Author notes: A year of being stuck with despair, misery, and depression with his damn chapter, and I finally got it done with help.
Before you read this new chapter, please go back and read the previous chapter if you haven't already, as it has been partially rewritten to introduce a new character, an OC my beta-reader NorthSouthGorem created for this story. If you go into this now, it may throw you off.
Anywho, I won't keep you lot. Special thanks to NSG for the beta (and Lucius Walker for the partial beta back when I was first working on this chapter), and Zronku for the cover art. Go check out their stuff.
On with the story!
Arifureta Online.
It was the first, completely functional, Massively Multiplayer Virtual Reality Tactical Action-Adventure Role-Playing Online Game of its kind. Developed for 10 years and published by Uzutainment Studios, it was first released on PCs due to its high graphical demand, before being released onto next-generation consoles. It was highly-praised for its balanced, easy to learn, hard to master gameplay, its low price of purchase to offset the expensive VR headsets and gear, as well as its optional and non-invasive monetization that doesn't affect gameplay.
However, there was a point of contention among the playerbase, and that was the fact that players could only play as the Human Race. All the other interesting races, like Beastmen, Demon, Vampires, Dragonborns, and Apostles, were regulated to NPC roles. The game was one year old, and developers had promised to implement new playable races and whatnot into the game "very soon." Despite that minor flaw, Arifureta Online was still the most played game in the world.
But due to its popularity, one could notice things about the game, such as the minor details in a spell circle, and how a certain spell circle in the game could be found in a real-life school, where an entire classroom disappeared.
A few days passed since the mysterious incident. A police tape blocked entry into the classroom, where multiple students and teachers had all disappeared into thin air. The room was just how it had been days after, chairs and tables tossed aside, and empty lunch boxes and bags strewn across the floor. The most curious part about the incident, however, was the fact that the magic circle was engraved onto the floor, which was currently being examined by detectives. One of the detectives, an avid Arifureta Online player, recognized the magic circle, and personally conveyed the information to the CEO of Uzutainment Studios and her husband…
[Uzumaki residence]
"They're right. That magic circle in the game is the exact same one found in Naruto's classroom. What the fuck."
Naruko took off her VR headset and rubbed her eyes. She was in the living room, with the VR headset connected to the family PC and entertainment center. Frustrated, she tossed the headset off to the side. She jumped when she heard her mother slamming the house phone down angrily.
"Have you found out anything from the developers?" Minato asked, handing his wife something cold to drink.
"Funny thing about that…" Kushina growled after downing her beverage. "The day after Naruto disappeared, the key developers on Arifureta Online just so happened to disappear too. The police told me today that their residences were cleared out, as if they were never there. Worse, the same "magic circle" in that classroom was left in their residences."
"I don't believe it," Minato breathed as he sat down. "We may have to accept the fact that magic exists and there may be another world, ridiculous as it sounds."
"Let's…Let's not jump to conclusions." Kushina muttered, her voicing cracking, "Maybe it's all one big prank, or-"
Naruko stared at her mother. "Kaa-chan, we all know that Naruto wouldn't orchestrate something like this. It would be too extreme, even for him."
"But, he's supposed to be here, with us right now! Not pulling a…disappearing act!" Kushina cried, close to hysterical. "Did we do something for us to-"
"Kushina-chan, stop that right now! Naruto and his classmates may be gone, but no doubt they're still alive and in a world similar to the one in Arifureta Online. If that really is what's going on - as crazy as it does sound - considering that Naruto is an avid player, he should be able to help his friends pull through." Minato assured his wife, holding her close.
"Tou-san's right. All we have to do is believe that they'll make it back safely. Besides, since he's been Isekai'd, he'll be in his element. In the meantime," Naruko grabbed her laptop, and held it up. "I'm going to find a way to connect to the other world, wherever it may be."
"You sure there's a way, Naruko-chan?" Minato asked, looking concerned.
"Of course. Those magic circles left behind, Arifureta Online, and those past spirited away cases, are the keys to getting Naruto back home. I refuse to sit on my ass, praying for my dear brother to come home. If a portal can be opened from the other side, then the same can work the opposite way." Naruko explained and grabbed her VR headset. "Looks like I'll be taking a really long break from school."
"I'll make it so it appears you're interning at one of our places." Minato nodded and looked at Kushina. "Is that okay?"
"It's fine. Whatever it takes to get my baby boy back." Kushina sniffed, before being hugged by Naruko.
"Don't worry. It's Naruto we're talking about." Naruko assured her and smiled cheekily. "What could go wrong?"
[The Great Orcus Labyrinth, at that moment]
The bridge gave way, sending Naruto plummeting into the abyss below.
[Uzumaki residence]
"Nothing will bring him down, dattebana!" Naruko declared, pumping her fist into the air.
Kushina sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Yes, you're right! He's your brother, and our son after all, dattebane!"
Minato nodded and grinned. "Damn straight!"
Chapter 01 - A Mechanic in a Commonplace
[Tortus, a few weeks after the heroes' arrival]
"Senpai? Senpai?"
Naruto groaned and opened his eyes. A pair of slender hands were gently shaking him awake, making him groan some more.
"Five more minutes…" he grumbled, tucking himself further into his covers.
"Mou, you told me to always wake you up at the crack of dawn, no matter what," a soft voice chided. "Please wake up, Naruto-sama. You still have to do your daily calisthenics and exercises to prepare for the day ahead. Plus, morning classes start soon."
"...Oh right." Naruto sighed and forced himself up from his bed. "I'm still in Tortus."
Rubbing his eyes, he eyed the surroundings he was forced to familiarize himself over the past few weeks. It was a small, simple room with a bed, a nightstand, a table, a washroom, a closet, and a couple of windows. It was similar to his room, albeit with no electronics and posters of media. However, Naruto made a small setup on his table that included his laptop, tablet, cell phone, notebooks, and multiple stacks of books from his world and Tortus.
"Sorry that I'm troubling you with this," he added to the girl in his room.
"It's no problem. I'm happy to serve you however I can, Senpai."
The individual in question was a young woman his age. She had long lilac hair, lavender eyes, fair skin, and a slender build, which was contrasted with her bountiful E-cup breasts. She wore the normal maid attire, a detached-sleeved black dress over a white frilly dress shirt, and a white apron over the dress, with the skirt stopping at her thighs, and a white bow on the lower back. She also had thigh-high stockings, with white, medium-heeled dress sandals.
"Mash, for the last time, will you please stop calling me Senpai?" Naruto grumbled as he got to his feet.
Mash tilted her head. "But Ayana-san always calls you Senpai. And I'm still new to serving someone as a maid."
"Yeah but, she's my kouhai and…ya know what? Forget it." Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Do what you want. It gives you a cute quirk, dattebayo."
"Uh, yes! Thank you, Senpai!" Mash said, following Naruto to the washroom.
"Oi Mash, I can wash myself." Naruto said, raising a hand to stop her.
"Oh, okay! Then I'll go make breakfast for you!" Mash squeaked before leaving.
Naruto chuckled, shaking his head before closing the washroom door behind him.
After the outworlders settled in and met the King and his family, the students and teachers were given their own butler and maid. The butlers for the males, and the maids for the females. However, there was an uneven number between the two groups, and Naruto ended up with a maid who just started, and that maid was Mash Kyrielight.
Of course, he ended up with multiple jealous looks and death glares from his class, not that he cared.
Not only did he respond with flipping the double birds, the class learned the hard way annoying Naruto comes with consequences out of nowhere. Soon, everyone suffered from mysterious incidents, such as getting their hair dyed pink, itching powder put in their underwear, and buckets of paint being dropped on them, among other "tame" incidents. Interestingly, the only students who were spared from Naruto's wrath were Kaori, Pansy, Ayana, and even Shizuka.
Even more mysteriously, none of the incidents were tied back to Naruto; such was the way of Kushina's teachings. Some of them attempted to instead blame the stranger, Daisho Tenma, but he denied the accusations firmly, even as he laughed. "I ain't got so much time on my hands to keep pullin' off stuff like that," he said.
After freshening up, Naruto slipped into his clothing: a navy blue shirt with black pants and boots, and an orange trench coat. After going through his calisthenics and exercises, he packed the stuff on his table into his backpack; just as Mash returned with breakfast. The food was weird, and the meat and vegetables were quite different, but eggs and rice existed in Tortus, and everything was similar enough to Earth's food for the others to eat.
"Thanks, Mash. You're the best." Naruto said as she set the food on the table.
"You don't have to thank me. I'm just here to serve." Mash replied meekly.
"Nonsense. You should do more than serve me. We should be friends." Naruto countered, before digging into his breakfast.
