An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

Seeing that the scene before them was far different from the miserable scene they had originally expected, Hajime and Kaori couldn't help but feel that it was a false alarm. At the same time, from the crew balcony located at the highest point, they looked out at the magnificent golden scene of the huge deck below.

Then, the door behind them opened, and several crew members appeared. They were smoking and chatting at a distance. It seemed that they came to rest.

Judging from their conversation, this dinner at sea seemed to be celebrating the end of the war. The long-running conflict ended not with annihilation or invasion of the enemy nation, but with the conclusion of a peace treaty, and the crew seemed delighted. A closer look revealed not only humans but also numerous demons and demihumans on deck. Regardless of race, everyone was chatting and laughing cheerfully.

"So there was a time like this in the past."

"This is nothing less than a great achievement by those who worked to end the war. I don't know how long the war has been over, but I'm sure the hatred hasn't completely disappeared. Yet they can smile so heartily..."

"The people there are probably the ones working towards a peaceful world, right? Even if not everyone will be able to let go so quickly."

"I think so..."

Seeing the people's happy and cheerful expressions, Hajime and Kaori smiled naturally. After watching for a while, a man of about middle age stepped onto the platform prepared on the deck and waved to the people around him.

When people noticed the man, they immediately stopped chatting and focused their eyes on him, all with the same respect in their eyes.

Beside the middle-aged man stood a man who looked like a confidant, and a figure wearing a cloak for some unknown reason. Considering the time and the occasion, the man's behavior would have been quite rude...but no one paid him any attention.

Soon, everyone quieted down, and after realizing that everyone's attention was focused on him, the middle-aged man began his speech.

"Everyone, you have risked your lives for peace, fought bravely through the years of war. You are messengers of peace. I am deeply pleased to have you all gathered here today. This long war can end peacefully in my generation, and I can witness this dreamlike scene... My heart trembles with excitement."

When the speech began, everyone listened intently. It recounted the events leading to the first steps toward peace, the misunderstandings and suspicions, the many rash actions taken to correct them, and the friends whose ambitions were unfulfilled... As the speech progressed, everyone gazed into the distance, reminiscing about the past, or pressed their hands to their eyes, trying to hold back tears.

It seems that the middle-aged man is a king of the human race. Even among humans, he has been secretly working for peace at a very early stage. No wonder he is so respected.

The speech was finally drawing to a close. The king spoke with increasing enthusiasm, as if possessed, and the atmosphere was very lively. However, Hajime sensed a sense of déjà vu in the king's expression, and a bad feeling suddenly gripped him.

"—Now that a year has passed since the peace treaty was concluded, I can't help but think... what a foolish past it was."

Hearing the king's words, the people present could not help but feel puzzled, looking at each other and wondering if they had heard correctly. However, during this period, the king's passionate speech continued.

"Yes, it's utterly foolish. Whether it's drinking and chatting with animals or discussing the future with pagans... it's simply foolish. Do you understand? Yes, I'm talking to you."

“W-What the hell are you talking about, Aleister! What on earth are you—uhhh!?”

Seeing King Arester had become a different person, a demon stepped forward, his tone unable to conceal his inner turmoil. Just as he stepped forward to question King Arester... he was stabbed in the back.

The stabbed male demon looked back and saw the human behind him, with a look of astonishment on his face. From his expression, it was clear that they must be closely related. The male demon fell down with an expression of disbelief on his face.

There was a commotion at the scene, screams were heard everywhere, and several men and women rushed to the fallen demon, shouting anxiously, "Your Majesty!"

"Alright, everyone. As I said at the beginning, I'm truly delighted that you've gathered here. You, a wicked race abandoned by our God, have dared to establish your own nation, believing you can stand on equal footing with us humans. You've even betrayed Lord Esid, the Creator God and the only God, and worshipped a worthless pagan god. Today, I can finally put an end to this situation. I no longer have to endure the pain of tolerating you fools! There's no possibility of peace except by annihilating you all! Therefore, I'm incredibly happy to be able to take care of the important figures from each country today! Come, God's loyal servants! Bring down the hammer of judgment on these beasts and pagans! Ah, Lord Esid! Do you see!!!"

King Aleister knelt on the ground, laughing wildly at the sky. When he gave the signal, soldiers disguised as crew members suddenly appeared and surrounded the deck that served as the banquet venue.

