DCFM – Chapter 020: A sliver of hope and Affection of Spirits

“Damn it…! I won’t let myself be eaten!” (Hikaru)

I was found by a pack of wolves.

I used Darkness Fog successively so that it doesn’t run out, and would sometimes use Shadow Runner to distract them, and run again.

“It would be one thing if it were just one enemy, but…!” (Hikaru)

I don’t know if these guys are the same pack as the ones I met the first time or not, but what I can tell is that they are big, fast, and strong.

There’s around 15.

I have no leeway to properly count them.

The only thing I can tell for sure is that it is not a number that I can run away from.

“[Darkness Fog]…!” (Hikaru)

I am feeling my Spirit Energy running out. 

My whole body was beginning to get feverish, and my body was telling me any more uses will be dangerous.

The wolves aren’t so rash to just lunge into the darkness, so while the Darkness Fog is present, they are simply looking from afar.

But they are maintaining a distance not too close but not too far. 

Darkness Fog had once again imcreased over 100, and had gone all the way to Tier 4.

The darkness is dense and the effective range is big. There’s also around 4 minutes of effective time. 

But it is only 4 minutes each time.

“[Darkness Fog]…!” (Hikaru)

I am showing myself in that momentary end of the spell.

And they are shrewdly trying to attack me at those small intervals.

If it had been at night, I wouldn’t need to use them consecutively as much.

Also, I didn’t use Shadow Runner much at those times, so I had leeway in my Spirit Energy.

…No, that’s not it. 

Night is darkness.

There’s a clear difference in how much cost there is in Spirit Ability between times of the day.

Making darkness appear at night and making darkness appear in a morning with good weather has a burden difference of several times… That’s how I feel.

I don’t have the leeway to confirm my map, but I most likely still have 30km left. 

No, 30km is the distance before reaching the closest fortress. 

In that case, getting out of the forest is 20km or 10km.

I can’t tell with that much detail using a world map. 

“[Darkness………Fog…….]!” (Hikaru)

A dark fog that cuts away the light.

A pitch black darkness so deep it feels like it was tangible was making it hard for even the wolves running around restlessly to approach.

But I am close to my limit.

When I open my Status Board to confirm, I see that I had obtained 3 Crystals.

The log that was at the corner of my eyes had written [Reached 5,000,000,000 Total Viewers].

I exchange them for a spirit energy recovery potion, and drink it all up.

That feverish feeling from my body is receding.

“Alright…! With this…!” (Hikaru)

I run.

In the direction that leads me out of this forest.

A straight line.

Fortunately, the forest had changed once again into a state that’s slightly easier to run in.

There might have been the work of people here.

“[Darkness Fog]…!” (Hikaru)

I don’t know for how long I ran after that.

I was already drained to my limit a long time ago.

My clothes were tattered to a pitiful state from top to bottom because of the branches, and my whole body was covered in blood from cuts. 

Even so, I am still alive.

Adrenaline was pumping to my brain to a point that I didn’t care about the pain, and was simply struggling with my everything for the sake of the future.

In normal circumstances it would have been impossible for me to run this much.

My hidden human power must have come out with my life on the line here. 

…But I am already at my limit. 

The forest still continued on.

…No, that’s not it.

I can see light.

I could faintly see a plain stretching out at the very ends of the forest.

Just a bit. Just a bit more.

…No, it is the same. Even if I get out of the forest, that doesn’t mean I am instantly in a safe zone.

It might turn into an even more dangerous situation because it is an open space. 

The wolves are not giving up on me.

Several tens of wolves were approaching me with drool on their mouths.

I can’t move a single step more.

Once this last darkness fog is cleared up, I won’t be able to do anything.

“…Ha…haha, I am dealing with wolves, so maybe I should have climbed a tree somewhere.” (Hikaru)

I think about that at this late point in time, and I could feel a laugh coming out from me. 

Of course, I don’t have the energy to climb a tree anymore.

I am exhausted and my Spirit Energy is empty too.

