Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Hero Plays the Tutorial
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While one orc was enduring a horrific time in the boss room on the first floor of the dungeon under the pretext of mental reprogramming.
Churches around the world issued summoning orders, gradually gathering the scattered hero parties.
And among these hero parties was Lowell, who had ushered in the era of Great Coins.
Currently, he had no companions yet, but with the church's summons issued.
He figured it might be a bit of a burden, but he wanted to stick with the other seniors.
That thought didn't last long. Suddenly, a voice from the church called out to Lowell.
"Hero Lowell!"
"Serkan?! What brings you here... and Eric too?!"
"Hahaha... well, you see."
"We heard about you, Hero. That you might have to tackle the dimensional rift all by yourself."
"So we came. We owe you from before, and we made a great team in the dungeon, right?"
"Y-you guys..."
Seeing the adventurers who had come to help because they were worried about him, Lowell was deeply moved.
Moreover, Serkan and Eric standing before him were advanced adventurers. Guys who had kept banging their heads against the Abyss.
If these powerhouses, incomparable to regular adventurers, teamed up with him.
He thought he could survive the dimensional rift without burdening the other seniors.
With genuine gratitude, he welcomed them.
"I was curious about the dimensional rift anyway, so this works out perfectly."
"Plus, those dimensional fragments that come out of there fetch a nice price, don't they?"
"Pfft... Got it. Let's make sure we all survive in there together."
"Survive?~ I'm planning to keep living until I snag a territory."
"More importantly, Hero. Has the church announced anything? I only know that these summons go out when signs of a dimensional rift appear..."
"Well, about that."
Afterward, Lowell shared with the grateful adventurers who had sought him out the stories he'd heard.
"Wow~ So the rifts are opening worldwide?"
"That's right."
"Dimensional rifts haven't appeared since the Hero of Light slew that monster during the Great War, and now they're reopening... If things go wrong, the demon realms could multiply."
"Eric, this is still better than back then. Rumor has it people went mad—including the heroes—and opened rifts on purpose. But now it's peaceful, so that won't—"
"No telling."
"""???"""
Hearing a voice from elsewhere, Lowell's group turned their gazes. A man in black priestly robes was approaching.
"You're...?"
"Priest Martin!"
"Nice to see you, Hero Lowell. But who are these folks?"
"These are Serkan and Eric. Adventurers who came to help me out!"
"What?! No way..."
The moment he heard that adventurers had come to assist Hero Lowell, Priest Martin's expression turned burdened. Clutching his mouth, tears welled up in his eyes.
"For adventurers to risk such danger to help Hero Lowell... This must be the grace of the Heavenly God as well."
"I-is that so."
"But what brings you here, Priest Martin...?"
"Like these gentlemen, I've come to lend my strength to Hero Lowell."
"Really?! With Priest Martin helping me, I'll feel so much more secure!"
"I still have much to learn, but I look forward to working with you."
The Priest Martin who approached Lowell's group now.
Like the adventurers, he was someone close to Hero Lowell.
So Priest Martin had come to help Lowell as well.
"Well then, looking forward to it, Priest Martin. But what was that you said earlier?"
"Sigh... We've detected the vermin mobilizing on a massive scale."
"By 'vermin' you mean those evil gods—"
"Serkan, was it? Calling those filth 'gods' is profoundly irreverent. Please refrain from such terms."
"Y-yes, sir..."
The atmosphere shifted abruptly as Priest Martin pulled a book from his robes and handed it to Lowell's group.
The book detailed info on those who worshipped the filth, their plans to fully open dimensional rifts.
And speculation that they could create more horrific zones uninhabitable to this world's lifeforms.
"No way, those bastards..."
"Looks like what you were thinking, Eric. Never thought heretics would ally with those monsters."
"Does this mean we might have to fight heretics too?"
"Let me say this first. You all won't be fighting those vermin."
"""Pardon?"""
"You think holy folk like me would sit idle? The Holy Knight Order moves first. The palace and nobles don't want demon realms in their territories either. So the noble houses' direct knight orders, plus all the free knight orders, are mobilizing."
"Then we just need to watch for heretics near the rifts and stay cautious inside?"
"Exactly, Hero."
"Wow~ Our kingdom's leaders really are competent~ Coordinating all the factions and intel networks for this massive op."
"The brainless, greedy trash all died in the Great War. And... looks like we know where we're headed now."
Following Priest Martin's gaze, Lowell's group turned their heads.
A cleric was handing out papers to each hero party in the church.
**************
A few days after Lowell's group confirmed their destination at the church in Raiter.
After traveling several days via portals deployed in the city, they arrived at their target: a forest.
Before them lay numerous bodies in black clothes, strewn about with sword wounds.
"Whoa~ Already wiped out clean?"
"And all killed in one hit. The noble houses' direct knights, huh? They really are killing machines."
"Without heroes around, they handle rifts themselves, so probably moved just in case."
"Even if we fail to close it, knights have our backs. Solid."
"Alright, Priest Martin. When does the rift open?"
