BAMN: Chapter 6/10

Chapter 6: Building a Camp

Time passed quickly.

A week had passed since the two entered the forest.

And on another morning, seven days later, Rin and Ogerpon finally found a good place to build their new home.

Deep in the forest, a clear stream gurgled, like a delicate thread of Great Nature, quietly outlining a secluded sanctuary.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, scattering into the stream, sparkling like countless tiny golden diamonds dancing and shining on the water's surface.

On both banks of the stream, green grass was like a carpet, dotted with wildflowers, emitting a faint fragrance.

(From now on, are we going to live here?)

Ogerpon squatted down, her small hand gently playing with the flowers at her feet, her mood quite good.

"What does Ogerpon think?"

(There are many fruits in the forest, and there are fish in the water. Ogerpon likes it here!)

"As long as you like it."

Rin patted Ogerpon's head. It wasn't that he didn't want to stay in the village.

His previous self hadn't had a good life in the village, and after awakening his memories, Rin naturally wouldn't tolerate being looked down upon by others anymore.

So, after making preparations, Rin taught a lesson to those who had discriminated against and bullied him.

Then, before attracting the attention of human adventurers, he took the prepared supplies and entered the Pokémon World.

Furthermore, unlike his previous self, Rin actually preferred the Demon Lord setting over the human identity.

After all, in the Cardinal World, becoming a Demon Lord was the mainstream.

The demon bloodline in Rin's body just so happened to allow him to initiate the evolution ritual for monsters, completing the awakening of a Demon Lord from low to high rank.

And to achieve this goal, conquering humans was useless.

For a monster to grow, besides the necessary potential, it needed to increase its existence value through achievements, constantly evolving until it reached the Demon Lord stage.

Territory, subordinates, battle achievements.

None of the three could be lacking.

Rin had the Unique Skill Traveler, he could obtain power and companions by traversing different worlds.

Ogerpon's growth was even more straightforward. She could directly use war to sustain herself, constantly fighting, and naturally become incredibly strong.

The current location of the two was in the western part of the Jura Great Forest.

There were no powerful monster groups living nearby, and with Ogerpon's B-rank strength, combined with various Pokémon moves, it was enough for them to establish themselves here.

Even if they encountered monsters stronger than B-rank, they could immediately abandon this place.

Running away was not shameful.

First, preserve your life. There will be plenty of opportunities to come back for revenge later.

"I'll go into the forest to pick some fruits."

Having made up his mind, Rin began to arrange their work. "Ogerpon, can you help me cut down that circle of trees?"

(Are those the ones?)

"Yes, from here to there, and also this area on the left."

Rin pointed to Ogerpon. "We are going to build our new home by the stream, and cutting down all these trees will free up more space for future crop cultivation."

"The cut trees can also be used to build houses," Rin said. "We will have more companions in the future, so we need to prepare houses for them in advance."

(New companions!)

Ogerpon liked lively environments. (Ogerpon wants to build a big, big house for many, many friends to live in!)

(But, Ogerpon doesn't know how to build houses.)

But soon, Ogerpon realized that she had always lived in caves and had no idea how houses were built.

"Don't worry, leave the house building to me."

In his previous life, Rin had studied carpentry out of interest, especially the construction of simple wooden houses, which he remembered quite clearly.

(Rin is so amazing!!)

Hearing that Rin could build houses, Ogerpon's two star-like eyes widened, and her admiration almost overflowed.

It must be said that Pokémon are truly adorable creatures that can heal one's soul.

"I'm going to pick fruits."

Rin's physical condition was good. Just picking fruits wouldn't put him in any danger.

Even if a monster did appear, Ogerpon would rush to his side immediately.

Next, the two split up.

Rin first picked various fruits that he remembered were edible and tasted good, washing them in the stream.

Incidentally, he also caught four plump fish for lunch.

It was a pity that the Terror Bear meat they had hunted earlier was all gone, otherwise lunch could have been even more abundant.

Rin decided to conserve some of the supplies brought back from the Pokémon World.

He couldn't be sure that the worlds he would cross into later would always have enough resources.

If he encountered a post-apocalyptic, post-disaster, or relatively primitive world.

At that time, Rin would have to use his Traveler opportunities to "stock up" from the Pokémon World, which would be too troublesome.

Therefore, save whenever possible.

Since there was readily available food right in front of them, there was no need to consume the supplies in the warehouse.

(Rin, Rin, is this enough?)

(If not, Ogerpon will cut more.)

In the clearing by the stream, Ogerpon's small body was lifting a log that two people could barely embrace over her head.

Utilizing Pokémon moves, combined with Ogerpon's current powerful B-rank strength.

