Bab 27: Chapter 27: Traumatic Future
Twenty silver daggers, a hundred arrows, Rethusa-san's improved compound bow…
Slowly, I checked the stock in each box. Upon confirming that everything ordered is here, I placed them inside my storage.
Walking to Northern Street, I thought of Rethusa-san's return from their expedition. I heard that when they chose to "reestablish" in this place, they updated their statuses to the guild. This gave them the responsibility to go on an expedition once every three months.
"We would stay until the remnants of Evils were caught."
'That was so… Lady Artemis-like.'
During our arrival, she was torn apart between helping the outside world or Orario's situation. Though, our conversation might have changed her mind and made them stay here.
As the one responsible for it, I took the job of being their smith. Fortunately, their working as a group brought more harvests than when I was alone, excluding the Goliath's drops.
Interestingly, everyone in Artemis Familia experienced a huge boost in their status. Some even outright leveled up upon its completion.
"It's similar to the residential areas back there…"
If North-west Street has clothing lines, North Street has various buildings that acted as many familias' residences. For example, Loki Familia's Twilight Manor is one of the largest residences here.
Coincidentally, Lady Artemis also resides in this place. Back when her familia was new, Rethusa-san and the oldest members prowled the dungeon until they are strong enough compared to the outside. It was also when they were helping others did they meet Lante-san and the rest.
Now that they had returned to this dungeon city, the once-desolate home was cleaned of its dust and webs.
The front garden also has its weeds cut off, new plants taking their previous place.
Stepping into the front gate, it only took a few moments before it opened by itself. Using a spell is way better than hiring a guard, which is similar to what I have done in the real world.
A second later, my senses detected more than a dozen spells inscribed all over the place. It is the security system I built through mithril slabs. The spells could last long with my maintenance every two weeks. Mithril is simply a perfect match for magic.
I did not even need to knock on the door as someone else opened it pre-emptively.
"Good morning, Lante-san. You're looking great today."
"Hehe~" She laughed it off. "Anyways, everyone is expecting your arrival."
Since it is Lady Artemis' order, I made sure to put everything into it. Rethusa-san's compound bow, for example, is nearly comparable to the modern compound bows that I have used. It is currently launched with the help of two tracks on opposite ends.
The enchantments are also another thing.
'I would like to see their surprised faces later.'
I was guided by Lante-san to their training grounds. It is still morning, hence everyone else sparred with Rethusa-san who had been promoted to Level 4.
Whilst hiding my arrival, I watched everyone else fight against her. It was similar to the previous sparring that we had–down to the one-sided beating that they took.
I took the crates outside of my ring.
Bam-!
The noise distracted the upbeat ladies as well as Rethusa-san. It was not surprising that it ended in their defeat, but they became more happy for their captain.
"Nobu-kun."
Just as she was about to follow up, I added,
"You're interested in beating me up as well?"
"Still sharp as always." She commented. "You want it?"
"Well, I did not have much time to exercise lately."
I took off my white coat and threw it on top of the crate, leaving behind my black long sleeves. I unbuttoned the ones on my wrist and neck for better movement.
"Fidelis canis major…"
After a five-second chant, I felt power entering my body. The world slowed down as the amount of information that I could process increased. My heartbeat became faster as it supplied more blood and nutrients to my entire body.
Fwoosh.
The tail behind my back swayed as it showed my excited feelings.
I felt that I could win against her overwhelmingly using [Sirius] back then, but it is different now that she ranked up a level. Since it is my half-assed use of [Mana Furnace], it could hold its ground, albeit barely.
"Let's start."
*****
Summoning forth his dagger, Nobu zoned in Rethusa. It is the backup dagger that he brought when he first came into this world. Just like the spear, it consists of more than a dozen spells.
To ensure safety, he turned off most of the lethal spells.
Clang-!
Rethusa took the first step and immediately arrived in front of him. Nobu parried it with his own, making it slide to his left. He planned on striking her neck, but she was fast enough and dodged it sideways.
