Take on Another World with My Best Friend Vol. II Ch. 2

The sun rises over the sea horizon. The waves of the sea make Akira pukes. Thankfully, since the ships are Newlight-made, the sailing is relatively fast and smooth, although not smooth enough. It was still a ship made out of wood since modern ships from Newlight can be quite expensive. "Bleeeeeerg!" "You okay, man?" "I on fink ahl eveh get uzd to shiling" "Huh?" "He said 'I don't think I'll ever get used to sailing'. Well, It's not your fault, King Akira" "Shh. Are you mad? We're traveling incognito. We can't use any of our names" "Don't worry. The captain is my friend. Isn't that right, Captain Andreas?" "Si, chico. You can count on us" "See? We're safe here. We can use our nicknames when we land" "Alright then. We believe you" "Now, we're heading to Mercia, right? What's the plan?" "We don't have a plan, yet. For now, we get in, do some reconnaissance and plan. We don't really know what to do" "Can't you see through your worldly eyes?" "I tried. Something prevents me from going through. It's almost like the place is blanked out" "Blanked out?" "Yeah. Like seeing nothing off the map, but when you're there, it's clear there? You know what I mean?" "Wait, like a censor?" "Exactly" "So, Shin cannot worldly eyes through. Any chance we could penetrate the barrier?" "I don't know. For all we know, it might be an anti-magic area. So If it is, then going in would be really dangerous. Even for you, Akira" "What about me?" "You still have your fist, but I doubt any magic will work. If you're surrounded by guards or worse, knights, you're fucked" "What's to worry about the knights?" "A squad of a knight can level a city. Mercia's knights are that good. A rumor I heard is that a Mercia Knights Order is both born and bred by the military. They started training at the age of 5 and reached adulthood at 10. By then, your first assignment is to kill the weakest member. Their life expectancy is quite low, too. They are expected to die before the age of 30. If you passed beyond 30, you either kill yourself or be executed by the government" "That's really harsh. Seems like a waste of good men" "I know. That's why we cannot underestimate them. They are born warriors. They have no weaknesses because they are trained to eliminate weaknesses" "Aren't this a bit like ancient Sparta?" "I don't know for sure. But based on the rumor I've heard, Sparta pales in comparison" "How can we win against these knights?" "I don't know. But we will find out later" "Wait. Am I still have a criminal record on me?" "No. I made sure to erase your criminal record. We have reached an agreement with Havilan Nobles" "What kind of agreement?" "Nothing big. We said we would pay for reparation for his son death. Also, we um...'persuaded' them that you're not in the wrong?" "You threaten them?" "No, no. Nothing of a sort. Threaten is such an ugly word. More like, paid your bounties...forcefully" "I don't know what that means, but that sounds really wicked" "No, no. It's not..." "Basically what our king said is he put the noble's son into the light. In exchange for not releasing those crimes to the royal family, Akira convinced them to forget about the matter, alongside monetary reparation" "How much did you pay?" "One Platinum plate" "So, blackmail and bribery?" "Eh, pretty much. That's politic. I never took interest in politics, but one way or another, we all have to be involved" "Oh yeah. I heard that you were having quite a breakdown when your Sister is killed?" "I went into berserk for a bit, yeah" "You have to remember. The world is getting crazy, and the people are too. So when you think you're sane or do something rational in a crazy world, people might think you're the crazy one. As I said, I would have done the same thing, and I wouldn't take that word back. But be careful what you think of as sane or insane anymore. The distinction nowadays is really complicated" "I don't understand" "What I'm saying is, we're not back on earth anymore. We're in Terra. So what you think is crazy on Earth, might not be so on Terra. We're a stranger here, so we need to think what a Terran would do" "Why are you telling me this?" "Well, you're our friend now. a friend let friend ramble aimlessly, and then rambles themselves, am