Those ancient trees that would take ordinary people several hours to cut down, Ogerpon could snap them with ease.

"Enough, enough."

Rin quickly stopped Ogerpon. "No need to be so fast, take your time, we have plenty of time."

Looking at the little one's energetic appearance, Rin inexplicably felt a sense of guilt for exploiting child labor.

"Poniii!"

Ogerpon exerted force with her hands, and the log was instantly thrown into the air.

Clearly, the little one did not listen to Rin's instructions and just buried herself in hard work, having no idea what slacking off meant.

"Boom!"

In just half an hour, Ogerpon not only cut down trees but also did the initial processing.

Only a mountain of logs was left, neatly stacked on the grass.

But even after doing so much work, Ogerpon not only didn't feel tired but enjoyed it immensely.

Having lived alone on Mount Oni in Kitakami for all these years, Ogerpon finally met Rin, who was willing to interact with her.

Being naturally afraid of loneliness, after hundreds of years of solitude.

Let alone just cutting down some trees, even more arduous work, Ogerpon could happily complete: (As long as I can be with Rin, Ogerpon is happy doing anything!)

(To be continued.)

Chapter 7: Many-Legged Spider Bug

"You worked hard, come eat something."

Rin stopped Ogerpon. He stroked her head, smiling as he took out various freshly washed fruits from the basket.

Ogerpon is a Grass-type Pokémon. Theoretically, she can replenish the energy needed for life through photosynthesis just by drinking water.

However, Pokémon need to grow.

Mere survival is far from enough.

A rich and nutritious diet is the foundation for Pokémon to become stronger.

"Poniii!"

The little one happily took the fruit Rin offered. She opened her mouth, and her two small fangs bit down with a crunch.

Immediately, sweet and sour juice filled her mouth.

("Delicious!")

Ogerpon and Rin sat side by side on a stone, her two short legs dangling in the air.

Eating delicious fruit, with family by her side, Ogerpon felt extremely happy.

"There's not much time left today, we can only make a simple tent, and then properly build our new home tomorrow."

Rin said as he wiped away the fruit stains on Ogerpon's body.

Every move was like an older brother caring for his innocent younger sister.

A gentle breeze blew, and tree shadows swayed.

The two lay under the shade of the trees, relieving the fatigue accumulated during the day.

"Let's start, Ogerpon."

After their lunch break, Rin and Ogerpon started working again.

"Ponooo!"

Ogerpon sprang up, and before Rin could speak, she had already brought a log.

"Shape this log like this."

Rin planned to first build a fence to protect their future home. "Oh, and we also need to dig a sufficiently deep ditch on all four sides."

Of course, these two tasks definitely couldn't be left to Ogerpon alone. That would be too inhumane.

Rin didn't want to end up hanging from a lamppost someday.

Rin would also participate in the task of digging the ditch.

There was no need to worry about tools. When he was in the Pokémon World, Rin had purchased quite a few construction tools and brought them back to the Cardinal World.

The two cooperated, Rin wielding a hammer, driving logs into the ground one by one.

Whenever Rin ran out of materials, Ogerpon would immediately come over with a large pile of processed wood.

The little one was full of drive!

"Rustle~"

Suddenly, the sound from the jungle made the two working instantly alert.

"What's that sound?"

Rin's expression was solemn. "It sounds like something is coming?"

Seven days of forest exploration had given Rin much experience in dealing with danger.

He didn't go closer to court death but wisely retreated a few steps.

"Ponooo!"

Ogerpon dropped the wood in her hand, flashed to shield Rin, and in her hand, a thorn vine stick emitting a green glow materialized.

Soon, a bizarre creature, like a combination of a centipede and a spider, appeared before Rin and Ogerpon.

"What kind of monster is this?"

Rin had purchased a Monster Encyclopedia sold by the Free Guild in the village.

However, he had no impression of the huge Insect Monster in front of him.

"Appraisal!"

Without hesitation, Rin decisively used the system's Appraisal skill on the Insect Monster.

"Multi-legged Spider Bug"

Type: Mixed Insectoid Monster

Level: C (Existence Value 3800)

Intrinsic Skills: Silk Spit, Potent Poison

Description: A monster that recently appeared in the Jura Great Forest. After poisoning its prey, it uses its mouthparts to suck its blood and flesh.

Danger Level: Low

Is this really a monster?

In the original work, were there such monsters?

As soon as this thought surfaced, Rin immediately dismissed it. "The original work is just a novel, and this is the real world."

There are so many species in the forest. It's impossible that there are only those described in the book.

Moreover, if it's a monster, it should be possible to communicate, right?

But looking at the Spider Bug, it didn't seem capable of communication at all. It was even more monstrous than any other monster Rin had encountered on his journey.

