Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

---

“Seris…!”

“Gah…!”

At the sound calling my name, my hazy mind suddenly jolted awake. Filling my blurry vision was the worried face of Celyon looking down at me.

“C-Celyon? Did I fall asleep?”

“You were sleeping like a log! To ask a Nightmare to stand guard, isn’t that a bit much?”

I urgently propped myself up and looked down at my hands. However, the sharp claws I remembered were nowhere to be found. It was as if what I saw last night had been just a dream, with only blunt, rounded nails remaining.

“What is this…”

“Did you have a nightmare or something?”

Was it really only a dream? I frowned and checked the mana within me. As a result, I found two thick mana circles swirling around a glowing starlight sphere.

In other words, the physical changes I experienced yesterday weren’t just a dream. Thankfully, I no longer felt any pain in my chest.

I touched my cheeks and asked Celyon.

“Um, Celyon? Did I change in any way?”

“Changed?”

“Yes, like parts of my body becoming weird…”

“Hmm… No? I can’t tell.”

Celyon tilted her head in confusion as she replied. She examined my body for a while but added that there wasn’t anything significant that seemed different.

“Did you have a dream about turning into a strange monster?”

“No…”

“Then let’s just eat breakfast.”

“Ah, okay.”

Not finding anything unusual, I had to nod and eat the breakfast prepared by Celyon. She had made me a warm stew.

After finishing breakfast, just as I was preparing to get on the Nightmare’s back to head out, I jumped up from the ground with a surprising lightness.

“Whoa…”

My body felt lighter than usual. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact measurements, but even though the force I exerted when pushing off the ground felt the same, I was rising higher.

Once on the Nightmare’s back, I frowned and said to Celyon.

“Um, Celyon?”

“What?”

“Um, there’s really nothing different about me, right?”

It was a question I threw out just in case, but the answer was the same.

“Nope, you’re the same.”

Yes, same. At least on the outside.

I moved my hands around and frowned. The change was occurring internally.

*

As time passed, I could deeply feel the changes within me.

First, I noticed a significant improvement in my physical abilities. Second, I gained the ability to see at night as if it were day. And the third and most concerning change was the last one.

Nightfall returned.

Since I volunteered to take the first night watch today, Celyon was deep in sleep.

Once I confirmed she had no particular reaction, I slowly began to move my mana. As the mana circles spun quickly and flared with light, a noticeable change arrived.

The first change came in the form of my canines in my mouth. The small, blunt fangs had sharpened. The following change, of course, was my hands. The blunt nails elongated and sharpened, beginning to take on a form.

Just like the scene I had witnessed last night.

The intensity of these newly grown claws was comparable to any iron sword. Testing it, I scratched a nearby tree, leaving clear claw marks on it.

“Ugh…”

I let out a long sigh and stopped manipulating the mana.

As a result, the sharp claws retracted, and my expanded vision began to return to normal.

Improved physical abilities essentially meant an increase in combat capabilities. But should I really accept this change positively?

I ran my tongue over the canines in my mouth and sighed deeply.

The next morning. Again, eager to set off on my journey, I mounted the Nightmare and cautiously asked Celyon.

“Um, Celyon?”

“Yeah?”

“Is it possible for parts of the body to change into those of a monster?”

“What? A human?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… Well, I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

“I see…”

“Why do you ask that all of a sudden?”

“Oh, just in case. The mana here transforms monsters, doesn’t it? I was wondering if humans could change too.”

“Well, that makes sense. But you don’t need to worry about that. Ordinary humans aren’t as close to mana as monsters are.”

“But, what if they are?”

“Even then, there shouldn’t be any problems. Humans who are close to mana usually become wizards, and I’ve never heard of wizards turning into monsters in my life.”

I swallowed hard at Celyon’s answer.

It seemed like I should refrain from using mana until the properties of the mana I absorbed fully changed.

“Well then, shall we go again today?”

“Ah, yes!”

*

Although I decided to refrain from using mana, it wasn’t easy to follow through.

This place was Monster Island, where monster attacks could happen at any moment. As the name suggests, this land was dominated not by humans but by monsters.

I moved toward the Base Camp with Celyon while frequently being attacked by monsters. I could defeat relatively small and weak ones without using mana, but it was a different story for large and powerful monsters.

“Seris!”

As soon as Celyon’s brief warning dispersed, a giant monster burst through the densely grown trees.

[Kuoooh!]

I quickly tugged on the Nightmare’s bridle and looked at the monster that had revealed itself.

