vol 1 part 1

ARIFURETA SHOKUGYOU DE SEKAI SAIKYOU (WN)

V1 Prologue

Chapter 0 : Prologue



In the darkness, the light quickly disappears. Even unconscious the hand reached out to grasp at nothing, while falling there was a sense of tightening in the nether region. Nagumo Hajime's face distorted with fear as the light disappeared from his vision.

Currently, Hajime was falling down a deep cliff that looked like the entrance to hell. The only light visible was the light that illuminated the ground above. As he continued to fall the light no longer reached him, the surrounding turned black, Hajime searched the dungeon, and on the cervices of the sides he saw a revolving lantern as the sound of wind passed by him.

Being a Japanese myself, the inequality that he tasted when he came to this world was too hard to represent in words and the hope that this fantasy world would rid of it, the current history of the misfortune that he tasted in progressive form.

* * *

Monday, the most melancholy of all the days has just started. For most people, at this time of the week would sigh, while the previous day would be heaven to them.

And Nagumo Hajime was not an exception to this notion. However, in Hajime's case, it was not just a simple bother, the cozy school was associated with a very bad feeling, probably because he was depressed. As always, when the last bell chimed at school, he opened the door to the classroom with his tired body from pulling an all-nighter.

At that moment, Hajime received glares and clicking of tongues from the majority of the male students in the classroom. The girls did not have a friendly expression either. It was fine if the people were indifferent, but there were those who had an expression of contempt directed at him.

Hajime tried to play it off as he headed to his seat, but there was always people who would mess with him every time.

"Hey Kimoota*! Did you play games all night again? Was it an eroge I wonder?"

"Uwa, gross. Staying up all night to play eroge is super disgusting."

What the heck do they find funny to guffaw at? The laughter came from Hiyama Daisuke. He is the leader of the students that pick on Hajime on a daily routine. The three next to him with the stupid laugh were Saito Yoshiki, Kondo Reiichi, and Nakano Shinji, these four were the ones that picked on Hajime the most frequently.

As Hiyama stated, Hajime was an otaku. Hajime's appearance and behavior was not that bad to be called Kimoota or to be ridiculed. His hair was trimmed short and he did not have bedhead hair. He did not have an assertive personality but that did not mean he was anti-social, besides he clearly replied back to people. He was quiet, but he did not give off a feeling of creepiness. Hajime simply liked things like manga, light novels, games, and movies.

The criticism that otaku's receive from society is certainly strong, generally speaking the degree of ridicule varies but it never reaches open hostility. Yet, why does all the male students show unrestrained contempt and hostility?

The answer was a girl.

"Nagumo-kun, Good Morning! Almost late as usually, you should come earlier."

The girl walks up to Hajime as she is smiling. In this class, no wait this whole school, she is one of the few exceptions that treated Hajime friendly.

Her name was Shirasaki Kaori. She is known as one of the two goddesses of the school, popular among both male and female students and known for her very beautiful looks. Kaori had long glossy black hair that reached her waist, and large slightly weeping eyes that conveyed a sense of gentleness. She had a straight bridge nose that was small, and thin lips of Sakura colors arranged to perfection.

Always the girl with the endless smile, is very caring and has a strong sense of responsibility that often people, regardless of school year, rely on her help. She is always seen with a sincere expression without any unpleasantness, that is why it is hard to believe she was just a high school student.

So, why does someone like Kaori treat Hajime so well? This has caused many sleepless nights for Hajime and the student body (He got average grades as a result), it was thought that it was because of Kaori's good nature that warranted the treatment.

Now, Hajime's class attitude should improve, if Kaori was dealing with an Ikemen than it would have been acceptable, unfortunately, Hajime was very ordinary, on hand his reputation for "a life of hobbies" did not see an improvement of the attitude against him. That such a person as Hajime can be so friendly with Kaori, the ordinary male students could not stand it. Often they think "Why is it only him?" The female students simply, because they believe Hajime is taking advantage of Kaori's kind nature, seem to be uncomfortable with him.

"Ah, Good Morning Shirasaki-san."

Uwa, is this Saki?! Is what he wanted to say, but he saw the glint of the eyes and just contorted his face in discomfort as he returned the greeting.

And Kaori just wore a joyful expression. Why does she have such an expression? Furthermore the glaze was so piercing that he could feel the flow of cold sweat. Hajime wondered every single time. Why does someone like Kaori, who is hailed as the most beautiful in the school, associate herself with him. In Hajime's eyes, there is just something about Kaori's nature that he did not think about yet.

However, he was not going to flatter himself thinking that it was romantic feelings. Hajime himself, had given up self-awareness in his pursuit of his hobbies. Because of his lack of self-awareness his looks were average and so was his athletic ability. So when you compared him to her, he was nowhere close to being good enough. Therefore, her attitude is a mystery.

Besides that, can you be a little more aware of the Saki storm brewing! I say in my innermost thoughts. If I had voiced it, I have no doubt that someone would take me behind the gym…

When I attempted to end the conversation there, three students got closer to us.

"Nagumo-kun, Good Morning. It's troublesome every day."

"Kaori, are you looking after him again? Really, Kaori is really kind."

"For real, no matter what you say to this unmotivated guy, it won't work."

The name of the girl that greeted him, from the three, is Yaegashi Shizuku. Kaori's best friend. Her trademark was her long black hair done in a ponytail. Her slightly slit eyes was sharp, but in the depths there is a feeling of softness, this gives her the impression of being cool rather than cold. She was tall for a girl at 172 cm, her posture and physique was very dignify and it was similar to how a samurai was.

In fact, her family is in ownership of a Kenjutsu dojo. Shizuku herself is a vetran of her family style. Since she was a child, she had never lost in a tournament. Currently she appears in magazines as the "Beautiful Swordwoman", she even have some diehard fans.

The underclasswomen would call her "Onee-sama" because of their admiration.

Next, the one that spoke a little clumsily to Kaori was Amanogawa Kouki. Just like his name he was the perfect man, good looks, athletic, smart, and good personality. He had silky brown hair and gentle eyes. His body was toned and slender at about 180 cm. Kouki was nice to everyone and had a very strong sense of justice. Since he was small he attended the Yaegashi Kenjutsu dojo. Like Shizuku, he was a national level athlete. Shizuku and him are childhood friends. Dozens of girls have fallen for him, but he is always close to Kaori and Shizuku so the other girls are hesitant to confess their feelings. Still he is a very popular guy that gets confessed to at least twice a month from all over.

The last person was a male with a very reckless feeling named Sakagami Ryutaro, Kouki's best friend. He is muscle brain that does not care about the finer details in things. His physique is like a bear and he stand tall at about 190 cm. The eyes he has shows playfulness and sharpness. Ryutaro is a very hot blooded individuals that like others that put in effort like him, he does not like Hajime because of his lackluster approach to life. Even now, he choose to ignore Hajime.

"Ohayo, Yaegashi-san, Tennokawa-kun, Sakagami-kun. Haha, Maa, there is no helping it since it's my own fault."

To their greetings, Hajime just gives a bitter smile. "Teme, What selfish words did you say to Yaegashi-san? Aaa?" I wanted to say but a stare stopped me*. Both the girls were very popular, Shizuku's reputation would not lose to Kaori's.

"If you knew about it, why not fix it? I think you are fawning over Kaori's kindness. Kaori is not just trying to bother you."

Kouki admonishes Hajime. In Kouki's eyes, Hajime is not taking Kaori's kindness with any sincerity. It's not like he wanted to be babied! Rather please just leave me alone! I wanted to argue with him, but there would be more trouble if I did. There was no use in arguing with Kouki because he always felt he was right.

Even if they asked him to "fix" his hobbies, his hobbies was at the center of his life. Because, his father was a game creator and his mother was a shoujo mangaka, in the future he wanted to get a partime job at his father's company or mother's workplace.

He was already practicing his skills, and all his hobbies were perfect for his plans. Hajime did not feel like changing his life style because he had given serious thoughts about it already. If Kaori had not taken an interest in Hajime, he would have lived a quiet student life.

"Iya~Ahaha…"

Therefore, laughingly, Hajime let it go. However, the goddess of unawareness dropped a bomb again like always.

"Kouki-kun, What are you saying? I'm just talking to Nagumo-kun because I want to."

Zawatto*, the classroom became noisy. The male students glared and clenched their teeth with Saki at that. Hiyama's group started to consider where they could take Hajime during the lunch break.

"Oh?…Aa, Really, Kaori is so nice."

Kouki seems to take Kaori's response about Hajime at face value. Kouki's was a good person, but he lacked the perception to really understand the meaning of what is being said. Hajime took this time to look up at the sky to escape the awkward situation.

"…Gomenasaine? I don't want to rude to you two but…"

At that place the person with the best understanding of people, Shizuku, secretly apologized to Hajime. Hajime replied with a "No choice" with a grin and a shrug.

At that time the bell chimed to signal the start of class, as their teacher entered the classroom. The teacher conveyed the usually information. And, Hajime started his daydream, while the class started.

Looking at that Hajime, Kaori smiled, Shizuku just grinned, males were clicking their tongues, girls were directing a gaze of scorn.

* * *

I returned to consciousness at the feeling of the class's bustle. Since it was a habitual sleep, he had a timing of when to wake up. The kind of feeling he got, signify that it was lunch break.

Hajime raises his face from the desk and takes out his basic lunch with a rustling sound. Looking around the people who were buying food were already out the class, so the number of people in class were decreasing. Still, there were still about 2/3 of the class with their bento left, while their 4th period social studies teacher Hatakeyama Aiko (25 years old) was chatting with several students near the podium.

Ji~yururu, ki~yupon!

Immediately, Hajime tried to take a nap after eating his lunch. However, a certain goddess would not all it, for Hajime she was the devil, smiled as she approached his desk.

Hajime inwardly moaned "Damn!" He seemed to be especially sleepy on Mondays. Usually before Kaori's and the other interacted with him, he would have been gone to find a place to sleep, but those two days of all nighters had taken a toll on him.

