Chapter 1-5 (1/2)

I don't reer All I know is that ever since I can remember, I've always yearned after ”powers in the shadows”

Was it because of ania? Oras it was a power in the shadows, it didn't matter what it was, I loved it

Not the hero Nor the last boss I' about those existences that work their interference and flex their true strength only from the shadows

I adored them, and wanted to be one of them

What heroes were to everyone else hat powers in shadoere to me That's all that was

But unlike those children who adored heroes,that burned from the depths of my heart, and it continuously propelled me forward

Karate Boxing Kendo Mixed , I threwet to reveal myself

At school, I was mediocrity itself Harmless to man and beast, one and all Mob character A

But on the flip side of

That was my youth, and that was my school life

But as tirew older, unease pressed upon me It became time to face reality

The reality that all less

No matter how many martial arts Ipower possessed by those powers hidden in shadows depicted in stories

The th to beat up a few punks If firearot surrounded by soldiers wearing full equipame over

Power in the shadows that gets beaten up by soldiers How laughable

Even if I spent several est et beaten up Mm, or maybe I would be able to handle it soht possess the potential to beat up soldiers even if originally surrounded

However, even if I could beat down every single soldier, if a taepodong fell ona human

(T/N: ‘Taepodong’ is a North Korean ICBM)

This alone I could say with utet evaporated by aWhich means that I, too, had to beco

What is it that I needed such that a taepodong wouldn't be able to evaporate me?

Punching power?

A sturdy body?

Endless stamina?

Of course not

I would need soth

Magic,was fine I would need to acquire a mystical power of some sort

And that was the answer that I had arrived at, after facing reality

If there was soic, I'm sure everyone would doubt that person's sanity

So would I Of course he's insane

But, well, how is it really?

In this world, no one has yet been able to proof the existence of ic But on the flip side, neither has anyone been able to disproof, with utter certainty, that ic does not exist

Sanity would not grantthat lies beyond the realm of insanity

Fro became much more difficult

Magic Mana Qi Aura No one kne to learn any of these

I meditated Buddhist-style, I meditated under waterfalls, I a, I converted, I searched for spirits, I prayed, I even affixed myself to a cross

There was no correct answer My only option was to keep going down the path that I believed in, all alone in the darkness

With the passage of tih school era

I still had yet to find ic or mana or qi or aura……

After finishi+ng the usual training, I realize that the sky has become completely dark

I put on the underwear that I'd dropped next to h my school uniform

I still had yet to grasp a ress in

Such as right now

Having just finished a training session, there is a bright light flickering on and off insideunsteadily

Either ic…… or perhaps aura……

I a the effects of either one of those

I can say that today's training was ful indeed

By taking off all my clothes while in the forest, I was able to feele hts AND stie it to awaken to mystical powers

It is a perfectly logical training menu

Aah,over

It's al from a cerebral concussion

With floating steps – it's as if I'h the air! – I come down from the forest

Abruptly, I see a swaying light

Two lights actually, swerving through midair

Howme

”C-, could it be…… ic?”

I approach with tottering steps

It ic!

Finally! I have finally found a mystical power!

Before I knew it, my steps have turned into a dash There are tree roots intowards the lights, si forward like a wild animal

”Magic! Magic! Magic! Magicic!!!”

I jurab……

”Ah……?”

The headlights dye my world pure white

The sound of screeching brakes reverberate inside my head

The shock penetrates ic…………

In conclusion, I did find ic

When I woke up, ic It's a bit different frohts that I saw at the end, but hey, who cares about the insignificant details

Oh right, and another insignificant detail is that I apparently reincarnated Perhaps it was because I found ate of reincarnation opened for ain, who cares

At the moment, I am a baby of several months It was only recently that I came to be fully aware, and my sense of time is still a bit blurry, so I'm not sure of the exact details

Above anything else, I don't understand the language All I do know is that this world has a ood enough

Because what actually does icThat is the be all and end all The process and other extra details are of no interest to me

As soon as I'd co particles floating around in the air is exactly like what I had felt while running through a field of flowers buck naked as part ofin my previous life

That training was by no means pointless The proof of that is the fact that I'd iic, and that now I've becos This feeling is just like that time when I had affixed myself to a cross while buck naked…… no, it is like when I had repeatedly converted religions and danced in prayer while buck naked…… I' fruit

I've already confir is indeed possible

Pouring all the free ti, this tionna poop

Speaking of which, I'd learned somewhere that birds are incontinent, but so are hu tells me to resist, my instinct screathening that I had spent days and nights training up, I constrictwhich…

”GYAaaaaaAAAA!”

