An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

“…You said I was lustful… Indeed, when I was alone with Hajime, I couldn’t deny it.”

"...Stop talking, Yue. Also, please respect yourself and don't mention the night."

Hajime used the Blitzer's built-in rockets to pulverize three sandworms. Perhaps sensing the explosion and the impact, the sandworms on the back of the dune all took action. Hajime's eyes flashed sharply, thinking a fight was inevitable...

Beside Hajime, Kaori and Yue were bickering as usual, which made Hajime's momentum a little dampened. Hajime couldn't help but feel annoyed and spoke to stop them.

But Hajime's heart couldn't help but agree. When the two of them were alone, it was true... no, it should be said that Yue at night was not only lascivious, but even very coquettish and sexy. Kaori seemed to see through Hajime's thoughts, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Yue smiled seductively, licking her lips as she stared at Hajime. Seeing this, Kaori let out an even cuter murmur. It seemed Hajime had unknowingly added fuel to the fire.

Sitting in the back seat, Xia patted Kaori's shoulder with sympathy in her eyes, expressing her empathy for Kaori's feelings.

Hajime ignored them, racing across the dunes in his Blijet. Below, he could see a swarm of sandworms moving shallowly underground. The desert floor subtly bulged, offering no cover. Perhaps sensing that Hajime and the others had spotted them, the sandworms abandoned their surprise attacks and prioritized speed.

He began to sheathe his bazooka and activate his other weapons. A vertical opening appeared in the center of the hood, and a rectangular machine rose up. With a click, the rectangular box extended, eventually forming a large anti-object rifle resembling a Shurajan.

Then, the Shurajan built into Britje spurted out red electric light. As the bracket adjusted its angle, a loud sound rang out, and a flash of light streaked across the copper-colored world.

The bullet shot out at breakneck speed, striking the approaching rise in the ground. The impact sent a cloud of dust billowing into the air. Like a volcanic eruption, a column of sand erupted from the ground, filled with yellow flesh and bright red blood.

Afterwards, the Shurajan built into Blije continued to spit out red flashes to hunt its prey, blowing all the sandworms hiding underground to pieces.

"Hajime-kun! Look at that!"

"...A white person?"

When the built-in Shurajan, emitting white smoke, was retracted into the Britje, Kaori pointed forward in surprise.

Just as Yue had whispered, a figure in white collapsed to the ground, just as Kaori had pointed. The sandworms had likely intended to attack that person, but why hadn't they been eaten? From this distance, it was impossible to tell; it remained a mystery.

“Please, Hajime-kun, drive over there… I’m a ‘healer’ after all.”

"...Well, I'm a little curious anyway."

Kaori looked at Hajime with pleading eyes. Why hadn't that person been attacked by the monster in that state? Hajime was also very interested and agreed to Kaori's request.

Perhaps he possessed a method or item that could repel monsters. In fact, within the Sea of ​​Trees, there was a crystal called Feyadlian that had the power to repel monsters. While its effect could only make monsters less accessible, it was undeniable that the person before him might possess something even more powerful.

Therefore, Hajime drove the Brijet to the vicinity of the fallen person.

He was wearing a robe (the Egyptian national costume) and a cloak with a large hood, but because he was lying on the ground, the hood covered his face and his features could not be seen.

Kaori got off the Blijie and immediately jogged to the man's side, turning his body over to lie on his back.

"!……This is……"

After removing his hood, Kaori saw that the man was quite young, around 25 years old. However, what surprised Kaori was not his age, but his condition.

He wore a pained expression, sweat pouring down his face, his breathing was rapid, and his pulse was racing. Even through his clothes, one could feel the burning sensation all over his body. Blood vessels were bulging as if under intense pressure, and the mucous membranes of his eyes and nose were bleeding. His appearance was clearly unusual, not just a simple case of heatstroke or a cold.

Although Hajime felt that it was dangerous to be around someone who looked like they were infected with the virus, he decided to wait and see as the healing specialist was making a diagnosis.

