First Volume: Kind Demon

Chapter 1: This fearful human.

My ears were ringing. It was so loud I thought it would burst my eardrums. When I tried to open my eyes, I was immediately blinded by a bright light. The ringing gradually lessened until I could hear my surroundings clearly. Then, I heard a voice.

Hello, Arimane.

When my vision cleared up, I saw an old man standing across from me. Bright eyes, white hair, and a white beard. A really fascinating look I would say. Most people would be in a daze in front of such features. I was in a white luminous space and there was nothing here except for the old man. Strangely, I didn't even know if I was standing or not. I couldn't even see my body, but I knew that I could move it if I wanted to.

Hello… I guess.

I gave a slightly confused answer on purpose. It was enough to convey my confusion. The old man returned me a faint smile and resumed.

Allow me to introduce myself. From your standing, I am one of the gods who stand above your world, and I hereby announce you that you are... well, dead.

... I didn't say anything. I was too busy thinking about the situation. I’m dead. All right. But I don't remember how. The last thing I can recall is being at home. That's all. I’m not stupid enough to think that this is a dream. I know perfectly what a mind feels like when it's awake.

Oddly enough, I've always been like this. Unbelievable and incredible things didn't mean much to me. I have seen a lot of them as well.

Even now, I wasn’t excited, nor afraid. If I’m dead, then so be it. I'm not going to miss my life, and I've already been alive for longer than I could have wished.

How did I die? I was curious about the cause of my death more than anything else. I knew I was quite old, but I seriously doubted that I had passed away naturally.

Well, he cleared his throat. I was playing at 'Lightning Catch' with the other gods and I accidentally killed you by letting a lightning fall on your house, he smiled as if it were the most appropriate expression to make at that moment. He absolutely had no qualms saying that.

Again, I didn't say anything. In fact, I was slightly irritated. ‘How do you kill a human while playing a game? And what the hell is this 'Lightning Catch'? Do you throw lightning at each other like snowballs or something? And what the fuck is that smile supposed to mean? Are you proud of yourself?’

I kept my mouth closed but stared at the 'god' in front of me. A 'god', he said… After a short while, I sighed.

Whatever. Tell me why I'm here.

Oh, you forgave me, thank you, the god breathed out of relief.

What the hell...? In what broken reality do you think I would be able to forgive you? Hurry up and talk, old man.

Old man? Me? I mean, yes, I am. But you're 134 years old yourself, you know? You're an old man as well…

The god stopped halfway through. I was starting to get a little annoyed and just basically told him to shut up with my eyes.

I’m 134 years old indeed. But I’m still an ordinary man. In my world, recent technology has enabled humans to live beyond 100 years old and the record of longevity was 168 years old. From those standards, yeah, I'm old. But I don't want to hear that from a god who has probably lived for thousands of years.

The god forced a cough. "Sorry. I'll talk now. So, I killed you… my bad. To redeem myself I will send you to another world with your current memories. I will also relapse your body to your golden age. And I'm sorry, I can't reincarnate you in your world because your soul imprint has already been destroyed."

I see, what's a soul imprint? I asked out of curiosity.

You can call it an identity. When you were born, an imprint was created from your soul and was listed in what you could call the 'register' of your world. When you died, your soul imprint was transferred to the 'dead-list'. In fact, now, you are kind of banned from your own world. Usually, the deceased's souls are transformed into divine or magic energy, but there are rare cases where the soul is reincarnated after being purged of its memories. However, I personally retrieved yours in order to reincarnate you without erasing memory, he grinned whilst explaining that and Arima scowled at him.

I succeeded only because you have a great soul, you know? Of course, I can only do that because I’m going to send you to another world where your soul imprint is not registered and consequently not banned. Even I cannot oppose that rule. This kind of regulation is what we gods call 'Original World Laws'; OWL's to be short. It's still a mystery even for us... Well, actually the setting is that they were created by the Original God. Nowadays, no god is the ruler of others. We more or less rule together. And as you can see, quite like you humans who worship divinities, we believe in the Original God; the Creator.

He clapped and the noise echoed a bunch of times. That's all, do you have any other questions?

‘He said 'setting', right?’ I retorted silently. No, you've said quite enough already, I answered while shaking my head.

The god laughed. Indeed.

Where will you send me to?

I'll send you to a world where there is magic, unlike yours. If you want to, you can refer to it as a world of swords and magic, he said laughingly.

Magic, huh? Quite a fantasy you are giving to me.

Yes, well, magic actually exists in almost every world. Yours is one of the rare ones that have no magic circuits and so, no magic. It's because of this too that the influence of the gods is considerably limited in your world and also why I almost failed to bring you here.

Oh, is that so.

When I will be sending you off to the other world, I'll transplant you some knowledge on magic and other miscellaneous things. After that, it will be up to you to gain a more profound understanding of it. And as a bonus, I will allow you to take something from your world with you.

Something from my world... I hesitated and suddenly thought of something. If in the future, I have to fight, then I’d want my sword back.

Your sword? You have a sword? In your era? Let me see… The god closed his eyes, and in a matter of seconds, a katana appeared in front of him. The old man smiled. This one?

‘As expected from a God,’ I thought.

Yes, that's the one, I grabbed the katana and observed it. Its length approached one meter. The scabbard was black and had a gray inscription of a wolf on it. I unsheathed it. The blade was of a beautiful silver and seemed very sharp. I have always been fond of all kinds of sharp weapons, but my favorite was this type of Japanese sword simply because I used to practice kendo and this kind of cold weapon allowed a variety of maneuvers. It was a natural choice in my opinion.

When he saw the blade, the god's eyes glinted. Oh, it's a very good sword. For a mortal world at least.

I smiled wryly. Thanks for that I guess.

