Breathing hard, Xelloss ran through the forest in the middle of the night.

　He was surrounded by demons that preyed on him, and to them, he was nothing but food.
　There are days when he has to hide his presence, hide his breath, and watch his surroundings.

"Stick to ......, how long can I go on!　How can I get out of this forest?

　It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has a problem with this.

　He has no room in his heart now.
　His surroundings are overrun with demons that will attack him at any moment, and he has to keep vigilant even when eating or sleeping, and his mental fatigue keeps accumulating.
　It is a feast of shura, where you fight and bury your enemies without a moment to rest.

　The demons themselves are not strong, but every time they are defeated, another demon is attracted by the smell of blood and attacks them.
　Depending on the species, they may come alone or in groups, so the wear and tear is intense.
　In the intervals between battles, you breathe, but you never relax your vigilance and pay attention to your surroundings.
　The slightest carelessness can be fatal.

What?

　Xellos suddenly felt a presence behind him and jumped away from the scene.

　--Slash!

　Instantly, a line of scratches appeared on the ground.
　It was caused by someone attacking, but there was no sign of him.
　He mobilized all of his senses to search for signs of movement in his surroundings.

I'm here: .... They're obviously looking at me. ......)　

　No enemy in sight.
　But it is clear that there is a predator who is after you.
　A beast will not challenge a strong opponent, but if the opponent is weak, it is a different story.
　The law of the weak and the law of the strong is a primitive natural order.
　The natural order of things is that you must defeat and eat your opponent in order to survive.

　I don't know what kind of demon it is, but I'm sure it has the ability to hide itself.

The question is which type: .... Optical camouflage or mind distraction...

　Optical camouflage is the ability to hide yourself from your surroundings by refracting light.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for before you buy.
　The latter is unlikely, as I sensed the presence of an attack.
　If so, he judged that it was most likely optical camouflage.

　Feeling the presence again, Xelloss instinctively jumped high and hooked the wire to the branch of a large tree that was hundreds of years old.
　Again, several scars were carved into the ground where he had been.
　It was clearly a slash attack.

　But this time, he could see his opponent, though only slightly.
　To be precise, it was some kind of spatial distortion, but I could see that it was a large demon.
　The reason why the other demons didn't attack is because they are afraid of this demon's existence.

Pierce it with the Arrow of the Hunter God.

　The dust drifting around instantly condensed into an arrow that pierced the steel and shot at the distortion.
　It probably pierced his back, but since he was invisible, the damage it caused could not be confirmed.

　--The demon felt pain.

　The demon must have felt the pain, because it released its optical camouflage and revealed itself.
　It looks like a giant praying mantis, but its appearance is bizarrely fearsome.

　It has a black outer shell, abnormally long sickle-like arms, and long thick legs to support its huge body.
　Its sharp claws gouged the ground, and its compound eyes glowed a deep red.

Death Mantis: ......

　This is a demon that was relatively easy to defeat in the game, but the being in front of me feels much stronger than that.
　It was a different level, but its appearance was very different from the Death Mantis he knew.
　It had a form with countless sharp-edged protrusions that protected it from enemies.

"An evolutionary form, or a subspecies. But don't insects feel pain?

　It was a simple question, but this was a different world.
　There are things he doesn't know, and what he does know is not absolute.

　He had to defeat this demon at any cost, but the insect-like armor that covered its exterior was a troublesome opponent.
　In order to increase the defensive power of the hard shell, you have to use magic on your weapon to offset the defensive power of the opponent.
　You can easily defeat them, but if you don't know how big this forest is, you don't want to consume magic power.
　Because no matter how much magic you have, you will eventually reach your limit.

　In a harsh environment, magic is the lifeline that keeps us alive, so we can't afford to consume it unnecessarily.

　Xelloss accelerates towards Death Mantis' bosom.
　Catching his movement, Death Mantis swung the scythe on his arm with tremendous speed.
　But that was where Xellos was aiming.
　Because of his huge size, his movements were large, and although he was fast, he was not unseen.

"Here!

　The shortsword is sucked into the joint connecting the scythe's arm.
　As it is always a good idea to take away the enemy's strength, the first target was the giant scythe.
　Death Mantis' scythe flew through the air and stabbed into the ground.

　Without needing to check, Xellos ran and instantly slashed with both swords, aiming at the weakest joint.
　He was hit in the same spot by two blows at the same time, severing his long legs.
　The same action was immediately repeated, and as Death Mantis crumbled to the ground with all four limbs cut off, Xellos leapt at his head to stop him.

