152 Life is full of mysteries
I want to bring Miroku with me.
I've made up my mind―― I'm going to 《Tame》 this guy.
Asura is a boss monster unique to Hinodejima. Basically, it was common knowledge in Mobius that bosses cannot be tamed, but in this case, there is a very subtle difference.
First of all. The main point is that this place is not a dungeon. He is not a dungeon boss, he is just called a "boss monster" on its own in the sense that he is a "boss-class monster outside of a dungeon," but in fact, he is "just a unique monster" in his own right. I don't think we can rule out that possibility.
Secondly. The presence or absence of an exclusive cinematic that is always inserted when a boss is defeated. I can't remember for sure, but I don't think there was one for the Asura. If so, the possibility of being able to use 《Tame》, just like with the Darkness Wolf increases greatly.
Finally, there is Asura's ego. When I first fought the Darkness Wolf, it was "merely a monster" that simply traced a predetermined pattern of behavior. But after 《Tame,》 she suddenly became self-aware and turned into the "Anko" she is today.
Miroku, who spoke very fluently and even had a firm will, could hardly be described as a mere monster. I can only assume that he has already been "tamed" by someone else in the course of his long life, and that he has therefore already acquired a sense of self. If that's the case, it would mean that there's no problem with the Tame system and it can succeed.
Based on the above three points, I judged the Asura to be a "monster which can be tamed".
Well, I can find out more after I tame this guy.
Currently, my 《Tame》 is 9th grade. With the exception of monsters that cannot be controlled by the system, most monsters should be able to be 《Tame》d at an average rate of 20%.
"……my, true, name……"
"Do you want to know? If so, then answer my call."
"……As you wish……! "
As Miroku spoke, he knelt down, blood dripping from his stomach and back, and waited patiently for my words.
……Strangely, I don't feel like I will fail.
And suddenly, I remembered. It was about the Reiou contestant, Capito, a dog-type beastman.
He said he was "lucky enough to tame" an Earth Dragon. I was somewhat caught up in the word "lucky".
After all, the odds are one in five. Whether it is repeated over and over again, or whether it ends with a single shot, if you are able to 《Tame》 in either case, then you could call yourself "lucky" in the end.
But in the first place, I don't believe that Capito-kun was capable of reducing the Earth Dragon's HP by 80%.
In other words, that word "lucky" means something else again, doesn't it?
Yeah, for example, if the other party has already given in, or wants to serve. The possibility that a system exists to increase the probability of 《Tame》 in such special cases, or to allow 《Tame》 without reducing HP, cannot be dismissed without a thought.
In this world, I can't help but feel that there is some hidden factor other than the traditional 《Tame》 system that affects the probability of success.
"――Asura. Your name is Asura."
Whether that is why I am not certain.
But――Asura's 《Tame》 was a one-shot success.
Did I simply win a fifth chance, or did I meet the requirements to be eligible for the special draw? I don't know the details, but Asura's 《Tame》 succeeded quite easily.
"Asura……I see……I see……"
Miroku nodded his head solemnly as he learned his true name.
"Ironic, isn't it...... that I was destined to fight in this world...... since the day I was born......"
I don't know, but he seemed convinced.
Anyway, I feel sorry for him because he is so out of breath, so I decided to let him recover.
"Here, drink this."
"……Much obliged."
Handing him a high-grade potion, Miroku gulped it down in one go.
With Miroku's robust status, it would only be like a band-aid for makeshift recovery. That is what I thought, but ...... the results were quite different.
To my surprise, Miroku recovered most of his HP with a single high-grade potion.
No way.
I quickly looked into Miroku's status.
"…………Oof."
There were tremendous numbers scattered around.
In other words, a super-specialized type. STR, DEX, AGI, VIT, SP, especially STR, and DEX were ridiculously high, but instead, INT, LUK, MGR, HP, and MP were horribly low.
……No, perhaps it might not be surprising. 【Sword-drawing】 increases the following five stats: STR, DEX, AGI, VIT, and SP. If he had continued to 【Absorb】 people whose main skill was 【Sword-drawing】, it would be natural for all five of them to grow.
Originally, Asura was not such a strong boss monster. He was about the same as the normal monsters that appeared in the A-class dungeons. Since he has been using 【Absorb】 over the years until he became so strong, it is only natural that his status would be sharply oriented toward 【Sword-drawing】.
The very incarnation of 【Sword-drawing】. This guy's self-proclamation wasn't far off the mark.
"You have my gratitude, Śakra. I pledge my allegiance to you with all my heart."
"What's this, so suddenly?"
Miroku, suddenly energized, bowed to me once again. But……Śakra?
