Escaping from the discarded ruin with a zero percent survival rate.
Basking in the pleasant sunlight, taking a short break—
Yeah, that's not happening.
"There's a marker at the entrance that only the inspection team, which periodically checks the ruin, can recognize… And that marker has never shown any change."
Those were the shitty goddess's words right before I was discarded.
I stay alert and hide behind a pillar.
For now, I don't see any surveillance facilities or watchers.
I repeat the goddess's words in my mind.
"The inspection team that periodically checks the ruin."
So they're not always nearby.
After confirming no human presence, I examine the area around the ruin's entrance.
Nothing seems different.
No sign of this supposed marker either.
"She said it was a 'marker only the inspection team can recognize'…"
In that case, disguising it would be difficult.
I should assume it's only a matter of time before they realize I escaped.
The ruin's door has already closed.
The moment I stepped outside, it slammed shut with astonishing force.
It almost felt like it was saying, "Hurry up and get out!"
Maybe because I killed too many of the ruin's monsters.
I couldn't recover the golden gem needed for escape.
I had planned to sell it for money if I could retrieve it…
But things don't always go that smoothly.
The area near the exit is a ruined landscape.
Or you could call it a picturesque scene with the charm of cultural heritage.
It resembles the ancient ruins you see in textbook photos.
I quickly scout the nearby area.
This ruin zone appears to be inside a forest.
I decide to leave this place.
I already said my farewells when I escaped.
There's no reason for me to stay here anymore.
▽
I discover a path that looks like it's used by people.
A dirt trail with exposed soil.
The ground is packed firm from footsteps.
Probably the path the inspection team uses.
If so, it's better not to take this road.
"Captain! There are unfamiliar footprints on the path!"
I'd rather not end up in that kind of scene later…
I decide to move through the woods slightly off the path.
"If there's even a small water source, I'd like to wash my body…"
Even though I escaped, there's a mountain of things I need to do.
I want to take care of them one by one, muttering to myself like I got used to in the ruin.
I stop.
"Status, open."
[Touka Mimori]
LV1789
HP: +5367
MP: +59037
Attack: +5367
Defense: +5367
Vitality: +5367
Speed: +5367
Intelligence: +5367
[Title: E-Rank Hero]
Only MP is on a completely different scale.
But that's not what I want to check right now.
I display the skill section.
What I want to confirm are the two skills that leveled up.
[Paralyze / LV3 / MP Cost 10 / Multiple Target Designation / Voluntary Release / Partial Release (Head)]
[Poison / LV3 / MP Cost 10 / Multiple Target Designation / Voluntary Release / Non-Lethal Setting]
New entries have been added.
Both now have [Voluntary Release].
Inside the ruin, I never felt the need to release the effects.
I hadn't realized it, but apparently I couldn't release them before.
Now I can cancel them at will.
If there's a monster nearby later, I'll test it…
Next is [Paralyze]'s [Partial Release (Head)].
I focus on the "Head" in parentheses.
Does that mean I can voluntarily release only the head?
That seems useful for targets I want to immobilize but still let speak.
Then there's [Poison]'s [Non-Lethal Setting].
Basically, I think it means I can set the poison so it doesn't kill.
If I think of it game-style, maybe it leaves HP at 1?
This might actually be quite useful.
Though the ways I'd use it probably aren't very praiseworthy.
"..."
If I can apply the effect, it would be the perfect skill for that shitty goddess.
"I'll test the additional abilities of [Poison] when I get the chance."
I close the status screen and take a cola from the leather pouch.
This cola is from quite a while ago.
The last sip.
I'll drink it as a celebration for surviving the ruin.
I gulp it down in one go.
Naturally, the carbonation is gone.
But this rich sweetness soaks into my exhausted body…
"Fuu."
I keep the empty plastic bottle for now.
If I find a clean river, I can fill it with water.
I start walking again.
There are plenty of things to think about.
But one at a time.
Trying to think of everything at once just confuses me.
I'm not good at multitasking.
"Now then."
First, I should find a village or town.
I want to get an inn and rest.
I also need to sort out clothing.
I'd like to change out of the uniform under this robe.
The original world's uniform might stand out too much.
There's no point drawing excessive attention right now.
I also want to know my current location.
Is this within Alion Kingdom's territory?
Near the center?
Or the frontier?
Or maybe a different country altogether.
Worst case, it could be across the sea.
If possible, I want a map.
Fortunately, I have the silver coins and gems I got in the ruin.
Not being completely broke is reassuring.
Still, I need to learn the value of silver coins and gems.
I should get a rough sense of prices too.
I received macro-level information from the goddess right after summoning.
But I got no micro-level details.
I'll have to confirm those as I go.
"And then—"
I glance at the leather pouch on my shoulder.
The forbidden curse spellbook.
I need to gather information about this.
It might become a power I can use against the goddess.
"Come to think of it."
Can I learn it myself?
If someone teaches me the language, could I become a forbidden curse user too?
Or is it limited to certain races?
That's something I need to clarify.
"I need to collect as much information as possible about forbidden curses."
And also,
"I want a sword."
The words slipped out unintentionally.
Aside from MP, I consider my other status values low.
That's how I've been thinking so far.
I recall my memories from inside the ruin.
In the latter half, I almost never ran out of stamina.
I never felt sick either.
The fatigue in my legs even seemed to lessen as I climbed higher.
Even though the leather pouch has more contents now, it feels lighter than before.
So the correction values are definitely taking effect.
However, even after breaking LV1000, the Soul Eater and the ruin's monsters continued to perceive me as a "weakling."
In the ruin, even at LV1000+, I was still the "weakest."
In a sense, I'm probably a rearguard mage type.
Not a frontline warrior type.
That's what I was thinking.
So unconsciously,
"I want a sword."
The words just came out.
"A shield-bearing bodyguard would be reassuring…"
If I had a "sword" to guard my back while I cast status ailments, I could focus on activating skills without worry.
In the ruin, I used walls behind me to minimize blind spots as much as possible.
That only worked because the ruin had so many walls.
On the surface, that won't always be possible.
"..."
In the future, hiring a skilled mercenary specifically to counter the goddess might be an option.
"Or maybe build my own mercenary band."
To achieve revenge, I want multiple layers of countermeasures.
An unidentified forbidden curse power.
It's dangerous to rely too heavily on the forbidden curse.
I scratch my head.
"If my status ailment skills worked on that shitty goddess, I could probably wrap up revenge much more easily… But things don't go that conveniently in this world either."
Can't be helped.
Not everything will go my way.
In fact, considering my status ailment skills and the leather pouch's abilities, things might actually be too convenient for me.
"And then there's the 『Forbidden Arts Compendium』 I got from the Great Sage—I should make time to read through its contents—"
A presence.
I shut my mouth and raise my alertness.
No killing intent—
But I sense aggression.
A monster?
I peer out from behind a tree.
"Pigii!"
"Pigi!?"
"Piggiggiggi!"
"Piggii!"
Blue, round, quivering, semi-transparent creatures.
"That's—"
From what I can see, six of them.
"Slimes, huh?"