"Nagumo-kun, how rare it is to find you in class at lunch. Obento? If you want let's eat together."

Once again, a disturbing atmosphere filled the classroom, Hajime scream in his heart. No, who do you pay attention to me now? Without meaning to, an unknown dialect almost escaped from his mouth. Hajime tried to refuse.

"Ah, thanks for the offer, Shirasaki-san. However, I have already finished eating so why not join the others?"

As I said that, I showed her my empty lunch pack that was completely gone. To refuse such an offer people would think "Who is this guy?", but it's better than the constant nagging he would get.

However, such a low level refusal was not enough to stop the Goddess from trying.

"Eh! You only ate that much? That's not good, you should eat properly. I'll give you some of mine!"

(Give me a break! Notice it! Notice the atmosphere!)

Suddenly my saviors appeared, when I started to produce a cold sweat from the increasing pressure. It was Kouki's group.

"Kaori. Let's eat together. It seems like Nagumo hasn't slept enough yet. I won't allow such a sleepyhead to enjoy Kaori's delicious meal."

Kaori just laughs refreshingly at Kouki's smug response. For someone as insensitive as Kaori, an Ikemen's smile and words had no effect on her.

"Eh? What are you unable to allow?"

Shizuku unwittingly blew out a laugh at Kaori's response. Kouki just laughs at that and starts to just chat it up. Still 4 of the most famous students were gathered around Hajime's desk and that did not allow the glares to weaken.

Hajime complained to himself and let out a sigh.

(Already, these guys are in their own worlds. No matter how you look at these 4, they are caught up in their own atmosphere. Please someone from another world summon him.)

Hajime tries to escape reality. When he was about to moving away he was frozen.

In front of his eyes, a complex array of snow white circles appeared before him. The students also noticed this weird phenomenon. He watched as the patterns shined and the force that held him started to hold the other students, he thought it was a magic formation.

The magic formation got gradually brighter and soon expanded to the size of the whole classroom. When the students finally processed the situation they tried to move and scream. When the formation started to shine, Aiko-sensei shouted "Everybody get out", but at this instance the formation exploded.

The light covered the classroom for a few seconds, then a few minutes. When it cleared no one was left in the classroom. The classroom was devoid of human life but all their belongings, that were not on them, were left behind.

The world would later call this a Spirited Away incident, but that is for another timeARIFURETA SHOKUGYOU DE SEKAI SAIKYOU (WN)

V1 C1

Chapter 1 : Summoned to a Different World



Template summons.

* * *

Hajime stood there with his hands protecting his face and his eyes closed, but when he heard the rustling noise he slowly opened his eyes.

Hajime looked around in utter amazement. The first thing to catch his eyes was a huge mural. The mural was about 10 meters in height, there was a person with androgynous features that had an aureole in the back and long flowing blonde hair with a slight smile on the mural. A grassy plain, a lake, and mountains are drawn in the background and the person had both of their hands extended out. It is a beautiful mural. It is a great mural. However, Hajime felt that the eyes were somewhat cold.

When he looked around, he noticed that they were in a huge hall. He wondered if the whole hall was made of marble. The whole building was done with a smooth white luster, it had huge pillars that was carved beautifully holding it up, and the ceiling was done in a dome shape. The whole place looked like a cathedral and the hall had a very solemn atmosphere.

It seemed that Hajime and the rest were at the top of a pedestal that was located in the deepest part of the building. They were in a position higher than the surrounding area. His classmates also looked around stunned at what they were seeing. Apparently, all that students that were present in the classroom at that time, was caught up in the situation.

Hajime glanced behind. There was Kaori also looking around stunned at was before them. She did not seem to be injured, so Hajime felt relief.

Perhaps, the people that were surrounding the pedestal would be able to explain the situation. Yeah, Hajime and his classmates were not the only ones here. There were at least 30 people on their knees giving prayer with both their hands in front of their chest. All of them wore a white robe that was embroidered with gold, and they had a staff right next to them. At the tip of the staves it spread out like a fan, and several pieces of disks hung around it in a circle.

One particular priest looked to be about 70 years old, what made him stand out was his very formal headwear that was close to 30 cm in height, stepped forward towards them. Though with his old age, he was wearing too flashy of a robe. He might have passed for someone in his 50s if not for the wrinkles that engraved his face.

The old priest spoke to them with a clear and calming voice that fit his appearance, with the staff in his hand.

"Welcome to Tortus, our Hero and his fellow countrymen. We welcome you all. I am called Ishtar Lombard and I am the Pope of the Church of Saints. Please let's get along."

After he introduced himself, he presented a smile that was often associated with nice elderly people.

* * *

Currently, Hajime and the rest moved locations, they had passed through the great hall and saw some tables lined up 10 meters in front of them. Without exception this room was made with gorgeous details. From a layman's perspective, it seemed like all the works that decorated the room was made with masterful technique. Probably this was where they were going to eat. Kouki's group of 4 and Aiko-sensei sat at the head of the table. Hajime sat at the last spot.

Nobody made any noise as they were guided to this area and seated, their minds were still trying to work out what happened to them. It was up to Ishtar to explain the situation, even Kouki with his EX Charisma was silently wondering. Aiko-sensei gathered the students like a teacher should, with teary eyes.

When everyone was seated, with amazing timing, the maids entered pushing carts. Yeah, real maids! Not like those fat Obaa-sans maids that plagued the earth. These were real and true beautiful woman, beautiful women maids that embodied the dreams of a man.

The majority of the class boys stared at the maids because of their adolescent minds. Though the girls were sending cold glares at them.

Hajime instinctively stares at the maid that comes by his side to serve the drinks…but for some reason he felt a chill down his spine and he fixed his staring. When he faced the direction of the chill, Hajime saw Kaori smiling at him. Hajime decided to stop looking.

Ishtar started his explanation after he confirmed that everyone had gotten a drink.

"I'm sure you are all confused. I will explain first, so please listen till the end before asking any questions."

After that, Ishtar arbitrarily explained the situation and it seemed like a fantasy.

In summary.

First, the world was called Tortus. In this world, there were three major races. Humans, Devils, and demi-humans. The Humans ruled over the north area. The Devils ruled over the south area. The demi-humans lived quietly in the wilderness to the east.

Of these, the Humans and Devils have been in a war for several hundred years. When compared a Devil was much stronger than a Human but Humans had the number advantage. Both sides have not been in a large-scale war in a few decades, but they are preparing themselves. Recently there has been abnormal happenings occurring. The deployment of monsters by the Devils.

Monsters are said to be a variant of wild animals that took in magic and changed. They were not considered real living organisms. They had the power to mimic peculiar magic that other races used, and this made them powerful and dangerous animals.

Until now there were very few people that could tame them. Even if they could be tamed, the tamer could only control 1 or 2 monsters at most. This common thought was completely reversed by the Devils. This meant that the Humans no longer had their number advantage. Now the Human race was facing a crisis.

"The one to have summoned you here is Eht-sama. He is the god that protect us and the one we worship in the Church of Saints. He is the one that created this world. Most likely Eht-sama realized that if things remained this way the Humans would face destruction. For this reason you were summoned to avoid this future. The world you come from is higher ranked than ours, the people from your world would have exceptional power here. Before the summon, we prayed to Eht-sama. You were the "salvation" that he sent.

With your powers, we will overthrow the Devils and save the Humans by the will of Eht-sama."

Ishtar said this with a very rapt expression. He was most likely recalling what the oracle had told him. More than 90% of Humans followed the teachings of the Church, those who have heard the oracle is often assigned to a position of power.

Hajime suspected this so called "Will of God". He felt that Ishtar was distorting what the world really was and what it faced. People that wanted to protest suddenly appeared. It was Aiko-sensei.

"Please don't joke around! In the end, these children will be fighting in a war! I won't allow such a thing! I will absolutely not allow such a thing! Please let us return! Surely, their families will be worried about them! What you have done is merely kidnapping!"

Aiko-sensei was angry. She was a very popular social studies teacher that was 25 years old. She had a baby like face with her 150 cm height. Her hair was done in a bob cut. For her student's sake she tried her best and it was very heartwarming. There was often times when the students were protected by her even though her physique was not that adult like.

The students often called her Ai-chan, even if she got angry when they referred to her as such. She was aiming to be a dignified teacher.

She was angered at the unreasonable summoning and stood up against it. Ah, Ai-chan is trying her best again. There were students who were looking at Aiko-sensei's admonishment of Ishtar with a fuzzy feeling. The following words from Ishtar froze them.

"I sympathize with your feelings. Unfortunately we have no way to return you."

Silence filled the halls. There was a cold air that appeared throughout the whole area. Everyone gaze at Ishtar, not knowing what to say to that.

"That's impossible, what do you mean not possible? If you can summon us, you can send us back!"

Aiko-sensei shouted out.

"As I said earlier, it was Eht-sama that summoned you. The magic that interferes with other worlds is a magic we humans cannot use. Whether or not you can return it is left up to Eht-sama to decide."

"Such a thing…"

Aiko-sensei lost her strength at that point and dropped into her chair like a stone. The students started to rustle at that.

"Lies! Why can't we return?"

"Iyaa. I just want to return!"

"Don't even joke about war! Don't mess with me!"

"Why, Why, Why…"

The students started to panic at the situation. Even Hajime was not okay with this. However, being an Otaku he had read many situations like this before. Therefore, he expected these patterns. Since it was not the worst pattern, he was a lot calmer than the other students. Incidentally one of the worst pattern was being summoned to be a slave.

While everyone was taken off guard, Ishtar was just calming watching the students' reactions and choose to let it flow naturally. However, Hajime could see that behind that calm expression there was contempt for them. The priest was probably thinking that they should be honored to be picked by Eht-sama.

Still, the panic did not settle down. Kouki at this moment stood up and slam the table with a bang. This sound surprised the students and got their attention. When he confirmed that he had everyone's attention, Kouki began to talk.

