BEN 10: THE ONE WHO DEFIES GODS
CHAPTER 1: I AM THE BAD BEN!
Author's notes after the chapter.
There are many things I hate in this world.
I hate society itself.
I hate people who judge others.
I hate people who pry into others' business.
I hate the hypocrisy of humanity.
I hate people who can stay true to themselves.
Standing at the brink of the metal frame overlooking the river, I realized something.
I hate everything and everyone in the realm.
I can't stay true to myself, and yet I hate hypocrisy.
I hate all the other versions of myself who have a superhero complex.
It seemed like... my body was floating mid-air...
But it wasn't. I was falling...
Jumping from the bridge down into the river.
I had done everything to stop the effects of the so-called failsafe...
It is a curse, not a blessing.
Whenever I committed suicide... whenever I died... it kept reviving me.
To the point, it got so annoying.
Destroying "it" could destroy the whole universe. I don't care. Or else... the universe itself didn't let me die. It just... kept me alive... and suffered.
Why do I even exist?
I firmly closed my eyes waiting for "death."
Yeah... as usual...
"Ben Tennyson," I heard the voice of a man...
"Greetings," and a feminine voice.
I slowly opened my eyes. For someone whose heart rarely felt a surprise or shock... I was genuinely surprised by two large green masks floating in front of me.
"Wh-where am I? Wh-who are you!? Why-"
"I am Bellicus, the Voice of Rage and Aggression," the masculine mask said. I thought it was a "mask." But his lips moved.
"I am Serena," the feminine mask said, grabbing my attention. "The Voice of Love and Compassion."
"And you, Ben Tennyson, the Voice of Reason," Bellicus explained.
"We three together are the Alien X," Serena said with a warm smile.
"So where are we?" I asked, cold sweats flowing down my face.
"We are inside the consciousness of Alien X," Bellicus said. "One of the most powerful beings in the universe."
"We change the very nature of space and time," Serena declared.
"Wh-why? Why am I here?"
"Because we won't let you... die," Bellicus said with an obvious scowl on his face. "In such a pathetic way."
Even the expression of warmly smiling Serena was tensed up.
"Why did you become like that?" Serena asked, glaring at me.
Grrr... just after I thought... I can finally die...
My body weakly fell to whatever surface I was standing... and then kneeled.
"Bullshit," I yelled at them. "What do you understand? What do you know about me? Say, why was I alive? Just to regret my faults? To suffer? Or to hate the whole universe every day? To hate myself?"
"We've seen countless numbers of your alternative versions, Ben Tennyson," Bellicus growled.
"Bellicus," Serena warned him. "We are not therapists. And you can't just force your opinions on him.
"When did you start caring for this pathetic mortal?" Bellicus barked back.
"Get me outta here, I don't wanna hear your stupid arguments!" I yelled again.
"Are you Ben Tennyson, Voice of Suicide? I am tired of saving the gloomy and suicidal Bens across the omniverse. Thanks to the "fan fiction" writer we can see said Bens around..." (Bellicus)
"Bellicus! I said no fourth wall breaking! I dare you to try it again!" (Serena)
"Whatever. Ben Tennyson, remember that we won't let you die... no, as long as you can't find the meaning of living your life, we won't let you die. Keep in mind that we will be always watching you," his voice sounds threatening.
Tsk, what kinda bullshit am I encountering on my "death" day? Damn, Ben...
"Why would you do that..." shit... why do I have to cry? Why should I cry? Why should I regret it? Why should I suffer-
"We are not usually interested in mortal affairs," Bellicus said, his tensed-up expression gradually becoming relaxed.
"Yes. First of all, you should meet other versions of yourself across the multiverse. And you will understand more about yourself."
Serena... that woman... she acted like she cared... her warm smile was too kind for a person like me. I didn't deserve her smile.
Meaning to live, huh? I wanted to die... not to live. Heck...
(Bellicus) "We will cancel the Alien X court in three, two-"
"Wait!" I shouted. But...
"-One."
The green light engulfed my body and then died down to allow me to see the surroundings.
I was in a valley. The shadows of the buildings shaded most of the street.
Vilgax? Why is he here?
The one I hated most... in all of the universes. Vilgax.
I hated him so much... I tore him apart into pieces.
Why is he here? No, how is he...
"Ben Tennyson, you are gonna help me in this operation."
Wait, what... what are you saying?
I wanted to destroy him... atomize him...
My subconscious approach was stopped by a black-gloved hand.
And... him. Eon. My other archenemy.
"What do you want!?" I shouted furiously.
"Help, I guess?"
My voice? What is... Oh crap... this is what Bellicus and Serena meant.
Stepping out of shadows was a Ben Tennyson who wore a black hoodie with dark grey lines. His brown hair was covering his left eye.
"Greetings. I am Ben Tennyson from negative dimensions," he nonchalantly introduced himself.
"I am sure it's gonna be fun..." another Ben Tennyson with orange-themed punkish clothing and a mohawk hairstyle stepped out of the darkness, clenching and unclenching his fists.
"Grr..." another Ben Tennyson was a... zombie. Disgusting! I'm gonna curse you, Bellicus and Serena!
"Yo..." and a kid... eh, it was a kid, yeah. A child Ben Tennyson? Wow, I hate it... unlike other Bens including me who had brown hair, he possessed white hair and his outfit was red.
"Welcome from the club," Ben Tennyson from Nega Dimensions nudged my shoulder.
"We are~ gonna WIN this!" Said the punkish Ben.
"I don't know what this is," I said. I still didn't understand the situation... but they might be recruiting me for a battle. "But it's gonna be fun with you guys."
And so...
One day later...
I met more and more Ben Tennysons on our adventure.
No watch Ben... the most pathetic version of myself. I scared him away just with Humongousaur form.
Ben Prime... the most annoying version of Ben Tennyson. Damn... I can't believe this piece of shit created an Omniverse.
Ben 23... another pathetic version with a Hero Complex. He was blue... god damn blue!
Ben 10 000... Tsk, where has that blah blah hero who patrolled the whole earth in minutes gone? Created a Bi-Omnitrix, my ass. Just another cocky version with an older brain.
Gwen 10... wait, since she was from another dimension, technically she wasn't my cousin. Alright, I could fuc-
Three hours later...
Our team lost with a landslide, yay. It was fun blah blah... The most important thing isn't to win blah blah... I would declare myself a sportsman.
Too bad, it wasn't a soccer match.
That bastard of an octopus... grr... from whatever dimension he was, Vilgax was always a loser. Ben 10 000 defeated him with finger flicks. That green octopus bastard even betrayed his own team. You got what you f**king deserved, loser.
Eon? Just an advanced version of the loser. To be precise, a fancy loser.
No watch Ben went back in time and then f**ked the timeline to save our asses. Thanks, I guess? You should better let me die...
I am no different from them. A loser. A true loser. I can even believe I got nothing more to lose. Tsk... that's what Bellicus and Serena pointed out. How pathetic of me...
I slammed the door and walked in the hall towards the kitchen to grab some food.
"Hey, Benjamin," there was my dad in the kitchen, who was enjoying a sandwich reading the newspaper. I hope he was eating the newspaper with a sandwich. Or else eating a sandwich with a newspaper.
"Huh? What's it, dad?"
"You are transferring to Japan," he said nonchalantly, not even averting his eyes from the newspaper he was eating.
"Oh, this is new... uh... wait, what? I am going to Japan!?" I exclaimed.
"That's exactly what I said. Find a girlfriend or two there, I will turn a blind eye to you," he winked at me for some reason.
Wait, did he just... say it like no big deal?
"Carl. You are overestimating him," my mom entered the kitchen. "With his social skills, it's impossible even to dream. Haha."
"Hah, don't bash your own son... and when did you get back home?" Father responded, laughing.
