Chapter 5 – The Hero’s Party and the Player

R‌èaɗ ｏ&n; Kat​Ȓe​ađ&i;nｇ&C;ɑfe

As we entered the forest, we followed the dark red trail. The trail led deeper into the woods, and the trees around us grew denser. The air felt heavy, as if a sinister energy was seeping in.

Claire walked ahead and suddenly stopped. Her gaze was fixed on a spot where there were traces of someone passing between large tree roots and thorny bushes.

“They went through there.”

“Are you sure?”

“The trail continues without breaking.”

I nodded and followed her. But soon, an uneasy feeling began to creep in. A chill ran down my spine, making me shiver.

‘Something’s here.’

My body tensed as I instinctively sensed something. At that moment, something burst out of the bushes.

“Watch out!”

Claire shouted as she drew her dagger. Emerging from the darkness was a massive wolf-like monster. Its glowing red eyes and sharp fangs glinted menacingly.

“This… this was hiding here?”

I stretched one hand back, barely managing to steady myself. Claire was already in an attacking stance, swinging her dagger. But the monster moved swiftly, dodging her strikes.

“Eli, can you fight too?”

‘Fight… but I can’t openly use my holy power.’

I felt cold sweat forming on my forehead as I scanned the area. Suppressing my holy power while fighting made me feel like I was burning up inside. Then, suddenly, an idea came to mind.

‘What if I don’t use my holy power openly… but condense it to the bare minimum?’

I began gathering a tiny amount of holy power at my fingertips. Normally, I would create a glowing orb in my palm, but this time, I tried something completely different. I compressed the holy power as much as I could, reducing it to a thin, thread-like beam of light.

‘Smaller, thinner… thinner than a strand of hair.’

The holy power began to thin out like a fine thread. It was a method I had never tried before. A nearly transparent, thin beam of light remained at my fingertips.

Claire was still facing off against the monster. She swung her dagger, trying to block the monster’s movements, but it wasn’t enough.

“Eli!”

I maintained my focus and flicked my finger. The thin beam of holy light flew through the air and pierced the monster’s right eye.

“Grrraaah!”

The monster let out a painful howl and retreated on its hind legs. Claire turned to me with a surprised look.

“…What was that? Did you just do that?”

I slowly lowered my hand and nodded.

“Uh… yeah, something like that.”

“Wait, are you… a mage? Or what?”

“No, I just… know a few unusual techniques.”

Claire gave me a suspicious look, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. The monster was still thrashing and howling in pain.

“Alright. Whatever that was… do it again!”

“Got it.”

I condensed holy power at my fingertips once more. This time, I controlled the power more precisely, creating two thin beams of light. I aimed them at the monster’s legs and neck simultaneously.

“Here goes.”

I whispered as I released the two beams. The beams curved through the air, piercing the monster’s legs and leaving a thin cut on its neck.

“Grrrugh!”

The monster let out another howl and collapsed. Claire didn’t miss the opportunity and plunged her dagger into the monster’s heart.

“It’s over.”

Claire said, catching her breath. I finally released the holy power from my fingertips and stretched my tense body.

“Phew… that was harder than I thought.”

Claire wiped her dagger and turned to look at me.

“Eli, you’re really something. You’re way too strong for a Rank E.”

“No, I just got lucky.”

“Lucky? That wasn’t luck.”

Claire narrowed her eyes and stared at me. I avoided her gaze and made up an excuse.

“Well, it’s not a big deal. Just a little trick, I guess?”

Claire continued to give me a suspicious look but eventually shook her head and started walking forward again.

“Whatever. It’s still a thousand times better than being alone.”

I sighed inwardly and followed her.

Thinking about how many more situations like this I’d have to face made my head hurt already.

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.

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As we followed the trail out of the forest, a small village came into view. But this wasn’t Lucian Village. Old wooden houses were scattered around, and the area was shrouded in a dark fog. The village was unnaturally quiet. There were no sounds of livestock or people.

“Where is this? It’s not Lucian Village.”

As I muttered, Claire pointed to a plaza in the distance.

“Over there… something’s wrong.”

In the center of the plaza, a group of people had gathered. They were all dressed in black. They were bowing toward one direction, and at the center stood a woman in red.

She was waving a long black cloak, raising both hands high. Her voice was low and resonant.

“Do you believe in the god? If you offer everything to them, you will receive salvation and blessings. The sacrifices we offer to the god are our salvation.”

