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Hayato learned that the goddess had summoned him to stop the previous hero. But because of the outdated summoning, he arrived as an ordinary human, with no blessings or powers, armed only with a handbook of the world's knowledge.
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THUD!
Before she even completed her sentence, I landed on my ass in some godforsaken wasteland. It felt like my hip bone cracked, heroes shouldn't be welcomed like that.
Forget blessings or anything, I just wished a few kind folks were on the walls to say hi, maybe hand me a warm meal. But nothing happened!
Anyway, I got to my feet, dusted myself off, and looked around. There was nothing but a few dry trees and rocks here and there. I felt no less than a prisoner exiled to dead lands.
Hayato:
"Did I come here to save the world, or just to be exiled to the dead lands?!"
After pacing around in despair for a while, I wanted to see if the handbook the goddess gave me could help with anything. Maybe a map to a town, or any hint at all... I pulled it from my pocket and started reading.
Hayato:
"Hmm... hmmmm!"
After struggling for a while to make sense of what the book was about, blood rushed to my head and I slammed it shut in frustration.
Hayato:
"I don't even know this world's language!"
Then, gathering all my strength, as if taking revenge on the goddess herself, I hurled the book like a meteor at the massive rock ahead.
Hayato:
"What the hell is the use of this damn book then?!"
But how was I supposed to know the rock I tossed the book at was actually a snoozing giant turtle? And not just any other, this thing could easily rival a two-story building without even stretcing its legs.
I tried to sneak away, slipping off quietly without being noticed while it turned its head left and right like a grumpy guard looking for the source of the trouble.
It didn't take long for it to see me. As soon as our eyes met, it started sprinting towards me. Turns out turtles could run in this world, who knew?
Hayato:
"Hey, sorry if I bothered you, I-I really didn't mean to—"
It gave no sign that it cared about what I said or even understood a single word. I had no choice but to run with all my strength just to stay ahead, feeling its hot breath on my neck.
For a while, I ran aimlessly, left and right, but that damn thing wasn't letting up. Gasping for breath, with nothing to hide behind, it felt like the flat, empty expanse held only two of us.
Then I saw a rocky hill ahead and started running toward it as fast as I could, while the giant turtle closed in with every second.
Just as it seemed about to catch me, I spotted what looked like a cave entrance, and with a surge of hope, I pushed myself to the limit and ran even faster.
Hayato:
"Not yet, not yet... I didn't come here to be a turtle's snack!"
When I got closer, I realized it really was a cave entrance. Taking a deep breath, I launched myself inside like a prematurely launched space rocket.
I crashed headfirst, rolled over twice, and finally stopped. Behind me, I saw the turtle skidding with all its strength, trying to stop itself. In the end, it managed to halt just a hair's breadth from the cave entrance.
The turtle looked at the entrance from top to bottom, then backed away. Soon, it returned carrying a rock almost as big as my head in its mouth and hurled it inside.
I wasn't expecting that, so I had no chance to escape. I just covered my head with my arms and shut my eyes. But, hopefully, nothing bad happened.
When I opened my eyes, the huge rock was falling like tiny grains of sand, almost invisible. That was the moment I realized something was strange about the entrance.
The turtle seemed to realize too. It gave me one last angry look, then turned and left in frustration. It was as if it knew it couldn't get through the gate. But how I even managed to pass, it made no sense.
Soon, a bold, scary voice rose from behind. It didn't sound far, and the cave was small, so I couldn't tell if it was right next to me or even in my own head.
Voice:
"Who's there?!"
Hayato:
"Ah, sorry for bothering you, I was just leaving..."
I wasn't ready for another encounter. I wanted to leave there immediately, but a sudden doubt stopped me. I had gotten in somehow, but could I get out? I froze. Then the voice rose again.
Voice:
"Come here."
Hayato:
"W-where?"
Voice:
"The center of the cave."
Not knowing what might happen, I nervously stepped toward the voice. Outside was a giant turtle ready to crush me, inside was a being that could at least talk to me.
I didn't have many options, so not knowing what would happen next, I walked down toward the center of the cave with trembling steps.
So, I reached the center, where a small waterfall formed a pool and stalagmites sparkled. At its base, a tiny, flickering flame hovered, almost dying, and I stood before it.
Then that same scary voice spoke again. I jumped in fear. No one was around, so I was confused, trying to find where it came from.
Voice:
"Strange, truly interesting!"
Hayato:
"W-what exactly, and where are you?"
Voice:
"Right in front of you."
I turned to look at the waterfall again. Although it seemed unlikely, having just seen a marathon-running giant turtle, I figured there was a chance, so I spoke.
Hayato:
"The waterfall? Am I talking to you?"
Voice:
"No, fool, I am the flame before you."
I couldn't say I expected it, but fire or water didn't matter. After all, I was talking to some kind of spirit, I guessed, and at least it wasn't another giant monster.
Hayato:
"Oh, my bad, I-I wasn't expecting it's you."
Voice:
"So tell me, What kind of creature are you?"
Hayato:
"What? I'm just an ordinary human."
Voice:
"Stop mocking me, brat! I don't sense any human in you... in fact, I can't sense anything at all. You're nothing but a ghost."
Hayato:
"A ghost?! Am I already dead? Is it... because I went through the enterance?"