Instant Death

What Hilco saw as she passed through the forest was an idyllic rural landscape.

The fields were sprawling, with a few small houses sparsely populated.

It was a scenic scene, but Hilco did not look at it well.

I was trying to figure out if I really can't get out of here.

A mere human-created ward would not be able to block the movement of a god. That's what I thought, but from what I could see from this point of view, there was no sign of a breach.

In the first place, since I was invited here in agreement with the contract, even a god is bound by the rules. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make the most of it.

--It's a painful place to be forced to come to this world. ......

I'm sure you'll be able to find a few things to do in a world ruled by Hilco, and it's possible to unilaterally break a contract with a human being. But Hilco is nothing more than an intruder who came to this world without being called. I'm not going to be able to get the permission of the god of this world, so I can't use my true power.

--What is this world in the first place?　It's not unusual when the okan is divided and sealed.

It was hard to believe, but it suggested that there is a being in this world that is comparable to Lou.

Of course, I don't believe that Lou was defeated in a head-to-head battle. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

--It's not a good idea to take home a halfway house. But at the same time, it would have been better to bring her home with you anyway, even if it was only halfway: ......

I knew where Lou was.

Once you've returned, you can use all your strength to do it.

I'm sure you're thinking that now, but it's too late.

I'm not going to be able to get rid of Lou, I'm trapped in a ward, and as a result, it's the worst thing that could happen to me.

'We're here!'

A young man giving a tour. Yuri's voice brought Hirko back to life.

In front of him was a small wooden house.

Hirko was disappointed.

Since he had come to meet the higher-ups of a state-like organization, he had expected to be taken to a more opulent mansion or castle.

I'm sure you're not going to be disappointed so blatantly! We're a slow life alliance, this is what it's all about.

"I thought you were brought to a gathering of the big boys.

We don't have any gatherings or anything like that. It's not a representative, so I brought him to the alliance member, Toichirou. There's not much difference between any of the alliance members, so it would serve Hirko-san's purpose.

"Are you the greatest ally Yun?

Yes, that's right. Underneath the allies, there are associate members like me, and underneath that, there are workers who work outside. Some other countries have a rank system that mimics the military, but we have these three levels, so it's easy to understand.

Well, okay. You'll have to come in.

Hilco opened the door of the house and went inside.

The inside was not so luxurious.

There was a kitchen, a table and a bed. There seems to be another room at the back of the house, and I'm guessing there are toilets and bathrooms there.

From the looks of it, it looked like a room that was occupied by a single person.

Across the table in the middle of the room, a young man in work clothes was sitting across from it.

The young man was probably Toichirou.

Hilco froze, trying to swear at the room and at Toichiro's dull appearance.

It was God there.

In fact, the criteria for distinguishing between God and the rest were vague. There is an average figure of God that is roughly like this, but the main criterion is whether or not those who call themselves gods recognize them as gods.

Hilco sensed that it was a god, a being higher than himself.

'...... why ...... why is someone like you on here!

Why is this a fight all of a sudden?

Toichiro spoke to me in a soft manner.

'You wanted to talk to me?　Why don't you sit down for now?

"Oh, oh.

Hirko, overwhelmed by the encounter, did as he was told and sat down in the chair.

I'd like to ask you a few questions, though. I thought that the fact that you chose us at the drafting conference meant that you guys were the weakest.

In terms of strength, we're on the weak side. I think I'm strong, and I think the other allies are strong in their own right, but we are vastly outnumbered. Well, if you just want to protect the perimeter of your base, that should be enough.

No. If I was as strong as you, wouldn't I be able to easily overrun a human being by myself?

If such a being comes into a skirmish with the humans, it will be cleared up in an instant.

You can't do anything without a few of them, because of the way this continent works. Look at this map.

Toichiro pointed to a map spread out on the table.

It was probably a map of this continent.

It's a simple one that gives you a general idea of its location.

The map was delineated by lines and filled with hexagons. It's like a board game's hex map.

What a lot of detail!

This is the smallest unit of territory on this continent. This is the smallest unit of territory on this continent, a regular hexagon of ten kilometers on one side. This area is numbered, how many are there in total? Well, it's a lot. The people who are fighting the war are fighting for this hexagon.

"So what?

There's only a limited number of people that can get into the area. We are costed according to our strength. The cost of an area is limited to 1000 per camp. The weakest and most unimportant are S units, which cost 1. That means you can't march in with a bunch of L units.

"I have a few questions, okay?

"What?

First of all, that's the L-Unit. You say there are a few of them in here. Does that mean you're not over the cost limit?

The stronghold is a special case in which there is no cost limit. So other organizations' headquarters are also more difficult to capture.

"You said there is a cost limit, so you can march on your own as fast as you can.

The march has rules, too. First of all, no other organization can enter the area occupied by another organization as it is.

You can't fight a war like that. You can't fight a real war.

So here's the next rule: "If you occupy two or more adjacent areas, you can enter the enemy's area. If you occupy two or more adjacent areas, you can enter the enemy's area. If you defeat the leader of the team occupying the area there, you can occupy that area. That means you must have a unit in the area to keep occupying the area.

"Ah, so that's where the story about the lack of numbers leads.