Mash blushed and looked away. "I don't know…"
"Eh, just think about it." Naruto said and downed his drink. "I'm off now."
"Are you going to visit Maia-san's smithy as usual?" Mash asked as she collected the dishes.
"Yeah, after morning classes." Naruto said and left. "See ya later, Mash!"
"Have a good day, Senpai!"
As Naruto made his way to his destination, he dug into his pocket to pull out a metal plate. It was a Status Plate, an item that showed information about an individual's stats numbers. It was almost like something out of those Dungeon and Dragons campaigns, displaying one's strength, speed, defense, etc…
Name: Naruto Uzumaki
Age: 17
Male
Level: 5
Race: Human
Job: Mechanic
Personal Attribute: Empty
Strength: 15
Vitality: 405
Defense: 15
Agility: 155
Magic: 15
Magic Defense: 15
Skills: Diagnostic [+Reinforcement] - Crafting - Magical Affinity [+Spell Duration] - Language Comprehension
"Little by little, but the hundreds are really far off…" Naruto sighed, and pocketed the plate. "Unique or not, it's quite annoying, and I'm still far off from breaking the rules like he said."
During the schoolkids' (plus teachers, plus first training session, they'd retrieved their Status Plates. The numbers showed that everyone was pretty overpowered, save for a select few.
Naruto was one of those few, along with Aiko, who had low numbers, except that the latter also had one of the highest magic aptitudes, with an outstanding affinity in Fertility Magic due to her non-combat job, Farmer. Naruto had originally started with 10 points in each stat sans his Vitality and Agility, but with hard work, training, and exercise, he'd managed to boost them by a little.
Fortunately, what he lacked in stats, he more than made up for with keen intellect and creativity. This Mechanic job was an anomaly to the world of Tortus, with its denizens having no idea what it did. But Naruto went to work, hitting up the library to learn about the world's materials, and building various gadgets with his Crafting skills, like shuriken, kunai, noisemakers and flashbangs. He used the single-player action-adventure games that he'd always played as inspiration for his creations. They proved especially useful when dealing with his classmates like Hiyama who tried to ridicule him for being a 'weakling.' As a result, Hiyama ended up as Naruto's test dummy for his gadgets.
Where he'd seemingly truly suffered, however, was in his Personal Attribute. Much like a Job, each person was randomly granted an ability that was completely unique to them. Most members of the class, Kouki included, had theirs locked at the moment, and would need to discover them over time. Apparently, they could range from a large increase in stat growth, to a unique Skill not limited by their Job, to an entire secondary Job, to even drawing on the powers of a legendary figure.
Naruto's Personal Attribute, while unlocked from the start, was labeled only as...Empty. He couldn't see anything different about his skills, though he wondered if that was why his stats had started so low. He wondered whether, by some stroke of ill fortune, the Empty label was because he simply didn't have a Personal Attribute. It would be a lie to say that such a thought didn't fill him with more than a little dread.
Shaking off his momentary crisis, Naruto dug into his pack and took out a small bottle, looking at it with an evil grin. Tossing it up and down, he entered his destination, a room that served as a classroom for the outworlders. Inside, his classmates were already there, gossiping and mingling them. Ignoring them, he sat in the corner of the room.
Sitting his backpack on the ground, he took out a metal pipe he found and examined it. Twirling it around for a moment, he closed his eyes in concentration and gripped it tight.
"Reinforce." Naruto thought. When he opened his eyes, he grumbled to find nothing happened. 'Please don't make me say it. It's already taken.' He growled to himself, before uttering. "...Fine. Trace."In response, green circuit lines snaked along the pipe's structure, spreading from his hand.
Reinforcement was a skill Naruto had picked up that went well with his Mechanic job. It toughened up items he touched, increasing its durability. However, Naruto did not want to use the activation phrase, as it reminded him of one of his favorite anime franchises back home.
"Destiny/accel away. It's too on the nose," he muttered as he examined the pipe. 'Tracing fundamental structure. Tracing auxiliary components. Altering fundamental structure. Reinforcing auxiliary components.'
Naruto winced when he felt some pushback, and the green lines turned red. Despite this, Naruto frowned with increased concentration, determined to push the limits of his abilities. The green lines suddenly flashed red a few times, before disappearing.
"At least it lasted longer than last time." he murmured before setting it to the side.
"Well well well, if it isn't the resident weakling," Hiyama laughed as he and his goons walked up to where Naruto was. "You still dare show yourself there with those pathetic stats? You'll only be in the way."
"You say something, buddy?" Naruto drawled while slipping the vial into his hand. "In case you somehow accumulated brain damage, I'm going to say this once. You have no control over me and what I can do, and your stats means nothing to me. So go away or I'll make you regret it."
"Oh yeah? You and what numbers, you fucking otaku?" Hiyama sneered, getting in his face.
Naruto just stared at him before dropping the vial at Hiyama's feet. He jumped back as it exploded on the ground, enveloping Hiyama and his goons in smoke. Soon they started coughing and gagging as everyone else ran to the front of the classroom.
"Stats means nothing, as long as we're still human," Naruto said with another evil grin. "It doesn't smell or feel good, don't it? All of these foreign substances in the new world?" he added as the boys ran to the window to puke. "Though you might want to be careful," he continued as the boys suddenly clenched their butts. "Lest you make a mess on the floor too. Ya might want to go to the toilets, dattebayo!"
"We-we'll remember this, you fucking fishcake!" Hiyama roared as he and his goons waddled to the bathroom. "GAHHHHHHHH!"
Naruto scoffed. "The name's Uzumaki Naruto. Do not…FUCK…with me."
"You'd think they'd learn," commented Tenma, strolling up to watch them run, "It's like they don' even have pattern recognition."
"I still don't understand why they continue to do this," Naruto sighed as he threw another vial of liquid smoke that cancelled out the effects of the foul smoke. "We're in another world. This is no time for childish antics."
"Eh, they probably wanna feel some bit 'a control by doin' something that they used to do back home?" speculated the older man, rubbing his chin and waving the smoke away from himself. "Ech, tha's foul…"
Much like Aiko, when Tenma had received his Status Plate, he'd discovered that his class was less than ideal for fighting monsters.
Name: Daisho Tenma
Age: 27
Male
Level: 2
Race: Human
Job: Scribe
Personal Attribute: Enhanced Magic/Magic Defense (Stat Type)
Strength: 60
Vitality: 110
Defense: 110
Agility: 60
Magic: 750
Magic Defense: 600
Skills: Language Comprehension, Transcribe, Stationary, Magic Affinity, High Speed Penmanship, Eidetic Memory [File Storage], Meditation, Mediation, Diagnostic [Identify]
Even Naruto had to pity the guy a little. A Farmer was one thing, but a Scribe? After all that talk about going to war, how much help would a writer possibly contribute? Most of the students pretty much gave up on any idea of relying on the older man, having already fallen into the mentality that only people who could contribute to fighting were useless in general. Sure, his stat-type Personal Attribute (the most common type) boosted his magical stats to impressive heights, but he seemed to lack any real ability to manifest it. However, rather than be discouraged, Tenma only laughed when Naruto brought this to his attention.
"Ah, what do they know? It's not like these cards tell the full story, is it? I know what I'm capable of already."
While everybody threw themselves into training under the esteemed knight, Captain Meld, Tenma vanished into the library. The last time Naruto had decided to check on him, he'd been practically tearing through entire stacks of volumes, scribbling on equally tall sheets of paper with a look of almost demented eagerness.
And yet, the blond boy found himself feeling something like kinship towards the strange man. Soon he started hanging out in the library, reading every book he could get his hands on. He conversed with Tenma, sharing his findings and cross-referencing his knowledge of Arifureta Online. Everything held up, but Naruto knew that there was something missing; something mysterious going on. Hence why he was always on guard, especially around the religious sect.
There were times when time passed them, by unknowingly, causing the Head Librarian, Lisa Minci, to zap them with her Lightning Magic to get them to leave.
"I see the goon squad decided to mess with you again," Pansy commented as she came into the classroom, followed by Ayana.
Pansy was wearing a black crop-top jacket with detached sleeves that showed off a generous slice of underboob and her slim belly. It was also open and showed her cleavage, with the jacket being held together by chains. Over her jacket top was a blue shoulder cape, held together near her neck by an orange bow. She also wore a long flowing blue skirt that reached to her knees, black semi-transparent stockings that were torn slightly, and black combat heels.
Ayana had on a sleeveless red blouse with a black corset that enhanced her cleavage, with straps from a pink makeshift bra over her shoulders; with fingerless gloves on her hands. She also had on a pair of red hot-pants, with attached leggings for extra flexibility for her abilities, along with black combat shoes.
