(This is a dream...)

　I've had several lucid dreams in my life, but this is the first time I've ever had a dream as nostalgic as this one. The landscape in the dream that is spread out in front of me is that of the Kukuri village I used to see as a child.

(There's no one there...)

　But sadly, I can't see any of them, even though I'm in a dream.

(It's a dream, so at least let me have a little fun with it...)

　In my dream, I'm apparently walking in the direction of my house from outside the village. After a while, I arrived at my nostalgic home, where I spent my time from the time my father and mother welcomed me into their home until I was attacked by zombies.
　And as it was, I pushed open the door of the house and went inside without missing a beat. But I didn't stop at my room, I crashed through the house and walked out the back door.

(Huh?　I thought you said the door to the house was the pull-open type.　(Besides, there wasn't a door in this place, was there?

　Maybe it was a dream, so it wasn't what he actually remembered, but the difference was somehow disturbing. However, without confirming such a thing, my body continued walking forward and went straight into the forest.

(It's been a long time ago... I remember setting a mal bird trap around here a long time ago and getting pissed off at my dad for unknowingly falling for it.)

　Remembering this, I continued deeper into the forest, parting the grass and trees.

(I've walked a lot, but how far are we going?)

　It's not uncommon for me to act unintelligible in my dreams, but it's also unusual for me to just walk. It seems to be heading somewhere, but if I remember correctly, there are no landmarks ahead, just the continuation of the 'Grand Old Man's Forest'.

(You're out in the open... hmm?　Is there something (...) in there?

　After advancing and advancing through the forest, we finally came to an open area. It was like I was in a dream, and for the first time I seemed to be in a place I didn't recognize.
　As I stepped into such an open place, something (...) beckoned me out of the corner of my eye and called out to me.

(Who is that?)

　Something (...) calling me is hiding its entire body with a hood, and I can't judge who it is by its face. It seems to be a little taller than me, but I can't tell its physique because of the hood, and I can't distinguish between men and women.

(Creepy guy... but for some reason my feet are going towards that guy, even though I should be on guard.)

　If this were reality, I would leave the place without approaching it, or try to use "appraisal" to confirm its identity. But in my dream, I was carelessly approaching an unidentified suspicious person.
　When he noticed me approaching, he stopped beckoning me and stuck his hand out in front of him.

(You want me to grab that hand?)

　I couldn't tell what kind of hand was stretched out toward me, even though I should have been able to see it. I didn't know if it was skinny or muscular, male or female. I could only understand that they were somehow human-shaped hands.
　When I came to a distance where I could hold such a hand in a few more meters, or about a dozen more steps, something hit me in the middle of my forehead and my gaze was forcibly diverted from that guy.

''There it is.........''

　I reflexively touched the spot where the pain ran through my fingers and felt a slippery sensation, and when I checked my fingertips, there was blood on them. As soon as I recognized the blood and the pain, I understood that the scene I thought was a 'dream' a while ago was 'reality'.

'Sleepwalking........nah!

　When I returned my gaze to the front to grasp the situation, the true identity of the guy who was calling me earlier was revealed.
　The true identity of the guy is "Skeleton". The hand extended to me and the face peeking out of the hood are human bones that I've seen on human models. There may be some flesh left in the part of the body hidden by the hood, but that's probably a trivial matter. The thing in front of me (...) is not a person, but a demon or a being close to it (a monster).
　Such a monster is pointing in a different direction from where I am, and was trying to reach out to it and use some kind of magic.

''What...Jeanne!　Let them!

　Out of the monster's gaze, Jeanne was there. And the monster seems to want to get rid of Jeanne. Jeanne is apparently consumed by the strangeness of the monster and is cowering.
　If this is not the case, Jeanne will be killed by the monsters. That's why I've decided to release the air ball of wind magic to the monsters. It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.

''Jeanne, are you okay!''

　I prioritized Jeanne's safety over unleashing a chase spell on the monster, so I shielded Jeanne behind me and got in between her and the monster.
　The reason I was able to save Jeanne is probably because I was quite lucky. It's not only because I chose to focus on speed magic, but also because the monster was going to use a certain amount of magic to ensure that Jeanne was killed, and it had even more of an aim. It would have only lasted two to three seconds, but that pool (...) of time saved Jeanne's life.

'What the hell is going on?'
I knew you were insane!

　Quickly, Jeanne told me the story of how I had wandered out of the encampment in a daze and walked into the woods, and how everyone but Jeanne had fallen asleep and hadn't woken up no matter what I did.

