The next day, Takeru decides to track down the family of Baluri, the poor guy he’d found dead in the woods, so he can return a few of his belongings and deliver the sad news. When Baluri’s family hears what happened, they’re absolutely heartbroken—especially since they’d told him not to go adventuring. But Baluri had insisted on it so he could earn money for his father’s medicine.
Looking around, Takeru can see that the father is still very ill, and guilt starts eating away at him. He wishes there was something—anything—he could do to help.
Afterward, he heads over to the guild to sell some herbs, and the clerk is practically glowing with excitement over how massive his mushrooms and leaves are. (Honestly, they look like they’ve been growing at a gym.) Just then, Ariana shows up, calling out for Takeru. Apparently, he’s become quite the local celebrity because the guild board is overflowing with jobs personally requesting him.
Takeru blushes a bit at all the attention—he’s flattered, but he’s also not exactly built for multitasking. So, he decides to accept only a few of the requests for now.
Later, he heads to the bathhouse to relax and enjoy a long, peaceful soak. But his peace doesn’t last long because Klay suddenly walks in and sits right next to him. Takeru is surprised to see him—Klay usually comes at a different time—but he explains that it looks like it’s going to rain, so he wanted to sneak in a bath before the storm hits.
As they sit in the steamy water, Klay glances at him and asks if he knows healing magic. He’s heard rumors that Takeru healed a sick man in the slums for free. Takeru admits it’s true, and Klay nearly slips under the water from shock. “For free?! Most healers charge enough to make your wallet cry!”
Takeru, ever the humble overthinker, suddenly worries that all the professional healers might get mad at him for undercutting their business. The fact that that’s his biggest concern makes Klay burst out laughing.
Between chuckles, Klay tells Takeru that he should really take the rank assessment test and move up in the guild ranks. But Takeru just waves him off. “Eh, I’m good. I kind of like my quiet life,” he says, sinking deeper into the bath like a man fully committed to relaxation over ambition.
Klay can tell that Takeru is a pretty chill guy, but he warns him that acting too laid-back in this world will eventually attract the wrong kind of attention. As he leaves the bathhouse, he advises Takeru to start learning a bit more about how things really work in this world—before it’s too late.
Later that day, Takeru delivers another batch of herbs to the guild. The clerk thanks him for his hard work but once again begs him to consider taking the rank-up exam. With Takeru’s skills, a higher rank would be a walk in the park. But Takeru just smiles and insists that he’s happy exactly where he is. He has zero intention of going beyond F-rank.
Just then, chaos breaks out in the guild hall—apparently, a horde of goblins has been spotted near the city! The Guild Master immediately issues an emergency order, calling for all D-rank and above adventurers to mobilize for battle. He then asks his receptionist if there are any A-rank adventurers available to join the fight. Unfortunately, most of them are already out on assignments. The only one left in the city is Klay.
The Guild Master breathes a sigh of relief. “Well, at least we’ve got the Honorable Dragon King on our side,” he mutters. Then he instructs Mooi to go and inform Klay of the situation right away.
Takeru, meanwhile, watches all the commotion from the corner with the energy of a man who just wanted to drop off herbs, not go monster hunting. He knows he could easily one-tap the entire goblin army if he wanted to, but since he’s technically still F-rank, he doesn’t feel obligated to lift a finger.
Unfortunately for him, the Guild Master sees right through his “innocent bystander” act. Narrowing his eyes, he points straight at Takeru and declares, “You’re coming too—whether you like it or not.”
A short while later, all the adventurers are assembled in the plaza as the Guild Master outlines the battle plan. The goblin army is currently advancing across the southern Stavlaw Plains, and if left unchecked, they’ll be heading straight toward Belcim.
They can’t let the goblins make it past the city wall, so the Guild Master orders everyone to intercept them at the Zawis River. The entire guild is hyped and ready to defend the city… well, everyone except Takeru, who’s wondering why he even got dragged into this mess.
Two adventurers nearby notice his F-rank badge and immediately start whispering, “Why is a weakling like that guy here?” Just as Takeru contemplates pretending to faint, the Guild Master strolls over. He admits he’s not totally sure why, but all his staff have been singing Takeru’s praises nonstop—so he figured, why not throw him into danger too?
