In the vastness of the underground space, a high-pitched but constant metallic sound echoed.
　He swung his crane's beak at the wall and picked up the metal that had fallen out of the crumbling area, and Xellos smiled with satisfaction.

　This is a great way to make sure that you are getting the best out of your business.
　The heat of the widespread annihilation magic [Purgatory Flame Scorch Formation] melted the metals, and the heavy metals contained in the ores were combined with other metals of the same type, so you were able to secure a large amount of them, including rare ones.
　He smelted them into ingots and stored them in his inventory from one end to the other.

"Whoa?　It's baboon. You can mine in a place like this? It's a good mine...
Why am I mining too? ...... Oh, there's a weird lump of clay...
That's orichalcum. You're very lucky.
Huh?

　Xelloss is in a good mood as he mines.
　Sometimes he blasts the walls with magic to collapse them and select the best ones.
　His goal is a silo with a dryer, a refrigerator, and a foot thresher, but perhaps because he was able to mine more than he needed, he has ambitions to make a bath tub.

I can't stop laughing at all the things that come out. Ha-ha-ha-ha!
"Isn't the race changing?　This is orichalcum, did you hear that?
Rice I will take back into my hands. Wait for me, sake, soy sauce, miso, mirin, and sake, I will take back my culture! Hahahahahahahaha!
Why are you so excited?　And you said "sake" twice, is that important?

　It's important to an old man who loves sake.
　The crane's beak makes a pleasant sound as it crushes the lava rock, sending fragments flying around it as it digs into the bedrock.
　His mining speed is so fast and accurate that he could make a good living as a miner.
　And he would surely be the biggest earner.

　The fact that his dream of mining had come true, and that he was one step closer to Japan, put him in a pleasant situation.
　Just as you miss Japanese food when you're abroad, Xellos is looking for a taste of home.
　The tension is so high that it's unbelievable.

　This ridiculously high tension lasts for a while, until he is satisfied, and the mining area is filled with strange laughter.

　No one's voice could reach him now.
　And he got a lot of minerals, a lot of minerals.

　He had more than he could use. .......


　　I'm sorry.


No, I'm embarrassed. I'm embarrassed.
It's not a problem, but why don't we just get out of here?　If there are any more demons...
You think my magic might cause collateral damage?
Yeah. It's not ......, I'm too low level to fight demons!
I'm too low level to fight demons! Well, that's okay...

　After eradicating the swarm of worms, Christine was persistently asking about Xellos, and I was just trying to ignore her when I stumbled upon a mining deposit that I was embarrassingly excited about.

　Anyway, I originally came here to rescue Christine, but as far as I can tell, the place I'm at now seems to be the lowest level.
　There is no such thing as being dropped from the top level to the bottom level in one fell swoop, but it seems that young dungeons require sacrifices in order to gather magic power to maintain the environment, and there are traps like this.
　The dungeon does not have a will of its own, but since it changes in such a way as to set traps, there must be some kind of system in place.
　Why this is so is still a mystery, and the cause has yet to be determined.

　However, it was accepted as a matter of course in this world.
　No one in the general public wondered why such phenomena occurred, and only hard-headed scholars thought about investigating the cause.

That vast expanse of sand now looks like a volcano.
It was much more powerful than we thought. It used to be a little smaller than that. ......

　This is the difference between the effect images of the digital world and the real world.

　Before that, the worm that was stirring in this place was much weaker than Zeroth.
　He incinerated them with an excessive amount of firepower, so his name of "Annihilator" is not an exaggeration.
　Perhaps it's a habit from his gaming days, but it seems that as soon as he discovers a large number of enemies around him, he immediately fires a high-powered spell at them.
　And since it is chantless, all it needs is magic power.

It looks like he shot the magic formula itself, but what is the principle behind it? It's clearly different from ordinary magic!
I'm sure. .... I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a great idea.

I'm not sure what to make of it.
　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.
　However, this spell copies the entire formula as a cannonball and shoots it.

　A high-density magic formula constructed from 0s and 1s needs to be processed faster than the human brain can handle, but high-speed processing is impossible in the human brain. Then, it was thought that it would be a good idea to encapsulate a program to process the magic formula and use it as a cannonball, and that was the beginning of the birth of this nasty destructive magic. 　
　The principle is similar to that of a homing missile, which detects heat sources and corrects its trajectory.

　When a magic bullet containing a compressed magic formula is fired with the necessary magic power as a detonator, the magic formula is deployed at the visible target point, and the high-speed processing program absorbs magic power from the surroundings while deploying the specified magic formula. The magic power is converted into enormous destructive power and manifested as a physical phenomenon.
　If the magic formula can process high-density information at high speed, there is no need to decipher the magic formula in the brain.