Kaori uses "Penetrating Insight", a skill that allows her to penetrate the opponent's body with magic power, diagnose their condition, and display the results on the status board.

The diagnosis results...

"...Magic out of control? Did you ingest poison and cause your magic to go out of control?"

"Kaori? Any diagnosis?"

"Y-yes, look..."

Kaori showed the status board to Hajime, and it said this.

====================================

Status: Magical power is overactivated and cannot be discharged from the body

Symptoms: Fever, confusion, body aches, and bleeding from ruptured capillaries

Cause: Abnormal water content in the body

====================================

"This is just my speculation, but I think he ingested something unpleasant, causing his magic to spiral out of control. Unable to expel it, his body is unable to adapt to the increased activation and pressure within. If this continues, his blood vessels and internal organs will rupture, and he may die from excessive blood loss or exhaustion... Tianhui, I seek my return here—Manten."

After coming to this conclusion, Kaori cast a healing spell. She used "Manten," an intermediate healing spell that could remove abnormal states.

however……

"...It's almost ineffective. Why? It can't even be completely cleansed... Has the toxin penetrated that deeply?"

It seemed that while "Manten" could delay the worsening of the symptoms, it couldn't completely cure them. Perhaps due to the pressure from within, the young man groaned in pain, and the bleeding from his mucous membranes continued unabated. Since no definitive treatment was currently available, Kaori, despite her reluctance, could only resort to emergency measures.

"I declare by the grace of light that this is both a holy land and my domain. All demons submit to my will—'Return to the Holy Land'."

"Return to Saint" is a high-level Light-type healing spell that transfers magic power to others within a certain range. Essentially, by transferring one's own magic power to a companion, it temporarily prevents them from running out of magic power, or provides magical support when they lack enough magic power to cast a powerful spell.

Furthermore, the magic power transferred isn't limited to the caster's own; it can also forcibly absorb the magic power of anyone within the area and transfer it to another person, effectively acting as an absorption spell. However, absorbing magic from another person takes considerable time, and it's impossible to absorb a large amount of magic power all at once, making it unsuitable for actual combat.

However, Kaori shortened the chant from ten measures to just three, improving it to a level that could be used in actual combat, demonstrating the depth of her skill.

The reason for using this magic on the suffering young man was, of course, to expel the mana that was running wild and oppressing him. Although the status board indicated "unable to expel," forcing it out using a higher-level magic might be effective, so Kaori decided to give it a try.

A violet-white light spread out from the young man, and a firefly-like glow appeared.

A mysterious scene unfolded. Kaori closed her eyes, placed her hand on the young man's chest, and concentrated, her appearance enveloped in a faint light, giving off a sense of sacredness.

Seeing Kaori perform advanced magic with ease, Yue and Tio, both proficient in magic, could not help but exclaim in admiration. Myuu, held by Shia, looked at Kaori with an intoxicated expression and said, "So beautiful..."

Kaori seemed oblivious to the exclamations of admiration from her new companions as she collected the mana she had extracted from the young man into the divine crystal bracelet Hajime had given her. Apparently, forcibly draining the mana with advanced magic had been effective.

Incidentally, the reason why Hajime gave her the bracelet instead of the ring was to prevent the past misunderstanding from happening again.

Seeing the young man's breathing gradually stabilize, his redness faded, and the bleeding seemed to slowly stop, Kaori stopped using "Return to Saint" and activated the primary recovery magic "Tian Hui" to heal the young man's injured blood vessels.

"At least his life isn't in danger for now, but this isn't a fundamental solution. If too much magic power is drained out, he might become weak and die, so I can only drain some of it to reduce the pressure. If this continues, he might be affected by the uncontrolled magic power, causing the pressure in his body to explode, or he might die from physical fatigue. I don't remember any disease with such symptoms from what I've learned... Do Yue and Tio have any ideas?"

Although Kaori was temporarily relieved that the young man was out of danger, she was worried that the disease could not be cured permanently, so she sought help from the knowledgeable Yue and Tio.

The two of them looked around as if searching their memories, but neither of them seemed to have come up with any relevant information. All they knew was that this was an illness of unknown cause.

