An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

Hajime instructed Shia to use her rabbit ears to explore with all her might, and he also activated all his sensory abilities and headed towards the back of the scarred tree.

As they walked forward, they came across traces of fighting: broken trees and branches, trampled grass, broken swords, and splattered blood. With each new trace, Aiko and the others' expressions grew stiffer.

Especially Yuuka and the others, who had been disheartened by the fear of death, perhaps remembering how they had nearly lost their lives in the Great Labyrinth of Orcus, their faces were clearly gloomy. It was obvious that they were trying desperately to stop shaking.

Hajime glanced at Aiko, Yuuka, and the others, continuing to follow the scattered traces of the fight. After a while, Shia spotted a glowing object ahead.

"Mr. Hajime, is this a pendant?"

"Hmm? Yeah...it might be a dropped item. Let me check it out."

Hajime took the pendant and wiped off the dirt. He realized it wasn't just any pendant, but a photo box. Unlocking it and peering inside, he saw a photo of a woman—perhaps someone's lover or wife. While it wasn't a significant clue, it wasn't old, suggesting it must have been recently lost... perhaps belonging to one of the adventurers, so Hajime decided to keep it for now.

After that, things that could be called lost items were everywhere, and Hajime and the others only picked out items that could help determine the identity and collected them one by one.

I don’t know how long I searched, but the sun was already setting and it was almost time to prepare to camp outdoors.

So far, no life reactions other than those of wild animals have been detected. Although they have been on guard against monsters attacking Will and others along the way, they have not even sensed any other monsters.

In terms of location, they were between the eighth and ninth stages. Although they hadn't yet crossed the mountain, under normal circumstances, the appearance of one or two weak monsters wouldn't be surprising. Rather than feeling relieved, they felt a sense of eerie and strangeness.

Not long after, Ornis found another unusual location. About 300 meters to the east, there were signs of extensive destruction. Hajime urged everyone to rush there.

There was a river, even larger than the one we'd rested at earlier. A small waterfall was visible upstream, and the water flowed rapidly. It should have flowed straight down to the foot of the mountain, but along the way, a large trench had been dug, creating small tributaries. It was as if something like a laser had dug through the ground from the side.

The reason for this impression is that the excavated area is straight, and the surrounding trees and ground are carbonized. In addition, several trees have been broken by some huge impact and fell to the ground dozens of meters away. There are huge footprints over 30 centimeters in the muddy riverside.

"It seems a direct battle took place here... These footprints are from a large, bipedal monster... I remember there was a monster called Brutal behind two mountains, but this dug-up ground..."

The Brutals Hajime was referring to were the orcs or ogres from RPGs. While not very intelligent, they act in groups and even possess a unique magic—"Hard Wall," a degraded version of "King Kong." This gives them high defense and makes them considered quite formidable enemies. They usually stay behind the second mountain range and wouldn't come to the town. Furthermore, they lack the means to divert rivers.

Hajime squatted down to examine the footprints that seemed to be left by Brutal. After thinking for a while, he hesitated whether to go upstream or downstream.

Until this moment, Will and his companions had fled upstream as if they were being pursued. However, after such a fierce battle, it was unlikely that they could escape further upstream. Hajime doubted their physical and mental strength to continue thinking about leaving the town.

Therefore, to be on the safe side, Hajime decided to have Ornis fly upstream while they would head downstream. Since Brutal's footprints appeared near the river, it was highly likely that Will and the others had fled into the water. With their physical strength low, they were likely to be swept away.

The others agreed with Hajime's speculation and moved downstream along the river.

This time, they saw a magnificent waterfall—the smaller one from earlier was incomparable. They scrambled briskly down the cliff beside the waterfall, landing near the pool. The unique breeze beside the waterfall gently soothed their tired bodies and minds after a day of exploration.

At this moment, Hajime's 『Aura Sense』 responded.

"!This is……"

"beginning?"

Yue asked immediately. Hajime closed his eyes and concentrated for a while, then slowly opened them and said in surprise:

"Hey, hey, is this true? My aura sensor is reacting. Judging by the feeling, it's probably a person. The location is... inside the waterfall pool."

"Does that mean there are people alive?"

Shia confirmed with a surprised tone, and Hajime nodded in confirmation. Yue asked about the number of people, and he replied, "One person."

