CHAPTER 31

WALL

If it was one-on-one, and if it wasn’t a wetland, even the Lizard King wasn’t
Abel’s match.
However, naturally, they couldn’t take a break in a place where the corpses of
Lizardmen were piled up, so they decided to move a little to the north for the time
being.
While moisturizing their throats.
“<O Water, come out> < O Cup, appear>”
Since he felt it was cool, Ryo said chants in front of Abel as he prepared the
water.
Abel stared at it happen before drinking the water while walking.
“Hey, Ryo.”
“What’s wrong, Abel?”
“Wasn’t the chant when you prepared the water in the jug last night, <O
Water, form and come out>?”
“Eh……”
Ryo’s eyes swam involuntarily.
“Wa-was that so? Perhaps Abel misheard it?”
With Ryo’s suspicious behavior, no matter what he said, there was no
persuasive power.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. And what were those ice spears?”
“Even if you ask me that… it’s the Water-Attribute Magic <Icicle Lance>?”
“Not that, you shot four at the same time?”
“Yes, I shot four. It is such a spell, so even if you asked me what it was… I
don’t know how to answer?”
Abel pondered on how he should phrase it.
And he decided to convey the facts he knew.
“I have a Wind-Attribute Magician among my companions, but she said that
magic is activated once with one chant. But that Icicle Lance you mentioned, you
shot out four? I think that’s abnormal.”
But Ryo confidently answered.
“I don’t know about Wind-Attribute Magic, but for Water-Attribute Magic, that
just now was normal. No problem.”
“I-I see…”
Abel had no choice but to say so to Ryo’s overly confident expression.
After they walked about 30 minutes from the place where they defeated the
Lizardmen, there was a small clearing in the forest.
From experience, they thought that an Assassin Hawk would be in such a
location so they waited for a while, but none appeared, so they decided to camp
there tonight.
“For dinner… Lizardmen isn’t delicious, right?”
 “Yeah, it’s really bad. That’s why I left all the corpses.”
“I knew it… Then, I’ll hunt something so Abel please prepare dead branches
and start a fire.”
Abel, who no longer doubted Ryo’s magical abilities, accepted the proposal.
Undoubtedly, a wizard was better suited for this kind of hunting compared to a
swordsman.
“All right. Thanks in advance.”
With that said, Abel began collecting dead branches.
Ryo entered a small opening into the forest.
(Fu… Let’s unify the chant into <O Water, come out>)
On his mind was something that didn’t matter at all.
Ryo found a Normal Rabbit without much trouble and killed it with Water Jet.
Moreover, he found a loquat tree at the place where he killed it.
“Ohh, I found some fruits to add as dessert too.”
Ryo returned to the camp with the Normal Rabbit and loquat fruits in his
hands.
Abel, who was picking up dead branches, had just returned.
“Abel, I have fruits for dessert today.”
“Hoho. But that fruit… I’ve never seen it before…”
“Huh? I guess you can only find it around here. In my hometown, it is called
loquat and we eat it.”
“That’s the first time I heard of the name too. It appears sweet from the scent.
I’ll look forward to it.”
Abel began to set up a bonfire, placing the dead branches he had in his arms.
“<O Jug, appear> <O Cup, appear> <O Water, come out>”
After chanting, Ryo poured water into the cup and handed it to Abel, who was
lighting the bonfire.
“Now, Abel. The chant was <O Water, come out>. Did you hear that? That’s
the correct chant.”
“Eh? What are you talking about…”
“The chant is <O Water, come out>. Okay?”
“Ah, yes……”
Ryo strongly insisted.
The next day, they were heading north smoothly.
It was before noon that they ran into a difficult problem.
“It’s a… wall.”
“It’s a… wall all right.”
A series of rocks that could only be described as a wall, with no gaps from east
to west, and a height of 100 meters, blocked their path.
“It seems impossible to climb this.”
“Yes, the upper part is a reverse bank, so at the very least, I can’t.”
A reverse bank is a rock face in which it protrudes more than 90 degrees or
beyond the vertical rock face.
It’s also called an overhang, but in either case…
Fairly advanced rock climbing skills were needed to climb that bare-handed.
“Ku. It would be so easy for a Wind-Attribute Magician to climb!”
 “No, it’s impossible even for a Wind-Attribute Magician?”
In Abel’s mind, he imagined Rin, the Wind-Attribute Magician, and imagined
her climbing this wall.
Yeah, it’s impossible.
“I guess we have to go east or west and find a bypath.”
“Somehow… I just have a bad feeling no matter which way we choose…”
There was no basis, but Ryo said what he thought.
“Is that so? Then let’s decide with a coin.”
With that said, Abel took out a bronze coin from his wallet.
“If heads come out, it’s east, if tails come out, it’s west.”
After he said that, he flipped it with his thumb.
Then he caught the coin that fell and opened his hand.
“Heads. East.”
“Okay, let’s head east.”
Ryo nodded, but his gaze remained drawn to the coin on Abel’s left hand.
“Ryo, what’s wrong with this coin?”
“No, I’m seeing currency for the first time.”
Yes, that was the first time Ryo encountered currency since coming to [Phi].
Because he was reincarnated and lived alone all the time, he didn’t have the
opportunity or need to touch money.
“Ah……”
But Abel pitied him because he didn’t even get to touch money due to his
poverty.
He remembered Ryo’s appearance of only a loincloth and sandals when he first
met Ryo and misunderstood that he was dressed that way due to poverty.
“Abel, could you show me that coin for a moment?”
The coin that Abel gave Ryo was the lowest-value bronze coin in the kingdom’s
currency.
The currency unit in the central countries was Florin.
Money was, of course, issued by each country, but the currency unit was the
same.
There used to be several currencies, but now one Florin was equivalent to one
bronze coin and was used for various transactions and trades.
Abel explained.
(It is similar to a currency unit widely used in medieval to early modern Europe
on Earth, the Ducat.)
With that interpretation, Ryo was able to easily accept Abel’s explanation.
The bronze coin that Abel gave him had a man’s profile on the front and some
flower sculpture on the back.
“That is a one Florin bronze coin from the Kingdom of Knightley where I live.”
“Knightley! Sounds cool!”
Ryo remembered that there was an actress with that name on Earth. She was
an amazing beauty!
Ryo’s tension was skyrocketing.
“Ye-yeah. And the profile of the bronze coin is the current King Stafford IV, the
lily flower on the back is the royal flower.”
 “Stafford Knightley… that’s definitely the name for a protagonist, isn’t it?
“Well, there are various middle names and so on…”
The last of Abel’s mutterings never reached Ryo’s ears.
A man will have chuunibyou forever.
……It does seem disrespectful to call His Majesty the King’s name chuunibyou.
Ryo was excited to hear that the name of the country where Abel lived and the
country they were heading to was [The Kingdom of Knightley].
Abel was, of course, happy that others had a good feeling for his country, but it
was unavoidable that his eyes toward Ryo were the eyes of looking at a slightly
pitiful person.
Ryo walked east along the wall while looking at the coin happily. Abel walked
next to him.
“By the way, Abel said that this Florin is used in the central countries, but the
Kingdom of Knightley is just one of those central countries, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is one of the three great powers.”
Abel replied, nodding.
“Three major powers… What are the other two major powers?”
“It is the Debuhi Empire and the Handal Union.”
“Fat…” (TLN: Debu = Fat in Japanese)
Ryo muttered, frowning.
“Hmm? Do you have any unpleasant memories of the empire?”
“No, the name is just uncool…”
Ryo replied, frowning even more.
“A-ah… I see that’s important when it comes to Ryo’s values…”
Abel’s look of seeing a pitiful person when he looked at Ryo was even more
pronounced now.
“The name of the country is important to the people! I don’t want to say that
I’m a fat (Debuhi) citizen… Don’t tell me… the name of the emperor is something
along the lines of fat and has a plump body……”
Abel shook his head and replied.
“No, the family name of the imperial family is Bornemisza. The Bornemisza
family. His Majesty the Emperor Rupert VI of the Bornemisza family of the Debuhi
Empire, is over fifty years old but has not a single excess flesh, and has a steel-like
body.”
“If so, why don’t you change the name of the country!?”
Ryo shouted.
He wasn’t shouting for something based on his sense of aesthetics.
He shouted for the imperial subjects who carried a sad name.
Debuhi… At least make an anagram… No, [Hidebu] was also… there’s no other
name?

