《Eater》 CH 1: Sale The sounds of the school bell ringing, lunch has ended. ¡°Ugh¡­¡±, Kenta being awoken from his slumber is saddened to hear lunch is over. ¡°Not that I could eat anything anyway.¡± Lazily getting up, he exits the shade of the tree. Patting himself down and removing the dirt, Kenta realises that somethings missing. ¡°Hmm¡­ are you missing something. It wouldn¡¯t happen to be this, would it?¡± Looking over he sees a group of 3 boys. All three are wearing the senior uniform. The middle senior, blonde hair, black eyes, a tough look and who is the apparent leader of this group is holding his wallet. ¡°Who are you?¡± Kenta asks. ¡°Who am I? Geez the disrespect, everyone in this school knows who I am.¡± The senior says, ¡°Have you forgotten, perhaps I should remind you.¡± ¡°Boss I don¡¯t recall seeing him around.¡± The senior to the left says, ¡±I think this is the new kid we¡¯ve been hearing about that started here today.¡± ¡°You know I¡¯m standing right here, you could just ask me if I¡¯m a new student.¡± Kenta retorts, ¡°And to answer, yeah I¡¯m the new student that transferred today.¡± ¡°My mistake. Since this is your first day and since I¡¯m such a generous person I¡¯ll let you off this once. As punishment, however this wallet is mine.¡± The leader says whilst putting the wallet in his pocket, ¡°Oh and my name is¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Kenta interrupts. ¡°What? Ha ha ha. Perhaps I was getting ahead of myself. Perhaps you do need a beating.¡± The leader replies. ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s just get this over with, I want my wallet back, you want to teach me a lesson. Blah blah blah.¡± Kenta replies ¡°Fine have it your way.¡± The leader says.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. surrounding and clearly outnumbering him, Kenta is at a disadvantage. Finally, the two on the side jump him, swiftly and intently, looking to grab him. Kenta taking a step forward, dodges them. The two collide with each other, knocking each other unconscious. ¡°Idiots.¡± The senior says looking over with disappointment. Angered by the idiocy of his henchmen and the disrespect the new student has shown him. He charges forward and throws a fist aimed at Kenta¡¯s face. Rapidly ducking under the fist, grabbing the wallet and kicking the leader¡¯s legs, tripping him and causing him to faceplant into the ground. Kenta accomplished this in only a matter of seconds, not wasting any energy or movements. ¡°If you¡¯re going to beat me up, at least make sure you know what you¡¯re doing.¡± Kenta said while grinning to himself whilst walking away. Looking around and noticing every student has left, Kenta hurries his pace and heads back to class. Opening the door to the classroom, everyone is looking at him. ¡°And where have you been?¡± The teacher inquires. ¡°Oh¡­ um¡­ I fell asleep at lunch and didn¡¯t wake up until after the bell went. I¡¯m kind of tired. Sorry.¡± Kenta replies. ¡°Your first day here and you¡¯re already mucking up. Quick! Go to your seat.¡± The teacher says. ~~~ The bell rings. ¡°Alright class. Schools over. Have a good afternoon.¡± The teacher kindly says. Wait a second. Somethings not right. It¡¯s Monday and it¡¯s 3:00pm. What am I forgetting? Kenta thought. ¡°Oh shit!¡± Kenta yelled attracting the attention of everyone in the classroom. Rushing out the room. Kenta is running through the school hallways. Jumping down each flight of stairs, bumping into the wall as it turns. Exiting the main building, he runs towards the school gate. He grabs his bike, jumps on, pushes off and starts pedalling as fast as he can. It takes 30 minutes casually riding to get to school and 10 mins walking to get to the grocery store in the opposite direction. ¡°Yes! I can make it!¡± Kenta mumbles to himself. Riding on the footpath, he finally gets to a hill. ¡°Alright, final push. Here we go!¡± Kenta states as he sees the store in the distance. Pushing off, Kenta starts charging downhill. Going faster and faster, Kenta is like a missile locked on a target. When suddenly. Kenta¡¯s vision goes blank white but only for a second. Huh what was that. Being focused on one thing, Kenta instantly dismisses it. Continuing down the footpath, he gets to an intersection and having too much speed, is unable to stop the bike. *Honk* Guess I won¡¯t make it for the sale. *Screech* *Crash* CH 2: *Ding* ¡°Ahhh¡±, Kenta says as he wakes up in shock. Sweat dripping down from his forehead. Completely in shock, Kenta just stares at nothing, trying to process what just happened. Huh. Was that just a dream? No that wasn¡¯t a dream, I did die. Then¡­ is this¡­ heaven? Maybe its hell? No, nothing¡¯s on fire. Hmm. Finally coming out of his trance like state, Kenta looks around to find that he is lying a few meters from a dirt path, out of sight and in a bush. Standing up, stretching, seeing, feeling, smelling. This is not a dream. So, I¡¯m alive. Hoorah, but wait. Then where am I? What is this place? Stepping out of the bush onto the dirt path, all his senses are telling him this is real. *Ding* Out of nowhere a message popped up, in the middle of his vision. ¡°Wait what!¡± Kenta shouts. Looking at the message it reads: --- Greetings Kenta. Would you like to see the tutorial? Yes/no? --- There¡¯s a tutorial? Hmm thinking about it, this does look like some game menu. Wait am I in a game? ¡°Yes I would like to see the tutorial.¡± Kenta answers solemnly. *Ding* --- Welcome to your new life, under the circumstances you have died in your previous life. You have been given a 2nd chance to live life to fullest, in this new world. In this world people have a status menu. To open your status menu, simply say or think open status menu. Go ahead and do that now. --- Okay. Open status menu. *Ding* Just like any game a status menu popped up, and a new message. --- Congratulations on successfully opening your status menu. This here gives you all the information you need. This includes: your name, your title, your skills, your attributes and your condition. Other people can only see your name, title and health.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. At the top of the Screen you can see your name, and your title is slightly smaller just underneath. You can earn titles by accomplishing certain task (They provide no benefit). The left sidebar contains your attributes. These include: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma and Luck. For a newborn child these attributes start 0 and for a human who has no specialised trained they remain at around 10. Attribute points can be gained by training in any of the areas. The right sidebar contains your skills. Again, as a baby, most people start out with 0 skills. A select few are born with skills and raised attributes, these people are considered geniuses. Skills can be learned through practice in a certain area and getting lucky. At the bottom of the screen you can see the condition you¡¯re in. Here you will find your health points. In cases that you are poisoned or in some affected state, it will show up here with the name and effects.
Name: Kenta Yoshida Title: Outsider
Attributes: STR: 25 DEX: 25 CON: 10 INT: 22 WIS: 18 CHA: 15 LUC: 11 Health: 100/100 Defence: 0/0
Skills: Martial Mastery: Having trained in martial arts you have gained mastery. +15 STR, +15 DEX Eater: Allows one to consume any singular item (excluding proper food) to gain skills/attributes. Consuming dangerous substances will not kill you. Power Bite: Increases Bite Force by 10x
To close the status menu, simply say or think close status menu. This concludes the tutorial. Have fun. --- So, I¡¯m in a game like world. Interesting. I think this should be fun. Looking over his status menu, Kenta notices his title, attributes and skills. Outsider I guess is because I¡¯m not from this world. Attributes are due to living in the other world, receiving educations and training martial art. The two things that are new to me are the skills: eater and power bite. Power bite is self-explanatory but eater sounds interesting. ¡°I guess the only way to find out is to eat something.¡± Kenta says out loud. Picking a leaf off a nearby tree, Kenta proceeds to place it in his mouth and begins chewing it, grinding it into mush, then swallowing it. *Ding* --- Skill Gained. Photosynthesis: You absorb the suns energy and convert it into health, giving you minor health regeneration. +1 health regen/min --- ¡°Wow!¡±, Kenta said in shock. He never thought it would work, let alone give him such a powerful skill. Let¡¯s try it again I suppose. Kenta proceeds to take another leaf off the tree and proceeds to eat it. ¡­ Nothing. ¡­ He takes another leaf and eats it. ¡­ Nothing. Looking around, Kenta makes sure no is watching him act like a fool. Maybe it only works once. ¡°Okay let¡¯s try something else."Kenta says under his breath, "I also need to test out my biting power.¡± This time rather than taking a leaf, Kenta walks up to the tree trunk, tilts his head sides and bites a chunk out. Chewing he acknowledges his increased biting power. He also acknowledges that bark tastes disgusting. Nonetheless he chews and swallows it. *Ding* --- Skill Gained. Age of Trees: You will grow alongside the trees, living until both you and the trees fall. +500 years to life expectancy. (Does not prevent dying from non-natural ways) CH 3: Feast
Name: Kenta Yoshida Title: Outsider
Attributes: STR: 25 DEX: 25 CON: 10 INT: 22 WIS: 18 CHA: 15 LUC: 11 Health: 100/100 Defense: 0/0
Skills: Martial Mastery: Having trained in martial arts you have gained mastery. +15 STR, +15 DEX Eater: Allows one to consume any singular item (excluding proper food) to gain skills/attributes. Consuming dangerous substances will not kill you. Power Bite: Increases Bite Force by 10x Photosynthesis: You absorb the suns energy during the day and convert it to health, giving you minor health regeneration. +1 health regen/min during the day. Age of Trees: You will grow alongside the trees, living until both you and the trees falls. +500 years to life expectancy. (Does not prevent dying from non-natural ways)
¡°Holy Shit!¡± Kenta exclaims. ¡°What is up with these powerful skills. Not that I¡¯m complaining, but I¡¯m practically hacking the world. Well then I guess it¡¯s time for a feast.¡± Picking up a small rock from the ground, Kenta places it his mouth, and bites. Whilst having 10x bite power is good, a rock is still a rock. With some effort and a crunching for a few minutes, Kenta grinds it into smaller, manageable chunks. Swallowing the tough rock and almost choking, Kenta feels it finally creep down his throat and fall.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. *Ding* --- Skill gained. Hardened skin: No longer shall your skin be weak; no longer shall your bones be fragile. With this skill, your body shall be stronger, strong like a rock. +5 CON, +20 Defence. --- ¡°Geez! I feel like a god. I wonder does everyone have skills this powerful?¡± Kenta says out loud. A tree, a rock and multiple leaves. If anyone saw me, I¡¯m convinced I¡¯d be locked up, and put on a strict diet of normal food. I wonder would dirt work as well? Crouching down and scooping and handful of dirt, shovelling it into his mouth. ¡°Pffffffffffffttt!¡± Kenta noises, ¡°I¡¯m an idiot.¡± Spitting much of it out, and swallowing only a bit, he rid his mouth of the horrible dirt. *Ding* --- Minerals: Eating dirt will now provide you with the nutritious minerals required to survive. Bon appetit. --- ¡°Yeah nah fuck off! I¡¯m good with normal food.¡± Kenta replies to the new skill. Oh, wait I still have my phone with me. Slipping his hand into his pocket, he reaches for his phone and takes it out. Turning it on he sees that it has no signal. ¡°Even if I wanted to, I wouldn¡¯t be able to contact anyone.¡± He says quietly. ¡°Guess there is no use for this anymore then.¡± Kenta says. Moving the phone towards his mouth, *crunch* the sound of glass and metal components breaking, chewing it into smaller pieces, he swallows it. ¡°Ow.¡± The glass shredded the inside of his throat, causing him pain. He lost 1 health, but gained it back a minute later. *Ding* --- Skills gained: Time keeper: You now have an innate ability to accurately tell the time, regardless of where you are. Compass: You can now sense which way is north, east, south and west. Flashlight: When it¡¯s dark you can choose to create light by illuminating your eyes. This will provide light in front of you. Social Network: You may now add people to your friends list (they will need to accept). With these friends, you may communicate over long distances. +5 CHA Wikipedia: You have basic knowledge of this world. +5 INT, +5 WIS Translate: You can now speak and understand different languages (slang does not count). +1 INT Calculator: Basic math is now no problem for you, as you will be able to calculate it instantaneously. +5 INT Maps: You will have a basic understanding of the location around you. It does not tell you where creatures are, only the terrain and buildings. +Knowledge of surroundings (30ft radius) --- ¡°Is this thing trying to blow my head off.¡± Kenta retorts, ¡°That¡¯s so much information.¡± Using his new-found knowledge of the world, he takes out his wallet and takes the money out. ¡°Well this is now useless.¡± Kenta sighs. Eating the paper money and throwing the coins away, Kenta is disheartened by the loss of his money. *Ding* --- Skill gained: Loot: Creatures when killed will drop money and rarely other items. --- Kenta in shock, begins to smile. ¡°Easy money, Easy life.¡± Looking at his wallet, he again is disheartened but forges through and eats it. *ding* --- Skill gained. Minor storage dimension: No longer will you have to carry around items, you now have access to a storage dimension. +minor dimensional storage (1 cubic meter) --- ¡°This day is just getting better and better.¡± Kenta says, ¡°I guess I should start looking for a village or some place to stay.¡± Back on the dirt path, he starts following it south-east. After 30 minutes of walking, Kenta hears some rustling in bushes beside the road. He stops. *Grrrr* CH 4: Loot *Grrrr* The sounds of growling replace the rustling, and slowly a dog steps out of the bushes. It brown in colour but has black ears, its teeth sharp and ready to bite, its stance as if about to attack. Kenta clearly seeing this stray dog, takes a step back, and cautiously gets into a fighting stance of his own. ¡°Dog, I¡¯m giving you one warning, turn around and walk away.¡± Kenta states. *Grrr* Dog edges forward getting closer and closer. Preparing for the perfect moment to strike. It charges full speed towards Kenta with a glazed look in its eye, nothing else matters now, it has found food. Closer and closer the vicious dog has reached Kenta. It lunges for and tries to bite. Kenta seeing this happen takes a step back, avoiding the attack. The dog lands back on the ground. *Clank* Kenta retaliated. With a perfect kick upwards hitting the dogs bottom jaw. Kenta slams it shut, breaking it. Because of the power behind the kick, the dogs head goes flying back. *Snap* The dogs neck is broken. Now lying on the ground whimpering, its head at an arc compared to its body and blood dripping out of its mouth. It is breathing heavily. ¡°I warned you.¡± Kenta exclaimed as if the dog could understand. Walking towards the dog, he stands over it. He can see the dark pupils look towards him, it has been paralysed from the neck down. It knows this is the end, it accepts it. Kenta seeing this, jumps and double foot stomps on the dog¡¯s head. It is dead as blood gushes out from a crack in its head. You made me do this, you stupid dog. Dragging its body over to the bushes, to clear the dirt path. An idea pops up in his head. I wonder if I¡¯ll get a skill from eating the dog. Ugh. Gross. Coming to a decision, Kenta kneels, holds one of the dogs legs up, and bites in to its shoulder. Ripping a chunk of meat off the bone, Kenta chews the meat and swallows it. His mouth now surrounded with blood. In an odd turn of events it Kenta who has become the animal. *Ding* --- Skill gained. Minor night vision: Grants the ability to see more detail at night. Minor hearing improvement: Can now hear 4x better than normal. Greater Smell Improvement: Your sense of smell is now 20x better. Minor Intimidation: Like a dog¡¯s growl or bark, you can put greater intent behind your words, possibly striking fear into weak enemies. +5 CHAThis tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ---
Name: Kenta Yoshida Title: Outsider
Attributes: STR: 25 DEX: 25 CON: 15 INT: 33 WIS: 23 CHA: 25 LUC: 11 Health: 150/150 Defense: 20/20
Skills: Martial Mastery: Having trained in martial arts you have gained mastery. +15 STR, +15 DEX Eater: Allows one to consume any singular item (excluding proper food) to gain skills/attributes. Consuming dangerous substances will not kill you. Power Bite: Increases Bite Force by 10x Photosynthesis: You absorb the suns energy during the day and convert it to health, giving you minor health regeneration. +1 health regen/min during the day. Age of Trees: You will grow alongside the trees, living until both you and the trees falls. +500 years to life expectancy. (Does not prevent dying from non-natural ways) Hardened skin: No longer shall your skin be weak; no longer shall your bones be fragile. With this skill, your body shall be stronger, strong like a rock. +5 CON, +20 Defence. Minerals: Eating dirt will now provide you with the nutritious minerals required to survive. Bon appetit. Time keeper: You now have an innate ability to accurately tell the time, regardless of where you are. Compass: You can now sense which way is north, east, south and west. Flashlight: When it¡¯s dark you can choose to create light by illuminating your eyes. This will provide light in front of you. Social Network: You may now add people to your friends list (they will need to accept). With these friends, you may communicate over long distances. +5 CHA Wikipedia: You have basic knowledge of this world. +5 INT, +5 WIS Translate: You can now speak and understand different languages (slang does not count). +1 INT Calculator: Basic math is now no problem for you, as you will be able to calculate it instantaneously. +5 INT Maps: You will have a basic understanding of the location around you. It does not tell you where creatures are, only the terrain and buildings. +Knowledge of surroundings (30ft radius) Loot: Creatures when killed will drop money and rarely other items. Minor storage dimension: No longer will you have to carry around items, you now have access to a storage dimension. +minor dimensional storage (1 cubic meter) Minor night vision: Grants the ability to see more detail at night. Minor hearing improvement: Can now hear 4x better than normal. Greater Smell Improvement: Your sense of smell is now 20x better. Minor Intimidation: Like a dog¡¯s growl or bark, you can put greater intent behind your words, possibly striking fear into weak enemies. +5 CHA
