16 Chapter 16: Gekai

A goddess.

Once a metaphorical expression that a human use to praise a girl–or an otaku worshipping his waifu–is now an actual terminology.

God, what a messy world I have come into.

A night had passed since my arrival in this unknown place… rather, an unknown world. It seems like my luck is good enough to land on a different planet…

WHEN ALL I EVER WANTED IS TO GO SOMEWHERE AROUND THE GLOBE!

Truly, amazing.

"Hah…" I sighed for the nth time. "A new world with lost supplies. Fantastic."

First, my main hope of ever going back, the laptop, is gone. That's the only magic tool in my arsenal that could let me go back in a very short time. I could manually compute everything, but it'd be vastly different without it. That's like doing mental arithmetic without a calculator. Worse, it's quantum physics.

In the end, all that was left are some potions. There's also a magic gun and three magazines, totaling forty-eight bullets.

Other than those, I have a portable spear, a silver dagger, a smartphone, and my guitar. With the portable amplifier, of course.

The situation's good with my phone. If it was lost, I might need to recreate all of its components in this world. Though, there's also a chance of me building a computer in this world.

My optimism refused to back down at this moment.

"Right, Adventures."

In this world, the most respected job is to be an "Adventurer". Simply put, they dive into the "dungeon" in hopes of finding power, riches, women, and adventure. This world is much similar to the RPGs of my world. Dungeon diving, leveling up, forming a party…

Maybe I could find my adventure here, too. Hurray!

…not.

"Damn it."

All of my life, I have been there. For twelve years, I lived there. The relationships that I made, the achievements that I have, they're all back on Earth. How could I forget any of those? Especially the people close to me.

They must be worrying right now. Extremely so.

"Hah…" I sighed out of depression once more. "Let's just hope that they can handle the things over there."

Shaking my head out of these depressing thoughts, I took a look at my cheat.

"Hm…"

I received the thought that I have "no chances left". I used up 30 years studying Louise's <Dimensional Gate> while the last two chances are used to pull me back from life.

Alright, my situation is a bit hopeless. I can't go back within weeks or even months. I will be stuck in this world called "Gekai" for quite some time…

"Damn it…"

Is this how it feels to go against the stream, alone? This feeling of hopelessness is not much different from when I died in several iterations of my future.

Slap-!

My palm acted upon itself and slapped me awake.

I need to hold myself together.

Recalling the words of that old curse, I could only wryly smile.

"I'm truly pathetic."

"Having a bad morning?"

"Rethusa-san."

Her calm voice brought me back from my thoughts. Rethusa-san is one of the so-called adventurers. She has a calm yet powerful aura. She's what you would expect from a fighter who survived several dangerous fights for years.

"You didn't sleep well?"

"No. I had a good night.."

After I helped them, they talked with the locals and let me sleep for the night in this village. Not only that, they also gave me all of the "magic stones" from the dead monsters. That was under the directive of their goddess whose name is… well, Artemis.

Surprise, surprise.

It perfectly explains how my magic became a level stronger; she's the goddess Artemis who happens to be inexplicably connected to "Orion".

"Lost more than half of my rations in this expedition. There's no place to resupply as well."

"I can sympathize. Happened to us several dozen times as well."

A Familia. That's what the adventurers under a god are called. In the Artemis Familia, Rethusa-san serves as the captain. They have a total of nine adventurers in total.

"Morning, Captain."

"Good morning."

A light aquamarine hair greeted my sight. Unlike the 'veteran' vibe that Rethusa-san was sporting, she has a gentle temperament. Evident with her slightly longer ears, she has the blood of an elf.

Though, seeing her made my heart skip a beat. Similar to their legends back on Earth, they have this stunning appearance.

'Elves… they have this sort of charm?'

For that reason, I am feeling quite… fuzzy. I don't know, I haven't felt this way before. Fortunately, my combat experiences allowed me to look normal in front of them. Everything has its perks.

"Nobu-kun is awake?"

"Good morning, Lante-san."

The half-elf, Lante-san. She is one of the two mages of their Familia. To be honest, I am interested in the magic that she's been using. When they discussed mine last night, I could see that they were quite shocked by it. Moreover, I heard them say that it could even defeat Level 4's.

"You can join us in Orario."

"Ah?"

Suddenly, I heard her proposal.

"You haven't seen the dungeon yet, right?"

The dungeon. While I am more concerned about the way back home, it does excite me a little bit. No, not a little bit. This is just like my first discovery of magic back then. Experiencing something novel like this will be my first. It's like I am playing a game but in real life.

Thump.

I need to calm down.

Calm down…

Taking a lengthy breath, my thoughts began to gradually slow down.

In hindsight, Orario might have something that I need. The materials that I need to reconstruct that computer. Maybe my problems regarding the mana reactor and my body can be solved there, too.

