An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

"Yue, are you okay?"

"Hmm... the top level... tired."

"Haha, you did a great job. You've been a great help. Leave the rest to me. You can just take a rest."

“Yeah, come on…”

Hajime waved his hand, using "Shrink the Earth" to close the distance in one go. The scorpionoid was still alive, its shell melting away. Undaunted by its fury, it roared, preparing to fire shotgun needles at the approaching Hajime.

Hajime quickly pulled out a flash grenade from his waist pack and threw it high above his head. He then pulled out his Donner and shot through the incoming shotgun before it could split. He then used a bullet without electromagnetic acceleration to shoot through the falling flash grenade.

The scorpionoid must have gotten used to it; even though it looked disgusted, it didn't panic. It seemed to be searching for Hajime's presence in the brightly lit space.

However, no matter how hard he looked, he could not find Shi's scent. Just when the scorpion-like creature lost control of Shi's scent and was confused, Shi landed on its back.

“Jiha!?”

The scorpionoid let out a startled cry. It couldn't help it, because the very presence it was searching for had slipped through its sensory net and suddenly appeared behind it.

Hajime used 『Breath Concealment』, combined with flashes of light to eliminate his breath, and then landed on the scorpion-like creature's back.

The scorpionoid's fiery red shell burned Hajime's skin, but he paid no heed. He pressed the muzzle of his gun against the melting, thinning shell and repeatedly pulled the trigger. The scorpionoid's shell lost its original protective power, and the electromagnetic cannon's continuous, point-blank fire finally broke through its absolute shield.

Ignoring the possibility of getting hurt itself, the scorpionoid tried to knock Shi down with its two tails, but Shi was faster.

"This is a reward for you."

Hajime pulled out a "grenade" from his waist bag and thrust his entire arm deep into Donard's open wound, burying the "grenade" deep into its body as if to give it a parting gift. He didn't care even if his arm got burned.

Then, before being attacked by the scorpion-like creature, Hajime used the technique of "Shrinking the Earth" to retreat. The scorpion-like creature turned around and tried to attack Hajime again while he was leaving.

But, so far—

Boom! !

As the dull sound of explosion echoed all around, the scorpion-like creature's body shook. Shi turned around to face the scorpion-like creature that had stopped moving, and the surroundings were suddenly shrouded in silence.

Soon, the scorpion-like body slowly tilted, and with a loud bang, it fell to the ground.

Hajime reloaded his gun as he approached the motionless scorpionoid, placed the Donald in its mouth, and fired two or three more times just to be safe. Finally, he nodded with satisfaction and said, "All right." "Definitely kill the enemy!" This was Hajime's motto lately.

Looking back, Yue, whose expression was expressionless but eyes revealed joy, was sitting on the ground, watching Hajime. He didn't know when the maze clearing would be finished, but it seemed he had found a reliable partner.

It's said that Pandora's box contains disaster and a small ray of hope. The metaphor he used before entering this room seems to be spot on. Hajime thought so as he slowly walked towards her.

Volume 1, Chapter 4: The Deepest Guardian

After defeating the scorpionoids, Hajime and his companions carried the scorpionoids and Cyclos' materials and meat back to Hajime's base. Their enormous size made it difficult for Hajime and Yue. However, Yue, exhausted from using the highest-level magic, revived in the blink of an eye after drinking their blood. Using her exceptional physical enhancements, she unleashed a formidable strength, and together, the two of them successfully transported the goods back to their base.

By the way, although it was possible to use the sealed room directly, Yue strongly opposed it, so that proposal was not adopted.

It's no wonder she didn't want to see the place where she'd been imprisoned for countless years. Even considering she'd be temporarily unable to move while restocking her supplies, it was best to leave the sealed room as soon as possible for the sake of her mental health.

In this way, Hajime and the others replenished their supplies while chatting with each other.

"So Yue is at least three hundred years old, right?"

"...It's a violation of etiquette."

Yue looked at Shi with an accusing look. No matter which world it was, the topic of age seemed to be a taboo for women.

According to Hajime's memories, vampires were believed to have perished in a massive war three hundred years ago. In reality, Yue had spent so much time trapped in the silent darkness that she could barely sense the passage of time. However, she must have been sealed for quite a while, so even that much time wouldn't be surprising. She said she was sealed around the age of twenty, so her age must be a little over three hundred.

