Author's notes: Arifureta and Arifureta Zero make for great reading material while working in the box office. Thank you for all the warm reception regarding the return of this story. I won't make any promises regarding if we'll catch up to the reunion before Season 2, but we'll try our best.
Don't know what the next update will be, so we'll have to wait and see.
-Review responses
Have a Little Feith - Aiko is getting with Naruto, as was always the plan. Make like your penname, friend-o.
Salazar1537 - We have taken steps to ensure that Tenma will not come across as Sue-ish. Also, Tenma has not befriended everyone in the class; like you said, he is a stranger. However, I assure you, two weeks is more than enough to become friends with someone.
Keyblademaster 21177 - 12 chapters of grinding, me? Us? We won't go that far lol
Foxsky Harem Emperor 2015 - You know me so well, my friend.
Bongskie - We might have some more Genshin characters appear as well. It's awesome that Lisa is one of our first characters when starting the game, especially when you have Japanese settings, if you know what I mean.
On with the story!
[Horus]
When Tenma arrived at the adventurer hub town, his mount drew astonished, disbelieving looks; he was riding a tiger completely made out of paper. The dozens of sheets that made up its body bore many tiny magic circles, denoting various spells for increased speed. He stopped in front of the entrance to the labyrinth and hopped off his paper tiger, the construct dispersing into a stack of papers, which then dissipated into particles of light. At the same time, the door opened to show the Hero Party walking out with miserable and dejected looks, with Tenma frowning when he saw an unconscious Kaori in Meld's arms. He also saw Pansy with her bangs shadowing her eyes as her black Divine Dog had an unconscious Ayana on its back.
'What in the world happened?' he wondered, before noticing a certain blond mechanic missing. "Oi, hol' up a minute, where's Naruto?"
Everyone looked around, surprised to see the older man. "You're…Daisho-san, right? What are you doing here? I thought you decided to stay behind," said Meld, frowning slightly.
Tenma sighed, nodding. "Aye, that I did, but it turns out that Miwa-chan was able to get her hands on that special paper fairly quickly. So I decided ta come runnin'. I'd still like an answer ta my question, though. What happened?"
No one spoke up, with all of them instead opting to avert their eyes from the stranger. Their fallen classmate may have been willing to trust him, but not them. He was still unknown to them, and their nerves were still shot over what happened down below.
However, Meld wasn't like his charges and explained. "There…was an accident. We were training on the 20th floor until one of them," he glanced at an oddly paranoid-looking Hiyama, "Triggered a trap that sent us down to the 65th floor, where a Behemoth and an army of Traum Soldiers were waiting for us. Naruto…opted to hold off the Behemoth. When we finished off the Traum Soldiers, we were covering his escape until one of the blasts prevented Naruto from getting to us, and he fell into the abyss."
"It wasn't an accident," Pansy growled with a dark look in her eyes as she carried Ayana off her summon.
Tenma's attention was on her immediately, and she couldn't help but tense as she sensed his eyes, hidden as they were under his hood. "...No?" he asked, a slight edge to his voice, "So someone knocked him down? He's still in the Dungeon?"
"Yeah," Kouki nodded. "And there's nothing we can do. He's gone. And we don't know how that blast knocked him back. It should've been a misfire out of fear."
"No. We do." Pansy hissed and snapped her fingers.
The Divine Dogs suddenly growled and turned their heads towards Hiyama, sensing their Master's intentions. They barked and charged at a startled Hiyama, knocking him to the ground. He yelped and tried to scramble away, but the twin canines growled and circled him, keeping him down.
"What are you doing, Sanshokuin-san? Call them off!" Kouki shouted, but she ignored him.
"I saw him. During the second volley, he was the only one aiming downwards and blasted Naruto back so he wouldn't make it in time!" Pansy declared, pointing at the guilty party.
"What?! No?! She's crazy! I would never do that!" Hiyama protested, despite it being true.
"Now hold one, we don't know that-" Shizuku started to say.
"I see why Naruto has no friends! You all ignore what's happening around him! Out of everyone I've seen, Hiyama Daisuke here along with his bastard friends are the only ones who antagonize him!" Pansy snarled, with her Divine Dogs dangerously close to his throat.
Hiyama shook his head wildly. "W-W-What?! She is out of her mind!" he yelped, even as he trembled when Tenma silently turned his gaze on him next. The normally lackadaisical man's easy smile had faded from his face, replaced by a growing frown.
"Sumireko, stand down!" Meld ordered her. "Now is not the time!"
Pansy glared at him. "So you'll let him get away with it?! He's the one who triggered that trap after disobeying your orders! You'll let him get away with that too?!" Her loud voice roused Ayana out of her slumber, the latter looking around in confusion.
"Please, just calm down," Shizuku said, trying to diffuse the conflict. "We'll handle this, so just trust us-!"
"I trust you as much as I trust Tenma to handle this. You do realize we're in this situation because of Hiyama. He went after that Grantz crystal just to get under Kaori-chan's skirt, not that it would've worked. We girls hate pushy guys," she glanced at a now steaming Hiyama. "That's why you did that to Naruto-kun. You wanted him out of the way so you could have Kaori-chan all to yourself, coward!"
"I am not a coward! " Hiyama snapped back. "It was his fault for trying to show off and be a hero with his weak…stats…huh?"
Tenma was now looming over him, his golden eyes glowing ominously from the darkness of his hood. So many ideas swimming through the Scribe's head on how to deal with the delinquent before him, but ultimately, he turned away. "I ain't got time ta deal with you. If Naruto's down there, then I'mma go find him."
"Wait, where are you going?!" Kouki demanded as Tenma walked to the Labyrinth entrance.
"Is like Pansy-chan said. I'mma handle this," replied the older man, striding away from the group.
"Stop!" said Meld, standing in his way, "I don't know what you think you can do, but that far down, by the time we get to him, there's no way he could survive-!"
"Please stand aside."
The captain's eyes widened as he jerked back, stepping away from the Scribe to let him pass unbothered. "W-what?! How…? S-Stop this! If it's just you, then-!"
"It's because it's jus' me that I'm goin'," Tenma replied in a serious voice, "Someone's gotta help Naruto, an' I'm the one who's the most likely to get to 'im without dyin'." He turned to a shocked Pansy as he walked. "Don't worry. Dead or alive, I'll bring him back." Then he glanced at Hiyama. "An' I'll let him decide what to do 'bout you."
Pansy gritted her teeth and nodded, trying to hold back her tears. "Please…"
"Save Senpai!" Ayana called out to him.
Tenma gave a salute before the doors to the labyrinth closed behind him.
"That power just now…" murmured Meld, gazing after him with a bewildered expression, "With just his voice…what on earth was that…?"
"I can't trust him. Him being so confident to even go into the labyrinth as a Scribe- is he even a Scribe? No, he can't be, not with what he just did to Meld-san." Kouki commented with narrowed eyes.
"But, if he can get Naruto back…" Shizuku murmured, looking at Kaori still resting in Meld's arms.
Kouki looked unsure. "But what's the point? How could he still have such an interest in Naruto after what he did? He got arrogant, biting off more than he could chew and paid the price with his life- GUK!"
A wild, sudden haymaker from an enraged Ayana suddenly smacked into his cheek, sending him flying into a wall.
"Oi, Ayana!" Ryutarou snapped at her. "That was uncalled for!"
"Uncalled for?! Were you just gonna let him say that?! Naruto-kun bought time for us to retreat, and that's all you've got to say? Unbelievable…to think you looked down on him that much, to not even give him the credit he deserves…!" Pansy seethed, her summons responding to her anger by raising their hackles and barking.
"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Meld's voice suddenly boomed, silencing them all, "Everyone has to stand down at once! We're all tired after what happened, and we need to get a grip before we turn on each other like this." He then turned to Hiyama, who shifted away. "We will talk about what happened, Hiyama. But for now, we rest."
