novelraw Chapter 6 : First Battle - 1
Chapter 6 : First Battle - 1
Chapter 6: First Battle - 1
In the AaA world, there existed something called the “Law of Causality”—the very foundation of the universe and the only rule capable of binding a god.
No matter how powerful a divine being was, if it lacked this Law of Causality, its interference in the mortal realm would be restricted.
But it was different in a special place like a temple.
In a temple—a space dedicated solely to that divine being—they could be somewhat freer from the constraints of the Law of Causality.
That was why the World Tree had so openly shown interest in me.
More precisely, it was probably interested in its own servant,
When one received such attention from a divine being, a thread of causality was formed between us.
If I nurtured this thread, I could put it to great use at a critical moment.
“Alright, focus! We’ll be starting the lesson now.”
At Eleina’s reminder, I pulled my consciousness back to reality.
Inside the temple were poor patients and the priests and clerics who cared for them.
Today’s lesson was to form pairs and assist the temple’s clergy.
Some students who couldn’t use healing skills were assigned tasks like changing bandages or carrying patients, while the rest of us—including myself—were to practice healing on patients with relatively mild symptoms.
My assigned partner, who could also use healing skills, was—
“Hi! I’m Shionjian Paladeltion, your partner for today. I’m confident in my healing.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Dicendel Lio.”
Whether it was Eleina’s intention or not, my partner was a succession candidate from the Paladeltion family, an elf man with brown hair and bright blue eyes who gave off a naïve impression.
“Are you going to try and recruit me into your club too?”
“…Huh? No? I’m not even in a club. Besides, I’m a freshman just like you.”
If that was true, he might be useful as a third party or a neutral figure.
“Let’s skip the small talk and start the practice.”
“Alright.”
The patient assigned to us was a scrawny, shabby-looking human girl with messy orange hair.
Her entire body was covered in wounds and bruises, and one of her arms was broken.
She lay there breathing softly, seemingly without the strength to even wake up.
Her small, delicate features and rough, brittle hair reminded me of my younger sister, Dayeori.
‘Come to think of it… around that age, Yeori lost our parents…’
“…Brother… I miss… mom and dad…”
[Notice. Due to the effect of
[Notice. Restriction type: Cognitive impairment.]
[Notice. Restriction severity: Very weak.]
‘
Her sleep-talk shook my mind strongly.
Just before I used
‘That damn Game Master… you dare mess with this?’
It was clearly a line meant to target me.
If it was a transcendent being, it would surely know about my past.
Guessing the Game Master’s intention, I clenched my teeth and stepped forward.
What had happened to this child was none of my concern.
Above all, I had no intention of getting caught in the Game Master’s trap.
“…I’ll go first.”
In the AaA world, where all manner of mystic arts existed, healing was considered relatively simple.
‘
[Player’s dice: 60, 3]
[Notice. Dice roll result: 63, success.]
[Notice. Skill successfully activated.]
Swoooosh—!
As I cast the skill, a tree about waist-high sprouted in front of me, and soon, four plump light-green fruits shaped like mangoes ripened on its branches.
This
I squeezed the juice from one of the fruits and slowly dripped it into the girl’s mouth.
After feeding her all four, the effect appeared instantly—as expected in a fantasy world.
The pallor in her face faded, replaced by a healthy flush, and the wounds on her body began to heal.
“Then I’ll handle the fracture!”
Shionjian reached out with one hand while opening a thick book.
A gentle wave of energy spread out.
It was
Within moments, the girl’s broken arm knit itself back together.
The fracture status ailment was cured.
With that, the girl had no more injuries left on her body.
But outwardly, she still looked filthy.
Bubble!
Almost without thinking, I infused mana into the Spirit Stone I carried.
From it, a water spirit emerged and cast
The dirt and grime covering the girl’s body and clothes were swept away.
It was a necessary measure—poor hygiene could lead to other illnesses.
With that, I had done everything I could for her.
“Oh! You two are pretty skilled. Full marks for today’s practice!”
Eleina, who had been walking around giving advice to other students, came over and spoke to us.
“Ah, Instructor Eleina!”
“Instructor Eleina. By the way… thank you for last time.”
“Oh, it was nothing, just what I should do. More importantly, have you felt anything strange since that day? I mean, your wounds were really serious, so I’ve been worried.”
