Kasou had introduced himself but didn't mention that he was from another royal family. Peres,
being an army commander, found the surname "Aris" familiar, but he couldn't quite recall it. If he
had remembered, things might have turned out very differently. Since Peres hadn't recalled it
yet, he decided to issue Kasou a Mojaris identity.
Commander Peres: "You don't have an identity yet, do you?"
Kasou was a bit surprised. "N-no. I'm not a Mojaris citizen."
Commander Peres was a smart man. He sensed Kasou's hesitation.
Commander Peres: "If you don't want to say where you're from, that's fine. But according to the
scouting team, you're quite a skilled fighter."
Kasou: "Well... you could say that... I guess."
Commander Peres handed Kasou a silver ring.
Kasou: "What's this?"
When Kasou took it, it looked like an oversized ring. It really didn't fit his finger.
Commander Peres began to explain. "This is an adventurer's ring. We can't enlist you in the
army just yet, but..."Kasou: "Just yet!?"
Commander Peres: "...You'll need to wear this ring to fight alongside us and avoid being seen
as an outsider by other units."
Kasou was still hesitant, but if he helped them with this mission, he could make his way to the
heart of the Mojaris Kingdom. He was sure the food there would be much better than the animal
carcasses he'd been eating in the forest.
Kasou: "Alright, then."
Rossa spoke up to encourage Kasou.
Rossa: "Don't worry, almost half the people in the army are adventurers anyway."
Kasou: "Huh... really?"
Mai: "For example, I'm a gold-ranked adventurer."
Geld: "Me too."
Mark: "I'm also gold-ranked."
Everyone except Rossa had spoken. Noticing Rossa hadn't said anything, Kasou asked her.
Kasou: "And you?"Rossa pretended not to understand.
Rossa: "Hm... What is it?"
Kasou: "Your rank, I mean."
Rossa: "Zu..."
For some reason, the more Kasou asked, the shyer Rossa became. With his quick wit, Kasou
realized Rossa was starting to feel embarrassed.
Kasou had taken a liking to teasing Rossa. So he decided to keep it up.
Kasou: "What?! Is it THAT high?!"
Rossa's embarrassed expression was adorable, and for some reason, Kasou found himself
laughing when he saw her blush. That's why he said his last words out loud.
Commander Peres interrupted the conversation and gave Kasou the necessary explanations.
According to Commander Peres, adventurers needed to be at least gold-ranked to join the army.
After Commander Peres explained everything, Kasou decided to try on the ring. He slipped it
onto his finger, but it was too big and fell off when he turned his hand over.
Rossa laughed and bent down to pick up the ring.Rossa: "You look like a newbie in an old village, fufufu."
Rossa then added.
Rossa: "The ring needs to be activated. Once activated, it adjusts to the size of your finger."
Kasou: "What do I need to do to activate it?"
Commander Peres: "Simply put it on your finger and infuse a small amount of Manas into it."
Kasou thought about what he was told, slipped the ring onto his finger, and felt his Manas flow
into it. A second later, the ring shrank to fit his finger, and a silver light flashed.
Kasou: "So what do I need to do to reach gold rank? I need to rank up as soon as possible
because I don't think the elf attack will take long."
A woman entered the room, beautiful and alluring.
After drawing everyone's attention, she began to speak.
Selia: "For that, you need to complete quests given by the guilds. At least, that's how I did it until
I reached the 'Null' rank. After that, I saved the kingdom from a great disaster and became a
hero known throughout the kingdom."
Kasou: "You?"Selia: "I'm Selia Vernal. At first, they wanted to enlist me in the lower army, and for that, my
adventurer rank needed to be gold, just like you. After completing some quests, I reached gold
rank, but then I realized that adventuring was better than serving in the army. So I gave up on
joining the army and advanced to one of the highest ranks, the Null rank."
Kasou: "How many ranks are there?"
Mark: "There are 8 basic ranks, and they are hierarchical: silver, gold, platinum, emerald, quark,
diamond, null, and hero."
Mai turned to Kasou and asked.
Mai: "Our goal is to reach emerald rank, and your goal is to reach gold rank. Why don't you
come with us?"