I right?" "Oh god. You two are insane" Shin and Akira laughs. Ken still confused, but join in on the laughter. On their travel, they continue to chat, even it's a pointless one. "Don't you think back on earth, the isekai manga or anime, people named really weird?" "Well, that's given. They are on another world. Naming norms of earth does not apply to them" "But you gotta agree when I said some people named weird" "I do. I mean, who the hell named their son Rubberdick? it's like they're not even trying" "Your name was weird too, remember? Nosk is not a normal name" "I can't think of any better name off the top of my head at the time" "I can. Shinno, Mazu, Shima. Those names are better" "You shut your mouth" "Guys, wait. Can we talk about something?" "What is it, Ken?" "Do we need a disguise to get in?" "Hmm...Given we're traveling secretly, we do need one" "What are your disguises? I have my bulloak wood mask with me" "I have my elite riot helmet" "Given how advanced that mask is, wouldn't that attract more attention?" "I guess you're right. Akira. Can you make me a mask?" "Sure. What kind?" "The one with glasses, a mustache, and eyebrows" "Sure, potato head looking headass" "Those are natural and practical" Akira cast a creation spell to make goofy-looking glasses for Shin. "Thanks. What are you going to wear?" "Bandages" "I'm sorry. I thought I heard you said bandages" "Yep" Akira creates a roll of bandages. He wrapped the bandages around his head and his face. Only his eyes are visible. Once the bandages cover his head, he cast an illusion magic on his face, so his face looked like a burn. "How do I look?" "You look terrifying" "Goddamnit. I should have asked for the bandages. You look exactly like Graham" "That's what I was aiming for" "Can you do the voice?" "Let me try" Akira clears his throat, and tests several voices. "I can't do it" "Try using magic" Akira cast illusion magic, to change his voice. He tried until his voice matches that of the Malpais Legate "I survived because the fire inside me burns brighter than the fire around me. I fell down into that dark chasm, but the flame burned on and on. How does that sound?" "Sound's gruff" "Goddamn, you sound just like him" "Like who?" "Don't worry about it, Ken. This is a video game character" "Okay. I'm not going to bother about which video game it is. As long as the disguise works, We can enter the city. Let's start with our identity. Are we really going to use our nicknames?" "That would be the safest bet. Nosk, Kira, Kenny." "But what if they ask for our identity?" "If it's guild card they ask, just say we don't have one" "Alright. What happens if we'll get separated?" "We all have a phone. Just call me or I'll call either of you" "It has an anti-magic area. Do you think our phone will have a reception there?" "We'll see. Don't be worrying too much. If something went wrong, we'll improvise" "Alright. That's enough planning for now. I feel like fishing now. Do you want to join me?" "Nah, I'll get some sleep" "Ken?" "I'll go rest too" "Alright. I'll wake you up when I caught them fishes" Akira grabs a fishing pole from his Item Box. There is no bait he can use right now, so he is fishing bare hook. Shin and Ken went ahead to get some rest. Akira is sitting at the back of the ship, casting his line. For half an hour, there are no fish biting his fishing rod. He almost gave up when he feels a tug on his fishing rod. He jumps to his fishing rod and fights the fish. The line is quite heavy, so he patiently fought the fish. Once the fish is close, he yanked his rod and get the fish out of the water. The fish is medium-sized, maybe the size of his arms. It was quite a good fish, but it wasn't enough to feed the crew and three of them. So he cast another line on the ocean, and he patiently waits for another fish to take the bait. After 15 minutes, a fish caught on his hook. But this time, it's quite heavy. He pulled his rod back, but the resistance is quite heavy. So he fought patiently until the fish is caught. The second one is a sturgeon and quite a big one. The rest of the crew slowly noticed Akira and his fishing prowess. His technique might be amateurish, but the result is amazing. The captain, who took notice, order the crew to secure both fish. It was a good