An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

The Claw Bear seemed to be having a meal now. It was chewing a monster that looked like a Kicking Rabbit. Seeing its figure, Shi showed a smug smile and walked forward leisurely.

The Claw Bear is the strongest species on this floor, arguably its master. While there are many Two-Tailed Wolves and Kicking Rabbits, there's only one Claw Bear. Therefore, the Claw Bear is both the strongest and invincible on this floor. Other monsters are well aware of this, so they are wary and avoid encountering a Claw Bear. If they encounter one, they flee without resistance, let alone confronting it—that's a complete impossibility.

However, now the impossible thing is happening right before our eyes.

"Hey, Claw Bear, long time no see. Does my hand taste good?"

Claw Bear narrowed his sharp eyes. "What's going on with the creature in front of me? Why doesn't it run away when it sees me? Why isn't it scared? Why can't I see despair in its eyes?" Even Claw Bear couldn't help but feel confused about this situation, which he had never encountered before.

"This is a battle of revenge. First, I want you to understand that I am not food, but an enemy."

With these words, Hajime drew his Donal and pointed it squarely at the bear. As he held the gun, Hajime asked himself, "Are you afraid?" The answer was no. There was no blacking out of despair, nor was there any trembling in fear. Instead, there was only a pure desire to survive, and a murderous intent against his enemy.

The corners of Hajime's mouth naturally rose up, revealing a ferocious smile.

"I'm going to kill you and eat you."

As he declared this, Hajime fired his gun at Donal. Bang! An explosion erupted, and the Taurus Ore bullet flew towards the Claw Bear at a speed of 3.2 kilometers per second.

“Guuuu!?”

The Claw Bear fell to the ground in an instant and dodged the bullet.

It didn't just dodge after seeing the attack; its evasive action was even slightly earlier than the shot itself, likely sensing Hajime's murderous intent. As expected of this floor's strongest boss, its reaction speed was incredibly fast for a body over two meters tall.

However, it did not completely avoid it. Part of its shoulder was cut by the bullet, and its white fur was stained with blood.

The claw bear's eyes were filled with anger, and it seemed that it recognized Hajime as an 'enemy'.

“Gahhh!!”

The Claw Bear roared as it charged at an alarming speed. Its massive two-meter body, its long, sturdy arms extended, stomping the ground with resounding stomps as it approached. Its presence was truly shocking and terrifying.

"Haha! That's right! I'm the enemy! Not prey to be hunted!"

Despite the extremely strong sense of oppression from the Claw Bear, Shi still maintained a smug smile on his face.

This was the turning point. It was what caused Hajime's left hand to be eaten, his heart to break, and his mind to change. Hajime was determined to defeat that monster. This was a necessary ritual to allow him to move forward. If he couldn't do it, then his heart would definitely accept "compromise." Hajime was certain of this.

Seeing the Claw Bear rushing over, Shi fired again, and the high-speed bullet flew towards the Claw Bear's eyebrows, but the Claw Bear actually did a side flip while sprinting. This guy's agility was really incompatible with his huge body.

As soon as it entered its attack range, the Claw Bear swung out its arm claws without slowing down. Perhaps it was a special magic that was activated, and the three claws seemed to be slightly twisted.

The image of the Kicking Rabbit being cut in half by that claw before flashed through Hajime's mind. Hajime didn't try to dodge at all, but leaped back with all his might.

"!"

Instantly, sharp claws, accompanied by a gust of wind, passed through the place where Shi had been a moment ago. Shi couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. A closer look revealed a shallow cut on his chest, blood seeping out. Shi couldn't completely avoid its attack. Even with his explosively enhanced physical abilities, his basic reflexes still couldn't keep up with the Claw Bear.

Unable to kill its prey in one fell swoop, the Claw Bear roared angrily and then gave chase.

"Phew, so fast!"

Hajime cursed as wind blades flew towards him. Hajime instantly used his aerodynamics to escape into the air, firing a third time. However, the Claw Bear seemed to ignore inertia and dodged the red flash. A closer look revealed deep claw marks on the ground. Perhaps it used its wind claws as a fulcrum, allowing it to display agility beyond that of ordinary beasts.

“Guaaaaaa!!”

Claw Bear roared and swung his arms at Hajime in mid-air, forming a cross. Instantly, alarm bells rang in Hajime's heart. Without even realizing what was happening, he simultaneously activated his "Aero" and "Shrinking the Earth" abilities, leaping backwards.

At that moment, Hajime felt a slight breeze on his thigh, and with a "bang!" sound, six grid-like marks were dug out on the wall behind Hajime.

