“Wishing to live in this world for eternity to escape that hellscape of ours… I find this disturbing. Even if I worked hard and returned to our world to embrace my parents, friends, and everyone again… There’s no guarantee the skills I learned here can be transferred… Is it too late for us to save the world… No, at least Japan from that dystopian totalitarian life?”

 

As night emerges, so do Somas waiting patiently earlier to begin their hunt. The mountains in which they reside become easy farms to pick on. Some of the landscape transforms into bigger Somas to protect themselves. Especially the Weaver Trees that resemble an Ancient Treant Guardian, a Grade II Leviathan class Soma. 

 

Unknown to Gevanni who walked past these trees, a Weaver tree is the paradise of a tailor. These trees mostly produce silk that takes the shape of vines and occasionally, produces a craftable artifact resource called “Weaver’s Root Cage”.  An item where you can also dissolve and drink to gain an increase in productivity of hands-on detailed work such as embroidery and watchmaking. Some alchemists also search for this item to aid them in their potion creation.

 

The only way to extract these vines is manually peeled them. However, the tree has resistance and needs a higher grade of equipment for it to take effect.

 

Gevanni halted and watched something moving towards him from the gaps of Weaver Trees.

 

“Looking back, these are the same wolves I fought before. Did they consume their leader to get this big and change in appearance?”

 

After examining the pack, Gevanni’s guard dropped. The Yltorzas pack rushed to his side and each one of them offered him a slab of meat.

 

“Spending time with you a lot would be a good refresher.”

 

Gevanni commented but one Yltorzas whimpered.

 

“I have no desire to kill any somas. Even if they drop really good loot. What’s even better is the equipment I can loot from PK’s.”

 

The Yltorzas who whimpered now wagged their tail out of joy. It seems it understood Gevanni’s words. It’s not because Gevanni has some sort of skill to talk with animals but rather it’s out of instinct and observation of Gevanni’s actions. Proving that these Somas might have once used to be partners with individuals from Evanslei.

 

“However, to the people of this world, they consider this as real and I have to respect that. This is not a game.”

 

Gevanni commented as he patted that certain Yltorzas.

 

“Zasu!”

 

“Fortunately, this Kingdom has already developed lighters. That only means one thing. Magic is luxury and used scarcely while most people rely on the technological advancements innovated throughout Evanslei. I won’t be surprised if I encounter some philosophers or scientists in the future.” 

 

Gevanni thought loudly as he prepared a campfire and a cooking station made of twigs and branches he collected earlier.

 

“I don’t know what kind of meat is this but meat is meat!”

 

Gevanni pumply declared with a bright smile on his face. This will be his first meal in this world that involves meat. Some of the Yltorzas were waiting nearby at the cooking stations and some were playing tag.

 

“There’s a natural pond nearby. I need to clean this meat first.”

 

All of a sudden the fire disappeared.

 

Just when things are going smoothly, a chilly wind ruptures the area. Judging from its sound, the cause of it is some sort of humongous creature that flaps its wings violently. 

 

The event bent the Weaver Trees as if they were nothing. The aftermath might have mistaken the formation of these trees as the “Hooked Forest”. 

 

“In Herscheim you know you’re already at the level you need parties to move on. I guess I moved too much. There’s no chance of a Wyvern… No, it’s alone. A Drake like that would be flying around here.”

 

Tensing its muscles and slowed down its flight speed, the Frost Drake shrieked. It even made the deep sleepers such as Cryogons leave their nests and leave the area.

 

“Even if these wolves are fantasy creatures where I don’t have any data, they are still animals… They should know when to attack or retreat.” 

 

Gevanni thought loudly as the Frost Wyvern flew around him.

 

“Alright! If you all can understand me, beat the shit out of that wyvern!”

 

“Zasu! Zasu!” 

 

The pack of Yltorzas readied themselves by forming into an offensive formation. The ones at the front easily spot where the Frost Wyvern is hiding and lock eyes with it.

 

“Good thing, I made a portable cooking station… I should prepare the food again in a safe place.”

