After I have arrived at the mountain, there is a fair number of thunder bears when I try searching for them with my smartphone. Their numbers are too many for one mountain. There should definitely be a subspecies present with this.
But, I have no way of saying if it's true even if they are that many. The villagers seem to be lucky since there isn't much damage to where they live. Actually, the fields looks like they were damaged but it was rather moderate. It is fortunate that the people weren't attacked. I wonder if this mountain is very abundant with animals to hunt and nuts to gather.
[Well that's fine. Let's finish this quickly.]
I lock on all of the Thunder Bears in the mountains, but I stop for a minute before I deal with them with magic. The materials that can be harvested will be wasted if they are defeated in this manner. The thunder bear's fur should sell for a considerable price if I'm not mistaken. Besides, its liver is used as an ingredient to make medicine as well. The meat isn't bad but it isn't seemingly appetizing too. If I end up burning them with magic, the value of the fur will drop to half if it isn't entirely lost.
Hmmm, the best way is to kill them is with an edged weapon. Furthermore, a stabbing weapon does the least damage to the fur. No, the best way will either be poisoning or suffocation, or maybe something like a heart attack. Paralysis doesn't go as far as causing a heart attack.
[Confirm the thunder bear population]
<>
I can't leave them alone even if you say they are cubs. It will be a miracle if they manage to grow up. It's a little painful but....
In any case, should I fire a bullet into their hearts one by one to kill them? One hour should also be enough to deal with them. First, I open a [Gate] next to a nearby bear and move there.
============Scene Change=============
[Fuu. I suppose it was quite troublesome]
Contrary to my expectations, the subspecies was more tenacious, and they did not easily show any openings. Its lightning attacks came down indiscriminately since I couldn't attack anything besides the heart. As such, it was troublesome to avoid its attacks. However, I somehow defeated it and stored it inside [Storage] like I did with other defeated thunder bears.
With this, there are no more Thunder Bears on this mountain. Later, I have to exchange these materials with the guild for money. Ah, I also must cancel the request made by this town. Even if it is said to "cancel", I don't think the request has reached the guild yet, so there shouldn't be any fool who would say I snatched the request or something.
[Etto~ what was it called again? Ah, Senka. The town of Senka]
I look up in my map the town where the guild that took the request is located. So it is west from here, huh?
I activate my flying magic and start flying at once. This magic is indeed convenient no matter what. I might reach the same speed if I use [Accel Boost], but this method is far easier than that. Well, [Accel] has a higher instantaneous speed accompanied by an increase in my thought process, but [Fly] doesn't increase my base speed nor does it increase my thought process. It's a matter of merits and demerits and how to use them properly.
While I'm considering those things, I see a town from the gaps between clouds. Is that the town of Senka?
Since I will stand out if I descend in the middle of the town, I have decided to go down before I reach the town and proceed on foot. I then go straight to the guild after confirming its location in the map .
It's a small building that's incomparable to the guild located in the capital of Belfast Kingdom, but the interior is unexpectedly tidy. The usual request board is lined up with various requests stuck on it. While I give it a side glance, I head towards the female receptionist.
[Welcome. How can I help you?]
[I would like sell some demon beast materials. Also, I think it hasn't reached this place yet, but I want you to cancel the request from Collet town that should arrive tomorrow]
[What do you mean?]
Because I was being looked at like I am a suspicious person, I presented my guild card. I then explain the circumstances to receptionist. Though she was surprised upon seeing my silver card, I still somehow managed to convince her with that. After that, I line up some dead bodies of the thunder bears including the subspecies in the courtyard and make them assess those. I left merely two bodies of the thunder bears to provide the villagers proof that I hunted the bears and had the rest be processed into money.
[I-it will take a little time. Will that be alright?]
Well, they were that many. It can't be helped, right? Until they finish the assessment, I should look around the guild to kill time. I'll probably browse the requests that are posted on the board.
[In the Eastern Cave … mega slime…? I haven't defeat this guy yet.]
That's because all the girls in our party are against the slime type. I met various apparitions and demon monsters since I came to this world. However the slippery sticky types like slimes or ropers were avoided. I don't plan on purposely meeting them though.
