Chapter 301

Here’s the translation without comments:

—

Episode 301

Strength of Monsters 301 ? Strength of Monsters #1

As evening fell, we built a fire near the beach and grilled various kinds of seafood.

For shrimp and crab, which looked delicious when boiled, we borrowed a large steamer-like pot from nearby and boiled them in clear water.

“Those crabs were caught by Paranoi…! There are three of them, so it should be enough for us to share…!”

“Wow, nice job. d*mn, they’re huge. How’d you even catch these?”

“Just with my hands…!”

“Wait, how the hell do you catch these by hand?”

“That’s a secret…!”

Since we were eating them fresh from the source, and with the sound of the waves accompanying us, it all tasted incredibly good.

Just as we were feeling comfortably full, fireworks began exploding in the sky above—POW! POP-POP!

Was there some kind of festival going on?

Then, I realized the sound was coming from somewhere near the center of the city—a large, mansion-like building where fireworks and loud, boisterous voices echoed.

Come to think of it, wasn’t there supposed to be some kind of banquet tonight?

A man named Caesar had invited Elpride, but she ended up sticking with us, munching on the clams Luna had gathered.

“You’re scared of the ocean but sure eat seafood well, you foreigner!”

“Shut up. Who said I was scared?!”

“Everyone saw you flailing around earlier…!”

“I saw it too. Seems the Flame Mage fears the water. No, I’ve heard that elves as a race fear rivers and seas. Hence why they’re terrified of even boarding ships.”

At Hippolyte’s remark, Luna, who had been peeling shrimp beside us, suddenly perked up.

“Then how’d you get here from that place called Albrheim?”

Maybe because there were so many of us, everyone was chattering away with their own thoughts, making this beach just as lively as the mansion’s festival.

The constant buzz of chatter.

Even though it was a night by the sea, there were so many people around that there was no room for boredom.

Seeing this many people out at night made me realize just how safe Delphi must be.

This city really had a relaxed vibe.

For some reason, it felt almost like returning home, and I found myself unwinding a little. There was something oddly comforting about this place.

POP! POP-POP!

Fireworks kept bursting above our heads as Paranoi, who had been picking meat from crab legs, suddenly frowned.

“It’s really loud…! You’d think someone had rented out the whole city…!”

“That’s probably the Marquis’ banquet. Marquis Carvigas. A man powerful enough to shut down the city for himself.”

A marquis?

The name’s d*mn complicated.

But I knew well just how impressive a marquis was.

Back in Sodomora, Count Hawkins, the Golden-Bearded man who wielded influence rivaling a king’s, held the title of count. A marquis would be even more impressive.

Actually, I’m not sure.

Would it be like having a permanent governor or something?

Thinking like that, it made a bit of sense why he’d throw a banquet like he’d rented out the whole city.

“They say Marquis Carvigas loves gathering people for festivals. I attended one here myself when I was a child.”

At Hippolyte’s words, Luna’s eyes widened.

“You? You’ve been to Delphi before?”

“Yes, this is my second time here. I came before for the ‘Chamber of Awakening’ to receive acknowledgement of divine awakening.”

Chamber of Awakening.

The words made me remember the bracelet Caesar, the nymph trainer, had been wearing earlier. Wasn’t that some kind of reservation token?

“Then, Hippolyte, did you also get a bracelet or something?”

“Yes. My number was 25. The final number was somewhere in the nine hundreds. Because divine bl**d runs quite strongly in me, I was given a high priority number. Officially, I was recognized as a Demigod.”

“Wow, Hippolyte, you’re actually amazing!”

At Luna’s words, Hippolyte frowned slightly.

“…Do I not look amazing on a normal day?”

“You used to, but not anymore.”

“I see.”

“Wait, does that mean you could eventually become a real god of Hypos?”

“Who knows? Right now, I’m a Demi-God. To become a god, I’d need to obtain Nectar. And getting Nectar isn’t even the end of it.”

“Huh? What else could you need after getting Nectar?”

“A god becomes one by ascending like a star through the faith and devotion of their followers. To become a god, I’d need to build my own shrine and gather believers. In some ways, that process might be harder than obtaining Nectar.”

Hippolyte trailed off, implying countless Demi-Gods had fallen during this stage.

