Chapter 237
Chapter 237
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 237
Chapter Title: After the Collapse
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Fortunately, we escaped just before the cave completely caved in...
But the moment I turned around, I wondered if I could really call this situation "fortunate."
The cave that had been the test site had utterly collapsed.
"This isn't my fault, right?"
"You're seriously asking that...?"
The chain-sickle wielder standing beside me chimed in sarcastically.
I protested with an indignant look.
"If we'd stayed put, we all would've died. A mercenary like you can't even thank his lifesaver?"
"That's true, but..."
That was when it happened.
The examiner who'd been waiting by the carriage came running up and appeared before us, asking,
"—What the hell happened here?"
His characteristically gruff voice trembled faintly. Seeing that made me realize even this stoic man had emotions.
"A demon broke free from the jar and went berserk, and the cave collapsed during the fight."
I said it with a straight face, playing innocent.
The others who'd escaped with me shot me baffled looks, but I ignored them.
I'd sliced up plenty, but what I said wasn't a lie.
The examiner looked at me and asked,
"The demon?"
"I exterminated it."
"Hmm."
Asking if it was exterminated—did that mean Heros's examiners weren't monitoring the cave interior?
Or maybe he was testing me, or perhaps the observation tools inside had been destroyed in the fight just now.
'I didn't see any communication crystals or anything.'
Probably because the cave was so vast, their view was limited to certain areas.
That meant someone might've seen Verita smash that knight's head...
'...Judging by his reaction.'
He didn't seem to have witnessed it.
"Oh."
Come to think of it, what about Verita and her group?
I glanced at the cave entrance.
It was completely blocked by dirt and rocks, like an actual landslide had backflowed.
No way Verita got caught in the collapse and died?
"Ruan Bednicker."
"Yes?"
The examiner called my name.
"How did you exterminate the demon?"
"I burned its entire body with my maximum firepower. Cutting it made it split, and touching it made it stick—there was no other way."
"You burned it?"
"I have this kind of mana."
Whoosh.
I made a candle flame flicker at my fingertip, then blew it out.
"...Flames are indeed the most effective against that demon."
"......?"
"You took it down in one hit..."
What was he trying to say?
The examiner, uncharacteristically hesitating, looked at me and said,
"I hear you don't belong to any clan yet."
"Clan?"
"No, I mean the independent units within Heros. You don't know about those?"
"Hmm."
It was starting to ring a bell.
Like the Black Rose the Iron-Blooded Duke mentioned to me—probably a type of clan.
"Nope, none."
Of course, against the duke's wishes, I might not join the Black Rose.
"I see. Then swing by 'Beowulf' sometime when you're free."
"Beowulf."
"That's the clan I'm in."
"What's your name, examiner?"
"Kairun."
"I'll remember it."
Kairun nodded and said,
"Get in the carriage and head back to headquarters. The examiner there will brief you on the third test."
"Yes, sir."
I nodded and boarded the carriage.
The chain-sickle wielder followed and said,
"...Already getting recruitment offers. Impressive."
"Recruitment?"
"And Beowulf is an A-rank clan. They don't even scout most B-rank heroes."
That A-rank nonsense again.
Why was this organization so obsessed with rankings?
Anyway, I tuned out the chain-sickle wielder—who seemed more excited than me—and looked out the window.
The dim sky.
It signaled the long night ending and dawn breaking.
* * *
By the time we returned to Heros headquarters, it was full morning.
The surroundings were bright, bustling with noise, and the sunlight on my head was hot.
"Yawn."
I stifled a yawn.
Pulling an all-nighter for a day or two wasn't tough, but I couldn't avoid the dip in condition.
Maybe it was psychological.
'From my wastrel days?'
Guzzling booze from the dark night until facing the rising sun always stirred emotions hard to sum up in a few words.
Regret, bitterness, shame, self-loathing...
Those memories made staying up sober and greeting the sunrise feel strangely off.
It even tricked me into thinking my mind had reached some profound height—like briefly becoming a sage.
In short, sage time.
"You lot. Promotion exam candidates, right?"