 

During mid-sentence of Gevannis murmur, the Frost Drake swallowed air and charged a large chunk of ice.

 

Upon noticing Gevanni’s immense aura, the Frost Drake changed the trajectory to him instead of the Yltorzas’ pack.

 

“Not letting me go that freely, huh?”

 

Gevanni easily dodged the strike without any effort. He then slammed the logs he gathered earlier.

 

‘Interesting! A single target attack with multi-aoe!”

 

Piqued by the interesting outcome, Gevanni had to think quickly. He used the destroyed logs and threw them.

 

They were frozen instead of Gevanni. His attention was stolen when he spotted an unusual activity from the pack of Yltorzas.

 

“What!? They can do teamwork that well?” 

 

Each one of the Yltorzas used each other's tails to grab each other to throw one another. Thus, putting the distance from them and the Frost Drake even closer. 

 

The Frost Drake anticipated this and roared. It then dives towards the closest Yltorzas and smacks the rest of them with its tail.

 

The rest of the Yltorzas knew this was coming soon. They easily dodged it by gliding in different directions.

 

“Oh? That was a nice move. Their dashes are not limited to land but as well as in air, huh?... No, they just sped up their gliding speed.”

 

Gevanni wondered after he finished examining the attack patterns of the Frost Drake.

 

The only time the Frost Drake dives is after it cast its single frost attack that becomes a multi-aoe attack.

 

“You’re mine!”

 

Gevanni contested with the tail smack by the Frost Wyvern. However, it took a while for him to realize that he wasn’t strong yet and had to make an impromptu. 

 

As expected, the Frost Drake swung its tail in an uppercut motion, leaving Gevanni exposed in mid-air. It’s impossible for him to dodge any upcoming attacks.

 

“That surprisingly hurts, huh?”

 

Gevanni murmured as the Frost Drake charged towards him while preparing another single frost attack.

 

The Yltorzas pack did their best howling at the sidelines cheering Gevanni that he could do this.

 

The Frost Drake is known for not missing any target once they locked on but in this case, the puffy clouds made it hard. Making Gevanni easily sneak around the Frost Drake.

 

With his skydiving proficiency, Gevanni shifted to a hard left turn and whipped the Frost Drake’s eye. Thus, breaking its flight pattern and unexpectedly tilting itself enough for its underbelly to be exposed.

 

Gevanni saw this as a chance to attack. There are multiple scars all over the place but he chose a specific area which he thinks would deal damage the most.

 

Before the Frost Drake could make a screeching sound, it was violently blown towards the Blackstone Plains. It met its end by being pierced by towering rocks that mimic spikes.

 

Gevanni safely landed and fixed his hair thinking, “This wouldn’t be bad if I just say it’s self-defense.”

 

Across the mountains, someone caught their attention not because someone defeated a Frost Drake but something else. Their majestic red cape flows magnificently but their eating habits look as if they were a caveman. There’s no trace of any single doubt or care about what others might think of them.

 

“Hmm. It seems someone started their breakfast earlier than me. Aren’t they trying too hard? It’s 3 AM.”

 

That someone’s name is Celfeith himself.  He scratched his head while looking in the direction of that loud explosion. 

 

“But that overflowing mana… It’s familiar…”

 

Celfeith tried to think hard but eventually gave up. 

 

“But that hunting spot...”

 

Celfeith tried to think hard again. That hunting spot belongs to no one until this moment. It must mean there’s someone new in Hunter’s Guild with a higher ranking.

 

“Whoever they are, I hope to be buddies with them.” 

Back to Gevanni’s location, he already set up another functional cooking station and the pack of Yltorzas encircle him and was sitting patiently.

 

“Just in time, the meat’s ready. Good work, everyone.”

 

“Zasu! Zasu!”

 

Gevanni looked into each one of them and thought about how he should distribute the meat. 

 

“Here’s for you…”

 

Gevanni swung his arm and threw the meat into the air. That specific Yltorzas knew it was for them and dashed to get it, revealing its savage fangs.