My body is burning as if I was being grilled by flames here.

I was assaulted by a fever that made me feel as if I wasn’t myself anymore.

It is a miracle that I haven’t lost consciousness.

My belongings that were stored in the Shadow Bag came out from my shadow. I finally couldn’t maintain the ability because of my Spirit Energy running out. 

The 3 Spirit Stones, the shining flowers, the rope, the shirt sleeves, the empty ceramic cups that contained the potions before. 

I see. When my Spirit Energy runs out, the things stored in my shadow will get scattered out, huh. I was being weird here, thinking about this all calmly.

“…I will…die?” (Hikaru)

Once this darkness clears up, my life will end. 

Will my father and mother see this too?

Will both of my sisters see it?

Are they going to cry at that sight?

Will Nanami be living all alone in this world where she knows no one?

Even though I didn’t even imagine myself dying until now…

Will I be dying in this unpopulated forest?

Darkness Fog is still active.

The wolves at the other side of the darkness were looking over here while drooling, waiting impatiently for the moment when the darkness clears up.

“No.. I don’t want to die… I must not die…!” (Hikaru)

Those were my feelings that welled from the very depths of my soul.

If not for this situation where I am truly neck to neck with my own death, it would be an emotion that I wouldn’t have ever known in my life. 

It doesn’t have anything to do with this being a parallel world.

I just don’t want to die.

A primeval desire. An instinct.

The wolves must be perceiving that the end is near, they were surrounding me and closing my chances of slipping away. 

The darkness is going to clear up soon.

Hoping it will serve me as a weapon of sorts, I take in my hand the Spirit Stone of the Giant Monkey I obtained.

Drowning people grab onto even straws -and for me, that was the Spirit Stones that were scattered in front of me. 

The Spirit Stone is big and hard. You could say it is the best weapon I can have in my hand right now. If I can jam it into the mouth of a wolf, I might be able to defeat at least one.

It might not have much meaning, but I want to at least give them a piece of my mind too. 

As for any other thing that might serve as a weapon, it would be the Points and Crystals. There are times when they suddenly come in because of a special occasion. That’s currently what would increase my chances of survival the most. 

I opened the Status Board.

“1 Crystal!” (Hikaru)

When I looked at the log, it said [Top of the Daily Viewers].

I have obtained this 2 times before. 

I must be gathering a whole lot more attention now that I am finally in a dangerous situation. 

But 1 Crystal won’t be saving me from this situation.

I use Item Appraisal on the Giant Monkey’s Spirit Stone while in pain.

This is the only thing in my hands that has the chance of overturning this situation.

…Or maybe, I instinctively felt this. 

The power of this stone, and…its potential.

[Spirit Stone: Chaotic – This chaotic spirit crystallization is something that rarely shows up when collecting or killing a monster. Chaotic means that it couldn’t obtain the pure elements of the Spirits and is mixed. It has all elements mixed in it, and it is called a Demonic Stone. The drop rate of this is 100% from a Demon Lord. It is rare for normal monsters and monstrosities to drop this, and they are valuable. The big sized ones are traded at high prices as spirit energy sources for magic tools. The appraisal target is one that was dropped from a Wondrous Entity Flame Orangutan. LL size. Rare Material].

Stuff like Monstrosity and Demon Lord; there were many words that I didn’t know, but there’s one thing that bothered me. 

“Source of Spirit Energy? There’s Spirit Energy in this…?” (Hikaru)

Darkness Fog was beginning to run out. 

The dark fog was slowly dispersing. 

I don’t have the time to think.

“Please…!” (Hikaru)

I raised the Spirit Stone high up with both hands and held it tightly. 

I don’t know at what I am praying to, but I have been using Spirit Abilities this whole time, and I had the certain feeling that Spirits are alive. 

I am the one using the abilities, but I have borrowed the strength of a whole ton of Spirits to create this darkness.

If a Spirit Stone is a crystallization of Spirits…

“Please give me power…the power to survive…!” (Hikaru)

—Ufufu. Ahaha.