haul, but it wasn't enough. He cast a third line, but this time, he chopped the head of the first fish and took it as bait. When something bites, Akira was almost thrown into the sea, but he was caught by the crewmates. This is the big one. The resistance of the fish is so big, the ship was put to a sudden stop. "CAPTAIN! WE CAUGHT A BIG ONE!" "EVERYONE, PREPARE THE JAVELIN! WE'LL KILL IT" Everyone on board works together to catch a haul of the week. The ship, even though is in full sail, was put to a complete stop. This fish is quite hard to catch, but thanks to Akira's durable fishing rod, he was able to put a fight into this fish. "CAPTAIN! DON'T SHOOT. IT'LL DAMAGE THE MEAT" "IT WILL SINK THE SHIP IF THIS KEEPS UP!" "I HAVE AN IDEA! EVERYONE, HOLD ONTO THE FISHING ROD" Everyone, including the captain, holds the fishing rod. Akira cast a lightning spell, but not from the sky. He cast a lightning spell from his hand to electrocute the fish with the water around it. He levitates to avoid hitting the crewmate. The first mate furls the sail of the ship to stop the ship from moving. The crews move the fishing rod to the side so the fish can be hooked onto the ship. Once the crewmate lifts the fish, it was incredibly heavy. As it turns out, it was a really big yellowfin tuna. It was bigger than the ship itself. The captain's jaws can be heard to drop, along with the jaw of the crewmates. "I HIT THE JACKPOT!" Akira jumps with joy. The tuna is definitely bigger than the one on the world record back on Earth. When the crew put the fish on board, the crewmates feels the ship is sinking slightly. "She's a monster, captain!" "What do you want to do with this fish, Mister Akira?" "What else? Cook them" "We have to land to cook?" "What? Why?" "We need all the crew's attention to cut up the fish. We can't do both" "I can do them" "Nevertheless, we need to stop" "Alright. It's your ship, cap" Akira takes out his knife, but the knife would be too small, and he gives his katana to Talos with his mask. So he asked the captain for his cutlass. The captain was hesitant at first. Not because the cutlass would be dirtied, but the cutlass is thin, it might break. "Don't worry. Just hand me your cutlass" Captain Andreas hands him his cutlass. Akira enchants the cutlass until the cutlass shines. With ease, Akira fillet one side of the big tuna. Then he fillets the other side of the fish. He descales the fish with the cutlass and portions of the fish to be able to be cooked. "What are you planning to do with it?" "Do you have a kitchen in here?" "We do, but We are currently out of charcoal. Right now, we are on dried jerky and smoked fish" "Hmm... how do I cook this?" Akira thinks about this for a second, until he remembers that his RV is still in his item box. The main deck is biq enough for his RV. "Captain. Can this main deck fit a carriage?" "Eh? Sure. But why would you want a carriage there?" "To cook. I'll make something for your crew. They haven't had breakfast right?" "I believe so" "Well then. Please keep anything you saw a secret" Akira takes out his RV slowly so it doesn't damage the ship. The crew is fascinated of this unique carriage. "Oh. Isn't this a vehicle from your country?" "Yep" Akira went inside the RV, but the crew are curious. Some of them, including the captain take a look inside. It was spacious for a carriage. But wonders where are the horses. "Oh, this doesn't use horses. It uses magic as fuel. Go ahead and take a look, but don't touch anything in the cockpit" Akira points to the driver's seat. The fish that have been cut and put in a barrel is brought to Akira. Akira thinks of making several dishes. "Oh, right. I better wake those two" "You get on cooking. I'll wake those two" "Thanks, captain" Akira made the breakfast dish. Tuna sandwich. He heats up his cast iron pan and drizzles olive oil on the pan. He sears the fish until it has a golden brown color on the skin. He cooks a lot more and pulls them apart, then put them in a big metal container. He squeezes 2 whole bottles of mayonnaise and 3 whole lemons into the tuna. Adding salt and pepper to the mix. The captain comes back to the RV. "Anything I can do to help?" "Have they woken up?" "Yeah" "Thanks. There are sliced loaves of bread on the top cupboard. Please