Episode 70. In Search of the Magic Sword (2)
After the fifth party member, Berald, joined the party, we left the school gate and headed to the ruins.
“Ughhhh. This is my first time exploring ruins, so I’m really nervous!”
“… You don’t look nervous at all.”
I looked back at Berold, whose eyes were sparkling like a child going on a picnic, and swallowed a smirk.
“By the way, hyung! It’s fate that we’re all gathered here, so can you introduce the party members?”
“Oh, of course.”
I continued speaking, looking around at Yuren, Iris, and Camilla.
“This is Yuren. You’ve probably heard the name, right?”
“Are you talking about the descendants of the ‘Inspector of the Sun’?”
“that’s right.”
“Ohhhh! I’ve heard a lot of rumors!”
Berold strode towards Yuren and held out his thick hand, like a pot lid.
“Nice to meet you! My name is Berald Ryu, a second-year student from the Ministry of Magic! I’m also a year younger than you, so please call me by my first name!”
“Ah, uh, yeah.”
A second-year with that face? And even a member of the Ministry of Magic…?
Yuren holds Berald’s hand with an expression full of questions.
“And over there are Iris and Camilla.”
“I’ve heard the story of you two! Aren’t you the saintess of the Holy Land and her knight escort?”
Berold, who kept exclaiming, approached Iris and Camilla this time.
“Hello! It’s an honor to be at the same party as the school’s celebrities!”
“Please take good care of me.”
“If it’s Berald Ryu… is he from the same ‘Ryu’ family as Principal Lionel?”
“Hehehe. That’s right. However, I am from a branch family, so I don’t have any special connection with Grandfather Lionel.”
Berold answers with a bitter smile.
“By the way, how did you meet Mr. Dale?”
“Hehehe. I took extra classes with my brother!”
“…Supplementary lessons?”
“You know, the extra classes you take when you fail a test? Have you never taken one?”
“Ah… yes. I’ve never received it.”
Iris shakes her head with a puzzled expression.
Yuren and Camilla also avoided eye contact with awkward smiles.
“Hahaha! You were all model students! My brother and I have a special bond as brothers, having taken extra classes all year long…”
“Shut up, Inma. What’s so special about taking extra lessons?”
He hit Berald hard on the back.
“We’ll be arriving at the ruins soon, so let’s stop chatting here.”
It’s been about an hour since we left Valhalla City.
Thanks to the use of the warp device in the middle, it didn’t take long for us to arrive at the location of the ‘Cave of Red Tears’.
“Is that the ruins Dale was talking about?”
Yuren continued to look at the huge cave entrance located between them and asked.
“That’s right. That’s the ‘Cave of Red Tears.’”
At the entrance to the ruins, a protective barrier was installed to prevent entry by the general public.
Beep.
[Temporary heroism confirmed.]
[The barrier is lifted.]
As I turned on the Hero Watch and held it against the protective barrier, the bluish curtain surrounding the entrance to the ruins disappeared.
“Let’s form a simple formation before we go in.”
I pointed to each party member one by one and decided on the optimal formation I had thought of before setting off.
“I’ll take care of the rear first.”
Normally, support or magic heroes are placed in the rear, but that is a formation used only in open areas.
In a cave where you never know when you might be ambushed from behind, it’s safest to place the warrior class in the rear and the support class in the middle to protect them.
‘It’s probably better for me not to participate in battles, if possible.’
Isn’t this exploration of the ruins also intended to provide experience to party members who still lack practical experience?
The moment I take the lead, there will be no opportunity to gain practical experience or anything like that.
“If Mr. Dale is in the back… I should be in the middle, right?”
“Yeah. Camilla stands next to Iris and focuses on guarding her.”
“I get it.”
Camilla nodded without saying much, perhaps because her original purpose was not to explore the ruins but to escort Iris.
“Yuren and Berold, take charge of the vanguard.”
“Hahaha! Leave it to me, hyung!”
“Yeah. Okay… Huh? But didn’t you clearly say earlier that you’re from the Ministry of Magic?”
Yuren looks perplexed as he sees the Ministry of Magic’s candidates proudly being placed in the vanguard.
“Uh… well, you’ll know when you see it.”
He shrugged and used the ‘Light’ magic.
Glowing spheres formed, illuminating the surroundings.
“let’s go.”
As I entered the cave, a gloomy atmosphere sent shivers down my spine.
“Ugh… something smells fishy.”
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As soon as she entered the ruins, Iris frowned and grabbed her nose.
“Look at Weel.”
I pointed to the stalactites growing from the ceiling.
At the tip of the stalactites that had grown like stalagmites, blood-red drops were dripping down.
“… That’s why this place is called the ‘Cave of Red Tears’.”
Yuren frowned as she looked at the red droplets dripping down.
“… … .”
“… … .”
Was he overwhelmed by the eerie atmosphere he felt in the cave?
