[24] : New Skill, Dangerous New World, Hunter x Hunter
[#]: Enjoy!!
"Death Battle"
- Combat abilities are unaffected by negative statuses.
- Combat abilities increase significantly with the severity of injuries.
——————
"Where did this come from? It's like having Battle Continuation and Berserk!"
Looking at the new skill in front of him, Mika couldn't help but complain, though he was very satisfied with it. It suited his style perfectly.
However, Airmid was clearly displeased.
"After all, this ability doesn't really complement my magic!"
"It seems this new skill won't have many opportunities for use!"
Mika said with a playful smile as he looked at Airmid, "After all, with you around, my injuries won't last, will they?"
"Exactly!"
Airmid replied loudly.
"If Mika hadn't insisted on going alone this time, he wouldn't have gotten so seriously injured. I won't let this happen again."
Airmid declared firmly.
Seeing this, Mika, Yahweh, and Mellie exchanged glances and silently agreed not to bring up the new skill "Death Battle" again.
Mellie, her eyes gleaming, quickly came up with a topic to shift the conversation.
"Clap!"
The sound of Mellie's clapping drew everyone's attention.
"If I remember correctly, Mika completed his level-up in just eleven months, didn't he? That breaks Loki Familia's Ais's record, making him the new record holder."
Hearing Mika's achievement mentioned, Airmid's focus immediately shifted.
"If we only count the registration time, it would be just four months, wouldn't it?"
Airmid's eyes lit up.
"Well, it probably wouldn't only count registration time."
Mellie said quietly.
"Alright, but even if it's eleven months, that's still a new record! We should inform the Guild right now!"
"Wait!"
Mika immediately interrupted Airmid and Mellie's conversation.
"As for informing the Guild about my level-up, that's off the table. I have a new order to announce: from today, our Familia will hide our true levels until it's safe."
"What? Why?"
Airmid and Mellie looked at Mika in shock.
Their shock stemmed not only from the unexpected order but also from the fact that Mika announced it without discussing it with their goddess, Yahweh, beforehand.
Though Yahweh quickly regained her composure, she had been clearly surprised by Mika's command.
Mika knew he needed to explain to Airmid and Mellie, but he first turned to Yahweh.
"About this order, I've been thinking about it for a while but haven't had the chance to discuss it with you, Goddess Yahweh. However, I believe you might have had similar thoughts."
Yahweh nodded in acknowledgment.
Seeing this, Mika turned to Airmid and Mellie to explain, "The reason is simple—it's too conspicuous."
"Let's set aside my eleven-month record for now. Both of you are also close to reaching your limits, right? Once this information is revealed, it will undoubtedly shock all of Orario."
"If this were during the time of the Zeus Familia and Hera Familia, we wouldn't have to worry. But now, Orario is at its most dangerous."
"You mean the Evilus!"
Mellie quickly understood Mika's reasoning.
"Exactly. During a gathering with some old friends from the heavens, I learned about the current situation. Orario is undergoing a battle between good and evil."
"Familias wanting to destroy Orario are clashing in the shadows with those wanting to protect it. According to estimates, this conflict will culminate in a decisive battle in a year or two."
Yahweh added, shaking her head.
"This is happening? We didn't know anything about it."
Airmid and Mellie found it hard to accept.
"Since it's still in the infiltration stage, only members of the major Familias are aware. As time goes on, the situation will escalate, becoming known to all of Orario, leading to a final showdown."
"And in such a time, if those people learn about a Familia full of rising stars, what do you think they will do?"
"Mika, you mean they will try to wipe us out completely?"
Airmid exclaimed.
Mellie, having understood the situation earlier, fell into deep thought.
"Exactly. Until this war is over, we need to hide our true levels, gradually revealing some of our strength over time to make others believe we're ordinary."
"Only then can we grow safely."
"I see."
Understanding the situation, Airmid and Mellie grasped the seriousness of the matter.
"It's sad to think that Mika's genius reputation will remain unknown. Even if the Evilus is defeated later, people won't recognize our achievements."
"To be a genius and not enjoy the recognition... it's really unfortunate."
"I'm no genius!"
Mika shook his head. "You know better than anyone that with the time spent in the other world, it took me two and a half years in total. That's not genius!"
"But!"
Airmid tried to argue but was cut off by Mika covering her mouth.
"But you two are true geniuses!"
According to Mika's calculations, in another month and a half, Airmid and Mellie would reach their limits.
Adding this time, Airmid would have taken a year and a half, while Mellie would have taken just eleven and a half months!
They were the true top-tier geniuses.
Yet, to avoid assassination by the Evilus, they had to hide their talents.
As Airmid said, it was truly unfortunate.
"Therefore, we must work hard and participate in the final battle against the Evilus, to exact our revenge."
"But in just one or two years, how much can we grow? What if we're still only Level 2 adventurers, unable to do anything but watch?"
Mellie said sadly.
"Time? Hey, have you forgotten that time is something we have plenty of?"
Mika reminded them with a smile.
"Wait, Mika, have you discovered a new world again?"
Airmid, Mellie, and Yahweh exclaimed in unison.
After fighting together for so long, Airmid and the others were well aware of Mika's special ability.
So, when Mika mentioned it, they immediately understood his meaning.
"Yes, while upgrading my status, my consciousness once again reached that starry sky."
"The starry sky that dimmed after confirming one other world has brightened again."
"So, I can choose a new world."
"That's fantastic!"
Hearing Mika's confirmation, Airmid, Mellie, and Yahweh were overjoyed.
