Lithium, 18th Chapter: D Class Hero
“I’ll be the one to kick it off this time okay? It’s been so long since I last fought barehanded… That’s why!”
“!!!”
Highlight seemed to have vanished suddenly. However, Shin had caught the movement in his sight and had already processed the counter move inside his brain.
The synapse group that governs eyesight was finely connected to the data chip inside Shin’s brain via protein.
As a result, his kinetic and stationary vision had drastically improved, and his brain was capable of high speed processing.
Highlight seemed to have suddenly vanished. However, he had merely jumped over into a blind spot through a reflexive action of his main leg and was rapidly closing in on Shin.
Highlight raised his right leg. Harnessing the momentum he had built, he launched an upper roundhouse kick. Having predicted this, Shin squatted, dodging it with ease. In the posture he ended up in, he pivoted on his left hand and delivered a kick to the midsection.
Now that Shin was without the nothing-but-deadweight sword and his alloy boots, his body was that of a pro martial artist.
In actuality, with the enhanced intracerebral processing and the numerous combat arts input–coupled with Shin’s already excellent reflexes and talent–he had surpassed even a professional martial artist.
Highlight reflexively crossed his arms and rolled his body, receiving Shin’s kick with his body.
Although his body was airborne for an instant, he had leapt of his own volition in order to mitigate the shock.
The reflexive action of Highlight in that instant told Shin that he too had accumulated a wealth of training.
Retracting the leg he had thrown out to kick, Shin next launched a leg sweep aimed at Highlight’s–who had landed in front of him–legs.
Although Highlight’s balance had been destroyed, he took on a defensive stance. Rolling on the floor again, he closed in on Shin in a straight line.
“Ku, then so be it… Dancing Flame Kick!”
“!?”
From the greaves on Highlight legs, a kick clad in flames suddenly erupted.
A wildly dancing line of flames had literally formed.
Although Shin’s mesh armor was not affected by the flames, his view had been obstructed.
While a question mark hung over Shin’s head, he felt a presence appear behind him. By the time he turned around, Highlight’s flame clad heel-drop had drawn near.
(Fast… first one was a feint, huh.)
Without evading the attack, Shin instinctively sprang his body along Highlight’s axis.
“Na!”
Catching Highlight’s flaming kick with his back, he grappled Highlight’s neck and thigh in his arms and slammed him as is.
It was Kumiwaza. (TN: Aikido technique)
A punch or a kick might have the potential to be a certain kill strike, but it would be meaningless if it failed to hit.
Kumiwaza, on the other hand, locked the weaker joints. Especially in case of interpersonal battles, it was the most effective technique in neutralizing an opponent.
Although Shin was able to put a burst of strength in and break Highlight’s spine while slamming him–ending his life–in this instance, he was focused solely on a takedown.
“Pugu!”
Leaking a groan unbefitting his face, Highlight struck Shin’s body repeatedly.
Highlight must have realized that he had been defeated. Shin, having taken it as his intent to give up, unlocked his arms.
“Ka… haa, haa. What… that was a foul.”
Somewhat teary eyed, Highlight stood up, swaying. Shin, without taking his eyes off him, stood up, too.
“Your martial arts were just as splendid.”
“…Haa, seriously. Back there, I thought I was a dead man. It’s been awhile since I last entertained such a thought against a human opponent… it’s my loss.”
Upon those words, Shin relaxed his stance and proceeded to walk to where his boots were kept.
“Fuu, seriously. Even though I’m a Class A; guess I have lost my edge after slackening here on payroll.”
“Does this mean I passed with flying colours?”
Muttering to himself, Shin put his boots back on and returned to Highlight.
“What do you mean ‘passed’…? It was an exam to decide your class. Well, I did get a little serious back there, though.”
“Then, what is it? My class that is.”
“Well, truthfully C—leniently B… is what I wanna say. But considering you still have some way to go when it comes to weapons, and you can’t use Mana Calculus either; it would be D, actually E. I’ll give you a concession, though, and make it Class D3. This is what I would say in capacity of an employee.”
At those words, Shin did not feel particularly dissatisfied.
‘But I’ve defeated Highlight who is supposed to be Class A.’ He wasn’t interested enough in such a thing as ‘class’ to say that.
Although the rewards in a higher class would be attractive, he was happy so long as he earned enough to not be troubled with subsistence.