The thing is, to cut through the enemy's position, you need to occupy the surrounding area and put units on it. To cut through the enemy's territory, you have to occupy the surrounding area and leave units behind. No matter how strong I am, I'm outnumbered, so even if I occupy it, they'll get it back soon enough.

But the home base area is in the corner, right?　If they surround you, you won't be able to get out, will you?

This is also a special exception to the home base, and there are no restrictions on movement from the home base to adjacent areas.

I understand the rules. But if you're serious, you can't just ignore these rules, can you?

I could, but I'm not going to. I'm happy with the laid-back environment I'm in. I'm not going to come at you, and I'm not trying to break the system.

Well, that's okay. Well, that's fine. I just want to go to the Himmerland or something. Just give me permission to leave.

"You can leave, but you can't go to the Himmelon country?

From what you're saying, you don't have an area in that direction.

Our camps are just scattered west of here. It seems there used to be a bunch of guys who were overzealous, so that's what they are.

So, then. If you want to get to the Himmelon country, you'll have to invade the north, beating the enemy to death?

That's what it's going to be.

All right. Get me out of here whatever you want. I'll find a way to get up north.

"The northernmost area is 110:10, but the ...... transition is limited to 125:17. Not enough points.

There's that cryptic term again!　What's a point?

Points can be obtained from the mobs on this continent. You need points to move between areas and transfer between them.

From the home base, you can transfer to the controlled area, and you can even call back units that are on a sortie.

But that would require points based on distance, he said.

...... What's the point and who's doing this?

That's what Hilco thought after hearing the story so far.

I'm not sure why these roundabout rules have been set up.

"Well?　I'm not particularly interested in that. As long as I can just sit back and relax here, I'm good with that.

Well, okay. Just let me go as far as I can.

OK, you can take this for now.

Saying that, Toichiro handed me a cylindrical container.

'What's this?'

It's a cylinder. When you stick it in the mob, it absorbs energy and you get one point for a full tank.

I don't know what it is, but I'll figure it out when I get there.

If you don't understand something, you can always ask me. You can always ask me if you have any questions. Do you need a map?

I learned after doing that.

The number on the top right is 1:1 and that's the home of the Himmerland. Looking down from there, the number increased to 2:1 and then 3:1. Continuing all the way down, 140:1 is the home of the Slow Life Alliance.

As you look from the top right to the left, the number increases from 1:2 to 1:3. The first number seems to indicate the vertical column and the later numbers indicate the horizontal column. The top left is the home of Momulus Country, 1:230, and the bottom left is the home of Sudria Academy, 140:230.

Hilco will be heading to a point not too far from the Slow Life Alliance's headquarters, which is 125:17, so it's not too far from the Slow Life Alliance's headquarters.

It seems to be quite a long way from the headquarters of the Himmerung State, but it's not necessarily the case that Lou will be there all the time. I'm not sure if he'll be able to join us as soon as he heads this way.

We don't know what Lou's movements are, but for now, we'll just have to make a move.

Bye.

When Toichiro said this, the landscape in front of Hirko changed in an instant.

Hilco was standing on a cobblestone road through a grassy field.

'Oh, yeah, yeah. I forgot to mention that the flora and fauna of this continent are mostly immortal, and if you touch them, even we can get infected, so be careful!

I immediately heard the words of Denshin.

"You're the first to say that!

"I forgot about it because I don't go out much. Well, you can put something like a barrier together, can't you?

"Of course!

It was also possible to form an infinite distance between one's body and the outside world, if one wanted to.

Hilco turned his hand blade into a horizontal cleave.

The shock wave generated cut the grass in a straight line. However, the severed grass was soon restored to its original state. The separated grasses were immediately joined together.

Feeling somewhat foolish, Hilco got pissed off.

Flames radiated from his palm. The flames spread across the meadow in the blink of an eye. What was left was supposed to be a literal burning field. But the grasslands that should have been burned out were soon restored to their original state.

The countless grasses growing all over the place were swaying unnaturally as if nothing had ever happened.

What is this, like a rebirth, like going back in time?　This just grass-like?　That's disgusting!

Hilco had seen both those who instantly regenerate and those who manipulate time.

But it didn't make sense that such a nondescript grass would have such abilities.

'Oh well. I don't even bother to touch it. We can just go north anyway.

Hilco floated softly.

He had no intention of walking slowly.

Hilco accelerated rapidly. It seems to be a bit of a Slow Life Alliance area from here on out, so I decided to go as far as I could in one fell swoop.

Then Hilco bumped into something and bounced back.

'What the hell!　There's a lot of this stuff!

If you look at something that hit you, it was a blue-white translucent wall.

It goes on and on to the left and right, extending to the heavens as well.

'That's the area boundary. I told you you need a point to get through.

You told me to stick this in and collect points. You don't have any points?

'I've used up all the points in the current transfer and I need the points that the unit has to move between areas.

Hilco looked at the cylinder in his hand. It was an energy-absorbing item, and when it was full, it would give him one point.

'Hassle!　What the hell!　Idiot!

I looked at the translucent wall to see if I could do anything about it, but it didn't seem to help.

Anyway, he'd have to stick this cylinder or whatever it was into the poor victim.

Hirko decided to look for the mob that Toichirou mentioned.