Sousetsuka

625 Carelessness, Thoughtless, Foisting

I've gotten used to air trips by now. Griffon seems happy it could be of use to me, no sign of it hating.
The mountain is already right in front of us even though it's supposed to be quite far from the coliseum city.
The road that should have taken several days traveled is over in a jiffy thanks to Griffon ride.

"Oh, think that's it? Seems like it! Let me down over there, Griffon."

I looked for an open spot near the road leading to the Dwarf Kingdom and instructed Griffon to go down there.

"Thank you, Griffon. Oh, good boy. I could have legged here on my own, but I had enough of running the other day."

There's also the potential of meeting other people which could lead to another mess.
But Griffon takes me by air. There's nobody along the way, and the beautiful scenery helps destress me.

"What's your plan now, Griffon? Wanna come along with me for a little bit more? Dunno if there's gonna be a checkpoint, but maybe we can walk together until it's in view?"

I suggested that to Griffon as it rubbed on me.
Griffon is such a spoiled kid, it wouldn't miss any chance to rub its body on me. Maybe it's still a juvenile despite being so big.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
Griffon strides happily, 'Kue kue kue kue~' with me on its back.
It created a ruckus among travelers taking the road to Dwarf Kingdom.
I just blurted that suggestion willy-nilly. Rather thoughtless of me.

(Griffon looked so cute I couldn't help myself~. I should have known better.)

This much attention is gonna invite trouble for sure. Maybe I might as well speed it up and go faster?

As I was about to give up, the end of the road came into view. There's a checkpoint. Dragon statues made of gold.
Two of them are placed in front of the gate to look like guardians. They look so alive I almost believed they would breath fire anytime. Their presence is so overwhelming even Griffon is cowering.
I got down Griffon's back and thanked it.

"Thanks a lot. This is far enough. I'll show up again whenever I need something later. See you."

I brushed Griffon's neck as I said that. 'Kue!', Griffon cried once before jumping up and flying back to its turf.
Travelers, merchants and other who witnessed our exchange opened up a path for me out of fear.

(Oh? Looks like Griffon made for a good deterrent, nobody's coming closer. Things are looking up?)

I forgot that this usually means, the trouble would pop up somewhere else.

I've gotten used to curious looks from people and would take that over them messing with me in a heartbeat.

Thus I waited for my turn while taking in the sight of the dragon statues.

Previous Chapter 

Next Chapter

Bring It On

『GURUOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!』


The roar was intensely loud. Ear splitting. Physically speaking.
How do I say it, it's like I could feel a hint of awareness in his roars back then, but it's completely off the rockers now.

The stupidly loud roar was brought by a stupidly big black dragon clad in thick fog.
There are ominous-looking patterns all over the dragon's black body alongside random thorns popping here and there.
His eyes are red the color of blood, and his fangs look toxic purple it's the perfect picture of an evil dragon.


Menu, display his Status.


Dragon: ★Dark Divine Dragon

Lv91

State: 【Arcane Dragonized】 - Tamed (Demon King <<Souma Ryuta>>)

【Attributes】

ＨＰ：１８６９７/１８６９７
ＭＰ：９７８０/９７８０
ＳＰ：７００６/７０４１

ＳＴＲ：２０３９９
ＡＴＫ：２０３９９
ＤＥＦ：２０００１
ＡＧＩ：１０７８４
ＩＮＴ：４１２３
ＤＥＸ：２７１５
ＰＥＲ：７０９８
ＲＥＳ：９９９３
ＬＵＫ：３１

【Skills】
Dragon Lv10
Martial Arts Lv10
Ultimate Martial Arts Lv10
Fang Arts Lv10
Piercing Fang Arts Lv10
Claw Arts Lv10
Sharp Claw Arts Lv10

【Master Skills】
Dragonic Emperor
Aura Mitigation
Aura Heal
Vital Tusk
Diamond Fang
Far Flame Claw
Disaster Claw

【Unique Skill】
Mana Devourer





All his Attributes have majorly shot up. Kinda curious about that low Luck though.

<<A Status-possessing living being will have their Luck Attribute lowered if they slaughter other living beings of the same race.>>

Slaughter... Don't tell me this dragon had been massacring other dragons to raise his level?
He must have gone on a leveling spree on that dragon-ruled continent. I should have gone there too. Uh, not like I got the time though.

He also got a ★ displayed next to his name. Just like Hiyoko, he must have evolved into a Unique Magic Beast, no, a Unique Dragon.
That new Unique Skill is proof.

<<Unique Skill [Mana Devourer], a Skill that nullifies and absorbs all mana-based attacks such as Offensive Spells, or Skill Abilities of Swordsmanship Skill and turn it into user's life force. Kajikawa Hikaru's 'Mana Blade Rev' and 'Mana Pile Bunker' are likely not exempted.>>


...This is the worst...!
That's one hell of an ability this darned oversized lizard got now of all time!


"Bad news, that darned lizard is now impervious to mana-based attacks...!"

