'Is he insane?' Nagumo thought, staring in horror as Sylas screamed after swallowing a piece of the monster meat.
From all the books he had read since arriving in this world, there wasn't a single mention of what happened to humans who consumed monster flesh.
"AAAH—!" Sylas let out another blood-chilling scream, that echoed through the tunnel.
Nagumo couldn't understand Sylas's thought process. Why would he eat monster meat when he clearly had more than enough strength to escape the labyrinth on his own?
The thought cut off abruptly.
An ominous presence suddenly radiated from Sylas's body. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.
Sylas's body was… changing.
Right before Nagumo's eyes, his frame expanded, muscles swelling and tightening as if they were being reforged from the inside out. His dark-brown hair deepened into a pitch-black shade, while his already solid physique grew larger, denser—refined into something distinctly inhuman.
But that wasn't what shocked Nagumo the most. What shocked him the most was Sylas's eyes. The familiar brown was gone, replaced by a vivid, burning crimson.
***
Several minutes passed before Sylas finally pushed himself up from the floor. He turned toward a nearby slab of smooth stone, studying his new reflection. "Not bad," he whispered, glancing down at his newly formed muscles. "Not bad at all."
He shifted his gaze to Nagumo, who was staring at him in complete disbelief.
"You just—but—how?" Nagumo stammered, unable to form a proper question.
Sylas looked down at him calmly. "How long was I out?"
"...About five minutes," Nagumo answered hesitantly.
"Five minutes, huh?" Sylas murmured. "Thought it'd take longer."
He picked up his shirt and what was left of his sweater, then glanced toward the divinity stone as holy water continued to drip steadily from its surface.
An idea sparked in his mind. "...Let's try it," he muttered to himself.
"Try what?" Nagumo asked, confused.
"You'll see."
From the moment Sylas realized he was in the world of Arifureta—and that his Nen type was a Specialist—his thoughts had been racing nonstop about the path he should take.
He had watched the first season of Arifureta before he died. Even if some details were a little fuzzy, he remembered more than enough to know that this world offered several different ways to grow stronger quickly—without needing to build abilities from scratch.
So he asked himself a single question. What does someone need most when exploring a brand-new world filled with monsters?
The answer came naturally. 'Strength and utility!' Sylas declared proudly in his mind.
He turned his gaze back to the divinity stone, watching the clear liquid drip steadily onto the ground. He extended his hand and carefully dug the divinity stone out of the wall.
"Come out," he said, pausing briefly. "Scale Exchange." A golden balance scale appeared before him—his self-created Specialist ability.
Scale Exchange: Offer materials corresponding to what you desire. If the offering is sufficient, the scale will descend and grant the ability you desire. If not, the scale will remain unmoved.
Sylas walked over to the bear's corpse, placed both hands on its head, and tore it free with brute force.
He set the severed head onto the scale, followed by the stone—then he added his own blood for good measure.
Pressing his hands together, he began to pray softly. "Come on… give me something good."
A light-blue flash erupted, blinding both Nagumo and Sylas. When the light faded, a two meter tall bear stood before them. Black fur. Crimson eyes. A satchel strapped to its side.
The bear looked at Sylas before it dissolved into translucent energy, surging straight into his body. The moment it entered him, a flood of information poured into his mind.
The creature had become his Nen Beast.
Its primary ability allowed it to summon ten cups of holy water per day. Each cup required a moderate amount of aura to manifest.
The holy water it could heal nearly any injury. Due to how slowly it was produced, it was considered one of the most precious substances in Tortus.
As Sylas skimmed through the remaining information, he realized the Nen Beast had also inherited some of the Abyss Bear's abilities.
Bear's Strength and Energy Sickles.
Bear's Strength granted the same monstrous physical power the bear had possessed when it was still alive. Energy Sickles were green energy projectiles that it launched from its claws.
"...Healing supplies secured," Sylas muttered, exhaling in relief.
Strength didn't mean invincibility. A healing ability was a must-have when fighting monsters and other enemies in a fantasy world.
He summoned the bear again, observing it carefully. "Now… what to call you." He looked at its black fur and the satchel at its waist before deciding on a name . "Kuma. That's what you will be called from now on."
He transferred some aura into Kuma, giving it just enough to summon a single bottle of holy water.
"Kuu…"
Kuma's body lit up in a burst of light. It reached into its satchel and pulled out a bottle of holy water, handing it to Sylas before being unsummoned.
With the bottle still in hand, Sylas gritt his teeth as used one arm to break the other.
Snap
"Are you insane?!" Nagumo shouted from the side.
He had stayed quiet ever since earlier, too afraid to ask questions about Sylas's abilities, but seeing him deliberately break his own arm shattered his restraint.
Sylas ignored him.
Opening the bottle Kuma had summoned, he drank the holy water in one go, curious to test its effectiveness in healing a broken bone. This would be useful information, if he had to heal during a fight.
The moment the liquid entered his body, a warm sensation spread instantly through his arm. His blood accelerated far faster than normal.
One minute later, his arm was completely healed. "Incredible," he whispered. His new body healed at an absurd rate, after drinking just one cup of holy water, his arm was as good as new.
He turned toward Nagumo, who was now utterly speechless.
So much had happened in such a short span of time that Nagumo didn't know what to do. Should he ask questions? Or stay silent? What was that scale? That bear? Where did the abyss bear's head go? What happened to the divinity crystal?
He had countless questions—and no answers.
"I'm heading out now, Nagumo." Sylas said, grabbing what remained of the bear and slinging it over his shoulders as he exited the cave.
Seeing him leave, Nagumo's chest tightened with anxiety.
"Oh, right," Sylas stopped just before exiting the tunnel. He turned back, tore off a chunk of meat from the bear's body, and tossed it beside the remaining puddle of holy water.
"What you do with this is up to you now." Without another word, Sylas walked out of the cave, never looking back.
What Nagumo chose to do with his gift was his own decision.
Sylas wasn't about to waste his new life babysitting. He was eighteen himself—he had no intention of spending his time taking care of others.
The only reason he had saved Nagumo was because his tunnel led him to the Divinity Crystal. Nothing more. Nothing less.
If their paths crossed again, then so be it.
There was no point wasting time down here in the dungeon when there were new things to discover and obtain.
To Be Continued…