Book 1 Chapter 384
384.
“The consecutive rampages of the hero dungeons hidden in the Forest of Monsters. It seems it was enough to lure out the filthy shadows who presumptuously guard this place.”
Dellean, who had infiltrated the underground casino Shadow, curled the corners of his lips.
“Now, let’s go.”
Leading his subordinates, he entered the labyrinth entrance, curling the corners of his lips.
“The legacy of the Dragon of Creation located here… is mine.”
***
Dobella’s North Gate.
“Ugh, ahhhhh!”
“Evacuate! Everyone evacuate!”
The entire city of Dobella was in a panic.
The sudden strange incident in the Forest of Monsters was like a disaster.
“Fight! Mercenaries! You were hired by us for money! Stop those monsters!”
The knights of Ellehem stationed in Dobella shouted, urging the mercenaries.
“We’re mercenaries! There’s no way we can stop something like that!”
“That’s right! You’re knights! You usually bragged that people like us couldn't even reach your ankles!”
“Stand on the front lines and show us your skills! Then we’ll follow!”
“Gah! These rude wretches…!”
Friction arose between the Ellehem knights guarding Dobella’s city walls and the mercenaries.
The knights, who hung back and forced the mercenaries to stand on the front lines and fight, and the mercenaries who rebelled against such knights.
It was when the conflict between the two groups reached its peak.
Thump—! Thump—!
A heavy sound echoed from above the city walls.
“Hmm. To be so afraid and unwilling to stand on the battlefield even with such excellent city walls! You are all spineless.”
Everyone’s gaze turned towards the gigantic tiger beast-man.
“Feeling fear is a perfectly natural instinct that living beings possess. If there were no fear, that would be sheer recklessness.”
Clack— Clack—
Next to the tiger beast-man, a platinum-haired girl holding a staff walked along.
“Hmph— that’s right. Then what about these people? Can they overcome their fear?”
Borman grinned and stood at the forefront.
“Students from Lumerne and Azonia…!”
“But what can just two of them do!”
The Ellehem knights looked at them with disbelief.
But the mercenaries swallowed dry.
Chloe looked back at the mercenaries.
“You who have been through countless battlefields know, don’t you? That fighting back has a higher chance of survival than running away.”
They couldn't fight because of the fear of death directly in front of them.
However, the mercenaries also knew well that it would be difficult to survive if they scattered instead of grouping together in a situation where such a large army of monsters was invading.
Seeing the mercenaries making despairing faces, Chloe said,
“So, why don’t we fight? We’ll take the vanguard, after all.”
At her words, the mercenaries began to murmur.
“They’ll take the vanguard?”
“They’re students from the Hero Academy!”
“They can just warp out of the battlefield with a warp gate whenever they want, can’t they?”
Voices filled with disbelief.
Then, from among them, a mercenary muttered.
“No. We can trust them. Being able to take a warp gate whenever they want means they can escape this city even now. Yet, they came here.”
He looked at Chloe and asked.
“Why?”
At that question, Chloe smiled gently.
“Because we are people who dream of becoming heroes.”
The mercenaries stared blankly at Chloe.
Step— Step—
Chloe ascended the city wall with light footsteps.
Whoosh—!
As she extended her hand, a staff was summoned from a sub-space.
Countless armies of monsters could be seen rushing towards the city walls.
“Shall I help?”
Borman, who had come next to Chloe, asked, crossing his arms.
“It’s fine, this is a mage’s job.”
Chloe began to cast a spell.
Seeing that, Borman began to put strength into his crossed arms.
‘What is this preposterous mana fluctuation?’
While casting the spell, Chloe looked at the monster army.
‘It’s natural for people to feel fear. Because I’m scared too.’
Without stopping her incantation, Chloe channeled power into her staff.
‘But… I was taught that it’s a mage’s role to give courage to those fearful people.’
Remembering her friend who was far ahead, Chloe smiled.
‘Let’s move forward.’
“Huu.”
Chloe, who had finished her incantation, exhaled.
A powerful chill emanated from her body.
“Ice World.”
Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack-crack-crack-crack-crack—!
In an instant, the area in front of the city walls was covered in ice.
The monster army, which had been bringing terror, all froze solid.
“Amazing.”
Borman mumbled, his mouth agape.
Chloe looked back at the mercenaries and said,
“Let’s fight, together.”
“Woooooahhhhhhh!”