"They'll never learn, but one way or another, it has to end. Another world is no place for petty squabbles. Because of the foreign environment, we're in constant danger." Naruto said while taking his seat.
"It's been two weeks! There's gotta be something you can do!" Ayana said worryingly.
He grunted. Had they been back home, Naruto could have just easily wiped the floor with Hiyama and his cronies until they got the message. Now, though, with their more combat-oriented jobs and higher Stats, such a course of events would probably be more dicey.
"Well, jus' sittin' there and takin' it would be the worst option," opined Tenma, rubbing his chin, "I've been lookin' into Reinforcement Magic. Want some pointers? Might even the playing field a bit."
They looked at him in surprise. "Eh? I thought reinforcement was something you needed a skill to do," said Ayana, "Like, my Job gave me one, but apart from that, you're outta luck, aren't you? Isn't magic all elemental stuff?" she wondered, eying her Status Plate.
Name: Nekomori Ayana
Age: 16
Female
Level: 10
Job: Martial Artist
Personal Attribute: ?
Strength: 300
Vitality: 200
Defense: 250
Agility: 200
Magic: 100
Magic Defense: 100
Skills: Close Quarters Combat Proficiency [+Body Strengthening][+Partial Strengthening][+Focused Strengthening] - Physical Resistance - Elemental Resistance - Steel Arms and Legs - Language Comprehension
"Yep, sure is. But y'know, even elemental magic can be used for more than just slingin' around balls."
Pansy snorted. "Could've fooled me."
"I'm serious!" he protested, seemingly not noticing the accidental innuendo, "D'you know how many books I found talkin' about some mage type gettin' an Attribute that got him to fight up close? Those guys were always comin' up with ways to use their magic to buff themselves like crazy, even if their affinity was for somethin' like Water magic! I've been readin' and transcribing all the stuff about them, so I 'kin teach you at least the theory. Whatcha say, kiddo?"
"That sounds like fun! If it helps me to protect Naruto-senpai, then sign me up!" Ayana replied excitedly. "It could also help me stand apart from that Ryutarou guy!"
"Big Ryu's classified as a Monk though, but I thought it was the boys that's supposed to protect the girls." Naruto chuckled. "Still, got room for one more, Tenma-san?"
"'Course!" said the man enthusiastically, "Best way ta get a bunch dipshits ta stop bullying you is to make 'em realize how shitty they are, but the second best way is ta pound the lesson into 'em!"
Naruto slammed his fist into his palm. "Now you're speaking my language, dattebayo! Just because I'm a Mechanic doesn't mean that I can't pursue other avenues."
"Indeed." Pansy nodded. "After all, the more power we have, the better chance of survival we have at surviving and going home." She glanced at her own Status Plate.
Name: Sanshokuin Sumireko
Age: 17
Female
Level: 12
Job: Summoner
Personal Attribute: ?
Strength: 150
Vitality: 150
Defense: 200
Agility: 100
Magic: 500
Magic Defense: 400
Skills: Magical Affinity [+Multicasting][+Chain Casting] - Summoning Magic Affinity - Contract [+Familiar Binding] [+Planar Binding] - Beast Taming [+Subordinate Growth] - Language Comprehension
"Not only that, I know it's a good thing to save the world and all," Pansy eyed Kouki, Ryutarou, Shizuku, and Kaori coming in. "I'd just rather not do it with that guy in charge." She scowled specifically at Kouki.
"Oi, Kouki's nothing like Sun-boy," Naruto assumed her, "Between the two of them, Kouki is better, but that's all the praise he's getting from me. Kouki may be an idiot, but better him than me in leading the class."
"Which leads the way for a group of Mavericks to split from the main group and go our own way, right?" Pansy suggested cheekily.
"Won't they get mad?" Ayana whined.
"No, I'm with Pansy on this one," Naruto whispered as he noticed Kouki looking at their little group. "It's dangerous, but it's something we can do with my knowledge of Arifureta Online. Besides, I don't like that old priest…" he murmured, with the others nodded.
"It ain't like you'd be working against 'em even if you split off," agreed Tenma, "Or does that guy not like the idea of people not wanting to follow 'im?"
"Ah, it's just that I witnessed from his self-righteousness and egotism, I have a feeling that he won't accept things not going the way he wants. It doesn't help that he never thinks he's wrong most of the time. Not to mention his sense of justice resulting in many annoying moments and misunderstandings." Naruto grumbled.
'Doesn't sound any different from Sun…or Hose…' Pansy thought bitterly.
"Hmm…I'll take yer word for it, boyo."
Before either of the Three Musketeers and Kaori could walk over to them, their History Teacher walked in, along with a flustered Aiko. The teacher was a woman of average height, with long flowing dark green hair, blue irises, a slender hourglass figure. She wore dark clothing with a black cape, with her shapely legs were clad in a set of patterned tights, with a dagger strapped to her thigh.
"I hope everyone rested up well last night, because after talking with Miss Aiko, I decided to use the concept of a…pop quiz," Byleth Eisen informed everyone, much to some of their horror. "So…pop quiz! Is how it goes, right?"
Everyone groaned at that and took their seats.
"Now then, as you know, the people of Tortus have their own unique language separate from your world's many languages. But there may be times where the Language Comprehension skill may become disabled, particularly for written languages. For this pop quiz, I'm going to use a skill to momentarily render the skill useless, so prepare yourselves."
"This is going to be fun…" Naruto muttered sarcastically as Byleth casted the spell.
As Byleth went around testing the students, Naruto thought about the other adults that came with him and his classmates. Chisato was nowhere to be seen, despite being teleported with them. As for Hinata, she'd been in and out of the Kingdom for long periods of time while wearing a hood. He couldn't help but be concerned, since they both had a place in his heart.
'Hinata…Chisato-sensei…where did you go?' he muttered, while Byleth walked up to Tenma behind him. 'Wherever you are, I can only hope you're both alright.'
"Hello, my name is Byleth. May I see your Status Plate?" Byleth asked Tenma in her native language, which sounded completely alien to the others.
"Ah, sure," he replied casually, drawing the metal card out of his hoodie pocket and handing it over.
"Oh." Byleth took it and, looking it over, handed it back. "You're the first person that completely understood. Not bad."
"Thank ye kindly," he answered in the same language, "I've got a bit of a head fer stuff like that."
Her eyebrows shot up at his easy response. Not only was his wording clear, he'd somehow managed to even incorporate his dialect into it.
"He's good," Naruto mused, and sweated when Byleth turned her gaze over to him. "Eh…"
"Hell, my name is Byleth. May I ask what's in the bag?"
[Later that day]
When afternoon came, it was time for training with Captain Meld Loggins, the Knight Commander of Heiligh Kingdom. He was responsible for overseeing the training of the displaced heroes that had been summoned. Naruto himself got thrown out of training early, not only because of his stats and slow growth rate, but mainly because he kept fighting dirty whenever he 'sparred' with Hiyama and his goons. From eye gouging, finger biting, hair pulling, and low blows, Naruto was in no mood to entertain being a victim of attempted bullying, with Kaori and the girls constantly pulling him out of such jams.
Tenma opted to spend the rest of the day in the library, as like Aiko, he didn't have a combat oriented Job. However, he would occasionally drop by to watch from the sidelines. Some of the students would find a chill running up their spine from the intensity of his concealed gaze, even if he never did anything else.
As for Naruto, he had wandered around until he came across a Smithy, where he saw the head blacksmith swamped with orders and customers with no one to help her, but Naruto took the initiative to help out, much to the blacksmith's surprise. As soon as the rush was over, the Blacksmith offered Naruto a job, in addition to training upon hearing Naruto's plight.
For Maia the Blacksmith, it was a rare occurrence that he was willing to help out without the obvious 'returning the favor' jargon due to her appearance. Red hair and eyes with a black headband around her forehead, a slender, voluptuous figure, and wearing a red leotard jacket with a big opening in the middle revealing all of her cleavage. She also wore a brown belt around her waist with her sword holstered, blue pant stockings, and brown boots.
For the past few weeks, Naruto had stopped by to help make weapons and learn skills associated with crafting. And now, today was the day he mastered Transmuting.
Transmute was originally the base skill of the "Synergist" Job, allowing the user to control, transform, and manipulate any kinds of ores, minerals, or materials in any way or shape the user desires. Since the abnormal Mechanic Job was closer to Synergist, Naruto was able to add the skill to his arsenal.
"Yosh," he muttered, with Maia watching him from behind with watchful eyes. "Transmute!"