"By the Heavenly God's revelation... about 5 minutes left."
Just 5 minutes until the dimensional rift opened to erode the world.
Lowell's group steeled themselves for the danger ahead.
Soon—
Zzzzt!!
"What a nauseating aura."
"So, Serkan, backing out?"
"No way in hell! I've already resolved to face death."
"Creepy doll had a point, but it's spot on now."
"Resolve to face death... I want to meet that doll myself. Great words. Let's head in."
Thinking of the creepy doll they'd met in the dungeon, Lowell's group slowly entered the rift.
The space they faced defied space-time principles, all twisted.
Tree roots twisted like in a dream.
Buildings—if you could call them that—were misty and vague.
Sky and earth boundaries blurred.
A truly bizarre dimension.
Finally, what they encountered here.
"Kieeeek!!!"
"""........."""
An entity impossible to gauge.
No bones, flesh, or skin—just a body of countless tangled black tentacles.
Its thick, sticky tentacles writhed endlessly, probing surroundings.
Leaving purple slime everywhere it slithered, defiling all.
Then, hundreds of eyes amid the tentacles fixed on Lowell's group.
The grotesque being charged at them—the outliers in this place—in fury.
Thus, Lowell's group began their world-saving battle in the dimensional rift—
Slash!
—Or not!
"This thing... weaker than it looks?"
"Total letdown."
"Y-yeah. Looks scary but feels dumb..."
Priest Martin watched Lowell's group poke the spaghetti monster they'd sliced apart in seconds, his expression odd.
He, devoted fully to the lofty Heavenly God, could overcome fear of such horrors.
Hero Lowell had indomitable spirit, fine. But these adventurers...
"Adventurer brothers, doesn't this monster creep you out or scare you?"
"Huh? From this thing?"
"Hmm... honestly, less scary than what we know."
"W-what kind of existence..."
To Priest Martin's question, Eric and Serkan recalled their most feared being.
That being was!!!
'Peep!!!'
Yes! The tiny golem chick that popped out of nowhere in Frenzy Land!
Those tiny, cute things—how terrifying they were there!
Thanks to that golem, these adventurers felt no fear from appearances.
Plus, dying so much in dungeons had warped their fear into something positive.
Unlike what they knew, this dimensional rift had traps spaced very loosely! Except for Priest Martin, Lowell's group noted.
Slash!!
Clang!
"Feels easy."
"Yeah..."
"Should we farm rifts professionally?"
"Adventurer brothers, stay alert—"
Weeeen!!
Thud!
"Caught that flank attack barehanded?!"
"Instinct. And way more visible than dungeon arrows?"
"Dungeons are pitch black; here it's brighter, maybe?"
"Tch... Could be like Hero says. Oh! Eric, check that weird thing over there."
"Ooooh!!!"
"Ugh! Eric! Don't go solo like that!!"
And so, the dimensional rift—a top-tier dangerous spot worldwide for Lowell's group.
Became a boring walking sim, facing mildly aggressive but super curious critters.
Same for other hero parties entering rifts.
"What? Done already?"
"It's a maze, sure, but way too short?"
"Not some lame left-wall-follow to entrance, right?"
"Nah~ No way~"
One hero party dropped into a grotesque flesh maze cleared it in a flash!
Ping ping ping!!!
"Wow... so basic."
"No 360 homing missiles or anything?"
"Or bombs—"
"Kiek?!"
Seeing a monster spew hundreds of spikes everywhere.
They sighed as it failed to pierce their self-made magic barriers!
Boom!!
"D-down already?!"
"How many hits?"
"Monsters these days lack grit."
They shredded a soft giant monster—tougher armored golem with wipeout if not killed in time—on sight.
To those addicted to dungeon's deep shit flavor.
The rifts were boring, lukewarm!
Even lacking content compared to any dungeon.
Rifts worldwide started closing fast. Same for Lowell's spot.
"Hero Lowell. That the core?"
"Smash it then. Hup!!"
Boom!!
Thus, after about an hour's stroll.
Lowell's group shattered the core, and the place began collapsing.
As the dimension shattered like a mirror.
A warm energy flowed from Lowell's body.
Entrusting themselves to it, they safely returned to the rift's entrance.
Thanks to hero parties like Lowell's, battle-hardened from dungeons.
Rifts worldwide closed rapidly.
With unexpectedly sparse content and time to spare.
The bored parties with nothing else to do.
Started entering other rifts beyond their assignments.
Soon, all dimensional rifts closed smoothly, situation resolved.
Hero parties, plus factions panicking over rifts.
Gathered at churches with awkward faces, talked it over.
Reached a weird conclusion.
"Ah~! First time, so it was easy!"
"Yeah, makes sense! So rifts get harder each time?"
"Could be. Then more training—"
"Boost the budget later..."
"Can't burden the Heavenly God...!"
Thus, like no one in the dungeon.
The first dimensional rifts in ages since the Great War.
Intelligent beings mistook today's as the tutorial.