Technically, he’s not allowed to force an F-ranker into combat (the Union would chew him out for that), but there’s no rule against asking Takeru to collect valuable monster drops from the battlefield. So, it’s a win-win… for everyone except Takeru.
After the Guild Master leaves, Musli apologizes to Takeru, saying she has no clue why he’s being sent to the front. Still, she promises to do her best to support him. Takeru, confused, asks what she means, and she explains that she knows a bit of healing magic and will be serving as a medic.
That makes sense to Takeru, but with how overly enthusiastic she seems about a deadly battle, he can’t shake the feeling that something’s about to go horribly wrong.
Sure enough, once they reach the outpost, Musli immediately gets startled by a bird and latches onto Takeru’s arm like it’s a lifeline. Takeru, deadpan, tells her to let go, but she insists she’s not scared at all—despite shaking like a leaf. He sighs and reassures her that they’re stationed at a rear outpost, far from any actual fighting, so the odds of running into a real monster are basically zero… probably.
Takeru tells Mooi there’s nothing wrong with being scared—after all, even the bravest warriors feel fear sometimes. What matters is doing your best with the skills you have. His little pep talk actually lifts Mooi’s spirits, and she promises to do her very best before dashing off into one of the tents.
A moment later, Clay steps out, chuckling. He finds it pretty amusing that Takeru, of all people, just gave a motivational speech about courage—especially considering how hard he tried to avoid coming to the battlefield in the first place.
Takeru can’t argue with that logic. He admits it’s a bit ironic, but defends himself by saying he just doesn’t like getting dragged into unnecessary trouble. Then, glancing around, he notices Clay hanging out in the rear camp instead of being up front where the real action is.
“Wait,” Takeru says, “shouldn’t you be out there with the others?”
Clay admits that some old scars have started acting up again, so his body isn’t quite working like it used to. Takeru asks if he’s talking about those scars he noticed on Clay’s back back at the bathhouse.
That question makes Clay freeze for a second—he’s clearly bracing himself for judgment. But instead of disgust, Takeru just looks at him like, “Yeah? So what?”
Clay sighs and explains that scars on a warrior’s back are considered a stain on their honor—proof they were injured while running away. But Takeru just shakes his head. He can tell Clay got those scars while protecting someone, not out of cowardice. “You got hurt saving someone and still lived to tell the tale,” Takeru says. “If anything, that’s something to be proud of.”
Just then, a deep rumble echoes through the ground—hundreds of footsteps. Clay’s expression hardens instantly. The front line formation must’ve been breached; the goblins are coming. He snatches up a spear, declaring, “I’ll intercept them!”
Even though his scars are clearly killing him, Clay vows to protect Takeru, even if his body gives out. Takeru tries to tell him, “Hey, seriously, you don’t have to—” but before he can finish, Clay is already gone, sprinting into battle like an action hero with back pain.
Turning toward the tents, Takeru spots Mooi desperately healing a wounded adventurer. Seeing her work so hard—despite being terrified—makes him feel guilty for trying to take the easy route.
With a sigh, Takeru decides it’s time to step up. He casts a massive barrier around the outpost to protect Mooi and the other healers, then charges toward the front lines to face the goblins himself.
Out there, chaos reigns. Adventurers are clashing with goblins in a desperate struggle to keep them from reaching the city. But at this rate, it’s only a matter of time before the wall is breached…
All of a sudden, Takeru comes sprinting onto the battlefield and punches one of the goblins so hard that it rockets into a rock pillar with a crunch. Even he’s a bit freaked out by what he just did—fighting humanoid monsters isn’t exactly something he’s used to. But this isn’t the time to think about morals or ethics, so he calls out to Bee, asking her to handle the rest.
With a cheerful roar, Bee takes to the skies and unleashes a crackling wave of lightning that fries every goblin in sight. The smell of ozone and roasted monster fills the air, and the battlefield finally goes quiet.
Takeru rushes over to check on the others and asks what happened. Diego explains that their formation was holding up fine at first—until a high-level Goblin Surgeon appeared out of nowhere. After that, everything fell apart. Thankfully, Clay showed up in time to save them and even managed to drive the Goblin Surgeon back… but in all the chaos, they got separated. Nobody knows where he is now, or if he’s even still alive.