--- ¡°Ew!¡± Kenta states, ¡°What is that smell?¡± Smelling around he realises what he is smelling is in fact himself. I¡¯m going to need to make a detour before I get to a village. I don¡¯t want to scare them off. Before he leaves he notices something shining next to the body. Kneeling again, he realises its money. 5 copper to be exact. He picks it up and immediately puts it in his pocket. It¡¯s not much but it¡¯s better than nothing. He steps on to the dirt path and then realises he has a pocket dimension. Without think too much, Kenta grabs the money again, holds it out and drops it. *Clank* ¡­ Kenta picks the money up, holds it out and drops it, this time imagining putting it through a portal. A small ripple swallows the money and closes once ¡­ ¡°It worked!¡± Kenta happily exclaimed. Well now I guess I should find a river or something, so I can clean myself. Now that I think about it, there¡¯s a slope in the bush heading down. Following his intuition, Kenta begins to make his way through the bush, walking down the bush. The Air smells so fresh, the birds chirping. It almost serene. Continuing down the hill. The trees are getting ever so slightly sparser. At this point hill start levelling out, becoming flat. In the distance Kenta¡¯s intuition was right. He can hear the rippling of a river. Now at the river, Kenta closes his eyes for a second, and breathes in the fresh air, listening to the river rushing, and recollecting everything that¡¯s happened in the past day. It¡¯s overwhelming. CH 5: Fishing buddies Standing by the river, Kenta takes his shirt, trousers and underwear off, before jumping into the chilly water. The first few seconds of being in the water sent his body in too shock, to then become a calm refreshing sensation. Back to reality, Kenta get his clothes, sits on the bank of the river and begins scrubbing. Repeatedly washing those finally rids it of both the smell and blood stains. He splashes his face once more to completely wash the blood away from his mouth. He cups his hands and scoops some water to wash his mouth and satisfy his thirst. *splash* In the middle of the river, there are fishes flying through the water. Immediately Kenta throws himself back into the water and swims to the centre. Diving under water Kenta sees a school of fish swimming all around him. He tries to grab a few, but the slimy fish are just too quick and agile. Coming up for air he hears a man say something. ¡°If ya¡¯ want to catch a fish, you¡¯ll never do it like that.¡± He said, ¡°I usually fish with my friend, but he¡¯s busy today. How ¡®bout I lend ya'' his rod for today.¡± Swimming back to shore, Kenta quickly puts his clothes back on. He looks over to see a middle-aged man with grey hairs, and brown eyes. He appears to be a local farmer from his clothes. ¡°Yeah, I was looking to catch a few fish, but I didn¡¯t have a rod.¡± Kenta nervously replies, ¡°You sure you don¡¯t mind me using the rod.¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± The man replies, ¡°Fishing is always better when ya¡¯ have company, and by the way the name¡¯s Hachiro, but most people call me Hachi, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet ya¡¯.¡± ¡°Kenta, and to you to.¡± As Kenta sits down, Hachiro next to him passes the rod. ¡°All we¡¯ve got today is some common earthworm, hope ya¡¯ don¡¯t mind.¡± Hachiro states. ¡°Not at all.¡± Kenta replies as he puts earthworm on the end of his line. Alright, here we go. Flinging his line, it lands dead in the middle of the river. ¡°My word!¡± Hachiro exclaims, ¡°That was a beauty.¡± Kenta has only gone fishing once in his life, the fact that he casted so flawlessly is owed to his martial arts training and his perfect control over his body. The real challenge begins now as Kenta has never caught a fish.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. 5 minutes have passed and Kenta reels his line back in, only to find the earthworm missing. ¡°Damnit!¡± Kenta quietly says. ¡°Hahaha. I see now.¡± Hachiro says while looking with a grin, ¡°No worries, Hachi here can teach ya¡¯ how to fish.¡± ¡°Am I really that bad?¡± Kenta questions. ¡°Well ya¡¯ not an expert.¡± Hachi sarcastically replies. ¡°Follow what I do, and ya¡¯ll be swimming in no time. Hahaha.¡± He says. ¡°First thing, is to put the bait on properly.¡± Hachi instructs as he puts and worm on the hook, ¡°See how the hook doesn¡¯t protrude out, this is so the fish don¡¯t see it.¡± ¡°Next would be the casting, but ya¡¯ seem to be quite adept at that, so we¡¯ll skip that part.¡± Hachi exclaims as his casts out into the river, ¡°The only advice I can give ya¡¯, is to cast into the shade, ¡®cause the fish love the shade.¡± ¡°Next ya¡¯ll want to let the line sink for a bit.¡± Hachi says, ¡°The fish are neither at the top, nor the bottom. So ya¡¯ want the middle.¡± ¡°Finally, ya¡¯ want to keep ya¡¯ finger gently on the line.¡± Hachi states as he puts his lightly on the line, ¡°This is so ya¡¯ can feel when the fish bite. Ya don¡¯t want hold the line too tight, or else the fish will think that there is something fishy about the food¡­ Hehehe. Oh, and I almost forgot, don¡¯t reel them in on the first tug, that¡¯s just them testing it out. Pull on the second tug, that way they think the foods safe to eat. Now it¡¯s your turn.¡± Alright I got this. Kenta picks up a worm and puts it on the hook following the advice, making sure the hook doesn¡¯t protrude too much. He looks towards the river and sees a tree hanging over the river, causing a shadow to appear. Focused, he casts accurately and gets it under the tree, he waits a few seconds for the bait to sink, then puts his finger lightly on the line. Now I wait. 5 minutes¡­ 10 minutes¡­ 15 minutes¡­ Dozing off he finally feels a tug on the line. Now I got you! No wait, be patient. Seconds later there is another tug, but this time it continues to pull. It¡¯s hooked. ¡°Hahaha! You¡¯re mine little fishy!¡± Kenta yells. Reeling in as fast as he can, a fish emerges from the water, following his line. He flings onto land just in between him and Hachi. At this point Hachi, pulls out a small blade and spikes the fish between the eyes, stabbing into the brain. ¡°We need to make sure to cause the fish as little suffering as possible.¡± Hachi explains, ¡°We want to eat them, not torture them.¡± Kenta nods in agreement. ¡°This here is a yellow perch.¡± Hachi says, ¡°They¡¯re fairly common around these parts, and I¡¯d say ya¡¯ caught a decent sized one. See I told ya¡¯ I¡¯d teach ya¡¯.¡± Kenta looking on with excitement, can feel himself salivating, wondering what skills he will get when he consumes the fish. ¡°Hahaha. Ya¡¯ sure must be hungry.¡± Hachi says as he sees Kenta¡¯s excitement, ¡°Ya¡¯ know if ya¡¯ really want I can give ya¡¯ one of the smaller fish I¡¯ve caught so you can eat, no need worry as well, as it¡¯s quite safe to eat raw fish.¡± Kenta passes him the large yellow perch fish in exchange for a smaller one. This should work fine. Holding the smaller fish, he bites into the lighter coloured belly and crunches down, crushing the small bones and ripping the meat out. Swallowing it. *Ding* --- Skills Gained. Improved swimming: Like a fish you will be able to move faster in water. Aqua Affinity: In water, lungs do not suffice. You are now able to breathe underwater. CH 6: Rascal After a few hours of fishing, the sun was falling on the horizon, the skies are orange, and Kenta¡¯s clothes are finally dry. The fishing expedition was great, Kenta caught a total of 4 fish, 3 medium sized yellow perches and 1 below average golden perch, Kenta excited by his success looks over towards Hachi. In his cart Hachi has caught numerous fish of various types, the number well exceeded 20. Seeing this Kenta had a disappointed look on his face. Hachi notices this, he leans over and pat Kenta on the back. ¡°When I began fishing, it wasn¡¯t until my 5th try that I succeeded in catching something.¡± Hachi said with a sympathetic look, ¡°Ya¡¯ needn¡¯t worry about such trivial things, such things get better with experience. Ya¡¯ can¡¯t teach experience.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Kenta sighs. ¡°Look why don¡¯t ya¡¯ come back to my place and I treat ya¡¯ to dinner?¡± Hachi requests. ¡°Are you sure? I mean you¡¯ve just met me.¡± Kenta replies. ¡°Hahaha. True it may be that I just met ya¡¯, but in the short period we¡¯ve know each other, we¡¯ve become friends, and ya¡¯ seem like a nice person.¡± Hachi exclaims, ¡°It¡¯s only natural after all.¡± ¡°Haha, I guess we have become friends.¡± Kenta answers, ¡°And if you insist, I¡¯ll be glad to be treated dinner.¡± ¡°Hahaha. That¡¯s the spirit.¡± Hachi says, ¡°Follow me now, we¡¯ll arrive home in ¡®bout 30 minutes.¡± ¡°Lead the way.¡± Kenta replies. Taking back the rod, he chucks both on top of the fishes in the cart. He pulls it alongside the river, before he follows a small dirt trail leading up the hill. ¡°Hachi¡­ let me pull the cart.¡± Kenta says seeing this middle-aged man struggling to pull the cart, ¡°It¡¯s the least I can do.¡± ¡°Hahaha. I knew it¡­ ya¡¯ are a nice person.¡± Hachi answers while stopping and letting Kenta take over, ¡°If ya¡¯ do get tired, don¡¯t hesitate to tell me.¡± Kenta taking over begins pulling the heavy cart up the hill. This old man is crazy if he does this often. Up the hill, they begin walking down the dirt path. The sun split by the horizon, it¡¯s almost dark. In the distance with his improved vision, Kenta clearly sees a village, he can see people on the main road, he can see a farm and he can see a sign. Although unable read the sign his vision has greatly improved. Walking past the sign, Kenta glances at it, it reads Village of Shingo.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. They take a right before they get to the village centre and enter a farm. Walking along the dirt trail, surrounded by grains, vegetables and herbs, they reach a large white house with a barn next to it in the centre of the farm. ¡°Here we are.¡± Hachi says while instructing Kenta to leave the cart outside, ¡°Grab two large yellow perches and bring them inside.¡± Entering the home, Hachi greets his wife, and his two lovely children. ¡°Kaede, I¡¯d like to introduce ya¡¯ to my new friend.¡± Hachi says as he invites Kenta in and give Kaede the fish, ¡°This here is Kenta, we became friends while fishing, so I invited him over for dinner.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you Kenta.¡± Kaede says, ¡°I hope enjoy your stay.¡± Hiding behind Kaede is their two lovely children. One boy and one girl. The girl has blonde hair, the boy who is slightly taller has pale brown hair. ¡°The boy is Isamu, the girl is Moriko.¡± Hachi says as he pats the children on the head, ¡°They¡¯re a little shy, please forgive them¡± ¡°Not to worry, it¡¯s only natural for kids to be cautious around strangers.¡± Kenta says as he crouches and stretches out his hand, ¡°My name is Kenta, I hope you¡¯ll take care of me.¡± The girl cautiously steps forward, shakes his hand and bows. The boy following his sister, steps forward, shakes his hand, stomps on his foot and runs away giggling. ¡°Ouch! Damn brat.¡± Kenta retorts. ¡°Hahaha. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention.¡± Hachi says with a grin on his face, ¡°Isamu is a bit of a rascal, so make sure to watch out for him.¡± ¡°You could have told me that before he stomped on my foot!¡± Kenta replies. After about 30 minutes talking, Kaede comes out of the kitchen with a plate of pan broiled fish and a bowl of steamed rice, she places it on the dining table. ¡°Dinners ready!¡± she says loudly. Walking over to the table Hachi sits next to his wife and Kenta sits at the head of the table. Seconds later creaking and stomping can be heard as the children come down stairs and sit at the table. As everyone has a plate full of food, every begins to dig in. Kenta, eating it, is in heaven, it¡¯s the best dish he¡¯s had since coming to this new world, remembering the dirt, rocks and leaves. Finishing the meal in minutes, Kenta reaches over and pour himself a cup of water. ¡°That was delicious.¡± Kenta happily says, ¡°Thank you for the treat.¡± ¡°It¡¯s our pleasure.¡± Kaede says. As dinner finishes Kaede, Hachi and Kenta remain, the kids disappeared upstairs. ¡°Come to think of it, I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve seen ya¡¯ around this area. Where did ya¡¯ come from?¡± Hachi politely asks. ¡°Where did I come from?¡± Kenta replies. Where did I come from? Hmm, I guess I can¡¯t say I came from a different world. They¡¯d never believe that. ¡­ After a minute of thinking. He speaks. ¡°I came from a very far away, remote village.¡± Kenta answers. ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess we¡¯ll leave it at that.¡± Hachi says, ¡°I¡¯m sure ya¡¯ have ya¡¯ reasons, so we won¡¯t pry.¡± ¡°Thanks, truthfully it¡¯s a tough question to answer.¡± Kenta explains. ¡°No worries.¡± Hachi says sympathetically, ¡°More importantly, if ya¡¯ don¡¯t have a place to stay, we have a spare room upstairs ya¡¯ can borrow. We¡¯d be happy to have ya¡¯ round for as long as ya¡¯ need.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve taught me how to fish, and you treated me to dinner.¡± Kenta responds, ¡°I couldn¡¯t burden you anymore.¡± ¡°Rather¡­ I insist ya¡¯ stay in my home for as long ya¡¯ need.¡± Hachi insists, ¡°If ya¡¯ don¡¯t accept, I¡¯ll feel insulted as ya¡¯ friend.¡± *sigh* ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll stay here.¡± Kenta dejectedly replies, ¡°Thank you and please take care of me.¡± ¡°Hahaha. Now that¡¯s the answer I was lookin¡¯ for.¡± Hachi excitedly says, ¡°Ya¡¯ room is upstairs, 2nd room on the left, I hope ya¡¯ enjoy ya¡¯ stay.¡± Seeing as it is night time, Kenta retreats upstairs and opens the door to his room. Inside is a singular bed, a desk and an open window. The breeze is blowing constantly blowing in fresh air. Kenta lies down on the bed, closes eyes and immediately falls asleep, after such an eventful day. CH 7: Shattered Hearing the birds chirp and having the sun shine on his face, Kenta wakes up refreshed and ready to go. He hops out of bed, leaves his room and walks down stairs. ¡°Good morning Kenta.¡± Kaede says, ¡°I hope you slept alright.¡± ¡°Yeah, I slept well.¡± Kenta answers, ¡°I really needed a goodnight sleep.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s good to hear.¡± Kaede says while smiling, ¡°If you¡¯re looking for Hachi, then don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s just outside work the farm, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be back in a while. In the meantime, why don¡¯t you eat some breakfast, we still have some left-over rice from last night.¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯d love some.¡± Kenta responds as he sits down at the table. Slowly eating the rice and drinking water, he finishes his meal. *creak* The door opens and in comes Hachi. Sweaty and dirty from early morning¡¯s work, he sees Kenta finishing breakfast. ¡°Good morning Kenta.¡± He says, ¡°I hope ya¡¯ slept well, ¡®cause we have a big day ahead of us.¡± ¡°Yeah, I slept well.¡± Kenta answers, ¡°And what do you mean, we have a big day ahead of us? What do you have planned?¡± ¡°Well considering ya¡¯ new around these part, I thought I¡¯d take ya¡¯ through the village and get ya¡¯ familiarised with the place.¡± Hachi kindly explains. ¡°Oh, thanks.¡± Kenta replies. ¡°I¡¯ll go get ready and when I¡¯m back we¡¯ll head off.¡± Hachi states as he walks upstairs. ¡­ 5 minutes later, Hachi returns. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± Hachi says. Nodding in acceptance, Kenta gets up and follows him out the door. As Kenta gets outside he looks at the cart he left here yesterday. Its empty.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Hey, Hachi did the fish get stolen?¡± Kenta inquires. ¡°Hahaha. No, they didn¡¯t get stolen.¡± Hachi replies, ¡°The friend I told ya¡¯ about came by last night to pick them up, so they can be sold in the markets. That reminds me, hold on a second while I go put the cart away.¡± Kenta watches as Hachi pulls the cart towards the barn. ¡­ ¡°Who are you really?¡± Isamu asks as he comes out the door and stands in front of Kenta. ¡°You better not be one of those bandits.¡± ¡°Bandits? What bandits?¡± Kenta questions curiously. ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb, everyone knows who the bandits are.¡± Isamu retorts, ¡°Only a bandit, would pretend to not know about them.¡± *Smash* Isamu kicked a stone lying on the ground towards Kenta. Kenta narrowly dodging, realises that it hit the glass window behind him, shattering it. ¡°Oi, kid what was that for?¡± Kenta asks angrily. ¡°You¡¯re just a no-good bandit.¡± He replies. Seeing all this transpire as he was walking back from the barn, Hachi runs over. ¡°Isamu! What are you doing?¡± Hachi asks his son. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m trying to protect us!¡± He replies, ¡°This guy is a bandit.¡± ¡°What nonsense!¡± Hachi strictly says, ¡°Isamu, go to your room, I will discuss this with you when I get back.¡± Frustrated Isamu goes inside, back to his room and slams to door shut. *Bang* It can be heard outside. ¡°I¡¯m, so sorry for the way my son acted.¡± Hachi says apologetically, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s got into him.¡± ¡°If he does it again, I mightn¡¯t be so nice.¡± Kenta states. ¡°Understandably so.¡± Hachi replies, ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a minute.¡± Hachi walks in the house, comes back with a broom and a dust pan, and begins sweeping up the glass. As he finishes and walks away, a piece falls unbeknownst to him. Kenta seeing this immediately gets an idea. Walking over Kenta picks up the glass and puts it in his mouth. He chews it shattering it inside his mouth, cutting him all around. The now glass dust, shreds his throat as he swallows it. He loses 1 health but gains it back again in a minute. *Ding* --- Skill gained. Glass ninja: The ultimate stealth technique is to not be seen. You have gained the ability adopt the properties of glass. Using this will allow you to become 90% transparent, unless people are looking for you, most will not notice you. They can still hear you and see the affects you have on the environment e.g. shrubs moving. (This also applies to any inanimate object you are wearing or holding) --- I guess I can try this out now. With just a thought, Kenta activated glass ninja and his body, like the description said, turn transparent. Although just like glass you can still barely see it. ¡°Alright Kenta sorry, for all the troubled.¡± Hachi says as comes back. ¡°We can head off now¡­¡± As Hachi comes back, he sees that Kenta is no longer there. ¡°Hey, Kenta! Where¡¯d ya¡¯ go?¡± he says loudly. As Hachi is looking in the opposite direction, Kenta quickly deactivates glass ninja, and appears behind him. ¡°Sorry, I was just looking at the broken window from the inside.¡± Kenta lies. ¡°Hahaha, No worries.¡± Hachi says with a smile, ¡°Now that everything is sorted, lets head off.¡± CH 7.5: Status Menu
Name: Kenta Yoshida Title: Outsider
Attributes: STR: 25 DEX: 25 CON: 15 INT: 33 WIS: 23 CHA: 25 LUC: 11 Health: 150/150 Defense: 20/20
