Chapter 48

"Have you ever experienced death?"

"What...? Death? Wh-- Of course not, or else I wouldn't be standing here before you, would I? What kind of question is that? And where did that even come from?"

Chris, flustered, could only respond as so to the outlandish question posed by Jae.

...He seems to be unaware of my ability to come back from death, seeing his reaction. It's surprising that he hasn't been informed. I thought they already knew?

"Hmph. Just get out of my way."

His base stats are high enough to tank a few hits if he can block them with his sword. He also appears to have magic resistance skills and various magical enhancements. I should also account for him being buffed with support magic from the others, as well as his signature「Limit Break」... Then again, it's not like any of that will make a difference.

"...Rena, Bailey. Cover your eyes and ears.", he whispered.

Confirming that they had correctly followed his words, Jae stretched out his right arm towards Chris and said to him.

"You disgusting prick, playing pretend Hero."

"Wh--Take that back! Do you really think I'm pretending?! This is not a serious matter; not one to be spoken about so lightly!"

"...You think you're a "bright light" for the people below you, huh? Like the sun... How pretentious. Well, I'll show you a real bright light."

"What are you getting at--"

But, before Chris could even finish his sentence...

Flashbang―

*BOOOOM...!!!!*

―An explosion of light abruptly overloaded and suppressed everyone's senses.

Everything happened in a flash―literally. Eardrums were shattered due to the overwhelming noise, and anyone with too low of a Status who was looking directly at the blast; would have been blinded for the foreseeable future.

Well, for them, I suppose it would be better to call it the 'unforeseeable future'.

The pouring rain only intensified the effect of the technique, as the special properties of the extreme light, refracted countless times with each and every raindrop that fell to the earth. If anyone could open their eyes, they would be able to witness the phenomenal sight of each droplet acting as a prism for the light.

"...Tsk."

Jae quietly clicked his tongue when he realised that―even with the rain's refraction―his Flashbang had less of an effect than he had hoped when it came to his ex-classmates from Earth. It was mainly because of the natural magic resistances and defences they had acquired from gaining skills and levelling up thus far, which exceeded the standards for the original residents of this world.

Nevertheless, it doesn't take away the fact their brains just experienced a massive sensory overload, so it's not like the Flashbang was completely useless against the current opponents; they would likely be stunned for at least five to ten minutes.

Still, Jae was not satisfied with the outcome.

...If it were Nazar, or even that crazy angel of Diligence―would it even have an effect at all?

The regrettable words 'probably not' flickered in his mind.

He frowned, feeling the need to quickly acquire「Greed」gnaw away at him once more. Glancing at Chris, who, though not yet driven to his knees, was staggering about and only managed to stay on his feet through sheer willpower, held his sword with a drunken-like stance.

Looking at Chris' face, only the whites of his eyes were visible, as the Flashbang caused them to roll to the back of his head, just like most others here.

Despite that, he was standing; much unlike anyone else here. It made Jae think that, perhaps, he had just managed to shield his ears, which preserved his balance, but it didn't really matter whether it was that or his Hero status.

"...Bastard."

With his outstretched hand, Jae conjured a condensed rock bullet and, giving it a spin, fired the projectile at Chris' abdomen. It dug deep into his body and lodged itself in, staining his soaked clothes and splattering on the damp ground. Of course, this wouldn't kill him, but all Jae wanted to do was properly incapacitate him, so that was fine.

He could always be healed with magic anyway, so it didn't matter how much non-lethal damage he took, and if he was honest, seeing the unconsciously pained expression on Chris' face gave him a great deal of satisfaction. The pain of the one bullet still wasn't enough to snap him back into action, and conversely, all it did was send him flying backwards.

After crashing onto the floor, knocking over some people behind him, and spilling more blood, Jae didn't think that Chris would be able to get back up from that state, so he turned his head.

...Oh, wait.

Or, he was going to, but he quickly felt the urge to do something else and looked back over to where Chris lay flat on the floor. Next to him, was the Princess, tightly clutching her head as if in great mental anguish, despite that she was unconscious.

Jae stuck out his hand towards her―

"Fucking witch. Eat shit."

―and shot Earth Bullets into each of her legs. Her Endurance was much, much lower than Chris', so it caused her to snap out from her unconscious state with an ear-splitting shriek.

