My Perfect Isekai: Pragmatic Protagonist, Progression Fantasy and Strategy

The forest surrounding the city became denser with every step taken. The smell of decaying pine needles had long given way to the stench of wet iron and rot. We pushed through the thickets in predatory silence. Shnee walked right behind my shoulder. Her steps were soundless. The elf’s silhouette stuck to the shadows cast by the oaks. We were looking for the ”Crimson Trail” camp. The tracks of dismembered bodies and broken wagons led us like on a string.

Finally, the trees thinned out. We stopped on a rocky ledge. I scratched my neck. Below stretched a basin carved into the stone. The entrance to a forgotten mine. The square in front of the ruined shaft pulsed with brutal life. I counted about forty armed men. Mercenaries in sweaty chainmails roared with laughter by the braziers. The rest looked much worse. Mutated cultists with cracked skin. Corrupted mana pulsed from their bodies. A true cancer on the tissue of the territory.

I yawned soundlessly. Pure logic suggested a simple calculation. Forty against two. Perfect force ratio for an afternoon warm-up.

”Ready?” I murmured, not taking my eyes off the camp.

”Always, Dave,” Shnee answered softly. She dropped her official tone. Her hand rested confidently on the hilt of her rapier.

I took a step into the void. I slid off the edge of the cliff. I fell several meters down, letting gravity do its job. I landed right in the middle of the square with a deafening crack. The pavement under my boots cracked. The shockwave scattered the embers from the brazier. Shnee landed right next to me with feline grace.

A dead silence fell in the camp. Forty murderers froze. The commander emerged from the largest tent. A bald brute in a steel breastplate. A two-handed axe rested in his hands.

”Who are you?!” he roared. He spat saliva onto the pavement. ”What are you looking for here?!”

I slipped my hands into my coat pockets. My Brazen chill completely dominated the space. I looked at him with a cold lack of expression.

”Pizza delivery,” I answered with deadly seriousness.

A massive lag occurred.

The bandits’ brains refused to obey. Their primitive minds desperately tried to process this alien word. They searched it for the name of an unknown guild. Dull consternation painted itself on their faces. No one flinched for five painful seconds.

The commander shook his head. His disorientation instantly turned into blind fury.

”Kill them!” he roared. He raised his axe to charge.

The waiting time for the order had passed. I pulled my hands out of my pockets. I wanted to physically feel the resistance of bodies. Sapphire Slime spilled from the pores of my skin. The substance instantly coated my hands. It hardened to the density of diamond. It formed combat gloves.

The commander took a wide swing. I took a fluid step forward. I entered deep into his zone.

”Wrong center of gravity, blockhead,” I threw coldly. I applied the street mentor tactic.

My hardened fist struck the middle of his breastplate. The roar was deafening. The sheet metal bent with a terrifying grind. Pure kinetics tore his insides apart. The commander flew several meters back. He collapsed dead into the mud.

”We are cleaning up,” I murmured.

Shnee launched forward like a predator. She did not possess Soul Power at this stage of evolution. She used assassin speed and classic ice magic. She spun among the surprised cultists. The rapier swished in the air. She did not wrestle with armors. She used precise cold. She froze the knee joints of the thugs. She pinned them to the ground. Then she fluidly slit their throats. Machine-like extermination without hesitation.

I took care of the camp’s elite. Five mutated cultists moved in with swords. I blocked a cut with my slime-covered forearm. The blade grated. It didn’t leave a scratch on the blue coating. I grabbed the cultist’s wrist. I shattered the bones with one squeeze. I turned on my heel. I drove my fist into the face of the second enemy. I crushed his skull.

Another one tried to stab me in the back. I deflected the blade with the back of my hand. I grabbed him by the neck and drove him straight into the rock wall. I enjoyed the physical contact. The resistance of breaking bones awoke satisfaction in me. Blood splattered the wall.

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In less than three minutes, the square in front of the mine became a slaughterhouse. The thugs were utilized.

I brushed off my slime gloves. The blue mercury absorbed under my skin. I looked at the entrance to the shaft. A poisonous fog poured from the inside. It pulsed with violet light.

”Stay here and guard the entrance,” I ordered Shnee. I adjusted my collar.

I walked deep into the corridor. Toxic fumes tried to eat into my lungs. I blocked them with shallow breathing. At the very bottom of the shaft hung a crystal. The main node of infection. Rot emanated from it in waves, powering the area with evil power.

I had no intention of casting complicated cleansing spells. Pure logic was more efficient. I coated my hand with a layer of Sapphire Slime. I walked straight up to the toxic node.

Ignoring the heat of the corrupted mana, I grabbed the pulsating crystal in my armored hand. I focused the mass of my physical will. I brutally clenched my fingers.

