Chapter 30

Finding the path wasn’t difficult.

Except for the areas where water was rising, there was only one passage. Ulan pushed back the darkness with a torch and steadily moved forward.

Not long after.

“Huh?”

Silfi let out a curious exclamation.

She suddenly stopped and carefully examined the floor and walls, then widened her eyes in surprise.

“The path has changed from before.”

“Changed?”

“Until just now, it was a rough path, but from here, it looks like a well-paved road. As if someone deliberately smoothed it out.”

It was exactly as Silfi said.

The path ahead was much smoother than the one they had been walking on. It looked easier to traverse.

As they continued, the surface of the walls also became increasingly smooth. While observing the gradually changing path, they walked for a while.

Then, the group stopped again.

“It’s blocked.”

There was no more path.

A metallic-looking object was blocking the way. At that moment, Ivella, who had been looking around, shouted as if she had discovered something.

“There’s something written here.”

Ulan and Silfi quickly approached.

Indeed, strange characters were inscribed. The problem was that they had never seen such characters before.

“Can you read it?”

“Sorry. It’s my first time seeing this script.”

As Ivella awkwardly smiled.

Suddenly, Silfi’s eyes widened.

“Ah! This is the language of the Ancient Desert Kingdom.”

“Desert Kingdom? So, it’s the language of the cultists?”

“From a modern perspective, yes.”

“How do you know the language of the cultists…?”

Did she recognize it at a glance?

Just as Ulan was about to ask, Silfi anticipated the question and answered first.

“When I was young, I traveled with my parents and had the opportunity to learn various languages. So, I can read a bit of this.”

“What does it say?”

“Ahem! Let me read it.”

After a short cough.

Silfi slowly began to decipher the characters.

“Thou, unchosen hero, despair not. Prove thy worth by overcoming this trial. Then, thou shalt be granted the strength and wisdom to fight the abyss.”

It was a perfect translation, enough for Ulan to understand.

“Sounds like something out of a fairy tale.”

“Haha, yeah.”

Ivella muttered, and Silfi laughed in agreement. However, Ulan didn’t laugh. A familiar word had caught his attention.

‘A trial.’

It seems his initial thought that this place resembled the Trial of the Hero wasn’t a mistake after all.

As Ulan’s gaze deepened.

“Ah, there’s more written here.”

She found new characters.

“Can you read that too?”

“Of course.”

It was the same language.

Silfi began to translate again.

“This is the Trial of the Hero. Thou who hast resolved thyself, open the door and face the trial. However, only those with the minimum qualifications may open the door.”

Trial of the Hero? Not the Trial of the Hero?

Ulan tilted his head.

He had never heard of the Trial of the Hero in his past life.

“Ah, so this is the door.”

Meanwhile, Ivella tapped on the metallic object blocking the path. Then, taking a deep breath, she pushed the door with all her might.

“Ughhh!”

Her arms and legs trembled.

All her strength concentrated in her arms and palms, and her face turned red in an instant.

Despite her efforts, it wasn’t enough.

The iron door didn’t budge an inch. Ivella frowned, panting heavily.

“Ugh, it’s no use. It won’t move.”

Let’s take a break and try together.

Ivella was about to say that.

But there was no need.

*Clang! Creak!*

The iron door, which hadn’t moved at all, began to open with a loud noise. By Ulan’s hand. Ivella asked, dumbfounded.

“…How did you do that?”

“I just pushed it.”

With a bit more strength than usual.

At his nonchalant answer, Silfi smiled awkwardly.

“The minimum qualification must mean the minimum strength.”

With that quiet mutter.

The group resumed their journey.

The path beyond the iron door was much better maintained than the one they had been on. Although it was covered in dust, likely due to long neglect.

“Wow, it looks like a very ancient ruin!”

“You seem quite excited.”

“Of course! Who would have thought there’d be such ruins at the Source of Magic?”

Her eyes sparkled like stars.

Given that she majored in ancient history, she must have been excited by the ruins.

How long had they been walking?

Suddenly, Ulan blocked her path.

“Stop.”

“Huh? Why all of a sudden…?”

“There’s a sound ahead.”

As soon as he said that.

Ivella and Silfi closed their mouths. Shortly after, they indeed heard something.

*Sssss… Sssss…*

It sounded like a snake slithering on the ground.

Or perhaps an old piece of cloth being dragged. Swallowing dry saliva in the tense atmosphere.

Soon, the source of the sound was revealed.

“A… human?!”

As Silfi exclaimed in surprise.

Emerging from the darkness was a human. A small-framed human wearing tattered robes.

But Ulan thought differently.

“Wrong. That’s not a human.”

“Huh? But…”

Just as Silfi was about to say something.