"AAAAAAGGGHHHHH--!!?!?!"

She almost immediately passed out from the excruciating pain and rapid blood loss, which Jae was immensely thankful for.

I was the one that caused it, but I'd rip my ears off if I had to listen to that squealing for another second. You're lucky; I'd kill you if it weren't for the kids being here... Anyway.

Everyone around him was still lying on the floor, stunned by the intensity of the Flashbang, and it didn't seem like they would recover for about another five to ten minutes. It just goes to show just how powerful such a thing was against humans.

Hmm... Aside from a couple of guys, I don't think those two will have too much trouble. While fighting stronger opponents is certainly good training, I don't want to risk their lives. Should I bring them into the Greed Dungeon with me? Well, that's if they can even enter it in the first place, but I don't see why they wouldn't be able to. If I'm to be gone for a while inside the Dungeon, I won't be able to protect them if they stay here...

But, Jae's thoughts were interrupted.

"Master!"

"Oh, Bailey. What is it?"

"Uh... You have important stuff to do, right? We'll stay here and hold them back, so do it and return quickly!"

"...I think you can handle it, but are you sure?"

"Yes! Daddy, we'll get them!", Rena joined in.

Her, whose face flashed a bright and confident smile, and Bailey, who wore an expression of maturity; Jae inwardly upped his evaluation of the two.

They sure grow up fast, huh. It's only been a couple of months, and they're already like this.

As the corners of his lips curled up, Jae nodded.

"Well then... Alright. I'll leave it to you two. I doubt the guys that follow Chris will try to fight you, but just in case they try... You can run away and find me if you feel the need at any time. Got that?"

""Yes!"", they replied in unison.

"Good. Don't disappoint me, but don't push yourselves too hard. I'll probably be back soon."

Looking over to a high up place in the distance, Jae could barely spot the front side of the royal palace. He activated Sloth and was gone in the time it took to blink. Bailey exhaled nervously at that moment.

"Huuu... Master's gone. Rena, we'll do it just like how we practised against those monsters in the forest, okay? They're a lot older than us, and they outnumber us roughly 30:1, but we can't let Master down."

"Okay.", she nodded with vigour, "I'll make Daddy proud!"

The cool rain calming his mind, Bailey smiled and readied his sword.

"...Let's do this."

Teleporting to just above the entrance of the palace, Jae fell right into a troop of knights who were on their way to the Nobles' District after seeing the 'firework' explode in the distance.

...I suppose I should deal with them now, rather than letting them go to assist the students.

Before the knights could even react, Jae unleashed a wave of bone-chilling Ice Magic around him―instantly freezing the knights and turning them into big blocks of ice, immediately followed by a second one to shatter them into countless pieces.

―Now that he was no longer with children, Jae didn't hesitate to kill those he came into contact with, and he felt no need to hold back.

Level limit reached. Excess experience stockpiled until the limit is increased

I think the original spell was called「Frost Nova」? It appears to have quite the effect.

The instant his feet touched the ground, Jae burst into a sprint towards the palace's interior; enabling all kinds of skills to assist him.

He didn't want to mindlessly teleport around with Sloth in case he needed to save his MP, as well as because he didn't know where to go yet. So, the first thing he needed to do was find someone who might know the location of the Greed Dungeon.

There's no way that they're unaware of its existence; it just wouldn't make sense. Most likely, only people like the King know anything about it. Yeah, he's the most probable person. Where is he?

As Jae swiftly moved through the palace, he ran into several groups of knights other than the first, and dealt with them the same way. By this point, they are probably aware that there is an intruder, he assumed.

Before long, he had run around enough to activate「Mapping」, which automatically drew an interior map of the palace inside his brain. He remembered that he acquired the skill similarly in the past.

Turning a corner, Jae bumped into someone he thought had a face he recognised; it was an attractive woman with blazing red hair and donning a suit of knightly armour, with a special badge equipped. From her Soul State, he didn't recognise her name, Camilla, but he definitely knew the face.

Ah... This is that knight captain lady who helped me back then because I was "lost", right...? Wasn't that when I was trying to escape the palace?

Behind her were yet another squad of knights; except this time, it was about triple the size of the ones he had encountered before. He met Camilla's eyes without halting, which widened in shock as she realised the intruder was suddenly right in front of her.