 

“You slender one… The tall one… The muscular one…”

 

Gevanni threw the meat uniquely to each Yltorzas. Thus, making them happy as they wag their tails. Being caught on this rare occasion made Gevanni careless.

 

“Ah! It’s gonna turn black!”

 

A certain Yltorzas comes toward him drooling.

 

“It seems you in particular like the burnt crisp.”

 

“Tora… Tora!”

 

Before Gevanni could utter any word, Yltorzas gobbled up that meat as if it was nothing.

 

“Ugh… Now I don’t have any meat left. Maybe that Frost Drake would do.”

 

Gevanni wondered as he shifted his sight to the Frost Drake looking pumped up. It’s the first in his life that he would ever taste the meat of such a mythical being.

 

“Yum. That’s surprisingly sweet but… with hints of bacon?”

 

A loud piercing shriek was heard over the distance. Instead of complaining, Gevanni prepared himself how many enemies he was going to fight against.

 

It was hard at first but Gevanni slowly fixed his gaze seeing distances that no normal human can see. There are four Frost Drakes heading towards his location.

The sun rose and instinctively made Gevanni cover his eyes. However, he missed the chance to see a mysterious person almost jump at the height of 2.000 feet while managing his position so that all Frost Drakes are stacked together.

 

“Twin Palm strike!”

 

As soon as that person finished their attack, the Frost Drakes turned crisp and couldn’t move an inch.

 

“Now I'm this close to this mysterious person. I never thought that mana aura is so big up close.”

 

Again, this mysterious person is Celfeith. This old man suffers from selective amnesia despite being a Great Hero. Hence, he tries to live his life by not thinking too much nor please everyone.

 

“Celfeith! We need your help!”

 

A voice ringed into his right ear. It is the same function as Call Magic.

 

“Bah! What a mood killer. What’s with everyone today? They're up early.”

 

Celfeith grumpily complained as he blazes through the mountains. The opposite direction that the callers want Celfeith to be in.

 

Even though Gevanni missed the chance to properly see Celfeith’s power in action, he acknowledged that there really is a difference in power in this world.

 

“This is my first time spending overnight in the mountains. I didn’t know someone else besides me was training here… Or for food?”

 

Gevanni wondered as he slowly sat and watched the remains of the Frost Drake he defeated.

 

“Now my belly’s filled, I should examine this Frost Drake a bit….”

 

Gevanni casually tore up the belly of the Frost Drake with his hand.

 

“Unlike Humans, Somas bound their souls and mana cores together. If I pluck this core, the remains of this Frost Drake would vanish. That would be a waste if this soma has valuable resources for crafting.”

 

Gevanni took a pause and resumed his research.

 

“Now then, if this is Herscheim, what parts should I manually loot?... Eyes and Scales are definitely a must.” 

 

Gevanni stood up and decided even better.

 

“No, I’ll take everything! At the time being, I’ll put them into my storage rooms at the shack before I exchange them for something. I desperately need the hunting license but that means I need to be employed by the Hunter's Guild. The lower your rank is, the lower hunting spots you can have and the limited somas you can fight. How troublesome.”

 

By following the rules in this world, it means starting at the lowest point and working yourself way up. However, Gevanni is not the type of person who would obey such a rule.

 

“Unless I fight a member of their guild through a duel… No, that’s too soon. If I decide to do that, I need every bit of information about that member and end the duel in seconds.”

 

A sudden bright idea pierced Gevanni’s mind and slowly weaved them with the previous information he had. 

 

“To make myself less suspicious, I need to be a regular in lower cities and help people to build a good reputation as a front. It’s nice to depend on the welcoming gifts of the royal palace but eventually, I and Izuna will be on our own. It’s best to learn how to live in this world sooner than later.”

 

Although contradictory to what he believes the most, this is one of the viable choices he made. After all, it’s been three weeks since he has been summoned to this world alongside Izuna.

 

“It would be a problem if I accidentally did something without me realizing and it became a manhunt.”