vol 2 pt 1

ARIFURETA SHOKUGYOU DE SEKAI SAIKYOU (WN)

V2 C1

Chapter 1 : Subjugation of an Arch-Nemesis



Campaign against the Bear.

Hajime is not how he was before!

* * *

"Chew, chew…Even the rabbit meat sucks."

Hajime was the person currently eating the rabbit. That's right, the rabbit demon. Once these kicking experts looked down on him but now they were just food to him. He had expected the meat to taste better since it was a rabbit, but it was still demon flesh. It was just bad like normal.

The rabbit's whole body was consumed in one sitting. Once he acquired "Iron Stomach", he proceeded to eat as much as he want and could. Hajime was especially hungry after he used his magic. In order to kill this rabbit, he had used quite a bit of power. He wouldn't die since he had the sacred water, but he had to use his power carefully; the starvation sensation that could happen if he overused his power was not something he wanted.

The rabbit was defeated because he had trapped it. Drawing the rabbit to the river was the starting point. When it passed by the river, he sprinkled water onto the rabbit. He produced an overpowered lightning afterwards. Donner was fired upon it and just as expected the rabbit blew up in a cloud of smoke.

A bullet accelerated with electromagnetic force going at 3.2 km per second [Mach 9.3] was pretty hard to avoid; the rabbit's head was blown to pieces when it collided with the bullet. Maybe it wasn't necessary to use the electric shock. Donner's firepower was tremendous.

"This is the first time I ate a rabbit…Status!"

Name

Nagumo Hajime

Age

17 Years Old

Gender

Male

Level

12

Class

Transmutation Artist (Synergist)

Strength

200

Vitality

300

Resistance

200

Agility

400

Magic

350

Magic Resistance

350

Skills

Transmutation

Mineral Appraisal

Precision Transmutation

Mineral Enquiry

Magic Manipulation

Iron Stomach

Lightning Clad

Divine Step

Air Walk

Flicker

Language Comprehension

It seems his status goes up when he eats a demon. He noticed that repeatedly eating the same type of demon has a severe diminishing return on the improvements, and eating new type of demons greatly increased his stats.

Hajime wanted to test out "Divine Step." First, he had to picture an image of the skill, the steps the rabbit made. The focal point was speed; speed so fast that only a blur was seen. He had to guess what [Flicker] did. Hajime remembered that on earth it was known as a famous high-speed movement skill.

An image of the ground exploding from the force of his movement was what he pictured. Magic was gathered instantly to his feet. His step caused a depression on the ground and he vanished. The next time he knew he dived face first into a wall.

"Ouch! C-Controlling this is hard."

Still, it was a success. If he kept practicing he should be able to move like the rabbit. With his firearm, this would make a powerful combination.

Next was [Air Walk]. This move wasn't easily activated. Just knowing the name wasn't enough to perform the skill. While trying stuff out, he remembered when the rabbit made a scaffold out of thin air. Immediately, Hajime started to imagine a transparent shield in the air. He leapt at it to test it.

His face dove straight into the ground.

"Guu!?"

Both his hands went up to hold his face as he trashed on the ground. Writhing in pain, he took a sip of the sacred water to reduce the pain.

"Well, at least I did it…"

The reason he dived into the ground was because when he jump his lower body met the scaffold. What is important is the reason for his stumble. It seems like [Air Walk] was a Special Magic that allowed him to make transparent platforms in the air.

It was great to get two Special Magic in one go; these skills that were derived from "Divine Step." With this feeling he started to train. His goal was the bear. Hajime would probably be able to defeat it with long distance shooting but he trained just in case. There was the possibility that an even stronger demon could appear. An optimistic person is a dead person in this labyrinth. Once he defeated the bear, he had to search for a way out of here.

Hajime psyched himself up.

* * *

In the labyrinth passage, there was a shadow moving so fast that the only a blurry figure was seen.

The figure was Hajime. Hajime had mastered all of "Divine Step." He quick stepped around the passage. Using his Air Walk he created platforms to traverse on and repeated his high speed movement; as he searched for his nemesis. Usually a person would prioritizes escaping this area but no matter what Hajime wanted to kill that bear. His heart broke once, he couldn't help but want to fight the monster that caused it.

"Guru-ua!"

When he encountered a pack of wolves; one of them leapt at him. Using a wire he carefully fired off Donner, which was fixed to his right thigh, while he somersaulted in the air.

Bang!

A bullet being propelled by the explosion of the powdered Combustion Stone and electromagnetic force struck true at its first target. The wolf's head was crushed instantly. Using "Air Walk" he further in the air. He continuously discharged his firearm towards the jumping wolf. All the targets were not hit, but somehow all of his enemies perished before he emptied his chambers.

Hajime placed Donner between his left armpit, and quickly reloaded. He continued on his mission without glancing back at the wolves' corpses.

After killing wolves and rabbits for a bit; he finally found his target.

The bear was currently enjoying a meal. Its meal looked like one of those rabbits. When he confirmed it was his arch-nemesis, Hajime laughed fearlessly and advanced towards it.

The bear was the strongest monster on this level; you can even call it a Lord. There were many wolves and rabbits on this level, but there was only one bear. On this level the bear was invincible. All of the demons here payed extra attention to avoid it. A full retreat was in order if they ever encountered him; not even one thought of resistance. No one would voluntarily face it.

However, that was exactly was happening in front of its face.

"Yo, Bear. Long time no see. Was my arm delicious?"

The beast narrowed its sharp eyes. What kind of creature was in front of it? Why is it not showing its back? Why did it not freeze in fear or had despair in its eyes? For the situation to not carry out like usually, all the bear could do was be perplexed.

"It's a revenge match. I'll make you understand that I am an enemy, not a prey."

Hajime extracted Donner and pointed the muzzle at the bear. While in that pose, he questioned himself in his mind. Scared? No. His eyes do not fall into despair; his body did not shake in fear. There is only the earnest desire to survive and rid his adversary.

Hajime's lips raise and change into a fearless smile.

"I'm going to kill you then devour you."

At that declaration, he discharged Donner. Bang! An explosive noise echoed and a bullet made of Tauru ore sped towards the bear at over Mach 9.

"Gu-uu!"

The bear instantly threw its body on the ground to avoid the shot. It avoided the bullet it could not see; the evasive action was earlier than the discharge. Most likely it anticipated the shot from the bloodlust coming off Hajime. As expected of the Lord of this level. For something over 2 m tall, it had a startling reaction speed. It was not able to fully avoided injury, and a part of its shoulder was gouged out; spraying blood onto its white fur.

Anger dwelled in the bear's eyes. He had finally acknowledged Hajime as an enemy.

"Gaaa!"

Roaring, it rushed forward with tremendous speed. Seeing the figure of a 2 m tall beast with spread out stout arms, was a very imposing image.

"Haha! That's it! I'm your enemy! Not some prey you can hunt!"

While taking in the frightful pressure from the bear, Hajime did not break his smile. Here was the turning point. Thoughts of his left arm and broken heart racked his brain. The cause of his apostasy was going down. A ceremony needed to move towards the future. If he didn't, his heart would not compromise; this he believed in.

The bear comes rushing back. Donner is fired. A supersonic bullet drove towards the area in between the bear's eyebrows, but somehow the charging bear was able to avoid it. How did he have such a reaction for such a massive figure?

