[N/A: Remember to check the author's note and let me know if there are any writing errors in the chapter]
—/—
[Mines of Moria]
After a few well-deserved hours of restful sleep, the group continued their exploration, moving forward without much haste, since by that point they had already seen most of the points of interest.
The next chambers turned out to be more of the same: residential areas, a few storage rooms, and several military sections, all unfortunately empty, so they didn't spend much time inspecting them.
They kept going until they finally stopped in front of what would be their last stop, coming face to face with the "endless stairs," massive spiral stairways that rose from the deepest parts of Moria all the way up to the peak of Mount Celebdil, directly above them.
"Fiuuuu…" Aegis whistled as he looked up. "That's a lot of stairs."
Rosella let out a small mocking laugh, turning to look at him.
"What are you complaining about if you never walk?"
She turned to look at him, and sure enough, Aegis was sitting on Sadako's shoulder, and she in turn was on top of the goat, so technically he was being carried twice over.
"That doesn't mean I can't get bored," he complained.
They ignored him and began climbing the stairs, moving at a steady pace. The ascent took a couple of hours to complete, until they finally emerged into a fortress located at the summit.
GLaDOS wasn't surprised that her ships hadn't found her when they first arrived; the place wasn't exactly large, and most of it was covered in snow, making it difficult to spot.
She looked around, and in truth, everyone did.
The views were quite impressive, with snow stretching in every direction, sharp peaks, and terrain that was nearly inaccessible.
"A perfect place for a ship hangar," she thought, allowing a faint smile to form as she was already drafting plans for her future facilities.
Of course, the place wasn't perfect. There was still a certain level of danger due to the flying Grimm that could reach the area, but it was nothing that a few well-placed turrets couldn't handle.
Unfortunately, GLaDOS's smile didn't last long.
Out of nowhere, several meters away from them and without warning, the Balrog shot up from the ground with Daniel clinging to its back, rising straight into the sky.
Curiously, despite having emerged from the ground, they hadn't left any hole behind or even disturbed the snow.
[Delve: Allows the user to dig through different surfaces by becoming intangible]
The Balrog flapped its wings violently, climbing higher and higher, nearly reaching the storm clouds surrounding the area, twisting sharply as it tried to shake Daniel off.
Daniel, of course, refused to let go, holding firmly onto its back.
GLaDOS watched the scene with growing curiosity. "That's surprising," she commented, her tone slightly impressed.
"Is it impressive that they've been fighting for almost 36 hours?" Rosella asked without taking her eyes off them.
GLaDOS quickly shook her head, still uninterested in watching them fight.
"It's impressive that the Balrog is capable of flight, since anatomically it should be impossible."
Rosella understood her confusion. "Ohhh… that's what you meant…"
A smile appeared on her face as she stopped watching the fight, deciding it was a good moment to let her more academic side come out.
"Grrr…" she growled, clenching her teeth as her clothes began to tear, ripping apart in sections and revealing small white glimmers underneath.
The transformation took only a few seconds, and when it finished, her clothes had been replaced by a white lab coat. She looked herself up and down and nodded, satisfied; she had learned that little trick from the Why-Wolves.
Carefully, she pulled a pair of glasses from her pocket and put them on.
"Well, dear research partner GLaDOS, the problem is that you're thinking of the Balrog as a normal biological creature, when in reality it's a being of energy."
She quickly began sketching in a small notebook, moving the pencil rapidly as she organized her thoughts.
"Where I come from, it's not unusual to find creatures capable of flight despite their size."
Rosella drew the Balrog in the notebook, focusing on its wings, her pencil moving quickly as she spoke.
"The key to its ability to fly lies in its wings, but not because they have the strength to lift it; I've seen dragons with tiny wings and massive bodies that can fly, so we can assume the Balrog follows the same principle."
She pointed at the drawing, marking the wings with more detail.
"In this type of creature, their wings function as a magical organ that consumes their energy to alter their interaction with air and gravity."
A smile appeared on her face, clearly entertained. Just like the Why-Wolves, she had developed a certain taste for explaining things; teaching was amusing to her, almost as much as celebrating with the blood of innocents.
"Unlike a bird, this kind of creature doesn't depend on air, speed, or being lightweight, but like them, if you cut off a wing, they won't be able to fly anymore."
She finished explaining and closed the notebook, looking at the group with a hint of pride, expecting they had learned something.
The reaction wasn't what she expected.
Aegis wasn't paying attention, and Sadako was busy grooming her goat.
Rosella frowned slightly.
The only one who had actually listened from start to finish was GLaDOS, and that was enough to lift her mood.
"Shut up," Aegis complained, annoyed. "All that scientific rambling is messing with my focus on the fight."
None of them liked the tone he used, but his words made them all react, reminding them that Daniel was still clinging to the Balrog, and that by now they had almost reached the clouds.