The deck was located in the center of the ship, with ten-story buildings and massive masts in front and behind. For the soldiers standing on the balcony and masts, the target was right in front of them; since they were at sea with no escape route, the soldiers had complete control of the terrain.

Perhaps because they understood this, important figures from various countries all had the same expression of despair on their faces.

The next moment, the soldiers unleashed magic on the deck. The passengers, at a disadvantage below, fought desperately, but the one-sided violence made resistance futile, and they fell one after another.

Although some people managed to resist the fierce attack and escape into the ship, almost everyone was killed. In a blink of an eye, the deck turned into a sea of ​​blood.

The splendor a few minutes ago seemed like an illusion. Although some people jumped into the sea, there were already countless crew members waiting there in small boats. These people were quickly killed, and the blood dyed the sea red.

"Well……"

"Kaori."

Kaori leaned against the railing, pounding her mouth with one hand to stifle the urge to vomit. The sight was truly horrific, and Hajime, figuring it wasn't her fault, reached out to support Kaori.

King Arester and his men returned to the ship. It looked like some people had fled aboard, perhaps intending to hunt them down.

The man and the cloaked figure who followed him also disappeared into the boat.

At this moment, the cloaked figure suddenly turned around to look at the deck, and Hajime seemed to see a tuft of silver hair peeking out from the gap in the cloak, shining in the moonlight.

The surrounding scenery was distorted. It seemed that the Great Maze just wanted them to see the image just now. The two had now returned to the originally dilapidated luxury cruise ship.

"Kaori, you should take a break."

"No, I'm fine, I just feel a little uncomfortable... More than that, is this the end? We didn't do anything..."

"This is the end of the ship graveyard. While it's possible to cross the barrier and explore the sea... generally speaking, this situation should mean that if you want to reach the depths, you should go inside the ship, right? Perhaps that scene was meant to be shown to us, to sear the tragedy of God into our memories and explore this ship... This design is truly terrible, especially for the people of this world."

Almost everyone in this world believes in God. If they knew that their faith would end in such a tragedy, it would definitely be a huge blow to their spirit.

Furthermore, the key to conquering this great labyrinth lies in the magical power that easily affects the mental state. In a sense, unlike the [Leisen Great Labyrinth], because Hajime and the others are from another world, the mental oppression they suffer is not as severe.

Hajime and Kaori looked down at the deck below, their expressions grim as they recalled the massacre that had taken place there. In Hajime's case, he was simply annoyed.

The two men made up their minds, jumped off the deck, and stepped into the door that King Aleister and others entered.

The interior of the ship was completely dark. Since it was bright outside, it wouldn't be surprising if some light seeped through the cracks in the rotting wood, but for some reason, there was no light at all inside.

Hajime took out a flashlight using green light stone from the "treasure box" and illuminated the darkness.

"What happened just now... the war was clearly over, but that king betrayed me?"

"That seems to be the case. But don't you find it a little unnatural? When he stepped onto the podium, everyone looked at him with eyes full of respect and admiration... Would he really be so admired if he hated demihumans and demons in his heart?"

"...Yes, judging by his tone, it seems as if something happened in the year after the end of the war to cause such a drastic change in him. The question is, what exactly happened?"

"It must be something to do with God. He's yelling so loudly, it feels dangerous."

"Yeah, just like Pope Ishtar... She looks like she's on drugs. It's unbearable to look at."

It seemed that the Pope of the Holy Church was a mentally ill person in the eyes of the high school girl, and Hajime couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for him.

As Hajime and Kaori surveyed the scene, they walked forward. Hajime's flashlight seemed to illuminate a white, fluttering object in front of them.

Hajime and Kaori stopped and slowly shone their flashlights upwards. It was a girl. A girl in a white dress was standing unsteadily in the corridor, her head lowered.

Hajime and Kaori both had a bad feeling, especially Kaori whose cheeks twitched constantly.

Hajime knew that there would be no girls in such a place, so he decided to aim his Donar at her and prepare to shoot.

At that moment, the girl fell to the ground in the corridor with a thud, the joints of her hands and feet bent in strange directions, and she moved her hands and feet like a spider, rushing straight towards Hajime and Kaori!

Chuck, chuck, chuck, chuck!

