Kapitel 5: Inner thoughts and Informative Dreams
A.N. Shout out to my first patrons:
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You guys are legends.
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I walked into the 'Horseshoe', which was a smallish place really. Perhaps small by my standards. I'd seen some Airbnb's bigger than this place but considering I was in a medieval world, I shouldn't have been to surprised that it was small.
The reception area was fairly small as well. As soon as I stepped through the door, I touched down in a small seating area. At the other end was a reception desk with stairs on the left of it. The only light source in the place was a large lantern hanging over the head of the receptionist and a candle she had in front of her.
She looked up at me as I entered. And again I suffered another bit of a culture shock. Despite the fact that I had just confronted a wolf-man an hour earlier, I once again found myself floored at the sight of a pink haired catgirl.
The tips of her fangs wee sticking out from her upper lips, and her pupils were a little narrower than usual. But not completely dilated, as I assumed they functioned exactly like a cat. the slits would only appear in daylight but as it was evening, they were rounder.
But the eyes definitely seemed narrower than usual. Plus they were a little darker around the edges, unlike the usual pink around a humans. As for the eyes themselves, they were a lovely green.
I still felt odd seeing the ears on her head. It sort of freaked me out knowing that if I lifted her hair, I would find nothing on the side of her head.
But she was definitely cute. I loved cats in my old life, and it took a little restraint on my end to not go over there and rub her head. I stopped my thought process there before it went to other places.
Walking up to the counter, I put on a smile. She blushed a little too deeply than would be normal, but it was to be expected given the appearance I'd chosen for myself.
"Hello there, I'd like to book a room for the night if that's possible." I said.
"Sure thing. ~Nyah~." she replied cheerily albeit a little tiredly. Understandable seeing it was the end of the day. "You're in luck ~Nyah~. We've only got one room left. It'll be four hundred Valis for one night, plus 150 if you want breakfast tomorrow."
"I think I'll just take the room."
"Okay. ~Nyah~."
I really wished she would stop with the mewling at the end of each sentence. No matter how cute a catgirl is, it gets a little old after a while. She pulled out a sheet of paper with a set of tables on it.
Dipping her feathered pen into an inkwell first, she then asked me for my name which I gave. Seeing her scratching away at the parchment coloured strip had me fascinated in the inside. It was amazing to see such an archaic form of paper being used in this world.
Should I introduce white paper in this world? I didn't know how to make it, but considering there may be no room for me to improve my strength or skills, I could focus on introducing more modern things in this world.
Electricity, at least the convention generation of it, was still going to be a big no-no.
She handed me a key with a number tag attached to it.
"If I need your assistance miss, how may I address you?"
"My name is Serra. ~Nyah~."
"Thank you Serra. Have goodnight."
"You too. ~Nyah~."
The mewls were borderline annoying.
Some would be pissed on why I didn't extend the conversation any longer. Like I said before, I had other priorities. Top amongst them now is getting into a bed.
I opened door number 45, to a small dark room with a tiny window near the ceiling. Beneath the window was a single bed. The bed was actually quite low for a bed.
But what I could tell was that it was stockier and of better quality than wooden beds back home. It looked more heavy duty, and the sheets looked rough but warm.
I shimmied out my pants and boots after unclasping the furry cape. It took a little bit of time for me to figure out how to take the chestplate off, but it appeared there were tight clasps on either side under the armpits.
Once the pieces of metal were slipped out of the grooves, it fell right off to reveal a tight leather top. It was little awkward taking it off but no different than taking off a tight t shirt a couple sizes too small. The vambraces appeared to be the same as the chestplate.
Once it was all off and placed on the nightstand next to the bed, I suddenly realized I had no pajamas or any sort of nightwear.
...
Birthday suit it was. Besides, it's a pretty normal thing around here if you're sleeping alone I'm sure.
I slipped into the sheets, and true to assumptions, they were rough. But not an uncomfortable rough. They were like those heavy blankets you'd typically find in country houses, farms and the like. Rough but cozy and warm. They smelled fresh.
