Looking Forward to Another World

*Bloop-Bloop—*

Amid the constant sound of bursting bubbles from the boiling water, Yanivette remained immersed in the pool, allowing the water to seep into her body.

In that state, the mysterious woman seemed to have fallen asleep.

Standing beside the pool, Riezel kept his Transparent World active as he observed the scene.

Gradually, he began to notice what was happening.

’Her blood’s flowing way faster than normal. It’s even getting refined as it flows, letting her cells absorb energy from the outside world at an insane rate while slowly transforming.’

’The faster her blood circulates, the more energy her cells absorb, and the stronger her magical energy gets.’

’At this rate, it won’t be long before her magical energy surpasses Yuri’s and ends up second only to Lizbeth’s.’

A transparent glow flickered within Riezel’s eyes as the way he looked at Yanivette gradually changed.

It was because this wasn’t the first time he had witnessed such a phenomenon.

He clearly remembered what had happened in the ancient ruins of Reinnail, when Lizbeth broke Moslow’s seal and awakened her bloodline. Back then, her magical energy had also increased explosively in exactly the same manner.

Magical energy was something that should have been determined from the moment a person was born in this world. Yet both Lizbeth and Yanivette had somehow found another way to increase their magical energy beyond its natural limit.

Such a method...

”Is this what they call a bloodline awakening?”

Riezel muttered softly.

Yes.

Just like Lizbeth had done before, Yanivette was undergoing a bloodline awakening.

Although the method differed from Lizbeth’s, what they were accomplishing was fundamentally the same. And according to Yanivette herself, throughout the entire history of this world, there had only ever been two extraordinary bloodlines.

If that was the case, then her true identity was no longer in doubt.

’And you still claimed you weren’t part of Theresis’s royal family? You’re way more than just royalty.’

Remembering Chloria’s words, Riezel curled his lips.

After giving it some thought, he ultimately decided not to interfere.

Even though he still couldn’t determine whether Yanivette was friend or foe, and allowing her to continue might create an incredibly powerful enemy, he had no intention of stopping her.

If anything, the stronger she became, the better.

’Show me just how powerful the other extraordinary bloodline besides Reinnail’s really is.’

Smiling, Riezel stopped worrying about it altogether. He simply sat down beside the pool and leisurely admired the young woman’s openly displayed naked figure.

Honestly, her body was unbelievable.

Of all the women he had ever seen, she probably possessed the finest figure, with even Lizbeth and Euryale falling slightly behind.

Everything that should have been full was perfectly full.

Everything that should have been slender was flawlessly slender.

Everything that should have been shapely was beautifully curved.

He honestly couldn’t imagine how someone could naturally possess such a perfect figure.

Her beauty was also flawless, placing her on the same level as Lizbeth and Euryale. Even her temperament carried an extraordinary charm unlike anyone else’s.

If a woman like this were to appear in the world of Danmachi, especially in Orario, she would probably make quite a few goddesses jealous. Even a royal elf like Riveria would likely feel inferior.

’When the little princess grows up, she’ll probably have a figure like this too, right?’

’And Euryale... even though she’s already a vampire, she was special from the start. Maybe she’ll keep growing?’

’Come to think of it, how old was Euryale when she died? She didn’t seem all that old...’

Riezel had a feeling that if Lizbeth and Euryale continued developing, then by the time they reached around twenty years old, they would probably possess devilish figures like Yanivette’s.

By then, whether it was beauty or physique, neither of them would lose to Yanivette, and they might even surpass her slightly.

’Well... Euryale’s kinda hard to say for now. As for the little princess... yeah, that’s definitely something to look forward to.’

After all, ever since she had fallen victim to someone’s evil scheme, the little princess had already begun showing signs of developing again.

At this rate, sooner or later, she would mature into a perfectly ripe peach.

Just imagining it was satisfying.

”Hm?”

Just as Riezel’s thoughts drifted further and further, his brows suddenly rose.

He turned his head toward the outside.

*Ka-Ka—*

A series of mechanical sounds suddenly echoed through the darkness, followed by the appearance of a massive shadow.

*Thump!* *Thump!*

As the figure drew closer, its footsteps became increasingly clear and heavy, eventually turning into deep, muffled impacts.

”And what’s this supposed to be?”

When Riezel finally saw its full appearance, he couldn’t help but freeze.