"Do all vampires live that long?"

"...I'm special. Because of 'regeneration', I never age..."

Upon inquiry, I learned that when she was twelve, she awakened the unique magic of direct manipulation of magic power and "auto-regeneration," and she has not aged since then. Ordinary vampires can live longer than other races by drinking blood, but that's only around two hundred years at most.

Incidentally, the average lifespan of humans is seventy years, that of demons is one hundred and twenty years, that of demi-humans depends on their race, and some fairies can live for hundreds of years.

It is said that Yue's power was awakened due to atavism. After just a few years, she became one of the strongest people at that time and succeeded to the throne of the vampire clan at the age of seventeen.

So that's why she was able to cast magic capable of dissolving that scorpion-like shell in a fraction of a second, and yet possess a body that's practically immortal. Ultimately, she'll either be considered a 'god' or a 'monster,' and Yue falls into the latter category.

It's said that her uncle, driven by greed, spread the lie that Yue was a monster, intending to kill her under the pretext of justice. However, Yue's "auto-regeneration" was unable to completely kill her, so he had no choice but to seal her underground. Yue, devastated by the sudden betrayal, was so confused that she couldn't fight back and was sealed away by some kind of magic. When she regained consciousness, she was already in the sealed room.

Therefore, whether it was the scorpion-like creature, the method of sealing, or how she was brought to this abyss, she knew nothing about it. Hajime, who had originally hoped that she would know the way back, hung his head in disappointment.

Hajime also asked about Yue's powers, and according to her answer, she had aptitude for all attributes. "What's going on? Such a ridiculous cheat..." Hajime was dumbfounded. However, according to Yue, she wasn't good at close combat. If she were alone, the best she could do was rely on her enhanced body to escape, or rely on her 'auto-regeneration' ability to ignore damage and continuously fire spells. However, since her magic was incredibly powerful, that wasn't a huge disadvantage.

By the way, although Yue said that he could cast magic without chanting, he still habitually read out the name of the magic. In order to make the imagination of the enhanced magic clearer, many people would add certain words and actions, and Yue was no exception in this regard.

"Auto-regeneration" seemed to be a unique type of magic. As long as she had some remaining mana, she wouldn't die unless she was instantly annihilated. Conversely, if her mana was depleted, any wounds she sustained would not heal. In other words, Yue, whose mana had been drained by years of sealing, would have easily perished if attacked by the scorpion-like creature.

"So... the important thing now is, does Yue know where in the maze we are? Is there another way to get to the surface?"

“…I don’t know, but…”

Yue didn't know where in the maze this place was. She looked apologetic, but she also seemed to know something as she continued:

"...This labyrinth is said to have been built by one of the rebels."

"Rebel?"

Hearing this unfamiliar and dangerous word, Hajime couldn't help but interrupt his training and turn his gaze towards Yue. Yue, who had been watching Hajime's work, met his gaze, nodded, and continued:

"Rebels...are the followers of God who challenged Him during the Age of Gods...and legend has it that they intended to destroy the world."

Since Yue was a quiet, expressionless girl, the explanation took a long time. As for Hajime, restocking consumables would take a long time, and after the battle with the scorpionoid, he felt his own offensive power was insufficient, so he devoted himself to developing new weapons. He listened attentively to her explanation while working on his homework.

According to Yue, during the Age of Gods, seven followers plotted to rebel against the gods and destroy the world. However, their plans were thwarted, and they fled to the ends of the world. That end appears to be one of the seven great labyrinths of the present day, the Great Labyrinth of Orcus being one of them. It is said that at the deepest point of the abyss lies the place where the rebels reside.

"...Maybe there's a path leading to the surface from there..."

"I see. It's unlikely that the rebels would bother climbing up from the bottom of the abyss. Since they're magicians from the Age of Gods, it wouldn't be surprising if they could use teleportation magic to create a passage to the surface."

Hajime gradually saw the possibility, which made him smile. His eyes returned to the homework in his hands. Yue's eyes also moved to Hajime's hands, staring at his homework.

"...Is it that interesting?"