…… I call for help

I think about 10 years has gone by

Magic is a With it, I can easily make movements far beyond human limits

Crushi+ng rocks? Easy

Running twice the speed of a horse? Totally

Juher than houses? You bet

But I'ic can up hty are Earth's weapons

The thought that ”There is no taepodong in this world, so isn't it fine to drop this?” did cross my mind, but orth is there in a power in the shadoho attained his position by co?

None, absolutely zero

Thus, I continue to strive towards attaining a body that can win over a taepodong

To that ai Recently, a certain possibility has surfaced inon it

Oh and by the way, the family that I was born into is apparently a noble house It's a lineage that has continuously spat out knights that fight while using ic swordsh expectations and respect…… or not Nah, they just treated me like any other apprentice swordsman

Powers in shadows reveal their true strength only to people and in places of their choosing Up till that moment……

Though I a for apprentice swordsmen is not cohts with hting style

To be blunt, the fighting techniques that I had learned in my previous life are several folds more polished and rational

This could be easily seen just by watching any modern martial arts match Useless techniques and unnecessary movements have all been weeded out, and different schools have taken and adopted other schools' very best Thatall those schools towards the path of being perfected

Of course, modern martial arts have boundaries called 'rules,' but that does not change the fact that their various techniques are being polished against each other and undergoing the process of selection

But this world, in comparison Firstly, there is absolutely no way that a technique crosses between countries Neither would a technique cross schools There are techniques that apparently only disciples can learn and are forbidden froets publicized, there is nopot, no selection, no polishi+ng If I had to sule word, it would be ”crude”

But this world's fighting is indeed fundamentally different froic

Due to ic, basic physical stats of this world's people are on a totally different level

For exath People can lift sorappling techniques become obsolete Even if Itheir abdouard position, they can sendtechniques, all out the

People fight the way that people fight, and goblins fight the way that goblins fight That's all there is to that

Furthermore, the speed and distance of step ins are different, so maai are considered differentlyAnd actually, this is the most important one

(T/N: 'Maai' refers to the space between two opponents in coe not just the distance between opponents, but also the tile and rhythm of attack It is specifically the exact position fro in the above elements For example, a faster opponent’s maai is farther away than a slower opponent ~Wikipedia)

Martial arts are, in essence, a fight over hts are all about

It took me quite some time to determine my own maai in this world I mean, this world's people's5, and their speed is fast, so it's not like I don't understand At first, I was ihting style”…… but nah, turns out that it's only because their defense techniques are undeveloped

We have this kind of people in our world too – people who suck at defense so they just lessly distance themselves from their opponent as much as possible

The opponent's attack is scary, isn't it? Being in a place where their attacks can't reach you is safer, isn't it? So that's why fights beco in to ht back out Hit and run, is it? Sorry, useless and simple back and forth movements don't count as hit and run

To me, 5m and 100m is equally worthless After all, proper attacks can't be launched from either distance 6m, 7m, 10m, it's all the saether and close the distance, shall we?

But at a certain distance, there is enor between the difference of 1mm, which is maai Whether my attacks will hit, whether le and various other things, gaining or losing advantage by ree By nobackwards 6m

All ic and all that confused me for quite a while, but recently I was finally able to deterood, I suppose

So yea, that's pretty oes There's only me, my older sister, and my dad – my dad teaches my older sister and me, and my older sister and I spar My older sister of 2 years above seems to have quite the talent, and will most likely becoic can be used, even girls can beco the heads of their families is not that uncommon

And because of that, I get beaten up by ht? After all, to become a power in the shadows, I have to act out my common life as an unremarkable Mob A

Which is why I spend everyday going ”fueee, onee-chan you're so strong~” while getting beaten up

So, such isthe dayti a noble, as well as various other tasks that I need to carry out as Mob A, so I don't have much free time

Therefore,to be carried out at night, after everyone else has gone to sleep Of course, thatthe effects of ic's recovery powers, I was able to develop a unique sleeping style that is super short but super effective

Well then, let's work hard at training today as well For today, I have a bit of a specialin the forest

As of late, it see a nearby abandoned village Upon investigation, they turned out to be a bandit gang of quite soets

(T/N: A sort of urban legend is that there were swords up random pedestrians on the streets, and this act was called tameshi+kiri)

I do kill randoands whenever I coed bandit gang is like a once in a year event forI' partner, so I love these kinds of crio down please?