"I have fought with an unfulfilled heart and carried too much anger and sorrow. Under the cause of providing memorial services, I continued to torment the people of this island. I must uphold that responsibility. Śakra, please forgive such a person. Then this samurai island will be free of its many ghosts."
I don't understand it. A poem?
"Is that what Rei taught you? "
"No. I was born with the teachings of Buddha."
"Uh? "
……Hold on.
Born with?
In other words, it means that……
"Miroku, did you ...... originally have an ego? "
"It was the day I realized I was I. I remember with certainty that day. It certainly was before the founding of the Miroku school."
"Before you met Reikan?"
"Indeed."
Crazy.
That is, it does not mean that Miroku was 《Tamed》 by 0k4NN and thus gained his own ego. My guess was wrong.
Did someone other than 0k4NN 《Tame》 him? I cannot rule out that possibility, but it would be quite unlikely.
What about the possibility that Miroku's memories were tampered with the moment he was 《Tamed》 by me?
No. It's unlikely. Akaneko said that the Miroku-style was created first, then the Tobatsu-style, then the Daikoku-style, and so on, all of which were named by Miroku. If Miroku did not have an ego, he would not have named his school.
Then what the hell is this?
"Śakra, I would like to say something――"
"Wait a moment. I'm sorry to say this when you're about to say something important, but first of all, I'm curious about the way you call me that. Change it if you can."
"……Heavenly King."
"It got worse. Go in the opposite direction."
"……Second-sama? "
"Keep going. A little further."
"Peasant."
"Too far! "
"My dearest Lord."
"Directionality is good, but it's still a little stiff."
"Lord."
"……Yeah, well, that's fine."
"What a quandary."
This should be my line.
"Now, what were you about to say? "
"I was concerned that my Lord might be mistaken about one thing. May I point it out?"
"By all means."
"Then. I said that I had attained self-awareness, but in fact, at that time, I received teachings from the Buddha."
"When you got an ego? "
"Indeed. One morning, Shakyamuni Buddha suddenly appeared before my eyes and said to me, 'You are the reincarnation of Maitreya Bodhisattva (Miroku Bosatsu), and you will attain enlightenment here and save many people.' That is why I took the name Miroku and began to devote myself to my training."
"All right, let me tell you something."
"Be it told."
"Are you joking?"
I'm aware that I'm an "idiot" and I don't know anything about Buddhism, but I'm not going to fall for it. How can such an absurd story be true?
"No, I'm not joking around."
"Then, if you are the reincarnation of Maitreya Whatever, why is this island like this? Where and how is anyone being saved, ah? "
"……I'm not sure about that."
"Why? I thought you were looking out for them, keeping them under control. "
"I was watching from afar. But I do not know much about the islanders. I haven't been deeply involved in the last few hundred years."
"Not involved? "
"The only thing I can do is to carry the will of those who died here and continue to train in earnest and continue to fight. I must never interfere with the way the people of this island live."
"Even though you are the godfather of the schools?"
"Naming, nurturing, and guiding. As time goes by, children leave their parents."
"I see. I understand."
Miroku's ego grew, even though he was not 《Tamed》 by anyone, and his original knowledge of Buddhism became distorted. He had a vision of the Buddha Shakyamuni, believed himself to be the reincarnation of Maitreya Bodhisattva, founded the Miroku School, and has been making memorial services for people on the island ever since, while practicing Buddhism.
As if I would believe it!!
And what was that? Are you saying that you have naturally pried open the door to self-awareness through enlightenment? That's awesome.
In elementary school, I used to listen to history lessons and think to myself, "People in the olden days were so unbelievable".
Do I really have to agree now? Is this for real?
"――Sounds very unacceptable, doesn't it? "
"That's for sh……Eh? "
Huh?
"Miroku, did you just say something? "
"No."
"It was me. Here, here."
"……What are you, a ventriloquist? "
A voice came from Miroku's side. Miroku, however, did not open his mouth.
"It was not I."
"Like I said, it's me! The side mask! On the left side facing you! "
The side mask……?
"Miroku, turn left for a second and shut up."
"As you wish."
On either side of Miroku's head were two masks.
Miroku turned to his left and my eyes met those of a mask with a sad expression.
"Nice to meet you Second. I was watching the fight from inside Miroku. It was really a masterful performance."
"The mask is talking……"
"That's right. My name is Shaka. I was the first person Miroku absorbed."
"……I'm not sure I'm keeping up with all the rapid developments, but I hope it's okay."
"It's fine. I'm sure you will remember. It's about what happens to those who are absorbed."
What happens when they are 【Absorbed】?
……Ahh, I see.
"That person's will would live on inside Miroku."
"Yeah. My will was exceptionally strong. Hence I am speaking thus."
