Chapter 8

"You're alive for some reason, Hikigaya. I suggest you don't waste that."

I'm alive for a reason, huh? What reason is that? I sighed while rubbing my eyes. Nanako's words continued to echo in my mind. I looked up at the holographic-like screen in front of me with determination.

[West Greenland | Recommended Level: 10-20]

[Travel to this location?]

[Yes][No]

Whatever that reason is, it's given me the ability to grow stronger by defeating my enemies. Just what is the system? Why me?

Could I be one of those rare hunters who've gotten a double awakening? No matter how much research I do, it doesn't seem like anyone who has been through a double awakening has experienced this phenomenon. It's safe to say that whatever this is, it's unique to me.

I looked in front of me at the spinning portal that led to the Realm of Chaos. This time, I decided to open the portal on the roof of my apartment building. Unlike average gates, my portals disappeared once I stepped through them. This was a huge relief since I didn't have to worry about anyone else crossing after me.

However, I feel that if I continue to grow stronger using the system, I'll eventually find the answers to those questions. With a deep breath, I stepped through the portal. Like before, a flash of colors passed me by as I walked into the other world.

[Notification: You have entered West Greenland.]

The area around me was lush with thick oak trees that stood high above me. The trees stood so close to one another that the crown of their leaves obstructed my view of the sky, darkening the area around me. Sunlight broke through the small gaps between the leaves, allowing hundreds of god rays to cascade onto the grass floor. Thankfully, this provided me with some much-needed light.

[Notification: Main Quest received: Defeat the Tyrant of the Woods, The Four-Armed Troll | Reward: ?, +2500 XP]

[Notification: Side Quest received: Defeat 20 Woodland Draugr | Reward: Random Armor Item, +1000 XP]

"Equip Iron-Shell Shield." I said while raising my left arm. In a flash of red, an intricate black and silver gauntlet made of the Giga-Gator's shell appeared over my forearm. Clenching my fist, a large black circular shield sprang open. Unclenching my fist, the shield collapsed into itself.

I turned off the armor's incognito mode, allowing my swamp-set armor to appear over me. While the swamp set wouldn't provide me with all the buffs it would have from being within the Swamp Lands, it still gave me a good deal of defense until I crafted some new armor.

Looking around, I focused my perception skill and soon found some mana signatures off towards the western part of the forest. With nothing better to go off from, I decided to head in that direction.

As I walked, I couldn't help but look around at my surroundings in awe. Now that I wasn't in the smelly and humid environment of the Swamp Lands, I could fully appreciate the clean air of this world. It was vastly different from back in Japan. It was free of any pollutants and city smells. It made me wonder what kind of life lived in this world besides magical beasts.

I was jolted out of my thoughts as four growling creatures slid in front of me from behind the cover of the trees. A surprise attack? I held out my hand and summoned my bone-slasher sword from my inventory, holding it defensively in front of me. The creatures moved around to stand in a line, their weapons at the ready.

They were skeletal, while a thin layer of skin and flesh hung onto their bones. The beasts wore old and cracked pieces of armor throughout their bodies. The armor was old and covered in dirt and grass. Underneath their ruined helmets were glowing yellow eyes and chattering teeth. In their hands were various rusty and cracked weapons ranging from swords and battle axes. Over their heads hung yellow-colored titles.

[Woodland Draugr]

The four beasts growled and exploded towards me with their weapons held high. I moved back to create some more distance between us, but one of the Draugrs slid in front of me with surprising speed. The Draugr performed an overhead slash toward my midsection with a low growl. I moved to the right to avoid the strike but had to jerk back to avoid a horizontal slash from one of the Draugr that snuck beside me. I cursed as the beast swung its battle axe towards me. Acting quickly, I ducked down just in time for the wild swing to miss me by mere inches. These things are good fighters!

I activated my collapsible shield and swung it in a wide arc, slamming all the Draugr's back. Rattled, they were knocked away just enough for me to quickly take advantage of the space I created. Flexing my muscles, I swung my weapon at the beast to my left. The Draugr turned to me just in time to watch my attack take off its head from its skeletal body. I grinned victoriously and moved on to my next victim.

[You have defeated: Woodland Draugr]

[+150 XP]

One of the battle axe-wielding Draugrs growled at me and swung down its weapon to cleave me in two. Seeing no time to dodge, I raised my shield and blocked its attack. Resulting in a loud clang to reverberate around us. I clenched my teeth as I felt the surprisingly strong impact rattle my bones. Undeterred, I batted the battle axe aside and charged up my next attack to end him. But before I could release my attack, the Draugr that ran behind me tried to thrust its sword into my back.

