned to the main shrine.
When he opened the main shrine door and entered inside, a young fox jumped at him as it was waiting for Shin.
“Kuー!!”
“Gee! Th-that’s a dangerous thing to do, you.”
He almost lost his balance while holding the young fox in arm, he rubbed its head while stepping down from the stairs and stood on the ground. Its physical condition was completely restored, too. The exhausted appearance that had improved since a little while ago was not felt in young fox as it constantly licked Shin’s face.
“By the way, what will you do from now on?”
He looked at the surroundings that were in a pitiful state while holding the young fox. In addition, the sacred atmosphere that he sensed until a while ago was not felt. The power protecting the Shinto shrine along with the barrier that broke might have vanished.
“Kuー?”
“Come to think of it, I don’t know much about you yet.”
Although he helped the young fox with the impetus of Millie’s request, unexpectedly, this young fox had a lot of mysteries. When Shin first found the young fox, he was being distracted by its low vitality, and he just noticed that he didn’t even confirm its name yet until now. He only knew that this young fox was a kind of monster, because only players and monsters had an HP gauge in the game.
“I completely forgot to check its name. After all, is it a Little Fox?”
While citing the name of the monster that was popular as a pet, he read the information about the young fox with 【Analyze】 . While being held by Shin, the young fox looked puzzled, not understanding the meaning of words.
“Uhm, name, nam…e?”
Shin’s gaze stopped at the position of the monster’s name. The name that was written there had gone far above the Shin’s imagination.
“E, Element Tail…seriously…?”
“Kuー!”
As if it totally agreed! The young fox’s reaction showed that it seemed to convey it was an Element Tail. It was no wonder that Shin became stiff. The Element Tail was a monster called Nine Tailed Fox, or Kyuubi among players, and was originally part of the highest class of monsters which boast Lv. 1000 in THE NEW GATE.
It was always in the top in the THE NEW GATE strongest monster ranking chosen by players, and Shin who did not considered the possibility that the name of such monster appeared, cannot help but to be at a loss.
“What should I do?…What should I do, seriously?”
The level of the Element Tail was 211 at the present time when he examined it in detail. It was a level already dangerous enough according to the residents of this world. It might not have a parents, as it was seen alone. If say incidentally, it was the life of Shin that was in danger. An Element Tail was an opponent that could be said was absurd to be challenged alone even if one were a maxed stats player. Shin might defeat it after releasing all 【Limit】, but at least the northern forest would be burnt down to the ground.
“What is an Element Tail doing in a place like this? Just like Arclid…that’s it!! That was Element Tail isn’t it!!”
The sensed that he had seen it somewhere before when he looked at the Shinto shrine. He remembered the cause and unintentionally raised his voice.
The quest related to the Element Tail of the Shinto shrine composed of only the main shrine and the torii, but it was a place that one went to visit in a.k.a. the Kyuubi quest. Actually there was a detached building separately from the Shinto shrine, but it might have collapsed from a natural disaster. The Shinto shrine itself was probably protected by the barrier that Shin felt. It was not strange even if the Element Tail was here if he thought about it that way.
Anyway, half of the visitors who came to Tsuki no Hokora were players who challenged the Kyuubi quest. In a sense it could be said that Shin was receiving in cooperation with the sales of the store during the game.
Shin understood that there was an Element Tail in this place, but there was the question remain, about what it would do from now on. There was only an adult form of the Element Tail that appeared in the Shinto shrine in the Kyuubi quest originally, and there was no monster such as the young fox.
“You, what do you want to do from now on?”
Though it was not possible to talk, Shin asked because somehow he felt like it understood him. Because a barrier was erected, it was safe, but the thought of leaving a young fox alone even for an Element Tail in this place was unbearable.
“Kuー…”
Though the Element Tail that had been lowered to the ground gazed at the main shrine, after a short time, it shook its body and turned around. Then, the fox jumped skillfully and climbed up Shin’s body, and placed itself comfortably on the top of Shin’s head.
“Why on top of my head?”
“Ku～!”
“No, I don’t understand it.”
The Element Tail on the head slapped him “pechipechi”.10Was this fox’s resolve to leave this place?, Shin felt, it somehow was saying that.
“…Do you want to go together?”
“Kuー!”
“Is that so?…Dangerous! Claws! Your claws are painful!”
Shin somehow felt like it was saying: “I’ll go!”, but the violent behaviour of the happy young fox almost caused him to lose his balance.
Since its claws were not fully retracted, it was difficult for Shin to walk with the young fox scratching his face.
“Calm down!”
“Kuー?”
“What are you tilting your head for? You absolutely understand the meaning of my words!”
Even though it was young, it belonged to the race of the first-class monster Element Tail, there was no way it was not smart. Perhaps it was one of the young fox’s ways to distract itself from loneliness.
(You should become a full-fledged Element Tail before I return to the original world)
While thinking about that, Shin advanced toward the kingdom, while preventing scratches from its clawed paws with both of his hands.
Shin first met Ardi at Tsuki no Hokora in chapter 1.
That explains why the greatsword didn’t break during the fight.
a bite-size marinated pieces of beef, seafood, or chicken on skewers
munching with closed mouth sfx and bite chew sfx
her ears wilted, I think.
he refers to the curse removal event
The reason for “one portion” part is probably because of Shin’s LUC only 36
a Japanese gateway of light construction commonly built at the approach to a Shinto shrine
his strength was released from 1/10 to 1/2
light slap sfx
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 02 - Wraith Plains/The-New-Gate-Volume-02-Wraith-Plains-[Shin][dotNovel]/Title.txt
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The New Gate
(THE NEW GATE)
Volume 02
Wraith Plains
Kazanami Shinogi
(風波しのぎ)
Story Description:
“THE NEW GATE”, an online game that trapped its players and turned into a death game, was now releasing the thousands of players that had been dragged into it, thanks to the efforts of Shin, one of the most powerful players.
But after having defeated the last boss and freed everyone, he was swallowed up by a strange light and found himself inside the game world 500 years in the future and unable to leave.
Original Story can be found here: Link
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 02 - Wraith Plains/The-New-Gate-Volume-02-Wraith-Plains-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_02_Chapter_01_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 1
Shin, who let the young fox sit quietly on top of his head, walked toward the town. After he told the fox “retract your claws back into your paws” repeatedly, the young fox finally settled down. The claws that struck his face until then caused him to stagger.
As a result of having followed the request of the orphanage girl, Millie, a massive amount of Skull Faces were defeated by Shin. And he saved the young fox from the Shinto shrine, which became a battlefield. The forest, after the battle ended, became full of noise from living things, unlike when he first came to the shrine.
Possibly when Shin headed toward the shrine, the group of Skull Faces were already approaching, and the animals went into hiding. But the crowd of Skull Faces were indeed too many for it to occur naturally.
The number of undead appearances popping from tombs or underground dungeon areas might be caused by hazardous swirling miasma. He sighed while advancing forward, because if he didn’t report this, it would be bad.
First of all, how to conceal the Element Tail...while thinking about that, he called out to the young fox which was leisurely resting on top of his head.
“Hey, let’s have a discussion.”
“Kuu?”
The bark with question mark came from the young fox. From the communication a little while ago, it was already revealed that the young fox understood what Shin was saying.
“Because it is bad if your true identity was exposed, do you want to form a contract with me?”
The contract in this case was the partner contract that tamers make.
――Taming. Unlike the summoner who was able to make contracts with numerous summoned beasts without restriction, the tamer was able to do partner contracts only up to 5 per person. However, for other jobs than tamer, it was only possible to do partner contracts once. Even though, he could only contract once, he thought that it was satisfactory as a pet and as a little support personnel. Because Shin had a lot of support characters, he didn’t need a monster partner. But Cashmere, the tamer and summoner of Rokuten, recommended it to him, which was half the reason Shin performed the contract.
Nevertheless. Shin never thought that it would be useful in such a situation.
“Although there is no bonus compensation because I am not a tamer...Your level and race won’t be exposed to other guys, and we will able to communicate without the need of items, too.”
In THE NEW GATE, when there was too much a difference in level and stats, the low-level players would not be able to see the higher level player’s stats. And they must able to see the stats of the player who was the master, before being able to see a monster partner’s stats. In other words, if Shin, who had overwhelming power in this world, formed a contract with the young fox, almost no one could see the stats of the young fox.
By the way, communication (telepathy) became possible between the master and monster partner. While it seemed silent when observed from the outside, the monster partner was given instructions via telepathy during a battle. This was how a tamer fought with their monster partner.
“Kuu!? Ku~Ku~!”
“Really!? I will do it!” as if it said that, the young fox unleashed its claws again. Shin somehow came to understand the young fox even before the contract.
“I understand! I understand so don’t move for a moment!”
He said as he held the young fox facing him while reciting the keywords together.
“I, wish to walk with thee.” “Kuー...”
The young fox answered to Shin’s words. In this case, the contract would be completed if the monster said “I, vow to be on thy side”. When the bark stopped, a tattoo in the shape of a falcon formed respectively on their left arm and left foreleg. This was the mark of the contract which the player created, it was intended to distinguish the difference between a common monster and a monster partner. The monster partner that was raised by a player was basically stronger than a common monster.
“Then, again, I hope to get along with you.”
“Kuu!!”
“Thank you!!” as if it said, the young fox raised its right foreleg and barked. It was a heartwarming scene that would make anyone smile.
“Now then, first thing to do after contracting.”
“Ku?”
“It is to decide your name. Because Element Tail is a race name. It is natural to think about a name for you when you became my partner, I guess?”
“Kuu!? KuーKuー!!”
“And it...calm down! Or I will shake my head!!”
“Really!? What is it!!” As if the fox said that. While calming down the excited young fox, Shin announced the name that popped in his head.
“Yuzuha, how about it?”
“Kukukuu...kuu!!”
The small bark from the young fox fell silent for a while, thinking about the name ‘Yuzuha’. And then it yipped with a noticeably loud and high-pitched “kuu!!”, as if it said that it was pleased with the name.
Rather than a male name, it was a female name that came to Shin’s mind. Because when the Kyuubi quest was accepted, the Element Tail most often appeared as a female figure to the players.
“Well, actually, there is no gender, but...”
The Element Tail was a monster that didn’t have genders, it could become either man or woman and not be tied to either one. Even though it was usual that it appeared as a female figure before a player, he remembered that a male figure appeared very rarely in a walkthrough site. But he never actually saw it.
“Kuu?”
“Nothing. I guess you will become ‘Yuzuto’ when in male mode.”
As in novels, manga, and anime, there was a story such as naked beautiful women appearing the next morning after hugging an animal in bed. He didn’t know whether the Element Tail in this world would appear the same as in the game, but he prefer it to be a female figure anyway. It would be a nightmare for Shin if he woke up only to find that he was cuddling with another man, as he looking forward to an enjoyable sleep.
(My LUC is low. I hope the time when it becomes a person will never come.)
“Kuu?”
“There cannot be a strange good luck...” Shin muttered, and the young fox, Yuzuha, tilted its head. For some reason, he was acting strangely while feeling a little uneasiness, then he stopped thinking about it. Even if it’s called an Element Tail, its body was still that of a young fox. Thinking about difficult things were not of his characteristic, as he was not good at it.
As usual, Shin’s forehead was lightly hit by its paw that had retracted its claws. Moreover, its reaction was like “What happened?”, called out to Shin. For a long time, to Yuzuha, who had endured poison and a curse, a trivial thing such as communication might be nothing but a joyful experience.
* * *
“Hmm?”
As soon as he left the northern forest, a familiar electronic sound, “Pon!”, was heard by Shin. It was the sound of level up, incoming email, event announcement, and so on, which he often heard in the game.
Judging from Yuzuha, who wasn’t reacting, it seemed that it was heard only by Shin.
“Incoming message. From Tiera.”
The semi-transparent letters 『You have a message』 at the edge of Shin’s view became clear. The obvious unrealistic game characteristic, to Shin who already spent a few days in this world, brought the illusion that he was still inside the game.
“There is a feeling of something wrong because of this half-baked system.”
Although he didn’t feel odd obviously because having seen the game screen through the VR (Virtual Reality), when it happens in reality, the feeling of something wrong couldn’t be shaken off. Is this the feeling when game and reality are mixed? Shin frowned, but it was certainly a convenient thing. He sighed as he had no choice but to get used to it, and opened the message.
『To Shin
When I tried it, I was able to send a message to master.
Though I don’t know whether master has a message card or not, when the reply comes, I will contact you again.
P.S.
Is it possible to send items via the message card?』
Tiera, who was Schnee’s acquaintance in this world, seemed to able to send the message card without any problems. Since Shin was not able to send the message card to Schnee himself, he didn’t think about the possibility that Tiera could communicate with Schnee before.
“Well because she already contacted her, it’s a good thing.”
He convinced himself that it was alright while looking at an unused message card to reply as an attachment. The message card became drops of light and was sucked into the letter paper of the reply. It appeared to be possible to attach only light items, but it was satisfactory and convenient.
“...Is this happening because it’s this world? The attaching items was not possible in the game.”
The game and reality are not the same, and the inspection of other items was necessary, he made a mental note of this. There were unexpected things likely to occur in this world other than the game.
Given the number of items in his Item Box, it would require a considerable amount of time for the inspection. Shin, while thought about it, had a slight headache.
“If Schnee reply something, contact me immediately.”
He replied to the message which included the method for item attachment, then he continued walking. He was heading towards the east gate of the town.
He decided to report about the army of nearly three digits worth of Skull Faces to the guild, and leave out Yuzuha from the report, even if he had to lie.
“Yo Shin. This time you brought something strange again.”
It was Beid who called out by the east gate. There was no formality like when they met at the first time, probably because they encountered each other pretty much every day.
“This is my partner, Yuzuha. I would like to confirm something, when I take a monster partner with me, is there any restriction or something?”
Even if it was accompanied by a tamer, Shin expected that it would be difficult to just let a monster into the town.
“There are various restrictions in case of aggressive monsters or monsters that have huge body’s, but there is no problem if it’s that small, I guess. Just in case, I will have you to write the necessary document for preparation here for the time being. After that, your companion has to show the mark of your contract to complete the registration process.”
“This is unexpectedly lenient.”
Because he thought it would be strict, he was a little disappointed.
“Of course, it is strict when a guy appears to act violently and dangerous. In addition, a tamer must take all the responsibility if their monster partner causes some trouble. And be careful, because there are such guys who start fights on purpose, and demand a payment from the tamer.”
“Ah, such guys exist too.”
“Yes, unfortunately. Moreover, the monster partner was only aimed at when the tamer ability was restricted at that time. The regulations are difficult around there.”
“I’m thinking whether it is lenient or not...”
Because there were people who tried to catch and sell rare monsters, Shin understood Beid’s words of caution.
Just in case, counterattacking seemed to be permitted for the time being if he was going to arrest them with brute force. But the processing afterward seemed to be troublesome, “Do it thoroughly in a place where it won’t be found out if you do it” said Beid. He didn’t know whether it was fine for a guard to say that, but he understood about the monster partner and start of a fight, and since most of the criminals belonged to the monster’s trade organization, it was said that they didn’t need pardon.
“Name is Yuzuha, race is demon fox. The rest is...”
He wrote the necessary words on the document which Beid brought.
Demon fox was a race to which a type of fox monster belonged to, and there were many players who made it their pet in the game.
Element Tail was classified as a first class boss, and categorized as an ‘Element Tail’ race while at the same time being of the demon fox tribe. One could say that it was a higher kind, like High Human or High Elf.
So the race that Shin wrote in the document was not completely random. Though it was not the whole truth either.
“...Yosh, I have finished filling out the document. Please confirm it.”
“...Hmm. There aren’t any problems. Then, the registration of the contract mark is completed. Please touch with the arm and foreleg that have the contract mark on this.”
When Beid confirmed there was no discrepancy, he handed the document to another guard and held out a purple sphere with the size of a baseball.
Shin and Yuzuha touched the globe with their left arm and left foreleg respectively. Thereupon the globe slightly shined, and the contract mark with falcon design appeared inside the globe.
“The registration process has ended with this. And though I don’t want it to happen, in case your monster partner dies or has been kidnapped, there is the procedure of registration cancellation. Please remember it, just in case.”
“I understand. I hope it will not happen.”
He nodded to Beid’s detailed circumstance speech that turned a little businesslike, then Shin left the gate.
Since Yuzuha was sitting on top of his head, the passersby were glancing at Shin as he walked on the street without minding it. Because Shin already predicted it would become like that. Small children and the like, pointed “it’s fox-san” and Shin, were warned by their parents. Though it was not necessary to place the fox on his head, Shin judged that it might be a little dangerous if Yuzuha walked on the ground where there was a lot of pedestrian traffic. Of course, the one who clashed with Yuzuha would be the one in danger.
He endured the glances from the surrounding onlookers, and passed through beneath the signboard of the adventurers’ guild. Here, also without exception, Yuzuha, who resided on Shin’s head, was attracting glances.
There were the appearances of two miss receptionists who resembled each other like two peas in a pod. They were the twin sisters Celica and Cilica.
“Excuse me. I would like to report something.”
“I will receive it.”
Two people answered at the same time. The timing almost identical. Both were glancing at Yuzuha for a moment, but it was the feeling of mere confirmation rather than the eyes of curiosity.
“Well, errr, which one should I report to?”
“I will ――”
“Receive it!”
The one who interrupted elder sister Celica’s answer, was the younger sister Cilica. The diligent elder sister and the mischievous younger sister ―― Shin right away judged from their hairstyle, and he didn't seem to be mistaken about it.
“...Cilica”
“What?”
“Shin-sama came to me first, therefore I will receive it.”
“Eh, am I no good?”
“It’s no good, I will do it.”
“Somehow your mood is different than usual.”
“What’s different?”
“Yes yes, I understand. I will behave myself.”
In the end, Celica seemed to be declared as the winner. For Shin it didn’t matter which one he reported to, as it was all the same to him.
“...Uhm, the report?”
“Yes, sorry for the fuss. Your report please.”
“Today, near the center of the northern forest, I encountered a large amount of Skull Faces. I confirmed that I defeated all of those within my range, but because a stray monster might remain, I’m reporting it just in case.”
“A large amount...what do you mean by that?”
“I don’t know the exact number because I never counted them, but I think it was near 100 bodies.”
“Huh?...”
Nearly 100 Skull Faces bodies ―― There was the matter of the Jack class subjugation the other day too, so the remark of “I defeated them” caused a weak response from Celica, but as expected, it was not possible to hide her shock because of that large number.
“Don’t tell me it is what I think it is, is it the same strong individual like the other day?”
“No, this time the ones I encountered didn’t exceed the general knowledge of level and equipment. The class is a mixed of Jack and Pawn class, and they moved to surround a certain building.”
“A building?”
“Yes. A Shinto shrine...it was a facility to worship a God.”
Since he wasn’t sure whether she would understand the words Shinto shrine, he roughly explain it.
“Shinto shrine...I have heard that there was such a thing in the Hinomoto country, but I didn’t know that there was one in the northern forest.”
It seemed to be the result of the barrier which prevented living things to come near. Furthermore, the barrier wasn’t spread widely, so it was hard to notice.
“I was anxious when I heard the sound of something cracking as I approached, and at the same time the Skull Faces emerged. Perhaps a barrier or something was erected, I think.”
“So did you find something?”
“Though there were a few things inside the building, something like a magic formation was drawn on the floor. That’s all the features I can think of.”
The matter of Yuzuha was concealed, in addition, he cited where the worrisome place was to others.
“Thank you for your report. Including the matter of the Jack class on the other day, I will investigate this one too. Besides, if you noticed anything else, please contact me again. I might not able to understand it if Shin-sama is not present.”
“I understand. I will come again if I remember something else.”
Then he shifted his attention to the bulletin board where the requests were pasted. When he took the request of Hillock Herb before, he only looked at the G rank requests. This time Shin looked over the large amount of requests which he couldn’t take at his current rank. And then incidentally, he found that another bulletin board existed, hidden beside the main bulletin board.
Its size was about 30 cemels in length and width. It had a handmade feeling from the pasted on requests. And it couldn’t be compared with the adjacent bulletin board.
Shin, who took a little fancy to it, took a look at the requests which were pasted in a disorderly manner. Then, he found a word that caught his eye in the request that was mixed with others. He took it in his hand and scanned it properly.
―― Requesting a skill successor.
―― The one who accepted this request, please contact the church’s orphanage at east district.
―― Reward negotiable.
The contents of the request was seen, and Shin noticed that the request was not covered by rank.
There were requests that were not covered by rank, like the request related to criminals or the request from poor children that were put on the bulletin board, according to Cilica’s explanation about the request.
If one asked why set up such things, the answer would be any person has the freedom to do requests.
“I have a feeling that this is a special circumstances request. That rumor is not necessarily a mistake, is it?”
Shin said while thinking about that. He recalled some of the information he collected while using the hearing skill. Though it was only a rumor, the content made him a little worried.
It was the connection between the guilds; especially the relation between the ones called as the underground guilds and the adventurers’ guild. To be precise, the normal guilds, like the adventurers’ guild or merchant guild, were accepted by the society, and the underground guilds undertook crimes such as assassination and kidnapping.
According to the rumor, the underground guilds were performing purges for the nobles and the like, such as forcing unreasonable demands and violent requests, and the normal guilds were said to overlook the crimes of these underground guilds. Though the truth was uncertain, it was not laughable matter if there was ‘something’.
“Even if it’s the orphanage. If I am not mistaken, it’s the orphanage where Millie was.”
He recalled what Wilhelm said before parting the other day. When Shin thought that there might be a relation with the girl who brought the opportunity for him to meet Yuzuha, it would leave a bad aftertaste if he left it as it was.
“...I should go and check.”
Because originally Shin intended to ask Millie about Yuzuha, at the same time, he would listen to the contents of the request. Shin decided to head over to the orphanage.
* * *
After he asked Celica how to get to the church from there, he walked for several minutes. Later, Shin was in front of the church.
Shin imagined it was a place of worship combined with stained glass when he heard about the church, and it was exactly as he imagined it. There was a big open door, worshipers who sat on the bench inside, and a ray of light that shined from the stained glass could be seen. The sun seemed to rise from the other side of the stained glass. The light, which shined into the little dim chapel like a halo, was indeed mysterious.
There were two sisters inside if the worshipers were excluded. No figure such as a pastor or priest could be seen.
(There are a few differences in the interior design, but this is certainly an architectural skill 『Church』.)
He thought about such things while looking around the chapel. Architectural skill was a skill necessary for constructing a building, just as its name implied.
Because he was brought up by Cain, who was both a magician and an architect of Rokuten, Shin’s architectural skill level was raised to VI. Thanks to that, Shin understood a little bit about bad and good points in buildings.
He understood that the interior was old, but it was carefully taken care of. With that alone, he more or less knew the personality of the person managing the church.
“May I help you?”
“Hmm? Ah, sorry. This is my first time coming to this place.”
Shin was observing the church near the entrance. One of the sisters saw him and right away approached him. It was a young women with a dark eyes and chignon, light brown hair.
Though he came to the church, he was not praying and just standing near the entrance, which was quite suspicious. Yet, there was no wary tone from the sister toward Shin.
Because he didn’t have business with the church, he decided to ask about the orphanage.
“I have a business with the orphanage.”
“Are you the one who saw the request!”
The sister voiced an exaggerated surprise. There must be very few people who accepted the request she put on the bulletin board. Either that or she didn’t expect anyone to accept the request for her to be that surprised.
“Well, shall I listen to the story first? And then, is there a child beast named Millie in this orphanage? This young fox...Yuzuha, I want to confirm it with Millie.”
Shin said and pointed to Yuzuha above his head. Although the sister was staring in wonder at Yuzuha, whom she had just noticed, but she turned to Shin shortly after that while giving him a cautious look.
“That kid, what?”
“When I met her yesterday, I was interested in what she said to me. Besides, I want her to confirm a few things about Yuzuha and about the request at the same time.”
From the sister’s attitude, was there any special circumstances with Millie? While Shin thought about that, he lowered his voice so other people didn’t hear it.
“...Okay. Come this way, please. Sister Rashia, please take over here.”
After having slightly considered it, the sister who was cautious of Shin, left the place and prompted him to follow her after she entrusted the place to other sister.
When the sister went out through the door, he went around to the back of the church. There was an old building there. The building, which reminded him of an apartment, had traces of repairs in several places, but Shin didn’t pay attention to the shabby impression. This appeared to be the orphanage.
“Please wait here while I get Millie.”
He entered a place that was supposedly a reception office. When Shin sat on a sofa and looked around, the sister brought Millie shortly afterwards.
“...It’s Shin-nii”
Millie who was hiding behind the sister, ran to Shin and sat next to him when she found out that it was Shin who sat on the sofa.
“...It seems like you really aren’t a bad guy after all.”
The sister smiled and sat on a sofa in front of Shin.
“I’m embarrassed if I am suddenly being looked at by those kind eyes...”
“Fufu, I’m sorry. It’s been a long time since Millie became attached to someone.”
“Wilhelm said the same thing too. Oh, I am Shin. An adventurer.”
“This time it seems that you have accepted Millie’s request, thank you very much. I am Thoria Serias. I am in charge of management of the sisters in the church and the orphanage.”
This sister seemed to be the person in charge. Shin, who didn’t know about the personnel affair of the church in the meantime, was convinced.
“There is a little thing I want to confirm today. Hey Millie, when you said ‘fox-san’ yesterday, is it this fellow?”
“Yes, it is. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Yuzuha, say thanks too. It was all thanks to Millie that you were helped.”
“Kuu!”
While patting Millie’s head, Shin didn’t forget to make Yuzuha said her gratitude. In fact, he didn’t know what would have happened to Yuzuha if not for Millie’s words.
Yuzuha got down to the floor and lowered its head, and after satisfied with Millie’s confirmation, Shin turned to face toward the sister.
The sister, who was watching the exchange between Millie and Yuzuha, straightened her posture while smiling.
“There is one more thing I need to confirm. It’s about the request in the guild. Can I hear more details about it?”
“Yes. Because Shin-san looks like a person I can trust.”
Thoria nodded with serious face. After all, there seemed to be a reason, as it was a request outside the rank.
“Having read the request means Shin-san is a skill successor, right?”
“Well, you could say I am.”
Though it differed from the truth, Shin nodded as he didn’t want the talk to become confusing.
“The reason I’m looking for a skill successor is, though I think it is impudent, I want you to teach the skill if possible.”
Shin heard from Tiera that just having a skill could gain you preferential treatment, although it was said that a considerable amount of effort and money were necessary for the succession. Shin hadn’t seen it yet, but apparently there were degraded versions of skills which were called arts.
As the sister talked about the skill, several necessary skills appeared in Shin’s mind.
“After all, is it the[Heal] and [Cure] system?”
“No, It’s different. Those are certainly necessary skills, but the circumstances are different this time.”
“Circumstances?”
Because they were necessary skills for the recovery job, could you teach me those? Shin thought the sister would say that, but it seemed to be different for some reason.
“Then, what is the skill that Thoria-san was looking for?”
“...Tion, it is.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear it properly.”
“...[Purification], it is.”
“Ahh, it is[Purification].”
Thoria said as she was ready to give up, because she knew she was asking the impossible.
“I know this is absurd...”
“Because it is troublesome, right?”
“Yes troublesome...what?”
A few seconds after Shin’s remark, for the first time, Thoria noticed that Shin’s response was odd.
“Errr...what did you say just now?”
“No, it is troublesome. I said.”
Thoria was having a face trying to squeeze the words, in contrast to Shin who said what came to his mind.
“Erm, to acquire the skill, do you know it?”
“Yes, I know it.”
“...The request, can you accept it?...”
“It depends.”
Shin changed into a serious expression from those words.
Though Shin spoke in a thoughtless tone, he calmly analyzed the information in his head. He thought he understood something about Millie, but he didn’t have even a fragment of information about her. Instead, he got to know about the trouble in the church. In addition, he didn’t expect that the skill would be [Purification], but he daringly said that he had the information about [Purification]. Although he had poor knowledge about this world, he wasn’t that foolish to teach the skill to the sister during their first meeting.
“I would like some time to think about the reward.”
“No, the monetary things are fine. Instead, there are some conditions.”
Conditions, Thoria stiffens by that word. As if she knew what Shin would say next.
“Conditions?”
“Yes, first of all, about Millie’s power. Subsequently, I want the information you obtained in the church, the term for the condition is one year. Finally, I want it to be a secret that I accepted this request. Even from the higher-ups in the church . Please say it was a volunteer service by me.”
The church was a place where various people regardless of age or sex gathered. There might be some information that came out before God, Shin thought. And since Thoria seemed like a good person, this type of conversation seemed to be unfamiliar to her.
Apart from that, Shin’s preference was about Millie’s power. It might be something like future foresight or crisis perception. Shin’s nature as a gamer spontaneously thought about it. That thought, if in his former world, would be laughed off.
“These conditions are the rewards I wish for.”
On the other hand, Thoria, who was asked, seemed to hesitate for what she should do.
From Thoria’s point of view, it was accompanied with a great risk to reveal Millie’s power to a person whom she didn’t know and who appeared suddenly. There was no conclusive proof that Shin wasn’t going to expose this story either.
In addition, she even had to defy the higher-up of the church in some cases. It couldn’t be helped but to say that the conditions were relentless in exchange for the [Purification] skill. To make matters worse, there was no evidence that Shin really knew the acquisition method of [Purification]. And if Millie’s power was known to someone powerful and greedy, Millie herself would be in danger. It was not an agreement that she could consent to thoughtlessly.
Silence filled the reception room.
Shin was waiting for an answer and Thoria was keeping quiet.
“...It’s alright.”
It was Millie’s words who broke the silence between the two people.
It’s alright. Millie said while looking at Thoria. Her eyes were not the eyes of a young child, they harboured mysterious glows.
“Millie?”
“If it is Shin-nii, it’s alright.”
“............”
Though Thoria still kept silent considering it, having made up her mind after looking at Millie’s appearance, she opened her mouth slowly and nodded.
“I understand. I accept the conditions. However, even though you might say information, we are amateurs. I don’t know whether we can be helpful by investigating or doing something for you.”
“You don’t have to act strangely. You can inform me if someone comes to the church and says something worrisome. The real nature of Millie’s power is more important to me.”
Shin explained that she didn’t need to imitate the information seller. It would be dangerous if it was done unskillfully. He urged that the power of Millie was by far the main issue.
“...Millie has had the title 『Hoshiyomi』 since birth. From Millie’s story, the scenery abruptly differentiates from her normal view. Actually, nothing Millie has said was wrong as long as one did not do something. I think the reason why she requested Shin-san is because she saw something with that power.”
“ 『Hoshiyomi』? For Millie to have such power...”
“Yes...Do you know something about it? As for this title, even I don’t know much about it. And title holders are fewer than skill successors, since they almost never exposed their ability. I only know it from Millie’s story.”
Hmm, Shin pondered.
『Hoshiyomi』 was originally a title which could be obtained from a quest with a simple hint. It was a rare title, but it was not something to be worried about.
When Shin was there Millie’s power, which Thoria told him about, didn’t manifest. There might be certain conditions, but it didn’t come to Shin’s mind at all. Although there were no powers in THE NEW GATE that Shin didn’t know about.
Possibly it might have become the clue as to how to return to his original world.