Was it perhaps you who forged it?

Yes, I forged it almost a hundred years ago. It's quite a relic now. There’s nothing special about it except the fact that the blade was forged with refined and transformed sapphire thanks to the technology of my world. Well, during the process of making this material eligible to become a blade, it lost most of its value but I just had nothing else to do.

The God looked dumbfounded at the sword. Sapphire? Who would use a precious stone to forge a weapon? Not to mention the kind of refinement sapphire would need to work as a weapon without shattering... Well, I could do it in a second, but it would most likely take hours of continuous hammering and processing for humans.

A month to be exact. Well, I happened to find a seam and it all went down with the flow.

…It's quite a masterpiece. The late Hephaestus would have praised you. Does it have a name?

I nodded, hiding my surprise from learning that a popular Greek God was apparently dead.

Yes, its name is 'Karma'.

That's an interesting name. Wait, I shall do something for you, the god smiled and pointed at my sword with his finger. Instantly, the katana transformed into a bright sphere of light that entered my chest.

I bound it to your soul. It gives you the ability to call it whenever you want, and this way, your weapon will be able to evolve and improve in sturdiness, sharpness along with your soul and even change its form at will. Furthermore, if the weapon breaks at some point, it will find rest in your soul and repair itself. And as you may have guessed already, maintenance is unnecessary, he explained and smiled. Your sword seems to have gone through a lot. It feels like it’s producing killing intent on its own. This weapon will become fearsome if nurtured properly.

It's really handy, thanks, I genuinely was overjoyed. This soul binding thing was great.

Glad you like it. Well, I think it's time.

Suddenly, a white door appeared behind me. I looked at it, then turned toward the god again.

Before I go… can I hit you? Even though I'm not sure if I have a body right now.

The god smiled. No, but if you reach Godhood, come and try.

Unable to say anything in return, the white tunnel was forced on me and I was sent out to the other world.

***

After Arimane left the white space, a person appeared like mist behind the god. It was a stunning woman with black hair and mesmerizing red eyes. One look at her and no one would ever forget her figure.

Were you serious? Do you think he can reach Godhood? Her pleasant voice resounded. She was looking sternly at the old god.

The old man turned back to look at her with a serious face. Yes. His soul is frankly terrifying. I was not playing around with that fact. Even if we combined the souls of ten gods, I think we could barely be on par with half of his. In fact, I chose to reincarnate him because his soul was so powerful that I feared it would destroy his own world. I think that if this man just enters a world with magic circuits, then he can already become one of the strongest humans who ever existed and possibly one of the strongest gods. It doesn't end here, even what he accomplished as a simple human gives me goosebumps even though I only saw his teen years.

What? The beautiful woman exclaimed in surprise.

The old man laughed. Let's see how far this fearful human will go.

And here I was wondering why the God of Order had retrieved the soul of a human... Do you understand what this means? If he came to be too strong, we'd have to eliminate him. Did you already forget about the last human who tried to murder us after his ascending? This one is too much of an insecurity. We cannot let a threat like that step into Godhood.

Yes, I am aware. But it'd only be the case if he had not already become someone we cannot go against, the old God's eyes flashed with a strange light.

Unbelievable... The woman looked at the old man with bemused eyes. What are you scheming? Your domain is order, what happened for you to break the cycle of life and death? You could have just retrieved his soul and erased it.

The old man grinned. Zesta, I represent order, but it also means that I represent the opposite. When the world is in disorder then I will be there to fix it, and when the world is in order then I will be there to protect it. Tell me, do you think the world right now is in order?

Zesta trembled hearing his words. …What are you trying to fix?

I am one of the oldest gods but even I don't know if I'm born from order or disorder, good or evil. No... the notions of good and evil are obsolete. However, right now, I can see that something is not in order with our plane of existence, and I think this human will help me change it.

Is the disorder you're talking about related to Heaven? Zesta asked. The old god stayed silent and just smiled. I hope you know what you're doing, Azes, she turned around and disappeared like mist.

Azes was left alone in that white space, looking at where Arimane left, with a countenance completely opposite to the comical one he presented earlier.

Chapter 2: Yeah... of course.

Meanwhile, within a vast forest, Arimane was coolly standing in front of a lake and wore a blank expression as if he were exasperated of something.

A woman was bathing in the lake, and glaring at him with palpable fury. That woman had a spellbinding figure, one that could make men fantasize, along with long blond hair and dazing blue eyes glooming in the dark. But at that moment, Arimane was not admiring her looks at all.

‘Yeah... of course... I'm feeling the urge to hit that damn old guy. Seriously, I'm sure he knew when he sent me here… And when I think of his façade, it makes me even angrier.’

The truth was that Arimane felt something was amiss with Azes’ attitude. He had met a lot of different types of people in his life, and when he saw the old god, the only word that came to him was overbearing. He felt dreadful despite his cheerful and childish way of speaking, which really triggered Arimane. There was also the fact that he lied. His behavior might have been unimportant, but the fact that he didn’t give Arimane any clear reason for his transmigration wasn’t.

Ever since the moment Azes said that he could have just reincarnated him, Arimane was sure he was hiding the true reason behind the salvation of his soul. Furthermore, there was another lie.

Who would believe, in the first place, in something as stupid as killing a human while playing a game with other gods? When you think about it, a bolt of lightning strong enough to kill him in his house would have to be on a scale the world has never seen before. Still, Arimane didn’t think that a God would kill him on purpose, so he kind of let it slide. As a matter of fact, either way, he was dead.

"[I call upon you, the raging spirits. Jade Blow]."

Suddenly, the woman’s voice disrupted Arima’s thoughts.