　Quickly dismantling the corpse of the Death Mantis and hastily retrieving it in his inventory, Xelloss began to walk through the forest again. If he didn't leave this place as soon as possible, there was a high possibility that the next demon would attack.
　Demons are sensitive to the smell of blood.

　But this is a demon forest where powerful demons are clamoring.
　It's a hell where even if you kill a demon, another one will attack you in no time.

　--bubbubbubbubbub ......

　The sound of low-pitched wings lingered in his ears.
　When Xelloss looks back in the direction of the sound of wings, he sees him.

　The most powerful creature with a shiny black outer shell.
　It's a life-giving insect that has lived on Earth unchanged since time immemorial.


　And it's huge.

"Gu, Great Givlion. ......

　The one you don't want to see any more than a white monkey came flying at you at high speed.

　The Great Givlion landed on the ground with a roar.
　It was the most powerful insect-type monster, much bigger than Death Mantis.
　While moving its long antennae, it looked around with its compound eyes in search of food, and when it saw Xellos, it ......

　--ZAZAZAZAZAZAZAZAZAZAZAZAZ!

　He started running at super high speed.

　To put it bluntly, it's super creepy.
　And it's coming at us with a cloud of dust and trees reeling in its wake.
　Xelloss's face paled in many ways.

No-----s!　Oh-, My, God!　Help, Help, Me!

　He had stopped being Japanese because of his physiological disgust and upset.

　The wise man hated fags, but he also hated G.
　If you like homos*xuals, I would recommend you to go into biology for various reasons.

"Why...why is it that only G's form is the same as in the original world? ------ --Why...?

　Yes, even mantises have visible changes, such as vicious protrusions, but only G's appearance is comparable to that of the original world.
　A creature that has lived without changing its form since ancient times has become as huge as a dinosaur in another world.

　If they were as small as the earth, they could be killed with a slipper, but with a length of 10 meters, that would be impossible.
　Moreover, it is unnecessarily powerful.
　To make matters worse, the appraisal skill doesn't work for some reason, and you can't even see its status.
　The situation seemed to be a harassment of some kind, and it continued continuously.
　This leads to the reason why he hates the Four Pillars Goddess.

　Xellos flees and Givellion pursues.
　A fierce and disgusting chase of terror begins, and continues until the early morning.

　The screams of a grief-stricken old man reverberate throughout the vast forest.
　Ironically, it was this chase that allowed him to get as close to the road as he did.
　Xellos doesn't know this.

　G, the hated one, had done a very good job.


　　"Oh my god.


Oh, my God. Oh, what's wrong?

　The three female party members (Iris, Lena, and Janae) who had been listening to Xellos' tale of adventure were all prostrate at the table.

　They were all saying things like, "I'm scared of G......," "I don't want to meet a giant G monster......," and "I'm trembling silently. I'll be back.
　At breakfast, they asked me to tell them about the experience of an experienced person, and I told them about my memorable experience in the Great Dark Green Zone of Furan, but they all had a mental break, as if they imagined a giant G.

"Uncle, what a great adventure...
"Mr. Xelloss, I'm glad you made it back alive. The demons in the Great Dark Green Zone of Fafhran are so vicious that no one will go near them...
It's also astonishing that you're able to defeat a demon from such a demonic realm. ...... A giant G, ugh!

　The Great Gibbon was the largest of the five meter class that has been confirmed.
　It's also a great way to make sure you don't end up in a situation where you can't get out of it.
　Aside from its appearance, it moves at high speed, and its outer shell is quite hard.
　Its armor would be thicker in proportion to its size, and it would be impossible to hit it without using a siege weapon.
　If they were attacked by such a ridiculous monster, it would be difficult to even escape.

　But the girls were frightened in a different way.
　I don't know how you feel.

I think we should finish breakfast.　You're going into the mine.
You say that, but ......
"I have a huge G...... appetite...
・・・・・・・・・・ (blurb)

　It seems that once they imagine it, they can't stop thinking about it.
　The fearsome image flickered in their minds and took away their appetite.

If you lose your appetite over something like this, you can't be a mercenary. They sometimes kill each other, don't they?　Bandits, thieves, and sometimes even mercenaries.
"Uncle, don't be a prick.　We're demons.
Yes, we do. We can't take on humans even if they're bad.
Isn't that why you were both caught?　How can you survive if you can't kill those who try to harm you?　Mercenaries are supposed to be responsible for their own actions, and if they die because of it, it's not even worth talking about.

　It seems that Iris and Lena have never killed anyone before, which is why they hesitated and were captured by the bandits.
　It is a naive idea to survive in a world where the price of life is so low.