In relation to this world, Shin’s thoughts went no farther than ‘now’.
Shin was unable to alter the history of Earth, and had arrived on a planet that he had no clue about. Now that he was alive, his only objective was to hold onto this new life for as long as possible.
“Fuu… now then, the exam ends here. From this day onward, you two are members of this Guild. The proud of the Kingdom of Vander. You can move to another kingdom or you can contribute to this kingdom; it’s entirely for you to decide. But before you do that, wait for the proof of your qualification.”
Saying “that’s all,” the examiner Highlight gallantly exited through the back door.
Apparently, the exam was over.
Seeing that, Shin took a breather. Albeit only a slightly, his body felt fatigued; or maybe he was mentally strained. He had no idea.
However, he had now earned employment. ‘Next, I should secure a place to live in, I guess.’
“…U-Um…”
“Nn…”
Shin turned his heel toward the door he had entered through. Right then, Luna–who had been spectating the contest between Shin and Highlight from the back–rushed to Shin with a timid demeanor.
“Er… you are?”
“Um, are you really… the Shin-sama… from back then?”
‘What does she mean by that?’ To begin with, Shin did not understand what she meant by ‘back then’.
Shin desperately tried to recall the events that had transpired since he teleported here until now.
“…Um, our village was attacked by Blue Ogres and… when I was rendered useless… you appeared and, with something that looked like a sword, you… *bam* *bam* *bam*! I was captivated by that…”
“Aah!”
“Hiu?”
Suddenly, Shin shouted as if he had an epiphany.
Luna, who was frantically narrating the story of her hero Shin, instinctively leapt in surprise.
“…Are you the kid from back then?”
“Eh…… I knew it! So you do remember, Shin-sama… But you’re mistaking me for someone else…”
“Ah, no…? Sorry.”
Shin finally succeeded in retrieving from a nook in his mind the memory of a girl, who had confronted several biological weapon like monsters by herself, when he had newly teleported here.
However, for some reason or another, in the flow of the moment, out of his tendency to battle on Earth, Shin–who had sensed that the girl before him was in danger–had slain the troop of monsters.
That girl from back then was now standing in front of him.
Now that he thought about it, the girl had said, “Someday, I will come to the Capital,” when Shin was about to depart from the village.
Thinking up to that point, ‘What bad luck,’ Shin cursed his fate.
Because Shin had lied under the circumstances and pretended to be a Guild member right before leaving that place. How was he supposed to explain it? He was now taking the exam for Guild membership at the same time and the same place as the girl who had heard the [welcome] speech just now.
Moreover, he did not want to disclose information about the scientific technology of Earth at his disposal to the public at this moment. That said, this girl had already witnessed Shin’s scientific and technological power.
‘I wish you had forgotten what happened back then,’ thought shin for the girl had now become a troublesome existence to him.
“…So, what you said was…”
No words came out from Shin in reply.
There’s a saying that one says more than required. That’s absolutely correct.
‘Why did I have to take the exam for Guild membership here? Why didn’t I just use the sword techniques I used back then?’ …There was no end to his regrets.
“Uwa! I… it’s alright. Shin-sama is ‘That’. This is just a front to elude public notice. You must have a reason for that. After all, you were able to annihilate the troop of Blue Ogres, even though you were not a Guild member. I see… so you were going easy back there during the exam. Still, you were able to take down a Guild examiner barehanded! I knew Shin-sama was a hero. I will keep my lips sealed!”
“Er…m…?”
“In my village, there’s a lore passed down since ancient times… ‘The world will go through destruction, but that will be the moment of its reformation; the light of the led hero will lead the times of this world.’ …My village had been continually attacked by Blue Ogres for a long time. Then a Mage was born. I was revered as the hero of the lore. Everyone had regained hope… But… I could do nothing to the Blue Ogres. Then you appeared out of nowhere and killed those monsters. The moment I saw you, I realized; that the hero of the lore was you, Shin-sama.”
“……”
“So, um——”
In front of Luna–who was weaving words without rest–Shin was at a loss for what to do.
Furthermore, he could not wipe away the tinge of anxiety that this misunderstanding was escalating in a terrible direction.
“——Can I accompany you on your journey, Shin-sama?!”
…Thus, he could not wipe away the anxiety.
