Chapter 9 — I’ve Seen This in Games Before; I Guess It’s Actually Possible
“Anyone can do this much, right?”
It was only three years after regaining memories of his past life that he was able to talk like that. Three years may have sounded like a long time, but Taylor wasn’t that smart at the time. After showing off a small fraction of his power, he was awash in praise. When he asked if they were just going easy on him, that praise became even more enthusiastic.
But as stupid as Taylor may have been, after such a long time, he inevitably came to understand basic common sense and how strong the average person was. He was skilled and powerful, but he also came to understand how weak and useless everyone around him was. Seeing that gap between him and everyone else, he naturally became arrogant. He then began to say things like, “Oh, did I go too far again?” once he made it to around fifty years old.
Looking back, he felt like he was acting idiotic, but he had yet to learn how to look at himself from an objective point of view back then. Never losing, never failing, his ego continued to inflate. However, he eventually came to realize that not everyone praised him. Once he realized what those others thought of him, he couldn’t keep acting the same way as before. Around the same time, knowledge of those who had been reborn in this world and given powers by the gods became widespread.
“You didn’t do anything to earn those powers.”
“You think you’re so strong, just flaunting the powers the gods gave you?”
“They’re like children, terrorizing the playground.”
Though they praised the reincarnated “heroes” and thanked them when they helped, those were their true feelings. Those feelings leaked through in their voices, in the expressions they wore. Maybe they had intended to hide their opinions, but the superior senses of the reborn were able to see through the disguise. They had likely always felt that way, but Taylor had never tried to see through to those underlying feelings before.
Looking back at his past self, he had no retort. Feeling ashamed, he fled. While he’d hid himself away in the mountain wilderness, the world had ended. The reincarnated ones who didn’t have Taylor’s restraint grew in their pride. Their fights among themselves destroyed the land, split the seas, ripped apart the skies, and shattered the canopy housing the world’s Celestial Foundation.
The canopy separated the world from the infinite space known as the “Sea.” With that canopy gone, the rest of the world easily collapsed. The world was frail and couldn’t bear the harsh environment of the Sea.
And so Taylor was thrown out into it. Either the other reincarnated people had killed each other off or they had been unable to survive the Sea themselves, as Taylor couldn’t find any of them. Everything that made up his world was reduced to dust, and as the only one from it who could survive in the Sea, he found himself floating alone.
The Sea was an almost entirely empty space. Countless worlds lay scattered throughout it, but they weren’t so densely packed that you would stumble across one by wandering aimlessly. Unaware of how long he spent floating there, around the time he gave up conscious thought, he came across another world. He felt like it was a miracle, but the Sea had depth to it, meaning anyone inside would naturally sink downward. It also had currents, meaning the chances of him reaching this particular world were relatively high. At the time, he didn’t know any of that.
Hey, I’m Van. I’m called a Sage in this world. If you want to come into our world, there are some small conditions. Is that okay?
Van seemed to be one of the people governing this world. Though he was not a god, he had the right to permit or deny entry, so judging by his power alone, he was something akin to one. According to Van, Taylor’s incredible strength made him a threat to their world. Van said he would only permit Taylor’s entry if he agreed to stay within a confined area.
Taylor accepted his conditions instantly. If he refused, he would be forced to wander the Sea aimlessly yet again, and the restricted area would likely be quite sturdy. Of course, he didn’t even consider trying to break out of it. He had no issue playing along and doing as he was told if he was allowed to live in peace.
The restricted area seemed like some sort of game, divided into four warring factions. Compared to the emptiness of the “Sea,” just about anywhere would have looked like paradise. Taylor was sent to join the Kingdom of Momurus. Each of the warring factions had their own unique characteristics, and Momurus was a kingdom made up of monsters. Taylor was confused about why a human like him had been sent to a kingdom of monsters, but the answer to that question was simple. No one who could survive wandering the Sea could be considered human.
Momurus was a simplistic world, where strength ruled over all. The strong were celebrated, and the weak obeyed. The monsters fought among themselves as casually as they greeted each other, establishing a hierarchy of power. Though he had no desire to fight or interact with anyone, Taylor was naturally drawn into the struggle, and his rank began to rise. He began to take a liking to the situation he had found himself in. Monsters were simple. There was no jealousy between them, and they didn’t hold grudges. If their opponent was strong, they accepted that fact. They bowed to their superiors and made no effort to scheme behind their backs. Their devotion to fulfilling their own desires made them do things that looked evil to human eyes, but when they failed, they simply and honestly accepted that it was due to a lack of strength.