(Not only the message card, there is a change even in the title, too? Though it was not useless to try to understand it, the title is hard to confirm because it cannot be activated voluntarily. The 『Hoshiyomi』 effect for future foresight is not certain either.)
Titles in particular were divided between random activation type and regular activation type.『Hoshiyomi』 was occasionally activated when a quest was generated, so it was in the middle between the two types.
Then――
“Kidnapping, abduction, confinement. It was too scary if Millie’s power was found out. People who thought about such dangerous things are likely to appear. What about this side?”
Only worrisome words had appeared in his mind. The lighter tone probably comes from his past experiences.
By the way, this time he talked close to Millie’s ear.
“I will tell the person concerned not to talk about it carelessly, so it won’t spread easily. That person is someone who left here and become an adventurer, he will cooperates with me.”
“Is it Wilhelm?”
“Yes, there are others, but he is the best for protection. The people who want to put their hands on the children here are almost all gone because of their fear of his ability.”
That small children were likely to be the target of evil deeds didn’t seem to change anywhere.
Although Wilhelm was feared by the adventurers, it seemed that Wilhelm was not a bad person, Shin thought. He protected the orphanage by gaining fame, whether it was good or bad.
Even though the drawback was that there was the possibility that someone had a grudge against Wilhelm and would therefore target the orphanage, somehow other adventurers would do something about it. Since there were not many things he could do alone.
“Then, because I received the reward, I want to formally accept the request. Is it agreeable with Thoria-san to acquire the [Purification]?”
“No, It’s not for me to acquire, I want to request it for Rashia. You saw another sister in the church, right? That girl, please teach it to her.”
“Is that so? I certainly thought it was Thoria-san in this case.”
“That girl is the grandchild to a person who served as a priest here. Because if the plan goes smoothly, the church will be handed over to her by inheritance.”
Apparently, there seemed to be some circumstances other than the [Purification]. Shin had a wry smile while stroking Yuzuha, as it was likely to turn into a complicated development.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 02 - Wraith Plains/The-New-Gate-Volume-02-Wraith-Plains-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_02_Chapter_01_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 2
A minute discussion with the person concerned was proposed by Thoria and Shin accepted, he would have to wait in the orphanage until the church closed. It was understandable because she couldn’t afford to neglect her work. Furthermore, he intended to keep the children company, too.
“Fox!?”
“It’s fox-san!”
“I want to hold it!”
“Me too!”
“Kuu~...”
The children of the orphanage were interested in Yuzuha.
Though it was bad for it to be made into a toy, he asked Yuzuha to put up with it this time. Shin intended to join in if he saw the opportunity.
In contrast to Yuzuha, the children didn’t approach Shin at all. Only Millie was near Shin.
“Although it is understandable, what is this feeling of defeat...”
“...Don’t give up?”
The consolation caused his eyes to sting.
“...Well, to be attached to a guy who suddenly came and had a conversation is unreasonable, huh?”
As for the children, their wariness was strong. They would not trust him, no matter how much he was introduced by Thoria. All the more to the orphans who had lost their parents or siblings.
“Millie doesn’t want to join in?”
“I lose.”
“Lose what?”
“Yeah...”
Though a somewhat unexpected answer came back, the point was that she was defeated by a stronger opponent.
Millie remained anxious on whether or not to jump into the group that surrounded Yuzuha.
When he thought about that, Yuzuha was not able to endure anymore. It slipped through between the children, rushed to Shin and climbed up to on top of his head. Its fur was somehow bristled up, as if it was being cautious.
“Yuu-chan, come.”
“...Kuu.”
When Millie called, after pausing a little while, Yuzuha barked and settled itself into Millie’s arms.
Yuzuha's wariness seemed to have faded compared to when it met them the first time. And its nickname seemed to be Yuu-chan.
“With this, only I hold it.”
“What a schemer!?”
“Without effort, victory.”
“You are saying something like that!?”
She seemed to have foreseen that Yuzuha would not be able to endure it and would run away.
“Millie, you’re a frightening girl!!”
Shin retorted. In the middle of such an exchange, from a distance, the children started to look at Shin.
Now a relatively serious girl, who appeared to be the oldest, stood before Shin as he thought ‘What’s up with that?’ There seemed to be courage in this girl. She might be a child in an elder sister position because she said, “Hey boy!” And she was not one of the children who had gathered around Yuzuha.
The girl had evenly cut, grey hair that extended down to her shoulders. If the children who gathered around Yuzuha were around lower grade elementary school students, this girl looked like an upper grade junior high school student. Her green eyes were tense, with an -ask something- look.
“...Hello.”
“Hello. You might already have heard it from Thoria, but I am Shin. I am an adventurer. Nice to meet you.”
“Kua, it is. Nice to meet you, too.”
To make sure, he introduced himself again. Was it the result of her being fearless? She introduced herself without feeling pressured.
“By the way, this fox is Yuzuha. Please excuse my partner from too much whisker and tail pulling.”
“Are you the person who came to help us?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
Shin would understand if she said, “person who came to help the Sisters”, but what about the remark “us”?
“Because the Sister told us that the place here might be lost.”
“The church will be lost?”
“No, only the orphanage.”
“Only the orphanage?”
Shin, who thought the church and the orphanage were a set, was surprised at Kua’s words.
What will happen to all the children who live here if the orphanage is lost? From Kua’s perspective, it was not a nice premonition
“May I hear the story for the time being? I don’t really know the details.”
“...I understand.”
Was Shin’s determination transmitted? Kua began to speak calmly.
And, he understood several things from Kua’s story.
First, the management of this church was not entrusted to someone unless they were a priest with a certain extent of ability, and Thoria didn’t meet the qualifications. The priest, in this case, referred to a job. Father and sister were similar to the priest job, they just differed in name.
Second, when one couldn’t meet the qualification as it was, another priest would take over the management here. Apparently, the man who was the next candidate would demolish the orphanage. It was really doubtful whether the man was a real Priest or not.
Third, a relative of the former manager. In the case of identical qualification holders, the relative would be put in a higher priority for the succession order. And this was the reason Thoria pushed it to the other Sister, Rashia. If Rashia succeeded this church, the current problem would be solved.
Shin, who didn’t think that the child was well-informed about the circumstances, was a little surprised while he heard the story.
“Even so, why is that Priest not going to keep the orphanage, even though it’s the same church?”
Judging from the actions of Thoria and Rashia, the church was an independent organization that helped other people.
However, the next candidate Priest’s actions were strange in this situation.
“We hate that person.”
“What kind of person is he?”
The children behind her were nodding at Kua’s words.
He asked what kind of person he was, yet Shin was somehow able to predict Kua’s answer.
“That pig is blinded by money.”
“...Ah, yes. Just that alone is enough.”
When a child said an abusive remark, one could imagine what kind of person that man was.
Though he understood that it was rash to judge only from one viewpoint, it was unreasonable in this state of affair.
By all means, there were always corrupt members somewhere in an organization. Shin had a distant look.
“In other words, the acquisition of [Purification] is required so that Rashia can take over the church?”
As Els from the guild said, [Purification] was a skill, a very special one for a priest.
“Because Shin-nii will help, it will be all right.”
“It can’t be asserted with only this.”
He warned Millie who was full of confidence in herself.
This time he intended to teach by the original method without using the secret book. In this case, if the person in question didn’t make any effort, it would not have much effect, even with Shin’s help.
He didn’t want to use [Secret Books Creation], because he didn’t know what kind of significance [Secret Books Creation] had in this world. Besides, he wanted Rashia to get used to fighting scenes.
From Kua’s story, he didn’t think that the problem of the church would be solved just by acquiring the [Purification]skill. In 9 out of 10 cases, the predicament was that it would become a fighting scene. Although it was likely to end when Wilhelm started to rampage.
“But, if Millie-chan said so, I wonder if it’s really all right?”
Kua muttered and Shin asked about it.
“Is what Millie says always right on the money?”
“Yes, although she seldom tells me something about when the shop is cheap or where the sweets are put away.”
“No, wait, that is something different.”
Shin worried about Millie for being seen as weird because of her good intuition, but the unexpected reply about food came back.
“Weird?”
Millie looked up at Shin.
“No, it is not weird. But it’s rather a good thing...?”
Because he thought he should cover the one he should conceal, he questioned if it might be good.
He felt that she had a grown-up mentality, which Shin thought might be caused by 『Hoshiyomi』, as she had seen various things with that power.
“Well, it’s good if you don’t overdo it.”
He said while patting Millie’s head.
Initially Millie showed a face of wondering, but she looked comfortable after being patted.
“Being patted, love it.”
Afterwards, there were children of the beast race that looked enviously at Millie, who seemed very comfortable.
* * *
They played together for several hours while Millie broke the ice with the other children. By the time Thoria returned to the orphanage, all of the younger children and some of the older ones were inside their dreams, leaving the other children behind.
“When I see the children sleeping…”
The words she was about to say stopped. It seemed that Thoria’s strength came from seeing the children who slept peacefully. As one might expect, she would hesitate to have Shin, whom she just met today, take care of the children.
“...these children seem to be completely off guard, too.”
“That’s right, and it’s nice to see.”
There was the figure of the girl called Rashia in the church behind Thoria. She had gray hair and the same chignon as Thoria. From her brown eyes, Shin could perceive the same tension as Kua had not long ago.
“Is that Rashia-san?”
“Ye-yes! This time I hope to get along with zu...iyai”
It appeared that she bit her tongue.
“Uhm, are you alright?”
“Though she has a little careless side to her, I can assure you she will do her best.”
This was followed by Thoria who showed a little bitter smile.
“Uu, I’m sorry. It was an unsightly scene.”
“Well, let’s be at ease. I’m Shin. An Adventurer. I will instruct you in how to learn the skill [Purification]. However, whether it can be mastered is up to Rashia-san. Don’t forget that.”
“Yes!!”
She returned an answer clearly this time. Those eyes showed earnestness itself.
“Then, let’s move on to the finer details. First of all, I want to ask you two; Do you know of a place where undead monsters with high levels appear in large quantities? If not, I will check with the guild.”
There were essential conditions for the acquisition of [Purification]. Generally, how long it took for acquiring it would depend on the place.
“I think the famous one is ‘Wraith Plains’.”
“Wraith Plains?”
Shin looked puzzled at the name of the place that came out from Thoria’s mouth, as he had never heard of it before.
“Yes. After you leave the country, the plains are located in the north. Originally, there seemed to have been a dungeon there, but a part of it rose above the ground due to the former natural disasters.”
“A dungeon is above ground? Is there such a thing?”
“I heard that there are other, similar cases, but the details are...”
“Well, since this time the task requires undead monsters, I’d say it’s perfect.”
In this case, he felt it was too timely, but decided to not to worry about it. He was saved the trouble of looking for such place one by one. He didn’t seem to have much time according to the story he heard. It would be better to start early, Shin thought.
“So, how long do you need to travel to arrive there?”
“You can expect ――”
“5 or 6 days by carriage.”
“...Ara, Will, did you just return?”
The one who interrupted Thoria’s words was Wilhelm, who had shown up at the entrance. He was carrying Venom in his hand, and was quietly raising his fighting spirit.
“Yo, I’m interfering.”
“Are you the adventurer who responded to the request?”
Though Wilhelm seemed calm on the surface, Shin knew that Wilhelm was openly prepared for battle.
“That’s correct, since I have received the rewards, I don’t mind teaching [Purification].
“...What did you hear?”
Wilhelm saw through Shin’s answer that the reward was not some kind of money or goods. His eyes were saying ‘I will not forgive a lie.’
Shin took a short pause and replied.
“...Millie’s title, and what kind of power she has. Afterwards, the talk of to make sure the information didn’t leak with the adventurers of orphanage alumni.
“Is it okay to put this much trust in him?”
The words were directed to Thoria.
“It’s okay. I don’t see him as a bad person. Besides, Millie also assured it. That it was all right.”
Wilhelm, who knew Millie’s power, was like “No way!” as he looked at Millie.
“...Did you see it...?”
“Yeah.”
“...I see.”
Millie’s word rendered him silent momentarily, and respond with a few words. He seemed to agree for the time being.
“Ah, did you settle the dispute?”
“Yes, since Millie said so, I will trust you for now.”
Shin could do nothing but shrug his shoulders to that reaction.
“I never thought of spreading what I heard, abusing Millie’s power or anything like that.”
“Indeed. If someone dares to do such things, I will kill that guy.”
Wilhelm told the joke while waving Venom, but his eyes were completely serious. There was a hint that the spear could be sent flying anytime.
“Mu~, quarrel, cannot!”
“Oops.”
“Uu”
Millie, who sensed the tense atmosphere, sweetly interrupted it. Wilhelm, who appeared to not be in a mood to press any further, let go of his fighting spirit.
“I’m sorry, I’ve never been a patient person.”
“Will doesn’t have the habit of patience.”
“Impatience Will-nii.”
Thoria and Rashia followed up casually. It seemed like it was more to criticize than to follow up.
“They told you...”
“You bastard...”
Shin had a hunch that if an ordinary man felt his fighting spirit, they would be completely frightened, yet Thoria and Rashia still remained calm despite being commoners.
“Well it’s fine. From the various things I’ve heard, in this case, they will receive information about [Purification], huh?”
“Just in case, keep it a secret from others.”
“Don’t worry. The information is about the church’s secret, it would be dangerous if someone were to talk about it.”
Others were nodding to Wilhelm’s remark. Apparently. Shin thought the church had a large influence.
“Did you put up the eavesdrop prevention magic just to make sure?...Well then, the main subject. The acquisition method for [Purification] is to defeat at least 200 undead monsters whose levels are higher than 150, while having the item called [Prayer of Saint Sphere]. Because it only counts the decisive blow that defeats the enemy, I will weaken the monsters first so that Rashia can defeat them.”
“...Oi, is it true, seriously?”
“I’m serious. The truth is, obtaining the [Prayer of Saint Sphere] is really difficult, but it’s okay this time, because I have it.”
Shin talked about it like it was nothing.
Though he didn’t realize it, monsters whose level exceeds 150 were very dangerous existences to an ordinary person of this world. Rashia, who heard that she was required to defeat at least 200 monsters, was dumbfounded like her soul froze.
“Oi, Rashia!”
“Hahi!!”
“Oioi, are you alright?...”
Wilhelm tapped her shoulder and Rashia returned to her sanity. Besides, Rashia had no other option but to persevere.
“Oi Shin. I will also go together with you this time.”
“Yes, it does not matter, but she might be more at ease if she had someone with her whom she knows.”
If they were only 2 people, he guessed it would be severe. Shin who considered Rashia’s mental state.
Although he saw Rashia’s reaction, even if it was an adventurer in this world, it would be difficult to clear the trial Shin talked about. Shin thought he himself was prudent, but he unconsciously based it on the standard from the game era.
“Then, Rashia, try your best.”
“Yes, I will do my best!”
While Shin was thinking, Rashia somehow appeared to have recovered, too. Since she held responsibility for the church, she had to get over this.
After Rashia settled on her resolution, the discussion of minor things came to an end.
While it’s better to move quickly, the preparation time for each person was considered. The meeting place was decided to be in front of the east gate.
* * *
After Shin left the church, the others started preparing for tomorrow. Rashia and Thoria explained to the children while preparing for the journey.
Wilhelm had gone out to purchase the necessary food and goods for the long journey.
He called out to trusted adventurers who were orphanage alumni, while at the same time, walking along the main street to buy the necessary things. It was because the Priest who tried to demolish the orphanage was not likely to make a move if someone was there.
Even if it was the adventurers from the orphanage, the people who knew about Millie’s power were limited. He had to convey all members to be on the lookout, since there was the possibility of a long time absence. While busy, Wilhelm kept thinking about a certain man.
Needless to say, it was Shin.
He met him for the first time in his favorite restaurant and shared a table by chance. Though Shin just became an adventurer, Wilhelm was surprised that Shin was talking to him without fear, despite him having Venom. Thus he was able to recall him immediately when they met again in the orphanage.
He heard that Thoria talked about Millie’s power with Shin in the church, and thought that no matter how he looked at it, Shin was being trusted too much, but he consented for the time being since Millie asserted that it was all right. Moreover, Millie said “I saw it”. Somehow, though he couldn’t say so himself, at least he was sure that Shin was not a dangerous person. Otherwise, he didn’t think that Millie would support Shin.
However, it didn’t change the fact that he didn’t know Shin’s true character.
If he thought about it carefully, he noticed that there were many odd things or spots. Especially the remark “Did you appraise it?", and when he asked about the appraiser’s skill level, too.
Now that he thought about it, Shin’s expression at that time was like saying, “Then it is impossible”.
And then the [Purification] acquisition requirement. Shin said “defeat at least 200 undead monsters whose levels are higher than 150”. And then afterwards, he continued with “I will weaken the monsters so that Rashia can deal the finishing blow.” Judging from the way Shin talked, it didn’t seem that Wilhelm was included in the combat capability.
If what he said was not a lie, then that means that he has the ability to defeat opponents of Lv. 150 or more by himself. In addition to that, he was able to take Rashia along, who would be a burden in that situation.
(Did he really just become an adventurer?)
When they shared a table, he sounded like he had some battle experience before he became an adventurer, and it was not strange if the information for his skill was circulated. But no such information were found, even when Wilhelm asked the information dealer of the orphanage connection.
To be able to defeat monsters level 150 or more, the rank of adventurer would be at least B or higher. It would not be unusual if it was in the case of rank A.
What kind of person was he, that he was unknown until now?
(Possibly, that guy...)
He unintentionally stopped walking.
Words appeared in Wilhelm’s mind. Certain words that only a few people know.
Words that indicated the existence of a power that was not conceivable within the common society.
A person who had kept a lot of skills and knowledge, and deviated from the concept of level in this society, a ‘Chosen One’ as its generic term. Furthermore, Wilhelm had a deep connection with a Chosen One himself.
“A Chosen One...huh?”
Wilhelm’s spontaneous muttering was not heard by anyone, as it disappeared in the clamor of the town.
At dawn the next day.
Shin quickly finished his breakfast, and told Tsugumi that he wanted to check out of the room since he would be out for a long time. The remainder of the inn fee, which he had paid in advance, was received. Because all of the baggage was put inside the Item Box, he didn’t need packing and was able to leave without spending too much time. It was because Tsugumi didn’t want to let go of Yuzuha that he couldn’t depart immediately. Shin felt that it was the movement of a hunter who had found their prey. After all, was it because of the family name ‘Bear’? Shin guessed so.
As usual, Yuzuha rode on his head while he walked down the road where the pedestrian traffic was sparse. He arrived at the east gate at the appointed place at an earlier time than usual, probably because it was not crowded like it was in the daytime. Though Shin thought he was a little early, there was already a waiting member there.
“Yo.”
“Good morning, you are early.”
Shin replied, while feeling a little surprised that it was Wilhelm who came early and was waiting.
The way to know the time in this town was to hear the sound of the bell which basically rang at regular intervals. It was difficult to match the meeting perfectly, so either one would have to wait. The merchants were an exception because they have their own clocks, but adventurers were unexpectedly poor when it came to timing. Tsugumi and Douma said that rushing at the last moment was not unusual.
There were still 20 min before the appointed time. Shin understood that thanks to the game system. Somehow, he regretted that he went out too early.
“Are you always this early?”
“No, I just want to confirm one thing before departing. Just follow me for a moment.”
Shin was at a loss at Wilhelm’s frightfully serious look. He followed after Wilhelm while thinking, “What’s the matter?”. Yuzuha was still relaxing on top of Shin’s head. It didn’t seem to feel the danger in particular.
“Come to think of, where is Rashia?”
“She was asked for a trivial errand. She will be late.”
It looked like he didn’t want to be asked by Shin about Rashia somehow.
They began to walk for several minutes. Wilhelm stopped in front of a certain shop.
It looked like a restaurant judging from the signboard. The signboard had a glass and a spoon combined drawn on it.
After knocking on the door three times at fixed intervals, Wilhelm opened the door. The inside of the shop was dim, but the brightness was kept at a level where it was not inconvenient to walk. Three tables, five counters seats and a bottle of sake were displayed in an orderly manner inside the shop as they entered his sight. And then, a bartender polishing a glass.
It appeared that this shop was like a bar.
“Sorry. I’m going to borrow this place.”
“............”
The bartender nodded at Wilhelm’s words, opened the back door and left the shop. He should have noticed Yuzuha, but didn’t say anything. Shin thought on whether animals were going to be declined due to hygiene, but it seemed to not be a worry about in this world. He might have thought that Shin was a tamer in this case.
“Someone you know?”
“It’s one of the orphanage connections. Didn’t you hear about such fellows from Thoria?”
“Oh. The bartender from a while ago is an adventurer?”
“Something like that.”
The two of them were chatting while standing, before sitting on a seat in front of the counter.
Then, Wilhelm suddenly began to talk.
“I want to confirm one thing. Are you a Chosen One?”
“...What, is that?”
Shin asked back as he had never heard of those words in his memory, while tilting his head. The reason for his slight pause was due to him trying to search his memory for that title by the name. However, there was no title called the ‘Chosen One’ as far as Shin knew.
“You don’t know?”
“No, not in the least.”
“............”
Wilhelm observed Shin’s state after he replied, and began to talk calmly after a short time.
“A chosen one has skills and titles since birth, and they have knowledge that is not supposed to be known. The person himself has strength not conceivable for their level.”
“Since birth? You don’t say! Did the baby talk or fire some magic?”
From Wilhelm’s speech, Shin imagined the mysterious phenomenon of a baby being able to talk due to a restart from reincarnation, which he read about occasionally in web novels.
“I've never heard of such a story. Instead, there are numerous stories, such as a boy with a single digit age killing a Tetra Grizzly with his bare hands, or suddenly being able to use a secret skill.”
“A person strong since birth, huh? How should I say, like normally being branded as a monster.”
Though the ability was influenced since birth, it was strange to acquire skills and knowledge from the beginning. Though it depends on the point of view, the dwellers of this world surely have said such thing to a chosen one.
“With all of that knowledge, does the Chosen One have the memories from their previous life?”
“No, mostly item and monster knowledge, but the story of a fellow who remembered their past life is unheard of.”
“I see.”
While hearing Wilhelm talk, one possibility popped up in Shin’s mind.
(Several skills can be used from the beginning, has a title, and the ability is high...could it be, the reincarnation system is still functioning?)
Originally the reincarnation was conducted in the temple inside THE NEW GATE, so a start over for a baby inside this reality world was not that strange. He couldn’t deny that there was the possibility that he would be born normally in some family if it could happen.
It depended on the reincarnation frequency, but there were a lot of reincarnation benefits, such as titles and skills inheritance, bonus stats, and so on. Shin thought that this possibility was the highest if he overlooked some of the contradictions.
However, the place where the temple was became a danger zone because of the monsters, so it was hard to enter now, and the confirmation seemed to be difficult.
“Do you happen to know about it?”
“Yes or rather no.”
Shin was at loss for that answer.
He himself had reincarnated too, but that was the story in the game, and one was not reborn as a baby like in this world. But the ability of Shin might only be explainable as the chosen one to the humans in this world. In addition, it was not possible to make an excuse that his abilities were high because he was some long life species, since Shin stuck to being a human in the guild.
He didn’t know whether Wilhelm would believe him if he spoke honestly, and even if Wilhelm believed it, Shin would be in trouble. Since High Humans were supposed to have gone extinct.
“It’s dull...well whatever, I don’t have any reason to make you spit out everything. I wouldn’t want to say either, I guess.”
“I am relieved when you said so.”
“Because you seem to not be aware of it. But to take on a level 150 alone is what an advanced level adventurer does. It seems thoughtless when it comes from you, a rank G.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s right. No, thoughtlessly!!”
Oops, Shin let out a wry smile while scratching his head. In this world, where level became the evaluation standard, Shin’s judgment of the importance of stats might be unconventional. Though he roughly understood just in case, it was already found out.
Shin had a little flashy reaction, and his mind was not calm. Even though he intended to be careful when he saw the reaction of Rashia for [Purification], he had done it again. However, it was not long ago since Shin came to this world, so he didn’t completely understand the way this world worked. In a sense, it was a severe world compared to the time of the game. It was not possible, even if he already spent a few days, to adapt to the sense of values and common sense.
“A Chosen One’s given name is not known by many people either, since trouble would follow around when their ability was exposed. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“...That...might already too late.”
“Oi, did you do something?”
“I guess that I might have had a match with the guild master and won, reported that I defeated a Skull Face which had the level of a King class, and even defeated a near three-digit amount of Skull Faces, where Pawn and Jack classes were combined...alone.”
“...Oi, that’s too ridiculous to respond too. What is this, these insanely strong topics?”
“It can’t be helped I guess. Even I didn’t expect all of this stuff to have happened. Or rather, it’s not that I voluntarily invite myself into trouble.”
Certainly it was Shin who approached the unique monster Skull Face, but the introduction letter of Tsuki no Hokora was the cause of the fight with Barlux, and even the near three digits amount of Skull Faces appeared when he was just saving Yuzuha. Shin insisted that it was not his fault. Especially the Skull Face, where he couldn’t just choose to leave it alone.
“Good grief, although something makes me feel that this is not a joke. Be careful, seriously. The Chosen Ones tend to be respected for their ability. But from what you said just now, it’s like you were treated as a taboo child.”
“That’s only natural, I think.”
“There was also this guy who prattled that he descended from an oracle...actually, the ability’s strength might be restricted while growing up, as there are fair differences from the environment. Well you might say, most chosen ones are protected by the church or the country so it isn’t a serious problem up until there.”
“Is that so? Even if I feel worried about it, but how many of the chosen ones are in the different countries?”
If the chosen ones were the existences that experienced the reincarnation as Shin thought, the person might be able to destroy a country in some cases. It was the number that he was worried about.
“It depends on the country. If you accept published information, there are 4 chosen ones in this country, including the guild master. Generally, there is 1 person in the neighboring countries. In each countries power relationship, there is a considerable difference in individuals, as for the power of the chosen one, some fellows only specialize in combat, and they are said to be the superior ones. Even if Bayreuth is at the top in ability for battle, the neighboring countries will form an alliance and oppose Bayreuth if they conducts tyranny. No matter how powerful a chosen one is, they can’t wipe out an army alone. Even if after they used their secret weapon. So now, balance is maintained. Well, there is also an unspoken agreement that all countries will conceal their chosen ones, too.”
“The countries won’t show their trump cards, huh? Even so, it is difficult for the chosen ones to annihilate an army. By the way, how much power does the strongest person have?”
“As far as I know, the strongest is the second princess, well the second princess, if in melee, the first princess if in magic. For the first princess, her magic could cover a wide range of 1000 enemies, but somehow she is ‘out’ if approached. The second princess depends on physical strength and strategy to defeat the enemy. Even if there are multiple combat specialized chosen ones, there is a considerable difference in the individual strength of their abilities, the combination of Bayreuth’s princess is excellent.”
Shin calculated the abilities of the chosen ones while listening to Wilhelm’s words. Since ordinary soldiers didn’t have the benefit from the reincarnation system, their stats would not reach 300, even if they were max level. Of course the limit was not dependant on the abilities of the equipment, but still, only a few stats would reach 300.
When he thought about it, since human was another race that had high magic resistance, the INT of the first princess who was able to take on 1000 opponents would exceed 500, and even her MP would be quite large. It was extraordinary in this world to be able to use several magic attacks at once. And then the second princess who paired with her, probably had high HP, and one of STR, VIT, AGI values was near 500. He couldn’t help but smile wryly as he divided the warrior type and magician type splendidly.
“It’s somewhat easy to understand. In a sense, the duo princesses are unrivaled as a set, huh?”
The first princess defeated the enemy with magic, the second princess defeated the enemy who approached them. He had the feeling that the success in battle would rise if both of them came, as it would be interesting to a match with a thousand.
“That’s right. No matter how many combinations are made, it’s those two people after all. If similar chosen ones appear and compete, the victory or defeat will be decided by the difference between the ordinary soldiers. Because all countries also have a similar condition, it’s the reason why they cannot easily reveal their hand.”
“I see.”
In other words, the chosen ones with ability probably didn’t have much of a difference in stats. Though there was no conclusive evidence, Shin’s definition of the chosen ones was that they had the stats of reincarnated people, which were around 500.
A justifiable request would come to Schnee, Shin thought. All her stats exceeded 800. He didn’t know what weapon she was using now, but with added compensation, her STR would be close to 900.
If Shin used the wide area magic he had learned before, he could annihilate not just 1000 but 10,000 enemies in a single horse ride. It’s easy to imagine the neighboring countries being annexed in a flash, if he served the country.
(Come to think of it, neither Els nor Celica-san asked me about the chosen one.)
Because they were guild staff, he thought that they would know about it. However, going from Wilhelm’s speech, there was the possibility that only the high-ranking staff and adventurers were informed about it. Well, they were likely to forget since the impression of dispelling Tiera’s curse and the Skull Face subjugation were too strong.
“Thank you for the advice. Although it’s too late, I will be careful.”
“Please do so.”
“Even so, it’s nice that Wilhelm is unexpectedly taking care of me. Is it really true that you are feared?”
Shin talked about what he felt. Shin sensed an unusual gap between the impression that he heard about and the impression he got when he actually met Wilhelm.
“That is because the surrounding people just think as they please, I guess. Even I don’t understand it.”
“But you are protecting the orphanage, right?”
“Other fellows are just not enthusiastic. Even when the Father was about to kick the bucket, that greedy pig guy was still meddling in the church. Because of that, the brats were crying. And a brat’s cry is harsh on my ears.”
Wilhelm said, while grimacing. However, it was probably because of a sense of incongruity he had acquired a long time ago that he felt irritated in the situation where a child was crying. Or otherwise, Shin guessed.
“So, did you silence the guy who tried to meddle?”
“Just that. Recently, I think the brats came up with strange ideas. A kid should be a kid, they should run, sleep, and eat without worries.”
(Darn, this person is a good guy.)
Shin thought, when Wilhelm talked bluntly.
In other words, a child should act like an innocent child and Wilhelm would not forgive the guy who was letting them cry. The title of ‘big brother’ suited him really well.
“Good gracious! You are not being honest aren’t you?”
It was so amusing that Shin unintentionally smirked.
“Aaah?”
“Sorry, it’s nothing. By the way, I am little worried, is it a good if I intervene in the inheritance of the church when that pig guy can use [Purification]?”
He tightened his face to show his worries. Though the opponent was not to be liked, he shouldn’t be underestimated if he acquired the [Purification] by himself. A pig that was able to fight was not just a plain pig.
“It is damn annoying, but that pig indeed possess [Purification]. But that scoundrel’s fighting power is like, to be frank, a small fry. The method you mentioned yesterday is impossible for him. It was not possible with his level.”
“Do you know his specific level?”
“I heard it was 40.”
“It is indeed impossible. Then, it is from [Secret Books Creation] huh?”
As expected, it seemed that he acquired that skill from an item. Otherwise, it was impossible for such a low-level to learn [Purification]. A reincarnation person ― A chosen one in this world ― Though it was possible, from Wilhelm’s way of speaking, it was different from Shin’s thought.
“The church has secrets, one way or another. Even if there are such things, it is improper. More like, it was clearly unpleasant. The high-ranking priest at the headquarters’ seem to be a skill successor from a conversation I heard.”
“But even then, why is it that fat guy was let loose, is there not an eye for people? Is it the power of money?...It is the latter no matter how much I think about it.”
