That reminds me. I haven't tested out my huge increase in Strength. Hopefully, even if it doesn't turn me into Schwarzenegger, it'll still let me do various strength-oriented things. Sorry, tree-life of this forest, but it looks like my first test subject will be you, just like that time with the [Aura of Despair]! I'm not going to ask for forgiveness, though, since it's probably going to happen a lot. After all, trees are the perfect punching bags- they're immobile, hard, and don't punch back.
I honestly doubt my stats currently are that high though, since none of them have reached 100 yet. Maybe I'm over-generalizing and I need to focus on a single stat at a time.
Curious to see exactly how strong I am, I drop into an exaggerated windup pose, then slam my fist into the tough bark of the tree.
And then I scream because my hand- which feels like it's broken- gets stuck about midway through the trunk. You let me down, Endurance stat. I thought you would last longer than half a tree. No amount of tugging frees my poor broken hand, which now has splinters in it to boot, and so I resort to drastic measures. After offering an apology to the tree, I use my [Aura], and within seconds the trunk turns brittle enough for me to pull my hand out destroying half of the tree in the process. Oops. I was originally going to stop my [Aura] before the tree dies so it can recover on its own, but now that I've basically killed it I suppose I should put it out of its misery. Well, at least this confirms it- trees do indeed have consciousnesses. I humbly request your forgiveness for using too much toilet paper.
I glare at my ruined hand, but there's really not much I can do about it. The lack of a power from Saisei is really starting to show- what if I got advanced regeneration as a power? Now that would make Benedict a very happy (and overpowered) boy. I sigh, since it's not worth thinking about what could have been, and start pulling out the bigger splinters with my fingernails. At least this is a good way to train my pain resistance.
You have gained the skill [Pain Resistance]!
Speak of the devil.
[Pain Resistance] Level 1
Level up requirements: Endure a substantial amount of pain
You have felt agony, and it has forged you into a harder blade.
Effects: Decreases pain felt
I sense an incredibly useful skill in the future! Too bad I can't turn this off. Having a decreased sense of pain all the time seems like a bad idea, since it's the human body's natural warning mechanism. What if I, say, dislocate my shoulder, but without the pain screaming 'YOUR SHOULDER IS BROKE DUMBASS' in my ear how will I know before it's too late? Well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
I hear a rustling noise accompanied by slight vibrations in the ground, and I turn to see a smaller, silver version of the Felinoid Aurums I saw. Apparently, it's a Felinoid Argentum. What is with this world and its love of Latin? I ready my aura to strike out at the creature at any moment, but it simply trots over to me, nods its head respectfully, and drops a pile of fruit on the the ground before leaving. Aha, this must be part of the effects of [Lord of the Mystical Forest]! That's the food problem gone. I can't help but think that farming Levels when every creature here is so subservient would be incredibly easy, but I don't want to risk losing the [Lord of the Mystical Forest] title.
I'm surprised I didn't get notified when I broke my hand, since that obviously resulted in a decrease to my current HP. And sure enough, when I check my [Status], I see that my Health has gone down by 200. Thank fuck it wasn't more than that. The fact that I have to manually go to my [Status] to see changes in my Health is annoying, to say the least. I wonder, can I have a heads-up display that shows my Health and Mana like in first-person RPGs? Still in my [Status] screen, I imagine the HP section moving off the blue box and into the corner of my vision. After what seems like hours, the section finally starts sliding off the box. Having a numerical indicator is a bit less visually stimulating than the colorful bars most games have, but it'll have to do. I repeat the process with my Mana, and I smile internally. Now, it's basically a video game. Except there are no respawns. I hope there's some sort of magic to bring back the dead in a fully self-conscious manner. (No mindless undead for me!)
How am I smiling despite being depressed? Well, I don't know about you, but to me depression is not a constant thing. It comes and goes as it pleases, and when it's not there I'm a perfectly ordinary person, but when it takes over I'm reduced to a sobbing wreck lying on the floor while clutching my shoulders.
Depression sucks.
All the stuff I've done has made me hungry (not to mention that this is the most physical labor I've done in a long while), so I turn to the pile of fruit. I'm pleasantly surprised to discover that none of them are like the fruits on Earth. Exotic!
[Besti Fruit]
A purple fruit. Sweet, slightly sour taste.
[Colberry]
A small, green berry. Extremely sour.
