Chapter 15

Beruka hummed a tune as he rode on his horse, Altobrau. His mount trotted along next to me with pure arrogance in his movement, haughtily staring down at every living being. The Pale Horse would briefly glance at me every now and then, his eyes shining with expectation.

I internally smirked every time I caught him doing that. One of the most arrogant creatures in the entire Underworld won over with some good food. The way to every living being's heart is through their stomach. If feeding someone somehow didn't make them like you, then it was because you failed as a chef. Or because you didn't have something as amazing as my Cooking Magic. Either or, really.

Fake Astolfo over here had apparently tamed Altobrau relatively easily. The hardest part had been getting to him as the Pale Horse used to live in one of the deepest parts of the Underworld, Cocytus. That place was the home of many dangerous monsters and creatures, and it also served as a prison for powerful beings.

Beruka told me a grand tale of his adventure to Cocytus. He really had a talent for words and was an incredible orator as people listened when he spoke. Though Beruka would always say that he was much more talented with his mouth in a different way…

Anyway, his story was exciting. He had to carefully move through Cocytus, doing his best to avoid the more dangerous beings living there, and almost dying a few times due to his mistakes. It was truly gripping, but it had a lackluster ending, as Baruka had managed to tame the harbinger of death almost as soon as he met it.

For you see, he was part of the Fercas family, and their super special power was taming horses. That's it. They weren't even the only ones with a power like that. In fact, there were multiple pillar families whose trait was taming a specific type of creature.

I was understandably baffled when I heard that. After learning about the Bael's Power of Destruction or the Agares' Time Manipulation, I thought the others would have abilities similar to those, you know, powers that would make them a true menace to fight against.

Nope. A whole bunch of the pillar families were just really good tamers and that was it. I mean… I could see how dangerous they could be if they raised an army of Ultimate-Class creatures, but it just wasn't as flashy, you know?

Bunes also had a similar power as they could tame Dragons, but they could also turn into one. Now that was cool. However, the rest didn't even have that awesome transformation trick, just taming and nothing else.

Hell, Kuisha's Abbadon family wasn't even part of the seventy-two pillars, and yet they had a powerful trait that was far more impressive in my eyes. She could create multiple portals with her Power of Hole, allowing her to absorb and reflect attacks back at her opponents. This was the kind of ability I expected from all the pillar families.

"We should be close," Fake Astolfo commented just as his mount neighed out a challenging sound.

"Yeah, I can feel it." I nodded, eyes focused in the distance where I sensed a strong energy signature.

He tapped Altobrau, and the Pale Horse released a part of his energy, though not that much since we were being careful here. We were close to Anubis' territory, and we didn't want to accidently provoke the Big Dog himself.

As much as I wanted to meet a God, I didn't think this was the way to go about it. Plus, as cool as Anubis was, he wasn't even in the top three of the Death Gods I wished to meet with.

The first spot was obviously reserved for Ereshkigal. I just wanted to meet her for… obvious reasons. Yep. Mhm. For reasons.

Second in place was Hel, though she was one of the only Death Gods that didn't have a territory in the Underworld, which made it harder for me to encounter her. I had to… No, I needed to meet her to confirm whether she was a goth chick or not for… reasons.

The third spot went to Hades, the Death God himself. He was my favorite from the Greek's Big Three since he was the least assholley one according to all of their myths.

Unfortunately, he really hated Devils, so he would probably kill me for even nearing his territory since I was technically working for a Devil. That was sad because a small Minotaur herd was spotted near his territory, and I could make so many steaks with them…

"RAR!" A roar bellowed out from the top of the mountain that we were climbing.

Altobrau responded with a loud neigh of his own, and he seemed just about ready to rush up and kill the monster at the top. However, Fake Astolfo calmed him down with a few gentle taps before he rubbed his head.

A large creature with a feline body that was covered in scales ran down the mountain, all the while roaring in anger at the perceived challenge. It was a panther-lizard. Or a lizard-panther. Either way, it didn't really matter; this was the last enemy for the night, and I had no reason to hold anything back.

Power filled my being as I activated my makeshift Kaio-Ken. Every single one of my parameters was doubled. Senses, strength, speed, endurance, everything, including my energy reserves. My Touki flared to life, now having a slight red hue.

The beast running down the mountain faltered, its speed slowing down, and its eyes now flickering with hesitation. The Pale Horse was already a dangerous enemy to its senses, but now there was one more opponent that was just as dangerous if not even more.

My feet kicked off the ground, and I shot forward. I continued kicking in the air as I created small platforms made out of Ki under my feet, practically doubling my speed as I flew toward the monster.

My arm moved in preparation for one of my strongest spells. My hand shot out just as I reached it, and I cast Fist!

My punch smashed against its torso as the monster managed to shift its body before I hit it. My Ki exploded almost identical to that wannabe Heracles, rupturing the creature's scales and flesh before sending it flying away.

A spiked ball attached to its tail flashed in front of my eyes, just missing its mark and failing to hit me due to the surprise explosion.

"RAA!" It roared in pain as it got slammed against the mountain with half of its body stuck inside it.