A strange laugh echoed in the corridor, and the eyes that appeared from the gap in the bangs shone brightly, staring straight at them. It was simply an urban supernatural legend.

“Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!”

"Uhh!? Calm down, Kaori! Don't grab my hand!"

It was a cliché, but precisely because of it, the scene was so terrifying. Kaori screamed in shock and hugged Hajime tightly. A girl (?) approached with a giggle. Hajime tried to fire his Donald, but Kaori's arm was gripped, and the aim was off.

“Ahhh!!”

The girl (?) crawled to the ground at his feet in the blink of an eye, making a strange cry and lunged towards Hajime's face.

Hajime had no choice but to give up shooting and used his ultimate rogue kick, kicking the giggling girl (?) in the abdomen; just to be on the safe side, he wrapped magic power around his foot and used the "Go Ki".

The moment the gangster's kick hit her abdomen, the girl's body bent into a "<" shape and flew out, like a marble. After bouncing several times on the wall and the corridor, it stopped in front of the corridor. The direction of her hands and feet bent became more strange, and then she disappeared as if melting.

Seeing that Kaori was still shaking and holding on to Hajime, Hajime sighed and tapped Kaori's head with his fist. Kaori's body trembled and she looked up at Hajime in fear, tears filling her eyes and her lips tightly closed. She was really scared.

"Is Kaori afraid of this kind of thing?"

"...Is there anyone who is good at dealing with this kind of thing?"

"Wouldn't it be better to just treat them as monsters?"

“…Wow, I’ll try my best.”

After she finished speaking, she no longer hugged Shi, but her hands were still holding onto the hem of Shi's clothes and she refused to let go.

Earlier, Kaori had seemed a little timid, concerned about what Hajime had said. However, now her moist eyes were filled with a fierce determination, as if to say, "I will never let you go!" She was serious, really serious, just like when she confessed to Hajime.

After that, many strange phenomena occurred. For example, there was a knock on the door in the corridor, and then the door was immediately stained with countless bloody handprints - water dripped onto the neck, and looking up at the ceiling, a long-haired woman was seen clinging to the ceiling, her hair dripping with water, looking down at Hajime and Kaori below; just as a dragging sound was heard in the corridor, a man immediately appeared, holding a human head and an axe in his hands and approaching...

Most of those enemies were instantly killed by Hajime's magic bullets or rogue kicks, but...

"Hate it... I want to go home... I want to see Shizuku~"

The deeper they went into the ship, the more intense the supernatural phenomena became. Kaori's spirit degenerated into that of a child, and she clung to Hajime's back, not moving at all.

By the way, the reason why Kaori called Shizuku was because when Kaori was a child, when she accompanied Guanghui and others to the haunted house, it was Shizuku who was responsible for protecting her. It was definitely not because the two of them had a yuri relationship.

The creator of the Melkine Undersea Ruins was Melkine, who seemed to enjoy pushing people mentally into despair. Hajime, having experienced surviving for long periods at the bottom of the abyss, surrounded by darkness and monsters, didn't feel anything. A normal person would have been mentally exhausted. However, Hajime couldn't imagine Yue and Tio crying in fear...

Kaori held onto Hajime, weeping, yet simultaneously wielding her 『Light Binding Blade』 to repel the paranormal, and Hajime couldn't help but wonder: Where had the serious atmosphere of feeling lost in life gone? Kaori nearly fainted several times during the journey, and Hajime couldn't help but look at her with pity.

The two finally arrived at the cargo hold.

Hajime opened the heavy door and stepped into the cargo hold. There was still some cargo left, so Hajime and Kaori made their way through it. After they had walked a little further, the door they had just entered suddenly slammed shut.

"babble!?"

"..."

Kaori was startled by the door slamming shut, and she let out a strange cry. Hajime began to worry whether Kaori would still remember the important conversation he had had after they finished the maze. Hajime didn't want to have to repeat that conversation over and over again.

Hajime sighed and gently stroked Kaori's trembling shoulders to soothe her when something unusual happened again. A thick fog suddenly rose, obscuring her vision.

"※Hahahahaha, Hajime-kun!?" (Translator's note: Hajime's name starts with "haha" in Japanese, so Kaori's stuttering sounded like laughter.)

"Your words have become like the cheerful laughter of a foreigner. It's okay, just use magic to blast them away like before."