I like her because she's not the kind of person who can kill with a smile. But you'd better be prepared to kill.
I've killed people before and it didn't feel good.
If you can kill someone and feel good about it, he's mentally ill. You need to isolate him.

　Jarnais has killed bandits before, but he doesn't have a good feeling about killing.
　As a mercenary, he sometimes has to deal with criminals and is allowed to kill to protect himself.
　Xellos thought it was a nasty business because you are responsible for your own death.



If they don't want to eat, why don't they just wrap up their lunches?
Oh, that's a good idea!
"Bento?　What's that?
I've never heard that word before, though Iris seems to know it.

　There were no lunch boxes in this world.
　Most of the people who work live in the city and often work at home as well.
　Even if you can't make a meal, there are plenty of places to eat in the city.
　There are also street vendors, so there was no need to pack a lunch.

We would get bread with lightly seasoned smoked meat and vegetables, wrap it in paper, and carry it around. If it's not too hot, it won't spoil.
"I see. Iris will carry the bags for me. ......
Good idea!　Iris, can you do it?
I'll go talk to the man at the inn.

　I'll go talk to the innkeeper." Iris walked lightly to the kitchen.
　I'll go talk to the innkeeper.

What kind of material is Death Mantis made of, by the way?　Can it be used for equipment?
"It's good for weapons and armor. It's light and strong, but it's vulnerable to fire magic.
Well, it's an insect. Fire is its weakness.
The meat inside the shell was excellent. The meat inside the shell was excellent. It tasted like crab or shrimp.

　"The meat inside the shell was excellent.

"You ate it?　Death Mantis ......
It's a demon, are you insane?
You say that, but you eat orc meat as well. Is there something wrong with that?　I've been living a life of survival where my first priority is to secure food, and if it's not poisonous, shouldn't I eat it?
Yes, but it's a giant insect.
Normally, I wouldn't even think of eating one. At least, not for me!
You'll starve to death when the time comes. Living is a battle... well, you could call it a war. ......

(I'm afraid of your eyes .........)
(Even though it was a horrible experience, this is a little bit bad, isn't it?　I've decided never to go to that forest...

　In his original world, Xelloss ate locust tsukudani as a normal food.
　Perhaps that's why he doesn't have much resistance to eating insects.
　However, he cannot physiologically accept G.

　Anyway, the two of them are eating the same thing in the sense that they are eating demons, but they are lost in a maze of thoughts between insects and animals.

What's wrong?
What's wrong?" "Are we wrong, ......?　But they're insects...
"Not insects. ...... Insects are inedible but orcs are demons. What's the difference?

　I'm not sure what the difference is.
　I'm not sure if you've heard of it or not, but I have.

　The ring of smoke made by the old man is quietly flowing over the heads of the two troubled people.


　　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇　　


　There are three peaks rising behind the village of Arhan.
　There is a mine in one of them, and at one time it was crowded with people seeking rich gold resources.
　At one point, however, demons began to appear in large numbers, and the devisors were forced to leave their workplaces.
　More than 200 years have passed since then, and the mines are now visited by mercenaries who mine to upgrade their skills and strengthen their equipment, and the village's income comes from the lodging fees they drop off and the food they pay at the stalls.

　Even so, life was not prosperous, and some of the mercenaries were often outrageous, resulting in painful expenses.
　In a sense, the village of Arhan was in a state of limbo.

There are quite a few people here, aren't there?　Are they all mercenaries?
"Defeating demons will raise your level, but we're risking our lives. It's a good idea to get some equipment before you go.
"Hmmm, ......, there's some really bad looking people there. Look, there's .......

　In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find it on the web.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.

I'll use it for you.　I'll use it for you.
It was my father's, and I'm not giving it to anyone!
I'm sure your father would rather have a veteran like me use it than an inexperienced one like you.
You don't know me, Dad, so don't tell me what to do!
I know, I'm an expert. I know, I'm an expert. I can tell by looking at that sword how skilled it is.

　He's obviously trying to mess with you and get the boy's sword.
　The others around him sneered at the boy with lowly smiles.
　There are other mercenaries in the crowd, but none of them want to help the boy.

You're here. There are stupid people who make promises .......


Uncle, can't you do something?
Why are you putting this on me?　If you're so concerned, why don't you intercede on your own?
"Mr. Xelloss, ......, is that what you want for a grown man?
I'm a man of peace and quiet. I don't like to get involved in other people's messes.
・・・・・・・ You're a lousy adult.

　A cold stare falls on Xelloss.
　He doesn't want to cause unnecessary resentment, but everyone around him wants that.
　While he was thinking this, the situation changed dramatically.

