The cold moonlight bathed the earth, and the peaceful forest was filled with the sounds of frogs and insects. Fireflies danced through the air in a display of natural harmony. Roy sat leaning against a large tree. As the effects of the Level 7 Experience Card faded, he felt as if his entire body was falling apart.
"Tch, that damn pig..." he muttered. Ottar was incredibly thick-skinned—a durability forged under the literal fists of the Zeus and Hera Familias.
As the Freya Familia suspected, Roy wasn't a Level 8. Though his raw stats were higher, he was still in the same bracket. Trading an all-out blow with a full-power Ottar had left him significantly injured. However, he wasn't nearly as bad off as his opponent.
The Freya Familia would never find him. The moment their strike ended, he used the massive dust cloud as cover to make his escape. As long as he wasn't inside the Dungeon, he could transfer to another world at any time—that was his true trump card. Trying to take on the strongest Familia in Orario with just a thirty-minute card without an escape route would have been suicide.
As the invincible power of a Level 7 receded, an endless sense of emptiness followed. Falling from the heavens back to the valley floor was jarring, but Roy didn't linger on the feeling. A temporary card was just that—not his own power. Becoming obsessed with it would only hinder his growth.
"Using that card to slap the Freya Familia across the face and vent my anger was enough. I've glimpsed the peak of 'The Strongest.' One day, I'll reach that level on my own and defeat Ottar fairly."
Roy opened his system panel:
Dungeon/World:Inuyasha
Level: LV.2 ~ LV.6
Description: The Sengoku period of Japan, five hundred years ago—a land crawling with demons, ghosts, and monsters.
Primary Mission: Slay the Centipede Demon (Mistress Centipede). Reward: 50 Stat Points.
Side Mission: Slay Naraku and his incarnations...
Roy had chosen this world before even engaging the Freya Familia. There was too much heat back in Orario, and that crazy woman Freya wouldn't let things go easily. He needed to finish his primary mission and return. Mistress Centipede wasn't particularly powerful; even the exorcists and monks of this world could handle her.
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Starting with an Elf (305 Chapters, Ongoing)
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"Grandmother Kaede! I really saw a boy here, lying under the tree." "Who besides a demon would be in the forest at this time of night?"
Several figures pushed through the brush. It was a group of farmers led by an old woman in priestess robes with an eyepatch over her right eye. Seeing Roy, the group froze, their faces etched with suspicion.
Kaede approached cautiously, pulled out a pouch, and tossed a handful of coarse salt at Roy. Seeing no reaction, she relaxed. "He is human. Do not worry."
Roy brushed the salt off his clothes. This was the ancient Japanese method for identifying demons.
"How did you end up in a place like this?" Kaede asked. "Got into a fight with a wild boar..." Roy replied vaguely.
Kaede studied him with a meaningful gaze before sighing. "If you have nowhere to stay, you may rest at my place for now." "Thank you. I'll take you up on that."
Roy smiled. Being hit by that "boar" (Ottar) had left him aching and dizzy; he needed a day or two to recover. Though he had food and a tent in his storage ring, he didn't fancy camping in a forest full of man-eating demons. He followed them back to the village and into Kaede's humble wooden hut.
"Drink this. We have little else in a place like this," Kaede said, pouring him a bowl of hot broth. Roy looked down to see a few chunks of carrot and some unrecognizable wild greens floating in a thin liquid. He took a sip. It tasted of nothing but a hint of salt. His palate had been spoiled by the fine dining in Orario, but he didn't complain, drinking it down for the warmth.
"In these chaotic times, I will not pester you about your origins," Kaede said, stoking the fire. She had realized Roy's mannerisms were those of someone from a great city, not a peasant.
After a night of rest and a few casts of [Noah Heal], Roy was mostly recovered. The spell was slow to act but highly effective, especially when cast in a forest. God bless Lyu-san, he thought.
The next day, Roy was preparing to hunt the Centipede Demon when he saw villagers gathering. He pushed through the crowd to find exactly what he expected: a girl in a sailor uniform tied up on the ground.
It was Kagome Higurashi, the reincarnation of the priestess Kikyo. Because of the Shikon Jewel within her, she had traveled through the Bone-Eater's Well to the Sengoku period.
Roy stepped forward and smiled. "You're from the modern era, aren't you? This might sound strange, but this is five hundred years before your time. You came through the well at the shrine."
Kagome's eyes widened as she instantly grasped the situation. "Are you... from there too?"
Roy wasn't actually her countryman, but he turned to Kaede. "Grandmother Kaede, look closely. Doesn't her face look like someone you know?"
Kaede leaned in, startled. She grabbed Kagome's cheeks. "Make a more intelligent expression." Kagome rolled her eyes. I am intelligent!
"Could it be...?" Kaede looked at Roy in disbelief. Roy smiled. "Exactly. She is the reincarnation of the priestess Kikyo."
Kaede's eyes welled with tears. The misunderstanding cleared, the villagers dispersed, and they moved to Kaede's hut.
"Thank you so much. I don't know how long they would have kept me tied up," Kagome said, rubbing her sore wrists. After Roy's explanation, she realized she was in a lawless, monster-infested era. Roy laughed. "I'm just a guest here too, though I got here a day earlier than you."
His gaze lingered briefly on Kagome's side. He could feel a faint ripple of energy. The Shikon Jewel.