Certainly, for a leader’s position, there is no way that people could turn a blind eye. Besides, after thinking various things, money was indeed one of the comprehensible power.
“At first, I thought you were one of that scoundrel’s underling.”
“Is that so?, Come to think of it, isn’t it strange?”
An adventurer with [Purification] skill turns up with this timing. It was impossible not to doubt Shin without Millie. All the more, she know the circumstances.
If there was no Millie, he didn’t know what would happen.
“Millie too, on her own accords, was seen talking to other people about something. I was thinking about what kind of relation they have.”
“Really? What kind of people does Millie talk to?”
“Are you interested?”
“Millie approached me as well.”
“That’s right... I cannot say in detail, but it was a black dragnil, a pixie with blond hair, and an elf with silver hair.”
“Right.”
While Shin was lightly replying with an agreeing response, he suddenly had an idea one of the descriptions.
(Black dragnil, blond hair pixie, silver hair elf...it was a feature I heard somewhere. No, this combination itself is not that rare. However, one of the three people seems familiar.)
Though it was insufficient details for a person, “Is it that person?” question appeared in his head.
“Hey, for the last silver hair elf, is it Schnee Raizar?”
“Huh? Why do you think so?”
“Intuition...I cannot say, but I just have a hunch.”
“Intuition, huh?”
Shin look straight into Wilhelm’s eyes.
“May I hear what Millie said to the elf at that time?”
“...‘Soon, coming back’. I don’t understand what she meant by that.”
“I see.”
“Do you know anything about it?”
“No, I don’t know.”
“You don’t know, even though your face looks convinced?”
“That I cannot say too.”
Still, Shin who wasn’t able to say it himself, was surprised at Wilhelm who unexpectedly informed him of the contents of the conversation. By some chance, Millie already expected Shin to come here.
“Well. Hmm?”
“You have to tell me next time no matter what.”
“Sorry, please wait for a moment.”
A message suddenly started blinking on the edge of his view. It seemed like a message from Tiera.
He told Wilhelm to wait, and opened the message.
『To Shin
The reply from Master arrived.
For some reason, I was asked a lot of questions, so I only answered what I knew.
She will return home in a great hurry, as soon as her work has ended.
In case you are leaving Bayreuth, please let me know.
P.S.
There were a lot of questions and I was a little scared, what on earth did you do to Master?』
“…………”
The amount of questions became too scary, he thought while sending a consent message. Whether it was the result of became worried after 500 years of no news, Shin decided to meet first to make sure so there was no problem when they were traveling together.
In the place where he was about to close the menu screen while having a bitter smile, he noticed that the column of 『Important Things』 was flashing. He opened to see the 『Tsuki no Hokora Letter of Introduction』 shining silver.
“Hmm? ...Ah!”
Shin thought about why it was shining, and the time when he met Barlux suddenly crossed his mind. It was said that the letters of introduction of Tsuki no Hokora resonated with each other with magic and was how one knew whether it was a genuine thing.
“That means...”
He took out the letter of introduction which in this state was formed into a card. Because he didn’t know what design wouldto appear, he covered it by hand to prevent it from being seen just in case.
The letter of introduction emitted silver light in the state which formed into a card.
“This is...”
“Oi, don’t tell me, do you have the letter of introduction of Tsuki no Hokora?”
What? Wilhelm asked what Shin was about to say.
Then Shin noticed and asked back.
For that a letter of introduction to emit light, that means ――
“You too, do you have it?”
“The letter of introduction shined after all!”
Wilhelm took out a piece of card from the open space with surprise look on his face. Similar to Shin’s, Wilhelm’s card emitted silver light.
“...that is, no way!”
“...It surely is.”
Shin and Wilhelm looked at each other.
An indescribable atmosphere filled the place.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 02 - Wraith Plains/The-New-Gate-Volume-02-Wraith-Plains-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_02_Chapter_01_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 1: Part 3
The two of them regained their composure after a while and materialized the card. Then they properly confirmed that it were the genuine article.
“So you really are a letter of introduction holder.”
“I guess we both are.”
Wilhelm showed a little weariness while Shin returned it with a wry smile.
Even with Millie’s mediation, he was wary of Shin...Wilhelm was still cautious of Shin’s ability even with the assumption that ‘Millie’s power wouldn’t be abused’. Though Wilhelm’s outward appearance was no problem, there was a little distrust remaining in the corner of his mind. Then both of the letters of introduction in their hand vanished.
“There is nothing more reliable than this. That explains why you know about Schnee Raizar.”
“In my case, I got it from Tiera. Did you get it from Schnee?”
“I got it after I received hellish training from her. But I was beaten up one-sidedly even if it was training.”
“Ah...she is still that serious, huh?”
Even though it was Shin who set the character, he only decided the personality aspect roughly at the last moment. When he heard Wilhelm’s story, he thought that she had hardly changed. Although he was prepared, it would not be strange if Schnee differed from the game era in various ways. She originally had a fixed character, like all AI’s, but it didn’t mean that she had not acquired something, so her personality was nothing more than his impression of her at this point.
“Well then, stop slacking and let’s go meet Rashia. We can continue this while we walk.”
“Is it that time already?”
Wilhelm looked at the clock on the wall, and stood up. He didn’t mean to stay for a long time, but it took longer than he thought because of the unexpected situation where Shin had a letter of introduction. But it was worth the time since he was satisfied with the result.
While each one of the letter of introduction holders had their own special ability, almost none of the holders has caused anyone else to have a character breakdown. Wilhelm probably felt that Shin would cause trouble for the church in one go if that wasn’t the case.
“Even if I know we can trust each other, from what I heard, Wilhelm is a Chosen One too, right?”
“I don’t have the intention to hide it at this time, but why do you think so? Not all adventurers with a rank A are Chosen Ones, you know?”
“No, it was from the weapon you hold, because an ordinary person would not be able to equip that. Therefore, when I saw you holding Venom normally, I thought ‘Ahh, so he isn’t an ordinary guy’.”
“Huh? So that’s the reason. No wonder you desperately asked the skill level of the appraiser. You bastard, acting like you didn’t know about from the beginning.”
It was Wilhelm’s 《Legend》 grade devil spear 『Venom』.
This was an item that couldn’t be equipped if the player’s STR didn’t exceed 500. When Shin met Wilhelm for the first time, he had reasons as to why he looked toward the weapon, too.
Basically, for any equipment of the《Legend》 grade, they required specific stats to exceed about 350 in order to it be equipped. If he thought about it, the stat requirements for 『Venom』 were abnormally high. But it was not necessarily a bug, because there was a reason for it.
“I couldn’t just talk about it in front of so many people. And a while ago, when you took out a card from an empty space, did you use an Item Box? I heard there are very few people who have one.”
“Oh, so you actually saw my little trick, huh? I used an item called, 『Expansion Kit』, it has the capacity of an Item Box imitation...so it looked like I’m using the real deal. But that doesn’t mean that every Chosen One has one.”
“Heh, is that so?”
Shin thought that the function remained after all, as he responded with agreeing words. It has the function to give a support character and/or a monster partner the ability to hold a large quantity of items, and players eventually expanded it until it almost had the same capacity as an Item Box. A lot of players used one or two 『Expansion Kit』 to make sure their support characters were able to carry items, this way the support characters were able to use recovery items themselves in the case of an emergency.
In Shin’s case, all of his support characters were expanded to the limit. There was no particular reason for this. It was just his obsession about it.
“That aside, it seems that you also used an Item Box.”
“In my case, I was able to use it from the beginning.”
“You are a Chosen One after all.”
“Hmm...for now, that’s fine I guess.”
Because Wilhelm seemed to be convinced that Shin was a Chosen One without asking for a detailed explanation, Shin gave up and said it was fine for now. Since it was troublesome to think about the setting in detail, and contradictions might appear somewhere, he decided to pass as a Chosen One on this occasion.
While continuing the conversation, they returned back to the appointed place. When the two returned to the east gate, Rashia was looking around restlessly.
“Hey! Hey Will. I was forced to go shopping, where have you been?!”
“Sorry, sorry. I had some business to take care of.”
“When you say things like that, I hope you didn’t go to that indecent shop again.”
“Go to that shop!? Are you still half-asleep?”
“Shin-san. Please don’t follow Wilhelm even if he invites you. Good grief...you will have a painful experience.”
“I can hear your conversation! Saying such things will lead to misunderstandings!!”
“Calm down both of you.”
Shin calmed the couple who had started some kind of lover’s quarrel, and departed immediately. Secretly, he was a little envious of their relationship, where they were able to freely dispute without reservations.
The means of transportation this time was to use horses. Wilhelm seemed to have borrowed them from the guild. The two horses had remarkable bodies and a splendid chestnut color, so that even Shin, who was an amateur about horses, understood it.
The moment it saw Yuzuha, who was laying on top of Shin’s head, the horse’s movements stopped. Yuzuha let out a small “Kuu” bark, and the horse replied with a small “Hururu” neigh, and became quiet. For some reason, Shin didn’t understand the exchange of words that was being carried out.
Wilhelm and Rashia were on one of the horses, while Shin and Yuzuha rode the other one. Though it was the first time Shin was riding a real horse, somehow the [Riding] skill compensated for that, so he didn’t have any problems riding it. Since he had the opportunity to ride not only horses but various monsters, including griffins and dragons, in the game, the skill level was up considerably.
It would take 5 or 6 days by a carriages’ slow speed, but it seemed like they would arrive quicker at the current speed, Shin thought. Of course, Shin could run much faster than this, but didn’t talk about it because he would’ve had to carry Rashia, who was an ordinary person.
They advanced without any problems, while letting the horses rest occasionally along the way. There were 2 Item Box holders, so there was almost no luggage, and they were able to gain more distance because of that. In addition, because they could take with them various utensils, they didn’t have to eat preserved dull foods during camping. Because she could enjoy the meal which was one of the hardest things on a journey, Rahsia who was inexperienced in a travel didn't seem to be affected.
While traveling by horse for 4 days, they deepened their friendship to the extent that they could speak in a casual tone. Shin and his group arrived at the region that was called the Wraith Plains before noon.
Nevertheless, the plains region was gloomy despite the sun hanging high in the sky. It was as if there was an invisible wall in the gap between the forest and the plains since the sunlight was blocked. When they looked at it closely, there was a deep violet haze slowly rising from the earth’s surface, like it was welling up. It wrapped the plains zone like a boundary line.
Since nothing was displayed by [Analyze] when he used it, there seemed to be no effect that would be causing an abnormal state.
“There is no reaction even when I touch it, huh? It doesn’t seem like a mistake that the border line is here.”
“Yes, that’s right. It is said that the monsters won’t chase you if you leave from inside this place. They are forbidden from leaving, as if they are being restricted inside there.”
“Is that so?”
“It happened once. There is no mistake about it, their equipment were tattered in an instant, even if it was daytime.”
“Just escape outside in case of an emergency, huh?”
Since Rashia was there, the escape route was secured in case of an unexpected situation. It would be different if it was only Shin and Wilhelm, but they had to keep the dangerous monsters away from Rashia from now on.
“For the time being, let’s prepare our base so that we can take shelter if we succeed in escaping. And this is the[Prayer of Saint Sphere]. It will be useless if you don’t have this. And then, this is extra. This will repel even a dragon’s breath.”
“U-Understood! Thank...hyai...”
As expected, Rashia appeared to be nervous and felt the cold that drifted from the Wraith Plains. Though she had always snapped at Wilhelm during the journey, it was probably Rashia’s own way to relax.
What Shin handed over together with the[Prayer of Saint Sphere] was a magic item of the bracelet type. It has the effect to nullify damage under a certain value and reduce the damage if above said certain value. Because it was one of Shin’s handmade items, one would be unperturbed even if hit by a King class Skull Face. It’s durability was guaranteed too. Therefore, though it could be said that the tension was unnecessary, there was no other way but to give it to Rashia, who was not used to fighting scenes.
By the way, Rashia’s casual tone toward Wilhelm was due to them being childhood friends, so there was no need for them to act reserved.
“(I entrust her to you, Yuzuha.)”
“Kuu.”
He talked to Yuzuha, who was on top of his head, via telepathy. Previously it became possible to use telepathy shortly after he entered the country. It was discovered that the words Shin thought in his mind would be transmitted to Yuzuha. Some simple emotions, beside simple thoughts such as approval, refusal and so forth, were transmitted from Yuzuha in return.
Yuzuha, who received the telepathy, got off Shin’s head, and then rubbed its face on Rashia’s cheeks after it jumped onto her shoulder.
“J-Just a moment Yuu-chan! That tickles.”
“Kuu~”
“Full of spirit, aren’t you?”
“Ah...Yuu-chan, thank you.”
“Kuu!”
Whether or not she had cheered up a little, a somewhat awkward but understandable smile was expressed on Rashia’s face. While Shin was transmitting a feeling of gratitude toward Yuzuha, who moved according to his expectations, Wilhelm emerged from the thickets.
“Wilhelm, how about the base location?”
“I have set up the tent in the vicinity as told, but that, what is that?”
Wilhelm pointed with his eyes toward the forest ahead. Though it wasn’t seen from the place where Shin was, there was a jewel with a diameter of around 10 cemels that enclosed all sides of the tent. Even if the monsters couldn’t come out anyway, the tent was set up a certain distance from the plains for caution’s sake.
“That is just a trifling interception item. When a monster approaches, it will attack with magic. Because it was possible to put up with a barrier where the monsters couldn’t go in, it’s satisfactory for a simple base.
“I have never heard of such an item!”
Shin would normally only erect a [Barrier], but he thought that he would be doubted again, no matter how much of a Chosen One he was. Therefore, he decided to use an item for interception. Although he understood that a Chosen One was outside of the norm, there was a limit for that, so it would be bad to show a power beyond it. He was worried about his uncertainty of that limit.
While he was at it, he didn’t forget to put up [Wall], since the danger was not necessarily comprised of only monsters.
“You are a Chosen One too, Wilhelm, so you have no choice but to consent.”
“Don’t use that name for your own convenience, man.”
“What? Shin-san is a Chosen One, too!?”
Apparently, Rashia seemed to know about Chosen Ones somehow. She probably heard it from Wilhelm.
“Eh? You didn’t tell her that yet?”
“I missed the timing.”
Wilhelm smiled wryly.
“Did you two perhaps confirm it on the day of departure?”
“Something like that.”
“Then you should have said it from the beginning!”
Rashia pouted when she thought she had been excluded.
“I thought you could guess it even if I hadn't told you. If Shin was not strong enough, he wouldn’t have proposed this harsh requirement, understand?”
“But Will, you said you wanted to do it too, so I thought it was normal.”
“Absolutely not!”
Wilhelm was a little astounded by Rashia, who said so while looking doubtful.
“B-But even if you say Chosen One, the only one I know is Will. I know Will is strong, but I don’t know how strong you are.”
Even if she knew about the existence of Chosen Ones, if she didn’t actually witness their power, she was not likely to understand their true significance. In the first place, no one would be able to bring Rashia to this place, even if Wilhelm put in some serious effort; it was too much. It could be said that it couldn’t be helped.
“Oi~, I know it’s bad interrupting you guys, but let’s start soon. We don’t have time for leisure either.”
Shin who was contemplating the two people, lightly called out to them.
“That’s a good idea. Let’s go then. I feel a little bit better now.”
“What? Eh! Wait a moment!”
Because he understood that Wilhelm was trying to loosen Rashia’s tension, Shin picked the right time. In addition, they could continue happily.
“Now then, I wonder which one of these creeps will appear first.”
“Since it is daytime, it might be a Skull Face, a Bio Hound or a Mad Zombie. These monsters are more abundant while the sun is up.”
“When you think about the level range, the right time is at night, right? Well, now is a good time to get her some experience before the real deal starts at night.”
“The rest will depend on Rashia...well then, they are appearing already.”
They appeared in front of Rashia who was trembling while holding her staff. Shin and Wilhelm shifted their gazes to the shadows that approached them. Their view was limited to a degree due to the haze, but it wasn’t a problem for the perception ability of these two people.
What appeared from the haze were 2 Jack class Skull Faces and 3 Bio Hounds. After seeing that half of the Bio Hounds’ bodies was rotting, Rashia covered her mouth with her hand. It was hard to look straight at it, even for Shin, as it became too realistic to some degree.
“This is so-so for a warm-up battle.”
“That Bio Hounds’ smell is awful.”
Shin drew his katana from his waist and Wilhelm prepared with『Venom』. While Rashia’s resolution would be decided here, she held her staff while having a slightly bad complexion and began to chant.
The Bio Hounds moved first, at a rate of speed that seemed slow to Shin.
Shin stepped forward before the 3 of them leaped at him straight on, which was probably because of their lack of intelligence. With one hand facing toward them, he invoked magic system skill [Ichiyou no Misogi]*. (T/N: Single leaf of purification ceremony)
At the same time, a semi-transparent barrier was created in front of him. The charging Bio Hounds crashed into the barrier and a crushing sound was made as they fell to the ground.
In magic system skill, a lot of the skills were effective against undead monsters, and the one he used was a skill for defense. The HP of the Bio Hounds, who were basically conducting the act of suicide, instantly went down to the red zone as a result of the anti-undead skill. And then, without Shin missing it, the barrier was released and at the same time, he gave instructions to Rashia.
“Attack the Bio Hounds!”
“Yes!”
Rashia immediately reacted to Shin’s instructions and completed her chanting.
White light emitted from the staff she held and shined upon the Bio Hounds. It was the magic system art [Heal]. Though it was not as powerful as the magic system skill, the recovery magic was effective in damaging undead monsters as well. The remaining HP disappeared, and the bodies of the Bio Hounds disappeared.
Seeing that, Shin confirmed that the rule of monsters not leaving a corpse behind in a dungeon was applied even now. Apparently, the whole area of the Wraith Plains was regarded as a dungeon.
“The next ones are coming!”
From Wilhelms words, they prepared for the next attack. Similar to Bio Hounds, the 2 Skull Faces charged straight forward while the sound of armor scraping together was reverberating. However, they were prepared with a shield in front of them.
“[Shield Bash], huh?”
Then Wilhelm called out the muttering Shin.
“Oi, can your barrier also stop their blow?”
“Leave it to me. And cut their arms and legs so that they can’t counter-attack once you have the chance! Or I guess that you can’t do it?”
“Ha! Who the hell do you think I am!?”
Wilhelm said confidently, and again Shin invoked [Ichiyou no Misogi]. The Skull Faces crashed into the barrier which was deployed, but there was no damage because they used a shield unlike the Bio Hounds. However the Skull Faces, who probably didn’t think the [Shield Bash] would be defended against, greatly broke their posture. Shin removed the barrier right after he confirmed that the Skull Faces’ charge was stopped, and Wilhelm with the devil spear, instantaneously stepped forward between the two Skull Faces and jumped.
“SoRyAa!”
While drawing a big arc in the air, he used the spearmanship system martial arts skill, [Spark Blossom].
A single blow that hit both legs of the two Skull Faces and shattered them into pieces and the attack didn’t end there.
Without changing his momentum, Wilhelm rotated once with his spear. The Skull Face on the right side had its sword and shield blown away by the centrifugal force. The Skull Faces which had lost both feet and weapon fell down to the ground.
“It’s done!”
Shin, who released the barrier, had already crushed both arms of the Skull Face on the left side with the sword system martial art skill [Blade Breaker], while watching the movements of Wilhelm. He held a new katana in his hand.
It was a katana with a crimson red blade named 『Red Chidori*』. The katana’s cutting ability had a lighting attribute, it was a 《Legend》 grade katana that easily surpassed the durability of 『Several Strokes』 he used before. (T/N: 千鳥(chidori) literally means one thousand birds, usually for lighting related power.)
The Skull Faces only had a head and torso left, and no significant damage was dealt to its core. But its HP was shaved vigorously whenever the scarlet electric shock ran from the blade of the katana. The additional damage from the lighting attribute occurred because of the weak electric shocks that ran through the monster’s body, and its HP could be shaved without directly hitting its core. It was effective against a monster that couldn’t be damaged in other parts except for its core, such as a Skull Face. That was one of the reasons that Shin chose to use 『Red Chidori』, too.
“Rashia! Heal this fellow in front of me!!”
“Y-Yes!!”
As Wilhelm came into view, he instructed Rashia to finish her chant.
While restraining the Skull Face which tried to struggle despite only having a head and torso, Wilhelm extended the perception sense beyond the his view. He could not check visually because of the haze, but he sensed multiple presences heading toward them with [Sign Perception], which were probably drawn in by the combat sounds.
“More will come. Please be quick.”
“It’s impossible to go any faster!!”
As might be expected, it seemed to take time for Rashia’s art to reduce the Skull Face’s HP since they had more than a 100 level difference.
“That[Heal]art won’t do, huh? Oi, Shin! Can we attack from inside the barrier now?”
“That is not possible. Even if it’s possible, I don’t know how.”
It would be convenient if they could attack from inside the barrier as Wilhelm said, but the barrier skill completely blocked the inside and outside of the deployed barrier. Therefore, the way of attacking one-sidedly was unusable. However, there was a possibility to be able to do it in this world which was somewhat adaptable, unlike in the game. And in this case, it was not possible for Shin to understand the barrier skill in such a short amount of time.
“Damn, it can’t be helped. It’s faster to beat the hell out of them, huh?”
“It’s not our goal to defeat them, but we don’t have a choice.”
“Wait a moment! Though we are in desperate situation right now, why are you two still composed like that!?”
The unexpected trouble stopped the plan of holding the enemies down, though it was understandable. Even though there would be not much composure when an ordinary adventurer did something like that, the speech that leaked from the mouth of the two people was “It’s annoying to do that.”, although not audible. As for these kinds of things, they maintained a moderate tension while preparing their weapons, although there was a complaint from Rashia toward those two people.
“The monster’s level is not high right here since we are on the edge of the plains.”
“We don’t know whether it’s necessary to advance a little deeper, right? Let’s wait a while until Rashia becomes a little stronger.”
“From the beginning, 10 level rises are quick. Just now it’s 24, because the level of the Bio Hounds is about 60. After that, it became 40 in one go. It is easier to raise the level when there is a level difference of 100 or more.”
Though there was the complaint of “Hey, are you fucking kidding me!!” from Wilhelm, Shin ignored it as he couldn’t spend time waiting for months.
With a loud voice, Rashia continued to chant [Heal] although she was trembling, which could be said to be cruel. Because it was natural for an ordinary person to be running away or have an absent-minded reaction in such a situation. Even if she was protected, a single blow from such a monster from an opening under their very noses would kill her. Accordingly for Rashia, she wasn’t constantly exposed to the fear of death at all. For a person who didn’t make a living out of fighting, they would feel a sense of fear far above what an adventurer felt. If mental stress was measured in a numerical value, it would probably hit an abnormal value.
“But Wilhelm, looks like her willpower has reached its limits. Her MP ―― magic power is running out, huh? After all, the Bio Hounds are difficult to defeat all of a sudden.”
Shin abruptly express the word MP in different words as magic power. He had heard the word magic power occasionally, but never heard the word MP which he noticed at the last moment.
“They’re damn grotesque than I expected. It’s a good thing that she didn’t faint.”
Fortunately (or unfortunately), Wilhelm didn’t seem to notice.
“If Rashia falls here, we will have come for nothing. Let’s take a break now while I drive them away.”
“Let’s do that! Even if her level rises without pausing, her magic power isn’t restoring either.”
Still, because the attack in the first match failed, they decided to temporarily go back to their base.
In the game, when a level rises, all the stats would be restored, but somehow it seems to be different in this world. He planned on using the restoration from the level up, but his expectations fell through.
(The restoration here is not yet complete, that is bad. If it’s not possible to restore it by leveling, I need to be careful of the MP amount remaining.)
Since he couldn’t depend too much on potions, he couldn’t do anything but go with a natural recovery. Shin thought about revising the plan in the future while cutting down a monster, because it was likely to take more time than he thought.
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 02 - Wraith Plains/The-New-Gate-Volume-02-Wraith-Plains-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_02_Chapter_02_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 1
After repelling the group that was approaching, they temporarily went outside the plains zone and took a break.
Although Rashia was mentally tired as a result of power leveling, it was also possible to say that her vitality and magic power were in the best condition.
“Uu, I thought I was going to die.”
“We managed to hold on though.”
“That’s not it, I think the Bio Hound is very formidable for a commoner. Especially its appearance.”
Shin also joined in with Wilhelm in teasing Rashia.
“Please don’t make me remember~”
She remembered the monster dragging its internal organs while approaching. Rashia’s shoulders quivered as she glared at the two people. Although one might say, there was not a bit of threatening language.
“That reminds me, was that the first time you fought that monster?”
“It’s not about the experience, though I am surprised! More than that, it was the rapid leveling up that scared me!
“That was expected since there is too much of a level difference with these monsters. Perhaps you will be around level 150 when you acquire [Purification].”
Rashia was a human without reincarnation so her level rising was kind of interesting. Her level would probably become near to Wilhelm. Though their fighting power was as different as heaven and earth, in the first place their role was also different, so it could not be compared.
“While that may be true, my body feels light and is overflowing with magic. Yet I am a little worried that my body has become so different.”
“Normally the level goes up little by little. You shouldn’t even feel a damn thing as it happens.”
“There is no way but to get used to this. Well, though it’s bad for you to attack a weakened enemy, this is for you to use, Rashia.”
Shin said that while taking out the secret book of [Heal] and [Cure]. He understood that from the battle earlier, [Heal] art was similar to the[Heal] skill, but its effect was fairly weak. According to Tiera, it had 1/3 of the skill effect, but he thought that it be lower depending on the user. The damage dealt was too low, though it be might due to the level differences. In fact, Rashia raised her level without stopping, so she was about level 40*. However, she still couldn’t defeat several dying Bio Hounds, so it was too inefficient. (T/N: It was level 40 in WN and 70 in LN)
Due to such circumstances, he thought he had better teach her these skills. Since it was not a combat system skill, he didn’t have to worry about it getting misused.
“What is that?”
“This is a secret book. A skill, corresponding to its content, will be yours when you use it. It has [Heal] and [Cure]this time.”
“Eh! The skills will be mine?!...I cannot accept such an expensive thing!? How much money do you think I have!?”
Rashia shook both of her hands in front her face. What kind of skill for a commoner? Her reaction was clearly understandable.
It was known that anyone could learn a skill by using a massive amount of money, so Shin’s words were misunderstood.
“I don’t need any compensation if you keep it a secret. I was originally going to teach you anyways. If you have these skills, you will be able to help those suffering, too.”
“And then? What’s up with this stinkin’ speech, tell me your true intentions!”
Shin tried to say lines that were out of character, but it seemed to be too suspicious somehow. Wilhelm’s eyes said “Don’t try to lie to me!”.
“Arts will get you nowhere. With this, we can speed up.”
“You are such a pain!!”
“What a wonderful rebuttal. But you should know better than me how weak the arts are, right? Even with the level difference, it is taking too much time since she needs to defeat 200 monsters. We can’t leave the orphanage to just Thoria-san for days, and that pig guy might start something while we are here.”
It became hard to argue with Shin when he mentioned the orphanage. There was no disadvantage since he knew that inefficiency was the problem. And he was certain that both [Heal] and [Cure] were useful to the church.
For Shin, those skills were for a beginner who had just began to play the game, to the extent that he felt that it was just petty help. Honestly, it might be somewhat out of this world’s common sense, but he thought about spreading it on a large scale only if the source was hidden.
Needless to say, the main reason he wanted to hurry was because there might be something bad happening while they were away. The absence of Wilhelm, who had the biggest combat capability, was a good opportunity for the opponent.
“I understand. I will accept your offer.”
“Do that.”
Rashia opened the secret book with a timid look. As she started to scan it, as with Tiera when she learned [Analyze], a green light enveloped Rashia and faded after a while.
“How is it?”
“Ah, yes. Certainly I understand how to use them.”
“Doesn’t she need to read it before learning it?”
“I heard that the method of learning is that it enters your mind.”
Shin replied to Wilhelm who was stretching his neck from side to side to look.
“It’s true, but it’s difficult to explain with words.”
Rashia mumbled with deep emotion while staring at the secret book she held.
“Well then, shall we go again?”
“Yeah.”
Shin got up from sitting, and was followed by Wilhelm.
“U-Understood.”
Rashia, who was originally not tired, began to move immediately too. A Pawn class Skull Face and a Bio Hound approached them as soon as they entered the field, and partly because her level had gone up, the effect of [Heal] was demonstrated in an interesting way.
The gloomy aura of the Bio Hound slowly faded with the Art, but dissipated instantly with the Skill, like how smoke was blown away by the wind. Shin didn’t have to weaken it, as he saw that the Bio Hound disappeared with several heals. From there, Shin understood why a skill successor would get favorable treatment.
“I guess there is a big difference in power.”
“Hmm? Well obviously, those were the Arts, you know.”
Wilhelm responded while looking ahead.
“Iya, it’s just that it’s my first time seeing an Art upgraded.”
“...I’m kind of surprised at how little you understand.”
The two people didn’t stop moving while talking frivolously. While Wilhelm crushed the arm and leg of a Jack class Skull Face with Venom, Shin beat a humanoid monster, gray orc, with the back of the blade.
The gray orc had another name, Zombie Orc. Its appearance was exactly like an orc version of a zombie monster.
“Please comfort those who are wounded, [Heal]!!”
Rashia’s healing was focused on the weakened monsters. The level difference was still huge, but the Heal, which became a skill, showed a far superior effect compared to the art version. The two undead were changed into grains of light without much effort.
It was Rashia herself, who was surprised the most at the rapid level up and skill effect.
“It seems like it will speed up a little with this.”
“However, to meet the requirements ― almost none of these creeps are higher than level 150. Even if it is daytime, I wonder if it is because we are outside of the sealed zone, how annoying.”
“...Wait a moment. What is this seal talk? I’ve never heard of this.”
“Oioi, did you come without knowing about it? So that dangerous monsters don’t go out from here, there is a monster protectant barrier set up inside the plains. For some reason, the higher level undead appear near the center. The guild is managing it strictly.”
“I see, the effect of the seal is concentrated onto the strong monsters, and leaves the weak alone, huh?”
“The seal item seems to have a limitation too. It couldn’t be used here, I guess.”
Normally for a dungeon, the deeper the layer, the stronger the monsters are. Apparently on these plains, the depth of the layer seems to have been changed to the distance to the dungeon’s center.”
“What should I do to enter inside the seal?”
“An A rank or higher guild card from an adventurer shouldn’t have any problem. Since it is managed by the guild.”
“Then there is no problem. We will battle inside the seal tonight.”
Shin said while watching Rashia eliminate a gray orc. The low-level monsters didn’t approach much now, probably because her level rose. This meant they had to change the hunting ground. Though some of the monsters which attacked, such as the Jack class Skull Face, exceeded level 150 as expected, they were only a few in number including the 2 encounters, which they defeated just moments ago.
The number of the defeated could be counted with the fingers on both hands and were far from the target number. The 3 continued to battle for a while, and then decided to withdraw once Rashia’s level rose above 80.
After returning to the base, they took a nap until the sun set. The surroundings were clear, but Shin and Wilhelm took turns standing watch for cautions sake. Whether Rashia was mentally tired or not, she fell asleep without taking much time.