Power converged on her right leg as she lunged at him once more.
Ding-!
Screech-!
He reacted by putting his dagger in a reverse grip. Sparks flew as her dagger's tip and the flat portion of Nobu's clashed. Knowing that he would be pushed back, he slanted his dagger sideways, allowing Rethusa's dagger to slip past his arms.
Cut-!
Nobu dodged his head sideways as the dagger was dangerously close to him. Just as it was about to inflict damage, his torso slipped past her arm.
However, a cut was made on his hand, making him drop his dagger. Even so, he proceeded to hold her dagger-holding arm.
Clang-!
'Now..!'
Nobu immediately used his grappling technique—Aikido—and threw her on his back. Not expecting this, Rethusa was easily swept with the impact. That is, until, she did an 'impossible' maneuver.
Using Nobu's throw as the anchor point, she twisted her lower body, which led to her landing on her two feet.
'Damn..!'
Nobu jerked the wrist holding her arm, promptly disarming Rethusa as her dagger fell to the floor.
Clang-!
To counterattack, she broke free of his grasp and choked him with her free arm. She did not stop there as she swept her leg at his feet, crumbling the balance that he desperately built.
Bam-!
Both of then fell to the ground as Rethusa choked his neck. Nobu felt her breasts rest on his head as she locked him with her arms.
"Khh… What…"
As he struggled to break free from this headlock, Nobu asked something.
"A new skill." She said with a smile. "It was [Parkour] or something, though Artemis-sama is the one who recognized its effects."
Parkour.
A developmental ability that allows its user to manipulate their body dexterously. With that, Rethusa's amazing acrobatic skill had been further boosted to a new height.
"I… something… new... too."
There was no signs of a magic circle being involved, yet her intuition told her that something was coming.
The virtual binary language engraved itself into reality—right below the two of them. A pillar of water rose up, sending them flying.
Pssssh-!
Sensing her grasp weakening, Nobu slipped out from her lock. Briefly, he saw Rethusa's look of interest. When they fell to the ground, both of their clothes were wet which made it outline their bodies.
It was not a problem for Rethusa thanks to her waterproof outfit—nothing much were shown—but Nobu's long sleeves traced his body unbefitting of a twelve-years-old. They would not be surprised to know if Nobu started fighting at a very young age.
"Your instincts… no, it seems as if you have encountered this moment already."
"I did."
'In my other memories, that is.'
He had been in hundreds of fights based on his memories, thus it was not unexpected that there would be some enemies that specialized in close quarters. With each near-death experience that he had, he learned something.
'That monster destroyed my suit barehandedly…'
Nobu recalled the man who seemed ordinary, only to possess a monstrous physical body. He never had an ounce of cursed energy, but his physical prowess is astounding enough to break the shackles of body and soul.
Due to him, I learned to slip away from disadvantageous close-combat scenarios.
"Duratus." (Freeze.)
Another spell was cast by him, turning the drenched Rethusa into a partial ice sculpture. It has the effect of hindering her muscle movements. Even so, her movements were only delayed for a few seconds.
Grabbing his fallen dagger, he thrust it towards her direction.
Pam.
Albeit freezing, Rethusa managed to stop its advancement by grappling his arm.
"Still the same as always."
"Truly." Nobu replied.
Both of them knew what was going to happen next.
"Fluctus." (Light.)
Psshk-!
As the blinding light flashed, a strong kick was sent into Nobu's stomach.
*****
"Huff… Huff…"
Beads of my sweat dripped to the ground. The stone flooring made of bricks became my bed as I forced myself to stand up. I could feel the tail on my back limp, as if mirroring my current feelings.
I found it strange, but its fur were not affected by my sweat.
"Level Fours… are stronger than I have thought."
Unlike Goliath who randomly used its strength, Rethusa-san has control and dexterity. She is smart enough to utilize her strength to the maximum. It is completely different from Goliath who could be easily outsmarted.
Even with my binary magic—something that allowed instant casting—, her reflexes are fast enough to react to whatever I am planning.
