6 Start

When the large bird noticed me, it released a weak sound. This is bad. I hasten my steps to make it to its side, even just a second earlier. But when it saw me approaching, it weakly shot out a ball of flame from its mouth, hitting the ground right in front of me.

I barely noticed that, considering how weak my body felt right now, but it still made me stagger for a moment. When I looked towards the large bird, it had a resigned expression, like it told me to not come any closer.

A slight hesitation grew within me. But it quickly dispersed. After coming this far, no way in hell am I going to stop now.

I continued on, slowly raising my right foot forward, then my left, squeezing out what's left of my meager stamina. I could not live with myself without even saying a word of thanks towards my benefactor. Nay, I would not accept any less. A debt must be repaid, I always say.

As I walked closer and closer, it spit out more and more fireballs to hinder me. Some grazed me, and scorched some of my skin slightly. I could smell the aroma of burning flesh coming from my left side, but it didn't make me falter.

After what seemed to be a few minutes of walking step by step, I made it near the far side of the wall.

I let loose the strength that I was putting on my legs, and involuntarily kneeled down before the large, majestic, wounded bird. When it saw my unwavering determination when we stared into each other's eyes, it felt as though it had given up and let me do as I pleased.

With a sense of relief wafting on my mind, I smiled towards my savior.

"Thank you. For saving my life."

I said my piece, as sincere as I could put it in words. I was not good at showing my feelings to other people, but I could slightly sense that I could easily express my thoughts towards this creature. It was a calming notion.

At first I thought that there was no way a bird could understand what I was saying, but right after that, the large bird lifted its head up, and shook it from side to side weakly. Could this being really understand my words? Is this the effect of the 'Automatic Language Translation' skill?

Still, I didn't know whether it could apply to animals. I thought only humanoid-shape beings were the only ones I could talk to. If it was the past me, he would have never believed that I would be one day, talking to a bird.

As a matter of fact, I could even slightly understand what the large bird was saying, even though it didn't speak. It's actions were as if it has accepted its fate, and told me not to worry about it.

I could feel a deep sense of respect towards the one who sacrificed its life for me. Even though it could escape during the time the beast was eating me, it chose to fight back instead. Though I did the same thing, it was still different.

No normal person would do that for a complete stranger. Even more so for non-humans. Most would probably make its own survival a priority. But not this bird for some reason, I don't know why it did such a thing.

But that doesn't change the fact that I would have been that thing's dinner if it didn't. It isn't good to doubt goodwill, even more so when it came from a large bird such as this.

Before I noticed it, the bird's head was moving towards my hand. It was trying to tell me something. So, I willed strength into my right hand, and outstretched my palm to meet with the large bird's long beak.

Naturally, I did not have any plans to crush its skull like the last one. Even if I did, I could feel no power surging within me, unlike a few moments ago. I just calmly waited for the top of its beak to reach my palm, and kept it in the air.

I could feel my strength waning by the second due to fatigue but I had to know what it was doing. I kept myself conscious out of pure willpower. Though I don't know how I did it, my hand finally felt the touch of its beak.

It felt rough, but it was slightly warm. Like the perfect temperature, a comforting warmth. Like snuggling n front of the fireplace on a winter night. It just enticed the temptation of sleep even more. We stayed like this for a few moments until I couldn't take it anymore. My body could not handle such strain, so it shut down by itself, no matter how much I didn't want to. There was nothing I could do..

In the time-frame between me falling to the ground unconscious, I could see a faint smile on the large bird before hearing the words in my head..

{" I have seen the kindness in your heart.

A human like you is a first for me. I leave this child in your care.."}

A sweet-sounding female voice resounded in my ever-dimming thoughts, and the slight warmth of a mother's love is felt through my skin. The fragrance of calming flames dispersing into the air was the last thing I could remember.

In my dreams, I could see a large, pure white bird clad in flames, take off into the wide sky..

Goodbye, Phoenix-san..

I arbitrarily name the aviary creature in my dreams. Though I will not remember anything when I wake up, I will always have a memory of my savior inside my heart. A majestic being that glides across the skies.

I had learned that selflessness might not be easy, but its worth the effort. In the near future, if it's something I could help with, I will not hesitate anymore..

....

......

Was the me in my dreams said, but I clearly remember everything!!

Wasn't that a dream? It was, wasn't it? Then, why can I still remember blurting out those embarrassing lines!?

Am I some kind of poetic hero!? What was I thinking..

The only silver lining was that it happened in my dreams, and no one else could have possibly heard it. If someone did, I'm sure I'd commit social suicide right here, right now.

My head grew hot with embarrassment as I held my face with both palms..