Its face resembled that of an owl and was as large as the ogre I had seen before. However, unlike the ogre, its body was covered in stiff feathers, and it flapped its wings like arms while standing on its two legs.

Indeed, those wings functioned like arms. They had evolved to take on that role through countless transformations.

[Kuoooh!]

The massive monster, flapping its feathers, charged toward Celyon with its clawed wing-arms.

Celyon said it was best to avoid fights on Monster Island. However, perhaps deciding that she couldn’t evade the situation, she drew her sword.

The instant her sword was drawn from its sheath, Celyon had already swung it toward the giant monster.

The blade swung quickly, leaving a long gash on the monster’s arm like a flame.

[Kuwaaaak!]

Wounded, the monster began to thrash around wildly.

I drew Stormbringer from the Nightmare’s side while holding onto the bridle.

The Nightmare, understanding my intentions, dashed forward unhesitatingly towards the much larger monster.

At that moment, another shadow sprang from the woods.

This one that emerged was slightly smaller than the previous one but looked identical.

[Kwaaaaak!]

The newly arrived monster let out a massive roar, announcing its presence while charging wildly. Its owl-like face twisted grotesquely as it glared at me.

“Oh no…!”

The situation quickly evolved into a two-on-one scenario. I lured the newly arrived one as far away from Celyon as possible.

Kugh-! Kugh-! Kugh-!

The highly agitated monster sprinted rapidly toward me. Its side wings fluttered, scattering feathers everywhere, and its massive beak opened widely, exposing its grotesque mouth.

If it had been a normal day, I would have felt intimidated by the attack of such a giant monster. However, now, that feeling was nowhere to be found.

I leapt from the Nightmare’s back, starting to manipulate my mana. The mana circles spun, and starlit mana surged throughout my body.

As the seal of the great warrior activated, my physical transformation began. My vision expanded, and my claws and canines sharpened.

Then, as threads of mana flowed out, weaving a thin barrier, the owl-thing leaped toward me.

Kuwung-!

A jump attack using its own weight.

It had the intention to flatten me beneath its weight.

I didn’t dodge. For some reason, I felt like I could handle it.

It wasn’t baseless confidence. I believed in the defensive power of the mana barrier I created and trusted my enhanced physical abilities.

As I watched the descending mass, I took my stance.

The blade of Stormbringer pulled back heavily behind me, and my left leg stepped forward while my right leg exerted force.

At the moment I felt my stance was perfect, I swung my sword with all my might.

Boom-! With a heavy sound, the massive blade struck the giant owl’s body.

Kowaaang!

It wasn’t the feeling of flesh and skin splitting apart. It was a sensation as if I was crushing its inner bones with a heavy club.

“Guhah!”

With a slightly delayed yell, the giant owl’s body was sent crashing to the side.

It seemed greatly stunned and could hardly rise again.

I frowned and looked at my wrist.

I felt a slight aching pain, and my skin began to redden and swell. It seemed I had an issue with my bones while trying to overpower that great beast.

Just as I was about to move to deal with the writhing monster on the ground, a red shadow fell from the sky, fluttering like a flag, and plunged a sword into the giant owl’s head.

Kwaak-!

The one delivering the finishing blow was Celyon. It seemed she had finished dealing with the other one and rushed over here. I immediately released my mana and sighed in relief.

Celyon seemed intent on ensuring the fallen one was definitely finished off, rudely twisting the sword embedded in its head.

“Are you hurt?”

“Ah, not really. Just my wrist is a bit sore.”

As I rubbed my wrist and gave an awkward smile, Celyon looked at me with a strange expression.

“That sword… is that your weapon?”

“Oh, this?”

Celyon was looking at the Stormbringer I was holding. She didn’t seem to have noticed my nails had sharpened, so that was a relief.

I chuckled lightly and reattached Stormbringer to the Nightmare’s side.

“So, did you think it was just an ornament?”

“Yeah, it looked too big for you to use…”

“It is a bit big, I guess.”

I chuckled as I patted Stormbringer.

At that moment, I remembered that I hadn’t shared the story behind this sword. I had been telling her an adventure story in gratitude for the meal, but suddenly Baldur had interrupted.

“Oh, did I mention anything about this sword?”

“A sword? What story?”

Apparently, my memory wasn’t mistaken.

I pulled the bridle of the Nightmare and began to speak.

“Well, it’s a bit of a long story. First, I need to start from when I went to the Kingdom of Oblain…”

“Ah…”

That evening, perhaps due to excessive mana use?

Another physical change took place in my body.

I touched my head and grimaced. I felt something small and horn-like inside my hair.