"Halt--"

―Well, in the end, it makes no difference. Sorry. You seem kind, but I can't leave you conscious right now. If you don't stay as my enemy, I might say something later.

Jae apologised to Camilla in his mind, before instantly freezing both her and subordinate knights into ice. He kept only her alive, however, and fragmented the others.

Without stopping for even a moment, Jae continued dashing down the hallways. From examining the map in his mind, it was easy to discern where the King might be in the palace's labyrinthian layout, so he headed there with haste. A thought briefly entered his mind as he went.

...Maybe I overestimated these guys? I was a little nervous earlier because these are the bastards that killed me in the first place and put a bounty on my head, but they're really all just weaklings, huh... Oh, I remember this place.

Eventually, Jae arrived at a huge set of ornate double doors. Pushing them open and stepping through, it was a large hall with raised steps at the other end, and massive supporting pillars at the sides.

―The Throne Room.

*tap, tap, tap*

His footsteps echoed in the empty hall as he walked further inside, stopping once he had reached the centre.

"Last time..."

〔The rank... is E.〕

He recalled events from far in the past, and his face darkened. The sight of his old school teacher being decapitated was burned into his retinas in vivid detail, although Jae now felt nothing even if he pondered for a long time about it.

"...Tsk."

He clicked his tongue and decided to stop thinking about the past. Suddenly, Envy spoke.

[Hey... You're not... serious, about collecting Greed, are you...?]

Jae snorted.

"Hah? It's a bit late for that now, isn't it? Of course, I'm serious, idiot."

[But don't you remember what I said before...!?]

"Yeah, I remember what you said back then: a bunch of bullshit. I'm getting Greed whether you like it or not, so shut up."

[What? You're getting who now? Who's this?]

"Haa, for fuck's sake... I'm going to get Greed, and once I do, it'll be a total of six voices in my head that need to go mute. Why don't you make that process easier for me by going mute right now?"

[N-No! Wait! This isn't fair! That motherfu--]

Jae continued to ignore his cries of desperation.

Looking ahead, he stared at where the throne sat, elevated above the rest of the room. Somehow, there was no King there. Then, his gaze narrowed.

...There's mana running through it--no, through the wall just behind the throne?

Walking up to it, he moved the throne away from its spot against the wall, and could clearly see the magical mechanism that was used in place.

It's... similar to what was used back in the Sloth Dungeon when the area with the Death God's scythe opened up; there's a hidden pathway here. This one is a lot more primitive and easily noticeable, though, compared to that one.

Placing his hand on the wall that was used as the entrance, Jae simply absorbed it into his Inventory, revealing a previously obscured tunnel behind it. He entered the tunnel, which seemed to be just one-way, and followed it through to a dead end.

Both sides are hidden, huh.

Sensing a person on the other side of the wall, Jae destroyed the blocked passage with a kick. He found himself in a spacious room that was extravagantly decorated on all sides with golden furnishing, a large bed, and various other lavish embellishments. It was the most excessive room Jae had ever seen in his life.

Then, a deep voice, as if full of dignity, was heard.

"...You've already arrived."

The other person in the room―a middle-aged, yet well-built and handsome man, with a strong going beard and dressed in armour-like royal garbs―reacted with not an ounce of surprise. Rather, his words made it seem like he was expecting Jae.

"I didn't expect you to find the throne's tunnel. An oversight on my part. How unusually foolish of me."

He stared at the man whose outfit―a full suit of armour that reminded Jae of a paladin from an RPG―seemed both luxurious and pure, yet also oddly battle-oriented.

"Seronia's King, right?"

"Mm..."

The imposing man who exuded gravitas; also known as Gaius II, the current King of Seronia, placed a hand to his chin and made a noise signifying deep thought. He spoke again.

"You are the one whom my lovely daughter requested the subjugation of, I presume? A fugitive hero, one could argue. In that case, I can understand why you are here... Has she perished?"

..."Lovely", huh.

"If you're asking whether I killed that witch people call "Princess", then I'd, unfortunately, have to deny it... It would have happened under different circumstances."

"I see. To hear that you spared my daughter's life; that is rather unexpected, I must say..."

Jae was thinking how cold of a reaction the king had after hearing that his daughter could have died, but he was immediately proved wrong by his next words.

"―I was incorrect; I do not recall the last time that happened... So, what is it you hope to achieve by coming here, to me?"