"Is that so? So, what do you want?"
"First of all, I want to thank you. Encountering you has allowed me to be in control of my words once again."
"Did Tame affect you? "
"Not at all. The deceased, on the verge of attaining enlightenment, gives form to their thoughts. I have waited a thousand years for this moment inside Miroku."
"A thousand."
"I'm not joking. There is one thing I want to tell you. Second, listen carefully."
"Okay."
"Know that we are not the only reincarnated ones."
"――! ? "
…………I was surprised.
I thought it was just Raspberry Bell and 0k4NN……
"You too, huh?"
My name is Goutarou Takahashi, Professor in the Department of Humanities, Faculty of Letters, Tōkyō University, and Director of the Center for Buddhist Philosophy, Graduate School of Thought and Culture, Tōkyō University. In June 2008, while traveling in India, I was bitten by a venomous snake and died."
"……That doesn't sound like a lie. No, wait. Then why do you call yourself Shaka? "
"My nickname in elementary school was Shaka. Goutarou (豪太郎)→ Goutarou (ゴータロウ)→ Gautama Siddhartha (ゴータマ・シッダルタ)→ Shaka (シャカ), in a way, a child's play on words. I liked it so much that I started calling myself that when I first came to this world."
"It makes sense."
He's definitely Japanese, this guy.
"Then I have another question. Mobius Online did not exist in 2008. So why are you here?"
"I don't even know why ...... since I didn't even know that this was a real "future game world" until Reikan told me about it."
"You talked to Reikan?"
"Yes, from within Miroku, when he was still alive. In the previous world, he passed away in 2026. He said he was from Michigan, U.S.A."
"Seriously? I've talked to him a few times in Mobius, and he spoke fluent Japanese."
"He seemed to be a big 'Japanophile'……"
Ahhh, that's what it was.
"I suspect that the university officials were involved...... Well, I have already died twice, so there's nothing I can do about it. So, I wanted to give one last message to people like you. That was the only regret I had."
"Second time, in your lifetime? "
"No, it's different. During my fieldwork, I was so excited to see a large man who looked like a statue of the god of war Asura that I approached him out of curiosity, only to be killed with ease. That was Miroku. Or rather, in the context of the previous story, it would be Miroku when he did not have an ego. I never thought he was really named Asura, that's impressive."
It's impressive, in a way.
"Are you an idiot? "
"Yes, I am an idiot. But I was able to exchange words with you. I entrusted you with my knowledge. This could not have been accomplished without being absorbed by Miroku. I guess this is another example of Buddha's guidance."
"In other words, Miroku gained his ego by absorbing you."
"Without a doubt. And I suspect that in absorbing me, he also gained knowledge of Buddhism at the same time."
"He misunderstood it as the manifestation of Shakyamuni Buddha."
"From what I've heard, I'm not so certain."
"What do you think about the fact that he thinks he is Maitreya (Miroku)?"
"It's very simple. I loved Maitreya very, very much. I was the foremost expert on Maitreya research. I also visited India to study Maitreya. But I died as a result."
Yeah, I get it. This guy is the same.
"Miroku was inspired by your love of Maitreya?"
"Yeah, probably."
I see how it is.
It was a little clearer now that I have a rough idea of why.
But, well, what a strange story. It's hard to believe since it's so far-fetched.
But I'm actually reincarnated. ...... If I had to tilt my head every time I wondered about something, my shoulders would be stiff.
"You have a look of curiosity on your face. However, we have no choice but to accept it."
"Well, I get what you're trying to tell me. It's all a mystery, though."
"That's fine. This transient world is full of mysteries. Don't ever think you know it all."
"……You say some pretty cool things."
I strongly agree with him on that. I also dislike those who proudly declare, "○○ happens because of ××," as if they know everything.
"So, is that all you want? "
"Yeah, that's all."
"……I'm sorry to say it myself, but is this really all there is to it? Isn't there something more like, you know, a thousand-year weighty thing or something? "
"I don't have anything in particular. I am already very happy to have exchanged words with you in this way. I feel like I'm about to attain enlightenment."
"Every single guy that has come to this world is a weird one, seriously."
"You, too……"
"…………Oh, god, is it already over?"
Surely this was his final moment.
Shaka's, or rather Mr. Takahashi's, presence was rapidly fading away.
The flame lit in the eyes of the mask on the right side of Miroku's head gradually and progressively became smaller and smaller.
"I hope you be well. And the person there, as you said, the one you were waiting for is quite an oddball. Then, Second. I hope, we can meet, again someday, if, it is possible, and talk, like this again――……"
……Disappeared. Completely.
He must have reached spiritual enlightenment.
From within Miroku, Shaka was gone.
It was an extraordinary spiritual experience.
It's only been a few minutes since we met, but for some reason I miss him. Was it because he was from the same hometown? Or was it because I was present at that moment when that person disappeared? In any case, it is still sad.
"――HEY, wait."
And then, another one, huh?
From the mask on the left side of Miroku's head came a voice with a distinctive accent.
"I was surprised. You're Seven? My name is Reikan. Do you remember? I was the first Eishou."
======
Thank you for reading.
The first volume of the book version is now on sale, so please buy it if you enjoy it.
Cheat sheet
Stats details
＜Status Details＞
- HP Hit Points
- MP Magic Points
- SP Stamina Points
- STR Short range attack skill power, strength, physical power.
- DEX Long range attack skill power, dexterity, hit rate.
- AGI Quickness, avoidance rate.
- INT Attack Magic skill power.
- LUK Good luck, critical rate.
- VIT Simple defense.
- MGR Magic defense.
Types of combat skills
Named after shogi pieces (The word in bold is the one being used in this translation). From easier to acquire to harder.
- Pawn/Soldier (Fuhyou)
- Lance(Kyousha)
- Knight (Keima)
- Silver General (Ginshou)
- Gold General (Kinshou)
- Bishop (Kakugyou)
- Rook (Hisha)
- Promoted Bishop/Dragon Horse(Ryuuma)
- Promoted Rook/Dragon King (Ryuuou).
List of Swordsmanship skills
Swordsmanship
- 《Soldier Swordsmanship》 Normal attack.
- 《Lance Swordsmanship》 Piercing attack.
- 《Knight Swordsmanship》 Precision attack.
- 《Silver Swordsmanship》 Strong single-target attack.
- 《Gold Swordsmanship》 Small-range attack to all directions.
- 《Bishop Swordsmanship》 Quick and powerful piercing attack
- 《Rook Swordsmanship》 Rush piercing attack
- 《Dragon Horse Swordsmanship》 Powerful ranged attack in all directions
- 《Dragon King Swordsmanship》 Most powerful range attack, takes time to prepare
List of Shieldmanship skills
Shieldmanship
- 《Soldier Shieldmanship》 Normal defense.
- 《Lance Shieldmanship》 Piercing deflection.
- 《Knight Shieldmanship》 Defense + knockback.
- 《Silver Shieldmanship》 Defense +chance to parry
- 《Gold Shieldmanship》 Ranged guided defense + knockback.
- 《Bishop Shieldmanship》 Reinforced defense (Temporarily boosts VIT and MGR)
- 《Rook Shieldmanship》 Rush attack
- 《Dragon Horse Shieldmanship》 ???
- 《Dragon King Shieldmanship》 Powerful shield attack, takes time to prepare
List of Archery skills
Archery
- 《Soldier Archery》 Normal range attack.
- 《Lance Archery》 Piercing range attack.
- 《Knight Archery》 Precise sniping range attack.
- 《Silver Archery》 Strong single-target range attack.
- 《Gold Archery》 Weaker range attack with added knockback.
- 《Bishop Archery》 Strong piercing range attack.
- 《Rook Archery》 Very strong single-target range attack with scaling % damage.
- 《Dragon Horse Archery》 Powerful Area of Effect piercing range attack.
- 《Dragon King Archery》 Powerful on-impact range attack, takes time to prepare
Types of Magic skills
They use the “Form” or “step” system of martial arts. From lower to higher.
- First Form Regular attack
- Second Form Extended range attack
- Third Form Strong single target attack
- Fourth Form Strong extended range attack
- Fifth Form Extremely powerful extended range attack
- Their cast time becomes longer in this order First→Third→Second→Fourth→Fifth.
Ranking of the skills
From lower to higher, then it changes to the “Dan” system of martial arts, which means Grade.
- 16th class
- 15th class
- 14th class
- 13th class
- 12h class
- 11th class
- 10th class
- 9th class
- 8th class
- 7th class
- 6th class
- 5th class
- 4th class
- 3rd class
- 2nd class
- 1st class
- Grade 1
- Grade 2
- Grade 3
- Grade 4
- Grade 5
- Grade 6
- Grade 7
- Grade 8
- Grade 9
- Title
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Sousaku - 創作 - We Create! 
dang…. how many soul gonna talking from the side mask
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Really enjoying the translation, read up to currently released chapter here. Just an FYI though, the ‘Next Chapter’ button does not work from this chapter on.
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I’ll fix them in the following days, in the meantime you can use the table of contents to move through the chapters. All the links there are updated.
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Weird, is it just me or is the font being funny?
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nope, not just you. it looks like a typewriter font to me
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