As her words ended, the people around her shouted.

“We offer to the god!”

Then, a man dragged a child onto the stage. He forced the child to kneel in front of the woman in the black cloak. The child was trembling in fear.

“Eli, stop.”

Claire grabbed my arm and whispered.

“We can’t get too close. We need to see what they’re planning first.”

I forced myself to stop at her words. Just watching this situation made my blood boil.

‘They’re trying to sacrifice that child?? That child is the offering!!? This is insane.’

The woman in the black cloak approached the child and raised her hand. She continued in a firm voice.

“We offer this pure soul to the god. The sacrifice of this child will purify our souls and bring us blessings.”

At that moment, a massive shadow on the altar at the side of the plaza began to move. The shadow writhed as if alive, seemingly whispering something to the woman. She nodded as if understanding and spoke.

“The god has spoken. They require more sacrifices. Everyone, let us fulfill our sacred duty.”

The people shouted again.

“We offer to the god!”

I couldn’t hold back any longer. Holy power flickered at my fingertips.

“We have to stop this now.”

But Claire gripped my arm even tighter.

“Not yet. If we act recklessly now, we’ll both die.”

I gritted my teeth and glared at her.

“What about that child? If we stay still, that child will die!”

“I know. But if we charge in without a proper plan, more people could get hurt. We need to stay calm.”

Claire’s voice was firm, but there was tension in her eyes too.

‘Damn it, stay calm in this situation?’

I suppressed the holy power at my fingertips and clenched my teeth. The child in the center of the plaza was still trembling. The woman in the black cloak looked down at the child with cold, merciless eyes.

She reached out and placed her hand above the child’s head, beginning to chant in a low voice, as if reciting a spell.

“With this pure soul, grant us salvation…”

At that moment, the air in the plaza trembled, and the shadow on the altar began to grow larger. Its form gradually took shape, transforming into a horrifying mix of human and beast.

‘What… what is that?’

I held my breath and stared at the plaza. Claire, still holding my arm, muttered.

“This isn’t just a group of fanatics… this is a monster summoning ritual.”

I was shocked by her words.

“Summoning a monster? But why?”

“Probably to gain more power. But what we need to do now…”

“Is stop it.”

I cut her off and spoke firmly. Claire sighed and nodded.

“Yeah, that’s right. But if we act recklessly, it’s dangerous. We need to find a way to take them down in one go.”

I looked back at the center of the plaza and muttered.

‘Alright, there’s only one way.’

I began gathering holy power at my fingertips again. This time, it was so subtle, so thin, that it wouldn’t be noticeable.

“Claire, trust me.”

“What?”

“If we disrupt that woman, we can stop the ritual. I’ll keep her busy. You save the child.”

Claire hesitated for a moment, but after seeing the determination in my eyes, she nodded.

“Ha… alright. Eli, don’t die.”

“Don’t worry.”

I released the thinly condensed holy power from my fingertips and quietly approached the plaza. ‘These bastards are done for.’

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Boom!

A glowing sword descended from the sky, causing a massive explosion in the plaza. The black-cloaked cultists began to panic, scrambling in confusion. The woman on the altar also looked around, seemingly startled.

Then, a group of people emerged from the fog.

“What’s that?” Claire muttered in surprise.

A man in golden armor walked forward with an air of authority. Behind him, a mage, a warrior, and a priest formed a perfect formation. As soon as I saw them, I let out a sigh.

‘Damn it… another hero party?’

But something was off. These people were different from the hero I knew. They were another group. The man in golden armor at the center shouted confidently, like an actor on stage.

“Cease this evil! In the name of the god, we shall judge you!”

“That’s…” Claire covered her mouth with her hand, sounding excited.

“Wow, amazing… those people… could they be…”

I frowned and looked at her.

“What’s so amazing?”

Claire couldn’t hide her excitement and clenched her fists as she continued.

“That’s the ‘Wings of Light’ party! The famous… the super popular NPC hero party from the game!”

‘…What?’

My mind went blank at her words. At the same time, a word she casually let slip caught my ear.

‘From the game.’

I looked at Claire sharply and asked, “Claire… you… are you…”

She seemed to realize her mistake and looked at me with a stiff expression.

“Ah, no, it’s just…”

“Are you a player too?”

 

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Not that surprising considering the friend is also here too, isn’t it?