"Eh... So like, magic and farslashes won't work?"

"Not only that, even abilities like Mana Blade don't work. Heck, it'll only get absorbed and heal that lizard instead... Crap, we got way fewer options now."

"Wh, what should we do?"

"...Reina, Hiyoko, you can absorb breath attacks but don't shoot it back at Black Dragon. He's only gonna reabsorb it and make things worse for us. Alma, you support me with Gravity Magic just as planned."

"Gravity Magic isn't absorbed?"

"Apparently he can't do it as well when it's formless. It may not heal him, but the effects will be diminished."


Presently, the only way to deal damage to this darned lizard is physical attacks boosted by Energy Control and that Meat Cleaving Kitchen Knife.
That knife's attack power randomly and constantly changes though, I shouldn't count on it. Heck, I dunno if that small knife is even gonna work on something that huge.


『VAGYAVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!』

"...Here it comes!"


No choice, gotta make some big changes to our plan.


"I'll engage him in aerial combat! The plan is to keep him occupied for a whole day, we're gonna buy as much time as we can!"

"Eh, a whole day!? There's no way we can!"

"Ah, we'll be taking breaks someplace else with Fast Travel, feel free to tell me whenever you need a toilet break."

"U, un..."

"Kajikawa-san, you're too relaxed, I'm losing tension..."

『Cluuck...』


Now then, we should focus on defending and forget about attacking for now.
I'm counting on your support Menu-san, get ready to Fast Travel us away when things get too dicey to dodge.

<<Affirmative. Commencing support prioritizing Kajikawa Hikaru and his party safety.>>


『GYAVAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!』

"Bring it on you darned lizaaaaard!!!"


Roars and screams filled the vicinity.

Despite this hot blooded exchange, what's gonna entail is a snail paced battle. Yep.


