2 Chapter 1 - I'm a Side Character?
I'm Kanbaru Akito.
I'm was just an ordinary guy with an ordinary life.
But now I'm here, in a different world, discussing things with a Goddess.
I... just lost the girl that I cherished the most, and with that, I'm quite... dead inside.
So, with the sudden happenings about Lichtia, the Goddess of Light, I just went with the flow and decided to get a new life... in a different world...
[Okay, Lichtia-sama. Please, tell me the details that I need to know in living inside of this world.] (Akito)
[Yes, yes. I know you're hesitant but- Wait what?! Isn't your decision a bit too fast? You just lost your friend and got dragged here for no reason. It's not like I can't bring you back, you know.] (Lichtia)
[I can still go back?] (Akito)
[Yes, your presence here is protected by a Space-Continuum Barrier which has a one-time use per person. But once I remove it, you can never go back again, even with my powers.] (Lichtia)
My family (Minami's family), my friends, everything... everyone will be left...
But... something tells me that I have to do this...
Alright, my decision has been finalized.
[It's fine. I'm prepared to leave everything behind. And besides... I'm actually burning with excitement right now.] (Akito)
I mean, who the hell wouldn't be?
This is obviously gonna be a fantasy world with all sorts of magic and monsters!
I slightly bent my head down and intently looked at the nearest town which was visible from my location.
[Eh? Well, I guess it's fine. Let me tell you the details. First, this World is a world threatened to be ruled by the Demon Lord. It's currently in an undeveloped era compared to your original world. Adventurers of different kinds travel around the world, increasing their strengths and skills all in the goals of subjugating the Demon Lord once and for all. Magic is present which is why I'll give you some affinity. I'll tap into your physical conditions so that you can cope up with different situations easier. You can still improve yourself if you train, obviously.] (Lichtia)
[I understand...] (Akito)
Demon Lord? Adventurers? Magic? I can get behind those.
[Lichtia-sama, can I ask you a question?] (Akito)
[Hm? What is it?] (Lichtia)
[What's gonna happen to my previous life?] (Akito)
[You'll be forgotten. Their memories of you will be removed or replaced in one way or another to avoid any issues.] (Lichtia)
[I see... It's kind of sad, but it's fine. I won't change my decision now.] (Akito)
[Good. Seems like I made the right decision making you my Servant.] (Lichtia)
[Wait, servant?] (Akito)
[Yes. Now that you've seen me in my Divine Form, you'll be my Servant. Also, your life is mine since no one else knows you but me, so that means the same thing, right?] (Lichtia)
Well that escalated quickly...
[More to that, you'll have a new name. Since this isn't Japan, you need to say your given name first. I'll let you decide.] (Lichtia)
A Servant, huh?
Well, serving Lichtia-sama isn't bad at all.
She's not a tyrant like most gods in mythology are portrayed.
Also, renewing my name...
Seems like I need to completely let go of my past life, huh.
Name...
I wonder...
Ah, I think I like this one!
[I-I understand. From now on, I, "Zero Hashura" will be serving you, Lichtia-sama.] (Akito)
She blushes with a big smile, but she hurriedly hid it.
From what it looks like; I'm must be her first Servant, so she was flustered when I said those vows of service.
[Eherm. Then, I'll be looking forward in working with you, Zero.] (Lichtia)
After doing some sort of rituals to my body, Lichtia-sama explained various things to me.
She made me able to speak and read the native language in this World.
Oh. I kind of wanted to study them manually...
But I guess I don't have that much time and luxury considering that a Demon Lord might suddenly invade that town over there.
She also said that there are infinite amounts of worlds.
All of which are maintained by the Realm of Gods where the Most Powerful beings gather, ruled by the God of Creation who made and governs all.
The Gods are somewhat ranked based on a system.
At the top is the God of Creation.
He is all that he is, and he is all that everything is.
From what Lichtia-san has told me, he is just a simple God that creates things.
He is full of kindness who only gives life, and gives new ones for those who lost theirs.