—Kyakkya.

I heard voices from somewhere.

They felt similar to that Great Dark Spirit, but the voices felt more innocent, more pure…

The next instant…

I felt the temperature in my body dropping. 

The Spirit Stone must have heard my wish. It began to grow hot as if the heat in my body was transferred to it. 

And then, it began pulsing as if the stone was alive. 

Spirit Energy was returning to my body. No, my body was brimming with energy as if it were being provided from somewhere.

But the energy that had finally returned to my body was for some reason being poured into the stone just like that. 

“W-What’s happening…? Spirit Energy is…” (Hikaru)

Not only the Darkness Fog, I am not in a state where I can use any other Spirit Abilities.

It was as if I was in the middle of activating an ability.

Spirit Energy began to overflow with light. 

The light began to shine in different colours, and the remaining darkness fog was cleared up from this. 

The radiance inside the stone as if it had stars inlaid in it became light, and felt like it was turning and mixing.

The wolves were hesitating from attacking in the face of this unknown phenomenon.

The colorful lights continued overflowing from the stone.

The stone grew hotter and hotter together with the mysterious pulsing. 

As if…it were alive.

“Hot! W-What…?” (Hikaru)

I thought I would be able to get Spirit Energy. I did indeed get Spirit Energy. 

But what’s happening right now is out of my imagination.

I couldn’t endure the scalding hot Spirit Stone and ended up letting go of it. 

The stone rolled on the ground, the overflowing light gathered, and then it began to swell thickly. Complex colors. 

It slowly turned red, redder, taking form…

“Grooaah!!” 

One wolf lunged at that…something that was born from the Spirit Stone.

The next instant…

*Pang!*

That wolf was knocked onto the trunk of a tree several meters away. 

“You gotta be kidding me…” (Hikaru)

The light that overflowed from the Spirit Stone had converged into red, a deep red, becoming bones, meat, blood, and…a gigantic body had been brought about. 

It was as if life had been played in reverse.

The Flame Orangutan that had been torn to pieces by the Great Dark Spirit had fire on its back, and was standing in front of me as if protecting me. 

“Gugyaaaaa!” 

The roar of the giant monkey made the wolves cower in fear for a moment there.

A difference in class on a fundamental level.

Size, power, and probably even spirit energy were like heaven and earth between the wolves and the giant monkey. 

Wolves are without doubt creatures that can feel this even in this parallel world. 

After that, it was one-sided.

Each movement of the giant monkey would bring the demise of 2 to 3 wolves.

One would get crushed by the swung down arm that was as big as the trunk of a tree, and another would die from the fire breath.

Complete domination.

The attacks of the wolves that only consist of biting and claws doesn’t seem to even tickle the giant monkey. 

I can’t even tell if that giant monkey is my ally. 

My Spirit Energy is mostly drained.

It had recovered completely for a moment, but almost all of it was sucked away by the Spirit Stone.

Did that stone grant my wish?

Was it a power that was originally in Spirit Stones, or something else? 

The answer came from a strange place. 

[Congratulations! You are the first Chosen to be enlightened with the ‘Sealed 8th Spirit Ability’. As a bonus for being first, you have been awarded 3 Points].

“Sealed…what…?” (Hikaru)

In the time I was taken aback by this, the fight ended. 

There was already no one moving in the surroundings.

The giant monkey had dominated the wolves, and was standing right in front of me as if waiting for orders. 

It is strange how I am not scared.

When I look closely, it wasn’t completely recreated, and there were places here and there that were missing meat, and there were parts where I could see bone.

…Like a zombie.

I opened my Status Board.

————————-

[Dark Spirit Ability]

Tier 1 Ability

・Falsehood of Darkness [Shade Shift] Proficiency 11

・Casket of Darkness [Shadow Bind] Proficiency 0

・Call of Darkness [Summon: Night Bug] Proficiency 0

Tier 2 Ability 

・View of Darkness [Dark Vision] Proficiency 9

・Transformation of Darkness [Shadow Runner] Proficiency 21

・Deposition of Darkness [Shadow Bag] Proficiency 6

Tier 4 Ability 

・Revelation of Darkness [Darkness Fog] Proficiency 1

Special Technique

・Return of Darkness [Create: Undead] Proficiency 1

———-

“Create…Undead…” (Hikaru)

A new Spirit Ability had appeared.

