Shake… shake… rumble…
Duran slowly woke up from sleep, wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, and opened his eyes groggily.
Climbing out of the space-time machine, he turned it into a Capsule and stored it away. The machine consumed a huge amount of energy, but luckily Duran had brought several spare batteries.
The surroundings were full of hills and forests.
For the moment, he didn't see any people.
"Hey, you."
Well… apparently there was someone nearby.
Duran simply hadn't noticed.
Standing behind him was a blonde woman with silver eyes, the top warrior on the continent—
Teresa of the Faint Smile.
"Yoma? Human?" Teresa wondered aloud.
She couldn't sense any Yoki (demonic energy) from Duran, yet the energy inside him felt strangely warm.
"Human. Thanks!" Duran said casually while observing the surroundings.
Then he took out a Capsule.
Poof!
A camera appeared in his hand.
He pointed it at Teresa and snapped a photo.
Shing!
Teresa immediately drew her massive sword.
Duran broke into a cold sweat.
Isn't this Claymore girl a little too nervous? It's just a photo!
"Photography. You know?" Duran said, pointing at the camera.
Teresa frowned.
"Give that thing to me."
"You know how to use a camera too? If you don't, don't mess with it carelessly," Duran warned.
He had grown quite attached to that camera.
Teresa studied the strange object.
On the camera screen was the photo Duran had just taken—her delicate face captured perfectly.
"What…?"
She stared in confusion.
"Why does this black object reflect a person's image like a mirror?"
"It's a camera," Duran said. "You've really never seen one before?"
Looking at Teresa's clothing, he quickly realized the answer.
"Right… of course you haven't."
"A camera captures beautiful moments and preserves them."
Duran took the camera back.
"Look over there. A bird."
He pointed to a branch and snapped another picture.
"See? That's how it works."
Teresa watched this strange man carefully.
Everything about him felt mysterious.
"Is there somewhere nearby I can stay the night?" Duran asked.
Teresa thought for a moment.
"The nearest village is two days away."
Duran sighed.
Looks like he'd have to sleep outdoors tonight.
But fortunately—
He had Capsules.
Poof!
Duran tossed one onto an open patch of ground.
A hemispherical house instantly appeared, glowing softly through its glass windows.
"Miss," Duran said politely, "if you don't mind, please come inside for dinner."
Teresa smiled faintly.
Confident in her strength, she followed him inside.
The house was bright and comfortable.
White walls and light-colored furniture made the space warm and welcoming.
Duran took food from the refrigerator and heated it in the microwave.
He couldn't cook—but reheating food was easy.
"Sorry for the simple meal."
"It's fine," Teresa replied. "I'm not picky."
Teresa ate elegantly.
Duran, on the other hand, devoured his food like a starving beast.
"Sorry," he said between bites. "I haven't eaten properly in a long time."
According to his time machine logs, he had been traveling for over half a year.
After dinner and washing the dishes, Duran showed Teresa how to use the bathroom and bedroom lights.
The house had only one bedroom and one living room, so Duran slept in the living room.
There was no internet connection on the computer, but there were a few games installed to pass the time.
Truthfully, Duran had hoped Teresa might invite him to sleep in the bedroom.
But she didn't seem to understand his hints.
The next morning, Teresa stretched lazily.
Even the finest inns on the continent couldn't compare to this comfort.
It had been a long time since she felt like a normal human.
Good food.
A hot bath.
A soft bed.
All inside a warm house.
Everything from yesterday felt like a dream.
Duran himself was surrounded by mystery—his strange devices, his house, his technology.
Curious, Teresa pressed the light switch repeatedly, watching the lights turn on and off.
Outside, Duran inhaled deeply.
"The morning air feels great."
"Good morning," Teresa said.
She had already changed into her armor and strapped her greatsword to her back.
"Good morning," Duran replied with a smile.
"Leaving already?"
"Yes," Teresa said. "A Yoma appeared in the next town."
Duran nodded.
"Good luck."
"Thank you for the hospitality."
With that, Teresa walked away, leaving only her graceful silhouette behind.
After she disappeared into the forest, Duran brushed his teeth, ate a simple breakfast, packed up the capsule house, and started his journey.
Meanwhile, in a small town on the continent—
Teresa easily killed the Yoma.
"H-hello…" the frightened mayor said while handing her a bag of gold.
"This… is your payment."
"Someone will come collect it," Teresa replied calmly.
"He'll be wearing a black cloak."
"If you don't recognize him, we won't accept requests from your town again."
The mayor trembled with fear.
Sure enough—
Thirty minutes later, a black-cloaked figure appeared and collected the gold.
Then another thirty minutes passed.
Another black-cloaked figure appeared.
The mayor burst into tears.
Duran weighed the gold bag in his hand.
"This organization really makes money easily."
Yes.
The first black-cloaked figure had been Duran in disguise.
Since he didn't have this world's currency, he had no choice but to trick the poor mayor.
This world was very different from the Dragon Ball universe.
Two days ago, Duran had barely managed to catch a horrible-tasting wild animal to eat.
His survival skills in this world were terrible.
So he needed money.
Whether the organization would punish the town later… Duran didn't think about it too deeply.
Duran followed Teresa from a distance.
At the same time, he explored this strange new world.
Two words kept appearing everywhere:
Yoma.Claymores.
Humans here lived like frightened livestock.
Duran honestly didn't think much of them.
But since he was here, he needed to understand the people of this world.
Still…
After meeting Teresa, his heart was beating a little faster.
Unfortunately, his gold ran out quickly.
Buying proper armor alone cost most of it.
Food and lodging drained the rest.
So Duran repeated the same trick—following Teresa and stealing the gold payments again.
"I never thought I'd become a scammer one day," Duran said while tossing a gold pouch.
"Since you know it's wrong, why do it?"
A cold voice came from behind a tree.
Teresa stepped out.
She had been sent by the organization's agent to find the thief.
"I didn't expect the thief to be you."
"Long time no see, Teresa!" Duran said awkwardly, hiding the gold bag behind his back.
Teresa drew her sword.
"Have you prepared yourself?"
"Whoa, whoa! No need for violence," Duran said quickly.
"I'll return the gold!"
"If you could repay it," Teresa replied calmly, "you wouldn't need to steal it."
Duran laughed awkwardly.
"Well… how about I work as your assistant until I pay it off?"
"You're joking."
Teresa swung her sword slightly, smiling in amusement.
Although Claymores were forbidden from killing humans, Teresa wasn't exactly known for following rules.
"I'm serious," Duran said.
"Think about it."
Teresa considered for a moment.
Then she nodded.
"Fine."
"As long as you can keep up with my pace."
Duran grinned widely.
"No problem."
----------------------------------------------------------------
for more 10+ Chapters -- https://www.patreon.com/cw/OzFalor -- (Claymore arc already finished there)