As he grew accustomed to the ways of the monsters, he became more honest in his appetites, and before long he was at the top of the hierarchy. In short, he became the Demon Lord.
After that, he decided to follow his heart. First, he renamed himself Demon Lord Gorbagion. It seemed like a fittingly grim name for one of his station. He had never really liked the name his parents had given him after he was reincarnated. He felt it was better to pick a name he liked for himself. He had only come to that realization after reaching Momurus.
Fully intending to enjoy his time as Demon Lord, he picked four Heavenly Kings to serve under him, built a castle, and waited eagerly for heroes to come challenge him. But in the end, the members of the other factions never came for Momurus’s home base. There were too many problems with the core system of Four Kingdoms, making it impossible for other nations to attack the capitals of their opponents.
One day, time suddenly rewound, and without warning, Four Kingdoms came to an end. While the sudden change left them in chaos and confusion, another message came from Sage Van. This time, it was an invitation to join Cavern Quest.
Thinking it sounded interesting enough, Gorbagion decided to play. The monsters all made their own decision as to whether they would join the new game or not. Forced into the role of playing monsters in the new game, the former members of Momurus decided to live true to their desires once again.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Wait, this isn’t the time to be worried about our clothes! We need to hide!” Tomochika finally announced as they stood in the middle of the city.
“Why?” Yogiri asked.
“Because everyone knows what you look like now!”
“Oh, I see. I guess we can’t just sit around, then.” Luckily they hadn’t seen any people around the town, but they’d come across someone eventually if they kept standing out in the open.
Yogiri’s appearance had been made public, and there were doubtless many who had close friends and family that he had killed. There was a good chance that anyone he met would immediately attack. And although there was no real chance of losing to them, Yogiri didn’t want to have to kill everyone he met. Any fight that could be avoided should be, he thought.
“I guess we can’t go to the inn either. Mokomoko, are there any abandoned houses around here?” Yogiri asked the ghost.
Abandoned houses? If this village was created for use in the game, I am not sure there would be any pointless buildings...
The town was approximately a square, one hundred meters long on each side. It was surrounded by walls, meaning it was likely located in a natural underground cave. The adventurer’s guild, weapon shop, and other necessities were situated at the center of the town, with dwellings arrayed around them. There were all kinds of houses, from inns that could house large crowds to small shacks, but there weren’t that many buildings altogether, so finding an empty one would be a challenge.
First of all, hiding behind that building seems like a good start, Mokomoko suggested. As Tomochika’s guardian spirit, she couldn’t stray far from her descendant’s side. However, she could manage to look through a city of this size without a problem.
As she floated off, the rest of them hid in the shadow of a building. Of course, if anyone were to come outside, they would notice them hiding immediately, so it did little more than make them feel better.
After a short time, Mokomoko returned. There are no abandoned houses, but there are some without people in them at the moment.
With no time to calmly think over their options, they headed for one of the unoccupied buildings, choosing one at the edge of town, far from the center. There was a two-story wooden building there. It was one of the larger structures in the town.
Yogiri turned the knob on the front door, but it was locked.
“You think you can just walk in like you own the place?!” Atila shook her head in disbelief.
“It’s empty, right?”
“No. Something is wrong. It feels as if someone has claimed this building...but more importantly, should you not be a little more apologetic for trying to barge into someone’s house?!”
“I’m surprised a dragon would be worried about that,” Yogiri said. “It’s a lot better than crushing the house underfoot, isn’t it?”
“And when have I ever done that?! I have never once attacked a human settlement!”
“Anyway, how do we get in? I can kill the lock, but...” Any object he killed would turn brittle and fragile, making it possible for them to break it and enter. But that would be a nuisance to the owner of the house. Not that breaking into their house wasn’t a nuisance already.
“I think I can open this,” Tomochika said, pulling two hair pins out from somewhere.
Indeed! The Dannoura Style Unlocking Technique should be able to manage!
“Oh, I’ve seen this in games before,” Yogiri commented. “I guess it’s actually possible.”
“Only if it’s a cylinder lock. If you keep it under tension and can line up the pins...it opens like that.” In what felt like only a few moments, the door was open.
“Aren’t you a little too good at that?” Yogiri was somewhat taken aback.
“Do you have no conscience?” Atila added. “Even a dragon like me would not so easily intrude on another’s domain.”
