บท 4: Encounters
Rimuru Tempest walked the streets of the Floating City of Xyrus.
People all around him stared—men and women both—though he didn't seem to notice or care. He moved gracefully, like someone of royal blood, but his glowing crimson eyes looked distant, as if his mind was somewhere else. He was focused on following the directions Raphael had given him to find the Xyrus Library.
The streets were loud and busy, full of energy.
Merchants shouted about their goods, trying to catch the attention of anyone passing by. They sold all kinds of things—shiny trinkets, unusual foods, and magical items. Adventurers, both experienced and new, stood around in groups. The seasoned ones had scars and worn gear that hinted at their adventures, while the newer ones looked excited but unsure. Children laughed as they ran through the crowds.
Rimuru, however, walked through it all as though he were in his own world.
The noise started to fade as Rimuru turned onto a quieter street. The buildings here were taller, and their designs more elegant. And then he saw it—the Xyrus Library. The building stood out from everything around it. It was huge and beautifully designed, with carvings of magical creatures and glowing runes etched into its stone walls. The large glass windows reflected the sky, shimmering as if made of liquid silver. The whole structure seemed magical, like something out of a storybook.
"They really went all out with this place," Rimuru said, a small smile playing on his lips. Even though he had seen things far more impressive in his life, he could still appreciate the effort put into the library's design. It was a clear sign of how much people here valued knowledge.
Rimuru walked up to the large open doors.
The inside of the library was even more amazing than the outside. Rows and rows of tall bookshelves stretched up toward the ceiling, each one packed with books, scrolls, and magical texts. Golden chandeliers hung above, glowing softly and casting a warm light over everything. The air smelled of old paper and ink. The only sounds were the quiet rustle of pages and the occasional whisper from people reading.
When Rimuru entered, a few heads turned to look at him. Whispers started, like little sparks of curiosity jumping between people. But, as always, he ignored them. His sharp eyes scanned the room until they landed on the front desk, where a stern-looking librarian sat. She wore thin glasses and had an expression that said she didn't tolerate nonsense.
"I'm looking for books on ancient mana theories and rare magical formations… as well as historical ones if I could," Rimuru politely said as he walked up to her.
The librarian glanced at the golden adventurer card he casually held out. The words "S-Class" shone brightly on it, catching the light. Her expression changed slightly. Without a word, she stood up and gestured for him to follow her.
"This way," she said. She led him through the maze-like library.
They stopped in front of a section that seemed older and more mysterious than the rest. The books here were bound in thick leather, with gold and silver symbols glowing faintly on their covers.
"This is the section you need," the librarian said, gesturing to the shelves. "Goodluck. These books are not easy to understand."
Rimuru gave her a calm, confident smile. "I think I can handle it," he said.
The librarian nodded slightly before walking away. Rimuru turned to the shelves, his fingers hovering over the spines of the books. He picked one—a thick tome with glowing runes on its cover. Then, he moved on to the previous shelf and picked another handful of books. Shelf by shelf, more and more books stacked up on Rimuru's left hand.
Those who saw him whispered amongst themselves of how he such a young teenager could balance and lift a stack consisting of dozens of books—each one thicker than the last.
"Let's see what you've got," he murmured, carrying the books to a nearby table. He sat down, the chair creaking slightly under him, and opened the first in a long line of books he was going to unravel.
"This should keep me busy for a while," he thought, a satisfied smirk on his face.
You're up, Raphael.
<<As you wish.>>
"Good," Rimuru replied, cracking his fingers as he stretched. "Let's get started."
◇◇◇
"Identification card, please," the guard said sharply. He fixed me with a no-nonsense stare, silently warning me not to cross the threshold without the proper documentation.
"Oh, right. My bad," I replied, snapping out of my thoughts. Casually, I reached into the void of Belzebuth's Stomach and retrieved my adventurer's ID. The action was second nature to me, but it drew a bit of surprise from the guard. Dimensional storage rings weren't exactly commonplace, even in an advanced and accomplished city like Xyrus. Not that it mattered—few people would recognize Belzebuth for the ultimate skill it truly was, disguised as a simple utility.
The guard accepted my ID, his professional mask slipping as his eyes scanned the card. His brows furrowed, then shot up in surprise as recognition dawned. He cast a few quick glances my way.