Damnit, I was careless! In desperation, I abandoned my attack and quickly raised my shield to parry the beast's thrust. Another loud metallic bang echoed around us, scaring the curious birds and squirrel-like critters away; this also resulted in the Draugr's weapon vibrating out of its hands. Now! I pressed forward and swung my weapon across the air. The Draugr's bisected body slammed onto the ground in a heap.

Two loud, vengeful growls caused me to spin around just in time to see one of the Draugr swing its sword towards me.

Shit!

Out of pure instinct and sheer will to survive, I frantically twisted my body away from the deadly blow.

Swish! I heard the metallic whistle of the blade by my ear as it missed my head by centimeters. I grunted in pain as it sliced into my shoulder instead, resulting in a nasty but shallow cut. The creature's sword cratered the ground as I, fortunately, jumped out of the way from most of the impact of its strike, regaining my footing as I landed a safer distance away with a breathy huff.

I glared angrily at the Draugrs, circling around them. They were skilled and good at fighting together, so I needed to finish this quickly. Gathering my courage and gritting my teeth, I decided to end this with my next attack.

Planting my foot firmly into the ground, I launched myself at them, closing the distance with blinding speed that took them by surprise.

"You bastard!" I yelled at the closest Draugr as I swung my shield into its chest with all my might.

Crack! I heard the nasty sound of its bones snapping from the sheer power of my blow, flinging it towards the remaining Draugr and causing both to fall into a heap. Seeing my chance, I activated my swiftness skill to reach them before they could recover. My sword was swung in a lightning-fast arch, cleaving into their necks mercilessly.

Their heads landed on the ground before their decapitated bodies followed, slumping down like puppets cut from their strings.

With the battle over, I looked back at the defeated, undead corpses with a sigh.

[Side Quest: Defeat 20 Woodland Draugr | 4/20]

These guys are much more challenging than I thought. I said while drinking two freshly crafted HP potions. I walked over to them and saw that I was unable to carve anything from their bodies. It makes sense; these guys are just walking skeletons. Their armor and weapons are too old and damaged to be of any use.

That still didn't make it any less annoying, though.

Turning away with a disappointed click of my tongue, I inspected the area where the beasts sprang out from with suspicion. These things were hiding to launch a surprise attack on whoever or whatever passed by. So, they must have some level of higher thinking. I have to be more cautious. I'm not just fighting lizards anymore.

"This shield is pretty useful." I said with a grin. I looked at the gauntlet around my forearm, thankfully. Were it not for it, I would've most likely come out of that fight with more injuries. "Now then, I have more of these things to take out."

I continued moving through the forest without much issue. As I walked, I collected several different items. The items varied from large and small sticks to various kinds of greenery. After another twenty minutes of uninterrupted travel, I reached the end of the forest.

Rolling plains of grassland and mountains sat in the distance. Scattered trees stood everywhere, offering shade and protection from the sun above. To my right was a cliff where a massive drop-off met the rolling waves of this world's blue sea. What appeared to be a large deer could be seen walking through the plains. Several feet away from them were enormous, slow-moving, sloth-like animals walking on all fours.

I walked out into the plains and saw several large boulders sticking out of the ground. I jumped onto the tallest boulder and scanned the environment. While I was amazed at the fantastical sight, I had to stay focused on the task at hand. They're called Woodland Draugr, but I haven't run into any more of them in the woods. Just where are they?

Hopping down the boulder, I noticed a small trail leading east. With no better option, I headed towards the path and followed it into a different section of the forest. But unlike the previous area I was in, this section gave me an ominous feeling. Almost as if I was being watched.

"Ragh!" Acting on instinct, I raised my shield to block a surprise overhead attack from a Draugr that jumped out from behind a tree. I glared at the beast and readied myself as it rushed me. Using my shield like a battering ram, I slammed the incoming Draugr into one of the trees, successfully pinning it and eliciting a grunt of pain from the beast. From behind my shield, the Draugr tried to reach over in an attempt to try and grab me with its bony hands.

Seeing the flailing limb, I grabbed the Draugr's wrist and dismissed my shield. The beast was unprepared for the over-the-shoulder throw I performed and was slammed onto the ground. The floor cracked under the Draugrs body as it spazzed in pain. I looked at the beast with annoyance and lifted my foot. In one quick move, I slammed my boot into the Draugrs skull. Crushing it.

[You have leveled up!]

I glared at the creature underneath my boot and looked up at the several growls and moans up ahead. Several more Draugr and even zombies began to emerge from behind several trees. Their sickly yellow eyes glowed as they began to march towards me.

