Chapter 4: Going Apart
"Ne, Shizuku-chan? Do you see Nagumo-kun?" Kaori Shirasaki suddenly asked her besty and childhood friend, Shizuku Yaegashi.
"Nagumo-kun?" Shizuku tilts her head in confusion before looking around, searching for the crush of her best friend. She cannot find him.
Shizuku was one of the students who still maintained her levelheadedness yesterday. When she realized she wasn't someone exceptional, she swore to train harder to protect her best friend, Kaori. Fortunately, she had a stable foundation in Kenjutsu. In addition, her [Swordsman] Job helped her in her swordsmanship training, somewhat.
"Maybe he has business somewhere?" Shizuku pondered loudly.
"But where?" Kaori seemed anxious when she couldn't see her crush in her field of vision.
Looking at such Kaori, Shizuku holds back the urge to smile wryly.
"Don't worry, Kaori. I'm sure he is somewhere. Maybe, he needs to visit the toilet. We can meet him at dinner, later."
Shizuku tried to calm Kaori's anxiety, and she succeeded somehow.
"Alright. Let's train! The sooner we finish this, the sooner I can search Nagumo-kun's whereabouts!" Kaori proclaimed, trying to focus on the training before her.
They watch as the students split up into three groups and sighed miserably. Even the usual oblivious Kaori can sense the tension in the training field. It is not a good kind of tension. It is like gunpowder that is going to burst at any moment.
They advance to their usual group with the addition of Eri Nakamura and Suzu Taniguchi. The rest are split into two groups: one is assembling around their teacher, Aiko Hatayama, and the other one, which consists of six students is led by Daisuke Hiyama.
They are currently in the training field. Other than them, the members of the royal knight and court magician who have volunteered to be their instructors were already in here, awaiting their arrival for the second day of their lungs-collapsing training.
It is the third day since they were summoned to another world called Tortus. Yesterday, they were handed their status plate and discovered they were not so extraordinary as they made to believe. They are similar with the regular humans of Tortus and their regular stats, averagely around 10, is the hard evidence. There are even some people with stats less than 10. Their only saving grace is their combat-related job, which is stated that combat-related jobs are very rare, one in a thousand.
Out of twenty students, only Kouki Amanogawa who has [Hero] Job has extraordinary stats. He also has many skills listed in his status plate. Meanwhile, the rest only have one skill and it is [Language Comprehension].
When individuals, who have been praised as exceptional and have believed in those praises, discover they are nothing extraordinary, they will feel betrayed and unwell.
That was what happened to everyone yesterday. Not even Kouki's optimistic speech could raise everyone's spirit. In fact, they even realized how shallow and superficial Kouki's promise was and blamed him for their current situation, making the Hero speechless. And yet, despite being accused and blamed, Kouki still treats his friends with his usual kindness and 'understanding' (actually, he just interprets everything happening around him to suit his fancy). He even pleaded the king to give the other students 'allowance' so they can go to the city to unwind their stress and calm down from their confusion from being summoned after the first day's training ended up in disaster, which is the creation of different factions in the class.
The one who took it the hardest is Aiko Hatayama due to her non-combat-related Job---[Farmer]. As someone who wanted to be seen as a responsible and respectable teacher, she believed that it was her responsibility to help her students. But she was even powerless than her students she wanted to protect.
Furthermore, the students finally felt crisis due to their powerlessness. Maybe, if they had even one exceptional stats attribute, for example, 100 Strength or Magic, and more skills other than [Language Comprehension] that helped them understand Tortus' language, they would not feel so down and anxious due to the illusion of their status as extraordinary beings acting as a kind of buffer.
But they aren't extraordinary. They are just commonplace students who never experienced a life-threatening situation before.
They blamed Kouki because he dragged them to this other world. It was very clear in their eyes that Kouki as the Hero is the one who is needed in this world. They believed they were unlucky to be in the same room as the hero when the summoning happened. At least it was what they wanted to believe to justify their anger and fear to the unfairness in the world.
They need a target to pour out their pent up frustration and other intense feelings bubbling in their chests. It was either that or they would experience a meltdown. The could not keep bottling up their anxiety forever. As a commonplace modern student, they are still young, so green, so their resilience has not been tampered. When they were cornered, they lashed out. Like a wounded animal.
As a matter of fact, by looking from another's point of view, a human is a kind of animal. What splits humans and animals apart are the moral they were taught until it was engraved deep into their conscience and societal expectations, responsibility, and rules they were raised to follow them through the bitter end.
However, when those morals and commonsense are shaken up because of the unstable emotions, the pent up emotions will burst out like a mighty and unstoppable flood and someone can start acting unreasonable. It is easy for humans to blame others to feel better. They are just like that, a selfish creature who thinks nothing but themselves.
In the end, the class was split into three factions. First, the students who still followed Kouki Amanogawa. This faction consists of Ryutarou Sakagami, Kaori Shirasaki's, Shizuku Yaegashi, Eri Nakamira, and finally Suzu Taniguchi.