"Ugh, damn, that can be launched."

Hajime muttered as he dropped to the ground. Even though he failed to land, hitting the ground, he immediately tried to stand up. Hajime felt a sharp pain in his thigh, and his steps were a little unsteady. It seems the Claw Bear's wind claws can also be used.

Even with his face twisted in agony, Hajime pulled the trigger on Donal without hesitation. By the time he landed, the Claw Bear was already closing in. Two loud bangs were heard, and the bullets were aimed at the head and body, respectively. Even the Claw Bear seemed unable to completely avoid them. Although it avoided fatal wounds, it was hit in the side of its abdomen and head. This forced it off its path and seemed to have successfully stopped its wind claws.

But even so, its massive body still rushed towards him like a cannonball. Although it didn't hit Hajime directly, his leg injury slowed him down, and he couldn't avoid the claw bear's impact. He was hit by a truck and flew away.

“Huh!?”

Even though the air in his lungs was forced out, the corners of Hajime's mouth still curled up fiercely.

Donal's reload was six rounds, and Hajime had already used five, leaving only one remaining. The Claw Bear wouldn't give him time to reload, and without Donal's excess offensive power, Hajime was no match for the Claw Bear. Each of the five shots was a countdown to his death. Yet, even so, Hajime kept a smile on his face, his mind picturing his own victory and the Claw Bear's defeat.

Even though he hit the ground, Hajime still threw Donal into the air and threw the object he took out of his arms to where the bloody claw bear was.

"This is a masterpiece I'm very proud of. Please take a close look."

Even though Claw Bear probably didn't understand what Hajime said, he heard a sound at his feet and looked towards the object rolling over. He saw a dark green spherical object about five centimeters in diameter on the ground. The moment Claw Bear saw it, it suddenly emitted a strong light.

That was the 『Flash Grenade』 that Hajime had created.

The principle is very simple. It is to inject magic power into the green light stone to the limit. In order to prevent the light from leaking out, a thin shell is applied on the surface, and compressed combustion powder is stuffed into the center. Then, like making a fuse, the combustion powder is connected from the center to the surface.

Next, he used 'Thunderbolt' to ignite the exposed combustion powder. The uncompressed portion would slowly burn, and once it reached the center, it would explode. The green light stone, now filled with light, would shatter, emitting an intense glow. Incidentally, Hajime had already adjusted the time from ignition to explosion to three seconds. He had put considerable effort into this, and this was a masterpiece he was proud of.

Of course, the Claw Bear, unfamiliar with such weapons, was caught off guard by the flash and temporarily lost its sight. It flailed its arms, roared, and struggled, its inability to see anything seeming to panic.

Hajime didn't miss this opportunity. He grabbed the spinning, falling Donal and immediately fired. The powerful bullet, accelerated by electromagnetic force, struck the violently struggling Claw Bear's left shoulder, severing its entire arm.

“Gua ...

The Claw Bear let out a miserable wail at the intense pain it had never felt before. Blood gushed out from its shoulder like a fountain, and its blown-off left arm spun through the air before finally falling to the ground as if exhausted.

"If this was a coincidence, it was a great accomplishment."

As for Hajime, he hadn't originally intended to aim for the left arm; his marksmanship wasn't yet that refined. Unless Hajime was familiar with the movements of an enemy charging straight ahead or a two-tailed wolf he'd fought many times, aiming for a precise hit on a specific spot with their erratic movements was too difficult. Therefore, just as Hajime had his left hand taken away and eaten in the past, it was purely coincidental that he had taken away his left hand.

Hajime watched the Claw Bear, struggling violently due to the pain and his still-unrecovered vision, tuck Donal under his left arm, which was missing the elbow, reloaded, and fired again.

Despite its panic, the Claw Bear, relying on its wild animal instincts, sensed the murderous intent and leaped sideways to evade. It seemed that Hajime's murderous intent was the primary reason why the Claw Bear was able to evade the electromagnetic cannon's incredible feat. Hajime, realizing this, narrowed his eyes and used the Earth Shrinking Technique to pass by the Claw Bear, heading behind it to where its left hand had fallen.

Then, perhaps because his vision had returned somewhat, Claw Bear glared at him with eyes filled with anger. As if to show it off, Hajime raised his left hand and slowly bit down on the arm. With his jaws, which had become exceptionally strong since he began eating monsters, Hajime bit off the flesh of the arm and chewed it in his mouth, just as Claw Bear had done in the past, recreating the nightmare of his own arm being eaten before his eyes.