Daniel, making a superhuman effort, began climbing up the creature's back, moving centimeter by centimeter as the wind constantly pushed against him.
His fingers burned on contact with the Balrog's skin, his grip tightening more and more.
His aura reserves were critically low, leaving him unable to activate his fire semblance to protect himself, but even so, he didn't stop. He kept climbing, ignoring the pain as he slowly pushed forward.
Until he finally reached its head just as both of them plunged into the dark storm clouds.
Daniel didn't panic or hesitate.
In the palm of his hand, a handful of gum materialized, which he swallowed in a single gulp without a second thought.
[Big league Pika-Chew: The gum made for you from dead Pikachus!]
Almost instantly, powerful electric currents began to surge out of his body.
He clenched his teeth, enduring the overload, keeping his eyes locked on the Balrog as he forced himself to stand on its back.
"Why won't you die?!" he shouted in fury, bringing his fist down directly onto the Balrog's head.
"KRAK!"
At the moment of impact, an electrical explosion erupted and spread through the clouds.
He didn't stop.
"KRAK!"
One hit wasn't enough.
"KRAK! KRAK!"
He kept striking as fast as he could.
"KRAK! KRAK! KRAK! KRAK!"
With every impact, a new electrical burst lit up the sky, spreading across the clouds and forming a large-scale storm.
The sound rumbled like thunder, even from a distance. Determined to finish it, Daniel raised both hands, gathering all his strength into a single massive blow.
"KRRRAAAKKKKK!"
The resulting electrical explosion was the largest so far, causing the Balrog to stop moving, stop gaining altitude, and finally begin falling back toward the ground.
"Ha… ha…" he panted, exhausted, finally letting go of the Balrog when he saw it had stopped moving.
But the moment he did, the Balrog, which had been playing dead, suddenly moved, having waited for him to lower his guard.
Its hands closed around Daniel, trapping him between them.
It didn't stop its fall. Instead, it pushed itself harder toward the ground, descending faster while keeping Daniel in front of it, clearly intending to kill him with the impact.
Daniel cursed under his breath, struggling to break free without success as the ground rushed closer, faster and faster, giving him no time to escape.
But at the moment of impact, just as suddenly as they had appeared, they vanished.
When they reached the ground, there was no collision.
They simply passed straight through the mountain.
[Delve: Allows the user to dig through different surfaces by becoming intangible]
The group stood there for a moment, staring at the spot where they had just disappeared, silent as they processed what had happened.
After a few seconds, a smile formed on Rosella's face. "I think he's winning," she said cheerfully.
GLaDOS let out a small, mocking snort. "I think he's taking too long to finish."
"I think we lost GIR in the mines," Aegis added.
That made everyone pause and look around. Sure enough, Gir was nowhere to be seen.
Meanwhile, back in the forges, GIR was lying on his back on the ground, the cylinder still stuck to his spine, preventing him from getting up.
"Hello?" he asked into the empty space.
He got no response.
"Are we going to go get him?" Aegis asked without much enthusiasm. In general, no one really seemed eager to go looking for him.
GLaDOS shook her head. "No, let's leave him. He's replaceable."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Everyone except Sadako, who leaned slightly and whispered something to Aegis, who nodded along with every word.
"Her Imperial Majesty Sadako says she left her scroll inside GIR's head and would like to retrieve it."
"Ah…" GLaDOS sighed. "I suppose we'll have to go back for her scroll."
No one objected. After all, it was Sadako's scroll.
They all turned around and began heading back down the stairs, knowing it would be a long trip.
—/—
Back in the Mines of Moria, returning to the chamber of pillars where everything had begun, Daniel gripped the Red Queen sword, moving as fast as he could, which now was actually quite slow compared to his speed at the start of the fight.
His body was battered, covered in several open wounds, none of them fully closing since he had run out of berry juice hours ago and his regeneration had stopped working.
On the bright side, the Balrog wasn't regenerating either, and its flames had lost intensity.
Daniel slashed along the Balrog's side, making it growl, but more importantly, the creature's blood made the Red Queen react.
The sword began to glow upon contact with the demon's blood, its integrated engine starting to purr.
"Yeah… this is better," he said, pleased, watching the glow of his blade.
He didn't stop, continuing to do his best to avoid the Balrog's attacks while landing strikes whenever he could, maintaining a long-term strategy that, to some extent, was working.
At least until the moment Daniel thrust forward and the Balrog, with no intention of dodging, opened its palm, allowing the sword to pierce straight through its massive hand.
Before Daniel could pull it back, it closed its fist, trapping his hand. He tried to recover the sword, but failed in the process.
A smile appeared on the Balrog's face, and with a fluid motion, it lifted him and slammed him against the ground. Daniel let go of the sword instantly and hit the floor in pain.
The Balrog simply pulled the sword out of its palm, examined it for a brief second, and then threw it far away, far enough that Daniel wouldn't be able to reach it.