What entered his sight was an enormous beast.

It stood over three meters tall and measured more than four meters in length. It resembled a lion, yet possessed no fur whatsoever. Instead, its entire body was made of gold.

*ROOOAAARRR—!!!*

A thunderous roar erupted from its mouth, shaking the air itself.

In an instant, the resulting shockwave swept toward Riezel like a violent storm, sending both his hair and clothes fluttering wildly.

’A monster?’

Riezel instinctively assumed it was a monster.

But almost immediately afterward, his Transparent World revealed something unusual.

Inside its body, there was no flesh, no organs, no internal structure whatsoever. Instead, its interior was filled with intricate, mysterious patterns and ancient runes carved throughout its entire body, while everything else was made entirely of gold.

’It isn’t even a living creature...’

Riezel’s curiosity was immediately piqued.

At that very moment, Yanivette’s voice came from behind him.

”That is an alchemy beast.”

At some point, the young woman soaking in the pool had opened her eyes. Looking at the golden lion, she explained expressionlessly.

”Unlike Reinnail, whose people could wield both swordsmanship and magic, the Theresis Clan had always been a family of swordsmen.”

”That did not mean the Theresis Clan neglected magical technology. Alchemy magic of the Structure System, along with alchemy itself, was the magical discipline in which the clan excelled.”

”For over ten thousand years, the Theresis Tribe preserved the Theresis Clan’s legacy, so many of its people became masters in the field of alchemy.”

”This alchemy beast is one of the alchemical creations that has been passed down within the Theresis Tribe since ancient times. There used to be many of them, but when Zynia transformed into Theresis, these war beasts were deployed on the battlefield. There shouldn’t be many left now.”

”I did not expect that, after several hundred years, autonomous defensive alchemy beasts would still remain within this tribal land.”

After hearing Yanivette’s explanation, Riezel stood up while staring at the alchemy beast with great interest.

”So you’re saying... this huge thing is actually made entirely out of gold?”

Yanivette gave him a strange look.

”Why are you so interested in mere gold?”

Naturally, she wasn’t boasting.

Thanks to the widespread use of alchemy and alchemy magic, nearly every alchemist in this world could refine gold, so it was practically worthless.

In this world, the truly valuable metals were magic gold, magic silver, and magic copper, all of which were magical metals created through specialized magical technology. Ordinary gold had long since become no more valuable than roadside stones.

”You wouldn’t understand.”

Riezel didn’t bother explaining.

He simply waved a hand behind him toward Yanivette, as though the alchemy beast before him was far more attractive than the beautiful naked woman standing behind him with her devilish figure on full display.

*ROOOAAARRR—!!!*

The alchemy beast had already run out of patience.

Seeing that Riezel showed no sign of fear and was instead sizing it up with interest, it instantly flew into a rage. Roaring furiously, it lunged toward him.

Its speed was astonishing.

*BOOM!*

Its fierce pounce slammed into the ground, immediately producing a deafening explosion. Broken rocks and clouds of dust burst into the air, causing the ground itself to tremble several times.

Riezel casually sidestepped the attack.

After widening the distance between them, he glanced at the massive crater left behind and looked slightly surprised.

”Not bad. You’ve got some strength.”

Naturally, such an effortless attitude only provoked the alchemy beast into attacking once again.

*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*

One thunderous impact after another echoed continuously as the charging alchemy beast repeatedly smashed into the ground, leaving crater after crater in its wake.

The beast relentlessly scattered broken rocks, blasted away clouds of dust, and continued roaring as it charged toward Riezel. Yet every single attack was effortlessly avoided as Riezel moved like a phantom, slipping past each charge with graceful ease.

Watching this scene, Yanivette frowned, a rare expression for her.

She could tell that Riezel was simply passing the time by toying with the alchemy beast.

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have cared since, in her eyes, the strong had the right to dominate everything. She knew Riezel was powerful, so whether he crushed his opponents or played with them was entirely his prerogative.

However, this wasn’t the place for it.

Seeing the nearby gravestones trembling from the continuous impacts, with several of the closer ones already beginning to crack, Yanivette finally spoke.

”Stop playing around. This is a graveyard.”

Yanivette’s sudden reminder caused Riezel to stop in the middle of his evasive movements.

Looking toward the nearby gravestones, he immediately lost all interest in fooling around.