Rossa was thrilled to hear this question and smiled, agreeing with Mai.
Rossa: "Yes! Yes, and since the quests we take are more dangerous, it'll be much faster for a
silver rank to reach gold rank."
And so, Rossa, Mark, Mai, Geld, and Kasou formed a five-member team.
---
The team wandered through the city where the guild was located. At first glance, it was a
beautiful city, but as they went further, they began to see the city's hidden side. Kasou was
seeing such a sight for the first time because he rarely left the palace where he grew up. The
surroundings were like the embodiment of betrayal and curses. There were people living normallives, but the streets were filled with beggars and disabled individuals, at least in the back alleys.
Venturing deeper into the alleys, there was also a dangerous side to it.
Pickpockets, drug smugglers, and people involved in the black market operated there. Girls and
women who ended up here were often raped or sold as slaves to wealthy individuals. Kasou
wondered why the kingdom didn't monitor this area, but before he could ask, Geld answered.
Geld: "We think the kingdom is involved in the illegal activities in these back alleys, which is
pretty obvious, actually."
Michael: "Once again, we see what humanity is like. I don't think you should trust this team too
much. If something happens, don't say I didn't warn you, okay?"
Michael was right in a way. Kasou shouldn't fully trust anyone, no matter who they were,
because both in this life and his previous one, he had been betrayed by those he trusted. Not
reflecting this in his life didn't mean he hadn't been stabbed in the back by those he trusted, at
least in his own world. It just meant Kasou was an optimist by nature.
After walking a bit further, they entered a building that resembled a church but had a much more
modern interior. Inside, there were people chatting, wrestling, and watching others enter the
guild.
On the sides, there were tables for adventurers to sit and talk, and games like chess and
backgammon for when they got bored of talking. They hadn't seen what was upstairs yet, but
they could see a floor above the quest counter. The quest counter also doubled as a bar where
you could order drinks. The bartender was also the quest distributor. At first glance, they thought
the bartender was a man, but as they got closer, they realized it was a woman.
Michael: "This place is quite unusual. I can't tell if it's old and dark or modern and gothic."
Kasou: "I think it's gothic..."While trying to respond to Michael, Kasou accidentally spoke out loud, and his nonsensical
sentence caught the team's attention.
Rossa: "Um, Kasou, are you okay?"
When Rossa asked this, the awkward atmosphere dissipated because the others found her
question funny. While they laughed, the bartender cleared her throat to remind them they were
at the bar.
Mark: "Ah, sorry. We're here to take on an emerald-rank quest. If there's one available, could
you recommend it?"
Kasou remembered the "isekai" visual novels he played in his previous world and thought that in
such a guild, quests were usually posted on a bulletin board, weren't they?
He shared this thought with Michael, but Michael remained silent.
Bartender: "I have a good quest for you, but this one is much more specific than other
emerald-rank quests..."
Michael: "Specific, huh?"
Bartender: "Usually, emerald-rank quests involve fighting the lords of monster species. But in
this quest, it's completely different because the lords have already been killed..."
Michael and Mai spoke at the same time.
""The monsters themselves..."Bartender: "Exactly. Quest number 509: You need to kill 20,000 goblins and around 10,000
goblin offspring."
They all made the same expression at the same time, which was perfect timing. This expression
changed when the bartender mentioned the amount of MIC they would receive upon completing
the quest.
Geld: "W-what did you just say?"
Mark fainted while the others began to feel unwell. Rossa shook Kasou by the shoulders.
Rossa: "50 MUIC! 50 MUIC! That's an insane amount, unbelievable!"
- MIC (Mojaris International Coin)
MUIC (Mojaris Ultra International Coin)
MTIC (Mojaris True International Coin)
(1 MIC = 5000 Yen
1 MUIC = 10000 Yen
1 MTIC = 20000 Yen)
Michael: "For some reason, they all got motivated at once, didn't they? HAHAHAH."
Kasou: "Stop, stop, don't make me laugh. I already look weird because they can't hear you!"By evening, they rented an inn across from the guild. Since each of them had their own room,
everyone paid their share. As for Kasou, his fee for the night was covered by Commander Peres
as a thank-you for saving the scouting team.