The first three students were given due to their relationship with Kouki. In fact, Ryutarou almost got into a fight with the perpetrator of the mess, Daisuke Hiyama.
Meanwhile, Daisuke Hiyama leads the second group, which consists of his pals and some students who agree with his baseless accusations on Kouki.
Let's talk about Daisuke Hayama a little bit to understand why he dared to do that. Firstly, it was well known by everyone else in their class that Daisuke Hayama is very pathetic. He does not have positive value as a student. He would find an excuse to pass P.E. class, his grade was average, and he never showed a motivation to better himself.
He is the type who wants to get everything handed on a silver plate. He dislikes exerting some efforts despite it is for his own good. He is only good at using his mouth to mock, blame, and complain.
What is more, Daisuke Hayama is delusional type Otaku. He likes to read Cheat Isekai stories and wishes to be in the protagonist's place deep down in his heart. Thus he felt getting jackpot when the whole class was summoned to another world, just like what happened in his favorite stories.
He believed he would get a cheat, go in a thrilling yet safe adventure, and pick cute girls left and right to build his harem.
But the reality shattered his ideal dream. And Daisuke could not accept it!
In the end, he blamed Kouki in the spur of a moment. His jealousy for the thing called Kouki Amanogawa also reared its ugly head despite he thought he could accept it if it was Kouki.
You see, Daisuke had—no, "has," since he still has it—a crush. His crush is Kaori Shirasaki. However, he does not have the confidence to confess his feeling or even think he is good enough for the perfect girl called Kaori. Furthermore, Kaori is the idol-like figure in their school and her circle of friends is filled with high specs individuals. But the main deterrent that stopped his desire to get Kaori as his girlfriend is Kouki Amanogawa.
And to describe the thing called Kouki Amanogawa, it is the word "Perfect." There is a snowball chance in hell he can be a match for someone like Kouki. So, he decided to give up his crush if his love rival is Kouki-f*cking-Amanogawa. But, deep down, a part of him cannot accept it.
However, his inferiority complex and rage for the perfect thing called Kouki Amanogawa was distracted by an easy target to make him feel better by insulting and bullying said target.
And who is that? Of course, it is Hajime-motherf*cking-Nagumo.
Daisuke could not accept his long cherished crush showering attention and affection which anyone can see except for the ever oblivious Kaori herself, Kouki who has twisted mind, Ryutarou who is muscle head, and finally Hajime who actually wants her to stop giving him trouble.
And so, Daisuke Hayama chose Hajime Nagumo as a target of his petty bullying to hide his insecurity, the make him feel better, to forget his inferiority complex.
Arriving at this point, you can at least understand what type of trash the thing called Daisuke Hayama is. And there is another thing about Daisuke Hayama, that he has weak willpower. Looking at it from another point of view, he is a bit similar to Kouki, who will lose his shit when his world is turned upside down.
And the event that turned Daisuke's world upside down happened yesterday. He was flustered and could not help but lash out at Kouki due to his jealousy, inferiority complex, and anger.
All that aside, back to the training...
"Alright! Now, split up into mage and fighter groups. It is time to start developing a skill suitable for your jobs!"
Captain Meld's loud voice ended the short break time. The students unconsciously groan in frustration or exhaustion. But, they still follow Captain Meld's instruction.
In the mage group, with Kaori. She is trying to find out the sight of her crush to no avail. And she cannot help but worry for him.
And speaking of Kaori Shirasaki's crush, or at least the one who possessed her crush's body...
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"How long it is until we arrive at our destination?" I asked the uncle merchant whom I had hypnotized to allow me to join his carriage to my next destination, the town where I can access Great Orcus Labyrinth.
"Well, we will arrive in Horaud before the sun is set, I think." The merchant replied.
Horaud is a small town that primarily existed to service the adventurers who traveled there wishing to challenge the Great Orcus Labyrinth. It is also my destination.
What is the Great Orcus Labyrinth? It is a massive dungeon said to span a hundred floors. As it is one of the seven great labyrinths existed in Tortus, the deeper one went, the stronger the monsters they face. Despite the dangers, it is a very popular training spot for adventurers, mercenaries, and new troops alike. The main reasons for that are because it is easy enough to measure the relative strength of the monsters one will have to face based on the floor they are on, and that the 'mana crystals' contained within the monsters are of a higher quality than the ones harvested from monsters on the surface.
A mana crystal is the core of a monster; it is what made a monster a monster. The more powerful a monster, the bigger and purer a mana crystal it holds inside. Mana crystals are an important component in magic circles. A magic circle only needs to be drawn to be able to cast the spell inscribed within, but it will have reduced effectiveness without powdered mana crystals used in the engraving of the circle. In fact, it will only be one third as powerful.
Mana crystals allow for the more efficient transferal of mana, which is why they improve effectiveness so much. In addition, most commonplace magical tools use mana crystals as a power source. Because they are used by the common folk and not just the military, mana crystals are always in rather high demand.