When the bear had entered its strike range, it brandished its claws. The Special Magic it had was activated, and its three claws seemed to distort. In Hajime's mind, the memory of the bisected rabbit that tried to dodge that move; played in his mind. Instead of dodging at the last moment, he choose to back step in full force.

In a grand style, the bear's claws passed the area Hajime left. The claws did not touch the ground at all; three groves were engraved into the ground.

The bear gave an irritated roar at missing his target. Clang-clang, something rolled close to the bear. A dark green ball-shaped object about 5 cm in diameter caught the bears attention as it laid at its feet. The moment the bear was able to study it, the object emitted an intense light.

Hajime had made this flash grenade. The principle is simple. Fill a Green Light Stone's magic to the brim. Coat the stone's surface so the light does not escape. Powdered Combustion Stone is compressed into the center of the flash grenade. A line of Combustion Stone powder is used as a fuse; it leads to the hole into the center compartment. Using "Lightning Clad", Hajime lights the outside powder that will fire up the compressed center. When the ignition reaches the center, we get the explosion. The moment it breaks, the stone will release all the light it had hoarded. Hajime had created the fuse to last 3 seconds. There were a lot of problems, but it was a gem of pride for Hajime.

The bear had never encountered such a weapon, so it was completely blinded for a moment when it stared right at it. While flourishing his arm in chaos, it struggled to roar. Not being able to see anything caused it to panic.

Hajime was not going to let this chance go. Donner was once again fired. The bullet that was electromagnetically accelerated hit the left shoulder of the bear, and blew it away from the base.

"Guru-uaaa!"

A terrified scream originated from the bear when it suffered a never known sensation in its pain free life. Abundant amount of blood started to flow from the wound. The left arm that was blown off was twirling in the arm, and fell on the ground with a thud.

"Wow, what a coincidence…"

That was not his intended aim. Hajime was still not an expert marksman. He had fought with many enemies that just rushed forward. Unless you had full knowledge of its movement, it was very difficult to fire a pinpoint shot. So the bullet taking the left arm was totally not planned.

Hajime continued to fire at the rampaging bear that had not recovered. Even though the bear was confused, it instinctively reacted to the bloodlust that came with the shot; it jumped to the side to avoid it. Using his "Flicker", Hajime landed near the bear's fallen arm. To the slightly recovered bear, he lifted the left arm to show it off.

A bit slowly, using his strengthened jaw from consuming demon flesh; he tore into the bear flesh. He was reproducing the nightmare that the bear showed him.

"Chew… Chew… As always, it sucks. How is it better than the other though?"

While he said it, Hajime crouches down while being vigilant of the bear. Bear did not move. There was no fear in its eyes. Still, it couldn't move carelessly because of its recovering eyesight and the show he just saw.

At that intermission, he continued his meal. Then came the incident. The intense pain he felt the first time he ate demon flesh returned.

"Tsu!?"

Hurriedly, Hajime tried to take the sacred water. Though it wasn't as fierce as that time, he could not fully stand; he fell to one knee and his face distorted from the pain. Because the bear had so much more power than the wolf and rabbit; it was going to cause the pain.

The bear did not care about his situation. When it saw the chance, it started to charge again. Hajime did not move from his crouch. At this rate he would be trampled. When it seemed like it would be a reproduction of their first meeting; Hajime's lips split into a grin.

He put Donner back in its holster, and pressed the ground with his right hand. His hand became clad with lightning. A maximum powered "Lightning Clad" traversed the liquid on the ground. When the bear stepped into the area, the power ruthlessly assaulted him.

The liquid on the ground was the bear's blood. A sea of blood scattered like fountains. Hajime picked up the bear's bleeding left arm, and scattered the blood to the winds. He connected the surrounding blood puddles with his. Eating in battle and showing off was not something he did. Although he did not factor in the possibility of pain from consuming the flesh. Hajime had already intended to lay a trap for it. He wanted to eat the arm to anger the bear enough to get it to rush straight at him. The plan went a little haywired, but the results were alright.

When the bear stepped into the sea of blood, the strong electric current and voltage violated its body. Nerve to nerve it ravished; grilled the muscles. Even at full power, Hajime's Special Magic fall short of the original. He couldn't launch his lightning and also his output was halved. At this moment, it was enough to temporarily paralyze. It wouldn't be weird if this spell had enough power to vaporize a human.

"Rugu-uuuu!"

The bear fell down with a thud into a puddle of its own blood. Its eyes were still bright and glaring at Hajime.

Hajime just returned the glare. Slowly he stood up while enduring the pain. Unholstering Donner, he placed the muzzle on the bear's head.

"Become my chow."

After he said his words, he pulled the trigger. The bullet faithfully executed its master's will; it pulverized the bear's head.

The gunshot ripped an echo through the labyrinth. Not for a moment did the bear takes its eyes off Hajime, not even till the end. Neither did Hajime.

There was no exhilarating feeling like he imagined, but he didn't feel empty either. He just did what he had to. In order to live, in order to earn the right to survive in this area.

Hajime closed his eyes, and faced his own heart. He determined he would live this way. Fighting was not something he liked. Pain was not his ideal companion. Starving was on the last of his to do list. Live, was what he wanted to do. He crushed unreasonableness, like he would to his enemies. All in order to survive.

He will live that way…And…Return home.

"Yeah, I want to return. Other things did not matter. I'll find my own way home. I will fulfill my wish. Anyone that gets in my way, no matter the being…"

Hajime opened his eyes and broke into a fearless laugh.

" KILL"

* * *

Name

Nagumo Hajime

Age

17 Years Old

Gender

Male

Level

17

Class

Transmutation Artist (Synergist)

Strength

300

Vitality

400

Resistance

300

Agility

450

Magic

400

Magic Resistance

400

Skills

Transmutation

Mineral Appraisal

Precision Transmutation

Mineral Enquiry

Mineral Separation

Mineral Fusion

Magic Manipulation

Iron Stomach

Lightning Clad

Divine Step

Air Walk

Flicker

Air Claws

Language Comprehension

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ARIFURETA SHOKUGYOU DE SEKAI SAIKYOU (WN)

V2 C2

Chapter 2 : Despair and Decisions (Classmate Side 1)



A little back in time.

Hairihi Royal Palace, in a room given to the summoned, Yaegashi Shizuku was staring at her best friend sleep in the dark.

5 days have passed since they had a taste of battle and loss in the Dungeon. When they exited the Dungeon, they stayed overnight at Horald. The party came back to the capital on a high-speed carriage early in the morning. There was no one in the mood to continue the combat exercises in the Dungeon. Incompetence was the cause of death for a brave man. Both the king and church would need to hear the report. They were not allowed to break in this place. Before something worse happened, they needed to care for the party of heroes.

Shizuku remembered when they returned to the kingdom. She wanted to wake Kaori up in the morning, so she went to sleep early. When they returned the news of Hajime death was reported. Everyone was astonished, but they breathed a sigh of relief when it was the "useless" Hajime that passed. Even the king and Ishtar was the same. There wasn't any of the strong heroes to die in the Dungeon. If they could not return alive from just exploring the dungeon, how would they fight the Devils? The chosen heroes of God must be unrivaled.

The king and Ishtar had discretion. There had been among them that had slandered and abused Hajime. It was not spoken to the public, but it was a talked about in secret in the noble society. They thought it was good that the incompetent one died. An apostle of God that was useless; naturally they would die. Now they were speaking ill as one pleased. Shizuku really wanted to go berserk and kill those people many times.

