âVocation âSaintâ huh⦠Is that even a job?â
âGeez, donât say that, itâs too embarrassing!â
Cheeks fuming in red, itâs the same old Sakura. I guess even receiving a âVocationâ, a supernatural power from the gods of this world, wonât change people all that much.
âAnd nii-san too, what indeed is up with that âHeroâ vocation of yours?â
âHahaha, having is said to my face is pretty embarrassing tooâ
I had become a âHeroâ before I knew it. Donât remember using that magic circle, but when my consciousness got floaty after getting a beatdown by the Armor Bear, I clearly remember hearing the voice of a Goddess.[1]
âMayst thou bring light to this world and become â the âHeroâ.â
Is what the Goddess had said. I mustâve become a âHeroâ right at that moment.
âSigh, forget saving the world, I wanna know if I can save ourselvesân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âI for one would like a one-way ticket to Earth the moment we escapeâ
âGoes without saying, but why the harsh tone?â
âCâmon nii-san, you know youâre the type to dive straight into danger, saying things like the people of this world are in danger from monsters or somethingâ
âI mean, if itâs in my power, I probably wouldâ
âBut, what happens when you keep fighting on and on? You could even get thrown into a war⦠that and bashing heads with punks back in Japan are on a completely different dimensionâ
I do realize. In this world the word âfightâ definitely implies one where both parties bet their lives. I can easily imagine whatâs lying ahead if I kept fighting these harsh battles.
âDonât worry. Iâll definitely get you, and everyone else out of this dungeon; weâll get back to our world. I have my priorities straightâ
âAlright, nii-san. But donât try doing everything by yourself now. Thanks to this vocation, even I can fightâ
âYeah, youâre right, depending on you, Sakuraâ
I am already witness to Sakuraâs powers as a âSaintâ.
Now that weâre at a safe zone known as a âFairy Squareâ, I think back on what Sakura means by her ability to fight. I have a deep impression that every one of her Skills are powerful.
There are 3 skills that come with a vocation
Holy Enchant(Keeper of the Light)
Grants the power of Light to any thing. Its brilliance disperses malevolence, and expels evil
Lux Sagitta(Light Arrow)
Shoots an arrow of Light; a low grade attack of the light attribute
Healing Light(Glow of Remedy)
A restoration magic that combines both Heal and Cure[2]
Those are the powers brandished by Sakura. Since we only perceive those brief descriptions, thereâs no choice but to test them out to observe their effect.
And as for what Sakura demonstrated those powers against, it was those bone monsters that pop up in games: the Skeleton.
The first surprise was the output of âLux Sagittaâ. When Sakura pulls her archery club bow, an arrow of brilliant white light appears nocked there. And when she releases it, leaving a pristine streaks of light in the air, the arrow flies towards the Skeleton as if being sucked in.
Upon connection, the dazzling light bursts, leaving behind only the remains of crushed, dismantled bone.
Itâs not like the bones of Skeleton are brittle. Having fought them myself, I can confirm their robustness. There are atleast as tough as those of human origin. They wouldnât crack under trivial force.
Making those bones explode into bits says a lot about that output. I donât really want to imagine getting hit by that dead on.
Next on the list is âHoly Enchantâ. When Sakura let her hand hold my bokutou(wooden sword), it flushed with a faint white glimmer; a few seconds later, and the enchantment was set. The bokutou consequently held a holy radiance.
Bashing a Skeleton with it during this shining state causes itâs bony corpus to quickly crumble like sand.
Seems like Skeletons, as Undead, were super susceptible to the light attribute like in games, but I wonder if these kinds of weaknesses and corrections are being adjusted for in this world. Even without the advantage against Undead, I quickly understood after a few swings that this bokutou under âHoly Enchantâ was much sturdier than usual. It wouldnât give even if I banged it against a wall hard enough to definitely break in normal conditions.
Thereâs a time limit on the effects, but itâs not an issue if only used when required. As a result, I could suffice with my single bokutou. No need to help myself to the clubs carried by the Skeletons.
Finally, on âHealing Lightâ, since we havenât had any noticeable injuries, it hasnât been put to the test. The grievous injuries from the Armor Bearâs assault were completely healed when Iâd awoken as a Hero, and Iâve been without a scratch since.
Still, looking at these awe-inspiring feats of magic, we could expect the healing magic to be great too. And since weâre traversing a dangerous dungeon thatâs crawling with monsters, this kind of recovery option is all the more indispensable. In a way, this healing magic can be considered much more valuable than attack power.
