Arranged Funds

I rush into Mald's personal space right after Trash said, "Begins!"

In my perspective, everything becomes slower. Perhaps, I'm very fast that the others seem very slow in comparison. Also, as the fight begins, a red-colored HP Bar and a green crystal-like cursor appear above Mald's head. It looks like a special effect of a combat situation. Anyway, it helps me keep track of my opponent's HP, so I know if my opponents are dead or alive.

Be that as it may, I arrive inside Mald's personal space and throw my free hand at his uncovered face. Mald is wearing a helmet, but his face is uncovered. It feels like an invitation to hit it. Thus, I accept the unspoken invitation and hit his ugly mug. Of course, I hold back my power. I don't want to cause unnecessary drama by killing Mald.

When my fist hits his face, it breaks his nose. No, it's worse than that. I have indented his face. His blood spatters in the air, and I dexterously dodge the slow-moving scattered blood. Have I overdone it? Probably. Do I care? Of course, not!

In slow motion, I watch calmly as Mald's eyes turn glazed and slowly roll up into his skull. Then, his body is swaying for a couple of seconds before falling down the ground. And so, I win this so-called duel.

When I shift my attention to everyone else, I find myself pleased with their expressions. Their expression speaks their shock, horror, or a combination of both. Well, everyone except for Motoyasu.

The self-proclaimed Love Hunter only raised his brow in bemusement, but he doesn't seem bothered by the violence that has occurred. Granted, he has experienced and seen far worse in the canon timeline. Thus, this is nothing to him. However, Ren and Naofumi are different. They are horrified.

Suddenly, a loud whistle breaks the silence that has descended in the throne room. Motoyasu was the one who whistled. Then, flurries of activities and shouts fill the entire room.

"Quick! Call medic!"

"Give him first aid!"

"Stabilize him first!"

"Sir Mald, hang on!"

I don't know who spoke what. I just keep my distance from the unconscious Mald as the others treat his injury in a hurry.

"Man! That's a good match, I say!"

I turn in Motoyasu's direction. He has approached me, said that, and patted my left shoulder. He seems impressed.

"Did you think that you have overdone it?" Naofumi asks and shoots a cautious glance in my direction.

I shrug my shoulders and give Naofumi my answer, "Honestly, I have held back. If not, he might have died."

"Hey! You're level 1 just like us, aren't you?! How did you get so strong like that?!" Ren asks suddenly.

"Magecraft," I reply with a deadpan. Yes. I am stubbornly sticking on my lies regarding my origin because it sounds cool. It's not like they will know the truth.

"That's right! Magic, um, I mean Magecraft exists in your world, does it?" Naofumi remarks and nods in acceptance. Motoyasu nods along with him.

"What kind of spell was that?" Ren asks again, still rude and demanding.

"A nice little trick called Reinforcement. In short, it is a spell that fills the imperfections in your body using your magic energy. It doesn't increase your power, but it corrects those imperfections until your body nears perfection. A human's body is filled with wonders, and its maximum potential is stepping into the realm of superhuman by modern's standard." I explain to the rest of the heroes.

"A nice trick. Do you think that I can learn it?" Naofumi asks, looking excited.

"Alas, I'm uncertain if I can teach you my world's mystery."

I see Naofumi's disappointment and Ren's frown and add, "Don't get me wrong. It's not like I don't want to teach you. You need Magic Circuits to use my world's Magecraft. By the way, Magic Circuits are supernatural pathways in the soul of Magi, and you can't use Magecraft without them. Besides, we can use this world's brand of magic because we're summoned as heroes or the champions of this world."

"That's right! We have MP and SP gauges, meaning that we can use the magic of this world!" Naofumi says optimistically.

"Ahem... Well, heroes. Your attention, please!" Trash clears his throat and calls us.

We look around and find Mald nowhere to be seen. It looks like he has been carried off the throne room to get treatment. The previous chaos has calmed down, and the rest of the adventurers has returned to their previous position, standing in line not far from us. It seems that they have settled everything when we have been discussing my so-called magic.

