Book 1 Chapter 384

384.

"The consecutive rampage of the Hero Dungeon, hidden in the Forest of Monsters. It seems to have been enough to lure out the dirty shadows that presumptuously guard this place."

Delean, who had infiltrated the underground casino Shadow, curled the corners of his mouth.

"Well then, let's go."

Leading his subordinates, he entered the labyrinth entrance, a smile playing on his lips.

"The legacy of the Dragon of Creation that lies within… it's mine."

***

The North Gate of Dobella.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

"Evacuate! Everyone evacuate!"

The entire city of Dobella fell into a panic.

The strange phenomenon that suddenly occurred in the Forest of Monsters was like a disaster.

"Fight! Mercenaries! You were hired for money! Stop those monsters!"

The knights of Elehem, stationed in Dobella, urged the mercenaries with all their might.

"We're mercenaries! There's no way we can stop something like that!"

"That's right! You're knights! You always boasted that we were no match for you!"

"Take the lead and show us your skills! Then we'll follow!"

"Tch! These rude people…!"

A conflict arose between the knights of Elehem guarding the walls of Dobella and the mercenaries.

The knights, who had retreated and were forcing the mercenaries to fight on the front lines, and the mercenaries who were rebelling against them.

It was at the peak of the conflict between the two groups.

Thump-! Thump-!

Heavy sounds echoed from atop the city walls.

"Hmm. To be afraid even with such magnificent walls and not dare to stand on the battlefield! Such spineless individuals."

Everyone's eyes turned to a giant tiger-like beastman.

"Fear is a natural instinct for living beings. If there were no fear, that would be recklessness."

Click- click-

Next to the tiger-like beastman walked a girl with platinum blonde hair, holding a staff.

"Heh- That's right. Then what about these people? Can they overcome their fear?"

Borman grinned and stepped to the front.

"Students from Rumern and Azonia…!"

"But what can two people do by themselves!"

The knights of Elehem looked on with disbelief.

However, the mercenaries swallowed hard.

Chloe looked back at the mercenaries.

"You who have experienced countless battlefields know this, right? Fighting back has a slightly higher chance of survival than running away."

They couldn't fight due to the fear of imminent death, but…

The mercenaries also knew that it would be difficult to survive if they scattered instead of uniting in a situation where such a large army of monsters was invading.

Seeing the mercenaries with looks of despair, Chloe said,

"So, why don't we fight? We'll take the front line."

At those words, the mercenaries began to murmur.

"You'll take the front line?"

"They're students from the Hero Academy!"

"They can warp out of the battlefield anytime they want through the warp gate!"

Voices filled with disbelief.

Then, one mercenary muttered,

"No. I can believe it. Being able to use the warp gate anytime means they can escape this city now. Yet they came here."

He looked at Chloe and asked,

"Why?"

Chloe smiled faintly at the question.

"Because we are people who dream of becoming heroes."

The mercenaries stared at Chloe blankly.

Tap- tap-

Chloe stepped onto the city wall with light footsteps.

Vroooom-!

As she reached out her hand, her staff was summoned from subspace.

She could see the army of countless monsters swarming towards the city walls.

"Need a hand?"

Borman came up beside Chloe and asked, with his arms crossed.

"It's okay, this is a mage's job."

Chloe began to chant a spell.

Seeing that, Borman began to tighten his grip on his arms.

'What is this absurd fluctuation of mana?'

While chanting, Chloe looked at the army of monsters.

'It's natural for people to feel fear. I'm afraid too.'

Without stopping the incantation, Chloe poured power into her staff.

'But… I was taught that it is the mage's role to give courage to those who are afraid.'

Remembering her friend who was far ahead, Chloe smiled.

'Let's move forward.'

"Hoo."

Chloe exhaled after finishing her chant.

A powerful chill emanated from her body.

"Ice World."

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 fear, was completely frozen.

"Amazing."

Borman mumbled, his mouth agape.

Chloe looked back at the mercenaries and said,

"Let's fight together."

"Wooooooh!"

"Let's fight!"