Getting straight to the point, Jae spoke.

"Where is the Greed Dungeon?"

The King was quite surprised by Jae's question, although not a speck of it showed on his face. Hearing the words 'Greed Dungeon' alone gave him a clear understanding of Jae's purpose.

"......How intriguing. I wonder how an outsider like yourself obtained information about a national secret?"

The King very much downplayed just how safeguarded the knowledge about the Greed Dungeon was. Even Ryan, who had spent over a year together with Nicolas digging for the dark secrets of the palace, had never found anything related to the Greed Dungeon. And the truth was, only the King himself and two other people knew of its existence.

Jae's brows furrowed as he realised the King was prepared to die before telling him where the Dungeon was located.

...As expected, it won't be that easy.

Soul State - Human

Name : Gaius Antavau Seronia Soul Level : 169 / 200

Title : King

Age : 52 Years Health : 64

Magic Energy : 34,125 Power : 10,301

Magical Ability : 409

Defence : 16,590

Magical Defence : 3,223

Resistances : 9,707

Speed : 8,420 Condition : [Composed], [Calm], [Curious], [Intrigued], [Wary]

He had good defensive stats... but that was it. Both his Power and Speed were inferior to even Reon Midas's, the anomaly of a man Jae had previously fought.

Let alone monsters like Ariel or Nazar, the King was not even worthy of Jae's wariness.

...Not old enough to be as strong as I was warned about. Was that god just paranoid?

To Jae, he seemed weak, but the King seemed highly confident in his extraordinary defensive stats, and that caused Jae some concern. Of course, he could easily get through the King's defences if he wanted to, but he was worried that the King's vainglorious attitude would force him to have to look for the Greed Dungeon by himself, which he considered to be a pain.

"I'll give you one last chance. Where is the Dungeon? Don't make me kill you for something stupid like this."

Jae knew he would have no trouble dealing with the man in front of him, so he gave him a final opportunity.

"...Intruder.", the King spoke slowly, "You seem to be mistaken."

Then, he tapped on the golden scabbard attached to his waist, upon which, a murky yellow magic barrier was formed around him in a flash.

*tap tap*

*vrhoom!*

Immediately after its creation, the barrier disappeared, though Jae could still sense its presence, hanging in the air around the King.

"......Where did you get that item?"

Jae asked while gesturing at the scabbard, but the King did not answer him. He was astonished because the energy he felt emanating from the barrier it generated... was very familiar indeed.

It's related to the Greed Dungeon. I'm certain. It has the same kind of 'sinful' aura as the blue Sloth mist I saw from Reon.

Now, Jae was beginning to think more cautiously. The King had an item that, in all probability, originated from the Greed Dungeon itself, and Jae had no idea what kind of an effect it might have.

Does he have more of such equipment...? No, it doesn't seem like he does. I don't sense anything else at least. And, if the Greed Dungeon is anything like the past Sin Dungeons I've experienced, then something like that should be hard enough for him to get his hands on by itself.

Concluding that he had to figure out the full extent of the scabbard and what kind of defensive power its barrier has, Jae immediately stuck out his hand and released a Flashbang.

*BOOOOM...!!*

But then―

*swoosh!*

―Jae reflexively stepped back to dodge the sword that passed through where he just stood.

...It had no effect whatsoever...?

The light had dissipated, and Jae looked at the King, who stood unaffected.

The barrier is still there, but it looks... slightly weakened. I see. So it blocks magic. In that case...

Reaching out, he pulled the white greatsword from the Inventory and promptly slashed at the King, who raised his free left arm in defence.

*GONGGG...!!*

What sounded like the gong of a bell resounded as the dull yellow barrier briefly flared into existence at the point of impact before once again fading. The sword had done less damage than the Flashbang, despite the Flashbang not even being a direct attack.

"Tsk.", Jae clicked his tongue in irritation after realising that magic wasn't the only thing the barrier was good for. He realised he had done that a lot today, for whatever reason.

...Well, this only gives me even more of a reason to get to the Dungeon. If there's more equipment like this, it'll be a real gold mine. And it's not like that barrier is indestructible anyway. Though it's certainly one hell of a shield, it will run out if I deal enough damage. This sword, then...

He returned the greatsword to the Inventory―

...is not the answer.