Skills: Martial Mastery: Having trained in martial arts you have gained mastery. +15 STR, +15 DEX Eater: Allows one to consume any singular item (excluding proper food) to gain skills/attributes. Consuming dangerous substances will not kill you. Power Bite: Increases Bite Force by 10x Photosynthesis: You absorb the suns energy during the day and convert it to health, giving you minor health regeneration. +1 health regen/min during the day.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Age of Trees: You will grow alongside the trees, living until both you and the trees falls. +500 years to life expectancy. (Does not prevent dying from non-natural ways) Hardened skin: No longer shall your skin be weak; no longer shall your bones be fragile. With this skill, your body shall be stronger, strong like a rock. +5 CON, +20 Defence. Minerals: Eating dirt will now provide you with the nutritious minerals required to survive. Bon appetit. Time keeper: You now have an innate ability to accurately tell the time, regardless of where you are. Compass: You can now sense which way is north, east, south and west. Flashlight: When it¡¯s dark you can choose to create light by illuminating your eyes. This will provide light in front of you. Social Network: You may now add people to your friends list (they will need to accept). With these friends, you may communicate over long distances. +5 CHA Wikipedia: You have basic knowledge of this world. +5 INT, +5 WIS Translate: You can now speak and understand different languages (slang does not count). +1 INT Calculator: Basic math is now no problem for you, as you will be able to calculate it instantaneously. +5 INT Maps: You will have a basic understanding of the location around you. It does not tell you where creatures are, only the terrain and buildings. +Knowledge of surroundings (30ft radius) Loot: Creatures when killed will drop money and rarely other items. Minor Storage Dimension: No longer will you have to carry around items, you now have access to a storage dimension. +minor dimensional storage (1 cubic meter) Minor Night Vision: Grants the ability to see more detail at night. Minor Hearing Improvement: Can now hear 4x better than normal. Greater Smell Improvement: Your sense of smell is now 20x better. Minor Intimidation: Like a dog¡¯s growl or bark, you can put greater intent behind your words, possibly striking fear into weak enemies. +5 CHA Improved Swimming: Like a fish you will be able to move faster in water. Aqua Affinity: In water, lungs do not suffice. You are now able to breathe underwater. Glass Ninja: The ultimate stealth technique is to not be seen. You have gained the ability adopt the properties of glass. Using this will allow you to become 90% transparent, unless people are looking for you, most will not notice you. They can still hear you and see the affects you have on the environment e.g. shrubs moving. (This also applies to any inanimate object you are wearing or holding)
CH 8: Kabukis Tax Walking down the dirt path, back to the main road and into the village centre. Kenta couldn¡¯t stop thinking to himself. Bandits? What bandits? Is there a problem with bandits? Do I look like one of the bandits? That kid Isamu said that he was trying to protect the family. Does that mean the family is having problems with bandits? Maybe it¡¯s the entire village? Hachi hasn¡¯t mentioned anything, so maybe he was trying to make me not worry. Stupid Hachi! If you have a problem, tell me! Walking through the village, people are bustling, every is doing something. It¡¯s quite enjoyable to watch. There¡¯s shops on either side, house all around, and there is even a tavern. ¡°Hey, Hachi.¡± Kenta calls out, ¡°Where does your friend work?¡± ¡°He works at a fish stall in the market district.¡± Hachi answers, ¡°He usually fishes in the afternoon or early in the morning, so he can have fresh fish to serve.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ then why do you give him your fish?¡± Kenta asks confusedly. ¡°Oh, ¡®cause I love fishing silly. Hahaha.¡± Hachi clarifies while grinning, ¡°My job is to run the farm but on my off time, I help him catch fish. Of course, he gives me a little bit of money for the help, but I do it because I love to, and he¡¯s my friend.¡± Kenta accepts Hachi¡¯s reasoning. Following Hachi, they make their way to the market square. On every side, there are numerous stalls all selling something different. Over on the far side, Kenta can see a fish stall, with a man standing behind it. He assumes this is Hachi¡¯s friend. Following Hachi they reach the fish stall Kenta was looking at. His assumption was right. Taking a closer look, the man has a shorter stature, he has fiery red hair mixed in with grey, brown eyes and is wearing a green vest with brown pants. ¡°And who¡¯s this you brought with you, huh?¡± The asks looking towards Hachi. ¡°This here is a new friend of mine, we bonded over fishing.¡± Hachi answers. Kenta stretching out his hand. ¡°My names Kenta, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± Kenta politely says. ¡°The name¡¯s Akira.¡± He responds as he shakes Kenta¡¯s hand, ¡°This here is my pride and joy. I love to fish, so why not make a job out of it. Hahaha.¡± Kenta smiling. Looks at the various fish on for sale. After a few seconds, he spots the large yellow perch he caught yesterday. ¡°Good eye.¡± Akira states, ¡°This here is a beautiful yellow perch.¡± ¡°Hahaha. The boy does indeed have a good eye.¡± Hachi says, ¡°Did ya¡¯ know that Kenta is the one who caught that fish?¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ you¡¯re kidding, right?¡± Akira asks looking at Hachi, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re not joking¡­ ahaha. This is wonderful, kid you got quite the catch. How about one day the three of us go fishing, huh?¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°That¡¯d be nice.¡± Kenta replies, ¡°I think I¡¯ll take you up on that offer.¡± As the two friends continued talking and laughing together, and while they were still selling fish. Kenta heard something that got his attention. ¡°Dear, take the kids and go inside. I heard Kabuki¡¯s henchmen are on their way here.¡± A man says to his wife. Hearing this with his improved hearing. Kenta had a worried look on his face. Are these the bandits that Isamu was talking about? Not thinking about anymore, Kenta began helping with the fish stall, whilst Hachi went off to take care of some other business. ¡­ A few hours have passed. The sun is setting. People are packing up for the day. Hachi returns smiling as usual. ¡°Hey kid, you did a good job today.¡± Akira says, ¡°Having you around made the work load easier, and we managed to sell more fish. For your hard work, here¡¯s your payment.¡± Akira hands over 2 silver, Kenta graciously accepts, taking the two silver. He puts his hand into his pocket, he creates a mini portal to the storage dimension and drops the money in. Everyone around is completely oblivious. Hachi arriving at the fish stalls, sees that I got paid. ¡°We¡¯ve done a good day¡¯s work.¡± Hachi says, ¡°Haven¡¯t we. Hahaha.¡± ¡­ Suddenly. ¡°Listen up everyone!¡± A man yells wearing iron armour and wielding a sword, ¡°Kabuki needs his money. He will arrive tomorrow morning, anyone who does not pay up, shall face the consequences.¡± Kenta seeing this is in utter shock. He realises this is one of the bandits. ¡°Tavern lady.¡± The bandit says, ¡°Organise me, your best room, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll give me a fair discount.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± The lady says, ¡°The room is currently empty. Stay as long as you need sir¡­ free of charge.¡± The bandit proceeds to the tavern, no longer in sight. ¡°Oi, Hachi.¡± Kenta says, ¡°Who was that?¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± Hachi quietly says, ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it when we get home.¡± ¡­ Arriving home, Hachi instructs his wife to go upstairs and to make sure the children don¡¯t come down. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve waited long enough.¡± Kenta says, ¡°We¡¯re alone now, you can tell me.¡± ¡°I was hoping I wouldn¡¯t have to.¡± Hachi replies, ¡°Okay, settle down. For a few months now, we¡¯ve had a problem with bandits. That¡¯s also why Isamu was acting odd this morning. We¡¯re not a large village and we don¡¯t have any guards. We needn¡¯t have them, there was no crime here. Everyone got along well. That was until Kabuki¡¯s Bandits showed up. They immediately saw that there was no protection. They preyed on that and took advantage of it. The day they arrived they enforced Kabuki¡¯s tax. This meant that 50% of all money went towards them. They gave us a warning the first time, saying that the next time they show up, they expect to be paid. 1 week later, they returned. This time money was expected. Everyone paid up, until they reached the last person. The one of the previous elders of the village, refused to pay, saying he wouldn¡¯t give into their demands. He was always kind man, but he was straight-forward and would do what he thinks is right. He was a good man. Without hesitation, Kabuki stepped forward and sliced his throat. He died in seconds. Murdered in cold blood. Kabuki used him as an example stating that anyone who doesn¡¯t pay shall receive the same punishment. Ever since then, the townsfolk, myself included, have accepted their demands. We fear for our lives. They¡¯re a ruthless bunch. They keep track of every single person, making sure everyone pays. Only 2 weeks ago, a fellow villager, Naruki refused to pay and when they were about to kill him, he retaliated. He landed one strike in, before being killed. As punishment for his careless actions, they went to his house and murdered his family. A wife and daughter. They¡¯re dangerous. I¡¯m sorry we¡¯ve inadvertently involved you.¡± Kenta hearing all this, is still processing it. Those bastards! ¡°And, they¡¯re coming tomorrow?¡± Kenta asks to confirm. ¡°Unfortunately, yes.¡± Hachi says looking sad, ¡°Well that¡¯s enough for tonight. It¡¯s time to sleep. Oh, and make sure you stay here for the whole day, they don¡¯t know you¡¯re here, so it should be fine.¡± As Hachi finished speaking, he gets up and heads upstairs. Kenta follows behind. Each going to their rooms. Kenta lies down on his bed and with a bit of a struggle manages to fall asleep. CH 9: Henchmen Waking up in the morning, Kenta doesn¡¯t hear any birds. Getting up he walks out the door and down the stairs. ¡°Good morning sunshine. Hahaha.¡± Hachi says noticing Kenta. ¡°Good morning.¡± Kenta replies. Sitting down, Kenta grabs a slice of bread from the centre of the table. With a cup of water, he finishes the meal. ¡°Thanks for the food.¡± Kenta says. ¡°It¡¯s our pleasure.¡± Hachi responds. ¡°Hachi.¡± Kenta says, ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about what you told me yesterday. I had a bit of trouble sleeping over it, but¡­ I want to come today, to meet Kabuki.¡± ¡°What!¡± Hachi replies, ¡°Kenta, think carefully about this. They don¡¯t know you¡¯re here. If you remain here, you won¡¯t be involved in any trouble. I¡¯m asking you out of concern. Please, consider staying here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Hachi.¡± Kenta answers, ¡°But I¡¯ve already made up my mind.¡± ¡°Well¡­ If you¡¯re going to come along.¡± Hachi declares, ¡°Take this, it¡¯s 10 silver. It might not be much but It should suffice, if Kabuki¡¯s men demand money from you, give them this.¡± ¡°Hachi, you¡¯ve done so much for me.¡± Kenta says, ¡°I can¡¯t take your money. You keep it. Although I don¡¯t have much, I¡¯ll pay with what I have.¡± *sigh* ¡°You¡¯re a good kid.¡± Hachi says, ¡°I¡¯m glad we became friends, but if you do need the money, just say. I don¡¯t want you getting killed.¡± Kenta nodding in agreement, gets up and follows Hachi out the door. The rest of the family is staying behind, Hachi doesn¡¯t want to involve if possible. ¡­ After a few minutes of walk, they reach the market place. Again, the streets are bustling, but this time there is a nervous air around them. They¡¯re awaiting Kabuki¡¯s arrival. Hachi walks over to Akira¡¯s fish stall, but rather than talking he stands to the side, not saying a word. The two trade glances, but remain quiet. They¡¯re scared. Kenta following Hachi, does the same. ¡­ An hour passes as everyone waits. There is little chat, everyone is anxiously awaiting Kabuki''s arrival. Finally four tough looking men wearing armour walk into the market centre. One man, coming out of the tavern with a jug in hand, joins them. Kabuki¡¯s here.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Well now.¡± The man in the centre says loudly, ¡°Everybody knows what time it is.¡± This man is Kabuki. He has a larger than average stature with blue eyes. The rest of his face is hidden behind his helmet. Unlike the other men, Kabuki¡¯s armour is more detailed, he also appears to be wearing iron gauntlets. Quite the intimidating figure. Kabuki¡¯s four henchmen, reach into their pocket a pull out a bag. All four of them go to a different side. As the henchmen reach the people, they put the money in the bag without any hesitation. One of the men finally reaches Akira, with fear in his heart he puts 50 silver in the bag. Hachi comes next, he puts 40 silver. Next is Kenta¡¯s turn. Holding the bag in front of Kenta, and waiting. Kenta doesn¡¯t put anything in, he takes his time. ¡°Oi, kid hurry up.¡± The bandit says, ¡°I haven¡¯t got all day. Pay up or pay the consequences.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± Kenta replies, ¡°My bad.¡± As he says this, he throws a bullet of a punch towards the man¡¯s throat, crushing his windpipe and sending him flying back a few feet. ¡°Kenta! What are you doing?¡± Hachi worriedly asks. ¡°I¡¯m doing what¡¯s right.¡± Kenta replies, ¡°Just stand back and leave this to me.¡± Kabuki and the other bandits seeing this are furious. Kabuki orders them to kill Kenta. The three remaining henchmen, draw out their swords and charge towards Kenta. The first henchman reaches Kenta and immediately slashes at him. Kenta ducks under the sword and stands behind the bandit. With a full force punch, Kenta slams his fist in to the back of the bandit¡¯s iron armour. The power severely dents the iron and pushes the bandit away, but it was insufficient in doing worthwhile damage. The two other henchmen have joined in the fight. All three are surrounding Kenta. He is in danger. On the side one of the henchmen, takes the initiative. Charging towards Kenta, he tries to hack Kenta¡¯s shoulder. Kenta barely dodges it as the cloth on his shirt is torn. Kenta growls like a dog, using minor intimidation to put intent behind it. This startles the henchmen, causing them to hesitate. As this happens Kenta charges the bandit that tried to hack his shoulder. He kicks the bandit¡¯s arm that¡¯s holding the sword with explosive power. *Snap* *Clunk* ¡°Ahhhh!¡± The bandit screams in pain. The arm is broken and the bandit drops his sword. Kenta reactively picks up the sword and slices the bandits throat, blood gushes out and stains the sword. He drops to his knees and falls to the ground, gasping his last breath. The two other henchmen are stunned at the sight they¡¯re seeing. This soon turns in to a blind rage as the two charge Kenta with murderous intent. They start swinging and swinging, attacking without thought. Kenta is able to block, parry and dodge all of them. Kenta is a martial artist; he knows how to fight. He can control his body like no other. Kenta learned how to fight without any weapons, using only his hands and feet. Although he did dabble in kendo for a bit, and got to an average level of sword mastery. He decided to give it up, to pursue the path of the fist. Kenta knows these bandits are wearing armour, and although his punches and kicks are powerful, they are unable to break the iron. He needs to rely on the sword he has for precise damage. The two bandits are still ferociously attacking Kenta, but one of them stopped for a second, perhaps getting worn out. That was a fatal mistake. Kenta seeing this, instantly took advantage of this, as he thrust kicked the bandit in the chest, sending him flying backwards. The other bandit lunges at Kenta, but now that he is the only opponent, Kenta bashes their swords together, sending the bandit¡¯s weapon flying away. Stepping forward Kenta pierces his sword through the bandit¡¯s neck with deadly accuracy, crushing and severing the bones. He falls. Only one henchman remaining. This should be easy. CH 10: Captured Still slightly winded by the kick, the henchman sees his comrade die. ¡°You bastard!¡± The last henchman says, ¡°You¡¯ll die for this!¡±¡¯ No longer distracted by other bandits, this time Kenta takes the initiative, swinging his sword towards the bandit¡¯s arm. The bandit parries and launches an attack of his own, lunging towards Kenta. Avoiding disaster, Kenta side steps the blade. Unfortunately, the bandit was expecting this, as soon as Kenta side stepped, he swung around and kicked Kenta¡¯s leg, swooping them and knocking him to the ground. ¡°This is it!¡± The bandit says as he stands over, ¡°You die now!¡± The bandit lifts his sword up, perpendicular to Kenta, intending to shove it through Kenta¡¯s heart. When the bandit lift the sword to the apex height, he begins to thrust it down. Before it hits; Kenta with a powerful kick out of nowhere, gets the bandit in the balls, with such power he¡¯d be lucky if they didn¡¯t explode. ¡°Fuck!¡± The bandit yells in pain. The bandit in pain lets go of the sword, due to the momentum it already had, it pierced Kenta¡¯s stomach, just below the ribs. Although not fatal, Kenta lost 53 health, putting him at 97 in total. Kenta¡¯s hurt and bleeding, it¡¯ll take about an hour to fully recover. Ignoring the pain, Kenta forges through, he pulls the sword out, losing 5 extra health. He stands up. The bandit still in pain realises Kenta has stood up, but before he can react, Kenta slices the back of his knees, making him unable to stand. This causes the bandit to fall to his knees, using his hands to keep himself on all fours. Kenta taking the opportunity raises his sword to the apex height, and with all the might he has, swings it down. *Woosh* *Thud* Kenta cuts straight through the bandit''s uncovered neck. The bandit''s head falls to the ground, there is blood pooling all around. The bandit is no more. ¡­ Looking on, Kabuki is furious at the turn of events. ¡°Boy, you seem to be an adept fighter.¡± Kabuki says, ¡°You managed to beat my underlings, it¡¯s a shame I recruited such incompetent humans. I must applaud you though. That was quite entertaining, but that¡¯s all you are. Entertainment. I guess I¡¯ll show you how a true man fights.¡± *Shing* Saying this Kabuki reaches behind himself and unsheathes two silver-white scimitars. ¡°I hope you¡¯ve said goodbye to your loved ones.¡± Kabuki jokingly says. Stepping forward Kabuki is now only two meters away from Kenta. Kenta with the sword in his hand, turns to face Kabuki, and gets in to a defensive stance. Kabuki truly is an intimidating man. Sweat drips down Kenta¡¯s forehead, the overpowering aura Kabuki gives off is overwhelming. If not for his intense training as a martial artist, Kenta would have crumbled under the pressure.