Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Beyond the Gate (2)
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BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the air, and thick black smoke billowed up from where Chloe had been standing.
I reacted faster than her, pulling her into my arms from behind and shielding her from the blast. Fortunately, she was unharmed.
Stunned by the sudden shock, Chloe cried out.
"Wh-what in the world was that?!"
The spot she'd been passing was right next to a grated sewer cover. The explosion had erupted from beneath it.
"Looks like flammable gases had built up and ignited. This is a dungeon unlike any we've seen before, so it's no surprise. Stay sharper, Chloe. No letting your guard down."
"Y-yes... Lord Julian."
Shaking off the shock, Chloe replied in a subdued tone.
Her confidence had soared from my earlier praise, leading her to stride ahead boldly. But she'd nearly triggered a trap right at the start of the mission.
If I hadn't saved her, she could've been seriously injured. Instead of shining as an experienced combat veteran, she'd almost become a liability. It was only natural for her to feel deflated.
Dungeons were unfamiliar territory even for her, a resident of this medieval fantasy world. Tension etched deeper into Chloe's expression.
'Truth is, I know this place inside out.'
Not just the modern urban landscape, but thanks to Demon King's Son Surviving in the Holy Empire, I knew exactly where traps like this one lay.
That was why I'd been advancing cautiously—yet Chloe had triggered one far sooner than expected.
'But it actually worked out perfectly for me.'
My quick reaction had kept her safe, and now I held the debt of her rescue. That made it easier to direct her in this dungeon.
"I'll take point from here on."
"Lord Julian! But as the senior squad member with all the experience..."
"Weren't you the one who almost triggered that trap first?"
"Th-that's true, but..."
I'd hit the nail on the head, leaving Chloe speechless.
"I'm the heir to the Reinhardt family. But I'm also the son of Saintess Agnes. My senses are sharper here amid all this demonic energy. I'll lead the way."
She nodded obediently.
And my words weren't mere bravado. As we resumed walking, holy power shimmered faintly around our bodies.
Chloe, priestess of the Alchemical Order, wielded Istia's holy power. I'd stored a trace amount of Jedin's holy power in my rosary as a reward.
Even that minuscule amount far surpassed Chloe's own holy power. Just as I'd claimed, my senses were keenly attuned.
Whoooosh...
Agnes's rosary was reacting to the surrounding demonic energy. I continued,
"In exchange, your alchemy outstrips mine, Chloe. Support me properly from behind."
"Yes!"
I didn't forget to dangle a carrot. Chloe nodded eagerly.
We pressed on. The sky's dark clouds grew denser overhead. True to the ominous gate's aura, the dungeon's interior brimmed with curses on all sides.
Without holy power, territorial soldiers would've collapsed from the curses alone, long before encountering any beasts.
'Good call choosing this dungeon.'
The fifth Chaotic Gate in the Nine Wastes Capital—one sealed by Saintess Agnes herself. Something was definitely happening with that colossal gate.
The irregular, sinister gate that had appeared in Never Territory, and this dungeon within it, were proof its seal was weakening.
'The prophecy from Demon King's Son Surviving in the Holy Empire is unfolding just as described.'
Saintess Agnes's prophecy. Per its words, even the seal she'd forged with her life wouldn't last forever.
'Reporting this to squad HQ quickly will boost our nest assault success rate later.'
I swiftly led Chloe out of the skyscraper and high-rise district. The dungeon twisted like a maze, but I already knew the paths.
In other words, I could take the most efficient route.
"We'll avoid other monsters as much as possible. No point wasting stamina."
"Understood, Lord Julian."
To Chloe, ignorant of the dungeon's secrets, it all seemed suspicious.
"Normally, a rank-3 beast dungeon wouldn't have this many subordinate monsters. This place really is no ordinary dungeon..."
"Seems that way. Let's hurry, take out the beast and the gate core, and get out."
Monster cries echoed from all directions. Unless it was a massive gate, it couldn't spawn beasts on its own.
Instead, beasts devoured any lifeforms—humans, monsters, animals—indiscriminately in Ice Land.
'Turning those devoured into subordinate monsters.'
Three villages in Never Territory had been wiped out. Nearby goblin and orc nests too.
So this dungeon wasn't some pushover with just four rank-3 and rank-4 beasts. Subordinates swarmed every corner.
Chloe looked queasy at the thought, tempted to use her return stone. But seeing my calm demeanor amid the demonic nightmare, she silently followed.
Traps littered our path forward.
Exploding manhole covers. Asphalt crumbling into sudden sinkholes. Streetlights toppling like massive blades.
But I'd cleared this dungeon in Demon King's Son Surviving in the Holy Empire so many times it was tedious. I dodged every trap with near-prescient precision, foreseeing dangers.
Chloe gawked at me like I'd summoned a ghost, now sticking close to my side.
