Author's Notes
(Spoiler) This is a conversation episode.
This is to let you know the relationship between Jin and characters who appear for the first time in the main story (though they do appear in the side story).
Although he has had contact with Jin in the past, the subject comes up without any explanation, which may seem abrupt.
It seemed that I had been forcefully teleported by someone.
"*choke*!" (Girl)
When I turned around, the girl who seemed to have teleported me was stabbed in the stomach by [Heroic Soul Blade - Unfinished] and was vomiting blood. She was about 180cm tall and wore the same school uniform. Well, she was definitely a Hero.
Akari Nojiri (Lv 79)
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Race: Human (Otherworlder)
Skills: [Sword Mastery Lv4] [Physical Strengthening Lv5] [Jump Lv3]
Blessing: [Floating Trajectory +15]
Title: Transferee, Hero from Another World
[Floating Trajectory]
The user can be transported to a place where they have set foot (stepped or passed through) in the past. Up to two people can be transported at the same time if they are touching hands. The location that can be transported is within 160 (10 + 150) km of the user's current location.
I see, so you used this Blessing to teleport behind me, then touched me and teleported once more. If distance was the criterion, then it would be possible to teleport beyond adjacent areas, which was a condition of the map. Furthermore, it would be possible to catch me off guard. However, even though I knew the theory, there were some things I didn't understand. For example, how was it able to know my location? ...If you think about it, the same thing can be said about the laser. The bullies didn't have any similar skills either... …Well, it’s not like I have no idea at all.
(Jin-sama! Are you safe?! What on earth happened?!) (Maria)
This was a telepathic message from a completely confused Maria. And at the same time, something happened that was far more important to me.
(I'm safe. Don't use telepathy for a while. Follow my instructions, collect the royal family and proceed with the cleanup. And...) (Jin)
I gave Maria some instructions and then end the telepathic conversation. Although she was completely in tears by the end, I was sure she would follow my instructions.
There's nothing to worry about for Maria and my other companions. Instead, I should prioritize dealing with the threat in front of me.
"It's been a while, Shindo. I missed you." (Orihara)
"Orihara..." (Jin)
The person before me was Akihito Orihara. He was one of the people I was most wary of. Orihara slowly approached me. There was no murderous or malicious intent in his eyes. However, my vigilance continued to ring the alarm bell. Orihara's appearance, in one word, was very ordinary. His face looked like the average of all the boys his age, and was just the same as any other. His height was also around the average for a high school student. He was wearing a school uniform, just like the girl. He was probably trying to say it was his best outfit.
I pulled out [Heroic Soul Blade - Unfinished] that was stuck in the female student and took a step back to distance myself from Orihara. However, Orihara did not come towards me, but instead knelt down in front of the fallen female student.
"Orihara...sama.... Did I... do it well...?" (Girl/Nojiri)
"Yes, that's a satisfactory result. Thanks to Nojiri-san, I was able to be reunited with Shindo. I'm truly grateful. Thank you very much." (Orihara)
Orihara smiled gently as he congratulated the female student. The female student smiled with satisfaction upon hearing that.
"Then... as promised... for me..." (Girl/Nojiri)
"Yes, I know. Thank you for your hard work." (Orihara)
"Yes... I am grateful... I'll become one with Orihara-sama..." (Girl/Nojiri)
The moment the girl said that, Orihara's shadow spread and swallowed her up.
"Thank you for the meal." (Orihara)
Orihara clasped his hands together and gave his after-meal greeting. The shadow reverted to its original form, and not a trace of the girl ever having been there remained in its place. The fact that not a single drop of the blood that had spilled from the female student was left behind made me think that this was typical of Orihara, who made a rule not to leave a single drop of soup behind.
"Isn't that female student one of your friends?" (Jin)
"She was my comrade. But if things had continued as they were, her life wouldn’t have been saved. So, I decided to at least put an end to her with my own hands. That was what she wanted, after all." (Orihara)
Judging from the way the girl spoke, there was no doubt that Orihara was the one who had arranged for it to happen. However, Orihara said it as if it was nothing. He was still someone with thoughts I couldn't understand.
"So, let me say this from my perspective." (Orihara)
Then Orihara took a break.
"I will not forgive Shindo for inflicting a fatal injury on my comrade! I will have you fight me!" (Orihara)
After declaring this in a loud voice, Orihara took a deep breath and continued.