The ore he was targeting warped, before forming into a sharp, silver blade with a blood groove in the middle and no handle. Naruto then stepped back, while Maia appraised the blade.
"Hmm, not perfect, but not too shabby. It's passable at best," she judged, and set it down. "I see you've been practicing. With this level of effort, are you trying to impress a girl back home?"
Naruto shrugged. "Not really. It's more along the lines of me not wanting to die in a foreign world. My family must be going crazy back home and I want to get back to them."
"Family, huh?" Maia mused with a faraway look. "I can tell they raised a good kid. You're lucky."
"I guess it wasn't the same for you?" Naruto inquired.
"It was, until my family was killed. Demons, y'know, I had a new family, but they became…unrecognizable, overtime," she answered grimly, hand drifting to her arm. "Now I have no one."
Naruto hummed a bit. "If you want, can I be the reliable little brother? Granted, I still have a sister, but-" he frowned at the look Maia was giving him. "What?"
"You're not doing this to get in my pants, are you?" Maia asked in amusement.
"No!" Naruto yelled out quickly with a blush. "C'mon, you know me better than that, dattebayo!"
Maia chuckled, despite feeling a tad disappointed. "No need to feel so defensive, Naruto. I was just teasing you."
"Uh, right. Teasing me. Sure." Naruto grumbled as he went to go get another ore to Transmute. "Still, you look great, but I'm not desperate to jump into your boobs."
When he turned around, Maia was suddenly in his face.
"Oh-ho? But what if I'm willing?" she cooed, causing the blonde to gain swirly eyes
"A-ah, we-well…" Naruto stammered. 'Dammit, why am I acting like a damn dense harem protagonist!' he thought wildly. "Either you're teasing me again, or you're asking me out to dinner."
Maia smirked at that. "Tell you what, apprentice… Once you reach at least level…20," she raised up two fingers. "We can talk about dinner. Sounds good?"
'Oh great. I got Pansy, Ayana, and Kouki breathing down my neck along with Hinata and Chisato. There's no way I'm not accepting, though,' thought a sweating Naruto. "Deal," he said, nodding.
"Thatta boy!" Maia praised, clapping his shoulder, "Now, make a mace. After that, a lance."
Naruto nodded and chanted. "Transmute!"
[Evening time]
"Oi, Naruto!" Captain Meld called out to the blonde as the latter entered the dorms. "You have a minute?"
"I'm not apologizing for what I did to the goon squad," Naruto stated flatly as the Captain walked up to him. "They should be lucky that I haven't done worse."
"I can tell, and I understand," Meld said gruffly. "I'm not blind to what those boys were trying to do to you the first few days. It's why I asked you to limit your training with the rest of the group. Still, I've heard that you're doing well in your own way. Ms. Maia had high praise for you and your ingenuity."
"Thank you, I guess. I still have a long way to go before I can catch up with the others. Tenma as well," Naruto said and cleared his throat. "So, did you need something, Cap?"
"A rebel to the end," Meld sighed, knowing that there was no way of breaking Naruto's habit of calling him 'Cap' "In any case, I told the others to get plenty of sleep tonight, and I advise you to do the same. Tomorrow, as part of your practical training, we will be going on an expedition to the Great Orcus Labyrinth."
Naruto gaped at him. "The Great…Orcus Labyrinth?"
The Great Orcus Labyrinth was one of the seven great labyrinths in Tortus. In Arifureta Online, it was a high-level dungeon labyrinth, with a ridiculous level spike that even most veteran players had trouble clearing. The same went for the other labyrinths, as they all boasted high-level monsters that could one-shot even the most prepared and skilled player if they messed up. There had been many requests to the developers to nerf the monsters, but they all went unheeded. The last he heard, his parents had planned to have a meeting with the developers about it.
"Exactly! I'll be preparing the necessary equipment you guys will need, but don't think this is going to be anything like the monster hunts you've all been going on outside the capital."
'NO SHIT!'
"With that said, are you up to it?" Meld asked with a critical eye.
"...Yeah, why not? It's not like I got anything else better to it. Hell, I might get an experience boost due to being the weakest one of the class, barring my friend Tenma." Naruto deadpanned, clearly not looking forward to the field trip.
"Excellent. We'll be staying in the nearby town of Horaud where the entrance is located, so pack only the essentials. With that said, have a good evening."
He patted Naruto's shoulder and exited the dorms, with Naruto imagining a Doom status effect over his head.
"Yep, we are all so screwed…" Naruto sighed before heading off to meet up with Mash.
[The next day]
"Wait, you're not coming?" Naruto groaned as the others were already departing through the castle gates.
Tenma sighed, rubbing his neck. "Yeah man. It's not like I don't like our odds of surviving down there, and I sure as hell ain't scared for me, but I still haven't been able to get my hands on that spell paper; Miwa-chan's been havin' a hard time findin' some for me. The next time we go, I'll tag along, but I really doubt that you guys will get that far before retreating."
Indeed, while the Scribe's Penmanship skill allowed him to write down and draw spell circles perfectly, it turned out that spells could only be scrawled on a special type of paper, or certain rare materials that were harder to work. Lacking an elemental affinity, an attempt at casting spells freely would most likely result in a lot of wasted mana from Tenma, even with his enhanced Stats.
"Hmm, lemme refer you to Maia-san at the Smithy. She could point you in the right direction for that spell paper, I think," Naruto advised him. "Once you find some, you can find us at the Labyrinth, if we're all not dead already. My only hope is that the game was exaggerating about that true strength of those monsters waiting for us. But…" he jabbed a thumb at Meld, who was leading the group. "We have the Knight Commander, so we should be fine…maybe-ttebayo."
"Senpai!"
Mash ran over to her charge and handed him a box. "Here, I made you an obento," she told Naruto as he opened the box, finding rice, rolled up eggs, some vegetables, and ramen with a naruto condiment in it. "I hope it's to your liking!"
"Yeah, it is…" Naruto said in amazement. "Thank you, Mash-chan." He hugged his maid. "I won't forget this. Believe it!"
"Ah, you're welcome…Senpai," she squeaked as she returned the hug. "I await your return!"
Tenma nodded. "Yeah. I'll wait for you too." Then he smirked. "Want a hug from me as well?"
Naruto sweatdropped as he and Mash parted. "I think I'm good." he said and held out his fist. "How about this?"
"'Course."
The two boys fistbumped, showing their genuine friendship. For Naruto, Tenma felt like someone he could absolutely trust; unlike Ōga Taiyо̄, a so-called good guy whose actions and betrayal fractured their friendship to the point of no return. With Tenma, Naruto never got that feeling, and could their friendship lasting for a lifetime.
That and with the amount of girls Naruto has friendly relationships with, it was best that he had a guy friend to confide in. Chalk it up to a plus being Isekai'd to a new world.
"Oi, Naruto-senpai! Hurry up or we'll leave you behind!" Ayana waved while yelling at him, with Pansy smiling at her side.
Naruto turned back to his friends. "I'm off."
Tenma nodded. "Safe travels."
Naruto ran towards the departing group, shaking off the feeling of dread threatening to creep in. He joined Pansy and Ayana at the back of the group, conversing with him while missing Kaori's wistful look from her position near Kouki and his friends.
The older man watched him go, his usual easygoing expression replaced by one of concern and uncertainty.
[Horus, evening]
It took most of the day for the group to reach the outpost town of Horus. It was a small town that served to assist adventures who travel there to challenge the Great Orcus Labyrinth. It also included a state-run inn, where the fledgling heroes would stay and rest up from the journey. Each one would get their own room, and Meld pulled some strings to make sure that Naruto was nowhere near the known bully/goon squad.
At the moment, Naruto was tinkering with some ores that had the same properties as batteries back on Earth. If successful, Naruto would be able to finally power his devices such as his laptop, tablet, and cellphone. It was a work in progress, but Naruto was getting somewhere thanks to the increase of his crafting skills over the weeks. At the same time, Naruto was reading a book he borrowed from the library that detailed the monsters roaming inside the labyrinth.
After another ore blew up in his face, he decided to call it a night and get some rest for the upcoming adventure into the dungeon. He threw himself into the bed and was close to dozing off until he heard a soft knock at the door, much to his irritation.
"Naruto-kun, are you awake? It's me, Shirasaki. Can we talk for a bit?"
'You gotta be kidding, -ttebayo. It's the middle of the night.'
The blonde dragged himself to the door and slowly opened it, revealing Kaori, wearing nothing but a cardigan over her negligee.
"Hey Kaori-chan. What do I owe for this late night visit?" he asked before keeping his senses on high alert, despite the girl's stimulating appearance.
"I was hoping that we could…talk for a bit." she requested. "I'm not…bothering you, am I?"
