Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Chapter 1 - 1st Floor #14
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[Chapter 1 - 1st Floor #14]
*
Finding out that his father was a former hero naturally sparked Cheon-ho's curiosity about his biological mother's identity and occupation.
Mother.
It might be odd for Cheon-ho, her son, to say this, but she was incredibly pretty and beautiful—a natural beauty so stunning that calling her the world's most attractive woman wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Since his father had been a hero, his mother probably wasn't an ordinary person either.
Of course, being one of the world's top beauties already made her extraordinary, but he felt there was something more to her.
For starters, his mother was highly capable.
Honestly, there were times when he wondered if she was even more capable than his father.
His father didn't use magic well.
"Magic just feels a bit tricky. Besides, martial arts can handle most things."
That was what he said while lighting firewood with Samadenhwa.
Of course, the difference in acquisition difficulty between Samadenhwa and the everyday spell Fire was like night and day.
In any case, his father didn't use magic well—no, he couldn't.
But his mother was different.
After revealing her true nature, she openly used magic, and it turned out she handled all the household chores with it.
It went something like this.
She lounged on the sofa, idly wiggling her fingers.
The mop cleaned the floor on its own.
The laundry sorted itself into the washing machine, and the clean clothes flung themselves onto the clothesline.
Using magic at that level on Earth, where ambient mana was ridiculously scarce, was practically impossible.
In other words, his mother was a mage who transcended such impossibilities.
A mage.
But was she just a mage?
Of course, being a mage was special in itself.
Neither his father nor his mother ever talked about her past.
What on earth had she been doing that they kept it so hidden?
"If it's by the book, she's a princess."
The hero rescues a princess captured by the Demon King, marries her, and inherits the kingdom.
It was one of the classic happy endings for a hero.
With a bit more imagination, she could be a princess from a magic kingdom.
In any case, Cheon-ho didn't know his mother's true identity.
So when the status window showed "Son of ???" he just accepted it.
That was the kind of person she was.
"Two in the closet, one each in the shoe rack, desk, and dining table."
That was the stockpile of magic scrolls his mother had personally made.
"They're infused with just a little mana and adjusted in potency... but only use them when absolutely necessary, dear."
"What's the effect?"
"Everything within a 40-meter radius gets obliterated."
She said it with an elegant smile, and young Cheon-ho swallowed hard.
And now.
Two—no, three days after the college entrance exam ended, Cheon-ho swallowed hard again.
"These scrolls contain powerful magic. This should be enough to devastate the 5th floor."
There was no need to fight the tower's boss directly.
Just blow it away.
But at Cheon-ho's explanation, Lucille asked in surprise.
"Blow... everything away?"
"Yeah, the radius is about 40 meters."
[Wait! What about the Empire Guardian Sword?!]
Catllang widened his eyes and raised his voice.
Lucille flinched and turned to Cheon-ho.
"R-right! What about the Empire Guardian Sword?"
There was a high chance the Empire Guardian Sword was within the attack radius.
In reality, unlike games, friendly fire wasn't automatically prevented.
Of course, Cheon-ho had already considered that.
So he looked back and forth between Lucille and Catllang.
"Won't it hold?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, it's the Empire Guardian Sword, right? A holy sword?"
[What kind of nonsense is that?!]
"According to the story, the Empire Guardian Sword is the mightiest holy sword even in the Aiter Empire, humanity's greatest power. So I figured it might hold."
His mother's magic was powerful, but surely a divine sword forged by a goddess herself...
"Wh-what if it can't hold?"
"Hmm. You think it can't?"
When Cheon-ho turned to Catllang and asked, Catllang rolled his eyes with a stiffened face before replying.
[I-it should hold! The Empire Guardian Sword has powerful defensive enchantments. The altar protecting it is also laced with strong magic. The fact that monsters haven't damaged it yet is thanks to those defenses!]
Catllang's voice, initially filled with anxiety and tension, grew louder and more confident toward the end.
And rightfully so—it was the Empire Guardian Sword.
The holy sword used by the founding emperor—the past hero—to defeat the Demon King!
"Gruaaah!"
"Grua!"
Amid the rising heat, the real heat—flaming wooden monsters—groaned.
'Oh, leveled up.'
Cheon-ho glanced at his Light Spear before turning back to Lucille.
"Alright, let's give it a try."
"O-okay. Hero. I... I believe in you... and Holy Sword Mitra."
I want to believe.
Unlike Catllang, Lucille's face still held lingering unease.
But with no other options, she couldn't stop him.
"It'll be fine. Let's pray to the five goddesses together."
"Yes, Hero."
Lucille clasped her hands and began praying in earnest.
Cheon-ho joined her briefly in silent prayer, then turned to Catllang.
[What?]
"No, nothing."
The discussion was over, but unlike with Noir, Catllang wasn't ascending—perhaps due to the different circumstances.
Cheon-ho unfurled the scroll.
"Activating the scroll is simple: tear it or chant the incantation. But this time, we'll use a slightly different method."
He needed to throw it like a grenade.
"What method?"
"I'm going to use a fuse."
With that, Cheon-ho pulled out a cord made from giant rat tendons, twisted and braided simply.
"Like this—"
He inserted the cord between the scroll layers and rolled it up like a sushi roll, creating something that vaguely resembled dynamite.
He wrapped a stone around it for weight, then continued.
"The moment we open the door, I'll throw it as far as possible. Lucille, close the door immediately."
"Yes, Hero."