For a moment, Rin could only retreat with Ogerpon, maintaining a safe distance from the opponent.

"Hey!"

Rin still intended to communicate with the Insect Monster in front of him. "Can we calm down? We mean no harm."

"If this is your territory, we can leave."

Both Rin and Ogerpon were, at their core, people with principles.

If this area was already occupied.

Then their actions of destroying trees and arbitrarily building fences were indeed somewhat offensive.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"

However, the Multi-legged Spider Bug seemed to completely misunderstand Rin's words and directly sprayed a large amount of venom at the location of the two.

"Damn it!"

Rin and Ogerpon quickly dodged.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss~"

Turning their heads, they saw that the trees and ground covered by the venom instantly turned black and foul-smelling, as if corroded by sulfuric acid.

Undoubtedly, the other party intended to kill them.

"Po?"

Ogerpon awaited Rin's command. The latter's gaze turned cold, and he said in a deep voice, "Be careful of its poison and silk. Use ranged attacks as much as possible."

"Then, cripple it!"

(Understood!)

Ogerpon's lips curved slightly, her small fangs cute yet fierce.

"Pon! Popon!"

The little one wielded her thorn vine stick with powerful swings.

She stomped her foot, and a large amount of light green energy, centered around her, instantly covered an area of over ten meters around her.

This move was a magic spell transformed from a Pokémon move, Grassy Terrain!

However, unlike the original Grassy Terrain which benefited both sides, Ogerpon's magic only affected her and allies recognized by her.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"

Across from her, the Multi-legged Spider Bug was clearly startled by Ogerpon's move.

A large amount of magicules scattered in all directions, causing the Multi-legged Spider Bug, which perceived its surroundings through its antennae rather than its eyes, to lose its ability to sense the environment.

Due to its unease, the Multi-legged Spider Bug instinctively sprayed silk forward.

Unfortunately, Ogerpon was well-prepared and dodged the Multi-legged Spider Bug's attack with a quick flash.

"Now!"

Rin: "Use Seed Bomb!"

"Poniii!"

Ogerpon opened her mouth and sprayed out a large number of golden light spots.

These light spots landed on the Multi-legged Spider Bug, immediately causing earth-shattering explosions, making it emit painful insect cries.

"Break all its legs."

Without further hesitation, Rin gave the order for close-quarters combat. "Use thorn vine stick!"

"Hmph!"

Ogerpon had been waiting for a long time. The little one stomped the ground, transforming herself into a bolt of lightning, carrying monstrous strength capable of splitting mountains and cracking stones, and shattered all of the Multi-legged Spider Bug's legs

(To be continued.)

Chapter 8: Artificial Monster

"Squeak, squeak!"

Accompanied by a loud noise, the Multi-legged Spider Bug wailed in pain.

But deprived of the support of its insect legs, its entire body crashed to the ground.

A large amount of dark green blood emitted a foul stench, making Ogerpon retreat repeatedly.

"Ponooo~"

Ogerpon retreated to Rin's side, her face full of disgust. (It smells so bad, this guy.)

"Cough, cough, cough."

Rin also put on a pained expression.

He really wondered if such a monster truly possessed intelligence.

The monsters he had encountered in the past, their flesh and blood were edible.

Unlike the Spider Bug in front of him, which was like a biochemical weapon.

"Biochemical weapon?"

Rin once again used the Appraisal skill on the Spider Bug.

This time, Rin utilized the "Inquiry" function of the Appraisal skill.

Inquiry means to appraise the desired target. For example, if you appraise a sword, you will get the sword's attributes.

But specific data cannot be clearly known through simple Appraisal.

Through inquiry, you can know information such as the sword's thickness, length, weight, and material.

This kind of targeted Appraisal depends on what you want to know.

Targeted inquiry Appraisal is far less convenient than Rimuru's Great Sage, but some basic functions are actually not much different.

"Inquiry: Does this Spider Bug possess intelligence?"

"Report: No."

"???"

Rin's eyes widened, somewhat doubting if he had misheard. "No, didn't you just say it was a monster?! It doesn't even have intelligence, are you sure it's a monster?"

"Report: Artificial Monster, similar to a construct."

Rin pretty much understood.

Simply put, this thing was not a naturally born monster. It possessed a soul, but not a complete soul, rather a soul fragment.

Rin wasn't entirely sure how it worked.

He only knew one thing. There was no need to treat this Spider Bug as an intelligent life form.

"So it's just a brainless wild monster."

Rin frowned slightly, and he waved his hand in front of his nose. "Finish it, Ogerpon."

"Poniii!"

Ogerpon did not ask why.