"I was about to fall asleep, but I can make time for you," Naruto replied and leaned against the wall. "What's up? Is this about the trip into the labyrinth? I can give pointers, if you want."
"I'll keep this short. I…" she let out a breath before continuing. "I don't want you to come with us for the labyrinth expedition tomorrow."
Naruto frowned at that. "As much as I have my own misgivings, I don't think I can afford to skip out on this. Plus, this is a chance to gain experience and level up. I'll be sure to not get in your day or anything-"
"No, that's not what I mean," Kaori said hurriedly, cutting across Naruto. "Please, I…I was sleeping a moment ago and…I had a really horrible dream…about you." At his bewildered expression, she continued. "We were both in a dark place, and when I tried to call out to you, you never responded. I tried to chase after you, but you disappeared…" she said, clutching the hem of her skirt.
"...I see. Then I'm going to have to defy that premonition and make it back with yours and the others' help," Naruto said, chuckling at her confused expression. "Pansy's a Summoner, Ayana a Martial Artist, and you're a Priest. The three of you are more than capable of getting me out of trouble if I find myself in." he said, pulling his hands on the back of his head. "Isn't that right, Pansy-chan, Ayana-chan?" he asked, looking over Kaori's shoulder.
An 'eep!' came out of the hallway, followed by Pansy and Ayana poking their heads out of the doorway.
"Ara ara, your sixth-sense is as sharp as ever, Naru-kun," Pansy said as they entered the room and stood side-by-side with a surprised Kaori.
"Pansy-san, Nekomori-san!"
"He's right, you know, Shirasaki-san. It's up to us to protect Naru-kun from all manners of evil." Pansy declared with a mischievous smirk.
"Oi, I'm not some princess that needs protecting, you know." Naruto complained. "I got my own tricks of the trade outside this Isekai stuff."
"But this isn't like the time you protected that old lady and her grandchild." Kaori protested, with Naruto looking surprised. "I remember in the first month you transferred to our school, you defended them from a group of delinquents that accidentally spilled their drinks on the leader's clothes. Even though your methods were violent, you fought for the sake of the little boy and his grandmother. A far cry from how you usually act in school."
"You saw that huh?" Naruto snorted. "I only arrived when they started to rough up the kid. I gave them an ultimatum in which they refused to leave them alone, so I sent them to the hospital with broken bones."
"Your mixed martial arts with parkour and the way you tanked the hits was amazing. It's why I thought you should have had the Job of Martial Artist than me." Ayane nodded in agreement.
"Yep, that sounds like Naru-kun all right," Pansy chuckled. "It's why our old school scouted you for the Judo club, but you already turned them down."
"Of course you would know that, but that's neither here nor there." Naruto scoffed and looked at the three with one eye closed. "If you three want to protect me, fine. Just don't baby me so much."
"You don't have to worry about that. It's just that I'm worried that you'll do something reckless for someone else's sake." Kaori said and smiled. "That's why I'll protect you. That's a promise."
"We will protect him, you mean." Pansy clarified for over, with Kaori throwing her a dirty look.
"Yeah, that's what I mean," Kaori replied with a strained smile.
Naruto sighed. "Play nice, girls." he said, while Ayana waved her hands around frantically.
As Naruto and the girls conversed some more and laughed, someone was nearby, hidden in the shadows and listening in. That someone growled silently, fists clenched as their face took on a twisted expression.
[Temple]
Back at the temple, Tenma found himself shuffling about aimlessly, his eyes roving around and taking in the architecture from under his hood. Without his fellow Isekai victims, things were feeling quite a bit lifeless. Sure, as one of the summoned 'heroes,' he had access to quite an extensive library of magical knowledge and lore pertaining to this world, but at this point, he'd absorbed quite enough information to get started. The only problem now was putting it into action and getting some actual practice in.
More importantly, with everyone else gone, he had no one to chat with.
I mean, they do have that whole world-saving destiny to worry about, he thought wryly to himself, They can't hang around talking to a lazy weirdo all the time. For that matter, I could've just gone with 'em…
"Man…all this bullshit intelligence really can't protect you from making dumbass decisions," he commented aloud, scratching his head.
He wandered around a little more until he spotted a few priests huddled together, speaking in low voices.
"Lord Ehit has bought us mighty heroes, especially that Kouki boy,"
"He has a strong sense of justice, and his charisma is just what we all needed for his fellow children to fight on our behalf."
"Indeed. We had many failures over the years, but this is the best crop yet."
Tenma's eyes opened as he frowned at the group. 'Failures? Sounds to me like they've tried this before.'
"Unlike adults, kids are the easiest to manipu- hmm?"
Almost as if they felt his gaze on them, the priests abruptly looked around, spotting him easily. He quickly narrowed his eyes again, concealing their true nature. However, he had already seen and heard enough of the priests.
"Ah, it's the Scribe," murmured one of them.
"Quite the uppity one, isn't he? For such a weak Job…"
"Shush!"
He regarded them for another few moments, pasting an enigmatic smile on his face. 'Weak, huh? As if.' "Well, it's not like a combat-oriented Job will be all that handy once everyone goes back home," he said casually, making the Priests wince as he tacitly confirmed that he'd overheard them, "Honestly, a Scribe like me would make a killing writing novels. I've probably written more books over the past few weeks than I've ever written chapters over a month. Besides, I imagine Scribes have quite a few uses even in your kingdom."
One of the men, seemingly the leader of the group, gave a sickly smile of his own. "I see…well, whatever helps you deal with the disappointment."
Tenma let out a laugh. "Hahah! Disappointment? Hardly. This Status Plate might be incomplete, but I'm satisfied; after all, Scribe is in my name, isn't it?"
"Incomplete…?"
"Ah, nothin', nothin'," he said, waving off the question, "To be honest, I wasn't sure what I'd end up doing when I wound up in a scenario like this. I mean, I was all set to help out those guys, but it looks like I've been sidelined already, just like Aiko-han."
The Priests glanced at each other worriedly.
"Well, on my end, it's probably 'cause I'm such a damn slacker. Besides Naruto, who'd wanna take advice from a lazy NEET like me, eh? But you know…your head priest has been doin' an awful lot to undermine Aiko-han's say in things while proppin' up that Kouki boy."
"Can you blame him?" piped up one of the other men, "That small woman seemed incapable of taking charge of her students. With the boy leading his fellow heroes, the day will be ours for the human race. The least you can do is make songs of his triumph as he brings peace to our world."
He nodded, pursing his lips thoughtfully. "Perhaps. And yet, she had every right to want to look out for her students." As he spoke, a series of markings suddenly spread from the corners of his mouth. "So, my question is, why did none of you back her up and help her get her students to listen to her? Are you more concerned with making teenagers fight your battles than having them survive?"
The group stiffened up as power suddenly thrummed through Tenma's voice, washing over them.
"...Of course," replied one of them freely, even as his eyes bulged, unable to stop himself, "Getting our summoned hero and not having him fight is out of the question." Then he clapped a hand over his mouth.
"Wh-what the-?"
"How were you able to compel us to…?"
"Never you mind," said Tenma coolly, putting his hands in his hoodie pocket as he eyed them, "Jus' somethin' I picked up before I got summoned. So, that's how you guys really think, huh? I did think you guys were pretty fishy. Does Captain Meld feel the same way? Is he training the kids to be used as your tools?"
Once more, the Priests found themselves answering him obediently. "His loyalty is to his kingdom, not to Lord Ehit. He can be trusted to make them strong, but nothing else."
"Urk! What foul magic are you using on us, Scribe?!" demanded one of the Priests, drawing out his holy symbol. "And without any form of chanting or inscription…are you some sort of filthy Demon in disguise?!"
"Whether I am or not is irrelevant," Tenma drawled, unconcerned, "Or rather, any answer I give you'll jus' twist ta fit your views. Aight, last question…are you plannin' to kill off any of the 'weak' kids or me?"
"...We have no plans to waste our time in such a way. Those unfit for carrying out the Crusade will be repurposed into useful tools to serve our cause. However, your suspicious actions will be reported to High Priest Ishtar immediately…N-no! Damnit!"
The man shrugged lazily. "Eh, I knew you'd probably do that anyway. So, you're not plannin' on killin' 'em, but you're still plannin' to use them…" His eyes opened once more, and the Priests gasped and trembled when they finally saw them. "You guys are seriously bad news…"
"E-Even if you know, there's nothing you can do! The students have already been sent to the Great Orcus-"
"Yeah, I know that, moron!" he snapped, "Damnit…an' to think I actually thought it'd be fine if I stayed behind. What an idiot I was!" He stormed past the group, heading down the hall. Then he paused, blinking, even as the Priests began to creep away. "Oh. That reminds me."