"Just now."
I stared at the couple and smiled, however, my mind wasn't there. My brain was clouded by the memories of a burning rust bucket.
Family, huh?
Yes, family.
Uh... whatever my life was gonna happen... it was better than dying as long as I am alive.
Always has been... hah.
Or so I thought.
"You are the heroes that will have to save the world from the demon lord and its army!"
That time I got summoned to a world filled with bullshit. A good anime title, you should check it out.
I haven't even used "it" for years. And now magic? What's that? Some kinda garbage that is different from what my cousin was learning.
And look, the laws of nature in this world are also screwed.
So now... er, let's start over from character introductions.
Benjamin Kirby "Ben" Tennyson. It's my name. If you have heard of Ben Prime somewhere and his name was Benjamin Kirby Ben Tennyson, keep in mind that he is fake. And I am real. I am Benjamin Kirby Tennyson! Ben Tennyson wasn't the hero of the universe. But you can call me the wielder of Omnitrix.
Alias: Bad Ben. Shoot, why do I have to be the evil counterpart of naive Ben Prime? Oh, by the way, you can make a virgin Ben Prime Vs. Chad Bad Ben meme, too, lmao.
Omnitrix. "It" is a device created by a mad scientist, yeah I can finally call him a mad scientist. I am in another world so Azmuth won't possibly walk across dimensions to slap me on the forehead, will he?
Omnitrix is built for peace, yet a powerful space conquerer named Vilgax wanted it to use as a weapon. No worries, I murdered Bilgax for good. The grand mystery of the universe was solved.
"It" can convert the user's DNA into another DNA that isn't the user's species. That much is obvious but you can't convert your DNA into a monkey's with an Omnitrix. Because the monkey isn't sentient. Or else it's just that Omnitrix doesn't include it.
So which sentient species? Yahh...haha... we are NOT alone in the universe. You can bluff that to kids and scare them. Or perhaps they would reply "Mom, I have a tetramand fetish."
It contains the DNA of 1, 000, 912 sentient species across the Milky Way galaxy. Five DNA from the Andromeda galaxy and a Vladat DNA from Anur System were added later.
Each of said species mostly possesses absurd abilities. If I have to be blunt, humans are usually useless and fragile. They can't even breathe in space. Oh, one good point, I suppose. They are not allergic to chocolate.
So... I basically possess a million shapeshifting abilities with superpowers. Rejoice! The most powerful being in the universe! Ben Tennyson. Until I wasn't.
Azmuth said my Omnitrix looked gloomy because I was cursed. I wanted to punch him for that statement... but later, I realized it was a forewarn.
What? Do you want me to introduce the heroine? I don't even know who she is.
And about 20-something background characters. Let alone their names, I didn't even bother to know the number of students in my class.
Oh, but our social studies teacher is pretty cute, you know. She is a clumsy and prideful lady.
Ahem... someone should slap me in the face for that thoughts-
"Hey, gaijin boy... entertain me."
It was the most popular girl in the whole class who talked to me.
"Entertain me. I am bored."
"I am even more bored than you ever have been. And girl-whose-name-I-don't-know, I am Tennyson. My name isn't gaijin boy."
I responded, annoyed by her words.
"But you are interesting. By the way, I am Shirasaki."
Grr... whatever.
"OK," I muttered and then looked away from her.
Lunchtime... at the canteen.
She approached me who was sitting alone at a table and enjoying my snacks.
"Hey, Tennyson. Good Afternoon."
"I guess it is," I responded, and then took a sip of the banana strawberry drink.
"You always eat alone," she commented.
"Got a problem with that?" I raised an eyebrow at her grabbing the bread on the table.
"No, no problem. It's just... it just makes you even more interesting. Uh... more mysterious."
"Nah, I am not mysterious. And why should I care?" I barked back.
"Mou, you are being angry with me for no reason!" In fact that teasing personality of hers was new to me. I had never seen her acting like that. She had been no less gloomy than me, I supposed.
And... yeah, her actions weren't really suited for her.
"You can drop the acting and be true to yourself," I lectured her. "And I eat alone because I hate unnecessarily interacting with people. Tsk, my old man is insane to send me to Japan just to get his son mocked..." I mumbled under my breath.
"Then I will sit with you," she said, grabbing a nearby seat. "Tennyson will not be the loner gaijin boy that way!"
"Hai, hai," I couldn't care less about the universal translator.
"Now a serious question... will you be my friend?"
"Nope," I got up from the seat, tossed the trash into the nearby trashcan, and walked away. Oh, er... it's just trash, not her. Perhaps you are familiar with me barking rude words...
Tsk, why do kind people bother with talking to me... I'm gonna be infected with kindness.
But yeah... maybe I became... soft. I couldn't find it in myself to blame... me, or anyone who infected me with kindness.
The next day, I found out that she hadn't given up on befriending me.
"What did I do to deserve your kindness, princess?"
For unknown reasons, the coffee she bought me was more delicious than my custom banana strawberry mix. Tsk…
"You are so honest. Look, you are all gloomy and no good. I wonder why you did…"
Hearing her words, I facepalmed out of annoyance. What is she trying to pull? I told her to drop the acting, yes, and now she was frankly mocking me.
Gulp… An honest person is somewhat more beautiful. But yeah, wearing a mask to protect others is no more than hypocrisy to me.
So… I LOVE honesty. My twisted logic swings that way.
Er… Not that I cared but did she change her makeup that day or something? She was glowing like a goddess.
"Hey, I think I've heard of your name somewhere."
"Huh? What does it even mean?" I pushed her face that was coming closer to mine away and grasped the coffee can tighter.
"Tennyson, you are not just a gaijin boy, you are also a Uchuujin boy!"
Gaijin means foreigner. Uchuujin means alien.
Gulp... I hastily finished my drink and tried to got away.
"No, maybe you misread the news..."
But she clung to my arm and restrained me from running away.
"No, I am sure. Judging from your reaction..."
I struggled to escape from her grip but didn't succeed.
"... and I know about your suicide attempts."
Those words were enough to keep me down.
"How do you know..." I responded weakly.
"It was a coincidence... I saw your record in the documents of the school."
Tsk...
She was a pain in the ass to deal with and I was no different.
"Yeah, I am that Uchuujin boy. Are you satisfied?!"
Finally, her grip loosened. I furiously retracted my arm and ran away from her.
"Search for the meaning of living" my ass.
Days were peaceful for the next couple of days. She didn't come to disturb me, it was so peaceful...
"Tennyson-kun... please come with me to the faculty office. I have something to discuss with you."
"I'm coming, Hatayama-sensei."
In the faculty office.
I suppose Ms. Hatayama scolded me.
"Are you being bullied? Did someone... bully you?"
"Nah, sensei."
"But you sure look like someone who's getting bullied by the whole class, Tennyson-kun."
Spare me, teacher-san. I feel like you are unintentionally insulting me.
"It's a misunderstanding..."
"Then you should befriend Shirasaki-san. She is a nice girl."
"I know," I sighed. "She is kind."
"And don't sigh! Head up, happiness will escape from you if you sigh..."
I smiled at her awkwardly.
Kaori Shirasaki is my beautiful classmate with waist-length black hair. As her name suggests, she is like a white innocent flower... but yeah, easily dyed.
"Hai, I understand, sensei."
Lunchtime. I was leaning on the railing of the rooftop, enjoying my coffee.
Thankfully, the wall behind protected me from the heat of the sun.
"Ten~ny~son! You are there!"
Uh... there she is. I quickly gulped down all the coffee and stuffed the can into my pants and faced her.
"What do you want?" I asked Shirasaki.
"I've been thinking for a while… how to talk to you after that moment. But… you love honestly, right?"
"Uh, can't deny," somehow she hit the jackpot.
