episode_0039

*****

“Now, with this, our conversation won’t be heard over there. We might not be able to hear the sound from the other side either.”

A sound-blocking barrier unfolded to surround the four of us. Just in case, I made sure to keep a distance that would not allow me to see the shape of my mouth.

Now is a kind of operation time. Since we had an unplanned encounter with Genesis and had to accompany Genesis as planned, we need to talk about the future.

“Still, I was surprised. I never thought I would meet Fenrir here.”

“Is this your third time?”

“Yes. When we first fought, I was barely able to win using flames… . If you don’t use flames, you’re a tough opponent for me.”

It seems that Surtur had engaged in combat with the wolf woman even before the day he first met me. However, the other two people say they are seeing each other for the first time.

“I was more surprised that they were acting together with those guys. It could be dangerous.”

“It may have its own risks, but isn’t it better than fighting? It’s something I can’t leave alone.”

There is some truth to Jabberwock’s statement that it is dangerous. However, the snake woman looked quite strong and the other two did not look weak. Since we couldn’t just leave them alone, it was an unknown area as to whether it would be dangerous to fight or follow them.

“But there are definite benefits if we follow those guys.”

“Profit? What is it?”

“Of course, you can call in reinforcements. Come on, Surtr. Let’s quickly request emergency assistance via smartphone.”

“Eck.”

Surtur and Raon’s eyes gathered at my words. What, is there some problem?

“Didn’t we decide to hold a truce for a while?”

“Ah, that’s our story. It has nothing to do with the support we’re talking about, right?”

Jabberwock was the only one who nodded at this extremely obvious statement. No, Jabberwock also seems to be criticizing him when he says, ‘I don’t hate such dirty methods.’

Surt first requested support through his smartphone, but his expression seemed as if something was wrong. Is it because I am still a naive student that I am resistant to deceiving others? If so, there may be a need to reduce that resistance a bit.

“Don’t think too badly about it. They all know that we will do that anyway.”

“You think you know?”

“Emergency dispatch requests for Genesis are only made to heroes of Class A or higher, right? But there’s no way there’s an A-list hero in a countryside like this. So, they probably know well that it takes time for support to come.”

Of course, if it is a matter of human life, it is a different story. They will probably mobilize immediately, using space warfare or something else.

But in this deserted mountain, there are only three members who are not qualified to be executives. I will come in my own haste, but there will be limits.

“The mission will probably end before then, and judging from the fact that you accepted the offer to go together, it is highly likely that you will have a means of escape. So what happens if we engage in combat here?”

At that point, understanding began to appear on Surtur and Raon’s faces.

Even if we fight them and win, they will only escape through escape means. In that case, we have no choice but to protect this area until they come back, but that is realistically unreasonable. Even though Korea’s situation is better than other countries, the human resources of heroes are always precious.

The ostensible reason was that it would be better to go together, find out what they are doing here, and then stop them.

Well, actually, I have a rough idea of what those guys are aiming for! Since the original destination of the day is the place where the object you are aiming for is, it is the perfect excuse to take Surt ‘there’.

“Besides, talking about persecution is definitely a lie. You guys saw it too, right? The sight of him talking about the persecution of Lee Hyeong-gye without blinking an eye. If something really bad had happened, I wouldn’t have been able to speak so calmly.”

Of course, there are many exceptions to this, so it is more of a nitpick. Still, Surtur smiled slightly, as if it relieved him of the guilt of lying.

“Yes, I guess so. Still, I have one question.”

“What is it?”

“Ami, according to what you said, it doesn’t matter whether we follow them or fight, but isn’t it better for them to engage with us? If everything goes well, they’ll be able to retire us and carry out their mission. If things don’t go well, all they have to do is run away and come back. What is the reason for avoiding engagement with us?”

uh… . That’s right. I hadn’t thought about that part. Of course, the snake woman said that it was because they hated fighting.

“I’m telling you just in case──”

“No matter how much I do, I don’t think that person hates fighting. That is not a life that can be achieved by someone who hates fighting.”