So, in short, to be acknowledged as a god, you had to start a religion?

Clearly, becoming a focal point of faith wasn’t an easy task.

Just being a group project leader was already a headache—now imagine leading an entire religion. That’s an insane difficulty spike.

Would Hippolyte manage it?

More importantly, what kind of god does Hippolyte even want to be?

Like, a Stock Market God or something?

As I drowned in endless questions, Luna casually tossed a raw shrimp into the crackling fire and muttered.

“Can I go into that Chamber of Awakening?”

“You, Noxdotty?”

“What if I’m a Daughter of God too?!”

Crackle, crackle—

Luna’s innocent outburst sent a momentary silence rippling around our campfire. And for some reason, my chest tightened. Wait, is Luna actually figuring things out?

Then—HAH!—Hippolyte burst into loud laughter.

“Anyone can enter the Chamber of Awakening. Your number might just be way down the list. And most people end up just suffering from chuunibyou.”

“What kind of illness is that?”

I couldn’t help but ask, startled. Hippolyte calmly continued.

“Chuunibyou—Eighth-Grader Syndrome. It usually hits during adolescence when kids imagine they have special powers or think they might secretly be the child of a god.”

“Ooooh.”

“Out of around a thousand people in line, only a handful ever get acknowledged for divine awakening. The rest? Just chuunibyou sufferers.”

“I see…”

Somehow, I understood.

Most normal people wouldn’t think, ”Am I the son of a god?” and then travel all the way here just to wait in line for a test.

I thought back to my middle school days.

Back then, I often wondered if I had some latent special ability. Every night, I’d imagine awakening telekinesis or learning to teleport.

I’d picture using my powers to punish bullies, then trapping fleeing students with Spider in the Mirror.

I was genuinely convinced it might be possible.

But…

But fantasies were just fantasies.

As I grew older, those thoughts faded, and I had to accept I was just an ordinary human.

Becoming an adult is about learning not to overestimate yourself—that’s how I saw it, at least.

Crackle, crackle—

As the fire grew louder, Luna suddenly declared:

“Then tomorrow, I’m getting in line for a number too!”

Next day.

We rented rooms near the beach and split up for personal time.

Hippolyte left for the city’s higher districts to report the information she’d gathered from the Entrance of Fall rift about the goddess Ceres.

Paranoi, still sore from flailing in the ocean, and Elpride, who just seemed lazy, decided to nap a little longer at the inn.

I could understand Paranoi, but Elpride was just a homebody who preferred reading books on her days off.

“Guess it’s just us exploring the city, Luna.”

“Would’ve been more fun with everyone, but oh well!”

Luna pouted but seemed excited at the idea of a seaside date.

A beach date? My mind short-circuited. I’d never done something like that.

“Where to first?”

“Let’s go get our numbers too!”

So we headed to get tokens for the Chamber of Awakening.

The Temple of the Sun, built atop a highland, had a long line stretching down from the village. Seriously, how many chuunibyou sufferers were there in the world?

All these people were waiting for their number? Most of them probably believed they were divine children.

Of course, some, like us, were just doing it for fun.

“Next—!”

At the call, Luna and I stepped forward to a man who looked like a weary civil servant—wearing a weird feather-decorated hat and holding a thick clipboard.

He looked exhausted, as if he’d been working all night, and barely glanced at us before recoiling at my face.

“You again? You already got Number 6! Your turn should’ve ended ages ago…!”

There was terror in his eyes. He’d clearly mistaken me for Gloria, the Samaritan.

“That’s probably not me. I’m a guy.”

“Ah—right, the voice is different. A man, huh. Haaah… Samaritans all look the same these days. Is that leather some trend among you?”

“No idea.”

“I see. Anyway, are you two here for the Chamber of Awakening?”

“Yeah!”

Luna answered for me. The man barely reacted, flipping pages on his clipboard.

“Then a quick survey. Have you ever often imagined you were different from others?”

“Yep!”

Scribble.

“Have you ever thought most people were idiots and that you knew secrets they didn’t?”

“Totally!”

Scribble.

“Did relatives, parents, or people around you ever say you were special growing up?”

“Now that I think about it, yeah!”

Scribble.

“Then—”

What kind of survey was this? After about ten similarly bizarre questions, he scratched his forehead with his pen and lazily asked one last thing:

“Lastly—do you have any noble or wealthy relatives?”

