〈 Chapter 11 〉 Towards the Trial (1)

*

“Whew, whew…”

“Are you okay? Should we take a short break?”

I thought I was fine after a few experiences, but that wasn’t the case at all.

I was okay initially, but after walking a little, I quickly felt my breath getting shorter.

I could clearly feel the lack of stamina stats.

“I’m fine. Let’s keep going.”

However, I didn’t want to hold her back.

I was just slightly winded; moving wasn’t a big issue.

If things got tough, I could always activate [Absolute Obedience].

After catching my breath for a moment, I began to walk again, following Gwen.

It seemed that the trial was deep within the ruins of the village.

I only knew it was located near Allen’s village ruins, so I needed to follow Gwen, who had obtained a map.

This was one of the reasons I had been waiting for her.

The ruins had deteriorated and eroded over time, gradually losing their shape, but the general form was still intact.

Although I wasn’t sure, it was evident that the architectural style was more advanced than the village I came from.

Such a civilization had lost its brilliance in an instant.

We were walking through a space filled with the substance that was the cause, ‘Chaos,’ relying on our swords.

Then it happened.

“Shh.”

Gwen stopped and put her finger to her lips.

Then she pointed to the right.

“Let’s turn back.”

“Okay.”

I replied and glanced past her.

There was a Chaos Beast sleeping over there.

At first glance, it looked like a bizarre black furball, but it was a Chaos Beast seemingly inspired by sheep. It was the thing sometimes referred to as a ‘furball.’

‘So we’re just avoiding the usual mobs, huh?’

Gwen was maneuvering around the furball without waking it.

Certainly, if it were disturbed, it would only become a nuisance, and defeating it would yield little rewards or SP.

There was no time to waste on such matters.

‘That’s Gwen for you.’

She had a warm heart by nature, but she placed an extreme emphasis on efficiency in situations like this.

There’s a reason she’s the best beginner character. She did well on her own without needing much from others, and her results were quite impressive.

Since we were still at the village entrance, only mobs like the furballs were visible, and there were no threatening enemies like ruin golems, so Gwen continued moving to avoid monsters.

Thud, thud.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps.

They were coming from ahead, but the murky chaos clouded the view, making it hard to see more than just shapes. From what I could tell, it looked like four people.

Now that I think about it, it was my first time seeing other people beyond the barrier.

If I were to categorize the types of people one might encounter outside the barrier, there were three groups.

First, heroes like Gwen. They were practically the majority of those roaming outside the barrier. It would be like walking around with your guts out if you weren’t a hero and wandering out there.

Secondly, there were those who had their guts out, so to speak. They were individuals who roamed freely outside the barrier without being affiliated with the Church. People referred to them as Pathfinders.

And lastly, there were criminals like thieves or tomb raiders. In fact, there’s no specific standard to distinguish them from Pathfinders. Just like the bandit who raided the inn before, a Pathfinder could become a bandit and vice versa. In the end, the important thing outside the barrier was to be strong enough not to get caught by them.

Gwen possessed that strength.

But even so, she didn’t forget to keep minimal vigilance.

She stopped for a moment to focus on the distant shapes. After a moment, she spoke.

“They’re heroes affiliated with the Church.”

At that, I pulled my hood down fully to cover my face as much as possible. The heroes had probably stayed at the inn where I worked, so there was a chance they recognized me.

By the way, the hooded robe I was wearing was Gwen’s. Being still young, I had a physique similar enough to hers that I could wear it without issue.

Meanwhile, as we entered the realm of chaos, Gwen pulled out a cloak emblazoned with the Church’s logo from her inventory. There was no reason for her to hide her identity outside the barrier.

When wandering around inside the barrier in the guise of a girl, several problems could arise, but it seemed that outside the barrier, she was liberated from such concerns.

After all, an ordinary girl wouldn’t be wandering outside the barrier.

And the Church’s cloak also served the purpose of identification among them.

One of the four figures approaching from afar raised his hand high.

That person was also wearing a Church cloak.

“Hey! Long time no see, huh!”

Gwen waved her hand in greeting, confirming his words.

As we got closer, I could get a better look at his posse.

In front, there was a man holding a shield and wearing heavy armor, likely a tank. Behind him was another man—presumably a warrior—holding a sword, and behind him was a woman waving her hand while carrying a bow. Lastly, at the back was a bald man holding a book. The woman was an archer, and the bald man looked like a priest.

It was a relatively balanced party.

Gwen greeted the woman who was waving her hand.

“Hi, Ludmilla.”

‘Ludmilla?’

I also knew that name.

She wasn’t a playable character, but she was one of the few high-ranking heroes who used a bow. Among the archers’ training routes, there was a route leading to her successor that was all the rage.

Meanwhile, Ludmilla looked a fair bit older than Gwen. However, the reason Gwen addressed her so familiarly was that Gwen’s actual age was surprisingly higher than one might think.

I was okay with that, but the issue lay with Ludmilla’s companions.