Next are the Three Guardian Gods.
They are in charge of all the matters involving peace and rebelling Gods since they are the next most powerful next to the God of Creation.
They are never tainted by evil and they never will be.
They are the most loyal Gods serving the God of Creation and has been on duty since the First Creation which was... h-huh...?
Why can't I remember?
Ah, I see.
The human mind is unable to comprehend the concepts of Gods and Creations.
The busiest ones, next to those three are the Gods of Space, Time, Dimensions, Heaven and Hell.
They do use their powers to make their workload easier, but the number of matters that needs their attention increase in a... what rate value was that again?
All I remember was that the value was only used by Gods.
Topping it off for the next rank are the Gods of Elements.
They wield different powers that are capable of either creating or destroying worlds.
Some obvious ones are the Gods of Fire and Water.
Lichtia-sama, the Goddess of Light is one of them.
Following them are the Gods of Beings.
They govern each race known in all worlds.
The God of Humans and the God of Beasts are one of them.
Lichtia-sama told me that the God of Humans sent his 'child' in different worlds to save humanity since majority of the 'Only Human' worlds became infested with evil people which got out of hand.
One of the Guardian Gods ordered the God of Humans to settle this matter, which he did.
Does that go for my previous world as well, since it's an 'Only Human' world?
Well, the God of Humans had a son that was tasked to save Humanity from their sins... Isn't that basically Jesus?
Last on the ranking are the Miscellaneous Gods.
They include others like the God of Rubber, the God of Swords or the God of Silk etc. Most Gods are in this rank.
They shouldn't be underestimated though.
Some of them are on par with the Gods of Elements.
Well, they 'are' still Gods, after all.
Anyways, I'm currently on my way to the nearest town.
It seems like this World is like any other world you'll see in Light Novels, Manga and even Role-Playing Games.
The most common race is still Human but other races such as Beastmen, Elves, Demon and such are abundant.
There's also a Guild System that classify each Adventurer by Rank.
The Ranks are (Least to Greatest); Copper, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond.
Those who have exceeded the Diamond Ranks are labeled as Heroes, whom are classified by the three highest Ranks; Mithril, Orichalcum and Adamantium.
Each registered Adventurer are bound to have a Guild Card which tracks their Status and Skills.
Each Adventurer can learn infinite amounts of Skills based on their power and learnings.
Adventurers can find the Value of different Attributes in their Guild Cards which will determine their strengths and weaknesses.
There are basically 12 Attributes:
HP or Health Points are what determines your Life Force as you fight.
Max HP means you're healthy while 0 means death.
It is said that no one has seen his or her own HP go down to 0...
Only those who were around to witness his or her death have.
MP or Mana Points are what determines your Mental Force as you fight.
Mana is consumed each time you use a Skill, whether it's Physical or Magical.
Losing Mana will hinder your thinking and movements.
This condition is called to Mental Fatigue or Mana Deficiency.
Those are the Basic Attributes.
Next up are the Offensive Attributes.
P. ATK or Physical Attack is what determines your Raw Power.
It shows your Physical Strength which damages the enemy's HP.
It stacks the damage with your Weapon.
It is also the same as your Physical Strength which is connected on how well you carry objects, punch things and such.
M. ATK or Magical Attack is what determines your Affinity to Magic.
As it increases, the damage you deal to your enemies goes up, even with basic Magic Spells.
SPD or Speed are what determines how fast you move and do your Attacks.
It is an extremely useful Attribute since it is connected on how well your Stamina is.
There are also the Defensive Attributes which negates the effects of Offensive Attributes based on their value.
P.RES or Physical Resistance is what determines your Defense against Physical Attacks.
It is also related to your HP regeneration.
M.RES or Magical Resistance is what determines your Defense against Magical Attacks.
It is also related to your MP regeneration.
AGI or Agility is what determines your ability to react to the enemy's Speed.
It can be considered as your Reaction Time or Reflexes.
Lastly, there are the Utility Attributes.