"So that's my motivation this time. Come on, Shindo. Let's start some fun killing spree for the first time in a while." (Orihara)
"As I thought, that's what's going to happen..." (Jin)
I let out a deep sigh, exuding resignation.
"Of course. Don't tell me, did you really think that I would make a move in this situation?" (Orihara)
"I didn't think anything of it. I just hoped you wouldn't come." (Jin)
Orihara asked me with a puzzled look on his face, so I confessed my honest feelings. Even if you know something bad was going to happen, it's natural to hope that nothing bad would happen.
"Hmm... At this point there's no stopping it, I guess I have no choice but to fight." (Jin)
"You understand very well. Just as you'd expect from my childhood friend." (Orihara)
That's not a very flattering review.
"...Before we fight, I have a few questions I'd like to ask. Do you mind if I ask them?" (Jin)
"Of course. If I start to worry about it and can't concentrate on the fight, it will be a real turn-off. Please ask me anything you can while you can." (Orihara)
As for Orihara, he would never lie in this situation. Incidentally, the possibility of a surprise attack while we were talking was extremely low, since Orihara's motive was not "revenge" but "avenging the death of a friend." If you lie or sneak up on someone in "revenge for a friend," the legitimacy of the act would be called into question. In other words, your motive (story) and your actions would not match. Orihara believed in acting according to his motive (story), so I should be safe until the battle began.
"So, first question. Where are we? This isn't Earth, or rather, our original world, right?" (Jin)
If I had to describe the scenery around us in one word, it would be a "Dilapidated office district." Just like the office district in my original world, there were skyscrapers, roads, and cars. However, the buildings, roads, and cars were all in ruins.
And there was something even larger that bore no resemblance to my original world. It's the color. There's nothing around us that's not gray. It was as if the space had been stripped of all colors except for gray. By the way, we still had the color. We felt really out of place.
"Yes. This is not our original world, nor is it the other world we were transported to. If I had to say, I'd call it the third world. Ah, since the appearance of this world has collapsed, perhaps it would be more accurate to call it 'a world abandoned by the goddess'." (Orihara)
"Is the Goddess involved in this world?" (Jin)
If another world was created by a goddess, it wouldn't be surprising if there were other similar worlds. But, "abandoned", huh...
"It would be more accurate to say that she was. The Goddess is no longer interested in this world. In other words, no matter how much I wreak havoc in this world, it won't cause any trouble to either of the other worlds. That's why I chose this place to battle Shindo." (Orihara)
"I see. So, you were considerate of the world..." (Jin)
If we were to fight seriously, there's no guarantee that the surrounding area would survive. When I said that, Orihara frowned in slight discomfort.
"What are you misunderstanding? That can't be the case. I was being considerate towards Shindo. No matter which world we're fighting in, Shindo will be careful not to cause too much damage to its surroundings, right? If I'm serious about fighting Shindo, I have to be careful about the setting as well." (Orihara)
It's true that it wouldn't be easy to be told to fight at full strength in the street. Well, since it's Eldia here now, I'm not that opposed to it...
"That's an unpleasant way to be understood... Well, I was just trying to say it. I knew you weren't a noble enough being to care about the world... But even so, this is another world. No wonder I've been unable to use a lot of things since earlier." (Jin)
Right now, many of my abilities and skills were no longer usable. The most obvious example would be Alta. I know that Alta hadn't disappeared or anything. But I also knew that she didn't have the time to communicate with me. It seemed that the specifications of the world were different, and they were doing their best to adapt to this "world abandoned by the goddess."
Just as I was able to communicate telepathically with Maria earlier, the connection to the origin world was not completely severed. I could also use [Infinite Storage], and the skill and status columns were the same. However, the map was no longer usable, and some skills, including magic, could no longer be used. So, the current situation was that [Portal] couldn't even say "leave this place." Therefore, I couldn't call anyone. I was forced to fight one-on-one with Orihara.
...Tch, I can't even summon my familiar (Elle).
"Of course. This world has different rules. Unnecessary intervention and unrefined magic are unnecessary in our battles. If you think about it like that, this is really a perfect world." (Orihara)
Orihara smiled with satisfaction. Certainly, it's hard to say that this was a world that's perfect for fighting Orihara to this extent. However, this raised some concerns.