Looks like it is an ability that creates undead…in other words, zombies.

Does that mean the result of my wish being sent into the Spirit Stone was the awakening of that ability?

I tap the window and check the description.

[A special technique that each element has. For the Dark Spirit Ability, it is creating undead. The required items for use are a Dark Spirit Stone or a Chaotic Spirit Stone. The created undead will take the form of the previous life of that stone. It is a method that can even recreate Monstrosity and Demon Lord undeads, but the required Spirit Energy is high; caution is required when used. Increasing the Proficiency will shorten the recreation time and increase the retention time. No changes in Tier. The used Spirit Stone will be consumed].

I look at the giant monkey in front of me. 

It looks almost identical to when it was alive.

Its fighting power was high enough to wipe out that many wolves in an instant. It is most likely almost the same as when it was alive.

In that case, this ability is massive… No, way too big of a power. 

There’s the limitation of needing an item for use though…

My Spirit Energy has recovered a bit. 

—Kyakkya.

—Ahahaha.

The voices grow further away. 

These voices are most likely the voices of the Spirits. 

They are not Spirits with form like the Great Dark Spirit. They are small Spirits that are present everywhere in this world.

“…Thank you.” (Hikaru)

I mutter this to empty air. 

Create Undead has a time limit. It is not like the danger is completely gone. I must hurry. 

“Giant monkey, can you take out the Spirit Stones from the wolves?” (Hikaru)

“Gyawu.” 

The giant monkey performs my order obediently.

“Ugh…that’s gory.” (Hikaru)

The giant monkey takes out the Spirits Stones from the wolves’ corpses as if it were squeezing them out. 

It is skilled as expected of a monkey, but I am even pitying them here. 

They were targeting my life that much, but it is not like there’s any fault to them. If there’s easy prey, aim for it. That’s basically the law of nature.

The Spirit Stones were mostly transparent like those of the children monkeys, and there was only one shining blue. 

I see, the Chaotic Stones that have stars scattered are pretty rare. 

After the stones, I had it get any edible fruits. 

I felt that Create Undead was going to run out soon.

Once it finished gathering the fruits, the giant monkey let out a cry and disappeared in light particles. 

I put the fruits and the wolves Spirit Stone in the Shadow Bag and begin walking. 

Without forgetting to use 1 Point for a new Barrier Stone. 

…Dragging my exhausted body to the light at the end of this accursed forest.

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78 thoughts on “DCFM – Chapter 020: A sliver of hope and Affection of Spirits

      1. For me, I guess as long as the time it took Arifureta to get their own + 3 more years. Why +3 more years? Because WM didn’t have the same popularity as Arifureta in its WN form.

      2. That’s a difficult question to answer, i also want to think by 2023 but i have a gut feeling that somehow it will not be turned into an anime.🤔🤔
        Nonetheless, i will still pray for it to be true.

        1. It was the most popular novel according to novel updates.
          It went to second place probably because the translation is up to date and there is only one raw chapter posted a week.

          1. But we have to factor the popularity in Narou not in Novel Updates as the Japanese readers are the main factor for studios to pick a story to be animated.

      3. TBH I don’t really want it to be animated if it will end up just like arifureta. Not to mention there’s so much retarded anime-only elitist who judge something like trash just because the series has Isekai and Harem tag on it. Still, I do have the desire to see this series is animated so let’s just hope if this got animated at least it has a decent adaptation from a good studio

        1. I did a bit of research on arifureta and the reason why the anime was…. like it was, is because they first gave it to some studio that was making a pretty 💩 job so they took it away from them and gave it to a different studio (that way the realize date was pushed back again and again) but by this time they went over their budget and the results were bad to say the least.
          We will see if season two is any better.