"Everyone, there is no reason to make so much noise in front of Ishtar-san. He had nothing to do with it. …Me, I'm going to fight. The humans of this world are facing a crisis, that is a fact. Knowing that, I cannot ignore their pleas for help. If I was summoned to save humans, we may be able to return after we have saved them. Ishtar-san, how about it?"

"Right, Eht-sama will answer the wishes of the Saviors."

"We all have special powers right? Since I came here I've been feeling this sense of power."

"Yes, that's right. Roughly, each of you have power that is several times higher than the people from this world."

"Then it's okay. I'll fight. I'll save the people, and then we can all go home. I'll save the world and everyone, you'll see!"

Kouki gripped his fist tightly as he declared this. Vainly, Kouki showed his bright smile that sparkled. At this moment, there was no doubt that his EX charisma was very effective. The students that earlier had an expression of despair began to regain calmness and vigor. Kouki's eyes that shined so brightly, seemed to have found hope in this situation. Half of the school girls sent admiring glances at him.

"I thought you would say something like that. If you were to do it alone, I would worry about you. I'll also fight."

"Ryutaro"

"At this moment that is all we can do. It's not like I hate it, I'll fight too."

"Shizuku"

"Eh, If Shizuku-chan is going, I'll try my best."

"Kaori."

The usual group of 4 agree with Kaori. The rest of the classmates seem to approve and went with the flow. Aiko-sensei tried to argue against it with watery eyes, but against Kouki's display it was useless.

After all, it seemed that everyone was going to participate in the war. Most likely the classmates did not truly understand what it was meant to go to war, they were just fantasizing it. Most likely they agreed as a mechanism to escape the grim reality they were in, or else their spirits might have caved at the surreal situation. Hajime just observed Ishtar while thinking these things. The priest had a very satisfied expression on his face.

Hajime noticed it though. While Ishtar was giving the explanation, he observed Kouki, he confirmed what reaction they would have to the story. With Kouki's strong sense of justice, it was easy to see his reaction to the tragedy that would befall humans. After he just told them about the ruthlessness of the Devils, Ishtar specifically emphasized the cruelty. Ishtar probably had good insight. He was wondering who had the most influence in the group.

It was probably natural for someone in the world's largest religion, but what a tricky person. Hajime added Ishtar as someone to be careful of in his head.

* * *

The one waiting for them after the summon was not a priestess or princess, but a really old man

ARIFURETA SHOKUGYOU DE SEKAI SAIKYOU (WN)

V1 C2

Chapter 2 : Status Plate



It's explanation time.

* * *

Since they all agreed to participate in the war, the students would have to learn how to fight. Even if they had a lot of extra power and potential, they were all just regular Japanese high school students that were used to peace. Suddenly fighting monsters and devils would not go well.

However, the church and parties involved had already predicted this circumstance, Ishtar said, this church is located on "God's Mountain" and at the foot is the "Hairihi Kingdom" have arrange for this. The kingdom had a very close relationship with the Church, the god that they worshipped, was the God of Creation Eht and this country was founded by the family of Charm Byrne. The relationship was strong because the church supported this country.

The students went out the front gate of the church. They were going to descend the mountain and visit the Hairihi Kingdom. The church was located at the summit of "God's Mountain". When the majestic church gates opened, there was a sea of clouds there to greet them. Even if it was very high, they did not feel the effects of the high altitude. Maybe it was because the magic made it a more comfortable living environment. They were fascinated with the grand scene of the blue sky, the sparkling sun, and the sea of clouds.

Ishtar urged them to proceed, while boasting about something. Eventually a circular white pedestal surround by fences came into their view. The beautiful corridor was made of the same material as seen in the cathedral they approached the pedestal and rode on it.

On the pedestal, there were huge magic formations carved into it. Because there was a sea of clouds on the other side of the fence, the students gathered in the center restlessly.

Ishtar started to chant.

"The road that leads, opens for the faithful, "Tendou"."

As soon as he said that, the magic formation started to shine. The pedestal started to move smoothly like it was on a ropeway, it moved diagonally towards the ground. Apparently, the "chant" empowered the magic formation engraved into the pedestal. The pedestal was most likely a ropeway. For the students, seeing magic the first time made them excited. When the pedestal broke into the clouds, it caused an uproar.

Eventually, it passed through the clouds and the ground could be seen. They could see a big town underneath. A huge castle was built into the mountain and the castle town spread from the castle. This was the Hairihi Kingdom. The pedestal lead them to the roof of a very expensive tower that was connected to the royal palace.

Hajime cynically laughed at the production value at display. To descend from the heavens through the sea of clouds, they were being presented as the Chosen of God. They just didn't present the students in a good light, but also the members of the church.

Hajime remembered the pre-war Japan days. At that time religion and politics were closely tied together. There was a likelihood that it would lead to trouble later on. However, this world may be even more strained. After all, this world had the power to touch other worlds, all the while following the "Will of God".

The possibility of them returning, all relied on saving the world on the feelings of their god. While looking over the Capital city and its view becoming clearer, Hajime suppressed the uneasiness he felt in his heart. Anyway, he was going to do what he can.

* * *

When they arrived at the Royal Palace, they were ushered into the throne room straight away. They walked through the corridors and could not help but notice the beauty of the decorations. Along the way, they saw someone dressed up like a knight. they also passed by some maids, everyone was fully uniformed. They looked at the students with awe. The students seemed to be popular or known already.

Hajime seemed uncomfortable so he stuck around at the end of the group. They arrived in front of a set of huge double doors that was designed beautifully, two Soldiers stood at attention on both sides of the door when Ishtar and the party came. Without waiting for a reply, they opened the door.

Ishtar just leisurely entered like it was the natural thing to do. Students filed in feeling a little uneasy, with the exception of Kouki.

At that point I entered the doorway too. There was a red carpet that led from the entrance all the way to a luxurious throne. On the throne sat a middle aged man that conveyed ambition and dignity. They all stood before the throne and waited. There was a woman next to the throne, that seemed to be the queen. Next to her was a 10 year old boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. A 15-16 year old Bishoujo was next to him, and there was a small 7-8 year old girl that accompanied her. There were people that looked like civil officers on the right side of the carpet, on the left were what looked like to be military officers.

Arriving in front of the throne, Hajime's group stopped, while Ishtar proceeded next to the King. The King lightly kissed the Pope's hand as a sign of respect. Apparently, the Pope was the top dog here. This just confirmed Hajime's theory that the country was run by "God", he sighed inwardly at that.

From there, they introduced themselves. The King's name was Erihido S. B. Hairihi. Luruaria the Queen, Randell the prince, 1st princess Liliana, and 2nd princess Maribelle. After, the prime minister, Knight commander, and other high status people introduced themselves. It seemed that Kaori's charm was universal because the young prince was gazing admiringly at her.

A banquet was held after and they were able to enjoy this world's cuisine. The appearance of this kingdom was very similar to olden Europeans of Earth. The drink they served was pink in color but glistened like a rainbow, it was very delicious.

The prince seemed to take a liking to Kaori because he was often talking to Kaori, and this got a lot of the class boys fretting. Hajime did not expect much chance for the prince because he was just 10 years old.

In the royal palace, they were introduced to the instructors that would train them. They also would provided shelter, food, and clothing for all of them. The instructors were handpicked from the Knights, Imperial Court Mages, and much more. This would allow them to develop friendships for the forthcoming war.

After they were finished with the dinner, each person was lead to their own room. Hajime was not the only one to be amazed by the bed that had a canopy over it. Hajime was uncomfortable in such a luxurious room. Still the room allowed for all the strain and stress they got today to melt away. He laid on the bed and he slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Training and lectures began the very next day.

First, each of the students were introduced to a silver plate (12cm x 7 cm). The students looked at the plates curiously. Knight Commander Meld Loggins started to explain.

He thought it was good to have a constant attendance for training, he did not seem to be able to leave it to the students to clear up their mess. Besides Meld, there was the Deputy Leader, who just laughed and said it was going to be alright. Well the Deputy leader may be alright.

"Yoshi, did everyone get one? These plates are called Status Plates. Literally, these plates will show your stats and status. The plate also serves as an identification card. As long as you have this, you cannot get lost, so don't lose it."

Meld had a very carefree way of speaking. He had an open-hearted character, since they were going to be comrades was he going to speak formally to them. He advised that they talk to each other in a normal manner. They asked them to feel at ease. The students did not feel comfortable addressing their elders in such a nonchalant way.

"There are magic cravings on the plate. I will make a small wound with a needle on your finger, just drip a drop of your blood onto that magic formation. Then the owner of that plate will be registered. If you say "Status Open", the plate will display you your stats. Ah, have you never heard of such a thing? I didn't know that. This is a kind of artifact from ancient times. "

"Artifact?"

Kouki asked the question because he was not familiar with the word.

"The artifact is a powerful tool that cannot be reproduced with modern means. It is said that they were created when God and his family still roamed this land. The status plate is one of the artifacts he left behind that cannot be reproduced. It is usually would be called a national treasure rather than an artifact, but it is distributed in the generally public. Because it was a very convenient ID card. "

I see, so the student's poked their fingers for their blood and smeared their blood onto the plates to activate the innate magic. The magic formation shined red for an instant. Hajime did the same with his blood and plate.

Name

Nagumo Hajime

Age

17 Years Old

Gender

Male

Level

1

Class

Transmutation Artist (Synergist)

Strength

10

Vitality

10

Resistance

10

Agility

10

Magic

10

Magic Resistance

10

Skills

Transmutation

Language Comprehension

To see the stats displayed, he couldn't help but feel like he was a character in a game. The other students were looking over their status seriously. The stats were than explained to them by Meld.

"Did everyone see? Let me explain. First, let go over "level". The level will increase if you get an increase in stats. The max level for a human was 100. In other words, the level shows the base and potential that a human can reach. When you reach level 100, then you have achieved the potential of humans. It is very rare for someone to reach that though."