take all of them and spread the tuna on the bread. There's a knife on there. Please spread them on one piece of bread. I'm going to chop some cabbage and onions" The captain nods and Akira quickly chops the cabbage and slices the onion and separates them until the onion forms singles. "Do you have one made?" "Yes" "Great. You can add cabbage and onions to it" Akira takes over and spreads the sandwich himself. Captain Andreas looks at Akira and imitates how Akira stacks the sandwich. "Go ahead and eat, captain. I'll make it for the rest of the crew" Captain Andreas takes a bite of the sandwich. His eyes light up. The freshness of the fish, a hint of sourness and crispy cabbage and red onions. "This is really heavenly. I haven't tasted anything like this, even in your country" "Oh, I haven't introduced them yet. I might later" "What is this sourness?" "Lemon. I noticed that some of you guys have scurvy. This is a good way to get rid of them?" "Lemon? That's an expensive fruit. Are you sure we can have this?" "Don't worry. We grow lemons just outside of Hakone" "But why would you grow lemon?" "Our country is quite hot. You experience it firsthand. Lemon is refreshing and good for our merchant fleet since they would spend a long time on the seas. I would like to keep them healthy, even from scurvy" "Hmm... you lived up to your nickname, King Akira" "Nickname? Are you talking about 'The King Who Cooks?'" "Yeah" "I used to live alone for most of my life. I have to be creative about food. Cooking is all I'm passionate about" "Do you even have enough time to cook as a king?" "I admit, it rarely happens. I usually went to the kitchen to teach the chef how to make something" "I think, if I may, to implement your disguise, you should be a traveling chef" "That's...not bad. I'll think it through" Akira unconsciously made a lot of sandwiches. Akira asks the captain to gather the crew to eat. The captain does so and each crew gets 2 sandwiches. Shin and Ken get them and Akira joins them. Captain Andreas mans the wheel while eating his second sandwich. since the sea is calm, the crew eats the food while sitting on the main deck. The crew was astonished. The food they are eating is simple but delicious. "Master Akira. About the fish, is it possible for us to buy the fish from you?" "Eh? You can have it. We'll take 2 barrels. You can take the rest of 15 of them" "What? We can't possibly have that much. We can't store all of them" "How about 10 barrels?" "10 would be the limit" "Then I'll take 5 more" "Do you have salt? We need to preserve them" "I don't have that much, but, how about we make some?" "Make some?" "Look around you. The sea is salty. We could evaporate the water and the salt will be left behind" "Ooh. That could do it" "Great. Hold on a moment" Akira cast a bowl-shaped barrier and scooped a lot of seawater. The barrier is big enough to qualify as a small lake. Then he heats up the water, so hot and intense that the seawater started boiling in seconds. After one hour, the barrier completely dries up and only salt remains. The steam from the evaporation condensed and turns the sky extremely cloudy. Akira collects the salt from the barrier and fills the barrel with salt. It was more than enough for 10 barrels. "Captain. We have excess salt here. Do you want them?" "Sure. Helmsman. Take over" Captain Andreas approaches Akira. "Wha-" "Something wrong captain?" "This...This must be the purest salt I have ever seen" "Okay? Do you want it?" "Can I have it? It would be really profitable for us" "Well, Ms. Valeria is a partner for Newlight Conglomerate, and she saved Ken. It would be beneficial for her and Newlight" "Thank you. You really are a good guy" "Don't mention it" Shin approaches Akira "Hey. Can you make more for us to sell?" "Sure. How many?" "20 sacks" "Alright" Akira gets his barrier first. Then he boils the water. "Wait, Akira. Add more oxygen to the fire. As much as possible. It would burn much hotter and faster" Ken advises and Akira nods and adds more oxygen. The water is boiling violently, and it evaporates really fast. The salt forms into crystals and Akira makes the barrier smaller to crush the salt until they are refined and grounded into extra fine salt. "Here's your salt" "Wait. Let me try to use my purify