“Who’s this, that you’re so friendly with Ludmilla?”

They couldn’t process the current situation.

In the end, Ludmilla introduced Gwen to them.

“This is Hero Gwen. Her nickname is the Rose Knight, and we’re peers from the Hero Academy.”

At that, they appeared taken aback, clearly recognizing the name Rose Knight.

“This girl is the Rose Knight?”

“A girl, really?”

“But she looks like…”

“Don’t be deceived by appearances. She’s at least…”

Swish.

In that moment, a chilling sound echoed.

Gwen had slightly drawn her sword from the sheath.

“Ludmilla.”

The murderous intent that emanated from her was strong enough to feel like it could take someone’s life just by its presence.

Even I behind her couldn’t help but flinch.

Meanwhile, Ludmilla briefly recoiled but quickly regained her composure. She really must be a high-ranking hero.

“Okay, but who’s the kid in the back?”

At her question pointing at me, Gwen answered without hesitation.

“Just a porter.”

Her quick thinking wasn’t bad, but it was insufficient to fool Ludmilla.

“Looks small to be a porter, though?”

Ludmilla’s gaze shifted to the sword I was holding.

I hurriedly tried to hide the sword, but the archer’s sharp gaze couldn’t be avoided.

“What about that sword? Isn’t that the one you used when you were a hero candidate?”

Ludmilla spoke with a knowing expression.

“Now I get it.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Hmm… Seems like the bloodline of the Reedval family is overpowered. How could someone maintain a teenage body despite aging? So even at that age, hanging around with a kid…”

Gwen’s killing intent thickened.

Ludmilla quickly changed the subject, as if she anticipated it.

“Just kidding, just kidding. It must be some kind of priestly relationship. I’ve been thinking about successors myself, so I guess we’ll meet later!”

Ludmilla hurriedly waved her hand.

Gwen waved back, but her expression didn’t carry any humor.

With that, we parted ways with the group of four heroes and continued on towards the trial.

“Hey.”

“Gwen?”

“Forget everything you heard earlier.”

“What do you mean?”

“My age… never mind.”

Sorry, but I already knew her age from the status window.

*

“How much longer until the trial?”

“According to what I’ve heard, we’re about halfway there.”

She turned her head to look at me.

“You’re adapting faster than I expected.”

Am I adapting quickly?

It seemed more like I was using [Absolute Obedience] from time to time.

“But why don’t you step back for a moment?”

“What?”

“We’re likely going to have to fight this time.”

She pointed to a ruin golem blocking the alley with its bulky body.

After confirming the golem, I nodded and stepped back.

“Understood.”

If she had to fight, that was that.

In fact, I was a bit excited.

This was the first time I’d seen a hero fight since coming here.

‘In a way, it could be the only advantage of being thrown into this damn world.’

I recalled the first time I encountered the Hundred Braves. What pulled me into the game back then was the unique skills of the characters and the epic ultimate cut-ins.

Now I was about to witness that in front of my eyes.

Of course, I was just going to watch for now, but thinking about the inevitable clash one day made my vision darken.

‘Let’s see how it goes…’

But that anticipation was shattered in an instant.

Gwen stealthily approached the ruin golem and quietly drew her sword.

Then she raised her sword above her head. A red aura began to swirl around the blade, creating a shimmering effect.

For a moment, she simply swung the sword down from above.

A clean slash.

The red-hot blade melted the ruin golem like cake and pierced through, splitting the golem in half without it even having the chance to react.

In a way, it was a perfect victory, but for some reason, it felt somewhat regrettable. It was too clean, perhaps.

‘Guess I was wrong to have expectations.’

Thinking back, Gwen’s method was indeed the right one.

Rather than waking the ruin golem and fighting dramatically, if she could end it in one blow, it was better to just split it apart.

Not many could do that, though.

“Can you help me out?”

“What’s up?”

“I need to harvest a piece of the barrier from this guy, but I don’t know where it is. Could you help me look for it?”

The piece of the barrier was a tiny fragment found within all the Chaos Beasts.

They formed from particles that had broken away from the barrier and collected inside the Chaos Beasts, and if returned to the barrier stone maintaining the barrier, it could extend the barrier’s lifespan, thus rewarding the state that maintains the barrier with a sum of money.

In another game, it would be like gold dropping from monsters, serving as a primary source of income for heroes.

‘A piece of the barrier from a golem, where would it be?’

Naturally, I had no idea. I wouldn’t have known that sort of specific detail while playing the game.

Eventually, after struggling through the remnants of the golem for about five minutes, Gwen found the piece of the barrier in the left chest area of the golem.

“It’s smaller than I expected…”

Gwen put the piece into her inventory with a slightly sullen expression.

“I wasted some time. Let’s head out again.”

In that moment, a vibration began to be felt beneath our feet.

‘Huh?’

Gwen seemed to have sensed it a bit earlier.

She turned her head toward the direction of the vibration.

Golems were coming from that direction.

Not just one.

There were three golems coming at once.

*