CHAPTER 32
GOLEM NEST
 The two walked along the wall.
After walking for about two hours, the wall gradually became lower.
“The wall is getting lower little by little but it still seems impossible to climb.”
“It’s difficult. Perhaps it will work out if we don’t rush and keep going like this.”
The height of the wall was getting as low as 30 meters, but it still seemed
difficult to climb.
(It feels as if the wall was gouged out by a huge laser. Maybe a Light-Attribute
Magician can use that kind of magic.)
No one answered the question that was raised in his head.
But even if he did voice it out, no one would be able to answer it either.
After walking for about another hour, the wall suddenly ended.
“Is the wall finally over?”
“So the other side of the wall was not a forest, but grasslands.”
As Ryo commented, the grasslands spread out as far as the eye could see,
apart from some rock masses that were about a meter high.
It was a significant change, given that they had been walking through a dense
forest until they hit the wall.
“The outlook is good, but… well, it doesn’t matter either way. We have no
choice but to head north anyway.”
“Then, let’s go.”
It was around the time after they set foot in the grasslands and walked for
about 30 minutes.
Kakin
Abel, the vanguard, pulled out his sword, swung it, and slashed something that
had flown over.
“……Stone?”
Abel murmured.
With that as the trigger, thumb-sized stones flew toward Abel from the front.
He avoided them or knocked them down with a sword and squinted forward.
He saw it firing a rock from about two meters away.
“<Ice Wall>”
A wall of ice created by Ryo formed in front of Abel.
Abel, who no longer had to worry about the stones due to the Ice Wall, looked
even more intently.
“Ryo, this is bad. We seemed to have entered a Rock Golem nest.”
“Golems have nests?”
Ryo, the rearguard, ran up to Abel.
“Adventurers call the place where golems appear in large numbers, [Nest].
Apparently, that is the case here. It’s my first time experiencing it too.”
Even with knowledge of it, there were times when it didn’t help.
“That rock-like thing is a Rock Golem?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
“I thought that golems would have hands and feet more like humans…”
Ryo’s knowledge came from Earth.
Even though there was no historical fact that there were golems on Earth.
A [golem] is a moving mud doll that originally appeared in Jewish folklore.
 Well, housing a soul in the soil and moving it or making it from a person, they
remained in myths and folklore all over the world, so perhaps there used to be
golems on Earth…
“Oh, those that are moved via alchemy have that shape. I’ve heard that there
is a country in the west that has a golem squad. But, naturally occurring golems
have various shapes… I guess the golems here formed from those rocks.”
As soon as Abel said that, he turned around and slashed with his sword.
Kakin.
Golems were firing stones behind too.
“<Ice Wall>”
Ryo created an Ice Wall behind as well.
“Now that I think about it, there were such rocks in the place where we passed
by. Did they wake up?”
“A pincer attack after leading us in? Lumps of soil shouldn’t use their heads
that much.”
“Is it possible to defeat golems with a sword?”
Incidentally, Ryo had no knowledge at all on them because the golem-type
monsters were not listed in [Monster’s Encyclopedia: Beginner’s Edition].
“I won’t know until I try it.”
“I guess.”
“Well, this may be a good experience. I’m attacking the one nearby. Ryo can
stay here.”
After saying that, Abel went out from between the front and back Ice Walls and
ran towards the Rock Golem which was approaching from the front to the right.
Yes, the Rock Golem had the appearance of a [rock], but it was getting closer
and closer.
(Since it is a rock, it probably can’t be cut with a normal Water Jet. Abrasive
Jet likely can cut it… but it doesn’t feel like it will cut in an instant… I’ll try it later.)
While Ryo was thinking about that, Abel slashed into one of the Rock Golems.
“Combat Art: Perfect Pierce”
As he approached, he activated the combat art and thrust with his sword.
Zaku
Abel’s partner, his magic sword, coupled with the effects of the combat art,
pierced the Rock Golem’s body.
He pierced it and mowed it down sideways.
Ordinary creatures would die from that but… the golem was already repairing
the location where it was cut.
“Damn”
Abel kicked the golem that was restoring itself with his foot before heading
back to the Ice Wall.
He did so to earn some time before it could fire the stones.
Getting shot from behind while running would be difficult to dodge.
Perhaps the golem couldn’t shoot stones while it was toppled over as Abel was
able to safely return to the Ice Wall.
“It doesn’t work, they can repair themselves.”
“Yeah, I saw it. The golems current moving, including the one Abel attacked,
are seven in front and five behind.”
“Twelve in total huh… the prospect of escaping is a bit slim.”
“Yeah, it’s impossible to escape. Hmm~ there is an attack I want to try… can I
try it?”
Ryo said and looked up at the sky.
“Either way, I am out of means. I’ll leave it to you.”
“Then. <Ice Wall 10 layers>”
Upon Ryo’s chant, Ice Walls formed [parallel to the ground] 40 meters above
the golems.
And then, they fell.
Accompanied by a roaring sound, the soil and grass were blown up many
meters.
Ryo and Abel weren’t hurt because they had a defensive ice wall, but the place
where the Ice Wall 10 layers fell was terrible.
Of course, the Rock Golems that the walls of ice fell on… there were no
fragments of them left.
It seemed to have crushed two golems.
“Weapons that rely on mass are scary.”
Yes, what Ryo did was nothing special.
He just created Ice Walls in the sky and dropped them.
He used 10 layers because he imagined that 10 layers would be heavier…
The Icicle Lances from the sky and this new attempt, it seemed that Ryo may
have a liking toward dropping things.
Ryo was content with the result but Abel remained stunned and couldn’t move.
It took about 5 seconds for him to move once again.
“Ry-Ryo… What was that just now?”
“See, this Ice Wall in front of us, I just created it in the sky and dropped it. It’s
extremely simple but it worked.”
Ryo smiled broadly to reassure Abel.
Even though the weapon utilizing mass produced an effect that was stronger
than expected… Ryo thought that it would be cooler to show that everything was as
expected.
“It seems that I killed two of them but I guess I can kill the others in the same
way too.”
After saying that, Ryo generated Ice Wall 10 layers in the sky one after
another, dropped them, and pressed them against the ground.
Ryo noticed.
Only the Rock Golem that Abel kicked down had stopped moving since then.
“Abel, I’ve defeated 11 for the time being.”
“11? Hn? But there were 12?”
“Yeah, the one that Abel kicked down first had stopped moving.”
Ryo said and pointed to the golem that Abel kicked down.
“Yeah… it certainly isn’t moving.”
After dispelling the defensive Ice Wall, the two of them approached the toppled
golem.
Abel touched the golem with the tip of his sword but there was no reaction at
all.
“Why did it stop moving…?”
“Maybe it stopped working due to Abel’s terrific kicking technique. Abel should
stop being a swordsman and become a grappler!”
“What is a grappler? In any case, it wasn’t such a great kick.”
Abel’s kick was more of a knock-down kick rather than a damaging kick.
It was a push with the sole of his foot… almost like a professional wrestling
kick.
Against a human opponent, just kicking the solar plexus would deal damage,
but such a kick would not deal any damage to a golem made of stone.
“Perhaps…”
Ryo crouched down and carefully examined the lower part of the Rock Golem,
which was originally in contact with the ground.
He was hypothesizing if the golem was supplied with some sort of energy from
the ground and could only receive it with the lower part of the golem.
The source of that suspicion was the non-contact smartphone charging
technology.
He remembered wondering on Earth if he installed that technology on the floor
or the walls of his house, he wouldn’t need a power outlet for home appliances…
when he saw the golem that turned over and stopped moving, his mind went to
that.
On the golem… there was certainly something.
“Abel, look at this.”
Ryo showed Abel the spot.
“Is that… a magic stone?”
A small glimpse of a yellow magic stone was visible from the part where the
golem was originally in contact with the ground.
“Should we dig it out of the golem?”
“Yeah. But a Rock Golem is tough. My combat art Perfect Pierce could do it
but…”
“It’s okay, it will take some time but there is a spell that is just right for this in
Water-Attribute Magic. <Abrasive Jet>”
A spell that he thought wouldn’t be useful for defeating Rock Golems, but
would be just right for dismantling, even if it took some time.
Since he didn’t know how big the buried magic stone was, he carefully scraped
off the surrounding rock.
After about 10 minutes, he succeeded in retrieving the magic stone.
It was a palm-sized yellow magic stone.
“This is… pretty big.”
It was a shocking magic stone even for Abel, who had defeated countless
monsters and gathered countless magic stones.
The value of a magic stone was determined by its size, color, and shade.
The larger the size, the greater the value. Generally, stronger monsters have
larger magic stones.
The colors had their corresponding magical attribute. Red for fire, blue for
water.
 And the shade depends, in general, on how long the monster lived since it was
born, the duration, and its experience. The more experience it has, the darker it
becomes, and the darker it is, the higher the value.
“The size is perfect. The color is yellow, so it has Earth Attribute. Its shade is
also surprisingly dark. It probably defeated the monsters that intruded here for a
long time.”
Abel said while looking at the golem’s magic stone.
“Ooo, so this is the loot for this battle. Abel should carry it.”
“Me?”
“Yes, since my clothes don’t have pockets.”
“O-oh.”

CHAPTER 33
ABEL’S KNOWLEDGE

Ryo also looked around at the Rock Golems that he crushed with the Ice Walls
but the magic stones were brilliantly crushed.
“This method was a failure.”
Ryo’s shoulders slumped from disappointment.
“No, we would have been killed if you did not defeat them… for us to survive,
you had no choice. In the first place, we didn’t know that the magic stones could be
harvested.”
“You’re right. In order to succeed, you must first survive, right?”
Ryo remembered the words of a man who earned more than hundreds of
billions of yen a year and crushed the Bank of England.
As one of the world’s three largest investors, it was true that he survived.
So Ryo nodded in agreement.
“It seems that there are some that are still stationary a little farther away…
what should we do?”
Only the Rock Golems around the area attacked Ryo and Abel and a good
number of rock masses could still be seen in the distance to the west.
“Yeah… honestly, I don’t want to bring upon unnecessary trouble to ourselves.
And it would tough for Abel if your pockets were filled with magic stones like this,
right?”
“Well, putting aside that thing about my pocket, I agree with not stirring up a
hornet’s nest. Let’s quickly resume heading north.”
He said and they started walking north.
“I wonder if the Rock Golem nest was directly above us when we were walking
along the wall.”
“That’s likely the case given the position. Although I don’t know why that was
the case.”
“Was there any special magical power coming out of the ground… or was it a
trap set by someone?”
Ryo commented like a detective.
 “Someone… I don’t think there’s anyone in this place.”
“It doesn’t have to be a person, right?”
Ryo’s eyes shone.
“An Elf or a Dwarf?”
“Sigh…”
Ryo sighed as he looked sideways at Abel and shrugged with his hands up, as
though he was feeling disappointed.
“Hey, don’t look at me like you’re looking at a pitiful person.”
“If it’s not a person, it should be an Akuma or something like that.”
“Akuma… what is that?”
“Eh? What?”
At the end of [Monster’s Encyclopedia: Beginner’s Edition], Michael
(pseudonym) intentionally added some entries as a [Special Edition].
They were the [Dragon] and [Akuma].
Since it was written on purpose, Ryo thought it was common knowledge for
humans living on [Phi].
Abel had a great deal of knowledge when he explained the central nations.
At least, Ryo thought that he was a person who had above-average knowledge
among the people living on this [Phi] world.
However, Abel said he didn’t know about [Akuma] …
“Abel, do you know about dragons?”
“Of course. That said, I have not seen one before, them being legendary
creatures, but I know about them.”
They were real but Ryo decided not to reveal his encounter.
He felt that it was better not to talk about it…
“Then, haven’t you heard of Devils or Daemons?”
“I’ve heard of Devils. They are adversaries of God and Angels.”
(I see. They are known as Devils?)

(TLN: Akuma 悪魔 = Devil デビル but the author is making a distinction that they
are different in this world. Edited the entry in Chapter 18.)

However, Ryo felt a faint sense of incongruity.

In that case, why did Michael (pseudonym) write [Akuma] instead of [Devil]?
Moreover, the explanation for Akuma was.
[Not… fallen angels. Origins are unknown.]
(Something’s off. But there’s no point worrying about it now.)
“Then, Ryo, you’re suggesting that these Rock Golems were installed by a
Devil?”
“You can’t say that there isn’t a possibility of it, right?”
Of course, he made that claim without any basis.
“By the way, did Abel just say elf or dwarf?”
“Yeah, I did. Although, I was looked at by some Water-Attribute Magician with
a look of ridicule.”
Abel glared at Ryo.
“Abel, you can’t be a good swordsman if you stick to such details.”
 “I don’t want to be told that by you!”
After surviving through several life-and-death struggles, the two had become
comrades.
That was a good thing for traveling companions.
“Well, anyway, tell me more about elves and dwarves.”
Ryo prioritized his interests without worrying about Abel’s yelling.
“Sheesh… Dwarves can commonly be found in cities. After all, many of them
are good blacksmiths. About one-third of good blacksmiths are dwarves. Also, they
make pretty good adventurers. Because they have strong arms, they are often in
the vanguard role.”
“I see. That’s exactly what I imagined.”
“What kind of image do you have… As for elves, there is an extremely small
number of them. You will rarely see them even in cities. Even in the City of Rune
where I am based, there is only one adventurer, and that is maybe the only elf in
the City of Rune. Many form villages in the woods and rarely come out. In the
Kingdom of Knightley, they live in a village in the woods west of the kingdom.”
“I see. That’s exactly what I imagined too.”
“Like I asked, what kind of image is it?!”
Abel was feeling half angry and half annoyed.
After passing through the Rock Golem nest, the two had walked for quite a bit.
They wanted to get away from the dangerous nest as soon as possible, and
because it was grasslands rather than a forest, they were able to speed up
naturally.
When the sun began to set, they reached a river.
“Let’s camp around here today.”
“Okay. Dinner will be salt-grilled river fish then.”
“Ooo, that sounds great. Then, I’ll procure the fish.”
Usually, Ryo, the Magician, would hunt Lesser Rabbits and such, but today Abel
offered to do the hunting.
“Are you sure?”
“Hey, oi, don’t look at me with such an intense look of doubt. Mostly, I
procured the fish when I was working with my companions.”
“Okay, then I’ll leave it to Abel. I’ll gather the dead branches.”
So Ryo left for firewood gathering and Abel headed to the river.
“Sheesh… I’m good at procuring fish.”
Grumbling, Abel took off his shoes, rolled up the hem of his pants, and pulled
the sword out from his waist.
Then he entered the river until it reached his knees.
He entered the river and waited quietly for something.
A few seconds later.
He stabbed his sword into the river.
A fish was magnificently pierced by the tip of the sword that was pulled up.
“Good.”
Abel continued to procure dinner in a similar manner.
Grilled fish for the first time in a long time.
It was basic, seasoned only with salt, but it was delicious.
 Both Ryo and Abel loved meat, but…
“Sometimes fish is good. It’s delicious.”
“That’s because Abel succeeded in procuring ingredients properly. I
underestimated you.”
Ryo said and bowed his head.
“No, well, it’s fine as long as you understand.”
Abel was a little embarrassed.
“River fish is great after all. Compared to the sea, the sea…”
“Hmm? You were at the beach when you helped me. Do you hate the sea?”
“Yeah, I was almost killed a long time ago…”
“A Water-Attribute Magician of Ryo’s caliber was almost killed… by what?”
“The Kraken.”
When he said that, Ryo firmly vowed to defeat it someday, the Kraken.
“Huh? Was Ryo also attacked by the Kraken? But there was no ship… Oh, was
it destroyed by the Kraken at that time?”
“No, I lost one-on-one with the Kraken in the sea.”
“Yeah, I don’t really know what you’re talking about anymore.”
“Of course, I didn’t fight because I wanted to, okay? There are some battles
that men can’t avoid, and that was one of them.”
When he said that, Ryo nodded as if he had come up with a good idea.
“I was defeated because I was alone at that time, but now that I have Abel, I
should be able to beat the Kraken! When we reach the sea, let’s fight the Kraken,
underwater! It’s a revenge match!”
“Oh, yeah, Ryo, do your best, because I’ll be cheering on land! Leave it to me
to cheer you on, I’m good at it even though I look like this!”
“You ran away… terrible…”
“That’s a given!”
Thus, the night of the Rondo subcontinent drew late.

