The Weight of a Hero's Resolve
Low-grade monsters could be handled by the city's guards without much trouble. Their hides weren't particularly tough, and they didn't possess toxic blood. Aside from their ferocious appearance, they were essentially no different from wild beasts. That's why, until now, no one across the continent had fallen into utter despair. The vast majority of monsters that appeared were of the low-grade variety. People could resist them, and that resistance wasn't meaningless. If they fought, they could endure. And if they endured, they could survive.
But from mid-grade monsters onward, the difficulty changed entirely. Their outer shells no longer yielded easily to blades, and their blood carried venom. They weren't just ugly—they were several times more savage. Ordinary soldiers stood no chance. Only skilled mercenaries or knights could take them on. In the terms of this world, only those who could wield mana. Only they could slay mid-grade monsters.
Then what about the current Iris?
Unlike my other disciples, who could now handle high-grade monsters with relative ease, Iris would still find mid-grade monsters quite challenging. Her basic stamina, skill, and mindset were all sufficient. The problem lay in her mana manipulation techniques—the ability to draw out internal energy—which was severely lacking compared to the others. Even though I'd taught her the mana cultivation method adapted from the Cheonma Shingong, her progress had been painfully slow.
“Haaah!”
Slash! Once again, Iris’s sword swept cleanly across the mid-grade monster’s abdomen. Under normal circumstances, that strike should have caused blood to gush out. The creature ought to have suffered a severe wound. But her blade hadn’t carried enough internal energy to pierce its hide and inflict real damage. It wasn’t completely absent, but the power was pitifully weak.
“Haa…”
A sigh escaped me involuntarily. It wasn’t because I was angry with her or disappointed. Iris had put in genuine effort—serious, diligent effort. She might grumble and throw occasional tantrums, but she had never skipped a single training session. The real issue was how minimal her results were despite all that hard work.
The other disciples usually showed near-vertical growth within a year. Iris, on the other hand, was struggling to even draw a diagonal line.
Kerrrk!
The grotesque monster swung its hideous claws, attempting to skewer Iris in one go. I gripped my master’s sword, ready to step in the moment things went wrong. I wanted her to succeed, but I also had to account for failure. If she couldn’t pass this test, we could simply prepare another one. But if she died, that would be the end.
Clang! Clack! Kang!
Still, the girl was handling the defensive aspect quite smoothly. I had expected her to panic since this was her first time facing a mid-grade monster, but there wasn’t the slightest sign of fear or hesitation. Instead, she bit her lip, her eyes blazing with pure hostility. It was a good look. She finally seemed like a real Hero. Seeing her act like a proper disciple filled me with unexpected pride.
Kerrrrk! Kerrk!!
The mid-grade monster wasn’t letting its guard down either. It wasn’t like the brainless low-grade ones. These creatures could think, occasionally setting traps or using bait. Of course, their tactics were so one-dimensional that almost no one fell for them. They also instinctively targeted the weakest prey in the area.
The weakest ones here were the one-eyed woman shielding a man and a child. And since Iris was perfectly blocking the path in front of them, the monster had nowhere else to go.
If it doesn’t try to run, this should be perfect.
The odds were probably around eighty-twenty in Iris’s favor. Though her energy was weak, she could definitely deal damage. On the other hand, the monster couldn’t even touch her. Even the hardest boulder would eventually crack under constant dripping water. At this rate, with her steady, tapping strikes, victory was only a matter of time.
Iris’s movements were remarkably restrained. She didn’t rush, didn’t overextend, and didn’t blindly wait for openings. One might call it plain and unremarkable, but that very ordinariness was exactly what she needed right now.
Slash! That last attack landed cleanly. If the energy she’d drawn into her sword had been just a little stronger, the monster’s head would have been severed in a single clean cut.
Kkerrk! Grrk!
Blood spurted from the wide gash. The creature had risen using human blood as a medium. Naturally, if it couldn’t absorb blood and instead lost its own, it would eventually disintegrate. That was simply how it worked.
The monster’s crimson eyes darted around frantically. It seemed to be searching for a new source of blood to replenish itself. Unfortunately for it, every corpse in the vicinity had already been drained dry. That left only one option: finding fresh sacrifices.
But that was impossible. As long as it couldn’t get past Iris, it would never reach the three humans. And since it couldn’t target the weakest-looking ones, the only remaining target was me…
Kirrrk!
The creature wasn’t a complete fool. It instinctively understood that the man standing there watching without any preparation—the one who looked completely defenseless—was actually the most dangerous being present. So it didn’t even glance in my direction, only stealing wary looks from the corner of its eye.
“Stop looking away!”
It must have really annoyed her that the monster was glancing elsewhere while she stood right in front of it. Iris shouted and charged again, sword raised. She severed both of the arms it swung at her, then targeted its torso once more. With each accumulating strike, blood sprayed in all directions.
Quite a lot of damage had built up by now. I thought it might be over soon, but…
“…Tsk.”