Shin decided to do some skill investigation while he stood watch because he had some spare time. Since he had already been using the combat system skills since the first day he transported into this world, he used detection system skills this time. There was a limit to how many skills he could use simultaneously during the game, and he had to activate them one by one.
“This is...”
He unintentionally leaked out a voice.
When he attempted to use more skills than the limit number, no problem seemed to arise. In addition, skills that were not possible to use simultaneously before were now possible. For example, when [Sign Perception] and [Search] were used together. Moreover, each skill effect’s advantage was put together, and the weak points almost vanished. The range of the effect was extended, and the distinction of individuals was possible at the same time.
“The effect from the skills combining was already exceptional. Are there any changes with the effects of the similar skills when used simultaneously?”
This one required more inspection...he made a mental note of it. There appeared to be only a pattern of more benefits for the moment, but he doubted whether it would go that conveniently well.
Besides, various thoughts filled his mind, like did it have any effect even with the automatic activation types? Was it restricted to manual activation types?
The time for standing watch passed in an instant while he was doing the inspections.
The sun set, and the time was 8:00 at night. Shin and Wilhelm judged that it was a suitable time, and advanced into the interior of the Wraith Plains with Rashia. Shin thought that it might take some time, but they were able to advance without much trouble since the haze that covered the plains in daytime was dispersed in the bright moonlight.
“What’s up with that haze? I certainly thought it would appear at night.”
“Well who knows, but from the story of my magician colleagues, the magic power in the dungeon has begun to leak out, though it is only a story.”
“Magic power?”
“They say that the dungeon itself is like an undead monster. Since the dungeon rose above the ground halfway, it receives damage when the sun shines upon it. I think that has affected the dungeon, which is filled with magic power, to overflow above ground.”
“Really? Certainly I understand that as a theory.”
It was a commonly known point that an undead was weak during the daytime. In fact, the undead emit a black aura when they are in the sun. It’s something like HP, which one could see. However, it was released into the air with time. Perhaps that was the real nature of the haze, a grand version of the aura that breaks out during the daytime.
“Hmm, I wonder if the lost magic power is being restored now?”
“I guess so. Well, that has nothing to do with us now.”
After Wilhelm said that, they returned to walking for a while. A transparent blue wall that was set up in front of them came into view. It appeared that they somehow had arrived at the seal location.
“Is this it?”
“Correct, this is the seal I talked about during the day. The blue wall is easy to understand since it is visualized, but it also covers the invisible, aerial part.”
“I see.”
Its height was only 4 mels at most, even if it was called a wall. Shin thought that there was a possibility that monsters could jump over, but it seemed that he was worried for nothing. Wilhelm looked back for an instant.
“Now then, is everyone ready?”
“Anytime.”
“I-I’m okay, too.”
“Kuu!”
Shin, Rashia and Yuzuha answer to Wilhelm's words. Wilhelm, who verified it, put his guild card on the wall, and an entrance of about 2 mels high and 1 mel wide appeared.
Wilhelm entered first as he had battle experience in the sealed areas. Rashia and Yuzuha were next to enter, and Shin was last. It was to guarantee their safety, just in case a monster attacked from behind.
Inside the seal, it seemed no different from the outside.
However, the enhanced perception ability of Shin, by using the skills together, already picked up several hostile presences. Since he still had enough time before coming into contact with the enemies, he focused on obtaining detailed information on each individual.
―― 3 Rupt Raptors from the front.
―― 2 Jump Kins from the left.
The appearance of the Rupt Raptor was a wyvern that had lost its wings. There were no hands, and it possessed a powerful leg with a strong kick. Moreover, there was the additional effect of paralysis on its claws. Its average level was around 170.
Seemingly, Jump Kin was a flying pumpkin. Wait, that isn’t jumping, is it? Shin wanted to retort. Anyways the pumpkin was rotten. Expressions of emotion showed on the rotten pumpkin and it used fire magic skills when it was happy, and earth when it was sad. Its level was about 200 on average.
“They are coming, huh”
Wilhelm muttered while Shin analyzed the enemies. It seemed that the enemies had arrived at Wilhelm’s perception range.
“Rupt Raptors from the front, Jump Kins from the left.”
“You know?”
“Ah, Wilhelm, handle the Rupt Raptors. I will divert the Jump Kins.”
“If you say so.”
They nodded to each other and began to mobilize.
The protection of Rashia was left to Yuzuha, while Shin and Wilhelm rushed to their targets.
Shin came closer to the enemies with a speed different from before. He drew his katana and kicked the ground to jump toward the two Jump Kins.
The Jump Kins were floating 2, 3 mels above the ground.
“Sish!”
Two lines of sword sparks drew an arc in the sky, and the Jump Kin stopped their movements the following second. Shin landed before the sounds of 2 raw foods falling to the earth resounded in the quiet plains.
Thus, with the strike from the back side of the 『Red Chidori』, the 2 monsters suffered a double abnormality state of faint and paralysis. Shin took out a large wrapping cloth from the Item Box, and quickly wrapped the Jump Kin. He returned to Rashia for her to deal the finishing blow.
Then, about a dozen seconds later, Wilhelm also faced off against the Rupt Raptors.
With no hands, it could be said that it was, without a doubt, a bipedal type dinosaur. Its body was about 2 mels and was half rotted, similar to the Bio Hounds, although its speed and strength were not comparable. It was clumsy, but it became a troublesome monster when it cooperated.
“Fyun!”
Wilhelm exchanged attacks with the front Rupt Raptor, while the other two Rupt Raptors together leaped upon the trap he set and were knocked down by Venom. The body of the Rupt Raptors were brittle. Hence, when a bone was broken, a vivid sound of internal organs exploding could be heard.
While confirming with a glance that it didn’t disappear from the damage he dealt, Wilhelm stood against the remaining Rupt Raptor. Whether or not it didn’t have a choice to escape, the last remaining one stared at Wilhelm.
“Going easy on something is so damn bothersome.”
Simultaneously with that phrase, the view of the Rupt Raptor turned black.
The Rupt Raptors had their heads caved in, with broken legs, and parts of their body had also collapsed while being tied by the rope. Wilhelm too, then returned to the place where Rashia was.
“Ii～ya～～～!!”
It goes without saying that a scream from Rashia was heard, from where the three people were gathered.
* * *
While Shin’s party worked hard hunting undead in the middle of the Wraith Plains, dozens of mels from there, the sound of battle resounded from several figures inside a forest.
“Surround it! Aim at its core!”
“Give the injured potions for recovery! Priests and Mages use the light system arts!!”
“Attract the Jack’s attention! Don’t let it cooperate with the Pawns!!”
While the group of knights in full body shining armor let out a loud voice, they slashed at the Skull Faces. Behind the guard knights who handled a shield, there were a group of people wearing robes and priest cloths while firing dazzling light orbs at the Skull Faces.
The black aura around the Pawn class Skull Faces vanished the moment it touched the light and it turned into mere bones. However, no one loosened up their guard in this place. Because the most formidable enemy still remained.
“Guu, its attack is too heavy.”
“Anyone who has strength left, go help! It won’t be possible to suppress it if the number of people standing decreases any further!!”
“Damn, what the hell is that!?”
Voices of half desperation resounded through the forest. Though there were dozens of knights with extensive fighting ability and they were hand-picked from the alliance countries, they hadn’t dealt any damage that could be said to be a fatal blow.
“No matter how much of a Jack class it is, we are supposed to endure here, but...”
The complaint that leaked unintentionally was drowned out by the sound of swords and shields clashing.
Normally, the battle should have ended a long time ago, but the Jack class Skull Face held a strange white shield, that repelled the vigorous attacks from the knight group. Many of the knights were injured by the damage taken from the counterattacks.
The skilled knight who commanded the battle, Berg, was also unable to decide whether they should attack the Skull Face which made unexpected movements.
It had an abnormal upper limit of expert class, quick sword techniques, in addition, the shield almost nullified the light attribute magic and magic system arts that should have been the weak point of any undead monster. Although the Skull Face was surrounded, attacking it unskillfully caused injury and the risk of being impatient was getting bigger.
(With the way things are going, it will not move anywhere. If only that shield didn’t exist, at least something could be done somehow...)
Since the battle had started, Berg had contemplated it a countless number of times. The existence that made the Skull Face a formidable enemy. High defensive ability and magic resistance. When he thought about it, the Skull Face’s movement hadn’t become slower, so it seemed that the shield wasn’t that heavy. He couldn’t help but to click his tongue, as if it was using some kind of irregular weapon in this battle.
(However, that doesn’t mean that no damage was dealt to the enemy either.)
Berg and the rest of the knights had their pride and had gained experience through numerous battles, thus they had techniques. By using every effort they had, little by little, they managed to deal some damage somehow. While ascertaining comrade and enemy conditions, they would eventually reach the road to victory. However, following the situation, Berg was getting ready to call for a withdraw when a silver flash ran into the knights’ view.
As the flash ran straight toward the Skull Face without stopping for a moment, he quietly stood still next to it.
――――Time stopped.
The battlefield which should have been filled with clamor, regained its former silence in an instant.
The real nature of the flash was silver hair that shined when reflected by light. Because the owner of the hair ran too fast, it was seen only as a flash to the eyes of the knights.
Though the knights were slow and full of openings, no one felt danger from it. It was because they knew that the person with silver hair had never failed to give a decisive blow once so far.
The silver hair seemed very graceful with brilliant silver and transparent blue eyes. The expression showed a faint smile that possessed both motherhood and a mystique kind of work of art, too.
Pointed ears were visible when her hair was blown to the side by the wind, showing that her race was either elf or otherwise high elf.
Her clothes resembled waitress clothes, but they were not necessarily similar. If a person with modern knowledge was nearby, they would have guessed it was close to the maid cloth type called Victorian Maid. The apron was big, and the hem of the skirt was long. That was the uniform that the employees of Tsuki no Hokora wore. Was it made to fit her body? Or because she had a good figure originally? The clothes boosted her breasts to the bulging point, it was obvious that the eyes of several of the knights were focused on them.
Her attire itself brought about a calming atmosphere. The person who held a dagger in one hand, who gathered all of the attention in the battlefield to herself, was the sole High Elf of Tsuki no Hokora. The acting manager, and who conveyed the skills from ancient times.
That person was, Schnee Raizar.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 02 - Wraith Plains/The-New-Gate-Volume-02-Wraith-Plains-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_02_Chapter_02_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 2
“Wide Heal!”
The voice echoed throughout the quiet place.
At the same time, a strong, gentle light wrapped around the surrounding knights. It was the magic skill system [Wide Heal] released by Schnee. A wide area version of heal.
The knights, who were weakly sitting on the ground, recovered without a single wound when the light that wrapped their bodies disappeared.
While everyone raised their voices in admiration, Berg, the commander, promptly calmed himself down. He realized he was getting too careless, so he tried to re-focus his mind, and gave out instructions loudly.
As might be expected from a veteran, there were no useless instructions. The surrounding knights started to mobilize in a rush, and a different noise resounded throughout the forest from a little while ago.
“You have been a big help...we were thinking about stopping and withdrawing.”
Berg formally thanked Schnee who stood near him. His voice was still rattling.
“No, I was able to defeat it because of everyone's assistance in fighting.”
The words of encouragement reached Berg’s ear. Berg thought that this feeling, that his mind was being cleansed just from hearing her voice, was not just his imagination.
“I am honored when you say so. But actually, it was thanks to Schnee-dono that the undead was defeated, please let me show Schnee-dono deference here.”
“If you say so...however, we cannot relax yet.”
Schnee replied with an awkward smile.
It was not a lie that they should be focused and remain on guard. It was the reality.
This incident began one month ago; it was at the time when an adventurer, who just had become a rank B, approached the Wraith Plains to test his strength. That adventurer was heading toward the Wraith Plains through the forest, and when he tried to enter the haze which showed the boundary line of the Wraith Plains, a Skull Face appeared and broke through the haze a few mels from where the adventurer was.
A monster from the Wraith Plains should not exist outside of it, and it was a situation that would overturn common sense.
Even though the adventurer was stunned from the impossible scene, he managed to break off from the fight. He left the place immediately when he understood the abnormality of the situation, and went to nearest town’s guild with all of his effort.
The guild that received the information quickly decided to dispatch an investigation team. From the investigation afterwards, the condition was unclear but although some monsters were much stronger than others, it was confirmed that monsters had come out from the haze and spilled into the forest.
The plains were vast, so it wasn’t understood when and where they left from; furthermore, it took several weeks until it was clearly confirmed that a monster had passed through the haze. It was unknown how many monsters reached the forest, and to make matters worse, because a control point was not set up, damage had already started to occur in the countries near the Wraith Plains.
It was the reason why the advanced level adventurers went all out when Shin went to the guild for the first time before.
Of course, the damaged countries wouldn’t just sit and do nothing either. They set-up every possible type of security and also set up patrols to protect the people of their own country. The greatest problem was that the monsters breaking through the haze had abilities that far surpassed the commonly known monsters. In most cases, coming into contact with the enemy would result in either annihilation or retreating, even with enough battle capabilities from allies.
Kings from each country that were concerned about this, united under the name of an alliance for the first time, and put together the best knights from each troop to form a monster subjugation force, a plan to calm the situation. At the same time, a request to a certain person was issued.
The requested destination was 『General Store Tsuki no Hokora』.
And that certain person was the acting manager of Tsuki no Hokora, Schnee Raizar.
Though whether or not she would accept the request was a gamble, Schnee accepted the request purely to protect the people. Thus, she went quickly and participated in the monster subjugation force.
“I understand. Then, I will leave to Schnee-dono the monsters’ weapons and raw materials as according to the contract.”
“Yes, I will hold them for now.”
She nodded at Berg’s words, and Schnee stored the equipment from the Skull Face that was scattered in the surrounding area into the Item Box.
Since the subjugation force was a joint military unit of knights from two or more countries, the scramble for precious equipment and raw materials was considered. After the subjugation was completed, she was expected to distribute it equally except for a portion. Schnee, who had the highest battle capabilities, was also given the safekeeping role, with forestalling and anti-theft by usage of the Item Box.
While seeing Schnee put an item away, Berg thought, if there was no Schnee Raizar, the situation would have advanced towards the worst case scenario.
From the battle just now, he understood that there was an enemy that they could not beat, even with the top class ability of the knights from each country. Certainly, part of it was because of the poor cooperation since it was a joint military unit, but it didn’t change the fact that the strength of the monster was abnormal.
The problem above all else was that there were monsters possessing extraordinary gear like the previous Skull Face. According to the information that had been collected up to now, it seemed that all of the Skull Faces held special gear, but it couldn’t absolutely be confirmed.
From Berg’s view, he prayed that these kinds of equipments would run out.
Up until now, Schnee had defeated a few of the monsters with special weapons, and the knights then took charge with just the numerical advantage. The arrangement was to contact Schnee immediately if there was an encounter with a weapon holder. The situation was somehow good enough this time. The monster that the knights had a hard time fighting with was instantly defeated by Schnee. And in addition to that, close range battle was assumed to be the weak point of elves.
“As expected of someone who stood side by side with a High Human before.”
The continental conquerors, the High Humans, which once existed. The people in this world couldn’t help but to have sense of respect towards those who fought with them. The achievement of those conquerors was carved into the memory of the people without fading, even now after a long time.
The reason why the knights fought bravely was also because there were strong feelings to compete with such an existence. No one wanted to show an unsightly appearance and misbehave themselves, as such, the monster subjugation went smoothly without any arguments as a result.
Several monsters that were in the reports were among the last Skull Faces that were defeated. They still needed to confirm whether or not any monsters had been passed over with the adventurer who had been dispatched by the guild after they had left. If there was nothing, the subjugation force would return. And a surveillance network would spread out under the cooperation of each country and guild.
“It would be good if there is nothing more, but...”
Berg talked to himself, suddenly remembering an unpleasant predicament from his long life full of experience. And then he saw the casual Schnee, who seemed to be reading a letter eagerly in the open space where the raw materials of the Skull Face were scattered.
“Schnee-dono? Did something happen?”
When Berg called out, Schnee put the letter away and turned around. During that period, Berg, by chance, saw 『Blue Moon』 written on there, but he didn’t know what that was.
“No, its nothing. After this though, because I will continue searching for someone, we will mobilize separately. Please launch the magic item I gave you if you encounter a monster, since it is difficult to pinpoint the specific area.”
“Roger that.”
Schnee, after that short communication, quickly left the place.
While maintaining an unbelievable speed, even while wearing a long skirt, Schnee thought over the content written in the letter.
It was the information on the message card that was sent from Tiera, which had written that a certain person seemed to be heading to the Wraith Plains.
The name of the person was not so unusual. There were a lot of people with similar names if she thought about searching for them. However, the story was different when the person has 『Blue Moon』. There was only one such person as far as Schnee knew.
“Did you come back, and return it...”
While noticing that she herself was not calm, Schnee continued to run at full speed. Her destination was the Wraith Plains.
She was irritated because of the time taken up by the monster search. Even if it was not her main job, without skimping on it, it was the obligation of a person who had received the work, so she still went.
Her heart was getting more impatient.
She might finally meet the person whom she looked forward to the most.
That thought filled Schnee, who deeply yearned for it.
* * *
The hunting party started in the center of Wraith Plains and lasted for several nights. Currently, Shin’s party was still in the sealed area.
“Oi, Dammit, Shin! Pecker Hollow is coming!”
“It can’t be helped, let’s withdraw right away.”
Shin and Wilhelm perceived the monster that was approaching and had Rashia and Yuzuha go outside the seal. If a person was separated by the seal barrier, it seemed that they couldn’t be sensed by the monsters inside, even if they were very close. The Pecker Hollow appeared to lose interest in Shin and the others, and after loitering around for a while it left the place in no time.
The monster, Pecker Hollow, which approached was an undead monster at level 541. A large amount of corpses were joined together by a vengeful spirit to form a large monster. It had the upper body of a mantis, with folded forelimbs like sickles, and compound eyes. Also, though it had eyes that were compounded and the forelimbs were folded like sickles, it didn’t have similar organs to a mere insect. A large amount of people’s eyes were gathered within the compound eyes, and a person’s bones were gathered together to become the form of the sickles. It had feet and hands sticking out everywhere from it’s body, and somehow or another it gave off an abominable feeling. It was such an appearance that it caused almost all female players to approach neither the field nor the dungeon at all.
And most troublesome of all was its skill, [Deadman’s Howl]. Though this skill caused little damage, it also inflicted the disorders of: confusion, curse, and other abnormal states at the same time. Moreover, the minimum level of the abnormal states were Ⅴ, which could be said to be brutal. Anyways, it would not be so bad if it hit Shin or Wilhelm, but Rashia and Yuzuha might receive the maximum level of the abnormal states in one go.
As expected, they had to evacuate to the outside of the seal when the troublesome monster appeared, since it was too dangerous to attack it.
“Did it leave?”
Wilhelm asked.
“Just wait a little more for the time being. We will be in trouble if it comes back after hearing the sound of battle.”
If the small fry’s were included, the number of monsters that had already been defeated in battle was already more than 200 over the last several days. If Shin’s count was not wrong, Rashia should be able to learn the long-cherished [Purification] after one more kill.
“Are Rashia and Yuzuha alright?”
“Yes, somehow I’m already becoming accustomed to it...”
“Kuu!”
While smiling wryly at the answer from Rashia, who was strangely looking far away, and at the energetic Yuzuha, Shin searched for a presence within the range of his perception. He was able to confirm one level 343 Jack class Skull Face, two level 158 Gray Orcs, one level 177 Gel Bison, and four level 249 Ein Jackals.
Gel Bison was a monster which had a slime-like, transparent gelatinous material that adhered to the skeletal remains of a bison. When a person approaches, the gel becomes like a whip and attacks. And then, it melts the prey while eating the opponent who was immobilized.
Ein Jackal was a monster that eats tainted meat. Because of that, it joined the undead group. It had the appearance of a purple jackal of about two mels. It was a low class monster, but had demon eyes that could paralyze its opponent. It was a difficult enemy for a beginner class player who was just getting into the game.
There was no problematic Pecker Hollow in the perception range anymore. Since time had passed after it moved outside the perception range, they assumed it was safe.
As for the distance for each monster, the nearest was the Skull Face and the other monsters were at the edge of the perception range.
“There is a Skull Face nearby, but it’s level is unusual.”
“What do you mean?”
“What’s the matter?”
Wilhelm and Rashia threw a question at Shin’s remark.
“The level is 343. Did I tell you the story about that Skull Face that had a King class level? I think this monster might be similar to that.”
“Though the place here is slightly irregular, the story of a monster like that leaving from here has not been heard. However, for the past month, something strange has been happening in the kingdom.”
“...That reminds me, Ragnal-san said that events where strong undead monsters attacked the village in Beirun occurred frequently.”
Rashia, who heard about the level of the Skull Face, took out the information from the corner of her memory. Beirun was a country that was located on the other side of the Wraith Plains and the Bayreuth kingdom.
“Strong undead, huh? It seems to be related after all. And who is Ragnal-san?”
“It is the master in the bar that I brought you to. You met him once.”
“Ah! It’s that person, huh?”
He recalled the silent man from Wilhelm’s words. That time, Wilhelm certainly said he was an adventurer friend.
“Well for now, leave the story for another time. What would you do? I would feel bad leaving it alone.”
Shin said and looked at Wilhelm.
“What kind of power did it have?”
“In my personal opinion, its ability was corresponding to its level. It is necessary to be cautious, as that Skull Face had unimaginable movements. The fellow I fought before had some tricky moves.”
“We only need to beat it, huh? It shouldn't be necessary to make Rashia cross a one-way bridge.”
“That’s a good point.”
“No, I will go too!!”
Wilhelm proposed to Shin that the two of them would knock the abnormal enemy down. But as her level raised, Rashia became confident and was filled with eagerness.
“What to do? I don’t have any problem particularly. I think Rashia will be safe as long as she carries the item I gave her.”
The two people looked at each other spontaneously.
“Indeed. Oi Rashia, do you really want to do it?”
“Of course, I can’t return home with my head held high if you protected me the whole time!!”
Was it the result of the battles over the past few days? Rashia wasn’t shaken to see a monster over level 200, let alone a zombie, as she yelled with a high-spirited voice now. Actually, even though the Skull Face outside the seal was a low level monster, it was still a level 80+, and she was able to fight it without feeling daunted now. This was the fruit of the Spartan training by Shin and Wilhelm. It was probably too much for a girl of pubescence, but unfortunately they didn’t really care about that.
“Then, let’s do it!”
“Oi, don’t get in the way as much this time.”
“I won’t.”
Shin and Wilhelm were concerned about Rashia while facing the Skull Face. Though Rashia was slower due to the speed difference, she entrusted Yuzuha and the 2 people to go ahead because she only had to deal the finishing blow.
This time the Skull Face didn’t have any strange equipment. However, the posture with the sword and shield was similar to the unique Skull Face monster that Shin had fought before.
“This fellow might be similar to the one I fought before? It’s posture is quite similar.”
“It’s doesn’t matter if it’s the same. Oraa!!”
Wilhelm, who had a long reach, began his preemptive attack.
The single blow, which was aimed at the Skull Face’s core, was caught by the round shield on its left hand. The shield produced sparks as it was being drilled into. Though 『Venom』 cut into into the round shield, the arm that held the shield had already shaken the hit off, and the trajectory of 『Venom』 veered off.
Then the Skull Face promptly unleashed a single blow with its sword. Together with the sound of cutting air, the sword was swung downward. Wilhelm quickly pulled 『Venom』back and received it. Sparks scattered from the clash.
The sound of metal interlocking sent echoes into the night around the plains. The single blow was not only packed with power but also added weight to it, causing Wilhelm to stick to the ground.
Shin, who had waited behind Wilhelm, sensed that the Skull Face tried to knock Wilhelm down using the shield arm, so right away he slashed at the Skull Face while jumping from the back to the front of the shield.
However the shield on its left arm split into two at the same time as a “Kin” sound was heard. If its reaction had been any slower after the flash, its left foot would have been cut in an instant. It was able to minimize the damage dealt at the expense of one arm, which was usually unthinkable for a normal Skull Face.
“I see, this bone bastard really is able to move surprisingly different from the usual ones, isn’t it?”
Wilhelm, who witnessed its movement, sneered while baring his fanged teeth.
In the case of the Skull Face, if the core remained, even with an arm missing, it was not a problem for Rashia to deliver the final blow. Therefore, like any other difficult to kill monster, going easy was unnecessary.
Facing the Skull Face’s capability, Wilhelm’s fighting spirit was ignited.
“Are you forgetting our objective?”
“I know. I just want to enjoy myself a little.”
“I think that’s all right, but it would be bad if you force it.”
“I’m not worried about that. This fellow still resembles a practice board to me.”
Wilhelm prepared 『Venom』 while laughing wildly again.
He lowered his center of gravity. The spearhead was slightly pulled back, and 『Venom』 was slanted diagonally upward.
His right hand held the handle, while his left hand was stretched out. His appearance right now was just like a bow about to be shot. As it matched the rising of Wilhelm’s fighting spirit, the feeling of hearing the sound of a bow being drawn to its limit was heard.
Whether the Skull Face noticed Wilhelm’s presence or not, the Skull Face took its stance again. It pulled its right leg slightly behind it and the right hand holding the sword was raised almost level to its head. The sword tip was pointed straight at the sky, and an aura that slowly swayed gathered onto the Skull Face’s body.
In front of the knight-like posture, Wilhelm raised his fighting spirit even higher.
As if the atmosphere froze, not even one of them moved. And, it was similar to the silence between the cocking and firing of a gun.
“Will!!”
“Uh!!”
The shout from Rashia shattered the frozen atmosphere.
Two shadows ran, triggered by it.
The single blow of decapitation released by the Skull Face was intercepted, and red sparks brightened the darkness. Their weapons crossed in an instant.
In the next moment, the Skull Face dropped to the ground left with only a head and body intact, with Wilhelm standing still and 『Venom』 thrusted out.
The Skull Face had what people called; a near death experience. Its arms and legs vanished and numerous crack appeared on the surface of its core, all from the aftermath of a single blow from 『Venom』. It was on the verge crumbling.
“Rashia, don’t just stand there. Quickly, end that creep.”
“I almost didn’t get a turn. What was all of my determination from earlier for?!”
Rashia was angry at the result of her being left out, because her resolve in risking her life was wasted.
“There was no other way. There was no room for you to step in.”
“Urgh, God, is this a trial?...”
Though Rashia was in a bad mood, she didn’t forget to heal the core. The aura that covered the core disappeared when it received the light of healing from Rashia, and the Skull Face completely vanished.
At the same time, a golden light enveloped Rashia’s body.
“W-What is this?”
“Rashia!?”
Rashia was confused by the sudden event. Wilhelm, who was also surprised, couldn’t move carelessly without knowing what had happened.
“No need to worry!! This effect happens when the requirement has been met and a new skill is learned!!”
Shin raised his voice to calm the two confused people down. Apparently, Shin’s calculation was not wrong, and the 200th body was the Skull Face just now.
The light effect faded away as soon as Shin raised his voice. Rashia’s gaze wandered through the space as if she became engrossed in something.
“Oi, Rashia! Are you alright?”
“Fue? Ah, yes. I’m alright.”
Wilhelm called out to her while tapping her shoulder, and she replied with a somewhat lifeless voice.
“With you staring into space like you are dazed, are you really alright?”
“I’m alright, okay. It was because the way to use the skill suddenly flowed into my head.”
“Was there any difference from the time you used the secret book?”
“Um, yes there was. The secret book somehow had a more gentle feeling to it, while this time, it was more of an abrupt feeling. But maybe that explanation is poor and difficult to understand.”
It seemed to feel differently when compared to the secret book.
For some reason, there seemed to be various effects that occurred when a person learned a skill. Because the person in question wasn’t harmed, he didn’t have to worry, but Shin just didn’t understand that feeling properly. In the first place, the experience of information flowing directly into the brain was impossible.
“Well, first of all, because you successfully acquired [Purification]. Congratulations.”
“Indeed, you did well.”
“Kuu!”
Shin, Wilhelm and Yuzuha each gave her their blessing.
“Thank you very much. I can take care of the orphanage with this, too.”
With the acquisition of [Purification], the orphanage would not have to worry about the inheritance problem anymore. It was Rashia’s real feelings as she thanked them with tears in the corner of her eyes.
“Now then, let’s go to base, get some sleep, and quickly return to the Bayreuth kingdom in the morning.”
“That’s right. There is no reason to stay here any longer.”
“Yes, let’s go then.”
With each of them smiling, they went outside the seal. There were no signs of enemies around the three people and one animal.
The request ended with this. They only had to return to the kingdom now. All of the members who were there thought so.
Until that happened.
* * *
It happened out of the blue.
Right then, in the Wraith Plains, the insects and wild animals in the night strangely went silent. Therefore, Shin noticed immediately. Yuzuha, who was on top of Shin’s head, also perceived the unusual event with its superior hearing, which was the characteristic of animals, as its ears stood up.
“Hmm? What is that sound?”
“Kuu?”
It was a sound like the wind blowing through the grass. Shin wouldn’t mind if it was only the sound of the surrounding grass rubbing against each other.
But he couldn’t help but worry if the sound was also happening at the same time as a strange noise was heard, like that of a creature being crushed.
Shin and Yuzuha came to a halt and looked back, and so they saw the grotesque scene.
“What...is that?”
“Kuu...”
“Hmm? What happened to you...guys.”
Wilhelm noticed Shin’s movements and turned around, he too was speechless as he saw the same thing.
The place where the Skull Face was just defeated before, there was now a black orb just floating there, one that did not exist until just now. It was now in the process of swallowing the Pecker Hollow. When he looked at the map screen, a huge red marker, which wasn’t there before, was now at the edge of the view. White and blue markers were displayed which indicated Shin and the others.
The Pecker Hollow was rapidly being sucked into the black orb, which was about 30 cemels wide. The volume obviously didn’t match. A crunching, cracking sound was being made, because the Pecker Hollows body was being compressed.
The Pecker Hollow, which was the prey, didn’t even raise a death cry or show any other kind of resistance. All of the faces that appeared on its body seemed to be smiling. It appeared to be pleased with being completely absorbed.
“What the hell!? What the heck is that thing!?”
“Ugh, it is disgusting...”
Rashia covered her mouth from the spectacle of a person’s face being crushed slowly, and crouched down. Wilhelm rushed to Rashia, and Shin stood between them and the black orb.
It didn’t take much more time and the Pecker Hollow was completely sucked into the orb. Simultaneously, a big tremor suddenly occurred and the ground quivered.
“Uoo!?”
“Kya!”
“Kuuu!?”
In the spur of the moment, they somehow managed to keep their balance and avoided falling. When they looked around to see what had happened, they saw a purple light blowing toward the sky from everywhere in the Wraith Plains.
From the place where the Skull Face had fallen, a sparkly light was rising to the sky.
“Beautiful...”
Rashia muttered. This sudden occurrence was indeed really wondrous and beautiful.
If only there was no mysterious black orb in front, Shin would have enjoyed it, too. However, this was not the time to enjoy the scene.
He slightly expanded his map view. He noticed that the red markers, that had progressed to the edge of the view, had disappeared from the map.
“This is...”
His turned his attention away from the map and stared in the direction of the red markers where the monsters were, using the skill [Long Sight], while staying cautious of the orb. Then, he saw that the Gel Bison and Ein Jackal were emitting a sudden purple light from throughout their bodies. That glittery and shining light resembled the effect that happened when an undead monster was killed during the time in the game.