When Kasou entered his room, he found it extremely plain. Compared to the palace he lived in
as a child... it was the size of an ant, but if he didn't want to continue like this, he needed to think
not only about revenge but also about what he would do in the future and how he would make a
living. He could become stronger and be an adventurer, but there was no guarantee he would
grow stronger. He could engage in trade, but his business acumen was almost nonexistent.
After taking revenge, he could take over his own kingdom, but since he had no good memories
of that kingdom, it would only make him sick. When he thought about it, the things he would do
in the future had to be good deeds, right?
Kasou began to voice his thoughts.
Kasou: "The future... What should I do, and how should I do it? Michael, do you have any
ideas?"
Michael: "It depends on what kind of person you want to be. I can guide you with my advice, but
it might not be what you truly want."
Kasou: "Would it bother you if I became a bad person?"
Michael: "Why would you being a bad person affect me? Also, what kind of badness are you
talking about?"
Kasou: "What do you mean? I don't understand what you're saying."
Michael: "Let me tell you a little story:Once upon a time, there was a boy named Adam. He had a small, honest, and fun-filled life. In
an unknown land, they had a village in a limited area, at a height unreachable by other people
on earth. The limited nature of the land sparked curiosity in the boy. 'What lies beyond this
area?' 'What would happen if I went beyond the end?' Such thoughts tormented him. The
villagers, realizing this, quickly consulted the village chief because they had branded the boy's
different thoughts as cursed. The village chief had to make a decision: either execute the boy or
not. After long discussions, they decided to execute him and tied him up in the village square.
They brutally burned him to death. In the end, the villagers' fears were put to rest. Yes, put to
rest... Until 100 years later... The village ran out of food to feed its people because the land had
become barren after 100 years. The animals they raised only lasted about five years, after
which they started eating their own children.... In the end, the village chief thought he had done
the villagers a favor by killing the boy, but if they hadn't killed him, they wouldn't have known that
Adam would have discovered the earth, which hosted unlimited space and unlimited food. They
didn't know because it was already too late... This was a timeline created by a God to teach the
concepts of good and evil, what is good and what is evil based on what. This time, the God
wondered, 'What happens in the timeline where the boy isn't killed?' and rewound time to rewrite
the story. The villagers once again branded the boy, Adam, as cursed and were again faced with
two choices. This time, they didn't kill the boy, and thus the village became acquainted with the
earth. The people slowly descended to the earth, explored it, and settled around. After a while,
the people living on earth came and demanded taxes for their living... That is, they demanded
what was their natural right, but the other side refused, responding with anger and cruelty. Thus,
a great war broke out between the two sides, but the villagers were much stronger. In the end,
the people on earth were wiped out, brutally slaughtered. This time, the God saw that the village
chief had done evil to the people on earth and good to his own people. In the previous story,
they had done evil to their own people and good to the people on earth by killing the boy. You
see, if what you think is good is good for you, then it's good, unless fate makes you think
otherwise, of course."
Kasou: "But didn't God already know? After all, isn't He the one who controls fate?"
Michael: "Good question, and it's already answered in the story. Why would God need to create
something He already knows? Answer me that."
Kasou: "What do you mean, isn't God omniscient?"
Michael: "According to this story, apparently not..."Kasou walked toward the bed, looked at the mirror in front of him, and thought about the story
Michael had told him. His thoughts reminded him of the allure of the bed... so he lay down.
Kasou: "Not knowing his fate, he tried to understand what good and evil meant through different
versions of the story... I understand what you're trying to say, but I still don't know what to do.
Okay, revenge is still my goal, but what will I do after revenge?"
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, and Rossa entered. She was wearing her daily
adventurer outfit.
Michael: "Something seems to be up."
Kasou, to Michael: "Yeah, we'll find out now."
---
Kasou: "Come in, Rossa, let's have some tea."
Kasou headed to the mini kitchen in the room. He put water in the kettle and lit the stove. While
waiting, he started chatting with Rossa.
Kasou: "How long have you been an adventurer?"
Rossa: "For as long as I can remember, and I think I started knowing myself from the age of
eight."