They froze as he turned his gaze on them, his irises glowing gold, lined with mysterious runes on a background of black sclera. "You guys, forget this conversation."
One last time, his empowered voice washed over them, making their eyes glaze over for a moment, before they shook themselves.
"E-Eh? Oh, the Scribe…Daisho Tenma, wasn't it? Did you need anything?"
Tenma shrugged apathetically, his eyes once more hidden under his hood. "Nah, it's fine."
As he departed, heading back towards his room, he grimaced, rubbing his throat. Still got no way to do spells properly, and usin' Cursed Speech eats through Mana a ton and does murder on my throat. I was hopin' to not have to use the stuff I collected before comin' to this world so soon, but if the kids need help, then…
"Oh! Sir Tenma! There you are!"
"Nn?" Blinking, the man glanced up to see a maid with long, blue hair, her bangs cut at an asymmetrical angle, scampering towards him. "Ah, Miwa-chan. Wassup?"
His personal maid, Miwa Kasumi, quickly bowed towards him. As expected, she was quite the pretty thing, slender and willowy, with a modest bust and a constant hint of being flustered. "I was looking for you! I finally managed to get you some spell paper!" she declared, eagerly pulling out a few sheets of paper and presenting them to him. "I-I'm sorry I could only get this much, but they barely had any in store at the temple."
"Don' worry about it," he replied easily, giving her a lopsided, but affectionate smile. Her attempts to please him and almost constant apologies for any self-perceived shortcoming never failed to calm the Scribe. Not that he wasn't usually calm anyway. "Actually, just one piece would've been fine, so this is perfect."
She blinked, confusion clear in her dark blue eyes, but rather than questioning him, she only mumbled. "If-If you say so, sir."
He snorted, even as he took the spell paper. "It's fine if ya wanna ask, girl."
"W-Well, I assumed that you wanted to use it for inscribing spells…"
"Yeah, definitely. But y'know, one of my Skills allows me to create everything I need for writing. Pen, paper, y'know. Thing is, I can't make a special paper if I've never seen it before, can I?"
The young woman's eyes widened. "Eh? But then…Eh?! Scribes can do that?! But then, that means…!"
Tenma grinned, holding the paper up to his eyes. They glowed beneath his hood, and before his eyes, the properties of the paper began flowing into his head. "Aha…this's some pretty interesting stuff." Then he held out his hand, palm down. "Stationary."
His hand glowed brightly, mana streaming out in glimmering, off-white particles, before coalescing to form several towering stacks of identical paper. He grinned in satisfaction at the result of his own power, even as he ignored the tug at his internal stores of mana. Then he looked at his personal maid again. "Got another job for you, Miwa-chan."
She stared in amazement at all the valuable spell paper that he had just effortlessly created, before registering his words and snapping to attention. "Y-Yes?"
"I'll need you to get me a map from here to the place where the Great Orcus Labyrinth is." His expression became serious again. "I'll be heading out as soon as possible."
[Great Orcus Labyrinth]
The next morning, the outworld heroes were standing in front of Meld and his knights at the entrance to the labyrinth's first floor. The children were filled with trepidation, curiosity, and nervousness. Naruto was in the back of the group where Pansy, Ayana, and Kaori could stay near him, with two knights flanking the party from behind. Right now, Naruto's eye was twitching, as he could sense ill will towards his person, and Hiyama was not being subtle about it. The latter was side-eye-glaring at him while the blond narrowed his eyes. Before he could do anything, Pansy suddenly latched onto his arm and smirked, easing the tension; Kaori however, saw that and pouted.
"Listen up! Everyone helps each other in the Labyrinth, no matter what!" Meld's voice boomed from the front. "Got it?!"
"Yes, sir!" everyone else answered.
While he was talking, Naruto was watching some adventurers going into the labyrinth, one of them making him sweatdrop at the provocative outfit she was wearing. She had long black hair and purple irises, and was obviously a Witch, judging by the hat she wore, and the two-tailed cat familiar sitting on her shoulder. She wore only a plain black bra and wide sleeves on her arms, with large, firm boobs and a surprisingly defined set of abs. She also on metal plated gloves, had on a large skirt that was dangerously hanging off her wide hips and reached down to her feet.
'I guess we can throw realism out the window.' Naruto thought, while Meld finished his speech and led everyone into the dimly-lit labyrinth. 'Welp, here we go, -ttebayo…'
…
Naruto was by himself as everyone faced down their own sets of Ratmen, monsters that dwelled on the 20th floor of the labyrinth. The giant Ratman in front of him took a swing at him, which he dodged by rolling off to the side and slashed out one of its eyes. The Ratman roared out in pain and lunged at the blonde, who rolled out of the way with a hand in his cloak pocket.
"Let's try this bad boy out for size, eh?" Naruto taunted, pulling out two orb-shaped gadgets.
He threw them at the feet of the Ratman, whereupon they detonated, covering the monster in smoke. The Ratman waved it away, coughing and sputtering, only to find Naruto nowhere in sight. Before it could try and sniff him out, it suddenly felt extreme pain in its throat as a sword plunged through its flesh.
"One down," Naruto muttered, pulling his standard-issue sword out.
Meanwhile, Kaori was near the Three Musketeers on the sidelines, healing them whenever necessary. Since they were fine, she took to watching Naruto, looking relieved that he was holding his own. She was being subtle, as Shizuku saw this and chuckled.
"Kaori, why do you keep staring at Uzumaki-kun? Don't you know it's wrong to pick up guys in a dungeon?" the Swordswoman said teasingly.
Kaori blushed and rounded on her best friend. "Come on, don't say such strange things, Shizuku-chan! I was only keeping an eye on Naruto-kun since he's by himself!"
'That's basically trying to pick him up, you know,' Shizuku thought while smirking, causing Kaori to pout.
Naruto whipped his sword to the side, flicking away the blood as the Ratman collapsed, only to then whip around when he sensed another hostile presence, to see another Ratman taking a swipe at him with a screech. He ducked, the swipe taking a few strands of his hair, and retaliated with another thrust. "Damn," he muttered as he missed the monster's heart, only managing to stab its shoulder.
Yowling, the monster raised its other claw to swipe at him. Thinking quickly, Naruto palmed a pair of shuriken and hurled them into its face, but given the lack of distance, the metal stars only bounced off it, which served to make it angrier. Before it could retaliate, Ayana appeared in its blindspot. Her steel-plated, gloved fist smashed into its skull, deforming its already grotesque face.
"Straight!" she yelled, sending it flying off its feet, where it struck the wall with a meaty crunch.
"Thanks for the save, but I had it," Naruto cheekily told Ayana as she landed beside him.
"I know, but there was an opening and I took it!" Ayana replied, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet as the Ratman recovered and roared.
Suddenly, a pair of twin wolves, one white and one black, rushed past them and started mauling the Ratman. The poor monster tried to fight them off, but they were too strong, the white one easily tearing out its throat. As the Ratman fell, the wolves started to devour it.
"Divine Dogs," Pansy said as she walked up to her friends. "My very first summons. Aren't they the cutest?"
"They have your ravenous nature." Naruto deadpanned before grinning. "You can introduce them to Sun and Hose!"
Pansy blinked before grinning evilly. "I like the way you think!"
"Hey, watch yourselves! There's a Rockmount here!" Meld suddenly yelled. "It can camouflage itself! Keep a close one on your surroundings-"
There was a sudden roar that froze some of the students, including Kouki, Ryutarou, and Shizuka. The students were being knocked away. Kaori yelped as she was knocked away as well. The ground then rumbled in front of Naruto and the girls as the monster revealed itself to be a dark brown, gorilla-like creature. It beat its chest threateningly, glaring down at them all with beady eyes.
"Run for it!" Meld shouted, charging forward to draw the monster's attention to himself.
However, the trio got into their fighting stances to fight it, Pansy whistling to beckon her wolves.
"Transmut-" Naruto started to chant before being interrupted by an angry shout.
"How dare you hurt Kaori and the others!" Kouki yelled after freeing himself from the paralyzing nature of the creature's roar. "You won't get away with this! I'll protect everyone!" he declared as pure white mana leaked from his body and caused his sword to glow. "Soar unto heaven, O divine wings! Celestial Flash!"
"No, stop, you idiot!" Meld commanded angrily.
"Oh crap, move!" Naruto yelled, grabbing Pansy and Ayana with the wolves following suit.
He dragged them away before slamming his hands to the ground. "Transmute!"