“Let’s fight!”
Encouraged by Chloe’s magic, the mercenaries’ fighting spirit burned brightly.
***
At the East Gate, Kal inwardly muttered as he watched Duran’s back charging towards a cyclops.
‘He’s definitely an unlucky guy, but Duran. That guy will definitely become a hero.’
And not just Duran.
Many friends he was close with at school had already gone so far ahead that he couldn't even properly see their backs anymore.
‘Well, in a way, it’s natural.’
From the moment he was confirmed admission to Lumerne, he never dreamed of being a hero.
‘Just surviving is the best option, after all.’
It was the same now.
Kal was a mage.
Normally, he should be covering Duran’s back.
But Kal also knew.
That adding his magic power wouldn't be much help to Duran.
‘It’s a good thing if I don’t just hold him back.’
Despite being a mage, his firepower couldn’t even match Duran’s aura.
‘This is why I can’t even dream of being a hero.’
Kal chuckled.
‘My goal was just to stay in Lumerne for as long as possible. If I was lucky enough to become a hero’s supporter, that would be the best.’
It was a choice typical of Kal, who had a quick mind.
That wasn’t wrong.
No, rather, that was also a path for the world.
‘But recently, I’ve gained an even more ridiculous goal.’
“Ha!”
From the rear, Ju-eun was attacking another cyclops with sniper magic.
It wasn't just one cyclops that had appeared.
Apart from the cyclops Duran was slaughtering, another group of cyclopses was running wild.
Zzzzzzing! Flash! Boom—!
Ju-eun’s powerful magic bullet, imbued with immense magical power, hit the cyclops.
With a massive explosion, the cyclops, whose body was pierced, spewed blood and staggered.
But soon, the cyclops regained its balance and roared.
“Grrroooooooar!”
Aina, who had been charging towards the cyclops, became a golden flash.
Flash! Whoosh—!
Aina’s sword pierced the cyclops’s flesh.
Uwooooargh!
“Ugh!”
But she couldn’t bring it down.
The enraged cyclops’s eye turned towards Aina, who had attacked it.
The cyclops, its eyes flashing, swung its arm at Aina.
‘Too late!’
It was just as Aina was covering her entire body with aura armor, bracing for the impact.
Whoosh—!
A powerful wind blew.
Slash—!
“Uwooooargh!”
Habiden swung his spear, creating a wind slash that cut off the cyclops’s arm.
Aina and Habiden’s eyes met in the air.
Habiden created a wind.
Aina used the wind Habiden created to quickly leap and charge towards the cyclops’s neck.
Golden aura soared.
“Haaaahhhh!”
With a shout, the golden aura sliced the cyclops’s neck.
“Kieeeeargh!”
The cyclops, clutching its neck, let out a pained scream.
The cyclops, whose head was gone, began to rampage wildly.
Seeing that, Ju-eun shouted as if fed up.
“It’s still rampaging even after its neck was severed!”
“Of course, do you think it’s just any ordinary high-class beast? It’s a monster that boasts disgustingly persistent vitality.”
Kal approached Ju-eun, who was sniping.
“Well, you three also seem like quite monsters yourselves.”
“Is this really the time for jokes?!”
“It’s a compliment. It pains me to see such frighteningly amazing juniors. You’ll surpass your seniors in an instant.”
Kal grinned.
“But for now, I can help as a senior.”
Thump—!
Kal pulled out an iron box in front of Ju-eun.
“What is this?”
“It’s a special magic bullet made by your senior.”
Kal took a magic bullet out of the box.
“Ju-eun, you have a vast amount of magic power, but your magic output is low compared to your magic power, so you currently lack an ‘overwhelming single strike.’ That’s why you struggle against monsters with such overwhelming vitality. But originally, finishing moves are a mage’s role.”
“I know! But even though I’m a traditional mage who excels from the rear, I’m not the type of mage who overpowers opponents with overwhelming firepower!”
“I know. So try using this once.”
Kal took out a bullet.
“Even a magic bullet has limits to increasing magic power…”
“This is a special magic bullet I made. The more magic power the user has, the stronger its power becomes. For me, my magic power is so negligible that it doesn’t have much effect, but Ju-eun, your magic power will change dramatically, don’t you think?”
Seeing her mentor smile confidently, Ju-eun took the magic bullet and loaded it into her staff, which was designed for sniper magic.
‘The compatibility is perfect.’