These Attributes aren't adjacent to each other and are completely unrelated unlike the first two sets.
INT or Intelligence is what determines the ability of your thinking.
In many Games, INT was generally connected to your Magic, but here, it seems like it simply determines your IQ or Intellectual Quotient.
Though it seems useless, it is actually parallel to the limits of the Magic and Fighting Knowledge you can learn, so being a smartass in this world has a bigger benefit.
LCK or Luck determines how lucky you can get.
It can grant you different bonuses in terms of loot and other stuff.
When heading towards a Dungeon, the amount of luck you have can be your greatest asset or your worst nightmare.
There are Lucky Items that can be purchased in order in to increase this attribute.
T.DMG or True Damage is the amount of Damage a person can deal without any interventions, if he or she lands a direct hit on the flesh.
All creatures have a fixed T.DMG of 10%.
For example, if you can deal 150 Physical or Magical Total Damage, the enemy will undoubtedly take 15.
There are certain abilities that increase the percentage of the T.DMG but they are really Rare, High Level and Advanced.
Offensive (Primary) and Defensive (Secondary) can be permanently increased mainly by training.
You can also increase them through Equipment such as Armor and Weapons, and Enchantments.
You can temporarily increase or decrease them with Skills; namely Buffs and Debuffs.
After that, the Adventurer will decide what Primary Class, for Offense, and Secondary Class, for Defense, they will go for based on the Values of their Attributes.
There are 6 Classes in each category and the Bonus Class which is the Healer.
There are also different subclasses in each Class that depends on the Adventurer's individual expertise.
Normally, the receptionist would be the one to explain these things to me, but Lichtia-sama kindly did it instead.
Hmm...
But something bothers me a bit...
The things that Lichtia-sama told me about this World... somehow, it sounds eerily familiar.
Well, whatever, I can't let small details bother me.
I have arrived at the entrance of the town.
I-Il...ram? "Ilram".
What the...
I walked and saw the name of the 1st District... "Axel"...
W-Wait a minute... isn't this-?!
I ran at full speed inside the town.
It was so nostalgically familiar.
That apple stand where a guy in a black, white and orange tracksuit was always lashed at by the vendor because he looked like he has seen a ghost.
That tree where another guy in a black and green sweatsuit was lashed at by a blue haired girl in a really short outfit which made her butt slightly visible.
Then, after running some distance, I bumped into someone.
[Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't see you there!] (Zero)
I stop as I glanced at him with my eyes and mouth wide open.
[Ah, it's okay.. I wasn't paying attention as well.] (?)
[Y-You're-!] (Zero)
He had a bright perked up blonde hair along with his handsome face and big smile.
He wears a leather outfit with rubber shoulder pads.
He had a normal pair of travelling boots and jeans.
He also wields a simple sword, sheathed beside his waist.
Breathe, me.
I need to keep my cool...
But man, I knew something was weird.
I knew it, this world...
[Ah, nice to meet you. My name is Ace William. I came from the humble town of Zanuck in the Kingdom of Escalandria. I traveled here to become an Adventurer. How about you? You look like you just got here.] (Ace)
[Nice to meet you, Ace... I'm Zero Hashura. I'm also aiming to become an Adventurer. You're on your way to the Guild, right? Why don't we go together?] (Zero)
[Yeah, that's cool. Seems like I'm really lucky. To meet my first friend from outside my home this early... It's nice meeting you, Zero.] (Ace)
He's also very trusting and friendly.
Well, too trusting, in my opinion...
We just met, but we're already friends...
With this much coincidence... or should I say, evidence I think- ...
Wait... I'll gather more information.
Ace and I head to the Guild.
There, we saw different kinds of Adventurers.
They wore wide varieties of armor and equipment.
There was also a huge Quest Board that held countless amounts of missions and requests.
Basically, people that send requests pay 10% to the Guild and 90% is given to the succeeding Adventurer as the reward.
And since Guilds are globally independent, it is tax-free.