Leveling a glare at the slowly approaching beasts, I summoned my bone sword and shield. Not waiting for my opponents to strike first, I ran forward with my weapon held high.

I swung my sword and cleaved one of the zombie's bodies in two. From there, I spun around and bashed my shield into the chest of one of the incoming Draugr, stunning it. Raising my leg beside me, I delivered a devastating sidekick that sent the stunned Draugr flopping back into a tree. The tree shook, causing leaves and branches to fall onto the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a battle axe fly towards my head. Falling onto one knee, I avoided the attack and reared back my weapon. The battle axe-wielding Draugr fell in a heap as I sliced off its legs in one fell swoop. Twisting my body, I used my shield to remove its head with a downward thrust that split the ground beneath.

Standing to my feet, I looked around and saw my remaining enemies watching me with wariness. Oddly enough, their caution and fear towards me filled me with glee. I dismissed the weird thought and activated the swiftness skill. I moved in and out from each of the beasts and took them down one by one. The zombies themselves were much weaker than the Draugrs and possessed no weapons. Making them nothing but canon fodder for my ever-growing power. In the span of a single minute, I managed to take down several zombies. Despite my kill count, the amount of XP I earned from them was minimal. How irritating.

Leaning slightly back, I watched a rusted sword imbed itself into the side of one of the trees beside me. The Draugr that had tried to slice me in two was attempting to pull its stuck sword out of the tree, but before it could, I swung my weapon and removed its arms from its body. The magical beast stumbled back from the sudden loss of leverage. I moved forward and swung my weapon cleanly down its body, splitting the Draugr in half.

[You have leveled up!]

Looking around quickly, I saw that there were no more remaining enemies. As I calmed my breathing, I noticed that the zombie's corpses began to decompose into the ground quickly. Their skin, rotted flesh, and bones all became part of the dirt within the span of seconds. I guess carving them is also out.

I sighed. This was going to be a long day…

x x x

Deep inside the southern section of the West Greenland area. A small lavender-colored creature was bouncing back and forth through the forest. It used the environment's uneven terrain to jump to and from different directions, making the creature hard to follow.

The creature itself was small and round. Its body was shiny and had a slimy texture. It was about as big as a watermelon with two flat lines for eyes with no mouth. Said flat eyes were curved into worry as it turned back repeatedly. This creature was known as a slime.

Not far behind the slime were several Draugr, Feral Wolves, and zombies. The beasts chased after the slime relentlessly. Their groans were loud and terrifying for the small slime. Their chase continued until they were outside the forest. The small slime bounced along a path around the side of a newly reached mountain.

"Leave me alone!" The slime said in a high-pitched female voice. The slime gasped as she continued bouncing.

"Rah!" One of the closest Draugrs roared as it swung its sword across the air. The blade came close to striking the slime but ended up missing by a hair. Causing the slime to squeak in fright. The Draugr roared in frustration and thrust its sword towards the slime.

"Oh no!" The slime squealed and bounced to the side to avoid the incoming attack. Despite her attempt to dodge the strike, the blade sliced a thin gash across the slime's skin. Causing the small creature to shout in pain.

Blinded by its pain, the slime miscalculated its next bounce and ended up toppling down the side of the hill towards a closed-off crevice. The slime tumbled and rolled until it slowed to a stop at the bottom of the mountain, where she crashed into a large boulder. She turned her head up and watched as the small group of beasts slid down the hillside after her. Before the small slime could run away, one of the Draugr threw its rusted sword, aiming for the slime's body.

She bounced back to avoid the blade, but that gave the chasing beasts enough time to reach her. They stood around her, entirely blocking any form of escape. The slime looked behind her and saw tall and slick boulders. She was trapped.

"Why?" The slime said in a terrified voice. But it soon began to shake in frustration. She turned to the approaching beasts with rage in her small eyes. "Why won't you leave me alone?! I don't want to die! Wasn't killing my clan enough for you!"

With a thunderous battle cry, all the Draugr, Zombies, and Feral-Wolves charged the small slime.

Despite its incoming demise, the slime roared back with everything she had.

Just as one of the Draugr's weapons was about to slice the slime in two, its body was split apart into pieces.

Before the Draugrs' demise could fully register with the small slime, a cloaked figure dashed back and forth between the group of beasts that were once chasing it in a flurry. One of the feral wolves took notice of the deaths of its comrades at the hands of the intruder. It jumped back and began to envelop itself with dark purple mana.

"Oh no! It's charging a spinning fang attack!" The slime yelled in fright. The cloaked figure slid to a stop and turned to the wolf calmly. "What are you doing, you idiot? Move!"