"Returning to the previous issue, the Bow Hero has shown his mettle, and I've accepted his condition. Thus, he will go alone." Trash pauses briefly before continuing snidely, "Still, you should have done better than that, Bow Hero. There is no need to be heavy-handed on that adventurer."

"Don't blame me! Blame that guy for being weak! Besides, I was holding back! You condescending prick!" I snap at Trash, angered by his condescension. So far, he has been extremely condescending. (The gall! He is just trash!)

"Okay! I understand! I apologize, Bow Hero! Please, calm down!" Trash apologizes and tries to calm my anger. In return, I scoff at him.

"Haah..." Trash sighs loudly before shifting his attention to the adventurers. "Now, gathered adventurers, you can choose the hero with whom you will travel. Except for the Bow Hero, of course."

Naofumi and Ren seem surprised by Trash's announcement, but they keep their opinion to themselves. Meanwhile, Motoyasu appears disinterested.

The adventurers go to their chosen heroes and stand in line behind them.

Ren has five adventurers behind him. All of them are male. Four of them are the same companions his canon counterpart had, but the new last one is the mage guy who joined Itsuki's party in the source materials. His name is Welst if I'm not wrong.

Motoyasu has four adventurers joining his camp. All of them are women. Surprisingly, Bitch and a pretty girl whom I remember named Lesty didn't join him. However, Rojeel, the blond-haired female Thief who joined Itsuki's party in the source materials, is in his camp now.

Meanwhile, Naofumi got Bitch and Lesty.

What about me? That is obvious, isn't it? There is no one behind me.

"Now then, heroes, I have set aside these funds for you. Please accept them."

A pretty maid carries a tray and offers a money pouch on it to us. I can hear something heavy and metallic rattling inside of them. By the way, no drama has occurred after the other heroes got their companions. If I remember correctly, Motoyasu had tried to push his companions to Naofumi in the Reprise. I don't know why it didn't happen.

I remember that Motoyasu can't see women, except for the select few, as a bunch of cute girls and pretty women they are. In his eyes, they look like pigs. To be precise, orcs in dresses. As I look at him, I see his disgust easily enough. I guess he sees them as orcs in dresses indeed.

"Except for the Bow Hero, I have given each of you 600 pieces of silver. The Bow Hero received 800 pieces because he starts without a companion. Please take these funds, equip yourselves, and begin your journey!"

"Yes, sir!" Naofumi, Ren, and the adventurers reply in unison. Meanwhile, Motoyasu and I keep our silence and disinterest.

After the meeting, I immediately head for the church of Three Heroes. Although I dislike them, I still need to register my bow on the Red-Sand Hourglass of the Dragon Era and get the sands to unlock a new bow. I use the Compass of Desire to lead me there.

Compass of Desire is one of the many items I created last night. I got the inspiration from the similarly-named item from another series called 'From Commonplace to the World's Strongest.' This compass can point out the general direction of something I desire.

A while later, my business in the church has gone without a hitch. The best part is, I didn't meet the self-righteous asshole of the cult leader, Biscas-something-something. To be honest, I forgot his last name and only recalled his given name.

The only noteworthy occurrences when I was in that church are as follows:

- my inner conflict because I was tempted to flirt with attractive nuns. Their demure and virtuous acts are like an open invitation to tease them.

- my amazement at the Dragon Hourglass. It has the appearance of the intimidating oversized hourglass in the anime.

- last but not least, unlocking the new bow after letting it absorb the red sand of the hourglass. Speaking of the detail, it is as follows:

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[Red-Sand Dragon Bow - 0/30 - Rare Rarity - Unmastered - 0/100 Proficiency - Stat Bonus: +5 Magic Attack, +7 Speed - Equip Bonus (unlocked): Warp Bow]

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[Warp Bow]

It allows the hero and 2 registered party members to teleport to a location that the hero has visited.

Cooldown: 1 Hour

Consumption: MP (Medium)

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Also, I requested two bottles of the highest-quality Holy Water. And thanks to my status as one of their worshipped heroes, I got them for free.

After my business in the church, I head for Erhard's shop. Thanks to the Compass of Desire, I don't need to ask for directions. And before long, I arrive at my destination.