Also, now that I think about it, how did I even beat that large, scary monster? I vaguely remember gaining a sudden strength boost, and kicking it, but how did it end up like this?

I was now standing up, dusting my shirt and boxer shorts that were slightly singed, while looking towards the destruction before me..

From a thin crack near where I stood, the farther the crack traveled, the larger it got by branching out into many, little cracks. Thereby creating a semicircular arc from the starting point. The strange thing was, that it didn't just stop there.

When it reached the smooth wall from before, the rocks thicker than concrete broke into boulders and caused a rock slide, making a path upwards from here. I could only wryly smile at this overuse of strength, but at least now I had a way out of this crater. Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth, shall we?

Still, I could slightly feel that this wasn't the limits of my strength for some reason. Though that might sound conceited to some, it felt like it was the truth. Oh no, I'm thinking of dangerous thoughts again. Go away, go away..

It seemed that there would be no other explanation except for my mysterious skill, 'Lord of the Night'. But since I didn't get a chance to see it last night, let's confirm it when the next opportunity arises. Now that that's over, I had to take care of a very urgent problem. I was still hungry.

Judging by the pain I feel when I think about food, I would say I haven't eaten anything in about three or four days. This is kind of amazing since a normal person wouldn't even have the strength to move. Am I really becoming abnormal?

No, I'm just a normal person. Who just has a high tolerance for fasting. Let's go with that setting..hmm?

Right as I was convincing myself, I noticed something in the corner of my vision..

It was some piles of meat littered across the ground. If I had to guess, it could have been the meat from the panther beast from before.

I hurriedly ran towards it like a madman. Hey, when there is food in front of you, there was no time to be picky. When I reached there, the meat was covered in scorched earth.

So it can't be helped that I used 'Water Magic' to wash all the bacteria off. Hooray for unlimited mana! Or so I might hope. After washing all three pieces of large meat I found, I was about to munch on them right then and there..

Well, until reason got a hold of me at the last minute. No matter how hungry I was, I would only get sick from eating raw meat. I wasn't a fan of that like a few people back on Earth. So, I had to find some way to cook it.

I looked around, half-expecting an ember to still be burning, but alas, there wasn't any fire to speak of. Though I did notice something strange on the far side of the wall. It was where Phoenix-san spent her last moments, if I remember correctly. So, I moved closer to find out what it was..

What was sitting there, wasn't a flame, but a large, round-shaped egg with a pure white gloss. It was covered with some kind of mist-like coat. When I examined it closer, it seemed that the coat exuded a comfortable warmth.

I got the slight idea of making this egg into a scrambled egg. But even though it was tempting, I refrained myself from enticing the spirit of Phoenix-san haunting me. It was because I was about fully sure that this was her egg.

When I moved closer, I could see a black spot forming on my shirt but I didn't feel that hot. Still, I moved away. I checked it, and it was actually burned in seconds. Was there a reason my skin was immune to the scorching heat?

Because I didn't have anyone to ask, I set that aside for now. Because I had an idea, I quickly retrieved the meat and held it over the egg with the mist evaporating atop it.

It turns out my hypothesis was correct, since the meat was cooked into dark-brown in a matter of seconds. How hot was this egg really? I quickly turned it over to the other side and did the same for the other two pieces.

While feeling thankful in my heart, and confirming the meat being cooked, I immediately bite into the large piece, and chewed so fast, I swallowed in the next moment. My impressions were..

Disgusting. This meat was the worst meat I have ever tasted thus far. It had a rubbery texture, bitter as a gourd, or even more than that, and it stuck to your teeth and molars. It wasn't a dish I expected at all. But this wasn't a time to be picky. Since at the very least, it filled my stomach.

This only made my dream of trying many different dishes around the world, even more enticing. I will definitely eat to my heart's content in the future. But for now, I had to regain the strength to fuel my body.

Powering through the worst meal I have ever had in my life, I finished eating. After that, I stood up and tried to take the egg with me. I wouldn't dare leave it here by itself. I held the egg with my right hand. But as soon as I did so..

The ring on my finger suddenly released a large amount of darkness, spreading into ethereal tentacles. By the time I regained my calm, it had fully covered the mist and the egg. The next moment, the darkness disappeared, taking the egg with it into the ring.

"Strange, it didn't show that reaction before, even when I held the meat.."

It had me thinking that this ring might have some kind of use, but I had no way of knowing since I didn't have enough mana to use 'Appraisal' on it. The egg might still be safe, since the ring didn't break or anything like that. I just had to gather enough information about it once I find someone knowledgeable about this world.

Releasing a tired sigh, I checked if I still had the piece of paper tucked into my shirt. It was still there, without a scratch. Even though the middle of my shirt was burned, it had no trace of ever being blackened.