Yue didn't answer, but nodded in response. She was wearing a loose coat, with her small fingers peeking out from the sleeves, hugging her knees. She looked incredibly charming. Combined with her beautiful features, she was so adorable that one couldn't help but want to hug her.

(But she is 300 years old. As expected of this world, a loli old woman actually exists...)

Even with his personality change, Hajime's otaku knowledge was still alive and well. He couldn't help but think of this, but Yue immediately reacted.

“…Hajime, are you thinking about something strange?”

"No, no?"

Hajime feigned ignorance in response. He internally sweatdropped at Yue's, or rather, her keen intuition about women. As he covered up the past by silently working on his homework, perhaps Yue no longer wanted to pursue the matter, and this time, it was her turn to question Hajime.

“…Hajime, why are you here?”

This is a natural question, right? This is the bottom of the abyss, a real devil's land, not a place for creatures other than monsters to stay.

Yue also had many questions. Why could he directly manipulate magic power? Why could he use various spells that looked like special spells? Why did he eat monster meat and still be fine? What happened to his left hand? And was Hajime human? What kind of weapon did Hajime use?

For intermittent but continuous questions, I will answer them from the beginning.

Perhaps Hajime himself longed for conversation, as he patiently chatted with her. Hajime had always been somewhat doting on Yue, perhaps unconsciously sensing that Yue might become his last bulwark, preventing him from truly degenerating into a ruthless villain who would do anything to achieve his goals.

Hajime began by recounting how he and his companions had been summoned to this world, how he had been called incompetent, how he had been betrayed by a classmate during the battle with Behemoth and fallen into the abyss, how he had transformed after eating a monster, how he longed to fight the Claw Bear, how he had a potion (which Yue later told him was sacred water), and how he had taken a cue from weapons from his hometown and had come up with the idea of ​​developing something resembling modern weapons. As Hajime told Yue all this, he could hear sobbing coming from Yue's direction.

"What's wrong?" Hajime looked up at Yue, only to see her bursting into tears. He was shocked and couldn't help but reach out his hand, wiping Yue's tears while asking her:

"What happened all of a sudden?"

“…Wuwu… Hajime… I’m sad… I’m sad too…”

It seemed that she was crying for Hajime. Hajime was a little surprised, then smiled wryly and stroked Yue's head.

"Don't worry about it. I don't care about my classmates anymore. There's no point in dwelling on such trivial matters. And what's the point of leaving here for revenge? Rather than that, I must focus all my energy on honing my survival skills and finding a way back home."

Yue sniffed, perhaps because it felt good to be touched on the head, she squinted her eyes like a cat, but when she heard Shi say that he wanted to return to his hometown, her body trembled.

"...Are you going back?"

"Hmm? Back to my original world? Of course I want to go back. I want to go back... Even though everything is different, I want to go back to my hometown... I want to go home..."

"……Yeah."

Yue lowered his head with a depressed expression and said in a lonely tone:

“…I have nowhere to go…”

"..."

Seeing Yue like that, Hajime retracted his hand that was originally stroking her head and scratched his own head.

Hajime wasn't slow-witted, so he also vaguely sensed that Yue considered him her new home, which was probably why she asked Hajime for a new name. That's why Yue felt sad, because Hajime's return to her original world meant she would lose her home again.

Hajime sighed to himself, "I was so soft-hearted even though I had made up my mind to 'live completely for my own purpose'," and stroked Yue's head again.

"Ah~ How about Yue coming too?"

"what?"

Hearing what Hajime said, Yue opened his eyes wide in shock. Staring at her tear-soaked red eyes, Hajime couldn't calm down. He said hurriedly:

"No, so, let's just say we're coming to my hometown. That's a world populated only by ordinary humans. Due to household registration and other factors, there might be many inconveniences for non-humans, but... I'm actually not much different now, so I think there's always a way... But it all depends on Yue's will."

Yue was stunned for a moment, perhaps she had caught up with the situation. She asked timidly, "Is it okay?", but her eyes contained an unconcealable look of anticipation.

Seeing Yue's excited and expectant eyes, Hajime smiled and nodded in agreement. Then, as if her previous expressionless face had been a lie, Yue smiled like a blooming flower. Hajime couldn't help but stare at her, fascinated. He realized he was transfixed and quickly shook his head.