'It's an unmistakable anomaly by any measure ... and there's no doubt that it's caused by ...

　Out of the corner of my eye, there was a monster slowly rising to its feet. The hood it was wearing was torn to shreds, revealing the body of bones hidden underneath it.

'After all, the body is also a bone... it would be easier if it was a skeleton, but if he has enough magic power to trap me, grandpa and the others together, and his current magic is hardly effective... that guy... Is that what Rich is!

　In the image I have from my previous life, Rich is perceived as a powerful demon, even for so-called undetectable monsters such as zombies and skeletons. That's pretty much (...) true in this world as well.
　However, unlike the programs that appear in the game, the strength of the monsters that actually exist have individual differences, and that can naturally be said of the Rich in front of me. However, demons born from corpses like Rich are often affected by the strength and condition of the original corpse, and even if they are born into the race of Rich, their strength ranges from the pinnacle of strength depending on the material. Well, you can't become a Rich without a certain amount of strength, so as long as you're a Rich, the degree of threat to you as a demon is different from small fry such as zombies and skeletons (though, both zombies and skeletons vary quite a bit in strength depending on the materials they're made of).　
　And the Rich who is facing off against the troublesome thing is almost certainly a demon that is close to a pin in the Rich.

'Jeanne!　Don't leave my side!
Okay!

　I took out ten golem nuclei and my beloved sword from the magic bag on my arm. I had three of the golems appear behind us and the remaining seven were directed at Rich.
　However, out of the seven that we sent towards them, the three golems that were in front of Rich's front door were easily destroyed by Rich's magic.

''What magic is that?''

　He had been using 'Appraisal' against Rich since earlier, but he couldn't read the status. Likewise, the identity of the magic that had just destroyed the golem was also unknown.

''The remaining golems, pinch them from both sides!

　Two golems went around on either side of Rich, and there were no more golems between me and Rich.

'Stone or no stone!　Throw it around!

　I gave the golem a command and immediately fired a series of 'air balls'. Rich was trying to respond to my magic with some kind of magic, but due to the clumps of rocks and dirt thrown at him from both sides, he was unable to stand properly.

'So physical attacks are more effective than magic... then I'll push through with this!

　I switched from the wind magic 'Air Ball' to the earth magic 'Earth Ball' and tried to defeat Rich. It's obvious that Rich has become less relaxed than when he was in 'Airball', and after switching to 'Earthball', it was all he could do not to counterattack, but rather to keep him from falling.

''I'm almost there!''

　The moment I was sure I was going to win, Rich's eyes flashed mysteriously. Then the golems who were throwing stones and dirt from Rich's left and right stopped moving at once.

''It's broken!
'Temma!　Back!
Nah!

　The movement of the throwing golem suddenly stopped, and I was distracted by the fact that it was destroyed like the first three by some kind of magic, when Jeanne, who was behind me, noticed something and raised her voice.
　That voice made me notice something strange behind me, and I jumped up from the spot, holding Jeanne in my arms. In the next moment, three fists (........) were struck down where Jeanne and I had been a moment ago.

''You've taken over the golem!

　The identity of the three fists belonged to the three golems that we had let protect our backs. And the four golems that had been throwing stones at Rich earlier also turned their backs to him and walked away.

''Temma, something like that is possible!
'I don't know. At least I can't, and I've never heard of it.

　If you're touching the golem directly, there's nothing you can't do to take control of it. For example, if Rich made contact with the golems that were on either side of Rich without me knowing (like Slarin, by stretching out parts of his body, etc.), then it would be possible, but as for the three that were behind us, I don't know how he did it.

(I'm sure it had something to do with those bewitchingly glowing eyes... but whatever it was, I'd rather not use a golem.)

　Even if we know the cause of it, if we can't prevent it, it's useless. Fortunately, if that method worked on me and Jeanne, they would have used it before the golem. The fact that neither me nor Jeanne are being controlled like the golem, we should consider it ineffective or ineffective, at least for those who have a will to do so. However, it could be another way, but since I don't know how they managed to manipulate me and put everyone else to sleep except Jeanne, I'm not optimistic.
　I destroyed the golems coming towards us and had to face Rich with no golems on my side.
　From that point on, the battle became a stalemate, with both sides lacking a decisive strike. To be honest, there was also a move to take advantage of the gap and grab Jeanne and run away, but since there was a chance that Grandpa and the others wouldn't be able to return to normal if this Rich was not defeated, that was a move that could only be made at the last minute, when there was really nothing more that could be done.

