Volume 1 Chapter 5 Divine Punishment
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Didn’t any of you receive a warning from the Green God-sama’s messenger-sama?”
Messenger-sama? Maybe she means the Support AI-san. Come to think of it, she did go out of her way to give me “advice” at the end.
’Every class is a divine gift, regardless of its strengths or weaknesses. Stay humble, don’t let your spirit rot, and if you continue your efforts, you will surely be rewarded.’
I don’t know what hidden intent lies behind “divine gift,” but the second half is easy enough to understand. Osamu, Ina-shi¹, and those three high school kids probably should have paid more attention to the “stay humble” part. Still, it’s not like I knew exactly what would happen.
”You really don’t get it, do you? Günther, explain it to them,” the woman said.
”Yes, Ma’am. About eight hundred years ago, there was an event known as the Greedy Hero Incident,” Günther replied.
According to Günther-san’s explanation, it went something like this:
The Hero at the time was the “Hero of the Bow.” His party included a member of the Berserker class. A party of six, including the Hero of the Bow and the Berserker, set out on a journey to slay the Demon King. Back then, only six people were summoned at a time. Despite the drawbacks, the Berserker joined the Hero’s party because it was considered a powerhouse class. Incidentally, the Hero of the Bow and the Saint, and the Berserker and the Scout, were either married couples or dating from their previous lives.
The Berserker had a unique skill called Berserk. It triggered automatically if a battle dragged on, and once it hit, he wouldn’t stop even after every enemy was annihilated. Naturally, it was a nightmare to use. While he never actually killed anyone, his teammates were constantly caught in the crossfire.
Because they were frequently attacked by their own ally, the members of the Hero’s party started treating the Berserker like a joke. They mocked him, and eventually, they even began criticizing the God who had granted him such a class. The Berserker tried his best to gain control, but nothing worked. He grew increasingly depressed, but he managed to keep going thanks to the support of the Scout.
Until midway through the journey.
The foolish Hero of the Bow laid hands on the Scout, the Berserker’s partner. Of course, the Scout refused him at first. But the long, grueling journey, the constant “friendly fire” from the Berserker, and the man’s perpetual negativity finally wore her down. She crossed the line.
The journey continued after that. At first, the Hero and the Scout kept their relationship a secret. But there was no way to hide it forever while traveling in the same party, and eventually, the Berserker found out. The Berserker confronted the Hero and demanded the truth. He asked why the Hero had touched the Scout when he already had a partner like the Saint.
The Hero reportedly sneered at him. “I’ve wanted the Scout for a while now,” he said, before adding, “Besides, she’s wasted on a piece of trash with a nuisance class like yours, isn’t she?”
The Scout also took a defiant stance. “I’m just tired of it all,” she said. “Being the Hero’s woman seems like it’ll lead to a better life after the Demon King is dead anyway.”
The other party members joined in, mocking the Berserker. “We’d be better off without a liability like you,” they declared. No one defended him. In fact, by that time, their combat power was sufficient even without the Berserker’s help.
The Berserker grew angry, lamented, and grieved – then he simply vanished. Even without him, the Hero’s party figured they could manage with the members they had, so they continued their journey. But just as they reached the final stages of the Demon King’s subjugation, a notification arrived from the system.
’Divine Punishment²: Berserker’s Rage has been activated.’
Divine Punishment is a type of title bestowed for acts of apostasy, such as blaspheming the Gods. The Berserker, who had parted ways with the Hero’s party, had never forgiven them. It is said that he spent seven days and seven nights praying to God in a temple in a deserted town.
”To those who denied my everything, give them God’s judgment!” he cried.
The effects of the “Berserker’s Rage” that was activated were as follows:
—
Divine Punishment: Berserker’s Rage
Effect: Berserk activates 5 minutes after the start of combat.
Conditions for Removal: Both of the following must be met:
1. Perform dogeza³ and grovel while disarmed in front of the berserk Berserker.
2. Successfully gain control over the Berserk state.
—
The Berserker had vanished, making it nearly impossible even to find him. Moreover, the deadline for the Demon King’s subjugation was looming; they didn’t have time for a leisurely search. Controlling the Berserk state was no easy feat either – even the Berserker himself had never succeeded.