The monster, which was emitting light from its body, gradually lost it outline, and a short time later it would vanish like it was dissolved into the air.
And that, the light, which painted an arc in the atmosphere, was absorbed by the black orb.
Shin and Wilhelm who saw the scene moved to protect Rashia. While wary of their surroundings, they looked at the orb in front of them.
“Shit, its sucking the demon essence in!”
“Demon essence?”
“Ah! That light, the demon’s essence, is what moves the undead. Because it’s disappeared, it becomes impossible to maintain the body.”
“I see.”
After a while, all of the demon essence that the atmosphere contained was absorbed into the orb. Then the sphere whirled up into the sky and stopped at a height of about 10 mels from the ground. At the same time, a dark aura spread around the orb. It gradually took shape, and bones like a Skull Face were formed. In addition, it expanded to several times the size of a regular Skull Face. It was covered with jet black armor, and the aura filled the space between the bones and the armor. It only took 10 seconds.
A Skull Face more than 10 mels in height appeared before Shin and his party.
If it didn’t have a skeleton head attached, it would remind them of a valor knight. It was unimaginable that the ornament on the armor was made from the aura.
But from the body, there was a sinister aura rising up. It was definite evidence that it was an undead.
And, its burning look in front of Shin and the party caused their bodies to freeze from tension.
―――― 『Lord Skull Face Lv. 804』
When Shin activated [Analyze • Ⅹ], it displayed to him its name and its level.
The level’s numerical value was considered a high ranking enemy, even in THE NEW GATE.
“Level 804. Is it this dungeon’s boss?”
Shin was calmly asking himself this, but Wilhelm intensely responded.
“Oi, the level you said just now, was that true?”
“Yes, no doubt about it.”
“That...it is at a level that can destroy a country!?”
“Kururuuu!!”
Yuzuha openly raised a roar to try to intimidate it, but Wilhelm and Rashia couldn’t hide their shaking from the impossible numerical value. Except those monsters that stayed in the Sacred Place, since the Dusk of the Majesty, the monster with the highest confirmed level didn’t even reach level 600. Moreover, even that monster destroyed several countries at that time.
“B-But there is the seal and it is not possible to get out, right?”
“I wonder.”
When Shin replied to the anxious voice of Rashia, the Lord finally moved.
Its arm of several mels length bent and it clenched its fist. And then, while slightly bending its knee, it drew its fist toward the sky in an uppercut-like form.
A dry sound, “gashari”, was made at the same time its arm finished expanding. The invisible barrier that was thought to be covering the sky made a breaking sound and scattered like the demon essence from before, as witnessed by Shin and his party.
“Damn, the seal is finished.”
“Ah! Perhaps it was shattered by a single blow just now.”
“O-Oh no...”
The seal that was supposed to keep high-level monsters inside was disappointedly broken too easily. Rashia probably lost her strength as she fell backwards onto her buttocks.
The eyes of the Lord which had been sucking the demon essence captured the sight of Shin and the others.
“Hii!!”
“Kuu...”
“Oi, it looked over here...”
Wilhelm swallowed his saliva down.
“Indeed.”
It had no eyeballs, but Shin and the others were certain that they were being looked at. Rashia turned pale and trembled at the pressure.
Wilhelm held Rashia who was at a loss, and got ready to escape.
“GuuuuUUUUUU―――――――GaaaAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!”
The Lord let out a warcry as if it would not let any of them go. Shin put himself on guard as he felt the physical weight from the volume of the voice, while Yuzuha shrank its body, Wilhelm was forced to his knees, and Rashia covered her ears while crouching down.
“That roar, damn, it won’t let us get away huh?”
“No, it’s different. Look at the surroundings!”
Almost at the same time Shin raised his voice, white bones thrusted out, one after another, from the ground.
Obviously it was the arm of a humanoid monster. When the ground was gripped firmly, it dragged out its main body from the ground.
A skeleton that was wrapped in a rustic armor came out. Needless to say, it was a Skull Face. They ranged from the Jack, Queen, and the King class. One by one they emerged from the ground until it became a huge uproar. Additionally, each of the individual monsters was two times larger than normal, as the King class was close to 8 mels tall. The number of Skull Faces filling up the plains had already almost reached that of an army.
The aura that was given off by each individual combined, and the entire plains was dyed black.
The emergence of the Skull Faces was happening all over the plains, the surrounding area around Shin and his party was already overflowing with Skull Faces.
“Will!! What to do, Will!!”
“Calm down! Don’t panic about what we have to do! Oi Shin, let’s break through to escape right away!”
“No, I will stay.”
“Ah? What are you saying, you bastard. Do you want to die!?”
Wilhelm, who was irritated at Shin’s awfully calm speech, tried to grab Shin’s shoulder. Though he put power in it, to make him turn around, Shin didn’t move an inch as if Wilhelm was grabbing a gigantic mass of rock.
Shin, then turned around slowly, while calmly releasing the [Limit].
“Uo!?”
“Kyaa!”
Wilhelm and Rashia opened their eyes wide at the torrent of power that was given off by Shin.
“I cannot leave this fellow alone. I will open a path so that Wilhelm and Rashia can go ahead toward the kingdom before me.”
“This power...what the hell are you?”
“There is no time to talk about it now. In addition, I have some personal business with this fellow. I don’t want you guys to be dragged into this because that would be bad, so please just get away as far as you can.”
Shin said that while accumulating magic power in both hands. Wilhelm was not able to argue against the overwhelming density.
“Dammit, it can’t be helped then. I will take Rashia and that fox with me. Do I need to collect the item at the base?”
“If it’s possible then that would be nice, but I’m not bothered if it’s lost.”
“Then let’s start quickly. I will properly hear the circumstances when you come back!”
“Ah, I understand. Because I will put a body strengthening buff on you, your speed will be faster than usual. Don’t fall down, okay?”
“Hah! Who the hell do you think you are talking to!! Hey, this fox, it doesn’t want to be separated from you.”
When Wilhelm pulled on Yuzuha, Shin’s face was also pulled.
“Adadadada! Hey Yuzuha! Don’t cling there.”
“Kuu!! Kuu~!!”
Yuzuha, who disliked it, barked. It desperately clung, as if to say it didn’t want to leave Shin.
“Oi, what are you gonna do?”
“Yuzuha...”
By telepathy, Yuzuha’s strong feeling of not wanting to leave him was transmitted to Shin.
“...Sigh, I guess I don’t have any choice. Do you really never want to be separated?”
“Kuu!!”
Yuzuha, on top of Shin’s head, barked again. It was full of motivation.
“Have you settled your discussion? Then let’s be quick.”
“Ah sorry for the wait! Then let’s do this!!”
The body strengthening buff was put on Wilhelm, and while facing toward the direction of the base, Shin released a skill.
It was the lightning system magic skill, [Lightning Bunker].
2 parallel lines of very thick lightning bolts, with several mels diameter, were released towards the group of Skull Faces, and they instantly changed into charcoal. The lightning attack made a path through the encirclement of Skull Faces, while Shin maintained the skill.
“Go!!”
Wilhelm kicked the ground at the signal from Shin’s voice. With his leg strength raised by Shin’s buff, he ran through the breakthrough with enough force to leave an afterimage.
“Kyaaaa!!!――――――――ーーーーーーー…”
Rashia screamed at the excessive speed, but it was immediately inaudible. Since the edge of the seal was close by, with Wilhelm’s speed, it probably wouldn’t take much time to get outside of the encirclement of the Skull Faces army. Though swords and spears were thrown by the separate Skull Faces outside the range of the lightning attack, they were repelled by 『Venom』while their speed was maintained.
“Is he gone?”
“Kuu.”
He confirmed that the figures of the two people had disappeared and cancelled the [Lightning Bunker]. He had killed dozens of Skull Faces, but a large amount of Skull Faces closed up the holes as soon as he cancelled the skill.
The opponents were the subordinates of the Lord Skull Face; Jack class, Queen class, and King class.
The glaring Lord didn’t pay any attention to Rashia and Wilhelm at all, it was focused on Shin the whole time.
There was no monster called Lord Skull Face according to Shin’s knowledge. There were no monsters that exceeded level 800 that Shin didn’t know of, in other words, it was a totally new monster. It was not an enemy that he could judge just from its level.
However, anything like an unknown enemy could become the key for Shin to return to his original world, so there was a possibility that some new information or something could be obtained. Since those possibilities existed, Shin didn’t have the option to run away.
“Now then, should we go this way?”
“Kuuー!!”
Shin prepared his katana, and while feeling that Yuzuha’s voice was reliable, he began to run toward the large army of Skull Face.
If one could say it with one word, it would be, “slaughter”.
Bones shattering, swords breaking, and armors that became lumps of mere iron fell to the ground.
Several deep cracks and gouges scarred the ground, which were unimaginable, since he caused them without using magic.
It was all due to Shin swinging his katana.
“Woosh!”
He kept swinging his katana without using any skills. He cut the cores right in half, those of more than 10 Skull Faces just like that, and they became demon essences as they disappeared.
In addition, he also crushed the swords and armors.
Whenever the katana drew an arc in the plains, where the moonlight shined, the Skull Faces were knocked down, like a sand castle crumbling.
If it were normal adventurers, to defeat a King class, they must be prepared for dozens of sacrifices. But now, it was just a wooden figure in this place.
Like casually cutting down the grass that grows too much, the Skull Faces were definitely being killed.
“Kuoooooo!!”
Not only was Shin attacking, Yuzuha, who took a position on top of Shin’s head, was also breathing out pale flames from its mouth and burning the enemy to ash.
It was a skill exclusive to monsters, [Fox Fire]. It was a red flame, but an Element Tail originally spit out blue flames. Though it seemed difficult for the present Yuzuha, a diverse attack could be drawn out from the tails in the case of the adults with the original appearance of level 1000. As for the Element Tail, each one of their tails takes charge of either fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, light, or dark magic skills, as well as physical attacks, and magic system skills. It was like fighting multiple enemies from the opponent's point of view.
The only tail that Yuzuha seemed to be able to control was the magic system skill, which strengthened the[Fox Fire]. Because it was not a skill that a player could use, it was simply based on the image that Yuzuha imagined.
“Man, there are too many enemies.”
“Kuu.”
Even though Shin and Yuzuha had already defeated more than 100 Skull Faces, they had hardly moved from their original spot. There were too many monsters. Moreover, even though each of them was bigger than usual, the gap from the defeated was quickly filled.
It felt like an eternity as he was doing the same thing again and again, like digging sand from the bottom of an hourglass and putting it back on top.
Apparently the Lord Skull Face, the boss, after making a massive amount of Skull Faces appear, withdrew to the center of the Wraith Plains. The plains were dozens of kemels from one end to another. Shin was at the edge of the plains, so no appearance of the Lord came into his range of view.
Having withdrawn to lure in the exhausted Shin, it might have started to prepare something.
Shin thought about how to make the enemy come out, while flourishing his katana and Yuzuha spat out flames. In the plains, which were dyed in black aura, only the circumference around Shin was cut out, like exposed skin.
“We shouldn’t overdo it too much?”
“Kuu!”
It looked like one person and one animal were going to be swallowed by the black muddy stream, if seen from the edge. But they talked in a carefree voice, which was inconceivable in this situation.
While chatting, Shin used a slashing attack to hit the Skull Faces, and the black muddy stream was pushed back on the contrary.
No enemy could break through the barrier-like, slashing attack in this place. Just like the Skull Face who fought with Wilhelm before, most of the Skull Faces were expert classes in footwork and sword techniques, but it could only gain them a little time. Rather, it was pathetic that they were no match for Shin.
“It’s no good, huh? The places where the enemies emerge from is too vast.”
Shin used the detection system skills together to scan the surrounding information. Thanks to his flashy actions, a lot of Skull Faces in the plains were gathered around Shin. But Shin perceived that there were some individuals leaving the plains; ignoring the battle.
And apparently there was a big reaction, so presumably there was a King class among them too.
“I’m gonna kick it up a notch. Hold on tight!”
“Kuu!!”
The powerful 『Red Chidori』 was swung around, and the surrounding Skull Faces disappeared.
While holding the 『Red Chidori』 in his left hand, he extended his arm behind him and made a throwing posture. The lighting that had run through 『Red Chidori』’s blade previously couldn’t be compared to the present. The katana blade, that was clad in red lightning, was completely luminescent in and of itself, and brightened the surroundings as if it emitted light. The sound of metal creaking could be heard; it was the shriek of the katana’s blade due to an excessive amount of magic power being poured into it. With his improved stats, it was impossible for the Legend grade weapon to endure Shin’s magic power.
Maybe sensing high density magic power mixing with the light, the Skull Faces hesitated to approach.
And, that hesitation gave Shin enough room to make his preparation.
Katana technique lightning combined skill, [Hien Raikiri]*. (T/N: Flying Swallow Lightning Cutter)
It was a mixture of martial arts skill and magic skill. Then, the combo was put together into a single blow released by Shin.
The 『Red Chidori』 was thrown with strength that could be called inhuman, while also spreading out a shock wave. There was no kind of resistance in ripping apart the Skull Faces crowded together.
The red lighting immediately spread out in all directions from the katana’s blade, moving toward the Skull Faces that became ashes one after another. The appearance was totally like a Hydra. A lightning-like red Hydra was trampling down the black wave with ultra high speed. It felt like the Skull Faces were voluntarily sacrificing themselves to the jaws of the lightning.
After the 『Red Chidori』 flew, a road with a width of about 10 mels was formed, and the ground was cut into from the shock wave and lightning.
Shin immediately ran on that road.
He aimed toward the center of the plains. To the Lord Skull Face.
If he defeated it or destroyed the dungeon core, Shin expected that this turmoil would be settled.
(If Schnee was here, I could have done something different.)
He thought so momentarily, but there was no point in asking for too much. He changed his mindset into that only he could do it now.
He took out a new weapon, and unsheathed it from its scabbard, while speeding up.
It was a 《Mythology》 grade, extra long katana, named 『Hamon Hirumaki』.
It was Japan’s number one long katana. Its full length surpassed 3 mels, if the hilt was included, and the katana’s blade reflected the moonlight in the darkness. Though it’s a little different from the actual name, depending on the person, they would be reminded of 『Nenekirimaru』* when they heard the name. (E/N: Nenekirimaru is an exorcism blade which only harms yokai.)
『Hamon Hirumaki』 has a high anti-undead ability as was expected from that anecdote. It had an attack that boasted a ranged attack which was not inferior to a spear due to it having a very long blade.
“Fhew!!”
It was a simple cut, the same as the katana from before. But the Skull Faces that vanished appeared to be no match from a while ago.
The 『Hamon Hirumaki』 was originally a weapon that needed 800 STR or more for it to be swung properly, and it possessed a cutting ability that could cleave a low-level dragon’s head off only with its own weight. If it was swung by a physical strength that surpassed the max stats by a player like Shin, the power was immeasurable.
The blade cut the air, and even the shock wave was impacted into the surrounding objects, splintering them altogether. The Skull Faces had no chance against it. The magnitude of power was different from the start. It was already a disaster for the Skull Faces. Large scale storms, earthquakes, floods and so on; the overwhelming destruction that one could not go against.
The present Shin was exactly like that.
He charged through the gauged-out ground at a speed faster than the slow progress from the situation before.
Though the Skull Faces filled the gap made by 『Hamon Hirumaki』 , this time he didn’t get stranded or stuck.
“Be gone!!”
Then Shin invoked a magic skill.
Wind system magic skill, [Air Barret].
It was a skill that made about a 30 ~ 40 cemels mass of wind that was launched in any direction, it had enough power that it could shoot down small flight monsters. However, Shin was not satisfied with only that much power. All of the wind mass that was fired randomly all around exceeded 2 mels, that power could easily blow away the Skull Faces that wore light armor. The Skull Faces flew into the sky like bowling pins, and there was no dignity as a monster of fear remaining anymore.
As he headed toward the center of the plains, the number of Skull Faces that faced Shin multiplied. The majority of the map displayed in Shin’s view was red, and it was impossible to count the number of enemies.
While the white marker, which indicated himself, broke-through the red dyed tainted map on the edge of the view, Shin rushed forward.
The orb that had absorbed the Pecker Hollow appeared in his mind. Since then, the Skull Faces that emerged were certainly strong. But the abilities to strengthen its subordinates and respawn them was not unusual to some degree for a boss monster. Judging from the standards of this world, it would be extremely brutal, but Shin had experienced a larger scale if put on a scale. For this reason, while Shin swung his long katana, he wondered whether he could defeat the enemy as smoothly as that.
(There is no disadvantage in being cautious.)
He reserved his energy while he annihilated the enemies. It was possible since his stats were raised from the game era. Shin was surely powerful. But sometimes quantity exceeded quality. Regardless of how many of his stats were maxed, Shin was not invincible, nor immortal either. He could do nothing but die if killed.
“――――――――――――――――――――!!!!!!”
A roar resounded throughout the plains. With a high frequency like-signal, a large amount of hands started coming out of the ground.
The origin of the roar was the Lord Skull Face. Due to that roar, no matter how much he reduced the number of Skull Faces by, it didn’t matter. Whenever it made a sound, new Skull Faces emerged from the ground.
“Again?”
He muttered while feeling that the source of the roar was nearby. He had the urge to use a wide area annihilation magic skill to blow off the excessive number that sprang out, but he endured it because he couldn’t use it carelessly.
In this world, range and power were not the same as in the game. Even with the basic magic skill that Shin learned, especially with his stats, its power might be in an intermediate class or higher if he lost control. What scale could it become if he used the wide area magic at the highest class? It was unimaginable. A forest might vanish by mistake, so it was not a laughing matter.
The ability that rose remarkably at this moment, was restrained and became a burden while Shin fought.
(If it was only me here, I might do that.)
While seeing green markers displayed on the map, Shin invoked a magic skill.
Flame system magic skill, [Ember Flame].
By the way, the green marker expressed a neutral player or NPC who was neither friend nor enemy. In other words, it showed that this place had someone other than Shin.
Countless fireballs appeared high in the sky above Shin, they rained down over the Skull Faces that surrounded Shin and the green markers. The fireballs generated intense heat the moment they touched an object without exploding and would disappear. The Skull Faces that received a direct hit from the fireballs looked like bee nests and vanished.
Because it didn’t spread flames, there were little flying sparks near the surroundings. And he didn’t need to put up with any clouds of dust due to the explosions. Thus, he didn’t relax on the aiming even if there was a considerable distance.
Though Shin didn’t know it, it was the adventurers who had been dispatched to observe the Wraith Plains, the knights squadron. They accidentally encountered the Skull Faces which had left the plains, and it became a state of war.
“That’s bad.”
The Skull Faces’ bigger physiques that Shin was fighting in his surrounding area interfered with his field of vision, so he couldn’t see well, but they seemed to be receiving Shin’s protection and were fighting well when he saw the movements of the marker. The level of the Skull Faces crowding around the green markers were about 300; fortunately it were the weak classes of Skull Faces that had been strengthened. However, there were Skull Faces exceeding level 500 that were approaching from the rear.
No matter how much he supported them with a magic skill, the distance was too far and there was a limit. Shin had learned to use combinations of skills, so he was able to sense it because the perception range had been expanded. He might be able to go if he could fly, but a skill that enabled flight was nonexistent in THE NEW GATE, so it was not possible to ‘fly’ even if it was possible to ‘jump’ using a skill.
“Why are they approaching in this direction? Did they not hear the roar?”
While clad in the storm of his blade as usual, he changed his course toward the green marker. He didn’t know who they were, but he couldn’t abandon them.
“Kuu?”
“Do you want to help?” As if Yuzuha asked, and answered “They will die before you arrive”, as he defeated the nearby enemies with a magic skill. Though the red marker indicated that the Skull Faces disappeared, multiple individuals of the red appeared immediately from the ground.
“Tsk, there is not enough time!!”
He collected magic power in his hands in order to save those who were surrounded.
The moment Shin was about to release his magic skill, a blue lightning bolt exploded ahead of Shin’s point of view.
It was the same lightning system magic skill that he used when Shin let Wilhelm and Rashia escape, [Lightning Bunker].
The lightning passed near the green markers at point-blank range, and defeated the nearby Skull Faces. Not one wound was inflicted on the adventurers, while all the surrounding enemies were destroyed.
Shin felt relief for that situation for a short time, but he was momentarily unable to take his eyes off of it, due to the color of the marker and the name displayed.
The color of the marker was blue. The color that indicated a friend.
The displayed name was [Schnee Raizar].
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 02 - Wraith Plains/The-New-Gate-Volume-02-Wraith-Plains-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_02_Chapter_02_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 2: Part 3
The blue marker, that showed Schnee, approached the green markers. It was likely that they were told to leave, as the green markers left the plains immediately. And then, the blue marker instantly changed direction towards Shin. It pushed forward in a straight line.
Though she was slower than Shin, almost all of the Skull Faces that bumped into her were instantly killed.
Silently killing and cutting the approaching Skull Faces, Shin also went toward Schnee. However, his steps were heavy. There was a hint that she remembered him in the letter from Tiera, but he didn’t know what to say when they met again.
Schnee, in the game era, didn’t converse more than what she was programmed to. As a support character, although he had raised her charm setting to the max, he had no idea if that had affected her personality.
If he thought about it, the store had been left neglected. As it was, there hadn’t even been any news from him for 500 years. What did she think of Shin? It was impossible to guess. Instead, it would not be strange if she was angry and hated him.
But without thinking about it too much, Schnee arrived at Shin’s position.
――――While a black skeleton squirmed, the two people had their reunion.
Whether it sensed something or not, the Skull Faces’ movements stopped.
Even if it tried to move right away, it couldn’t move forward; as if it was blocked by a totally invisible wall. Though Shin, while perplexed, also noticed the surroundings, he was hit lightly by paws on his forehead as some kind of interaction. Judging from the thoughts that flowed to him, Yuzuha seemed to have erected a barrier somehow. It didn’t seem like it would be able to hold for a long time, but it was not the situation for a lengthy reunion, so it was not a problem.
When he conveyed “Sorry”, the feeling of the thought “It’s all right” was returned. The fox could indeed read the atmosphere.
That exchange of thoughts was finished in an instant, and Shin changed his attention to Schnee again.
While her silver hair swayed from the wind, Schnee stared right at Shin.
Seeing that, Shin thought, ‘She hasn’t changed at all’ which was indeed an ordinary impression. The silver, shining hair, the transparent blue eyes, and even the clothes she wore; not one thing had changed from the last time they parted.
“...Have you been well?”
Though he thought he should say something else, only those words came out from his mouth.
Those were foolish words, he thought to himself. If the game had been over though, he wouldn’t have met her again, an NPC. So he had been curious.
In a sense, she was the longest-lasting friend he had in the game, and the one he held the most affection for. She was totally similar to a player even if he only saw her because of the VR(Virtual Reality). Therefore, in the VR-world, where the SF(Science Fiction) was excellent, the AI could be equipped with a conversation function...and so on, he thought.
“............”
Schnee didn’t answer.
Her eyes became watery, and her lips pressed together tightly, as if to suppress something. Seeing the figure which was desperately enduring tears, Shin panicked.
“Schnee...tsu!?”
The moment he called out her name, the flash of silver flickered.
He was embraced affectionately by Schnee, and Shin received an impact that was far stronger than expected. It seems that the outstanding stats, even among his support characters, was not for show. As expected, he almost yelled out “Gofuu!!” but barely endured it.
“Sc-Schnee?”
“Don’t you have something to say?”
Embraced tightly, Shin’s spine almost screamed in pain. Even if the question was asked abruptly, in this situation where he was surrounded by enemies, he couldn’t think of anything.
“Um, sorry for neglecting you until nowAaa!?”
“That’s not it.”
“Gisiri” sound was made, as the force emitted by her arms intensified.
“T-Thank you for protecting the store!?”
“That’s not it.”
The force from her arms grew further. It was not an apology, nor even gratitude.
What was it then? What does he need to say?
Shin frantically ran through his memories.
He recalled back to when he came into this world, the last thing that came into his mind was the expression of Schnee weeping and the place everyone once spent time together called ‘Tsuki no Hokora’, which she continued to protect.
(Ah..I see)
From there, it became simple.
What was he really thinking about before, he wanted to laugh at himself.
These were words that he would say in the game, and he had to say them now.
He left the store, disappeared, and then came back.
The first thing he should have said――――
“...I’m home.”
“Welcome back.”
* * *
“I’m home.”
Schnee ended the hug with Shin after hearing these words.
There were no tears anymore in her eyes. It was the usual calm expression, that Shin knew well.
“I thought you wouldn’t come home anymore.”
“...Indeed. I also thought that I wouldn’t meet you again.”
He had understood this at the time he left the shop. If the death game was cleared, the data for both Tsuki no Hokora and the support characters would be deleted. He would never be able to meet Schnee, or her real side again if that had happened.
Even though NPC’s could only receive it in the program as an example, Shin felt that it was the parting that was painful.
It was very difficult to express it in words.
No love and affection. The friendship would also be different.
More data, it could be said she was less than a human being. It was too complex, and personally Shin didn't properly understand it either.
“Kyuu~”
A cry that lost strength, for the two people, resounded in the serious atmosphere. When Shin turned his eyes upward, he saw the figure of an exhausted Yuzuha above his head.
Apparently, by keeping the barrier up, it seemed to have reached its limit somehow. The barrier shattered, and they noticed the Skull Faces pouring in toward them.
“Though there is a lot to talk about, let’s get this situation under control for the time being.”
“Well. I had forgotten about it a little because of our reunion after such a long time.”
“Kuu~”
While smiling wryly at Yuzuha’s bark that said, “I will leave the rest to you~”, the two people faced the Skull Faces.
“The first blow. I want to execute something big.”
“Let’s do it. Now is just the right time.”
Shin said with a broad grin, and Schnee, with a pleasant smile, laughed. Then they held their hands up toward the sky.
“The manifestation for one to become pure.”
“The manifestation for one that becomes eternal.”
They invoked a magic system skill that was exclusive to cooperation.
Only 2 or more players, or support characters, were able to use it.
The name was ――――
“Sanctuary!!”
The chant melted the darkness.
And immediately the effect was visible in the sky above the whole area of the plains.
An enormous magic formation was drawn in the night sky.
Shin and Schnee. It could be said that no one in this world could rival these two people’s cooperation skills. That effect was more than enough to exceed the usage of skills of ordinary skill users by far.
Before the Skull Faces reached Shin, light shined from the heavens.
It cut the darkness, illuminated the earth, and the light cleared away the world’s impurity in the plains as the ones that were wriggling were purified without mercy. That light spread temporarily even into the veil of night, and it shone upon the whole plains as if the sun had suddenly appeared.
“AAaaaaa――――…”
Although various individual Skull Faces were hit by the light, most became sparkling demon essences and vanished. But as expected, the Lord wasn’t killed it seems. Though the unpleasant voice resounded throughout the plains, the moment the Skull Faces sprang out from the ground, they were exposed to the light of purification and disappeared instantly.
The two people’s magic power, which fueled the magic formation, kept pouring out as it was maintained for several seconds without fading away, it continued shining upon the ground with a powerful and gentle light. Under such conditions, it seemed that the Skull Faces couldn’t even act properly. The red markers that were swept away from the map were reflected in Shin’s field of vision, and a beautiful field was able to be perceived.
“Now then, since the nuisances are all gone, let’s move onto the elimination of the main culprit.”
“Does Master know the cause of this phenomenon?”
“Ah, it was caused by the monster named Lord Skull Face. Though I saw it for the first time just now, do you know anything about it?”
“...No, I too just heard of it now for the first time.”
Shin thought Schnee, who spent a long time in this world, would know something, but Schnee didn’t have any idea someway or another.
Since the Skull Faces disappeared, there was nothing that blocked the way to the Lord anymore.
They checked their equipment quickly and ran toward the target. Yuzuha had become completely energetic due to the recovery effect of [Sanctuary], and watched their surroundings while on top of Shin’s head.
Shin would have liked to hand over 『Blue Moon』 to Schnee, but it was already given over to Tiera, so instead a powerful anti-Lord ninja katana and dagger were handed over. Though the main job of Schnee was a Kunoichi(a female version of a ninja), she was able to equip any weapon she liked such as a ninja katana and dagger, because there was no equipment restriction on weapons due to her job. Most players were satisfied if their support character could use at most 2 or 3 types. However, Schnee was the support character of Shin, so unfortunately only 2 or 3 types of weapon mastery was out of the question.
She held the ninja katana in her right hand, the dagger in her left, and ran at full speed alongside Shin towards the Lord.
“I saw it.”
They ran through the plains with overwhelming speed, and the two arrived at the place where the Lord was. Now, due to the downpour of the light, demon essence flickered from the whole body of the Lord. It was kneeling on one knee, and the armor, which covered its whole body, was cracked in several places. Its HP gauge was about half-full. Great damage was already dealt to it even though they hadn’t attacked it directly, due to the powerful skill Shin and Schnee released together, which at the same time was its weak point.
“GGUUUuuuuu…”
It looked down at the two people while roaring. The demon-flames that lit up the interior of the skeleton, now in this situation, emitted an ominous light. As expected from a monster whose level exceeded 800, the pressure it exerted could not be neglected.
“I wanted to ask it various questions, but it seems that it can’t talk.”
Shin muttered in front of the Lord again. From the beginning, he didn’t expect that he could talk to it directly, but the monster itself didn’t exist in the game, so he observed its whole body in the hope that it might shed some light on information that he didn’t know.
Its appearance gave off the impression of an upgraded King class Skull Face, although it was tattered. Including the information from [Analyze], it was still of the higher kind of Skull Face.
“Either way, since the start, it was an opponent that must be defeated.”
“Indeed...I’m about to begin.”
“Roger.”
Following Schnee’s response, the Lord, which was preparing a counter attack, was attacked.
The Lord’s hand reached out and grasped a deep dark-colored greatsword out of thin air, and unleashed a powerful slash at the two people who broke through the front. Towards the blow that cut through the air, Shin stepped forward and readied the long katana to cross blades.
Due to the sudden acceleration and weight of the long katana, combined with Shin’s flashy physical strength, the middle part of the Lord’s greatsword collided and clashed against his katana.
When the steel frames collided, a thunderous sound was emitted. The Lord barely managed to keep its hand on the greatsword, which had bent backwards as a result of the clash. Schnee, who held two blades, prepared to approach the almost defenseless body of the Lord.
Sword system martial arts skill [Blade Breaker], suddenly appeared.
It was a skill that was highly effective against an opponent that was resistant to slashing attacks. Shin gave Schnee the 《Mythology》 grade ninja katana 『Lazuline Flame』, and the dagger 『Scarlet Flame』. Two flame colors, red and blue, left a trail while the two blades drew an arc through the air. Every time the armor of the Lord was smashed, the interior was exposed.
Inside, the broken armor was filled with a tar-like black liquid. It pulsated as if the thing itself had purpose. At the same time, as she was crushing the armor, it stretched toward Schnee.
“Uh!”
Schnee, who sensed the impending crisis in the form of a black tentacle, gave up the chase and retreated momentarily. The black tentacle that approached her was repelled by the two swords, and she withdrew from the tentacle range.
“Its attack is like the Gel Bison’s.”