As I was browsing through the board, I saw someone suddenly appearing at the entrance. Well, although I didn't mind it as many adventures were coming and going for some time, I unintentionally looked at him a second time after I glanced at the person who entered.
(tlc: anime-style, you look at something, find it ordinary, look away, realize what you saw, look again).
[Huh? Isn't it Touya? Why are you here?]
[End...!]
Having a white hair and wearing a similarly long white muffler, a black jacket over a white shirt and a pair of black trousers – the boy with the same monotone-style as before looked at me in surprise.
[Why is End here?]
[I want to ask you the same thing. I have just returned after subjugating a King Ape that was around here]
End answers with a bitter smile. King Ape? It's a large monkey-like demon monster. That guy is surely not smart. I fought him as well.
[No, that doesn't matter. Leaving that aside, there are a lot of things I want to hear from you]
[Things you want to hear? Well, that's okay, but can you wait for a short while? I still need to finish the request, you know]
I glanced at End's guild card as he went to the reception desk. While he submitted the subjugated portion of the monster's body, I saw that his card was that of a red rank. After he received the reward and put it in his pocket, we went to the bench in the corner of the guild and sat down facing each other.
[And, what did you want to ask?]
[It is about Fureizu. What on earth are those things?]
"Mmm~" – END looked like he was thinking about something and then started talking before long.
[There are things that I can talk about, and there are things things I can't. Will that still be fine with you?]
[... I don't mind. Tell me about the things that you can talk about]
End leaned deeply in the chair and started to talk.
[I don't know whether you believe it or not, but those fellows aren't living entities that belong in this world. I guess one should call them visitors who came to this world from a different world]
[Visitors? Not invaders?]
[I don't know if it's correct to call them invaders since they don't have any intention to invade at all. You know, they have been barely coming to this world from another world just to search for their [King]]
The [King of Fureizu]. I heard of it before. It's the Fureizu's purpose to find that guy.
[Then why are they attacking humans?]
[From here on out, there are things I can't talk about mixed in as well. Simply put, the Fureizu has a [core] which becomes its source of life. If it is not destroyed, it will absorb the magic power in nature even if its body is crushed. Because of that, it will regenerate after some time. And so, they kill humans in order to retrieve that [King] core that is in this world]
[Wait a moment. What does retrieving the [King]'s core have anything to do with them killing humans?]
[It's connected because this [King] core is inside the body of someone from this world]
Come again? The [King] core is inside a human body, and they are killing people to retrieve it, you say!?
[It might not be limited only to humans. It could certainly dwell inside beastmen, demonkin, or any living being with some degree of intelligence. You see, the [King]'s core is dormant right now. You could probably call it a death-like state. It can be inside anyone in this world. While the core is in this state, it's waiting to advance to the next stage. The waves that the [King]'s core emit made the Fureizu realize that it is in this world. But these fellows don't know its exact location. They can't hear the [sound] that only the [King] has. It's lost in the sounds of the host's heart. Therefore, they kill people in order to erase those obstructive sounds]
Wait a minute. So is that what it is all about? Are they going to kill every single human just to find this [King] that's inside someone!? Though their method for searching is quite thorough, that's exactly what they have been doing.
[What in hell are Fureizu…..]
[Originally, they are evolved life forms from another world. But at some point, the [King] who took command of them disappeared from that world. And so, they started travelling across other worlds to pursue it. The [King] has its own objective as well. I think their way of intrusion is inelegant, you see. But even then, It should be fine to leave them alone since they are only moving based on instinct]
(tlc: well, except when they don't kill people and break stuff)
So it's similar to a queen for bees and ants. Besides, anyone could even say that they are gathering here as if they are being attracted, right? Furthermore, did he say that the [King] also has an objective?
[Having crossed over to a certain world, the [King]'s core then dwells within someone living in there. It absorbs the host's life force little by little, and moves to another host when the previous one reaches the end of his or her lifespan. It keeps on repeating again and again, and eventually the core travels once more to another world by using this accumulated power]
[... Are the Fureizu come here aiming for that? They kill humans all over the world and search for the [King]'s core. And when the [King]'s core move to another world, the Fureizu also leave while chasing after it...]