"Alright, let's be friends! I will listen to your problems. I will befriend you and destroy your loner life."
When you put it like that, it's scary.
"Um… okay. Whatever."
I couldn't feel more annoyed.
"Alrighty! Let's go out to eat this evening. I will treat you."
"OK…" I responded nonchalantly.
Maybe… the time with her was better than the time loops of my loner life.
That evening, we went downtown for dinner. And snacks maybe. I didn't really have a preference for food.
"Ra~men, do you like it?" she said, holding up a noodle shop ad.
"I can't decide… Uh, I don't dislike it, I guess."
"So no," she put the ad away. "This is my first time buying you food as a friend. So I should treat you to something you'd like."
And then she took out a pile of ads.
"See? I had to research many places last week. Just say which one, then I could pick it."
Aw, that explained why she didn't come to disturb me the whole week.
"Nah, I'm good. You can just recommend some good restaurants," I muttered.
"Eh, you are awfully pleasant today. I am suspicious now…"
"Please not…"
She held up a flyer in front of my face. "Then, let's go there!"
It was a parfait shop. Grr… I've never–
"I bet you've never tasted this!" Man, did she just… read my mind?
"Yes, I have."
"Liar…" she barked back. It was awful she knew that much about me.
Wait, no… the question is… Have I always been that transparent?
I don't care anymore.
"Let's go. I have a business to attend after this…" so I lied twice today… to Shirasaki.
-(BREAK)-
What's with this shit?
Why did I end up like this?
I want to scream… my hands waving a sword miserably.
Damn, this isn't an Ascalon. Just a piece of metal scrap. It'll be one of the seven wonders – how this sword isn't broken yet.
Whoever summoned me to this world should at least give me a cursed sword or something more powerful. Now I am gonna die because of this shit.
An armored Meld Loggins tries his best to protect us but… he isn't strong enough to do so…
Tsk… I charge at the skeleton monsters and swing my sword with all my might. But their weapon blocks my sword and pushes me backward. I quickly recover from the impact and again run at the monsters… but my legs stop when I see the large dark monster.
My classmate heroes have already retreated after slaying a small army of skeleton soldiers.
The Knight Commander casts a protection spell and creates an energy barrier around us.
"O God, grant your beloved children your divine protection from all wishing to cause them harm, let the soil at our feet become the divine ground that keeps our enemies at bay! Hallowed Ground!"
The ground that we are standing on begins to tremble… but the barrier fails to block the thrust of the huge monster. The magic of the barrier is gradually absorbed by its snout that is slowly penetrating the barrier.
Shirasaki can't still get up on her feet. Yeah, she is just healer support after all.
"Kaori! Run!" her best friend yells in horror.
I click my teeth and jump towards her and carry her away.
"Commander! Take her… away!"
I throw her towards Meld Loggins with all my strength.
Damn… I suddenly feel an intense sharp pain in my back…
"Tennyson-kun!" "Kiddo!"
In some seconds, I became flattened by the rubble and the stomps of the monster.
I chuckled with joy. Failsafes of the Omnitrix can go fk themselves.
And this isn't a suicide. A heroic death. Bellicus and Serena won't save my ass.
I feel like my brain was just crushed and scattered throughout my body.
"Tennyson…" I can still hear Shirasaki's weak voice.
Something doesn't feel right.
Why do I feel like my brain is… uh… shit, here we go again.
My body feels like it is composed of a single cell yet has a lot of muscles.
By instincts… I finally understand what happened to me.
I concentrate my mind to control the anti-gravity projector to pull together my whole body.
And I successfully jump out of the rubble as a victorious warrior and punch the monster from below forcing it to lose balance and retreat some meters.
Then I proudly declare…
"GOOP! Ha, you can't kill someone who is cursed with immortality."
My voice comes out of the projector with a crackle of static at the end of the sentence like a walkie-talkie sound.
Ladies and Gentlemen. Let me introduce "Goop."
Goop is a green single-celled organism that is neither liquid nor solid but a colloidal suspension, and a member of a species called Polymorph. Notable is that his body weighs 200 pounds. His body can take any shape at will and can secrete acidic or adhesive slimes. Another interesting fact about his physiology is his brain that is spread throughout his body.
The emblem of the Omnitrix which has a green-and-black hourglass symbol on it lies on the Anti-gravity Projector. Then what is an anti-gravity projector? It is a device that allows Goop to be mobile on the gravity of higher magnitude and has enough power to pull together all the liquid of a planet that is composed of 98% water.
I haven't transformed into aliens for some time… but…. It feels really good to use the forms again.
"Ten-tennyson-kun?" Shirasaki asks weakly.
I look her in the eyes and nod. I think the Knight Commander's jaw is gonna drop. The reaction of my classmates is also no less entertaining. But now isn't the time… we've got a monster to slay!
"What's the strategy, Commander!?" I ask, ignoring their expressions.
"Uh… no… whoa, I don't even have words…" when he realizes he is losing his composure, he immediately snaps himself out of doubts. "Oh, my apologies. Do what you can, we will back you up. Although you look like a slime now, you've proved to be fairly strong."
I nod in agreement and turn around to face the giant monster.
The anti-gravity projector moves at supersonic speed, allowing me to fly towards the monster.
My whole body morphs into a large fist and delivers a blow onto the monster.
Before proceeding further into the story, let's have a flashback.
"Good Morning, Tennyson-kun."
Just a usual Monday that started with Shirasaki's greeting.
"Oh, good morning," tsk, I grew so much gentler.
"Good Morning, Tennyson," another person who greeted me was her best friend, Shizuku
Yaegashi.
I didn't know much about Yaegashi, eh not like I came to know about her though. But she seemed to be more athletic than others, judging from her tall well-built body compared to most girls. Shirasaki said Yaegashi's height is 172 centimeters – not like I'm interested in it. Anyway, she also did dojo but I didn't really understand what it is.
A usual morning I said, well, I'm gonna have to take it back.
During Hatayama-sensei's class period, a glowing silver circle with strange patterns appeared on the floor and then engulfed the whole class.
"Summoned as a hero to another world? Were we just… isekai'd (transported into another world)?"
My classmates began to chatter among themselves in the hall after they had been told that they were in another world.
For someone experienced in dimensional traveling, I was sitting quietly in the corner, leaning against the wall with a disinterested look. The fact that I was transported into another world indeed amused me. After I was informed that this was a fantasy world where magic existed, it even amused me more. But I tried to maintain my composure. I looked cooler that way.
"Hey, Tennyson-kun, are you excited?" Shirasaki was the one who first approached me.
"Not really, but I'm interested," I responded nonchalantly, looking away from her.
Fantasy world… It must be like an amusement park for them. But the problems of this world worried me.
No, I didn't wanna deal with the demon lord and his army. Not even close. It's too much work.
"You're always like that," she said, rolling her eyes.
"They are involving us in something we aren't concerned with," I said, annoyed.
The person in charge of overseeing us "heroes" was Meld Loggins. He is a well-built man with short spiky brown hair and a short beard. He has a small scar on the left side of his chin.
When we met him, Meld wore a suit of armor with a cape.
"We are going to enter the Great Orcus Labyrinth–"
"Sir Commander?" I called out to him, who was explaining to us about a "training course" (?).
"Yes? What's up, Tennyson?"
"My stomach is upset so can I go to the toilet?"
He raised his eyebrow but decided to not ask me for details. "Sure. Make it quick. I will be waiting for you."
"Thanks, Sir," and I started walking quickly.
"Oh, hey, the restrooms are on the other side," the Knight Commander shouted at me.
Some minutes later.
I was floating inside the pocket dimension of Alien X.
"Send me back to New York." (Me)
"No," they rejected.
And so, I am stuck in this world.
Serena suggested that I'd find my own way out of this world.
Grr… this is the story.
End of the flashback.