Ulan suddenly stomped the ground. In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance and decapitated the figure with a single strike.

*Crunch! Thud!*

With the sound of dry flesh tearing.

The head rolled away like a ball, separated from the body. The sudden attack left the two girls stunned.

“U, Ulan?!”

“What are you doing all of a sudden…?”

“Calm down and look at it.”

Ulan calmly pointed at the figure.

At that moment. The headless body began to writhe as if alive.

*Squelch! Crunch!*

The body moved with grotesque sounds.

Even the head that had flown to the corner moved as if alive. Ulan muttered with a cold gaze.

“If it were human, it wouldn’t move after losing its head.”

“……”

Is that how you confirm it?

Ivella and Silfi were speechless. The brutal and crude method left them at a loss for words.

“There’s a saying in my tribe.”

Whether he knew it or not.

Ulan continued to explain.

“If you can’t tell if it’s a human or a monster, just crush its head first. That will solve your dilemma.”

It probably meant to make bold decisions without hesitation when faced with choices. But coming from Ulan, it sounded entirely different.

After making an awkward expression.

Ivella pointed at the ground.

“More importantly, what is this?”

Specifically, the body writhing under Ulan’s foot. Soon, Ulan’s answer came.

“This is an Immortal.”

“Immortal?”

“Also called Undead. Like zombies or skeletons, haven’t you heard of them? They’re common monsters in deserts or jungles.”

“Ah, I’ve never left the Empire.”

Ivella awkwardly smiled.

Meanwhile, Ulan looked puzzled.

Because the person who had taught Ulan about Immortals was none other than Ivella from his past life.

‘So that means…’

Meeting Immortals must have happened after graduating from the Academy. Ulan nodded as if he understood.

At that moment.

An exclamation came from an unexpected place.

“That, that’s an Undead?!”

“Yes. Do you know about Undead?”

“Yes, I read about them in a book. To defeat Undead, you need holy weapons, weapons blessed with holy water, or silver-coated weapons…”

As Silfi trailed off.

*Sssss… Sssss…*

The sound they had heard earlier returned.

Soon, figures identical to the Immortal Ulan had decapitated appeared.

This time, there were quite a few. At least twenty were in sight. And this time, they were armed with rusty swords.

“W-what do we do now?!”

Silfi shouted in panic.

Ivella bit her lip.

“Is there any other way to deal with them?”

“Unfortunately, as far as I know…”

“There is.”

Ulan interrupted.

Then, gripping his axe, his eyes gleamed.

“If you chop them into pieces until they stop moving, most Immortals lose their combat ability.”

“…What?”

As Silfi dumbfoundedly asked.

Ulan charged forward like a flash.

Like a wolf pouncing on a flock of sheep, he swung his axe with ferocious intensity.

*Thud! Crunch! Squelch!*

Flesh tore and bones broke.

Heads split in two, and bodies crumbled. Ulan swung his axe like a madman.

And as a result.

The enemies were reduced to dust in an instant.

*Crunch!*

The last Immortal’s head was crushed under Ulan’s foot, turning into mush. After casually smearing it on the ground, he spoke indifferently.

“That’s the fourth way to deal with Immortals.”

“No, that’s…”

That seems like a method only you can use.

Silfi struggled to hold back her words. Meanwhile, as the battle concluded, Ivella suddenly began rummaging through the remains of the Immortals.

“I, Ivella? What are you doing?”

“Looking for a sword.”

“Ugh, isn’t that gross?”

“It is, but it’s better than having no weapon at all, right?”

That’s true.

And there’s no guarantee that more monsters won’t appear. After gathering some usable equipment.

“Let’s keep moving forward.”

Ulan’s group hurried their steps.

Towards the depths of the ruins.

3.

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Noa had finally stopped crying.

The situation was already like spilled water.

So, she decided to regain her composure and face reality maturely. As her gloomy mood faded, she recalled the information about the hidden event.

‘The event is called the Trial of the Hero.’

This event is a hidden piece for Named Characters who cannot challenge the Trial of the Hero.

Perhaps because of that?

Passing this trial grants considerable power and rewards, even if not to the level of a Hero.

Or it might awaken latent potential.

In any case, it’s a rewarding event.

‘The difficulty is easier than the Trial of the Hero.’

To be precise, it’s about one level lower.

Moreover, Ulan, who has already passed the Trial of the Hero, is there, so there shouldn’t be much difficulty.

‘And perhaps…’

Ulan might bring back rewards after passing the trial. That would be the best possible situation for Noa.

However, there’s one problem.

‘Three Trials.’

The Trial of the Hero has ‘Trials.’

In the game, it’s like a mini-game format, and to overcome it, three characters are needed.

