I recognized the packaging, and for a moment, I forgot I was in another world.
“Fruit flavor, huh? These are pretty good.”
I tore one open, took a bite, and chewed gently, savoring the taste. The soft bar melted away in my mouth. The mild sweetness took over all my senses. It dried out my mouth a little, though.
No time for hesitation. Deploy oolong tea.
I gulped heavily and winced as the sweetness was washed away by a bitter wave of tea. The liquid made the dry cereal bar easier to swallow.
Not bad. It’s not exactly a three-course meal, but I kinda like eating this stuff.
After dinner, I ripped up the paper packaging the cereal bars came in and used it to brush my teeth. Then I scattered the bone fragments in front of the door as an extra precaution. I didn’t really think anything was going to get through; otherwise all the doors wouldn’t have still been sealed when I got there. But it never hurts to be extra careful.
I took a few minutes to quiet my racing thoughts and convince myself that I was safe. Soon, I fell into my first peaceful sleep in a long time.
When I awoke, I went to find more monsters to kill in the areas below.
How much time has passed? A week? Three days? Just twelve hellish hours?
My body clock was completely out of whack. The only way to mark the passage of time was that I got hungry and tired after a while. The crystal on my leather pouch was unpredictable—I’d expected it to refresh every 24 hours, but it seemed more irregular than that. Since I started leveling, the pouch had sent me three gifts—a tuna mayonnaise rice ball, a pack of tuna sashimi, and some pork soup in a plastic container. The sashimi was cold like it was right out of the fridge, and the soup tasted freshly made. I also received a bottle of green tea and a nutritional energy drink, but the sashimi didn’t come with a beverage, so I supposed I wasn’t guaranteed one every time. There also wasn’t any soy sauce, but the tuna sashimi still tasted incredible.
The pork soup was a surprise, too—it was the only item that didn’t come in branded convenience store packaging.
Who made this soup for me…? Well, no way to figure that out now. At least my food and water problem is solved.
I slept for a while; then I went out to do some experiments.
I found that the range of Paralyze was about 20 meters, and the range of Sleep was a little smaller. I also discovered that Paralyze didn’t fully immobilize my enemies—they could still move a little, enough to moan or cry out. The star of the show, Poison, had a range a little smaller than Paralyze, too.
First skill range test: complete.
I ran my tests on every monster I came across, until after a while they thinned out, then disappeared. I couldn’t even feel their presences.
Did I kill them all, or are they just hiding like those minotaurs and bird-heads?
“Status Open.”
Too-ka Mimori
Level 1229
HP: +3687 MP: +40237 / 40557
Attack: +3687 Defense: +3687 Vitality: +3687
Speed: +3687 Intelligence: +3687
Title: E-Class Hero
That’s pretty high…I’m over a thousand already. If I head down any deeper, it’ll be hard to make it back to base. And the monsters on the upper levels are stronger, anyway…
“I think it’s time to head to the surface for real.”
I went back to the ruins to prepare for my ascent.
I tore some vines off one of the buildings, knitted two of them together to make a thick rope, and yanked it hard to test its strength.
“Seems strong enough.”
I tied the rope around my leather pouch and slung it across my shoulder.
Now I can keep my hands free while I’m carrying this thing.
“All right. Time to get moving.”
Before sleeping, I’d ripped off a scrap of my uniform, soaked it in green tea, and tried to wash a little. It didn’t do much, but I felt a little refreshed.
I left my ruin base behind and started walking.
“I’d like to think that these ruins mean I’m near the surface, but who knows?”
I walked through the empty ruins in silence. I’d found an upward slope at one end of the cave while exploring the area, so I headed in that direction.
“This path feels manmade, not like the caves before…huh?”
Just as I was leaving the area, I glimpsed another path. It was dark, secluded, and blocked by thick vines.
“How did I miss this before…?”
I swept the vines aside and pushed my way into the tunnel.
Before me was a familiar-looking crystal.
“I guess there was one more room…”
I poured mana into the crystal until the door slid open.
Hey, that was 5000 MP! Why does this door cost so much?
I stepped inside and immediately covered my mouth against the cloud of dust I kicked up. I held up my glowing pouch to look around. It looked just the same as the rest—empty, no signs of life, with the same dull stone furniture.
So, that was a big waste of mana. Does getting into pointless rooms cost more than the good ones…?
I froze. There, in the back of the room, was a robed skeleton sitting cross-legged against the wall.
“Oh…it must’ve been a real struggle to get this far, fellow hero. Nice work. I really mean it. Good job making it all this way.”
I looked closer at the skeleton—the ribs on one side were cracked and splintered.
Is that how they died?
I clapped my hands together in apology, then started going through the skeleton’s belongings. I noticed old scraps of paper with writing on them scattered on the floor, and stooped to pick them up.
“Though I probably won’t be able to read whatever language—oh.” I took a closer look. “Okay, I can read this. Nice.”
That Goddess must’ve done something to let us all understand other languages.