Iâd hope we could break free from here not needing to use it, but considering that thereâs not only the smallfry Skeletons, but powerful foes like the Armor Bear, I know it wonât be that easy.
ââ¦Sigh, this Fairy Walnut, it isnât bad per say, but itâs kind of dispiriting that weâll have only these to go on from nowâ
âDonât be so picky. I think weâre blessed enough to find a stable source of nutrition in this kind of survival scenarioâ
âMaybe for you, nii-san, youâd be used to this from your extended trips to the mountain with jii-sama(grand father).â
No, well even jii-san wouldnât take me training to this kind of monster infested dungeon. Well, that jii-san might gladly dive into dungeon capturing, but I donât see myself as that battle-hungry to begin with. I just wanna get back to regular old, peaceful highschooler life.
Leaving aside those thoughts, I finish up my walnuts, and stand up.
âNow then, I guess⦠we should check on thatâ
âUu, nii-san, youâre really going to check that?â
Sakura openly makes a wry face, but we really canât ignore this previous guest lodging in this Fairy Square.
âI mean look, itâs a dead Knight. And the swordâs still hanging at the waist⦠Isnât this the best chance to get a weapon?â
This was a genuine skeletal corpse wearing slightly dirty armor. Like if theyâd been attacked by monsters while exploring, and made it all the way here, but the wound was too deep and etc.[3]
Iâd prefer not to be like that in the future. May they rest in peace(Namu-amida-butsu), I leave a prayer for their passing.
âIt wonât become a Skeleton and attack right?â
âRight now, I feel like I can deal with that unarmedâ
Itâs not as much as when I beat the Armor Bear with the light sword, but my body feels exceedingly light and overflowing with power. In fact, Iâve confirmed that my physical prowess has distinctly risen from the level I was at yesterday. Only, I didnât need to go full power against Skeletons, so I canât really tell exactly how strong I am.
âSee, nothing to worry aboutâ
That itâs showing no reaction as I rudely pick through its equipment shows, without a doubt, that the corpse is staying a corpse. I assure Sakura that itâs not an Undead monster, but itâs not right to expect a girl to happily engage in rummaging through a dead body. Reminds me, Sakuraâs a pretty easy scare. Sheâs weak to horror films after all.
For now, ransacking dutyâs on me. First job would be taking the most eye-catching longsword off from the belt along with the scabbard. I unsheathe and examine the blade.
âThis isnât, bad at all⦠a fine sword. No rust, and the make isnât shabby eitherâ
âIt does indeed look new. I wonder, if itâs an effect from magic?â
Not implausible. The armor has a light-weight make, favoring maneuverability, but there are elaborate designs here and there; doesnât seem like itâs for the common soldier. This sword too, has a coat of arms resembling a red lion, and doesnât seem like it was mass produced. Perhaps this person was a noble.
In that case, it wouldnât be strange if there was magic cast on this sword to maintain its edge. Though itâs not like we have any way to confirm that.
ââYup, this actually looks appropriate for battleâ
âAnd much more reliable than a bokutouâ
With a swing, I again affirm the splendidness of the sword. Wouldâve been the best if it was a katana, but I really canât be that fussy about it in another world. I should consider it lucky their norm wasnât some weird shaped sword like a Shotel.[4]
âSorry Knight-san, but Iâll be gratefully using thisâ
Mostly, done with the scavenging, I once again place a hand on the skeleton of the Knight and say a prayer; following which, I equip the longsword to my waist.
The weapons I appropriated from the Knight are: this longsword, and a dagger they also possessed. The dagger was also well preserved, not a bit of rusting. Of course, it also had the same red lion coat of arms on it.
âSakura, you hold on to the dagger, for self-defenceâ
âNo, Iâm⦠wonât it be more useful if nii-san takes it?â
ââLux Sagittaâ is pretty dangerous at close range. Also, havenât you taken lessons in handling a knife atleast?â
âWell, a bit, yesâ¦â
Though not as hard as with me, Sakura has been more or less put through the ropes by jii-san since childhood. Not only self-defence techniques to deal with hoodlums carrying knives, but even the ways of taking those knives and stabbing back has been drilled into her. That jii-san said Sakuraâs a girl, and itâs much easier to justify it as self-defence, so she should stab them to death without worry, really makes him a shitty old fart. Though, Sakura seriously asking him to teach her how to stab till theyâre on the verge of death, is pretty something too.