Daniel writhed on the ground, watching the whole scene unfold. "Damn it…" he cursed under his breath, breathing heavily.
He was sure something was broken, but he didn't dare move to check. The Balrog was getting closer, and he didn't have many options left.
So, using all his willpower, he forced himself to stand, barely managing to get to his feet, though he couldn't move.
His body wasn't responding.
"Is this the end?" he wondered, remaining still.
At this point, he had already used all his items, all his semblances, and it hadn't been enough.
Although, if he took a look at the Balrog, it probably wouldn't last much longer either; it was just as messed up as he was.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures…" he thought, resorting to his most desperate plan.
[Initiating Gacha Rolls…]
If he was honest, this wasn't the first gacha he had rolled since the fight started, but after forcing that dance battle through a gacha, which had ended in a draw, he remembered why he couldn't use them recklessly.
But at this point, he didn't care about the consequences anymore. As long as he got something that wasn't completely useless, he was sure he could get out of this.
[Passive skill obtained!! «Tsunade's Curse: Congratulations, you have inherited the gambling addiction of the legendary Tsunade and maybe some of her luck… 'Good luck with that'»]
"That doesn't help…" he cursed.
He cursed even more when, at that exact moment, the Balrog grabbed him with its hand, burning his body as it tightened its grip.
"GRRR!!!…" he clenched his teeth, praying for the gacha to move faster, feeling the heat burning his skin.
[Passive skill obtained!! «Fanservice Curse: An invisible force constantly drags you into embarrassing and ill-timed situations»]
The moment he obtained the skill, his clothes, obeying some higher force, began to burn.
Despite having been in contact with the Balrog's flames for a while, it was at that exact moment that they turned to ash, disappearing completely and leaving him with nothing but his most revealing undergarments.
"JAW JAW JAW"
The Balrog let out a strange laugh, clearly entertained by the spectacle.
Daniel didn't know what was worse, the humiliation or the fire. What he did know was that at that moment, he was almost ready to accept the sweet kiss of death.
[Item obtained «Necronomicon: A cursed grimoire containing forbidden knowledge; those who read it risk losing their sanity»]
The cursed book, bound in human skin, couldn't have chosen a worse place to materialize than right above his head, dropping straight down and hitting him hard.
"This can't get any worse…," he thought.
[Item obtained «Arrow to the knee: I used to be a great adventurer like you, but then I took an arrow to the knee»]
Right after that, an arrow materialized, flying at high speed and embedding itself into his knee.
He shook his head from side to side. "Mhmmm…!" But he held back from screaming, clenching his jaw, refusing to humiliate himself any further.
At first it had been entertaining, but the Balrog quickly grew bored of watching Daniel try to self-destruct and began squeezing his body between its hands, increasing the pressure little by little.
Daniel used what little strength he had left to avoid being crushed, his Armament Haki activating to buy him some time.
But it really wasn't working. His body was giving in bit by bit.
"Just… a little more…," he thought, enduring as he waited for some kind of help.
[Creature obtained «Mad Scientist: Congratulations, you have obtained a mad scientist»]
And as if answering his prayers, above them, several meters up, in the middle of a bright flash, a somewhat short girl with long purple twin-tails, along with a spherical robot, materialized right above them.
[Image]
"Ahhh!!!!" the girl screamed, startled as she began to fall.
The scream caught the Balrog's attention, which turned to look toward the source of the sound, raising its head just in time for the robot to slam into its face.
Unfortunately, the impact wasn't nearly strong enough to make it release Daniel.
The girl, now on the ground, rubbed her head, confused, looking around as she noticed the destruction and the massive pillars that caught her attention.
"Where are we?" she asked, clearly disoriented.
She got no answer, only a growl behind her that made her slowly turn around.
And then she saw it.
A giant monster staring at her, clearly annoyed. "Hello~ curious creature made of fire and definitely not evil at all," she said, raising her hand in a somewhat nervous greeting.
The Balrog's response was immediate. "RRRAAAWR!!!!!" it roared, smoke and fire escaping from its jaws.
The girl didn't hesitate. With a swift movement, she jumped onto her robot, reacting to the danger on pure instinct.
"Sorry for the trouble, but we need to get out of here!" she shouted as they started moving away, prioritizing escape before even understanding what was going on.
The Balrog, lacking the energy to chase her, simply let her go, remaining where it stood.
"WAIT!" Daniel shouted with all his strength, seeing this as his possible only salvation, forcing his voice out despite the pain.
The girl stopped abruptly when she heard him.
Her eyes widened as she saw him trapped in the Balrog's grasp, on the verge of death.
Daniel managed the best smile he could, which wasn't much considering he was being crushed and burned at the same time.
"How about a little help?" he asked, almost pleading.
She froze for a moment, processing the scene. "Oh wow…" But she quickly snapped out of it, glancing down briefly at Emily before her smile returned.
"Give it everything you've got!" she encouraged.
