âIn the first place, what do we have to do to get out of here?â
He didnât know either.
I considered the situation.
This was some unknown space that was covered in white mist.
I didnât even know how we got here.
And of course, I had no idea how we could get out.
âWhy donât we just try moving?â (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
âI guess so.â
And so we just started walking.
Walking.
And walking.
ââŠHey, you. Weâve walked quite a while now, havenât we? In fact, how much time do you think passed?â
âI donât know. Iâm not hungry and I donât feel tired. And how can I tell how much time has passed if I donât even feel sleepy?â
âStill, it feels like itâs been days, doesnât it?â
While it was difficult to tell the passage of time, it did feel like we had moved far enough for several days to have passed.
âYeah. And weâve run out of things to talk about.â
We had used the time to share information with each other.
However, we were all out of subjects now.
So we just walked silently.
In the first place, our conversation didnât last very long.
Even though our souls were different, it felt like I was just talking to myself. It started to feel unnecessary.
Perhaps we had started to become similar. It was strange.
ââŠHmm?â
âYeah, I noticed.â\n
The mist was twisting up ahead.
We had gotten bored of this world, which seemed to have no change.
And so we started running towards it without saying anything.
âIs itâŠa hole?â
âItâs a hole alright. But whatâs that? There is some kind of whirlpool near the bottom.â
âWhat do you think it is?â
âAn exitâŠno, it canât be that.â
It looked like some kind of gigantic washing machine.
Only instead of clothes, the white mist was being sucked into it.
The other me suddenly looked like he remembered something.
âThis nostalgic feeling. I can feel it. Itâs the Demon World.â
âThe Demon World? You mean the Demon World that we live in?â
It was a place that was like a post apocalyptic world, where the fighting never ended.
It was not inside of a washing machine.
âI canât explain it well, but we can reach the Demon World if we go through here. Perhaps itâs something that only I can understand.â
âHmmâŠthere may be things that only an Ogreâs soul would know. So, this hole is the exit then?â
âAn exit, or a passage leading to the Demon World?â
It was just a feeling, and he found it difficult to describe it to me.
âWell, nevermind. So we can jump into it to reach the Demon World, eh? But I donât really like the idea of jumping inside.â
âI think⊠Would you trust me?â
Now that was a difficult question.
âIf you say that it is, then of course, Iâll trust you.â
âBut itâs a whirlpool. Arenât you scared?â
âI donât know. I am scared to jump down, but itâs not because I donât believe you. I just donât like heights.â
But there was no point in staying here.
âAlright. Then Iâll jump in first. And if it looks dangerous, donât come in after me. Search for a different way. Also, if that does happen, please take care of our body.â
âDonât be stupid. Weâre going to jump in together. It doesnât matter if itâs dangerous or not. Weâre the same mind and bodyâŠno, two minds and one body.â \nI wasnât afraid of dying if we were together.
Thatâs how much experience we shared.
âI see⊠Then letâs jump in together, soul brother.â
âAye. We live and die together, soul brother.â
And so shoulder to shoulder, we jumped into the hole.
The white mist stuck and clung to our bodies like glue.
My feet, torsoâŠhead and face.
It covered my eyes, and all I saw was a dream of a faraway past.
âHahahahaha⊠You really are the son of that bastard. So reckless.â
The dojo master was standing there. Still so young.
He was thin, and his face and body were almost sickly, but his physique was really the result of intense training.
All day long, the dojo master walked around in his uniform.
Once I started teaching, he became lazy and wore normal clothes, so this was when he was still in his prime.
And then a familiar scene appeared before me.
Street stalls during a night festival. It was somewhere near a shrine.
And on the ground were thugs or yakuza, I wasnât sure.
Then I remembered the rest of the scene.
Some kid was shouting about how this thug was a villain who stole allowance money from children.
It seemed like anything could happen back then. It didnât matter how old you were.
One might have ignored the kid, but I suppose the thugs were in a bad mood.
They were running around and chasing the kids, knocking them down with fists.
I had just happened to be nearby, and got caught up in itâŠand was hit before I could react.
âYes, yes. I was so angry that I challenged them againâŠâ
At the time, I hadnât even turned ten years old yet.
I charged into the yakuzas and was beaten up.
They would have continued to beat me even after I had lost consciousness, but thatâs when the dojo master found them.
\nâWhat? Me?â
I sat up. Indeed, my vision seemed to be set higher than usual.
And though I had been sleeping all of this time, my body felt light.
When I stood up, the ceiling felt very low.
The entrance was also small.
ââŠDid I really? I really got bigger?â
âYes. You suddenly started growing. And you also got thicker. I was very surprised.â
I could tell by comparing myself to Rig.
I was around 1.5 times taller now.
âIâŠwhatâs happening to me?â
âI believe, sirâŠthat you have evolved. However, I donât know what it is that you evolved into.â
Evolved? Me?
Now that I thought of it, I was told that I would evolve as I continued to defeat high-ranking monsters.
However, an Ogre was supposed to evolve into a High Ogre.
âIâm hungry.â
As soon as I said this, my stomach growled loudly.
âIâll prepare some food immediately.â
âThanks. Iâm starving. I think Iâm going to die.â
âRight away, sir!â
Rig dashed out of the tent.
He really was a capable Adjutant.
As for meâŠ
âWhat have I evolved into?â
It was just as I thought this, it appeared in my mind.