âWell, letâs head out then. Sooner we find our classmates, the betterâ
And with our equipment ready, we left the Fairy Square.
What appeared in the area right after were the pitch black, short, humanoid monsters called âGomaâ. Carrying rusted knives or axes, clubs as if stolen theyâd stolen them from Skeletons, or spears made of animal bone, these were crude yet indeed armed, dangerous monsters. Even scarier was the fact that these things had a craving for human meat. On the off chance they beat us, theyâd probably literally eat us alive.
The appearance is reminiscent of the representative mob monster in RPGs: the Goblin, but thatâs no excuse to let our guard down.
ââ¦Nii-san, wasnât that, just a bit too much?â
âNo wait, I can explain, Sakura, please hear me outâ
Right now, spread around me was a scene so bloody and gruesome, youâd want to ask if some crazed mass murderer passed by.
When we exited the passage that we left the Fairy Square from, we came upon a slightly large path where 5 Goma attacked. Of course, we easily got the upper hand and beat them but⦠the killing was so brutal, even Iâm a bit taken aback. The corpses were scattered and shred so bad, itâs hard to tell if there were 5 of them. At some point, priority went from how Iâd attack to where Iâd put my feet to avoid the blood spatter.
âPlease, explain awayâ
âI was just trying out some Skillsâ
The disaster before me was nothing but the result of me testing the effects of my Skills. If I hadnât done that, Iâd have properly finished them with clean and efficient strikes of the Knights longsword.
âI see, thatâs why nii-sanâs movements started changing from normal. So, after using them, your impressions?â
âItâs got ridiculous power. Though it seems theyâre called Martial Arts when release by a swordâ
The Skills I learned after defeating the Armor Bear were in total 6.
Learned Skills
Thrust  Boosts piercing potential. A sharp blow impales the enemy
Slash     Boosts tearing potential. A sharp blow cuts the enemy
High Walk           Boosts speed. Run like the wind
Acquired Skills
Force Boost       Boosts strength. Force akin to the Armor Bear
Iron Guard(iron hide)
Boosts defence. Guard akin to the Armor Bear
Tri Slash               3 strike combo attack. Mutilate the enemy akin to the Armor Bearâs claws[5]
Learned Skills are ones that apply to my own growth. In gaming terms, theyâre skills that I automatically learn as I level up.
Acquired Skills would be ones that originate from defeated enemies. This probably doesnât take the other partyâs Skill as is, but takes that as a base and converts it into a form that a human like me can use. They had gone through the necessary corrections.
The Armor Bearâs strength is a result of its own muscles, and its tough defence comes from that thick metallic shell. Of course, being able to maim the opponent with a swing of its arm is only thanks to the numerous sharp claws on its paws. If I was literally going to have the same powers as my foe, Iâd have the same appearance as the Armor Bear by now.
âThe powerâs ridiculous, but there some buildup time needed, and right after launching, thereâs a slight gap in my defence. They also drain more stamina than when normally swinging the sword, so I gotta consider the time and place.â
âTheyâre quite similar to magic. But these powers we get from the âVocationâ, we become more adept the more we use them, it seems, so I guess you canât be too sparing?â
âYeah, if I canât get used to using these Martial Arts, they wonât be useful when it actually counts. So for now, Iâll be practicingâ
But Iâll refrain from bursting apart Goma with âTri Slashâ.
âNii-san, you kind of look like youâre having funâ
âIt may sound careless but⦠I wanted to get stronger. And now, weâve come to another world, and I was given this great power you can even visually confirm. My excitement being high, is probably because of my lack of mental trainingâ
âSorry, I wasnât saying that cynically. I really do know how deeply nii-san feels about wanting strength. But what if this great âpowerâ changes you, is something Iâm a bit, uneasy aboutâ¦â
Damn, Sakura really had me there. Seems I got high tensioned enough to arouse this kind of worry. Really need to get a hold of myself. Maybe some Zen meditation later?
âIâm perfectly fine. Me getting as strong as I can is only because I want to protect you, Sakura, and everyone else too. I donât know why God made me a âHeroâ or how much stronger I can become but⦠I wouldnât stray from using that strength correctly, ever.â
Thereâs no use just having power. How you use it is the vital part. This doctrine has been pummelled into me by jii-san since I was a kid. You could say, itâs carved onto my bones by now.