Aiko and the others seemed equally surprised, but that was only natural. While the possibility of survival wasn't zero, no one actually held out hope. Five days had passed since Will and the others lost contact, so if it was just one of them in the waterfall, it would be nothing short of a miracle.

"Yue, please."

"……Um."

Hajime said, looking at the waterfall pool. Yue understood Hajime's intention just from that. She muttered the magic keyword, waved her right hand and said:

"—[Bo Castle]—[Wind Wall]."

Immediately, the water from the waterfall and pool split in two, as if in the legend of the Red Sea told by Moses, the splashing droplets completely separated by the wind wall. This was the water-attribute magic "Wall of Waves," which created a highly compressed wall of water, and the wind-attribute magic "Wall of Wind."

She had no chants or magic circles, yet she could simultaneously cast and utilize two types of magic. Aiko and the others gaped in astonishment for the umpteenth time. The Hebrews of the past must have shared the same expression.

Since magic power was not infinite, Hajime urged Aiko and the others to step into a cave that looked like it led from a pool of water to the depths.

Once inside, the path immediately curved upwards. Passing through, a rather spacious cave emerged. Water and light streamed down from the ceiling, flowing into a puddle below. Since the water didn't overflow, I guess the puddle must lead deeper.

At the deepest part of the space, a man lay on the ground. Approaching him, I confirmed he was a young man in his twenties, handsome and refined, but his face looked as pale as death. He had no serious injuries, and there was still a small amount of food in his backpack. He was probably just sleeping. His pale complexion was probably related to him being alone here.

Aiko watched him anxiously. To quickly confirm the young man's identity, Hajime gathered the strength of his prosthetic arm to its limit and flicked it against his forehead, making a loud "snap!" sound.

“Guaaaaa!!”

The young man awoke with a scream, pressing his hands to his forehead and writhing in agony. Seeing the immensely powerful finger-snapping technique and the ruthless attitude, Aiko and the others shuddered.

Ignoring Aiko and the others, Hajime approached the tearful young man and confirmed his name directly:

"Are you Will Kudeta? The third son of Count Kudeta."

“Eh~! Eh? Why are you guys here…”

The young man seemed confused as to what was happening, his eyes widening in surprise, only to see Hajime making another finger-snapping gesture, slowly aiming at his forehead.

"Answer my question. If you say anything useless, I will increase my strength by 20%."

“Eh, eh!?”

"Are you Will Kudetta?"

"Uh, wow! Yes! I am! I am Will Kudetta! Yes!"

The young man was momentarily speechless. Hajime's eyes flashed with a fierce gleam, and he raised his left hand. Seeing this, the young man's expression quickly changed, and he gave his name with full energy. It seemed that this was truly Will Kudeta himself, and he seemed to have miraculously survived.

"I see. I'm Hajime, Nagumo Hajime. I've been sent by Ilva Kangya, the guild leader in Furen, to search for you. I'm so glad you're still alive."

"Mr. Ilva?! So it's him... Looks like I owe him another favor... Well, I want to thank you too. Since you've been asked by Mr. Ilva, you must be very capable."

Will thanked Shi with a respectful look, seemingly unfazed by the unusually powerful finger-snapping that had struck him on the forehead. Perhaps he was an unexpectedly important figure. Although both were nobles, he was very different from the fat pig from last time.

Hajime, thankful that he didn't need to play the piano any more, urged Yue and the others to introduce themselves. Afterward, he also asked Will what happened.

That’s it in a nutshell.

Five days ago, Will and his companions entered the same mountain road as Shi and his companions. When they reached the fifth stage and went up a little further, they suddenly encountered ten Brutalis.

It was better to avoid direct combat with such a large number of Brutalis. So Will and his men retreated immediately, but as they dealt with the attacking Brutalis, the enemy's numbers grew. By the time they came to their senses, they had been forced to rush to the river at the sixth junction.

They were surrounded by hordes of Brutals. In order to escape the encirclement, the human shields and light warriors died heroically, and were then chased through the forest. Just as they reached a larger river, despair appeared in front of them -

A pitch-black dragon.

As Will and the others reached the river, the black dragon immediately exhaled a huge breath of dragon. Will was blown away by the attack and fell into the river. As he was washed away by the water, he saw that one of them was burned to ashes by the breath, and the remaining two were caught in a pincer attack by Brutal from behind and the dragon in front.