When he saw the black tentacle emerging from the Skull Face, Shin was reminded of the monster in the plains, the Gel Bison. Was this because the Gel Bison was turned into demon essence and absorbed by the black orb? It immediately came into his mind.
(Don’t tell me, it’s able to use the abilities of all the monsters it absorbed?)
It was an assumption that he didn’t want to be correct, if possible. Undead monsters had many things that resembled a unique characteristic, and almost none of them relied on endurance to fight. Gel Bison did not really have much of a special attack, but Shin was worried about the monster that was absorbed first, the Pecker Hollow.
“No need to hold back.”
Confirming that Schnee had withdrawn, he gathered magic power in his left hand.
In the following moment, crimson flames were fired toward the Lord from Shin’s hand.
It was fired without chanting, flame system magic skill [Flare Volcano].
A roaring flame that exceeded the Lord’s height by dozens of mels ran through it in a flash, as it directly hit the Lord who couldn’t even properly move anymore.
It was burnt by two different kinds; the light of purification and the crimson flame, and the Lord was destroyed soon after it raised a death cry. The flames were extinguished after a while, and they left a trace of muddy melted earth from the high temperature that extended horizontally in a straight line.
“Is it over?”
He fired it with the intention of defeating it. However, Shin felt a strong sense of something being wrong, for the ‘strangely too quick’ end of the act.
Schnee might also have felt the same, as she didn’t let her guard down.
Shin, who carried 『Hamon Hirumaki』 on his shoulder, activated the detection system skill to the max. The demon essence in the atmosphere became dense as a result of the battle, and they concentrated on the flow of demon essence that they didn’t sense until now. Thereupon, they noticed the unnatural flow of the surrounding demon essence. The demon essence of the Skull Faces that had fallen didn’t dissolve in the air, but was absorbed into the earth. Not just one or two bodies, but it could be said that it was almost all of them.
“...Beneath us!”
The moment Shin turned his attention to the underground, a large shaking hit the 2 people.
A small red marker appeared on the map at the same time that Shin looked at it. It’s size increased along with the earthquake, until finally, it’s size exceeded that of the Lord.
“Master.”
“Ah, it looks like this is it’s true form.”
A black orb pierced through the ground and appeared simultaneously with Shin’s words. Unlike the time when he saw it earlier, this black orb had red lines drawn upon it; traveling like blood vessels and pulsating like a heart.
“The one that came up a while ago was just an empty shell, huh?”
That explained why the Lord fell so quickly. Apparently, the empty shell was just a decoy so it could gather the demon essences in the entire plains for the main body.
After the appearance of the black orb, a noticeably larger shake occurred. Gigantic arms emerged in sequence, with which it was even possible to grab a King class Skull Face. 3 pairs, or 6 arms, gripped the ground and dragged its main body out.
Its head was decorated with twisted horns, its body was a collection of Skull Faces, its lower body had the impression of a crustacean with 4 pairs of legs, and it had 5 scorpion-like tails.
It might still have obtained the ability of the Pecker Hollow, too. Its total length exceeded 20 mels, so judging from that standard, it was different from a conventional Skull Face.
As the orb was absorbed and it fused with the gigantic body, a demon-fire lit-up inside its eye sockets.
“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA――――――――!!!!!!!”
The roar emitted was also accompanied by a shock-wave. Though Shin and Schnee were exceptions, it would not be strange if whole bodies of average adventurers were blown away just from the wind pressure.
“Seriously?”
“It’s look like it.”
“If that’s the case, we should get serious too.”
Facing the Lord who issued its roar, Shin also changed his equipment. He selected the same equipment from when he challenged Origin before, using the shortcut system which registered a specific set, and changed his equipment instantaneously.
Deep crimson arm guards and leg guards covered his hands and legs, and a fluttering black long coat that had a muffler with red lightning streaks going down it appeared.
The scabbard of the 《Ancient》 grade katana,『True Moon』 was removed from its clasp, and the thumb of his left hand flexed out slightly so he could instantly draw out the katana.
With the change of equipment, Shin’s presence also changed with the new appearance.
Was it the equipment’s effect or that his focus changed? It gave off an overpowering feeling that wasn’t there a short while ago, due to the figure that was wrapped in red and black body armor.
The demon-flames, upon seeing Shin’s appearance and the glare from the two people, momentarily flickered in a big way. An intimidating feeling was given off by Shin, which was doubled due to the pressure received from his presence as well as from his new equipment set.
“...Let’s go.”
Loosening his katana for immediate use, his right hand was affixed to the handle.
He invoked [Shukuchi]* silently, and instantly rushed into the Lord’s proximity. (T/N: teleportation power that’s capable of moving vast distances in a single step.)
The four arms swung toward Shin. Each held a jet black greatsword that was like solid darkness. It was clear that they possessed a heavy mass, and that was not a false impression as they each created a tornado in their wake.
The greatswords reached Shin first. The moment the greatswords entered the katana’s proximity, the handle vanished from the sheath and a red trail drew an arc in the air.
The four greatswords were intercepted despite only one sound reverberating. Shin jumped onto the Lord’s chest, as all the greatswords were repelled by the katana’s power.
The Lord was going to defend itself with its two remaining arms, but it felt a slight chill and right away re-routed one of its arms to over its head. Without any pause, metals clashed, and a sound reverberated as large sparks instantly flew.
It was an attack from Schnee’s 『Lazuline Flame』, an attack that hit the Lord’s blind spot. It made use of a strong point of ninjas, as the highest rank of assassins, as it was not easy to exchange attacks from the blind spot. However, undead monsters originally didn’t depend on senses. That reaction couldn’t have existed without the Lord’s perception skill that was strengthened outside of specifications. Though Schnee objectively understood the ability itself from that movement, it was also enough to understand just how much the Lord deviated from the standard of monsters called Skull Face.
“After all, it really is different from the existing monsters, huh?”
She landed using the recoil from the blow exchange, and analyzed the opponent’s ability while exchanging blows with the tails from the blind spot.
The pursuit of Schnee was slow due to Shin who landed on its chest. Though the Lord tried to intercept Shin with its other arm, the previous four arms and the one greatsword left couldn’t catch or do anything to Shin. The remaining greatsword was broken by a single blow from [Blade Breaker], and the Lord retreated several mels from that aftermath. The single blow from Shin, who was no longer going easy, became an unbelievable offensive power that corresponding to the stats that rose, showed the overwhelming force difference.
Even Schnee, who knew of Shin’s ability well, was astonished at that power.
“Swish!!”
The Lord, which while retreating earlier prepared its posture began a pursuit of Shin. The Lord, which had lost its weapons earlier, crossed its arms in a defense posture. When the katana swung down toward the Lord with its arms guarded, it created sparks as all of the arms were cut off and were blown away.
“GURUAAAAAAAA!!!!”
The tails approached with a war cry, and began attacking Shin in earnest. The four tails had saw-like blades attached, and although they struck out from every direction, Shin jumped toward the Lord before the pointed ends arrived.
A strike from its arm was unleashed in desperation, but Shin evaded it with the martial arts movement skill [Flying Shadow] that enabled double jumps in the air, and so Shin came closer to the Lord. The destination, while he evaded, was the Lord’s body; the location of the solar plexus in a human.
It could be said that the distance between the two was almost zero, the splendid gap for Shin was partly due to the differences in physique. And it was the place where the core of the Skull Face had just been absorbed. The Lord tried to gain some distance, but Shin had already prepared his attack prior to its action, and everything was too late.
“――――tsu!!”
A sharp exhale together with the katana swinging downward.
He unleashed the katana system martial art skill [Mountain Cleaver].
Even though he didn’t have any firm footing in the air, the stroke from Shin showed perfection and thorough power.
The visual sword trails were a mix between red and black lines that penetrated the Lord’s left shoulder from the air, went through the body, cut through one of the right legs that flew off, and left a deep cut in the ground from the aftermath.
“GIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The Lord screamed at the excessive damage. The slanted slash line had traveled through its body, and the black liquid along with its armor were torn as well. Although it was diverted from its core, Shin saw that about 1/5 of the black orb was cut.
“It retreated, huh?”
The core vanished from view immediately. Somehow, it seemed to be able to move freely inside the body to some extent. As he promptly thought about a countermeasure, ignoring the Lord who screamed, he landed on the ground and moved in pursuit without mercy.
He slashed at the Lord’s right legs consecutively to destroy its posture.
The slashing storm was done with a speed that left an afterimage. In addition, whenever Shin’s katana left a flash, different parts of the Lord’s body fell.
Katana system martial art skill [Kasane Dachi].
This skill generated, at random, multiple slashing attacks that each possessed a similar power as the individual slashes. It cut the internal parts of the Lord, which also caused the armor to fall off in pieces.
This skill was able to attack several enemies at the same time, as the larger the offensive ability the user possessed, the more its power increased altogether. It seemed like he had already gained total control of the skill, [Kasane Dachi], as each of the internal slashing attacks were already at a fatal offensive power.
“GI…A…aa…”
Destructive power was put into each of the slashing attacks that one by one were rampaging inside the Lord. The Lord was barely alive at the time it received the [Mountain Cleaver] and it also did not have enough power remaining to support itself.
All of the tails had already been cut off by Schnee and were blown away, leaving no possibility of resistance.
The body of the Lord swelled with the rising internal pressure. As additional invisible slashing attacks were generated inside the body due to[Kasane Dachi], that ‘energy’ wanted to exit.
He didn’t overlook the core even though it was not found yet. The body that was hit by the tempest of slashing attacks was not a safe place anymore. The only destination the core could escape to was the head.
“It’s the end!”
He kicked the ground and jumped.
Then he took an overhead stance with 『True Moon』, with the blade clad in red lightning, above the top of the Lord’s head.
Katana technique lightning combined skill [Moon Arc : Thunder Flash].
First of all, lightning was formed around the red blade as it swung toward the head. Next, the lightning on the katanas main body 『True Moon』 sliced through the skull of the Lord, and lightning struck from inside of it. The red lightning spread and blew away the demon-flames from within the eye sockets. The lightning strikes destroyed the head completely, as it went along the neck and the whole body of the Lord burnt completely as if it was not enough.
“...Tsu! ...tsu...”
No screaming came out though its body was roasted.
The single attack from Shin sliced the orb together with the core that escaped to the head, and completely disappeared due to the additional lightning strikes. Naturally a Skull Face without its core would vanished in a short time. The Lord though, didn’t disappear right away because of that gigantic body, but its body was already but a corpse’s mere remains.
“Tsu...tsu...tsu!!”
Despite the crumbling body of the Lord, it stretched out its remaining arm toward Shin in its final moment.
“Master!!”
“Wait.”
Schnee shouted at Shin who didn’t move while seeing the state of the Lord. Schnee, who was rushing toward Shin, stopped at his command, and Shin fixed his eyes on the Lord.
The figure had neither hostility, the thirst of blood, nor the sense of intimidation that existed when he fought it a little while ago. The Lord that was extending out its arm towards Shin, seemed to be trying to grip something that was totally out of reach.
“(So...Wo...Ni)”
“Eh!?”
The voice reached Shin’s ear. Though it was a distorted and had a twisted pitch, it was certainly the words of a person.
However, soon after having uttered it, the Lord dissolved into the atmosphere and become demon essence, just like the other Skull Faces. A huge jewel with a diameter of about 50 cemels remained at the place where the Lord had been.
“Master! Are you alright!?”
“Oh, I’m fine. It’s no problem.”
He soothed Schnee, who rushed at him in a panicked state, and thought about the words he heard just a while ago in his mind.
(In the end, I could hardly understand anything. although it was indeed an enemy.)
He paid more attention to the jewel while having a hard time not showing disappointment on his face. It was certainly the highest grade jewel of the first-class. He collected it for the time being just in case it might become a clue to something.
When he turned his attention to the map, the markers for the monsters, which had escaped from the battle with the two, that he was able to perceive, seemed to have disappeared. There was a little individual monster which escaped the purification too, but it seemed to have faded away with the Lord’s defeat. Either way, the Lord was the cause of this disturbance.
The light that illuminated the surroundings was weakened when Shin confirmed it with the map. As he might have expected, the effect of [Sanctuary] seemed to gradually stop. When the light completely faded away, the surroundings became dark, although it was still lit by the moonlight.
And, a big change, as a result of defeating the Lord was visible on the plains. Though he didn’t see it because of the strong light of purification, the demon essence drifted smokily up to the sky from the whole plains. With the spectacle of demon essence floating up, the light seemed to dissolve into the night sky.
The scene that happened over the whole plains caused the surrounding knights and adventurers to remain on lookout.
The demon light that soared up high at the same time as the holy light that repelled the darkness faded out into the shades of the night.
There were many people in awe of that scene, which was never seen until now.
“It seems like it’s over.”
“It looks like it. In a while, it will be returned to the original plains, I guess.”
“...Should we return home?”
“Yes.”
Without saying “To where?”, the two people began to walk as they watched the light of the demon essences disappear.
He braced himself, during the battle earlier, to talk to Schnee the same way as he did in the past or in the game, but an indescribable atmosphere settled between the two people as soon as the tension was resolved.
The time separated was short to Shin, but long to Schnee.
They felt awkward around each other, but they gradually became talkative. In order to fill the time that had passed, they continued to talk.
As the investigation team that consisted of knights and adventurers came quickly, the two people had already left the plains.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 02 - Wraith Plains/The-New-Gate-Volume-02-Wraith-Plains-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_02_Chapter_03_Part_01.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 1
Shin and Schnee entered the forest at a quick pace.
While avoiding the adventurers who were moving into the plains, they turned their route toward Tsuki no Hokora. On the way, because the set-up base had been abandoned, he stopped, broke it down, and collected it all including the interception item. Wilhelm seemed to have given priority to evacuating and since Wilhelm wouldn’t do such a foolish move like collecting items in that situation, it was only to be expected that the base was neglected.
Shin’s feelings wouldn’t be hurt or even bruised if the items themselves were left. He removed them in this situation, because there was a danger of them changing into a permanent fort without its owner. In fact, many Skull Faces might have already fallen victim to it, as there were signs that the interception magic had activated. They seemed to have been individuals, those killed here, because it was not very far from the plains.
“Now that I think about it, didn’t you receive a request? Is it completed?”
Shin asked Schnee as he finished collecting the items.
“It is not quite finished yet, but my job is almost done.”
“Job?”
“It’s the safekeeping and distribution of the items. My work now is to manage all of it to prevent infringement, since multiple countries had joined together to form a joint military unit.”
“...Is this perhaps related to the recent uproar?
“Of course.”
“Seriously...”
Shin sighed. Although it was not intentional, he had meddled in another large affair again. He was utterly ignorant toward serious matters, he didn’t realize that the countries had started working on calming the situation down. Although he was a little regretful that he had done it in such a flashy manner, the damage was already done.
While asking Schnee about what kind of situation it was in detail, he wrecked his brain to recall if there were any eyewitnesses. After grunting “uh-huh” for a while, he concluded that as far as he could tell, no one could have seen him, except for Schnee. Even the green markers he had protected should not have seen him or which way the fireballs came from, given how massive the Skull Faces were.
“Well, never mind about that. So, does Schnee not have to show up for the distribution? I think you should at least go to the meeting place or should I say headquarters for you to finish your request.”
“It will be alright for a while. Even if I distribute it evenly, it doesn’t work on the basis of first-come, first-served. I am supposed to do the allocation after all the corps have gathered. It will take about one week at the earliest, until there can be a meeting. If I think about the range of each unit’s progress, there is no problem even if I don’t hurry that much.”
As he had given up on thinking about the eyewitness case, because nothing could be done any further, he confirmed Schnee’s timeline. If she was serious, Schnee could travel faster than the others, so she could afford to spend some time with Shin
Whether it was Shin or Schnee, there were a lot of things they wanted to ask each other. While heading toward Tsuki no Hokora, they decided to explain to each other their own situation.
“Since I have a lot of questions I want to ask, you can ask me anything before that.”
Shin decided to accept questions from Schnee first, considering the longer time she had spent here. Actually, it still hadn’t even passed one month since Shin came into this world, so he might only be able to answer a little.
“I understand. Then I will ask several things that I’ve been anxious about for the time being.”
“Go ahead.”
Schnee asked Shin three things.
First, where was he until now?
Second, why did his combat ability rise?
Third, what will he do from now on?
“Then the first one. About where I was until now. To tell you the truth, I personally haven’t even been here for one month, today, since I went to the last dungeon.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It’s true. Remember the time when everyone saw off me to challenge the Origin?”
“Yes.”
“I defeated the Origin and it should have been the end accordingly. But afterwards, in the deepest depth of that dungeon, [Gate of the Otherworld], there was a big door in the boss’ room. It opened soon after the Origin fell.”
Shin recalled that moment while explaining it to Schnee. The scene where the heavy door he thought was just a decoration opened up while making a sound.
“Door...?”
“Yes. After that, I lost consciousness, and before I realized it, I’m laying down on a grassy field. After that, I went to Tsuki no Hokora and heard the outline story. I was really surprised when I heard that more than 500 years had passed. That’s the reason why I haven’t been around for 500 years.”
“So that’s the reason, huh?”
Schnee seemed to understand the situation as she listened to what Shin said. It was different from the time when they met earlier; she had an expression of relief, like her chest wasn’t constricted anymore.
“Schnee?”
“Fufufu, it’s nothing.”
“Then, that’s good.”
Though Shin had a question mark dancing above his head because Schnee, for some reason, was in a good mood, he didn’t think about it too much because it was boorish to be a wet blanket; especially when with someone who is in such a joyful mood.
Now then, for the next one. My abilities and stats went up because of the titles I acquired after defeating the Origin.”
“Titles? What kind of titles?”
“There are three of them. [Limit Breaker], [Accomplished One] and [Liberator]. The first two are related to the growth of my stats. Though I heard them for the first time when I got them, do you remember hearing any of them before?”
No, I’ve just heard all of those titles for the first time as well. What kind of effect do they have?”
Shin explained each of the titles’ effect in answer to Schnee’s question. Even though there was not a stat raise for the title [Liberator], since he felt like it had some kind of meaning, he explained it in one go. (E/N: [Liberator] - Immune to all binding and restriction effects, be it items or magic skills. [Accomplished One] - All ability points doubled. [Limit Breaker] - The upper limit for all stats has been removed, and all stats will rise according to how many ability points were discarded prior to limit removal.)
“...That’s absurd, isn’t it.”
“Totally. I also thought it was a joke until I looked at the stats.”
Shin too, could understand the feeling of Schnee who was at a loss for words. If a chosen one acquired these titles, the power balance of the world would likely collapse.
“However, I think it is not necessary to worry about it to that extent.”
“Why is that?” Shin asked.
“It is the acquisition requirement. Although monsters exist in this world, the phenomenon of re-spawning in the same place with completely identical unique monsters doesn’t happen. I don’t think there is a person who can meet the acquisition requirement anywhere else, because the Origin might be the only one. Also, the dungeon that Master went to has completely disappeared.”
“I see. That does make it impossible.”
According to Schnee, several days after Shin left to conquer the dungeon, Shin’s support characters became exasperated when Shin didn’t come back, so they gathered together and followed their Master’s path. However, not even a shadow or shape was there, even the outlines were gone.
When they stopped the search temporarily and went back to Tsuki no Hokora, the support characters of other players were making a racket saying, “My Master has disappeared!”. Schnee heard it and was convinced that Shin had cleared the dungeon. But they still doubted that he disappeared with the other players, and started to investigate the story on their own. She also thought of the possibility that Shin was still in this world, just like her and the others were.
However, the earth’s crust changed, and a state of confusion followed on the continent afterwards. While helping the people who were in trouble, Schnee remained in Tsuki no Hokora, and the rest of his support characters separated to continue searching for Shin, or moved to protect their own race.
Somehow, Shin had expected that they would do that.
“But wait? Didn’t the Dusk of the Majesty occur right after I defeated Origin?”
Shin had noticed that there was an unusual time lag for the support character to make a racket.
“Master, if you think about the former location of Tsuki no Hokora, of course it would take some time for the information to circulate. Where did you think it was?”
“...True.”
Schnee was saying that since numerous boss monsters existed in the area near Tsuki no Hokora, one could say it was a remote outpost. In a situation where the support characters couldn’t use the chat function, information couldn’t be shared right away.
“That’s why I believe that a person who has Master’s titles or at least similar titles will likely never appear. If such a person does appear, well, please do something about it.”
“So it falls to me, huh?”
“Of course. Only someone of Masters’ standing can oppose them, if a person with a power similar to our class obtains those titles. Therefore, I leave all of it to you Master.”
“Well, that is right.”
The stats double, so that mean that the higher the original stats were, the stronger the titleholder would became. If a chosen one with a high ability obtained the title [Accomplishe One] or in even[Limit Breaker], even Schnee wouldn’t stand a chance against that person.
However, since there were strict requirements for the acquisition conditions, and Shin had beyond maxed stats, Schnee believed that the appearance of any enemy that would be able to get a solid hit in, was very unlikely in the present state.
“By the way, Schnee.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“That, ‘Master’ calling, can you do something about it?”
While talking, Shin by all means felt bothered. Though he didn’t mind it during the game, simply because she was an NPC, it was very awkward when she called him that in the current situation.
“Is there a problem when I’m calling Master, ‘Master’?”
“No, there’s no...problem, but isn’t Schnee famous now? If such a person calls me ‘Master’, it will absolutely turn into an uproar.”
“Mu, that’s certainly the case, but...”
Shin well understood the influence of Tsuki no Hokora. And, it was certainly Schnee who made it so. It was impossible that nothing would happen if a person such as Schnee appeared to have a master whom she looked up to.
“Don’t you think so? I would especially like to avoid becoming the center of the attention. Therefore, I request that you do not call me ‘Master’.”
“But, then what should I call you?”
“Eh? Wouldn’t using my name normally be enough?”
“Uh!? T-That...”
For some reason, the surprised Schnee looked downward with her mouth mumbling. After a short time, she raised her face to stare straight at Shin as if she had made up her mind.
“T-Then...Shin.”
“Ah, there we go.”
Schnee said it in a whisper. Her cheeks were dyed a faint, pink color and her ears were bright red.
As for Shin, he had quite the response of ‘Eh, what is that reaction!?’ and strangely enjoyed the embarrassed feeling.
Schnee’s reaction was certainly seen in a lot of mangas and games. Though Shin well knew of this situation, the problem was whether or not he could return the reaction directly.
Though he was not well-versed, it didn’t mean that he had never experienced love before.
To tell the truth, Schnee had never changed her expressions to be this shy in the game, so the very action of calling his own name with somewhat upturned eyes was terrific, and considerably very ―――― ‘Moe’.
“How should I say this...that has destructive power...”
“Eh!?”
“No, it’s nothing. Yeah, it’s really nothing. From now on, please call me Shin.”
“I understand. Then, after this I will call you S-Shin.”
Schnee tried to act calm, but the flushed cheeks and ears vividly expressed her state of mind. Shin, who knew her usual calm appearance, was worrying about the too extreme gap.
(Is this the true ‘Gap Moe’? Indeed...the destructive power is worthy of comparison with the gap of Celica-san, which I felt in the guild.)
After that, they walked without saying anything to each other for a while. After confirming that the ears of Schnee, who was fidgety, returned to their former color using side glances, Shin resumed the conversation.
“Ah, though we got off topic, should we continue with the questions?”
“Yes, I showed an unsightly side. But I’m alright now.”
Though he felt that her voice still sounded somewhat excited, he ignored it, because the conversation would not advance if he pointed it out.
“Let me see...Errr, I’ve already talked about my abilities. Then about the last question. First of all, I intend to go around collecting information around here and there after this.”
“Information?”
“Yes, first I will learn about this world. For the time being, I have investigated a little in the kingdom’s library, and I intend to go to the Sacred Land later. Has Schnee been there before?”
“Yes. But because it was only a simple internal investigation, I still don’t know what’s going on in the center of the city.”
“Is that so?”
Whether the key to returning to his former world lies there or not. The only way is to go there directly.
“Um...Shin.”
“Hmm?”
Schnee called out to Shin, who was thinking on whether he wanted to go the Sacred Land next. Her voice had completely changed from a while ago and was a little bit stiff.
“If you find the way...are you going to stop and return?”
“...Ah.”
He went silent for a while and replied. Though he hesitated on how to answer Schnee’s in this state, it wouldn’t change the conclusion even if he lied. He didn’t mean to give up if there was still a possibility.
And there was no meaning in vague answers, either.
He didn’t want to lie.
“That should be expected, huh?”
“...Sorry.”
“No, When I listened to your talk earlier, I already thought you wanted to do so.”
Schnee nodded while showing an innocent smile, seemingly understanding in some respect. At the expression that resembled a look of relief, Shin felt a faint sense of incongruity.
“Hey, Schnee. How much do you remember from the game?”
Shin asked, in an attempt to change the sense of incongruity.
“Everything.”
“Everything..?”
“Yes. From the time I descended down from that place to be together with you.”
Everything until this very moment now.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 02 - Wraith Plains/The-New-Gate-Volume-02-Wraith-Plains-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_02_Chapter_03_Part_02.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 2
The moment when he ran through a field for beginners.
The time when he was depressed due to losing in PvP.
The eagerness to improve his stats.
The friends he had in the guild.
The loud laugh after defeating a large army of players.
The dungeon where he risked his life.
The tears he shed for not being able to protect someone’s life.
The assassin’s dagger he wielded.
The promise he made to a certain person.
The last time seeing his back.
“――I remember it all.”
Schnee said while calmly putting her hand above her chest.
“Although it was useless to ask you to forget it too, please say...”
“I’m not saying~”
The smiling face was too radiant as she answered bluntly. It was a facial expression that he hadn’t seen when she was an NPC, and when his fellow made this sort of face, Shin became a little glad.
“But, if that was the case. Though you only talked in pre-set sentences, were you in a state of awareness?”
“No, it was after Shin and the others entered the situation known as the death game, that a type of self-consciousness became clear. Until then, it felt like watching a moving picture. It is very hard to explain it, but it’s like looking at myself from a bird’s-eye view.”
Though it was her memory, Schnee said that it was like the memory of another person. To be frank, he didn’t understand it well, because he thought it was rather painful that her consciousness became aware while in a state where her body moved without permission, so he didn’t question it further.
“I see. In short, you know all about the logout stuff and the other things beyond that point as well.”
It was possible to say that that might be the reason why she had retained her memories of the game.
“Yes. At that time, it was because all of the adventurers sometimes used those words after the life and death fights began. If I am not mistaken, another world, different from this one, is the real world, right?”
“That is correct...so anyways, after I left, you guys searched for me and then separated, huh?”
“...Yes.”
While smiling as if she had been in trouble, Schnee affirmed it.
The last fight of the death game. If Shin won the fight, Schnee and the others would disappear. If Shin lost, Schnee and the others would lose their master. Either way, it couldn’t become a happy ending. Therefore, they took several actions, due the mysterious situation where they didn’t disappear even though Shin should have won.
“If only you all could have told me beforehand, though that might not be possible to say.”
“Then, wouldn’t Shin have been troubled by it? You had to do the best that you could at that time.”
“Is that so...”
Though it was decided that it was okay and he had been in high spirits when he left Tsuki no Hokora; when he learned about the circumstances that his support characters had concealed among themselves, Shin felt miserable.
Nevertheless, even if he had known, he would not have doubted himself, and would have done what he did, so he did not say anything.
“In those days, independent action was not completely possible yet, and the talk of freedom, like the present day, was more or less not even imaginable. Either way, it would have been impossible to talk about.”
“Well now that you mention it, when the death game began, I thought it was weird that the NPC’s were strangely acting like human beings. Now knowing that it was self-awareness, I realize ‘Ah! so that’s it’.”
“You have a difficult personality as always, Shin.”
“Shut up!...Leave me alone.”
He muttered at Schnee, who smiled wryly while he was embarrassed. He was pondering his past actions, thinking about if or when the programs had began self-consciousness or something, wondering ‘Did I treat them decently?’, as Schnee’s remark actually hit the target.
“Well, you would have gone to battle even if you had known, Shin.”
“...That’s probably true.”
Compared to the lives of ten thousand humans, the support characters were no more than data. Even if the data had been somewhat self-consciousness, it was still not comparable.
“Besides, didn’t you make a promise?”
“...Yeah.”
Even though it wasn’t much, many people returned to reality.
In fact, it was due to that promise which Shin had exchanged with a certain person.
Since they knew about it for sure, neither Schnee nor the other support characters would have said anything.
“Now then, let’s put a stop to this solemn atmosphere. Especially since we are able to meet again after so much effort and a long wait.”
“...That’s right. “What am I saying now, it’s quickly become depressing! Let’s stop it!”
In order to completely change the mood that had become depressing, Schnee behaved cheerfully and clapped her hands in an exaggerated manner. Shin also joined in by raising his voice.
“First of all, to celebrate the reunion, let’s go all out with a party. If it’s about food ingredients, I have a lot left in the Item Box.”
“Let’s do it. Please let me demonstrate my cooking skill that I have raised over the years.”
“By the way, what is your cooking level?”
“It became Ⅸ about one month ago.”
“Seriously!?”
Shin was surprised that it had grown to the level where she could cook even a high level monster. Even if she made the lowest grade meal, a simple soup, with this level it transformed into a dish that generated a lot of bonus stats. It was said that a skilled cook was found to be as useful as a skilled blacksmith in major guilds. There were enormous bonuses when a dish was made using rare ingredients. If one of two players with the same level, job, and about the same ability ate the dish, the player who ate it would end up with a complete victory in combat.
And Rokuten, where Shin had been a member, was able to overpower other player’s skills and stats because there was a cook skill of level X. So, with a dish that gave a bonus of temporary adding to their maxed stats, they were able to exceed the limit, though it was only by a little. (E/N: Even though their stats were maxed at 999, with that food they could go above 1000)
By the way, only Shin and the other members of Rokuten, who had reached the maximum stats, knew of that information. All of the members, including Shin, started to notice the increase in damage from the bonus effects, and the information was not circulated in order for only the six members of Rokuten to benefit from it.
“Though I’m not like Cook-sama, you can anticipate it.”
“Yosh! Leave the ingredients to me!”
While expressing “Fufufu”, he took a look at the ingredients in the Item Box. Even though the ingredients were stored since the time it was just a game, he himself had already confirmed that it was okay to eat them.
“By the way Shin, may I ask one more question aside from the questions earlier.”
“Yes? What is it?”
Schnee asked him the question while looking at the top of Shin’s head.
“That one, what is it?”
“This one? ...Ah.”
He realized what she was talking about.
It was Yuzuha who was sleeping soundly on top of Shin’s head.
“Though since only its name and level are seen, did you use Taming on it?”
“Yeah, there were some minor circumstances, and we made a partner contract due to them. Its name is Yuzuha. I will be honest since it is Schnee. It’s race is the Element Tail.”
“...When I looked at the tails, I thought it was not a mere Demon Fox race. So it is an Element Tail, huh?”
Schnee became stiff momentarily, right after she heard the race of Yuzuha. But she promptly regained herself as if she thought, ‘Well, it is Shin after all.’
“You found out through the tail?”
“Perhaps Shin didn’t notice it? I could understand that it was not an ordinary Demon Fox because there are 3 tails.”
Shin tilted his head due to what Schnee was saying. There should be no such feature in Yuzuha’s tail.
“...Three...tails?”
