Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: First Day in the Ruins
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Five days later, the area in front of the ruins was teeming with mercenaries and merchants.
The students' gazes had been fixed on the spire piercing the earth ever since they drew near the ruins.
Instead of entering the temporarily established camp, the professors had the students settle into a new one set up beside it and assigned them their pre-contracted guides.
Most chose their guides at random, but a few seemed to have made prior arrangements, pairing up with familiar faces.
Allen was one of the latter.
“Lord Allen, it has been a while.”
“Alexius. It’s good to see you.”
As arranged in their letters, Allen joined Alexius, who had been waiting for him.
Looking over at Julius, he saw Erini tapping one of her spider legs as she greeted the others.
After all the guides were assigned, they received a brief explanation of the ruins.
Once they had been reminded of the precautions and objectives they had already learned in class, they were given emergency escape artifacts and a partial map of the ruins before being allowed to enter.
Several hours passed as they began their exploration in earnest.
“Evan! You’ve gone too far in. Fall back!”
“Ugh! R-Right!”
At Allen’s command, Evan, who had been about to charge recklessly, flinched and retreated.
A spear flew toward him in the brief moment he paused, but Evan skillfully deflected it and once again blocked the path ahead. Just then, Allen shouted.
“Eriel, now!”
“I know!”
Eriel’s eyes glowed green as she rapidly fired her arrows. The three arrows flew in quick succession, passing overhead before curving down at an impossible angle.
-*Thwip, thwip, thwip!*
The arrows bypassed the Living Dead Evan was holding back and struck the head of a Sandman that had been looking for an opening.
*Graaaaaaah—!*
Enraged by the sight, the Living Dead shrieked and pressed forward. Not one, but three of them charged. While Evan could hold them off for now in the narrow passage, he would be in danger if this continued.
“Ugh! A-Allen, is the spell ready yet—! Ugh!”
Evan cut himself off and twisted his head. Blue prana enveloped him, momentarily multiplying his speed. *Whoosh!* The spearhead grazed his head.
His face a mixture of excitement and fear, Evan powerfully raised his shield.
*Clang!*
With a clear ring against its helm, the Living Dead’s head snapped back. Seizing the moment while the Living Dead faltered, Evan swung his one-handed sword fiercely.
*Crack!* The Living Dead staggered back a few steps. The narrow passage forced all three to impede each other's movements.
Since the Living Dead were not living creatures, they could not be defeated unless their cores were destroyed.
But this was enough.
“Evan!”
Evan’s goal had never been to defeat the Living Dead in the first place.
“Finally!”
Following the tactic he had practiced to exhaustion in the artificial ruins, Evan fell back.
At Allen’s gesture, threads of prana intertwined, forming a yellowish-blue horn. Allen grasped the horn and took a deep breath. Green flames blazed from within the Living Dead’s helms as they shrieked.
*Graaaaaaaah—!*
The three empty suits of armor charged, closing the distance to the now-retreated Evan.
*‘Scream of Decay.’*
*Bwoooooo—!*
A heavy, low-frequency wave swirled and crashed into the Living Dead.
A fierce wind swept past them. There was no great sound of destruction. But it was over.
*Fssssss-*
The living suits of armor began to oxidize in an instant, and soon after, they crumbled with a creaking sound.
The battle was over.
“…Phew, it’s over.”
Eriel flexed her aching fingers and moved to retrieve her arrows. Even if she had more in her subspace, arrows were consumables. It was only right to conserve them when possible.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
William ran toward Evan. Evan, who had been about to collapse, quickly straightened up and greeted him with a nonchalant expression.
“It was just a warm-up. No need to worry.”
“Ha, ha. That’s a relief, but…”
William forced a smile as he checked Evan over. Seeing no injuries, he sighed in relief.
Watching this, Vestla’s blade quivered as she asked.
「If you used your power, we wouldn’t have to deal with this so tediously, would we?」
*‘Then there would be no reason to act as a team.’*
「…Ugh, but I want to get some action too. I haven’t had a proper swing in ages.」
*‘It can’t be helped.’* Vestla kept fidgeting at his waist, as if her body was itching for a fight. Stuck in the academy, she hadn't had a chance to be used properly, so her restlessness was understandable.
However, Allen planned to operate strictly as a team for this practicum.
At least, until he could prove his hypothesis that something related to a dark mage, or perhaps the Demon Lord, was in these ruins.
“Wow! Looks like I don’t have anything to say this time either.”
*Clap, clap, clap-*
Miled approached, clapping her hands, her eyes sparkling with praise.
“Evan tends to be a bit too reckless, but he followed directions well, so… yup, yup, that’s good. Eriel did a great job exploiting openings and providing support. William also moved by the book. And Allen, well, there’s nothing more to say…”
She turned her head, her gaze filled with curiosity and anticipation.
“That magic just now, it wasn’t time-based, was it?”
“It was not.”
Allen stated flatly.
Time-based magic does not exist.
The academic world is still divided on the matter.
However, Allen was more inclined to believe the hypothesis that time is merely an assumption based on the change of matter.
Youth and old age, new and worn, birth and death.
If a child never grew, if an object never aged, how would that be any different from time standing still?
Time accompanies change.
Conversely, without change, the existence of time cannot be proven.
This was part of the reason Allen hadn’t believed in regression at first.
An object can grow old, but it cannot become new again.
“I simply oxidized the iron.”
“I knew it…”
She nodded, her face crestfallen.
This magic was one of the results he’d gained from his time in the library.
Making what is bound to happen, happen.
It was the culmination of an inspiration that had been swirling in his head since he first met Inellia and Linbelle.
However, using this magic came with numerous prerequisites. The future must be almost certain, it cannot be used on organic beings, and because the system is not fully established, it consumes an enormous amount of prana. Furthermore, its applications are limited.