      4. depends who publishes it. Kadokawa has recently said that they will be adapting 40 isekai (maybe it was just sereis?) a year, so as long as they get it we have a really good chance of it being adapted pretty soon.

      5. Maybe in 2-3 years after theres enough material from the manga to be turned into 1 season of anime

    1. Return of Darkness [Create: Undead] Proficiency 1

      So he can create an undead huh. Reminds me of a certain someone. What next? summon dark knight and demon?

      1. no no soon he will have death mana that can charm other undead and then he will be obsessed with reviving his girlfriend as van his mother

    1. With the context there no undead on the earth and to summon the undead only need the drop item or no need to disgrace the deceased, I think it will come out as OK…

      1. No I think it’ll make all the Japanese who think he’s guilty even more convinced he is a bad guy. They’ll be like, “He doesn’t hesitate to turn corpses into his pawns so he must be evil!”

        1. Well if we look at that two point then right, but as I say “to summon the undead only need the drop item or no need to disgrace the deceased”, he is using drop item from the monster, which is its not a “person” and the corpses still stay there + summoning a being that similar to it…

          1. Maybe so but I highly doubt that they’ll try to even make that distinction since the Japanese have mostly all already decided he’s guilty and will just use this as a logical fallacy to prove he’s evil.

            The people from that world probably also won’t think too well of necromancy since that’s usually how it goes anyways in stories. Especially since the announcement called it a sealed ability which sounds like it means it’s taboo or forbidden.

  1. Thanks for the chapter Reigokai-sama. It was a wonderful one at that.
    “[Congratulations! You are the first Chosen to be enlightened with the ‘Sealed 8th Spirit Ability’. As a bonus for being first, you have been awarded 3 Points].”
    Does this mean that for each element spirit technique, there are 7 spirit abilities available and the 8th one is a sealed technique which would be available under certain conditions? If that is true man Hikaru became somehow a Dark Spirit Master or something.
    That name kind of sounds a bit edgy although Hikaru is still lacking confidence unlike many edgy characters.

  2. ・Casket of Darkness [Shadow Bind] Proficiency 0

    ・Call of Darkness [Summon: Night Bug] Proficiency 0
    did these two get explained?

    1. Shadow Bind is self explanatory, and the other…. well, it’s a rare ability amongst support abilities. He’ll get a lot of mileage out of them once the story proper starts (I think the current prolog will end next chapter or the one after).

    2. Shadow bind is most likely “that” like the ninjutsu. About the summon night bug i hope is like the lvl 6 skill of Rokhan (warcraft3) but most likely will be like a swarm of insects that is like a DOT.

  3. “Return of Darkness [Create:Undead]”
    “It is a method that can even recreate Monstrosity and Demon Lord undeads”

    – I can see the Foreshadowing!

  4. Thanks for the chapter…

    So Hikaru will become a Necromancer, maybe even a Demon Lord of sorts. After all create undead doesn’t sound like a hero-like skill e.e

  5. Just think, he could have avoided all of this if he used the 3 crystals he got awarded at the beginning of the chapter to buy Barrier Stones instead of wasting them on more Stamina Potions.

    Well now he can make Undead. That’s not going to look good to the Japanese who already think he’s guilty of killing Nanami. The people in that isekai probably also won’t think too well of a Necromancer. This might be like Van and Alda’s religion from Death Mage all over again.

    1. Crystals and Points are different. Barrier Stones cost 1 point and Stamina Potions cost 3 crystals. 30 crystals can be exchanged for 1 point.
      So in a way, a barrier stone is worth 30 crystals.

      1. Ah I got confused and thought Barrier Stones costed crystals. Also I didn’t realize he had also ran out of points before the wolves started chasing him.