Kouki and his strong sense of justice did not stand up against such mistreatment; she thought something was weird. Did he think that if he protested against the king and church, it would leave a bad impression. People who cursed Hajime seemed to be penalized…rumors were spread that Kouki was an anxious brave hero who pondered his incompetence. Hajime's reputation was not going to change just because a few people said so.

At that time, it was undeniable who saved them. Hajime was the one that kept the Behemoth in check to allow them to escape. To think that he died because of a stray shot from a classmate…though that is what he said.

She did not talk her classmates about her thoughts of the attempted friendly fire at that time. They should have a grasp of their magic, when she tried to approach the suspect it unmentionable because of the countless magic casted at that time. Because it would prove he was a murderer.

To escape reality, she wondered what Hajime did to cause such a thing. Dead man tell no tales. Rather than look for the culprit recklessly, if she left it alone than it would be done. The classmates opinion was in harmony and they did not communicate it.

To clarify the details at the time, Meld thought it was necessary to interview the students. Just like the students he choose to escape from reality, even if it was hard to regard as a mistake. Even if it was negligence he carried it out for the benefit of the students. To leave such a thing unsettled would only bring trouble later on. Above all, Meld wanted to make clear. Meld failed his promise to save Hajime and his heart ached at that.

Meld action did not come true. Ishtar had banned any scrutiny of the students. Meld clung to it, but even the king forbid it.

"If you knew, you will get angry."

Kaori had not woken up since that day. There was no abnormalities discovered by the doctor's diagnosis. The body, probably because of mental shock, went into a deep sleep as a defense mechanism. Time will pass normally if they sobered up.

Shizuku held Kaori's hands. She prayed to not let her best friend hurt anymore.

Kaori's hand twitched at that.

"Kaori! Can you hear me!? Kaori!"

Shizuku desperately called out. Kaori's closed eyelids started to shiver. Further, Shizuku called out for her friend. In response to that call Kaori gripped her friend's hand, then she slowly awoke.

"Kaori!"

"…Shizuku-chan?"

Learning on the bed, Kaori saw Shizuku overlooking her with tears in her eyes. Kaori just blindly looked over her surrounding. Shizuku looked at her and waited until Kaori gathered herself more before calling her.

"Yeah, its me. Kaori. how is your body? No discomfort?"

"I'm fine. Just weary because I was sleeping…"

"Well, you have been sleeping for 5 days…"

Shizuku forced a smile and tried to assist Kaori in standing up, who was trying to ask Shizuku how much she slept. Kaori reacted at that.

"5 days? Why…I…I went to the Dungeon…and then…"

Her eyes gradually came into focus. Shizuku tried to change the topic when she had a bad feeling. However, Kaori recalled her memories too fast.

"And then…Nagumo-kun…"

"…That is."

Shizuku's face morphed into a painful expression when wondering what she should tell her. Kaori realized the tragedy in her memories when she saw the state Shizuku was in. However, it wasn't easy for her to accept such a reality.

"…Lies. Isn't it? Shizuku-chan. When I fainted, you guys saved Nagumo-kun, right? Right? Isn't it? This is the castle room. Everyone came back, right? I wonder if Nagumo-kun is training. In the training center. I'll head over for a moment. I have to thank Nagumo-kun. Say something, Shizuku-chan…"

Kaori who wanted to escape from the harsh reality spun her words over and over again; while she mention about searching for Hajime. Shizuku caught her arm and didn't let go. She had a sorrowful expression, but still she stared at Kaori.

"…Kaori, you understand, right?…He's not here."

"Stop…"

"Kaori, remember."

"Please, stop…"

"He, Nagumo-kun…"

"No, stop…please, stop!"

"Kaori! He's dead!"

"Wrong! He can't die! He absolutely can't have! How can you say such a horrible thing? Even if it's Shizuku-chan, I will not forgive!"

Kaori shaked her and started to escape from Shizuku's grasp. Shizuku did not let her go and embraced her. She was trying to nurse Kaori through her hug.

"Let me go! Let me go! If I don't search for Nagumo-kun! I beg you…he is absolutely alive..let me go~"

Kaori dropped her face into Shizuku's chest while shouting "Let me go!" and sobbed. Clinging to each other, she started to shout louder. Shizuku just continued to hug her. Hoping it would soften just a little of her pain.

How long did they stay like that? The sky was dyed red by the setting sun. Kaori was motionless in Shizuku's arms while she sniffed. Shizuku asked in worry.

"Kaori…"

"…Shizuku-chan…Nagumo-kun…He fell…He isn't here…"

Kaori whispered in a voice so quiet it sounded like it would disappear. Shizuku did not want to sugar coat it, it would only be a temporary comfort. The lie could come back and hurt more than it was softened. She did not want to see her friend in pain.

"That's right.

"That time, whose magic hit Nagumo-kun? Who?

"I don't know. No one wants to mention that moment. Its scary. What if it was me…"

"That so."

"Do you have a grudge?"

"…I'm not sure. If someone knew…I will surely blame them. But…no one knows…I think this is better. For sure, I wouldn't be able to stand it…"

"I see…"

Kaori looked downcast as she talks. She wiped her face and eyes and faced Shizuku, and declared resolutely.

"Shizuku-chan. I, I don't believe it. Nagumo-kun is alive. I don't believe he is dead."

"Kaori, that is…"

Shizuku had another sorrowful expression trying to persuade Kaori. Kaori clasped Shizuku's cheeks with both hands, and said with a smile.

"I now. I know its weird to think that someone could survive that. …But its not like we checked. The possibility is less than 1%. If we did not check, its not 0%. I'm going to believe."

"Kaori…"

"I'll become stronger. I'll become strong enough to prevent an event like that from happening. I will make sure with my own eyes. Nagumo-kun's fate…Shizuku-chan."

"What?"

"Please help me."

"…"

They both stared at each other. Kaori's eyes did not show any signs of insanity. She will not give up until she genuinely find out. This kind of Kaori will not be moved. Kaori is known for being stubborn when she gets going.

Usually, you wouldn't take what Kaori said seriously and let it go. Believing that someone could a fall into that abyss was just crazy. Everyone would try to correct her. That's why…

"Of course, I'll agree. Until you are satisfied I'll tag along."

"Shizuku-chan!"

Kaori hugged and thanked her. Shizuku said "No need more thanks. What are friends for?" The title of Samurai Girl wasn't just for show.

At that time the door opened.

"Shizuku! Kaori woke up…"

"Oh, How are you, Kaori?"

It was Kouki and Ryutaro. They had come to check on her. Training had just finished and they choose to come here afterwards. From "that" day, they concentrated even more in training. Wonder what they thought of Hajime's death. They reluctantly withdrew and wanted revenge. Hajime was the one that saved them from a crisis. Never will they be that useless again.

Two more people entered that caused them to stiffen. Shizuku was doubtful.

"You guys, how did…"

"S-Sorry."

"W-We got in the way."

They quickly left the room and didn't answer her question. She finally became aware of what they saw. Kaor was staring at them blankly. Shizuku noticed the cause.

Currently, Kaori sat on Shizuku's knee, while she had both hands on her cheeks. It looked like they were about to kiss. Shizuku was supporting Kaori but it looked like she was embracing her.