<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >


~~~~~~~~Hero's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~





Hi, hello, it's Hero here.
...Other than lacking sleep a tad due to all the threats to my chastity during the last few nights, I'm as peppy as ever.

I think Levia and Olivie are charming girls in their own rights yet nobody dared to creep into their bedrooms, mysteriously enough.
I'mma dump anyone who even dared in a danger zone full of S-ranked magic beasts.

So yeah, despite their existence, I've been getting at least two, three men trying to get in my bed every single night.
I been telling 'em I'm a man (etc.)
No wait, did they think they'd get off light precisely because I'm a man? No no it's heavy. A felony. I'm the hero you know. Death penalty.
...I'm so done with all this talk.


Gonna pull myself together and sort out what we have on hands.
It's the fifth day since the war began. We recaptured towns and areas controlled by demons at super high pace.
Thanks to Kajikawa-san's utterly merciless strategies, those demons were all annihilated.

...There are several towns that got rained on by toxic blood and became uninhabitable. What are we gonna do about that later.

<<Oh you can neutralize that much toxin with a wide area purification magic cast by priest types just fine... Will take three days done by a dozen of priests though.>>

That's a lot of work.
Don't destroy the environments if you could help it please... Guess it's too late.


We're heading for the demon's hideout while other capable combatants are handling high S-ranked magic beasts that popped up all over the continent.
According to Radia, the entrance to this hideout is hidden in a rocky area under an illusion.

Looking at the Map Information Kajikawa-san sent me, that intel is apparently right on the money.
Heck, there's no telling where the exact entrance is with just that map info, would have taken up our time. Nice one, Radia.
...I'm told his older brother left behind this intel in his dying breath. Heavy, it's way heavy, Radia. I'm gonna treat him to a meal later.


An hour after we started searching, we found the entrance and slipped in successfully.
The illusion was apparently made with a technique that could fool even Menu.

<<The intel Kajikawa-san's Menu (Defau) only showed a range of area where the entrance is for some reason. This illusion was made with an alien technology... Could it be some sort of otherwordly magic.>>

Otherworld, what?
So it's 'something' brought back from that famous 'Floor 21'?

<<That's the likeliest explanation. Demon King's past self, Souma Ryuta was someone who returned from Floor 21. He likely brought back other items besides the alien object he used to reincarnate himself which should be under the current Demon King's possession now.>>

Isn't that real bad.
His Status is already hopelessly beyond strong, throw in that kind of wild cards and there's no way we can plan ahead.
Kajikawa-san told me 'It's probably gonna be okay', isn't he kinda optimistic for no reason...

<<I mean we could always use our own alien objects. We received that 'a medicine vial that endlessly supplies sex-change pills', wanna use one?>>

No ain't wanna! What the hell is even the point!
...Why do I have that kind of thing in my Item Screen even. Did I just take whatever back then...?


"Haah, sheesh... Ow."

"Whoa there, don't daydream and walk. Careful now."

"Ah, sorry."

"...Hm?"


I bumped into someone as I took a turn while sighing.
Someone, who?


"Ah."

"Eh?"


A demon of course.
Yup, it's a demon's hideout after all. Of course there's gonna be plenty.


Oh crap.


"I-intruders!! All hands, to battle statiooooon!!"

"What!? Do not let them escape! Kill them aaall!!"


Darnitall!! Busted cuz I got lost in thought about stupid things!
Ain't got no choice, bring it on y'all!


"...Another forceful takedown by Neora."

"I don't think there is any way to avoid it in this situation..."


Stop it, don't look at me with those cold eyes, you two.
I'm gonna be careful next time, promise. Everything's gonna be okay if we just exterminate them all.

Previous Chapter 

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624 Taken a Liking

It's still early in the day so I was deciding between wandering in the city or going to see griffon in his forest.
It took no time at all. I have no more business in this city.
I retraced a familiar path toward the exit.
I got lost for a bit before arriving at the same gate I took to enter this city.
I got past it without any issue and entered Acceleration, dashing off right after.

I ran for a while until a forest came into my view.
I undid Acceleration and went in. It's been smooth sailing so far. I plan to ask Griffon for a ride to Dwarf Kingdom.

(I did promise I'd pop up again. Oh right, I promised my mother I'd send her a letter. What do...)

Is there even a mail service in this world and where? I think there's one, but then I've got another problem.

"I don't know my village's name."

Or rather, I never made an attempt to find out. I'm never coming back there after all.
Nevertheless I'd like to send my parents a letter at least. However.

"Well, I can always do that later. Not like I'm in a hurry or anything."

'I'm gonna find somewhere to settle down first', I thought as I shoved away that idea in the corner of my mind.
I made my way to Griffon's turf inside the forest.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
I came across a familiar face long missing along the way. Chimera.
It seems to be having a blast inside the forest. It's dirty all over but it doesn't seem hurt anywhere.
Chimera snuggled on my leg like usual as it 'meow'ed.

"Ooh, I was wondering why you never showed up in the coliseum city, you took a liking to this forest huh. I'm glad for you. Are you gonna settle down here?"

'Meow', Chimera replied. It really seems to have taken to this forest.

