Entering a Company From Another World! – Chapter 171

Volume 1 of the novel has been decided for publication by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
The release date is scheduled for October 18, 2018.
The content has been revised and expanded from the version posted on “Shōsetsuka ni Narō,” with the inclusion of an unreleased interlude.
We would appreciate your favor of the published book as well.

“Tch, undead are so vague to deal with. I wanted to test my current abilities right here, right now.”

Being interrupted while in the middle of a contract with the Spirit of Time and Space, Valse, and having an undead deployed to such a remote location… it probably means that Kaido and the others are also facing undead in the forest they’re heading to.

So, I tried to practice and get used to the sensations I gained in that other space as soon as possible.

“Yo!”

Controlling my strength had become quite difficult.

I don’t know if my abilities have truly increased without using the app, but my body moves smoothly, my fingertips are sensitive, and I can cut through things more easily than ever before.

Unfortunately, while undead have high vitality, their hardness leaves something to be desired.

As a result, they’re not ideal opponents for testing my limits, I must admit.

“Ah, not that I’m complaining, but I wish I had something with a bit more substance. Well, I suppose I’ll just have to accept that the job finished quickly.”

It feels strange to say this when facing undead, but the scene before my eyes is a veritable sea of corpses.

Whether it’s scraps of dirty cloth, bones, or rotting flesh, they are scattered all around.

“The way you slash is abnormal. You’re about to step into a realm where you cut concepts, not physical objects. Even so, most things can be cut, so complaining about your opponent is selfish. Honestly, my contractor turned out to be quite an extraordinary person.”

It seems my eyes weren’t deceiving me; all the sliced surfaces were unnaturally clean.

And according to Valse-san, my sword strokes aren’t merely severing physical bonds based on atomic theory, but are instead severing the very concept of adhesion, even if only partially.

To put it simply, I’m trying to sever the word “adhesion” and eliminate the phenomenon of being stuck together.

It appears my slashes are beginning to be imbued with a somewhat childish, chuunibyou-esque setting.

“Slashing that ignores defense? What is that? Normally, undead shouldn’t die so easily, but look at them like this. It’s laughable how physical phenomena aren’t working at all. Shields are completely pointless against this kind of slash.”

“You acquired this unconsciously, didn’t you? That’s truly frightening. But your slashes are just the beginning, you know? Think about it calmly. If you can create such slashes, you can also perfect defense. If you live as long as us, conceptual defense is commonplace, and there are countless ways to defend against your slashes.”

I felt as if I had only glimpsed the tip of an iceberg.

“So, it’s like a battle of contradictions? Or a game of cat and mouse. In that case, who is stronger?”

“That depends purely on strength. In other words, the one who hasn’t trained enough loses.”

“I see.”

I wonder how the instructors would react if they heard this conversation?

Would they be surprised? Wary? Or would they enjoy it?

I have a feeling they’d likely lean towards enjoying it, but at least, I don’t think those two would be incapable of what I’ve achieved.

Instructor Kio would probably laugh with amusement and spar with me.

As for Instructor Fushio, I can’t see a future where he’d even let me get close enough to attack. Even reaching this level, I still can’t see his back. I scoff at my own arrogance, wondering why I’m even bringing this up after less than a year, and turn to look up at the Spirit Valse.

Now is not the time for sentimentality.

As always, she sat atop a giant snake, looking down at me.

“Well, we don’t have much time, so let’s keep this brief. Let’s make a contract.”

“Hmm, it would be troublesome if we postponed this, so let’s get it done right here, shall we?”

As if contemplating whether to buy something she forgot, the spirit spoke casually. The giant snake gently lowered its head close to the ground, and Valse-san dismounted. However, her feet didn’t touch the ground; she floated about thirty centimeters above it like a spirit and approached me, stopping about two meters away.

“Now, Contractor-san. Again, what is your name?”

I had expected her to begin with a more formal tone, a different atmosphere, or perhaps the procedure for the contract. But without the slightest concern for my expectations, she asked my name with the same unchanged attitude.

“Jiro Tanaka. I thought this would be a bit more formal?”

I questioned whether such a casual approach would allow for a contract, but Valse-san replied that this was how it was.

“It seems to be that way for others, but I don’t care about formalities. It’s just about exchanging names and forming a bond between you and me. Wouldn’t it be easier and save time to have a simple, relaxed approach? Now, my name, Valse, Spirit of Time and Space. I shall ‘entrust’ it to you.”

Is this called spoken magic? Entrusting my name. It was supposed to be a simple act, but those words echoed in my chest as if they weighed me down. And I felt a genuine connection form with the being before me. Simultaneously, the method to summon an unknown spirit was etched into my mind.

“Well then, if anything happens, I’ll be there to help, so do your best, Jiro-chan.”