This scene looked like a Yuri scene and it was splendidly done. If this was the manga world there would be flowers blooming in the background.

Shizuku sighed deeply. She couldn't bare the situation so she yelled.

"Hurry up and get back here! You freaking fools!

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ARIFURETA SHOKUGYOU DE SEKAI SAIKYOU (WN)

V2 C3

Chapter 3 : Path of Escape



"Damn it, there is nothing…"

Three days after killing the bear. Hajime has been searching for an escape to the upper levels. He had already searched about 80% of the level. After eating the bear, his status had risen. There were no longer any wonders here, he had vastly explored the area with a quick pace. However, nothing was found even though he searched so much.

No, saying he didn't find anything was misleading. Hajime had found stairs two day ago; that led downwards into the higher number floor. A floor should always have a stair that led up towards the surface but this one did not have one it seemed.

Why not make a road to the upper level? This method was ignored after already trying it. Within a certain range, his transmutation did not work on the walls. While on the floor he could freely transmute, the very top and bottom of the floor had some kind of protection. This "Orcus Dungeon" was created during ancient times and it was full of mysteries. When he encountered anything new, it wasn't that unexpected.

That is why he was looking for a way up, but he had to make a decision if he did not find it. To venture further down this Dungeon or not.

"…Dead end? At this point I searched all the branchings. I wonder what happened."

Hajime decided to stop looking for a way up and breathed out a deep sigh at that decision. He proceeded to advance towards the room that contained the stairs leading deeper into the Dungeon.

The stairs looked like it was sloppily made. It would have been more correct to call it an uneven slope, rather than stairs. He looked ahead to the stairs and noticed that it exudes a creepy atmosphere; with its complete darkness where no Green Light Stone was present. Like a mouth of a huge monster swallowing him up. Hajime felt that once he went in, there was no coming out.

"Ha! Bring it on! Anything getting in my way, I'll kill and devour."

While thinking about such an idea, Hajime laughed through his nose and smiled. He stepped towards the darkness with no hesitation.

The level was very dark. Although that was expected for an underground dungeon, but all the previous levels he visited had Green Light Stones in them. It wasn't like he was devoid of all vision. This level really did not have any light source. Hajime choose to rest for a bit to allow his eyes to get used to the darkness. He was expecting to see a little more, but there was no difference. He decided to take out his Green Stone lamp from his improvised back, that was connected to a wire made of out of the bears fur.

It was suicidal to have a light in this darkness if a monster was attracted to it. However, he couldn't continue if he couldn't see. Hajime did not want to occupy his only hand to hold this lamp, so he fastened it to his left elbow.

He had a feeling that something was shining in the depths of the passage when he walked for a while. That got him to raise his caution to the max. Advancing while hiding as much as possible, he left an unpleasant sign on his left side. He pointed the lamp at that direction. A gray liard approximately 2m in length was sticking on the wall, glaring at Hajime with golden eyes.

The golden eyes were charged with light. In that moment,

"Tsu!?"

Hajime left arm started to give of a strange sound and noticed it was getting petrified. Instantly the lamp that was fastened to his arm was soon petrified completely, and shattered into a million pieces. With the light source lost, darkness ruled the area again. The petrification on his left side was already reaching his shoulder.

Hajime clicked his tongue while he took out some sacred water from his chest holster; which was made from demon fur and wire. As expected, the petrification halted and eventually his left arm returned to normal.

It sure had done it! He cursed inwardly, and took out a flash grenade from his waist pouch. Hajime threw it towards the gold eyed lizard. At the same time, gold eyes started to simmer again in the darkness. Hajime left the area by using "Flicker", and did not see the gaze. The rock that was behind where Hajime used to be, changed color. Soon the rock crumbled as it weathered. Wicked Eyes of Petrification, was what Hajime linked with the golden eyes. This lizard was like a basilisk often seen in a RPG.

Hajime closed his eyes while he took out Donner and brandished it.

Bang! The surrounding was bathed in intense light as the flash grenade went off.

"Ku-ua!"

For an entity that matured in the darkness, this was the first time it had experienced that much light, and it confused it. The figure of that confused basilisk emerged from the darkness. Hajime fired without a thought. He aimed well and soon the bullet found its target in the basilisk's skull. Brain matter splashed against the wall as the head was blown to pieces. The bullet continued through the head into the wall, and burning rocks could be heard. Since electromagnetic force was used to accelerate the bullet, the places it hit emit a high temperature. It was so intense a heat that, right now, only the Tauru ore could handle it.

Hajime approached the basilisk while he stayed vigilant to his surroundings. Promptly he cleaved the meat off of the corpse and left the area. He did not feel safe eating in an area with so little visibility. Hajime decided to push forward and continue his search for the time being.

He had searched for many hours but he could not find the stairs. A lot of ores were collected and demons killed during this time. Since it was so inconvenient to carry all this, he made a base for himself.

When he found a suitable place, he used his transmutation to create the space. He was able to make his base without any problems. Hajime continued transmuting until he had a 6 tatami sized room. Without forgetting, he placed a pale basketball sized ore in the hollow recess of the wall. This ore was God's Crystal. Underneath the ore was placed a contained to catch the dripping water.

Hajime had started to call the crystal "Potion Stone" and the sacred water as "Potion." It really was like the games equivalent, but its effects were much stronger.

"Well, let's have a meal."

Hajime retrieved the meat out of his backpack. He used his lightning powers to cook them. Today's menu was the basilisk meat, an owl that could fire its feathers like a shotgun, and a six legged cat. No seasoning.

"Itadakimasu."

After a moment of eating, pain started to well in his body. The body was being strengthened. It seemed that these monsters were stronger than the bear. It was certainly true that the environment and darkness made it troublesome. Hajime did not really feel that since Donner could blow any of them away.

Drinking the "Potion", he continued to eat while ignoring the pain. His phantom limb pain had returned and it was getting stronger.

"Chomp, Fuu–. Gochisousama. Now then, Status…"

He took out his Status Plate as he said that. Hajime's current state was…

Name

Nagumo Hajime

Age

17 Years Old

Gender

Male

Level

23

Class

Transmutation Artist (Synergist)

Strength

450

Vitality

550

Resistance

350

Agility

550

Magic

500

Magic Resistance

500

Skills

Transmutation

Mineral Appraisal

Precision Transmutation

Mineral Enquiry

Mineral Separation

Mineral Fusion

Magic Manipulation

Iron Stomach

Lightning Clad

Divine Step

Air Walk

Flicker

Air Claws

Night Vision

Perception

Petrification Resistance

Language Comprehension

His stats had risen just like expected. He also had acquired three new skills. That was when he noticed that he could see the surrounding more clearly. This seem to be attributed to "Night Vision." The dungeon had a gloomy disposition, and on this level it was an advantage. The rest were passive skills. Regrettably, the skill he got from basilisk was "Resistasnce" and not the actual "Petrification" skill. The Wicked Eyes of Petrification! He was disappointed he missed out on such a cool skill.

Hajime started to transmute in order to replenish his consumables. Just to make one bullet, he needed a lot of concentration. The process needed ultimate precision. It needed to fit perfectly into Donner's firing ring. How much propellent needed was carefully compressed and measured. One single bullet would take 30 minutes to make, and he thought he was pretty good at the process already. He admired himself for being able to display such tremendous power in his time of life and death.

