Chapter 50

Chapter 50

「Chapter 50」

Translator: Silver

During the time I spent breaking magic items, I didn’t take out anything superfluous.

Rue and Wraith headed to the guild while I destroyed accessories and created a mountain of unusable materials in the back of our room.

The items that had abilities I already possessed weren’t destroyed, as I had other plans for them.

Finally, I worked my way to “that” unique item that’s been sitting in my item box.

“It’s gonna be something big. I’m sure it’ll be strengthened as well.”

What appeared was the 『Dragon King’s Crystal』, a massive chunk of blue crystal.

It was part of the strongest enemy I ever killed in this world.

Well, it’d been an insta-kill.

I also had some fangs and scales, but this crystal seemed to be the most significant and toughest piece in my position. Although seeing it now, it might be a waste to break it.

Can I cleanly slice it?

I quickly reorganized my abilities and thought about which technique to use.

If I wanted to make a clean cut, I should use a short sword or bastard sword skill instead of a longsword or greatsword one.

During the game era, you can use 『Short Swords』, 『Longswords』, and 『Great Swords』from the start, but there was another category called 『Bastard Swords』.

『Bastard Swords』were rather popular back then because their skill list was composed of a mix of 『Short Sword』,『Longsword』, and unique skills. In addition, it was easy to acquire bastard swords, and they wielded decent power.

However, there were other reasons why bastard swords were so popular.

The game didn’t have a Japanese-style occupation like 【Samurai】, but the『Katana』 did exist.

And『Katana』, instead of having its own category, was categorized as a bastard sword.

Oh, other eastern swords were placed in the different sword categories.

What I was getting at was that the『Bastard Sword』category had a myriad of skills at their disposal.

Naturally, my 『Depriving Sword』could use bastard sword skills. Therefore, I maxed out my bastard sword level.

“How nostalgic. I used to main bastard swords before I changed classes.”

I decided on a skill specialized in crits rather than base attack power and took a sword draw stance.

The length of my sword made things a little clunky.

I took a deep breath and concentrated on my goal.

I focused my senses to the point where I could no longer hear the wind rustling the trees or the chirping of the birds.

“『Instantaneous Resplendent Bloom』.”

This was one of the bastard sword’s strongest skills.

The attack had a 5x crit multiplier and was guaranteed to divide any destructible object it hit.

The downsides were the skills extended cast time, the short attack range, and the fact that the attack was barely above average in terms of power without the crit.

What if I used such a skill with a sword loadout specialized to farm critical hits.

I swing my sword with one hand.

For a brief moment, a shock was transmitted through my palm.

There wasn’t a sound. All that was left was the result.

The crystal didn’t seem to have changed.

But,

【Abilities Acquired】

『 Crystallization 』

【You can alter your physiology at will. In addition, you can obtain the mana of defeating enemies by crystallizing them.】

The ability was acquired.

My sword’s stats were also updated.

『Attack Power 711 → 988 』

『Mana 667 → 1245』 『Elemental Attributes: Darkness, Divine』

The divine attribute was added.

The divine attribute was a foul attribute that ignored all resistances and halved the defense of all enemies.

So far, it was an attribute I’ve only seen in Rue’s 『God Sword (Dragon)』 and in 『Rights of the Usurper (God)』 ability I had.

If I could use it without having to select that ability…… it’s a cheat.

Sorry god, your ability is no longer worth the effort.

“This means that Rue is a cheat too. Sorry, Rue.”

As for the ability’s explanation, what did it mean to crystallize mana?

Was it something like a magic stone? I don’t remember such items during the game era, but maybe it was a key item during an event.

No, I couldn’t remember it clearly.

How could that be used to change your appearance?

I removed 『Presence Detection』 and set that skill instead.

Then, my sword, which had been covered in red and black vein-like streaks and was wrapped in a black aura, turned into a beautiful, highly transparent obsidian blade.

The vein-like pattern became nearly invisible, the eeriness faded, and the aura all but disappeared.

Well, I really liked its former look, but this was also fashionable.

Instead, it was better to use my sword in its current form when I wasn’t in full demon king attire.

“This is an ant. I’m also worried about magic crystals, so why not use it with assimilation?”

Of course, I set lunk to increase the probability of Crystallization.

Oh, of course, the crystal had been cut into four sections.

It’s impressive that the cut marks were almost undetectable.

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It was around noon when I came to the guild for Rue and Wraith.

Customers were few and far between. Where are the adventurers?

There was nary a request board in sight.

Was this really a guild?

“Excuse me, where is the request board?’

“I-I’m sorry! I forgot to explain yesterday. Here at the Akidar guild, there is a strong influence from the hero Iguzo, so we use a different system from other guilds.

“Oh, the president gave permission.”

“The said ‘I’ll allow it because it’s romantic’ when asked.”

Hmm, what kind of system convinced Oink, who pushed through an analog bulletin board system, to allow it.

“There’s a large tavern behind the guild. You have to accept a request personally or wait for someone to invite you to take a seat.”

What……What……!

Are you part of the Doraemon generation?!

Indeed, friends can join the party at a bar, and it’s not an exaggeration to call that a forbearer of RPGs.

That would’ve been enough to convince Oink.

It seemed interesting, so let’s become generic male adventurer A and wait for the main character to invite him over.

