Chapter 2

Sure. Here is the English translation:

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"Sure. So, I managed to convert the iron turtle's shell into 300,000 Zeni, and I'm in a great mood, Hibiki here.

It's not often that a beginner adventurer earns 300,000 Zeni in a day, even though the adventurer business can be profitable.

It was quite an adventure, but it was worth sacrificing nearly 30 of my cute clones. Hahaha.

What? You think my personality is different from the prologue? Well, even Squad Member 1 said it was acting. In my previous life, I was really into online games and was a pretty serious role-player.

That's right, I was Japanese in my previous life. I always had a strange feeling since I was a child, and I clearly realized it when I was 8. I was really surprised. Reincarnation is real, and it felt like being reborn in a different world.

Actually, I had a pretty hard time. I told my mother, 'You're not my real mother,' and got beaten up by my father a lot.

I was most confused by the differences in the world.

It's quite different from Earth. The biggest difference is that there are gods in this world.

Earth had religions, but the gods here are, well, active. They interfere a lot.

The religion called the Goddess's Faith, which was spread by the goddess herself, is almost the only religion in this world. According to the goddess, there are many worlds, and each world is managed by a god-like being.

The management methods are left to each administrator, and the goddess, who is the administrator of this world, grants various blessings to people.

The most significant of these is the dungeon. There are many transfer gates to other dimensions in the central part of the continent, and beyond these gates are various fields like grasslands, deserts, water, mountains, and caves. These fields are filled with valuable items and monsters that drop magic stones. The deeper you go, the more valuable the items become, and the stronger the monsters get.

To explore these dangerous areas, people go to the temple to receive a job, which is a blessing.

People who receive these blessings use the items they bring back from the areas to sustain the world's civilization. The most representative item is the magic stone.

Magic stones, which are crystallized magic, are the foundation of civilization, like electricity on Earth.

Other dungeon products are also highly valuable. People from all over the world gather to seek a fortune, and cities have been built around the dungeons.

This has been going on for hundreds of years, and the dungeon cities have grown and developed over time.

When I heard this story from the priest at the church, I couldn't help but ask,

'Why do you make people fight instead of just giving them things?'

I thought it might be a bad question, but apparently, many others had the same thought.

According to the priest, people will degenerate if they are just given things. They shine through their own efforts.

I can understand that. At the time, I said, 'I see, I understand.'

But as a Japanese person who was a net game enthusiast, I think the goddess is definitely enjoying herself.

Creating dungeons, jobs, monsters, and magic stones—she must be the GM. Well, I wouldn't actually say that even if she were real.

At first, I felt a gap between the differences in the world and the values. But after living in this world for 15 years, I've adapted and accepted it.

There are no religious wars, environmental destruction, or energy problems in this world.

As the third son of a farmer, thinking about my future is more important than understanding the world's structure.

At 15, it's time to start working. I can't inherit the family business as the third son, and I don't want to be a corporate slave. As a former net game enthusiast, I'm actually quite envious of adventurers, which is why I came to the dungeon city.

At the church, after praying to the goddess's statue, I successfully changed my class to the most unfortunate job, the Infinite Mage.

......Why? Maybe because I was thinking about the GM in my head?

Usually, you get a few choices and pick the job you want, but in my case, there was only one option. It's rare, but the only option being an ultra-rare Infinite Mage is like winning the lottery. I'm not happy about it, though. I would have preferred a useful rare job like a Holy Knight.

So, according to the church, it had been years since the last Infinite Mage was born.

And it was a thorny path.

First, no one would form a party with me. I tried asking around, but everyone refused the Infinite Mage.

The reason is that there's no future in it.

The Infinite Mage is the most unpopular job, but at level 1, it's not weaker than other jobs.

In fact, it's quite good. I can create a clone for 1 point, and each clone has 100 magic points. Being able to create 100 clones is quite powerful.

As my level increases, the maximum number of clones and magic points increase, but that's it. At least, that's what's confirmed. There's no increase in fighting spirit or learning attack magic.

Imagine, for example, a dragon appearing. Even if there were dozens of villagers, it would be useless, right?

In reality, a level 3 warrior, who is as strong as a boxing champion on Earth, is much stronger than an Infinite Mage at the same level, who can only create 3 clones plus himself, making a total of 4.

Who do you think is stronger, a world champion or 4 amateurs? That's the point.

There's an old saying that no matter how many Infinite Mages there are, they can't defeat an orc.

Orcs are called the gateway for beginners, and hunting orcs makes you a proper adventurer.

However, orcs have strong muscles and thick pig skin, which are tough for humans without fighting spirit. In other words, no matter how many Infinite Mages there are, they are useless.

Each adventurer has a goal. Some aim to reach the higher ranks, some are satisfied with the middle ranks, some aim for the highest rank, the 'Heavenly Seat,' and some aim to obtain the elixir of immortality or a whitening potion.

Everyone has different goals, but one thing is certain: no one wants to remain a beginner.

Therefore, Infinite Mages, who can't graduate from being beginners, can't join parties.

I had no choice but to start as a solo adventurer, which was quite tough.

Specifically, even after half a year, my level hasn't increased. Some talented people are already at level 7 or 8.

To level up, you have to defeat monsters, but I can barely defeat one goblin.

However, goblins usually come in groups of 3 or 4. I have no choice but to run away.

Even goblins form parties, but I can't... No, let's stop. It's just a waste of time.

If I can explain, it's not that I'm weak. Other jobs, like warriors and mages, would also die if they went solo.

Being alone is the path to death, they say.

But I've survived for half a year, which makes me quite exceptional.

My ultimate survival skill, the 'Bait Technique,' helps me survive. Thinking about it, the Infinite Mage might be suitable for solo play.

But if I can't defeat monsters, it's meaningless.

So, I thought about a strategy to break this situation.

And I had an idea. A special, stylish plan.

The problem is that I don't have any companions.

If I don't have companions, I can buy slaves, right?!

...

...

I know. The Goddess's Faith teaches us to work together with our neighbors, and I learned about morals in my previous life.

But what can I do? There's no kind neighbor who will accept me as a companion. What can I do?!

So, I gave up on hunting monsters and focused on gathering valuable items in the area and scavenging. Scavenging means taking the remains of monsters left by other adventurers, which is not a crime like theft. I do get some cold looks, though.

The iron turtle this time is a perfect example. The higher-level adventurers cleared the area, but left the heavy, non-magic stone monsters. I took them, which amounted to 300,000 Zeni (a small fortune for a level 1 Infinite Mage, but pocket change for higher-level adventurers).

I saved up 1,000,000 Zeni, including today's iron turtle, to buy a slave.

I have my eye on someone.

A beautiful blonde with blue eyes, 14 years old, and an incredible figure, a level 7 magic swordsman named Tawawa.

...

No, I don't want you to misunderstand. The important part is that she's a level 7 magic swordsman, skilled in both magic and swordsmanship. I just want her to be my companion.

'Hehehehehe'

...

No, that's not right. The voice with the extended nose is just acting. I like role-playing, so I thought it would be fun to act a bit when buying a slave. That's all.

So, here I am at the slave market. With 1,000,000 Zeni in hand, it's time to set out.

'Hehehehehe'

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I hope this translation meets your expectations.