Everyone else agreed and quickly scurried away to the inn they were staying at. Pansy and Ayana both leveled a death glare at Hiyama, who ran away in fear, with the Divine Dogs leaping back to their Master, who gave them headpats.
"Can we really trust that Tenma guy to rescue Senpai?" Ayana asked nervously. "His obsession with him is strange. I mean, an older guy like him hanging out with someone Senpai's age…?"
Pansy bit her lip. "It is, but if he's so sure that he can rescue Naruto-kun, then we have no choice but to leave it to him…for our sake, and Kaori-chan's…"
Shizuku was walking with the others before she stopped and turned towards Pansy and Ayana, worried for them; nothing of them seeing an orange orb of energy phasing through the labyrinth doors.
Chapter 02: The Predator in the Abyss
[Great Orcus Labyrinth, Unknown Floor]
Naruto awakened with a gasp and sat up, eyes wide open. Darkness pressed against him, almost physically tangible. Pain shot up his spine at that action, causing him to grunt and hold his side as his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. Focusing his senses, he heard the sound of water pouring, making him turn to see a waterfall nearby. He himself lay right next to a river at the base of the waterfall, resting on the corpse of the Behemoth.
"I'm…alive…" he breathed, looking around to find his broken sword at his side. "And I managed to finish off the Behemoth…no wait, the fall must've finished the job. Nice, dattebayo."
He slowly picked himself up and dusted himself up. "Good thing I also made it waterproof." he mused as he put his weightless backpack on and grabbed his broken sword. "Right, gotta find a path to the surface and get the fuck out of here," he told himself and started walking after downing a Mana Potion. 'Pansy-chan, Ayana-chan, and Kaori-chan are waiting for me.'
He traveled through the labyrinth floor, but was unable to find any stairs leading upward. But he was able to find some glowing stones above.
"Green Glowstones. Good, that'll make traveling this dank place a little easier…" he murmured and continued onward. "I swear, if there is no exit, I'm gonna- huh?"
He quickly zipped towards a nearby boulder and looked around it. "Shit, a Kickmaster Rabbit!"
Standing just a few feet away from him, looking in another direction, was a monster. It looked a great deal like a rabbit, but big as a dog, with white fur that pulsed with red mana veins, bulbous red eyes, long ears, and huge, thick hind legs, which it stood on. Despite its debatably cute appearance, it was extremely deadly. Right now, it was hopping along, minding its own business until it stopped and sniffed the ground.
'And it's picking up my scent. Shit.' Naruto prepared to run. 'I have zero chance against it at my current level. Gotta run- OH SHIT!' He dived out of the way as the Rabbit suddenly lashed out with a kick in his direction, forcing him to bolt away.
"Dammit! My HP was gonna zero out if I took that head-on!" he grunted as he ran, "Gotta lose it!"
He continued to run, hearing the rabbit squeaking as it got closer. But no matter how fast Naruto ran, the rabbit caught up and unleashed a kick full of force that lifted Naruto up and slammed him into a large mound of rock.
"Gah!" he yelled out, feeling extreme pain in his left arm that was now dangling loosely. "Fuck! Yeah, it's broken…!"
The Kickmaster Rabbit landed in front of him and stared menacingly at him. Naruto flinched and closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable pain, but nothing came. He opened his eyes and saw the Kickmaster Rabbit getting into a fighting stance against a couple of-
"A pack of Twin-Tailed Wolves, even better." Naruto groaned sarcastically.
The Twin-Tailed Wolves were larger than the rabbit or even Pansy's Divine Dogs, with fluffy white fur and two tails as its namesake. And just like the rabbit, they also had dark red mana veins on its body.
He watched as his hunter, the Kickmaster, engaged in battle against two of the wolves. It certainly lived up to its namesake, attacking the wolves with roundhouse, flip, and somersault kicks, and dodged around the lightning bolts fired at it. Despite the numbers, the rabbit bobbed and weaved, knocking the wolves' attacks aside and kicking them with enough force to break their necks and crush their skulls.
After letting out a victory cry, "Kyu!", the rabbit turned back to Naruto, who managed to recover enough to try and back away. It hopped towards the blond, before stopping and looking up in fear and trembling.
Naruto frowned at the action and looked up in dread, and what he saw had him wishing for a pair of brown pants.
'A Claw Bear…'
All hope of escape flew out the window as he saw the massive, two-meter tall monster that just appeared. Like every monster seen on the floor so far, it had white fur with red mana veins. It also had massive forearms with wicked sharp claws.
'Nope!'
The bear's red eyes glowed and roared, causing the rabbit to hop away. The bear raised his arm and swiped in the air, with the rabbit suddenly cut in half. The bear then jumped, landed near the rabbit's corpse, and began to devour it. The sound of chewing through flesh echoed through the cave and unnerved Naruto, who backed away and ran for it. The bear heard his footsteps, however, and turned to see its next prey getting away.
"Hell no I'm next on the menu!" Naruto huffed as once again he ran as fast as he could, "Nope!"
All he could do was run, and the roar behind him only enforced his efforts to not be eaten alive. He heard the bear roar again, followed by growing air pressure from behind him. He tried to jump to the side but was caught up in it.
"Wahhhhhh!" he yelled as he was sent crashing into another massive rock mound, causing his vision to blur. "Ack! Son of a bit-!"
As the bear landed a few meters away from him, it was then that Naruto realized that something was terribly wrong as he coughed up blood. His left side had become inexplicably lighter, the pain of a broken arm was gone, and he couldn't move the fingers on his left hand. When his vision cleared, he saw the bear munching on a very familiar-looking arm that had the sleeve of his coat. Horrified, he looked to see his left arm…
Only to find a bleeding stump, just above the elbow.
"Ah…ah…GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Naruto's howl of anguish reverberated throughout the cave as he held it, the pain hitting him with the force of a truck knocking its poor victim into a new world.
"MY ARM! SHIT!" he cried, kicking his legs around to distract himself from the pain as he watched the bear chow down on his arm. "YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"
After it finished devouring Naruto's arm, the bear advanced on the blonde, who was literally trapped between a rock and a hungry bear, the latter seeing Naruto as nothing but food.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Naruto yelled, planting his remaining arm in the wall behind him in desperation. "Transmute!"
Without any thought to being neat, he burned Mana to shove as much stone out of the way as he could, digging himself a deep hole to scramble into, before sealing it back up. However, with a bellow, the bear easily smashed through that relatively thin layer of rock, clawing its way into the hole to chase him.
"NO!" Naruto kicked back at its paw with a yell, "I'M LEAVING AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME! TRANSMUTE! TRANSMUTE! TRANSMUTE!"
Once more, he shoved the stone behind him out of the way and retreated further. Again and again, he carved a tunnel, bit by bit, sealing the way in front of him and burrowing through solid rock.
"Transmute…transmute…transmute…transmute…trans…mutes…tran…"
By the time the bear's roaring had faded away, Naruto found himself lying in a pocket of air, surrounded by nothing but rock, in complete darkness. If the initial darkness he'd found himself in had been dense, then this one was downright oppressive.
'Fuck…which way did I come from?' he thought, breathing heavily and lying on his back, staring sightlessly at the ceiling above him. Or maybe the floor. 'Uh oh, out of mana…can't cast anymore…'
He lied on his back, on the verge of unconsciousness while trying to even out his breathing, and used his willpower to keep himself awake. His life was slowly flashing before his eyes, but he shook his head of those thoughts. After shifting around a little, hissing due to the pain in his left stump, he finally lost consciousness, his last thoughts of three girls that cared so much for him, including Hinata, along with his family.
*drip…drip*
The feeling of moisture splashing against his lips jarred him awake, but only just.
