Chapter 49

When I realized it, I was in the same white space as before.

No... that's not right.

Last time, the floor was also completely white. So, when I looked into the distance, there was no boundary between the floor and the sky. Here, the floor is black and extends parallel for a long way.

And...

In front of me, scenes from the past... from my previous life, flowed like a movie. I remembered... why I died... I couldn't stop crying.

"It's your fault! We lost that child because of you!!"

"I'm sorry... I know it's not your fault, but... even knowing that... I'm sorry."

"No... I'm sorry... I..."

Those were my stepmother and stepfather. My stepmother cried, blamed me, and even tried to hit me.

"Recently, you've been working too much. Don't overdo it, okay?"

"...I'm sorry... it's just hard to be at home..."

"Oh... I see. If work helps you take your mind off things... I'll turn a blind eye."

That was my kind supervisor. He would bring snacks and drinks, saying it was a treat, to make sure I didn't stay too late.

The past I couldn't remember due to headaches.

I was in a car accident with my family and was the only survivor... I distracted myself with work and collapsed at the office.

Living was painful... I felt sorry for myself... I hated everyone and everything...

[...It's okay. This time... you have someone to support you...]

"...The voice is different?"

"Yes... the same concept, different existence... you have a slight resonance with me..."

"...A different god? What do you mean by resonance?"

[The different existence found a medium... be careful... you shouldn't come here...]

When I opened my eyes... Naga was looking at me with concern. I had been dreaming. A strangely realistic dream.

Recalling the memories... I heard the voice in my head again. It was a different voice, though.

"Naga, good morning."

"Yeah... are you okay?"

Naga wiped away the tears from my eyes with his fingers. I must have been crying in my sleep, and he looked very worried.

"I'm fine now. Thank you."

I smiled at him. He nodded and left the tent. He doesn't talk much, but he always looks out for me.

I got up, got dressed, and organized my belongings before leaving the tent.

"Hey, good morning."

"Good morning... how's the injury?"

"I'm fine. How about you?"

"...Graunos, I remember. But I'm fine."

He raised an eyebrow at me calling him Graunos instead of "brother," but after hearing the rest of my words, he smiled happily and said, "That's good, I'm glad."

I had told him that thinking about it gave me a headache, and he had been worried every time I held my head. Naga didn't know, but he must have noticed and been concerned.

"Your eyes are a bit puffy."

"Hehe. Yeah. It seems I was crying while remembering... but, well, I feel a bit more at ease now, I guess."

"...I see. Here, your breakfast."

He smiled and handed me a piece of bread. I took the bread from "brother" and nibbled on some dried meat. Naga was eating beside me, and "brother" had already finished.

A little distance away, Leonis, Lord Raz, and Fol were also there. They seemed to be keeping a distance so they couldn't hear each other's conversations.

After finishing breakfast and getting ready to leave, "brother" told me to sit down with a serious expression. I nodded and sat in front of him.

"So... can you hurt people?"

"Brother?"

"If you can't, quit being an adventurer. If you faint at the sight of that, you're not cut out for it."

"Hey!"

He asked me in a low, serious voice. Naga tried to stop him.

I had fainted and worried everyone. "Brother" probably didn't want to show me that scene either... but since I saw it and fainted, it's only natural that he would be angry.

"This isn't the world we came from. It's a world where people hurting each other is common. If you can't handle it, it's better to stay in town where you won't see such things."

Killing people... even if it's not normal, this world has lower barriers.

Especially since there's no way to prove what happens outside the town, you can be targeted.

I'm very happy that "brother" is worried about me, but it wouldn't mean anything if I just stayed like this. I want to live in this world. I don't want to live a narrow, sheltered life.

This time... I want to get along with people.

I lost my family and became reckless... I pushed away the voices of kind people. I regret it, so I don't want to repeat it.

"Brother, you're being mean. ...I won't faint in dangerous places again."

"...What if Naga and I tell you it's dangerous and you should stop?"

"...I'm sorry. But... I want to enjoy this second life. I don't want to live just to work, following orders without thinking, and dying because of it."

I lost my family in an accident, didn't want to think about anything, and just kept working... and died.

I don't regret it.