"Hmm, hmm, this meat is still just as bad...but for some reason, I feel like it tastes better than other meats."

As Hajime spoke, he looked down at the crouching bear, wary of him. The bear didn't move. There was no fear in its eyes, but even so, with part of its body being eaten and its vision still not fully restored, it seemed hesitant to act rashly.

While it remained motionless, Hajime continued to eat. Then, something unusual finally set in. Just like the first time he ate monster flesh, intense pain and throbbing began.

「!?」

Hajime quickly consumed the sacred water. Though the pain wasn't as intense as it had been then, it still left him unable to stand. He fell to one knee, his face contorted in agony. It seemed the Claw Bear's strength was different from the Two-Tailed Wolf and the Kicking Rabbit. The sheer force exerted upon Hajime's body was causing the pain.

However, that matter had nothing to do with the Claw Bear. Perhaps sensing a golden opportunity, the Claw Bear roared and charged forward. Hajime, crouching in his place, remained motionless. Seeing that if this continued, Hajime would be ravaged by the Claw Bear, a repeat of the tragedy of the past, a smug smile crossed his lips.

At the same time, Hajime pressed his right hand against the ground, and then wrapped lightning in his hand, unleashing the most powerful "Thunder Wrapping", which, through the conduction of the liquid on the ground, mercilessly attacked the Claw Bear that had stepped into the ground.

The liquid on the ground was Claw Bear's blood, gushing out like a fountain. Hajime roughly raised Claw Bear's left hand, spilling the blood from it onto the ground, connecting his position to the pool of blood.

Hajime wouldn't eat pointlessly in the middle of a fight. Even though he hadn't anticipated the intense pain he'd inflict upon the bear, he'd already planned to set a trap. He'd deliberately eaten the bear's hand right in front of him, hoping to provoke it and lure it toward him. Even though the outcome was a little different than he'd anticipated, it was fine as long as it worked out well.

The moment the Claw Bear stepped onto its own blood, intense current and voltage ravaged its flesh, corroding every nerve and burning its flesh. Though at its peak power, Hajime's unique magic was inferior to the original. It couldn't fire electric shocks like the Two-Tailed Wolf, and its power was only about half. Even so, it was enough to temporarily incapacitate the Claw Bear.

"Guuuuuuuuu."

The Claw Bear growled, and after a loud thud, it fell to its knees in a pool of its own blood. Even on all fours, its eyes were still filled with sharp murderous intent as it stared at Shi.

Hajime glared back at its gaze, enduring the pain as he stood up. Then, he pulled out the Donard from his holster and walked over, pressing the muzzle of the gun against the Claw Bear's head.

"Become my food."

As he finished speaking, Hajime pulled the trigger, and the fired bullet faithfully carried out its master's will, shattering the claw bear's head.

All I could hear was the sound of gunfire echoing through the maze.

Claw Bear never took his eyes off Shi until the very end, and Shi didn't take his eyes off him either.

Hajime didn't feel the exhilaration he'd imagined, but he didn't feel empty either. He simply did what he had to do. To survive, to earn the right to exist in this realm.

Hajime gently closed his eyes and faced his heart again. He resolved to continue living like this from now on. He didn't like fighting, didn't want pain, just wanted to be well fed.

And...want to survive.

He will crush injustice and show no mercy to his enemies, all for the sake of survival.

"If I continue to live like this... then... I want to go home." Hajime cried out deeply in his heart.

"That's right... I want to go back. Everything else doesn't matter. I want to go back in my own way and realize my wish in my own way. Anyone who stands in my way, no matter who they are or what kind of existence they are..."

Hajime opened his eyes, raised the corners of his mouth, and revealed an arrogant and uninhibited smile.

"Kill them all without mercy!"

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

Nanyun Hajime 17 years old Male Level: 17

Vocation: Alchemist

Power: 300

Stamina: 400

Resistance: 300

Agility: 450

Mana: 400

Magic Resistance: 400

Skills: Refining (+Mineral Identification) (+Precision Refining) (+Mineral Exploration) (+Mineral Separation) (+Mineral Fusion) Magical Manipulation Stomach Acid Enhancement Thunder Wrap Sky Step (+Aerodynamics) (+Shrinking the Earth) Wind Claw Language Comprehension

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

Let’s go back a little in time.

Inside the Heilig Kingdom's palace, in a room allocated to summoners, Yaegashi Shizuku looked at her friend who was still immersed in sleep with a worried expression on her face.

That day, five days had passed since the day of the life-and-death struggle and loss in the maze.