Add to that our familiarity with each other, it isn't surprising that I am put at a disadvantage. After all, Rethusa-san's level up is more significant than mine.
Even so, she lost her chance of winning the moment it turned into a long battle. Due to that, our fight became a stalemate. I am beaten up, though.
Rethusa-san lent me her hand in standing up.
"You're better than before." She said. "It feels like your body is catching up with your skills."
Without my suit, I could not fully exert everything that I have learned from the battlefield. A simple comparison is that if I had it on, I could defeat Goliath without breaking a sweat.
"You could have won this if we did not stop."
"But it'll be unfair to you, no?" She replied. "If I can't beat you quickly despite the level up, a win would not matter."
Suddenly, I felt my enhancements disappear as my ears and tail dispersed into starlight. My body was about to collapse, but Rethusa-san caught me.
"My bad. I did not know that our spar would end like this."
Saying that, she handed me over to the familia's sole healer, Nana-san. Her red short-cut hair set her apart from others… as one might think she was a hunter instead.
"Taichou… Look at what you've done to him! Nobu-kun overexerted himself in this fight!"
She said while straight up deadpanning.
"No… I am also the one to blame here…" I defended her.
"Please keep silent first. I know you are used to this injury, but your body is still delicate."
As she spoke, I sat on the floor as she touched my back. A warm feeling ran through my body due to Nana-san's delicate control over her healing ability. Since she was not strong enough compared to Orario's healers, she learned how to control it instead whenever her familia members are injured. She also studied many anatomies, particularly human anatomy.
As a result, she could treat serious injuries properly. Now that she has become a Level 3, her healing ability became more potent.
In less than twenty seconds, I could now move. The overexerted muscles became relaxed as they were restored to their previous state.
'The same as a high potion… I guess this is why medics are well-sought in this place.'
In Orario, healers are well-sought in every familia. Oftentimes, they would not venture to the dungeon without a single healer. However, not every familias has the luxury of having a healer. Hence, they opt for the second-best thing—potions.
Still, having one completely affects the fight. Not only could they heal their allies, they could also provide various buffs to their teammates.
Nana-san's newest healing ability, [Sanctuary], enables her to form an Area of Effect that heals her teammates and protects them with a white shield.
This is how broken healers are in this world.
(A/N: Airmid is a level two who could stand her ground against the cursed Demi-Spirit from Barca.)
"This much is fine. I am considered a doctor, no?"
She immediately retorted, "A reckless doctor, indeed."
Aside from teaching combat techniques and magic control, I talked about the field of physicists as well as surgery with her. To be honest, I learned quite a lot from those talks, considering that I have not come across much magic-related knowledge. My chances has to be properly allocated, after all.
They are also rare in my world.
"Can you stand up?"
"Yes. Your healing ability is broken."
After casting [Cleanse] on my dirty body, I felt refreshed.
"It's time for the fun part."
I said as I knocked on the crates that I brought earlier. Opening it, a plethora of weapons are revealed.
Magic bows, one-time use spell arrows, mithril arrowheads, chain mails…
There are even daggers with dangerous anti-magic abilities present.
Every member of Lady Artemis' familia knows about close quarters, though having these backups increases their chances of living.
"This is amazing..!"
Even the calm Rethusa-san could not hide the twinkle in her eyes as she drew her compound bow. She must have felt its capabilities already.
While they were happily checking out their equipment, their goddess entered my sight.
I did my usual bow and placed my right hand on my right chest before greeting her:
"Good morning."
"Ho… Good morning."
I knew she was about to bring up our conversation from before but could not bear to do so in front of her children.
"Hm. How about accompanying us for breakfast?"
"Right! Artemis-sama is a nice cook!" Lante-san added as if to support her offer.
Since she is the goddess of hunting, it would not be surprising to know that she could cook well, considering that it is a vital aspect of hunting.
Knowing Lady Artemis, I simply agreed to her offer.