Kasou: "That's a really long time. Have you been with this team since then?"Rossa: "Actually, not for a very long time. I've only been with this team for two years. Still,
looking back at those times, it feels like a very long time ago. Did you know that Geld used to hit
on me back then? Just the thought of it seems funny now."
Kasou: "Hmm."
Rossa: "I've also been active in the army for two years, and I joined the army with this team."
Kasou poured the hot water into the tea and added cold water to the bottom again, then put the
tea back on the stove to boil.
Kasou had his back to Rossa and started talking with his back turned to her.
Kasou: "Do you have a problem?"
Rossa: "..."
Rossa was silent and remained silent for a while longer. She hugged Kasou from behind and
rested her face on his back.
Michael: "..."
The only sound in the room was the boiling tea in the kettle. Through the large rectangular
window, the starry night sky was visible, with rain falling. Rossa's tears echoed on the floor of
the room like the sound of rain hitting the ground.---
After Rossa calmed down a bit, the two sat facing each other and started talking.
Kasou: "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine."
Rossa raised her voice slightly.
Rossa: "No, it's not that I don't want to. It's just... whenever I remember the past, I feel like
crying, and I don't want you, who I just met, to see that."
Michael: "If that's the case, turn your back again so the poor girl can relax."
Kasou accidentally said this out loud, though not too loudly.
Kasou: "Shut up, idiot."
Rossa: "D-do you not want me to talk?"
Kasou said sheepishly.
Kasou: "Ah no, I didn't mean you."
Rossa thought to herself that Kasou had gone crazy (!)---
After talking for a while, Rossa began to talk about her past. She said she had a good life until
her adventurer parents went on a difficult mission one day. Rossa, caught up in the pace of daily
life, hadn't even been able to say goodbye to her parents when they left for the mission, and she
hadn't heard from them for a few days. Since she was just a child, the village priestess,
Priestess Eden, took care of her at her house for a few days. On a day when the weather was
unusually gloomy, Rossa received the news of her parents' death. From that day on, Rossa felt
alone. The villagers wanted to take care of her, but Rossa refused their kindness. Later, she
decided to become an adventurer, like her parents, but she wanted to be much stronger
because she thought her parents' deaths would be in vain if she couldn't. Though it was a
somewhat absurd thought, no one could claim that someone who had experienced tragedy and
had childhood trauma could act rationally. She trained for years and went on adventures.
Honestly, it took her a long time to rank up, and she thought she would never reach her parents'
level. After reaching emerald rank, she started working with the team in both the army and
adventures because having more people and certain items made ranking up much easier.
After Rossa finished telling her story, Kasou went down to the inn's bar to get a drink. When he
went down, he saw Mai, who seemed to have also gotten a drink.
Kasou: "If you have time, can we talk for a bit?"
Mai: "Sure."
The two sat at a table in the corner of the bar and ordered white wine.
After taking the first sip, Kasou started talking.
Kasou: "Rossa's story-"
Mai: "Did she tell you too? I shouldn't be surprised since she's taken a liking to you..."Kasou: "I don't want Rossa to be on tomorrow's mission. If you talk to her, could you-"
Mai: "What should I say? 'I want to steal your purpose, so please don't come'?"
Michael: "I don't understand you. The girl came to you crying, shared her sorrow, and wanted to
find comfort in you, but you're not acting in her best interest."
Kasou: "You don't understand, Michael. Tomorrow's mission is tough, and someone who's not in
their right mind is more dangerous than the monsters we'll face."
Kasou turned back to his conversation with Mai.
Kasou: "She's not mentally prepared."
Mai: "We just met; you don't know us. I know Rossa can fight even in such a bad state."
Kasou: "But-"
Mai slammed her glass on the table and quickly left Kasou's side.
Michael: "As you can see, this isn't a situation you can interfere with. Even if you're thinking
about Rossa, you don't have the authority to stop her. At least go and say some motivating
words to her so you can minimize the danger level tomorrow."
---**MORNING COMES**
When morning came, Kasou woke up to Michael's call. When Kasou opened his eyes, the sun
was just rising, and the room hadn't yet been filled with its light.
Kasou: "I swear I'll dull you. Why are you shouting?"