Since Kal had originally made magic bullets for Ju-eun, there was no sense of unfamiliarity.
However, the magic power and magical formulas swirling from the bullet were an area difficult for Ju-eun, the top honors student in the first year of the Magic department, to understand.
Vzzzzzz—!
The magic bullet reacted to Ju-eun’s magic power.
Ju-eun aimed at the cyclops.
Aina and Habiden distanced themselves from the cyclops due to the magic power reaction they felt from Ju-eun.
Flash! Boom—!
With an explosion like a cannon firing, a gigantic explosion occurred on the cyclops’s upper body.
Thump-thump-thump!
The cyclops’s flesh and bone fragments streamed down.
The cyclops, whose upper body itself was blown away, collapsed.
Thump—!
Ju-eun’s mouth dropped open at the power that far exceeded her expectations.
‘It’s impossible for me to catch up to the heroes. But still, I want to go to a place where I can see them somehow.’
She couldn't walk with them.
She couldn't follow them.
If so, when the great heroes faced trials in a place where they could be seen somehow.
She wanted to be of even a little help.
That was Kal’s new ‘goal’.
“Hmph.”
After slaughtering the first cyclops and severing the neck of the second, Duran snorted and curled the corners of his lips.
“Not bad, Kal Thomas.”
***
West Gate.
Ar, standing on the city wall, wagged her tail and watched the gigantic Gigantes charging.
Ar, standing on the city wall, stamped her foot firmly on the ground.
At the same time, she charged towards the Gigantes.
“Haaaahhhh!”
With a powerful yell, golden aura burst forth from her body.
Ar, in her beast-human form, her eyes flashing, kicked the Gigantes’s head.
CRASH—!
The Gigantes staggered and then fell to the ground.
BOOM—!
A huge sound that shook the earth echoed.
But that wasn't the end.
Ar, enveloped in blue aura, used an aura step to kick off the air and then charged straight down to the ground.
CRASHHHHH—!
Ar, who kicked the Gigantes’s abdomen, growled fiercely.
Chelsea, who was watching from the city wall, made a bewildered expression.
“I heard stories, but she really is a monstrous cat.”
“Miss Chelsea, you shouldn’t say such things.”
When Chen Sia rebuked her, Ruwen, a fellow Azonian student, said,
“She is a monstrous cat. It’s not wrong, is it?”
Chen Sia chuckled at the reply and looked inside the city, saying,
“I’ll be back in a moment.”
“Huh? Where are you going?”
As Chelsea tilted her head, Chen Sia smiled gently.
“Something came up that I need to do.”
Having said that, Chen Sia instantly disappeared.
“Foolish hero candidates. To be so preoccupied with the monsters and magical beasts outside.”
“Hmph, they’re just brats. They won’t be able to properly deal with the chaos happening inside and will collapse.”
“But a sudden rampage. Is our mission here also ending?”
Those wearing black hoods conversed.
CRUNCH—!
At that moment, one person’s neck was snapped.
Thud—
It was when those in black hoods, startled by the sudden situation, were about to draw their swords.
CRACK—!
“Aaaargh!”
A small, beautiful hand reaching out from the darkness twisted his wrist.
“Hero Hunters. That mission-related story. I’d like to hear it in detail?”
Chen Sia, who emerged from the darkness, asked with a gentle smile.
“It’s a Shadow!”
“It’s just one person!”
“They’ve lost their courage!”
The moment the Hero Hunters drew their respective weapons.
BOOM—!
Another Hero Hunter’s head exploded and was embedded in the wall.
“Princess. Didn’t you completely stop doing such things now?”
Kirin, who emerged from the darkness, asked, tilting her head.
Chen Sia answered calmly,
“I was taught that there’s no need to distinguish between what a hero should do and what a shadow should do.”
Chen Sia exuded water aura.
“If there is only one path you pursue. That person taught me that you should do what you can do.”
“Princess, you seem even scarier than before.”
“Why is that?”
“Because you no longer hesitate, Princess.”
The Shadow Lord, Kirin, said, flexing her fingers.
“By the smell of it, you’re beast-men. Some of you can transform into your beast forms, right? This is my last courtesy.”
All expression vanished from Kirin’s face.
“As traitors, you’d better not insolently imitate that great person. If you do such a thing.”
Intense killing intent radiated from her body.
“Because I will kill you in the worst way I can.”