A squeak resounded. The crystal cracked under the crushing pressure. I crushed it into fine dust. The corrupted power evaporated, and the node crumbled into gray sand. The plague in this place ceased to exist. I turned on my heel and walked out of the darkness.

Shnee put her hand on her rapier. I raised a finger. I stopped her in place. ”Someone forgot the rule of action and reaction,” I murmured with Brazen chill. ”The base is connected to the core. An intruder gets back one hundred percent of their own momentum”. I stood up slowly. I scratched my neck. I opened the door wide. Four guys were lying on the muddy cobblestones in front of the tavern. Three massive thugs were writhing in pain. They were holding their broken ribs. The fourth one was trying to get up from his knees. Blood was dripping from his smashed nose. He wore a coat with the symbol of a guild from the city’s underworld.

He swallowed hard. He looked at me with disgusting arrogance. ”You think you can block us from the tribute?!” he babbled. ”You give us silver for protecting this shack. Otherwise, we will send people here who will raze this place to the ground!”. I leaned my shoulder against the doorframe. They did not enter inside. They did not insult any of my girls. They did not cross the red line. A death sentence was off the table. Pure logic suggested a physical reprimand. I stepped down from the wooden step. The bodyguards tried to get up from the mud with a groan. They started to draw their swords. I did not use my aura. I closed the distance in the blink of an eye. I grabbed the first one by the wrist.

”You stand too narrowly, blockhead. Zero balance,” I threw calmly. I twisted his arm with a dry crack. I tore the joint. The second one swung his fist. I performed a brutal dodge. I delivered a hard blow with my hobnailed boot straight into his kneecap. The leg bent the wrong way. The thug fell into the mud with a scream. The third one tried to flank me. I released a kinetic pulse from my hand. I drove him into the wall opposite the tavern with a crash. He lost consciousness instantly. Only the leader remained. He was retreating in panic. I used hard telekinesis. I clamped invisible pincers on his collar. I grabbed him by the throat. I lifted him slightly onto his toes.

”You were damn lucky that the barrier did half the job,” I said quietly. I bored a cold gaze into him. I released the grip. I delivered a massive slap with an open hand straight to his face. He flew two meters back. He spat a knocked-out tooth onto the pavement. Blood stained his expensive coat. ”The Oakhaven market belongs to me. Learn to knock”. I turned on my heel. I went inside and closed the gates with a quiet click. The tavern pulsed with a safe silence. The fireplace crackled cheerfully. Shnee smiled predatorily. She stood leaning against the counter. I cleaned up my own backyard.

Elena went to the back room. She rolled out a small barrel. She placed it on the table and poured thick wine into three cups. She knew the value of relaxation after a murderous day. ”I had to celebrate this day,” she said softly, sitting next to me. Her merchant mask disappeared. Her face radiated relief. ”Do you know what is amazing about you, Dave?. I feel absolutely safe here. You provide protection. You scare off every piece of street trash”. I took a sip. The wine warmed the blood perfectly. It tasted of forest fruits. Shnee moved close. She rested her head on my shoulder. Her long fingers wove into the material of my coat. She did it with possessive tenderness. She put her rapier away on the bench.

”You molded me anew,” she whispered. Her voice was full of purring devotion. The hard elf was melting her boundaries. ”I want to be your blade. I belong to you. Always”. The air in the tavern thickened. The tension between us became sensual. Instinct demanded a quick finish. Hot alcohol only amplified this effect. They both looked at me with eyes full of desire. They wanted to give themselves over to this moment. But my mind stuck to iron rules. Our arrangement was an intimate brotherhood in arms, not a cheap romance exploiting intoxication. I knew that to cement the foundation of their fanatical loyalty, I had to build authentic trust. Protection in weakness is the highest form of dominance.

I smiled gently. I placed my heavy hands on their shoulders. ”You are my family,” I said in a firm tone. ”But today your enemy is wine and fatigue from the dungeon. It is time to sleep”. I ignored their quiet purrs of disappointment. I stood up resiliently. I picked up the intoxicated Elena in my arms. She wrapped her arms around my neck, inhaling the scent of my coat. I carried her to the room. I laid her carefully on the bed. She fell asleep in a fraction of a second. I went back downstairs for Shnee. The white-haired elf was smiling broadly at her own thoughts. I carried her upstairs. I laid her gently on the mattress. I took off her heavy boots. I covered her with a woolen blanket. I planted a soft kiss on her cool forehead.

I left the room. I took a deep breath in the corridor. I built a pack based on iron respect. It was time for real moves on the map of the world. The Oakhaven market was officially taken over.