"Are there no living things in this world?" (Jin)
"Yes, there are. However, they're not around here. If you travel a few hundred kilometers, you'll probably find them. I don't think there's much to be gained from contacting them though..." (Orihara)
"Another thing that's bothering me... Oh well, never mind." (Jin)
"Do you need to ask? I'll answer you." (Orihara)
Orihara asked curiously. Just like Orihara said earlier, he seemed willing to answer questions if asked. But—
"Wouldn't it be more fun to see for myself after I defeat you?" (Jin)
"Hehe. That's so Shindo. Even though he has the ability to know anything, he chooses to limit the conditions and information he receives and have fun..." (Orihara)
I had said it many times before, but this was not a pleasant way to be understood.
"You don't dislike bondage play, do you...?" (Jin)
"Well, in my case, it's just a hobby of mine to match you, Shindo, so it's a bit different." (Orihara)
"So, that's what your status is..." (Jin)
When Orihara appeared, naturally I checked his status. What was displayed there was, just as I expected, something I could never have imagined.
Akihito Orihara (Lv 1792)
Gender: Unknown
Age: Unknown
Species: Unknown (Otherworldly species)
Skill: %笈ァ@I
Blessing: [Gourmet Festival]
Curse: [Cannibal Carnival]
Special abilities: [Take] [Window]
Title: Super? human, Trans? ported? Person, Other? being[1]
[Gourmet Festival]
By eating things, you absorb their status and skills. By eating non-living things, you can acquire their properties. If you eat a living thing, you can acquire its status and skills, even if it is only a part of your body.
[Cannibal Carnival]
By eating things, you absorb their status and skills. By feeding his own flesh, you can transfer your status and skills to the target (once per day). You can absorb the target using your own shadow.
[Take]
Absorbs the stats and skills of defeated opponents.
[Window]
You can view appraisals, maps, and status.
Let's ignore the fact that his level is abnormally high, there are many "Unknown" items, the skills column is garbled, and that in addition to Blessing, he also has a curse mark. That much is to be expected. The biggest problem is...
"Why do you have special abilities..." (Jin)
Orihara had two special abilities: [Take] and [Window]. Judging from their names, the two were clearly related to [Power of Life and Death] and [Clairvoyance].
"Isn't that obvious? I absorbed Shindo's special abilities." (Orihara)
"I thought so... But when was that? Since coming to this world. After we left each other at the Eldia Royal Castle, I shouldn't have had any contact with Orihara, right?" (Jin)
Whenever I looked at the map, I always made sure that Orihara wasn't there. I also instructed Alta to let me know as a top priority if Orihara was found.
"I don't know if Shindo remembers, but you stayed overnight in a village north of the capital of Eldia, right? I found Shindo's hair in your room. Thank you for the treat." (Orihara)
"What's that? It's disgusting." (Jin)
Judging from the way Orihara said it, he must have meant that he ate my hair. To put it bluntly, it's disgusting from the bottom of my heart.
"Shindo, you're harsh, aren't you? You should acknowledge my efforts. It was really hard to absorb your power. As you can see, I was unable to reproduce most of it. It was exhausting just to reproduce this simple ability." (Orihara)
If I remembered correctly, when I stayed in the first village, [Power of Life and Death] was at level 2. The level 2 effect of [Power of Life and Death] was to steal the skills and stats of those killed, which matched the effect of Orihara's special abilities.
Although it's not exactly a replacement, Orihara's ability didn't seem to have the effect of stealing status or skills under normal circumstances. In other words, Orihara's power was a lower-level version of mine. His name was also an excerpt, so in a way it made sense, but—
"There's one more thing I'd like to ask. What are the effects of the Blessing, the curse mark, and the special abilities—" (Jin)
"Of course, there is a synergistic effect. To put it simply, I gain three times the skills and stats of the person I devoured. I worked hard so that I wouldn't be left behind by Shindo." (Orihara)
"Seriously..." (Jin)
Orihara's Blessing, [Gourmet Festival]; his curse mark, [Cannibal Carnival]; and his special abilities, [Take]; all have the ability to absorb skills and stats. Orihara said it like it was nothing, but if those three things had a synergistic effect, then by simple math, he would be able to gain three times the status of mine.