'Eh…?' he noticed a dim neon green light above him. 'I'm saved? Arm still hurts though…'
With each drip, his stamina came back, little by little. Ignoring the stabbing pain of his arm, he used Transmute to travel to the source of the miracle water, crawling along. Fortunately, he found it, just when his mana was on its last dregs; a basketball-sized crystal that lit up the tiny chamber, and buried on the ceiling above him.
"A mana stone? No, a Divinity Stone," he whispered, before collapsing into the puddle of water in front of him. 'A mythological stone formed by the crystallization of mana over millennia…' he recited from one of the books provided by him to the librarian Lisa in his head. 'The saturation of mana continually condenses until it turns to liquid, and begins to overflow from the stone. The liquid is Ambrosia, and it can heal any injury and dispel any curse. That explains why my arm's been staunched, but it still hurts…'
He angled himself so that the liquid would continue dripping into his mouth. It'll keep him alive for now, enough time for someone to save him, at least that's what he hoped. The eyes of the bear nearby broke him, and the pain reminded him of his near brush with death.
"...I'll be fine. Yeah, it'll be fine. Just…gotta hold out…"
…
Two weeks went by since his fall into the abyss…not that Naruto could tell how quickly time was passing. The Ambrosia kept him alive, but it didn't do anything to sate his hunger or the throbbing pain in his arm, making it difficult to sleep. The pain cleared his mind, but unfortunately, that only made him more aware of the pain, in an ever-worsening cycle. He tried reading the books he had packed with him to distract himself, but quickly grew impatient and threw them to the side. He actually wished for death a few times, but knocked it out of him by knocking the side of his head into the cave wall.
Worse, his mind went to dark places, trying to find someone to blame for his predicament, despite knowing the blame lies solely on that piece of shit Hiyama. It also gave him unwelcome thoughts; for a little while, he actually regretted moving to a new school. He should've dealt with Sun and Hose, two "nice guys" who were really assholes. One of them had threatened to rape Pansy, and the others wanting Pansy while purposely stringing two girls that were in love with him along. Before all of that, Naruto's days were the best at Nishikizuta High School, until shit hit the fan no thanks to a couple of girls that were trying to use him to get to Sun, who was his best friend at the time.
"No…no…no…it's not that, not that at all…" Naruto grunted to himself. "No, it's his doing…Ehit!"
Yes, the God that the Holy Church worshipped. In fact, whenever Ehit's name was sung with praise, there was something within Naruto that agitated and irritated him. It was as if Naruto knew Ehit and his true nature. He didn't, but to Naruto, he couldn't help but think that Ehit was nothing about bad news. After all, he'd pulled some innocent kids from their own world and into his own to fight a war, a war they had no stake in; a war in which they had to spill blood on behalf of those that brought them here.
This only proved the dark side of Isekai. Going into a new world is nothing to squeeze at. It is a new environment with different morals and ways of life. Sure, people have complained about heroes being overpowered when they go into a new world, which sacrifices their character development. But now, Naruto scoffed at that. It's best to have any sort of power if one wants to survive in a new world with things that want to kill you.
And now?
"I want…to live…I want to go home…and I need power to do that…Power to take down Ehit and get us home…" he murmured with a dark look in his eye. "And what's to stop me from doing that? The enemy. And just who is the enemy? Everyone and everything that gets in my way. And what happens when they get in my way? Get killed… !" he grinned. "That's right, I'll kill…them…"
He suddenly faltered as he looked back at his reflection, seeing a twisted, almost unrecognizable madman leering back at him. They suddenly thought of the girls who cared for him, only to see looks of fear instead of smiling faces.
"Oh…fuck…" he murmured before shifting over to the wall and banged his head against it. "No! No! No!" he growled out, stopping when his head started bleeding. "That's the path of a chuuni edgelord! Fuck that! Pansy, Ayana, Kaori, Hinata, they matter! Those that care and side with me matter! All of my loved ones matter! Ehit can go to hell, but I won't condemn the people living here for petty selfishness!"
That was a close call; he'd almost lost himself completely to the darkness and madness thanks to the pain and hunger. The light in his soul was still there, but the darkness was still there. Once even, his darkness and light now had a 7:3 ratio split. The darkness within him would have him kill anyone who warranted it, while the light keeps him in check.
"That's right. I will help those I can, but my own mission remains the same. This isn't Earth, this is Tortus, and here in Tortus, will be my own Tales of Final Fantasy…" he said with a grin, a proper grin that was still recognizable in his reflection. "Gotta be careful about having too much power to the point of being a God…just enough to defeat him. I hope I'll make it back in time for the next installment…right…"
"How noble of you."
Naruto flinched when an unknown feminine voice echoed around him.
"Even in the abyss of despair, you still hold fast to your morality, instead of becoming an indiscriminate killer. Then again, it's what I expected from someone of your caliber."
He was about to ask who it was when the cave suddenly took on an orange glow, allowing him to spot a translucent aura in the shape of a fox with nine tails. Its energy wafted wildly about, but had a gentle feel to it, along with an air of familiarity.
"Who are you?" he demanded, on edge.
"That's just rude. Where are your matters? It's only polite to introduce yourself first before demanding someone's name?"the voice scolded him.
"...Uzumaki Naruto," he replied, seeing the fox bristle at that.
"I see. Such a nice-sounding name," she said, sounding tearful before sniffing. "Right, I'm Kurama, but you may call me Kurahime, and I am the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit. I would like to make a contract with you, Naruto."
"Why? What's in it for you?"
"A…resting place. You host my body, and you gain access to my power, as long as your goal is the defeat of Ehit. I've heard your words, your desires, and I deem you worthy. How's that?"
"That sounds too good to be true."
"It is, but I have my reasons, nothing inferious mind you, and do you have any other options at this point? Don't tell me that all I've heard was hogwash and hot air."
Naruto growled at that. "No, it isn't. I need power to defeat Ehit and protect those I hold dear!"
"Then completely give up the foolish notion that being overpowered is problematic. You'll need all you can get to take on that God, his disciples, and apostles."Kurahime told him bluntly. "I don't know what stories you read, but you're not in them. This is your story, and only you decide where it goes from here."
Naruto grumbled. "Fine, you made your point. I'll accept your contract, Kurahime!"
"Perfect! Finally, I have a place to take a nap with some entertainment!"
With a graceful leap, she jumped into Naruto's, whose eyes widened at the rush of power through his body. With renewed vigor, he sat up, already feeling better, but still had hunger and the pain from his stump. He shuffled over to the pool of Ambrosia and drank. "Gah," he coughed and wiped his mouth with his other limb. "That tastes good. Nap and entertainment?" he repeated with annoyance. "I thought we were going to be working together!"
"Not really. You get my power and I get a nice place to sleep. It's quite roomy in here!" her voice echoing in his mind. "It's a win-win in my book! Sorry I can't regenerate your arm. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed. I've been running around Tortus for years under the radar of the Holy Church, so it's nice to finally relax. Good night!"
'Well at least I won't be alone…' he grumbled, before holding his suddenly roaring stomach. "First, food. I could eat literally a hundred bowls of ramen with how hungry I am! But first…Transmute!"
He refined the cave to turn it into his home base, and set up a mini-workshop in one of the corners away from the pool of Ambrosia, setting out a mat of tools and materials.
"A bit crude, but livable for now." he mused and pulled out a carving knife, seeing his eye in its reflection. "Let's hope that Behemoth hasn't disappeared yet…"
Meanwhile, Kurahime circled around before lying down to go to sleep, still giddy. 'It's been so long! How I missed you, Naruto-sama~!'
[20th Floor, 2 weeks prior]
Tenma sidestepped, letting a Ratman fling itself past him, his eyes easily following the movements of its scrawny muscles and ragged nails. It stumbled, screeching, while several more leaped at him. "I guess it's a lot easier to handle these things as part of a group, when you can divide their attention," he mused, smacking away their swiping claws, "But as long as you can manage their numbers, they're pretty pathetic."