Inspired by Chloe's magic, the mercenaries burned with fighting spirit.

***

At the East Gate, Kal watched Duran's back as he charged at a cyclops and muttered to himself.

'He's definitely an unlucky guy, but Duran, you will definitely become a hero.'

Not just Duran.

Many of his close friends from school had already gone so far ahead that he couldn't even see their backs properly.

'Well, it's natural in a way.'

The moment he was accepted into Rumern, he never dreamed of being a hero.

'Just surviving is the best I can do.'

It was the same now.

Kal was a mage.

Originally, he should have been covering Duran's back.

But Kal also knew that adding his mana wouldn't be of much help to Duran.

'It's a miracle if I don't hold him back.'

Despite being a mage, his firepower was no match for Duran's aura.

'This is why I can't even dream of being a hero.'

Kal chuckled.

'My goal was just to stay in Rumern for as long as possible. It would be the best if I could become a hero's supporter by luck.'

It was a choice befitting Kal, who had a quick mind.

It wasn't wrong.

In fact, it was also a path for the world.

'However, recently, I've set a more absurd goal.'

"Haa!"

From the rear, Juen was attacking another cyclops with sniper magic.

There wasn't just one cyclops that had revealed itself.

Besides the cyclops Duran was slaughtering, another group of cyclops was rampaging.

Ziiiii! Flash! Kwaang-!

Juen's magically charged projectile, imbued with immense mana, struck the cyclops.

With a huge explosion, the cyclops, whose body had been pierced, spurted blood and staggered.

But the cyclops quickly regained its balance and roared.

"Gwooooooar!"

Aina, who had been charging towards such a cyclops, became a golden flash.

Flash! Puhwaak-!

Aina's sword pierced the cyclops's flesh.

Wooooooar!

"Kugh!"

But she couldn't take it down.

The enraged cyclops's eyes turned to Aina, who had attacked it.

Its eyes gleamed, and the cyclops swung its arm at Aina.

'Too late!'

As Aina covered her entire body with Aura Armor, preparing for the impact.

Whoosh-!

A powerful wind blew.

Shred-!

"Uwoooooooar!"

Habiden swung his spear, creating a wind slash and cutting off the cyclops's arm.

Aina and Habiden's eyes met in mid-air.

Habiden created the wind.

Aina leaped quickly, using the wind created by Habiden, and charged towards the cyclops's neck.

Golden aura surged.

"Haaaaaaap!"

With a shout, the golden aura sliced through the cyclops's neck.

"Keeeeeooooooar!"

The cyclops, clutching its neck, let out a scream of pain.

The cyclops, with its head severed, began to thrash wildly.

Seeing that, Juen exclaimed with exasperation.

"It's thrashing even with its head cut off!"

"Of course, it's a high-level monster for no reason. It's a creature with a disgustingly tenacious vitality."

Kal approached Juen, who was sniping.

"Well, you three seem like monsters too."

"Are you joking around now?!"

"It's a compliment. It pains me to see such terrifyingly great juniors. They'll surpass their seniors in strength in no time."

Kal grinned.

"But for now, I can help as a senior."

Thump-!

Kal pulled out a metal box in front of Juen.

"What is this?"

"This is a special magic bullet made by your senior."

Kal took a magic bullet out of the box.

"Juen, you have a vast amount of mana, but your mana output is relatively low compared to your mana quantity. That's why you struggle against monsters with such overwhelming vitality. But in the end, finishing blows are the mage's role."

"I know! But I'm a typical mage who excels in the rear, not a type that overwhelms opponents with overwhelming firepower!"

"I know. So try using this."

Kal took out a bullet.

"Even with magic bullets, there's a limit to increasing magic power…"

"This is a special magic bullet I made. The more mana the user has, the stronger it becomes. For me, my mana is so meager that it doesn't have much effect, but for you, Juen, your magic power will change drastically."

Seeing her mentor smiling confidently, Juen took the magic bullet and equipped it to the staff made for sniper magic.

'The compatibility is perfect.'

Since Kal had been making magic bullets for Juen anyway, there was no sense of foreignness.

