episode_0016

“Elin, get out of here.”

“What are you talking about, Bern! If I distract the Chimera, you can take Lloyd and go!”

“Elin, don’t you know? We can’t outrun them with these two.”

“Ber…Bern…”

I can’t take Lloyd, who is bigger than me, with me.

Even though it’s an imperfect Chimera, fundamentally, he is still a Chimera.

On this steep and untamed path, I can’t shake him off.

If Lloyd and Ron were awake, the situation might be different, but they haven’t woken up yet due to injuries and exhaustion from training.

For now, as a temporary measure, I’ve scattered dirt to mask the scent, but it’s only a matter of time before we’re found.

So I have to stay and protect the two who are down.

“So Elin, go follow those guys.”

“I don’t want to! That will put you in danger, Bern!”

I understand her concern, but staying like this is even more dangerous.

I have to protect Ron, Lloyd, and you.

I just met you today, Elin, but you’re a good kid.

Even though you must have struggled a lot due to your injuries, you followed my instructions without complaint.

You held up well. So, I have to let you go.

“Elin.”

“Y-yes.”

“In that case, quickly join the Saintess and bring people over here. That’s how you’ll help me.”

“But if we do that, you might die, Bern! The Chimera is not an opponent you can handle alone. It’s even a Grade 3 monster. Bern!”

Swoosh—

I gently stroked her pink hair.

“It’s okay. Promise me. I won’t die. And sending that guy away from here puts others at risk. So, Elin, go.”

It’s true. It might be a bit risky, but there’s a way to deal with this.

So, Elin and the Saintess party calling for others will help me.

“Alright, we made a promise, Bern.”

“Yes.”

“Then, I’ll call for people, so hold on until then! If you die, I won’t let it slide!”

She’s gone. Hmm, she’s really fast. Faster than me?

Well then, shall we start the half-baked Chimera subjugation?

The imperfect Chimera is classified as a Grade 4 monster with significantly reduced visual and auditory functions, relying heavily on its sense of smell.

However, it primarily targets those who have shed blood, ignoring everything else.

‘In that case, there’s only one way to make the Chimera target me.’

I sliced my arm with the firmly clenched sword.

As a result, red blood flowed from my arm.

It’s hot. It hurts.

But I have to endure it.

The pain in my arm is nothing compared to the agony of losing someone.

Blood continues to flow from the vein wound.

This should catch the Chimera’s attention.

Not too far away, visible in the moonlight, a threatening creature with yellow eyes approaches, a beast larger than a lion, with a lion’s body and head, and a monster with a snake’s tail.

Accompanied by the sound of breathing, revealing menacing fangs in the moonlight.

If caught by that, I wouldn’t stand a chance.

Having smelled the blood, it must be in a frenzy now.

It will soon come at me.

But once in a frenzy, its focus is diminished.

Frenzy is a state beyond aggression, where the creature attacks wildly.

However, the Chimera’s weakness to sharp objects is compensated by the snake’s tail.

Still manageable. Since the snake must also be frenzied, removing the tail first should make the rest easier.

And I still have my final unused skill.

As I organize my thoughts, the creature begins to move.

It’s probably getting ready to hunt.

Its yellow eyes have turned red, and its breathing has become rough.

I tightened my grip on the sword in my hand even more.

My night begins now.

Tonight, either you or I will die.

“Let’s go.”

Surviving, I will welcome a new morning.

….

“Hurry, we need to find someone who can help Bern!”

Elin was wandering the mountains alone without joining the group of holy maidens.

She thought that traveling alone was good for mobility and reduced the risk of being exposed to demons.

And right now, time was of the essence.

She needed to find someone who could help Bern.

To do that, it was faster to search alone, she thought.

Of course, her thinking was not wrong.

Having roamed the mountains like her own backyard since she was young, wandering the mountains was not a big issue for her.

Her night vision was excellent, so as long as there was some light, the mountain was no different from her living room.

However, no matter how much she wandered the mountains, she couldn’t find anyone.

Then the only place left is the summit.

There must be a conduit at the top of the mountain to maintain the barrier.

“There must be people who have gone up to destroy the conduit.”

The summit… It was too high and far away.

But there was no time to waste. Bern and the others were in danger.