'd*mn!　It's even harder than it looks (...)!

　After deciding to defeat it, I hit Rich with dozens of rounds of magic. The first magic I tried was 'light attribute'. It's a good idea to be able to use the same kind of magic as the light attribute, but it's not very effective against the light attribute, because it has a very strong resistance to the light attribute. It's a good idea to use 'fire attribute' magic, which is as effective against the Andet system as the light attribute, but the risk is too great to use fire magic in the forest when you think about it afterwards.
　I'm not going to be the only one who has been in a position to do this. But fortunately, despite Rich's high magic and physical resistance, his movements were slow, and I kept pushing him, albeit a little at a time. Most importantly, since I was defending Jeanne, it was a situation where even the slightest mistake could turn the tables on me at once.

'I got it!　"Earthlance!

　It's a good thing that you're able to get the most out of it.
　It's a good thing that I'm not the only one who's been in this situation.
　It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you can get your hands on it.

'Did you manage to defeat it... eh?'

　Demons always have a demon nucleus in their chest (heart). Although the core is one of the materials that symbolize demons, the loss of the core does not mean the death of the demon (broken pieces can lead to death, and the impact of being destroyed can kill a demon). ) However, the situation is a little different for undetectable monsters: the loss of the core is death. The theory that this is due to the fact that they are using the core as a heart, but I don't know the details.
　It's a good thing that you're able to have a good time with your friends.

Oh, shit!　Jeanne, get down!
What?

　I was distracted by the scene in front of me, and I realized that Rich was just before he launched his attack. Rich was dexterously preparing his magic so that I wouldn't be distracted, while he was performing an act that took a lot of time to pull out the 'earth lance' on his chest (...).
　Jeanne didn't seem to understand what I meant for a moment, but she still reflexively laid down on the ground with her head in her hands as she was told.
　The magic that Rich unleashed was an earth magic that resembled a spear similar to the 'Earth Lance' I had fed it, and although it was smaller in size than mine, the number was over ten instead.

''Earthwall!''　'Earthwall'!

　I responded to the incoming earth spears by using the Earth Wall twice in a row. Most of the spears that flew at me were smashed by hitting the earth wall or kicking up from underneath, but I couldn't drop the spear that was flying in front of me, so I cut it off with my sword...

"Phew!
Temma!

　The impact from the side sent me flying through the air.
　Rich moved while hiding behind the "Earth Wall" that I had created and sent a magic similar to the "Earth Ball" flying from the side.
　It was my left arm that was hit by the magic, but the compressed chunks of earth hit it with considerable speed. The bones in his arm were shattered, and a few ribs were broken. However, it doesn't feel like the broken ribs are lodged in his lungs or heart, and it's not an injury that will kill him if he doesn't get treated now.
　It's not that Rich's movements earlier were surprisingly fast, but they were clearly different from the sluggish movements he'd made before. That's what caught me off guard and caused me to take such a large amount of damage.
　If Rich is still hiding his hand, it would be counterintuitive to leave the extra power in the current state and act with the later in mind. Even if you wield all of your strength here and now, it seems more likely that you will survive if you try to defeat Rich.

''Jeanne!　Come near me!
Okay, okay!

　As soon as I called for Jeanne, I threw a small crowball at Rich's skull. Rich looked more panicked than ever before and crossed his arms to protect his skull from the approaching kowarasumaru. Although Kogarasmaru was unable to penetrate Rich's skull, he was able to catch the bones of both crossed arms in the gap between them, blocking Rich's movements.

'I knew you'd be hiding it in there (...)

　If there was no magic nucleus in the chest, he figured that the possibility of it remaining was in the skull. I know that it's safer to protect it with a skull that can completely hide the magic nucleus than to protect it with scantily clad ribs. But I've never heard of moving one's own magic core, and if he actually does it, then that Rich is a bigger monster than I thought he was.

''Hey, hey, Temma!''
Quiet!　Make sure you bury your face in me!

　I came to my side and pulled Jeanne into a hug, and although she was surprised by the suddenness of the situation, I made her obey with a strong tone of voice. I saw that Jeanne obeyed my words.

'The Tempest'!

　I activated my biggest trump card.
　The tornado was getting stronger and stronger, and Rich, who had been blocked by Kogarasuma, was helplessly swallowed by the tornado, lowering his body and holding on to it to keep from being blown away.