Lithium, 18th Chapter: D Class Hero
“I’ll be the one to kick it off this time okay? It’s been so long since I last fought barehanded… That’s why!”
“!!!”
Highlight seemed to have vanished suddenly. However, Shin had caught the movement in his sight and had already processed the counter move inside his brain.
The synapse group that governs eyesight was finely connected to the data chip inside Shin’s brain via protein.
As a result, his kinetic and stationary vision had drastically improved, and his brain was capable of high speed processing.
Highlight seemed to have suddenly vanished. However, he had merely jumped over into a blind spot through a reflexive action of his main leg and was rapidly closing in on Shin.
Highlight raised his right leg. Harnessing the momentum he had built, he launched an upper roundhouse kick. Having predicted this, Shin squatted, dodging it with ease. In the posture he ended up in, he pivoted on his left hand and delivered a kick to the midsection.
Now that Shin was without the nothing-but-deadweight sword and his alloy boots, his body was that of a pro martial artist.
In actuality, with the enhanced intracerebral processing and the numerous combat arts input–coupled with Shin’s already excellent reflexes and talent–he had surpassed even a professional martial artist.
Highlight reflexively crossed his arms and rolled his body, receiving Shin’s kick with his body.
Although his body was airborne for an instant, he had leapt of his own volition in order to mitigate the shock.
The reflexive action of Highlight in that instant told Shin that he too had accumulated a wealth of training.
Retracting the leg he had thrown out to kick, Shin next launched a leg sweep aimed at Highlight’s–who had landed in front of him–legs.
Although Highlight’s balance had been destroyed, he took on a defensive stance. Rolling on the floor again, he closed in on Shin in a straight line.
“Ku, then so be it… Dancing Flame Kick!”
“!?”
From the greaves on Highlight legs, a kick clad in flames suddenly erupted.
A wildly dancing line of flames had literally formed.
Although Shin’s mesh armor was not affected by the flames, his view had been obstructed.
While a question mark hung over Shin’s head, he felt a presence appear behind him. By the time he turned around, Highlight’s flame clad heel-drop had drawn near.
(Fast… first one was a feint, huh.)
Without evading the attack, Shin instinctively sprang his body along Highlight’s axis.
“Na!”
Catching Highlight’s flaming kick with his back, he grappled Highlight’s neck and thigh in his arms and slammed him as is.
It was Kumiwaza. (TN: Aikido technique)
A punch or a kick might have the potential to be a certain kill strike, but it would be meaningless if it failed to hit.
Kumiwaza, on the other hand, locked the weaker joints. Especially in case of interpersonal battles, it was the most effective technique in neutralizing an opponent.
Although Shin was able to put a burst of strength in and break Highlight’s spine while slamming him–ending his life–in this instance, he was focused solely on a takedown.
“Pugu!”
Leaking a groan unbefitting his face, Highlight struck Shin’s body repeatedly.
Highlight must have realized that he had been defeated. Shin, having taken it as his intent to give up, unlocked his arms.
“Ka… haa, haa. What… that was a foul.”
Somewhat teary eyed, Highlight stood up, swaying. Shin, without taking his eyes off him, stood up, too.
“Your martial arts were just as splendid.”
“…Haa, seriously. Back there, I thought I was a dead man. It’s been awhile since I last entertained such a thought against a human opponent… it’s my loss.”
Upon those words, Shin relaxed his stance and proceeded to walk to where his boots were kept.
“Fuu, seriously. Even though I’m a Class A; guess I have lost my edge after slackening here on payroll.”
“Does this mean I passed with flying colours?”
Muttering to himself, Shin put his boots back on and returned to Highlight.
“What do you mean ‘passed’…? It was an exam to decide your class. Well, I did get a little serious back there, though.”
“Then, what is it? My class that is.”
“Well, truthfully C—leniently B… is what I wanna say. But considering you still have some way to go when it comes to weapons, and you can’t use Mana Calculus either; it would be D, actually E. I’ll give you a concession, though, and make it Class D3. This is what I would say in capacity of an employee.”
At those words, Shin did not feel particularly dissatisfied.
‘But I’ve defeated Highlight who is supposed to be Class A.’ He wasn’t interested enough in such a thing as ‘class’ to say that.
Although the rewards in a higher class would be attractive, he was happy so long as he earned enough to not be troubled with subsistence.
