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Chapter 80 - Chapter 3: Character Profiles & Extras

Chapter 3: Character Profiles & Extras

● Characters

Yagawa Kyouta | LV: 26 | Race: Human / Awakened Person

Strength: 58 (Growth Potential: A)
DUR: 58 (Growth Potential: A)
AGI: 61 (Growth Potential: A)
Mana: 61 (Growth Potential: A)

Skills

[Spirit Eye]

[Mana Conversion: Wind]

[Concept Interference]

Unique Skill

[Sage's Nucleus]

Remarks
The protagonist of this story. He has a 'mass-produced light novel protagonist face,' so he looks surprisingly good in women's clothing.
Due to his poor communication skills and status as an Awakened Person, he's an outcast in his class and has no one he can call a friend in the classroom.
However, he can converse with others to a certain extent if he treats it as 'work.'
If the dungeon stampede had occurred just a little later, some of his classmates would have started bullying him, causing him to become a shut-in.
Unbeknownst to him, the government now recognizes him as a member of the Invisible Ninjas, a secret society with ties to the United Kingdom.
It is unknown if he will ever learn of this fact.

Rinzaki Erina | LV: 20 | Race: Human / Awakened Person

Strength: 39 (Growth Potential: C)
DUR: 39 (Growth Potential: C)
AGI: 52 (Growth Potential: A)
Mana: 45 (Growth Potential: B)

Skills

[Invisibility]

[Five Senses Enhancement]

[Spatial Magic]

Remarks
The heroine of this story? A beautiful, busty girl with blonde twintails. She is one-quarter British.
Her bright and cheerful way of speaking makes her seem like she has great social skills, but she's actually a sunshiny social klutz.
She believes she's friends with everyone in her class, but besides Busujima and Ooyama, the others are simply afraid of her.
In this chapter, she acquired the weapon known as [Daisharinmaru], significantly boosting her attack power.
As it turns out, her actions are the cause of five of the seven school mysteries.
Due to her grandmother's connections, the government suspects she is a 'British operative,' but she is not yet aware of this.

Arisugawa Aira | LV: 1 | Race: Half-Elf / Awakened Person

Status and skills have not changed, so they are omitted. Please refer to the Chapter 1 profiles.

Remarks
The heroine of this story? A beautiful, busty woman with silver hair and elf ears. She has a very intelligent and cool appearance. She and Erina are cousins.
She is extremely socially awkward with anyone outside her family or those she feels superior to.
Aside from these mental aspects and her poor physical stamina, she is surprisingly high-spec, boasting 'stunning looks,' 'a rich family,' and 'academic excellence.'
Her hobbies are drinking alcohol and playing online games.
For now, the government does not see her as a member of the Invisible Ninjas, but given her connections to Erina and her grandmother, there is a strong possibility she will come under suspicion in the future.

Busujima Aika | LV: 10 | Race: Human / Awakened Person

Strength: 25 (Growth Potential: D)
DUR: 24 (Growth Potential: D)
AGI: 30 (Growth Potential: B)
Mana: 33 (Growth Potential: B)

Skills

[Cursed Poison Magic]
A school of magic that consumes mana to curse a target or create and fire a poisonous liquid.
Under the right conditions, it can also be used to curse others from a distance.

Remarks
Erina's friend and classmate. A slender, beautiful girl with long black hair.
Her father is the president of a small-to-medium-sized enterprise and is considered 'new money,' having built the company from the ground up. Perhaps due to a complex from his own impoverished upbringing, he was extremely demanding about the education of his children, including Aika.
Because of this, the atmosphere at home became fundamentally tense.
On the Day of Awakening, Aika became an Awakened Person, and it was soon discovered that she could use 'curses.' Her parents, who believe she resents them, and her siblings, whom she sees as rivals, now fear her.
However, Aika actually respects her parents and bears no ill will toward her siblings. As such, she was more than a little shocked to be feared by them.
Her bust size is 'B.' Whether it's closer to an 'A' or a 'C' is perhaps the greatest mystery of this story.
Also, her [Arcane Gear] is so revealing it would likely draw complaints from a professional dancer.