Using his mana, he dragged the stone of the floor upward, erecting a solid wall just as Kouki bought his sword down. A shining wave of light erupted forth, blazing along the ground and passing through the rock creature, cleaving it in half. The force of the blow broke apart some of the foundation around them, rocks raining down and revealing a crystal above that slightly illuminated the dungeon.
"Fucking hell, you dumbass!" Naruto growled, dispelling the wall, while his friends looked exasperated.
Kouki breathed a deep sigh before smiling at the girls with a lady-killing smile on his face. "It's okay now!"
"Mou, watch where you're firing that thing off!" cried Ayana, shaking her fist at the Hero, "You almost hit us, you jerk!"
Pansy huffed, crossing her arms grumpily. "'It's okay now?' Bit of advice, but girls don't like guys who don't look before they leap, especially when they try and pretend all's well that ends well."
Her Divine Dogs woofed in agreement.
"Eh? But-" Kouki protested before being bopped on the head by Meld's fist. "Hobwah!"
"You numbskull! I know how you feel, but you can't go firing off those kinds of skills in a narrow corridor!" the Knight Commander chastised him. "With your stats, you could've brought down the whole dungeon on top of us!"
"I'm…sorry," Kouki mumbled, realizing the error of his ways.
"Oi, are you all right, Kaori-chan?" Naruto asked, going over and helping Kaori up.
"Yes, thank you." Kaori murmured, blushing at Naruto's show of concern for her.
"Hey! You barely did anything! You have no right to be helping anyone ,you useless waste of space!" Hiyama snarled while stomping up to the blonde. "Why don't I teach you how to really use that sword-"
"Transmute, dattebayo." Naruto muttered under his breath with a tickmark on his head, discreetly tapping his foot once.
A small clump of Earth popped up in front of Hiyama's path, causing him to trip and fall flat on his face. "Urk!"
"Hmm? What happened to you?" Naruto asked innocently. "Watch your step instead of focusing on me."
Pansy snorted while Kaori and Ayana sweatdropped.
"You didn't have to do that, you know," Kouki scolded him. "Instead of retaliation, you just have to work harder, Uzumaki. If I were you, I'd be using every scrap of free time to train and get stronger-"
"Says the guy who has a higher growth rate than all of us here, Amanogawa. What, you think that just because my stats are still in the double digits means I haven't been training my ass off too?" Naruto retorted casually with a hint of irritation, ignoring the death glare shot at him by Hiyama. "Also, I was just helping Kaori-chan here, so I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about."
As for Kaori, she nodded in thanks before noticing the crystal on the broken-down section of the wall. "What is what? It's all sparkly."
"Oh that? That's a Glanz Crystal. And a pretty big one to boot. How rare," Meld replied while sheathing his sword.
"They're a type of raw gemstone found here in Tortus. While they do nothing for weapons or skills, their luster and radiance make them popular with noble women and their relatives. They're often processed into rings, earrings, pendants, and other stuff." Naruto explained as if reciting it from a book.
"Since when did you become an expert in Tortus jewelry?" Ryutarou asked with a raised eyebrow.
"When I asked Lisa from the library about it the other day, she wouldn't shut up about them, resulting in me and Tenma staying until midnight to appease her and not get zapped," Naruto grumbled. "Though that weirdo just wrote down everything she said. Word is that it's among the top three jewels used in proposal rings."
"That sounds so lovely!" Kaori gushed, with her and the girls further entranced by the stone, even Pansy and Ayana.
"So beautiful…" Pansy whispered, her eyes sparkling.
'Yeah, and hella expensive back in the game. No wonder they're so hard to grind…' Naruto noted and smiled at the girls. 'If it wasn't an obvious trap, I would get it and make something for the girls-'
"In that case, I'll go grab it for you!"
"...Eh?"
Blinking, Naruto looked in horror to see Hiyama climbing the debris of the crumbled wall, making a beeline towards the valuable crystal.
"No, stop Daisuke! Don't go running off on your own!" Meld shouted at him. When Hiyama pretended not to hear him, Meld ran over to stop him. "Dammit, we're not even sure if it's safe! Get back here!"
"Captain!" one of the Knights guarding the group yelled after scanning the area with a Fair Scope, a telescope instruct. "It's a trap!"
Just as he said that, Hiyama touched the crystal. In response, the crystal glowed pink and the light filled the area, enveloping everyone nearby in it.
In a case of twisted irony, this was almost exactly how the outworlders were summoned as a teleportation spell took them out of the area.
…
Naruto opened his eyes, his eyes settling on an unfamiliar area, and growled out. "Right, note to self. Never ever underestimate the power of boners, -ttebayo…Other note: kick Hiyama in the balls."
He sat up, catching the signs of a magic circle before it disappeared into the ground. He looked around, noticing that most of the class were waking up, with Captain Meld, the knight guard, Kouki, Ryutarou, and Shizuku already up and examining the area.
They were now in the middle of a massive stone bridge with purple crystal lighting it. The bridge was 100 meters in length, with a ceiling 20 meters above them. Below the bridge was nothing but a dark, seemingly bottomless abyss.
Meld gazed at one of the exits and saw stairs leading upwards. "Everyone, get to the stairs, now!" he commanded. "Hurry!"
Everyone moved to do as they were told, but magic circles appeared in front of their escape route, materializing a horde of sword-wielding skeletons with red eyes.
"Traum Soldiers!" Naruto breathed before seeing another magic circle at the other end of the bridge.
This time, a monster materialized from. It was huge and bulky, standing on four legs and resembling a triceratops.
"And a fucking Behemoth. Wonderful," he uttered sarcastically as he saw the monster's red eyes trained on him and the others. "Absolutely wonderful."
"It was a trap that sent us down to the 65th floor of the labyrinth!" Meld yelled as the Behemoth let out an alrighty roar that shook the bridge. "Alan, take the kids and break through the line of Traum Soldiers! Kyle, Ivan, Bael, create a barrier! We have to stop this thing no matter what! Kouki, head to the stairs with the rest of your classmates!"
"Please wait, Meld-san! We'll help to-!" Kouki protested.
"Idiot! That thing is a Behemoth! It'll eat us all alive, regardless of how much we've trained!" Naruto snarled at him.
"You don't know that!" Kouki snapped back.
Naruto's eye twitched. "I do, because no one in Arifureta Online was able to beat that thing, not even me! Now let's listen to Meld-sensei so we can get the hell out of here!"
Kouki faltered, but refused to budge, with Meld looking angrily at him. Before he could chastise him, the Behemoth roared again and charged as the three knight guards got into position.
"Grant thine protection to your beloved children, O God! Reject all malice and let this be a holy ground that denies enemies passage! Hallowed Ground!"
A glow dome of light materialized around the knights and the students, stopping the Behemoth in its tracks. The creature roared, making the bridge shake violently as it pounded its fists against the barrier, which trembled and buckled momentarily, but held firm.
'That's not going to be enough…' Naruto thought, backing up as the shield started to disintegrate, unable to withstand the power of the Behemoth. He then held a cry, turning just in time to see Kaori trip near him. 'Dammit!'
The shield finally shattered, knocking Meld and the knights back. Kaori whimpered as the Behemoth drew closer, as she was in its path.
"Run, Kaori!" Shizuku screamed from the back before noticing the Behemoth slowing down. Upon closer inspection, she noticed rocks and stones crawling up its body. "Transmuting? Uzumaki-kun!" she yelled, seeing Naruto in front of Kaori and Meld.
"Naruto-kun/Naruto!" Kaori and Meld exclaimed, seeing the blonde straining.
"The only way we're getting out of here is sending this asshole into the abyss below, so I'll hold it off! Now get out of here!" Naruto said angrily.
"Why are you doing this? You can't beat it at your current level! We have to work together-" Kouki started to say.
"Your choice is to safely retreat and live to fight another day, or fight here and now, and risk dying. WHY IS THAT SUCH A HARD CHOICE TO MAKE, AMANOGAWA?!" Naruto shouted, before using Transmute to erect a diagonal pillar, knocking Kouki back. "Just take the others and get out of here!"
"What about you?! We're not going to just leave you here!" Meld said with concern.
"I'll be right behind you, obviously! You just make sure you keep everyone safe, and my friends don't come back to get me. I'll be right behind you! Now hurry," Naruto said, turning to scowl at him. "This bridge isn't gonna hold long! Get Kaori-chan to safety!"
"Wait, Naruto-kun!" Kaori protested as Meld picked her up bridal-style.
"All right. Once everyone is accounted for, we'll come back for you! I promise!" Meld assured him. "Let's go, Kouki!"
"R-Right!" Kouki nodded, looking back at Naruto before retreating as well.