[Hmm, I'll watch the whole process.]
Peeking inside to check might get him swept up in the magic and cause ascension, so Catllang had nothing to do.
Even so, kind Lucille nodded diligently, and Cheon-ho lit the fuse while looking at her instead of Catllang.
"Let's go!"
"Yes!"
Lucille forcefully opened the door.
In that instant, a space overrun with wooden roots and vines filled their view. Far in the distance stood a massive tree.
'Fire in the hole!'
Shouting inwardly, Cheon-ho hurled the scroll. Lucille slammed the door shut immediately, and Catllang plugged his ears and flattened himself.
"Lucille!"
"Yes!"
Lucille threw herself at Cheon-ho desperately. He hugged her tightly and crouched just below the stairs.
[Lewd Lv3 experience gained.]
Cheon-ho ignored it as best he could.
Lucille held her breath, and at that moment, the entire tower shook.
Kwarungkarangkarang—!
It was an enormous explosion. The tower seemed on the verge of collapse.
"Eek!"
"Lucille!"
Cheon-ho hugged her tighter. The door behind them exploded outward.
The heavy steel door crumpled like paper and slammed into the wall.
Kwang!
Thud!
It crashed to the floor with part of the wall, making another loud noise.
Catllang lifted his head with a stunned face, and Cheon-ho, still holding Lucille, caught his breath.
"Lucille, you okay?"
"Y-yeah."
No direct damage.
Just startled by the noise and vibration.
'This is the weakened version?'
Recalling his mother's face briefly, Cheon-ho swallowed hard. He stood while holding Lucille, wiping the cold sweat from his brow.
"Ar-are they dead?"
"Hmm."
No way anything survived that blast.
Cheon-ho steadied his breathing and peered through the blasted-open doorway.
Catllang, with a tense face, also inspected the 5th floor interior.
It was clean.
The roots and vines filling the 5th floor had mostly vanished.
Not burned or shattered—vanished.
Additionally, about thirty percent of the walls were destroyed, revealing the outside clearly.
A truly earth-shattering power.
Lucille's already pale face turned even whiter.
Her hands trembled involuntarily as she looked up at Cheon-ho.
"I-it'll be okay, right?"
Her worry was obvious.
Cheon-ho wanted to reassure her with kind words as always, but the words wouldn't come easily.
'It'll be fine. It has to be.'
It's the Empire Guardian Sword.
A holy sword forged by a goddess herself.
"Let's go check, Lucille."
"Yes, Hero."
Cheon-ho and Lucille exchanged serious nods.
Lucille even clenched her fists tightly.
Cheon-ho stepped into the 5th floor first. Lucille followed, with Catllang two steps behind.
[Wh-what kind of magic was in that scroll?]
Cheon-ho couldn't answer Catllang's question. He didn't know either.
Lucille asked in a trembling voice.
"H-Hero."
"Yeah?"
"Wh-what does your mother... do?"
"A housewife."
"...Huh?"
Lucille stared at him like that made no sense, and Cheon-ho answered awkwardly.
"That's all I know for now..."
"Uh, um... okay."
This time, it wasn't to add mystery.
Cheon-ho genuinely didn't know what his mother had done.
'The status window doesn't even say.'
Son of ???.
Son of Hero was clearly from his father, so Son of ??? must be from his mother.
"Anyway, let's keep going."
"...Yes, Hero."
Lucille's response felt a bit slower than usual—maybe just his imagination.
[The Empire Guardian Sword is in the center of the room. The entire room existed for that one sword.]
Catllang suddenly screamed.
Startled, Lucille shrieked too, and Cheon-ho's eyes widened.
He had no choice.
[Nooooo!]
Catllang wailed. He rushed madly to the room's center and howled before the broken sword.
[The Empire Guardian Sword! The Empire Guardian Sword!]
It was broken.
Snapped clean in half.
A pristine white blade and pitch-black hilt.
A golden gem embedded in the ornate guard.
The greatsword, looking every bit the legendary artifact, lay rolling on the floor.
"Ah, aaah... aaaaah......"
Catllang's form began to fade. He was apparently ascending for reasons similar to Notrang.
"Th-the Holy Sword Mitra... forged by Lady Evnail herself......"
Lucille collapsed to the floor in shock.
Cheon-ho wanted to do the same.
'The Empire Guardian Sword! A holy sword forged by a goddess!'
Then why is it broken?!
Why couldn't it hold?!
[Y-your Majesty, the Emperor... your loyal servant Catllang... failed in my duty...... guhk!]
Catllang ascended.
Lucille watched blankly, and Cheon-ho suddenly looked up—not to see Catllang's final ascent.
Something was coming.
From above, downward.
An attack!
Kwang!
A roar erupted.
Part of the ceiling collapsed simultaneously. And faster still, something slammed into the floor.
Cheon-ho threw himself at Lucille, hugging her and rolling away before jerking his head up.
Lucille, dazed, also widened her eyes.
A wooden root was visible.
Connected to it was a massive humanoid monster.
'It withstood the scroll's power?!'
No.
It had been outside the radius from the start. The one on the rooftop.
"H-Hero!"
"Lucille! Get airborne!"
Cheon-ho drew his kukri. His other hand gripped the heat dagger.
The wooden monster—the Demonic Tree Casablonda ruling the tower—turned its head toward Cheon-ho.
And in that moment.
An unfamiliar voice echoed in Cheon-ho's mind.
*
[Chapter 1 - 1st Floor #14] End