―and in its place, he drew a bloodcurdling "thing" that was too sinister to be called a 'weapon'. First, the handle gradually appeared.

"!?"

The King showed a great reaction, even though only a black rod could so far be seen. His response, nonetheless, was rather tame compared to what it should have been.

After all, it wasn't the physicality of the "weapon" that makes one frightened, but its 'energy'. And humans are terrible at perceiving energy by themselves; they need the assistance of something like the system, another person, or a tool.

However, the sheer amount of energy this "weapon" emitted, was so unimaginable that such things were unneeded for it to be felt by man.

And Jae was planning on unleashing it fully―this energy of death.

Even now, with only a part of the handle revealed, it was enough for every single person in the royal palace to feel it, mage or not.

The King, who faced this manifestation of death head-on, was completely locked in place by the absurd amount of pressure exerted on him.

Jae, who had barely managed to keep the "weapon" under control, wholly took the Death God's scythe from the Inventory. The upper handle, the central orb, and the swathe. Because the scythe could go on a rampage at any time, he had been hesitant to use it so far, but he thought now was the time.

As the final bit of the scythe―the curved blade, black like an eclipsed sun―crossed the border between Inventory and the real world, the orb split open to reveal the jagged eye within. It turned its penetrating gaze towards Jae.

[Hey. Hey. Jae? Jae. Master? Master?]

He shuddered, but was used to the feeling, and so was able to quickly reply.

"I'm still searching, alright, so just help me out here."

[Searching? Searching? Okay. Okay. Helping? Helping.]

―At that instant, a massive pressure overflowed from the scythe.

*RUMBLEE...!*

It wasn't the thunderstorm outside that could be heard. No, the entire palace itself was trembling, as if the city was struck by a powerful earthquake. Dust fell from the newly-formed cracks in the ceiling, but the building did not collapse due to good structural integrity and a stable foundation.

"So..."

Jae opened his mouth with a smile that contained both nervousness and excitement.

"Are you gonna tell me where the Dungeon is now?"

After some seconds, the King―who was only still standing thanks to the constantly flickering barrier―managed to maintain his composed mind. However, his response to Jae's question was unkind.

"Hah. A foolish inquiry. You must be dreaming?"

It was the pride of a king that didn't allow him to yield, no matter the strength of the opponent. Jae became expressionless at his answer.

"......Asshole."

―He swung the scythe towards the King, and the raw, unbridled energy of death, erupted.

Going back in time a little.

Rena and Bailey were facing off against the students of the Royal Academy, who had all mostly recovered from the Flashbang thanks to natural recovery and Healing Magic.

"Awh, damn!"

A student cursed as Bailey grazed his arm with the tip of his sword. He stepped back to let another student tag in before getting treated by a third student.

"...Gah! W-What is this kid?!"

This process repeated itself many times, and it was not until the eighth student tagged in that Bailey broke a sweat. With not one wasted movement, he single-handedly fought off sometimes several students at once. This was possible primarily due to a gap in skill and level-headedness.

He wielded a bastard sword in his right hand, a single-edged shortsword in his left, and had two daggers at each side of his waist―these weapons, he acquired from students who had dropped them due to being struck on the hand, wrist or arm.

The reason Bailey didn't use magic is that, for one, it uses MP he could otherwise use on physical skills, and secondly, he is more reliant on, and confident in, his swordsmanship. Since he hasn't yet gotten used to using sword and magic simultaneously, he doesn't want to risk losing the fight by attempting it.

"Rena. MP?"

He communicated whilst keeping his eyes locked on his opponent.

"90%.", she replied with her back to Bailey's. They watched each other's six for anyone who tried to attack.

"Alright. Let's keep at it. I'll make sure no one reaches you, so just be prepared for when the big shots finally decide to get involved."

"Mm.", she nodded. Upon hearing her confirmation, Bailey shot off like a rocket towards the nearest threat.

Since the fighting began, only the weak and regular students were taking part, and this is another reason why Rena and Bailey were able to last as long as they have.

For some reason, those who were with Chris, were only going to join if he did, but Chris wasn't fighting; no one summoned from Earth was, in fact―they only watched on in hesitation and anxiousness.

They're not fighting us. It's just as master predicted...

Bailey, once again, was in awe of Jae.

