Her first memory was not of a rural village like this.
Claire’s hometown was the city of Baderon.
A famous city in the southern part of the Empire.
Though her family had not been wealthy, she had wanted for nothing, and her earliest childhood memories were wonderfully idyllic.
“Claire. Come over here.”
A blurry face she could no longer remember clearly.
A kind voice that only faintly came to mind.
Whenever she ran toward that voice, she would find her father smiling warmly, an object held in his hand.
“Ta-da! Amazing, isn’t it?”
“Wooooow!”
Claire’s father was a skill user who had awakened his own ability.
Well, it was hardly an impressive skill.
It merely made objects held in his hands invisible—a power capable of entertaining the eyes of a five-year-old girl, at best.
“It’s a secret from everyone else, all right?”
But even such a pitiful ability seemed more amazing than anything else in the eyes of young Claire.
So she must have gone around bragging to all the neighborhood children.
“My dad is a skill user!”
Why had she done that?
“He can make things disappear and then make them appear again!”
The words she had spoken herself would likely weigh on her heart for the rest of her life, never disappearing.
As she basked in the neighborhood children’s awe and envy, her pride in her father grew, and the rumor spread just as quickly.
All the way to the dark back alleys of Baderon.
An insignificant ability that merely made objects invisible.
But in the back alleys, where all sorts of illegal deeds were carried out, it was a remarkably useful power. It was only natural that those ominous hands reached out toward Claire’s father.
Her father began coming home later and later.
There were even days when he did not come home at all.
She did not know what was happening, but even young Claire could tell that it could never be anything good.
After all, his body bore bruises and wounds so severe they could not be hidden.
Even so, she could not discover the exact reason.
Her father would merely smile weakly and stroke her head.
That was why, when she went outside near their home as usual one day—
“My goodness, how horrible.”
“What on earth happened…?”
“It’s obvious. Those gangsters from the back alleys again…”
She found a brutally mangled corpse.
“Claire? Oh my, it’s Claire.”
“What are we going to do…”
When she realized that the corpse was none other than her own father’s.
When she saw his final expression, twisted with pain and agony rather than the weak smile he had always worn.
Claire finally understood.
The terrible result brought about by her own petty desire to show off.
That happiness for the powerless was nothing more than a sandcastle destined to collapse someday.
She became even more certain of this when she saw the back-alley thugs hanging from the high city gates, all of them captured at a single word from the city’s master, the lord.
To ordinary citizens like Claire, they had been objects of terror—the very embodiment of calamity, whom no one dared dream of taking revenge against, forcing them to swallow their grieving cries.
Yet those men, too, had died helplessly at a single word from the lord.
That was why Claire made a vow, again and again.
‘I’m going to rise to that high place.’
So that no one could ever look down on her.
She would not be someone who suffered helplessly. She would become someone who could freely manipulate evildoers from high above in the heavens.
That was Claire’s goal and the driving force of her life.
It was the goal she had yearned for without pause ever since the day she saw the criminals’ faces, drained of blood as they hung from the city gates.
Along the path so distant she could not even begin to imagine how to walk it, she saw light for the first time.
A dazzling light like a bolt of lightning.
That light appeared before Claire’s eyes in precisely the form of the ideal she had been striving toward.
An incarnation who punished evildoers and became the object of their fear.
Like a god of thunder descending from the heavens.
“…Just who are you?”
There were countless things she wanted to ask.
Who he really was.
Why he had hidden his strength and concealed himself in a rural village like this.
What relationship he had with the Black Fang, the legendary organization that appeared only in fairy tales.
And… how one could possibly become that strong.
But she could not ask.
She did not think she would receive an answer. And even if she did, she had a premonition that the moment she heard it, she would be dragged into events of unimaginable magnitude.
“I’ll… move forward, too.”
Even so, Claire did not give up.
No—instead, after seeing her goal alive and breathing right before her eyes, her resolve burned even more fiercely.
It was as if someone had poured a great deal of oil onto the dry, flickering flames.
“…Let’s go.”
Claire stuffed her belongings into a backpack until it was full, quietly opened the front door, and left the house.
It was a rather chilly hour just before dawn, before the sky had begun to brighten.
* * *
“…I should go.”
Hio muttered with a bitter smile.
“I didn’t think I’d be leaving like this.”
He had thought he would leave the village amid a warm farewell, even if it did not involve tearful goodbyes.
After all, he had grown quite attached to the villagers.
But now that every villager had witnessed the power of the ‘Thunder Emperor’—
Hio had become an existence outside their common sense.
A calamity capable of killing them all with a single twitch of his finger.
A symbol of terror that had saved the village. A frightening hero.
