CHAPTER 4 First Monster We leave town after getting some rather high-quality equipment and wander over to a field in search of monsters for Seiya to fight. He wasn’t on board with the idea at first, but perhaps his pride wouldn’t allow him to refuse after hearing that even Nina travels outside of town alone from time to time. Now he’s following me without so much as a single complaint. Before long, I find exactly what I’m looking for. A sky-blue bouncy ball of goo jiggles in the shadows of the tall grass before us. “Seiya, look! It’s a monster!” “Huh, what a bizarre creature. The result of gene manipulation, perhaps?” “It’s a magical creature! A slime! Haven’t you seen them in video games before?” I am astonished to see him shake his head. H-he doesn’t know what a slime is? I thought everyone in Japan knew… “Seiya, slimes will jump at you and attack the moment they see you. Their mucus can melt your skin, but it won’t cause too much damage if you wipe it off right away. They’re so weak that the average adult could defeat one with a wooden club. But—what the…?” My eyes go wide as saucers. Seiya draws his steel sword from the sheath, then quietly exhales. The blade begins glowing as if reacting to his breathing. The air around us vibrates. “Eat this…! Atomic Split Slash!” In the very next moment, Seiya aims his sword at the slime and slashes. The shock wave sounds like an explosion, splitting the ground where the slime once sat! “Eeeeeeek!!” As the gale makes a mess of my hair, I scream out to Seiya. “Wh-what is wrong with you?! It’s just a slime! You’re overdoing it!” But he points his left hand at the ruined patch of earth that’s clearly empty. “No…! It could still be alive!” After that, Seiya’s left hand is engulfed in roaring flames. “Hellfire!” At once, magical flames shoot from his hand, scorching the empty space. And in the blink of an eye, the entire grassy field is reduced to ashes. “It’s already dead, dammit! You’re fighting nothing! Nothiiiiiing!” But my screams have no effect. “No… It’s still too risky to let my guard down…” Seiya takes a stance with his sword once again. What the…?! But he only has two skills! Wh-what does he plan on doing next?! As if in response to my mental anguish, he takes another deep breath and his sword brims with such intense power that the air itself trembles. “Atomic Split Slash!” “You’re using Atomic Split Slash again?!” The echo of the blast roars throughout the field. There’s an explosion, a heavy rumble, and the ground splits open yet again. My hair is violently buffeted by another strong gust of wind. …After a while, it starts to look like I’m standing in a crater left by a comet strike. And at long last, after the Hero casually sheathes his sword, I scream: “Why the hell are you attacking a single slime with everything you’ve got?! You obliterated it the second you used your Atomic-whatever attack the first time!” “Carelessness is the greatest enemy.”
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“There’s a limit to everything, you know! Besides, don’t you have the ability Scan?! Did you not check its stats?!” “I did just to make sure. Its attack and defense were in the single digits.” “Then why did you unload on it like that?!” “It’s not enough to rely only on what you can see in front of you. Even though we can’t see the slime anymore, that doesn’t mean it’s dead.” “…?! Have more faith in your abilities!!” I expel a deep sigh while fixing my hair. “Anyway, you must be feeling a bit more confident now, right? You’re extremely strong, so let’s start making our way to the next town. According to the information I got from the Great Goddess, we should be finding your first ally there…” Right as I place a hand on Seiya’s shoulder, I sense an evil presence that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “Wh-what?” I turn around to find a woman slowly walking our way. Her hair is as black as crow feathers, and she dresses in revealing bikini-like attire of the same color. With one hand, she carries a claymore that’s as tall as she is, making the act look effortless. She appears to be a warrior, but her sinister aura is proof that she is no human. The woman flashes Seiya an alluring smile. “That was some impreeessive swordsmanship. You’re the one, aaaren’t you? Nooo, I’m certain it’s you.” “Wh-who are you?” I ask in Seiya’s place, causing the woman’s lips to curl