spell" Akira brings the salt down. Shin points his palms to the salt and channels his magic into the salt. The salt reacts to the purifying magic and the salt glows. The byproduct of purified salt makes the salt glows. "Great. This is an extra pure salt" "Wait. Captain Andreas. Can you check this out?" Captain Andreas checked the salt they made. He looks like the salt is glowing. He tries a pinch of the salt. Once the salt reacts in his tongue, his face shriveled for a bit then returns to normal "Holy fuck. That's purer than a nun" "You think this would sell?" "I don't doubt it would sell. But the price for all these salt would be astronomical" "It would, but you would need a specialty merchant to sell them" "I will leave the selling to Shin" "No problem. Now pack them in a sack" Akira nods and starts putting the salt in an extremely fine burlap sack. Once the sack has been filled, Akira went to the captain and ask if this ship can go any faster "We can't. The wind is not blowing the way we wanted" "Well, that doesn't matter, right Shin?" "Oh no. Don't you dare do that" "Too late" Akira points upwards to the sail and sees a ball of condensed wind blowing into the sail. The ship picks up speed and moves at the speed no ship can go. Within 15 minutes, they can see land, no, a city. Akira dispels the wind magic and the crew furls the sail. The ship gradually slows down and safely docks at the pier. Akira looks at the crewmember and his crew. The crew is getting dizzy and some of them vomited, But one person is visibly collapsed. Ken. "You fucking piece of a fucking...." Shin pukes before he can finish his sentence. "My lord. That is a bit...excessive" Captain Andreas cannot contain his puke. The rest of the crew who are strong enough to get up helps the other who has fallen unconscious. "Why did you do that?" "To get here faster" "My lord. From your country, it would take 3 months to reach this continent. We only did it within 3 hours" "Well, good for us, eh?" "One of these days-" Before Shin can finish his sentence, Akira's phone rings. He looks at the screen, it's from an unknown number. It must be Mina. "Hey, honey. What's going on?" "Hey. I woke up you weren't there. I assume you're on your mission already?" "Yes. We went in the morning. Sorry to left you so early" "I understand. No need to beat yourself over it. Where are you right now?" "Wait, hold on" Akira turns to Captain Andreas. "Where are we, Captain?" "We're at Port Haytham, Kingdom of Suleyman" Akira went back to the call "We're at Haytham, Kingdom of Suleyman" "Wait, what? You left this morning and you're already at the Kingdom of Suleyman?" "Yeah?" "Oh. Did you use 'that'?" "Yeah" "You're an evil man, Akira" She chuckles. “If anything happens, can you teleport back to New Miami?" "I don't think it would be necessary, but yeah. I can do it" "Oh thank god." "What's going on, Mina? Are you okay?" "Yeah, yeah. I'm just getting used to this phone you gave me" "Yeah. You can take a photo with that, it has an unlimited battery, and covers just about everywhere, unless you're somewhere completely isolated, like a cave or underground" "Yeah. Thank you. When you're done, please go straight back home, okay? Also, please be careful" "I will. If anything happens, call or text me, alright?" "Yeah. See you" "See you too" Akira hangs up the call. He can't help feeling guilty leaving Mina alone. But before they set out, Ken approaches him. "Akira, Shin. Can we talk for a minute?" "Sure. What's up?" "I can't party up with you. I still have Egotism as my skill" "That would be an inconvenience. Let's stay at the inn for a while to talk about it" "And I will be selling those pure salt you gave us" "What's our budget, Shin?" "We have 100 platinum plates, 50 golds and 25 silver" "Alright. Hand the money to us. We'll book an inn first" Shin hands Akira the money pouch. Shin and Akira went their separate ways. Shin went to find a merchant guild while Akira went to the local inn. 