With a bitter expression, Surtur evaluated his life just moments ago. Raon also closed his eyes and trembled slightly, as if recalling the memories from earlier.

Well, if you can think that the other person will be nice even after being pressured like that, you’re not being nice, you’re a fool.

“Ah. I’m calling.”

Raon turned his head to see Fenrir gesturing from beyond the barrier. There will be a time limit over there too, so if we try to waste time, they will just go away. Well, it’s going to be a little annoying, so it’s better to just follow along here.

In the end, I couldn’t think of a reason why those guys avoided fighting. Still, if you don’t have time to think, all you have to do is act. No matter what evil plan those guys are planning, all we have to do is destroy it from the front.

So, this time, we went into the depths of the forest with Genesis and the others.

***

One day in 2000, a crack opened in this world and the world was filled with magic, entering a period of great chaos. As countless monsters devastated civilization, some said that the era of science was over.

Of course, science is still an important foundation that supports the lives of non-awakened people, but it was clear that this was an unprecedented ‘unscientific era’. So did all of this just fall from the sky as soon as the year 2000 hit?

Based on the original setting, the answer was ‘no’. Even 2000 years ago, various things related to magic existed in the dark corners of this world. Although in the world before 2000, efficiency was so poor that it was barely able to maintain its reputation in favor of science, in today’s world where magic power is abundant, it is enjoying its heyday or more under names such as ‘ancient magic’ and ‘martial arts’.

Things that have magical traces from more than 2,000 years ago are usually given the prefix “ancient.” Something like an ancient spirit or an ancient artifact. So, from that perspective, the building in front of you right now should be called an ‘ancient ruin.’

“Awesome… .”

Those words came out of someone’s mouth. The sight before my eyes was definitely amazing. The building, illuminated by magical spores instead of lights, had a coexistence of grandeur and mystery.

“This is my first time seeing it, but it’s really amazing. Something like this existed in the mountains of Korea. The architectural style seems more Western than Eastern, but what happened to that part?”

“Often, the location of the ruins is reversed in this way. Perhaps these are ruins that were originally located somewhere else. Currently, the hypothesis that this phenomenon occurred because the dimensional structure was distorted during the period of great chaos is accepted.”

Raon blankly answered the snake woman’s question and then covered his mouth with both hands. I belatedly glare at the snake woman, but I’ve already told her everything, so what’s the use? The snake girl just smiled as if she was grateful.

I followed him up to this point while maintaining a subtle distance, but nothing special happened. It won’t be easy to remain wary of someone who doesn’t do anything and only shows favors.

Even Surt, one of the people most on guard, was staring blankly at the building. He’s probably talking to Sarah on his mind. Because this place was like home to Sarah.

“Now, let’s go inside. Our goal is inside.”

If it was their first time seeing the ruins, they might be nervous, but Genesis and the others went inside without hesitation. Maybe they know what’s inside here. We also followed him in.

“There are so many things.”

The inside of the building continued the grandeur of the outside. First of all, the building itself was like that. However, as Raon said, there were a lot of things piled up inside that looked like piles of scrap metal. While everyone was perplexed by the pile of modern trash that did not fit the atmosphere of the place, Surt spoke in a voice so low that only we could hear.

“All of this trash was brought in by people from outside.”

“Who is this? Ah! Are you Sarah by any chance?”

“Shh. I can hear you, Raon.”

Raon, whose voice grew slightly louder due to Jabberwock’s restraint, covered his mouth with both hands again. Anyway, I’m glad Sarah is reacting properly to this place. The process of meeting Surtr and Raon was almost the same as the original, so I know it’s unlikely, but you never know.

This building—the temple, or temple—is where Sarah lived. This pile of trash is probably the traces of Genesis breaking in and researching to capture Sarah, who was trapped there. He probably missed Sarah and intentionally destroyed the device to prevent it from reaching the association when he evacuated from here.

“──So, Sarah escaped from this place and came to us.”

“Wow, that’s how it happened.”