“I guess it’s an ethics thing. I haven’t really thought about it since coming to this world.” From Yogiri’s perspective, they were in an emergency situation. He considered everything they were doing part of an evacuation plan to get back home.
“You really are an enemy of this world, aren’t you?” Atila winced. Yogiri himself couldn’t really argue that he was having a negative impact here.
“Hey, if you’re going to talk about ethics, can we do it inside?” Tomochika interjected. “It’ll be pretty bad if we’re seen here.”
“No, I have no intention of continuing that discussion,” Atila muttered as they hurriedly made their way inside. “We need a place to hide, so we have no other choice. But do not damage anything inside!” For some reason, the dragon was being very careful.
“I feel like Atila’s taking the role of the group’s common sense.”
“Why am I, as a dragon, being forced to make you act more humane?”
“But no one lives here, right?” Yogiri said. The entrance connected to a long hallway, dark and stuffy. That wasn’t enough to say it was uninhabited, though.
“Cavern Quest resets every season, right? Maybe the buildings are rebuilt every time?” Tomochika wondered aloud.
It is impossible to know, the ghost replied. Considering there are any number of towns identical to this one, there is no telling what could happen.
It didn’t feel like an abandoned building. There was furniture inside, and it looked like it was ready for someone to move in, but there were no signs of anyone actually living there. Nothing within appeared to have been used.
“No one is living here. Hopefully, no thing is living here either. Are we sure this is okay?” Tomochika looked around nervously.
There are no people here, Mokomoko stated.
“Okay, that sounds like you’re hiding something now!”
“We’re not planning on being here long. Once we’ve figured out a plan, we’ll be moving on.” Walking down the hallway, Yogiri opened a door at random, earning a panicked cry from Tomochika.
Inside what appeared to be a living room were densely packed dolls. Some were on shelves, some on desks, some on the floor. Dolls of all sizes filled the room. Someone was sitting on the couch as well—another doll. However, it was an extremely detailed doll of a woman, life-sized, so in the dark room it wasn’t hard to mistake it for a real person.
“Is it safe? They’re not going to move, are they?”
“In a fantasy world like this, I suppose we can’t rule it out,” Yogiri answered.
“We met a girl that could do that before, right?”
Yogiri stepped up to the couch. There was no indication of movement, so it looked like they were just ordinary dolls after all. Moving the lifelike one to the floor, Yogiri sat down as Dai paced around the room, seeming uneasy.
“This really doesn’t bother you, huh?” Tomochika asked.
“They’re just dolls.”
“Are you sure we should be here? We’re not getting in more danger by trying to hide, are we?”
“Let’s go over our situation real quick.”
“You’re just going to keep talking, huh? I guess I can’t stand around shivering forever...”
Tomochika and Atila sat on the couch opposite Yogiri.
“First, about the Philosopher’s Stone...”
They had joined Cavern Quest in search of the Philosopher’s Stones. Although they had been collecting them, at some point, the stones they had found here and the ones they’d brought with them had all disappeared, having fused together to form a woman, who had then hidden from them.
“After that Shirou guy told us about it, there was that message from the Great Sage. You didn’t hear it, right, Takatou?”
“Right. Why didn’t he let me hear it? What a pain.”
“Okay, I’ll repeat it as best I can for you.”
Tomochika shared the message the Great Sage had sent to everyone. According to him, he had reset the world, but everyone Yogiri had killed remained dead. Annoyingly, he had told everyone about Yogiri’s powers and said that if Yogiri were to die, everyone else would be brought back to life. Basically, he was ordering everyone in the world to kill Yogiri.
If I may add, the Great Sage’s words had an aura of compulsion about them. I imagine the majority who heard him will believe the message wholeheartedly.
“If that’s true, they might not even attack,” Yogiri said optimistically. If everyone believed the Great Sage’s message, he didn’t think anyone who knew about his ability to kill with his thoughts, or his ability to detect killing intent and respond to it automatically, would want to fight him.
“Yeah, about that. He also said that anyone who went to the last boss’s area would get any power they wished for so they could fight you.”
“Then even if they don’t attack right away...they’ll eventually come, won’t...they?”
“What’s wrong?” Tomochika asked, concerned about how Yogiri had started trailing off.
“It’s nothing... I’m just getting sleepy...”
“Oh, this again!” she exclaimed as Yogiri flopped down sideways on the couch, suddenly overcome by drowsiness.
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