I rushed over, not giving it a chance to recover and proceed to cast Fist over and over until it stopped moving.

Exhaling slowly, I calmed my rapidly beating heart while circulating my Ki through my body. My Kaio-Ken offered an impressive boost of power, and it was the reason why this fight ended so quickly, but it left me exhausted every time I used it.

"What a marvelous display of physical strength!" Fake Astolfo clapped as he approached with his mount. "I will make sure to detail this scene in my diary. Perhaps a hundred years from now, when my name is known throughout the world, people will read with interest about my adventures with you."

I wanted to tell him that they would probably read his diary because of me and not him, but I gasped, and my eyes opened wide as I felt a shift in my body. This was… big. Gaining predatory traits from hunting was kind of like a Gacha due to its randomness, and it seemed like I just hit the jackpot.

"Is something wrong?" Beruka asked with a tinge of concern in his voice.

"Hmm." I rolled around my shoulders before nodding. "I learned how to punch good."

He tilted his head. "Mayhaps you could try learning how to hold back instead, hmm? You put so many dents in my armor in our last spar. I do enjoy some rough foreplay, but–"

"I will make you a new one. Much better than your last armor," I quickly said before he could tell me about his fantasies again. "I'll even throw you a better lance, I think I can apply Twice Critical's principle to both of them, so you can get a small boost while using them. How does that sound?"

"That sounds lovely!" He clapped his hands with a large smile on his face. "Perhaps I could repay you with an enjoyable ride under the moonlight, hmm?"

"I'll pass on that." I shook my head. I was only romantically interested in women.

"How unfortunate," he sighed, hopping down from his mount.

"You can pay me back by showing me that Clone technique of yours," I told him as I started handling the corpse of the monster.

"Why of course!" Beruka easily agreed and formed a copy of himself, giving me the chance to gain a better understanding of his ability.

"I think I can use this," I said as I removed the scales from the monster and handed them to Beruka and his clone. They stored them in a bag attached to Altobrau, who was impatiently thumping on the ground as he stared at the corpse with drool dripping from his mouth.

"Just a moment, you glutton." I rolled my eyes at the Pale Horse. We ate over a dozen creatures this night, and he was still hungry.

Soon enough I was done and proceeded to quickly cook the meat of the supernatural creature. We gathered around the fire and enjoyed the food while Beruka regaled me with tales of adventure.

Then out of nowhere, the Celestial Grimoire activated, catching me by surprise. I believed I had a good grasp on how it worked, but it threw a random curve ball at me without any explanation as to why.

Mage: The Awakening: Supernatural tactics - 200 CP

The mages of the Adamantine Arrow are not police, nor are they a riot squad. They are a tactically deployed strike team and their targets are almost always supernatural in nature. Whether they are rogue mages like Banishers, the traitors that comprise the Seers of the Throne, or the cornucopia of other monsters that dwell in the world of darkness, Arrow mages will likely have to deal with them all at some point...if they survive long enough that is. You have been trained in how to fight nearly all the enemies mages face on a regular basis. You know what does and does not work on vampires and werewolves as well as the best ways to hurt, or escape from them. Against other mages you have been trained to identify their casting ability and to use your own magic in creative ways to counter or overcome their spells.

'Motherfucker! Give me Magic, you little shit! Don't teach me how to fight Magicians!'

This wasn't bad in any way, shape, or form, but it's not what I wanted! Why the fuck was it titled as a Grimoire if it didn't have any Magic inside it!

'Please… I just want a cool spell to throw around. I will be satisfied with just a single one, just one. Is that too much to ask for?'

"Hey, Beruka, where do you think those guys are hiding?" I asked while absorbing all of the information from my new… power? I wasn't sure if that was the right word. Perhaps Perk might be better. Yeah, that's what I would refer to them from now on since it fits better.

"Hmm. If I had to guess..." He paused and cupped his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I would've said somewhere in the human world if I didn't know they have Dimension Lost. But with that in mind? I'd say they are hiding in a dimension of their own, an abandoned and forgotten one perhaps."

I nodded, agreeing with his words. Dimension Lost was just too versatile, allowing the user to manipulate space and create nearly impenetrable barriers. It would be extremely easy for the user to locate a forgotten dimension or…

"They are probably hiding in a newly created dimension," I said, pulling from all the knowledge that I had just gained.

"A newly created dimension? Such a thing is not easy to sustain," he replied in return.

"True," I nodded in agreement. "But that's why they are recruiting other humans since most humans part of the supernatural world are either Sacred Gear users or Magicians."

"That's not necessarily true," he argued. "There are plenty who don't use Magic or have a Sacred Gear. You also fall in that category."

I rolled my eyes. Throw salt at my fresh wounds, why don't you?

"Okay, most humans that aren't part of a major faction are either Sacred Gear users or Magicians, right?"

"I suppose they are," he agreed after thinking it over for a moment.

"To me, it seems they are recruiting those kinds of people, judging by how the Magicians were missing. Not dead, like the other supernatural beings in the city, but missing."

"Yes, we did already come to that conclusion."