"Guess this is goodbye then. That's so nice. You found yourself a nice spot. I'm envious. Here here, have a rubdown. And here I am, still with a shaky future."

I kept brushing Chimera all over. I carried the purring Chimera in my arms as I resumed walking to where Griffon is.

Eventually I arrived at an open spot in the middle of the forest. But I didn't see Griffon anywhere.
I sat down on a tree stump and waited. All while playing with Chimera in my arms.
After some time, Griffon came down from the sky. With a tag on its neck of course.

"Yo, here I am... Hm? Have you gotten bigger?"

I walked up to Griffon and rubbed its chin. Which made it clear to me that it did get bigger since the last time I saw it.

"You grew up? Or did you regain your actual build? Either way, I'm just glad you're doing well."

'Kuee', Griffon cried and rubbed its head on me. From someone else perspective, it must look like it was trying to crush me. But in reality, Griffon is just acting spoiled.

"Griffon, do you mind letting me ride on your back again? I want to go to that mountain over there. Can I count on you?"

'Kuekku!', Griffon gave a firm reply. It's weird how I could tell that translated to, "OK!"

Thus I departed on an air trip riding on Griffon with Dwarf Kingdom as my destination.

Previous Chapter 

Next Chapter

Preptime for Decisive Battle

It's been five days since the war began.
After using up every tricks we got up our sleeves like instant reinforcements via Fast Travel, ambushes by Special Job holders, and snatching up the magic beasts the demons were raising, we managed to drive those demons into the corner.

I resorted to a lot of nasty methods in order to end the war asap.
Like say, raining down Jormungand toxic blood over magic beasts under demons' control while being careful not to hit allies.

The area affected by those rains won't be habitable for some time. But there was a great need to kill every demons in all those places.
I don't think I made the wrong decision looking at our situation now. Eh, what happened you ask?


Oh you know, just the remaining demons going on and sacrificing their magic beasts through 'Melt Fusion' to produce all sort of powerful magic beasts.


Aren't these demons way eager about using Forbidden Magic. Do they even know the meaning of 'Forbidden'? Eh, they do and use it anyway? Die.
Dunno how many beasts there are exactly but I'm guessing there's around ten.
Every single one has the capability to end the world, the so called 'Apocalyptic Calamity' class beasts.

Hero-kun and I would have beaten them up if only they were bunched up in one spot. Sadly they're scattered all over the continent, we can't just do that.
Some of them are also in areas our Fast Travel can't reach yet, meanwhile this continent will be destroyed if we don't do something quick.

Alma's parents, Sword King old man and Juurou-san will deal with one each while the training members, aka Hyula-san, Ganan-san, Radia-kun, Rasfin-kun and Baredo while take care of the rest.
Of course that's nowhere near enough manpower, so we're having other Special Job holders to get in action too.
'Egoless Archer' Aina-san, the eldest of the trio sister's Fifraila, axe wielder-line of Special Job, 'Decapitator Axe' Kyaranonno-san, and the Anti Demon Army commander in chief, 'Penetrating Spear' Morittsugeit.
Each and every one of them is humanity's strongest, yet all of them together are barely a match against those beasts.

Eh, isn't there an unfamiliar name in there? I dunno her either.
Kyaranonno-san is a red haired axe wielder around my age.

That trait might make her sound similar to Hyula-san but her looks and personality are the exact opposite.
Like, if Hyula-san is a berserker that throws herself in the midst of combat, this person is the calculating commander type that works best leading a group.
...Heck, she's scary. She speaks with formal and polite speech yet it's unsettling. I don't wanna get near her if I could help it.

That's about the gist of it.
We're lacking personnel despite all these humanity's strongest but I can't really complain.


Everything could have been settled if I and Hero-kun were there, but it just can't be done.
First of all, Hero-kun has to deal with demon army executive class as soon as possible.

One thing was made clear from the Map Screen expanded by the brainwashed Aizawa-kun.
A magic circle. Drawn by humans with Magic Tool Creation brainwashed by demons. A spell formula of a massive proportion.


According to Menu Analysis, there's a high chance it's a formula for a 'Super wide continental scale destruction magic'.


I always thought these demons are all about making humans go extinct with no interest in destroying the world itself, but it seems I'm mistaken.
According to Menu, if this formula were to be finished, the entirety of Continent 3 would turn into a scorched earth which could potentially affect other continents as well.

There's not much time left till the formula's completion.
We've got to destroy it as quickly as humanly possible.


The reason we only managed to find that out now was thanks to Aizawa-kun undoing half of his brainwashing and giving me the intel.
He managed to coat half of his head with mana when the brainwashing was weakened over time and regained a degree of freedom over his body while letting his Status to still show Brainwashed.

What are you even doing getting yourself brainwashed now of all time. Get ahold of yourself Aizawa-kun.
A me that thought of that existed in the past. I'm a fool, guy's a real champ.


The plan is to have Hero-kun and his party Fast Travel to the hideout where Aizawa-kun is held and destroy the formula alongside the executive class demons there.
You might ask why didn't we do that sooner, but the demon who did the brainwashing had been leading those humans through their smaller bases of operations for days. They only arrived at the main hideout today.
...This demon trekked quite a long road. Sure got it hard.

I'll leave that side to Hero-kun. It's on you, Hero-kun.