Emily didn't hesitate.
She hummed with power, charging up energy and firing a powerful beam from her eye, which struck the Balrog directly in the side, injuring it and throwing off its balance.
As it fell, it lost its grip on Daniel, who hit the ground hard, unable to even move to try to escape.
"I just need one more miracle…," he thought with irony, sure he wasn't that lucky.
[Trait obtained «Progenitor Virus: a biological agent capable of forcing the host's evolution, granting extreme physical enhancements and regeneration»]
…
…
"That's awesome…," he said, slowly getting back up.
He could feel his body beginning to recover, the pain fading as a new strength coursed through his muscles.
The sensation was immediate.
Faster.
Stronger.
He even felt like it had grown a few centimeters down there.
He couldn't help but let out a brief laugh at the new sense of power. "Thanks!" he raised his hand in gratitude.
The girl, now hidden behind a pillar, responded with a friendly gesture, waving back. "You're welcome!"
Daniel didn't waste the opportunity. He closed the distance, moving faster than ever, even without using his speed semblances, since he still hadn't recovered enough aura to activate them. Even so, he managed to surpass his previous performance.
He struck the Balrog directly in the stomach, forcing it back with a pained growl.
For a moment, he looked at his hand, clenching his fist, feeling incredible.
He didn't stop. He hit its leg, nearly buckling it, then followed with a punch to the face so strong it sent it straight to the ground.
"I'm going to enjoy this…," he said with satisfaction, feeling invincible, convinced nothing could ruin this moment.
[Viral Immunity: The holder of this ability is immune to various diseases]
[Congratulations, the Progenitor Virus has been completely purged from your system]
"SON OF A BITCH!"
He cursed the system, and almost immediately stumbled, nearly dropping to his knees as the sudden loss of power hit him.
He cursed again, his body betraying him as he felt like absolute shit, noticing how his strength, his speed, and even those extra centimeters he had gained vanished just as quickly as they had appeared.
They had let him taste glory only to snatch it away immediately, his body not even fully healed yet.
That weakness didn't go unnoticed by the Balrog, which began its counterattack.
With the little strength he managed to gather, Daniel moved out of the way, watching as the creature's fist slammed into the ground where he had been just a moment before.
[Creature obtained «Explosive Sheep: An explosive sheep that charges at the nearest enemy and detonates»]
The moment he finished reading the message, a sheep appeared beside him, looking completely normal if not for the steel helmet on its head.
As soon as it appeared, the first thing it did was look at Daniel, then turn its head toward the Balrog and narrow its eyes in clear challenge.
"Beeee!!!!" it bleated, determined to fulfill the mission of its life, choosing its target without hesitation, not caring that its summoner was within the blast radius.
Daniel's eyes widened in panic. "STOP!" he tried to halt it, but of course, it didn't work.
The sheep swelled up and exploded right between them.
"BOOOM!"
The fiery blast engulfed them both completely, launching Daniel and the Balrog into the air as the area shook from the impact.
After several seconds, the Balrog was the first to get back up, barely steady, its flames flickering.
[Creature obtained «Mysterious Egg: Chicken or Dragon? Only time will tell when it hatches»]
An egg appeared near both of them, rolling slightly across the ground, but neither paid it any attention as the situation didn't allow it.
Daniel tried to stand, failing as his leg buckled under his own weight.
The explosion had broken it, and it wasn't healing.
"Stupid sheep…" he cursed the dumb animal, frustrated.
The Balrog grabbed him again, this time with one hand, since when it tried to raise the other, it failed, clearly broken from the explosion, though that didn't seem to bother it.
It didn't need both hands to finish the job.
It held him tightly while opening its jaws, determined to rip his head off once and for all.
Daniel struggled to break free, panic setting in as he forced his body to respond, thrashing as the screen of his last gacha appeared.
[Item obtained «Smile Fruit Bag: Artificial Zoan-type Devil Fruits created from SAD»]
A bag of fruits materialized in his hands, and an idea formed instantly, almost instinctively. He grabbed one without hesitation as the Balrog was already about to bite him, so he extended his arm without thinking.
The Balrog bit down.
In an instant, Daniel's arm was gone, and despite the pain, he could only laugh.
"Hahaha… you're such an idiot…" he mocked.
As soon as it swallowed, its face twisted in disgust, releasing Daniel almost immediately.
It staggered back in alarm as its body began to warp unnaturally, changing without pause until it finally started to shrink, losing size until it became something smaller, slimmer, and far less intimidating.
Daniel watched closely, waiting for the transformation to be painful.
The process lasted a few seconds before stopping, leaving behind a completely different figure, smaller and clearly female.
[Image]
Daniel fell silent for a moment, surprised, just like the purple-haired girl behind the pillar. Both of them stared at the result.
"I wasn't expecting that…," he said, not hiding his surprise.