Gripped in his left hand was a shortsword, made entirely out of overlapping, folded pieces of paper. A spell suffused it with Earth mana, making it as stiff as rock, but it wasn't all that sharp. Fortunately, he didn't need it to be.
His eyes flashed gold, runes spinning lazily around the edge of his iris, as he drew imaginary lines across the widths of their narrow chests. Each line was notched into ten segments, and the seventh/third notch was circled. Suddenly, he lunged forward. "Ratio: 7:3!"
His paper blade struck the marked spot and punched clean through the Ratman's chest, cutting off its angry squeal with a wet, gurgling choke. He yanked the sword free, and before the others could react, brought it down on the next, cleaving the monster through the shoulder, his attack passing right through the 7/3 mark.
The third Ratman screeched and stabbed its claws at him, but a quick swing from Tenma cleanly severed its hand just above the wrist, his otherwise dull blade having struck another marked line on its arm. Then, he lashed out with a kick, striking it in the exact same spot on its chest as the other two and eliciting a meaty crunch. "Heh. So, I still gotta have some kinda edge to cut along the weakpoint, but any attack that hits the spot will be a crit no matter what, huh?" he observed casually, letting the monster flop to the ground, twitching and shuddering. With a swing, he flicked the blood off his paper sword. "Now, that Grantz crystal trap was somewhere 'round here, yeah?"
He cast around with his glowing eyes, easily spotting a magic circle swirling around a spot on the wall. "Ah, there it is. Not even trying to hide it, are they? But I s'pose that not everyone can just see magic at will…hm. Didn't that Kouki kid have some kinda magic detection skill? Coulda warned the others…ah, sloppy, sloppy…" The man shrugged lazily. "Oh well, time to head on down!"
He touched the crystal and vanished.
[Unknown Floor, present time]
Naruto eventually dug his way out of the rock, heading back to the Behemoth, which had long since started decomposing. The stench was overwhelming and made him puke, but it didn't stop him from channeling the Slayer from Monster Slayer to carve away at the beast for its materials. He tossed the rotting meat away and carved deep within the carcass, drawing fresh, unspoiled meat, which made his stomach growl. He also picked off its fangs, claws, shell, horns, and pieces of its tail. He grabbed as much as he could fix in his spare bag and cast a spell to make it lightweight.
He succeeded in his task just in time, as a pack of Twin-Tailed Wolves was waiting for him outside the range of the smell. Hoisting his bag, he dashed away, with the wolves in high pursuit. He used his remaining hand to Transmute the ground, impeding the wolves' pursuit of him by forming deep, wide holes. He managed to make it back to his hideout in time, but not before flipping them off, and slid down.
The lead wolf howled, with two of its brethren bounding after its prey. As soon as they crossed the opening, it closed behind them. The two wolves slid down before yelping as they fell into a deep hole with Naruto on the other side, the blonde tauntingly waving as they fell.
He used Transmute again, causing large rocks to fall from above, crushing and trapping his prey below.
"Welcome neighbors! I'm new to these parts," he said cheerfully as he grabbed a long spear, "Hope you enjoy my hospitality!" He stabbed them, making them howl in pain. "Sorry, but the big boss of this floor taught me that it's hunt or be hunted, so if you don't mind, I'll be the hunter!"
It took a while due to their rough hides, but Naruto managed to kill them by using Transmute to morph the blade into a drill, penetrating their hides. The wolves howled some more before they were finally silenced. Naruto used Transmute again to carry the corpses to him, and dragged them back to his lair, making sure to seal any openings and reinforce them.
"Yosh!" Naruto cheered after cleaning his prey of their fur to get the meat inside. "Tonight's menu: Behemoth filets with two whole Twin-Tailed Wolves!" he would create a fire to cook them, but his stomach roared painfully this time, causing him to give into his hunger. "Nnnh, fuck it!"
He grabbed the Behemoth meat and ate it raw. This tongue protested by sending signals that it tasted nasty, but he didn't care as he was ravenous. "Tastes like shit, but anything's good when you're hungry!" he grunted, his entire mind focused on his meal. The meat was rough, but he swallowed it all, finishing the Behemoth filets in no time. He then switched to the wolves and went to town. His stomach also protested the foreign meat it was being forced to break down after two weeks of nothing, but he ignored it to satisfy his hunger.
"Hmm, I think I'm forgetting something," he mumbled midchew, before shrugging and continuing to eat. "Meh!"
Hours passed, with him eating continuously, punctuated with hearty swigs of Ambrosia. Of course, he puked a few times thanks to the blood, but he choked it down. Soon, there was nothing left but bones, with the feeling of euphoria and bliss.
"Heh heh heh, suck it, Holy Church-" he started to say before feeling a sudden change within his body. "Hruk!"
Suddenly, searing, unbearable pain erupted through his body. "Agaaaah?!" he cried out, feeling as if something was eating away at him from the inside. "Guaaaaaaagggggghhhhhhhhhhh!"
It was then that he remembered what he had forgotten in his hunger. A monster's meat was poisonous to humans due to the difference in biology and mana crystals distilled into their blood, affecting their bones and muscles. Monsters had specialized organs that granted them the ability to use specialized magic, like the wolves' lightning attack and the bear's wind claws. It also gave them inhuman physical strength and durability. And any foolish human who dared consume them will find the meat eating away at them, down to their cells.
"Argh, shit!" Naruto yelled, grabbing a vial of Ambrosia and drinking it down before choking, "Wh-what the fuck?!"
He looked at the vial to find that it was not Ambrosia, but material that was used to practice his Transmuting and Reinforcement. And it wasn't just any material, but demon's blood, which was given to him by Maia to use. Such a course of action was even worse than monster meat, as evidenced by the now unbearable pain racking throughout his body.
"I fucked up! Gahhhhh!" he cried, looking at his hand to find red veins crawling up his arm.
In desperation, Naruto dove towards the pool and slurped down the Ambrosia, as much as he could drink. He gulped it down as if this life depended on it, but the pain didn't cease, his body still being ripped apart as orange energy enveloped his body.
"What the hell! I take one nap and you're already dying! Did you seriously digest monster meat and demon's blood?! I don't know if I can save you from this!" Kurahime yelled at him. "Dammit, just stay with me, Naruto!"
Naruto could barely hear her as he roared with unbearable pain and kept gulping down Ambrosia as if his life depended on it (it did). It still did nothing to lessen the pain, but it healed his body every time it was torn apart. As a result, his body started going through an unnatural evolution as his body was broken, destroyed, repaired and rebuilt over and over in a seemingly eternal cycle. Within him, his DNA mutated, his cells adapting to the change.
"I won't…die from this…" he growled out, his voice hoarse from his pained screaming. "I gotta…make it back…!" he yelled as images of his loved ones flashed through his mind. "Aaaaaaaauuuuggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
"You won't die from this! I won't let you!" Kurahime shouted and channeled her energy known as chakra to keep Naruto in the world. "You blonde idiot!"
"Naruto/-kun/-senpai!" familiar voices echoed in his head.
Naruto opened his eyes, feeling completely worn out. He found himself lying facedown with the side of his head in the pool of Ambrosia. He made a noise, causing him to make bubbles.
"I'd be screwed without his miracle elixir…and Kurahime…" he mumbled.
"You're fucking welcome ya dumb blonde!" Kurahime snapped at him. "Now what did we learn?!"
"Not a damn thing," he grunted as he propped himself up with his hand, "Eh? I'm not hurting anymore…and I'm awfully lighter?" He shook his head and looked at his reflection in the water. "Whoa, what the hell!" he yelped, his eyes widening at his new appearance.