''Tempest F2!''

　With even more power, Rich crawled to the ground, grabbing a nearby stone with both of his unrestrained arms and stepping on it. Above Rich, the stones and trees that were caught in the "Tempest" were flying around.
　I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to get caught up in the flying stones and trees like I did with the dragon zombies, but Jeanne and I are close to our limits.
　We're in the center of The Tempest, so we don't have to worry about getting caught up in the rocks and trees, but the pain in the left half of my body is increasing due to the change in air pressure, and although it's not as bad as the outer part of my body, it's still having its own impact on us.

"Jeanne, hold on a little longer. Tempest F3!

　When he raised the power to the power that the dragon zombie he had defeated in the past had just barely withstood, Rich's body finally floated up. The power of 'Tempest' was higher than in the past, and even though the size of the dragon zombie and Rich were too different in the first place, it was surprising that he was able to withstand it to this extent.
　However, that wasn't the only surprising part. Rich was caught in the storm, and even though he was being messed up by rocks and trees, he was still holding his shape.
　It seems that that guy is not only more than I thought, but even more than that, he's a monster comparable to a dragon zombie in a way.

"Te, nma.......I can't do this anymore.......

　Jeanne's limits seemed to come first, even before Rich's.

'Jeanne, when you stop The Tempest, cover your ears, close your eyes, open your mouth and lower yourself.

　Jeanne responded to my words with a blue face, moving her head up and down.

'Three, two, one ... now!

　I gave the signal at the right time, and Jeanne did as she was told and got down on the ground. I set up a ward around Jeanne as she lay on the ground and aimed at Rich, who rose high into the sky and began to fall.

Fall away Takemikazuchi!

　I activated the magic.
　The 'Takemikazuchi' is a magic named after the 'Takemikazuchi no Kami', the god of thunder and the god of swords, the power of which surpasses the 'Tempest', and it's such a great magic that if you can hit it properly, you can even defeat a dragon zombie in one hit. However, its activation takes time and effort, and if the conditions aren't met, it won't work. That condition is that there is a cloud in the sky, and the cloud must be charged with magic power.
　This time, the magic power was mixed with the surrounding clouds gathered by The Tempest and the clouds created by the change in air pressure to meet the conditions for activation.
　And there is one last important element. That is to hit the target, Rich.
　It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you'll be able to get your hands on it. That's why I waited until Rich was high in the sky for the Tempest.

　As I had planned, Takemikazuchi attacked Rich from above. I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more information on this topic. I hastily used my recovery magic on my eyes, and the first thing I saw when my vision returned was Rich's battered and bruised form after being hit by the 'bamboo claws' at the moment he hit the ground.
　Rich hit the ground so hard that the bones from his chest down were shattered, but the bones above him remained in a bust-like state with his arms crossed in front of his skull.

''Oh shit...''

　I gritted my teeth and searched for Rich, even though I felt like I was about to jump in and out of consciousness several times. Rich didn't show any signs of moving at all, but he could be playing dead. So, to see how he reacted, I decided to get a little closer and then pick up a stone at his feet and throw it at Rich. However, due to the fact that I was in a dizzy state, I couldn't step on it, and the recoil almost knocked me over.

''Watch out!''

　Jeanne held me up on the verge of tipping over, but it seems that Jeanne wasn't in the best condition due to the impact of the "bamboo claws", and we both fell on our asses.
　Even with such a gaping hole in the ground, Rich didn't show any signs of moving, so I decided to ask Jeanne to aim at Rich with the Slingshot, even though he might actually be dead.
　Jeanne accepted my request and after missing her aim a few times, she successfully hit Rich's skull with a pebble. Since she was in such a hurry to get that much of a shot at her skull, if Rich is still alive, she should have some kind of reaction.
　As I looked at Rich with that in mind, the moment the pebble hit him, the skull fell backwards. And as if that was the signal, the remaining bones crumbled like sand.

''Looks like it's over...''
I'd love to...

　I was sure that Rich had been destroyed when I heard a voice in the distance calling out to me.
　I looked in the direction of where the voice had come from and saw Grandpa and Solomon in the sky, plus Amour on the back of Shiroumaru. I don't know if they're in too much of a hurry, or if they seem to be shouting, but I can't hear them except for my name and Jeanne's.
　The next moment I recognized them, it was pitch black in front of me.