The truth was, he already knew about Smile fruits, and what he had expected was for it to turn into some kind of useless, amorphous beast, something that wouldn't even be able to attack. He hadn't imagined it would end up becoming some kind of fire demon girl… missing half her head.
The now Balrog looked at her new body, clearly disturbed, trying to revert back and failing completely.
"What have you done to me, human?" she demanded, speaking for the first time in the language of the Valar.
Daniel raised an eyebrow. "Oh, now you talk?" he asked mockingly, completely losing his fear.
The creature tensed, surprised. "How do you know the language of the gods?"
Daniel shrugged, more confident now, not giving it importance, already with a plan in mind.
The Balrog wasn't satisfied with his answer and tried to lunge at him, but barely managed to move before her own body betrayed her.
[Aphrodisiac Essence x10]
"Wah—?!"
The moment she tried to attack, her body completely failed her. A shudder ran through her, her knees gave out instantly, and a strange heat gathered in her abdomen, making her overly sensitive and forcing her to stop.
Daniel smirked arrogantly. "I'm pretty sure you regret eating my arm now," he mocked, forcing himself to get closer despite his injured leg.
"I'm not gonna lie… this wasn't my plan, but it works for me," he added before raising his fist and punching her in the face.
"Now stay down," he ordered.
The Balrog didn't obey, forcing herself to stand despite the new sensations running through her.
"You're no one to give me orders!!" she growled, but the moment she tried to move forward, another wave of pleasure shot through her like lightning.
[Aphrodisiac Essence x15]
"HAAAHHHMM—!"
A moan escaped her lips as her legs tensed on reflex.
"Stay down," he ordered again.
The Balrog clenched her teeth. "No!"
Daniel narrowed his eyes. "That wasn't a question…," he said, tightening his fist before striking her again, determined to make her understand, one way or another, that this was no longer a fight.
[Aphrodisiac Essence x20]
"Stay down."
"MMMNH—! No!"
[Aphrodisiac Essence x30]
"Obey."
"Nnnghaa—! Nhooo… ♡"
[Aphrodisiac Essence x40]
"Submit!"
After what felt like hours, her body finally gave in, collapsing to the ground, trembling in spasms, writhing and gasping uncontrollably, unable to hold herself up or even lift her head, completely overwhelmed by the strange magic.
Daniel raised his fist once more, ready to continue the "negotiations," but stopped when he heard a weak, broken whimper.
"I give up…," she gasped.
Right after that, her body went completely limp, falling unconscious, but still alive.
[GIF with a possible preview of the next chapter's plot]
—//—
Author's Note:
First, the important part: below I left the second part of the KonoSuba fanfic idea I had. Some people don't read past the author's notes, so they usually miss the extra chapters.
With that said, you can skip the rest.
Now for the boring part: some people asked about Rosella's and GLaDOS's backstories, and I didn't make them up… well, only half of them.
Rosella is actually part of Adventure Time, from Marceline's scrapbook. What really happens there is that Hunson Abadeer does eat Rosella's soul.
And about GLaDOS, she was created from Caroline, Cave Johnson's assistant, and she still retains part of her inside; that part is canon.
Why am I explaining this? Sometimes I forget people have lives and don't have time to dig through the lore of the series I include.
Anyway, I'll stop writing before I ramble too much. Leave a comment if you want me to write faster…
Kisses and hugs.
—//—
[KonoSuba Fanfic Chapter #2]
In the city of Axel, inside a modest clothing shop, Benka, a young woman with pink hair and the owner of the place, went about her daily routine, creating, repairing, and selling garments as the day passed in a fairly normal way.
[Image]
Ding Dong!
The sound of the doorbell broke the routine, making Benka, who had her back to the counter while arranging some clothes, turn around quickly to attend to her new and potential customer.
She put on her best salesperson smile.
"Good morni—AAAAAHH!!"
Her smile vanished instantly, replaced by a scream as she saw the intruder's face: strange hair, sharp teeth, and threatening eyes that didn't convey anything good.
She had no doubt about what was happening.
"I'm being robbed!" she thought in panic, raising her hands almost on instinct.
"Take the money from the register," she said, pointing at the cash register beside her as she stepped back slightly. "But don't hurt me…"
She pleaded while cooperating, although in reality the register barely had any money; most of it was well hidden in a secret compartment, precisely for situations like this.
The thief didn't react, not even to her panic. "I'm not here to rob you."
His words surprised Benka for a moment, freezing her expression, but quickly her face shifted from fear to something worse.
Horror.
"If he's not here for my money, then…"
Her gaze dropped to her own chest, her pupils shrinking as her hands moved quickly to cover herself.
"Goddess Eris, why did you make me so attractive?" she cursed the gods in silence for making her so beautiful. Deep down, she had always known that being this pretty would one day bring her trouble.
"Please, don't hurt me," she begged urgently. "I'm saving myself for marriage!"
The thief's face changed, but not to what she expected. Instead, it twisted into clear disgust.