"Done?" I asked, my tone polite but firm.
"Y-Yeah," he stuttered in his response, handing the card back hastily.
Sliding the card back into Belzebuth's Stomach, I strode toward the teleportation gate without another word. Beyond its shimmering, translucent barrier lay the Beast Glades, a vast and mostly untamed and uncharted wilderness known for its raw, primal magic and the ferocious creatures that thrived within it. It was the kind of place that only the brave—or the foolish—ventured into.
Passing through the gate was as jarring as ever. The air here felt heavy, saturated with mana so dense it prickled against my skin like static electricity. Towering trees stretched endlessly toward the sky, and somewhere in the distance, a deep, guttural roar echoed.
I unfolded a neatly creased parchment and scanned the quest details. My task was straightforward enough: gather three rare materials. Each item was prized for its use in high-tier enchantments and weapon crafting. It wasn't hard to see why the guild classified this mission as S-rank. Few would willingly face monsters of this caliber.
Raphael's calm, analytical voice resonated in my mind. <<Acknowledged. Scanning the area. Calculating optimal routes for material collection. >>
"Perfect," I muttered, tugging my gloves tighter.
I ventured deeper into the forest, where leaves rustled faintly, not from wind but from creatures moving just out of sight. Predatory eyes watched from the shadows, but I ignored them. My targets lay further in, deeper within the glades.
I had three targets. Crimson Fang Basilisk for its venomous fang. Ironhide Dire Bear for its heart crystal. Spectral Wraithwolf for its shadowed pelt. These three are individually categorized as A-rank beasts, but I'm confident in my ability to win. I am a demon lord, after all.
Other than the other mindless beasts that came after me whom I slaughtered, my first meaningful encounter arrived sooner than expected. It was the Spectral Wraithwolves, an entire pack of six.
Without hesitation, I activated Uriel's Law Manipulation, focusing my magicules to manifest a weapon. Golden particles of energy coalesced around my hand, shimmering and swirling as they solidified into the shape of a bastard sword.
My old sword was no longer an option. I had discovered this firsthand during my initial experiments earlier. The surge in my power was astronomical, and the blade simply couldn't keep up. A single amplified strike had been enough to shatter it into irreparable fragments.
It was a bittersweet realization, but one I quickly accepted. Growth often demanded sacrifice.
From now on, magic-formed weapons would be my go-to choice. These conjured blades were remarkably durable and incredibly sharp, their performance rivaling that of Unique-Grade equipment. According to Raphael's analysis, if I used Material Creation to craft a permanent weapon, I could potentially produce something on par with Legend-Grade or even God-Grade artifacts.
The prospect was enticing, but for now, the golden bastard sword in my hand would suffice.
The Wraithwolves wasted no time as soon as they noticed my aura flaring. The alpha lunged first as it closed the distance between us in an instant. I sidestepped with ease and brought my sword down in a sweeping arc. The blade sliced cleanly through the wolf's shimmering body.
The death of the alpha caused the remaining wolves to hesitate for a fraction of a second.
But they brushed aside their fear and attacked in unison. I met them head-on, weaving myself through their strikes easily. Each swing of my blade was decisive, cutting through their forms and leaving trails of dissipating shadow in its wake.
Within moments, the pack lay defeated.
As the last of the Wraithwolves dissolved into the air, I took a moment to collect the spoils of battle. The shadowed pelt I sought materialized amidst the dissipating shadows. It emanated a faint, eerie glow, and was cold and smooth to the touch.
One target down, two to go.
I let go of the golden sword and it hovered and orbited me. I took a moment to check the directions given to me by Raphael, and decided to head further east. It had been an hour since I arrived in the glades, and frankly, I'm still nowhere near deep in this uncharted land.
Numerous beasts charged at me from the depths of the trees, and each one I simply sliced through by telekinetically controlling the golden sword I had conjured. This continued on for another hour as I finally came across my second treasure.
An ironhide dire bear, I thought with excitement as a bear with shimmering silver fur stood before me. It reached the height of nearly twelve meters—astronomical if you compare it to me who's just around 5 foot 5. It seemed I was a little too amazed at the bear's magnificence that I didn't even register it had already sent me flying with a punch.
