Episode 70. In Search of the Demon Sword (2)

After the fifth party member, Berald, joined the party, we left the school gate and headed for the ruins.

“Hehehe. It’s my first time exploring ruins, so I’m super nervous!”

“…You don’t look nervous at all.”

I stifled a laugh as I looked at Berald, who was sparkling like a child on a picnic.

“By the way, bro! Since we’re all gathered like this, can you introduce the party members?”

“Ah, of course.”

I glanced at Yuren, Iris, and Camila and continued.

“This is Yuren. You must have heard of him, right?”

“Are you talking about the descendant of the ‘Sun’s Sword’?”

“That’s right.”

“Ooooh! I’ve heard a lot about him!”

Berald strode over to Yuren and extended his hand, as thick as a pot lid.

“Nice to meet you! I’m Berald Ryu, a second-year from the Magic Department! I’m a year younger, so feel free to call me casually!”

“Ah, uh, yeah.”

Second-year? And from the Magic Department…?

Yuren shook Berald’s hand with a face full of doubt.

“And over there are Iris and Camila.”

“I’ve heard of them too! The Saintess of the Holy Kingdom and her knight, right?”

Berald, exclaiming in admiration, approached Iris and Camila this time.

“Nice to meet you! It’s an honor to be in the same party as the school’s celebrities!”

“Please take care of us.”

“Berald Ryu… Are you from the same Ryu family as Principal Raonel?”

“Hehe. That’s right. But I’m from a branch family, so I don’t have much connection with Grandfather Raonel.”

Berald answered with a bitter smile.

“By the way, how did you meet Dale?”

“Hehe. Bro and I took supplementary classes together!”

“…Supplementary classes?”

“It’s the class you take if you fail an exam. Haven’t you taken it before?”

“Ah… No. I haven’t.”

Iris shook her head with a flustered expression.

Yuren and Camila also awkwardly smiled and averted their gazes.

“Hahaha! You’re all model students! Bro and I took supplementary classes all year and formed a special bond as brothers…”

“Shut up, man. Taking supplementary classes isn’t something to brag about.”

I smacked Berald on the back.

“Anyway, we’ll arrive at the ruins soon, so let’s stop the chit-chat here.”

It had been about an hour since we left Valhalla City.

Thanks to using a warp device, we didn’t take too long to reach the location of the ‘Cave of Red Tears.’

“Is that the ruins Dale mentioned?”

Yuren asked, looking at the massive cave entrance in the distance.

“Yeah. That’s the ‘Cave of Red Tears.'”

A protective barrier was set up at the entrance to prevent ordinary people from entering.

*Beep.*

[Temporary Hero ID confirmed.]

[Barrier deactivated.]

I turned on the Hero Watch and held it up to the barrier, causing the bluish shield covering the entrance to disappear.

“Let’s set up a formation before we go in.”

I pointed at each party member and assigned them positions based on the optimal formation I had thought of beforehand.

“I’ll take the rear.”

Normally, support or magic-type heroes are placed in the rear, but that’s a formation used in open areas.

In a cave where you could be ambushed from behind at any moment, it’s safest to have a warrior-type in the rear and support-types in the middle, protected.

‘It’s also better if I don’t participate in combat as much as possible.’

This ruin exploration also has the purpose of giving the party members, who lack combat experience, a chance to gain some.

If I take the lead, they won’t get any experience.

“If Dale is in the rear… then I should be in the middle, right?”

“Yeah. Camila, stand next to Iris and focus on guarding her.”

“Got it.”

Camila, whose main purpose wasn’t the ruin exploration but to guard Iris, nodded without a word.

“Yuren and Berald, you two take the front.”

“Hahaha! Leave it to me, bro!”

“Yeah. Got it… Wait, didn’t you say you were from the Magic Department earlier?”

Yuren looked flustered as he saw a Magic Department candidate confidently placed in the front.

“Uh… well, you’ll see.”

I shrugged and used the ‘Light’ magic.

Glowing orbs formed, illuminating the surroundings.

“Let’s go.”

As we entered the cave, a chilling aura sent shivers down our spines.

“Ugh… there’s a strong smell of blood.”

Iris frowned and covered her nose as soon as we entered the ruins.

“Look up there.”

I pointed at the stalactites growing from the ceiling.

At the tips of the icicle-like stalactites, blood-red droplets were forming and falling.

“…So that’s why it’s called the ‘Cave of Red Tears.'”

Yuren frowned as he watched the red droplets fall.

“……”

“……”

Perhaps overwhelmed by the eerie aura in the cave.