While I was reflecting on the setting of the original work, Surt was eagerly explaining how he and Raon met Sarah while they were training in an open space on the mountain that day. Perhaps because he was reciting what he heard from Sara on the spot, Surt himself was surprised by what he said himself.

So, for the time being, a fascinating yet uneventful exploration of the ruins took place. hmm. The kids and the Genesis group keep looking around, saying it’s fascinating, but I’m a little bored.

To be honest, it’s not the first time I’ve seen something like a ruin. The otherworldly ruins and dungeons that occur within the cracks are full of all kinds of traps and gimmicks, but the ancient ruins that existed on Earth before the Great Chaos were often monotonous in this way.

Well, considering that ancient ruins were temples or important facilities at the time, it seems natural. Wouldn’t it be possible to set up a lot of traps in places where a lot of people come and go?

But there are exceptions to that too. In restricted areas where people do not come and go, there are some dangerous things of their own. In this ruins, you will reach such an area after passing through the gold-decorated arched door.

“Wow, you’re pretty.”

Like the door right in front of you.

Is it slowly coming to an end now? Just as I was thinking that, Surtur suddenly shouted.

“You guys, wait a minute! Stop there for a moment!”

Ah, stupid. It looks like they’re trying to tell those guys what’s ahead. Of course Sarah knows what’s in front of her. For me, it’s a bit disappointing because I wanted to see how these guys deal with it.

“In front of him──”

“Hmph! I don’t listen to anything you say! Are you worried that we can proceed smoothly like this?”

The snake woman and the big man stopped and tried to listen to Surtur, but only the wolf woman named Fenrir ignored them and continued forward. Did he develop a sense of opposition when he engaged with Surtur before? Anyway, I am just grateful.

“Last time, I had to retreat without being able to do anything, but this time, all I have to do is suck my finger and watch.”

“Fenrir!”

I really wanted to see the original depiction of a person spinning and flying, at least once.

The snake woman immediately ran towards the wall where the wolf woman was stuck with a panicked expression. But no one cared about that other than her. Because the presence in front of my eyes was too great to look away.

“What the hell is this… .”

“It’s so big!”

“Shouldn’t we stand out?”

The thing that sent the wolf girl flying was a huge stone statue with its feet between the doors on the other side. It’s a nice stone statue, but its appearance, made of strange, shining black stone, is truly reminiscent of a giant robot.

[Qualification… , second… , prove it… .]

The stone statue said this while bending its huge body, which seemed to be as tall as the 7th or 8th floor of an apartment building. Is he talking too? Was there such a description in the original work?

“It hurts! What kind of qualifications are these! Die!”

Quang. The wolf woman jumped out from the wall she had been thrown into, making a loud noise, and rushed towards the statue. Both arms were already fully hydrated.

“Oh. It’s a bit much.”

Surprisingly, the wolf woman jumped up to the face of the statue at the same speed she was charging and slashed her fist. The stone statue’s entire body tilted from the impact, which did not lose its momentum even after jumping tens of meters in one go. It seems like the last time I saw you, I said you weren’t at full strength, it wasn’t a mental victory, it was the truth.

But that was it. The statue quickly regained its center of gravity. When that happens, all that remains is a ball of fur floating in the air. The giant hand of the stone statue swung towards that place.

“Pfft!”

I could see the wolf woman closing her eyes tightly in anticipation of the coming shock. Oh my, I’m still immature. In reality, it wasn’t even right.

The statue’s fist was blocked by the magical barrier that appeared in front of the wolf woman. I looked to see who had written that, and saw that a large man who had never opened his mouth before was making a hand sign. A wizard with that size?

Before I knew it, there was a snake woman who had climbed up the wall in front of the wolf woman. Perhaps it was because a colleague took a hit, or perhaps it was a characteristic of the fighting method he had learned, but his entire body was flowing out with thick, deadly force. The moment when that life disappeared as if it were sucked into a single line.

Suddenly.

The sound of a stone being cut resounded coldly as it split the air. It was such a brutal sword that the Surturs who heard the sound stood on end.

[Ooh, oh… .]