Ooyama Shizuku | LV: 7 | Race: Dwarf / Awakened Person

Strength: 25 (Growth Potential: B)
DUR: 23 (Growth Potential: B)
AGI: 22 (Growth Potential: D)
Mana: 26 (Growth Potential: D)

Skills

[Mana Imbuement: Iron]
Allows her to imbue iron with mana by channeling it while forging with a hammer.
This grants the metal strength beyond its normal limits, making it effective even against Wraith-type monsters.

[Magitech Arts]
Metals containing mana tend to lose some of their power when processed through melting or other means, but this skill prevents that loss.
In some cases, it can even amplify the mana within.

Remarks
Erina's friend and classmate. A short, busty girl with sharp, slanted eyes and a red bob haircut.
Her constant scowl and blunt way of speaking make her seem like she's in a bad mood, but that's just her face; she actually has a calm personality.
Her family owns a small factory that makes bicycle parts, but it's on the verge of collapse due to the economic downturn. Although her parents tell her 'not to worry,' Shizuku plans to use her skills to rebuild the factory.
She has a natural artisan's spirit and a stubborn streak, so her words and actions already seem very dwarf-like. Because she's surrounded by people with absurdly high facial deviation scores, she isn't really aware of it, but she has quite attractive features herself.
Her bust size is 'H.' While Erina's are larger in pure volume, Shizuku's shorter height puts them on equal footing in terms of cup size.

● Groups

Dungeon Agency

Remarks
Average sleep per night has recently dropped to three hours. They are nearing the limit of what willpower alone can sustain. Energy drinks and cup noodles are their best friends.
Information regarding the Invisible Ninjas has been shared among the subordinates Director Akasaka deems most trustworthy. Their name is beginning to spread within the SDF, starting with General Marui.
They suspect Kyouta and Erina are members of a secret society, with MI6 pulling the strings from behind the scenes.

Walkers

Remarks
An adventurer organization created by Yamashita Hiroshi and his companions. From its inception, it called itself a 'guild,' raising questions from others about whether it was merely a 'clan.' However, after forming an alliance with the Alchemy Enthusiasts Club, its membership skyrocketed. Now, no one questions the 'guild' designation.
Instead, a false rumor has spread that the representative, Yamashita, is an 'ambitious man trying to bring all clans under his control.' The slip damage to his hair follicles is immense.
They thought they had finally made it through a chapter peacefully without being caught in a stampede, but contacts from 'Awakened-supremacist organizations' and incidents of 'bullying of the Awakened by the non-Awakened' have left them no time to rest.
Some of the executives, led by Representative Yamashita, are considering a new path toward reconciliation between the Awakened and non-Awakened...?

Alchemy Enthusiasts Club

Remarks
Though small in scale, they are a group of Awakened Persons drawing attention from all over the world. The founding members all possess the 'Alchemy' skill, but some who were approved for membership studied the club's materials and became alchemists through sheer effort.
Their objective is the 'creation of the ideal homunculus wife' and 'to create a world where they can be with their homunculus wives without being judged by flooding society with them.'
They are a perverted group with technology, passion, and money.
The chairman is a 'high-ranking official in the National Police Agency,' and the vice-chairman 'works at the Supreme Court.' In many ways, this is the end of the world as we know it.
Various organizations have sought contact with them, but finding it all a hassle, they've passed the responsibility onto Yamashita of the Walkers.

The Mysterious Trio

Remarks
A mysterious trio of beautiful girls who get caught up in trouble wherever they go. One is a petite greatsword user with her hair in two side-up pigtails. One is a girl with gray hair. The last is a girl with elf ears dressed like a priestess.
Just when it seemed they might spend this chapter in peace, they had some rather bloody experiences, such as punishing a 'slasher targeting child Awakened' and engaging in some behind-the-scenes brawls with an 'Awakened-supremacist organization.'

Awakened-Supremacist Organization

Remarks
The organization's official name has not yet appeared in the story. It is registered as an NPO, and its official activities are vaguely stated as 'providing support to solve the various problems faced by the Awakened.'
In reality, they are a radical group that believes 'those who are not Awakened are not human.' They advocate that the Awakened should become a new nobility and rule Japan.
Their executives have high talent as Awakened Persons, with several members equivalent to Aira's 'SR' standard. Their leader possesses talent that rivals Kyouta's.