Unlike games, leveling up does not mean getting extra stats in our case.

"Your stats can be raised by training, magic, or magical tools. Also, someone with a high magic stat allows other stats to increase faster. Although we don't know the whole detail, it is believe that magical power somehow assists the physical body to improve.

Afterwards, look forward to the gear we selected for you. After all, you are the heroes. The national treasury is being used to supply you!"

From what Meld said, just because you kill a demon or monster does not guarantee your stats will go up. The stats will improve steadily with practice and experience.

"Next we are going to cover "Class". Simply this is the talent you have. The skills you have at the end of your status is directly linked to the class you have. People who have a class are rare. The classes can be divided into two category: combat classes and non-combat classes. A combat class only shows up in 1 out of 1000 people with classes. Non-combat class only shows up in 1 out of 100 people. Out of those non-combat jobs there are about 1 out of 10 that have an extraordinary class. Most of the people in non-combat classes have manufacturing classes."

Hajime took a look at his stats. Surely his class was "Synergist". He was gifted the ability to "synergize". Well, they were from a stronger world, so naturally he should have higher specs than a normal person from Tortus. Hajime just slightly smirked at that thought. After all he was glad to have talent. However his joy was short lived because Meld started to explain more about the stats.

"So…let's see everyone's stats. For example, the average person has stats of around 10 at level 1. Well you guys should have several times higher than that. So enviable! Please give reports on what your status plate says. This is so we can develop a training regimen that fits each of you."

The average person at level 1 has stats around 10. Hajime's stats lined up perfectly to display 10s on all of them. Hajime tilt his head and scratched at it as he broke out in an unpleasant sweat.

(Are? No matter how you look at it, I'm so average…so absolutely average. Not a cheat. I'm not "TUEEEE"(?) What about everyone else? Maybe it was like this in the beginning.)

Hajime clings to that hope as he looks around at the others. Everyone else had a bright face, nothing like how Hajime's face was like.

Immediately responding to Meld's request, Kouki steps forward to report his status.

Name

Amanokawa Kouki

Age

17 Years Old

Gender

Male

Level

1

Class

Hero

Strength

100

Vitality

100

Resistance

100

Agility

100

Magic

100

Magic Resistance

100

Skills

Aptitude All Attribute

Resist All Elements

Resist Physical

Complex Magic

Swordplay

Herculean Strength

Quick Movement

Foresight

High-speed Magic Recovery

Sign Perception

Magic Perception

Limit Break

Language Comprehension

The definition of a Cheat.

"Ho, truly a hero. To be at the same stats as me at level 1…I'm a little depressed. Usually a person only has 2 to 3 skills…unbelievable. Very reliable."

"Iya~, Ahaha…"

Kouki scratches his head in embarrassment at Meld's praise. By the way, Meld is level 62. His stats average at around 200, and this is considered top-level in the world for a human. However, Kouki is already at half his stats at only level 1. At this growth rate, he will overpass him quickly.

By the way, Skill can equate to talent and that is something that cannot be changed. The only exception is "Derivation Skill." This derives from polishing ones skill for many years, this skill is acquired when the person can "break through the wall" to acquire it. It sounds easy, but it has not been done before, it would mean to get a boost in skill level in just one day.

It was thought that only Kouki was special, but the others had superior stats, although not as good as Kouki, they can still be considered cheats. A lot of the classmates had combat classes too. Hajime just looked at his class name. When trying to imagine his class, it was not possible to see this class in battle. Also, he only had two skills. One of them was the default language comprehension too. Truthfully, he only had one real skill then. Hajime just gave a dry smile at that. Because he had to report to him, Hajime handed his plate to Meld.

Until now, Meld had a great expression from seeing all those special status plates. To be able to have so many strong comrades was a joy. Meld's expression retained its smile as he stated "Huh?" He beat the plate Hajime handed to him to see if it was malfunctioning, and held it up to the light. After staring at it, he returned the plate to Hajime with an unremarkable expression.

"Ah, this is. If you think about Synergists, it was a crafting class. It's useful if you want to be a blacksmith…"

Meld described the class to Hajime with as much articulation as he could. The boys who did not like Hajime, would jump at opportunity to make fun of Hajime. The class was clearly a non-combat class. All his classmates had combat classes, Hajime would not be helpful in the future battles because of this.

While grinning, Hiyama Daisuke screamed out.

"Oi Oi, Nagumo. It can't possibly be, but did you get a non-combat class? How can a crafting class fight? Meld-san, is this class rare?"

"…Iya, 1 out of every 10 crafting class is one. All the countries employ a lot of them."

"Oi oi, Nagumo~, are you going to fight like that?"

Hiyama throws an arm around Hajime's shoulder, this just annoys Hajime. If you look around at the students, the boys in particular were grinning at his misfortune.

"Sa~, I won't know if I don't try it out."

"Jyaa, let us see your stats. The class isn't that great, but you do have great stats, right?"

He could already guess the stats from the expression Meld had earlier, he just wanted to bully Hajime even more. He really is a bastard. His three lackeys also joined in on the fun. It was the typical behavior, the lackeys joined in with their leader while he picked on someone. The fact was though, Kaori and Shizuku had very unpleasant expression at the bullying.

If Daisuke liked Kaori, how was he not able to read her disdain for this kind of treatment? Hajime just handed the plate like it was nothing.

When he looked at Hajime's plate, Hiyama laughed at it. He passed the plate to the others and his followers also joined in on the laughter.

"Fu~Hahahaha, what is this? All of it is so average."

"Kya~hahah, all of it is 10. He is probably weaker than the kids around the block.

"Hi~hahahah, I can't take it! He is going to die! He can't even be a meat shield!"

Kaori started to approach the students that were laughing with an angry expression. However, before she got there, someone let out a voice filled with anger. It was Aiko-sensei.

"Kora-! What are you guys laughing at? Laughing at your fellow classmate is something I will not allow! I will absolutely not allow it! Return Nagumo-kun's plate!"

Aiko-sensei tried to express her anger as well as she could have with her tiny body. The plate was reluctantly returned to Hajime after that.

Aiko-sensei tried to cheer Hajime up by tapping his shoulders.

"Nagumo-kun, don't mind it at all. I'm also a non-combat class. Just like my class, my stats are average. You're not alone, Nagumo-kun."

At that, Hajime was handed Aiko-sensei's plate.

Name

Hatayama Aiko

Age

25 Years Old

Gender

Female

Level

1

Class

Farmer

Strength

5

Vitality

10

Resistance

10

Agility

5

Magic

100

Magic Resistance

10

Skills

Soil Management,

Soil Restoration,

Range Cultivation,

Growth Stimulation,

Selective Breeding,

Plant Appraisal,

Fertilizer Production,

Mixture Development,

Auto Harvest,

Fermentation Operation,

Range Temperature Adjustment,

Farm Barrier,

Abundant Rain,

Language Comprehension

Hajime look at the plate with dead-fish eyes.

"Are, what's the matter? Nagumo-kun!" Aiko-sensei started to shake Hajime. Yeah, her stats overall was average, her class was also non-combat, but if only comparing magic it was hero level. She also had quite a number of skills. Resources were a big problem in wars. Unlike Hajime's class, this was a very good alternative. Aiko-sensei was good enough to be considered a cheat.

This damaged him even more because he thought he was not alone.

"Ara Ara, Ai-chan stop sparkling…"

"Na-Nagumo-kun! Are you okay?"

Hajime was no longer responding, Shizuku just smiled wryly at it. Kaori runs up anxiously. Aiko just tilts her head in confusion. As usual, Aiko-sensei was somewhat of an airhead.

Although it did stop the bullying Hajime was going through, but it seemed that the future was going to be hard for Hajime.

ARIFURETA SHOKUGYOU DE SEKAI SAIKYOU (WN)

V1 C3

Chapter 3 : Bullying the Weakest



Two weeks has passed since Hajime's condition was known to everyone.

Currently, Hajime was using his break from training to check out the Royal Library. There was a huge book that was titled "An Illustrated Guide to The Monsters of the North Continent" that Hajime read a lot of. Why read such a book? Because even after training for 2 weeks, his talentless showed even more. Since he was not strong, he decided to study to gain knowledge and wisdom to use.

Hajime looked through the book for quite a while, but eventually sighed and threw it back onto the desk. When the book made a loud noise, the librarian glared at Hajime.

After flinching at the glare, Hajime apologized for the noise. "Hey! There won't be a next time," after he received the stare they let it go. "What are you doing!?" he said to himself, acting like his own Tsukkomi, he sighed at that revelation.

Hajime slowly took out his Status Plate and rested it on his palm.

Name

Nagumo Hajime

Age

17 Years Old

Gender

Male

Level

2

Class

Transmutation Artist (Synergist)

Strength

12

Vitality

12

Resistance

12

Agility

12

Magic

12

Magic Resistance

12

Skills

Transmutation

Language Comprehension

This was the result of 2 weeks of hard training. What a big increase! I shouldn't try to be my own secret Tsukkomi. By the way, Kouki's…

Name

Amanokawa Kouki

Age

17 Years Old

Gender

Male

Level

10

Class

Hero

Strength

200

Vitality

200

Resistance

200

Agility

200

Magic

200

Magic Resistance

200

Skills

Aptitude All Attribute

Resist All Elements

Resist Physical

Complex Magic

Swordplay

Herculean Strength

Quick Movement

Foresight

High-speed Magic Recovery

Sign Perception

Magic Perception

Limit Break

Language Comprehension

His growth rate was 5 times that of Hajime's.

Just as a bonus, Hajime found out that he had no magical aptitude. What happens if you have no magical aptitude? Let's explains the concept of magic in this world.

The magic in Tortus is process where magic from within the body is utilized with an aria and magic formation. The magic will then proceed through the magical formula in the magic formation to achieve the results. There is no way to directly manipulate magic in its base form, so you must correctly set up the magic formation you want to use.