[Lireto Fruit]
An orange fruit. Sweet, extremely watery.
[Vitalis Berry]
A small, red berry. Bitter taste.
Effects: Recover 100 HP
[Salinon Fruit]
A dark blue fruit. Sweet, tangy flavor.
Wait, what did the description for the Vitalis Berry say? Recover 100 HP? Hell yes! I immediately grab two of the diminutive orbs and pop them into my mouth. They're a bit like cherries- if cherries were bitter, and had way too many seeds- and there isn't much to actually eat. I spit out the seeds, and check my [Status]. Instead of being immediately refilled, my HP is going up at a rapid pace. When I look at my broken right hand, I see that the wounds are closing. I just hope the bones getting put back together doesn't hurt too mu- OH FUCK ME!
----------------------------------------
Now that the torture of having my broken hand put back together at a rapid rate has ended, I pant while lying on the ground. The blood from my hand is still there, and it's beginning to stink. Ugh, some of it got on the winter parka I was wearing when I died. Goodbye, South Face parka! May you be reincarnated as some fancy handbag.
... That is what I would say if I had a way to dispose of it, but without a weapon or any fire-related skills I'm forced to keep the coat. Hold on, why did I never use [Examine] on my clothes?
[South Face winter parka (fake)]
A Chinese ripoff of a famous brand.
[Abibas sneakers (fake)]
A Chinese ripoff of a famous brand.
[Kalvin Clein shirt (fake)]
A Chinese ripoff of a famous brand.
Okay, I get it. All the shit I'm wearing is a cheap knockoff. Geez, you didn't need to rub it in my face like that, [Examine]. That being said, I'm curious to see what would happen if I [Examine] my underwear. Probably more Chinese knockoffs, but it's worth a try.
As I take off my pants, the silver lion that brought me fruit pokes its head out of a nearby bush again, notices my state of undress, and disappears with a whimper. What's with that? It's an animal. It shouldn't be embarrassed by seeing a human with his pants down. Now I feel unnecessarily violated.
[Kalvin Clein panties]
100% cotton.
Ooh, so my panties aren't knockoffs? Good to know. No wonder my crotch always feels so snug whenever I wear them! As expected, Kalvin Clein is always the best! (Not sponsored by Kalvin Clein.)
Well, now that I'm done with this tomfoolery, I better get moving. The sun is starting to set, and I should use the waning light to find my way. Thanks to my title I don't have to worry about monsters attacking me at night (although my [Aura] would have taken care of them anyway), but the lack of light will be a problem. I don't want to go around smashing into trees if I can avoid it, and I certainly can.
----------------------------------------
Nightfall has arrived! Judging from the sheer quantity of visible stars in the sky and the number of unrecognizable constellations, this world is most certainly not Earth. Although it should really be obvious from the presence of monsters and elves and whatnot, who am I to say that they didn't exist at some point in Earth's timeline?
Not having to worry about monsters is the best! Sleeping in a tree seems incredibly uncomfortable, and with my slight frame I bet I'll fall through the gap between branches and hit my head on the ground, resulting in me dying again. No thank you, it's the ground for me.
As I drift off to sleep, I feel a vague sense of contentment. I died and was given a second chance and got an OP power. What's not to like?
----------------------------------------
I wake up to something soft and wet on my face, and I open my eyes to see the Felinoid Argentum from yesterday poking me with its nose. Ow, stop that. You could put an eye out with those silver whiskers. Why does it like me so much, anyway? I mean, I'm not complaining- I never complain about free food- but this is just odd. Is this the true strength of the title [Lord of the Mystical Forest] or has this giant feline just developed an attachment to me for no reason? And then the answer becomes painfully clear as the lion nuzzles against my hand.
[Felinoid Argentum] would like to become your pet!
Accept/Deny
Oh goddess. To be honest, I wouldn't mind having a giant silver lion as a pet. But if I'm to rejoin civilization, it would stand out too much. Way too much. And if it's really completely made out of silver- which doesn't make sense, but that's just because I'm trying to apply Earth logic to Aithora- then the sheer number of people wanting to kidnap it for their own profit will bring more problems than its presence can solve. Yeah, no. Sorry, kitty, but unless you can turn invisible or something like that I don't think you can come with me. [Deny].
[Felinoid Argentum] would like to become your pet!