"Kaori, just to be on the safe side, you should help us diagnose it. Since it's an unknown disease, it could also be an airborne infection. But if it's just magic power going out of control, there's no need to worry about Myuu."

"Yes, you're right."

Kaori nodded in agreement and checked everyone, but found nothing unusual. It seemed like it was just breathing, and it wouldn't be contagious to those around them, so Hajime and the others couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

At this moment, the young man groaned, his eyelids trembling, as if he were about to wake up. He slowly opened his eyes, looked around, and saw Kaori looking at him worriedly. He said, "Goddess? So, I have been summoned by the Lord..."

This time, his body was burning for a different reason. The scorching heat and the dust were already making Hajime irritated. He made no effort to hide his displeasure, ignoring Kaori as she reached out to the young man and stamping on his stomach.

“Oops!?”

“Hajime-san!?”

The young man's body bent into a "ㄑ" shape, and he cried out in pain, startling Kaori. Hajime ignored Kaori and asked the young man what happened.

Seeing the young man's robe-like clothing and cape, Hajime remembered it as the unique attire of the Principality of Ankaji, the largest oasis in the Gulun Desert. When Hajime was once called "incompetent," he had read books about it out of a desire to escape reality. If the young man contracted a disease in Ankaji, the place they were about to visit would become a dangerous area. Hajime wanted to get the latest information on this matter, no matter what.

The young man regained consciousness after being trampled by Hajime. Seeing Hajime and the others surrounding him, as well as a black object he had never seen before in the back, he panicked. However, after listening to Kaori's explanation of what had happened, he seemed to regain his composure.

"I thought the Principality and I were doomed, but it seems God hasn't abandoned me yet."

The young man murmured.

I wonder how the young man would feel if he knew that a helpful God did not exist.

This thought occurred to the corner of Hajime's mind. Seeing the young man's serious expression, Hajime couldn't help but look up at the copper-red sky, wondering if this was just a coincidence of fate or the malice of the gods.

"Hajime-kun, it would be better to let him get in the car first, right?"

The young man still harbored an abnormal gene, and seemed to have difficulty standing on his own. Due to the desert temperature, he was sweating profusely and might be dehydrated, so further questioning seemed difficult.

After checking his condition, Hajime sighed and nodded in agreement to Kaori's proposal.

Hajime hoisted the young man onto his shoulders and tossed him into the back seat of the Britje. The comfortable atmosphere inside the car made him exclaim, "Is this really the realm of God!?" Perhaps he was surprisingly healthy.

However, after drinking the cold water and taking a short rest, he seemed to remember that he had collapsed halfway and his mission had not been accomplished, and a serious expression immediately appeared on his face.

"First of all, I want to thank you for saving me. If you hadn't saved me, I think I would have died... and even Ankaji would have been doomed. My name is Biz Fovad Jergen, son of Longi Fovad Jergen, Lord of the Principality of Ankaji."

To everyone's surprise, the young man named Biz seemed to be a big shot.

The Principality of Ankaji is a key base for ensuring the freshness of seafood shipped from the Maritime City of Enisen. Enisen supplies 80% of the Northern Continent's seafood.

In other words, regarding the Northern Continent, the [Principality of Ankaji] possessed near-exclusive authority over a portion of the food supply. The lord of the Ankaji Principality was no mere noble in name only; he was deeply trusted within the [Kingdom of Heilig] and could be considered one of the greatest nobles in the land.

After hearing about Kaori's origins (a "God's Apostle" summoned from another world) and Hajime's adventurer level, Biz was stunned and then prayed to the sky, "Is this God's will! Did God send the goddess to save us?!"

In this case, the so-called goddess is of course Kaori, but Kaori herself seems very surprised.

Hajime used a small amount of pressure, urging Biz to explain the whole thing. Biz broke out in a cold sweat, cleared his throat and began to explain.