CHAPTER 34
ABEL’S SACRIFICE

The next day, early morning.

The previous night’s lookout was Ryo for the first half and Abel for the second
half too.
When Ryo woke up in the morning, Abel wasn’t in front of the bonfire.
He was swinging his sword in the distance.
His appearance was so sophisticated that it wouldn’t feel strange to called it a
[Sword Dance].
Slowly, but without a momentary delay, the sword was swung to verify the
body’s movements.
It was completely different from the basic movements in Ryo’s Kendo or
Japanese swordsmanship.
However, those movements fascinated Ryo, even as an outsider of the
swordsmanship of [Phi].
Swordsmanship achieved by carefully pilling on every foundation and basics.
That may be the outcome of a person who has both the natural talent and the
fruits of their efforts.
Perhaps Abel himself didn’t think that he was working hard.
‘This is the norm’ ‘Just ordinary’…he probably thought that as he swung his
sword… even though it would look to others that he was working hard.
Just because you make an effort does not mean that you will get the results
you want, when you want them.
Therefore, some people say, ‘Even if you make an effort, you will not be
rewarded.’
It’s saddening.
But to Ryo. He believed that hard work does not betray you.
It was certainly not always possible to get the desired result at the desired
timing.
However, the result of the effort will surely come.
That said, it was also true that it wouldn’t make sense to some no matter how
many times you say it… After all, people may not understand it unless they
experience it.
People believe what they want to believe… that’s the kind of creatures people
are.
Ryo watched Abel’s [Sword Dance] and thought that if people looked at a
person like Abel up close, it might change them a little.
While fascinated and impressed, Ryo unknowingly analyzed and remembered
each of Abel’s movements.
“Oh, Ryo, you’re awake?”
After finishing a series of movements, Abel called out to Ryo.
Of course, Abel had noticed that Ryo had been watching for a long time.
He was watching quietly and he wanted to move his body a little more, so he
kept swinging his sword.
He had been used to being watched from a long time ago so it didn’t really
bother him.
“It’s amazing. I thought Abel’s sword was nice, but it’s really sophisticated and
beautiful.”
Ryo praised him from the bottom of his heart.
“Stop it. I’ve been doing it for a long time, so I just remembered with my
body. I’ve sweat a little so I’ll go wash up in the river.”
(Ah, was he training in the morning because there was a river nearby? If he
could bathe in the river, I wouldn’t have to use <Shower>. Abel is considerate for
various things.)
For breakfast, they baked and ate the fish that Abel caught while bathing.
Breakfast was crucial.
That was an enduring fact from ancient times.
“The river seems to be flowing from the north, so perhaps we can try traveling
upstream along the river?”
“Yes, I thought that was a good plan too.”
 (Maybe…)
Ryo thought to himself and decided to disclose the information to Abel.
“Abel, this land we are in is surrounded by the sea on three sides, east, south,
and west.”
“Oh, so that’s why we’re heading north?”
“Yes. However, there is a mountain range in the north. And another mountain
range that spans from the east to west that intersects with it. That forms a sort of
lid that covers the north. And humans live beyond that mountain range, on the
northern side.”
Abel had suspicions when he heard that.
“Ryo, I do not doubt you but… where is that information from?”
“It’s better not to ask. Just know that it is information from a being that is
beyond human comprehension.”
With that said, Ryo stared fixedly at Abel.
At times like these, the eyes speak as much as the mouth.
He shouldn’t look away.
Looking at how Ryo was acting, Abel nodded.
“Okay, if that’s what Ryo says, I believe you. Either way, there’s no other
information to rely on.”
“Thank you, Abel.”
Ryo said and bowed his head.
“No, I’m the grateful one. If you’re saying this at this timing, do you think that
the river may be flowing from the mountain range to the north?”
“That’s right. Well, it’s just a possibility. For now, keep in mind we’ll eventually
have to cross the mountains as we head north.”
“All right.”
The two walked along the river toward the north.
After walking for a while, they encountered a Horn Bison drinking water.
The cow monster Ryo saw a long time ago that pierced a crocodile at a river
near his house.
That Horn Bison was mercilessly hunted by Abel for lunch that day.
Ryo remembered when he met the Horn Bison.
It gouged the crocodile but there were piranhas in that river.
However, it seemed that there were no such devilish fish in this river.
Otherwise, Abel would have been eaten by piranhas as of last evening.
Ryo was only aware now that he had asked for something terrifying when he
thought about it.
“Hey, Ryo.”
“Eh, oh, what’s wrong with Abel?”
“Are you hiding something inconvenient for me?”
(Is he an esper!)
In Ryo’s heart, his face reflected the expression of the graphic novel-like
[Scream] portrait.
At times like these, it was best to dodge the question.
At times like these, the eyes speak as much as the mouth.
He shouldn’t look away.
 “I- I have completely no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, your eyes are looking at me straight, but you’re sweating, your words
are shaking, I can tell even if I try not to, right?”
Abel was staring at Ryo intently.
After that, Ryo desperately tried to dodge the issue, but after a while, he gave
up and told Abel about the Horn Bison and Piranha.
“So there are such terrifying fishes…”
“Of course, I didn’t intentionally offer Abel as a sacrifice, okay?”
“Obviously… well, there weren’t such fishes yesterday or this morning, so
perhaps they are not found in this river… Ryo, do you have anything else you
should be telling me? Don’t hide any other information that could be life-
threatening for me. Is that okay?”
“Yes, okay. I will give Abel all the information I know.”
Of course, that was a lie.
He didn’t tell him anything about the Dragon or Dullahan.
However, those were decided by Ryo as matters that would be better not told,
different from the piranha incident that he had completely forgotten about and did
not tell him.
Ryo arbitrarily decided it that way.
It goes without saying that Abel entered the river more carefully than
yesterday when procuring food in the river that evening.

CHAPTER 35
GREAT MONSTER BATTLE

Ryo and Abel were in a difficult situation.