Naruto grumbled as he focused on continuously Transmuting stone barriers, layering them on each other to hold the Behemoth off. He wanted to create pitfalls, but that would damage the integrity of the bridge, which was already breaking apart. It wouldn't be long before the bridge completely collapsed, so he'd have to book it soon.
"Man, you're a tough one, aren't ya?" Naruto grinned and took out an orb. "Here, try this baby on for size!"
He pressed a button on it and tossed the orb at the Behemoth. The flash sparked before exploding in a flash of blinding light in front of the Behemoth's eyes.
"Transmute!" Naruto yelled, angling the stone walls in a way that knocked the creature off balance and onto its side. "Uh oh…" he muttered as he heard cracks from below.
The bridge was starting to come apart, chunks of stone crumbling and falling away into that abyss.
"Naruto, get out of there! We'll cover you!"
Naruto looked behind him to see the skeleton soldiers dealt with, and the student all lined up with magic circles in front of them.
"Senpai, run!" Ayana called out to him.
After reinforcing his transmuted stone wall, Naruto whipped around and booked it. He only took a few steps until the Behemoth freed itself. It was as expected, but it at least slowed it down.
"First volley, fire!" Meld commanded.
A stream of spells erupted from the line of students, sailing over Naruto's head as he ducked on instinct and slid forward. Turning to look back, he watched the spells impact the Behemoth, causing it to stagger.
"Hang in there, Naruto-kun!" Kaori called out to him.
"Second valley, fire!" Meld's voice sounded off.
Just as Naruto got up and started running down, he suddenly felt a wave of murderous intent from in front of him. He looked up in time to see a fireball arcing directly towards him instead of overhead; he only managed to catch a glimpse of the caster with a killer grin on his face, before it collided with him, detonating with a blast.
"Gahhhhhh!" Naruto yelled as he was blown back and sent skipping across the bridge, near the recovering Behemoth. "Ouch."
"WHAT THE HELL! WHO DID THAT?!" Pansy screamed, looking enraged at the others before narrowing her eyes at the obvious suspect, who failed to swipe the smile off his face.
"Senpai/Naruto!" Ayana and Kaori both cried out.
Naruto shook his head and saw the Behemoth falling, its tremendous bulk smashing through the floor. Panicking, he ran for it as the bridge collapsed behind him. He felt the ground giving away behind him and made a desperate jump towards the others. Unfortunately, he didn't leapt far enough, only managing to catch the ledge that hadn't broken apart yet.
"Naruto-kun!"
"Kaori, don't! It's too dangerous!" Shizuku yelled, holding her and Ayana back.
"But Naruto-kun is-!" Kaori protested. "Let me go! I have to go to Naruto-kun! I promised! We promised!"
Naruto struggled to pull himself up. Even while he's wearing a big backpack full of this stuff, he had a spell that made his bag lightweight. He thought he was in the clear until he saw the ground cracking in front of him, and knew the odds of him making it back to the group was less than zero. Even if he did try to crawl back up, he wouldn't make it in time. Fear started to grip his heart until he saw Pansy, Ayana, and Kaori calling out to him, with Meld holding Pansy back.
'Well, I'm not getting out of this one. No way I'm going to haunt their nightmares with my terrified face. Not my style.' Knowing that he had limited time, he let out his signature foxy smile.
"I'll be alright!" he called out to them. "Now fly, you fools!" He managed to wink to them, before falling into the depths of the abyss.
"NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Pansy, Ayana, and Kaori screamed as Naruto was swallowed by darkness.
'I…won't let it end like this. I will find a way back up.' he mused to himself, refusing to scream as he fell, and enjoyed the wind around him. 'That's a promise of a lifetime…and Lisa will kill if I don't return her book-'
He suddenly saw the Behemoth roaring as it fell towards him along with the debris. He blinked at it as it got close to him and roared again, nearly stunning him; the wind resistance lessening its effects.
"Not so bad," he took out his sword. "Well then," and readied himself. "Hello beastie…!"
"Transmute!" he yelled, thrusting his glowing sword at the powerful Behemoth.
If he was going down, it wouldn't be by the hands of a coward like Hiyama. He was going down fighting.
END OF CHAPTER 01
Next time… Chapter 02: A New Monster is Born
Naruto has fallen into the abyss of the labyrinth, the first casualty in the so-called war the children will be forced to fight in. But with every action, there is a reaction; a cause, followed by effect. With his new, mysterious friend Tenma coming to save him, will Naruto survive the depths of the labyrinth, or will he succumb to the darkness? And even if he survives, who, or what, will be waiting for him down there?
Soul: Now then, let's introduce the new guy, Daisho Tenma, who's in the new book cover. Take it away, NSG~
NS: Aight, so, it should be obvious, but Tenma is an OC. The exact nature of his powers will be kept under wraps until he and Naruto meet up again, but he possessed his capabilities before coming to this universe. The listings of the Status Plate show his abilities, but only in the most basic (and boring) terms. In addition, he is a man who has been granted freedom and happiness in a way that makes him very difficult to bring down. That is not to say he is totally disconnected from reality, but he is extremely optimistic and upbeat, with a desire to ease the worries of others and bring them comfort, should he become attached to them. As a hint to his powers, his name, Daisho Tenma, is written with the Kanji meaning 'Scribe of the Heavenly Truth.'
[New Characters]
Fate Grand Order ] Mash Kyrielight
Fire Emblem ] Byleth Eisen
Fire Force ] Oze Maki, Kotatsu Tamaki
Genshin Impact ] Lisa Minci
Jujutsu Kaisen ] Miwa Kasumi
Kuroinu ] Maia
…
[References and Explanations]
In a previous poll, Mash won by a landslide over Stella Vermillion to be Naruto's maid, so Naruto's maid she will be.
Tortus is 100% real, not fake like Sword Art Online and its offshoots. It's the same situation as Diablo in Isekai Maou.
Naruto falling during the scene with his family is reference to Cloud screaming like an utter pansy in Final Fantasy VII Machinabridged.
The Personal Attribute system is taken from Lucid Adventure, the game setting of the webcomic Hardcore Leveling Warrior. Every person's Personal Attribute is unique, and determined at random (though they tend to suit the person in some way), and is separate from their Class/Job, but usually synergizes quite nicely. Attributes are categorized into types:
Stat type is the most common, giving the person a hugely increased starting stat and growth for said stat.
Skill type gives the person a unique skill, completely independent of their Job, though a smart person can synergize their Skill's function with their Job abilities.
Class type Attributes grant their holder a secondary class, complete with its own unique skillset.
Above that is one of the rarest types, Person type, which allows the user to draw on the powers of a legendary figure, such as King Arthur, Herakles, Lu Bu, Lee Sun-Sin, etc.
Beyond that level is the Transcendent type Personal Attribute, so rare that it exists only in mere rumors on Tortus. It is a type whose powers can transcend the boundaries of the system, and thus, that of the gods.
Does Naruto really have no Personal Attribute? Of course not. We ain't the type to nerf him like that.
Tenma, on the other hand, really doesn't need anything besides a Stat-type Attribute. He's got a huge head start as is in terms of actual powers. Plus, him having the most common Attribute type helps reinforce his Status being 'Boring.'
Tenma's maid is Miwa Kasumi, the muchly put-upon (and cute) swordswoman from Jujutsu Kaisen.
Naruto saying "Trace" to Reinforce is from Fate/Stay Night, which is called Destiny/accel away in this world. Fun fact, the FGO variant is called Destiny Great Order.
Do not fuck with Naruto, the same way you don't fuck with Rin in Unlimited Blade Works Abridged.
Sun and Hose are from Oresuki, and they are the WORST.
Yes, Hinata and Chisato disappeared out of nowhere, but they'll be back, oh they'll be back...because those girls are sexy! (SuperButterBuns, Resident Evil 7 for Beginners)
I know Maia is a wandering mercenary in her home series, but she became a blacksmith for a reason. Let's just say she escaped from the…thing…
Tenma used a form of Cursed Speech from Jujutsu Kaisen on the priest. He has to use mana in order to activate it, so in that way, he's not limited to speaking in onigiri ingredients.
Obviously, his eyes also contain powers of their own, but they're also good for looking intimidating, hence why he keeps them hidden most of the time. He ain't Gojo, but still.
"Don't you know it's wrong to pick up guys in a dungeon" is from the official translation of the Arifureta light novel and it's great!
Pansy's summons are the Demon Dogs from Jujutsu Kaisen. I was gutted when the white one was killed and couldn't come back.
"The power of boners." Jeremy says boner…DING
For Naruto's falling, I took inspiration from Gandolf vs. the Balrog and Jack Sparrow vs. the Kraken.
Released: Friday, May 7, 2021