Chapter 17
"Have we... taken care of it?"
"Leaf, you shouldn't say things like that."
That's a flag for resurrection, you know.
"Eek! Is, is that so!?"
Leaf covered her mouth with both hands as if trying to take back her words.
I leaned on Leaf for support while waiting for the motion sickness to subside, then gently let her go.
"I'm joking. More importantly, our teamwork was amazing. That was quite powerful, wasn't it?"
"Undine did all the hard work."
Even so, Leaf grinned with a "Heehe."
Leaf Youthglint, 18 years old, at an age where she craved praise...
I cautiously approached the sprawled psychopath.
Staying focused to use Blink at any moment.
I poked the guy with the staff he borrowed from Leaf.
"He's definitely gone."
Not a single movement.
I grabbed the guy with my hand instead of the staff and turned him over.
Blood was continuously flowing from the hole blown through his stomach.
He rummaged through the guy's belongings but only found a book and a ring.
Should I strip his clothes too?
They did look quite nice...
That would be difficult.
Carrying around blood-soaked clothes didn't seem right, and it would likely just increase the burden unnecessarily.
After pocketing the book and ring, I stood up and returned the staff to Leaf, who asked, "Are you okay?"
"Ah, I did feel a bit nauseous, but I'm fine now!"
"No, not that."
They had killed someone.
Even if the opponent was a crazy serial killer trying to kill them, once the excitement of battle faded, reason returned, and one couldn't be free from the shock of murder.
But Leaf, who had seemed so gentle, was surprisingly calm.
No, it wasn't surprising.
Leaf was always the type to do what needed to be done.
It was Leaf who first suggested forming a team, and it was Leaf who mediated when Rei tried to distance herself.
"I'm... okay. How about you, Roman?"
"I'm fine, too."
It wasn't like I killed him directly, I was just an accomplice…
But it wasn't the first time I had killed someone.
When I was traveling with the merchant guild, I fought alongside the mercenaries when bandits attacked.
It seemed like a miracle that I survived back then.
Without even knowing how it happened, I killed people and survived.
"Shall we go again?"
"Just a moment, please."
As I suggested moving on after resting, Leaf quickly ran off somewhere.
It was towards where the bodies of those killed by the psychopath were.
Leaf called Undine to clean the bodies, then carefully closed their eyes with gentle hands.
After a short prayer, she came running back to Roman.
"Let's go now."
"...Alright."
§
Fortunately, after the cavern, there were no more skeletons.
Perhaps those skeletons weren't there to harm them but to lure them to the cavern where the psychopath was waiting.
They were weak.
The skeletons were the beaters.
The guy waiting in the cavern was the hunter.
If that were the case, there wouldn't be just one hunter.
The guy Leaf and I met was far from being a necromancer.
Are there separate guys playing the roles of hunter and beater?
While I was guarding the front and Undine, summoned by Leaf, was watching the rear, Leaf called out to me.
"Roman."
"Yes?"
"Aren't you going to ask?"
"About what?"
"You know, that..."
Are you worried about it?
I suppose if it were me, I'd be more concerned if someone just ignored something I considered a flaw after discovering it.
"Being an elf isn't a big deal. I've even talked with elves before, you know. Oh, I guess I'm doing it now too?"
"I'm... not an elf."
Leaf spoke softly, "I'm a half-breed."
Slowly, Leaf's confession was about to begin.
But Leaf's confession couldn't continue for long.
Because a dense mana carried by the wind blowing from the other side was pulling them in.
"Let's talk after we get out of here."
"...Okay!"
They quickened their pace.
And it wasn't just them.
Not long after, at a fork in the road, Leaf and I encountered another male-female pair running from the opposite direction.
"The Devil Sorcerer?"
"Ah! It's the guy Alexandra is interested in."
A brown-haired man and a dark gray-haired woman.
Their hair colors were ordinary, but the unusual combination of the woman being taller than the man was easily recognizable.
"Alexandra's team?"
"You got separated too? That works out well. We're in the same situation."
"...Amaia, you talk too much. They could be enemies."
"Scared?"
"That's not what I...! Haa, forget it. I won't say anything."
The brown-haired man grumbled loudly enough for them to hear, calling her a beast of a woman.
To be shaken by that much.
If you met the real beast woman on our team, you'd really lose it.
Amaia, who had been giggling, returned to a serious attitude and said, "You met them too, right? I smell blood."
"You too?"
"As you can see."
Amaia showed the bloodstains on her clothes.
"Looks like your team got separated too. Let's go together."
"Those guys will just be a burden."
"Johan, shut up for a bit."
Seemingly outranked, Johan immediately closed his mouth and turned his head away.
"So? What do you think?"
"Alright. Let's go together."
There was a saying that the enemy of my enemy was my friend.
Right now, finding Rei and getting out of this damned underground was more important than the bet.
"But the right to command remains separate."
"If that's what you prefer."
And so, a temporary party was formed.
§
The finish line of the exam and the center of the underground floor.
That place had turned into a veritable battlefield.
Walls and floors were covered with all kinds of traces of destruction.
Blood splattered on top as if painting a mural.
Rampant noise.
Swirling mana.
Exploding blasts.
And clattering skeletons.
All these things coexisted in one space, transforming the cavern from an exam site into a battlefield.
"Ugh...!"
The groan that escaped through clenched teeth was Rei's.
She had rushed in after spotting an opening, but the rebound was unbelievably solid.
It wasn't automatic defense magic.
It had been deflected before Rei's magic Argentooth's magic-breaking power could touch it.
If the surprise attack failed, the next step was counterattack.
But the pursuit towards Rei was blocked by a shield of mana swords flying in from the side.
"Move carefully!"
Arthur shouted.