The feral wolves' special attack, the spinning fang, was a magic-infused move that doubled the wolf's base speed while increasing the bite attack to deadly levels. One bite from the attack could tear a fully grown tree in two. Before the slime could yell out another warning, the wolf exploded forward in a burst of speed—a trail of magic tracing behind it. The slime could only watch in frozen terror as the wolf reached the cloaked stranger.

A loud metallic bang echoed throughout the bottom of the mountain. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, a black and silver shield quickly slammed into the wolf's head. Parrying the attack and sending the wolf crashing several feet back in a heap. The wolf whimpered in pain and tried to stand to its feet. Unfortunately, its life was quickly ended due to a serrated bone sword stabbing its way into its chest and through its heart. The slime shook as the stranger turned toward her.

"W-what are you?" The slime said, slinking in fear.

x x x

...Odawara, Japan: Spinning Star Guild Headquarters...

"Everyone, thank you for your hard work!"

"Thank you for your hard work!" Her team chorused back, all in good spirits.

Hiratsuka Shizuka dismissed them with a grateful smile. The young team of Hunters began to filter out of the meeting room, chattering amongst each other excitedly. Shizuka couldn't blame them. They successfully raided a B-rank dungeon without a single casualty today, and that was a great cause for celebration. She, however, must remain composed to maintain her stalwart image as a Sub Commander of the Spinning Star Guild and as an A-rank hunter.

At least until she reached the privacy of her personal office. At such times:

"Yeaaaaah!" Shizuka pumped her fist, releasing the undeniable swell of pride just a tiny bit. She leaned back into her chair with a small but giddy laugh, combing back her long black hair. She then closed her eyes for just a moment, allowing herself to relax and drink in this feeling of success.

Reluctantly, Shizuka slowly opened her eyes back to reality and gave the nastiest stink eye she could make at the stack of papers on the table.

"Right." She collected them off the table with a somber sigh, aligning them together against the tabletop as she mentally prepared herself for her least favorite part of being a leader and a responsible adult. Even after her career as a school teacher ended, paperwork still found its way back to her life.

After-action reports ain't writing themselves. Still though…

She quickly checked the time on her wristwatch and decided that she should grab a quick break at the mess hall before she began writing all of her reports. Dropping the stack of papers back to the desk and getting up from her chair with a small stretch, she left her office, thinking of what she should eat as she made her way to the mess hall.

Hmm. Some ramen should be good.

Her food decided. Shizuka then counted off the things she'd need to file about later with another sigh. It was a tedious task, but this was a vital part of being a leader in her guild, and to the Hunter community overall.

While the timeline of events and dungeon loot allocation to the participating Hunters were things she could make brief, Shizuka knew that the most important part of her report would be detailing the types of magical beasts they'd fought. Especially the dungeon boss, for which she'd have to provide extra detail had it been something new. New types of enemies meant new types of dangers, so it was horrendously important to include all the details she could find out about it in her report. Helping other teams of hunters know what they were dealing with would make the difference between life and death.

Thankfully, her team only had to deal with Minotaur today, so Shizuka wouldn't need to file an overly long report about it.

"Hiratsuka-san, thank you for your hard work today!" A voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and Shizuka saw a young woman still dressed in her dungeon raiding gear bowing at her respectfully in the hallway.

Smiling politely, Shizuka acknowledged her thanks with a simple nod. The young woman perked up with a smile before she went back on her own way.

This show of respect was something Shizuka had gotten used to. After all, her numbers were by far the best in the entire guild. Her time to complete the gates was the fastest by a wide margin. There were murmurs that she could even end up as the Vice-Captain of the guild with her pristine track record.

In contrast, the rest of the sub-commanders took forever to close the gates they were placed in charge of.

Even to the point that dungeon breaks were becoming more common.

This baffled and frustrated Shizuka due to possible consequences, but luckily enough, there were never any casualties or major property damage from the dungeon breaks. At least, according to the reports, she would read after everything was said and done. But still, something seemed off with the information on those damage reports.

"Just leave it to me, Shizuka-san. Trust me. It's all under control."

Her conversation with her guild master, Hasegawa Takahashi, had brought her no true peace of mind. But she knew she could trust Hasegawa about the issue. Shizuka had worked with the man for three years now. He was a good man, and she had full faith that he had everything in control.

Their guild's base of operations was a testament to how much he cared.

It was a large building, roughly the size of her old workplace. The base was full of the latest equipment and high-quality amenities for its hunters. To her, it was a bit over the top, but the guild valued its hunters. So they weren't shy about giving them all the best and latest there was to offer. Only the best for Japan's defense against dungeon monsters, she supposed.

