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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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“Huu, huu…”
“Are you alright? Want to take a break?”
I thought I had gotten used to it after a few tries, but apparently not.
While the initial discomfort had lessened, after a bit of walking, I could feel myself getting winded.
The lack of Stamina was making itself known.
“I’m fine. Let’s keep going.”
But I didn’t want to slow us down.
I was a little out of breath, but it didn’t hinder my movement too much.
And in case of emergency, I could always activate [Absolute Obedience].
After catching my breath for a moment, I resumed following Gwen.
The Trial seemed to be located deep within the ruins of a village.
While I knew it was in some ruins near Allen’s village, I had no clue about its exact location. That’s why I had to rely on Gwen, who had acquired a map.
This was another reason I had waited for her.
Though eroded and weathered by time, the ruins still retained their basic structure.
It was hard to tell for sure, but the architectural style was definitely more advanced than that of the village I knew.
And yet, this civilization had vanished in an instant.
And here we were, walking through a space filled with ‘Chaos,’ the very substance responsible for its demise, armed with nothing but our swords.
At that moment…
“Shh.”
Gwen stopped in her tracks and placed her index finger over her lips.
Then, she pointed to the right.
“Let’s go around.”
“Okay.”
I replied, stealing a glance in the direction she indicated.
A Chaos Beast lay slumbering there.
At first glance, it resembled a grotesque, black ball of fur, but it was actually a Chaos Beast that seemed to be based on a sheep. It was called a ‘Dust Bunny.’
‘So, we’re avoiding small fry like that?’
Gwen was bypassing the Dust Bunny without waking it.
Waking it would only be a nuisance. It was a low-level monster that yielded little reward or SP.
We had no time to waste on something like that.
‘That’s Gwen for you.’
Despite her generally kind nature, she prioritized efficiency above all else in situations like this.
She wasn’t considered the best starting character for nothing. She performed well even without much hand-holding, and the results were always excellent.
Perhaps because we were still near the outskirts of the ruins, we only encountered weak monsters like Dust Bunnies. There were no dangerous enemies like Ruin Golems in sight, so Gwen continued to advance, carefully avoiding any monsters we came across.
Thump, thump.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps reached our ears.
They were coming from ahead, but the hazy chaos obscured our vision, allowing us to only discern their vague shapes. From what I could see, there appeared to be four people.
Come to think of it, this was the first time I had seen other people beyond the barrier.
Those who ventured beyond the barrier generally fell into three categories.
First, heroes like Gwen. They made up the majority of those who traversed this dangerous land. For anyone else, venturing out here was akin to painting a target on their back.
The second category were those who did just that – those who, despite not being heroes, roamed freely beyond the barrier. People called them Pathfinders.
And lastly, there were criminals, like thieves and grave robbers. In reality, there was no clear distinction between them and Pathfinders. Sometimes, Pathfinders became robbers, and vice versa, like the bandits who had attacked the inn before. In the end, the most important thing beyond the barrier was possessing the strength to avoid becoming a victim.
Gwen possessed such strength.
But even so, she never let her guard down completely.
She paused for a moment, focusing on the approaching figures. After a while, she spoke.
“They’re heroes from the Church.”
With that, I pulled my hood completely over my head, concealing my face as much as possible. Some of the heroes had stayed at the inn where I worked, so there was a chance they might recognize me.
As an aside, the hooded robe I was wearing actually belonged to Gwen. Thanks to our similar builds from being young, I could wear it without any problems.
Meanwhile, upon entering the Chaos Realm, Gwen had taken out a cloak emblazoned with the Church’s emblem from her inventory and put it on. There was no need to conceal her identity beyond the barrier.
Within the barrier, her youthful appearance could cause complications if she traveled alone, so she concealed herself with a robe to a certain extent. However, it seemed those concerns were moot beyond the barrier.
After all, an ordinary girl wouldn’t be wandering around out here.
The Church’s cloak also served as a means of identification.
One of the four figures walking towards us raised their hand.
The person was also wearing a Church cloak.
“Oh? Long time no see!”
In response, Gwen raised her hand in a slight wave.
As they drew closer, I could make out the members of the group.
Leading the way was a man in thick armor, wielding a shield, who appeared to be a tank. Behind him was another man, likely a warrior, with a sword in one hand. Further back, a woman with a bow on her back waved her hand. And at the very back, a balding man held a book. The woman was likely an archer, and the balding man, a priest.
A well-balanced party, overall.
Gwen called out to the woman who had waved.
“Hello, Ludmilla.”
‘Ludmilla?’
Ludmilla was someone I knew by name as well.
Although she wasn’t a playable character, she was one of the few high-ranking heroes who used a bow. Among the archer hero training routes, the one where you became Ludmilla’s successor was extremely popular.
Compared to Gwen, Ludmilla seemed quite a bit older. Despite this, Gwen addressed her casually, which was a testament to Gwen’s true age being older than she appeared.
