Yuu Tanaka – illustratör

After heroically sacrificing his life to save a child, twenty-five-year-old Koichi Suzuki is reincarnated as a young boy named Thor, born into a harsh, new world, thanks to a mysterious god dubbed “Indeed-Missy.” His reward? A unique magical ability that lets him cook up monsters.Nothing comes easy in this cruel world, though. After nearly being sold off to slave traders by his scumbag parents, Thor finds himself orphaned and alone at the age of four, forced to scrape by using sheer grit and his newfound culinary skills.Just as survival feels within reach, he discovers two beastfolk girls on the verge of death. Helping them could spell his own ruin, but for a man who adored all things furry-eared in his past life, there’s only one path forward.“There’s no way I’m abandoning beast ears!”And so begins Thor’s adventure of cooking his way through the dungeon!

LJO–aka Law of Justice Online–is the newest full-dive VRMMORPG to hit the market, and office worker Yuta—or Yuto, as he goes by in the game—is ready to spend his whole vacation immersing himself in the experience. His dream is to become the strongest Tamer, commanding the most powerful monsters, and he’s even willing to shell out the cash to do so! But when he arrives in the world of LJO for the first time, Yuto is shocked to find that the special monster he planned to leave all the fighting to is...a monster dedicated to farming—without a shred of combat ability? Despite it all, Yuto quickly decides that his adventures in this world will involve way less fighting epic battles and way more harvesting plants, as he prepares to take the game at his own pace and with his adorable, trusty companion by his side!

After dying three times and receiving the ignominious “Silver-Haired Pioneer” title, Yuto finds out he’s somehow become the talk of the town. He takes it upon himself to track down whoever is broadcasting his information, only to end up as the target of an angry mob. Thankfully, it seems not everyone sees Yuto as a loser or laughingstock—some players are on his side too. Once that sticky situation is out of the way, Yuto moves on to more important things—raising his guild rank so he can buy a mushroom log. In order to do that, he takes on a trash-collecting quest, during which he stumbles upon a hidden door!What mysteries and adventure lie in wait on the other side?

A chance meeting with the Sequoia Dryad leads to the addition of a new tamed monster, Sakura—and now Yuto’s team is finally equipped for combat with monsters! As Yuto and his companions flex their skills on both the battlefield and the farming fields, Yuto unlocks a new skill, triggering the start of a surprise quest chain. Meanwhile, the egg Yuto purchased from the Magical Beast’s Guild is showing signs of hatching, and there’s no telling what sort of powerful beast will emerge from within...

While chopping down trees in a forest, Yuto and his new friends Ashihana and Sawyer are caught off guard when they suddenly find themselves in the middle of a boss battle! That’s right—it’s time for Yuto’s first boss encounter, as the team faces down a curious foe known as the Shrub Worm. Then, once the dust has settled, it’s time for Yuto to pay another visit to the Sequoia Dryad—this time with the Quick-Eared Cats in tow—to shed some light on the mysteries of the Dryad’s blessings.

For someone so insistent on playing solo, Yuto is certainly making a lot of friends in LJO! First, a fellow unique titleholder saves Yuto from a sticky battle situation, and then a “fellow” farmer comes to his aid when things get unruly at Yuto’s farm stand. Meanwhile, the devs announce the start of a new event—the Martial Arts Tournament! And with this comes the Village Relief Event, ensuring both fighters and crafters can participate. And so, Yuto is off to the Village of Alf, where his first move is to...help out with more farmwork!

When powerful monsters shrouded in a strange black mist start spawning around the Village of Alf, Yuto decides to investigate. Along the way, he dives deeper into the village’s lore, which includes guardian beasts, sacred trees, and a sealed archdemon threatening to make a comeback. It’s up to Yuto, his monsters, and their many new acquaintances to save the village!

As the fight against the Archdemon Glasya-Labolas rages on, player after player falls to the boss’s might. But just when the situation is looking grim, the villagers of Alf take up arms to help our heroes! Will their combined efforts be enough to clinch a victory? Then, when Yuto returns home following the event, a new excitement awaits him: Olto and Sakura’s egg is starting to hatch! What new monster will appear to join in on the fun?

As Yuto and his monsters make their way out of the Water Elementals’ Trial, a surprise unique monster shows up to thwart their escape. However, this threatening foe turns out to be a new lovable companion. Yuto’s experience at the Water Elemental Gate then gives him an idea about the secret behind unlocking the other Elemental Gates. And as his list of discoveries grows, his monsters also go through exciting new changes!

Despite the newfound infamy his titles have brought him, Yuto has been enjoying his MMO life, unconcerned with his reputation. With the birth of Bear-Bear, a new tamed monster hatched from an egg acquired at the Magical Beasts Guild, Yuto finds himself surrounded by a growing herd of adorable critters. Unbeknownst to Yuto, however, a group of players who have had their eyes on him, hoping to learn what secrets Yuto knows about the monsters, have begun laying plans of their own...