Also the amount of magic used is directly related to how long the incantation lasts. The amount of formulas and formations in the magic formation also dictates its complexity and scale of effect. all of this is necessary to perform stronger spells. Even to just cast a simple "Fireball", that is present in classic RPGs, it takes a 20 cm diameter magical formation to cast it. The basic concepts are: attribute, power, range, scope, and mana usage all of this is required. There can be other things added to the formula like inductivity and sustain duration to create stronger magic.

However, there are exceptions to these concepts. These are "aptitudes". With this, some parts of the formula can be omitted. For example, if you have an aptitude with Fire, you can skip writing the attribute section of the magic formula. This omission is done because the person can imagine it. Instead of writing it out, the person can imagine the fire when chanting the spell.

Because most human beings have some kind of aptitude, the 20 cm diameter magic formation is about average. In Hajime cases, because he has no aptitude, he has to add a lot of to his formula to get the same affect. He has to add concepts like: speed, trajectory, ballistic-diffusion rate, and much more. For his case, it would take a 2 m magic circle to perform that "fireball" spell. This was totally useless in combat.

For magic, there is two ways to engrave the magic formula, into special metals or minerals that allow for reuse or disposable special paper. The former way is more expensive and more powerful than the disposable version. Since the non-paper version are bulky, you can't carry around much of them. Both of the variations have their own advantages and disadvantages. The staff that Ishtar has is the permanent type.

Because of how magic worked, it was not practical in close combat, it would be impossible if the person did not have an aptitude. For a manufacturing class, "Synergist" was stuck with useless skills that just process or changed the forms of minerals. There was no artifact that helped with the synergy, just gloves that had the synergy magical formula drawn on it. Well, he can make pitfall and protrusions. Hajime had been able to do it on the ground and gradually he could up the scale. Well, it was useless in combat.

All his classmates labeled him useless after they saw his stats and his progress after 2 weeks. Reluctantly, he started to accumulate knowledge. He did not see a bright future ahead for him, this caused him to sigh increasingly each day.

Hajime considered, while looking at the blue sky from the library window, whether he should take a trip. It was at the very end. Hajime had begun to be lost in wondering where he wanted to go, while he was learning things that he tried so hard to learn these past 2 weeks.

(After all, he wanted to check out the demi-human country. He can't really say he went to another world if he did not experience a kemomimi. However, they were in the "Sea of Trees". Besides the slaves, it was rare to see them outside of the forest.)

To Hajime's knowledge, the Demi-humans were a race that was discriminated. They lived in the Hartzena Forest that spread north and south on the east side of the continent. They are discriminated against because they do not have any magical power at all.

In ancient times, this world was created by ancient magic that was performed by their god Eht. The magic used in this age is a degrade version of those ancient magic. Therefore, it is believed that magic is a gift from God. Well, that is what the Church of Saints taught everyone.

So, for a race to not have any magical power, it is perceived by humans that they were scorned by God.

Then, how did monster come into being? The monster's are not to be gifted by God, but rather they were just a natural disaster that occurred. They were only vermin. Hajime was disgusted inwardly by the interpretation people had on them.

The Devils worshipped a different God than the ones that the Church worshipped. This was similar to how the Demi-humans thought too. Devil's all had a very high aptitude for magic. They were able to perform stronger magic with shorter incantations and smaller magic formations than humans.

Humans thought the Devils were their enemies because they worshipped a different God, and discriminate against the unloved Demi-humans. This was what the Church taught. The Devil's felt the same. The Demi-humans, just wanted to live in peace. All the races were very exclusive.

(If going to the "Sea of Trees" is impossible, maybe I should head for the west sea. If I remember correctly, there is a maritime town called Erisen. If I can't see a Kemomimi, than I want to see a Mermaid. It's a man's romance. He wanted to try the seafood here too.)

The town is said to be off the coast of the western sea and a group of demi-human fishermen are there. This is the only demi-human group that is protected by the Empire. This is because 80% of the seafood the northern continent consumes is provided by them. It's pretty much a straight reason. I wonder where the religious reason to discriminate them had gone? When he heard the story, Hajime felt like he was a Tsukkomi at that.

Past the western sea is the large Guryuen Desert. In this desert is the great transist oasis the Dukedom of Ancarge and the Mountain of Great Flames. This Mountain of Great Flames is one of the 8 Great Dungeons.

The 8 Great Dungeons, are one of the most dangerous areas in the world. The previously mentioned Hartzena Forest is also one, and another is the Orcus Dungeon which is located southwest of the Hairihi Kingdom. The reason they were considered 3 of the 8 Great Dungeons is because it was recorded in history. The other 5 Great Dungeons have yet to be located.

One of the proposed Great Dungeon is the Raisen Great Canyon, which expands from the north to south of the continent. At the southern hinterlands, where snow and ice are prominent is another rumored Great Dungeon called the Schnee Snowfield.

(After all, the desert is impossible…no other choice but to look for slaves in the Empire. As expected though I have no confidence in treating someone as a slave.)

When mentioning Empire, it refers to the Hersha Empire. This country is a rising country that was formed by mercenaries that fought a large-scale war against the Devils 300 years ago. The Empire is known for employing mercenaries and is regard as a military centered nation, often adventurers congregated there. Advocates the supremacy of force and is quite the black country.

This Empire thought about the uses for Demi-humans, they concluded that the Demi-humans could be slaves.

The Hersha Empire existed to the east of the Hairihi Kingdom, and between these two countries is the neutral Fyulen Commercial City. The neutral city is an independent entity that does not rely on any country. Using its neutrality, the city was able to exert all of its management into economic expansion. If there is anything you want, the Commercial City is believed to have it.

(But, if I want to return I can't just run away. Crap, it's almost time for training!)

After all, it was just escapism of his current situation. Since it was almost time for training, Hajime left the library in a hurry. From the library, it was a short distance to the Royal Palace, on the way you can hear and see the bustle in the Royal Capital. There was the voices of children playing and shopkeepers advertising their wares. A distance away you can hear someone scolding a child, this was the picture of a daily peaceful day.

(Since there does not seem to be a war, can't they just return us.)

Hajime just dreamed of that impossibility. It was just escapism to the depressing times that were ahead.

* * *

When Hajime arrived at the training facility, there were already many students there. Some of them were chatting while others were doing some free practice. It seems like he arrived earlier than he thought. Hajime went to get a western-style sword, that was provided for at the side, and did some free practice while he waited.

Suddenly from behind, something surprised Hajime to cause him to move. By rotating he was able to avoid it but he broke out into a cold sweat at the drawn sword. Hajime looked back while he was frowning, he had a tired expression at this.

There they were, led by Hiyama Daisuke, was the Bastards Four (Hajime made it up). Since their training had started, they have been messing with Hajime whenever possible. They were half the reason why he felt depressed when training. (The other half was his incompetence).

"Yo, Nagumo. What are you doing? Even though you are useless with a sword. Seriously useless."

"Hey, that's so mean, Hiyama. Even if it's the truth~ Gya ha ha ha."

"Why do you even come to train every day? If I was you, I would be too ashamed to come. Hi hi hi!"

"Hey, Daisuke. Since this guy is so pathetic, why don't we help him practice?"

They laughed and grinned at that like it was the funniest thing in the world.

"Hey, you are so nice, Shinji. Well, since I'm so nice too, I'll help out~"

"Good idea. Since I'm super nice, I'll use my precious time to help. You should be thankful, Nagumo~"

Hiyama would take them to an area where other people would not see, while he acted friendly with Hajime and spoke. The classmates that noticed this would just turn a blind eye to it.

"Iya, I'm fine by myself. You can just leave me to myself."

Hajime tried to refuse gently.

"Hey, when we are going out of our way just to help the useless you, what are you saying? Seriously, I can't have that. You should just stay quiet and thank us for helping you."

As he said that, he struck Hajime in the side. Hajime jerked as a his face turned into a painful expression at the blow. At that point the Bastards Four did not hesitate to get gradually more violent with him. Although it was unavoidable since it was adolescence boys that suddenly realized they had power. Though it sucked to be the aim of their violence. Hajime had no power to resist them with. He just had to clench his teeth and bare with it.

When they arrived at an unpopulated area of the training facility that no one else had vision of. Hiyama bull rushed Hajime.

"Hey, let's hurry up and start. It's time for fun training."

At this moment Hiyama, Nakano, Saito, and Kondo surrounded Hajime. Hajime just stood there and prepared himself.

"Gua!"

At that moment, he got smashed in the back from behind. Kondo hit Hajime with his sword that still had its sheath. Hajime screamed and fell down face first, but they continued to press.

"Hey, why are you sleeping? Burn~! I command thee Fire, "Kakyu (Fireball)"."

Nakano casted "Fireball". Hajime, who was on floor because of the blow from Kondo, could not get up fast enough from the pain, so he desperately rolled to avoid the spell. However at this time, Saito had completed his spell.

"I command thee Wind, "Kazedama (Windball)."

The wind hit Hajime directly in the abdomen, and he fell on his back. A "blech" could be heard as Hajime vomited from the blow. The magic circle was a simple one at 10 cm in diameter.

Still there was enough power in that spell to knock out a pro boxer. The artifact was one for high aptitude and high magic power was supplied for by the Kingdom. Normally these would have been used in cooking or just making a breeze.

"Wow, so weak! Hey Nagumo, take this seriously~"

Hiyama kicked Hajime, who was crouching to vomit, in the stomach as he said this. Hajime did his best to control the feeling of vomiting welling in him.

The lynching, disguised as practice, continued for a while after that. Hajime tighten his jaw to endure the pain, while he thought in vexation to himself how weak he was. Normally at this point, even if you were no match, there would be a counterattack.

However, ever since he was small, whenever he encountered something like this, Hajime was not good at dealing with it and just backed off. Hajime would just tell himself to endure it. He thought it was better than fighting.

While some people may think that it was very kind of Hajime, but others would think he was pathetic for it. Even Hajime wasn't sure which it was.