As long as it was Rin's request, Ogerpon would execute it without hesitation.

"Boom!"

Thus, the thorn vine stick swung, and green energy, from dozens of meters away, smashed down fiercely.

The immense force landed on the Spider Bug's head, causing even half of its body to burst open like a watermelon, clearly dead beyond dead.

[Individual name 'Ogerpon' killed 'Multi-legged Spider Bug', gained 5 Existence Value.]

The experience acquisition prompt that came with Ogerpon informed Rin of the Existence Value the Multi-legged Spider Bug could provide.

"5 Existence Value, 2 points higher than Terror Bear's 3 points."

Rin didn't pay too much attention to the magicules obtained from killing the Spider Bug. He was more concerned with the term "Artificial Monster."

"I always feel like I've fallen into something bad."

Rin shook his head, dispelling these unnecessary worries. "Strength. As long as I become strong enough, no conspiracy or trickery will be a cause for fear."

"Ogerpon, who do you think is stronger, this Spider Bug or the Terror Bear from before?"

"Hmm..." Ogerpon thought for a moment and said, (Ogerpon feels the Spider Bug is so weak.)

Don't let Ogerpon's combat style, which involved using Grassy Terrain to confuse the Spider Bug's senses and Seed Bomb to disarm its defenses, deceive you.

These were just tactics Ogerpon specifically developed for caution.

If it came down to a direct comparison, Ogerpon could finish off the Spider Bug with one hit.

Well, the Bombing Terror Bear was the same in that regard.

(But Ogerpon still thinks the Bear is stronger!)

This was Ogerpon's intuitive feeling. She couldn't explain why, but she just felt that the Bombing Terror Bear was more threatening.

"Intuition?"

Rin believed Ogerpon's feeling was correct, and he looked down at the shattered Spider Bug. "After all, it's an artificial product. It can't compare to a genuine C-rank monster."

Of course, part of the reason was also that Ogerpon had become stronger than she was not long ago.

When she encountered the Terror Bear, Ogerpon's magicules were around 7000.

And now, in just seven days, Ogerpon's magicules had increased from the initial 6500 to 8000.

Ogerpon had been quite active along the way.

Whenever she saw a monster or beast that could provide experience points, she would give it a hit, whether it was worth it or not.

Rin treated her like a Pokémon grinding for levels.

If it was a monster, Ogerpon would try to minimize damage and quickly put it into a baby-like sleep, thereby fulfilling the "defeat" condition.

As for monsters, as long as the opponent chooses to surrender, the Growth can obtain the corresponding magicules.

In addition, Rin would also leave food for these defeated ones.

Rin, who had just awakened his past life memories not long ago, was still unable to plunder recklessly.

He gained experience points, and the other party got food.

A definite win-win!

(Ogerpon used so much magic power to fight the Terror Bear.)

(But to fight the Insect Monster, Ogerpon used this much.)

Ogerpon gestured with her two short hands, indicating lengths, which Rin couldn't understand at all.

(In short, to fight the Insect Monster, Ogerpon consumed much less magic power.)

Ever since she came to the Cardinal World, Ogerpon had found that the energy within her body had become much more abundant.

Not only had the quantity increased, but even her recovery speed had been greatly enhanced.

For example, in the past, after a battle, Ogerpon would always need to catch her breath.

But now...

Ogerpon stated that even if she had dozens of such battles consecutively, she would not feel tired.

The higher the existence value, the more magicules there were, and the amount of magic power and stamina that could be contained was directly proportional to it.

Coupled with astonishing recovery speed, and Ogerpon's unique Pokémon moves, her strength was by no means simply describable as B-class.

Rin felt that even if Ogerpon faced A-class, or even A+-level monsters, she would have a considerable chance of winning.

"Alright."

Rin didn't say much more about other things.

Artificial monsters and such were too far away from them.

The top priority now was to bury this spider Insect Monster, which had been beaten to a pulp, to prevent it from polluting the farmland.

Over the next period, while working, the two encountered three waves of Insect Monster invasions.

Rin didn't know what the situation was in this place, why there were so many Insect Monsters.

However, Ogerpon was not to be trifled with either.

Her thorn vine stick lived up to her reputation.

After adapting to Pokémon-type magic, Ogerpon's combat became even more effortless. Often, the enemy was killed before they could even make a move.

"There isn't an Insect Monster nest nearby, is there?"

Rin watched Ogerpon manipulate tree roots to drag the remaining remains underground for burial.

He held a dagger in his hand, and on the ground nearby, there were materials Rin had collected from three Insect Monsters.

Resisting the foul odor emanating from these items, Rin was clearly disgusted but still began to clean these materials, determined not to waste anything!