‘The strategy mentioned that each character faces their own Trial.’

The content of the Trials wasn’t specified, but at least some combat ability is required. So, it’s probably related to battle.

‘Ulan and Ivella should be fine.’

Ulan is obviously no concern, and Ivella also has some combat ability.

But the problem is the gray-haired girl who got swept up with them.

‘Her face and name aren’t familiar, so she’s probably an extra with no significance.’

Please let her be a mage.

That would be a relief.

As she prayed inwardly, a familiar voice reached her ears.

“You seem to have calmed down now.”

Professor Miel had approached unnoticed.

Seeing him, she suddenly remembered her earlier mistake. Noa bowed her head deeply and said.

“…I’m sorry for showing such a pathetic side.”

“It’s alright. Seeing your friends disappear before your eyes is shocking. I understand, so don’t worry.”

A kind reply came.

Then, something occurred to her.

Professor Miel is the homeroom teacher of Class 3. So, he must know which subject the gray-haired girl is majoring in.

“Um, I have something to ask.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“I was wondering which subject the gray-haired girl among the missing three enrolled in.”

“Hmm, gray hair… That would be Silfi. She enrolled in the general curriculum. Didn’t you know?”

“Huh? G-general curriculum?”

“Yes. She’s aiming for ancient history.”

As soon as Professor Miel finished speaking.

Noa smiled as if she had accepted her fate.

‘Well, goodbye. Hidden event.’

It was nice to have some hope, even if briefly.

With clear tears in her eyes.

Noa clasped her hands together.

Now, the rewards didn’t matter. She just prayed for Ulan’s group to return safely.

4.

After a considerable amount of time had passed.

Ivella and Silfi’s faces showed clear signs of exhaustion. Understandably so. They had been walking through endless passages and had been caught in battles five times.

Meanwhile, Ulan was still fine.

Having endured the Trial of the Hero for ten days, this was just a light stroll for him.

How long had they been walking?

Another dead end appeared.

“This place is…”

A massive room that could accommodate hundreds.

The group cautiously looked around for clues. Sure enough, there were characters in the language of the Ancient Desert Kingdom.

Silfi, familiar with it, began to translate.

“Three heroes who challenge the trial.”

After reading that far.

Silfi exclaimed in surprise.

“How did they know there are three of us?”

“Just a coincidence, right?”

“But it’s too much of a coincidence…”

“Let’s read the rest and think about it.”

At Ivella’s words, Silfi nodded.

She continued to translate.

“To face the final trial beyond this, first overcome three trials. Prove your knowledge, strength, and talent.”

“Trials, huh…”

“We need to prepare for battle.”

Ulan gripped his axe.

But Silfi shook her head.

“No, this seems a bit different.”

“Different? How?”

“Look, there are three words here. Translated in order, they mean ‘knowledge,’ ‘struggle,’ and ‘talent.'”

Knowledge, struggle, talent.

The same number as the trials. It seemed to symbolize the theme of each trial.

“Do we each choose one?”

“Hmm, maybe that’s it.”

“Then Silfi takes knowledge, and Ivella and I will take struggle and talent.”

Ulan proposed a solution.

Meanwhile, Ivella was startled.

“Me? Take talent?”

“Yes, you’re talented in swordsmanship.”

Ulan said with a serious expression.

Facing that.

Ivella closed her mouth. She wanted to say it wasn’t that much, but the words wouldn’t come out.

‘…How can I say anything to those eyes?’

Eyes filled with confidence and trust.

Ulan was the only one who had expectations of her. Not wanting to betray his expectations, Ivella answered with a determined face.

“Alright. Then I’ll leave the struggle to you.”

“Sure. Leave it to me.”

Ulan grinned fiercely.

A smile brimming with fighting spirit.

“Anyway, now that we’ve each chosen our trials, we need to figure out how to select them…”

As Silfi calmly continued.

Suddenly, her voice cut off.

Not that she stopped mid-sentence, but her voice literally disappeared.

And one more thing.

The presence of the group vanished. Not just Silfi, but Ivella’s presence was also gone. Only then did Ulan realize something had happened.

“This place is…”

Not the room he had been in.

A much narrower and darker room. It felt like he had been summoned to a completely different space. As Ulan tried to look around.

*Whoosh!*

Suddenly, flames erupted.

Flames that devoured the darkness and burned brightly. They moved as if alive, carving characters into the air.

‘That’s definitely…’

The characters he had just seen.

The same characters Silfi had pointed out and translated just before coming here.

So, he recalled the memory.

Not long after.

The meaning of the characters was revealed.

【First Trial: Knowledge】

Ulan grimaced.

Chapter 10. Isolation

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