「Ugh… it’s so bright…」
I woke up to a blinding light and found myself back in the same space where I’d met God-sama before.
「Sorry～ Did I wake you up?」
I turned toward the cheerful voice, and sure enough, God-sama was standing there.
「Ah… it’s you, huh. Good morning.」
「Wow, you’re not exactly excited to see me, huh～?」
God-sama grabbed my shoulders and started shaking me.
「I waaas sleeeepiiing, sooo myyy braaain iiis noooot wooorkiiing riiiight noooowww…」
I answered while my head was being jerked around.
「I see～ Okay, then.」
God-sama snapped his fingers. Instantly, my mind cleared, and I was wide awake.
「Alright, that’s better. I even made you some tea, so come on, let’s drink!」
Still as pushy as ever, huh…
「That’s rude! I’m just trying to look out for you…」
「Stop reading my mind so casually.」
「Aww～, don’t be so cold～」
You’re a god—stop acting all cutesy!
「Come on～ Pay attention to meee～」
God-sama clung to me, and since prying him off seemed like a hassle, I let him stay there as I sat down.
「So… did you call me here just to hang out?」
「Nope, that’s not it.」
「Then… did something happen?」
「Nope, everything’s fine.」
「Then why?」
「It’s about you.」
「Me? Huh?」
I had no clue what he was talking about.
「You know how the aptitude test for explorers didn’t display your 【Job】? That’s what I’m talking about.」
「Oh, that. I didn’t really think much of it… I mean, I was a 【Hero】 in the other world, right?」
Over there, people kept calling me a hero and treating me like one. Honestly, it was embarrassing. Though after three years, I got used to it.
「Exactly. You were a 【Hero】 over there, but you’ve evolved now… You’ve become a 【Brave】.」
「…Huh?」
「Like I said, you’ve gone from 【Hero】 to 【Brave】.」
「So… does that mean I’m stronger than I was as a 【Hero】?」
「That’s right. Your potential has increased, so eventually, you’ll be far stronger than you were before. But right now, your body isn’t fully developed, so you can’t handle the same level of power you had in the other world.」
「You mentioned that before, right?」
「Good, I was a little worried you wouldn’t remember. My divine power was still recovering back then, so I wasn’t sure if the explanation synced with your memory.」
God-sama looked relieved, but there was something else I wanted to ask…
「Ah, you mean about the 【Brave】 thing, right?」
「Don’t read my mind so casually!」
「Ahaha～ Sorry, sorry. Anyway, about the 【Brave】… The highest potential of that class is reaching the level of a god.」
…Did he seriously just say that?
「Wait, seriously? Isn’t that kind of overkill?」
「Hmm… Well, it’s because you’re mixed with the other world’s influence. It’s just a precaution, really.」
「Are you saying something even stronger than that Evil God could show up?」
I remembered the terrifying strength of the Evil God. We only managed to defeat it because God-sama weakened it, plus I had the help of my sacred relic and my companions. If something like that showed up in this world…
「Hmm… Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. What concerns me more is the strength of the monsters in this world.」
「Ah, right… A single goblin over there could be taken down by a kid, but I was completely useless at first, huh…」
Even though I’d been summoned as a hero, I’d barely managed to defeat a goblin that even kids could handle. I almost died, and the princess—Aerith—looked at me with the most disappointed expression. 『Huh? You’re this weak? Are you really a hero?』 That stung.
Yeah… The people in that world were just fundamentally stronger than the ones here. Even Aerith, the princess who traveled with us, could overpower a goblin with a single knife.
「And lately, the dungeon monsters have been getting stronger too.」
「Wait… seriously?」
「Yup. You know guns from your world, right? A handgun’s bullets? These monsters can withstand dozens of them. If you fire a hundred shots, they’ll probably go down, but realistically, you’d need something like a machine gun to take them down consistently.」
…How the hell is anyone here supposed to survive that?
「That’s why I gave you power～ Unlike bullets, swords are better at channeling unstable internal magic power.」
「Ah… Because bullets leave your hand when you fire them, so the unstable magic power can’t be maintained, right?」
「Exactly!」
…Did he just quote J ○ j ○?
「E-books are so convenient, aren’t they～?」
「Wait… you have internet here?」
「Yup! Super-fast Wi-Fi, too.」
How fast are we talking?
「SHMTranslations’ homepage would load before you could even blink.」
…Stop breaking the fourth wall! Also, SHMTranslations has always been blazing fast even without that!