As she entered the mess hall, Shizuka was once again greeted with respectful bows and nods by hunters and staff members alike. She simply kept a smile on her face and nodded at them while making her way over to the end of the waiting line.

"Ah!" The young man in front of her exclaimed, looking surprised. He was a staff member involved with recruitment, if she remembered correctly. "Hiratsuka-sama, please just go over to the front. I'm sure the others won't mind." He gestured towards the front of the line, and sure enough, the rest of the people in line looked to have similar mindsets.

"No." She dismissed their offer with a wave, making sure her voice was firm. "I got here after you, so I'm going to wait my turn after you." She reminded them simply, with a tone that brokered no further arguments.

Reluctantly, the people in front of her accepted her words. She noticed a few admiring glances from Hunters around them, but she was simply doing what was right. Using her reputation to cut in line did not sit well with Shizuka, and a large number of hunters in the Spinning Start guild valued and respected her. She was the prime example of an elite hunter—the best of the best.

So, she needed to set a standard for how Hunters should act towards the people around them because, despite her skill and status, Shizuka never refused to answer any questions or give advice. This made her a beloved and valued member, at least to the newer members of the guild in the past two years.

Once Shizuka had her food secured, she sat down at one of the lone tables and began to eat in peace. The ramen they offered in the guild's mess hall was delicious and packed with complex flavors. But it still paled in comparison to the small ramen joint she and her protégé visited once a month.

"Hey, did you hear about that double dungeon?"

"Wait, for real? An actual double dungeon?! One of those hasn't appeared in years!"

"Yeah, apparently, it killed all the hunters who entered it. Well, except for one. An E-rank. I heard he ran away and left his team to die. What a coward."

Shizuka looked up from her half-finished bowl and listened to the conversation a few hunters were having. She recognized them from her fellow sub-commander's raid team. They were good hunters, a bit rough around the edges, but nothing a little training and guidance couldn't fix.

"He was an E-rank, though. We can't blame him for running when there was nothing he could do. Double dungeons are notorious for being A or S-rank in difficulty. We can't judge him for that."

"I-I guess…"

"Still, he should have stayed and fought to the end! It's what I would have done!"

"Yeah, yeah. What was the guy's name anyway?"

"Oh. I think it was something with an H? Haki-Hiki? No! It was Hikigaya! Yeah, his name was Hikigaya Hach-"

A loud crack echoed throughout the mess hall.

Shizuka heard the sounds of alarm from the people all around her, her fist still in the air. The table had broken in half under its power, shattered pieces of wood scattered everywhere, mixed with the broth, the noodles, and shards from the broken ramen bowl on the ground. She slowly stood, her expression so cold that the newer recruits stepped back in terror.

"Excuse me." She said quietly, her voice echoing throughout the suddenly silent room. No one tried to stop her or said a word to her as she walked out of the mess hall, her now dirty heels clacking loudly on the surface of the tiled floor.

She walked briskly over to her office, a surge of panic threatening to take over. Almost tearing the door from its hinges, Shizuka scrambled over to the desk in her personal office, sliding back one of the drawers to pull out her black phone.

She pressed a number she had on the speed dial and anxiously waited, worried eyes going over to a particular picture framed on her desk.

It was one that they took nearly a year ago, with Shizuka posing in front of the Hunters Association headquarters in Tokyo with her protégé and old student, Hikigaya Hachiman. She wore a large, proud smile while making a peace sign, and Hikigaya, ever awkward, looked less enthusiastic with his own smile, crooked and embarrassed. In his hands was a small plastic license, showing off his newly appointed official hunter status.

The dial tone cut off, signifying that the person on the other line did not answer. Shizuka looked at the name on the number with frustration, muttering in irritation.

"Where the hell are you, Hikigaya?"

x x x

Is that a slime? No, never mind that. The slime is talking!

I pulled out my sword from the wolf's carcass and eyed the small lavender-colored slime carefully. Going off video game logic, slimes were very low-level. They were entry-grade monsters to use to grow stronger in a video game. But this slime was capable of speech, the first creature to speak to me in this new fantasy world.

I came to find this group of monsters while I was taking my lunch break. It was hard not to, considering the yells of what I thought was a young girl being chased.

But before I found the slime and the group of beasts, I successfully completed the Woodland Draugr side quest a while ago and earned the rewards. The mystery armor item ended up being a pretty cool gray traveler's cloak.

[Travelers Cloak | Rank: C | +10 Stealth | A cloak crafted from magical fibers to provide its user protection from their environment.]

During the process of completing the quest, I ran into several other types of beasts, other than just Draugrs and Zombies. The wolf below me is one of the beasts I've encountered in my travels through the area. They were a strong enemy with quick speed and sharp fangs. Other beasts I've fought were giant tree spiders the size of a car and a black fox the size of a motorcycle. All these enemies pushed me to level up to level eighteen.