Then he suddenly noticed it. Now that he thought about it, there was a sense of tails hitting his ears and the back of his head.
First, he grabbed a tail with his right hand. Yep, nice and soft.
“Hmm.”
Next, he grabbed a tail with his left hand. This one was also fluffy.
“...Hmm.”
Finally, he concentrated on the sense of touch on the back of his head. There was a faint light touch.
“...Hmm.”
For the time being, he released the tails from his hands, gripped the body of Yuzuha from above his head and brought it in front of his face.
“Kuu?”
“They had certainly become three.”
Yuzuha woke up after being moved from overhead. And then the tails that had increased to 3 swung side by side accordingly.
When looking at its level, it had unexpectedly gone over 400.
“...Well, I guess its level rose too much.”
Even if the former level was over 200, it had gone up too suddenly. It hadn’t killed many monsters while they were power-leveling Rashia. And it was indeed impossible for it to level up almost 200 levels just from the fight with the Lord.
“I think something else happened.”
Shin thought that there was something that he personally didn’t know. The growth extent of a monster partner or something similar was something he had heard from a member of Rokuten; Cashmere. Therefore, he understood that such a straightforward growth was nearly impossible.
The first thing that came to Shin’s mind was that a hidden quest had been completed when the requirements were fulfilled. He had experienced it several times during the game, so he had grown accustomed to it. If he remembered correctly, there was a quest with a monster partner, too.
“Schnee, how do you take up a hidden quest in this world?”
“As far as I know, I haven’t heard talks of any such quests being generated. The world voice I had heard before, it too was never heard from again after Shin vanished. And I have not heard of any story like this either.”
The world voice Schnee mentioned was probably the announcement system in THE NEW GATE.
Unlike the quest which could be accepted in a guild, when the conditions for the generated hidden quest were met, the player was notified of what kind of quest it was via an announcement as the hidden quest began.
In this case, since there was no sort of announcement at all, Shin didn’t notice Yuzuha’s level up. Also, judging from Schnee’s story, the system feature of announcements was likely gone.
“Still, for the number of tails to increase, is this because the level rose?”
Shin spoke while facing Yuzuha.
Because there were no Element Tail kit’s in the game era, he was uncertain about how they grew up.
It might unexpectedly just be a mere growth spurt rather than a quest and the like.
“Kua~...Good morning, Master.”
Without knowing that Shin was worried, Yuzuha yawned loudly… and greeted him like it was only natural.
“Wait a minute, Yuzuha! Did you reach the point where you are able to talk?”
“Kuu? When the black things disappeared, my head felt refreshed.”
“Black things?”
When he heard about the black things, he was thought of the Lord’s core that was sliced in half just a while ago. If he recalled back, it was only Skull Faces that had surrounded the Shinto shrine where Yuzuha was rescued from. And it was not strange to regard the Lord that appeared this time as the boss.
“It was black, roundish, and inside the bones. And Master cut it.”
“It’s the Lord’s core, no mistake about it.”
It seemed like it matched Shin’s expectations. There was some kind of relation that connected Yuzuha and the Lord, Shin’s intuition as a gamer told him so.
Was some portion of its power absorbed? Or was it sealed? It was regrettable that he had no way of confirming it after defeating it.
“For now, you are prohibited from talking in public. Since ordinary Demon Foxes can’t talk.”
“Okay.”
“If it’s just the two of us, it should be fine, but don’t expose yourself to other people.”
“Hmmm, then do I only talk directly into your mind?”
“Telepathy? If so, it should be fine.”
Since there was telepathy, it was still possible to communicate. It seemed that Yuzuha also understood it intuitively, as it nodded obediently.
“But Shin, since the number of tails have increased, will it still be known as a Little Fox?”
“That’s right...”
Actually, there were various types of Demon Fox races, and so naturally there were ones with multiple tails. Indeed, it was possible to say that that most of them had multiple tails.. But generally it became a slightly dangerous existence for a commoner if the number of tails exceeded 2.
As for Demon Fox races with 3 tails, there was Flame Tail, Tail Leader and so on. Even if it was young, their levels were still at least 250. They were not the kind of monster that one would just take as a pet in this world.
“Its still a child, so entering a country might be possible, but...”
“Well, it will become an adult sooner or later, too. That’s right...say, Yuzuha. Can’t you do things like transform?”
“Kuu? There are things that I’m able to do, and things I am not able to do.”
“Can you change the three tails into one?”
“Easy~”
Yuzuha said, while its three tails splendidly turned into a single tail with a pop sound.
“Oh!”
“That’s nice.”
Shin and Schnee both opened their eyes wide in surprise.
Rather than an illusion, they seemed to have really become one tail. Even touching it seemed natural.
“Is this good??”
“It’s okay. Won’t it make you tired?”
“It’s alright!”
“Then from now on, can you merge them into one tail in places where people can see? Because that will save us some trouble one way or another.”
“Yes, I can do that~”
Yuzuha agreed easily. It didn’t hide any resistance.
“...It was somehow solved easily.”
“Yeah, that’s true. If it’s like this, it won’t be discovered easily.”
Schnee too, assured. It seemed like Shin was relieved by this.
“Yuzuha is excellent?”
“Yes, yes, good job.”
“Kuu~~”
With Yuzuha held against his chest, he patted its head for its good job.
“...Cute!”
“Hmm?”
“Ha! It’s nothing.”
“...Do you want to pet it?”
“Sure!!”
Even though she was so strong, Schnee was still a woman and seemed to like cute things. Petting Yuzuha indeed felt really good, too.
“Still the same as ever, Shin never fails to surprise me.”
“Hmm?”
“No one has accomplished taming an Element Tail before.”
Schnee’s declaration contained something of amazement while stopping her petting. The Element Tail was set to be impossible to tame since the beginning of the game era. It was no wonder that she was surprised.
“You don’t look surprised while saying that though?”
“Well, since it’s Shin I’m really not surprised. No high level individual like you has ever tried doing that before.”
“Indeed. We, the Rokuten, weakened the opponent while going easy, even if the difficulty was high.”
Shin recalled. Having every attribute of magic, aided by strong physical attacks from its fangs and claws, it was a monster that had a nimble and agile nature which didn't match its large body. Even the maxed stats players could not let their guard down. That was the original appearance of the Element Tail.
Yuzuha, which was curled up while being held by Shin’s arm, did not show such a threat at all.
“Kuu?”
“Yosh, let’s run at full speed now. In fact, there are some companions ahead of us. and they might cause an uproar soon.”
“If that’s the case, we better hurry. We might catch up in time.”
If someone thought about the travel speed of Shin and Schnee; they could easily overtake a horse that ran at full speed by a large margin. However, Wilhelm had the buff given by Shin, which made him run faster. It was likely that he would lengthen the distance in this case. If those two people arrived at the kingdom and informed them about the situation, it would be troublesome for Shin in various ways.
“Let’s get serious. It’s too bothersome to be marked by the guild any further.”
“What you said just now, can you explain it later?”
“That is that and this is this.”
Would it be possible to put it off after Schnee made such a face, Shin couldn’t say.
“Yosh, let’s go!”
He put Yuzuha on top of his head, and began to run with Schnee.
It didn’t take too long for the two people to catch up with Wilhelm and Rashia.
After about half a day since Shin and Schnee began to run and not much time had passed since the sun appeared from beyond the horizon, the figures of Wilhelm and Rashia were perceived.
-
“Oi! Now tell me everything, like what on earth happened back there?”
“What’s up with this sudden contentious attitude...”
Wilhelm was cautious of the surroundings while protecting Rashia, who was asleep. Though they joined up safely, Wilhelm was losing his temper and flared up at Shin with a threatening tone.
Meanwhile Rashia continued to sleep, probably because of fatigue.
“Well, to put it simply, Schnee took the trouble of defeating the Lord.”
“Hyun!”
Shin, who answered, was pushed away by the devil spear. It was not serious, but there was some speed put into the devil spear.
“Wait! That’s dangerous!!”
“I’ve never seen anyone that could do anything like that and have their magical power leap to that degree. You are dangerous after all!”
“Why are you so persistent!?”
“What else do you expect!! What was your intention when you saw us off with such an exaggerated skill, and then easily caught up with us! Even with such a margin in time! And I was fucking desperate to return!!”
“Wait, wait, calm down! Though it was a bad joke, isn’t『Venom』too much!?”
The devil spear was continuously thrust out, but it didn’t hit Shin even once.
“Tsk”
“What the heck are you clicking your tongue for!? It was just a little joke.”
“What joke? That face seems like it wants to say something, but you yourself didn’t do anything. Explain it precisely and I don’t want another joke.”
As one would expect, the joke seemed to have gone a little too far.
Wilhelm looked at Shin with a serious expression.
“Shin, let’s cut to the chase now.”
Schnee, who looked at Shin and Wilhelm messing around, stepped forward.
“You are..? Don’t tell me, you stood behind him.”
Wilhelm said it with some kind of profound meaning.
“It’s been a long time since I last saw you. If you understand, then the explanation is unnecessary?”
Apparently, the two people communicated with only those words.
“Hey, I want you to tell me in a way that I understand.”
Shin had no idea at all of what they were talking about.
“You don’t know, huh? Schnee Raizar is famous for not yielding or kneeling to anyone. I guess even to the Royal family and the Pope.”
It was somehow very stout-hearted.
“Isn’t that disrespectful?”
“I kneel to no one except to my Master.”
Somehow, Shin felt bad about her making the royal family an opponent, but it seemed like Schnee would never waver.
“Well, to begin with, there is no fellow who would dare pick a fight with her.”
“So that is the reason it was tolerated, huh?”
Let alone punishing her, there were only a few people who could even rival her.
When Shin heard that, it seemed as if that was not the only reason. Her tone and attitude were both polite. If a strong monster appeared, she lent her power. She kept neutrality without belonging to any organization, and didn’t bother picking any unnecessary fights.
The achievements from over 500 years were not just for show.
Though there were people who had secretly tried to draw her into becoming their ally, because she had such a great power, it seemed like none had ever succeeded.
“I understand the feeling of wanting to win her over to be an ally.”
“Wait...then if she is obediently following a guy like you, that means...”
“Ah, so you figured it out, huh?...”
Shin didn’t know how well Schnee and Wilhelm were acquainted, but it seemed like Wilhelm had already seen through it.
“A High Human, huh?”
“He is also my Master.”
“Yeah, that’s more or less it.”
“That’s not just more or less. But if that’s the case, I understand. That level of magic power was no joke.”
“Sorry, but that was still me in ‘easy’ mode.”
“I see...the Master of Schnee Raizar, huh? Indeed, the story was more than I expected...Oi, then the animal that you, a High Human, put on your head is not just an ordinary fox?”
Wilhelm shifted his attention to Yuzuha while feeling relieved and shrugging his shoulders. Surprise and amazement began to mix into his tone of voice. There was no sense of fear here, probably because he got to know Shin without any preconceived notions.
“Kuu?”
“It might not be a Little Fox. Its level exceeded 400 after the fight a little while ago.”
“...Again, I’m not really surprised.”
Wilhelm sighed while glaring with scornful eyes. Even though he was surprised by the truth about Yuzuha, which had the appearance of a small animal as well as a level exceeding 400, he was way past being shocked, so he ended up feeling “Like hell such a thing could exist!”.
“So that is why you vaguely answered about being a chosen one earlier, huh?”
“Right. In my case, I was not strong since birth, though my power is higher than a chosen one. I thought such guys were rare in this world, don’t you agree? Therefore, I decided to go with being a chosen one.”
“I see. Then, if you two act together from now on, it’s only a matter of time before it comes to light.”
Wilhelm’s point was justifiable. Generally speaking, Schnee and Tsuki no Hokora were famous. So if Schnee appeared to be close to a man, certain groups of people would try to gather information.
“For that situation, there are magic skills that easily allow me to deceive others. I can earn some time if I make full use of illusion magic.”
“I don’t think the illusion magic you talk about is similar to the one I know. I would not be surprised if you transformed into a monster.”
“What kind of treatment is this...”
Shin could do nothing but smile wryly.
“If you are going to do that, then you will be a walking disaster. A guy like you could easily go out and erase a country if he felt like it in the same day. If I were the King, I would lose my mind.”
It was meaningless to try and act violently, so Wilhelm sat down as he added another point. He then urged Shin and Schnee, who were still standing and talking, to sit down while he mended Rashia’s bed sheet.
Rashia was sleeping soundly as her breathing could be heard. According to Wilhelm, when the people were told that high ranking adventurers were around, they seemed to calm down at last. Regarding Shin, he seemed convinced that there was no need to use the illusion magic skill immediately to that extent.
“Which reminds me, are any documents relating to us, High Humans, still remaining?”
He had returned empty handed when he visited the library before, but how were player matters circulated? Shin only had the unclear information that he had heard from Tiera. If he thought about it now, he wasn’t certain if it was unconsciously avoided. No one would bother with such a dark history, and they would pretend like it never even happened, naturally.
“There might be some left. Well, the things that I know of are; they have absurdly powerful-like strength and each had their own field of expertise in which they possessed an abnormal ability. They were treated like Gods in their particular field.”
“There are various legends that have been passed down among other people, right?”
Schnee chimes in.
“Uhee, this is gonna be troublesome again. Because Rokuten certainly was a former production guild first, we felt like we wouldn’t lose to others when it came to our individual fields of expertise.”
“Ha? Since you were strong at the beginning, did you waste time on craftsmanship? Like Schnee here.”
“Wilhelm, didn’t I only cook to pass the time??”
There seemed to be some kind of different history between the two people.
Even though every member of Rokuten certainly had amazing stats, the main reason they first gathered together was to be production guild.
“It’s different from that. Even if the levels are the same, humans are weaker than other races. In my case, I compensated with blacksmithing. It was really difficult to raise its level at the same time as combat skills.”
“You just ran from place to place many times when you first started adventuring, right?”
Schnee grunted “uh-huh” and nodded. When Shin first played, he was very weak compared to the present.
“These kinds of things, I guess, are not normal.”
“That’s what ‘High players’ did.”
Schnee casually said a word that only players would understand.
“It was called ‘High Human’ though.”
“Hai pu...what?”
Wilhelm could not understand the net term.
“Anyway, I made weapons to raise my level in blacksmithing. I equipped them and defeated stronger opponents to raise my level. Then I made a stronger weapon with the material from the opponents I defeated. And again, defeated another stronger enemy. It was this loop.”
To begin with, the world of blacksmithing was not sweet enough to be able to make an advanced weapon as easily like Shin said. Though ‘blacksmith’ was an example of a production skill system that was somewhat easier to raise than the combat system skill, THE NEW GATE was not a lenient enough of a game to allow it to be maxed that easily.
For this reason, there were divisions for production and combat system guilds. The majority of players who worked on both sides stopped halfway and quit, although it’s also difficult to master just one of the two systems. No similar person accomplished this.
In the systems above, players with a combat job had to be able to make a lower class recovery item, like a class 10 Potion, and production job players had to be able to handle a battle. But it was still only at a ‘better than nothing’ standard.
“Amazing. I guess you are the real deal.”
“How rude.”
“It’s absurd no matter how much I think about it. I can’t even think about standing both jobs together.”
“If you think about it, it seems like it would favor the long-lived species such as elves and pixies. But they are not able to do it.”
If the Pixie and Elf species existed in reality, they would not be suited for being blacksmiths in the first place.
In other words, raising two jobs together and so on was an unbelievable act of sheer madness for the residents of this world. Shin was able to do it because it had only been a game. Using items every time to gain a proficiency bonus and learning skills from using secret books, there stood Shin today only because he had spent the time to strengthen himself.
And even that took a tremendous amount of time. It was impossible to do the same thing in the daily life of this world.
“I’m aware of it. The members of Rokuten are strong in various ways. It is quite normal that even I am not a match for them, except for in blacksmithing. Cain could build a castle in a day, Cook could make a dish from dragons, Cashmere raised a monster ranch before anyone knew it, Hecate produced Elixirs and Philosopher stones, and made a load of low grade potions by mood. Also, Reed’s puppets were able to exchange blows with divine beasts.”
“Shin has produced several holy swords and cursed sword types. And if you don’t like an 《Ancient》 grade sword, he and Filma will melt it down to avoid complaints.”
Schnee expressed a wry smile as she remembered those days. It didn’t matter if it was a 《Legend》 grade or a 《Mythology》 grade, he would just do it over again if he was not satisfied.
By the way, Filma was Shin’s no. 2 support character. Incidentally, Shin, who recalled that time, was strangely discouraged.
“That sure is a damn dramatical way to improve oneself. I mean, your specialty is blacksmith, huh?”
“That’s right. Do you want me to restructure your 『Venom』 ?”
“Are you kidding me?!”
Kukuku. Shin, who now had a suspicious voice with a grinning face, forced Wilhelm to reply right away. He seemed to give off a bad feeling somehow or another.
“Please tell me if you’re not satisfied. If it’s Wilhelm, I will reinforce it for a bargain price.”
“Oi, Why are you making a face like a shady merchant?”
“Iyaa, how should I put it, it’s just my blacksmith’s blood getting excited?”
“...Oh, your profession is certainly a craftsman. That face looks like a dwarf’s boss in a hot-iron room, now that I think about it.”
In any world too, it seemed like people with similar occupations all resembled each other in speech and action. The face of some dwarf craftsmen when they saw 『Venom』 appeared in Wilhelm’s mind clearly.
They have the eyes of children that have just found their new toy as it glitters, much like the eyes of Shin just now.
“Even so, you need a blacksmith’s forge to showcase your skills, don’t you? Though you are different than the others, a weapon cannot be made using secrets or a lost secret arts thing, you know?”
“I’m not like some fake blacksmith!! I only intend to hold a hammer after such a long absence from Tsuki no Hokora.”
“I know you will be able to make something. From the story of a craftsman, whom I am indebted to, the longsword produced by Rokuten’s blacksmith was of 《Normal》 grade, but was on equal terms with a 《Legend》 grade sword.”
Of course, Wilhelm was not a child to believe such a story. In a sense, 《Normal》 grade and 《Legend》 grade have different performance standards that couldn’t be compared with each other.
“It is indeed...no, wait. Now that you mention it, there was a time when I tested how far I could strengthen a 《Normal》 grade weapon.”
“Oi...you are joking, aren’t you?”
When Wilhelm reflectively asked that question in return, Schnee also opened her mouth to talk.
“Wasn’t that the experiment you conducted that was suggested by both Reed-sama and Hecate-sama?
“That’s right. If I’m not mistaken, only suitable and prepared iron can be enchanted. It’s the kind that could only be made by using the best facilities available at that time. I put it in the store by mistake, I wonder if the buyer was surprised and spread that information.”
“...What the heck is that!”
By the way, the buyer bought it as a present for a beginner who had just begun to play the game. And it was discovered by players passing by, as monsters that should not able to be defeated by a beginner were being killed in one hit. When watched from the side, the monsters gave off a feeling of being awfully weak. The buyer thought it was just a normal longsword and didn’t notice it because they didn’t check the stats on the weapon.
“I was astonished that an amazing thing could be made at that time. However, because the material was iron, the durability is inferior by all means. I made several of them, and started to test them, or should I say crossed swords. They broke after striking each other about 10-20 times.”
“I would think, it’s damn weird, when it was possible to exchange blows at that time.”
As if to say he couldn’t comprehend Shin’s common sense, Wilhelm held his head with one hand. The grade of the weapon should not be sweet enough that even a blacksmith’s skill could enhance it this way.
“Ah, I understand it well. You are definitely a High Human. The common sense here just continues to break down since a while ago.”
“Because it is my Master, the current common sense does not work.”
“Kuu~Kuu~”
“No, that’s not a compliment.”
To the proud looking Schnee and the agreeing Yuzuha, Wilhelm retorted while being astounded. He seemed to still be a little confused as he didn’t notice how Yuzuha had reacted, as if it understood the words.
Schnee seemed to be boasting, probably because it was about the legend of Shin.
“Nh...Ngh?”
When Wilhelm was about to sigh, Rashia who had been sleeping on the side woke up. They apparently had made too much noise. It was too loud for her to continue sleeping.
“Eh?...Shin, san?”
“Yo.”
“Ah! Hello...why are you here!?”
Rashia, who was still half asleep, recognized someone with a glance before raising her voice. She was certain that this man had remained with the flock of monsters to let them get away. Even Yuzuha, who was on top of his head, was still the same as before.
“I somehow made it here.”
“Eh...?”
Rashia looked like she wanted to say, “What is he saying?” as she faced toward Wilhelm.
Wilhelm caught the gaze and responded.
“Apparently, an ally happened to pass by.”
Wilhelm said that while glancing at Shin and Schnee, as if his eyes said to Shin “Don’t you dare tell this girl.”
Because Shin also intended to conceal the fact about him being a High Human from Rashia, he gave a small nod. Unlike Wilhelm who had some connection to Rashia, who was a commoner, she couldn’t guess the identity of Shin from Schnee’s attitude. Though there was no problem if it was known, it was still dangerous just to know that valuable information. A possible information leak may cause Rashia misfortune..
So Wilhelm decided to modify the story to one where just an ally happened to pass by.
Incidentally about Wilhelm, Schnee was the companion who had handed over the letter of introduction to him, so he didn’t have to worry.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Schnee Raizar. I am the acting manager of Tsuki no Hokora.”
“Thank you for the polite words. I am called Rashia Luzel...um, what did you say just now?”
Rashia asked Schnee again as if she had heard something impossible.
Of course she had heard it, she just couldn’t believe it.
“Because it’s Schnee Raizar. You know. It’s that Schnee Raizar.”
“...That?”
“Oh, it’s you!”
Schnee raised her eyebrow a little.
“Though it sounds like the meaning is not very positive for some reason.”
Even though her name meant a good thing in this world, it was still a mystery how it could also have a strange meaning when people kept saying it.
“Just make up your damn mind. Look! Rashia, come back to yourself!”
“E-Errr, I’m Rashia! It’s an honor to meet zuu! ....uu”
“Yes, I hope to get along with you.”
Schnee replied as if Rashia biting her tongue didn’t happen.
“I was only able to defeat those monsters thanks to Schnee helping out. You don’t have to worry about anything.”
“Did you defeat all of the monsters!? A-As expected from the 『Saint』-sama.”
“Saint?”
Shin was trying to emphasize the achievements of Schnee, but had a question about the unfamiliar word.
“Ah, I’m sorry. Schnee-sama never accepted it.”
“Didn’t accept it?”
Shin looked at Schnee unintentionally.
“I received a communication acknowledging me as a Saint from the church headquarters previously. Although I declined it.”
“Was there any problem in accepting it?”
“Yes. I don’t have any intention to be affiliated with influence somewhere just because I served with the High Humans. However, when the title of Saint arrived, because there is the possibility that I would naturally end up with some church influence, I didn’t accept it. I thought it was already forgotten about because it has been more than 100 years, but it seems they still haven’t given up yet.”
It was indeed unexpected, Schnee sighed as she was disgruntled.
Although the church recognized her as a Saint, it was meaningless if she didn’t accept it.
For Shin to meddle in the church’s internal politics would be more than a petty complication, it was completely contrary to his goal. Religion was something which was troublesome through all the ages. When thinking about these kinds of things, Schnee smiled at Rashia.
“You can call me Schnee, it’s no problem.”
“S-Such a thing! It’s too much.”
“You’re too tense!”
“Will, that is too much, too!”
Though it was somewhat exaggerated, Shin thought it was the correct reaction.
Shin, personally, was Schnee’s long-time acquaintance, and Wilhelm had a character that didn’t hold much back. Therefore they could talk normally. However, as Tiera said before, even children knew the name Schnee; she was very popular.
If that person was in front of someone normal, they would probably react this way, too.
“Oi, come on! Don’t we have to go soon? There’s no need to rest here, right?.”
Shin and Schnee hadn’t taken much of a break, and Wilhelm understood that much.
“That’s right, we should go then.”
Shin spoke while standing up with Schnee. They were able to leave without any problems, and since there were orphanage matters too, it was better to rush.
Rashia began to tidy up the bedding in a hurry as well. Though Rashia didn’t understand the significance of the details of the incident, for the time being she understood the explanation about how it was solved by Schnee. It didn’t mean that she had forgotten the fear of when they were surrounded by monsters, but Rashia might believe that there was nothing impossible for this person.
According to a commoner such as Rashia, Schnee Raizar was a living legend. A heroine and a saint, who had been protecting this land for more than 500 years.
There was a trust that was close to faith.
“Well, the reliance is greater than I thought.”
Shin talked to himself, as he saw the expression full of trust in Schnee on Rashia’s face. It was easy to imagine that it would become outrageous if Schnee walked together with him. It might be difficult even if it was only to buy something.
He sighed and decided to carefully make the disguise.
* * *
Wilhelm carried Rashia, as Shin and Schnee maintained their speed to match up with them. No matter how much her level had risen, it would be a significant burden on Rashia if she had to run with all her effort.
That speed couldn’t be compared with a horse. Even though they took a break on the way, the four people arrived at the location where they were able to see the kingdom’s town before sunset.
They walked from there because it would be difficult if they caused others to be cautious of them as they were going to a place with public eyes.
“Ugh, I feel like vomiting...”
“Come on, I carried you on my back, so endure it.”
Rashia, who was not used to high speed travel while being carried by someone, had her complexion worsen, like she was having motion sickness. Since it was cruel to let her walk as it was, Wilhelm carried her on his back.
“Are you alright?”
Schnee called out kindly.
“Don’t worry, I will put up with it...”
“That’s serious.”
Shin let out a small sigh.
Because potions didn’t work on motion sickness, the party proceeded after she said so.
Schnee had already changed her appearance using a magic skill before being perceived by the public. Her blue eyes turned red, her silver hair changed to blonde, and she now had a ponytail hairstyle. Several other skills were applied besides that.
Since Shin personally applied the magic, it would never be discovered unless in an extreme circumstance. From the beginning, just transforming a woman’s hairstyle and her impression made her significantly different. If her hair color and eyes were changed, even humans who were used to seeing Schnee would not notice it immediately.
“Just to confirm, it’s okay if we separate in front of the gate?”
“I don’t mind. The request was originally until she learned the skill. There’s no need to bother walking us to the church, too. If something does happen at the church, it’s for us to manage.”
“That tone that doesn’t match with your honest side is the same as always.”
Schnee showed a wry smile while speaking to Wilhelm.
“Dammit, leave me alone!”
They joked around while approaching the gate. Even though Wilhelm said that something might have already happened, Shin expanded his perception range to the orphanage, and confirmed everyone was safe. Of course, there were no signs of any uninvited guests either.
“Then, we will walk together up until we get there. I will give you this just in case. Please contact me if anything happens.”
When they arrived at the gate, Shin presented the message card and the letter paper.
However, Wilhelm who saw that, tried to refuse.
“This is the item that transfers a message, huh? If it turns into a situation where I need to use this, I won’t choose to do so. What if I involve you and something happens?”
“Moreover, it only puts you at a disadvantage.” those were the words left unsaid, but expressed through Wilhelm’s eyes as he told Shin, and his intention to have Shin stay out of it could be sensed.
No matter how similar Shin was to a chosen one, or as a similar fellow who was recognized by Tsuki no Hokora, Wilhelm didn’t intend to involve a companion who had merely received the request. There were possibilities of Shin being marked by the church when he received enough requests. If the message card was handed over and used, that alone was unjustifiable. He had already expected that Wilhelm would say that.
If something were to happen without Shin being involved, like the situation earlier, there was the high possibility that it couldn’t be solved, or it would become more disastrous. Even still, that man couldn’t approve of it.
Rashia, who was being carried on Wilhelm’s back, didn’t say anything either.
They themselves were going to challenge the enemy; who had power, money, and ability.
Schnee Raizar and her master. It should not be shameful in any way if they requested help from a companion with unparalleled power and fame in this world. But in this case, they kept their problems to themselves till the very end.
Though the request for [Purification] was just recently put out, it was already over, too. If possible, Wilhelm would settle it by himself from here-on. That belief became a wall that stood between Shin and Wilhelm.
“It’s fine. Take it.”
Shin forced the message card onto Wilhelm. He was saying to ignore the invisible wall between them.
“I will feel bad if I neglect you both from here on.”
“But――”
“Besides!”
Wilhelm tried to say something, but was interrupted by Shin.
“When I first came here, those children only tried to protect each other and their friends. I will not abandon them. Thus, when the chips are down, I will help.”
“You...what are you saying...”
“You can contact me without worrying about a thing. Take it quickly! It’s becoming a little embarrassing to say anymore!!”
He felt embarrassed about the lines which he had never uttered before, even in the real world. It was guaranteed that he would groan in agony once he thought about it later. Am I such a passionate guy? No doubt he would question himself.
But remorse would not do either.
Even if this world was a different world for him, there was nothing wrong with his choice. Believing so, Shin handed over the items.
“Then, I shouldn’t hold back?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it.”
Wilhelm, who was broadly grinning, received the message card at last.
“Shin too, still the same as ever.”
“Is that so?”
Schnee said while seeing Wilhelm and Rashia off toward the gate. It was because there was a situation resembling such a thing before.
Though Shin showed a reaction of not remembering, Schnee clearly recalled the figure of Shin that had helped some strangers before, like just now.
They were a little girl whose eyes were swollen with tears, a young boy who was dumbstruck, and an old man who was going to sacrifice himself and desperately tried to go ahead of the young boy. There was no discrimination at all.
‘It’s impossible for me to save everyone, but there is no other way but to try to do it.’
When Shin talked like that.
Schnee was able to recall clearly, even now, the figure that was almighty, but didn’t act like it, and continued to protect the weak.
“What’s the matter, Schnee? Let’s move on.”
“I’m sorry, I was lost in my thoughts for a moment. I’m coming now.”
Schnee walked while looking at Shin’s back. After advancing for a while, they almost came to their destination.
Shin tilted his head when he looked at Schnee with side glances, but without pointing it out, the two people moved one step closer to Tsuki no Hokora.
Schnee’s face, when captured in Shin’s line of sight, had a very calm and gentle facial expression.
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LNWNCentral
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The New Gate/The New Gate - Volume 02 - Wraith Plains/The-New-Gate-Volume-02-Wraith-Plains-[Shin][dotNovel]/Volume_02_Chapter_03_Part_03.txt
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Chapter 3: Part 3
After they had walked for a while, a familiar sight appeared in front of Shin and Schnee. Needless to say, it was Tsuki no Hokora.
Because the wooden sign at the door said 『The storekeeper has left home』, it seemed like the store was already closed. Naturally it was locked, but Shin was the owner, and Schnee was registered as an employee. So the lock automatically opened when Shin put his hand on the door, and the door swung open.
The store hadn’t changed much from the last time that Shin visited, and there was a faint scent of dinner in the air.
“It can’t be helped, my stomach is grumbling.”
“I’m hungry~”
Shin held his belly, and Yuzuha, who had been silent for a long time, also raised its voice. Whether it could read the mood or not, it appeared to be bored because it had hardly barked while they had traveled with Wilhelm and Rashia. Now it was being carried by Shin.
“It’s just the right time, let’s have dinner first.”
They both nodded at Schnee’s proposal as she canceled her disguise, and then the sound of a person running loudly, probably from the main room to the counter’s interior, was heard.
“Master!!”
It was Tiera, who was tending the store. She had probably heard the sound of the bell chime when they entered the store.