Accept/Deny.
Are you fucking serious.
----------------------------------------
I wasted a good few hours on rebuffing the lion's advances, but it's incredibly stubborn. I'm so tired of denying it that I'm tempted to simply accept it as my pet, and live as a hermit in these woods forever. And then I have a great idea. What if I accept, and order it to leave me? [Accept]!
[Felinoid Argentum] is now your pet!
Good! No, stop licking my face. That tickles, and your saliva smells. Now, Felinoid, [Release]!
[Felinoid Argentum] refused the order!
FUCK!
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Now that I've calmed down a bit, I fall into despair knowing that I've tripped right into another common flag, also known as 'monster companion later evolves into a cute girl'. And it's even basically a big cat! I bet you everything I have that this cat is female. [Examine]!
Name: None
Age: 2
Gender: Female
Race: Felinoid Argentum
Titles: [Pet of Benedict Hammond]
Level: 37
Yup, yup. I'm not going to ask why she has the characteristic mane of a male lion when she's a female. And the age! Is it still jailbait if it's a monster? Probably. Slap a bestiality charge on there and call me Candi, because I wouldn't last a week in prison. Well, if she ever turns into a cute girl I'll just treat her like a daughter. Nothing more, nothing less. Although I have no parenting experience at all, being a single man in his twenties. I would say that the level/age ratio is incredibly unfair, but I haven't been in this world for two days and I'm already at 64, so I can't complain.
Now that I'm stuck with it- no, her- I guess I should give her a name. I'd like to avoid something too common and obvious (read: Silver), but there really aren't that many names I can think up on the spot. I know, how about Mirror!
...
Yeah, I'm not good with names. But fuck it. Mirror you shall be, loyal lion!
As soon as I give her a name I hear a sound like a motorcycle engine, and I look around in panic before I realize that it's just the sound of Mirror purring. Jesus Fucking Christ (or Fucking Saisei now that I'm in a world without Christianity), don't scare me like that, Mirror.
Now that she's my pet, I suppose I'll have to test her intelligence.
'Mirror, can you hear me?'
I imagine a tendril of thought stretching from my forehead to hers, and the reply is almost instantaneous.
'Yes, master!'
Good, so she's intelligent. That saves me the trouble of trying to converse with a dumb animal.
'What do you think about your name, Mirror?'
'I love it, master!'
The constant addition of 'master' to every sentence she says is somewhat disturbing, but I suppose I'll have to bear it. Who knows, maybe I'll start enjoying it.
'Mirror, can you leave the forest?'
'I don't know, master, I've never tried.'
So we don't know if she can leave the forest with me. Well, that's fine- we can test it soon. Besides, I'm fairly confident, since I'm the [Lord of the Mystical Forest]. Surely there aren't any bullshit restrictions on where the creatures of the forest can go, right? Wait, shit, that includes me! Now I really hope there aren't any restrictions since I don't want to become an isolated hermit, even if I thought about it earlier.
----------------------------------------
After hours of walking, the forest finally gives way to flatlands, and I can see for hundreds of miles in all directions. It's awe-inspiring. I take a deep breath, and tentatively step out of the limits of the forest. Nothing happens, thankfully, so I motion Mirror to follow me out. There's an obviously well-traveled road up ahead, and I decide to follow it, since it'll surely lead to a city.
----------------------------------------
I'm inside another forest, this one not as imposing or as large as the Mystical Forest. The trees are rather far apart for a forest, but I don't know what else to call it. I told Mirror to stay back and watch me from afar- this is all for a plan of mine. I put it into motion after the first town I passed without entering. The reason I simply skipped it is because there's really nothing I can get from them, unless I completely wipe them out, which is something I'd rather avoid. Make no mistake, this decision wasn't made to save the lives of innocents, but rather to keep my own life, as killing off an entire town would undoubtedly anger the leader of the country I'm in.
I hear the sound of boots clomping on the ground, and a group of bandits surround me.
"Hand over yer money an' anything else you got!"
Thank goddess for English.
The lead bandit, a short, rat-like man with a rather square jaw, calls out to me. Too bad for them I don't have any money on me, other than the paper dollar bills I have in my pocket, which are completely useless.
"I don't have anything, I swear! Please, let me go!"
This is, of course, an act. I may not have anything of value, but that doesn't mean I have to beg for my life. My parka is safe in my inventory, as are the monster corpses.