“Yes. Thanks to your perfect care, I’ve recovered completely. No aftereffects either.”
“Hmm… really? But if you notice even the slightest thing wrong, you must tell me, okay? Promise!”
Eleina only left for the other students after hooking her pinky around mine.
“…What exactly is going on between you two?”
After finishing the afternoon practice, we had about six hours of free time until curfew.
Of course, we could usually go out of the school, but the distance to here and the hassle of filling out the entry register made it a bother.
So, since I was already out, I decided to look for a blacksmith who might buy my torn leather armor.
‘The problem is… I have no idea where anything is here.’
Just then, I spotted Shionjian heading toward the entry checkpoint.
“Hey, Shionjian! I’m looking for a blacksmith—do you know your way around here?”
“Hmm, sorry. I haven’t been here long myself… But I can help you look—”
“Um…! Dicendel? Shionjian?”
Suddenly, someone cut in.
When I turned around, I saw the shabby human girl we had treated for the first time earlier during class.
“I heard one of you was a short, incredibly beautiful elf, and it’s true! Oh, wait, that’s not right. My name’s Shelly. I wanted to thank both of you, so I took the liberty of coming here. Please accept this.”
Shelly bowed deeply and pulled something out of her basket—a roughly made bracelet of wildflowers.
I didn’t know the name of the flowers, but it seemed she had picked ones similar in color to her sunset-hued hair.
“I made this bracelet myself! I prayed sincerely over it, so it’s imbued with luck.”
Judging by the other bracelets in the basket, it seemed she sold them.
Seeing that the others were of even rougher quality, she must have given us the best one she had made.
“Thank you. It’s a very pretty bracelet. I’d like to share them with others too—could I buy all the ones in your basket?”
“Wow, really?”
Shionjian forced a coin into Shelly’s hand and snatched the basket away.
“……”
Meanwhile, I just stood there holding the flower bracelet, unable to move.
Facing that girl again brought back flickering memories of my younger sister.
—Brother… what are we going to do now…?
“Thank you so much! Well then, I’ll be going!”
Shelly ran off toward the mouth of an alley and vanished.
Only after more time had passed did I come back to my senses.
“Let’s hurry up and find that blacksmith.”
“Alright. But Dicendel, you don’t look too happy whenever you see that kid. Something happen?”
“No.”
“Oh, you shy guy! Well, I just gave her a gold coin, so Shelly won’t be starving for a while. Don’t worry too much.”
“A gold coin…? You idiot!”
From her condition and her way of earning money, there was a high chance she was working under someone as a beggar.
Handing a child like that such a large sum would almost certainly mean it’d be taken from her immediately.
And in the process, she’d likely take at least a few hits.
‘
Again, this wasn’t something I should get involved in.
I couldn’t risk my life over the Game Master’s petty tricks.
§§…
Immersion: 30.7% → 28.1%
…§§
Even if my immersion level dropped for failing to act like the virtuous Dicendel, I had to ignore it.
That girl wasn’t really my sister.
Just like always.
Shelly would simply end up being brought back to the temple, injured and starving.
[Notice. Due to the effect of
[Notice. Restriction type: Forced Action.]
[Notice. Restriction severity: Weak.]
But—Dicendel’s vow not to abandon virtue bound my body.
[Notice. Due to the effect of
[Notice. Restriction type: Emotional Outburst.]
[Notice. Restriction severity: Very strong.]
Still—the nightmare that ruled my life blew my reason away.
‘…Tch! Like I’d just stand by and watch that!’
I grabbed Shionjian and ran toward the alley where Shelly had disappeared.
“Wh–what’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”
“Those wounds on that kid’s body—how do you think she got them? And you just handed a gold coin to someone like that, giving her a perfect excuse.”
“…I can’t believe it. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Beat yourself up later!”
Past the alley, the slums came into view, but Shelly was nowhere to be seen.
We’d hesitated too long and lost too much time.
Then, a gang of beggars blocked our path.
“Well now, sirs, what brings you here?”
“Did you see a girl pass by just now?”
“Heh heh, Shelly? She’s family, so you needn’t concern yourself with her.”
“I just asked—where did the girl go?”
One beggar pulled a knife from his waistband and pressed it right under my chin.
