In MHA, Wednesday, 5:10 AM.
It's been a few days since Izuku obtained the Sorcerer's Wand "quirk."
In these few days, he managed to use some spells, the easiest being creating a small fireball.
However, as he thought about training while walking near Dagobah Beach, a thought crossed his mind: "This place is so filthy... Should I try to help somehow using my quirk?"
The truth is, he had a giant heart, but at the same time, he wanted to prove himself. He couldn't fight villains, but doing something like this is also a heroic act, right?
And so, he started cleaning the trash off the beach using a spell he theorized about gravity.
"Levitate!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, a pile of trash levitated. Although he was sweating heavily to keep it in the air, Izuku's goofy smile never left his face.
***
***
[+2 CP]
At home, 10:23 PM, Zaydas saw the notification and was confused.
'Great Sage, why did I gain these 2 CP?'
[Answering. Izuku Midoriya made some progress in using the Sorcerer's Wand. That, in itself, is worth recording, thereby generating CP.]
"Oh? That works too..."
This was increasingly turning into an investment scenario. If he invested in X person and that person did something worth recording, there was a chance it would yield CP like now.
Although he lacked nothing, it didn't take the tension off his shoulders. This was the DxD world, and it was very likely that it was part of the same universe as DC. The risks of staying as he was might leave him helpless in the near future.
For that reason, he didn't want to return to MHA. While he could explore that world and try to earn CP, with 11 months left before the initial plot began, it would be counterproductive. So, he said mentally:
"Great Sage, I want to go to another Mid-Rank world."
[Affirmative!]
[Processing...]
[Establishing a connection to a Mid-Rank dimension...]
[Process in progress... Marking complete!]
[Please prepare for Dimensional Jump!]
"Ready."
[1, 2, 3... Now!]
***
***
Black eyes and short black hair. 176 cm tall, slim, with little muscle.
Everything about him screamed average.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
However, his actions were not average. For instance, with a single axe swing, he cut down a tree, or even the miraculous effect he achieved by making fruit-bearing plants grow without the need for seeds.
"Boom!"
"What was that?" he murmured, materializing a hoe in his hands. Then, he approached the sound, crossing the plank that served as a bridge over the trench surrounding his "fortress." The structure was protected by walls made of tree trunks, just over a meter tall.
"Damn... Wasn't it worse than last time?"
Hearing someone grumbling and being able to understand them, he approached.
There, he saw a young man dusting off his clothes while, nearby, a sturdy tree lay on the ground, surrounded by a faint cloud of dust, likely raised by the impact.
Seeing that it was a human—or so it seemed—he felt a sense of relief.
"I finally saw another person," he thought.
"Who's there?"
"Indeed, we can communicate..." he thought before answering, "Hiraku, Mochio Hiraku. That's my name. You are...?"
"Mochio Hikaku?" The young man, who seemed around his current age or perhaps younger, with crimson hair, looked pensive as he gazed at him.
***
***
At first, Zaydas couldn't recognize the man in front of him.
However, he seemed strangely familiar.
"How can someone from another dimension feel so familiar? Is he another Protagonist?" he thought, jokingly.
It's fine if it happens once, but there wouldn't be a second time, right?
"Hey..."
"Oh, sorry." Realizing he had stayed silent for too long, Zaydas replied with a slight nod, "Mochio Hikaku, right? I'm Zaydas Grimmory. Nice to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine." Hiraku greeted him, nodding back.
"By the way," Zaydas asked, "Is there a city nearby?"
From what Zaydas could see and sense, there were no other humans in the vicinity.
"I don't know," Hiraku replied. "I live here in this forest and have never left, so I don't know if there's a city nearby or not."
"Living alone in the forest?" Although Zaydas couldn't sense any human presence, he did feel the presence of some living beings that seemed somewhat strong.
Evaluating him once more, Zaydas confirmed that Hiraku didn't possess any kind of magical power, but he sensed something about him that felt similar to a blessing.
"Sorry to ask, but..." Hiraku inquired, "Can I know where you came from and what that was just now?"
"That's a good question," Zaydas replied as he made something up. "I came from far away. And just now, I fell from the sky, and the rest you can see with your own eyes."