“Abel, what is that…”
It was quite a distance ahead, but some giant creature was lying along the
river.
“That’s the first time I’m seeing one, but I think it’s a Behemoth…”
Abel answered quietly.
Of course, thinking with common sense, it was not a distance where it could
hear them even if they talked normally, but it still made them think that they
should talk softly.
If they made a mistake and it attacked…
“Abel, seems like you can hunt it.”
“There is no way!”
A huge monster with a total height of well over 100 meters.
And if it truly was a Behemoth, even if it was not a Dragon, they have not been
reported to come in contact with people for more than a hundred years.
At least in the Kingdom of Knightley, no such report had been made.
“With such a gigantic body, it seems that it can easily block that free-falling Ice
Wall 10 layers that I used against the Rock Golems.”
Ryo seemed to be having a little more fun than Abel, who had cold sweats and
was keeping his voice down.
To Ryo, It was a sight that he could never see when he was on Earth.
And it was a creature that did not exist on Earth.
Sure, he understood that there was a danger to their lives, but at the same
time, he also realized that he was a little excited.
“First of all, it doesn’t seem like it will work. Ryo, definitely don’t try it, okay?”
“Sheesh, Abel, don’t you think I’m such a crazy person?”
“Yeah, I do.”
Abel nodded greatly.
Ryo was shocked to see that.
Then, Ryo noticed something.
Something was approaching from the northern sky.
“Abel, something is coming from the sky over there.”
Abel looked at the northern sky as he was told.
Even Abel, who had good eyesight, could see something approaching, but he
could not tell what it was clearly.
It was not clear but to be able to tell that [something] was flying from this
distance, it was definitely a bird.
“Dragon…?”
“No, their hands are wings, so they are Wyverns to be exact.”
“Oh, the backward compatible version of Dragons!”
What a terrible way of putting it.
“Six Wyverns…”
There were many eyewitness accounts of Wyverns in the central countries.
And there were quite a few cases where caravans and villages had been
attacked.
Although incomparable to a Dragon, they were still not something that
adventurers and knights could manage with just a few people. Of course, that was
against one Wyvern.
Now they were looking at six…
“Those Wyverns… their goal is…”
“Yeah. That Behemoth.”
“We get to watch a great monster battle!”
“No… it will be overwhelmingly tough for the Behemoth…”
Abel expressed his view.
Abel had participated in Wyvern subjugations several times before.
Therefore, he knew the strength and troublesomeness of Wyverns.
“I don’t think Behi-chan will lose so easily!”
Before he knew it, Ryo had named it Behi-chan.
Well, surely, if you ignore its huge size, it looked like a hippopotamus so you
can’t… can’t… can’t say that it’s not adorable.
“Attacking with numbers against just one target, they are a disgrace to the
Dragon’s way.”
“Dragon’s way… Well, that’s true but they have an overwhelmingly advantage
to be able to attack from the air. Wyverns can use Wind-Attribute Magic. Especially
invisible attack spells like Air Slash and the superior spell Sonic Blade which is a
bigger threat.”
“Sonic blade! Sonic blade from three body clones and a charging attack at the
same time!”
That tactic he calls a breakdown rush was something Ryo was particular about.
“Body clones are definitely impossible… and I have not heard of Sonic Blade
accompanied by a charging attack?”
Abel seriously answered Ryo’s delusions. He was a good guy.
The Behemoth that was lying down also began getting up to deal with the
imminent threat.
Specifically, it just got on to its hands and knees.
The Behemoth on the ground and six Wyverns hovering in the air, the distance
between them were about 40 meters.
The Wyverns initiated the fight.
They flapped their wings and seemingly attacked with Air Slashes.
Ryo and Abel could only guess that they were Air Slashes because the slight air
distortion caused by the casting of an Air Slash was not visible from that distance.
However, the Behemoth probably could recognize all the Air Slashes, including
the number and trajectory of the shots.
Six human-head-sized pebbles instantly formed around the Behemoth.
As soon as they were created, the pebbles were released and accurately
intercepted all the Air Slashes.
“Ooo.”
“As expected of Behi-chan!”
“The next attack will likely be the ranged attack, Sonic Blade.”
Based on his past experience with Wyverns, Abel predicted the next move of
the Wyverns.
“The trouble with Sonic Blade is that it splits into multiple blades after launch.”
“A saturation attack utilizing the power of numbers? Wind magic is terrible!”
There was nothing more troublesome than a spell that splits before landing.
As Abel envisioned, six Sonic Blades were fired from the six Wyverns.
Unlike Air Slash, Sonic Blade was a visible Wind-Attribute attack magic.
The six wind blades heading for Behemoth split into dozens of smaller blades
after crossing half the distance.
But that may have been within the Behemoth’s expectations.
The Behemoth did not intercept with pebbles but created a huge stone wall in
front of him from the ground.
The stone wall protected against all the Sonic Blades.
“I heard that the Behemoth was a monster of the earth, but I didn’t expect it
to manipulate Earth-Attribute Magic so well.”
“I was expecting a melee battle but it turned out to be a magic battle.”
“In any case, it lacks a decisive hit.”
The Wyverns, which were gathered in one place when they attacked, began to
move and formed a circle to surround the Behemoth.
“It can’t possibly defend against attacks from all directions with the stone wall
just now, what will it do?”
“Ku… Good luck Behi-chan.”
 When the Wyverns completed the circle and were about to release the Sonic
Blades, Ryo felt a sense of discomfort.
That sense of discomfort was centered on the Behemoth.
Of course, he didn’t know the reason or the cause.
He didn’t know but it felt strange.
However, he had felt that sense of strangeness before.
That discomfort rapidly spread from around the Behemoth and quickly
encompassed the Wyverns.
The moment the Wyverns entered that zone, the Sonic Blades, which were
about to be launched, were canceled and the Wyverns crashed to the ground.
From the hovering state, they crashed as if they had lost lift in an instant…
“Paralysis? And in all directions?”
“No… it’s not that.”
When Abel looked at Ryo, Ryo’s face was a little pale.
“That’s probably magic nullification.”
Yes, the discomfort that Ryo had felt before was the magical nullification that
the one-eyed Assassin Hawk seemed to have acquired after evolution.
The Wyverns probably flew using magic.
Otherwise, it would be impossible to hover with such large bodies.
Gliding might be possible but hovering in the air would be impossible.
And that magic was sealed by the Behemoth and they crashed.
Although their magic was sealed so they can’t fly or attack with wind magic,
they should be able to move if they were not paralyzed.
With that thought in mind, he saw that some of the grounded Wyverns got up
and still displayed a fighting stance.
“Magic nullification? Making it impossible to use magic? Such a thing is
possible? I’ve never heard of monsters using that, not to mention human
Magicians. That’s impossible.”
“Look. The fallen Wyverns are up. If they were paralyzed, they shouldn’t be
able to move after they fall.”
“I see, you’re right. But magic nullification… that kind of thing… seems more
likely to be a dungeon trap…”
“Dungeon!”
Speaking of fantasy, dungeons!
“Is there a dungeon in the Kingdom of Knightley?”
“Oh, there is. The only dungeon in the central countries.”
Ryo got excited when he heard it.
“That’s wonderful! So there is a dungeon trap with magic nullification.”
“I’ve never heard of such a trap in the dungeon in the kingdom. There
apparently is such a trap in a dungeon in the western countries. A room with magic
nullification space.”
“Hoho. If there are dungeons, it won’t be strange to see monsters appear.”
“No, I think that’s strange enough…”
Abel frowned and shook his head.
“Is Ryo interested in dungeons?”
“Of course. I want to dive into one someday.”
 “Then, you’re in luck. The only dungeon in the central countries is in the City of
Rune we are heading to.”
That information came as a surprise for Ryo.
“What… Why did Abel keep silent about that until now!”
“Well, even if you say that… I didn’t know that Ryo was so interested in
dungeons…”
The fight continued on the battlefield while the two were talking.
However, it is more of a one-sided trampling than a battle…
The Wyverns lost their overwhelmingly advantageous position in the air, could
not use attack magic, and could not fly.
On the other hand, the Behemoth was a sufficient threat with its huge body
alone.
No matter what physical attack the Wyverns made, the Behemoth was not
hurt.
What’s more, the Wyverns couldn’t use magic but the Behemoth could use it
without any issues.
While trampling on one of the Wyverns with its foot, it hit a wyvern at the rear
with stone to prevent it from escaping.
The one-sided battle was over in less than five minutes.
Six Wyvern corpses were lying there.
“We’ve seen something scary.”
“Yeah, the Behemoth is terrifying.”
Before the battle, Abel thought that the Wyvern had an overwhelming
advantage, but he never imagined that it would be such a one-sided development.
Abel swore firmly in his heart that he absolutely did not want to fight that.
“Now, the second round is Abel vs. Behi-chan.”
“Don’t joke around!”
The two intently gave the Behemoth, which was eating the Wyverns, a wide
berth.

CHAPTER 36
INVISIBLE THREAT

After taking a large detour east to bypass the Behemoth-Wyvern battlefield,

the two headed north.
After walking for a while, Abel spoke to Ryo.
“Hey, Ryo, if my eyes are not playing tricks on me, I can see a series of
extremely tall mountains in front of us.”
“It’s strange. I see a series of inconceivably tall mountains too.”
It was still quite a distance but they could see the snow-capped mountains
rising above the clouds.
In terms of the Earth units, the mountains were about 6,000 meters or 7,000
meters tall?
“So that’s the mountain range that acts as the lid…”
 “I fear you are correct.”
Ryo didn’t expect the mountains to be that intimidating.
“Before crossing the mountain… I think it’s better to prepare dried meat while
we’re at the foot of the mountain. It might not be an issue halfway through but
after we cross the halfway point, it seems like it will be difficult hunting creatures
for the meal of the day.”
“Yeah… the ground might be covered in snow.”
“Absolutely… If I was a Wind-Attribute Magician, I could leap over a mountain
like that with a single jump!”
In Abel’s head, he pictured his party member, Rin, a Wind-Attribute Magician,
trying to cross the mountain range in one go, and couldn’t see it happening at all.
“No, that’s impossible.”
Abel denied Ryo’s delusion.
The two proceeded north and entered a forest.
“Speaking of which, Abel. Have you ever defeated Wyverns?”
“Hn? I’ve participated in their subjugation several times. Why?”
“Well, didn’t the Wyverns who appeared at Behi-chan’s location come from the
northern mountain range?”
Upon hearing that, Abel, who was walking beside Ryo, slowly turned his head
toward Ryo as if a squeaking noise could be heard.
“Don’t tell me that there will be Wyverns ahead…?”
“Yes, I’m sure there will be.”
In contrast to Abel’s stunned expression, Ryo’s expression could even be said
to be bright.
In fact, Ryo wanted to see the Wyverns a little closer.
The battle with the Behemoth was seen from a great distance.
“Wyverns aren’t monsters that can be managed by two or so people. In fact,
for Wyvern subjugations, there would be at least 20 people and they would have to
be C-class adventurers and above. Even then, there would be victims on the
adventurer side. “
To Abel, who had seen adventurers injured and in some cases die during
Wyvern subjugations, Wyverns were opponents he would want to avoid if possible.
“How do you fight during subjugations? Since they are in the air, Abel’s
Combat Arts won’t be able to reach, right?”
“When the opponent is a Wyvern, we swordsmen would act as decoys and
have the role of dealing the final blow when they fall to the ground. However, for
the Wyvern class, the bow and arrow is ineffective against them, so the main
method of attack would be reliant on Magicians.”
“Ooo, Magicians banzai.”
Ryo commented and cheered.
“Well, even with that said, one or two Magicians can’t achieve anything. While
alive, Wyverns guard their bodies with wind magic so even if they are hit by Fire-
Attribute attack magic, they suffer almost no damage.”
Abel explained to Ryo as he recalled the memories of the subjugations he
participated in and the points to note.
“Those Fire-Attribute Magicians aren’t that big a deal.”
 As a Water-Attribute Magician, Ryo revealed his rivalry toward the Fire
attribute.
Even though he had never met a Fire-Attribute Magician since he came to
[Phi].
Of course, he had never met a Magician other than himself since he was born.
“Still, in terms of attack power, Fire-Attribute Magic is the strongest. In the
first place, Wyverns use Wind-Attribute Magic, so the magic from Wind-Attribute
Magicians can’t deal any damage to them.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Even if they fire Air Slashes at it, it won’t hit.”
The Bait Ball and Kraken that Ryo met in the sea came to mind.
(I wonder if they are the kind that will snatch magic control. I guess if it’s the
same magic attribute, snatching control is the main way to go…)
“That’s why Fire-Attribute Magicians will solely focus on shooting Fireballs, Fire
Lances, etc. And that’s how they whittle down the endurance of the Wyvern.”
“Somehow… I get the impression that it’s not very refined…”
“It can’t be helped. There is no established way to hunt Wyverns with
certainty. Hit it with Fire Magic, whittle down its endurance, and if you are lucky
enough that the magic passes through when the wind defense is weakened, it will
fall to the ground. However, when faced with Fire Magic attacks, the Wyverns will
be angered and their diving charges would give rise to many casualties.”
Abel shrugged and answered.
“Yeah, I think humans shouldn’t try to confront Wyverns anymore.”
“Even if we don’t wish to, it’s not good if one appears on the route of caravans
and trade becomes stagnant. The feudal lords and kings would request the
adventurer’s guild to subdue them.”
At that point, Abel suddenly got into combat readiness.
(Something is strange.)
Ryo, like Abel, felt uncomfortable.
“Something is strange… with the plants…”
Ryo whispered to Abel.
In other words, it was not an animal-based monster. The plants around them
were the cause of the discomfort.
However, there were no incoming attacks.
Nothing was attacking… as far as they could see.
Suddenly Abel knelt on one knee.
“Abel!”
“It’s okay, it must be poison or something, but I’ll be back to normal soon.”
After saying that, Abel stood up as if he had immediately recovered from the
poison and then pulled out his sword.
Ryo imagined capturing all the water vapor molecules floating in the air within
a radius of 20 meters.
(<Active Sonar>)
Instantaneously, his head was swimming from the overwhelming flow of
information into his head.
But he had no other choice now.
 The [Ping] that he emitted from his body spread like ripples along the
surrounding water molecules.
Just like the spreading waves when you drop a stone into the mirror-like
surface of still water.
Utilizing that, he caught some floating [foreign substances].
(This sensation is a paralytic poison.)
Based on the [Ping] that was reflected off the foreign substances, he identified
the foreign substance from past experience.
(The direction of higher density is… to the right… I can’t see anything… no, it’s
shaking slightly.)
“<Squall>”
The sudden rain flushed the paralytic poison in the air to the ground.
“<Ice Coffin>”
And he completely sealed the source of the paralytic poison in ice.
Previously, he could not control Water Magic within 10cm from the surface of a
creature, but perhaps as the result of considerable effort, he could now freeze the
air surrounding creatures.
“That lump of ice…”
“That plant was spreading the paralytic poison. So I locked it in ice to prevent
the poison from scattering.”
“But… what is this…”
Abel was also surprised by the monster he saw for the first time.
Perhaps because it was frozen in ice and its refractive index changed, they
could see the plant monster that looked just like the Rafflesia plant.
“Maybe it can reflect like a mirror and could camouflage with the surrounding
scenery.”
“So that’s why we couldn’t see it…”
Abel also felt a sense of discomfort from the surroundings but could not
identify the cause.
That was a given if it was an invisible monster.
“So what are you doing to do with this lump of ice?”
“Let’s leave it as it is and it should thaw when it is far enough away from me.
In the case of plants, it should live once it thaws. It has nothing to do with us so
let’s choose to let it live.”
“Then… what happens to creatures apart from plants?”
“They’ll die. I tried to allow blood to circulate through the heart when in the
ice, or conversely, to put them in a state of suspended animation through cryogenic
freezing, but… it still doesn’t work well. I’ll have to work harder.”
“I-I see…”
Abel swallowed his saliva.
Yes, Abel thought about the possibility of being frozen in ice.
Of course, Ryo wouldn’t do such a thing, but even if he wouldn’t… sometimes
the mind would consider the possibility when thinking about ‘possible or
impossible’.
Ryo’s voice pierced into him at that moment.
“Abel… I know what you’re thinking!”
 “W-what…”
As expected, Abel couldn’t hide his unease.
“In the summer, the ice coffin would feel cold and comfortable, isn’t it?
Sheesh… that would be troublesome.”
“Ah… I’m a lot more relieved for many different reasons.”
Although disappointed, Abel was a little happy for certain reasons.

