"Hell Flare."
*BOOM!*
An explosion ripped through the forest as the voice echoed calmly. Shido stared at the scorched earth where not even a trace of the monsters' ashes remained, obliterated by the searing heat of his devastating skill.
He was currently in the Great Forest of Tob, traveling toward the capital. Rather than taking the main roads, he had chosen a more dangerous path through the dense forest to the southeast of the capital.
Shido did this to complete another one of the quest he had to do in this world.
As Shido surveyed the aftermath, black flames still flickering over the charred ground where hundreds of kobolds had once stood, he exhaled slowly. He hadn't gone out of his way to hunt monsters. They had come for him, drawn by his presence, treating him as nothing more than prey.
But instead of falling victim to them, they became his exp and sp while increasing his progress in completing another quest.
Shido opened his system interface, and a translucent screen materialized before his eyes, displaying the list of quests he needed to complete.
[Quest 1: Register as an Adventurer] - Completed
[Quest 2: Become an Adamantite-Rank Adventurer] Incomplete
[Quest 3: Kill 10,0000 Monster] - (738/10,000) In Progress
[Quest 4: Kill 100 Undead Knight] Incomplete
[Quest 5: Destroy the Eight Fingers] Incomplete
[Quest 6: Subdue 1 Floor Guardian of Nazarick] Incomplete
[Quest 7: Conquer the Re-Estize Kingdom] Incomplete
There were 7 quest he had to complete to finish all his quest in this world but he had only completed one quest and another one was still in progress leaving the rest still incomplete.
Shido closed the interface after briefly scanning the quests. It had only been five days since he arrived in this world, yet in that short span of time, he had done many things such as. Saving Princess Renner, fighting with Lakyus, encounter with Ainz and Nabe, teaching Enri, slaying thousands of undead and fighting Clementine and Khajit.
He had to say, this five days was truly eventful.
The monsters that were watching while hiding behind the trees and bushes run in panic terrified after witnessing Shido effortlessly wipe out an entire kobold camp with a single spell. Shido already noticed those monster fleeing away, but he didn't chase them. He had enough fighting today and he was sure those monster wouldn't get near in this area for the meantime as they knew that there was a human staying in this place that was worst than any monster.
It was dusk right now and the night was fast approaching. Shido decided to make a small camp here since he know that he will not be bothered here for a while. Shido had purchased a potable house which costed him 20,000 points. It's appearance was a white colored oval object that transforms into a house that only had one floor. Despite its compact size, the house was surprisingly well-furnished on the inside, complete with a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms. If you ignored the fact that it stood in the middle of a monster-infested forest, it almost felt like a real home with a backyard.
As for why it was so pricy, it was because of it's effect. This portable house had an special effect that can heal injuries overnight, but of course grave injuries like missing limbs were impossible to regenerate in it's current level.
Anyone who slept inside the portable house would fully recover from fatigue by the next day. In addition to its healing abilities, the house was equipped with various defensive skills barriers that prevented intruders from breaking in and warding magic that kept monsters at bay.
Although the price was a bit high for a house, it was useful in the long run since Shido knew that he might travel to many fantasy world in the future, and having a reliable stronghold was a worthy investment.
After setting up his new portable home, Shido intended to take a bath. His body still felt sticky from the blood splattered by the monsters during the fight. But just as he was about to enter, he remembered the item he had received upon completing his first quest.
Shido became interested on it sincehe hadn't had the chance to use this item before, but now was the perfect moment to try it. Retrieving the card from his inventory, he activated it with a simple command.
"Gain."
Instantly, the item materialized before him.
Card No. 004 Beautiful Skin Spa, this was the name of the item that Shido was talking about. It was an item from Hunter x Hunter where it cures any skin condition and gives those who soak for half an hour to have a soft and smooth skin. Girls would definitely fight for this item if they got a hold of a news about it.
Unlike in Hunter x Hunter where the card will not turn back to it's card form once materialized, this item can be turned back to it's card form by saying "Recover" so Shido could use this item whenever he wanted.
As the card activated, a golden light shimmered in the air, and a ten-meter-wide marble spa rose from the ground. Milky white water gently filled the hot spring, steaming softly under the glow of crystal lanterns floating above.
The air carried a faint, soothing scent of herbs, not overpowering, but calming, easing Shido's mind and body.
He slipped into the warm water, and a wave of comfort washed over him. Whether it was the heat or the magic infused within, Shido felt himself growing drowsy almost immediately.
After soaking for half an hour, Shido got up from the hot spring and uttered the command, "Recover," and the hot spring gracefully condensed back into its card form.
Feeling completely refreshed, Shido returned to his portable house and drifted into a peaceful sleep.
...
The next morning Shido woke up with completely recovered body. His mind was so refreshed due to the effect of the portable house. After a quick stretch, a light warm-up, and a simple breakfast he had brought from the store, Shido prepared to continue his journey toward Re-Estize.
However, there was something he wanted to do first, something he had longed to try even back in the Date A Live world but due to circumstances, he wasn't able to do it. But now that he was in a another world and a fantasy world at that, Shido didn't hold back anymore.
He find a secluded place and used one of the Random Summon Ticket from his inventory and immediately used it. Shido anticipated who will he get as summon, but he didn't really mind whether they are strong or not as he was just excited to see his first summon.
The ticket in Shido's hand disintegrated into shimmering particles as a swirl of purple light began to take form in front of him. The energy pulsed with a quiet intensity, gradually shaping itself into the silhouette of a person.
"An elite, huh?" Shido said to himself when he saw the purple light, though he didn't really mind her rank as she could get stronger in the future.
The light grew intense as a figure of a girl became more apparent before it calmed down once again.
As the glow faded completely, Shido found himself staring at a girl who now stood silently before him. Her eyes were closed while her expression was serene, like a sleeping princess waiting for her prince to wake her up. The soft rise and fall of her breath, the way her hair shimmered under the morning sun, it was a sight almost too perfect to be real.
The girl had straight blonde hair, neatly styled into a bob-cut. A green ribbon was tied gracefully into her hair, and two blue clip-ons adorned the right side of her head. She wore an Alzano Imperial Magic Academy uniform which had white, blue and gold colors on it.
Shido know this girl as he had seen her on his pc many times before.
Suddenly, red string that connected his on his heart to hers. It shimmered for only a moment before vanishing without a trace. Just as Shido was puzzled by the red string, he suddenly felt something that tugged on his heart. Shido then felt a connection was forged between him and the girl which felt a bit strange, yet strangely comforting.
While he was preoccupied with the thought of the red string and his sudden connection with the girl. Shido noticed that the girl's pretty face moved slightly and she let out a soft, almost inaudible moan, and her eyelids began to twitch.
Then her eyes which was still a bit blurry began to open revealing her beautiful aquamarine pupils that shimmered like morning dew under sunlight.
She blinked a few times, her gaze soft and innocent, untouched by malice or darkness of the world. In that moment, she seemed almost otherworldly, pure and serene, like the embodiment of a saintess descended into the mortal world.
Tilting her head slightly, she looked around, taking in her surroundings. The towering trees, the gentle breeze, the scent of nature, it quickly dawned on her that she was in the middle of a forest.
Then, her eyes settled on him.
Her gaze focused, calm yet curious, as she looked at the young man standing before her. A quiet moment passed between them as their eyes met. No words, no movement, just a still, gentle silence.
Shido felt a twinge of awkwardness under her gaze. Being silently stared at by such a cute girl made made him a little embarrassed. He opened his mouth to break the silence, but before he could speak, she beat him to it.
"My name is Rumia Tingel. It's a pleasure to meet you... Master."