'The Scorching Desert Inn'. "That name is ominous" "Suleyman is a desert kingdom. It would be no surprise if it would be hot" They both, with their mask on, enter the inn. They are greeted by a dark-skinned woman, wearing something light and a bit revealing, and green eyes. She is in her early 30s, but she looks younger. "Welcome to Scorching Desert. My name is Maryam. For how many?" "3 people. We're only staying for one night" "The Shah Room is 20 silver per night" Akira gave her 3 gold coins. "We'll pay extra if you keep our stay a secret to anyone" The clerk is suspicious, but she is not in a position to question them. "3rd Floor, first door on the right. Don't worry. I won't tell a soul" "Thank you. What can you tell me about Port Haytham?" "Port Haytham is like any other port city. We have different kinds of seafood if you're looking for food. At noon, it could get pretty hot, so unless you can take some heat, don't go out" "But, there are a lot of people outside" "The Suleyman people are accustomed to the heat. They are trained to endure extremely hot temperatures. As a passage of adulthood, we are tested to walk on burning coal for about 3 months. If you survived, then the people will recognize you as an adult" "Those are pretty hardcore stuff" "Well, the founder of the kingdom, Suleyman the Blind, and his companion, Mhar Dann could walk into hell barefooted. Or so I told. When Mhar Dann dies, Suleyman cried for 3 days straight, making him blind" "Now, That's hardcore" "Well, it was over a thousand years ago. None of us can do that kind of feat" "Wait. Did you say Mhar Dann? As in the S-Ranked adventurer of the old days?" "That's the one. I'm pretty sure for a Dakhil like you guys know him as Morden" "Dakhil?" "It means outsider or foreigner, but not in a rude way" "Ah, I see. Ken. You could go to the room first. I'll go have a chat with this lady first" Ken nods and grabs the key. He went 3 flights of stairs to the room "I apologize for taking your time" "No, no. Visitors are really scarce in this city, there are only traders and shopkeepers these days" "Why?" "Well, It was business as usual. But recently, there is a gang of thieves intercepting any Dakhil carriage and robbing them. They are separated into 2 factions. The Thieves Guild and the Highway Robbers. The guild is harmless. They just take what you have with con, break and enter, and pickpockets. But the robbers are the ones usually kill for the loot" "That is worrisome" "There isn't much guard in Haytham" "I see. What about the economy of this place?" "It was good. Not great, but good" "Hmm... Carried a lot of money with me. Do you know where the robber is hiding?" "We don't. But someone from the guild might know" "The thieves guild?" "Yeah" "How do you contact this guild?" "You don't. The guild will come for you" "I can't help but notice that you speak of the guild favorably. Are you one of them?" "Oh no, not me. The guild is really benevolent, and most of the time charitable" "Curious. Why is that?" "It was the teaching of the disciple of God, Iskandar. There are 15 commands, and one of them is to be charitable" "I don't really understand. But I respect that. Thank you, Maryam. You have been a great help" "A pleasure. Salaam" Akira went up to the room. He finds Ken sitting on a pillow. An ottoman, to be exact "What did you find?" "We can't get out of this town without attracting attention. There is a highway robber that will be waiting for us. We need to handle them discreetly" "How are you planning on doing that?" "I was hoping someone from the thieves guild contacts us" "Thieves guild?" "Don't worry. They are the good guy in this town" "I don't understand how thieves can be good" "They're religious thieves" "Huh? It doesn't change the fact that they are still thieves" "Oh shit. You're right. I better put this money away" Akira put his money on his item box "Now, let me talk to Alexander. Maybe he can change the skill you have" Akira sits down on the bed. He closes his eyes and his mind shuts down. In a moment, Akira appears in Heaven's Bureaucratic Order. He went to Alexander's office, but Alexander is not there. He asked one of the angels working there where Alexander could be. They said Alexander is currently at interrogation room number 6. Akira thanks them and head to interrogation number 6. "I told you not to interrupt me when I..." Alexander looks at the door to reveal Akira. When Akira enters the room St. Alexander is standing and across him is a tall, all muscle, and with a skin tanned with a mohawk for a hair. When this man stands up, his head