"Don't got nun' eh? Well then, shrimp, ye'll pay with yer body! Get 'im, boys!"
I allow the attackers to rush me, and then after a hard knock on my head that surprisingly doesn't hurt much, I pretend to faint and slump bonelessly to the ground. That attack only did 50 damage to me? Just how weak are these bandits? Sure, it was designed to stun rather than kill, but it was a direct hit to my cranium. The fact that it only did 0.5% damage is... Surprising, to say the least.
While they tie me up and carry me to their camp, I relieve my boredom by [Examine]-ing the bandits.
----------------------------------------
Name: Sterling
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Titles: None
Level: 23
----------------------------------------
The bandit leader is weak. Absurdly weak, to me, but when I [Examine] the other bandits I'm met with a slew of 17s and 18s and even 13s, making my estimation of the power of this planet's natives plummet.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
After a long wait, they carry me to a camp, with stout wooden cages standing in a line. All of them have people in them, they all look rather roughed up. The majority are women and children, although there are a few men mixed in the prisoners as well. I'm thrown inside a cell, and the door's locked behind me.
It's time to execute the plan: The Only Way To Steal Is To Steal From The Mafia (Bandits)
'Mirror, start picking off stragglers one by one. Try not to be seen until it's unavoidable.'
'Understood, master!'
Within moments, I hear a high-pitched scream which is abruptly cut off. The other bandits immediately jump to their feet, weapons drawn, and begin searching the area. The screams continue, with different voices every time. It's the perfect distraction.
I easily tear off the ropes binding me, and make a hushing motion with my hands, because the other prisoners, having seen my display of strength, are about to start yelling. I then simply break the bars of the cage, not bothering to deal with the iron lock. Seriously, these people must be weak if a wooden cage can contain them. Sure, the bars are as thick as a man's thigh, and I have stat points on my side, but still.
Because I feel that the other prisoners will make a ruckus if I don't free them, I quickly break the bars of the other cages, too. In moments I'm surrounded by former prisoners, and I motion for them to stay there while I creep towards the aimlessly searching bandits.
The leader is the first to notice the mass breakout, and he shouts at his men to come recapture us. Really? The prisoners are your priority, when there's an unknown third party who's picking off your men one by one?
The first men who reach me slow down as the effects of my [Aura of Despair] start taking their toll. They then start crying, clawing at their face, and they die. It's interesting to see the differences in how my [Aura] affects humans and monsters. Very educational.
The second wave is more cautious, probing the edges of my skill. One of the throws a knife at me, but with my Dexterity stat being so much higher than his I simply catch it in my right hand and throw it back twice as hard. Unfortunately, it misses. Fortunately, it hits a bandit in the distance, a few meters behind the one I was aiming for. That was totally on purpose, y'hear?
I grow tired of putting up the facade and step forward, activating my [Aura] as a field making sure none of the prisoners are in its range. As the bodies start to fall, the bandits lose courage and run the other way, but are stopped by the sight of Mirror, beautiful silver fur splattered with blood, holding the broken body of the bandit leader in her mouth.
'Good girl.'
'Thank you, master!'
I can see her tail wagging furiously. You're not a dog, you know? You're a lion, so don't you have any sort of pride?
The bandits, sandwiched between two terrors, are frozen, eyes darting from me to Mirror, then back to me. Both of us are clearly formidable opponents, and they don't want to deal with either of us. One of them, already realizing that they're going to die either way, has collapsed into a ball, crying.
Mirror and I attack at the same time, her leaping at the bandits with a ferocious roar as the body flies out of her wide-open mouth, me running at the bandits with the [Aura] at full force. The result is a slaughter.
'Eat as much as you can, Mirror. Don't overeat, though, it's not healthy.'
While Mirror is preoccupied with eating the bodies all over the place, I go around the tents and loot everything I find. There really isn't much worth taking other than money; I don't need melee weapons thanks to my [Aura], and there aren't any ranged weapons. Why didn't these dumbass bandits have an archer or two? The freed prisoners are completely ignored, and I only realize they're still there when a child suddenly bursts out crying. I look up from the chest I'm rummaging through, and make a shooing motion towards them. They don't need to be told twice, and they scatter into the forest. At least since it's still afternoon they have a fair chance of getting back to their homes- if it was nighttime they'd be fucked.