This all brings me back to the present and to my current predicament.

Before I could carve the wolves of their resources, I eyed the slime suspiciously. Still, if it's capable of speech. Perhaps I don't have to fight it?

"You were the one I heard before, right?" I asked. The slime perked up at my words. Its tiny eyes looked at me in shock.

"Y-you speak the language of our kind?" The slime said in surprise. "How odd, you look like one of the Terrans. But your energy is that of a magical creature? No, it's something else."

Terrans? Could that mean humans? So, there are humans in this world. I eyed the slime with interest. This slime seems to know a lot about this world; perhaps it could answer the thousands of questions I have.

"...why were they chasing you? Aren't you all allies or something?" I asked inquisitively.

"Allies? Is that some kind of joke?" The slime growled. "Of course, those weren't my allies! Th-they were the ones that killed my entire clan! They're all gone..."

"I see… I'm sorry." I said. It's capable of emotions and other concepts related to kinship. It's fully sentient. "Well, these guys are dead now. So you're safe."

I bent down and began to carve up the wolf's body. When I was done, I moved on to the remaining four wolves. As I extracted the resources from the wolves, I felt the slime's small eyes follow me around. When I was done, I stood and began making my way away from the bottom of the mountain. I had to find clues on where the area boss was.

"A-ah, wait!" I stopped at the foot of the forest and watched as the slime jumped towards me. "Are you... an adventurer? A hero?"

Adventurer? That means that humans here take up the roles just like in a video game fantasy world. Going off that, that must mean there are adventurer guilds and human settlements here as well. My knowledge in this world is sparse, almost to the point of being nonexistent. And that could be dangerous. If I could get this slime to teach and guide me, I could move around more efficiently. Hm, what to do?

"No, I'm... just a traveler. I hunt magical beasts simply for the sake of fighting them." I said carefully while channeling a persona that would better fit this fantastical world. The slime looked at me for a while longer. Its eyes were deep in thought and contemplative.

"I see... well then, I have a request, dear traveler! I beseech you! Please, allow me to accompany you!" The slime said desperately. "As you can see, I'm a slime-born. One of the weakest magical creatures to exist. So weak that any other creature can kill me with ease! If it weren't the beasts you defeated here, then it's only a matter of time before I encounter more. So please... allow me to serve you in exchange for protection!"

I was happy that my traveler's coat had a high collar that hid my grin. It seemed that I didn't have to worry about finding a way to convince the slime to help me. How convenient.

"Very well." I said with what I believed to be a commanding tone. I slightly cringed at my words but pressed on. "I am Hikigaya Hachiman. What is your name, slime?"

"A-a name?" The slime said slowly. "My kind have never had the need for things such as names..."

"No need for names? Then I will grant you one then." I looked at the lavender-colored slime with a thoughtful gaze. Let's see... a name, a name, a name. Ah! How about this one? "How does the name Riko sound?"

"Riko… Thank you for the name, M-Master!" Riko said with a bounce. Seemingly grateful for the name. I nodded at her and continued walking. Riko hurriedly followed after me but kept a foot behind.

Master? I wonder if that title is a common one here or something. It's going to take a while to get used to that.

"So, Riko. What do you know about a four-armed troll?"

"T-Troll?!"

x x x

"M-Master, are you sure this is wise?" Riko said skittishly from behind my leg. I nodded at her and peeked around the thick tree we were hiding behind.

After asking Riko if she knew the whereabouts of the four-armed troll, she nervously told me she did. Apparently, the troll was a large threat within this area of the forest. According to her, the troll had been terrorizing all that came across it. Whether it be other beasts or humans, I mean Terrans, that passed by.

Not even the so-called adventurers of this world were capable of taking it down. It was up in the air if it was because the adventurers of this world were too weak or if the stronger ones just hadn't bothered to take the troll down. Regardless of all that, I now had the troll in sight.

[Tyrant of the Woods, The Four-Armed Troll]

The troll itself was a walking juggernaut. Its height was nearly five meters tall, and it had large bulging muscles all over its body. Huge, curved horns protruded out the sides of its head. Covering its midsection was a brown, tattered cloth-like skirt with dirty old fabric wrapped around its legs. The troll's most distinctive trait was its four strong arms with four equally large stone clubs sitting close by it.

The troll was sitting on an oversized wooden log-like chair made from an old tree. Its clubs were currently leaning against the log while the troll took large, hungry bites out of a dead animal that resembled a cross between a deer and a horse. The deer's once large antlers lay broken near the troll's giant feet.