Michael: "You've slept enough, and besides, I sensed the team's presence outside your room. I
think they're gathering at the bar."
Kasou: "The bar? By the way, when did you wake up?"
Michael: "I don't need the things humans need: sleep, food, shelter, etc. I don't get tired or need
to rest like humans."
Kasou: "Anyway, I'll head down to the bar."
After getting dressed, Kasou tidied himself up in front of the mirror.
When he went downstairs, the team was already waiting for him.
Geld: "Oh, Kasou. Come on, we're assigning roles for the mission."
Kasou: "Assigning roles?"Michael: "Well, they're smart enough not to charge in randomly."
Mark: "Yes, as you know, Rossa is our strongest, so she'll be at the front, behind Geld. Mai and I
will handle support, and our new attack force, Kasou, will be in the middle."
Michael: "New attack force..."
After discussing tactics, the team headed to the mission site. It was four hours away from their
current location. As they walked, Mark stretched his arm forward, opened his hand, and a map
appeared with a yellow dot marking their destination.
Kasou: "Oh, Mark, what's this?"
Mark: "One of my support abilities. Before heading out on a mission, I mark our destination with
a hand map, and by doing this, I can see where we are and how much is left at any time."
Kasou: "This map isn't like other maps, though."
Mark: "What do you mean?"
Kasou: "It has more specific features."
Michael: "You're talking about how the map isn't 2D but has a 3D rendering, right?"
Kasou, to Michael: "Yes."Mark: "Ah, yes, it even has better features. Look, it shows the time on the side. See?"
Kasou: "Huh."
Mark: "If you touch the time and swipe up, the sun sets on the map, and the map's atmosphere
turns to night."
Kasou: "Wow."
Mark: "It even shows the weather."
Kasou: "So you're kind of seeing the future in a limited way."
Mark: "Yeah, but it's a bit of a useless future vision."
Michael: "An advanced version of this will be one of your abilities in the future."
Kasou, to Michael: "An advanced version of this ability is in one of your ranks?"
Michael: "What do you think I am? I used to have countless abilities."
Kasou: "Used to? Aren't you a sword?"
At this point, they were halfway there. Ahead were mountain ranges. Compared to their current
location, a storm was raging over the mountains, as if hell had fallen there.Mai: "A strange fear has taken hold of me. How about you guys?"
Everyone felt an inexplicable fear upon seeing the mountain ranges.
Michael: "I think the area has a fear-inducing spell that automatically affects those who see it."
Kasou, to Michael: "I can't stop trembling, and a voice inside me is telling me not to go there."
Michael: "That proves the area has a fear spell."
As the team approached the mountain ranges, the pressure on them increased, but it didn't stop
them from fighting. When they arrived, a large cave entrance awaited them. The cave entrance
was covered in spider webs and looked ancient because wild grass and nettles had grown in
front of it.
When they entered, they started walking along a single path. Since there was no exit or any
light source ahead, Mai created a fireball in her hand.
They continued for a while and came across a four-way fork. Each path was more ominous than
the last. They stopped for a while to discuss which path to take and began arguing. Finally, they
decided on a path and started moving.
Geld: "Hey Mai, isn't it hard for you?"
Mai: "Hm?"Geld: "You've been using your magic for a long time. It must be tough."
Kasou, to Michael: "Is it tough?"
Michael: "Well, keeping a spell active for a long time strains your Manas significantly."
Kasou, to Michael: "But I've been using hypertrophy, or aura compression, continuously for a
long time."
Michael: "What?"
Kasou, to Michael: "You know, constantly, whether in battle or safe in the castle."
Michael: "You... You're very close to reaching the second rank. Look, you've completed 99% of
the first level."
Kasou: "..."
Michael: "Did you just smile?"
As the team moved forward, goblins suddenly attacked. It was so sudden that Geld narrowly
escaped death. The number of goblins increased rapidly.
Mark: "As we discussed, hurry up."But before the team could execute their plan, the goblins had already infiltrated their rear. This
meant the two support members had to protect themselves while also trying to help the
attackers, Rossa and Kasou.
Kasou: "Hey! Try not to die!"
As Kasou said this, Rossa killed a goblin trying to stab him from behind.