"But we didn't know why they were doing that. My theory is that they have created their own small dimension with Dimension Lost, maybe even multiple, and they are using the Magicians to keep it stable."

"A plausible theory. If that's the case, then finding their base is only a matter of time. It's bound to be located with enough people searching for it."

"Yeah, that's why it's probably somewhere dangerous. A place where people would usually avoid."

"You think it's in the Dimension Gap?" Beruka stared at me with wide eyes. "Only a madman will try…"

He trailed off, eyes narrowed as he thought it over. I didn't blame him for disagreeing with me at first since he was right, only a madman would create their own dimension in the Dimension Gap. The space between worlds was an inhospitable location, in which no being could survive for long.

Well, no being that didn't already consider the Dimension Gap as their home. And the two that resided there were the strongest existences in our world. No one wished to disturb them from what I've gathered, lest they, quite literally, poke the sleeping Dragons.

That was why–to my knowledge–no one dared to set up shop there. But what if someone was crazy enough to carve out a tiny little space at the edge of the Dimension Gap, away from those two scary lizards? That's what I would do if I was mad enough to go on a crusade against every single supernatural faction in the world.

"Madmen is an apt description for them, isn't it?"

"I suppose it is," Beruka agreed begrudgingly. "However… even if your theory is correct, who would dare to venture in that place in search of their potential base?"

"That's exactly why I think it's the perfect place for them to hide," I replied with a shrug. If people weren't even willing to search there due to fear, then they would never be found.

"I see your point." He nodded in understanding. "Still. There is nothing we can do about it even if their base is there. We have no concrete evidence, and no one will willingly go there to confirm your suspicion."

"Unless you are willing to do it yourself." Beruka narrowed his eyes as he stared at me in suspicion.

"I'm not that crazy." I raised my hands defensively. I definitely wasn't planning to go to the Dimensional Gap… yet.

At the moment, I was way too weak, but in the distant future? Well, now… I might just go and take a peek. Who knows what would happen after that? I might even return with a fancy Sacred Gear of my own…

As tempting as that sounded, I wasn't suicidal enough to rush in there. I had all the time in the world to prepare for such an adventure. Perhaps I would even record it and have Beruka go and spread it around, putting his storytelling skills to use.

That particular conversation ended there. We then finished our meal and prepared to return.

"I'll leave all of your trophies in your workshop," he told me before he teleported back.

"Thank you." I made sure to thank him before he left.

Then I took out my new phone and opened a particular app before selecting the topmost option. A Magic Circle appeared beneath me, teleporting me right into Cori's living room.

My Magic Power was shit? Well, fuck you world! I found my workaround for that issue! Of course, this was by no means a perfect solution, but it was better than nothing.

And sure, there were a few limitations, like the fact that I needed to leave a sort of marker in any location I wanted to teleport to. It was also only limited to a single function at the moment. However, it was Magic and that's all I cared about.

"Welcome back," Cori greeted me and poked her head from the kitchen. "I've prepared something for you~"

"I can't wait," I replied eagerly.

I might've stuffed myself with over a dozen monsters earlier, but thanks to my spell that converted food into Ki, I could eat for days without feeling full.

Now, her cooking wasn't as good as mine, though I was heavily cheating with my Cooking Magic. Nonetheless, she had made great progress as of late, and the fancy cooking equipment I made for her ensured the food had some special effects. I did have to charge them with my Ki every other day or so, to keep their enchantment in effect, but my reserves had grown so much that I barely even noticed it.

My body froze at that moment as I came to a striking conclusion. I didn't know where or when–that was a bold lie–but somewhere on my path on becoming a true Dragon Ball character, I had taken a wrong turn and turned myself into a Toriko character. That was… fine with me, in all honesty.

I shrugged that thought away and stepped inside the kitchen, only to see a large assortment of food on the table. However, my eyes were drawn to Cori as she was wearing only an apron and nothing else. She twirled around with a coy expression before winking at me. It seemed there were two meals ready for me, and I was sure that I would greatly enjoy both.

Once Cori was truly satisfied and fell asleep from exhaustion, I opened my laptop to check up on my game. It was doing surprisingly well, though not in the way I imagined it would.

People enjoyed it—I was sure of that just by looking at how many were playing it. However, they weren't that interested in the main story from the looks of it. Instead, a majority of them were spamming the survivor mode over and over again.

This wasn't what I envisioned when I made it, but I'd take it! Plus, I had clearly done something right. After all, the game had reached a million unique downloads today, and people were throwing money my way as they slowly got addicted to the Gacha.

Perhaps I could try to release another similar one? Hmm. Probably not. I wanted to finish my other project way too much. Once done, I could just delegate all of that work to my AI. Yeah, that was much better.

Another thought came to me at that moment. I had the location of every single person playing my game. Could I somehow track those people with it? It was plausible, I believed. Though this heavily depended on them actually downloading and playing the game. Hmm. I would have to keep a track of the locations of all players, just to see if I could catch them slacking.

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A/N

CG: You want Magic?

Michael: Yes!

CG: How about knowing how to fight against Magic? That's the best I got.

Michael: Noo!