The pain was getting unbearable, suddenly, a girls voice filled with anger rang out.

"What are you doing?!"

When the Bastards Four heard that voice, they thought they were busted. They thought that because the voice belong to Kaori, who Hiyama liked. It wasn't just Kaori, the rest of the gang was there.

"Iya, don't get us wrong. We were just helping Nagumo practice."

"Nagumo-kun!"

Kaori totally ignored Hiyama, and Kaori rushed over to Hajime, who was coughing up a fit. The moment she saw Hajime's state, everyone else did not matter, like Hiyama.

"Practice. This is such a one-sided practice."

"Iya, that is…"

"Good excuse. Even if Nagumo can't fight, he is a fellow classmate. Don't do something this again."

"If you have so much free time, go train yourselves."

Not wanting to argue more, Hiyama and the others laughed deceptively and hastily left. Kaori healed Hajime with her healing magic.

"Thank you, Shirasaki-san. You saved me."

Kaori just shakes her head at him while looking teary eyed.

"Have they always been doing this to you? If so, I'll…"

Kaori's face formed into an angry expression and glares at the direction the Bastards Four left in, Hajime stopped her.

"Iya, it's not always like this. I'm fine, so don't worry about it."

"But…"

Hajime smiled at Kaori, who did not seem to be convinced. Reluctantly, Kaori decided to let it go.

"Nagumo-kun, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Kaori will agree to it."

Shizuku said this with a wry smile as she took up Kaori's side. Hajime just said thanks to that. However, someone decided to be a wet blanket with their Hero like quality.

"However, Nagumo should try harder. Being weak does not excuse you from trying to get stronger. If I heard correctly, after practice you just head to the library. If I was you, I would use the free time to get stronger. Nagumo, you should take this more seriously. I think Hiyama and his friends are just trying to correct your non-serious attitude."

How do I interpret that? Hajime was just stunned by it, Kouki was just a person that believed in the good of others, so he did not see what really was going on. He did not think humans were possible of such evils. He just thought that there was a good reason for them to act that way. When he looked at it, Hajime was possibly the cause. It seemed that was his process of thought.

Kouki did not have any malice or ill intent in his thoughts. He was seriously just trying to advise Hajime. Hajime did not have the energy to try to clear the misunderstanding. He thought it would be useless to argue with someone like Kouki, who had such a strong sense of justice.

Shizuku who understood everything just sighed at that and apologized to Hajime.

"Gomenasai ne? Kouki didn't mean any harm."

"Ahaha, it's okay. I understand."

Hajime replied with a smile. He got up to wipe his dirty clothes.

"Hora, training is going to start. Let's go."

Hajime urges everyone to head back to the training facility. Kaori still looked worried, but Hajime decided to pretend not to notice. As expected, as a man, he did not want to be babied by a girl.

When they reached the facility, a deep sigh was released because of the events today. The future looked bleak.

* * *

After training finished, usually they would have free time until dinner, but this time Meld held them back to make an announcement. The students wondered what he would say. Meld used a deep voice to announce.

"Tomorrow, as practical training, we will be venturing into the Orcus Dungeon. All the necessary items will be prepared for, the monsters outside the capital are totally different from training so please make note of that. Get ready! For today, just rest. Dismissed."

After saying that, he quickly left. The student were hustling and bustling at the announcement. Hajime just looked up into the sky.

(…Really bleak.)

ARIFURETA SHOKUGYOU DE SEKAI SAIKYOU (WN)

V1 C4

Chapter 4 : A Chat Under the Moonlight



Still not the strongest.

Wanted to convey how it felt for someone that did not get their strength so easily given to them.

* * *

Orcus Dungeon.

This was a large labyrinth that consisted of 100 levels. As one of the 8 Great Dungeons, the lower you go, the stronger the monsters become. Still, this dungeon was a very popular place for mercenaries and adventurers. This place was also a great training ground for recruits. This is because it was easy to measure the strength of the monsters by the dungeon level. The monsters also have better quality magic stone than the monsters in the wilderness.

The magic stone is the core of a monster and it is this that provides them with powers. The bigger and better quality the stone, the stronger the monster is. These stones are what is used as raw materials to make magic formulas. The magic formation can be drawn to cast the spell, but they can also be drawn with the powder made from the magic stone. Using non-magic stone materials to make the magic circle diminishes the power by 1/3.

In brief, it was better to use the magic stone to power spells because it was more effective. In addition, a magic stone is used to make magic tools that is used in everyday life. There is a very high demand for these magic stones. Both the military and civilians needed it.

By the way, strong monsters with high quality magic stone can use special magic. Special Magic does not use magical chants or circles to perform that magic. The monsters cannot use a large variety of magic, but they do not require the incantation or circle. This special magic is the reason why monsters are dangerous.

The students and knights led by Meld arrived at the town, Horlad, that adventurers stayed at before they headed into the Dungeon. They used at an inn that was managed by the Kingdom, where recruits in training stayed at. Hajime, who had not seen a normal room in a long time, dived into the bed. All the rooms were designed for two people but only Hajime got a room to himself. He could be carefree here. He wasn't lonely by himself.

Tomorrow was the day they would challenge the dungeon. This time, they would only challenge the first 10 levels. If it is only that, even someone as weak as Hajime should be fine in behind cover. Still Hajime wanted to apologize for being a burden. Rather, he was glad to be out of the city… Hajime could not read the atmosphere.

For a while, Hajime read the monster reference book he got from the library. It was still early but he decided to sleep earlier. Hajime had already perfected his sleeping skill in his school life. When he was about to doze off, he heard someone knock on his door. Even if it was still early for Hajime who was used to all nighters in Japan, it was about midnight for Tortus. Wha, was it Hiyama? Hajime was a little worried. However, when he heard the voice, he relaxed.

"Nagumo-kun, are you still awake? It's me, Shirasaki. Can I bother you for a moment?"

What? For a moment he froze, but after he hurried to the door. He removed the lock and opened the door. Kaori was standing there with a snow-white negligee on.

"Say What??"

"Eh?"

When presented with such a scene, Hajime unexpectedly switched to a Kansai dialect and performed a Tsukkomi. Kaori was speechless because she didn't hear it well. Quickly he gathered himself, he tried not to stare too much at Kaori. Although he didn't have too much interest, he was still an adolescent boy. The current appearance of Kaori was slightly too stimulating.

"Iya, it's nothing. Eh, what's the matter? Did you have something to tell me?"

"No, I just wanted to talk to you. I wonder if I'm bothering you?"

"Come in."

Most likely, he thought it was about the trip tomorrow, but Kaori quickly shot down his thoughts. The upturned eyes was so explosive. It's super effective! She noticed the open door and invitation.

"Okay."

Without any caution, she entered the room happily. She sat at the table near the window. Hajime unconsciously prepares the tea while still being slightly confused. Even though it was really just something like a tea bag that imitated black tea. He prepared enough for both, and handed her own. Hajime took the set across from her.

"Thank you."

Kaori took the offered fake tea and tasted it with joy. The moonlight that shone through the window illuminates her. It seemed like there was a halo around her glossy black hair, she looked like an angel. Without any lust, Hajime was fascinated with Kaori's purity. He recovered himself when he heard Kaori place down her cup. Hajime drank his tea to calm his mind. He choked a little as he drank too fast. How embarrassing.

Kaori giggled at his state. Hajime quickly struck a conversation to quickly hide his embarrassment.

"So, what did you want to talk about? Is it about tomorrow?"

To Hajime's question, Kaori nodded her head. Unlike her smiling face from just a moment ago, she started to brood.

"It's about the trip into the dungeon tomorrow. I want Nagumo-kun to stay here. I will persuade and explain to the instructors and everyone. So, please!"

She leaned over as she pleaded with Hajime. Hajime was perplexed. Even if Hajime was a burden, wasn't this a little too much?

"Eto, I know I'm a burden…but since I'm already here I don't think I'll be able to just stay put."

"You're wrong. I don't mean you're a burden."

Kaori tried to clear up the misunderstanding. Maybe I was too hasty, she thought. She put her hand on her chest and took a deep breath. It calmed her down a little. She quickly and quietly apologized.

"I just had a very bad feeling. When I was sleeping earlier, I was dreaming and you were there. When I called out to you, you did not even notice. When I chased you, I never caught up. At the end…"

She seemed afraid to speak the rest. Wanting to hear the rest, Hajime urged her to continue.

"At the end?"

With a jerk, Kaori lifted her head. Hajime saw her teary expression, and her biting her lips.

"You disappeared."

"I see."

They sat in silence for a while. Hajime looks at Kaori, who was still hanging her head. It really was an ominous dream, but it was just a dream. With just that, they wouldn't permit him to stay. If such a thing was allowed, there would be trouble from the classmates. If such a thing happened, he really would not be welcomed anymore. He had no choice but to go. To reassure Kaori, Hajime started to speak as gently as possible.

"A dream is just a dream, Shirasaki-san. This time we have Meld and his veteran knights to accompany us. A lot of strong people like Kouki are coming with us. Rather, our whole class is amazing. I actually feel sorry for our enemies. I am weak and because I have shown such weakness is probably the reason for your dreams."

Kaori just stared at Hajime with an anxious expression, while he spoke.

"Still…Still…I'm still worried."

"Then."

Hajime was somewhat shy, but he stared straight into Kaori's eyes.

"Will you protect me?"

"Eh?"

He was aware of what he was saying, and as a man saying this to her it ashamed him. His face was already red with shame. In the room that was illuminated by the moonlight. Kaori understood the situation well.

"You are a healer, right Shirasaki-san? Healer was a class that had an innate talent for healing magic. No matter what, even if I get injured, you can cure me. Will you protect me with this power? If so, I believe I'll be fine."

Kaori just stared at him for a bit. Hajime just endured desperately the shame that he felt, and he kept his eyes from breaking contact with Kaori's. Even though his body was writhing.

