New Semester (10)
Ligret's response was swift. She swung her hammer in the exact same way she had on the third floor—only this time with several times the murderous intensity. The door didn't just break; it was sent flying entirely.
Beyond the shattered opening lay nothing but pitch-black darkness so deep that even the floor was invisible.
"Wait...!"
Pino realized what Ligret was about to do a beat too late and tried to stop her, but by then Ligret had already hurled herself into the void.
The three left behind could only stand there in stunned silence.
Why had the door suddenly slammed shut on its own? Where had Chrome been dragged off to? What were they supposed to do now? Should they give chase?
The martial arts student, who at least had some confidence in his physical abilities, peered past the broken door. But faced with that bottomless darkness, he could only swallow hard. How could anyone leap in blindly without knowing what lay below?
Still, it was hard to admit outright that he was too scared to try. After all, a girl had just done exactly that without batting an eye.
While the martial arts student wavered between pride and practicality, the support students made no effort to hide their clear reluctance. In the end, Pino stepped forward with a suggestion.
"Let's regroup with the others outside first. They'll have communication devices, so we should be able to contact Chrome. It's better than splitting up clumsily and getting picked off one by one."
"Y-yeah."
"Maybe once we're all together, we'll come up with a plan."
The two students quickly agreed, visibly relieved. Pino, irritated by their obvious comfort, couldn't quite bring herself to snap at them. After all, she couldn't exactly demand they risk their lives rushing into the unknown.
Ligret was monstrously strong, so she'd probably be fine. As for Chrome... he'd manage as long as he could keep running that silver tongue of his. Probably.
Thud.
Considering the massive amount of heavy equipment she was carrying, the sound of Ligret's landing was absurdly light. Taking into account the size of the moving box she'd observed while boarding earlier, she sliced downward several times—deep enough that even if Chrome had been inside, he wouldn't have been cut.
The iron plate, far thinner than the doors she'd destroyed so far, couldn't withstand the mana-infused blade. It was carved out in a clean rectangle.
After confirming Chrome wasn't inside the box, Ligret dropped down through the hole. She briefly considered smashing the next door as well, but instead opted to manipulate the black panel beside it, just as the other students had done earlier.
The door opened without issue, revealing the sight of the building's first basement floor to Ligret's eyes.
A dim, gloomy landscape with no proper lighting. Scattered pillar-like structures here and there. And a single-lens eyeglass lying on the floor.
The moment Ligret picked it up, something shot out from the darkness and lunged at her.
It was undeniably a surprise attack, yet Ligret didn't so much as flinch. From the moment she'd seen no sign of Chrome and only his glasses remained, she'd already anticipated some kind of ambush.
She simply twisted her body lightly to the side, dodging the strike, then sliced through whatever had come at her.
Splat!
What fell to the floor resembled a plant stem or vine in shape, but its writhing movements evoked an earthworm or snake. Or perhaps an octopus tentacle.
Even severed from its main body, the thing thrashed wildly as if refusing to die from such a minor wound. It flailed about but couldn't reach the nearby Ligret, merely rolling uselessly across the floor.
Flexibility. Rubber-like elasticity. Tenacious vitality, yet each individual tentacle lacked independent judgment. In other words, these weren't the main body—they belonged to some "head" elsewhere.
The problem was that the main body to which that head was attached remained completely invisible.
Having observed her counterattack and determined she wasn't an easy opponent, the creatures were staying thoroughly hidden.
There was almost no lighting in the basement, and the weak glow spilling from the transport box wasn't nearly enough to dispel the all-encompassing darkness.
Ligret focused mana into her eyes, but even enhanced vision couldn't pierce what was fundamentally invisible. She could rely on instinct and smash everything in her path, but that risked cutting things she shouldn't.
"Huu..."
Ligret let out a small breath, relaxing her body as she sharpened her senses.
In response to her will, vivid Red Light mana enveloped her entire form.
Many assumed that unlike Blue Light sorcery—which was divided into lower and upper grades—the combat application of mana was limited to simple "physical enhancement." But that wasn't true.