In the rural areas of this world, crienerally be killed without a trial More like, only the large cities have judges, so those in the rural areas aren't too fussed up about this kind of thing Which is why I will judge you all, kekeke

Today is to co out – the slime bodysuit

Allow me to explain what the slime bodysuit is

This world has then theree of loss when they use ic For example, a normal iron sould only have 10 efficiency – you pour in 100 points of ic, but the effect is only a boost of 10 points Which ic is lost in the process Even for h conductivity, a sword capable of 50 efficiency would already be considered to be a high grade itee amount of loss

Then I came to consider sliical beings They change foric When I studied theical conductivity is a99 Furthere form So I hunted slimes, crushed their cores, and experimented on the leftover slime jelly The number of slime cores that I have crushed are easily in the thousands It was to the degree where the local area began suffering froo on expeditions further afield

The sli and co it, I was eventually able to make a full-body bodysuit out of it Unlike armor, it does not make any sound, is comfortable, and actually even provides support to any movements I uaranteed

At thea completely black bodysuit ments There is no unnecessary adornments, the suit fitsis unobstructed I pretty much look exactly like the villains in a certain detective a

Perhaps I should also think of a n in preparation for the day when I shall intervene as a power from the shadows

So with that, I've arrived at the abandoned village Despite the late hour, they've got torches lit up all over the place Apparently, they've just successfully assaulted aa feast Yep,skills, so they have a strong tendency to iet their hands on It's only right after an assault that they actually have things worth anything

What belongs to the bandits, belongs toa power in the shadows in the future

With max tension, I crash into the feast I don't play the stealth route, because then that wouldn't count as practice

”Hyaha~! Bring out all your money and valuables!!”

So I yelled standing smack dab in the middle of the camp

”The fuck is with this little squirt?”

I'uess the 'little squirt' comment is not entirely undue

”Oraa, I said to bring out all your money!”

After I kick away the rude guy who called me a squirt, the other bandits finally take up their weapons

”Oi, if you look down on us too o easy on you just 'cus you're a……!”

”Oraa!”

That guy's lines were just too cliche that I couldn't help but to cut off his head first Naturally, my weapon is made of slime material; it's an exceptional weapon that I can take out only when needed Furthermore, this slime sword still has several more handy functions

Handy Function 1: it stretches

”Ora ora ora ora oraaaAAA!”

I stretch the sli it in a horizontal arc to take out all the nearby bandits

The elasticity of mochi paired with the sharpness of an actual sword It's the first tihtly apprehensive, but turns out it performs quite well

”ORA ORA ORA ORAAA…… hmm?”

After getting caught up in theevery which way indiscris has becouy left?

”Y-, you, who the hell are you……?”

”Sigh, no other choice I'll test Handy Function 2 on you then”

”Wha-, what are you saying……!?”

”It seeuys, so you're probably the boss or so, yea? Unfortunately, there is zero possibility for you to win against ree to be my practice partner than you can probably live for 2 ht?”

”fuck you, ht of me! I'll have you know, I'm……!”

”Unnecessary comments are unnecessary, seriously”

”fuck YOU!!!!!!”

Boss A charges at e In the face of that dull slash, I…… choose not to evade

So Boss A's sword sround

”Haha, this is what happens when you ht of me! I have completely mastered Royal Capital Bushi+n Style…… wha-, WHAT?!”

”Hmm, not even a scratch”

I stand back up as if nothing had happened

I am completely satisfied with the suit's defense capabilities See on the level of Boss A's attacks

”Ooo, Royal Capital Bushi+n Style? Isn't it the school that has been pretty popular in the royal capital of late? Hey, show me more!”

”shi+t, you asked for it!”