「Ahaha～ Anyway, back to what we were talking about. Like you said earlier, regular bullets don’t really work on goblins. But if someone’s good at imbuing magic, they could take one down with an arrow, just like in the other world.」
「I see… So there are people who can use bows like that?」
「Yup, though no one’s discovered it yet, they’re definitely out there.」
「I see… But bows in this world, huh…」
「Well, in your case, Yuuki-kun, throwing knives would probably work better than a bow.」
「Ah, right. It’d be easier to keep magic infused in thrown weapons than in a bow, huh.」
「Exactly. Even for regular people, as long as they can imbue a little magic, they’d be able to take down monsters with swords and other blades. They wouldn’t even need to control the magic directly.」
That’s useful to know… But yeah, guns weren’t a thing back in the other world, after all.
As I was getting lost in thoughts about the mechanics of this world, something came to mind.
「Oh yeah, God-sama. Why did Hikari become a mage?」
「Ah, that’s because of your influence. It’s the power of your evolved 【Brave】 class.」
「You mean the ability to share my power?」
「Well, something like that.」
「Hmm… I guess I’ll figure it out eventually.」
「Exactly. I want you to figure it out on your own. There are a lot of restrictions, but I’ve also granted you an appraisal ability.」
Appraisal… APPRAISAL!?
「Seriously!? Are you sure about that!? Appraisal was super rare in the other world!」
「I want you to face your own strength head-on. Besides, I trust you not to abuse any power you gain, no matter how strong it is.」
「Why do you trust me that much, God-sama…」
I mean, first he made me a hero in another world, and now he’s giving me insane powers in this one… He trusts me a lot for some reason.
「Hmm… To be honest, I’ve been watching you since before you got sent to the other world.」
「…Huh? What?」
「Wait!! Don’t freak out! I’m a god, you know! I manage several worlds, so of course there are a few people I keep an eye on!」
「So that’s how it is… So I got summoned to another world because you stal… I caught your attention, huh?」
「You almost said ‘stalk’, didn’t you?! That’s harsh!」
「Well… I mean… You’re pretty friendly now, and it feels like we’re kind of friends…」
「Eh… (Tunk)」
God-sama’s cheeks flushed as he repeated that out loud.
「Come on, you’re making it weird by reacting like that…」
「Ahaha, but I’m really happy. And well, that’s why I’m not worried about giving you power. I know you won’t misuse it♪」
God-sama’s ever-changing expressions settled into a gentle smile.
「Understood. For the sake of an important friend, I’ll make sure to understand my own power and never misuse it!」
…Seriously, I’m weak to straightforward emotions like this…
「That’s exactly the kind of thing I like about you♪」
「Please stop reading my mind…」
After some lighthearted chit-chat, God-sama said he was going to rest to recover his divine energy, so I took my leave.
-0-
When I woke up, it was just after 7 AM—my usual wake-up time.
(Guess I’ll try out this appraisal power…)
「Appraisal… Alright, here we go. Job: 【Brave】…」
As I mumbled to myself, a window appeared in front of me—just like the kind you’d see in a typical status screen from those you-know-what type manga.
But when I read the contents, I couldn’t help but grimace.
≪Brave≫
An evolved version of the 【Hero】 job. After saving the other world, the 【Hero】 was evolved by God-sama.
Possesses multiple unique abilities.
Unique Ability: 【Brave Prefer Romance】
– Protects those who have pledged their love or formed a bond with the user. The more there are, the stronger the effect.
– The strength increases based on the depth of affection from the other party. Mutual understanding amplifies this effect further.
– Conversely, if the bond weakens or the affection fades, the user becomes weaker.
<Order of Strength Gain>
Partner > Mutual Love > Romantic Interest > Affection
– Flattery and surface-level feelings won’t count—only mutual love or deeper connections qualify.
【Unlocked Abilities】
– Boosts the abilities of those under protection (Harem).
– Grants the user access to the abilities of those under protection (provided they have the aptitude).
– ?????
Unique Ability: 【Brave’s Tale】
– Strength increases upon overcoming difficulties and obstacles.
– Dramatically increases power when rescuing those left behind or imprisoned princesses.
– The stronger the enemy, the stronger the user becomes.
「…You’ve got to be kidding me…」
I buried my head in my hands on the spot.
TN: Are you tired of the “power of friendship” thingy? Here’s the power of love.
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