almost reached the ceiling, but given how small his room is, in comparison to Akira, He's 2 heads taller than him. The man's face has 2 scars, one on his left eye and one across his right cheek. He is wearing a US Marine dress uniform with 3 arrows and crossed weapons. "Oh, hey. Perfect timing" "What's going on?" "Akira, Meet Erik Papadopoulos. New Transferee" "Wait, Erik Papadopoulos, as in The Minotaur?" The man in the military uniform is smiling, almost blushing. "Well, that was my wrestling name, but yes. Nice to meet you, Mr. Akira" "Please, call me Akira. I'm a huge fan of yours. That night, when you wrestle The Masked Giant, was the most amazing match in the history of Wrestling" "Hehe, please, no more flattery. You'll make me blush" "Wait, If you're here, that means you died?" "I was dying, but I wasn't dying on the ring. I left wrestling to enlist in the military. Alexander here healed me when I got here" "I never heard anything about you being in the military" "This was after you were brought to Terra. He's...technically from the future" "I was dying in the war. I got caught in an ambush. My entire Squad got wiped out" "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Wait...what war?" "Nevermind that, Akira. Erik here will you one of your companions. He is being summoned" "Really, By who?" "You better sit down, because you're not gonna like this" Akira hesitantly sits down. "He's being summoned by the Empire of Mercia" "WHAT!?" "Wait. Is that bad? or good?" "It's really bad" "Oh no. Will I be evil?" "Don't worry, Erik. They are evil, but not you" "And that's where you come in, Akira. For your second mission, Rescue Erik from the Empire" "Will Erik be okay?" "He'll live. That's all I can say. Erik. I'm really sorry about this, but a summon has to be answered. Please endure what they throw at you" "As long as I'm saved, I'm okay with it" "Thank you, Erik. You have been a great help. Now, let's get you to the summoning circle. You come too, Akira" Akira and Erik follows Alexander to a room Akira's familiar before. "You're going to give him the aptitude?" "Unfortunately, for summon, you only got one skill" "What? How many skills did you have?" "I'm now omnipotent" "He's not a human. He's an angel, at least temporarily" "Uh, I don't have to be omnipotent, now am I?" "Are you against being omnipotent, Erik?" "I'm a Papadopoulos, which means son of a priest. Becoming omnipotent would be against my namesake. Besides, I'm a soldier. I follow orders. Giving orders is not my forte" "Erik, one moment, please?" "Sure. What's up, fella?" "When we rescue you, do you mind taking a look at our military? It's still a medieval military, but we are planning on using firearms" "Your military?" Alexander intervenes. "Akira here is a king of a country. He made his country just like your world back on earth, but there are some things from this world" "Yeah. I'm not a military man, so I wouldn't know. Which is the reason I need your help" "Yeah, it shouldn't be a problem. Wait...does that mean you have a gun?" "Not mass produced. But we do have several" "Hehehehe. This should be fun. Alright, what do I have to do now?" "Pick your skill, and step into the circle" Erik scrolls through the screen. But the only thing that caught his eye is one. "Superhuman Strength" "Oh, superhuman strength?" "Fighting is all I know. If I am to defend something, strength is all I need" "Great. Please step on this summoning circle" Erik steps into the summoning circle. "The detail for your summoning is confidential. But please endure" "Right. See you guys down there" The summoning circle is lighting up and Erik is teleported to someone else. "Right. Now that's out of the way, how can I help you?" "There's this guy with me, and I'm wondering if I can change his skill?" "Ken?" "Yeah. He wanted to change his Egotism skill?" "Oooh, yeah. We cannot change that. It has been registered. Even with your Omnipotence, it would just complicates the bureaucracy process" "Is there anything I can do?" "Evolve him. He is a fighter right?" "Yes" "Then evolve him to a Battle Master. With evolved skills, it would be much beneficial to him?" "How much do I need to evolve him?" "I don't know. Keep trying. Remember. The class levels up on level 200. For evolution, you need 