Mirror trots up to me, proudly displaying the human blood stained across her body.
'You did a good job, Mirror, but the blood is smelly. Go wash yourself in the nearest river.'
And with that, she bounds off into the forest. I'm not worried about her- she can handle her own against pretty much anything in this forest, and apparently she can locate me through the whole pet connection thing. Handy.
----------------------------------------
I'm approaching a city right now. I couldn't bring myself to leave Mirror behind, so I made up an excuse beforehand about me being a monster tamer. Hopefully such a thing exists.
"Halt! What is your name and your purpose for visiting Stahl?"
So this city is Stahl, huh? It's fairly large, but it's not as large as I would imagine a capital to be. So this isn't the capital of this country.
"I am Benedict Hammond, and I am a monster tamer here to sell monster parts."
One of the guards frowns, his furrowed eyebrows clearly visible even through the metal helmet he's wearing.
"Hammond? I haven't heard of that house before."
Dammit, dammit, dammit, Benedict, you fucking idiot! In this country, only nobles have surnames! Think, think, think.
Excuse 1: "Sorry, sir, that was just me stammering 'and I am'. You must have heard wrong."
Excuse 2: "Well, we are a rather obscure noble house after all."
Excuse 3: "It's not Hammond, it's 'insert wild guess here'!"
The second will obviously be seen through, and the third is simply ridiculous. I suppose I'll go with the first, then, although I don't have much confidence in it.
"Sorry, sir, that was just me stammering 'and I am'. You must have heard wrong. I'm clearly not a noble, see?"
For added emphasis, I lift my arms, showing off my shirt and pants. I'm sure nobles travel in much more extravagant fashion.
The excuse seems to have worked, but the guard is still staring at me with clear hostility in his eyes. He looks at Mirror, who I'm riding, and frowns.
"You sure that beast of yours is tamed?"
"Oh, yes, sir!"
I dismount and stand in front of Mirror.
"Sit!"
Mirror sits down, much like a dog.
"Lie down!"
She lies down on the ground.
"Roll over!"
She halfheartedly rolls on the ground, then gets back up shaking the dirt from her pelt. Behind me, the guards are open-mouthed, and I smirk internally.
'Sorry about that, Mirror.'
'It's fine since it's master, but how dare those humans watch me degrade myself like this!'
Oh, so you don't mind wagging your tail like a dog, but now your pride kicks in?
"The entrance fee is 2 silver."
I pick out two silver coins from a money bag I plundered from the bandits, and hand it over. The guard's hand remains outstretched, a nasty grin on his face.
"Each."
I wordlessly pick out two more, and the guard stands aside to let us in. I can hear his laughter as I step into the crowd. I'll get you back for that someday, you bastard.
Mirror is a great way to divide the crowd, and she makes me feel like Moses, parting the sea of heads with her sheer presence.
What should I do now? I ask myself. I'd love to settle down now, but in this state I'm sure there are still more people who are stronger than I am. I must make sure I can protect myself from anything before I do that. And who gets to fight the most monsters? That's right, adventurers.
The wooden sign hanging above the door of the Adventurer's Guild branch here has a drawing of a sword crossed with a fireball, most likely representing the might of swordsmanship and magic. Not a bad logo, if I may say so myself. When I step inside, there is a noticeable decrease of volume in the hubbub as people turn to look at me, then the din becomes as loud as it usually is. I walk up to the counter behind a man wearing black armor, where a busty brunette is filling out some form, which she hands to the warrior. I step forward, and she looks at me, all smiles.
"May I ask what you are here for?"
"I would like to register as an adventurer."
"I see, I see."
She ducks under the counter and brings out a crystal orb, much like the one Saisei used to show me my starting stats, except that one was completely clear and this one is rather clouded, and it has a flat, horizontal slit on it.
"Place your hands on the crystal ball."
I do so, and the ball immediately spits out a card made of what looks like copper.
Name: Benedict Hammond
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Rank: F
The receptionist looks at the card with raised eyebrows.
"I didn't know you were nobility, Sir Hammond."
Crap. Think of an excuse, quickly!
"I'm not, but I was adopted into the family of a minor lord."
"Ah, I see."
She nods, and hands the card to me.
"This is your adventurer license. If you lose it, you have to have it re-issued at the nearest Guild branch for 1 silver. The first time is free."