"Just give it to me!
"Oh, give it back!　Please give it to me!

　The man saw an opportunity and pulled the sword out of its sheath and took it from the boy.
　And that's when Zeroth's skill [Appraise] came into play.

　＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

I'm not sure what to do.

　It was originally the best sword ever forged by a famous dwarf, but it has a crack in its body.
　It can be used for a while by weaker demons, but it is nearing the end of its life.
　It's reached the point of no longer being useful as a sword.
　You might want to rebuild it, but you'll need a lot of materials, so be prepared for a loss.
　The durability is so low that it can be shattered by a blow from a large demon.

　＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

I'm not sure what to make of this. It's really annoying. ......)　

　I hated the skill of activating it when I had no use for it.
　Sighs and grumbles come out of my mouth.

"Heh, ......, I got a nice sword.
"Or give it back to me...
"Shut up!　It's probably too good for a kid, but I'll be glad to use it.

　The mercenary was happy to have beaten the boy to a pulp.

I'm sorry you're happy to take someone else's sword, but that sword is useless.
What the hell is that? ......
No, I don't care about anyone else's business. That sword is already falling apart, and if you keep using it, you'll die soon. I don't mind.

　The rude mercenary looked at his companions.

"Don't be stupid!
You can show proof if you have water, but you don't have to go that far. But I'm an appraiser. ......

　The appraisal skill allows you to know the details of an object depending on its level.
　The same is true for humans, you can even know the level of your opponent, but it was illegal to look at the status of others.

But it was illegal to look at other people's status. "By chance, my appraisal skill was triggered by itself, and I found out some details, so I thought I'd give you some advice.
　It's up to you whether you believe it or not.　It's up to you whether you believe it or not. It's your own death, and it's only someone else's life, so it doesn't matter.
"What?　...... Really?
That's for you to decide for yourself. I told you, it's up to you whether you believe me or not. This is the borderline.

　I wondered if I was going to die at the hands of a foul-smelling mage, but the fact that he had an appraisal made him more reliable.
　But the mage in front of you smells so fishy that there's a good chance he's lying.
　While you are torn between the two options, the man spots the sword on Xellos' hip.
　A third option appeared.

　He looked like a sloppy mage of about the same age with a medium build, not the type to use a sword.
　Most of all, his gray robes did not make Xellos look strong in the eyes of the man.

"Then how about I trade you your sword?
"No.
No, it's a mithril... "You are persistent. I don't need that faulty sword...

　I tried to negotiate with him, but he flatly refused.
　And because it was rejected as defective, the Mithril sword turned out to be a useless weapon indeed.
　However, seeing the mage's sword in front of him, the mercenary man licked his tongue in disgust, because he was a mage and there was still a way to take it by force.

You're a mage, right?　You don't need a sword, I'll use it...?

　The man couldn't finish his sentence.
　Because before he knew it, the tip of the sword was at his throat.
　A red streak runs down the throat of the slightly pierced tip of the sword.

It's not that I can't use a sword. I'm better at this than I am at the other... So you want to die?
Oh, my God!
What? When did you get the ...... sword...
I was tricked. ...... He's not a mage!

　I'm not sure when he drew his sword, but he drew it so fast.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　Now, the mercenary man is as good as having his heart grabbed by the mage in front of him.

"You don't want a good weapon without much skill. Are you a child?　If you're relying on weapons, you're still third-rate, aren't you?


　I don't really care if you die, but since you don't know what your opponent is capable of at this point, I don't think you'll live long.　Well, you're no better than third-rate. If you want, why don't you just die here?　It's probably not a good idea anyway, and no one will be sad if you die.

　The smelly mage turned into a skilled monster in an instant.
　In a quiet, dignified tone, he struck fear into the heart of the man.

　It doesn't want to kill him, but it can if it feels like it. This reality pushed the man into the depths of unspeakable fear. 　

I'm honestly annoyed. I'm here to do some mining, and I'm dealing with scum like you. ...... Do you understand?
"Oh...oh......... I'm sorry....... I got carried away...
All you have to do is understand. Just give me back the sword and get out of my face. If you wander around in front of us any longer, I'll ......
And when you do, ......?
I'll give you a nice trip to hell. You'll never come back, though...

　The mercenaries threw out their swords and ran away at once.
　They can't estimate the strength of their opponents, they've been mercenaries only because of momentum and inertia, they can't take on a superior opponent.
　They seemed to be top-notch at escaping and ran away at a great speed.

　In disgust at the promised development, Xellos lit a cigarette and exhaled.

"Hmm... are there a lot of hoodlums like that?

　I'm not sure what to make of it.
　A boy walked up to the old man.

