Vol 1 Chapter 7 – Crisis at the Dojo【Vol 1: The Hero Awakens】 

Only a few weeks remained until the day of fate.

I kept swinging my sword, preparing for the battle to come.

For me—knowing Lilia’s tragic fate—my days at the dojo were peaceful, yet always laced with tension.

If things played out like they did in the game, it would be soon.

A powerful monster, the 《Orc Leader》, would raid this 《Sera Village》—and this dojo along with it.

(What do I do…? Warn the village guards? No. There’s no way they’ll believe me.)

If I told them “A powerful monster is coming” without any proof, the best I could hope for was being written off as some lunatic.

And on top of that, it would be bad if anyone found out I knew the future.

More importantly… my knowledge of the original story wasn’t absolute.

The moment I got transferred into this world, there was a chance the future had already begun to shift.

(Could I defeat the Orc Leader with my strength alone…?)

My level had climbed to 10 through steady slime hunting—and the occasional goblin.

Thanks to Master Glen’s and Lilia’s instruction, my swordsmanship had improved a little, too.

But the Orc Leader was a monster equivalent to level 20.

Even if I challenged it alone right now, I wouldn’t stand a chance.

(But… I have to do it…!)

I would change Lilia’s fate.

I wouldn’t let her become a slave.

Driven by that single-minded resolve, I pushed my training harder.

In the daytime, I swung my sword at the dojo; at night, I repeated live combat in the forest.

Even when I felt like I was about to collapse from exhaustion, I got back up—again and again.

“Fuyuya, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard lately?”

After practice, as I wiped away sweat, Lilia spoke to me with a worried look.

Over the past few weeks, the distance between us had shrunk fast.

We trained together, swung our swords together, and sometimes talked about trivial things.

That time with her was the best kind of comfort for me.

“…You think so? I’m fine. This is normal.”

“Liar. You look awful. Are you worried about something?”

Her straightforward eyes tried to see right through me.

That kindness… stung, just a little, right now.

“…It’s nothing. I just want to get stronger.”

“…I see. But don’t overdo it, okay? If you collapse, I’ll… I mean, I’ll be in trouble because I won’t have a sparring partner.”

Her cheeks tinted red as she turned her face away.

That stubborn, not-quite-honest way of speaking was so like her that a smile slipped out before I could stop it.

(She’s a cute one…)

That was exactly why I wanted to protect her.

I never—ever—wanted to lose that smile.

Once again, I swore it in my heart.

And then, the fated day arrived—without warning.

Riiing-riiiing-riiiing!!!

A shrill alarm bell echoed throughout the entire village.

Those of us training at the dojo looked at each other.

“W-What is that?!”

“An emergency alarm! A monster attack?!”

The students who were in the dojo rushed outside in a panic.

Lilia and I—and Master Glen as well—grabbed our weapons and chased after them.

The village entrance had already turned into a living hell.

GRAAAHHHHH!!

There it was: a gigantic pig-like monster that had to be close to three meters tall.

Ugly green skin, overgrown tusks, and bloodshot eyes that radiated clear killing intent.

In its hands was a massive iron club.

(The 《Orc Leader》…!)

It looked exactly like it did in the game.

Just like the original story, it had appeared.

Around it, several orcs were already swarming, locked in combat with the village guards.

But the battle was overwhelmingly one-sided.

The guards’ swords couldn’t push through the orcs’ thick fat and muscle, failing to deal lethal wounds.

Meanwhile, each swing of the orcs’ clubs sent guards flying without mercy.

“Hii—! It’s a monster!”

“Someone help meee!”

Villagers’ screams rose from all directions.

“Lilia! You take the villagers and guide them to someplace safe!”

Master Glen shouted.

“Fuyuya! You too! Leave this to us!”

“But—!”

“No arguments! Go!”

Faced with the sheer force in his voice, I clenched my teeth.

Lilia nodded with a tight “…Yes!” and headed off to lead the villagers.

(Damn it…!)

I followed after Lilia while analyzing the situation as calmly as I could.

Master Glen was strong—the strongest swordsman in this village.

But our opponent was the Orc Leader.

In the original story, the master took a fatal wound while protecting Lilia.

I had to change that future.

Once I confirmed the evacuation was underway to some extent, I called out to Lilia.

“Lilia! I’m going to back up Master!”

“No, Fuyuya! Father—!”

“He’s in danger alone! You stay here and protect the villagers!”

I didn’t wait for her answer.

I sprinted back toward the center of the fight.

GRAAAGH!!

The Orc Leader’s club came crashing down at Master Glen.

He caught it with his greatsword, but the impact blasted him backward anyway.

“Guh…! What monstrous strength…!”

Sweat beaded on his forehead.

He tried to regain his stance, but the Orc Leader didn’t let up.

The club rose again, then swung down toward the top of his head.

(This is bad…!)

I kicked off the ground with everything I had and cut in between Master Glen and the Orc Leader.

With a Rusty Dagger, I caught the massive club head-on.

Claaang!!

A terrifying shock tore through my entire body.

My arms went numb, and I heard something like bones creaking under strain.

“F-Fuyuya?! Why did you come back?!”

“You’re the one—! You’re pushing yourself too hard, Master!”

While I held it off, Master Glen recovered his stance and slashed into the Orc Leader’s side.

But the feedback was shallow.

That thick layer of fat absorbed the damage.

GRAA!!

Unbothered by the wound, the Orc Leader swung its club in a wide arc to mow both of us down.

Master Glen and I leapt away in opposite directions, narrowly avoiding it.

“Fuyuya… you… why. Why did you protect me?”

Master Glen stared at me like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“Do you need a reason for a student to help his teacher?”

“…!”

For a moment, he choked on his words—then quickly tightened his expression.

“…Sorry. You saved me. But this thing is tougher than I thought. Stay back.”

“No. We fight together.”

The moment I declared it, the other dojo students came running up.

“Master! We’ll help too!”

“You all…!”

Now we had the numerical advantage.

But even so, nothing about this situation stopped being hopeless.

With their swords, the students probably couldn’t even leave a single scratch on the Orc Leader.

The villagers watched from a distance.

Fear and despair painted their faces.

At this rate, the entire village would be wiped out.

And Lilia’s fate would proceed exactly like the original story.

(It’s okay…)

I was the only one who stayed calm.

In a village drowning in despair, I alone was staring down the path to victory.

(It’s okay. I have the knowledge. I have the skills.)

I had perfect walkthrough knowledge of 『Arks Ende』.

The Orc Leader’s weak points, its behavior patterns—I had all of it memorized.

And I had a unique skill that could even rewrite the rules of this world: 【Edit】.

(I can win…!)

Quietly, I let my fighting spirit ignite.

This was a battle to fulfill the very first vow I made in this world.

I would protect her—straightforward, earnest her.

That was what this fight was for.

I absolutely could not lose.