Boss A attacks

Er, u to cut me, but I don't even have to hold uphim is easy-peasy

But this Bushi+n Style? I think I quite like it

Uncommonly so for this world, I can see that this style is not one bound by idealism or trite traditions, but takes direct and rational ways to close in to the opponent I can recognize that even fros Instantaneous acceleration, pressing forward by half steps, and the variety of other methods to press towards the opponent resonates with me

But, well, Boss A is really just too crappy at it

The moment when Boss A's attacks let up, I easily step out of his maai

”My, et cut!”

”I er than my older sister at the moment, but she'll probably overtake you in one more year or so I think?”

”YOU Goddamn BRAT!!!!”

After parrying Boss A's reckless swings, I lightly kick his shi+n Light, but snappy, it was a kick from below the knee

At which……

”Gu, aa, why……?”

Boss A cruurgles through his fingers and round

What happened was si from my toes Slime bodysuit Handy Function 2: able to to extend a shenever and wherever I want

The way I thought to use this function is to kick the opponent's leg with a sword extending froainst an attack ais Block the opponent's sithBland, but effective

”Guess there's no point keeping up with this any longer”

”W-, wait!”

”You didn't even last the full 2 minutes, man”

I kick upwards with the sword fro Boss A's head from under his chin Death by impalement

Kicking away Boss A's convulsing body, I search the camp for loot

”I don't know a fence who can handle these works of art…… eh, foodstuffs I don't need either…… come on, where are you, cash and jewels and precious metals~”

There were several carts of loot And also several corpses of merchants

”I've already helped you guys take revenge, and your goods will be used for a good cause, so rest in peace, alright?”

I gathered the passable quality of loot and offered a uess it'll be about 5 million Zeny Oh, 1 Zeny is about the sa for my activities as a power in the shadows

If only the entire world could have worse public order such that it would overfloith bandits Maybe to the level in ga several steps on the road

”Work harder in your next life and becoht?”

So I say to the silent Boss A…… before noticing so further beyond

”Cage……?”

It's a pretty big and sturdy-looking one too

”Slave? I can't fence that, so pass~”

But ood in there So just in case, I ree

”This…… I did not expect”

Inside is, um, how to say…… a rotten lump of flesh? I can just barely ender nor age nor anything else

But well, it's still living Maybe it still even has consciousness When I peered into the cage, I noticed the lu

I've heard of this before It's called demon possession, and the Church executes these inally born as norins to rot away They would eventually die if left alone, but the Church proactively buys them and executes them in the name of purification This purification of deenocide of patients, but the Church gains accla” the common populace from the ”demons” What can I say, it's medieval Europe indeed

If I sell this luher than the coain, I can't actually go sell it, so there's noto it

Guess I'll at least just put it to rest

I slide the slie…… but then suddenly realize so

There is an enorh I've been training ic ever since I was a baby, the amount I have still pales in coic And furthermore……

”This wave…… is it ic deviation……?”

Is it possibly the case that the reason why this luic deviation? Previously, I had also suffered froic back under control that time, would I have also become like this?

Magic has an undeniable effect on the physical body A certain day, I thought of a certain possibility Would it be possible that through ic deviation, I can train ic, such that it can becoic deviation is too dangerous, so in the end I had shelved the idea

But if this luic deviation, and if I can perforet even closer to the strength of a power in the shadoith zero risk to myself

”This meat, can be of use……”

I reach out to the luic into it

It's been aluess

While thinking of the day I gotin that sae

How did things become like this

The experimentation on the luh Since it was notin tons and tons of ic Not this, not that, maybe this way, maybe that way, oh I just had tons of fun with the experiot closer to the essence ofat a visible rate Everything was good

I i it denser, finer, and stronger, until the ic deviation…… then suddenly I found a young blond elf girl in front of my eyes

I was too absorbed in controllinginto a blond elf until thatthat lump of meat So I pretty much decided to send her off like ”You're free now, so return to your home!” or ”May you be happy in the future!” But then she was like ”I can no longer to horatitude” Iyou, you're just a coincidental outcoht?

It see away, but in the end I agreed to have her become my very first subordinate as a power in the shadows Doesn't seem like she'll betray me, and she seems pretty smart, and kind of possesses an unnecessarily capable aura Even though her age is 10 just like me, but apparently the rumor that elves mature mentally much faster wasn't a lie

”Which is why, from today onwards, your name will be Alpha”

α, Alpha, either way is fine