Their curiosity about other worlds was immense.
Since the cooldown period for the Devil Slayer world was a year and a half, they couldn't visit it. Naturally, they were excited about the new world.
Seeing their excitement, Mika couldn't help but shake his head.
"They're not the only ones curious—so am I!"
"What will the new world be like?"
------------
Once the decision to travel to another world was made, the four members of the Yahweh Familia became quite busy.
First, Mika needed to replenish his equipment. His greatsword had completely shattered in the battle with the young dragon, with no possibility of repair. Thus, Mika had to buy a new greatsword. Additionally, his armor needed replacement. During the previous monster feast, Mika had to withstand the attacks of demi-humans by taking on the blows from the imps, which left his armor in tatters. Although it could be repaired, the cost would be nearly the same as buying a new set. Considering Mika had leveled up and would face stronger monsters in the future, new equipment was necessary.
Beyond the equipment and some potion supplies, the most essential items to prepare were gold and clothing. Since no one knew what kind of world Mika would travel to next, gold was universally valuable in most worlds. As for clothing, they needed various outfits to blend into different societies, which was a must for any seasoned traveler.
"Is everything ready?"
"Ready!"
In response to Yahweh's inquiry, Mika, Airmid, and Mellie answered seriously.
In Orario, there was a wide variety of clothing available, including modern-style attire. Thus, Mika and the others were dressed in modern-style clothes underneath their adventuring cloaks, with fully packed backpacks. This way, they could quickly adapt to any environment they found themselves in.
"If everything's ready, let's begin!"
Despite the smile on her face, Mika could see a hint of disappointment in Yahweh's eyes. He knew she wished to join them on their otherworldly journey. However, Mika couldn't bring anyone stronger than himself through the portal.
"I really wish I could bring Yahweh-sama along too!"
With this thought, Mika activated his ability. Darkness enveloped him, and the three found themselves in that starry sky once more.
Looking at the brilliant stars, Mika reached out and touched the closest one. As his hand made contact, bright starlight engulfed them, and they vanished from the starry sky.
...
In a dense forest, a male and two female adventurers suddenly appeared.
"A forest? No, it should be an island!"
Mika said uncertainly after sniffing the air.
Unlike Mika, who immediately began assessing their surroundings, Airmid and Mellie, experiencing their first otherworld journey, were excitedly taking in everything around them.
"So this is another world? It doesn't seem that different from ours," Mellie remarked, a bit disappointed, as she looked around the dense forest.
Airmid also turned to Mika, seeking his perspective.
"Don't worry. Whether it's similar to our world or not, we'll know once we find this world's human settlements."
After reassuring them, Mika looked up at the sky.
"In this kind of situation, it's best to climb a tree and get a better view of the surroundings."
With that, Mika leaped onto a branch and started climbing. Airmid and Mellie followed his example. Given their physical prowess, climbing a tree was easy. Soon, they reached the top.
"That's... the sea!"
Having never seen the sea before, Airmid and Mellie couldn't help but exclaim in awe. Mika, having seen the sea in his past life through the internet, didn't focus on it for long. Instead, he quickly found what he was looking for.
"I see a city and a port. There are steel cargo ships docked there, so it seems the technology here is quite advanced."
After some thought, Mika led his two sea-struck companions towards the city.
...
"Do you remember what I said before we came?"
"Yes, even if we're curious about new things, we must pretend to know everything in the presence of others," Airmid quickly responded.
Mellie also nodded to show she hadn't forgotten.
"Good. Follow my lead from now on, understood?"
"Understood!"
Seeing their determined expressions, Mika stopped giving further instructions. He knew both Airmid and Mellie were not the reckless type. Their earlier lapse was just due to the initial excitement of the journey. Now, they were both ready.
"Let's begin the exploration of the new world!"
...
Emerging from the dense forest, Mika, Airmid, and Mellie entered the town on the island. They had shed their adventuring cloaks and now wore modern-style clothes, blending in as they walked through the streets.
"From my previous experience, I'm likely to appear near the protagonist, and the timing of the travel is usually when the plot begins. But since I've only traveled once, these points are just references."
"Given that this is a modern society, there will definitely be a network, so we need phones, SIM cards, and most importantly, identity information."
With this plan in mind, Mika's eyes sparkled. He had considered the steps to take if he arrived in a modern world. Confirming that their language was the same, he led Airmid and Mellie through the backstreets, obtaining a small amount of money and three identity documents using Mellie's magic.
After some inquiries, they went to the island's registry office and used Mellie's magic again to alter the identity records. Once the documents were believable, they left the registry office. They then registered for SIM cards, bought phones, and connected to the network.
"You say these phones are very useful, but how do we operate them if we can't read the text?"
Mellie asked Mika with a hint of frustration.
They discovered at the registry office that, while their ability allowed them to understand the local language, they couldn't read it.
"Then learn it! If we could quickly learn the Sacred language, this common language should be easy."
Mika argued back. Mellie and Airmid rolled their eyes at him.
As Mika was about to further explain his reasoning, the three were drawn to the conversations at the nearby port.
"They really caught a giant fish!"
"Last time was twenty years ago by Jin, right? His son is amazing too."
"With this, Mito can't refuse Gon becoming a Hunter anymore."
Standing among the crowd, looking at the massive fish and the young boy being praised, Mika felt both excited and worried. He realized where they were: the world of the classic anime "Hunter x Hunter." His worry stemmed from the fact that this world had quite a dangerous level of power!