His hair was no longer solely blonde, as there were now strands of silvery-white running through it, possibly from the stress of his transformation. It grew a little but remained its spikiness. His irises were now red, with slitted pupils. Underneath his clothes were veins of orange mana running throughout his body. He blinked as he looked down his shirt and pulled it off, finding that he'd gained some mass and a tight pack of abs. He flexed his muscles, seeing that they've grown a bit bigger. Standing up, he lifted his legs, seeing that his limbs gained some mass as well. He was fit already, but even more so now. He also saw that he'd gained a few inches in height, now standing at 5'11" tall, a bit more buff than he used to be.
"Damn, I look like a demon now. Is this what Spider-Man felt like after the spider bite?" he wondered as he tested his limbs, satisfied that he had full control over his body. He then looked over to his right and groaned, still seeing nothing but a stump. "Curses, but it's better than nothing," he noted, before sweatdropping as an embarrassing thought came to his mind. Looking down, he pulled the top of his pants and whistled. "Yep, big change, dattebayo."
It was like playing Dungeons and Dragons with CYOA mode turned on.
"If you've finished admiring your new tool, check your Status Plate," Kuraihime instructs him, cutting her connection to his eyes while having a nosebleed. "Ecchi…"
Naruto snorted and checked his Status Plate. He blinked twice, before rubbing his eyes to make sure they were working properly.
Name: Naruto Uzumaki
Age: 17
Male
Level: 25
Race: Human-Monster/Demon
Job: Mechanic (Synergist)
Personal Attribute: Vessel (Transcendental Type)
Strength: 300
Vitality: 400
Defense: 300
Agility: 500
Magic: 500
Magic Defense: 300
Skills: Diagnostic [+Reinforcement] - Crafting - Magical Affinity [+Spell Duration][+Darkness] - Transmute - Chakra Manipulation - Mana Manipulation - Iron Stomach - Barrier Break - Lightning Field - Menace - Language Comprehension
"Sweet Black fucking Sabbath!" Naruto exclaimed in shock. "Eating monster meat raises stats? That wasn't in the game! I'm even stronger than that idiot now!"
"That's because no one had Ambrosia and lived to tell the tale…unless they were really special," Kurahime added after a pause. "I can tell you that you are one of few people in the world to have the Iron Stomach skill. With that, you can now eat monster meat unhindered. But that's not the only thing."
"Yeah. Synergist is right next to Mechanic. And my Attribute is no longer Empty. Why?" Naruto wondered, coming up blank. "Vessel? Transcendental? What does it all mean?"
"It's probably because of me that your Vessel Attribute was revealed. It sounds pretty self-explanatory. But Transcendental is a Personal Attribute type that transcends the laws of the world. It's something that the Liberators have themselves."
"Liberators?"
"When you conquer this Labyrinth, you'll understand what I mean," Kurahime replied, before quickly looking on. "You also have the Barrier Break skill and an affinity for Dark magic thanks to the Behemoth."
"Barrier Break? So that's how it got through the Hallowed Ground barrier spell." Naruto mused, thinking back to the battle on the bridge.
"That'll do it. From the Twin-Tailed Wolves, you got Lightning Field and Menace. You've also been given Mana Manipulation from the monsters in order to use them, but you can also enhance them with the Chakra Manipulation you got from me. I advise training with Mana first. I'll help with the Chakra part later since it is a passive ability."
"Sounds good to me," Naruto said and held out his hand. He focused on the mana now pulsing within him and channeled it to his arm and hand. Luckily, the magic circle inscribed into his right glove helped him. To his shock, he was able to use Transmute just by thinking, the ground rising up in front of him.
"I didn't have to utter a chant! Sweet!" he cheered as he reset the ground. "Hmm, I can't test Barrier Break yet, so let's go with Lightning Field, and if magic works off imagination…" he muttered, filling his head with images of lightning. In response, lightning started dancing off his arm and hand. "I did it, and it's orange! Unlimited Power!" he shouted, aiming his hand at a wall.
Nothing happened.
"...And I can't shoot it out like the Emperor. Damn it, it would've been so cool, dattebayo! Still," he smirked. "It'll come in handy for melee combat." He channeled Lightning Field throughout his body. "And cooking my prey…but first," he clenched his hand. "I need a weapon."
[65th Floor, before]
The floor was dead silent, not a trace of movement disturbing the still air of the canyon. The great stone bridge remained broken, both halves half-hearted reaching out to each other.
There was a flash of light, before the teleporter trap abruptly dumped Daisho Tenma on his ass at the entrance of the main cave, overlooking the shattered bridge.
"Oof," he uttered gracelessly, standing back up and brushing off his sweatshirt, gazing around unconcernedly at the destruction. "Heeh…those kids really did a number here," he said to himself, looking at the crumbled stone. He pulled out his Status Plate, wanting to see if he'd made any growth from fighting all those monsters on the way down.
Name: Daisho Tenma
Age: 27
Male
Level: 7
Race: Human
Job: Scribe
Personal Attribute: Enhanced Magic/Magic Defense
Strength: 110
Vitality: 160
Defense: 160
Agility: 110
Magic: 1250
Magic Defense: 1100
"Ooh, picked up a couple o' levels. Not bad, not bad…" Stowing the card, he turned his attention to the ledge overlooking the abyss. Squinting at it, his vision suddenly zoomed in on the edge of the bridge. There, he saw that the broken edges of the rock were almost shimmering, or bubbling. Looking even closer, one could see that the stone was teeming with trillions of tiny microbe-like creatures, who were slowly working away to 'regrow' the stone and restore this section of the Dungeon to the way it was before.
"Amazin' what kinda stuff goes inta makin' a place like this, ain't it?" he asked, chuckling, glancing away from the sight before ambling over to the edge and peering down into the darkness. This time, his eyes flared wide, magic circles opening just in front of them, as he cast his sight down into the abyss. Further and further he peered, straining his supernatural vision as far as it would go, hoping to pick up even a hint of a human aura. Dozens of monstrous lights greeted his senses, which only made him frown. Finally, a dull throb in his eyeballs made him twitch and grunt, releasing his power. "Too far down, then," he decided, cracking his knuckles, "Only thing for it is to head down m'self. Stationary."
Magic swirled around him, particles gathering to form a large sheet of spell-paper that draped across the ground, easily six feet across. Those particles also coalesced in his hand to form a paintbrush, before he knelt down and began to draw, unerringly sketching a magic circle thanks to his Penmanship skill. Each segment came together within seconds; the direction would be downwards, in order to bear the rider aloft, while the duration would be indefinite. The element, of course, was wind.
"That'll do," he said, nodding in satisfaction. He took a moment to scrawl some more markings around the edges of the paper. They would use his mana to channel Earth and make the paper more durable. Then, grabbing the sheet, he slung it out into the open air and quickly hopped atop it. He dropped like a rock, until he slapped his hand against the inked out spell. "Featherfall!"
The spell glowed brightly, before a cone of twisting air blasted from the underside, immediately slowing his fall into a slow glide. "Hoo! That was a pulse-pounder fer a good moment!" he laughed, sitting back comfortably as he descended into the darkness, "Aight, so assumin' he didn't land on a ledge, Naruto's prolly somewhere at the bottom. He's prolly resourceful enough ta keep himself alive fer a while yet…"
His easygoing smile faded as he thought about the younger boy. "Don'chu worry, kid. You haven't been abandoned. I'll get you outta here if it's the last thing I-"
Just then, with a demonic *SCREEEEEEE!* a steely praying mantis the size of a telephone pole launched itself out of the darkness, swinging one of its bladed forelimbs at him. It sliced through his floating paper, but without a moment of hesitation, Tenma seized the blade, stopping it from cutting him in half even as the momentum lifted him off his ride. Though his golden eyes were wide with shock, there wasn't a trace of fear in them. "OI!" he yelled indignantly, kicking it in the head angrily, "WAY TA RUIN THE MOOD, BITCH!"
The two of them dropped into the darkness.
[With Naruto, present]
A loud bang rang out through the labyrinth, and a Kickmaster Rabbit was instantly shredded, its head absolutely obliterated by a projectile from Naruto's newly crafted weapon.