CHAPTER 37
DRIED MEAT

A time to relax after eating dinner.

Even though they were on a journey, their nerves wouldn’t last if they stayed
vigilant all the time.
To loosen up when there’s the chance to and be vigilant when needed. That
was important.
“A plant monster that spits paralytic poison… and it’s invisible… that’s the first
time I’ve heard of such a monster.”
Even Abel, who had considerable experience as an adventurer, did not know
such a monster.
“There were no such plant monsters in the area where I lived.”
“Plant monsters generally spawn in fairly concentrated areas since they don’t
move like animal monsters. People usually do not encounter them. But some
adventurers hunt only plant monsters.”
“Hoho. Do they drop some good materials?”
“Yeah, alchemy materials or materials for magic tools.”
“I’m really interested in alchemy!”
Ryo expressed his admiration for alchemy, which he had never seen before,
with sparkling eyes.
“It is apparently quite difficult to become a full-fledged alchemist.”
“Just as I want it! Three years on a stone will make it warm!” (TLN: Proverb
for perseverance will prevail)
Abel didn’t understand the meaning of [Three years on a stone will make it
warm] but decided to let it pass.
“By the way, how did Ryo defend against the paralyzing poison of that
monster?”
Yes, Abel found it strange.
Abel was wearing an item that allowed him to recover from abnormal
conditions.
It could detoxify normal poison immediately.
The paralytic poison this time was so powerful that it affected his body, albeit
slightly, to the extent that he knelt to one knee.
However, Ryo didn’t look like he was affected by the poison.
“No, I didn’t do anything in particular.”
Yes, Ryo did nothing.
 That said, he had never practiced gaining resistance to poison.
In the first place, Ryo couldn’t find [Detoxifying Grass] around his house.
(I wonder why nothing happened. The blessing of the Water Fairy King… no, I
can’t assume that this world has such blessings… maybe…)
“Was it the effect of this robe?”
He somehow came up with it and gave it a try.
There was no way to verify it anyway so for the time being, he just thanked
the person who gave it to him.
(Thank you, Master.)
“Oh, that’s plausible. At first glance, it looks like a normal robe but it’s
definitely not normal.”
“Abel, the way you phrase it is strange.”
“Well, I know, but I can’t help it because I can only express it that way.”
“I just thanked my master for giving me this in my heart.”
“Oh, that’s good, because gratitude is important.”
The moment he heard that, Ryo’s face was full of astonishment.
“Abel said something decent…”
“Hey, oi, the things I say are always decent!”
“It’s a pattern that only the person themselves thinks so.”
“I don’t want to be told that by you!”
The next day onward, they started making dried meat for crossing the
mountain.
While in the woods, they wanted to hunt for rabbit and boar meat.
There were many rabbits and boars in forests but they were rarely found in
grasslands.
Ryo had never heard of such habits on Earth, but when he asked Abel,
“That’s how it is.”
He got a dull answer.
In about two days, they were able to hunt five each.
It was more than enough for two people’s share of dried meat.
「Salt」was indispensable for making dried meat.
And a decent amount of it was required.
Originally he wanted to soak it in soy sauce, but… he didn’t have it on hand.
It couldn’t be helped, so he sprinkled salt and black pepper on the sliced meat
and dry them for about 3 days.
That was all.
“It’s pretty easy, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it’s because we made simple dried meat that adventurers make on the
go. In the worst case, they would be made only with salt, so even having pepper
would be quite lucky.”
“I’m glad that there was pepper in the Rondo forest.”
Ryo nodded and said.
The two headed north to the mountain range while holding ice rods made by
Ryo skewered with dried meat to dry them as they walked.
Incidentally, apart from the meat, the skin were [tanned] by Ryo and were
made into a cloak for Abel and as [spare clothes] for Ryo.
 That was because Abel commented that it would be painful to cross a mountain
covered with snow without a cloak.
Just having a cloak would greatly increase the protection against the cold.
In addition, Ryo made… clothes for himself with the appearance of [Kantogi].
(TLN: 貫頭衣)
It was basically a large tanned Greater Boar leather with a hole in the middle
for the head.
If he tied it around the waist with ivy to replace a belt, he would have an exact
Yayoi period [Kantogi] garment.
Ryo was wearing the robe given to him by the Dullahan so he didn’t need a
cloak.
Instead, he made a [Kantogi] to wear inside the robe, doubling the warmth.
With this, both of them had dramatically improved their ability to protect
against the cold.
“Hey, Ryo, those bags you made along with the cloak…”
“Yes, I plan to put the dried meat in them to carry them along with us.”
It could be said to be the standard size for a shoulder bag.
“If it’s any bigger than this, it will be difficult when Abel is in battle, right?”
“Well, that’s right… but even if we put the two bags together, it looks like it
won’t fit all the dried meat.”
“Yeah, it can’t be helped. The ones that don’t fit…”
“Yeah, it can’t be helped.”
It was a waste to throw them away but they couldn’t avoid doing so. Abel
thought so.
“We’ll carry those we can’t fit by hand.”
“……What?”
“We’ll be eating it every day, so the further we go, the less we will have, right?
We can finish what we have in our hands first.”
Abel’s eyes became dots.
“But I can’t fight if I have my hands full…”
“I will fight in the meantime.”
Ryo nodded with grim resolution.
As a matter of fact, when they finished packing the dried meat in the bags,
they only had about one day worth to hold it in their hands.
It goes without saying that Abel was relieved that it was only to that extent.

CHAPTER 38
RULER OF THE SKY

A series of huge mountains towered in front of Ryo and Abel.

When Ryo first saw it, he thought of the Himalayas.
The mountain ridge that separates the Indian subcontinent and the Eurasian
continent. Home to the world’s highest peak, Everest, the summit of the Gods
locally called Chomolungma.
 If they were on Earth, it would have been extremely difficult to scale the
summit without oxygen.
Moreover, they didn’t have decent equipment.
But even on Earth, some Nepalese high priests stay at the summit of Everest
for 32 hours and spend 11 hours of which without additional oxygen supply.
In that case… it shouldn’t be difficult… maybe… for those who trained in [Phi]
to climbing without oxygen.
There was something that Abel found strange.
It was Ryo’s physical strength.
Abel was a B-class adventurer and Swordsman.
There was no doubt that his physical strength, including stamina, was top class
among all humankind.
Ryo, who was keeping up with him without any problems, was a Magician.
Although it wasn’t a rule, fundamentally Magicians had poor physical strength.
If they were adventurers, they would have better physical strength than the
average person, but they would still be considerably weaker than a Swordsman.
In fact, Abel’s party member, Rin, the Wind Magician, had terrible stamina.
Her low endurance was considerably bad even when compared against the
priest in the same party.
And yet.
Since the day he started traveling with Ryo, Ryo had no problems keeping pace
with Abel’s movements and he didn’t even break a sweat. He wouldn’t have any
problems even if he entered battle directly.
In a sense, it might even be possible to say that he was abnormal as a
Magician.
“Hey, Ryo.”
“What’s wrong, Abel?”
They were still at an altitude that could still be called the [foothills]. There was
no need to cut down on conversations to preserve oxygen.
“Ryo has considerably physical strength for a wizard.”
Ryo replied with a bold smile, chuckling [Fufufu].
“You’ve done well to notice, Abel. I gained a lot of endurance while living alone.
I shouldn’t have a problem fighting continuously for about five hours.”
“No, well, you’ll run out of magic.”
Abel retorted that Ryo was supposed to be a Magician.
“At any rate, I’m confident in my physical strength so Abel doesn’t have to
worry about me and it is okay to go at your pace.”
“Oh wow, that’s some confidence.”
“Of course. B-class adventurer Swordsman or thereabouts can’t beat me in
that area.”
Ryo provoked for no reason.
“Interestinggg, if you want a fight, I welcome it!”
Abel rode on the provocation.
“Fufu, I’m not scared at all even if you have dried meat in both hands.”
“That’s the same for you!”
While having foolish bickering, they walked toward the mountain.
 As the sun approached the zenith, they felt extraordinary pressure.
“What?”
Abel looked left and right.
However, [It] flew down in front of them from the sky.
“Griffon…”
Abel could only say that and stiffened completely.
Ryo couldn’t move at all either because of the sense of intimidation or presence
coming from the Griffon.
Griffon.
The Champion of the Sky, the God of Death of the Sky, the Ruler of the Sky… it
was the governor of the sky with multiple aliases.
If it is the Behemoth that reigns on the ground, then it can be said that the
Griffon controls the sky.
A terrifying monster with the upper body and wings of an eagle and the lower
body of a lion.
Such a monster flew down in front of them and was staring at them.
After about 20 seconds, Ryo finally regained his senses.
Then, on a whim, he slowly released the dried meat he had in his right hand
toward the Griffon.
Paku
The Griffon dexterously caught the dried meat that flew toward it with its beak
and ate it.
That was when Abel finally regained his senses too.
Ryo also threw the dried meat in his left hand to the Griffon in a similar
fashion.
This time, the Griffon opened and caught the meat directly in its mouth before
chewing.
After finishing, the Griffon’s gaze clearly turned to the dried meats Abel was
holding on to.
“Abel, dried meat.”
Ryo whispered in a voice that could barely be heard by Abel.
As prompted by it, Abel threw the dried meat he had in his right and left hands
to the Griffon.
When it finished eating the dried meat that Abel threw to it, perhaps it was
satisfied as it leaped into the sky with a large flap of its wings and the Griffon went
away.
The two were rooted for a while.
It wasn’t until well over five minutes after the Gryphon left that they were
finally able to speak.
“Abel, I’m glad we’re alive.”
“I totally agree.”
They sat down at the base of a large tree nearby and took a breather.
“That was good thinking, tossing the dried meat.”
Abel praised Ryo’s decision to toss the dried meat to the Griffon at the start.
“I thought of trying to first appeal that we weren’t its enemy and then I
remembered the dried meat I had in my hand. I imagined that Griffons won’t hate
meat.”
“Yeah, that was a great decision.”
Ryo was shy from Abel’s continuous praises.
“Even so, it had a great sense of presence.”
“Yeah, that was insane. Behi-chan was amazing too but that was a distance
away. The Griffon was right in front of our eyes…”
“I’m glad it didn’t become an enemy.”
“It’s probably impossible to win if that becomes hostile.”
Ryo nodded as he replied.
“That’s not an opponent that humans can fight…”
“It’s better to deal with six Wyverns than to deal with a Griffon.”
“No, I would hate dealing with either of them.”
For the time being, since it was lunchtime, they decided to take out the dried
meat in their bags to eat.
However, it goes without saying that they looked around when taking it out.
It would be a ridiculous turn of events if a Griffon suddenly appeared again…
“Nevertheless, Behi-chan, Griffon and such, there are all kinds of monsters.”
After calming down, Ryo muttered.
“Just like the Behemoth, humans have not reported sightings of a Griffon in the
last few hundreds of years. I think this land is quite unusual.”
“It’s rude to call this land unusual. Isn’t it because humanity is not putting in
enough effort?”
“What effort!?”
It seemed that their mental states had recovered to the point where they could
finally make jokes.
“I wonder if that northern mountain range is preventing Behemoths and
Griffons from coming to human land.”
“Well, they don’t have to worry about food here. They probably wouldn’t bother
making the effort to go over the mountains to the other side.”
“It seems it would be difficult even for the Griffon to cross that mountain.”
“But there seems to be a Swordsman trying to cross that same mountain…”
Ryo sighed ostentatiously.
“My bad! It can’t be helped. I was washed over from the sea but I don’t feel
like returning through the sea.”
After all, there was a Kraken in the sea.
“Behi-chan on land, Kraken in the sea, and Griffon in the sky… Land, sea and
air, you’ve collected them all.”
“I would have been happier not collecting them!”