Then a long-haired hero called out to us.
A woman with scars on her face, her bulky muscles more imposing than most men's.
Her tanned skin and attire suggested she was from the eastern barbarians.
The chain-sickle wielder nodded, and the barbarian woman said,
"All four of you?"
"Yes."
"Hmm. Looks like you're all here then. Follow me."
All here?
I'd understand soon enough from what she left behind.
We followed her to a fairly spacious room that resembled the lecture halls I'd often seen at the academy.
And others were already there.
"You're here."
Verita was among them.
"Ugh."
I let out a genuine sigh.
She was the first person where just seeing her face made stress surge uncontrollably—I was flustered.
Beside Verita, who waved with a beaming smile, were the people from the first test: the scholar and the merchant.
"Alright, everyone's here. Take your seats."
The hero who'd guided us pointed to the chairs, hands on her hips.
I sat roughly as instructed, but Verita got up from her spot across the room and plopped down next to me.
Before she could say something pointless, I cut in first.
"What about the other six?"
"They're all safe, but still unconscious. As a result..."
"They lost eligibility for the third test."
The hero at the podium interrupted Verita, who nodded with a slight smile.
"Alright, I just got the results from the second test. Clearing the 'cave trial' this aggressively is a first in Heros history. I heard this batch of candidates was exceptional, and yeah, you guys are something else."
The hero grinned and looked at us.
"Ulka's genius alchemist, the Roland Family's Ghost Spear, the 72 Sects' Blood Flail, the next great archmage. And..."
Her gaze turned to me.
"Youngblood - Gold Fairy too."
"......"
Why only my title like that?
It really stung.
"Got sidetracked. One thing I wanna ask: anyone sitting out the third test?"
"Ah, I'll stop here."
The merchant raised his hand slightly.
"Honestly, reaching C-rank felt like a miracle. Haha..."
"Right. Hamas, was it?"
"Yes."
"Good. Hamas is done. Anyone else?"
"......"
"No one? Figured. Looking at you all, C-rank wouldn't satisfy. Alright, third test details around evening. Heros will prep rooms—go rest. Dismissed."
She said dismissed and left first.
The others gradually stood and filed out, but... the mage Koralis glared at me again on her way.
'Keep that up and you'll die.'
I shook my head inwardly.
How to make that young mage grasp the bomb sitting next to me right now?
Anyway, I stayed seated without leaving. So did Verita.
Soon, the spacious room held just us two, and only then did I speak.
"What happened? The cave collapsed."
Verita chuckled lowly in response.
"That cave was a tangled ant nest of passages. One collapsing didn't trap us. More importantly..."
Verita looked at me with sparkling eyes again.
"I saw it!"
"Saw what?"
"The massive mana surge! Black flames overwhelming even the demon! And the flaming palm piercing the entire cave! Ahh...! It was an intense mana wave like something from grand magic! I'm still trembling!"
How sharp were her eyes to catch that?
I masked my unease.
"Plus, the collapse actually worked out better in the end."
"Worked out? ...Ah."
Corpse disposal.
The dead knight's face flashed in my mind, and I sighed softly.
He was ex-cultist, extreme, not particularly likable...
But was he evil enough to deserve death? Hard to say.
Nor was his death entirely innocent.
Either way, the knight tried to kill Verita and got killed instead.
The process was bizarre, but the result was that.
If the knight who'd found Verita hadn't lost his reason, he wouldn't have shoved me aside...
And if I hadn't been injured, the knight wouldn't have died.
Of course, no one could've predicted that butterfly effect. It was something beyond human calculation—a disaster, sort of.
'......'
I thought, looking at Verita.
Whatever the third test was...
Leaving this bomb unchecked was too risky.
I needed a plan.
* * *
Third test details would come around evening.
Meaning half a day to rest.
Heros apparently saw back-to-back first and second tests as a forced march.
The provided room was spacious and comfy—perfect for rest or sleep.
Creak-.
I opened the window.
The sky was exceptionally clear, a fine day, but I skipped training and opted for a nap.