In my previous life, in that world, I probably couldn't live any other way.

But I won't repeat it.

I still love my lost family... but here, I want to live for myself. I don't want to be someone who just reads the room and apologizes all the time... I want to enjoy life.

"Looks like you did die from overwork."

"Huh? You mean...?"

"Yeah. You were so ingrained with the corporate spirit. I figured it was something like that."

"R-Really? What about you, Naga?"

"...No. I've never seen a corporate drone... a black company, maybe?"

It hit me hard.

Is this what they mean when they say young people don't understand?

The company wasn't a black company, and my supervisor wasn't a black boss.

I just worked a lot on my own... and he was a good supervisor who turned a blind eye to the situation. I might have caused a lot of trouble by dying...

"Naga, don't be so harsh. I understand your thoughts... but you're the dangerous one, okay? Understand that?"

"...I feel bad for causing trouble for you, brother. I'm fine... I won't hesitate to protect myself."

"Alright, as long as you understand. We can't always be by your side. Don't make a mistake."

"Okay. By the way, how long did I sleep?"

"About two hours. Fol just got back. If you're ready, we'll set off..."

"Ready" probably means the break is over. I don't think Naga got much rest, but he nodded, so it's fine.

We nodded at each other, packed up the tent, and extinguished the fire with water magic. We dried it out with the <Dry> spell for later use and put it in the magic bag.

By the way, there was blood splattered everywhere earlier, but it's gone now. It seems they cleaned up while I was unconscious.

After that, the six of us continued on. I thought it might be awkward, but Fol explained the situation and apologized, and everyone seemed to accept it on the surface.

They were also wary of foreigners and had permission to deal with them if necessary... but in the dungeon, a split among the group is dangerous, and they declared that they wouldn't put Lord Raz in danger. ...Or maybe they just got stronger and changed their minds.

We reached the 20th floor smoothly. We took a break for lunch, but we arrived at the 20th floor boss before sunset and defeated it without much trouble. We decided to stay here for the night.

By the way, today alone, I leveled up four times, and "brother" and the others leveled up five times. The rate of increase was less than yesterday, but we still got much stronger.

Also, I learned that you get a bit more experience if you land the final blow. I asked "brother" when he leveled up first, and Leonis told me. That's why "brother" and Naga level up faster than me.

I might be surpassed by tomorrow...

The difficulty increases as you go up the floors in the dungeon... we should be struggling, but since we could fight even at a low level, we're getting more comfortable as our levels rise. Our stats are improving faster than the dungeon's difficulty.

I was given a bow because I couldn't be a front-liner, but today I borrowed "brother's" spear and fought from the middle to the front. More abilities are better, so I pushed for it.

However, halfway through, "brother" switched to a bow and started attacking from a distance, taking out enemies before they could reach me. I think he's doing it on purpose, given his grin.

With "brother's" excellent eyesight and strength, he can hit enemies from a considerable distance... As a result, we hunted more monsters today than yesterday... but Naga looks a bit annoyed. "Brother" is definitely the MVP.

Since we can fight steadily, Leonis and the others are leaving it to us.

The 21st floor and beyond are supposed to have even stronger monsters... but according to Leonis, we won't struggle.

It's not helpful to say we can't do without a healer. I have a plan to redeem myself as a front-liner, so I'll put it into practice tomorrow!

"Alright. We arrived much earlier... how about tonight's watch?"

"We have about 10 hours until dawn. How about two pairs, each for five hours? Leonis didn't rest yesterday, so he's off the hook today. Naga didn't get a second break, so he should rest."

"Sounds good. It's better to rest when you can... are you okay with pairing with Fol?"

"I'll pair with him. I'm fine."

Because of this morning, I don't want "brother" and Fol to be a pair. Today, at least.

From what I saw during the day, there doesn't seem to be any lingering resentment.

Leonis and Naga don't look uncomfortable either. It's fine.

I was wary, but after hearing this morning's conversation, I know Fol won't try to hurt me here. If I become a hindrance and need to be eliminated, it will be later.

Moreover, Fol is perfect for my plan because he won't interfere. I'll work hard to finish it by tomorrow.

After confirming that the others had gone to their tents, I took out an iron spear.

