After gathering a massive amount of meat and eggs from the livestock plains, I quietly returned to the meadow to butcher some sheep. On the way, I saw Ethefelis and Alice diligently harvesting vegetables. Nice.
Once I finished handling the meat, I headed back to the crop plains to find Ethefelis and Alice. Then I took out my pocket watch to check the time—2:42. It was almost the agreed meeting time at 3.
I pulled out two pocket watches and handed them to Ethefelis and Alice.
"Ethefelis, Alice, these are for you. I've already set the time. Just remember not to put them into your storage hole."
"Thank you."
"Mr. Karen, thank you, but… why?"
"I was planning to give them to you anyway. The timing just happens to be perfect."
That's right, the timing couldn't be better. I gave theirs first, and later I'd head to the commercial district to get one for Grace. That way, no one would feel left out.
Just kidding. I was actually worried they wouldn't be able to see the clock tower. They're both pretty short, and there are lots of tall buildings outside. Well… both reasons count.
Alice then said to me, clearly touched,
"I'll make sure to use it often!"
"You should be using it often. Alright, it's almost time. You two should head out."
I watched as Ethefelis and Alice stepped into the teleportation circle and left. After that, it felt like I was replaying the same stage again as I began conquering another country's dungeon.
Along the way, I hunted animals I don't usually eat and gathered mushrooms and wild vegetables. I wanted my meals to be diverse—no repeats.
Unfortunately, the delicious seafood in the ocean was off-limits due to magic element. Diving in to catch them wasn't an option—it was too dangerous and time-consuming.
By nightfall, I finally reached level 91—the residential area. I casually entered a house, cooked a meal, took a shower, watched some TV, and went to sleep.
Early the next morning, I got ready and rode my long-unseen motorcycle toward the entrance of the next level. Thankfully, I already knew the location.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have made it in time for our 3 o'clock meeting. I also restocked supplies along the way.
At 1:46, I finally reached Level 100. Just like before, there was only a statue of the Goddess of Fate, followed by a hesitant voice.
"Y-You… are you the Brave?"
"Yeah."
Ignoring the strange tone of the god, I focused only on retrieving my power and leaving as quickly as possible. No unnecessary conversation. Then I heard the god muttering to herself.
"This time the Brave isn't yellow hair? And… why wasn't he summoned here? …Whatever, as long as I can leave this place."
There was no way I could pretend I didn't hear that. So I can teleport here? Why didn't anyone tell me earlier? Why did I waste an entire day getting down here?!
As for that yellow hair Brave, I didn't care—probably from a previous generation.
"I can hear you, you know."
"...Ahem. Brave, state your name."
After hearing me, the god sounded embarrassed. She coughed a few times, trying to recover, then spoke like she was following a script.
"No need. Just give me the power already. After explaining how it works, you can go reincarnate."
I rejected her impatiently. I just wanted to get straight to the point. Besides, if I gave my name, she might send down a divine revelation to some temple.
The god got annoyed.
"Do you have any manners? Telling a god to reincarnate the moment you arrive?"
"Am I wrong?"
"Well… no, but how do you even know that?"
"I told you, you don't need to know. I'm in a hurry. Just give me the power."
"I've been here for a hundred years and I'm not rushing—what are you rushing for?! Fine, fine! Take it!"
Completely fed up, the god gave in. A ball of light appeared and entered my body. Instantly, I felt my physical abilities improve.
But the most important thing was the special ability. I quickly asked,
"What's the special ability?"
"How did I end up with such an impatient Brave… what bad luck…"
She started muttering again, even complaining about me. I immediately raised my voice and cut her off.
"I told you—I can hear you. You haven't told me the Brave ability."
"It's Creation. But you can't create something from nothing—you need raw materials. And the structure can't be too complex."
That wasn't a problem. Creation was already an amazing ability. I could probably make all sorts of convenient things.
"How do I use it?"
"Write down what you want to create on paper, place the materials on it, and it'll activate."
I see. Looks like I'll need to learn design.
Now that my objective was complete, I turned to leave.
"Thanks. I'm heading out. Take care."
"You're leaving just like that?"
The god sounded reluctant, which made me turn back.
"Should I stay and chat with you instead? Are you the Goddess of Fate?"
I suddenly remembered I still wanted to complain to the Goddess of Fate. The god's tone immediately turned serious.
"Why are you being so disrespectful to Lady Fatelis?"
"So you're not her. Then there's nothing to talk about. I'm leaving."
"Answer my question!"