His power was frightening but it needed a lot of time and effort to use. He wasn't dispirited because he could practice his transmutation while making it. Thanks to all this bullet-making, he was able to remove impurities and separate minerals easily; fusion of minerals were easier too. The only comparison to Hajime's transmutation skill was the head crafter in the Kingdom.

Hajime continued his transmuting in silence. He had still not advanced down a level. There was no idea where this abyss would lead to. When the transmuting was done, he planned to continue with his search. Returning home as soon as possible was his mission. Hajime made an expression as he declared that mission to himself. In that dark abyss with the pale light from the "Potion Stone", a resolute face could be seen.

Except for the times he needed to replenish his supplies at base; Hajime continued his exploration. It was not known when he rested as he searched through the huge labyrinth. The darkness no longer mattered with his "Night Vision", and he was able to sense any being in a 10 m around him because of the "Perception" skill. With these skills, he was able to speed up his search.

Finally, he had found the stairs. He took the stairs down without any hesitation.

On this level, the ground seemed to be some kind of sticky quagmire. It was extremely hard to move his stuck feet. Frowning, he created platforms to walk on with his "Air Walk" and continued his search.

Hajime advanced while checking the surrounding minerals with his "Mineral Perception" skill. He found one interesting mineral during his investigation.

[Quick note, you can see that he does not have this skill listed in his status. The actual skill name in kanji does not show up in the page either. So, this means one of three things. The author forgot to include the skill or its a collaboration of "Perception" and "Mineral Enquiry". The last possibility is that he misspelled the skill.]

Fulham Ore

Black shiny ore. When melted it becomes tar-like. Melting point at 50°C. In its tar form, ignition point at 100°C. Heat from ignition can reach 3000°C. Burning time is dependent on amount of tar.

"…No way."

Hajime drew a stiff smile and rose his foot up slowly. He stepped on the tar-like liquid on the floor a few times, and it dripped from his boots. This tar-like liquid covered this whole level floor and its what made it seem like a quagmire.

"I-I can't use my gun…"

Although he didn't believe his gun could produce 100°C in heat, he did not want to chance the chain ignition of 3000°C on this whole level. Even with the "Potion", he wasn't sure he would survive.

"I can't use my railgun or "Lightning Clad"."

Donner was a powerful weapon. Even without the electromagnetic force, it produced enough power from the Combustion ore. At least when considering normal demons. For example, against Traum Soldiers it would be enough for this weakened Donner to deal with. It may even deal some damage to a Behemoth. Demons in this abyss are a total different story. The monsters in the higher number floor were just animals. Can he really defeat the demons on this floor with only his handicapped Donner?

When that uneasy thought went through his mind, the corner of his lips angled up.

"That's fine, it doesn't change what I need to do. Just kill and eat."

Hajime continued his exploration after sealing his "railgun" and "Lightning Clad".

A three-way intersection came into view after traveling for a bit. He stepped towards the left passage to check the nearby walls.

At that moment,

Clash!

"Tsu!?"

A shark-like demon jumped out from the tar; displaying its huge mouth lined with sharp teeth. It closed the gaping jaw at Hajime's head. Promptly, Hajime bent over and dodged the jaws, but it left him shuddering.

("Perception" didn't pick it up!)

Ever since he got the skill, Hajime had been constantly been using it. The skill should be able to pick up any monster within 10m of him. However, he was unable to sense that shark at all.

With a kerplunk the shark had returned into the tar, and Hajime could not sense it again.

(Shit! I really can't sense him!)

Hajime grinded his teeth at this incomprehensible state of affairs. He stopped to quickly use his "Air Walk" skill.

As if aiming for that timing, the shark jumped out again.

"Don't underestimate me!"

Hajime fired at the shark that was midair when he jumped and somersaulted. Air is torn apart as the bullet was shot from Donner, but it wasn't enough to eat through the enemy. The shot was exquisitely time and hit the shark in the back.

However,

"Crap! Is this how its going to be?"

The bullet was like rubber to the shark, and it only dented the scales as it was repelled. Its scales seemed to be able to mitigate physical impacts.

"Gu!"

Using the momentum it had, it jumped into the tar. The shark inverted itself marvelously and aimed at the area Hajime would land after his somersault. Hajime was able to dodge somehow by twisting his body, but the shark got a small part of his flank. With a shock, Hajime tell into the tar. He quickly stood up and jumped into the air; with his whole body dyed black by the tar. The shark emerged from below Hajime's previous spot and smashed its jaws together.

Hajime developed a cold sweat as he was jumping through the air with "Air Walk". Even if he was being cornered, his face was still smiling.

"Bring it on!"

He never stopped moving as he used "Air Walk"; he was looking for a chance to attack. Showing the concentration that was forged by training his transmutation. As his concentration rose, he tuned out all other unnecessary thoughts and surroundings. Even if "Perception" couldn't sense it, that was no problem. Originally he did not even have that skill. The shark will definitely show up when it attacks.

Hajime continued jumping around while concentrating. Abruptly one of his steps broke his balance. The shark did not overlook this chance, and pounced from behind in Hajime's blind spot.

"Simplicity, helps."

Immediately, Hajime rebuilt his broken balance. With the shark perched up in the air as it attacked. Hajime took out Donner with his right hand.

Blood splashed to the floor as the shark's flank was torn and falls on the tar. The shark struggled as it splashed in the tar.

Hajime had purposely shown a weakness to lure the shark in, so he could time and place his shot. He had not shot Donner regularly; he had infused the magic "Air Claws" into the bullet. The skill he got from the bear.

Approaching the downed shark, Hajime brandished Donner towards its head. With "Air Claws" he bisected the shark's head. Although he couldn't produce three claws like the bear, but its sharpness far surpasses any famous swords of this world. This magic was very useful if they got in proximity.

"So, lets check why I can't sense it."

Hajime licked his lips as he said that.

After carving the shark of its meat and securing it, he continued his exploration till he found stairs.

* * *

Notes:

6 Tatami sized = 2.73m x 3.64m

Sizes of rooms in Japan are often measured in the number of tatami (Straw mats) it can hold. So when you mention a 6 tatami sized room, the room could fit that many on the floor. Tatami sizes vary between different regions of Japan, but Nagoya's standard is about 1.653 square feet.

Itadakimasu = Thanks for the meal (At start of meal).

Gochisousama = Thanks for the meal (After meal).

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ARIFURETA SHOKUGYOU DE SEKAI SAIKYOU (WN)

V2 C4

Chapter 4 : The Sealed Room in the Abyss



Hajime's walkthrough of the Dungeon continues.

Since the tar level, he had advanced 50 levels deeper. Because Hajime did not have a sense of time there, he did not know how much time had passed. But the progress he was making was being done in an astonishing speed.

During that time, he was in a desperate struggle. Countless times he had encountered stronger demons and battled for his life.

For example, one level had a thin poisonous fog covering the whole floor. There was a 2m frog (Rainbow colored) that spit poisoned sputum at him, and a moth that spread scales that caused paralysis. If he didn't drink his "Potion", he would have died just from being on that level.

The iridescent frog's poison was an agent that targeted the nerves and lit it up with pain. His experience with the pain was comparable to the pain from his first taste of demon flesh. He would have died if he didn't consume the "Potion" in his molar. Hajime had placed a small chewable container behind his molars that contained "Potion". He was happy he prepared just in case of emergencies.