"If Shindo is gathering subordinates and creating a network for stealing abilities, then I should take an approach that focuses on improving the quality of each use. Our abilities are similar, but at their core they are completely different. Don't you think that's a fitting approach for a rival?" (Orihara)
"I don’t know what you’re trying to say… But, that’s not the only trick, is it? If that was all, there’s no way your stats would be that different from mine at full power." (Jin)
Surprisingly, Orihara's stats are comparable to mine at full power—No, far from being comparable, Orihara's stats were actually slightly higher than mine. If I were to recover the status I had given to my subordinates, I would be able to surpass them in overall status. However, due to being transported to another world, I was no longer able to transfer the status of my subordinates to myself. Therefore, I was currently unable to surpass Orihara's status.
And the reason why Orihara had become so strong could be explained simply by the three-fold increase in strength. No matter how I thought about it, I didn't think Orihara was defeating enough monsters to surpass the power of my status enhancements.
"Yes, of course. [Cannibal Carnival] has the effect of strengthening the target by giving it your own flesh and blood. If I give my flesh and blood to a nearby monster and then defeat it, it's miraculous. The stats will be more than double the amount of the ability I gave it. It's a bit cheating, but if you do this repeatedly, your stats will easily increase. The downside is that you can only do it once a day, and there's a limit to the abilities you can give it." (Orihara)
"It seems like a bug technique..." (Jin)
Give a monster an ability, and when you defeat it, you will get back twice the amount of stats. Repeating this process would increase your stats easily. Even if it was efficient, only someone like Orihara could use such a crazy strengthening method. However, this solved the mystery of Orihara's ridiculous status.
I didn't really want to say it, but I couldn't hide my fear at Orihara, who had prepared all of this just to fight me. No, I knew it, but he really has gone to such lengths. This guy....
It's about time there were no more things I needed to ask Orihara. Even Alta probably wouldn't know much about Orihara, so it was good to hear it directly from him.
"Judging from your expression, Shindo, are you running out of things you want to ask?" (Orihara)
"Don't read my expression like it's obvious..." (Jin)
"I keep a close eye on Shindo. I won't miss even the smallest changes." (Orihara)
Orihara said with a chuckle, but it was not something I was happy to hear from a guy, especially a dangerous stalker like that. No, that doesn't mean it's okay for a woman to be a stalker...
Orihara took a deep breath and continued speaking.
"Now then, Shindo, even if you don't have anything you want to ask, there are a few things I'd like to talk about, so would it be okay if you listened to them?" (Orihara)
"Keep it short." (Jin)
"Yes. I understand." (Jin)
I also felt like I didn't want to hear Orihara's story. However, the fact that Orihara wanted to talk again was probably not something I could ignore. At the very least, he's not the type of person to make real small talk in this situation.
"Let's start with the first thing. It seems like Shindo didn't even think about it, but it's about the curse mark I possess. In the first place, why would I, who possess Blessing, have a curse mark?" (Orihara)
"Well, it's Orihara after all..." (Jin)
It wouldn't be surprising if Orihara had that much.
"There's no way to deny that. However, regardless of the result, there is a process and a reason. That being said, it's nothing big. I just modified the Blessing that was left over when I came to this world." (Orihara)
"There was some left over... Could it be that it's my and Sakura's Blessing?" (Jin)
"That's correct. Shindo and Kinoshita-san from Class C... was it? When you came to this world, you were unable to obtain the Blessing because of the special abilities. But that doesn't mean you weren't given the Blessing." (Orihara)
Since the Blessing wasn't there when I was teleported, I assumed it hadn't been given to me. However, it seemed the Goddess had also given the two of us the Blessing. However, it seemed that we unconsciously rejected the Blessing, saying "No thanks, I already have special abilities."
"So where did the Blessing that was supposed to be given to us go?" (Orihara)
"Well, you just told me the answer..." (Jin)
"Yes, I received one of them. It was a Blessing that didn't seem like it would be very useful, so I tinkered with it a bit and it turned into a curse mark. It's fine now because it's easier to use..." (Orihara)
If you mess with Blessing a little bit, will it turn into a curse mark...? Well, I guess that's not that surprising. I already knew that they had similar properties.
But there was one surprising piece of news mixed in.