She points at a wall, filled with nothing but pieces of paper pinned to the wood.
"That is the requests board. You can only take requests that are the same rank as you or below.. When you choose a request, bring it to me, and I'll approve it, which will make a magical contract between you and the requester, so that if you complete the request the requester has to give you the reward no matter what.
"There are seven ranks: F, E, D, C, B, A, and S. Everyone starts at F, but you can advance your rank by completing requests. Rank ups are handled by me, or whichever receptionist is at the counter at the moment. Any questions?"
"No, ma'am."
I step away from the counter, and I'm about to leave, when the door burst open, shoving me to the ground. The newcomers are a colorful bunch, with a scantily clad catgirl, a scantily clad elf, and a scantily clad human, but the person that my eyes are glued to is different.
He's a human.
But he's definitely from Earth.
----------------------------------------
On Earth I was Kenichiro Watanabe, an 18-year-old no-good son, at least according to my parents. I died when I accidentally stabbed myself with a butterfly knife while attempting to twirl it. When I opened my eyes after death, I saw a bona fide oppai loli goddess sitting in front of me. How did I know she was a goddess? Simple. For one, she was clothed in pure white robes, with gold trim. Secondly, in every anime involving reincarnation, the main character is visited by a goddess, who gives them a second chance. My heart started beating faster at the last thought. I never liked my life. As an otaku with enough blubber to feed a family for a week, I was always ridiculed. Being reincarnated would be the best thing that could possibly happen to me.
At the time, my head was filled with lewd thoughts about the loli goddess, because she was too cute for words. I imagined her in all sorts of poses, and as though she could see my thoughts she gave me a disdainful glare, making me freeze and desperately try to clear my mind. But then she didn't bring it up, so my mind wandered back into the land of sin as she explained why I was here.
I had been chosen for reincarnation into a fantasy world called Aithora, which is incredibly cool. Not only that, the goddess promised me a unique ability to help me start off. Wanting to fulfill my desires of a harem, I asked for absolute mind control, and was denied. Apparently, if I wanted mind control I needed to set conditions to limit its power, as an absolute control would be way too overpowered, and possibly even endanger the gods. So I told her to set the restrictions herself, and she came up with this: I would not be able to control anyone with a stronger will than myself. I didn't like it much, but mind control was still mind control. And then she told me to touch a crystal orb, which displayed my information in a blue box just like in a game. My stats were all in the 10s, except for Wisdom, which was a measly 1. It showed me that I had two skills- [Examine] and [Mind Control]. And with a wave of her hand, my life as a harem protagonist in a new world started.
I woke inside a strange circle, with someone who looked to be a king anxiously gazing at me.
"Are you the hero we summoned?"
The fact that this world used Japanese surprised me for a brief moment.
"Yes, I am. Kenichiro Watanabe at your service."
The king looked doubtful, and I could understand why. I was just a fat slob, so why would I be a great hero? He swallowed his doubts for the time being, and had a maid escort me to my room. It was a prime chance to try out my new skill.
'[Mind Control]!'
I thought furiously, and then I could see strange, translucent tentacles emerge from where my forehead is and then work their way into the maid's head. Instantly, the maid freezes.
'Say 'Master.''
I thought to her, and she immediately said it. I was pleasantly surprised how well the skill worked. I had a lot of fun that night, and the following morning I ordered the maid to go about her usual duties.
I spent the rest of that day attempting to mind control everyone I met, and before long I had a small army of mind-controlled people, whether they were maids or cooks or weak-willed soldiers. My purpose for them was not for staging a coup and taking the throne, but to make myself look good. As a loser with no redeeming qualities, I had to make myself look like a proper hero. I had solders lose to me in spectacular ways in sparring matches. I had maids spread glowing praise about me. And before too long, I was already well-trusted by the king. I had registered myself as an adventurer beforehand, and with the King's permission, I went and began completing requests. I used every method I could think of to brainwash as many people as I could, and any cute girl I found I added to my party, and forced them to service me. Life was great.
After a couple of months, I made a trip to the city of Stahl. I finished a couple of requests befitting me, a rank S adventurer. My strategy was simple. I strengthened up the other members of my party, and they would fight while I stayed back, stepping up only to claim the kill. My level skyrocketed due to this, and so did my reputation.