I was still clutching my chest, feeling the connection that had just formed, when Valse-san casually declared the end. Like a salaryman finishing their shift, she relaxed and smoothly returned to the head of the snake.

“You’re quite familiar with me right after we contracted. Well, I suppose it’s nice and easy. What should I call you then? Valse-sama, perhaps? That would mean using honorifics too.”

“Hmm, that’s the usual way, but it somehow feels distant. You can call me by my name. Of course, honorifics aren’t necessary either. By the way, acquaintances among the Water Spirits call me Vacchyan. Would you like to try that?”

“…I can’t. I’d rather use the honorifics. How about Valse-san as a compromise?”

“That’s quite ordinary, isn’t it? Well, let’s go with that. We don’t seem to have much time either.”

I avoided the “Vacchyan” nickname, as my age and personality didn’t lend themselves to being called that way. I decided to call her Valse-san, formerly Valse-sama. And as Valse-san said, time indeed seemed to be short. Thanks to the undead breaking through space, the flow of time in this area had returned to normal. While the fight against the undead wasn’t short or long, the situation was undoubtedly changing by the minute. Swift action was required.

“Well, I’m going to ask you to do something I shouldn’t ask right away, but as a celebration of our contract, would you lend me a glimpse of your power?”

“Oh, you’re quite a demanding contractor from the start! Well, for this one time, I’ll turn a blind eye. Shall I send you to the source of this undead outbreak?”

“Yeah, I want to wrap this incident up quickly and go on vacation.”

“Fufu, I don’t dislike that kind of thinking! But are you sure? The place you’re talking about has a rather thick miasma.”

“I’ll manage somehow. I’ll ask for your help if push comes to shove.”

“It feels like I’m being burdened with all sorts of troublesome things right after signing the contract.”

“I’m the type to clearly separate my duties from others. If I’m not fighting, I want thorough support. This is a request from a weak human with limited capabilities. I don’t want an inauspicious start like my contractor dying on the first day of the contract, do I? Let’s make it a grand gesture for our first contract’s anniversary.”

“I can’t help it! Just this once, okay? If my first contractor is someone like you, maybe I should choose a more docile child for the next one?”

“In that case, make the trials a bit easier. Otherwise, you’ll end up contracting with all sorts of weirdos like me?”

“I’ll think about it. Well then, I’ll send you now~”

The contract with the spirit, after much twists and turns, was finally over. Although not physically tired, I was mentally exhausted. But I judged it to be fine and offered her a mischievous smile. She returned it with a smile of magnanimous indulgence, like someone accepting a prank from a mischievous imp. Amidst a conversation mixed with casual talk and jokes, I waved goodbye behind my back and stepped into the spatial rift Valse-san had created. The place I emerged into was…

“Wow, this is awful.”

It looked like hell had descended. The space had a similar atmosphere to the Undead King’s dungeon, but that dungeon had a sense of order. This place, however, had none. It was simply a space that exuded death. There were no living beings, only a collection of various species of skeletons, zombies, and ghosts – a veritable exhibition of non-living entities, parading around according to their desires.

“This is like indiscriminate terrorism.”

The once lush Spirit Forest was gone without a trace. The trees had withered, the soil was polluted, and the springs had turned to poison. It was an environment far too harsh for any living thing to survive. It wasn’t that I was dirtying the place, but I unhesitatingly lit a cigarette, something I hesitated to do in the Spirit Forest, took a deep drag, and exhaled the white smoke. The white smoke was quickly swallowed by the miasma and disappeared, but it was enough to attract the attention of the undead. The piercing gazes, or rather, the sticky, brooding stares that clung to me, felt truly unsettling. I wondered what kind of process could create such a space, how anyone could be so inconsiderate, and as I thought about the perpetrator, I dismissed them with a single word – idiot – and pushed the thought aside.

“Alright, overtime. It’s time for overtime. Even unpaid overtime. Ah, just hearing the word ‘overtime’ makes me depressed. Is that a work-related illness?”

I began to clear away the Ore Tree, trying to get some of the situation under control before the supervisor’s unit arrived. My partner pulsed slightly, as if expressing its slight aversion to cutting this existence. I gave it a wry smile.

“Yeah, I understand how you feel, but I’ll take care of you later, so don’t get bent out of shape, okay, partner? If you get angry in a place like this, I’ll be in serious trouble. I’d rather not fight these guys bare-handed.”

While musing that I’d prefer to fight more worthy opponents, I felt my aversion to combat either numbed or gone. My partner pulsed in agreement, and I felt a sense of reliance. Paying no mind to my inner thoughts, the undead, sensing prey, let out cries of joy and swarmed towards me from all directions. Their charge was like a storm, closing the distance in an instant and attacking me.

“Ah, it feels strange when I cut, as always. Can I get used to it during this battle?”

Even so, I didn’t panic and swung the Ore Tree. Physically, or rather, in terms of weight, it would be more accurate to say. Normally, even if I cut down the enemies at the front in one go, the ones following behind would overwhelm me before I could launch another attack. But I wasn’t afraid of that now. After all…

“Alright, shall I move on to the next one?”

That’s if I were to unleash regular slashes. At a pace of one swing per second, I would undoubtedly lose to the sheer numbers of undead. But I could unleash dozens of slashes in an instant, with a light, flowing motion. Furthermore, those slashes had entered the realm of cutting things that physically cannot be severed, things that could be called concepts or thoughts. The result? It goes without saying, the result speaks for itself. A storm of slashes descended upon the undead. Feeling the gust of wind generated by such swordplay on my skin, it occurred to me that perhaps Instructor Kio’s mistake in controlling his strength during his first attack on me in newcomer training was, in a way, inevitable. Controlling the power was difficult. Despite swinging lightly, I was able to deliver a single strike to the majority of the approaching undead. It took them a moment to realize they had been cut, and by then, their necks and torsos, their bodies vertically, their upper and lower halves, were separated, with various degrees of precision in the cuts. A single stroke that returned the lifeless to death. I had mastered that. I stepped into the domain of the undead as casually as going for a stroll, but nothing could stop me.

“Ah, the air here is awful. Honestly, didn’t the person who did this learn not to bother people? Ah, they probably didn’t, otherwise they wouldn’t do this. Or maybe they think this is right? Their brains must be fundamentally flawed.”

Though I grumbled towards the perpetrator of this incident, seeking to distract myself, I had no choice but to silently move my mouth and the Ore Tree. I continued to cut down enemies attacking from all directions – front, back, sides, above, and below – as I walked towards the increasingly dense miasma. Naturally, the further I advanced, the more enemies there were and the more varied their species. With each increase, my arm moved so fast it left no afterimage, blurring for an instant. That was enough to slice skeletons into three parts, including their armor, turn zombies into mere torsos, and make ghosts vanish without a trace.

“Oh, a worm, huh?”

Several times, a zombie worm with horrifyingly irregular fangs erupted from the ground, trying to devour me. But…

“Hmph!”

Just by holding my breath and gathering my strength, the zombie worm’s mouth was diced into a perfect grid, and the severed pieces of flesh, along with its blood, scattered from the shockwave generated by my swing. It was like a natural claymore; the worm’s fangs were among the scattered debris, attacking other zombies and skeletons, causing damage all around.

“Ah, a Lesser Lich?”

Magic was handled similarly. I detected incoming fireballs with my magic power and severed them with my slashes before the heat could reach me. Ice, wind, stone, darkness – if they were all made of magic power, then I just needed to weave magic power into the Ore Tree and make it capable of cutting magic. The instructor’s teachings were indeed extreme but also the truth. At the time, I thought it was like trying to cut a tsunami with a water cutter, a preposterous idea, but it actually worked. I spotted the Lesser Lich that had cast the magic in the distance. It seemed bewildered that I had nullified its magic with my slashes.

“Is the next challenge my body?”

While the opponent was confused, the longer I fought, the clearer the next task became. My swordplay had entered a realm beyond human capabilities, but my body’s movements hadn’t quite caught up. Although I could now run a hundred meters in two to three seconds, it was still not enough. While wielding the Ore Tree didn’t cause physical strain, I still felt that I wasn’t utilizing my body to its full potential. This incident made me realize that if I trained my body further, I could step into that higher realm. For the Lesser Lich, an enemy that cut through its magic, and ran towards it with inescapable speed, I must have seemed like a nightmare.

“Well, it feels like it’s about time, but the destination is deeper, and if the miasma gets any thicker, it’ll start affecting my body.”

The concentration of miasma was now visible, emitting a purplish haze. Judging by the corresponding increase in dark magic, the source of these undead must be close.

“My worries seem to have been unfounded. I’m relieved.”

The destination was near. I sensed this vaguely as something flew overhead. A colossal body, blocking the faint moonlight that illuminated this hellish place.

“A gatekeeper? Or a guardian? Either way, it’s been a while since I fought a dragon zombie. And two of them.”

Even with their bodies decaying, the dragon species remained a threat with their tough physiques. Their flesh was rotting, their once magnificent green scales were stained, and their wings were full of holes. As the colossal bodies landed, they created a significant impact. One positioned itself to block my path, while the other cut off my retreat. The location Valse-san sent me to shouldn’t be too far from the destination. It felt like an hour had passed since I started moving.

“I’ll defeat them quickly, finish my overtime, and then get some drinks.”

With the end in sight, I calmly began my assault on the dragon zombies with a natural control of my strength.

Today’s Message:
It’s enjoyable to improve at one’s job, but I don’t welcome troublesome problems. Perhaps I’m the only one who feels this way.

This concludes this installment.
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