By decreasing the density, my body undergoes a size-shifting phase enlarging my body to the point where my body becomes even larger than the giant monster.
"Hey, kiddo, be careful. I don't know what kinda absurd abilities you have but the ground underneath isn't really… Whoa–" while the Knight Commander is shouting at me to give a warning, the bridge we are standing on begins to tremble furiously again.
Tsk…
"Ok, I will be… CAREFUL!" The walkie-talkie voice comes out again.
I throw another punch right into its face, causing the bridge to shake even stronger.
"Hey, kiddo!"
"I– know… I will be quick," I said, throwing another punch to force the monster to retreat some meters backward.
And then I fly onto the monster, engulf it as a whole and morph into a strong slime prison, while secreting powerful acidic liquids.
But its skin is too tough, my acids don't really do much damage. The slime prison is strong yet not enough to contain the monster.
It's sooner or later I'll give out.
"What are you showing us… Tennyson…" the Knight commander mutters in astonishment.
Suddenly I hear the beeping alarm and notice the red light signal of the Omnitrix. Tsk, it was an extremely short time.
I am forced to leap from the monster's body and cancel my transformation.
"Ha…" I gasp, feeling like I was completely drained.
But the battle wasn't finished. Far from it. It's about the time before the monster recovers.
"Why didn't you finish it off yourself?" Meld says, walking past me towards the monster, followed by his knights. He enters the defensive position, standing before me.
"I…feel weak," I am struggling to catch my breath.
Meld was disappointed by my words but he didn't say anything back.
"Alright, everyone. Thanks to Ben Tennyson here, you'll have an experience of killing a large monster, now. Come on, prepare your weapons, and ready your spe—"
Suddenly, the bridge begins to shake again, and the middle of the bridge begins to crack…
Shit, I don't get a chance to rest…
"Tsk, commander, move!"
"Run!"
Coincidentally, the monster recovers from damage and charges at commander Loggins.
Crap… I swiftly grasp my sword from the rubble and slide on the cracked stones of the bridge. And then I enter a ready stance, standing next to Meld to back him up.
"Kiddo, run! The bridge is gonna be destroyed."
"No, you run. I can hold him down. Carry Shirasaki and retreat."
Meld stares at me for a moment and then nudges my shoulder before he retreats together with his knights. Then he lifts Shirasaki from the floor.
I smirk, looking at the monster.
The only ability I can use at the time is… my synergistic abilities.
Transmutation, huh? Let's see what I can do.
Putting my hands on the cracked floor, I concentrate my mind to manipulate the particles of the stones.
The monster turns into a bull again and thrusts its horns into the floor, thus destroying the part of the bridge and shaking it even stronger.
The stones begin to break and holes appear in the floor before me.
Oh, crap… yeah, it works to my advantage, anyway.
But I figure… here goes nothing! I pour all my power into transmutation but…
A cloud of dust appears as the monster rampages on the bridge, triggering small quakes thus causing the stone barriers I built to break into pieces.
Grr….
No… the dust cloud is growing bigger and bigger… overshadowing me…
I don't know why I am protecting them. But I feel like I must do this…
Why… I am just a nobody with a death wish. Because I am Ben Tennyson? That is bullshit.
"Get out of there, kiddo! We'll cover you!" I can hear Meld yelling. "Ready, everyone!?"
"Ready!" answers my classmate in unison.
"Run, kid. Hurry!"
I finally stand up to retreat but before I can turn around…
A number of blue energy rays fly past me blasting into the monster.
Then… I feel a sharp burn on my back. Damn, how many times do I have to feel pain…
Why didn't the failsafe activate to save me this time?
When I become aware of the surroundings again,... I am falling…
Falling to somewhere…
My body doesn't listen to my order to move…
My right-hand doesn't seem to be convinced to tap the faceplate of the Omnitrix.
I feel weird… and my body has gone numb.
Is this… the feeling of death?
I have tasted death several times. I know it well.
This is new…
My back is introduced with a surface of water… and then collided with the stone floor.
"Ouch…" I weakly groan and my vision becomes cloudy and watery.
To be frank, I don't remember what happened after that.
Nevertheless… I didn't die of course. The gate of death just banned me.
"Greetings, Ben Tennyson."
Wait, where has all that pain gone?
Hearing Serena's voice, I open my eyes… yeah, oddly enough, my body is fully recovered.
"You guys again?" I facepalm out of disgust. It is true. Immortality is truly a curse.
"You did some heroics today, so…" (Serena)
"We probably need some congratulatory cake, huh, Serena?" Bellicus says.
"Seconded, Bellicus."
Booommm… I think I'm gonna be heart-attacked.
With a small explosive sound effect, a large yellow/ pink cake appears right before me with some candles lit on it, a knife, and a small pate next to the cake.
The words decorated on the cake say "Happy Birthday Bellicus."
I roll my eyes in disappointment and look at Bellicus with a deadpan face.
"Bellicus!" Serena immediately picks up the meaning of my look and scolds him. "Cheap prank!"
"My apologies. Uh… here you have it."
Again a small explosive sound surprises me.
Now, the cake becomes a smaller white one with the word written in red that reads "congratulations."
Wait a minute, we are missing the whole point of me doing "heroics."
"I suspect even Chronos' cakes will not surpass my cake," Bellicus proudly says.
"Chronos makes his cakes manually. You just thought it into existence," Serena looks annoyed.
"Don't sweat the details." (Bellicus)
Well, whatever. I grasp the knife and cut the cake into pieces and place a portion on the small plate.
"Cream is just good enough," I comment, chewing the baked cake. It is different from normal cakes… yeah, but I can't say what makes it so different. Then I look at the "congratulations" that is now cracked.
"I also was a hero years ago, you know," I mumble, before gulping down.
"We know," Bellicus answers. "We just want you to make something suitable for you."
"I'm certain that being a hero will rehabilitate your mind. However…" (Serena)
"Only if you wish to be, of course." (Bellicus)
"We won't force you," Serena clarifies. "After all, how your story will end is yours to choose."
I rub the back of my head, confused by their words. First thing, first. Next thing, next.
I don't reply to them, instead, I continue to enjoy the cake.
I hope things will go smoothly from now on.
"Ahem, we have something else to tell you," Bellicus says.
"What's it?"
Both Serena and Bellicus become momentarily silent when I ask.
"The god of this world," Bellicus finally says. "I don't like him."
The god of this world… was the one who summoned us.
-(TRANSITION)-
I was forced to close my eyes and block the light with my hands because the circle glowed brighter and brighter… to the point the whole classroom was engulfed in white light and we couldn't see anything.
When the light vanished,
The first thing my eyes registered was a massive mural depicting a faintly smiling figure, whose gender seemed indeterminable, wreathed in a halo, their blond hair flowing freely behind them. Behind them in the background were plains, lakes, and mountains. The figure had both arms spread wide as if trying to grab hold of all of it.
(Mural = a piece of art executed directly on the world. Can be a painting or other work of art.)
Where am I? What is this place? My classmates and Hatayama-sense are also here…
I looked around and examined my surroundings. We were in a large hall. The walls were white. When I touched it, I found out that the wall was really smooth. And the architecture didn't seem to be… from my era. Massive pillars supported the domed ceiling of whatever room we were in.
In fact, the room resembled some sort of grand cathedral. And yes, we were standing atop some kind of plinth that raised above our immediate surroundings. I had a glimpse of what had happened to us. But all those idiots looked dumbfounded. I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my pants and examined the environment further. Shirasaki collapsed onto whatever we were standing on, weakly. Not that I cared though.
And then there was a crowd of people in the room, whose outfits were completely different from us - I even wondered if they were wearing alien cult clothes.