Ultimately, they decided to prioritize killing the Demon King and figure out the apology and the skill control later. They managed to reach the Demon King without triggering the state, but a final boss battle isn’t something that ends in five minutes. In the end, the entire party went berserk. They managed to defeat the Demon King, but the Hero’s party was completely wiped out in the madness.
The country that summoned them tried to cover it up as an “honorable death in battle,” but the other summoners had received an oracle⁴ and knew the truth about the Divine Punishment. Incidentally, that country wasn’t Maultasche⁵.
However, the Gods must have been truly furious; an oracle was delivered to every priest-type class in the world.
’Spread the word to all: Do not mock the classes gifted by the Heavens.’
Normally, you can’t hear an oracle without the “Oracle” skill, but this time, every single person with a priest-type class heard it. The Gods were officially pissed.
That’s why it’s common knowledge now. As a warning for future generations, he came to be known as the “Hero of Greed” rather than the “Hero of the Bow.” Since then, criticizing or mocking another person’s class has become an absolute taboo. Also, to prevent this kind of trouble, Hero parties are now formed with members of the same s*x.
Even Osamu fell silent after that, and Ina-shi froze with a twitching, awkward smile. The three high schoolers looked disgruntled, but they seemed to realize that saying anything more would only put them at a disadvantage, so they kept quiet.
For the record, here are the classes for everyone present:
High Schoolers
Hero, Sword Saint (Shouta), Holy Knight (Takumi), Sage
Ice Mage, Instant Swordswoman, Stealth, Saint, Destroyer (Sakura)
Working Adults
Fantasy Summoner, Ninja (The “Gozaru” guy), Blacksmith (The guy who wanted to change races), Magic Swordsman (The “Mr. Perfect” type), Onanist (Me)
Magic-Clad, Alchemist, Tamer, Priest, War Saint, Civil Servant (Saeki-shi)
Osamu’s Group
Sage (Osamu), Heavy Warrior (Ina-shi), Bow Saint (Yumiko-san)
Man… it’s not even my fault, but this atmosphere is freaking unbearable.
—
Summary:
Günther explains the origin of the world’s absolute taboo against mocking classes through the story of the ‘Hero of Greed.’ 800 years ago, a Hero and his party were destroyed by a ‘Divine Punishment’ after bullying a Berserker and stealing his partner. This historical tragedy serves as a stern warning to the arrogant summoned individuals in the present.
—
Trivia:
- Only six people were summoned in the previous era, unlike the larger group now.
- Hero parties are now strictly same-s*x to prevent interpersonal drama like the Hero of Greed incident.
- The Berserker’s Rage curse requires a ‘dogeza’ specifically in front of a berserk individual, which is suicidal.
- The country responsible for the historical tragedy was NOT the current one (Maultasche).
- Divine Punishment is a literal Title in the system
—
Character Insight:
The protagonist continues to observe from the sidelines, feeling the ‘unbearable atmosphere’ of being associated with the arrogant group despite his own unique (and embarrassing) class.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The author uses ‘Maultasche’ as a country name, which is a traditional German meat-filled dumpling, continuing the food-naming trend common in isekai.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Osamu – A summoned individual from the modern world with the Sage class. He is part of the ‘socialite’ group and initially dismissive of others. An 18-year-old summoned individual who was previously a balding university graduate but is now rejuvenated with thick hair. Araya’s former boss who also died in the accident. His body was severely damaged in the previous world.
• Ina – A summoned individual with the Heavy Warrior class, now known by the soul name Otto. Part of Osamu’s group. A thick-set man in his fifties with a buzz cut. A general-staff worker who acts like a big-shot veteran to juniors while bowing to bosses. Accompanied Yoshikawa Osamu on the train.
• Günther – An attendant or subordinate serving under a high-ranking woman in the new world. He acts as an expositor of world history.
• Shouta – A 17-year-old high school student summoned as a Hero. Sword Saint class. Possesses the titles Hero of the Slash and Hero of Lightning.
• Takumi – A high school student summoned with the Holy Knight class.
• Sakura – A female high school student summoned with the Destroyer class.
• Saeki – A female summoned individual named Yuuko. Assigned the Civil Servant class with high Intelligence. A working adult summoned with the Civil Servant class. Araya’s former workplace colleague. A woman in her late twenties/early thirties who recently became a mother. Described by Araya as having a parasitic attitude toward men.
• Yumiko – summoned individual with the Bow Saint class. Part of Osamu’s group.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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