CHAPTER 39
WYVERN

On the afternoon of the day they encountered the Griffon, they were once
again in trouble.
 Both of them hid behind a large boulder, popped their heads out slightly, and
looked ahead.
They saw two Wyverns pecking at what seemed to be a boar.
“Wyvern came over because Abel wished for it.”
“I did not wish for it!”
The two whispered to each other.
“There is no path to detour so we’ll have to wait here until their meal is over?”
“They’ll likely notice us before then. And there’s no guarantee that a third one
won’t come.”
“Ryo… Are you planning to fight?”
Abel looked at Ryo with a face that questioned what this guy was saying.
It would be natural to have such a face.
Normally, 20 adventurers of C-rank or higher were required to subdue a
Wyvern.
Moreover, it requires many Fire-Attribute Magicians who have strong offensive
power. The more there were, the better.
Now… they had just two people, a Swordsman and a Water-Attribute
Magician… and against two Wyverns?
That was just suicide.
“I believe there will be quite a few Wyverns ahead. I think fighting is
inevitable. In that case, don’t you think it’s not a bad idea to experience when
there’s just two of them?”
“Not just two, there’s actually two…”
That said, he could understand Ryo’s point.
Six Wyverns attacked the Behemoth.
Compared to that, two was…
He shook his head violently when he came to that thought.
“Even one is a difficult opponent.”
He spoke to correct his thought process that was being influenced strangely.
“But…”
Yes, there was a “but”.
As long as he decided to cross this mountain range and return to the city, he
will eventually have to fight Wyverns.
He saw them fighting against the Behemoth and there were two right in front
of him.
There seemed to be no doubt that quite a few Wyverns were inhabiting this
mountain range.
“I guess it is unavoidable…”
Abel’s gut was tied in a knot.
“Even if we plan to kill those two, how are we doing to it?”
“Are Wyverns still troublesome if they are brought to the ground?”
“No, if they are on land, they still can fire Air Slashes but not Sonic Blades. Of
course, those claws are dangerous too and their bodies have wind magic protection
so swords can’t penetrate through them. However, their eyes have no wind magic
protection, so when they are on the ground it is possible to aim for that. Compared
to being in the air where my sword can’t reach, grounded Wyverns can be said to
be considerably easier opponents.”
Upon hearing that, Ryo thought for a moment. And nodded once.
“Water-Attribute Magic has something perfect for this situation.”
Abel pulled out his sword and was ready to jump out at any time.
“All right, here I go, Abel.”
Abel nodded and watched the two Wyverns.
The Wyverns were still eating without noticing anything was wrong.
“<O Ice Spear that penetrates everything, come forth from the sky and pierce
through my enemy. Icicle Lance 4>“
Four Icicle Lances formed silently in the sky.
Of course, it wasn’t necessary but Ryo chanted something suitable because he
felt it was cool.
As soon as they formed, the Icicle Lances fell, pierced each of the Wyverns’
wings, and sewed them to the ground.
“Guiishiiiiiii.”
The screams of the Wyverns echoed.
Abel jumped out from the boulder at the same time Ryo chanted “Icicle Lance
4”.
Thick ice spears fell from the sky and pierced the wings of the Wyverns in front
of his eyes.
Moreover, they pierced through and did not disappear.
As a result, the Wyverns were sewn to the ground with their wings, unable to
shoot air slashes, and unable to use their claws to attack the approaching Abel.
Moreover, they were stuck to the ground with ice spears so the target [eyes]
were within reach if he jumped.
“I’ll end it with a single strike. Combat Arts: Perfect Pierce.”
The shining red magic sword was thrust into the left eye of the Wyvern in
front.
The sword pierced the eyeball and reached the Wyvern’s brain.
It collapsed without a sound.
Abel, however, didn’t care about the collapsing Wyvern and thrust his red
magic sword into the right eye of the other Wyvern.
“Guguiii”
It squeezed out the last of its air and died.
It was a complete victory.
“Icicle Lance followed by Abel’s rush. Yeah, this collaboration seems to work.”
“Yeah, it was over surprisingly quickly.”
“I see, Abel is dissatisfied. After all, Abel wants a blood-boiling, flesh-scraping,
soul-shaving, close battle. I’ll take note of that.”
Ryo pretended to take notes on his hand.
“No, wait, I don’t need such fights. It was perfect today. Splendid. Let’s go with
this plan the next time too.”
In a hurry, Abel grabbed Ryo’s shoulders and nodded strongly as he praised
him.
“Well, if Abel is okay with it, we’ll go with this.”
“Phew. Oh yeah, the monsters so far weren’t a big deal so we ignored doing
so, but I think it’s better to extract the magic stones from Wyverns. You can sell
them at a surprisingly high price.”
With that said, Abel immediately plunged a knife near the heart of one of the
Wyverns.
“I see. Then, I’ll collect the other one.”
Ryo said and headed for the other Wyvern.
Michael’s quality knife will get to see action for the first time in a long time!
Ryo thought to himself in secret.
(Now that I think about it, Wyverns were not listed in the [Monster
Encyclopedia: Beginner’s Edition] prepared by Michael (pseudonym)… It goes
without saying that Behi-chan and Griffon were not listed, but I guess Wyverns do
not fall into the category of being listed in the [Beginner’s Edition] too.)
Ryo harvested the Wyvern magic stone while thinking about that.
“It’s pretty big.”
It was not as big as the golem’s magic stone, but it was a fist-sized, beautiful
green magic stone.
(If this was an emerald, it would cost tens of millions of yen)
Of course, that was Ryo’s arbitrary estimated price.
“Oh, this is a pretty amazing stone. Its color and shade are both excellent so
it’ll carry a hefty price.”
“Assuming we reach a town.”
“Ugh.”
Ryo’s comment pierced Abel’s heart.
“For now, we’ll carry one each. I also have a bag now.”
In that manner, they acquired a way to hunt Wyverns [safely] and [quickly].
Even though the mountains were 7,000 meters high, it did not mean that it
was impossible to cross the mountains unless they climbed to the peak of 7,000
meters.
Some spots where the water from thawed ice flowed would naturally shave
down the mountain and such places were connected to the foot of the mountain.
But still, Ryo imagined that they would have to climb to an altitude of at least
4,000 meters.
If it was 4,000 meters… he felt that it was still an altitude that won’t cause
altitude sickness… maybe.
And as Ryo and Abel climbed, some beings attacked them one after another.
Yes, Wyverns.
The mountain range could even be called a Wyvern’s nest as it seemed that a
large number of them inhabited it.
After hunting the two at the foot of the mountain, Abel had lost his tension
when facing Wyverns and was relaxed.
It could be said that he was defeating all the Wyverns that appear in front of
his eyes in battle.
“I knew Abel was a battle junkie…”
“Shut up! Since they are bound to get in the way, it’s the same if I kill them
now or later. And if we annihilate all of the Wyverns that come attacking, we’ll
likely face fewer attacks as we cross this wide mountain range. So let’s proceed
while hunting with gusto!”
Ryo would sew the attacking Wyverns to the ground with Icicle Lances and
Abel would pierce their brain through the eyes with a sword.
With this cooperation, they exterminated numerous Wyverns.
Needless to say, it took longer to collect magic stones than to defeat them.
Each of their bags was being filled with Wyvern magic stones at about the
same rate as they were consuming dried meat.

CHAPTER 40
RETURN FROM THE UNINHABITED LAND

The Wyvern attacks stopped at an altitude of around 3,000 meters.