Although the statue did not fall even after being hit by the wolf woman’s face, it must have been unable to withstand the snake woman’s attack, as its huge body crashed into the wall of the ruins and fell. The floor shook as if there had been an earthquake, and Ra-on stumbled, making a squealing sound.

[Qualifications… , prove it… .]

However, the stone statue that rose again through the dust was fine. No, to be exact, there was a straight sword mark left on the edge of the chest. However, there seemed to be no problem with the movement at all.

I saw the snake woman clicking her tongue. He probably cut it with all his might.

When she realized that she could not be cut with a single blow, the snake woman’s movements changed. They started targeting joints with relatively shallow thickness, such as the neck, elbows, and knees. The wolf woman and the big man also began to focus on blocking or deflecting the attacks of the statue aimed at the snake woman rather than damaging the statue.

Although it was simple, it had its own effect as I continued to invest time into it. The joints, especially the lower right knee, were visibly cut. To achieve something like that, he would have had to keep slashing in the same direction and angle, but it was truly incredible concentration and skill.

[Qualifications… , prove it… .]

The problem was after some damage had been done to the joint area. The magical energy gathered towards the colossus from all over the ruins flowed through the colossus’ whole body, emitting white magical light.

The three people on Genesis’ side immediately retreated and took a guard stance toward the shining colossus. It was a wise decision since we did not know what the enemy would do. However, despite such caution, no attack came out of the colossus.

Instead, all traces that had been left on the body of the colossus had disappeared as the light disappeared.

“… … Tsk.”

Wow, he has a straight face. The snake woman stopped even fluttering her tongue and just glared at the giant statue. Although I worked so hard to accumulate damage, I recovered completely, so honestly, it was worth making that expression.

Even after that, there were differences in the process, but the sequence of recovering after inflicting damage was repeated a couple more times.

“Please help me.”

In the end, it didn’t take long for the snake woman to ask us for help.

“eh~? Nope. Why do we help you?”

“That’s right! You can’t help a bad thing!”

Ignoring me, who was making a fuss, and Raon, who was sincerely opposing me, the snake woman approached Surtur. Surtur was startled and took a step back when a woman of similar height as him suddenly approached him.

“Please… . Can’t we do it somehow? As I said before, we must succeed in this mission to save our people. If things continue like this, those two people might be in danger. I’ll do anything I can… .”

At the part where she said, “I will do anything,” the snake woman quietly hugged Surtur’s arm. Of course, Surtur was shocked and pulled out his arm. Although my face was red.

“What are you saying! And no! I can’t put my colleagues in danger to help you.”

“That’s right! And there’s no help for a liar!”

“Are you lying? Did they lie?”

“Lee Hyeong-gye’s potential doesn’t have any sense of kinship. Raon, don’t you feel kinship with other wizards?”

Some people mistakenly believe that Lee Hyeong-gye’s potential is being persecuted. However, even if you have a heterogeneous potential, you are an ordinary human until the potential is revealed, so you do not feel a sense of kinship with the same species. You might feel a little bit of pleasure, but that’s it.

The other person probably didn’t know that fact either. It was just a bait of prejudice to arouse Surtur’s sympathy more. Since I knew the situation, it seemed unreasonable.

As soon as I finished explaining, the snake girl fell from Hwa-in’s arms and clicked her tongue. Leaving Hwa-in alone, who was dumbfounded by the sudden change from being kind to Beautiful, I asked her the truth she wanted to hear.

“Earlier, when this ruin came in, he was so excited, but when he saw that, he was very embarrassed.”

“… I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

The snake woman frowns and twists her tongue. It was refreshing to see emotions revealed on the tongue.

Fresh is refreshing, and the answer came back completely as expected, and I smiled slightly. Well, it was natural that I wouldn’t have received any information about that statue. That statue is a device that appears to test Surtur, the ‘contractor with the spirit’, so when only the Genesis guys came and studied it, they wouldn’t have seen it.

It was also one of the reasons why I thought about going with these guys. Since I had to fight this statue to get Hwain in there, I tried to find out about the statue by throwing these guys in in advance.