‘A chant?’ This quickly shifted Arimane’s attention back to the situation at hand. He knew what he was facing though, thanks to the knowledge he received upon his arrival. The transfer was very off-putting, but when he heard the chant, he instantly lost every discomfort. He was aware of the threat now.

Without any hesitation, he jumped and rolled to the right and the magic cast by the woman cut a tree behind him. The attack was nearly transparent. If it weren’t for Arimane’s instincts and the experience he had built throughout his entire life, he would have been cut in half.

‘Compressed wind… is it? I know women can be easily enraged when they feel exposed but that's a little bit too much here,’ he sighed and turned his head toward the woman. She already had retreated to the shore and was trying to hide her body with some clothes.

‘Wait, that magic, if I'm not mistaken… interesting,’ Arimane realized something as he filtered his newfound knowledge.

Hey…! He raised his voice to call her but gasped right after. He had been surprised by his brand-new voice. It was young. Much different from when he was still alive. He shook his head and resumed.

I apologize for this incident, but neither you nor I wanted this. So please don't try to kill me, that would help a lot, he said calmly as if nothing had happened. He was trying to be as friendly as possible.

At first startled, the woman asked cautiously. Why should I believe you?

Simple, Arimane spread his arms open. Because if I wanted to, you’d already be on the ground, he said coldly and slowly with a neutral expression. ‘Please work, reverse psychology…’

He wasn't bluffing per se. Although he didn't know much yet about this world, he trusted his abilities and even if he were unable to fight this girl head on, he still could assassinate her. In fact, Arimane would have never appeared like that in front of her if his intention was to harm her.

The woman couldn't help but take a step back as she sensed a sudden danger. She didn't say anything and began to observe Arimane from head to toe. He was approximately 1.9 meters tall and had a sturdy body. He was wearing a long black coat and had, in fact, only plain black clothes on him. But that outfit seemed to be more than just a casual one. His facial features were neatly arranged, with sharp silver eyes and combed black hair. He seemed to be around twenty-five years old. And although she didn’t want to admit, he was quite the looker.

You're an elf, right? As she was silently debating what to do, Arima’s voice jolted her concentration.

Elves. They happen to be very present in fiction books back on Earth. But as of now, he was basing his judgement on the knowledge the god gave him. The elves constitute a strong race. Both women and men are experts in green magic and they also are the only race that can freely use spiritual magic because they are born and loved by nature.

In the past, humans began to feel envious but also afraid of them. Ultimately, they chose to do what they’re so talented for; war. They attacked and killed more than three-quarters of the elves’ population. Despite elves being stronger than humans, they were very outnumbered and lost the battle.

And thus, elves became despised and looked down upon and began to be enslaved. Because in addition to their power, elves are also beautiful, men and women alike, increasing their value as slaves, particularly for women. However, it’s important to note that in this world, elves look almost exactly like humans. They don't have the long and pointy ears.

Arimane understood she was an elf because of the magic she cast, and more precisely, her chant. And also, because most elves do indeed have colorful and bright hair such as blue or green. The natives of this world can recognize an elf by sensing the spirits around them. But Arimane wasn't used to magic sense so he could only guess.

After his question, the elven woman looked even more suspiciously at him.

Arimane smiled. Well, don't mind me too much. I don't want anything from you. I just want you to know that I am not your enemy. So, can you please try to relax a little? And you’re not fully dressed by the way.

The elf rolled her eyes and looked at herself. Embarrassment and anger appeared on her face and she rushed silently behind a big tree to hide. She didn't say anything for a few seconds, then her voice came out from behind the tree.

…Tell me your name.

Arimane laughed and sat on a nearby rock.

I’m Arimane Blade, you can call me Arima. Well… I came here on a travel and let’s say I coincidentally met you.

I see, the elf appeared beside the tree, fully dressed in a charming green set, staring at Arima. I’m typically wary of your people but… as an elf, I consider myself to be good at judging people. I think you are not so bad, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. My name is Lifa Drein.

Arima smiled. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lifa

Me too, Arimane, she said courteously and her eyes darted somewhere. Arima frowned when he felt a presence in the direction she was looking at, but couldn’t see anything.

The spirits have probed you and it seems that they trust you. Looks like you have a good soul, Lifa seemed to be a bit more relaxed but remained careful. I thought humans were only lustful bastards.

She didn’t hold back her words and Arima laughed lightly. Who am I to deny that. Well, I’ll admit that you are pretty attractive but it's not like I am some beast and I know how to control myself. Well, if I really wanted to, then I'd have you make the first move.

She blushed. You're skipping politesse.

Arima laughed and stoop up. Just a joke. I'm really not that kind of man, and I mean it.

‘Seriously,’ he thought. ‘I’ve lived long enough to get past that… and I don't even know if my libido came back with this body.’

Well, I think it's time for me to go, he said.

Lifa sighed and shook her head. Alright. If we meet again, we should get to know each other. You appear to be someone I can get along with. My sister always encourages interaction with good humans, you see, she seemed to have let her guard down and smiled. Even she was shocked by her own behavior.

She perfectly knew that she wasn’t the kind to trust people easily, especially humans. It’s not like what she said about her sister was false, but she was always on guards when speaking to a human. But strangely, she almost felt like she should build a connection with that man. Arima turned his back but at that moment, Lifa suddenly thought of something.

Wait, please, she hailed him.

Arima turned around. What is it?

Um, sorry but, can I ask you a favor?

Arima was a bit surprised. ‘Why would she ask me a favor all of a sudden?’ He looked at her for a moment. What kind?

I'm actually in the human territory because some elven children were kidnapped and I'm here to bring them back. One of them is a close friend. I would like to ask you, if you find them, would you please save them? This is my request. Of course, I’ll make sure to reward you.