Just before I closed my eyes I suddenly noticed my breath frosting in the moonlight. How cold was it in here? I didn't feel a thing.
Oh wait, didn't Saitama gain a level of thermal fluctuation resistance to the point he could bathe in lava? Well lucky me.
I instructed the shadow demons to separate and guard me. One was outside the door, one under my bed and one by the window.
At last my heavy eyelids closed, and I drifted off into wonderland, hoping to heaven that this wasn't all a dream.
---
I woke up again to find myself in a familiar place. I looked around to see a large balcony overlooking a large valley, and I was seated in a chair at a tea table. And opposite me was a person I was definitely happy to see again.
"Hey Nekros."
He chuckled, shaking his head at me.
"Well look at that. A mortal being so casual and informal with the likes of me, a transcendental with the power to peel back the walls of the omniverse like a scab. You really are an interesting soul Gareth, or is it Garth now?"
"Yeah it is. Was it cringe?"
"No. While I believe better could have been done, it is not the worst I've heard. How are you enjoying life so far?"
"Well it's been only one afternoon. But I guess there is nothing wrong with it. Just a few new things to get used to, but it'll come with time."
He smiled and leant back in his seat, pouring himself a cup of tea. He suddenly noted that there was no cup in front of me. I saw him merely stare at the space in front of me, and an identical cup materialized in front of me. He poured the tea for me, which I realized was nice green tea.
"You get used to it for sure. Certainly took me a short while when I went there for the first time."
"You've been there before?"
"Yeah. Believe it or not, I was once just a normal person on Earth like you. But then I was suddenly given an opportunity to reincarnate in the middle of class."
"No way."
"Yeah. Obviously I was fed up with normal life, and chose a new life where I could feel empowered and super."
"Did you choose an omnipotent character straight away?"
"No. I travelled to different fictional worlds, until I went to a world where I technically cheated my way into omnipotence."
"Mind telling me the secret?"
He fixed me with a look, not threatening but slightly mocking.
"Yeah, forget I asked." I said quickly.
"From what I've seen so far, you've come upon a realization yourself on too much power." he said while holding his cup and swirling the tea.
"Yeah. I mean, typically someone would realize it when they faced a powerful opponent and completely floored them. But after breaking the dog's arm so easily, I guess that's where it began to sink in."
"And now you're lost on what to do."
"Pretty much." I said with a grim smile. He chuckled, catching my attention.
"Well it's people like you that find purpose in other things beside gaining power. You just have to find what it is. And don't ever feel guilty for what Bete got. He had it coming, if not then he would have certainly ticked you off later."
I looked at him quizzically.
"You've been to Danmachi as well?"
"Yeah. And when I went there, I also gave him a bot of a humbling. Although it was lot more violent than what you did."
"What did you do?"
"Let's not talk about it..."
"..."
"Coming back to the previous topic, you just have to find something to focus on. Take this lad who I also sent to Danmachi, albeit a different iteration for him."
The air began to swirl next to the table, like a whirlpool of reality, before images appeared in the hole. It fixed upon a small child who was blindfolded, trekking through what I recognized to be the 4th floor of the Dungeon. He walked with a sort of cane, a fancy looking one though. There where jewels embedded in the intricate carvings.
"Take this little gobshite who was rude to me when I brought him here to be reincarnated. Mouthing off to me after he died by choking on a cheesepuff."
"Pffft. No way!"
"Yep, he did."
"That's hilarious. So what did you give him?"
"I made him the King of Chaos. Like Arthur from Seven Deadly Sins, I made him the host of Chaos as punishment."
"HOLY! That is overpowered af! But what do you mean punishment?"
"His body can't yet handle the strain of Chaos' magic. The magic is released whenever he opens his eyes. If they're open too long, eventually his body starts breaking down and working against him. Part of how I trained him was by making him fight with a blindfold."
"Kinda harsh, if you don't mind my opinion."
"I don't. And yes I agree, it is very harsh. But once he reaches a certain level, he can use his Chaos powers to the fullest. But for now, he has to use normal attacks like everyone else to get by. That walking stick is actually Excalibur in a fitting form for him."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Look he's about to use it now."