"Fell from the sky?" Hiraku tried to imagine such a scene, but for someone from a world without magic, all he could think of was a man jumping out of a plane and the parachute failing to open...
"By the way," Zaydas changed the subject, "That structure behind you... Is it a village or something?"
"Not quite," Hiraku scratched his face. "It's something I built to protect myself from the animals."
"I see," Zaydas said. "Would you mind if I stayed here with you for a while?"
To better understand this planet—especially the sense of familiarity he felt when looking at Hiraku—Zaydas wanted to take this approach instead of investigating from a distance.
"Of course, please," Hiraku replied.
With his hands in his pockets, Zaydas followed Hiraku through a small entrance leading to a space that wasn't too large or small, about 100 by 100 meters.
"I don't have much to offer, but make yourself at home," Hiraku said with a gentle smile.
"You have my thanks," Zaydas replied with a smile of his own.
Shortly after, he learned a bit more about Hiraku.
Hiraku seemed to be hiding some things, but in summary, he hadn't been living in this forest for very long. He didn't seem to know much about this world and had a strange power related to farming.
It appeared that anything related to farming tools, he could make appear without the need for magical power.
"I knew I recognized him from somewhere!" Zaydas exclaimed mentally, thinking, "He's the protagonist from that manga I read, Isekai Nonbiri Nouka, Mochio Hikaku."
As soon as he discovered the reason behind the familiarity he felt, the Great Sage spoke in his mind.
[Warning! Connection 100% Established!]
[Warning! Time Difference 1/50]
'Huh?' Zaydas asked: 'Why is the time difference greater than in MHA?'
[Although this is also a Mid-Rank dimension, the distance between it and yours is greater than the distance to the MHA dimension.]
'In short, the greater the distance, the greater the difference in the flow of time...' Zaydas reflected. 'It might seem advantageous at first, but it will consume more demonic power. And if I want to reverse or slow down this difference, the cost will be even higher, right?'
[Affirmative!]
Now that he knew where he was and had confirmed that Hiraku was indeed a Protagonist, Zaydas became increasingly convinced that every time he used Dimensional Jump, he was somehow drawn to a Protagonist.
Once could be a coincidence, but twice was already suspicious.
Looking at the farm Hiraku had created, along with the wooden house and the large tree, Zaydas began recalling the manga.
He didn't remember the exact number of chapters he had read, but it exceeded 100. They were short chapters, often skipping several days. The only thing that helped him identify the timeline was the order of arrivals.
First came the wolves...
And none of them were in sight.
Then came the spider, if he wasn't mistaken. After that, the silver-haired Vampire, followed by an Angel Girl who was tracking the Vampire Girl, intending to capture her for causing trouble for the nobles of a nearby city or something like that.
Since it wasn't something he paid much attention to or reflected on later, he didn't remember the details well...
'Those two... Even if they weren't the focus, they must have considerable battle potential, right?'
Zaydas began to take an interest in them, considering their potential to become part of his Peerage. If he remembered correctly, the Angel Girl had the nickname "Angel of Annihilation," which only demonstrated how strong she must be. Even though she lost to the wolves for comedic effect—just like the Vampire Girl...
This kind of scenario happened multiple times with different girls being beaten by the wolves and tied up by the giant spider's web threads.
"Ano..."
"Huh?" Snapped out of his thoughts, Zaydas noticed Hiraku looking at him nervously. "Go on, is there something else you'd like to know?"
"Well," Hiraku asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice, "Zaydas-san, I know it's sudden, but... Wouldn't you like to stay here?"
"Would it be alright if I stayed?" Zaydas asked.
"Of course, it's no problem!" Hiraku nodded.
'I see, he must already be starting to feel lonely...'
Although Zaydas didn't know how many days it had been since Hiraku arrived in this world, judging by the surroundings, it must have been at least a few months.
"Then, I'll gladly accept," Zaydas replied, adding, "But I'll be leaving frequently. Is that alright with you?"
"Yes, of course." Hiraku nodded, visibly happy.
With the 1/50 time flow difference, even though the plot was just at the beginning, with a few days left before it became interesting... Zaydas would only need to spend a few hours to live through several days in this dimension.
***
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