“Hmm… Let’s see…”
“I wonder if anybody will ever read this, since I’m leaving it in the Ruins of Disposal. I suppose I should start with my name—Anglin Bathrad. People call me ‘The Great Sage Anglin,’ but you might know me by my past name—”
“Huh?”
“Anglin, Hero of Darkness.”
I’d heard that name before…the Goddess had compared him to Yasu when he got tested, or at least I thought so. She’d seemed kind of upset thinking about him, too—maybe she had some regrets about what happened? Did Anglin go against her or get in her way?
When you hear the name “Hero of Darkness,” you picture some evil guy. I figured that was why the Goddess seemed annoyed with him…but maybe I read that wrong.
Why is he the “Hero of Darkness,” anyway? Did he have an ability that let him control the dark?
“This paints the ruins in a different light, though…”
The Goddess said she sent dangerous criminals down here, but…did any of them actually do anything wrong?
I went back to the letter.
“The Goddess Vicius forced me down here. No doubt I’d become a thorn in her side and she wanted to be rid of me.”
“I knew it.”
“I’m low on ink, so I’ll spare you the details of my capture and imprisonment. If you are trying to escape the ruins alive, then I leave my possessions to you. Take whatever you need. I think it won’t be long until…”
The ink, which had been fading with every word, finally stopped. There were a few scratch marks where the sage had tried to write more but hadn’t managed it. Maybe he was just too weak to keep writing. I crumpled the edge of the parchment in rage.
“That…foul Goddess.”
She called the Demon King the Lord of Evil, right? Maybe that’s true…but the Goddess is evil, too. And it’s not like I’m trying to save the world from either of them. I’m just in it for my own survival, and my own revenge. Guess that puts me on the evil side, too.
A three-way battle, and all three sides are evil
. Then what’s the point? Heroes are supposed to save the world…
“But I’m no hero.”
There’s nothing heroic about surviving at all costs or getting my vengeance. The Great Sage Anglin’s dying words said, “if you are trying to escape the ruins alive…” Well, I am. So I’m gonna take all his stuff.
There was a sack lying next to the skeleton—it was full of holes and too worn to be worth taking, but there was something heavy inside.
I reached in and pulled out an old book, thick and heavy like an encyclopedia. It was worn, but the binding was still strong. I could still make out the title.
Forbidden Arts: The Complete Works.
“Forbidden arts…?”
I opened the tome and started reading. I could read the words, but…I didn’t understand what any of it meant.
“I’ll try to figure it out…” I scanned the page again and tried to focus.
“Hmm…”
At a glance, it doesn’t seem like it’ll teach me attack skills or magic spells—it’s more like alchemy, I guess?
There were lists of recipes for medicines and magic tools, some of which looked like they’d be useful. I tucked the old book under my arm.
I kept searching. There were some broken tools scattered on the ground, but none of them seemed worth taking.
Last, I found three old, worn scrolls of parchment, neatly rolled and tied with string.
“Are these maps or something…?”
I untied the strings and spread them on the ground.
“What are they…?”
They weren’t maps—they were covered with writing, but this time I couldn’t understand a word of it. All three were the same—unreadable.
“So heroes can’t just read every language, then.”
Maybe I could find someone who can read ancient languages? They look important…
“Hm?”
A scrap of paper slipped from one of the scrolls and drifted down to the floor.
This one, I could read.
Scrolls of Forbidden Magic.
“That…sounds like a big deal.” My mind raced. “If I can find an ally who can read these…maybe we can use them to take down the Goddess.”
I thought back to the last time I faced her. My status effect skill didn’t even touch her—that “Dispel Bubble” or whatever had blocked them completely.
I only believed that my skills were worthless in the first place because they didn’t work against the Goddess. But…for all I know, she’s the only one in the world they don’t work on. I need some other kind of power to fight her.
“Forbidden magic…”
If I had a forbidden magic caster on my side, maybe we could take her down. The Great Sage Anglin must have hidden these scrolls down here for a reason—they must be powerful.
I stuffed them into my bag, then did a final sweep of the room. I decided to take the Great Sage’s robes—my black overcoat had taken a beating, and the robes seemed durable.
Black robes for the Hero of Darkness, huh? Perfect for hiding in the shadows.
I changed into Anglin’s robes and dressed his skeleton in my overcoat. It felt wrong to leave him exposed.
“Sorry about this… I hope you don’t mind the trade.”
Then I picked up Forbidden Arts: The Complete Works.
The Great Sage Anglin, Hero of Darkness…that Goddess called him a supreme warrior, right? Why didn’t he make it to the surface, then? What blocked his path that even he couldn’t beat?
I looked up at the ceiling.
“There’s something up there.” I glanced back at the Great Sage. “Dead men tell no tales, huh?”
As I made my way out of the room, I opened my pouch to put away the old tome.
That’s when I saw it—the last pages were dirty, liked they’d been soaked with something…
Blood red.