Afterwards, the group stayed overnight in the inn city of Holyard and returned to the kingdom in the morning by high-speed carriage. Because the atmosphere at the time was not conducive to continuing the actual combat training in the labyrinth, and even though they were being treated as incompetent, this was still an incident involving the death of a fellow hero, so it was necessary to report it to the king and the church.

Although it sounds harsh, the Knights felt that it would be very troublesome for the students to lose their spirits in such a place. Therefore, they decided that the heroes also needed to build up their mental strength before a fatal obstacle occurred.

Shizuku thought about what happened after she returned to the kingdom. On the one hand, she hoped that Kaori would wake up soon, but on the other hand, she also felt that it was a good thing for her to be in such a deep sleep.

After returning, when the news of a student's death spread, everyone in the Kingdom was shocked, but when they learned that the deceased was the "incompetent" Hajime, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Even the king and Ishtar are the same. The brave men with great power cannot die in the labyrinth, because "Can those who cannot survive the labyrinth defeat the demons?" If such anxiety spreads, it will be a headache. Therefore, as apostles of God, the brave men must be invincible.

However, the King and Ishtar were still sensible people, and one of them even scolded Hajime harshly.

Of course, those weren't public speeches, but rather gossip whispered among the nobles. Some said it was a blessing that the incompetent had died, others that as an apostle of God, he was useless and deserved death, devaluing Hajime to the point of being worthless. This kind of behavior was like lashing out at the dead, and Shizuku was furious, nearly striking a blow several times.

In truth, if Kouki, with her strong sense of justice, hadn't gotten angry first, Shizuku might have rushed over. Perhaps because of Kouki's fierce protest, the King and the Church also decided that it was inappropriate to give them a bad impression, so those who insulted Hajime were punished, but...

On the contrary, the rumor that "Koki is a kind hero who takes care of his opponent even if he is incompetent" spread only enhanced Koki's reputation, and the evaluation of Hajime as an incompetent who needs to trouble the hero remained unresolved.

The person who saved them at that time was indeed Hajime, who single-handedly stopped the monster that the hero could not defeat. It was clearly a stray bullet fired by an unknown classmate that killed him.

As if by agreement, the students never mentioned the accidental shooting. While they all possessed some mastery of their own magic, the countless spells crisscrossed the sky like a whirlwind. The thought of "what if that was their own magic" made them unable to bring up the subject, as it would imply they were the murderer.

In the end, they all just wanted to avoid reality, thinking that the incident was caused by Hajime's own carelessness. The dead can't talk, so instead of searching for the culprit pointlessly, if they just regarded it as Hajime's own fault, no one would be bothered. The classmates all agreed.

In order to find out what happened, Captain Meld decided it was necessary to interrogate the students. He couldn't afford to try to avoid the reality and dismiss the incident as a simple accidental shooting, as the students had done. Moreover, he believed that even if it was an error, it would be in the best interest of the students to get to the bottom of the matter and provide them with psychological counseling.

This kind of thing leaves the truth unresolved, which will become a problem in the future. Furthermore, Captain Meld wants to get to the bottom of this matter because he clearly said he would save Hajime, but ended up being unable to do so, and this also hurts Captain Meld.

However, Captain Meld was unable to take action because Ishtar forbade him to pursue the matter with his students. Although Captain Meld still refused to give up, he could only endure it since even the king had forbidden it.

"If you knew about this... you would be angry, right?"

Kaori has been sleeping since that day, Shizuku said this while holding her hand.

The doctor diagnosed her with no physical abnormalities and speculated that she had perhaps suffered a mental shock and was taking defensive measures to protect her mind, causing her to fall into a deep sleep. Therefore, she would naturally wake up after a period of time.

Shizuku held Kaori's hand and prayed to the sky, "Please don't hurt my gentle friend again."

At this time, Kaori's hand, which was tightly clenched in her hand, moved.

"!? Kaori! Did you hear me!? Kaori!"

Shizuku called out desperately. Then Kaori's tightly closed eyelids began to tremble, and Shizuku called out even harder. Perhaps reacting to her voice, Kaori's hand tightly grasped Shizuku's.

Then, Kaori slowly woke up.

"Kaori!"

Shizuku leaned forward, looking down at Kaori with tears in her eyes. Kaori looked around blankly for a moment. Soon, Kaori's mind seemed to start working, and she focused her gaze on Shizuku, who was looking down at her, and called her name.

“…Shizuku-chan?”

"Yes, that's right, it's me, Kaori. How are you feeling? Are you feeling unwell?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a little weak... probably because I slept for so long."