When everyone was cleansed using my magic, a sumptuous breakfast greeted us. They are mostly similar to British and American breakfasts with an abundance of meat. There are also sunny side-up eggs as well as a complimentary soup to go well with it.
It seems that Lante-san assisted Lady Artemis in this endeavor, too.
As we began eating, I savored each bite.
'So this is a goddess' cooking…'
It is completely different from what I am used to. Simply put, it held a certain charm in it that could not be found in others. In short…
"Delicious…"
*****
Seeing his satisfied look, Artemis felt inwardly fulfilled. During the times they were outside, cooking mostly fell on Lante's and Nana's responsibility. Though she would also cook for them, her children did not want to trouble her with a menial task.
While Nobu was brought over with the superb food, he suddenly made a subconscious mumble:
"Lady Artemis is a perfect wife material. Too bad those gods could only see your title..."
After that, everyone else fell silent before they had varying reactions.
Artemis' ears were as red as a tomato, seemingly at her limit on hiding what she was feeling. Meanwhile, her children looked at each other as they talked with their eyes.
'Nice one..!'
Lante had twinkling eyes.
'As expected of him.'
Rethusa calmly nodded.
'Nobu-kun is a lady killer…'
'True. But maybe…'
'He has a chance. I dare those pesky gods to fight over this ship!'
Fortunately, Nobu returned to reality as he recalled over his words. He might have said it in a low voice, but everyone present here could perfectly hear him!
He silently looked at the straight-faced goddess, only to see her hiding her ears behind her silky blue hair. Although, the uneasiness present in her eyes was sensed by him as their gazes met.
'Ah.'
Preventing an embarrassed look to appear, he tried to focus on the food, but to no avail.
'With her… Why do I act like this..?'
He knew that he does not feel this fuzzy in front of his goddess, Hephaestus-sama.
'How illogical is this..?'
Nobu does not believe in love at first sight. When someone tells him about this, he deduced that they are in love because of their looks, not the true side of the person itself.
While Artemis is indeed extremely beautiful in his sight, it should not have caused his view to change suddenly. He recalled that it wasn't this drastic compared in the past.
'Was it during that embarrassing incident? Or when she started telling some stories with me? Or is it our private talk?'
Slowly, he remembered their memories. Artemis was strict to herself and her children, but even she has a soft side. She does not breach his comfort zone easily as she never asked sensitive questions to him.
Sometimes, he even forgets that Artemis was a goddess due to her being approachable.
'Ah… What should I do?! I am turning into Bocchi-chan!'
If asked what he learned from her, it is to conceal the inner breakdowns felt by yourself. Bocchi shows it way too much, which becomes funny to him.
He used to tease her before about this, but if she saw his current state, she would feel elated that Nobu has similar moments as her.
*****
After Nobu's time with the others, he deftly accomplished his other purpose in going here—to continue their previous talk.
"You shouldn't be involved with this case."
Right now, Nobu and Artemis were alone inside the goddess' office. She was the same as Hephaestus who took care of the necessary desk work before Rethusa took over this role.
"...Why? I am aware it could be dangerous, but isn't it the same as Rethusa-san's and the others?"
Nobu stopped looking at the bookshelf as his gaze met hers. He could feel solemnity, which was different from her strict nature.
He was doubtful as to why she's against him participating on their quest against Evils.
"I can't allow you to suffer any more harm." She replied. "I do not know how much suffering had you experienced, but I won't allow it to increase."
Surprised at her comments, Nobu's mind drifted towards his memories gained from his cheat. Traumatizing as they may be, he does not see any adverse effects on himself.
As if aware of his thoughts, Artemis added:
"It became worse. You do not know it yourself, but our eyes could peer into a mortal's."
In Gekai, gods retained some of their authorities such as their ability to innately detect any lies as well as see through some portions of a mortal.
From what Artemis saw the moment they first met…
"...not when your eyes are filled exhaustion and helplessness."
"..."
Nobu was shut silent as he reflected on himself. While his head wasn't completely filled with combat, there were indeed some significant events that happened.