I also gave him a hint or two about what to do after he dealt with the executive demons. The plan might go awry if I told him everything so it had to be vague.


As for our role, it's the most dangerous of all.

Black Dragon is heading for this continent yet again.
A powered up version at that.

I was planning to end things up before it could transform, but it's got Arcane Dragonize already activated.
Tch, blast that Demon King and his prudent nature.


Only one piece of equipment didn't make it in time.

The accessory made with Gravity Crystal I gave to the material shop granny was delivered to me.
This stuff is worth ten million en, I super hope it's worth that much, granny.

I used 'Weapon-evolving Candy' I got in the dungeon on Alma and Reina's weapons.
I was initially planning to wait until Alma's weapon evolved first, but we don't have that kind of luxury against the incoming evolved Black Dragon.


The hammer was nearing its completion, I only had to wait a little bit more but there's just no time.
...I can't blame Julian. He was working on it to the point he was skipping sleep and dinner, but it was just too hard to process.
Ain't got no choice, I'mma beat him up weaponless.

<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >

Let's have a look at our Stats before the decisive battle.
Gotta confirm what we can and cannot do.


First thing first, Alma.



Almatina

Lv65

Age: 16

Race: Human

Job: Master Paladin

State: Normal

【Attributes】

ＨＰ：１８１１/１８１１
ＭＰ：１４０１/１４０１
ＳＰ：９８７/９８７

ＳＴＲ：１１３０
ＡＴＫ：１１３０（+１７００）
ＤＥＦ：１０００（+２３４０）（+３７０）
ＡＧＩ：１０２２（+４００）
ＩＮＴ：１１１９（+８００）
ＤＥＸ：９６０
ＰＥＲ：１１３７
ＲＥＳ：８７６
ＬＵＫ：１３４１


【Skills】
Swordsmanship Lv10
Celestial Swordsmanship Lv4
Dagger Arts Lv3
Martial Arts Lv10
Ultimate Martial Arts Lv7
Throwing Lv6
Magic Swords Lv8
Offensive Magic Lv10
Intermediate Offensive Magic Lv9
Spirit Magic Lv5
Support Magic Lv7
Space Magic Lv3
Kenpo Lv7

【Master Skills】
Aura Mitigation
Double-Tongued
Needle-point Thrust

【Gift Skill】
Cooking Lv1

Equipment
Lv3 Deity Eating White Blade
ＡＴＫ+１７００　ＩＮＴ+８００

Kyuubi Leather Body Armor
ＤＥＦ+２３４０

Typhoon Boots
ＤＥＦ+３７０　ＡＧＩ+４００

Magipile Earring
MP Auto Restoration (Strong)

Safety Earring
Grant Status Abnormal Resistant

Gravity Crystal Ring
Grant Unique Skill 'Gravity Magic'

【Titles】
Superior Slayer
Fearless
Reckless
Living on the Edge
Magic Beast Killer
Magic Beast Genocider
Demon Slayer
Skill Master
First Paladin
Spirit User
Executioner
Embodiment of Fear
1000 Wall Breaker
Beyond 2000
To the World of 3000
Crossing the Sea of 4000
At the Sky of 5000
Counting 6000 Stars



There's no big change to her Status itself.
Her Attack power is conspicuously higher thanks to the random stat up from eating a whole bunch of 'Whimsical Seeds'.
I thought they would taste bitter considering their green peanut-like looks but Alma said they were 'sweet and tasty'.

I gave it a bite. Turned out it tasted kinda like green tea chocolate.
I gave most of these seeds to the girls, better than nothing at least.
I'd love to farm more in the dungeon but we've got no time.

Her 'Dragon Eating Black Sword' evolved and saw a huge upgrade.
It got this much stronger over one stage, if only it got two stages... That thought crossed my mind, but this is plentiful already.
Its Self-Repair ability has been upgraded too. Any chips will get immediately restored while it only takes a few minutes to restore itself from getting snapped in two.
It can also drain the HP of enemies it cuts, healing its wielder's wounds in the process.

The Kyuubi Body Armor is made from leather of that Kyuubi BBA.
Gen-san's so skilled he made an armor out of otherwordly material.


The main attraction is the 'Gravity Crystal Ring'.
It's probably gonna be our main force in the aerial battle against Black Dragon.
Supports and perhaps distractions from Gravity Magic should help a great deal.

Letting the girls fight in the frontline carries too much risk against an opponent so far above their strength.
Hence, they're gonna mainly act as supports from a safe distance.


Next up, Reina.


Reinamiure

Lv61

Age: 15

Race: Human

Job: Kunoichi Full Moon

State: Normal

【Attributes】

ＨＰ：１４１０/１４１０
ＭＰ：９３７/９３７
ＳＰ：７３６/７３６

ＳＴＲ：７９１
ＡＴＫ：７９１（+２０２１）
ＤＥＦ：７７９（+１９２０）（+１５０）
ＡＧＩ：１３１３（+２００）（+２１４）
ＩＮＴ：６８３
ＤＥＸ：１０２９
ＰＥＲ：１１７３
ＲＥＳ：８６８
ＬＵＫ：１６７８


【Skills】
Dagger Arts Lv10
Bosom Dagger Arts Lv4
Martial Arts Lv10
Ultimate Martial Arts Lv6
Stealth Lv10
Assassination Lv3
Ninjutsu Lv7
Throwing Lv10
Kenpo Lv5
Trap Lv4

【Master Skills】
Death Blade Barrier
One Second of Your Life Left
Hundred in Thousand
Aura Mitigation

【Gift Skill】
Sewing Lv1

Equipment
LvMAX Lightning Emperor Dagger [Heavens]
ＡＴＫ+２０２１

Kyuubi Leather Black Clothes
ＤＥＦ+１９２０　ＡＧＩ+２００

Darkness Tabi
ＤＥＦ+１５０　ＡＧＩ+２１４

Safety Earring
Grant Status Abnormal Resistance

【Titles】
Superior Slayer
Fearless
Reckless
Foolhardy
Living on the Edge
Magic Beast Killer
Magic Beast Genocider
Demon Slayer
Skill Master
Kunoichi
Eloquent
Executioner
Assassin
1000 Wall Breaker
Beyond 2000
To the World of 3000
Crossing the Sea of 4000
At the Sky of 5000



There's no big change with her either.
Her AGI is conspicuously higher due to randomness of Whimsical Seed (etc.)

Her dagger reached its final evolution, now with a stupid amount of ATK power.
On top of that, its ranged attack draining period now lasts as long as one minute from 10 seconds previously.
She can then unleash the absorbed energy to call upon a thundercloud that rains down lightnings.
...Fighting someone who can summons unavoidable lightning strikes from the sky is a scary thought...

Reina is gonna be a support as well.
She's to absorb Black Dragon's breath with her dagger, protecting Alma while simultaneous attacking with her lightning and Master Skills.
Well her most important role is emergency escape with Shadow Dive if it comes down to that though.


Hiyoko saw nearly no change to the last time, so I'm skipping her.
She's protecting Alma alongside Reina using a mix of 'Balloon Body' and 'Eat Beak'.