I looked around the troll's lair and mapped out everything I could see. There were several knocked-over trees and bloodied piles of bones strewn around the area. A large hill of random items and loot from those who were unlucky enough to cross the troll sat off to the left. The lair itself was at the center of the forest, a prime location for the beast to set up its large territory.

"Wise? Probably not." I said while summoning my sword. The troll's orange-red title made me slightly nervous, but Riko didn't need to know that. Riko watched in amazement at the spatial magic I performed and looked up at me with worry. "Stay here."

"Master! Wait-"

I ran out from behind the tree and used my swiftness skill to blur toward the troll's weapons. As long as I can get rid of the troll's weaponry, I'll have the advantage in this fight. In my rush to disarm the troll, I ended up missing the small tree branch that was in my path. Stepping over the branch, an audible crack alerted the troll to my position. Destroying my element of surprise. Shit!

Despite the loss of my stealth, I had reached the troll's weapons. With a mighty swing of my sword, I smiled in victory as I managed to launch two out of the four clubs deeper into the forest. Now aware of my presence, the troll scrambled to quickly grab its remaining two clubs with incredible speed. Once it had its remaining two weapons in hand, the juggernaut glared angrily at me and raised its upper arms into dual-hammer fists. My eyes widened at the falling attack. Moving quickly, I jumped over the attack with a flip. While in midair, I looked down at the beast's exposed head and reared my arm back. I yelled angrily as I landed a solid punch onto the troll's head.

"Ragh!" The troll groaned in pain but quickly recovered from my punch. I kept my eyes on my enemy as I landed on the floor. This allowed me to see the troll swinging one of its clubs towards me. I swiftly dodged the club at the last second; however, the wind pressure from the attack caused me to slide back several feet. Such power!

Undeterred by the troll's strength, I ran up to its left leg and landed a deep slash with my sword. The troll roared at me and swung one of its clubs towards me. Using expert footwork, I spun over the troll's back to dodge the attack; this allowed me to see the level of destruction the club caused. Rock and dirt shot out of the ground as if a small explosion had occurred, causing the floor beneath me to rumble. My eyes darted to the troll's exposed Achilles tendon. Let's remove its movement. Rearing my arm back, I swung my sword and ripped through the fibrous tissue on one of the troll's legs.

The troll grunted in pain but quickly grabbed me by the arm. It squeezed so tight that I dropped my sword out of pain. "Let go!" The large beast wasted no time to launch me across the air uncontrollably. I felt the air in my lungs escape me as I slammed into one of the trees, breaking it into two. I slid down and crashed onto the tree's broken upper half with a grunt of pain. From there, I fell face-first onto a patch of dirt.

I spat out the dirt in my mouth and flipped onto my back. As I opened my eyes, I watched in horror as the troll flew in the air towards me with its clubs held over its head. I vaguely heard Riko cry out in the distance, but I ignored her in favor of performing a kick-up. With a quick roll forward, I managed to dodge the troll's destructive attack. However, I was not far enough to avoid the aftershock, which blasted me away.

"Gah!" I eventually slid to a stop and flipped back up onto my feet. The dust around the area was thick, obscuring everything in it. The dust cloud was quickly blown away by a gust of wind produced by one of the troll's club swings. I felt a bead of sweat slide down my cheek. It's strong. I can't afford to get hit by those clubs.

Despite its leg injury, the troll limped towards me. Blood gushed out of its wound with each step. I deduced that it was only capable of jumping with one leg while its basic movements were drastically slowed down. Regardless of that, it was still a very dangerous opponent.

"You may be strong. But so am I!" I yelled while dashing towards the troll.

The troll and I entered a dance of clubs and blades. With each swing of its clubs, I expertly dodged with my unhindered speed. My fifty-five agility provided me with incredible reflexes and acrobatics that made avoiding the troll's attacks easy. During that time, I landed quick and deep slices along its body with each opening I found. The troll's body quickly began to be covered with several cuts and slashes. At the sight of every new cut, I felt victory growing closer and closer. My approaching victory was halted when a powerful burst of mana surrounded the troll as it released a monstrous roar. I felt my stomach fall to my feet at the troll's sudden boost in power, jumping back several feet. I wearily eyed the juggernaut with a nervous frown.

[Tyrant of the Woods, The Four-Armed Troll has activated the skill: Berserker Mode]

[Tyrant of the Woods, The Four-Armed Troll stats have increased by 35%]

"Way to raise the difficulty." I groaned while raising my bone sword in front of me. The troll raised one of its clubs behind its back. The muscles on its arms bulged, and its veins pulsed under its skin. In the blink of an eye, the troll threw the club towards me with a loud boom.