"Should we go investigate?"

While cleaning, Rin secretly pondered, "No, with just Ogerpon and me, even if we find an Insect Monster nest, it would waste a lot of time, and it wouldn't be worth it."

Considering that the camp had been initially built, Rin finally decided to ignore them.

There were still a few hours until the Traveler's cooldown was over. At most, by tomorrow, Rin could cross again.

The Traveler's ability to cross dimensions had a cooldown period.

The length of the cooldown period was related to the time Rin spent in the other world.

Just like last time, Rin stayed in the Pokémon World for seven days, so upon returning to the Cardinal World, there would be a seven-day cooldown.

Of course, this referred to the cooldown after returning to the Cardinal World.

If he was in another world, Rin could return at any time to avoid encountering unmanageable dangers in the new world.

"Let's just treat it as a monster spawning point."

For some reason, Rin felt that it wasn't bad to occasionally have spider Insect Monsters come to them.

This way, they wouldn't have to bother looking for monsters.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 9: Ogre Clan

At the same time, tens of kilometers away from the camp Rin had chosen, within the forest, a small village of three hundred people was nestled.

The figures coming and going, men mostly dressed as samurai, while women wore kimono-like cloth garments, and each was tall with horns on their foreheads.

If Rin were here, he would surely recognize this village as the Ogre Village, which was destroyed by the Orcs led by Footman in the original work.

The Ogre Clan had an average combat power of B-class, possessing the powerful military strength to destroy human villages by themselves.

The Ogre Village had a population of around 300, and its overall strength was such that even if it encountered an A-class monster attack, it could easily win.

In the assessment of human adventurers, it was a terrifying force capable of destroying an entire city.

However, the Ogre Clan in the Great Jura Forest was not as fond of destruction and slaughter as their appearance suggested.

On the contrary, although the Ogre Clan was combative, they upheld loyalty and never attacked the weak or innocent.

They mostly maintained the village's development by obtaining remuneration through employment from different monster tribes in the forest and from humans outside.

After over a hundred years of accumulation, the Ogre Clan had now become one of the three dominant forces in the Great Jura Forest.

To the south, the massive Orc tribe, numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

To the north, the Lizardmen, with a population exceeding ten thousand and individual combat power above C-class.

And the Ogre Clan, numbering only 300, located in the western part of the forest, possessing B-class combat power once they reached adulthood.

The three major forces checked each other, forming a tripartite balance, which allowed the Great Jura Forest to maintain superficial peace.

Originally, this pattern had continued for a long time.

Human adventurers generally did not venture deep into the Great Jura Forest, and the Ogre Clan would not actively attack surrounding countries or forces.

However, not long ago, a group of Insect Monsters, whose origin was unknown, broke the peace in the western part of the forest.

They wantonly slaughtered wild beasts in the forest and continuously plundered the resources that monsters relied on for survival.

At first, the Ogre Clan did not take it to heart.

The Great Jura Forest was permeated with the Storm Dragon's magicules, so no one could say what kind of monsters and demon beasts would be born.

However, not long ago, some clansmen were hunting in the forest but were attacked by hundreds of C-class Insect Monsters, their lives hanging by a thread.

If it weren't for the young master of the Ogre Clan leading a rescue team, this group of clansmen would probably have been completely wiped out.

For the sparsely populated Ogre Clan, every clansman was incredibly precious.

But even so, 2 Ogres still died under the attack of the Insect Monsters.

The body of one was dragged away by the Insect Monsters, while the other lost his life not long after being brought back to the village.

"We can't let this continue!!!"

The robust red-haired Ogre said to the elderly red Ogre sitting in the leader's position, "Father, gather the warriors in the village and go exterminate those disgusting Insect Monsters!"

This red-haired Ogre was Benimaru, who would later follow Rimuru in the original work and be granted a name and become the Commander-in-Chief of Rimuru's country.

However, at this time, he, along with Shion, Shuna, and others, had not yet received their names.

In the Cardinal World, most monsters did not have names.

Once a monster had a name, it would become a "Named Monster," and its potential and life level would experience a leap-forward improvement.

Unfortunately, the current Ogre Village did not have Named Monsters.

After all, Kijin had long become a legend of the Ogre race, and none had been born for a thousand years.

"Old man, what do you think?"

The leader looked at the white-haired elder who was meditating with his eyes closed beside him.

The entire Ogre Clan deeply respected this experienced and highly skilled swordsman.

In fact, if the elder hadn't been so devoted to swordsmanship, he should have been the leader of the Ogre Clan.

"I have never seen this type of Insect Monster in the Great Jura Forest; they don't seem like native monsters."