"Oh, um... thank you.
He was forced to intercede. I was just forced to intercede. I'm .......
No, this is my dad's memento. ...... Thank you so much!
"Don't worry about it, don't worry about it. You got lucky today, that's all. You never know what's going to happen tomorrow in the mercenary business.

　He was a boy with a girlish face, and did not look like a mercenary.
　But you can see the determination in his eyes.

(Huh~......, he also seems to have a lot of strength and determination. If I leave him here and die because of the sword, I won't sleep well... I'm not sure what to do.

　Xellos is vaguely curious about the boy.
　He took out a sheet of paper from his inventory and spread it out on the ground.
　It was an alchemy magic circle.

Give me your sword. I'll do some repairs.
"Huh?　But this sword has a limited life span. ......
Isn't that why you came to the mines?　To gather materials for a new sword. But that sword may not last. I'll repair it a little, but you'll only need to extend its life a little.
"Are you sure?　But how?
You'll see. Well, it's hard to tell at a glance when the material is a composite of iron and mithril. ....... I'm not sure what to say, but I'm sure it's a good idea. It's a whim, right?
"...... I understand. Please do!

　Take the mithril sword and place it in the center of the magic circle.
　By pouring magic power into it, the magic formula of the magic circle will unfold and the sword will float in the air.

　A semi-transparent panel appears around the sword, showing detailed data about its condition.

It has a ratio of 30 iron, 20 damascus, and 50 mithril. I would have liked to have seen it in an undamaged state at .......

　In the event that you've got any questions regarding where and the best way to get in touch with us, we're here to help. The former programmer was quick at this kind of work.
　A high-density magic formula circulates and shines inside the deployed magic circle, executing its given commands.

　At first glance, it appears to be fully repairable, but this is only for first aid and simple tasks.
　Once a part is damaged, it can never be completely restored.

　After finishing the job quickly, he took a puff of his cigarette and exhaled.

It's done. But it's just a temporary fix until I can make a sword. If you continue to use it with too much confidence, you'll die.
"Oh, thank you!　I'm not going to keep using this sword either, I was going to get my own sword.
Will it work?　Well, I hope it's better than those iron swords. It's not going to break for a while. ...... Ah, it depends on the opponent?
"That's good enough. Now I can go mining for iron, thank you very much.

　In the event that you have any kind of questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can contact us at our own web site.

　As you clean up the magic circle and put it away in your inventory, you notice that three women are looking at you with cold eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like I'm trash?
"Uncle ...... said you're not interested in children, right?


"You're surprisingly quick with your hands. .... You were so nice to me. ......
I knew it was a pickup ....... I'm being targeted too: ......

　I don't get it.
　He was just being extra nosy to the boy.
　And yet, he should not have done anything to be scorned so much.

"Do you like girls, Uncle?
"Janae is also very masculine, do you like her?
・・・・・・・・・・ (shudder, shudder)
"・・・・・・・・What, s?

　And he finally comes to a conclusion .
　To the fact that the girl he thought was a boy was actually a girl. .......

"It was a girl?
Didn't you see that, Uncle?
How can there be such a cute boy... well, there are sometimes. It's a girl, you know?
You're an a**h*le, you old man. ......

　I did a small act of kindness, but for some reason I got an even more contemptuous look.
　It was unreasonable.

Wait a minute. What did you do to the occasional pretty boy, Lena?
"What, it's ......~hehehehehehehe♡

　I don't know what I remembered, but the beautiful woman's face was distorted in a very sloppy way.
　The smell of disappointment in the wrong direction stands out.
　It's even scarier than that.

Who's more disgusting, me mistaking a girl for a boy, or her messing with a minor?
"They're both disgusting!

　The voices of Iris and Janae harmonize beautifully.

　It was still unreasonable.
　It's sad to be treated in the same way.
　But more than that, something doesn't make sense to me.

I don't agree with some of it, but let's just get to mining. Well, I don't mind if it's just me.
"Oh, I cheated. You're an a**h*le, Uncle.
Absolutely. I think we should split up here.　You never know what they'll do in the dark.

　Ignoring all that was being said, Xellos headed for the mine entrance.
　He knew there was no point in talking about this kind of thing.

　Changing his mind, Xellos stepped into the demon-infested mine.

　Behind him, Rena was twisting around with a sloppy smile, but they all decided to ignore her.
　She still seemed to be in her memories, and honestly, just looking at her was freaky.

　They were usually sensible people, but their s*xuality was just too disappointing.
　They go down the tunnel, keeping a certain distance between them and her so that she won't think they are relatives.

　For their own purposes.