“Nope! Why?”

“If you did, you could skip the line through the back door. No connections? Then wait your turn.”

Ah. So connections got you in easy.

“Got it. Pink-haired girl, here’s Number 1110. As for you, Samaritan—also getting a number?”

I was about to decline—seemed like a waste of time.

But Luna nudged me. “Hassan, take one too!”

I sighed and nodded.

“He’ll probably answer ‘no’ to everything.”

“Then he gets 1111—right after hers.”

“Whoa! Hassan! Your number has four ones! Swap with me! That’s so lucky!”

“I don’t mind, but is that allowed?”

I glanced at the clerk. He didn’t care.

So we switched bracelets. Number 1110? d*mn. Would our turn ever come? Deciding to ask the (probably knowledgeable) clerk, I muttered:

“About when will our turn be?”

“Hmm… A week, maybe. Ugh. Why’d they have to open the gates to everyone this time? Numbers might hit 2,000. Insane.”

“It’s not usually like this?”

“Never past 1,000. Now we’re stuck with overtime. d*mn it.”

“Ah. Well, good luck.”

After a quick goodbye to the overworked clerk, we left the line. 1,200 people ahead of us? We’d be waiting a week?

No way we’d stick around that long.

Just as I frowned—

THUD!

Something heavy crashed, followed by screams.

“Ugh, d*mn it! You got ink on my armor, you idiot! Do you even know how much this titanium costs?!”

“Hey, calm down, Yabeath! You’ll k*ll him! One hit from you would break bones…!”

“Do I look calm?! This brat inked my armor! This stain won’t come off! d*mn it!”

Through the crowd, I saw furious men surrounding someone on the ground.

“C-Caesar! Snap out of it…! Y-You fools! How dare you strike him?! You’ll regret this…! Caesar holds Number 200—he’s a Demi-God…!”

“This nymph sure talks big. If you can’t pay for the repairs, we’re taking her to work it off.”

A man in gleaming silver armor yanked a small girl up by the collar as she kicked wildly.

“Eek! L-Let go, morons! Once Caesar becomes a god, divine punishment will—!”

“A-Alinoy…!”

The golden-haired man on the ground—peaceful-faced—was someone I recognized: Caesar, the nymph trainer. Why was he getting beaten up?

Then, the armored man kicked Caesar’s stomach again.

“I’m Number 190, dumbass. My slot’s higher than yours.”

Huh? Higher number equals what?

Suddenly, something clicked in my head.

So I stepped forward.

“Hey. That’s enough.”

“Who the—? Buzz off! We’re putting this nymph to work for the repairs!”

They scowled, but seeing the nymph—Alinoy—struggling in their grip, I couldn’t ignore it.

“Ah! You—Paranoi’s friend! Help us…!”

“You with these losers? Fine! Here!”

The armored man—Yabeath—tossed something at me.

A coin? Money to back off? No—it wasn’t money.

What?

Before I could react, he smirked.

“I’m Yabeath—Titanium Crusher. Ever heard of me?”

Then—CRUNCH!—he folded the small coin like paper. The crowd gasped.

He’d crumpled titanium steel like tinfoil.

“Leave now if you don’t wanna get hurt. This is real titanium.”

Crunch, crunch.

After folding it four times, he dropped it in my palm. I stared, then muttered:

“Titanium Crusher, huh…”

“Scared? If you’re some adventurer runt, you’d know. Yabeath—Silver Rank of Minerva’s Guild, Babel.”

“Simple and cool title. Me? Stuck being just a Samaritan. If I can do this, do I get a cool title too?”

“Not just anyone can, idiot. Judging by your bracelet, your number’s past 1,000. Why not slink away before you embarrass yourself?”

“Oh?”

I gripped the folded coin and squeezed.

Creeeak.

As the metal slowly straightened, Yabeath’s face twisted in shock.

“If I do this, what do I get called?”

RIIIP.

I tore the titanium coin in half like paper.

—

[Afterword]*

This Friday…!!! I’m planning to order a new illustration in time for payday…!!!

It’s tricky deciding on character expressions, outfits, composition, etc. Various factors to consider…!!!

I’ll think carefully about what readers would like before making final choices…!!!

---