into a devilish grin. “It’s a pleeeasure to welcome you to our dimension, Oh Hero chosen by the goddess. I am Chaos Machina, one of the four generals of the Demon Lord’s army.” The shocking revelation sends a chill down my spine. Th-this can’t be happening! What’s one of the Demon Lord’s generals doing so close to the starting town?! That’s impossible! Ishtar sent us to a safe haven to start our journey, and yet…! But the sinister, beast-like aura oozing from her every pore makes me painfully aware that she’s telling the truth. Chaos Machina suppresses a laugh as if she can sense my restlessness. “Surpriiised? The Demon Lord saw signs that the Hero was going to be summoned before you even arrived. He apparently wasn’t able to predict exactly where you would appear, though. But, but, buuut if you’re going to summon a Hero, you’re going to want him to start off in a place where the monsters are weak, riiight? That’s why I decided to randomly investigate the villages and cities like that until I found traces of an unfamiliar person…aaand here I am!” She looks like she’s enjoying herself, but I still break out into a cold sweat. W-well…that’s the S-ranked world Gaeabrande for you! Anything I considered common sense in the lower-ranked worlds won’t apply here! “The Demon Lord was rather wary of you, but it’s possible that he was just overreacting, riiight? But, but, buuut after actually meeting you, I can tell. You have the potential to become increeedibly powerful. Nope, nope, nope, nope. We can’t have that! You need to be dealt with immeeediately.” Chaos Machina playfully pokes out her tongue, then brandishes her massive sword. Th-this is bad! She’s serious about this! I brace myself before using Scan to check her stats and…well……we’re doomed. Wh-wh-what?! These are not the stats of an enemy you run into at the beginning of the journey! “S-Seiya…!” Despite being a goddess, I freak out over the appearance of a horrifying opponent and shamelessly turn around to Seiya for help. …But suddenly, he’s nowhere to be found. “Are you kidding me?!” I let out a hysterical cry, for I find the Hero…running off into the distance like a frightened rabbit. “H-hey! H-how dare you leave a goddess behind and run off! Get back here!” As I’m chasing after him, I can hear Chaos Machina laughing in the background. “Oh my, my, my, myyy! What kind of Hero leaves his goddess behind and runs awaaay? You made the right decision, though! Most people wouldn’t be able to make such a quick judgment call and immediately act on it! This Hero is so very, very, very iiinteresting!” There are no signs of her coming after us. I call out to Seiya while running with everything I’ve got. “P-please! Just wait a moment!” That’s when Seiya slows his pace and looks back…before immediately throwing something at me. Boom! “Eek!” Something explodes by my feet, engulfing the entire area in a thick fog. “What is your problem?!” As I seethe with rage, I hear the whoosh of air being displaced by a massive blade. I thought she wasn’t following us anymore, but Chaos Machina is somehow already behind me. She swings her colossal sword right at my neck. “Ha-ha-ha! A smoke screen, huuuh? Once again, your judgment is impeeeccable!” Chaos Machina laughs again. As I grope around in the thick cloud of smoke, I feel a hand grab me by the arm. Before I even realize it, I’m being pulled away by Seiya. He speaks to me in his usual calm voice, completely unfazed by our current dilemma. “Hey. We’re retreating. Hurry and open the gate to the unified spirit world or whatever.” “G-good idea! Okay!” Running as quickly as I can, I cast the spell, creating the gate a few dozen meters ahead. We run until there are only a few centimeters left, but a demon’s voice echoes from behind… “You’re not getting awaaaaaay!!” When I glance back, the demon general makes a powerful leap from the smoke and swings her sword. I let out a faint scream and look to Seiya for help…but he’s already heading toward Chaos Machina with his left hand in the air, engulfed in a crimson blaze. Then the wavelike flames of Hellfire spread as if overflowing from his hand. Rather than an all-out attack, Seiya seems to be using the flames as a distraction to slow her down. Engulfed by the inferno, Chaos Machina clicks her tongue, a dark expression on her face. And just like that, we seize the opportunity to open the gate and escape.