*** The tension in the air was palpable as the group of men stood huddled together in the dimly lit alleyway. They were all dressed in dark clothing, their faces obscured by black balaclavas, as they waited for their target to show up. Each of them was armed with various weapons - knives, crowbars, and even a katana - ready to take out the man they had been hired to eliminate. As the hours ticked by, the group grew restless. They had been waiting for over 24 hours now, and still, there was no sign of their target. The tension was beginning to wear on their nerves, and they were starting to bicker amongst themselves. "Is it true that the Bast*rd is going through this way to go to the convenience store?" asked one of the men skeptically. His companion, who seemed to be more convinced, replied confidently, "Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. He walked out of the other alley and turned left, heading towards the convenience store." The man frowned, still not entirely convinced. "But the d
*** "...Monster! That man is a monster!" Run! At this moment, Kisaki was running in great haste through the many small alleys in this town. He was really scared, scared that he would follow him and beat him up. Kisaki didn't want his handsome face to be destroyed by that terrible blow. "Why is that bastard so strong? Why is there someone like him?!" "I can't stay in this town, I have to run away! Surely that bastard would find out my address if he asked the company!" Kisaki's decision was unanimous; he didn't want to become the target of that man. He could have a career in another city or even another country! He couldn't report this to the authorities because, no matter how others looked at it, it was obvious that this was all Kisaki's fault! "I need to hurry back to the apartment to get my things and get out of this town!" Kisaki was running as fast as he could through the narrow alleys of the bustling town, his heart racing with fear and anxiety. He could hear the sound o
*** "... Hahhh..." Rawr~... Sanada sighed wearily, gazing at his lazy cat lying on the table. Every day, he simply served patients as usual, and it had become quite boring. He longed to play outside with his family, but this month he didn't get a long vacation like he had a few months before. "... Summer vacation is the time when more people engage in outdoor activities, and also when many people fall ill due to being unaccustomed to the intense heat..." Massaging his forehead for a few minutes, he finally heard a knock on his office door again. Tock! Tock! Tock! "... Come in." Sanada spoke the cliche words he often used. Opened... Creakkk... "Hmm... A young man?" Sanada mumbled as he saw a very handsome young man enter his room. After the young man sat down in the chair across from him, he suddenly placed his bag on the table. Put... Then, he took a few documents out of his bag. "Hmm...? What's this...?" Sanada inquired curiously. "Ah... Sanada-san, these are the doc
*** "Takeru-san... Have you saved all the recordings of the fight?" Satoru asked Takeru, who was currently analyzing several suspicious scenes. "... I've saved everything... That young man is really skilled at fighting..." Takeru was slightly astonished as he watched the recordings. "That seems too brutal for a young man, beating the man to death..." Satoru softly argued. "... But I think it's well-deserved. At least that bastard who almost raped Ojou-sama was beaten to death, and I find satisfaction in that..." Takeru chuckled lightly, observing the scene. Nodding in agreement, Satoru concurred with Takeru's words. "Well... That's a good thing, but I do feel a bit sorry for that bastard. His face was destroyed, and there are rumors that he's now paralyzed due to brain nerve damage..." Satoru muttered. However, Takeru paid no attention to Satoru's remarks and stuck to his viewpoint. Takeru's admiration for the young man's fighting skills and principles seemed to stem from a dee
*** After Kazuki finished brewing the tea, he changed into a fresh set of clothes to show respect to his guests. He carefully selected the tea leaves that he would use for this particular occasion, taking care to use only the best ones that he had. As he served the tea, he explained that the brewing process was a special one that had been passed down through his family for generations, making it a traditional tea. "Please enjoy~. This is a traditional tea that I brewed using a special method passed down from my ancestors," said Kazuki, who then calmly drank his tea as well. Glancing at each other, they also took a sip. Sruptt... Kenichi, who tasted it, was a little surprised by the taste. Kazuki watched as his guests took their first sips of the tea, his eyes twinkling with anticipation. He had put his heart and soul into brewing the tea, and he wanted to see their reactions. Kenichi's face lit up with pleasure as he tasted the tea, and he couldn't help but exclaim how delicious
"Kenichi... Have you recorded everything?" Hajime asked as he sat in the driver's seat, his face filled with concern. "Just wait a moment..." Kenichi carefully retrieved all the hidden recording and detecting devices from his body, his hands moving with precision and skill. "I have recorded everything," Kenichi replied urgently, as he gathered all the equipment into a special box, ensuring nothing was left behind. Gulping... With hesitation, Hajime asked, "...So, what are the results?" Kenichi's expression turned grim as he fell silent for a moment, then finally answered, "...That man didn't lie at all..." Stop!!! Hajime immediately hit the brakes, avoiding a collision with the car in front of him as his focus was momentarily distracted by Kenichi's statement. Thud!! "Aww!! Hajime! Be careful driving this car!!" Kenichi exclaimed, gripping the door handle tightly. Gazing at Kenichi with uncertainty, Hajime asked, somewhat stammering, "W-What you said is true...?" Hearing the
*** On this trip, Kazuki encountered lots of low-grade monsters like slimes and some goblins. Low level didn't mean they were weak; what low level meant were creatures like the hellish slime monsters and goblin generals. Kazuki didn't think of them as monsters in order to level up more efficiently. Actually, Kazuki was a bit confused about how the leveling system worked. “Hey, System…” called Kazuki as he ran quickly into the forest. [...I am here, Master.] "How is my level calculated? Isn't it a bit confusing?" Kazuki immediately asked without further ado. The system was silent for a few seconds before answering. [...All the numbers I've displayed are iterative numbers; they can't be used as an absolute benchmark.] "You mean...?" [...All the figures displayed are rough estimates from the System based on only a few categories.] [...For example, with monsters, the System only gives a rough estimate of how strong it thinks the monster is, but it does not display anything as deta
*** After running for several hours, Kazuki finally arrived at the area known as the outer side of the central region of the forest. During his journey, Kazuki encountered many monsters he had never encountered before, such as the Giant Tree and several Triple Head Ogres. These formidable enemies were at an SSS+ level of strength! Kazuki felt completely overwhelmed when fighting them, especially when facing the Ogres, who possessed incredibly high physical fortitude. Moreover, the Giant Tree could only be effectively defeated through the use of magic. Now, Kazuki realized that he really shouldn't underestimate the power of magic, as there were many things in this world that couldn't be overcome with physical strength alone. He understood that. Kazuki embarked on a treacherous journey through the outer side of the central region of the forest, where he encountered several monstrous creatures that posed a significant threat to his life. The Giant Tree, with its eerie and imposing a