Unlike the spider-type Insect Monsters Rin encountered, the types of Insect Monsters encountered by the Ogre Clan and other monster tribes in the forest were far more than just one.

Mantis-type, centipede-type, beetle-type, butterfly-type—all kinds, almost encompassing all battlefield needs, truly biological weapons.

"It's just, old man, I suspect, are those Insect Monsters really monsters?"

"Categorically, they are indeed monsters."

The red Ogre leader also couldn't understand. "But we tried to communicate with them and found it completely impossible."

Demon beasts cannot communicate, have low intelligence, and are purely monsters.

Monsters, on the other hand, are intelligent life forms, have their own tribes, and most can coexist peacefully.

"No matter what, the young master's idea is not wrong."

"These Insect Monsters can appear endlessly, so there must be a nest or a similar base camp."

"Only by finding it and destroying it can we fundamentally eliminate these dangerous Insect Monsters."

The suggestion was approved by the Ogres present.

So, the leading red Ogre patriarch began to arrange personnel.

He had the future Benimaru lead the team, including Shion, Shuna, and others to search for the Insect Monster nest in the forest, and then launch an attack to eliminate this unknown disaster in one fell swoop.

As night fell, Rin did not know the origin of the successive waves of Insect Monsters, nor was he aware that the Ogre Clan was organizing people to prepare to exterminate them.

After a full day of work, Rin and Ogerpon finally completed their first wooden hut.

The wooden hut resembled a tent, about one person tall, with a triangular structure, enough to accommodate Rin and Ogerpon, providing them shelter from wind and rain.

A bonfire was lit in front of the hut, and the two needed to take turns on watch to prevent night raids by wild beasts and monsters.

But this was temporary.

Once Rin's Traveler cooldown was complete, he would take Ogerpon to a new world.

If they were lucky, they could not only find a place to rest but also replenish a wave of supplies.

Thus, Ogerpon guarded the first half of the night, and Rin guarded the latter half.

This arrangement was also to ensure that Ogerpon would have sufficient physical strength and spirit to deal with potential troubles after crossing.

The bonfire crackled, a faint flicker of firelight dancing in the darkness.

Inside the wooden hut, Rin felt the tranquility of the night forest.

Ogerpon rested her head on his thigh, her small body curled into a ball, smacking her little mouth, as if dreaming of something delicious.

Even in such a wild outdoor setting, Ogerpon seemed to be sleeping in the warmest of blankets.

As long as she stayed by Rin's side like this, Ogerpon would feel incredibly secure.

What a little glutton, she's even drooling.

Wiping away the moisture from the little one's fangs, Rin stroked Ogerpon's hood-like body.

His hand brushed over the pointed horn on her hat; it was part of her body, not just a simple decoration.

However, Ogerpon's body felt very soft.

Even the Ogre horn, which should have been sharp, felt soft and yielding in Rin's hand.

And so, Rin watched over her like a younger sister until dawn, without encountering any more Insect Monsters attacking them.

The morning light first broke, and a hint of fish-belly white appeared on the horizon.

In the haze, the mist in the forest drifted like a light veil, and faint light filtered through the sparse treetops, dappling the moist ground, where dew drops were faintly visible, shimmering with silver light on the tender green leaves.

"Pon-yo?"

Waking up from her sleep, Ogerpon rubbed her sleepy eyes, then instinctively began to look for Rin.

And upon seeing Rin, the worry in Ogerpon's eyes immediately dissipated.

In its place was pure joy and dependence.

(Rin, Rin, are we still building a house today?)

With yesterday's experience, Ogerpon already had some insights into building houses.

She wanted to challenge herself to build a bigger wooden house, and then construct a large house that could accommodate two people!

"Let's pause for now."

Rin patted the little one's head, then took Ogerpon to wash up by the stream, and ate a simple meal of mushroom stewed porridge and a few Energy Cubes, before announcing today's plan.

"I plan to open the door to another world and scout it out first."

Rin said, "If the new world is too underdeveloped, we'll use our once-a-day traversal on the Pokémon World."

The technology in the Pokémon World is very advanced.

Rin could completely go there, introduce various equipment and resources, and quickly build a simple camp.

He had no intention of catching other Pokémon for now.

A Traveler cannot bring people across, unless the other party becomes Rin's familiar.

But the familiar slots were temporarily limited, and Rin did not plan to use all of the remaining 2 slots on Pokémon.

"However, if we encounter a dangerous world, we will return immediately."

(Mhm, Ogerpon will protect Rin!)

"Then I'll leave it to you."

Stretching, Rin looked at the re-energized and eager Ogerpon. "Are you ready?"

"Poniii!"

Ogerpon made a bodybuilding gesture, indicating that she was full of drive!

