Chapter 45

Finding another uninhabited dwelling—though most of the underground city was uninhabited, and if there were any residents, they would be undead monsters—he secured a bed there. Even with "Magic Detection," there was no sign of monsters around.

(..."Intuition" is just too troublesome.)

"Intuition" 6 is extremely rare. Still, he had met two people with it—the Knight Commander and the Agreia from earlier.

At 5, there was Sera of the "Four Stars of the East."

At 4, there was Unken, the "Hero of Salvation."

It's safe to say that anyone with 4 or higher is almost nonexistent. Even 3 or 2 is quite rare.

In the capital or Ponde, Hikaru had seen as many "Soul Boards" as possible. So far, there were only four people with "Intuition" 4 or higher.

But they do exist.

("Intuition" is one of the so-called "basic attributes," like "Strength" or "Magic Power." Maybe it's easy to increase. The cap is 20, but... if it reaches 10, would it detect someone in "Stealth"? No... but if it did, the "Stealth" attribute would be meaningless... Is it too game-like to even think about it?)

Hikaru thought.

The Agreia from earlier seemed to have a much clearer sense of Hikaru's location than Knight Commander Lawrence.

(In her case, it's probably her "Occupation." She must have some kind of "Occupation" related to "Intuition.")

As a threat, he needed to consider countermeasures.

Hikaru came up with three options.

The first was "Training and Equipment."

Hikaru was a novice in "Stealth." He had never received any combat training—naturally, since he had lived in Japan.

His opponents were professionals in combat. Even if Hikaru benefited from the Soul Board and his "Occupation," there was a possibility of being detected by "Intuition."

(To improve this, I'd have to find a master and become an apprentice... but do such people even exist? A professional in "Stealth"?)

Unken came to mind, but he seemed to want to hide his past and wouldn't teach him. Besides, returning to Ponde wasn't an option.

The second was to max out "Life Block" and "Magic Block," which were at 3/5. This would be a strategy relying entirely on skills, and there was a possibility of derivative skills appearing.

(I have 3 points left...)

【Soul Board】Hikaru

Age 15, Rank 23

3

His soul rank had increased by 1 from hunting around the lake, and today it had increased by 2 more.

(Seems to go up pretty easily...)

Hikaru was mistaken, but in reality, it shouldn't be that easy.

Usually, a party of more than five people fights monsters. If there are injured, they need to be treated, and they naturally act more cautiously. Fighting consecutively with just two people is practically impossible.

Incidentally, Ravia's soul rank had also increased. It was 18, and she had 11 points left.

(I could increase "Life Block"...)

Given the rarity of "Magic Detection," "Life Block" should be prioritized.

However, Hikaru hesitated.

(This might be... more effective...)

The third countermeasure—Hikaru getting "Intuition" himself.

He didn't understand how "Intuition" worked or how it detected someone in "Stealth."

(Alright, I'll try "Intuition" 1. If it's useless, I'll max out "Block" or get new equipment.)

It might be a waste of points, but 1 point was within acceptable limits.

Considering the future, Hikaru valued experiencing "Intuition."

【Soul Board】Hikaru

Age 15, Rank 23

2

【Vitality】

【Magic】

【Strength】

【Strength】1

【Weapon Proficiency】

【Throwing】2

【Agility】

【Burst】2

【Stealth】

【Life Block】3

【Magic Block】3

【Perception Block】5 (MAX)

【Assassination】3 (MAX)

【Sniping】0

【Group Block】3

【Intuition】

【Intuition】1

【Detection】

【Life Detection】1

【Magic Detection】3

【Detection Expansion】1

"Hmm..."

"? What's wrong, Hikaru?"

"Ah, nothing."

Nothing really changed—honestly, that's what he thought.

It just felt like a number had increased by 1.

"...Shouldn't you sleep? You need to rest when you can."

"Yeah."

Hikaru placed the "Holy Oil" on the floor and laid down on a coat he had spread out.

Ravia then draped her coat over Hikaru and said,

"...Ravia?"

"It's warmer when we're close."

She snuggled up to Hikaru.

Her temple rested on the crook of his arm, using it as a pillow.

The temperature wasn't particularly cold, but it might have been chilly to sleep without a cover.