Obviously, Adventurers can only take Quests according to their Ranks and the amount of rewards are increased as the Rank or difficulty of the Quest go higher, as logic states.
[Oh, Welcome to the Ilram Town's Guild. Oh ho, you two seem like you came here for one and the same reason.] (?)
A young maiden in her early 20s, about 22, greeted us warmly as soon as we entered the Guild.
She had a short black hair extending to her neck.
She also had a pretty nice figure judging from her upright posture along with her pretty face.
She wears a gray tank-top covered in her green coat with orange patterns similar to that of a flight attendant's uniform.
Apparently, that outfit is the official Guild Uniform.
If my suspicion is right, her name would be...
[Y-Yes. We came here to become Adventurers. May we ask you to assist us for the Registration?] (Ace)
[I thought so! No problem! Newcomers are more than welcome. Ah, by the way, I'm Karmen Dixey. I'm the daughter of the Country's Guildmaster. Pleased to meet'cha. Come this way for the Registration.] (Karmen)
Strike!
I was right...
Oh man...
Is this really happening?
I stayed silent and continued to follow Karmen-san along with the ever so lively Ace.
I'm excited too.
I wonder what my stats would look like.
Suddenly, Karmen-san gave us a small dagger.
[Oh wait! I forgot to explain the things you need to know!] (Karmen)
[Well, it's okay for me, Karmen-san, since I already know.] (Zero)
[Me too! My uncle used to teach me the ways of the Guild so I know them already.] (Ace)
[Hm, okay, cool! Let's proceed. These things are going to be your Guild Cards. Drop some blood on it so that the Registry Orb can recognize your DNA. Once it finishes registering your Guild Card, you have the authority to show it or not. It's yours, after all.] (Karmen)
Interesting...
This world isn't developed but the term 'DNA' exists?
I don't remember anything about it being known here.
[W-We Understand...] (Zero/Ace)
We cut ourselves lightly as we put a small amount of blood on one surface of the blank card.
The Registry Orb... even that has the same name... has started circulating some magic power upon the card.
With the card placed below the Orb supported by stands, it acted like a 3D printer.
It engraved words and symbols that contained information about our personal and adventuring Status.
[Here you go Ace-san. Take a look at your newly made Guild Card. It currently has the Copper brand at the top-right corner of the front surface. Except for HP that initially has 1000 points, the average value for each attribute is 100. The value increases every time you do things related to that particular attribute. You can also see the details regarding your skills at the back.] (Karmen)
[I think this is pretty decent. Here, Zero, take a look.] (Ace)
Name: Ace William
Race: Human
Job: Adventurer
Class: None
Rank: Copper
Status:
HP: 1000
MP: 100
P.ATK: 264
M.ATK: 100
SPD: 103
P.RES: 120
M.RES: 120
AGI: 101
INT: 104
LCK: 112
T.DMG: 10%
(At the back)
Skills:
- None
Titles:
- None
[I-Impossible! No has ever registered and immediately had that much value on an attribute. You also have above an above average value in Physical and Magical Resistance. On top of that, you don't have a single attribute that is below average, which means you practically have no weakness. What the heck are you?! T-That's a compliment thought...] (Karmen)
[As expected. You're strong from the get-go, Ace!] (Zero)
[Ehehe... You guys flatter me...] (Ace)
Ace replied wryly smiling while slightly scratching the back of his head.
Mine also just finished.
Karmen-san is still busy admiring Ace's Status, good.
I'll sneak a peek first-hand on mine so that I can hide it if there's anything weird written on it.
My body was violated by a Goddess, after all.
Name: Zero Hashura
Race: Human
Job: Adventurer
Class: None
Rank: Copper
Status:
HP: 1000
MP: 100
P.ATK: 200
M.ATK: 200
SPD: 250
P.RES: 90
M.RES: 90
AGI: 250
INT: 150
LCK: 100
T.DMG: 10%
(At the back)
Skills:
- Full Body Immunity (Passive) - Disabled
-
Titles:
- God's Servant
-
What the heck?!