I'd learned rest's value on the way to Tefer, and right now, sleep trumped cultivation.
"Hmm."
When I woke on the bed, the sky was sunset orange.
Sleeping at sunrise, waking at sunset.
"...The wastrel life."
I hadn't even slacked off, yet I felt pathetic. Humans really are diurnal, huh.
Anyway.
Grumble...
My stomach growled.
I was hungry—time to eat.
I'd been starving since grilling that octopus demon; for my hearty appetite, it was a long fast.
'They must have a cafeteria here?'
A building this size? Obviously.
Maybe ten of them?
Lost in silly thoughts, I headed for the door.
"...Hmm."
But I let go of the doorknob.
Something told me I'd run into Verita at Heros's cafeteria right now.
Near-certain intuition?
That woman might be looking for me.
I went back to bed and sat.
"A plan..."
I needed to settle how to handle Verita before going out...
That was when it happened.
[The 'Blind Heavenly Demon' gazes upon you.]
"Huh?"
A familiar hazy window appeared before me.
"Second Brother?"
[The 'Blind Heavenly Demon' asks if something troublesome has come up.]
"There is, but... what's up with you suddenly?"
On the carriage ride, I'd steadily drunk the holy water Helsta gave me and occasionally called for Second Brother, but...
He never responded.
I'd realized communication wasn't on-demand and given up.
Yet now, Second Brother reached out to me.
[The 'Blind Heavenly Demon' smiles faintly, replying that he has a bit of free time now.]
Only when he has free time?
What counts as busy, then?
I wondered about Second Brother's current state...
Plus, I had questions about the Heavenly Demon Bullet Manual, but time seemed short for all that.
'Perfect timing.'
Second Brother was experienced, knowledgeable, and wise above all.
And no need to hide my cult ties from him—ideal to spill everything and ask advice.
"So, my situation is..."
I summarized concisely.
Of course, in Heros HQ, I avoided direct terms like cultist or high priest...
Just said a guy who had my weakness was mentally unstable, leaving me uneasy.
After hearing it all, Brother responded.
[The 'Blind Heavenly Demon' comes up with a clever solution.]
Oh? What?
[Let's kill her.]
"...That's a bit much."
Overkill as expected.
[The 'Blind Heavenly Demon' says:]
- By her actions, she's a villain holding your weakness. Nothing solves an unstable element more surely than death.
...Or so it seemed.
"Sadly, she seems way stronger than me."
[The 'Blind Heavenly Demon' vows to teach you the secrets of ambush.]
"I'm not sure... She has monstrous regeneration. Honestly, even decapitation or heart-bursting might not kill her."
My response paused his reaction.
He was probably pondering.
That was when an unexpected figure appeared.
[The 'Iron Ascetic' makes an appearance.]
Iron Ascetic?
Naturally, I pictured someone with a body like steel.
"Fourth Brother?"
[The 'Iron Ascetic' nods.]
"Whoa."
I really could talk to the other brothers too.
My face lit up as I asked,
"How've you been? Body holding up?"
Referring to the academy incident, of course.
If Fourth Brother Arang hadn't handled those hundreds of armored troops, casualties would've hit hundreds.
I knew his strength, but they were the archmage's secret weapons.
[The 'Iron Ascetic' says it was good training.]
"Haha."
Everything in life is cultivation... Classic Fourth Brother.
I asked again.
"Did you hear my whole story?"
[The 'Iron Ascetic' nods.]
"What's Fourth Brother Arang think?"
[The 'Iron Ascetic' says every human action follows a clear algorithm.]
[Even if they seem irregular or chaos incarnate, they have patterns: thoughts, habits, decision-making methods.]
[Master those patterns, and no one is incomprehensible, he asserts.]
Classic Arang—made me chuckle.
Just reading message windows, yet it felt like both brothers watched over me.
Oh, right.
"Any sign of Third Brother?"
As if waiting, a message popped up.
[The 'Breakfast-Skipping Blood Room Basher' looks at you...]
What're you bashing?
[...Currently unavailable, cannot connect—redirecting to voicemail after beep.]
[Beep-.]
"......"