Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: 3. Training Begins (4)
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No one knew the true nature of the dungeon.
Except for one person—Ian, the regressor.
The Pride Empire, humanity's greatest nation and foremost frontline.
To its north lay the demonkin lands, sharing a border.
Humans and demonkin, who had only engaged in minor skirmishes, began openly treating each other as enemies at some point.
That turning point had come before Ian's return.
And so the war began.
Ian had identified two methods of demonkin invasion.
Charging in openly across the land above.
And using an unknown 'portal' to create dungeons within human territory for surprise attacks from inside.
Ian had never uncovered the true nature of those portals.
In any case, heroes were the ones who specialized in resolving such dungeons, fighting demonkin and monsters on the northern front.
"An A-rank dungeon. It's been about five days since it appeared. The monsters inhabiting it are Red Ogres and Half Hydras. No boss monster has been confirmed."
"...What?"
Kaily, who had been gulping down cold water, shot a sharp glare.
Beatrice, sitting across from her, reacted the same way.
"Are you kidding me right now?"
Sylvia, who had been leaning against her, also raised her eyebrows.
Aria blinked, as if mulling over those words.
Penny had no idea why they were acting like this.
'What's their problem?'
Aria, after pondering for a while, finally spoke.
"You don't know the boss monster?"
"Yes. It hasn't been long since it appeared, and since it's an A-rank dungeon, it's not easy to form a scouting party."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"...Pardon?"
Penny couldn't follow Aria's logic.
What was even more bewildering was that the rest of the members seemed to agree with her.
"Ian gave us complete information even on SS-rank dungeons."
It was Sylvia who spoke.
That's when Penny realized why they were reacting this way.
'Philip... You even knew dungeon intel?'
She wasn't sure if that was possible.
But judging by their reactions, it seemed to be true.
Philip, who knew about the dungeons, provided information to Ian, and Ian relayed it to them.
In the process, Ian packaged it all as his own achievement.
A plausible scenario formed in Penny's mind.
"He clearly promised to provide a better environment than before. But nothing's being done right."
Kaily grumbled.
Penny couldn't just sit there and listen.
"Exactly! If you hadn't stopped Philip from burning those documents back then, this wouldn't have happened!"
"That damn Philip, Philip!"
Unable to hold back, Kaily shot to her feet and pointed accusingly.
"The guys pouring drinks last night too—they keep bringing up Philip! Who the hell is that bastard anyway?!"
"I've told you several times! He's the real manager backing this party and Ian!"
"Not this crap again, fuck!"
Kaily irritably grabbed a glass and hurled it.
The glass flew past Penny's face.
At a speed faster than the wind, it nearly tore out her hair.
Penny unwittingly swallowed hard.
Even as a hero herself, she hadn't been able to react at all.
"Listen carefully. Philip is Ian's attendant."
"That's just what you fools believe..."
"The only thing we were fooled about was money and work! How many times do we have to say it? Wasn't it already agreed upon?"
"How can you be sure? You might have been duped!"
"How? Because all of us have been with Ian from the very start!"
"What...?"
A crack formed in the truth Penny had believed until now.
A large, precarious crack.
She couldn't believe it.
From the beginning, she hadn't seen eye-to-eye with the hero party.
They denied Philip's existence, while she wanted to reveal it.
But they had agreed on one thing: that Ian had deceived them. So they united to oust him.
The problem came after.
The party started falling apart bit by bit.
She thought as long as she could contact Philip, it would be fine. But they insisted he wasn't that kind of person.
And it didn't seem like a lie.
"Then what about the beggar girl Sylvia that I spread rumors about..."
"Beggar girl Sylvia?"
Sylvia tilted her head curiously.
Beatrice seemed to know something.
"Oh, yeah, I've heard those rumors floating around. I thought it was just nonsense from idle people."
"What...?"
Penny looked at Sylvia with questioning eyes.
"First time I'm hearing it. Something about tavern talk, maybe...?"
"Figures. You're a bookworm who only knows magic. Anyway, the rumor is that some guy named Philip picked you up in the past and raised you until now. Apparently it's trending in Superbia, but we've been gone from there for a while. I only heard it yesterday myself."
Beatrice spoke casually, as if it were someone else's story.
Penny could not stay calm.
"Or maybe it was Ian who said it? He does that a lot—embellishing or polishing stories before passing them on."
Philip, Ian.
Ian, Philip.
The two shimmered in Penny's mind like a heat haze.
'What... How is this...'
"Tch. Useless. Ian would've been better."
Kaily's words snapped Penny out of her daze.
Though she had come here for Philip, she was also an ambitious woman.
Honor, money, recognition.
She couldn't stay silent after such an insult.
"So, thanks to my inferior service compared to Ian, you all enjoyed such a glamorous night? Right?"
"Ahem."
Kaily turned her head, avoiding eye contact.
Her collar bore red wine stains from heavy drinking, and alcohol still lingered on her breath.
"You must have received plenty of money unrelated to dungeons or demonkin while mingling with nobles. And you say that's all because of my inadequacy? How amusing."
The other heroes fell silent.
In truth, they had conversed with nobles, shared drinks, and accepted unearned money.
Ian had strictly avoided such things.
If there was time to mingle with nobles, just a light drink.
When drinking heavily, only among themselves.
He knew their personalities from his second round and wanted to prevent incidents in advance.
Of course, they had no idea.
Beyond that, he had rejected all financial support or favors not going through him.
Thus, for the first time, they had let loose with alcohol and basked in the outpouring goodwill.
"About this... Philip... Ugh, driving me crazy. Anyway, I'll look into it more. But that doesn't mean you can't enter the dungeon, right?"