And at last, we faced a horde of subordinates.
Humans turned ghouls. Goblins and orcs twisted into far more savage forms by demonic energy.
Roughly twenty subordinates loomed before us. They let out guttural roars.
GRRAAAAAH!
The rosary's reaction indicated a rank-4 beast nearby. No way around it—we had to fight.
"Chloe! Hit them with alchemy first!"
"Yes!"
Chloe slipped metal darts onto her fingers and hurled them into the horde.
Whoosh!
The wedge-shaped darts sliced through the air. Then massive explosions erupted from them.
BOOM!
'Chloe's alchemy is impressive as always.'
Using my Trait: Ordinary Alchemist, I analyzed her attack in an instant.
The moment the darts reached the monsters:
Chloe's mana in the darts intervened as wind-attributed physical force, disintegrating the metal into ultrafine powder in a flash.
Residual mana in the powder then shifted to fire attribute, igniting a small flame that triggered a massive dust explosion with the hyper-reactive metal particles.
'She etched incredibly advanced alchemy circuits into those darts. No wonder she's student council president—not just anyone could pull that off.'
The darts had a cast delay after launch before the alchemy kicked in. Designing that remote circuit alone required exceptional skill.
And chaining multi-element mana conversions in between? No average alchemist could manage it.
I wasn't slacking either. The dust explosions had weakened the bulk of the horde. Some died outright, but half survived.
I dashed into the gap. Lion Heart Sword unfolded fluidly. With the trait active, my imperial sword moved like an extension of my body.
Evolved Ordinary Mana Knight. I couldn't wield aura yet, but channeling mana into the blade sharpened its edge immensely.
Plus, training with the Combat Order and Lilia's healing had already boosted my strength and stamina stats.
Lion Heart Sword forms 1 through 5 flowed seamlessly. Against the charging subordinates, my blade struck and swept precisely where needed.
I cleaved through them effortlessly. Over ten kills, all in seconds.
"Keep moving, Chloe."
I returned to her side. Chloe's eyes widened at my swordplay.
"Lord Julian... you really know how to use a sword?"
"Of course. A man of Essenmont's Reinhardt family wouldn't be useless with a blade."
"Well, that's true, but..."
Of course, Julian hadn't touched a sword until last year. She'd figured he'd just stand there like a figurehead on missions.
But what I'd shown was the mark of a skilled swordsman. No wonder she was stunned.
"Just took down some subordinate monsters—not even proper beasts. A Gold Wing reserve squad member has to handle this much. Nothing special."
I brushed it off casually and stepped forward. Chloe followed silently.
We neared the rank-4 beasts' lair. The rosary's reactions suggested all four were clustered together.
We'd cut down plenty of subordinates en route, so Chloe fretted over my stamina.
"You've been cutting down monsters nonstop, my lord. Not just one or two... Are you alright?"
"Of course. I'm fine. Don't underestimate Reinhardt blood."
It truly hadn't been taxing.
Chloe's AOE blasts had neutralized most of the horde. I'd merely finished them off with refined Lion Heart Sword strikes.
And those finishes had skyrocketed my swordsman trait proficiency. I was reaping pure gains.
But to Chloe, it looked like I was nobly handling the dirty work. I'd claimed all the kills, keeping her out of it.
I'd even pretended to spare her stamina.
I said,
"Fine. If you're that worried, I'll use holy power."
I infused spare mana into Agnes's rosary, invoking a trace of Jedin's holy power. Emerald holy energy enveloped me.
Holy recovery. A heal settled over my body.
"See? Healed up. No need to worry."
Chloe startled again. Mana wasn't infinite. Holy power came from one's own reserves.
Yet I'd used it freely before her—maintaining anti-curse holy buffs, slashing beasts with mana-infused strikes, and now another heal. To her, I embodied a veteran holy knight, far beyond an ordinary one.
Especially compared to her, growing fatigued from repeated alchemy and curses.
"You're right. You look perfectly fine."
"I can heal you too if needed."
"I'm good, my lord. Save it—the rank-4s are ahead."
Speechless, Chloe changed the subject.
"Got it. Better to save mana for those anyway."
At the heart of this Harlem-like district stood a collapsed two-story building.
The rank-4s and subordinates had fortified the upper floor as a mini-fortress using the ruins. They'd watched our approach from afar. Defenses were solid.
No quick artillery duel like before—it'd be tough.
'No easy path to the second floor. Stairs look smashed by them.'
Subordinates included archers. Charging blindly was risky.
Chloe's face lit with confidence instead. She snapped open her fan.
"Time to show alchemy's true power. Terrain means nothing to it. With earth-attribute alchemy, I can reshape the field to our advantage anytime!"
Declaring so, she confidently aimed her fan at the asphalt. Mana gathered at the tip. She invoked her alchemy.
But nothing happened.