Rossa: "I'm behind you. I won't let you die."
Kasou: "That's one of the things I wanted to hear."
Geld might be slow, but as a tank, he blocked the spells coming from the other side. At least up
to 20 goblin mages, after which the team started taking constant damage. They dodged some
spells, but they couldn't dodge both the spells and the sword-wielding goblins. The difficulty
level was at its peak.
Moreover, the path they had chosen was such a bad choice, such a bad choice...
Goblins were pouring out of holes in the ceiling, walls, and floor—basically everywhere. Kasou,
Rossa, Mai, and Mark couldn't look everywhere at once and took a lot of damage. Geld took a
quarter of the damage the other four took.
Michael: "There's nothing you can do; there are too many goblins. I think it's time to use all your
powers at once."
Kasou immediately followed Michael's advice. He tried to create dust around him, but the area
didn't have enough dust, so he came up with a more insane, fantastical idea.He infused Manas into the goblin corpses. This confused the attacking goblins, as the corpses
now had human Manas. Not satisfied with this, Kasou did more.
He infused Manas into everything around him: the blood splatters, the swords in the goblins'
hands, even the torn clothes covering the goblins' genitals.
Mai: "What's this? The goblins are getting confused."
Rossa: "Now's the perfect time, attack!"
The team attacked together. Mark used his special ability: when he shot an arrow, he could
multiply it mid-air and cast any spell on it before it hit its target. This wiped out a wave of goblins.
Rossa caused explosions that shook the area with powerful spells.
Mai healed Geld and the others' wounds and, though not as much as the others, dealt damage
to the goblins.
For a while, the goblins remained confused and kept killing each other, but after a while, they
seemed to wise up or something happened, and they resumed attacking the team. With their
numbers still high, there was still a significant threat.
Mark: "Strange..."
Michael: "I find it strange too."
Kasou, to Michael: "The others can't hear you, so don't talk as if you're answering Mark."Rossa: "The goblins are acting like intelligent monsters?"
Mark: "Exactly, they're not usually this well-equipped. I thought we had won when they got
confused, but after a while, they turned their focus back to us as if someone was controlling
them."
Mai: "Someone controlling them? Goblins?"
Geld: "Not many monsters have that kind of magic, and among humans, maybe not even a
handful."
Kasou: "Elves? Aren't they experts in magic?"
Mark: "Why would they want to control goblins' minds?"
Mai: "Even if that were the case, wouldn't it be strange for them to be here?"
Michael: "There are too many questions, but your priority right now is to get out of here alive."
Kasou lunged forward, holding his sword parallel to the ground, and slashed the goblins'
stomachs.
After a while, the team was covered in blood. Mai's Manas was almost depleted, and she could
no longer heal major injuries.
The goblins weren't strong, but the goblin army was.When Mark ran out of breath and fainted, Mai tried to heal him. This effort drained her Manas,
causing her to faint as well.
Protecting two unconscious people was extremely difficult, especially with the blows he was
taking. Despite this, the three fought for hours. Rossa and Kasou were also exhausted, but Geld
couldn't withstand the blows and fainted. When only two were left, there were dozens of goblins.
Rossa: "Watch out!"
A goblin attacking from Kasou's blind spot slashed his stomach. Kasou, blood dripping from his
mouth, retaliated by decapitating the goblin. Rossa, worried, ran to Kasou's side. Kasou was
lying on the ground, gasping for breath. Rossa was protecting him.
Kasou: "Oh, what's this?"
Michael: "Hey Kasou?"
Rossa split a goblin jumping at her in two and turned her head to Kasou.
Rossa: "Kasou! Are you okay? Hey! Kasou!"
Kasou was now lying on the ground. For the last time, he looked at the gash in his stomach and
turned his head toward Michael.
Kasou: "I never thought it would end like this. I didn't think about how far I'd go, but I know one
thing for sure."Kasou: "The regrets of my life wouldn't easily fade away. I was sure of that."
As Kasou repeated his thoughts, he was nearing the end of his life. The area he saw with his
eyes blurred and narrowed second by second. He lay where his story ended.