　The widespread annihilation magic being researched at the Istor Academy of Magic is designed for a single person to process a huge number of magic formulas, but in the first place, it is nearly impossible for a human brain to read and convert the magic formulas circulating at high speed into physical phenomena, and the load is not something that a human can bear.
　Even if it had been perfected, the brain tissue of the magician would have been destroyed and he would have died in the demonstration stage to see how powerful it was.

　In the original world, when I created this spell during a game, I had such a severe headache that the safety device of the game cabinet was activated and the game was forcibly suspended.


　It was a dangerous act that could have turned me into a cripple if I was not careful.

(If you think about it, the technology of that game, including the chassis, is strange. It was as if a different world had been constructed in digital space, with the laws of physics recreated to the utmost precision.
　I wonder who made the master system that can handle such a large number of programs?　The environment could only have been built on the model of this world, the laws of physics and quantum theory were frighteningly constructed down to the smallest detail, and most importantly, no one felt any discomfort when they saw it.
　How is that possible?　That game was revolutionary in a way, an invention that overturned the very nature of the world. (Well, I'm afraid I can't confirm that now...)

　When I first came to this world, I realized the anomalous nature of the online game I had been playing.
　The high-speed processing computer known as "BABEL," which is the core of the master system, was originally an information control system for national defense created by the Department of Defense.
　The system was designed to protect sensitive personal and national information against the increasing maliciousness of Internet crimes and unauthorized access from the outside, but budgetary problems arose along the way, and the project was abandoned, and the system was purchased by a private company.
　The company announced the online game "Sword and Sorcery".

　Although the name of the game was easy, it not only allowed players to freely explore in the vast electronic space by accessing the game with a commercially available dedicated cabinet, but also expanded its market share by allowing the use of home games sold to the general public.
　It was as if they were trying to hide the bizarre nature of this game, and I could even sense their other intentions.

(Why are we thinking about this now?　This is crazy. It's as if the world itself had been controlled so that it wouldn't be suspicious of the existence of that game. ...... No way, hey...)

　It's as if the world itself has been controlled so that it doesn't seem suspicious.
　His expression became increasingly grim, and he could not stop thinking, as if his consciousness was buried in his thoughts.
　The abnormal reality of the original world he knew once again.

I'm not sure what to say. ...... Mr. Xellos!
"Ha!　What's wrong with you?
That's my line. I told you it was time to leave this place, but you looked so scared and thoughtful. What's the matter with you?

　When I came back to myself, I found myself in a dissolved rocky world.
　Then I remembered my current situation.

"Oh, right. Now that we've finished mining, it's time to go back up.
"That's fine, but won't I be slowing you down?
What do you mean, "slow me down"?　Why?
Because I'm ...... weak.

　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.
　If this is the lowest level, the higher you go, the more demons you will encounter.
　It was dangerous for her to go through this level with her strength.

　As she pondered for a moment, she casually looked up and saw another level that had collapsed.

It'll be a little easier. If we go through there, that is.
"What?　But how do you get up that high ......?

　Xelloss pointed to the ceiling, where he could see a passage to another level.
　That means .......

"You don't mean... flying...
"What else could it be?
Well, I fell off a cliff a while ago. ......?
Just hold on tight and you'll be fine. Just keep your eyes on the ceiling and you'll be fine.

　The girl who fell off the cliff was slightly traumatized by heights.
　Her face was slightly scrunched up and she was having trouble flying with her flight magic.

You think your companion can make it this far?　There are demons on every level, not just here.
But ...... that high...
You can get there faster if you don't act up. If you don't get out of control...

　Flight magic is against the laws of physics.
　It's also a great way to make sure you don't end up in a situation where you can't get out of your car.
　In addition, it can barely support the weight of a single person, and if more weight is added to it, the burden will be added to the magic power consumption.

I'm not going to be able to help you even if I do make it to the top!
I'll lend you my treasured weapon in that case. I'll lend you my treasured weapon. It'll take a beating from any demon around here. ......

　Xellos and his friends have created a weapon of magical modification.
　It has an excessive amount of destructive power, burying most mooks in a single blow.
　It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your money.

"The options are .......
"No, sir. I'm sure your knights are doing something crazy while you're doing this. I hope they're not dead.
"Ugh~......

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea.
　I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's worth it.

"Ohhhhhh!
"Wings of the Darkbird.

　He ignores her screams and flies high into the sky.
　And at high speed. .......

　The scream echoed through the vast expanse of the lowest level, and the old man rose through the air at high speed with the girl in his arms.