But wait, I supposed they were priests. I never was a religious type so I didn't realize it. They all wore white robes decorated with gold embroidery. An old man who was dressed differently from his peers stepped forward. He also wore a cap... monk's cap (?) that stood about thirty centimeters tall. Though he looked like he was in his seventies, his body looked strong and healthy.
His stuff jingled as he walked throughout the halls. Finally, he began to explain the current situation.
"Welcome to Tortus, our brave Hero and his fellow countrymen. ," he began.
It was fortunate that I didn't vomit.
"It's our pleasure to welcome you here. I am the Pope of the Holy Church, Ishtar Langbard. It's an honor to make your acquaintances."
The old man broke out into a good-natured smile. I simply averted my eyes from him. Looks like evil people can't stay too long near good people.
Wait, what language did he speak to us? Thanks to the built-in universal translator of the Omnitrix, I can hear anything in English. But my classmates couldn't.
And he said "Tortus," where tf is Tortus anyway? Never heard of it. Don't tell me I landed on the other side of the universe.
Due to his seemingly good-natured smile, he earned the trust of these confused students in no time. He requested them to follow him and led them into another room. Well, yeah, although I had trust issues, I couldn't object. After all, in a place which you do not know of, the residents are the only help you can rely on.
"It will be easier to speak calmly there," he told the students.
The new room he guided the students to was furnished with numerous chairs and long tables. The room itself was no less lavishly built than the first. The craftsmanship of the furniture was also extraordinary. But I was sure it was built by humans! The mystery was solved!
The room sure looked like a meeting room or a banquet hall. Hatayama-sensei and a four-student group had already claimed their seats at the head of their respective tables. Followed by other students.
Tsk, at this rate, I would be left alone again. I wasn't concerned. And yeah, I figured. I had to occupy the seat at the very end of the table.
If it were a usual school day, my classmates would be chattering among themselves.
Now those idiots were awfully quiet and seemed to be slowly processing what had just happened. Perhaps because of Ishtar's words that he would explain the situation. And my charismatic popular classmate whose name is Amano-something had managed to calm everyone else down. It's impressive if I may.
Hey, who made our little teacher cry!? I'm gonna punch the heck out of whoever did! However, I calmed down after seeing her watch Amano-something leading his friends like a teacher.
It's not your fault, Ms. Hatayama. Not your fault for being too cute for the students to follow your orders. They had been delinquents, indeed.
After some moments, a retinue of maids pushing along the carts entered the room. Now you guys are causing a fuss, huh? They are just maids! Well... I don't have a thing for maids. But... heh, they looked elegant and youthful, though.
I avoided my eyes from the maids and then accidentally made eye contact with Shirasaki who pouted at me because she thought I was gazing at the beautiful maids. I may be a bad Ben but I am not a pervert... uh, yes, probably not a pervert. I mean, I'd consider them heavenly, cute, and elegant.
The maid served me a drink that wasn't a banana strawberry mix. I sniffed the drink suspiciously. If it was poisoned and killed me, I would even thank whoever poisoned it.
Too bad, I was cursed with immortality. Grr, then for who was I checking the drink? Why did I start being such a considerate person?
After everyone had been served their refreshments, Ishtar finally began talking.
"Now then, I am certain you all must be feeling very confused about the situation you've found yourselves in. I shall explain everything, starting from the beginning. All I ask is that you hear me out until the end."
My suspicions were true to an extent. We were transported into a fantasy world (?) with magic nonsense. It's not funny.
This world is one with multiple sentient species. Humans and beastman.
(A/N: this is where I come in. Different fantasy stories have different setups and different systems. Like using the words - demi-humans and beastmen. It's more suitable with "demi-humans" but in anime, they were called "beastmen," and in a WN translation, they were called "demi-humans." I chose to use beastmen to not confuse further.)
And demons. Simply bad guys. Hey, you got a bad guy here, too.
The Humans ruled over the north area. The demons ruled over the south area. The beastmen lived quietly in the wilderness to the east.
Um, compared to the fantasy stuff I'd read before, they would want us to fight the demon race that had been in a war with humans for several hundred years.
Hey, old man, calling me a hero or something won't save your ass. I will just-
No, I can't still leave my whole class in danger-
Wait, why should I watch over them-
Grr, I was emotionally conflicted!
Fine, for now, I'd just go with the flow.
Demons were much stronger than a Human but Humans had the number advantage. Both sides have not been in a large-scale war in a few decades, but they are preparing themselves. Recently there have been abnormal happenings occurring. The deployment of monsters by the demons.
Another word: Monster. A magically mutated version of animals. Mana, which I think is simply the magical energy and also is the lifeforce of the living things. When mana exceeds a certain limit, animals become monsters.
Yeah, but there was discrimination against monsters. They were not considered real living organisms. They had the power to mimic peculiar magic that other races used, and this made them powerful and dangerous animals.
Hey, isn't this story too convenient?
Until now there were very few people that could tame them. Even if they could be tamed, the tamer could only control one or two monsters at most. This common thought was completely reversed by the Devils. This meant that the Humans no longer had their number advantage. Now the Human race was facing a crisis.
I know where this is going.
"The one to have summoned you here is Lord Ehit. He is the god that protect us and the one we worship in the Church of Saints. He is the one that created this world. Most likely Lord Ehit realized that if things remained this way the Humans would face destruction. For this reason you were summoned to avoid this future. The world you come from is higher ranked than ours, the people from your world would have exceptional power here. Before the summon, we prayed to Lord Ehit. You were the "salvation" that he sent."
So the culprit of the whole bullshit is the god of this world, huh? If you are saving humans, why did you create demons and monsters? I'd be glad to slay you instead of demons.
"With your powers, we will overthrow the Devils and save the Humans by the will of Lord Ehit."
I stole a glance at my teacher and classmates. I hate heroics. Calling me a hero wouldn't tame me to one's will. But whether to accept the request or not wasn't mine to decide. I'd be fine either way. If I was to be killed in this world, I'd be more than glad. Don't underestimate someone with a death wish.
It was Hatayama-sensei who protested suddenly.
"Please don't joke around! In the end, these children will be fighting in a war! I won't allow such a thing! I will absolutely not allow such a thing! Please let us return! Surely, their families will be worried about them! What you have done is merely kidnapping!"
I should back her up somehow...
I stood up from my seat. It was out of my character, but I didn't know... why I stood up for the teacher. Maybe I really admired our teacher.
"She's got a point." The attention of the whole hall was directed at me. "And the problems of your world don't concern us at all." It was a cruel thing to say but I was reasonable enough. "The most important of all, we are just mere students. We are soldiers. We aren't even adults. You should think about this matter more reasonably."
Hell yeah, human beings are genetically selfish. You think to protect your people, yes, it's perfectly okay as long as you don't cause problems for others. When I was a "hero" - damn what an embarrassing thing to say - I kicked the butts of villains because they didn't leave other people alone and caused problems for others endlessly. I will happily punch someone who troubles me.
"I sympathize with your feelings. Unfortunately, we have no way to return you."
I narrowed my eyes at that moment. And then I glared at the pope and looked around. My classmates were shocked, no surprise. Shit, it is way too convenient. I don't wanna be an isekai protagonist in a garbage world.
"That's impossible, what do you mean not possible? If you can summon us, you can send us back!"
Hatayama-sensei yelled at the Pope.
Considering it was Ehit who summoned us here, yes - these priests were useless.
"As I said earlier, it was Lord Ehit that summoned you. The magic that interferes with other worlds is magic we humans cannot use. Whether or not you can return it is left up to Lord Ehit to decide."
Tsk. I'd gotta find our way out on my own, later.
I clicked my tongue furiously but couldn't say anything back. Not even to motivate my classmates. It's not like they liked me as a classmate anyway. So I sat down for now.
"Such a thing…"
Hatayama-sensei lost her strength at that point and dropped into her chair like a stone.