"You mean one of them? Aren't there two, one for me and one for Sakura?" (Jin)
"Yes, but I only managed to retrieve one. Where did the other one go?" (Orihara)
"By the way, what was the original name of the Blessing you retrieved?" (Jin)
The Blessing would be given one that matched the Hero. If I could find out the details of Blessing, there'd be a good chance I'd be able to tell whether it was mine or Sakura's.
"I think it was called something like a [Night Guide]. It's an evacuation Blessing that helps you find relatively safe places even in dangerous areas." (Orihara)
"I guess that's Blessing that should be given to Sakura." (Jin)
This was probably a necessary Blessing for Sakura, who was surrounded by danger. At the very least, I didn't think it suited my personality. I hate running away...
"Yes, I thought the same. That's why I changed it. If it was the Blessing that should have been given to Shindo, I would have used it as is, even if it was a little difficult to use." (Orihara)
"Wouldn't that make the story more exciting?" Orihara continued.
"So then, where did the Blessing that was supposed to be given to me go? I don't particularly regret it, but I'm a little concerned." (Jin)
"I could predict it, but... well, let's keep it a secret." (Orihara)
"It's not really something I'm particularly curious about, but when you say it, it makes me curious..." (Jin)
However, it was not easy to get Orihara to reveal something he said he would keep secret. I'd just give up quietly because it's a complete waste of time—
"Let's put that point aside. Anyway, let's talk about the second point." (Orihara)
It seemed like Orihara had no intention of continuing the conversation and quickly brought the conversation to a close. Well, if I'm curious, I can just look it up myself later...
"I just mentioned Shindo, but this is a story about how to escape from this world. Magic is sealed in this world, so there is no way to directly transfer there other than through Nojiri's Blessing." (Orihara)
"Even that Blessing can't teleport to a place it's never been to before, so there must be some way to do it." (Jin)
As long as Orihara was here, there must be some way for us to return to the origin world (the other world). In the first place, I didn't think Orihara's goal was to trap me in another world. This man wouldn't do something so trivial.
"Of course. However, it would be a waste to give away all the answers here, so I'll just give you a hint. This world and the origin world are connected by a [Gate]. You'll have to find where that [Gate] is on your own. The hints are density and center." (Orihara)
"I see. So something is placed at the center of this other world to protect it. So, you're telling me to find a place with high density—?" (Jin)
"...You're the one who's reading too far ahead. Think about it later. You're just ruining the hint we gave you." (Orihara)
Orihara sighed and hung his head. For better or worse, we'd been friends for a long time, so I could predict the trends in Orihara's hints.
"If it's that obvious, then it would be uncool to hide it only half-heartedly. Yes, that's right. There is a [Gate] at the center of this world. The reason why it is called the center is because this world is currently in the process of collapsing." (Orihara)
"Collapse? I don't sense anything unusual, but is something happening?" (Jin)
"Yes. I like to imagine a map slowly burning from the outside. The world is gradually becoming smaller. At the center of that map is a [Gate]. Ah, just to let you know, there is plenty of time before it is completely destroyed. It won't be a year or two." (Orihara)
I see, if the world was created by the Goddess and is now collapsing, then it would be correct to call it "a world abandoned by the Goddess." Whether or not she really did abandon it is another matter...
"You said earlier that there are living things in this world, but aren’t they going to escape the destruction of this world? If they go through the [Gate] they can go to another world, right?" (Jin)
"The first reason is that they are unaware of the existence of the [Gate]. The second reason is that they cannot get close to the area around the [Gate]. There are monsters in this world as well. They protect the [Gate], preventing other living things from getting close." (Orihara)
"That's the second hint: density. Look for places with lots of monsters." (Jin)
"That's right... I shouldn't have given you such an incomplete hint, huh?" (Orihara)
In the end, it seemed he had intended to just give a hint but ended up telling everything.
It was still unknown what creatures existed in this world. It was unclear whether they were human-like species or completely different creatures. I felt sorry for them being left behind in a dying world, but whether or not to help them was another matter.
For now, if I had time after defeating Orihara, I'd go and check the protozoans. If they were worth helping, then I should try to help them somehow.
"By the way, there are no monsters around here, so don't worry. We can't let them get in the way of our fight with Shindo." (Orihara)
"Should I be grateful for that...?" (Jin)
"No, I just wanted to say that you shouldn't worry. I was being considerate of Shindo." (Orihara)
Once again, this was a very unpleasant gesture.