According to him, the situation seems to be as follows -

Four days ago, people in Ankaji began falling ill with unexplained high fevers. The situation was so sudden that on the first day alone, nearly 3,000 people out of a population of 270,000 fell into a coma, and 20,000 showed symptoms. Hospitals were immediately overwhelmed. Despite opening all public facilities and deploying all medical personnel to treat the patients and investigate the cause, they, like Kaori, could only stave off the illness, not completely cure it.

The number of patients steadily increased, medical staff began to fall ill, and the number of magicians capable of slowing the progression of the disease was severely insufficient. In the chaotic and helpless situation, those who could not receive treatment eventually died. The fact that death could occur in just two days after the onset of the disease plunged people into despair.

At this time, a pharmacist accidentally performed a "liquid identification" on the drinking water.

The water was found to contain a toxin that could cause magic to spiral out of control. The Principality of Ankaji immediately assembled an investigation team, assuming a worst-case scenario, and investigated the Ankaji oasis. As expected, the oasis itself was found to be contaminated.

Of course, in a country like Ankaji, nestled in the heart of the desert, oases are the lifeblood of the land. Therefore, strict measures are taken to protect, maintain, and manage these oases. Normally, considering the various precautions Ankaji has in place, poisoning the oases would be a near-impossible task.

Who were they? Where did they get in? How did they strike? The investigation team was baffled. More importantly, they had no water left, save for the water they had stored two days earlier. If someone drank contaminated water and became infected, there was no hope of recovery.

However, there is actually a way to save the patient.

That method requires a special mineral called "Zen-Yin Stone," a mineral with the ability to suppress magical activity. This mineral is found only in the rocky regions far north of the desert, and in small quantities in the Gulun Volcano, making it extremely valuable. Those involved in magical research often use it to regulate their magical power or prevent it from spiraling out of control. Simply grinding the "Zen-Yin Stone" into powder and ingesting it can suppress the magical energy within the body.

However, the rocky terrain to the north was too far, requiring at least a month to travel back and forth. Furthermore, all Ankaji adventurers capable of entering the vast labyrinth of the Gulun Volcano to retrieve the Stone of Serenity had fallen ill. Even half-hearted adventurers wouldn't be able to break through the sandstorm enveloping the Gulun Volcano.

Besides, even if someone could break through the sandstorm, the safe supply of clean water was extremely insufficient, and they would still need to go to the kingdom to ask for help.

The specifics of the aid were also extremely difficult. The amount of water delivered had to be sufficient to temporarily sustain Ankaji, a population of 270,000, and they also had to find individuals with exceptional strength to travel to the Great Labyrinth of the Gulun Volcano and back. Even if the other party couldn't ignore the Principality's request for assistance, the process was difficult. They would generally want to investigate the situation first, but by the time they had completed the lengthy paperwork, it would be too late.

Therefore, Duke Jergen, who holds great power, needs to send Biz as an agent to directly request assistance.

"My father, mother, and sister have all been infected. They've managed to control their illness thanks to the stasis stones stored in Ankaji, but they're still too weak to travel to the kingdom or neighboring towns. So, I set out from Ankaji with my escort a day ago to request help, showing no symptoms at the time. But... I must have been infected by then, though the onset of symptoms probably varies from person to person. With my family members dying, the country in chaos, and the urgent need for rescue, I was overwhelmed. I should have taken the stasis stones beforehand, just to be on the safe side. Even as we speak, the people of Ankaji are dying... I'm such a loser!"

Even though he was completely powerless, Biz still used all his strength to punch his knees.

The next lord of the Principality of Ankaji appears to be a man of responsibility and concern for his people. It's said that his guards were also wiped out by a sandworm attack, and this series of setbacks must have filled him with deep regret.

Fortunately, the sandworms, perhaps sensing Biz's illness, hesitated to prey on him. Biz collapsed from the infection, but he escaped the sandworms' attack and was able to meet Hajime and the others. Life is truly unpredictable.

"...You, no, my lords, as the acting lord of the principality, I would like to formally entrust you with this task. Please lend me your assistance."

After saying this, Biz bowed his head deeply and pleaded, and the car was shrouded in silence for a moment.