The biggest cause of a person's insecurity is the unknown. Kaori right now, was worrying about what could possibly attack Hajime. So, it would be soothing, if they had the confidence to face the unknown that would attack him.

For a while, they stared at each other. The silence was broken when Kaori started to smile.

"You never change, Nagumo-kun."

"?"

Hajime made a doubtful expression as Kaori said that. Kaori laughed at his expression.

"Nagumo-kun, you probably think we first met in high school. I knew you since the second year of middle school."

This revelation caused Hajime to widen his eyes in shock. He quickly searched through his memories, but he couldn't recall the meeting. Hajime groaned as he thought, and this caused Kaori to giggle at him.

"It was a one-sided meeting. The first time I saw you, you were in Dogeza (Prostration). Since you were in such a position, you did not see me."

"Do-Dogeza!?"

Why did she see him in such an uncool time? His body writhed again, but for a different reason this time. Where and when did she see him in such a position? He frantically searched his memories. Kaori giggled as she saw Hajime make so many comedic faces.

"Yeah, you were surrounded by shady people. Even when they spit at you, poured their drinks on you, or stepped on you, you did not stop. Before long, the left appalled."

"I showed such an unsightly sight…"

Hajime felt like dying a little. It would have been the same as if she saw him when he was still suffering from his Chunibyo. And it would have to be the worst scene in his dark past. Only a humorless smile came out. The same humorless smile that came out when he found out that his mom had found his hidden Ero doujinshi stash and placed them neatly on his bookshelf.

However, Kaori just gave him a gentle look. One that was free from contempt and ridicule.

"No, it wasn't unsightly. Rather, when I saw you like that, I thought you were a very strong and kind person."

"Ha?"

Hajime couldn't believe what he heard. That's not the kind of impression someone would have, if they saw that. Perhaps, Shirasaki-san had a special fetish for that? Hajime thought it was very rude to imagine such a thing.

"I mean, Nagumo-kun. You did it for the sake of a grandmother and her grandson."

When she said that, Hajime finally remembered something. There was such an incident during his middle school years.

It started when the little boy accidently hit delinquents, and smashed his Takoyaki onto them. The little boy started to cry, the delinquents started to niggle the grandmother. The grandmother cowered in fear, they were in a very difficult situation.

By chance Hajime was just passing through. When the grandmother started to take out her wallet, his body moved on its own. He had never fought in his life before. He had only practice his Chunibyo Special Moves at home. It couldn't be helped against such opponents, so he performed Dogeza. In public he did it. It was unexpectedly embarrassing for everyone there. He felt like running away. It went as planned and soon the delinquents left.

"Strong people would have solved it easily with violence. Kouki would defeat the person that was causing the trouble. But I don't think there are many people who would help others even when they were not strong. Especially someone that would prostate themselves for the sake of others. In fact, at that time, I was afraid. I just used the excuse that if I was strong like Shizuku, but I just stood there and did nothing. Just asking someone to save them."

"Shirasaki-san…"

"So, I believe you are the strongest person I know. When I saw you in high school, I was so happy to see you. I wanted to become like you, and get to know you. But you just fell asleep…"

"Ahaha, Sorry."

Hajime was shy and embarrassed when he knew the reason Kaori interacted with him so much. He just laughed wryly at the unexpected high opinion she held for him.

"Therefore, even if I am a little uneasy. I'll make sure you don't do anything crazy in the dungeon. Like when you faced the delinquents."

Kaori looked at Hajime with determination.

"I'll protect you, Nagumo-kun."

Hajime accepted her determination. He looked straight at her, and nodded.

"Thank you."

Immediately after, Hajime wryly laughed. The role of the man and woman was totally reversed. Without doubt, Kaori was playing the hero. While Hajime was playing the damsel in distress. He couldn't help but laugh at the weird situation.

They chatted for a few moments, then Kaori returned to her room. While Hajime was laying on the bed, he thought over things. He wanted to find something he could be useful for. Hajime wanted to rid himself of his incompetence. It did not sit so well with him, that he was so dependent on others. Hajime fell asleep with renewed determination in mind.

* * *

Nobody noticed the person that was staring as Kaori left Hajime's room Tperson just had an ugly ecpression on his face

ARIFURETA SHOKUGYOU DE SEKAI SAIKYOU (WN)

V1 C5

Chapter 5 : Trap



Currently, Hajime and party is gathered around the square just in front of the Orcus Dungeon entrance.

For Hajime, he imagined a dark gloomy entrance, but the entrance looked like the entrance to a museum, heck it even had a reception desk for the entrance. There was a smiling Onee-san in uniform that was checking people who entered and left the dungeon. Apparently, this was the place people checked in with their Status Plate. Using those figures, they could record who perished in the dungeon. With the war nearing, they did not want too many casualties.

In the square near the entrance, there were many stalls there lined up. The shops were competing against each other. It was like a festival. This place was a popular area to earn a good income because people naturally gathered here. The superficial levels of the Dungeon was popular. There were many people who wanted to challenge the Dungeon, some took it seriously while others just fooled around with their lives. There seemed to be a lot of criminal activity in the back alley near the Dungeon. The country, with help from the adventurer guild, have establish operations and facilities to limit the crimes because of the pending war. This was very useful because you can buy and sell material here, and it was close to the Dungeon.

While the class was looking around like some bumpkins, they followed the duck-like mount behind Meld.

* * *

The inside of the Dungeon was totally different to the bustling of the outside. There is not much ambient light, but in front was a passage that emitted light. The passage was about 5 m high and wide, it was possible to see to some extent even without any magical light or torches. Special green stones, that were buried in the walls, emitted light to brighten the dungeon. Orcus Dungeon seemed like it had a huge vein of these green stones.

The party organized into rank and progressed forward. For a while, nothing of interest happened till they advanced into a hall. The hall was dome shaped and the ceiling looked to be around 7-8 m high. Gray fluffy balls gushed out from the cervices of the wall.

"Okay, Kouki and group step forward. Anyone else fall back! We will take shifts for the front-line. Get ready! These monsters are called Ratmen. They are that strong or dangerous, but they are quick. Take it steadily."

Just like he said, the Ratmen jumped at them with speedily. Their scarlet eyes shined eerily between their gray hair. Their name suited them. Ratmen were bipedal and had a muscular upper body, and they had mouse-like features. Only their chest and abdomen, which had an 8 pack, was not covered in hair. It was like they were showing off their abs.

The front-line was comprised of Kouki and his party. When Shizuku, who was at the front, saw the enemy her face stiffen up. The Ratmen gave off a creepy feeling. Kouki, Shizuku, and Ryutaro intercepted the charging Ratmen. Meanwhile, two girls that were close to Kaori started to chant. The girls were Nakamura Eri the meganekko, and Taniguchi Suzu the energetic loli. They prepare to invoke their magic. They stayed in the formation they were taught.

Kouki wielded his white shining bastard sword so quickly that it was hard to see the motions, he quickly made short work of a few enemies. His sword was one of the artifacts that the Kingdom gave to him, the "Holy Sword". The sword had a light attribute. Any enemies caught in the light, that the sword produces, weakens and it also automatically strengthens its wielder. Even if it is "Holy", it has such "dirty" abilities.

Ryutaro's class was a "Fist Fighter", so he used gauntlets and shin guards as his equipment. These were also artifacts, and they could cause shock-waves. They were also believed to be unbreakable. Ryutaro takes a imposing stance and does not let any enemy pass by him with carefully placed kicks and punches. Though he had no shield, he acted like a heavy armored tank.

Shizuku, who was like a Samurai girl, with her "Swordswoman" class and sword that was like the mixture of a Shamshir and a Katana. Took a battojutsu stance and drew her sword. All the enemies were cut in an instant. The draw was so refined, that the knights were dazzled by it.

While the other students were fascinated by Kouki's party's battle, a chant resounded.

"""Swirling Dark Flames, Incinerate My Enemies, Return them to the Earth as Ashes, "Spiral Flame"."""

Three people simultaneously casted it, and three spiraling flames engulfed the Ratmen. The Ratmen gave out a death cry as the flames turned them to ashes.

They noticed that all the Ratmen were wiped out. The other students didn't get a turn. It seemed like that the enemies on the first level were too weak for Kouki's party.

"Yeah, Good Job! Next time you guys try it, don't lower your guard though."

Meld warned not to let up, but he smiled at the prowess the students showed. However, the tension from their first experience at encountering monsters in a dungeon could not be stopped. The students faces broke out into smiles. Meld just shrugged his shoulders at their reactions.

"Although this is a training exercise, don't forget to keep in mind about Magic Stones. Since it's obviously overkill."

At Meld's words the people in Kaori's group that casted the spell blushed.

There were no particular problems from there, they repeated battles in the same manner. Everything was going well in the lower levels. Eventually, they arrived at the 20th floor, which is the mark of a first-class adventurer. The highest level explored was the 65th floor for Orcus Dungeon. This achievement was done by adventurers over 100 years ago. Getting to the 40th level is considered Elite first-class. Those who passed the 20th level was considered first-class. Since all the students were cheats, they easily broke through to the 20th level, even if they did not have much experience.

Traps were the scariest feature of a Dungeon. In some instances, the traps were lethal. There was something called Fair Scope for the lower levels. This is a gadget that detected traps by feeling flow of magic. Because most traps in a dungeon use magic, the Fair Scope can detect more than 80% of traps. The detecting range is somewhat narrow, so experience or information was needed to progress smoothly.

Therefore, they were able to quickly breeze through the floors. This was mainly because of how earnestly the Knights guided them. Meld especially mentioned to them that if they did not know the layout, check for the traps. If they were not sure if traps were around, move with caution.

"All right, you guys. From this point on, not only will there be other types of demons but they will work together to attack us. Do not get careless just because it had been easy so far! After we clear the 20th level, it will be it for today! Get fired up!"

Meld's undertone in his message resounds with everyone. Up to this point, Hajime had not done anything in particular. Once, he practiced on a monster that the knights had weakened. He created a pitfall for the monster to fall into, and stabbed it with a sword. Until now, he had only defeated one dog-like monster.