The scent of Ravia's hair wafted from her head, which she had taken off her hat.

"...Don't get so close. I haven't washed my body."

"You were the one who got close first."

"There are things you can and can't do."

"Is that so—"

While joking, Hikaru was about to bury his nose in Ravia's hair—then, he thought, "Ah, she'll definitely get mad," and stopped.

(That's right. Ravia would get mad... huh?)

At that moment, Hikaru realized.

(Why was I so sure? That Ravia would get mad...)

"...Hikaru?"

"Right, this is... 'Intuition.'"

"?"

"Nothing. Good night, Ravia."

"Good night."

It felt so natural. There was no sense of discomfort.

It was as if a step ahead of his thoughts and senses had slipped in.

It was a feeling close to omnipotence, as if his five senses had been elevated by one level.

It was convenient. He almost wanted to pour the remaining 2 points into it but held back. Even 1 point might be enough. Points were limited, so he needed to confirm.

And this "Intuition" could be a trump card against high-level "Intuition" and anti-"Stealth."

The name "Ancient God People's Underground City" was given by Gafurasti Nui Barbus.

He was a researcher of the ancient Poelnsia Dynasty and had been searching for the "ruined" capital.

There were hardly any documents about Poelnsia, and strangely, no ruins of the capital had been discovered.

The current capital of the Ponsonia Kingdom, Gi-Ponsonia, was said to have been rebuilt by the royal family, the legitimate successors of the Poelnsia Dynasty, after its collapse—this is the "official history" of the Ponsonia Kingdom.

The re-establishment after the "collapse" of the previous dynasty took time, during which other countries regained their strength, and the territory of the old Poelnsia was significantly reduced. After that, Poelnsia changed its name to Ponsonia.

In other words, it is called "Ancient Poelnsia" before the collapse, "Poelnsia" after the collapse, and "Ponsonia" after the re-establishment, for convenience.

That much was written in Gafurasti's files.

Gafurasti immediately thought that this underground city was the capital of ancient Poelnsia, the city of the "God People." What he wanted to do here—whether it was just the curiosity of a historian—was unknown, but it gave Hikaru a significant hint.

"The current capital was built based on the capital of the ancient Poelnsia Dynasty. That's why it has the same shape."

Hikaru said while having breakfast.

He was eating a sandwich, which was just within its expiration date. From today's lunch, they would mainly rely on preserved food.

"Are you saying this dungeon is the old capital? That's strange. Why would they build a city underground?"

"There's the question of why there's a map. This dungeon should be unexplored."

"That's true..."

"Maybe Gafurasti thought this was the old capital. He might have had a map of the old capital by chance and was verifying it as he went along."

"I see... But why build a city underground?"

"...I think it was involved in some kind of 'accident.'"

Hikaru recited a line from a poem.

"At dawn, Gi-Poelnsia vanished."

"Vanish... that's a strange expression. A capital can't just vanish. But if the capital exists underground—maybe it was transferred underground by some kind of 'accident.'"

"Transfer magic hasn't been practicalized."

"Seems so."

Hikaru nodded.

In this world, there were "gods," "spirits," "souls," and "magic power."

However, the same physical laws as on Earth also applied.

Assuming "magic power" was "an unknown energy on Earth," could the existence of "gods" and "spirits" be scientifically proven?

On the other hand, Roland had brought Hikaru's soul to this world using the "method of traveling between worlds." It was likely that Sera Tanoue of the "Four Stars of the East" also had a Japanese soul, which was a kind of "transfer."

"Transfer magic hasn't been practicalized, but maybe it's just not practicalized. I think it's possible."

If various energy issues could be resolved by magic—more accurately, "sorcery"—transfer could be possible.

That was Hikaru's hypothesis.

"Where○○ Door" existed in another world.

"...The entire capital was transferred underground...?"

"That's right. I think we'll understand to some extent as we explore here."

"Ah... That's a long story."

"It's not that long. We'll finish today."

"Eh, today?"

"Of course."

Hikaru laughed.

"If it's a capital, we can walk to the central castle in a day. Fortunately, we can enter without being noticed."

Next: "Shouting Love in the Center of the Old Capital"

...Just a joke, but since the explanation went on, I'll move the story forward quickly.

From here, it will be a non-stop action.