Arima stared silently at her for a few seconds and she flinched a bit. It was an earnest request, and she had nothing to lose by only asking him.

Fine, I can do that. I don’t need the reward though. Don't worry, if I happen to find them, I'll help them. I despise slavery so it’d be an honor to help. And more importantly, we ought to be kind to children, don’t we? He smiled.

Lifa smiled cheerfully as well. Thank you very much, she bowed slightly.

Yeah, well then, he turned around and waved his hand. He soon disappeared in the forest.

Chapter 3: Magic is easy.

Arima was walking through the forest, heading to the nearest city according to his transplanted knowledge. On his way, he analyzed the information he had about magic and tried various things. He also quickly got used to his body. After all, it was his own but younger. He also noticed that the clothes he was wearing were the ones he wore the most when he was still going on missions. Even some of his personal belongings had been brought over with it.

About magic, first, there were eight root elements: Water, Earth, Wind, Fire, Lightning, Spirit, Darkness, and Light.

And there were seven non-elemental magics: Mind, Space, Soul, Neutral, Life, Death, and Time.

The first eight elements were used by magicians according to their affinity while non-elemental magic basically required talent and work. For example, if a mage had good affinity with fire then he’d be able to learn fire magic easily and quickly.

If a mage was very intelligent or hard-working, he could develop non-elemental magic. However, even if he were a genius in that type of magic, if he didn’t have any innate affinities, it’d be hard for him to use a basic elemental magic.

In short, elemental and non-elemental were like two realms that formed a balance in mage craft.

Arima followed the instructions in his head and performed an affinity test. It was quite simple, he just had to think of the eight elements in his head and then chant something. And so, eight spheres of different colors appeared above Arima's hand, forming a circle.

Seeing the results, Arima was a bit startled. He was taken aback because it showed that he had a great affinity with all elements except spirit magic. And what was even more shocking was his affinity for lightning and darkness. The level was monstrous, as if these elements were totally submitted to him.

All the spheres were normally neatly round, like marbles, but the spheres for darkness and lightning were like a chaotic gathering of energy. He could feel a strange connection between him and those spheres, but it wasn't uncomfortable. And as a close third, he had a great affinity with fire, even though it wasn't as much.

Arima smirked. The hell, if I didn't know better, I would say it's a cheat. After that though, his expression darkened. But, this affinity with lightning… is that irony? A joke? Was I really killed by it, and now it’s like my ultimate power or something?

About an hour later, Arima was calmly walking through the forest, lost in his thoughts and testing his magic when he heard horses galloping and wheels ramming on the ground.

Just before that, Arima had noticed that his physical abilities were being enhanced a lot since his arrival. In his old world, he had already trained his body to the limit. But now, this limit was broken and he was truly pleased.

And it wasn’t only his body, his senses were greatly boosted as well. He could hear a carriage several hundreds of meters away in the middle of a forest and even distinguish the horses’ quickened breath within all the noise. He decided to go look at that cart and for that, he tried something.

"[Quantum Electromagneticis Constringitur] (Quantic Electromagnetic)."

"[Scintillam Feram] (Wild Spark)."

At Arima’s feet, dark electricity emerged and started cloaking him. Arima kicked the ground and disappeared thunderously. He was merely sprinting but his silhouette couldn't be seen by the average eye anymore. You could only hear faint crackling noises as he stepped on leaves and branches very fast. After only ten seconds, Arima was already observing the cart moving on the path ahead.

What he had just used was one of the magics he thought of when he saw his affinity with lightning. It was technique that changed the composition of his body to make it become partially electricity. Thanks to that, he could partly ignore friction and air pressure and go extremely fast whilst propelling himself.

Also, the reason Arima chanted in Latin was that he noticed that the influence the incantation has on the mind of the caster was crucial. In fact, he tried with different languages to chant his magic and noticed that when he used Latin, the magic would be stronger. An ancient tongue could apparently influence his mind better, and the 'world of magic’.

Looking at the cart, Arima thought of something and chanted.

"[Bestia Peregrine Falcon] (Beast, Falcon)."

A ball of black electricity emerged from his body and took the shape of a falcon. It was then covered by a shadow and the electric falcon ultimately looked like a real one.

This magic was another one that Arima came up with. It combines lightning, soul, and dark magic. First, the body is molded with electricity and is then integrated with an artificial soul. The shadow covers the body to create the image of a real animal. And with the soul magic, the beast is gifted with basic intelligence.

Well, they say the image of ourselves is projected by the soul and same with the shadow, he muttered while looking at the bird. Go, Arima prompted and the bird flew off toward the cart.

Arima was linked to his beast so he could see with its eyes. Hence, it allowed him to spy the cart from a safe distance. The falcon approached the carriage and inside were four men and four enchained children, from ten to fifteen years old, two boys and two girls.

Arima frowned. He scrutinized the four men. Three of them were wearing armors and swords and the fourth was wearing a red robe. A mage perhaps.

Then he looked at the four kids. Arima had quickly became accustomed to mana; the omnipresent energy in this world. He could easily discern that these kids were elves because of the spirits around them. He also heard through the falcon’s ears the humans’ conversation for a moment and reached a conclusion.

Must be the abducted kids she was talking about. Did that old man cast a blessing of divine cliché on me? He said laughingly.

Arima wondered. Slavery, huh? He despised that word. He was someone who loved freedom and couldn’t tolerate anything that goes against that belief. In the past, he fought and killed many. He definitely wasn’t a saint. But if he were to ignore those in need although he had power, what kind of monster would he be?

"[Fulgur Quatro Jaculum] (Lightning Arrow X4)."

Four black lightning arrows formed in mid-air and were shot toward the cart. The arrows went incredibly fast and all reached their target at the same time. The heads of the four men exploded and burned.