No one wanted him in their party. Basically, he just stood behind the cover provided by the knights. It was pretty pathetic. However, by repeatedly using his "Synergy" skill in combat he could improve his magical power. His magical power raised by 2 points, it seemed actual combat was useful.

(Still, I'm totally a parasite player…)

Again, a weakened monster was thrown to Hajime by the Knight that weakened it. When it approached, Hajime transmuted the ground and breathed out a sigh. With it restrained, Hajime swung his sword to strike down the monster.

(Well, it seems like my precision with transmutation has gone up. Let's do our best step-by-step.)

He consumed a magic replenishing pill, as he wiped the sweat of his brow. Hajime had not noticed, but there were some knights that were impressed with him.

The knight did not expect anything from him in the beginning. In battle however he dared to fight against the demons and do not just stand around. Of course, weakened monsters.

For the knights, they thought Hajime would fight using his barely used sword. Hajime choose to use his transmutation to seal their movements. He brought down decisive blows on the monsters with a reliably strategy that the Knights had never seen before. "Synergist" was considered as a crafting class. They had never thought of using the transmutation skill like that in combat.

Since he did not have anything else, Hajime thought about transmuting his weapon. He thought that if he could manipulate minerals, why can't he manipulate the ground? Since he was surrounded by so many strong people, and him just defeating a few, he felt useless. This was his first public exhibition of his tactic. When his impotence was shown in the combat training in the capital, he came up with this tactic.

They stopped for a short rest. He looked forward and met eyes with Kaori. She looked towards Hajime and smiled at him. Kaori seemed to be keeping an eye on him after last night's declaration to "protect" him. This caused Hajime to be embarrassed and he broke eye contact. Her expression sulked slightly at that. Shizuku who had been observing what was going on with a wry smile on her face, she asked in a small voice.

"Kaori, why are you two constantly looking at each other? You can't be considering a romantic comedy in the Dungeon, no time for that."

Kaori blushed at the teasing. She refuted Shizuku angrily.

"Mou, Shizuku-chan. Don't say strange things. I was just wondering if Nagumo-kun was alright. That's it!"

Shizuku knew it wasn't like that, but she kept her mouth shut. She didn't want to say anything that might upset her more. Though she couldn't hide the laughter in her eyes. Kaori saw that and just sulked at it.

Hajime just side glance at their state, suddenly he felt a gaze. The unpleasant gaze was full with negative emotions and seemed to be glued to him. Hajime was not unfamiliar with such stares in the classroom, but this was feeling could not compare, it was so grave.

It was not the first time today that he felt that gaze. Since the morning he had felt this stare. When he tried to locate the stare, it would disappear. Hajime was tired of it, after having it repeated so many times.

(I wonder what it is…did I do something? I thought I was doing my best even if I was incompetent. I wonder if that's the cause? I'm not getting arrogant! Target?)

Hajime breathed out a deep sigh. He started to feel the bad feelings Kaori mentioned.

The party searches the 20th level. Each level of the Dungeon was several kilometers in each direction. It would take dozens of people several months to map out an unknown level. 47 levels have been mapped properly, so it was not that easy to get lost. There was not a big worry of getting caught in a trap.

The innermost room of the 20th level had a very complicated geographical feature. The walls were protruding like a stalactite cave and icicles formed around the room. The stairs to the 21st floor was just ahead of this room. If they reached that point, the training would be done for the day. In ancient times they were able to wield transportation type magic, but at the current age such means was impossible. They must head back the old fashion way. The party relaxed slightly, since the walls were protruding they had to advance in a column.

After a bit, Kouki's party and Meld that was in the front stopped. The classmates who were keen, got into their fighting stance.

"They're camouflage!. Make sure to pay attention to your surroundings!"

Meld advised them. The wall suddenly rose and discolored a bit. The body that was camouflaged was now dark brown, and they stood on 2 legs. It raised its chest and started to pound on it like a drum. When they took a good look at it, it was a gorilla-like demon with a camouflage ability.

"Rockmounts! Be careful of their arms, they are strong!"

Meld yelled echoed in the cave-like room. Kouki's party went to engage them. Ryutaro was able to reflect the blow that came from a Rockmount. Kouki and Shizuku try to surround the beast. They could not position themselves because the terrain layout was too obstructive.

When the Rockmount felt that he could not pass by Ryutaro, it withdraw a bit and inhaled a deep breath.

"GuGaGaGaaaaa——!!""

The intense roar vibrated the whole room.

"Gu!?"

"Uwa!?"

"Kya!?"

A shock ran through their bodies, it did not damage them, but it froze them. This was Rockmount's Special Magic "Intimidating Roar". The roar carried the magic that caused the temporary paralysis.

Kouki's vanguard took the roar almost point-blank, this caused them to freeze momentarily. The Rockmount took this gap in defense to attack, it lifted a boulder and threw it at Kaori's rear guard. A stunning shot-put form was executed by it. The rock flew towards Kaori, and the frozen vanguard could not move to stop it.

Kaori and her partners ready the magic wands they had, to intercept the boulder. There was not enough room to dodge it. However, the moment they were going to activate their magic, all of them involuntarily were stunned at the sight before them.

The boulder that was thrown was another Rockmount. Nearing Kaori's group, it did a stunning rotation and expanded its arms. It's appearance was like a Rune Diver. A voice saying "Ka-o-ri-chan~!" could almost be heard. Strangely, its eyes were bloodshot and its breathing was rough. Kaori, Eri, and Susu unintentionally screamed and stopped their magic.

"Hey! What are you doing in a battle"

In a hurry, Meld went to slay the Rockmount that was still in the dive. The girls apologized, but the bad feeling was still there. Their face had paled.

There a person that got mad at such a situation. Our very own mass of justice, Amanokawa Kouki.

"Bastard…You dare treat them like that…I won't forgive you!"

Kouki seemed to have misunderstood why the girls were pale and feeling bad, he thought they were afraid of their impending death. To frighten girls like that! Indescribably, small signs of anger surfaced on Kouki. His "Holy Sword" seemed to shine in response to his feelings.

"Myriad of Soaring Wings, Reach the Heavens, "Soaring Flash""

"Ah, this fool!"

Ignoring Meld's voice, Kouki brandished his sword over his head and swung down in one motion. His chant had made the sword emit an intense light, the slash released the light. Drawing a curve, the light bisected the Rockmount without encountering any resistance. The blade of light continued on until it destroyed the back wall.

Debris lightly fell from the damaged wall. Kouki exhaled and gave the girls a sparkling smile. He had defeated the monster that scared them. It's alright now! About to give credit to his voice, he was approached by a smiling Meld who smack him.

"Ow!?"

"You fool. I understand how you feel, but you shouldn't use such a technique in such a narrow place. If it collapse, what are you going to do?"

At Meld's rebuke, he choked. Kouki tried to apologize. The girls approached him and gave him a strained smile to try to comfort him.

At that moment, the collapsed wall caught Kaori's attention.

"What is that? It's sparkling."

Everyone looked at the wall Kaori was mentioning. There blooming on the wall were minerals that radiated pale light. It was like a crystal covered in indicolite. The girls were enchanted by the beautiful sight of the crystals.

"Oh, that's Grantz Crystal. A one this big in size is rare."

When talking about Grantz Crystal, it was like an ore that was like a jewel. The crystal did not have any special effects, but it's cool and sparkling appearance is popular among the ladyship. Rings, earrings, pendants, and other jewelry have it set into them and it's very well received. The jewel is one of the top 3 chooses for proposal rings.

"Lovely…"

Enchanted, Kaori's cheeks blushed. Hajime and Shizuku were the only ones who noticed this.

"If that's the case, I'll retrieve it!"

The one who announced that and abruptly moved toward it was Hiyama. He approached the wall and quickly reached towards the crystal. Meld panicked at that.

"Kora! Don't just do what you want! We haven't confirmed if it's safe!"

Hiyama pretended not to hear and finally arrived in front of the crystal. Meld chased after Hiyama to stop him. At that moment, one of the knight finished his analysis with the Fair Scope. He paled at the result.

"Commander! It's a trap!"

"Tsu!?"

However their warnings came too late. The moment Hiyama touched the Grantz Crystal, magic started to spread from the crystal. The trap was set for people who became so fascinated with the crystal that they would touch it carelessly. There's a good story about this. It's the way of the world.

In a blink of an eye, the magic circle spread throughout the whole room, and it gradually shined brighter. It was like a replication of the magic that summoned them.

"Withdraw! Get out of this room this instant!"

At Meld's insistence, everyone started to clear the room in a hurry, but they weren't fast enough. When the light filled the room, everyone momentary felt a floating sensation. The students felt the change in atmosphere. They were slammed onto the ground with a thud.

With the increasing pain on his butt caused by the fall, Hajime looked at the surrounding. Same as Hajime, his classmates fell on their backside. Meld, the knights, and Kouki's party quickly stood up and observed their surroundings. Seems like the earlier magic was a transportation type magic. Since such magic was not possible with current magic, it was most likely an ancient magic.

They were all transferred onto a huge bridge made of stone. Approximately it was 100m in length. The ceiling looked to be about 20 m. There was no river passing by underneath the bridge, because of the darkness nothing else could be seen. It felt like there were in an abyss.

The width of the bridge was about 10m, but there were not even handrails. If you slipped there would be nothing to grab onto, and you would fall head-first. The group was right in the middle of the bridge. On both sides of the bridge, they could see a passage that led to a stairway that ascended to the upper level.

When he confirmed it, Meld issued out orders with a grim expression.

"You guys, get up there immediately, go towards the stairs. Hurry!"

Quickly the students moved. However, a trap in a dungeon was not going to be so easy, the retreat wasn't that easy. Monsters emerged from the magic circles that appeared on both sides of the bridge. On one side was a huge monster. The other had a large amount of monsters.

Meld started at the huge demon and just whispered…

"No way…a Behemoth