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Each man waiting for the opponent to make the first move. There is no movement and no sound. Kabuki being confident in his abilities, makes the first attack. He lunges forward with one of the scimitars, the target Kenta¡¯s heart. The immense speed of Kabuki caught Kenta off guard. Side stepping out of instinct, Kenta barely managed to survive, keeping his life he still got hurt. Kenta¡¯s right shoulder has a deep cut in it, the blood dripping down his arm and staining his clothes. Another 20 health was lost bring him to a total of 79. Damn! This guy is quick! ¡°Hahaha.¡± Kabuki laughs, ¡°This is the difference between you and I, it¡¯s like a man fighting a god. You cannot win! Ahahaha.¡± With the speed of his own, Kenta charges towards Kabuki and swings, aiming to slice his neck. Without hesitation and with even attempting to dodge, Kabuki lifts both his hands up and blocks like a boxer. *Clank* Kenta¡¯s sword hit Kabuki¡¯s gauntlets. Bouncing off, the result is astonishing. The gauntlet did have so much as a mark; they clearly weren¡¯t made from standard iron. Striking again Kenta swings for his abdomen. Kabuki not prepared for such a sudden 2nd attack was unable to do anything. *Clank* Hitting the armour unblocked by anything else, this time it did leave a dent. So, his gauntlets are special. I guess I¡¯ll have to try work around it. Kabuki now having a chance to retaliate, swings both scimitars, chopping like a pair of scissors. Kenta anticipating Kabuki¡¯s speed, ducks just in time, making his way to the back of Kabuki. Kabuki missing is angered and immediately turns around. ¡°Oi, kid!¡± Kabuki yells, ¡°Where¡¯ve you gone? Don¡¯t tell me you ran off?¡± Unbeknownst to Kabuki, Kenta never left. Activating his glass ninja skill, Kenta turns practically invisible. Sneaking behind Kabuki again, Kenta launches an attack, swinging his sword down on his back. *Clank* Kabuki stumbles away, shocked that something hit his back. He immediately turns around to see that there is no one there. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Kabuki furiously says. Again, Kenta strikes at Kabuki¡¯s back; one time, two times, three times. Each time breaking the armour more and more, until finally Kenta slashes again. This time he tears a hole in the iron plating, scaping Kabuki¡¯s bare back. ¡°Ow, you fuck!¡± Kabuki shouts, ¡°You¡¯re really pissing me off now!¡± Unable to do anything, Kabuki finally has a weakness. Kenta has made it work. Once more Kenta goes to cut his open back. *thud* Kenta slashes Kabuki¡¯s back, but in the next moment, Kabuki turned and punched Kenta right in the face with such incredible speed and power. Kenta went flying back and shattered upon hitting the ground, revealing himself to the world. Kenta¡¯s nose is broken, bleeding. The punch nearly caused his head to explode causing him to lose 52 health bringing to a total of 27 health. Fuck! One more hit and I¡¯m dead. Damn he¡¯s reckless, I never imagined he¡¯d turn around and punch me with a sword stuck in his back. Kenta now only one attack away from being dead. His stomach¡¯s been gashed; shoulder has been sliced and his nose broken. Kenta realising that even if he went invisible again, Kabuki would likely just turn around a punch him again. He¡¯s got to play it safe. ¡°It¡¯s the difference between a man and a god.¡± Kabuki says while laughing, ¡°You¡¯re not even an ant compared to me, and now I¡¯m going to crush you.¡± Walking towards Kenta and standing above him. *Donk* A rock came flying from the crowd and hit Kabuki in the head. ¡°Who the fuck threw that?¡± Kabuki says as he turned around, pissed off, ¡°After I¡¯m done here you¡¯re next.¡± Kenta just a surprised as Kabuki is, takes advantage of the situation. He stands up and in a last dish effort pushes Kabuki forward. In front, Kenta create a portal as large as he could, leading to the storage dimension. Kabuki falls in to the portal and gets stuck; his legs are still sticking out. With all the remaining strength Kenta has, he shoves the legs in, making them fit. Kabuki fully inside, Kenta shuts the portal leaving him trapped inside. He won. Wondering who through the rock, Kenta looked to the direction it came from. It was Isamu. CH 11: Even ¡°Hoorah!¡± The crowd bursts into cheers. Hachi runs over as quick as he can. ¡°Hahaha. Kenta, you idiot!¡± Hachi says as he hugs Kenta, ¡°Hahaha, ya¡¯ done a big favour for this town, we could never repay ya¡¯.¡± ¡°No need to worry.¡± Kenta says as he breathes heavily, ¡°I just did what was right. There¡¯s no need for a reward.¡± ¡°I was right!¡± Hachi exclaims, ¡°Ya¡¯ really are a nice man. In exchange for not giving ya¡¯ any reward, ya¡¯ may stay at my house anytime ya¡¯ like, and if ya¡¯ ever need anything, so long as it¡¯s in my capabilities, I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Kenta replies, ¡°There is one thing you could do.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Hachi asks. ¡°Tell these people to treat me the same as they did before.¡± Kenta answers, ¡°I don¡¯t want any special treatment.¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Hachi happily agrees, ¡°I¡¯ll make it so.¡± ... After a while of chatting and being thanked by the villagers, it was time to head home. Before they left Kenta took the items the bandits had, the 4 swords, 4 iron chest plates and 4 iron helmets. Kabuki¡¯s stuff is still with him inside the storage dimension. When Kenta previously put the money in his pocket and stored it in the other dimension, he learnt that he can put his hand inside it without any harm. ¡­ The sun is setting and Hachi, Isamu and Kenta have arrived home. ¡°Kenta, come on into the kitchen.¡± Hachi instructs, ¡°I¡¯ll have those injuries patched up in no time.¡± ¡°Hachi, you don¡¯t need to worry.¡± Kenta responded showing his arm, ¡°I only need to wash to rid myself of the blood. Look the injuries are already healing.¡± ¡°My word!¡± Hachi replies, ¡°That is¡­ that skill of yours truly is amazing. I guess I stand correct, but still come to the kitchen. We¡¯ll have ya¡¯ cleaned up.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Following Hachi to the kitchen, Kaede is there. ¡°Oh my!¡± She says as she sees the blood on Kenta, ¡°What happened? Don¡¯t tell me he got into a fight with those thugs.¡± ¡°Hahaha. Deary.¡± Hachi says nonchalantly, ¡°The boy did get into a fight, but this time he won!¡± ¡°He¡­ won?¡± She asks, ¡°You¡¯re not joking, right?¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± Hachi responds with a smile on his face, ¡°Kenta, taught those guys a lesson. It was incredible.¡± ¡°Well, in that case, I prepare a feast for tonight.¡± Kaede says joyfully as she looks at Kenta, wiping away a tear, ¡°Thank you so much.¡± ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get ya¡¯ cleaned up.¡± Hachi says. Hachi walks over to one of the cupboards, opens it, and pulls out a towel. He wets the towel, ushers Kenta over, and start cleaning up the blood. ¡­ A few minutes later. ¡°Well the blood¡¯s gone.¡± Hachi states, ¡°But ya¡¯ clothes are still torn and stained. Wait here. I¡¯ll go get ya¡¯ one of my shirts.¡± Hachi without letting Kenta say anything, hurriedly leaves the kitchen. Only moments later Hachi returns with a dark blue t-shirt. ¡°Here try this on.¡± Hachi says as he passes it to Kenta, ¡°It might be a little tight, but it should fit fine.¡± Kenta nods and silently thanks Hachi. He pulls the shirt over his head and fits into it. ¡°The shirt fits fine.¡± Kenta happily responds, ¡°Thanks Hachi, I¡¯ll make sure to repay you.¡± ¡°No need. It¡¯s the least I could do.¡± Hachi states. ¡­ Having finished the feast of a dinner, Kenta thanks Hachi and Kaede, and quickly retreats upstairs, it¡¯s been an exhausting day. The window still open blows the cool air onto Kenta¡¯s face, calming him down. He sits on the side of the bed, preparing to go to sleep. *Knock* *Knock* *Knock* ¡°Come in!¡± Kenta answers. The door opens and in comes Isamu. ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m sorry for kicking the rock at you yesterday.¡± Isamu says apologetically, ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ thought you were one of the bandits.¡± ¡°You were only doing what you that was right.¡± Kenta says sympathetically, ¡°You were just trying to protect your family.¡± ¡°In fact, I¡¯d say we¡¯re even.¡± Kenta exclaims, ¡°You saved me earlier today. If it weren¡¯t for you I probably wouldn¡¯t be here right now. So, Thanks.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you know it was me?¡± Isamu questions. ¡°I have decent eye sight.¡± Kenta explains, ¡°I saw the direction in which the rock came, and when I turned to look, it was you who was standing there.¡± ¡°So, we¡¯re even?¡± Isamu asks. ¡°Yeah we¡¯re even.¡± Kenta answers, ¡°Come here.¡± Kenta pulls Isamu and messes his head up. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Isamu laughs, stomps on his foot and runs away. ¡°Ow.¡± Kenta yells, ¡°You damn brat.¡± Kenta gets up and shuts the door. Sitting back down, Kenta pulls out one of the swords. *Clank* Biting down as hard as he can, although leaving dents in the shape of his teeth, he can¡¯t manage the break the iron. Damn if it¡¯s this tough then there is no way I¡¯m going to be able to eat the armour. Putting the sword back. Kenta still aching from the injuries, lies down and falls asleep. He¡¯ll recover when the suns back up. CH 12: Friend Request Waking up, the sun shines on Kenta¡¯s face. He sits on the edge of the bed, stretches and stands up. Immediately he checks to see if his injuries have healed. Not only did they heal, but there is no scar tissue, he made a full recovery. Leaving his room, Kenta descends downstairs. ¡°Good morning.¡± Hachi says as he eats left overs for breakfast. ¡°Good morning.¡± Kenta replies. ¡­ A few minutes later, Kenta finishes his morning routine. ¡°Just to let ya¡¯ know, Akira¡¯s coming over.¡± Hachi says, ¡°We¡¯re going fishing, and he¡¯s bringing an extra rod just for ya¡¯.¡± ¡°Oh, what time will he be here?¡± Kenta asks. ¡°He should be here in ¡®bout an hour.¡± Hachi replies. Good I have a bit of time. ¡°Hachi do you mind if I test something out?¡± Kenta asks. ¡°No not at all.¡± Hachi responds, ¡°What do ya¡¯ need to do?¡± ¡°Hang on just a second.¡± Kenta states. Okay, let¡¯s see if this works. Send Hachi a friend request. *Ding* --- Friend request has been sent. --- ¡°Whoa, what is this.¡± Hachi inquires as he looks around, ¡°There¡¯s like a message in the centre of my vision. Did you do this?¡± ¡°Yeah I did.¡± Kenta replies, ¡°It¡¯s one of my skills. Basically, it¡¯s a friend request.¡± ¡°Hahaha. A friend request?¡± Hachi excitedly says, ¡°Of course I¡¯d accept ya¡¯ friend request.¡± *Ding* --- Friend request confirmed.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. --- ¡°Now that we¡¯re officially friends, we can communicate to each other over long distances.¡± Kenta explains, ¡°Although I¡¯m not exactly sure how it works.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Hachi says, ¡°Let me try something.¡± ¡­ *Ding* --- Message received. ¡°If you get this message, then I¡¯ve figure it out. All you have to do is think about what you want to say, and think about who you want to send it to.¡± Hachi¡¯s message reads. --- ¡°Hachi! It worked!¡± Kenta excitedly exclaims. ¡°Hahaha. That¡¯s wondeful.¡± Hachi replies, ¡°Oh, and ya¡¯ don¡¯t have to worry, I won¡¯t tell anybody about this, rest assured.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Kenta politely responds. ¡­ After an hour, Akira finally arrives holding two rods in his hands. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m late.¡± Akira says, ¡°Had a bit of trouble finding the spare rod.¡± ¡°Well then, since we¡¯re all here now, let¡¯s head off.¡± Hachi states. Hachi stands up and carries his rod out the door, Kenta follows him out. Hachi walks over to the barn and pulls out the cart. Before they even head off, Kenta takes over pulling the cart. The exit the farm, walk down the road past the village sign and follow along the dirt path. ¡­ After following the dirt path for 30 minutes, they finally reach the dirt trail going down through the bush. Reaching the banks of the river, Akira quickly sits down by the water, opposite a large tree. Kenta assumes it¡¯d be good there because of the shade. Hachi sits down not too far from Akira, still under the shade of the ancient tree. Kenta follows and sits further up the river, just at the edge of the shade from the great tree. Akira already prepared for the fishing expedition, takes three small containers out. He gives one Kenta, the Hachi and keeps the last one for himself. Inside is full of fresh bloodworms, wriggling about. Round two, stupid fish. Hachi and Akira already casting their lines, Kenta picks one of the bloodworms up, he hooks it and casts it right on the edge of the shade. ¡­ 5 minutes later, Kenta¡¯s got a bite. Reeling it in as fast as he can, he lifts it and drops it next to him. Just like last, Hachi with a small knife, spiked the fish in between the eyes, killing it. ¡°Golden perch, well done boy.¡± Hachi says while looking at the fish, ¡°I¡¯d say you caught an average sized one. Good job.¡± Hachi pats Kenta on the back and goes back to his fishing spot. Kenta focuses back on the river and casts his line. ¡­ 2 hours past, the sun is glaring down on the three men. More importantly, the sun ruined Kenta¡¯s spot, the shade has now moved further down the stream. Hachi and Akira seeing the frustration only smile while still in the shade. Before the shade moved, Kenta managed to catch six fish: 2 yellow perch, 3 golden perch and 1 black bream. All of them were average or above sized. However, that was before the shade moved. Ever since, Kenta hasn¡¯t caught a single fish. Being frustrated Kenta would cast and reel in every few minutes. Kenta picking up another bloodworm, not paying attention due to his frustration, gets bitten. Ow! Why you little¡­ An idea struck in Kenta¡¯s head. Looking over at Hachi and Akira, he sees both are focused on their fishing. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Kenta¡¯s places the bloodworm in his mouth. *Crunch* He chews and swallows. Payback you little shit. *Ding* --- Skill gained. Worm regeneration: A worm cut in half will regain its lost body. This skill allows you, just like a worm, to regenerate health at a greater rate. Lost limbs will grow back after a day¡¯s rest (Warning: does not include the head or loss of more than 50% of the body). +5 CON +5 health/min. --- CH 13: Float like a rock Damn! Worm regeneration is sweet. Hmm? It still says I have photosynthesis. Wait a sec¡­ Doesn¡¯t that mean during the day that I¡¯ll have +6 health regeneration a minute. Damn! Feeling a burst of relief from his new-found skill, Kenta applies another worm and casts again, thinking that even if he doesn¡¯t catch anything, the trip was a success. Hachi and Akira, seeing Kenta¡¯s re-emerging enthusiasm surprises them a little but they think nothing of it and continue fishing. As the sun reaches the top of the sky, the shade begins to come back. Kenta is overjoyed at such a simple thing. ¡°Alright! I think we should start heading back.¡± Akira states. Hachi nods in agreement. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Kenta says disheartened, ¡°We¡¯re leaving? Like now?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already made a great haul.¡± Akira says as he smiles, ¡°We¡¯ve gotta head back so we can setup shop for the evening. The fish aren¡¯t going to sell themselves.¡± Hachi nods in agreement. Baffled by the sudden decision, in reality Kenta is sad that they¡¯re leaving, just as the shade came back. Looking over at the cart, Kenta is astonished at how many fish there are, all different sizes and species. ¡°Why don¡¯t you two head back.¡± Kenta says as he shakes his head in disagreement, ¡°I feel like stay for just a little while longer.¡± Akira and Hachi, seeing the determination in Kenta¡¯s eyes, agree and start heading off. Watching the two pull the cart up the hill, Kenta is now alone. ¡°Alright, fish.¡± Kenta says as he stands up, ¡°Now the real fight begins.¡± Taking his shirt off, Kenta runs and jumps into the water. Dunking his head underwater he see¡¯s numerous fish swimming about. Float just below the surface, Kenta finally get to test out his aqua affinity skill, and just as expected he¡¯s able to breathe just fine. The only problem is the slight pressure change, but Kenta pays it no attention. Swimming down, Kenta acknowledges his abilities, he can swim almost as fast as he can run. This is a massive improvement.