"Come on, Darling! Why are you just standing still?! Do you not see how our people are suffering from that crude brat and the Demon spawn?! And just look what that despicable lout did to me!"

Eleanor, the Princess, who sat on a stump of Earth Magic, was trying to convince Chris to fight, because, by herself, she knew her usefulness was limited.

Additionally, she wanted to see Rena and Bailey suffer, to get back at Jae for what he had done to her. By the way, the Healing Magic was taking a while due to the severity of her injuries, so there was not much she could do at present.

"...I see it. It's obvious, so how could I not? However, I refuse to fight.", Chris plainly replied.

He had already fully recovered from the Earth Bullet thanks to his stats and Healing Magic but stood with his arms crossed as he observed the fighting between his peers and the kids.

"Why?!", Eleanor screamed in dismay.

She was both heavily embarrassed and frustrated because of her current, crippled state.

"They are children.", he immediately responded, "I don't want to fight a death battle with children. It's just wrong. Besides, they are not killing anyone."

―This was the main reason he, and everyone else from Earth, didn't fight. It was much too awkward for them to simply observe, but it was all they could bring themselves to do. Because they came from Earth, a vastly more peaceful world compared to this one, they were too uncomfortable seeing children fight like this.

"...However.".

Chris clenched his fists tightly, and, after a short pause, continued.

"That is all the more reason why I must correct Jae and fix his ways. I've known him a long time before coming to this place; he was quiet and peaceful. I know that... It was this world which corrupted him to do such things like use children as combatants, and I believe it is my duty to save him."

"..."

Eleanor didn't know what to say. Her culture, traditions and whole ideology are completely different to Chris', and it was only heightened by the fact that they were from different worlds. Nonetheless, she subtly admired the valiant figure of him that was determined to save everyone he can, even if they are corrupt. Somehow, she came to love him more through this exchange of words.

Chris wondered what it was that caused Jae to sink to such depths as to unhesitantly use children in battle, and he swore to exterminate the evil that corrupted him.

Of course, if Jae knew what Chris was thinking, then he would just call him delusional and an idiot.

"Agh!! Damn Demon! Eat this!「Lance of Fire」!"

Suddenly, a student at the rear screamed and cast offensive magic with his staff. Upon finishing the incantation, flames began to materialise and converge in the air, soon forming the shape of a human-sized lance that evaporated the falling rain around it.

The lance flew swiftly towards Rena, who only raised her hand to calmly cast a spell in response. Thanks to Jae's teachings, and her talent as a Demon, she didn't need something like a staff or wand.

"「Water Shield」."

Water was generated, and, combined with the rainfall, instantly grew into a solid wall that easily blocked the lance just before it was able to hit Rena.

*PSSSSSHHHHH!!!*

Upon impact, the lance exploded into a huge volume of steam, resulting in the entire plaza becoming foggy and obscuring vision while heating the air to a sweat-inducing temperature.

"「Circular Gale」."

She cast another spell, whereupon a great gust of air swept across the plaza, easily blowing all the steam away and knocking some of the students onto the ground.

Using two quite costly spells in a row drained her MP by a lot, and it caused her to lose focus for just a few seconds.

...70... per cent.

Because of this, she realised all too late that there was someone else aiming a spell at her from behind.

"Aha! I've got you now, dirty Demon!"

Hearing the overtly hostile voice, Rena turned around and tried to cast a counterspell, but knew there was not enough time. Bailey was also too far away from the caster to defend her. She urgently reached her hand into the pocket of her coat.

"「Icicle Storm」!"

As the student cast their spell, a multitude of small, knife-sized icicles materialised in the air before being hurled towards Rena like a flurry of arrows. She pulled out an object from her pocket. It was black, and slowly started absorbing her mana in her hands.

Thrusting her old, broken horn out at the threatening icicles, she shouted in desperation.

"「Demonic Magic Erasure」...!!"

―All of a sudden, the approaching icicles disintegrated into nothingness as the broken horn cracked, and a small fracture ran through it; it would probably shatter entirely after just one or two more uses.

"Phewww...... 20 per cent."

This wasn't quite what Jae was talking about earlier when he mentioned 'disrupting magic', but it was the best Rena could've done in her situation.

"U-U-U-Uh-- WHAT?!?!"

The student, who had his magic completely and utterly invalidated, stuttered in disbelief and freaked out.