I finished a mission, and threw open the door to the Guild branch, which knocked down a man. I almost just went past him, then I realized something odd about him.
He was wearing clothes from Earth.
Heart beating in my throat, I [Examine]d him. One Benedict Hammond, 23 years old, level 67. I immediately tried to mind control him, confident I would succeed, but the tentacles were repelled by an unknown force.
----------------------------------------
While I look at this other Earthman, I feel strange, cold tendrils in my head. Panicked, I activate [Aura of Despair], and then after realizing my mistake turn it off. But the strange feeling is gone, but quickly replaced- I realize that the [Aura] is the only thing stopping it from doing whatever it wants inside my head. I try to keep it at the minimum I can do, and I sigh in relief as every trace of the tendrils disappear from my mind.
And then everyone in the room turns towards me, and all hell breaks loose.
----------------------------------------
Why won't the mind control work on him? I thought. I send out a second barrage, which is repelled just as easily as the first. Panicked, I command every brainwashed person in the building to attack him. Surely they can take down a single level 67, after all, I myself am level 134.
And then I feel a sort of a crushing force, something that makes me completely unable to move- everyone else in the room stops as well, and I watch as Benedict stands up, brushing the dirt off his pants. And then he glares straight at me.
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My mind's working overtime to figure out what just happened, but I think I got it. This scumbag in front of me got a mind control ability from Saisei, and used it to have everyone here attack me, once he realized the skill didn't work on me.
Sorry, kiddo, but my mind's hardened by depression. You won't be able to get by that easily, and especially not when the depression is making an actual protective barrier around me.
How did I know it was this fucker behind it? For one, he didn't move when all the other people did, so he was obviously not under the influence. Secondly, such an ability seems so overpowered that I can't help but think of Saisei's offer of one power.
What have you done, goddess?
I [Examine] him, and find that he's a 18-year-old Japanese kid. Nothing in his titles shows his abilities, but his level proves that he's the one. He can't have gotten that high of a level, not when he's so overweight. As much as I dislike hating fat people, it's the simple truth that weighing more makes fighting monsters harder. Fucker probably forced other people to fight for him, while he stole the kills.
I shall show you no mercy.
I aim a spike of depression straight at him, and then makes it fly forwards. It pierces his brain, and stays there, pumping depression straight into his mind.
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I couldn't move. My body was frozen by whatever this man in front of me was using. I had grossly underestimated him due to his low level. I couldn't even cry at my predicament.
And then the whispers came.
Floating around my mind, telling me how I was a monster, how I shouldn't have done what I did, that I should just go die.
"SHUT UP!"
I snapped out of the effects of the spell, and swung my sword at the man, who casually ducked.
"I NEVER DID ANYTHING WRONG! I'M THE HERO! I GET TO DO ANYTHING I WANT!"
The man snorted.
"Hero? Really? You would call yourself, a man who forces his will upon others, a hero? What makes you so special? The fact that you talked with Saisei? Wrong. The fact that you got a power? Wrong. The fact that you were reincarnated? Wrong! So, tell me, why are you the hero?"
His words ate away at me as though they were acid, and I screamed, charging at him. And then in his place, I suddenly saw the maid. The first person I controlled.
She reached out at my neck, and I stumbled backwards. Impossible. The maid couldn't possibly be here.
And the from behind another set of hands came, this time from a nameless girl who I had raped in an alley. I struck her face, and scrambled for the door. But more and more people started appearing, all dragging at me, like a living tide, burying me under its influence. As my vision grew blurry, I started leaking tears from my eyes. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. I was supposed to be the great hero. I was supposed to be rich and famous with a dozen beautiful wives. I was supposed to-
And then I died.
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As soon as the depression finished its work on the self-proclaimed 'hero', all of the people previously pinned by my [Aura] started groaning as they regained control over their own minds. I could see tears in many of the women's' faces- no doubt he had raped many of them, and probably put bastards in their wombs, too. Well, nothing I could do about that. I'm sure there are herbs and potions in this world to purposefully induce a miscarriage. I'm by no means a pro-abortionist, but when it's for aborting the result of rape... I can make an exception.
This just served to remind me that Earth is a shitty place, and the less come from it to Aithora, the better. If there are more reincarnators doing the same thing as that ratfucker, then I shall make it a personal mission to hunt them all.
You have gained the title [Reincarnation Killer]!