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. With numerous targets frolicking down below, Kenta begins to chase after the fish. Let¡¯s see if you can escape me now, stupid fish. Like a torpedo, Kenta chases after his targets. One by one, Kenta manages to catch some of the slower moving fish. Catching them and releasing them immediately, Kenta just wanted to show off his prowess, as if the fish understood. Kenta catching a smaller, yellow perch, swims back to shore and sits on the banks. The fish actually didn¡¯t taste too bad last time. Having eaten raw fish before, Kenta bites into the weak belly of the fish. *Crunch* Kenta crushes the flesh and bones. Enjoying his midday meal, Kenta quickly finishes it, not leaving anything behind. *Ding* --- Skill gained. Minor Water Pressure Resistance: Whilst underwater, you will no longer be affected by the pressure (Up to 15 meters¡¯ depth). --- ¡­I thought you could only gain skills once. When I was eating the leaves before, it only gave me a skill once. What gives? Maybe its random? Although confused, it is instantly overshadowed and forgotten due to gaining a new skill. Hmm, come to think of it¡­ Kabuki is still in my storage dimension. I¡¯m going to have to deal with him some time. Thinking about it, a lightbulb went off in Kenta¡¯s head. Standing up and jumping back into the water, Kenta swims to the centre. *Splash* Kenta opened a large storage dimension portal over the water. Kabuki still wearing all his armour and equipment, falls into the water. He immediately begins to sink. Kabuki shocked and confused by the immediate situation, he was standing in the town square just a second ago¡­ or so he thought. Immediately Kabuki let go of his scimitars and tried to swim upwards. Struggling with all his effort, Kabuki is slowly ascending. I¡¯ll give credit where credit is due, this guy is tough. Kenta, watching Kabuki slowly ascend, ducks under water and grabs a hold on Kabuki. Gripping with such strength, making sure to not let got, Kenta begins swimming to the bottom, using aqua affinity to his advantage. Kabuki realising what is happening, begins fighting back, he knows he won¡¯t last long underwater. Unfortunately, due to the viscosity of the environment, Kabuki is unable to do anything. Reaching the bottom, Kenta embraces Kabuki as tightly as he can, giving him a bear hug, refusing to let Kabuki go. Kabuki fraught with danger, struggles to break free. Every time he gets a little bit loose, Kenta would grasp him tighter. Kabuki is beginning to fade; he can¡¯t do anything and he can¡¯t last much longer. Kabuki¡¯s body is getting limper and limper, Kabuki regretfully accepts what is happening. Kabuki passes out from the lack of air and immediately gasps for air. With water rushing down his throat, he is forced back awake. The remaining air in is his lungs is squeezed out, producing a foamy substance. Kabuki is dead. Kenta seeing this, lets go of him. Kabuki still wearing the armour sinks and lies on the riverbed. Kenta kneels down underwater and starts removing the armour from Kabuki¡¯s lifeless body. Managing to get the amour off, Kenta grabs the two scimitars on his way, and make his way back to the surface. *Clink* *Clank* Kenta throws the armour and scimitars on the banks of the rivers. Panting, Kenta sits down. That was exhausting. CH 14: A big issue In the distance Kenta, can see Kabuki¡¯s, now armour-less, body floating down the river. Well that sorts that issue. Standing up, Kenta looks over the equipment, remembering that the chest plate has a tear on the backside. Kenta puts all the equipment inside his storage dimension. Seeing as the sun is setting, Kenta begins to make his way home. Following the river, Kenta diverges and walks the dirt trail up the hill. *Roar* Reaching the half way mark, Kenta hears a ferocious roar. Turning around, Kenta looks into the eyes of a nightmare. A giant red furred bear is standing in the middle of the trail, staring at Kenta¡¯s figure. Kenta taking a step back, figures that the bear is probably smelt the fish. Kenta takes another step back, trying to indicate to the bear that he¡¯s not a threat. *Roar* The bear slowly walks towards Kenta. Sniffing around Kenta with his acute sense of smell, that he has a lingering fish odour. Fuck! This isn¡¯t good. Think Kenta, think! There¡¯s no way we can fight a bear face on. Realising he could never out run the bear, Kenta turns and sprints into the surrounding bush. At least this way he¡¯ll have obstacle between him and the bear. The bear charges after Kenta following him into the bush. The bear slows down as it enters the bush, it can no longer see Kenta. Meanwhile, Kenta behind a tree activates glass ninja, turning transparent. If I run now it will hear me and follow me. I can¡¯t have a bear follow me back to the village. Perhaps if I stay here, it¡¯ll give up and walk away. Unbeknownst to Kenta, Bears¡¯ have an acute sense of smell as well. The bear sniffing around centres in on a tree. *Shunk* With a swipe of its gigantic claws, it hits the side of the tree where Kenta was hiding. Seeing the paw from the corner of his eye, Kenta instinctively jumped away, avoiding disaster, unfortunately it caused his transparency to shatter. Damn I need to be more calm. Slow breathing, remember your martial arts training. Hearing the plants being crushed, the bear immediately knows where Kenta is, and charges him. Kenta running in the opposite direction, is scared by the bear. With the bear quickly gaining on him, Kenta is in grave danger. At only an arm¡¯s reach away, the bear lunges forward and tries to bite Kenta. Swiftly side stepping and hiding behind a tree, Kenta watches the bear go flying past. Sniffing and turning around, it once more gazes intently on its prey; Kenta. Damn this things gotta have a weakness. I won¡¯t even dare try to use my swords; the damn thing will kill me when I get close. Predator stalking its prey, it gives chase again. Kenta already exhausted pushes through and flees in the opposite direction. Will this thing ever give up? Running, Kenta is slightly more in front than before. Trying to think of an idea while running, Kenta trips on a protruding root, falling to the ground. ¡°Fuck!¡± Kenta yells at his carelessness. Seeing this, the red furred bear, runs faster, salivating seeing its prey make a mistake. Charging, charging, the bear focused on the prone Kenta. Kenta with a burst of energy, crawls as swiftly as he can, behind a wall of thin trees. Running, the bear doesn¡¯t stop, it charges full force, aiming to bash into the wall of trees. Kenta, noticing the bear still rushing towards the wall tree, can do nothing. He gets low and braces for impact.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! *Snap* Knocking the trees over like a lumberjack never could, the red furred bear bashes the trees into and down on top of Kenta. With the momentum, the bear barely slowed down, crushing Kenta as it runs over the broken wood. ¡°Ahh!¡± Kenta quietly groans in pain. Kenta feeling a sharp pain in his chest, with every breath he takes he feels the razor-sharp pain in his chest. The bear crushing Kenta, alongside the multiple cuts and bruises, cracked three of his ribs; two on the left, one on the right. The injuries caused him to lose just over half his health bring it down to 98. With a blurry vision, Kenta wipes away the blood and dirt from his eyes. That¡¯s it! A weak spot! ¡­ 5 minutes¡¯ pass and the bear slowly walks back to the fallen over trees. Nudging it with its snout and pushing with its body. The bear finds no body. Kenta with his improved health regeneration has already healed 30 health, his ribs no longer cracked, he is able to breathe easier; the remaining cuts and bruises don¡¯t compare to the cracked ribs. Sitting quietly in a tree, Kenta quietly snuck 25 meters away, now watching the bear sniff around. Sitting with his legs hung off the branch and supporting himself with his left hand, Kenta has a handful of rocks pouched into his shirt. ¡°Oi, over hear you big dummy!¡± Kenta yells at the bear. The bear hearing this looks over in Kenta¡¯s direction and sees him sitting up in a tree. *Roar* The bear briskly walks in Kenta¡¯s direction. *Woosh* With a powerful throw, Kenta throws one of the rocks through the air towards the bear. If not for the bear seeing this and turning its head, it would have been a direct hit in its eye. Hitting the side of the its head, the bear becomes annoyed and dashes in Kenta¡¯s direction. Kenta throw¡¯s three more rocks at the bear, each blocked by its enormous head. As Kenta goes for the fourth rock, the bear reaches the base of the tree. *Thump* The bear bangs its body against the tree, shaking it. Dropping the remaining rocks, Kenta loses his grip and falls from the branch, landing on top of the bear, and like a bull shaking a rider, the bear hurls Kenta to the ground, disorientating him. The bear walks over to Kenta, raises its two front paws and stands on its hind legs. Glaring over Kenta, it drops its paws aiming to crush him in an instant. *boom* With all its strength, it stomps down on the ground, creating a mini earthquake. Kenta fortunately rolled out of the way and down the hill. Getting up, he begins running again. The bear startled that Kenta rolled out of the way, gives chase following closely behind. The further they run the denser it gets. Hearing the footsteps behind him, Kenta can no longer see the bear. Not good. Kenta realising the predicament he¡¯s in, Kenta swiftly changes direction, crouches down and remains quiet. Hearing and seeing the dark figure of the bear run past, Kenta is holding his mouth shut, making sure to make as little noise as possible. If only the bear couldn¡¯t see the¡­ Leaping through the bush, the bear appears, catching Kenta mid thought. Dodging the bite, Kenta still suffered a deadly shoulder bash, sending him flying at an angel into a tree. Breaking only one of his ribs this time, Kenta loses 62 health bringing him down to 116 total. ¡°Ouch!¡± Kenta notices that his health hasn¡¯t regenerated as fast, losing his extra +1 health/min, figuring it¡¯s due to the dense amount of foliage blocking the sun. He is dispirited. The damn trees are costing me. *Shunk* The bear swiping again, splinters the trunk of the tree. Kenta, evading it, grabs a handful of rocks and runs off. I need to create some distance between us. While being pursued by the bear, Kenta uses his smaller frame, to swerve through the trees, sliding through the tight gaps between the trees. Eventually Kenta gains some reasonable distance from the bear. I hope this works. Arriving in a less dense part of the forest, Kenta turns around, facing the bear running behind him, after such a long pursuit, the bear is slower than before, it¡¯s getting tired. Kenta staring the bear in the eye, grabs one of the rocks he was carrying, lifts it up and prepares to throw it. Focusing all his intent behind the rock, Kenta activates glass ninja. *Woosh* *Roar* With pinpoint accuracy Kenta hits the bear directly in the right eye. It never saw the rock coming. The bear blinded in the right eye, goes in to a frenzy and charges towards Kenta faster than before. Kenta standing there still visible, holds up another rock. He puts as much intent behind the rock as he can, turning it and only it transparent. *Woosh* *Roar* This time the left eye. Although it¡¯s not blinded, the left eyes'' vision has been greatly impaired. Fuelled by rage, the bear puts in a last dish effort and runs faster than it ever has before, it¡¯s using reserved energy now. Fuck off! Does this thing ever give up? Kenta sprinting in the opposite direction, he as well is running on reserve power. This is it, he can¡¯t continue much longer. With the bear at full speed, it quickly reaches only a few feet behind Kenta. It is no longer worried about anything else, it is ready to kill. As the forest begins clearing, Kenta flies through a bush. With the bear following closely behind, it does the same. ¡­*Boom* *Roar* Having flown through the bush, Kenta changed direction moving purely on instinct. Seconds later the bear comes charging through as well, running straight off a 15-meter cliff. Kenta feels the vibrations as it lands on the ground below, falling off balance. Looking over the edge, Kenta looks down to see the bear hardly moving. It¡¯s just alive, though unable to walk. Even after that, you still manage to survive? What are bears made of? Not hesitating anymore, Kenta looks around and notices a larger boulder. Slowly moving it to the edge, Kenta hears the bear weeping, calling out for help. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it had to be like this.¡± Kenta says compassionately, ¡°I¡¯ll make it quick.¡± Pushing the heavy boulder over the edge, it lands with a thud on the bears head, crushing it and killing it. Kenta put the bear out of its misery and ended its suffering. CH 15: Fur coat With the bear now dead, Kenta takes a deep breath and regains his composure. Slowly walking on the edge of the cliff, Kenta makes his way around and reaches the bear. Pulling out one of the swords, Kenta bends over and begins cutting some meat off. *Chomp* Biting into the tough meat of the bear ripping it to shreds, chewing he finally swallows it. *Ding* --- Skill gained. Fur Coat: The cold temperature will no longer have an effect on you (down to -15 ¡ãC). Minor Ground Stomp: With the weight of a bear, you may now shake the earth causing smaller creatures to lose balance (5-foot radius). +10 STR Bear Bite: Bite with the power of a bear. Increases bite force by 25x. Intimidation: With the words of a bear, you may strike fear into your enemies¡¯ heart. --- Holy shit! I mean sorry for killing you bear, but thanks for the skills. After cleanly slicing the bears meat and skinning it for its warm fur, Kenta puts it in the storage dimension. Next to the bear, lying on the ground is 5 silver. Taking it, Kenta leaves. ¡­ After 10 minutes of walking, Kenta arrived back at the original fishing spot, opposite the ancient tree. With the time that has passed, Kenta has recovered from the injuries. Apart from the torn clothes and blood stains, anyone looking at Kenta would be none the wiser. Taking his shirt off, Kenta begins washing it down, removing the blood stains. ¡°Oh, I nearly forgot!¡± Kenta says out loud. Withdrawing the equipment from his storage dimension, Kenta picks up the sword with the teeth marks, and takes a bite. This time however, Kenta rips the metal to shreds. Chewing it down in to manageable sizes, Kenta swallows it.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. All the sword eater magicians out there would hate me if they knew what I could do. *Ding* --- Skill gained. Sword Mastery: With a lifetime of training, experts manage to reach complete sword mastery. You are now among those experts. +15 STR, +15 DEX --- Kenta picking up another sword, starts swinging it around, fighting invisible enemies. The sword mastery evidently shows itself as Kenta practices. Now this is something I can get use to! Remembering from when he ate the fish a second time, Kenta picks up one of the scimitars and starts munching on it, as if it¡¯s some snack. ¡­ Nothing. Maybe it doesn¡¯t work with everything, I¡¯ll eat a few more, but I want to keep at least one sword. Eating the other scimitar, Kenta again receives nothing. Moving on, Kenta eats one of the three remaining swords¡­ nothing happens. Damn, I don¡¯t want have to eat all the swords. Please let me gain a skill now. Kenta bites down on another sword and finishes it up quickly. There is only one sword remaining now. ¡­ *Ding* --- Skill gained. 1st Degree of Swordforce: By combing your intent with the force of the sword, you are now able to produce the same amount of force, creating a precise wind strike, outside of your sword (The more intent and the more power the further it will travel). +5 WIS --- After practicing with the sword some more, Kenta can feel he is more fluid in his movements. Alright, time to test out this swordforce. Aiming at some leaves on a nearby tree, Kenta putting his intent behind the sword, swings forth, and out comes a blast of air, heading straight for the leaves. It was a clean cut. Neat. Alright, let¡¯s see how far it can go. Yet again, Kenta swings forth his sword, this time with all the intent and power he can put behind it. *Woosh* A line of air goes flying, cutting through the leaves and then some more, reaching a max distance of about 10 feet. Falling to a knee, Kenta is completely exhausted from that one attack. Sweet, that got some distance. Although not practical in a fight, even half the distance would be useful. Standing back on two feet, it¡¯s now time for the armour. Beginning with the chest plate with a tear on its backside, Kenta with more force, bites through the thicker, tougher metal. *Ding* --- Skill gained. Iron Defence: With the protective properties of iron, you are now able to absorb more damage. +50 DEF --- Eating the rest of the chest plates and helmets, they provided no further gain. Okay, last item before I should head back. Apart from a sword, the only remaining piece of equipment is Kabuki¡¯s gauntlets. These fuckers were tough. Bring them closer to his mouth, Kenta bites down. Indeed, the gauntlets are tough, but with the increase bite force, they are no match. Chewing and swallowing, the bits of metal fall down his throat. *Ding* --- Skill gained. Steel Fist: With the power of a steel hammer, you can now punch with immense force, crushing anything in your way. +20 strength to offensive actions involving your hands --- CH 15.5: Status menu
Name: Kenta Yoshida Title: Outsider
Attributes: STR: 50 DEX: 40 CON: 30 INT: 33 WIS: 27 CHA: 30 LUC: 11 Health: 300/300 Defense: 50/50
Skills: Martial Mastery: Having trained in martial arts you have gained mastery. +15 STR, +15 DEX Eater: Allows one to consume any singular item (excluding proper food) to gain skills/attributes. Consuming dangerous substances will not kill you. Bear Bite: Bite with the power of a bear. Increases bite force by 25x. Photosynthesis: You absorb the suns energy during the day and convert it to health, giving you minor health regeneration. +1 health regen/min during the day. Age of Trees: You will grow alongside the trees, living until both you and the trees falls. +500 years to life expectancy. (Does not prevent dying from non-natural ways) Iron Defence: With the protective properties of iron, you are now able to absorb more damage. +10 CON +50 DEFThis novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Minerals: Eating dirt will now provide you with the nutritious minerals required to survive. Bon appetit. Time keeper: You now have an innate ability to accurately tell the time, regardless of where you are. Compass: You can now sense which way is north, east, south and west. Flashlight: When it¡¯s dark you can choose to create light by illuminating your eyes. This will provide light in front of you. Social Network: You may now add people to your friends list (they will need to accept). With these friends, you may communicate over long distances. +5 CHA Wikipedia: You have basic knowledge of this world. +5 INT, +5 WIS Translate: You can now speak and understand different languages (slang does not count). +1 INT Calculator: Basic math is now no problem for you, as you will be able to calculate it instantaneously. +5 INT Maps: You will have a basic understanding of the location around you. It does not tell you where creatures are, only the terrain and buildings. +Knowledge of surroundings (30ft radius) Loot: Creatures when killed will drop money and rarely other items. Minor Storage Dimension: No longer will you have to carry around items, you now have access to a storage dimension. +minor dimensional storage (1 cubic meter) Minor Night Vision: Grants the ability to see more detail at night. Minor Hearing Improvement: Can now hear 4x better than normal. Greater Smell Improvement: Your sense of smell is now 20x better. Intimidation: With the words of a bear, you may strike fear into your enemies¡¯ heart. +10 CHA Improved Swimming: Like a fish you will be able to move faster in water. Aqua Affinity: In water, lungs do not suffice. You are now able to breathe underwater. Glass Ninja: The ultimate stealth technique is to not be seen. You have gained the ability adopt the properties of glass. Using this will allow you to become 90% transparent, unless people are looking for you, most will not notice you. They can still hear you and see the affects you have on the environment e.g. shrubs moving. (This also applies to any inanimate object you are wearing or holding) Worm regeneration: A worm cut in half will regain its lost body. This skill allows you, just like a worm, to regenerate health at a greater rate. Lost limbs will grow back after a day¡¯s rest (Warning: does not include the head or loss of more than 50% of the body). +5 CON +5 health/min. Minor Water Pressure Resistance: Whilst underwater, you will no longer be affected by the pressure (Up to 15 meters¡¯ depth). Fur Coat: The cold temperature will no longer have an effect on you (down to -15 ¡ãC). Minor Ground Stomp: With the weight of a bear, you may now shake the earth causing smaller creatures to lose balance (5-foot radius). +10 STR Sword Mastery: With a lifetime of training, experts manage to reach complete sword mastery. You are now among those experts. +15 STR, +15 DEX 1st Degree of Swordforce: By combing your intent with the force of the sword, you are now able to produce the same amount of force, creating a precise wind strike, outside of your sword (The more intent and the more power the further it will travel).+5 WIS Steel Fist: With the power of a steel hammer, you can now punch with immense force, crushing anything in your way. +20 strength to offensive actions involving your hands.