After reading the fear in their eyes beneath the pounding rain, Hio had immediately resolved to leave.
“Well, it’s not like I was planning to leave after filling up my Patience anyway, right?”
After comforting himself that way, he opened the skill window.
「Thunder Emperor (雷帝)」
A skill window emptied of everything else.
With the exception of the evolved ‘Thunder Emperor,’ every skill had been deleted as a penalty for violence.
‘…Though it is a skill worth that much.’
It was, after all, a top-tier skill.
There was no telling how many years it might take to evolve even a single skill to the highest tier.
No, it might not evolve even after several years had passed.
Even back when this had been a game, there had been very few highest-tier skills. Here, he could continue producing such skills as long as he accumulated Patience.
It was a benefit great enough to make the two vanished skills seem unimportant.
With a satisfied smile, he opened the Point Shop this time.
「Point Shop」
「Vitality +1: 10 pt」
「Strength +1: 10 pt」
「Agility +1: 10 pt」
「Mana +1: 10 pt」
…
「Remaining Points: 16 pt」
In Bentaire, where no such thing as levels existed, the Point Shop was the key.
From stats to skills, skill enhancements, and every kind of item imaginable, there was almost nothing the Point Shop did not offer.
However, since points could only be earned by accumulating achievements and renown, the items one could ultimately purchase were limited.
Stats or skills.
‘Let’s see the skills…’
「Point Shop」
「Skill — Physical Acceleration (Lowest Tier): 1,200 pt」
「Skill — Strength Enhancement (Lowest Tier): 1,200 pt」
「Skill — Friction Enhancement (Lowest Tier): 1,000 pt」
…
「Remaining Points: 16 pt」
As expected, the prices were insane.
They were absurdly expensive compared to the ways of earning points.
The prices were only in the thousands because these were the lowest-tier skills. For higher tiers, they rose exponentially.
That was why quite a few rankers had chosen to purchase stats and improve their innate strength rather than buy higher-tier skills.
‘But that has its limits.’
There was a limit to how far one could raise stats through the Point Shop, and eventually everyone would end up with the same stats.
That was why, in the end, one had to acquire higher-tier skills.
No matter how much one enhanced their stats, they would never be able to contend with the monsters of the later stages.
What he needed were achievements and renown.
Of the five Black Fang members he had captured this time, one of them had seemed to be an executive-level member.
If so, he was quite a big shot.
Had Hio caught him in a populous city rather than here, he might have earned hundreds of points.
But this was a small rural village with few inhabitants, so he had received only 16 points.
‘Still, it’s better than nothing.’
「Purchasing the ‘Mana’ stat for 10 pt.」
「The ‘Mana’ stat has increased by +1.」
「Remaining Points: 6 pt」
He had obtained the maximum amount possible from such a tiny village.
Besides, there was a place nearby that Hio had been keeping his eye on for quite some time.
‘The Tomb of the Last Wizard.’
“Will it still be there?”
One of the reasons he absolutely had to visit the wizard’s tomb was the skill book.
Of course, it was a lower-tier skill book, but even that was treated as a sacred relic in this world.
No, skill books themselves were called divine tomes and were worth whatever price one named. He absolutely had to stop by and acquire them.
“There are even two of them.”
There had been two skill books when he found them back when he had enjoyed this as a game.
He could sell one and keep the other as an emergency reserve.
“…Let’s go.”
Hio gathered his few, simple belongings and left the house.
It was a pleasant morning just before dawn.
* * *
The two of them met at the village exit, not far from their homes.
Hio carried a simple load, while Claire wore a backpack as large as her torso.
Hio wore an incredulous expression, while Claire carried a fierce determination in her heart.
Hio was the first to speak.
“What are you doing?”
How had she known he would be leaving today, at this hour of the morning no less, and waited here for him?
Thinking that the girl had remarkable instincts, Hio looked at Claire.
“…Take me with you.”
Claire seemed to have steeled herself before coming out, but Hio was firm.
“No.”
He was already struggling to take care of himself. How could he possibly drag Claire along as well?
Of course, he acknowledged Claire’s incredible talent. But since she was already two years behind, Hio had to move quickly, and Claire would only be a burden.
Perhaps she had not expected him to refuse so outright, because Claire was briefly flustered before managing to speak.
“I won’t ask anything… I’ll do whatever you tell me and stay out of your way. So… can’t you take me with you?”
“If I take you with me like this, what do you think Aunt Selli will think of me?”
To Selli, Claire was everything.
Hio did not know the details, but after losing her husband, she had treasured Claire more dearly than her own life.
“I left a letter. Mom will definitely understand me.”
“Don’t be stubborn. If I say no, then no—”
Hio shook his head, but then his expression suddenly stiffened.