Instead, it was the cold that assaulted them.
However, thanks to Abel’s cloak and Ryo’s robe, they reached the ridge without
taking much damage and could finally see the land north of the mountains.
It was the fifth day since they hunted the first two Wyverns that they crossed
the lowest ridge within the mountain range and could catch a glimpse of the
northern land.
“We’ve somehow made it to the mountain ridge.”
“Yeah, maybe because it’s sunny, the view is good.”
As Abel said, the view was kind of spectacular.
A clear blue sky just by looking up a little.
If you lowered your gaze, a horizon where lush green earth and the clear blue
sky intersected.
Within that view, he could see something moving to the right.
When Ryo looked over, a shirtless woman… was flying.
But her arms were wings.
And her legs appeared to be like an eagle or a hawk…
“Abel… a strange woman is approaching.”
“What?”
Ryo pointed to the right and Abel turned to it.
“That’s a harpy…”
Yes, it wasn’t a woman who was heading towards them, but a monster called a
harpy.
That harpy was approaching with a flock…
“Ryo, let’s hurry down the northern slope.”
“Okay!”
The two began to descend in a hurry.
However, there was too much speed difference between a human going down a
slope and a harpy flying in the sky.
They caught up quickly.
“<Ice Wall 2>”
Ryo created Ice Walls above their heads to prevent the harpies from catching
them with their clawed feet.
 “Abel, do harpies drop good magic stones?”
“Oh. They have ridiculous strength, fly in the air, and are terribly annoying, but
they only drop garbage magic stones.”
“I see, I understand why Abel avoided fighting them.”
As a result of throwing fatigue and pacing out the window as they went down
the slope, by the evening they were able to reach an altitude that the harpies could
not follow.
“For the time being, do you want to rest around that tree?”
Even for the two with inexhaustible stamina, running without a break
compounded with a continuous downward slope was considerably tiring.
“Well, we should be able to descend the mountain tomorrow… but which
direction…”
“That’s right. Anyway, unless we go to a nearby town or village and check, we
won’t know where we are.”
“Yeah, it will be great if we are in the Kingdom of Knightley but it could also be
somewhere else entirely.”
“Not the Debuhi Empire!”
Ryo exclaimed with a very disgusted face.
“No, the Empire is further north of the Kingdom so that won’t be the case.”
When Abel replied with that, Ryo was relieved and drank a glass of water.
“I’m glad.”
“Why do you hate the Empire so much…?”
“Don’t get me wrong, Abel. I do not hate the Empire. What I hate is the [Name
of the Empire]!”
“O-oh, that’s right…”
The look Abel gave Ryo was the eyes of looking at a disappointing person.
“In any case, let’s head north once we descend the mountain tomorrow. Even
if there are no towns or villages, there will be roads and we would arrive at either a
town or village no matter which direction we take on the road.”
After deciding on a rough course of action the next day, the two took turns
resting.
The next day.
Early in the morning, they went down the mountain.
They observed the horizon on the way down but there were no cities in the
visible range.
Therefore, as they had decided, they would continue north until they reach a
road. During that time, they didn’t meet any monsters at all.
“Abel, you look bored.”
“Well, that’s because I don’t see any monsters at all. It’s completely different
from the other side of the mountain.”
“That’s normal. This is abnormal.”
“No, I think you got it reversed…”
Abel denied while shaking his head a little.
“Wyverns would attack at every step, it was possible to see Behi-chan in the
distance, and if you are not careful, the Griffon will swoop down in front of you.”
“Sheesh, the other side of the mountain is truly not a land for human beings…
I’m glad I survived and returned.”
“Abel, it’s an expedition until you get home. Don’t let your guard down yet.”
“O-oh… yes, an expedition… you consider that an expedition?”
Abel looked at the distant scenery.
Originally, it started when he infiltrated a smuggling ship.
It felt like it had been a long time since then… but actually, only about one
month passed.
“Abel, is that a road?”
Abel was pulled back by Ryo’s voice.
Looking at it, there was certainly something that looked like a road.
During that time period, even the main roads of the central nations were not
paved.
At best, the soil was hardened so that even a carriage could pass through.
Still, the existence of a road was proof that they were back in the realm of
civilization.
“Yeah, without a doubt. That’s a road.”
There was an involuntary tremble in Abel’s voice.
It was the feeling that he had finally returned to human habitat.
“Now then, this road… right or left?”
“Left, let’s go west.”
By going down the mountain and touching the road running from east to west,
Abel was able to guess what the mountain was called.
(That was probably the [Devil’s Mountain]. In some locations, orcs and ogres
live at the foot of the mountain. Even adventurers would not get close to it unless
they had something significant to do. In other words, we scaled the Devil’s
Mountain and returned… I’m really glad I survived.)
The people in the central nations called the series of mountains towering to the
south, the [Devil’s Mountain].
It was said that no one had ever crossed it and ordinary residents would never
approach it.
Even adventurers would not get close to it apart from when they had a
request, and requests to the Devil’s Mountain tend to be left unpicked for a long
time.
There were harpies or wyverns at the top of the mountain… it would be foolish
to approach.
“By the way, Abel is a B-class adventurer, right?”
“Yeah?”
“Is there any merit in registering with the Adventurers Guild?”
Ryo decided to ask what he was pondering about.
If he was enjoying a slow life alone, he wouldn’t need any information about
the Adventurers Guild, but now that he’s going to be in town, he needed to ask a
little.
Adventurer Guilds were a classic for other world reincarnation after all.
Regardless of whether or not he would register, there was no loss in knowing
more information.
“Well, if you belong to the Adventurers Guild, you are exempt from the
entrance tax to the cities in the country. It’s a free pass to every city. Because the
guild card acts as an identification card. Also, they buy magic stones and monster
materials at relatively high prices. At least it is definitely more expensive than
selling them in the city.”
“Hoho, that’s good.”
“In addition, the guild will keep any surplus gold you have.”
“Surplus gold?”
“Yeah. Money that you usually won’t spend. Well, when I just started as an
adventurer, I felt that I took everything, but when I reached a certain rank, I
started earning more as the reward money was greater. At that point, I had money
that I couldn’t finish using. The guild can safe keep that. Isn’t it a hassle to go out
with all your assets when you go out for requests?”
(It sounds like a bank? I’m a little surprised…)
“Can the deposited money be withdrawn in other cities?”
“You can withdraw from anywhere as long as it is a guild within the country.”
“That’s amazing.”
Ryo was honestly surprised.
The person who came up with that mechanism was probably a considerable
genius.
Naturally, the money received from the adventurer would be invested by the
guild in various fields.
There would not be a world where it ends with just depositing.
Whether it’s a bank or an insurance company, the number one reason to pool
money is to act as an [Investment Fund].
Given that the Bank of Saint George, the oldest bank in Europe, was founded
in 1148, it wasn’t strange that this [Phi] had something like a bank but…
“Abel said earlier that you can withdraw from any guild in the country, but is
the Adventurers Guild an organization that belongs to the country in the first place?
Isn’t it an independent organization that exists across many countries and is not
controlled by the country?”
In many other world stories, guilds have branches all over the world and were
often not under state control.
“Although it is an organization independent of the country, that is just a public
stance, and in reality, every guild coexists with the country. This only pertains to
what I know about, which is knowledge of the central nations so I don’t know if it is
the same in other regions, but the guild card identity can be used anywhere in the
central nations. Oh, and it seems that adventurers may be hired by the country as
mercenaries during war. Especially in the Kingdom because there are many
adventurers. I believe such a request was made by the country to the guild.”
“War… well, it’s cheaper than having knights fight.”
Ryo said, shrugging.
“Don’t make it sound so bad. It is a proper request so some adventurers
choose not to participate. That aspect is up to the adventurer’s free will. However,
there is no telling what would happen to the money deposited in the guild if the
country is occupied… given that the occupying nation could forcibly take it… they
would have no choice but to fight.”
 “Tch, taking money as hostage… the guild, the country, and Abel are terrible!”
“Why am I lumped in too!?”
Abel was lumped in for no reason.

CHAPTER 41
KYRADEA

After walking for an entire day, they could see the city in the distance by
evening.
“Abel, I can see the city.”
“Yeah, finally. That’s probably the City of Kyradea.”
Ryo was surprised and inadvertently looked at Abel.
“How do you know that?”
It was no wonder that he was surprised.
There were no signs or markings on the road they walked on and they didn’t
pass by anyone.
The location that they came down the mountain must have been quite remote
so Ryo couldn’t think of any reason how he could identify the city.
“As an adventurer, I’ve been to various cities. Especially the cities in the
Kingdom, I recognize most of them.”
Abel said a little bashfully.
“That means that is a city in the Kingdom of Knightley…”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“I’m glad it wasn’t the Debuhi Empire.”
“Like I said, the Empire is further north… The City of Kyradea is the
southeasternmost city of the Kingdom. It’s not that big, but if we walk northwest
from there for about a day, we’ll be in the City of Rune.”
Abel looked a little further ahead and looked beyond Kyradea.
“Rune… that’s the city Abel is aiming for, right?”
“Yes. Ryo, if you want to register as an adventurer, you should register with
Rune instead of Kyradea.”
“Eh? Is that so?”
“Rune is the largest city at the frontier, so a lot of people and supplies gather
there. As I said before, having the only dungeon in the central nations is one of the
reasons why people and materials gather too. If you register Rune as your home
city, you’ll get quite some flexibility in the city. Even if it is officially claimed to be
equal, local adventurers are still given preferential treatment.”
Upon hearing that, Ryo nodded.
“I see. But when I enter the City of Kyradea, I have to prove my identity…”
“That’s okay as I can act as your guarantor. I’m a B-class adventurer after all.
You would still need to pay a silver coin for entry tax but I’ll pay for you.”
“Oh, Abel, you’re such a good person. Of course, I’ve always thought so. It’s
the truth, you know?”
Abel looked at Ryo with a look of doubt.
 However, he quickly pushed it out of his mind and said.
“Right, Ryo. We’ll be staying one night in the City of Kyradea, but I have a dish
I recommend. I definitely want Ryo to try it.”
They arrived at the eastern gate of the City of Kyradea right before the sun
had completely set.
Ryo, following Abel’s advice, hung his bag over his shoulder and wore his robe
over it.
It made it difficult to see the inside of the bag.
Abel himself carried his bag inside his cloak too.
There were a lot of Wyvern magic stones in their bags.
They made it less noticeable so as not to cause unnecessary trouble.
They were able to enter the city without any trouble.
Abel, a B-class adventurer, guaranteed Ryo’s identity and paid the entry tax of
one silver coin.
That’s all that was needed and they entered the city without any issue.
Ryo, who had a slight expectation of a development like a guard taking an
arrogant attitude, causing trouble, and the guard’s boss had to come over, was
disappointed.
The inn was a place that Abel regularly used when he comes to the City of
Kyradea for requests.
“There is a dining room on the first floor here where you can eat the usual
meals.”
After completing the inn procedures, the two took their seats in the dining
room on the first floor.
“Welcome. What would you like today?”
A plain but pleasant girl came to take their orders.
“I and this fellow here will have curry.”
Abel said [Curry] with a really cool pronunciation.
“Okay, right away.”
The girl took the order and went back to the kitchen.
“If it is not enough, just order another serving. The meal here is on me.”
“Abel! What a good person Abel is!”
A person who treats you is a good person.
At least, someone who treats is better than someone who doesn’t, right?
They waited for about two minutes?
A somehow nostalgic, but fragrant, appetizing, and seductive scent drifted
from the kitchen.
(No way, this scent is…)
With that thought in his mind, the girl earlier carried a large platter over with
both hands.
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, here’s your curry.”
What appeared was… yellow on white rice… that looked like it had plenty of
spices… with a thick and gooey consistency…
“No way, curry…” (TLN: Abel pronounced ‘curry’ while Ryo knows it as ‘kare’ in
Japanese)
Yes, in front of Ryo was a plate of curry rice, one of the Japanese national
dishes.
(Speaking of curry rice, it is also a classic in reincarnation stories… but it is a
standard in the sense that the main character has to struggle, spend a lot of time,
and only finally succeed in reproducing it after traveling the world. But it already
exists in [Phi] …)
“I was reminded of curry when Ryo served rice in the Rondo Forest. Let’s eat.”
“Ye-yeah…”
Ryo carried the curry scooped with a spoon to his mouth, trembling so
minutely that no one could tell.
One bite.
Yes, it was unmistakably [curry rice].
Moreover, it was a curry rice with a terrifyingly high level of familiarity.
Nobody would notice even if it was served on Earth.
To Ryo, it was his first curry rice in 20 years (Ryo’s body clock).
He ate it slowly but his spoon never stopped.
“Ryo, if you like it, you can ask for seconds.”
“!”
That sentence from Abel was gospel for Ryo.
“Seconds please!”
“I-I’m glad you like it.”
Abel was slightly taken aback by Ryo’s intensity.
After that, Abel had seconds too and both of them had a very satisfying
supper.
“Abel, is there curry in the City of Rune too?”
Yes, confirming that was very important.
If curry could only be had in the City of Kyradea, his home base would not be
in the City of Rune but this city…
“Oh, you can eat it in Rune too. The spices used for the yellow soup on top can
only be found around Kyradea so you might only find them in shops that are a little
expensive. Well, Rune is the largest city on the frontier so many shops compete for
business and as a result, the food quality is high. You can usually find curry in the
southern cities of the Kingdom.”
“Oh, that’s great!”
“Ryo seems to like it a lot.”
Ryo nodded strongly.
“Yes, it was delicious.”
One day, when I return to the Rondo Forest, I definitely want to reproduce it
there… Ryo swore firmly in his heart.