[Well, it is generally like that]
This isn't a joke! Are you saying they are entirely similar to locusts who leach on the humans of the world and then they leave!? They cross over the worlds one after another while recklessly destroying them. Furthermore, they themselves are not aware that they are destroying the world. They are just doing it because it is necessary. It is neither good nor evil. It's just an instinct.
[... End, you said that you are also searching for the [King]'s core. Are you also killing humans?]
[Stop thinking like that. I wish you don't make a wrong assumption here. I'm waiting for the [King]'s core to move to the next world. I'd like you to not group me with those guys]
... I don't quite understand this guy's aim. Is he like a guardian for the [King]'s core? Either way, it is this [King] core's fault that this world is greatly being troubled as it is.
[What about the barrier of the world?]
[Hmm~….for different worlds, you see... these worlds are overlapping each other with a slight shift like a spiral staircase. You can immediately rise one step above but, you can't instantly rise 10 steps, right? This height is the gap between worlds. In order to ascend one step, you have to travel all the steps before it. Well, it might be possible to skip one step though. Even so, there is a barrier which prevents the intruders to come from other places. Normally, you shouldn't even be able to go one step up]
(tlc: basically, the barrier protects from traveling to the world from other strongly misaligned worlds, but not from near worlds).
I feel like I have understood it somehow. There might be common parts between my former world and this word, so this gap might not be that large.
[I think I have said it previously, but this barrier is not like a wall. It's like a thin see-through net. That's why small and harmless things can pass to this world. That's the reason why the [King]'s core travels in its death-like state. It's feat only a [King] is capable of]
Is that so... Since it's in a death-like state, I suppose it won't be repelled by the world and will dwell inside it. I wonder what it feels like coming through the gaps of that mesh.
[However, if you forcibly cross this barrier... Well, it's usually impossible to do, but making a rip is possible. If it's repeated several times, the hole will gradually and eventually grow bigger. And once it's completely open, the barrier stops carrying out its function. That's what happened 5000 years ago]
That was the Fureizu invasion Dr. Regina talked about. She said the world was about to be destroyed.... So that's how it was.
[At that time, the barrier was somehow repaired and the Fureizu threat disappeared. The remaining Fureizu were destroyed, and the world was saved from going extinct. I also helped with hunting the ones that remained.l]
This fellow is talking exceedingly lightly about the events of 5000 years ago. He is not an ordinary person after all. He is surely not human at least. However, I wonder what happened that enabled the barrier to be restored. It seems End doesn't know either....
[When I thought I would rest easy and sleep for some time, it got noisy once more. The barrier is starting to come apart again as well. It's still barely holding, but I guess it's a matter of time before the advanced Fureizu will also come. I don't know whether that will happen in a year or 50 years from now though.]
[….. Is End a friend for humans?]
[I wonder about that. Me hunting down Fureizu is like stalling for time. Honestly speaking, I might altogether leave that matter for it to take care of itself should the barrier breaks down. However, I don't feel like being on the Fureizu's side]
I still don't understand this guy's standpoint. Can I let it pass because he is at least not on the Fureizu's side?
[Since I also have a task to take care of soon, shall we then finish our talk here?]
While saying that, End stands up and tries to leave the guild.
[... One last thing. End, who are you?]
[Me? I am [person who crosses over]. See you later, Touya.]
End leaves the guild with those words.
The Fureizu's objective, the [King]'s core, the world barrier.... I have learned a lot of outrageous things. When I think about it realistically, isn't the situation quite bad? 5000 years ago, the crisis was averted by fixing the barrier. But what about this time? Is it possible to stop the Fureizu invasion? They will continue to indiscriminately kill humans until they find the [King]'s core. Furthermore, there are not that many people who can oppose them. There also isn't a single advanced technology available should they appear in large numbers like they did 5000 years ago.
While I am being puzzled over the revelation of the truth, I receive the money for the thunder bears from the reception desk and leave the guild.