"Well, I'm running out of things to say. What about you, Shindo? We've talked about a lot, is there anything else you'd like to ask?" (Orihara)
"Hmm, I can't think of anything in particular... No, there's just one thing left. How involved are you in the war with Eldia?" (Jin)
Given that Orihara caused trouble in Eldia, it's highly likely that he was heavily involved in the war itself.
"I'm glad that Shindo thinks highly of me, but unfortunately I haven't done much. The only major things I've done are teach Kusakabe about Estia, tell the royal family about the benefits of the heroes joining the war, and tell the demons about the war between Eldia and Kastal." (Orihara)
"You're involved at almost every key point, aren't you...?" (Jin)
Each point was not a big deal, but Orihara was behind the decisions that changed the course of the war. Well, it's no surprise now.
"Or rather, are you able to contact the demons?" (Jin)
"Yes, of course. In the first place, the magic item that retrieves the Blessing possessed by the demons was only completed because I cooperated with them. There's no way the demons could have made such a device on their own." (Orihara)
"So that was your setup too..." (Jin)
Even though more than 100 Hero members died because of this, he didn't seem to feel any emotion. I couldn't really say anything about that, but—
"Without that, the demons would never have thought of attacking Eldia. Originally, the demons had been taking various measures to defeat the heroes, but someone (glances) ruined it all, so they easily joined forces with us. It's all thanks to someone (glances)." (Orihara)
Orihara kept glancing at me around the "Someone" part and it was annoying. Apparently, because I had defeated the Four Heavenly Kings wherever I went, the demons were in a desperate situation and had no choice but to accept Orihara's cooperation. It was not that I was at fault, but I made a mistake by allowing Orihara to get involved.
"Other than that, I placed Kinoshita-san's associates in villages near the Gallant Mountain vein and organized the heroes from Class C so that Shindo wouldn't have to think twice about killing them." (Orihara)
"Class C... huh? It's true that there were only bad people there. I had a feeling that was the case." (Jin)
At the school, Class C was the class where the "bad things" were gathered. Just to be clear, it's not a hotbed of delinquents. Kids that were that stupid couldn't get into our school. I wouldn't go into too much detail here, but to put it simply, it's a class where bullying was likely to occur. I only found out about it a little before I was transported to the other world—
"Yes, it's been quite a struggle to set this stage. Now, judging from your expression, Shindo, I assume you have no more questions?" (Orihara)
"So don't read my expression... No, it's fine. Ah, there's nothing else I want to ask." (Jin)
"It's sad in its own way to see the jokes being abandoned, isn't it?" (Orihara)
What on earth are you telling me to do?
"It's unfortunate that Shindo is so cold, but I'll be happy that we were able to have a proper chat after such a long time." (Orihara)
"It's not like I want to talk to Orihara... Oh well. Shall we get started now?" (Jin)
The problem was that talking to Orihara was tiring, but the rewards were great. When he was sneaking around behind the scenes, he hid it all, but the moment he came out into the open, he spilled everything. Regardless of how it was done up until that point, I didn't dislike the honesty with which it was done at the end.
And the end of the conversation with Orihara meant that from now on, there would be no time to talk and the battle would begin.
"Are you ready Shindo?" (Orihara)
"Yeah, come anytime." (Jin)
"Well then, I'll be off then." (Orihara)
Thus began the one-on-one battle between me and Orihara, with no one watching.
Author's Notes
This is the first time I've used an entire episode for a one-on-one conversation. I packed too much into it...
There are a lot of suggestive lines and important information (foreshadowing) that is not explained.
In other words, it is information that Jin (the author) knows but has not yet revealed to his peers (the readers). For example, Orihara's true identity.
Next time, we will be talking from a third person perspective (narration) rather than from Jin's perspective, which is unusual.
Translation Note
[1] The raw is "超？者、転？者、異？の？者" not sure how to translate that.
Just a quick survey, in this series, some words—especially skill names—have furigana (usually in katakana) on top of its kanji. Sometimes the furigana and the kanji have similar literal translation, but most of the time they have different literal translation. Which one do you prefer?
- Only use the kanji part,
- only use the furigana part (it's probably what the author intended), or
- use both, as originally written, like some in this chapter.