It's Naga's weapon, and I got permission to modify it. I'll improve it to increase its attack power.

I also took out a <Large Magic Stone>. One of the magic stones I got from defeating the Rock Golem. Leonis and the others gave me almost all the valuable materials, so I'm grateful to use them.

I'll use this magic stone to enhance it. If I have MP left, I might replace the magic stones in "brother's" and Naga's weapons.

"Lord Crein? What are you planning to do?"

"I'm powering up for tomorrow. I'll enhance it. I won't be a burden anymore."

"...Don't overdo it."

First, I used the <Purification> spell to make the <Large Magic Stone> usable. It's about the size of a fist, and I made it transparent so I could infuse it with magic to give it an attribute. I decided to make it lightning.

Lord Raz is skilled in lightning magic, which is an advanced wind magic. I learned <Lightning Magic> when my wind magic reached level 5 today, so I'll use it. It has a paralysis effect, so I can one-sidedly beat up the enemy... hopefully.

Infusing magic takes a lot of MP compared to a <Medium Magic Stone>. I used an MP potion before my MP ran out. ...I didn't run out of MP during the day, so one potion should be fine. I should recover during the break, so it won't affect tomorrow.

After about 15 minutes of infusing magic, the <Large Magic Stone> changed and glowed purple.

"Alright... magic infusion successful."

"..."

I ignored Fol's surprised face, separated the spear into the blade and the shaft, carved two 5mm grooves in the shaft, placed the magic stone particles in them, and infused them with magic.

I placed the magic stone at the part where the blade and the shaft connect, processed it so it wouldn't fall out, and reconnected the blade and the shaft.

"Hmm... the center of gravity is a bit off to the front..."

I lightly swung it, but the blade side was heavier due to the large magic stone, making the balance bad. However, I don't have the skills to fix the balance, so I gave up. It shouldn't break easily.

When we return from the dungeon, I'll consult with a blacksmith next door. There might be a better way.

I slowly infused lightning magic from the tip of the blade to the shaft. Now, when I infuse magic, the lightning magic will flow through the blade part of the spear.

The plan is, "If STR attacks are weak, use INT attacks!"

There are many plants, so many are weak to fire. The two weapons I previously enchanted have a slight fire effect. "Brother" told me that infusing MP into an attack increases its power.

If I infuse MP and attack, my attack power might be on par with magic. Also, the large magic stone has a lot of magic power, so I can expect a lot from it.

"Alright... it's done!"

The magic stones in the grooves on the shaft also turned purple, giving it a unified design.

"...It's a wonderful result."

"Thank you. I think this will increase my attack power a bit."

"...I see... how are you feeling?"

"Feeling? What do you mean?"

What's he talking about?

I don't feel anything wrong. I tilted my head, and he smiled with a slightly troubled look.

"I think you used a lot of MP. Are you feeling sick?"

"Oh! I'm fine. I'm taking magic pills, and I drank an MP potion, so it's not that bad. I'll rest after this, so I won't run out of MP for tomorrow's battle."

Feeling sick from MP depletion... he was worried about that.

I drank a potion before, so I'm completely fine.

A larger magic stone should have a better effect... I can't use more MP today, but maybe I'll replace the magic stones in "brother's" and Naga's weapons tomorrow.

The previous ones were too small... I'll spend the rest of the time crafting a base to embed the magic stone in the blade.

For the spear, it was easy to place the base at the end of the shaft, but the blade might look awkward if I attach a fist-sized magic stone... I'll try to process the magic stone while infusing magic... can I make it work...

Shaping magic is difficult... but I want to make it like a common fantasy weapon, where the sword itself is imbued with magic, like a flame... hmm. I'll try it with Naga's greatsword tomorrow.

"Brother's" sword will be the most challenging, so I'll do it last. Maybe I'll come up with a good idea while working on the greatsword.

"You really are... terrifying."

Fol muttered something, but I couldn't hear it.

After that, it was supposed to be "brother" and Lord Raz's watch... but Naga joined them.

"I'll keep an eye on him. You can rest."

It seems Naga decided "brother" can't be left alone. By the way, Leonis went back to the tent because Naga was there.

I think "brother" and Lord Raz would be fine... but why?