Naturally, he had consumed two of them. There was friction when he ate the moth, because of the supercompensation pain, he resolved it by consuming the "Potion". Vexed at the fact that the moth tasted better than the frog.

There was also a floor that looked like a dense forest, how it came to be in an underground labyrinth puzzled Hajime. Hajime thought this was the most unpleasant place so far because its extremely hot temperature and dense humidity. The demons of this level were a huge centipede and sentient trees.

When he was traversing the jungle, a huge centipede suddenly fell from atop the trees. Hajime felt sick at the sight of it, and developed goose bumps on his whole body. Each time a section it was hit, it would separate. Fight one of these centipede was like fighting 30 monsters*. Donner was blazing from use, but there were too many for it to deal with. Reloading was taking too long, so he switched to his "Air Claws". He even started to throw inexperienced kicks because of how desperate he was. After this encounter, Hajime was determined to develop his speed loading and kicks. This was decided while he was washed away the purple fluids from the centipede.

[T/N: *There was a description with this sentence but I did not know how to translate it. The literal translation was a monster like G black kitchen. I thought it was maybe referencing something from monster hunter because of the G, but I did not know what to make of the black kitchen.]

The tree demons were like Treants from RPG games. Its underground roots would thrust out from the ground and vines acted as whips for them. However, the biggest feature of the treants were not these trivial attacks. When they were in a pinch, they would hurl the red fruits that littered their heads. There was not any offensive ability to it, but Hajime though to try it out. He was rigid for a few dozen minutes. It was not a poison. The fruit was insanely delicious. Sweet and fresh the red fruit was comparable to a watermelon. Not an apple.

The unpleasantness he felt on this level was blown away. Every thought vanished from his head temporarily. After many dozen days he had eaten something other than meat. Hajime's eyes were completely of a hunter, his prey were these treants. After he was satisfied he continued his journey, though the treant-like demons almost went extinct.

With that feeling he advanced through 50 levels. There is still no sign of an end. Hajime's current status…

Name

Nagumo Hajime

Age

17 Years Old

Gender

Male

Level

49

Class

Transmutation Artist (Synergist)

Strength

880

Vitality

970

Resistance

860

Agility

1040

Magic

760

Magic Resistance

760

Skills

Transmutation

Mineral Appraisal

Precision Transmutation

Mineral Enquiry

Mineral Separation

Mineral Fusion

Replica Transmutation

Magic Manipulation

Iron Stomach

Lightning Clad

Divine Step

Air Walk

Flicker

Grand Legs

Air Claws

Night Vision

Far Vision

Perception

Magic Perception

Hide Presence

Poison Resist

Paralysis Resist

Petrification Resistance

Language Comprehension

Hajime was inside the base he created for this 50th level. He was stacking up his training for his transmutation, firearm technology, and kicks. Even though he had discovered the next stairs, he did not take them. Because he had discovered a foreign area on this level.

The space around the area was eerie. At the end of this side area was a solemn majestic double door about 3m in height. On the flanks of the doors were two one-eyed giants sculptures enshrined into the walls; only their upper bodies were sculpted it seemed.

Chills ran down his whole body the moment he set foot there. Temporarily he had a dangerous feeling about this. He did not have the intention to avoid this and prepared his equipment. Eventually a "change" appeared. Do not go and check it.

Hajime was feeling expectation and unpleasantness at the same time. If he opened the door, he was sure that a disaster was waiting to meet him. However, a new wind blew into this Dungeon.

"As if it was a Pandora's box…I wonder what aspiration it contained."

His current possessed weapons, martial arts, and skills. One by one he checked and prepared them to make sure they were in perfect condition. When he finished this task, Hajime unholstered Donner. He closed his eyes gently. Already he had decided to be resolute. It wasn't bad to repeat his resolution. Hajime looked into himself and took an oath.

"I am going to survive and return home. To Japan, to home…I'll return. Those who are obstacles are enemies. To enemies…kill!"

Hajime opened his eyes and daring smile graced his face.

Vigilantly, Hajime came to the rooms with the door and advanced. Without incident he arrived at the door. More and more wonderful decorations could be seen on the door as he neared. At the center, two magic formations were drawn in the recesses.

"I don't understand. I've studied a lot, but I have never seen these formulas."

When he was called incompetent, Hajime had laid emphasis on knowledge to make up for his low physical abilities. He didn't finish learning all he could, but it was weird that he had never seen any magical formulas like the ones presented to him.

"Is it an old system?"

While guessing, Hajime examined the door, but he was not able to understand anything new. Because it was very important, he was alert for any traps. Hajime was not going to be able to decipher any of this with his current degree of knowledge.

"Can't be helped. Let's go with the usual transmuting."

He tried to pull and push the door to no avail. As usual, he tried to force a way in with his transmuting. Hajime put his right hand on the door and started to transmute.

However, immediately…

Crackle!

"Uwa!?"

A red electric discharge runs through the door and into Hajime's hand. Smoke bursted out from his hand. Swearing, he quickly swallowed some "Potion". Immediately an accident occurred.

Oooooooooh!!

Suddenly, a deep voice cry echoed throughout the room. Hajime gained some distance from the door by backstepping. He placed his hand on his waist holster to prepare to use Donner at anytime.

The cries continued to echo, and the identity of the voice began to move.

"Well, that was a cliche of a cliche."

While Hajime was muttering and smiling to himself. The sculptures of the two giants that flanked the door started to crumble. Gray skin that was assimilated with the wall soon turned dark green.

The one-eyed giant looked exactly like a fantasy cyclops. A 4m large sword appeared in its hands, though he didn't know where it came from. It turned its eyes towards Hajime and was freeing its buried lower body to eliminate the intruder.

At that moment,

Dopan!

A bullet made of Tauru ore, which was accelerated through a railgun, pierced the cyclops only eye. It stirred around its brain for a bit before it bursted out of its head, and pulverized the back wall. The left cyclops blankly stared at what happened to the dead cyclops. After it was shot, the cyclops body was still convulsing, while it lean forward and fell. The shock created from the impact shook the whole room, and thick dust danced around the room.

"Sorry, I'm not the type of bad guy to sense the mood or wait around."

Exactly like a devil. No, given the carnage Hajime experienced it was just a natural reflex. Still…pity for the cyclops (right).

Probably, it was a guardian for the door that is sealing something. Furthermore it was in a place at the bottom of the abyss, there wasn't many visitors. When it finally answered the call of duty. Maybe it was filled with joy. Without even seeing much of the other party, its head was blown apart. If you can't call this pity, what would you call it?

An expression of horror was on the cyclops' (left) face as it gazed at Hajime. Its eyes seemed like it was conveying "What the heck did this guy do?" Hajime was glaring at the unmoving cyclops. The cyclops did not know what guns were so it stayed vigilant and lowered its waist to prepare to move at any time. Soon a roar escaped from its lips, as the cyclops lost its temper at the unmoving Hajime.

Shortly after, its face dived to the ground.

The moment it stepped forward it lost strength in its leg and fell forward. Confused, the cyclops tried to violently stand up and to move, but he couldn't gather any strength.

Hajime slowly approached the growling cyclops. The steady footsteps were like a countdown. Taking the gun he placed the muzzle onto the cyclops head. Click, the trigger was pulled without hesitation.