"T-This is unfair!! What the hell was that?! You--Gah...!!"

The student's words were cut off by Bailey, who had knocked him out by hitting him on the temple with the end of his sword's hilt.

The unconscious guy obviously didn't know it, and in fact, no one here did other than Bailey and Rena herself, but it was a Unique Skill available solely to the Demon Race―If they sacrificed the stability of their horns, then they could literally 'erase the magic' of the opponent, at the cost of 50% of their total MP.

*thud*

As a result of the abrupt and dramatic loss in MP, Rena's knees collapsed beneath her.

"Rena!? Are you okay?!", Bailey hurried over and asked, clearly worried. She smiled and nodded in response.

"Yeah. I can... still help."

With the remaining ~20% of MP she had left, Rena determined to unleash the largest spell she could use with her current amount. It was an unwise decision, as it would then leave her defenceless, but she didn't care, as she didn't want to be a burden to Bailey when there were still so many enemies able to fight.

At this point, the two of them have knocked out about 24 students, disarmed 8, and killed none, meaning that 32 were currently unable to fight. In total, they numbered about 70. So, taking away 32 means that there are still 38 enemies remaining―However, of these 38, 25 of them are students from Earth who refuse to fight. This brings the number of threats down to a very manageable 13.

"Haa... There's only thirteen left, but we're really running out of mana. Ahh, when's Master returning...?"

Then, Chris, seeing that the kids were beginning to get exhausted, finally spoke up.

"You two! Give up and surrender! Jae is no longer here, and you two cannot hold off by yourselves for much longer! I, and those who believe in me, do not wish for your death. I will guarantee on my title as Hero that you will get the help you need, so long as you cease this futile fighting! Please, listen to me!"

"Gr, shut up, you phoney loser!", Bailey growled, "You're the one who needs help, not us!"

"Uh?! You filthy brat! How dare you use such language against my Darling--!"

"Elle."

Chris put a hand on the Princess' shoulder and lightly shook his head.

"It's okay. They're still blinded by the darkness. In due time, they will realise that light has come to help. Even still, I may not be able to help now, but in the future, I definitely will. As Hero, I swear it."

"B-But, Darling..."

"Trust me. I will save everyone I can, no matter how long it takes."

If Jae heard that, he would probably reply mockingly with something along the lines of: "You will save everyone? And from what? Yourself? You delusional bastard, I need saving from you if that's the case.", but sadly he was not here.

Chris put on a bold smile as he continued.

"There's a saying in my world: "Rome was not built in a day". It means that time is needed to build great things, and I think the same is true of being a Hero―for me to become the greatest Hero I can be, it will take time. I need to become stronger to have the strength to correct the wrongs of the world, and I need to have the power to help as many people as I can."

"D-Darling..."

"―Hah."

Suddenly, someone snorted a laugh from behind Chris. It was someone who had stayed quiet until now. The person stepped forward into the spotlight to reveal themselves.

"...Yamato. Good of you to show up finally; I was wondering where you've been."

Chris identified the person as a classmate from Earth.

It was one of the two people who were so engrossed in Japanese culture that they even went so far as to change their names.

Yamato's weight used to be on the heavier side, but after Ryan had continuously disgraced him, he decided to begin bettering himself for real. Now, he was much slimmer, had muscles, and, although no one has seen him fight since he changed, was rumoured to be one of the strongest members of the class.

Briefly taking off his glasses, Yamato wiped them clean of the rain with a silky cloth while he spoke.

"Chris, Chris, Chris... Are you doing this on purpose? It's hard to tell nowadays. I know I am commonly a victim of being called 'cringe', or at least, I was, but you are simply on another level, you know? I was starting to think it was merely a joke or a performance, but seeing you act like this constantly, I realised that this is the real you. It's rather impressive, honestly."

"What do you mean? A performance? Of course, justice is nothing to make light of."

"Yeah, right, I get that..."

Putting on his freshly wiped glasses and pushing them up, Yamato opened his mouth after clearing his throat.

"Ahem. Anyway. You are forgetting the second half of the adage you spoke of."

"Okay, thank you for letting me know. But, what I said was not wrong, and the meaning stays the same either way, right?"

"It depends on how you look at it. The meaning, that is. What you said is true of the first part, yes, I believe."