"Lies! Why can't we return?"
"Iyaa. I just want to return!"
"Don't even joke about war! Don't mess with me!"
"Why, Why, Why…"
The students started to rustle at that.
While the students started to panic at the situation, Ishtar was just calmly watching the reactions of the students. Heck, if he weren't a significant figure in whatever country we were in, I would have punched him in the face.
Because the students were not gonna stop panicking, that Amano-something boy stood up and slammed the table with a bang. This sound surprised the students and got their attention.
Man, he's too lucky, overflowing with charisma.
"Everyone, there is no reason to make so much noise in front of Ishtar-san. He had nothing to do with it. …Me, I'm going to fight. The humans of this world are facing a crisis, that is a fact. Knowing that, I cannot ignore their pleas for help. If I was summoned to save humans, we may be able to return after we have saved them. Ishtar-san, how about it?"
Tsk, this guy is taking advantage of his popularity to force his opinion on others. Well, but... it's not mine to decide again. I'm gonna follow someone's lead anyway.
"Right, Lord Ehit will answer the wishes of the Saviors." (Ishtar)
"We all have special powers right? Since I came here I've been feeling this sense of power." (Amano-something)
"Yes, that's right. Roughly, each of you has power that is several times higher than the people from this world."
"Then it's okay. I'll fight. I'll save the people, and then we can all go home. I'll save the world and everyone, you'll see!" The naive boy declared proudly with a bright smile.
The students that earlier had an expression of despair began to regain calmness and vigor. Half of the schoolgirls sent admiring glances at him.
"I thought you would say something like that. If you were to do it alone, I would worry about you. I'll also fight." (Random kid)
"Ryutaro." (Amano-something)
"At this moment that is all we can do. It's not like I hate it, I'll fight too." (Yaegashi)
"Shizuku."
"Eh, If Shizuku-chan is going, I'll try my best." (Shirasaki)
"Kaori."
The declaration of Yaegashi and Shirasaki's participation made me flinch. I raised an eyebrow at Shirasaki who gestured at me to volunteer. No, no way in hell I was saying that. I went out of my way to speak to a Priest and protect them but didn't even earn myself a credit. Not like I wanted though.
I noticed that Hatayama-sensei tried to argue against it with watery eyes, but against Amano-something's display, it was useless.
Damn, I had to get myself involved now.
I got up from my seat keeping my composure not to break out into a scowl.
"Hey, Amano! Hear me out!"
The chatters of the students died down immediately as my yell overwhelmed their voices.
"My name is Amanogawa Kouki." (Amanogawa)
"Ay, whatever. If you wanna face the danger, do it alone. Don't force your opinion on others and get them involved in danger! Do you understand? I don't care about your heroics or sense of justice," I glanced at Shirasaki. "I honestly... don't... want my friends... hurt."
Calling someone a friend isn't my thing. I was already used to being alone a long time ago.
Yaegashi is another story. She is like a samurai. She is strong-willed and... capable. But Shirasaki is just like what her name suggests. She can be easily dyed by others. I hardly regarded her as a friend... more like an annoying nobody bugging me around. But when I came to know her, I was glad I'd finally got someone... someone I could openly show the bruises in my chest.
The students began to complain to my statements, not Amanogawa's. I couldn't just compete against him, huh? I took a pathetic glance at Shirasaki who was staring at me in return with pity.
"You shouldn't say like that? Huh, my friends? Would you rather listen to him or participate in the war as honorable heroes!?"
I grit my teeth and sat down quietly before I was gonna be humiliated further. I can't just win against him, hmm...
And so the conclusion was everyone in the class was going to participate in the war. The priest had a very satisfied expression on his face.
The one I failed to understand was... Kouki Amanogawa.
And oddly enough, if I wasn't wrong, Ishtar saw right through Amanogawa's personality and bent it to his own use.
Forget it. I had to go with the flow for the time being.
And - how are the ordinary students from another world supposed to fight the demons and monsters in this garbage world?
I mean, there are Shirasaki and Yaegashi who learned dojo. And me, who is exceptional in street fighting. Not to brag but I have never learned a martial art specifically but my experience with alien forms had me tough.
I figured that Ishtar had prepared something for that, too.
Ishtar said, this church is located on "God's Mountain" and at the foot is the "Hairihi Kingdom" have arrange for this. The kingdom had a very close relationship with the Church, the god that they worshipped, was the God of Creation Eht and this country was founded by the family of Charm Byrne. The relationship was strong because the church supported this country.
When the students went out the front gate of the church, I quietly followed them from behind. We were going to descend the mountain and visit the Hairihi Kingdom. The church was located at the summit of "God's Mountain".
The sea of clouds outside the majestic church gates suggested that we were on a very high mountain. My classmates were fascinated with the grand scene of the blue sky, the sparkling sun, and the sea of clouds.
The only thing that amused me on the way to the Kingdom was Ishtar's magic shows. Descending the mountain, we could see a big town underneath. A huge castle was built into the mountain and the castle town spread from the castle. This was the Hairihi Kingdom, according to Ishtar.
When we arrived at the Royal Palace, we were ushered into the throne room straight away. Following Ishtar, we walked through the corridors. My classmates couldn't help but eyed the decorations, the knights, and the maids. In fact, following my classmates from behind and watching their interactions were quite amusing.
Entering the throne room, I saw a red carpet that led from the entrance all the way to a luxurious throne. On the throne sat a middle-aged man that conveyed ambition and dignity. Probably the King. Next to him was a woman who I thought was the Queen.
Next to her was a 10-year-old boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. A 15-16-year-old girl was next to him, and there was a small 7-8-year-old girl that accompanied her.
Seems like the whole royal family is here. Grr... it's an honor blah blah.
And the many other people who were well-dressed on both sides of the carpet. Background characters, supposedly.
Following Ishtar who later joined the King and his gang, my classmates stopped in front of the throne. I stayed in the back and analyzed the situation continuously. The King, huh? One wrong move and we can lose our heads here?
But judging from the relationship with the Church, the whole kingdom seemed to be devoted in religion. The heroes their god summoned to this world might be spared... I guess.
I don't remember the names of the royal family. Sorry. I just didn't pay attention to them because I was busy watching my back and the others'. Looking out for danger, I didn't know how the audience with the King ended.
Oh, but... the King's last name is Hairihi. Of course, it's the name of the Kingdom itself after all.
A banquet was held after that. Here came the event that I had to keep my guards up. They served us some kind of fantasy world drink with weird colors, again, which wasn't a banana strawberry mix. I tested it and found out that it was delicious.
Crap... I drank half of that weird drink before I noticed. No, I should keep my guard up.
My seat was in the corner of the hall. My classmates were chattering endless among themselves about how they were blah blah summoned...
"Tennyson-kun, you are alone again?"
Shirasaki came and talked to me. Later, the 10-year-old prince joined our conversation and took Shirasaki away from me.
Huh? What just happened?
The prince seemed to take a liking to Kaori because he was often talking to Kaori, and this got a lot of the class boys fretting. Are they flirting? My gaze often met him that sent shivers through my spine. No, no, impossible. They can't be flirting! He is only 10 years old. What do you expect!?
And then we were introduced to the instructors. The instructors were handpicked from the Knights, Mages, and much more. You know what, I am interested in mages, though. Knights are nothing new. In fact, they reminded me of the forever knights who abducted me and tried to dissect me when I was a kid. Rather, I'd refrain from them.
Thanks to Shirasaki and Yaegashi, I could at least use a sword properly while not as good as them. I can't pull a stunt though. When I worked as a hero, people often exaggerated that in human form I'd got lightspeed reflexes. I don't even know whether it's true or not myself.
Next day.
"Alright, did everyone get one? These plates are called Status Plates. Literally, these plates will show your stats and status. The plate also serves as an identification card. As long as you have this, you cannot get lost, so don't lose it."