Dopan!

A gunshot resounded through the whole room. However, an unexpected event happened. The cyclops body illuminated for just a moment, and in that moment its skin cause the bullet to repel.

"Mu."

Hajime guessed that it used Special Magic. Its inherent magic was increasing its defense significantly.

His mouth contorted at the fallen cyclops that he thought was foolish. Hajime took the muzzle away from the cyclops and drove a kick into its head. "Grand Kick". The kick he delivered was just as beautiful as the kick from the rabbit. It forced the cyclops to face up on its back. Again, the muzzle was pressed against its exposed eye.

Hajime felt like the cyclops was saying "Wait a moment" but he ignored it and pulled the trigger. As expected, the bullet penetrated through its head; guess it wasn't able to strengthen its eye.

"Hmm, Approximately 20 seconds. A little slow…because of the size?"

Hajime watched the cyclops to analyze the experimental result. Why did the cyclops suddenly fell over and was unable to move? Because of the "paralysis grenade". The grenade was made by gathering the scales from the moth and placing it in a grenade. It is then released from the grenade with a small-scale blast; the results could be seen on the cyclops. When the cyclops (left) started at the other cyclops was the time Hajime released his grenade.

"Well, its okay. I'll harvest the meat later…"

Hajime considered glancing at the door. Using "Air Claws", Hajime took the magic stone out of the cyclops body. Without minding the blood, he craved both cyclops for their magic stone and approached the door to compare these fist-sized stones to the two recesses. They were a perfect fit.

Instantly, red magic sprouted from the stone and poured into the magic square. The light settled after a moment and an opening sound could be heard. Simultaneously, the magic speared into the surrounding walls and emitted light; like Hajime had not seen in a long time.

Hajime's eyes twinkled a little, he cautiously and quietly opened the door.

There was not a single source of light behind and door. Darkness spread in the big space the room had. With the help of his "Night Vision" and the new lights, Hajime was able to make out the room little by little. Two columns of pillars lined up all the way into the depths. The room was made from finely crafted marbles and it looked similar to the Church room they were first summoned into. In the center of the room was a huge cube of stone that reflected the incoming light and lustered.

Hajime was staring at the cube, when he noticed that something was growing in the front center of the cube.

Trying to confirm what he saw, Hajime pushed open the door and checked the vicinity. Like a horror film, the door would slam closed when you were in trouble.

However, before Hajime could fix the open door, it moved.

"…Who?"

A husky voice belonging to a frail girl. Hajime stared at the center of the room in surprise. The early "growing" was now moving. With the light finally piercing the darkness, the identity of it was exposed.

"Its…a human?"

The "growing" was a person. Only the face could be seen, every other part was buried in the cube. Long blond hair hung down around the woman, like a ghost from a certain horror film. Pupils of red was peeping from the gaps of hair, just like a low-altitude moon. From her looks, she looked around 12-13 years old. The dangled hair looked haggard, but it still had a beautiful appearance.

Hajime unexpected stiffen, her red eyes was staring at him. Hajime took a deep breath and with a determined expression said:

"I'm sorry. I was wrong."

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ARIFURETA SHOKUGYOU DE SEKAI SAIKYOU (WN)

V2 C5

Chapter 5 : Cheater rather than a Hero



"I'm sorry. I was wrong."

As he said it, Hajime tried to quietly close the door. The blond hair red eyes girl panicked and tried to stop him. Her voice that had not been used for years got blurred into a mutter; though her desperation was conveyed.

"W-Wait! Please! Save me…"

"Nope."

Hajime said that and continued to close the door. Is a devil.

"W-Why? I will do anything."

The girl was desperate. Only the head was seen, but her face was enough to transmit her feelings. Hajime responded in a gloomy manner.

"Hey, this is the bottom of the abyss. I cannot possibly release someone that has been sealed in here. It would be absolutely dangerous. With the exception of the seal, nothing else is here…there isn't anything to help you escape. For that reason…"

His argument was sound. He wasn't a normal person that would respond to the pleading voice of a captured girl and release her without any hesitation. Original-gentle Hajime would have surely helped her.

Being so coldly refused, the desperate girl raised her voice as she was on the edge of tears.

"No! Cough…I'm not bad!…Wait! I'm"

Hajime kept closing the door unaltered. A little time before it was completely closed, Hajime started to grind his teeth. If he had had only closed it faster, he would have heard…

"I was just betrayed."

The closing door that only had a small crack, stopped when the girl's cry reached it. Only a little light got through the crack into the dark room. 10 second, then 20 seconds pass. Finally the door started to open again. Hajime stood at the doorway with a sour face like he had been bitten by 100 bugs and chewed up one.

He did not have any intention to help her. There must have been a suitable reason to be sealed in here. There was no evidence to prove that there wasn't any danger. Being deceived by a wicked being was a highly likely possibility. It was appropriate to forsake her.

"I wonder what I'm doing."

Hajime sighed inwardly. His heart had shaken when she said "betrayed". The past should have been behind him. In this place, trying to fulfill his wish to "live" was extremely difficult. Grudges were unnecessary distraction. If her words could affect him this much, there was probably a part of him that had not moved on. Parts of Hajime's consciences probably still existed if he could sympathize with the girl that had the same circumstance as him.

Hajime scratched his head while he walked up to the girl. Of course, he wouldn't lower his guard.

"You said betrayed? I don't believe that is the reason you were sealed. If what you said was true, why did the betrayer seal you in here?"

The girl was stunned when Hajime came back. Through her abundant dirty blond hair, her red eyes stared at Hajime. Hajime got irritated with her lack of response. "Hey. Are you listening? If you are not going to talk, I'm leaving." As he said that he turned heel. Surprised, she gathered herself and begun telling the reason for her sealing.

"I'm an atavistic vampire…I was granted great power…because of it I worked hard for my country. But…one day…all my retainers…told me I was not needed anymore. Uncle…became my king…I was fine with that…However, I was dangerous because of my powers…they couldn't kill me…so they sealed me…in here."

She talked desperately and bit by bit it became dried. Hajime groaned while he heard the story. Seems like the circumstances was full of drama. There were a few things that bothered her. He inquired as he suppressed his boiling emotions.

"You, what royal family are you from?"

"…(Hypnotized)"

"What do you mean can't be killed?"

"…Automatic regeneration. Injuries heal immediately. Even if decapitated."

"…T-That's amazing…is that your great power?"

"Not just that…Magic, direct manipulation…also don't need formation."

Hajime understood that. Magic manipulation came to him after he ate the demons. Incantations and magical formations were useless to him for strengthening his body. He did not need incantations for his transmutation or other skills. In Hajime's case, it did not changed his dependence on hugh magical formations to use regular magic, because of his zero aptitude. His direct magic manipulation did not help in that regards and this made using regular magic for him impractical. If she had any magical aptitude, she could use some very powerful magic and she would be able of foul play. While other people would be preparing their chants and magical formations, she could just launch a spell at them without them expecting it. Honestly, it wouldn't be a contest. Also, immortality. It probably was not absolute, but it still was a cheat better than a hero.

"…Help me…"

While Hajime was thinking to himself, the girl pleaded with him.

"…"

Hajime motionlessly watched the girl, and she returned it. How long did they stare at each other…He sighed and scratched his head, and put his hand on the cube that sealed the girl.

"Ah."