The chatter that hadn’t stopped before entering the ruins had suddenly ceased, and silence fell.

I stifled a laugh as I looked at the tense expressions of the party members.

‘Ah, everyone has their youthful days.’

Except for Camila, Yuren, Berald, and Iris had been in parties with me in my past life, so comparing their veteran hero selves from my memories to their current rookie candidate selves made me laugh.

‘It’s kind of nostalgic.’

Even though Senior Sophia isn’t here yet.

Coming to the ruins with my past comrades made me feel like I had returned to those days.

To that time I thought I’d never return to.

‘I should go meet Senior Sophia too.’

While waiting for the ruin exploration permit to be approved, I had peeked into the fourth-year classrooms.

But all the fourth-year candidates were away on ‘Hero Training.’

‘Well, I’ll meet her soon enough.’

For now, it’s best to focus on the ruin exploration.

“Grr… Krrr.”

“Krak. Krrr.”

About ten minutes after entering the ruins.

The bloody smell grew stronger, and a chilling monstrous voice echoed.

“Monsters ahead.”

Yuren drew his sword and quickly scanned the direction of the voice.

The sound came from the cave ceiling.

A group of monsters, hanging upside down from the stalactites, were staring down at us with eerie glowing red eyes.

Their bodies covered in gray fur, thin membranes hanging like cloaks under their arms, and vicious fangs protruding.

At a glance, they were clearly bat-like monsters.

“Seven in total. Six are fourth-tier, and one is fifth-tier.”

Yuren quickly assessed the size and strength of the monster group and briefed us.

I smiled inwardly, satisfied as I watched him.

‘Ah, he’s definitely the top of his class for a reason.’

Even though this was his first ruin exploration, he was performing his role as the leader without hesitation.

‘But.’

Until now, it’s been basic knowledge from school.

The real battle starts now.

“Krrrr!”

“Everyone, fall back!”

As soon as the bat monsters hanging from the ceiling showed signs of moving, Yuren rushed forward.

*Thud!*

Yuren jumped high, kicking off the ground.

“Kiiiit?!”

The bat monster flapped its wings in a panic and fled backward.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Yuren stepped on a stalactite growing from the ceiling and chased the fleeing bat monster as if performing an acrobatic feat.

“Hah!”

“Kaaaah!”

Yuren stabbed his sword into the bat monster’s back.

“Next…”

In the blink of an eye, Yuren had killed one monster and turned to find the next prey.

“Kiiyaaaah!”

The fifth-tier bat monster let out a roar, and simultaneously, the group of bat monsters spread their wings and flew up.

Yuren readied his sword as if daring them to come.

And then.

“Krrrr!”

“Kyaaah!”

The bat monsters surged toward the party members gathered together.

“Ah…!”

Yuren let out a desperate cry and tried to chase after the bat monsters, but he was already too far from the party members and was a step too late.

“Seven Stars’ Protection!”

Iris stepped in to fill Yuren’s gap.

She quickly drew a holy symbol and deployed a protective barrier.

The fiercely charging bat monsters were repelled by her pure white barrier.

“It won’t last long!”

“Leave this to me!”

Berald clenched his fists and charged forward.

“Hyaaaah! First one!”

*Crunch!*

Berald smashed the bat monster’s head with a single punch.

“Urrraaah!”

He grabbed the necks of two bat monsters trying to distance themselves and pulled them in as if embracing them.

*Crunch!*

The sound of the monsters’ skulls being crushed, followed by blood and brain matter spilling out.

“Krrrr!”

While Berald was smashing the monsters’ heads from the front, two bat monsters with vicious fangs gnawed at the barrier Iris had deployed.

“Saintess! Get behind me!”

As soon as the barrier broke, Camila quickly stepped in front of Iris to protect her.

“Hah!”

The straightforward and honest sword technique unique to the Holy Kingdom slashed through the two bat monsters charging toward Iris.

“Kiiiiit!”

The last remaining leader monster let out an unpleasant metallic cry and charged.

Much faster than the other bat monsters.

“Eh…!”

“Ah, no!”

The front line from Berald to Camila was breached in an instant, and the monster bared its vicious fangs at Iris.

“Tsk.”

Sun Sword.

Second Form, Moon Slash.

*Swoosh!*

With a flash of sword light, the charging leader bat monster was split in half.

The leader bat monster died instantly, spilling blood and entrails.

I shook the blood off my sword and looked at the party members.

“Sigh.”

It was expected, but.

“We have a long way to go.”