"Very good, very energetic!"

After Rin finished speaking, he activated the Traveler's ability, which had cooled down and could be used again.

"Let's go!"

Thus, accompanied by flickering light, Rin and Ogerpon were no longer in the campsite, leaving only the extinguished campfire, its smoke lingering in the damp morning air.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 10: Obtaining a Cheat

When Rin opened his eyes again, what came into view was an indescribably unique space.

The surroundings were pitch black, with only a small bright area in front, radiating a deep light like the starry sky.

"Pon-yo?"

Ogerpon held Rin's hand, her small face filled with shock.

The little one had no idea where this was.

What about the promised other world?

How did they end up in such a dark place?

"Don't rush, let me think."

Rin was about to ponder where this was and what kind of world he had arrived in.

The next moment, rays of light bloomed before Rin's eyes.

"Ponooo!!!"

This startled Ogerpon, who quickly conjured her thorn vine stick and shielded Rin behind her.

Don't let Pon's shyness, fear of loneliness, and small appearance fool you.

In critical moments, she truly dared to act.

"Wait a moment."

Rin calmed Ogerpon, and he looked closely.

What appeared before the two of them was a chair, a small round table, and tea and desserts placed on the table.

At this moment, a blue-haired girl was sitting on the chair.

This was a girl of fifteen or sixteen, beautiful beyond Rin's comprehension.

How to describe it?

For some reason, the moment Rin saw the girl, the word "Goddess" popped into his mind.

Yes, besides a goddess, there could simply be no woman in the world with such beauty.

Her clear, aquamarine hair gave an impression of lightness and softness.

Her perfect body, neither too full nor too lacking, was covered in a loose, light purple garment, commonly known as a feather robe.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, the blue-haired girl, who was reciting her lines, seemed to sense something.

She blinked her aquamarine eyes, as clear as her hair color, and stared intently at Rin, and at Ogerpon, who was in front of him, her small mouth open, two small fangs showing, and her expression incredibly cute.

"???"

At this moment, the girl stared back at the two of them.

"Oh my?"

"Oh my my?"

Gradually, the beautiful, long aquamarine-haired girl's expression began to change, as if she hadn't quite grasped the current situation.

Rin and Ogerpon also did not act rashly.

Especially Rin, for some reason, he had a strange sense of déjà vu about this scene, feeling as if he had seen it somewhere before.

Blue hair, goddess-like beauty, and this attire...

"Hold on a minute!!"

Before Rin could speak, a certain idiotic goddess had already exclaimed, "No, who are you two?!"

"Did the reincarnation mechanism malfunction?"

"And where did you two come from?"

"This is overtime! Overtime!"

"Protest! Strongly protest overtime!!"

Aqua had clearly discovered the special nature of Rin and Ogerpon.

As the goddess who managed the destination of young Japanese people's souls after death, no matter how brainless Aqua was, she could tell that Rin and Ogerpon were still alive.

This situation was more like transmigration to another world.

Except the transmigration process was reversed. People from another world had suddenly appeared in this space.

"Ahem, calm down first, Water Goddess Aqua-sama."

"Eh?!"

Hearing Rin call out her name, Aqua was first stunned, then an incredibly smug smile appeared on her face.

"Pfft pfft pfft."

The girl covered her mouth and chuckled, "Although I don't know where you came from, you've heard of the great Water Goddess Aqua."

"There's nothing I can do! Fine, I'll grudgingly accept you!!"

Aqua's reaction made Rin, who had prepared all sorts of persuasion plans, feel like an idiot.

Yes, Rin had deliberately called out her name.

As for the purpose, it was naturally to go to the Konosuba World.

The adventure mechanism there, and the skill points, were very suitable for Rin's current situation, who only had magic power and attributes but no combat skills.

But now...

"You want to go to another world and challenge the Demon King?"

Aqua sat back in her original position, calmly opened a bag of potato chips, and munched on them in front of Rin and Ogerpon.

It was hard to imagine how she could act so impolitely with such a beautiful, sacred face.

Fortunately, he already knew what kind of existence Aqua was.

So, sorry!

No matter how good Aqua looked, Rin didn't want to have any dealings with her.

After all, messing with a fool was against the law.

Not to mention Aqua's personality, who knew how much trouble she could cause if she were by his side.

"Ahem, yes."

Rin said, "This child and I are currently traveling the worlds, and in this process, we defeat powerful opponents and improve our strength."

"Oh."

Aqua didn't think much of it at all. Her empty brain couldn't hold too many things.

Conspiracies and tricks were simply not as important as Rin's phrase, "Water Goddess Aqua-sama."

If they knew her name, they must be her followers.