Hearing that, Takeru immediately goes looking for him. Near the edge of the forest, he finds Clay surrounded—fighting for his life against a swarm of goblins. Even with pain shooting through his back, Clay manages to cut down a few of them with his spear. But the old scars flare up again, and the pain drops him to his knees.
The goblins move in for the kill, their weapons raised—only to be vaporized by a bolt of lightning as Takeru charges in. He stands beside Clay, smoke rising from his fingertips.
Clay, shocked and exhausted, yells for Takeru to get out of here—it’s too dangerous. But Takeru fires back, “Says the guy with a back full of old injuries! You shouldn’t be pushing yourself like this!”
Before they can argue further, a heavy thud shakes the ground. The Goblin Surgeon emerges from the smoke, towering and snarling, its blades glinting under the moonlight. It lunges at them with terrifying speed, but both Takeru and Clay dive out of the way just in time.
They both know the truth: retreating would be the smart move—but there’s no way they’ll outrun this monster.
Despite the excruciating pain shooting through his back, Clay steadies his breathing, grips his spear, and takes a battle stance. “I’ll hold this thing off,” he says firmly, “so you can run, Takeru. No matter what, I’m not letting my friend die in a dump like this.”
Takeru is genuinely moved by Clay’s resolve — though, to be fair, this is terrible timing for a heart-to-heart. Still, he tilts his head and asks, “Hey, by the way… do those scars on your back mean something to you?”
Clay, already confused, shouts, “What kind of question is that right now?! They just remind me of my failures — I hate them!”
“Oh, perfect,” Takeru replies, “then you won’t mind if I erase them!”
Before Clay can even ask what that means, Takeru digs into his bag and splashes him with a bottle of Bee’s dad’s special magic water. Then he chants a full-healing spell for good measure.
In an instant, the scars vanish — but that’s not all. Clay’s body suddenly starts glowing like a forge. When the light fades, he’s… pitch black.
Both men stare in shock.
Takeru: “Uh… that’s new.”
Clay: “Did you just… repaint me?!”
Not only is the pain gone, but Clay feels a rush of overwhelming power coursing through him. His muscles tighten, his eyes gleam, and before he can process it, he’s already slicing through goblins like a blender set to maximum. Within seconds, the entire horde is dust.
Later that night, Clay storms into Takeru’s room, looking very much un-blackened again — but clearly fired up. “What the hell did you do to me earlier!?” he demands. “I still feel this weird energy burning inside me!”
Takeru, scratching his head, casually explains, “Oh, that? I used some ancient dragon magic water as a catalyst and added healing magic. Totally normal stuff.”
Clay: “…I beg your pardon?”
Takeru elaborates, “You know, from V, the ancient dragon. He’s Bee’s dad, by the way. So technically, Bee’s kind of ancient too.”
Clay just sits down slowly, face blank. “Right… ancient dragon. Sure. Perfectly reasonable.”
After a moment of quiet disbelief, he looks back at Takeru. “You’re not exactly an ordinary person, are you?”
Takeru realizes he might have spilled way too many secrets but shrugs it off. “Well, I guess it’s fine. The gods never told me to hide it anyway. So yeah… I’m from another world.”
Clay freezes completely. For a solid five seconds, there’s nothing but silence. Then he finally mutters, “…You’re serious, aren’t you?”
Takeru nods.
Clay: “…I need a drink.”
Takeru sits Clay down and gives him the full “So-I-Got-Isekai’d” story — from his reincarnation to meeting Bee, and all the way to accidentally turning people into high-performance models with dragon water.
By the end of the explanation, Clay’s brain looks like it’s buffering. He rubs his temples and mutters, “So… you died, got reborn, met a dragon, and now you’re casually rewriting people’s biology?”
Takeru, smiling sheepishly: “When you say it like that, it sounds weird.”
Clay sighs. “It is weird!” But after everything he’s witnessed — the insane strength, the magic, the crab incident — he can’t exactly deny it either.
Finally, Clay exhales and nods. “All right, I’ll keep your secret, Taku. But seriously, be more careful with that god-tier power of yours. Altering someone’s body is kind of a big deal — not exactly something you should do between lunch and dinner.”
Takeru scratches his cheek awkwardly. “Yeah, lesson learned. Next time, I’ll… ask for consent before accidentally evolving someone.”
Clay facepalms. “Next time?! Please don’t make that sound like there’ll be a next time.”