But Allen couldn't help but think that if time-based magic did exist, it might take a form like this.
Of course, there were more than a few hurdles to overcome before he could name it as such.
“Is the conversation over now?”
“Ah, Alexius. Did you handle everything yourself?”
Alexius approached, carrying a leather pouch filled with byproducts from the monsters. His scorpion tail swayed with his movements.
“I did not do it alone. Lady Eriel assisted me.”
“It wasn’t much trouble.”
She gave a brief smile before asking them with a serious expression.
“So… Allen, what’s the plan?”
Eriel held up the map they had been given just before entering the ruins for everyone to see.
The dark map was illuminated in the areas the party had traveled.
However, the revealed portion accounted for less than a tenth of the map.
“We’re still only at the entrance of these ruins. The important thing is, we’re still just on the first floor. But Evan is already tired…”
“No, I’m not tir—”
“Evan.”
“Ahem, I suppose a short rest might be in order.”
“My prana is running low too. And don’t even get me started on William, who’s low on stamina.”
William’s face turned red with embarrassment at her words, but no one said anything to him, as he was in charge of healing the party.
“So, we have to make a choice.”
“Whether to retreat or press on.”
“Yes, that’s right. Uncovering more of the map will earn us more points. I’d like to keep going, but it’s our first day, and also,”
Her gaze shifted to Miled, who was standing a short distance away, chuckling.
“…getting help from my sister won’t do us any favors on our evaluation.”
“That’s right! So choose carefully. I can help with knowledge and such, but direct intervention will get you points deducted, so be careful!”
Allen fell into thought.
What should he do? They had already fought dozens of battles. That meant they had enough experience.
Even though they hadn't encountered any powerful traps or guardians since they were still at the entrance, the physical toll was significant, as they had entered without any time to recover from their journey.
Miled still seemed to have no intention of intervening, keeping her distance. This, too, would be part of the evaluation.
*‘Rest is more important than pushing ourselves further.’*
Allen made his decision and spoke.
“We’re heading back.”
“…Phew.”
Eriel let out a sigh of relief, clearly desperate for a break.
Miled beamed, supporting his decision.
“Good choice! Junior Allen, when you’re not sure, it’s always better to take a breather!”
“Then we’ll take the shortest route back.”
Alexius briefly studied the map, and soon after, he seemed to find a path and started walking.
The party quickly followed behind him. Hearing they were returning, William’s face brightened as he mustered his remaining strength.
“Pant, pant… I need to focus more on my stamina training when we get back… Haha.”
“I’ll help you with that.”
“Th-That’s alright.”
“Don’t be shy.”
William’s face paled slightly at Evan’s words.
And so, the party exited the ruins at twice the speed of their initial entry.
***
The sun was setting, a time when both the vermilion glow of dusk and a pale moon hung in the sky.
A commotion could be heard near the entrance of the ruins.
“How are you going to take responsibility for this! I followed you and got eliminated on the first day. What will my family say when they find out… This is driving me crazy.”
“But, my lord, you were the one who demanded information from the advance party!”
“You lowly adventurer bastard…”
“Are you disrespecting the guild now?”
The guide, who seemed to be from the guild, protested with a look of genuine injustice, while the noble student scoffed as if he had never been treated this way before.
“You, are you talking back to me? How dare you…!”
“Then do you believe, my lord, that I would lie when I was contracted through the guild?”
The guide’s boldness likely stemmed from the fact that the student couldn’t bring an army to the great desert.
From the way he spoke, he seemed genuinely wronged.
“This bastard dares to disrespect my family…”
“Is throwing a tantrum about your family all you can do, my lord? If you have a complaint, take it up with the guild directly. The video recording orb has already been submitted to both the guild and the academy.”
“Y-You…!”
The authority that worked outside the central region held no sway here, and the male student’s face turned beet red.
Sensing the unfriendly stares from the crowd, the guide quickly slipped away.
“Allen, what are you looking at?”
Turning around, he saw William approaching hesitantly, still awkward about using his first name.
“That is…”
“It seems some have already been eliminated.”
William’s eyes widened as he asked. He seemed to find the fact hard to believe.
“Eliminated already?”
Allen shrugged and resumed walking. William fell into step beside him.
“There are always those driven by greed. It seems the guide was from the advance party that scouted the ruins. From the sounds of it, whether the student got greedy or the guide leaked information, they likely went too deep, too recklessly, and paid the price.”
“Ah…”
William looked like he didn't understand.
“But it’s only the first day. Why would they…”
“Ability and greed are not always proportional.”
And this wasn’t just any ruin, but a super-massive one.
The quality of the artifacts found here was on another level, making it understandable that people would get greedy. On top of that, they wanted to score well in the practicum.
However, a normal ruin and a super-massive ruin are different.
Unlike normal ruins, where one usually just needs to defeat a guardian or prove their knowledge, super-massive ruins are composed of many complex elements.
Monsters that have wandered into its vast expanse, guardians roaming the halls, and traps laid everywhere—and beyond that, one must also prove their knowledge to enter certain rooms or areas.
If caught in a trap whose principles are still unknown, a companion might vanish, just like in the old superstitions.
“…You know, the more I see, the more disillusioned I feel. I thought all nobles were supposed to be amazing.”
William muttered with a complicated expression.
“B-But you, Evan, and Eriel were all shocking in a good way.”
William quickly added, glancing at Allen nervously.
He must have his reasons.
It was only natural for all sorts of rumors to circulate about the nobility.
So, Allen didn’t respond, merely chuckling as he continued to walk forward.
Seeing that Allen didn't seem particularly offended, William walked on, lost in his own thoughts.
The sunset struggled to cast its final rays, dyeing the western horizon red.
The first day at the ruins was coming to an end.