“Phew… Just follow me for now.”
With a small sigh, he led Claire outside the village.
Dawn would break soon, and the villagers would begin coming out one by one, so he intended to talk somewhere out of sight for the time being.
And then—
“I know you’re there, so come out too.”
The ‘Genius of Mana Sensitivity’ trait had detected the faintest traces of mana being used.
That was why Jason suddenly appeared right beside Claire after they had left the village.
“What…!”
Claire took a startled step backward when Jason appeared as though he had sprung from thin air, but Jason merely winked once before turning his gaze toward Hio.
“Something must’ve happened in the village over the last few days, huh? There are burn marks everywhere, and the place is a complete mess.”
“The Black Fang bastards came.”
“Huh? Those crazy ghosts?”
As he spoke, Jason looked back and forth between Hio’s attire and Claire’s backpack before nodding.
“So you’re planning to leave? It’s surprising that you’re taking this young lady with you.”
“I’m not taking her. I said I’m not.”
Claire, who had been staring back and forth between the two men with a confused look, suddenly came to her senses and spoke up.
“Take me with you too!”
“…You go back, unpack your things, and get your aunt’s permission first.”
“No! I… I’m going to become strong! Just like you, Hio!”
“Haa…”
Jason had been watching the scene with interest, and now he laughed as if he found it amusing.
“Ahahaha! It looks like the young lady saw a side of you even I didn’t know existed… Why don’t you just take her along?”
“Be quiet. Phew… Claire.”
Hio scratched his head roughly and looked at Claire.
Her eyes were moist, as though she were terribly sad.
She felt that if she let Hio slip away, her lifelong goal might never be fulfilled.
She had come out with a determination worthy of such a tremendous decision, yet Hio treated her no differently from a child.
She found that unbearably unfair.
He was telling her to go get her mother’s permission first.
He felt wronged and wanted to protest, but no words came to mind.
And for good reason. From Hio’s perspective, he must have looked like nothing more than a child throwing a tantrum.
That was probably why his eyes were filling with tears.
“I······ I’m not a child···. I’ll become as strong as you someday······.”
That was probably why it hurt so much.
The tears that had barely been clinging to the rims of his eyes finally fell, one after another.
Once they began to flow, they came surging out uncontrollably.
“······When I said I’d protect you······ it must have seemed so ridiculous······ I—I really did try, though······!”
Claire spat out disjointed words and emotions until, in the end, he began to cry like a real child.
Seeing himself like that was so miserable that his sorrow only grew more intense.
“H-Hey, hey··· Why, why are you crying?”
“Waaah! I don’t know, you big meanie!”
Flustered, Hio went over to the sobbing Claire and patted him on the back.
“No, you have to listen until someone’s finished speaking. Just go home first and get your aunt’s permission······ I’ll send you to the academy.”
“Sniff······ Huh?”
Claire abruptly stopped crying and looked up at Hio, sniffling.
At the sight, Hio let out a faint, incredulous laugh.
Taking him along was obviously impossible, but sending him to the academy was something he could manage.
Now that he had recognized Claire’s dazzling talent, wouldn’t it be a terrible waste to let it rot away in some rural village?
Well, he had actually intended to investigate things slowly over time, and not immediately······ but after seeing how desperate Claire was, there was no reason he couldn’t push things a little.
“T-The academy···?”
“Yeah. You said you absolutely wanted to go.”
“R-Really?”
“I’m telling you, it’s true.”
“B-But the tuition is incredibly expensive, and it’s a place even renowned nobles can’t enter casually······.”
Even amid his joy, Claire’s words were strikingly realistic. Hio turned his head and looked at Jason.
Jason merely shrugged.
“Even I can’t manage the academy. Pulling strings or securing a recommendation would be difficult, and even if it worked, who knows how much money it would cost···.”
“No, let’s ask for one other favor instead.”
“Another favor?”
Hio nodded and closed his eyes for a moment.
Perhaps it was a little too soon to use this.
But if he continued playing it safe forever, there was no way he could ever catch up to those rankers in the top five.
“You know that guy. The professor I was certain was among the very best.”
Among the rankers in the top five, that was the one with abnormally strong empathy.
That was why he had cherished those beings who, at the time, were nothing more than NPCs.
At this point in time, he was the only one who would deliberately join the academy as a professor and build up connections.
Ranked fifth.
Ggot-Hyu Is Going.
“All you have to do is have your subordinates deliver a single message to him.”
That one sentence would send a shiver through him.
Two years was long enough to have waited.
The unshakable number one whom no one had ever dared to challenge.
“Tell him that zl존☆Heavenly Demon★ is looking for him.”
That name once again revealed itself to the world.