I suppose they were too weak to avoid or sense it in time. In any case, I wonder why the magic I cast is black? Is it related to my affinity with darkness? And, is it me, or magic is really easy to use? He blankly remarked.

Truthfully, if Azes was watching right now, he would have been utterly shocked. Arima had mastered magic in only an hour. He even used soul magic to create a pseudo-life as if it was no harder than actually chanting it.

Arima only thought that maybe it was because he had a good understanding of the soul thanks to Azes and that he apparently was gifted in magic. He had always been a great mind and he had enough life experience to shadow anyone.

But at that time, Arima still didn't know the real implication of his power nor did he know the main reason why he had it.

While mumbling to himself, he rushed toward the cart because the horses hadn’t stopped but accelerated instead. He used two other arrows to cut the ropes tying the horses to the cart. The two horses soon vanished in the forest after being freed.

Arima reached the carriage and peeked inside. In there, the four kids were horrified because of the headless corpses lying there, still fuming from the neck. And when they saw Arima, their eyes narrowed in terror. They tried to get away from him even if they couldn’t get up because of the shackles.

"[Fulgur Clavem] (Lightning Key)."

A few electric darts floated above Arima’s palm then approached the children. They closed their eyes in fear but what they heard surprised them. The shackles that were restraining them fell on the cart’s wooden frame, unlocked. They looked at Arima and the older girl among them stuttered.

Th-Thank you…

It's nothing, he solemnly replied and eyed a few big bags that were there. ‘Lucky…’ He commented silently. Money was a small issue he was thinking about.

He neared the bags and opened them. There was a bag with food and two others with money, jewels, and ores. Among them, there was also a box with various weapons inside.

Arima grinned. "[Umbra, Manducare] (Shadow, Eat)," he chanted and his shadow grew darker and bigger until it covered all the bags. They began to merge with the floor; with the shadow. Soon, all the objects present in the cart had been absorbed by the shadow. The latter retracted to Arima and reverted to normal.

This was his spatial magic. Arima actually didn't know the size of the storage but he could absorb anything, even living beings, as long as he provided air, in his body and shadow.

The children were looking at him with strange eyes, thinking that perhaps he had just saved them for that money. He turned back to look at them when he finished and sighed.

So? What should I do? Someone asked me to save you if possible… do you think you can go back home alone?

Because of his question, the four elves became aware of the situation they were in. A man had rescued them, but they couldn't return home by themselves. If they were to adventure alone in the woods, they would risk being captured one more time or killed by the danger.

Arima sighed again. ‘Well, she asked me… I should take them to her.’

Okay, wait a minute, he mused for a moment and called his falcon. He then created another three and sent each of the birds in four different directions. One to the north, another to the east and so on.

Arima wanted to cover a large zone to find Lifa. He agreed to help these children but he couldn't afford to take them with him, so he intended to give the ‘escort job’ to someone else. And Lifa was the only person available and additionally the elf who asked him this favor.

Five minutes later, one of the four falcons spotted Lifa and Arima was informed immediately. The other birds were dispelled and the last one was ordered to mark Lifa’s position.

Arima looked at the elves. I'll send you to someone.

Someone? The older girl asked.

Yes, an elf named Lifa Drein.

Lifa?! The elf shouted and the eyes of the children around her widened.

Yeah… she’s the one who asked me to save you all. Maybe it's you, the friend that she mentioned?

Y-Yes, the princess and I know each other since childhood, she stuttered.

Oh… Arima was certainly not prepared for that casual revelation. ‘She sure kept hidden critical information,’ he smiled. A princess, huh?

You will send us to the Princess? The younger boy talked. He opened his mouth for the first time.

Arima looked at him and grinned. "[Bestia Duorum Gryphem]," the same phenomenon that occurred with the falcons repeated itself. Two balls of electricity formed again, but these were much bigger. The spheres took the shape of a beast with the body of a lion and with the head and the wings of an eagle.

When the shadows covered them and gave them an image, the appearance of the beasts was then fully revealed. Two majestic beasts, two meters tall each, were stamping and howling. The elves gawked at the griffins in disbelief.

Get on, Arima beckoned.

The children hesitated but braced themselves and approached the legendary beasts. Surprisingly, the griffins lied down when they got near. Seeing this, they became confident and mounted them.

Hold tight. You'll fall otherwise, Arima warned and the four children nodded. Good. Gryphem!

He ordered and the griffins took flight. When they were out of sight, he glanced at the broken carriage.

"[Ignis] (Fire)," he burned it along with the corpses with a fire that also possessed a dark shade. Under the might of his flames, even the bones became ashes.

"[Scintillam Feram]," he intoned and left.

Chapter 4: Why are people so good looking in this world?

A few miles away from where Arima met the kidnapped elves.

Lifa was currently fighting a pack of big gray wolves. She was wrapped in a sort of shield made out of wind magic and was fighting by casting air blades like the ones she used against Arima. Occasionally, she would also conjure a wind sword and counter-attack. She was moving quite casually during the whole combat.

The difference in strength was obvious although the wolves appeared quite strong since they could use fire magic. Lifa soon subjugated the last wolf and relaxed a bit but then hurriedly looked up at the sky. The spirits were telling her that something was approaching and she took cover.

The more she waited, the more Lifa could see what was approaching. After a minute, she already looked dumbfounded. The two creatures, flying with four children on their back, stunned her. She recognized the elves, and one girl in particular.

Layra? Lifa pronounced a name and got out of her cover.

Princess! The same girl spotted Lifa and shouted.

The griffins landed a minute later and the elves stood on the ground. Lifa rushed to one of the girls and hugged her. Layra! You're okay? What happened? And what are they? Lifa asked the older girl and pointed at the griffins.