● New Monsters

D-Rank

[Skeleton Knight]

[Kamaitachi]

[Gaki]

[Masquerade]

C-Rank

[Lesser Demon]

Boss Monster

[Demon]

Strength: 40
DUR: 40
AGI: 50
Mana: 50

Skills

[Necromancy]
Allows the user to absorb the life energy of others. It can also manipulate corpses by imbuing them with mana. The Demon used this skill to drain energy from Lesser Demons to fuel its mana cannon.

[Mana Release]
A skill that releases focused mana. The Demon used it as a rapid-fire cannon from its palm and as a high-output cannon from its mouth.
It can also boost physical abilities by circulating the mana within its body instead of releasing it, but this is a reckless application that inevitably causes self-injury.

Remarks
Emerged from a dungeon that appeared in a vacant house about three kilometers from the high school Kyouta and the others attend.
It is recognized by the Dungeon Agency as a greater threat than the 'Lefkos,' another C-Rank monster of similar standing. Its destructive power is high when it has abundant mana.
Since it can fly and has long-range attacks, it is a difficult enemy just to get into a position to fight.
In the end, it was defeated when its mana barrier was pierced by Kyouta and Erina's attacks, thanks to [Concept Interference].

● Q&A

Q. Is it okay to just leave the salt behind after a stampede?
A. Yes, it's fine. While the salt from inside a dungeon is disastrous if taken out normally, the salt from monsters that overflow during a stampede is just plain salt.

Q. What happens if you bring salt into a dungeon?
A. Nothing happens if you 'take it back out immediately.' However, after a certain amount of time, it will be 'absorbed into the ground.'

Q. How strong is Kyouta right now?
A. In the Awakened Person rankings, he's probably just barely in or out of the top 10. For a student, he's exceptionally strong. The top five are the SDF's anti-dragon unit. The others are 'SSR'-class people who make their living solely as adventurers.

Q. Wasn't there a similar idea about 'Awakened becoming nobility' in a previous work?
A. There was, but the differences from the past work are that 'there are a lot more Awakened' and 'even the top-tier Awakened are weaker than a military armed with modern weaponry.' On top of that, there's an absence of 'one crazy dude who can turn everything on its head single-handedly.'

Q. Are the top-tier Awakened really weaker than a modern military?
A. Yes. The Demon that rampaged in the story could be defeated by a few attack helicopters, though there would be casualties. The reason that wasn't a solution at the time was because the battlefield was an 'urban area that had not finished evacuating.'

Q. Then what's the advantage of hiring strong Awakened Persons?
A. The fact that 'they are biologically human.'
Because they're human, they don't have the maintenance costs of a tank or an attack helicopter, and in most cases, they don't require ammunition costs either. With healing magic and potions, they can return to the front lines relatively quickly even if injured.
And of course, they possess human-level intelligence, can blend into a crowd, and can use human transportation. They can walk into places that tanks and helicopters can't access.
However, the downside is that 'they aren't machines, so they can disobey or flee in fear,' so it's not like you can get by with only Awakened Persons.
Frankly, 'training an Awakened Person as a soldier' is genuinely difficult...

Q. Are Awakened talents hereditary?
A. They are. However, there are individual differences. Well, since only a 'little over two years' have passed in the story, it will be some time before that has a significant impact.

Q. If I were reincarnated into this world, would I get powers like Kyouta? I want a golem harem.
A. To get straight to the point, you would almost certainly become 'SSR'-class. However, your abilities probably wouldn't be exactly the same. There are individual differences.
Not just in this work, but in all my stories, 'when a person dies, their soul dissolves into the world as a mass of mana.' So, if a soul reincarnates without dissolving, it becomes polished or grows in size, making the soul stronger.
Therefore, the 'high specs unique to reincarnated individuals' are guaranteed, whether for Awakened Persons or other ability users.
In a previous work, Kenzaki and Schmidt-kun were reincarnated by a god, so they came with cheats, but I think they would have been born with excellent abilities even without that.