However, the mana and magic formations swirling from the bullet were beyond the understanding of Juen, the top student in the first year of the Magic Department.

Ziiiiiing-!

The magic bullet reacted to Juen's mana.

Juen aimed at the cyclops.

Feeling the mana reaction from Juen, Aina and Habiden distanced themselves from the cyclops.

Flash! Kwaang-!

With an explosion like firing a cannon, a massive explosion occurred in the cyclops's upper body.

Dododododo!

The cyclops's flesh and bone fragments flowed down.

The cyclops, whose upper body was blown away, fell.

Thump-!

Juen's mouth gaped at the power that far exceeded expectations.

'It's impossible for me to chase after the heroes. But I still want to go to a place where I can at least see them.'

They couldn't walk together.

They couldn't follow from behind.

Then, somehow, in a place where they could be seen, when the great heroes faced trials…

She wanted to help even a little.

That was Kal's new 'goal'.

"Hmph."

Duran sneered, beheading the second cyclops after slaughtering the first, and curled the corners of his mouth.

"You're quite good, Kal Thomas."

***

West Gate.

Ar, standing on the city wall, saw a giant Gigantes charging towards her, her tail wagging.

Ar, standing on the city wall, stomped her feet firmly on the ground.

At the same time, she charged towards the Gigantes.

"Haaaaaaap!"

With a powerful shout, golden aura erupted from her body.

Ar, who had transformed, blinked and kicked the Gigantes's head.

Kwaaaang-!

The Gigantes staggered and fell to the ground.

Kuuuuung-!

A huge sound, shaking the earth, echoed.

But that wasn't the end.

Ar, enveloped in blue aura all over her body, used Aura Step to push off the air and charged towards the ground.

Kwaaaaaaaaang-!

Ar, kicking the Gigantes's abdomen, growled fiercely.

Chelsea, watching from above the city wall, looked at her with an absurd expression.

"I heard about it, but she's really a monstrous cat."

"Miss Chelsea, you shouldn't say things like that," Cheon Si-a chided.

Leuwen, also a student from Azonia, said,

"She is a monster cat, isn't she? It's not wrong."

Chuckling at the reply, Cheon Si-a looked towards the inside of the city and said,

"I'll be back in a moment."

"Huh? Where are you going?"

Chelsea tilted her head, and Cheon Si-a smiled faintly.

"I have something to do."

Saying that, Cheon Si-a vanished in an instant.

"Foolish hero candidates. Distracted by the monsters and beasts outside."

"Hmph, they're just brats. They'll collapse without being able to properly deal with the chaos happening inside."

"But a sudden rampage. Is our mission here also over?"

Figures wearing black hoods talked amongst themselves.

Crack-!

At that moment, one person's neck was snapped.

Thud-

As the people in black hoods, startled by the sudden situation, tried to draw their swords.

Crunch-!

"Kkkkkyaaaak!"

A small, beautiful hand stretched out from the darkness and twisted their wrist.

"Hero Hunters. I'd like to hear more about the mission."

Cheon Si-a, who revealed herself from the darkness, asked with a faint smile.

"Shadows!"

"It's just one person!"

"You've lost your fear!"

The moment the Hero Hunters drew their weapons.

Kwaang-!

Another Hero Hunter's head exploded and was embedded in the wall.

"Princess. Aren't you completely retired from these things now?"

Kirin, who revealed herself from the darkness, asked with a tilt of her head.

Cheon Si-a replied calmly,

"I was taught that there's no need to distinguish between what heroes should do and what shadows should do."

Cheon Si-a emanated water aura.

"If the path you pursue is one, you must do what you can, that person taught me."

"Princess, you seem scarier than before."

"Why?"

"Because now, Princess, you no longer hesitate."

Kirin, the Shadow Lord, said, releasing her fingers.

"I can smell it, you're a beastman. Some of you can 'transform,' right? This is my last consideration."

Kirin's expression disappeared from her face.

"It's better not to imitate the great one with such insignificant actions, you traitor. If you do that,"

A dark killing intent emanated from her body.

"I will kill you in the worst possible way."