“Heh, damn elf! It’s the rule not to touch a priest, so I’ll let you off with a warning, but keep crossing the line and you’ll—”
[Player’s dice: 70, 0]
[Notice. Dice roll result: 70, success.]
[Notice. Skill successfully activated.]
[Target’s dice: 00, 9]
[Notice. Target difficulty: 09]
[Player’s dice: 40, 5]
[Notice. Adding modifier equal to the difference in perception score between summon and target: +10]
[Notice. Adding modifier equal to summon’s dexterity score: +18]
[Notice. Dice roll result: 64, success.]
[Notice. Attack successfully hits.]
[Notice. Attack damage: 280 points.]
[Notice. Adding modifier based on previous roll result: ×1.2]
[Notice. Subtracting modifier equal to target’s defense: -12]
[Notice. Dealt 324 points of damage to target.]
KWAANG! —SPLAT.
Whatever the guy had been saying was cut off as
‘
For the first time, I had killed a person.
Since it wasn’t by my own hand directly, the penalty from
And any thoughts about my first kill were wiped away with a single use of
“…You bastard!”
“Kill him!”
The enraged beggars charged.
[Target’s dice … … … Dealt damage.]
[Target’s dice … … … Dealt damage.]
…
[Target’s dice … … … Dealt damage.]
[Target’s dice … … … Dealt damage.]
With every sweep of
“Aaagh!”
“Eek! M–monster!”
A battle that would’ve taken several turns in a game ended in moments in reality.
I approached one beggar who had collapsed to the ground, wetting himself.
He was the only one I had deliberately left alive to get information.
“Uwaaah! Don’t come closer!”
“Tell me honestly where Shelly went, and I’ll let you go. Now answer.”
“Sob! Over there, over there—three blocks left, second floor of that building…”
The beggar pointed to a large, ramshackle wooden building in the distance.
[Target’s dice … … … Successfully used.]
When I’d used
And what I’d sensed from the beggar just now was “truth.”
But—
SMACK!
“I never said I’d let you go.”
Shionjian’s thick book slammed into the beggar’s temple, bursting it, and the man collapsed with eyes rolled back.
“Whoa, so that’s the
“It was a one-sided fight, so why?”
“You’re sweating…”
When I wiped my forehead, my palm came away soaked.
§§…
AP: 4 / 46
…§§
It was because of Dicendel’s pitifully low AP.
Already low to begin with, after hours of practical lessons followed by combat, it had reached its limit.
AP, short for Action Points, was a score consumed each time you took an action.
When it dropped below 10% like now, most actions gained negative modifiers, and at 0, you’d fall into the unconscious status.
“Just a bit tired.”
“If that’s all, leave it to me.”
Shionjian opened his book and reached out toward me.
Energy began to return to my body, and my AP gradually refilled.
“You can use
It was a skill that transferred the caster’s AP to the target.
“I can use every skill in the
THUD—CRASH!
“Graaaagh!”
A goblin was smacked by
With that last one, we’d taken down all the enemies that had come out to intercept us.
The evidence was in the twenty-one beggars now lying sprawled across the first floor of this dark hideout.
“Stop right there!”
At that moment, the leader of the beggar gang—Boss—appeared, descending the stairs from the upper floor.
A massive frame far larger than an elf’s, with two horns jutting from both temples.
He was of the ogre race.
“Bring her here!”
“…Dicendel! Shionjian!”
At the Boss’s command, his underlings appeared, dragging Shelly along.
The healing we’d done earlier was meaningless now—her face and limbs were once again covered in dark bruises.
“All this chaos over this little brat? Don’t do anything stupid. Or I’ll kill her.”
“…You did that to her over a single gold coin?”
“Hahaha! ‘A single gold coin’? Single? This is why I hate elves… A gold coin feeds a whole family in this district for a month!”
STOMP!
“Urgh!”
As the Boss stomped his foot, the floor beneath him shattered, sending several of his men crashing into the basement.
I used the commotion to whisper to Shionjian.
“Do you trust me?”
If I recklessly moved
The distance also made it tricky to grab her and shield her.
But I had a plan to turn the situation around.
“We only met today, but… I think I can trust you. Why?”
“Good.”
I swung my staff at Shionjian’s chin without hesitation.