I kept it once more, and thought to myself, while moving upwards through the slope..

I was now more than sure that this was not a dream, so it's no use trying to think like that. I almost got killed yesterday if I had made a single mistake. If this is really a game-like world, I had to know more about it to survive.

If I somehow find a way home, I'll think about what I should do then. But for now, let's find some people to talk to.

I wasn't a shut-in after all. No matter how much I loved games, I still needed human communication.

While getting my plans organized in my head, I set off north once more..

♦♦♦♦♦♦

A few hours after Kyouya left, on a cliff overlooking the grasslands..

"I'm sorry, Phoenix, I couldn't save you even now. It would affect the timeline after all. So please let me off with just this.."

Standing on the edge of the steep cliff, was a tall, confident, middle-aged man with silver hair, with black tips on each strand. He looked as if he had years of life experience with scars and strange black marks on his neck, leading all the way to his back. He was wearing an overbearing black tuxedo suit, with a mantle fluttering in the wind.

With a confident gaze, and a wide smile, he said..

"<<Random>>"

The heavens themselves might have shook from the keyword, activating his trademark skill.

But before it fully activated, he said something else..

"Let the rainfall cleanse this land"

Dark, heavy rain clouds suddenly gathered out of nowhere, and filled the large crater with water in an instant.

"Oh, the crack is still there.. Let's see.."

The man gathered mana from his surroundings and said another string of words..

"The laws of the world itself, bend to my transcendent will, <<Recreation>>"

With a snap, the crack-like gorge slope reverted back to the lush, green plains it was before.

"I always wondered who turned this place into a lake, turns out it was actually myself. *Chuckle*"

A hearty laugh was heard from the man who just did an amazing thing in seconds without breaking a sweat.

Just when he looked satisfied, and was about to turn back, a portal suddenly opened in the area. He turned around without getting fazed and looked towards the running little boy with a smile.

The boy had cute features, with pale skin, black eyes, silver hair, and a cheerful expression. He ran into the man's arms, and as if it was natural, the man held out his hands to receive him.

"Dad, elder sister won't let me ride on Cleo again! Can I use magic on her?"

"Hou, you think you can beat your sister now? Remember the last time you fought?"

With an embarrassed look, the child instantly puffed his cheeks out and said..

"I know! But I'm sure I can beat her this time!"

To those words, the man just patted his little head, that made him slightly happy..

"Ah, sure you can. Let's go back shall we?"

A bright smile was seen on the little boy's face.

When suddenly someone came out from the open portal, just as they were about to leave..

"Young master, please don't run off like that! Oh, you're with Master."

The one who came out of the portal was a tall, handsome man who had black and white eyes, dark hair, and was dressed in a black suit. Small, dark wings were protruding from his back but that was normal.

"It's Creo huh, what did he do this time?"

"Ah, yes Master! The young master had taken the young mistress' sword again without permission. I beg of you Master, please tell the young master to give it back."

When he heard this, the man put his fingers on the bridge between his eyes.

"Ah, we'll take care of it once we get back. Anyway, did anything happen while I was gone?"

"Of course, but it was just the Underworld army wanting to have a skirmish with us again. They say they have finished building a secret weapon."

"Hou, they finally finished it huh. Interesting, let's accept their challenge."

"Eh, are you feeling okay Master, why did you suddenly get excited for a match you know you're gonna win?"

"Haha, well, I just feel like I'm in the mood today. In any case, let's return. Oh it seems the portal had closed already, mind doing the honors, son?"

"Un, let it be known as one of the strongest, time and space will bow down before I, <<Time Rift>>"

After the child uttered a string of phrases so fluently you wouldn't believe a child was talking, a distortion in space was created, and a portal leading to another time and place appeared.

"As expected of young master, you are getting better everyday!"

"Un, of course! I want to be as strong as Dad one day after all! Now let's go home!"

As they heard this, they went through the portal one by one until the man entered, and appeared in a large space..

"Welcome Back Boss, Young Master, and Creo-sama!"

Two long lines of different people with various traits and appearances, all dressed in the exact same fashion greeted us when we arrived. I never get tired of seeing this welcome even after all these years..

"Un, were back! Prepare yourself elder sister!"

"Young Master! Wait for me!"

"Umu, has everything been prepared for the skirmish?"

"Yes, Boss!"

"Of course."

"Everything shall be as our lord wills."

"I hope they put up a fight this time."

The man's various subordinates and friends reply with great confidence.

"Then, let's crush them quickly and have a feast tonight!"

"Yes!"

'Good luck, young man. You have a long way ahead of you..'

Is what the man, the legend, the mafia boss, inwardly thought to himself..