I uprooted several trees in my wake and I lay there, battered on the dirt as I looked up at the open clearing of the leaves and into the deep blue sky. Beautiful, I mused. I stood up, taking my own time to brush off the dust in my clothes as I emerged effortlessly unharmed.
"This sure brings back memories from when I first encountered the goblins," I muttered, closing my eyes as if to reminisce the memory of a nostalgic past. Gobta's face emerged in my mind.
Him? Seriously?
The ground shook as I sensed the bear galloping my way. Opening my eyes slowly to reveal twin orbs of pure blood color, I invoked a skill I never thought I'd use so soon in this world.
"Eat it, Belzebuth."
A swirling vortex of darkness emerged and swallowed the bear's body whole, rendering all resistance futile as the world itself bent to its absorption.
"So that's the evolved Gluttony, huh?" I muttered in the silence of the forest. "Pure sweetness, isn't it, Raphael?" I chuckled.
<<…>>
Ignoring Raphael's deadpan at my corny attempts of humor, I dismantled the body of the bear in my Stomach and double-checked if the Heart Crystal I needed was safe and intact. After confirming that it was, I turned to my right and expanded my Universal Perception—the evolved skill of Magic Sense.
Two down. One more to go.
I continued venturing into the forest and began traversing the paths that would lead me to my final targets according to Raphael's map.
The last creature I'm after is a crimson-fanged basilisk. As its name suggests, it possesses crimson fangs capable of injecting venom into its unfortunate victims. As if that weren't enough, it also has eyes that can petrify even A-rank adventurers, provided they're unprepared or alone. It's easily the mightiest of the three beasts I'm hunting.
I had initially considered going straight to its nest and destroying its eggs to provoke it. However, Raphael warned me that this particular species of basilisk is highly adventurous and tends to roam the woods, often intruding on the territories of other powerful mana beasts.
So, I decided to approach from a distance, carefully circling its hunting grounds while keeping Universal Sense activated at maximum range, allowing me to detect even the faintest trace of my prey.
Then, I heard a rustling sound to my right. I turned my head and assessed whether it could be my target.
Bingo.
I sprinted toward the sound, leaving a trail of crackling golden mana in my wake, which branched off into tendrils of amber flames. As I emerged from a dense cluster of trees with a leap, I spotted my quarry: a large, towering lizard-like creature with shining maroon scales and spikes running down its spine to the tip of its tail.
At its feet, I saw the mangled remains of a human body. Not far from where it stood, there was a man in his mid-twenties, already collapsed and trembling, his pants soaked. It seemed this beast had barged into this territory and attacked a party of unsuspecting adventurers without warning.
The basilisk's intimidating form standing proudly amidst the destruction. It was formidable, no doubt, but I had no intention of wasting time with a drawn-out battle. Though I felt bad for them, there's nothing more I can do. This is simply given when you've decided to become an adventurer.
My apathy gnawed at me, but that wasn't why I was here, nor did I come here for a fight—I came to complete my first ever mission and head back to Xyrus. I had everything I needed to finish this quickly.
With a single thought, I imbued the orbiting golden sword with a focused surge of the amber flames swirling around my body, converging into a deadly point of high penetrating power. The golden light blazed with intensity, radiating power that rippled through the air.
All this I was seeing while I was still in mid-air from my earlier jump.
The basilisk turned, its eyes narrowing as it registered the threat that was me. But before it could react, I released the attack. The sword of golden smoldering flames shot forward, piercing through the air like a streak of lightning. It collided with the basilisk's chest in an instant, and the creature never had the chance to retaliate.
A deafening crack echoed as the blast tore through its scales, smashing into its core. The basilisk's body jerked violently, its fiery eyes wide with shock, before it crumpled to the ground, motionless.
I landed on my feet with a soft thump, and the body of the basilisk hit the ground just in front of me. I effortlessly lifted its upper mouth and forcefully snatched the venomous fang. My mind was already elsewhere, focused on the goal. I could feel the task was complete, and I was done.
"Get out of here," I said to the trembling adventurer whose entire party was killed. "Just send people to get your friends."
With that, I turned and calculated the trajectory of the Floating City of Xyrus. I didn't need to stick around bask in victory. All I wanted now was to return and claim my rewards.
"Time to go home," I muttered to myself as I flew into the air, directly heading to Xyrus.
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