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The moment Ryoji stepped out of the ancient-looking pitch-black door, his feet touched solid ground, ushering him into an entirely new world.
Beneath him stretched an endless sea of vibrant green grass, swaying gently in the wind. The horizon seemed impossibly distant, lost in the vast expanse. Above, golden sunlight poured down, and a refreshing breeze brushed against his skin, filling his chest with an unfamiliar yet exhilarating sense of freedom.
Just like in the Rakudai world, this new realm felt slightly surreal to Ryoji. It was as if he were seeing it from a higher, detached perspective, one that did not belong to an ordinary traveler.
He glanced down at his left hand.
The rabbit he had been holding was gone.
All that remained were a few strands of soft white fur drifting in the wind.
"...So I can't bring living creatures with me."
Ryoji murmured to himself, absorbing the implications.
More importantly, the door had not prompted him to choose a landing point. He had simply walked through it, and the destination had been decided for him.
So the entry point is randomized?
Judging by this first experience, it didn't seem like he had to worry about landing in immediate danger.
Turning back, Ryoji examined the pitch-black door behind him.
At some point after his arrival, it had silently closed. The golden inscription on its surface had shifted, now bearing the words Rakudai Kishi no Eiyuutan, but the glow of the letters had dimmed significantly.
He reached out and pushed against the door.
Nothing.
No matter how much force he applied, it wouldn't budge.
"…So I can't go back for now?"
A frown crept onto his face.
Could it be that this ability had a cooldown? That he would have to wait a certain period before the door reopened, allowing him to return?
They wouldn't just throw him in here permanently, would they?
…Right?
Hopefully, it wasn't something absurd, like forcing him to wait decades before being allowed to go back.
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I have no idea how time flows between worlds. When I return, who knows what stage the battle selection will be at…? Well, no point worrying about it now."
Shaking his head, Ryoji pushed those concerns aside.
Since there was no way to return at the moment, he had only one option, find a way to survive and establish himself in this world first. There was no use wasting time dwelling on things beyond his control.
Standing in the middle of the vast meadow, Ryoji took in his surroundings.
While the endless green stretched far in every direction, he wasn't completely stranded in the wilderness.
To his right, a dense forest sprawled out, its towering trees forming a natural barrier. Beyond it, the peaks of a distant mountain range cut against the sky.
To his left, about two kilometers away, a massive city loomed on the horizon.
The towering stone walls encasing it were thick and impenetrable, giving the impression of a slumbering beast protecting its secrets. Whatever lay beyond those walls was hidden from sight.
Ryoji scanned his surroundings once more. Sensing no immediate threats, he willed the pitch-black door to vanish from behind him.
The moment he did, that strange, detached perspective also disappeared.
The world before him became clearer, sharper as if he had truly arrived in this reality.
Before setting off, he had already experimented with this state using a camera.
When he activated that transcendent viewpoint, his body would seemingly vanish, but only within a five-meter radius.
If he left that radius, or actively dispelled the effect, his presence would reappear.
Within that zone, no external force could touch him, and likewise, he couldn't interact with anything outside of it.
It was as if he had momentarily stepped into another dimension.
A powerful ability, one that allowed him to become both invisible and untouchable.
Against formidable opponents, it could serve as an invaluable defensive measure.
However, this Illusory Domain was fixed in place. It didn't move with him.
Moreover, while inside it, he couldn't attack or interact with the outside world, meaning it was purely defensive. If he wanted to defeat strong enemies, he would still need overwhelming raw strength.
Still, for an ability that had awakened alongside his newfound power to cross between worlds, this was an unexpected but welcome bonus.
With a smirk, Ryoji adjusted the straps of his travel bag, feeling a surge of excitement.
Without further hesitation, he began walking toward the city gate.
"Wait a second… what about the language?"
Just as Ryoji was about to set off, a serious thought struck him.
"Is the language in this world the common tongue of an otherworldly realm, or is it the Japanese used in anime worlds?"
If it was an entirely new language, that could be a problem, he'd have to start from scratch just to communicate.
...
Before he knew it, the two-kilometer journey had passed in the blink of an eye.
As Ryoji approached, the massive city gradually came into full view, its sheer size becoming more imposing with every step.
Though he couldn't see what lay beyond the towering walls, their construction style resembled that of medieval fortifications, solid stone bricks stacked to form an abnormally high barrier, easily towering several dozen meters.
But then again, this was in line with the logic of this world.
From the fragmented memories he had, DanMachi was a world deeply rooted in RPG-like elements, filled with gods, humans, and monsters. The entire realm carried a distinct fantasy setting, unlike anything in the modern world.
"I wonder what the current timeline is… though I guess it doesn't really matter to me."
Ryoji mused to himself as he arrived at the city gate.
He had already forgotten most of Rakudai Kishi's plot, and his memory of DanMachi was even fuzzier, only vague recollections of major locations and famous settings remained.
Outside the gate, a long line had formed, stretching far ahead as people waited for inspection.
Among them, merchants sat atop horse-drawn carriages, hauling goods. Farmers, dressed in coarse tunics, held hoes over their shoulders, while armored warriors, armed with swords and daggers, stood in line.
But it wasn't just humans.
There were also races that looked humanoid yet possessed distinctly non-human traits.
Among them were Beastmen with twitching animal ears, Dwarves who stood barely half the height of an average person, and Elves with elegant features and leaf-like pointed ears.
These were the kinds of races he had only read about in fantasy novels.
And now, they stood right before his eyes.
It was a surreal experience, one that left him with a quiet sense of awe.
Taking a deep breath, Ryoji exhaled slowly and stepped to the end of the line.
"Um… excuse me, are you a god?"
The voice came from the person in front of him, an ordinary human male dressed in a simple brown tunic, the kind commonly worn by laborers. His demeanor was plain, yet his expression showed a mix of curiosity and hesitation.
The question caught Ryoji off guard.
But more importantly… he had understood the words perfectly.
Wow, they really are speaking Japanese.
A wave of relief washed over him. That confirmed it, the language in this world aligned with the common tongue used in anime settings.
"No, I'm just an ordinary human." Ryoji shook his head with a small smile.
"My name is Ryoji. Just a simple E-Rank Blazer, nothing more."
The man's eyes widened slightly as if surprised by the answer.
"I see… I heard that gods have a certain presence about them. That the male ones are always exceptionally handsome."
He gave Ryoji a thoughtful look before chuckling sheepishly.
"For a second, I thought you might be one… But if you're busy, go ahead, I'm in no rush."
He casually stepped aside, motioning for Ryoji to move ahead in line.
"Thanks."
Ryoji blinked, a little surprised, but nodded politely as he stepped forward.
"After you," the man added.
"You go ahead..."
Before Ryoji realized it,
He had already reached the front of the line.
(End of Chapter)