However.

Scenario Director
"Oh, you might be my type...♡"
Butterfly Itou
"You're family now."

...the risk of catching the eye of some real weirdos skyrockets.

Q. An Awakened Person is like a bear, so would people really try to bully one?
A. Mass shootings happen all the time in the land of cola, but bullying never stops...
Also, since Awakened Persons vary wildly in strength, the quiet ones are generally perceived as being on the weaker side.
Above all, there's a bias that 'the other person is bound to obey the law,' so people just assume they won't be hit back. This applies to both the Awakened and the non-Awakened.
As depicted in the story, Kyouta was seen by his classmates as 'a bear in a cage, bound by the chains of the law,' while Erina, who lacks common sense and would good-naturedly make someone dive from the sky, was seen as 'a tiger with nothing to restrain it.'

Q. Isn't Erina-san kind of a terrifying person...?
A. Yes.

Q. Did the rumors about Erina-san not spread to other classes?
A. Her classmates all kept their mouths shut because they 'didn't want retaliation for being suspected of spreading bad rumors.' As a result, she is perceived by everyone outside her class as just a cheerful, beautiful girl.

Q. Kyouta, if you only interact with beautiful girls and stay silent in class, of course you'll be disliked.
A. Yes. He is aware of that to some extent, but if being aware of it was enough to let him blend in, he wouldn't be in this mess to begin with...

Q. Does Kyouta really have a face that suits cross-dressing so well?
A. He didn't so much before Awakening, but after he Awakened, the quality of his skin and hair improved dramatically. The contours of his face also became quite sharp.
Above all, he has a 'mass-produced light novel protagonist face.' And when you think of light novel protagonists, you think of cross-dressing.

Q. If you mass-produced the [Daisharinmaru], monsters wouldn't be scary at all!
A. Ooyama-san:
"Mass production is obviously impossible. I've only got two arms, you know. I can 'hammer in' the materials in one night, but the prep work before that takes ages. It's all done by hand. Since it's a skill, I can't mechanize it either."
Kyouta:
"Well, I'm sure the government is mass-producing even more amazing weapons, right? I mean, we were able to make the [Daisharinmaru] as private citizens, as high schoolers."
Aira-san:
".........I hope, that's true..."

Q. Is the ideal homunculus wife the Chairman of the Alchemy Enthusiasts Club talks about like K-san from Dragon Balls?
A. Chairman:
"Haaaah (incredibly loud sigh). This is why amateurs are so... She has to be around three meters tall, so muscular you can't even tell the shape of her breasts. At the very least, I could compromise on a certain prince, good grief."
Incidentally, the Chairman's wife is 164 cm tall and weighs 56 kg. She has ripped abs, an intimidating glare, and a great deal of pride.

● IF Route

Around the time of this chapter, in a world where he never met Erina-san and instead has a homunculus wife harem.

It's been almost a month since I stopped going to school.

I vaguely recall the world outside is in the middle of sports festival season, I thought to myself as I looked up at the rainy sky.

The reason I became a shut-in was bullying. And it all started because I lost control of my own reason.

[Byakuren]... my homunculus wife and golem maid.

I went all out with my personal tastes, even using the power of the [Sage's Nucleus] to make her a busty, beautiful girl. Naturally, she takes care of me at night as well. Life with her was fulfilling.

But once a person strays from the path, they tend to keep doing it.

I... made more homunculus wives.

A blonde, busty beauty golem named 'White.' A silver-haired loli beauty golem named 'Weiss.' A fluffy, brown-haired, mega-busty golem named 'Blanca.' A black-haired, tan-skinned, busty golem named 'Beji.'

I kept making more like that, and now I have five homunculus wives living in my house. In maid outfits.

Even though I owned a house—I'd bought the one I was renting—in a secluded area, someone was bound to see them eventually.

After one of my homunculus wives was spotted hanging laundry on the balcony, rumors spread like wildfire.

At first, I was suspected of living with someone, and after being pestered with questions at school, I carelessly let it slip that I 'made her with alchemy,' earning me the label of a pervert.

