The earthquake seemed to have stopped. I had sent some shadows ahead to scout and assess the cause or instigator. The description was scarce; the only acquired detail was that a young man with pink hair appeared then disappeared.
Well, no matter, there was an even more pressing matter to dedicate my time to.
Reinhard van Astrea, the strongest person that I had ever known, offered to take us to his world to flee that skeleton king Ainz Ooal Gown. Reinhard explained that heading to different threshold realities only bought time and space, but not necessarily a solution.
I couldn't help but agree since I hardly leveled up in this reality.
I was stagnant, and stagnation meant no foreseeable progress, meaning I couldn't improve my abilities. I had my chance with that armored woman, but no matter how many times I struck with lethality or with killing intent, her defenses were absolutely solid.
At best, I had given her several scrapes and made her out of breath. There was something worrying about her armor but I couldn't quite figure it out.
"I promise you, with my life, that I harbor not a single intention to hurt nor put you in danger when you are transported in my world. I bet my honor on it."
The rest of the little members, the students who accompanied us, didn't say anything. They stared into their cups and mugs of coffee. Reinhard drank his hot sludge coffee in one gulp. I cringed from the sight, imagining his burning throat, tongue, and tonsils.
Reinhard said that he had the Divine Protection of Drinking Hot Burning Coffee in One Gulp.
Anyways, these special sort of students had seen and witnessed the power of Ainz Ooal Gown and had already decided that the sooner they were away from that monstrous nightmare, the better.
Also, unlike Reinhard and me. These students barely had the mental fortitude to stay in these infinite dungeons or thresholds. They were scraping by, holding on to whatever tethered them to their sanity.
Megumi Fushiguro, arguably the strongest out of all of them because of his amalgamated summons, was already buckling under the weight of the lifeless levels. I shared his sentiment: any more months of living here, and I will personally go crazy, despite my system doing its best to help me.
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji was the first one to speak up, breaking the uneasy silence of us all. He said he wanted to go; anything was better than whatever this place was. Ryuen Kakeru followed shortly, then Izuku Midoriya, then Megumi Fushiguro, who quietly raised his hand in agreement while drinking coffee.
A sigh escaped from my mouth. The majority had decided to flee, and I agreed too. As much as I wanted to prove myself against those monstrosities, I couldn't kill them, much less gain anything from fighting them.
My level was extremely insufficient. Before I was sent here, at this threshold, I was mulled about an offer. Selner was it? That American woman offered to increase my potential by roughly twenty or thirty percent, I think?
Maybe I should have taken up her offer. However, then again, I do not want to be an American. I didn't like their president, and I am a proud Korean.
"I'll go too. We have no other choice."
I said, relenting due to exhaustion. Reinhard smiled and bowed his head again, this time with more conviction and oomph, as if he was glad to hear our united agreement. We didn't really have a choice; he was the only one with a way out.
"The shift will take some time, and I need to understand my gift further. It will not take a lot of time, I need to better prepare for the herculean task ahead of me."
Reinhard said, instantly gulping another burning hot cup of coffee. Damn, all in one gulp? He has the throat of a god. I wonder what else his throat can do.
Reinhard took a seat and closed his eyes, clutching his head and doing his ritual thing. We waited for his signal and spent our time drinking coffee and eating whatever snacks were on the display counters.
For some reason, the coffee jelly was missing.
When we arrived, we thought this place was barren, or we were the first to come in here. However, that wasn't the case. Someone had already ransacked the place; some of the sweets were missing, and there were faint footprints on the floor.
Reinhard wasn't sure at first, but after some time of study and intuitive guesswork. He finally concluded that someone had been here recently and they had taken a lot of sweets with them. Especially the coffee jelly, for some reason.
Ah, well, it wasn't my favorite anyway.
The strudel will do just fine.
...
...
...
"I am ready, are all of you?"
Reinhard asked, finally opening his eyes and looking at us with a determined glare. This was it, the point of no return. The students all stood up, rising from their seats as they circled Reinhard.
To travel to another fantastical world didn't seem that bad, to be honest. Reinhard did say that there were powerful enemies and villains in his world.
Not only that, he promised to devote his time to finding a way to return us to our respective realities. After all we had gone through, I regretted not trusting this man way sooner. I wished I could let go of my pride and say I was sorry, but I do not apologize to people whom I will undoubtedly surpass in power.
Reinhard van Astrea's strength is a decent baseline for me to overcome and surpass. Reinhard raised a brow as he momentarily trained his eyes on me. Ah, right, he can read minds. Well, whatever, read all you want. I do not hide my ambitions.
I waved my hand, returning all the shadows outside guarding the perimeter to my shadow. I then stepped inside Reinhard's space. He merely smiled and winked as he scanned us.
"Well then, it is quite simple, as counting one and two,"
Reinhard said as he clapped his hands.
Then, we weren't in that infinite cityscape anymore. The sun, the real sun, was above us, shining at us like a spotlight. The soft chirps of busy birds and the smell of fresh air overwhelmed my senses.
We were in the plains, and a large dirt path was just beside us. A heavy gust of air rushed past us. I covered my eyes, and as my vision cleared, something structurally magnificent caught my eye in the distance.
There was a walled city in the distance, surrounded by a large body of water, clearly medieval in design and structure. The walled-in city had these long stone bridges that looked like strips from a distance. A giant, tower-like structure overlooked the bridges, and below it was a huge gate.
Truly a breathtaking view.
The transportation was really easy, like counting one and two. There was no dizzying change of scenery nor any loud transportation sound effects. The transport or shift was clean.
"Welcome to the plains. Just ahead of us is the city of Priestella." Reinhard said, smiling, then walked ahead of us.
"Now, the scenic route or the fast route?"
(Next chapter is Nazarick's frustration and the interrogation of the JGSDF soldiers.)