"I'm not going to touch you," he replied, his tone full of revulsion.
The impact was immediate. Benka stopped trembling at once, her expression shifting into confusion as the light in her eyes dimmed.
Did a filthy thief just reject her?
She couldn't help but question it, feeling an unexpected irritation. Was she not beautiful enough, not even by a criminal's standards?
Her gaze locked onto his, now steadier and more defiant than before.
"Why?" she asked.
The man tilted his head slightly, observing her with curiosity. "Do you want me to?"
The question snapped her out of it instantly. "No!" she answered firmly, almost offended.
The guy didn't seem affected in the slightest by her rejection.
"Good, because I'm not going to."
There was a brief silence, awkward and strange.
"Why?"
Benka blushed when she realized she had asked the same thing again, pressing her lips together without knowing how to justify herself, but luckily she didn't have to.
"Look, I only came here because I heard they buy clothes," he said, stepping forward as he placed a garment, his coat, on the table. "And I wanted to know how much I'd get for this."
It took Benka a moment to process the situation, blinking a couple of times. This guy wasn't a thief.
He was a customer.
Embarrassment hit her all at once, forcing her to avoid his gaze.
"I'll check the item…," she muttered without looking up, taking the coat carefully, though without expecting anything special.
However, the moment she examined it, her eyes widened in surprise, her embarrassment fading almost instantly.
The garment was extremely well made. The fabric was high quality, with a properly fitted inner lining; the cuts were clean and precise, and most impressive of all, the stitching was fine, uniform, and consistent, something genuinely difficult to achieve.
Benka lifted the piece carefully, analyzing it with attention, and couldn't help but feel excited.
"This is high-quality tailoring!" she thought.
Her eyes shone brightly as she focused on the stitching and finishing details, but she quickly lowered the garment when she noticed her new customer staring at her like she was some kind of weirdo, freezing for a second before composing herself.
She continued inspecting the coat more discreetly, running her fingers over the fabric as she turned it slightly, clearly fascinated. But as she did, several questions began to form in her mind.
"Why is a garment this well made in the hands of someone like him?" She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, evaluating him with suspicion.
"Did he steal it?"
She shook her head almost immediately, dismissing the idea as she went back to examining the coat. This wasn't something made at random. It was part of a set, and it was clearly tailored to fit him.
That changed things, but it didn't answer the question. "Who is this guy?"
Her expression turned more analytical, her eyes narrowing slightly.
There were only two kinds of people who usually had clothes of this level: criminals with resources… or nobles. And since he hadn't stolen it, that left only one option.
"Is he a noble?"
She gave him a once-over, from head to toe, pausing at his posture and overall presence. He carried himself with confidence and dressed like a noble… but his face ruined it.
It wasn't like all nobles were attractive, but she had never heard of one like him. And besides, it made no sense for a noble to be selling his clothes in a shop like hers.
Then it clicked. "A fallen noble," she thought, her eyes widening in realization.
She brought a hand to her chin, nodding to herself, putting the pieces together in her head with surprising speed, clearly satisfied with her own conclusion.
"He was probably exiled by his family because of his appearance…"
A small tear formed at the corner of her eye as she looked at him with a mix of pity and understanding.
"Reduced to the point of having to sell his own clothes…"
But her sympathy didn't last long.
Her face changed instantly; the tear retreated as if it had never been there, replaced by a predatory, calculating smile.
"I'll give you 10,000 Eris for the coat," she offered in a cold tone, holding a wide smile as she already imagined how much she could make by adding a few details and reselling it to a real noble, one with money.
The guy nodded calmly, as if he understood perfectly.
"Thank you for your time," he said in a neutral tone, taking the coat without hesitation and turning toward the exit.
Benka stood frozen, her smile stuck on her face as she processed what had just happened.
A second later, she reacted. "Wait, wait!" she repeated several times, quickly moving to get in front of him and block the door with her body.
"Didn't you like my offer?"
The man nodded without hesitation. "I think I can get more in other shops. Thanks for your time… now, if you could move."
He tried to step forward, but Benka didn't budge an inch.
"13,000 Eris!" she blurted out, adjusting her stance in front of the door.
The guy didn't respond, simply staring at her while trying to push her aside with force, but Benka held on tighter, planting herself firmly and refusing to move.
"15,000 Eris!" she raised her voice, insisting, but still getting no positive reaction.
Her grip on the door began to falter as she noticed the difference in strength, and without thinking too much about it, she made an unthinkable decision for her: she offered a fair deal.
"20,000 Eris! And that's my final offer!"
The guy stopped trying to move her, going completely still. Their eyes met.
Benka held his gaze firmly, not backing down.
"Your clothes aren't just second-hand, they're tailored to you," she explained in a firm tone, maintaining her composure. "There aren't many people who can wear them, and if I want to sell them, I'll have to adjust them, and that costs money."