I looked back to the hole in reality to see hordes of goblins and kobolds suddenly spawn on top of him. The kid didn't even seem fazed, and with a swift movement of his arm, the handle of the cane detached revealing an extremely sharp blade inside. A casual swing of it sent a shockwave full of magical energy towards the monsters. They, their cores as well as hundred of walls and stalagmites and stalactites get shredded apart by the air pressure.
He re-sheathed the blade and continued his walk onwards, not even bothering to pick up the cores. I mean it made sense considering he destroyed them. Though not long after he left the scene, a bunch of Pallums appeared and began hastily scooping up any intact pieces they could find furiously.
"That is one powerful kid. I can't imagine what kind of terror he is now. What level is he?"
"Well his individual powers, strength, skills and prowess cannot be compared with the Danmachi Parameters."
"No?"
"No. I trained him with Britannia's parameters, which obviously is broken compared to those with Falna. But even though he's currently a level 3, he can contend with high level fives. That is if he doesn't whip off the blindfold. Once that happens, no-one short of the gods can stop him, although he's not able to sustain that state for long."
"Kind of a cheat don't you think?"
"Well it is, but he's a stubborn type. Hellbent on farming Excelia on his own efforts without the constant use of godlike power. Plus I told him that the more he did it, the harder it would be for him to contain Chaos before reaching level ten."
"Will it?"
"It will shred him apart like you couldn't comprehend." Nekros chuckled again. He seemed to like doing that. "He understandably holds a grudge against me for forcing him there, but there were legitimate reasons for that. He's a good kid though, and he's making good progress."
"So why did you show me this?"
"I wanted to make a point."
"A point?"
I looked back to the wormhole again. The scene shifted to the 17th floor. The blindfolded kid apparently the King of Chaos walked in nonchalantly, even as the Goliath appeared from the walls. It roared in indignation at being ignored and tried to slam the kid with a palm.
He didn't even look back as he tossed something over his shoulder which I didn't pay enough attention to while it was airborne. I realized what it was though when the Goliath was suddenly engulfed in dark purple-black flames and it burned to a crisp. The kid paused, walked back to pick up the large monster core as it seemingly vanished into the air. He began ascending down the tunnel to the eighteenth floor once more.
It was the demonic fire of the demon clan that he used. It reminded me of the scene where Meliodas attacked Giant King Drole and Fairy King Gloxinia with the same flames during the execution of his 'One Thousand Divine Cuts' move. Not even Ban's regeneration could survive those flames, so what chance did a Goliath have against that?
"The point I'm trying to make is that this kid is like you in some way. He has overwhelming power, and although he can't use it willy-nilly like you can without risking his own life, power is not his main focus.
Instead, he's fixated on leveling up as fast and efficiently as possible, so when he's finally able to release his Chaos magic in all it's glory, he'll be able to find a way home. he found himself a purpose to continue exploring the dungeon.
Now obviously you want nothing to do with going back to Earth. But exploring the dungeon doesn't necessarily have to just be a pursuit of power for you. You can find some other reason to do it. It's just a matter of time."
I nodded deep in thought. It was true, I already had all the power I needed to be the best. And I hadn't even used many of them. I still felt empty though. I guess that empty space needed to be filled with a purpose like Nekros described. But still...what was it going to be?
"Perhaps entering the dungeon first will be good point to start?" Nekros said to me, his lips quirked. I returned the smile.
He was not wrong. I hadn't even gone down that hole yet...pause...and I was already thinking about a purpose to find.
I looked down at my teacup to find it empty. When had I drank it all?
"It looks like time is up for you lad." he suddenly said. "It was nice seeing you doing well, but I can't really have you here too long."
"I'm sure. Brief our convo may have been, but I guess I've got a lot to think about again."
"Don't think too hard about it. You watch. The answers will just fall in your lap. Trust me."
"Mhm. Well, see you soon I guess?"
"Sure. Take care Garth."
"You too Nekros."
The balcony faded away from my vision as I awoke to the chitter of birds outside of my window as daylight began pouring in.
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