"Just, what are you trying to say?"

"'Rome was not built in a day, but it burned in one'―this is the full saying as I recall it."

"I thought both existed separately? And anyway, don't they mean the same thing just worded differently?"

"Do they? I don't exactly remember since it was so long ago, but anyway, it can be taken the same either way. It is a saying that supports the virtue of patience, just like the version you mentioned, however, the second part involves the destruction of the city. Well, Rome never did fall in a single day, but I thought of another possible meaning behind it."

"And what's that?"

"In short, it is that destruction is easier than creation. Creating something takes time, patience... yet destroying something takes very little time, no patience, and barely any resources―none at all, depending on the scale."

"Alright. But what does that have to do with anything?"

Yamato sighed.

"Haa. What I'm trying to say, is that... Your righteous goal of being a Hero, helping everyone, and building this kingdom where all are happy and protected by you and your 'light'―a utopia in other words... It's nice and all, but it's just not realistic, and, more than that, it will probably be crushed before you even get the chance to make it a reality. In short, you are too naive."

"..."

Chris didn't know how to respond. A lot of what Yamato just said gave him something to think about, but it also went directly against what he believed in.

"Anyway.", Yamato said, wanting to change the subject, "Let's just forget about this whole ordeal and do something about those kids--"

―Completely out of the blue, however, something unimaginable occurred.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM...!!!!!*

――Along with boundless magical power, an explosion of immeasurable magnitude could be seen in the direction of the royal palace.

Subsequently, an immensely powerful shockwave emitted by the blast hit them, violently knocking everyone back and onto the ground. No one could resist the tremendous force that abruptly crashed into them.

*WOOOOOSSHH...!!*

As the shockwave passed through them and proceeded to the rest of the city, they began to slowly scramble back to their feet, dumbfounded at what they had experienced.

None of the students could believe their eyes, witnessing such an event―or any of their senses for that matter. It all began and ended too soon for anyone to comprehend what happened.

But two people, in particular, broke the stunned silence with their cries.

"Daddy...!!"

"Master...!!"

Though the entire capital city quivered in dread of the force that originated from its noblest location, the two kids only cared about their trusted guardian.

Ignoring everything else, Rena and Bailey dashed towards the palace at breakneck speed, leaving all of the students, who were still mentally processing what just transpired, in the dust.

The last thing that could be heard was an almost inaudible mutter.

"...What the fuck..."

Despite the atmosphere being buried in silence, everyone present agreed.

Level limit reached. Excess experience stockpiled until the limit is increased

"...That's what you get when you refuse to give me what I want. Stubborn dog."

Jae had killed the King but destroyed the scabbard along with him. Additionally, everyone in the vicinity of the blast also probably died, though it was not to Jae's concern.

Unfortunate collateral damage. Well, I can just get something else directly from the source anyway, so it's not like it matters that much.

Looking around, not only was the King... not quite 'dead', as it would be far more fitting to call it 'utterly obliterated'... In any case, as well as the King who had been erased from existence, so has the entire upper half of the palace, it seems.

As if God had taken a pair of scissors and cut the palace into halves, only the bottom part of the palace remained, and even that was all shattered and in terrible condition. Complete ruins―the entire palace had been demolished.

"...Huh... It looks weird now that it's all open-air. You can see over to the entrance from here."

With the thought of 'well, let's just get going', Jae decided to look for the entrance to the Greed Dungeon by himself. Fortunately, because the search had been turned into more of a top-down venture, it was much easier to know what to look for, and it was not too long before he eventually found it.

"Oh, this was that old locked and secured door that I discovered back in the day. Surprised it's still standing... Kind of."

What Jae was looking at was a―heavily damaged―door in the very centre of the palace. Behind it, was an ancient-looking flight of stairs leading down.

...Hopefully, it hasn't collapsed down there or something.

It didn't, luckily. As Jae made his way deeper, down the musty staircase, he soon found an open room.

"Ah..."

In the middle of the room―a portal with a hue of sickening yellow that distorted the space around it as it twisted and turned.

"...The Greed Dungeon. Finally, I've got it."

As he stepped through the portal, Jae's vision warped and he felt a massive sense of vertigo-induced nausea.

The last thing he saw was a pair of notifications.

You have entered the『Greed Dungeon』 Current Dungeon Clear Status:【0%】