The endless chatter before entering the ruins suddenly stopped and silence descended.
I looked back at the party members who were looking nervous and swallowed a smirk.
‘Wow, everyone has had such a sweet time.’
Except for Camilla, Yuren, Berold, and Iris had been partying for a long time in their past lives, so I couldn’t help but laugh when I compared their appearances as veteran heroes in my memories with their current appearances as little cadets.
‘I miss something.’
Although there is no senior Sophia yet.
Coming to the ruins with my colleagues from my previous life like this, I felt like I had gone back in time.
Back to those days I thought would never return.
‘I have to go see Senior Sophia too.’
Even so, while I was waiting for the permit to come out after submitting the application for the ruins exploration, I took a quick look around the 4th grade classroom.
All of the fourth-year candidates were currently away from school due to their ‘hero training’ period.
‘Well, I guess we’ll be able to meet soon even if you don’t whine.’
For now, it would be best to focus on exploring the ruins.
“Kruk… Karr.”
“Krak. Kerruk.”
About 10 minutes had passed since we entered the ruins.
The pungent, bloody scent that tickled the nose grew stronger and an eerie roar echoed through the air.
“Demons detected ahead.”
Yuren quickly looked in the direction where the scream was coming from as he pulled out his sword.
The sound came from the cave ceiling.
A group of demons, clinging upside down to stalactites that had grown like stalagmites, were looking down at us with their eerie, glowing red eyes.
The gray fur covering its entire body, the thin membrane draped down its arms like a cloak, and even the vicious fangs protruding out.
At first glance, it was clearly a demon that had transformed from a bat.
“The number is seven in total. Six of them are at the level of Saan and one is at the level of Oan.”
Yuren, who is quickly grasping the size and power of the demon horde and giving a briefing.
I looked at Yuren with her back to me and smiled inwardly with satisfaction.
‘Wow, he’s not the top student in his class for nothing.’
Although this was clearly his first time exploring the ruins, he performed his role as the leader without any signs of confusion.
‘but.’
So far, it’s just basic common sense that you learn in school.
The real battle started from now on.
“Krrrrrrr!”
“Everyone, stand back!”
As soon as the bat demon hanging upside down from the ceiling showed signs of moving, Yuren ran forward.
thud!
Yuren jumped high, kicking her feet.
“Keeeeet?!”
The bat demon flapped its wings urgently and fled backwards.
“Where!”
Yuren chased after the bat demon that was flying through the air as if performing an acrobatic feat, stepping on the stalactites that rose from the ceiling.
“Put the pressure down!”
“Kaaaah!”
Yuren stabs the bat demon’s back with his sword.
“Next is….”
After killing one demon in the blink of an eye, Yuren turned around to find his next prey.
“Kihhhhhh!”
As the five-level bat demon roared, a flock of bat demons simultaneously spread their wings and took flight.
Yuren readjusted his grip on his sword as if to say, “Come if you want.”
and.
“Krrrrrrr!”
“Kyaaaaak!”
Bat demons rushing towards the party members who are not Yuren.
“ah…!”
Yuren shouted urgently and tried to chase after the bat demons, but they were already too far away from the party members, so she was a step too late.
“Protection of the Seven Stars!”
Iris was the one who filled Yuren’s void.
She quickly made the sign of the cross and deployed a shield.
The fiercely rushing bats were repelled by her pure white shield.
“I can’t hold out for much longer!”
“Leave this to me!”
Berold ran forward, clenching his fists.
“Hhhhhhhh! One first!”
Crunch!
Berald coolly smashes the head of the bat demon with one punch.
“Eurachaa!”
He grabbed the scruff of the neck of two bats that were flapping their wings in a desperate attempt to distance themselves from each other, and pulled them into an embrace.
Wood crunch!
Blood and brain matter poured out along with the sound of the demon’s skull being crushed.
“Karuruk!”
While Berald was smashing the heads of the demons from the front, two bat demons gnawed at the protective shield Iris had put up with their viciously protruding fangs.
“Saint! Come behind me!”
As soon as she saw the shield break, Camilla quickly stood in front of Iris to protect her.
“Haat!”
Seongguk’s characteristically honest and straightforward swordsmanship cut down two bat beasts rushing toward Iris.
“Kishiiit!”
The last remaining leader, Masu, rushed forward with an unpleasant hissing sound.
Much faster than other bat demons.
“Huh…!”
“Oh, no!”
The line between Berold and Camilla was instantly broken, and at the very moment when the demon was about to thrust its vicious fangs at Iris.
“Tsk.”
Sun Sword.
Type 2, Chamwol (斬月)
Choaaaah!
The body of the leader bat demon who was rushing in with a flash of sword light was split in half.
The leader of the bats died instantly, spilling blood and entrails.
I looked back at my party members, wiping the blood off my sword.
“ha.”
It was expected though.
“This is going to be a long way to go.”
