Chapter 23

Tō stood there, taking a deep breath and firmly gripping the letter containing the secret that his mother had given him.

---

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

---

Tō had felt a similar unpleasant atmosphere before. As soon as he recalled it, he knew what was lurking deep in the forest.

"..."

Tō swallowed hard.

"What's wrong, Tō?"

"Estelle... Stay back a bit."

"Is it a monster? If so, I can help—"

"It's fine."

Tō tried to keep his expression calm.

"It'll be over soon."

Tō had once fled from "this" without fighting. Back then, he was certain he could never defeat it.

But now, things are different.

Tō has leveled up since then and learned magic. His combat strength has definitely increased.

So, Tō thought, maybe—

—maybe now, he could win.

"Why are you smiling, Tō?"

"..."

Pointed out by Estelle, Tō touched his mouth. The corners of his lips were curled up significantly.

If Tō were still the salaryman he used to be, he wouldn't smile in a situation that threatened his life. He would have a grim look on his face and try to run away.

But now, things are different.

He was about to face a powerful enemy with a smile.

What changed Tō?

Was it the transfer to another world, or Ridd's body?

—Or perhaps the [Magic Sword].

The skill points that seemed to say "take me" and the vicious sharpness that could easily slice through rocks. This sword must have some drawbacks.

Maybe the [Magic Sword] was gradually corrupting Tō's soul?

Even if he thought that, there was no way to give up the skills he had already obtained. At least, Tō didn't know how. He might never be able to give them up.

So it was too late. He had to accept it and find a way to coexist.

Tō didn't think this choice was a mistake.

He wouldn't have survived without obtaining the [Magic Sword]. He became what he was supposed to become. Therefore, he didn't think living this way was a failure.

The sound of trees falling echoed from the front.

Tō focused all his thoughts on the battle.

A massive figure, enveloped in an ominous aura, appeared from deep in the forest.

"…It's here."

It was the parent of the Rockworm he had seen in the cave. The moment the parent appeared, Tō cast [Strength Enhancement] to the max and charged in.

"---Shii!!"

A single slash at the parent's body. However, Tō's attack, which had felled enemies with one strike, only left a shallow cut on the skin.

"Haha!"

—That's more like it!

Tō could feel the enemy's strength through [Perception]. If it had been a mere facade, he would have been disappointed.

Tō smiled at the formidable reality that matched his perception.

In the next instant,

The parent spun its body in an instant. Tō was blown away by a shock as if hit by a truck.

With a loud noise, Tō crashed into a pile of logs. The impact caused the logs to collapse and crush him.

"Tō!!"

Estelle screamed in a high-pitched voice she had never heard before. To her, it looked like a major accident.

However, despite the intense impact, Tō hardly felt any pain thanks to the enhancement magic.

"...I can do it."

Tō grinned and immediately began casting spells without incantation.

[Fireball] [Waterball]

[Rock Needle] [Air Cutter]

Any of these spells would have been fatal against a regular monster. However, they weren't fatal to the parent Rockworm.

Still, the parent seemed to feel pain, as it twisted its body.

Perhaps sensing that it would be killed by spells if it kept its distance, the parent quickly approached Tō.

It was completely different from a regular Rockworm. It had an astonishing speed.

However,

(No matter how fast, a large body will hit something somewhere.)

Tō calmly moved the logs aside and quickly adjusted his stance.

He then aimed the [Magic Sword] at the approaching enemy. This time, the outer skin was easily sliced.

"Pi-gyaaa!!"

Was it the first time the parent felt a life-threatening pain? Its high-pitched scream split the forest.

"There's no time to be in pain."

After swinging the [Magic Sword], Tō immediately followed up with more attacks.

He slashed with the sword and cast [Rock Needle] under the belly. He aimed there because it seemed the softest part.

Each time [Rock Needle] hit, a loud thud echoed, shaking the bottom of the belly. It was unclear if it was causing damage, but Tō continued to use [Rock Needle] regardless.

Dodging the enemy's attacks, aiming, and countering. Tō constantly cast spells while circling around to the enemy's blind spots.

Tō was overpowering a monster many times his size.

All thanks to the non-elemental magic.

Without [Strength Enhancement], even the [Magic Sword] wouldn't have been able to overcome the parent's mass.

Tō kept inflicting wounds on the parent. From those wounds, a thin yellow liquid dripped. It was the Rockworm's blood. Gradually, the flow weakened.

Still, the fighting spirit didn't wane.

The parent concentrated its defenses on the abdomen, sensing Tō's magic.

At first, it twisted its body when hit by [Rock Needle], but now it didn't show any significant damage from the outside. It seemed that the parent's defense increased when it focused on a specific area.

In the battle, the parent was gradually learning.

But it was too late.

Tō activated his magic with full power.

The parent, sensing the prelude to the spell, focused on its abdomen.

Seeing this, Tō grinned.

"[Fireball]"

Tō aimed the [Fireball], packed with mana, at the parent's wound. With a sound like breaking the sound barrier, the [Fireball] engulfed the parent in an instant.

"Pi-gyaaa!!"

The parent, expecting an attack from below, couldn't react to Tō's [Fireball]. The high heat, which should have been deflected by the tough outer skin, entered through the wound and scorched the inside.

"[Fireball]!"

"Pi-gyaaa!!"

Another one.

"[Fireball]!!"

"Pi-gyaa—gabu!!"

One more.

By the third shot, flames rose from the parent's mouth along with its scream. The fire that spread throughout its body burned it to ashes. In a last-ditch effort, the parent moved slightly closer to Tō. But that was the end.

The parent curled its body and fell onto the blackened earth.

---

"Such... a Queen Rockworm!?"

When the monster appeared, Estelle had braced herself for death again. The Queen Rockworm was a level that required a group of C-rank adventurers to defeat safely.

Its outer skin was far harder than a regular Rockworm. It fought in the same way as a Rockworm, relying on its formidable defense to overpower the enemy.

Still, it was on a different level.

It was faster and stronger than a regular Rockworm.

In fact, Estelle was confident she could dodge a regular Rockworm's attacks, but not the Queen's. The difference in strength between an E-rank adventurer and a C-rank monster was insurmountable. It wasn't at a level where she could win just by getting through the attacks, like with a D-rank Rockworm.

Yet, Tō was fighting the Queen Rockworm on equal or better terms!

"Is Tō really a wanderer?"

A wanderer was a person so weak that anyone would call them inferior. Historically, this perception had never been challenged in Ealguard.

But Tō had almost single-handedly defeated a horde of goblins, easily learned magic, and even succeeded in [Non-Verbal Incantation].

Tō was continuously defying the norms of a wanderer.

Estelle's norms were continuously being challenged.

Tō skillfully used the enemy's attacks to deeply cut the Queen and simultaneously cast magic into its abdomen.

"Can someone who can fight like this really be a wanderer...?"

Estelle felt as if she were having a daytime dream. Her common sense tried to deny the reality, but the reality mercilessly shattered her common sense.

"I always thought there was something strange about him..."

Estelle was certain.

—He is not someone who fits the mold of a wanderer.

Tō kept inflicting damage on the Queen. Blood flowed from the deep wounds.

Aiming at those wounds, Tō continuously fired [Fireballs]. They were like the advanced fire spell [Flare], packed with vicious mana.

"...Amazing."

Tō defeated the Queen Rockworm, which required a group of C-rank adventurers, without sustaining any major injuries, all by himself. Estelle could only stare in shock at this reality.

This was the emotional reunion with the one he met in the cave.