The god finally snapped. Looks like I had seriously disrespected the deity she admired. But I didn't care. Annoyed, I replied,
"You want me to stay here and watch you leave?"
"I haven't talked to anyone in a hundred years… I'm bored. And I'm about to reincarnate. Can't you at least chat with me a little?"
Her voice sounded like an abandoned puppy. I sighed. Fine—I'd keep her company one last time before she left.
But first, the most important question.
"Is time outside frozen?"
"No. You walked in here, remember?"
Why didn't say so earlier?! I could've just teleported!
I took out my pocket watch and checked the time.
"...I promised my companions I'd meet them at 3. It's 1:56 now. I can only talk until 2:50. What do you want to talk about?"
I sat down. From that point on, it was pure conversation—no action.
"You're a Brave, yet you care so much about time. You still have an hour."
"That has nothing to do with being a Brave. People should be punctual."
"But aren't Braves supposed to be carefree? Even if they're late, they just apologize, laugh it off, and get forgiven, right?"
"If he weren't a Brave, he'd be scolded already. And that's just a stereotype. Not every Brave is the same."
"Really? Ever since I was born, I've observed every generation of Braves. They're all like that."
"The Goddess of Fate has terrible selection criteria."
"Why are you being so disrespectful to Lady Fatelis?! You're the one she chose… but why is your personality different?"
"I have no idea. I'd like to complain myself."
"Complain? You really are different from the others."
"So every Brave was happy to be chosen? Let me be honest—I have no interest in being a Brave. I'm only here because it's my duty."
"You complain a lot, yet you still take your duty seriously."
"You're wrong. If the Demon King can be reasoned with, I won't fight him. I don't have a strong sense of justice. I just want to finish this quickly and go home."
"Definitely different… Speaking of home, do you have family waiting for you?"
"Of course. Don't tell me every Brave is an orphan."
"That's right. You're really sharp."
"Your selection criteria really are terrible."
"There's a reason. Before becoming a Brave, the chosen one must become an adventurer and enter a dungeon. But if they have parents, they don't need to become adventurers—so they can't become a Brave."
"That makes some sense, but who says you need to be parentless to become an adventurer? You could just aim to earn money that way from a young age."
"You don't get it. It's insurance. Orphans want money—no education, no backing. They can learn trades, sure, but being an adventurer is the fastest way to earn."
"So it's just insurance. You could've said that from the start."
I scoffed at her explanation. So the way to avoid becoming a Brave is simply not becoming an adventurer. Unfortunately, she had a point—adventuring is high-risk, high-reward. Back then, I had no reason not to choose it.
Then the god suddenly sounded excited.
"I've noticed something—you don't fully trust what others say. You think for yourself."
"Isn't that basic? Or should I just blindly get tricked?"
"I don't know if they think or not. They all trust others completely—believing everything they're told."
"They don't even doubt. Then they cry after getting betrayed."
"How do you know that!? They really did cry after being betrayed."
"Seriously? They're the textbook definition of a Brave."
"Yes! They trust everyone completely, and then need encouragement from a Saintess to recover."
"They even need encouragement? Are they that fragile?"
"And all their companions are women. When the girls do things that clearly show romantic interest, the Brave misinterprets them or doesn't notice at all."
"That's just a rom-com protagonist."
"And when the girls finally gather the courage to confess, he becomes indecisive—saying he only wants to defeat the Demon King, but doesn't want to hurt them, yet also doesn't want to ruin their relationships. So he keeps enjoying the ambiguity."
"Trash! Absolute trash! I hate people who play with others' feelings. But in the end, they all get harems, right?"
"Exactly. Since they can't choose, they just all choose. The main wife is the Saintess, and the second is a princess."
"The ranking doesn't matter. You've really studied this well. Do you watch them 24/7?"
"Yes. And because of that, I was judged guilty of dereliction of duty."
"Serves you right."
"I don't regret it. By the way, are all your companions women too?"
"No. There's one man."
"Then maybe your ending will be different… Too bad I won't get to see it. Is there a girl you like among your companions?"
"No. My attitude makes that pretty clear."
"Have you met the Saintess?"
"She's in my party."
"That's impossible! A Brave always falls in love with the Saintess. That's an eternal truth."
"That's the funniest "truth" I've ever heard. But tell me—why would the Goddess of Fate choose someone with demon blood to be the Saintess?"
"Demon!? The Saintess of this generation is a demon!?"
Even the god was shocked—the Saintess actually had demon blood.