I thanked the receptionist and excitedly headed to the tavern.

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The tavern appeared to be a standard adventurer’s bar.

Unlike the guild in Saltberg, this bar wasn’t in a western style, but the atmosphere was more relaxed.

When I stepped inside, the place was the exact opposite of the office as it was packed full of people.

Men and women of all ages and appearances set at the numerous tables sit out. Still, they appeared to be fidgeting instead of having fun.

……Were they waiting to be invited? Well, some shy people couldn’t speak up for themselves.

However, it didn’t seem that such a temperament (?) was the reason behind the fidgeting.

My 『5 Senses Enhancement』 soon picked up on what was happening.

“Will the liberator come today……?”

“O-Oh, what should I do if I’m invited?”

“Fool, how can you say that while wearing that leather armor?”

“W-What should I do……I don’t even have any makeup.”

“The liberator already has a beautiful knight. Why would he need another woman?”

“Fuu, if his eyes aren’t knothole, I’ll be chosen. I’m Borsch, the purgatory champion.

“You just joined the guild the other day. What are you saying?”

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“Chikuwa ‘What should I do if I’m chosen……Will mom be happy?'”

“Hey, rather than some kid, I’ll be the one chosenー.”

So the liberator was gonna scout a new companion here?

Then, did they come to this country in search of friends? No, that can’t be true.

Perhaps they had some business in this country and were asking for local help.

After all, this country had fewer monsters than others, and the risk was shallow.

I don’t think they’d be trying to find a companion in such a place.

“Well, maybe I should just sit down and wait and see.”

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How did this happen?

“I think this guy is good. We spoke a bit yesterday, and he doesn’t seem like a bad person.”

“No good. He appears to be a swordsman and what we need is someone who’s mastered the skills of a rogue and explorer.”

“I assure you that this man is serious and straightforward. It’s not enough to interrupt my romance!”

Why are you just looking at me?! (T/N: This is a kamenrider meme that’s mostly lost in translation. ナズェミデルンディス!)

An argument between the young liberator, a severe female knight, and the old man true to his instinct was unfolding before me.

Yes, this was the liberator’s party.

For some reason, they were trying to scout me.

Calm down, guys. What you’re trying to do, in a sense, is befriend the last boss demon king.

It’s too much to welcome me as a hero companion…… stop before I have to speak up.

“This is my choice for sure. This is the one to my speaks to me……my gut feeling is never wrong…….”

“Mackenzie, please shut your old trap. The ‘Reva Volcanic Cave’ is a rather narrow and winding dungeon. There’s also a risk of traps, and it’ll be too inefficient to have three swordsmen in such a limiting environment.”

“B-But I’m more a rogue anyway…… Shouldn’t a dexterous warrior be a perfect fit?”

“What did you say?! Nao is a great liberator, not a mere rouge! I want Nao to grow as safely as possible.”

Ah, the whole picture was coming together.

Unlike other liberators, perhaps this guy didn’t come to this world in a strong state.

Therefore, this group visited this relatively safe county where the difficulty was lower.

And since the volcanic cave they were heading to was a dungeon, this group was looking for a companion with convenient exploration skills.

Hmm…… this seems interesting.

“Excuse me, how long will the expedition last if I become the scout?”

“Sorry, I’m sorry, but we haven’t decided on you, so can you wait for a while?”

The knight woman responded in a clerical manner.

The knight was a beautiful blonde woman with the aura of a female teacher or a high-strung career woman.

If she did her hair up in a bun, the teacher-look would be complete. Sadly she had semi-short curly hair.

“Well, it lasts until we’ve traversed the volcanic cave…… it’s a two-month contract.”

“Then, what’s the contract wage?”

“Hoho, did Styria’s thigh grasp you as well? All men, even a gentleman, can not win against their desires.”

Grandpa, I respect your willingness to go there.

However, that two-month trip may be shortened to about one month if I moderately helped.

Anyway, I wa staying in this city for a while. It was an opportunity to learn about the people and countries trying to release the Seven Stars.

I might be targeted by the lord, but being friends with a liberation should cause him to hesitate.

If so, why not sell myself a little.

“For the time being, I’m practicing magic. I can also explore and find traps.

“Really?! Styria, let’s take this guy!” (T/N: Always network people, you never know when the old pervert you met can land you a job.)

“……Is that true? Can I do a little test?”

“Oh, I don’t mind.”

I quickly adjusted my sword’s abilities.

I left 『5 Senses Enhancement』 and 『Presence Detection』equipped and prepared for the test.

“In a moment, I’ll drop a few coins. Determine how much lux it is by sound alone.”

“Hey, Styria! That’s impossible!”

No, a skilled rouge or scout is more than capable of doing so… I want a person capable of this much.”

“Understood. Then, I’ll turn around. You can blindfold me if you want. Nao-kun, was it? Can you block eyes for a moment?”

“I understand!”

With that, the young man covered his eyes.

……Was this natural?!

“My eyes. Look, I’ll squat a little.”

“……I’m sorry. Excuse me.”

When I bent down, a part of trembling hands approached my face.

They were white, slightly calloused palms.

Perhaps he never held a sword or played sports until he came to this world.

Deprived of sight, I focused on my hearing.

“Umm, my gut is right…….”

Are you still saying that?