　He just wanted to get home and work on his tools.
　He just wanted to get home and make some tools. Christine was caught in the middle and he felt sorry for her.



　She later recalled, "I'm afraid of the sky. ...... I'm not going to fly anymore...".
　The old man only further widened the wound in her heart, which had been traumatized by the altitude.

　It's a horrible story because she is unaware of it.


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


　After reaching the upper floors by flight magic, the two of them started to move towards the ground.
　Most of the demons were kicked away by Xellos, and Christine just followed him.
　He had said she was no match for him, but she was indeed weak.

　The two of them were currently resting in a narrow space in the rocks.
　Fortunately, Xellos had some firewood in his inventory, which he had lit and was making a fire.
　He is preparing a little late lunch.

"Hmm. By the way, Christine, do you use any magic?

　She turns her head and starts to speak to Xelloss.

I can't use magic. I can learn magic formulas, but I can't cast them.
"I see. If you could use magic, would you want to learn it?
If I could, I would, but I can't. That's what all the mages said.

　Puffing on a cigarette, Xellos pulls out several sheets of magic paper from his inventory.
　All of them are modified versions of the books used at the Academy of Magic, the magic scrolls that Celestina and her friends learned.
　The scrolls were prototypes made on a trial basis in response to an offer to sell them, but there was no magic-eliminating formula built into them, and they could be used by anyone.

What is this?
"Perhaps you could use this magic?
But I'm not ...... good at it.
It's life or death now. If you can do it, it can't hurt to try, right?
"Ugh ......, you're right. I'll give it a try.

　She did as she was told and let the magic flow into the scroll, developing a magic formula and imprinting it in her mind.
　When it was done, she muttered an incantation.

"Burn, lamp, light my path. Torch.

　Then she saw a small burning flame light up in her palm.
　Christine's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Hey, Mr. Xellos!　This spell doesn't cause fatigue in my body like the previous formulas I've learned!
"That's good to know. Oh, please give me back my scroll. It's not a good time for it to spread.
I've got magic. .... I'm .......
"I had a student who had your condition. You can expect the magic to be as close to the old school as possible.

　As a knight of the family, Christine is not too concerned with magic itself.
　However, being able to use magic has given her a wider range of options.
　She doesn't realize it at the moment, but .......

I'm not sure if this is a good idea.　This magic is original to Xelloss, right?
No, it's an adaptation of something from the Academy of Magic, so you can do whatever you want with it. I'm not sure what those knights would do to me if something happened to you. No, seriously...

　There is no doubt that the knights are coming down from the lower levels to look for Christine.
　You can't afford to have her injured when you meet up with them.
　The less trouble, the better, she thought.

　Christine tried to learn several spells in a hurry.

I've been wondering, what kind of meat is that?

　She asked Xelloss, who was roasting the meat on a skewer over the fire, something she had been wondering about.
　Before he knew it, Xelloss had several skewers of meat roasting on the fire, creating a fragrant atmosphere around him.

'Well?　There's so much meat, I have no idea what kind of meat it was. But don't worry, you can eat it.

　The meat was roasting on the fire, dripping with delicious oil.
　The meat was roasted over the fire, dripping with delicious oil. He sprinkled salt and a few spices on it, then roasted it again and handed the skewer to her.

　I swallowed my mouthful of spit even though I thought it was a trifle.
　Then, slowly, he bit into the meat skewer.
　The sweet juices from the hot meat and the soft texture of the meat melted in my mouth, creating a rich flavor.

Oh, it's so good...

　That was all I could say.
　I hadn't eaten anything since I fell to the lowest level, and this skewer of meat seemed like the perfect treat to satisfy my hunger.

It was the meat of a Manticore and a Wyvern ...... Death Mantis.
I'll be back!　I'll be back.

　The taste of the meat in his mouth reminded Xellos of what kind of demon he was.

　Manticore and wyvern meat is the highest quality food.
　It is a fantastic food that even nobles cannot eat, and even Death Mantis is an unknown meat.
　Not only is it an insect that no one in this world would think of eating, but all demons are known to be dangerous creatures with vicious powers.
　It was certainly not something that could be easily obtained.


　And I'm pretty sure that no one has ever eaten Death Mantis.

　Except for the old man in front of me. .......

What the hell do you want me to eat?
What's the problem?
They're all high quality food!　And what's Death Mantis?
That's the white meat. Isn't it sweet and tasty?

　It was indeed delicious.
　If she hadn't known what it was, she would have thought it was the most delicious meat.
　But Death Mantis was an insect.
　In her opinion, she had eaten a ghetto.