Too fast! With no other choice, I expanded my shield in front of me and felt my entire world explode in pain. My surroundings became nothing but blurry colors as I was sent tumbling and spinning through the forest. Destroying the fauna and obliterating all the trees that got in my body's way. I wasn't sure how long or how far I flew, but I was dimly aware I was now lying on the ruined patch of dirt and grass.

[HP: 512/1784]

That one attack dropped my health down that much?! If it weren't for my shield... Placing my arms under me, I struggled to push myself up. I felt nothing but hot, coursing pain explode through my body. Pushing past the agony, I spat out a glob of blood and finally stood up.

The earth shook as the troll landed with a stumble twenty yards away from me. It turned towards me and smiled victoriously. It limped towards me with an air of superiority as if it believed its victory was all but guaranteed. At the sight of the troll's shit-eating grin, I felt my chest swell and heat up in anger. My breaths began to quicken as my hands twitched and tightened into fists to the point my bones began to creak. Are you… looking down on me?

"Who the hell do you think you're looking at like that?" I growled out. The pain and anger clouded my mind. "I haven't lost yet!"

[Active Skill: Swiftness Lv. 1]

Dust and dirt exploded from under my feet as I shot out like a torpedo. Moving at incredible speeds, I looked toward the troll with my fists held beside me. The thought of using my sword and shield was at the back of my mind. At this moment, they were forgotten. I jumped over a horizontal swing of the troll's lone club and twisted my body to land a crescent kick onto the troll's wrist, causing it to release its lone club to the floor. Bone and blood splattered everywhere as the troll's large hand hung to its body by just the muscle of its forearm.

The troll grunted in pain and threw two powerful punches at me with both its right arms. I could see that the troll was putting its entire body weight behind the attack. I knew that the troll's current amplified strength outclassed my own, so there was no way I could block the attack. So, instead of blocking, I diverted the punches to the right with the back of my right forearm. The friction of its attack shattered my right viper gauntlet and began to rip the surface of my forearm to be torn off down to the muscle. The trolls' fists impacted the ground beside me, burying them deep into the dirt.

Jumping up onto the troll's bicep, I crouched low and landed a mighty hook into the troll's right eye. The organ exploded outwards, bathing the left side of my face in its gore. The troll roared loudly in pain and pulled out its buried fists from the ground. While the troll bellowed in pain, I planted my hands on its broad right shoulder and dug my fingers into its rough, gray skin. Just as I was about to land a knee strike on its nose, the troll's good left hand grabbed my knee and lifted me into the air.

My world spun upside down as the troll prepared to slam me into the ground in fury. A move that would most likely kill me If I didn't act quickly. I'm not done with you yet! Summoning my bone sword, I quickly cut off the troll's upper left arm from the forearm down. Causing blood to rain around me. Now free from its clutches, I landed on the ground and watched the troll hold up its stump of an arm high and wail loudly.

[Active Skill: Charge Attack Lv. 1]

"Raagh!" I roared loudly and shot forward with my mana-infused bone sword.

The troll turned to me just in time to watch me remove its right leg from its body. Suddenly, off balance, the troll crashed on the ground with a loud boom. Blood began to cover the ground beneath it as the trolls mutilated stumps, and cuts began to bleed profusely.

"Let's finish this!"

I hopped onto the troll's upper back and grabbed one of its horns. Using all my strength, I pulled its head back and stabbed my sword deep into its face. The troll growled and desperately attempted to remove me, but I kept my grip on my sword's handle ironclad. With a bestial-like roar, I pulled my arm back and cleaved the troll's head in half, exposing brain matter and gore.

[You have leveled up!]

[You have leveled up!]

[You have leveled up!]

[Notification: You have completed: Main Quest: Defeat the Tyrant of the Woods, The Four-Armed Troll | Rewards have been delivered]

[Notification: You have acquired: Gauntlets of Terror, +2500 XP]

[Gauntlets of Terror | Rank: C | +15 ATK | Gauntlets created from the horns of the mighty Tyrant of the Woods, The Four-Armed Troll. Increases the user's Melee damage. ]

[Notification: You have cleared West Greenland! Trion Plateau is now available.]

I pulled my sword out of the troll's skull and stood at my full height. I focused on getting my breathing under control while looking over the many notifications I just received. But what caught my attention the most was the last screen that had just appeared.

"What's this?" I muttered while dismissing my sword.

[Notification: You have reached Lv. 21! You have unlocked a new Skill!]

[Skill: Light Magic Lv. 1 | A legendary form of magic that allows the Player to cast magical spells through light.]