At the very end, the tip of Iris’s sword trembled slightly. She had already been fighting for well over twenty minutes without a moment’s rest. Her stamina wasn’t completely depleted, but her breathing had grown uneven. I could clearly sense the slight roughness and the faint tremors in her form.
Focus, Iris. Don’t lose your composure. Just steady yourself.
I silently cheered for my disciple as I watched her next series of attacks.
Kerrk!
A tentacle shot out from the monster’s grasp, flying straight toward Iris. Block it or dodge? She chose the latter. It seemed she had picked that option to minimize movement and stamina consumption. Unfortunately, this time the monster was one step ahead.
“No!”
“Huh?”
Only then did Iris realize the attack wasn’t aimed at her at all. It had been targeting the family she had briefly let her guard down around. From the side, the slight change in trajectory had been obvious, but to Iris it must have looked like a direct attack. She clearly hadn’t expected the creature to ignore her and go after someone else.
“Ugh…”
The monster followed its instincts and targeted the weakest prey—the child who was barely clinging to life. The one-eyed woman, seeing this, threw herself in front of it. As a result, her torso was pierced clean through, and she was coughing up blood.
Kirrrk! Kirrk!
I wasn’t imagining it—that sound definitely felt like the monster was mocking Iris.
“M-Mom… Mom!”
Along with the child’s scream came the grotesque sound of blood being violently sucked away. Iris immediately severed the tentacle, but the one-eyed woman had already suffered a fatal wound. She could only continue vomiting blood.
“…You son of a bitch.”
For a moment, I thought I had misheard. Had Iris ever sworn before? Not even once. No matter how difficult or exhausting the situation, even if she grumbled or shouted, my disciple had never once uttered a curse.
Shhh…
A faint glow began gathering around Iris’s sword. It still wasn’t a massive improvement, but it was incomparably brighter than before. The monster seemed to sense that something was wrong. It thrashed wildly, looking for an escape route. But Iris cut straight through the chaos and slipped into the gap.
“Disgusting creatures. You really are… from beginning to end…”
The brilliant glow, the sword brimming with energy, traced a large diagonal from above to below. Blood sprayed everywhere as a monstrous shriek echoed through the underground cavern. Iris wasn’t satisfied with just one strike. After slashing downward, she reversed her motion and cut upward from below. The clean sound of flesh being sliced by a blade rang out. With her lips pressed tightly together, she adjusted her grip once more and delivered a perfectly horizontal slash.
Splat!
It sounded like a massive water balloon bursting. An enormous amount of blood gushed out in every direction as the monster staggered. It tried to absorb the blood pouring from its own body, but Iris wasn’t foolish enough to just stand by and watch. Her sword drew a wide arc, slicing through the already gaping wounds. The creature’s final attempt at resistance froze mid-motion. It slowly toppled backward. The moment its body hit the ground, it dissolved into a massive pool of blood that scattered in all directions. And with that, it was over.
“…”
When I glanced at Iris, she still wore a fiercely agitated expression. Normally she would be jumping for joy, but instead her hands were trembling. She seemed deeply shaken.
“Iris.”
“…”
“Iris.”
Even after calling her twice, she didn’t respond. She simply turned and stared at the one-eyed woman, who was still coughing up blood and slowly dying.
Eventually I stood up, walked over, and—
Thwack!
Only after I flicked her forehead did she finally snap out of it.
“Ah.”
“Now you’re making me call you three times? What a hopeless disciple.”
“Ah, ahh… I-I’m sorry. I must not have heard you.”
“That’s something to brag about, huh?”
“…”
“It took quite a while, but the finish was pretty impressive.”
“Really? That’s a relief. Truly… a relief…”
Iris’s gaze remained fixed on the dying one-eyed woman, the child clinging to her and sobbing, and the man who was also on the verge of death yet still weeping. At first her eyes had been filled with hostility, but now they were trembling with uncertainty.
“Are you feeling pity?”
“…No.”
“Then why are you looking at them like that?”
“…I don’t know.”
I nodded at her answer and turned away. The Demon God Worshippers had all been dealt with, and I had seen Iris’s growth. There was no more reason to stay. As I headed toward the entrance we had come through, something suddenly grabbed my ankle.
When I looked down, I saw the one-eyed woman—who should have been on the brink of death—using the last of her strength to hold on.
“…I warned you not to cling to me.”
“P-Please… Just the child. At least take the child…”
“What about you? What about your husband?”
Tears mixed with blood flowed from her remaining eye. Perhaps she had realized that both she and her husband were beyond saving. Maybe she just wanted to save the child if she could.
“Are you an idiot?”
She probably was. This one-eyed woman.
“Do you think a child who lost both mother and father will live well? Without a mom or dad, can that even be called living?”
I clicked my tongue and coldly shook off her hand. Honestly, I hadn’t planned to do this, but my mind had changed.
“Sixth. I have a favor to ask.”
As of this moment, I hereby declare a sanctuary.