Kasou: "Actually, I didn't have many regrets in my new life. The sorrow and grief I saw in my
past life carried me this far. When I met Michael, I thought I had a chance. I wish I could see
Maria one last time before I die."
After uttering his last words...
Michael's words, which reversed the entire situation, echoed in Kasou's mind.
"""GRACEFUL SWORD USER RANK ACHIEVED"""
With the power of the new rank, Kasou's Manas was replenished, and each rank-up granted an
extra ability to heal one fatal wound.
Kasou opened his eyes, grabbed Michael, and unleashed a wave of Manas infused into his
sword. This Manas wasn't like the one he used in the previous rank. It allowed him to alter the
state of matter by infusing Manas into anything around him.
He transformed the wind, a gas, he swung with his sword into something solid and sharp. When
a wave of goblins died, he realized the immense power he had gained.
The Manas in the area began to rise because the goblins seemed to act as if their
understanding had improved. What made him think this was the fact that more goblins were
attacking.Michael: "One of the advantages of your new rank is being able to fight multiple enemies more
comfortably."
Michael: "You've gained high-level combat skills, as the name suggests, Graceful Sword User."
Kasou lunged forward, cutting down goblins with movements reminiscent of a ballerina. Now,
numbers didn't matter, and since the goblins were weaker than Kasou, they were heading
toward a significant victory.
Kasou, to Michael: "Hey Michael, for some reason, the fear that was pressuring me is gone."
As Michael explained the reason, he was hopeful because many of his past users had died
before reaching the second rank.
Michael: "The reason is that you've developed immunity to fear spells. So even if there's an
unlimited-quality fear spell, it won't work on you anymore."
Kasou, to Michael: "For now, let's focus on winning this battle and getting out alive."
While Kasou killed the goblins, Mai, Geld, and Mark regained consciousness.
As Mai's eyes slowly opened, Mai: "Is this... Kasou?"
Mark, confirming Mai's question, Mark: "I knew the kid was strong in some way, but this is too
much! Is he even human?"
When Kasou lunged forward, the heads of the goblins he passed flew off, and blood gushed
from their bodies.The goblin horde and those watching this battle couldn't see or predict Kasou's movements. He
was extremely fast.
Rossa was also shocked but thought she needed to get the team back on their feet. When
Rossa approached them, she extended her hand to Mai.
Rossa: "We can't leave everything to him. Besides, even though Kasou has gotten stronger, the
danger isn't over yet."
Geld quickly stood up and shouted.
Geld: "Hell yeah, kid! I swear I'll protect the others to the death, and once we get out of here
alive, I'll treat you to whatever food you want with all my money!"
With the team's fury, the battle continued with final excitement. As the goblins died, the faceless
faces hiding behind the clouds (!) became even more faceless. An hour later, with the team's
extra effort, all the goblins were dead.
Geld was on the ground, Mai was leaning against his chest, Mark was kneeling on the ground,
Rossa was next to Kasou, and Kasou was looking at the light source ahead.
Kasou called out to the team. "Do you think we've completed the mission?"
Mark: "I didn't count while killing the goblins."
Kasou: "I thought so too, so we need to investigate where the light source ahead leads and if
there are goblins there."Rossa disagreed with this idea and stated they shouldn't go. Michael also agreed with Rossa.
There was a disagreement because if there was a disagreement, the person with the
disagreement would have a more understandable and beneficial thought, they thought.
Even though Rossa explained, the others didn't agree with her, and only Kasou could hear
Michael's words. After the discussion, they decided to investigate the light source.
As they took steps, the distant light source grew larger, and finally, they reached the part where
the light source touched the cave entrance.
They stepped forward and saw the vast open area in front of them.
Mark: "The mountain ranges we came through form a circle, and this area seems to be the
center of the circle. The cave we entered connects the outside of the mountain ranges."
Mai: "Really? This place is lively and beautiful. Look, there's even a stream!"
They wandered around for a while longer, but nothing appeared, and they decided to head
back. As they turned and headed toward the exit, a voice rose from behind them.
The voice belonged to the Goblin Queen, who had nearly killed Kasou earlier.
The Goblin Queen taunted Kasou, "Where are you running off to, kid?"