She pressed her back harder against the door, not yielding. "So you can't ask for more!!"
There was a brief but tense silence, until a smug smile formed on the guy's face.
"I accept your offer…," he said with a slight grin, pointing at the clothes he was still wearing. "I assume you're interested in having the full set, right?"
Benka let her head drop in defeat. "Yes…" she sighed, tired.
The next instant, she dropped to her knees in front of him and started unbuttoning his pants with determination.
The guy reacted immediately, placing both hands on her head and pushing her back. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked, clearly confused.
Benka refused to stop, insisting on taking them off.
"They're my pants now, I paid for them!" she said while trying to pull them down, frowning when he didn't cooperate. "Stop moving! If you damage them, I won't pay you anything!"
The struggle continued, both of them moving back and forth, pushing and resisting without coordination, creating quite a scene.
At that moment, the shop door opened.
Ding dong.
The bell rang again, but neither of them heard it, too focused on their struggle.
A neighbor of Benka's, who had been interested in a dress in the display window, walked in just in time to witness the scene.
Benka, her adorable neighbor, was on her knees with her hands on the hips of a rather unattractive man, while he held her head firmly, both of them grunting and moving back and forth in rough motions.
From her angle, she couldn't see exactly what was happening, but she didn't need to.
"Sorry for the interruption!" she shouted before rushing out of the shop at full speed, covering her mouth, clearly shocked and already ready to spread the gossip to anyone willing to listen.
The struggle continued for a few more minutes, until they finally stopped after reaching an agreement.
Benka, now behind the counter with a noticeable bump on her head, counted the agreed payment.
She handed over the amount for all the garments, except for the underwear and socks, which she had refused to buy.
The guy, of course, wasn't left naked, since he was now wearing the simplest and cheapest outfit in the shop.
"What a cheapskate…," she thought, throwing him a disdainful look as she finished counting the last coins. "You've got your money, do you need anything else?"
The man nodded, slipping a hand into his pocket and pulling out a small square object.
With a flick, it opened in two, revealing a small mirror on one side. When he pressed one of the edges, the mirror lit up softly.
"Do you know what this is?" he asked.
Benka looked at the magical device with curiosity, leaning forward slightly, narrowing her eyes as she tried to recognize it.
It felt familiar.
She thought for a few seconds, digging through her memory, until she finally remembered.
"There's something like that in Wiz's shop!" she exclaimed, a bit excited.
She clearly remembered seeing a similar item during one of her visits.
"Are you planning to sell that too?" she asked, more out of curiosity than real interest, since her business was clothing, not magical items.
The guy closed the device and shrugged indifferently. "Maybe."
He didn't add anything else, just turned around to leave.
This time, Benka didn't block his path, but she did stop him with one last question.
"What's your name?"
The guy turned slightly, thoughtful for a moment. "Ryo is enough," he said before continuing on his way and leaving the shop.
Benka puffed her cheeks, convinced that wasn't his real name. "Ryo" sounded fake, but she didn't give it much importance.
He was a noble, and nobles were usually weird.
She decided to let it go, focusing on her new acquisitions, running her hand over the garments as she calculated how much she could make by reselling them.
—/—
Ryo, as he had decided to call himself, since "Ryota" sounded too Japanese and easily recognizable to other reincarnated people, preferring to avoid any encounter with them for now, walked calmly down the street.
Holding his new bag of coins, he headed in the direction the girl had given him, noticing with some satisfaction that with his new set of clothes, he drew far less attention from people.
That alone was already an improvement.
The weight of the bag felt pleasant.
The truth was, he hadn't been sure anyone would buy his clothes. Even though in his original world they were high quality, he didn't know how they would be evaluated in this one.
Still, in the end, he had obtained 80,000 Eris after selling everything, including the shoes.
Did that mean he wouldn't have money problems anymore?
The answer was pretty obvious: of course not.
Because, although 80,000 Eris might seem like a lot at first glance, it was actually around 500 dollars, a conversion he had figured out thanks to the information from the book he stole from Aqua.
A fairly small amount if he was planning to acquire adventurer gear.
His gaze stopped at the display window of a weapon shop, focusing on the cheapest sword they had on display, marked with a price tag of 15,000 Eris.
Ryo frowned, feeling a slight discomfort, shifting his attention to his phone, a somewhat old model he still had.
"Maybe I can get more for this…," he thought, without much attachment.
After all, he had no emotional ties to his belongings, and in this world they wouldn't be particularly useful either. He preferred to build a solid foundation before acting recklessly.
No rushing into fighting monsters unprepared.
He put the phone away and took out Aqua's book, opening it as he walked carefully, reviewing its contents once more, stopping at a specific section.
Death statistics of reincarnated individuals.
Curiously, most of them died within the first month for different reasons such as overconfidence, misuse of abilities, or reliance on powerful items. That was without even counting the ridiculous deaths, like being caught off guard, falling into simple traps, or losing their weapons mid-combat.
