Chapter 7 - First Battle in Another World!
"You don't need to say it; I can feel his strength," Torajirou Shirou thought, facing the seemingly ordinary Raul.
Despite his unassuming appearance, Torajirou Shirou felt a significant oppressive aura; underestimating him would surely lead to a huge mistake.
Then, Raul spoke, "Hello, my name is Raul Nord, a second-class adventurer of Loki Familia. You can just call me Raul. I look forward to our duel."
"My name is Torajirou Shirou. Please take care of me," Torajirou Shirou responded.
Raul then asked someone to fetch a wooden sword from the storage room.
"What weapon do you prefer, Torajirou-san? I can have someone bring you one."
"Thank you, but no need. I have my own preferred weapon," Torajirou Shirou said as he summoned his Device.
"This is my weapon. In Illusionary Form, it won't actually hurt anyone; it will just knock them out due to exhaustion of stamina."
Raul hadn't responded yet when Loki, observing them, became even more excited.
"Oh! A magic that targets stamina! You really have brought me quite a few surprises. To think that a human could awaken magic on their own."
However, Torajirou Shirou didn't respond to Loki's comments.
Instead, he charged at Raul, drawing his sword from its sheath in the three steps that separated them, a move he was most proficient at.
This move might have been effective against a typical level 1 adventurer, but not against Raul, who was far beyond the realm of ordinary humans as a level 4 adventurer.
Raul easily blocked the attack with his wooden sword and countered with a strike towards Torajirou Shirou.
Torajirou Shirou used his sword to block Raul's attack, trying to deflect the force using the principle of leverage, but the force transmitted through Raul's sword still made his hands go numb.
'He's so strong.'
He immediately realized the physical disparity between them.
Understanding he couldn't win in a head-on clash, Torajirou Shirou slid his sword along Raul's to thrust at his neck in an attempt to force him back.
Raul, as expected, took a step back, but Torajirou Shirou immediately pressed forward, trying to control the rhythm of the fight, his sword relentlessly slashing towards Raul.
However, Raul, overpowering Torajirou Shirou in both strength and speed, clearly wasn't going to be easily defeated.
Seizing an opportunity, Raul struck directly at Torajirou Shirou, who hastily tilted his head to dodge.
Raul's sword brushed past Torajirou Shirou's ear, the sound of the air splitting and the resulting wind tousling his hair.
'I can't win.'
Torajirou Shirou instantly recognized the fact.
Even if his swordsmanship exceeded Raul's, the physical disparity was just too great; even using mana to boost his physical abilities wasn't enough.
Had Raul's last strike landed, Torajirou Shirou would have lost the ability to fight, while he himself couldn't penetrate Raul's defense enough to cause effective damage.
It was the classic dilemma: 'I can make countless mistakes, but you can only make one.'
'Unless I can directly strike vital areas like the neck or heart to instantly drain his stamina!'
Raul had shifted from defense to offense, his wooden sword swinging with the might of a great sword, forcing Torajirou Shirou to continually dodge.
If things continued this way, Torajirou Shirou was bound to lose.
This was the consensus among all the spectators, as Torajirou Shirou already appeared tired from merely dodging Raul's continuous attacks, which seemed effortless for Raul to sustain.
But that was assuming Torajirou Shirou had no other tricks up his sleeve.
As Raul swung and missed, Torajirou Shirou made an unexpected move.
"Disappeared?" Raul frowned, searching for Torajirou Shirou's figure.
The next second, something brushed against Raul's neck, and his consciousness instantly plunged into darkness.
Raul had passed out.
Torajirou Shirou had just used "Nukiashi," a famous technique from Torajirou Nangou.
Like how people can always see their noses but tend to ignore them, Nukiashi uses the same principle to infiltrate the opponent's blind spot, creating the illusion of being ignored even when directly in front of them.
However, such a technique would obviously be ineffective against gods.
Loki clapped and approached. "Aki, get a few people to carry Raul back to his room. This kind of mental trauma is similar to mind zero; he'll wake up after some time."
After instructing the black-haired catgirl Anakitty Autumn, Loki turned to Torajirou Shirou. "How do you feel?"
Torajirou Shirou shook his head.
"The difference in physical abilities is too great. If that guy had attacked me with full force from the beginning, I would have lost instantly."
"Is that so?"
Indeed, while Raul clearly held back in this match, Torajirou Shirou didn't use the full potential of Desperado, the power of fate he could wield.
His intuition told him he wouldn't necessarily lose if he used the power of cause and effect.
Loki didn't delve deeper into his words but repeated them.
"Well, it doesn't matter who wins or loses; after all, you're all my children. Come with me," She said, heading towards the manor, with Torajirou Shirou quickly following behind.
"How about it? This place is called 'Twilight Manor,' designed by a god of architecture after I paid him a hefty sum. You'll be living here too. If you joined a weaker Familia, you might not even have a place to stay and would have to work hard to support your god."
"So, our Familia is rich?"
"Ah... well..." Loki hesitated, not daring to admit that while their Familia earned money quickly, they spent it just as fast.
They had a large income but hardly saved any money; expeditions alone, with equipment and potions, cost a fortune, not to mention the losses if anything went wrong.
Seeing Loki's reaction, Torajirou Shirou understood that the Familia's finances were probably tight and sighed.
"I understand. But how does your Familia operate?"
Seeing Torajirou Shirou not pressing further, Loki immediately regained her cheerful demeanor.
"My Familia is an exploration type Familia, delving into the dungeon to slay monsters and exchange magic stones for money at the guild. The downside is the instability of income; while we can earn a lot, we can also come out with nothing after days of hard work."
"And how is the money distributed?"
"Normally, if you go exploring on your own, you keep 90% and contribute 10% to the Familia's treasury. But expeditions are a special case."
"Expeditions?"
"It's when most of the Familia members venture deep into the dungeon. Reaching unknown areas could even get your name written in history. By the way, our Familia covers the cost of potions and such for expeditions, but income is distributed based on contribution."
"For the details, you can ask Finn when he returns. He's the one in charge here; I'm just a god having a fun time," She chuckled.
"Who is Finn?"
"Oh, I haven't introduced my Familia's members to you yet."
"My Familia has multiple executives, consisting of level 5 and 6 adventurers: the elf Riveria Ljos Alf, the dwarf Gareth Landrock, the captain Finn Deimne of pallum race, the amazoness sisters Tiona and Tione Hiryute, the werewolf Bete Loga, and my most, most, most beloved Ais Wallenstein!"
'So the Raul I barely defeated with a trick isn't even in the top seven?'
As Loki talked, she suddenly turned and stared at Torajirou Shirou.
"Wait, something's not right! Letting you join my Familia with that appearance is like sending a sheep into a wolf's den!"
"If you dare lay a hand on them, I'll kill you!" Loki lunged at him in a playful threat.
Torajirou Shirou held her forehead with one hand to keep her at bay and said something that drove Loki mad.
"Don't worry; if that happens, I'll definitely invite you to our wedding."
"You really are asking for death!"
The journey that followed consisted of Loki's failed attempts to sneak attack Torajirou Shirou, all ending in vain.
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