CH 16: Regretful actions Gaining the skill from eating the steel gauntlets, Kenta stands up and walks towards the tree with the cut leaves. Half a meter away, Kenta raises his fist, pulls it back, and shoots the cannonball of a fist, straight into the trunk of the tree. *Shunk* Splintering into a thousand pieces, a massive indentation is left in the trunk of the tree. Although not enough to knock the tree down, the power is still amazing. With a punch like this, I could knock out a bear¡­ if I get close. *Huff* *Huff* ¡°Not again.¡± Kenta mumbles to himself. Hearing the sniffing sound, Kenta turns around expecting another bear. What he saw, wasn¡¯t what he was expecting. Behind him were two red furred baby bears, sniffing around. When Kenta saw the two cubs, his heart immediately dropped. Realising that the bear from before was the mother of the babies. She was looking¡­ for food¡­ so she could¡­ feed her babies. Seeing the young cubs, Kenta almost burst into tears. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Kenta says regretfully. *Roar* Kenta¡¯s heart dropped again. They were calling out for their mother, they were lost. ¡°You guys are probably hungry, right?¡± Kenta asks, ¡°That¡¯s why your mother came after me.¡± ¡­ Taking his shirt off, Kenta wades back into the water of the river, and jumps under. Swimming about, Kenta manages to catch six fish. He swims back to shore. Seeing Kenta coming back to shore, the two cubs happily run up and meet him. ¡°Here you go, little guys.¡± Kenta says softly, ¡°It mightn¡¯t be much, but it¡¯s the least I can do.¡± Kneeling, Kenta carefully feeds the fish to the bear cubs. On closer inspection one of the cubs appears to have a white patch of fur under its chin. Giving three fish to each cub, Kenta watches them happily eating. The sun is setting laying a crimson blanket over the sky. Kenta stands up, and begins to walk up the riverbank. Following not so close behind are the two cubs. ¡°¡­guys.¡± Kenta sighs, ¡°You can¡¯t follow me.¡± Kenta quickens his pace, trying to lose the bears. Alas, trotting behind not so close, the two bears are still following. ¡°Seriously now.¡± Kenta says, ¡°I can¡¯t bring you home with me.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Walking up the trail, Kenta reaches the half way mark and turns around. ¡°Shoo!¡± Kenta yells intimidating the cubs. Fearing Kenta¡¯s oppressive aura, they quickly spin around and hightail it in to the surrounding bush. Kenta takes the opportunity to run away before they come looking again. ¡­ 25 minutes later and with no bear cubs following, Kenta arrives home. Walking in the door, Hachi and the family are sitting around the table finishing dinner. ¡°What happened now?¡± Kaede says as she stands up, ¡°Why is your shirt all torn?¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ about that.¡± Kenta explains, ¡°I kinda ran into a bear. This is the result.¡± ¡°Considering you¡¯re still standing here, we can guess the outcome.¡± Hachi says. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Kenta says regretfully. ¡°I don¡¯t know the details, and I don¡¯t need to.¡± Hachi states, ¡°However, I¡¯m sure you did what you needed to do.¡± Kenta nods his head dejectedly in agreement. ¡°Come, you¡¯ve had a long day.¡± Hachi instructs, ¡°There¡¯s still some veggies and rice.¡± Sitting down next to Hachi, Kenta immediately digs in finishing it in minutes, and with a mouthful of water he washes it all down. Finishing up, Kenta goes into the kitchen and splashes his face with water. Why do I feel so guilty¡­? I did what I had to. Following Kenta in, Hachi sees Kenta splash his face and stare in to nothing. ¡°Something bothering you?¡± Hachi asks sympathetically. ¡°Oh¡­ um, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Kenta replies trying to shake his thoughts. ¡°If there is, I¡¯m always here for you.¡± Hachi says, ¡°I mightn¡¯t be able to help, but I¡¯ll listen.¡± ¡°Thanks but I¡¯m fine.¡± Kenta responds. ¡­ Walking upstairs, entering his room, closing the door, and sitting on the bed. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, did I? I even tried running away, but it followed me. I didn¡¯t have a choice. ¡°Arghh!¡± Kenta groans. So, why do I feel so guilty? Tapping him on the shoulder, Hachi brings Kenta back to reality. Surprised Kenta quickly turns around only to see, Hachi standing there. ¡°I knew it, somethings troubling you.¡± Hachi states empathetically, ¡°I think we should have a chat.¡± Hachi sits down on the bed besides Kenta. ¡­ After a few minutes of silence, Kenta takes a deep breath. ¡°Okay.¡± Kenta says, ¡°There has been something troubling me. Are you sure you want to listen?¡± ¡°Of course I do, Silly.¡± Hachi responds, ¡°I¡¯m your friend, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Kenta says preparing to spit it out, ¡°Okay, so here¡¯s what happened. After I¡¯d finished fishing, I followed the riverbanks and began walking up the trail. As I got to the half way mark, I heard a ferocious roar come from behind me.¡± ¡°The bear, right?¡± Hachi inquires. ¡°Yes.¡± Kenta answers nodding his head, ¡°Behind me, was a giant red furred bear. I figured it came, after smelling the fish, but I was scared. I knew that I could face it head on. So, I tried running away into the bush, trying to lose it and hide.¡± ¡°But it followed you, correct?¡± Hachi inquires again. ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Kenta replies, ¡°After running and hiding for a while, with the bear not giving up, I finally managed to kill it. I didn¡¯t have a choice.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only natural.¡± Hachi states, ¡°In times of survival, we do what we must.¡± ¡°I understand that, and I¡¯m okay with that part.¡± Kenta says, ¡°It¡¯s what happened next that bothers me. After killing it, I went back to the fishing spot opposite the giant tree, and I began washing my clothes, trying to get rid of the blood and dirt¡­ and then... two baby, red furred bear cubs showed up. I killed their mother.¡± ¡°Ah, I see now.¡± Hachi says, ¡°That¡¯s a tough situation. You feel guilty for killing their mother, even though you didn¡¯t have a choice. Look¡­ It might not mean much to you, but I believe what you did was the right thing. You didn¡¯t have a choice; you did what you needed to do. So, I¡¯ll tell you this; this isn¡¯t the first time a baby animal has lost its mother and it won¡¯t be the last either. These things happen and there¡¯s not much we can do stop it. Don¡¯t feel bad, you did the right thing.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess so.¡± Kenta responds. ¡°With a goodnights¡¯ rest, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll feel better tomorrow.¡± Hachi exclaims looking confident. ¡°Alright, I guess I¡¯ll get some sleep then.¡± Kenta agrees. Lying down in the bed, Hachi walks out the door. ¡°Oh yeah, I nearly forgot.¡± Hachi says as he comes back in, ¡°Pass me your shirt, I¡¯ll have it patched up by tomorrow.¡± CH 17: Beef Stew The birds are chirping and bees are buzzing. Waking up refreshed, Kenta is feeling much better today. Sitting up, he sees his shirt patched up lying on the end of his bed. Hachi, you¡¯re too nice. Putting the shirt on, he heads down stairs. No one is around. ¡°Hachi? Kaede?¡± Kenta calls out, ¡°Anyone home?¡± No one answers. Hmm, I wonder where they could be. Without thinking too much about it, Kenta looks over to the table and sees a note. ~~~ To Kenta, If you see this note, then that means you¡¯ve woken up. Kaede and I are currently attending a meeting with the elders to discuss the future for our farm. Isamu and Moriko are probably out playing somewhere. In the meantime, if you look in the kitchen, there should be a bowl of porridge; that¡¯s for you. I hope it¡¯s still warm by the time you eat, it was quite delicious. Anyway, we should be no longer than an hour, so just rest until we get back. From Hachi. ~~~ Putting the note back down, Kenta enters the kitchen to find a nice bowl of porridge waiting for him. As Kenta grabs the bowl, he exits the kitchen and sits down at the table. Thankfully the porridge isn¡¯t too cold yet. Mmm¡­ This is delicious! ¡­ After finishing the porridge, Kenta puts the bowl back in the kitchen and heads outside. Unsheathing his sword, Kenta begins practicing, seeing what he is and isn¡¯t capable of. ¡°Yah! Yah! Yah!¡± Kenta sounds as he swings his sword. ¡°Hah! Hah! Hah!¡± Kenta yells as he thrusts his sword. ¡°Ah! Ah! Ah!¡± Kenta shouts as he blocks the invisible enemies.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. With a final lunge, Kenta appears to have defeated his opponents. Standing up and regaining his composure, sweat is dripping down Kenta¡¯s back. ¡­ After an hour of training, Hachi and Kaede finally return. ¡°That¡¯s a good form if I¡¯ve ever seen one.¡± Hachi says commenting on Kenta¡¯s sword skills. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back!¡± Kenta says, ¡°How¡¯d the meeting go?¡± ¡°Oh, it went well.¡± Hachi replies, ¡°We were just sorting out the turnover procedures as the crops are ready to harvest.¡± ¡°Oh! Well if you need any help, I¡¯d be glad to lend a hand.¡± Kenta states. ¡°Hahaha. I¡¯ll hold you to that.¡± Hachi says with his usual smile. ¡°Also, I bumped into Akira, he told me to tell you, to come by his fish stall and help out. He said he¡¯s misses the easier work load.¡± ¡°Hahaha. Well I¡¯ve got nothing better to do. I just hope I get paid.¡± Kenta retorts. Sheathing his sword, Kenta walks down the farms entrance, and heads towards the town square. ¡­ 5 minutes later. ¡°Ahaha. There you are boy.¡± Akira says, ¡°I see you¡¯ve come to help this old fart out, huh.¡± ¡°Well I had nothing else to do.¡± Kenta replies putting an apron on, ¡°I better be getting paid for this.¡± ¡°Of course, of course!¡± Akira says guiding Kenta behind the shop, ¡°Same as last time.¡± ¡­ After a few hours, it becomes midday. *grr* After standing around selling fish in the midday heat, Kenta¡¯s become hungry. ¡°Hahaha. Go on then.¡± Akira says noticing this, ¡°Go have lunch, I hear the tavern is serving a beef stew special today.¡± Taking the initiative, Kenta unties his apron and heads for the tavern. A bell tinkled as the door opened. It¡¯s enchanting inside with the warm, humble atmosphere. Hard wooden beams support the upper floor, the walls have lanterns attached to them, giving off a beautiful radiance, separating the lanterns are all sorts of decorations. Being the first time Kenta has been in the tavern, he is taken aback by the sight. The tavern is crowded with members of the village and passer-byers. Several log long tables are filled to the brim, with people feasting on various dishes. Kenta seeing an empty spot by the bar, quickly pushes his way through and sits down on a stool. ¡°And what can I get you love?¡± A busty, red headed waitress asks. ¡°Uh¡­ can I have your beef stew special please.¡± Kenta answers averting his eyes from her perked up bosom. ¡°One beef stew special!¡± She yells out, ¡°And to drink?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ waters fine.¡± Kenta replies. ¡°Coming right up, handsome.¡± She says turning around. Bending over, she grabs one of the beer glasses from the bottom shelf, teasing anyone who saw. *Gurgle* *Clank* She fills it up to the brim with water, and places it down in front of Kenta. ¡°That¡¯ll be one silver total.¡± She says holding out her hand. Slipping his hand into his pocket, he takes out one silver and passes it over. ¡°Thanks!¡± She says while smiling, ¡°Your meal should be ready in a few minutes.¡± Glancing around Kenta notices a few blue flags with a white star in the corner, hanging from the walls. I don¡¯t believe I know what kingdom Shingo village falls under. I don¡¯t even know any of the kingdoms. ¡­ 4 minutes¡¯ pass, and the busty red head, places a steaming plate of beef stew down in front of Kenta. Smelling the fulsome beef mixed in with various spices, Kenta begins salivating. Instantly Kenta digs in, chewing, savouring and taking his time eating the delectable stew. CH 18: Chiyako Nosawa Exiting the tavern, Kenta is stunned by the shine of the sun, blinding him momentarily. Kenta makes his way back to the shop and stands behind the shimmering fish. ¡°How was it?¡± Akira asks, ¡°I hear the stew is to die for.¡± ¡°It truly was delicious.¡± Kenta replies still salivating, ¡°In fact, why don¡¯t you have some?¡± ¡°What! No¡­ I couldn¡¯t.¡± Akira responds, ¡°That¡¯d mean I¡¯d have to leave post.¡± ¡°Yeah and?¡± Kenta says, ¡°I¡¯ll be here, so you don¡¯t need to worry.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Akira responds with mixed feelings. ¡°Go on!¡± Kenta says pressuring him, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure everything¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Ah, alright then.¡± Akira gives in, ¡°I¡¯ll be back as soon as I can.¡± Taking his apron off, Akira walks in stride towards the tavern, clearly happy about being able to have a break. ¡­ A few minutes later, Kenta is steadily holding down the fort, selling all kinds of fish left, right and centre. Akira, you got my respect. Doing this alone is stressful. ¡°That¡¯ll be 20 copper please.¡± Kenta says while receiving the money, ¡°Thank you, come again.¡± ¡­ ¡°Hmm¡­ so you work at the fish stall.¡± A lady says. Turning towards the lady, Kenta recognises her. She¡¯s the waitress from the tavern. ¡°Uh¡­ can I help you?¡± Kenta confusedly asks. ¡°I didn¡¯t know the one who killed Kabuki, would be so handsome.¡± She teasingly responds. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Kenta sounds. ¡°If you¡¯re wondering; Akira, your friend told me.¡± She responds, ¡°After hearing that it was you who did it, I thought you might get hot out here. So, I brought you drink. On the house.¡± ¡°I told my friend this the other day,¡± Kenta says shaking his head, ¡°but I really don¡¯t need such things, I don¡¯t deserve such praise, I was only doing because I thought it was the right thing to do.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I insist you take it, it¡¯s the least I could do.¡± She says going red in the face, a single tear rolling down her face. ¡°Please¡­ you have to¡­¡± Kenta seeing this is shocked, he doesn¡¯t understand why such a beautiful would cry like this. ¡°Hey now, calm down.¡± Kenta says sympathetically, ¡°Why are you crying.¡± *sob* ¡°Why¡­ am I¡­ crying?¡± She says sobbing her way through, ¡°When¡­ Kabuki and his men¡­ first arrived hear¡­ they demanded to be paid¡­ returning one week later¡­ everyone paid¡­ except for one man¡­ my father!¡± ¡°Wait, your father was the elder?¡± Kenta asks. ¡°Yes¡­¡± She says while nodding, ¡°Finally¡­ my father can rest in peace. After¡­ months¡­ those bastards are dead.¡± Kenta taking the drink and placing it on a ledge, steps forward and embraces her shaking body. ¡°It¡¯s okay now.¡± Kenta whispers, ¡°Everything¡¯s fine now.¡± Holding her softly, she tightens her grip. She must have been holding it for so long. ¡°Come now.¡± Kenta says as he wipes away her tears, ¡°Your father wouldn¡¯t want you crying like this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± She says gasping for air as she takes a step back, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what got into me.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be sorry about.¡± Kenta says, ¡°Oh, and thanks for the drink.¡± ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re welcome.¡± She says softly laughing. Taking a minute to recompose herself, she begins walking back to the tavern. ¡°Oh, and by the way, my names Chiyako, Chiyako Nosawa.¡± She says turning to face Kenta, ¡°But you can call me Chiya.¡± Turning around, she finally leaves. ¡­ After Akira got back, he and Kenta continued working late into the evening. ¡°Here you go, 3 silver.¡± Akira hands Kenta, ¡°The extra is for letting me have a break, I haven¡¯t had one of those in a while. Ahaha.¡± Akira¡¯s infectious laid back personality and cause anyone¡¯s mood to lighten, something Kenta needs at the moment. After finishing a day¡¯s work, Kenta still has one more thing to do. ¡°Hey, Akira?¡± Kenta asks. ¡°Yes my boy?¡± Akira responds. ¡°Would you mind if I borrow your spare rod tomorrow?¡± Kenta asks, ¡°I feel like going fishing tomorrow.¡± ¡°Hahaha. Of course, you may.¡± Akira replies laughing, ¡°I¡¯ll be working, tomorrow, so just hop on by, and I¡¯ll have it here. I¡¯ll even prepare you a box of bait.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Kenta says. ¡°No need.¡± Akira exclaims, ¡°It¡¯s great to have another passionate fisher around.¡± After clearing up the stall, Kenta heads off. ¡­ Walking down the road, Kenta stops out front a general goods store. Making sure no one is watching, Kenta opens his dimensional storage, pulls out the bear meat and raps the skin around it. The bell rings as Kenta enters. ¡°Sorry, we¡¯ve just closed down for the evening.¡± The store clerk says. ¡°I¡¯ll just be a minute.¡± Kenta says, ¡°I¡¯m looking to sell some items.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ alright, but let¡¯s make this quick.¡± The clerk frustratingly agrees. Dropping the red furred bear skin bag on the counter, it opens, unveiling the mass of bear meat. ¡°This is the skin and meat of a bear.¡± Kenta states, ¡°How much for both.¡± The store clerk clearly not expecting such things hesitates for a moment. ¡°Indeed, that is the meat a skin of a bear.¡± He says while inspecting the items, ¡°And the cuts are exquisite. I¡¯ll pay 15 silver for the skin and 20 silver for the meat, 35 total.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Kenta responds. At least this way, it¡¯s not going to waste. ¡­ Still full from the delicious lunch, Kenta heads straight upstairs and falls asleep. CH 19: Monster Awaking in the morning to the sun tapping on his face, Kenta sits up, stretches and gives a big yawn. Standing up, Kenta goes over to the window and looks out. Out in the field are two ominous figures, the first is a battered hay filled scarecrow, it¡¯s clothes ripped and torn from the environment, it¡¯s straw hat tilted to one side, and his arm loosely hanging from a few strands. The other ominous figure, also has a straw hat, but this one is moving. Moving from one crop to the next, the creature doesn¡¯t seem to be slowing down, dirty and sweaty, it continues its path. Rubbing his eyes, Kenta takes another look out the open window, focusing on the moving creature. Upon closer inspection, Kenta realises that the ominous creature is just Hachi, working the farm. That guy is a monster. Opening the wooden door and walking down the narrow hallway, Kenta heads downstairs, creaking at every footstep. ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± Kaede asks hearing his arrival. ¡°Yeah, I slept well.¡± Kenta answers, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind me asking, but what time does Hachi wake up to work on the farm?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s an odd question.¡± Kaede says, ¡°On most days, Hachi wakes up before the sun does, quickly finishing breakfast, he¡¯s usually out the door working, before the sun peaks over the horizon.¡± ¡­That guy, is seriously a monster. Kenta grabbing an apple, sits down bites into the juicy core and slowly eats. ¡­ 5 minutes later he finally finishes the apple. Getting up, he heads outside and unsheathes his sword. ¡°Yah! Yah! Yah!¡± Kenta sounds as he swings his sword. ¡°Hah! Hah! Hah!¡± Kenta yells as he thrusts his sword. ¡°Ah! Ah! Ah!