Full B-Body Immunit-?! My 'beginning' Status is broken as crap...-
W-Wait a minute... What's happening?
It's- The Data written on my Guild Card became blurry and static...
Then suddenly...
Name: Zero Hashura
Race: Human
Job: Adventurer
Class: None
Rank: Copper
Status:
HP: 1000
MP: 100
P.ATK: 100
M.ATK: 100
SPD: 120
P.RES: 90
M.RES: 90
AGI: 120
INT: 150
LCK: 100
T.DMG: 10%
(At the back)
Skills:
- None
Titles:
- None
What in the world?!
It just changed itself.
But looking at it, my Status became more average and believable.
Wait, don't tell me this is-
[It's okay, I got you Zero!] (Lichtia)
Lichtia-sama whispered in my mind.
So she's the one responsible for this.
From what I initially saw, my Speed and Agility were top notch.
It's a good thing that she hid it, I don't really like standing out.
[How about yours, Zero-san?] (Karmen)
[Ah, it's pretty average across the Offensive ones. But I guess I excel a bit in Speed, Agility and Intelligence.] (Zero)
[Amazing! You're so smart! I've never seen anyone have a higher INT Value than 120 before...] (Ace)
[Yeah... with this, you'll become an exceptional Recon Agent for different Intelligence Agencies with that much Intelligence along with your above average Speed and Agility.] (Karmen)
(Note: Recon Agent is a Job and not a Class.)
[Oh, really? I'm so happy to hear that!] (Zero)
I just smiled and replied to them normally like I was surprised even though I knew what it meant.
Well, my IQ is really in a really good spot.
It's high enough for me to be considered a genius but low enough for me to be considered as a normal person, socially.
Because, you know, that's one of the issues of geniuses where they can't cope up socially because their EQ or Emotional Quotient is too low.
And if you're wondering why I'm not known in class for being a genius, it's because I am aware that I am a genius.
I purposely get average grades and only get serious if I need to or feel like it.
And, like any other person, I socialize normally that's why I'm fine.
Man, I feel like a narcissist for saying all of that, but whatever.
[Now~, I wonder what Class you guys will choose. Whatever Class you like is fine but I'd say you go with the one where your Attributes are strong. Well, you can choose your Classes until tomorrow so for now, relax and think about it. After that, I'll tell you the available quests that you can take. By then, you can buy your gear and head to battle. And since you guys are new in town, I'll recommend a nice inn.] (Karmen)
[Yes. Thank you very much Karmen-san. I can handle my own expenses, but how about you Zero?] (Ace)
[Ah, don't mind me. I can pay for myself as well.] (Zero)
I also received a bunch of money from Lichtia-sama so I think I'm fine.
Then, Karmen-san guided us to an inn called "Cathedral Insomnia".
I thought; wow, what a really elaborate name for an Another-World inn... which makes sense to me... since I think I know that reason.
We checked in and I correctly guessed the price...
[Then, I will be in this room and you'll stay in that room. Will that be okay, Zero?] (Ace)
[Yeah, no problem. Rest well, then. We'll head out tomorrow, Ace.] (Zero)
I collapsed myself on top of the bed...
Damn... what a day...
I recalled all the events before all this World transfer stuff happened.
I teared up a little as Minami's face flashed into my mind...
No good!
She'll forever be in my heart and mind, but I need to get a grip.
Then, the thought passed again...
Ah! I remember now...
With all those evidences.
Axel District, Ilram Town, Karmen-san, similar sceneries...
This... This World is indeed the World from our favorite Fantasy Series; "The Fangs of the Demon Lord", where the Main Character is in fact, my first friend, Ace William.
What's my role here?
Well, isn't that obvious?
I'll be his travel companion as we meet his future comrades in the future.
I won't try to take the spotlight since that's boring.
I'll observe the Protagonist that I admired so much first-hand.
So here I am; in another world as a side character.
I fell asleep as the day passed by...