In relation to this world, Shin’s thoughts went no farther than ‘now’.
Shin was unable to alter the history of Earth, and had arrived on a planet that he had no clue about. Now that he was alive, his only objective was to hold onto this new life for as long as possible.
“Fuu… now then, the exam ends here. From this day onward, you two are members of this Guild. The proud of the Kingdom of Vander. You can move to another kingdom or you can contribute to this kingdom; it’s entirely for you to decide. But before you do that, wait for the proof of your qualification.”
Saying “that’s all,” the examiner Highlight gallantly exited through the back door.
Apparently, the exam was over.
Seeing that, Shin took a breather. Albeit only a slightly, his body felt fatigued; or maybe he was mentally strained. He had no idea.
However, he had now earned employment. ‘Next, I should secure a place to live in, I guess.’
“…U-Um…”
“Nn…”
Shin turned his heel toward the door he had entered through. Right then, Luna–who had been spectating the contest between Shin and Highlight from the back–rushed to Shin with a timid demeanor.
“Er… you are?”
“Um, are you really… the Shin-sama… from back then?”
‘What does she mean by that?’ To begin with, Shin did not understand what she meant by ‘back then’.
Shin desperately tried to recall the events that had transpired since he teleported here until now.
“…Um, our village was attacked by Blue Ogres and… when I was rendered useless… you appeared and, with something that looked like a sword, you… *bam* *bam* *bam*! I was captivated by that…”
“Aah!”
“Hiu?”
Suddenly, Shin shouted as if he had an epiphany.
Luna, who was frantically narrating the story of her hero Shin, instinctively leapt in surprise.
“…Are you the kid from back then?”
“Eh…… I knew it! So you do remember, Shin-sama… But you’re mistaking me for someone else…”
“Ah, no…? Sorry.”
Shin finally succeeded in retrieving from a nook in his mind the memory of a girl, who had confronted several biological weapon like monsters by herself, when he had newly teleported here.
However, for some reason or another, in the flow of the moment, out of his tendency to battle on Earth, Shin–who had sensed that the girl before him was in danger–had slain the troop of monsters.
That girl from back then was now standing in front of him.
Now that he thought about it, the girl had said, “Someday, I will come to the Capital,” when Shin was about to depart from the village.
Thinking up to that point, ‘What bad luck,’ Shin cursed his fate.
Because Shin had lied under the circumstances and pretended to be a Guild member right before leaving that place. How was he supposed to explain it? He was now taking the exam for Guild membership at the same time and the same place as the girl who had heard the [welcome] speech just now.
Moreover, he did not want to disclose information about the scientific technology of Earth at his disposal to the public at this moment. That said, this girl had already witnessed Shin’s scientific and technological power.
‘I wish you had forgotten what happened back then,’ thought shin for the girl had now become a troublesome existence to him.
“…So, what you said was…”
No words came out from Shin in reply.
There’s a saying that one says more than required. That’s absolutely correct.
‘Why did I have to take the exam for Guild membership here? Why didn’t I just use the sword techniques I used back then?’ …There was no end to his regrets.
“Uwa! I… it’s alright. Shin-sama is ‘That’. This is just a front to elude public notice. You must have a reason for that. After all, you were able to annihilate the troop of Blue Ogres, even though you were not a Guild member. I see… so you were going easy back there during the exam. Still, you were able to take down a Guild examiner barehanded! I knew Shin-sama was a hero. I will keep my lips sealed!”
“Er…m…?”
“In my village, there’s a lore passed down since ancient times… ‘The world will go through destruction, but that will be the moment of its reformation; the light of the led hero will lead the times of this world.’ …My village had been continually attacked by Blue Ogres for a long time. Then a Mage was born. I was revered as the hero of the lore. Everyone had regained hope… But… I could do nothing to the Blue Ogres. Then you appeared out of nowhere and killed those monsters. The moment I saw you, I realized; that the hero of the lore was you, Shin-sama.”
“……”
“So, um——”
In front of Luna–who was weaving words without rest–Shin was at a loss for what to do.
Furthermore, he could not wipe away the tinge of anxiety that this misunderstanding was escalating in a terrible direction.
“——Can I accompany you on your journey, Shin-sama?!”
…Thus, he could not wipe away the anxiety.