Princess! We have been saved by a human before they could sell us, she answered with a brightened expression. These magic beasts are his work.

What? Who was it? Lifa thought of something and asked. The girl named Layra hastily explained her encounter with Arima.

He talked about me? Then, he must be…! Lifa was interrupted by the arrival of a small bird that flew beside them and landed on the head of a griffin. It was a falcon.

Layra, is this also the work of that man?

Layra nodded. Yes, he said he used it to find you.

As she said, someone's voice suddenly resounded and Lifa looked around her with widened eyes.

The voice laughed. It's me. Over here.

Lifa looked at the falcon. It's you? Arimane?

Arimane…? Layra whispered.

Yeah, I'm talking to you through this bird. I'll make it quick. Are those the kids you asked me to save?

Yes… they are. And I certainly have to thank you for freeing them. I never expected you to find them so quickly.

It was just a coincidence. This apart, I am more surprised by your status.

Oh, naturally. It's not really something I would tell someone I just met, please excuse me.

No, it's nothing. I understand that. What I would want to know is why a princess like you is here trying to find kidnapped children alone. But it's not my business anyway. I'll let you go now.

I see, then let's meet again. I owe you. If you ever come to the Alliance you will be welcomed, Lifa said and smiled.

"Sure, see you. [Dispello] (Dispel)," Arima released his magic and the griffins vanished along with the bird in a beautiful show of black sparks.

This kind of magic, I've never seen it before. It’s not that easy to summon magic beasts… but these seem to be made purely out of elemental magic… who is he? Lifa looked attentively at the vanishing beasts and couldn't help but wonder

What would she think if she knew that he learned that magic an hour after he met her?

Arimane...

Lifa heard Layra whispering and looked at her confusedly. What’s wrong? Do you recognize his name?

Well... Layra mused. It’s just that I read a similar name in a book once.

A book? What did it say?

If I remember correctly, ‘Arimane’ is a variant of ‘Ahriman’. Said to be responsible for material creation, he is the father of illusion and error, of cosmic falsehood, the deceptive spirit, the spirit of Darkness, Evil, and Death...

Lifa shuddered. She glanced at where the magic beasts had disappeared. ‘This name should just be a coincidence... But what is this feeling of foredoom?’

***

Arima finally arrived at the town that was in his head thanks to Azes. He was now waiting for his turn to enter the town; Ridia. His turn soon came and a middle-aged soldier spoke to him.

If you have papers to attest your identity then go, if you don't, pay five silvers.

‘This is quite a lax system…’ Arima thought handing the five silvers to the guard.

Based on the knowledge he received, this world’s currency would be referenced like this when compared to his world:

10 coppers => 1 silver = 1 USD;

100 silver => 1 gold = 100 USD;

100 gold => 1 white-silver = 10 000 USD;

100 white-silver => 1 shining-gold = 1 000 000 USD;

The white-silvers and shining-golds are commonly used by nobles. Almost every commoner would never see a white silver in his lifetime.

At that time, Arima possessed, without the jewels and precious stones, 38 coppers, 376 silvers, and 20 gold and you could say it was equivalent to 2 379 dollars and 80 cents.

‘It seems that those bandits did some pillaging along with kidnapping. Were they actually somewhat strong? Or maybe that mage used some sort of concealing magic…’ he thought.

He wandered in the streets whilst observing the new environment.

‘It's an old design but it's clean. The order is good too. It would correspond to the medieval period but in contrast, it's peaceful and safer here. Perhaps magic makes it more likable and comfortable and pushes aside science. Pretty classic.’

The first thing Arima wanted to do was register at the guild, the infamous organization. In fact, it was just a gathering of mercenaries. All sorts of people give tasks to the guild in exchange for money. It can be hunting, killing, cleaning, gathering, and helping with essentially anything.

The good thing was that the more a mercenary is strong or famous, the bigger his notoriety would be. So, it meant that more tasks would be given personally to him, and generally, good ones. Usually, they're only called mercs. There’s nothing such as ‘adventurers’ or ‘quests’.

Arima wanted to register to assure his status in this world. It's also what Azes proposed him to do. As he was walking through the alleys and avenues, he kept looking around. It was lively but the more he looked the more his expression darkened.

‘Why are people so good looking in this world?’

The people there, whether it was a man or a woman, looked good. When he found someone more or less normal, in the thousand or so people he observed, he sighed in relief.

And so, after a bit of difficulty, Arima finally found the guild branch of this town. Around where the guild was situated, one could find all sorts of shops. Inn's, weapon shops, blacksmith's, armor shops, clothing shops…

Arima entered the guild and found himself in a hall filled with receptions. Strangely, there wasn't a lot of people. Just a few persons who were calmly conversing at the receptions. But Arima could hear a great number of people on the second floor. He walked to one of the receptions and the woman behind greeted him with a smile.

Welcome to the guild, for what purpose are you here?

To register.

Alright, please fill this document, the receptionist handed a document and Arima eyed the content.

‘As I thought, even the words are in English. Maybe a gift from the old man,’ he grabbed a pen and filled the questions. The document comported a lot of miscellaneous questions, but the important ones were these:

Arima handed back the file to the receptionist and she read it quickly. About his age, of course, he couldn't write his real one, so he provided an age matching more or less his current body.

Good, Arimane is it? Do you wish to undergo the ranking test?

Yeah, I'll do that.

Then follow me please. The woman left the reception and headed to a door located at the side of the hall. When they passed the door, they stepped inside a big training area. The whole area was at least 250 square meters and the roof was high up to around five meters.

Space magic? Arima let out unconsciously. He had a similar impression when he’d use his storage magic and clearly, the place was too big.