"Obviously."
Kaily snorted.
Sylvia and Beatrice also looked confident.
No matter what anyone said, they were humanity's strongest force.
Only Aria seemed a bit hesitant.
"In that case, let just our party enter this time."
Multiple parties could enter a dungeon.
There were no strict limits, but usually up to three.
Too many people could lead to tangling and injuries.
Aria's request puzzled not only Penny but the other heroes as well.
Many wanted to see the 1st Hero Party, even without rewards.
And the 1st Hero Party enjoyed showing off their superiority.
Yet Aria was refusing that now.
"Is that really necessary?"
"Well... It's been a while since the dungeon. And it's uncertain, right? We don't even know the boss."
Penny glanced at the other three.
Sylvia nodded in agreement, while the other two looked a bit regretful.
"What do you think?"
"Hmm..."
The two, after some thought, soon nodded to Aria's opinion.
"One time like this should be fine."
"Not like it'll matter for us anyway."
"Understood. I'll pull some strings. I'll let you know the departure schedule again. Rest well."
Penny left the parlor, leaving the four heroes behind.
"Haa..."
Even a deep sigh couldn't expel the discomfort churning inside.
She couldn't stop now.
Penny strode forward, organizing her tasks.
'Monopolize the dungeon. And investigate this Ian guy.'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Hoo, hoo..."
Her breath came in ragged gasps, her heart pounding as if it might burst.
Her hot body was drenched in sweat, but she felt refreshed.
She could feel vibrant blood coursing through her veins.
"Hoo, hoo..."
Vivian was running.
In through the nose, out through the mouth.
Core tight to support her upper body, landing on the balls of her feet.
A week into running on Ian's instructions.
The first time, she thought she'd suffocate, but now it was manageable.
Her speed had increased dramatically, nearly matching Ian's target time.
Thanks to eating well, moving well, and sleeping well for a week, healthy weight had filled her out.
Still slim, but no longer skin and bones.
The clothes Ian bought her had been baggy at first but were fitting better now.
She felt changes not just in her appearance, but inside as well.
Each time her heart thumped against her ribs, her breath filled her mouth to bursting, her muscles screamed.
She truly felt her body alive on this earth.
Energy overflowed daily; during eating, resting, running, stray thoughts vanished.
Like trash.
Like me.
Those sticky words that clung more to her heart than her lips were peeling away.
Replaced by others.
'I can do this too.'
The final ten laps on the seventh day of running.
Having finished, Vivian stood before Ian, chest heaving.
He, holding a slime hammer, checked his pocket watch.
'Late again today...'
Her form had improved, speed too.
But reaching his desired time wasn't easy.
She was used to the hammer by now, but she wanted to meet his expectations.
"Hm."
Ian, looking at the watch, raised the hammer.
Expecting the hit, Vivian bowed her head.
'Still, tomorrow for sure...'
"Congratulations."
"...Pardon?"
"You hit the time. Today."
Vivian jerked her head up in surprise.
The hammer in his hand had vanished.
"Let's keep it like today for a while."
"...!"
Vivian clamped her mouth shut and took a deep breath.
Moisture glistened in her widened eyes.
"To reach it in just a week—well done!"
Mercy, perched on Ian's shoulder, praised her.
Kati said nothing, but Vivian could feel her favorable gaze.
To Vivian, she was a curious person.
Even with eyes covered, emotions transmitted subtly.
"She may speak bluntly like this, but she's happy inside!"
"Quiet."
She had met the time.
Satisfied Ian's expectations.
Her heart raced for a different reason than running.
"Kyaaaa—!"
Like bursting pent-up emotions, Vivian cheered with arms raised.
A few aspirants nearby glanced over, but she ignored them.
Seeing Vivian's unbridled joy, Ian smirked.
'She's smiling more lately.'
Vivian, beaming broadly, looked at Ian.
Amid complex reasons making her heart flutter, he loomed large before her.
His smile—so silly and light—felt warmer than spring sunlight.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Vivian filled out nicely with flesh and muscle day by day, her stamina improving.
From the week mark of running, Ian added agility training.
Shuttling between two sand timers at set distances, flipping them within time.
Agility was crucial for all situations.
Like running, she was slow at first but adapted quickly.
Ian rete-taught opening mana circuits.
Recognizing incoming breath, awakening body sensations from head to toe vividly.
Vivian repeated circuit training whenever possible.
To Ian, it seemed excessive, but he didn't stop her.
Endurance, agility training.
And mana circuit opening.
After all that, the morning of day 14.
"Today, you'll cast magic."
Ian declared.
"Yes!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Behind the training grounds.
A space larger than the exercise field had aspirants scattered about.
It was for practicing real combat skills—dangerous, hence sparse.
Swords swung here and there, magic and arrows flew.
Ian and Vivian took a corner.
Straw dummies stood in front.
"Don't tense up too much."
"Y-Yes...!"
Vivian had been excited that morning.
First magic in 14 days, curious about results.
But facing actual casting, her body trembled.
'What if no results? If I'm incompetent and betray Ian's expectations... He even bought these nice clothes...'
For the milestone, she wore the mage robe from the tailor.
White fabric accented cleanly with olive matching her eyes.
Meant to boost spirits, it only added pressure.
Ian, meanwhile, was calm.
Unsure if low expectations or utter confidence.
"One Ice Spear. Fast, accurate, strong. Mind all three conditions."
"Yes...!"
"And don't close your eyes when casting. You've practiced."
"Yes, I'll try..."
She took a deep breath.
Vivian closed her eyes, then opened them, opening her mana circuit.
At that instant, every nearby aspirant had to turn toward her.