It was the result of discovering various kinds of ore he found on the floor, along with training his skills for the past few days. With sheer focus and commitment, he had trained his Transmute and Reinforcement skills, to the point that he'd unlocked the derivative skill, Analysis, and the high-level skill, Ore Appraisal, allowing him to scan the ores and materials around him and to learn their functions. He scanned every single ore he could find, like the Green Glowstone in his base, and the Blast Rock and Taur Stone outside.
But it wasn't simple, like in the game. No, it required a lot of hard work and patience. For what he wanted, he had to hone his skills as a Mechanic and Synergist to the maximum. His Diagnostic, Crafting, and Transmute had to be stronger, precise, without any margin of error; and it was twice the work thanks to having only one arm. He had many failures crafting his weapon, but with each failure, Naruto got more intune with his crafting.
After countless duds that only made him stronger, he'd successfully crafted a dark, transforming gunblade, which could shift between a sword and a rotating eight-chamber revolver on the fly. The frame and bullets were created with Taur Ore, the hardest ore he appraised, with the bullets packed with Blast Rock enhanced with Kurahime's chakra, resulting in more explosive force. In addition, he is able to combine Lightning Field and Barrier Break to accelerate the bullets with a railgun's firepower enhanced with barrier-breaking properties.
"Perfection. For now, let's get you a name." Naruto murmured, twirling his new weapon with his finger. "How about…Umbra." He rested it on his shoulder. "Yeah, that works. Now I can face those monsters on this floor. But first off," he picked up the corpse of the dead rabbit. "A man's gotta eat."
…
Name: Naruto Uzumaki
Age: 17
Male
Level: 29
Race: Human-Monster/Demon
Job: Mechanic (Synergist)
Personal Attribute: Vessel (Transcendental Type)
Strength: 400
Vitality: 500
Defense: 400
Agility: 700
Magic: 600
Magic Defense: 500
Skills: Diagnostic [+Reinforcement][+Analysis] - Crafting [+Blueprint][+Fabrication] - Magical Affinity [+Spell Duration][+Darkness] - Transmute [+Ore Appraisal][+Precision Transmutation][+Ore Perception] - Chakra Manipulation - Mana Manipulation - Iron Stomach - Barrier Break - Lightning Field - Menace - Air Dance [+Aerodynamic][+Supersonic Step] - Language Comprehension
"So, eating a new monster grants a huge boost in levels and stats, but there's deterioration when gaining them from the same monsters." Naruto mused while chewing on a bone. "Lucky there's a boon of monsters in his damn dungeons, so getting skills won't be an issue, especially with my trusty Umbra here," he said as he tossed aside a stone plate with the rabbit monster's information on top of one with the wolves.
Training with Crafting got him Blueprint, which allows him to create schematics on what he built along with creating info tablets of monsters he encountered so far.
"While this is good so far, I should get some more and train with them." he mused and reloaded his gunblade. "What do you think, Kurahime?"
"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz…"
"...Freeloader."
…
Naruto's sharpened senses picked up a hostile presence while he was exploring, and jumped away to avoid the poisonous monster, a Black Serpent. Normally, Naruto would freak out because it was a snake, but he was different now.
The snake leapt at him to sink its fangs into him, but Naruto dodged at the last moment and slashed at the creature with Umbra, beheading it with one stroke.
"Little shit," he muttered, walking away before stooping. "Wait…what if it has abilities I could take?" he wondered, looking back at it with uncertainty as its body was still moving despite being beheaded. "Guh…ah fuck it! Eat it whole, Slime Hero style, dattebayo!"
Grabbing it, he used Lightning Field to channel electricity through its corpse, roasting it. He quickly stuffed it in his mouth, chewed it before the taste got to him, and swallowed it whole.
And paid the price for it.
"BLECH!" he puked a sick purple liquid with an unpleasant shiver rocking his body. "I AM NOT DOING THAT AGAIN, BLECH~!"
He struggled to take out his Status Plate, and saw that, mercifully, he'd gained Poisonous Breath and Sense Heat Source.
"Dumb blonde."
"Worth it- BLECH!"
…
An Armorsaurus, a mid-sized green armored lizard with a horn appeared next, nearly skewering the blonde with a sneak attack, but he managed to dodge using Quick Step, aka Supersonic Step.
"Eat this!"
He spat out a gob of poison that melted the Armorsaurus's face. Naruto quickly moved to carve it before the poison rendered the corpse unsalvageable.
"Right. Poison is now a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency move." Naruto grumbled as he chewed on a strip of Armorsaurus meat. "Wait, I know. Poison bullets."
Kurahime scoffed. "I'll seal that Poison Breath ability so you won't accidentally use it."
Body Armor acquired.
…
Naruto wanted to take a break before venturing out again, only to find a red Evil Centipede and a Black Spider in his hideout. The centipede had burrowed its way past Naruto's reinforcement gaps, with the spider following it; both of them waiting for him to return to strike.
"Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, fuck you!"
Only for a freaked out Naruto to slice and shoot them in short order, followed by further reinforcing his lair.
"Whew…" Naruto sighed, wiping away his brow.
"Chalk up another breath ability that needs to be sealed away." Kurahime mused dryly. "But do you want to talk about those creepy crawl-"
"No."
Paralysis Breath, Sticky Thread, and Steel Thread acquired.
…
"-Does whatever a spider can~!" Naruto cheered as he swung through the labyrinth. "Whoo-hoo!"
Using the Sticky Thread skill, he shot webbing from beneath his wrists toward the ceiling, allowing him to move more quickly. He combined his new movement with Aerodynamic, creating a step platform made of air to bound off it. He crashed a few times because he was swinging with one arm, but it was to be expected.
He did manage to take out a Giant Bat in midair with Umbra in a "You Only Live Once" moment, and carried its corpse with his teeth.
Ultrasonic Wave and Sonar acquired.
…
"Nom nom nom!" Naruto hummed as he zoomed around eating herbs called Hipokute Herbs, a main ingredient in potions.
When he was done clearing a field, he vomited, but acquired the Healing Factor skill anyway.
"That's one way to eat your greens!"
"Bleghhhhhhhhhhhhhh~"
…
"This is fantastic!" Naruto said as he looked over his improved stats. "All within a day…"
Name: Naruto Uzumaki
Age: 17
Male
Level: 40
Race: Human-Monster/Demon
Job: Mechanic (Synergist)
Personal Attribute: Vessel (Transcendental Type)
Strength: 1100
Vitality: 1500
Defense: 1000
Agility: 1300
Magic: 1200
Magic Defense: 1000
Skills: Diagnostic [+Reinforcement][+Analysis] - Crafting [+Blueprint][+Fabrication] - Magical Affinity [+Spell Duration][+Darkness] - Transmute [+Ore Appraisal][+Precision Transmutation][+Ore Perception] - Chakra Manipulation - Mana Manipulation - Iron Stomach - Barrier Break - Lightning Field - Menace - Air Dance [+Aerodynamic][+Supersonic Step] - Poisonous Breath - Sense Heat Source - Body Armor - Paralysis Breath - Sticky Thread [+Steel Thread] Sonar [+Ultrasonic Wave] - Healing Factor - Language Comprehension
"Now there's only one thing left to eat on this floor," Naruto said, aiming Umbra at a wall, grinning at the plate with the Claw Bear's drawing on it. "Time to go repay a favor to an old friend, heh heh heh…"
[With Tenma]
"Whew…" Tenma let out a long breath, wiping sweat from his brow as he sat down on the corpse of his latest opponent. While it had taken a bit of effort to kill the Reaping Mantis (which had actually bumped him up a few more levels), the beast that had come loping out of the darkness had taken him even longer to take down, even while fully exploiting his Ratio Skill, Cursed Speech and nigh-unlimited supply of enchanted paper.