Aqua was quite lenient with her followers.

"Alright."

Aqua: "Anyway, no one wants to go to that world, so it's even better if you want to help."

"Then..."

Rin revealed his true intentions, "Great, wise, beautiful, noble Aqua-sama, could you give us a little, tiny benefit?"

"Hmph hmph!"

Aqua continued to be engrossed in Rin's flattery, indicating that he spoke nicely and should say more!

"Normally, this kind of thing would definitely not be allowed."

"However, who can stop our great Goddess Aqua!"

"Now! Take it with gratitude, this blessing from the great Upper Goddess Aqua!"

The next moment, Aqua waved her hand, and sheets of parchment fell around Rin like a scattered heavenly maiden's flowers.

"Oh oh oh!!"

Rin: "As expected of Aqua-sama!"

This time, Rin's words were no longer flattery, but from the bottom of his heart.

Giving benefits right off the bat, you're a good person, Aqua.

Although idiotic, when she treated people, she was genuinely willing to spend money.

In the original novel, many of Aqua's debts were due to her spending money to treat the entire guild to meals.

Even for an outsider like Rin, Aqua was still willing to break the rules and give him a cheat.

Just for this straightforwardness, Rin secretly decided: If I see Aqua and Kazuma getting mixed up like they did in the original, I'll lend you some gold, Aqua.

"Choose."

"But, only one."

Aqua pointed at Ogerpon and said, "Its life composition is very special; it's with you, so it can't receive any cheats provided by the gods."

In short, even by the Konosuba world's judgment, Ogerpon is Rin's summoned creature.

If he could get more cheats this way, wouldn't Rin summoning hundreds of skeleton soldiers directly make the gods go bald?

"Alright."

Rin was a bit disappointed, but since it was a world rule, there was nothing he could do.

Greed knows no bounds, and Rin was already very satisfied to get a cheat ability for free from Aqua.

"Oh, right."

His own searching efficiency was too low, so Rin decided to directly ask Aqua: "Is there a cheat that allows for rapid skill learning?"

"Oh, that kind."

Aqua, being bored in her daily life, read many manga and light novels, so she instantly understood Rin's meaning. "Take that one; it allows someone to copy the skills of people they've come into contact with. The limitation is that copied skills are only level 1, and their effectiveness depends on one's own attributes."

This is a setting in Konosuba.

Konosuba's skill points can be spent on any learnable skill, and not just one point, but can be continuously invested.

Just like Megumin's Explosion Magic, it requires a large number of skill points to unlock.

Similarly, upgrading the level of Explosion Magic also consumes skill points.

The reason Megumin's Explosion Magic is so powerful is that she specialized in this skill, spending all her skill points on it.

So, according to Aqua's meaning.

If Rin were to copy Megumin's Explosion Magic, he would indeed get Explosion Magic, but it would only be a level 1 Explosion Magic.

Not only that, if his magic power was insufficient, Rin still wouldn't be able to cast Explosion Magic.

"So, this cheat is pretty useless."

Aqua: "Even so, do you still want it?"

"Hmm..."

Rin didn't decide immediately, but instead asked about several other cheat abilities he thought might be more suitable for him.

Unfortunately, those abilities had more or less certain restrictions and thresholds, and in any case, they weren't very suitable for the current Rin and Ogerpon.

"Alright then."

Having no choice, Rin finally made his selection. "I'll take the skill copying ability."

"So, this..."

Aqua: "What was your name again?"

"My name is Itoshi Rin, and this child is Ogerpon."

"Pon! Popon!"

Ogerpon was completely confused throughout. Her mind was filled with (Who am I, where am I, what am I doing here).

"Rin-san, and your familiar Ogerpon, you are about to go to another world to become one of the reserve heroes to defeat the Demon King, and at the moment you defeat the Demon King, you will receive a gift from the gods."

As Aqua chanted, a bright magic circle lit up beneath Rin and Ogerpon's feet, then slowly lifted the two of them upwards.

Rin did not resist. This was the power of the Konosuba world's gods, far beyond what he could defy now.

Ogerpon was also very sensible, obediently staying in Rin's embrace, neither crying nor making a fuss.

"Oh, Hero! May you stand out among the many reserve heroes and be the one to defeat the Demon King."

"Alright, set off!"

Light enveloped Rin and Ogerpon, leaving only Aqua's voice echoing in their ears.

When the light dissipated, Rin found himself on a medieval European street.

Carriages rumbled over the cobblestones, and in front of the neatly arranged red-brick houses, people came and went, some with beast ears, some with pointed elf ears. Undoubtedly, this was Axel, the beginner town in the Konosuba novel.

(To be continued.)