Hajime felt he couldn't look at Yue anymore, so he decided to focus on his homework. Yue also observed Hajime with great interest, but the distance between them was closer than before, almost touching...

Hajime warned himself not to care.

"……What's this?"

With Hajime's forging, the parts of something gradually took shape: a cylindrical rod over a meter long, and a twelve-centimeter-long red bullet. Other smaller parts lay scattered on the ground. This was the weapon Hajime had developed to compensate for the Donner's lack of power, a weapon he intended to use as his new trump card.

"This is... an anti-aircraft rifle—a railgun version. You've seen my gun, right? Basically, it's a souped-up version of that one, and the bullets are specially made."

Just as Hajime had said, when those parts were combined, they would become a rifle 1.5 meters in length. Hajime considered how to increase the rifle's power, and concluded that the Donner's explosive charge and electromagnetic acceleration had reached their limits, preventing significant increases in power. So, he decided to build a new rifle.

Of course, in order to increase the power, the caliber must be increased and the acceleration range extended.

At that moment, he thought of the anti-tank rifle. While it held only a single round and was rather inconvenient to carry, its theoretical power was immense. After all, even the Donar was a monster-level gun. The Donar's maximum output easily surpassed the destructive power of a typical anti-tank rifle. For an ordinary person, the recoil would likely shatter half of the wielder the moment the rifle was fired.

This new anti-object rifle, Shurajan, theoretically has a maximum output power several times that of Donal... I think so.

The material for Shurajan is scorpionoids. In order to find out the secret of its hardness, Hajime tried to investigate the shell of the scorpionoids, but found that he could use "Mineral Identification".

====================

Huytal Ore

A special ore that easily combines with magic power, and whose hardness increases as magic power is injected into it.

====================

It seems that the hardness of the scorpion-like creatures is a characteristic of the Huetal ore. The scorpion-like creatures are probably constantly injecting their huge magic power into the Huetal ore.

"Since it's ore, I can process it, right?" Hajime thought, and tried to refine it, which turned out to be quite easy. "Then, I can easily break through the shell with the refined product later." Thinking of the painstaking effort, Hajime nearly fainted. Now, it was just a sad memory.

"As long as I have good materials, a good result is all I need," Hajime realized. Thinking he could create a stronger gun barrel, he set about developing the Shurajan. Since his skills had greatly improved since he had created the Donar, the work went smoothly.

Hajime was also particular about bullets. He used Huytal ore as the casing for his Taurus ore bullets, creating a bullet similar to a full-metal cartridge. The incendiary powder inside the shell was also compressed to the optimal ratio. Once he made one, with all the necessary materials, he could easily make a duplicate with the Refinery skill (+ Copy Refinery), allowing him to mass-produce bullets without any problems.

While Hajime was explaining these things to Yue, he finally finished Shurajan.

Shurajan's appearance was quite ferocious and oppressive, and Hajime finished his work in a self-satisfied mood. After finishing his work, Hajime began to feel hungry, so he grilled the meat of Cyclos and scorpionoids and decided to start eating.

"Yue, eat...ah, Yue can't eat this, right? I can't let you experience that kind of pain...no, if it's a vampire, it should be okay, right?"

Since Hajime was already used to eating monster flesh, he didn't think twice before inviting Yue to join him. But then he thought, "Is it really okay for Yue to eat monster flesh?" Hajime looked at her. Yue stopped playing with Hajime's invention and shook her head, indicating that she didn't need to eat.

"You've been sealed for three hundred years and still managed to stay alive, so it's probably okay if you don't need to eat... But don't you feel hungry?"

"Yes...but I'm not hungry anymore."

"Not hungry anymore? Did you eat anything?"

Yue said that although she was hungry, she was full. Hajime looked at her in surprise when he heard it, and Yue pointed at Hajime.

“…Hmm, Hajime’s blood.”

"Ah, my blood. Does that mean that as long as vampires can drink blood, they don't need food?"

"...You can get nutrition from food... but sucking blood is more efficient."

It seems that vampires don't need to eat as long as they have blood. Since she had sucked Hajime's blood, her appetite has been satisfied. "I see." Hajime finally understood what was going on. At this time, Yue stared at Hajime for some reason and licked her lips.

"...Why are you licking your lips?"