The monster, a Crystallized Arzuros, had been a distinctly bear-like creature, with a massive, bulky frame and massive claws. However, its thick fur was soaked with some sort of slime, which had hardened and congealed in several places into some sort of purple crystal. Its claws had been lengthened by the stuff, its jaws armored and even more dangerous, its hide toughened further.
However, in the end, it too had fallen, cleaved down the shoulder and arms hacked through.
"Man…now I'm totally turned around!" sighed Tenma, glancing around the cavern he'd found himself in, "Looks like I can't just float my way down if there're flying monsters lookin' to snag me outta the air. So I suppose I'll take the long way." Grumbling, he stood up, before glancing at the bodies of the two monsters he'd fought. "Hm…I wonder…there's not likely to be much in the way of food down there." He eyed the bear skeptically. "I mean…bears ain't exactly good eatin'. And I know that monster meat is fuckin' bad news, but…hm. Now hang on there, Tenma, don't start gettin' stupid ideas, but…I wonder. What would happen if one were ta eat monsters an' survive?"
He fell silent.
"Goddamnit, inner Tenma, what'd I just say?"
Groaning, he conjured several more pieces of paper, smaller this time, which floated around him. "O Wind, dwell within this vessel and grant it the semblance of a peerless blade. Razor Edge!"
The edges of the paper began to glow with a faint light, before with a gesture, they shot out, slicing through the bear's hide, skinning away the fur and cutting free a strip of meat. Carefully pulling it out, Tenma grimaced, before conjuring up yet another sheet and inscribing a spell on it, creating a small flame.
He spent a few minutes roasting the Arzuros meat, noting that the juices dripping from it crystallized into chunks, which were easily brushed away.
Finally, giving the thing a distasteful look, Tenma popped it in his mouth, munching away at it. As expected, it was stringy and tough, not to mention foul-smelling, as he hadn't bothered to drain the blood from it.
"…Well, that was disappointing," he muttered, once it was all gone, "Though I really shoulda expected that; bears taste terrible as is- ghhnnng?!"
He clutched his stomach and dropped to the ground, curling up with a strained groan as pain began to reverberate through his body. The man struggled and writhed, letting out screams of agony and arching his back. It was little wonder that a human without access to Ambrosia would surely die from eating such tainted flesh.
And yet, Tenma did not die.
Eventually, the pain ebbed, as did his screams, and he fell still, panting and wheezing on the floor, soaked with sweat.
And then, abruptly, he sat up. "Ugh, fuck me but that was awful!" he groused, rubbing his face like he was hungover. However, as he did so, he noticed the vein-like tattoos on the back of his hand. "Ah? Man, these're ugly." So saying, they quickly faded away. "Although, if my body was changed, my Status might show it." He pulled out his Status Plate.
Name: Daisho Tenma
Age: 27
Male
Level: 20
Race: Human
Job: Scribe
Personal Attribute: Enhanced Magic/Magic Defense
Strength: 700
Vitality: 750
Defense: 500
Agility: 300
Magic: 3400
Magic Defense: 2000
Skills: Language Comprehension - Transcribe - Stationary - High Speed Penmanship - Eidetic Memory [+File Storage] - Magical Affinity - Paper Manipulation - Meditation - Meditation - Diagnostic [+Identify] - Mana Manipulation- Iron Stomach - Crystallization
"Holy shit, now that's some serious gains!" he exclaimed, his pain forgotten as he sat upright, "New stats AND skills?! Hm…I hope that Iron Stomach means not havin' to go through that pain again…not to mention Mana Manipulation. Gonna need to test that one out. Crystallization…" He glanced at the bear's crystal-covered body. "...Yeah, tha' checks out."
Then he looked at the fragmented corpse of the Reaper Mantis he'd killed earlier.
"…Aight Tenma, how much d'you wanna test that Iron Stomach skill?"
[With Naruto]
With Umbra holstered and his new skills in his pocket, Naruto zoomed through the labyrinth at high speed with Air Dance, hopped and flipped off the walls with Quick Step, and swung through the air with the Sticky Thread, searching for his target with Sense Heat and Sonar. He even managed to wall-run and bounded off the wall for a speed boost. All five of his senses were on full blast as he searched for his prey, downing any random monsters that dared lunge after him, using Umbra's Gun Mode.
"Come on, where are you?" he muttered until his ears picked up the sounds of fighting, followed by a loud scream, and a familiar roar. "Gotcha- wait, someone else is here?!"
He dashed towards the sounds, dodging the monsters that were running in the opposite direction. It didn't take long for him to reach the source of the noises and landed on a tall mound of rock, overseeing what's going on.
The Claw Bear was attacking a human who was fighting back with fire magic. Upon closer inspection, Naruto recognized the human as the one he saw going into the labyrinth before he and the Hero's Party went in themselves; the young woman with a two-tailed cat familiar, wearing a witch's hat and a provocative outfit that showed off her cleavage and abs. She had large floating fireballs shaped like blobs with mini-facial expressions and right now, she was backed into a corner, with the cat familiar hissing.
Unholstering Umbra, Naruto jumped down and strolled over to them, shooting up in the air and whistled. The sudden sound made both the girl and bear flinch, with the latter turning around and growling, only the recoil as a shot grazed its shoulder.
"Sup! Long time no see, Claw Bear! I hope you remember me," Naruto called out, waving his left stump. "Because I certainly remember you snacking on my arm. Did you enjoy it?"
"Who…are you?" the girl muttered in confusion. "Wait, stop! It's too powerful! It'll kill you!"
The bear growled again as it turned its full attention on the blonde, narrowing its eyes in confusion at the lack of fear. Its former prey grinned before his eyes glowed, causing it to take a step back from his Menace ability. The girl felt it too, making her shiver, as the bear suddenly spread its arms roared, looking as intimidating as it could.
"Yeah, that's the spirit, good buddy!" Naruto shouted, ignoring the girl for now. "Forget the girl, it's time for the rematch! But before I kill you and eat you, you're going to see me as your predator, not just prey!" he declared, his Lightning Field sparkling all over his body as he rested the barrel of his Umbra on his forehead. 'This is it. That monster ate my fucking arm, nearly driving me to despair. If I can't kill him right here and now, I'll never move forward!'
'What is with this kid?' the witch thought in shock. 'Wait, hold on, I've seen him before with those other kids, the Hero Party! What happened to him?!'
Naruto and the Claw Bear faced each other down and circled each other, never taking their eyes off each other. Naruto grinned as he continued to twirl Umbra around with his finger, while the bear's mana veins began glowing. A few moments later, the bear charged and slashed at him, only for Naruto to Quick Step to the side and counter with a couple gunshots, shooting through its body. The bear roared at the unexpected pain as it staggered back, and Naruto advanced.
The monster suddenly swung with its claw, but Naruto had ample time to back away thanks to his danger sense. He double-jumped away with Aerodynamic to gain some distance and fired a few shots to keep it at bay.
'That's weird, I thought I dodged that.' he thought as he saw the bear slash at him, frowning before widening his eyes. "Is that, oh shit!"
He twisted to the side in midair, just as wind energy in the shape of claws sailed past him.
"Gale Claw. That explains it!" he grunted, firing his last few shots. Before he could reload, another Gale Claw attack struck him, with Naruto activating Body Armor just in case to avoid being cleaved apart and was knocked into a wall, losing his grip of Umbra. "Shit!"
The bear grunted in amusement and raised its claw to finished Naruto off-
"Well aren't you full of surprises, so allow me to return the favor," Naruto grinned and flicked a small emerald orb into the bear's face with Lightning Field. "Here, enjoy~"
The beast paused in curiosity as the orb bounced off its face, before exploding in a burst of blinding light, revealing it to be a makeshift flashbang made out of packing powdered Blast Rock into orbs encased in Green Glowstones. The bear roared pain, blinded, stumbling back and wildly swinging its claws.