With preparations for the first ever Martial Arts Tournament already underway, the devs of LJO are gearing up to launch a secondary event for Yuto and other crafter-types like him. Thrilled that he can participate without having to pick up a weapon, Yuto begins accepting various quests from the NPC villagers of Alf. During his stay in the village, he encounters Siegfried, the Purple-Haired Adventurer, and decides to team up with him. However, things are not as straightforward as they seem, and more chaos looms on the horizon for Yuto and his companions...

Shortly after LJO’s first major event, the vivacious and musically gifted Fau joins Yuto’s ever-growing family, and Yuto finally graduates from newbie status when he moves up to an advanced job class. Meanwhile, another player succeeds in unlocking an Elemental Gate—one of four mysterious locations named after the classical elements of Earth, Water, Fire, and Air. What wonders await Yuto when he stumbles upon another of these gates by chance and decides to embark on a journey?

A pleasant surprise awaits Yuto and the gang upon their return from the Earth Elemental Gate: at long last, the cherry blossom tree they planted is in full bloom. Recalling his unfulfilled request from NPCs Spade, Ryver, and Pisco to invite them to a flower-viewing picnic, Yuto pays them a visit, and asks a few friends while he’s at it. With other players jumping at the chance to interact with his monsters, a huge crowd assembles at Yuto’s farm, and the picnic becomes a grand affair. In the midst of it all, several Tamers’ eggs begin to hatch, including Yuto’s “Earth Dragon” egg. What starts as a fun and laid-back picnic is soon anything but...

After braving the Fire Elementals’ trial, Yuto and his companions welcome their newest member, Himka, into the fold. As a change of pace from their dungeon crawling, the group heads to Zone Three to search for new materials and to get to know the four local towns. During their quest, Yuto unsurprisingly strikes gold again, stumbling upon a previously undiscovered secret location. With the addition of yokai to the game, new creatures lie in store for Yuto and his monsters to encounter: the adorable Obake, the playful and fun-loving Zashiki-Warashi, and many, many more.

Now that he’s cleared the Mayoiga challenge, it’s finally time for Yuto to head to the Air Elemental Gate—and the home of the Sylphs! Beyond the gate, Yuto and the gang face the Air Elemental dungeon, where another precious monster joins the crew. Then, when LJO adds in a mascot system and residential area, Yuto finds himself with a brand new home—and plenty of cute animals and yokai to fill it! Of course, as always, more cute creatures means more unwanted attention...

After making it through the Subterranean Lake with the gang, Yuto and his monsters prepare for the next event: a raid boss battle to celebrate the unlocking of Zone Five! But before the event, Yuto stumbles upon a rare ingredient. As the rumors of his coveted culinary discovery spread, Yuto finds more and more players flocking to him in the hopes of gleaning information about it—even in the middle of the raid boss event! The event brings out new and familiar faces alike. Can everyone manage to work together to take down the boss?

The raid boss fight against Andras, the giant bird, is over, but there’s more fun in store just around the corner! It’s time to celebrate the arrival of second wave players with a summer event! Yuto and his monsters—now with Perca joining the crew—are transported to an island packed with exciting summer activities. From shopping in a bustling outdoor bazaar, catching bugs, visiting quaint villages, and relaxing on the beach, to renting a boat to fish and explore the ocean, Yuto is determined to enjoy every second of the event. However, when he pushes past a seemingly impassable area and makes it to a mysterious island filled with terrifying creatures, it may turn out that he’s bitten off more than he can chew...

As the second half of the summer event begins in full swing, Yuto finds himself facing down legions of the undead and a haunted sunken ship. When he finally learns about the raid boss that’s waiting for them at the end of the event, he decides to spread the information around as soon as possible so the players can have any hope of defeating it. Meanwhile, the devs are scrambling to keep up with the ever-changing demands of the event, as more and more players are rapidly progressing, deftly taking down dinosaur bosses, and finding rare items, all thanks to Yuto. But will all the players’ efforts be enough to handle what’s in store for the final day?

The event celebrating the arrival of second-wave players has come to an end, and Yuto has emerged with a decked-out house and a slew of prehistoric mascots. Now he’s back to taking care of his farm, ready to test out Rick’s new Forest Sorcery skill. While it comes in handy for farming, the skill turns out to also have a surprising ability: it can summon a demon! Bracing for a fight, Yuto enlists some help, only for things—as always—to take an unexpected turn... Afterwards, Yuto makes the most of his return to the main game by visiting a traditional Japanese town, challenging the Earth Elementals’ trial again with friends old and new, continuing a quest chain, and much more.

After a successful auction, Yuto decides it’s time to make his way to Zone Ten. With the help of a few members of the Quick-Eared Cats, he makes it to Red City, the location of the newly implemented collector’s shop, where players can buy and sell a variety of goods. But the new discoveries don’t end there! Yuto runs into some trouble—in order to clear the next step in his ongoing quest chain, he needs to venture into the Squire’s Forest to tame a new monster and level up an entirely new skill! Is he up for the challenge?