1000 level" "Will he be baptized as I do?" "Cleansing is done depending on the human characteristics. You are only burning up because you are a hothead, bad-tempered, and wrathful. Shin is easygoing and relaxed. How your friend is going to evolve depends on his characteristics" "So even you don't know?" "More like confidential. Only the director has the clearance. He is THE creator, after all" "Alright. Thank you. I gotta get back before my body hits the floor" Akira turns back to go outside but turns back before he went out of the door. "Oh, before I go, since we're angels now, are we under your command?" "No. The command does not come from me. But we angels are under direct order from the director. But since I am your superior, I will be your handler. That's my world after all" "So the command from before is also from the Director?" "Yeah" "It's strange, but I have never known what the Director looks like" "And you will never be. The Director's form is beyond any mortals, even I don't know what the Director's true form is" "But didn't you call yourself a god when I got here? God is supposed to know everything" "At the moment, I called myself a god because the Director told me to do so. I'm simply just a manager. Let me ask you something. In a company, there are employees and manager, right?" "Yes" "And there are the CEO, Directors, and C-suite, correct?" "Yes" "I am one of the managers, and the angels under my management are my employee. The Director is, well, a director and a CEO and also the owner" "Who are the C-suites?" "The seraph. Gabriel, Michael and the others" "So this is like a company, right? What is exactly you do?" "Everything. Literally everything. Where the wind blows, how many moons at night, which protons and neutrons should combine" "How about fate?" "Haven't I told you?" "No, you haven't" "Right. Fate and destiny have been gone since the day of Noah. Every being has been given free will, which means that fate and destiny don't control you anymore, no one, not even the director decides what you should be. Only you can" "So me being a king is not fate?" "No, you did that on your own" "What about me transferred to another world?" "The Director wouldn't tell me about that, but definitely is not fate or destiny" "So my hardship back on earth..." "Is a product of abuse of free will from people around you. The Director had nothing to do with it" "I doubt it" St. Alexander's smile falters and he points to Akira. Akira almost feels his aura of hostility from him. "Be careful, Akira. You're treading on thin ice. I will warn you only once since you're new in the celestial business. NEVER EVER doubt the Director or his works" Akira, with his hand, held up to the side of his head, backed down. "Alright. I'm sorry" "Good. Now get out of here. Your body hasn't touched the floor" Akira vanishes from St. Alexander's presence and went back to his body. His body is still slouched forward, but not falling. "Hey. What's going on?" "Guess who i saw today?" "God?" "No. I saw the Minotaur?" "THe Minotaur?" "Yeah, the wrestler" "Oh shit. Him?!" "Yeah" "Wait. Does that mean he's dead?" "No. He was summoned. By Mercia" "Oh no" "This leads us to our second mission" Shin enters the room and removes his disguise. Akira stops talking and ask Shin how the trade goes. "I made a lot, and since it was 20 bags. We made quite a lot today" "Really? How many?" "15 plates for a bag" "So, 300 Platinum plates?" "Yes" "Great, because we will be using it to evolve both of you and one other guy, which leads us to our second mission" "What is it?" "Rescue The Minotaur" "Minotaur who?" "You met Erik Papadopoulos, right?" "Oh shit. Him?" "Yeah. He's being summoned by Mercia. Which can't be good" "I see. Right now, we're going to spend the day here. We're moving out at night" "Not so fast. The road has been attacked by Highway robbers. I need to take them out first" "Do you know where they are?" "No. But I need to contact the thieves guild first about the robbers' whereabouts" The windows of the room suddenly open. There's a figure on the windows. She's dressed in clothing covering everything, and a scarf covering her mouth. The group is taken by surprise. What would they do will depend on this person's action, but if she attacks, they will be ready