She appeared to be out of breath while holding a kitchen knife. She might have been in the middle of cooking as not even a little sense of danger came from her.
“Calm down. You are too flustered.”
“S-Sorry. But, as I wrote in the message card, a person came and told me he was master’s acquaintance, and then he left some amazing things behind!!”
Though the person in question was right in front of her, it seemed like she hadn’t noticed yet, probably because of her panicked state.
“Is this person the one?”
“AHH! T-That’s certainly right, but...Eh? Why are Shin and master together?”
Tiera became aware of Shin’s existence only after Schnee stepped sideways. But now the question of why the two people were together came out from her mouth.
It was because Tiera thought that her master should still be in the Wraith Plains and had no clue as to why the two of them were together. Aside from Schnee, Shin should still be in the plains when one thought about it with this world’s common sense.
“Just some various things have happened. Can we have dinner before we move on to the detailed story?”
“Because we had a bit of a complicated situation yesterday, it might take a long time to explain.”
*Sigh* “I understand...then Shin too, is gonna eat with us?”
Tiera, who didn’t know the circumstances, responded to Shin who talked like it was only natural.
“Of course he will.”
“Eh? Of course...what?”
“...Come to think of it, no one has told you yet, right Tiera? This person here is the ‘Manager’ of Tsuki no Hokora, Shin.”
Schnee smoothly dropped a bomb there.
“The man..a..ger?...Ah, the manager...THE MANAGEERRR!?”
It took a while for the word, “manager” to register in Tiera’s brain.
Tiera’s reaction when she finally understood what Schnee meant was as followed; she opened her eyes wide, her mouth formed an ‘O’ shape, and she almost dropped the kitchen knife she was holding. She was indeed easy to read.
“Isn’t she is a bit too surprised?”
“Because the common knowledge among the general public is that you don’t exist anymore, it’s no wonder that she is so surprised.”
“Who wouldn’t be surprised!? The manager, the... legendary manager!?”
“Eh? What? Am I known as the legendary manager?”
“That’s not it!! I mean a High Human!!”
“But, didn’t I tell you that when we first met?”
“Normally no one would believe it...”
The scene of Tiera losing her composure alone was amusing, but Shin was beginning to think that this might be the normal response. Like Tiera said, normally if someone said “I am High Human” or something like that, no one would take them seriously. But the best witness, Schnee Raizar, was here. Because she wouldn’t mistake the person she had actually served, it could be said that her testimony about Shin being the real deal, a High Human, was the definite proof. In the meantime, Tiera’s face turned pale.
“I’m terribly sorry, I didn’t realize you were the manager!!”
“Yes?”
“Kuu!”
She was completely transformed from the shock. Tiera bowed vigorously.
This time, it was Shin’s turn to be surprised.
What was she thinking of, because Yuzuha put its paw on the lowered head of Tiera, and Shin also stopped her immediately.
(This is...that, huh? That feeling when the other party casually speaks to their superior. Even though I experienced that shock, I still got flustered.)
The partner with whom Shin got along with, at his old part-time job, was in fact the shop manager, so he could understand a bit of Tiera’s feelings. Though it wasn’t a straight comparison, the partner who unbeknownst talked overly familiarly with their superior, often fretted and felt embarrassed when they found out.
Seeing Tiera in a flustered state made Shin unconsciously feel some pity.
“Don’t worry about it. I understand your feelings.”
“Eh? Oh, yes.”
While nodding, he put his hand on Tiera’s shoulder.
Of course, Tiera didn’t know that Shin’s thoughts expressed understanding, and his action caused her to become even more confused.
“No, really, don’t mind it. It’s weird and embarrassing for me too, if you obey respectfully at this point.”
“R-Really? You won’t say something like, ‘Get out of here’?”
“I won’t say it!?”
What kind of unreasonable action was this!? He wanted to retort.
After that, they talked for a little while, and it concluded in the same manner as before. Aside from Shin being Schnee’s master, because there was more trouble when Yuzuha was introduced and could talk, Tiera had a similar reaction as before, so the rest of the story was omitted.
“Then, shall we eat?”
After a short period of discussion, all three people and one animal sat down together at the dining table. Needless to say, they had taken a bath prior to eating because they were covered with dirt.
They appeared to be in unity as they clapped their hands while saying “itadakimasu”. Elves didn’t seem to have such a custom, but because Schnee did it, Tiera too, did the same.
And Schnee was certainly imitating Shin.
“But, as expected from Schnee. All of them look delicious.”
It was only natural that Shin praised her. The dishes that were arranged on the table were something that was not very often seen, even by Shin.
Even if the pinnacle of chefs, Cook, was in Rokuten, they didn’t eat homemade dishes every day. Moreover, the skill level Ⅹ of ultra high-class cooking was not meant to be eaten at every meal. It was sometimes made only by experimenting, and there was the possibility of serving a terrible failure of a dish, too.
However, the dishes in front of Shin were not that inferior when compared to Cook’s high class dishes. As she compensated her skill with special flavors that were from this world, the dishes rivaled the best menus in a row.
In front of that type of meal, that even the royal family might not be able to eat, it was no wonder that the sounds of gulping in his throat resounded.
“Kuu~ A feast, a feast!”
“I have never seen Master cooking like this until now...Master is serious.”
“Of course I am.”
Yuzuha, who saw the dishes lined up, was also in high spirits.
Tiera, who lived together with her for a long time, was also astonished at Schnee’s enthusiastic attitude.
“When it comes to a great dish like this, it’s worthwhile to supply the ingredients.”
“Amazing~”
“Hey, though I heard a little, just what on earth did you supply? There is a weird aura coming out of the dish.”
“Ehh?”
“Kuu?”
When Tiera said that an aura came from the dish, Shin stiffened. Yuzuha tilted its head.
Even though nothing was displayed in Shin’s eyes, he recalled the ingredients which he handed to Schnee. And it was not strange that Tiera, an elf, said that the dishes radiated an aura.
“Th-That right. The main meats are Thermal Leo, Orc King, and parts of Elmora. The vegetables are Blood Radish, Karma Onion, and Baocha Potato or something like that. The fruits are the Topaz Pear and Fruit of Idea. The others are somewhat proper. I guess you used the ingredients you had stocked up after that?”
“Indeed. I have used a few high-class ingredients because today is special. Though I didn’t have enough time to do anything special.”
Schnee’s words seemed like she was indirectly saying “I’m not serious yet”.
And speaking of Tiera, who just heard the name of the ingredients.
“W.. WH.. WHAT’S THAT!? Almost all of the ingredients are extremely hard to obtain!! I’ve never even heard of some of them before until now. Moreover, when you say Fruit of Idea, it’s the fruit of dreams that only bears fruit once every 100 years. Though I was told that the real deal didn’t even exist anywhere...”
She was at her wit’s end after hearing the names of the ingredients which left Shin’s mouth.
Thermal Leo and Orc King, were both acknowledged as monsters of calamity. As soon as they were discovered, there was such a degree of danger, that the guild conveyed an urgent summons for all of the adventurers. Even though Tiera hadn’t heard of the name Elmora, because it was treated on the same rank as the previous 2, she could imagine that it might be a similar one.
Blood Radish was a vegetable similar to a half monster that grew by sucking out demon essence from the air, and Baocha Potato was a tuber vegetable that exploded from a certain amount of pressure, just like a landmine.
As for the Topaz Pear, its surface glistened like a jewel, and about the Fruit of Ideas, there was no need to say anymore.
Once they were put together, one did not expect them to be used for cooking.
“Hey, Schnee. What aura does Tiera refer to?”
“It’s similar to the remains of the life force and magic power from the ingredients. Because we elves and pixies have senses unlike other races, such things can be perceived. It can be sensed more easily from a strong monster or a rare plant and so on.”
“Is that so?”
Since elves and pixies were originally a race that had a high sensitivity, he was able to understand what she said.
“Tiera too, calm down. Let’s eat soon or the special dishes will get cold.”
Schnee urged.
“Y-Yes.”
“That’s right. Then, let’s eat at once.”
Shin agreed as he nodded.
““Itadakimasu””
“Kuu? Itadakima~”
After clapping their hands for prayer, Shin took the knife and fork.
Soup, potato salad, hamburger, and his favorite rice and bread were lined up on the table. For the celebrated occasion Schnee’s treasured drink, 『Moonlight Sake』, was poured into their glasses.
If one looked only at the menu, excluding the drink, they were similar to dishes served in a family restaurant. But he could recognize the skill of the cook directly due to it being a dish he was used to eating.
The meat juices that overflowed when he cut into it with the knife and the aroma of the sauce that was singed on the iron plate caused him to salivate before he even tasted it.
As he put it into his mouth, the meat juices overflowed even more as he chewed, and combined with the texture of the tender meat, only the single word ‘delicious’ could come out.
Then his mouth was filled with white rice, and there was no need to say anymore.
The corner of his mouth raised as he started grinning. A smile escaped him.
When one ate a really delicious dish, that person couldn’t help but smile.
When he tilted his glass, the rich scent and deep flavor of the 『Moonlight Sake』 increased his appetite even more.
“...!...!...”
“............”
Shin and Tiera silently savored the food. As for Yuzuha, the word ‘undivided attention’ was embodied in its whole body.
While observing two people and one animal smiling, Schnee ate the meal fully at ease.
“Ha!! I unintentionally ate in silence!?”
Shin was stunned while sitting in front of his empty plate.
“Can I have another serving?”
“Sure!!”
Such interactions between Tiera and Yuzuha were repeated several times. As if she foresaw that, Schnee prepared it without missing a beat.
Even if the pace slowed down in the middle, they became a happy circle sitting together while listening to how Schnee and the others had spent their time until now.
“――Even so, those guys live quite freely.”
Those words leaked from Shin’s mouth as he heard about the other support characters. There was a fellow who became a King, one who wandered from place to place, and one who was missing in action. They seemed to be stubbornly searching for a clue on Shin’s whereabouts. Though they might have stayed in this world, because they didn’t imitate him by wasting their lives for that reason, he felt a little relieved.
He understood once he thought about their personalities. Up till here, only the devoted Schnee was special.
“‘Shin is somewhere’ was the only wishful thought I had to the end. Everyone might understand that it was not good to needlessly worry.”
“That will save me trouble. I didn’t want to keep you all looking for an imaginary guy who does not even exist.”
“Even if one of us chooses to do so, it is our own choice. Shin doesn’t have to worry about it.”
“You are right.”
Wouldn’t worrying when a person has gone missing make us human? Thinking about such things would indeed be a useless action. Well, even if said ‘people’ didn’t worry, because Shin was the master, it was just idle thought and meaningless speculation.
“Master, sad?”
“I’m okay, I’m okay.”
Shin returned a smile to Yuzuha who was looking at him with concern.
“Geezz~ Why ish Schhinn woarryingg soo muchhs~”
“...Hey, Tiera. I think you’re drunk.”
Her tone was slow and some enunciation didn’t come out well. Her remarkably white skin stood out, in stark contrast with her black hair, which was now dyed in a slightly pink color. It was considerably reddened when he thought about her original snow-white skin.
Thus, that reminded him of how many sake bottles had been emptied so far. He got carried away as he had also drank a large amount up til now.
“Hey Schnee. How many 『Moonlight Sake』 were emptied?”
“Approximately 5 of them.”
“Incidentally, what is the alcohol percentage?”
“It is around 35 percent.”
“That’s HIGH!!”
Because he thought it was just a type of wine from the taste and easiness of drinkability, the alcohol from this fantasy world’s common sense was more than expected.
“Tere arre twuoo Masterrs~”
“This is really dangerous. Is Tiera weak to alcohol?”
“She’s never got drunk like this when she drank before, but quantity is quantity.”
“But I don’t feel very drunk.”
Whether it was about alcohol tolerance or not, Shin felt a little tipsy, but not more than a certain degree of loss of awareness. He wasn’t slurring and didn’t stagger around either. When he thought about the alcohol percentage, he himself would certainly be down for the night if this was in the real world, and it was a good thing that it became difficult to expose shameful behavior with alcohol. There was no need to be troubled by some strong alcohol, even though he normally should be.
“Though I’ve had this body for one year, what’s happened to my real body… Well, now might not be the time to think about it.”
While Schnee took Tiera to her room, Shin tidied up the tableware. Shin suddenly thought of these kind of things while wiping the table. He didn’t know whether it was possible to return either, so it was no use even if he thought about it.
After the tidying-up was finished, Schnee returned.
“That was quick.”
“Because I’m used to doing this.”
Since he lived alone in the real world, he had to do the dishes on his own. Certainly he didn’t do it during the game, but he remembered how to unexpectedly.
“Yuzuha is sleepy...”
Yuzuha was falling into a doze on top of the desk.
“That’s right. We too, should go to sleep soon.”
“Let’s do so. Since Shin’s room was left as it is, it can be used immediately.”
“I appreciate it.”
After leaving the living room, Shin headed toward his own room while carrying Yuzuha. It was the room for Shin and the other support characters in Tsuki no Hokora, though there was also an extra room for more guests and customers to use. Even though a guest or customer room and the like was not needed, it was the result of the obsession from Cain and Shin; which could be said to have made useless additions in that construct, the Tsuki no Hokora. The place was thoroughly discussed about and they fussed over such pointless things; as it was the expected outcome when Japanese people get excited.
“It really hasn’t changed.”
He entered his own room and looked around inside. The inside area of the room was approximately 16 tatami mats big, with a bed and a desk. There were multiple shelves where trophies and items obtained from various events were displayed. Not many things were there. It was a plain room. The room might have been cleaned regularly, as dust hadn’t accumulated.
Moonlight entered naturally from the window, but the light that night was terribly weak. He proceed to change his clothes without turning on the light, because he had the skill [Night Vision]. Because there were no such things like pajamas in this world, he chose equipment with a jersey-like material.
Yuzuha had jumped onto the bed the moment they entered the room and it was already curled up next to the pillows.
“Somehow here is the best place to let myself relax.”
Was it because he had lived here since the game time? He could relax his mind and didn’t have to set up barriers because it was already fully equipped with a very powerful security system. He didn’t have to consider the possibility of a guy attacking him while he was sleeping, quite unlike the time during the death game; so he was able to genuinely relax for the first time since he came into this world again.
Of course, when there was an assailant, he would deal a serious blow, for it was deserved.
“Yuzuha...did you fall asleep? That won’t do, I should sleep too.”
As the alcohol set in, he lay down on the bed with a good feeling enveloping him.
When he closed his eyes and gradually felt his consciousness getting blurry, something soft suddenly clung around his right arm. Normally, he would jump up to his feet and shake it off in that situation. However, Shin’s body’s awareness told him that he didn’t feel any danger at all.
“?”
Was it embracing him rather than twining around? There were only two people in the Tsuki no Hokora who could do such a thing, and one person was already down for the count.
There was no reaction from the continuous activated skill for an anti surprise attack. Shin’s own intuition didn’t signal it as an enemy either.
Because it somehow had no particular movement, he turned his neck and looked at his right arm.
Beside him lay the figure of Schnee, who was already asleep, clinging to Shin’s arm. His right arm was wedged in between Schnee’s breasts. The identity of the softness he first felt was this.
(Seriously...is such a development even possible?)
With a different meaning from the time in front of the dishes, a gulping sound resounded in the room.
Even Shin was a man. He didn’t know about NPCs, but the Schnee in this world was undoubtedly the real deal. As a matter of course, there was no way he didn’t feel anything.
And frankly speaking, Schnee was created by combining Shin’s preferences. If he had picked her up, taken her into the room, and laid her on the bed, then he could lie down next to her with a gentleman’s behaviour. However, Schnee’s body-temperature was transmitted to his right arm, which was currently embraced closely, and the softness of her breasts put a hold on his reasoning power. His left hand stretched toward Schnee unconsciously, even though he was aware of it.
(This is...bad.)
He didn’t mean to do it, but due to the influence of the alcohol, by any means, he couldn’t take his eyes off of the defenseless sleeping face.
He understood it. Yes, he understood this was not good.
He desperately tried to cool down his head that was overheating, but his reasoning didn’t act like he expected.
He was entranced by her.
Her extremely defenseless face, innocent, and seemingly sad somewhere.
It was just by a little, but he wanted to leave his arm there a bit longer before excusing himself from Schnee.
It was at that moment. When the moon that was obscured by the clouds finally appeared.
The moonlight that was obstructed until now shone inside the room gracefully. It reached the edge of the bed, the place where Schnee just lay down.
“...!?”
When illuminated by the moonlight, Schnee’s body faintly shone. The silvery hair, which was spread on top of the bed, reflected the moonlight and emitted a mysterious shine. And then, a stream of bright sparkles from her closed eyes slammed into Shin’s eyes.
“Schnee...”
The flowing sparkles were tears that she shed.
It was flowing from the closed eyes in a straight line and dampened Shin’s clothes.
“............”
The moment he saw it, the haze that enveloped Shin’s consciousness cleared up.
The excited heat of desperation was cooled and disappeared instantly.
It was because he had seen a sad sleeping face.
What did she think about that made her cry? Shin had no idea.
Were they happy tears caused by their reunion? Were they tears for the upcoming parting?
He wiped her tears, and gently patted her head.
“Ah...u...i...” (T/N: She probably says “Aruji”, which means ‘master’.)
Even though he wasn’t able to understand it, was it “Master” the word that leaked faintly from her mouth? Moreover, she might not have gotten used to calling him “Shin” yet.
(I...)
Looking up at the night sky, while aware of Schnee who was sleeping on his right arm, Shin thought of the question.
Until his consciousness sank into the darkness, no answer emerged.
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(Extra content from LN; Warning: might or might not contain a spoiler, read at your own risk.)
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Let’s rewind time to go back to just over half a day into the past.
It was around the time when Shin and Schnee were dashing at near full speed for the sake of meeting up with Wilhelm and Rashia.
Right now, the Wraith Plains have become an ordinary large plain. Every one of the knights and adventurers that had gathered to investigate realized that the battle had ended. The light from the magic power that had spread through the sky had already faded away, so the mages were illuminating the place. Even though they had the choice of waiting until dawn before starting their duty, it was decided that an urgent investigation was necessary for the current situation.
From the fact that Schnee Raizar, who should have participated in the battle, had left, it was thought that at least there was no danger left.
“What the heck is that?”
While the knights and adventurers were busy moving around, one woman muttered as she looked at the deep crater newly created in the plains. The name of the woman with hair like golden threads swaying in the wind was Rionne Strail Bayreuth. She was the second princess of Bayreuth Kingdom.
Several hours before that, there was an incident in the forest when the knights were fighting the Skull Faces. Suddenly a wailing like voice, like a shriek, was heard reverberating from far away in the night sky.
Simultaneously, a group of Skull Faces with strength that never seen before appeared. A fresh enemy sprang up from the ground, in front of Rionne’s eyes, an enemy whose strength could not be compared to that of the Skull Faces she had fought until then.
At first, she felt fear. It was not a fear of being killed. She understood the opponent’s strength, so instead she felt a strong fear as she could imagine the tragedy it could cause. ‘I must not let that get away from the plains’, was the only thought she had in her head.
After her subordinate released her restraint, she faced off against the Skull Face with her sword. From the weight of a single blow that transmitted through her hands, its agility could be mistaken for an advanced level knight. She herself was said to be superior even among other chosen ones, and it was abnormal to exchange blows with her on equal terms.
Still, because the Skull Face’s equipment was the same as an ordinary Skull Faces’, she was able to win due to the difference in their equipment. A few days ago, all of a sudden, a white greatsword pierced on her room’s wall. The greatsword was bestowed with a light attribute, the weak point of all undeads, and it caused the Skull Faces to be weakened steadily. But unfortunately, they were too many in numbers. It couldn’t be helped since the other knights had to fight on their own.
Thereupon, Rionne, while at the same time letting the messenger return to their country, launched herself at the Skull Faces. Even if it only attracted a small amount of the attention of the enemy, she could gain more time. It was for the sake of stopping the crowd of monsters from leaving this place. With only one subordinate accompanying her, she charged into the middle of the battlefield.
Then, a Skull Face ranked higher than before appeared in front of her. Possibly, it was a Queen or King class in front of her; as the one earlier was a Jack class Skull Face. It was supposed to be impossible to defeat, as encountering one would be hopeless. The calamity caused by a single King class that appeared once still remained strongly in people’s memory. As such multiple enemies appeared and filled up the plains. It might become an unprecedented disaster.
They actually felt death surrounding them, as they sensed the *Shinigami’s breath on their skin. (T/N: god of death) They reprimanded their bodies that trembled, and when they grasped their swords again, a red cannonball came flying from the sky. As the sphere hit the Skull Faces, it caused their whole bodies to be riddled with holes. No matter if it was the shield, sword, armor, arms, legs, or even their cores. Its appearance was similar to the flame system magic skill [Fire Ball]. But [Fire Ball] had no such destructive power and homing nature like that flame ball in front of them. To begin with, a flame arts that didn’t explode was unusual and the light it emitted upon impact eliminated its target as if it scraped off only that part.
Even though they were wondering why it didn’t hit them, they understood that they were being protected. As they felt gratitude to whoever released the fireballs, they prepared their swords again to fight the Skull Faces that surrounded them.
This time, blue lightning passed through in front of them. This was the specialty of the person who helped out numerous countries, the lightning system magic skill. It was the skill that crossed the line from the art, as it had superior power and boasted of being the strongest skill ever.
The person they expected, appeared at the same time that the lighting had disappeared. With silver fluttering hair, it was the acting manager of Tsuki no Hokora, Schnee Raizar. Her appearance seemed unchanged since the last time Rionne had seen her, with her calm voice, Rionne felt death becoming distant. As if the Shinigami was blown away by the blue lightning.
“I will take over from here on out. Please escape through the forest.”
Her words were returned with unhesitating nods. The Skull Faces that were scattered like wood chips were visible to their eyes.
And then, as they defeated the Skull Faces that were found here and there in the forest, the surroundings suddenly became as bright as if it was daytime, and the Skull Faces became ashes instantly without them doing anything.
Thereafter, the Skull Faces they encountered had sluggish movements and were smashed into pieces by a single blow of their swords. Though the opponent was supposed to have equal skills to Rionne, they were weakened to the point that even the ordinary knights could defeat them. It seemed like it was caused by the light that shone onto the plains. A gentle and graceful light. It became clear that the damage they had received was recovering.
They couldn’t help but think: ‘If it’s Schnee-dono, such a thing is possible’. After a while, the wriggling Skull Faces dissolved and became demon essence all at once. From watching that, they could comprehend that the situation was resolved.
Now, Rionne was looking at the traces of the battle that might be left from Schnee. There were deep fissures remaining in the earth and he ground was ripped apart. Something that continued for hundreds of mels; there was even a place where the earth was totally molten.
At the location where they apparently clashed, there were bizarre traces of high voltage burns and deep slashing attacks. How much power was released when they clashed? They couldn’t even imagine anymore. The first princess, who was the elder sister, might be able to do something similar with magic, but it was impossible for her to do close combat if she plunged into a crowd of Skull Faces.
“This... is this the power of a person who was recognized by the High Humans?”
Once again, that power was recognized. Even though Rionne’s battle capability alone was said to be equal to 100 people or more, she felt like a dull, ordinary knight when compared to Schnee.
“Although it’s still dusk, can you see here a little?”
The one who started talking was the subordinate that went to survey the surroundings. The man wore red armor that wrapped around his big body and his name was Gadras Jarre. He was the leader of the knights in Bayreuth Kingdom, and was the commander of the strongest knight squadron,[Red Wolf], in the kingdom. The reason why he became a mere battle assistant and accompanied Rionne was to prevent her from going on a rampage, but he hardly ever accomplished his role, not even this time.
Gadras too, had to directly face against the Skull Faces. He was the only chosen one in the knights squadron who could handle a close range battle with Rionne, and although he usually had the role of a watchdog, this was the only time that he had to fight as hard as he could. There were numerous cuts on his armor as proof.
In Gadras’s hand, a katana was held. Its handle was worn-out and darkened, the blade was cracked, and its edge was chipped here and there, too.
“This is?”
“This thing was found above the hollowed out ground over there. Because it was stuck in the place where the fissures ended, I collected it.”
He also said that the katana that had been stuck there matched with the directional line of the hollowed out ground.
“Also, though it’s just a hunch, I think the hollowed out ground was caused by this katana. However, I don’t know what skill was used.”
“Hmm, is there a possibility of that?”
Was Schnee together with another person on the battlefield? Rionne thought if it was at least Schnee, the case might be possible.
“That katana here, what do you see?”
Gadras pointed at the katana.
“...Something like a bird?”
“Right, from the story of a well-informed guy I know, that bird is a falcon, like in the story.”
“Is there something wrong with that?”
“Not really, I just have an idea of the blacksmith who carved it into the katana. Of course, it’s only one of the possibilities, but…”
“You have an idea? It doesn’t mean that there is only one blacksmith who drew the falcon, don’t you agree? Why are you making such a fuss?”
Rionne looked puzzled at Gadras who abruptly said those words. He appeared to be strangely restless.
“You will understand if you look at this.”
Gadras spoke as he held the tattered hilt and raised the katana to an overhead position. Then he swung downward, straight to the ground.
“...I see, so that’s the reason, huh?”
Rionne’s expression showed understanding.
The ground that was in front of her was deeply gouged out. No matter how much Gadras was said to be a chosen one, he couldn’t unleash this degree of slashing attack with a katana that had a chipped blade. In other words, despite Gadras swinging the katana in question down with all of his might, the katana remained fractured as it was, but maintained its shape.
“If it was a normal katana it would have broken apart when I smashed it, but it didn’t have any effect, even when I used all of my power. It is obvious that no ordinary blacksmith forged this.”
“Certainly...if it was in a perfect state, how much power would be released?”
“Also, speaking of the blacksmith who would make such a katana carved with this crest, there is only one person, as far as I know.”
“Fumu, who is it?”
Rionne replied as calmly as possible. Furthermore, Gadras’s voice was filled with excitement.
“A High Human. It was said that the blacksmith, who had mastered all the smithing techniques, was called the [Dark Blacksmith].”
“That may be true. I could understand if a person who was well versed in smithing forged this katana, especially if it was a High Human. But, he should not be in this world anymore. If it’s Schnee-dono, who was under the direct control of a High Human, it is not strange that she possesses such a weapon. Moreover, if you saw the skill that was protecting us and that light from before, there is the possibility of the [Crimson Alchemist], too.”
Of course, the alchemist whom Rionne spoke of was both the mage and alchemist of Rokuten, Hecate. Because Rokuten’s production aspect was famous, they were often called by a name that was related to their job. The color that was attached before the job’s name was the color of the clothes that each of them liked to wear.
“Well, there is no conclusive evidence, but...anyway, that a High Human made weapon is lying around is amazing. Besides, I don’t think that the weapon of Schnee-dono’s master would be in a state like this. If that's the case, I think there might be an astounding person who can use it and throw away this kind of weapon somewhere.”
“But this time, the scale is different from the battle so far. Do you understand the light that illuminated the night? If it was such an intense battle, even Schnee-dono might not think about wasting a weapon...Still, it is true that there was someone else here besides Schnee-dono. Who on earth is that person?”
“What could have caused Schnee-dono to be placed in such a predicament, it’s unimaginable.”
As she listened to Gadras’s words, Rionne thought about it. Truthfully, since she had seen Schnee’s figure easily kicking aside the Skull Faces, Rionne wasn’t convinced by her own words either. It was due to the magic skill user who took the trouble to protect them in the beginning. Judging from the power and scale, it was probably not a High Human, but for certain it was not in the class of a chosen one either. After they went into the forest, did Schnee Raizar join to fight with that person? If it is true that there was a powerful person at this place, then who was it?
“No way, really?”
Was there a High Human in that place?
The katana which Gadras held, it might even be a higher grade than the weapon Rionne had, if it was in a perfect state. For a being to be able to use and dispose of such a weapon, she couldn’t fathom they existed.
“No, it’s impossible.”
Rionne shook her head in denial. High Humans should have disappeared like many other people did after the Dusk of the Majesty. Since the unusual event that was said to still be a mystery, until now, no one had ever returned. However, maybe. Just maybe.
There was, as far as the legend goes, a story that it was High Humans that crushed the people who were called heroes and brave men altogether. If the High Human has returned, it would be not strange.
“...I better stop, I will never understand it even if I think about it.”
She didn’t know who was in that battlefield, but if that person was related to Schnee, then that person could not be a dangerous character. Even though it would be necessary to spare a number of men to monitor Tsuki no Hokora to some extent, Rionne thought it would not be a serious problem.
“As soon as the investigation is over, I will go back to our country. I would like to talk to Schnee-dono if possible, but…”
“It will be difficult, right?”
From Gadras’ words, Rionne nodded as she understood too. Once her request was finished, Schnee Raizar wouldn’t stay too long. This was because the invitations came from many places and had grown out of control, so it might be complicated this time.
“Gadras. If I’m not mistaken, Dark Blacksmith was the owner of the Tsuki no Hokora, right?”
“Yes, that should be right, though...?”
“Fumu, then try to visit Tsuki no Hokora right away when you return.”
“Though that is what I want to say, is it because you think that a High Human has really returned?”
“I am certain that there was at least one other person on that battlefield. Well, in fact, someone should be confirming it. If one really has returned, I certainly would like to have a match. I assume that he would be perfect as a marriage partner.”
“A-Again without warning, what are you talking about, huh?”
Gadras became flustered by Rionne who had suggested an unexpected thing. When he thought about it calmly, if the High Human was won over to their side by the dedication of Rionne alone, it would be good for the country. Even Gadras understood that much.
The problem with this princess, Rionne, was that it was said that a portion of her brain might be made up of muscles. Though it was not the truth, “If you want to be my husband, you have to show your own power and defeat me.” was considered to be what she said up until now. All of the vassals including Kings, if he thought about it, how many times did she reject them...if they were uninteresting.
The princess’ situation was understandable, and there was the feeling of having to think about the nation, as well. In the future, he understood that she expected for her marriage to not be forced, either.
This time too, even if it became a situation where the Skull Faces began to overflow from the Wraith Plains, there was no question about her actions either. The princess was outside of their territory, and in addition to that, showed up on the battlefield.
Rionne and Gadras were chosen ones, therefore it was not a big problem for them. They cooperate in moments of peril at the same time without sparing any effort in attitude, which was displayed even in a strange land.
Under the pretext of that power and her beautiful face which raised the knights morale, she had participated in this investigation and exterminatory battle. Although the latter role has been taken away by Schnee, she has accomplished her given role well.
One point. If the one point of an oddball character was nonexistent, she would be perfect. Though it was not the whole head, there was the reason she was said to have a part of her brain muscle.
“Just to be clear when I say a test of strength; what if it turns out to be an impostor who stabs at my back without warning? If not, the day when a High Human turns into an enemy, our country will disappear.”
“You have a point there.”
“Heh, I don’t want to hear that from you. Well though, I wonder if a High Human could become a really good partner.”
Even though he was supposed to be wise, for some reason, the slightly abrupt answer from Rionne caused Gadras to be weary. Consequently, the excitement from when he discovered the katana had also left him.
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(T/N: The 2nd princess wasn’t supposed to appear in this volume of WN yet. This is one of the extra content from the LN, which I deemed is important to the storyline. On the side note: Pls buy the light novel to support the original author. And no, the light novel is not available in English, only Japanese.)
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