Will followed the current into the pool, entered a cave he accidentally discovered, and hid in the hollow.

I always feel that his situation is a bit similar to someone else's.

Will was sobbing with emotion as he recounted this. Even though he had insisted on going along, the helpful senior adventurers didn't hold him back and continued to teach him their knowledge.

However, he couldn't even confirm their safety and could only wait for rescue in fear and trembling. He felt so useless.

All his companions were dead, but he felt relieved because of the arrival of rescue. He was really bad.

Various thoughts intertwined and turned into tears.

"I, I'm such a jerk. Everyone died, but I couldn't do anything to help. I was the only one who survived... and I was actually... happy that I survived!"

Will's wailing echoed in the cave, and no one could speak. Seeing Will crying and blaming himself, Youhua and the others didn't know what to say to him, because they understood Will's feelings very well.

Aiko looked at Will with a sad face and gently stroked his back.

Yue had a blank expression as usual, while Shia had a troubled look on her face.

However, just when Will was choking with excitement, an unexpected person took action.

It’s the beginning.

He strode towards Will, grabbed his collar, and lifted him into the air with his extraordinary arm strength. Then, in an unexpectedly clear voice, he said to Will, who was almost out of breath:

"What's wrong with wanting to live? What's wrong with being happy to be alive? Such desires and feelings are natural, inevitable, and natural. As a human being, it's perfectly right to harbor such feelings!"

“B-but… I…”

"If, even so, you still care about the dead... then keep living. Struggle hard and live as hard as you can. One day... you'll realize that your survival today was meaningful."

“…Keep living.”

Will, tears streaming down his face, blankly repeated what Hajime had said.

Hajime rudely abandoned Will, complaining to himself, "What am I doing?" Half of what Hajime had said to Will was directed to himself. Will's situation was somewhat similar to his, and seeing Will belittle his survival was like saying to Hajime, "Your survival was a mistake," which was why Hajime was unconsciously getting so excited.

Of course, that was entirely Hajime's paranoia. More than half of it was just anger, like a child throwing a tantrum. While Hajime seemed to have gotten over it, he was only seventeen and still had a lot to learn.

Hajime also had that kind of self-awareness, and couldn't help but feel a little self-loathing. Yue saw Hajime's expression, walked quickly to his side, and held Hajime's hand tightly.

“…It’s okay, Hajime is right.”

"……moon."

"...Do your best to survive. Let's survive together, okay?"

"Haha, yeah, of course. No matter what happens, I'll survive... I won't leave you alone."

"……Um."

Ignoring Will, who was still engaged in his inner conversation, Hajime and Yue were lost in their own world. Hajime gently caressed Yue's face, thinking he was no match for her. Yue, in turn, rubbed her cheek against his hand, acting like a spoiled child. Shia glared at him with disapproval, wiggling her bunny ears as if to say, "You're leaving me out again."

Meanwhile, Aiko and the others felt a heavy blow in their chests after hearing what Hajime said. Those were the words of someone who had risen from the depths of the abyss, his appearance and thoughts transformed. Since their reunion, Hajime's attitude had been generally cold, but those words just now were filled with warmth.

Especially for Yuuka and the others, who still couldn't shake the fear of death. Though only a tiny amount, that warmth reached their hearts. They felt their hands and feet, frozen by the cold winter, gradually warming.

For a moment, Aiko and the others seemed to be reassessing themselves, lost in their own world. Will, having been blamed and now abandoned, felt bewildered and lost by the sudden indifference. Shia stretched out her rabbit ears, as if to attract everyone's attention, and said, "I'm here~." Hajime and Yue stared at each other, refining the air into sugar—this chaos continued for a while (all Hajime's fault for losing control).

Afterwards, under the desperate calls of the neglected Will, everyone finally returned to reality and decided to descend the mountain immediately. There was still more than an hour left until sunset, and if they moved quickly, they could reach the foot of the mountain before dark.

While they were concerned about the swarms of Brutals and Dark Dragons, that wasn't their mission. Furthermore, taking a protected subject with low combat abilities on an investigation was out of the question.

Will seemed to understand that he would be a burden, so he didn't object. Out of a subtle sense of justice, Atsushi and the others argued, "The townspeople are troubled too, shouldn't we investigate?" However, the black dragon and the swarm of Brutalis proved too dangerous, and Aiko firmly opposed it, ultimately deciding to all descend the mountain.

