Among Monsters (Tensura)

Chap 5.

As James walked back toward the inn, his mind buzzed with everything he'd read in the library. One detail kept nagging at him. The book had mentioned it had been 290 years since Veldora had been sealed by the female hero. In the anime, when Rimuru arrived, Veldora mentioned he'd been sealed for 300 years. This meant he was at least ten years before Rimuru's arrival.

Ten years before the story even starts… that's a lot of time. But also... kind of terrifying, James thought. It meant he was on his own for the foreseeable future, with no way of knowing when Rimuru or any other familiar characters would appear.

Once he returned to his room at the inn, James closed the door and took a deep breath. He needed to understand his skills—especially his unique ones—if he was going to survive in this world. All right, let's start with Annihilation Creator.

James remembered the Annihilation Maker skill from High School DxD, which allowed its user to summon creatures by imagining them. If Annihilation Creator worked the same way, he should be able to summon monsters by picturing what he wanted to create.

He stretched out his hand and concentrated, conjuring an image in his mind. Something strong, stealthy... like a dire wolf, he thought, picturing the fierce, shadowy creature he wanted to bring forth. Taking a deep breath, he called out, "Annihilation Creator."

A surge of warmth left his body, pooling in the air in front of him as the ground began to glow. Intricate lines of energy traced a large, pulsing magic circle, growing brighter with each second. From within the circle, shadows began to solidify, forming a hulking shape.

Massive paws appeared first, tipped with razor-sharp claws. Then came the muscular limbs, coated in dense, storm-grey fur. The creature rose up, thick and broad, with a mane around its neck that made it seem even more imposing. When its head lifted, fierce yellow eyes glared back at him, radiating a feral intelligence.

The summoning light faded, leaving the beast fully formed—a dire wolf, large and powerful, growling low as it gazed around the room. The wolf's fangs glistened in the dim light, and its sharp eyes locked onto James.

James stared, frozen in awe. This was the first time he'd ever seen real supernatural power right in front of him. It actually worked… he thought, barely believing it. Just like Annihilation Maker.

Experimenting, he gave the wolf simple commands, like a dog. It obeyed, shifting and moving as he instructed. But then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the creature faded from existence, vanishing with a flicker of light.

James frowned, feeling a strange emptiness in his body. The warmth… It had drained out of him when he summoned the wolf. That must have been my magicules leaving me to fuel it, he realized. Without a constant supply of magicules, the wolf couldn't stay summoned.

A twinge of worry crept into his mind. According to the books, humans in this world can't produce magicules on their own. They rely on external sources. Does that mean I'll run out eventually if I keep summoning creatures?

He remembered the brief mention in the book about otherworlders. Those without unique skills suffered from magicule poisoning if they didn't develop any magic-related abilities, as the foreign magicules would build up in their bodies over time. I guess I'm lucky to have these skills… they're channeling the magicules into something useful, so I shouldn't have to worry about poisoning.

Relieved, James decided to try out his other skills. First was Perception, his common skill. He closed his eyes, then reopened them with the intention of activating it. "Perception," he whispered.

Immediately, his vision sharpened, almost painfully. The tiny details of the room snapped into focus—the faint cracks in the walls, the dust motes drifting in the air, even a small bug crawling across the far wall. His field of vision extended beyond the room as he walked to the window, where he saw the street below in incredible detail. People walking outside seemed to slow, like he was perceiving each moment more clearly.

The intensity overwhelmed him, and he quickly deactivated the skill, blinking his eyes to clear the aftereffects. That's going to take some getting used to, he thought, rubbing his eyes. But it'll definitely be useful.

Now there was just one skill left to test—Sovereign's Sanctuary. Being a unique skill, it had to be powerful, but James still didn't know exactly what it did. It must be strong in some way, right?

Concentrating, he called out, "Sovereign's Sanctuary." Again, he felt a warmth leave his body, this time stronger and more intense. A blue magic circle flared to life beneath him, and before he could comprehend what was happening, his surroundings shifted.

End of chap.