I might even ask her to throw down against Black Dragon.
...She's really grown into such a reliable kid.


Lastly, me.



Kajikawa Hikaru

Lv88

Age: 25

Race: Human

Job: ERROR (Unidentifiable)

State: Normal

【Attributes】

ＨＰ：５５１０/５５１０
ＭＰ：３４３５/３４３５
ＳＰ：２３１７/２３１７

ＳＴＲ：３９５９
ＡＴＫ：３９５９（＋？？？？）
ＤＥＦ：３９４２（＋２３４０）（＋２００）（＋？？？？）
ＡＧＩ：３９４４
ＩＮＴ：３９６２
ＤＥＸ：３９５０
ＰＥＲ：３９９１
ＲＥＳ：３９１５
ＬＵＫ：３９１５


【Skill】
※Unobtainable※

【Titles】
Superior Slayer
Fearless
Magic Beast Killer
Magic Beast Genocider
Demon Slayer
Demon Destroyer
True Demon Slayer
Miracle Healer
Embodiment of Fear
Great King of Terror
One Who Defies Reason
One Who Overcomes Death
Executioner
Otherworldly Crosser
■■■■
TTTョFLYE
1000 Wall Breaker
Beyond 2000
To the World of 3000
Crossing the Sea of 4000
At the Sky of 5000
Counting Stars of 6000
Up the Stairs of 7000
Tying to 8000
Over the 9000
Undying 10000
Eloquent
Glutton
Disciple of Fierce God
Brave Preemptive Stopper of Final Catastrophe
Brave Stopper of Final Catastrophe
Susanoo
Heracles
Thor


Equipment
Kyuubi Leather Body Armor
ＤＥＦ＋２３４０

Platinum Cock Gloves
ＤＥＦ＋２００

Magic Boots (Added Curse - Elemental Combustible Engine)
ＡＴＫ＋？？？？　ＤＥＦ＋？？？？

Safety Earring
Grant Status Abnormal Resistance

【Resource】
???????



There's no big change asides from my brand new body armor and some weird new titles.
I mean, I got like ten level higher which boosted my Attributes but that's nothing new.

Susanoo, Heracles and Thor apparently give me Attack boost if I have a particular weapon type equipped.
Susanoo is for anything bladed. I don't use 'em tho'.
Heracles is for bows. I don't use 'em tho'.
Thor gives an attack boost for Hammer-related weapons. My great hammer is still in the making so I don't use it though.

...The hell's up with this row of half-baked Titles.
Thor does look usable, if only I got my great hammer on me.


That's about the gist of it.
All we need to do now is wait till Black Dragon is here.



『GWUOOOOOOOGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!』



...Speak of the dragon. Pipe down with the roaring, will you.
Now then, he may have gotten a lot stronger, but he's still not quite Demon King's level.
Let's beat him up and grab all the meat.

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623 One Swing Knife

Beautifully ornamental armors, swords and shields. There are also practical ones with no extra flairs.
The inside of this store would tickle a boy's mind. Seeing all kinds of weapons and armors is a feast to the eyes.

I looked for a man and found him resting his chin on one hand with a disgruntled look at the counter.
Dunno if it's because he couldn't land a deal with the knife earlier or something else.

"Good afternoon. I'd like to ask something, may I have your time?"

The man quickly swiftly turned his demeanor around and put on a merchant smile.

"Oh yes, how may I help you? Are you looking for something? Allow me to help you find it. We also accept custom order if you wish."

"Are you selling knives made in Dwarf Kingdom?"

"Oho, you're aware about that? We have just sold the best one among our new stock. But we have plenty of other knives made in Dwarf kingdom. Like these ones here. They're all fine knives, don't you think?"

I could tell he's not going to let this chance go by how swift he put three, four knives on the counter.
But this merchant has a good eye. I think these finely adorned knives are the real deal. Even amateurs like me can tell they're expensive stuff.

"Won't all this fine engraving on the blade affect the durability?"

I asked while pointing at a knife you could mistake for being ornamental.

"They're all made by the best and most famous dwarfen workshop in the kingdom, we guarantee not only their durability but their unmatched sharpness as well!"

"Hee, what's the workshop called?"

"It's Dongoro Workshop. They're best at everything be it ornamental, industrial or smithing! There's only one item forged by its best craftsman, Dongoro every year! Such masterpieces are usually snatched up by the royalties or the rich however, so we don't stock them here. But I assure you these knives are the genuine articles!"

Apparently this man is the store manager. He struck a deal with that workshop personally and managed to stock up items made by the apprentices working there.
They're not fake for sure.
Even the ones made by apprentices are clearly first rate stuff. They can't be fake.

"All the struggle I took to get this far... Uuh, my legs are giving out just recalling that time..."

Apparently he had to keep going back and forth between this city and the Dwarf Kingdom until he landed a contract which took him years.
There's only two stores that managed to have a partnership with that workshop. One of which is this store. I'm sure that's quite an accomplishment.
However, they made him promise not to spread the news.

"I can only talk about it to those who seek out items made by this workshop. I'm prohibited from taking the initiative to inform my customers as well."

That's one weird term for a contract.

"But not like anybody would know nor is there gonna be an evidence even if you break that term, right?"

"...Please don't look down on me, dear customer! I may be a merchant but I still have my pride! I will never! Break the terms of my contracts!"

As it seems, he can claim he stocked the items from Dwarf Kingdom but not name the workshop.

"But you look real displeased before I called out to you?"

"Ah, you saw that. What an embarrassment. So you see, the customer who bought our best knife said, 'Hmph, who cares about all that stuff.' so of course I'm not pleased, oh not at all sir! Knives made at Dongoro Workshop, even by the apprentices, fetch a pretty penny! The prices we put on that straddle a fine line between affordability and the workshop's prestige! Yet that customer tried to drive a hard bargain! Argh!"

Looks like this manager is eager to spread the name of Dongoro Workshop. To the point he's barely making a profit from their knives.