I understand that. I meant to be aware of it since forever now. But now that I have the power to easily kill a human shaped thing, I feel like I gained a whole new apprehension of that teaching.
Or maybe Iâll know it even better from now on; it would become something that keeps me in check.
âJust being protected, itâs really vexing you know. So, I will get stronger with you. Iâll try and get even a little stronger, so I can support you, nii-sanâ
âYou will⦠Yeah, of course you will. Thanks, Sakura. Counting on youâ
âAnytime, nii-sanâ
This excellent sister of mine thinking dearly of her brother, really does warm my heart⦠but huh, this heartwarming feeling doesnât match scenery of me in the middle of a slaughterfest at all. Atmosphere is pretty important.
Anyway, after a breather, we continued on the passage with no end in sight.
On the way, we got into a large domed space filled with vegetation like a botanical garden, where we encountered more Goma and packs of wild, reddish dogs. They were in packs, but there was no special powers or magic as a result of them being grouped, so with Sakuraâs support fire, and âHigh Walkâsâ maneuverability, we easily eliminated them.
Up till now, the monsters were smallfry. But thereâs no telling when a big shot with the Armor Bear would appear, so we made sure to be on maximum alert while advancing through the dungeon.
It was when weâd been in this place long enough to notice that the safe, relief stations known as Fairy Squares, were scattered at quite reasonable intervals. It was when we arrived at another one of those Fairy Squares.
ââ¦No way, Souma-kun?â
There, we found the previous guests.
âAh, i-itâs true⦠Souma-kun, and Sakura-chan⦠Iâm not in a dream, right?â
Familiar faces, there were 2 girls.
âClass rep and Natsukawa-san! What a relief, youâre both alrigââ
âU, uuâ¦uwaaaaa! Souma-kuuun!â
âWha! H-hold on, Natsukawa-san!?â
Suddenly hugging me in tears, I canât do anything but get flustered. Iâm just normal friends with Natsukawa-san, nothing on the level of embracing each upon reuniting. And nowâd be when Sakura misunderstands and looks at me coldly⦠is what I though, but Sakura was facing class rep with a weighty expression.
âRyouko, I hoped to say Iâm glad youâre alright⦠but that, doesnât really seem to be the caseâ
âYeah, Sakura, and Yuuto-kun, weâre really saved now that youâre here. Thanksâ
Apparently their situation was worse than I thought. Natsukawa-san too, it doesnât seem like sheâs crying from simple anxiety. I could see her having been mentally cornered at a severe level.
For now, I return the sobbing Natsukawa-sanâs embrace to calm her down. And asking what happened, would be towards class rep who has an awfully tired and pale face, yet was still holding together.
âClass rep, what exactly, happened to you guysâ
â⦠A friend, another one died. Just a while agoâ
It was an event I hadnât imagined⦠No, thatâs wrong, I purposefully didnât think about it. The powerful âVocationâ, the weak monsters that could only crowd together. So everyone else was fine too.
Naively, I made myself think like that.
That that kind of thinking was not hope, but merely a convenient desire, is proven fact, right here, right now.
Thus, I was finally made aware that among my classmates, there was a casualty.
[]
________________________
[1]Iâve decided to use -G-od(dess) for respectful addressing, like kami-sama, and -g-od(s), when theyâre referring to the many gods or just mentioning a god in passing. No deep meaning here, just thought it could use a distinction.
[2]I try to make a note when names are involved. Thankfully, all names in this case have their dictions(furigana) given. So no changes there. Source for âKeeper of the Lightâ. Cure and Heal are also in furi, but theyâre really very obvious. Also, stuff like âLux Sagittaâ appear in Kuro no Maou too! I bet the readerâs familiar with it, but Iâll take any excuse to squeeze that in~
[3]Iâll use they for gender neutrality.
[4]Glorious japanese katana folded 1000 times vs boring western longsword, also, Shotels.
[5]I made a table. Well, Iâll get to doing this for the other skill listings soonâ¢. Also, I donât know why I said Full Boost before. typo = fixed. All skills are as per diction(furigana). The descriptions are pretty straightforward too, so nothing to say on that. The meanings are pretty similar to the dictions, except âIron Guardâ. Iâm debating changing âAcquiredâ to âIntegratedâ or âAssimilatedâ. All of these seem ok, doushio~