The moment Hajime replied, a faint whoosh of wind pierced through the air, and something flew out of the mist. Hajime instantly raised his left hand, only to find that, just at neck height, it had caught a very thin thread. Then, another sound of wind piercing through the air rang out, and this time, arrows flew in from all directions.

"It's become a physical trap again here? Every liberator is so annoying!"

"The light of protection descends here—'Light Destruction'!"

Though momentarily taken aback, it was, after all, a primitive weapon, and Hajime easily dispelled it. Kaori simultaneously cast a defensive spell. The fog ahead swirled, and a violent storm immediately descended upon Hajime and Kaori.

Hajime used the spikes on his shoes to stabilize his body to prevent himself from being blown away, and reached out to grab Kaori beside him, but unfortunately he was blocked by defensive magic. Because of this split second, Hajime failed to catch Kaori.

“Ahh!?”

Kaori screamed, and was blown away by the storm into the fog, disappearing. Hajime smacked his tongue and used his perception ability to try to determine Kaori's location.

However, this fog seemed to have the same effect as the Hartrina Sea of ​​Trees, hindering direction and perception. Hajime immediately lost track of her.

"Hmph! Kaori, stay where you are!"

Hajime clicked his tongue and called out to Kaori. This time, a man resembling a knight emerged from the mist ahead, swinging his sword and slashing at them. His swordplay was incredibly sharp, likely some kind of technique.

Hajime calmly took the attack with his Donar, stalked closer, and placed his left-handed Hulk against his abdomen, unleashing a magical bullet. A hole was punched through the knight's abdomen, but he didn't even whine in pain, vanishing instantly.

Then, equally skilled swordsmen, boxers, and martial artists using a variety of weapons attacked from the fog one after another.

“This is so troublesome…”

Hajime cursed as he made red magic bullets circle around his body like satellites and activated "Instant Light" to quickly clear the battlefield. He was worried because he couldn't hear Kaori's voice.

On the other hand, Kaori felt a strong sense of unease and fear because she couldn't see Hajime.

She truly has no power over scary things; seeing something terrifying turns her body on its head, making it incredibly difficult to overcome. Having previously been pointed out by Hajime that she's become humble due to her low self-esteem, Kaori, wanting to prove she doesn't feel inferior, still couldn't help but rely on Hajime in the most crucial moment, leaving her feeling disgusted with herself.

Kaori told herself not to be so weak, and whipped her trembling body into a position where she could barely stand up.

At this moment, a hand was placed on Kaori's shoulder. Since Hajime often patted her shoulders to encourage her, she was overjoyed for a moment and thought that it was Hajime who found her.

"Hashidō..."

Kaori wanted to turn around immediately, but before she could do that, she realized the hand on her shoulder was not warm at all. No, to be more precise, not only was it not warm at all, it even felt cold to her.

The hairs on Kaori's back stood on end, and she intuitively realized that the person behind her was not Hajime.

So who is it?

Kaori turned around stiffly, like a machine that had forgotten to add lubrication, and what appeared before her was...

It was a female face, but her eyes, nose, mouth - any holes on her face - were all as dark as the abyss.

“Ahhh~”

The fear instantly exceeded her mental tolerance, and Kaori obeyed her own defensive instinct and lost consciousness.

At the same time, Hajime only took about two minutes to eliminate nearly fifty warriors' undeads, taking down a battle-hardened warrior in about two to three seconds.

When Hajime destroyed another warrior with his magic bullet, the offensive stopped instantly. Hajime was muttering to himself, "Is it all gone?" at that moment, a giant man emerged from the mist, holding a great sword high, and swung a blow with such power that it seemed to cut through even the mist.

Hajime dodged the blow by moving sideways, but the opponent seemed to have planned a second strike from the beginning. The sword hit the ground and bounced up using the reaction force.

Hajime leaped up on the spot, grabbed the greatsword with his prosthetic hand imbued with diamond, and jumped onto the weapon. Hajime knelt on the greatsword and fired a magic bullet at the giant's head with Donal.

The giant's head was blown up, and as he turned into mist and dissipated, the surrounding fog also began to dissipate. It seemed that this time it was really over.

"Kaori! Where are you!?"

Hajime concentrated his mind, trying to sense Kaori's presence. However, he didn't even need to do that, as he found Kaori instantly.