To make matters worse, an unfamiliar male student threatened me, saying, 'Let me use her,' and 'Lend her to me.' When I refused, he planted a strange girl's underwear in my bag, and I was accused of all sorts of things.

After that, my desk was vandalized, my things started disappearing. A lot happened. My parents complained to the school, but the teachers' response was...

Let's stop. Remembering all that will only stress me out.

For now, I'll focus on the scene before me.

"It's really burning..."

I muttered under an umbrella held by one of my golem maids in the rain.

In the distance, the high school I used to attend was engulfed in flames.

A dungeon stampede. Monsters... I think they were called [Lesser Demons]... were flying through the sky, occasionally dropping people to the ground.

I think that school was having its sports festival today, wasn't it? If so, my condolences.

I wonder if the students who bullied me were killed, I thought for a moment, but it didn't make me feel any better. ...Or at least, I want to think it didn't.

I don't want to be the kind of person who rejoices in someone's death, I thought, pressing my lips into a thin line as I lightly raised the staff in my right hand.

It was a custom magic tool I'd created with alchemy. A red gemstone was set at its tip, imbued with a small amount of power from my [Sage's Nucleus].

It's like a 'transmitter.' It's for sending my mana to all the golems at once.

"All units, prepare for combat."

Lined up before me were 'eleven' golems. All of them were clad in armor, with straight swords at their waists. At their feet were leather quivers filled with bundles of 'javelins.'

All of these were combat-specialized golems made using the [Sage's Nucleus]. Byakuren was also wearing combat gear, standing guard beside me.

I don't care what happens to the jerks at school or the neighborhood gossips, but I won't let a single scratch touch my parents, who are at home right now.

As soon as I heard about the situation, I rushed to my family home and prepared our defenses. 'They're just C-Rank monsters.' They are nothing to me.

The swarm of monsters continues to grow. A part of it turns toward us. Have they finished hunting the prey at the school? Or are there no more easy targets left?

Whatever the case, if they're coming this way, I'll kill them.

"Take your spears."

The combat golems gripped their javelins and drew their arms back.

The spears have a slightly unusual shape.

The shaft is ordinary, but the tip is a cone as thick as a human arm, with spiral grooves carved into it like a drill.

Furthermore, there are six holes on the shaft side of the tip.

Although the Dungeon Law gives adventurers some leeway with the Swords and Firearms Control Law, you can't use firearms in a dungeon.

However, javelins are fair game. And so is modifying them, as long as you don't use gunpowder or similar substances.

GYAGYAGYAGYAGYA!!

GAAAAAAA!!

With cackling laughter, dozens of demons closed in. Watching them, I gave the order.

"Fire."

The spears were thrown. As they were released, wind burst forth 'from all the golems.' More wind erupted backward from the tips of the spears, and as they flew, spinning horizontally, their speed instantly reached just short of Mach speed.

[Mana Conversion: Wind]

Normally, using an Awakened Person's body as a material requires considerable time and effort. But with the [Sage's Nucleus], it's a different story.

I usually keep this hidden to avoid drawing attention, but this time, I have no choice but to reveal a fraction of its power.

The Lesser Demons shrieked in terror and scattered through the sky, but the spears pursued their prey like hunting dogs. The eleven spears traced complex arcs in the sky, piercing every last one of them.

The javelins returned automatically, and the golems readied them again. The ones at their feet are 'spares.' This is more than enough to deal with mere Lesser Demons.

A flood of experience points pours in, mana is consumed. But thanks to the [Sage's Nucleus], the latter is not an issue.

The one-sided slaughter continues.

The demons are struck down as soon as they approach, and they gradually begin to keep their distance. But they approached me once. I've decided to kill any that are still in range.

A three-kilometer radius from this spot. If you don't want to die, you'd better flee farther than that.

Before long, a large mass of mana headed this way.

It feels different from the other demons. Hmm. What is that?

"Byakuren. Do you recognize that demon?"

"I believe it's a 'Demon' from the Dungeon Agency's database. A boss monster."

"Ah, so that's what it is."

Aside from the [Orc Champion] I saw in a dungeon before, this is my first boss monster.

I raised my guard internally—but my mind remained calm, thinking, 'It's only C-Rank.'