It was Meld Loggins who oversaw us during the training.
Statue Plate. As the name suggests, it shows the status and stats of the owner... in a magical way. It's actually terrifying if you overthink about the purpose of a status plate.
But yeah, it seemed to include other functions. Alright, I would research it later. For now...
"There are magic cravings on the plate. I will make a small wound with a needle on your finger, just drip a drop of your blood onto that magic formation. Then the owner of that plate will be registered. If you say "Status Open", the plate will display your stats. Ah, have you never heard of such a thing? I didn't know that. This is a kind of artifact from ancient times. "
Odd to hear but if I asked them, someone would answer - "It's magic, don't you know?"
"Artifact?" (Amanogawa)
"The artifact is a powerful tool that cannot be reproduced with modern means. It is said that they were created when God and his family still roamed this land. The status plate is one of the artifacts he left behind that cannot be reproduced. It is usually called a national treasure rather than an artifact, but it is distributed to the general public. Because it was a very convenient ID card."
God must be crazy.
Nah, Azmuth must be crazy, too. He created a powerful artifact called the "Omnitrix" a century ago to preserve the sentient species of the universe.
Come to think of it, ironically, the Omnitrix can create or destroy a universe. Its massive energy source is also... something else. I also heard that it contains the planets inside the core. Nah, impossible...
But Azmuth is one hell of a crazy guy. I am sure he will put planets inside an encyclopedia for the research purpose of later generations.
The students poked their fingers for their blood and smeared their blood onto the plates to activate the innate magic. The magic formation shined red for an instant. I felt weird drawing blood from my finger onto the plate.
And my stats suddenly appeared making me internally scream out of shock. Damn, don't scare me, I just lost two drops of blood.
Name - Benjamin Kirby Tennyson
Age - 17
Gender - Male
Level - 1
Class - Transmutation Artist (Synergist) || Unknown Disturbance Found || Error
Strength - 10 || Unknown || Error
Vitality - 10 || Unknown || Error
Resistance - 10 || Unknown || Error
Agility -10 || Unknown || Error
Magic -10
Magic Resistance -10 || Unknown || Error
Skills
• Transmutation
• Language Comprehension
• Unknown || Extra Skills || Unable to analyze || Error
Oh, thanks for a lot of errors. Strength 10. That was... er, good enough. In a light novel I'd read, the protagonist would get a shield as a weapon and an attack power of one point.
"Did everyone see? Let me explain. First, let's go over "level". The level will increase if you get an increase in stats. The max level for a human was 100. In other words, the level shows the base and potential that a human can reach. When you reach level 100, then you have achieved the potential of humans. It is very rare for someone to reach that though."
I couldn't help but feel like a video game character. But I'd seen a lot of strange things. This doesn't amaze me, hahaha. Well, I take back, it does surprise me... a bit. A little bit.
High school students... Otherworldly fantasy... Video-game-like setting... I guess these students will be seriously overjoyed to experience this whole thing.
"Your stats can be raised by training, magic, or magical tools. Also, someone with a high magic stat allows other stats to increase faster. Although we don't know the whole detail, it is believed that magical power somehow assists the physical body to improve.
Afterward, look forward to the gear we selected for you. After all, you are the heroes. The national treasury is being used to supply you!"
Uh, what kind of gear did you guys prepare for a synergist class? Wait a minute, can I even be a hero with this skill? But if I think about it more seriously,... a person with transmutation skills can do many things. You can make an artificial arm for yourself, sew black and red-themed suits, build rifles and pistols that use magic power, and more. You can't change your name to Hajime Nagumo, though.
From what Meld said, just because you kill a demon or monster does not guarantee your stats will go up. The stats will improve steadily with practice and experience.
Perhaps... These stats describe our chance of survival in this world.
"So…let's see everyone's stats. For example, the average person has stats of around 10 at level 1. Well, you guys should have several times higher than that. So enviable! Please give reports on what your status plate says. This is so we can develop a training regimen that fits each of you."
0 times higher than average people. Nice. Please don't envy me for the "errors" in my status plate. I tilted my head, looking around, wondering if others had their stats multiple times higher.
Only when the Amanogawa boy stepped forward and declared his stats, I realized I wanted to run away.
Name - Kouki Amanogawa
Age - 17
Gender - Male
Level - 1
Class - Hero
Strength - 100
Vitality - 100
Resistance - 100
Agility - 100
Magic - 100
Magic Resistance - 100
Skills
• Aptitude All Attribute
• Resist All Elements
• Resist Physical
• Complex Magic
• Swordplay
• Herculean Strength
• Quick Movement
• Foresight
• High-speed Magic Recovery
• Sign Perception
• Magic Perception
• Limit Break
• Language Comprehension
Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up. The heck is that!?
The god of this world must hate me... for the love of Alien X...
I better hide my presence in the back of the crowd. I never was a competitive type, but it'd be seriously embarrassing to be average among these kids.
"Sir... can I go to the toilet?"
And so I sneaked out to the restroom and transformed into Alien X.
"Send me back to New York," I asked them.
Bellicus and Serena looked at each other and then turned towards me.
Bellicus scowled at me and Serena wore a warm smile. Although the meaning behind their expressions wasn't anything like what they looked like.
"No," I figured. Of course, they rejected my request.
And so I was stuck in this world.
-(BREAK)-
"Ho, truly a hero. To be at the same stats as me at level 1…I'm a little depressed. Usually, a person only has 2 to 3 skills…unbelievable. Very reliable," Meld commented after hearing Amanogawa's stats.
"Iya~, Ahaha…"
Kouki scratches his head in embarrassment at Meld's praise. Meld's level is 60-something.
His stats average at around 200, and this is considered top-level in the world for a human. However, Amanogawa boy is already at half his stats at only level 1. Even I envied him.
"Show me your status plates..."
I wanna run away... Dad, Mom, I am coming back home...
No, wait, I don't care about other people. I am not special or anything. Why should I care about them...
I mentally slapped myself and waited for my turn as my classmates talked to Meld Loggins.
After hearing their stats, I realized that language comprehension was a common skill. So it's not because of the universal translator that I understand these otherworldly fantasy residents.
Wait, that means - I've only got one skill. AHHHH~ all the more reason to go back home~
No, head up, Tennyson! I am Bad Ben. I don't care about others! Even if I am the worst, I am the worst.
And so my turn came.
Meld raised an eyebrow at my stats and looked away from me. Clearly...
"Ah, this is. If you think about Synergists, it was a crafting class. It's useful if you want to be a blacksmith..."
Yeah, I know your god hates me.
That time I got summoned into another world only to live my life as a blacksmith. This is a nightmare.
"And you got a lot of errors on your plate, too. I honestly don't know what these errors even mean."
No, no, no, several anime/ manga/ novel protagonists start off as average people and at the end of the series, become the most overpowered characters of the series. Haha, how satisfying Optimism is!
Life is nothing like the anime depicts. Damn,... no, don't be pessimistic, Benjamin.
"Hey, gaijin boy, look at your stats. Hahaha!"
"Look! His status plate is full of errors!"
Some boys outright laughed at me.
"1 out of every 10 crafting classes is one. All the countries employ a lot of them."
I honestly didn't know anymore whether Meld was trying to cheer me up.
When my eyes met with Shirasaki and Yaegashi, I found pity in their stares. Man... Yaegashi giggled but she didn't really seem to be making fun of me.
Grr... old Ben would have murdered anyone who laughed at him. But... I'd become different. I couldn't even recognize myself... what had become of me?
"Stop! What are you guys laughing at? Laughing at your fellow classmate is something I will not allow! I will absolutely not allow it!"
Hatayama-sensei was angry at my laughing classmates on behalf of me and expressed her anger as well as she could have with her tiny body.