  6. ohh create undead, it will be that dark spirit users are disowned.
    something like, there was a demon king with those abilities so it is considered a taboo

  7. Right the message about the ability being sealed and the rep necromancers tend to have in general in stories makes me think hes gonna be unwelcome at best and a target to hunt at worst unless people actually dont mind or he can hide his skills. As it is it’s likely some knowledge of strange otherworlders showing up recently has become known as I remember a comment about one of the chosen getting grabbed by the guards.

    1. I dont think is looked bad i mean he just can resurect monsters. Not people( he need spirt stone and that to be dark or chaos so i doubt he can bring back humans) unless the skill rank up 100 and there it get the restriccions removed.

      1. True enough but more often then not darkness and raising dead even temporarily tend to get a bad rep, and it was specified that the ability was sealed so someone didn’t want it used

  8. (… The used Spirit Stone will be consumed].)

    Well of course… The game has to be balanced. He lost an incredibly rare item, but it probably would have caused more trouble if he tried to sell it.

  9. Thanks for the chapter!
    That was hard, he almost died because of fatigue, again… lucky him the Darkness spirit got him a chaos stone of a powerful foe. A bit a water using it to collect fruits, but you get what you can…
    And he unlocked a hidden technique, way to go Hikaru-kun!

    1. With almost no energy left in him and all threats erazed around, gathering food for the remainder of the trip is more useful than wasteful because he wouldn’t have been able to do it himself (energy and time wise) with him wanting to go on I think.
      The only other useful thing I can think of would be to ask it to carry him for the remainder of its summoning for a few kilometers bonus, but in that case he would end up letting his body cool down and might have been unable to go on because of his exhaustion.

  10. Thanks for the chapter! ^^
    That final with the invocation was epic! XD
    With 5 billions viewers, he must have gathered 80% if not 90% of the viewers availables, so there is nobody that won’t know him from now on.
    Will he keep his first place remain the question.
    Let’s hope he can finally reach safety and that he will not forget to NOT use his [Darkness Fog] when in proximity to the fortress, because I feel like a mass of darkness encroching to it won’t please the locals.

  11. With 5 billions viewers, he must have gathered 80% if not 90% of the viewers availables, so there is nobody that won’t know him from now on.

  12. What I am not liking about this novel is how convenient everything is, the crystals or points are about to run out … somehow he gets more, there is danger of death in some way he solves it easily. The plot armor is too much, if it continues like this it will be boring ….. plus there are 20 chapters where he has literally only walked.

    1. Yeah like when he was about to die and suddenly got transferred to another world right. I prefer his sisters that got transferred to another world tho 😀

    2. Bruh, 360km, for a slightly buffed high school teenager, I’m surprised that they actually took a time to write he walking, it is cool.

  13. Ugh i rly hate the “first to do X” plot armor bs. Cant he just climb a damn tree and avoid the wolves n rest?

    1. Considering the “first to do X” is a rare thing and based on luck, not impossible.

      He’s used “hint” to get this. I don’t know if the “first to do X” is only for him or broadcasted (like Reincarnated as a Slime that’s overworld broadcasted), we’re only seeing his because he’s the MC.

      The other Chosen have probably gotten theirs already. The views aren’t really much of a big deal since that’s how people are; they rather see something bad happen vs something good so he has more views it seems cause he’s in a area that would be more interesting to watch.

    2. Also, if you were reading it, he was too exhausted to climb a tree by the time he thought of it. If he had planned it before-hand, he could have but he was focused on just getting out of that dangerous area.

      When you can see the goal in sight, you can also narrow your view around you (thus making poor decisions vs better decisions). As viewers, that’s a privilege we have. That’s why we can judge poor decisions people make on tv when we’re not the ones in the situation.

      Great example is when I was at an anime con and someone got chosen for one of their events and they were doing random ABC order, one of the con goings didn’t get something easy while under pressure that I was able to do because I was a viewer instead of being under pressure.

    1. he likely can, but with out someone to teach him how to use it he be pretty bad at it. ‘normal’ people don’t do well when first using weapons. best thing be a club or a staff for ease of use.

  14. Yes ofc there’s necromancy in dark element, its not like he chose assasin or something like that, he only choose dark element so yeah

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