¡± Kenta shouts as he blocks the invisible enemies. After practicing for nearly an hour, Kenta feels better using the sword. Looking down the dirt path that exits the farm. Kenta focuses. Bringing his sword up, he pushes all his intent through his arm, through his hand, through the hilt and into the blade. With all the power he can muster, he swings down, unleashing the swordforce, and sending a wave of air. *Shink* It cuts a straight line in the ground going forward. Kenta falling to a knee, looks up to see the results of his attack. Reaching a distance max distance of 10 feet, the outcome hasn¡¯t changed at all.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. I guess I was getting my hopes up just a little too high. This is going to take some time. Coming around from the back of the house, the sweaty Hachi spots Kenta training with his sword. ¡°Hey Kenta!¡± Hachi yells out, ¡°Ya¡¯ look like ya¡¯ could use a break, why don¡¯t ya¡¯ join me inside for a drink.¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯d love to.¡± Kenta answers. Following Hachi in, they separate, he goes into the kitchen and Kenta goes to the table. Coming back out, Hachi is carrying a jug of water in one hand and two cups in the other. Placing them down on the timber table, Hachi first pours Kenta¡¯s drink and then his own. *Gulp* Like a waterfall running down the back of his throat, Kenta drinks the rich and invigorating water, regaining his energy. Hachi does the same. ¡°Ahh!¡± Kenta gasps for air, ¡°That was needed.¡± ¡°Hahaha. It sure was.¡± Hachi agrees. ¡°If ya¡¯ don¡¯t mind, I could use some help out back, it¡¯d make the work a lot easier.¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± Kenta responds, ¡°I¡¯d be glad to help.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Hachi says happily, ¡°Wait here for just a moment, I¡¯ll be back in a jiffy.¡± Quickly walking upstairs, Kenta can hear Hachi moving around in his room. ¡­ 2 minutes later. *Creak* *Creak* *Creak* Hachi comes running back down, holding something behind his back. ¡°Okay Kenta, now close your eyes.¡± Hachi says. Kenta doing as instructed, closes he eyes. He feels something lying on his head. Opening his eyes, he looks up and sees a straw hat, similar to Hachi¡¯s. Kenta is not amused. ¡°Aw, come on.¡± Hachi says while grinning, ¡°It looks good on ya¡¯.¡± Kenta, accepting it and not worrying too much, follows Hachi outside and into the field. Standing next to the creepy worn-down scarecrow, he notices that it¡¯s about a foot shorter than he is. Hachi passes a shovel to Kenta. ¡°Alright, here¡¯s the plan.¡± Hachi explains, ¡°As we go along, I¡¯ll harvest the plants, and ya¡¯ uproot the remaining parts. Don¡¯t worry about cleaning up the mess we can do that another time.¡± Following the instructions, the two work their way up and down the lines of crops, harvesting and uprooting every single one. After working hard for 4 hours, the scorching rays of the midday sun are shinning down upon the two men. The beads of sweat are dripping from every part of their body, falling to the soil below. Beaten, broken and exhausted, the two men have successfully harvested one quarter of the field. ¡°Hachi, I think I¡¯m going to die.¡± Kenta says whilst panting for air, ¡°Anymore, and my body is going to collapse.¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Hachi laughs, ¡°Luckily for ya¡¯, we¡¯ve worked tremendously fast. We¡¯ve accomplished what would normally take me a full day. If you¡¯re looking for a break, I¡¯d say ya¡¯ earned it.¡± Oh, thank god! ¡°Come now.¡± Hachi says, ¡°Let¡¯s head back and have some lunch.¡± After a slow 10-minute walk, they eventually reach home. Opening the door, they step inside. Immediately Kenta jumps for the water. Chugging the invigorating drink down his throat, Kenta see¡¯s Hachi coming out of the kitchen a few minutes later, he is holding two plates full of salad with some chicken thrown into the mix. Setting them down, the two instantly begin to chow down. Crunching and munching, Kenta and Hachi, both finish their meals. ¡°Ready for round two?¡± Hachi asks with a serious look on his face. Is this guy trying to kill me? Hachi, you monster. ¡­ ¡°Actually, I have some other business to attend to.¡± Kenta says, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I won¡¯t be able to help for the rest of the day.¡± ¡°Oh, well. Ya¡¯ already helped me a bunch today. Without you I wouldn¡¯t have done so much, so thanks.¡± Hachi humbly replies. CH 20: Reunion The two men stand, and exit the house one after the other, only to separate; Kenta headed for the town square and Hachi back to work. He¡¯s a workhorse, Kenta thinks to himself, glancing over at his friend. ¡­ Exiting the farm, Kenta makes his way to Akira¡¯s fish stall. ¡°I was beginning to wonder if you¡¯d ever show up. Ahaha.¡± Akira chuckles, ¡°As promised here is the rod.¡± ¡°Thanks, I really owe you.¡± Kenta says. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Akira says. Taking the spare rod and the container full of slimey bait, Kenta turns around and sets off down the main road. Walking down the lonely path, Kenta sees a figure in the distance, a lady, and she¡¯s walking in Kenta¡¯s direction. Upon closer inspection, the perennial woman, was much older than he thought, her pale, wrinkly skin looked rejected. With her greyish-black hair covering her face, as she passes Kenta, he can hear her softly speaking, mumbling words of an unknown tongue. Kenta¡¯s translate ability, couldn¡¯t piece anything together, it was truly creepy. Walking a few more feet, Kenta stops and turns around, but to his astonishment, the old lady, was nowhere to be seen. ¡­Am I seeing things? Kenta freezes and stands there for a minute, trying to process what just happen. I can¡¯t have dreamt that. Leaving it at that, Kenta continues walking, after heading down the slim dirt trail, he makes his way to the regular fishing spot. Looking across the wide river, Kenta notices that the great tree, that assists in fishing, is missing one of its more prominent branches, causing a hole of light to shine through.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Settling down by the scenic river banks, Kenta takes out the spare rod and container of bait. Upon opening the bait box, the fresh pinkish-brown wriggling earthworms come in to sight and Kenta picks one up by the tail, he slides it onto the metal hook, and casts it out into the middle of the stream. Sitting patiently, listening to the wind brushing against leaves and the water bashing against rocks, he waits for a bite. After only a minute, Kenta feels a quick tug, and then again. He pulls, reeling the fish towards him, lifting it and dropping it on the ground. In only a matter of minutes Kenta caught the first fish of the day. Must be my lucky day. Casting it again, Kenta quickly catches another fish. ¡­ After a few hours fishing, Kenta caught a record breaking, 12 fish. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Kenta laughs, ¡°You fish are no match for me, Kenta, professional fisher!¡± Storing the fish in his pocket dimension, Kenta unsheathes his sword and starts practicing in the nearby environment. ¡°Yah! Yah! Yah!¡± Kenta sounds as he swings his sword. ¡°Hah! Hah! Hah!¡± Kenta yells as he thrusts his sword. ¡°Ah! Ah! Ah!¡± Kenta shouts as he blocks the invisible enemies. Putting down his sword, Kenta puts up his fist, and begins shadow boxing. With lefts, right, hooks and uppercuts, Kenta is dominating his invisible enemies. Finishing up the fight, Kenta punches a nearby tree, as hard as he can. *Pow* It splinters, forming a crater in the trunk. Kenta punches again but this time from the side, forming another indent. Repeating his actions Kenta does a full circle, punching a total of six times, nearly knocking it down. Out of the corner of his eye, Kenta notices a figure standing in the bushes on the other side of the river. With a dark robe covering its face, Kenta can just barely make out some dark hair its face. Seeing this, Kenta remembers the old lady he saw earlier that day. No, it couldn¡¯t be, could it? As he intends to look back at the figure, he notices its gone. Looking around, Kenta can find no trace of the hooded figure, it vanished. Sitting down on the banks of the river again, Kenta takes out the slippery fish he caught and puts them in a pile to his side, letting the fishy smell spread through the air. ¡­ Ten minutes later, Kenta hears some soft footsteps coming from behind. *Rawr* ¡°I knew you¡¯d show.¡± CH 21: House guests Turning around, he sees the two red faces of the baby bear cubs, whether it¡¯s due to the smell of the fish or due to them remembering him, they have returned. The bear cub with the white patch of fur on its chin, gets closer to him, slowing down and being more cautious on every step. Sniffing around, it remembers the scent, followed behind by its sibling, they beginning eating from the pile of fish. Chewing and munching, the two adorable cubs are happily eating away, obviously satisfied with their meal. Sitting by the river, watching this beautiful scene, another line is thrown into the water. Thanks to the lucky days, the fish supply isn¡¯t depleting so quick. Eating through the pile of slimy smelly fish as quick as they can, they begin to slow down, finally coming to a stop, the two cubs are full to the brim. Seeing this, Kenta, lets out a slight chuckle, having never seen something eat so many fish in one go. You must have been struggling without mommy around, sorry about that, but I¡¯ll make it up to you. Having filled their bellies, the two cubs lie down on the ground besides, him, using his heat to stay nice and comfy. Enjoying the cute sight, he stores the remaining fish, lies back, and rests, slowly drifting away, joining them in their slumber. ¡­ Waking up a few hours later, the sky is a mix of purple and red, indicating the end of the day. Sitting up, the bears to wakes up, yawning and clearly dazed. Giving them a few pats, he stands up and stretches, he too begins yawn. Packing up the rod and the empty bait box, he begins walking back to the village. Just like last time, the two cubs follow him up the hill. *Sigh* ¡°Fine, you can come with me.¡± he gives in, ¡°But you better not cause any trouble.¡± Walking along the dirt path, with the trotting of the bear cubs behind him. He finally reaches, and turns into the farm entrance. Sniffing every bit of the new environment, the two cubs, are excited as they run ahead, exploring every nook and cranny. Reaching the door, he opens it, and steps inside, the two bears cautiously follow behind. ¡°Welcome back¡­¡± Hachi says with a confused look, ¡°I see you¡¯ve brought home some guests.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ yeah,¡± he replies, ¡°They followed me home, and I didn¡¯t have the heart to stop them a second time.¡± ¡°Well, I expect you to raise them properly.¡± Hachi states, ¡°Dinners in the kitchen, help yourself.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Entering the kitchen, he brings out, the remains chicken salad from lunch. Sitting down at the table, the two cubs are busy exploring their new home. Inspecting every part of the bottom floor, they cautiously approach Hachi, edging ever so closer. Holding out his hand, they finally accept him and deem him safe, even letting him stroke the back of their head, before running back. Entering the kitchen once more, he cleans up his plate and pours a drink of water, sculling it down, he fills it again, this time bending down and giving it to one of the bears, filling it for the last time, he passes it to the other bear, letting it drink the refreshing clean water. After finishing the drink, he began heading to his room. With each creaky wooden step, they make it to the top and enter their room. Completely new to their surroundings, the run from corner to corner, wall to wall, sniffing everything they can reach, familiarising themselves. With the window open, the nightly wind accompanied by the sounds enter the room. Pulling his sheets off the bed, he lays it down on the floor, just under the window, creating an area for the bears to sleep. With a bit of difficulty and the use of sign language, Kenta finally manages to explain to the bears that the sheet is where they can sleep. One by one, the bears step on to the sheet, lie down, and beginning falling asleep. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he watches over the bears, sleeping ever so soundly, causing a warm sensation to go off in his heart. Taking his boots off, he lifts his legs and lies on the coverless bed, but that doesn¡¯t matter, he feels warm and happy. ... ¡°Ahh!¡± he yells, waking up. Still night time, he sits up and feels the droplets of cold sweat on his head, rubbing his eyes, he looks over to where the bears are sleeping. They¡¯re gone. Panicking, he immediately gets up and looks all around his room, even checking under the bed, they are nowhere to be found. He looks out the window but all he can see is the pitch-black night. Calming himself down, he reasons with himself and thinks that they must be downstairs somewhere. Exiting his room, he goes downstairs, carefully treading on the floorboards, trying not to make a sound. Reaching the bottom floor, he immediately begins searching for the bears, softly whispering in case they might hear him. Looking under the table and behind all the furniture, he has searched everywhere in the room. Pushing the door open into the kitchen, he looks around and begins opening each and every cupboard, just in case, still nowhere to be found. Walking to the end of the kitchen, he opens a door, revealing a pantry with all the cooking ingredients and their aromas. Checking high and low, the bears aren¡¯t in there either. *Creak* Hearing something opening, he exits the pantry, shutting the door behind and walks back out of the kitchen. Shocked, he sees the front door wide open, revealing the great outside. Stepping outside, Kenta collides with the cold dusky air, causing him to stop for a second, continuing out, he doesn¡¯t hear a thing, even with his acute hearing¡­ everything is asleep, even the wind. Hardly able to see even a few feet in front, he takes a few steps forward trying to spot anything. He does. In the near distance, he spots two figures shrouded in darkness. Walking towards them, he freezes in fear. In front, is a familiar scarecrow, upright just standing there in the middle of the path, looking in his direction, staring straight through his heart. To the side of it, a shadowy figure with indiscernible features, walks towards the scarecrow. It raises its hand, and places it on the scarecrows decrepit shoulder. In the next moment, it turns its head, and looks towards Kenta, invisibly striking him in his soul. ¡­ He wakes up, breathing heavily, its morning. CH 22: Shingo Villager Waking up in the morning, he realises it was a dream, or rather a nightmare. Ever since he walked past that old lady, he¡¯s being seeing strange things ever since. Linking the two together, a shiver goes down his spine, wondering if he¡¯s been cursed. Sitting up, a stretching, he looks over and sees the two bear cubs sleeping soundly. Getting up he walks over to the door, exits his room and walks downstairs. Halfway down he hears the trotting of the bear cubs catching up to him, never letting him out of their sight. ¡°Good morning¡­¡± Kaede says as she looks at the two bears, ¡°Uh¡­ so those are the bears, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah, they followed me home.¡± He replies, ¡°I couldn¡¯t say no a second time.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯ve heard,¡± She says referring to Hachi, ¡°We don¡¯t have much in terms of breakfast, so just help yourself to some fruit.¡± Doing so, he sits down at the table and begins eating, at his feet are the two bears, looking up at him hoping for a bite as well. Finishing his meal, Kenta opens the storage dimension and takes out the remaining fish, serving breakfast to the hungry bears. Happily finishing the slimy fish, Kenta steps outside the house, followed by the bears. *Ding* --- New Title Earned. Shingo Villager: Having spent adequate time and successfully assimilating into the village, you have earned the title Shingo Villager. --- Well this is new. Looking at his new title, he readily equipped it, relinquishing the previous outsider title. He was beginning to feel at home in this village.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Doing his daily sword training, with the two cubs watching from afar, Hachi comes out the house and greets him. ¡°I see you¡¯re up and training.¡± Hachi says ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been training since breakfast.¡± He replies. ¡°Do you have anything planned for today?¡± Hachi asks, ¡°If not I could use some help with the farm again.¡± ¡°Sure, I can help.¡° He accepts, ¡°Just let me go get a drink and I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Getting a drink, he walks around the house and meets Hachi. ¡°Same plan as before.¡± He instructs. As he follows Hachi into the field, he sees the broken scarecrow again, remembering his frightful dream. Walking past it the two begin working, the other two, the bear cubs, are playing around in the field, having the time of their life. ¡­ Same as the previous day, 4 hours pass, before Kenta gives up from exhaustion. Heading back to the house, they finish the lunch and head their separate ways. Kenta needs a lot of fish to keep a stable diet for the two bears. Before that though, he walks to the fishing district and meets up with Akira. ¡°Ah boy, you¡¯re back again.¡± Akira says. ¡°Akira, I¡¯d like to buy this rod.¡° He says holding out the spare rod, ¡°I¡¯m going to need it a lot in the coming days.¡± ¡°Boy, if it were anyone else, I¡¯d sell it.¡± Akira replies, ¡°But we¡¯re friends, aren¡¯t we? So, as a gift from me to you, I¡¯ll gift it to you.¡± Finishing his business, Kenta, leads the two bears back to the fishing spot and begins setting up shop. Sitting down, he takes out the rod and the bait box. As he goes to apply some bait, he remembers that he finished it yesterday. Alright, guess I got to do it by hand. Taking his shirt off, he jumps into the sparkling water, leaving the two cubs by the scenic banks, he looks under the cold blue water and finds a plethora of fish. One by one, he catches them and stores it, he needs as many he can get. While swimming around for a while, catching the slimy fish, he notices something strange, one of the fish has an elongated tooth sticking out from its jaws, kind of like mini fangs. Looking around, none of the other fish have such a property. ¡­ After a few hours of swimming, Kenta, floats back to the rocky shore, having caught a total of 22 fish. Perhaps he didn¡¯t need the fishing rod. Hoping out, he puts his shirt back on and stores the equipment. Taking out a few of the oily smelly fish, he feeds them to the two bears cubs for dinner. Hmm¡­ I still need to name you guys. ¡°Alright, you will be Maxi.¡± He says, pointing the bear with the white chin, ¡°And you shall be Yogi.¡± Not paying any attention to what he¡¯s saying, the bears continue to munch down on the fish. Seeing this happy sight, Kenta, turns to look at the other side of the river, half expecting to see a figure there. Fortunately, there doesn¡¯t appear to be any sign of it, bringing a sigh of relief from him. As the velvet red sky turns to a dimming purple, the three begin making their way back home. CH 23: Nightmare Arriving home, he makes it in time to join the family for dinner. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re back.¡± Hachi states, ¡°Come join us, we¡¯re just sitting down now.