“Wh-what the hell…?”
I opened to the final pages and froze in shock. There were hastily scrawled, deranged scribblings, made by a man possessed. This wasn’t the calm, refined text I read on the other parchment.
The Great Sage did write that he was running out of ink…so he used something else to write his final warning.
Blood.
“Beware the Soul Eater!”
Chapter 4:
Soul Eater
The Runaway
SHE MADE HER WAY cautiously through the forest, searching for a hiding place. She needed to find somewhere safe enough to finally get some rest.
Glancing downward, she saw her reflection in a puddle of water at her feet. Not her true reflection—she usually changed her face with the power of the spirits, hoping to throw off her pursuers. She’d been a bit too relaxed during her bath earlier, allowing her disguise to wear off, but she used her powers to put it back on as soon as she realized her mistake. She shut her eyes, frustrated at her own sloppiness.
I may have escaped those hunters for the time being, but there is always the danger that someone will recognize me. Even deep in the forest, I cannot be sure that no one is watching. I must learn from my mistake and make sure it never happens again…
She remembered well the failure that sent her on the run. She hadn’t been careful enough—she’d avoided trouble for so long that her guard had started to drop. She’d stopped in a village, and in a tiny lapse she let her disguise slip and someone saw her true face. Unfortunately, that person turned out to be one of a four-man mercenary squad, renowned throughout the continent for their fighting skills. They were clearly adversaries to avoid fighting head-on. She’d changed her face again and fled the village, doing everything she could to throw them off her trail. Her body and clothes were harder to disguise, though—her shapeshifting ability was limited to her head. Clothes were one thing, but the distinguishing features of her body were impossible to hide.
Getting away from these four mercenaries was going to take a lot more than just disguising her face, she’d feared.
Her fears had turned out to be well-founded—the mercenaries hunted her relentlessly through every twist and turn she tried to throw in their way. Finally, just yesterday, she’d managed to lose them in the forest. She was far off track from where she’d intended to travel, but at least the mercenary problem was solved.
She reached into her breast pocket to check the money inside.
I am unsure how much longer this will last me…
Then she grasped the charms around her neck.
Living like this in the forest forever…might not be so bad.
She walked on cautiously, all her senses straining to catch anything dangerous.
If I find a safe spot, I wonder if I should just stay here—
Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted—there was something up ahead.
She crept on, threading her way through the trees until she reached a clearing.
Ruins…?
She looked at them with cautious optimism.
Perhaps there are hidden rooms…even a safe place to sleep.
Deciding to investigate further, she stepped carefully toward the ruins.
Mimori Touka
I LEFT THE RUINS BEHIND and continued my climb upwards.
“The Soul Eater, huh…”
Whatever that was, it was an enemy that even the Hero of Darkness couldn’t get past. Even someone that strong had only made it as far as the ruins before he was mortally wounded—at least, that was my best guess about what had happened.
Can I get past this Soul Eater thing without fighting it? Probably not, if the Great Sage couldn’t. I’m sure he was way more powerful than I am…
I looked down at my hands.
“I hope my status effect skills work against it.”
They hadn’t worked against the Goddess—that still worried me. If there were other creatures around who were immune to my abilities, I was done for. I had to hope that the Goddess was the only one with that kind of resistance.
This Soul Eater managed to kill the Hero of
Darkness… If I can kill it with my skills, it’ll be a real confidence boost…
I climbed two more sets of stairs, encountering no monsters on the way. The path was stone, carved with careful and deliberate strokes. There were signs of human civilization everywhere. This wasn’t always a place for the Goddess to toss out heroes she didn’t want.
“Kinda sucks that this place got stuck with the name ‘Ruins of Disposal.’”
I pressed myself up against the wall of the passageway and peeked out into the area beyond. There was a wider room up ahead, and light of some kind.
Huh. The walls are glowing like they’re reacting to mana…
In any case, I didn’t need my leather pouch lantern for the moment.
The huge chamber was lined with ruined buildings, their walls crumbling like they’d been caught in an earthquake. Massive pillars supported the ceiling, though several had cracked or collapsed long ago.
Four skeletons were slumped against a pillar to my right.
So other people have made it this far…along with the Hero of Darkness, that makes five. Were they all working together? I can imagine how strong fighters with enough food and water could make it here, or someone with abilities that let them run away quickly or sneak around unnoticed.
It’s such a shame…they made it all this way, just to fall at the last moment…
I shook my head. This was no time to get emotional.
I kept searching the area and found two large stone staircases lining the back of the room, leading up to a large door.
Will that take me to the surface? But if it does, it’ll also lead me to…the Soul Eater. What could that be, anyway? Is it, like, a ghost?
I couldn’t see any monsters nearby that fit that description. I looked cautiously around the room.
There.
It was hard to make out from my current vantage point, but it looked like there was an open area further back. I doubled back and put down my leather pouch against one of the faintly glowing walls of the hallway I came in through.
Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells Vol. 1 Page 12