While I was aware of this, Ludmilla’s companions were a different story.
“Who is this for Lady Ludmilla to be so friendly…”
They seemed to have trouble accepting the situation.
So Ludmilla introduced Gwen.
“This is Hero Gwen. Her alias is the Rose Hero, and we were classmates at the Hero Academy.”
At that, their eyes widened in recognition upon hearing the name ‘Rose Hero.’
“This girl is the Rose Hero?”
“A girl?”
“But no matter how you look at it…”
“Don’t let appearances fool you. She’s at least…”
Shing.
A chilling sound pierced the air.
It was the sound of Gwen drawing her sword slightly from its sheath.
“Ludmilla.”
The killing intent she released in that instant felt as if it could extinguish a life with a mere thought.
Even I, standing behind her, couldn’t help but flinch.
Ludmilla, momentarily taken aback, quickly regained her composure. As expected of a high-ranking hero.
“Alright, alright. But who’s the kid?”
She was pointing at me. Gwen answered without hesitation.
“Pack mule.”
Her quick thinking was commendable, but it was a poor lie to deceive someone like Ludmilla.
“A pack mule? But he seems rather small…”
Ludmilla’s gaze fell upon the sword I was carrying.
I hurriedly tried to hide it, but I couldn’t escape the sharp eyes of an archer.
“That sword? Isn’t that the one you used during your hero candidate days?”
Ludmilla wore a knowing smile.
“I see what’s going on now.”
“What do you think you know?”
“Well, you know… Hmm, hmm. As expected, the bloodline of the Reedvall family is something else. To think you can maintain a teenager’s body despite your age… So even at your age, you’re into young…”
Gwen’s killing intent intensified.
As if anticipating it, Ludmilla quickly changed the subject.
“Just kidding. It’s a mentor-disciple relationship, right? I’m thinking about taking on a successor myself. See you around!”
Ludmilla hastily waved her hand.
Gwen waved back, but her expression remained cold.
And so, we parted ways with the four heroes and continued towards the Trial.
“Hey.”
“Gwen?”
“Forget everything you just heard.”
“What?”
“My age… Never mind.”
Unfortunately for her, I already knew her age thanks to the status window.
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“How much further to the Trial?”
“If what I heard is correct, we’re about halfway there.”
She turned to look at me.
“You’re adapting quite well.”
Adapting well?
It was more like I was relying heavily on [Absolute Obedience].
“But we’ll need to stop for a bit.”
“Why?”
“It looks like we’ll have to fight this time.”
She pointed to a Ruin Golem, its massive form blocking the path ahead.
Confirming the golem’s presence, I nodded and stepped back.
“Understood.”
If she deemed it necessary to fight, then so be it.
In a way, I was looking forward to it.
This would be my first time witnessing a hero in action since coming to this world.
‘Perhaps this was the one good thing about being stuck in this godforsaken world.’
I recalled when I first started playing Hundred Braves. What drew me to the game were the unique skills and epic ultimate cutscenes.
And now, I would get to witness them firsthand.
Of course, I was only spectating for now. The thought of facing such enemies myself one day made my stomach churn.
‘Just once…’
However, my anticipation was short-lived.
Gwen stealthily approached the Ruin Golem and silently drew her sword.
She raised it above her head, the blade glowing with a crimson energy that shimmered like a heat haze.
Then, with a simple, downward swing…
A clean cut.
The red-hot blade sliced through the Ruin Golem like a knife through butter, splitting it cleanly in half before it could react.
In a way, it was a perfect victory, but also… underwhelming. Too clean.
‘It’s my fault for expecting something more.’
Thinking about it rationally, Gwen’s approach made sense.
It was better to finish things in one strike if possible, rather than waking the golem and engaging in a drawn-out battle.
Of course, only a few people possessed the ability to do so.
“Can you give me a hand?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I need to extract a Chaos Shard from this thing, but I can’t seem to find it. Mind helping me look?”
A Chaos Shard was a small fragment found within all Chaos Beasts.
They were formed by particles from the barrier that accumulated within the beasts. Returning them to a Barrier Stone, which maintained the barrier, could extend its lifespan. As such, countries tasked with maintaining barriers offered rewards in exchange for the shards.
They were essentially this world’s equivalent of monster loot, serving as a primary source of income for heroes.
‘A golem’s Chaos Shard… Where would that be?’
Of course, I had no idea.
I had never seen such a specific detail in the game.
After five minutes of rummaging through the golem’s remains, Gwen finally found the Chaos Shard lodged in its left chest.
“Smaller than I expected…”
She looked a little disappointed as she stored the shard in her inventory.
“We wasted some time. Let’s get going.”
At that moment…
The ground beneath our feet began to tremble.
‘Huh?’
Gwen must have felt it too.
She turned towards the source of the tremors.
More Ruin Golems were on their way.
And not just one.
This time, three were approaching at once.
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