¡± Sitting down, they begin to eat, tonight¡¯s dinner is a pie filled with an assortment of vegetables. Drinking down the water, Kenta stays a while and chats a bit. After a while, the suns has completely set and the moon has awoken, everybody begins to slowly dissipate, first the kids, then Kaede, then Hachi. Making his way upstairs, he reaches his room, stepping inside, he takes off his shoes and walks towards his bed. Lying on top of the soft mattress, he closes his eyes and dozes off. ¡­ With a muffled scream, he wakes up, struggling to breathe, only to see that his mouth is shut tight. Looking up he sees, the terrifying scarecrow standing above him, holding him with not its hand, but straw ropes coming from its back, wrapping around him, not letting him move a muscle. Dragging him, he falls of the bed, with a sudden thud, hitting the back of his head. Looking over, he sees the bears are missing again. So, I¡¯m in a dream? Not bothering with the door, an explosion of air sends it flying off its hinges. Pulling him roughly, they begin to descend the stair. *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* Hitting his head on every step, his vision goes fuzzy, only to restore a second later. Reaching the bottom floor, Kenta notices, that the window is smashed. Blasting the door with hurricane like wind, splintering in to a thousand pieces. The scarecrow pulls him over the painful glass shards, and out the door. Throwing him out in front, into the stunningly calm night, he is finally free, able to move on his own. He turns around and begins to run, looking back, he can still see the decrepit scarecrow standing there staring at him with its lifeless button eyes. Facing forward, he sees a dark figure in front of him, moving towards him.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Before he has time to stop or change direction, the featureless figure goes straight through him, momentarily stopping him breathe. Gasping for air, he falls to the ground, holding himself up on all fours. He starts crawling away into the darkness, not looking behind. Reaching the exit to the farm, standing there is the scarecrow, holding its arm out, pointed towards Kenta. Straw ropes come flying out. Wrapping around his leg like a vice, it snaps his shin bone, splintering it. Holding it, it begins walking down the dirt path. Struggling all the way, the rope is unbreakable. Down the narrow dirt trail, they reach the river. Tossing him out in front, on to the hard grass. It stands still, drooping its head to the floor. Giving up on running away, he unsheathes his sword, preparing to attack. The scarecrow looks up, interested, staring at him with those button eyes. One step, two step, three step. It slowly walks forward. Not moving a muscle whether from bravery or utter fear, scarecrow inches closer. About a meter away, he launches to first attack, lunging. Before it hits, the scarecrow vanishes, only to appear behind him. He swings around, only for the scarecrow to do the same. Repeating this routine, the scarecrow tires Kenta out. No longer can he fight efficiently anymore. Falling to a knee, he breathes heavily, rejuvenating his lost energy. Standing back on two feet, he looks around. Multiple scarecrows are surrounding him. They attack like a gang of feral dogs. He, beaten, broken, victimized. The scarecrows show no remorse or mercy as they continue the hellacious attack. Injured all over, Kenta notices his regeneration is not working. Why does it feel so real? With a last dish effort, he stabs his sword into the chest of one of the scarecrows. The rest disappear. With the sword burrowed into the straw-filled chest, it stands dead still. Slowly, the ruined scarecrow, reaches its hand out, resting it atop of the sword. It crumbles, turning to ash, and falling to the ground, mixing in with the dirt. With no more weapon, he looks at the scarecrow with dread. *Psh* The scarecrow sends one of its ropes, through his chest, breaking his rib and organs, making a clean cut straight through to the other side. The blood reflects the moon as it lies on the grass behind. He¡¯s floating away, dying. It feels so real. ¡­ Gasping for air, Kenta sits up on the bed. It¡¯s still night time. That was too real. Still feeling a pain in his chest, he looks over below the window sill, the bears remain, sleeping silently. He slows his breathing and calms back down. He prepares to go to sleep again. *Creak* The bedroom door opens. CH 24: Scarecrow As the bedroom door opens, Hachi enters. ¡°I heard you screaming.¡± Hachi says, ¡°Is everything alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s alright now.¡± He says, ¡°Just having a nightmare.¡± ¡°Ah ok.¡± Hachi says sympathetically seeing the sweat on his forehead, ¡°Well, you should take it easy, grab a drink if you need, and don¡¯t hesitate to ask for anything. I¡¯m always here to help.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± He replies. *Psh* ¡­ Blood is dripping. Hachi is shocked, he looks down to find something protruding from his chest. He falls to the floor while looking Kenta in the eyes. His lifeless body goes limp. He is dead. The blood pools on the bedroom floor, staining it. Standing behind where Hachi was standing, is the dark figure. It has no features, no details, no nothing. It¡¯s an entity of pure darkness. Dazed and confused, he still hasn¡¯t processed what just happened. It moves closer to the bed. It strikes out its hand and grabs him by the throat, lifting him up into the air. He feels no body, but he feels the pressure. Waking and seeing this, Yogi and maxi run over and try to bite the figure, to no success. There is no body. *Psh* *Thud* A deep red gash appears on the side of the bears¡¯ neck, they go flying, shooting through the air, slamming into the timber wall. They breathe heavily. Gasping for air. They don¡¯t know what just happened. Seeing this happen, a tear runs down his face and drops onto the blood below. ¡°You bastard!¡± he screams, fuming with anger.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Struggling to get free, Kenta drops to the floor, regaining his breath. ¡°Kenta, is everything alright?¡± Kaede says as she comes around the corner. ¡­ Looking in, her heart drops. She sees her dear husband lying on the ground, motionless, surrounded by a pool of blood. Her eyes go watery. She falls to the floor, bawling her eyes. ¡°How¡­ how could you do this?¡± She yells. ¡°What!¡± He replies, ¡°I didn¡¯t do this. Don¡¯t you see the¡­¡± Turning around, the figure is gone. Nowhere to be seen. Leaving him, and only him alone in the room with Hachi¡¯s lifeless body. ¡°Why¡­ why would you do this?¡± She asks, weeping as she does, ¡°After everything he did for you¡­¡± ¡°Kaede, it wasn¡¯t me.¡± He answers, taking a step forward. She crawls backwards, aware of Kenta stepping closer. He stops. After a few seconds, he takes another step. She stands up and runs away, down the stairs. Unable to stop her, he turns around, and drops to his knees. *Sniff* Crying, he looks around the tragedy filled room. Still unable to comprehend what just happened. *Argh* A rope wraps around his neck from behind, choking him. Incapable of looking behind, he can only assume it¡¯s the scarecrow. Pulling him out the door, it throws him down the stairs, bruising his body, losing 2 health. Once more, the scarecrow wraps its straw-made rope around his neck. Pulling him outside, into the cold darkness. Struggling, he unsheathes his sword and chops of the rope, letting him breathe again. Coughing, he stands up and faces the scarecrow. He charges straight, piercing the scarecrows chest. It looks down, expressing shock on its emotionless face. Remembering the nightmare, he immediately pulls out the sword. The scarecrow vanishes into a dark mist, only to appear behind him. Before he can react, he is whipped across the head by the straw-made rope, it feels like being hit by a baseball bat. He goes flying a few feet before tumbling down on the ground. He loses 35 health bring him down to 265 total. Stretching out its rope, it grabs Kenta by the ankle and pulls him closer. Chopping the rope in half before long, he stands back up and charges the scarecrow. He slashes its chest, before getting whipped again. They¡¯re too quick. Losing another 30 health, he¡¯s at 240. Right now, its blow for blow, but from the looks of it, I don¡¯t appear to be hindering it at all. Activating glass ninja, he sneaks around to the back of the scarecrow. *Thump* With pin point accuracy, one of the ropes goes flying into the centre of his chest, like a homing missile. It doesn¡¯t pierce him, rather it was like being hit by a blunt weapon. Shattering, he goes flying. That¡¯s bullshit. CH 25: Deal? Now at 221 health, his hope of winning is slipping through his fingers. The scarecrow is too powerful; he sees no way of winning. Dragged by the ankle, he chops the straw rope again. With a swift strike, he sends out a flash of controlled air, slicing the scarecrows already broken arm off. The scarecrow enraged by this, sends out a multitude of ropes, all aiming to kill. Dodging the oncoming barrage, each rope creates a hole in the dirt, where Kenta was just standing. Running, he charges forth at the scarecrow, stabbing it once more, through the clothing and into its, straw-filled chest. *Rahh* It screams, sending a dreadful aura to anyone who listens. He drops to a knee, under the pressure of the overwhelming aura, he uses all his might to move his sword, slicing at the only thing he can reach, its legs. Slicing them, the scarecrow stops screaming and falls to the ground, now missing both its legs and one of its arms. After a moment of lying there immobile, four ropes spring out of its back and into the ground, raising it up and holding it like a spider. Seeing this, the monster just keeps on getting worse and worse. Is there no end this? Figuring its best to take the initiative, he runs underneath chopping down each leg, only for it to grow back. Is there any way to kill this thing? Still underneath, Kenta, stomps on the ground as hard as he can, causing the earth to shake. The scarecrow stumbles around, losing balance. Jumping up, he slices the remaining arm off, leaving it as only a head and a torso. Falling back to the ground, he gains some distance. Charging back to the spider-like scarecrow, he jumps up once more, and goes to slice its head off. *Shunk*This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Blocked by numerous ropes, it¡¯s impossible to reach its head. *Psh* In a lightning quick movement one of the, ropes goes flying through his left thigh. Breaking the bone, it forms a hole right to the other side. ¡°Ahh, you fuck!¡± He says unable to stand. Wrapping the ropes around his body, it brings him closer, face to face now. It wants to kill. Fuck it! *Crunch* As a last resort, Kenta bites the scarecrows straw neck and rips a chunk out, quickly eating it. The scarecrow is in a lot of pain, dropping him. *Ding* --- Skill gained. Decoy: You may create an illusion of yourself to confuse others. The illusion is not physical therefore cannot attack, defend or interact with any objects. It can do basic movements such as walking or sitting. (Lasts for 10 seconds) Mental Battle: You may creep into a targets mind and interact with it as you like. If you fight your target, you will not take real damage. If you kill your target, you will cause them to wake up. Can affect spirits. Can still be harmed on the outside. Minor Ropes: You may now shoot ropes out of your hand to assist you. Useful for trapping, climbing, whipping etc. (Limit: 1 rope, 15 meters) --- ¡°Alright lets give this a shot.¡± He says. Taking the opportunity, he activates mental battle and dives into the mind of the scarecrow. Inside everything is white, there is nothing around. Seconds later another figure appears, it¡¯s the old lady. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± He says, ¡°Why are you doing this to me?¡± ¡­ ¡°Ach¡¯et Ulmtasara io¡¯ki.¡± She says. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, If I did anything to you, I¡¯m sorry.¡± He says apologetically. ¡­ ¡°Taka¡¯e ulno io¡¯kai.¡± She says before speaking again, ¡°Unaware of your surroundings.¡± ¡°What? What do you mean?¡± he inquires. ¡°Without thought you destroy.¡± She states, ¡°Rest was broken. She awoke.¡± ¡°Destroy? Awoke? Who awoke?¡± he asks. Thinking it through, he can only think of one thing. The ancient tree. ¡°Yes. You realise now, your mistake.¡± She says, ¡°For over 1000 years, I have remained. One day I was disturbed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was careless, but why did you kill the others?¡± he questions. ¡°The merely got in the way.¡± She states while laughing. This bitch! ¡°Can¡¯t you bring them back? They did nothing wrong.¡± He asks ¡°Hahaha. Bringing them back would be a difficult task.¡± She explains, ¡°And I can¡¯t really be bothered.¡± ¡°Fine, how about we make a deal.¡± He suggests. ¡°Deal? What is there you could possibly have to offer?¡± She asks slightly confused, ¡°You have nothing.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t but you do.¡± He says, ¡°In exchange for bringing my friends back, I won¡¯t go over and destroy your tree.¡± ¡°Bwahahaha! Destroy my tree? My vessel?¡± She says, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have a chance.¡± ¡°Well, you haven¡¯t been able to kill me yet.¡± He retorts. CH 26: Contract ¡°I will break both your legs; you won¡¯t be able to do a thing.¡± She responds confidently. ¡°Unfortunately for you, we¡¯ve been in here for 7 minutes now.¡± He replies, ¡°My leg has already healed and as soon as I leave this realm, I am destroying your tree.¡± Exiting the mind realm, Kenta with his now healed legs stomps on the ground, and charges in the opposite direction. ¡°There he is!¡± A woman yells out. As he reaches the entrance of the farm, he meets a mob of people, all from the village. ¡°Kenta, how could you?¡± Akira says from the side, ¡°We trusted you.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t me!¡± He yells, ¡°I would never do something like that.¡± ¡°Well, we still don¡¯t know.¡± Akira says, ¡°We¡¯ll need to investigate first, but until then you are to be locked up in a holding cell.¡± ¡°You have to be joking.¡± He responds, ¡°If it were any other night I would accept, but right now I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t make this a struggle.¡± Akira states, ¡°Since you did assist with the bandits, we will offer you jail rather than death, but if you struggle we will be forced.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡± He says as he takes a step back. ¡°Kenta, we just need¡­¡± Akira says as he¡¯s interrupted. The scarecrow is walking towards him just 20 meters behind. ¡°Don¡¯t you guys see that thing.¡± He says. They all tilt the heads in confusion, wondering what he was looking at. Screw it, I¡¯ll explain it later. Using minor ground stomp, he causes the closer villagers to fall off balance. Activating glass ninja, he sprints in the direction of the ancient tree. As he gets out of sight of the villagers and into the looming darkness of the night, straw ropes come flying from behind. Unsuccessfully trying to sweep his legs. Running on the dirt path, Kenta reaches the dirt trail leading down to the river. Not much further now. Charging down the hill, a rope sprouts out of the earth like a root and wraps around his ankle, tripping him. ¡°I will kill you!¡± She says, ¡°And when I¡¯m done with you, I¡¯ll wipe that pathetic little village out of existence!¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Unable to see where the voice is coming from, he rips the rope off, before running once more. Standing in front of him, the scarecrow is blocking the path, it no longer has a smile on its face. He charges the ancient spirit, ready to pierce its chest. *Woosh* Before reaching the scarecrow, multiple roots with incredible speed pierce through every part of Kenta¡¯s body, the injuries are fatal. He falls to the ground. ¡­ Quietly sneaking past in the surrounding bush, he sees this happen, and makes note of how long it takes for the illusion to disappear after dying, 3 seconds. Moving through the bush, he reaches the bottom of the hill, right in front of the river. ¡°You take me for a fool!¡± She yells, ¡°I will make you pay for your arrogance!¡± Chasing close behind, she sends out as many ropes as she can, easily over 20. Some flying towards him aiming to pierce and some going in front aiming to trap, the situation looks bleak. Using his new-found skill, he aims his hand back, and sends out a rope of his own, sweeping the straw legs of the scarecrow. With the ropes falling alongside the scarecrow, he reaches the routine fishing spot. Next to it he can see the tree. He reaches the bruised tree and prepares to chop it down with his sword, he already has his full intent behind it. ¡°Stop!¡± She begs, ¡°Don¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°And, why shouldn¡¯t I?¡± he replies, ¡°You¡¯ve caused me nothing but trouble, and sure maybe I deserve to be punished for disturbing your special little tree, but you made one mistake. You involved my friends, who did absolutely nothing wrong, you killed innocent people.¡± ¡°They¡¯re all pathetic anyway¡­¡± she retorts. Swinging his sword down towards the tree¡¯s bruised trunk. ¡°Stop! I¡¯m sorry!¡± She states, ¡°Please, let¡¯s just talk this out.¡± Stopping the swing mid-flight and calming his intent before anything is done, he looks over towards the spirit. ¡°You want to talk? After everything you¡¯ve done.¡± Kenta retorts. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll accept your deal.¡± She exclaims, ¡°I¡¯ll bring back your friends, but you have to promise to leave.¡± ¡°How can I guarantee that you¡¯ll abide by the deal?¡± he replies, ¡°As soon as I walk away, what guarantee do I have that you won¡¯t just kill me or my friends?¡± ¡°As a spirit, I can form a contract.¡± She answers, ¡°If both parties accept, the with the powers that be, neither will be able to break it. With this, even if I wanted to kill you, it would be impossible.¡± ¡°Well, how do we form this contract?¡± he asks. ¡°Simple.¡± She replies as a glowing orb appear between the two, ¡°I, Da¡¯ku¡¯elm, offer, Kenta Yoshida, a trust contract. The conditions are that I promise to bring back his friends and to not to kill Kenta Yoshida nor his friends, in exchange that he leave. Kenta Yoshida, do you accept the terms?¡± ¡°Yes, I accept!¡± he says. The two glowing orbs split into two and fly to both parties, assimilating into each of their bodies. ¡°The contract has now been formed.¡± She states, ¡°As per the contract, your friend has been resurrected. Now leave this place and never return.¡± ¡°Wait, what do you mean my friend?¡± he quicks asks, ¡°Don¡¯t you mean my friends?¡± ¡°Hahaha, foolish mortal.¡± She retorts, ¡°Do you really believe that those bears really counted as friends. Don¡¯t be so silly.¡± ¡°Fine if that¡¯s how you want to play it!¡± He shouts. With all his intent and power, he swings down his sword and splits the tree at the base. *Shunk* *Thump* The ancient tree after so many years has finally fallen and been laid to rest. ¡°You!¡± she yells, ¡°I¡¯ll take you with me!¡± With her remaining energy, she sends out all the ropes aimed to kill. Flying towards him, they stop inches from his body, blocked by some unknown invisible force. The contract held up. ¡°Remember, you can¡¯t kill me.¡± Kenta says as he grins, ¡°You twisted the contract, so I did to.¡± Watching on with anger, there is nothing she can do. With the flow of the next wind, she fades into ash and disappears forever. ¡­ ¡°Now, I¡¯ll leave.¡± He states.