Grinning, Naruto shot out a Sticky Thread to reel Umbra back to him, switching it to Sword Mode, and dashed forward with Quick Step. With a killer glint in his eye and Lightning Field coating the blade, he swung with all his might, lopping off the bear's left arm with one brutal cleave.
The pained roars of the Claw Bear was music to the blond's ears as the arm fell in front of him, and he picked it up. As soon as the bear's vision returned, he made sure that it watched as he took a bite of its arm, his now powerful jaw ripping through the tough skin as he chewed. The hate-filled red eyes of the bear now had a hint of fear and shock.
"Still tastes like shit, but you know what they say: Revenge is sweet, best served cold, or in this case, raw!" he called victoriously until he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, prompting him to briskly take a swig from a phial of Ambrosia. "Damn, that's got some kick to it, dattebayo!"
'No way! He acquired the Iron Stomach skill…like me?! How?!' the witch wondered in unease and fascination as she stood up. 'The chances of getting it are less than zero unless you have a powerful healing item like Ambrosia or something! What the hell happened to him to split from the Hero's Party and wind up down here?!'
The bear let out a defiant roar and was about to leap towards Naruto when it was shocked with orange lightning from Naruto's Lightning Field, thanks to the blonde channeling it through the creature's blood. It gave Naruto an opening to leap forward and stab it in his heart, rolling his neck to crack it while grinning evilly right in its face.
"Tell me, how does it feel, losing a limb?"
The bear groaned as it raised its remaining claw, until Naruto pulled Umbra out, causing blood to splurt out from the bear's chest like a fountain as it fell to its knees. "Gaoooooo…" it whimpered as Umbra's barrel was pressed against its forehead, looking dead in Naruto's eyes with complete fear.
"Check and mate. Looks like I'm the predator now," he declared with finality and pulled the trigger. "Bitch."
The bullet blasted between the beast's eyes and through the skull, pulverizing everything inside its head, the force knocking the bear onto its back, unmoving.
"Naruto wins," he proclaimed, and grinned at his weapon, "Ya fuckin' beauty."
Meanwhile, the witch's mouth was agape in shock. Here she was having trouble taking down that Claw Bear, the most difficult monster she'd encountered so far in the labyrinth, and now this boy in front of her had taken it down like it was nothing. Her familiar hissed at him, but she petted her to calm her down. She watched in fascination as the boy grabbed the remaining limb and started to drag the heavy carcass with him. He then stopped and looked back at her.
"You okay?" he asked sincerely.
"Uh, yeah. I am," she replied and collected herself. "I have so many questions about what just happened! But if you don't mind…I'd like to hire you!"
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Hire me? I'm not a mercenary."
"You don't have to me, but if you come with me to the bottom of the labyrinth, I can make it worth your while! Also," her gaze turned to the bear, making her stomach grumble loudly. "I'm sure you can't eat that by yourself, right?"
"Unless you have the Iron Stomach skill, this will kill you," Naruto stated flatly.
"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't have it. It's just that I'm out of rations and I roasted the previous monsters I fought to the point that they were inedible for me and my partner," she admitted sheepishly, much to Naruto's surprise. "Hold on, I have proven since you're worried about little old me. I'm Oze Maki, pleased to meet you!"
She reached into her cleavage (making Naruto admire the jiggle that came with it) and pulled out her Status Plate.
Name: Maki Oze
Age: 19
Female
Level: 50
Race: Human
Job: Pyromancer
Personal Attribute: Enhanced Strength (Stat-type)
Strength: 7000
Vitality: 750
Defense: 750
Agility: 600
Magic: 3500
Magic Defense: 1550
Skills: Fire Magic Affinity [+Speed Casting] [+Chain Casting] [+Multicasting] - Mana Manipulation [Body Strengthening] [Partial Strengthening] - High Speed Mana Recovery - Limit Break - Iron Stomach - Language Comprehension
"With skills like these, how the hell was the Claw Bear giving you so much trouble?" Naruto demanded flatly.
"Uh, well, I was dealing with a pack of Twin-Tailed Wolves when it got the jump on me. I would've been torn apart if it wasn't for my Body Strengthening. I've just used my last Health Potion when you arrived in style." Maki said as her familiar mewed. "Oh, this is Tamaki, my familiar. She can also eat monster meat safely. So, what do you say?"
Naruto hummed. "...I could use the company, but I would rather try to find the stairs to escape this hellhole."
"The only way out is to conquer the labyrinth at this point. From here, there's no way to get back up to the surface because the path closed behind me a few levels up. The only way left to go is down, and we can help each other get there," Maki said and held out her hand. "So, partners instead?"
"...All right, fine. It's been a while since I had social activity." Naruto said before continuing to drag the corpse with him. "Now come on. My hideout is not far. The name's Naruto, by the way, Uzumaki Naruto."
"Wait, Uzumaki Naruto?" Maki repeated in surprise. 'No way, it can't be!'
"Yeah. What, is it a common name here in Tortus?" he said, tilting his head.
Maki quickly shook her head. "No, not really. It just…sounds nice. Yeah, that's it."
Naruto shrugged and continued on his way. 'What do you think, Kurahime?'
"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…"
'Of course…' Naruto grumbled, missing the look of wonder from Maki.
'For him to have the same name as one of the eight Liberators, yet he comes from a different world… Could this be fate or coincidence?' she wondered, absently stroking a purring Tamaki. 'It's been more than a few thousand years since the Liberators were gone…more than enough time to come back in some form. If so…' she smiled as she continued to walk side-by-side with her new companion. 'Maybe now will be the time to complete the oath of Afureya, and finally kill God!'
'I'm going home with my friends, and getting back to my family; but first, Ehit has to go. I will eat every monster I have to become powerful, to gain Godlike strength to kill him.' Naruto thought, his grip tightening on the bear corpse he was carrying. 'Everyone is the hero of their own story, but I will be the one who decides how my story will end, not as an Edgelord…
But a Maverick, dattebayo!"
END OF CHAPTER 02
Next time… Chapter 03: Picking Up Girls in a Dungeon
With a new companion, Naruto ventures further into the labyrinth, with him and Maki laying waste to the monsters. Soon, they come across a set of doors, where Naruto is reunited with Tenma and fights the guardians of the doors. As the newly-made party defeats them, what lies behind the doors that needed so much protection? And why is Tenma so casual with his own life?
Soul: Whew, we got this done in a jiff. Then again, I needed a distraction from everyday life by doing this. Hope you all enjoyed this update!
[References and Explanations]
For those asking if Naruto will have some kind of edgy edgelord, no he will not be. He'll be darker due to the trauma of being stranded for 2 weeks with no food or water, certainly but he will be a decent person, more so than canon Hajime.
Tales of Final Fantasy was the original title of this story, funny enough. For now, it's a stand-in for the Tales of…cross Final Fantasy series in his world.
Arifureta Zero has a lot of influence for certain dialogue in this chapter, as well as the appearance of Kurama/Kurahime which I planned way before reading the Arifureta Zero manga.
"Sweet Black fucking Sabbath" is from Hellsing Abridged.
The other monsters such as the Black Serpent, Armorsaurus, Evil Centipede, and Black Spider are from Reincarnated as a Slime, as well as the scenes.
The organisms that slowly rebuild a dungeon's structures are taken from Dungeon Meshi.
Naruto has Spider-Man movie-style organic webbing.
Kano is the best part of the new Mortal Kombat movie. Don't 'at' me.
After going through Witch characters like Natsumi from Date a Live and Serila from Epic Seven, I decided on using Maki Oze from Fire Force, because she's awesome. I might use Serila somewhere down the line.
The Arzuros is from Monster Hunter. Crystallized Arzuros is an original subspecies.
Sorry if the numbers are wrong or off. We're just having fun.
Released: Sunday, May 23, 2021