Chapter 31: First Conscious Crossing (Patreon)

Originally, Astraea had been like many of the gods living in Orario. She figured the lower world would most likely fail the trial of the Black Dragon.

Who would have guessed that, just when the road seemed to end, a new village would appear in the willow shade?

Renan, who had awakened [Rabble] along with a host of rare skills, had given the goddess new hope.

And the many 'unknowns' hidden within him drew her in so deeply she couldn't stop herself from sinking into them.

Now she had very nearly handed over her entire heart.

"At your current rate of progress, getting every stat up to your personal limit, say, at S rank, will take roughly a year and a half to two years," the brown-haired goddess reminded him.

That was already not slow. Not everyone was like Bell Cranel, the protagonist of the anime, who had awakened the ultimate cheat, Liaris Freese, which sped up his growth and turned him from a total newbie into a high-rank adventurer in just a few months.

Renan had always had a clear sense of how ordinary his own talent was.

Without a cheat to help him, he would most likely top out at Lv.2 or Lv.3 in this life.

Because the stats he'd accumulated over his first few Falna level-ups wouldn't have been enough, his potential would run dry and he'd stall right there.

But don't forget.

The existence of [Rabble] was the very reason Renan could stand before Astraea today.

Now that he'd already earned a sufficient feat for leveling up, he could keep stacking up monster kills in the Dungeon and then summon new versions of himself through the shared space to share their strength.

Or else…

Thoughts flashed through his mind. The black-haired youth narrowed his eyes slightly, paused for a moment, then said slowly, "Lady Astraea, for a while I may not be able to come to you for Falna updates. Also, during that time, every defensive rune and concealment rune at my residence will be active."

Astraea: "…"

At the first half of that sentence, she was honestly a little displeased.

Renan's stat growth had already slowed to under 50 points in total every three days, but watching him grow stronger bit by bit still let Astraea enjoy the pleasure of raising someone.

But when the boy said he would activate all the runes he'd carved earlier in the garden of his residence, the goddess suddenly caught on.

Her eyes seemed to shoot out light as she asked, "You're going to use the 'Rabble' skill on purpose?"

As always, the gods of the DanMachi world had lived far too long, and apart from a very few exceptions, none of them were genuine fools.

After knowing Renan for so long, Astraea hadn't said a word aloud, but deep down she had long since vaguely guessed the true effect of [Rabble].

Still, with the wisdom of a mature woman, since Renan didn't want to talk about it, she chose not to press him over a bit of curiosity.

"That's right." Renan nodded, a trace of hesitation on his face. "But this is my first time, so I'm not sure what will happen to the body I leave behind here once I activate the skill."

"Then…" Astraea parted her lips, meaning to say that she would gladly look after him. But on second thought, although the two of them had grown close enough, they still hadn't torn through that last paper-thin barrier.

And some things had to be kept hidden, even between husband and wife.

So she simply put on the expression of a wife seeing her husband off on a long journey. Her head dipped slightly, her cherry lips brushed his forehead, and a faint smile touched the corners of her mouth. "Then allow me to wish you a safe journey from right here."

…

He'd said he was going to start the consciousness crossing, but after leaving Star Hall, Renan didn't head straight back to his villa.

Instead he made a trip to a nearby market and bought a large stock of cooked food, drinking water, and recovery potions.

Back home, he used a carving knife to draw a rune array in his bedroom that worked like a refrigerator. He melted a paraffin mixture infused with a few drops of Astraea's divine blood and poured it into the carved grooves.

Finally, he placed all the supplies he'd bought inside the range of the rune effect. Only then did he lie down on the bed board, unhurried, and slowly close his eyes.

Deep within his mind.

Three golden stars began to flicker.

He gently touched his consciousness to one of them, and a line of text quietly surfaced in his thoughts.

[Spacetime Node: Pokémon: Original Series]

Unlike the previous three times the shared space had opened, this time Renan didn't hesitate.

He pushed his whole consciousness a little further toward the star that represented the Pokémon timeline.

The next second.

A sudden anomaly.

The spacetime node, which had been completely still, abruptly produced a golden whirlpool, like a swirling current of water.

Dragged along by the vortex, Renan's consciousness couldn't even resist. It was swept up in an instant and plunged rapidly toward the golden star.

Two seconds later.

His whole field of vision went dark.

By the time he came to his senses, a sneering laugh rang out beside his ear.

"Good work, Ekans."

"Heh. So much for the League's so-called elite Trainers."

Ekans?

Renan's thoughts went taut. He understood that he had arrived in the Pokémon world.

But it wasn't quite what he remembered from his predecessor's shared memories. He had assumed the Ekans that hit him with Poison Sting was just a wild Pokémon, and that his predecessor had simply been careless and paid for it.

Now it was clear this was a premeditated, planned attack!

As Renan thought it over, the sound of boots stepping on grass was already drawing closer.

The Ekans's Trainer clearly wasn't new to this kind of killing business.

He stopped when he was less than five meters from Renan, then gave another order. "Ekans, go take the Poké Balls off that guy's belt."

"Ekans!"

The Ekans slithered slowly toward Renan.

It wasn't fast, as if savoring the joy of victory and slaughter.

Even so, about seven seconds later, the Ekans reached Renan's side.

It glanced at the corpse before it. The eyes were closed and the breathing had stopped entirely.

Without a second thought, it stretched out its head and opened its mouth toward the belt where three Poké Balls hung.

But right then!

Renan, who had been playing dead all along, suddenly snapped his eyes open, and Thunder Breathing activated in his lungs at the same instant.

With lightning speed, his right hand shot out and seized the Ekans at its vulnerable spot just behind the head.

And that wasn't all!

He rolled once along the ground, used the momentum to get to his feet, and stamped his right foot down hard, launching himself like an arrow leaving the bowstring.

In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of the Ekans's Trainer.

His left hand had already been raised and thrust forward, the fingers curled into a tiger's claw.

A quarter of a second later.

—Crack!

He crushed the man's neck.