■■■■■■■......!!

Mana compressed in the Demon's mouth. My [Spirit Eye] foresaw it would be released in a few seconds.

"All units, intercept."

As it fired, the golems hurled their spears.

A beam of heat was unleashed. It vaporized the falling raindrops as it approached, and eleven javelins met it head-on.

—Warp.

The heat ray distorted.

[Concept Interference]

The material from my own body embedded in the spearheads. The skill it holds activates.

I went to the trouble of making them with the [Sage's Nucleus]. This much is to be expected.

The aurora, vast enough to swallow the entire school building, was torn apart in an instant, becoming a cloak for the spears as it was returned to its master.

Now imbued not only with wind but also with the flames of hell, the javelins bore down on the Demon, which raised its great scythe and began taking evasive action with all its might.

■■■■■■—!!

It dodged skillfully. A steep climb followed by a sharp dive. It changed its trajectory with a twist as it neared the ground, then ascended sharply again.

The swarm of javelins gave chase, flying just above the ground and melting the asphalt. However, based on the mana I put into them when they were thrown, they must be nearing their limit.

Therefore.

"Fire."

I release the spares.

Even from here, I could see the Demon's glowing red eyes widen.

Javelins closed in from all directions. Like a pitiful small fish surrounded by a school of sharks, the demon was devoured and scattered without a fight.

Twenty-two spears return. Half are placed back in the leather quivers, and the golems begin shooting down the Lesser Demons still within range.

It's just rote work. Still, I'm gaining experience points, so I might be approaching 'LV: 30' soon.

I stopped going to school and instead started frequenting dungeons to blow off steam. Thanks to the shuttle service the Dungeon Agency started, I've been to various labyrinths, and my level has risen quite a bit.

I should have brought a chair, I thought to myself as I watched the annihilation...

"Hm?"

I spot a shadow heading this way.

"Hmm?"

But it's not a monster. It's a human figure. A lot of them, in fact. Thirty to forty people?

"Hmmm?"

Leading the way is a beautiful, blonde, twin-tailed girl dressed like a ninja. Following her is a small, red-haired girl carrying a girl in a tracksuit on her back, and behind them, students who look to be the same age and adults who seem to be their parents' generation are running.

The blonde girl, with a ninja sword in hand, was using rooftops and concrete blocks as footholds, kicking aside Lesser Demons as she headed straight for me.

...I see. I think her name was Rinzaki Erina, right? The Awakened Person from the class next to mine.

It seems they were holed up in the school, protecting the students and their guardians, and decided to evacuate after seeing my javelin rampage. The school building is on fire, after all.

So, they've come to me for help, right in the middle of my own rampage.

Right.

"W-W-W-What should I do, Byakuren!!??"

Oh crap. I have to talk to that many people!? No way!? I'll die!?

I can handle ten or twenty Demons, but people are impossible! I can't kill them!

"Shall I drive them away?"

"No! I don't have anything against them!"

"Then shall we accept them?"

"Is... is that the only choice...? But, I can't possibly handle that..."

"Shall I handle the reception?"

"...No. Let's not do that."

I'm using the [Sage's Nucleus] javelins against the demons, but I can still explain that away.

But a homunculus wife who can converse fluently is a bad idea. My unique skill might be exposed...

"Then, I believe it would be best to ask your parents to handle it."

"That's it!"

As expected of Byakuren! My wife!

"All golem units, continue the interception! Byakuren, maintain a perimeter watch! I'm going to get Mom and Dad!"

"Understood."

"Dad! Mom! Help me!!"

I ran past 'White,' the armed golem maid standing guard at the entrance, and mashed the intercom button.

My parents burst out of the house in a panic. ...Mom wearing a helmet is fine, but why is Dad wearing a pot on his head...? That's not going to work as armor, you know?

"What is it, Kyouta!?"

"W-We'll fight too!"

"There are people, lots of people coming!!"

"Uh, okay?"

"...Um, the Self-Defense Force?"

My parents were confused. In response, I gripped my staff tightly and continued.

"I'm too scared to talk to them, so please handle it for me!!"

"...Pardon?"