The sound of sand hitting the window was particularly loud. Logically, the acting lord shouldn't bow to others so easily, and Biz himself probably knew this best, but he tried his best not to let go of this unexpected opportunity.

Everyone looked at Hajime, implying that he would make the decision. However, except for Yue and Tio, everyone's eyes seemed to be hoping that Hajime would come to the rescue. Especially Kaori. As a "healer", she probably didn't want to ignore such a matter, and her eyes were full of pleading. Myuu was more direct, with a very innocent look, she said:

"Won't Dad save them?"

Myuu seemed to believe unconditionally that nothing could stump Hajime. To Myuu, Hajime was undoubtedly a hero. Hearing Myuu's words and seeing Kaori's expectant eyes, Hajime shrugged and said with a wry smile, "There's really nothing I can do."

Shia and Tio laughed at Hajime, and Hajime looked at Yue beside him. She was still... the same as usual.

No matter what choice Hajime makes, she will fully support him. Hajime can clearly feel Yue's feelings without saying anything. Hajime gently caresses Yue's cheek and agrees to take on Biz's commission.

They had originally planned to head to the Grun Volcano, and Hajime had intended to leave Myuu in Ankaji. After all, it wasn't advisable to take a four-year-old child with him to the Great Labyrinth. So, asking him to bring back the "Serenity Stone" while conquering the Great Labyrinth wouldn't be a problem. Myuu, being a demihuman child, wasn't involved in the cause of the current magical outburst, so he wouldn't be in any danger. These were all issues Hajime could handle on the way.

"Since Mr. Hajime is an adventurer of the 'Gold' rank, I would like to ask you to go directly to the Great Volcano to obtain the 'Serenity Stone'. However, in order to obtain clean water, you must also go to the Royal Capital. Apart from Mr. Hajime, is there anyone else who can operate this mobile artifact?"

"Except for Myuu and Kaori, everyone else can be controlled... but there's no need for us to go all the way to the capital. Getting clean water isn't a problem. I'd like to head to Ankaji first."

"Not a problem? What do you mean?"

Biz was surprised to hear Hajime say they could store enough water for hundreds of thousands of people. It was understandable that he was confused, but Hajime and his team had a way to get water without having to transport it from elsewhere. Their method was to use water-attribute magic to gather moisture from the atmosphere and create clean water.

Of course, the amount that ordinary magicians can produce is probably not enough to meet the demand, but they have an unparalleled genius in magic, yes, Yue.

Furthermore, if it was Yue, she would have many ways to instantly recover her magic power, which should buy her enough time for Biz or Langji to consume Ankaji's remaining Jingyin Stone, recuperate, and then go to the kingdom for help.

After hearing Hajime's detailed explanation of the situation, Biz initially seemed unconvinced. However, given his current condition, it was uncertain whether he could reach the Kingdom. Furthermore, with the persuasion of "God's Apostle" Kaori, Biz finally agreed to return to Ankaji.

Seeing Blijet driving unimpeded through the desert, Biz was once again surprised, and many questions surged in his mind. For example: Why was Kaori, the "Apostle of God," traveling alone with the adventurers? Why did the young Seaman child call Hajime "Dad"? Why did they get along so well with the Bunnymen? Why did the black-haired young woman, when scolded, smile so disgustingly? Despite this, he finally saw a glimmer of hope, and his heart warmed.

Amidst the swirling copper dust, Hajime and his group arrived at Ankaji. Ankaji was a milky white city, surrounded by walls taller than those of the neutral commercial city of Fren. The walls and buildings were all milky white, contrasting beautifully with the coppery red outside.

However, there was one difference here from Fren—beams of light rose into the sky from various points along the irregular walls surrounding the city, joining with others overhead to form a solid dome covering the entire Ankaji. Sometimes, the dome would ripple as if struck by something, creating a strange and beautiful scene, like observing the swaying surface of water from below.

Apparently, the dome has a function of preventing sandstorms from entering. I've heard that this place experiences sandstorms several times a month, but thanks to this dome, Ankaji only experiences cloudy skies at best, while the interior remains protected from the intrusion of sandstorms.