The customer must have said something that hit a nerve.
They clicked their tongue when they couldn't haggle and the manager had to bear it in resulting in pent up frustration.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
"How do I go to the Dwarf Kingdom? Which direction?"

I made myself sound like I'm interested. I'm here for information. For direction.

"Ah, that's easy. You see that mountain range over in the direction of the magic coliseum? That's the place."

Looks like Dwarf Kingdom is equal mountains. The classical take.

"Thank you for telling me. Ah, I'm buying this knife."

As thanks, I decided to buy the simplest most practical unadorned knife.

"Sure thing. This is also Dongoro Workshop-made so it's pricier than ordinary knives, can you afford it? It's one gold coin, see?"

Average knives usually go for three silver coins, six tops.
Wonder how much the swords I sold off at the Trade Center would go for as second goods. No, forget about that.
Then again new swords must go even higher.

I fetched one gold coin and handed it over. The manager said, 'Thanks for your patronage!' and gave me the knife.

"This knife doesn't actually come with a sheath. But you can have one as a bonus."

The manager gave me a leather sheath for free.
I didn't actually mind laying it bare but I gratefully accepted his goodwill gesture and left the store.

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Practice and Negotiation

Sheesh, I've finally gotten a grasp of the entire picture by night time.
All the crucial members besides Aizawa-kun and that female captain are accounted for, I guess we can give it a passing mark.

The loss on our side is by no means small but it's not at a level where things are irreversible.
I mean, I don't want to lose a single life no matter how weak or strong they are. I just mean that the people that have crucial roles are all safe, you see?


I forcefully brought Hyula-san and Ganan-san here with Fast Travel.
They complained about it since they were in the middle of tailing demons when I did, but I told them that I have those two Marked so I'm always informed about their movements.
Meaning, tailing them is a waste of time. I need these two to go to another battlefield and get back to work.

They still seemed worried about Aizawa-kun so I told them that I could always retrieve him with Fast Travel if things went south.
Actually, it's weird how that guy fell for the Brainwashing just like that.
Could he have taken what I told him, 'I know where you are no matter where you run', seriously and purposely got himself brainwashed to act as a spy? ...He's being too rash if so. Heck, we've got that female captain in demons' midst already, there's no need for him to get his hands dirty.


I had Rasfin and Baredo march with Souma to take down demons in their path as well as liberate towns.
I told them to call for help when needed. I bet they won't though.

After all, they've got a herd of magic beasts under their commands, including several S-rank tier ones.
Our opponents may possess an equal amount of forces, but they should be no match to Souma and his high level Tame Skill leadership.

Rasfin and Baredo have also learned the basics of Energy and Mana Control on top of Julian-made weapons. No average demons can match them.
It would ease things up in endgame if these two could gain some more levels. Let's see.


I thought I could finally get some rest at night, but nah.
What else is there to do, you ask? Of course.


A practice match with Oni-sensei, problem?


I'd love to have a break during the war but I already played truant for half a month recently, he'd kill me for real if I broke my promise so soon...





『Guruu!!』

"Oraa!!"


Our fists hit each other. The shockwave produced blasted throughout the Monster Mountain Range.
The sound might travel far to the Industrial Town... Sorry for all this racket so late at night.

My base Status is now equal or even higher than Oni-sensei's.
Yet Oni-sensei is unhurt while my HP keeps decreasing every time our fists clashed.

I thought Oni-sensei was using some sort of Master Skill but no, he doesn't have a single Skill that inflicts additional damage or nullifies physical damage.
According to Menu, Oni-sensei is simply chaining the godly moves of minimizing the damage he receives while maximizing the damage he inflicts.
He's parrying the same instant he receives damage like it's reflex. What's up with this guy (Oni).


He's strong, too strong.
If only I could enlist his help in the fight against Demon King.

But I can kinda tell that even though Oni-sensei loves fights, he dislikes having people pit him.
I can just imagine him destroying a horde of powerful magic beasts alongside the person who brought it to him. Way scary.


"Ooooooooooraaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"

『Guruaaaaaaa!!!』


I concentrated all my energy into a straight punch.
Not even Oni-sensei can escape this unharmed.
Oni-sensei also unleashed a punch to match my over mach speed punch and--


No wait, he didn't.

He opened the palm of his fist and threw me like some sort of Aikido master you see in manga.


"Whaaa!?"

『Gwogaa!!』

"Uwaraba!!"


He immediately elbowed my torso, ending our match.
I got knocked out while making the same death scream like a certain self proclaimed genius.
Agagagaga, that drained all my HP, it hurts so bad...!!

Honestly, I can't see myself ever winning against this Oni <<person>>.
I had been using Mana and Energy Control every chance I got while Oni-sensei almost never used a single Skill.
I have the upper hands on Status, conditions and all sorts of things yet I just can't win.
...Getting shown so much gap in power is kinda deflating...


W, well, now that's over, let's have a little talk or rather negotiation before I head back. Ow ouch, my belly...
...I might end up eating another fist, but I gotta do everything I can. No choice.

<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >

~~~~~~~~~~~At Resistance Hideout~~~~~~~~


"Ah, Kajikawa-san, welcome back... W, what happened to you!? There's a palm shaped bruise on your face!"

"Did you get punched...!? Unforgivable, I'll... Hold on, there's someone out there that can hit and deal damage to you, Hikaru?"

"...Please don't worry about it..."

『Pii...?』


~~~~~~~~~~The Following Morning~~~~~~~~~



Hi, hi, good morning.
I got Hero-kun treat me with his Healing Magic and recovered my bruises with Life Force Control. I'm right as day now.

That Hero-kun just went through hell though.
Hell that is a brawny old man slipping in his bed at night.
Apparently he sent the guy to another continent with Fast Travel to get out of that crisis. He sure got it rough. Even though he's a guy.


"Almost lost my chastity last night, damn it..."

"...My condolences."

"I was out of Fusion state already yet there were three other guys besides that baldie trying to get in my bed. Men, all of them. What in the hell."


My condolences, Hero-kun. No really.


"By the way, what if they were cute girls instead?"

"...No comment."


You shoulda thrown a joke there like, 'We'll get straight to it till morning', or maybe 'I have Levia and Olivie already'. I don't know how to respond to a half-baked answer.


Well then, now that there's an area unaffected by the jamming magic, helps from other continents have finally arrived and we can stage our counterattack for the earnest.

Sending folk like Alma's parents, that old Sword King, or Juurou-san to the right areas per the Resistance's intel should easily end this war. Tremble in your sleep fuhahahaha.
...The problem is we have to finish this war in less than a week time or else the plan will go awfully awry. Gotta get to it quick.

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622 Severing Relationship

I was led to a guest room and waited for quite some time. Selram showed up with her usual China dress. Apparently that's her daily attire, not worn especially to cajole me.

"Thank you. I'm in your debt, Saito. A really huge one at that. I read the brief version of the report. I can't believe you took down such a powerful magic beast with so little wound. You're even terrifying than I imagined, Saito."

Is that supposed to be a compliment? Guess I'll just ignore it.

"I'd like a different reward. Is that okay with you? Think of it as a way to return your debt."

I decided to get straight to the point. I don't need pleasantries.

"Oh what would it be? Perhaps you would like a larger sum? That's perfectly fine by me."

Selram thought I was going to demand more money and prematurely agreed.
But that's not it. What I ask is the opposite. Of course she wouldn't know my circumstance.

"I don't need money. Instead, I want to go separate ways. This is one and last time. Do not approach me ever again. Fate might have played a role to get us acquainted, but I don't want to keep doing your bidding for profit."

A silence ran. Berume who's present in the room is keeping quiet too.
Selram had a long sigh before she spoke.

"...I understand. Once you've left this store, you're no longer our acquaintance. Good enough for you?"

I only nodded at her question.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
"Then allow us to service you while you're here. We have high-class snacks and tea ready. Do take it easy."

"No, I'm leaving now. I'm thankful for your hospitality but I don't want to keep dilly dallying. Not when it's my demand. I can't exactly stay here and act like everything is fine now, can I?"

I stood up and walked up to the door. Selram made another attempt to detain me.

"My? I don't mind, you know. I bet you're tired, no? Please use this chance to sit back and relax."

"You don't, I do. I can't stay calm."

"Fufufu, I suppose that's that. Berume, see him off."

"No you don't have to do that. I'm just gonna make my way outta the door."

"You're so cold to the very end."

I left the disappointed Selram and her store behind.

(There won't be any more requests from Selram. Well now, how do I go about killing the rest of my time here.)

I decided to go to the weapon store that stocked up a knife from Dwarf Kingdom I saw earlier.
To find out more about the country naturally.

"Next up. To Dwarf Kingdom!"

I walked on while imagining what kind of country is it. I arrived at my destination in no time.

"Welcome, come on in! What are you looking for? We only sell weapons and utensils from first rate workshops! Everything here is worth more than their price tags! Guaranteed, dear customer!"

Worth more huh. The barker's promotion line hooked me so I decided to go in the store to see the goods inside.
I could have asked the barker about Dwarf Kingdom stuff, but he's not the person who talked about the dwarf-made knife earlier.
I surveyed the store looking for that person in question.

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