“Would it be good for you to do me a favor? It took a while for us to get here, right? If you don’t help me, I’ll keep hitting that guy against the wall and collapse this cave.”

“!? If you do something like that, you won’t be safe either!”

“It is better than failing the mission.”

When she saw that appeasement was not working, the snake woman changed her means from request to threat. Judging by the vibration of the stone statue hitting the wall just now, it didn’t sound like nonsense at all.

Well, I was planning on helping from the beginning anyway. Because if these guys leave here, it will be just as difficult. There is no need to let Genesis have any attachment to this facility.

“… Okay, let me help you. Instead, please take a moment.”

“Don’t take too long.”

After confirming that the snake woman who had obtained approval had moved away, the strategy meeting began. But in fact, there is nothing to call it a strategy meeting. Because there is the best strategy. To be exact, it’s inside Hwain.

“It went well. Sarah also wants to take that guy down.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It won’t be difficult if you just fight as Sarah told you. First, you, Raon──”

Sarah ran out on her own, but if I were to be specific, it was like a reward for clearing this ruin. Of course, there was no way he didn’t know the gimmick of this ruin. He’s probably telling Surtur everything from the statue’s weaknesses to the location of the core by now.

So the strategy meeting didn’t take that long.

“… let’s go. Guys.”

“”Okay~.””

“I don’t really like the idea of helping those guys.”

While Raon was chanting, each person moved to their respective positions. The procedure itself is simple, so it will probably be over in an instant.

“O ice prison of permafrost!”

After the short chant, Raon’s magic unfolded. The magic that embodies the frozen earth itself freezes everything within its range. The legs of the statue targeted this time were no exception.

[Qualifications… , prove it… .]

“Now, let’s go to the surgery center!”

Next, like the snake woman from before, it was my turn to kick off the wall and move in front of the statue’s face. The statue tried to raise its huge fist, but of course my kick was much faster. The statue, which had been hit directly in the face, fell backwards with its chest up as both feet were frozen to the ground.

The original Surtur would be able to climb up to the chest on its own, but it is still difficult for the current Surtur. So, the work up to this point was to make the weak point of the statue reach Surtur’s attack range.

“Levatein!”

Surtur quickly climbed up the fallen statue and slashed its chest with his flaming sword. Even a stone statue of unknown material could not overcome the absolute attack power of the flame of the apocalypse, creating a strange scene of the stone burning.

[Qualification… , second… , proof… .]

“Now! Jabberwalk!”

“Confirmed.”

Perhaps judging that the damage was quite large, magical power began to gather from various parts of the ruins just like before. But the Jabberwock’s shadow rose from its burned, open chest much faster. A round core was caught between the rising shadows.

“Finish it!”

“Huh!”

Ilcham (一攙). Compared to the snake woman’s attack just now, it was an attack that was far inferior in speed and technique. However, the core, which was as hard as the outer armor, or perhaps even stronger, could not withstand Levitain’s attack.

[proof… , end… .]

The stone statue lost the light in its eyes and reverted to a simple stone block.

“… indeed. That is the flame called the flame of the apocalypse.”

When I went down to the bottom of the statue, Genesis and the others were waiting. Come to think of it, I think the snake girl’s tone changed in the middle. Is it because of her mood?

The snake woman had a strange expression. Well, looking at his form, it looks like he has been training with the sword for quite a long time, and looking at his attack power as if he used a cheat, it seems like he might have a wise man’s time. I hope my heart breaks if possible.

“How do you know the location of the core?”

“Well? Do I need to tell you?”

“Che! If I only knew that, I would have caught it!”

On the contrary, the wolf woman was grumbling heartily. Come to think of it, this is his second time seeing those flames. If you can still feel good about winning even after seeing it twice, that’s great.

“… … .”

“… … .”

The big man still didn’t say anything. Rather, why are you two, Jabberwock and Big Man, staring at each other?

Anyway, I cleared the test safely, so it’s time for reward. As I watched the door beneath where the statue was creaking open, I grinned, imagining what I would find inside.

*****