However, monsters that possess high-quality mana crystals are also capable of using powerful specialized magic. It is specialized because while they have large quantities of mana, monsters were incapable of using magic circles or chants, meaning that they can only ever use a single type of spell. Still, being able to unleash that spell without needing a magic circle or incantation is a powerful asset. It is the number one reason one can never let their guard down when fighting a monster.
All that aside, back to the present.
"I see..." I responded curtly and waited silently inside the carriage.
I know that putting this innocent merchant under hypnosis is morally questionable. In fact, I still have a guilty conscience and feel guilty about it. But I reminded myself that this is necessary. I need to reach Great Orcus Labyrinth as soon as possible to grind my level.
Unlike the rest of the summoned students or the residents of Tortus, I need to gather EXP to level up. Normal training cannot help me forever. Furthermore, Great Orcus Labyrinth is filled with many varieties of monsters with unique skills, and I can plunder their skill to increase my strength.
I only hypnotized him to smooth our discussion about my arrangement. I still paid the standard rate for joining his caravan, and I am treated as a normal passenger, meaning that I will not be forced to fight monsters when they appear. It is the adventurer job who accepted the escort mission.
I open my [Status Page] to kill the time and see my current stats,
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True Name: Ryan Schmitz
Character's Name: Hajime Nagumo
Race: Human (Transcended)
Sex: Male
Age: 17 years old (Physical)
Job: Synergist
Hidden Job: Gamer
Title: Apostle of God
Level: 1
Next Level: 0/1000
Vitality: 190 (Recovery: 10% every 10 seconds)
Magic: 460 (Recovery: 10% every 10 seconds)
Strength: 280
Defense: 280
Agility: 280
Magic Defense: 460
Stat Points: 5
Funds: 4 Silver Coins, 3 Copper Coins
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And then, my Skills Index...
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[Gamer Mind - Transcended (Max)]: Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Allows a peaceful state of mind. Immunity to psychological mass effect.
[Gamer Body - Transcended (Max)]: Grants a body that allows for the user to live the real world like a game. Sleeping in a bed restores Vitality, Magic and all abnormal status effects.
[Assimilation - Transcended (Max)]: Allows the user to assimilate skills or stats of the eaten object. Cost: 0
[Plunder - Transcended (Max)]: Allows the user to steal skills or stats of the user's target within 5 meters range. Ineffective against the skill target at a higher level than the user's level. Cost: 5 Magic
[Pillage - Transcended (Max)]: Allows the user to steal skills or stats of the dead target within 5 meters range. Cost: 5 Magic
[Observe - Medium (87%)]: Allows the user to see the object's information. At the current proficiency, the user can see the skill target's Name, Race, Sex, Age, Job, Level, and Stats. Cost: 1 Magic
[Transmute - Low (0%)]: Allows the user to control a mineral or transform it. Cost: ~
[All Elements Affinity - Medium (73%)]: Allows the user to cast all elements magic. Cost: ~
[Barrier Magic Affinity - Low (2%)]: Allows the user to cast barrier. Cost: ~
[Healing Magic Affinity - Low (6%)]: Allows the user to cast healing spell. Cost: ~
[Magic Recovery Affinity - Medium (30%)]: Allows the user to recover magic faster. Increase Magic Recovery by 5%
[Magic Control Affinity - Medium (73%)]: Allows the user to sense magic energy better. Shortens chant by 5 verses. Shortens spell invocation speed by 25%. Lessens magic energy consumption by 20%. Increase spell damage by 25%
[All Elements Resistance - Low (6%)]: Increase all elements resistance by 2%
[Stealth - Medium (31%)]: Allows the user to conceal the user's presence better.
[Physical Resistance - Low (3%)]: Increase physical resistance by 1%
[Unarmed Combat Proficiency - Medium (5%)]: Increases the user's proficiency when fighting without weapons.
[Armor Proficiency - Medium (10%)]: Increases the user's proficiency when equipping armor or shield.
[All Weapons Proficiency - Medium (15%)]: Increases the user's proficiency when equipping weapons.
[Body Strengthening - Low (21%)]: Allows the user to increase Strength by 50%. Cost: 10 Magic/10 seconds
[Increase Defense - Low (9%)]: Allows the user to increase Defense by 50%. Cost: 10 Magic/10 seconds
[Increase Speed - Low (19%)]: Allows the user to increase Agility by 50%. Cost: 10 Magic/10 seconds
[Detect Presence - Low (31%)]: Allows the user to detect the nearby presence of living beings.
[Detect Magic - Medium (17%)]: Allows the user to detect magic energy and type of spell.
[Language Comprehension - Transcended (Max)]: Allows the user to comprehend new languages.
[Learned Spell: 219 (Show List)]
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I then open the list of spell I have learned. There are more than two hundred spells in there, but I could only use around a dozen since I obtained them.
I cannot help but feel impatient, wanting to try their effect and power in the dungeon.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
KeypadHero
KeypadHero I was trying my skill in writing point of view from the side character. What do you think about it?
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