Right now, Bern had staked his life to protect the fallen comrade.

So Elin too must risk her life to find someone.

Someone to help Bern.

….

Alicia Isis was on her way to the summit.

With magic sealed by the barrier, a suitable conduit was needed to maintain the barrier on this massive mountain.

And the perfect place for that was the summit of the mountain.

Unable to use magic due to the barrier and unable to escape outside, the situation was dire.

Who did it, why, and how didn’t matter.

Of course, Alicia had some expectations.

A few years ago, a terrorist group called Requiem suddenly disappeared while active on the mainland.

She wasn’t sure why, but what mattered now was escaping from the mountain.

Training was now meaningless. The most important thing was gathering people and safely escaping the mountain.

She had gathered her comrades and some people.

In the middle of the ascent, they encountered a sizable group heading towards the summit to destroy the conduit maintaining the barrier.

During this encounter, they also met a student from Class D, rumored to have soloed a Grade 3 dungeon.

He had an unexpected impression. Though he had black hair like Bern, his demeanor was completely different.

With black hair and green eyes, he had a gentle smile and a cheerful personality.

However, she didn’t fully trust him.

All students in this academy are elites.

But there was quite a significant gap between Class D and Class A, like an unbridgeable chasm.

However, having soloed a Grade 3 dungeon was impressive. There was evidence.

He came out with a blue intermediate magic stone that only appears when clearing a Grade 3 dungeon.

But something felt off.

While more members were advantageous, transfer students were somewhat hard to trust.

But that trust was quickly shattered.

Upon reaching the summit, his display of power was overwhelming.

Truly overwhelming violence.

Using bizarre swordsmanship, he effortlessly defeated the Requiem executive waiting at the summit.

What caught everyone’s attention was his sword.

That sword seemed… alive, unlike anything seen before.

A man with black hair using strange swordsmanship.

Despite his gentle appearance, his expression turned icy cold as the battle began.

Now, if they could find the conduit maintaining the barrier, they could escape the mountain.

But the dark sky showed no signs of brightening.

“Morning seems to be still a long way off.”

She was struggling with a throbbing headache, unable to rest and already planning to report the situation to the Academy. However, she soon slapped her own cheeks to snap out of it.

She needed to pull herself together. Leading this massive team as a top student in her second year, if she started to falter, everything would crumble along with her.

She wanted to take a break, but there was no time for that.

However, just as she thought, “It should be okay to rest for a moment,” an unwelcome guest appeared before her.

This person had pink hair and blue eyes like hers.

Seemingly exhausted from climbing the mountain hastily, she gasped for breath, saying, “Ha… Ha…”

“Hey, are you okay?”

“E-El… Elisha Aisis, please help. B-Bern is in danger.”

“What? What are you talking about? Bern Flame? Why is that name coming up here?”

“Right now, Bern is alone, fighting a Chimera to protect a fallen comrade! There’s no time for this!”

“Calm down. So, Bern Flame is risking his life to protect someone else?”

“That’s not the issue; we need to go help quickly! Even though he’s not at full strength, he might die if he faces it alone!”

Elisha couldn’t grasp the situation at hand.

Even if there were barriers in place, a Chimera on this mountain?

“Even if what you say is true, we have no way to help Bern Flame right now.”

“If that’s the problem, it’s fine. I left a mark on the way here! I remember where Bern is… so hurry!”

“…Just one more thing. Bern is risking his life to protect others?”

She couldn’t believe it. Bern Flame staking his life for others?

That made her want to see it with her own eyes.

“Yes! Bern is the one who didn’t give up on me, who couldn’t even walk properly after getting injured during practice. That’s why we must help Bern quickly!”

“Fine. Lead the way. And to the rest of you, please destroy the medium maintaining this barrier as soon as possible.”

As Elisha spoke, a chubby blond man next to her, seemingly out of breath from no exercise, opened his mouth.

“Please return safely. We will swiftly destroy the barrier. Let’s finish our conversation when we descend from the mountain, Elisha.”

“….Let’s go.”

The man beside her frowned openly, looking irritated, while Ellen, the student with mud-covered pink hair from rushing up the mountain, stood by.

This odd pair immediately set off towards where Bern was located.