"Well, it's certainly delicious, but ......
I'll try it at least once. I'll try it at least once...
"You're eating that?　It's insane.
I don't think it's crazy to eat demons.　You're eating a corpse, so it's no different.
I don't know. ......
If it tastes good, it's good. I think we should consider ourselves lucky to have something to eat in this situation, don't you?

　He was growing strong in his survival.
　He had grown strong during his survival, mostly in the wild, and seemed to be able to survive on his own even if the world died.
　Christine, on the other hand, looks at the skewer of meat in her hand like it is something strange.

　After that, she was troubled for a while, but she could not overcome her hunger and ended up eating the meat skewer.
　In the end, she even had a second helping.


　After finishing their lunch, they started to walk upward again.
　On the way, they came across a demon.

"A 'war-ant', shall we try to defeat it?　It's only one.
But it's level is .......
It's level 103. That weapon should do the trick.

　Xelloss pointed to the Seiryu sword he had lent her.

　＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

　I'm not sure what to make of it.

　I'm not sure what to make of it.
　I'm not sure if you've heard of it or not, but I have.
　With a cutting power that can cut through steel with just a touch, it is dangerous to touch with bare hands.

　Special Effects

　Strengthen Body Strengthen Cutting Strengthen Slashing
　One hit kill, one sword kill, attack and defense in one.

　＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

I'm not sure what to make of this.

　I've been wondering about this ability, which is capricious and the content of the appraisal is different each time.
　The providence of this world seems to have a strange tendency, and the acquisition of skills itself seems to deviate from the natural order.
　I can't help but think that someone is controlling it.

I'll block your movements for now, and then you can attack me.
"...Okay, I understand. I'll try my best.

　Christine is a little negative.
　I'll try to do my best." Christine was a little negative, which was understandable since she had been in a series of dangerous situations, but Xelloss didn't know that the biggest cause was the flight magic and the spit meat.
　She drew her Seiryuu sword from its sheath and ran towards the War Ant.

"Plasma Bind.

　The War Ant's body was paralyzed by the charged lightning and stopped moving due to the single binding spell that she used lazily.
　The warrior was paralyzed by lightning and stopped moving.

I can't believe it!

　---Z Bang!

　The War Ant's large head was sliced off from the middle of its chest, killing it with a single blow.
　It seems that the magical weapon was too powerful.

"What?　What the hell?　What is this power?

　This was due to the retrofit skills of [One-Shot Kill] and [One-Sword Cut].
　This made it clear that magic modified weapons were dangerous for low level beginners to use.
　It was so powerful that he didn't even want to think about what would happen if Xelloss used it.

"...... This weapon is too dangerous. Let's seal it up when we get out. Oh no. ......
I'm afraid I have this weapon in my possession. .... 　I did this, didn't I?
Let's not make any more weapons. You never know what kind of dangerous things you might produce if you get carried away. Oh no, I'm scared.
Did you create such an insanely powerful weapon just for the fun of it?


I'm sorry now. Honestly, I went too far.

　I realize now how evil a weapon I've created, even in the game.
　Even at a low level, it can strike a strong demon with five times the level.
　With a single swing of this weapon, the military balance of the world would be destroyed.

　And of course, defeating strong demons will raise your level.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

　The rapid increase in level puts a strain on the body, and if there is a gap in level, you will be forced to fall asleep to protect your consciousness from the pain of adaptation.
　It's easier if you're just tired, and if you're not, you might not wake up for a few days.
　Christine was in the latter case.

　Her body couldn't take the pain, and as soon as it started to acclimatize, it shut down her consciousness and she slowly collapsed.
　Xellos hurried to support her.
　Christine ended up losing consciousness in this tunnel dungeon.

How much of a difference in level was there?

　Her level was 20.
　She was level 20 and now she's level 81.

　The distribution of experience seems to be different when fighting in a group and when fighting individually. When fighting in a group, the experience is distributed and the symptoms of optimization are minimized, but in Christine's case, the changes begin all at once.
　In fact, in the Great Dark Green Zone of Farflan, her level gradually increased, including that of her knights.
　The symptoms only caused fatigue, but in her case, she is still in extreme pain.

　It was Xellos' role to carry her, but...

"Doesn't this make me look like a kidnapper?

　--In the eyes of the world, he would look like a suspicious person who kidnapped a girl.
　It was a bad public image.

　In addition, Christine has taken the form of a boy.
　This suggests a scene that would be very unpopular, but popular with some women.

　A suspicious-looking man kidnapping a beautiful boy. That's not very polite.
　His face paled as he thought he would not survive if such a rumor were to spread.

"What should I do? What should I do?" "This situation: ......