Yes, you noticed well. This room was enlarged with a spatial magic-tool created by one of the founders of the guild, she explained.

I see… He looked around and spotted a dozen people training and sparring. The receptionist called one of the men training and he ran toward them.

You called me, Maria?

Yes, I want you to test this person, she pointed at Arima. His name is Arimane Blade. And Arimane, this person is Jeil, he is a B-rank merc, Maria introduced them to each other with a smile.

Nice to meet you, Jeil greeted.

Likewise, Arima responded.

Then let's begin. You’ll fight again Jeil to determine your rank. If you lose, Jeil will decide your rank. If it's a draw then you'll be ranked B, and if you win then it will either be A or B, depending on your performance, Maria explained.

I understand, Arima followed Jeil to the center of the training area and they stood ten meters apart from each other.

Ready? Jeil inquired whilst drawing his one-handed sword.

Yes, Arima took out Karma out of nowhere which surprised a bit his opponent.

Maria observed the two. Then ready~? Go! She announced the beginning of the match.

Jeil kicked the ground. "[Acceleration, Hardening]." In less than a second, he had already closed in by more than five meters. In contrast, Arima was still standing motionless, stance less, his sheathed katana in his left hand.

‘He won't move?’ Jeil wondered and when he was two meters away from his opponent, he started swinging his sword. Arima chanted a magic at that exact moment.

"[Columna Ignis] (Fire pillar)." A big pillar of dark fire emerged from the ground, enveloping Arima and sending Jeil flying away after blocking his blade.

‘What?!’ Jeil didn't take much damage but was surprised by the knockback. ‘A mage? No, a magic swordsman?’

Arima didn't stop there. "[Deinde – Eruptio] (Next – Eruption)." The pillar of fire divided itself into ten fireballs, static in the air. Arima flicked his fingers and the fireballs flew toward Jeil.

"Seriously? [Acceleration, Second Tier Reinforcing]," Jeil buffed himself and tried to slash the fireballs. He was moving extremely quickly to defend against the ten attacks at the same time, his sword left afterimages each time he moved. In the end, he cut nine out of ten and was propelled even more into the air by the last one.

"[Propero et Lunam Gradus] (Speed up -and- Moon Step)." Arima finally moved and jumped, leaving a blurry image behind him. Two sounds like wind being generated followed. One could see the air distort at certain places, with a few sparks in addition. That was where he was stepping to advance.

He had used a neutral body-enhancing magic to boost his speed, and then lightning magic to create footholds using as a base the principle of electromagnetism. Arima’s knowledge was quite deep and he realized that with a good understanding, not only could you use magic better but you could even surpass what modern science could accomplish. His imagination was quite impressive as well, and it was undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of magic.

And so, Arima appeared right above Jeil in mid-air. He gripped his katana and unsheathed it only to half before striking Jeil in the abdomen with the handle.

Jeil was sent flying and crashed on the ground.

Tch, he clicked his tongue and stood up in a second. Arima then fell down and struck him with Karma. Jeil parried the strike with his sword, and used his free hand to push the blade. That clash dispersed the cloud of dust formed by his fall.

"[Strengthening. Physical charge, Volc]!" He shouted while Arima continued to attack him with combos. His sword gained a red luster and his skin turned rocky and flushed. The two exchanged blows for ten seconds. Fire was erupting with every clash, with sparks flying around and the sound of steel vibrating.

At some point, Arima used his scabbard to stop a strike and disperse the flames. He took his katana in a reverse grip and instantly placed his blade in front of Jeil's neck. That last move was incredibly fast.

Jeil looked at the silver blade pressing against his throat and relaxed his body as a matter of fact.

Game’s set.

I admit defeat, Jeil said whilst raising his hands.

Arima snickered and sheathed his sword. He dropped the katana and it vanished to return inside his soul. He then looked around and realized that the fight had attracted the people training around. Even though the match only took around forty seconds, they still had seen enough to be in awe of Arima's prowess.

In truth, he wasn't serious. He just wanted to assess the strength of the people in this world. He didn't even use his strongest displacement magic until now, Wild Spark. If he did fight seriously, he would have won in a few seconds.

Arima walked to Maria, and then the latter woke up from her trance and cleared her throat. I'll register you as an early A rank magic-swordsman then. Follow me back to the hall. I'll issue your member card.

Chapter 5: ''I went and returned, what's the problem?''

Arima and Maria separated from Jeil and returned to the reception. Five minutes later, Maria handed to Arima a gray card with his basic information on it. His name, rank… etc.

Apparently, this card was a magic item. The guild could change the information on it at any given time. For example, if a member becomes a wanted man, then the card turns red. The most useful aspect is that the card can be altered by the guild even if the owner is in another country. And because the card is linked to the owner, if he dies the card turns black and the guild is informed.

The card keeps the record of missions achieved and it is the proof that a mission has been accomplished. When there is a client, you hand the card to him when the mission is finished to mark the end of your job, Maria explained.

It's a really useful thing this card, Arima admired as he played with the card in his hand.

Of course, she smiled. You are now an official member of the guild. You can go upstairs to look for a mission and accept it, but to confirm your success and receive the rewards, it's in this hall.

Also, the S-quests are on the third floor where the guild branch master is. For now, you can't go there without an invitation. You have to be S-rank to go freely. And finally, to increase your rank, you first have to fill up your mission points and then go through a test. The amount of points you gain for each mission depends on the difficulty. Once you have 200 points you can apply to become an S-rank.

Thanks for the explanation, Arima nodded and stored his card. He turned around and headed toward the stairs on the side of the hall.

No problem, Maria said cheerfully.

Arima went up the stairs and opened a door that was at the end of it. Behind was a big saloon. There were tables and bars with a lot of mercs of different builds. On the left side, he spotted a few receptions and five boards on the wall, with some placards on it.