Once, his little brother boarded the train to Tokyo as the Shinjuku incident happened, thus winding him dead.
Once, his parents were killed by an S-ranked Curse due to the Culling Game incident.
Once, he lost everyone he knew in front of his eyes.
Once…
Never ending scenarios were experienced by him throughout his seven iterations. His only saving grace was that the most recent future he had seen became better due to two new variables.
Then there was the dragon.
The ancient dragon who killed him for four times—all without the presence of Nobu's teacher nor his best friend..
The Magicians' Association became preoccupied with Japan's numerous issues, due to Kenjaku's mess which prompted Suimei to visit that place. With the other high-level magicians gone, their main base in England got obliterated.
Now, repeat that process four times. It was surprising that he had not gone crazy yet.
His dull eyes gained its life as he recalled his conviction.
"That's right… I fought against many hellish landscapes."
Nobu made his confirmation. Even Hephaestus did not know this side of him; the self who fought continuously in his memories.
"I killed many people. Vile ones. The ones who should not have lived. I ended their lives."
Unintentionally, his bloodlust leaked out. Frost began appearing in the corners of the room with how potent it is. Artemis was not affected by it, but the others would be.
Perhaps to keep himself sane, Nobu follows a core principle of his life—the golden rule.
Do unto others what they have done to you. It was similar to Nebuchadnezzar's "eye for an eye".
He punished vile criminals to keep himself mentally sane, lest he would break.
Being in the supernatural world does not sound as fun as others think. Oftentimes, they would see dead bodies. Then the supernatural users who abuse their powers to challenge the order of his world.
Losing sight of your goal is the most dangerous thing one could happen to someone like him.
"Even so, I could not seem to change our ends. It's as if fate dictated the destruction of our world." His voice carried a dark tone.
The first disaster was the outbreak of curses. The Sorcerer Society kept the issue of Sukuna, the King of Curses, and Kenjaku, the incarnate of the vilest sorcerer in history, under wraps until he regained his nineteen fingers. Along with other troublesome characters, the curses' knowledge became public starting from Japan.
This action led to a chain effect. The demons overseas became stronger, proportional to the curses themselves. The more "fear" they gain, the stronger they would be. Once they reach a certain level, these mechanisms for the world's end, the twilight syndrome, would begin its purpose.
As if not enough, the dragons who slumbered saw this opportunity and wreaked havoc. Even Okkotsu Yuta or Satoru Gojo could handle it alone, more so when Kenjaku's masterplan went true. They were too preoccupied with everything in Japan.
If one thinks that this was the end, no.
More things happened—something he would not call pleasant.
"I wanted a peaceful life, yet all I got were world-class disasters that I couldn't even face."
The sheer amount of despair whenever he could not change a thing was overwhelming. It was as if he was drowning in the deep sea.
Of course, he invented something to bridge their gap.
His suits.
Each of them has a system of complex magic. While they are not made with sturdy materials, their compositions were a miracle in themselves. Add to that them enabling Nobu to summon meteor strikes or turn his surroundings into a phantasmal world within twenty seconds.
His downsides, however, were the disasters themselves. He could resolve the weaker ones, but the strong ones could kill him within that duration.
"At least… in this world… I hope everyone else can have a better life."
—unlike mine.
Silently, his tears took over. It is the only time he could confess everything in front of a trusted someone—his burdens, that is.
A twelve-year-old kid wanting to change the fate of the world.
The one dubbed as "The Machinist".
The person who merged magic and technology through his efforts; the sole magician who broke the laws of mystical entropy and could use technology.
Right now, he is simply a helpless boy—
"Ah..?"
—in the arms of a goddess.
*****
A/N: In Otherworld's Magic, Magicians couldn't touch complex technologies. It has something to do with magicians distorting physics itself. Meaning, magic is the enemies of physics itself. As the being who always does that action, they could no longer use complex tech which runs on science and physics; it's like they are flagged as enemies. MC is the sole exception to this rule as he could merge magic and technology together, effectively becoming the first magician to tread the magic technology path.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone