Chapter 27 – Community Leader (1)

In a world with mana, even without being a magician or knight, some people naturally sensed mana.

These people, whose senses sharpened and physical strength increased, could use various abilities with mana.

Such individuals were what Hoffman called natural awakeners.

On the continent, natural awakeners existed before knights and magicians, and were actually the predecessors of both.

Magicians’ magic and knights’ mental techniques were created by observing how natural awakeners moved mana.

However, in my previous life, I had never seen magicians, knights, or natural awakeners.

So, I thought humans on Earth couldn’t sense mana.

But suddenly, a natural awakener?

Yet, even my mana detection sensed mana moving inside the man in the tent.

A mana movement different from magicians’ mana spreading from the heart, or knights’ mana circling from the lower abdomen throughout the body.

Very primitive, but he was clearly sensing and moving mana.

Having seen it a few times in that world, I could tell. The man in the tent was indeed a natural awakener.

Could people in this world also sense mana?

In my previous life, I had never heard stories similar to natural awakeners.

Even then, it would have been difficult to hide such secrets because of the internet…

Then, perhaps it wasn’t that they couldn’t sense mana, but that there was no mana in this world before?

Maybe mana appeared in this world when the Demon King appeared.

While I don’t know how mana appeared in this world, if natural awakeners emerged among people, it would greatly help in fighting the Demon King’s army.

While I was examining the person in the tent, those who had rushed out surrounded us with weapons.

Though their weapons were merely improvised spears made from metal rods and modified kitchen knives, their expressions were like those of highly trained soldiers.

In other words, they were just overly enthusiastic.

Thanks to this, we could face them without worry.

“Who are you?”

This time, perhaps because we hadn’t saved their lives, people asked more sharply than Jun-ho had.

“We are from the Kingdom of Sorbia…”

Though the question was sharp, my party members and I answered no differently than we had with Jun-ho.

“…What nonsense.”

“Looks like cosplay. Maybe they’re crazy people?”

“But aren’t those ears real?”

“That can’t be.”

It was the same answer, but unfortunately, these people didn’t believe us.

It’s hard to believe just by looking at our appearance…

Should we demonstrate our abilities?

At this rate, it would be difficult to have a conversation. But we couldn’t just start fighting as soon as we met.

As I was feeling a bit perplexed, Jun-ho, who had guided us, stepped forward.

“Everyone, wait a moment, please. It’s hard to believe, but these people are superhumans like the Community Leader. They saved my life. And…”

He intervened just in time, but a question from inside the tent interrupted him.

“Where is Hyo-sik, who went with you?”

People turned to Jun-ho in surprise, and he answered, lowering his head.

“…He didn’t return. I was in danger too.”

“Oh my…”

Everyone’s expressions sharpened.

Unfortunately, the reinforcements didn’t seem to help.

If we weren’t careful, even Jun-ho might lose people’s trust.

The tension around us increased at the man’s words.

Just as Hoffman put his finger on the trigger of his crossbow, the man in the tent rose.

He slowly came out of the tent and spoke to everyone.

“We’ll talk about Hyo-sik after we decide how to deal with our visitors.”

Deal with us.

It was a strange thing to say. An absurd thing to say.

“To say such a thing in front of knights…”

Hoffman also looked dumbfounded.

Even after hearing Hoffman’s words, the Community Leader’s expression didn’t change.

Instead, he put on motorcycle gloves and stood in front of us.

“First, let’s confirm if it’s true that you use superpowers. If it’s not a lie, let’s see your skills. You can all come at me if you want.”

A man in his 30s wearing motorcycle gloves and a leather jacket stood in front of us, emitting light from his hands.

We stared blankly at the man called the Community Leader.

It was hard to believe, but it seemed he had a severe case of chuunibyou due to suddenly awakening.

A sudden duel with a natural awakener. It had become ridiculous.

I turned my head to look at Hoffman.

When I looked at him, Hoffman scratched his head.

“I could fight, but it doesn’t seem like the right time for me to fight.”

I sighed at Hoffman’s words.

I had looked at Hoffman because the situation had become strange, but he was right.

In terms of skill, Hoffman and the natural awakener before us were evenly matched.

If they fought to the death in an unrestricted, wide area, Hoffman would definitely win,

But in such a narrow space, where they couldn’t kill each other, it wouldn’t be easy for Hoffman to win.

Hoffman’s combat experience would be far superior, but the Community Leader, who could draw mana out of his body, would have a much larger mana quantity.

If we fought unnecessarily and lost, it would be a laughable situation, and even if we barely won, it would be difficult for the other side to acknowledge it.

I looked at Zahina instead of Hoffman and sighed.

I couldn’t use an elf whose abilities were halved here either, so I had to step forward.

I shook my head and stepped forward.

“Is the knight from some kingdom going to fight alone? Then draw your sword.”

I sighed once more at the Community Leader’s words and drew the sword from my waist, scabbard and all.

I didn’t need a sword, but since he asked like that, it seemed better to show him properly!

“Well then, shall we check if this isn’t cosplay?”

The man spoke and kicked off the ground.

The Community Leader closed in with one step. His glowing fist flew towards my head.

There was definitely mana in the approaching fist.

Not just inside the fist, but mana surrounded the surface too, so if hit by that fist, not just zombies but even skeletons would fall.

I was a bit surprised seeing the approaching fist. The movement was better than expected, and he was using mana well.

With that amount of mana, if he trained hard, he might be able to fight knights.

“About 10 years… if he learns mental techniques.”

I tilted my head slightly to avoid the flying fist. Then I slightly extended my leg.

Thud.

The timing was right, and the man’s leg caught on the foot I had extended.

The Community Leader rolled on the ground.

He rolled on the ground about three times, then sprang up to his feet.

It was impressive. A movement worthy of applause.

A movement that made such a big mistake not look like a mistake.

I seemed to have underestimated my opponent too much.

“What is this!”

Though he covered up his mistake with flashy movements, the man’s face had turned bright red.

He would surely be found out like that.

Thinking this, I took a step forward.

The distance closed instantly, just like when the opponent had rushed in.

With one step, the opponent entered my range.

The opponent’s eyes were not yet looking at me straight on.

It seems he doesn’t know how to accelerate his eyes or mind with mana yet.

I couldn’t help but sigh.

It’s not like I’m playing with a child.

It felt like I was doing unnecessary clowning.

But if I didn’t want to waste time, I had no choice but to do it.

I swung the sword hard, scabbard and all.

Bang!

With a loud noise, the man in front of me disappeared.

Crash!

Following that came a huge collision sound.

I turned my head to look where the sound came from, and the Community Leader was embedded in the wall.

Fortunately, no blood was visible.

Even though I had struck hard with mana, using the scabbard, he wasn’t injured.

As expected, he had surrounded his entire body with mana to block the impact.

The wall took that impact instead. The wall he had collided with was finely cracked.

“Isn’t this supposed to be a shelter floor… specially constructed to be extra thick?”

“It should be…”

“Then why did the wall end up like that?”

As the Community Leader embedded in the wall couldn’t move, the people who had been frozen began to whisper softly.

They looked at the Community Leader embedded in the wall with surprised eyes, then looked at me and my party members with frightened faces.

I asked the Community Leader embedded in the wall.

“Has my skill been confirmed?”

Unfortunately, the Community Leader couldn’t answer.

He had fainted the moment he was embedded in the wall.

I hadn’t intended to make him faint, but it seems I misjudged my strength.

“There was no need to swing so hard just because you were angry.”

Seeing even Hoffman, who was on our side, misunderstand, it seemed no one thought I had misjudged my strength.

Thanks to the opponent fainting, it was quite some time before we could have a proper conversation.

We had wasted time, but fortunately, the atmosphere wasn’t bad.

By the time we could talk again, the other side had become as polite as we were.

“I had heard there were more people who gained superpowers, but I never thought there would be superhumans stronger than me.”

The Community Leader, having regained consciousness, seemed to have lost his chuunibyou.

He listened to our story with a much friendlier face.

I told them about us, just as I had told the soldier at the military base.

“So you came from another world. And the ones who created the zombies came from your world too.”

After hearing our story, people seemed angry for a moment, but when we looked around, they quickly calmed down.

They were kind people.

“It’s hard to believe, but we have no choice but to believe. The armor you’re wearing, and the woman is different too…”

Once we demonstrated our abilities, they believed us just like Jun-ho had.

“Well, actually, hearing such content doesn’t change what we can do. We’re barely managing to survive as it is.”

That’s why we told these people where we came from.

There’s no internet, and they can’t broadcast either.

Rumors about us wouldn’t spread beyond this area.

“In the end, three people with powerful superpowers have visited our neighborhood…”

The Community Leader, who had been muttering softly, looked at me and asked.

“What are your plans from now on?”

I could immediately understand what the Community Leader meant.

He was asking whether we were just passing through or if we would stay here.

Unlike the others watching us, the Community Leader’s expression was stiff.

It seemed that while the others wanted us to stay, the Community Leader did not.

Was it because his authority might be threatened?

Actually, it didn’t matter what the Community Leader thought.

It was up to us, or rather, me to make the decision.

Now that we had found a proper base, it seemed time to make a decision.

Whether to keep moving to where I lived in my previous life, or to stay here and wait for the gate to open.

I answered the Community Leader’s question.