　There were only two options left.
　Move on or stay here.

　In the end, I decided to carry Christine and move on.
　I put human life before public opinion.

　As a side note, her breasts were surprisingly large.
　The accidental revelation of this fact caused Xellos a lot of confusion, but he moved on.

　Prepare yourself for a disgraceful infamy. .......


　　I'll be back.


"d*mn you ants!
"Don't panic, the mage is on his way to Christine!　There's a good chance he's safe.
You say that, but a lot of time has passed since he showed up!　If anything should happen in the meantime, we'll be ......

　The knights were blocked from moving in front of a swarm of giant ants.

　The ants were threatening the knights, rubbing their sharp jaws together to protect their nests.
　In dungeons, where there is no need to feed, reproduction is their most important goal, and they become aggressive in their attempts to eliminate foreign enemies that enter their territory.
　They were fighting to protect their species and to regain their master.

　Outside the mine, the sun would already be setting.
　But they couldn't leave.

"Sile!　Hold those ants on the left!
All right!　But we can't hold them for long! Will Izzard be enough?
Corsa, you and I will take care of the ants on the right!　Follow me.
Yes, sir.
I'm going to cover Sile. Soctor, take them out as soon as you can!

　They split up and took advantage of the narrow terrain to swing their swords at the Giant Ant.
　The giant ant is trapped in a narrow passageway because of its huge size, and the four knights intercept it.
　They are already exhausted, but they still have to save Christine. 　

　They are the heirs to the House of Elwell, which was entrusted to them by their late lord, Eduardo, and which they have sworn to protect.
　All of them are orphans, and they are aware that if they had not been picked up by Eduardo, they would have been nothing by now.
　They were living in a slum with such poverty, and they felt indebted to him for picking them up and raising them.
　That's why they are risking their lives for Christine, the forgotten daughter of the Lord who never died.

"Oh, there they are!　We're being swarmed by ants. We'll cover you, Uncle. "Aqua Jet.

　Iris and the others who had been following them joined them, and the situation became much easier.

I really wish you'd calm down a little!
I'm sure Xellos will be fine!　You need to concentrate on the front, or you'll be in danger.



　Jhanae slashes at the giant ant with her greatsword, while Lena concentrates on the joints with her quick movements.

Thank God you're here to help!
"We help each other in these things, right?　It's common sense for mercenaries.

　Some people don't understand that.
　But Iris and the others were decent mercenaries.

"Move your hands before you move your mouth!　There's more coming from the back, the Ice Blizzard.

　A storm of minus 30 degree cold air froze the swarming giant ants.
　As if to crush them, the knights and journeymen battle and crush them.

There are so many of them, how many more can there be?
If this really is a dungeon, the demons will multiply inexhaustibly.
"I don't like to think about it. "I don't want to think about it, but we have to go on.

　The knights were in a hurry.
　Ahead of them was a swarm of ants.
　If we don't move forward, there's no way we can save Christine.

"Stay calm, knights. Do you hear that?
What do you hear?
Wait, there's something wrong with the ants!

　The giant ants began to hurriedly alert their surroundings, busily moving their antennae and clicking their jaws to confirm each other's intentions.
　The scene looks like it's in a hurry, and you can tell that something unexpected is happening.

　---Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

　A roar that shook the mine echoed off the walls.
　At the same time, a whirlwind accelerated by the narrow action struck them as if to blow them away.
　The giant ants all fled into the other tunnels and disappeared from sight of the knights.

What's going on ......?
I don't know what caused the tremor in the mine earlier. You don't think it's going to collapse, do you?
Don't be a prick. We're not getting out of here!
Hey, there's someone in the back ......, that mage!

　A smelly middle-aged man in gray robes walks slowly through the dust.
　On his back is the girl they're trying to save.

"Master Christine!
"Hmm?　Oh? You're all together. By the way, is this the correct way to exit?　I've just been going up the stairs.
But, Christine, are you all right?
I'm fine. It's just that she's a little out of it.

　Xellos finally got a break by leaving Christine in the hands of the knights.
　Around him, Rena and Janae are dismantling the Giant Ant, and Iris is retrieving the remaining Giant Ant's magical stone after it was absorbed into the dungeon.

　I understand that the dismantling process is a race against time to recover the materials before the dungeon absorbs them, but no one is worried about Xellos.
　On the contrary, he is so absorbed in his work that he is treated as if he were nothing.

　A slightly lonely middle-aged man was feeling alienated.
　Cheeto Dad was lonely.

　Feeling a cold wind in his heart, the old man left the mine.
　While listening to the voices of the three maidens chatting happily behind him, .......