However, there are some disadvantages as well. The gods are one thing, but the city itself is another. To put it simply, Orario has way too many people who could bring danger to my life–which is completely different from the stable life that I led on Earth. If it was before, I would have stayed away from that place. Still, I have to take risks at this time.

"Is it fine with your familia? With Lady Artemis too?"

"It's fine. I already got her approval."

"I-I see."

Lady Artemis, one of the three chastise goddesses in chaotic Greek Mythology. In a place where reproduction with anything is rampant, she kept her chastity. Along with her is the goddess of hearth, Hestia, as well as the goddess of wisdom and battle, Athena.

Her domains include hunting and the moon, which is why the brightest constellation is often associated with her.

Anyways, there should not be any problems. I used <Orion> to save them from before, but that is just a spell.

"Looks like I will be in your care."

*****

If one thought of magic, the first thing that comes into their mind is "power". In Gekai, it enables someone to challenge a higher-level opponent. Even in my world, this holds true.

But, what bothers me is the limitations of magic in this world. According to Lante-san, they are separated into congenital and acquired magic. The former pertains to the magic used by mortals without blessings. On the other hand, the latter requires the presence of the blessing, falna, before they could use magic.

Now, here comes the worst part: humans are limited to holding only three types of magic. By what I mean types, these are the spells. In my case, I know more than a thousand spells from many schools of thought. This allows me to be more flexible in dealing with things.

Just the thought of being limited to three spells in my entire life sent shivers down my spine.

Other than it, most magicians require chanting to cast their spells. They will be immobile in this state, leaving them vulnerable. The processes run by them are overwhelming. One small mistake leads to Ignis Faatus, the spell's backlash. The systematic use of Mind is also different in this world.

It's just like… It's like Louise's world where magic is too far behind. In this case, it is more of a convenience since the spells here are not that bad. Their power is stronger than modern spells.

"Fu…"

I am taking a bath under the gentle rays of moonlight. I transformed a portion of this river into a hot bath. I got to experience what I missed out on for days.

I joined Lady Artemis in their journey back to Orario; about five days had passed since then. Everything in this world is different, but what remained the same is the fact that I'm having these random thoughts while having a bath.

Bath… I miss my home. At this time, I would have already spent time with my family. Doing some random stuff to kill time and help Ryu in his studies as well. There are also times when I will play guitar with tou-san right before we sleep. That reminds me of that event.

That hectic night when Kaa-san caught both of us staying up late at night. Her killer stare as she stood up from the bed is anything but peaceful. Tou-san took the brunt of her fury, but I was also not excluded. We tried to explain what was happening–the predicted crash in dollar value–but we couldn't. It was only after she slept did we have the chance.

"Hah… An open bath like this isn't so bad."

Rustle-!

Hearing the sudden movement nearby, I instantly tensed up. Immediately, I got up from the warm water and grabbed the pocket of my nicely-folded pants. I took out the portable spear which was nicely folded into three. On the way, I covered my privates using the towel hung on my shoulders.

Click-!

I took a slightly crouching position. Both of my feet are set apart from each other, ready for the speed of footwork that I will subject myself to.

"It's… cold."

Even with the towel, it is still very cold. The midnight breeze in this world is even colder than my world's. Maybe it has something to do with the Age of Gods.

Rustle-!

Tap-!

As soon as the unknown left the vegetation, I expected a fierce attack in my front. I focused my sight on it so that I could perceive its humanoid shape.

"Huh?"

My intuition kicked in. My mind became in disarray as I thought that something is wrong. This feeling remained embedded in my chest.

What is this..?

"Ah."

This feeling became the strongest when the unknown revealed its appearance. Rather than any hostiles, it is her.

I stood in my current stance dumbfoundedly. My heightened focus backfired on me as it sent me waves of information that I could not handle.

Silky white skin that no mortals could ever attain; the majority of it openly exposed to my sight. Her supple thighs aren't affected by any physical training as well smooth shoulders which possess similar smoothness such as it.

Her beauty can barely be concealed by the towel worn by her. My mind was briefly sent into an overload, evident in how badly my focus backfired.

A portion of her cleavage entered my sight when she was shocked by my appearance here.

…

"A-ah."

Complex thoughts entered my mind.

What should I do?

Ah…

Heat flowed through my face and ears. Even without a mirror, I am aware of my current messy state. A naked girl.

She's not just a normal girl either, but a goddess. Just her beauty alone is enough to be engraved into my memories. Even if I wanted to, I could not easily forget about it.

The ambiance between us, the moonlight that shone upon this lake… I could not forget this.

"S-s-sorry. I-I thought it was an enemy."

I stuttered at every few words. I did not overreact and tried to maintain my calm but to no avail.

S-she's a goddess, right. Lady Artemis is famous for her justice, yet I can vaguely guess that I might get into trouble–divine retribution is about to fall into my head.

Hastily, I turned my back on her. Then, I wore my black pants despite the fact that I haven't dried myself.

"I'm really sorry..!"

Speaking with my utmost sincerity, I planned to rush away from here, only to be halted by her words.