Even among those who strengthened themselves, some focused on raw muscle power, others on reflexes, some hardened their skin to boost defense, and in rare cases, regeneration became extraordinarily potent.
When mana coated the whole body, it might naturally concentrate more in the legs, or pool heavily in the hands one used most often.
In martial arts class, Professor Istal had compared it to troop deployment.
"Simply reinforcing yourself is like using a basic formation. You ignore the enemy's tendencies, the surrounding environment, and any tactical considerations, and simply place predetermined units in predetermined positions. Of course, even that isn't weak. After all, the world is full of people who can't even manage to send troops to set positions."
Istal had spoken in an unusually calm tone that day, and the students had listened with rare focus.
"Taking it one step further allows you to deploy soldiers to any location you choose. You can concentrate troops at the 'right arm' base to maximize a single strike's power, or gather them at the 'torso' rampart to increase defensive strength. Ah, but naturally, areas without soldiers will become vulnerable, so be careful. If you focus too much on attacking and leave yourself open elsewhere, you might get skewered and die instantly."
Ligret generally preferred moving her body over reading books, but she didn't ignore theory either. It was precisely because she'd absorbed countless sword techniques and martial theories while living in Chrome's mansion that she'd attained her current strength.
"But merely deploying soldiers arbitrarily only gets you to the mid-tier at best. To aim for the next level, you must also pay attention to unit types. In situations requiring mobility, you'll need light cavalry. For frontal assaults, heavy infantry. For repairing fortifications, engineers become crucial. Even when enhancing the eyes, the necessary unit type changes completely depending on whether you prioritize 'long-distance vision,' 'tracking fast movement,' or 'piercing darkness.'"
In the current situation, long-range sight was unnecessary. Dynamic vision was already sufficient with what she possessed. What she needed was a single thing: visual acuity capable of discerning everything from even the faintest trace of light.
"And knowing how to deploy soldiers and change unit types isn't the end of it. A punch thrown with only arm strength and one that uses the entire body have completely different power. Naturally, mana-based reinforcement must flow sequentially from the toes through the pelvis, spine, and shoulders to the fingertips to maximize its effect! Furthermore, the method of reinforcement—i.e., the unit type—must be properly balanced. Focusing solely on power risks your own body shattering under your strength."
"The simplest way to learn all this is to roll around with your body! Now get up! I'll hammer it into you so thoroughly that even you dimwits can become first-rate commanders!"
"...She was smiling so nicely, but that day she went even more berserk than usual."
Even the top students like Alphonse, Grendel, and Crow—who could usually endure most classes with ease—had turned deathly pale that day, trembling in horror. What more needed to be said? Even Ligret had ended up with her arm bones shattered, forced to rely on potions and healing spells.
But.
"The fact that it actually worked just pisses me off more."
Apparently mistaking the motionless Ligret for an opening, another strike came hurtling from the darkness. She leaped into the air to evade it, then opened her eyes.
The scene that had been invisible through simple reinforcement now appeared with perfect clarity.
A maw large enough to swallow a person whole. Where teeth should have been, it was packed densely with whisker-like strands. Across its body, the same tentacle-like appendages that had attacked her earlier writhed and squirmed.
Whether it was a monster or a demonic beast didn't matter. There weren't just one or two either—from what she'd glimpsed while jumping, there seemed to be dozens at least. But that didn't matter either.
She'd already confirmed everything she needed to.
There were no bloodstains, no signs of battle. The idea that he'd been swallowed instantly was unlikely—her damn employer had the personality to either blow himself up from inside or cause enough trouble to escape digestion. So there was no need to worry on that front.
In her right hand, the Ice-White Cross Spear, resized for indoor use. In her left, the Ancient Guardian's Greatsword.
Holding the two weapons she'd selected during that brief exchange, Ligret threw herself into the darkness.
Inside the pitch-black abyss where ordinary people couldn't even see what was in front of them, a grinder began to spin violently—shredding everything that stood in its path.