"Sorry, sensei," I didn't know what I apologized for.
Hatayama-sensei tried to cheer me up, holding my shoulders.
"Tennyson-kun, don't mind it at all. I'm also a non-combat class. Just like my class, my stats are average. You're not alone, Tennyson-kun."
She then handed me her status plate.
Name - Aiko Hatayama
Age - 25
Gender - Female
Level - 1
Class - Farmer
Strength - 5
Vitality - 10
Resistance - 10
Agility - 5
Magic - 100
Magic Resistance - 10
Skills
• Soil Management,
• Soil Restoration,
• Range Cultivation,
• Growth Stimulation,
• Selective Breeding,
• Plant Appraisal,
• Fertilizer Production,
• Mixture Development,
• Auto Harvest,
• Fermentation Operation,
• Range Temperature Adjustment,
• Farm Barrier,
• Abundant Rain,
• Language Comprehension
Uh, sensei, are you sure you want to cheer me up? You don't even have any errors, either.
"Um, what's the matter? Tennyson-kun!" Hatayama sensei asked without knowing what was happening in my mind.
"Not-nothing, sensei. I just want to say... your stats are amazing," I responded to her kindness with an awkward smile.
"Hmm, thanks but are you okay?"
Among all those people, the only person I wanted to repay for the kindness was Aiko Hatayama-sensei.
I was certain I didn't want to worry her.
"I am perfectly fine with these stats. In fact ~ I am pretty athletic."
I whispered to her, half-lying. As I looked away from Hatayama-sensei, my eyes accidentally met with Shirasaki again.
Hmm, the days are gonna be long from now on. Nah, the nights will be longer.
-(TRANSITION)-
When I reopen my eyes, my body feels stiff. Like I have been unconscious for some time in a confined space. I don't even know how many floors I skipped while falling. Even if I look up, I can't recognize anything.
The next thing I know is... I am screwed.
I am in some kind of dungeon and sunlight is nowhere to see. I am completely isolated from the outside of the labyrinth. But the cave path isn't so dark, because of the glowing green crystals embedded in the walls and stone ceilings.
Crap… it hurts. I slowly get up from the floor uncomfortably and examine my surroundings.
Halfway down the cliff, I see an opening in the wall from which water is flooding out, like a waterfall.
"Alright, Omnitrix, give me something that can get me out of here," I mutter, holding up my left wrist to my torso.
As I touch the faceplate, a circular hologram that houses the symbols of the aliens appears above it. The symbols are just the heads of the aliens. I continue to touch the faceplate and the hologram begins to spin, changing the highlighted alien form.
But wait… should I get out of here?
Should I return to them?
I look around and analyze my surroundings again.
Should I just stay in this dungeon and explore it for some time?
As someone with trust issues, I have serious doubts about my comrades.
The back pain has decreased due to the cell repair function of the Omnitrix.
What if… someone blasted me with a magic ray?
Suddenly, my thoughts are interrupted by the heavy footsteps that make the floor tremble.
A quake… no, wait, it's footsteps. My instincts are telling me that something dangerous is approaching.
I tilt my head… and see a dark figure towering over me.
"Holy Sh–"
I roll forward and dodge the stomp of the monster before even recognizing what I am facing.
As soon as I recover, I press the faceplate of the Omnitrix, hoping it will give something I need right now.
"Huh, what is that?" I look down at my body and see an extra set of arms. "Oh, come on, Spidermonkey?"
I leap into the air, dodging the swipe of the hand of the monster, and shoot webbing at whatever creature in the dark.
Let me introduce the stunt master spidermonkey!
Spidermonkey is a small monkey-like alien with four arms, two legs, three fingers on each hand, three toes on each foot, blue fur over a dark blue center, and a tail with two stripes near the tip.
Spidermonkey has two pairs of green eyes and wears the Omnitrix symbol on his chest.
"Whoa, ho, it feels better," I say excitedly as I jump onto the back of the monster, and start punching with my small pairs of fists.
The monster I am facing is a wolf-like monster with two tails. His body is white, furry and his hide is tough. But not so strong.
The monster struggles in vain to escape the sticky binds. Too bad, spidermonkey's webbing is as strong as steel.
But… I will need a form with higher attack power if I want to slay him. My fists aren't strong enough to even deal good damage. And my sword isn't together with me.
I jump and backflip mid-air before landing on the stone floor.
"Whatever," I mutter, tapping the Omnitrix symbol on my torso to transform into another alien.
"FOUR ARMS!"
As the name suggests, Four Arms also has four arms. Compared to spidermonkey, his arms are multiple times more muscular and seriously strong. The extra set of arms gives me the advantage to bind strong or faster enemies.
"Time to finish this!"
Four Arms is a humanoid alien that is approximately twelve feet tall, has well-developed muscles, two pairs of four-fingered arms, and red skin. A black stripe goes from his chin to his lower lip, and he has four eyes: the main pair and a smaller pair below them, while he lacks ears or nose are found on his head. He has whisker-like spikes on each forearm.
"Grr!" he lets out a couple of mutated growls.
Thunderclap!
He suddenly tears the webbing apart and recovers his balance. Then he charges towards me with an unexpected speed.
"That's what I said," I mumble, preparing my hands to clap together.
The monster growls as he jumps onto me, but is suddenly pushed away by the powerful shockwave caused by the clap of my four palms.
"Aw, man… this is gory."
The monster that collided with the wall is now dead, leaving bloodstains on the wall.
"Grrr…"
I hear more growls and notice a bunch of wolf monsters surrounding me.
"Oh… gonna love this," I smirk wryly, clenching and unclenching my fists.
As the monsters jump at me simultaneously, I drop a powerful punch onto the ground triggering a small quake that sends all the wolves flying.
Numbers are nothing before me.
"Grr…" a wolf jumps at me again with his jaws readied to bite me.
But yeah… I extend my arm to catch his snout mid-air readily. When other wolves charge towards me at the same time, I strike each of them with the wolf weapon in my hand.
"Ha… you guys don't just give up, huh. But I like this."
This time, it's me who charges towards each of the wolves and lets them taste the finishing blow.
I haven't transformed into Four Arms in a while but… I am still strong!
But… yeah, I figure that the battle hasn't finished yet.
I sense the several pairs of red eyes glaring at me in the shadow.
"I'm loving this… place. Uh, what is it called? Oh, it's the Great Orcus Labyrinth."
I let out a battle cry as I charge into the dark and beat the crap out of anything that are in my range.
"Huh? Rabbits? Aw, man."
Well, these will be for dinner. I wonder whether these will give me some drop materials.
I walk out of the dark back to the graveyard of the wolf monsters, carrying the dead mutated rabbits on my shoulders.
Let me kindly alert you, monsters.
The glorious Bad Ben is here.
End of Chapter (1).
Bad Ben's suicidal thoughts and his twisted logic are all fictional. Let's say, someone who hated everything might not have a good philosophy, though Ben Prime himself never was a good thinker. So his twisted logic is included to entertain the readers, don't think much of it.
Writing from a first-person perspective has become my style. The process of making this story involved more monologues. Uh, a reminder that his backstory in this fiction isn't canon. Just something I came up with. So good luck with guessing the story.
The reason why Bad Ben was chosen for the story is that Ben Prime and most of Ben's versions rarely kill a sentient being. Yeah, I can kill off the characters… when it's Bad Ben.
Due to Bad Ben's personality, harem is something even I can't say for sure. But girls will admire him for his absurd superpowers.
If you don't know about Alien X's abilities, it's perfectly okay. I am planning to make him more of a mysterious transformation anyway.
Thanks for reading. Please consider writing reviews on the chapter so that the story can be improved further.
If you've got questions, feel free to ask without hesitation. Thank you.
Christopher Paradox Chronos.