"Wait."

Hearing it, I felt my body become cold. If she's going to take the unreasonable route, I hope I could say my farewell to this world.

"I-it's not your fault."

…

Ah?

"It's my fault that it happened. I-I didn't think that there was a person here."

"N-n-no! It's my fault as well! I didn't think much and readied for aggression even when there's no malintent…"

It's because of my combat experiences. Within seven iterations, there had been several dozen of opponents who concealed their malintent, only showing it once they struck a vital attack.

"A-anyways, you can still bathe in this place."

Two magic circles appeared on top of my palm. Each of them corresponded to the manipulated earth which separated the water and the heat that increased the temperature of the water. Two spell processes are completed. I didn't know that I would use it now.

"I'll be going, Lady Artemis."

Swiftly, I sprinted away without ever looking back.

*****

Heroes of Old.

In the lower world, Gekai, there had been heroes in ancient times. There still wasn't any falna from gods, but mortals pushed beyond their boundaries and became stronger. Most heroes from that time achieved the strength of a First-class Adventurer of this day, corresponding to Level Five.

In the current times, it is an outstanding feat to reach.

"Orion…"

Ever since Nobu's arrival, Artemis had a strange feeling. It is by no means harmful but an unfamiliar one–something that she hadn't experienced before.

A certain goddess of love's words suddenly entered her mind. She heard it when the said goddess intercepted her and Hestia before going to a bath. To be frank, she was annoyed at that time. However, she could not strongly refute her words now.

Orion.

A name that Artemis held with utmost importance. As a goddess, she vaguely had a feeling that her destined person would eventually come, and that is "Orion".

'What should I do..?'

In fact, she had thought of asking 'Orion' whether he felt that 'connection'. Though, she hesitated in doing so.

"Did you feel it? The connection between us–"

Artemis again tore down that image. She, a chastise goddess for a long time, couldn't bring to ask that embarrassing line.

'No!'

While she had her inner struggle, her attention was caught by the mock battle between Nobu and her familia captain.

Clang-!

The silver spear met a female ranger's dagger.

Their gazes met; unconcealed combat experiences seeped out. This aspect was the second surprising thing about Nobu. When Artemis met him for the first time, she saw the depth of the tribulations that he faced. Vaguely, his life-and-death battles surpass anyone present.

Rethusa turned into a blur. With her being an agility-oriented adventurer, she possessed swiftness incomparable to others.

Seeing these afterimages, Nobu kept his calmness. He had just experienced insane speeds from the Special-grade curse, A-ranked demons, and his experiences of facing a dragon closely allowed him to be like this.

He took a deep breath before muttering a language incomprehensible to others save for Artemis.

"Bis Firmus." (Twice Robustness)

His body's activity rose up. The previously normal world became a slower one for him. His heartbeats rang out to his ears together with a tinge of a sharp sound. His pulse became so high that he could feel it from the vein on his head.

Rustle-!

Swift footsteps were heard by him. He paid attention to this particular detail, which is his key to victory. When they stopped, his body moved.

'There..!'

The wind behind his neck was cut. Some of his hair was accidentally cut down as well. However, he did not let it fool him. The real attack did not come from behind but…

'The front!'

He spun the spear in his hand, holding it horizontally with both hands.

Clang-!

Sparks were sent out upon the contact of two metals. The strangely durable dagger that Rethusa had resisted Nobu's silver spear that had undergone the highest level of tempering that he could do. It was done with the help of technology that he painstakingly built all by himself.

His feet slid off the ground as he was forced back by that impact. He directed the sharp tip of the spear in front of him at this time. By the next second, it met with the dagger's flat side.

Clang-!

In the end, both of them stopped attacking and put down their weapons.

"That was a nice fight."

"It is."

Deactivating his spell, Nobu felt the load that it brought to his body. The shirt that they got from the village stuck around his body. His temperature continuously rose due to the accelerated pulse from earlier. He sat down on a huge stone, not minding if he got dirty. It was for situations like this that "Cleanse" was invented.

The moment he had done so, it felt like experiencing a heavy training session for an hour.

"It's still your win if magic is allowed."

"I disagree. You all know magicians too well. You won't let me." He replied with certainty.

"You have concurrent chanting."

Concurrent casting, a rare ability that allows mages to move while chanting. In Gekai, magicians usually couldn't move as they would break their concentration by doing so. This could lead to their magic backfiring, a phenomenon known as "Ignis Faatus".

As his magic is usually lethal, both of them agreed to keep them under wraps during sparring. Still, his extremely-fast magic along with a large variety made him a formidable enemy.

To be honest, it was their first time seeing someone cast so many spells. They are accustomed to seeing adventurers with a single magic that they habitually forgot that people of the past could learn them by themselves.

"I'm sure your combat skills are up-to-par."

"The same goes your you."

A moment of silence occurred between them. Having fought several times and arrived at the same conclusion, they simultaneously said:

""A draw.""

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