Ryo flipped through the pages calmly. He had no interest in becoming just another statistic.
He wasn't in a hurry to go adventuring. His plans were clear: first get money, then equipment, and only then go to the guild to register. Besides, there were still many things he needed to understand.
He continued reading attentively, going over the headings: economy, laws, adventurer classes, monsters, and more.
He didn't plan to jump to another world either, at least not yet.
Even though he felt like he could do it, understanding his ability almost intuitively, there was an obvious problem: he didn't know which world he would end up in.
There was no screen, no indicator, no warning telling him whether the world he would go to would be more dangerous than the one he was currently in.
He closed the book, ending his reading for the moment. Preparation was still the best way to secure his future.
He kept walking at a steady pace and, after about thirty minutes, arrived at his destination: Wiz's shop.
It wasn't the largest he had seen since arriving, but it wasn't the smallest either.
As soon as he entered, he immediately noticed the variety of merchandise in the place. There were potions, scrolls, books, and some stones he assumed were special, probably with some kind of magical property.
He didn't have much time to look around, as at that moment a somewhat nervous-looking woman, with wavy brown hair and rather prominent breasts, came out from the back room.
"Sorry for the wait!"
Wiz, the shop owner, apologized with a quick small bow, straightening up right away with a slightly nervous smile on her face.
"Is there something I can help you with?"
Ryo liked her reaction, much more professional compared to the last shop he had visited. Not wanting to waste her time, he reached into his pocket, took out his phone, and placed it on the counter.
"I was told you might have something like this here."
Wiz leaned over the counter, observing the phone carefully for a few seconds, until suddenly her eyes widened in recognition.
"Ohhhh!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands together, clearly excited. "Where did you get this?"
Ryo shrugged. "A family heirloom… I assume you recognize it, right?"
Wiz nodded energetically before starting to move around the shop, rummaging through shelves and boxes with obvious enthusiasm.
"Here it is!" she said, raising a small box into the air.
She returned to the counter in front of him and opened it carefully, revealing an object similar to Ryo's phone, though from a brand he didn't recognize and with a much older appearance.
Wiz showed it proudly. "This is a relic from 300 years ago," she explained, holding it with both hands.
Ryo didn't dare touch it, as it looked like it could break at any moment.
"They're very similar…," Wiz added, though a bit embarrassed. "Although yours is in much better condition."
Ryo tried to follow what she was saying, but his mind was already occupied trying to understand how that phone could be 300 years old.
He could only come to one conclusion: there was probably a world with technology more advanced than his own. The idea intrigued him, sparking his interest in finding it.
He set that thought aside for now. "Are you interested in buying it?" he asked, interrupting Wiz, who hadn't stopped talking.
"Wait… didn't you say it was a family heirloom?"
Ryo nodded without hesitation, sticking to his story. "It is, but I'm not attached to it, and I need the money right now."
Wiz nodded slowly, believing she understood his situation.
"I'd love to buy it!" she agreed without hesitation, but her cheerful tone quickly faded. "...but I really don't have enough money to do so."
Ryo didn't see her situation as a problem. "I'm willing to make a deal," he said, a faint smile forming on his face, showing his sharp teeth.
Wiz looked at him for a moment… and then, unexpectedly, covered her chest with both hands, looking away as she blushed.
"I'm not that kind of girl…," she murmured shyly.
A vein twitched slightly on Ryo's forehead, though he kept his composure. "I meant that if you can sell my relic, you can keep a portion."
Wiz's blush disappeared almost instantly.
"Ah…" She blinked a couple of times, then smiled normally again.
"That sounds like a good deal!" she accepted without hesitation.
They spent the next hour discussing the details and drafting a formal contract, something Ryo quite appreciated. Wiz proved to be surprisingly serious during the process, carefully reviewing every point.
In the end, they agreed on an 80-20 profit split that satisfied both of them.
Once they were done, Ryo didn't stay any longer than necessary. The day was already moving along, and he wasn't about to risk sleeping on a park bench.
He left the shop, adjusting his coin pouch as he began looking for a place to spend the night.
As he walked, he noticed several people looking at him.
Especially adult women, who watched him with curiosity, some even whispering among themselves.
"They say he left the poor girl hoarse…"
He managed to overhear.
Ryo frowned slightly, not understanding what they were referring to, deciding that his best option was to ignore them and keep walking.
—//—
Author's Note 2:
That's the idea for Chapter 2. Of course, in the next one I was planning to include a time skip, since I didn't intend to show the MC working like a dog for an entire month.
I'd skip that part, giving a summary of what he did during that time, and then move on to more important things like finding companions, choosing a class, leveling up, or learning skills, things like that.
Was it necessary to use the name Benka? No, but the truth is I needed a name and an image for the character, so I reused it.
Leave a comment and maybe I'll feel motivated to write the next part or post another idea I had.