However, things did not seem to go as planned. When the group once again relied on the magic of the moon to walk out of the pool, a being was already waiting to warmly welcome them.

"Horrrrrrrrrr."

It roared deeply, its body covered in jet-black scales. As it flapped its wings, golden eyes peered down from the sky... It was none other than the Dragon.

The dragon was about seven meters long, its long front legs sporting five sharp claws, and the massive wings sprouting from its back glowed faintly, seemingly imbued with magical energy. Perhaps because of this, whenever it flapped its wings in the air, it whipped up a powerful gust of wind—unbelievable from wings of that size.

But the most impressive thing, as expected, was those golden eyes—like the moon floating in the night. The vertical slit pupils, as befitting a reptile, though narrowed fiercely, still shone with a radiance that made one feel its beauty.

Golden eyes narrowed, and a deep roar erupted from the black dragon's throat. The sheer oppressive force of the force was incomparable to the flying dragon monster, Hyperion, seen at the bottom of the Rasen Grand Canyon. While Hyperion was generally considered a formidable high-level monster, it was nothing compared to the black dragon before it. Its majesty truly lived up to its title as the king of the skies.

Aiko and the others were frozen, like frogs being stared at by a snake. Will, in particular, was pale and trembling, ready to collapse at any moment, perhaps as flashes of the attack flashed through his mind.

Hajime had seen the claw marks left by the black dragon and knew that a single strike from it could create a tributary in a river, so he had initially considered it a formidable monster. However, the actual magical power and pressure he felt was more than three times greater than he had imagined, causing Hajime to change his mind about the monster before him.

As for the monsters in the abyss, although it is far inferior to Xudela, it should have the same power as the monsters on the ninetieth floor.

The black dragon cast a sharp glance at Will the moment he saw him. Then, before the frozen human, it slowly raised its head and tilted it back, opening its fang-filled mouth and gathering its magic power.

Whoosh!

An uncanny sound echoed through the mountains as dusk deepened, and the image of its breath burning a portion of the river and the adventurers to ashes flashed through Hajime's mind.

"! Dodge!"

Hajime warned, then leaped back to avoid the attack, followed by Yue and Shia. However, most people were unable to react to Hajime's warning... No, it was almost everyone.

Aiko, Yuka, Will, and the others were frozen in place, unable to move. Aiko and the others were so caught off guard that their bodies had no time to react. Will, bound by fear, couldn't even look away.

“Tsk!!”

"beginning!"

"Mr. Hajime!"

Hajime used telepathy to give instructions to Yue and Shia, and at the same time, he used the technique of shrinking the earth to return to his original location in one breath, blocking Aiko and the others from the black dragon.

Originally, Hajime should have left them alone, but his feelings for his beloved son weren't so bad that he wouldn't save her. More importantly, if he abandoned Will, who had miraculously survived, he wouldn't know why he was here. Bringing him back alive was Hajime's job, so how could he abandon it halfway?

Hajime pulled out a coffin-shaped shield, roughly two meters long, from the treasure vault. He extended his left hand and connected it with the shield. After injecting magic power into it, a stake appeared from the bottom of the shield with a click, and it drove directly into the ground.

Then, the dragon unleashed a straight line of black breath like a laser, exceeding the speed of sound, reaching Hajime's shield in an instant. Accompanied by a tremendous sound, the impact and heat waves spread out, gradually melting the ground around the shield.

“Gu! Ooooooooooooooooooooo!!”

Hajime roared with all his might, resisting the pressure of the breath. Unconsciously, the shield, along with Hajime's body, glowed red. It was Hajime's "Vajra." However, the breath seemed incredibly powerful. After a moment's resistance, it broke through the "Vajra"'s defense and struck the shield directly.

Even so, the shield still withstood the breath, a force and heat that could have penetrated even Hajime's Diamond, gradually melting the shield's surface. However, whenever it was about to break, Hajime would immediately repair it with Refinement, not allowing it to be breached.

The stakes driven into the ground to secure it gradually retreated, unable to withstand the pressure, leaving a mark in the ground. Hajime forged spikes in the soles of his shoes, re-arranging his "Vajra," and persevering. He extended his left hand, connected to the great shield, and supported it with his right hand.

The large shield that Shi took out was made of Taurus ore as the main material, with Xutar ore in the middle and Azantium ore as the outer membrane.