*Whoosh!*

With a single step, Riezel swept forward amid a violent gust of wind, instantly appearing above the alchemy beast’s head.

*BOOM!*

Without drawing his sword—or even touching it—Riezel drove a single punch downward from above, smashing the alchemy beast’s head and burying it deep into the ground.

*ROOOAAARRR—!!!*

Half of the alchemy beast’s massive body became buried beneath shattered rocks as it struggled desperately to free itself.

But...

”Temporal Stasis.”

Accompanied by a quiet chant, time itself came to a halt around the alchemy beast.

”————”

The rampaging golden lion froze completely in place, unable to move another inch.

At this very moment, it was still struggling to stand, its head only halfway raised, while another furious roar was just about to erupt from its mouth. Yet under the overwhelming power of time magic, it remained suspended like an unmoving statue.

”This thing’s gotta be worth a fortune, right?”

Landing lightly in front of the alchemy beast, Riezel patted one of its thick legs before turning toward Yanivette.

”Can I break it apart?”

Yanivette gazed deeply at Riezel, clearly paying close attention to the time magic he had used.

However, she said nothing about it and instead explained calmly.

”...As you wish. It is not particularly valuable, since the Theresis Tribe possessed many of them in the past. However, only a few remain now, so their rarity has given them some value.”

”This particular alchemy beast is also considered a high-quality model. Its combat power is fairly decent and suitable for dealing with weaker enemies.”

”If you’re interested, I can transfer control of this alchemy beast to you.”

Riezel raised an eyebrow and smiled.

”Why’re you being so generous all of a sudden?”

”Consider it your spoils of war.” Yanivette looked directly into his eyes. ”Though I was not at my full strength, you defeated me. It is only proper that you receive such a reward.”

Perhaps that was also why Yanivette had patiently explained so much about the Theresis Clan earlier. Had Riezel not defeated her, someone as cold and indifferent as Yanivette would never have gone out of her way to explain any of it.

In her eyes, all of it belonged to the victor.

Including this alchemy beast.

”You’re really all about the whole ’strength is everything’ mindset, huh...”

Riezel shrugged.

”Without strength, one cannot survive in this world,” Yanivette answered as though it were only natural. ”So? Do you want it or not?”

”Hmm...”

After thinking for a moment, Riezel nodded.

”It’s pretty interesting. I’ll take it back and study it.”

The alchemy beast’s raw power was certainly impressive. Judging purely by its status, it was probably comparable to a Level 5 adventurer, with its STR, END, and AGI Basic Abilities seemingly specialized enough to rival those of a Level 5 Monster Rex.

Unfortunately, it was far too clumsy and lacked intelligence. As for DEX alone, it was probably not even on par with that of a Level 4.

Something like this was best suited for guarding gates or serving as a weapon of war on the battlefield.

Still, no matter what, it was one of the technological masterpieces left behind by an ancient magical civilization. By studying the composition of the alchemy magic formations inside its body, he might gain some useful inspiration.

If that happened, then the combat mechanical dolls that had long since fallen behind Riezel’s current strength—and had gradually been forgotten by him—might finally be upgraded to a whole new generation.

*Splash!*

After receiving Riezel’s approval, Yanivette immediately stood up from the pool, exposing her completely naked body once more.

She didn’t seem to care about Riezel’s gaze in the slightest. Calmly walking over to the alchemy beast, she pressed a finger against its forehead and poured magical energy into it.

Several magic circles immediately lit up across the alchemy beast’s head.

Keeping her finger on the circles, Yanivette traced complex patterns across them, causing the inscriptions within the magic circles to continuously shift and transform.

Not long afterward, once the process was complete and Riezel released the time magic, the alchemy beast no longer charged at him.

”It’s done.”

Only then did Yanivette put Riezel’s coat back on before speaking.

”We have finished everything that needed to be done. Let us leave this place.”

Without waiting for Riezel’s reply, Yanivette turned and walked away on her own.

Watching the woman’s retreating figure while sensing the overwhelming magical energy now flowing through her body—a level completely different from before—Riezel smiled.

’Let’s see what you’re planning to do.’

Bringing the alchemy beast along with him, Riezel followed after Yanivette.

===

[A bonus Chapter for reaching 400 Power Stones]

[Support and get early access to upcoming Chapters at: patreon.com/VALRRR]