Following his gestures, the mana swords aligned and began to dance in formation.
Arthur's magic, Thousand Blade.
That magic, which formed mana swords and controlled them freely, boasted versatility in both offense and defense.
Among the training center personnel here, he was undoubtedly the strongest.
And he also had the most practical experience.
Therefore, no one understood the current battle situation as objectively as Arthur.
This is dangerous.
The opponent was a necromancer, judging by the magic.
And a considerably skilled one at that.
It was evident just from seeing the combat skills instructor Davenport, who was at the vanguard, barely holding on without even being able to counterattack.
If it weren't for the support of the entrants, Davenport would have long since become a cold corpse lying on the floor.
As if to prove this, blood was dripping from the gaping wound on Davenport's stomach.
While there might have been a surprise attack, Davenport wouldn't have fallen to such a clumsy ambush.
It was evidence of how formidable the necromancer's skills were.
"Hmph!"
Whoosh!!
A gust of wind wrapped in flames engulfed the area.
The fiery wind that swept away the familiars summoned by the necromancer in one go heated the air in the cavern to a sultry temperature.
"How annoying."
A voice flowed from under the hood, covered in deep darkness, reciting a spell.
"Witness your death."
Just before the necromancer's death, visualization magic, particularly threatening in one-on-one combat, could overlay Alexandra's senses with the color of death.
A mirror appeared in front of Alexandra.
Zing-! Crack!
The symbol of the mirror was reflection.
The necromancer's curse was reflected back without touching Alexandra.
However, it seemed unable to fully reflect the power, as a large crack appeared on the mirror.
"I won't let that happen."
"...Interference."
The necromancer's gaze now turned to behind Arthur.
It was Fiona, the silver-haired woman who had several mirrors floating around her, surrounding her body.
Now!
Arthur fiercely dove in, taking advantage of the moment when the necromancer's attention was focused on Fiona.
Swoosh -crack.
The mana swords were disassembled and then combined into one giant sword.
And the great sword that had quickly disassembled and reassembled fell towards the necromancer.
Boom-!!
A dense cloud of dust rose thickly.
This was the maximum strike Arthur could deliver at present.
It was a great sword made by mixing 15 of the 16 blades he could handle.
With this...
"Not bad. The observers' evaluation was wrong. You exceed expectations."
That voice came from behind a bone barrier the necromancer had erected, mumbling in place.
It's impossible. Retreat is the right choice.
Currently, there was no one capable of a more powerful attack than Arthur.
Instructor Davenport specialized in defense rather than offense.
Even if he had a trump card, it would be too much in his current physical state.
Rei's magic had the potential to deal a critical hit, but she couldn't even approach.
But retreat isn't easy either.
Something. Some variable is needed. But from where?
The outside was cut off, and the instructor was dead.
The four gathered here were, in Arthur's judgment, the top forces among the entrants.
Anyone less than their equal would be more of a burden.
One or two others came to mind who could be effective forces, but they weren't here.
He had sent other entrants to find them, excluding the four, but there was still no sign of them coming.
If the Great Sword Technique is difficult, then with the Scattered Sword Technique, after maximally distracting attention...
"What are you doing!? You idiot!"
Rei's rough shout snapped Arthur back to his senses.
Ah, this...
Arthur's worst problem, which his master had pointed out many times.
While possessing excellent combat intelligence, he tended to get buried in his thoughts, a weakness that had activated once again.
Belatedly coming to his senses, Arthur quickly assessed the situation before him.
Fiona, who had used up all her mirrors to defend others, now had no mirror to protect herself.
No, there was exactly one left, but it was the mirror that had cracked earlier while protecting Alexandra.
Its defensive power would be hard to rely on.
Towards her, a purple lightning bolt was falling.
As if it had been waiting for this moment from the beginning, it was a thunderbolt with an enormous amount of condensed mana, which had never been seen before.
Was she the target from the start?
Arthur should have blocked it.
Including Davenport, there were three who possessed magic capable of defense.
Among them, Davenport was in charge of the vanguard, so when Fiona was in danger, Arthur himself should have blocked it.
Even now, if I use the Shield Sword Technique...
No, it was too late.
Arthur's combat prediction already told him it was too late for defense.
It was impossible for anyone.
When it was already impossible for both Fiona and Arthur, there was no way others could do it.
The collapse of defense... Is this the end?
One thought continued in everyone's mind.
But, it suddenly appeared.
The variable Arthur had been hoping for.
The last possibility to overcome the current situation.
Crackle!!!
The lightning that failed to properly reach its target struck the floor and spread in all directions.
And the light of the lightning illuminating the cavern revealed the face of a new participant.
Hair even darker than the necromancer's.
It was Roman.
§
"Are you alright?"
"Huh? Ah... yes. I'm fine."
I had been worried about whether using Blink right when I thought I had touched her would work, but it had somehow turned out well.
Without checking on Fiona’s condition, I focused straight ahead.
While drawing up mana to be able to activate Blink again at any moment.
"Please turn off your magic defense for a moment. It might interfere with my movement."
I had felt it with Leaf prior, but using Blink with others had various difficulties.
If the other person resisted by rejecting the mana, there was a high chance it wouldn't activate properly.
Fiona immediately calmed the mana surrounding her body at Roman's words and said, "That... Did you create that spell?"
"Thanks to you."
"..."
Fiona suddenly fell silent.
I wasn't sure what she was thinking, or if she was in shock like Leaf had been.
"More importantly, who is that guy?”
Fiona opened her mouth again at my question, "Likely an Abyss Worshiper. Those who worship the Abyss and plot the destruction of the city and the extermination of explorers..."
I see.
I immediately understood why they had done such a reckless thing and that there was absolutely no room for compromise.