【 BOOK 1.3 】
CITY OF RUNE

CHAPTER 42
CITY OF RUNE
 The next day, early in the morning they left the City of Kyradea.
They were both good walkers.
It would normally take an entire day but by noon, they were on a small hill
overlooking the City of Rune.
“This is……”
The scenery seen from there was unimaginable.
The field of vision from the bottom of the hill to the corners of the eye was
dyed golden.
Wheatfields that were about to be harvested.
And a huge city that sat in the center.
The scale was definitely a city rather than a town.
The walls surrounding the city were also tall and imposing.
Perhaps hundreds of thousands of people lived inside the walls alone.
In addition, outside the walls, he could see many houses, likely farmhouses.
“Some people live outside the city, right?”
“Yeah, because the farmlands are outside the city. Originally the farmers lived
inside the walls but traveling to the farmland took a significant amount of time that
they are now building houses outside the city. That’s why the City of Rune doesn’t
close the gates even at night.”
That surprised Ryo as expected.
That was because it was common sense that the city gates would be closed at
night in the Middle Ages, not to mention in many other worlds stories.
“What about crime prevention?”
“Well… there are more people on patrol compared to the other cities. That’s
why I think public safety is not bad for a city of this size.”
After looking at the City of Rune for a while, they went down the hill to the
south gate of the city.
Partly because it was afternoon, which was a rather awkward time to get in
and out of the city, there was no one other than the guards at the south gate.
“Eh? Abel?”
The guard who seemed to know Abel was surprised.
“Oh, Nimuru. It’s been a long time.”
“Not just a long time… you were declared missing…”
“Yeah, well, I managed to come back alive.”
Abel said and laughed.
“And, who is your companion?”
Nimuru, the guard, turned to Ryo and asked.
“My lifesaver.”
“Is that so! Thank you for saving Abel.”
Nimuru exclaimed and grabbed Ryo’s hand before swinging it up and down.
“Nevertheless, you still have to pay the entrance tax…”
“Yeah, I’ll pay for that.”
Abel gave Nimuru his guild card and a silver coin for Ryo’s entry tax.
“Yes, certainly.”
Nimuru received it and said to Abel with a clear joyful smile.
 “Welcome back, Abel.”
Ryo watched without saying a word but he was a little jealous of Abel.
He had a place to return to.
And there were people who would welcome him back.
That was something Ryo couldn’t identify with, as he had lived alone for a long
time in the Rondo Forest.
He didn’t think much about it in particular until now but when he saw Nimuru
welcoming Abel back, he did feel a little lonely.
(I’m happy for you, Abel.)
Yes, that was a good sight to mark the end of the journey.
Abel’s request for Ryo was to [Escort him to the City of Rune].
And they were at the City of Rune.
The moment they passed through the gate, the request was fulfilled.
“Ryo, let’s head to the guild now. You wish to register as an adventurer, right?”
“Yeah, it’s probably better to get it done quickly right?”
“Yes, since I’m here with you. You can register for a rank up.”
Ryo tilted his head.
“Rank up registration?”
“Oh, I didn’t talk about that? Adventurer guilds usually register you in F-rank
at first, but if there is a recommendation from an adventurer of B-rank or higher,
they can be registered in E-rank or D-rank. And I will be recommending Ryo so you
should be able to register in D-rank.”
“Are there any benefits in registering at D-rank?”
“You can get higher-ranked requests. The higher the rank, the more rewards
you can get, so I recommend it. That said, I don’t think Ryo will be lacking money.”
Abel said, looking at Ryo’s bag.
“Oh, the Wyvern magic stones? Are they that valuable?”
To be clear, Ryo had no clue at all.
In the first place, it only took two shots of Icicle Lances to hunt one.
There was no difficulty.
So even if he was told that the magic stone was a fairly expensive item, it was
unavoidable that he couldn’t comprehend it.
But Abel nodded.
“You know, twenty people are needed to defeat one of them. It is a magic
stone from such a troublesome monster… First of all, it usually can’t be found on
the market, in other words, it’s priceless.”
“I see… but since we have quite a few, if they appear on the market, won’t
they cause the price to collapse?”
Rarity was a very important value.
“Leave it to me. The guild is great in that area.”
As they talked, they arrived at their destination.
It was the Adventurers Guild in the City of Rune.
Rune was the largest city on the frontier.
It had the only dungeon in the central nations and even adventurers from
other countries gather to dive into the dungeon.
The adventurers guild in such a city was also the largest in the frontier.
 A three-story stone building with an extremely splendid appearance.
After passing through the huge entrance, they entered.
As it was an awkward timing, the inside was quiet.
In the morning when requests were taken and in the evening when requests
were completed and when reports and cash were exchanged made those two
timings crowded as if it were a battlefield but now it was just past noon.
However, an exclamation that echoed broke the silence of the place.
“Abel-san!”
It was a woman at the reception who called out.
She was about 20 years old, had brown hair in a ponytail, and was one head
shorter than Ryo.
She had a slender figure and had good taste in clothes.
“Heys, Nina.”
In response to Nina’s voice, adventurers appeared from the adjacent dining
room.
“Wow, it really is Abel?”
“Welcome back~ Abel~”
“You weren’t dead?”
There was a voice with some complicated emotions but more than a dozen
adventurers came to Abel to celebrate his safe return.
All Rune adventurers knew that Abel had gone missing and were quite worried.
Even in a city as big as Rune, B-rank adventurers were extremely rare.
Among them, [Crimson Sword] with Abel as the party leader was a popular
party.
Abel, a genius swordsman, was said to already be an A-rank.
Rihya, the priest of the Goddess of Light, was rumored to be capable of using
Absolute Defense.
Warren, who was said to be the pinnacle of shield users in the Kingdom.
Rin, who was comparatively younger than the other three, but her ability was a
match for court magicians.
It could be said that many adventurers admired them.
The leader of that party was back.
Adventurers crowded around him.
Ryo found the scene a little dazzling, just as he did at the castle gate.
(Abel is really popular. There may be some benefits if I get along well with
him.)
Ryo was sometimes calculative.
Abel was surrounded by adventurers for a while, but at the right moment, he
approached Ryo.
Then he stood beside Ryo and spoke.
“This is Ryo. My lifesaver. Without Ryo, I wouldn’t be able to return to the City
of Rune. And Ryo will now be an adventurer of this city. Our companion. So
everyone please get along with him.”
Ryo was surprised.
They didn’t agree on that in advance! After looking at Abel at his side with such
eyes, he surveyed the front.
 The other adventurers seemed to be waiting for Ryo to say something.
“Ah, I’m Ryo. I’ll be in your care.”
Ryo said so and bowed.
“Ooo, nice to meet you Ryo.”
“Thank you for helping Abel.”
Along with such replies, Ryo’s shoulder was struck violently.
Both were proof of their welcome to Ryo and their gratitude for helping Abel
return.
“And so, Nina, please help with Ryo’s adventurer registration.”
Abel accompanied Ryo to stand in front of the reception.
Around that time, the adventurers who celebrated Abel’s return had also
returned to the food they had left in the dining room.
And around the reception, there were only three people, the receptionist, Nina,
along with Abel and Ryo.
“So, Nina. For Ryo’s registration, I wish to recommend him for D-rank.”
Nina was surprised to hear that.
Of course, there was a system in place for rank-up registration by
recommendation.
Even in the City of Rune, it happened about once a year.
However, the members of [Crimson Sword] including Abel had never been
recommended anyone.
“Of course, that’s fine, but if you wish to use this system, we must ask that
you provide proof that he deserves to be recommended. What will it be?”
“Yeah, I know. Regarding that and another matter, I’d like to talk to the Guild
Master for a moment… can I see him now?”
“I think it should be fine. It is noon so he’s probably groaning while wrestling
with documents in his room.”
Nina smiled when she said that.
“I will call the Guild Master so please follow me to the reception room in the
back.”
Nina first brought them to the reception room in the back before immediately
heading for the Guild Master’s room.
Immediately after that, they heard a hoarse voice that reached the reception
room.
“What did you say!?”
And the sound of rapid footsteps. The door was opened vigorously and a fierce-
looking giant man came in.
“Abel… I’m glad…”
The giant exclaimed and collapsed to his knees.
“Guilmas, Sorry for worrying you. I somewhat managed to return home.”
(TLN: Abel calls him Guild Master in a shortened form)
“Good grief… I didn’t feel like living when I heard that Abel went missing.”
The giant stood up and sat in a fairly large, sturdy chair that seemed to be
solely meant for him.
“Oops, before that, who’s this… Magician?”
The giant turned to Ryo and asked.
 “This is Ryo. My lifesaver.”
“I see, I’m Hugh McGrath, the Guild Master of the City of Rune. Thank you for
helping Abel.”
Hugh commented before standing up and bowing to Ryo.
“Ah, no, I just happened to come across him. Don’t mention it.”
Ryo also stood up and bowed his head.
“Well, Guilmas, Ryo is registering as an adventurer in this city but I’m hoping
to recommend him for a rank up.”
Hearing that, Hugh looked toward Nina standing near the door.
Nina nodded.
“Abel mentioned he had something to talk to Guild Master regarding that.”
Hugh started running before she was able to inform him properly so he didn’t
know why Abel wanted to meet him.
“Oh, is that so? Well, it was probably conveyed to Ryo, but we need proof that
he is worthy to register for a rank-up…”
After speaking until there, Hugh looked at Nina who was still near the door.
Nina understood that it was a gaze to clear people away.
“Then, I shall excuse myself. I will be at the reception so please call me if you
need anything.”
After saying that, Nina left.
It was Abel who first started.
“First, Ryo is stronger than me.”
That claim surprised both Hugh and Ryo.
“Hey hey…”
“Abel… Did you hurt your stomach with the dried meat you ate during lunch?”
Abel sighed.
“Well, he’s a joker like this, but his strength is the real deal. Also, during my
journey to return to Rune, we gathered these from the monsters that Ryo and I
defeated.”
Abel took out the Wyvern magic stones from his bag and placed them on the
desk.
It numbered 25.
“What are these magic stones… I know they are wind-attribute because of the
green coloration but… they are staggeringly large and dark in color. Such magic
stones… no way, are these from Wyverns?”
“Yes, they are Wyvern magic stones. And Ryo is carrying about as much as this
too.”
When Abel said so, Ryo also put his bag on the desk.
“That’s impossible… where on earth did you meet these many Wyverns… no,
this is a scale that would destroy the country if the country does not use everything
in its power to face it…”
Hugh squeezed those words out. With a voice that was almost a whisper.
“Don’t worry about that. We hunted these Wyverns on the Devil’s Mountain to
the south.”
“Devil’s Mountain? That Devil’s Mountain? Why were you in such a place?”
“The ship drifted… and shipwrecked in a land that extends further south of the
Devil’s Mountain. So I came back by crossing the Devil’s Mountain but there were a
huge number of Wyverns on the southern side of the Devil’s Mountain. Well, that’s
the short story of it.”
Abel shrugged and explained. He had cut it short by quite a bit.
For the time being, it was important to explain that those Wyverns weren’t
likely to attack humanity right now and that it would not be so simple to get that
many Wyvern magic stones in the future.
“I see. We’ll never get these many Wyvern magic stones on this scale again
and they will not attack us. So I can assume that you wish to use the guild network
to sell these so that the market value wouldn’t plummet.”
“As expected, Guilmas, it’s a great help that you’re quick to understand.”
If they sold everything in the City of Rune, the market value would plummet.
Furthermore, it would be possible to find out where they came from.
But if they used the guild’s network to sell it as a trade item to another city,
the royal capital, or even another country, they wouldn’t raise suspicion.
That was the gist of it.
“I understand. It will take some time, but I will sell it responsibly. Let’s have
the royal family buy it too.”
For a brief moment, Abel frowned a little.
“I believe the feudal lord would quickly buy one so I’ll be able to deposit the
proceeds in a few days. So should I split the profits?”
“No, four to six. Four for me, six for Ryo.”
“Abel, that’s no good. Five to five.”
Upon hearing that, Abel shook his head.
“Ryo, I have not even shown my gratitude to Ryo for your help. And this also
counts as the reward for the request to escort me until here. Take it so that I can
hold my head up.”
Abel said and bowed while sitting.
“Abel…”
“Ryo, Abel has insisted that much. Give in to him and take it.”
Hugh also supported Abel.
“I understand then. I’ll gratefully accept it.”