Vroom-!
Despite its appearance, the motorcycle was able to completely pull the cart hooked behind it.
“That tickles…”
“I-I’m sorry!”
Unfortunately for Rein (Tsukasa), this was his first close contact with a girl—in both lives.
He doesn’t notice it himself but he is more touchy compared to his usual.
‘This girl and me… This skill board is able to view a person’s specialties. Can it do something more than that?’
Rein’s life already made it clear that a ‘level up’ mechanism is present whenever a monster is defeated. That suffocating feeling wasn’t his first time.
‘After the level up, the points get stored until a person uses it subconsciously… either through training or a tough battle.’
His 5 points in strength and 6 points in agility proved just that. He wasn’t used to fighting monsters head-on, thus he relied more on his stamina and running speed to move away. Nevertheless, he needed enough strength to survive up until now.
It was only when he unlocked the [Stealth] skill did he have enough courage to fight a monster close-range.
‘I need to think of my future development. There’s also the possibility of seeing my classmates again.’
He thought of his only friend within the classroom.
‘If it was him, he’ll surely get thrilled by those elves.’
Shishidou Hikari.
He was Rein’s sole friend within the classroom. He came from a kendo family, making him the current club president of the Kendo Club. Since they chose strength as the main choosing criteria for the president, he easily won the duel against the club president at that time.
Thinking of his swordsmanship skills, he knew he would have adapted well to this world.
Roar-!
Rein saw a group of goblins blocking their way. It wasn't his first time encountering them now.
Without further hesitation, he unpinned two grenades and threw it ahead of them
Boom-!
Without any surprises, the group of goblins looking for ambush died in a split second.
“Kh..!”
[Rank: 9 → 10 | 1.5 → 4.5]
“What a cheat…”
Without hesitation, he dumped all of the points on [Stealth]. It was then maxed out in an instant. Rein felt something change instinctively, but he wasn’t sure as to what it could be.
[Stealth: 7 → 10]
‘I killed some monsters in the past, but it wasn’t this easy to raise my rank. Is this [Hero] thing in effect?’
If everyone had that skill, even the weakest ‘otherworlder’ would’ve been treated fairly well.
‘I need to proactively hunt monsters next time… not just scavenging…’
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*****
After the initial uproar, the otherworlders calmed down. Although the novelty of [fantasy] existed, they were slapped back to reality with a devastating news:
Eight of their classmates were presumed to be dead.
William Vanahard explained it was an error within the summoning spell, something that couldn’t be fully prevented.
From forty-five, they were down to thirty-seven. If the things they heard about the ‘Devil King’ were true, more of their classmates will die.
It resulted in a huge split: those who wanted to stay at the backlines, those who wanted to fight in the frontlines, and those who fell into depression.
“...”
“There’s nothing we could do now. The past can’t be altered, Hikari-san.”
“...There’s still one.”
A black-haired ‘man’ stared quietly at his classmate, Kotawa Reiji. The latter is currently the “leader” of the frontline group who aimed to encourage others to develop their strength.
Aside from their status and talents, they have one other gift as an otherworlder: Blessing.
In game-like terms, it is the ‘title’ with corresponding buff. The more excellent individual you were, the stronger the blessing would be.
Blessings are ranked based on their length. Seven words are the common blessing, while a single-word blessing is considered to be the apex of this world. The articles and prepositions within the blessing were not counted.
While ‘fully awakening’ their blessings, Hikari’s blessing was revealed to the ‘loli sage’ from before.
[Dance of the Sword Saint].
A three-word blessing is considered to be a very rare talent. It would’ve been a huge waste to see someone with such potential to be bested by depression, thus the ‘loli sage’ aided Reiji in convincing his other classmates.
“If I killed them… wouldn’t he be avenged at least?”
At this moment, Reiji saw the eyes of a cold-blooded killer. It was far different from the usual meek Hikari in their school.
“I… SIgh… I know it was very sudden… but everyone was forced.” He explained. “...even them.”
“I wouldn’t forgive them… no matter what. You, of all people, must know how we feel, Kotawa-san.”
“...I’m hoping everyone would at least get back on their feet. If everything I’ve heard about this world is right, despair would bring nothing.”
“...”
Hikari closed ‘his’ eyes before he made a choice. 'His' long black hair was ponytailed behind his back. It was a part of the ‘meek Hikari’ in the past which made some people think ‘he’ was a trap, but it somehow added to his heavy aura just now.
Little did they know, 'he' is actually...
“I will find my own way. If there is a god in this world…”
The determined eyes of a swordsman flashed sharply.
“...Everything is possible.”
*****
The city of Malken.
It is one of the walled cities under the Pelcan Kingdom. Automated machine guns, railguns, and a magic barrier guarded the city from the monsters and corrupted beings from the outside.
Compared to the villages and towns living outside this place, it is simply a safe-haven—even its slums.
The entire city is divided into three parts: outer, inner, and core area. Both the inner and core areas reside in taller places compared to the outer area.
The slums are located right at the peripheral—beside the gigantic wall.
“Seems like you didn’t bring back much.” The man inside the counter joked at Rein. “But you brought back someone, I see.”
After scanning his ID and confirming his entry, the man behind the counter gave the metallic plate back to Rein.
“You do know how to have fun.”
He commented when he saw that the robed person was a girl.
“Shut up.”
“Alright, alright. I understand.” The man teased.
It was only when they passed the gate did the two people see the city in its full glory.
The road itself is going upwards due to the way the inner and core areas were built. They are separated by walls, with each infrastructures standing taller than the rest.
They took several turns before reaching a specific house.
It was a small house with a small garage inside. It was one of the better-looking houses within the slums.
Rein was adopted by an old man when he was left alone in a forest... as a baby, on top of that. When his adoptive grandfather died, the house was passed onto him.
Though there were some people who wanted to take advantage of him, he resolved them ‘peacefully’.
The girl remained silent until the two disembarked.
“Wait for a minute. I’ll get some of my savings—”
“No, there’s no need.”
“What?”
“I can stay with you.”
“...What?”
Rein’s bewildered face greeted her.