‘Are those the requests?’ He mused and approached the boards. He soon noticed that there was one board for each class. But there were missions with qualifications needed and others no.

For example, if someone was rank C and wanted to choose an A-rank mission, he could, but he had to pick a task that didn't stipulate conditions. In most cases, it was the client who would want an A-rank mercenary only. The only clients allowed to do that were those giving enough money. Usually, nobles. That’s why some high ranked missions could be very easy. Merely because some wealthy people wanted to brag about an A-rank mercenary working for them.

In the end, if a rank below wants to try an A-rank difficulty mission, there’s nothing stopping him. But he must then be confident in his ability, or simply a fool.

It is also possible for mercenaries to form groups, but it was quite uncommon because most of the mercs work alone for benefits and to avoid the risks of bad companions. But there are some exceptions like very good friends, lovers, or even family who obviously act together.

Arima didn't think much. There were five classes; E, D, C, B and A. He was already A-rank, so he just began to look at the corresponding tasks. As Maria said, there weren't any S-rank there. He picked a request to exterminate an Orc's nest, giving three points apparently.

‘I know the Orcs from the name… but I don't know how it is in this world. I'll have to cultivate myself later. I'll visit a library after this.’

He decided and took the request to one of the receptions. He wished to try a mission to see what kind of monsters there was in this world and wanted to determine how strong they were. It was also to judge his own ability. He was new to this world after all. He had to create a completely new scale and adapt his common sense.

I'll take this, Arima said to the receptionist.

Certainly. Your card, please.

She grabbed the card and registered the mission on it before giving it back. It's done. You have five days to complete this request. It seems that you are new, so keep in mind that after five days, someone else can accept this task if you haven't accomplished it yet.

Additionally, if you finish the mission and don't report it, the next person who picks the request will take the rewards. Now then, the nest is situated eight miles to the south of the town. It should be easy for an A-rank. Don't forget the subjugation proof. Good luck.

Thanks, Arima retrieved his card and turned around to leave. When Arima left the building, he immediately looked for a weapon shop. He chose one among many and entered. He walked to the counter and spoke to the old man behind.

Hello, I'd want some throwing knives. At least ten of them. 12 inches in length, preferably, and there’s no need for sheaths.

Welcome. Sure, we have what you want. Wait a moment, the man went to the back-shop and returned later carrying a carved wooden box.

Here, he said and put the box on the counter. Arima opened it and looked inside. There were twenty silver throwing knives in there. They were thin with a hole in the handle and the blades were spear-shaped.

He picked up one and made it spin with his finger through the hole before grabbing the blade with the thumb and index. Well balanced.

Thanks, the old man replied with a smile.

How much?

Five gold.

Arima nodded, took the coins and gave it to the shopkeeper. Thank you for your patronage. You can take the box too of course.

No need, Arima shook his head. He took each knife and placed them in the numerous inner pockets of his coat. It was a clothing made for combat, of course there would be things like that. It was also made with an extremely resistant fabric. To the point that even bullets could barely do anything to him back on Earth.

Can you tell me if there is a library in this town? Arima asked.

Hm, there is one. It’s a few minutes of walk from here. More at the center of the town, to the north. You can't miss it.

I see. Thanks for your help, Arima left the shop and headed toward the south gate of the town. He had decided to visit the library after having destroyed the nest.

When he was out of the town, he rushed to the nest’s location by using Wild Spark. When he estimated that he had traveled eight miles, he stopped.

I'm not sensing anything close, he looked around. Well, Arima crouched on one knee and placed a palm on the ground. "[Vitae Index] (Life Index)," he chanted and closed his eyes. From his hand, a lot of white lines spread around in all directions like snakes. Each line represented an organism. He could see the figure of the organism that corresponded to each line. This was life magic, pertaining to the same category as healing magic.

16 matches, 300 meters at 5 five o'clock, he found what looked like Orcs in an instant. He stood up and immediately disappeared into black sparks. He arrived where he had detected the Orcs in only six seconds.

They're sleeping… Arima muttered. In front of him, a dozen Orcs were sleeping on the ground next to a cave. He shrugged and stretched slightly. He raised his hand with his thumb and middle finger touching each other.

"[Canetis Extollendam] (Sound Amplification)," he snapped his fingers. The sound resounded strongly for a hundred meters around him.

The Orcs obviously woke up and began to stand up one after the other. They grabbed some wooden clubs as weapons, which were more trunks than anything else though.

Arima observed those Orcs. Their skin was dark green and they were at least three meters tall each. They were kind of fat but possessed an absurd amount of muscles. Finally, their faces were not like pigs’ and actually looked a bit humanoid.

One of them locked his eyes on Arima and charged at him. When Arima entered his range, he raised his log, but before he could land a hit, his head was suddenly sent flying.

Arima was holding the unsheathed Karma in his right hand. Even he was startled as he looked at the blade. He just wanted to cut the carotids, but he had underestimated his own sword. He was relieved that he didn’t put too much strength in his fight with Jeil. He could have killed him by mistake.

The others Orcs all roared at the death of their brethren. But the first one who made a move was Arima. He charged at the closest Orc and appeared right in front of him, he swung his sword and a second head fell to the ground.

Afterward, six Orcs rushed together toward him. He drew the same number of knives and arranged them into a fan. "[Fulgur] (Lightning)." These knives started generating electricity on their own and Arima smiled before throwing them, each piercing the head of the six Orcs.

When he threw the knives, a big Orc exploited the opening and swung his log horizontally. Arima jumped lightly to avoid the hit and while he was still in mid-air, another Orc did the same move as his comrade.

"[Propero] (Speed-up)," Arima spun in the air like a wheel