The girl noticed the meaning and opened her eyes wide. Hajime ignored her reaction as he concentrated on his transmutation.

Crimson colored magic discharged from him. His magic had changed after he ate the demons. However, the cube was resisting Hajime's transmutation. It was exactly like the bedrock at the top and bottom of a level. The cube was not completely immune to it. Little by little, Hajime's magic started to erode areas around the cube.

"Ku, resistance is strong…but, the present me!"

Hajime started to spend more magic. The equivalent to a six phrase incantation. Finally, the magic penetrated the cube's defense. As for the surroundings, it was bathed in crimson light of Hajime's magic.

Hajime needed more magic. He poured 7 phrase…8 phrase…The stone around her seal started to tremble.

"Still more!"

He fired himself up as he poured 9 phrase worth. If it was an attribute magic, it would already be a grand level spell. No, the amount of magic maybe was even more. The crimson light continued to rapidly grow brighter. Vampiress kept her eyes opened as she stared at the brightness and Hajime.

Sweat started to drip from his body, this was Hajime's first time using such a large-scale magic. If his control slipped for just a moment then his power would go on a rampage. Even with all this power the cube did not deform. Hajime was desperate; he had released all his magic.

Hajime did not understand why he would do all this are a girl he just met. He couldn't help it because he didn't want to leave her alone. Already, Hajime had decided to dedicate his life to eliminating all his enemies and getting home but…he asked himself "What are you doing" inwardly. He wanted to treat everything with a clear solution. He became serious.

His body started to emit a red light. Genuinely, he was going to release all his magic. All of his magic was poured into his transmuting to fulfill its goal!

The cube around the girl started to melt and little by little, she was getting being released from her shackles. Soon, more and more parts of her got free. Her swollen chest came to bare, then her waist, arms, and thighs. Under those cubes, she was wearing nothing. Even though her body was emaciated, she still had a mystique beauty to her. She dropped into a childish seat after all her body was set free. Her body seemed to lack the energy to stand up.

Hajime also sat down. His shoulders and breath huffed and puffed. A heavy sense of fatigue hit him when he felt his empty magical reserves. With his wild breath and shivering hands he reached for his "potion", but the girl clenched his hand. A hand that lacked any power; small and trembling. When Hajime glanced at her, she was staring at him. Her face was in an expressionless state, but her eyes told the real story.

With a small and trembling voice, she clearly said.

"…Thank you."

What sentiment was he to give to her thanks? Deep within his supposedly blackened heart, there was a small light that did not disappear.

Holding each others hands tightly. How much time passed? From Hajime's knowledge, vampires died out several hundreds of years ago. He remembered reading about it when he was studying the history of this world.

Even while she talked her expression did not change. In other words, she had long forgotten how to talk and express herself with other people. She had spent a long time in this darkness all by herself. Betrayed by the people she trusted. The girl did well in not going insane. Maybe it was because of her automatic regeneration. However, it could be considered a torture with it. Because it did not allow her to go mad, she had to experience everything and remember it.

Being able to drink the "potion", a wry smile showed on his face afterwards. He returned to grasping her weak hands. She responded back with her own grip.

"…What's your name?"

The girl asked Hajime with a whisper. Hajime finally noticed that they had not introduced themselves.

"Hajime. Nagumo Hajime. Yours?"

She muttered "Hajime" repeatedly. Like she was etching it into her mind as something important. To the asked question, she answered it with a question.

"…Name, grant me."

"Eh? What do you mean grant you? Don't tell me you forgot your name."

Hajime asked her if it was because of the long imprisonment, but she just shakes her head.

"I don't need my previous name anymore. The name Hajime grants me is good."

"…Ha, even if you say that."

Most likely she was dealing with the same thing as when Hajime changed. Throw away your previous self; live a new life with new values. Hajime was changed due to pain, hunger, and hatred. She wanted to change out of her own free will. The first step was to get a new name.

Her eyes was shining with anticipation. Hajime scratched his head while thinking there was no helping it. He told her the new name.

"How is "Yue"? I don't really have a sense for naming, if you want a different one…"

"Yue?…Yue…Yue"

"Ah, I didn't mean Yue [romanji]. From my hometown the name means "Moon". When I first entered the room, I thought those eyes that shined through your blonde hair looked like the moon floating in the night…how is it?"

The girl was surprised by the response he gave and just blinked her eyes. As expected, her face remained expressionless but her eyes shined with joy.

"Yeah, from now on I'm Yue. Thank you."

"Oh, for the time being…"

"!?"

Yue undid their clasped hands and looked at Hajime. He started to take off his overcoat and gave it to her.

"Wear this. You can't stay naked forever."

"…"

Yue reflexively took the offered overcoat while she looked at her state. She was really stark naked. All of her important parts were completely exposed. Hajime's overcoat was quickly wrapped around her, while she turned bright red. Yue looked up at Hajime and murmured.

"Hajime's a pervert."

"…"

Hajime choose to stay silent, because saying anything would just make it worse. The overcoat was cheerfully put on by Yue. She was only 140 cm tall, so the overcoat was oversized for her. Her hands held the hems of the coat with a pleasant expression on her face.

During that moment, Hajime was drinking his "potion". His vitality restored and his brain active again. Using "perception"…he froze. There was a sense of a terrible demon in the immediate area.

The location…right above!

When Hajime had noticed its presence, that was the moment it dropped from the ceiling. With every ounce of effort he picked up Yue and used "Flicker". After executing his movement, he looked back at where he was. A thud came from the area he came from and saw what it was.

The monster's body was 5m in length. It had 4 huge-long-shear-like arms and 8 legs rustling around. A sharp needle was present on its two tails. Scorpions would be the best comparison to them. As for the two tails, it would be wise to assume it is poisonous. Hajime felt that compared to all the other demons he had faced so far, this one was clearly a strong warrior.

Sweat streamed down his forehead. When he had entered the room earlier, his full powered "Perception" did not pick up anything; now it was going crazy. This meant that this scorpion-like demon was released after he released Yue's seal. The last resort to prevent her escape. If he had left Yue by herself, he could most likely escape.

He set his glance to the girl in his arm. She was earnestly watching Hajime, and not minding the scorpion. Her eyes were like a calm water surface; resolving herself. The eyes that conveyed her feelings with eloquence. Yue had entrusted her fate to Hajime.

The moment their eyes met, the corners of his mouth rose, and his usual fearless smile came into being. Hajime, who did not care about others, felt sympathy for Yue. Light stilled remained in his mostly broken heart. For this betrayed girl, he would commit himself. If he couldn't reply to her pleas, he wasn't a man.

"Bring it on! Try to kill me if you can!"

Hajime quickly took his "potion" out from his pouch, he embraced her and fed some of it to Yue; who was perched on his shoulders.

"Umu!"

The sacred water flowed into her body from the test tube-shaped container. Her eyes watered at being force fed an alien substance, but was surprised when her vitality was being restored.

Hajime moved Yue from his shoulder to his back with his hand. Her feet were still weak, but it would recover soon. He did not want to fight while having to protect her.

"Hold on tight! Yue!"

Her body was far from recovered, but she used the power that returned to hold on tight to Hajime's body with her limbs.

The scorpion started to make noise as it advanced towards them. Feeling Yue's grip on his back, he declared with his bold smile.

"If you're going to get in my way…I'm going to kill then devour you!"

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